Citizens for Justice and Peace
CJP’s Fantastic Four Meet the youth leaders who were awarded the CJP Grassroots Fellowship 2020-2021
25-Dec-2021
It cannot be called a typical scholarship, given how the Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) Grassroots Fellowship completed its first year in 2021, is unique in many ways. The four young people chosen this year have displayed rare talent and helped showcase stories of real people living with limited resources, often crushing poverty, in…
Combatting Covid-19: Lessons learnt in 2021 Still ill-equipped and under-prepared, are we ready for challenges posed by new variants?
23-Dec-2021
2021 was a particularly daunting year for India’s healthcare sector. Barely recovering from the first wave of Covid-19, hospitals, medical colleges and healthcare workers reeled under the onslaught of the second wave. And the battle is far from over. On December 14, 2021, World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned all nations…
Carving flowers on wood, and praying for a better future Lockdown has robbed Birbhum’s furniture industry of its sheen, the artists are slowly turning into migrant labourers
25-Oct-2021
The highly skilled carpenters of Paikar and Murarrai areas of Birbhum were once much sought out for the durable, and beautiful wood furniture they made. Now, along with thousands of daily-wage labourers, they find themselves in a precarious situation. They still make beautiful wooden furniture, but there are no buyers. Most of the adults of…
A serene scenic tourist spot awaits visitors Mukutmanipur in West Bengal's Bankura district lies desolate, its economy is in tatters
16-Oct-2021
The beauty of the countryside fascinates everyone, especially those who live in the city. Many crave to refresh their mind and bodies with a visit to the village, even if for a day or two. Even the drive to the countryside is refreshing, as you pass through unpolluted areas where the green flora comes in…
Silence of the Bauls Traditional folk musicians of Birbhum facing financial crisis even after end of lockdown
13-Oct-2021
Bauls or traditional folk singers from West Bengal’s Birbhum region have had an especially harrowing time during the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly during the Lockdown period. And now, even though the Lockdown has been lifted gradually, they are still struggling to put their lives back on track. Who are the Bauls? Sung by wandering minstrels Baul…
Lockdown Impact: Filled forms, have Bunkar Card, yet got no help from gov’t Part-10 of our on-going series based on CJP's Purvanchal fact-finding mission examining the decline of the traditional weaving industry
30-Sep-2021
During our fact-finding mission in the Purvanchal region of Uttar Pradesh, we came across Riaz Ul Haq, a weaver from the Kareemuddin Pusatti neighbourhood in Ghosi, Mau. When we met him in November 2020, he said that despite having a Bunkar Card and filling various forms for help under the weaver assistance scheme, he got…
Prayers for stability during the festive season With Durga Puja around the corner, small traders pray that business picks up
25-Sep-2021
It has been well documented that job opportunities have shrunk due to the Covid-19 induced lockdown and its aftermath. However expenses have continued to swell, especially for medical treatment. And now as Durga Pujo, the biggest festival of Bengalis approaches, the money crunch is being felt the most. Many middle income and low income families have…
Lockdown impact: “Those who once greeted me with ‘salaam’, don’t even talk to me any more” Part-9 of our on-going series based on CJP's Purvanchal fact-finding mission examining the decline of the traditional weaving industry
23-Sep-2021
During our fact-finding mission in Purvanchal, we came across several instances of unemployed families forced to the brink of starvation. In December 2020, we met Mohammed Shoeb, an elderly gentleman from Revri Talab in Madanpura, who had not eaten a single morsel of food that day. “Food wasn’t cooked in our kitchen today,” says 65-yesr-old…
Lockdown impact: Religion-based discrimination rampant in Varanasi? Part-8 of our on-going series based on CJP's Purvanchal fact-finding mission examining the decline of the traditional weaving industry
15-Sep-2021
CJP’s fact finding mission analysing the plight of workers from the weaving industry and allied activities, in face of the Covid induced lockdown, has also come across several allegations of religion-based discrimination, even amidst a deadly pandemic. On November 29, 2020, our team came across Imtiaz*, an Aari worker who was forced to run a coffee stand…
Lockdown impact: Lungi weavers left in the lurch Part-6 of our on-going series based on CJP's Purvanchal fact-finding mission examining the decline of the traditional weaving industry
01-Sep-2021
CJP’s fact-finding team studying the impact of the Lockdown on weavers in Uttar Pradesh’s Purvanchal region, found itself in Shahpur, Azamgarh in November 2020. Here, we came across Ahmed Ansari, who weaves and sells lungis or traditional waist cloth. He told us how the increasing cost of raw materials and electricity charges as well as…