EMS study centre in Bangalore City

Bangalore will have an exclusive centre to study social movements of Karnataka.

Brainchild of Left activists in the State, the centre will be housed in a new building named after communist leader E M S Namboodiripad, that will be inaugurated on June 14 by Kerala Chief Minister V S Achutanandan. The A K Gopalan Memorial Social Education Trust of Bangalore has raised nearly Rs one crore for construction of the Bhavan which has a 200-seat auditorium, in Mahalakshmi Layout.

The Trust will offer residential short-term training programmes for activists to promote social movements. G N Nagaraj, Trust’s Managing Trustee and CPM state secretariat member, said the aim of the centre is to realise the ideals of ‘E M S’ and Gopalan, whose efforts propelled Kerala to the top of the human development index in the country. a similar endeavour was needed in Karnataka, Nagaraj said. He said the Bhavan, which has built-up area of 5,600 sqft, has been constructed with contribution from the public, especially peasants and workers besides well-wishers. The Trust has developed four courses which can be attended by anyone who is interested in social issues - study on Karnataka’s social, economic and cultural development; study on dalits, on working class and on farmers of Karnataka. The course includes both lectures by subject experts and audio-visual presentations.

A full-time faculty has already been appointed. A good number of guest lecturers would be roped in. The course modules have been designed to provide information and knowledge on the happenings in developed world, and how it is affecting working class in developing countries. “The working class or farmers may not know about climate change or globalisation. Through our course, we will educate them. We are not offering formal education like in educational institutions. It is going to be social education to highlight how distraction of democracy is taking place,” Nagaraj said.

The duration of the courses may vary from 5 to 15 days, and nominal fees will be collected from participants. CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat, former prime minister Deve Gowda, Kerala Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and writer U R Ananthmurthy will be present during the inaugural programme.

(Courtesy : Deccan Herald)