AID - Ann Arbor

Aruna Roy and Shankar Singh, two of the founders of the Mazdoor Kishan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) of Rajasthan, came to Ann Arbor to talk about their Freedom to Information campaign as well as the communal violence that has devastated Gujarat. The MKSS Freedom to Information campaign has been responsible for changes in legislation in 8 states. The new regulations allow for villagers to finally have access to the governments that claim to represent them. In the past, villagers would have no right to the information passed from one government official to another regarding their fate. Now, because of the MKSS efforts, they do. Arunaji and Shankarji also gave heartfelt testimonials about the communal violence in Gujarat. They showed the very emotional "Hey Ram", which is a movie that documents firsthand the carnage and devastation that are a result of communal violence. Ann Arbor was only one stop on their tour of America. They stopped in countless cities, talking about the conditions in India as they see them. The picture above is from a street theater performance that Arunaji and Shankarji did in Jackson Heights, New York City.