CITIZENS
FOR PEACE
Why
it was set up, what it has done and what it intends to do
Citizens
for Peace (CFP) is a non-political organization that was
formed in response to the violence and anarchy that ravaged
Mumbai in 1992-93. We are a group of concerned citizens
who spontaneously banded together out of revulsion at the
tragic events that rocked the city then. We are driven by
the determination to reaffirm Mumbai's cosmopolitan ethos
and liberal,
enlightened tradition.
Although
CFP began as an ad-hoc effort, it rapidly grew into an efficient
crisis-relief unit geared to coping with different aspects
of distress caused by the riots. At the time, it maintained
a round-the-clock office to deal expeditiously with urgent
cases of distress and danger to life.
CFP was able to collect donations and help from many
sources and use it all to help victims of the violence in
different ways. This work was made possible by a task force
of highly motivated CFP volunteers across Mumbai.
In
the years since then, CFP has remained concerned about the
growing intolerance and vandalism in the name of religion.
We worry about other violence too, but our focus on religion
recognizes how destructive a force it can be turned into.
The horrific events in Gujarat in 2002 clearly tell us that
communal violence, and the state's failure to prevent or
punish it, are among the greatest challenges before Indian
society today.
We
believe that citizens' groups must address this challenge.
Thus CFP will:
1)
Strongly oppose intolerance and violence in the name
of religion
2)
Generate public pressure on the state to fulfill
its constitutional obligations when faced with such violence
3)
Help with relief and rehabilitation measures for
the victims of violence.
4)
Analyze the ways in which law and order breaks down
during communal violence and suggest remedies.
5)
Counter the prejudices and propaganda that cause
communal violence, and promote goodwill and harmony between
communities.
In
addition to these objectives, CFP believes the time has
come to articulate clearly a vision for India; or, put another
way, to inject new life into the vision for India that Indians
had looked forward to building in 1947. Our concern is that
the future of this country is at stake today, and we believe
we must spell out how we see that future. This vision will
be founded on liberal, secular, and humane values that have
space for every Indian.
It will find a new, vibrant definition for such terms
as secularism and democracy in the context of India today.
This is essential to the role CFP sees for itself, and the
wider context of this vision will define some of the activities
that CFP, a purely volunteer-based group, takes on.
The
Trustees and Managing Committee of Citizens for Peace are
listed below:
Trustees
Titoo
Ahluwalia
B
G Deshmukh
Cyrus
Guzder
Rina
Kamath
Julio
Rebeiro
Atul
Setalvad
Dolly
Thakore
Managing
Committee
Titoo
Ahluwalia
Rajni
Bakshi
Devieka
Bhojwani
Dilip
D’Souza
Rina
Kamath
Rajit
Kapur
Dolly
Thakore
Pervin
Varma
for
details, contact
