The RTI Toolkit: Use it Effectively : May 31, 2009

'The RTI Toolkit: Use it Effectively' -- a day-long workshop for the youth on the Right to Information Act Venue and timings: Kochrab Ashram (Paldi), 11 am to 4.30 pm.

Open Space Ahmedabad in collaboration with Mahiti Adhikar Gujarat Pahel and Gujarat Vidyapith conducted an activity-based workshop for youth in the age group 18-35 on issues that affect them directly or indirectly, such as education, civic issues, social welfare etc. Mr. Harinesh Pandya and Ms. Pankti Jog of MAGP demonstrated the effectiveness of RTI, how and where it can be used and how it can help the youth in becoming aware of their rights and in improving their life.

The Times of India: June 1, 2009

Screening and appreciation of 'Mumbai Meri Jaan' with Jay Vasavada: May 23, 2009

'Mumbai Meri Jaan' (2008) is a perceptive account of five individuals and their personal fears and trauma in the context of the Mumbai train blasts of July 11, 2006. It won the Filmfare Critics' Choice Award for Best Film of 2008.

Open Space Ahmedabad had the pleasure of associating with noted writer-orator-film Jay Vasavada to discuss with the viewers some of the topical issues of media ethics, religious stereotypes, prejudice, idealism, economic disparity and immigration that the film raises.


Viewers being diverse in terms of their economic and religious backgrounds, the Q&A with the erudite "JV", as Jay Vasavada is fondly called across Gujarat, was multi-dimensional. Ranjit Gohil, a "Muslim-with-a-Hindu name" said he understood both worlds because of his name, how he met people like the bigot, Suresh,(played by Kay Kay Menon in the movie) and what Muslims themselves need to introspect about to overcome the strong stereotypes they have created for themselves. As another young viewer added, "We need to stop living in boxes".

OS-A screening of vox pop films and discussion on Youth and Politics: April 26, 2009

DNA Ahmedabad April 28, 2009

Standing, L-R: Vinay Tomar (NSUI), Raheel Dhattiwala (Open Space Ahmedabad), Revanta Sarabhai (artist), Swar Shah (RFG-India); Seated, L-R: Pankaj Shukla (ABVP), Kanan Dhru (RFG-India), Sebastian Morris (IIM-A), Kelly Dhru (RFG-India)

Open Space Ahmedabad collaborated with Research Foundation for Governance in India (Team members: Kanan Dhru, Kelly Dhru, Swar Shah) in organising a discussion-interaction on 'Governance in India: Have the youth become indifferent to politics?'

For OS-A the idea was to screen the vox pop films on democracy and elections made in March 2009 (see Youtube links: Democracy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_dZMAYXdes ; Will you vote?: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5LJl2CIbTc ; Chief Minister for a day: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW_MiHJJXbg) for a larger section of Ahmedabad people. Because Open Space believes in platforms that give freedom to people with left-, centre- and right-wing ideologies to express themselves, we invited young representatives supporting the Congress, the BJP and independent candidates contesting the Lok Sabha polls of 2009.

We had in the audience young role-models from different communities and professions to initiate the interaction, namely Gazala Ahmed (fashion entrepreneur), Hozefa Ujjaini (Coordinator of human rights youth group Aman Samuday), Ranjit Gohil (disabled rights activist and entrepreneur), Ankit Chona (entrepreneur, Havmor Foods), Parag Patel (academician), among others. Prof. Sebastian Morris of IIM-Ahmedabad moderated the session with Prof. Dileep Mavalankar, also from IIM-A.

Ahmedabad Mirror: April 27, 2009

Indian Express Newsline: April 27, 2009

The Times of India: April 27, 2009

Display of 'Bridging Cultures' mural: April 11, 2009

Catharsis Art Gallery collaborated with OpenSpace Ahmedabad to exhibit the charcoal drawing and the mural made in the art camp on 'Bridging Cultures: Living Together' in March 2009 . Four of the six art camp participants, namely Jignesh, Sudeshna, Love and Deepa, were present on the day to introduce the concept and their own interpretation of it on canvas. Among the well-known artists present were Vrundavan Solanki, CD Mistry, Natu Mistry, Vinod Patel and Suresh Sheth. Both art resource persons Karl Antao and Esther David were present.

The Times of India, Ahmedabad, April 11, 2009

The Times of India, Ahmedabad, April 12, 2009

Ahmedabad Times, April 13, 2009

'Sights, Sounds, Tastes of Ahmedabad': March 29, 2009

Noted urban planner and architect Yatin Pandya literally offered a taste of the real Ahmedabad to our group of 11 young participants from the city, many of whom had never visited 'the other side of Ahmedabad' before. It was amazing to see the zest with which the participants trod along the hot, dry lanes of old Ahmedabad in the blazing summer sun for four trying hours. "I've lived in Ahmedabad for 25 years and never felt the need to explore the old city before. I'd only seen a college in the old city while passing by it once," one of our group members, Jignesh, who had also participated in the OS-A art camp earlier said. The objective of the walk was like all our other events: to get a group of 'un-likeminded' youths together -- youngsters practising different professions, religions, cultures -- and introduce them to the diversity that exists in their own city, one that they have never known for lack of time or interest. We took the route: Nehru Bridge-Sidi Saiyad mosque- House of Mangal Girdhar and Vijlighar – Bhadra Citadel - Chabutaro (Bird feeder) - Dhalgarwad (clothes market, flower market, spice market, vegetable/fruit market, utensils market) - Pols (residential precincts) Hari bhakti ni Haveli, Devji Saraiya, Lakha Patel, Manek chowk- Rani no Hajiro, Raja no hajiro- Ahmedshah (founder king of Ahmedabad) and queen’s tomb - Jami mosque- Teen Darwaja


Yatin Pandya with group member Gopal in an Ahmedabad 'pol' (top) and with others in Sidi Saiyed Mosque

OS vox pop films on governance, democracy, elections

DNA: April 2, 2009

(below) Indian Express: March 13, 2009

What’s the best way to get someone explore a city? Hand them a camera! We did just that and got a bunch of enthusiastic youngsters to bring out their digicams and film cultures, people, places they had never known before. These were 2-minute films on democracy, voting and governance which followed the classic vox pop format. Apart from the interesting mix of participants (a businessman, a handful of students, a producer..), the
other remarkable aspect of this exercise was the introduction of localities and communities in Ahmedabad these youngsters had never got a chance to go to or interact with earlier.

By now we have screened these films for over 100 people in Ahmedabad and posted the links on Youtube.

Watch these films on YouTube

1. Democracy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_dZMAYXdes

2. Will you vote?: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5LJl2CIbTc

3. Chief Minister for a day: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW_MiHJJXbg

A culturally diverse mural: March 16-21, 2009

OS-A brought together six young artists, from various design schools in Ahmedabad to collectively work on a 7 ft x 7 ft canvas on the theme ‘Bridging Cultures: Living Together’, with sculptor Karl Antao as expert resource person. The Le Corbusier-designed Ahmedabad Textile Mills’ Association building provided a fitting ambience for their artistic expression. Over the week, the ‘bridging of cultures’ on canvas reflected in the sharing of social space among the artists, all of whom came from different cultural and economic backgrounds.

Noted artist Nabibakhsh Mansoori gives useful tips to the young artists

DNA Ahmedabad: March 23, 2009

(L-R): Megha Vyas, Deepa Mehta, Love Mevada, Sudeshna Sil, Jignesh Vanza, Hiral Vyas

Indian Express Newsline: March 22, 2009

Risk in recession: February 26, 2009

You can't talk entrepreneurship without talking Ahmedabad. And you can't talk entrepreneurship without taking into account the universal bane -- recession. What's a young, aspiring entrepreneur from Ahmedabad ought to do, and not do, in times like these? Prof. Rakesh Basant, IIM-A faculty in economics, agreed to help out. The interactive talk was supported once again by the lion-hearted Leos. Different perspectives were welcomed -- Leo Anurag Wakode spoke about the plight of the middle-class whereas entrepreneur Nadeem Jafri talked about his problem where certain companies refused to give supplies because his mart was in a ‘dangerous’ locality (the Muslim ghetto Juhapura), compelling audience members to look at the problem of 'red zones' and the issue of risk in entrepreneurship for some communities, irrespective of recession.

'Raise Your Voice': An evening with Lions on February 15, 2009

The Lions Clubs in Ahmedabad gave us our first major platform. We set the scene at a zone social organised by Lion Tejas Shah, to engage the 'cub Lions' i.e. the Leos and other audience members in an open-ended battle of perspectives. "Gandhigiri is only possible in films"; "Gujaratis cannot think beyond money"; "About time Ekta Kapoor retired!"; "Amdavadis will rather pay a bribe than follow traffic rules". Agree or disagree, the aim was to invite opinion from the 60-odd audience members, comprising a good social, economic, religious mix of Ahmedabad youth. The OS objective : each of us, irrespective of our background, has a right to dissent and individual opinion.

THE TIMES OF INDIA, FEB. 16, 2009

Open Space Ahmedabad's launch at CDC: January 22-23, 2009

Open Space Ahmedabad found its launchpad in the Centre for Development Communication on the Gujarat University campus. Noted journalist Pradeep Mallik conducted a two-day series on 'Stereotypes and the Media' for the 25-30 students of CDC. There was a clear focus behind launching OS-A with this topic - to get bright, intelligent, young volunteers who understood the key idea of Open Space i.e. to appreciate differences in opinion, culture, gender, religion etc. etc. and refuse to be cowed down by populist stereotypes.