CHANDIGARH, February 10: The national seminar on ‘Democracy, Resistance and
Globalisation’ concluded on the Panjab University campus here today.  
Addressing the participants which included seventy undergraduate students from Dev
Samaj College for women, Ferozepur City, Dr. Dharmendra Goel, Professor Emeritus of
Philosophy Department said, “Resistance is an indispensable part of democracy.
Resistance is a dialogue, a fundamental right of expression which sustains the very
notion of democracy. It is absolutely necessary to submit resistance if there is any
violation on part of any individual or institution against the laws and the essential
norms of democracy. Gandhi’s Civil disobedience or Satygraha without violence against
the establishment, French resistance against the Nazi in the early fourties of the
twentieth century are classic examples of the resistance.”
Professor Shalina Mehta from Anthropology Department, Panjab University, focused on
tribal issues and democracy. She said that Indian society is not a homogenous society
and the issues of development of the urban and the tribal are different. She said that
the issues of tribal do not get proper government attention and the people who work
for tribal rights face the highhandedness of the government and its officials on
different fronts.
            Mr Lallan Singh Baghel of Philosophy department, Panjab University,
philosophically elaborated the notions of resistance and democracy. He said that
resistance is a concept which aims at bringing real problems of the society to the
attention of the government and demands its immediate solution.
     Mr Rajeev Godara from Sampooran Kranti Manch, Haryana, speaking on the role
of resistance in democracy said that Dr Binayak Sens' arrest is a big jolt to the law
and democracy of India He further said that Binayak Sen is a world acclaimed human
rights worker who dedicated his entire life to work for the underprivileged in the
country and his resistance to the governments' unfair policies for the tribals has
cost him life imprisonment. Rajeev emphasized a need to build an atmosphere where the
government should be accountable to public views and resistance against its policies,
laws and other issues of development.
On the second day of seminar, Dr Prem Singh from Delhi University talked about the
nature of democracy and nature of peoples' movements. He based his lecture on the main
theme of decentralization of the government and maintained that all the movements
working in favour of democratic ideals have to come together to minimize the loss, the
movements are suffering due to the contradictions which favors the oppressive regimes.
All the lectures were followed by serious discussions during which the students raised
some intriguing questions with respect to the current nature of Indian state and its
democratic profile. The seminar was coordinated by Dr Ambuj Sharma, Asst. Professor
Dev Samaj College for Women, Ferozepur and coordinator of the Critique Ferozepur.
    Dr. Shiwani Sharma of Philosophy department presented the welcome address.
                                            Press Note
No.71