On 20 June 2022 Village Square celebrated World Localization Day along with rural changemakers, students, development professionals and prominent media personalities such as Saurabh Dwivedi and Neelesh Misra. At the event, the audience also got a taste of rural India at a food and art fair.
“Localization is future” – on June 20 the celebration of local began with a powerful message from Helena Norberg-Hodge, Director of Local Futures, who pioneered the localization movement globally.
Village Square in partnership with The National Cooperative Union of India (NCUI) celebrated World Localization Day with prominent rural changemakers, urban youth, development professionals, civil society organizations (CSOs), media personalities and artisans from across India.
World Localization Day celebrates local as a force for systemic change throughout the world. It promised to strengthen community cohesion and lead to greater human health, while also minimizing environmental damage.
The event was designed to raise awareness of India’s rural goods, artisans, changemakers and influencers. It is an initiative to work with local ecosystems in order to reimagine a society based on Gandhi’s philosophy of Swaraj.
Esteemed voices of the media world – Neelesh Misra and Saurabh Dwivedi – spoke at the event, bringing their own incisive perspectives on rural India. They both stressed the importance of foregrounding rural stories in our imagination.
Narrating their own challenging and spirited journeys in the media and journalism space, they engaged and inspired every participant at the event. Neelesh Misra spoke about his endeavor of connecting urban youth to the realities of rural India through Gaon Connection and The Slow Movement.
“Shehron ki dhool hatta rahi hai kahaniyan, insano ko insan se mila rahi hai kahaniyan” (Stories are removing the dust of cities, stories are connecting humans with humans), said Neelesh Misra highlighting the power of stories.
From a corporate professional turned two-time sarpanch in Bihar to the first woman from Madhya Pradesh who scaled Mount Everest and a team of ex-development professionals building a sustainable recreational space in Jharkhand – this segment saw incredible, heart-touching stories of hardwork and perseverance narrated by five prodigious young rural changemakers from across India.
Ms Dolly, two-time sarpanch from Bihar, candidly spoke about her challenges of switching from an urban, corporate lifestyle to becoming a changemaker in grassroots politics. Megha Parmar’s inspiring journey as a mountain climber, scuba diver, and a women’s rights activist left the audience in awe of her.
“Mitti (soil) doesn’t discriminate”, said team Mor Mitti speaking about their brand’s philosophy. Their energy on the stage was infectious.
Subhranshu Choudhary and Ashish Birulee spoke about their formidable efforts of enabling the marginalized to tell their own stories. They shared their experiences of rural, grassroots journalism. Particularly how their respective endeavors – CGNet Swara and Adivasi Lives Matter – is reshaping grassroots journalism and storytelling.
The localization movement at its core champions local food, art, and businesses. In line with this, we at Village Square provided a platform for artisans and organizations to bring their regional food and art items for our urban audiences.
There was scrumptious food and eye-catching handicraft and art stalls. Besides getting a taste of the incredible food and artwork on display, they also learned about the rich history and cultures that those items represented.
Another interesting attraction for young students and professionals at the event was a panel discussion which shed light on the various rural development fellowships in the country. Part of the various fellowships themselves – Period Fellowship, India Fellow, Aspirational District Fellowship, Indian School of Democracy, Youth for India, Pravah, Kshamtalaya – they spoke passionately about their motivations and hardships.
The discussion was curated by Ankita Goyal, an ex Aspirational District Fellow.
