Distant voices...

A Grassroots Comics workshop was organized by the members of New Ways group in association with Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti, Guwahati. The trainers were Minakshi Gogoi, Sushmita Lahkar and Usha Dewani.

35 inmates of State home for Women participated in the workshop including 1 volunteer from Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti. The participants were minor girls, who are homeless, trauma struck or rescued victims of social vices like trafficking, prostitution, child labour etc.

The objective of the workshop was to help the participants express their suppressed feelings through the medium of comics. Majority of the participants could not read or write and the workshop was meant to bring a breakthrough in their usual way of communicating their concerns.

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Youth for change...

As a follow up to the “No Tobacco “ drive, a Grassroots Comics exhibition was held in Gauhati University campus in the Youth festival 09, an initiative by New Ways Group and World Comics India. Students from about 42 colleges under Gauhati university from across different places and districts of Assam participated in the festival. The idea was to spread awareness on the different causes and impact of tobacco consumption among the people, especially youth and to inform people about the litigation associated with the violation of the existing legal acts and provisions.

The response of the people was unbelievable! Young boys and girls thronged to read the comics displayed and commented on how and what they liked. Some admitted that the comics informed them of new things and showed faith in the medium to be powerful enough to generate public participation. There were also suggestions to take action against the shops selling tobacco and gutkha in the University campus after reading the comics on the same topic.

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No to Tobacco...Yes to Life...

A Grassroots Comics Workshop was conducted by members of New Ways Group and World Comics India. A total of 16 people participated in the workshop. The participants were a mixed group of members of NGOs, Volunteers from VHAA and recovered victims of tobacco and drug abuse. The participants came from various districts of Assam and represented various age groups. The chief aim of the workshop was to propagate Grassroots Comics as an alternate media to express their concerns, ideas and voices on issues important for them and the community. The workshop was designed to bring out the different aspects of tobacco consumption among the people.
The workshop served to help the participants realize how they can prepare comics themselves, to bring out their own people’s issues and set about motion to motivate them to work upon these problems.

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Exploring "New Ways" at Sonapur...

A Grassroots Comics Workshop was conducted by New Ways Group in collaboration with Mushroom Development Foundation and Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti, Guwahati from 1st – 3rd April 2009 in Sonapur Sahitya Sabha Hall. Total 38 young people participated in the workshop. The participants were 8 girl students from Sonapur Girls' High School and 30 youths (more girls than boys) from 10 marginal farmers federation clusters developed by MDF covering 50 villages in Demoria areas of Sonapur.

The workshop was aimed at empowering the marginal farmers(with hardly any access to media) to easily express their problems or aspirations through the medium of comics with a view to extending their activities to the communtiy for bringing about positive and constructive changes in their area.

Looking beyond the silence...

Comics were prepared on various issues relating to women like eve-teasing, sexual harassment, girl-child property rights, reproductive health etc. and displayed in the photo-exhibition conducted on the occasion of International Women’s Day on 9th March 2009 in Women’s Studies Centre, Gauhati University.
A presentation was also given by New Ways Group members (Usha Dewani and Hima Rani Baishya) on the occassion on “Voicing Women’s Issues through Comics”.

Communicating new ideas in Communika '09

A Comics Exhibition was organized by the members of New Ways Comic Activists’ Group, during Communika’09, an annual media fest organized by the students of Department of Communication and Journalism, Gauhati University. Comics on an array of issues including corruption, road rage, hygiene, alcoholism, dowry, child labour etc. were displayed. The audience included students of Mass Communication of different media institutes of Guwahati, Staff and Professors and students from all hostels of Gauhati University.

Expressing through Comics...

A three-day Workshop on Capacity Building was conducted by Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti (New Delhi) and Kasturba Gandhi National Memorial Trust, (Assam Branch) Fellows from 7th-9th Feb 2009 in Kasturba Gandhi Ashram, Assam Branch, Ulubari, Guwahati.
The workshop was attended by trainers of Shishu Panchayat from various districts of Assam. The programme was designed to cater to acquainting them to the different methodology involved or that which can be used to carry out various developmental welfare activities by Shishu Panchayat.