A Creative Effort to increase awareness on various social issues.

Songad, 21-22 January: “I am impressed by the gathering today and feel proud to witness the expression of Adivasi culture through the Adivasi pooja and different dances, singing and use of variety of indigenous musical instruments of Adivasi community” was the spontaneous reaction of Dr. Vikaram Choudhary, Associate professor of Arts and Science College at Bardoli who was one among the significant guests on the occasion.

Drawing out of Various Action Plans based on the Annual Reports from each centre

Also Read at the Bottom: 172 Days of Undeterred Fasting Against Nuclear Power Plant Continue at Koodangulam

Madurai Province, 8 January 2012: The 33 participants from 14 Jesuit social centres, including a nun and two lay representatives, of the Madurai Province Social Action (JMPSA) gathered for the Annual General Body Meeting to evaluate the past and plan their strategies for future. Basing himself on the annual report from each centre, Fr X D Selvaraj, former professor of Theology and a staunch social activist, gave the key note address, throwing a few challenges that collected quite a few responses later in the day by way of critical self-evaluation. All this helped to prioritize various issues that had to be dealt with.

JESA Commission Members share their methodologies and experience at work.

Calcutta Province, 11-13 December 2012: Sannybhai, the JESA Secretary, arrived at Burdwan on 11 December morning and proceeded to Jisu Ashram at Pandua and then to Gurap. He was on a trip to learn about the socio-pastoral and educational mission that is carried out mainly among the migrant Santal Tribals in the Hooghly district. Fr Jose Pulickal, the JESA Province Coordinator, accompanied him everywhere.

He met the JESA commission members along with Fr.Jeyaraj, the Provincial, at Udayani. The members shared about their work experience and about the methods they employ in their respective areas of work.

Patna Province, 21 November: Children’s day was celebrated in Khadan area of Sasaram Block with an objective to bring awareness and motivation among children and parents on education, health and the rights of children. For this, a few selected children were brought to the centre and trained in songs, dance, kawali, skit, etc., for the cultural program.

Altogether, around 300 boys and 400 girls, including children and teachers from six government schools  and over 1000 people from the SECs of Chandni Chauk, Shahid Ansari, Bilale Singh, Chintavanpur, Badaiyabag and Bansa were present on the occasion.

The Catalogue of Jesuits in Social Action (JESA) 2011 is available on the website for download. Only Jesuits who are the registered users of the website can avail this facility. Hence, Jesuits who wish to download the catalogue are requested, first to register themselves from the website (www.jesaonline.org) on the left hand side of the site from ‘JESA Login’ section. Once you register yourself, a mail will be sent to your email ID. Until you reconfirm your registration from your email ID the process is not over. Please remember the password that you have given to enter the registered user section for download. Download Catalogue 2011

A Get Together of Movements, Action Groups and Activists organised by PSA.

Gandhamardan, 7-9 November: For the past one decade India has been facing some newer struggles especially from subaltern groups - from Muthanga & Chengara in Kerala to Nandigram in West Bengal; from Mundra in Gujarat to Teesta valley in Sikkim. The Central Indian states of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand have started reacting violently due to the negligence of the Federal Government. As a result there came to be 13 adivasi martyrs of Kalinga Nagar; 3 adivasi martyrs of Maigan; the family of dalits lynched at Khairlanji, Tapassi Mallik; a teenaged girl who was raped and killed in Singur, Linga; the tribal leader of Narayanpatna who was killed while leading a protest march to the police station of Umbergaon fishing village, so on and so forth.

Second phase of this workshop in January 2012.

Sri Lanka, 14-15 November: A workshop on advocacy organized by the social action team (JESA) was held at Fatima retreat house, Lewella.17 staff members from CPPHR, CSC, JSC, Shanti and Satyodaya and the heads of the social centres participated in the workshop. Fr. Baylon Perera in his key note address on lay collaboration said that the laities have special vocation through the Jesuit Social Centres (JSC) by merging their personal goals to the existing goals of the Organisation.

Memorandum of Appeal submitted to NHRC, JHRC, CM, HM.

New Delhi, 22 November: The candlelight protest and demonstration against the gruesome killing of Sr. Valsa John held at India Gate, New Delhi, brought many civil societies, organizations and movements together under the banner of Delhi Solidarity Group (DSG). This Action of Protest came as a result of condolence meeting followed by Planning for Action organized at Indian Social Institute (ISI) earlier on the November 18, 2011.

Thomas P. Greene, SJ, Sec. for Social and International Ministries.

Walter Isaacson, the biographer of Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple whom many consider one of the most innovative and creative thinkers of our time, recently wrote an article for the New York Times in which he described the various influences that led to Jobs’ success.

(An Emphasis on the need to promote lay leadership through SAPI)

Jamshedpur, 19-20 November: Sannybhai, the new JESA Secretary along with Joe Surin, PCF, and Mike T. Raj, the Provincial met the Social Action Commission Members at Loyola Niwas, to take stock of various activities in the Social Apostolate Centres.

India on Thursday launched “Census 2011”, the biggest-ever census attempted in the history of mankind enumerating the country's 1.2 billion population and classifying usual residents according to their gender, religion, occupation and education.

The massive exercise, to be spread over next 11 months, will mark a milestone as the first-ever National Population Register (NPR) will also be prepared in which all persons aged over 15 years will be photographed and fingerprinted to create a biometric national database. With this India will probably become the first democratic nation in the world which would have got its population fingerprinted in a year from now.

The 15th National Census exercise, since 1872, will see over 25 lakh officials capturing the socio-economic-cultural profile of its citizens. It will cost around Rs. 2,209 crore while the expenditure on NPR will be Rs. 3,539.24 crore. The exercise will also consume more than 11 million tonnes of paper.

1. Buddha and His Dhamma