FAIR TRADE ORGANISATION

GLOBAL MARCH
RAJGHAT, NEW DELHI
APRIL 10, 2004

Organized by : Tara Projects, Sukhdev Vihar, Mathura Road, New Delhi-110 025

Indian Fair Trade Organization, Tara Projects organized the New Delhi Fair Trade Global March at Rajghat in the morning of 10th April 2004.

The Global Fair Trade Mark and Trade Justice Banner were received by Tara Projects with full honour in the morning of 30th March 2004 at Jukaso Inn, Sunder Nagar, New Delhi with a special ceremony organized for the purpose. The Global Fair Trade Message was read out and both the banners were prominently displayed in the Jukaso Inn Hall during the Northern Region Workshop throughout the day from 9.00 AM to 6.00 PM.

In the morning of 10th April 2004 bus and jeep loads of participants left Tara's office at Sukhdev Vihar quite early for Rajghat and other buses and all sorts of vehicle loads of people reached direct through the Inner Ring Road to Rajghat Global March area. The presence of two jeep loads of Delhi police personnel at Sukhdev Vihar and the massive presence of traffic and special cell policemen at Rajghat gave the positive feeling of celebrating the occasion in an official way.

The 800 strong gathering of people arranged themselves in the lines of twos at around 9.30 AM at Shakti Sthal (Indira Gandhi's Samadhi) to make it a more than half a kilometer long fair trade procession.

To erect special barricades and to prepare the March formation displaying fair trade banners and placards, about 100 strong contingent of traffic and special cell personnel of Delhi Police had to stop the heavy traffic at Ring Road for about one hour intermittently.

Moon Sharma, President, Tara Projects flagged off the March at 10 AM sharp. Slowly marching and raising fair trade slogans the March reached Shanti Van (Jawaharlal Nehru's Samadhi). Two police buses, four jeeps and five motor bikes escorted the march with precision. A battery of photographers was kept active with different poses of the Global March.

The participants came from different parts of North India including the states of Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. About 250 women and 200 children formed the most active part of the colorful procession. About 300 artisans, 40 university teachers and students from University of Delhi and Jamia Millia Islamia, 10 officials from Delhi Government Social Welfare Department and 60 housewives took part in the slogan shouting rally.

The procession reached Mahatma Gandhi's Samadhi at 11 AM. To maintain the sanctity of the Samadhi all banners and placards were left out at the main gate of the memorial and all the participants took rounds of the Samadhi pledging to promote and practice the fair trade.

fter the Samadhi Parikrama (taking faithful round) all participants gathered in front of the sanctum-sanctorum and Delhi Police in a very disciplined way guided them to cross the Ring Road by stopping traffic again for about fifteen minutes. to reach Samta Sthal (Babu Jagjivan's Samadhi) safely. Samta Sthal was readied with pandal and stage for the Fair Trade Global March Meeting and Cultural Programme.

Mr. O P Yadav, Vice President, Tara Projects Association welcomed the guests & participants for their contribution to the march facing the extreme heat and scorching sun.

The Qawwali Team of "Navyug Kala Manch" presented a fair trade Qawwali followed by Rajasthani and Haryanavi folk songs and dances.

Moon Sharma read out the Original Fair Trade Global March Message translated in Hindi by Mr. O P Yadav.

Dr. Shyam S. Sharma, Hony. Adviser Tara Projects, President Fair Trade Forum - India and Acting Chair Asia Fair Trade Forum, one of the early pioneers of World Fair Trade gave his address on fair trade and fair trade global march to the large audience further surrounded by multitude of onlookers and police personnel.

Prof. Sharma said in his speech, delivered in Hindi, that fair trade is a newly emerged healthy world phenomena in production, selling and purchases which has come to stay. Fair trade does not confront the mainstream business but calls to do the trade in a different way. This is the trade based on fairness, grassroots development and justice in world trade order.

He further said that a large number of fair trade initiatives at present are scattered all over India and in the world. The artisans and producers do not have yet the national and global awareness. The global march mainly aims at the global networking awareness to make the producers and buyers in the world a strength to reckon with by providing them with the world fair trade certification.

He elaborated that the Global fair trade mark is the united symbol of that authorization which will make possible a better world soon. The Global March started from Dharavi Mumbai, the largest Asian slum with much grassroots potentialty, will go around the world with now well demonstrated original trade justice and FTO mark banners along with the fair trade global message to irrigate the better world nursery.

Dr. Sharma concluded his message with the announcement that these symbols will return to India, may be, after two or three years, to find Dharavi Mumbai rebuilt & renovated along with many changes in Indian and world trade set up in the direction of fairness, justice and grassroots development. The world trade order is bound to change with our this call being given from such a power place like Rajghat supported by the fast rising loud world voice.

A play "Ajab-Gazab TV" based on the theme of fair trade was presented by the Tara school children of Indira Camp, Mathura Road which was much liked by the audience.
The children's street play was followed by the fair trade magic show by the fair trade magician M. Iqbal from Jadu Chakra. All his amazing magic tricks gave a number of attractive fair trade messages.

The mineral water pouches were available in abundance throughout the Global March and Fair Trade Meeting. Community lunch was served to all participants at the venue, which was enjoyed by all along, with the ongoing cultural programme.