Like the smell of revolution first thing in the morning? The India Social Forum 2006, the India chapter of the World Social Forum (WSF), alternative to its gigantic capitalist rival, the World Economic Forum held annually at Davos, is set to stir its anti-globalisation, -imperialism, -Bushism, -consumerism, -militarism, -hegemonism, -homogenisation, -racism, -sexism,-Cokeism hyperbole, to offer its version of an alter-globalised world.

The five-day carnivalesque spectacle starting November 9 in Delhi (the WSF has often been described as the Carnival of the Oppressed) expects over 50,000 people from all over the country and Asia and Africa, and will have over 500 conferences, seminars, public meetings and assemblies of people, marches, rallies, films, songs, dances, global and indigenous food, and plays.

Says Ayesha Kidwai, academician, activist, and chief co-ordinator of ISF: “It will be the third event in Delhi, after Mumbai and Hyderabad, and the ISF will welcome once again representatives of diverse political, social, cultural, people’s movements, to come together to interact, network, exchange ideas, for another world, not corporate-dominated or industry-led. The ISF is not an organisation but a forum for public deliberation. We are under threat from homogenisation.”

Participants include Aruna Roy, Subhasini Ali, V P Singh,who will speak on displacement, right to information and women’s rights, Medha Patkar on politics of environment and development, Jean Dreze, Aijaz Ahmed, Chiko Whitaker on the impact of neoliberal globalisation on livelihood and survival, Imtiaz Ahmed on minority rights, Swami Agnivesh on children ( a new entry) and pro-active social spirituality, Vivan Sundaram, Gita Hariharan, Ratan Thiyam on cultural resistance to globalisation, Girish Karnad on media and democracy, Dr Vandana Shiva on WTO and its ills, apart from hundreds of other specialists, social scientists, academicians, and activists.

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