A Universal Place for Learning
Location: Rural area of Hardoi district of Uttar Pradesh, India and other areas of social movements.
Postal Address: Asha Ashram, Village Lalpur, Post Bharawan, District Hardoi, U.P. (60 km from Lucknow)
Telephone: 91-522-2016612, 91-9415022772
e-mail: ashaashram@yahoo.com
The idea of Asha Ashram, conceived as a global place for learning, is to create an atmosphere where an individual could learn about and do research on various streams of knowledge while living as part of a rural community so that human life is enriched. Individuals, activists and scholars are welcome from around the world to come and live in this area, teach or attend courses and do research. The Asha Ashram is integrated into the community and our belief is that any knowledge acquisition or generation process must take place in a real community setting. The objective of such an exercise should be to create a just human order. To look at the mission of Asha Parivar, an organization which supports Asha Ashram please visits www.ashaparivar.org
Scholars, activists and individuals coming to spend time at Asha Ashram will be expected to live with some family associated with Asha Parivar and be part of the community. We expect that visitors or resident scholars will contribute physical labour towards the activity of the family for its sustenance. Most of the families associated with Asha Parivar are poor, belonging to Dalit community and do farming.
Modest Library and computer facilities will be provided to support educational and research activities. It is expected that the area of study chosen by scholars and individuals will aim a solving some real problems of the people and tangible results could be produced demonstrating benefit for the people. It is hoped that the scholars and activists coming here will leave the community enriched by their participation in the community life. In the process they will also get enriched.
The Asha Ashram will provide an opportunity, especially for local children, to complete their education from the primary to university level.
Areas of Interest at Asha Ashram for academic and activism work: Right to Life, Right to Food, Right to Employment, Right to Information, Transparency and Accountability in governence, Human Rights, Communal Harmony, Traditional rights over natural resources of local communities, South Asia and Global peace and nuclear disarmament, gender equality, Decentralized political and economic systems, community health, humane education system, sustainablility of human activities and life, just human order.
Financial Aspects: We expect the visiting scholars and activists to pay for their own travel and personal expenses and make a voluntary contribution towards the activities of the Asha Ashram. However, need based support will be available for individuals in order to come and spend time here.
The Asha Ashram team of activists and scholars: Mahesh Pandey, Ram Sagar Verma, Neelakamal, Chandralekha, Suman Gautam, Mohan Lal, Ram Bharose, Bagwandeen, Ram Babu, Ashok Bharti, Yeshwant, Jitendra Dixit, Jagdish, Arvind Murti, Keshav Chand, Jaishankar, Nandlal, Prem Kumar, Faisal Khan, Ram Krishna Raju, Gurdial Singh Sheetal, Vallabhacharya Pandey, Saeeda Diep, Aslam Khwaja, Bobby Ramakant, Shahira Naim, Sanat Mohnaty, Rajana Ghosh, Sirish Agarwal, Priya Ranjan, Sharique Hasan, Netika Raval, Arundhati Dhuru, Sandeep Pandey.
Further Background Information on Asha Ashram Lalpur
http://www.ashanet.org/india/lalpur-1.htm