Changing Dimensions of Communalism

Rajni Bakshi COMMUNAL riots have become a way of life in Hyderabad over the last five years. As yet another round of communal violence swept through the old city of Hyderabad in September a group of activists and academics met there under the aegis of Lokayan to seek ways of countering the communal virus through a bet- ter understanding of its dimensions and characteristics. The Seminar was concerned with the 'Changing Dimensions of Communalism in India' and papers were presented on communal tensions in Nilackel (Kerala), Kanya- kumari, the Bangladesh border districts of Bihar and the Bombay-Bhiwandi riots. But the main focus was on Hyderabad. Since Lokayan, an informal group of people attempting to create a forum for concerned intellectuals, the principal aim of the meeting was to evolve an action programme for countering the influence of communal forces.