‘DARSHAN’ is an organisation committed to CULTURAL CHANGE FOR BETTER SOCIETY. As a cultural and media organisation we are creating cultural and training material, facilitating trainings and consultations, organising festivals for Peace and Justice, developing youth groups, women’s groups in rural areas and providing cultural resources to youth, activists, N.G.O.s and intellectuals.

We are actively connected with human rights and directly taking stands on people’s rights issues and people’s movements, struggles. Our motto is ‘From the people To the people’.

DARSHAN was established in 1997 as a registered trust.Its pioneers were founder members of SAMVEDAN SANSKRUTIK MANCH (S.S.M.), which was started in 1984 as a socio-political-cultural platform and performing group. In 1984 itself, the grouphad started ‘A movement against Theatre Censorship’ in Gujarat. It had also begun street theatre movement which was reaching to its pick in Independent India during 90’s decade. In that process S.S.M started trainings of street theatre for oppressed and working class youth in urban and rural Gujarat.

In 1985 S.S.M. initiated ‘AapanuSahityaMovement’ (pro people – progressive literature) in Gujarat; with own publication activities and published some progressive literary collections.

After establishing DARSHAN we started non-formal education trainings for rural and oppressed communities. Prepared non-formal educational material, modules for pre-school children, analysis of folksongs, A/V material on Dalit and Women’s issues as well as urban youth. We facilitated media workshops for rural youth and social activists.

During 2001 Earthquake, DARSHAN organised People’s Tribunal for demanding justice and equality in relief and rehabilitation policy. We facilitated plays and songs for supporting voices of affected and oppressed communities during this natural tragedy.

After 2002 Gujarat Carnage we started to organise State and National level cultural festivals for Justice and Peace. In 2003, we initiated SAMVEDAN CULTURAL PROGRAMME (S.C.P.). It was training cum socio-cultural activism awareness for the youth of oppressed communities of Ahmedabad. S.C.P. youth performed plays and awareness songs as well as trained many youth groups in pro-people performing arts, almost all over India. S.C.P. was dispursed in 2011 after 8 years of vibrant cultural activism.

From 2011 DARSHAN started a venture ‘In Search of Modernity’ programme. It is a long-term programme to re-establish values of Modernity through creating books, initiating debates and consultations of National level. So far 7 books in this series are published on various aspects of Modernity.

DARSHAN  has its Cultural Resource Centererich with thousands of book, journals and A/V material like docu. films and feature films in Hindi – English and Gujarati languages.

From 2011 DARSHAN initiated cultural dialogued on Justice and Peace with urban youth through feature films and documentary film festivals and film-appreciation trainings in the name of FILMOGRAPH.

After 15 years it’s establishment, we have started direct intervention in 3 districts of Gujarat for the issues of ‘Justice and Peace’. Particularly focussing on the rights of the minorities’ status of equal citizens of Secular India. This programme is a joint venture of six voluntary organisations of Gujarat as ‘Alliance for Peace and Justice’.

Our journey for the better society is going on….