Siddhartha/Fireflies

SiddharthaSiddhartha
Siddhartha is a Social Anthropologist. He was the International Coordinator of Inodep International, an institute in Paris founded by Paulo Freire, concerned with forming activists to help with the empowerment of the poor and the excluded.

He has lectured at the United Nations University, Tokyo; Ramapo College of New Jersey; Boston College, and the University of Bangalore on social analysis and alternative education, re-thinking religions with social and ecological perspectives and Socially Engaged Hinduism.

Siddhartha is the founder of Pipal Tree and Fireflies Intercultural Centre (Bangalore, India) that are concerned with the following programmes: socially engaged media; Meeting Rivers an international programme that brings together religions, spiritualities and inclusive secular people for social and ecological engagement; conflict resolution in areas of inter-religious conflict; working with Adivasis (tribals) and indigenous peoples to promote sustainable development and integrating art with social issues.

A.  At Fireflies Intercultural Centre (Bangalore, India) art, aesthetics and social analysis have always been crucial in helping with personal transformation, social engagement and ecological concern.

B.  After Shelley's visit to Fireflies in 2000 and my meetings at Oxford Brookes we are connected to both projects: The Earth Agenda and the University of Trees.

C. Our campus itself is a sort of installation where ongoing research, discussions and conferences on sustainable development take place.

D. Beuys work on social sculpture is very close to our experience. We discovered Beuys through Jyoti Sahi and Shelley Sacks.

E. Right now we are building a temple to the godess Sita, whom we see as Earth Mother. We will celebrate her festival on April 22, Earth Day. This is a programme of re-interprteting religious symbols along social and ecological lines.

Siddhartha frequently writes for national and international journals and newspapers on social and cultural issues.  He has published two books The Birdwoman and other essays on creative rebels,  Dronequil Press, Bangalore, India; and Lettres du Ganges, L'Aube, Paris.