A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 4 – 2 0 0 5 Tata Institute of Social Sciences A NNUAL REPORT 2004–2005 Tata Institute of Social Sciences Deonar, Mumbai – 400 088, India May 12, 2005 Contents Director’s Report 1 SECTION I : Main Campus 21 Appendix 1 : Student Enrolment, 2004–2005 22 Appendix 2 : Field Work Agencies/Internships and Supervisors 23 Appendix 3 : M.A. and M.H.A. Research Projects 36 Appendix 4 : M.Phil./Ph.D. Seminars 39 Appendix 5 : Research Projects and Other Projects 40 Appendix 6 : Field Action Projects 48 Appendix 7 : Seminars, Conferences, Workshops and Training Programmes 54 Organised Appendix 8 : Faculty Participation in Seminars, Conferences, Workshops and 63 Training Programmes Appendix 9 : Administrative Staff Participation in Seminars, Conferences, 100 Workshops and Training Programmes Appendix 10 : Publications 103 Appendix 11 : Executive Committee Memberships and Positions in Academic, 110 Government and Non-Government Organisations Appendix 12 : Students’ Union 115 Appendix 13 : Appointments and Promotions 116 Appendix 14 : Financial Statement 117 Appendix 15 : Candidates for the Sixty-Fifth Convocation 118 Appendix 16 : Prizes 120 SECTION II : Rural Campus 122 Appendix 1 : Research Projects and Other Projects 123 Appendix 2 : Field Action Projects 124 Appendix 3 : Seminars, Conferences, Workshops and Training Programmes 126 Organised Appendix 4 : Participation in Seminars, Conferences, Workshops and Training 127 Programmes Appendix 5 : Publications 131 Appendix 6 : Executive Committee Memberships and other Official Positions in 132 Academic, Government and Non-Government Organisations Director’s Report His Excellency Shri S.M. Krishna, Governor of Maharashtra and our Chief Guest for the Convocation; Chairman, Mr. R.K. Krishna Kumar; Distinguished Guests, Alumni, Students, Staff and Faculty INTRODUCTION Ladies and Gentlemen, I extend a warm welcome to all of you to the 65th Annual Convocation of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences and the presentation of the Annual Report for the year 2004–2005. As yet another academic year closes, it is time to look back on the achievements and the lessons of the year that has passed. This year’s Convocation is being held while the Institute is engaged in a sweeping review of its work and deep reflection on the role and challenges that lie in the future. At the same time, however, the Institute has continued to strive to be at the forefront of responding to the many challenges enveloping the country today. Through its teaching, training, research and field action, the Institute has attempted to address a wide spectrum of issues in rural and urban India across diverse spaces such as communities, families, prisons and custodial homes, the criminal justice system, hospitals and health systems, industries, disaster situations and academia, to but mention a few. Ladies and Gentlemen, I commend to you the 2004–2005 Annual Report of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. Highlights · The B.A. Social Work programme, with specialisation in Rural Development, commenced at the TISS Rural Campus in Tuljapur in August 2004. · The Department of Health Services Studies, TISS, has been designated as the WHO Collaborating Centre for Health Policy Research and Training. Director’s Report · The Department of Medical and Psychiatric Social Work was awarded a grant of Rs. 23.55 lakhs to undertake the Departmental Research Support (DRS) in the areas of community and mental health, reproductive health, and sexuality for a period of 5 years under the Special Assistance Programme (SAP) of the University Grants Commission (UGC). · Faculty from the Unit for Urban Studies and the Department of Urban and Rural Community Development took up an important research project titled ‘Socioeconomic Survey of Scavengers Engaged in the Practice of Manual Scavenging in Maharashtra’. Sponsored by the Mahatma Phule Backward Class Development Corporation Ltd. of the Government of Maharashtra, this is the first time that such a comprehensive study on the socioeconomic conditions of scavengers has been undertaken. The findings of the study will feed into the government’s policy of rehabilitation of thousands of scavengers across the country. · The TISS responded to the Mumbai High Court order of conducting a short research on ‘Farmers’ Suicides in Maharashtra’ in response to a Public Interest Litigation. Prepared by a team of faculty and staff from our Rural Campus, the Report has been considered very valuable by the High Court in terms of understanding the agrarian crisis and the exploration of immediate solutions, as well as the urgently needed long-term policy changes. The judgement is still pending. · The TISS will facilitate the Ladakh Autonomous Hill District Council in Leh District (Ladakh Region) to prepare and implement a multi-sectoral plan with people’s participation, with financial support from the Tata Trusts. · Dr. Vrinda Datta has been selected as the Global Leader for Young Children 2005 by the World Forum for Early Childhood Care and Education. · Our students have done us proud again. Ms. Abhishikta Das, Ms. Preeti Krishnan and Ms. Dipshikha Mitra, students of the M.A. programme in Personnel Management and Industrial Relations won the First Prize in ‘Parivartan 2005’ on ‘Outsourcing’, organised by the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. Ms. Ananthalakshmi H., Ms. Anuradha Krishnamurthy and Ms. Abhishikta Das (students of the Master’s programme in PM & IR) won the First Prize in the national level paper writing competition on ‘Learning Curve’ held at Larsen and Toubro, Mumbai. REACHING OUT TO PEOPLE IN DISTRESS: THE TISS RESPONSE TO TSUNAMI The TISS has always reached out to support people affected by natural and human-made crises. Way back in 1947, the Institute sent a faculty and student team to Kurukshetra to work with refugees who came from Pakistan. Recalling the work done, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, who had observed the TISS team at work, said at the inauguration of this campus in 1954: We found the difference in their work and the work of many others who were earnest and had done their best, but who did not have the training to do it well. There is a difference between the trained workers and the merely enthusiastic workers. Since then TISS has responded to various crises such as floods, riots, cyclones, earthquakes and industrial disasters in different parts of the country. The Institute’s Director’s Report work is centred around relief management; psychosocial support to women, children and other vulnerable groups; assessment of loss and impact to lives, property, livelihoods, environment and infrastructure; rehabilitation and development needs; mobilisation of human resources for relief and rehabilitation work; facilitating community participation in the reconstruction and rehabilitation process; policy and programme development support to government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs); coordination of civil society participation; training and capacity-building of personnel engaged in relief and rehabilitation work; publication and documentation; and conflict resolution and peace building initiatives. TISS Support to People Affected by the Tsunami in India and Sri Lanka The TISS, in collaboration with 29 Colleges of Social Work in Tamil Nadu involving about 1,500 postgraduate student volunteers and over 100 teachers, completed an assessment of loss to lives, property, livelihoods, environment and infrastructure; rehabilitation and development needs; and psychosocial counselling with affected women and children. This assessment covered about 100,000 families in 279 villages spread over 11 tsunami-affected districts. Village-specific reports, along with data, are being provided to government and non-government agencies engaged in reconstruction and rehabilitation work. The TISS proposes long-term involvement in the villages selected by the Tata Relief Committee for housing and livelihood rehabilitation. Possible areas of support are facilitating community participation in decision-making; implementation of housing and livelihood programmes; psychosocial support; and other initiatives. In the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, most islands in the Nicobar area were devastated by the tsunami waves. The Institute was involved in relief work in Katchal Island, following which it carried out an assessment of resources and livelihoods affected by the tsunami in Car Nicobar, Nancowry Group of Islands, and Katchal Island. This was carried out in collaboration with the National Institute of Disaster Management, Government of India; and Pondicherry University. The TISS’s long-term plan in this area includes provision of psychosocial recovery support to affected people in two islands — Katchal and Teressa. TISS is also collaborating with Butterflies, a child rights organisation, for conducting a training programme on child rights-based development work in the Islands. It aims at training the youth from the affected community with basic knowledge, attitudes and skills to work for the community’s development with specific focus on child rights. Further, the TISS will work to create a cadre of development workers in each of these islands by organising training to educated youth in the islands to plan, implement and monitor development and welfare programmes. They will work with the people to link resources available from government and non-government agencies. To support the tsunami-affected people in Sri Lanka, the TISS deputed 5 faculty members over a period of 3 months to train volunteers