'In Defense of Reason' invites you to a talk on 'One Year of Delhi Anganwadi Caregivers’ Heroic Strike: Prospects, Challenges and the Road Ahead'

Speaker: Shivani Kaul (President, Delhi State Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Union (DSAWHU), Political Analyst and Political Activist)

Dear Friends,

The Anganwadi caregivers of Delhi had led a historic strike for 38 days since 31st January 2022 under the leadership of Delhi State Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Union (DSAWHU). It was one of the major strikes in the recent history of working class movement in Delhi as well as India with three massive rallies in the heart of Delhi.

In those 38 days, this strike had not only become a challenge for the Delhi Kejriwal Government and the Central Modi Government, but at the same time exposed the entire capitalist system. Despite their relentess efforts, the BJP Government at the Centre and the AAP Government of Delhi failed to sabotage the strike. However, owing to their growing desperation and panic both these parties mutually agreed upon imposing draconian Essential Services Maintainance Act (ESMA).

In the current session, 'In defence of Reason' has invited Shivani Kaul, a political activist and president, DSAWHU to share her views on the events that led to strike, post-strike developments, the challenges that face the struggle of caregivers everywhere fighting for regularisation who are not identified as a government employees but are rather termed as "volunteers", the political economy of care work and how the capitalist system exploits these caregivers, the prospects, challenges and road ahead for these struggles.

We heartily extend our invitation to everyone to be part of this important talk and we hope this talk will be able to deal, though in a very limited and humble way, with some of these pertinent questions confronting the working class movement in India at present.