PROMOTION OF GANDHIAN IDEOLOGY

DISHA established the Gandhian Forum for Ethical Corporate Governance under the Standing Conference of Public Enterprises (SCOPE) in New Delhi. In this capacity, the organisation promotes ethical business practices and organizational integrity in Public Sector Enterprises (PSEs) based on the principles of Mahatma Gandhi. DISHA has organised 282 talks across 38 major PSEs in India to disseminate Gandhian values. Additionally, the organisation regularly addresses young probationary officers of the Indian Civil Service at apex training academies and students of the National Human Rights Commission.

DISHA has developed a unique method for promoting Gandhian ideology through ‘Gandhi Katha,’ leveraging the popularity of Indian oral traditions. From 2019 to 2024, it organised ‘Gandhi Katha’ events at the Vice President's House, various Governor’s Houses, apex cultural institutes, and universities across India.

As part of the 150th Birth Anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi (2018-2021), DISHA organised 267 lectures on Mahatma Gandhi in 134 countries. These events were organized by Indian Missions and supported by the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.

On the UN International Day of Nonviolence (October 2), DISHA organised keynote addresses at the UN Office in Bangkok (2014), the Peace Palace in The Hague (2017), the King Faisal Centre for Research and Islamic Studies in Riyadh (2018), the UN Office in Vienna (2019), and the UN Office in Nairobi (2020), with events organised by Indian Missions in these countries. In 2021, 55 Indian Missions, in 2022, 114 Indian Missions, and in 2023, 79 Indian Missions hosted its tributes on Gandhi Jayanti.

During the 75th Anniversary of India’s Independence (Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav), DISHA conducted twelve ‘Online Certificate Courses on Mahatma Gandhi’s Philosophy,’ hosted by 109 Indian Missions for 1,380 international participants. These courses were supported by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, from 2021 to 2022.

DISHA has provided resource support for GANDHIPEDIA, an AI-enabled social media platform developed by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, in collaboration with the IITs in Kharagpur and Gandhinagar, along with the National Council of Science Museums in Kolkata.

DISHA has paid special homage to Mahatma Gandhi on Martyrs' Day in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024, with tributes hosted on social media platforms by Indian Missions in 96 countries.

To commemorate International Women’s Day 2023, DISHA organised a series of talks in Baghdad, at the invitation of the Embassy of India in Iraq and ICCR.

DISHA also organised talks on Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's leadership on National Unity Day in 2022 and 2023, with 120 Indian Missions hosting these events on October 31 to mark his birth anniversary.

In Delhi, we work with children and youth to encourage creativity through innovative pedagogy in education and skill development. Over the past twelve years, we have touched the lives of more than 24,500 boys and girls from the slums and streets of Delhi and students studying in municipal corporation schools. Many of these children face sexual abuse, economic deprivation, harassment, and addiction to drugs. We also work with their families to help the children live their dreams.

DISHA uses innovative methods to teach deprived children in urban and rural areas, making learning enjoyable, interesting, and meaningful. These child-centred and participatory audio-visual aids are popular ways of attracting children, involving them, and educating them through collective work, opening dialogues, and motivating them to read, write, and learn numeracy indirectly. This approach effectively bridges gaps between children regardless of socio-economic level, gender, and literacy level.

DISHA holds alternative educational classes for approximately 670 school-going, school dropout, and non-school-going children every year. We aim to use innovative pedagogy, singing, and need-based teaching-learning materials to enhance children's artistic abilities and technical skills. DISHA has mainstreamed 4,605 children in fourteen formal schools for the completion of primary education and follows these children for retention by holding remedial classes.

DISHA imparts skill training in the informal sector for productive employment to 120 poor women and 180 youth every year.

In Bihar, we work for the empowerment of rural women who are at the bottom of the pyramid. Over the past fifteen years, we have established 825 Self-Help Groups and cluster groups to start micro-financing activities, skill development for sustainable livelihood, and micro-enterprise development. We provide education for their children and accurate information on adolescent reproductive health for girls. We have also helped marginalized communities adopt rainwater harvesting for water management and sanitation.

To continue empowering Dalit women in one hundred villages of Bihar, DISHA has supported 1,675 Dalit women members of 156 SHGs to participate in governance, overcome social exclusion, and make their voices heard, especially by the government, to realize their entitlements for an improved quality of life. DISHA engages in these activities at the Panchayat levels by forming ‘Mahila Shanti Dal,’ building members' capacities to realize their rights and entitlements. Mahila Shanti Dal has become a collective forum to work in good governance, provide legal aid, support women's rights, and ensure women's voices are heard in multilateral institutions and meetings. Members of the Mahila Shanti Dal in each village are trained as barefoot counselors.

DISHA organizes advocacy seminars and workshops to generate support on local governance issues by involving active participation from the state, community, media, and civil society. We aim to bring stakeholders together on a common platform to facilitate dialogue. DISHA conducts campaigns on rights and entitlements for health, education, land, and employment in rural and urban areas by mobilizing the community.

DISHA organizes lectures and training on ethical leadership, values, non-violence, and social responsibility based on Mahatma Gandhi's ideology in public sector undertakings, universities, institutions in India, foreign universities, and Indian Missions abroad.