Tri-Continental Film Festival
As part of its awareness initiative, the HRC organized the Tri-Continental Film Festival in association with an NG “Open space”. The Festival is a pan-continental film festival which travels on a rotational basis in the Americas, Africa and Asia. The festival was brought to India by Breakthrough Films with the aim of screening movies all around India. The Pune Chapter of the touring festival was conducted by the HRC and Open Space. It involved the screening of movies that dealt with various aspects of human struggle and denial of basic rights. Every screening was followed by comprehensive discussions over the finer aspects of human rights issues addressed in the movies.
Tibetan Film Festival
The HRC, in association with Friends of Tibet, conducted a two - day Film Festival focusing on human right violations in Tibet. The films concentrated on the political situation in Tibet and the problems faced by Tibetan immigrants in preserving their culture, environmental problems and so forth. The festival was attended by the National Secretary of Friends of Tibet, Mr. Tenzing Tsundue. Discussions after the screening of each film followed suit, providing the audience an opportunity to put forth their views on issues raised.
Youth Theatre
The HRC Youth Theatre is a part of our initiative to make aware. The members of this project stage plays on socially relevant issues. The Youth theatre’s Street Plays and ‘Kalasmriti’ have been greatly appreciated and are indeed a matter of pride for the cell.
Human Rights March
HRC recognizes the International Human Rights Day and therein conducts a week-long celebration during the first week of December. The celebration begins with the Human Rights Day March and involves the participation of members of HRC, volunteer groups and other student bodies, colleges and city-based NGOs. The event is held annually with immense attention being garnered in the national and local dailies. It seeks to create awareness about human right issues through slogans and the distribution of pamphlets. The procession weaves its way through a pre-decided route with the view of reaching across to the maximum number of people. Various landmarks of Pune which have been icons of human struggle and strife are specifically visited so as to relive and revive the past and to encourage a repetition of the same.Every year culminates at the iconic theatre ‘Balgandharva Mandir’, built to commemorate the great local hero and poet Balgandharva, who played an important role in highlighting the plight of the common man through his street plays. The participants of the march pledge to work diligently for the cause of human rights and to strengthen individual commitments towards social responsibility.