Bio-Data
Conscientious Leader
We are about to cast our valued vote to elect our representative for State Assembly. Mr. Vivek Pandit is an ideal person to shoulder this responsibility. He is educated, thorough, studied and uncompromising when it comes to interest of people. He is a visionary recognised as Champion of Social Justice not just in our own country but worldwide. Here is a brief life sketch of Mr. Pandit.
Vivek Pandit – Leader as should be
Activism Since Student Days:
Mr. Vivek Pandit has been involved in social movement since his student days. Rashtra Seva Dal and Jayprakash Narayan's students' movement groomed him to what he is today. Mr. Pandit fought stridently for the protection of Democracy in the Anti-Emergency movement in 1975.
Battle to Restore Dignity of Downtrodden:
Mr. Pandit along with his wife Vidyullata left Mumbai in 1979. They started their social career at Dahisar, a small village in Thane district. Through their organisations, Vidhayak Sansad (the Constructive Parliament) and Shramjeevi Sanghatana (Organisation of Toiling People), they spearheaded the struggle to release and rehabilitate bonded labourers. They fought to release thousands of bonded tribal families and organized them against the bonded labour system. The movement later spread to other parts of India. Mr. Pandit has released bonded lablourers in Marathwada region, Madhya Pradesh and even in Nepal. Mr. Pandit served as a member of the District Bonded Labour Vigilance Committee and of the Task force constituted by National Human Rights Commission on bonded labour system. He was also a member of the committee constituted by Ministry of Labour, Government of India and was invited for consultation on the issue of child labour by Department of Customs, USA.
He combated against every form of exploitation and struggled hard to restore the dignity of downtrodden. Mr. Pandit organized various movements of tribals, labourers and marginal farmers to fight for their minimum wages, for the restoration of alienated land, for the right to education for migrant child labourers, etc. He served as a member on the state government's Task Force on Primary Education.
Lobbyist for Poor:
Mr. Pandit successfully changed the policy of the government of Maharashtra on bio-diesel plantation. Plantation of bio-diesel plants has now been incorporated under the Employment Guarantee Scheme. Almost 55 lacs plants have been planted by more than 8,500 tribal farmers in Thane district over the last three years. The plant is eco-friendly and apt solution for Global Warming. The policy has provided employment to thousands to combat malnourishment in tribal areas and is also a contribution towards state's self-sufficiency in fuel.
Mr. Pandit never confined himself to issues of particular region. He knew the importance of influencing policies to have wide spread benefits. He created institutions that will specifically work in the direction. In 1993 Mr. Pandit along with legends like Hon’ble Justice P.N. Bhagwati (retired Chief Justice of India) and Late Mr. Vijay Tendulkar (leading intellectual and writer) founded the National Centre for Advocacy Studies. He also founded Samarthan, the first state-level advocacy organization to promote issues affecting marginalized groups. He formed Centre for Budget Studies that analyses state budget from the social perspective. Today Samarthan along with Centre for Budget Studies is recognized as premier advocacy institution working with the principal governing institutions of Maharashtra, including the State Assembly, the Judiciary, and the upper-level bureaucracy. Members of Legislature across the political parties refer to analysis by these organisations as authentic and reliable.
Recognition:
Mr. Pandit has participated in various consultative meetings called by then Hon'ble Prime Ministers Late Mr. Rajiv Gandhi, Late Mr. V. P. Singh and Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The Estimate Committee of Maharashtra Legislature has sought his views on making state budget simple and people friendly. He bears deep knowledge of functioning of democratic institutions and police system in various countries. He was invited by advocacy organisations in South Africa and Nepal, who wanted to influence their respective constitution making processes.
Mr. Pandit's work has been recognised internationally as well. He has been felicitated by various awards and fellowships. Mr. and Ms. Pandit have received International Anti-Slavery Award (UK), in recognition of their consistent work against bonded labour System. The Parliament of the United Kingdom passed a resolution felicitating their work. They were honoured with Maharashtra Gaurav Award by the Vasantrao Naik Foundation and were felicitated by the Hon’ble His Excellency Governor of Maharashtra. Recently he and Ms. Pandit were felicitated with the first-ever Excellence in Social Service Award by the Rotary Club of Bombay.
Mr. Pandit was awarded the Ashoka Fellowship (USA) in 1982. The fellowship aims to promote young social entrepreneurs. He was awarded Advocacy Fellowship (USA) in 1990 for learning the advocacy techniques. He also received renowned Eisenhower Fellowship (USA) in 2000. It is a highly sought mid career fellowship conferred to leaders in the field of business, media, government and social sectors. He also represented India at the International Human Rights Conference organized by the United Nations in Vienna. In 2003 he was keynote speaker at the General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations in Boston, USA.
Laureate:
Mr. Pandit writes extensively in Marathi dailies on current issues and has authored several books in Marathi and English. To name a few, Parighavarun (From the Periphery of the System) is a compilation of articles based on his experience of working with democratic institutions. Akher Savlya Jinklach (Savlya Won At Last) is compilation of real life stories. Fearless Minds and its Marathi version Manus Mhanun Jagnyasathi are books for youth, organisers and for every person who wants to bring change. These books are referred by students of social sciences in India and abroad. He is frequently invited by reputed institutions like Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Nirmala Niketan College of Social work, YASHADA, apex training institute of Government of Maharashtra and Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (that trains IAS, IPS) to share his knowledge and experience.
Battles for Vasaikars:
Mr. Pandit is equally dedicated to fighting the criminalisation of politics. He not only openly speaks out against criminals, mafia, and communal forces, but has put his life at stake more than once for these principles.
Mr. Pandit battled against the state government’s decision to transfer sand-extraction rights to mafia-led companies. The transfer of rights would have destroyed the traditional livelihoods of 50,000 sand workers. He organized the sand workers and walked 40 kilometers from Thane to Mumbai in protest against the government’s decision. He performed Satyagraha and went to Jail. Finally the state had to withdraw the contract.
In 2006, he organized all the major political parties in Vasai to protest against the privatization of State Transport, which would have handed it over to mafia-run contractors. He fasted for five days till the government withdrew the contract.
In August 2009, the government despite of resistance of Gram Sabhas, had passed an order to include 53 villages in the new Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation. The order came at the behest of the land mafia and was strongly opposed by local villagers. Mr. Pandit opposed government's decision of inclusion of villages in Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation and also demanded withdrawal of the MMRDA plan to build 1,30,000 houses in the region without any infrastructure in place. The decision was likely to put additional burden of more than 6 lakh populations on city which has inadequate water, electricity and public transport. Mr. Pandit against the medical advice fasted nearly to his death. After major public outcry and pressure from all sides, the government revoked the order.
He is presently serving as Deputy Leader of Shivsena and is in charge of Nadurbar District and Palghar and Bhivandi Parliamentary constituency in Thane district.
In his public as well as private life Mr. Pandit is immovable in his commitment to social justice, religious tolerance, and humane values. Mr. Pandit believes that God resides in the poorest of the poor; serving the poor is our divine duty. Lines from his poem Dream of My Life read as:
“Let those who have no food or dignity be my God.
Let every step I take today
Be in the service of that God.”
Don't we deserve educated, studied, judicious, humane and conscientious leader like Vivek Pandit?
He has released more than 5 thousand bonded labourers from Thane district, Marathwada region, Madhya Pradesh and Nepal
Ø He was invited for various consultative meetings called by then Prime Ministers of India and by US government
Ø He has represented India in conference organised by United Nations
Ø He has been felicitated by various national and international awards and fellowships
Ø He bears deep knowledge of functioning of Democratic Institutions and Police System in various countries.
Ø Legislators across the parties rely on the budgetary and policy analysis done by his organisations
Ø He has influenced various policies of government in the interest of poor
Ø He has been invited by various colleges and government training academies as guest lecturer
Ø He has been invited by organisations abroad for guidance in their campaigns
Ø His literature is referred as reference material by academicians and students
Ø He has fought and won various battles for Vasaikars including transfer of sand extraction rights to mafia led companies, privatisation of state transport, MMRDA plan to burden city and inclusion of 53 villages in Municipal Corporation against their wish.
and newly-elected MP Baliram Jadhav had to face the ire of villagers. For two days in August, Vasai saw violent protests. Pandit started an indefinite hunger strike against the induction, and ultimately, the government had to take note and appointed a committee to review the move.The Gaon Bachao Aandolan Samiti, which was formed to protest against the VVMC, offered support to Pandit. Pandit agreed and polled 81,249 votes, while his rival Mankar got 64,512 votes. "I will now ensure that villages don't come under the ambit of the VVMC," said Pandit.IMO: So the strongman has been trounced, and the Vasai area will hopefully benefit even more from Vivek Pandit who has done much useful work in areas like social work and combating slavery. The light of hope arises, like a great beacon, from Vasai !
