The advocates of globalisation preach the myth – ‘There Is No Alternative’ (TINA) to globalisation. Against this pronouncement of globalisation stands the marked propensity to organize and mobilize the people who want to oppose, counter, stall and reverse the process. The toiling masses of the people across the globe make the emphatic assertion that ‘Socialism Is The Alternative’ (SITA). Others feel that ‘There Are Many Alternatives’ (TAMA). Thus, while the debate continues over the alternatives, the number of people against the process of globalisation has swelled over the years. This spontaneous process of achieving international solidarity against the ills of globalisation and in search of alternatives had culminated into emergence of the World Social Forum (WSF) in 2001 held from January 25 to 30  at Port Alegare in Brazil. It was attended by over 20,000 delegates from all parts of the globe. This global solidarity of unions and NGOs, movements and organisations, intellectuals, scientists and artists together decided to build a new society different from the current dominant free-market one.

WEF and WSF

In the second WSF held in 2002 again at Port Alegare, the number of participants had doubled to 40,000. Incidentally, the WSF was organised in the month of January primarily with a view to coinciding with the meeting of the World Economic Forum. The Forum happens to be a get-together of global super powers to deliberate on their global agenda of neoliberalism, rules of governance and investment etc. While the World Economic Forum is for the for the elite, the WSF represents discriminations, miseries, pains and hunger of the millions of the toiling masses as also their hopes and aspirations, their organised resistance to injustice and exploitation, and finally, their resolve to fight for a better alternative for the future. Since the impetus for the WSF had originated in Brazil, the third WSF was also held at the same place in 2003. Mumbai, which represents the financial capital of  India, was rightly chosen for the WSF-2004.

The WSF-2004 began on 16th January, 2004. The sprawling Nesco Grounds, the venue of the forum at Goregaon in the northern outskirts of Mumbai witnessed a record attendance of around 125,000 registered delegates and observers from all parts of the country and the world at large. Veteran Indian freedom fighter Lakshmi Sehgal presided over the opening session. She gave a call to start the third independence struggle against the neoimpereialist.  She also stressed the need for women to occupy the forefronts of all struggles. She asserted that the entire world stood by the Forum today. Chiko Whitaker of Brazil, one the founder members of the WSF expressed his confidence – “We are so many now… we need to tissue and co-operate…. New initiatives and new mobilisations were emerging….so that the WSF could be expanded throughout the entire world”. The author and social activist Arundhati Roy of India observed that there was not a single country in the world that could escape the US imperialist weapons - either cruise missiles (as in Iraq) or IMF cheque books (as in Argentina). Prof. Amir Rekabi from Iraq gave a clarion call to say “no” to war - and “yes” to the Iraqi people. The British Labour M.P. Jeremy Cobin, Mustafa Bargoita of Palestine and noted Indian film actress and social activist Shabana Azmi also addressed the opening session. The prominent among the participants were the representatives from the toiling masses - workers and employees, agricultural workers, dalits and tribals, women, students and youth. In all, over 1500 meetings seminars and panel discussions took place during the WSF 2004 which encompassed a plethora of issues globalisation and social security, economics and social science, science and technology, agriculture and industry, education, art and culture, nature, water and environment, labour issue, US occupation of Iraq, caste, racism and exclusion, trade union rights and human rights etc.

In one of the most attractive seminars organised by the WSF on globalisation: economic and social security chaired by B.L. Mungekar, Vice Chancellor, Mumbai University, Josheph Stigliz, Nobel Laureate in economics, asserted that globalisation inflicted rising insecurity for the people of the Third World. He castigated the IMF-WB-WTO for privatisation of social security. The former Chief Adviser to the World Bank observed, “ in the so-called development rounds of the WTO, the issue of job creation should be on the agenda instead of measure to push privatisation and liberalisation of economies”. Prof. Prabhat Patnaik of Jawaharlal Nehru University observed, “In a world of unequal distribution of power, there is need to change the configuration of power relations.” He further stated that the process of globalisation was pushed forward due to emergence of globally mobile finance capital. He dwelt extensively on how the food security of the Indian population had been vitiated by the huge curtailment of the public expenditure by the Government of India.

In another seminar on “Socialism Today - Challenges,” 16 communist parties from around the world asserted that a socialist world was possible and gave a clarion call for greater integration of all anti-globalisation and anti-war movements. Chaired by A B Bardhan and initiated by Sitaram Yechury, the seminar was addressed by speakers from Italy, Greece, Brazil, Cuba, China, France, Portugal and the USA.

To a Better World

The closing ceremony was preceded by a long march from August Kranti Maidan near Grant Road to the Azad Maidan, venue of the ceremony- In his valedictory speech, Dr. K.R.Narayanan, former president of India described the WSF as one of the most significant movements in history and acclaimed the peoples’ power as the source of strength in international politics. Nobel laureate Nelson Mandela, the former South African president, in his video message, said, “All forms of discrimination whether gender, race caste, religion … are wrong. Determination, commitment and clear-mindedness can lead to a better world. We owe to the future generation a better world in which every individual is respected. This world will soon become a reality.”