3. Social Action Groups
Social action groups or social mobilization groups, either based in rural or urban areas,
are of recent origin (in the late 1970sand the early 1980s). They have played a key role in
mobilizing people’s opinions and supporting a variety of change and actions by their pool
of information, documentation, and campaigns. They are of several types. Some are support
groups emphasizing information, documentation, and training. Some others are single – issue
based groups who specialize in particular topics such as people’s science, rape, or legal aid.
And then there are groups with branches, or what are called ‘federal groups’. Some of them
are political. As an example of each, I shall discuss three case studies: CSE (Centre for Science and Environment), KSSP (Kerala SastraSahityaParishad), and Vahini(ChhatraYuvaSangharshVahini). CSE in located in New Delhi but is in touch with many parts of India, while KSSP operates mostly in Kerala, Vahini is active in two cities of Bihar, Patna and Bodhgaya, and has independent branches in various states.