Madurai Symposium

Madurai is a place of great historical and cultural importance. Well known as a seat of learning since the Sangam periods dating back to 4th century B.C, it is famous for its cultural and scholarly pursuits. The city had an academy consisting of critics, poets and savants highly esteemed both by kings and commoners. It was in Madurai that three successful conferences of Tamil scholars called sangams flourished.

In keeping with this tradition, Madurai Symposium is envisioned to be a development arena, where all stakeholders of development-Community Institutions, Civil Societies, Government, NGOs, Financial Institutions and Academia converge at Madurai for the convention, conferences and carnival. Initiated as part of fiftieth year celebration of Ford Foundation, DHAN Foundation hosted two successful bi-annual Symposiums in 2003 and 2005. From this year, Madurai Symposium will be a common platform for the development stakeholders to come together to share and learn from each others experience and practices.

A host of development themes are being implemented for addressing poverty across the country. These interventions are promoted, nurtured and built around specific themes of these water and microfinance emerged as flagships of development interventions. In fact, globally, no other theme has dazzled and excited the development world as did / is being done by microfinance and water. Significant changes have been brought about in the lives of the poor. The local initiatives of communities are much pronounced in the development interventions and their achievements have been astounding. In setting and shaping the future agenda, it is paramount to promote better understanding and harmony among the contemporary development issues and identifying priorities for future.

National Symposium on development interventions in the country, will provide unique opportunity to highlight the seminal contributions of interventions with microfinance, water and other development themes besides significant achievements of women’s organisations, NGOs working in various contexts, rural, tribal, urban, coastal and desert, etc. The key mainstream stakeholders – banking institutions and various wings of the Government would also showcase their achievements. A series of conventions, conferences, seminars and rallies would mark the symposium.

Development film festival, business fairs and cultural shows, involving the traditional and modern performing arts, poster sessions and exhibition of crafts from various locations / groups from India would also form important part of the symposium.