A Common Cause: NGO’s & Civil Society

India has, by all accounts, a diverse and vibrant voluntary sector. From single-person units to large organizations in multiple locations; from ad hoc efforts to long-term strategies; from state-supported initiatives to protests against the state: voluntary action covers a seemingly inexhaustible range of action and discourse. There is at least one thread of coherence that links these efforts and people: an attempt to make our society more just. It is this common cause that the contributors to this volume are concerned with and engaged in. A Common Cause brings on to a single platform views from varied quarters on the role of the voluntary sector and concerns for its future. Grassroots workers, leaders of movements, founders of NGOs, programme managers of funding agencies, keen observers from the state, and intellectuals share their observations and reflections on diverse aspects of voluntary action. Institution building, ideological foundation, sources of motivation, relationships with the state and other stakeholders, histories of vountarism, the importance of constructive work and the merit of movements-these and other issues are debated and choices for the future are assessed. The essays reflect the urgent need to uncover the share the dilemmas and constraints of working towards egalitarian and democratic agendas. The National Foundation for India is an indigenous grant making and fundraising organization. Over the past ten years it has supported innovative initiatives aimed at altering the very conditions of deprivation. It has done so with special emphasis on gender equity and justice, public affairs and urban governance, regional imbalances (with a focus on the Northeast), and communication for social change. The foundation has also supported initiatives that strengthen voluntary action through its Innovation Fund. It is hoped that A common Cause will not just provide food for thought, but also initiate some dialogue on the concerns of the voluntary sector in India.