WADE RATHKE is the founder of ACORN, Chief Organizer at ACORN International, and Author of "Nuts & Bolts", "Citizen Wealth", "Global Grassroots", and "The Battle for the 9th Ward".
Mumbai In Delhi and Kolkata, I sat through meetings that were ostensibly government certified food safety meetings for hawkers. Our affiliate, Janpahal, has been trained and certified to give these workshops about food safety. Many topics are covered including the temperatures to cook chicken and other items. Aprons, hair nets, and plastic gloves are …
Kolkata I first came to Kolkata with the Organizers’ Forum more than twenty years ago. Unlike the megacities of Mumbai, Delhi, and Bengaluru, Kolkata seems largely unchanged so far, something like the old India. The streets were full and pulsating as we came into town after midnight from the airport, which had seen an …
Delhi Getting back to Delhi, I was looking forward to catching up with the work ACORN has been doing with various groups of informal workers through our affiliate Janaphal. On my last visit, the progress in uniting our own hawkers’ unions and associations with other hawkers’ groups in different cities across the country had …