International saints and their patrons are scheduled to visit the Gateway of India in mid-January 2004. A rising crescendo is being drummed up to project this as the showpiece of anti-globalization movement, an ocean in which all streams of anti-globalization movements avowedly merge.

In January this year a similar jamboree was staged in Hyderabad albeit on a continental scale. Revisionists of all hues had joined Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to whitewash their record of servility to imperialist sponsored new economic policies.

At the time of Hyderabad Meet, it was pointed out that the annual meetings of World Social Forum (WSF) are being funded by imperialist agencies which should tell something to everyone interested in knowing. At that time the advocates of Asian Social Forum (ASF), a part of World Social Forum, had countered that the Hyderabad Show was being staged through collections from the people and had claimed that no money from international donors was playing any role. However facts tell an altogether different tale.

The real state of affairs as to who actually funded ASF’s Hyderabad programme is clear from “Note on Asian Social Forum Finances” prepared by WSF-India Expenditure Committee evolved through Expenditure Committee Meeting, 6^th February, 2003 and Secretariat Meeting, 8^th February 2003. This note gives a total lie to the claims of organizers of ASF, particularly those of revisionists of CPM who had then acted as more loyal than the royal in the service of WSF.

According to the Note the total expenses incurred were Rs. 10,739,075 (one crore seven lakh thirty nine thousand and seventy five rupees). We are not here going to comment on this ‘modest’ expenditure by the organizers who claim to work for the downtrodden who are unable to make two ends meet. So we are not here dealing with the various heads under which this expenditure was incurred. We are here more interested in finding out from what sources this expenditure was met.

According to the Note (prepared by WSF-India Expenditure Committee as referred to above) the total amount of receipts was Rs. 88,19,299 (eighty eight lakh nineteen thousand two hundred and ninety nine) leaving a net deficit of Rs. 18,25,375 (eighteen lakh twenty five thousand three hundred and seventy five rupees). We do not have information as to how this deficit was ‘made up’. But seeing the major sources of their receipts it would have posed no problem for the organizers.

Out of the total receipts of Rs. 88,19,299, more than two thirds has been received from other agencies i.e. Rs. 60,50,000 (sixty lakh fifty thousand rupees). Let us see who these other agencies are. They are three, namely OXFAM/NOVIB, ACTION AID and HBF (though the Note does not mention the full name, given the funders of WSF it should stand for Heinrich Boll Foundation (of Greens Party of Germany which is partner in the ruling coalition there). Money received from OXFAM/NOVIB has been shown jointly under one head in the note referred here. Of these OXFAM/NOVIB contributed Rs. thirty eight lakh, ACTION AID Rs. Seventeen lakhs fifty thousand and HBF Rs. five lakh. From this it is clear who were the main players behind the scene who staged this event which “had inspired the revisionist leaders” so much that they were doing every thing under its inspiration. They should not worry, they are soon going to have another inspiration on a larger scale. It will be worth while to note how the other part (less than a third of the collected and about a fourth of total expenditure) was raised.

Revisionists and other apostates had claimed that they are going to collect from the people through coupons. That really represents collection from the common people. And how much has been collected through sale of coupons? According to the Note, one thousand seven hundred and twenty rupees. A grand sum indeed! Under the other head of receipts are donations obviously not through coupons and generally not from poor or low income people. This amount also is Rs. 45,500. Another set of receipts which can be represented as collections from the people are under T-shirts from which a sum of Rs. 31,600 was raised. From brochure, i.e., obviously from business people (how much from MNCs not given here), the collection is also only Rs. 28,000. All these add up to a total of one lakh six thousand eight hundred and twenty rupees. All these do not account for even one percent of the expenditure on the ASF Hyderabad show, and that shows the interests of the people it represents, probably less than one percent. Big receipts are from the Conference, registration, stalls, seminar etc. In this also a part, rather a major part, is contributed by NGOs which in turn get their funds from the international imperialist funding agencies. However, here we are not dissecting the different sources from which this source of funds emanates, even the bulk receipts are directly from the international funding agencies. (See accompanying table from the Note.)

We do not have minutes or notes of the subsequent meetings which could show how the deficit was met and also other receipts. But this is enough to give lie to the false propaganda of ASF organizers, apologists of WSF and revisionists.

WSF-India’s Policy Guidelines evolved in their Bhopal Meeting (19^th-20^th April, 2002) says, “WSF-India will strive as far as possible for self-reliance based on local resources in its activities.” As the above note shows it has not been much possible. It is “resources mobilized from external resources” which were mainstay of their activities.