2026-04-15T13:06:24Zhttps://oai.catalogue.archives.ncbs.res.in/oai:archives.ncbs.res.in:/repositories/2/resources/1022026-02-26T11:50:25ZArchives at NCBSTata Institute of Fundamental ResearchAR-006https://catalogue.archives.ncbs.res.in/repositories/2/resources/102Partners For Law In Development. PLDSociety for Health Alternatives Papers1989 - 20122 Linear FeetA significant portion of the publications in this accession—comprising books and reports—are in moderately fragile condition. The materials exhibit signs of aging, including weakened bindings that may result in page detachment if handled roughly. The paper is generally yellowed or discolored, with some pages displaying minor tears. Additionally, several covers show evidence of peeling or partial detachment.engLatnThe collection, Society for Health Alternatives Papers, consists of three series: ‘Women’s Health’; ‘Holistic Health’; and ‘Gujarati Publications.’ The publications have been co-created by SAHAJ and/or Renu Khanna in conjunction with organizations such as SEWA-Rural, Medical Mission Sisters, and Social Action for Rural and Tribal Inhabitants of India (SARTHI).
Women’s Health
This series consists of one sub-series, the Women Centered Health Project (WCHP), and one publication by SARTHI. The series consists of publications such as reviews, books, reports, and manuals produced from the work of voluntary organizations working in rural and urban marginalized communities to address women’s health concerns, produced between 1992 and 2005. The publications were produced based on the experiences and resources derived from women’s health initiatives that were implemented in conjunction with the government’s existing infrastructure and local communities in regions such as Maharashtra and Gujarat.
The WCHP sub-series contains nine published reports, manuals, policy briefs and resources from the work of WCHP, a collaborative effort by SAHAJ with the Public Health Department of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), and the Royal Tropical Institute, Netherlands. The publications offer a view into WCHP’s capacity-building workshops and training manuals, aiming to update the clinical knowledge of healthcare providers and administrators at BMC’s primary health posts and dispensaries based on a gender and socially informed perspective of healthcare. The documents also contain policy briefs and analyses, gesturing to the exchanges between policymakers and non-government health initiatives such as WCHP in shaping public health. The publications were brought out following the implementation of training sessions for multiple WCHP projects conducted by Renu Khanna, amongst other SAHAJ staff, BMC staff, activists, medical professionals, and members of the community.
The SARTHI report was published in 1992 by SAHAJ/SARTHI on the experience of SARTHI, a voluntary organization, in developing and implementing a women-centric model of primary healthcare in tribal Gujarat.
Holistic Health
This series contains four publications on holistic health from SAHAJ and Medical Mission Sisters, Pune, printed between 1989 and 1997 (created as a part of the material for the Basic Holistic Health course by the Medical Mission Sisters) for students and practitioners of holistic health. The textbooks, co-authored by Renu Khanna, cover a range of topics like the modern pharmaceutical industry, traditional healing systems, people’s movements and marginalization, psychosynthesis, and clinical research methodology. The publications also include a self-study workbook for holistic health practitioners.
Community Health Gujarati Publications
This series consists of two publications by the Society for Health Alternatives in Gujarati published between 2009 and 2012. They are compilations of stories of youth and community organizers addressing themes such as masculinity and experiences of working on health issues with marginalized communities.
This collection also contains two publications by the Society for Education, Welfare and Action-Rural (SEWA-Rural) and Low Cost Standard Therapeutics (LOCOST). The report by SEWA-Rural, co-authored in collaboration with Renu Khanna from SAHAJ in 1991, reviews the journey and learnings from SEWA-Rural’s community health project in Gujarat, where the organization took charge of providing primary health care services across 20 villages. The publication by LOCOST, published in 2006 as a revised edition, offers a critical analysis of the pharmaceutical industry and prescription drugs, equipping the layperson with the necessary information to navigate the pharmaceutical landscape.The intellectual arrangement strives to preserve provenance and original order of the papers. Where an original order could not be found, we have applied an order, and folders within sub-series are arranged in chronological or alphabetical order. See Content Description section for details.SAHAJ (Society for Health Alternatives) was founded in 1984 by Renu Khanna and seven colleagues, with a mission to promote the holistic development of marginalized communities. Its early initiatives included work with fishing communities in Kerala, a healing centre in Pune, and support for women waste-pickers in Gujarat through cooperatives and advocacy for fair wages. SAHAJ also documented traditional midwifery practices and women’s use of indigenous medicine. Its work on child rights and education focused on literacy, the establishment of education support centres, advocacy against child labour, and the creation of low-cost educational tools.
In community health, SAHAJ developed gender-sensitive training modules such as Men and Masculinity (with SAHYOG and TATHAPI Trust), highlighting the role of men in women’s health. It engaged in platforms like the Forum for Engaging Men and Community of Practitioners on Accountability and Social Action on Health (CoPASAH) to promote health rights and accountability.
SAHAJ’s national and global advocacy includes work with networks like Jan Swasthya Abhiyaan, Anna Suraksha Yojana, and the CommonHealth coalition. It has contributed significantly to capacity building, SRHR awareness, and the training of community-based educators.
The organization also focuses on adolescent well-being through holistic education and life skills programs addressing gender, disability, sexual diversity, and SRHR. This led to the creation of the Yuva Working Committee, which focused on empowering youth from marginalized communities by building peer-support networks between urban youth and their rural or tribal counterparts. SAHAJ also founded Akanksha, which supports school dropout girls with skills training and livelihood opportunities.
The Women-Centred Health Project (WHCP), launched in 1996 in collaboration with the BMC and the Royal Tropical Institute, aimed to integrate reproductive and sexual health services into Mumbai’s public health system. Originating from a study on Pelvic Inflammatory Disease led by Renu Khanna at Sion Hospital, Mumbai, WHCP helped mainstream gender perspectives in BMC health services, supported by the Ford Foundation. The project introduced training manuals and workshops to enhance the capacity of healthcare providers in delivering gender-sensitive care.
Collection is open for access unless mentioned in specific folders of the finding aid.Copyright may not have been assigned to Archives, National Centre for Biological Sciences. Permission for reproduction or distribution must be obtained in writing from the Archives at NCBS (archives@ncbs.res.in). The Archives at NCBS makes no representation that it is the copyright owner in all of its collections. The user must obtain all necessary rights and clearances before use of material and material may only be reproduced for academic and non-commercial use.Women's health servicesPublic healthSexual minoritiesAlternative Health ProjectsMaharashtra (India)Jharkhand--IndiaGujarat (India)