Four images from the World Social Forum in India, and a question: how would the meeting evolve, after feeling how globalization of inequality and injustice is like? I. To exist, what is it for? " Planet Porto Alegre needed to step on beaten earthen floor, to breathe this dust, to fell the smell of the people" says the Cuban José Miguel Hernandez, who represents the Pan-American campaign against FTAA at the International Council of the WSF. He is in the geographical center of WSF 2004: a huge map of the facilities of Nesco Conventions Ground, the exhibition park of about one kilometer square, chosen to host the event. In front and behind him, there are two of the not many permanent constructions of this huge open field: Hall 1, the mega-auditorium for 8 thousand people, and the building that shelters the Media Center and the Organizing Committee of the event. Around Jose Miguel there is an anthill of people, a whole parade with hundreds of cords of people following and entwining each other. Even if remarkable ( here is an advance, for example, with the call for the international day of protest against war for March 20th, anniversary of Iraq invasion) the blocs that express explicit political demands are the minority. Much more larger are those who want to show to the WSF – and maybe mostly to themselves - that they have identity, beauty, culture, expression. They emerged from the abysmal poverty to say that they do exist. They come with dances from all around the world, with disconcerting gestures, with exotic sounds ( the most outstanding of which is an acute cornet, played in long whistles); with skin tones that go from ( talking about Indians and Pakistanis) almost white to almost black, but they always conserve the olive- skinned shine; with colored and infinitely shaped clothes. All of them drum, with a style that reminded Maria Oliveira from Bahía, the ancient carnivals of Salvador, before the arrival of the electric trios. A big part of the multitude will remain in this never-ending and vibrating parade for four days. Some of them will sleep on the floor every night. All of them will suffer the almost absolute lack of bathrooms. Victorio Agnoletto, spokesman of the Italian Social Forum and also member of the International Council, will tenderly say, " In Mumbai, there wasn't one, but two different Forums" -- the one of the formal discussions, and the one of the six streets of beaten land. José Miguel will add, about the new actors: " What counts is to be here, to be integrated in the world of the WSF". II. From the color of the streets to the corridor of the ideas Nesco Ground constructions are huge and rustic hangars – practically, walls raised on the ground and covered with flagstones. – that the organizers reserve for the big conferences and panels. Were misled, however, those who imagined that the energy of the IV WSF would be generated in here. It broke out from the streets, but also from more than a thousand workshops and seminars – the so called " self- managed activities" , that any organization registered in the WSF can propose and organize. In Porto Alegre, were carried out in the rooms of the PUC. In Mumbai, it was necessary to improvise. Four areas of the Nesco Ground were transformed into debate corridors. Along them were raised the frameworks of the rooms: thin wooden logs, tied with sisal. Then , these frames were covered with cotton, to become lateral walls and ceilings. The earthen floor, almost always irregular, was covered with bags of jute. The same material was used for the " front" - the external walls. These ones, more rigid, had the extra advantage of working also as permanent murals, where were fixed posters informing about what was being discussed inside. The organizers counted on the climate ( it almost never rains at this time of the year in Mumbai) and with the fortune ( a fire would have caused a tragedy) There were 140 installations like this, and the Forum of the workshops and the seminars was as diverse, plural and colorful as those of Porto Alegre. Who walked 19th morning, along part of one of the corridors, could find debates about the increasing abortion of female embryos in India ( qualified as " hidden femalecide"); about the international campaign against North – American bases (promoted by a 25 organizations network based in different countries); about Cordillera Peoples' Alliance ( a Philippine woman explained, in English, that for many Asiatic communities, the concept individual, sees in each human being, a part of the community), about the new international relations system ( emerged from a refined critic about the lack of transparency and democracy in WTO, IMF and WB); about dwelling rights and livable cities ( a fiction in Mumbai), about the struggle against monarchy in Nepal ( besides the rounded faces and the hard eyes of the Nepalese, it attracted the attention the fact that they reached to understand each other, even if they were speaking so low, that many times the voices were replaced for the microphone of the room next door), about the impact of globalization among the " untouchable" Indians ( the debates on these topics were always the most crowded and able to attract the street Forum). Also in the workshops the large majority was Indian. But English confronted Hindi , as dominating language. Two volunteer translators networks ( Babels and Solidarity International) mobilized tens of activists to Mumbai. But, because of the lacking material means, there weren't simultaneous translation system, nor in the workshops, neither in the big conferences and seminars,. To solve the problem, goodwill and patience were required: volunteer and consecutive translations were done, many times including Spanish, French and other languages Thanks to the All India's People Science - an organization with 300 thousand members than promotes alphabetization and political formation all around India – it was inaugurated the practice of cultural workshops. Along the four days, one of the 140 rooms, was the scenario of a series of amazing music, dance and theatre spectacles, performed not by professional artists, but by Indian communities. Although amateur, the performances were produced carefully: uniformed, practiced, and proud groups. The public frequently invaded the scenario, to sing and dance. The aim of the organizers was to show, through art and emotion, that Indians must be proud of the extraordinary diversity of the country – instead of shutting in the peculiarity of the local traditions. III. Starving and financing Manhattan Sony Kapoor was one of the attractions of the workshop promoted by fiscal auditors unions from Brazil and France, to debate the need of a new international financial architecture. He is, himself, a signal that the world can be changed. He is an Indian, that lives in the UK since many years, he dresses as a young British man, he uses gel to keep his hear combed upside. He worked for international investment banks in London City. He helped to fatten up huge fortunes, and to promote speculative attacks against the South countries currencies. He earned money, traveled around the world and…he got tired. Two years ago he left the market, and founded an NGO called Tobin Tax Network and he started to denounce the financial savagery in the global capitalism He impresses for the rich information that he has, for the agility with which he manages, for his capability to formulate concrete alternatives. He already defended the creation of a Word Taxes Organization ( to fight the fiscal wars between countries), a new IMF, an international mechanism to automatically interrupt the currencies negotiations, when they are under speculators attack. But one of his information will cause special impact on the public. The international financial order in force nowadays is so unfair, explains Sonny, that, under it, is India who aids to support the consumptions and the investments of North American people ( including the arms race) and not vice- versa In front of the public's astonishment, he proves that this country, where sometimes the heart must be closed to avoid despair, it finances Manhattan and the Pentagon. 1.- The US has in its current account an external deficit equal to 5% of the GDP – in other words, they consume much more than what they produce, then they need to attract the wealth from outside. 2.- As they have world currency and they are the center of the international financial system, they can do it by selling dollars or Treasury bonds to the rest of the world. 3.- Following the IMF recommendations, India strongly increased its dollars and North American bonds purchases, in the former years. The amount of the Indian wealth lent the US through this mechanism, already reaches Usd 100 billion. One question hovers in the air, after this explanation. If the WSF, in fact, wants to build a new world, doesn't it have the obligation to stimulate the research of common alternatives, for certain topics? And couldn't it, in these cases, go from the words into action? IV. Arundhati´s challenge Present at the last conference in Porto Alegre 2003, next to Noam Chomsky, the Indian writer Arundhati Roy attracted attention also in Mumbai 2004. She participated in the opening conference, next to almost ten speakers. But she stood out because of her concrete proposal. The WSF, she suggested, should identify two international firms very involved in Bush imperial war, in human rights attack or in nature destruction – and it should spark off an international boycott against them. The proposal would mobilize the intellectual energies of the WSF ( because it would demand the effort of identifying and choosing the firms). Besides, it would allow to combine diversity, one of the main marks of the Forums, with common action. To participate, none organization linked to Porto Alegre planet would be forced to leave its aims, methods or strategies aside. There would be great chances of success. An international boycott concentrated in just two firms would cause real damages: Invoicing and shares´ prices fall, flight of investment. A first success could, later, stimulate other kind of common initiatives A week later, Arundathi receives two reporters at the hotel lobby, for an interview. Her permanent charm, however calm, seems to be in the fact that she expresses at the same time force and delicacy, decision and doubt, certainty and anguish. She answers one of the questions, warning: " Don't make illusions. The India that you saw is the best this country has- but it's an image many times filtered" Arundhati tells how hard life is, outside Nesco Ground. Pressed by IMF, the government insists with the elimination of social protection systems built after Independence. Since many years, the incentives for the national industry are over, which caused the shutter of many factories and forced hundreds of million workers to submerge in the informal economy. Now the guaranties for the familiar agriculture ( Of which million peasants depend) and the State companies ( what can became the public services prohibitive) are threatened To obstruct public opinion, specially of the poorest people and of those of the lowest castes, the government instigates hate, simultaneously, to Hindus and Muslims. Arundathi accuses the supporters of the PJP, the party in power, of being responsible of a massacre that only in one day, took 2 thousand people's life, in the Gurajat state, some months ago. Nobody was punished. In the former elections for governors of the states , the PJP and the Congress Party, also supporters of neoliberal ideas, extended the control they have over Indian politics. Suddenly Arundathi´s optimistic side prevails again over the side that torments her. She goes back to the idea of selective boycott. " Bush is offering us such a fantastic opportunity. We think in several different ways, we have so varied points of view and ideologies – and meanwhile, why can´t we join together around a common action? Would it be necessary, in that case, to increase a little bit more the idea of open space, that made possible the WSF and made it, for four years, a remarkable event in the international political scenario? Arundathi´s answer has two tones: " To preserve its diversity, the World Social Forum can´t move back to the practice of final statements, that eliminate diversity. And it was very good to have done it, until now, exactly in the way we did it " she says. Immediately, she changes the tuning . " It's necessary to change, as the times change. Nobody can stay stuck. The Forum needs to flee from this great risk. It absorbs our best energies, mobilizes the most generous minds only for us to start thinking, after four days, about the next meeting. In that case, it wont bother our enemies. It will keep being our own music, but it will ever reach to be our struggle" A WSF International Council meeting openen, two days after Mumbai 2004 ending, the process that will lead to Porto Alegre 2005. In a year, the meeting of those who want a new world, will be again organized in Brazil. From now on, there are twelve months of work, to guarantee the flame to keep lighted. * Member of ATTAC Brazil and of WSF Secretariat