From singhgurminder2000 at hotmail.com Sun May 1 17:52:17 2005 From: singhgurminder2000 at hotmail.com (gurminder singh) Date: Sun, 01 May 2005 17:52:17 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Change the Address Message-ID: An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050501/7a3d287b/attachment.html From shivamvij at gmail.com Sun May 1 20:43:05 2005 From: shivamvij at gmail.com (shivam) Date: Sun, 1 May 2005 20:43:05 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Ram Guha on Left+Right Message-ID: WHERE LEFT MEETS RIGHT An irrational fear of the foreigner Politics and Play / RamaChandra Guha Earlier this year, I was at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, where I had been asked to give an after-dinner talk to the students. I reached ten minutes before schedule, so my hosts took me for a coffee while the audience was being rustled up. While we drank the coffee, at a modest open-air outlet run by Nescafé, they explained that their forum was wholly "non-political", unlike the other, party-affiliated groups that dotted the campus. To get a sense of their activities I asked how often they held these meetings. Once a month, they answered. I then asked who the previous speaker was. They named a Marxist economist. And what did she speak on, I enquired. On how multinational outfits such as this one should not be allowed to contaminate the purity of the JNU campus. I reeled back in shock. The surprise was occasioned in part by the triviality of the topic chosen by my predecessor. I was speaking on "The Contribution of the Congress Party to the Nurturing and Degrading of India's Democracy", and I had thought that those who had come before me had spoken on similarly grave — not to say boring — subjects. But the surprise was also caused by the topic being so much at odds with the speaker's own biography. "Why does your professor oppose this Nescafé outlet?" I asked. "Because she feels we should encourage indigenous initiatives," they answered. "Do you know where her own doctoral degree is from?" I asked. They didn't know, so I supplied the answer — the University of Cambridge. "When you next meet your professor," I said sarcastically, "ask her one question on my behalf — when she travels by plane to international meetings, does she carry a south Indian filter and Coorg coffee powder with her, or does she quietly drink the beverage offered her on the flight?" >> The rest of it is at http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050430/asp/opinion/story_4681311.asp Cheers Shivam -- http://mallroad.blogspot.com From jace at pobox.com Sun May 1 21:51:39 2005 From: jace at pobox.com (Kiran Jonnalagadda) Date: Sun, 1 May 2005 21:51:39 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] User interface on LiveJournal Message-ID: Hello all, This is a much delayed post, and not a complete one at that. Over the last month I've made several observations on how UI affects the LiveJournal community. I'll expand on each of these over the next few days: 1. The tag on LiveJournal creates a link to a LiveJournal account by id. Liberal use of this tag converts what would normally be taken for name-dropping into a form of introduction. In addition, since LJ ids have no first or last name, there is only one way to address a person using their LJ id. This creates an egalitarian atmosphere for addressing other users. 2. A LiveJournal post may be edited by its author but by nobody else. Comments may not be edited at all. This encourages a situation where the post becomes an artefact that may be polished but not changed, while comments form throwaway discussion about the post. 3. LiveJournal provides a one-month notice period for deleted accounts to be revived. In practice, however, deleted accounts are rarely purged and may be recovered anytime. This results in cases of an owner deleting their account when they want to *temporarily* go offline. 4. The tag breaks a post with a link to where the remaining text can be read. The LJ Friends page -- which is the primary way to track other LJ users -- honours this tag. Since long uncut posts will require uninterested readers to scroll too much to get past it to the next post, there is a culture of pulling up people who don't cut their posts, and a counterculture of people refusing to cut their posts just because some readers are fussy. 5. User pictures are critical to community on LiveJournal, significantly more so than on other communities that allow identifying icons. Userpics are used to convey not just identity but also emotion. 6. An old one: replying to a comment on LiveJournal sends an email notice to the writer of the previous comment and the writer of the post. Thanks to this, you see people attempting to reply such that they can talk to two people at once, and sometimes writing the same reply (usually "Thank you") to several people instead of saying it just once to all. Attempts to reply to all sometimes rub off as impersonal. 7. And perhaps the most curious one: as humans, we like ranking systems, especially when we come out top ranked. LiveJournal provides no obvious way to rank yourself against your friends, but users crave ranking anyway and will create pseudo structures. The most apparent of these is the number of comments a post gets. Some craft posts to attract replies, some goad on discussion within their posts, some get accused of comment whoring. Whichever form it takes, number of comments is a Big Deal on LiveJournal. To a lesser extent, there is also count of the 'Friend Of' list. Friend relationships on LiveJournal need not be symmetric, so you see people negotiating adding each other. Nishant Shah of CSCS adds a third observation: people asking for their journals to be rated on two of the major journal review communities, despite (perhaps because of) most journals receiving very critical reviews. And a couple non-LiveJournal related observations: 1. Discussions revive as they jump between disjointed communities. UI plays a key role in keeping communities disjointed. 2. The concept of "tags" as used at Flickr.com and del.icio.us creates a new form of community participation that is quite unlike other forms. -- Kiran Jonnalagadda http://www.pobox.com/~jace From rahul_capri at yahoo.com Sun May 1 21:57:01 2005 From: rahul_capri at yahoo.com (Rahul Asthana) Date: Sun, 1 May 2005 09:27:01 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] Ram Guha on Left+Right In-Reply-To: 6667 Message-ID: <20050501162701.53602.qmail@web53604.mail.yahoo.com> >From the article- "Let me now offer this thesis � that because they played such an insignificant part in the social movement which brought India political freedom, the saffron right and the Communist left feel obliged to wear their �nationalism� on their sleeves � to express, with such force and vehemence, their opposition to what they regard as alien and contaminating influences. The RSS shall demonstrate their Indianness by demanding that the preacher, Benny Hinn, has to �Quit India�; the Marxist professors will demonstrate it by demanding that a small, shabby coffee outlet owned by Nestl�ust �Quit JNU�. " I think this premise is flawed. The behaviour of the left and right can be classified as any number of "isms", but nationalism it is not. In fact, the significant similarity between the left and right is that of lack of a coherent national ideology.The leftists will cheer when America refuses Modis visa and the rightists will welcome MNCs,so the xenophobia that the writer of the article talks about is incidental. Their behavious is based on othering of a section of people and appealing to their own respective niche markets at an organisanional level. On an individual level, people are natural born leftists or rightists. I cant think of any natural born nationalist politician.Apparently, having a coherent nationalist strategy, a precursor to which would involve not othering any group of people, might not be a succesful strategy in politics. Not that nice marketing is a bad thing in a democracy. Regards Rahul --- shivam wrote: > WHERE LEFT MEETS RIGHT > An irrational fear of the foreigner > > Politics and Play / RamaChandra Guha > > > > Earlier this year, I was at the Jawaharlal Nehru > University in New > Delhi, where I had been asked to give an > after-dinner talk to the > students. I reached ten minutes before schedule, so > my hosts took me > for a coffee while the audience was being rustled > up. While we drank > the coffee, at a modest open-air outlet run by > Nescaf�they explained > that their forum was wholly "non-political", unlike > the other, > party-affiliated groups that dotted the campus. To > get a sense of > their activities I asked how often they held these > meetings. Once a > month, they answered. I then asked who the previous > speaker was. They > named a Marxist economist. And what did she speak > on, I enquired. On > how multinational outfits such as this one should > not be allowed to > contaminate the purity of the JNU campus. > > I reeled back in shock. The surprise was occasioned > in part by the > triviality of the topic chosen by my predecessor. I > was speaking on > "The Contribution of the Congress Party to the > Nurturing and Degrading > of India's Democracy", and I had thought that those > who had come > before me had spoken on similarly grave � not to say > boring � > subjects. But the surprise was also caused by the > topic being so much > at odds with the speaker's own biography. "Why does > your professor > oppose this Nescaf�utlet?" I asked. "Because she > feels we should > encourage indigenous initiatives," they answered. > "Do you know where > her own doctoral degree is from?" I asked. They > didn't know, so I > supplied the answer � the University of Cambridge. > "When you next meet > your professor," I said sarcastically, "ask her one > question on my > behalf � when she travels by plane to international > meetings, does she > carry a south Indian filter and Coorg coffee powder > with her, or does > she quietly drink the beverage offered her on the > flight?" > > > > >> The rest of it is at > http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050430/asp/opinion/story_4681311.asp > > > Cheers > Shivam > > -- > http://mallroad.blogspot.com > > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and > the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to > reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the > subject header. > List archive: __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com From jcm at ata.org.pe Mon May 2 10:18:09 2005 From: jcm at ata.org.pe (Jose-Carlos Mariategui) Date: Sun, 01 May 2005 23:48:09 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] 'foreign hybrids' Message-ID: Dear friends: Does anybody know some works and practices that, from the intellectual and practical appropriation of foreign technology, ignited the proliferation of hybrid, original and critical proposals? There are examples in the form of local practices, artistic works or even scientific experiments, specially in developing nations that are not visible but that are not only successful but also broadly used. I know some in Latin America but are there some in India or the Asian countries? Hoping to hear some interesting stories, Jose-Carlos Mariategui From prashantpandey10 at rediffmail.com Sun May 1 12:03:47 2005 From: prashantpandey10 at rediffmail.com (Prashant Pandey) Date: 1 May 2005 06:33:47 -0000 Subject: [Reader-list] Rehman's Tomorrow ,PRASHANT PANDEY Message-ID: <20050501063347.24986.qmail@webmail31.rediffmail.com>   Another Rehman shines The interesting part of research is that I get to meet and interact with lot of artists who have great promise and will make big in years to come. Their stories of struggle and musical philosophies contains a unique historicity which hangs perfectly in balance between the successful and not- so- successful, content and not-so-content, famous and not-so-famous. One such artist resting peacefully on this inflexion point of his musical career is Afreen Rehman, another upcoming singer and composer. He is based in New Zealand and works as an advisor (Organics and Plant Products) in the New Zealand Food Safety Authority. He is another Lucky Ali (New Zealand), Stereo Nation (UK), Bombay Vikings (Sweden) - Indian expats who make music through international collaboration keeping Indian audiences in mind and whose music is promoted by Indian music companies. After sampling "From Tomorrow" his unreleased album, I decided to get in touch with him. Even as I am writing this post I listen to his jazz colored soothing “aaja pardesi hai Chandni ratiya” the first of his 9 song compilation CD. I leave you alone with the rest of post- As young music director what do you think decides whether or not what you are making is good or not so good? I am not a music director. I do make music (compose and write lyrics), but I am more of a singer, performer. My music direction is restricted to composition and then giving ideas to Karnan- who is the main music producer for the album. I think melody of the composition is the most important. After I compose something, I keep it aside to work on it later. When the composition interests me the second time when I listen to it (which is usually the second day after a good sleep) then I think about elaborating on the composition. If it does not interest me later then I forget about it. If it does not interest me then I don't think others will like it (I may be wrong, but I can't work on something I don't like). Tell me about your social as well as musical background I am basically a scientist who is working as an adviser for the New Zealand Food Safety Authority (ministry of Agriculture and Forestry). I am married. I have not come from a family with music as a profession, but they all had a keen interest in music. My mother is a singer and I grew up with her singing at home, in the kitchen, or at family gatherings. My sisters are also into music. They played the violin, guitar and also were good singers. I started singing when I was young. I used to hide behind doors and sing (was shy at that age) when family members used to ask me to sing. I did my schooling from Daly College, Indore. My singing career actually started here when my music teacher (Mr. Patwardhan) pulled me out of a group of class mates and asked to sing alone. Since then he used to encourage me to sing and lead group songs for the School for school functions as well as children's prgramme at the All India Radio, Indore. In senior school I started participating in school and inter school music competitions. I won the first prize in most of these competitions. During my college and universities days also I continued singing. While in the university, I became a student of Begum Parveen Sultana. I could not continue learning from her as I got a job in Saudi Arabia and for two years I was totally cut off from music performance. Then I moved to New Zealand and here things started changing again. I met a group of Sri Lankans and Indians who were involved in making music. I joined them and started to sing for their group. I started making my own compositions (influenced by light Indian classical) and finally last year I and a friend of mine Karnan (a Sri Lankan, whose music is heavily influenced by Jazz and electronic music) decided to work on an album. We are almost at the end of this project. Which bollywood music directors do u like and why? >From old times I think Khayyam was unique (Umrao Jaan, Bazaar). Others that I liked were Naushad, SD and RD Burman, Jaidev and Madan Mohan. All of them had strong melody component in their music. Of the new generation, I think A R Rahman and Ismail Darbar are good. Both of them have totally different style and approach. Others do not have the depth though at times they do come up with good melodies. If you are making a song how do you go about it. As I said before, melody is the strongest part. Once I decide on the melody, I write the lyrics or get it written by someone. Then I record the melody. Karnan then works on the harmonies and music around the melody. Karnan also plays a big part in deciding whether we should work on a melody or not. Sometimes he also helps me in creating a melody by giving me a harmonic chord progression on which I try to fit a melody. However, this process has not been successful in creating any melodies that we have decided to work on (except for one). Did you evolve this process or is it a standard. There must be others who work in the same way. I don't think there any fixed standard of creating a song. Do you ever fancy working on analog machines. Not really. Digital systems are much more suitable for the way we go about making our music. Are you happy with the current Bollywood music scene? A BIG NOOOOOO. It seems nowadays hearing good music from the film industry is once in a bluemoon. Tehzeeb (only three numbers) were good. Very few film songs that I would like to listen over and over again. Not what I am hearing for the last 10 years but there are the good ones from time to time. What do you think is lacking? Melody that takes you to a new place. What softwares have you worked with? Most of my music has been done in Frooty Loop Studio - Karnan is the main producer. My job is limited to the melody, lyrics and giving suggestions regarding the type of sound I want. He is the one with the computer and instrumental skills. Please give details of your music setup. Pentium based computer, an external sound card and Audio/MIDI Interface (M Audio), Alesis MK II powered monitors, Behringer 1202 Mixer, Behringer Pro condenser microphone. What would be an ideal set up? With our budget this is ideal setup. We can dream about a lot more, but we try not to compromise our music quality by going slowly with our work. What we loose in terms of better gadgets, we try to make it up with more involvement with the compositions. Karnan is good with music as well as with the computers. It makes things easier... much much easier. What exactly is digital music making? Digital music making is not that different from normal music making. Both require good knowledge of music basics. You cannot make good music if you don't have the basics. I myself don't have the basic knowledge, but that gap has been filled by Karnan who is the producer of the album. If you ever do film music what will be your USP. Did you mean Unique Selling Proposition (USP) - Well I don't think I will ever do film music. I am not a music director as I mentioned earlier. However, if I ever became capable of doing it alone then I will again base it on strong melodies. What are your influences? Jagjit Singh has been my favourite (though his recent compositions are really not of my liking). I think I am influenced by any good music I hear. How has your album shaped up? It’s almost complete now. We have made a lot of changes to almost all the songs. Recorded everything in Assamese language also to release in the regional market. Which companies are you pitching it to? Approached many companies during my visit to Bombay in December. Everybody was very keen to do it...... without even listening to the album as soon as they came to know that I am an NRI. The catch was that they wanted 2 music videos and Rs. 15 lakhs for marketing the product. When I told them that I will do the replication myself, they said no to it. They said that they will do it themselves and charge extra for the process. Now am I fool to agree to it? One company that we found to be quite different was Phat Phish Records. The philosophy they have outlined in their website is encouraging. We have contacted them and they have asked for demos of our songs. We are planning to send them the album by the end of this month. Hope they will like it. Tell more details about your album... its aim ... philosophy... and a small brief about the songs... Well our philosophy is just to make good music and have at least one number in an album that has some social message. (There is a great song on Gujarat riots in his album).I know it is not easy to market a product that has only social messages. Do you ever fancy coming here to Bombay and making music from here. Not really............. I like Bombay, but I think after staying in New Zealand it will be difficult to adjust to the busy life there. Here it is a very relaxed environment. Being a person from Assam where everything moves slowly I find myself at home in New Zealand. I would love to go there frequently, perform and then come back again, but I don't think I can adjust to the rigorous nature of Bombay life. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050501/a088ce02/attachment.html From uddipandutta at rediffmail.com Sun May 1 14:55:48 2005 From: uddipandutta at rediffmail.com (uddipan dutta) Date: 1 May 2005 09:25:48 -0000 Subject: [Reader-list] The Colonial Politics of Social Responsibility Message-ID: <20050501092548.22146.qmail@webmail29.rediffmail.com>   The Colonial Politics of Social Responsibility and the Response of the Arunodoi to the Socio-Political and Economic Situation in Assam Dear Readers, no doubt Arunodoi set the tone for the growth of Assamese Print Nationalism although quite indirectly and unconsciously and for this reason pages of panegyrics were already written in the Assamese literary history. Another thing that the Missionaries are credited with is the ushering in of modernity to the Assamese social sphere. Without refuting these two claims completely, we need to see its role in the context of colonialism, mode of colonial exploitation, popular mass revolts against it and the mention(and non-mention as well) of these changes in the pages of Arunodoi. We should also remember that colonialism not only involves the colonization and exploitation of the material resources but also engages in the colonization of mind. When the British came to Assam they brought with them a different knowledge and belief system. And we should not forget that religious belief is a strong component of their thought structure. We would first throw light on the politico- social and economic changes in Assam in the context of colonialism and later see their representations in the pages of Arunodoi. The Company Raj appeared on the scene of the Brahmaputra valley as a savior of the people suffering from a situation of chaos and lawlessness prevailing in the region since 1770 starting with the Mayamoria uprising. But it was the successive Burmese aggression which completely destabilized the Ahom kingdom. The tales of suffering and torture at the hands of the Burmese army is still fresh in the folk memory of the people of Assam. So, the peace and order brought by the British with the Treaty of Yandaboo was welcomed by the people in the valley at first. But soon they realized how difficult the life would be in the face of the economic exploitation at the hands of the colonial masters. Exorbitant land revenues on the cultivable land, establishment of the tea gardens and opium trade were the three major modes of earning a huge profit from Assam by the British traders. Traditional systems of land rights, economic exchanges, practices and beliefs had all to be transformed completely to suit the colonial masters’ economic needs. At this juncture we should emphasize once again on the belief system these traders cum rulers brought with them to this newly discovered land of economic opportunities. Many of their acts can also be interpreted as the compulsion to spread their belief system and to colonize the minds of the people they discovered recently. Christianity being a part of their belief system can not be seen apart from colonialism. Arunodoi as I have already stated was the magazine brought out by the Baptist missionaries to spread Christianity. So what was written in the title page of the magazine is very significant at this context ‘Arunodoi: Giyan Bhandar : a monthly magazine devoted to religion, science and general intelligence’. Many critics and literary historians try to see the last two commitments ignoring the first commitment to religion. The general message was that the scientific developments of the western countries were due to the Christianity and the ‘general intelligence’ of their people. ‘Anek Dexar Sangbad’ was the regular heading under which news from all across the globe was dished out to the readers. A probe into the news items of Arunodoi would reveal that it was not only the mouthpiece of the Christian Missionaries but also the mouthpiece of the colonial masters. Some of the important events related to opium and opium-trade and their representations in Arunodoi would endorse my understanding as the consumption of opium was quite wide spread in Assam at that time The opium cultivation was quite important for the Assamese farmers as it used to yield cash money. The cash was important to the farmers because the revenue was accepted only in the form of cash. Revenue in the form of cash was quite new to the Assamese cultivators which had a self sufficient economy before the advent the British. The British had started the trade of importing opium from the North India into Assam by the year 1851. To augment their profit, the British put a ban on the local cultivation of opium in the year 1960 and they did it under the guise of eradicating a social evil. It should be remembered in this regard that they put the ban only on the cultivation of opium not on the trade of it. This ban took a heavy toll on the farmers of Nowgong district as it was the largest opium producing district of Assam at that time. The resentment was quite widespread and at that juncture, the Bengal Government called upon its officers in Assam to report on the feasibility of a tax on betel-nut and pan cultivation. This led to an agitation in Nowgong, mainly in Phulguri area inhabited by Tiwa people. In September 1861, some 1500 peasants marched to the district town. They demonstrated peacefully before the magistrate and presented a petition to him. It referred to the harm that had already been done to them by banning poppy cultivation. It was prayed that no further taxes be levied on the betel- nut and pan gardens. The district magistrate acted very haughtily and in a high handed manner. It was established from a later inquiry that he had provoked/alienated the ryots enough by putting heavy fine on them even in the pretext of making noises in the court rooms. A raij mel or people’s assembly was organized in Phulguri and for five days people discussed heir plight and the measures to be taken to ameliorate their conditions. Around one thousand people had assembled in that raij mel and five o six hundred of them were armed with lathis. A police party that had come to disperse was driven out by the people save one taken into custody by the people. By 17 October, three to four thousand people assembled there. The police made yet another attempt to disperse the crowd and arrested some of the agitating crowd. But the agitated crowd forcibly rescued all of them and the police had to flee the place sensing danger. The next day a British officer Lieutenant Singer came with the police party and met the leaders. They explained to him how the ban on poppy cultivation was affecting their lives and about their fear of having to pay taxes on betel nut and paan cultivation. They also conveyed to him their grievances against the district magistrate and explained to him their purpose of assembling in that raij mel was just to put across their demands to the higher authorities. Singer ordered them to disperse and tried to snatch their lathis. He got himself killed unintentionally in the ensuing fracas. The police force accompanying him left the place in panic. The news of Singer’s death reached the headquarter in Nowgong accompanied by the rumour of an impending attack on the town. A small troupe of armed force was sent to the troubled area. Their firing on the crowd led to several deaths. Fresh arrival of forces from Tezpur and Guwahati brought quiet and silence in the entire district to be followed by the measures of repression by the British Authority. Narasingh Lalung and eight other peasant leaders were punished with long-term imprisonment and deportation. This saga of popular resistance of the peasants against taxation policy of the government is still fresh in the collective memory of the people of Assam as the Phulguri Dhawa. The colonial regime tried its best to vilify this heroic resistance against the exorbitant taxation policy as the discontentment of the peasants against the ban on opium cultivation. Very shrewdly they took the line of argumentation that as the consumption of opium was a social evil and the ban on its cultivation was an act of benevolence on the part of the government, a revolt against such an act of benevolence was nothing but foolishness of the peasants. Let us now see how this uprising was reported in Arunodoi to realize its political characteristics. In the November issue of 1861’s Arunodoi under the heading of Anek Dexor Sangbad we get the news of Phulguri Uprising. I am translating the text. Hope it catches the essence. “The cause intrepidity on the part of the Nowgong residents is the ban on opium cultivation and income tax. But nowhere in the country is the tax as low as Assam. .the Assamese people don’t know what to do with the little money they get and start buying opium with it. This ostentatious bad habit was highly prevailing among the people of Nowgong. The ban on opium must have made them angry. But everybody knows that such a ban was harbinger of their development. The ban on the opium cultivation is the only measure of rescue, as the people of this country have put themselves in this strong current of catastrophe due to opium.” Nidhi Levi Farwell, one of the first converts wrote in a satirical manner in the same issue under the heading of “Nogyna Druhilokor Charitra Barnon” (The Character Sketch of the Nowgong Mutineers) in the following words “ The people of Nowgong of our country without arms and a commander revolt against those who have the ownership of the entire Jambudwip (India) and who are ahead of all the nations in terms of power and domination, intelligence and wisdom and who are all-powerful and invincible!” I think I should stop it here and the readers see the political character of Arunodoi themselves. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050501/f77c9262/attachment.html From amitrbasu50 at yahoo.co.in Mon May 2 13:35:03 2005 From: amitrbasu50 at yahoo.co.in (Amit Basu) Date: Mon, 2 May 2005 09:05:03 +0100 (BST) Subject: [Reader-list] Re: Sarai: Fellows and no fellowship......... In-Reply-To: 6667 Message-ID: <20050502080503.73093.qmail@web8506.mail.in.yahoo.com> I feel bad reading these postings from Delhi (and Mumbai) that we at Kolkata do not feel interested to meet regularly!! amit basu sabitha t p wrote: Hi everyone, I'd love to come though the proposed dates are difficult. I'm off to Kerala on the 5th of May for archival work related to the fellowship. Will the 4th be possible at all?? Sabitha --- Vivek Narayanan wrote: > So how about May 8, then...? (Sorry, Shivam vetoed > the 30th, and it's > first come first served even if, admittedly, he > seems to live in > cyberspace - :)) > > JNU this time, DU or Sarai or Connaught Place next, > and perhaps we > should even have a historic Sarai summit one of > these months in > Ghaziabad...? > > (But we're not in the right class bracket for > farmhouse parties, I'm > afraid, unless anyone has a farmhouse to spare) > > V > > vijender chauhan wrote: > > > To me all dates are equally easy (or difficult) so > please let me know, > > what it is, I'll reach. Got reservations abt > calling JNU, central. It > > has always been at extreme (or say margin) in more > meanings of the > > word then one. Still its fine. Though sarai or DU > is definitely > > better. may be next time. > > vijender > > > > >From: Vivek Narayanan > > >To: mahesh sarma > > > >CC: sabirhaque at yahoo.co.in, > > leenanarzary at yahoo.co.in,nidhidhini at yahoo.com, > > zzjamal at rediffmail.com,Archnakjha at rediffmail.com, > > > maninder_jk2003 at yahoo.com,sunil-monica at rediffmail.com, > > > anannyaleh at yahoo.com,veenanaregal at hotmail.com, > > moruoak at yahoo.com,singhgurminder2000 at hotmail.com, > > jitendra82003 at yahoo.com,sabitha_tp at yahoo.co.uk, > > prem_tiwari26 at yahoo.com, > shivamvij at gmail.com,space4change at gmail.com, > > cswara at hotmail.com, > > > schatte2 at unity.ncsu.edu,vijender_chauhan at hotmail.com, > > > sausum at mantraonline.com,river_side1 at hotmail.com, > > > sannil472 at hotmail.com,tasneemdhinojwala at rediffmail.com, > > > mahmoodfarooqui at yahoo.com,s_bismillah at yahoo.com > > >Subject: Re: Sarai: Fellows and no > fellowship......... > > >Date: Thu, 21 Apr 2005 13:47:29 +0530 > > > > > >How about 8 May as a third possibility, then? > There's a workshop > > >that Ravikant is part of that goes on till the > 7th. Otherwise, 7th > > >works fine for me too. > > > > > _________________________________________________________________ > > News, views and gossip. > http://www.msn.co.in/Cinema/ Get it all at MSN > > Cinema! > > > > > ________________________________________________________________________ Yahoo! India Matrimony: Find your life partner online Go to: http://yahoo.shaadi.com/india-matrimony _________________________________________ reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. Critiques & Collaborations To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the subject header. List archive: Yahoo! India Matrimony: Find your life partneronline. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050502/f7cabe3e/attachment.html From shai at filterindia.com Mon May 2 13:24:27 2005 From: shai at filterindia.com (Shai Heredia) Date: Mon, 2 May 2005 13:24:27 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Excavating Indian Experimental Film; Shai Heredia Message-ID: <008901c54eec$2ea21630$eb00a8c0@abcg9pijiifj6r> Excavating Indian Experimental Film posting by Shai Heredia The western experimental film movement has arisen primarily from within a context of visual art. In stark contrast through my research I have found that the only distinct modern movement of film as art in India, in terms of experimentation with form, was that which occurred in post colonial socialist India at the Films Division in the late 1950's through till the 1960's and early 1970's. The films made during this period moved away from story telling and looked to create a space outside of the great Indian narrative film tradition. I have previewed and studied a number of these films and have also presented them at Experimenta - the annual festival of experimental film that I curate. Also, I have discussed these works with archivists Amrit Gangar and BD Garga, and have read archival essays on this exciting time at Films Division. The visionary Chief Producer (1954-57 and 1965-67) of Films Division and filmmaker Jean Bhownagary was key to this movement. As he understood the social need of nurturing film aesthetics, he focused on encouraging the growth of a radically new syntax for ethnographic/documentary films. Thus, at this time, a group of filmmakers including Pramod Pati, Vijay B Chandra, SNS Sastry and Biren Das to name a few were encouraged to innovate with found footage, animation and stylised montage in the Films Division studios. These films looked to transcend mythology and folk traditions by shifting interests away from illusionism, and by revealing the aesthetic possibilities of the materials and processes of the film medium. These were filmmakers whose experimental approach and fearlessness with creating new forms was much in the innovative style of Dadasaheb Phalke. The films they produced, in my opinion, are some of India's most progressive and aestheticised experimental shorts. "When Pati (Pramod Pati) began to explore newer narrative possibilities, cinema the world over was bubbling with creative urges that time had given the necessary space for or space its time. Generally a capital-intensive market-oriented medium such as cinema always feels shy of taking risks. But in India, the public institutional domain - the Films Division, the Film Finance Corporation, the Film & Television Institute of India - challenging the monolithic popular art rhetoric, has interestingly provided this risqué-space." Amrit Gangar. Some of the films are listed below:1. 'Trip' by Pramod Pati; India; 1970; 35mm; Sound; B&W; 4 mins A film on Bombay, which uses pixilation to depict the transitoriness of daily life in an urban context. This spectacular film with its abstract soundtrack of tweaked city sounds is the quintessential urban Indian experimental film. 2. 'Claxplosion' by Pramod Pati 1968; Sound; B&W; 2minsUsing pixilation and electronic music, this is an experimental family planning film 3. 'Explorer' by Pramod Pati; India; 1970; 35mm; Sound; B&W; 4 mins This is a psychedelic trip through youth culture within modern India. The film focuses on exploring, probing, questioning and analysing science, technology and modernity by abstract referencing through symbols, faces and moods. 4. 'Abid' by Pramod Pati; India; 1972; 35mm; Sound; Colour; 5 mins "Unlike a cartoon film, which is a rapidly moving series of photographed drawings, in pixilation, a moving object is shot frame by frame, and then through clever editing made to appear in motion. By its nature, this movement is agile, energetic and unpredictable just like the pop art movement." [Pramod Pati]5. 'And I Make Short Films' by S.N.S.Sastry; India; 1968; 35mm; Sound; B&W; 16 mins An impressionistic portrayal of short film making by a short film maker. The film explores the process, ideas and the context of documentary filmmaking in India at the time -art or documentation of reality. The views expressed in the film are sometimes bitter, often humorous, at times satirical but seldom complimentary. 6. 'Expression' by Biren Das; India; 1969; 35mm; Sound; B&W; 9 mins Set in Bombay in 1969, this is a film about city life and the activities occurring around a busy city square in South Bombay. Narrated from the perspective of the female statues at the centre of the fountain, the film opens with animated statues stepping out off the fountain and into the city to explore the art and culture of Bombay.7. 'Child on a Chess Board' by Vijay B. Chandra; India; 1979; 35mm; Sound; B&W; 8 mins This abstract narrative short film is a powerful psycho social exploration of nationhood, industrial progress and scientific development through the eyes of a child. Through my continued research, I hope to find more films and information on the exciting beginnings of the modern Indian experimental film - one that was uniquely created from within the ethnographic/documentary film genre. Also, I am looking to draw together the extremely fragmented contemporary context of Indian experimental films .ie.films made by individuals or through film institutions across the country - so as to highlight new ideas and forms that have existed on the margins and only inform very few underground filmmakers. _____________________________________________________________________________ What is a good documentary film? by JEAN BHOWNAGARY (June 1960) A good documentary must be an observation of reality - interpreted in terms of film. In substance it must have something useful to say - useful to such and to such, alone and together. In form, it must say it usefully, efficiently. If its audience is to take what it has to give, to assimilate what it has to say then the film must be able to move its audience - for there is no true assimilation, no true making something a part of oneself without emotion. And then for the filmmaker himself, for the artist - as in all art - the film must also pose a problem, a problem in art which interests and impassions its maker. In making the documentary its maker must solve this problem to his satisfaction. The blank canvas and the virgin, unexposed film are the same - on it the maker of films paints not with brush and oil but with light; not only on space but in time at his cutting bench; not only with colour but also with sound. In this - in facing a problem and solving it, a problem of style and form and content - documentary making, again as other arts, calls for experiment, grows with experimentation. As for the documentary filmmaker, the first essential thing is that he be an artist - that like Picasso he leave the sun in his belly. But this inventive artist, with the sun in his belly, exploring new techniques and lyricisms, must also be capable of digging into and presenting true problems, either individual or social, in terms of all mankind. His airiest flight must be based on a firm bed- rock of involvement and analysis. _____________________________________________________________________________ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050502/cd3bd36f/attachment.html From vivek at sarai.net Mon May 2 14:36:56 2005 From: vivek at sarai.net (Vivek Narayanan) Date: Mon, 02 May 2005 14:36:56 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] "a spectrum of genders" Message-ID: <4275EDB0.6040208@sarai.net> But this left me thinking, who cares anyway even if men were to be extinct in 125,000 years. An article which gives a good scientifically-based argument against genetic determinism. Vivek New York Review of Books Volume 52, Number 8 · May 12, 2005 Review Vive la Différence! By H. Allen Orr Adam's Curse: A Future Without Men by Bryan Sykes Norton, 320 pp., $25.95; $15.95 (paper) Y: The Descent of Men by Steve Jones Houghton Mifflin, 252 pp., $25.00 The X in Sex: How the X Chromosome Controls Our Lives By David Bainbridge Harvard University Press, 205 pp., $22.95; $14.95 (paper) The human genome is made up of forty-six chromosomes, the rod-like structures that reside in the nucleus of every cell. These chromosomes carry all of our genes, which, in turn, are made of DNA. Two of these chromosomes, called the X and the Y, are different from the rest: they are "sex chromosomes." Men carry one X and one Y chromosome, while women carry two X chromosomes. All the obvious physical differences between the sexes ultimately spring from this humble difference in chromosomal constitution. During the last few years, real progress has been made in our understanding of the sex chromosomes and we now know much more about our X and Y than we did a mere decade ago. In 2003, for example, essentially the entire stretch of DNA carried on the human Y chromosome was decoded, revealing the number and, in many cases, identity of the genes that make up this seat of maleness. More important, owing to a breakthrough that occurred in the early Nineties, biologists now understand just how sex is decided in human beings—geneticists identified the master "switch gene" that determines whether an embryo will develop into a male or a female. These discoveries might seem surprisingly recent. In view of the confident pronouncements in the medical press about all things having to do with sex and gender (homosexuality, for example, was said to be genetically determined), you'd be forgiven for assuming that the biology of how a human being becomes a boy or a girl has long been understood. To be fair, though, there were good reasons for the slow progress. How sex is determined represents a rare problem in which the study of simpler organisms like fruit flies led biologists astray. Sex determination in human beings specifically and in mammals generally doesn't work the way it does in most of the species that geneticists like to study. Moreover, genetic studies in human beings are simply harder to perform than those in species like the fruit fly: a generation is more like two decades than two weeks, and we can't dictate who mates with whom, an ethical constraint that doesn't arise with flies. Although the three books discussed here cover much of the same ground, one stands out from the rest. Bryan Sykes's Adam's Curse is both far more ambitious, and controversial, than Steve Jones's or David Bainbridge's book. Sykes, a professor of genetics at Oxford University and author of the best-selling The Seven Daughters of Eve, sounds loud alarms about an impending biological crisis involving the Y chromosome. He also makes bold sociobiological claims about the effect of the Y chromosome on our lives. Because Sykes is a leading researcher in the study of sex chromosomes (not to mention a science adviser to the House of Commons), his pronouncements merit special attention. 1. Sykes begins his book with the discovery of the master gene that decides sex in human beings. For decades, biologists understood that human beings have so-called Y-dominant sex determination. Roughly speaking, if you carry a Y chromosome, you're a male, while if you don't carry a Y chromosome, you're a female. As a result, rare individuals born with two X's and a Y are boys, while rare individuals born with one X and no Y are girls. There is therefore something on the Y, not the X, that decides sex. Identifying this something, however, proved extraordinarily difficult. As often occurs in human genetics, the key breakthrough involved extremely rare exceptions to the above rules. In the late 1980s, several people were found whose sex appeared not to match their sex chromosomes. Some were patients who had an X and a Y chromosome and yet were female. Careful study revealed that these patients' Y chromosomes were incomplete—they lacked a small, defined piece of the normal chromosome. Others were patients who carried two X chromosomes and (apparently) no Y and yet were male. Careful study revealed that these patients carried a very small piece of the Y chromosome, typically too small to be seen under a microscope. Remarkably, the small bit of the Y missing from the female patients roughly corresponded to the small piece present in the male patients. This proved that sex does not depend on the presence or absence of an entire Y chromosome and further suggested that whatever gene or genes decide sex reside in the relevant small region of the Y. The race to locate the human "sex determination gene" was on. As Sykes recounts it, the race was filled with false starts. In 1987, a research team at the Whitehead Institute near Boston announced the discovery of ZFY, a gene that sits in the appropriate part of the Y and that had certain molecular features that, the team believed, made it a strong candidate for the sex gene in humans. Soon, however, the ZFY story unraveled (for one thing, ZFY turned out to also sit on the X chromosome, which made little sense) and the race, briefly suspended, began anew. In the 1990s, another research team led by Peter Goodfellow and Robin Lovell-Badge at the Human Molecular Genetics Laboratory and National Institute for Medical Research in London identified another Y chromosome gene which they confidently named SRY, for Sex Determining Region of the Y chromosome. Their confidence was, in this case, well placed. During the following year, the same team performed a critical experiment proving that SRY does in fact determine sex in mammals. Injecting a copy of the SRY gene into mouse eggs, the team produced a mouse that carried two X chromosomes and SRY—and it was male. SRY was able, therefore, to force an embryo otherwise destined to become female to develop instead as male. As Sykes recalls, the "star mouse, swinging on a stick and sporting enormous testicles to prove the point, made the cover of the edition of Nature" that announced the discovery of SRY. Although many details of how SRY works remain uncertain, some things are clear: SRY is a special kind of gene that has the power to switch other genes on or off. Genes exist in two states: on, in which they make a protein product (say, hemoglobin for your red blood cells), or off, in which they sit idly, making no protein product. SRY can switch some genes from one of these states to the other. No one imagines, therefore, that the many physical features that distinguish boys from girls—penises not vaginas, testes not ovaries, and so on—reflect the immediate effects of SRY alone. Rather, SRY sits at the top of a genetic cascade: if present, it switches on a set of other genes, some of which may in turn switch on yet other genes, and so on. (These other genes do not reside on the Y, but are scattered throughout the genome.) The cumulative effect of all this genetic switching is the development of testes; and the testes in turn produce hormones that then complete the development of a male anatomy. As this description implies, it is also now clear that the original state of a human embryo is female. It takes active work by SRY to divert the normal path of development from female to male, a process that, in human beings, starts when the fetus is seven weeks old. Sykes gives an excellent account of the subtleties of human sex determination. Indeed he skillfully leads us through a number of other topics in human genetics, including his own research on the use of Y chromosome "fingerprinting" to reconstruct the movement of men throughout history. Contemporary Polynesian men, for example, often carry Y chromosomes whose DNA clearly derives from Europe, a vestige of the conjugal visits of European sailors in the age of exploration. And an astonishing number of men who live within the borders of the old Mongol Empire carry what is genetically the same Y chromosome. Sykes suggests that this extraordinarily popular Y may descend from Genghis Khan himself, who typically slaughtered the men he conquered and bedded the women he vanquished throughout much of Central Asia. Fascinating as all this is, though, it turns out to be preliminary, a long preamble to Sykes's real purpose: to warn the world of his most important discovery—that human beings face an immense genetic disaster. And here Sykes's book takes a sharp turn for the worse. 2. Although Sykes doesn't describe this impending disaster until fairly late in his book, the subtitle to Adam's Curse gives it right away: we face a future without men. Sykes is convinced that the male of the species is doomed. Unless something is done—and soon— men face an "inevitable eventual extinction." You won't be surprised to learn that the alleged causes of this crisis reside in the Y chromosome. Sykes's publishers have, predictably, latched on to this dire news and the cover of his book speaks in ominous tones of the certain extinction of half of humanity. Also not surprisingly, the press has played along, with pieces in The New York Times and The Guardian warning that men may be a thing of the past.[1] Sykes's case for the extinction of men hinges on an unusual problem plaguing many genes on the Y chromosome—they tend to pick up debilitating mutations and to ultimately degenerate into genetic junk. A couple of hundred million years ago or so, the X and Y were a pair of perfectly ordinary chromosomes that each carried a full complement of the same thousand genes. Since then, however, the Y has been slowly degenerating. As a result, while the human X still carries its thousand genes, the Y carries only about a hundred. Sykes believes that the genes that remain on the Y—including SRY as well as others required for the fertility of men—will also degenerate. The disastrous consequence, he says, will be the disappearance of fertile males. (Sykes sometimes says that males will become sterile, while at other times he suggests they'll disappear. Genetically, at least, the difference doesn't make a difference: if all males are sterile, they may as well not be there.) Sykes even tries to calculate when disaster will strike. He concludes that, given the high rate of mutation on the Y, nearly all men will be almost completely sterile in about 125,000 years. In the meantime, male fertility will steadily fall. Adam's curse is, then, a rather serious affair. Not surprisingly, Sykes suggests some ways to avert this looming disaster. He seems most serious about using biotechnological methods to relocate Y chromosome genes, moving them to kinder, gentler chromosomes, where their continued existence is presumably assured. (Such a transfer is, in principle, possible, though some technical hurdles would have to be cleared.) I'm afraid that this is all just silly. There are several related theories of why most genes on the Y chromosome degenerate and none of them predicts that men will become extinct. To see why not, we need to understand why Y chromosomes degenerate in the first place. All theories of Y degeneration (full disclosure: one of them is mine) hinge on an unusual feature of the Y: it doesn't "recombine." Recall that half your chromosomes come from your mother and half from your father. When you make sperm or eggs, each of your chromosomes from your mother pairs up with the corresponding one from your father. During this process, the two chromosomes often swap genetic material, an event called recombination. Consequently, any chromosome entering your sperm or egg likely carries some genes from your mother and others from your father. Oddly, though, the Y doesn't play this game: while all other chromosomes (including the X) recombine, the Y does not.[2] This is important because recombination, it turns out, makes it easy for natural selection to get rid of bad mutations. Put conversely, natural selection is somewhat compromised when dealing with chromosomes that don't recombine. All our theories of population genetics thus predict that the Y will slowly but surely accumulate mutations that have slightly bad effects. But the key point is this: the process I have described will not spiral out of control, yielding sterile or absent men, for two reasons. The first is that the evolutionary forces that cause genes on the Y chromosome to degenerate turn out to be very weak; that's why it's taken hundreds of millions of years for our Y to fall into its current state of disrepair. In contrast, the evolutionary forces that maintain male fertility—and that even maintain a 50:50 ratio of males to females in populations—are very strong. The latter, strong forces, overcome the former, weak ones, and males neither become sterile nor disappear. Second, not all genes on the Y chromosome are created equal. Some, indeed the great majority, originally resided on both the Y and X chromosomes. Natural selection will often tolerate loss of this kind of gene from the Y since there's a "backup" copy on the X that can still perform the gene's functions. Other genes, though, now exist only on the Y. Natural selection will most assuredly not tolerate the loss of this kind of gene since no backup copy sits on the X. The critical point is that most of the male fertility genes now residing on the human Y exist only on that chromosome and there's no way that selection will allow their loss. Sykes's calculation suggests otherwise because it's wrong. He seems to assume that Y chromosomes carrying mutations that partially sterilize men will get passed on to future generations as often as normal, unmutated chromosomes. But they won't—that's what it means to be partially sterile. This misstep leads Sykes astray. There are simply no sound evolutionary grounds to support his sensational claims of the extinction of men.[3] This is not to say that Y chromosomes can't be lost from a species. They can and sometimes are. But it is to say that the Y can disappear only after it's become dispensable, i.e., only after genetic changes take place that render Y-less males healthy and fertile. Sykes gets this logic backward. Telling the story of a rodent called the mole vole that's lost its Y, he marvels that these lucky voles made the genetic changes needed to avoid male extinction "only just in time" before their Y disappeared. But this is like saying that you got out of your clothes only just in time before they were thrown in the wash. In reality, the later event is contingent on the earlier. The bottom line is that Sykes's alarmist talk of the extinction of men is just that—alarmist—and I wouldn't lose too much sleep over the possibility. And I certainly wouldn't give much thought (much less funding) to his technological fix to this nonproblem. There are enough real problems out there. 3. Talk of sex chromosomes and of single genes that determine sex naturally raises the specter of genetic determinism. Are certain behaviors and thoughts fundamentally male and others essentially female? To just what extent does recent biological research support the notion that genes determine our identity, sexual or otherwise? The answer to this question depends entirely on the particular trait or character under discussion. If the character of interest is having testes or not, we are confronted with a biological determinism of the first magnitude. Whether an embryo develops testes depends essentially entirely on its genes; indeed you'd be hard pressed to find anything more genetically hardwired. If this brand of biological determinism alarms you, you are destined to be alarmed. But things are considerably less clear if the trait of interest is, say, aggressiveness, or a curiosity about genes. Unfortunately, this (not so subtle) distinction is often lost on Sykes. Sociobiological claims of an almost unbelievably unnuanced sort run throughout Adam's Curse. Sykes's chief claim is that the Y chromosome causes its bearers to do crazy things. Sykes tells his readers that men, violent and sex-crazed, are "driven on by the lash of their Y chromosomes," and that the Y has "claimed the power to force us, men and women alike, to submit...to its will." Indeed it soon appears that the Y is legally liable for war, the subjugation of women, and empire building: Driven on and on by the crazed ambition of the Y-chromosome to multiply without limit, wars began to enable men to annex adjacent lands and enslave their women. Nothing must stand in the way of the Y-chromosome. Wars, slavery, empires—all ultimately coalesce on that one mad pursuit. In places Sykes is so overcome by the power of the Y chromosome that he passes from breathless exaggeration to patent absurdity. In a remarkable passage, he argues that Genghis Khan's Y chromosome was so successful that it's hard to know who was in charge: Is the Khan chromosome's achievement owing to the sexual exploits and military conquests of the Mongol emperor? Or was the Great Khan himself driven to success in war, and in bed, by the ambition of his Y chromosome? Since Sykes tells us—and on the previous page—that 16 million men now carry the Khan Y chromosome, the answer seems painfully clear: if the Y is in charge, the world would now have 16 million Genghis Khans on its hands. Although Sykes's excesses might be excused as the inevitable hyperbole of a popularizer, their cumulative effect is serious and does, I think, do real damage: it's hard to believe that a biologically naive reader could walk away from Adam's Curse with a sensible view of the connection between genes and behavior. In any case, Steve Jones's Y and David Bainbridge's The X in Sex prove that popular books on human genetics—indeed on human sex chromosomes—need not trade in sociobiological excess. Sykes, Jones, and Bainbridge cover much of the same ground —all recount the discovery of SRY, discuss the role of hormones in sexual development, and describe Darwin's theory of sexual selection. But their positions on genetic determinism differ profoundly. Jones, professor of genetics at University College, London, and the author of The Language of Genes and Darwin's Ghost, offers his latest book as an update of Darwin's 1871 classic The Descent of Man. Although Darwin was more of a hereditarian than many evolutionists like to admit, Jones himself turns out to be very cautious about attributing human behavior to genes. While he obviously understands that carrying the Y chromosome or not means that men and women will express at least some different genes, his treatment of the consequences of this difference is far more measured than Sykes's. Indeed Jones is, in places, explicitly anti-sociobiological. He reminds us, for example, that the Y chromosome has all too often served as "a useful alibi for man's excesses" and emphasizes that manhood tells a social tale as much as one written in nucleic acids [DNA] and must, with all that it implies, be constructed. Once the foundations of the male state are laid, what rises from them has little to do with DNA. Such sentiments are all too rarely expressed in popular writing about human evolution or genetics and it is to Jones's credit that his smart and informative book bucks the trend. For his part, Bainbridge, a lecturer at the Royal Veterinary College, London, and author of Making Babies: The Science of Pregnancy, essentially eschews the entire controversy over evolutionary psychology. He sticks instead to hard science. Although Bainbridge is given to talking about how chromosomes "control our lives" or "become our dictator," he focuses almost entirely on the role of chromosomes in human disease, not in human cognition, emotion, or behavior. And when it comes to disease, there is, of course, little doubt that chromosomes do often control our lives. Bainbridge's book is largely devoted to the X chromosome, not the Y. He spends much of his time on "sex-linked" conditions that affect men more than women; these range from annoyances like baldness to devastating diseases like muscular dystrophy.[4] Bainbridge also devotes many fascinating pages to complex ailments like autoimmune disease that, for reasons which remain unclear, disproportionately afflict women. (Hashimoto's thyroiditis, for instance—a leading cause of underactive thyroids—affects fifty times more women than men.) But Bainbridge's chief concern is with the biology of human sex determination and with the many ways in which it can, and does, go wrong. In the end, his message is that while human beings obviously come in two predominant sexes, both cultural and biological forces give rise to a surprisingly "continuous spectrum of gender." While Bainbridge makes it fairly clear that he wouldn't be surprised if genes sometimes cause men and women to act or think differently, he's largely silent about the nature and extent of any such differences. While it's hard to know for sure, I suspect that this silence reflects the cautious neutrality of a sensible scientist confronted with mixed data and mountains of speculation. For the truth is, of course, that we have little idea how much of the variation in human behavior—whether between the sexes or within them—is caused by genes. While I could defend this claim by pointing to a body of technical literature filled with conflicting assertions about the heritability of human behavior, there's no need for such a thing. The same point is made (albeit inadvertently) by the three books under review. Although all are written by smart male British biologists who read essentially the same scientific literature and who live and work within a hundred miles of each other, their views on the role of genes in human behavior are widely divergent, ranging from enthusiastic endorsement to considerable skepticism to apparent neutrality. This lack of consensus speaks for itself. Notes [1] See Claudia Dreifus, "Is Genghis Khan an Ancestor? Mr. DNA Knows," The New York Times, June 8, 2004. See also Bryan Sykes, "Do We Need Men?" The Guardian, August 28, 2003. [2] This is almost, but not exactly, true. Tiny regions of the Y do in fact recombine with the X. I ignore these "pseudoautosomal regions" here, as they make up a small part of the Y chromosome and play no role in what follows. [3] For a review of how and why Y chromosomes fall apart, see B. Charlesworth and D. Charlesworth, "The Degeneration of Y Chromosomes," Pro-ceedings of the Royal Society of London, Vol. 355 (2000), pp. 1563–1572. [4] Because mutations on the X chromosome, not the Y, cause these conditions, it might not be obvious why they typically affect men, not women. The reason is that women, who carry two X chromosomes, can partly "mask" the effects of a mutated X with their other (and usually unmutated) X chromosome. Men, who have a single X, can't mask mutations in this way. This explanation, however, gets complicated in two ways. First, women randomly "inactivate" (turn off) one of their X chromosomes within each of their cells. So women mask the bad effects of mutated X chromosomes partly because those cells that happen to leave the good X turned on can "cover" for those cells that leave the bad X turned on. Second, recent work shows that this traditional account is somewhat incomplete. It turns out that, while most of the genes on one of a woman's X's are turned off, 15 percent are not. The result is that women, within their cells, express two copies of these X chromosomal genes while men express one. (See L. Carrell and H.F. Willard, "X-Inactivation Profile Reveals Extensive Variability in X-Linked Gene Expression in Females," Nature, Vol. 434, 2005, pp. 400–404.) From vivek at sarai.net Mon May 2 14:37:15 2005 From: vivek at sarai.net (Vivek Narayanan) Date: Mon, 02 May 2005 14:37:15 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] "a spectrum of genders" Message-ID: <4275EDC3.2020807@sarai.net> But this left me thinking, who cares anyway even if men were to be extinct in 125,000 years. An article which gives a good scientifically-based argument against genetic determinism. Vivek New York Review of Books Volume 52, Number 8 · May 12, 2005 Review Vive la Différence! By H. Allen Orr Adam's Curse: A Future Without Men by Bryan Sykes Norton, 320 pp., $25.95; $15.95 (paper) Y: The Descent of Men by Steve Jones Houghton Mifflin, 252 pp., $25.00 The X in Sex: How the X Chromosome Controls Our Lives By David Bainbridge Harvard University Press, 205 pp., $22.95; $14.95 (paper) The human genome is made up of forty-six chromosomes, the rod-like structures that reside in the nucleus of every cell. These chromosomes carry all of our genes, which, in turn, are made of DNA. Two of these chromosomes, called the X and the Y, are different from the rest: they are "sex chromosomes." Men carry one X and one Y chromosome, while women carry two X chromosomes. All the obvious physical differences between the sexes ultimately spring from this humble difference in chromosomal constitution. During the last few years, real progress has been made in our understanding of the sex chromosomes and we now know much more about our X and Y than we did a mere decade ago. In 2003, for example, essentially the entire stretch of DNA carried on the human Y chromosome was decoded, revealing the number and, in many cases, identity of the genes that make up this seat of maleness. More important, owing to a breakthrough that occurred in the early Nineties, biologists now understand just how sex is decided in human beings—geneticists identified the master "switch gene" that determines whether an embryo will develop into a male or a female. These discoveries might seem surprisingly recent. In view of the confident pronouncements in the medical press about all things having to do with sex and gender (homosexuality, for example, was said to be genetically determined), you'd be forgiven for assuming that the biology of how a human being becomes a boy or a girl has long been understood. To be fair, though, there were good reasons for the slow progress. How sex is determined represents a rare problem in which the study of simpler organisms like fruit flies led biologists astray. Sex determination in human beings specifically and in mammals generally doesn't work the way it does in most of the species that geneticists like to study. Moreover, genetic studies in human beings are simply harder to perform than those in species like the fruit fly: a generation is more like two decades than two weeks, and we can't dictate who mates with whom, an ethical constraint that doesn't arise with flies. Although the three books discussed here cover much of the same ground, one stands out from the rest. Bryan Sykes's Adam's Curse is both far more ambitious, and controversial, than Steve Jones's or David Bainbridge's book. Sykes, a professor of genetics at Oxford University and author of the best-selling The Seven Daughters of Eve, sounds loud alarms about an impending biological crisis involving the Y chromosome. He also makes bold sociobiological claims about the effect of the Y chromosome on our lives. Because Sykes is a leading researcher in the study of sex chromosomes (not to mention a science adviser to the House of Commons), his pronouncements merit special attention. 1. Sykes begins his book with the discovery of the master gene that decides sex in human beings. For decades, biologists understood that human beings have so-called Y-dominant sex determination. Roughly speaking, if you carry a Y chromosome, you're a male, while if you don't carry a Y chromosome, you're a female. As a result, rare individuals born with two X's and a Y are boys, while rare individuals born with one X and no Y are girls. There is therefore something on the Y, not the X, that decides sex. Identifying this something, however, proved extraordinarily difficult. As often occurs in human genetics, the key breakthrough involved extremely rare exceptions to the above rules. In the late 1980s, several people were found whose sex appeared not to match their sex chromosomes. Some were patients who had an X and a Y chromosome and yet were female. Careful study revealed that these patients' Y chromosomes were incomplete—they lacked a small, defined piece of the normal chromosome. Others were patients who carried two X chromosomes and (apparently) no Y and yet were male. Careful study revealed that these patients carried a very small piece of the Y chromosome, typically too small to be seen under a microscope. Remarkably, the small bit of the Y missing from the female patients roughly corresponded to the small piece present in the male patients. This proved that sex does not depend on the presence or absence of an entire Y chromosome and further suggested that whatever gene or genes decide sex reside in the relevant small region of the Y. The race to locate the human "sex determination gene" was on. As Sykes recounts it, the race was filled with false starts. In 1987, a research team at the Whitehead Institute near Boston announced the discovery of ZFY, a gene that sits in the appropriate part of the Y and that had certain molecular features that, the team believed, made it a strong candidate for the sex gene in humans. Soon, however, the ZFY story unraveled (for one thing, ZFY turned out to also sit on the X chromosome, which made little sense) and the race, briefly suspended, began anew. In the 1990s, another research team led by Peter Goodfellow and Robin Lovell-Badge at the Human Molecular Genetics Laboratory and National Institute for Medical Research in London identified another Y chromosome gene which they confidently named SRY, for Sex Determining Region of the Y chromosome. Their confidence was, in this case, well placed. During the following year, the same team performed a critical experiment proving that SRY does in fact determine sex in mammals. Injecting a copy of the SRY gene into mouse eggs, the team produced a mouse that carried two X chromosomes and SRY—and it was male. SRY was able, therefore, to force an embryo otherwise destined to become female to develop instead as male. As Sykes recalls, the "star mouse, swinging on a stick and sporting enormous testicles to prove the point, made the cover of the edition of Nature" that announced the discovery of SRY. Although many details of how SRY works remain uncertain, some things are clear: SRY is a special kind of gene that has the power to switch other genes on or off. Genes exist in two states: on, in which they make a protein product (say, hemoglobin for your red blood cells), or off, in which they sit idly, making no protein product. SRY can switch some genes from one of these states to the other. No one imagines, therefore, that the many physical features that distinguish boys from girls—penises not vaginas, testes not ovaries, and so on—reflect the immediate effects of SRY alone. Rather, SRY sits at the top of a genetic cascade: if present, it switches on a set of other genes, some of which may in turn switch on yet other genes, and so on. (These other genes do not reside on the Y, but are scattered throughout the genome.) The cumulative effect of all this genetic switching is the development of testes; and the testes in turn produce hormones that then complete the development of a male anatomy. As this description implies, it is also now clear that the original state of a human embryo is female. It takes active work by SRY to divert the normal path of development from female to male, a process that, in human beings, starts when the fetus is seven weeks old. Sykes gives an excellent account of the subtleties of human sex determination. Indeed he skillfully leads us through a number of other topics in human genetics, including his own research on the use of Y chromosome "fingerprinting" to reconstruct the movement of men throughout history. Contemporary Polynesian men, for example, often carry Y chromosomes whose DNA clearly derives from Europe, a vestige of the conjugal visits of European sailors in the age of exploration. And an astonishing number of men who live within the borders of the old Mongol Empire carry what is genetically the same Y chromosome. Sykes suggests that this extraordinarily popular Y may descend from Genghis Khan himself, who typically slaughtered the men he conquered and bedded the women he vanquished throughout much of Central Asia. Fascinating as all this is, though, it turns out to be preliminary, a long preamble to Sykes's real purpose: to warn the world of his most important discovery—that human beings face an immense genetic disaster. And here Sykes's book takes a sharp turn for the worse. 2. Although Sykes doesn't describe this impending disaster until fairly late in his book, the subtitle to Adam's Curse gives it right away: we face a future without men. Sykes is convinced that the male of the species is doomed. Unless something is done—and soon— men face an "inevitable eventual extinction." You won't be surprised to learn that the alleged causes of this crisis reside in the Y chromosome. Sykes's publishers have, predictably, latched on to this dire news and the cover of his book speaks in ominous tones of the certain extinction of half of humanity. Also not surprisingly, the press has played along, with pieces in The New York Times and The Guardian warning that men may be a thing of the past.[1] Sykes's case for the extinction of men hinges on an unusual problem plaguing many genes on the Y chromosome—they tend to pick up debilitating mutations and to ultimately degenerate into genetic junk. A couple of hundred million years ago or so, the X and Y were a pair of perfectly ordinary chromosomes that each carried a full complement of the same thousand genes. Since then, however, the Y has been slowly degenerating. As a result, while the human X still carries its thousand genes, the Y carries only about a hundred. Sykes believes that the genes that remain on the Y—including SRY as well as others required for the fertility of men—will also degenerate. The disastrous consequence, he says, will be the disappearance of fertile males. (Sykes sometimes says that males will become sterile, while at other times he suggests they'll disappear. Genetically, at least, the difference doesn't make a difference: if all males are sterile, they may as well not be there.) Sykes even tries to calculate when disaster will strike. He concludes that, given the high rate of mutation on the Y, nearly all men will be almost completely sterile in about 125,000 years. In the meantime, male fertility will steadily fall. Adam's curse is, then, a rather serious affair. Not surprisingly, Sykes suggests some ways to avert this looming disaster. He seems most serious about using biotechnological methods to relocate Y chromosome genes, moving them to kinder, gentler chromosomes, where their continued existence is presumably assured. (Such a transfer is, in principle, possible, though some technical hurdles would have to be cleared.) I'm afraid that this is all just silly. There are several related theories of why most genes on the Y chromosome degenerate and none of them predicts that men will become extinct. To see why not, we need to understand why Y chromosomes degenerate in the first place. All theories of Y degeneration (full disclosure: one of them is mine) hinge on an unusual feature of the Y: it doesn't "recombine." Recall that half your chromosomes come from your mother and half from your father. When you make sperm or eggs, each of your chromosomes from your mother pairs up with the corresponding one from your father. During this process, the two chromosomes often swap genetic material, an event called recombination. Consequently, any chromosome entering your sperm or egg likely carries some genes from your mother and others from your father. Oddly, though, the Y doesn't play this game: while all other chromosomes (including the X) recombine, the Y does not.[2] This is important because recombination, it turns out, makes it easy for natural selection to get rid of bad mutations. Put conversely, natural selection is somewhat compromised when dealing with chromosomes that don't recombine. All our theories of population genetics thus predict that the Y will slowly but surely accumulate mutations that have slightly bad effects. But the key point is this: the process I have described will not spiral out of control, yielding sterile or absent men, for two reasons. The first is that the evolutionary forces that cause genes on the Y chromosome to degenerate turn out to be very weak; that's why it's taken hundreds of millions of years for our Y to fall into its current state of disrepair. In contrast, the evolutionary forces that maintain male fertility—and that even maintain a 50:50 ratio of males to females in populations—are very strong. The latter, strong forces, overcome the former, weak ones, and males neither become sterile nor disappear. Second, not all genes on the Y chromosome are created equal. Some, indeed the great majority, originally resided on both the Y and X chromosomes. Natural selection will often tolerate loss of this kind of gene from the Y since there's a "backup" copy on the X that can still perform the gene's functions. Other genes, though, now exist only on the Y. Natural selection will most assuredly not tolerate the loss of this kind of gene since no backup copy sits on the X. The critical point is that most of the male fertility genes now residing on the human Y exist only on that chromosome and there's no way that selection will allow their loss. Sykes's calculation suggests otherwise because it's wrong. He seems to assume that Y chromosomes carrying mutations that partially sterilize men will get passed on to future generations as often as normal, unmutated chromosomes. But they won't—that's what it means to be partially sterile. This misstep leads Sykes astray. There are simply no sound evolutionary grounds to support his sensational claims of the extinction of men.[3] This is not to say that Y chromosomes can't be lost from a species. They can and sometimes are. But it is to say that the Y can disappear only after it's become dispensable, i.e., only after genetic changes take place that render Y-less males healthy and fertile. Sykes gets this logic backward. Telling the story of a rodent called the mole vole that's lost its Y, he marvels that these lucky voles made the genetic changes needed to avoid male extinction "only just in time" before their Y disappeared. But this is like saying that you got out of your clothes only just in time before they were thrown in the wash. In reality, the later event is contingent on the earlier. The bottom line is that Sykes's alarmist talk of the extinction of men is just that—alarmist—and I wouldn't lose too much sleep over the possibility. And I certainly wouldn't give much thought (much less funding) to his technological fix to this nonproblem. There are enough real problems out there. 3. Talk of sex chromosomes and of single genes that determine sex naturally raises the specter of genetic determinism. Are certain behaviors and thoughts fundamentally male and others essentially female? To just what extent does recent biological research support the notion that genes determine our identity, sexual or otherwise? The answer to this question depends entirely on the particular trait or character under discussion. If the character of interest is having testes or not, we are confronted with a biological determinism of the first magnitude. Whether an embryo develops testes depends essentially entirely on its genes; indeed you'd be hard pressed to find anything more genetically hardwired. If this brand of biological determinism alarms you, you are destined to be alarmed. But things are considerably less clear if the trait of interest is, say, aggressiveness, or a curiosity about genes. Unfortunately, this (not so subtle) distinction is often lost on Sykes. Sociobiological claims of an almost unbelievably unnuanced sort run throughout Adam's Curse. Sykes's chief claim is that the Y chromosome causes its bearers to do crazy things. Sykes tells his readers that men, violent and sex-crazed, are "driven on by the lash of their Y chromosomes," and that the Y has "claimed the power to force us, men and women alike, to submit...to its will." Indeed it soon appears that the Y is legally liable for war, the subjugation of women, and empire building: Driven on and on by the crazed ambition of the Y-chromosome to multiply without limit, wars began to enable men to annex adjacent lands and enslave their women. Nothing must stand in the way of the Y-chromosome. Wars, slavery, empires—all ultimately coalesce on that one mad pursuit. In places Sykes is so overcome by the power of the Y chromosome that he passes from breathless exaggeration to patent absurdity. In a remarkable passage, he argues that Genghis Khan's Y chromosome was so successful that it's hard to know who was in charge: Is the Khan chromosome's achievement owing to the sexual exploits and military conquests of the Mongol emperor? Or was the Great Khan himself driven to success in war, and in bed, by the ambition of his Y chromosome? Since Sykes tells us—and on the previous page—that 16 million men now carry the Khan Y chromosome, the answer seems painfully clear: if the Y is in charge, the world would now have 16 million Genghis Khans on its hands. Although Sykes's excesses might be excused as the inevitable hyperbole of a popularizer, their cumulative effect is serious and does, I think, do real damage: it's hard to believe that a biologically naive reader could walk away from Adam's Curse with a sensible view of the connection between genes and behavior. In any case, Steve Jones's Y and David Bainbridge's The X in Sex prove that popular books on human genetics—indeed on human sex chromosomes—need not trade in sociobiological excess. Sykes, Jones, and Bainbridge cover much of the same ground —all recount the discovery of SRY, discuss the role of hormones in sexual development, and describe Darwin's theory of sexual selection. But their positions on genetic determinism differ profoundly. Jones, professor of genetics at University College, London, and the author of The Language of Genes and Darwin's Ghost, offers his latest book as an update of Darwin's 1871 classic The Descent of Man. Although Darwin was more of a hereditarian than many evolutionists like to admit, Jones himself turns out to be very cautious about attributing human behavior to genes. While he obviously understands that carrying the Y chromosome or not means that men and women will express at least some different genes, his treatment of the consequences of this difference is far more measured than Sykes's. Indeed Jones is, in places, explicitly anti-sociobiological. He reminds us, for example, that the Y chromosome has all too often served as "a useful alibi for man's excesses" and emphasizes that manhood tells a social tale as much as one written in nucleic acids [DNA] and must, with all that it implies, be constructed. Once the foundations of the male state are laid, what rises from them has little to do with DNA. Such sentiments are all too rarely expressed in popular writing about human evolution or genetics and it is to Jones's credit that his smart and informative book bucks the trend. For his part, Bainbridge, a lecturer at the Royal Veterinary College, London, and author of Making Babies: The Science of Pregnancy, essentially eschews the entire controversy over evolutionary psychology. He sticks instead to hard science. Although Bainbridge is given to talking about how chromosomes "control our lives" or "become our dictator," he focuses almost entirely on the role of chromosomes in human disease, not in human cognition, emotion, or behavior. And when it comes to disease, there is, of course, little doubt that chromosomes do often control our lives. Bainbridge's book is largely devoted to the X chromosome, not the Y. He spends much of his time on "sex-linked" conditions that affect men more than women; these range from annoyances like baldness to devastating diseases like muscular dystrophy.[4] Bainbridge also devotes many fascinating pages to complex ailments like autoimmune disease that, for reasons which remain unclear, disproportionately afflict women. (Hashimoto's thyroiditis, for instance—a leading cause of underactive thyroids—affects fifty times more women than men.) But Bainbridge's chief concern is with the biology of human sex determination and with the many ways in which it can, and does, go wrong. In the end, his message is that while human beings obviously come in two predominant sexes, both cultural and biological forces give rise to a surprisingly "continuous spectrum of gender." While Bainbridge makes it fairly clear that he wouldn't be surprised if genes sometimes cause men and women to act or think differently, he's largely silent about the nature and extent of any such differences. While it's hard to know for sure, I suspect that this silence reflects the cautious neutrality of a sensible scientist confronted with mixed data and mountains of speculation. For the truth is, of course, that we have little idea how much of the variation in human behavior—whether between the sexes or within them—is caused by genes. While I could defend this claim by pointing to a body of technical literature filled with conflicting assertions about the heritability of human behavior, there's no need for such a thing. The same point is made (albeit inadvertently) by the three books under review. Although all are written by smart male British biologists who read essentially the same scientific literature and who live and work within a hundred miles of each other, their views on the role of genes in human behavior are widely divergent, ranging from enthusiastic endorsement to considerable skepticism to apparent neutrality. This lack of consensus speaks for itself. Notes [1] See Claudia Dreifus, "Is Genghis Khan an Ancestor? Mr. DNA Knows," The New York Times, June 8, 2004. See also Bryan Sykes, "Do We Need Men?" The Guardian, August 28, 2003. [2] This is almost, but not exactly, true. Tiny regions of the Y do in fact recombine with the X. I ignore these "pseudoautosomal regions" here, as they make up a small part of the Y chromosome and play no role in what follows. [3] For a review of how and why Y chromosomes fall apart, see B. Charlesworth and D. Charlesworth, "The Degeneration of Y Chromosomes," Pro-ceedings of the Royal Society of London, Vol. 355 (2000), pp. 1563–1572. [4] Because mutations on the X chromosome, not the Y, cause these conditions, it might not be obvious why they typically affect men, not women. The reason is that women, who carry two X chromosomes, can partly "mask" the effects of a mutated X with their other (and usually unmutated) X chromosome. Men, who have a single X, can't mask mutations in this way. This explanation, however, gets complicated in two ways. First, women randomly "inactivate" (turn off) one of their X chromosomes within each of their cells. So women mask the bad effects of mutated X chromosomes partly because those cells that happen to leave the good X turned on can "cover" for those cells that leave the bad X turned on. Second, recent work shows that this traditional account is somewhat incomplete. It turns out that, while most of the genes on one of a woman's X's are turned off, 15 percent are not. The result is that women, within their cells, express two copies of these X chromosomal genes while men express one. (See L. Carrell and H.F. Willard, "X-Inactivation Profile Reveals Extensive Variability in X-Linked Gene Expression in Females," Nature, Vol. 434, 2005, pp. 400–404.) From sridevi.panikkar at gmail.com Mon May 2 17:29:29 2005 From: sridevi.panikkar at gmail.com (sridevi panikkar) Date: Mon, 2 May 2005 17:29:29 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Re: reader-list Digest, Vol 22, Issue 3 In-Reply-To: <20050502073045.0675B28D913@mail.sarai.net> References: <20050502073045.0675B28D913@mail.sarai.net> Message-ID: <431944be05050204593d4b3e06@mail.gmail.com> On 5/2/05, reader-list-request at sarai.net wrote: > Send reader-list mailing list submissions to > reader-list at sarai.net > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > reader-list-request at sarai.net > > You can reach the person managing the list at > reader-list-owner at sarai.net > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of reader-list digest..." > > Today's Topics: > > 1. [Announcements] ART presents ambientTV.NET in Bangalore April > 30th (Curt Gambetta) > 2. The Colonial Politics of Social Responsibility (uddipan dutta) > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 00:03:18 -0700 (PDT) > From: Curt Gambetta > Subject: [Reader-list] [Announcements] ART presents ambientTV.NET in > Bangalore April 30th > To: announcements at sarai.net > Message-ID: <20050429070319.42799.qmail at web31715.mail.mud.yahoo.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > > Art, Resources and Teaching Presents: > > ambientTV.NET > > With ambientTV.NET artistic co-directors Manu Luksch > and Mukul Patel > > Venue: Centre for Education and Documentation (CED) > > No.7, 8th Main, 3rd Phase, Domlur 2nd Stage Bangalore > 560 071 > > Date & Time: Saturday 30th April, 2005 at 5:00 pms > > Directions: On Airport Road at Domlur, take a left at > the Water Tank. There is the Domlur Bus Depot and a > temple on your right. Continue on this road, some > other landmarks are the BDA Shopping Complex, Halasur > Police station, Sagar super bazaar, Asia travel. Walk > until the dead end. The road will take a natural left, > continue and you will see an exposed brick structure > ie., CED. Incase of guidance for directions please > contact CED- 2535 3397 or 2535 1627. > > For further details contact: Malini Ghanathe or Curt > Gambetta > > Ph: 2580 0733/ arthistindia at yahoo.co.in > > About ambientTV.NET > > ambientTV.NET was founded in London in 1999 for the > conception and production of collaborative, > interdisciplinary, and critical artworks, events, and > media projects. The organisation, which is > incorporated as a limited company, evolved first into > an experimental hybrid-media hub and website, and > later into a fully-fledged interdisciplinary arts > production company and artist-run space in East > London. > > Our work draws together many genres, including video, > sound, net and software art, dance, documentary, > installation, and cuisine. In 2002­2004, we focused > on telematic dance/theatre, locative media, and > responsive environments. We are committed to > developing a resource-efficient arts practice with a > global sensibility, realised through independent, > open, and locally-accented infrastructure. > > Projects include Broadbandit Highway (2001), an online > road movie repurposing internet streams from traffic > surveillance cameras around the world; AV Dinners, a > multi-sensory live and streaming gastronomic event; > The Spy School (2002, continuing), a series of > 'exercises' examining the implications of surveillance > technology; Triptychon (2003­4), a performance for > dancer and roaming writer linking a location-aware > media environment with the urban situation outdoors. > Triptychon developed out of the > > Telejam series (2001), a platform for streaming media > jam sessions between audio-visual artists in different > locations, and developed into Myriorama (2004), a > dance performance deploying locative media and > motion-tracking technologies as narrative devices. > > ambientTV.NET has performed or presented work at FACT > (Liverpool), Kiasma Theatre (Helsinki), Lyon Opera > House, Queen Elizabeth Hall London, Tate Modern, and > at festivals and symposia including Ars Electronica > (Linz), Art+Communication (Riga), ISEA 2004, Pixelache > (Helsinki), South Asian > > Aesthetics Unwrapped! (London), Trafalgar Square > Summer Festival, Video As Urban Condition (London), > Switch (Chiang Mai), Viper (Basel). > > Mukul Patel is artistic co-director and inhouse > composer at ambientTV.NET. Sound and word are points > of focus; informed by a background in sciences and > Indian music, his work plays along the borders between > music and noise, rule-bound forms and chance, and > technology and tradition. Mukul has worked extensively > with dance in a range of environments, from electronic > music clubs in the 1990s, through to more formal > settings by contemporary choreographers such as > Russell Maliphant, Shobana Jeyasingh, and Akram Khan. > > Manu Luksch, founder member and artistic co-director, > studied Fine Arts in Vienna and Bangkok, and was > artistic director of the Media Lab Munich before she > moved to London. Her current project, Faceless, is > compiled from surveillance video footage recovered > under the UK's Data Protection act, weaving fictive > narratives from "Big Brother"'s cinema verité. The > film explores urban fantasy and subjectivity under the > regime of closed circuit TV, personal stereo and the > multitude of ways we now leave data-traces and are > tracked through the city. > > www.ambientTV.NET > > 'you call it art, we call it independence!' > > Art, Resources & Teaching (A.R.T.) > 79, Rose Villa, 2nd Cross > Hutchins Road, St Thomas Town > Bangalore 560 084 India > +91 80 2580 0733 / arthistindia at yahoo.co.in > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > http://mail.yahoo.com > _______________________________________________ > announcements mailing list > announcements at sarai.net > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: 1 May 2005 09:25:48 -0000 > From: "uddipan dutta" > Subject: [Reader-list] The Colonial Politics of Social Responsibility > To: reader-list at sarai.net > Message-ID: <20050501092548.22146.qmail at webmail29.rediffmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > > > The Colonial Politics of Social Responsibility and the Response of the Arunodoi to the Socio-Political and Economic Situation in Assam > > Dear Readers, no doubt Arunodoi set the tone for the growth of Assamese Print Nationalism although quite indirectly and unconsciously and for this reason pages of panegyrics were already written in the Assamese literary history. Another thing that the Missionaries are credited with is the ushering in of modernity to the Assamese social sphere. Without refuting these two claims completely, we need to see its role in the context of colonialism, mode of colonial exploitation, popular mass revolts against it and the mention(and non-mention as well) of these changes in the pages of Arunodoi. We should also remember that colonialism not only involves the colonization and exploitation of the material resources but also engages in the colonization of mind. When the British came to Assam they brought with them a different knowledge and belief system. And we should not forget that religious belief is a strong component of their thought structure. We would first throw light on the politico- social and economic changes in Assam in the context of colonialism and later see their representations in the pages of Arunodoi. > > The Company Raj appeared on the scene of the Brahmaputra valley as a savior of the people suffering from a situation of chaos and lawlessness prevailing in the region since 1770 starting with the Mayamoria uprising. But it was the successive Burmese aggression which completely destabilized the Ahom kingdom. The tales of suffering and torture at the hands of the Burmese army is still fresh in the folk memory of the people of Assam. So, the peace and order brought by the British with the Treaty of Yandaboo was welcomed by the people in the valley at first. But soon they realized how difficult the life would be in the face of the economic exploitation at the hands of the colonial masters. Exorbitant land revenues on the cultivable land, establishment of the tea gardens and opium trade were the three major modes of earning a huge profit from Assam by the British traders. Traditional systems of land rights, economic exchanges, practices and beliefs had all to be transformed completely to suit the colonial masters' economic needs. > > At this juncture we should emphasize once again on the belief system these traders cum rulers brought with them to this newly discovered land of economic opportunities. Many of their acts can also be interpreted as the compulsion to spread their belief system and to colonize the minds of the people they discovered recently. Christianity being a part of their belief system can not be seen apart from colonialism. Arunodoi as I have already stated was the magazine brought out by the Baptist missionaries to spread Christianity. So what was written in the title page of the magazine is very significant at this context 'Arunodoi: Giyan Bhandar : a monthly magazine devoted to religion, science and general intelligence'. Many critics and literary historians try to see the last two commitments ignoring the first commitment to religion. The general message was that the scientific developments of the western countries were due to the Christianity and the 'general intelligence' of their people. 'Anek Dexar Sangbad' was the regular heading under which news from all across the globe was dished out to the readers. A probe into the news items of Arunodoi would reveal that it was not only the mouthpiece of the Christian Missionaries but also the mouthpiece of the colonial masters. Some of the important events related to opium and opium-trade and their representations in Arunodoi would endorse my understanding as the consumption of opium was quite wide spread in Assam at that time > > The opium cultivation was quite important for the Assamese farmers as it used to yield cash money. The cash was important to the farmers because the revenue was accepted only in the form of cash. Revenue in the form of cash was quite new to the Assamese cultivators which had a self sufficient economy before the advent the British. > The British had started the trade of importing opium from the North India into Assam by the year 1851. To augment their profit, the British put a ban on the local cultivation of opium in the year 1960 and they did it under the guise of eradicating a social evil. It should be remembered in this regard that they put the ban only on the cultivation of opium not on the trade of it. This ban took a heavy toll on the farmers of Nowgong district as it was the largest opium producing district of Assam at that time. The resentment was quite widespread and at that juncture, the Bengal Government called upon its officers in Assam to report on the feasibility of a tax on betel-nut and pan cultivation. This led to an agitation in Nowgong, mainly in Phulguri area inhabited by Tiwa people. > > In September 1861, some 1500 peasants marched to the district town. They demonstrated peacefully before the magistrate and presented a petition to him. It referred to the harm that had already been done to them by banning poppy cultivation. It was prayed that no further taxes be levied on the betel- nut and pan gardens. The district magistrate acted very haughtily and in a high handed manner. It was established from a later inquiry that he had provoked/alienated the ryots enough by putting heavy fine on them even in the pretext of making noises in the court rooms. > > A raij mel or people's assembly was organized in Phulguri and for five days people discussed heir plight and the measures to be taken to ameliorate their conditions. Around one thousand people had assembled in that raij mel and five o six hundred of them were armed with lathis. A police party that had come to disperse was driven out by the people save one taken into custody by the people. By 17 October, three to four thousand people assembled there. The police made yet another attempt to disperse the crowd and arrested some of the agitating crowd. But the agitated crowd forcibly rescued all of them and the police had to flee the place sensing danger. The next day a British officer Lieutenant Singer came with the police party and met the leaders. They explained to him how the ban on poppy cultivation was affecting their lives and about their fear of having to pay taxes on betel nut and paan cultivation. They also conveyed to him their grievances against the district magistrate and explained to him their purpose of assembling in that raij mel was just to put across their demands to the higher authorities. Singer ordered them to disperse and tried to snatch their lathis. He got himself killed unintentionally in the ensuing fracas. The police force accompanying him left the place in panic. The news of Singer's death reached the headquarter in Nowgong accompanied by the rumour of an impending attack on the town. A small troupe of armed force was sent to the troubled area. Their firing on the crowd led to several deaths. Fresh arrival of forces from Tezpur and Guwahati brought quiet and silence in the entire district to be followed by the measures of repression by the British Authority. Narasingh Lalung and eight other peasant leaders were punished with long-term imprisonment and deportation. This saga of popular resistance of the peasants against taxation policy of the government is still fresh in the collective memory of the people of Assam as the Phulguri Dhawa. The colonial regime tried its best to vilify this heroic resistance against the exorbitant taxation policy as the discontentment of the peasants against the ban on opium cultivation. Very shrewdly they took the line of argumentation that as the consumption of opium was a social evil and the ban on its cultivation was an act of benevolence on the part of the government, a revolt against such an act of benevolence was nothing but foolishness of the peasants. > > Let us now see how this uprising was reported in Arunodoi to realize its political characteristics. In the November issue of 1861's Arunodoi under the heading of Anek Dexor Sangbad we get the news of Phulguri Uprising. I am translating the text. Hope it catches the essence. > > "The cause intrepidity on the part of the Nowgong residents is the ban on opium cultivation and income tax. But nowhere in the country is the tax as low as Assam. ….the Assamese people don't know what to do with the little money they get and start buying opium with it. This ostentatious bad habit was highly prevailing among the people of Nowgong. The ban on opium must have made them angry. But everybody knows that such a ban was harbinger of their development. The ban on the opium cultivation is the only measure of rescue, as the people of this country have put themselves in this strong current of catastrophe due to opium." > > Nidhi Levi Farwell, one of the first converts wrote in a satirical manner in the same issue under the heading of "Nogyna Druhilokor Charitra Barnon" (The Character Sketch of the Nowgong Mutineers) in the following words > > "…The people of Nowgong of our country without arms and a commander revolt against those who have the ownership of the entire Jambudwip (India) and who are ahead of all the nations in terms of power and domination, intelligence and wisdom and who are all-powerful and invincible!" > > I think I should stop it here and the readers see the political character of Arunodoi themselves. > > -------------- next part -------------- > An HTML attachment was scrubbed... > URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050501/f77c9262/attachment.htm > > ------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > reader-list mailing list > reader-list at sarai.net > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > End of reader-list Digest, Vol 22, Issue 3 > ****************************************** > From sastry at cs.wisc.edu Mon May 2 21:43:25 2005 From: sastry at cs.wisc.edu (Subramanya Sastry) Date: Mon, 2 May 2005 11:13:25 -0500 (CDT) Subject: [Reader-list] NewsRack update (fwd) Message-ID: Resending to reader-list without the attachment since the earlier posting is waiting in the approval queue. -Subbu. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 14:01:33 +0530 (IST) From: Subramanya Sastry To: prc at sarai.net, reader-list at sarai.net Subject: NewsRack update Hello everyone, Beginning April 2005, I have received an extension of the FLOSS Independent Fellowhip from Sarai to continue working on NewsRack. I am sending along 2 documents with this email. (a) the revised proposal I submitted to Sarai in February (enclosed as plain text after this foreword). I have also added an updates section below to reflect changes since then. (b) a work-in-progress design document for NewsRack (PDF attachment) Update since Feb 2005 - --------------------- -> I have tested NewsRack on both Tomcat-5.0.28 and Resin-2.1.16. -> News is automatically updated every 4 hours -- it is no longer necessary to log in and click on the 'Download news' link. -> RSS2.0 feeds are now available for every issue, and for every category in every issue. -> There is also a "New since last download" information which is useful when you visit the site regularly (like me) to see what fresh news items have been classified in what issues in what categories. -> Have been working on a design document for further modularising NewsRack and enabling independent development along multiple tracks. -> Updated some of the help files and added an About NewsRack and FAQ on the site. The only publicly deployed version of NewsRack is at: http://floss.sarai.net/newsrack NewsRack has undergone various bug fixes and enhancements (some of which are described above) in the last few months. I am thinking of doing an initial release of this soon on Source Forge where the project is registered. However, I am also hoping to enlist the participation of new developers in this project. That is also the reason for why I am sending along the 2-page design document -- which captures my current thinking of how NewsRack should be structured. If any of you is interested in working on this with me, please get in touch with me at 'sastry at cs.wisc.edu'. If you are in Bangalore, we could meet in person to take it forward. Subbu. - --------------------------------------------------------------------------- NewsRack: Automating News Gathering and Classification ------------------------------------------------------ Abstract: - --------- Several organizations in the social development sector monitor news that is relevant to their work. This is a time-consuming and laborious process for some groups, especially when the news is monitored, marked, cut, and filed using hard copies of newspapers and magazines. Prior experience with the press clippings page on www.narmada.org indicates that some of this work can be automated. This simplifies the task of news monitoring and also saves time. This project attempts to automate news monitoring, and aims to provide tools for classifying, filing, and long-term archiving of news. The project will deliver a tool, called NewsRack, that can be installed, and will also provide all the same services on a website for those who do not want to (or cannot) install it. A basic system is in place at http://floss.sarai.net/newsrack and several people and organizations (India Together; CED Bangalore; Bank Information Center Washington-DC; Jagori Delhi) have expressed interest in using it. However, the tool is still not fully user-friendly, it is missing several essential features, and work needs to be put in to develop a good user manual and help system. I am proposing to continue development of NewsRack along these lines, and also am hoping to enlist the help of more developers to assist me. Overview - -------- This proposal is organized into the following sections: 1. Project Background 2. User base for Newsrack 3. Current capabilities of NewsRack 4. Brief technical details 5. Technical challenges 6. Further development 7. Timeline 8. Deliverables - --------------------- 1. Project Background - --------------------- I have very close experience with the process of news gathering when I used to maintain the www.narmada.org website for over 2 years. I still have a marginal involvement with maintaining the website. Updating the press clippings section on this site was one of the most laborious tasks initially. At a later time, using 'wget' scripts to download entire content of newspapers and 'grep'-ping the content for certain keywords, a lot of this task was simplified, and the manual work came down to about half-an-hour a day. Yet, the entire process has been less than satisfactory as can be seen by the current breakdown in the process of updating the press clippings section, several broken links to articles, and lack of any form of topic-wise/sector-wise classification of articles. When I spent some time at Environment Support Group, Bangalore, I noticed that a lot of time used to be spent in this process of collecting news, marking them, cutting, and filing them. Besides, there was a perennial problem of backlog, sometimes resulting in a pile of newspapers that had to be gone through. When I visited CED, Bangalore, I found out that they also had a process for selecting news clippings and filing them. While they had an electronic archive, news was added to the electronic archive by downloading articles (previously marked in the physical version of the newspapers) from the web, extracting the text content. There was no automated process here. Most recently, when I was in Delhi and visited Sarai, I noticed on the whiteboard something to the effect of: "everyone should spend at least 3 hours every week scanning relevant news clippings and adding it to the database". This re-affirmed to me that this is a time consuming process, and that not everyone wants to do the job, requiring some amount social coercion to be on top of the process. When I visited CSE, I found out that at CSE, over 80 news publications are monitored every day, over 500 news clippings are processed, and that they have about 5-8 full time employees just for this purpose! I was told that "news collection is the pain point of many organizations". The scale of operations here was quite fascinating. Every day, the news that was identified was then abstracted to generate a daily news digest that was circulated within CSE. Furthermore, the classified news was used to generate various monthly digests -- called the Green Files, which was a collection of most relevant and important environment-related news. The process of selecting news was done on the basis of a keyword thesaurus that had about 4800 keywords! This thesaurus has been developed over a period of almost 20 years. The thesaurus is the knowledge-base of CSE's library operations that aids them in selecting news and classifying them into the various files based on the particular issue that the article addressed. The web-people at CSE were curious to see how the tool develops and felt that it might be useful -- though they were understandably cautious to see/judge how well the news classification could be automated and how much work could be saved. - ------------------------- 2. User base for Newsrack - ------------------------- >From April 2004 till September 2004, with the help of Sarai's independent fellowship, I have developed a preliminary version of the tool, and deployed it at http://floss.sarai.net/newsrack. Since then, I have received several expressions of interest whenever I have demo-ed the tool. In addition, based on my postings to PRC-list and reader-list, I have had several people express interest in NewsRack. India Together (http://www.indiatogether.org), Himanshu Thakkar from SANDRP Delhi, Manish Bapna from Bank Information Center at Washington DC, Jagori from New Delhi, CED-Bangalore who have seen various versions of this tool have expressed their interest in using this tool. Other friends in informal discussions have also expressed interest in this tool. My gut feeling, based on talking with several people, is that there is definite value, interest, and curiosity about NewsRack. Its success and further deployment will depend on: - how easy it is to develop the knowledge base, - how easy it is to develop the filtering rules for news gathering, - and how well the classification performs. In the last 4 months, I have deployed the tool on Sarai's server, and have passed the word around to a few people. In the aftermath of the tsunami disaster, I also developed a profile for monitoring news related to the tsunami issue, and to classify news into various categories (like relief-efforts, news-by-region, death-toll, etc.) Given existing interest and feedback I have received, I am confident that NewsRack will be a useful tool to monitor news, among other applications, once the process of creating profiles is made more friendly. In this endeavour, Sarai's support will greatly help me continue development of this tool. In addition, I have received suggestions for other potential uses of this tool. One potential use is for monitoring media coverage. NewsRack can help in the process of monitoring media sources for their news coverage - what kind of coverage, and how much coverage is a particular issue received in a particular newspaper, for example. - ----------------------------------- 3. Current capabilities of NewsRack - ----------------------------------- As it stands today, NewsRack can be deployed as a web-based service with multiple users using the service or as a standalone tool on one's desktop. This distinction is somewhat cosmetic, because both uses require a web server over which NewsRack runs. In the web-based service incarnation, the installation will be on a web-server that is accessible on the internet. However, in a standalone-tool incarnation, the web-server serves pages locally. 3.1 Collaborative development of filtering rules - ------------------------------------------------ To use NewsRack, a user has to register with the system. Once registered, the user has to create a profile for downloading news and classifying it. This profile (via filtering rules) tells NewsRack (a) what news sources to download from (b) what news clippings to select (c) and how to classify the selected news items. The filtering rules are done using a 2-step process of 1. specifying keywords and associating them with concepts, and 2. using concepts to compose rules. By using concepts (as opposed to keywords) in filtering rules, concept definitions can evolve over time (new keywords added, useless keywords removed, etc.) *without* having to modify the filtering rules themselves. This also keeps the filtering rules simple and easy to understand. For example, a filtering rule for dam-rehabilitation category could be: [dam] AND [rehabilitation] where [dam] and [rehabilitation] are concepts. If tomorrow, governments have a new rehabilitation policy which is referred in the newspapers as NRPD (National Rehabilitation Policy for Dams), one could add the new keyword "NPRD" to the [rehabilitation] concept without modifying the filtering rule for the dam-rehabilitation category. The changes take effect at all places where this concept is referenced. This ability simplifies the maintenance/evolution of the filtering rules over time. The second interesting feature about NewsRack is that all concept definitions and filtering rule definitions can be shared and extended. Thus, a pool of concepts can be collaboratively developed. For example, if one user has defined the concepts [World Bank], [India], [dams], [privatisation], another user who wants to monitor news about world bank projects in india can use these concepts without having to redefine them, and if necessary extend those concepts to suit her needs. Thus, NewsRack allows for knowledge sharing across users and once a critical knowledge base is in place, any new user should be able to develop his/her profile very quickly. Please go through NewsRack documentation which provides more detailed documentation about specifying profiles, concepts, and categories. 3.2 Ease of writing filtering rules - ----------------------------------- Experience and feedback has shown me that while the rule specification language itself is pretty straightforward, the process is nevertheless intimidating for someone not familiar with XML. Based on feedback I have received so far, I have realized that till such time this process becomes more friendly for non-technical users, NewsRack cannot substantially widen its user base. 3.3 RSS vs non-RSS news sources - ------------------------------- RSS (Rich Site Summary OR RDF Site Summary, depending on the version) is being widely used to push content from websites to users in contrast to the earlier model where users visited websites. With RSS feeds, a user can subscribe to several news feeds, install a RSS news reader on her computer, and updates from several websites are available in a single window without having to visit several different websites. So, whereas users visited websites (for website updates) via browsers which understand HTML, website updates now come to users via RSS readers which understand RSS. RSS is most pertinent to sites that have frequent updates (like newspapers). Right now, NewsRack only supports news sources with RSS feeds. This was the easiest to develop and test other features of the system. Once the current system is deployed, I will work on supporting news sources that do not provide RSS feeds. The primary technical challenge here is to download all news clippings published that day, and to extract date, title, author information for each clipping. RSS feeds provide all this information in a very easy format. At this time, Indian Express, Rediff, and Times of India provide RSS feeds. However, Indian Express's feeds only cover the front page items, and not all published news. In the future, all newspapers will likely support RSS feeds. In the last 6 months, Times of India has started providing news feeds whereas they were not available when I began this project last year. 3.4 Archiving of news clippings - ------------------------------- All selected news clippings are also archived locally. This archiving is done by extracting the text-based content of the clipping and stripping away everything else. At this time, while this filtering process works well, the output can be subject to further "beautification" to remove the still-remaining extraneous text not directly associated the news content. - -------------------------- 4. Brief technical details - -------------------------- NewsRack has been developed in Java. The web-service capability has been developed on top of Servlets technology using the Struts web development framework (part of Apache's Jakarta project). 4.1 Front-end - ------------- NewsRack can be installed on any web server that supports Java Servlets. The current version has been tested on the Resin 2.1.12 web server. But, the system should also run on Tomcat -- I will test this soon to verify. The application has been developed using the Model-View-Controller (MVC) design pattern. Thus, there are 3 separate components to NewsRack 1. the application model with definitions of Users, Concepts, Categories, Profiles, News Items, etc. 2. the view that provides data presentation and user input, and 3. a controller to dispatch requests and control flow. I have used the Struts framework of the Apache Jakarta project to implement this MVC pattern. Using Struts has simplified the development of the user interface (the V of MVC). I have used the Velocity templating engine to develop the various output screens of NewsRack. 4.2 Back-end - ------------ In the current implementation of NewsRack, all backend archiving of news, user profiles (including concept definitions and filtering rules) is done using XML files over the file system provided by the OS. Thus, the back end can be seen as a simple XML database. The database layer is implemented as an abstract interface so that in future, other database implementations like MySQL can be used (which might become necessary as the system evolves). Ideally, these new backends can be implemented without serious changes to the other components of NewsRack. 4.3 Specification format for the news filter - -------------------------------------------- The format for specifying concept definitions, filtering rules, news sources, and user profiles is based on XML. Initial feedback from people who had not heard of XML or those who are non-techies has been that they can easily write these XML-based profile specifications. At this time, I have not provided any GUI for developing this XML specifications. One could use any simple text editor (like Notepad on Windows or vi/vim/emacs on Unix) or other XML editors to develop these specifications. As discussed in Section 1.1, the filtering rules are written using 2-step process. An example here will clarify this process. Concept definitions ------------------- dam dam reservoir mega-dam narmada narmada ssp sardar sarovar ssp sardar sarovar narmada nigam limited ssnnl Category definitions -------------------- narmada dam narmada AND dam sardar-sarovar-dam ssp Thus, the process of modifying concepts is a matter of adding/deleting or changing existing keywords for that particular concept. Filtering rules are simple boolean expressions composed using AND/OR keywords. Negation support is still sketchy because the semantics of negation are not clear in this context. What does it mean to say (NOT dam), for example? In addition, context-based qualification is also supported. For example, "maheshwar" could be the name of a person or a temple or a place. However, if the article talks of dams or about river narmada, mention of "maheshwar" could be a reference to the Maheshwar dam! Likewise, a reference to Ms.Roy could be a reference to Arundhati Roy if earlier in the article, there are references to Arundhati Roy. Context-based qualifications attempt to capture these scenarios. 4.4 Implementation of news filtering - ------------------------------------ For every issue that the user has defined, NewsRack examines all the filtering rules, and collects all concepts that have been used in the profile. NewsRack then generates a lexical analyzer (or scanner) to recognize the keywords for each concept that has been used. NewsRack generates a scanner by generating a scanner specification file for JFlex, a publicly-available Java-based scanner generator. NewsRack also supports JavaCC, another publicly-available Java-based scanner generator. However, experimentation shows that JFlex generated scanners are faster and more compact than JavaCC generated scanners. When a news article is passed through this lexical analyzer, all keywords that are encountered trigger the corresponding concepts to be recognized. By analyzing all concepts that are recognized and their frequency, the news article is then assigned to one or more categories based on the filtering rules that match. At this time, the concept analysis and rule matching algorithm is somewhat rudimentary and it can be refined and extended over time. 4.5 Support for RSS feeds - ------------------------- Currently, I am using the publicly available RSS4J Java API for parsing RSS news feeds. This has been downloaded from SourceForge. Over this, NewsRack implements caching to prevent downloading the same article repeatedly for different users, and across different sessions. - --------------------- 5. Ongoing challenges - --------------------- When I started this project, I was not familiar with XML, Java Servlets, Struts, MySQL, JDBC, or with Java-based web applications. So, quite a bit of the time in the first 6 months has been spent getting acquainted with these technologies, experimenting with them, and proceeding with the development. 5.1 Using XML - ------------- Some of my lack of experience shows in the XML specification for defining concepts, rules, news sources, and profiles. For example, the concepts defined earlier could become less verbose by using attributes as follows: While the verbosity of the current specification is not a drawback (I was told by novice XML users that the attribute-less specification is actually simpler), future extensions could provide support for these less-verbose specifications. In the future, as the system stabilizes, I will migrate the format to these less-verbose specifications. In any case, most users are likely to be using the web-interface to specify filtering rules. 5.2 Developing a web application - -------------------------------- Initially I started using Servlets and Webmacro to implement the user interface. However, I later on switched to using Struts to develop the user interface. This decision has helped me develop the initial system much more quickly than would have been possible otherwise. But, the user interface development has proved to be much more difficult and involved than I had imagined when I first began the project. While I have implemented the back end news archiving as a simple XML database, I might have to switch to MySQL (or other databases) at a later point. At that time, I will familiarize myself with JDBC on a need-to-know basis. 5.3 Supporting non-RSS based news sources - ----------------------------------------- On the one hand, while supporting non-RSS seems as simple as downloading all content for that day from a newspaper's website, things are more challenging than this. If I want to save on download bandwidth, I will have to do more selective downloading. But, more importantly, in order to integrate downloaded news within NewsRack, I have to extract date, title, author information for each clipping. While doing this extraction for any one particular newspaper is a simple matter of writing rules to recognize these patterns, the harder question is if there is a general way of extracting this for all newspapers, or if custom patterns would have to be developed each time a new non-RSS news source is added? It is in this respect that RSS acquires added importance. All this information is readily available in a RSS feed. In addition, well-developed RSS feeds can also provide brief abstracts of the news items which can prove invaluable in browsing the news archive. 5.4 Managing the news archives - ------------------------------ Once the tool is up and running for a few weeks, the news collection for any particular category might continue to grow. At that time, the challenge will be in terms of presenting these news items to the user in a way that does not overwhelm him. Furthermore, support might have to be provided to refine the classification system, and reclassify on the fly. 5.5 Bandwidth requirement for downloading news - ---------------------------------------------- There are a couple of problems with the current monolithic version of NewsRack. Firstly, very few installations will be possible because of the bandwidth required to download newspaper content every day. For example, with 10 newspapers, it is likely that monthly download might be of the order of almost 1GB. It is very likely that only very well-funded organizations or organizations/individuals in the US or other developed countries could afford the necessary bandwidth. Public installations as a web service (as envisaged currently) can help address this problem. 5.6 Challenges with copyright issues - ------------------------------------ There can be potential problems with creating local copies of news clippings without getting permission from newspapers. This issue has not yet been investigated, but, individual users can handle the scenario as follows: (i) either by demonstrating the not-for-profit nature of their work, and/or (ii) by keeping the local archives of news articles private and local. I do not yet foresee this to be a major problem, so I am not going to be expending effort researching this issue. - ---------------------- 6. Further development - ---------------------- Currently, a preliminary version has been deployed at http://floss.sarai.net/newsrack. As it stands, guests can browse news archives of other users. For registered users, news is automatically downloaded, filtered, and archived in categories as specified by the user. This section talks about further development of NewsRack and timeline. 6.1 Supporting non-RSS sources - ------------------------------ Once the system stabilizes, I will work on providing support for non-RSS news sources. At that time, the tool itself will acquire a semblance of completeness in terms of covering most of the English-language Indian newspapers. The other most important feature that needs to be supported is the ability to search the news archive. I will also explore the Google APIs to see if it can help the process. Other than this, there are other news crawling services -- I will check if there are tools that make this easy. 6.2 Improving the user interface - -------------------------------- The current user interface is rudimentary. In addition, there is no easy, form-based input of filtering rules. I have received feedback that such form-based input will go a long way in making it easy for non-technical users to use NewsRack. In light of this, I will work on improving the user interface so that: . profiles can be developed using web-based forms without knowledge of XML. . profiles can be edited online without having to be edit XML files. . improve the presentation of news, categories, issues, so that it is easier to make sense and manage the news archive. 6.3 Other desirable features - ---------------------------- Beyond this, there are a number of desirable features that will make the tool very useful. I list them here but will not elaborate on them in great detail. 1. refine/debug the filtering rules -- this is the ability to understand why an article got classified or not classified into a particular category, so that filtering rules can be improved. 2. download and classify news from regional language newspapers. 3. generate an RSS feed of daily updates 4. send out email notification alerts with prominent headlines since previous day (related to RSS feed feature) 5. attach annotations, notes to individual news items. this can be very useful when working on reports or newsletters. 6. select news from the archive and automatically generate a newsletter based on the selected news clippings. 7. reclassify an existing news archive whenever a profile is modified. 8. edit the archives -- remove an item from a category, move/copy an item from one category to another .. 9. sort news items on other axes (like date, author, news source) 10. decentralize news downloading across multiple installations of NewsRack. I have ideas about how several installations of NewsRack at multiple sites could collectively download all required news content such that any individual installation only downloads a fraction of the entire content. When the tool reaches this stage, it might begin to resemble a peer-to-peer model of news downloading. - ----------- 7. Timeline - ----------- It was mid-March of 2003 that I first thought of this problem and put together a quick proposal for support from Sarai. It has now been 11 months when I first started. I have gone through a process of discussion and visits to documentation centers, conceptualization, preliminary design and development, deployment, and user feedback since then. I am doing this amidst several other things. If a regular IT company were to take up this project and work on it full time, a 2-person team would have come to the stage where I am at currently in about 3-4 months time. Given that, I think I have made good progress so far. 7.1 Priorities - -------------- Going forward, I will prioritize the areas I am going to focus on. Of all the desirable features listed in 6.4, features 1, 3, 7, 8 take top priority. Feature 10 is the lowest priority. This is in addition to continuing to work on the user interface, documentation, and classification algorithms -- all of which are ongoing processes right through the development. 7.2 Enlisting developer help - ---------------------------- I have already registered the project on Sourceforge. However, I have not yet made any initial releases, nor have I actively enlisted developers to undertake development with me. I hope to do both of these in the coming few months. - --------------- 8. Deliverables - --------------- First off, my experience of these last 11 months has shown me that I had underestimated the time requirement of getting this far. I had to pick up the ropes in several areas, and got stuck at some places. I envisage a similar process this time around. Having said that, I think it is safe to say at the end of the next 6-month period, NewsRack will be more user-friendly and should provide at least the following in addition to its current capabilities (with bug fixes): . some form of form-based specification of filtering rules . some form of collaborative building of filtering rules . output RSS feeds for classified news . some form of news-archive management We will also have a fairly good understanding of how well NewsRack works, and what directions should be pursued going forward. In addition, I am also hoping to work with few interested organizations and individuals to showcase the utility of NewsRack, while being fully aware of its limitations. From maryashakil at hotmail.com Mon May 2 23:04:41 2005 From: maryashakil at hotmail.com (marya shakil) Date: Mon, 02 May 2005 23:04:41 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Death and Bazaar: revisiting the graveyard Message-ID: Dear all, Looking forward to your critical views on our posting. Three women presenting a sight�.reminding of Macbeth�s witches��.no other women beggar is allowed in their domain�hailing from Bihar, Sakina has been living there for more than 8 years. Her job profile includes sitting on an old grave and waiting for a �allah ka banda� to donate her some money. For her the graveyard is like any other place where she can get some cash. Although the money is just sufficient for her �chai paani� but she continues to live there despite, her family being miles away. ************************************************************************** A man of words, Ghulam Rasool regrets why he couldn�t make money in the industry in which he is. �Mere jagah par koi bhi rehta to crore-pati hota�. He is the self-appointed caretaker cum gravedigger at the Nizamuddin graveyard which shares a common boundary with the Lodhi road crematorium. ................................................................................................................................... Till 1947, the adjacent crematorium and the main road were a part of the graveyard, he claims. And the graveyard�s boundary wall is a 10 yr old phenomena, an MCD doing. He also has grievances against the wakf board. Despite the matter being subjudice, some of the claimants of the Delhi Wakf Board went ahead pasting names on the disputed wall. And Rasool feels such irresponsible and other behaviour on part of the Wakf board is ruining the place. The legacy of maintenance of the graveyard was handed over to him by his father. A politically cautious man, he fails to quell our enquiries into his officiating capacity. How does he issue a death certificate, without any government authorization? Here we would like to add that the government man, whom, we had met on our first visit and about whom we had talked in our first posting, was missing and Rasool refused to talk about him. ``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` He lives with his family which includes a wife and seven children among the dead in a fairly well constructed house within the boundary of the graveyard. Predicament of his life heightens when he mentions that the meaninglessness attached to his profession puts him at a somewhat least bargaining position in the social hierarchy. Because of which he has failed to marry his daughters as he is a �kabar khodwa� ************************************************************************** The grave digging and making of a box like structure costs somewhere between Rs 3000 and 3500.But a sympathetic treatment can be won by someone who �cannot afford�. There are 2 people who work under him and look after the graves. They dig graves and cut grasses that grow over them, a paltry sum of Rs 150-200 per grave, depending on the �haisiyat��. A project of path construction is in the pipeline as some �benevolent� Turkish group who had come to visit their loved one in the graveyard found it inconvenient to move on the somewhat non-existing path. Their livelihood depends on the generosity of the VISITORS OF THE DEAD. The burning of the dead in the �modern fashion�, (the Japanese sponsored electric crematorium) leaves occupants on the other side choked, adding to the politics of the space. The trespassing of the fumes across the shared boundary. thanx _________________________________________________________________ Sick of 9-5 jobs? http://www.astroyogi.com/newmsn/astroshopping/login.asp?catid=135&ask= Looking for a change? B. Daruwalla guides you! From kranenbu at xs4all.nl Tue May 3 01:22:29 2005 From: kranenbu at xs4all.nl (Rob van Kranenburg) Date: Mon, 2 May 2005 20:52:29 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] This is because the idea it is to organize a big national rallie in Bombay before the conference in Haridwar (North India, State Uthar Pradesh. Message-ID: Date: Mon, 02 May 2005 19:47:26 +0200 To: "Caravan99" , agplatina at lists.riseup.net, climacaramba at lists.riseup.net From: diañu burlon List-Help: List-Subscribe: List-Unsubscribe: List-Post: List-Owner: List-Archive: Hola a tod at s, Hi everyone, La propuesta de fechas para la conferencia global de la AGP seria a finales de Septiembre. Esta seria la mejor fecha porque antes de la conferencia los movientos en la India proponen organizar una movilizacion a nivel nacional en Bombay justo antes de la conferencia en Haridwar (Norte de la India, en el estado de Uthar Pradesh). Hasta mediados de septiembre estariamos hablando de la epoca de lluvias. The proposal of dates would be at the end of September. This is because the idea it is to organize a big national rallie in Bombay before the conference in Haridwar (North India, State Uthar Pradesh.) Till middle of September the raining season will be there. Por otra parte, a principios de octubre empezaria la cosecha de la canha de azucar y otros productos, con lo que campesinos del norte estarian demasiado ocupados. Besides at beginning of October, farmers will be busy with sugar can and other crops. Asi que la propuesta desde la India seria a finales de Septiembre. So, the Indian movement proposes the end of September. En cuanto a los costes de la conferencia, los movimientos de la India se harian cargo del alojamiento y la comida. Claramente se necesitaria un enorme y URGENTE esfuerzo por parte del resto de movimientos, incluyendo los latinos, en buscar los fondos para pagar los viajes, especialmente los carisimos viajes desde Latino America. Regarding the cost of the conference, the Indian movements are providing the acommodation and the food. But clearly it is necessary a huge and URGENT effor by the rest of movements, including the Latins one, to look for funds to pay the travel cost, specially the very expensive travel from Latin America. Tenemos una reunion a finales de mayo en Maharastra. En esa reunion esperamos definir mas la logistica, etc y ya empezar con una organizacion de una oficina de coordinacion. We will have a meeting on WTO at the end of May in Maharastra. In that meeting we will define more the logistics, etc and to start with the organization of a coordination office. Saludillos trasgu At 19:18 24/04/2005 +0200, Global Solidarity wrote: >----- Original Message ----- From: "Shantu Sharma" >To: >Sent: Sunday, April 24, 2005 7:16 PM >Subject: RE: [caravan99] Fw: [Pga_europe_process] global conference >- is there any news? > >>Let us know the date of the conference at the earliest >>tks >>Shantu >>------------------ >> >>>From: "Global Solidarity" >>>To: "Caravan99" >>>CC: >>>Subject: [caravan99] Fw: [Pga_europe_process] global conference - >>>is there any news? >>>Date: Sun, 24 Apr 2005 17:25:40 +0200 >>> >>> >>>>>Hallo! >>>> >>>>As far as I know the Global Conference is planned to be in Haridwar, North >>>>India, State Uthar Pradesh. I was visiting 3 ashrams with Yudhvir and >>>>Rakesh, where we could held the conference. So there will be enough rooms >>>>for workshops and lodging for all the people. They are trying now to fix a >>>>date. >>>> >>>>greatings Monika >>>> >>>>Hey! >>>>> >>>>>I find Mark's question extremely relevant and it seems >>>>>quite worrying not to be getting any feedback. So is >>>>>there any news concerning the Global Conference?? >>>>>Take care, >>>>> >>>>>nina >>>>> >>>>>--- markb at gn.apc.org wrote: >>>>>>Hi everyone, >>>>>> >>>>>>Everything seems very quiet about what's happening >>>>>>with a global >>>>>>conference this year. Does anyone have some info? >>>>>> >>>>>>Thanks, >>>>>> >>>>>>Mark >>>>>>_______________________________________________ >>>>>>Pga_europe_process mailing list >>>>>>Pga_europe_process at squat.net >>>>>https://squat.net/mailman/listinfo/pga_europe_process -- http://www.virtueelplatform.nl/person-1024.25.html&lang=en http://blogger.xs4all.nl/kranenbu/ 0031 (0) 641930235 From kranenbu at xs4all.nl Tue May 3 01:20:16 2005 From: kranenbu at xs4all.nl (Rob van Kranenburg) Date: Mon, 2 May 2005 20:50:16 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] DEFANGED[89] o play a football game, where the winner would have won 200.000 pesos. Aged between 15 and 22, the young guys worked as labourers and played football. In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Date: Mon, 02 May 2005 13:25:46 +0200 To: agpweb at lists.riseup.net, pga-asia at cupboard.org, pga-asia at lists.riseup.net, pga europa information , caravan99 at lists.riseup.net From: diañu burlon List-Post: List-Owner: List-Archive: Subject: [caravan99] Massacre in Buenaventura (Colombia). 4 nephews of Naka among From: "Andy Higginbottom" MASSACRE OF BLACK YOUTH IN BUENAVENTURA Communiqué to Public Opinion BUENAVENTURA: MASSACRE AND SELECTIVE ASSASSINATIONS The Human Rights team of the Proceso de Comunidades Negras en Colombia (PCN, Process of Black Communities of Colombia), the Conferencia Nacional Afrocolombiana (CNA, Afrocolombian National Conference), the Asociación de Afrocolombianos Desplazados (AFRODES, Displaced Afrocolombian Association), the Corporación Sembrar and the Coordinador Nacional Agrario (CNA, National Agrarian Coordinator) inform the public on the last Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law violations against the Afrocolombian people: Buenaventura, the main Colombian harbour on the Pacific coast, through which a considerable share of the country’s cargo trade is imported and exported, has become the hub of Human Rights violations against the Afrocolombian people in recent years. It has been a constant feature that some of the most serious human rights violations have been taking place in Afrocolombian and indigenous territories. This shows the ethnic basis upon which this war is carried out, since the minority groups have been disproportionately affected and would require special protection measures by the State. Particularly, in Buenaventura, the young Afrodescendents are one of the population sections that has been openly attacked, being victim of selective killings, massacres, disappearances, threats and social cleansing, amongst other violations. We denounce the following facts: 1. On 19th April at 2.00 p.m. a man on a motorbike went to the Punta del Este, Santa Cruz and Palo Seco neighbourhoods of the commune 5 of Buenaventura municipality, and gathered 24 young people form those neighbourhoods, supposedly to go to Puerto Dagua to play a football game, where the winner would have won 200.000 pesos. Aged between 15 and 22, the young guys worked as labourers and played football. 2. On 21st April 2005 12 of those boys were found atrociously slaughtered, while the other 12 are still missing. The bodies where found on the commune 12, Triunfo neighbourhood, Las Vegas district, that lies 5 kilometres from Buenaventura airport, which is patrolled by the Marine Corps. 3. On 5th April this year a march was held by the people of these neighbourhoods, in order to demand the construction of a pedestrian bridge. The demonstrators where beaten up by the anti-riot police, who moreover took pictures and filmed the community. Some of the young guys killed, according to the communities’ information, had participated to the march. 4. The names of the guys who were murdered are: 1. Rubén Darío Valencia Aramburo, 18 years old 2. Pedro Luis Aramburo Cangà, 18 years old 3. Pedro Paulo Valencia Aramburo, 17 years old 4. Alberto Valencia, 18 years old 5. Concepción Rentería Valencia, 16 years old 6. Mario Valencia, 19 years old 7. Iver Valencia, 21 years old 8. Carlos Arbey Valencia, 17 years old 9. Vìctor Alfonso Angulo, 20 years old 10. Javier Borja, 15 years old 11. Jhon Jairo Rodallegas 12. Leonardo Salcedo García, 20 years old 5. On the bodies where found signs of torture, they had been gagged, doused with acid, their eyes had been pulled out and they were given the coup de grace. 6. It is important to highlight that four of them belong to the Aramburo-García family, nephews of Jorge Isaac Aramburo García, leader of the Yurumanguí river Community Council, whose family has been systematically murdered and harassed, to the point that it was necessary to resort to the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights for protection, in front of the negligence of the Colombian State. Such circumstances of family extermination have been recurring since the year 2000, when 5 people were killed in Las Palmas neighbourhood, Buenaventura urban area. Since then 9 people have been murdered, 1 person disappeared and 1 was jailed. 7. On Friday 22nd April, around 1:00 p.m., in the southern area of El Firme neighbourhood, on Piedras Cantan street, a firecracker exploded; 6 adults and 7 kids were injured and a 5 year old child died. 8. On Saturday 23rd April 2005 in San Andresito - Centro, two gas pipes filled with explosive material were ready to detonate in a hot-dog van. They were deactivated and as result, 7 alleged members of the FARC urban militia were captured. 9. We also inform that both the legal and illegal armed groups that operate within the municipality have increased their actions, detaining indiscriminately honest and respectable people of the community. In conclusion, since the beginning of 2005, in the Buenaventura municipality 5 human rights violations have occurred: 1. In February 5 people were massacred in the Simòn Bolìvar highway, at the entrance of the El Cristal neighbourhood; these people were riddled with bullets from a short distance by individuals that were getting around on motorbikes. The police headquarters is just one block away. 2. The same day 4 people were murdered in El Lleras neighbourhood (Commune 4). 3. In March 3 people were killed and 4 injured; the slayers used a motorboat and long-range weapons. 4. In March, few days after the above-mentioned massacre, in La Playita neighbourhood, 2 people were killed, one of whom died in hospital. 5. Many of the Buenaventura population have seen the Armed Forces together with the paramilitaries, a fact that demonstrates their complicity and extremely worries the community. A further episode has shaken the Afrocolombian community: On 16th April at 4:00 p.m. in Rio Calima, San Isidro district, Valle department, the military forces, the police, the Marine Corps, the DAS (Security Administrative Department) and the public prosecutor’s office, accompanied by 3 hooded men who talked on behalf of informants, arrived walking to San Isidro and assembled the inhabitants at the sport centre. As the community was there, a helicopter with more soldiers arrived. They interrogated the population on the whereabouts of the insurgency. The most worrying thing was that the public forces threatened the children saying that if they did not provide any information on the insurgency, they (the armed forces) would cut their hands off. Following the request of the community the public forces released children and women. The following people were detained: · Eliécer Moreno, 17 years old (has been released) · Diógenes Gonzáles, 24 years old · Berlin Gonzáles, 28 years old · Jesus Lizalda, 48 years old · Harold Rivas, 21 years old · Patricio Ballesteros, 17 years old (has been released) · Benigno Velasco, 45 years old (a shopkeeper/timber merchant) · Ramiro Valencia Considering the above, we request: 1. that the National Government decree the economic emergency, as requested last year, for the Buenaventura municipality and define the investment plans and the respective resources to be allocated in order to overcome the social, economic and humanitarian crisis. 2. that the Board of the Social Organisations Observer of Human Rights (Mesa de Organizaciones Sociales veedoras de Derechos Humanos) of the Buenaventura municipality become operative. 3. the clarification of the above mentioned facts by the competent authorities. 4. the Attorney General’s office intervention to establish the Public Forces ’ and the officials’ responsibilities in such facts. 5. the search of the people that disappeared continue. 6. a proper trial be guaranteed. 7. the security of the Calima and Buenaventura population be guaranteed. 8. the preventive measures conceded to the Aramburo García family by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights be complied with. Bogotá, 24 April 2005. Proceso de Comunidades Negras PCN - Equipo de Derechos Humanos Corporación Sembrar Conferencia Nacional Afrocolombiana CNA Asociación de Afrocolombianos Desplazados AFRODES Coordinador Nacional Agrario CNA RECOMMENDED ACTION Send immediate protests to: Presidencia de la República Dr. Álvaro Uribe Vélez, Cra. 8 No..7-26, Palacio de Nariño, Santa fe de Bogotá. Fax: (+57 1) 566.20.71 E-mail: auribe at presidencia.gov.co ; [OR to better send e-mail to Uribe login to http://www.presidencia.gov.co and click on ESCRIBALE AL PRESIDENTE at the bottom of the page. Para enviar correo al Sr Presidente, dirmjase a la pagina Web:http://www.presidencia.gov.co y haga clic en ESCRIBALE AL PRESIDENTE ubicado en la parte inferior, al final de la pagina.] Vicepresidencia de la República Dr. Francisco Santos E-mail:fsantos at presidencia.gov.co And, in the UK, to: Colombian Embassy (UK): mail at colombianembassy.co.uk Bill Rammell rammellb at parliament.uk With copies to: CUT Human Rights Department: derechoshumanos at cut.org.co And Colombia Solidarity Campaign: Colombia_sc at hotmail.com VERSION ESPAÑOL URGENTE BUENAVENTURA, MASACRE Y ASESINATOS SELECTIVOS COMUNICADO A LA OPINIÓN PÚBLICA El Equipo de Derechos Humanos del Proceso de Comunidades Negras en Colombia PCN, La Conferencia Nacional Afrocolombiana CNA, la Asociación de Afrocolombianos Desplazados AFRODES, La Corporación Sembrar y El Coordinador Nacional Agrario CNA, ponen en conocimiento los últimos hechos de violación a los derechos humanos y el Derecho Internacional Humanitario en contra del pueblo afrocolombiano: Buenaventura, el principal puerto de Colombia sobre el pacifico y por el que se moviliza una parte considerable de la carga que el país exporta e importa, se ha convertido, desde hace varios años, en un foco de violación de derechos humanos en contra del pueblo afrocolombiano. Ha sido una constante que algunos de los hechos mas graves de violaciones a los derechos, están ocurriendo en territorios afrocolombianos e indígenas, lo que es una muestra de la etnización de la guerra, por la afectación desproporcionada a los grupos minoritarios, que requerirían medidas especiales de protección por parte del Estado. En el caso particular de Buenaventura uno de los sectores poblacionales que está siendo abiertamente agredido son los jóvenes afrodescendientes, víctimas de asesinatos selectivos, masacres, desapariciones, amenazas y limpieza social, entre otras violaciones. Los hechos que denunciamos en esta oportunidad son: 1. El 19 de abril a las 2:00 p.m. en los barrios Punta del Este, Santa Cruz y Palo Seco de la comuna 5 del municipio de Buenaventura, un hombre en una motocicleta llegó y reunió a 24 jóvenes de estos barrios, supuestamente para ir a jugar un partido de fútbol en Puerto Dagua por el que les iban a pagar 200.000 pesos al equipo que ganara. Las edades de los jóvenes oscilan entre los 15 y 22 años, dedicados a ser coteros y a jugar fútbol. 2. El día 21 de abril de 2005 , fueron encontrados vilmente masacrados 12 de estos jóvenes y siguen desaparecidos los doce restantes. Los cadáveres fueron encontrados en la comuna 12, Barrio el Triunfo, Vereda las vegas que queda a 5 kilómetros del aeropuerto de Buenaventura, el cual está vigilado por la Infantería de Marina. 3. El 05 de abril del presente año se realizó una marcha de los pobladores de estos barrios, para pedir la construcción de un puente peatonal. Los manifestantes fueron golpeados por los antimotines de la policía, quienes además tomaron fotos y filmaron a la comunidad. Varios de los jóvenes asesinados, según información de las comunidades, participaron en esta marcha. 4. Los nombres de los jóvenes asesinados son: 1. Rubén Darío Valencia Aramburo, 18 años. 2. Pedro Luis Aramburo Cangá, 18 años. 3. Pedro Paulo Valencia Aramburo, 17 años. 4. Alberto Valencia, 18 años. 5. Concepción Rentería Valencia, 16 años. 6. Mario valencia, 19 años. 7. Iver valencia, 21 años. 8. Carlos Arbey Valencia, 17 años. 9. Víctor Alfonso Angulo, 20 años. 10. Javier Borja, 15 años. 11. Jhon Jairo Rodallegas. 12. Leonardo Salcedo García, 20 años. 5. Estos jóvenes fueron encontrados con signos de tortura, amordazados, rociados con ácido, le sacaron los ojos y con tiro de gracia. 6. Es preciso resaltar que cuatro de los jóvenes asesinados hacen parte de la familia Aramburo - García, sobrinos de Jorge Isaac Aramburo Garcia, líder del Consejo Comunitario del río Yurumanguí, cuya familia ha venido siendo asesinada y hostigada de manera sistemática, al punto que fue necesario recurrir a la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos buscando protección, ante la negligencia del Estado colombiano. Estos hechos de exterminio familiar han venido presentándose desde el año 2000 con el asesinato de 5 personas en el Barrio las Palmas, casco urbano del Municipio de Buenaventura. Desde ese tiempo para acá han sido asesinados nueve (9) personas un (1) desaparecido y uno (1) encarcelado. 7. El viernes 22 de abril a eso de la 1:00 p.m. en la zona baja del Barrio El Firme, en la calle Piedras Cantan, estalló un petardo, resultando heridos 6 adultos y 7 niños, además un niño de 5 años murió. 8. El sábado 23 de abril de 2005, por la parte de San Andresito - Centro, en un carro de perros calientes dos pipetas de gas cargadas con material explosivos estaban listas para estallar. Fueron desactivadas y, por los hechos capturaron a siete presuntos miembros de las milicias urbanas de las FARC. 9. Informamos además que los grupos armados legales e ilegales, que operan en el municipio, han incrementado su accionar deteniendo indiscriminadamente a personas decentes y respetables de la comunidad. En conclusión, en lo que llevamos del año 2005, en el municipio de Buenaventura han sucedido 5 hechos de violación a los derechos humanos, que son: 1: En el mes de Febrero fueron masacrados 5 personas en la autopista Simón Bolívar en la entrada al barrio el Cristal, estas personas fueron acribilladas a tiro por sujetos que se movilizaban en motocicletas. A una cuadra está el comando de la policía. 2: Ese mismo mes fueron asesinadas 4 personas en el barrio el Lleras (Comuna 4). 3: En Marzo masacraron a 3 personas e hirieron a 4, los asesinos se movilizaron en lancha y con armas de largo alcance. 4. En el mes de Marzo, a pocos días de la pasada masacre, en el barrio la playita asesinaron a 2 personas, uno de ellos murió en el hospital. 5. Muchos moradores de Buenaventura han visto reunidos a la Fuerza Pública y los Paramilitares, lo que demuestra su complicidad, situación que preocupa a la comunidad. Otro hecho conmociona a la comunidad afrocolombiana: El 16 de abril a las 4 de la tarde en el Río Calima, vereda de San Isidro, en el departamento del Valle, las fuerzas militares y de policía, infantería de marina, DAS y fiscalía, acompañados de tres encapuchados que hacían las veces de informantes llegaron a pie a San Isidro, convocaron a los habitantes al polideportivo. Cuando la comunidad ya estaba en el sitio, llegó un helicóptero con mas ejercito. En el operativo interrogaron a la población sobre el paradero de la insurgencia. Lo mas grave de la situación fue que la misma fuerza pública amenazó a los niños, diciéndoles que si no daban información del paradero de la insurgencia les cortaban las manos. A solicitud de la comunidad dejaron ir a los niños y a las mujeres. Fueron detenidos: · Eliécer moreno de 17 años (ya lo dejaron en libertad) · Diógenes Gonzáles de 24 años · Berlín Gonzáles de 28 años · Jesús Lizalda de 48 años · Harold Rivas de 21 años · Patricio Ballesteros de 17 años (ya lo dejaron en libertad) · Benigno Velasco de 45 años (maderero y tendero). · Ramiro Valencia En consideración a lo anterior requerimos: 1. Que el Gobierno Nacional decrete la emergencia económica solicitada el año anterior para el municipio de Buenaventura y defina los planes de inversión y los respectivos recursos a fin de superar la crisis humanitaria, social y económica. 2. Darle operatividad a la Mesa de Organizaciones Sociales veedoras de los Derechos Humanos del municipio de Buenaventura. 3. De las Autoridades competentes el esclarecimiento de los hechos. 4. La intervención del Ministerio Público para establecer las responsabilidades de la Fuerza Pública y demás funcionarios participantes de los hechos. 5. Se continúe en la búsqueda de los desaparecidos. 6. Se garantice el debido proceso. 7. Se garantice la seguridad de los pobladores de Calima y Buenaventura. 8. Se de cumplimiento a las medidas cautelares, concedidas por la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos, a la familia Aramburo García. Bogotá, Abril 24 de 2005. PROCESO DE COMUNIDADES NEGRAS PCN - EQUIPO DE DERECHOS HUMANOS CORPORACION SEMBRAR CONFERENCIA NACIONAL AFROCOLOMBIANA CNA, ASOCIACIÓN DE AFROCOLOMBIANOS DESPLAZADOS AFRODES, COORDINADOR NACIONAL AGRARIO CNA caravan99 at lists.riseup.net -- http://www.virtueelplatform.nl/person-1024.25.html&lang=en http://blogger.xs4all.nl/kranenbu/ 0031 (0) 641930235 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050502/475702af/attachment.html From mmdesai2 at yahoo.co.in Mon May 2 16:12:30 2005 From: mmdesai2 at yahoo.co.in (mmdesai) Date: Mon, 2 May 2005 16:12:30 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Women and their Spatial Narratives in the City of Ahmedabad Message-ID: <006f01c54f07$c723ba60$0a18fea9@com1> Women and their Spatial Narratives in the City of Ahmedabad I present some case studies here. Now I am trying to complete the questionnaire work by speaking with some Muslim women. I want to interview some city planners and policy makers. I will also like to take a broader view by travelling around the city and collecting data through photographs. Kalyani Navinchandra Dave is a 54 years old housewife. She lives in a two-bed room apartment in the western side of Ahmedabad. She says she is lucky to have this place that they bought after selling their ancestral property shared by four brothers. But she finds it increasingly hard to pay Rs. 900/- per month maintenance cost. She does sewing as part time work to help in the household expenses. Her husband is a liftman in a building. They belong to the middle class and are always conscious of showing that they live a comfortable life by hiding their hardships from people. Both of them have not studied beyond metric (11th standard). She has two daughters: one got married recently. Kalyani was the eldest daughter in her natal family. She has been supporting her parents since she was 13 years old, first through housework and then by working in a college before marriage. She says her whole attitude to life has changed after she got married due to continuous economic problems. She says she used to be bold and could go any where on her own in the city. But now she has no confidence about traveling alone and remains mostly house bound. Once a month she may go to the 'city' to buy a few things like clothes. Her father is alive and she goes to see him once a week or once in ten days. There is hardly any other socialization except with neighbors in her apartment building. She really looks forward to weddings in the family when she gets to go out of town. For her rest itself is relaxation, it is so rare. She never learnt how to ride a bicycle and so cannot drive a moped that her husband has. He does most of the buying of daily vegetables and grocery. She does not know banking and has no account of her own. Kalyani says the city bus service is really bad for women. When they are free from housework in the afternoon and try to use the service, the bus frequencies are also highly reduced. And of course, the rikshaws are very expensive. She has not been to a cinema hall in 9 years. She does not go to any gardens or restaurants. The family may eat from a roadside stall once in three months. While her daughters were growing up, she constantly worried about their safety and would not let them go anywhere alone even in daytime except to school or to tuition classes. Jigna Shah is a 37 year-old divorcee. She has one daughter from the marriage and both of them live with her parents and brother's family in a two-bedroom apartment. After her divorce, she decided to learn a skill and to support herself. She took training in a beauty saloon in the city and now, for the past 5 years, she has been running her business by providing services in her clients' homes. She has her own old moped to get around, that often gives her problems but it is essential for her. She has also recently bought a mobile phone. Jigna wakes up early to help in the kitchen work before setting out on her appointments. She says that as a single parent she has to juggle her schedule to be at home when her daughter returns from school. Her mother also helps in looking after her daughter when she is away. Her father or brother does the daily shopping as they both have vehicles. Jigna has not much time or energy to socialize with friends. Mostly she goes out, apart from her work, to relatives' houses if any one is sick or if there is an engagement or a wedding. She has 3 close friends, unlike many other women; however, she meets them once in six months. She has her own bank account and operates it herself. In spite of riding a two-wheeler, she says she hardly goes out for pleasure. She used to take her daughter to the garden when she was young but now she prefers to go to sleep due to exhaustion at night. She has seen the Kankaria Lake, Hutheesing Temple and the Gandhi Ashram but not the Jumma Mosque. She identifies traffic and pollution as major problems in the city of Ahmedabad. Sushila Pravinbhai Patel is 51 years old. She is already a grand mother. She is pale, thin and always seems to have a slight frown on her face. She lives on the upper floor of her husband's ancestral home in a housing society, which she says is a total blessing in her life, among all the economic hardships. She has studied up to the 10th standard and was married at 18. She has four children: first three daughters and then a son. Two of her daughters were also married before the age of 20 years. Pravin had a comfortable job in a textile mill when they got married but then the mill closed down like so many others in the city of Ahmedabad in the 1980s. He went to work in a factory for a while but lost that job also. Now she says he cannot find employment at his age and he is trying to get by assembling tube lights and selling them door-to-door. He has a scooter to go around. In Sushila's case Pravin does most of the shopping because he is mobile and they prefer to buy vegetables and grocery from the inner city's wholesale market. Her brothers gift her the clothes for all members of her family. She herself goes out once a week to get wheat grounded into flour in the neighborhood. She does not ride any vehicle and uses the bus system. She says she keeps the going out in the city at a minimum because it costs. Earlier she used to go out with her husband occasionally but now that is very rarely because petrol has become very expensive. She has never been to a cinema nor seen the Gandhi Ashram or the ISKON temple in the city. Sushila's youngest daughter Ami has a job and knows her way around the city. Ami or her father handles the banking in the family. Five or six times a year she has to go to her native town for social occasions. Her daughter has managed to send them on an all India pilgrimage tour. Sushila is extremely proud to tell me. She is surprised when I ask her what would she like to do if her Sunday was totally free of all the responsibilities. "Why, I would not be comfortable without work!" -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050502/7f326be1/attachment.html From vivek at sarai.net Tue May 3 12:42:37 2005 From: vivek at sarai.net (Vivek Narayanan) Date: Tue, 03 May 2005 12:42:37 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] [Fwd: Fellows!!! finally fellowsip at JNU] Message-ID: <42772465.8010601@sarai.net> Hi all Sarai folk in Delhi, Thanks to Mahesh Sarma's initiative, we're having an informal get-together for ex- and current Independent fellows this Sunday, May 8th at 4.30 (details below). The venue is JNU this month, but we can move it around next month to somewhere else. Please do rsvp if you're coming-- hope to see you there! <>Cheers Vivek The cooridinates of fellowship meeting Venue: Seminear Hall, CSSP, SSS-1 ( pronounced as triple S one) J.N.University. It is in the second floor of the building. Date: 08.05.2005 Sunday Time: 4.30 P.M A word in confirmation would make the job of coordinating refreshments a little more easier. Do give me a call (Mahesh) at 98680 90468 for any clarifications. hope we have a good time mahesh B.Mahesh Sarma, Researcher Centre for Studies in Science Policy Jawaharlal Nehru University New Delhi. 110 067 Mobile:00-91-9868090468 From kaiwanmehta at gmail.com Tue May 3 15:12:58 2005 From: kaiwanmehta at gmail.com (kaiwan mehta) Date: Tue, 3 May 2005 15:12:58 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Mumbai Sarai Message-ID: <2482459d05050302424e4a22d9@mail.gmail.com> Hi all, This is for connected with sarai and in bombay! As planned we can meet up this Sunday 8 May, same time 530 pm. We discussed meeting somewhere around Dadar .... suggest a place, Madhavi! JUST DROP IN A MAIL, TELLING ME U WILL BE THERE. Thanks, Regards, Kaiwan -- Kaiwan Mehta Architect and Urban Reseracher 11/4, Kassinath Bldg. No. 2, Kassinath St., Tardeo, Mumbai 400034 022-2-494 3259 / 91-98205 56436 From soudhamini_1 at lycos.com Wed May 4 11:29:06 2005 From: soudhamini_1 at lycos.com (sou dhamini) Date: Wed, 04 May 2005 00:59:06 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Excavating Indian Experimental Film; Shai Heredia Message-ID: <20050504055906.6ADF03384D@ws7-3.us4.outblaze.com> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050504/0f7c4638/attachment.html From chauhan.vijender at gmail.com Wed May 4 13:45:21 2005 From: chauhan.vijender at gmail.com (Vijender chauhan) Date: Wed, 4 May 2005 13:45:21 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] "city smelt" ( shahar ki ghrana nirmiti) and "city touched" (Shahar ki sparsh nirmiti) Message-ID: <8bdde4540505040115e0170c4@mail.gmail.com> Last week I thought of experimenting a bit. I wasn't very sure of its success (I wasn't and still I am not, of the whole exercise either) simply because in this part I didn't have any concrete idea or hypothesis or anything except that city must be expressing itself in other ways then mere audio-visual. So I thought of finding out the "city smelt" ( shahar ki ghrana nirmiti) and "city touched" (Shahar ki sparsh nirmiti) I did quite some not so sensible things like assuming city is what roads are hence there texture is of coarse, coarse, I touched it with my palm all spread over it. Similarly feeling over filled sanitary landfill at Azadpur bypass isn't pleasant by any mean. Shahar ki Ghran nirmiti: Shahr ki koi ek gandh hoti hai ise sahsa sweekar karna kathin hai, yeh isliye bhi hai ki shahar kisi bhi sandarbh mein ek (monolithic) saranchna nahin hai atah uski ek gandh (ya awaz, ya drishya...) ki apeksha karana sarthak nahin hai. Tathapi zid hi sahi par mujhe lagta hai ki shahar ki koi gandh to hai jo isi shahr ki hai. yadi sahityik sandarbh se khojein to apni dilli ke sath apni pehchan jodne wale lekhakon mein se ek "krisna baldev vaid" apne charchit aur vivadit upanyas "vimal urf jaen to jaen kahan" mein jis gandh ko is shahr ki gandh kehtein hai vah hai (vi) mal ki gandh. bypass ke kachrein ki gandh shahr bhar ke kachrei ki gandh ka nichor hai par mein sweekar nahin kar paya ki shahar kewal yeh kachra hai ya phir pushpa, itra vagaraih.... Apne pryaog mein maine bypass ke alava GTK Industrial area, now relandscaped Jawahar Gulab Vatika at DU, Idgah Road (Please note slaughter house is located here..) ko ab tak liya hai. swabhavik hai ki itne sthal prayapta nahin hai par hum sabi ki seenmaen hai. Tay yah bhi kiya hai ki inke varnan ke liye kuchh aur karna sambhav nahin hai atah pathya yani text ke madhyam se hi varnan kiya jayega. Shahr ki Sparsh Nirmiti: What I thought in this context is simple. Spread my palm on the structure I am calling cityscape landmarks. so I did it with roads, buildings, railings along road and also along one bridge. Touching city is slightly different then expected. I thought touch will primarily be touch of the structure and imagination will have to work hard to reach the touch of the city, that was not the case! yes imagination did work but not that hard. Believe me! city does vibrate (actually my word is 'spandan' (beats)) and this spandan says a lot about the buzzing city. Still working to decipher what it is. I did get quite a few replies through list as well directly to my mail box. Thanks a lot to all of you. Could not reply some of these individually, especially I will mention sadan. I could not answer because I am still working to sort out the issues Sadan raised. Thanks you all. Vijender From vijender_chauhan at hotmail.com Wed May 4 14:00:35 2005 From: vijender_chauhan at hotmail.com (vijender chauhan) Date: Wed, 04 May 2005 14:00:35 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] "city smelt" (shahar ki ghrana nirmiti) &"city touched"(Shahar ki sparsh nirmiti Message-ID: Hi All, Last week I thought of experimenting a bit. I wasn't very sure of its success (I wasn't and still I am not, of the whole exercise either) simply because in this part I didn't have any concrete idea or hypothesis or anything except that city must be expressing itself in other ways then mere audio-visual. So I thought of finding out the "city smelt" ( shahar ki ghrana nirmiti) and "city touched" (Shahar ki sparsh nirmiti) I did quite some not so sensible things like assuming city is what roads are hence there texture is of coarse, coarse, I touched it with my palm all spread over it. Similarly feeling over filled sanitary landfill at Azadpur bypass isn't pleasant by any mean. Shahar ki Ghran nirmiti: Shahr ki koi ek gandh hoti hai ise sahsa sweekar karna kathin hai, yeh isliye bhi hai ki shahar kisi bhi sandarbh mein ek (monolithic) saranchna nahin hai atah uski ek gandh (ya awaz, ya drishya...) ki apeksha karana sarthak nahin hai. Tathapi zid hi sahi par mujhe lagta hai ki shahar ki koi gandh to hai jo isi shahr ki hai. yadi sahityik sandarbh se khojein to apni dilli ke sath apni pehchan jodne wale lekhakon mein se ek "krisna baldev vaid" apne charchit aur vivadit upanyas "vimal urf jaen to jaen kahan" mein jis gandh ko is shahr ki gandh kehtein hai vah hai (vi) mal ki gandh. bypass ke kachrein ki gandh shahr bhar ke kachrei ki gandh ka nichor hai par mein sweekar nahin kar paya ki shahar kewal yeh kachra hai ya phir pushpa, itra vagaraih.... Apne pryaog mein maine bypass ke alava GTK Industrial area, now relandscaped Jawahar Gulab Vatika at DU, Idgah Road (Please note slaughter house is located here..) ko ab tak liya hai. swabhavik hai ki itne sthal prayapta nahin hai par hum sabi ki seenmaen hai. Tay yah bhi kiya hai ki inke varnan ke liye kuchh aur karna sambhav nahin hai atah pathya yani text ke madhyam se hi varnan kiya jayega. Shahr ki Sparsh Nirmiti: What I thought in this context is simple. Spread my palm on the structure I am calling cityscape landmarks. so I did it with roads, buildings, railings along road and also along one bridge. Touching city is slightly different then expected. I thought touch will primarily be touch of the structure and imagination will have to work hard to reach the touch of the city, that was not the case! yes imagination did work but not that hard. Believe me! city does vibrate (actually my word is 'spandan' (beats)) and this spandan says a lot about the buzzing city. Still working to decipher what it is. I did get quite a few replies through list as well directly to my mail box. Thanks a lot to all of you. Could not reply some of these individually, especially I will mention sadan. I could not answer because I am still working to sort out the issues Sadan raised. Thanks you all. Vijender _________________________________________________________________ MSN Careers! http://www.timesjobs.com/MSN/ Sign up now! From jcm at ata.org.pe Wed May 4 15:13:08 2005 From: jcm at ata.org.pe (Jose-Carlos Mariategui) Date: Wed, 04 May 2005 04:43:08 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Art & Media Symposium - Latin-American and the Iberian Peninsula. Message-ID: (ENGLISH VERSION BELOW) SIMPOSIO ARTE & MEDIA - PRIMER ENCUENTRO IBEROAMERICANO Del 02 al 04 de junio de 2005 MECAD\Media Centre d'Art i Disseny de ESDi y la Mediateca de la Fundación "la Caixa" organizan el Simposio Arte & Media - Primer Encuentro Iberoamericano de Nuevas Tendencias en Arte y Tecnología. El evento reúne, por primera vez, a más de 35 renombrados especialistas -artistas, teóricos, comisarios, representantes de instituciones académicas y culturales- de los diferentes países de América Latina, España y Portugal, que tratarán cuestiones relevantes respecto a las últimas tendencias del arte y las tecnologías digitales, con un enfoque especial en el contexto iberoamericano. Paralelamente al evento se presentan siete muestras de media art de artistas de Argentina, Chile, Perú, Colombia, España, Portugal y ESDi/MECAD. Lugar: CaixaForum, Barcelona. Inscripciones online. Plazas limitadas. Certificado de asistencia. Para más información: info at mecad.org / http://www.mecad.org/simposio.htm http://www.mediatecaonline.net/artemedia/cas/index.htm +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ >From June 02nd to 04th 2005 MECAD/ESDi and the Mediateca of the Fundación "la Caixa" organize the Art & Media Symposium - First Encounter of New Tendencies in Art and Technology between Latin-American and the Iberian Peninsula. The event brings together, for the first time, more than 35 specialists - artists, theoreticians, curators, academic and cultural institutions personalities - of the different Latin-America countries, Spain and Portugal. Place: CaixaForum, Barcelona. Program. Inscriptions online. Limited places. Attendance certificate. For more information: info at mecad.org / http://www.mecad.org/simposio.htm http://www.mediatecaonline.net/artemedia/eng/ From urmilabhirdikar at gmail.com Wed May 4 18:59:01 2005 From: urmilabhirdikar at gmail.com (urmila bhirdikar) Date: Wed, 4 May 2005 18:59:01 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Marathi natyasangit Message-ID: Hi Most of the time i have been looking at the disacographies of the 78rpm records (in the remarkable work of Michael Kinnear and other scholars like Rajeev Patke) and acquiring and listening to the records. i am beginning to see ways of thinking in some definite ways about what i have conveniently called the 'aethetiics of the three minute format" (which applies to the records of slightly longer duration as well ). Specific to my context, it seems that this format went a long way in determining the idea of a 'complete' musical performance across genres and individual styles and for a music that was ideally/ essentially interminable because of the cyclical rhythm and the basic principles of improvisation. the imposition of external time over this music and the determination of genres through this imposition seems an interesting idea to follow. On another level the discographies may allow the 'construction' of a (very large perhaps) popular repertoire of both bandishes and tunes. let me talk about only tunes here. the early texts of marathi plays declare the 'base tune' (post 1910s mostly of hindusthani bandishes) of the stage songs. Does this declaration presume the familiarity of the reader with these tunes, and possibly the popularity of the gramophone records with the general public? there were of course 'Padyawalis" published in separate booklets with notations (which presumes the public is educated enough in reading music!!), but these booklets were diiscarded in subsequent editions. the tune, i think is a more interesting area to look into, as it behaves as the most abstract musical format in which words are 'fitted' to bring out specific emothins. this is not a new insight, (as we hear all those election songs based on popular tunes) but an area to look into how languages are negotiated in the abstract musical tunes. this is what i am looking at right now, so more on this later. Also the genres: this is a vast and mostly gray area... but i am still at the stage of wonderment to understand precisely how the baiji thumri became the genre of establishing ideal and respectable uppercaste womanhood in marathi theatre. at this moment i do not want to put my finger on some seemingly obvious conclusions, but suffice it to say that i am thinking of the core of 'fragile' practices in determing gender roles and relations. Apart from this, the "glossary" of terms for describing music is on the way. I wonder why some voices are called "Pahadi". i know the voice that is being mentioned here... but what does that word mean really? the time i spent in bombay was worth every moment, specially for getting hold of an idea of some 'undeclared' sources of certain base tunes. Quite suddenly, there are is a lot of marathi natyasangit in the market in new cds etc... the general hype of re discovering natysangit is in the air.. on that note, i am going to see two new productions of plays first performed in 1890s and 1916 respectively. I guess there is a lot to be said about the continuation of the popularity of this genre here.. some of which is best captured in begum barve... will speak about this a bit later. Urmila From basvanheur at gmx.net Wed May 4 22:11:48 2005 From: basvanheur at gmx.net (Bas Van Heur) Date: Wed, 4 May 2005 18:41:48 +0200 (MEST) Subject: [Reader-list] Edition #13 of cut.up.magazine Message-ID: <6460.1115224908@www20.gmx.net> A balanced diet: photography, music, literature, theory and politics. Edition #13 of cut.up.magazine is now online at: http://www.cut-up.com 5 articles: - Schoonheid en Vergankelijkheid / interview with Margi Geerlinks (Gerard de Jong) - “Let’s talk about Music” / interview with Autechre (Erik Hollanders) - Staande Ovatie / fiction (Roel Verstappen) - Sovereignty and Biology / theory (Alexander Galloway & Eugene Thacker) - Weigeraars ID-plicht verenigen zich / politics (Alex van Veen) Reviews: STEIM avond met Joseph Suchy, F.X. Randomiz, Michel Waisvisz en Laetitia Sonami; Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Worn Copy; Karl Marx Stadt – 1997-2004; Wouter Godijn – Kamermuziek of de Weg naar Onverschilligheid; scsiCELL met Peal, About Paris en Ex-Models!; Alec Empire – Futurist; Electronicat – Voodoo Man; Autechre in Petrol, Antwerpen; V/A – Too Massive; Trans_European Picnic, Tektonik, Bitomatik, Divanik; V/A – First; Andrey Kiritchenko – Scatter Stars. And more: cut.up.magazine is looking for writers and reviewers! Please send us an e-mail and we will be happy to overwhelm you with more information. Editors info **at** cut-up.com cut.up.media po box 313 2000 AH Haarlem -- +++ Lassen Sie Ihren Gedanken freien Lauf... z.B. per FreeSMS +++ GMX bietet bis zu 100 FreeSMS/Monat: http://www.gmx.net/de/go/mail From pz at vsnl.net Thu May 5 01:31:57 2005 From: pz at vsnl.net (Punam Zutshi) Date: Thu, 05 May 2005 01:31:57 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Dastangoi at IIC Message-ID: <006401c550e4$21eccda0$97f341db@punamzutshi> Mahmood, Himanshu and Sarai, Congratulations on a perfectly riveting performance at IIC! Mahmood and Himanshu seem to have pulled off a masterly recreation of the dastangoi in tandem.The feat surely lies in presenting a dastangoi style which has both originality and integrity.One finds it difficult to imagine anything but the wry and not so wry humour and sophistication with which the " tilism " stories were told. Wish though, that there was more on dastans and dastangoi in the limited time available by Prof Farooqui and Mahmood. Some preliminary questions for Mahmood : What is the tone/style of the bazm and war stories ( razm?)? Would the style adopted by Mahmood and Himanshu be appropriate to the narration of these other streams? The magical universe is also parodied in some ways in some ways isn't it? Have you thought of Bettelheim's 'uses of enchantment' in this context? There is blood and violence and 'aaiyari' in these stories...what is the world view of the dastans? What do the dastans say about love and war and magic? What of the relationship between Khuda and Shaitan, and between their powers and tilism? What is the relationship of these stories to speech , literature and poetry? Could you elaborate a little on Ghalib's view of these dastans? Have other major writers commented on these texts? Regards, Punam From idy010 at coventry.ac.uk Thu May 5 03:56:55 2005 From: idy010 at coventry.ac.uk (idy010 at coventry.ac.uk) Date: Wed, 4 May 2005 23:26:55 +0100 (BST) Subject: [Reader-list] UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LAUNCHES INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION FOR PLAY WRITES Message-ID: <62364.62.255.32.9.1115245615.squirrel@webmail.services.coventry.ac.uk> Dear all Sorry for X Posting.... posting on behalf of Nancy Best Sreejata ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks, Sreejata - please forward the information to anyone you think would be interested. Regards Nancy Dear Friends and Colleagues, Please forward the announcement below to any writers, artists, scientists, etc. who may find it of interest. And please excuse the impersonal nature of this e-mail! With best wishes, Nancy Kawalek ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nancy Kawalek Studio Professor Director, Professional Artists Lab Department of Film Studies Media Arts & Technology University of California Santa Barbara, CA 93106-4010 Phone: (805) 893-7244 Fax: (801) 383-3860 E-mail: kawalek at filmstudies.ucsb.edu URL: www.proartslab.ucsb.edu ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LAUNCHES INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION FOR PLAYS ABOUT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY WITH $10,000 PRIZE The Professional Artists Lab and the California NanoSystems Institute at the University of California, Santa Barbara announce a collaborative effort, the first International STAGE Script Competition, open to plays about science and technology. The winning script in the Scientists, Technologists and Artists Generating Exploration (STAGE) competition will receive $10,000 USD; a staged reading with a cast of professional actors and simultaneous participation in an awards event with distinguished professionals from the worlds of theatre, film, science and technology; and the opportunity to go through the Professional Artists Lab's development process, which includes access to advice and guidance from professional theatre and film artists as well as experts in the fields of science, engineering and technology. Scripts will be judged by an esteemed panel of jurors from both the arts and sciences. Thus far, the judges include two Nobel Laureates: Dr. David Gross (Physics, 2004) and Dr. Alan Heeger (Chemistry, 2000). Additional judges to be announced shortly. Submitted plays must explore scientific and/or technological stories, themes, issues or events. (The competition is not open to plays written in the genre of science fiction.) Entries must be postmarked by Dec. 15. The winning play will be announced on June 15, 2006. For details about the competition and submission guidelines, visit http://www.cnsi.ucsb.edu/stage/. STAGE endeavors to: - catalyze the development of art that depicts the technological age in which we live - foster new and imaginative voices and methods of storytelling - cultivate appreciation and collaboration between the two cultures of science and art - promote understanding of the sciences in the public arena - accomplish all of the above within an international community The Professional Artists Lab (www.proartslab.ucsb.edu) is a dynamic artistic laboratory in the Department of Film Studies and the Media Arts and Technology Program at UCSB, in which professional actors, directors, writers and producers create and develop new works in film, theatre, television, radio and multi-media performance. The California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) (www.cnsi.ucsb.edu), one of the prestigious California Institutes for Science and Innovation, focuses on dramatic breakthroughs in materials, devices and resulting technologies, made possible by controlling form and function at the nanoscale. These breakthroughs are being accomplished through the integration of many science and engineering disciplines, and will have broad applications for innovation in communication, biomedical, energy and environmental technologies. The Professional Artists Lab and CNSI plan to launch many other collaborations, including STAGE 2, a similar competition for screenplays about science and technology. Download this as a file From vivek at sarai.net Tue May 3 14:57:48 2005 From: vivek at sarai.net (Vivek Narayanan) Date: Tue, 03 May 2005 14:57:48 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] [Announcements] Performance and talk by Mahmood Farooqui in Delhi Message-ID: <42774414.4000809@sarai.net> Dear All, Mahmood Farooqui, one of Sarai's current IFellows, is performing at the IIC auditorium on the 4th of May at 6:30 pm. Details below. It'll be great if some of us can make it. Do spread the word - no passes/invites required. Cheers, Ranita ----- India International Centre presents Dastangoi – The Lost Art of Story-Telling in Urdu Lecture and performance Introduction: Prof. S.R. Faruqui, Editor, Shabkhoon and pre-eminent critic of Urdu; and author of the best known work on Dastan – E- Amir Hamza Performance of Dastangoi By Mahmood Farooqui, actor and theatre director who is currently working on a study of Dastans; and Himanshu Tyagi, actor Illustrated talk by Mahmood Farooqui Chair: William Dalrymple On Wednesday, 4th May 2005 at 6:30 pm in the Centre’s Auditorium, 40 Max Mueller Marg, New Delhi 110003 Entry open to all _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From madhuja_m at yahoo.co.in Wed May 4 12:30:55 2005 From: madhuja_m at yahoo.co.in (madhuja mukherjee) Date: Wed, 4 May 2005 08:00:55 +0100 (BST) Subject: [Reader-list] hi calcutta fellows In-Reply-To: <20050502091847.B80DC28D916@mail.sarai.net> Message-ID: <20050504070056.31602.qmail@web8206.mail.in.yahoo.com> hi, when can the fellows from calcutta meet ? how about sometime end of may ? one person just fixing a date may not work...when is it okay for 'all '? ( well, majority !) madhuja Yahoo! India Matrimony: Find your life partneronline. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050504/e6a01eb8/attachment.html From postsalam at gmail.com Wed May 4 10:31:17 2005 From: postsalam at gmail.com (abdus salam) Date: Wed, 4 May 2005 10:31:17 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Strangers in the City: Lives & Longings of Bangladeshi Immigrants in Guwahati Message-ID: <42fa655b05050322014b271999@mail.gmail.com> Throughout much of the late nineteenth and first half of the twentieth centuries a hungry tide of humanity left their flood-ravaged, cyclone-prone homelands to cultivate vast tracts of wetlands in what was the virgin agrarian frontier of the lower Brahmaputra valley. Negotiating their way through harsh legislative proscriptions like the Line Settlement System, which demarcated permissible regions of influx and zones of prohibition, the "Bangladeshi" immigrants established themselves as the vanguard of the rice economy. But the ever-changing course of the inundated river wrought periodic havoc on their settlements, pushing them, in the first instance, into the so-called 'char areas', riverine islands thrown up and getting submerged with a crude logic of their own, and finally onto that great urban refuge, the 'gateway to the North-east', Guwahati. Growing up in the capital city of Assam in the turbulent years of the Assam agitation I saw the xenophobia that immigration-legal or illegal-whips up in the native or if I may say, those who form an older, inner layer in the societal onion. The resentment and the non-acceptance persists even in a situation where the immigrant, knowing his condition of no-return,makes an extra-effort to ameliorate cultural forms that to the native gaze constitutes an alien manifest. I study history and often justify my engagement with the discipline as an indispensable tool for coming to an understanding of the present. Yet I feel the possibility of understanding the past can arise from an attempt to unravel the present too. To understand certain meanings of immigration, of acceptance, of crossing the bridge from being an immigrant to a native, I wanted to look at the clusters of Bangladeshi immigrants in Guwahati, how the city they try to adopt takes to them: does it ever become home or do they remain strangers in the city? What means do they invent to navigate the social barricades this moving to a different cultural and linguistic zone throws at them? ******* **** ******* The aforementioned abstract constitutes my I-fellowship Project.I have structured my work into two components-the research bit and field surveys. But before i indicate the direction my efforts have taken a very important clarification is in place. It is the fact that i use the term "Bangladeshi immigrants" in a very loose and all-encompassing sense. The history and pattern of migration in present-day Assam is a bitterly contested domain. I cite an incident that took place not too far back in time to illustrate my point-On the 10th of April, 1992, the then Chief Minister of Assam, the late Mr. Hiteswar Saikia announced on the floor of the legislative assembly that there were 30 lakh [3million]Bangladeshi immigrants in Assam. The statement raised such a ruckus that the very next day Mr. Saikia was forced to go into denial mode. Saikia's backpedalling had a lot to do with the portentous ramifications such statistics entail.While inviting severe backlash from the "minority lobby", it could also constitute a belated admission of the continued porousness of the shared international border, and the demographic threat to the "indigenous populace".The emotive content that beleagueres this issue precludes any informed and considered discourse on the situation/condition of the "Bangladeshi". Rather than stir up the hornet's nest,i use Bangladeshi immigrants in a catch-all sense, to mean anyone who traces his ancestry to the present-day nation state of Bangladesh. From postsalam at gmail.com Wed May 4 10:44:55 2005 From: postsalam at gmail.com (abdus salam) Date: Wed, 4 May 2005 10:44:55 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Strangers in the City: Lives & Longings of Bangladeshi Immigrants in Guwahati-II Message-ID: <42fa655b05050322143f8517a6@mail.gmail.com> The venue: the high-sounding "Pink Palace"; in effect a flight of red sandstone slabs yielding to an open-air platform adjoining the Administrative Block of the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. The occasion: a 'Freshers Welcome Party' for the Assamese newcomers to the hallowed institution, circa 2003. As the searing August heat transmuted into a hallucinatory post-dinner zephyr, the fledglings were paraded severally for their customary shearing session. One worthy, in his introductory speech, addressed the gathering in Hindi, attributing his inability to speak Assamese to an upbringing primarily away from the state.His apologetical note got a wag to offer an ready exoneration; the latter's contention being that since even the Bangladeshis [in Assam] can speak Assamese, proficiency in the language was no touchstone of authenticity. What ostensibly was a witty repartee intended to bring the assembled house down [in its English rendering attempted above, comes across as half not funny] reveals, as i revisit the incident now, an outward manifest of a notion, bordering almost on conviction, entrenched in the Assamese consciousness-the 'ethnic Assamese' consciousness to be more precise;put in commonspeak, a Bangladeshi is a Bangladeshi is a Bangladeshi. Of the course the reality of the "Bongal/Mia" [local derogatory appellations for the category in question] is a far more layered one....but more on that later. From yargam at yahoo.co.in Wed May 4 21:05:10 2005 From: yargam at yahoo.co.in (yargam) Date: Wed, 4 May 2005 16:35:10 +0100 (BST) Subject: [Reader-list] eperimental film Message-ID: <20050504153510.17147.qmail@web8410.mail.in.yahoo.com> hello everybody, i am staring my experimental documentary film on my memories of my school, burn hall.it is titled "burnhallian" from, riyaz ali Yahoo! India Matrimony: Find your life partneronline. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050504/5b2fc8fc/attachment.html From jhuns at vt.edu Wed May 4 22:51:29 2005 From: jhuns at vt.edu (Jeremy Hunsinger) Date: Wed, 4 May 2005 13:21:29 -0400 Subject: [Reader-list] [Announcements] Call For Proposals-CDDC Message-ID: <6A554B37-B768-4434-93F1-2B65D7D66B44@vt.edu> Please distribute as appropriate. The Center for Digital Discourse and Culture(CDDC) is announcing an expanded call for proposal for our Research E-ditions, Hosting Services, and our new Digital Originals publishing series. CDDC in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University is accepting new manuscripts for digital modes of publication in its Research E- ditions series. The CDDC ( http://www.cddc.vt.edu ) has been in operation for nearly two years, and it publishes hypertext journals, hosts digital research archives, and cooperates with many international cyberculture organizations. As an entirely digital point-of-publication, the CDDC will review and then produce professional academic research works--either single- authored or edited collections--in a digital format. Proposals could take the form of an "e-book" that simply makes available a scholarly monograph in online format, or a collection of academic papers organized around a central theme, or a fully hypertextual experiment with new forms of digital discourse. Arrangements can be made for "print on demand" (POD) paper versions of these works, but the main focus of the CDDC is to explore the new communicative potentials of hypertext, hypermedia, and web-centered publication. The review processes will be as extensive and rigorous as those experienced in print academic communication, but it too will be conducted in a fully on-line format. Research E-ditions All topics are potentially of interest in the Research E-ditions series, however, we are particularly interested in manuscripts, digital archives, and hypertexts from the humanities and social sciences relating to the areas of cyberculture, social theory, literary studies, digital art, and cultural studies. In addition, the CDDC is committed to proposals from applied and natural sciences that relate directly to the fields of bioinformatics, energy and environmental studies, and information technology and communications. Hosting at CDDC All topics and projects of academic interest that require hosting are solicited for the Hosting at CDDC project. We host and mirror several major projects and have space for many more. We host projects serving a broad set of communities. We provide basic facilities of web hosting and listserv hosting. Any requirements beyond basic hosting should be outlined in the proposal. Hosting is frequently used in conjuction with various forms of community software, e- journal software, or related software to support artistic, academic, and related content. Digital Originals Digital Originals is open access publishing for book-like digital projects. We are soliciting submissions from people who have materials that originate in the digital arena, and want them to be released either under a Creative Commons license or under an Open Content License. The original documents will be peer-reviewed, edited, and published with an ISBN assigned and made freely downloadable on the CDDC Website. Proposals: Initial proposals should take the form of a 1 page description of the project, including a description of the services requested, a description of the project's audience, and provide current examples of the work (URLS) that is to be hosted or published. All proposals will be peer reviewed with at least two reviewers and further information may be requested. The review process is as rigorous as any academic publisher. Proposals should be sent to CDDC at vt.edu Jeremy Hunsinger Center for Digital Discourse and Culture () ascii ribbon campaign - against html mail /\ - against microsoft attachments -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050504/19349101/attachment.html -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From vivek at sarai.net Thu May 5 15:58:08 2005 From: vivek at sarai.net (Vivek Narayanan) Date: Thu, 05 May 2005 15:58:08 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Brazil spurns US terms for AIDS help Message-ID: <4279F538.8020202@sarai.net> Brazil spurns US terms for Aids help Sarah Boseley and Suzanne Goldenberg in Washington Wednesday May 4, 2005 The Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/brazil/story/0,12462,1475966,00.html Brazil yesterday became the first country to take a public stand against the Bush administration's massive Aids programme which is seen by many as seeking increasingly to press its anti-abortion, pro-abstinence sexual agenda on poorer countries. Campaigners applauded Brazil's rejection of $40m for its Aids programmes because it refuses to agree to a declaration condemning prostitution. The government and many Aids organisations believe such a declaration would be a serious barrier to helping sex workers protect themselves and their clients from infection. Article continues The demand from the US administration, heavily influenced by the religious right, follows what is known as the "global gag" - a ban on US government funds to any foreign-based organisation which has links to abortion. This has resulted in the removal of millions of dollars of funding from family planning clinics worldwide. Yesterday Pedro Chequer, the director of Brazil's HIV/Aids programme, said the government had managed to resist US pressure during negotiations on the Aids funding to focus on promoting abstinence and fidelity rather than condoms - another ideological battle being waged by the religious right. But the US negotiators insisted that the clause on prostitution had to stay. "I would like to confirm that Brazil has taken this decision in order to preserve its autonomy on issues related to national policies on HIV/Aids as well as ethical and human rights principles," he told the Guardian. Campaigners congratulated the Brazilian government for its stance, and voiced concerns that the declaration on prostitution could damage efforts to tackle Aids among sex workers in many countries. Jodi Jacobson of the Centre for Health and Gender Equity in the US said that, unlike the global gag, the declaration on prostitution looked likely to be imposed on US-based organisations as well as their subsidiaries abroad. The office of Randall Tobias, the global Aids coordinator who is responsi ble for spending the $15bn President Bush promised for the fight against Aids, was working on the language to be adopted, she said. "Any organisation receiving US global Aids funding will have to agree to the policy," she said. That would include charities as large as Care, Save the Children and World Vision. "It is a hugely problematic policy from the standpoint of public health alone. It goes against the entire grain of public health principles in not judging the people you are trying to reach." But Sam Brownback, a leading Senate conservative, told the Wall Street Journal: "Obviously Brazil has the right to act however it chooses in this regard. We're talking about promotion of prostitution which the majority of both the house and the Senate believe is harmful to women." Most US Aids funding goes directly to organisations working in the field and much will be channelled through faith organisations that back the no-abortion, pro-abstinence and anti-prostitution stance of the US neo-conservatives. But the Brazilian government has strong HIV/Aids policies and insists that all negotiations go through its own committee. It also has a strong partnership between government and non-governmental organisations that encouraged a united response to Washington. "This would be entirely in contradiction with Brazilian guidelines for a programme that has been working very well for years. We are providing condoms, and doing a lot of prevention work with sex workers, and the rate of infection has stabilised and dropped since the 1980s," said Sonia Correa, an Aids activist in Brazil and co-chair of the International Working Group on Sexuality and Social Policy. "The US is doing the same in other countries - bullying, pushing and forcing - but not every country has the possibility to say no." Adrienne Germain, president of the International Women's Health Coalition, said: "The importance of the Brazilian government decision can not be overstated." From aleclerc at fondation-langlois.org Thu May 5 21:06:43 2005 From: aleclerc at fondation-langlois.org (=?iso-8859-1?Q?Andr=E9anne_Leclerc?=) Date: Thu, 5 May 2005 11:36:43 -0400 Subject: [Reader-list] News from the Daniel Langlois Foundation Message-ID: <641A525B0A2A2540B1DD0A3DE660241C982C4F@exchange.terra-incognita.net> Grants for Researchers in Residence: August 31, 2005 deadline As it does every year, the Daniel Langlois Foundation is currently offering research grants. The proposals selected will see researchers conduct work at the Foundation's Centre for Research and Documentation. And while the program does not impose research themes per se, the Foundation would like to direct one of the two grants to research on the "Documentation and Conservation of the Media Arts Heritage," the focus of a major research effort led by the Foundation. Individuals wishing to submit a research proposal are asked to read the program's guidelines: http://www.fondation-langlois.org/flash/e/index.php?NumPage=121 From rasmus.fleischer at post.utfors.se Fri May 6 06:14:34 2005 From: rasmus.fleischer at post.utfors.se (rasmus fleischer) Date: Fri, 6 May 2005 02:44:34 +0200 Subject: [Reader-list] Fwd: 800 pirates demonstrated in Stockholm on May 1st Message-ID: [from: support at piratbyran.org] Press Release Monday, May 04, 2005 More than 800 pirates and filesharers demonstrated in Stockholm on Sunday May 1st. Among the speakers were broadband industry figure Jonas Birgersson and representatives from the free art/culture scene and The Pirate Agency. It was perhaps one of the largest gatherings ever of Internet pirates, copyright-critics and other believers in free culture. The demonstration was held under the paroles “freedom to copy” which was manifested through a successful physical copy swap. The speakers included Palle Torsson from Artliberated, Jonas Birgersson, a Swedish Internet-figure and CEO of Bredband2, and finally Sara Andersson from The Pirate Agency who spoke about the importance of copying and the urgent need of privacy in digital communication. The Pirate Agency media contact: Tobias Andersson, +46 (0)734 072091, tobias at piratbyran.org Story on Swedish National Television (Friday) http://svt.se/svt/jsp/Crosslink.jsp?d=14604 Photos from the demonstration http://pbdemo.ath.cx/stockholm/20050501/ The Artliberated Network http://www.artliberated.org/ The Pirate Agency http://www.piratbyran.org/ The Pirate Agency (Piratbyrån) was founded in 2003 in support of the global movement against copyright and in defense of the idea that information and culture should remain free. With more than 40 000 community members we are one of the largest movements in the world supporting filesharing and piracy. From jace at pobox.com Fri May 6 12:36:07 2005 From: jace at pobox.com (Kiran Jonnalagadda) Date: Fri, 6 May 2005 12:36:07 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] User interface on LiveJournal In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <899f4b457bf6846374622e2ae892c761@pobox.com> On May 1, 2005, at 9:51 PM, Kiran Jonnalagadda wrote: > 3. LiveJournal provides a one-month notice period for deleted accounts > to be revived. In practice, however, deleted accounts are rarely > purged and may be recovered anytime. This results in cases of an owner > deleting their account when they want to *temporarily* go offline. LiveJournal announced today that they have an account purging system in place finally: http://www.livejournal.com/community/lj_maintenance/103893.html > Warning: If you have a deleted LiveJournal account that's for years > been saying, "This will be deleted in 30 days" and you've gotten so > used to it never deleting that you assumed we never will ..... we > will. > > Tomorrow we'll start actually deleting deleted accounts. Warn any > friends of yours that have deleted accounts that you think they might > still want. (some people delete to hide their journals I hear.....) Notice the last bit in parenthesis. I have seen this happen. One user (whom I cannot identify until I have obtained his permission) posted this March 1st, 2005: > 10:40 am > Starting tomorrow I have to delete my journal for a few weeks. > > A company is going to make me an offer for a job I interviewed for a > couple of weeks ago and they will be doing an extensive background > check on me. This includes retarded things like calling my friends and > family to see what kind of person I am. Stupid ass me put > [snipped]@gmail.com as my email address on my resume which could > potentially lead them to this journal, where they would read a full > account of what an immature, perverted, derelict fart-smith I am. > Naturally, we can't have that. > > I'll be back in a few weeks. Later. > > -[snipped] He returned quickly. March 4th, 2005: > 5:08 pm > Hey all, I'm back. > > Got the new job which is cool, and by cool, I mean totally sweet. > We're open for business, drop me a line. I have other examples, but sadly none with a quote I can reproduce here. LiveJournal has always maintained that deleted accounts will be purged in 30 days. LiveJournal's policy was out of sync with reality. Notice how users build their experience around expected behaviour, not stated behaviour, and that the difference between these two is so well established that LiveJournal has to make a warning announcement that expected behaviour will henceforth match stated behaviour. -- Kiran Jonnalagadda http://www.pobox.com/~jace From zainab at xtdnet.nl Fri May 6 13:38:38 2005 From: zainab at xtdnet.nl (zainab at xtdnet.nl) Date: Fri, 6 May 2005 12:08:38 +0400 (RET) Subject: [Reader-list] Thinking Freedom Message-ID: <3186.219.65.13.122.1115366918.squirrel@webmail.xtdnet.nl> Thinking Freedom These days, the person most on my mind is Santosh Yadav, the chanawala at the Marine Drive promenade. Santoshji and I had gradually become known to each other – he watching me regularly and I seeing him regularly on the promenade. Our interactions began with smiles, then short chit-chats and on the last day when I met him, we had a pretty long conversation where he also introduced me to his cousins who were selling sing-chana at Marine Drive. On that day, Santoshji spoke with me about his lifestyle. “I come to the promenade at 4 PM in the evening and am here till 10 PM. I earn enough money and am able to save about five to six thousand rupees a month. I sleep behind the Express Towers. Mornings are for myself. Life is good. Today, a lady from this area offered me a job. She says I will be treated well and the salary is also good. I shall go and see how it is there and then decide.” Santoshji was recounting how life had become tough for him with the surveillance daily from the Municipality, preventing him from doing dhanda on the promenade. I don’t see him anymore. And perhaps he has taken up the job that was offered to him, not because he wanted to trade his freedom for a regular job, but because the very conditions of freedom for him to do business are increasingly being curbed by the state and he was clear that soon, hawkers would be evicted completely from the Marine Drive promenade. I have narrated Santoshji’s story on my blog before, but these days, my thoughts are wavering on the ideas of freedom and in this regard, I miss Santoshji immensely. Santoshji, when he had spoken to me about his lifestyle, appeared satisfied with the way life was for him. He had no qualms about sleeping behind Express Towers and was happy to save enough money to send to home at the end of the month. Living on a day-to-day basis has perhaps been life for him – not intensely speculating about the future, the concerns of security which haunt our culture. While thinking freedom, I remember also this vivid picture at Marine Drive one evening. I was waiting for Rads outside Pizzeria. Opposite the restaurant were two beggar girls, one beggar woman and two beggar boys. Of the two girls, one was about three to four years old. She was an amazing girl, completely relaxed and basking in the sun. She was lying down, her head on the pavement and one foot on top of the other, swaying the free leg in the air. After a while, she got up and the other girl and she began dancing. I was too tempted to remove my camera and shoot some pictures of the sight – the freedom in their dance, in the little girl’s mannerisms was too tempting for me. But I hesitated, lest my camera bring in pretense or consciousness. As I think of the girl, I begin to also recollect practices in the local trains these days. Children often come begging in the ladies compartment. Day before yesterday, two ladies in the compartment were lecturing the beggar boys to find jobs in restaurants – “so many children are studying in school in the day and working in restaurants at night. Go seek some job like that instead of begging.” This kind of didactic lecturing is not novel to beggar children and drug addict children these days. I hear these repeatedly, from my own friends and kith and kin. Why does our culture reprimand begging? Is it wrong for some people to be dependent on society and for them to lead their lives the way they want to? What is it that disturbs our society about beggars, drug addicts, etc.? While I write these words and articulate my own thoughts on freedom, I am likely to be criticized about not caring for the poor and being taken up their overt conditions. I am confirming my own thoughts on freedom whereby I don’t want state intervention in my life as well as interventions necessarily from organizations with good intentions to help the poor. When I look at conditions in the city presently, undoubtedly there are strong attempts at homogenizing lifestyles and in this respect, cultures. Management style bureaucracy and ‘place branding’ are today’s mantra. Underlying these notions is the desire for control. The state wishes to bring loose spaces under its control, to curb business practices of unorganized economy because everything must be brought under central control. I am not meaning to present the idea and practice of control in a condemning manner, but am questioning the very sustainability of practices of control. Is that how life works – through centralized control? As I think of Santosh Yadav and the little girl who was dancing opposite Pizzeria, my mind also wanders towards ideas of security for which we are each struggling and aspiring – purchasing property, fixed deposits, bonds, loans, assets, etc. Is this where true security lies? In my experiences as a researcher, I realize that ‘leap of faith’ is a difficult notion for all. But I am convinced for myself that my survival is guaranteed by the relationships which I am constructing and developing with people. Maybe that’s the way life works as well Zainab Bawa Bombay www.xanga.com/CityBytes http://crimsonfeet.recut.org/rubrique53.html From pz at vsnl.net Fri May 6 15:01:31 2005 From: pz at vsnl.net (Punam Zutshi) Date: Fri, 06 May 2005 15:01:31 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] [Announcements] Performance and talk by MahmoodFarooquiin Delhi References: <42774414.4000809@sarai.net> Message-ID: <006201c5521e$644e0b60$c6fd41db@punamzutshi> Is it possible to have the illustrated talk by Mahmood Farooqui that got edged out/abandoned at IIC on the 4th ?? Punam ----- Original Message ----- From: "Vivek Narayanan" To: Sent: Tuesday, May 03, 2005 2:57 PM Subject: [Reader-list] [Announcements] Performance and talk by MahmoodFarooquiin Delhi > > Dear All, > > Mahmood Farooqui, one of Sarai's current IFellows, is performing at the IIC > auditorium on the 4th of May at 6:30 pm. Details below. It'll be > great if some of us can make it. Do spread the word - no passes/invites > required. > > Cheers, > Ranita > ----- > > India International Centre > presents > > Dastangoi – The Lost Art of Story-Telling in Urdu > Lecture and performance > > Introduction: Prof. S.R. Faruqui, Editor, Shabkhoon and pre-eminent critic of > Urdu; and author of the best known work on Dastan – E- Amir Hamza > > Performance of Dastangoi > By Mahmood Farooqui, actor and theatre director who is currently working on > a study of Dastans; and Himanshu Tyagi, actor > > Illustrated talk by Mahmood Farooqui > Chair: William Dalrymple > > On Wednesday, 4th May 2005 at 6:30 pm in the Centre’s Auditorium, 40 Max > Mueller Marg, New Delhi 110003 > > Entry open to all > > _______________________________________________ > announcements mailing list > announcements at sarai.net > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the subject header. > List archive: > From hanjali at vsnl.com Fri May 6 12:08:32 2005 From: hanjali at vsnl.com (hanjali at vsnl.com) Date: Fri, 06 May 2005 11:38:32 +0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Re: L.V. Prasad Film & TV Academy Message-ID: An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050506/ac7b0ac9/attachment.html From jitendra82003 at yahoo.com Fri May 6 14:42:32 2005 From: jitendra82003 at yahoo.com (Jitendra Srivastava) Date: Fri, 6 May 2005 10:12:32 +0100 (BST) Subject: [Reader-list] Independent Movement, Renaissance and the Role of Journals: A Case Study of Kalyan Message-ID: <20050506091233.12628.qmail@web40702.mail.yahoo.com> Independence Movement, Renaissance and the Role of Journals : A Case Study of Kalyan While working for Gita Press, some new facts have come to light. The magazine #8216;Swadesh#8217; published from Gorakhpur played a significant role in renaissance. But there is no such evidence of Kalyan published by Gita Press, having played such a role. #8216;Kalyan#8217; was involved in arousing religious awakening in people whereas #8216;Swadesh#8217; in arousing nationalist feelings. There may be a difference of opinion as to which is more important in the struggle for independence. Some people are of the opinion that religious awakening is important for an integrated world but human and logical thinking suggests that nationalistic feelings should become religion in such situations. But articles in Kalyan do not convey such thoughts. This has no academic significance, but how can one forget that Gorakhpur was in an important position during independence movement. Choura-Chowri is related to Gorakhpur. The role of this town, situated on the road between Gorakhpur and Devaria doesn#8217;t find any mention in Kalyan. Historian Shahid Amin has done a serious and significant evaluation of this incident. Pandit Ramprasad Bismil was hanged by the Britishers in Gorakhpur. It was a vibrant town during this period. We have already discussed in an earlier study those relations of Prem Chand, Firaq and Nath sect in Gorakhpur. Bhritrihari is also related to the town but long before the birth of Gita Press. Since the last few decades, Gorakhpur is also known by Vithaldas Modi#8217;s #8216;Arogya Mandir#8217;. It is to stress have that for the last few years, there are some factors, other then Gita Press in the identity of Gorakhpur. But still Gita Press is on top of all these due to the international fame it has. Jitendra Srivastava Independent Fellow Sarai --------------------------------- Yahoo! Messenger - Communicate instantly..."Ping" your friends today! Download Messenger Now -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050506/1a58297c/attachment.html From kranenbu at xs4all.nl Fri May 6 15:46:30 2005 From: kranenbu at xs4all.nl (Rob van Kranenburg) Date: Fri, 6 May 2005 11:16:30 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] Whose Precise Imaging Is Aimed At Putting Every Indian Household On The Map Message-ID: priorities?: - Indian Space Rocket Blasts Off With Two Satellites http://www.spacedaily.com/news/eo-05zu.html Sriharikota, India (AFP) May 05, 2005 - An Indian rocket blasted off Thursday, carrying the country's ambitions to be a major global space power and two satellites that it launched into orbit. The liftoff in southeastern India marked the first time India has launched a rocket with two satellites aboard and notched up another achievement in its ambitious space programme to send a probe to the moon by 2007 or 2008. and talking about mapping spaces and people (who have become information spaces anyway): From: SpaceDaily Express ---------------------------------------------- SPACEDAILY EXPRESS - May 6, 2005 ... putting your day into space every day ... http://www.terradaily.com/news/eo-05zt.html Indian Space Rocket Blasts Off With Two Satellites Sriharikota, India (AFP) May 05, 2005 - An Indian Space Rocket Blasted Off Thursday In The Country's First Bid To Carry Two Satellites In A Single Launch, Part Of Its Ambitious Space Programme That Aims To Send A Probe To The Moon. The Launch Of The Two Satellites From The Satish Dhawan Space Port Near Madras On India's Southeast Coast Will Help Mapmakers And Amateur Radio Operators, Space Officials Said. The 44-Metre (145-Foot) Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle Lifted Off Carrying A Remote Sensing Satellite Whose Precise Imaging Is Aimed At Putting Every Indian Household On The Map And One For Home Radio Operators. -- http://www.virtueelplatform.nl/person-1024.25.html&lang=en http://blogger.xs4all.nl/kranenbu/ 0031 (0) 641930235 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050506/b438914f/attachment.html From memorial at smtp2.netcologne.de Fri May 6 12:15:12 2005 From: memorial at smtp2.netcologne.de (memorial at smtp2.netcologne.de) Date: Fri, 06 May 2005 08:45:12 +0200 Subject: [Reader-list] [Announcements] Tsunami Memorial - updates and call Message-ID: <427B1278.5050600@netcologne.de> TSUNAMI Memorial http://tsunami.a-virtual-memorial.org ************************************* Contents 1. Updates 2. Open call - deadline ongoing http://weblog.nmartproject.net/index.php?blog=6 ************************************* 1. Since 5 April "Tsunami Memorial" http://tsunami.a-virtual-memorial.org is online, a net based memorial environment and a collaborative art project dedicated in solidarity to the victims of the Tsunami disaster from December 2004 whether they died or survived. . This solidarity is a valuable contribution not in a material, but immaterial and spiritual sense. . The Memorial is a place - open and intimate simultaneously - where people can commemorate the disaster and its dimensions and take some time in order to reflect for a while. . The artists participating in this memorial environment - created by Agricola de Cologne - reflect the disaster directly or take it as a symbol for the inevitable, the overwhelming power of nature over human civilization. --> Three new contributions joint the memorial --> Brigitte Neufeld, Laszlo Najmanyi - WordCitizen, Yves Adams . Participating since the project started--> Socialist Future, Igor Ulanovsky, Gerald Schwartz Thomas Jackson Park, Seth Lew, Stephen Mead Alan Sondheim, ©mac dunlop, CEZARY OSTROWSKI Julie Andreyev, Simantha Roy, Mike Wrathell Lars Vilhelmsen, David Cheung, Eva Lewarne Robert Ciesla, Colleen Corradi, Sejma Prodanovic Victor Angelo, Jelena Vukotic, Carla Della Beffa Wittwulf Y Malik, Giovanni Bai/MUSEO TEO jody zellen, Andrea Polli, Constantine Cionca sam, Eldad Tsabary, Nicola Dale, Babel Shaun Wilson, Ilse Hilpert, Simon Longo Wolfgang Peter Menzel, Are Victor Hauffen ****************************************** 2. Open Call - Deadline ongoing TSUNAMI - the Inevitable Artists around the globe are invited to reflect the traumatic conditions of human life caused by the Tsunami Disaster in December 2004 or events of similiar dimensions, and submit art works, documents, texts or any other material connected the thematical context which can be submitted as digital file . . The complete text of this call, the conditions and the submission form can be found on http://weblog.nmartproject.net/index.php?blog=6 Deadline ongoing ******************************************** . "Tsunami Memorial" extends the series of memorial environments on A Virtual Memorial www.a-virtual-memorial.org which started on occasion of 11 September attack in 2001 with "Memorial for the Victims of Terror" http://terror.a-virtual-memorial.org followed by "Memorial for the Victims of AIDS" http://aids.a-virtual-memorial.org and Rainforest Memorial - 5 minutes before 12 memorial www.a-virtual-memorial.org/memorials/rainforest/ . "Tsunami Memorial" http://tsunami.a-virtual-memorial.org is also corporate part of [R][R][F]2005--->XP http://rrf2005.newmediafest.org . ************************************** A Virtual Memorial Memorial project against the Forgetting and for Humanity www.a-virtual-memorial.org is corporate part of [NewMediaArtProjectNetwork]:||cologne www.nmartproject.net - the experimental platform for art and New Media from Cologne/Germany . contacts: info at nmartproject.net _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From subhajitc at rediffmail.com Thu May 5 12:27:34 2005 From: subhajitc at rediffmail.com (Subhajit Chatterjee) Date: 5 May 2005 06:57:34 -0000 Subject: [Reader-list] hi calcutta fellows Message-ID: <20050505065734.15008.qmail@webmail9.rediffmail.com>   End of May seems fine with me ..cheack with the rest fr a concrete date time and venue.. On Wed, 04 May 2005 madhuja mukherjee wrote : > >hi, when can the fellows from calcutta meet ? how about sometime end of may ? one person just fixing a date may not work...when is it okay for 'all '? ( well, majority !) > >madhuja > >Yahoo! India Matrimony: Find your life partneronline. >_________________________________________ >reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >Critiques & Collaborations >To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the subject header. >List archive: -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050505/93d36814/attachment.html From veena.naregal at gmail.com Fri May 6 09:50:10 2005 From: veena.naregal at gmail.com (Veena Naregal) Date: Fri, 6 May 2005 09:50:10 +0530 Subject: Fwd: [Reader-list] Marathi natyasangit In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Dear Urmila, Its great to read of your finds...I am very interested because I have a project going on the lavani and tamasha [apart from my sarai project which, alas, is supposed to be on film distribution] I was very struck by what you said about the undeclared sources of base tunes... I wondered if your sources speak of any names of musicians/performers/artistes or lyrics or tunes that can help track the early traffic between the 'high'/respectable arena of the natyasangit and the low, supposedly obscene realm of the lavani and tamasha. Much of my own work so far on the lavani project has been ethnographic in nature, though I do want to delve into archival sources too. I have been amazed at the wealth of information to be gleaned through oral testimonies and interviews. For the most part, this record remains quite consistent and, more importantly, seems totally unavailable through other means. Sometime soon I did want to look at the journal, Rangbhumi, which took up the task of specifying what the norms and content for a respectable Marathi theatre that was to be simultaneosuly traditional and modern would look like... I cannot help but wonder if the eroticism of the lavani form [whose uniqueness and worth, somewhat surprisingly, is celebrated and acknowledged by elite Marathi literary scholars such as Y. N. Kelkar and D.V. Potdar in the 1950s] had anything to do with the respectability that the baiji thumri seems to acquire...very ironical because was not the thumri actually equally reminiscent of a 'decadent past' through its association with courtesan culture? But because it had already lent itself to appropriation into the emerging middle-class/classical aesthetic, the Hindustani thumri seemed more acceptable than the Marathi lavani, which as we know also came with an uncomfortable caste pedigree.... You probably know Peter Manuel's article on the Evolution of Modern Thumri, where he tracks the rise of the Banarasi bol banao thumri and the gradual eclipse of the bandish thumri of lucknow? Is the baiji thumri a kin of the former variety ...not being musically trained myself, I hope you will forgive my ignorance... What you say of the revival of interest in Marathi natysangit is very interesting... do you trace it to the growing cultural market for regional forms, thanks to regional language satellite TV channels and/or current trends in middle class taste, eager to shrug off even the shadowy former connections with the tamasha [ as against the significant increase in patronage for the sangeet bari in recent years]. Definitely true, it woud seem, at least, of cities such as Bombay and Pune? Looking forward to your reply, Veena On 5/4/05, urmila bhirdikar wrote: > Hi > > Most of the time i have been looking at the disacographies of the > 78rpm records (in the remarkable work of Michael Kinnear and other > scholars like Rajeev Patke) and acquiring and listening to the > records. i am beginning to see ways of thinking in some definite ways > about what i have conveniently called the 'aethetiics of the three > minute format" (which applies to the records of slightly longer > duration as well ). > > Specific to my context, it seems that this format went a long way in > determining the idea of a 'complete' musical performance across genres > and individual styles and for a music that was ideally/ essentially > interminable because of the cyclical rhythm and the basic principles > of improvisation. the imposition of external time over this music and > the determination of genres through this imposition seems an > interesting idea to follow. > > On another level the discographies may allow the 'construction' of a > (very large perhaps) popular repertoire of both bandishes and tunes. > let me talk about only tunes here. the early texts of marathi plays > declare the 'base tune' (post 1910s mostly of hindusthani bandishes) > of the stage songs. Does this declaration presume the familiarity of > the reader with these tunes, and possibly the popularity of the > gramophone records with the general public? > there were of course 'Padyawalis" published in separate booklets with > notations (which presumes the public is educated enough in reading > music!!), but these booklets were diiscarded in subsequent editions. > the tune, i think is a more interesting area to look into, as it > behaves as the most abstract musical format in which words are > 'fitted' to bring out specific emothins. this is not a new insight, > (as we hear all those election songs based on popular tunes) but an > area to look into how languages are negotiated in the abstract musical > tunes. this is what i am looking at right now, so more on this later. > > Also the genres: this is a vast and mostly gray area... but i am still > at the stage of wonderment to understand precisely how the baiji > thumri became the genre of establishing ideal and respectable > uppercaste womanhood in marathi theatre. at this moment i do not want > to put my finger on some seemingly obvious conclusions, but suffice it > to say that i am thinking of the core of 'fragile' practices in > determing gender roles and relations. > > Apart from this, the "glossary" of terms for describing music is on > the way. I wonder why some voices are called "Pahadi". i know the > voice that is being mentioned here... but what does that word mean > really? > > the time i spent in bombay was worth every moment, specially for > getting hold of an idea of some 'undeclared' sources of certain base > tunes. > > Quite suddenly, there are is a lot of marathi natyasangit in the > market in new cds etc... the general hype of re discovering natysangit > is in the air.. on that note, i am going to see two new productions of > plays first performed in 1890s and 1916 respectively. I guess there is > a lot to be said about the continuation of the popularity of this > genre here.. some of which is best captured in begum barve... > will speak about this a bit later. > > Urmila > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the subject header. > List archive: > From tarana at cal2.vsnl.net.in Fri May 6 14:59:21 2005 From: tarana at cal2.vsnl.net.in (Vector) Date: Fri, 06 May 2005 14:59:21 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Kolkata meeting Message-ID: <000201c55231$f38238c0$3cb841db@vector> Dear Sarai fellows in Kolkata, I'll be busy shooting with Khalid May end but what about the weekend after that?3rd or 4th June ?A good place to meet would be Udipi on Jatin Das Road. It's really overcrowded on Sundays but relatively free after 3pm. We can decide the time that suits everybody - its open from 7 am to 9.30 pm and you get good South Indian snacks and good coffee for Rs 7.00 only What about 5 pm at Udipi on the 4th of June? Directions would be as you cross the Sarat Bose /Rashehari crossing (from Deshapriya Park as you cross R B avenue towards the lakes) it is the first right turn after that . Jatin Das Road & the Udipi cafe is a few doors down. What about it - do respond Vasudha From kaiwanmehta at gmail.com Fri May 6 19:03:12 2005 From: kaiwanmehta at gmail.com (kaiwan mehta) Date: Fri, 6 May 2005 19:03:12 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Bombay Sarai Fellows Message-ID: <2482459d05050606333884fe9e@mail.gmail.com> Hi All We all meet at the Shivaji Park Barrista at 530. I am not promoting Barrista but cant think of any place which will allow us to lounge for 2-3 hours. So lets simply meet at Barrista, if you wanna sit in Shivaji Park fine we can sit there. But please do come, I think we have greatly influenced Delhi and Calcutta fellows to get moving!! Well Rochelle, Zainab and Pankaj are coming, others please let me know, anyways surely come over! See you, Regards, Kaiwan -- Kaiwan Mehta Architect and Urban Reseracher 11/4, Kassinath Bldg. No. 2, Kassinath St., Tardeo, Mumbai 400034 022-2-494 3259 / 91-98205 56436 From basvanheur at gmx.net Fri May 6 20:55:58 2005 From: basvanheur at gmx.net (Bas Van Heur) Date: Fri, 6 May 2005 17:25:58 +0200 (MEST) Subject: [Reader-list] REMINDER: Call for Proposals - The Art and Politics of Netporn Message-ID: <21755.1115393158@www59.gmx.net> Cut.up.magazine (http://www.cut-up.com) invites proposals for a special issue on the art and politics of netporn. This issue is produced in cooperation with the Amsterdam-based Institute Of Networkcultures (http://www.networkcultures.org) and will be published Two weeks before their two-day conference on The Art and Politics of Netporn in early October 2005. A growing number of theoretical and historical porn studies have appeared over the last decades, yet few have focused on the analysis of netporn as complex networks. We are therefore particularly interested in proposals that address activities such as blogging, p2p porn, queer aesthetics and webcamming, but also those that focus on the political economy of netporn through a mapping of its industry or an exploration of the relation between netporn and war. Proposals are invited for articles of approximately 5000 words. They should be based on original research and explicitly address the specificity of netporn within these networks. Since our aim is to publish high-quality articles that can serve as a basis for further research, each article will be remunerated with 750 euros, excluding possible extra expenses. The deadline for receipt of proposals is May 15, 2005 and may be e-mailed to bas at cut-up.com. More information: Bas van Heur Cut.up.media PO Box 313 2000 AH Haarlem The Netherlands -- +++ Lassen Sie Ihren Gedanken freien Lauf... z.B. per FreeSMS +++ GMX bietet bis zu 100 FreeSMS/Monat: http://www.gmx.net/de/go/mail From mahmoodfarooqui at yahoo.com Fri May 6 22:49:52 2005 From: mahmoodfarooqui at yahoo.com (mahmood farooqui) Date: Fri, 6 May 2005 10:19:52 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] respioDASTANGOI PERFORMANCE-IIC 4TH MAY In-Reply-To: 6667 Message-ID: <20050506171952.84941.qmail@web80905.mail.scd.yahoo.com> Dear Vivek, Lovely to hear from you? How familiar are you with Urdu/Hindustani/Hindi? You must appreciate that I categorise them and yet lump them together. I remember Chandrakanta quite well. It was a big hit. I didn't much end up watching it, much to my current chagrin. Chandrakanta is very much a Dastan, in a bowlerised form though which, nevertheless, does not reduce its importance. And the Hatim Tai experience you have related are quite apt. These Dastans were performed in various ways. In the Middle East the performers walked about, pretty often. They used pictures, gestures, movements in a varied way through the lands where they were performed. Since the Art reached its apotheosis in Lucknow its performance genre needed particularly to be specified. For the reason that that city already had a very wide repertoire of performances, oral as well as visual. There was dance, dance-drama and reputedly India's first modern play, I am thinking of Amanat Ali's Indrasabha in 1848, in addition to oral performances of poetry, marsiyas, classical music and several other oral recounters as Zakirs, Nassars, qawwals, genealogists, bhands, acrobats, bahurupiyas, qissakhwans not all of whom performed on stafe. That is why we chose to give our performances as we learnt some performers of yore did it in India. Seated down, with restricted movements of hands. Without pictures and other tools. For very obvious reasons we were unsure of how to react the language. I am well versed with Urdu so I could appreciate even aracane usages and Persianised turns of phrase and could therefore appreciate the nuances better than my fellow performer. In fact I had serious doubts about people apprehending the very events/plot that was being recounted to them. Yet we were overwhelmed by the universally gushing response we received. Intitially we attributed the enthusiasm of the response to the preponderance of the Urdu-knowing lot in the audience. But we were disaubsed soon enough by the response of many who were quite far from being susceptible to the 'beauty' of Urdu-an imperialist/hegemonic reaction if you ask me. When one couples this to the fact that we never seemed to ourselves to putting any extra effort into preparing ourselves for the performance other than rehearsing regularly, the awesome beauty of stands easily out. Our comparative lack of effort and the vitality of the response is apt proof of the vibrancy of the text, the very material, we had in our hands. For the moment all I want to do is to perform again, to experience the thrill again, if possible, of a small auditorium swaying to the very Indic rhythms of waah waahi... Mahmood. I am copying to this mail to my fellow performer Himaanshu Tyagi to invite his response. --- Anand Vivek Taneja wrote: > Dear Mahmood, > > Thanks for an invitation for the wonderful > performance. > A few thoughts arose as to the survival of forms of > dastangoi, or of the > culture of the dastan (albeit transmuted into modern > times....) > > In your first posting you wrote, > "Last week I went to meet a scholar of medieval > Hindi-Urdu romance traditions. He told me about an > exhibition based on the Hamzanama, the illustrated > text of the story commissioned by Akbar that was the > first major art project undertaken in the young > MUghal > Empire. His guess is that the large size of the > folios > in that exhibition, as well as the fact that > episodes > drawn are written at the back, mean that the > Dastango > would stand behind the panel-folio narrating the > tale > and they would be changed as the scenery and action > changed. Dastangoi as practice was then perhaps a > proto form of Television." > > What about Dastangoi on television? > > I am thinking, of course, of the early ninenties > mega serial 'Chandrakanta', > which was enormously popular when it was screened. > it lived up to all the > traditions of dastangoi - stories within stories; > and of course, razm, bazm, > tilism, and aiyyari. most notably tilism and > aiyyari. who can forgte Kroor > Singh? Of course, Chandrakanta the serial (directed > by Neerja Guleri) was > based on Chandrakanta the novel, by Devaki Nandan > Khatri, generally agreeed > upon as being the first prose work in Hindi... > > So Devaki Nandan Khatri via Neerja Guleri might be > an intersting line of > inquiry to follow... the continuation of the > dastangoi into other forms. > > Also, what about Hatim Tai? > > In my childhood in Lucknow, Lucknow DD used to show > watercolours of Hatim > Tai's adventures, slowly dissolving from one to the > other as the the single > narrator's voice told the story of the adventures. > Very like the Mughal > Illustrated version of the Hamzanama. > The Hatim-Tai story was also serialised in > 'ChandaMama', the Hindi > Children's magazine; was used in at least one Hindi > film (starring > Jeetendra) and has now seen a revival of sorts on, i > think, Star Plus... > > Thanks for wonderfully engaing postings so far, and > I hpe these reponses are > of hhelp. > Cheers, > Anand > > > > On 4/22/05, mahmood farooqui > wrote: > > > > Dear All, > > > > We are trying to devise a Dastangoi performance. > The > > first attempt is on at the IIC at the 4th May at > 6.30 > > pm. Obviously, as modern actors, we are wholly > > ill-equipped to use our voices in the manner that > the > > Dastangos of yore could do it. Still, one would > like > > to find out what it was that could make Emperor > 'Akbar > > cry like a child' or make the poet Ghalib feel he > had > > attained heaven because 'it is raining, he has > > six-volumes of Dastans with him and a few bottles > of > > wine, what more could he want.' > > > > Do come. > > > > MF > > > > > > __________________________________________________ > > Do You Yahoo!? > > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam > protection around > > http://mail.yahoo.com > > > > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > > From: "mohd tasleem" > > > To: mahmoodfarooqui at yahoo.com > > Date: 20 Apr 2005 07:12:48 -0000 > > Subject: scan > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _________________________________________ > > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and > the city. > > Critiques & Collaborations > > To subscribe: send an email to > reader-list-request at sarai.net with > > subscribe in the subject header. > > List archive: > > > > > > > > > > -- > Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, because you > are crunchy and taste > good with ketchup. > (with apologies to Dilbert) > http://www.synchroni-cities.blogspot.com/ > > Only that historian will have the gift of fanning > the spark of hope in the > past who is firmly convinced that without a sense of > humour you're basically > pretty f***ed anyway. > (with apologies to Walter Benjamin) > http://www.chapatimystery.com/ > __________________________________ Yahoo! Mail Mobile Take Yahoo! Mail with you! Check email on your mobile phone. http://mobile.yahoo.com/learn/mail From mahmoodfarooqui at yahoo.com Fri May 6 22:49:55 2005 From: mahmoodfarooqui at yahoo.com (mahmood farooqui) Date: Fri, 6 May 2005 10:19:55 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] responses to DASTANGOI PERFORMANCE-IIC 4TH MAY In-Reply-To: 6667 Message-ID: <20050506171955.14397.qmail@web80907.mail.scd.yahoo.com> Dear Vivek, Lovely to hear from you? How familiar are you with Urdu/Hindustani/Hindi? You must appreciate that I categorise them and yet lump them together. I remember Chandrakanta quite well. It was a big hit. I didn't much end up watching it, much to my current chagrin. Chandrakanta is very much a Dastan, in a bowlerised form though which, nevertheless, does not reduce its importance. And the Hatim Tai experience you have related are quite apt. These Dastans were performed in various ways. In the Middle East the performers walked about, pretty often. They used pictures, gestures, movements in a varied way through the lands where they were performed. Since the Art reached its apotheosis in Lucknow its performance genre needed particularly to be specified. For the reason that that city already had a very wide repertoire of performances, oral as well as visual. There was dance, dance-drama and reputedly India's first modern play, I am thinking of Amanat Ali's Indrasabha in 1848, in addition to oral performances of poetry, marsiyas, classical music and several other oral recounters as Zakirs, Nassars, qawwals, genealogists, bhands, acrobats, bahurupiyas, qissakhwans not all of whom performed on stafe. That is why we chose to give our performances as we learnt some performers of yore did it in India. Seated down, with restricted movements of hands. Without pictures and other tools. For very obvious reasons we were unsure of how to react the language. I am well versed with Urdu so I could appreciate even aracane usages and Persianised turns of phrase and could therefore appreciate the nuances better than my fellow performer. In fact I had serious doubts about people apprehending the very events/plot that was being recounted to them. Yet we were overwhelmed by the universally gushing response we received. Intitially we attributed the enthusiasm of the response to the preponderance of the Urdu-knowing lot in the audience. But we were disaubsed soon enough by the response of many who were quite far from being susceptible to the 'beauty' of Urdu-an imperialist/hegemonic reaction if you ask me. When one couples this to the fact that we never seemed to ourselves to putting any extra effort into preparing ourselves for the performance other than rehearsing regularly, the awesome beauty of stands easily out. Our comparative lack of effort and the vitality of the response is apt proof of the vibrancy of the text, the very material, we had in our hands. For the moment all I want to do is to perform again, to experience the thrill again, if possible, of a small auditorium swaying to the very Indic rhythms of waah waahi... Mahmood. I am copying to this mail to my fellow performer Himaanshu Tyagi to invite his response. --- Anand Vivek Taneja wrote: > Dear Mahmood, > > Thanks for an invitation for the wonderful > performance. > A few thoughts arose as to the survival of forms of > dastangoi, or of the > culture of the dastan (albeit transmuted into modern > times....) > > In your first posting you wrote, > "Last week I went to meet a scholar of medieval > Hindi-Urdu romance traditions. He told me about an > exhibition based on the Hamzanama, the illustrated > text of the story commissioned by Akbar that was the > first major art project undertaken in the young > MUghal > Empire. His guess is that the large size of the > folios > in that exhibition, as well as the fact that > episodes > drawn are written at the back, mean that the > Dastango > would stand behind the panel-folio narrating the > tale > and they would be changed as the scenery and action > changed. Dastangoi as practice was then perhaps a > proto form of Television." > > What about Dastangoi on television? > > I am thinking, of course, of the early ninenties > mega serial 'Chandrakanta', > which was enormously popular when it was screened. > it lived up to all the > traditions of dastangoi - stories within stories; > and of course, razm, bazm, > tilism, and aiyyari. most notably tilism and > aiyyari. who can forgte Kroor > Singh? Of course, Chandrakanta the serial (directed > by Neerja Guleri) was > based on Chandrakanta the novel, by Devaki Nandan > Khatri, generally agreeed > upon as being the first prose work in Hindi... > > So Devaki Nandan Khatri via Neerja Guleri might be > an intersting line of > inquiry to follow... the continuation of the > dastangoi into other forms. > > Also, what about Hatim Tai? > > In my childhood in Lucknow, Lucknow DD used to show > watercolours of Hatim > Tai's adventures, slowly dissolving from one to the > other as the the single > narrator's voice told the story of the adventures. > Very like the Mughal > Illustrated version of the Hamzanama. > The Hatim-Tai story was also serialised in > 'ChandaMama', the Hindi > Children's magazine; was used in at least one Hindi > film (starring > Jeetendra) and has now seen a revival of sorts on, i > think, Star Plus... > > Thanks for wonderfully engaing postings so far, and > I hpe these reponses are > of hhelp. > Cheers, > Anand > > > > On 4/22/05, mahmood farooqui > wrote: > > > > Dear All, > > > > We are trying to devise a Dastangoi performance. > The > > first attempt is on at the IIC at the 4th May at > 6.30 > > pm. Obviously, as modern actors, we are wholly > > ill-equipped to use our voices in the manner that > the > > Dastangos of yore could do it. Still, one would > like > > to find out what it was that could make Emperor > 'Akbar > > cry like a child' or make the poet Ghalib feel he > had > > attained heaven because 'it is raining, he has > > six-volumes of Dastans with him and a few bottles > of > > wine, what more could he want.' > > > > Do come. > > > > MF > > > > > > __________________________________________________ > > Do You Yahoo!? > > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam > protection around > > http://mail.yahoo.com > > > > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > > From: "mohd tasleem" > > > To: mahmoodfarooqui at yahoo.com > > Date: 20 Apr 2005 07:12:48 -0000 > > Subject: scan > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _________________________________________ > > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and > the city. > > Critiques & Collaborations > > To subscribe: send an email to > reader-list-request at sarai.net with > > subscribe in the subject header. > > List archive: > > > > > > > > > > -- > Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, because you > are crunchy and taste > good with ketchup. > (with apologies to Dilbert) > http://www.synchroni-cities.blogspot.com/ > > Only that historian will have the gift of fanning > the spark of hope in the > past who is firmly convinced that without a sense of > humour you're basically > pretty f***ed anyway. > (with apologies to Walter Benjamin) > http://www.chapatimystery.com/ > Discover Yahoo! Get on-the-go sports scores, stock quotes, news and more. Check it out! http://discover.yahoo.com/mobile.html From mahmoodfarooqui at yahoo.com Fri May 6 22:52:53 2005 From: mahmoodfarooqui at yahoo.com (mahmood farooqui) Date: Fri, 6 May 2005 10:22:53 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] responses to performance of Dastangoi at IIC Message-ID: <20050506172253.45346.qmail@web80909.mail.scd.yahoo.com> Dear Vivek, Lovely to hear from you? How familiar are you with Urdu/Hindustani/Hindi? You must appreciate that I categorise them and yet lump them together. I remember Chandrakanta quite well. It was a big hit. I didn't much end up watching it, much to my current chagrin. Chandrakanta is very much a Dastan, in a bowlerised form though which, nevertheless, does not reduce its importance. And the Hatim Tai experience you have related are quite apt. These Dastans were performed in various ways. In the Middle East the performers walked about, pretty often. They used pictures, gestures, movements in a varied way through the lands where they were performed. Since the Art reached its apotheosis in Lucknow its performance genre needed particularly to be specified. For the reason that that city already had a very wide repertoire of performances, oral as well as visual. There was dance, dance-drama and reputedly India's first modern play, I am thinking of Amanat Ali's Indrasabha in 1848, in addition to oral performances of poetry, marsiyas, classical music and several other oral recounters as Zakirs, Nassars, qawwals, genealogists, bhands, acrobats, bahurupiyas, qissakhwans not all of whom performed on stafe. That is why we chose to give our performances as we learnt some performers of yore did it in India. Seated down, with restricted movements of hands. Without pictures and other tools. For very obvious reasons we were unsure of how to react the language. I am well versed with Urdu so I could appreciate even aracane usages and Persianised turns of phrase and could therefore appreciate the nuances better than my fellow performer. In fact I had serious doubts about people apprehending the very events/plot that was being recounted to them. Yet we were overwhelmed by the universally gushing response we received. Intitially we attributed the enthusiasm of the response to the preponderance of the Urdu-knowing lot in the audience. But we were disaubsed soon enough by the response of many who were quite far from being susceptible to the 'beauty' of Urdu-an imperialist/hegemonic reaction if you ask me. When one couples this to the fact that we never seemed to ourselves to putting any extra effort into preparing ourselves for the performance other than rehearsing regularly, the awesome beauty of stands easily out. Our comparative lack of effort and the vitality of the response is apt proof of the vibrancy of the text, the very material, we had in our hands. For the moment all I want to do is to perform again, to experience the thrill again, if possible, of a small auditorium swaying to the very Indic rhythms of waah waahi... Mahmood. I am copying to this mail to my fellow performer Himaanshu Tyagi to invite his response. Discover Yahoo! Use Yahoo! to plan a weekend, have fun online and more. Check it out! http://discover.yahoo.com/ From pz at vsnl.net Sat May 7 02:08:31 2005 From: pz at vsnl.net (Punam Zutshi) Date: Sat, 07 May 2005 02:08:31 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] responses to DASTANGOI PERFORMANCE-IIC 4TH MAY References: <20050506171955.14397.qmail@web80907.mail.scd.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <011d01c5527b$925dc100$8bee41db@punamzutshi> Thanks Mahmood and Anand Vivek for the illuminating exchange. I kept thinking about special effects and the "cinematic" style of films about magic and religion, as I watched the performance. But what's this about "an imperialist, hegemonic reaction" , Mahmood? Being susceptible to the beauty of Urdu qualifies as such ?? Do clarify. Prof S.R. Faruqui mentioned tales in Bosnia ( was it?) that seemed to recount histories of wars.The Dastans you drew upon were both very oral and very writerly, and fantastical.Of course there are the 46 volumes found in no one library to reckon with but have there been Dastans/ narratives about 'historical' events. Some day, you may consider contacting Dr.Roma Chatterjee of the Dept of Sociology, DSE who has extensively read and written on the analysis of narratives. Her thesis on Purulia and its oral traditions may be of interest.(Purulia is also home to one type of the Chhau dance) (A propos the 'historical' I specifically recall from Dr.Chatterjee's fieldwork a song that was composed about the Damodar Valley Corporation's entry into the scene...But all this is not meant to take you too far afield) You may certainly believe that what you did was effortless but perhaps all your life you have prepared for this,absorbing the language and the world that the dastan belongs to... that's a lot, isn't it ? In deciding to adopt or create a certain style...what forms of conversation/speech went into the making of this performance? Some of the Farsi/Urdu usage certainly did elude me, but when I think of it, I would rather that a small preface/ longish sub title as in pre 20th century style of titles for the uninititated be added.( Example " In which the hero ....undergoes..../journeys ... et al ) Recently, I watched an Opera performance in Delhi which had the English translation of the Italian scrolling down on large screens on either side of the huge stage. I think it a huge achievement that what you accomplished was to include the audience in its variety without any such intervention. The text certainly provides the base for the performance but it was the act of storytelling that Himanshu and you undertook that conveyed a 'nafasat' combined with directness, the horrific/fantastical juxtaposed with the scatological, a vitality that was palpable... The bareness of the stage was wonderful, a wonderful foil to the emroideries and ornaments of speech, never taking away from the hold of the storytelling. Punam ----- Original Message ----- From: "mahmood farooqui" To: "Anand Vivek Taneja" ; ; Sent: Friday, May 06, 2005 10:49 PM Subject: [Reader-list] responses to DASTANGOI PERFORMANCE-IIC 4TH MAY > Dear Vivek, > > Lovely to hear from you? How familiar are you with > Urdu/Hindustani/Hindi? > > You must appreciate that I categorise them and yet > lump them together. > > I remember Chandrakanta quite well. It was a big hit. > I didn't much end up watching it, much to my current > chagrin. > > Chandrakanta is very much a Dastan, in a bowlerised > form though which, nevertheless, does not reduce its > importance. > > And the Hatim Tai experience you have related are > quite apt. These Dastans were performed in various > ways. In the Middle East the performers walked about, > pretty often. They used pictures, gestures, movements > in a varied way through the lands where they were > performed. Since the Art reached its apotheosis in > Lucknow its performance genre needed particularly to > be specified. For the reason that that city already > had a very wide repertoire of performances, oral as > well as visual. > > There was dance, dance-drama and reputedly India's > first modern play, I am thinking of Amanat Ali's > Indrasabha in 1848, in addition to oral performances > of poetry, marsiyas, classical music and several other > oral recounters as Zakirs, Nassars, qawwals, > genealogists, bhands, acrobats, bahurupiyas, > qissakhwans not all of whom performed on stafe. > > That is why we chose to give our performances as we > learnt some performers of yore did it in India. Seated > down, with restricted movements of hands. Without > pictures and other tools. > > For very obvious reasons we were unsure of how to > react the language. I am well versed with Urdu so I > could appreciate even aracane usages and Persianised > turns of phrase and could therefore appreciate the > nuances better than my fellow performer. In fact I had > serious doubts about people apprehending the very > events/plot that was being recounted to them. Yet we > were overwhelmed by the universally gushing response > we received. Intitially we attributed the enthusiasm > of the response to the preponderance of the > Urdu-knowing lot in the audience. But we were > disaubsed soon enough by the response of many who were > quite far from being susceptible to the 'beauty' of > Urdu-an imperialist/hegemonic reaction if you ask me. > > When one couples this to the fact that we never seemed > to ourselves to putting any extra effort into > preparing ourselves for the performance other than > rehearsing regularly, the awesome beauty of stands > easily out. Our comparative lack of effort and the > vitality of the response is apt proof of the vibrancy > of the text, the very material, we had in our hands. > > For the moment all I want to do is to perform again, > to experience the thrill again, if possible, of a > small auditorium swaying to the very Indic rhythms of > waah waahi... > > Mahmood. > > I am copying to this mail to my fellow performer > Himaanshu Tyagi to invite his response. > > > > > --- Anand Vivek Taneja > wrote: > > Dear Mahmood, > > > > Thanks for an invitation for the wonderful > > performance. > > A few thoughts arose as to the survival of forms of > > dastangoi, or of the > > culture of the dastan (albeit transmuted into modern > > times....) > > > > In your first posting you wrote, > > "Last week I went to meet a scholar of medieval > > Hindi-Urdu romance traditions. He told me about an > > exhibition based on the Hamzanama, the illustrated > > text of the story commissioned by Akbar that was the > > first major art project undertaken in the young > > MUghal > > Empire. His guess is that the large size of the > > folios > > in that exhibition, as well as the fact that > > episodes > > drawn are written at the back, mean that the > > Dastango > > would stand behind the panel-folio narrating the > > tale > > and they would be changed as the scenery and action > > changed. Dastangoi as practice was then perhaps a > > proto form of Television." > > > > What about Dastangoi on television? > > > > I am thinking, of course, of the early ninenties > > mega serial 'Chandrakanta', > > which was enormously popular when it was screened. > > it lived up to all the > > traditions of dastangoi - stories within stories; > > and of course, razm, bazm, > > tilism, and aiyyari. most notably tilism and > > aiyyari. who can forgte Kroor > > Singh? Of course, Chandrakanta the serial (directed > > by Neerja Guleri) was > > based on Chandrakanta the novel, by Devaki Nandan > > Khatri, generally agreeed > > upon as being the first prose work in Hindi... > > > > So Devaki Nandan Khatri via Neerja Guleri might be > > an intersting line of > > inquiry to follow... the continuation of the > > dastangoi into other forms. > > > > Also, what about Hatim Tai? > > > > In my childhood in Lucknow, Lucknow DD used to show > > watercolours of Hatim > > Tai's adventures, slowly dissolving from one to the > > other as the the single > > narrator's voice told the story of the adventures. > > Very like the Mughal > > Illustrated version of the Hamzanama. > > The Hatim-Tai story was also serialised in > > 'ChandaMama', the Hindi > > Children's magazine; was used in at least one Hindi > > film (starring > > Jeetendra) and has now seen a revival of sorts on, i > > think, Star Plus... > > > > Thanks for wonderfully engaing postings so far, and > > I hpe these reponses are > > of hhelp. > > Cheers, > > Anand > > > > > > > > On 4/22/05, mahmood farooqui > > wrote: > > > > > > Dear All, > > > > > > We are trying to devise a Dastangoi performance. > > The > > > first attempt is on at the IIC at the 4th May at > > 6.30 > > > pm. Obviously, as modern actors, we are wholly > > > ill-equipped to use our voices in the manner that > > the > > > Dastangos of yore could do it. Still, one would > > like > > > to find out what it was that could make Emperor > > 'Akbar > > > cry like a child' or make the poet Ghalib feel he > > had > > > attained heaven because 'it is raining, he has > > > six-volumes of Dastans with him and a few bottles > > of > > > wine, what more could he want.' > > > > > > Do come. > > > > > > MF From eye at ranadasgupta.com Sat May 7 14:33:46 2005 From: eye at ranadasgupta.com (Rana Dasgupta) Date: Sat, 07 May 2005 14:33:46 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The future of journalism Message-ID: <427C8472.6070002@ranadasgupta.com> Interesting article from the Economist on the future role (if any) of traditional journalism in circulating fact and opinion, and some of the alternative forms and business models that might supplement or supplant it. And the change in the ethos of information and news that this would imply. R The future of journalism Yesterday's papers Apr 21st 2005 | LONDON, NEW YORK AND SAN FRANCISCO From The Economist print edition Is Rupert Murdoch right to predict the end of newspapers as we now know them? “I BELIEVE too many of us editors and reporters are out of touch with our readers,” Rupert Murdoch, the boss of News Corporation, one of the world's largest media companies, told the American Society of Newspaper Editors last week. No wonder that people, and in particular the young, are ditching their newspapers. Today's teens, twenty- and thirty-somethings “don't want to rely on a god-like figure from above to tell them what's important,” Mr Murdoch said, “and they certainly don't want news presented as gospel.” And yet, he went on, “as an industry, many of us have been remarkably, unaccountably, complacent.” The speech—astonishing not so much for what it said as for who said it—may go down in history as the day that the stodgy newspaper business officially woke up to the new realities of the internet age. Talking at times more like a pony-tailed, new-age technophile than a septuagenarian old-media god-like figure, Mr Murdoch said that news “providers” such as his own organisation had better get web-savvy, stop lecturing their audiences, “become places for conversation” and “destinations” where “bloggers” and “podcasters” congregate to “engage our reporters and editors in more extended discussions.” He also criticised editors and reporters who often “think their readers are stupid”. Mr Murdoch's argument begins with the fact that newspapers worldwide have been—and seem destined to keep on—losing readers, and with them advertising revenue. In 1995-2003, says the World Association of Newspapers, circulation fell by 5% in America, 3% in Europe and 2% in Japan. In the 1960s, four out of five Americans read a paper every day; today only half do so. Philip Meyer, author of “The Vanishing Newspaper: Saving Journalism in the Information Age” (University of Missouri Press), says that if the trend continues, the last newspaper reader will recycle his final paper copy in April 2040. The decline of newspapers predates the internet. But the second—broadband—generation of the internet is not only accelerating it but is also changing the business in a way that the previous rivals to newspapers—radio and TV—never did. Older people, whom Mr Murdoch calls “digital immigrants”, may not have noticed, but young “digital natives” increasingly get their news from web portals such as Yahoo! or Google, and from newer web media such as blogs. Short for “web logs”, these are online journal entries of thoughts and web links that anybody can post. Whereas 56% of Americans haven't heard of blogs, and only 3% read them daily, among the young they are standard fare, with 44% of online Americans aged 18-29 reading them often, according to a poll by CNN/USA Today/Gallup. Blogs, moreover, are but one item on a growing list of new media tools that the internet makes available. Wikis are collaborative web pages that allow readers to edit and contribute. This, to digital immigrants, may sound like a recipe for anarchic chaos, until they visit, for instance, wikipedia.org, an online encyclopaedia that is growing dramatically richer by the day through exactly this spontaneous (and surprisingly orderly) collaboration among strangers. Photoblogs are becoming common; videoblogs are just starting. Podcasting (a conjunction of iPod, Apple's iconic audio player, and broadcasting) lets both professionals and amateurs produce audio files that people can download and listen to. It is tempting, but wrong, for the traditional mainstream media (which includes The Economist) to belittle this sort of thing. It is true, for instance, that the vast majority of blogs are not worth reading and, in fact, are not read (although the same is true of much in traditional newspapers). On the other hand, bloggers play an increasingly prominent part in the wider media drama—witness their role in America's presidential election last year. The most popular bloggers now get as much traffic individually as the opinion pages of most newspapers. Many bloggers are windbags, but some are world experts in their field. Matthew Hindman, a political scientist at Arizona State University, found that the top bloggers are more likely than top newspaper columnists to have gone to a top university, and far more likely to have an advanced degree, such as a doctorate. Another dangerous cliché is to consider bloggers intrinsically parasitic on (and thus, ultimately, no threat to) the traditional news business. True, many thrive on debunking, contradicting or analysing stories that originate in the old media. In this sense, the blogosphere is, so far, mostly an expanded op-ed medium. But there is nothing to suggest that bloggers cannot also do original reporting. Glenn Reynolds, whose political blog, Instapundit.com, counts 250,000 readers on a good day, often includes eyewitness accounts from people in Afghanistan or Shanghai, whom he considers “correspondents” in the original sense of the word. “The basic notion is that if people have the tools to create their own content, they will do that, and that this will result in an emerging global conversation,” says Dan Gillmor, founder of Grassroots Media in San Francisco, and the author of “We the Media” (O'Reilly, 2004), a book about, well, grassroots journalism. Take, for instance, OhmyNews in South Korea. Its “main concept is that every citizen can be a reporter,” says Oh Yeon Ho, the boss and founder. Five years old, OhmyNews already has 2m readers and over 33,000 “citizen reporters”, all of them volunteers who contribute stories that are edited and fact-checked by some 50 permanent staff. With so many new kinds of journalists joining the old kinds, it is also likely that new business models will arise to challenge existing ones. Some bloggers are allowing Google to place advertising links next to their postings, and thus get paid every time a reader of their blog clicks on them. Other bloggers, just like existing providers of specialist content, may ask for subscriptions to all, or part, of their content. Tip-jar systems, where readers click to make small payments to their favourite writers, are catching on. In one case last year, an OhmyNews article attacking an unpopular court verdict reaped $30,000 in tips from readers, though most of the site's revenues come from advertising. The tone in these new media is radically different. For today's digital natives, says Mr Gillmor, it is anathema to be lectured at. Instead, they expect to be informed as part of an online dialogue. They are at once less likely to write a traditional letter to the editor, and more likely to post a response on the web—and then to carry on the discussion. A letters page pre-selected by an editor makes no sense to them; spotting the best responses using the spontaneous voting systems of the internet does. Even if established media groups—such as Mr Murdoch's—start to respond better to these changes, can they profit from them? Mr Murdoch says that some media firms, at least, will be able to navigate the transition as advertising revenue switches from print-based to electronic media. Indeed, this is one area where news providers can use technology to their advantage, by providing more targeted audiences for advertisers, both by interest group and location. He also thinks that video clips, which his firm can conveniently provide, will be crucial ingredients of online news. But it remains uncertain what mix of advertising revenue, tips and subscriptions will fund the news providers of the future, and how large a role today's providers will have. What is clear is that the control of news—what constitutes it, how to prioritise it and what is fact—is shifting subtly from being the sole purview of the news provider to the audience itself. Newspapers, Mr Murdoch implies, must learn to understand their role as providers of news independent of the old medium of distribution, the paper. From stopragging at gmail.com Sat May 7 19:39:41 2005 From: stopragging at gmail.com (Stop Ragging Campaign) Date: Sat, 7 May 2005 19:39:41 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and ragging! Message-ID: The Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was said to have died of cholera in 1893, after drinking a glass of contaminated water. This lie reigned for about a century, but the composer's biographer, Alexandra Orlova, revealed to the world after migrating to the US the real story of Tchaikovsky's death. The truth was that Tchaikovsky's old classmates in law school got to know that the legendary composer was going to be punished for homosexuality, and possibly exiled. This would have brought disrepute to their old law school, and so the composer appeared before a "court of honour" made up of eight other former classmates who ordered the composer to "preserve the good name of the school" by taking his own life. One of his judges procured the necessary poison, and the cholera story was hastily concocted to cover up the truth. (The last two sentences in the above paragraph are from http://www.maurice-abravanel.com/tchakovsky_s_death.html ) Such is the value of an educational institution in the minds and hearts of their alumni! This implies that 'students' see an educational institution as not so much a place to learn, but as an extension of 'home'. Just as ill-repute should not befall one's family and clan, so must the honour of one's alma mater be preserved. Even at the cost of the individual's rights. The college is a "community" rather than an association of individuals. The internal functioning and power dynamics of this community depend upon unwritten social codes. Such a community is anarchic in nature and has no place for individualism. That is one context in which we can understand hostel ragging: as not merely diametrically opposed to individualism, but also a collective, communitarian, ritual exercise with the aim of establishing the fluid, unwritten codes which rule the community. These codes obviously are about power relations, but also about other factors that define what is permissible and what is not within the community. Sexual conditioning is one such code. The junior who is being ragged has to not only suffer abuse but also accept the discourse of ragging. As ragging is being increasingly discredited, freshers are often told, "Do you think I am ragging you? Is this ragging? Or is it personality development?" Thus the attempt is to make the fresher accept the discourse, whatever nomenclature you apply to it. As part of the opposition to anti-ragging disciplinarian measures enforced in hostels by the law, many students question: "We are adults, we know where to draw the line. We know how to differentiate between right and wrong." This is a strong case for anarchism; the student is arguing that 'the law' does not need to intervene because the codes of the community ("rites of passage") will take care of everything. And so the fresher will be ragged in the manner that is acceptable and prevalent within the community. What is perpetrated as part of ragging should be acceptable within the community; whether or not it is acceptable to the fresher is a non-issue. Furthermore, the fresher has to be indoctrinated to accept ragging as part of 'college life', that is, the discourse of the community. The fresher is told: "You have to live here for three years, dude. So be nice to your seniors. They'll help you a lot. Then you will also rag your freshers." This means that rebellion from the individual fresher and 'disciplinary action' by the college 'authorities' are threats to the codes of the community, to its way of life. It is an ideological assault that undermines how the community defines itself. The community's ideology depends a lot on ritual: the fresher has to stand in a certain manner, speak in a certain manner, never smile even when provoked by humour. There are little limericks which freshers are made to learn by heart, and one of the themes of these works of literature is that "I will make my a**e available to my seniors whenever they want it." Any deviance from these rituals is blasphemy; it is an affront to not just one senior but an insult to the entire community. For power dynamics, too, ritual is important: because power by itself is not enough: power has to be shown and explicitly demonstrated. The problem with all of this is that the individual and his/her rights are not recognised. Some students oppose the idea of any kind of surveillance against ragging in the hostel on the grounds of privacy. Such is the acceptance of the discourse of ragging, however, that the fresher's privacy is not an issue at all. It is important for the ritual of ragging that the fresher's room be entered into in the late hours of the night, that the fresher be prevented from doing what he wants because getting ragged is more important; because fetching water for the senior or dancing naked before him is to be given preference over finishing the book that he was reading. To the apologists of ragging who say that 'mild' ragging should be permissible, that's another difficult question: what about the fresher's right to privacy within the hostel space? Ragging is not a passage to 'manhood' but to a society of hierarchy and patriarchy where individual freedom is not respected. This too is referred to by the senior, who insists that he is training the fresher for the world ahead ('personality development'): "You will face ragging everywhere. When you get a job you will see how your bosses will treat you to begin with." (Incidentally, one doesn't have to pledge one's a**e in a ritual before being given a job.) The clichéd theory of ragging as a 'rite of passage' therefore, should be replaced by the term 'wrongs of passage', which is by the way the name of a book on hazing in American campuses. -- www.stopragging.org | info at stopragging.org From shivamvij at gmail.com Sun May 8 08:12:41 2005 From: shivamvij at gmail.com (shivam) Date: Sun, 8 May 2005 08:12:41 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Profiles of Courage from the Islamic World Message-ID: Dear Reader-List members, I have to compile a list of about 30 individuals in the Islamic world (anywhere, but mainly in the Middle East) who are profiles of individual courage against orthodox Islam, religious fundamentalism, state oppression, or discrimination in the post-9/11 West. If you have any such individuals in mind, I would be grateful to you if you could let me know their names - and then there's Google to follow up. Cheers Shivam -- http://mallroad.blogspot.com From avm124 at hotmail.com Sun May 8 11:36:08 2005 From: avm124 at hotmail.com (Adhimoolam Murugan) Date: Sat, 7 May 2005 23:06:08 -0700 Subject: [Reader-list] Interesting experience Message-ID: Hi everyone, I hope that you all are doing well in your respective fields. Here is an interesting experience that I thought of sharing with the list. I was coming out of the Manhattan subway station around 12:10 PM. Those of you who have experienced the subway system of NY would know the distinct and enriching element of such experience. As I was taking the stares, I encountered a man who said in his typical Spanish voice, "excuse me". I stopped for a second and looked at that direction. His next response was: "Are you going to kill us"? How would you imagine your condition in such circumstances? I was totally shocked because I at first couldn't sociologize it for a second. But some how my reflexivity worked very quickly and I pretended after a few second as if I haven't heard him clearly and replied: "Sorry?" He repeated again: "are you going to kill us?" I knew what to respond by now and said: O," Are you going to bomb us?" Now he didn't know what to respond and just to bring situation under normalcy I said: "Don't worry!!! Neither you know how to bomb me, nor I know how to kill you. These are beyond the imagination of ordinary citizens of the world". Then he apologized a couple of times and walked towards his destination. This instants clearly demonstrates the fact that the state's role in neglecting social history and complexities of social realities play a predominant role in keeping people in a state of ignorance. Not surprisingly, every Asian appears in the eyes of west as dangerous object and Asians in general and Indians in particular don't know about America beyond white American society. It is the responsibility of academicians and social activists to contest such one sided views. Such contestation is the necessary precondition for establishing a prosperous world. Have a good week-end!!! Vetri. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050507/5754cd8e/attachment.html From raviv at sarai.net Sun May 8 03:39:58 2005 From: raviv at sarai.net (Ravi S. Vasudevan) Date: Sat, 07 May 2005 15:09:58 -0700 Subject: [Reader-list] [Announcements] [Fwd: Talent Campus India] Message-ID: <427D3CB6.9020800@sarai.net> -------------- next part -------------- An embedded message was scrubbed... From: Subject: Talent Campus India Date: Sat, 7 May 2005 18:08:23 +0530 Size: 27171 Url: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050507/e4b5224d/attachment.mht -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From sabirhaque at yahoo.co.in Sat May 7 16:20:13 2005 From: sabirhaque at yahoo.co.in (Sabir Haque) Date: Sat, 7 May 2005 11:50:13 +0100 (BST) Subject: [Reader-list] what sinks will resurface as ghost of yesterday Message-ID: <20050507105013.50869.qmail@web8406.mail.in.yahoo.com> Research Topic: "Developments on the Eastern Banks of Yamuna - its future implications" Last time we surfaced, we carried a posting titled "IT SANK BY 8 inches - is it the beginning of the end?" As vivek would like us to believe, we also sank for 2 months to be precise along with the posting. Well, I would like to call our new posting as "what sinks will resurface as ghost of yesterday". I would be equally pleased to make you believe that we went underground and tried operating a sting operation on the Commissioner planning of DDA and the main pracharak of Akshardham temple trust to find out the dirty truth, which thank 'amar' (of tehelka notoriety) didn't really work out. And now coming to the brass text, we managed to unearthen some really cool photographs which will show of how things have changed on the landscape of Eastern banks of yamuna. And was working on a website to show you the same.(link at the end of the posting) >From the farmers of Eastern banks of yamuna, where akshardham stands proudly today, we got the photographs depicting the ravages done by our own police forces, of how they destroyed the standing crops of 100 and more farmers on a single day, it will definitely put kar saveks to shame. And it didn't even raise much dust to alarm the national media but enough to hide the hideous files which DDA today's fears to disclose. To lead this posting for a more focused path, we will unravel the following questions to raise more questions in the following headings - -> What happenned that day which we keep constantly referring to? -> How did Akshardham manage to grab the odd 58 acres of land with or without any permission? -> What was the role of the DDA and in the string of illegalities what is their present stand? -> Why are we trying to make you believe that akshardham besides going to be a major cultural attraction for delhi is harmful to us? Is there something wrong with us or with akshardham? -> Relate the above developments happenning on the Eastern banks of Yamuna to the Asiad games (1980s), when the western banks were developed? See! the connection to commonwealth games village, which is coming up on the eastern banks of Yamuna. WHAT HAPPENNED THAT DAY? Its dated 2nd Nov, 2002. There is strange silence in the air on the eastern banks of yamuna, Mahavir just like he always does, reaches his farm early in the morning and loads his tractor with fresh vegetables and gets ready for the mandi. Not only him, scores of other farmers are busy with their daily chores. He leaves for mandi, happily, as today is the day of "dhanteras", a day before diwali. He can smell celebrations in the air, and with good standing crops, he had enough reasons to be happy. He leaves happily, but no sooner he reaches mandi, he gets to know, that bulldozers are raging his farmland down. He and seven more farmers reaches their farm, and are stopped by the policeman manning the boundaries of his farmland. He rushes back to get the stay order issued by the High Court, which he and seven other farmers filed against DDA, which puts the status of the land on stay. (we will be come to technicalities of law later on). Some rushed to call up the media houses, some came with still cameras, some went up to call up the local MLA - Meera Bharadwaj. Mahavir went up to the SHO, and showed him the stay order of the High Court and asked him to stop the action. SHO said he can't read (as in he is illeterate). and refused to even see the the stay order. Mahavir and other farmers lied down before the bull dozers and protested against the action. Police swung into action, and threw them into the police van, arrested them and took them to Pandav nagar, police station. By then Mahavir's makeshift pucca house, where the farming equipments were kept, was raged to the ground. Three of the the water pumps were pulled up and completely destroyed. Hundred of farmers were beaten up, when they tried to stop the action. Cameras were seized and rolls were exposed. Meanwhile, other policeman and policewomen were busy plucking fruits(guava) and vegetables for home. All this happened and by evening,approximately 60 acres of land was cleared and flattened. Mahavir and and the rest of the farmers were released later in the evening. The labourers who used to work on their farmland, more than half of them fled to their villages that night itself. Never they imagined, they will ever have to face the ire of the police and treated like criminals. All this time, Akshardham sect authorities were watching the action. The next day, they marked their territory rightfully, Mahavir can't even see his farmland now, as aksharham had covered their boundary - on 3rd Nov, the land cover stood to be around 38 acres. >>The "Bhiswambhar Das Ashram" - the temple angle. If you can get your hands on to the 1995 Delhi Map, released by Indian Book Depot. You will clearly find the Bhishambhar das ashram resting between the nizamuddin bridge and pandav nagar, and surely find cute looking trees drawn over it, showing that the ashram was surrounded by greenery. What a location, isn't it - the banks of Yamunaji. As Shankar Sharma (lawyer of the bhishambhar das ashram's swamy) meticulously takes out a natraj scale and draws over this dairy,and askes us the mastermind quiz question - "Ever wondered why the road NH-24 is made in a curved manner, connecting ring road to the way to ghaziabad". We looked at each other and answered him a stare, he proudly draws a straight line from the ring road to the pandav nagar. "See, if they had made a straight road, they would have to uproot the bhisambhar ashram. But they can't do it, its a historical site, 47 village around this spot, hold this ashram in high esteem. National heritage you know, they can't do it, you know, that is why the road is a curve, leaving the bhishambar das ashram untouched". Except the historical part, we believed him at that moment, well the observation is worth taking note of. Anyway, what it meant was this ashram was a recognised spot, as it is mentioned even in the Delhi map. But hundreds of such spots are erased every year, who really cares. But still the observation can be noted down. So what happenned to Bhisambhar ashram 'that day'. "Well, if LK Advani can rage a mosque down with kar saveks, that too when he was a nobody. You can imagine, what he can do, when he hold the Home ministry portfolio": Baba Anand kumar spits fire whenever we ask him about 'that day'. The ashram was formed by Bhisambhar Das, the date cannot be confirmed, but as Anand kumar puts it, the ashram as a structure come into existence around 1954. During floods, baba bhishambhar used to make a machan on a Banyan tree and stay their for more than a month. Farmers used to come in boat and serve him food. This pretty much clears the fact, that the land was aptly used as a river flood plane. After this bit of history, coming back to 2nd of Nov, the ashram was also raged into ground, the hanuman murti was showed no respect. The trees surrounding the ashram was cut and only a few handful remains today. The makeshift camp where sadhus used to stay was destroyed. As anand kumar puts it "We were preparing for bhojan, when the police forces came over. I couldn't even serve the sadhus who have come from far away places. It was so insulting". If you want to meet Baba Anand Kumar, he still stays besides the boundary wall of the akshardham temple towards the ghaziabad road, hanuman murti is kept under a banyan tree and he swears that until he throws the akshardham temple out of his land, he will continue living there. Now, that you got the story of 'that day', which we keep referring to so often, gear up for the next posting, where we will delve into the illegalities of biggest law mongers of today - DDA. Soon, you will find urself under the hard skin of untruth. Wonder new parks are coming up everywhere near the yamuna river. Ever tried visiting the "sur yamuna bathing ghat" near wazirabad bridge which was launched by DDA with much funfare and couple of millions were spent. Try visiting it someday, and soon you will realise the scheme of things planned by our city developers. More... and more on our next posting. don't worry we wont sink again. Next week perhaps..... Sabir Haque Leena Rani Narzary Nidhi Bal Singh [THE LINK TO THE PHOTOGRAPHS DEPICTING THE CHANGES ON THE AKSHARDHAM SCAPE OF EASTERN BANKS OF YAMUNA WILL BE AVAILABLE ON THE LINK BELOW: www.whatasight.bravehost.com/links.html] I am working on a website right now, the url will be registered soon, till that time, probably the website will be available on a free server site. aedios...take care all [sabir haque] contact information --------------------------------- Sabir Haque 35,Mashigarh, Jamia Nagar New Delhi - 25 sabir at ndtv.com www.whatasight.bravehost.com ph no: 9891408334 Nidhi Bal Singh nidhib at ndtv.com ph no: 9891627733 Leena Rani Narzary leenanarzary at hotmail.com ph no: 9891495886 Yahoo! India Matrimony: Find your life partneronline. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050507/de482c12/attachment.html From shivamvij at gmail.com Sat May 7 18:30:35 2005 From: shivamvij at gmail.com (shivam) Date: Sat, 7 May 2005 18:30:35 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Surveilance? Privacy? Anyone? Message-ID: India launches high-tech mapping satellite May 06, 2005 An Indian space rocket blasted off Thursday in the country's first bid to carry two satellites in a single launch. The 44-meter Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle lifted off from the Satish Dhawan space port near Madras on India's southeast carrying CARTOSAT-1, a remote sensing satellite whose precise imaging is aimed at putting every Indian household on the map and HAMSAT, for home radio operators. India will use CARTOSAT-1 to help urban and rural planning, land and water management, relief operations and environmental assessments. CARTOSAT-1 carries two panchromatic cameras that take black and white stereoscopic pictures . It can capture visual features down to 2.5 meters (8 ft 2 inches) across, officials of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) said. source: http://ployer.com/archives/2005/05/india_launches.php -- http://mallroad.blogspot.com From sumangaladamodaran at yahoo.com Sun May 8 13:36:22 2005 From: sumangaladamodaran at yahoo.com (Sumangala Damodaran) Date: Sun, 8 May 2005 01:06:22 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] IPTA - Emerging Aspects 2 Message-ID: <20050508080625.23168.qmail@web32212.mail.mud.yahoo.com> IPTA in the Early Years� Emerging Aspects 2. One extremely interesting aspect of the early years of the IPTA is the range of personalities that were associated with it and the nature of their contribution. Ranging from classical musicians such as Ravi Shankar and Jyotirindra Moitra to trained dancers such as Shanti Bardhan, Narendra Sharma, and Appunni to young singers and dancers who came from within the left movement such as Preeti Banerjee, Reba Raychaudhuri, Benoy Roy, Rekha Jain and Dina Pathak to working class singers such as Amar Sheikh and Dashrath Lal, a wide gamut of artistes participated in the creation of artistic productions which included theatre, dance and music. All these artistes lived in extremely difficult conditions in a commune in Bombay and devoted themselves, for differing periods of time, to the creation of an alternative aesthetic culture. The sheer range of their experiences and training gave rise to the range of styles mentioned earlier. A number of interesting debates relating to form and content and the meaning of cultural intervention in the building of the left movement took place in the period. While I am attempting to document this, I am also trying to unravel the content of the alternative aesthetic culture that was being attempted. --------------------------------- Yahoo! Mail Stay connected, organized, and protected. Take the tour -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050508/3f8622ac/attachment.html From sumangaladamodaran at yahoo.com Sun May 8 13:41:11 2005 From: sumangaladamodaran at yahoo.com (Sumangala Damodaran) Date: Sun, 8 May 2005 01:11:11 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] IPTA -Emerging aspects 1 Message-ID: <20050508081111.42845.qmail@web32211.mail.mud.yahoo.com> IPTA in the Early Years� Emerging Aspects. I would like to share some of the interesting aspects of what I have collected as part of the documentation of songs of the IPTA in Hindi and English. The first among these is the discovery of how vibrant the decades of the 1940s and 1950s appears to have been in terms of the musical styles used and the number and types of songs written. For someone like me who sang as part of the protest music tradition from the early eighties onwards, the sheer range has been mind boggling. For example, there are songs in entrenched folk styles with extremely contemporary lyrics as well as westernised songs both being composed and sung by the same person. There are highly lilting, pathos-ridden individual songs as well as well-orchestrated collective agitational songs written around the same theme. If one compares the range of the �40s and �50s with the tradition later, say from the �70s onwards, the latter is significantly more limited in terms of types of songs sung. For example, the largest number of songs written and composed in later years are collective songs with more direct messages of protest, with far less emphasis on either subtle enunciation of any specific forms, or on experimentation with form itself. The decline of the individual song and its implications are one of the aspects that I am currently investigating. --------------------------------- Discover Yahoo! Use Yahoo! to plan a weekend, have fun online & more. Check it out! -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050508/b0fbdefb/attachment.html From turbulence at turbulence.org Sun May 8 01:01:37 2005 From: turbulence at turbulence.org (Turbulence) Date: Sat, 07 May 2005 15:31:37 -0400 Subject: [Reader-list] [Announcements] Turbulence Artists' Studios: Luziano Testi Paul Message-ID: <427D1799.40508@turbulence.org> May 7, 2005 Turbulence Artists' Studios: Luziano Testi Paul http://turbulence.org/studios/paul/index.htm Needs IE 5+, Flash Player 7+, Adobe Acrobat 5+ and sound on What happens when we live in times of a communicational ecstasy? Luziano Testi Paul's latest works explore the possibilities, myths and realities that float around in a global culture obsessed with communication. Some of his works question the modernist imperative of building spaces for user-user interaction that inevitably end up being the same as user-machine interaction: we say what the interface let's us say, and our messages and intentions are reshaped by our interfaces. How do these ideas alter the way we perceive, react, relate, feel, and communicate? How do these ideas reshape our messages and intentions? Can we become completely blind in a world bound by optical fiber? BIOGRAPHY Luziano Testi Paul (100luz) was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1977. After an education in communication, he worked professionally on several start-ups during the (dot)com boom, where as a web designer and creative director he was introduced to concepts such as 'user experience' and 'viral marketing'. The very nature of information distribution and dissemination of the net influenced Paul to focus his artistic practice on new media. In 1999 he started http://100luz.com.ar, a repository/gallery of his work. He has participated in several exhibitions both online and offline. Paul currently lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and works professionally in the areas of corporate identity, branding and user experience. For more Turbulence Artists' Studios please visit http://turbulence.org/studios/index.html -- Jo-Anne Green, Co-Director New Radio and Performing Arts, Inc.: http://new-radio.org New York: 917.548.7780 . Boston: 617.522.3856 Turbulence: http://turbulence.org New American Radio: http://somewhere.org Networked_Performance Blog and Conference: http://turbulence.org/blog -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050507/4e0c366b/attachment.html -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From shivamvij at gmail.com Mon May 9 01:45:09 2005 From: shivamvij at gmail.com (shivam) Date: Mon, 9 May 2005 01:45:09 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Tea at JNU and the Sarai fellows meet Message-ID: We had a nice time at the Sarai fellows meet; thank you very much Mahesh, not just for taking the initiative but also for all your enthusiasm and cheer throughout the meet. The JNU politics and its promotion are amusing to me, and Irfan's radio humour is a very serious issue. I'm sure the exchange of ideas and phone numbers this evening will all help each others projects. While introducing myself I had jokingly said that I'm not the same Shivam who posts on the Sarai list, and it seems nobody got the joke. In a conversation after the meet someone just stopped short of bitching about the other Shivam! Just joking Marya :) Cheers Shivam -- http://mallroad.blogspot.com From river_side1 at hotmail.com Mon May 9 03:20:32 2005 From: river_side1 at hotmail.com (River .) Date: Sun, 08 May 2005 21:50:32 +0000 Subject: [Reader-list] Tea at JNU and the Sarai fellows meet In-Reply-To: Message-ID: An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050508/0bf9b2d9/attachment.html From urmilabhirdikar at gmail.com Mon May 9 07:24:02 2005 From: urmilabhirdikar at gmail.com (urmila bhirdikar) Date: Mon, 9 May 2005 07:24:02 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Marathi natyasangit In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi Veena, Thank you for your interest and inputs. No, I am afraid, by undeclared sources i meant more of the classical/thumri singers rather than lavni. As to the celebraton of eroticism by writers like Potdar... it is interesting isn't it that they slip in the lavni as a sanskritik entity? what do you think of M V Dhond's book Marhati Lavni? i found his reading quite interesting methodwise, as he offers insight into the history of words as well. i have the peter manuel ,and, yes, indeed the popularity of purab ang is very noticeable in the known thumri here... i wonder when the lucknow ang begin to gain ground. and the last point about the revival of interest, the "revival" is in terms of the audio cds... i meant the cassettes/cd market is getting newer items. reissues of records, old programmes.... but as far as the performance of the plays are concerned, i guess there wasnt any time when the plays were not performed... oh yes some are newly being revived... saubhadra (to be performed this week) for example... but there has been a small number of plays performed again and again... swayamwar for example... so we will have to speak of both continuation and revival...i think.... but i am deeply interested in knowing how you are reading it. Also, how would one read the growing interest of the middle class ( for want of a better word) in sangit bari itself... what i mean is the large number of shows in main auditoriums which are easily accessible to an audience that was perhaps not willing to go to a tamasha theatre.... and additionally the lavni itself, outside the sangit bari, performed as baithakichi lavni..... i really am a very poor tv watcher....with very little idea of the circulation of these on tv/channels. i do hope to read your ideas on these. best urmila From k.kuldeep97 at rediffmail.com Sun May 8 20:46:34 2005 From: k.kuldeep97 at rediffmail.com (kuldeep kaur) Date: 8 May 2005 15:16:34 -0000 Subject: [Reader-list] Hopital's labour room as a space for unheard voices Message-ID: <20050508151634.14556.qmail@webmail29.rediffmail.com> On 19th April 2005 – 1:55pm Clean Labour room “Kuldeep we have induced the jhally (psychotic)” as I entered the induction room, came a sharp voice of a senior doctor. I immediately got the image of the mother admitted for induction on previous day with history of psychosis and epilepsy. I replied that I think she should be taken up for caesarian-section. I do not think she can bear the labour pains. “Oh! That is true but it is also not advisable to do caesarian-section for such psychosis mother. There are always more complications in caesarian-section than normal vaginal delivery.” The doctor explained further. “Anyhow, let us pray for the best.” “Yes, we should try to make her as comfortable as we can.” Meena (changed name, The mentioned mother) was missing from her bed at the time of over/duty change. I asked Bala, the security person on duty, about the where about patient Meena? It was urgent to bring her inside. She was already induced and it could be risky for her to move here and there. I asked the security person to check in her room. A special room is meant for pre-eclampsia patient, it was allotted to her after many fellow patients from antenatal cabin complained that she was very talkative and arguing with them. She was found eating in her room. She requested the security to wait till she is finished with lunch. While entering in the induction room she greeted, “Hello sister! I think that I should eat as much as I can! It is quite possible that I have to keep fasting till the baby is born. Sister I like samosa/pakoras very much. My mother bought me two samosas and two burgers and I eat till my stomach began to refuse.” I interrupted, “Meena, it is wrong. Anyhow now you will be on liquid diet like soups, juices and plain tea. It will be a ease for you and your stomach and for your baby too- okay!” “Yes sister, should I go and take some tomato soup right now.” “ Not at all, kindly stay inside. Our diet worker will bring a soup for you after some time. Till then we want to listen heart –beat of your baby with a machine. You have to lie down straight for some time.” She obeyed. She was quite pretty with a thick line of sindoor in her hairline and clothes of latest fashion, a kurta-salwar with multi-colored dupatta. From her appearance it was not possible to differentiate her from other mothers. In labour room our first introduction with admitted mother starts with advise for removing all ornaments she wears e.g. Chura (a huge set of Red bangles worn at time of marriage) create lots of hindrance. They argue that chura is a symbol of suhag and their mothers and in-laws instruct them not to part away from it till the first baby is born. Then we have to explain them that during intravenous therapy, which is part of induction of labour process, we have to fix a canula. In case this canula displaced or your chura is tight, it can lead to local inflammation or can involve whole arm. So it is advisable to remove all jewelry to avoid such incidences. In some cases, pregnancy induced retention of water in the body makes it impossible to remove chura. It is also a big unconvinced for the mother during labour pains. The other reason for removing the jewelry is legal. We have to hand over all jewelry/belongings/clothing’s to the attendants of the patient at the time of admission to induction room avoid theft or misplacement of jewellery. At 4:15pm Meena is again standing beside my chair. “ Didi, could I have some tea” “No dear, first we have to assess you for delivery. Bade doctor round par ane wale hai, aap bed par nahin mile to who naraj ho jayenge. Thodi der aur ruk jayo. Wait for some time, senior doctor is about to come if you are not found on bed she will be very angry”. “Theek hai didi, par main chai zaroor pene hai. Okay sister what I need tea very much.” Sometime before this conversation, I was preparing the tray for her I/v (Intravenous) infusion. Our ward attendant Kusam came for help and asked, “Sister ji, have we asked her attendants to get the articles and medicines required for delivery.” “They have been given the list in routine. Let us check our stock and see but we can provide. They will return whatever is available here.” “Try to get all the required things so their purchase could be saved. She is going through bad times.” “Let us see what are the items available. We will take from their purchase what ever is not available in our stock” Meena interrupted Kusam and asked’ “Aunty, are you working here.” Kusum replied, “Look, I am wearing uniform too.” In between their talk I explained her about I/V (Intravenous) Canula (special needle used for administrating intravenous fluids) insertion. I was apprehensive and nervous by thinking of Meena. During insertion of I/V Canula some mothers scream so much you feel guilty like doing something wrong. If the patient moves at the time of pricking the needle get displaced and thrombose the vein. Then new vein is searched and new Canula is required. More over Meena was on psychiatric drugs. I found it necessary to check her psychiatric consultation records. She was on two regular psychiatric drugs. There were instructions for prepared sedative injections ready at hand in case she gets violent. I immediately check the crush cart (Big trolley with many boxes to keep emergency requisition equipments and drugs) and a refrigerator. No prepared sedation was there. I was astonished at the morning duty nurse who forgets to keep sedation at hand. Anyhow I consult the senior doctor, Dr. Shavnam on duty about the prepared sedative for the patient as prescribed by psychiatric consultant. “Yes sister kindly read the file and prepare the required dose. It should also be at hand during internal assessment of the patient. As you are going to insert a canula, she may get furious. Be cautious.” The doctor warned. “Thanks doctor” She was hardly 6 feet away from us. She may have listened to our discussion. I was back to insert her canula. There were two patients so I had enough time for making sure that she gets due attention and care. On seeing canula she insisted on eating something. “Sister Ji, ‘main abhi do minute mein vapis aa jaunge’. I will be back within no time.” “Look meena, we have to maintain I/V line. It is very very important. We are helping you.” I tried to persuade her. “No sister, please leave me.” “Okay, Kusum go with her and bring her inside as soon as possible.” I requested to Kusam with the intention that this favour may make Meena co-operative. She was back within 10 minutes. She said on entering, “jahan par bada bura karte hain, Apni marzi se khane peene bhi kahin dete hain (It is really bad here, you are not allowed to eat at will.)” Till 8PM, she was eating one or other thing despite having labour pains. When I left the labour room at the end of my duty she was bearing pains very bravely. Next day while joining my duty in the morning I asked my colleague, “Hello dear, how are you?” “Quite fine.” “How was the night?” “It was quite hectic- one ceasarian-section and four normal deliveries.” “Whose caesarian?” I had the curiosity to know about Meena. “Of Meena.” “Oh! It was expected. She was not in a state of mind to bear labour pain.” “No, she was operated due to fetal distress. It was a baby girl, cute like her.” After taking the over I went straight to her room. I was very anxious to see how she is breast-feeding her child and how she was coping with stress and pain. In normal females operation related stress can be read from their faces — unable to move, bleeding her vagina, pain at operational sites, voiding through urinary catheter. All makes them helpless. They need a sympathetic smile and warm wishes for their babies. Is Meena getting sympathy and a warm love for her baby? “Hello Meena, How are you?” “Sister it is good you are here. I remember you. This is my girl-my own baby. Sister can I get up and hold her in my arms.” “No, no! You have to lie down at least for twelve hours. Then you can sit and hold her tightly.” She was looking very thin, pale and tired but she was quite happy with her baby girl. My worries about the newborn baby’s care decreased as a mother was holding her like a mother should. When a started looking towards suddenly I found that my worries as a social being are still haunting — how the society will behave with this jhally mother and her daughter? I couldn’t stop myself from sharing these worries with her mother. The response of her mother was unlike we are used to in labour room. She was not making unwelcome postures at the arrival of baby-girl and confident of taking care of mother and child. My worries remained reshaping as it was the mother of Meena not her mother-in-law, where she is supposed to live. She has fulfilled the most desirable duty of women despite being mentally unwelcome. Most of the women live as bodies here Meena have gone through the procedure the body is supposed to. How this rephrasing of slogan sounds, “body thujey salam”? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050508/cc179cb0/attachment.html From iram at sarai.net Mon May 9 10:34:09 2005 From: iram at sarai.net (iram at sarai.net) Date: Mon, 9 May 2005 07:04:09 +0200 Subject: [Reader-list] Fwd: Posting by NAGRIK MANCHA Message-ID: <2896813116c6a34100d4d09c7b12170f@sarai.net> ------ Original Message ------ Subject: Forward of moderated message To: iram at sarai.net From: reader-list-bounces at sarai.net Date: Mon, 09 May 2005 06:39:05 +0200 Workers of locked out industries and the changing urban space *I.* We were walking along the crowded streets of Belgharia, once bustling with large and famed industries like Mohini Mills (NTC), Beni Engineering and others. Our tableau was ahead and a few of us were distributing leaflets as a rearguard. Feeling a light touch on my elbow I turned back to find a frail smiling man who wanted the leaflet. He looked into my eyes and said, " I am a worker of a locked-out unit, too." Pointing at his meagre wares spread out on the roadside, rather shyly he said, "I sit there!" Embarrassed for having passed him by unintentionally and touched by his interest in what we had to say, I stood a while and asked him about his unit. He was from a composite steel mill at Belur, Howrah, locked out almost ten years back. When I told him that there were quiet a few workers from that unit campaigning from the tableau his eyes lit up and without a backward glance he ran towards the tableau. I stood guard while the warm reunion unfolded in front of my eyes. It was almost five years since they had met! He came back beaming and promptly promised that he would join the Bhukha Michhil on May Day when workers from locked out units would take to the streets of Kolkata. He did keep his promise! *II.* A leading wire manufacturing company had been locked out for almost 8 years. Some of the workers from this unit had regrouped and the well-attended meeting they had organised, with support from local citizens, was underway. The venue was right by the side of the busy BT Road – the arterial 'Barrackpur Trunk' Road – passing through one of the most thriving industrial hub of yesteryears. As if adding colours to the proceedings there stood a man selling his gas-filled balloons tied by strings to his machine on a cart. Just to engage him into a conversation I asked about how many balloons he lost everyday by accident. Like a natural philosopher he tugged at the taut strings to which the balloons were straining against and said, "These are there!" What he said next came as a sucker punch! "What can we do? We do not have any strings anymore. So the balloons have scattered in all directions." He was from the same locked out factory and since he wanted to attend the meeting he had parked his cart nearby and did not take the usual route as on other days. "I have read the handbill and I am sure we will be able to do something," he said sounding optimistic. *III.* The huge Thermal Power Station had been shut down at Shyamnagar, North 24 Parganas. We were keen to take some shots since we were sure that a closed down unit today could be a residential apartment tomorrow. And this was big! We skirted the boundary and approached it from the riverside. Local activists told us that there were security personnel galore and half a dozen Doberman guarded the huge area inside. We had to have a suitable escape route since we were NOT stealing any property, we were told! Theft, in connivance with those in charge – earth to boiler parts – was rampant, it was alleged. As the pictures will tell, this was ideally suitable for an exceptionally located riverside residential complex! Before we could complete shooting to our hearts content we were given the charge and the escape route, chosen with care, engulfed us in a maze of lanes through one of those clusters of riverside 'jhopris' beyond the control of the private security personnel. Later we heard from various sources that perhaps the Sahara Group was in the run to create a residential township in this industrial 'fallow' land! It was really big! We also came to know that in another nearby Cotton Mill, located similarly beside the river, negotiation was on to evict the workers from their quarters and to sell off the quarters to proper 'promoters' who would then get some lovely riverside apartments in place. It would help the 'company' financially and would also be a bane to those who would not be able to afford the expensive Sahara flats! What healthy competition and how contagious too! It is a pity that the State Government too has actually given a green signal to such a proposal. It is ominous when one takes note of the fact that West Bengal Government has identified 1,36,000 bigha of land stuck up in locked and closed industries and naturally it is considering its 'fair' use! We sincerely hope that the Government will not embark on a project of 'unfair' land speculation in a big way. *IV.* "The nature of this intersection has changed beyond recognition. Previously there were hundreds of stalls and makeshift shops. From sunrise till late night, eating houses, vegetable producers-turned vendors and shops selling everything that the working population needed, made this Sukchar More a hubbub of activity. Now eight large and many more small units have closed down in the vicinity and the working population have little to spare. So the problem of closed units is not for us – the directly affected workers – alone. What about the auto rickshaw operators? We now walk three kilometres instead of jumping on to a shuttling auto since even Rs. 3 is hard to come by!" said Gulab while imploring the locals to realise that the demands of workers from closed out units were not only just but also beneficial to the rest of the society. Gulab Goyala, from a local locked out industry had around Rs.40,000 of unpaid dues when his factory was locked out in 1998. He said, "Don't be surprised! Sarkar-da, who was old and sick and unable to walk the streets for work died just last Sunday. The neighbours would feed this jobless hungry man. His legal dues amounted to Rs. 85,000. And he died without food or medicine!" How we hoped that the heart wrenching economics rendered by this ordinary worker could cut ice! "Bhaai, where do you want to go? Back to Bihar/UP from where you had to run away as a child?" were his words as he ended his 'speech' at one of the preparatory meetings to the run up to the May Day Rally. We learnt a lot and we spoke with a lot of Gulab's co-workers telling them that we would come back to learn more from them. *V. * On May Day 2005, they came in two's and three's. They came in dozens. Workers from locked out industries spread far and wide. They were not obliged to go to the May Day Meeting at Shahid Minar organised jointly by all the left Central Trade Unions since their issue was not on the day's agenda. No one, these days, ask them to attend! They had not heard about Daabi Mancha but they knew that all the 13 demands being pressed for were related to them. So they came. So did a couple of hundred seemingly 'unrelated' members of the civil society. They came in solidarity. They thought quite a few of the 13 demands could be pressed home without much 'pressure' on the cash strapped State Government. And they all walked in the May Day Bhukha Michhil – with banners, colourful posters and full throated in their response to the 13 demands of the day. The grand total – between eleven and fifteen hundred – was immaterial. It was a hot and humid Sunday afternoon! What was important is that we are now in touch with hundreds and hundreds of hitherto 'unknown' workers from scores and scores of locked out industries who are not only suffering but are also prone to come out of the rut, into which they have been pushed into, and fight for their just and legal demands. This we feel is the first modest achievement of the preliminary round of this study we have been doing with support from SARAI! It will be wonderful to get some feedback / suggestions / advice / references / comments. We are yet to elicit any response till date but there could well be so many understandable reasons for that. Warmly, Ashim On behalf of Nagarik Mancha, Kolkata -------------- next part -------------- An embedded message was scrubbed... From: nagarik mancha Subject: Workers of locked out industries and the changing urban space Date: Sun, 8 May 2005 22:20:24 +0530 Size: 28958 Url: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050509/9a51c0ca/attachment.mht From vivek at sarai.net Mon May 9 12:54:24 2005 From: vivek at sarai.net (Vivek Narayanan) Date: Mon, 09 May 2005 12:54:24 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Tea at JNU and the Sarai fellows meet In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <427F1028.6010804@sarai.net> Yes, Mahesh, I'll add my voice-- thanks for some great spirit and provocation! Vivek River . wrote: > Mahesh, thanks! > > It was fun to match postings and faces. We should have such meetings > more frequently! > > N. > > PS: Shivam, what exactly did you find /amusing/ about JNU's politics? > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Insta predictions! Get your answers in 48 hours! > What are you waiting for? > >------------------------------------------------------------------------ > >_________________________________________ >reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >Critiques & Collaborations >To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the subject header. >List archive: > From amitrbasu50 at yahoo.co.in Mon May 9 11:14:23 2005 From: amitrbasu50 at yahoo.co.in (Amit Basu) Date: Mon, 9 May 2005 06:44:23 +0100 (BST) Subject: [Reader-list] Fwd: Posting by NAGRIK MANCHA In-Reply-To: <2896813116c6a34100d4d09c7b12170f@sarai.net> Message-ID: <20050509054423.48560.qmail@web8506.mail.in.yahoo.com> This is an interesting posting describing a fragment of the present situation of locked out workers in west Bengal. The May Day perspective provided an important backdrop. However, I expected some clues on your further follow up of the isuue/s or the kind of narratives you are going to construct. amit basu iram at sarai.net wrote: ------ Original Message ------ Subject: Forward of moderated message To: iram at sarai.net From: reader-list-bounces at sarai.net Date: Mon, 09 May 2005 06:39:05 +0200 Workers of locked out industries and the changing urban space *I.* We were walking along the crowded streets of Belgharia, once bustling with large and famed industries like Mohini Mills (NTC), Beni Engineering and others. Our tableau was ahead and a few of us were distributing leaflets as a rearguard. Feeling a light touch on my elbow I turned back to find a frail smiling man who wanted the leaflet. He looked into my eyes and said, " I am a worker of a locked-out unit, too." Pointing at his meagre wares spread out on the roadside, rather shyly he said, "I sit there!" Embarrassed for having passed him by unintentionally and touched by his interest in what we had to say, I stood a while and asked him about his unit. He was from a composite steel mill at Belur, Howrah, locked out almost ten years back. When I told him that there were quiet a few workers from that unit campaigning from the tableau his eyes lit up and without a backward glance he ran towards the tableau. I stood guard while the warm reunion unfolded in front of my eyes. It was almost five years since they had met! He came back beaming and promptly promised that he would join the Bhukha Michhil on May Day when workers from locked out units would take to the streets of Kolkata. He did keep his promise! *II.* A leading wire manufacturing company had been locked out for almost 8 years. Some of the workers from this unit had regrouped and the well-attended meeting they had organised, with support from local citizens, was underway. The venue was right by the side of the busy BT Road – the arterial 'Barrackpur Trunk' Road – passing through one of the most thriving industrial hub of yesteryears. As if adding colours to the proceedings there stood a man selling his gas-filled balloons tied by strings to his machine on a cart. Just to engage him into a conversation I asked about how many balloons he lost everyday by accident. Like a natural philosopher he tugged at the taut strings to which the balloons were straining against and said, "These are there!" What he said next came as a sucker punch! "What can we do? We do not have any strings anymore. So the balloons have scattered in all directions." He was from the same locked out factory and since he wanted to attend the meeting he had parked his cart nearby and did not take the usual route as on other days. "I have read the handbill and I am sure we will be able to do something," he said sounding optimistic. *III.* The huge Thermal Power Station had been shut down at Shyamnagar, North 24 Parganas. We were keen to take some shots since we were sure that a closed down unit today could be a residential apartment tomorrow. And this was big! We skirted the boundary and approached it from the riverside. Local activists told us that there were security personnel galore and half a dozen Doberman guarded the huge area inside. We had to have a suitable escape route since we were NOT stealing any property, we were told! Theft, in connivance with those in charge – earth to boiler parts – was rampant, it was alleged. As the pictures will tell, this was ideally suitable for an exceptionally located riverside residential complex! Before we could complete shooting to our hearts content we were given the charge and the escape route, chosen with care, engulfed us in a maze of lanes through one of those clusters of riverside 'jhopris' beyond the control of the private security personnel. Later we heard from various sources that perhaps the Sahara Group was in the run to create a residential township in this industrial 'fallow' land! It was really big! We also came to know that in another nearby Cotton Mill, located similarly beside the river, negotiation was on to evict the workers from their quarters and to sell off the quarters to proper 'promoters' who would then get some lovely riverside apartments in place. It would help the 'company' financially and would also be a bane to those who would not be able to afford the expensive Sahara flats! What healthy competition and how contagious too! It is a pity that the State Government too has actually given a green signal to such a proposal. It is ominous when one takes note of the fact that West Bengal Government has identified 1,36,000 bigha of land stuck up in locked and closed industries and naturally it is considering its 'fair' use! We sincerely hope that the Government will not embark on a project of 'unfair' land speculation in a big way. *IV.* "The nature of this intersection has changed beyond recognition. Previously there were hundreds of stalls and makeshift shops. From sunrise till late night, eating houses, vegetable producers-turned vendors and shops selling everything that the working population needed, made this Sukchar More a hubbub of activity. Now eight large and many more small units have closed down in the vicinity and the working population have little to spare. So the problem of closed units is not for us – the directly affected workers – alone. What about the auto rickshaw operators? We now walk three kilometres instead of jumping on to a shuttling auto since even Rs. 3 is hard to come by!" said Gulab while imploring the locals to realise that the demands of workers from closed out units were not only just but also beneficial to the rest of the society. Gulab Goyala, from a local locked out industry had around Rs.40,000 of unpaid dues when his factory was locked out in 1998. He said, "Don't be surprised! Sarkar-da, who was old and sick and unable to walk the streets for work died just last Sunday. The neighbours would feed this jobless hungry man. His legal dues amounted to Rs. 85,000. And he died without food or medicine!" How we hoped that the heart wrenching economics rendered by this ordinary worker could cut ice! "Bhaai, where do you want to go? Back to Bihar/UP from where you had to run away as a child?" were his words as he ended his 'speech' at one of the preparatory meetings to the run up to the May Day Rally. We learnt a lot and we spoke with a lot of Gulab's co-workers telling them that we would come back to learn more from them. *V. * On May Day 2005, they came in two's and three's. They came in dozens. Workers from locked out industries spread far and wide. They were not obliged to go to the May Day Meeting at Shahid Minar organised jointly by all the left Central Trade Unions since their issue was not on the day's agenda. No one, these days, ask them to attend! They had not heard about Daabi Mancha but they knew that all the 13 demands being pressed for were related to them. So they came. So did a couple of hundred seemingly 'unrelated' members of the civil society. They came in solidarity. They thought quite a few of the 13 demands could be pressed home without much 'pressure' on the cash strapped State Government. And they all walked in the May Day Bhukha Michhil – with banners, colourful posters and full throated in their response to the 13 demands of the day. The grand total – between eleven and fifteen hundred – was immaterial. It was a hot and humid Sunday afternoon! What was important is that we are now in touch with hundreds and hundreds of hitherto 'unknown' workers from scores and scores of locked out industries who are not only suffering but are also prone to come out of the rut, into which they have been pushed into, and fight for their just and legal demands. This we feel is the first modest achievement of the preliminary round of this study we have been doing with support from SARAI! It will be wonderful to get some feedback / suggestions / advice / references / comments. We are yet to elicit any response till date but there could well be so many understandable reasons for that. Warmly, Ashim On behalf of Nagarik Mancha, Kolkata Date: Sun, 8 May 2005 22:20:24 +0530 From: nagarik mancha To: reader-list at sarai.net Subject: Workers of locked out industries and the changing urban space Workers of locked out industries and the changing urban space I. We were walking along the crowded streets of Belgharia, once bustling with large and famed industries like Mohini Mills (NTC), Beni Engineering and others. Our tableau was ahead and a few of us were distributing leaflets as a rearguard. Feeling a light touch on my elbow I turned back to find a frail smiling man who wanted the leaflet. He looked into my eyes and said, " I am a worker of a locked-out unit, too." Pointing at his meagre wares spread out on the roadside, rather shyly he said, "I sit there!" Embarrassed for having passed him by unintentionally and touched by his interest in what we had to say, I stood a while and asked him about his unit. He was from a composite steel mill at Belur, Howrah, locked out almost ten years back. When I told him that there were quiet a few workers from that unit campaigning from the tableau his eyes lit up and without a backward glance he ran towards the tableau. I stood guard while the warm reunion unfolded in front of my eyes. It was almost five years since they had met! He came back beaming and promptly promised that he would join the Bhukha Michhil on May Day when workers from locked out units would take to the streets of Kolkata. He did keep his promise! II. A leading wire manufacturing company had been locked out for almost 8 years. Some of the workers from this unit had regrouped and the well-attended meeting they had organised, with support from local citizens, was underway. The venue was right by the side of the busy BT Road – the arterial 'Barrackpur Trunk' Road – passing through one of the most thriving industrial hub of yesteryears. As if adding colours to the proceedings there stood a man selling his gas-filled balloons tied by strings to his machine on a cart. Just to engage him into a conversation I asked about how many balloons he lost everyday by accident. Like a natural philosopher he tugged at the taut strings to which the balloons were straining against and said, "These are there!" What he said next came as a sucker punch! "What can we do? We do not have any strings anymore. So the balloons have scattered in all directions." He was from the same locked out factory and since he wanted to attend the meeting he had parked his cart nearby and did not take the usual route as on other days. "I have read the handbill and I am sure we will be able to do something," he said sounding optimistic. III. The huge Thermal Power Station had been shut down at Shyamnagar, North 24 Parganas. We were keen to take some shots since we were sure that a closed down unit today could be a residential apartment tomorrow. And this was big! We skirted the boundary and approached it from the riverside. Local activists told us that there were security personnel galore and half a dozen Doberman guarded the huge area inside. We had to have a suitable escape route since we were NOT stealing any property, we were told! Theft, in connivance with those in charge – earth to boiler parts – was rampant, it was alleged. As the pictures will tell, this was ideally suitable for an exceptionally located riverside residential complex! Before we could complete shooting to our hearts content we were given the charge and the escape route, chosen with care, engulfed us in a maze of lanes through one of those clusters of riverside 'jhopris' beyond the control of the private security personnel. Later we heard from various sources that perhaps the Sahara Group was in the run to create a residential township in this industrial 'fallow' land! It was really big! We also came to know that in another nearby Cotton Mill, located similarly beside the river, negotiation was on to evict the workers from their quarters and to sell off the quarters to proper 'promoters' who would then get some lovely riverside apartments in place. It would help the 'company' financially and would also be a bane to those who would not be able to afford the expensive Sahara flats! What healthy competition and how contagious too! It is a pity that the State Government too has actually given a green signal to such a proposal. It is ominous when one takes note of the fact that West Bengal Government has identified 1,36,000 bigha of land stuck up in locked and closed industries and naturally it is considering its 'fair' use! We sincerely hope that the Government will not embark on a project of 'unfair' land speculation in a big way. IV. "The nature of this intersection has changed beyond recognition. Previously there were hundreds of stalls and makeshift shops. From sunrise till late night, eating houses, vegetable producers-turned vendors and shops selling everything that the working population needed, made this Sukchar More a hubbub of activity. Now eight large and many more small units have closed down in the vicinity and the working population have little to spare. So the problem of closed units is not for us – the directly affected workers – alone. What about the auto rickshaw operators? We now walk three kilometres instead of jumping on to a shuttling auto since even Rs. 3 is hard to come by!" said Gulab while imploring the locals to realise that the demands of workers from closed out units were not only just but also beneficial to the rest of the society. Gulab Goyala, from a local locked out industry had around Rs.40,000 of unpaid dues when his factory was locked out in 1998. He said, "Don't be surprised! Sarkar-da, who was old and sick and unable to walk the streets for work died just last Sunday. The neighbours would feed this jobless hungry man. His legal dues amounted to Rs. 85,000. And he died without food or medicine!" How we hoped that the heart wrenching economics rendered by this ordinary worker could cut ice! "Bhaai, where do you want to go? Back to Bihar/UP from where you had to run away as a child?" were his words as he ended his 'speech' at one of the preparatory meetings to the run up to the May Day Rally. We learnt a lot and we spoke with a lot of Gulab's co-workers telling them that we would come back to learn more from them. V. On May Day 2005, they came in two's and three's. They came in dozens. Workers from locked out industries spread far and wide. They were not obliged to go to the May Day Meeting at Shahid Minar organised jointly by all the left Central Trade Unions since their issue was not on the day's agenda. No one, these days, ask them to attend! They had not heard about Daabi Mancha but they knew that all the 13 demands being pressed for were related to them. So they came. So did a couple of hundred seemingly 'unrelated' members of the civil society. They came in solidarity. They thought quite a few of the 13 demands could be pressed home without much 'pressure' on the cash strapped State Government. And they all walked in the May Day Bhukha Michhil – with banners, colourful posters and full throated in their response to the 13 demands of the day. The grand total – between eleven and fifteen hundred – was immaterial. It was a hot and humid Sunday afternoon! What was important is that we are now in touch with hundreds and hundreds of hitherto 'unknown' workers from scores and scores of locked out industries who are not only suffering but are also prone to come out of the rut, into which they have been pushed into, and fight for their just and legal demands. This we feel is the first modest achievement of the preliminary round of this study we have been doing with support from SARAI! It will be wonderful to get some feedback / suggestions / advice / references / comments. We are yet to elicit any response till date but there could well be so many understandable reasons for that. Warmly, Ashim On behalf of Nagarik Mancha, Kolkata _________________________________________ reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. Critiques & Collaborations To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the subject header. List archive: Yahoo! India Matrimony: Find your life partneronline. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050509/355fc240/attachment.html From vishnu at cscsban.org Mon May 9 15:50:18 2005 From: vishnu at cscsban.org (vishnu at cscsban.org) Date: Mon, 9 May 2005 06:20:18 -0400 Subject: [Reader-list] field trip to Hyderabad Message-ID: <244120-22005519102018384@M2W094.mail2web.com> Hi, this is the fourth and delayed posting from the project (Oral) Documenting the death of a genre: Mythologicals in Telugu Cinema. I was in Hyderabad, busy doing some oral history of Telugu mythologicals for the past 15 days. And also met few people who are reading my postings on the readers-list, which is very exciting. I thought I will share my fieldwork experience, as part of which I located a lot of material which will be useful to all those people, who are working on Telugu language and literature, Andhra Pradesh State formation, Freedom struggle in Madras presidency, Telengana movement and of course early Telugu cinema. It is very important to visit Andhra Pradesh State Archives where one can find a lot of material Nizam’s rule (most of the documents I believe are in Urdu). For instance, one of my friends, who was helping me out, found a document of 1880s which was in a dump of un-archived material. The organization is extremely lethargic. You will not be given access to use the archive material the moment you give the Sarai authorization letter or any other academic organization letter. After they receive your application letter they will take atleast 3 months to inform you, through post, that you can come and use the archive facilities for six months. Luckily I could find some alternate way and skimmed through some material. One very useful resource is that they have all editions of Andhra Patrika (from 1914-1966) and it is also available on micro-film. Andhra Patrika and Krishna Patrika are very prominent magazines, which dealt with various issues pertaining to Telugu, Madras presidency and Andhra Pradesh. All of Krishna Patrika is available in Potti Sriramulu Telugu University and it is easier to deal with Telugu university officials than the AP State Archives people. Further, Telugu University library has old magazines on Telugu theatre, literature, dance and cinema. And it is a bit difficult to Xerox things here. But the oral documentation, which I proposed to undertake, was successful. I could interview A. Nageshwara Rao, who is 81 years old and still looking forward to act in films. He entered Telugu cinema industry in 1940s with a folklore film and acted in mythologicals, historicals but later became popular for his social films. Another interesting fact about ANR is that he was called Novel hero as he acted in many film adaptations of Telugu novels like Prem Nagar, Scretary, Devadas. And many of the Telugus would staunchly argue that his Devadas is the best film adaptation of the novel than any other film. He has also built Annapurna Film Studios which is a big banner even today. He is a contemporary of N.T. Rama Rao and was as popular as him. Also he is the Dadasaheb Phalke awardee. Gummadi Venkateshwara Rao is the other person whom I have interviewed. He is a character artist and has acted in many mythologicals, folklore, historical and social films (more than 400 films). He is a year younger to ANR and entered into the film industry in 1950. The other versatile actor is Kaikala Satyanarayana who has acted in more than 800 films and is still acting. Also I have interviewed Kantha Rao, who is older than ANR and NTR and is known for his folklore films. He has also produced few Telugu films. Kantha Rao and Vittalacharya are considered to be the best combination for folklore films. Further, Kantha Rao was at one point more popular than NTR and ANR but could not hold to that position for long time. Some people say that he was suppressed in the industry as he comes from Telengana region and is not a Kamma or Kapu. I tried to question him on this issue also but he was reluctant to speak. Further, I have also interviewed D.V. Narasa Raju, “81 not out” (as he puts it). He was a scriptwriter and was a columnist in Eenadu Newspaper for a long time. Further, given his training in Political Science, he has very strong arguments against Gandhiji’s approach to politics and Indian National Movement. Moreover, he has read works on Hollywood cinema and watched many films. And Cicely be Demelli is his favourite. S.V. Rama Rao is the other interviewee, who is a film critic and has written a book on Telugu cinema history titled Telugu Tera. The following is the questionnaire based on which the interviews were conducted. Personal Details Name : Age : Sex : Address : Occupation : General Information 1) How do you relate yourself to Telugu Cinema? (eg: film personality/spectator/critic) 2) What are the other language films that you have watched: made: acted: been part of: 3) Which language films have you watched most: made most: acted most: been part of most: 3a) If there is/are any particular reason(s) other than it being your mother tongue, please mention it? 4) Do(did) you read film magazines? If so, please list them. Name(s) Language (aprox.)Year 5) Do you write about films, film industry, etc.? If yes, please give the details. 6) Were you ever part of a film(s)? If so, in what capacity(ies)? 7) Mention the film related organization(s), if you are/were part of any. Film and Other Art Forms 1) List the stage plays that you have watched: made: acted: been part of: 2) Details of the Novels or Short stories that you have read: published: written: been part of: 3) Do you involve yourself in other fine-arts? If yes, give the details? 4) According to you what are or were the similarities/differences between (explain in detail) i) film and theatre in terms of production, circulation, exhibition, impact on the receiver, form, etc: ii) film and novel in terms of production, circulation, exhibition, impact on the receiver, form, etc: iii) film and painting in terms of production, circulation, exhibition, impact on the receiver, form, etc: 5) Has the relationship (if there is any) between Film and other art forms changed over the period of time? Please give your answers under the following points when is the change: what is the change: why is the change: how is the change: Classification of films 1) Approximately how many mythological films (pouranicalu) have you watched: made: acted: been part of: 2) Aprox. how many folklore films (Jaanapada chitralu) have you watched: made: acted: been part of: 3) Aprox. how many historical films (charitrakalu) have you watched: made: acted: been part of: 4) Aprox. how many social films (sanghikalu) have you watched: made: acted: been part of: 5) Aprox. how many devotional films (bhakti chitralu) have you watched: made: acted: been part of: 6) Mention any other type of Telugu films that you have watched: made: acted: been part of: 7) On what basis do you say a particular film is a mythological/social etc.? That is to say, what elements do you think should be taken into consideration to classify a film? On Mythologicals (Pouranicalu) 1) What are the characteristics of a mythological film? 2) Could you give a detailed account of Mythologicals in Telugu cinema? in terms of its form: in terms of its content: in terms of its role in the film industry: in terms of its relationship with technology: in terms of its relationship with other art forms: in terms of its coexistence with other film forms like devotionals, socials, etc.: in terms of its effects on viewers: in terms of its reception: in terms of its political and cultural impact: other than the above: 3) When and why do you think mythologicals died in Telugu cinema? Mention the reasons in detail. 4) There are also mythologicals in other Indian cinemas. Do you see any difference between the Telugu mythologicals and other language mythological? 4a) If yes, please give a detailed account of the same. 5) It is popularly believed that N.T. Rama Rao could become a successful politician mostly because of his mythic characters in films. How far do you agree or disagree with this opinion? Substantiate your case with examples. 6) Anything additional would like to say about mythologicals in Telugu cinema? Star System and Politics In this section I tried to do a comparative analysis of N T Rama Rao (who became the first non-congress Chief Minister in Andhhra Pradesh) and A. Nageshwara Rao. N.T. Rama Rao: In his 44 years of film career, Rama Rao had acted in about 297 films, out of which 280 are Telugu, 15 Tamil and 4 Hindi films. 44 of his films were mythologicals, 13 were historicals, 55 fictional films and 185 were social films. 140 of his films celebrated hundred days and 33 films celebrated silver jubilees, while six of his films ran more than 50 weeks. During 1950s NTR was the most cherished hero who was acting in 10 films per year. 1) There seems to be a great difference between the image of a film star before 1960s and after (for instance Nagaiah vs. N.T.R). Would you agree with this fact? 1a) If yes, talk about the differences in detail. 1b) Further, what do you think facilitated this change in the star image? 2) Female stars of 1930s, 40s, 50s were given more importance and were prominent in a film like today’s male stars in the film industry. What are the reasons that brought this change? 3) Could you give an account of the star and industry relationship from 1930s to 80s, with specific reference to Telugu film industry and the changes that occurred? 4) The connection between cinema and politics is popularly seen as, a star carrying over his on-screen charisma into the electoral politics. For instance, stars like N.T. Rama Rao in Telugu, M.G. R. in Tamil and Raj Kumar in Karnataka are most of the time the substance of the discussion on ‘cine-politics’. Why do you think that these stars had the charismatic effect unlike others? 5) Do you see the cine-politics as only a South Indian film industry phenomenon? 5a) If so what do you think are the reasons for this phenomenon? 6) To talk about two specific stars N.T. Rama Rao and A. Nageshwara Rao: i) Do you think both commanded equal and same popularity in the Telugu filmdom during their time? ii) Keeping aside the fact that A. Nageshwara Rao did not venture into electoral politics, do you think he could have been equally influential like N. T. Rama Rao in politics? Substantiate your stand in detail. -------------------------------------------------------------------- mail2web - Check your email from the web at http://mail2web.com/ . From iram at sarai.net Mon May 9 16:28:28 2005 From: iram at sarai.net (iram at sarai.net) Date: Mon, 9 May 2005 12:58:28 +0200 Subject: [Reader-list] precarity and call centres Message-ID: <5f216757f609e20a229bcbcdb93582db@sarai.net> Dear all, We recently wrote an article on precarity and call centres for the May issue of `Kulturrisse'. The article, `Working Lives: Re-looking the Call Center Industry in Delhi' can be accessed at http://republicart.net/disc/precariat/sarai01_en.htm Precarity? http://republicart.net/disc/precariat/precariat_editorial.htm Precariousness increasingly defines the conditions, under which people in all different fields pursue their work. Yet it is not only work, but also living conditions that have become precarious for more and more extensive portions of the European population. The present edition of the republicart web journal deals with more recent attempts to counter non-self-determined precariousness with the means of art and activism, bringing a self-determined turn to the term. In the practices of the Precarias a la Deriva in Madrid, the Glücklichen Arbeitslosen in Berlin, the French Intermittents, the May Day Parades in Barcelona and Milan, or the Italian strike movement, there are components of a new concatenation of this movement being developed: we call this precariat. For more texts in the same journal, see: http://republicart.net/disc/precariat/ Looking forwards to critiques/ comments/ suggestions best Iram and Taha From zainab at xtdnet.nl Tue May 10 10:14:59 2005 From: zainab at xtdnet.nl (zainab at xtdnet.nl) Date: Tue, 10 May 2005 08:44:59 +0400 (RET) Subject: [Reader-list] Joggers' Park Message-ID: <1113.219.65.13.183.1115700299.squirrel@webmail.xtdnet.nl> 8th May 2005 Joggers’ Park He wears white – white T-Shirt and white shorts. He walks very fast. Curt says he is funny. I think he is straightforward and also suspecting. I: “I am doing this research on Marine Drive and I want to interview you. I am from Sarai ...” He: “Hey, hey! I don’t understand English. You take down my phone number and call me. My name is Thakkar.” Over the phone, I: “Hello. I had met you at the promenade and I ...” Thakkar: “Hey, hey. I had already said to you. I am illiterate, I don’t understand English and if you cannot understand/speak Hindi, then we have a communication problem.” I: “Sorry, sorry,” apologizing for my automatic English brain and thought processes. This was about three weeks ago. Mr. Thakkar and me kept bumping into each other every time at the promenade. “So, what are you? Khoja or Bohra?” he had asked me, inquiring into my ‘caste’. There are times when I have felt the tension between him and me in terms of our religious affiliations and identities. Yet, I like him and I guess he likes me too. “There are very few true people on this earth. In today’s times, it is difficult to find true friends,” he tells me. “90% people are out to befriend you for your money. Only about 10% are true,” he tells me. Mr. Thakkar has been jogging at the Marine Drive promenade since fifteen years now, everyday, from Monday to Saturday. And he has a schedule – by 8 PM, he ‘backs’ and is most likely to meet at Oberoi Hotel (which is now Hilton Towers). I am trying to understand what the promenade means to him and how he sees it in the scheme of his everyday life. Maybe it don’t matter to him at all and I am trying to read more than what is obvious. When I ask him this question, he says, “It is part of my everyday life. The other day, I was in the taxi and we were passing by the promenade. I was telling the taxi driver, ‘Isn’t this a lovely place?’ and the taxi driver said to me, ‘this is the best place in Mumbai’.” And as Mr. Thakkar utters the word ‘best’, I sense the pride and ownership he says towards this place. Yes, perhaps the promenade is a ‘place’ for him, a kind of home, but I am still to investigate into this. This evening, we meet each other at the promenade. It is Sunday and he does not jog on Sundays. “Oh, very crowded today. Where do we sit? Haan, come, here. ‘Your’ people are vacating place for us,” he laughs and says. By “your’ people, he is pointing out to a large family of Bohra Muslims who are clearing out of the promenade. I think it is really tough to break beyond prejudice and interact as individuals in relationships. Each moment, in a relationship, there is either a power relation, or an interaction through images – at least initially and also at various points in time as the relationship grows. “How come you decided to jog here instead of going to the Oval Maidan which is also close by?” I asked him. He points out to the lines on his forehead and says, “Destiny. It is all about destiny. Destiny brings you to the place where you are supposed to be. Don’t you agree?” I nod. He continues, “Besides, there is the sea here. Sea is nature. It is purity. You feel peace in your heart when you are here –shaanti hoti hai,” he says, pointing out to the several people who are sitting here today, facing the sea. “People are not just looking out towards the horizon. They are connecting with themselves deep inside,” Mr. Thakkar tells me. A look at him and you may assume that he is a resident of Marine Drive area. I ask him why he thinks that people assume him to be a resident of this place. “I don’t know. Maybe they see me here everyday that is why they imagine that I live here. Everybody says ‘hello’ and ‘hi’ to me initially but when I tell them that I live at Kalbadevi, they stop talking with me,” he says laughing aloud. “I live in a little jhopada in Kalbadevi. I walk from there everyday and come here. I don’t even have a cycle,” he says me. And with these words, I know this is coming from an astute Gujarati businessman who attempts to give you the impression of a life of simplicity and scarcity behind the garb of his hard earned wealth over the years. Perhaps then, some behaviours and attitudes are predictable about some communities ... “How does the process of interaction with fellow joggers evolve?” I ask him “By and by. You see each other everyday and you smile. After the initial smiling phase, I do salaam to some people. I don’t discriminate between people. Each one is a human being. No one is high or low. To tell you one incident, there was a very rich man who used to come and jog here. I used to smile at him and do salaam to him everyday. But he would not respond. After some days, I stopped. Then he started feeling bad. And after a while, he of his own started to raise his hand a little as a greeting to me. I have been coming here since fifteen years. You know, the great J.R.D. Tata. His car used to halt by the Air India building everyday. He was a mota manas (big man). That is why, he used to travel in his Mercedes and at the signal, his car would always halt by the left. And he used to do salaam to me. Even the biggest and the smallest man here says hello me. Because I am that kind of person.” Perhaps he is. He has his own networks of influence and I wonder whether some of these have emerged from his interactions and networks with fellow joggers at Marine Drive. I asked him, “Did you used to come to the promenade before you began jogging?” “Yes, of course. In those days, I used to come here, where Cuffe Parade is now. I used to come here to hide and smoke cigarettes. You must be aware that in those days, to smoke was a big thing. Family should not know. So, I used to come here and smoke, hidingly.” “And did you see the reclamation come up before your eyes?” I asked him. “What is reclamation?” he asks me. “Oh, I mean these buildings which came up here?” “Yes, yes. Of course! I saw all these buildings come up here. Before the buildings came up, this place was an open-air theater. Everyday there used to be film shows here. In those days, there was no TV. So we used to come here and watch the films. It was nice then.” “You know, Gandhiji also has come here to the promenade. That is why this place is pure and blessed. Such a big man had come here,” Thakkar tells me when I ask him what the space means to him. “But why are you talking with me and doing this re-cher-ch? How many people have you re-cher-ched? Are you from the government? Are you from some secret agency? You know sometimes these agencies send women to do interviews. Please explain to me what you are doing.” I explain what I am doing and I promise to give him a Sarai Broadsheet since his daughter will be able to read it and understand. “I have always felt that you are from the government. How many government agencies are there? There is CBI, there is CID and one more ... which one? ... ... Haan, RAW? What is RAW?” I am smiling in my own mind, trying to understand his suspicions and fears. We start walking back. “You know, many people on this planet are not happy. We must live for others. One evening, I was waiting for some of my friends to join me at the promenade. I sat down on the wall, right opposite NCPA apartments. Now, I thought, let me just sleep here for a while. If I sleep opposite this building, I will feel that it is equivalent to sleeping inside the building. There was an ex-military officer sitting with his wife on the promenade. This man is in charge of the security of the building. We started chatting with each other. He told me, ‘You know, half the people living inside this building are not happy!’ You tell me, how much is each flat in the building worth?” I think hard and say, “One crore?” “Hutt,” he chides me. “Each flat in this building is between three to four thousand square feet. One square foot costs twenty five thousand rupees. Now calculate.” My mouth opens wide as I am trying to put all the zeroes together. “Seven to ten crores for each house!” “Hmmm,” he says smilingly. We walk together for a while. I am not sure whether his suspicions about me are cleared. And his prejudices ... how much should they affect me? We talk about religion, life in Bombay and he promises me that he will take me to one of the best places in Bombay where ice-creams are served. “That’s a promise. I am very happy to meet with you,” he says. I join my hands in respect for him. “No, no! just shake hands.” Now, haven’t I heard that before ... from Arjun bhai??? Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahhahahha!!!!! Zainab Bawa Bombay www.xanga.com/CityBytes http://crimsonfeet.recut.org/rubrique53.html From maheshsarma at rediffmail.com Mon May 9 19:52:03 2005 From: maheshsarma at rediffmail.com (mahesh sarma) Date: 9 May 2005 14:22:03 -0000 Subject: [Reader-list] Tea at JNU and the Sarai fellows meet Message-ID: <20050509142203.32733.qmail@webmail50.rediffmail.com> hi guys, thanks for the nice words. pripal said later i was being a complete 'bada chat' and never kept my mouth shut. thank you shivam for politely callign it ' enthusiasism and cheer'. yeah it was fun but for the 'sip' hopefully in future m On Mon, 09 May 2005 Vivek Narayanan wrote : >Yes, Mahesh, I'll add my voice-- thanks for some great spirit and provocation! > >Vivek > >River . wrote: > >>Mahesh, thanks! >> >>It was fun to match postings and faces. We should have such meetings more frequently! >> >>N. >> >>PS: Shivam, what exactly did you find /amusing/ about JNU's politics? >> >> >>------------------------------------------------------------------------ >>Insta predictions! Get your answers in 48 hours! What are you waiting for? >> >>------------------------------------------------------------------------ >> >>_________________________________________ >>reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >>Critiques & Collaborations >>To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the subject header. >>List archive: >> > > >_________________________________________ >reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >Critiques & Collaborations >To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the subject header. >List archive: B.Mahesh Sarma, Researcher Centre for Studies in Science Policy Jawaharlal Nehru University New Delhi. 110 067 Mobile:00-91-9868090468 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050509/8a597d4a/attachment.html From shivamvij at gmail.com Mon May 9 22:03:20 2005 From: shivamvij at gmail.com (shivam) Date: Mon, 9 May 2005 22:03:20 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: punjabi poetry In-Reply-To: <4BDB4406836DD411858900508BCF5EB70D2A8743@medmail7.medctr.ucla.edu> References: <4BDB4406836DD411858900508BCF5EB70D2A8743@medmail7.medctr.ucla.edu> Message-ID: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Ali, Omar Date: May 9, 2005 8:49 PM Subject: [asiapeace] FW: punjabi poetry To: "asiapeace at yahoogroups.com" Please visit Suman's excellent punjabi poetry site at: www.punjabipoetry.org Omar Ali comoderator, Asiapeace - -----Original Message----- From: suman kashyap To: omar ali; Sent: 5/8/05 11:39 AM Subject: punjabi poetry Friends, Some of you know that I have been working on translating a selection of the poetry of Punjabi into English. My website is finally up! and I hope that you will visit it at: www.punjabipoetry.org If you could pass this info along to anyone you may know who might be interested in this subject, I would appreciate it. suman From sameeronweb at hotmail.com Tue May 10 10:38:42 2005 From: sameeronweb at hotmail.com (Sameer Ahmed) Date: Tue, 10 May 2005 05:08:42 +0000 Subject: [Reader-list] clarification In-Reply-To: Message-ID: An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050510/11e6640d/attachment.html From sirfirf at yahoo.com Tue May 10 12:08:30 2005 From: sirfirf at yahoo.com (IRFAN) Date: Mon, 9 May 2005 23:38:30 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] Tea at JNU and the Sarai fellows meet In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <20050510063830.21258.qmail@web30706.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Thanks Mahesh For providing such an interesting forum.Can we meet frequently? Irfan __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - Find what you need with new enhanced search. http://info.mail.yahoo.com/mail_250 From vivek at sarai.net Tue May 10 13:58:59 2005 From: vivek at sarai.net (Vivek Narayanan) Date: Tue, 10 May 2005 13:58:59 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] A Conversation with Saul Bellow Message-ID: <428070CB.3050808@sarai.net> A Conversation with Saul Bellow by Sven Birkerts When Saul Bellow died in April, it was inevitable that I would think back on our one and only meeting, which was the occasion of the interview reprinted here. Doing so, I have realized, hardly for the first time, what a capricious editing system the memory is. Never mind my enormous admiration for Bellow and for his contribution to our literature, and never mind the subjects we covered and my poorly concealed excitement about getting him to field my questions for the public record, what I retain now, eight years after the event, is a dominant impression of courtesy, of a sweetness and decency of the sort that one could not always attribute to the various Bellovian protagonists—Henderson, Herzog, Charlie Citrine, Dean Corde . . . This man sat quietly and listened; he waited to be sure I was done with my question before answering, and though there were several occasions where he could have easily taken the high road, correcting me or being dismissive of my naiveté, he never did. I naturally thought of Pound’s line about the old men with their beautiful manners, how “they will not come again.” I’m gratified now that this should be the impression that outlasted the others, for it confirms for me that decency is the natural expression of a great spirit, and Bellow was nothing if not that. (The following interview first appeared in AGNI 46.) Iinterviewed Saul Bellow on March 21, 1997, in his office at Boston University. We sat together in a late afternoon gloom in which the only incongruous thing was my daughter’s bright yellow tape recorder. I had left my questions at home, trusting that there would be enough associative branchings, trusting that if I did not force the issue at every turn we could have something more like a conversation than an interview. Bellow, I think, would have obliged. But as I look back over the transcript of our exchange, I cannot but be struck at my determination to lead the novelist toward some recognition of my own prejudices. Bellow, I would note, was relaxed, responsive, and unfailingly courteous. He did warn me at the outset that he had recently had dental work done and that too much talk was painful. We had not yet reached the hour mark when he took advantage of a long pause to conclude. Leaving his office, I had the feeling—not all that common—of having been to that virtual “other place” that is the point of conversation. I held the tape recorder to my ear, reversed for a few beats, and then pushed the button. Yes, it was there—faint, marred by whooshing sounds from traffic down on Commonwealth Avenue, but apparently intact. I rode down the elevator. When it stopped, just before the door opened, I thought as I always do—following Bellow’s own Charles Citrine—“My fate!” The doors opened, as they usually do, on the nothing new—only slightly changed now, reframed, by the mind’s little trick. Birkerts: I’m not a dreaming literalist, but I had a very busy dream last night in which you and I were in some seaside town carrying on a conversation—and I woke up with the feeling that we had already talked. Bellow: Well, if you believe in reincarnation, we may have had our conversation already. Interviewer: I had a first question that came to me as I was driving over here. I wondered if you had ever had the self-congratulatory thought that you had lucked out and gotten in under the wire as a writer of fiction, had been born into the last great era of possibility for the novel? Bellow: Well, that you should think that is only natural. Of course I’ve thought that. I don’t like to live in a historical scheme of any kind . . . . I’ve always protested when someone says “first feudalism, then capitalism . . .” I don’t take to it very kindly because it really doesn’t tell me anything. I see now that this has been applied to the kind of writing I’ve done all my life—fiction. “It’s over,” and so on . . . . The novel has been outflanked, outclassed, or it’s historically inappropriate. I hear this from writers. Interviewer: Do you think this is because of a media shift, the fact that we’ve hit yet another watershed, and that there’s no going back now that the electronic demon is here? Bellow: It isn’t just the electronic demon, it’s also the question of whether it isn’t the novelty which is temporarily too enticing to reject—so everybody gives himself to it, people stop reading . . . . But of course these things go in cycles. I don’t “believe” in history, but I’ve seen cycles myself. No, I don’t believe in historical analysis in the hands of amateurs. I don’t know if anything has ended. To say that it has ended means that the chronicling of the inner life has come to an end. Interviewer: Exactly. Bellow: Or is in the hands of psychologists. I shudder at how the inner life would fare in psychologists’ hands. I don’t knock films or television shows, but they nail you down to a kind of externality. Nothing is going to be communicated which demands a softer approach—or let’s say a more insidious approach—into the soul. These conditions can sometimes be reflected in movies or television, but they’re not always suited to that. People like to think that they’ve captured what is widely accepted in public—and profitable. When I hear these historical analyses made, I remember that I’m Jewish and that we’ve survived all kinds of challenges, so why not this one as well? Interviewer: I don’t think that the novel will become extinct, but it might become a hermetic discipline, which would certainly change its status. Bellow: Well, that’s true, but think of populations of 260 or 270 millions—not counting Australia, England, Canada, and other places. If there’s even 1/10 of 1% of that number reading it would still be a much larger public than Swift or Fielding had. Of course they had a very highly educated public—we don’t have that anymore. Interviewer: I suppose, though, that their smaller percentile put a whole different pressure on the system. Maybe that’s at the root of the complaint I hear from fiction writers. It’s not that they don’t have readers, but that they don’t feel— Bellow: That they’re swinging society by the tail. Interviewer: Yes— Bellow: Well, it’s partly because they’ve abandoned certain kinds of subjects and that they’ve taken to posturing and the postures don’t wear very well. How could they? Interviewer: I wonder if in some significant way the life of the novel doesn’t depend on its ability to keep bringing across the experience of the cultural moment. Only in the last two decades have we slipped into a period where most of what people do—most of the transactions a fiction writer would have to work with—have become so indirect and mediated and resistant to dramatization. Bellow: That’s something you’ve got to face, of course. The fact is that movies have captured all the obvious forms—movies and dictators between them—so that as democracy advances, its advance has very questionable effects on the various arts . . . . This is the promise of the Englightenment, that man will conquer nature and there will be an abundance for everyone and freedom and the privilege of privacy and so forth. They’re guaranteed a comfortable existence in privacy, and free to make choices which suit their own disposition. That’s what’s happened here. It hasn’t happened all over the world, but it has happened in all of the industrially advanced countries. People speak of hunger still in the US—they say the process has not advanced, not as yet. Well, of course we know that. But on the other hand, if you’ve visited underdeveloped countries, you know what the differences are . . . so, there are these many things to think about. Interviewer: Do you find yourself reading certain novelists who might be called novelists of ideas? I’m thinking of Milan Kundera and Don DeLillo—writers who set up structures that allow them to put ideas into play. Bellow: Kundera is a dude. I take him to be a kind of dandy—an apparently new, but really quite old, type. That is to say, he’s an Eastern European who is crazy about France and Paris and the dernier cri. He does it more or less successfully, but I don’t really take much interest in it. I read DeLillo’s White Noise. I liked it. I thought it was very good. Interviewer: Do you feel that in some deeper sense you had a choice in the matter about becoming a writer of fiction? Bellow: (after long pause) Let me being with a bit of autobiography. I grew up in the Depression, before radio had advanced very far, before television had appeared at all. People were much more bookish then, and there was a quite highly educated literary public. There were lots of magazines—I mean literary magazines, whose editors themselves were writers. And libraries were full of people trying to keep warm, and they were reading all kinds of books. There were discussing them, too. You’d go out on the library steps in a city like Chicago—or New York for that matter—and you’d see groups of people actually arguing about ideas . . . . It’s much less common now, notwithstanding the growth of the universities. It was a really democratic phenomenon. That is to say, people of all classes participated in this. There would be working stiffs—of course tough guys wouldn’t do this sort of thing—and it was all right for lower middle class citizens and even proletarians and members of “minorities” to talk about public questions and literary questions. And you could sit around in cafeterias and over your nickel cup of coffee and could have a conversation lasting far into the night. When I was in high school it seemed to me that this was an ongoing and very important concern of Americans all over the country, that they were reading and writing and that it was a permanent condition. As a child of immigrants I had no reason to think otherwise. This was America. America had an ongoing and permanent literary life. Well, I turned out to be wrong, but it was an accident that I proved to be wrong because it was there, and it was there in all modern countries, not just in the United States . . . . We were reading the French and Japanese and Germans and Spaniards—as well as Dreiser and Sherwood Anderson, and Wallace Stevens. All of that was going on at that time. There was a certain familiarity with important political figures. It was all a great stimulus, a huge lark. Everybody took part in it and nobody dreamed that it was so close to what we now take for granted—it’s all but extinct. Well, in a way it is and in a way it isn’t. You still have a minority everywhere in the country interested in poems and novels. Interviewer: Has nurturing and developing the fiction writer’s imagination finally given you the best life? Bellow: Oh! There is not such thing as a best life! Interviewer: You mean in an absolute sense, or in terms of a personal sense of self-congruence— Bellow: No, I mean under the present circumstances, when everyone is so mixed up, topsy-turvy and confused. It would be a mistake to put such questions, or to say, “Well, civilization may have been going to hell all the while, but for me personally . . .” ( laughs) You avoid that kind of thing. It’s false. What would be closer to a real statement would be hard to understand—at least I don’t have the skill to tell you what I mean by it—but you become a writer because you are convinced that you have a grip on reality of a certain distinctive kind. It belongs to you and to others who share such a recognition. When I say ‘others,’ I’m referring to the last few centuries. And what does it mean? It means that you came into the world in total ignorance, wailing and wetting yourself, and all these strange phenomena are there and gradually they emerge from a buzzing blooming confusion. They take shape and have a distinctive character. Well, some people live with such basic experiences of the soul and some don’t. the ones who do identify or recognize it are artists—whatever else they may be. I can say of them that they are born participants, or born communicants. Interviewer: And some people remember via language, while other people retain it visually or— Bellow: Right. And it’s tremendously important because it’s your natural judgment on your surroundings and your existence and the existence of those close to you. that tends to get wiped out in civilized countries—maybe among savages it gets wiped out, too, but they probably have a better chance to hang onto it than we do. But the mysteries are very real and you continue to protect them as mysteries. It’s very clear. It’s very clear in any number of writers who tell you so themselves. A Tolstoy, for instance. Or Baudelaire. He says: When you’re up against it, just remember your childhood. In other words, imagine existence as you originally grasped it. Well, that’s not a gift that can be dismissed very easily. But it involves you in something else—people speak of it as ‘alienation,’ a term I dislike because I’m not alienated from this reality we’re talking about. But I became aware that this was being left behind by my own generation, by my brothers, cousins, friends, classmates, and so on . . . . It recedes, it doesn’t die out. And one proof that it doesn’t die out is that when you publish something people recognize the presence of this reality. But if I say something about this in a classroom, I don’t expect to be understood. I am always fond of giving the example of Tolstoy’s story “The Death of Ivan Illich.” When Ivan Illich begins to think about his life his first thought is of that proposition from the logic book: “Caius is a man; all men are mortal; thus Caius is mortal.” He disputes it. Did Caius have little Ivan’s ball? Was he ever given this delicious ball I owned with red and blue stripes? For an example of what he means he goes back to an early experience. So, then, life has a flavor, a taste, an odor, a color, a fragrance, a way of persuading you that you are seeing reality. Interviewer: Has your sense of the mysteries always been that they are near, or are they something you feel close to and which then recede? Bellow: Well, I recede from them when the business of life drives me away too far, as it does most people most of the time. That keeps you on your toes—wary. Interviewer: Would you say that in the deepest throes of composition, or in the meditation that leads to composition, you are closest to these mysteries? Bellow: It depends on what you’re doing or what stage you’re in. It confirms what Kafka said—that it’s a form of prayer. In other words, sometimes you’re praying from the whole heart and sometimes you’re not. Of course, it’s slippery and evasive and there’s no guarantee that you’re going to keep your grip . . . Interviewer: Over the course of a long life is there a sense of ascending plateaus, where at least you know where and how to make the connection, or are you always equally rolling the dice? Bellow: If I want to do the same old thing, it’s easy. If I want to do something altogether new, it becomes harder. I could go on writing the stories I’ve been writing during the last few years. They have a certain charm and they’re true as far as they go. There just not enough. Interviewer: Where is the wheel pulling then, if it pulls away from that? Bellow: If just you and I were having a conversation, I’d be willing to talk about this, but if it’s going to be in print I don’t want to . . . because it’s too close to— Interviewer: I understand. Well, I was wondering, too, about what happens in the process of writing when you are at a certain level of linguistic immersion . . . . I guess I’m asking about inspiration. Bellow: That either comes or it doesn’t come. If you’re an old pro it doesn’t have to come. You can do it. I mean, you can will it to be done, and do it, and most people will not know the difference. But I’ll know the difference. That’s the harder way, not the easier way by any means. The easier way is to be turned on. But when you’re turned on you never know exactly what’s going to happen. It isn’t quite as simple as it all sounds. What I’m really trying to say is that it’s something like a flowering. That you’ve been thinking for decades about something and it has never occurred to you that that something is a story. One day it becomes clear. That’s the moment. It takes some luck and some ability to grasp your opportunities. Interviewer: It also takes having lived long enough so that you can have the glance back that discloses the outlines of a story where formerly there were none. Where circumstances have become stories. Bellow: I could name you the stories that became—they’re easy to write. That’s the best sort of writing. Interviewer: I was wondering. It almost sounded like you were going to give them a lower mark for being easy to write. Bellow: No, no, no, no. What I’m trying to say is that willed stories are much harder because you don’t have the cooperation of the facts. But the facts are never raw facts—they’re facts that have been treated for decades by you without your being aware. Interviewer: If you could take an intelligent, eager young individual who is still very malleable and who came to you and said, “Direct my reading, either so that I may become the writer I want to become or so that I may have the best equipment for living in a world as it is and as it threatens to become,” what kind of reading program would you design? Bellow: Well, I’d certainly start with 19th century Russians, and with certain 19th century Americans, and then a few Frenchmen and a few English writers. Interviewer: Why the 19th century in particular? Bellow: 18th, 19th . . . . Well, because that’s the beginning of the modern experience, which seems to be coming to a bad end (laughs). But at the moment it doesn’t look like a good end . . . . I keep writing these essays about distraction. One could write an encyclopedia about distraction. One of the distractions is thought, thought itself. Even good thought, even what we call advanced thought is a distraction because it takes us away from our phenomenal surroundings. And the novel can’t live when it’s divorced from these phenomenal surroundings. It can be divorced from anything else. So, the chairs and tables in Kafka are Kafka’s chairs and tables, but they’re chairs and tables just the same. I’d say the second step would be to find (with luck) some advanced conversation on these topics. I was lucky. I had it. I had friends like Isaac Rosenfeld in Chicago, and others—most of them dead now—friends in New York also, people like Delmore Schwartz and certain members of the Partisan Review gang—that is, grown people who rated these things highly and took them seriously. Unless you get that from somebody it’s very hard to get yourself started. Interviewer: I think that’s why the book, Humboldt’s Gift, is so particularly important to me. It is filled with—it is—the best imaginable conversation. And it manages to be that in a way that includes both extremely ethereal notions and street gangsters, and does so in a single voice which doesn’t seem to slip out of the groove . . . Bellow: —low sex—(laughs) Interviewer: I think that this was the novel that opened up a spectrum of possibility for voice in the novel, and I don’t see it being followed up. And maybe that’s because you had a particular range of experience that was your own that allowed you that mix. This is something I know I’m starving for as a reader—intelligent, contemplative prose, but also with real chairs and real tables and comic energy. I wonder why we are not throwing up more writers who can do this, or who appear to want to— Bellow: For one thing, there’s a greater passivity now; there’s a lack of independent development in people. They take their images from the news. Wherever you look now there are Clinton types and—what’s our Vice-President’s name?—Al Gore types, Republican types and Democrat types . . . there are Trumps and Murdochs, and so on. Moreover, you see kids, little boys, practicing the jeers of their television heroes—they shape themselves on such models. It’s a strange conformity to what’s thrust at them; they adopt it and adapt it and play with it. There are millions of Woody Allens in the country—you have to hide from them—(laughs)—you have to hide from the original as well . . . Interviewer: Earlier you named distraction—would you add irony to that particular sauce? Bellow: Yes, you know, comic effects. Comic effects are the ones that in this democracy are the most accessible, the daily events are—I’m speaking very generally now—transmitted in comic form. Because it’s harmless, non-threatening. What it means is that there’s a kind of emptiness at the center of life—which Walt Whitman and Emerson predicted—nothing to form you life on, or by. I saw an article in this morning’s Wall Street Journal about a new book made up of letters written by people in the service on both sides during the Civil War. Those young soldiers are—or were—very serious. I mean, you see that they really were gripped by political questions, ready to lay down their lives for them. You ask yourself why that great seriousness didn’t persist. Walt Whitman in Democratic Vistas said in effect: If the poets don’t take charge here, then the bankers and the manufacturers will take charge. He didn’t know that they would all be wearing Adidas (laughs). Interviewer: My question would be, then—and I agree that there is this sense of an empty core—whether there might not be a kind of backdraft effect like what you can get in a burning building. Hasn’t this created an extraordinary appetite for news of inwardness? Bellow: Well, that’s true. The game—or dance—is not necessarily over. Because the majority of the population in all countries through the centuries has been dismissed. Peasantry—you knew you could rely on it for certain things, but mentally and spiritually it was a void, and the same with the proletariat, until Marx came to the fore . . . . But it’s not as if there was no life without the participation of the majority of the population. We have a feeling that in a democracy the majority has a right as well as the power to fill up the floor space. Which it has done because it’s also the market. But you mustn’t despair because you don’t have that kind of support that at ideal moments people had—it’s just not here at this moment. Interviewer: Is Delmore Schwartz still an extraordinarily vivid presence to you? Bellow: Yes, because I actually saw him at that moment described in the book, in total ruin—and he had been moving toward ruin for a long time. Interviewer: Eating the dusty pretzel on the curb . . . Bellow: That was the image of his destruction. Interviewer: And would you say that the image has stayed as the front image—that you have to move it aside to get at the other ones? Bellow: (pause) He’s somebody who lost his life in that struggle. I could say he’s among the honored dead. He didn’t make it through. he wasn’t savvy enough, for all his preoccupation with jobs and money. He loved the melodrama of rank, sex, career, but he didn’t understand the underlying principles. He was not a good psychologist. Interviewer: For all his psychoanalyzing . . . (pause) What do you read nowadays, when pleasure dictates? Bellow: Well, I did a strange thing. I went to the Brookline Library and looked up a writer named Altsheler. Altsheler was a writer of the boys books that I liked when I was a kid in Chicago . . . . I went through the entire shelf. He wrote about the frontier and the struggles with the Indians. He seems to have known a lot about the Iroquois—he even knew their language it turns out. Marvelous writer. I ordered up a lot of them from libraries all over the area. The latest editions of the books are around 1920 or so . . . . In the late 20s I was reading them— Interviewer: What’s that like? Bellow: Well, of course they’re foolish to read now. But I can see why they were terribly attractive. They were about freedom, strength, ingenuity, patience, learning the lore of the forests, going it alone with only your gun, and bow and arrow, or a knife, a few fishhooks in your pocket, escaping from terrible dangers . . . shades of Fenimore Cooper. I read these books when I’m in the pits, when I can read nothing else. I resist newspapers, even good newspapers. I mentioned the Wall Street Journal, but I only read the op-ed stuff in the Journal . . . Interviewer: How about these 19th century novels? Do you yourself go back to them? Bellow: By special arrangement I do. Because I’m teaching here and there are books I’ve assigned in the course I’m giving. I’m giving a course called, “The Ambitious Young Man,” so I’ve got Pere Goriot, The Red and the Black, Great Expectations, now Crime and Punishment. Interviewer: Great topic— Bellow: The Great Gatsby, and Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie to satisfy the natural desire for American books about rising and falling, I have read these authors again and again. I have to say they stand up remarkably well. (AGNI 46) The interviewer, Sven Birkerts, is now editor of AGNI. (5/05) From vivek at sarai.net Tue May 10 14:19:13 2005 From: vivek at sarai.net (Vivek Narayanan) Date: Tue, 10 May 2005 14:19:13 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Andrea Dworkin and the Movement that had Room for Her Message-ID: <42807589.2090309@sarai.net> ================= http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20050502&s=pollitt SUBJECT TO DEBATE by Katha Pollitt Andrea Dworkin, 1946-2005 I first heard of Andrea Dworkin in 1968. She had been arrested in an antiwar demonstration and jailed at the old Women's House of Detention in Greenwich Village, where male doctors subjected her to brutal internal exams. Her name was in the news because she had gone public with her story. My good, kind, radical, civil libertarian parents thought this was ridiculous. What did she expect, this privileged white woman, this "Bennington girl"? It wasn't that they didn't believe her, exactly. It was that they didn't see why she was making such a big, princessy fuss. It was like getting arrested and complaining about the food. Andrea Dworkin died on April 9 at 58--she of the denim overalls and the wild hair and wilder pronouncements. Although she denied ever uttering the most famous soundbite attributed to her, that all intercourse is rape, she came pretty close: "Fucking is the means by which the male colonizes the female"; "in seduction, the rapist often bothers to buy a bottle of wine." She argued that pornography was an instruction manual for rape, that women had the right to "execute" rapists and pedophiles; toward the end of her life she declared that maybe women, like the Jews, should have their own country. The counsel of despair, and crazy, too--but by then Dworkin was ill, not much in demand as a speaker and several of her major books were out of print. The 1980s were long over: On campus, the militant anti-rape marches and speakouts of Take Back the Night had morphed into cheery V-Day, which marries antiviolence activism to a celebration of women's sexuality. The antipornography feminism Dworkin did so much to promote seems impossibly quaint today, when Paris Hilton can parlay an embarrassing sex video into mainstream celebrity and the porn star Jenna Jameson rides the New York Times bestseller list. But even in its heyday it was a blind alley. Not just because porn, like pot, is here to stay, not just because the Bible and the Koran--to say nothing of fashion, advertising and Britney Spears--do far more harm to women, not even because of the difficulty of defining such slippery terms as "degrading to women," a phrase that surely did not mean the same thing to Dworkin as it did to the Christian conservatives who helped make the antiporn ordinance she wrote with Catharine MacKinnon briefly law in Indianapolis. Like the temperance movement, antiporn activism mistook a symptom of male dominance for the cause. Nor did it have much to do with actually existing raped and abused women. "For God's sake, take away his Nina Hartley videos" is not a cry often heard in shelters or emergency rooms. If by magic pornography vanished from the land, women would still be the second sex--underpaid, disrespected, lacking in power over their own bodies. Rape, battery, torture, even murder would still be hugely titillating to both sexes, just as in Shakespeare's day, and women would still be blamed, by both sexes, for the violence men inflict on them. What made Dworkin's obsession with pornography so bizarre is that she herself should have known it for a diversion. After all, she frequently pointed out that male dominance is entwined with our very notion of what sex is, with what is arousing, with what feels "right." Like Foucault (who, as Susan Bordo pointed out, usually gets credit for this insight), Dworkin showed how deeply and pervasively power relationships are encoded into our concepts of sexuality and in how many complex ways everyday life normalizes those relationships. "Standards of beauty," she wrote in Woman-Hating (1974), "describe in precise terms the relationship that an individual will have to her own body. They prescribe her motility, spontaneity, posture, gait, the uses to which she can put her body. They define precisely the dimensions of her physical freedom. And of course, the relationship between physical freedom and psychological development, intellectual possibility, and creative potential is an umbilical one." Somewhere along the way, she lost interest in the multiplicity and the complexity of the system she did much to lay bare. Dworkin was an oversimplifier and a demagogue. She wouldn't debate feminists who opposed her stance on porn, just men like Alan Dershowitz, thus reinforcing in the public mind the false impression that hers was the only feminist position and that this was a male-female debate. There is some truth to Laura Miller's quip in Salon that "even when she was right, she made the public conversation stupider." But, frankly, the public conversation is usually not very illuminating, and on the subject of women has been notably dim for some time. At least Dworkin put some important hidden bits of reality out there on the table. There is a lot of coercion embedded in normal, legal, everyday sexuality: Sometimes the seducer is a rapist with a bottle of wine. A whole world of sexist assumptions lay behind my parents' attitude back in 1968: This is what happens to women who take chances, male brutality is a fact of life, talking about sexual violence is shameful, "Bennington girls" should count their blessings. Polite, liberal, reasonable feminists could never have exploded that belief system. Andrea Dworkin was a living visual stereotype--the feminist as fat, hairy, makeup-scorning, unkempt lesbian. Perhaps that was one reason she was such a media icon--she "proved" that feminism was for women who couldn't get a man. Women have wrestled with that charge for decades, at considerable psychic cost. These days, feminism is all sexy uplift, a cross between a workout and a makeover. Go for it, girls--breast implants, botox, face-lifts, corsets, knitting, boxing, prostitution. Whatever floats your self-esteem! Meanwhile, the public face of organizational feminism is perched atop a power suit and frozen in a deferential smile. Perhaps some childcare? Insurance coverage for contraception? Legal abortion, tragic though it surely is? Or maybe not so much legal abortion--when I ran into Naomi Wolf the other day, she had just finished an article calling for the banning of abortion after the first trimester. Cream and sugar with that abortion ban, sir? I never thought I would miss unfair, infuriating, over-the-top Andrea Dworkin. But I do. And even more I miss the movement that had room for her. ******************************************************* From amitrbasu50 at yahoo.co.in Tue May 10 14:08:12 2005 From: amitrbasu50 at yahoo.co.in (Amit Basu) Date: Tue, 10 May 2005 09:38:12 +0100 (BST) Subject: [Reader-list] Joggers' Park In-Reply-To: <1113.219.65.13.183.1115700299.squirrel@webmail.xtdnet.nl> Message-ID: <20050510083812.95157.qmail@web8502.mail.in.yahoo.com> Dear Zainab, Enjoyed reading this piece of interview. amit zainab at xtdnet.nl wrote: 8th May 2005 Joggers’ Park He wears white – white T-Shirt and white shorts. He walks very fast. Curt says he is funny. I think he is straightforward and also suspecting. I: “I am doing this research on Marine Drive and I want to interview you. I am from Sarai ...” He: “Hey, hey! I don’t understand English. You take down my phone number and call me. My name is Thakkar.” Over the phone, I: “Hello. I had met you at the promenade and I ...” Thakkar: “Hey, hey. I had already said to you. I am illiterate, I don’t understand English and if you cannot understand/speak Hindi, then we have a communication problem.” I: “Sorry, sorry,” apologizing for my automatic English brain and thought processes. This was about three weeks ago. Mr. Thakkar and me kept bumping into each other every time at the promenade. “So, what are you? Khoja or Bohra?” he had asked me, inquiring into my ‘caste’. There are times when I have felt the tension between him and me in terms of our religious affiliations and identities. Yet, I like him and I guess he likes me too. “There are very few true people on this earth. In today’s times, it is difficult to find true friends,” he tells me. “90% people are out to befriend you for your money. Only about 10% are true,” he tells me. Mr. Thakkar has been jogging at the Marine Drive promenade since fifteen years now, everyday, from Monday to Saturday. And he has a schedule – by 8 PM, he ‘backs’ and is most likely to meet at Oberoi Hotel (which is now Hilton Towers). I am trying to understand what the promenade means to him and how he sees it in the scheme of his everyday life. Maybe it don’t matter to him at all and I am trying to read more than what is obvious. When I ask him this question, he says, “It is part of my everyday life. The other day, I was in the taxi and we were passing by the promenade. I was telling the taxi driver, ‘Isn’t this a lovely place?’ and the taxi driver said to me, ‘this is the best place in Mumbai’.” And as Mr. Thakkar utters the word ‘best’, I sense the pride and ownership he says towards this place. Yes, perhaps the promenade is a ‘place’ for him, a kind of home, but I am still to investigate into this. This evening, we meet each other at the promenade. It is Sunday and he does not jog on Sundays. “Oh, very crowded today. Where do we sit? Haan, come, here. ‘Your’ people are vacating place for us,” he laughs and says. By “your’ people, he is pointing out to a large family of Bohra Muslims who are clearing out of the promenade. I think it is really tough to break beyond prejudice and interact as individuals in relationships. Each moment, in a relationship, there is either a power relation, or an interaction through images – at least initially and also at various points in time as the relationship grows. “How come you decided to jog here instead of going to the Oval Maidan which is also close by?” I asked him. He points out to the lines on his forehead and says, “Destiny. It is all about destiny. Destiny brings you to the place where you are supposed to be. Don’t you agree?” I nod. He continues, “Besides, there is the sea here. Sea is nature. It is purity. You feel peace in your heart when you are here –shaanti hoti hai,” he says, pointing out to the several people who are sitting here today, facing the sea. “People are not just looking out towards the horizon. They are connecting with themselves deep inside,” Mr. Thakkar tells me. A look at him and you may assume that he is a resident of Marine Drive area. I ask him why he thinks that people assume him to be a resident of this place. “I don’t know. Maybe they see me here everyday that is why they imagine that I live here. Everybody says ‘hello’ and ‘hi’ to me initially but when I tell them that I live at Kalbadevi, they stop talking with me,” he says laughing aloud. “I live in a little jhopada in Kalbadevi. I walk from there everyday and come here. I don’t even have a cycle,” he says me. And with these words, I know this is coming from an astute Gujarati businessman who attempts to give you the impression of a life of simplicity and scarcity behind the garb of his hard earned wealth over the years. Perhaps then, some behaviours and attitudes are predictable about some communities ... “How does the process of interaction with fellow joggers evolve?” I ask him “By and by. You see each other everyday and you smile. After the initial smiling phase, I do salaam to some people. I don’t discriminate between people. Each one is a human being. No one is high or low. To tell you one incident, there was a very rich man who used to come and jog here. I used to smile at him and do salaam to him everyday. But he would not respond. After some days, I stopped. Then he started feeling bad. And after a while, he of his own started to raise his hand a little as a greeting to me. I have been coming here since fifteen years. You know, the great J.R.D. Tata. His car used to halt by the Air India building everyday. He was a mota manas (big man). That is why, he used to travel in his Mercedes and at the signal, his car would always halt by the left. And he used to do salaam to me. Even the biggest and the smallest man here says hello me. Because I am that kind of person.” Perhaps he is. He has his own networks of influence and I wonder whether some of these have emerged from his interactions and networks with fellow joggers at Marine Drive. I asked him, “Did you used to come to the promenade before you began jogging?” “Yes, of course. In those days, I used to come here, where Cuffe Parade is now. I used to come here to hide and smoke cigarettes. You must be aware that in those days, to smoke was a big thing. Family should not know. So, I used to come here and smoke, hidingly.” “And did you see the reclamation come up before your eyes?” I asked him. “What is reclamation?” he asks me. “Oh, I mean these buildings which came up here?” “Yes, yes. Of course! I saw all these buildings come up here. Before the buildings came up, this place was an open-air theater. Everyday there used to be film shows here. In those days, there was no TV. So we used to come here and watch the films. It was nice then.” “You know, Gandhiji also has come here to the promenade. That is why this place is pure and blessed. Such a big man had come here,” Thakkar tells me when I ask him what the space means to him. “But why are you talking with me and doing this re-cher-ch? How many people have you re-cher-ched? Are you from the government? Are you from some secret agency? You know sometimes these agencies send women to do interviews. Please explain to me what you are doing.” I explain what I am doing and I promise to give him a Sarai Broadsheet since his daughter will be able to read it and understand. “I have always felt that you are from the government. How many government agencies are there? There is CBI, there is CID and one more ... which one? ... ... Haan, RAW? What is RAW?” I am smiling in my own mind, trying to understand his suspicions and fears. We start walking back. “You know, many people on this planet are not happy. We must live for others. One evening, I was waiting for some of my friends to join me at the promenade. I sat down on the wall, right opposite NCPA apartments. Now, I thought, let me just sleep here for a while. If I sleep opposite this building, I will feel that it is equivalent to sleeping inside the building. There was an ex-military officer sitting with his wife on the promenade. This man is in charge of the security of the building. We started chatting with each other. He told me, ‘You know, half the people living inside this building are not happy!’ You tell me, how much is each flat in the building worth?” I think hard and say, “One crore?” “Hutt,” he chides me. “Each flat in this building is between three to four thousand square feet. One square foot costs twenty five thousand rupees. Now calculate.” My mouth opens wide as I am trying to put all the zeroes together. “Seven to ten crores for each house!” “Hmmm,” he says smilingly. We walk together for a while. I am not sure whether his suspicions about me are cleared. And his prejudices ... how much should they affect me? We talk about religion, life in Bombay and he promises me that he will take me to one of the best places in Bombay where ice-creams are served. “That’s a promise. I am very happy to meet with you,” he says. I join my hands in respect for him. “No, no! just shake hands.” Now, haven’t I heard that before ... from Arjun bhai??? Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahhahahha!!!!! Zainab Bawa Bombay www.xanga.com/CityBytes http://crimsonfeet.recut.org/rubrique53.html _________________________________________ reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. Critiques & Collaborations To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the subject header. List archive: Yahoo! India Matrimony: Find your life partneronline. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050510/1590740e/attachment.html From kalisaroj at rediffmail.com Tue May 10 18:52:57 2005 From: kalisaroj at rediffmail.com (avinash jha) Date: 10 May 2005 13:22:57 -0000 Subject: [Reader-list] Andrea Dworkin and the Movement that had Room for Her Message-ID: <20050510132257.27768.qmail@webmail52.rediffmail.com>  Vivek: I was sad to learn that Andrea Dworkin died recently. I had not come across this news anywhere. I am disappointed with the article though. While the article does pay homage to her as one of a breed of feminists who have diappeared from the public arena, it trivializes her concerns and her intellectual intensity. I remember when I read "Intercourse" many many years ago I was struck by its brilliance and vision. Apart from a critique of 'fucking', starting with Tolstoy's use of his wife's body, the book also explores visions of physical love. I remember extensive quotes from the novels of James Baldwin in this context. As to her stand regarding pornography, it was (or is) far from mistaking symptom for cause. Anti-pornographic legislation that she helped draft along with Catherine Mckinnon focussed on the violence that is done to women and others in the very process of making of pornography and the law was supposed to empower those who suffered from this violence against those who made and profited from pornography. The making of pornography and what it depicted revealed something which was central to the whole culture. There is no point in saying 'if pornography were to vanish, there would still remain...'. Pornography cannot just vanish or be banned out of existence. I certainly do not 'know' pornography to be just a diversion. Pornographic images permeate large parts of visual culture today. avinash On Tue, 10 May 2005 Vivek Narayanan wrote : >================= > >http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20050502&s=pollitt > >SUBJECT TO DEBATE by Katha Pollitt > >Andrea Dworkin, 1946-2005 > >I first heard of Andrea Dworkin in 1968. She had been arrested in an antiwar demonstration and jailed at the old Women's House of Detention in Greenwich Village, where male doctors subjected her to brutal internal exams. Her name was in the news because she had gone public with her story. My good, kind, radical, civil libertarian parents thought this was ridiculous. What did she expect, this privileged white woman, this "Bennington girl"? It wasn't that they didn't believe her, exactly. It was that they didn't see why she was making such a big, princessy fuss. It was like getting arrested and complaining about the food. > >Andrea Dworkin died on April 9 at 58--she of the denim overalls and the wild hair and wilder pronouncements. Although she denied ever uttering the most famous soundbite attributed to her, that all intercourse is rape, she came pretty close: "Fucking is the means by which the male colonizes the female"; "in seduction, the rapist often bothers to buy a bottle of wine." She argued that pornography was an instruction manual for rape, that women had the right to "execute" rapists and pedophiles; toward the end of her life she declared that maybe women, like the Jews, should have their own country. The counsel of despair, and crazy, too--but by then Dworkin was ill, not much in demand as a speaker and several of her major books were out of print. The 1980s were long over: On campus, the militant anti-rape marches and speakouts of Take Back the Night had morphed into cheery V-Day, which marries antiviolence activism to a celebration of women's sexuality. > >The antipornography feminism Dworkin did so much to promote seems impossibly quaint today, when Paris Hilton can parlay an embarrassing sex video into mainstream celebrity and the porn star Jenna Jameson rides the New York Times bestseller list. But even in its heyday it was a blind alley. Not just because porn, like pot, is here to stay, not just because the Bible and the Koran--to say nothing of fashion, advertising and Britney Spears--do far more harm to women, not even because of the difficulty of defining such slippery terms as "degrading to women," a phrase that surely did not mean the same thing to Dworkin as it did to the Christian conservatives who helped make the antiporn ordinance she wrote with Catharine MacKinnon briefly law in Indianapolis. > >Like the temperance movement, antiporn activism mistook a symptom of male dominance for the cause. Nor did it have much to do with actually existing raped and abused women. "For God's sake, take away his Nina Hartley videos" is not a cry often heard in shelters or emergency rooms. If by magic pornography vanished from the land, women would still be the second sex--underpaid, disrespected, lacking in power over their own bodies. Rape, battery, torture, even murder would still be hugely titillating to both sexes, just as in Shakespeare's day, and women would still be blamed, by both sexes, for the violence men inflict on them. > >What made Dworkin's obsession with pornography so bizarre is that she herself should have known it for a diversion. After all, she frequently pointed out that male dominance is entwined with our very notion of what sex is, with what is arousing, with what feels "right." Like Foucault (who, as Susan Bordo pointed out, usually gets credit for this insight), Dworkin showed how deeply and pervasively power relationships are encoded into our concepts of sexuality and in how many complex ways everyday life normalizes those relationships. > >"Standards of beauty," she wrote in Woman-Hating (1974), "describe in precise terms the relationship that an individual will have to her own body. They prescribe her motility, spontaneity, posture, gait, the uses to which she can put her body. They define precisely the dimensions of her physical freedom. And of course, the relationship between physical freedom and psychological development, intellectual possibility, and creative potential is an umbilical one." Somewhere along the way, she lost interest in the multiplicity and the complexity of the system she did much to lay bare. > >Dworkin was an oversimplifier and a demagogue. She wouldn't debate feminists who opposed her stance on porn, just men like Alan Dershowitz, thus reinforcing in the public mind the false impression that hers was the only feminist position and that this was a male-female debate. There is some truth to Laura Miller's quip in Salon that "even when she was right, she made the public conversation stupider." But, frankly, the public conversation is usually not very illuminating, and on the subject of women has been notably dim for some time. At least Dworkin put some important hidden bits of reality out there on the table. There is a lot of coercion embedded in normal, legal, everyday sexuality: Sometimes the seducer is a rapist with a bottle of wine. A whole world of sexist assumptions lay behind my parents' attitude back in 1968: This is what happens to women who take chances, male brutality is a fact of life, talking about sexual violence is shameful, "Bennington girls" should count their blessings. Polite, liberal, reasonable feminists could never have exploded that belief system. > >Andrea Dworkin was a living visual stereotype--the feminist as fat, hairy, makeup-scorning, unkempt lesbian. Perhaps that was one reason she was such a media icon--she "proved" that feminism was for women who couldn't get a man. Women have wrestled with that charge for decades, at considerable psychic cost. These days, feminism is all sexy uplift, a cross between a workout and a makeover. Go for it, girls--breast implants, botox, face-lifts, corsets, knitting, boxing, prostitution. Whatever floats your self-esteem! Meanwhile, the public face of organizational feminism is perched atop a power suit and frozen in a deferential smile. Perhaps some childcare? Insurance coverage for contraception? Legal abortion, tragic though it surely is? Or maybe not so much legal abortion--when I ran into Naomi Wolf the other day, she had just finished an article calling for the banning of abortion after the first trimester. Cream and sugar with that abortion ban, sir? >I never thought I would miss unfair, infuriating, over-the-top Andrea Dworkin. But I do. And even more I miss the movement that had room for her. > >******************************************************* > > > >_________________________________________ >reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >Critiques & Collaborations >To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the subject header. >List archive: -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050510/bdc40b11/attachment.html From subasrik at yahoo.com Wed May 11 09:55:41 2005 From: subasrik at yahoo.com (Subasri Krishnan) Date: Tue, 10 May 2005 21:25:41 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] Fwd: from Saheli Message-ID: <20050511042541.48972.qmail@web52107.mail.yahoo.com> hey all, we are all shocked and appalled by these increasing instances of rape happening all over the place! so we are planning to do a protest action tomorrow (11th may) at 08.30 p.m. in dhaula kuan��we know it's really short notice but do join us to take back the night! place: venkataswara college - ring road T-junction (near traffic light). Call deepti (9899019750) if you need directions etc.! Join us with placards and candles and also mobilise others! In solidarity, vineeta and deepti (for saheli) 'You can only understand your life backwards. But you have to live it forwards' --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - Find what you need with new enhanced search. Learn more. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050510/f876bcb9/attachment.html From postmaster at crit.org.in Wed May 11 00:38:18 2005 From: postmaster at crit.org.in (Work in Progress) Date: Wed, 11 May 2005 00:38:18 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] [Announcements] At the World Social Forum 2004 Message-ID: <74d7355b50a0b9541b63ff62579e5045@crit.org.in> Screening of ‘WORK IN PROGRESS: AT THE WORLD SOCIAL FORUM (WSF), 2004   Date: FRIDAY 13 MAY 2005 Time: 6:30 p.m. Place: THE LITTLE THEATRE National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) Dorabji Tata Road, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400021   About the Film   Work in Progress: At the WSF 2004 (59 min., documentary, digital video, English) We came into this world to understand certain things: Very few, but exceedingly important ones.   Andrei Sinyavsky   This film has made its journey from being a document of an event to becoming an impression of a worldwide movement for economic, political and cultural justice and a travelogue of ideas for change. The World Social Forum began in Brazil in the year 2000 as a space for defining alternatives to globalisation, economic imperialism, war and discrimination. In 2004, it’s fourth year, it came to Bombay and widened its horizons to include issues of gender, indigenous people’s rights, alternative sexuality, women and war, caste and racism. For 5 days people protested and analysed existing economic, political and social injustice; celebrated alternatives and resistance through speeches, processions, music, debate, performance, conversation; and sharpened their imagination of a better world with diversity and justice at its heart, under a common slogan -- Another World Is Possible. This film has been created from video material gathered by student crews to document this five day event. Credits PRODUCER: World Social Forum India DIRECTOR: Paromita Vohra EDITORS: Rikhav Desai with Irene Dhar, Batul Mukhtiar, Neeraj Voralia, Kavita Pai, Shan Mohammad, Nirupama Kaul CAMERA Ajay Noronha, Anirudh, Arun Varma, Chandidas, Kapil Sharma, Mukesh Kumar, Sameer Mahajan, Setu, Subhra Dutta SOUND Amla, Anita Kushwaha, Gissy Michael, Hari M, Manoj Sicca, Shubhashish Roy, Suresh Rajamani FIELD PRODUCERS: Akshay Sujir, Divya Unny, Gifty Sahny, Mahafreed Irani, Nikita Jain, Payal Raj, Poornima Swaminathan, Pratibha Prakash, Sai Raje, Sandeep Francis, Sangeeta Joardar, Shalini Nair, Sohil Shah, Supriya Thanawala About the Director PAROMITA VOHRA is a documentary filmmaker and screenwriter. Her films as director are Work In Progress (2004),  Cosmopolis: Two Tales of a City,(2004),  Un-limited Girls (2002), , A Short Film About Time (2000), A Woman’s Place,(1999) and Annapurna (1995. Some of her films as writer are the Pakistani feature film Khamosh Pani (Golden Leopard, Locarno Film Festival, 2003, (Best Screenplay, Kara Film Festival, 2003),  the documentaries If You Pause: In a Museum of Craft (2004), A Few Things I Know About Her (Silver Conch, Mumbai International Film Festival 2002), and the faux documentary Skin Deep (1998). As part of the international women in media collective A Woman’s Place, she is the India Co-ordinator for a media exchange project around identity and context between teenage girls in Bombay and New York. She teaches scriptwriting as visiting faculty at Sophia Polytechnic and is a PUKAR Associate. Enquiries: Paromita Vohra D-404, Trans Apartments Mahakali Caves Road Andheri (E), Bombay 400093 Phone: +91.22.2837.7960 E-Mail: parodevi at mtnl.net.in _____ CRIT (Collective Research Initiatives Trust) Announcements List announcer at crit.org.in http://lists.crit.org.in/mailman/listinfo/announcer _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From shivamvij at gmail.com Wed May 11 12:43:04 2005 From: shivamvij at gmail.com (shivam) Date: Wed, 11 May 2005 12:43:04 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Death and Bazaar: revisiting the graveyard In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Impressive work Marya. You may want to have a look at http://www.necropolis.com.au/ - the website of what I would call a death resort. Explore the site fully, including their 'application forms'. They promise "personalised, quality service and care". I came across the site while arbitly googling for the word 'necropolis'. Here's the dictionary meaning of the word necropolis, which makes the above website look very ironic: necropolis /nekrpls, n-/ n. E19. [Gk, f. as NECRO- + -POLIS.] 1 A cemetery, esp. a large cemetery in or near a city; an ancient burying-place. E19. 2 A dead city, a city of the dead; a city in the final stages of social and economic degeneration. rare. E20.necropolitan a. of or belonging to a necropolis L19. Yours truly, Necropolitan On 5/2/05, marya shakil wrote: > Dear all, > > Looking forward to your critical views on our posting. > > Three women presenting a sight….reminding of Macbeth’s witches…….no other > women beggar is allowed in their domain…hailing from Bihar, Sakina has been > living there for more than 8 years. Her job profile includes sitting on an > old grave and waiting for a “allah ka banda” to donate her some money. For > her the graveyard is like any other place where she can get some cash. > Although the money is just sufficient for her “chai paani” but she > continues to live there despite, her family being miles away. > ************************************************************************** > A man of words, Ghulam Rasool regrets why he couldn’t make money in the > industry in which he is. ‘Mere jagah par koi bhi rehta to crore-pati hota’. > He is the self-appointed caretaker cum gravedigger at the Nizamuddin > graveyard which shares a common boundary with the Lodhi road crematorium. > ................................................................................................................................... > > Till 1947, the adjacent crematorium and the main road were a part of the > graveyard, he claims. And the graveyard’s boundary wall is a 10 yr old > phenomena, an MCD doing. He also has grievances against the wakf board. > Despite the matter being subjudice, some of the claimants of the Delhi Wakf > Board went ahead pasting names on the disputed wall. And Rasool feels such > irresponsible and other behaviour on part of the Wakf board is ruining the > place. > > The legacy of maintenance of the graveyard was handed over to him by his > father. > A politically cautious man, he fails to quell our enquiries into his > officiating capacity. How does he issue a death certificate, without any > government authorization? > > Here we would like to add that the government man, whom, we had met on our > first visit and about whom we had talked in our first posting, was missing > and Rasool refused to talk about him. > > ``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` > He lives with his family which includes a wife and seven children among the > dead in a fairly well constructed house within the boundary of the > graveyard. Predicament of his life heightens when he mentions that the > meaninglessness attached to his profession puts him at a somewhat least > bargaining position in the social hierarchy. Because of which he has failed > to marry his daughters as he is a “kabar khodwa” > ************************************************************************** > The grave digging and making of a box like structure costs somewhere between > Rs 3000 and 3500.But a sympathetic treatment can be won by someone who > “cannot afford”. There are 2 people who work under him and look after the > graves. They dig graves and cut grasses that grow over them, a paltry sum of > Rs 150-200 per grave, depending on the ‘haisiyat’…. > > A project of path construction is in the pipeline as some “benevolent” > Turkish group who had come to visit their loved one in the graveyard found > it inconvenient to move on the somewhat non-existing path. > > Their livelihood depends on the generosity of the VISITORS OF THE DEAD. > > The burning of the dead in the ‘modern fashion’, (the Japanese sponsored > electric crematorium) leaves occupants on the other side choked, adding to > the politics of the space. > > The trespassing of the fumes across the shared boundary. > > thanx > > _________________________________________________________________ > Sick of 9-5 jobs? > http://www.astroyogi.com/newmsn/astroshopping/login.asp?catid=135&ask= > Looking for a change? B. Daruwalla guides you! > > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the subject header. > List archive: > -- http://mallroad.blogspot.com From mahmoodfarooqui at yahoo.com Wed May 11 13:08:24 2005 From: mahmoodfarooqui at yahoo.com (mahmood farooqui) Date: Wed, 11 May 2005 00:38:24 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] IPTA - Emerging Aspects 2 In-Reply-To: <20050508080625.23168.qmail@web32212.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <20050511073825.89277.qmail@web80909.mail.scd.yahoo.com> What you have to say of IPTA's music and lyrics of the 40s and 50s is borne out by Habib Tanvir, the theatre director. He was in Bombay in the late 40s and early 50s and he says that what he imbibed of the music and songs there has had an indelible impact on his theatre. As you know songs and dances play an extremely important role in Tanvir's theatre. Even where he has handled very modern plays like Jis Lahore Nahin Dekhya, he has incorporated suitable music to enhance its appeal and has manifestly, succeeded brilliantly. He told me and has also repeatedly stated elsewhere that people like Dina Pathak proved a great influence on him in this way of approaching music. In addition to the fact that the forum provided a creative melange of several different traditions of music. This was probably also the only independent site for these diverse traditions to come together in the service of a popular music of protest. Cheers, M --- Sumangala Damodaran wrote: > > IPTA in the Early Years� Emerging Aspects 2. > > One extremely interesting aspect of the early years > of the IPTA is the range of personalities that were > associated with it and the nature of their > contribution. Ranging from classical musicians such > as Ravi Shankar and Jyotirindra Moitra to trained > dancers such as Shanti Bardhan, Narendra Sharma, and > Appunni to young singers and dancers who came from > within the left movement such as Preeti Banerjee, > Reba Raychaudhuri, Benoy Roy, Rekha Jain and Dina > Pathak to working class singers such as Amar Sheikh > and Dashrath Lal, a wide gamut of artistes > participated in the creation of artistic productions > which included theatre, dance and music. All these > artistes lived in extremely difficult conditions in > a commune in Bombay and devoted themselves, for > differing periods of time, to the creation of an > alternative aesthetic culture. The sheer range of > their experiences and training gave rise to the > range of styles mentioned earlier. A number of > interesting debates relating to form and content and > the meaning of cultural intervention in the > building of the left movement took place in the > period. While I am attempting to document this, I am > also trying to unravel the content of the > alternative aesthetic culture that was being > attempted. > > > > --------------------------------- > Yahoo! Mail > Stay connected, organized, and protected. Take the tour> _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and > the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to > reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the > subject header. > List archive: Yahoo! Mail Stay connected, organized, and protected. Take the tour: http://tour.mail.yahoo.com/mailtour.html From aarti at sarai.net Wed May 11 13:26:41 2005 From: aarti at sarai.net (Aarti) Date: Wed, 11 May 2005 13:26:41 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Fwd: from Saheli In-Reply-To: <20050511042541.48972.qmail@web52107.mail.yahoo.com> References: <20050511042541.48972.qmail@web52107.mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <4281BAB9.7030900@sarai.net> Dear Subasri, Thank you for this. Many of us have been deeply disturbed since news of this horrific incident broke, following in the wake of a spate of similar incidents across the country in the last ten days. At times such as these often the questions that are asked/raised seem to slip into 'What was she doing in a chai shop at 2:30 at night'? etc when the issue of course is that anyone should be able to be anywhere at whichever time they please without violence being done unto them. I will be there, and also spread the word. in solidarity Aarti Subasri Krishnan wrote: > hey all, > > we are all shocked and appalled by these increasing instances of rape > happening all over the place! so we are planning to do a protest > action tomorrow (11th may) at 08.30 p.m. in dhaula kuan……we know it's > really short notice but do join us to take back the night! > place: venkataswara college - ring road T-junction (near traffic > light). Call deepti (9899019750) if you need directions etc.! > > Join us with placards and candles and also mobilise others! > > In solidarity, > vineeta and deepti > (for saheli) > > > > 'You can only understand your life backwards. But you have to live it > forwards' > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Do you Yahoo!? > Yahoo! Mail - Find what you need with new enhanced search. Learn more. > > >------------------------------------------------------------------------ > >_________________________________________ >reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >Critiques & Collaborations >To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the subject header. >List archive: > From ayonadatta at hotmail.com Wed May 11 13:28:03 2005 From: ayonadatta at hotmail.com (Ayona Datta) Date: Wed, 11 May 2005 08:58:03 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] Research Assistant position Message-ID: Apologies for cross-posting *****************Please circulate widely.************** An opportunity has risen for a one-month fulltime appointment of a Research Assistant on a prestigious British Academy funded, interdisciplinary research project titled 'Mapping the Architecture of Resistance and Control: Women's Organisation in Squatter Settlements' due to commence in August 2005. The research assistant will be responsible for qualitative data collection through direct collaboration with the principal investigator on this project. This position will be based in New Delhi and only candidates certain of their availability during this period are encouraged to apply. Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. Interested candidates can contact me for further details through the email address below. Sincerely, Dr. Ayona Datta ******************************* Lecturer Queen's University Belfast Email: a.datta at qub.ac.uk From chauhan.vijender at gmail.com Wed May 11 14:22:47 2005 From: chauhan.vijender at gmail.com (Vijender chauhan) Date: Wed, 11 May 2005 14:22:47 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Delhi fellow's Summit at JNU Message-ID: <8bdde45405051101523d6897b5@mail.gmail.com> Hi All, Shivam pointed out that my mail reached to him only and not to all at delhi fellow' summit. so here it is again. Hi all, I agree. Sure it was nice. BTW Mahesh didn't reply to nittoo's query (though put to shivam, bcoz she missed the history hence context). So i repeat mahesh "Is it amusing "the politics of promoting JNU"?" changes in syntax intended! cheers All fun dont take it seriously. I again found JNU impressive though not considering cost per capita. vijender From madhureeta at ekaafilms.com Wed May 11 13:49:07 2005 From: madhureeta at ekaafilms.com (Madhureeta) Date: Wed, 11 May 2005 13:49:07 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] [Announcements] Fw: Digital Film Festival- Call For Entries Message-ID: C A L L F O R E N T R I E S Ekaa Films and British Council presents 0110 Digital Film Festival 5 to 9 September 2005, New Delhi * Festival Director – Madhureeta Anand SUBMISSION DEADLINE: 20 June 2005 NO ENTRY FEE About the Festival: 0110 Digital Film Festival provides a platform for filmmakers and artists who want to experiment with alternative forms of filmmaking. The festival celebrates films that represent a new thought process in the world of digital media. The festival will also provide an opportunity for digital filmmakers to meet and interact with their counterparts leading to professional collaboration in digital film and art. Digital films and filmmakers from all over the world will participate in the festival. Films of all durations and genres are eligible for entry, as long as they are shot on the digital format. The festival will have a competition section. Application forms and further information is available at www.ekaafilms.com Completed forms along with a VHS/DVD/VCD copy of the film to be sent to: Neha Sharma Ekaa Films Pvt. Ltd. L-1/4, First Floor, Hauz Khas Enclave, New Delhi-110016, India. dff at ekaafilms.com * The film festival will be shown in other cities following its showing in Delhi. Dates and venues will be announced shortly on www.ekaafilms.com _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From zulfisindh at yahoo.com Wed May 11 14:33:26 2005 From: zulfisindh at yahoo.com (Zulfiqar Shah) Date: Wed, 11 May 2005 02:03:26 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] Fwd: [irn-sasia] Malaysia to invest in Pakistan hydro Message-ID: <20050511090326.98207.qmail@web30711.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Note: forwarded message attached. --------------------------------- Yahoo! Mail Stay connected, organized, and protected. Take the tour -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050511/112315df/attachment.html -------------- next part -------------- An embedded message was scrubbed... From: Zulfiqar Shah Subject: Fwd: [irn-sasia] Malaysia to invest in Pakistan hydro Date: Wed, 11 May 2005 01:39:03 -0700 (PDT) Size: 5414 Url: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050511/112315df/attachment.mht From zulfisindh at yahoo.com Wed May 11 14:34:33 2005 From: zulfisindh at yahoo.com (Zulfiqar Shah) Date: Wed, 11 May 2005 02:04:33 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] Fwd: [irn-sasia] IFC planning to hike lending to $500m next year Message-ID: <20050511090433.19385.qmail@web30701.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Note: forwarded message attached. --------------------------------- Yahoo! Mail Mobile Take Yahoo! Mail with you! Check email on your mobile phone. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050511/aea106af/attachment.html -------------- next part -------------- An embedded message was scrubbed... From: Zulfiqar Shah Subject: Fwd: [irn-sasia] IFC planning to hike lending to $500m next year Date: Wed, 11 May 2005 01:37:07 -0700 (PDT) Size: 6001 Url: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050511/aea106af/attachment.mht From ysaeed7 at yahoo.com Wed May 11 19:41:18 2005 From: ysaeed7 at yahoo.com (Yousuf) Date: Wed, 11 May 2005 07:11:18 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] clarification In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <20050511141118.18119.qmail@web51408.mail.yahoo.com> Dear Sameer Are you sure of this information - is there a confirmed source for it. So far the local people believe that there was a British officer by the name of Mr.Butler who was posted here during the construction of the Okhla barrage - in fact he was posted to this peaceful location for health reasons. The original bungalow still exists near the barrage - now owned by the UP irrigation department. Yousuf --- Sameer Ahmed wrote: --------------------------------- Hello I read somewhere in the sarai.net website that Batla House was named after an English general, I would like to clarify this, Batla House was named after Mohammad Ahmad Batla Sahab, a wealthy landlord in the days of the Raj, The entire land (whcih presently comprises the whole of the batla house area and gufoor nagar) belonged to him. He gave it all for a social cause to the University of Jamia Millia Islamia under the supervision of Dr. Mushtaq Ahmed and went off to the USA for good . After a couple of years when Dr. Ahmed too left , as he joined the UN, this vast piece of land was illegally occupied by local patwaris and the likes , subsequently the area went down the drain. > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and > the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to > reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the > subject header. > List archive: __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Small Business - Try our new resources site! http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/resources/ From chauhan.vijender at gmail.com Wed May 11 23:06:52 2005 From: chauhan.vijender at gmail.com (Vijender chauhan) Date: Wed, 11 May 2005 23:06:52 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Fwd: [arkitectindia] Boycott Hindustan Times ! Spread the Word ! Newspaper Workers sacked without Notice ! In-Reply-To: <94d7347e05051018493a18c43f@mail.gmail.com> References: <20050509104546.91921.qmail@web51407.mail.yahoo.com> <94d7347e05051018493a18c43f@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <8bdde4540505111036312d4110@mail.gmail.com> ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From chauhan.vijender at gmail.com Wed May 11 23:14:47 2005 From: chauhan.vijender at gmail.com (Vijender chauhan) Date: Wed, 11 May 2005 23:14:47 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Hindustan Times sacked 392 workers Message-ID: <8bdde4540505111044153d3965@mail.gmail.com> Hi I got this mail through a different mailing list. Not sure of its authenticity. Anybody has any information. Vijender Mail is as follows: Breaking News ! The Hindustan Times, Delhi has sacked its 392 labourers without any notice ! Today´s Hindustan Times carries no word about it on the front page ! http://www.hindustantimes.com/ Spread the Word ! Boycott Hindustan Times !! Bulid Communities to fall back upon and fight back ! all the best gangadin From arisen.silently at gmail.com Thu May 12 12:50:43 2005 From: arisen.silently at gmail.com (arisen silently) Date: Thu, 12 May 2005 13:05:43 +0545 Subject: [Reader-list] 12th CHICAGO UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <1925b33d05051200202cc556b7@mail.gmail.com> 1] The final deadline for submissions for the 12th Chicago Underground Film Festival is approaching soo. Documentary features and shorts are always welcome CALL FOR ENTRIES! 12th CHICAGO UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL CUFF is the fest that smacks you up, down and sideways- head to toe, front to back! For 12 years solid, The Chicago Underground Film Festival has thrown down with the most innovative, experimental and dangerous films from around the globe. Features, Shorts, Documentaries, Experimental, Narrative, Animation 35mm, 16mm, super-8 and video AUGUST 18 – 24 2005 at the historic Music Box Theatre SUBMISSION DEADLINE MAY 1 Final deadline June 1 ENTRY FORMS AND GUIDELINES ARE AVAILABLE NOW AT http://www.cuff.org Want your business to reach thousands of film fans and filmmakers? Contact us about sponsorship and advertising opportunities "what you get for your money isn't just admission to the films but admission to a subculture." - Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times "The hottest and most ambitious festival on the Chicago scene" - Chicago Tribune "The most refreshingly offbeat film event in Chicago" - Adam Langer, The Film Festival Guide "A cultural mainstay on its home turf" --Ray Pride, Filmmaker Magazine "Best Underground Film Festival & Best Party Film Festival" - Chris Gore, Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide ----- On 5/11/05, Madhureeta wrote: > C A L L F O R E N T R I E S > > Ekaa Films and British Council presents > > 0110 Digital Film Festival > > 5 to 9 September 2005, New Delhi * > > Festival Director – Madhureeta Anand > > SUBMISSION DEADLINE: 20 June 2005 > > NO ENTRY FEE > > About the Festival: > > 0110 Digital Film Festival provides a platform > for filmmakers and artists who want to experiment > with alternative forms of filmmaking. > > The festival celebrates films that represent a > new thought process in the world of digital > media. The festival will also provide an > opportunity for digital filmmakers to meet and > interact with their counterparts leading to > professional collaboration in digital film and > art. Digital films and filmmakers from all over > the world will participate in the festival. > > Films of all durations and genres are eligible > for entry, as long as they are shot on the > digital format. > > The festival will have a competition section. > > Application forms and further information is > available at > www.ekaafilms.com > > Completed forms along with a VHS/DVD/VCD copy of the film to be sent to: > > Neha Sharma > > Ekaa Films Pvt. Ltd. > > L-1/4, First Floor, > > Hauz Khas Enclave, > > New Delhi-110016, India. > > dff at ekaafilms.com > > * The film festival will be shown in other cities > following its showing in Delhi. Dates and venues > will be announced shortly on > www.ekaafilms.com > > _______________________________________________ > announcements mailing list > announcements at sarai.net > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the subject header. > List archive: > From lokesh at sarai.net Thu May 12 13:31:46 2005 From: lokesh at sarai.net (Lokesh) Date: Thu, 12 May 2005 13:31:46 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] a humble reguest... Message-ID: <42830D6A.4070002@sarai.net> A Humble Request… Dear Comrades One of the illustrious members of the teachers’ fraternity and former Research Scholar from /Meerut University/, MR NAVED A. SIDDIQUE (32 years old) has been ailing with shrunken kidneys for the last four months. His present condition is woefully critical. In spite of undergoing ‘dialyses’ on a weekly basis for the last three months, his kidneys have failed to respond and blood urea level continues to be well above 345 (Normal: 15-45). The doctors are now pressing for an _immediate_ ‘transplant of the kidney’ because any further delay could lead to a ‘left ventricle failure’ (LVF) Naved has been in the Teaching profession for over a decade, having taught History and Social Sciences in some of the well known public schools viz. /St. Francis School /(/Meerut/), /Army School/ (/Meerut/), /Dewan Public School/ (/Meerut/) & /Ryan International/ (/Mumbai/). He lost his Mother this January after she succumbed to a prolonged battle with pneumonia. And now he himself has been suffering for over four months. Given these circumstances, the family’s financial condition has become quite unstable. Even though his Father would be donating one of his kidneys, he is not in a position to bear the steep expenses of the operation single-handedly. A ‘kidney transplant’ operation would cost anywhere between *Rs 3 to 3.25 lacs* and thereafter ‘anti rejection drugs’ would cost another *Rs. 1.5 lacs*. Having been virtually drained out of finances, the family has sought personal help, (with a pre-condition that they would return everybody’s money whenever they are in a position to do so). We would earnestly request you to kindly extend a helping hand in order to save this young and talented teacher who’s just been married for little over a year. We sincerely hope you’ll help in saving the life of a fellow teacher by contributing anything ranging from Rs. 100/- or more. Every rupee contributed from your side would be of enormous help. You can give your contributions to Lokesh or Bhagwati at Sarai, CSDS. Furthermore if any of you can even help by donating one unit of _blood_, we would be very grateful, since a total of 14 units of blood would be required for the operation. Thanking you, * *Close Friends & Family Members* of* Naved Siddique* From sayyadain2000 at yahoo.co.in Wed May 11 18:44:41 2005 From: sayyadain2000 at yahoo.co.in (faizan ahmed) Date: Wed, 11 May 2005 14:14:41 +0100 (BST) Subject: [Reader-list] Call for Papers on Indian Muslims Message-ID: <20050511131442.25574.qmail@web8501.mail.in.yahoo.com> Dear Faizan, I have mailed you Brochure of the seminar on "Muslim Artisans, Craftsmen and Traders: Issues in Entrepreneurship" organised by CEPECAMI (Centre for Promotion of Educational and Cultural Advancement of Muslims of India), in Feb. 2005. The centre will shortly bring out a volume based on the contributions made in the seminar. So far I have received 12 papers. If you know any scholar(s) who could contribute a paper related with the theme of the seminar, please let me know his/her name or you personally request him/her to contribute the paper. The paper should be submitted within a month i.e. 10th June 2005. Warm Regards Dr. Abdul Waheed, Director CEPECAMI Ph: +91 571 2700920 Ext. 1347 Email: cepecami_amu at rediffmail.com Following is the Brochure of the seminar: Two Days National Seminar on “Muslim Artisans, Craftsmen and Traders: Issue in Entrepreneurship” Muslims of India are largest minority community. They do not merely constitute about 14% population of India but are also found in the entire length and breadth of the country. They are, indeed, a conspicuous national community. Although united by common faith, Muslims are divided into various status, occupational, ethno-linguistic and sectarian groups. Members of each group are further divided into classes. Thus, contrary to popular perception Muslims are highly heterogeneous community. Artisans, craftsmen and traders, having distinct status, social heritage and occupations, are important groups of Muslims. Arts and crafts developed both as traditions and occupations among Indian Muslims. There are well-known groups (beradaris) of Muslims, having traditional association with art and craft related occupations for centuries. These occupations are, indeed, their social capital or heritage. Besides, many other Muslims, especially unemployed and of lower income groups have recently started adopting art and crafts for earning their livelihood. Not only Muslim men but women too are specialists of various crafts. Handicrafts, in fact, have become a significant source of either supplementing household income or employment to large number of Muslim women. In this way sizeable number of Indian Muslims of rural and urban areas and of various status and ethnic groups, are artisans and craftsmen. Most of them produce goods for others. They are merely unorganized daily wagers and, therefore, are always vulnerable to the various forms of exploitation, to the vagaries of governmental policies and uncertainties of national and international markets. Unlike artisans and craftsmen, traders are few among Indian Muslims. Generally Muslims kept themselves away from mercantile occupations in past despite Islamic injunctions. As a result, very few groups of Muslims, especially of south and western Indian have been associated with trade and commerce. Many other Muslims entered into petty business in post-Independent India. They do not have strong mercantile base or net-work. Therefore they are vulnerable to various forms of competitions in markets. Furthermore, their properties are always at risk and looted in frequently occurring communal violence in different parts of the country. How can life chances of these people be protected and promoted? How can their socio-economic and educational conditions be ameliorated? Can they not become self-reliant? How can entrepreneurship be promoted among them? These and other such questions require immediate intellectual attention. Following sub-themes are identified for inviting scholars to contribute papers: 1. Ethnographic profile of various groups or beradris of Muslim associated with art, crafts and trade. 2. History of mercantile traditions/occupations among Indian Muslims. 3. Socio-economic and educational conditions of Muslim artisans, craftsmen and traders. 4. Community-cooperatives and Muslim artisans and craftsmen. 5. Communal violence and business interest/establishments of Muslims 6. Economic organizations among Indian Muslims 7. Governmental policies towards Muslim artisans, craftsmen and traders. 8. Globalization and small scale industry. Yahoo! India Matrimony: Find your life partneronline. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050511/5165e852/attachment.html From zulfisindh at yahoo.com Thu May 12 11:33:44 2005 From: zulfisindh at yahoo.com (Zulfiqar Shah) Date: Wed, 11 May 2005 23:03:44 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] Fwd: In Search of My Island [Paulo Celho] Message-ID: <20050512060344.3520.qmail@web30705.mail.mud.yahoo.com> In Search of My Island Paulo Coelho Looking around at the crowd gathered for my book-signing at a megastore in the Champs-Elys�es, I thought: how many of these people will have had the same experiences that I have described in my books? Very few. Perhaps one or two. Even so, most of them would identify with what was in them. Writing is one of the most solitary activities in the world. Once every two years, I sit down in front of the computer, gaze out on the unknown sea of my soul, and see a few islands - ideas that have developed and which are ripe to be explored. Then I climb into my boat - called The Word - and set out for the nearest island. On the way, I meet strong currents, winds and storms, but I keep rowing, exhausted, knowing that I have drifted away from my chosen course and that the island I was trying to reach is no longer on my horizon. I can't turn back, though, I have to continue somehow or else I'll be lost in the middle of the ocean; at that point, a series of terrifying scenarios flash through my mind, such as spending the rest of my life talking about past successes, or bitterly criticising new writers, simply because I no longer have the courage to publish new books. Wasn't my dream to be a writer? Then I must continue creating sentences, paragraphs, chapters, and go on writing until I die, and not allow myself to get caught in such traps as success or failure. Otherwise, what meaning does my life have? Being able to buy an old mill in the south of France and tending my garden? Giving lectures instead, because it's easier to talk than to write? Withdrawing from the world in a calculated, mysterious way, in order to create a legend that will deprive me of many pleasures? Shaken by these alarming thoughts, I find a strength and a courage I didn't know I had: they help me to venture into an unknown part of my soul. I let myself be swept along by the current and finally anchor my boat at the island I was being carried towards. I spend days and nights describing what I see, wondering why I'm doing this, telling myself that it's really not worth the pain and the effort, that I don't need to prove anything to anyone, that I've got what I wanted and far more than I ever dreamed of having. I notice that I go through the same process as I did when writing my first book: I wake up at nine o'clock in the morning, ready to sit down at my computer immediately after breakfast; then I read the newspapers, go for a walk, visit the nearest bar for a chat, come home, look at the computer, discover that I need to make several phone calls, look at the computer again, by which time lunch is ready, and I sit eating and thinking that I really ought to have started writing at eleven o'clock, but that now I need a nap; I wake at five in the afternoon, finally turn on the computer, go to check my e-mails, then remember that I've destroyed my Internet connection; I could go to a place ten minutes away where I can get on-line, but couldn't I, just to free my conscience from these feelings of guilt, couldn't I at least write for half an hour? I begin out of a feeling of duty, but suddenly �the thing� takes hold of me and I can't stop. The maid calls me for supper and I ask her not to interrupt me; an hour later, she calls me again; I'm hungry, but I must write just one more line, one more sentence, one more page. By the time I sit down at the table, the food is cold, I gobble it down and go back to the computer - I am no longer in control of where I place my feet, the island is being revealed to me, I am being propelled along its paths, finding things I have never even thought or dreamed of. I drink a cup of coffee, and another, and at two o'clock in the morning I finally stop writing, because my eyes are tired. I go to bed, spend another hour making notes of things to use in the next paragraph and which always prove completely useless - they serve only to empty my mind so that sleep can come. I promise myself that the next morning, I'll start at eleven o'clock prompt. And the following day, the same thing happens - the walk, the conversations, lunch, a nap, the feelings of guilt, then irritation at myself for destroying the Internet connection, until, at last, I make myself sit down and write the first page� When I wrote The Zahir, the main character says exactly the same thing: writing is getting lost at sea. It�s discovering your own untold story and trying to share it with others. It�s realising, when you show it to people you have never seen, what is in your own soul. In the book, a famous writer on spiritual matters, who believes he has everything, loses the thing that is most precious to him: love. I have always wondered what would happen to a man if he had no one to dream about, and now I am answering that question for myself. When I used to read biographies of writers, I always thought that when they said: �The book writes itself, the writer is just the typist�, they were simply trying to make their profession seem more interesting. I know now that this is absolutely true, no one knows why the current took them to that particular island and not to the one they wanted to reach. Then the obsessive re-drafting and editing begins, and when I can no longer bear to re-read the same words one more time, I send it to my publisher, where it is edited again, and then published. And it is a constant source of surprise to me to discover that other people were also in search of that very island and that they find it in my book. One person tells another person about it, the mysterious chain grows, and what the writer thought of as a solitary exercise becomes a bridge, a boat, a means by which souls can travel and communicate. >From then on, I am no longer the man lost in the storm: I find myself through my readers, I understand what I wrote when I see that others understand it too, but never before. On a few rare occasions, like the one that is about to take place, I manage to look those people in the eye and then I understand that my soul is not alone. Once I heard an interviewer ask Paul McCartney: �Could you sum up the Beatles� message in one sentence?� Tired of hearing the same question myself, I assumed McCartney would give some ironic response, after all, given the complexity of human beings, how can anyone possibly sum up a whole body of work in a few words? But Paul said: �Yes, I can.� And he went on: �All you need is love. Do you want me to say more?� No, said the interviewer, he didn�t. There was nothing more to be said. The Zahir could be summed up in the same way. New book �The Zahir� is being published all over the world this year. Courtesy: Warriors of Light, May 2005 [Paulo Celho�s e-circulated posting magazine] __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050511/41b651c3/attachment.html From zulfisindh at yahoo.com Thu May 12 13:18:29 2005 From: zulfisindh at yahoo.com (Zulfiqar Shah) Date: Thu, 12 May 2005 00:48:29 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] Fwd: Pajejo's letter to the Musharaf Message-ID: <20050512074829.6866.qmail@web30714.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Fwd: Rasool Bux Pajejo's letter to the Musharaf ----------------------------------------------------------- To, General Parvez Musharaf, President of Pakistan, Islamabad. Sir, I venture to invite your attention to the fact that among the many factors contributing to the creation of a serious perception among the minds of thinking Sindhi-speaking people of Sindh, that, they are being, step by step, marginalized red-indianized and virtually eliminated as the historic matters of their five thousand-year old homeland and all its resources in accordance with a sinister and diabolic, comprehensive plan, set a-foot from day one of the establishment of Pakistan, is the factor of the stage-by-stage marginalization of Sindhi-speaking lawyers and judges in the judiciary at the provincial and national level. That the Judicial system of the country is far from ideal, can be judged from the books and interviews published and seminars held on the subject. The latest public perceptions about it are embodied in the press reports of two recent events. A meeting of the Public Account Committee was held on 28-04-2005 and was addressed by Federal Law Secretary Justice R. Mansoor Ahmed, MNA Col. R. Ghulam Rasool Sahi, PML-N leader Choudhri Nisar Ahmed and Parliamentary Secretary Defence Tanveer Ahmed. The very next day a seminar was held on 29-04-2005 at Islamabad entitled "Role of Judiciary Streaming Democratic Institutions" which was addressed by Mr. Wasim Sajjad, HRCP Chairperson Asma Jahangir, HRCP Secretary-General Iqbal Haider, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Mian Raza Rabani, former president of Supreme Court Bar Association Hamid Khan, and president Lahore High Court Bar Association Justice(retired) Fakharun Nisa Khokhar and others. On the above occasions, the high-ranking speakers gave a vent to their perceptions of our judicial system which, considering the fact that they represented a very wide spectrum of political and legal opinion, can be ignored only at our national peril. The above views however do not cover the entire spectrum of public views on the subject. There is more to it that was not touched at the above two events. No one at any of the above events mentioned the ethnic bias of the system as applied to Sindh. Sindhi- Speaking people constitute even after the over half a century long pressure of population from out side, more than sixty eight (68) percent majority of the population of the province. Thanks to what is perceived by many as a planned marginlization of the sindhi speaking majority in judiciary, only 6 out of 19 sitting judges of the sindh high court are sindhi speaking . A similar state of affairs would be found to be prevalent with regard to the sub-ordinate judiciary also. One very simple but most effective device for marginalization of the sindhi-speaking majority in the judiciary is said to be in vogue, is to elevate aged sindhi-speaking lawyers and judges with only a few year remaining eligibility for service. On the other hand the other gentlemen are elevated at a very young age enabling them to become Chief Justice of sindh and Supreme Court of Pakistan in due course of time, if possible. The result is that there has been no sindhi-speaking Chief Justice of Sindh High Court for quite a number of years nor is there any such prospect for a long time to come . To add insult to injury, some beneficiaries of the unjust system are hawking the absurd and ridiculous theory that Sindhi-speaking people- the people who gave the world extraordinary people, like Shah Latif, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Shams-ul-Ulma Mirza Qaleech Baig, Allama I I Qazi, Dr. Hotchand Molchand Gurbuxani, Shams-ul-Ulma Dr. Umar Bin Daoodpoto, Molana Ubedullah Sindhi, Shaheed Peer Subghatullah Pagara, Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Ghulam Muhammad Bhrgri, Hidar Bux Jattoi, A.K Brohi, Shaikh Ayaz, Air Marshal Waqar Azeem Daoodpoto, Justice Mohd Bux, Justices Velani, Justice Bachal Memon, Justice Durab Patel, Justice Fakhr-u-Din G Ibrahim, Lalchand Amardino Mal Jagtiani, Najumudin Shaikh, Iqbal Akhund, Makhdoom Muhammad Zaman Talibul Mola, Justice Abdul Qadir Shaikh, Justice Tufail Ali Abdul Rehman, Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, Justice Muktar Junejo, Dewan Deeal Mal, Peer Husam-Din Rashdi, Shaikh Abdul Majeed Sindhi, Muhammad Usman Deeplai Engineer Abdul Rasool Memon, Dr Nabi Bux Baloch, Ustad Bukhari, etc lack merit . Some elevations at the Superior Courts level are over -due. But it is apprehended that the above mentioned imbalance may be perpetuated rather than redressed through new appointments over the vacant posts. We the people here in Sindhi believe that such a problem requires to be addressed honestly, courageously, seriously and expeditiously so that the wrongs are redressed and Justice is done to all concerned, not the least to the federation and all its peoples. Yours Sincerely, Rasul Bux Palijo President Awami Tahreek [Sindh] --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - Helps protect you from nasty viruses. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050512/189070ef/attachment.html From cahen.x at levels9.com Thu May 12 17:36:45 2005 From: cahen.x at levels9.com (xavier cahen) Date: Thu, 12 May 2005 14:06:45 +0200 Subject: [Reader-list] pourinfos letter / 05-04 to 05-12-2005 Message-ID: <003601c556eb$13016910$0401a8c0@acerkxw6rbeu2s> pourinfos.org l'actualite du monde de l'art / daily Art news ----------------------------------------------------------------------- infos from may 04, to may 12, 2005 (included) ------------------------------------------------------------------- (mostly in french) ------------------------------------------------------------------- 01 Call : CONCURSO JUAN RULFO 2005, Union Latine en Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/candidature/item.php?id=1524 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 02 Call : numeric art Concours on line ArtDSL, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/candidature/item.php?id=1523 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 03 Call : : Prog:ME, 1st Festival of Electronic Media of Rio de Janeiro, Brésil. http://pourinfos.org/candidature/item.php?id=1522 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 04 Call : "sacrifier le/ Sacrifice / sacrificing", Belgium. http://pourinfos.org/participation/item.php?id=1521 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 05 Meeting : The Dinner project Countdown, Montréal, Canada. http://pourinfos.org/rencontres/item.php?id=1520 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 06 Meeting : " Around the remake ", David Kidman, Rec, Play, Rew., Centre of art Mira phalaina-Maison populaire de Montreuil, France. http://pourinfos.org/rencontres/item.php?id=1519 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 07 Exhibition : " art if I want ", Nicolas Clauss * & * Jean-Noël Montagne, Culture Multimédia & Cybercentre Space, Le mans, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1518 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 08 Exhibition : Concert, Michael Snow, le Conservatoire, la box, Transpalette, Bourges, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1517 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 09 Exhibition : Stopovers, des illustres-inconnus.org, Halle du Ramier, Lacroix Falgarde, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1516 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 10 Exhibition : 16th International festival of the Poster and the Graphic arts of Chaumont, Chaumont, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1515 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 11 Meeting : Anne Nigten manager du V2_Lab, conferences Ari / Ciren Ensad - Paris 8 University, Ensad, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/rencontres/item.php?id=1514 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 12 Meeting : Job, Nicolas Simarik and appearance, Ryoko Sekiguchi et Rainier Lericolais, Florence loewy, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/rencontres/item.php?id=1513 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 13 Meeting : SOIReE [RESEARCH]2 : "TERRITORY(S) AND MOVEMENT", le Cube, Issy-les-moulineaux, France. http://pourinfos.org/rencontres/item.php?id=1512 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 14 Program : Program de mai du CNEAI, île des impressionnistes, Chatou, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1511 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 15 Exhibition : Works of the Collection IAC-Frac the Rhone-Alps of the Institute of contemporary art of Villeurbanne, Villeurbanne,France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1510 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 16 Call : Independent Exposure 2005, Microcinema International, San Francisco, USA. http://pourinfos.org/participation/item.php?id=1509 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 17 Exhibition : Ulrike Vidalain, les Réservoirs, Limay, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1508 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 18 Publication : frieze issue 91 out now, Londres, United Kingdom. http://pourinfos.org/publications/item.php?id=1507 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 19 Call : for an exhibition at the international Museum of the shoe, Romans, France. http://pourinfos.org/candidature/item.php?id=1506 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 20 Formation : Workshop on Creative Broadband Potentials, ZKM, Karlsruhe, Germany. http://pourinfos.org/emploi/item.php?id=1504 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 21 Publication : devoted to the topic of violence, DITS Review, Museum of contemporary Arts ASBL, Hornu, Belgium. http://pourinfos.org/publications/item.php?id=1503 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 22 Meeting : Symposium Kunsthalle Fribourg - Fri-Art : Neue Räume für die Gegenwartskunst / New spaces for the contemporary art, Fribourg, Switzerland. http://pourinfos.org/rencontres/item.php?id=1502 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 23 Publication : archee, cybermensuel, April 2005, Montreal, Canada. http://pourinfos.org/publications/item.php?id=1492 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 24 Call : Prize of the ambassadors 2005 - Prize Decourtenay,The Decourtenay Galleries, Chatelet, Belgium. http://pourinfos.org/candidature/item.php?id=1488 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 25 Call : New Geographies Project, Mexico City, Mexico. http://pourinfos.org/participation/item.php?id=1487 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 26 Call : artivistic : Art.Information.Activism/e, Montreal, Canada. http://pourinfos.org/participation/item.php?id=1485 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 27 Various : Festival 20th in Cultures, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/divers/item.php?id=1484 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 28 Call : projet ©box, Annecy, France. http://pourinfos.org/participation/item.php?id=1483 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 29 Formation : ICA - The London Consortium Studentship, London, United Kingdom. http://pourinfos.org/emploi/item.php?id=1482 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 30 Various : Pro Position d'Objet Poétique, Stéphane Appourchaux, dans le cadre de la Comédie du Livre, Montpellier, France. http://pourinfos.org/divers/item.php?id=1478 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 31 Call : Prize Latin Union of the young creation in the field of the Visual arts, l'Union Latine, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/candidature/item.php?id=1476 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 32 Publication : Believe in Yourself Party, DROME 3 - the faith issue, Roma, Italy. http://pourinfos.org/publications/item.php?id=1473 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 33 Publication : "Gardens are for people (& art for us?)", Stephane Calais, the abbey of Maubuisson, Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône, France. http://pourinfos.org/publications/item.php?id=1470 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 34 Residency : call for visual arts, point ephemere, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/residences/item.php?id=1501 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 35 Meeting : " ENVIRONNEMENT, TRANSDISCIPLINARITE, NEWS " day of study, Rennes 2 University, Rennes, France. http://pourinfos.org/rencontres/item.php?id=1500 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 36 Program : 2 weeks of meetings around video images, La Briqueterie, Amiens, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1499 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 37 Program : Cultural Mai 2005, Ecole nationale superieure des beaux-arts de Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1498 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 38 Formation : workshop for the professionals of the contemporary art, Cipac, Paris, France. lien http://pourinfos.org/emploi/item.php?id=1497 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 39 Exhibition : "Borderlines", syndicat Potentiel galery, Strasbourg, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1496 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 40 Meeting : MANEGE 09: Why demolish? What to make Afterwards? School of Architecture of Versailles, Versailles, France. http://pourinfos.org/rencontres/item.php?id=1495 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 41 Program : e-comedie le 20-21-22 mai 2005, Rablais, Montpellier Space, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1494 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 42 Exhibition : Annette Messager, France at the 51st Venice Biennial 2005, Italy. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1480 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 43 Exhibition : Panayiotis Michael and Konstantia Sofokleous, Cyprus at the 51st Venice Biennial, Italy. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1479 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 44 Meeting : Discusses: The writing and the numerical papier/support publication? incidences Review, Rablais Space, Montpellier, France. http://pourinfos.org/rencontres/item.php?id=1493 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 45 Exhibition : 25 years of collection of Deutsche Bank, Deutsche Guggenheim, Berlin, Germany. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1491 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 46 Exhibition : Far, Appartement Gallery, Dijon, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1477 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 47 Exhibition : up to now all is well, 20th edition of the Forum of Images,Toulouse, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1490 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 48 Exhibition : program La Galerie, Contemporary art center of Noisy-le-Sec, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1475 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 49 Program : 16th international festival of documentary of Marseilles, Fidmarseille, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1474 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 50 Exhibition : May of Art, Town of Saint-Raphaël, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1471 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 51 Exhibition : BRESTIKHEA, IKHEA©SERVICES visit Brest, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1481 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 52 Exhibition : Michel Verjux, A arte Studio Invernizzi, Milan, Italy. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1489 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 53 Exhibition : hear that you are there and Hours of great listenings H-Ge, Mélanie Perrier, 3bisf, Aix en Provence, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1486 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 54 Meeting : Colloque "Physique/virtal" Mediatheque d'Orleans, Orleans, France. http://pourinfos.org/rencontres/item.php?id=1472 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 55 Meeting : Vis-a-vis the Present Patrick Jouin, Centre Pompidou, Paris, France. lien http://pourinfos.org/rencontres/item.php?id=1469 From sam at media.com.au Fri May 13 10:22:12 2005 From: sam at media.com.au (sam) Date: Fri, 13 May 2005 14:52:12 +1000 Subject: [Reader-list] [annoucement] New stories at SIGNATURE - May 13, 2005 Message-ID: <4284327C.6080105@media.com.au> ( please forward to your networks) May 13 2005 -------------- *// SIGNATURE - New stories from Australia ... http://spinach7.com/signature/* *No Black Faces on the Block? * The Carr Government's plans for the rundown suburb of Redfern are yet to be revealed, but anyone taking a white brush to the black heart of Sydney is surely in for a fight. MARNI CORDELL reports on the battle for Redfern-Waterloo. http://spinach7.com/signature/sig-stories.php?id=408 *Viet Nam Lost and Found* Thirty years have passed since the Viet Nam War ended on 30 April, 1975. In the final days of the conflict approximately 250 Vietnamese children were flown to Australia as part of 'Operation Babylift'. As the adoptees reach maturity, many are struggling to make sense of their past writes INDIGO WILLING. http://spinach7.com/signature/sig-stories.php?id=387 *Interrogation Techniques: Making Art about Fear* Throughout April and May, Perth-based new media collective pvi toured Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide with their eagerly anticipated new work, tts. Three years in development tts - formerly terror(ist) training school - attracted plenty of controversy in the making of. The finished work deals with the complex and sensitive issue of terrorism. JANE LITCHFIELD submits to a 'routine' security scan, takes her recruitment oath, and climbs aboard. http://spinach7.com/signature/sig-stories.php?id=399 *Photo Feature: Trolleys* by Thuy Vy http://spinach7.com/signature/sig-stories.php?id=392 *// Announcements* *MO:LIFE - Join the Mobile Culture eNewsletter * mo:life maps and explores how we, as a distinct culture, will produce, adapt, consume, buy, sell, accept, and reject new forms and uses of floating communication. As such, mo:life sets mobile media in an Australian context. Our geography, enterprises, and culture lend well to a mobile way of life - a mo:life. For more: http://s7digital.com/molife/ ***Vital Signs Conference - Call for Submissions (RMIT, Melbourne)* Vital Signs is the next event in a series of annual conferences presented by RMIT University, School of Creative Media. This year's conference will focus on the urgent issues for New Media artists relating to both our future and our past. We are interested in bringing together the key players of new media art to discover - collectively - new ways forward. We are interested in reading the Vital Signs. For more: http://www.rmit.edu.au/creativemedia/conference *Free Play - Independent Game Developers Conference* Free Play will cater for independent and DIY game developers, game modders and mappers, creatively frustrated professionals, game development students and digital artists from every state in Australia. Its aim is to bring together these communities in a forum that is financially reasonable, with a programme developed by the communities themselves. For more: http://www.free-play.org/ ---------------------------------------- -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050513/1aa1aecd/attachment.html From pukar at pukar.org.in Thu May 12 13:20:27 2005 From: pukar at pukar.org.in (PUKAR) Date: Thu, 12 May 2005 13:20:27 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] [announcements] PUKAR MONSOON 2005: An Invitation Message-ID: <000e01c556c7$57a3a430$5dd0c0cb@freeda> PUKAR Monsoon 2005 The Mumbai Palimpsest: City as An Archive of Images and Words 28th May - 4th June 2005: Workshop on Archiving and Editing Video Footage 8th June - 20th June 2005: Discussions in Mumbai's Undergraduate Colleges Open to all under-graduate students in Mumbai. Registration Open till May 18th 2005 Dear Friends, Every year PUKAR organizes a series of workshops, lectures and screenings aimed specifically at Mumbai's undergraduate students. Collectively referred to as the PUKAR Monsoon - the aim of these sessions is to provide a space for Mumbai's youth so that they reflect on the city and get an opportunity to creatively express their ideas and insights. The last three years have seen as many programs and hundreds of young minds engage with themes such as the city's work culture (2002), its relationship to 'water' (2003) and its complex linguistic history (2004). The participants have produced short films, audio-documentaries, translations of literary works, photo-essays, a monograph, posters, post-cards and various other creative texts. This year the theme of PUKAR Monsoon 2005 is: The Mumbai Palimpsest - City as an Archive of Images and Words Like all urban spaces Mumbai too is a dense cluster of signs and meanings. It makes all its citizens archivists and interpreters in their own right. The program will discuss how images and meanings about Mumbai are produced - in the media and the mind, in the market place and the political sphere. The Monsoon 2005 is a collaborative venture between PUKAR and MAJLIS - A Centre for Alternative Culture and Rights Discourse. Among its many activities MAJLIS is also engaged with documenting images under its initiative - 'Godaam - Archiving the Political', which is the focus of the Monsoon program. According to this initiative: '.information has become an onslaught, which is constant. It is almost impossible to go back to an image or a text, to rethink or remember. We absorb much and often have little space to re interpret. Godaam is an archive of fragments from this torrent. We are trying to make a library, where fragments of audio, text and especially the video image, are archived in theme based collections.' (www.majlisbombay.org) As part of the Monsoon 2005, PUKAR and MAJLIS will jointly organize a special eight-day workshop that will help students understand the section from Godaam that pertains to Mumbai city. The workshop will involve responding to video footage, films and other images and encourage participants to use them to re-create short edited works of their own. These little expressions (around two to three minutes each) will be based on re-working images from the archive. The workshop will have inputs on images, poetry and the city and four days will be kept aside purely for learning techniques of editing moving images. It will be held between May 28th and June 4th 2005. We will subsequently organize special screenings of these student's works in undergraduate colleges all over the Mumbai Metropolitan Region from June 8th to June 20th. These screenings will be accompanied by discussions about Mumbai as 'An Archive of Images and Words'. This will be done through getting students to respond to the texts produced by their colleagues. All those Mumbai based undergraduate students interested in taking part in the Pukar Monsoon 2005 workshop to be held between May 28th and June 4th at the Majlis Cultural Centre (Kalina, Santa Cruz - East) must submit their name, address, telephone no., e-mail i.d. and college affiliation to pukar at pukar.org.in before May 18th 2005. All those students who are keen that we hold the discussions in their particular college please write to us with details about your college as soon as possible. For further details on the PUKAR Monsoon please look up our website www.pukar.org.in Warm regards, Rahul Srivastava PUKAR Hansa Thapliyal MAJLIS PUKAR (Partners for Urban Knowledge Action and Research) Mumbai Address:: 1-4, 2nd Floor, Kamanwala Chambers, Sir P. M. Road, Fort, Mumbai 400 001 Telephone:: +91 (022) 5574 8152 / +91 (0) 98204 04010 Email:: pukar at pukar.org.in Website:: www.pukar.org.in -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050512/e9289ae8/attachment.html -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From sebydesiolim at hotmail.com Thu May 12 18:18:10 2005 From: sebydesiolim at hotmail.com (sebastian Rodrigues) Date: Thu, 12 May 2005 18:18:10 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] RE: [Urbanstudy] Thinking Freedom In-Reply-To: <3186.219.65.13.122.1115366918.squirrel@webmail.xtdnet.nl> Message-ID: Dear Zainab, Facinating posting! Philosophically loaded! I do share some of the concerns you raised on centralization. Last month on a stroll at 7 Bungalaws beach the one adjacent to Juhu beach in Mumbai witnessed the channa walahs cultivating "Methi" right on the beach with ingenous agricultural practices in Sand. They manage their lives well too! It only the middle classes that find the beach dirty. However they can do nothing about it other than stoping to visit as the poor here are domestic workers in the middle class flats. The state centralized control can be extreme to the maddening extend. I experienced Kolkata for 3 days in April. I saw huge black police patrol vans almost at every corner I visited. My conversations revealed that you cannot even organise a club to practice singing if you are not memember of the ruling CPM. Trade Unions cannot be registered if they are not affiliated to the ruling class. And secret police keep tabs on intellectuals to see that they do not cross the limits in criticising State. In case of any one acts in 'delinquent' manner the award of course is ostrosism. There is no 'thinking' neither 'freedom' over there. Three days was enough for me. Ruling party de facto manages temples in West Bengal! I too involved in thinking freedom! Sebastian Rodrigues >From: zainab at xtdnet.nl >To: reader-list at sarai.net, urbanstudygroup at sarai.net >Subject: [Urbanstudy] Thinking Freedom >Date: Fri, 6 May 2005 12:08:38 +0400 (RET) > > >Thinking Freedom > >These days, the person most on my mind is Santosh Yadav, the chanawala at >the Marine Drive promenade. Santoshji and I had gradually become known to >each other � he watching me regularly and I seeing him regularly on the >promenade. Our interactions began with smiles, then short chit-chats and >on the last day when I met him, we had a pretty long conversation where he >also introduced me to his cousins who were selling sing-chana at Marine >Drive. On that day, Santoshji spoke with me about his lifestyle. �I come >to the promenade at 4 PM in the evening and am here till 10 PM. I earn >enough money and am able to save about five to six thousand rupees a >month. I sleep behind the Express Towers. Mornings are for myself. Life is >good. Today, a lady from this area offered me a job. She says I will be >treated well and the salary is also good. I shall go and see how it is >there and then decide.� >Santoshji was recounting how life had become tough for him with the >surveillance daily from the Municipality, preventing him from doing dhanda >on the promenade. I don�t see him anymore. And perhaps he has taken up the >job that was offered to him, not because he wanted to trade his freedom >for a regular job, but because the very conditions of freedom for him to >do business are increasingly being curbed by the state and he was clear >that soon, hawkers would be evicted completely from the Marine Drive >promenade. > >I have narrated Santoshji�s story on my blog before, but these days, my >thoughts are wavering on the ideas of freedom and in this regard, I miss >Santoshji immensely. Santoshji, when he had spoken to me about his >lifestyle, appeared satisfied with the way life was for him. He had no >qualms about sleeping behind Express Towers and was happy to save enough >money to send to home at the end of the month. Living on a day-to-day >basis has perhaps been life for him � not intensely speculating about the >future, the concerns of security which haunt our culture. > >While thinking freedom, I remember also this vivid picture at Marine Drive >one evening. I was waiting for Rads outside Pizzeria. Opposite the >restaurant were two beggar girls, one beggar woman and two beggar boys. Of >the two girls, one was about three to four years old. She was an amazing >girl, completely relaxed and basking in the sun. She was lying down, her >head on the pavement and one foot on top of the other, swaying the free >leg in the air. After a while, she got up and the other girl and she began >dancing. I was too tempted to remove my camera and shoot some pictures of >the sight � the freedom in their dance, in the little girl�s mannerisms >was too tempting for me. But I hesitated, lest my camera bring in pretense >or consciousness. >As I think of the girl, I begin to also recollect practices in the local >trains these days. Children often come begging in the ladies compartment. >Day before yesterday, two ladies in the compartment were lecturing the >beggar boys to find jobs in restaurants � �so many children are studying >in school in the day and working in restaurants at night. Go seek some job >like that instead of begging.� This kind of didactic lecturing is not >novel to beggar children and drug addict children these days. I hear these >repeatedly, from my own friends and kith and kin. Why does our culture >reprimand begging? Is it wrong for some people to be dependent on society >and for them to lead their lives the way they want to? What is it that >disturbs our society about beggars, drug addicts, etc.? > >While I write these words and articulate my own thoughts on freedom, I am >likely to be criticized about not caring for the poor and being taken up >their overt conditions. I am confirming my own thoughts on freedom whereby >I don�t want state intervention in my life as well as interventions >necessarily from organizations with good intentions to help the poor. > >When I look at conditions in the city presently, undoubtedly there are >strong attempts at homogenizing lifestyles and in this respect, cultures. >Management style bureaucracy and �place branding� are today�s mantra. >Underlying these notions is the desire for control. The state wishes to >bring loose spaces under its control, to curb business practices of >unorganized economy because everything must be brought under central >control. I am not meaning to present the idea and practice of control in a >condemning manner, but am questioning the very sustainability of practices >of control. Is that how life works � through centralized control? > >As I think of Santosh Yadav and the little girl who was dancing opposite >Pizzeria, my mind also wanders towards ideas of security for which we are >each struggling and aspiring � purchasing property, fixed deposits, bonds, >loans, assets, etc. Is this where true security lies? > >In my experiences as a researcher, I realize that �leap of faith� is a >difficult notion for all. But I am convinced for myself that my survival >is guaranteed by the relationships which I am constructing and developing >with people. Maybe that�s the way life works as well � > > >Zainab Bawa >Bombay >www.xanga.com/CityBytes >http://crimsonfeet.recut.org/rubrique53.html > >_______________________________________________ >Urbanstudygroup mailing list >Urban Study Group: Reading the South Asian City > >To subscribe or browse the Urban Study Group archives, please visit >https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/urbanstudygroup _________________________________________________________________ MSN Careers! http://www.timesjobs.com/MSN/ Sign up now! From press at theyesmen.org Fri May 13 13:16:14 2005 From: press at theyesmen.org (The Yes Men) Date: Fri, 13 May 2005 08:46:14 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] Dow rejects Bhopal solution at shareholder meeting; also, Yes Men hoax bankers Message-ID: To edit your profile or unsubscribe, visit http://theyesmen.org/dblist/prof.php?e=kranenbu at xs4all.nl&x=424430964 May 12, 2005 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DOW REJECTS PROPOSAL TO CLEAN BHOPAL USING FIRST-QUARTER PROFITS The same man who appeared on BBC World TV last December as a Dow representative to announce that Dow would finally clean up Bhopal [1] showed up today at Dow's Annual General Meeting (AGM) to suggest the same thing to Dow's board of directors and shareholders. "We made an incredible $1.35 billion this quarter," said "Jude Finisterra," aka Andy Bichlbaum of the Yes Men [2]. "But for most of us, that'll just mean a new set of golf clubs. Let's do something useful instead - like finally cleaning up the Bhopal plant site, or funding the new clinic there [3]." Dow Chairman Bill Stavropolous responded to "Finisterra's" suggestion with a curt dismissal [4]. The Yes Men joined other shareholder groups in Midland, including Amnesty International, which condemns Dow's lack of response to the Bhopal crisis as a human rights issue [5]. BANKERS EMBRACE "GOLDEN SKELETON" MASCOT Two weeks ago at a London banking conference to which they had accidentally been invited, two "Dow representatives" described a new Dow computer program that puts a precise financial value on human life. The 70 bankers in attendance enthusiastically applauded the lecture, which described various industrial crimes, including IBM's sale of technology to the Nazis for use in identifying Jews, as "golden skeletons in the closet"--i.e. lucrative and therefore acceptable. Several of the bankers then posed for photos with "Dow Acceptable Risk" mascot "Gilda, the Golden Skeleton," and signed up for licenses for the "Acceptable Risk Calculator," which helps businesses determine the exact point where human casualties will start to cut into profit, and suggests the best regions on earth to locate ventures with potentially very high death tolls. See http://theyesmen.org/hijinks/dow/acceptablerisk.shtml for video and photos of the event, and http://dowethics.com/risk/ to try out the "Acceptable Risk Calculator" for yourself. STATE DEPARTMENT FINDS FAKE DOW WEBSITE USEFUL Dow may not appreciate the DowEthics.com website--but the US State Department finds it quite useful, and refers requests for information about Bhopal to various of its pages: see http://www.dowethics.com/statedeptfoi/ for an example. CONTACT: mailto:dowmedia at theyesmen.org NOTES TO EDITORS: [1] See http://theyesmen.org/hijinks/dow/bhopal2004.shtml [2] Yes Men Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno had been given one Dow "proxy" each by actual shareholders, giving them the right to attend the annual meeting and address the Dow board. [3] Two weeks ago, the Sambhavna Trust Clinic of Bhopal opened a new wing to serve the victims whose numbers continue to grow due to groundwater contamination from the uncleaned plant site. See http://www.bhopal.org/ for information on how you can contribute. [4] See http://theyesmen.org/hijinks/dow/2005agm.shtml for complete statements and responses, including Yes Man Mike Bonanno's feverish, red-eared tirade in a neck brace. [5] See http://www.amnestyusa.org/business/dow_letters.html. See also http://www.proxyinformation.com/dow/summary.htm and http://www.TRWNews.net/ ### From shivamvij at gmail.com Fri May 13 12:17:16 2005 From: shivamvij at gmail.com (shivam) Date: Fri, 13 May 2005 12:17:16 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Thinking Freedom In-Reply-To: <3186.219.65.13.122.1115366918.squirrel@webmail.xtdnet.nl> References: <3186.219.65.13.122.1115366918.squirrel@webmail.xtdnet.nl> Message-ID: Dear Zainab, An inspiring and fascinating posting as ever. About hawkers, I vaguely remember hearing once that the supreme court had passed a judgement saying that hawkers had every right to practice their trade on the street, as they had been doing for centuries in India. I went to Connaught Place yesterday and one of the things that distinguishes this erstwhile centre of consumerism in Delhi from the new centre - South Delhi - is the presence of hawkers. The problem with the presence of such hawkers sometimes is that they can pester you even if you don't want to buy what they are selling; secondly, they quote high rates and expect you to bargain. Hawkers do put off foreign tourists, and so in Agra they're having a tough time at the hands of the police. But the greatest reason why hawkers are troubled by the municipality officials or the police is because of 'hafta' or bribe. I don't know if this is true for Mumbai's beaches but this is what I saw in Lucknow. About beggars, I suppose begging is looked down upon because it is not considered 'work'. The money a beggar earns is 'free money', as bad as black money, because you haven't 'earned it'. Beggars can overcome this limitation and gain legitimacy if they are disabled - or pretend to be so. Similarly, children are pushed into begging - by syndicates who kidnap such children or by parents/ step-parents - as poor (or poor-looking children) can evoke sympathy in the restaurant-going class more easily than adults who look completely fit. So in the case of children, the ideas of freedom need to be investigated at two levels: not just vis-a-vis the state, but also in the context of their personal freedom vis-a-vis the authority who forces them to beg. Just as paedophilia is considered a crime because the child is not considered to be mature enough to understand what's going on, children who beg in urban India's streets, temples and bazaars and not exactly 'free'. Just my 50 paisa. Cheers Shivam On 5/6/05, zainab at xtdnet.nl wrote: > > Thinking Freedom > > These days, the person most on my mind is Santosh Yadav, the chanawala at > the Marine Drive promenade. Santoshji and I had gradually become known to > each other â€" he watching me regularly and I seeing him regularly on the > promenade. Our interactions began with smiles, then short chit-chats and > on the last day when I met him, we had a pretty long conversation where he > also introduced me to his cousins who were selling sing-chana at Marine > Drive. On that day, Santoshji spoke with me about his lifestyle. “I come > to the promenade at 4 PM in the evening and am here till 10 PM. I earn > enough money and am able to save about five to six thousand rupees a > month. I sleep behind the Express Towers. Mornings are for myself. Life is > good. Today, a lady from this area offered me a job. She says I will be > treated well and the salary is also good. I shall go and see how it is > there and then decide.” > Santoshji was recounting how life had become tough for him with the > surveillance daily from the Municipality, preventing him from doing dhanda > on the promenade. I don’t see him anymore. And perhaps he has taken up the > job that was offered to him, not because he wanted to trade his freedom > for a regular job, but because the very conditions of freedom for him to > do business are increasingly being curbed by the state and he was clear > that soon, hawkers would be evicted completely from the Marine Drive > promenade. > > I have narrated Santoshji’s story on my blog before, but these days, my > thoughts are wavering on the ideas of freedom and in this regard, I miss > Santoshji immensely. Santoshji, when he had spoken to me about his > lifestyle, appeared satisfied with the way life was for him. He had no > qualms about sleeping behind Express Towers and was happy to save enough > money to send to home at the end of the month. Living on a day-to-day > basis has perhaps been life for him â€" not intensely speculating about the > future, the concerns of security which haunt our culture. > > While thinking freedom, I remember also this vivid picture at Marine Drive > one evening. I was waiting for Rads outside Pizzeria. Opposite the > restaurant were two beggar girls, one beggar woman and two beggar boys. Of > the two girls, one was about three to four years old. She was an amazing > girl, completely relaxed and basking in the sun. She was lying down, her > head on the pavement and one foot on top of the other, swaying the free > leg in the air. After a while, she got up and the other girl and she began > dancing. I was too tempted to remove my camera and shoot some pictures of > the sight â€" the freedom in their dance, in the little girl’s mannerisms > was too tempting for me. But I hesitated, lest my camera bring in pretense > or consciousness. > As I think of the girl, I begin to also recollect practices in the local > trains these days. Children often come begging in the ladies compartment. > Day before yesterday, two ladies in the compartment were lecturing the > beggar boys to find jobs in restaurants â€" “so many children are studying > in school in the day and working in restaurants at night. Go seek some job > like that instead of begging.” This kind of didactic lecturing is not > novel to beggar children and drug addict children these days. I hear these > repeatedly, from my own friends and kith and kin. Why does our culture > reprimand begging? Is it wrong for some people to be dependent on society > and for them to lead their lives the way they want to? What is it that > disturbs our society about beggars, drug addicts, etc.? > > While I write these words and articulate my own thoughts on freedom, I am > likely to be criticized about not caring for the poor and being taken up > their overt conditions. I am confirming my own thoughts on freedom whereby > I don’t want state intervention in my life as well as interventions > necessarily from organizations with good intentions to help the poor. > > When I look at conditions in the city presently, undoubtedly there are > strong attempts at homogenizing lifestyles and in this respect, cultures. > Management style bureaucracy and ‘place branding’ are today’s mantra. > Underlying these notions is the desire for control. The state wishes to > bring loose spaces under its control, to curb business practices of > unorganized economy because everything must be brought under central > control. I am not meaning to present the idea and practice of control in a > condemning manner, but am questioning the very sustainability of practices > of control. Is that how life works â€" through centralized control? > > As I think of Santosh Yadav and the little girl who was dancing opposite > Pizzeria, my mind also wanders towards ideas of security for which we are > each struggling and aspiring â€" purchasing property, fixed deposits, bonds, > loans, assets, etc. Is this where true security lies? > > In my experiences as a researcher, I realize that ‘leap of faith’ is a > difficult notion for all. But I am convinced for myself that my survival > is guaranteed by the relationships which I am constructing and developing > with people. Maybe that’s the way life works as well … > > Zainab Bawa > Bombay > www.xanga.com/CityBytes > http://crimsonfeet.recut.org/rubrique53.html > > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the subject header. > List archive: > -- http://mallroad.blogspot.com From karim at sarai.net Fri May 13 17:08:57 2005 From: karim at sarai.net (Aniruddha Shankar) Date: Fri, 13 May 2005 17:08:57 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] rhizome.org Subscriptions available on request Message-ID: <428491D1.7050007@sarai.net> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 "A rhizome ceaselessly establishes connections between semiotic chains, organization of power, and circumstances relative to the arts, sciences, and social struggles." Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari, "A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia" "Rhizome was building the net.art community before net.art was cool." Mark Amerika - Writer & Artist, USA Rhizome's programs and services support the creation, presentation, discussion and preservation of contemporary art that uses new technologies in significant ways. Host to a number of public mailing lists, including the prestigious "Net Art News" list, Rhizome also hosts the Rhizome ArtBase, a huge online archive of new media artwork and the TextBase, a collection of close to three thousand articles on new media art. While the Rhizome TextBase can be searched online, it can also be accessed through the experimental "Starry Nights" or "Spiral" interfaces, developed by Rhizome in their alt.interface initiative. While access to these resources normally requires a paid-for subscription, Rhizome and Sarai have inititated an outreach / growth / internetworking project that will provide subscriptions to 50 people free of cost. These subscriptions will be provided on a first-come-first-served basis. Those who are interested, please mail me (do not send a copy to the list). Aniruddha "Karim" Shankar The Sarai Programme -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.1 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Using GnuPG with Thunderbird - http://enigmail.mozdev.org iD8DBQFChJHRhJkrd6A3rSsRAu3PAKCTk+z1mIa55X8WI+RYavgTFS9fLgCeJ4zp 6sd2qZxP3OVMX7Ergq6a3JI= =gPcQ -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- From urmilabhirdikar at gmail.com Fri May 13 21:48:35 2005 From: urmilabhirdikar at gmail.com (urmila bhirdikar) Date: Fri, 13 May 2005 21:48:35 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] In-Reply-To: <20050513160615.14042.qmail@webmail29.rediffmail.com> References: <20050513160615.14042.qmail@webmail29.rediffmail.com> Message-ID: sanjay, Tahnks. no i am afraid i did not receive your mail earlier. i have seen the discography. btw it is also newly published on Rajeev Patke's homepage. and there is a very new saregama two cassette set of Bgandharva reissued, ( i belive there is a c d as well) which is a delight to listen to. thanks again for your support. urmila On 13 May 2005 16:06:15 -0000, sanjay ghosh wrote: > > > > > Hi, > > I hope you recieved my previous mail. You might want to check 2 specific > volumes of Record News brought out by Society of Indian Record Collectors. > > Vol 10 April 1993 > Has a biography note and discography of Bal Gandharv > > Vol 20 Oct 1995 > has an article by Michael Kinnear called Bal Gandharv Revisited. > > all the best > Sanjay Ghosh > > From kaiwanmehta at gmail.com Sun May 15 12:09:29 2005 From: kaiwanmehta at gmail.com (kaiwan mehta) Date: Sun, 15 May 2005 12:09:29 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Excavating Site, Searching Community Message-ID: <2482459d05051423391248caf0@mail.gmail.com> Hi This fifth posting continues from my last one. Below is the essay compiled about another complex studied by the third group of students, for the Humanities and History of Architecture studio. After this essay there is a note on the pedagogy of the exercise, where we combined research and teaching and also the extensive use and trust of 'observation' as a learning tool as compared to library and studio. The capacity to 'observe' and 'negotiate' the subject of study was very crucial to working, with this exercise. Some of these studies have now become more important in light of the SC judgment on allowing community housing to select its residents and hence defining particular zones. However the conditions for ancestral migrant communities are different from situations like – Walkeshwar (where the existence of a Jain temple and a sizable Jain population does not allow any 'public' non-vegetarian activities) or the case of Hiranandani (where a interview and references precedes your chances of getting a flat in the complex). There is much more negotiations in areas like Girgaum and Bhuleshwar than dictated regulations. So studies of communities in areas like Bhuleshwar have different notions and it will be important to dwell over it, which I am looking forward to work with. I have to still read the context of the judgment and its media coverage. The negotiation I mentioned above, was well brought out in a workshop I recently conducted with a group students again for this particular project – where a map making exercise develops into designing a game. My next posting will discuss this workshop, I am still writing it. For now read on….. KRISHNA-BAUG Bhuleshwar has been the main industrial and commercial center of Mumbai since a very long time. Its existence is dated back to the days of the British rule when Mumbai mainly consisted of two main regions- the fort area and the Girgaum - Bhuleshwar area. The area houses a large number of small scale industrial units and shops which were set up by the migrants in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century who came to the city in search of work. A major chunk of these migrants include gujratis and marwaris. For housing these migrant workers a large number of chawls were built. Some of these chawls are built on the lines similar to those of traditional Indian houses having temple, well etc. The site we selected for study is Krishna-Baug at the C.P. tank junction. From the road we can see two long narrow chawls placed at an angle to each other and shikhar of the temple of a large compound wall. The building is called Krishna baug. There is a huge gate present which leads us into a small courtyard, which is shaped like an L. Towards the right was positioned the temple whereas towards the left there was a g+3 size chawl. The two-chawl buildings were 100 years old and the temple was 114 years old. The land belonged to a landlady shree matoshri kanbai who built the building and the temple, and as she did not have any heir the land and building was taken over to a trust in her name when she passed away. The residents of the two chawls pay rents between Rs.142 to Rs.188 per month. In the front our vision is cut off by a cowshed, which divides the otherwise large courtyard into two smaller spaces. This courtyard is used for the function of the temple, for kids to play and during festivals. It also acts as a gathering space in the evening for the women and the aged who come to the temple and sit there chatting after the puja. The plinth of the chawl building creates an ideal seating space for the courtyard. The rooms of the chawls vary from 10'X10' to 15'X10'. Mainly Gujaratis and Marwaris occupy the chawl; a majority of this Gujarati community is Lohana. There is toilet block at the end the corner where the two angular chawls come closest. The chawls are refurbished with steel being originally load bearing, the floors and walls were strengthened by steel I-beams and steel columns. The flooring was made of timber with a layer of PCC bed on it. Both the chawls have a sloping roof. The temple is made up of stone with a lot of relief work. The plan is largely rectangular. The temple was dedicated to Radha Krishna. There was a well situated behind the temple. Beyond the cowshed the children generally use the second narrow courtyard created to play cricket. At the other end of the L-shaped courtyard (The courtyard ends with the temple.) begins a long narrow lane that leads to the rest of the area that is not visible from outside. On the right side of the lane there are shops which face the main road while on the other side (left side) has small paper and printing industries. In the middle of the lane there is an opening to the road whereas, the other side of the building opens into another courtyard. This courtyard is the largest among all the courtyards. This courtyard is flanked by a G+1 structure on the left and G+2 structures on all the other three sides. The entry into this courtyard is an opening cut into the G+3 structure. The entry into the courtyard is connected to the main road by a road cutting across this narrow lane and terminating at an opening in the shop front. This entry into the courtyard and to the complex is visible from outside but a passerby is not able to establish a direct relationship between the courtyard and temple or with the entire complex. All the ground floor rooms in the buildings surrounding the second courtyard are occupied by industries (paper industries) or wholesale shops selling paper. The G+1 rooms are residential. The G+2 structure is the back of a boarding hostel for boys. The courtyard is filled with carts and crates. The shops had in fact spilled out in to the courtyard because of the unavailability of space within those tiny rooms. The entire layout of the courtyard was quite similar to a typical chawl where a central courtyard or a community space was surrounded by buildings on three/four sides. The function of the courtyard in such a case becomes a community space or a gathering space but here the function is changed to a commercial one. If we were to continue straight through the narrow lane it would lead you directly in front of a small shrine placed below a huge tree. (The tree was either banyan or peepul) The lane takes a left and leads one directly into the third and final courtyard. This courtyard is larger than a temple courtyard but smaller than the industrial one. There was another residential chawl situated at the extreme right of the courtyard. The boarding hostel was on the left. This hostel provides boarding only to Gujrati boys who come to the city to study. In the center of the courtyard there is a bird feeder. Residents popularly believe that if the bird feeder was to get damaged the building and the residents would also begin to get problems. According to them it brings good luck and good days. They take care to ensure that it is not damaged. The chawl on the right was meant to be residence for only old ladies but as time passed their families moved in with them. Beside the tree temple a small G+1 structure houses North Indians and their families who provide service to the temple. They are not charged any rent and they are provided with free power because of their service. Similarly the Maharashtrian community that resides in a small ground storey block also receives free accommodation and power. This block is situated at the end of the courtyard from where begins a narrow lane leading to the toilets. The ground floor of the boarding hostel is a paper industry while the upper storeys constitute the boarding rooms. The rent for the chawl has been Re.1 since the beginning and hasn't changed yet. Some illegal construction has happened in the recent years, where two rooms were built on the top floor. This is the main social & cultural courtyard. The courtyard remains functional as a gathering space for the residents, mainly ladies who meet in the courtyard in the evenings and chat. Many festivals are celebrated in this courtyard. The courtyard forms an important space as the space that acts as an interactive space. The main communities residing in the complex are the Thakurs. The first residents worked in industries and shops around the region. As times changed began to change people began to take up employment as government servants, stock brokers etc. Large parts of the population still work in industries and shops. There is a Modern High School nearby where nearly all the kids from the community go to but now other better schools also teach the kids from the community. The community does not allow the procurement of rooms for outsiders. The community is pretty strong in its decision in not allowing outsiders to purchase rooms. It is done so that the ownership of the land remains in the hands of one community. Discussion Summary At the end of the studio exercise a discussion with all the groups was conducted. I focused on two issues during the discussion. One, since the students had already been through lectures on colonialism and industrialisation in a world context – about the experience of learning from a specific site. The important aim in the exercise was to use 'observation' as a learning tool to understand architecture or places. Then, the ability to evaluate, activity in relation to a reading of architecture. Two, we focused on the word 'community'. The students felt that the site had more than enough for material of study. They did not refer to any books before going to site, but a very brief skeletal talk given by me was good enough. However since they had now already worked on site, going to books maybe interesting and maybe helpful if the study was to be deepened and widened in its scope. However it was clear that connecting events from stories they heard on site and making a mental map of the site's history and urban geography was possible by plain site work. What they enjoyed and also had problems at some time was with varied notions or answers they often received. They continuously got a variety of view points and had to make choices or argue as to which view points held more ground or what was the context to the variety of opinions. They felt that a book gives clarity as compared to building your own text from a site. They realized that a lot of personal choice was being exercised by them. They had the freedom to probe issues that interested them more. In this context they said a book can be limiting but here there was also the question of 'freedom' and 'choice' to deal with. On the notion of 'community' they felt there was an expected 'sight' they were looking for. On probing further they felt public religious activities would define community and community spaces. However their interviews showed that the feeling of belonging to a community was difficult to define and quite context based. Some observations and points of discussion are listed below. Largely residential clusters appeared insular and inward looking. However within most clusters – there was not the 'interaction' that would be expected from a community or community space. What is an 'expected interaction'? (That would help the observer define the 'community' or 'community space') When and how would you expect to see it? Where most students answered that religious festivals would define 'community interaction'. However, most of the time people express a feeling of belonging to one and the same community. It appears from discussion and samples that buildings or clusters connected under the same landlord were more connected as a community. If the same community lived in two buildings in the same cluster or wadi, where the two buildings are owned by two separate owners or trusts, then the interaction within the community there (ie within residents of the two buildings) was not much. Property seems to be the defining criteria for community. If people marry outside the community, their property rights are nullified by the trust. Very rarely do you have instances of few members/residents of cluster belonging to a community other than the one who own the property. Hence the sense of one-ness between two communities can be very less. Here largely the communities right now are caste based. Often people in the same building having varying perceptions and ideas about the same issue. Where as some ideas seem to be typified and expected as obvious. On interviewing residents of the same building on specific issues – some issues showed a consensus, others did not. e.g on an issue like people migrating abroad from the community – some felt many did so others replied there was no particular trend. However most agreed about how the area of their residence was undergoing a change (and obviously) for the bad! Often consensus existed generation wise. Community largely seems to be conscious of keeping the self together – Education – scholarships; are an important means that people identify with trusts which are community organizations. Marriage – providing free or cheap hall, catering to residents (if marriage contained within the community) Taking care of old residents, by neighbours How does the architecture of the gate work here?! When people are migrating out of this area, within the city itself there are again specific localities they seem to flock to. Economy, geography of city …. ??? Malad, Borivali, Kandivali, Ghatkopar, Reasons for moving out – space crunch, economical alleviation and the choice of earning more by subletting a place in south Bombay and living in the north. However the reference to new areas is, Borivali – concrete jungle, where as this area seems to be privileged by its closeness to the sea and spaces like Chowpatty. Feeling of family / ancestry - Name plate on door acknowledges lineage - Portraits and head gear - Portrait photographs displayed in houses Some generalized impressions… Migrated abroad / suburbs – Bhatias – traders and cloth merchants who pride themselves on kicking off Bombay's economic wheel. Lohanas – rate of shifting out is low I must confess there is an absolutely new stream of migrants from UP or Bangladeshis in this area which is not accounted for in this study. Hopefully I may be able to work with them sometime later. Thanks and regards, Kaiwan -- Kaiwan Mehta Architect and Urban Reseracher 11/4, Kassinath Bldg. No. 2, Kassinath St., Tardeo, Mumbai 400034 022-2-494 3259 / 91-98205 56436 From karim at sarai.net Sun May 15 14:43:06 2005 From: karim at sarai.net (Aniruddha Shankar) Date: Sun, 15 May 2005 14:43:06 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Thought Thieves Steal Ideas FROM YOUR HEAD! Message-ID: <428712A2.4030205@sarai.net> Shining defender of freedom of expression, originality and author's rights, Microsoft Corp., is running a short film contest to win 2000 pounds of film and video equipment vouchers. The subject ? A film on how you would feel and what you would do "if you saw your hard work being passed off as the property of someone else". The short film on "intellectual property theft" has to be in by the first of July. O apathetic masses, "Think about it: what would a world look like without protection for intellectual property?"[1] Any takers ? And you, yes, you in the green shirt and the overly long, tangled hair, I know what you're up to! You're trying to STEAL MY IDEAS FROM MY HEAD!! Luckily for me I've wrapped my head in tinfoil so your SinistroWaves cannot penetrate through to my precious, wetly throbbing intellectual property. And don't think that recension/fair use/parody crap will stand up in courts forever! What's that ? Microsoft infringed Sun's[2] copyrightand trademark? SPX's[3], Eolas'[4],Intertrust's [5] and Stac's[6] patents? Well, Microsoft is reformed now, and they're trying to support independent filmmakers. Cynic. I bet you're trying to steal my ideas right now. The contest poster is at http://www.msn.co.uk/img/en/en-gb/portal/specials/thoughtthieves/poster.PDF The contest website is www.msn.co.uk/thoughtthieves [1] http://www.msn.co.uk/thoughtthieves/creating/ [2] http://tinyurl.com/8v3wu [3] http://tinyurl.com/ajcbk [4] http://tinyurl.com/a8taf [5] http://tinyurl.com/77btz [6] http://www.base.com/software-patents/articles/stac.html From eye at ranadasgupta.com Sun May 15 15:04:35 2005 From: eye at ranadasgupta.com (Rana Dasgupta) Date: Sun, 15 May 2005 11:34:35 +0200 Subject: [Reader-list] Thought Thieves Steal Ideas FROM YOUR HEAD! In-Reply-To: <428712A2.4030205@sarai.net> References: <428712A2.4030205@sarai.net> Message-ID: <428717AB.5040703@ranadasgupta.com> Am in Paris right now. In french cinemas before the film starts you get this chilling anti-piracy warning in grey and black which is made to resemble the funereal message on the side of cigarette packets over here. For cigarettes it says "Smoking seriously damages your health" ("fumer nuit gravement a la sante"). The message in cinemas, with the same graphic design, reads "Piracy seriously damages the health of cinema" ("pirater nuit gravement a la sante du cinema"). The gesture does not lack creativity. Piracy becomes, without the need to state it, a sort of carcinogen provoking the deformation from inside of the healthy body of the cinema industry, and finally destroying it. R Aniruddha Shankar wrote: > Shining defender of freedom of expression, originality and author's > rights, Microsoft Corp., is running a short film contest to win 2000 > pounds of film and video equipment vouchers. The subject ? > > A film on how you would feel and what you would do "if you saw your hard > work being passed off as the property of someone else". The short film > on "intellectual property theft" has to be in by the first of July. > > O apathetic masses, "Think about it: what would a world look like > without protection for intellectual property?"[1] > > Any takers ? And you, yes, you in the green shirt and the overly long, > tangled hair, I know what you're up to! You're trying to STEAL MY IDEAS > FROM MY HEAD!! Luckily for me I've wrapped my head in tinfoil so your > SinistroWaves cannot penetrate through to my precious, wetly throbbing > intellectual property. And don't think that recension/fair use/parody > crap will stand up in courts forever! What's that ? Microsoft infringed > Sun's[2] copyrightand trademark? SPX's[3], Eolas'[4],Intertrust's [5] > and Stac's[6] patents? Well, Microsoft is reformed now, and they're > trying to support independent filmmakers. Cynic. I bet you're trying to > steal my ideas right now. > > The contest poster is at > http://www.msn.co.uk/img/en/en-gb/portal/specials/thoughtthieves/poster.PDF > The contest website is www.msn.co.uk/thoughtthieves > > [1] http://www.msn.co.uk/thoughtthieves/creating/ > [2] http://tinyurl.com/8v3wu > [3] http://tinyurl.com/ajcbk > [4] http://tinyurl.com/a8taf > [5] http://tinyurl.com/77btz > [6] http://www.base.com/software-patents/articles/stac.html > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the subject header. > List archive: > > From nr03 at fsu.edu Fri May 13 22:28:05 2005 From: nr03 at fsu.edu (Nicholas Ruiz) Date: Fri, 13 May 2005 12:58:05 -0400 Subject: [Reader-list] InterCulture CFP: Evil Sisters Message-ID: <6.2.3.0.0.20050513125712.030dc2a0@garnet.acns.fsu.edu> InterCulture Call for Papers Topic : "Evil Sisters": Violence among women. Submission Deadline : July 1st Publication decisions will be made by September 1st In many modern and contemporary narrative acts of psychological and physical violence among women, violence has been interpreted and presented in terms of Freudian envy, spaces for male pleasure, negotiating conflicts in a male world, biological determinism (the over protective mother), or as non-existent, i.e. created by males (women are peacemakers and nurturers, neither inherently violent nor evil) etc. InterCulture would like to inspect this notion of female on female violence from an interdisciplinary perspective. An examination of texts like Ibsen's Hedda Gabbler, “ A Doll’s House”, Romulo Gallegos' Dona Barbara, Cinderella or films like Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, Imitation of Life, and The Color Purple are just a few examples that depict violence among women. Beyond the literary, InterCulture would also like to explore historical feuds among queens or princesses, conflicts between classes of women, racial violence among women, and the balance of hierarchy among women within groups based on such things as social status or physical appearance. Female sports, women boxers, women wrestlers (in both legitimate and entertainment arenas), beauty pageant vengeance, prostitution and territorial violence, female prison violence, matricide, etc are all welcome avenues of exploration. InterCulture would like to receive submissions that attempt anthropological, religious, historical, biological, and mythological approaches to this theme. For example, the mythical feud between Aphrodite, Athena, and Hera immediately comes to mind, as does the role of alpha females in ordering social animal groups like wolves, primates, and the like. Uses of text, film, art, scientific study, and music are all welcomed as we attempt to determine the reaches of female on female violence in world cultures and examine the diverse cultural experiences and perspectives concerning violence among women. Articles should be submitted in MS Word format and be between 3-6K words in length; book, film, and music reviews should be between 750-1250 words. Submissions are peer-reviewed. InterCulture is an e-journal focused upon the interdisciplinary study of world cultures, the celebration and contemplation of cultural diversity, and exploration of the commonalities of the human condition. InterCulture exists to publish articles and media written from an interdisciplinary perspective, without any preference for a particular theoretical approach. Creative work, book, film and music reviews are accepted as well. For creative work, video and images should be submitted in commonly utilized formats. (e.g., .SWF, MP3, AVI, Real Media, Windows Media, .JPG, .GIF, .WAV, etc.) All submissions should include "InterCulture" in the subject heading. Please send submissions via email to: Thomas Philbeck tdp0761 at fsu.edu Nicholas Ruiz III GTA/Doctoral candidate Interdisciplinary Program in the Humanities Florida State University 205P Dodd Hall, CPO (#1560), Tallahassee, FL 32306 Email: nr03 at fsu.edu Editor, Kritikos http://garnet.acns.fsu.edu/~nr03 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050513/933e173f/attachment.html From nisar at keshvani.com Sat May 14 10:27:42 2005 From: nisar at keshvani.com (nisar keshvani) Date: Fri, 13 May 2005 21:57:42 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] [Announcements] LEA May '05: RE: Searching Our Origins Part Two Message-ID: <28722705.1116046662975.JavaMail.root@m26> *sincere apologies for cross-posting* Leonardo Electronic Almanac: May 2005 ISSN#1071-4391 art | science | technology - a definitive voice since 1993 http://lea.mit.edu In May's LEA, we wrap up our two-part special revolving around the theme: RE: Searching Our Origins. This time round, guest editors Paul Brown and Catherine Mason have selected five essays. To begin, Frieder Nake discusses the compArt project and how it is creating an elaborate dynamic digital medium for computer art, where he describes four subspaces of the compArt medium. Robin Oppenheimer then takes us through the world of regional media arts histories and their contributions to electronic arts. She summarizes examples of late 20th century regional media arts histories research in the U.S. Pacific Northwest and traces some of their complex connections to major art movements and artists, and their interconnectivity and interrelated in complex and unexpected ways. In Anne Laforet's piece, she examines how the preservation of net art has become a core issue, especially for the cultural institutions which have acquired it, as the advent of the Internet, with its inundation of data, makes the longevity of artworks difficult, if not impossible, to assess. Following that, Robert Edgar enlightens us on the aesthetic, economic, technological and personal contexts involved with being an early adopter of personal computer programming as an art form. To conclude, Cynthia Beth Rubin examines the innovations by artists working with early digital imaging software prior to 1988 in her essay, *Digital by Choice: Explorations of Early Software*. Delving deep into LEA's archives, One From the Vault revives Paul Warren's Alternative Virtual Biennial Exhibition – An Introductory Essay and Artist Profiles, which was first published in LEA in May 1995. Michael Punt's eclectic offerings for Leonardo Reviews include reviews dealing with film and music, such as Rene Van Peer's *Frith in Retroperspective* and *Allies*, and Amy Ione's *Proteus: A Nineteenth Century Vision*. It also features Andrea Dahlberg's review of *Edward Said: The Last Interview*, whose passing leaves the world without "a great intellectual and an articulate and credible spokesman for Palestine." We also take a look at the contents and selected abstracts from the third 2005 issue of *Leonardo* while ISAST News sees a continuation of our series on the *The Pacific Rim New Media Summit: A Pre-Symposium to ISEA2006*, coupled with a statement from the Urbanity and Locative Media working group. To end, Bytes (featuring announcements and calls for papers) introduces Amy Ione's latest book, "Innovation and Visualization" and LEA's latest call for the upcoming special, Wild Nature and the Digital Life. ************************************************************************ LEA Information and URLs ------------------------------------------- Receive your FREE subscription to the Leonardo Electronic Almanac e-mail digest at http://mitpress.mit.edu/lea/e-mail -- just provide your email address, name, and password, and check off that you'd like to be added to the Leonardo Electronic Almanac monthly e-mail list to keep on top of the latest news in the Leonardo community. How to advertise in LEA? http://mitpress2.mit.edu/e-journals/Leonardo/isast/placeads.html#LEAads For a paid subscription (to become an ISAST member and access archives dating back to 1993): http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=4&tid=27&mode=p The Leonardo Educators Initiative ------------------------------------------------------- The Leonardo Abstracts Service (LABS) is a comprehensive database of abstracts of PhD, Masters and MFA theses in the emerging intersection between art, science and technology. Thesis Abstract Submittal form at http://leonardolabs.pomona.edu LEA also maintains a discussion list open only to faculty in the field. Faculty wishing to join this list should submit their details @ http://mitpress2.mit.edu/e-journals/LEA/faculty.html What is LEA? ---------------------- For over a decade, the Leonardo Electronic Almanac (LEA) has thrived as an international peer-reviewed electronic journal and web archive, covering the interaction of the arts, sciences and technology. LEA emphasizes rapid publication of recent work and critical discussion on topics of current excitement. Many contributors are younger scholars and artists, and there is a slant towards shorter, less academic texts. Contents include Leonardo Reviews, edited by Michael Punt, Leonardo Research Abstracts of recent Ph.D. and Masters theses, curated Galleries of current new media artwork, and special issues on topics ranging from Artists and Scientists in Times of War, to Zero Gravity Art, to the History of New Media. Copyright© 1993 - 2005: The Leonardo Electronic Almanac is published by Leonardo / International Society for the Arts, Sciences and Technology (ISAST) in association with the MIT Press. All rights reserved. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050513/9d057dfa/attachment.html -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From shivamvij at gmail.com Fri May 13 12:33:55 2005 From: shivamvij at gmail.com (shivam) Date: Fri, 13 May 2005 12:33:55 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] [Announcements] The Silence of Tsunami - a film by VB Rawat Message-ID: The Silence of Tsunami On December 26th 2004 many parts of the world particularly South East Asia and South Asia became victim of powerful demolishing waves of Tsunami. It was perhaps one of the biggest challenges that the world witnessed. Cities, towns, villages became death place and silence became painful. Three Indian states of Andman Nicobar Islands, Tamilnadu, and Pondicherry saw the devastation caused by Tsunami while tremors were felt in Kerala and Andhra Pradesh also. Visiting to cover the events and human situation on behalf of an International Human Rights Organisation, activist film maker Vidya Bhushan Rawat crossed many places in Tamilnadu and Pondicherry, where friends did not reach. Language was the biggest barrier in his interaction apart from a dubious effort to keep him off from visiting the Dalit habitats. It was disgusting to see that the activists and charitable organizations ignoring the cry of Dalits and women. Charitable organizations, religious groups, all came to 'help' the 'poor' people in Tamilnadu and Pondicherry. Temples, mosques, Churches and sufishrines, all were opened for the 'victims' of Tsunami. The work done was great but none of them had the capacity to challenge the status quo. Some denied entry to women while others found their strength in escapism to address the Dalit issue. Paradoxically, a large number of mediamen whose colleagues reported a lot on Dalits had inherent anti Dalit bias. A common refrain was that they were untrue. In the villages all the major work of picking up dead bodies as well as garbage was done by Dalits, but they were the last in getting relief and rehabilitation. Therefore it is supreme irony that in the Periyar's land of social justice Dalits were denied justice and women thoroughly isolated. Later many organizations jumped on the issue of Dalits while none of us could talk about another growing problem of these catastrophes whether natural or human. That most of the victim of all kind of violence remains women and children. Here in this Tsunami we did not have time to challenge the age-old notion of widowhood. Can we challenge and campaign for widow remarriages and save hundreds of women from insecurity. And despite this, when the Tsunami's wave became powerful to those mighty heavenly institution as they could not stop it, people began to take solace in those rituals which they don't understand, for the salvation of their nears and dears. And yet, this Tsunami's wave remained mute to gender and caste discrimination. Calamities give us opportunity to sink our differences and work for better future, leave the artificial prejudices based on caste and gender behind us. This is the biggest challenge before us and we have to face it. The film is made from a humanistic perspective and does not have any commentary. It has graphics and tales of survivors, children, Dalits and women who have lost their family persons. It has English subtitles for the dialogues. The film covers district Nagpattinam and Cuddalore of Tamilnadu and Pondicherry. Duration : 50 minutes Concept and Direction: Vidya Bhushan Rawat Price of VCD : Rs 250/- Outside India : 15 USD Contact: vbrawat at vsnl.com _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From shivamvij at gmail.com Fri May 13 12:53:51 2005 From: shivamvij at gmail.com (shivam) Date: Fri, 13 May 2005 12:53:51 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] [Announcements] Scholarships in International MFA Program (Fwd) Message-ID: Scholarships in International MFA Program Scholarships in International MFA Program to Promote Independent Thinking and Innovative Art Work Transart Institute announced today that through a generous grant from Foundation M and other sources 15 scholarships amounting to $37,500 have become available to students of their low-residency Master of Fine Arts program and non-degree summer workshops. Transart Institute's low-residency MFA in New Media program - the first of its kind anywhere - offers an opportunity for working professionals to further their career with self-directed artistic study supported by self-chosen artist mentors and Transart Institute faculty and intensive summer residencies including lectures, seminars, workshops, critiques, exhibitions and performances. The unique transdisciplinary program creates the possibility of interaction and cooperation between performance and video artists, programmers, sculptors, vjs, curators, painters and game designers etc. Genres include: animation, architecture, cyberart, film, video, graphic design, installation, interactive art, interdisciplinary art, performance art, photography, and sound/music. The summer workshops which are an integral part of the MFA program are open to the public by application. Eight scholarships of $2,500 will go to accepted students of merit and financial need and two scholarships of $5,000 are available to candidates from East European and new EU-member countries. Five full scholarships of $750 will be given to participants of the Transart Institute's non-degree summer workshops which are open to all. Recipients will be selected on the basis of creative potential as exemplified by portfolio. Scholarship application deadline for the academic year 2005/06 is May 31st, 2005. Further information is available at the Transart Institute's website: www.transartinstitute.org -- http://mallroad.blogspot.com _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From yargam at yahoo.co.in Sat May 14 08:29:00 2005 From: yargam at yahoo.co.in (yargam) Date: Sat, 14 May 2005 03:59:00 +0100 (BST) Subject: [Reader-list] documentary film Message-ID: <20050514025900.29220.qmail@web8410.mail.in.yahoo.com> hello everybody, i am starting to shoot my docementary film on rasul mir, the great kashmir poet from next week.it will be shooted on minidv camera & will be of 20 minute duration. from, riyaz ali Yahoo! India Matrimony: Find your life partneronline. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050514/92d30f3e/attachment.html From zulfisindh at yahoo.com Sat May 14 17:03:00 2005 From: zulfisindh at yahoo.com (Zulfiqar Shah) Date: Sat, 14 May 2005 04:33:00 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] Sindh Liberation Army: Myth or Reality? Message-ID: <20050514113300.35489.qmail@web30714.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Sindh Liberation Army: Myth or Reality? Even as the federal government is trying to make sense of the Balochistan Liberation Army and deal with the situation in that province, a shadowy outfit calling itself the Sindh Liberation Army has emerged in Sindh, another province with longstanding problems with Islamabad. While rumours about the existence of the organisation have been making the rounds in government circles, including intelligence agencies, for some time now, senior officials refuse to give the SLA much credence and say the outfit by no means poses a �serious� security threat to the province. Critics disagree and say Cheema and his team are being too complacent when they claim that the SLA poses no �real� threat to security. Recent events also prove otherwise. Through anonymous phone calls to police officials and journalists, the SLA has claimed responsibility for several attacks and bomb blasts in the recent past. These include two bomb explosions near the district headquarters of Rangers in Larkana and blasts at two electricity towers in the Sibi district of Balochistan in which about 12 people were injured. The Sibi attack plunged Quetta and much of the province into darkness. It also shows that the SLA might be operating outside Sindh also and perhaps in collusion with the BLA. While authorities have so far only speculated about groups and individuals responsible for these attacks, it is the first time that they have publicly declared in the media that the SLA is involved in the aforementioned blasts. While claiming responsibility for the recent blasts in Hyderabad and Larkana, the unknown caller, who identified himself as an SLA activist, warned authorities that there would be more blasts if the construction of controversial projects like the Greater Thal Canal and Kalabagh Dam were not abandoned. With last month�s rape of a Sindhi doctor in Sui, Balochistan, and the consequent rumour that the army would launch a military operation to contain the backlash, organisations like the BLA and SLA seem to have gained strength and have emerged quite overtly, clearly wanting to take matters into their own hands. Analysts say the synchronisation of various acts of sabotage in Sindh and Balochistan shows a link between the SLA and the BLA. �The groups are certainly connected,� said an analyst. �They are either being headed by the same person or have the same members. In any case, they seem well-coordinated and well-connected,� he added. �There is no doubt that this is a dangerous situation,� remarked an observer. �Factions like the SLA spring up when individuals and organisations struggling for their rights get fed up by their continued failure to accomplish their goals non-violently and hence opt for militancy.� However, most statements about the BLA, and now the SLA, are dismissed as nothing more than conjecture because experts don�t have enough knowledge about the two militant groups to provide definite answers about their structure and working. Some observers say the BLA has the same structure as the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and might be an offshoot of the Baloch Peoples Liberation Organisation (BPLO), which was active in the province in the 1970s. On the SLA front, observers believe that it might be made up of disgruntled leaders from several nationalist organisations. �This group could be a desperate attempt by nationalists who are unhappy with their leaders for having withdrawn their separatist struggle for Sindh,� said an observer. While nationalist parties in Sindh deny the existence of the SLA, Baloch nationalists firmly believe that the SLA is a reality. Hard-line Baloch leader Nawab Bugti has referred to the outfit on countless occasions and only recently in an interview snubbed a Sindhi interviewer for being unaware of the existence of the SLA. Courtesy: Rantburg http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=56186&D=2005-02-11 --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - You care about security. So do we. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050514/be055b4a/attachment.html From zulfisindh at yahoo.com Sat May 14 17:40:15 2005 From: zulfisindh at yahoo.com (Zulfiqar Shah) Date: Sat, 14 May 2005 05:10:15 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] The Imperial Mythology of World War II Message-ID: <20050514121015.42344.qmail@web30714.mail.mud.yahoo.com> The Imperial Mythology of World War II Richard Drayton In 1945, as at the end of all wars, the victor powers spun the conflict's history to serve the interests of their elites. Wartime propaganda thus achieved an extraordinary afterlife. As Vladimir Putin showed over the weekend, the Great Patriotic War remains a key political resource in Russia. In Britain and the US, too, a certain idea of the second world war is enthusiastically kept alive and less flattering memories suppressed. Five years ago, Robert Lilly, a distinguished American sociologist, prepared a book based on military archives. Taken by Force is a study of the rapes committed by American soldiers in Europe between 1942 and 1945. He submitted his manuscript in 2001. But after September 11, its US publisher suppressed it, and it first appeared in 2003 in a French translation. We know from Anthony Beevor about the sexual violence unleashed by the Red Army, but we prefer not to know about mass rape committed by American and British troops. Lilly suggests a minimum of 10,000 American rapes. Contemporaries described a much wider scale of unpunished sex crime. Time Magazine reported in September 1945: "Our own army and the British army along with ours have done their share of looting and raping ... we too are considered an army of rapists." The British and American publics share a sunny view of the second world war. The evil of Auschwitz and Dachau, turned inside out, clothes the conflict in a shiny virtue. Movies, popular histories and political speeches frame the war as a symbol of Anglo-American courage, with the Red Army's central role forgotten. This was, we believe, "a war for democracy". Americans believe that they fought the war to rescue the world. For apologists of the British Empire, such as Niall Ferguson, the war was an ethical bath where the sins of centuries of conquest, slavery and exploitation were expiated. We are marked forever as "the good guys"and can all happily chant "Two world wars and one world cup." All this seems innocent fun, but patriotic myths have sharp edges. The "good war" against Hitler has underwritten 60 years of warmaking. It has become an ethical blank cheque for British and US power. We claim the right to bomb, to maim, to imprison without trial on the basis of direct and implicit appeals to the war against fascism. When we fall out with such tyrant friends as Noriega, Milosevic or Saddam we rebrand them as "Hitler". In the "good war" against them, all bad things become forgettable "collateral damage". The devastation of civilian targets in Serbia or Iraq, torture at Abu Ghraib and Guant�namo, the war crime of collective punishment in Falluja, fade to oblivion as the "price of democracy". Our democratic imperialism prefers to forget that fascism had important Anglo-American roots. Hitler's dream was inspired, in part, by the British Empire. In eastern Europe, the Nazis hoped to make their America and Australia, where ethnic cleansing and slave labour created a frontier for settlement. In western Europe, they sought their India from which revenues, labour and soldiers might be extracted. American imperialism in Latin America gave explicit precedents for Germany's and Japan's claims of supremacy in their neighbouring regions. The British and Americans were key theorists of eugenics and had made racial segregation respectable. The concentration camp was a British invention, and in Iraq and Afghanistan the British were the first to use air power to repress partisan resistance. The Luftwaffe - in its assault on Guernica, and later London and Coventry - paid homage to Bomber Harris's terror bombing of the Kurds in the 1920s. We forget, too, that British and US elites gave aid to the fascists. President Bush's grandfather, prosecuted for "trading with the enemy" in 1942, was one of many powerful Anglo-Americans who liked Mussolini and Hitler and did what they could to help. Appeasement as a state policy was only the tip of an iceberg of practical aid to these dictatorships. Capital and technology flowed freely, and fascist despots received dignified treatment in Washington and London. Henry Ford made Hitler birthday gifts of 50,000 marks. We least like to remember that our side also committed war crimes in the 1940s. The destruction of Dresden, a city filled with women, children, the elderly and the wounded, and with no military significance, is only the best known of the atrocities committed by our bombers against civilian populations. We know about the notorious Japanese abuse of prisoners of war, but do not remember the torture and murder of captured Japanese. Edgar Jones, an "embedded" Pacific war correspondent, wrote in 1946: "'We shot prisoners in cold blood, wiped out hospitals, strafed lifeboats, killed or mistreated enemy civilians, finished off the enemy wounded, tossed the dying into a hole with the dead, and in the Pacific boiled flesh off enemy skulls to make table ornaments." After 1945, we borrowed many fascist methods. Nuremberg only punished a handful of the guilty; most walked free with our help. In 1946, Project Paperclip secretly brought more than 1,000 Nazi scientists to the US. Among their ranks were Kurt Blome, who had tested nerve gas at Auschwitz, and Konrad Schaeffer, who forced salt into victims at Dachau. Other experiments at mind control via drugs and surgery were folded into the CIA's Project Bluebird. Japan's Dr Shiro Ishii, who had experimented with prisoners in Manchuria, came to Maryland to advise on bio-weapons. Within a decade of British troops liberating Belsen, they were running their own concentration camps in Kenya to crush the Mau Mau. The Gestapo's torture techniques were borrowed by the French in Algeria, and then disseminated by the Americans to Latin American dictatorships in the 60s and 70s. We see their extension today in the American camps in Cuba and Diego Garcia. War has a brutalising momentum. This is the moral of Taken By Force, which shows how American soldiers became increasingly indiscriminate in their sexual violence and military authorities increasingly lax in its prosecution. Even as we remember the evils of nazism, and the courage of those who defeated it, we should begin to remember the second world war with less self- satisfaction. We might, in particular, learn to distrust those who use it to justify contemporary warmongering. Richard Drayton is senior lecturer in history at Cambridge University. He can be reached at: rhdrayton at yahoo.co.uk Courtesy: Guardian --------------------------------- Yahoo! Mail Mobile Take Yahoo! Mail with you! Check email on your mobile phone. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050514/8408f6e5/attachment.html From zulfisindh at yahoo.com Sat May 14 17:35:13 2005 From: zulfisindh at yahoo.com (Zulfiqar Shah) Date: Sat, 14 May 2005 05:05:13 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] The Rise, Fall and Rise Of Ahmed Chalabi Message-ID: <20050514120513.41686.qmail@web30714.mail.mud.yahoo.com> The Rise, Fall and Rise Of Ahmed Chalabi By Patrick Cockburn Baghdad King Abdullah of Jordan has agreed to pardon Ahmed Chalabi, the controversial Iraqi political leader, who was sentenced to 22 years in prison for fraud after his bank collapsed with $300m (�160m) in missing deposits in 1989. Jalal Talabani, the Iraqi President, asked the king to resolve the differences between Jordan and Mr Chalabi, now Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq, during a visit to Ammanthis week. Latif Rashid, the Iraqi minister of water resources, said Mr Talabani confirmed to him that King Abdullah had promised, in effect, to quash the conviction. He expected there would first be a meeting between Jordanian officials and Mr Chalabi "who has some questions of his own." The expected pardon, is the latest twist in the extraordinary career of Mr Chalabi, now again in the ascendant as an important member of the Shia coalition and the new Iraqi government. Only a year ago US soldiers raided his house in Baghdad, put a gun to his head, arrested two of his supporters and seized papers. He was accused of passing intelligence information to Iran. Previously an ally of the neoconservatives and of the civilians in the Pentagon whom he managed to convince of the need to topple Saddam Hussein, Mr Chalabi sought new friends. He cultivated Muqtada al-Sadr, the Shia clergyman whose militia the US Army was trying to destroy. He became a leader of one of the main factions in the United Iraqi Alliance, the Shia coalition which triumphed in the election on 30 January. Again Mr Chalabi has escaped not only political annihilation, but has emerged from a crisis with his power enhanced. He was born into one of the wealthiest families in Iraq, adept under the monarchy at turning political influence into economic gain and vice versa. When the monarchy fell in 1958 the Chalabis moved to Lebanon where they married into important Shia families. Even as a child Mr Chalabi was ambitious. A cousin recalled that when he was at school he would throw a tantrum if he got nine marks in a test and someone else got 10. In 1970, he graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and collected a PhD in mathematics from the University of Chicago at the age of 22. In 1977, he moved to Jordan and set up the Petra Bank and in a decade made it the second biggest bank in the country. It was linked with family banks and investment companies in Beirut, Geneva and Washington. In 1989, Petra was taken over by the Jordanian banking authorities after all Jordanian banks were told to deposit 30 per cent of their foreign exchange in the central bank. Petra could not come up with the money. Mr Chalabi hurriedly left the country - in the boot of a friend's car according to one report. In April 1992, he was sentenced in absentia by a military court to 22 years in prison. An audit by Arthur Andersen showed that Petra, far from having a net balance of $40m had a deficit of at least $215m. The military prosecutors said that $72m listed as assets were in fact fictitious accounts. Other sums had allegedly been diverted into private accounts or had disappeared in bad loans to other Chalabi companies. Unbowed, Mr Chalabi switched to politics. He headed the CIA-funded Iraqi National Congress, an umbrella group for opponents of Saddam Hussein. He tried to foment a coup against Saddam from Kurdistan in 1995. When this failed, and after quarrelling with the CIA, he moved to Washington and courted the neo-conservatives and the Republican right to persuade them to seek the overthrow of Saddam. In the wake of 9/11 he got his wish. * Gunmen have kidnapped Raja Nawaf Farhan al-Mahalawi, governor of Iraq's Anbar province, and told his family that he will not be released until US forces withdraw from Qaim, the scene of a major offensive against insurgents. How Chalabi rose, fell, and rose again * 1977: Chalabi sets up second biggest bank in Jordan, Petra Bank. * 1989: Petra collapses and Chalabi is accused of multimillion-pound fraud. * 1992: Chalabi is convicted of embezzlement and sentenced in absentia to 22 years. He flees Jordan and sets up Iraqi National Congress (INC). * 1995: INC offensive against Saddam Hussein's troops fails. * 1996: Chalabi forced to flee Iraq after Saddam's army overruns INC base. * 2003: Chalabi, backed by the Pentagon, returns to Iraq during invasion to consolidate political base. * August 2004: An arrest warrant is issued on charges of counterfeiting. * September 2004: Charges are dropped for lack of evidence. * January 2005: Chalabi's party, the United Iraqi Alliance, sweeps to victory in Iraqi elections. * April 2005: Chalabi is appointed the deputy prime minister of the Iraqi government. Courtesy: CounterPunch --------------------------------- Yahoo! Mail Stay connected, organized, and protected. Take the tour -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050514/47b42f72/attachment.html From karim at sarai.net Sun May 15 23:45:43 2005 From: karim at sarai.net (karim at sarai.net) Date: Sun, 15 May 2005 23:45:43 +0530 (IST) Subject: [Reader-list] Thought Thieves Steal Ideas FROM YOUR HEAD! In-Reply-To: <428717AB.5040703@ranadasgupta.com> References: <428712A2.4030205@sarai.net> <428717AB.5040703@ranadasgupta.com> Message-ID: <63610.61.16.182.2.1116180943.squirrel@mail.sarai.net> Rana Dasgupta wrote: > The gesture does not lack creativity. I would be very surprised if it did. Most copyright holders have both money and the legal obligation to their shareholders to both vigorously safeguard and increase the value that accrues to the holders. The desire to protect and strengthen their revenue stream, combined with substantial funds and a deep fear of the power of digital media and emergent media usage patterns to threaten the stream makes it imperative to hire only the best marketers, advertisers, lobbyists and public relations representatives. Professionalism in these fields is defined as the ability to represent the client's product, image or paradigm in a favourable light to a particular audience. It follows then, that the best in the field are very good at what they do. Whether it's a slick image that embodies "freedom", despite being tied to an obsessively controlled, hardware-cum-software platform (e.g. Apple's Mac + OS X) or a fashionably gritty and compelling publicity message that conflates the violation of copyright with cancer, or the sponsoring of short films on "the theft of your ideas" by a megacorporation, we will continue to see efforts to convince people that "intellectual property" is just like real property, just like a book or a table or a machine. In the case of copyright, for example, the effort is on, for instance, to propagate the view that just as you don't own your house for a term set by the government, copyright should vest in perpetuity. For an interesting essay against the term and the thinking behind "intellectual property", take a look at the links [1] [2] I've appended. I think that what we need, then, is for people, especially those who can, for instance, express "simple ideas with elegance and charm"[3] ;-) to counter this well funded, creative speech with speech of their own, breaking down, for instance, the oversimplication and dangerous implications of the words "intellectual property" and "theft". Videos such as "Copyright v. Community with Cory Doctorow" available for zero cost on the Internet Archive are excellent examples of efforts in this direction. Keep the tinfoil on, and stay away from the SinistroWaves. Cheers, Aniruddha "Karim" Shankar [1] http://www.fsf.org/licensing/essays/not-ipr.xhtml [2] http://tinyurl.com/bc9zm [3] http://tinyurl.com/99m9n [4] http://tinyurl.com/873pt From shivamvij at gmail.com Mon May 16 03:27:12 2005 From: shivamvij at gmail.com (shivam) Date: Mon, 16 May 2005 03:27:12 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] 'Pro-war film spotted on Croisette' Message-ID: Pro-war film spotted on Croisette Charlotte Higgins Saturday May 14, 2005 The Guardian http://film.guardian.co.uk/cannes2005/story/0,15927,1483884,00.html George Bush and Tony Blair will whoop for joy. A strongly pro-war film has been premiered at the Cannes film festival - and it comes from Iraq. The main part of Hiner Saleem's Kilomètre Zéro, premiered in competition for the Palme D'Or, is set in 1988 against the backdrop of the deaths of thousands of Iraqi Kurds at the hands of Saddam's cousin, "Chemical" Ali Hassan al-Majid. It is framed by scenes of the main characters, now exiled in France, rejoicing at the fall of Baghdad in 2003. Article continues "I am against war of any kind," Saleem said. "But we didn't have the luxury to say, 'For the time being, we will be exterminated'. "If you say that the US is an imperialist country, then you are right. Had Sweden, Liechtenstein, France, come, it would have been wonderful. But they gave the US free rein; I am extremely pleased." The scene of jubilation in the final moments of the film was "still valid. I would like to say I am optimistic, he said. "The problem with Iraq is that it was not born of the will of a single people, but because Churchill wanted it. Power went to the people who had the most Kalashnikovs." The story is set during the Iran-Iraq war. Ako, an Iraqi Kurd, goes out one morning in his pyjamas to buy bread. He is arrested by the Iraqi military and sent to fight on the dusty, brutal Iranian front in Basra. One day he is ordered to accompany the body of a dead soldier as it is returned to the family. So he and an Iraqi Arab driver set off together across the unremitting landscape. The film, partly funded by the Kurdistan regional government and partly from France, reads as a strong political statement of Kurdish identity. Some also see it as anti-Arab, accusing it of presenting the driver as dimwitted and dominated by naive religious feeling. Saleem responded: "The Arabs don't know the Kurds well. They forced us to study Arab history and culture. But they know nothing of our history, culture, sensibilities, dreams. An effort must be made by them to understand us." He denied that the film was overtly political in its message: "You don't produce a film to draw people's attention to politics. I wanted to show the hills of Kurdistan, the faces of the people. I don't think I have produced a military or political film. "It is not an ideological film. It doesn't say we are the most wonderful people on earth ... but I am thrilled people will be able to discover, to drive through Kurdistan for an hour and a half in this film." Sami Shorashi, the Kurdistan regional government's culture minister, said: "This is a major step forward for the Kurdish people ... I see it as a work of art that well portrays the misfortune of the Kurdish people caused by the regime of Saddam Hussein." Saleem, who has lived in France since the early 1980s and whose previous work includes Vodka Lemon, said the film was based on real events that happened to his brother. The making of the film, he said, presented enormous practical difficulties. Because of the lack of indigenous film culture ("except for a few propaganda films"), technicians, crew and equipment had to be brought from France. "It was a nightmare to get the cameras and crew to Kurdistan and even harder to get them back. We seriously thought of contacting the smugglers on the borders to help." -- www.shivamvij.com "We are the universe creating from within its own pure potentiality according to what is necessary at that place and time. This is the built-in safety mechanism of creating from the non-attachment of the quantum domain. Whatever manifests from our intention at that level is what cosmic intelligence needs to manifest." - Deepak Chopra :) From soudhamini_1 at lycos.com Mon May 16 08:27:01 2005 From: soudhamini_1 at lycos.com (sou dhamini) Date: Sun, 15 May 2005 21:57:01 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Madurai Message-ID: <20050516025701.B6EC43384B@ws7-3.us4.outblaze.com> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050515/0a09f85c/attachment.html From ekdoorbeen at rediffmail.com Sun May 15 23:04:11 2005 From: ekdoorbeen at rediffmail.com (Satya Nagpaul) Date: 15 May 2005 17:34:11 -0000 Subject: [Reader-list] a humble reguest... Message-ID: <20050515173411.15920.qmail@webmail18.rediffmail.com> Dear Lokesh, Please send the postal address at which the money can be sent to you. Regards, Satya Rai Nagpaul   On Thu, 12 May 2005 Lokesh wrote : > >A Humble Request > > >Dear Comrades > > >One of the illustrious members of the teachers’ fraternity and former Research Scholar from /Meerut University/, MR NAVED A. SIDDIQUE (32 years old) has been ailing with shrunken kidneys for the last four months. His present condition is woefully critical. In spite of undergoing ‘dialyses’ on a weekly basis for the last three months, his kidneys have failed to respond and blood urea level continues to be well above 345 (Normal: 15-45). The doctors are now pressing for an _immediate_ ‘transplant of the kidney’ because any further delay could lead to a ‘left ventricle failure’ (LVF) > > >Naved has been in the Teaching profession for over a decade, having taught History and Social Sciences in some of the well known public schools viz. /St. Francis School /(/Meerut/), /Army School/ (/Meerut/), /Dewan Public School/ (/Meerut/) & /Ryan International/ (/Mumbai/). He lost his Mother this January after she succumbed to a prolonged battle with pneumonia. And now he himself has been suffering for over four months. Given these circumstances, the family’s financial condition has become quite unstable. > > >Even though his Father would be donating one of his kidneys, he is not in a position to bear the steep expenses of the operation single-handedly. A ‘kidney transplant’ operation would cost anywhere between *Rs 3 to 3.25 lacs* and thereafter ‘anti rejection drugs’ would cost another *Rs. 1.5 lacs*. Having been virtually drained out of finances, the family has sought personal help, (with a pre-condition that they would return everybody’s money whenever they are in a position to do so). > > >We would earnestly request you to kindly extend a helping hand in order to save this young and talented teacher who’s just been married for little over a year. > > >We sincerely hope you’ll help in saving the life of a fellow teacher by contributing anything ranging from Rs. 100/- or more. Every rupee contributed from your side would be of enormous help. You can give your contributions to Lokesh or Bhagwati at Sarai, CSDS. > > >Furthermore if any of you can even help by donating one unit of _blood_, we would be very grateful, since a total of 14 units of blood would be required for the operation. > > > >Thanking you, > > * > *Close Friends & Family Members* of* Naved Siddique* > > >_________________________________________ >reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >Critiques & Collaborations >To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the subject header. >List archive: -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050515/c11c6132/attachment.html From rakesh at sarai.net Mon May 16 16:12:08 2005 From: rakesh at sarai.net (Rakesh) Date: Mon, 16 May 2005 16:12:08 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] article on globalisation and indian entertainment industry Message-ID: <42887900.5030901@sarai.net> Dear All Recently I had conversation with a guy called Rakesh Manjul who edits a Hindi Journal called "Katha Chitra" based mainly on Indian Cinema. Katha Chitra is a renound journal and very good source of research materials in Hindi public domain. The forthcoming issue of Katha Chitra is based on Globalisation and Indian entertainment Industry. He has told me to pass on this piece of information to the concerned and interested persons. So, whoever among us feels, can write. For further enquiry contact at rakeshmanjul at yahoo.co.in salam rakesh -- Rakesh Kumar Singh Sarai-CSDS Rajpur Road, Delhi 110054 Ph: 91 11 23960040 Fax: 91 11 2394 3450 web site: www.sarai.net web blog: http://blog.sarai.net/users/rakesh/ From abshi at vsnl.com Mon May 16 16:17:31 2005 From: abshi at vsnl.com (abshi at vsnl.com) Date: Mon, 16 May 2005 15:47:31 +0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Rape of Delhi Univ Student - petition Message-ID: <4a6e4fd4a6e4da.4a6e4da4a6e4fd@vsnl.net> ----- Original Message ----- Sent: Monday, May 16, 2005 1:38 PM Subject: Rape of Delhi Univ Student - petition Dear Friend, "Open Letter to Delhi University Authorities" We are trying to reach 5000 signatures, and we need YOUR HELP! Please help by signing this petition and forwarding it to your friends and colleagues. It takes 30 seconds and will really help. Please follow this link: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/826763265 thanks, Laxmi From cahen.x at levels9.com Mon May 16 22:25:53 2005 From: cahen.x at levels9.com (xavier cahen) Date: Mon, 16 May 2005 18:55:53 +0200 Subject: [Reader-list] pourinfos letter / 05-13 to 05-16-2005 Message-ID: <003901c55a38$25e43b70$0401a8c0@acerkxw6rbeu2s> pourinfos.org l'actualité du monde de l'art / daily Art news ----------------------------------------------------------------------- infos from May 13, to May 16 2005 (included) ------------------------------------------------------------------- (mostly in french) ------------------------------------------------------------------- 01 Various : Information and debates in connection with the SCAM, FEMIS, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/divers/item.php?id=1550 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 02 Meeting: signature : WOMEN OF PLASTER, essay on the medical art of Romain Slocombe, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/rencontres/item.php?id=1549 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 03 Meeting : Dust for Sparrows, visit by Francoise Lonardoni, Public library of Lyon, Lyon, France. http://pourinfos.org/rencontres/item.php?id=1547 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 04 Publication : Film-Philosophy May 2005 Issue, International Salon-Journal, London, United Kingdom. http://pourinfos.org/publications/item.php?id=1546 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 05 Publication : "Laughter.", Cabinet magazine's issue 17, New-York, USA. http://pourinfos.org/publications/item.php?id=1545 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 06 Publication : new ICONomix magazine, Art, Economy and Management, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/publications/item.php?id=1544 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 07 Publication : Astrup Fearnley Museum for Modern Art publishes catalogues for all its exhibitions,Oslo, Norway. http://pourinfos.org/publications/item.php?id=1543 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 08 Exhibition : Totem without Taboo, Dialogos Space, contemporary art galerie, Cachan, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1542 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 09 Performance : GRENZE video-performance according to the Capital of Karl Marx, Popular house of Montreuil, Montreuil, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1541 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 10 Exhibition : AFRICALYON, the African contemporary art are invited in Lyon, Lyon, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1540 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 11 Exhibition : Don't worry, be happy ! School of the fine arts of Tours, Tours, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1539 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 12 Exhibition : tissages/signes crossed, Caravan coffee contemporary art space, Antibes, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1538 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 13 Publication : May 2005 in Artforum, New-York, USA. http://pourinfos.org/publications/item.php?id=1537 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 14 Call : fellow ship for researchers resident: date limit on August 31, 2005, Langlois foundation, Montreal, Canada. http://pourinfos.org/candidature/item.php?id=1536 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 15 Call : 5th festival of cinema & video, the Unexpected ones, Lyon, France. http://pourinfos.org/candidature/item.php?id=1535 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 16 Meeting : " Plastics technicians of the Web ", MACHINIMA vs DEMO PARTY, Pompidou, Center, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/rencontres/item.php?id=1534 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 17 Meeting : public presentation of the edition 2005, the Invisible City, Marseille, France. http://pourinfos.org/rencontres/item.php?id=1533 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 18 Screening : vidéoformes, Municipal Gallery Julio Gonzalez, Arcueil, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1532 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 19 Exhibition : Exhibition of the Print/Edition/, National superior arts school of Paris, ENSBA, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1531 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 20 Exhibition : The room of artist, room dormitory, Kristina Depaulis, hélys-œuvre garden, Saint Médart d'Excideuil, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1530 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 21 Exhibition : in girum imus nocte et consumimur igni, Stéphane Benault, la malterie,Lille, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1529 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 22 Exhibition : Players, Cyril Anguelidis, Jungle Art Galerie, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1528 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 23 Exhibition : Installations, video screenig, performances, the night of museum, national School des beaux-arts de Tours, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1527 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 24 Exhibition : OLGA OLGA HELENA, between russia and France, Espace Croisé, Roubaix, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1526 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 26 Various : Fondation : CIA.IS - Center for Icelandic Art, Reykjavík, Iceland. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1525 From shivamvij at gmail.com Tue May 17 04:24:58 2005 From: shivamvij at gmail.com (shivam) Date: Tue, 17 May 2005 04:24:58 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] on small scale industries in India - urgent Message-ID: Hi, I've to write a report on current issues pertaining to small scale industries in India. I'd be grateful to you if you could point me to some ideas and links, specifically about micro issues vis-a-vis SSI's across states. Looking forward to your response. If you are responding on this list, please CC it to me lest I miss it. Cheers SV -- www.shivamvij.com | research at shivamvij.com "We are the universe creating from within its own pure potentiality according to what is necessary at that place and time. This is the built-in safety mechanism of creating from the non-attachment of the quantum domain. Whatever manifests from our intention at that level is what cosmic intelligence needs to manifest." - Deepak Chopra :) From berkeleysanjay at planet-save.com Tue May 17 12:47:52 2005 From: berkeleysanjay at planet-save.com (berkeleysanjay at planet-save.com) Date: Tue, 17 May 2005 00:17:52 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] Support the rights of a Rape Survivor Message-ID: <49789.69.175.236.240.1116314272.squirrel@planet-save.com> ---------------------------- Original Message ---------------------------- Subject: Petition Alert from Jinee Lokaneeta From: jineel at yahoo.com Date: Sat, May 14, 2005 9:22 am To: berkeleys at yahoo.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Friends, I have just read and signed the petition: Open Letter to Delhi University Authorities http://www.thePetitionSite.com/takeaction/826763265 Please help by signing this petition. It takes 30 seconds and will really help. Please follow this link: The system centralizes signature collection to provide consolidated, useful reports for petition authors and targets. Please forward this email to others you believe share your concern. To view additional petitions, please click here: http://www.thePetitionSite.com Thank you Total Signatures: 20 The most recent signatures* as of 9:22 AM PDT May 14, 2005 # 20 5/14/05 9:19 AM Jinee Lokaneeta, CA, US # 19 5/14/05 9:12 AM Meeta Rani Jha, NU, GB # 18 5/14/05 9:01 AM Tripta Wahi, IN # 17 5/14/05 8:56 AM Pooja Bhargava, IN # 16 5/14/05 8:32 AM Deboshruti Roychowdhury, GB # 15 5/14/05 8:32 AM Laxmi Murthy, NU, IN # 14 5/14/05 8:21 AM Bidhayak Das, NU, IN # 13 5/14/05 8:17 AM Lachit Bordoloi, IN # 12 5/14/05 8:14 AM Dolly Kikon, IN # 11 5/14/05 8:00 AM Simona Sawhney, MN, US # 10 5/14/05 7:35 AM Anonymous, WI, US # 9 5/14/05 7:27 AM Anonymous, NU, IN # 8 5/14/05 7:16 AM Kazu Ahmed, NU, IN # 7 5/14/05 7:12 AM Amit Prasad, NM, US # 6 5/14/05 7:09 AM Saba Dewan, NU, IN # 5 5/14/05 6:44 AM Smita Ambadi, IN # 4 5/14/05 6:36 AM Srirupa Guha, IL, US # 3 5/14/05 6:25 AM Janaki Abraham, IN # 2 5/14/05 5:55 AM Pratiksha Baxi, NU, IN # 1 5/14/05 5:10 AM Xonzoi Barbora, AA, CH To add your name to this petition go to: http://www.thePetitionSite.com/takeaction/826763265 *Signers may choose to hide their identity to the public. Such names will appear as "Anonymous" on the Site.com and advocacy emails similar to this. (The signature number above may not match the number assigned to your signature on the first page of the petition.) To view additional petitions, please click here: http://www.theSite.com _______________________________________________________________ Save rainforest for free with a Planet-Save.com e-mail account: http://www.planet-save.com From zulfisindh at yahoo.com Tue May 17 00:33:39 2005 From: zulfisindh at yahoo.com (Zulfiqar Shah) Date: Mon, 16 May 2005 12:03:39 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] Fwd: Pakistan Fisherfolk Leaders Arrested in Hyderabad, Sindh Message-ID: <20050516190339.9101.qmail@web30714.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Fwd: Massage ------------------------------------ Dear Friends: We, the members of Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF) draw your kind attention towards arrest of our central leaders including Chairperson Mohammad Ali Shah, Sami Memon, Jamal Mustaf Shoro, Allah Dino Mallah and Mohammad (PFF driver) by Hyderabad Police after a peaceful demonstration and sit-in of fishermen against contract system. The fishermen from all over Sindh had gathered in front of office of Fisheries Department at Hyderabad on the first day of the auction for awarding fishing rights. They were exercising their democratic right and all the protest held in a very peaceful manner. When all the fishermen dispersed peacefully, the Taluka Police Office (TPO), Hyderabad invited the PFF central leaders to come with him as he said he had arranged a meeting between PFF and high officials of Fisheries Department to amicably resolve the issue. As PFF believes in dialogue and advocacy, so without any hesitation, the PFF leaders went to GOR Police Station. But after a two-hour wait in police station, the police officials told the PFF leaders that an FIR has been registered against them for committing riots and disturbance, so they were under arrested. Later, they were shifted to Hussainabad Police Station lockup. We, the members of PFF appeal to all the democracy loving and human rights activists/organisations to raise their voice against arrest of PFF leaders. We also appeal to the government to release the PFF leaders immediately and withdraw all the false cases against them. We pledge to continue our peaceful democratic struggle against unfair and exploitative contract system of fishing. We do not consider arrests or such tactics as an impediment in our struggle. Instead, these arrests have created a new vigor and energy in us to speed up our struggle. We once again appeal to our friends and friendly organisations to join hands with PFF in it struggle against elimination of exploitative system. Saeed Baloch GS PFF [0092] 0333 2175243 [0092] 021 2750581 fisherfolkpk at yahoo.com pakistanfisherfolk at hotmail.com __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050516/da6aa4f9/attachment.html From shivamvij at gmail.com Tue May 17 19:12:04 2005 From: shivamvij at gmail.com (shivam) Date: Tue, 17 May 2005 19:12:04 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Surprise, surprise: Indian government to accredite bloggers! Message-ID: Govt opens doors to bloggersAdd to Clippings IANS [ TUESDAY, MAY 17, 2005 09:05:01 AM ] NEW DELHI: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1112368.cms If you are a serious blogger, the Indian government may just open its doors to you. India is in the process of framing rules for granting accreditation to Internet journalists and bloggers for the first time, taking a reality check on an evolving world of net writers who could shape opinion and who have already been granted access to official corridors in countries such as the US. "We are framing the rules for giving accreditation to dotcom journalists, including bloggers," Principle Information Officer Shakuntala Mahawal said. The first meeting on this was held a fortnight ago, and more are scheduled in the coming days. "We want an inclusive policy and we want to complete the process as early as possible," Mahawal said. This augurs well for independent bloggers, or web loggers, who are increasingly being recognised the world over as cyber journalists. A blog, short for web log, is a personal journal published on a website. Blogs can be musings, opinions and news, and a blogger can have a dedicated daily audience through his postings. "Blogosphere", as the world of bloggers is popularly known, got a big boost in March when American blogger Garrett M. Graff, 23, was given a pass to attend the daily White House briefing. In India, blogging became popular during the Dec 26 tsunami disaster with countless blogspots soliciting aid as well as reporting from tragedy-struck areas to give eyewitness accounts. There are an estimated eight million bloggers across the world, some of them professional journalists but quite a few just freelancers. According to the top press officer, the government acknowledges that the role of dotcoms is becoming increasingly crucial in opinion making with net surfing becoming a way of life with virtually all of urban India. For the past few years, Internet journalists and writers in India have fought a tough battle with the official machinery to gain access to government offices and conferences through the mandatory Press Information Bureau (PIB) accreditation. The battle turned grimmer after the exposé by scam-busting website tehelka.com revealing corruption in defence deals and showing top politicians and officials accepting kickbacks, causing immense embarrassment to the government. It was only after the new Congress-led regime took over that the process of granting official access to dotcom writers picked up pace. "We are looking at various models in other countries and studying rules broadly put in place by organisations like the UN, sports outfits and commonwealth countries," said a senior official of the information and broadcasting ministry. "The idea is to sequester the genuine from the fraud and acknowledge those who really want to make a difference. They will be given facilities and better access through accreditation." Online posts are widely read and according to surveys some 44 per cent of America's young people read blogs. Most readers look at blogs for news, perspective and honesty that they cannot perhaps find in standard news media. According to Indian officials, blogs are becoming a political statement in many other countries - such as in the US and British elections - and India needs to prepare for such a situation. -- www.shivamvij.com From kaiwanmehta at gmail.com Tue May 17 23:04:40 2005 From: kaiwanmehta at gmail.com (kaiwan mehta) Date: Tue, 17 May 2005 23:04:40 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] People Play Games Message-ID: <2482459d050517103462fc4658@mail.gmail.com> Hi, I recently conducted a Summer Workshop with students for my sarai fellowship project. The aim was to understand how research and teaching can be connected and how one should feed into the other. It was an important pedagogic exercise to realize how experiences of excavation or research are important learning tools and how it can be used positively as against a classroom method. At the same time students as subjects would add important insight into how people understand certain concepts, essentially as budding professionals. This 6th posting details out the proceedings of this workshop. Documenting a Workshop... The summer workshop set out to experiment further with students', aspects of community and/or migration. The plan was to address this issue by discussing documentation and representation of a place – its history, memory, nuances, etc. The first day of the workshop was about visiting the site I am researching. We walked a central part of the area, giving them stories and histories on the way. Negotiating crowds and shops, dirt and traffic we walked and walked till we reached C P Tank where the walk ended. Giving them a few hints on reading architecture to its connection to politics and culture, the day ended expecting students to walk on their own and excavate the area further on. The second day we began with a conversation on how we visit places as students or tourists. The questions were leading to a discussion on how we document places – academic and casual documentation, if there is any possibility of such a distinction! Also how we orient ourselves to places with a consciousness to study or move or 'see' and area or place. Some students had visited the area before, as shoppers or visits to relatives, whereas for others it was a first time. We discussed how we record or display our memories when we visit other cities, e.g. as tourists. As students, architects are used to documenting places they visit as measured drawings or sketches, whereas as tourists it was photographs. There was also mention of other formats like video recording and interviews. The immediate question was why does not one replace the other? Why not measured drawings to your neighbour while discussing your trip or why not photographs as academic documentation. The immediate reaction was that measured drawings are more trusted for a purpose whereas a photograph depends on the author's point of view and may not be 'sound' in the angle it shows a site or building from. Whereas photographs they agreed was more expressive of site or location or ambience, environment, etc. as against a measured drawing. The discussion then raised the questions of 'trust' attached to one format as against another while subconsciously depending on other formats like sketches or photographs to have a 'holistic' picture of the location. They also discussed how living or interacting with people on a site was important to realize issues of a context rather than go by popular notions of what a city or an area is. There were discussions like – photographs are all about individual perspectives whereas measured drawings are universal in what information they convey. The doubt raised was – what information is required to understand architecture – how much of it can be conveyed in measured drawings? Is measured drawing also a point of view – a perspective of a kind? Could maps or drawings be as fabricated as a photographic image? Based on their experiences of the previous day's walk we also discussed the need that we often feel while navigating an area or locality – maps, landmarks and perception. The most interesting was the use of perception developed through site physical geography – like the turns of corners, facades of buildings and movement of crowds. Interesting issues we discussed …. Perception of space, place is a matter of many human faculties Are representation formats – comfort with it and trust for it – dependent on your discipline? How does a map on paper engage with perceptive notions while navigating a space? These were interesting questions since documentation and understanding are inter-related, and historically, a mode of documentation will represent a place in context of time, later. Hence documentation or mapping is then crucial and since architects are continuously engaging with this activity for all their work, it is nessacary that they are sensitive to it. This discussion was followed by a talk by Zainab Bawa and then one by Madhavi Tangella. Zainab introduced her work with train compartments, railway stations and a public promenade like Marine Drive. Her ethnographic methods were important for the students to know about. An interesting aspect was how she documented her daily observations and interviews on blogs or mails and then these became maps for others to imagine the city of Bombay or its public spaces. It was an interesting example of a textual and virtual map that was creating imaginations of space and place. It was also important that rather than abstractions like a tourist or DP maps, this map had particular characters – people who interacted with Zainab – they may not be abstractions or holistic representations obviously but they help construct the imaginations of constructs of some members of 'a public'. Zainab pointed out well the relationship that exists between ones personal space like the home to the 'public space' outside. An important conversation that got generated was how does research of this kind get applied or used. This question can be understood – from the point that most students being architecture students – wish to a see a tangible result of research. However it was interesting for them to know how such research besides pedagogic or personal values also had use in planning and designing today. How such research exposed the difference of perception that exists between planners and designers against those of the users. The existence of heterogeneous perceptions at the level of people and aspirations towards homogenizing spaces by particular classes, state or designers was an interesting conclusion to this discussion. Madhavi began with a detailed discussion on her research of Telegu migrants and Video Theatres. She discussed a politics of a state and language that created a migrant community in the city but also how they were tied by language – to memory and the self. She then gave a wonderful description of how a video theatre like Sagar Cinema works – spatially and in its mechanism of ticket pricing, posters, etc. she could interestingly get students reactions on how they often find such theatres 'shady' and also how most of them knew of these spaces because of their servants using them. The work patterns of the migrants, their economic links to the city, their bonds to home – language and living in a fractured and contested city were explained with great textual images. It was interesting that we could draw links in many ways to the historical migrants in Bhuleshwar we discussed the previous day – their living patters, cultural and language memories as ties to home, etc. the issue of migration – as not a historical one but a continuous process, all of us having an ancestry of migrant great grand fathers or so, migrating within the city itself; city to suburbs and so on were all very interesting. It was important to realize that migration was not an – 'us versus them' issue but all of us have a history of it or maybe even today we are migrating. Secondly our notions of looking at migrants or migrant 'public' space as 'shady' – not very trust worthy – brings to fore a politics of space and imagination in the city. Thirdly the important issue was how migrants have aspirations and memories that they wish to connect with – a question of identity – which results in creating culture within the city. One of the points in the discussion was how the city was divided within these various areas and localities – the area described by Madhavi had no apparent similiarities to the area they walked in the previous day – then on what basis do we assume 'a city' (a homogenous entity?). Finally we raised points on whether abstract terms like 'public' and 'city' really existed and further more how do we assume their representations in formats of documentation or maps – especially since they affect policy, planning and hence, life and culture. Before the exercise of the workshop was set out, Ruchika (a young architect, who helped me conduct some interviews for my project) talked to the students about her experiences of navigating the area as a researcher. She explained how the experiences of searching for a person to interview itself made her realize some issues of caste, locality, fear, etc within the site and how it was important to record these. Then the students were asked to spend the next two days working on one particular road, street or area within the site and try to make a 'holistic' map of it. The discussions till now had opened up many issues of documentation and panoptic maps or drawings and the problems of collecting and representing 'knowledge' of/regarding a particular object or subject. The third day, we began with discussing what the students, divided in two groups, had decided to work with on site. One of the groups found interesting how spaces between buildings alternated between being spaces of garbage, narrow and neglected and spaces of community. Where as the second group was interested in how temples formed a relation with the streets and what was the importance of temples to this area. While discussing again the possibilities of map making and types of maps, two terms came up for discussion – 'abstract' (with reference to 'public' and 'city') and 'trust' (with reference to maps popularly used today –from planning to tourism). After a days work on site – thinking, negotiating – the students returned with some keen observations and ideas. The group studying streets and temples discussed using knots/strings and Braille as apparatus to understand a map for their study. Another interesting idea they discussed was how navigating the area was like a game – where they also realized through interviews how all in the area were constantly related to one another either as neighbours or economic transaction. Both kind of relations were endorsed by a hierarchy of temples – temples that received patronage from a particular street or those that were important for a group in the city at large. Their introduction to a series of interactions on site – tenancy, temple donations, trading, living north working south, etc. were like negotiations in a game. It was interesting to see how the community is getting defined in term of 'negotiations'. The other group discussing spaces between buildings still relied on a figure ground map – a two dimensional drawing that clarifies on built versus un-built spaces. It took some discussion for them to completely move away from existing systems to be able to explore. There was not only a certain resistance to move away from existing systems but also a demand for a straight forward and comparable alternative – rather than a system that could be worked with. However the concluding discussion decided upon recording audio and visual descriptions and putting it together in some kind of a textual graphic format. After another days work, the last day to finally work on a representation idea, the students not only came back with much more information, many experiences and various questions. Through one and a half day of interacting with people in the locality and observing the locality itself they had various ideas and notions about the site and 'people patterns' there. The group that wished to work on the 'game' idea – discarded it to develop some kind of representative apparatus. It was a good chance to discuss with them how an apparatus or installation was only a physical representation (of pipes and pumps) of the site, similar to a colour coded map. They had an interesting question – can the map be interactive, where the user is designing it himself continuously? They discarded the 'game map' since they thought they were getting bogged down in designing many rules for the game – only to realize again that after all there are many rules – said and unsaid that we all operate within, living in this city. The point on an interactive map was important since it brought forth the point that when we study any subject we are as much a part of it and not removed from it. They then embarked upon designing the 'game' – with its rules and graphics. The other group still found it difficult to move away from conventional map formats. It appeared as if perception and logic were two reasons for this. There had to be a visible logic – e.g. a text had to be read left to right / how can one read two texts simultaneously? Perception was not trusted much – observation was taken to be obvious physical recording. Through much persuasion, rather discussion, they started working with a writing of a text – probably a graphic text. Both groups finally recorded their complete observations and experiences of working with the site. The former group developed an interesting set of rules (which I can provide if someone is interested) to play the game – to represent and understand the area and the people operating within it, however they did not have the time to completely develop the graphics for it. However it was congratulatory to hear from them that the five day exercise had helped them in developing an eye and a method to view localities, sites and some concepts. Fact File: The workshop was attended by 14 students of which 9 worked on the exercise, the others attended only the orientation. The students were from; Pillai's College of Architecture, Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture and L S Raheja College of Arts and Commerce The workshop was conducted at Sir J J College of Architecture, Mumbai as they very kindly granted space for us to have our discussion and working sessions. Thanks and Regards, Kaiwan -- Kaiwan Mehta Architect and Urban Reseracher 11/4, Kassinath Bldg. No. 2, Kassinath St., Tardeo, Mumbai 400034 022-2-494 3259 / 91-98205 56436 From ritika at sarai.net Wed May 18 00:40:05 2005 From: ritika at sarai.net (ritika at sarai.net) Date: Tue, 17 May 2005 21:10:05 +0200 Subject: [Reader-list] on small scale industries in India - urgent In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Have a look at this recently release book - Disasters in India - STudiese of Grim Reality; by: ANu Kapur etc... Pub: Rawat Publications, 2005. It has a chapter on SSI - in Dehi. It might be of some use to you. I have a copy of this book. In case u don't find - u may contact me. cheers ritika On 12:54:58 am 05/17/05 shivam wrote: > Hi, > > I've to write a report on current issues pertaining to small scale > industries in India. I'd be grateful to you if you could point me to > some ideas and links, specifically about micro issues vis-a-vis SSI's > across states. > > Looking forward to your response. If you are responding on this list, > please CC it to me lest I miss it. > > Cheers > SV > > -- > www.shivamvij.com | research at shivamvij.com > > "We are the universe creating from within its own pure potentiality > according to what is necessary at that place and time. This is the > built-in safety mechanism of creating from the non-attachment of the > quantum domain. Whatever manifests from our intention at that level is > what cosmic intelligence needs to manifest." - Deepak Chopra :) > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > subscribe in the subject header. List archive: /pipermail/reader-list/> From shivamvij at gmail.com Wed May 18 01:19:35 2005 From: shivamvij at gmail.com (shivam) Date: Wed, 18 May 2005 01:19:35 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Said and the Saidians Message-ID: apologies to be subjecting you to Ramachandra Guha's brilliant provocation once again. shivam o o o o o o SAID AND THE SAIDIANS - A very fine scholar, but not a great one Politics and Play / Ramachandra Guha ramguha at vsnl.com Extract: Consider thus the staggering worldwide influence of the Arab-American scholar, Edward Said, of his book Orientalism, and of the intellectual fashion that he inaugurated, known as "postcolonial theory". The man, his work, and their influence are the subject of a wide-ranging symposium in the latest issue of the prestigious Chicago-based journal, Critical Inquiry. Reading this symposium, one is forced to reach the conclusion that as a scholar, Said was greater than his book, Orientalism, and that the book itself was more worthwhile than the theoretical school it gave rise to. see http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050514/asp/opinion/story_4726435.asp From zzjamal at rediffmail.com Tue May 17 16:41:01 2005 From: zzjamal at rediffmail.com (Khalid) Date: 17 May 2005 11:11:01 -0000 Subject: [Reader-list] Good work: Fast food chains Message-ID: <20050517111101.2677.qmail@webmail50.rediffmail.com>   Hi all, While i am working on my project a Manager-friend in McD. sent this to me.I thought i should share with you all while i write my next posting. Chains Respond to Terrorist Attacks In response to the horrific circumstances resulting from the recent terrorist attacks in Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., and New York City, quick serve chains are giving money, food and more. McDonald’s: • More than 250,000 meals served around the clock at McDonald's mobile restaurants at "Ground Zero" in New York and at the Pentagon since Thursday, September 13. • New York City: Nine 45 feet long trucks full of McDonald's Quarter Pounders, Chicken McNuggets, bottled water and soft drinks delivered to "Ground Zero" for rescue and recovery teams. This food service is on going. • Pentagon: Five 45 feet long trucks of McDonald's Quarter Pounders, Chicken McNuggets, bottled water and soft drinks delivered to the Pentagon site to feed the work force there. This food service is on going. • RMHC Canister Update: An estimated $2 million collected in the first three days at McDonald's U.S. restaurants through Ronald McDonald House charity canisters now earmarked for the Red Cross over the next month. Canadian restaurants have launched a similar program. • $1 Million Donation from McDonald’s Corporation already pledged for relief efforts. • $1 Million from Ronald McDonald House Charities already pledged for relief efforts. • McDonald's Cookies and Juice continue to be delivered to Blood Donation Centers throughout the U.S. Wendy’s: • $1 million donation to the relief fund established by New York Mayor Guiliani to aid the families of police, fire and emergency medical personnel injured or killed in the rescue efforts. • Providing meals for emergency workers in New York, Washington, D.C. and Somerset, Pa. Many employees also have donated blood or made personal contributions to the relief efforts. • Jack Schuessler, Wendy's chairman and chief executive officer, led employees at the Company’s corporate headquarters in Dublin, Ohio in the observance of America’s National Day of Prayer and Remembrance. Burger King : • The 8,500 Burger King® restaurants in the United States have been named "Official Red Cross Donation Centers.'' • The Burger King® restaurants will sell American flag decals to raise money for the disaster relief fund. • Burger King Corporation and its franchisees have been supplying about 8,000 sandwiches a day for the relief workers. • Burger King Corporation will donate monies from other fundraising activities to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, including a special link on www.burgerking.com that gives information to consumers on how to contribute to the Red Cross. • Four Burger King restaurants located near "ground zero'' in lower Manhattan have served as triage centers, command posts and information centers for displaced New Yorkers and rescue workers. • Two restaurants located in Arlington, Virginia, closest to the Pentagon have been providing more than 300 sandwiches an hour to rescue workers. • Employees all over the country are donating blood to their local community blood banks and Burger King Corporation has established a fund for all employees and franchisees to contribute to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. • The corporation will also make a contribution to the fund. • Burger King Corporation and its franchisees will publicize the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund information to customers via in-restaurant merchandising. Checkers: • Custom-produced "Proud to Be an American'' bumper stickers are available for a donation of $1.00. Proceeds will benefit the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. Subway: • Pledged 9000 sandwiches a week as long as the rescue effort continues. • Subway Development Corp. of Washington, D.C., the largest independent franchise development agent in the country for Subway Restaurants, reports that several Subway Restaurant locations in Washington D.C. are supplying free food and beverages to on-duty emergency personnel from the FBI, Secret Service and Washington Metro police and fire departments. Fazoli's • September 24, 2001through September 30: 380 participating Fazoli’s restaurantswill conduct a major nation-wide fundraiser to benefit the American Red Cross. Fazoli’s will donate $1.00 for every guest who orders the All You Can Eat Spaghetti Dinner at the regular price of $3.99. Friendly's Restaurants • Collecting funds from employees and guests to be distributed to the American Red Cross. • Near the Friendly's headquarters in Wilbraham, Massachusetts, several radio remote stations take place in Friendly's Restaurants parking lots with the objective of accepting donations from guests and passersby. National Coney Island Restaurants • Donating $1 from each hot dog sold between Saturday 9/15 and Saturday 9/22 to victims in New York City Pizza Inn • Pizza Inn owners and their employees throughout the country will donate sales receipts to aid the families of the New York's Police and Fire community Sunday, September 16th. The chain held a special Pizza, Pasta and Pepsi fundraiser at all participating restaurants chainwide to bolster the donations. More stories about The Industry I N D U S T R Y N E W S Wendy’s Helps Consumers Eat Healthier - The chain now offers dietary guidelines and new educational tools online and in stores. More > Domino’s Raises $220,000 for Tsunami Relief Efforts - Franchisees and team members from the U.S., Canada, and Australia contributed to the fundraising success. Wishing you Health,peace & happiness Khalid -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050517/34248af9/attachment.html From shai at filterindia.com Tue May 17 19:40:38 2005 From: shai at filterindia.com (shai at filterindia.com) Date: Tue, 17 May 2005 16:10:38 +0200 Subject: [Reader-list] Excavating Indian Experimental Film Message-ID: Further to my discussions with film critic, curator and archivist, Amrit Gangar, on the identity of Indian experimental film, and the innovations that took place at Films Division in the 70's, he wrote this brief note om Pramod Pati to elucidate some of his ideas on the topic. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ PRAMOD PATI THE CINEMA OF PRA-YOGA, OF SVA-BHAVA BY Amrit Gangar Indian Cinema has not seen an avant-garde movement or tradition like Europe and North America. Yet there have been sporadic sparks of experimentation with the moving image. In 1912, Dadasaheb Phalke used stop-motion or time-lapse photography to make the animated short film The Growth of a Pea Plant. The loosely equivalent word for the English ‘experiment’ in Sanskrit is ‘prayoga’ (pronounced prayog). In a dramatic sense, ‘prayog’ also means ‘representation’. However, we seem to be using ‘experiment’ in the English lexiconic sense – ‘an act or operation for the purpose of discovering something unknown or of testing a principle, supposition, etc.’ And interestingly, ‘experimental’ means something that is based on or derived from experience. It is empirical. In short, the often-used word ‘experimental’ in all its manifestations should be crucial to our cinematographic discourse. I would like to call Pati’s cinema, the cinema of ‘prayog’ that carried its creator’s own state, own temperament. It had the quality of being intuitive and congenial capable of achieving a certain bhavasandhi, a unity of emotions in its characteristic manner. Bhava is being, or becoming, nasato vidyate bhavaha. Prayoga was, I think, Pati’s svabhava (pronounced svabhav) and hence even on themes such as family planning he created narratives of sharp curiosities. Before he made the film Abid he had met Abid Surti, the artist, at the latter’s exhibition of mirror collages. Discussing the pixilated narrative with Surti he told him that it ‘fitted his work and personality like a glove’. Pati had learnt the art from Norman McLaren of the National Film Board of Canada. As he explained Abid, “Unlike a cartoon film, which is rapidly moving series of photographed drawings, in pixilation moving object is shot frame by frame and then through clever editing made to appear in motion. By its nature, this movement was agile, energetic and unpredictable just like the pop art movement.” Then Pati was a 23-year-old man full of youthful exuberance. He also studied animation filmmaking in Czechoslovakia for a couple of years and returned to India in 1960. Looking back, Abid Surty makes an interesting observation: “In technique and content it seems closer to the MTV graphics of today than the typical Films Division documentaries of the seventies. Perhaps that is what makes it so timeless. Pramod Pati had come to make a film about me, and ended up making a film with me. Though the film is titled Abid, it could be the story of any artist anywhere.” The concept of the film Abid was simple: An artist comes into the world, fulfils his karma and departs, but his work remains for future generations to enjoy. In 1998, I had curated a retrospective program for the MIFF and Abid was one of the inaugural films along with some from the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen. Angela Haardt, the former director of the festival who presented the Oberhausen program was quite amused to see the ‘prayog’ parallel between India and Europe of that time – there prevailed creative urge and energy all around. Pati’s wasn’t a conscious effort to make something different for its own sake but to put his art at stake with his own artistic and idealistic endeavors. His methodical choice for Explorer, for example, merged with the youthful spirit. Obviously, within the Films Division’s constraints, Pati must have taken a risk to make such films. As Jag Mohan mentioned in one of his books on the Films Division, “… films of the type popularized by Norman McLaren, Len Lye, Lotte Reiniger, Maya Deren and later by the American Underground filmmakers cannot be found here. Probably for a hitherto underdeveloped and now a developing country like India, such films are a luxury.” John Grierson is said to have criticized Pati for his artistic inclinations. But Pati was the man of prayog, an artist who stuck to his own anubhav (experience) and svabhav and integrity. Unfortunately, he died very young in 1974, two years after he made Abid. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ From grade at vsnl.com Tue May 17 23:43:35 2005 From: grade at vsnl.com (Rakesh) Date: Tue, 17 May 2005 23:43:35 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Fundamentalism Message-ID: <000c01c55b0c$3467cc00$9c0d130a@user378> Saturday, May 07, 2005 Columns by words Making of a fundamentalist This is how a professor of psychiatry recently deconstructed the phenomenon Rakesh Shukla If Jesus and Mohammed had been born in Alaska they would have visualised heaven as hot and hell as cold, they lived in a hot place and visualised heaven as cold and hell as hot!" These are the words of Dr Salman Akhtar, professor of psychiatry at Harvard and a leading psychoanalyst, speaking on 'The Lure of Fundamentalism' in India recently. The brother of Javed Akhtar, he is a poet in his own right. The stresses of engaging with life with its shades of grey as a rational adult were sharply contrasted to the attractive black-and-white world offered by fundamentalism. Terming it as a literal, narrow, self-congratulatory variety of thinking with 'a little spice of victimhood' thrown in, Akhtar pointed out across-the-spectrum appeal of the phenomenon. The dogmatism that posits "My Book", "My Religion", "My solution" as the only 'right' one in opposition to all the other 'wrong' ones was brought out very well. Comparing fundamentalism to intra-venous morphine he showed how its allurements encompass Hindu, Jewish, Islamic, Christian and even a certain trajectory of Left politics. Several insights into the interface of fundamentalism with everyday living emerged from the presentation. Today living involves dealing with factual uncertainties and conceptual complexities. Life abounds with unpredictables which assail the comfort of certainties. There is no absolute truth. The same act can look totally different to the various protagonists who may not even recognise each other's version. There are but partial truths depending on your angle of vision. Except for extremes like cold-blooded murder, one has to engage with moral ambiguities rather than the simple 'good-bad' binary. Personal responsibility for one's behaviour is another burden. Acceptance of the hybrid impurity of the world rather than pristine purity and the finality of death are other crosses we bear. Fundamentalism in one stroke solves these 'burdens' of living. Instead of complexity and uncertainty, there is simplicity and certainty. Ambiguities are replaced with comforting moral clarities like "Muslims are bad, Hindus are good". Instead of hybrid variety of nature is offered a world of purity: Pure Aryans, Pure Muslims, Pure Brahmins. The burden of personal responsibility also gets lifted. Fundamentalist leaders offer absolution: "Kill the dirty Jews. We take responsibility." Acceptance of total mortality is replaced by heaven and eternal life. A threat, real or manufactured, to the factors which help bear these burdens for an individual like safety, a sense of belonging, opportunities for sexual pleasure and generativity sets the stage for action. 'Hindus are being persecuted in their own country'; 'Dirty Jews violate our pure Aryan girls' are examples. The arrival of leaders who re-live past glories making you feel noble and strong is the final act. The simultaneous invocation of past-trauma as if it happened now leads to intensification of emotion and justified anger against 'them'. Enmeshing with childhood trauma of hurt and humiliation group regression occurs with loss of criticality and prejudice, transforming into malignant prejudice, which ultimately coalesces into violence against the 'Enemy Other' community. URL: http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=69876 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050517/38aa8fb5/attachment.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 1260 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050517/38aa8fb5/attachment.gif From dunkinj at cscsban.org Wed May 18 11:54:08 2005 From: dunkinj at cscsban.org (Dunkin Jalki) Date: Wed, 18 May 2005 11:54:08 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Ramachandra Guha on SAID AND THE SAIDIANS Message-ID: <200505181154.08867.dunkinj@cscsban.org> isn't that true, after all. his book has a heuristic value more than anything else... in one of his article on Said S.N Balagangadhara ("The Future of the Present: Thinking Though Orientalism" _Cultural Dynamics_ 10(2): 101-121. 1998) writes "Often, writers of great books fail to appreciate the true depth and breadth of what they themselves have written. Such is also the case with Said." he writes further and more, a brilliant piece of writing on Said best -- Dunkin Jalki CSCS Bangalore 11 From shivamvij at gmail.com Wed May 18 13:07:31 2005 From: shivamvij at gmail.com (shivam) Date: Wed, 18 May 2005 13:07:31 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] info required: statistics on drop out rate of dalit kids? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Please write directly to Mari Marcel Thekaekara ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Shiva Shankar Dear Friends, I have a question from Mari Marcel Thekaekara (author of "Endless filth - the saga of the Bhangis"). Can somebody please help her? With much metta. Shiva Shankar. Dear Mari, I do not have firm statistics, but some articles on the general state of affairs which I will send you. I'll send your mail along to friends who can help. Many thanks. Shiva. On Thu, 12 May 2005, Mari Thekaekara wrote: > Hi Shankar, > > do u have statistics on drop out rate of dalit kids? > > And % of dalits in prisons? > > i'm working\editing a magazine on caste and hoping to do a good > job!!any help will be appreciated.. > > mari - -- shivamvij.com | Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see From nisha2004 at gmail.com Wed May 18 21:09:08 2005 From: nisha2004 at gmail.com (Nisha .) Date: Wed, 18 May 2005 19:39:08 +0400 Subject: [Reader-list] Request for help Message-ID: <299c778405051808396f9f4326@mail.gmail.com> Dear all, Yemen Times, one of the two English newspapers of Yemen is going through a some difficulty. It requires help of journalists who have a few years of experience covering politics, crime, economy and socio-economic development issues and have investigative/analytical style of writing. The newspaper, at present, is not in a position to pay. The support is required for at least six months. Journalists who wish to gain exposure to Yemeni society and media, could find sources to support themselves during their stay in Yemen and are willing to provide capacity support to the existing YT reporters are requested to write to: editor at yementimes.com Alternatively, write to me and I will forward mails to YT. YT is 16 page newspaper and it is published twice a week. You could check the newspaper at http://yementimes.com/index.shtml? Warmly, Nisha From deb99kamal at yahoo.com Thu May 19 01:21:53 2005 From: deb99kamal at yahoo.com (Debkamal Ganguly) Date: Wed, 18 May 2005 12:51:53 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] Crime pulp fiction in Bengal: Memoir of a police personnel, Girish Chandra Basu Message-ID: <20050518195153.67124.qmail@web52805.mail.yahoo.com> Hello, This posting is about a memoir of a police officer (Daroga), published way back in 1886. Girish Chandra Basu served British administration as an in-charge of police station (Thana) between 1853-1860. He wrote the memoir in his ripe age and named the book as Sekaal-er Darogar Kahini (The tale of Daroga in Those days). A mere gap of 26 years between his resignation to the police force and writing of the book created a separation of two distinct ages for him, which is noteworthy. More interestingly in introduction he said that he had picked up pen for prime reason of recording history. His inclination to a certain kind of archaeo-graphical history, which he felt was not present as a general cultural tendency even among the educated section was illustrated in the very beginning. His first appointment was in Nabadwip Thana. Nabadwip was famous as the birth place of Sri Chaitanya, who brought Vaishnavite Bhakti movement in Eastern India. Girish Chandra lamented, that though there were thousands of dedicated Chaitanya devotees, no body seemed to know, where was the exact spot of birthplace of Chaitanya in Nabadwip. He mentioned here with much respect that Europeans know to preserve their heritage. Shakespeare was there almost in the same time of Chaitanya, and his home in Avon was being maintained with so much care and devotion, while all the traces of Chaitanya was lost. Girish Chandra was also fascinated to know about the the routine archive work by the Europeans, e. g. they kept with care the pen used Newton, or the sword used by Napoleon. In the same manner, Girish Chandra asked his readers to collect and preserve the artifacts related to say Rammohan Roy and other famous Bengali persons. Today possibly we might be tempted to position Girish Chandra's sense of historicity as an amateur's enthusiasm derived from the archaeologically scrutinised, museum based, Eurocentric linear epochal notion of history, practised in India by the colonial historians, to frame the past of the colony to be reduced or deciphered to known co-ordinates; but considering the year of his writing, which was almost synchronous with the formation of authorities like Indian Museum (1875), merely a century after Asiatic Society (1784) being established, it can be said, the historically reproduced image of 'past of India' got a certain grip on the people like Girish Chandra. Bankim Chandra (writer of national anthem Vande Mataram) also mentioned in his essays that average countrymen had no concern for history. Like the perspectivisation of narrative as done through the form of novel, as an extension of Florentine perspective in visual field, a perspectival yet ambivalent approach towards the continuity of time and collective and personal memory was characterised to have a definite division for 'past', 'present' and 'future', which can be traced in the new genre of historical consciousness of say Girish Chandra or Bankim Chandra. Girish Chandra was sort of aware of this paramount change of relative consciousness in different layers of society, he commented in his introduction, that time was running too fast, like a horse in full gallop, to grasp the changes that happened in that complicated period. In his recollection Girish Chandra mentioned about some kinds of crimes, which he had to encounter as a police official. He talked about Dakaat, the ferocious robbers, who often used to rob sending prior information to the respective wealthy household. He specially mentioned about the physical violence created by these robbers, which was much terrifying thing for the villagers. He mentioned about some castes, Goalas (milkmen) of Nadia district were infamous for this. According to him these robbers used to live a double life, normally they had a socially acceptable profession, but during festival time, when there used to be a flourish of wealth for the villagers, they used to attack, and ruin the families. At times they used to keep a watch on the river, as river was the main course of journey in those days. Here also they used to attack unwarranted passengers. Interestingly in the locality everybody knew about their identity, but nobody dared to touch them. Girish Chandra took over the responsibility of Nabadwip, he came to know about a deadly robber, Vishwanath, he even met him once in a crowded street, but he waited to catch him red handed. Suddenly a news of robbery came to him, he even checked on Viswanath, but couldn't arrest Viswanath because nobody would give a testimony against him in the court. So Girish Chandra tried to trace the goods and finally found the secret connection betwen the robber and a trader. The trader used to sale the goods from robbery and shared the profit with Viswanath. Then he could arrest Viswanath and subsequently Viswanath was sentenced for deportation. The strength and spirit of Viswanath was so indomitable that during the course of journey from mainland through the sea, he with his few companions revolted and captured the ship. His ill luck, the ship had to confront a ship full of soldiers. Finally he and his mates had to sallow defeat and he was brought back arrested and finally hanged. The episode of tracing the goods on behalf of Girish Chandra shows a kind of enthusiastic common-sensical detection, but it was done in a time, where the police officials were not believed by the villagers to have a power to challenge the robbers. The official authority was like an intruding appendix into the power relationship of rural Bengal. It is more evidently clear, as Girish Chandra talked about the indigo planters. The authority of the planters were so strong, that within their area of operation, even the British administration virtually had no existence. Whatever might be the inside arrangement between the planters and the British government, Girish Chandra mentioned about his British superiors who were not happy with the immense power the planters used to enjoy, and wished to curb that as well. According to Girish Chandra, these planters were like powerful indigenous zamindars, who hated to allow any other authority within their territory. In Indigo Commission, Girish Chandra produced material evidence related to the physical tortures by planters, which was acknowledged by the newspaper Hindu Patriot. But he wrote in his account that the characters of these planters were shown in an inflated way in the shade of bad and evil, and he mentioned that there were positive side as well in them. He remembered in a tone of gratitude, that once a Daroga was tipped by a planter a thousand rupee note erroneously, and when he was communicated by that Daroga, the planter maintained that it had been the luck of the Daroga and he should keep it. In today's moral code, one can place this as an act of bribery, but for Girish Chandra it was not so bad of an act. It was like a tip or reward by the more powerful planter, to an insignificant Desi Daroga. Now we are in a position to trace the changing code of morality (e. g. the sensitivity to the act of bribery) in a transitional time, when centralised colonial governmental bodies of authority were still negotiating with the ruins of feudal power structure and a time later, when the centralisation was achieved to a colonised state structure. As Girish Chandra mentioned about the indigo planters, it seemed that, in his service period he rarely thought of a centralised state system, and to him the local power conscious planters were a day to day reality. We can position the various forceful acts of the planters on the farmers as 'crime', if only we have a picture of centralised authority in the mind. Otherwise, those forceful acts might be seen as aberrations of a power system. In this way, we might be prompted to find a relationship of the definition of 'crime' vis a vis the authority to act on it. The definition would change if the sovereignty and the penetration of the authority changes. A simple question can be asked here, whether the urban intelligentsia asked for greater centrality and authority of British rule in India, when they asked to eradicate the tyranny of the indigo planters? Girish Chandra also mentioned about a zamindar, who was notorious for numerous small scale wars and violent acts, as he maintained a hateful relationship with another zamindar from the same family. People used to call the zamindar as Ravan Rajaa. Girish Chandra described that while he tried to gather witnesses of violence, once he and his constables were cornered and almost faced death in the hands of private army of the zamindar. He only could take refuge inside the inner house where the maidens of that zamindar family used to live. He was assured by the mother of that zamindar and thus his life was spared. One of the curious piece in his books about the Bedias, the travelling gypsies who used to have a profession of stealing. He got hold of one Bedia, earned his confidence and got to know the elaborate process and detailed rituals associated with stealing. So in 'those days' of Girish Chandra, it was not so much a matter to know the criminal (because in most cases the criminals are caste based or at least known to local knowledge), the crucial workmanship of police personnel was called for to position and penetrate the authority of police as an agent of centralising colonial government in an unforthcoming society. Till next posting, Debkamal ------------------------------------------- 404 Vimla Vihar 8-49 Gautamnagar St no. 1 Dilsukhnagar, Hyderabad - 500060 India Phone - 9246363517 __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com From zzjamal at rediffmail.com Wed May 18 17:00:45 2005 From: zzjamal at rediffmail.com (Khalid) Date: 18 May 2005 11:30:45 -0000 Subject: [Reader-list] Fast food Chains: McD Dudes!! Message-ID: <20050518113045.26646.qmail@webmail8.rediffmail.com>   Hi all, I m almost finished with my Post Graduation (and my bank balance TOO..!!) And hence am able to spend a great deal of time with “Fellows” at fast food chains. Our discussions, as usual, starts with a lot of curls and curves, comes to our work and then to our employers. This time I deliberately chose to provoke questions pertaining to “work pressure” and the general dissatisfaction amongst employees across fast food joints. Following are some of the responses that came out as a result of my provocations. I must admit here that provoking is a real fun!! And a fine Art too, Especially if you are a researcher at Sarai. Its time for my next posting which also becomes the time to put all the fun I have had in writing. READ!!!! The McDonald’s Way. Move forward. Focus on what is best for the system. Contributions. Recognize individual and team achievements. Develop. Integrity and trust Open communications. Confront and resolve solutions. No losers. Aim for “win-win” situation. Actively Listen. Act the way you talk. Leverage diversity Debate for the benefit of customer and system. Deliver. All commitments. Support. Decisions 100% ------------------------------------- “Your Work is your choice, dude!!” I’ve been a McDonalds employee for almost 4 years now. 2 as crew 1 as a shift manager and now an assistant manager. Yes I work at McDonlads it has been my choice I choose to work there, I may not like it all the time but I could quit any time if I wanted to. I do empathize with a lot of the people here. I have employees that are the best I could possibly have and see them get treated like crap by our Owner/Operator and General Manager. I also have to deal with the employees that call me a f**king A*s when I asked them nicely to sweep (seriously I had someone say that to me) I've been crew and been crapped I've also been a manager and been crapped on. But I chose to stay for my own reasons. Like I said it is my choice, I could go down to some call center, Departmental store or some factory job and get paid maybe a little less, or maybe a little more, but I choose to stay. (Somedays I wounder why) But I still stay. I dont mind reading about peoples complaints because no matter where you work you will always have that one day were you just come home and rant. Every job has that. But if some one has found a job where they haven't had a day like that send me an application!! I just think everyone needs to chill out and realize that its just a work, a job and its your choice to work there. Have fun with it. I try to have fun with my employees we try to have fun and work at the same time sometimes it goes a little to far and I have to step in a little but 99.9 % of the times when there happy Im happy. And if you have a crankey manager just hit them over the head with the reality board a couple of times. I promise it won’t hurt them much. Have fun and have a great day at work. Bharat,McDonald’s. --------------------------------- "Its cool,man!!" I have been working there for roughly 1.5years. Here are the reasons why I have stayed there for so long, and will probably never leave for a while: * Managers treat you like they would treat their friends. They are very sociable, open people who are great to work with. I am not a lonely person who accepts anyone with open arms, I am a very social person myself and I can see how these Managers are a great asset to the store. * The condition of the store is second-to-none and the store looks like something you would see on a training video. * Management and Owners treat staff with the utmost respect with things like rostering, wages and training. No crew is treated differently from the other, whether full time or casual. * The "old school" crew who work there are never going to leave, because they have learnt that it is a good job. Up to 12 crew haven't left in the last 6 months. This is an obvious sign that this store is doing really well. Whether you are good or bad comes from the customer. It seriously comes from customer feedback. It's like everyday that a McDonald's restaurant has a new employee being trained, these employees get in shit for going too slow or doing everything wrong or not doing things that they weren't taught. Sure they make like millions of mistakes but that’s because they're learning, and what do customers do? They glare at the manager on duty and they get the crew person in shit. Sure it's not all customers but its most of them. I basically hate work only because of the way I get treated by the customers. I admit that I love working with the people I work with but not these Inspectors who expect everything to be perfect and dandy, they focus on customer satisfaction but not the satisfaction of their employees. Here's my point, the crew working in the service get in shit from customers, the back people get in shit from the service people for going too slow, the crew get in shit for arguing, then all of this leads to some of the employees abusing the work and the employer. I'm just gonna agree with people saying that you're not forced to be working for the company, you have a god damn choice! If I , being a woman, can travel for almost an hour by bus during this scorching heat to do the work that I do, why not others? The crux of the matter is: My work engages me and hence imlovinit!! And iminit!! Lubna khan,McDonald’s ------------------------------------------ "Think Business!!" I'm a college student, and I make overtime pay all the time, but only because I choose to work those hours. If someone is so stupid they stay with a job they hate, that's their problem. I was promoted because I care about the job I do. Managers at McDonalds do the same job as the crew. I was a crew person for 2years, and I was treated perfectly fine and paid more money than most professions that require the same skills. Why? BECAUSE I KNEW HOW TO DO MY JOB. Of course you won't be treated as well if you don't do your job right. Nobody likes that. I have news for you. If you work hard, your pay will reflect it. If you are lazy or stupid, or both, of course you will make low wages. I have more news for people who think our job is sad... THAT'S NOT MCDONALD'S PROBLEM! It is a business just like any other. I can tell you right now though, I probably make more money at McDonald's and get more benefits than you do at whatever the hell you choose to do, and this is just a job to get me through college. When things are slow, we may cut some labor and send someone home or when things are high we don’t hesitate to overstaff either, but basically, we have a lot of fun. Managers and crew laugh and make jokes constantly with each other and we all have a good time. Working at my store is more like getting paid for going out to club. Sure there is work involved, but hey, there's no reason you can't have fun. So, you must work for the shittiest McDonald's in the Nation, That, or you're just the shittiest employee and you don't know how to make your bosses laugh Sandeep, McDonald’s, Pursuing MBA Correspondence from IGNOU. He regularly sees McDonald’s website, likes McD TV ads. and dreams of going to Hamburger University to learn trade formally. ----------------------------------------- "Hey,you gotta test it!!" Hi, I will have been a McD's employee for 2 years next month. I think this has given adequate time for me to judge the good side and bad side. PROS: Money- working at McDonalds gives me the opportunity to earn money which means i don’t have to beg for money from family to go out on a week end at PVR or to buy clothes of my choice,like some of my friends do. People- I ve met lots of people at my store who i now consider to be close friends. these include managers and other crew. also, ifind managers at my store are very understanding about problems with scheduling, being late etc. i suppose im just lucky. Working conditions-I find that my store is a good, safe place to work. there are plenty of first-aid to go to if you injure yourself, if a piece of equipment beaks it will usually get fixed pretty soon afterwards. CONS: Scheduling- although managers are usually understanding when it comes to changing shifts, it doesn't stop the scedule being f*cked up. people get put down fo shifts they cant turn up for, people requesting days off months in advance and not getting them, people asking for shifts and not getting them, full timers getting part time hours and vice versa, sometimes at night you'll be lucky to have 3 crew and 2 managers on which isnt nearly enough. Customers- i dont think people realise that a mcdonalds extra value meal is NOT a culinary delicacy.....its fast food!!! We can’t get them meticulously prepared food with right amount of salt and pepper and sause all the time. Sometimes,our customers expect us to be their mothers!! McDonalds disciples- these are people who love their job...too much. they spend all their time in the store forsaking education and a social life for a good pay review. from these seeds unpopular managers do grow. it comes as no surprise that these people are unpopular manager's favourite crew members. Some managers- the minority of managers at my store think they are better than crew because of the type of shirt they wear. These are the type of managers who try to run a kitchen on a Saturday afternoon and fail miserably and blame it on the crew. Luckily, other managers put these ones in their place. Food- well, if you eat the same thing over and over in the same environment which is a strictly regulated work place , you too will be exhausted soon. Ahh well, I suppose that the cons outweigh the pros slightly. but still I love my work, basically because i have many good friends there and i know i am good at my job. Sandhya Sharma,McDonald’s --------------------------------------------------- Smile in the Golden Arches Apparently,”Lean Time is Clean Time”, at McDonald’s. However,”Smile” remains an integral part of the McD uniform. And You See It On Smiling Cashier : greeting in a “friendly” manner. Smiling manager: Making passes through the dining room on a regular basis, interacting with customers, raising a smile or two. Smiling customers: Hung on the wall (wall of fame!!) after being photographed during one of their parties at Mc D. Smiling Stars: McD employees being honored as Employee of the month, or Rising star, stamped on the wall with their pass port-size-smiling –face-snap. Smiling service guy: Looking directly into your eye and Offering you a Meal-solution; “Would you like some extra cheese with mustard ketchup, sir? “ And last and also the least Smiling interiors: With changed color, look and the “feel” inside the store, particularly emphasizing on “environmental graphics” and “warmer tones”. Wishing you Health,peace & happiness Khalid -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050518/9f071c5d/attachment.html From vivek at sarai.net Thu May 19 12:42:10 2005 From: vivek at sarai.net (Vivek Narayanan) Date: Thu, 19 May 2005 12:42:10 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Galloway and the Mother of All Invective Message-ID: <428C3C4A.5060306@sarai.net> While the US and British governments like to believe they have a common affinity against the rest of the world, there are some rather startling cultural differences between them... This article leaves me hoping (begging?) for some future confrontation between Laloo Yadav and Capitol Hill... V. Galloway and the mother of all invective http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/ 0,,1486417,00.html#article_continue Galloway and the mother of all invective Wednesday May 18, 2005 Guardian Whatever else you made of him, when it came to delivering sustained barrages of political invective, you had to salute his indefatigability. George Galloway stormed up to Capitol Hill yesterday morning for the confrontation of his career, firing scatter-shot insults at the senators who had accused him of profiting illegally from Iraqi oil sales. They were "neo-cons" and "Zionists" and a "pro-war lynch mob", he raged, who belonged to a "lickspittle Republican committee" that was engaged in creating "the mother of all smokescreens". Before the hearing began, the Respect MP for Bethnal Green and Bow even had some scorn left over to bestow generously upon the pro-war writer Christopher Hitchens. "You're a drink-soaked former Trotskyist popinjay," Mr Galloway in formed him. "Your hands are shaking. You badly need another drink," he added later, ignoring Mr Hitchens's questions and staring intently ahead. "And you're a drink-soaked ..." Eventually Mr Hitchens gave up. "You're a real thug, aren't you?" he hissed, stalking away. It was a hint of what was to come: not so much political theatre as political bloodsports - and with the senators, at least, it was Mr Galloway who emerged with the flesh between his teeth. "I know that standards have slipped in Washington in recent years, but for a lawyer, you're remarkably cavalier with any idea of justice," he told Norm Coleman, the Minnesota Republican who chairs the senate investigations committee, after taking his seat at the front of the high-ceilinged hearing room, and swearing an oath to tell the truth. "I'm here today, but last week you already found me guilty. You traduced my name around the world without ever having asked me a single question." The culture clash between Mr Galloway's bruising style and the soporific gentility of senate proceedings could hardly have been more pronounced, and drew audible gasps and laughs of disbelief from the audience. "I met Saddam Hussein exactly the same number of times as Donald Rumsfeld met him," Mr Galloway went on. "The difference is that Donald Rumsfeld met him to sell him guns, and to give him maps the better to target those guns." American reporters seemed as fascinated as the British media: at one point yesterday, before it was his turn to speak, Mr Galloway strode from the room, sending journalists of all nationalities rushing after him - only to discover that he was going to the lavatory. By condemning him in their report without interviewing him, the senators had already given Mr Galloway the upper hand. But not everything was in his favour. For a start, only two senators were present, sabotaging Mr Galloway's efforts to attack the whole lickspittle lot of them - and one of the two, the Democrat Carl Levin, had spent much of his opening statement attacking the hypocrisy of the US government in allegedly allowing American firms to benefit from Iraqi oil corruption. Even so, Mr Galloway was in his element, playing the role he relishes the most: the little guy squaring up for a fight with the establishment. For these purposes, Senator Coleman served symbolically to represent all the evil in the world - the entire Republican party, the conscience of George Bush, the US government and the British government, too: no wonder his weak smile looked so nauseous. "I gave my heart and soul to stop you committing the disaster that you did commit in invading Iraq ... senator, in everything I said about Iraq, I turned out to be right and you turned out to be wrong," Mr Galloway told him. And yet for all his anti-establishment credentials, Mr Galloway is as practised as any of his New Labour enemies at squirming away from awkward questions. Under scrutiny by Senator Levin, he deployed a classic example of the bait-and-switch technique that is the government minister's best defence in difficult questioning. But Mr Galloway Goes To Washington had never really been an exercise in clarifying the facts. It was an exercise in giving Norm Coleman, and, by extension, the Bush administration, a black eye - mere days after the bloody nose that the Respect MP took credit for having given Tony Blair. And it went as well as Mr Galloway could have wished. From lokesh at sarai.net Thu May 19 16:09:47 2005 From: lokesh at sarai.net (Lokesh) Date: Thu, 19 May 2005 16:09:47 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Cotina Radio:This is Akhtar talking Message-ID: <428C6CF3.7040806@sarai.net> dear All, Over the last 6 months i have being trying to understand the practices that surounds the world of `duplicate` goods and technologies. I am posting a text that came about from a series of conversation with Akhtar Ali one of the many `worker/artisan/imitator` that inhabits this social world. This is part of my longer project to look at `innovation` in the `jugaad` (improvised) practices. As usual, looking forward to comments and suggestions. cheers lokesh ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cotina Radio:This is Akhtar talking " I have passed all my life at Kotina. I used to tell my wife that if we have a son I will accommodate him somewhere here. After all at this threshold of forty it is difficult to look for work afresh." When he lost his job of a radio technician to which he had contributed the best years of his life it was hardly difficult to read the emotions chasing each other on his face and in his eyes. However, he kept talking in detail about the history of his technique, skill and pains enjoying his tea. I had a chance encounter in a Union office in the sprawling JJ colony in Seemapuri with him who had risen from being a mere helper to become a master. Akhtar who has crossed the 37th milestone of life stays along with his family in a Resettlement Colony at Seemapuri since 1967. When the hut of his father in Yamuna Bazar was razed Akhtar was hardly a year old. Speaking about this hoary tradition of levelling JJ in Delhi , mother of Akhtar Ali says," Government made us roofless with promises of a 22 sq.ft plot but brought us to this open ground out of the city and dumped us here. We had not been able ever to gather our things, even take down the boards for keeping the household utensils when they brought everything down. They loaded us in a tempo and dumped on this open ground in the evening. " Many families have spent the following 3-4 days in the open. Now-a-days this open ground is a sprawling JJ colony of old Seemapuri. Akhar has also a two-story house in the lane directly opposite the Jama Masjid, Seemapuri about 10-15 houses inside. He stays there along with his mother, wife, a daughter and the family of his younger brother. Hardly had he reached fourteen he thought of finding some work weighed down by the consideration of family responsibilities. In 1980-81 he came across a man at his Uncle's place where he occasionally visited. This man ran a small unit turning out 20-25 radio sets and send these for sale to the shop of his sister's husband at Kolkata. He purchased the spares from the Lajpatrai Market and himself did the assembly work. After completing one order and receiving payment for it alone that he took up another. Keeping constantly in touch with him Akhtar Ali resolved to take up the same work and started as an apprentice with him. The arrival of coloured TV and VCR in India was years' away then. The radio was becoming quite popular. There was a wide scope for radio marketing from villages to towns. Big brands like Philips and Murphy had a stranglehold over the market. However, their price bracket was quite high severelly delimiting its market. During the 80s the local manufacturing played a decisive role in taking the radio to all classes of people. During these days the learning of assembling opened employment avenues. A number of institutes big and small had come up for technical training from place to place. You could learn the assembly work either from any teacher or else at these institutes. Akhtar was hardly in a position to undergo a diploma course and had to make do with the /ustad. /This time it coincided with the hectic preparations which were going on in Delhi for the coming Asiad. Construction work was going on apace. This attracted workers from villages in the bordering States. Most of them came to settle down in JJ colonies This was the population which just for ensuring its cussed existence subsequently entered as cheap labour in the local manufacturing activities. From 1981-84 Akhtar kept learning the skills at the feet of Zulkarnain. Side by side he kept testing his skills on the nicities of production. In the meantime Zulkarnain who was expert in the most intricate details of production started visiting a local unit Kotina Electricals. The company offered Zulkarnain an opportunity to work with them. According to Akhtar they said," Come over and we will pay you handsomely." Zulkarnain-e-Ali started working with them in 1984. Since then he has been working there as n engineer. Neither is Kotina ready to leave him nor he Kotina. His income there is more than any worker or engineer. This Engineer No.I gives designs for all the new circuits coming to the unit. When a IC with a new value comes into the market he designs a circuit and runs the piece to test its output to find out which PF is needed and where, what is the resistance required etc. Sometime after joining Kotina he closed down his own unit and took up Akhtar on his bandwagon. Akhtar Ali started working on a piece-rate basis with Kotina Radio when Delhi was burning in the anti-Sikh riots consequent upon the assasination of Indira Gandhi in 1984. Kotina was neither an old or popular brand then. The owner had put it up in 1981-82. The owner lived in Shahdara area in a two room tenement with a tile roof along with his family. Upto 1983 Akhtar's employer carried the ready goods to Lajpatrai Market on a cycle. He turned out 25-30 sets a day and kept them in the market. The production has reached to a daily average of 50-60 sets by 1984. Initially he had an agreement with the shop there where he took all his goods. Towards the end of 1985 he himself hired a shop there. Sometime after this he went in for the boxes put up over the shops in the Lajpatrai Market purchasing one. However, this was brought down by government as an illegal construction. After that he hired another box from where he began marketing. However since the 80s a vast trasformation has come over in the stand of the Lajpatrai Market. Akhtar highlighted some tendencies revealed in these changes. The constant disturbance and the continuous changes straightway adversely affects the production. The need to go in for new forms of sets and its internal wiring is the outcome of this process. Secondly, even if their goods are sold at the Market they receive orders directly at the factory both from the city as well as outside. The customer asked for designs according to his requirements and the production proceeds accordingly. Out of station parties have to be despatched the goods in cartons of varying capacities and forward them so that their representative could collect them from the station. Thirdly, one can get not only readymade goods but also spare parts in the Lajpatrai Market. People purchase these spares, take them to their towns where they get these assembled and sell them. Most of the spares for Kotina come from Lajpatrai Market. Kotina has direct business relations with other parts of the city and other States with the shopkeepers who exhibit their wares and sell them to the consumers. Remembering his attraction for radio Akhtar says," I don't know who invented radio. When I came in this line they only knew that Philips and Murphy manufactures sets. We had seen only seen these which resembled big boxes one could see in shops these days. There were tubes inside. They were known as High Band.If you had an occasion to peep at the back of the TV you would have noticed that the picture tube is elongated towards the rear. The radio tubes were similar and a set contained 3-4 inch long 4 to 6 tubes. The battery system was not there in them at the time. ..When we started production these were small two-band radios--medium and short wave." In 1994 Philips and Japanese brands became 4-bands on introduction of FM. The local production of FM sets began in 1996 when we at the Kotina went in for it." Initially the output of stations in radio kept varying -sometime high ,sometimes low. It was necessary to change the band, adjust the setting of the anttenna suitably. Today all these things have been epitomised in the IC dispensation with anttena nor the constant shifting from here to there When Akhtar joined this work people had a liking for listening to radio news. Now-a-days it is the predelection for songs and new programmes on Radio Mirchi. The people in the rural area go in for BBC London news and Radio Ceylone. Akhtar says that the credit for expansion in the market for radios goes to these two channels. Kotina is comparatively in a better position now-a--days not only in market but in the local production and its sale. It is a well-known brand among consumers(especially the limited-income sector).It has a good market in different cities ,districts, small town to villages in Kolkata and UP regions. This industry launched with insufficient investment whose owner himself was a technician has not only held its own for the last 24 years but has also improved its returns. There are many aspects of this matter which helped this outcome. Referring to its staying power in market Akhtar says that Kotina is a good invesment when compared to its price and quality, almost able to hold its own against Philips. Whenever Philips marketed a new model the owner would get one. It was thoroughly analysed ,"We used to copy down its circuit on paper. After brining it on paper we used to copy the design on the wiring plate. After this a radio set was made using it and verify where any technical lapse has remained. Sometimes the lapse is in earthing . In the copying of the circuit some lines might have been drawn rather thin or thicker necesssitating its rejection. However , it has been observed that after slowly resetting it, it becomes quite regular. It is only then that it is put on the production belt. "Similar the radio comes in various sizes 9, 12 or 18 inches etc. There are differences on account of voltage and band. Radios with 4 1/2 and 6 volts are also made out. Similarly, in the beginning band radios were made. After FM came one more band was added to made it 3. Subsequently there was a further addition of 2 bands in FM, along with one additional band for TV. Now-a-days they come in 4 and 5 bands. Most of the technician work on piece-rate basis. Akhtar also worked on the same basis for over 18-19 years. When he started work the rate was Re.1.25 per wiring, it went by 10 paise in 1986 bringing it to Re.1.35.This prevailed for four years when in 1990 it rose marginally to Re.`1.50. The current rate ranges from Rs.3 to Rs.5, FM Rs.5, 2 band Rs.3. Except for packers, marketers and transports all other in the unit worked on the same i.e.piece rate basis. There are three grade in the manufacturing activities-wireman, fitter and tester. Secondly others who fashion the circuit design and do final checking. It is noteworthy that all the workers ,irrespective of the nature of their work got paid similarly i.e.Rs.3/-The maximum monthly emolument of packers, marketrs etc was Rs.4000/- per months, though in most cases it hovered between Rs.1200 to Rs.1500.However, the income of those working in any of the three grades on piece rate basis differed substantially from them, provided they got work. Actually the wireman who undertakes wiring and soldering of plates could turn out only 25 to 30 plates daily. In comparison the fitter could fit out 50 sets on an average per day. An engineer could easily carry out tuning and checking of 100 sets daily quite easily. Thus their daily income varied from Rs. 75, rs.150 and Rs.300. Akhtar Ali feels ," It is the wireman whose work is the most strenous.Sitting steady for hours with concentration can be most tiresome but fetches the lowest income." In such units there is a definite procedure of work, showing the division of labour quite clearly. However, the piece rate worker has to take many responsibilities . For example, should any lapse be revealed in a set during the final checking it has to be set right by that worker who has originally done the wiring. Generally the goods of two types may be referred back - one is due to internal lapse and another is setting right sets which have come back for replacement. As making good the lapse is the responsibility of the concerned worked but piece rate payment envisages there can be only a single payment once for working on a set, no separate or additional payment is made for the additional burden of setting the set right. However, where the daily production is of hundres of set and the wiremans and fitters may have different engineers how could it be possible to correlate a set to an specific individual? It is imperative to know this as in its absence how could it be possible to know who is an efficient worker and who is not? All the three -owner,engineer and technician --should know this. Consequently if a set comes back for some shortcoming to avoid that one has to slog for somebody elses's lapse he makes a sign on the back of the plate or put a cut on it with the soldering iron or else he may put up a different patch on it. This creats a distinct identity of the technician and the engineer and assists them in ensuring that they attend only to their own original work. It is noteworthy that this locally manufactured goods have different users who cannot afford to go in for branded radioes. The cheap sets are meant for them.Where a 4 1/2 band Philips radio sets is priced at Rs. 870/- and 6 volve at Rs.970/- the corresponding local set comes in a mere one to two hundred chips. Consequently it is necessary for the manufacturers to ensure that their investment is low and turnout is more For this purpose he has to watch the market response to new technique, new parts and their price.Akhtar says,"In Lajpat Rai market you could set with FM ,with TV et all can be had for Rs.100 on the footpath or the small side bazars What the local manufacturers do is put up a IC and the set starts working ,FM will operate.The Chinese ICs have all the functions in them." At this price not only the sellers but even the manufacturers can get a handsome margin.Even after defray all expences Akhtar's factory owners gets Rs. 50 per set..At present his daily turnout and sale is a thousand sets.Small shopkeepers who turn out sets with non-descript labels work on a lesser margin of Rs.20 to Rs. 25/-.For this purpose it is necessary that one should know everything about every ware offered in the market. Akhtar says, "Where one shopkeeper charges Re.1.50 for a spare part another offers it for Re.1.25 One has to find out what is the different between the two.Initially Kotina employed most of the spare parts of Philips make in its set. Slowly with the growing competetion it made some changes. Thus initially Philips made gang was fitted in its set which came for about Rs.13 .Now it is some duplicate resembling Philips gant and costs Rs.8.86. Now-a-days the demand for FM is so much that pelple fit even a gang worth Rs.4.70..Not that the spare parts have become cheaper but that their duplicates are coming in the market. Every original has its duplicate. Now even there is dupliate of the duplicate . "This variation in prices is quite important for both the local manufactures and sellers comparatievely reducing its dependence on big capital. Once its brand was established in the local market Kotina started supplying goods to various other places. There was keen competetion in the market.Many a cheap brands had established themselves in the market. In this contest everybody studies the market and resorts to marginal reduction in price.For covering this margin it also introduces some small change in its produce. As Akhtar says,"If any buyer asked for price reduction the owner would say that it is impossible to reduce it even by a couple of rupees. However, if you persist I would have bring out another edition. If the customer would nervously ask if he would change the produce the owner would reassure that it would not be so. He would just use a cheaper cover or body. However, these remained the same and the place inside was deprived of some paraphernalia which would affect the sound." Akhtar further adds, " This is imperative if one has to survive in competetion e.g. cut down the margin according to the demand necessitating the use of duplicate spares for original. If anybody shoots past would forge ahrea. Nobody would pick up the loser" When Akhtar started work there was an another company who brouht out radioes under the brand name Al Cone. There were yet other units also but Al Cone enjoyed quite a good market. It had a factory in Shahdara and also a shop in Lajpatrai Market. This was an established local brand of the time.Kotina had just started production and in order to established itself it took on the brand head on. For some time there was a keen competetion on price and quality in the market.During this period Al Cone discontinued production and started getting goods manufactured from other small-scale units, affixed the Al Cone sticker and market.Thus, the product was Al Cone only in name and the entire product came from outside. Now, Kotina expanded work in its unit, expanded the facory, brought out quality goods,increased work-strength and secured a strong presence in the market. Evidently there was keen price competetion in the market,especially when many units were presenting identical goods. Kotina faced the same experience. It is significant that when Kotina established its name in the market after taking into account the technical nicities of Philips new people were bound to jump into the market for competing with them. After all it is a matter of changing a single word.Akhtar tells, " One man named his produce Motina . It looked just like Kotina but the goods inside were all inferior. Now everybody does not peer at the name and takes it that it was Kotina. Similarly they just replaced the ' i ' in Philips with an' e '.and markets the goods by just changing one single word. Neither is this very difficult. Lajpatrai is a market where number plate of any type can be had. They would change any company's monogram just marginally enough as not to impinge on the customer's attention. Even if caught he would still insist that its produce is quite different. Our label is different. Our sound is different. This and that. Here he would emphasise these minor variations. " Something like this happened with Kotina also. The sale of Motina brand affected the sales of Kotina.He drove away the Motina brand goods from the market and also its factory workers. However, Akhtar pleads," But Montina was marketing goods under a different name." The age of Competetion will always rule in the market Akhtar after passing through all these problem picked up all the intricacies of a production unit and as always happenes also taught up some new unskilled recruits.Once he started work in Kotina he always continued to be there never even thinking of going elsewhere or started his own production.He started to work there as if the unit belonged to him. He never thought it important enough to think about the potential closing down or his being driven out. Suddenly... On 1st February 2002 Aljtar as usual reached the unit on his old co-travelled, the cycle, negotiating the lanes of Seemapuri, crossing busy thoroughfares. He god busy in work. He had no premonition that this would be an unforgettable day for him. He had a heart attack in the unit the same day. When the attack came on he was with his old tutor engineer with whom he had been associated as a help for the last one year trying to pick up some remnant pieces of skill. When this happened it was the last month of the period. Next he would started working as engineer in his own right.Akhtar sayss,"On the day the tutor had asked me to test the tuning of some sets and finalise them. This involved frequest going up and down I was on the occilator tuning . Suddeny there was a strange feeling in my chest as if somebody was bursting blows on me from behin. I started perspiring and lie down there itself on the slab. But the pain and panic kept increasing. The foreman Tipu and some other boys picked me up and carried me to a doctor." A heart attack when only just 35. He was in the hospital for a few days and then returned home. As there was even still no improvement the doctor advised him complete rest for three months. However, on account of the long-drawn out treatment as well as household expences only led to mounting debts. It was very difficult to carry on and he returned to work earlier. However, the owner asked him to work at home and not to come there.During this time the two candidates under training in the same unit would bring plates and carry back the wired plates. When there was some improvement in health after three months he went back to the factory . He would also bring some work at home and also taught the technique to his wife.His wife picked up the wiring work quite nicely. She would attend to the domestic work as also plate wiring. This went on. His wife says " I had began working as we had to repay the loans Now I feel that I was just sitting idly at home. Now I could bring in some income from this work.." After 2000 quite a change has come over in the atmosphere of the city. An exercise to make Paris of Delhi was under way. There was a vigorous drive for demolition of JJ colonies.Now after the 1996 orders of the Supreme Court closing down 168 bigger factories in 1996 the small-scale industries were now in the queue.There was an unsuccessful attempt in 2001 to shift the small-scale units to conforming zones.The legal action for relocation had begun. However, neither the owners nor the workers approved of going down to Bawana and Narela. Kotina Electronics had also the premonition of danger and in 2002.instead of going down to Bawan ,put up a Rs.3-crore plant in Tronika City in UP abutting on Delhi.A unit which had stated with marginal capital nearabout in 1982 had put up a 3-crore plant in 2002.Evidently, it was difficult to contine work during the process of shifting to a new place. They otherwise also felt that a transfer to Bawana was a losing proposition. Consequently, slowly within a year upto the middle of 2002 Kotina shifted all its activities to the Tronika City. The tecnnicians and workers were directly affected by this. By the end of 2003 all the piece rate workers had been removed including Akhar. For Akhtar already struck by the shifting this was unimaginable. He has this to say about the development," Now-a-days the owners are passing through this phase.Even those whose factory was shifted and others who had not joined this bandwagon. " The opinions of Akhtar Ali and his colleagues about this discharge from the factories and shifting of the units are quite interesting.They feel that this is a diplomatic action of the government . It wanted to shift the factories to such places where it could keep a complete track of its activities and income. Factories in residential areas only declae half of its income to government e.g against a production of 100 units only 50 are declared. It is noteworty that Kotna has not totally cut off work at the original place.However, both its nature and volume has undergone changes. Only a couple o engineers and some boys are working there. The wiring is got done from outside against orders as they were entrusting to Akhtar Ali at home. The unit only attends to fitting and testing whereupon the goods are packed and despatched out. Consequently, two changes could clearly be observed in the Tronika City plant. For one out of the 40-45 orignal workers less than half have remained there. They have mostly been replaced by young girls. The other is a transormation in technique. .Earlier the soldering work was done manually . There is a machine for this in the Tronika City. Akthar remarks, "Soldering machine has taken away employment of many workers." For workers living in Seemapuri and the trans-Yamuna region may not find it difficult as well as uneconomical to travel to Tronika City for work. Akhtar feels,"This is a winning situation for the ownes. He had to pay from 75 to Rs.300 from wireman to engineer daily. He now employs girls there who are paid Rs.1000 to Rs.2000 per month. Thus even after paying Rs.50 per day he saves Rs.25/-. " In new units all the girls are assembled at one place ,given plates for wiring. On a average a girls wires almost 50 plates per day.After this the soldering is got done mechanically. There is the engineer there for the testing and checking work. Akhar says, " Even at the rate of Rs.3 per day he is paying at the minimum Rs. 100 less.At the rates prevailing in the old units he would have had to pay more." Akhtar feels that besides these transformations in the techniques and mehods of radio production there could be some other reasons behind the removal of him and his colleagues.It could be some demands which they had put before the owner, though till then they were not members of any Mazdoor Union.Even then they had three demands. One was of water The factory was on the upper floor and the ground floor was the residence of the owner. There was no separate arangements for the factory workers for drinking water. Akhtar says, " Water was quite a problem during summer.We asked him to entrust the work of providing water to any salaried employees. However , he paid no attention to this request." Anothr was for increasing the piece rate. He has been paying the Re.3 rate for quite some time whereas the market rate was Rs.5. Third related to time. If a large order was received the technicians had to work da y and night for which no allowance for food etc. was available. While on duty they had to spend from their own pockets for food. In addition they had also asked for Fund and Bonus. Most of the workers would prevail upon Akhtar to take up the matter with the owner.," You are an old hand .You talk to him." Perhaps they felt that the owner would not avoid a request from an old worker. However, shortly after this the owner had told them that ince factories were being shifted they better find out some alternative work. However, Akhtar Ali who had already lost his job decided to approach the Union against this decision.I came across him in the Union office. His case against the forcible removal is going on in the Labour Court. After all this long voyage from Radio Ceylone to Radio Marchi it was just possible that with the experience of 20 years and armed with all the intricies of radio work he would have started his own business with a small capitaal. During the couple of initial meetings with him I had a feeling that sooner or later he would think over the matter.Akhtar did think but quite differently which was rather disturbing for me after knowing his odyssy of life. When I asked him he says, "I would do radio work only if I get work at Kotina . Otherwise whatever I would do quite away from this line. Even now he has not finally decided what he has to do for his future. According to him the radio is no more as paying as is necessary for the present times. For bringing out a radio using new spare requires immence capital. It could be around five lakhs according to his estimate Akhar Ali who had devoted the best years of his life on radio technique new a days runs,hold your heart, a fruit juice handcart in Semapuri for meeting his household expences and defraying the court expenses. (translated by Subhash Gatadey ) From competition at viper.ch Thu May 19 16:44:14 2005 From: competition at viper.ch (VIPER International Competition) Date: Thu, 19 May 2005 13:14:14 +0200 Subject: [Reader-list] VIPER International Call for Entries 2005 Message-ID: ------------------------------------------------- VIPER INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION 2005 CALL FOR ENTRIES ------------------------------------------------- VIPER INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL FOR FILM VIDEO AND NEW MEDIA 17 - 21 NOVEMBER 2005 ------------------------------------------------- PLEASE NOTE Deadline: May 31, 2005 (date of the official postal stamp) Due to the large amount of submissions the deadline will not be extended. [Works and projects that are not ready by the closing date for entries can be entered in the form of indicative documentation material or as a concept description] Awards: CHF 10.000 in each category & Swiss Award (CHF 10.000) Acceptance decision: July 2005 Master Setting due: October 1, 2005 Festival dates: November 17 - 21, 2005 SUBMISSION GUIDELINES Entry is free of charge. Regulations, registration form, and further information: http://competition2005.viper.ch/ Participants are asked to: 1_fill out the online-registration 2_send a signed print-out of the online registration form along with the entry material. ------------------------------------------------- VIPER is one of the major European film, video and new media festivals. It offers a highly-regarded platform for presenting innovative works and projects attracting Swiss and international filmmakers and producers, artists, curators, critics and purveyors of ideas from the media, research and politics. In addition VIPER's International Forum provides an up-to-date podium for presenting and discussing forward-looking positions, models and scenarios - a Think-and-Do-Tank for 21st century media, culture and society. ------------------------------------------------- VIPER INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION 2005 The Call for the renowned VIPER International Competition has been launched with revised categories since 2003, considering the entire spectrum of expression forms of the digital formats. At the same time a unique forum for more and more extensive cross-media and innovative projects has been established going beyond established generic boundaries. A renowned international jury selects from the submissions the winners of the awards in each category. Irrespective of the category the best Swiss work will receive the SWISS AWARD. Selected works and projects will be presented during the festival. --------------- CATEGORIES ---------------- IMAGINATION is open to works and projects dealing with traditional and future forms of the moving image. Possible submissions include analogue and digital films/videos, experimental films (including sound/video), 2D and 3D animations, extended forms of traditional cinema, linear and non-linear narrative image sequences, mobile and innovative screen formats, split- and/or multiple-screen arrangements. They may be complemented by modes of individual and collective interaction if wished. PROCESSING is open to works and projects that are characterised by processes and live elements. Installations or systems can be submitted that are devised to involve a local situation and/or an audience actively, thus emphasising the ability to interact and improvise when handling digital information systems. This includes performances, immersive and hybrid (real/virtual) environments, 'play- and social software' applications, 'smart objects', intelligent and ambient systems as well as interface and interaction design. TRANSPOSITION is open to works and projects emphasising acting and communicating within technologically defined networks. Applications, prototypes and concepts can be submitted that use or specifically apply network architecture that functions independently of time and place. This includes for example location-related and distributed systems (LAN/WAN/WIFI etc.), mobile computing, UMTS and GPS applications, infra-red and Bluetooth connections. The key feature in each case is an unusual and/or experimental use of technologically defined network topographies. VIPER is looking forward to receiving exciting, ambitious and innovative works and projects! VIPER | International Competition 2005 PO Box CH-4002 Basel Switzerland T: +41.61.283 27 00 F: +41.61.283 27 05 E: competition at viper.ch W: http://competition2005.viper.ch/ From cahen.x at levels9.com Thu May 19 19:43:05 2005 From: cahen.x at levels9.com (xavier cahen) Date: Thu, 19 May 2005 16:13:05 +0200 Subject: [Reader-list] pourinfos letter / 05-16 to 05-19-2005 Message-ID: <00e301c55c7c$e08108a0$0501a8c0@acerkxw6rbeu2s> pourinfos.org l'actualité du monde de l'art / daily Art news ----------------------------------------------------------------------- infos from May 17, mai, 2005 to May 19, 2005 (included) ------------------------------------------------------------------- (mostly in french) ------------------------------------------------------------------- 01 Call : Margaret Mead Film & Video Festival, New York, USA. http://pourinfos.org/candidature/item.php?id=1586 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 02 Call : Gangart Awards 2005, Sydney, Australia. http://pourinfos.org/candidature/item.php?id=1585 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 03 Job : Curator New Media, FACT, Liverpool, United Kigdom. http://pourinfos.org/emploi/item.php?id=1584 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 04 Formation : Day of formation in Pure Dated + sensors and networks Saint Ouen, France. http://pourinfos.org/emploi/item.php?id=1583 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 05 Formation : Day of formation in Pure Dated and the sound, Saint Ouen, France. http://pourinfos.org/emploi/item.php?id=1582 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 06 Publication : JHON n°9, The bimestrial portfolio, Special Chaumont, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/publications/item.php?id=1581 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 07 Publication : Scientific researchers and artists, a culture of the life, Etienne Magnien, Éditions Complicités, France. http://pourinfos.org/publications/item.php?id=1580 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 08 Various : French song in Sorbonne, Sorbonne University, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/divers/item.php?id=1579 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 09 Meeting : Electronic territories, Aix in Provence, Aix en provence, France. http://pourinfos.org/rencontres/item.php?id=1578 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 10 Meeting : 3th meetings of the electronic review, Point Ephémère, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/rencontres/item.php?id=1577 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 11 Exhibition : "Translation", Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1576 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 12 Exhibition : 4X4, Open doors, Opening of the new space, Alaplage, Toulouse, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1574 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 13 Exhibition : Open studio at Ensba, Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux Arts de Paris, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1573 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 14 Exhibition : Open studio, Oblik Association, Clichy, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1575 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 15 Call : InterCulture Call for Papers, Tallahassee, Florida, USA. http://pourinfos.org/participation/item.php?id=1572 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 16 Call : The second edition of EuropeanArtStudents'DigitalWorksExhibition , Ljubljana, Slovenia. http://pourinfos.org/candidature/item.php?id=1571 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 17 Job : LE FRAC looking for an Régisseur Adjoint, Orleans, France. http://pourinfos.org/emploi/item.php?id=1570 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 18 Meeting : Maurice Lemaître, Experimental Paris Editions, Bookshop Cine-reflection, France. http://pourinfos.org/rencontres/item.php?id=1569 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 19 Exhibition : 50 years of printing works, Alechinsky, Mandet Museum, Riom, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1568 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 20 Exhibition : " Daisy Cutter " Pierre Petit, lagalerie, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1567 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 21 Exhibition : "À TABLE" in the Castle of Chamarande, Chamarande, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1566 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 22 Various : Lignes de Fuite #2, in/out danced space, national Scene of Saint-Quentin in Yvelines, France. http://pourinfos.org/divers/item.php?id=1565 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 23 Call : Contest of design and creation, bird mangers, Royal Castle of Quierzy, Choisy-le-Roi, France. http://pourinfos.org/candidature/item.php?id=1564 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 24 Job : visual arts teaching, Notre Dame de la Providence college, Thionville, France. http://pourinfos.org/emploi/item.php?id=1563 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 25 Meeting : PixelACHE 05, Mains d'Oeuvres, Saint-Ouen , France. http://pourinfos.org/rencontres/item.php?id=1562 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 26 Meeting : Conference: When there is drawing? Abbey of Maubuisson, Saint-Ouen-l’Aumône, France. http://pourinfos.org/rencontres/item.php?id=1561 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 27 Meeting : presentation of the 8th edition of Contemporary art Biennial of Lyon 2005, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/rencontres/item.php?id=1560 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 28 Meeting : "Art, Cynicism and democracy", Manif d'art 3, Biennial of Quebec, Quebec, Canada. http://pourinfos.org/rencontres/item.php?id=1559 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 29 Exhibition : artists Open studio on 14 th arrondissement, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1558 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 30 Exhibition : the fundamental practice, New Zealand pavillon, 51st edition of the Venice Biennale 2005, Italy. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1557 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 31 Exhibition : Hans Schabus, Austria pavillon, 51st edition of the Venice Biennale 2005, Italy. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1556 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 32 Exhibition : In Absentia, Passerelle Art Center, Brest, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1555 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 33 Exhibition : "OASIS Project", coreen group, Alternation 2119, Paris France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1554 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 34 Exhibition : Jochen Lempert, cafe au lit, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1553 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 35 Exhibition : SpherAleas, ECM des Carres at Annecy, Annecy, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1552 From abhayraj at nls.ac.in Fri May 20 03:55:37 2005 From: abhayraj at nls.ac.in (Abhayraj Naik) Date: Fri, 20 May 2005 03:55:37 +0530 (IST) Subject: [Reader-list] Quirk - Literary Magazine May-June Submission Call Message-ID: <1308.219.64.187.3.1116541537.squirrel@219.64.187.3> apologies for cross-posting please do circulate in interested channels. Hi people, here's a reminder about the call for submissions for Quirk's May-June edition - we're closing submissions for the coming edition latest by 22nd evening, so dash of your contributions asap. If you havent checked out the March-April 2005 Quirk edition already, do visit www.quirk.in (our slowly but surely evolving web presence) or get your hands on one of our elusive print copies. The Third Quirk Edition: May-June 2005 Featured Theme Contributions: 'The Artist and the Critic' Also Looking For: Poetry, Short Stories, Articles, Opinions, Reviews, Visual Art, Cartoons, Cool Quizzes, Puzzles, Wacky Undefinable Submissions, and So On.... Think Big, Think Different. Anything That’s Good and Fits our Quirky Quality Standards - We're Good to Publish. No Restrictions on Length, Content or Style. Email: quirk at nls.ac.in Or Write In: Abhayraj Naik, The Quirk Team, National Law School of India University, PO Bag 7201, National Law School of India University, Bangalore – 560072, India. Deadline (for consideration for the May-June edition): 22nd May 2005 (approx 8 P.M. IST) feedback, suggestions, advice and brickbats always welcome. email us at quirk at nls.ac.in Regards -- Abhayraj Naik From eddiefraenkel at yahoo.com.br Thu May 19 19:18:13 2005 From: eddiefraenkel at yahoo.com.br (Erika Fraenkel) Date: Thu, 19 May 2005 10:48:13 -0300 (ART) Subject: [Reader-list] prog:ME - call for entries Message-ID: <20050519134813.36131.qmail@web32805.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Please divulge it! prog:ME (programa de mída eletronica) is the 1st Festival of Electronic Media of Rio de Janeiro which will be an annual event in the city. Organized by Carlo Sansolo and Érika Fraenkel, the festival will take place on the 19th July until the 18th September 2005 in the Centro Cultural Telemar, in Rio de Janeiro-RJ, with 30.000 reais in prizes (approximately $11,000 US). The deadline for application is 15th of June of 2005. To apply please go to www.progme.org . The event hopes to contribute to the stimulation of national production by highlighting new and established artists who develop works of art and technology, domestically and internationally. Running parallel to this is a program of invited foreign curators who will introduce artists of video-art from around the globe. In this festival we'll be inviting submissions for net-art, interactive cd-roms and dvds, and video-art works; we'll also exhibit performance and urban intervention pieces using electronic media. There will be talks with theorists in electronic arts; workshops; electronic music shows with DJs/VJs and talks with selected artists who will be presenting their works. There will be 10 prizes of 3000 reais each, five destined for national artists and five for international artists, distributed in the categories of net-art, interactive cd-rom/dvd and video-art. All the participants will receive a catalogue, the catalogue will information will be also at this web site, and it will feature more Data regarding every work and every artist. All the net art works will be also available from the web site through links and we intend to keep all this info and the works as an on-line catalogue. All the activities, and the programme will be published on this site so you can have follow what is going on. Any queries about the event please send an email to info at progme.org ",0]);D(["mi",2,2,"103e6e8ad1aa2de9",0,"0","Genco Gulan","Genco","gencogulan at yahoo.com","me","May 16 (3 days ago)",["carlo sansolo "],[],[],[],"May 16, 2005 4:08 PM","Re: Genco - prog:ME - call for entries","thanks carlo, yes i will forward your call. best, genco. sansolo wrote:"]);//-->register all the activities developed on the event, all this information will be also at this web site, and it will feature more Data regarding every work and every artist. All the net art works will be also available from the web site through links and we intend to keep all this info and the works as an on-line catalogue. All the activities, and the programme will be published on this site so you can have follow what is going on. Any queries about the event please send an email to info at progme.org --------------------------------- Yahoo! Mail: agora com 1GB de espaço grátis. Abra sua conta! -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050519/89257e59/attachment.html From isast at leonardo.info Thu May 19 23:57:49 2005 From: isast at leonardo.info (Leonardo/ISAST) Date: Thu, 19 May 2005 11:27:49 -0700 Subject: [Reader-list] [Announcements] Michele Emmer book signing party - MSRI, Berkeley, CA Message-ID: <20050519182815.D90CC28D8BE@mail.sarai.net> LEONARDO/ISAST AND THE MIT PRESS ANNOUNCE A book signing party to celebrate the release of: The Visual Mind II, edited by Michele Emmer Join Michele Emmer and Leonardo/ISAST 6 June 2005, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute 2850 Telegraph Avenue, 6th floor Berkeley, CA 94705, U.S.A. (For directions, see http://www.msri.org/tempsite/tempdirections) The Visual Mind II The MIT Press A Leonardo Book ISBN: 0-262-05076-5 712 pp., 400 illus Mathematical forms rendered visually can give aesthetic pleasure; certain works of art --Max Bill's Moebius band sculpture, for example -- can seem to be mathematics made visible. This collection of essays by artists and mathematicians continues the discussion of the connections between art and mathematics begun in the widely read first volume of The Visual Mind in 1993. Mathematicians throughout history have created shapes, forms, and relationships, and some of these can be expressed visually. Computer technology allows us to visualize mathematical forms and relationships in new detail using, among other techniques, 3D modeling and animation. The Visual Mind proposes to compare the visual ideas of artists and mathematicians -- not to collect abstract thoughts on a general theme, but to allow one point of view to encounter another. The contributors, who include art historian Linda Dalrymple Henderson and filmmaker Peter Greenaway, examine mathematics and aesthetics; geometry and art; mathematics and art; geometry, computer graphics, and art; and visualization and cinema. They discuss such topics as aesthetics for computers, the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, cubism and relativity in twentieth-century art, the aesthetic value of optimal geometry, and mathematics and cinema. See http://lbs.mit.edu for more information about The Visual Mind II and about the other books in the Leonardo Book Series. Member Discount! Leonardo/ISAST Associate Members are eligible for 20% off all Leonardo Book Series titles and also receive a number of other membership benefits! See http://Leonardo.info/members.html for more details. _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From zulfisindh at yahoo.com Thu May 19 14:51:37 2005 From: zulfisindh at yahoo.com (Zulfiqar Shah) Date: Thu, 19 May 2005 02:21:37 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] End of the IRA? Message-ID: <20050519092137.22827.qmail@web30705.mail.mud.yahoo.com> End of the IRA? Robin Wilson Five fearless, grieving sisters may break the back of Europe�s most successful militant movement, writes Robin Wilson in Northern Ireland The Irish novelist John Banville once reviewed a book of short stories by Gerry Adams for the Irish Times. They contained, he wrote, the sentimentality of every totalitarian. Gerry Adams and his comrade-in-arms Martin McGuinness run the �Republican movement�� the Irish Republican Army [IRA] and its electoral arm Sinn F�in � as a Leninist, politico-military machine. They emerged in the early 1970s in Belfast and Derry respectively, in the wake of the collapse of the one-party Unionist ancien regime [itself a polity foreign to democratic norms] and a Republican split between �Officials� and �Provisionals�. Adams and McGuinness, leaders of the majority �Provisional� wing, have dominated the movement for decades. As the not unsympathetic observer Kevin Toolis put it [Times, 5 March 2003]: �Sinn Fein is a democratic party in the same way as the �democratic centralist� communist parties of the Eastern bloc were democratic. Adams and McGuinness are part of the same tiny hermetic leadership elite that has ruled the IRA since the early 1970s. They fire and call the shots.� Individually, they have been linked to some of the most ruthless killings of the Northern Ireland �troubles�. In his authoritative A Secret History of the IRA, Ed Moloney claims that Adams set up two secret cells to carry out special operations on behalf of the IRA�s Belfast brigade. One of these units was responsible for the �disappearing� in 1972 of Jean McConville, a mother of ten from the city�s Divis Flats. McConville, whom the IRA decided was an informer, was taken to a beach on the southern, Republic of Ireland side of the border, shot in the back of the head and buried in a shallow grave. Her remains were discovered recently by accident. Moloney reports that it would be inconceivable that the order for this killing would not have been given without Adams�s knowledge � if he did not issue it himself. According to Moloney, McGuinness was �northern commander� of the IRA in 1990 when command staff won the approval of its executive body, the �army council� [which he chaired and on which Adams sat], for the use of the �human bomb� tactic. While his family was held hostage, Patsy Gillespie of Derry was forced to drive a car loaded with 500 kilogrammes of explosives to a border checkpoint, where the bomb was detonated by remote control. Gillespie and five soldiers were blown to pieces. For Adams and McGuinness, politics was an extension of militarism. Just as the ideologues in the Soviet east realised that appropriating the language of �peace� could win them well-meaning, if na�ve, allies in the west during the cold war, the two Republican leaders developed a �peace strategy� which they have purveyed to a wider public since the early 1990s. Many believed, as many had hoped of Leninist apparatchiks, that engagement would lead them to adopting democratic norms. �Useful idiots�, as Lenin is supposed to have said. Enter the McCartney sisters The strategy served Adams and McGuinness well, bringing them electoral rewards, political office in Northern Ireland�s devolved government [now suspended], and the appearance of respectability [a welcome by leaders in Washington and London]. Now, at last, it is all threatening to blow apart � and, in a delicious irony, from inside their own �community�. A huge, �26.5 million raid on the Northern Bank on 21 December 2004, almost certainly the work of the IRA, had already put the movement�s refusal to renounce violence and criminality under the spotlight. With it, the hope that a Gramscian transformismo would neuter Provisionalism finally ran into the sand. But the dam truly broke in the aftermath of a chilling incident the following month, when IRA members in a Belfast bar brutally murdered Robert McCartney]. His neck slit and his stomach opened, McCartney was left [with a friend who luckily survived] to bleed to death in the street, while IRA members inside intimidated some seventy witnesses and forensically cleaned the premises. For thirty years the leadership of the IRA has managed to withstand everything � from internment without trial to Bloody Sunday to the blandishments of Tony Blair � the British state has thrown at it. Now, a vigorous campaign for justice by a group of five women from a tiny Catholic ghetto in east Belfast, Robert McCartney�s sisters, has the seven men of the IRA army council running around like headless chickens. In a second wonderful irony, their leading member Paula McCartney is a women�s studies student. In a metaphorical sense, it is like the falling of the Berlin wall, when all the old political strategies became redundant overnight and the exponents of �newspeak� start to look shabby and discredited. Yet Blair [something of an expert in newspeak himself] continues to engage with Adams and McGuinness, via his private emissary Jonathan Powell, as if nothing had happened. The government in Dublin, especially the justice minister Michael McDowell, has adopted a much stiffer, don�t-call-us-we�ll-call-you, stance. The Republican leaders, previously feted as peacemakers and statesmen, are finding doors slamming in their faces in Washington, even amidst the St Patrick�s Day schmaltz and shamrockry. The hitherto Sinn F�in-friendly Guardian has scuttled sharply away from its fellow-travelling op-ed pages; the Boston Globe has compared the IRA to the Mafia; and the Republicans� strongest Congressional supporters, Peter King and Edward Kennedy, have advocated the IRA�s disbandment. In a third spectacular irony, it is the McCartney sisters [Paula, Catherine, Gemma, Claire and Donna], as well as Robert McCartney�s fianc�e Bridgeen Hagans who are being welcomed to the White House while Adams is frozen out. The British prime minister has meanwhile infuriated Sinn F�in�s main competitor for the Catholic vote in Northern Ireland, the Social Democratic and Labour Party�s Mark Durkan, by observing on more than one occasion that his party�s trouble is that it doesn�t have any guns. By falling into the trap of cultivating what the ethnic-conflict expert Donald Horowitz calls an �auction mentality�, Blair�s amoral offers of sequential concessions to the highest bidder has emboldened not only Adams but still more that old Protestant reactionary warhorse, Ian Paisley. Tony Blair may have felt �the hand of history� on him when he presided over the historic Belfast agreement in 1998. But he has shown no awareness of the polarising pitfalls [following Lloyd George�s Irish practice] of speaking out of both sides of his mouth. Tragically, in physical terms, Northern Ireland does not now have just one Antifaschistischer Schutzwall: it has thirty-seven �peace walls� or similar barriers at Catholic-Protestant interfaces. But what has really caught the attention of the international media, otherwise bored with a repetitive sectarian story, has been the way the McCartney sisters� simple clarion-call for justice has cut through all the ideological obfuscations [a French journalist friend once likened talking to Adams with interviewing the Vietnamese war hero General Giap, with his langue du bois]. Now a rattled McGuinness has warned the sisters against engaging in party politics [there have been suggestions they might stand against Sinn F�in candidates], reflecting his own monopolistic conception of it. The sisters want to be sure that witnesses to their brother�s murder can, without the widespread intimidation that has occurred since, go to the police and give their evidence in court. Paramilitaries, by contrast, see themselves as judge, jury and executioner � as revealed by the decidedly Orwellian five-hour exchange between IRA representatives and the McCartney sisters in which the former, magnanimously as they appear to have thought, suggested they would kill the killers. The Republicans� refusal to endorse the reformed Police Service of Northern Ireland � ironically, the only post-agreement institution left unshaken - meanwhile looks increasingly synthetic. Northern Ireland�s devolved institutions are not going to be restored any time soon to a society more bitterly divided than ever. But there can no longer be an acceptance that its citizens � British or Irish by choice � should suffer a lesser right to justice by virtue simply of living there. The days when a Northern Ireland secretary [Mo Mowlam] could dismiss the IRA killing of a Catholic civilian as �internal housekeeping� must surely now be over. Source: Open Democracy --------------------------------- Discover Yahoo! Use Yahoo! to plan a weekend, have fun online & more. Check it out! -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050519/a913c243/attachment.html From zulfisindh at yahoo.com Thu May 19 15:15:21 2005 From: zulfisindh at yahoo.com (Zulfiqar Shah) Date: Thu, 19 May 2005 02:45:21 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] =?iso-8859-1?q?How_to_free_hostages=3A_war=2C_nego?= =?iso-8859-1?q?tiation=2C_or_law=96enforcement=3F?= Message-ID: <20050519094521.3450.qmail@web30707.mail.mud.yahoo.com> How to free hostages: war, negotiation, or law�enforcement? Mary Kaldor The seizure, and sometimes killing, of civilian hostages is not random violence but part of a deliberate strategy that is changing the relationship between war and politics, says Mary Kaldor. How should citizens, and their governments, respond The eruption of hostage�taking onto the agenda of international politics and the lives of ordinary citizens worldwide � both those directly affected and those consuming the phenomenon via the media spectacle � is not itself new. But while past incidents like the 444�day United States embassy crisis in Iran from 1979�80 and the seizure of westerners in Lebanon in the 1980s could be understood as particular outgrowths of defined security crises, hostage�taking in the era of �war on terror� has acquired new and more disturbing aspects that reflect the changing relationship between war and politics. Chechnya and Iraq reveal this new reality at its most brutal. The siege at Beslan, North Ossetia was only the latest in a tragic series (Budyonnovsk 1995, Moscow 2002), while the proliferating kidnappings of foreign personnel (journalists, aid workers, contract employees) in Iraq suggest a pattern of behaviour that reflects not just the agency of individual radical groups but a deeper political and even moral disorder in which all those who witness it are at some level implicated. To understand what is happening, and how we � citizens, governments, families, NGOs, media observers � can best respond to hostage�taking requires an assessment both of the difference between �old� and �new� wars and of the main existing strategies used by states in the light of �best practice� in the field. A rose in the black garden I remember visiting Baku, Azerbaijan, as part of a Helsinki Citizens Assembly delegation, in the middle of its war with Armenia over the status of the disputed territory of Nagorno�Karabakh in 1992. A Russian builder approached us and asked if we could help find his son who had been taken hostage in Armenia. We travelled with him to the border and spoke to the local authorities. They told us that the builder�s son had been taken hostage by a family in Armenia, who refused to release him until their own son � who had been taken hostage in Azerbaijan � was released; indeed they described a long chain of hostage�taking. They suggested we talk to a former KGB agent on the other, Armenian side of the border. We negotiated a temporary ceasefire so we could cross the border; our Armenian and Azeri interlocutors knew each other well from before the war and seemed bewildered by what was happening. When we arrived on the other side we were greeted by the KGB agent, wearing military fatigues and Rayban sunglasses with a silver cross round his neck. We exchanged the names of the missing young men. This particular story had a happy ending. The Helsinki Citizens Assembly committees in both Azerbaijan and Armenia were able to use the information we had collected to put pressure on the authorities on both sides; on 12 May 1994, hundreds of hostages were released in the border area where we had crossed. But in other wars, the hostages are not lucky. At best, they are ransomed for money, weapons or even dead bodies. But they are also dragooned into fighting, raped or mutilated, kept in captivity for years, or are killed in often macabre ways. A third way of war� Contemporary wars are quite different both from the classic wars of the past where soldiers fought against fellow�soldiers, and even from the more recent �small wars� where the adversaries are at least recognisable combatants, like guerrillas or paramilitary units. In this new form of warfare, battles are rare, most violence is inflicted against civilians, and the distinction between war itself, organised crime, and violations of human rights is increasingly blurred. These wars are transforming the relationship between politics and violence: rather than politics being pursued through violent means, violence becomes politics. It is not conflict that leads to war but war itself that creates conflict. The insurgent or terrorist combatants try to establish political control by killing or intimidating those who are �different� � politically, ethnically, religiously. This generates fear and hatred among all the social groups involved. Population displacement, mass rape, the destruction of historic buildings and symbols, are not side�effects of war � they are part of a deliberate strategy. Actions of spectacular violence � beheading, the chopping off of limbs, the destruction of 16th century mosques (as in Banja Luka, Bosnia) or of Buddhist statues (as in Bamiyan, Afghanistan) � are designed to highlight and give reality to the idea of holy war, an epic struggle between good and evil. These wars are usually fought in what have become known as �failing� or �failed� states. In the absence of tax revenue or state sponsors from abroad, finance for these wars is raised through violence � looting, pillage, �taxation� at checkpoints, illegal trading. Many commentators argue that this abnormal political economy becomes a self�sustaining system and a motive for continued violence. Chechnya and Iraq offer current examples of how in practice, politics and economics become blurred in these new wars. In Chechnya, Russian generals buy oil drilled by Chechen warlords from backyard oil wells, and sell their own higher�quality oil for a profit on the open market. In Iraq (as in former Yugoslavia) hundreds of criminals released from prison use the cover of war to continue criminal activities which they can now justify in political terms. At the same time, political militants, former regime officials or religious fanatics, become involved in crime to finance their activities. Failed states are often former authoritarian states, where the shadowy activities of former political leaders and officials have come to the light, but without a political transition that allows the society as a whole to establish security and come to terms with past violations. Hostage�taking is a typical expression of this blurring of the political and economic. Much of it is undertaken for profit. Many family members of the Iraqi elite have been taken hostage for ransom. The Italian government reportedly paid $1 million for the freeing of two Italian aid workers, Simona Parretta and Simona Pari. Sometimes hostage�taking is motivated by political instrumentality � to get prisoners or other hostages freed. In the case of the French journalists, Georges Malbrunot and Christian Chesnot, it seems that the goal was better media coverage for the insurgency. The status of the journalists has reportedly been changed � in an echo of the experience of Jo Wilding in Fallujah in April 2004 � from hostages to �embedded reporters� with the insurgency. In other cases, hostage�taking is part of a wider strategy involving spectacular violence that captures the attention of the media as well as terrifying the local population. The killing of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in Pakistan, the mutilation of children in Liberia and Sierra Leone, or the bizarre atrocities of the Lords Resistance Army in Uganda seems expressly designed to invest shockingly horrific violence with a non�human and therefore religious significance. At the time of writing, it appears that the case of the British civil engineer, Ken Bigley, belongs to the latter category. The head of the group (Tawhid & Jahid) holding him, Abu Musab al�Zarqawi, is a religious fanatic in the Osama bin Laden mould (indeed, one interpretation of his actions is that he may be trying not simply to emulate but to �succeed� the al�Qaida leader). He employs Qur�anic terms like �raids� or �plunder� that deliberately seek to place his actions in the context of a history of jihad. Beheading � inflicted on Bigley�s two American colleagues, Eugene Armstrong and Jack Hensley � is propagated as the ritualised slaughter that early Islamic warriors inflicted on infidels. �needs a third strategy in response Hostage�taking, as well as being the subject of a United Nations convention, is an international crime � something different from both war and politics. In response, neither military pressure nor political negotiations are appropriate tactics. Britain�s prime minister, Tony Blair, is using the hostage crisis to claim that everyone has to choose the side of democracy against terrorism. The more shocking the behaviour of al-Zarqawi and his cohorts, the more he can put on his concerned face and explain why the terrorist challenge demands a forceful reaction. But this is exactly what al-Zarqawi wants. He wants a war of the west against Islam, in which there is no space for democrats who are critical of the west and no space for Muslims who are horrified by violence, hostage�killing and suicide�bombing. He may indeed hope that the Americans will bomb suspected places where he might be hiding and that many people will be killed as �collateral damage�. But if polarising rhetoric from western leaders like Tony Blair plays into the hostage�takers� hands, nor should there be any political negotiations. Contacts with groups who can act as intermediaries (like the Council of Muslim Clerics in Iraq) may be part of a necessary attempt to save lives, but those who argue that conceding the hostage�takers� demands would strengthen and legitimise the kidnappers are right. What is needed is a third approach beyond militarism and concession: one based on law�enforcement. Rather than defeat the hostage�takers in war or negotiate with them, the police must make systematic efforts to uncover their hideaways and arrest them. This approach requires a political and moral strategy aimed not so much at the kidnappers themselves but at the local population, especially those living in the immediate neighbourhood where they operate. The aim should be twofold: to deny the hostage�takers local support, and to create a situation where local people both believe it is right to give information to the authorities and feel safe in doing so. This was the strategy of the Helsinki Citizens Assembly committees in the south Caucasus during the Armenia�Azerbaijan war of the early 1990s. They tried to engender a political and moral atmosphere where hostage�taking became less acceptable because local people themselves refused to allow their local area to become a favourable environment for hostage�taking. This experience suggests that the approach adopted by Ken Bigley�s family is probably the best in the circumstances: inviting spokesmen of the Muslim Council of Britain to visit Iraq, talk to local dignitiaries, and leaflet the area where he is being held. But more needs to be done. The United States�led coalition�s continued bombardment of urban areas and maltreatment of Iraqi prisoners � both involving terrible suffering by innocent civilians � make Iraqis less likely to condemn hostage�taking. The kidnappers themselves make gleeful use of the argument that the west itself holds �hostages� in Guant�namo and Abu Ghraib. Although Ken Bigley may well be alive, it may prove impossible to save him; al-Zarqawi is a fanatic who probably wants to prolong the media attention for as long as possible. But the approach adopted to try to free him is the best way to deal with the hostage phenomenon in general � one that combines police primacy in arresting criminals with a strategy aimed at gaining the confidence and support of local Iraqi people. Unfortunately, what Blair defines as a second conflict in Iraq � understood as one between the forces of good (coalition troops and the puppet Iraqi government of Iyad Allawi) and evil (Abu Musab al�Zarqawi and his accomplices) � is just what the hostage�takers want to legitimise their criminal activities --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - Find what you need with new enhanced search. Learn more. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050519/1ea8b246/attachment.html From mahmoodfarooqui at yahoo.com Fri May 20 11:59:45 2005 From: mahmoodfarooqui at yahoo.com (mahmood farooqui) Date: Thu, 19 May 2005 23:29:45 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] rejoinder to Ram Guha on Said In-Reply-To: 6667 Message-ID: <20050520062945.90186.qmail@web80907.mail.scd.yahoo.com> In an article in this week�s issue of The Telegraph, the ecological and Cricket historian Ramchandra Guha has presented his views on Edward Said, the late scholar and partisan of the Palestinian cause whose book Orientalism created an entirely new field of academics. Guha bases his article on a symposium conducted on Said by the prestigious Chicago journal Critical Inquiry and concludes that �reading this symposium, one is forced to reach the conclusion that as a scholar, Said was greater than his book, Orientalism, and that the book itself was more worthwhile than the theoretical school it gave rise to.� Typically he does not clarify how he came to reach that conclusion and what it was in that symposium- whose views, analyses and comments- that leads him to this conclusion. The first two paragraphs of his article are devoted to the way the US now hegemonises academic production in all spheres. The next two recount biographical details about Said�s early life. Then there are two paras describing Orientalism while the third mentions the detractors of Orientalism and reprises the oldest charge against it-that it ends up essentialising the west in much the same manner as it [Orientalism] itself criticizes western, Orientalist scholarship. The next two paragraphs are devoted to the nefarious influences of Saidian scholarship. One that it encourages �scholars to judge dead writers by the canons of political correctness as they operate in the American academy today� and second that it valorizes �intellectuals who claim to speak on behalf of the oppressed while being ensconced in the American university, surely the most cosy corner of the most protected country in the world.� The penultimate paragraph decries Said for not being immune to flattery. The exact words being that the �Critical Inquiry symposium suggests that, like more ordinary mortals, Said was not immune to flattery.� Again, he does not elaborate how and why this is suggested or how he reaches this conclusion. And then the sweeping conclusion in the end paragraph goes �Said was a very fine scholar, but not a great one. Orientalism was a useful polemic, not an enduring work of scholarship. And postcolonial theory is an intellectual dead-end.� These disconcerting conclusions come soon after his admission, that �Orientalism is probably the most influential work of humanistic scholarship of the last half-century.� That Orientalism essentialises Western response is really old hat. Every subsequent edition of the book has carried a lengthy afterword by Said in which he has acknowledged the various criticisms expressed about the book and its approach. He engages with them, partially accepts the charge of essentialisation and defends it by showing that his purpose was rather to excavate the complicity of the scholarship with a certain hegemonising process that was a parcel of the larger Imperialist project. Nowhere did he, or anybody who read that book, maintain that western scholars who studied the Orient were �bad people.� Except Guha, who asserts that, �contra Said, there were many �Orientalists� who displayed an uncommon empathy with the people they were studying.� William Jones and John Gilchirst and John Cunningham may have been far more empathetic to Indians than James Mill or Macaulay but that is not the point. The point is that all of these writers operated in an intellectual grid which, despite their sympathy and scholarship, was a participant in a hegemonising influence of the West over the others. The very content of that knowledge, the production and consumption of that knowledge as well as its afterlife were all constituents of the western knowledge of the East, the knowledge that validated, ratified and even justified its control over the rest of the world. They may have been very good men, but even good men�s minds and scholarship operates in a given system of thought, ideology and prejudice, that is a discourse, and is imbricated in relations of power. Even if all that the followers of Said are doing consists merely of �scrutinizing the writings of dead white males for their complicity with imperialist projects of racial, cultural and class domination,� it is important and necessary. To take merely Indian History writing, more than fifty years after independence and more than a hundred and fifty years after he wrote his ten volume history of India, James Mill�s Manichaean vision about India being a land of conflict between different races and of it having slipped from its ancient glory continues to inform historical understanding in and outside the academy to an outstanding and astounding degree. It is the business of historians then to show how these dead white males have written us into being. As for academics posing as activists from privileged positions, posing is not the preserve of the US academics and privilege does not belong exclusively to them. It is not the origin or the locale of the writer that is important, but their views. The problem with Guha, here and elsewhere, is that being a liberal he ties his apron strings to western liberal thought that springs eventually from enlightenment modernity. But unlike other colonial thinkers of the present or the past, say Gandhi or Tagore or Nehru or even Nandy or Partha Chatterji or Ranajit Guha, Ramchandra Guha does not have any personal coordinates with which to map the interaction between the dominant West and the colonized East. All that is left to him therefore is to praise good intentions and gentlemanly manners. --- Dunkin Jalki wrote: > isn't that true, after all. > his book has a heuristic value more than anything > else... > in one of his article on Said S.N Balagangadhara > ("The Future of the Present: > Thinking Though Orientalism" _Cultural Dynamics_ > 10(2): 101-121. 1998) writes > "Often, writers of great books fail to appreciate > the true depth and breadth > of what they themselves have written. Such is also > the case with Said." he > writes further and more, a brilliant piece of > writing on Said > best > -- > Dunkin Jalki > CSCS > Bangalore 11 > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and > the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to > reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the > subject header. > List archive: > > __________________________________ Yahoo! Mail Mobile Take Yahoo! Mail with you! Check email on your mobile phone. http://mobile.yahoo.com/learn/mail From swamivandana at yahoo.com Fri May 20 12:08:40 2005 From: swamivandana at yahoo.com (vandana swami) Date: Thu, 19 May 2005 23:38:40 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] railway notes Message-ID: <20050520063840.67843.qmail@web60319.mail.yahoo.com> Railway Notes from the Imperial Survey of 1881, Bombay Presidency A reading of The Imperial Census of 1881, Bombay Presidency offers an interesting set of insights into the possible effects of railway construction in this region in the early 1880�s. Before beginning to discuss the census, I would very briefly like to refresh the argument I have been making on this reader list about the railways. I have stated that the coming of the railways had a deep impact upon society and economy in Western Maharashtra around the turn of the century. While the nature of this impact is far from clear or is treated merely one-dimensionally (as an economic phenomena), the railways themselves have not figured as a historical entity worthy of investigation in their own right. I chose to look at the Imperial Census of 1881 because by this time, the railways have been around for almost three decades and would or should thus figure in census descriptions. Table XIX lists all towns arranged according to �Civil Population� (which perhaps refers to urban population, although I was not quite clear as to who was being referred to by this term). In this table, one notes an overall population increase in the region from 644,405 in the preceding census ten years ago to 773, 196 in 1881, ie, an increase of 1,28,791 persons. On average, most towns show an increase in population. Some towns where railways have been introduced show a marked increase in population. For instance, the town of Sakkar in Shikarpur district shows an increase in population from 13,318 to 27,389 during the census period � an increase of 14,071 � which is more than double its original habitation. Likewise, the town of Bhusaval in Khandesh district registers an increase from 6804 to 9613 � an increase of 2809 people. Again, the town of Lonavla in Poona district shows an increase from 1268 to 3334 � an increase of 2066 people, which is much more than double of its original population during the Census period. Based on these numbers, it seems plausible to assume that the railways acted as a spur or even a magnet, drawing people into its systems of being. Be it as a railway labor working in a railway shed, a cultivator or peasant who wants to sell grain near a railway line that would ensure that his grain will sell and perhaps at a higher price. If one continues to look at the Detailed Occupation tables in these same districts, interesting patterns emerge. For instance, in Khandesh, one notices a large number (762) of Cotton merchants and General dealers. In Poona however there are only 2 cotton merchants. In Khandesh, 1573 people are registered as bricklayers and 789 as stone masons and cutters � both of these kinds of activities are required for railway construction and the movement of this population is probably the cause for the increase in population that was discussed earlier. In Poona also, the number of bricklayers, stonemasons and cutters is on the higher side of 1349 and 800 respectively. In Khandesh, the number of cotton weavers is 5210 and in Poona it is1745 and in Shikarpur district it is 1761. My point here is that the tables generally show s large number of people employed in railway-related occupations that are equal to or comparable with other high volume generating occupations. The 1881 census also provides descriptions of the impact of railways in different parts of Bombay Presidency. In Gujarat, it notes that �the division (Gujarat) is traversed through its whole length by a main line of rail with either branches or feeder roads to the chief outlying districts and it is to this advantage that a great deal of the prosperity of the country is due�..and that the density of the number of large towns and villages is greater than in the rest of the Presidency. (p.4, Imperial Census of Bombay, 1881). In Konkan, the Census note taker observes that �the northern part of Konkan is well-off for communication, as three lines of railway pass through it� (p.4, ibid). Khandesh� situation is depicted as follows, �the large tract of good virgin soil to the south of this (forest) has attracted and is still attracting, the cultivators of a superior class from other parts of Deccan and even from the more crowded Gujarat. Great variety of crop is possible here, and the main line of railway between Bombay, Calcutta and the Central Provinces affords facilities for the export of Wheat and Cotton. As may be expected, the Khandesh district is progressing rapidly in population, and apparently, in prosperity� (p.4) The statement clearly lays out the importance of the railways in bringing prosperity to the region, and makes the further observation that, �it is true that the opening of the country by railways is yet in its infancy, and that when the projects now under survey or partly executed have been completed, a greater mobility of people, if not of capital may be expected, but for some time yet, the peasant must continue to exercise his home-loving instincts on the thankless task which his want of enterprise and initiation have accustomed him to accept uncomplainingly� (p.5). It is interesting to note here how this statement rehearses colonial ideologies about India being a static geographical location, marked with a population that has no agency to act and it furthermore lacks any initiatives. In this dismal and lack luster scenario, the railways act not only as an agent of modernity, but also hold the possibility of galvanizing the entire social space towards goals of progress and enterprise�For the Karnatic Division, a similar observation has been made. It is stated that �the districts of Kanara has been under the Bombay Government for 20 years only, and owing to delays of different kinds, has not been fully surveyed. The population, both inland and along the coast seems to be increasing, but the country is not thickly populated, except in harvest time, there is little immigration, as the damp climate is considered very unhealthy to the residents ��unless therefore, the opening of a line of rail to the principal harbor brings an influx of traders from other parts, the progress of the district will depend upon the course of events amongst the indigenous population as has been the case in the coast districts of the north� (p.5). Following the results enumerated in the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India, the Census goes on to make further projections about effects of railways in Bombay Presidency. For Kaladgi, the most easterly collectorate of Karnatic district, it is noted that �it has been devastated by famine since the last census, but the district is not sterile and when opened out by the new railway, will probably show good progress by the next enumeration� (p.7). On the other hand, lack of access or distance from a railway line spelt doom for an area, even if it was topographically or geologically rich. For instance, Belgaum, the most blessed area with regard to fertility and climate, the census notes that �it is cut off from centers of commerce by its distance from the railways�. In other words, it is vividly clear in the colonial imagination that railways are essential to tap and harness the potential productivity of a region, that would other wise make it a dormant place. __________________________________ Yahoo! Mail Mobile Take Yahoo! Mail with you! Check email on your mobile phone. http://mobile.yahoo.com/learn/mail From zainab at xtdnet.nl Fri May 20 12:52:04 2005 From: zainab at xtdnet.nl (zainab at xtdnet.nl) Date: Fri, 20 May 2005 11:22:04 +0400 (RET) Subject: [Reader-list] Marine Drive Message-ID: <3125.219.65.12.233.1116573724.squirrel@webmail.xtdnet.nl> 19th May 2005 Today, after nearly a fortnight, I went to Marine Drive. For some days, I had been feeling too overwhelmed visiting the place everyday and recording observations. Visiting the place after a gap made me feel much better. Perception of Crowds: On landing at the promenade, the first feeling, tactile and sensory, I had was that of crowdedness. Since sometime now, I have been feeling that Marine Drive is becoming quite crowded. In the past, there had hardly been experiences of shifting to make place for families to sit. Since last few visits, I find that I have to shift in order making seating space for groups and families to sit. It is a discomforting feeling personally. I always there was enough space for everyone. After a while, the crowds had reduced. And I felt the reduction in crowds. Again, there was a ‘feeling’ of reduction of crowds and not an actual head count. I am beginning to question whether the very perception of crowdedness is a tactile and sensory one. Hmmm The Police: Interestingly, throughout the time I was on the promenade, I noticed cops at various distances. It was not a comfortable feeling. Again, I almost felt like rebuking the cops and asking them to get up from the ledge and patrol. It almost felt like I was a citizen, with greater entitlements and here was a cop, a public servant, with fewer entitlements and more duties to discharge. Bahurupis: The hawkers were at the promenade as usual. I was sitting opposite Pizzeria. A hawker selling peanuts started walking by. The family sitting next to me asked the hawker to pack peanuts for them. Suddenly, the hawker took off his basket of peanuts from his neck, placed it on the sea wall carefully and sat with the basket behind himself. In that instant of an action, he had turned into yet another person who was here to enjoy the sea and the breeze. What a transformation, I said to myself. A little while later, I noticed to municipality trucks pass by and move towards Churchgate. The hawker mentioned how he was trying to protect his goods from being confiscated by this act. I think about precarity and how certain spaces have become precarious for some kinds of publics. Visitors: Sitting next to me today was a family consisting of two men, one woman and two children. Holiday time means visiting the sea, visiting Marine Drive with the family. One of the men made the woman, the children and the other man sit on the wall. They spoke about Marine Drive as a space. “See these tetrapods,” the man started to say, “They are new. They have been put here because all this is reclaimed land and is therefore weak. Moreover, if a tsunami was to happen in Bombay, the buildings in this area can get wiped out. The tetrapods will have a preventive effect – they will prevent the wall from being destroyed in the eye of the storm.” Discussions on the tetrapods are rampant everytime I have been to the promenade. The man continued telling his family members, “Morning is the best time to be here. You can walk and jog. Smooth ” Listening to the man, the question which arose in my mind is whether public space is at all dependent on locality? In the case of Marine Drive, can I clearly construct who is an outsider and who is an insider? Are there spaces in cities across the world like Marine Drive which blur the distinctions of insider-outsider? Do public spaces deepen notions of citizenship? Is citizenship the same as a sense of belonging to a space? Who has a greater say in a public space like Marine Drive – a resident of the area, or the people of the city, all of who have a stake in the space? Modernity and Aspiring People: I met Santosh Yadav today. He inquired about my absence. “I thought you must be gone,” he said to me. I explained my illness and therefore my inability to be on the promenade to him. I was watching him conduct business today. Dressed in a yuppie t-shirt and three-quarter loose jeans, Santosh Yadav was a surreal sight. I have been wondering about what hawkers think of their professional identity. And I have been wondering about clothes, urbanity, aspirations to be ‘urban’ and ‘city-dwellers’. I wonder whether Santosh Yadav harbours aspirations of being ‘urban’. How different would his aspirations be from those of other aspirants who come to the city? I met Mr. Thakkar briefly today. He was jogging and deeply engaged in conversation with another jogger. I handed over a CD of his audio interview to him. He was thrilled – “Really! Is this for me?” he asked, beaming with excitement. Watching his emotions, I remembered how many times he has alluded to the fact that he is illiterate. Yet, he has a fascination for modern gadgets and equipments. I thought the CD that I handed over to him today was an object of modernity for him. There was something magical about the CD for him. Does he think he is urban enough? What does urbanity mean to him? Place-making and Community: This evening, at Marine Drive, I began to reflect on my own self and my relationship with the promenade. The space is part of my everyday life too – as a researcher. There are people I know here, people I meet every time I am here. People see me here. I am recognized and visible. I am seen and noticed. And maybe I am marked too Is marking then a practice of spaces in cities? Zainab Bawa Bombay www.xanga.com/CityBytes http://crimsonfeet.recut.org/rubrique53.html From cswara at hotmail.com Fri May 20 13:04:20 2005 From: cswara at hotmail.com (Swara Bhaskar) Date: Fri, 20 May 2005 07:34:20 +0000 Subject: [Reader-list] meet in Ahmedabad Message-ID: An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050520/5b2657c6/attachment.html From lokesh at sarai.net Fri May 20 17:36:37 2005 From: lokesh at sarai.net (Lokesh) Date: Fri, 20 May 2005 17:36:37 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Naved's kidney transplant Message-ID: <428DD2CD.20101@sarai.net> Dear all, Thanks for your immediate response to the appeal.as you know kidney transplant is very expensive,we are still in campaign to arrange more funds for it. Here is N_aved's younger brother Parvez Ahmad's account no-1531050014063,his account is with HDFC bank Ltd, RDC,29, Rajnagar, Ghaziabad [U.P] _ you can send the cheque to his account.There is a little information regarding operation;earliar Naved's father was donating the kidney but yesterday doctors found out that he has some heart trouble;so it will take a little more to settle things again.we will let you know about the date of opration as soon as the current uncertainty is over. we deeply appreciate your concern and response. regards lokesh From zainab at xtdnet.nl Sat May 21 11:29:50 2005 From: zainab at xtdnet.nl (zainab at xtdnet.nl) Date: Sat, 21 May 2005 09:59:50 +0400 (RET) Subject: [Reader-list] Amsterdam Diary Message-ID: <3147.219.65.11.241.1116655190.squirrel@webmail.xtdnet.nl> Dear All, Sharing my experiences of Amsterdam city on this list. Cheers, Zainab In a Foreign Land --- (Of Amsterdam City, People, Spaces and Experiences) Prayers are answered. Alternatively, blogs are read! Well yes, that’s how I got to Amsterdam. The desire and curiousity to see New York or Shanghai got me to Amsterdam. From Mumbai to Frankfurt to Schipol, reading of Delhi Metro, task-master-like bureaucrats, quick decision-making in bureaucracy and management style of governance, I made it to Amsterdam on March 14, 2005. Amsterdam is one of Europe’s most liked and loved cities. “It’s my favourite city, it’s my favourite city,” different people told me at different times. But Paul believes that the city is not as large as the scale of its popularity. “It’s a small city. You will see,” he tells me as we travel in a train from Schipol to Amsterdam. On arrival to Centraal Station, I am led into my apartment at Nieu Markt. My apartment wow! From being in a little apartment in Mumbai to landing into one which has several rooms, the experience of space and consequently of freedom and individuality is something. I heave a deep breath as Paul brings out the key to open the door of the building. As soon as I enter the building, the feeling is different. The narrow stairway, the darkness which engulfs it and the closed doors of other apartments in the building make the experience a bit too eerie for me. In a strange country, in a different land, the narrow stairways and the aloofness of people living in the same building are disconcerting for me. I enter my apartment. The best part of the apartment is the window in the living room. It’s a large window. And I can see all of Nieu Markt, the little square and the people of the city from here. Chinese, white, men, women, children and pigeons of course – all are using this space, crossing paths and maybe meeting each other. My mind begins to work for I am convinced now that I have hyper-sensitive antennae on my head. Narrow stairways and large windows – what’s this arrangement? On coming back to India, Daraius confirms my doubts. “Do you know how people in Amsterdam transport their furniture and heavy equipments to their apartment?” he asks me when I recount the picture of narrow stairways in my apartment to him. “Wait a minute,” I exclaimed, “they do it through their windows???” “Bingo!” Daraius said to me, “That’s exactly why they have large windows. Everything is transported into the house through the windows!” Hmmm smart, isn’t that me? In the evening of day one, we hit the streets and walk. It’s a Sunday and the Dam Square, which is the most popular space in the city, is crowded. People are in shops. People are walking on the streets. For me, walking is a means of assimilating and understanding the city. I wonder whether it is appropriate to ask people for directions here, just like I do in Bombay, pretty much believing that it’s people’s responsibility to know the directions! Day one ends with lots of walking and catching up on sleep which has eluded me in the aircraft! Person 1: Day two is something I have been looking forward to. Interacting with a person on email makes it all the more curious for me to meet the person in person. Patrice is that person I am meeting today. Imaginations and reality are fascinating. Constructing images and matching the images to the person are experiences of fascination, horror, delight, wonderment, etc. etc. etc. I don’t know what to say any further. Patrice is there, sitting on a computer in the office. We say hello and as promised, eat breakfast together. After breakfast, Patrice offers to take me to a friend’s house. Along the way, I tell him how I find it difficult to adjust to the fact that doors of the houses in my apartment building are closed, “And, for all my life, I can just go on living in this building without knowing the other residents. And for all I know, I could just die in my apartment and nobody in the building would know that I am dead. How can you go on living like this?” I rant and exclaim to him. He speaks to me of his notions of individuality and the individual way of life aka North American style and Northern European style. Soon, we arrive at his friend’s apartment building. We walk up the stairs, which in this case, are bright enough and wider. I am told that residents in this neighbourhood belong to ethnic communities and there is interaction between them unlike in most other neighbourhoods. As I walk up the stairs, my mind and attention are focused on the closed doors. I watch the doors carefully. One door has a silver Ganesha on it. “Ah, some sign at last to determine who the occupants could be!” I say to myself. In a different city then, I indulge in marking. And thus marking appears to me a practice of understanding similarities and differences and sourcing out familiarity. We land up in Patrice’s friend’s house. And wonder of wonders! The door of her house is completely open! “I have nothing in my house which can be stolen,” she informs me when I tell her how amazed I am with the fact that she keeps the doors of her house open! On her response, I wonder whether the practice of closed doors is actually a practice of property. Is it? Conversations, lunch and tea – the afternoon comes to an end. Patrice invites me to his house for dinner in the evening. I am given a map to locate the house. Oh, how I dread maps for I just cannot read and understand them. For all I know, I may be holding the map upside down. “What if I ask people for directions to your place? Do people respond to a stranger asking for directions in this city?” I query with Patrice. “Hmmm,” he contemplates and then says, “Well, there are very few people who know the city well. A lot of people may not know what place you are asking for. Then, there is also this thing that when strangers approach people of this city, the latter think that the strangers are after their money. You have to assess, calculate and be watchful of your behaviour when you approach strangers for directions,” concludes Patrice. I brace myself up for an evening of lost and found – I know myself, at least the clumsier aspects of me! I enter my apartment building once again before I am to leave for Patrice’s place. The lights to the stairway are on. I am conscious each moment of the amount of noise my boots make while I walk up and down the stairs. “What if there is a senile old lady who lives in one of these apartments and does not like the noise I make while walking?” I think to myself. As I utter these words in my head, the lights go off mid-way and I am left completely in the dark. “I knew it!” I start to say, cursing myself, “I knew it that somebody, someday, will put off the lights while I am making my way up to the apartment. And I am sure there is an old lady living in here who does not like me,” I conclude, self-prophesizing! Later on, I come to know that nobody has the time to take petty revenges by switching off the lights in the building – it’s all about the automated machines and my suspicious paranoia!!! Come evening and I make my way to the tram station. On entering the tram, I request the conductor to tell me when the stop will arrive. Trams are interesting in Amsterdam, not very crowded, unlike the experience of Bombay’s local trains. And therefore, each time when the tram stopped and more people attempted to get in, I would find myself saying, “Oh no, it’s getting crowded!” I am amazed how the very sense perceptions of crowd operate in different scenes and settings. How the mind works in relation with space!!! The conductor shouts out to me and says my stop has arrived. As prophesized, my journey of lost and found begins. I have been made to get down at the wrong station. And true to my Bombay instincts, I, unhesitatingly and completely shamelessly, start asking around for directions. There is no problem I face! Either I am told “I am sorry” else, I am directed some place “Go right, go left!” Ambling around, a black boy instinctly knows that I am looking for directions. He guides me to the street, “and then you ask around for the exact place,” he tells me. I make my way to the street. Now, the next question facing me is whom do I ask for directions. I begin to mark. “This one? No, no. that one?? No, no!” In the this-one-that-one dilemma, I notice a man who looks Indian to me. I approach him. He starts to talk in Hindi. I am certain he is a Bombayitte. “Where are you from?” he asks me. “Bombay! And are you also from Bombay?” I ask keenly. “Karachi,” he tells me. Well, not that far, I say to myself. Thus I meet a stranger in a foreign city. His name is Aymen Khan. Aymen drives a taxi in Amsterdam. He tells me how he has planned to go back to his country this year itself. “No social life here,” he exclaims sadly. “All I do is to watch STAR TV and ZEE TV in the evenings.” True to the South Asian character, Aymen literally drops me to Patrice’s doorstep. “Here is my mobile number,” he tells me, adding, “Just in case you need anything!” He asks me my name. “Muslim huh?” he says. Now, wasn’t I right when I said that marking a practice of discerning familiarities and differences? I am thoroughly excited with the lost and found adventure of today. Aymen Khan is my discovery. I promise myself to meet him again. What are a foreign man’s imaginations and practices of a foreign city? Aymen is Person 2 in this city for me. Person 3: Today is day three and I am soon to meet Person 3. Before that, an interesting incident occurs. Patrice and I are sitting in a café, eating breakfast and drinking coffee. I am told that a cheaper way to travel in Amsterdam’s trams is to pick up a ‘strip kaarten’ which is a strip of fifteen tickets with a promise of seven and a half trips. “You’ll get the strip kaarten in a super market,” Patrice tells me. In the midst of breakfast, I dash into the neighbouring supermarket to pick up a strip kaarten. The lady at the counter is an old woman. And a very irritable one too! She angrily directs me to a machine which has, besides several other things, the strip kaarten. I am not sure how to operate the machine. Patrice comes in somehow. I am a complete Bombayitte. I fold the currency note carefully and start to put it in the mouth of the machine. “What are you doing?” says an irritable Patrice, “My god, give it to me here,” he screams. I am more than happy to hand over the proceedings to him. He inserts the note and starts to punch the number of the item we want to purchase. Somehow, number four on the machine does not work properly. And instead of number 44, we end up with an item from number 54. Oh shit! This is a packet of condoms worth eight euro and some cents. I am almost to tears now. “What will I do with this?” I start to cry to Patrice, calculating in my mind that a dinner is gone if I am forced to end up with condoms worth eight euro! Patrice indulges in a fight with the woman at the counter. She angrily marches to the machine and in an instant, I have the strip kaarten. Oh thank god for small mercies, I say to myself as she takes back the packet of condoms. “I hate machines,” Patrice concludes, “And here, the liberal economy is out to replace human beings with machines,” he mutters. I have a hearty breakfast. At 12:00 AM, Person 3 arrives. She is Mirjan, a Surinamese Indian in Amsterdam. I have been introduced to Mirjan through a French friend. Mirjan is excited to meet me – someone from Hindustan, from back home – that’s her source of curiousity and excitement. I am sitting up in my apartment and looking at people from the window. I am playing a game – guess who is Mirjan on the streets??? People come and go. I mark, mark and mark. Suddenly, a phone call comes in, “I can’t trace your apartment.” I come down and there she is. I was right! I had marked her correctly. Mirjan and her bike – that’s ‘em! We take to a café and some drinks and talk to each other about our work. “Where would you like to go? What places would you like to see here in Amsterdam?” she asks me. I tell her that I have heard of the Red Light District and I want to go there. Interestingly, my apartment is only a block away from the Red Light District. Each day, looking out of my apartment, I had imagined the street – so close, yet, so far! And I guess spaces acquire their characters from individual imaginations. And then the spaces are marked as safe, unsafe, great, etc. etc. etc.! “Do you know that there are lots of people in Amsterdam who have been living here for ages but have not been to the Red Light District?” Mirjan asks me as we walk through the streets of one of the world’s famed streets. “I am sure,” I responded to her. We spoke at length about Bombay. Conversations centered around Suketu Mehta’s book ‘Maximum City’, the charm of Bombay and ultimately, to Bollywood and film stars. “Shah Rukh Khan is gay,” I remarked casually as our conversation steered towards the fame and persona of SRK. “What?” she exclaimed disbelievingly. She nearly stopped walking. “What are you saying? He is married and has two children!” Mirjan justified. “But being married and having kids is no criteria for not being gay,” I replied coolly. She immediately brought out her cell phone and started shooting out text messages to inform her friends and sister about what I had said. “My sister will be most shocked when she knows about this,” Mirjan says to me. Now, I think that Bollywood is the strongest link for Indian diaspora. And maybe even for South Asians in general – TV and films! Fastest connection to home and culture! Mirjan and I walk the city at length. She shows me the museum square, “This is where one of the songs in the film Hum Tum was shot. My gosh, there was such a hue and cry in our office at IBM when the shooting was taking place. Everyone wanted to go and see it,” she informs me. And I recollect that in the film, the same Museum Square was claimed as France. Now, now I tell Mirjan about my family and our way of living. “That’s wonderful. We are very conservative out here. I had to plead with my dad to let me move to Amsterdam city because I was finding it hard to commute everyday from Rotterdam to Amsterdam. He ultimately relented and got us an apartment here,” she said. I began to wonder about culture, home and notions and practices of culture and home. It’s amazing how things operate – reality and imagination – applies to practically everything in life. That evening, Paul and I eat dinner together and we walk the Red Light District by the night. I watch everything carefully. “There might be surveillance cameras here,” Paul informs me. I have my passport on me. I am told that at any point in time, I can be asked for producing evidence of my identification and if I don’t have proof on me, I can be slapped with a fifty euro fine! There are women in showcases everywhere. East European women, black women, Oriental women – large bosoms, bulky breasts, fat thighs, shiny clothes, blonde hair, tweaked eyebrows – it’s all here. Liberals and libertarians I have known harp about professionalizing prostitution and swear by the liberality of Netherlands. As I walk the Red Light District tonight, I am not so fascinated with this achievement. Sex and intimacy are personal to me. And therefore, the domain of sex is personal for me. I don’t really know what happens when sex is made a thing of public domain. Here, in the Red Light District, sex appears like yet another commodity to me – for sale, in showcases. My mind quickly races back to the Foras Road streets in Mumbai and there is something very different about prostitution there – it don’t appear so commercial and packaged back home. But then these are my imaginations and my opinions on sex, society, politics and space and I have no moral takes on prostitution. What happens when prostitution is kept illegal? What happens when it is made legal? Does the state have control over individuals’ bodies? Does taxation extend to skin of the individual citizen? Wow! Day Four: I am going to take a long distance train to a district in Netherlands today. My fame of traveling on the Mumbai’s local trains and watching people has reached Amsterdam. “You must take a train here,” Paul says to me. So be it! At Centraal Station, we have purchased tickets and board the train. There is no crowd at all in the trains. The seats are different from those in the Mumbai trains. The train moves on after a while. I watch the sights and scenes from the closed windows of the train. A little while later, a uniformed man enters the train. I presume that he is the ticket checker and ask Patrice if we have to show him tickets. “You ain’t checking tickets right?” Patrice says coolly to the man. He laughs. I can’t understand. “He is a Customs’ Officer,” Patrice informs me. He smiles at us. Somehow, a conversation begins between us. “I now work in the postal department,” he starts. “Netherlands is a small country. Therefore, the world likes to dominate over us. And we are a foolish people. We are selling out our industries and successful companies to the French and the rest of Europe. Look what we have done with KLM Airlines. We are giving it up to the French,” he says in his fat voice. “My grandfather was from Poland. He came to this country during the Second World War II. We were stopped at the border and not allowed to go into the country. We lived in the camps at the border for a while and then got allowed in here,” informs Customs’ Officer about his history. I start to wonder whether he is Dutch or Polish. How do senses of nationality and belongingness to nations develop given varied historical origins and roots? “We are a liberal country, here in Netherlands. I have served for long at Schipol. You know that for American flights, there is a more stringent checking procedure. I have to be with my American counterparts at the airport and check on people. But I find that they are lax in their security procedures. The Japanese are funny people. Once, I asked a Japanese woman to show me her passport. The photo on her passport had her along with her cats. I said to her that this is not permitted. She said the cats are like her children and therefore she has photographed herself with them. When I turned to the last page of her passport, I saw a dog’s picture alongwith her. I said to her, ‘Madam, is this your husband?’ The Japanese are rich people. You will see them at the airport, spending hordes of money on duty-free shops. They are lugging bags of shopping and goods along with them at the airport.” He then went on to tell us about USA. “America is a beautiful country. But a shit place. Once, my car broke down in the middle of the road and I had lost my luggage. Finally, I managed to get a taxi. We somehow began a conversation. The taxi driver recognized my Polish accent and asked me if I was a Pole. ‘Sure enough’, I replied. And he did not take any money from me for the ride. In New York, you have to be careful of the taxi you take. For all you know, the taxi driver has arrived only a flight before you have!” He went on to elaborate all the places he has worked in – postal department, army, medicals, disaster management. He recounted his experiences of building dams. And in great awe, he spoke of how the Netherlands abounds in water. “It’s all about nature, eh. You can’t fight nature,” he says. He emphasizes on the importance of customs and the needs for custom officials. After a point, he gets off at a station. We travel around the countryside for the rest of the day. It’s different from being in a city – quite obviously! We visit Hoorn. And then, we hit the trains again. This time around, given my instinct of trains in Bombay, I try to rush inside the train before people have gotten out. Then, it occurs to me to ask Patrice, “Am I supposed to let people get out before I get in?” He smiles and says, “Yes, of course! See, we have forgotten these little things of life.” Well, not actually, I say to myself. It’s a matter of city instincts and habits. Along the way, Patrice informs me about the government in Netherlands is planning to tighten ways of traveling on public transport, the systems of metallic cards and strict fines if you forget to punch your metallic card when you get into a train or a tram. I listen intently and finally ask him, “Is all this geared towards getting people to travel in cars?” “Of course,” he says to me. We arrive at Centraal Station. As the train enters the station, I am somehow reminded of Seealdah railway station in Kolkatta. It feels exactly the same here – the sense, the crowds, the touch! All of it!!!! For the rest of the evening, I ponder briefly over the importance of public transport in a city. How important is public transport? Perhaps at some level, public transport provides the public space where people in the city meet and negotiate sharing of space. For the next two days, I am attending a conference on Creative Cities. It’s all about making your cities creative baby! Fashion industry, travel industry, advertising industry, bringing Bollywood to Amsterdam – that’s what creativity is about. Well – not exactly! Sitting through the conference, amidst experts of various orders and kinds, I understand that modern society is about ‘industrializing’ and ‘ordering’ everything that is loosely organized – loose businesses and loose spaces – everything under the sun has to be ordered and controlled. Creativity then becomes one more specialization in the plethora of expertise and specialization. I wonder whether ‘one can MAKE cities CREATIVE?’ Aren’t cities creative by themselves? What makes a city creative? One element is public transport. Another is diversity. But can these elements be consciously ‘created’? I am not sure. As evening on day one of the conference approaches, I decide to figure out my own creative plans. I have Aymen Khan and we have decided to meet up. We meet at the same place where we had accidentally met each other. Aymen and I go to a bar. He orders lemonade for both of us. People are doping in the bar. “I live close by from here. My parents and I live together. I don’t get along too well with my father. Otherwise, there is no problem in taking you to our house. I can introduce you to my wife,” he justifies to me. Aymen has been in Amsterdam since twenty years now. “It was nice when the currency was Gilders. Now, with the Euro, everything is expensive.” Aymen has traveled to different places across the world. “I have been to America as well. In Europe, you can afford to live with your family. But in America, it is too expensive to be with your family. You can earn lots of money in America. I have friends who are taxi drivers in the US. We travel together.” Aymen has seen parts of Europe. “It’s nice. But now I want to go back home,” he says to me. Aymen’s day begins when he gets up at about 10:00 AM in the morning. “I eat breakfast, go for a bath, and then I am around in the house. If I feel like, I bring out the taxi later in the day. I am back home in the evening. We watch TV. At 8 PM, I go out and chat on the internet in a friend’s cyber café. Then, some of my friends get free from work. We talk with each other and then, I am back home at 11 PM at night. Earlier, it was a lot of fun. But now, all my friends are married and have children. We don’t get time to be with each other. In Pakistan, my friends and me go out late in the night, at 10 PM, walk the streets, eat kebabs, and have fun together. It is not possible here,” he says. Yeah, sure, I think to myself. The buzz of a city lies in the vibrancy of its streets. Street food, street markets, these are what give the city its life. Back here in Amsterdam, it’s about bars, restaurants and cafes – everything ordered and packaged neatly inside. Next evening, Aymen and I meet again. He takes me to Dam Square. We enter a shopping mall. He is wondering what places to take me to. “Let’s go to this shopping mall,” he ultimately concludes. Inside the shopping mall, I am conscious of the CCTV cameras and surveillance machines around me. I wonder whether Aymen is thinking about this. Maybe not! I have not asked him. The insides of the shopping mall remind me of the ones back in Bombay and also the ones I have been to in Bangkok. “I would rather buy from shopping mall,” Aymen tells me. “Once, I was in Pakistan. My friend there happened to ask me one day what trousers I was wearing. I told him that I had purchased these from a store in Amsterdam for a hundred Gilders. My friend was astonished. He took me to a market where similar trousers were being produced for three hundred Pakistani rupees. We picked up a pair on his insistence. I wore them on my return journey back to Netherlands. But, when I sat in the aircraft, the zip tore open and all through the journey, I was worried about my trousers slipping off me. I’d rather spend more than buy cheap and take tension!” he tells me. We walk the streets. “I hope you are not getting tired walking,” he asks me. I tell him that I enjoy walking around. “When I was in Chicago, I told my friend one day that we must walk around. Believe me, nobody walks in Chicago. Everybody has cars. In fact, there are no footpaths on the roads for pedestrians,” Aymen tells me as we are walking by the markets and streets. Finally, we approach Centraal Station. He heaves a sigh. “I haven’t been here for ages,” he starts to say. It’s time to head back home. We enter a tram. “Don’t go back. Stay for some more days,” Aymen says to me softly. We say goodbye for the evening. Back in my apartment, I think of strangers in a city, of memories, of home and all of that which makes us human and wanting to belong Day Seven: Today is my last day in Amsterdam city. I go over to Museum Square. I visit the museums, walk around the city myself, and travel through all the places I have been going to in all these days. A sense of sadness pervades me today. Suddenly, there is a relationship which I have with this foreign city and I don’t feel like leaving so soon. But back I must go, for the Dutch consulate in Bombay is waiting for me to report back in person ‘so that I don’t have problems in getting a visa the next time I wish to go to the Netherlands’!!! Patrice has invited me to dinner with some Dutch people this evening. I land up at Wester Markt way before time. I am to enter house number 197. I start to look around – house number 196 is here. And the next house is 198. Damn! Where is house number 197? I think maybe it is above 196 or below 198. But no! Heck. It takes me half an hour to realize that all the even numbered houses are on the left hand side and the odd numbered houses are on the right hand side of the canals! Our hosts are two old men and one old woman and a big, fat dog. We are chatting and eating and I tell Patrice how I am feeling sad about leaving the next day. “Departures are always sad,” he says with a sense of coldness to me. Post-dinner, over coffee, the lady of the house begins to talk. “It’s crazy, this whole business about producing identification when walking the streets. The other day, I was walking my dog along the road. Two police officers came over to me and asked me to show proof of my identification and also that of my dog. I told them that my papers were at home and they could come over and see the papers. But the officers refused and said that I should be carrying papers with me on the streets. Ultimately, I was slapped with a fifty euro fine for myself and thirty euros for my dog.” She was evidently disgusted with the laws prevailing over the country. “It’s getting stricter and stricter,” she concluded. Then she began narrating yet another incident. “There is a hawker who sells cartons to us. We run a bookshop and often require cartons. He collects cartons discarded by supermarkets and then sells them to us on weight basis. One day, the supermarket, in an effort to evict him from the area, played a trick. When he was sorting out cartons as usual, he found a bunch of bananas amidst the pile. Now, something which does not belong to you or to me belongs ultimately to the state. This hawker was tempted with the bunch of bananas. He picked them up and as he was putting them in his bag, the police appeared from somewhere and caught hold of him. The bananas were put in the cartons by the supermarket fellows. The hawker was fined and for the next six months, he is not supposed to be seen in the area else he will be jailed.” Patrice and I were shocked on listening to this story. Regimes of governance in cities across the world appear to be tightening up. Is governance becoming more of a business of slapping fines and filling up treasuries with fine money? That’s what it appears to me That night, at 1:00 AM, Patrice and I quietly walked the streets back to my apartment. Noises, sounds, cackles, laughter, smell, sights and scenes – and people. That’s what cities are made up of, I guess. Spaces, memories, emotions, feelings, vulnerabilities, masks, superficialities, confusions, complexities, depths, and the works – that’s what cities are made up of! Zainab Bawa Bombay www.xanga.com/CityBytes http://crimsonfeet.recut.org/rubrique53.html From clifton at altlawforum.org Sat May 21 15:33:54 2005 From: clifton at altlawforum.org (clifton at altlawforum.org) Date: Sat, 21 May 2005 06:03:54 -0400 Subject: [Reader-list] Urgent Appeal- Slum Fire Accident Message-ID: <59730-22005562110354896@M2W038.mail2web.com> Siddharta Nagara gutted in fire last night Last night (20th May 2005), Siddharta Nagara, a slum of 118 families in Peenya Industrial Estate 3rd Stage, Ward No. 24, Dasarahalli CMC, was gutted entirely by a fire. The slum is atleast 15 years old with the families having moved here from Yadgiri taluka in Gulbarga district. They are all employed in the construction industry and have been the ones who have constructed most of the buildings in the Peenya Industrial Estate. Most of the residents in the slum are dalits while some belong to most backward castes. The slum was gutted by two separate incidents of fire. One began at around 7.00 p.m. last night which gutted an entire row of slums before the fire department could control the fire. Even the police came to the slum later that night and recorded the statements of the slum residents. Again, the early hours of the morning, at around 3.30 a.m., there was another fire that destroyed every remaining house in the slum before the fire department could control the fire. The fire has not only destroyed every single house but with it all the possessions of the people. As of this afternoon (21st May 2005), the people are on the streets. The officials from the revenue department, slum board and CMC officials have visited the slum though there have been no promises made. The revenue department has also undertaken a survey of the gutted houses. As of now people have no food to eat and also no way of cooking any food since their vessels, stoves, etc. have all been destroyed. The Dasarahalli CMC has supplied water today to the slum residents through a water tanker and a nearby industry has promised to provide food for today. As of now there seems to be strong reasons to believe that land grabbers are the ones who are behind the fire. The slum is situated on gomala land (government land) but there are vested interests that are keen on grabbing the land. Added to this the slum is situated on prime land right in the middle on the industrial estate. A police complaint has been filed with the local police station in this regard. The requirements of this community for now are: 1. Temporary shelter – shamianas 2. Vessel sets for each family – stove, two cooking vessels, plates, tumblers, buckets 3. Mats 4. Bedsheets 5. Clothes for men, women and children (boys and girls) 6. Food materials – rice, dhal, jowar, masalas, etc. 7. Milk powder for infants We appeal to you, on behalf of Jan Sahyog, Slum Jagathu, Samatha Sainik Dal and ALF, to contribute towards the above. In solidarity, Selva and Clifton -------------------------------------------------------------------- mail2web - Check your email from the web at http://mail2web.com/ . From cswara at hotmail.com Sat May 21 23:41:12 2005 From: cswara at hotmail.com (Swara Bhaskar) Date: Sat, 21 May 2005 18:11:12 +0000 Subject: [Reader-list] meet in Ahmedabad In-Reply-To: <014001c55dd2$567bdac0$0a18fea9@com1> Message-ID: An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050521/d933a01f/attachment.html From cswara at hotmail.com Sat May 21 23:41:11 2005 From: cswara at hotmail.com (Swara Bhaskar) Date: Sat, 21 May 2005 18:11:11 +0000 Subject: [Reader-list] meet in Ahmedabad In-Reply-To: <014001c55dd2$567bdac0$0a18fea9@com1> Message-ID: An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050521/b1192fda/attachment.html From sam at media.com.au Sun May 22 07:07:19 2005 From: sam at media.com.au (sam) Date: Sun, 22 May 2005 11:37:19 +1000 Subject: [Reader-list] soundings on south asia... Message-ID: <428FE24F.30305@media.com.au> Hi everyone, Over the last two years I have been conducting adhoc 50%-disciplined research in to extremism in Sri Lanka. This research has taken me in to India. I would like to keep the reader-list community in the loop of my research. One of the questions - specific to sri lanka - is why the sinhalese and the tamils can't resolve their differences and 'get on' with living. Another question is one raised by moral philosopher, Raimond Gaita: "In so many places good people defend the slaughter, defend the indefensible, because of their national or sometimes religious allegiances. True to the same allegiances, others fall silent when they should protest." (Gaita, 2005) In my research, I have come across a number of interesting people. Below, is a cut-and-paste review of a book titled 'Soundings on South Asia' which may be of interest to you all. You may already be aware of it - and if so, my apologies. Best wishes, Sam / Melb/Syd/Oz :-) -------- Delving deep into South Asia by Col. R Hariharan* (Soundings of South Asia - Author: Syed Ali Mujtaba, Publisher: New Dawn Press Inc., New Delhi-110020, Pages 226, Price: Rs 500 - http://www.indiaclub.com/shop/SearchResults.asp?ProdStock=14710) It requires a great deal of courage to write a book encompassing the whole spectrum of countries of South Asia, touching upon the key issues – or ‘soundings’ as the author calls them. It is a sub-continent with a variety of ethnic, racial, religious, social and cultural complexities, speaking over 300 languages, and dialects. Their historical experiences are equally varied - the most primitive societies jostling cheek by jowl with advanced ones. Considering this gigantic task, the author who is well qualified to do this both as an academic scholar and journalist, has done a commendable job. The author has formatted the book with an uncanny eye picking upon the macro picture. In this cameo, it is inevitable that some ‘soundings’ which resonate are missed out and some ‘soundings’ that are hollow get into the book. By this yardstick, the author has very few misses. Another commendable aspect in the format of the book is that it bears witness to the saying ‘no man is an island’ and links issues of one country to one or more countries of the region. Significant in these linkages is that India and Pakistan are considered together in two chapters – Partition of India and its aftermath, and India-Pakistan – emphasizing the close impact they have on each other. Other linked chapters include two parts on South Asia and one on SAARC. Thus even for those who may not have the time or inclination to read all things about all countries of South Asia, it will suffice to go through these five chapters to get the essence of the Sub-Continent. Many writers tend to paint a gory picture of a whole civilization trying to come to terms with modernism and overcome their problems of poverty, illiteracy, governance and exploitation borne out of historical elements. The author has made these macro chapters in the positive drift of optimism that comes from his belief that South Asia is on the journey to success. There are two chapters of soundings – actually a survey of issues from a detached perch as opening and closing chapters. The opening chapter of soundings has tried to compress too many complex issues and ideas into just seven pages. As a result we find that too many of them are presented in too little detail. It would have been more convenient for the reader if the chapter had been divided into political, sociological, economic, and ecological and security issues. The last chapter ‘Resoundings’ is an attempt to look at super-power influences that impinge upon the region, in the context of India and Pakistan gaining nuclear capability. The author has touched upon two key issues in this – the role China is likely to play and the need for clear-cut nuclear policies both in India and Pakistan. The South Asian idiom often tends to overlook that China, an economic giant, is looming large over the region both physically and economically with a massive reach. The author’s emphasis on India and China coming to terms with each other’s role is very pertinent. The problems created by the role of military in nascent democracies with detrimental results as seen in South Asia in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal is another aspect briefly touched upon in ‘Resoundings’. This issue could have been elaborated for the benefit of the readers. Lack of well thought out nuclear policy and structure to control its military use is a military strategists nightmare in this region. It is a good thing that the author has highlighted this aspect more than once in the book. Unambiguous and well-tested procedures with ‘fail safe’ mechanisms were the reason why both USA and the Soviet Union had avoided accidental nuclear power confrontation even at the height of cold war. Both Pakistan and India are guilty of not evolving such a system; this is one reason why during Operation Parakram, when India had deployed troops ready to wage war, the Western powers were having nightmares of a nuke war erupting accidentally, while the subcontinent slept blissfully in ignorance. The chapter on Partition and its aftermath was the one that I enjoyed best. The generation that brought in the vivisection of India through political expediencies, is almost gone from the scene. So it is essential that the current generation understand the shenanigans that went on the two decades prior to the Partition. M.A. Jinnah, revered in Pakistan with the title of Quaid-e-Azam, is considered the architect of Pakistan, a separate homeland for Muslims of the subcontinent. The idea of a homeland for Muslims originated in present day Bangladesh, then known as the province of Bengal. As the author states, the original idea was to ensure that Muslims who formed a substantial minority got their just rights, with enough freedom to practice their religion and lead a decent life as part of India. But political expediency took up the idea, played upon the religious sentiments, and with Congress on a rigid mode, culminated into Pakistan emerging as an independent country. It provided the limelight that Jinnah craved for and was denied in Congress. The author has dispassionately analyzed the issues in this chapter, which is thought provoking. Anyone who writes on the issues of India-Pakistan or Kashmir has to do a bit of tight rope walking because of the polemics these two subjects provoke among an emotional public in India and Pakistan. The author in an effort to do just that falls short of providing a few pointers on the way the problems could be solved between India and Pakistan. The two-nation theory itself, a pernicious prescription at best, stands in the way of reconciliation and removing the cobwebs of suspicion. The Soundings on India Pakistan relations would have been more useful if a little bit of more analysis had been attempted. As regards Kashmir issue, the author appears to be skating on thin ice when he says, “the prolonged delay of UN resolution on Kashmir prompted the 1965 war but that too could not throw any solution”. It was the Pakistani dictator General Ayub Khan’s idea to launch “Operation Gibraltar” to infiltrate Special Service Group Commandos into J and K touch off a spontaneous revolution among Kashmiri population and seize Kashmir. The Kashmiris rallied magnificently to India’s support and the operation failed. This was the cause of 1965 war. In order to ease pressure on troops in Kashmir India opened up the Western front along Punjab and Rajastan borders. While it is understandable that the author had given enough coverage for the views of Abdul Ghani Lone, the separatist all-party Hurriyat conference leader whom he had interviewed, it is surprising that the name of Sheikh Abdullah, who dominated the political scene of Kashmir for four decades (and whose descendants still bask in his glory) is not mentioned even once in the whole chapter. As an analyst on Sri Lanka, I am always stumped by the seemingly irreconcilable contradictions that exist between Tamils and Sinhalas in their relationship. It is difficult for non-Tamils to understand how such a great divide has emerged between the two ethnic population who have so much in common, culminating in a war that had already lasted three decades taking a toll of over 60,000 lives. So writing about Sri Lanka and its current problems in one chapter, when the outsiders are cocooned in ignorance, is a daunting task. Considering this the author has done a good job of compressing it in 22 odd pages. The author has brought the focus on President Chandrika Kumaratunga and her role in the peace process. A little peep into the socio-political aspect of Tamil-Sinhala estrangement would have made the chapter more useful. The write up on the role of Muslims in Sri Lanka, a section that is often ignored in the internecine war between the two major ethnicities, is useful because so little is written about them and their plight in the civil war. Writing on the Indo-Sri Lanka relations, the comments on the ‘role’ of the Indian Peace Keeping Force –IPKF are a little perfunctory. The author says it was to disarm LTTE which the Army had trained; this is incorrect on both counts The role of IPKF was to enforce the Rajiv-Jayawardane Accord, in which withdrawing the arms of all militant groups, was only one part. Thanks to the Accord, and the presence of the IPKF, the northeastern province came into being. It is a fact that the Tamils in all the years of struggle could not achieve it. IPKF restored rail and telephone communication, organized electric supply in the North; neither LTTE nor the Sri Lanka government have been able replicate these achievements to this day even in peacetime. When IPKF grievously hurt the LTTE, it took refuge in Vanni forests, and in desperation entered into an unholy alliance with President Premadasa, its sworn enemy, to get the IPKF out. One day when history of the sub continent is written with detachment, this realization would dawn. The chapter on Maldives is an excellent snapshot of one of the tiniest countries in the world, threatened more by environmental changes and global warming than by other factors. It is packed with facts and figures. The author’s comments on the constructive aspects of India-Maldives relations is useful in the context of understanding how one can attempt to constructively solve India’s ongoing troubled relations with Bangladesh and Pakistan on a variety of issues. The author presents interesting insights into Bangladesh, some of which are based upon the British secret papers on 1971 war, which have been declassified. The creation of Bangladesh is an articulation of Bangla nationalism over riding the Islamic identity, which had bound it to Pakistan. This is a lucidly written chapter providing adequate information on the problems of the infant nation, which has disproved all doomsday men that it would collapse under the weight of its own poverty. The achievements of Bangladesh, a nation struggling to assert the democratic idiom in the face of two spells of military dictatorships and emerging Islamic fundamentalism in politics, are brought out well. The constraints of space have perhaps compressed India-Bangladesh relations to a mere chronicle of a few facts. The author has included little known details of the achievement of Gen. Ershad in revamping the healthcare of the country. However, two great achievements of Bangladesh that are envy of other nations – the decentralized savings scheme of Grameen Bank and the success of population control measures – have been completely missed out. Bhutan and Nepal are factually treated and provide useful insights. Of the two, the chapter on Bhutan is more current with the inclusion of aspects of democratization process. In the case of Nepal, events have inevitably overtaken some parts of the chapter and will require updating in the next edition of the book. Inclusion of Afghanistan and Myanmar in a book on South Asia is a useful reminder that they form very much part of this subcontinent. However, the historical drift of Myanmar into xenophobia ever since a military dictatorship clamped a lid on democracy and severed its historical links with India, it is doubtful whether it would like to be called a South Asian nation anymore. It has now identified itself with ASEAN, which is perhaps more profitable for it for the time being. The chapter on Myanmar is interesting but for the paucity of information on the ethnic insurgencies that had been going on for over five decades now in that country. More than Myanmar, Afghanistan has better historical, cultural and social credentials to identify itself with South Asia. India and as a corollary Pakistan have had age-old links with Afghanistan. Even with so much of super power involvement in that country they continue to be relevant as they provide the people-to-people support the country needs sorely. The author has deftly handled this chapter. Overall, the book is well worth the price and time spared to read it. There are only two suggestions: one, for each country the author could have included a one-page summary of essential basic data; two, at the end of each chapter a list of books for those who wish to gain more knowledge on the country or issues could have been added. They would round off the whole book. The well-produced book really fulfills the aim of the book stated in the blurb: “to provide a compendium of the region’s development.” A useful addition to the bookshelves of journalists, politicians, academic institutions and all those interested in knowing and understanding South Asia. {Col. R Hariharan (Retd), formerly with Military Intelligence, specialist in counter-insurgency intelligence, served with the IPKF as Head of Intelligence in Sri Lanka.} From mahmoodfarooqui at yahoo.com Sun May 22 22:00:43 2005 From: mahmoodfarooqui at yahoo.com (mahmood farooqui) Date: Sun, 22 May 2005 09:30:43 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] nobody to speak up for Ram Guha on Said In-Reply-To: <20050520062945.90186.qmail@web80907.mail.scd.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <20050522163043.31508.qmail@web80904.mail.scd.yahoo.com> Hey, is noone going to defend Ram Guha? Where are the people who found his provocation 'brilliant?' COme on, someone.... wrote: > > In an article in this week�s issue of The Telegraph, > the ecological and Cricket historian Ramchandra Guha > has presented his views on Edward Said, the late > scholar and partisan of the Palestinian cause whose > book Orientalism created an entirely new field of > academics. Guha bases his article on a symposium > conducted on Said by the prestigious Chicago journal > Critical Inquiry and concludes that �reading this > symposium, one is forced to reach the conclusion > that > as a scholar, Said was greater than his book, > Orientalism, and that the book itself was more > worthwhile than the theoretical school it gave rise > to.� > Typically he does not clarify how he came to reach > that conclusion and what it was in that symposium- > whose views, analyses and comments- that leads him > to > this conclusion. The first two paragraphs of his > article are devoted to the way the US now > hegemonises > academic production in all spheres. The next two > recount biographical details about Said�s early > life. > Then there are two paras describing Orientalism > while > the third mentions the detractors of Orientalism and > reprises the oldest charge against it-that it ends > up > essentialising the west in much the same manner as > it > [Orientalism] itself criticizes western, Orientalist > scholarship. > The next two paragraphs are devoted to the nefarious > influences of Saidian scholarship. One that it > encourages �scholars to judge dead writers by the > canons of political correctness as they operate in > the > American academy today� and second that it valorizes > �intellectuals who claim to speak on behalf of the > oppressed while being ensconced in the American > university, surely the most cosy corner of the most > protected country in the world.� > The penultimate paragraph decries Said for not being > immune to flattery. The exact words being that the > �Critical Inquiry symposium suggests that, like more > ordinary mortals, Said was not immune to flattery.� > Again, he does not elaborate how and why this is > suggested or how he reaches this conclusion. And > then > the sweeping conclusion in the end paragraph goes > �Said was a very fine scholar, but not a great one. > Orientalism was a useful polemic, not an enduring > work > of scholarship. And postcolonial theory is an > intellectual dead-end.� These disconcerting > conclusions come soon after his admission, that > �Orientalism is probably the most influential work > of > humanistic scholarship of the last half-century.� > That Orientalism essentialises Western response is > really old hat. Every subsequent edition of the book > has carried a lengthy afterword by Said in which he > has acknowledged the various criticisms expressed > about the book and its approach. He engages with > them, > partially accepts the charge of essentialisation and > defends it by showing that his purpose was rather to > excavate the complicity of the scholarship with a > certain hegemonising process that was a parcel of > the > larger Imperialist project. Nowhere did he, or > anybody > who read that book, maintain that western scholars > who > studied the Orient were �bad people.� Except Guha, > who > asserts that, �contra Said, there were many > �Orientalists� who displayed an uncommon empathy > with > the people they were studying.� > William Jones and John Gilchirst and John Cunningham > may have been far more empathetic to Indians than > James Mill or Macaulay but that is not the point. > The > point is that all of these writers operated in an > intellectual grid which, despite their sympathy and > scholarship, was a participant in a hegemonising > influence of the West over the others. The very > content of that knowledge, the production and > consumption of that knowledge as well as its > afterlife > were all constituents of the western knowledge of > the > East, the knowledge that validated, ratified and > even > justified its control over the rest of the world. > They > may have been very good men, but even good men�s > minds > and scholarship operates in a given system of > thought, > ideology and prejudice, that is a discourse, and is > imbricated in relations of power. > Even if all that the followers of Said are doing > consists merely of �scrutinizing the writings of > dead > white males for their complicity with imperialist > projects of racial, cultural and class domination,� > it > is important and necessary. To take merely Indian > History writing, more than fifty years after > independence and more than a hundred and fifty years > after he wrote his ten volume history of India, > James > Mill�s Manichaean vision about India being a land of > conflict between different races and of it having > slipped from its ancient glory continues to inform > historical understanding in and outside the academy > to > an outstanding and astounding degree. It is the > business of historians then to show how these dead > white males have written us into being. > As for academics posing as activists from privileged > positions, posing is not the preserve of the US > academics and privilege does not belong exclusively > to > them. It is not the origin or the locale of the > writer > that is important, but their views. The problem with > Guha, here and elsewhere, is that being a liberal he > ties his apron strings to western liberal thought > that > springs eventually from enlightenment modernity. But > unlike other colonial thinkers of the present or the > past, say Gandhi or Tagore or Nehru or even Nandy or > Partha Chatterji or Ranajit Guha, Ramchandra Guha > does > not have any personal coordinates with which to map > the interaction between the dominant West and the > colonized East. All that is left to him therefore is > to praise good intentions and gentlemanly manners. > > > > > --- Dunkin Jalki wrote: > > isn't that true, after all. > > his book has a heuristic value more than anything > > else... > > in one of his article on Said S.N Balagangadhara > > ("The Future of the Present: > > Thinking Though Orientalism" _Cultural Dynamics_ > > 10(2): 101-121. 1998) writes > > "Often, writers of great books fail to appreciate > > the true depth and breadth > > of what they themselves have written. Such is also > > the case with Said." he > > writes further and more, a brilliant piece of > > writing on Said > > best > > -- > > Dunkin Jalki > > CSCS > > Bangalore 11 > > _________________________________________ > > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and > > the city. > > Critiques & Collaborations > > To subscribe: send an email to > > reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in > the > > subject header. > > List archive: > > > > > > > > __________________________________ > Yahoo! Mail Mobile > Take Yahoo! Mail with you! Check email on your > mobile phone. > http://mobile.yahoo.com/learn/mail > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and > the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to > reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the > subject header. > List archive: > > Discover Yahoo! Get on-the-go sports scores, stock quotes, news and more. Check it out! http://discover.yahoo.com/mobile.html From tg2028 at columbia.edu Mon May 23 00:40:06 2005 From: tg2028 at columbia.edu (Trisha Gupta) Date: Sun, 22 May 2005 15:10:06 -0400 Subject: [Reader-list] Thugee and the Third Front Message-ID: <1116789006.4290d90e65bcb@cubmail.cc.columbia.edu> Incredible "review" of book on Thugs in Indian Express by one Ashok Malik. Trisha http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=70670 Here's a sampling. "On page 58, Dash reproduces a British officer’s three-fold classification of Thugs (1915): ‘‘(George) Stockwell’s categories were the predominantly Muslim Etawah and Allyghur Thugs, who lived on large landed estates under the protection of various rajahs; the more numerous Hindu Lodhee Thugs of Cawnpore; and the gangs formerly based in Sindouse and Gwalior, who were the most numerous of all.’’ Tweak a phrase or two, and you’re left with the social composition of post-Mandal politics in Uttar Pradesh." From jcm at ata.org.pe Mon May 23 08:06:50 2005 From: jcm at ata.org.pe (Jose-Carlos Mariategui) Date: Sun, 22 May 2005 21:36:50 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] SIMPOSIUM ARTE & MEDIA - Latin-America and the Iberian Peninsula In-Reply-To: <023c01c55d39$8c825d40$fe0301ac@judit> Message-ID: (ENGLISH VERSION BELOW) SIMPOSIO ARTE & MEDIA - PRIMER ENCUENTRO IBEROAMERICANO http://www.mediatecaonline.net/artemedia/cas/index.htm Del 02 al 04 de junio de 2005 MECAD\Media Centre d'Art i Disseny de ESDi y la Mediateca de la Fundación "la Caixa" organizan el Simposio Arte & Media - Primer Encuentro Iberoamericano de Nuevas Tendencias en Arte y Tecnología. El evento reúne, por primera vez, a más de 35 renombrados especialistas -artistas, teóricos, comisarios, representantes de instituciones académicas y culturales- de los diferentes países de América Latina, España y Portugal, que tratarán cuestiones relevantes respecto a las últimas tendencias del arte y las tecnologías digitales, con un enfoque especial en el contexto iberoamericano. Paralelamente al evento se presentan siete muestras de media art de artistas de Argentina, Chile, Perú, Colombia, España, Portugal y ESDi/MECAD. Lugar: CaixaForum, Barcelona. Inscripciones online. Plazas limitadas. Certificado de asistencia. Para más información: info at mecad.org / http://www.mecad.org/simposio.htm http://www.mediatecaonline.net/artemedia/cas/index.htm +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Art & Media Symposium - First Encounter of New Tendencies in Art and Technology between Latin-America and the Iberian Peninsula http://www.mediatecaonline.net/artemedia/cas/index.htm >From June 02nd to 04th 2005 MECAD/ESDi and the Mediateca of the Fundación "la Caixa" organize the Art & Media Symposium - First Encounter of New Tendencies in Art and Technology between Latin-American and the Iberian Peninsula. The event brings together, for the first time, more than 35 specialists - artists, theoreticians, curators, academic and cultural institutions personalities - of the different Latin-America countries, Spain and Portugal. Place: CaixaForum, Barcelona. Program. Inscriptions online. Limited places. Attendance certificate. For more information: info at mecad.org / http://www.mecad.org/simposio.htm http://www.mediatecaonline.net/artemedia/eng/ From mpillai65 at yahoo.com Sat May 21 12:16:19 2005 From: mpillai65 at yahoo.com (Meera Pillai) Date: Fri, 20 May 2005 23:46:19 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] Multiple spaces and access routes at Vijayawada Railway Station Message-ID: <20050521064619.90711.qmail@web53506.mail.yahoo.com> "Before I've stepped into the station": Multiple spaces and access routes at Vijayawada Railway Station Even as they get a glimpse of us from the corner of their eyes, the boys start and flee. When Joseph calls out, "Hey, it's us! Where are you off to?", they pause, two or three with a leg over the railings, in the middle of clambering over and running to safely. Their faces split in grins then, and they wait for us to catch up with them. "Did you think we were the police? Was that why you ran away?" asks Joseph, his cheerful voice booming. "We were playing bomma," they say matter-of-factly. A simple game of chance, tossing a coin and calling out heads or tails, and keeping the coin if you call correctly, bomma is one of the pastimes of the younger boys at Vijayawada railway station. Apart from the fact that the boys are generally seen as a nuisance, bomma would be perceived as gambling, and therefore even more objectionable to the keepers of the law and likely to attract their attention. Passersby stop and look curiously. One man in the middle of getting astride his motorbike, pauses, completes the action, and then sits, making no move to ride off. a couple of people decide to give the steps the go-by and take a detour along the ramp instead, slowing down deliberately and then stopping to watch us talk to the children. Living on the fringes of more mainstream folks who use the railway station to get to and back from other places, street children don't often attract much attention from them. Middle-classish-foks talking to street children, though - that attracts attention. There are seven boys, between the ages of eight and twelve, in this group that is hanging out at the end of the handicapped-accessible ramp beside the broad steps of the side entrance of the Vijayawada railway station. The sight of Joseph and Basha, familiar figures who trawl the railway platforms every day on behalf of a local NGO working with children in need of care and protection, and particularly with street children, has restored the children's confidence. Their daily presence gives me credibility, as perhaps does my body language as I stand and chat with the children. They're used to the staff of the NGO, which runs a 24-hour drop in shelter, two night shelters and an infirmary, which the children are free to use when they like, even when they choose to remain on the street and not avail of the residential educational and vocational training services that the NGO also provides. The fact that I am with them makes me "safe" in their perception. I sit on the lower of the railings along the ramp, angling my short torso so my head emerges against the upper railing. Joseph quickly fills in the boys. "Does anyone speak Hindi? She can speak Hindi." In my minimal Telugu, and with hand gestures, I explain, "Telugu raadu. I can't maatlaadu, but if you speak to me, artham cheysukontaanu." The children are amused at my incompetence, but generous about the effort. Three of the group start talking to me in Hindi, and a fourth, we discover, speaks Tamil, so he and I have that language in common. Most important is the question, "Tumhara gaon kahaan?" One of them has travelled to Bangalore, and asks me where the street children's shelters are. "I looked for them, but I couldn't find them." I give him a quick tip on how to locate the shelters there. A man comes by with a flask of team and tiny plastic "glasses" that can hold about two tablespoons of tea. The boys are in the mood for tea. Basha pays. We sip our tea. "I tell them they should also sell tea," the man is in a chatty mood too. "I can help one or two of them. They can sell tea and make 50 to 100 rupees a day. But they don't listen." I smile. The boys ignore him. "Do you hang out here often?" I ask. Casual nods, yesses. "And no one disturbs you?" "No." "Or if they come, we go there. Or there." They point to the roof of the part of the railway station that abuts the ramp where we are now, and to the space under the metal stairs that lead down from one of the footbridges to the road outside the railway station. "When we want to sleep, we sleep under those stairs. Or up there." They point to the roof of the wide porch. "How do you get up there?" They point at a cast iron drainpipe along the side of the building. "We climb up that." "Is that difficult?" They laugh at my question. One of them leaps onto the railings along the ramp, and launches himself at the drainpipe. In a couple of seconds, he has shimmied up to the roof and back. "There are three ways of getting up on the porch. We can climb up that neem tree. Or use that pipe [pointing to one corner of the porch.] Or those pipes [pointing to another corner]." A richness of access routes. "We hang out here. But if we want to rest or sleep, we go up to the porch roof. Or if it's hot, we sleep under those stairs." "I'll come back tomorrow," I say, "and bring a camera. Will you take some pictures of where you hang out? Do you mind?" They look at me scornfully. They also take the suggestion that they take the pictures completely in their stride. Nothing special. Business as usual. I put off telling them about the research, explaining teh lay summary, getting informed consent to the morrow. I've not even entered the railway station yet, and already I've seen three non-standard living spaces that the Vijayawada railway station provides to its young residents. Spaces that I, as a middle-class traveller, have never noticed before in the station. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050520/ac099836/attachment.html From ritika at sarai.net Sat May 21 17:09:59 2005 From: ritika at sarai.net (ritika at sarai.net) Date: Sat, 21 May 2005 13:39:59 +0200 Subject: [Reader-list] spatial technologies - hi muthatha Message-ID: <25c1c775c67f9f4c3b2f5282447075b3@sarai.net> Dear Muthatha, Hi! Sorry for not being able to mail earlier. Just got caught up!! ANyways, thanks for the proposal and the attached bibliography. The articles have been easy to locate, so I have downloaded some. But for books - I have not been able to go to the library ... so...But, I haven't read anything yet. I was going through your postings in continuation and found lots of interesting entry points. I am just jotting them down as of now. If you're already dabbling with those question, then maybe these might help you. Also perhaps for the final sarai presentation - u may just wish to pusue only few of the aspects that are emerging out of your work. 1) I was curious about your expression, "You were frustrated with hype about GIS and the "shallow manner" in which technology is understood". It seems to me that u feel that apart from the storage and retreival ability of a GIS software (that we all are aware of), there is lot more that one can do with it. No I am not talking of GIS's applicability... Maybe a clarity here (perhaps for you as well) will help you to strength your own argument of how spatial knowledge is being produced. 2) In your last posting to the list - while you were discussing the work of soil scientisit - he talked about 'his style'. While his statement sounded extremelly 'scientific' in aptitide and encouraging people to think..etc; is it also possible that he does not wish to divulge his knowledge and is seeing his knowledge as his right to 'intellectual property'? In fact,this point also goes well with an argument that your were trying to make on 'knowledge production' and use of memory. 3) As you've mentioned in 2nd component of your research proposal - it might be worthwhile to see how the 'knowledge producers' are seeing 'changes'. Is it change in nature of queries/ project demands that they are facing - or changes in the methods...how are they updating themselves? It might be nice for you to make a set of tentative questions that u wish to probe and then follow the life of a person. This might help you to stay anchored, yet float around! your work is exciting me......... looking forward ritika From iram at sarai.net Mon May 23 11:49:39 2005 From: iram at sarai.net (iram at sarai.net) Date: Mon, 23 May 2005 08:19:39 +0200 Subject: [Reader-list] Akshardham files - pictures uploaded Message-ID: <6f3d6bc0d482012574d08b3c3ac125a9@sarai.net> FWD: Posting by Sabir Haque, Nidhi Bal Singh and Leena Rani Narzary -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject:Akshardham files - pictures uploaded From:Sabir Haque Date:Sat, 21 May 2005 13:12:07 +0100 (BST) Dear all, As mentioned in our last posting "What sank will resurface as ghost of yesterday". I have uploaded the photographs from the Akshardham site, the pictures depicts how time has changed on the Eastern bank of Yamuna. The different stages of how Akshardham come into being. The ravages done by the DDA on the farming, how standing crops were destroyed and farmers forcibly evacuated on a single day. The photographs are available on the following URL: http://www.whatasight.bravehost.com/Links.htm Follow the link "The Akshardham files" and you will enter our webpages where even our earlier postings are also available. In our next postings, we will take up the legal standpoint of the farmers and also DDA's. We will also cover an exclusive interview with Mr. A.K Jain, Commissioner planning, DDA, his comments on Akshardham and Yamuna. Thankx to all, Sabir Haque Nidhi Bal Singh Leena Rani Narzary From vivek at sarai.net Mon May 23 15:04:43 2005 From: vivek at sarai.net (Vivek Narayanan) Date: Mon, 23 May 2005 15:04:43 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The final (?) word on Abu Ghraib Message-ID: <4291A3B3.9020305@sarai.net> The unknown unknowns of the Abu Ghraib scandal Seymour Hersh: The 10 inquiries into prisoner abuse have let Bush and Co off the hook Seymour Hersh Saturday May 21, 2005 It's been over a year since I published a series of articles in the New Yorker outlining the abuses at Abu Ghraib. There have been at least 10 official military investigations since then - none of which has challenged the official Bush administration line that there was no high-level policy condoning or overlooking such abuse. The buck always stops with the handful of enlisted army reservists from the 372nd Military Police Company whose images fill the iconic Abu Ghraib photos with their inappropriate smiles and sadistic posing of the prisoners. It's a dreary pattern. The reports and the subsequent Senate proceedings are sometimes criticised on editorial pages. There are calls for a truly independent investigation by the Senate or House. Then, as months pass with no official action, the issue withers away, until the next set of revelations revives it. There is much more to be learned. What do I know? A few things stand out. I know of the continuing practice of American operatives seizing suspected terrorists and taking them, without any meaningful legal review, to interrogation centres in south-east Asia and elsewhere. I know of the young special forces officer whose subordinates were confronted with charges of prisoner abuse and torture at a secret hearing after one of them emailed explicit photos back home. The officer testified that, yes, his men had done what the photos depicted, but they - and everybody in the command - understood such treatment was condoned by higher-ups. What else do I know? I know that the decision was made inside the Pentagon in the first weeks of the Afghanistan war - which seemed "won" by December 2001 - to indefinitely detain scores of prisoners who were accumulating daily at American staging posts throughout the country. At the time, according to a memo, in my possession, addressed to Donald Rumsfeld, there were "800-900 Pakistani boys 13-15 years of age in custody". I could not learn if some or all of them have been released, or if some are still being held. A Pentagon spokesman, when asked to comment, said that he had no information to substantiate the number in the document, and that there were currently about 100 juveniles being held in Iraq and Afghanistan; he did not address detainees held elsewhere. He said they received some special care, but added "age is not a determining factor in detention ... As with all the detainees, their release is contingent upon the determination that they are not a threat and that they are of no further intelligence value. Unfortunately, we have found that ... age does not necessarily diminish threat potential." The 10 official inquiries into Abu Ghraib are asking the wrong questions, at least in terms of apportioning ultimate responsibility for the treatment of prisoners. The question that never gets adequately answered is this: what did the president do after being told about Abu Ghraib? It is here that chronology becomes very important. The US-led coalition forces swept to seeming immediate success in the March 2003 invasion of Iraq, and by early April Baghdad had been taken. Over the next few months, however, the resistance grew in scope, persistence and skill. In August 2003 it became more aggressive. At this point there was a decision to get tough with the thousands of prisoners in Iraq, many of whom had been seized in random raids or at roadside checkpoints. Major General Geoffrey D Miller, an army artillery officer who, as commander at Guantanamo, had got tough with the prisoners there, visited Baghdad to tutor the troops - to "Gitmo-ise" the Iraqi system. By the beginning of October 2003 the reservists on the night shift at Abu Ghraib had begun their abuse of prisoners. They were aware that some of America's elite special forces units were also at work at the prison. Those highly trained military men had been authorised by the Pentagon's senior leadership to act far outside the normal rules of engagement. There was no secret about the interrogation practices used throughout that autumn and early winter, and few objections. In fact representatives of one of the Pentagon's private contractors at Abu Ghraib, who were involved in prisoner interrogation, were told that Condoleezza Rice, then the president's national security adviser, had praised their efforts. It's not clear why she would do so - there is still no evidence that the American intelligence community has accumulated any significant information about the operations of the resistance, who continue to strike US soldiers and Iraqis. The night shift's activities at Abu Ghraib came to an end on January 13 2004, when specialist Joseph M Darby, one of the 372nd reservists, provided army police authorities with a disk full of explicit images. By then, these horrors had been taking place for nearly four months. Three days later the army began an investigation. But it is what was not done that is significant. There is no evidence that President Bush, upon learning of the devastating conduct at Abu Ghraib, asked any hard questions of Rumsfeld and his own aides in the White House; no evidence that they took any significant steps, upon learning in mid-January of the abuses, to review and modify the military's policy toward prisoners. I was told by a high-level former intelligence official that within days of the first reports the judicial system was programmed to begin prosecuting the enlisted men and women in the photos and to go no further up the chain of command. In late April, after the CBS and New Yorker reports, a series of news conferences and press briefings emphasised the White House's dismay over the conduct of a few misguided soldiers at Abu Ghraib and the president's repeated opposition to torture. Miller was introduced anew to the American press corps in Baghdad and it was explained that the general had been assigned to clean up the prison system and instil respect for the Geneva conventions. Despite Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo - not to mention Iraq and the failure of intelligence - and the various roles they played in what went wrong, Rumsfeld kept his job; Rice was promoted to secretary of state; Alberto Gonzales, who commissioned the memos justifying torture, became attorney general; deputy secretary of defence Paul Wolfowitz was nominated to the presidency of the World Bank; and Stephen Cambone, under-secretary of defence for intelligence and one of those most directly involved in the policies on prisoners, was still one of Rumsfeld's closest confidants. President Bush, asked about accountability, told the Washington Post before his second inauguration that the American people had supplied all the accountability needed - by re-electing him. Only seven enlisted men and women have been charged or pleaded guilty to offences relating to Abu Ghraib. No officer is facing criminal proceedings. Such action, or inaction, has special significance for me. In my years of reporting, since covering My Lai in 1969, I have come to know the human costs of such events - and to believe that soldiers who participate can become victims as well. Amid my frenetic reporting for the New Yorker on Abu Ghraib, I was telephoned by a middle-aged woman. She told me that a family member, a young woman, was among those members of the 320th Military Police Battalion, to which the 372nd was attached, who had returned to the US in March. She came back a different person - distraught, angry and wanting nothing to do with her immediate family. At some point afterward, the older woman remembered that she had lent the reservist a portable computer with a DVD player to take to Iraq; on it she discovered an extensive series of images of a naked Iraqi prisoner flinching in fear before two snarling dogs. One of the images was published in the New Yorker and then all over the world. The war, the older woman told me, was not the war for democracy and freedom that she thought her young family member had been sent to fight. Others must know, she said. There was one other thing she wanted to share with me. Since returning from Iraq, the young woman had been getting large black tattoos all over her body. She seemed intent on changing her skin. Extracted from The Chain of Command, published in paperback by Penguin Press (#7.99) From cahen.x at levels9.com Mon May 23 16:43:33 2005 From: cahen.x at levels9.com (xavier cahen) Date: Mon, 23 May 2005 13:13:33 +0200 Subject: [Reader-list] pourinfos letter / 05-20 to 05-23-2005 Message-ID: <000d01c55f88$77636200$0501a8c0@acerkxw6rbeu2s> pourinfos.org l'actualité du monde de l'art / daily Art news ----------------------------------------------------------------------- infos from May 20, 2005 to May 23, 2005 (included) ------------------------------------------------------------------- (mostly in french) ------------------------------------------------------------------- 01 Job : Drawing Teacher, At Ecole Régionale des Beaux-Arts de Rouen, Rouen, France. http://pourinfos.org/emploi/item.php?id=1607 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 02 Meeting : screening, le GIVR, CRDP Espace Cézanne, Marseille. http://pourinfos.org/rencontres/item.php?id=1606 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 03 Call : seek a graphic team, CNAP - National center of visual arts, la Défense, France. http://pourinfos.org/candidature/item.php?id=1605 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 04 Call : VIPER European film, video and new media festivals, Basel, Switzerland. http://pourinfos.org/candidature/item.php?id=1604 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 05 Formation : workshop of summer Numerical Arts of iMA, Centre Dansaert center, Belgium. http://pourinfos.org/emploi/item.php?id=1603 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 06 Call : "carte blanche" for Valérie Bert, Espace subsistance Space, Lyon. http://pourinfos.org/participation/item.php?id=1602 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 07 Call : Selfportrait, Zarbimages association, France. http://pourinfos.org/participation/item.php?id=1601 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 08 Exhibition : "Natrural / Digital", Biche de Bere Gallery, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1600 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 09 Screening :"Engrave in the Marble" and "maltreated Europe", Le Barbizon, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1599 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 10 Performance : "machine of escape", Hermaphrodite Editions, Museum of Naïve art Max Fourny, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1598 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 11 Program : Centre Photographique d'Ile de France, Pontault-Combault, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1597 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 12 Exhibition : Jonas Mekas, Lithuanian Pavillon, 51ème Biennial international exhibition of Venice 2005, Italy. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1596 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 13 Job : A person in charge of sponsoring & commercial development, Mudam, Luxembourg, Luxembourg. http://pourinfos.org/emploi/item.php?id=1595 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 14 Job : A person in charge for the teaching projects, Mudam, Luxembourg, Luxembourg. http://pourinfos.org/emploi/item.php?id=1594 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 15 Meeting : extensions #3, Christophe Marchand-Kiss and Véronique Pittolo, Ensci, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/rencontres/item.php?id=1592 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 16 Screening : Cinema with the Musics, Polly Maggoo association, Festival Les Musiques Marseille, Marseille, France. lien http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1591 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 17 Exhibition : George Hadjimichalis, Grec Pavillon, 51ème Biennial international exhibition of Venice 2005, Italy. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1590 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 18 Meeting : RDV 03, Stephan Mathieu, La Salle de Bain, Public library la Part-Dieu, Lyon, France. lien http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1589 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 19 Exhibition : Rodolfo Aricò, Towards the Absolute, Institut Mathildenhöhe Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1588 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 20 Exhibition : Open studio, Aceca.net, Baden-Wurtemberg et l'Alsace, France. http://pourinfos.org/expositions/item.php?id=1587 From shivamvij at gmail.com Mon May 23 17:24:12 2005 From: shivamvij at gmail.com (shivam) Date: Mon, 23 May 2005 17:24:12 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Dalit Study Circle demands comprehensive Investigation against Jindals in Raigarh (Press Release) Message-ID: DALIT STUDY CIRCLE C/o Goldy M. George, Karbala Para, Behind State Bank of Indore, G.E. Road, Raipur, (C.G.) 492001, India Contact No: +91-98933-57911 E-mail: dalitstudycircle at yahoo.com 17-05-05 Raipur Press Release Dalit Study Circle demands comprehensive Investigation against Jindals in Raigarh Dalit Study Circle had demanded a comprehensive investigation against the Jindals in Raigarh. This comes in the wake of the recent killing of an Adivasi youth Digambar Siddar on the night of 4th May 2005 by the security guards of Jindal industry. The incident took place in Saraipalli village adjoining the factory premises, which is an expansion project of the Jindal industry in Raigarh. Dalit Study Circle initiated a fact-finding investigation of the whole matter, which brought out the different dimensions of the issue. According to a press statement of Dalit Study Circle, the investigation report clearly indicates the involvement of the Jindal management in the incident as similar tactics had been evolved in the past also. The investigation pointed out that Jindal had adapted to a formula of "Khareed Lo, Hatta Do, Mitta Do, Phasaa Do" (Buy or remove or eliminate or entrap). Clear indications how the Jindals had succeeded in manipulating the administration and also flouting the law had been mentioned in the investigation. During the investigation the team met with the people of Saraipalli village, many social activists, police officials and others. After the incident people in Saripalli village are living under utter terror and fear that this incident is to teach a lesson to the ordinary people. Hence whoever will ever try to protest against the Jindals in future will face similar consequences is what the message is! The investigation team is also suspicious of the role of police and administration in the whole incident. It says that "in Raigarh people have got less faith in the police and administration, since they strongly feel that the Jindal runs it. Here is how Rajesh Tripathi puts it. There is no administration or police or even legal framework for the poor. All is perfectly reserved for the rich. Jindal is running a parallel government in Raigarh. Everything is bought and sold, just like a commodity in the market. For the administrative officials Raigarh is the pastureland in the whole of Chhattisgarh.". The investigation clearly points out how the Constitutional bodies like the gram sabha, panchayats had been turned defunct in Raigarh. People are compelled to accept their life as per the whims and wishes of the corporate empire. The present status of accepting whatever is going on is taken as a part of their fate. Killing of Adivasi youth is a clear violation of human rights. Further it violated Article 21, Article 39(a), (b), Article 46 of the Constitution. Such incidences are taken as model in order to force the people to move out of their land, this is a clear violation of UN Declaration on Forced Eviction. Violation of right over livelihood is a gross violation of human rights, the investigation says. Based on the investigation team's recommendations we demand the following 1. Under the above-mentioned circumstances it is vital to initiate an impartial investigation into the whole incident of the killing of Digambar Siddar and indirect pressure tactics of Jindal company. All the cases of human rights violation should be seriously looked into since there are clear narrative chronologies of many incidences of similar nature in Raigarh in the past. 2. All those behind the killing of Digambar Siddar including the overall management of Jindal as well as the tardy police and administrative officials should be brought under the clutches of law. 3. Ensure security to the inhabitants of Saraipalli and also to all other villages in the vicinity affected by the Jindals as well as other industries in Raigarh. Proper direction should be given to the administration to ensure the safety and security of people living under utter terror and fear, particularly the villages in the surrounding areas of the plant. Failure in doing so will have severe impact. 4. The state government should take precautionary measure of preventing such atrocious incidences on ordinary villagers, particularly weaker section in future since it is a constitutional right. 5. Ensure the constitutional rights, human rights, political rights, educational and health rights of the people in Raigarh, which has been thrashed by the corporate houses. Any infringement of these rights are violation of a whole set of human values and particularly the very right to existence and survival. It is recommended to set-up a vigilance committee comprising of social activists and local villagers from the affected villages in Raigarh in order to continuously monitor violation of any of these. 6. The killed persons family should be properly compensated so that they resume their lives anew and afresh. Compensation is not just in terms of monetary disbursement but also at large in creating an environment of justice and peace. Sense of liberty and tranquillity needs to be inculcated which had been lost due to the demise of their beloved one. In reality no compensation could fill their psychological and cerebral wound to the family, but all possible efforts should be made. 7. Fanindra Kumar Patel, who survived the pellets, should be provided with protection as his life is still on the point of Jindals. It is not impossible, as in the past, that he and his family could be bribed and threatened to shut their mouth. Such aspects should be taken into serious account. It is not to be debated that the treatment cost of the injured person should be borne by the factory management. 8. Immediately stop the expansion project and look into the legitimacy of the expansion program. If the permission had been granted or not? Also the questions such as environmental clearances, the extents of land purchased from people, the extents government land appropriated vis-à-vis actual acquired land, occupational security to the workers, etc. should be investigated by an independent body. The investigation team consisted of Sandya Bodlekar, Virendra, V.K Prasoon and Goldy M. George. For Dalit Study Circle Durga From stopragging at gmail.com Tue May 24 01:18:50 2005 From: stopragging at gmail.com (Stop Ragging Campaign) Date: Tue, 24 May 2005 01:18:50 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Milgram Experiments Message-ID: Hi, Some of you may have heard about the famous Milgram Experiments. We're looking at how the Milgram Experiements may apply to ragging in India. See our post http://stop-ragging.blogspot.com/2005/05/ragging-and-milgram-experiments.html We'd be grateful to you if you joined us in engaing with the complex issues that our study is leading us into. Best, Team SPACE -- www.stopragging.org | info at stopragging.org From stopragging at gmail.com Tue May 24 15:39:37 2005 From: stopragging at gmail.com (Stop Ragging Campaign) Date: Tue, 24 May 2005 15:39:37 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Fwd: The Milgram Experiments In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: In this email we sent out last evening, 'engaing' should read as 'engaging'. Apologies, Team SPACE ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Stop Ragging Campaign Date: May 24, 2005 1:18 AM Subject: The Milgram Experiments To: reader-list at sarai.net, stopragging at yahoogroups.com Hi, Some of you may have heard about the famous Milgram Experiments. We're looking at how the Milgram Experiements may apply to ragging in India. See our post http://stop-ragging.blogspot.com/2005/05/ragging-and-milgram-experiments.html We'd be grateful to you if you joined us in engaing with the complex issues that our study is leading us into. Best, Team SPACE - -- www.stopragging.org | info at stopragging.org From shivamvij at gmail.com Wed May 25 00:50:49 2005 From: shivamvij at gmail.com (shivam) Date: Wed, 25 May 2005 00:50:49 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] What did the books do to you?' Message-ID: Dance bars, yes. Books, no! By Lindsay Pereira Rediff | May 24, 2005 http://in.rediff.com/news/2005/may/24lp.htm Mahesh Kumar would sit quietly, precariously, atop a small pile of books, watching Mumbai go by. I had known him for months by then, and he would recognise me from a distance. When I stopped by his little bookstall -- the grand facade of Churchgate casting its shadow on us both -- he would jump up and, almost immediately, whip out his latest acquisitions. The last time, there was Michel Houellebecq's Atomised. A fairly new Zadie Smith's The Autograph Man. A faded edition of Khushwant Singh's Delhi. And James Kelman's How Late It Was, How Late. I remember buying everything but Delhi, telling him I had a copy. Mahesh knew exactly what to tempt his buyer with. He managed, as he often had before, to surprise me with his suggestions. When a young woman approached, he would reach out for Paulo Coelho without batting an eyelid. She would pay and leave. No words were exchanged, and the transaction would last little more than a minute. "How do you do it?" I asked him. "Do you know these authors?" He laughed wildly, telling me he had never been to school. He couldn't read the alphabet, attempted one Hindi paperback every six months, and wrote a monthly letter to his mother who lived in Chhapra. That, for him, was all the contact with reading or writing of any kind. He managed solely by paying a great deal of attention to his customers. With one eye firmly on the crowd passing by (he insisted on calling out to regular or potential buyers every five minutes), he told me about his "system" -- Paperback thrillers in the top and lowest rows. Penguin paperbacks in the second row, current pirated bestsellers in the third, everything else spread across the fourth. Depending on the row you reached for first, Mahesh could gauge -- and pretty accurately at that -- the kind of books you were most likely to buy. What you wore, the kind of mobile phone you carried, the mood you were in and the expression on your face – these were pointers he then used while quoting prices. Armed with this information, I tried confusing him a couple of times. By reaching for Michael Crichton, for instance, when it was really Colm Toibin I wanted. He would ignore my childish attempts, put away the Crichton, pick up Toibin, and name his price. I stopped playing that game with him a long time ago. All along that paved pathway, stretching from Eros to Flora Fountain and beyond, were others like Mahesh. Boys far from home, hawking literature in an alien city, with an understanding of its denizens that went beyond the merely perceptive. They would offer Playboy to teenagers asking about Windows for Dummies, and it turned out the kids wanted Playboy all along. They discussed the pros and cons of titles by Robert Ludlum, relying on testimonials from past customers to recommend or dismiss a book. They knew, somehow, that they ought to charge more for a Faber & Faber imprint. And they delineated, neatly, the literary from the pulp fiction. Years ago, one of them asked me to consider reading Patrick Suskind, saying he thought I'd like him. It turned out I did. In time, I stopped trying to understand Mahesh. I gave up analyses of his methods. I simply stood by his side, letting him do what he did best. He would pull up some titles, push others out of the way, poke and prod the many heaps surrounding him, and surface, minutes later, with something like David Mitchell's Number 9 Dream. "Yeh aapko accha lagega, saheb," he would smile. I would pay up, knowing he was probably right again. Mahesh doesn't sit there anymore. He -- and the others like him -- have been asked to leave. Selling books at that public space is now illegal. The pathways are easier to navigate now, apparently. Nothing stands between Flora Fountain and the railway station anymore, except people, and a few more people. Nothing shocking like Vladimir Nabokov, Emile Zola, Gunter Grass or William Shakespeare to stop you from reaching that train on time. Nothing but a piece of dirty cardboard, propped up against a railing near Churchgate, with the words: 'What did the books do to you?' I walk past those empty spaces quickly these days. And sadly. In the state of Maharashtra, where I live, dance bars are perfectly okay. Boys who sell books, however, will not be tolerated. From sananth at sancharnet.in Wed May 25 08:27:15 2005 From: sananth at sancharnet.in (Ananth) Date: Wed, 25 May 2005 08:27:15 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Changing Culture of Business Message-ID: <6.1.0.6.0.20050525082636.027f2730@smma.sancharnet.in> The Changing Culture of Business – Finance Business in Vijayawada – May Monthly Report. This posting will try to analyse the nature of the finance business and try to explain some of the actions adopted by companies or individuals in the business. The finance business (especially the informal lending) is one of the few businesses where the person(s) involved in lending have a lot of time at their disposal. Infact most of the financiers tend to ‘classify’ as a ‘lazy business’. This could be one of the reasons why a large number of informal financiers tend to be involved in more than one business. A large proportion of the financiers interviewed, believe that this abundant availability of time is largely responsible for financiers developing vices that in the long-term ruin their businesses. Only the very prudent financiers are able to utilise their spare time in a profitable manner. The nature of the business is such that the companies or individuals are only interested in collecting their dues / instalments. Once that is paid, a large number of financiers are not interested in any other aspect or business(es) of the client. Only the more judicious of the financiers undertake a regular interaction (or SWOT analysis) of their clients businesses over regular intervals. An important aspect of the collection of dues is the fear psychosis created by the lender to collect their dues – even when the lender has clearly broken the law. The overt use of force (or more often the threat to use force) is an integral strategy in the financiers’ arsenal. In the case of the informal finance, the inability of the borrower to access any source of lenders is of paramount importance. Apart from using force and in case force does not work, what else can an informal financier do to collect his dues? Most financiers agree that there is very little that they can do, other than approach a local cop or a local tough to ‘settle’ the issue. This is more pronounced when the borrower has no other asset. Only the Chit Fund companies (and only the registered ones) have an interest in taking up costly litigation in courts as they are likely to recover most of their money from the guarantors. Recovering money from the middle classes is relatively easier. Peer pressure and ‘middle class respectability’ and their notion of ‘prestige’ provide an opportunity for a lender to exert pressure. But for a lower class borrower, it is more than a mere social problem. A default could well mean that such roadside arguments create problems as they erode the very little symbolic capital that they might have accumulated over a period of time. To a lower class person, this erosion may starve them out of funds when they need it most. Despite these problems the fact that the informal lenders have prospered is largely due to their intricate knowledge of the borrowers, an excellent understanding of the nature of the borrowers business and the highly customised service. This customised service (in case of a good business relationship) means that the clients are serviced at literally any time of the hour – something which the larger national and multi-national players cannot offer. They Differ from large MNC or national level companies by their excellent knowledge of their clients, customised service and their needs including their seasonal and other needs; but the valorisation (to assign or give value to) of global practices has made these practices seem obsolete. The success of the informal players and the formal (local players) is simply because they do not have any lending targets. For them it is not a volume driven business it is a return based business. Employees of the local ICICI Bank have often complained that the pressure to find clients means that they are often forced to recommend clients with doubtful credentials. A local player or an informal player will never lend to a person who they think will not repay the money. Despite the predominance of informal finance in Vijayawada (which is most likely the case all over the country), they rarely make the headlines in the newspapers. The only time when the informal lending practices leads to headlines in the press are when they create problems for the legal structures or when they compete with authorised competences. Otherwise they are never part of the common discourse. This suits the informal lenders as there is usually never any legally valid documentation – except the promissory note. From shivamvij at gmail.com Wed May 25 18:36:15 2005 From: shivamvij at gmail.com (shivam) Date: Wed, 25 May 2005 18:36:15 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] What did the books do to you?' In-Reply-To: <9949efb0505250527336e66be@mail.gmail.com> References: <9949efb0505250527336e66be@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: Good point. But I suppose Pereira is trying to make another important point: why is it that an attempt to close down dance bars makes national headlines whereas removal of bookstalls evokes no voice of protest? About hawkers, I think we need a thorough national policy to secure their rights, to decide their status vis-a-vis 'public space'. S On 5/25/05, Gitika Talwar wrote: > > I live in bombay and i madly miss the bookstalls alongside Fort - I detest > what is happening to Bombay in the past few months - the Shanghaification > specifically....wonder what happened to the spirit that was truly Bombay and > not an aspiration to be something else. > > however, I do recommend some caution in admonishing dance bars the way > periera's article has done --oh so subtly -- for a variety of reasons - but > one main one is that no one has any business shutting down bars that provide > an honest living to a lot of people out there ...the bookstalls and the bars > have no reason to be compared - save the fact that they both seem to provide > an honest living to people trying their best to survive in this city. > > let us not pit the dance bars against the books - they have nothing to do > with each other -- http://www.shivamvij.com/ From sukhdev.sandhu at nyu.edu Wed May 25 18:51:34 2005 From: sukhdev.sandhu at nyu.edu (SS Sandhu) Date: Wed, 25 May 2005 14:21:34 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] What did the books do to you?' Message-ID: <1060404105df4d.105df4d1060404@nyu.edu> A very good and accessibly-written anthropology on the day-to-day life as well as the cultural politics of street booksellers is Mitchell Duneier's Sidewalk (1999). http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0374527253/qid=1117027244/sr=2- 1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/002-9375827-9283214 http://www.salon.com/books/review/1999/12/16/duneier/ From jace at pobox.com Wed May 25 22:55:08 2005 From: jace at pobox.com (Kiran Jonnalagadda) Date: Wed, 25 May 2005 22:55:08 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] User interface on LiveJournal In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <400e8f60c8266f96f6109c0c4ef918d4@pobox.com> I'm stepping out on a limb here, talking about things I have no academic familiarity with, so I'd appreciate feedback. This post is mostly conjecture. On May 1, 2005, at 9:51 PM, Kiran Jonnalagadda wrote: > 1. The tag on LiveJournal creates a link to a > LiveJournal account by id. Liberal use of this tag converts what would > normally be taken for name-dropping into a form of introduction. In > addition, since LJ ids have no first or last name, there is only one > way to address a person using their LJ id. This creates an egalitarian > atmosphere for addressing other users. To begin with, what is name-dropping? Answers.com provides a definition [1]: "To mention casually the names of illustrious or famous people in order to imply that one is on familiar terms with them, intended as a means of self-promotion." In the context of the blog, let us assume that "illustrious or famous people" refers to anyone who appeals to the average blog reader. It can then be said that any reference to another person that carries an air of familiarity with that person can be construed as name-dropping. Consider an imaginary post: "Ramesh Ramaswamy says the delta wing design is unstable and unsuitable for a low power unmanned aircraft. I'm not convinced however. I'm building a prototype currently, and it does look as if it'll fly." The words here carry an implication of Ramesh Ramaswamy as a peer, since it's an unusual event to openly challenge an authority (even if that is the case). Or consider this second example: "Suresh is cool. He rigged up a barcode reader to his dormitory room lock, so now he can enter by just waving his id card." In this case, the blogger's words imply familiarity with Suresh (since there is no explanation of who he is, and no proper identity either), describe an enviable achievement, and hence subtly imply that the blogger is in the company of very cool people. Both these are somewhat unusual examples, but fact is, the blogosphere *is* inundated with posts from people talking about other people. Most of the time, this is about what one person thinks of another person's post. The bloggers have likely never met each other, but have attained familiarity with reading each others' posts, have referred to each other before, and are at a level of familiarity now that then referring to the other, they no longer bother to explain who the other is. At this point a new person reads the post, discovers it is a bunch of people talking about each other, with a collective opinion spread thin across several posts, while at the same time carrying an air of high intellectualism. The new person typically dismisses this as a sham, a mutual back-patting club. I think LiveJournal (LJ) has accidentally stumbled upon a mechanism to prevent this from happening within that community. Sometime in 2001 [2], LiveJournal introduced a custom extension to the HTML formatting that is used in posts. If you insert a tag in your post, LiveJournal converts this into a link to that user's journal. This link is stylised with a small leading icon, followed by the account name in bold. Clicking on the account name leads to that user's journal, while clicking on the icon leads to the user's profile. In 2004 [2], the tag's handling was updated so that the icon changes if the account is a community or a syndicated journal, and the account name is displayed struck out if the account has been deleted. Use of the LJ tag has become deep-rooted [3] in the LJ community. Almost every reference to another LJ user is done via the tag, not the person's name. It may have been awkward for some initially, especially when setting aside a simple real name for a complicated username, but the tag offers the clear advantage of unambiguousness. There may be several people named Suresh, but there is only one . You won't have to explain exactly who you are referring to. Use of this tag transforms a reference to another person from a case of potential name-dropping to an introduction. What was previously "I know all these cool people (that you don't have access to)" becomes "here are some cool people that you should get familiar with". I believe this is so for specific reasons: 1. Unambiguousness, as explained above. 2. Consistent interface for how to know more about the person. Click on the name to read their journal, or click on the icon to read their profile page, where they may have a biography, and where you can see who of your existing friends also know this person. 3. LJ usernames are a single word. There is no title, first name, or last name basis for addressing. Whether the person is one's spouse or a high authority, the reference is made in the same manner. This creates an egalitarian atmosphere and reduces implicit messages of familiarity. 4. Because there is a consistent interface, users do not have to explain who the person is or how they are familiar with them. The link to the profile usually provides it, and that they have a LiveJournal account at all is satisfactory explanation for how the user is familiar with them ("I know her because she has a journal and I read it"). 5. Because the tag always provides a link, users grow to expect that they needn't provide it themselves, and because there's a link to a profile, they needn't bother with that either. This is particularly significant when a person is mentioned for the first time, for again after a long period. To use a familiar analogy, LJ tags are like how when financial publications mention a company name, they follow it with the stock ticker symbol. Just as they expect a curious reader may look up the symbol to find out more before returning to the article, LJ users expect the tag provides adequate introduction to whoever they are talking about. [1] http://www.answers.com/name-dropping [2] Date to be verified. [3] As observed. I do not have statistics to back this up. Thanks to Nakul Shenoy for helping with clarifying why an LJ tag is different from a regular hyperlink. -- Kiran Jonnalagadda http://www.pobox.com/~jace From maryashakil at hotmail.com Thu May 26 15:50:04 2005 From: maryashakil at hotmail.com (marya shakil) Date: Thu, 26 May 2005 15:50:04 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] death and bazaar: among the dead Message-ID: Dear friends, We intend to enter a new space through this posting. Choosing a space and deciding upon it is quite a task.The location? The neighbours? Comfort? And what all comes to our mind����.. I am dead.The space will be decided by someone else and I have No Say. But we can tell our loved ones to take care of �all that� after Death. Shamim Khan of an upper middle class background says he followed his father�s will and buried him at the place he desired. He had expressed his desire for his final resting place. Were the neighbours known to him? - His wife and mother. He repulsed our presence. We were researchers intruding and knocking at the doors he had shut two months back. His father was one of the pandits who performed the last rites at the Lodhi Road Crematorium. Pt. Manish Kumar, a B Com graduate wanted to know our �motive behind the research� . It was sacrilege,us addressing his calling as an industry. He was determined that he would not be convinced. Reasons? He was there by Will. Carrying on the family tradition. The issue wasn�t the prestige. �pundit are no longer respected� so why did he choose it. Family prestige and societal acceptance. �He had to continue the tradition� while his brothers are quite well placed as chartered accountants. Dressed in a starched white kurta, Manish clearly did not belong to the place where he was placed. He was visibly upset with his circumstances but couldn�t state it. But Why? For �karma and dharma�. It was �his day�. According to the distribution of the task the eight pandits of the crematorium perform rites on the allotted days. Interesting day-wise distribution 7 days- 8 pandits how does it work. �it works for us�.why are you worried. Come with a dead and see it for yourself�. We were not the customers. Accommodation is �first Class� with quarters given within the premises. Besides the 8 masters of the dead, the crematorium provides employment to two malis and �others�. Hierarcy exists among the eight as well. Pt Ramesh Kumar whom we had met on our first visit is the most press savvy. �He is the one who responds to all the queries and he is the head� told Pt.Daulat Sharma. Sitting in the office of the crematorium he attended 5 calls while talking to us. So who pays the telephone bills and the malis and other employees. It�s the Arya Samaj Jor bagh that looks after the maintenance. What about their appointments.� We are here on our will�.grandfather, father and then I� what if your son wants to take up some other profession. Such an option exists. Daulat Sharma avoided any questions related to the boundary wall that separates the graveyard and the issue of the disputed land. We were welcomed on the other side. Have the dead started recognizing us. Sakina was delighted to see us. Her grand child was sleeping in the graveyard., next to a grave. Its just like any other resting place. This time we manage to talk to another living presence in the graveyard. An elderly rugged looking man, dressed in rags. The father-in-law of Ghulam Rasool. His son-in-law is away on work, so he can talk. His reason for being there. As a guardian of his granddaughter who has now become of marriageable age. �Its unsafe not having a male member around. This place is open and accessible.� So he stands in proxy while the father is away. So how long does he plan to stay here.� As soon as she gets married I�ll leave�, says he. So many conflicts,where the dead live! Sakina, her friends and this old man are hopeful, they will benefit from us. We give them ten rupees each for their chai-pani. They have not received anything since morning. Its already lunchtime now. Their faces have brightened up at the sight of the tenner. In turn we are blessed. We promise to come back. We want to talk more. We have built our acquaintances here. It�s a familiar place now. Time will tell, of our return ,to this living space of the dead. _________________________________________________________________ 44 Million Items on Sale. http://adfarm.mediaplex.com/ad/ck/4686-26272-10936-377?ck=44MilItems What Are you Looking for? Find it on eBay.in! From ish at sarai.net Thu May 26 18:21:15 2005 From: ish at sarai.net (ISh) Date: Thu, 26 May 2005 18:21:15 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Talkin Sound 2 (conversation with Viren Bakshi of Lyrita Audio) Message-ID: <4295C643.5090003@sarai.net> Talkin Sound 2 (conversation with Viren Bakshi of Lyrita Audio) Hi All, Following is a conversation with Viren Bakshi of Lyrita Audio (www.lyrita-audio.com) He makes fantastic Valve Amplifiers with Speakers system which are great sounding with any kind of music ranging from Indian Classical to Jazz. By this conversation I was trying to understand what are his design concepts and his reasons for stepping away (and in some ways back) from mainstream Amp design by going into Valves. Valve Amplifiers had always captivated me from the time I was introduced to them, which was basically from guitar players/magazines and other printed literature. It was only when I actually got to play one (Marshall) in college I got the equation of the Valve Amp and what it does to the guitar tone. So it was the case when I experienced the Lyrita Audio’s Music System at a friends place and I heard valve amps used for almost ‘transparent’ Audio reproduction likes of which are very hard to come by(only in high end circles) …..I then really understood the power of this old skill of ‘Valve amplification’. We were listening to CD’s through and through without having any conversations for hours. That’s how entrancing music actually became along with the beautiful dim-glow the active Valves. I would recommend all music lovers to check out Lyrita music systems/Web-site as he has a range of products and services like buy backs/Upgrades and even installment system for broke people like me. Thanks and let’s Listen ISh ish at sarai.net (sarai.net/ frEeMuZik.net) ________________________________________________________________________ Q: How did you start off with Audio and Audio systems in particular. Ans: I started off in Audio basically as a hobby. I m trained to be a chemical engineer, Good thing about engineering is that you are versed in all the basic sciences, so the knowledge is there and you can take off in any direction you want to. And then there was a change in my life as such moving from one part of the world (USA) to my home country so I decided that I will make a complete switch in my working life, and in a way make a business out of what I really wanted to do which was to make high quality audio systems. Q: Around what time was this? Ans: It was in the early 90’s. I was working as a researcher in a big Chemical Company in the US. I was in R&D and I had some amount of time to look into other aspects Like sound and Audio and through their library I could do some amount of research on things relating to my interest and one of those were acoustics because this company also produced materials for acoustic applications. So that helped me to study the fields of sound and sound reproduction to some degree. Then I tied these two things together when I came back(to India) and decided that I wanted to make high quality components for home listening primarily and also do some consulting in acoustics. Both of them are going on hand in hand now. Whenever a manufacturer starts out building for the consumer market he needs to have a very clear idea what he needs to do. Mass market in India is flooded with goods from all over the world like Europe Japan and China now, but the unfortunate thing is that they are targeting what I call the lowest denominator. Where they are not bringing in products which are of very good sound quality. They have decided that they will fight on the price line. They have decide is that what the consumer wants is features and it is a approach like this which has sidelined the real purpose of a Music system that is to produce ‘good sound’. The whole focus has become on providing bells and whistles rather than producing good sound. So my intention was to reverse that cycle and go back to the basics of what sound equipment should be and approach a market which has been totally neglected in India which is the Audiophile which is a higher end market. So actually to come out with music systems produced in India which can complete with the high-end imported goods, that was the intention and that is how I have gone about making my equipment. Initially I had started making solid state transistor equipment and amplifiers. (round 1995) Original intention was to make loud speakers because my first interest was in loud speakers so soon I discovered that if you have to sell a high quality music system to a customer you have to sell it as a complete system you can not sell it as piece meal. Because all components interact with each other and produce the overall sound. The final sound is what the consumer hears so they will have to be in a way matched. . I did not find good enough amplifiers in the market which I could use do demonstrate my loud speakers with. So for that purpose I came into Amplifier design through a back door. I had made some amps for myself as a hobby, so I had some basis of what a good design should be like. So I decided to sell the whole system with my Amps and speakers and people can be assured of good sound. CD’s were available around that time so reasonable good sources were available. My intention was to provide good quality sound system and Indian prices so a lot of people can afford it. I have stayed away from the mass market completely because I can not complete with them on the price side. I want to attract the discerning listener who is not satisfied with what is available and is looking for good sound at an affordable price. Even now to look at good quality sound is to look at imported equipment which is expensive proposition for most people. So my equipment sought of falls in between. So there is a fair amount of audience who can afford it and who will appreciate the quality also. What becomes a problem for small manufacturers is how to do the marketing. In my case it has all been through word of mouth. I have elected to remain a small manufacturer so my consumer base is also limited. But I have been having a satisfying experience in helping some music lovers appreciate ‘good sound’. The word has spread around the Delhi area primarily but now they are going around all over India. I am very happy to keep it small because this equipment is mostly hand made and it (equipment) doesn’t take easily to production techniques. Because a lot of compromises have to made when you go into mass production of Audio equipment I have tried to keep it small scale. Q: When and why did you switch from Solid State Amps to Valve Amps Ans: I was given a valve amp by a friend of mine design of which goes back a 40 years, it is a very well known amplifier made by a company named ‘Quad’. It is a classic product because it has survived for so long and they are still making it by the way. The same model is still made for nostalgic and still produces for the same nice sound.(as the criteria for good sound reproduction systems would still remain the same: through ears) It is unfortunate that some of the old stuff is being forgotten. You should always learn from what has happened before, but the sad part id that we have a series of designers and engineers now who have completely neglected this aspect of technology. Valve technology is very well suited o audio sound and in some ways it is superior to transistor technology but because of this rush to get into something new it has been neglected by the main stream of designer. There has always been a group of people who have kept it alive in Europe in t he US and there has been resurgence in this technology because people have realized that there is some value in it. It still sounds better than solid state amps and there is no reason to negate it. And my intro to them was these two valve amps I got and I started to listen to them with my speakers and I realized that there is definitely something in it that has to be looked into and my intention was to take that sort of a design and improve on it using material which are available to me in India. India has always had a very active electronics industry. A lot of equipment has been manufactured here in fact the largest manufacturer of Valves was ‘Bharat Electronics Limited’ and they are still manufacturing. They make Valves for radio frequency use and not for audio use any more, but they still have a lot of old stock Q: A lot of guitarists were using Valve Amps Ans: Yes because valves have a unique distortion characteristic when you push them too hard and a lot of guitar player like that. It’s called the ‘Crunch’ in sound, and solid state has never been able to deliver that even though a lot of them have tried. A lot of Guitarist use valve amplifiers and that have actually kept this industry going, and the manufacturing is still taking place. There are factories in the Checz Republic, Russia and Yugoslavia making Valves and the entire production now is dedicated to Audio use. So there is no real shortage of Valves in the world and the production is taking place and also there is a lot of old stock also floating around. I also started using old Stock of BEL (Bharat Elect Ltd) which was still available with some traders in India and I can get them at a reasonable price. That is how I started off. (More about the Amps) It takes one to two years to come out with a good design so you have to give yourself that much of a lead time but the end result is always worth it. Q: were you testing the subsequent designs and how many drafts did you actually go through to come up with the present design. Ans: There is a lot of material available for the do it yourself on the internet. There are some publications available for the hobby people from where a lot of knowledge can be gained from what the other people have done. That is how I started out also. And there is a lot of self like ‘what are the works of other designers’ and what kind of precision is required for making the loud speakers etc. All these things have to be studied if you want to come up with good designs. All this information is then inculcated in your own brain. And you then select your philosophy of design. Like any field of this sort there are numerous ways to approach the final result and there in no way anybody can say that one actual approach is better than the other. Because there are multiple ways to get to it, you have to choose which Design Approach is the best way to go and that requires a fair amount of study and introspection also. So this how you arrive at your design and you make prototypes and you test them and you come out with the finished product that still sound good. Then you follow that same design philosophy for the range of loud speakers. If something works for one particular design of loud speakers the same philosophy should hold for your entire range of loud speakers. So then it is coming up with a range of loud speakers/systems which satisfy the different segments of the market. People have space and budget constraints and also some have different music requirements which require different frequency response from a music system. You also build your systems to also fit in those general segments. In fact in valve amps the designs are very simple and straight forward. A lot of work has already been done in the 40s to 60s when there were a lot of brilliant minds working on electronics. This was also an aftermath of the Second World War when people had worked a lot on radars and signals which used valve equipment. All the amplifications of signals were done by valve equipment at that time. So there were a lot of brilliant engineers who came out of the war and went into the Audio field. They were all trained well and they already had good practical experience and there where a huge amount of different approaches by different designers that came out. So there was a lot of research and experimentation done with valve amps. So there is practically nothing new a designer now can do. The only thing I have done is basically looked at the designs of other people before me and then selected the path that sounds right to me and then it is a matter of how you implement it like what materials/components are used, how well the circuit is made out. Then all that falls into place with your individual efforts. Q: How were you checking you Music systems like frequency response? Were you using some special Equipments? Ans: Basically I rely on my ears the most. I ve listened to a lot of live music. I think people don’t realize that human voice is recognizable by everybody and you can use that human voice to test the loud speakers also. That is because you are so used to of how the vocals sound and with that you can judge how well is the sound being reproduced by a music system. And If a music system is balanced well over the human frequency range you have already covered a fairly extensive range of what a loud speaker should deliver. Say from 300Hz to 4 KHz because that is the range of female to female voice. That’s the Mid Range and also the critical range in out listening. So if you have got that right then you have a successful design. Then the really high and low frequencies really become the icing on the cake. Also from my own experience and what all the other designers have said the traditional specifications that we have for Amplifiers and speakers tell you nothing about how they going to sound like. So I don’t really stress on the specifications that much because they are not relevant to the sound quality at all. They are basically engineering bench marks. Q: So because these systems are hand made will for example System A & B produced separately with some amount of time gap (say 3 months) be the same. Ans: They will be reasonably close. As a listener you will not be able to tell much of a difference. There are differences in critical parts like transformers and the valves which might have some minor differences. Nothing is exact. In the loud speakers the tonal quality of each loud speaker will be similar. The only thing that will change is from small cabinet(speakers) to large cabinet is the extension of the low frequencies so you get a little bit of warmth to the sound because of the bass(low frequencies) Q: then you mean to say that the mid to the top frequencies are the same in all you speakers? Ans: They should be. Cabinet size basically dictates how low in frequency response a music system can go. I have also decided that I will have 2 way design for my speakers (2 cones on each speaker) They might have more than 2 driver (units which actually produce the sound like the woofer for the bass and the tweeter, the whole system of drivers is then put together is called a loud speaker) Drive units remain the same in all my speaker systems and the only thing that changes is the design of the cabinet and possibly the cross over. Q: Even your Amps design also vary a lot Like the 8 valves 4 Valves design and I think that one has 12 of them. Ans: In that one there are 8 valves and there are 3 input valves. Here also the whole design is dictated by how much power you want in the Amps, this one is 30 watts RMS per channel. That will determine what type of valves you can use and what kind of parallel arrangement you can use the output valves in to achieve that power output. Circuitry can be suited to many designs but the final design is output oriented. The basic design is also similar here from smaller through to the larger amplifiers. Again because I like the simplicity and the sound quality of the designs I stick to them over the range of my products. … From kaiwanmehta at gmail.com Thu May 26 21:01:20 2005 From: kaiwanmehta at gmail.com (kaiwan mehta) Date: Thu, 26 May 2005 21:01:20 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Bombay Sarai - We meet again Message-ID: <2482459d05052608314a7175a3@mail.gmail.com> Hi, Feels good that many sarai relatives are congratulating us for the Sarai (satsangs) in other cities!! Well let all of us meet again, some of us specifically wanted to discuss our researches with each other, so we could do that - else sit and chat and feel good about meeting each other. Its great some of us have developed interesting correspondences since out first meeting. Well I suggest, Saturday 5 June at 6 pm - same place regal Barrista. If there is a good night show at Regal - some of us could catch that too!! If you have any other suggestions for date or place, let me know. If most of you cant make it we can reschedule, so please do get in touch with me. Looking forward to meet you all, Cool Regards, Kaiwan -- Kaiwan Mehta Architect and Urban Reseracher 11/4, Kassinath Bldg. No. 2, Kassinath St., Tardeo, Mumbai 400034 022-2-494 3259 / 91-98205 56436 From abshi at vsnl.com Fri May 27 17:01:01 2005 From: abshi at vsnl.com (abshi at vsnl.com) Date: Fri, 27 May 2005 16:31:01 +0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Talk in Mumbai: The Making of an Immigrant Home Message-ID: <5d3f52b5d3d4a8.5d3d4a85d3f52b@vsnl.net> The PUKAR Gender and Space Project presents a talk by Nandita Godbole on The making of an immigrant home Representation and improvisation of inherited cultural landscapes in immigrant homes date: Friday, 03 June 2005 time: 3 p.m. place: PUKAR Office, 2nd Floor, Kamanwala Chambers, Opp Stand Book Stall, Sir. P M Road, Fort, Mumbai 400001. Tel: 5574-8152 Abstract Overlays of political borders, contested lands and cultural landscapes often complicate and blur definitions of home. In culturally diverse, cosmopolitan cities, immigrant families continually reinterpret the fundamental question, “What is home?” As these families define their physical and cultural ‘selves’ in their adopted country, we witness the transformation of ordinary, mundane places into socio-culturally complex neighborhoods and cities. This on-going study examines how immigrants use visual elements to reflect their intrinsic values and philosophies and reinforce the idea of ‘home’. It also explores how ‘inherited’ cultural landscapes influence, shape and define homemaking sensitivities of immigrant families. Nandita Godbole has a Masters degree in Botany (University of Mumbai) and Landscape Architecture (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign). She is currently an independent researcher and her areas of interest include public space usage and sacred landscapes. PUKAR (Partners for Urban Knowledge Action and Research) Mumbai Address:: 1-4, 2nd Floor, Kamanwala Chambers, Sir P. M. Road, Fort, Mumbai 400 001 Telephone:: +91 (022) 5574 8152 / +91 (0) 98204 04010 Email:: pukar at pukar.org.in Website:: www.pukar.org.in From amitrbasu50 at yahoo.co.in Tue May 24 11:03:19 2005 From: amitrbasu50 at yahoo.co.in (Amit Basu) Date: Tue, 24 May 2005 06:33:19 +0100 (BST) Subject: [Reader-list] Bengalis and their Adda Message-ID: <20050524053319.30225.qmail@web8503.mail.in.yahoo.com> apologies for cross posting, if any. amit May 15, 2005 The New York Times The Chattering Masses By PETER TRACHTENBERG ome facts you had better get used to: you will never get to eavesdrop on Sartre and Genet at the Cafe de Flore, or watch Irving Howe and Philip Rahv getting worked up about Roth and Mailer at the Tip Toe Inn on the Upper West Side. And if you wander into Le Figaro Cafe you won't find Kerouac and Ginsberg hollering at each other in holy ecstasy -- just some N.Y.U. kids talking about relationships. But the tradition of freestyle intellectual conversation lives on in Calcutta. The city (officially renamed Kolkata in 2001) has an oral culture as lively and cerebral as that of 1950's New York or Paris. Bengalis love to talk, especially about exalted topics (the notion that some topics are exalted still holds currency there, even among postmodernists). And they have enshrined that love in adda, a kind of eclectic and often fiercely erudite conversation that originated among the upper classes but became democratized, thanks to universities, bookstores and coffeehouses. ''If you ask a Bengali what he is fond of,'' Suman Chattopadhyay, a producer at Star Anand TV News, told me, ''he will say rasgulla, which is a sweetmeat, Tagore's songs and adda.'' The word adda (pronounced AHD-da) is ''a place'' for ''careless talk with boon companions,'' as the scholar Sunitikumar Chattopadhyay puts it, and sometimes as ''the chat of intimate friends.'' Another scholar, Vipesh Chakrabarty, writes, ''Roughly speaking, it is the practice of friends getting together for long, informal and unrigorous conversations.'' Of course, all these terms are subject to debate. Take ''long.'' The journalist Subir Bhaumik reports that some older members of his swimming club start their adda at 6 in the morning and are still at it when the place closes for lunch. An adda at the last Calcutta Book Fair is said to have gone on for five days. As far as informality goes, the addas at the tony Center of International Modern Art (CIMA) are invitation-only and dedicated to specific topics. And can a conversation whose participants score points by reciting poetry really be called unrigorous? Bengalis assure me that addas may also include talk about job and family, but I suspect this is like a serious eater taking a little sherbet to clear his palate between the braised sea bass and the truffled sweetbreads. (An adda, incidentally, nearly always involves the eating of fried savories like samosas and bhaji, or the rococo sweets that Bengalis call mishti.) Tell a Calcuttan you went to his or her city looking for good talk, and there is a moment of incomprehension, followed by relief. The fear is that you will bring up Mother Teresa, who did a lot for the poor, according to the consensus, but dealt a body blow to the city's reputation, engendering an entire industry of squalor -- and uplift-tourism. Of course, there is squalor here, and poverty to gnash your teeth over. But the city also has legions of purposeful, well-dressed office workers; street chefs frying bhaji on propane stoves; vendors of saris, tube socks, counterfeit Nike bags and fresh papayas; and august old men in shalwar kameez that give them the sleek silhouette of an automobile hood ornament. Calcuttans might not want to talk about their presumptive saint, but when I asked them about adda, they wouldn't shut up. ''Adda is something typically Bengali,'' said the tiny, patrician Dr. Krishna Bose, a retired English literature professor at the University of Calcutta and a former member of Parliament. She is related by marriage to the Bengali independence leader Subhas Chandra Bose, which gives her pronouncements on the national character a definitive quality. ''It is something very spontaneous. The club life that the British have, that is not adda. It cannot be 50 people together. That becomes a meeting. So it should be three persons minimum, because if you have two that also is not an adda.'' Amithabha Bhattasali, a BBC reporter, believes that two people can have a perfectly decent adda, while the sisters Rakhi Sarkar and Pratiti Basu Sarkar, who run the events at CIMA, say that their addas typically draw 20 or 30 people. Most cognoscenti would say that the CIMA events don't qualify as true adda, since there is a program of topics. ''The thing about an adda is that it moves fluidly,'' Bhaumik insisted. ''You could be discussing Charles and Camilla's marriage this moment, and the next moment you're swinging over to the latest cricket series between India and Pakistan, and then swing back to the recent controversy over Tagore.'' During my stay in Calcutta, I began to feel that I was taking part in a never-ending adda about adda. The participants were scattered throughout the city, and I scurried back and forth among them, relaying an opinion and having it accepted or elaborated upon or shot down. Of course, everyone had an idea of what constituted a real adda. Was it peasants chatting at sundown by the Kali temple; the pensioners gabbing at Bhaumik's club; the tailors and goldsmiths opining by the tea stalls on Ganguly Road; the literary heavyweights who meet every Wednesday to discuss the arts? The one thing everyone agreed on was that the best addas were the ones held at coffeehouses, near Presidency College, at the University of Calcutta, the city's (and maybe India's) most revered academic institution. Bose had partaken of them as a student in the 50's (she recalled a professor whose seminars on Milton had lasted so long as to necessitate two addas). The other thing people agreed on was that those addas were a thing of the past. College students today were too obsessed with their grades. So when I went to the student coffeehouse, it was with low expectations. Nearby College Street is an uninterrupted corridor of used-book stalls; on this Friday evening all of them were thronged. The crowds and the lurid glow of the bookshops' lamps gave the street the feel of a carnival midway. The coffeehouse was on a side street. As I climbed a dank stone staircase, I heard a hum that might have been a generator, but when I rounded the corner it became apparent it was the sound of people talking. There seemed to be hundreds of them. I couldn't be sure because the room was so dark. In the tobacco-colored gloom, people sat at tiny tables built for one or two, but some had six people squeezed around them, gesticulating through a haze of cigarette smoke. (Seeing so many smokers at large was itself exhilarating.) I zeroed in on a rangy, bespectacled man in his 30's who seemed to be discussing something heavy with two older companions and introduced myself. ''So let me ask you, are you having an adda?'' ''Adda? Yes, this is an adda.'' ''And what are you talking about?'' ''We are writers,'' the ringleader announced grandly. His name was Sarosij Basu. ''I am a very simple and very marginal writer. I publish a magazine, a little magazine. We only publish local writers, in Bengali.'' He showed me a copy that was bound with staples. Another writer, Dilip Ghosh, translated Dostoyevsky from English into Bengali. Basu had published an issue of his translations and critical articles. All 400 copies had sold out. Everybody at the table loved Dostoyevsky. Also Joyce Carol Oates and the Italian scholar Roberto Calasso, whom they saluted as their guru. Our conversation went on for two hours and moved from Dostoyevsky to the blockade of Leningrad to Cioran to Calasso to Indian mythology to the demographics of Calcutta to the vagaries of the United States publishing industry. I suppose that made it a true adda. When I finally tugged myself away, I was tired and hoarse, but my brain seemed to be crisscrossed by new neural pathways, all of them roaring with conceptual traffic. On the basis of this experience, I would say that the coffeehouse adda is still thriving and that this is a good thing. But I should add the caveat of another man who joined our group and bemoaned the undisciplined spirits who spend their entire lives engrossed in adda: they ruin their kidneys with endless cups of coffee and their lungs with cigarettes, and their lives recede from them like mirages while they go on ceaselessly adda-fying. ''So you think adda is an addiction?'' I asked him. ''Adda,'' he answered, ''is a profession.'' Yahoo! India Matrimony: Find your life partneronline. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050524/09929d88/attachment.html From geert at basis.desk.nl Thu May 26 16:32:28 2005 From: geert at basis.desk.nl (geert lovink) Date: Thu, 26 May 2005 13:02:28 +0200 Subject: [Reader-list] =?iso-8859-1?q?Guant=E1namo_is_gulag_of_our_time?= =?iso-8859-1?q?=2C_says_Amnesty?= Message-ID: http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1492349,00.html Guantánamo is gulag of our time, says Amnesty Richard Norton-Taylor Thursday May 26, 2005 The Guardian Britain and the US are betraying the cause of human rights in pursuit of their "war on terror", Amnesty International says in its annual report published yesterday. Irene Khan, Amnesty's general secretary, launching the report, accused the two governments of condoning torture while trying to keep their consciences clear. Britain used the language of freedom and justice in the context of Iraq, yet insisted that the Human Rights Act did not apply to British soldiers operating there, she said. The British government was seeking diplomatic assurances from countries, including Algeria, to which it wanted to deport people. By seeking assurances for particular cases, it was admitting that torture was entrenched in those countries and was therefore, in effect, condoning the practice, she said. "A new agenda is in the making, with the language of freedom and justice being used to pursue policies of fear and insecurity. This includes cynical attempts to redefine and sanitise torture," said Ms Khan. She said the US claimed to be promoting freedom in Iraq, yet its troops had committed appalling torture and had ill-treated detainees. She described Guantánamo Bay as "the gulag of our time". She said: "The US administration attempted to dilute the absolute ban on torture through new policies and quasi-management speak such as 'environmental manipulation', 'stress positions', and 'sensory manipulation'." As the unrivalled political, military and economic hyper-power, the US sets the tone for governments' behaviour worldwide, said Ms Khan. "When the most powerful country in the world thumbs its nose at the rule of law and human rights, it grants a licence to others to commit abuse with impunity," she said. "From Israel to Uzbekistan, Egypt to Nepal, governments have openly defied human rights and international humanitarian law in the name of national security and 'counter-terrorism'." Although the US supreme court ruled a year ago that federal courts had jurisdiction over Guantánamo detainees, no detainee had had the lawfulness of his detention judicially reviewed, the Amnesty report says. And although the US government told the detainees they could file habeas corpus petitions in a federal court, it also argued that they had no basis under constitutional or international law to challenge their detention. The report contrasts the response of ordinary people to the Indian Ocean tsunami with the failure to deal effectively with other global crises. The report highlights the Darfur region in Sudan. The US had described the situation as genocide, but nothing had been done, said Ms Khan. The UN was paralysed because of China's imports of oil from Sudan and Russia's arms exports to the country. The US could not garner support in Africa for military intervention at least partly because it had spent its "moral currency" in Iraq, she said. Amnesty also highlighted growing violence, including rape, against women, in Darfur. Rape was being used as a "weapon of war" in the Democratic Republic of Congo, said Ms Khan. Rights abuses around the world Israel and the Palestinian territories Israeli forces killed more than 700 Palestinians, including 150 children in 2004. Armed Palestinian groups killed 109 Israelis in 2004, including 67 civilians, eight of them children. Greece The authorities "tortured and ill-treated" immigrants, and hundreds of children under state supervision disappeared. There were allegations of torture by police in December of about 60 Afghan asylum-seekers, including at least 17 minors. Afghanistan Lawlessness and insecurity increased and anti-government forces killed civilians involved in the electoral process, making much of the country inaccessible to humanitarian groups. US forces continued "arbitrary and unlawful" detentions and failed to investigate complaints of prisoners being tortured or mistreated. China There was some progress toward reform, but still "serious and widespread human rights violations". Tens of thousands were detained in violation of their rights and were at high risk of torture or ill-treatment; thousands were sentenced to death or executed. Haiti Scores were killed before, during and after the rebellion that toppled the former president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Russia "Serious human rights violations" continued in the Chechen conflict. Russian forces enjoyed "virtual impunity" for abuses, and armed Chechen groups launched bomb attacks and the hostage-taking in Beslan, in which hundreds were killed. Sudan Government forces and allied militias killed thousands and displaced tens of thousands in the Darfur region. The ceasefire signed in April was violated by all sides. US Hundreds still held without charge or trial at Guantánamo Bay. Thousands detained during US operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and routinely denied access to families and lawyers. Zimbabwe Government continued campaign of repression aimed at eliminating political opposition and dissent. Hundreds arrested for holding meetings or participating in peaceful protests. From geert at xs4all.nl Mon May 23 20:08:24 2005 From: geert at xs4all.nl (Geert Lovink) Date: Mon, 23 May 2005 16:38:24 +0200 Subject: [Reader-list] kerala project winner of ars electronica price Message-ID: see: http://www.aec.at/en/prix/winners2005.asp http://www.akshaya.net/ is the winner of the ars prix price. -- Kerala, in an endeavour to 'bridge the Digital Divide' and to propel Kerala as India's foremost knowledge society, embarked on 'Akshaya Project' on the 18th of November, 2002. It is expected that Akshaya will be a watershed in effacing the divide between "information haves" and "information have-nots" and in disseminating the benefits of IT to the common man. Akshaya will rank amongst the most ambitious ICT programs ever attempted in a developing society. The project is expected to generate a network of 6000 information centres in the state, generate about 50,000 employment opportunities and throw up investment opportunities to the tune of Rs.500 Crores, all within a time span of 3 years. Project Details The Akshaya project is envisaged as a practical, commercially viable enabler essentially having to - (a) Impart basic IT literacy to at least one member of each of the 65 lakh families in the state. (b) Extend the training initiative into a service delivery mechanism for the local citizen. Service Delivery Mechanism Once the people have been introduced to the immense possibilities of ICTs the next step would be to make facilities available to make their learning useful and reap the benefits. The focus here would be to ensure a viable, sustainable service delivery mechanism for the citizens of the state. The Akshaya centre will be equipped with necessary equipment like computers, fax, printers, telephones, broad band Internet connection etc., and software so as to cater to the information and communication requirements of the local citizens. A community portal which will cater to the day to day requirements of the local community is also envisaged. eLiteracy Campaign The eLiteracy campaign is the foundation on which the state seeks to bridge the digital divide in the state. The underlying objective of the campaign is to remove the "fear of the unknown" that common people have about technology in general and computers in particular. The eLiteracy campaign proposes to impart basic/functional eLiteracy to one member of each of the 65 lakh families in the state. Selection of the member to be trained will be decided by the family members. The persons trained as part of this campaign are expected to act as a catalyst in ensuring the overall success of the project. The course content is being designed keeping this in mind. The emphasis of the training program will be on the use of technology and not on technology itself. The program will aim at opening up the minds of the student to the immense possibilities and benefits of ICT. Expected Benefits Direct Benefits At least 1 computer literate person in every home in the state. Network of 6000 Community Information Centres across the state. Convenient access for the common man to information services. Local Community Empowerment. Generate locally relevant content. Generate over 50,000 direct employment opportunities in three years. Generate direct investment of over Rs. 500 crores in 3 years. Expected Indirect Benefits Cheaper communication through Internet telephony, e-mail, chat etc. Enhanced ICT demand in Tele-medicine / e-Commerce / e-Education. Enlarged marketing opportunities for agricultural / traditional products / artifacts. Improved delivery of public services. Catalysing of all sectors in the IT Industry. Strategies The Akshaya project conceived in a Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode, will be implemented through the Local Self Government (Panchayati Raj Institutions). The project has been shaped based on the rich insights gleaned from the 'Saksharata' campaign of the state that resulted in a 100% literate state in a very short period of time. The project has also been drawn from the experiences of projects like Gyandoot that have been attempted in India and abroad. The project has been designed to leverage Kerala's unique strengths, active community organizations, progressive social framework, advanced telecom infrastructure and wide- spread media penetration. Use of self-employment programmes and private enterprise within a government frame work in development of training institutes and content generation will aim at ensuring commercial viability as well as sustainability of the project. From himanshusamvad at yahoo.co.in Thu May 26 20:19:38 2005 From: himanshusamvad at yahoo.co.in (himanshu ranjan) Date: Thu, 26 May 2005 15:49:38 +0100 (BST) Subject: [Reader-list] The Myth of Hindi Pradesh(Posting 5) Message-ID: <20050526144938.68452.qmail@web8510.mail.in.yahoo.com> The Myth of Hindi Pradesh (Posting 5) Nationalism together with the preceding 19th century renaissance which it grew out of, is such a complex phenomenon with so many layers, contradictory notions and intricacies that nothing safe and sound, rather of straightforwardly order, can be derived from it.Today,when the whole discourse of nationalism has turned into a platform of deep-rooted introspection, making diverse interpretations and reinterpretations,covering many untouched aspects and exploring new dimentions, it is very difficult to stick on any one constituent and doing justice to it or to the whole discourse. Language has been regarded a major constituent of nationality, nation or nationalism in both the liberal and marxist thoughts.Marxism as an ideology came up very late in cultural introspection and analysis and being a very minor group in the nationalist movement, the leftists could not assert much in shaping the things either. The Hindi-Urdu belt, termed both as the cowbelt and the Hindi heartland, was in a position to lead the anti imperialist war in 1857 and particularly the nationalist movement in the first half of the twentieth century, but the language movement remained isolated and fractured throughout. Orientalism, revivalism and communalism as a political instrument of power-struggle were the three main trends which engulfed the whole process and made severe deviations in the nationalist movement. Language itself could not do much beyond those deviations. Starting with the cow protection movement and Nagari-Hindi movement centred on Benaras and Allahabad. Madan Mohan Malviya, to quote from Gyanendra Pandey, 'became a symbol of the national movement in this area until the arrival of Gandhi (and, with him, the Nehrus)' Allahabad witnesed both the currents simultaneously - one associated with the 'secular' Motilal Nehru and the other with the 'Hindu' Madan Mohan Malviya. The division existed,but as far as the language was concerned, Gandhi made it a point to develop Hindi as a link language and utilized it in expanding his nationalist politices,and thus gave it a national stature. And at this very juncture, there emerged the territoriality factor in nationalism, both on the political level and that of the language constituent too. The institutions like the Indian Press and the Hindi Sahitya Sammelan, which supported the mission of Gandhi and the Congress, also started to construct a glorious and strong Indian 'past' through conventions and their publications in humanities and particularly the history of the Hindu-Hindi language and literature. Gandhi's politics, due to its own religious strategies of mass mobilisation, was not in a position to check this revivalist and communalist agenda. Now the Hindi leaders went ahead to explore and demarcate a long history and a broad teritorial space that could be big enough to dominate the whole country, irrespective of the existing greater nationalities and provincial languages. Hindi, as a link-language, served much and made a significant contribution to nationalism and the making of a strong nation-state, but at the same time, this thirst for capturing the whole sky and maximising the territorial space, gave it an imperialist character in itself. All the eighteen to twenty languages of this cowbelt were declared to be mere dialects, so that Hindi could claim the biggest territorial space and the stature of the biggest nationality of India. I think, this is one of the factors that led to emergence of the second phase of minority movement, the two nation theory and ultimately the partition of the country. Urdu was declared the Muslim nationality language and banished from its homeland on the one hand, and the small nationality languages, some of them having very rich literary traditions, were cut to size and subordinated on the other. The dominating character of Hindi leaders also antagonised the speakers of other provincial languages. This three fold language controversy can not be solved without adopting the democratic process and behaviour. Explaining the territorial factor in detail is a deliberate move. The main architects of this teritorial space and its historiography are Dhirendra Verma and Rahul Sankrityayan, the latter being at least honest enough to democratise the matter, though very mechanically. But Verma's thesis of 'Hindi Rashtra or Hindustani Suba' or more specifically the 'Madhyadesh' laid a foundation of Hindi imperialism, which was later developed and advocated more vehemently by Ram Vilas Sharma. Sharma was a marxist thinker, literary critic and linguist. He tackled the nationality problem exhaustively. In marxist paradigm language nationality has a dominating place, but other factors are not the least discarded. Sharma was not ignorant of the intricacies, but he could not disassociate himself from misinterpretation and false glorification of the Indian past. History itself can not avoid historic erors, what to say of Marxist historiography! Rahul was also a Marxist, senior to Sharma, and his contribution is no less important. All the three scholars deserve patient reading and more patient confrontation, they can not be set aside with mere remarks. Himanshu Ranjan An Independent CSDS Fellow Yahoo! India Matrimony: Find your life partneronline. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050526/47b4ff5d/attachment.html From kristoferpaetau at GMAIL.COM Wed May 25 17:47:57 2005 From: kristoferpaetau at GMAIL.COM (Kristofer Paetau) Date: Wed, 25 May 2005 14:17:57 +0200 Subject: [Reader-list] Air Guitar & Air Choreography at Higher Institute for Fine Arts Message-ID: <80bd928c05052505176c689c46@mail.gmail.com> AIR GUITAR performance & video-installation with Bucket Butt, Belgian Air Guitar Champion 2004 and AIR CHOREOGRAPHY outdoor night-time surprise-performance by Ingrid Swaelens, Circus Artist, at the Open Studios of the Higher Institute For Fine Arts in Antwerp (Belgium) 2005. You are welcome to have a look at the report of events: A webpage to view at: http://www.paetau.com/downloads/Open_Studios/OpenStudios.html A PDF document (3,0 MB) to download at: http://www.paetau.com/downloads/Open_Studios/OpenStudios.pdf "Air Guitar" Quicktime Streaming Video (DSL required): http://www.paetau.com/downloads/Open_Studios/AirGuitar.mov "Air Choreography" Quicktime Streaming Video (DSL required): http://www.paetau.com/downloads/Open_Studios/AirChoreography.mov Best wishes, Kristofer Paetau -- If you do not want mails anymore, you can unsubscribe automatically by sending an empty e-mail from your e-mail account to: ARTINFO-L-unsubscribe-request at listserv.dfn.de If this doesn't work, you probably got this e-mail re-routed through another address: Please reply to this mail and write UNSUBSCRIBE in the mail subject and please indicate some old or alternative e-mail addresses in order to help us unsubscribe you. Thank you and apologizes for the trouble! -- Kristofer Paetau http://www.paetau.com/exhibitionviews/ -- From mmdesai2 at yahoo.co.in Fri May 27 15:21:02 2005 From: mmdesai2 at yahoo.co.in (mmdesai) Date: Fri, 27 May 2005 15:21:02 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Women and their Spatial Narratives in the City of Ahmedabad Message-ID: <002f01c562a2$75e9ae80$0a18fea9@com1> Women and their Spatial Narratives in the City of Ahmedabad Posting V I have realized over the years that gender and the built environment of research faces certain inherent resistance from people. Most believe that discrimination against women is a thing of the past. "Hey, this is the twenty first century. What are you going on and on about?" They all seem to ask, directly or indirectly. There is a dichotomy here that needs to be addressed. On one hand, constitutionally gender equality is accepted and taken for granted, on the other hand, however, it is not a total picture of the reality in the Indian society. The social roles and work division, issues of domestic and other violence, women's safety (visual and physical) in public realm is some of the causes for concern in the urban areas. I feel it is important to create awareness and to have the willingness to open one's mind to include these issues in policy making like earlier concerns such as environmental protection and being sensitive to the needs of the handicapped people. Without gender sensitivity, the built landscape is commonly accepted as a neutral background, even though; it is not value free. Most men and women designers, in addition, strongly believe in the neutrality of the profession and the self, choosing to describe and view themselves as gender neutral, the women preferring to call themselves 'architects' and not 'women' architects. In an attempt to be "mainstream", most women architects stay away from 'women's issues' for fear of being labeled feminists or not being accepted as a 'true' professional. This makes us take the situation for granted, adding to the marginalization of the subject and its solutions. Extreme forms of violence such, as dowry deaths, domestic abuses and foeticide are visible forms of discrimination towards women. However, what we are referring to here are invisible, often subtle, forms of conditioning, imbalances and inequalities as a whole in the society. They moderate the relationship and connection between gender and the built environment. In my Sarai project, I am beginning to work at the other end now. After doing questionnaires of individual women (that continues), now I am trying to get the broad picture at the level of the city of Ahmedabad. I have been meeting planners. By law, it is mandatory for the city to have a woman Mayor every 3rd term. The Municipal council has to have one-third women representatives. But because of the situation mentioned above, I am not sure how aware they are of the gender issues at city level. I am planning to meet the woman Mayor and the councilors. However, on a positive note, during the above-mentioned efforts, I came across this publication that lifted my spirits. Its called "A City Tailored to Women: The Role of Municipal Governments in Achieving Gender Equality", 2004 Edition. The Federation of Canadian Municipalities and the Women in the City Program (Montreal) have published it. They promote looking at women as a special category and have categorized them as follows to provide services at the city level: children, mothers, professional women, single parents, elderly women, etc. They are trying to: 1. Increase women's participation in leadership roles 2. Create partnership and dialogue between women's groups and city municipality 3. Ensure civic participation of women 4. Take women's safety initiatives The booklet lists some of the successful efforts (best practices) made by municipalities from all over the world such as: 1. Running women only buses at rush hours (like the train bogy in Mumbai) 2. Gender training programs for municipal staff 3. Make childcare more available to working women 4. Housing project by and for women 5. Training women to participate in local elections -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050527/4552c475/attachment.html From prashantpandey10 at rediffmail.com Thu May 26 21:03:56 2005 From: prashantpandey10 at rediffmail.com (Prashant Pandey) Date: 26 May 2005 15:33:56 -0000 Subject: [Reader-list] Bollywood Music , Prashant Pandey Message-ID: <20050526153356.11910.qmail@webmail9.rediffmail.com> Har Sapna Ek Saap hai Mann se lipta jai (Bhairavi, 1996) (Every dream is a serpent clinging to the heart) Talking to Amit Khanna is a revelation. I had put in lot focus for his interview but it turned out to be quite a struggle for me. The main problem is that when you are talking to him you are talking to five or perhaps more different personas. He is a highly acclaimed successful Hindi film lyricist, screenplay dialogue writer, director, producer, man behind Plus Channel and currently the President Of Film & Tv Producers Guild and Chairman of the Reliance Entertainment. He is unlike any other lyricist i have met so far. Infact when I wrote my research proposal I had never thought that I will meet Mr. Khanna in the posh boardroom of Reliance Infocomm situated in DhiruBhai Ambani Knowledge City (DAKC), India’s commercial Xanadu. He comes across as a highly organized person with the appointment starting exactly at the scheduled time. As I sip my Java Green Cold coffee in the executive suite I wonder if he is the same man who wrote “Chalte-Chalte Mere Ye Geet Yaad Rakhna”(Chalte-Chalte,1976) and “Ka Karoo Sajni Aaye Na Baalam”(Swami 1977). Then there is another problem. His modesty about his body of work borders on self-denial. Speaking to him I feel as if I know more about his songs than he does but that’s what he is like. He would baffle any corporate historian, music critic or a journalist worth his/her salt. How do you write about a man who “likes to move on”? Anyways this is my version... You have been a lyricist, filmmaker, screenplay writer and so on tell me about your journey as a lyricist Well I never intended to be a lyrics writer I do not come from a Hindi-Urdu background .I started my career with Navketan Films when Devanand sahib called me to assist him. I became lyrics writer by chance. One of my friends was starting a film and was on the look out for a music director. Bappi Lahiri a young talented composer was doing the rounds of the studios. I found him to be very talented. So I introduced him to my friend. It was not a very high budget film and my friend knew that I had literary inclinations.. So he asked me to try writing songs. And you wrote the super hit song Chalte-Chalte, how old were you then? I was twenty one. You know its tough to imagine a twenty one year old boy writing commercial hindi film songs way back in early 70s. What was it like? (smiles) it was not very tough. However people were surprised to see me especially Lataji and Kishore da. They knew me before due to my association with Dev saab but nobody had never seen me writing. You did that when legends like Majrooh Sultanpuri, Shakeel Badayuni,Sahir were around . Did you ever feel stymied? No not really. As I said writing was my hobby. Had it been my sole career I would have been under pressure. I have written songs for some 40 films and I have worked primarily with Bappi and Rajesh Roshan. They were young so I could connect with them. Trationally a lyricist is someone who has left leanings, who is member of the IPTA or Progressive writers associations. Those times are over now. But I had my brush with IPTA and all that in college. Progressive writers union was the cradle for writers once but not any more. But what about the times when you were writing? Well I too had my flirtations with different thought systems. Earlier lyrics writing was confined to traditional Shayars, with some people who introduced some flexibility and feshness from time to time. I find Gulzars’ body of work very interesting. I think both Javed and Gulzar are very good at sensitivity and craft but now you would find lyricists who are not Shayars and come from commercial backgrounds like advertising. You mean writers like Prasoon Joshi? Yes exactly. I am very impressed with his work. Your body of work is really interesting. The songs are very well “crafted” . I had a conversation with Javed on the same the other day, though I have not been as prolific as others. There are some 200 songs that I have written. 200 or 400? Ya 400 if you include all my private albums and TV serials. My most prolific phase was in the years 79 to 81 when I wrote songs for some 25 films. Also I find my private album career very interesting. It was before the re-mixes and pop phenomena. What I find interesting in your work that there is a progressive engagement with song construction and yet you maintain strong interpretations of the folk and traditional. (Smiles) Why I am saying this because I am very passionate about music. I listen a lot and I write as well. Some of my favorite songs have been penned by you. Say if you take this song PYAR ME KABHI KABHI it has a line ----- Pyar ki kitaab se judai ka naam hee saaf kar deeya hamne . Exactly.. I have tried to be colloquial. I tried to mix literature with little bit of craft. Same applies to folkish songs as well. Ka karo Sajni (Swami) is an experiment with thumri And much more say for instance in Manpasand(1980) I used Jaidev’s (Geet Govind) Charu Chand ki Chanchal kirane My craft is a mix of everything .then I have written pure Ghazals like Aap Kahe aur Hum na aaye (Des Pardes,1979) Could we talk a bit more about your song Chalte-Chalte ? How long did you take to write it ? Half an hour. You wrote it on tune? Ya it had been composed earlier and I gave it some sort of a shape This song attracts attention to your craft . It says,”Mere Ye Geet Yaad Rakhna”(Remmember MY Songs) Later it says “Hum Laut aayenge”(WE will come back) . I guess you make grammatical compromises to sustain musicality and meter.. I am glad that you noticed it We do have to make adjustments but here there is none..earlier the singer-lover was alone and spoke as a single entity, he sings “Hum Laut aayenge” after communion with his beloved. There is an epilogue to this song which Babul Supriyo sang in a concert “Alvida toh ant hai/ aur ant kisne dekha (Goodbye is an ending which nobody has seen). Yes from time to time I tried infusing Sufi philosophies into my popular works. Then if you want to analyse meter and stuff take this song from Bato Bato mein(1979) “Uthe sabke kadam” this is a Goan Portoguese kind of a melody but the meter keeps changing all the time. I tied to sustain it by imparting alliteration. Then there is a film that I directed also Sheeshe ka ghar( The Glasshouse,1984). It had all Ghazals and thumri. Anup Ghoshal, the Bengali singer sang in that film. What are your literary influences? See I did English literature in college so there is John Donne , Shelley, Keats then I read Nirala, Sumitra Nandan Pant, Maithili Sharan Gupt Ghalib,Josh,Jigar,Firaq,Meer I read everybody. And your favorite film lyricists? Raja Mehndi Ali Khan, Majrooh, Sahir, Shailendra and Pradeep. A lot of film songs that these have written are sheer poetry. Especially Shailendra who always lamented that he had not got his due as a poet but listen to his songs...it stands out as pure literature. Did you ever try things like translation? Oh yes I have translated a lot of songs for Javed, Kaifi saab then I did a cover version of Abba in early eighties You translated their songs into Hindi? Yes that was a very interesting phase of my career I wrote the first songs for Alka (Alka Yagnik) for the film Hamari Bahu Alka(1982) and for Udit( Udit Narayan) for Unnis-Bees(1980) It’s a mystery that having written such hit songs you stopped writing Not really I do work sometimes but I like to move on there are so many interesting things that I did Like you shot India’s first music video Yes that was for Nazia Hasan Your profile would baffle any journalist . You wrote songs, directed and produced films, had your own company and now you are heading Reliance Entertainment what about writing? One has to be eclectic in life You have a very leisurely approach to writing. You sound like someone who will work on its terms Yes always It’s unlike the lyricists who I meet for my research even the established ones struggling for work moving from one studio to the other convincing everybody that they are good. I do not agree that one has to go through all that. Log pahaltoo me dhakke kha rahe hain sau-sau rupaye me gana likh rahe hai.( people are unnecessarily struggling and writing songs for a hundred rupee.) Struggle doesn’t necessitate good poetry. When would you write next Its not that I have stopped writing altogether there is no writers block. After films I did lot of Tv my song for Buniyaad became almost a benchmark for Tv songs for years to come. You wrote the title song of the hugely popular comedy show “Dekh Bhai Dekh” ? Yes Iss rang badalti Duniya me Kya Tera Hai Kya Mera hai Yes Did you write Swabhiman(TV serial,1995) also? Yes the title song. It has a very strange line Ek Haath Sone Ki Chadi (One hand is a Golden rod) I like to do experimentation all the time. Then there is a film I did with Bhupen Hazarika. I remember a song I wrote for him “Anshumaali ban ja tu /Ho Ujiyaara. Anshumaali means the sun. There is a film I did with Illyaraja most of the songs are hugely experimental in this film Which film is that? I don’t remember exactly. You must be getting lot of offers even today? Not really. People know that I am busy in new things now. There are new responsibilities that I have to carry. (He is the President of the Film and TV producers’ guild) But I can write whenever I want. Well that was about you as a lyricist you write a lot in newspapers and websites about digital revolution what do you think about digital methods of making a song ? I think it’s great You know, a lot of old-timers say that a rounded orchestration is missing and digital doesn’t sound that great. I don’t agree. See there is something which is called nostalgia. When I joined the industry everybody used to say that music of 60s was great. This is human tendency. It doesn’t mean that the contemporary artist or painter is not good as compared to the one who made the cave paintings. Art can exist in different times and spaces simultaneously. I have been part of many recordings where orchestra was so big that musicians played from different rooms. But it doesn’t mean that today’s music is bad. There is some amazing orchestration happening today also. At the end of the day what one counts on, is talent. Regarding digital revolution I will say that you better understand and master it rather than complain about it. We have very talented musicians and performers and they will take care of the quality. People might be saying all sorts of things right now but I am sure with a better understanding of the digital medium our musicians will continue to make good and even better music. You coined the term “Bollywood”. Can you define for me what is Bollywood music? It is popular Hindi film music. In India there used to be “Sugam Sangeet” by Vividh Bharati. It could become what pop music is to America. But we had a great tradition of film songs so it never took off. You have been a trendsetter in many ways can you make any forecasting as to how film music would be in coming years ? I think there is more transparency more professionalism and training and talent so I think we will have the golden ages coming back in five years from now. What about your own personal politics as a creative artist? As I said earlier I had left leanings but I have outgrown them. I think somebody has said I think Balzac that if you are not a Marxist before you are twenty five you don’t have a heart and if you are Marxist after you are twenty five you don’t have a head. This is rather simplistically put but the global polity has changed so ideology has to change. It is part of the human growth. What do you think of artists espousing leftist ideologies and becoming a poster boy of the left ? See everybody is a friend but I would say that no body has an ideology today these people are post-modern liberals. Its been my pleasure talking to you. (Smiles.) (End of the interview) Prashant Pandey for SARAI, New Delhi Prashantpandey10 at rediffmail.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050526/abf418c2/attachment.html From prayas.abhinav at gmail.com Thu May 26 21:04:04 2005 From: prayas.abhinav at gmail.com (Prayas Abhinav) Date: Thu, 26 May 2005 21:04:04 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] photographs of advertising in the public spaces of ahmedabad (a collection) Message-ID: <825bb7b005052608342eb1bd37@mail.gmail.com> Hi all, Here is my May posting - * an introduction to the now complete photo-documentation of the public-space advertisements in Ahmedabad * links to the photographs (feedback is welcome and needed !) I have (on Vivek's suggesting) re-organized all my photographs by their location in Ahmedabad and have provided maps of Ahmedabad on which I have marked them. I hope these give you a better idea of the "where" of these photos and conveys the "concentration" of the advertisements more clearly. The next steps are : -- making a final selection of 50-60 photographs, -- writing poems (based on these photographs) which comment and convey my stance towards advertisements / advertising clearly, -- a comparitive study of the content of the advertisements, the agencies which create them and the locations where they are finally released. -------------------------------------------->> INTRODUCTION TO THE PHOTOGRAPHS I started doing these photographs with a few threads / directions guiding me. My city is quite profusely full of advertisement. I started out with a doubt. Do advertisements make promises to me - promise of attaining a certain ideal, simplistic lifestyle, on consuming their product - a promise which they do not fulfill. Do these promises blur the boundaries between the actual and the generalized ideal flouted in these ads. I started working towards exploring this by photographing instances of advertising, documenting advertisement in their varied forms. Mainly - hoardings, banners, wall-painted ads and entire-building-covers. I read some material about the advertising industry, the form and language of advertising, adbusting and anti-advertising agencies / activists. I explored this material to understand if there could be something empirical about the advertising industry which defined the way it worked and affected us. But that effort was taking me nowhere. What is important, I understood, is not to find reasons to dismiss or condemn the industry - but to have a perceptive relationship with it. It is a popular and rewarding occupation which has been flexible and responsive to market needs. It has constantly evolved in terms of its role and function. In these photographs I sometimes see advertisements as encroaching cultural produce - a language, which is successful in its clarity of mimicking and following trends in pop culture. The absence of variation in mood, style, themes and advertised products speaks of the affordability of the medium. Traditional advertising (non-internet) has no space for sub-cultures of the market. Advertising costs as much as the power / position which it can secure in the market for you. I have tried to appreciate "publicity constructions"/hoardings as monumental sculptural entities. Artistic objects which have taken on a peculiar role in the space around them. I have attempted to map Ahmedabad in terms of views from different points in the city. My photographs summarize my experience as a person trying to ascertain the visual character of his city. What do hoardings look like, with sunlight falling on them softly across the sides ? What do they speak to you, when they do not have any advertisements to speak for ? When you stand so close to them, that you can only see them slide into the sky, what do they seem to be ? Beyond having an impact on us - catching us off-gaurd, in vulnerable positions - what do they do ? If experiencing advertisements all the time, a cost we have to pay, for getting things cheaper than we are supposed to - what encourages us to pay the price ? There is a difference in the way we react to intrusions / encroachments, advertisements when we are in a space we hold as private and one which we feel is public or community. A public space - whose public we cannot connect with or do not care for can have a character which we do not allow to touch us intimately, which we do not judge or try to arrange in a way coherent with us and our values. I have explored in these photographs the way our heritage monuments co-exist with the advertisements; the way temples and other spiritual and non-commercial spaces co-exist with them. These photographs show how we have learnt to encounter ads with apathy and advertisers have learnt to talk to speak to our apathetic selves. -------------------------------------------->> LINKS TO THE PHOTOGRAPHS (location-based): http://www.prayasabhinav.net/section34.html -------------------------------------------->> -------------------------------------------->> Will start posting the poems I am writing soon, Hope you find this interesting, -- Prayas Abhinav, http://www.crimsonfeet.org Personal web: http://www.prayasabhinav.net -------------------------------------------------<<>> Mobile: +91 9227234979 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050526/657d6fd1/attachment.html From schatte2 at ncsu.edu Wed May 25 20:39:03 2005 From: schatte2 at ncsu.edu (schatte2 at ncsu.edu) Date: Wed, 25 May 2005 11:09:03 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Reader-list] Child friendly cities: Official blessing in Iran and Jordan In-Reply-To: <1060404105df4d.105df4d1060404@nyu.edu> References: <1060404105df4d.105df4d1060404@nyu.edu> Message-ID: <60169.203.101.9.90.1117033743.squirrel@webmail.ncsu.edu> Child friendly cities: Official blessing in Iran and Jordan The city of Dubai hosted an international conference last week called “Urban Children and Youth in the MENA region: Priorities for Education”. World Bank has substantial investment in education in the region, (about ten million dollars). The Bank wants to ensure that the money is spent sensibly, local governments are exposed to the real needs of children, and work with NGOs and experts in the field to promote not only education rights but more generally the best interests of children in all spheres of life in their respective cities. Surprisingly, even though environment is not a sector within UNICEF who was one of the partners of the conference, emphasis was given on environmental learning and cities as friendly places for children to grow up. It was in this context that I got be a part of the conference as a part of the “Growing Up in Cities” panel put together by Prof. David Driskell of Cornell University. I want to share with the list today the experiences of two other cities—Bam in Iran and Amman in Jordan—where the mayors are playing a pivotal role in making cities friendly for children. The mayor of Amman, Nidal Al-Hadid, was a keynote speaker of the conference alongside Dr. David Sattherwaite of IIED. Amman had hosted the first conference of this series in 2002 under this mayor’s leadership. Apparently that event, and the UNESCO Growing Up in Cities (GUIC) project in a refugee camp in Amman around the same time, led to Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) creating projects that protected and cared for children at the city level. GAM’s Child Protection Executive Project focuses on making the city accessible for physically challenged citizens especially children with different forms of disability. Special day care facilities had been created under this project for deaf children. Several parks had been identified and design charrettes held in municipal schools in collaboration with planners and architects to design these parks in partnership with children. As a breathless GAM executive breezed through her powerpoint, my American-Jordanian colleague who was responsible for the GUIC project in Amman, whispered in my ear, “its all tokenism, at the end of the day they do exactly what they want.” I told him, “at least the mayor has come to an international conference and openly making a declaration of his projects by highlighting what he has done to implement the child friendly city agenda. I don’t envisage any Indian mayor doing that.” The UN Child Friendly City (CFC) Secretariat based out of Florence had put together a panel on local CFC initiatives in the middle-eastern cities. The city of Bam after the devastating earthquake decided to reconstruct Bam as a child friendly city. The municipality of Bam works closely with UNICEF Iran, who appointed an architect-planner as a child friendly city officer to make reconstruction of Bam compliant with CFC values. Having delved into the thin literature on child friendly cities, I know this is a thankless job, as there are no guidelines that one can follow to make a city child friendly. Actually there is no knowledge on what makes the physical environment of the city child friendly. Nonetheless, the mayor of Bam A. Bagherzadeh, himself a young urban planner, presented a film that showed Iranian lifeworlds, with disruptions created by the earthquake in the background. Every time rubble would fall, a baby swung happily in a cradle in the foreground—a blatant hitting home of the intention of the city I guess! The Iranian child friendly city team talked about creating “sense of place” in rebuilding the city and making urban places inclusive of and interesting for children. Seeing the work on the ground, I felt, my work is needed to at least to understand what a child friendly place means in a given context. My presentation was very well received. The CFC people acknowledged that my work is filling a vital gap in knowledge in understanding child friendly cities. I came home, a happy researcher. Sudeshna From rustam at leadindia.org Mon May 23 12:02:08 2005 From: rustam at leadindia.org (rustam at leadindia.org) Date: Mon, 23 May 2005 12:02:08 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] ITS EYES: surveillance cameras in Harlem Message-ID: <91DDE633BE6A42ECB5BDCFDEBBA02825.MAI@cyber7.e-insites.com> I wonder if such an excercise would be relavant in an Indian city today. You can download the film at http://itseyesfilm.com/ Rustam Bangalore, rustamvania at yahoo.com ------------------------------------------------------------ Surveillance cameras in Harlem [In the 1930s and '40s] After-hours clubs thrived on white celebrities and society folks and those slummers weren't mistreated -- the ex-slaves stood off to the side in awe, watching the wealthy visitors like they was gods arriving for inspection. Crimes were ten to one in Brooklyn and the Bronx compared to Harlem -- man, we policed the district ourself for muggers 'cause we knew it would kill business. But the white press ran night-life business out of Harlem with propaganda that still lasts today -- that in every shadow there's a big black nigger with a knife or gun ready to rape or stick up white folks. -- Charles Mingus, Beneath the Underdog, 1971. In June 2001, members of the New York Surveillance Camera Players (SCP-New York) scouted and mapped out the locations of public surveillance cameras in a portion of Harlem, a large and very famous neighborhood in Manhattan. Once called Spanish Harlem, this Upper East Side neighborhood in New York City is defined to the south and north by 125th and 135th Streets, and to the east and west by Lexington Avenue and Frederick Douglass Boulevard. The SCP-New York chose this area for mapping because, as recently as 1998, it was still pocked by large numbers of abandoned buildings and empty lots where burnt-out buildings used to stand, and so could be used as a starting point for documenting the connections between public surveillance and capitalist reclamation ("gentrification" ). The SCP-New York wasn't the first group to scout and map this area. In 1998, the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) commissioned an unprecedented project in which the locations of public surveillance cameras were scouted and mapped out in all of Manhattan, not just Harlem. Reproduced (with a few additions) on-line, this map locates a total of 2,397 surveillance cameras, 36 of which are in Spanish Harlem. As NYCLU Director Norm Siegel pointed out at the time, 36 was a surprisingly small number, small by comparison with the numbers found in other neighborhoods. One would have thought -- following the crime-fighting "logic" of surveillance -- that Harlem would have been filled with cameras. Straight-up racist schitt Charles Mingus would have been all-too-familiar with: Harlem has lots of poor people; poor people need money and so resort to committing crimes to get it; surveillance cameras are installed to prevent and/or get evidence of precisely that kind of criminal activity. But, as Siegel noted, the high concentrations of surveillance cameras were actually to be found in rich neighborhoods, not poor ones. This clearly suggested that surveillance cameras are only installed where highly valuable property is present. No highly valuable property? No (need for) cameras. Crime prevention plays little or no role; high concentrations of cameras are even present in rich neighborhoods that have low crime-rates. The only thing surveillance cameras do is create a safe place to do business. In June 2001, the SCP-New York mapped Spanish Harlem and found that, three years after the NYCLU had been through the area, it was watched by almost twice as many cameras: there were now 67 in all, 61 installed on private buildings and 6 on city-owned traffic poles or state-owned office buildings. And yet, despite this steep increase, Harlem was relatively unsurveilled when compared to such rich neighborhoods as Greenwich Village, Midtown Manhattan and the Fashion District, where more than 200 cameras operate in each place. In the SCP-New York's first map, a couple of details stand out. Most notably, there are several dense concentrations of cameras, which is unusual for a relatively unsurveilled neighborhood. The densest place is the small block between 131th and 132rd Streets, and between Fifth and Madison Avenues, at which there are a total of 8 cameras. Exactly six blocks south, there is another dense concentration (7 cameras in total). In both instances, all of the cameras are installed on private property (in particular, on private residences, over the entrances, by landlords driven to paranoia by too much Harlem-is-dangerous propaganda). In June 2003, the SCP-New York returned to the area and mapped it again. The group found that, two years after its first visit, the number of cameras had doubled (there are now 120 in total). And so, since 1998, the number of cameras in Spanish Harlem has tripled. Alarming as this rate of increase is -- it matches the break-neck speed in ultra-security-conscious Times Square -- it still places Harlem among one the least surveilled neighborhoods in Manhattan. Not coincidentally, another relatively unsurveilled neighborhood in Manhattan -- the Lower East Side -- is poor, not rich. Of the 120 cameras now in Harlem, 109 are installed on privately owned buildings; 7 are installed on New York State office buildings; and 4 are installed on city-owned traffic poles. The two-fold increase can clearly be attributed to the "private sector," which used to operate "only" 42 cameras in the area. The dense block of cameras referred to above has gained 3 new ones, to make 11 in total. There are two more large dense spots, most notably the strip on the north side of 125th between Adam Clayton Powell and Frederick Douglass, where there are so many cameras that it is impossible to put all of them down on a map. See those dense spots? If current trends continue, that's what all of Manhattan will look like in 10 years. -- 7 June 2003. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Contact the New York Surveillance Camera Players By e-mail SCP at notbored.org By snail mail: SCP c/o NOT BORED! POB 1115, Stuyvesant Station, New York City 10009-9998 From s_bismillah at yahoo.com Thu May 26 01:01:59 2005 From: s_bismillah at yahoo.com (syed bismillah) Date: Wed, 25 May 2005 12:31:59 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] kashmiri Encounter Message-ID: <20050525193159.89094.qmail@web31014.mail.mud.yahoo.com> In Delhi there are many Kashmiri Muslims and Kashmiri Pandits. Each one has a different reason for living in Delhi. But all of them are linked in various ways to Kashmir even though these links get weaker and weaker with time once they settle in Delhi. So far as the Kashmiri Pandits are concerned they have many committees, places and programmes where they can meet and find ways of bonding and preserving their community. But if we talk of Kashmiri Muslim and Kashmiri Pandits there are some links with each other and some meeting ground to discuss various matters relating to Kashmir. The strange thing is that the Kashmiri Muslims have no common organization, meeting place or even a welfare society. It not that the Kashmiri Muslim does not feel the need for some common organization. If you meet them, talk to the Kashmiri Muslim you will soon realize that they are longing for some place where they can meet together in an organized way. They feel the need to share their thoughts, feelings and even to support each other in times of need. So often a Kashmiri may fall short of money, may need medical help or visit a relative in the jail but cannot find accommodation. There is no organization he can turn to there is no telephone number which he can dial to get help and each one faces their problems and difficulties alone There was this militant I interviewed who said when he was released from jail he had no where to go. He stepped out of Tihar jail and then was lost. In jail one of the inmates had given him the number of a cousin. This militant or should I say former militant went to the nearest police station at Hari Nagar and phoned. The cousin arrived at night. Immediately the police arrested the cousin as well on the ground that he was the first contact after coming out of jail. It took a long drawn and night long argument before they could get out of the police station and then they found a ricksaw.It was already late and the police was checking. The cousin who had lived in Delhi for some time took him to Nizzamuddin Dargah and bought a topi. He told the police that he had gone with the Tabligi Jamaat to Bhopal and he was going home to Kashmir. This was just one instance of the need for an organization for Kashmiri Muslims to help them in the especial problems they face on a daily basis when in Delhi. Students in Jawaharlal Nehru University also expressed the need to form some loose organization and some even tried to contact the Kashmiri students. However, the main reason for this lack of organization is the fear of the intelligence agencies. These are the reasons why the Kashmiri community gets divided against itself and there is no way to have nature ways of communicating between the Kashmiri Muslims. They are estranged from each other even when they live in the same colony.. --------------------------------- Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Small Business - Try our new Resources site! -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050525/1744042d/attachment.html From iram at sarai.net Sat May 28 12:59:21 2005 From: iram at sarai.net (iram at sarai.net) Date: Sat, 28 May 2005 09:29:21 +0200 Subject: [Reader-list] Fwd: PRAGUE BIENNALE Message-ID: ------ Original Message ------ Subject: PRAGUE BIENNALE is the one and only PRAGUE BIENNALE To: reader-list at sarai.net From: "Flash Art International" Date: Sat, 28 May 2005 08:54:20 +0200 PRAGUE BIENNALE 2 PRAGUE BIENNALE is the one and only PRAGUE BIENNALE The first edition of PRAGUE BIENNALE took place in 2003. On that occasion we asked the Prague National Gallery to host the exhibition. The director of the gallery, Milan Knizak, conceded this hospitality reluctantly and continuously tried to hinder the event (suffice it to think that he forbade us the use of the photocopiers, the fax machines and the computers belonging to the National Gallery, thus compelling us to use an Internet point outside the National Gallery building). But the most hateful and improper gesture was denying our Producer/Manager, Jiri Prihoda, access to the National Gallery, for the completely trivial and personal reason that Prihoda had dared to criticize one of Knizak's very own installations during a debate. But the cherry on the cake was that Knizak took, for his own benefit, the money earned from the entrance tickets to the Biennale, a total of 100.000 euros, with the excuse that there was only a verbal, not a written agreement. For this second edition, since the very beginning we have excluded the possibility of working with a person who is unprofessional and basically unscrupulous, such as Milan Knizak, who uses the Prague National Gallery as his own personal feud (and where he has created, as if he was a great protagonist of the art scene, close to Beuys, a room of his own). For those who live outside the Czech Republic and do not know Milan Knizak, perhaps a brief introduction is necessary. One of the latest Fluxus artists and certainly not one of the best, he is known to have been a bit of a rebel in the past, opposing local traditions and systems. After the fall of the Berlin wall and thanks to his many friends who were politicians (and not exactly progressive ones), in particular the President of the Republic, Klaus, he began his unstoppable ascension that in no time at all took him from being a simple professor to becoming the Director of the Academy of Fine Arts and immediately after the Director of the National Gallery and of all the museums in Prague as well as a member of the Board of Directors of the state television. The Czech Republic's desertion of the international art scene An all round man of power indeed. Power which in a short while made him forget his past as an arsonist and made him become a fierce and implacable enemy of every form of new and progressive/avant-garde art. He bitterly fights and boycotts all the young artists from Prague and only patronizes the mediocre and incapable ones. He becomes the paladin and supporter of the most backward Prague retro-garde by exhibiting it in his National Gallery and trying to export it abroad. Never have the artists of the Czech Republic received so little attention and consideration abroad as during the last few years due to the lack of support and encouragement from the National Gallery. And Milan Knizak is the only one responsible for the total absence of Prague and Czech art on the international art scene. Just when new and interesting cultural and artistic proposals such as those of Poland, the Slovak Republic and Hungary, were starting to come into the limelight, Milan Knizak was slow to support artists of any quality. Consequently it would have been impossible to even consider working together on PRAGUE BIENNALE 2, which was conceived, promoted, financed, created (thanks to the enlightened sponsor Mattoni) and brought to success despite the continual ill-treatment and boycotting that Mr. Knizak subjected us to in 2003. Reluctantly and only to take away our ideas and possible advantages, he gave us hospitality in his National Gallery (sending us also the bill for the postage stamps for the invitations that we had printed ourselves and brought to Prague, as well as the electricity bill at the end of the exhibition!). And we, being people who like to work calmly and without traumas (the work and stress are tiring enough without additional trauma from internal battles) tried to find a venue for the new edition of PRAGUE BIENNALE that was not the National Gallery, having to face substantial stress and costs that reduced our already limited budget. But do you know what happened? Dear old Milan Knizak, who for decades has never done a thing, who in his National Gallery never hosted an exhibition of contemporary art apart from the routine ones passed on to him by local cultural institutes (for example recently: an exhibition of Chinese watercolors) as a response to our unwillingness to work with him anymore, suddenly decided to organize a PRAGUE BIENNALE of his own, knowing perfectly well that the idea behind the biennale and name belonged to us. But it does not end there: seeing his total incompetence and that of his staff, apart from wanting to name the exhibition PRAGUE BIENNALE, he is trying to invite those curators that we had invited for the first edition. The majority of these curators are scandalized and refuse, yet he manages to catch some renegades who are starved of curatorial projects. Milan Knizak's group show will have to change its name shortly Despite continual requests from our lawyer and injunctions of the Prague Court of Justice that invite him to change the name of the event (our copyright on the brand does not allow someone else to associate the name of Prague with an international art biennale), confident of his backing from politicians coupled with his arrogance, he continues unabatedly to call a most ordinary and disassembled group show the "Prague International Biennale," thus wrongly inducing curators, artists and members of the public who think that they are taking part in our Prague Biennale whereas in reality they are taking part in a simple group show that will shortly have to change its name. Those who have been invited to take part in PRAGUE BIENNALE2 are exclusively the artists and curators who received an invitation signed by Giancarlo Politi and Helena Kontova. In the light of the hundreds of letters of explanation that we receive from curators and artists who have been invited by Knizak who thought they were going to be taking part in our Biennale, we felt it our duty to clarify our position with regard to this ambiguity. For this reason we are telling everyone that PRAGUE BIENNALE IS THE ONE AND ONLY PRAGUE BIENNALE and will be held from the 26th May at the venue of Karlin Hall (Thamova 8-14) where we shall be waiting for you all to see together the most grandiose and interesting exhibition in Central Europe. The other exhibition at the National Gallery is merely a group show, a caravan of artists and curators that act as testimony of Milan Knizak's mental confusion and his sole desire to bring harm to others. Please visit the PRAGUE BIENNALE 2 website: www.praguebiennale.org If you wish to unsubscribe, click here http://newsletter.flashartonline.com/frontend/optout.asp?id=30326&idList=2&HASH= %7B028F0DEF%2D9EF1%2D4F49%2D98E2%2D77B558B003A4%7D From subliminalflicker at rediffmail.com Fri May 27 15:41:44 2005 From: subliminalflicker at rediffmail.com (Subliminal Flicker) Date: 27 May 2005 10:11:44 -0000 Subject: [Reader-list] Workshops in New Delhi Message-ID: <20050527101144.15262.qmail@webmail6.rediffmail.com> Dear all, This is a special opportunity for the musically and cinematically inclined. You guys are probably enjoying a break from your regular classes and of course some of you are happily over and done with classes and studies, not all classrooms however need to be boring. This summer, let your imagination create brave new worlds, let the sound of music arouse your senses and give the gift of life to the artist dying inside of you. Choose from 3 exciting workshops FILM MAKING>>> If a film is reality re-defined, then learn to define it your way, us the medium to showcase the world as you see it. Learn the nuances of finding a story and capturing it on film. Learn the art of scripting a story, filming it and finally editing it from experienced award winning film makers in this practically oriented workshop, where you get to make your own film. Make films for passion or profession. Best of all you get to screen your film at a film festival to be held in July. DJ mixing>>> If music is what touches your soul, then learn to touch the soul of music, learn to understand it and change it. Mix your own tracks and create a sound that is uniquely you, learn the tricks and trades of being a DJ from experienced professionals and turn your passion into a profession. (Learn from a Club Hip-hop certified DJ playing and played at Odyssey, Bacchus, Fabric, DV8, MKOP etc...) Music therapy>>> Stressed out? Drained or just plain tired? Let music sooth your frazzled nerves and calm your senses. Hear the wind as it whistles through the trees or just loose yourself to the tantalizing rhythms of forest music or just learn to make your favorite track work for you. Learn to use music as a therapy in this, for the first time in India, workshop on sound therapy and you'll never feel stressed out again. (Learn from an internationally acclaimed musician who has played at various international festivals including the Edinburgh festival) COURSE HIGHLIGHTS · 10-15 day workshops · Certificate course · Practical exposure and training · Employment opportunities available · Max. group of 20 · Timings: 6.00-9.00P.M. Contact Ph: 9350082713, 9818704161 E-mail: subliminalflicker at rediffmail.com URL: www.subliminalflicker.cjb.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050527/6a46a810/attachment.html From tasneem_dhinojwala at yahoo.co.in Thu May 26 14:51:59 2005 From: tasneem_dhinojwala at yahoo.co.in (tasneem dhinojwala) Date: Thu, 26 May 2005 10:21:59 +0100 (BST) Subject: [Reader-list] tasneemdhinojwala@rediffmail.com Message-ID: <20050526092159.1045.qmail@web8610.mail.in.yahoo.com> Dear friends, We intend to enter a new space through this posting. Choosing a space and deciding upon it is quite a task.The location? The neighbours? Comfort? And what all comes to our mind .. I am dead.The space will be decided by someone else and I have No Say. But we can tell our loved ones to take care of “all that” after Death. Shamim Khan of an upper middle class background says he followed his father’s will and buried him at the place he desired. He had expressed his desire for his final resting place. Were the neighbours known to him? - His wife and mother. He repulsed our presence. We were researchers intruding and knocking at the doors he had shut two months back. His father was one of the pandits who performed the last rites at the Lodhi Road Crematorium. Pt. Manish Kumar, a B Com graduate wanted to know our “motive behind the research” . It was sacrilege,us addressing his calling as an industry. He was determined that he would not be convinced. Reasons? He was there by Will. Carrying on the family tradition. The issue wasn’t the prestige. “pundit are no longer respected” so why did he choose it. Family prestige and societal acceptance. “He had to continue the tradition” while his brothers are quite well placed as chartered accountants. Dressed in a starched white kurta, Manish clearly did not belong to the place where he was placed. He was visibly upset with his circumstances but couldn’t state it. But Why? For “karma and dharma”. It was “his day”. According to the distribution of the task the eight pandits of the crematorium perform rites on the allotted days. Interesting day-wise distribution 7 days- 8 pandits how does it work. “it works for us .why are you worried. Come with a dead and see it for yourself”. We were not the customers. Accommodation is “first Class” with quarters given within the premises. Besides the 8 masters of the dead, the crematorium provides employment to two malis and “others”. Hierarcy exists among the eight as well. Pt Ramesh Kumar whom we had met on our first visit is the most press savvy. “He is the one who responds to all the queries and he is the head” told Pt.Daulat Sharma. Sitting in the office of the crematorium he attended 5 calls while talking to us. So who pays the telephone bills and the malis and other employees. It’s the Arya Samaj Jor bagh that looks after the maintenance. What about their appointments.” We are here on our will .grandfather, father and then I” what if your son wants to take up some other profession. Such an option exists. Daulat Sharma avoided any questions related to the boundary wall that separates the graveyard and the issue of the disputed land. We were welcomed on the other side. Have the dead started recognizing us. Sakina was delighted to see us. Her grand child was sleeping in the graveyard., next to a grave. Its just like any other resting place. This time we manage to talk to another living presence in the graveyard. An elderly rugged looking man, dressed in rags. The father-in-law of Ghulam Rasool. His son-in-law is away on work, so he can talk. His reason for being there. As a guardian of his granddaughter who has now become of marriageable age. “Its unsafe not having a male member around. This place is open and accessible.” So he stands in proxy while the father is away. So how long does he plan to stay here.’ As soon as she gets married I’ll leave’, says he. So many conflicts,where the dead live! Sakina, her friends and this old man are hopeful, they will benefit from us. We give them ten rupees each for their chai-pani. They have not received anything since morning. Its already lunchtime now. Their faces have brightened up at the sight of the tenner. In turn we are blessed. We promise to come back. We want to talk more. We have built our acquaintances here. It’s a familiar place now. Time will tell, of our return ,to this living space of the dead. Yahoo! India Matrimony: Find your life partneronline. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050526/efe3ff9a/attachment.html From zulfisindh at yahoo.com Sat May 28 13:07:06 2005 From: zulfisindh at yahoo.com (Zulfiqar Shah) Date: Sat, 28 May 2005 00:37:06 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] =?iso-8859-1?q?Nepal=92s_civil_War=3A_From_Securit?= =?iso-8859-1?q?y_to_Politics_?= Message-ID: <20050528073706.12721.qmail@web30710.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Nepal�s civil War: From Security to Politics Chandra D. Bhatta A failure of politics created the conditions for the Maoist insurgency in Nepal, leaving the Nepali people to find their own way out, says Chandra D Bhatta. The politics of Nepal in the first five months of 2005 have been dominated by a spiralling series of events: King Gyanendra�s coup in February, the state of emergency and the imprisonment of political leaders and activists. The international community (led by India, the United States and Britain, Nepal�s chief backers), responded by suspending development and military aid to Nepal, though in India�s case the ban on military supplies proved short-lived. After nearly three months, Gyanendra in theory lifted the state of emergency and released key political leaders. It appears that the royal government may regain some sort of working �legitimacy� with the international community who have been backing the Nepali war for nearly a decade. India�s calculation There are three reasons why the international community might give legitimacy to the royal government. First, it was hoped that some sort of political rapprochement between the wayward and outdated Nepali political parties and the monarchy might take place, but this has not occurred. Second, these parties and their leaders have nothing much to offer except �protest and demonstration�, which in the present circumstances is only going to strengthen the rebels and will not yield much for democracy. Third, any further escalation of the Maoist insurgency in Nepal is a real problem for India. This could be the principal reason that India never wanted to suspend Nepal�s arms supply, and did so only as a show for the international community and an expression of lukewarm sympathy for Nepal�s political leaders. India has already sensed a real threat from Nepal�s Maoist insurgency and fears that in a few years some of its own states (Bihar and Andhra Pradesh) will be as red as Nepal. So there are genuine reasons for India to be worried about the situation in Nepal and to wish to crush the insurgency by any means. India, realising that an �unstable� Nepal is not good for its own security in south Asia, prioritises stability rather than democracy in Nepal. If the king proves able to stay peacefully in power in Kathmandu, then � to be frank � who is worried about democracy? As long as the master behaves well no one is going to worry about the servants, a rule that applies in Nepal as in other smaller states. India, moreover, has the power and the capability to persuade the wider international community that India�s view is good for Nepal. The problem is that this is the wrong solution. The Maoist movement is not going to wither away. It is a real political problem that needs real work to solve and the solution will only come through negotiation. A new factor in this situation is the Nepali diaspora and a new generation who will feel uneasy if things move in the wrong direction. The diaspora is getting stronger and the new generation is very different from the old. They speak English, they are more educated, they have seen democracy at least on the television and understand the value of democracy and a free society and, overall they are more nationalist than their outdated leaders. In fact, diasporas now play a great role both in fomenting and containing the conflict, and the Nepali diaspora has staged demonstrations both for and against the king�s move; on 22 May a series of protests drew thousands of people, including one in Kathmandu itself. So whatever decision the king or the political parties take has to satisfy Nepalis both within and outside the country that it is for democracy rather than for personal benefit. The burden of Nepali history Any resolution of the Nepali war has to comprehend the roots of the turmoil. Nepal emerged as a state in the mid-18th century when the Gorkha warrior Prithvi Narayan Shah unified a series of petty principalities. His descendants still rule Nepal. The Shah kings ruled Nepal until 1846, then shared power until 1951 with the Rana family who held the hereditary premiership. The fundamental characteristic of the Nepali state, since its very formation in 1768, is that of conflict within the ruling class. In 1950 a mass movement for democratic change erupted and a pseudo-democracy was introduced. There was a symbolic change in that the Shah family reclaimed its supremacy over the Ranas, but the feudal domination by the Shah-Rana continued. Within a decade, the Shah king, Mahendra, regained control and in 1962 a partyless, panchayat system of nominated royal loyalists was established. A further democratic wave in the late 1980s swept away the panchayat system in 1991. 1990, the year that Nepal joined hands with democracy and the year the Nepali �people� became the �public�, was the turning-point in the 250 years of Nepal�s political history. But all the achievements went swiftly downhill when the first Nepali Congress government poured cold water on the spirit of the people�s movement. This was the beginning of the end for the newly established democracy. The Congress government was internally divided, fighting over the distribution of power and the United Marxist-Leninists (UML) were organising daily strikes and stoppages in order to try to unseat it � a tactic that has become part of daily life in Nepal for political organisations, trade unions, and professional associations in pursuit of their own interests. The squabbling among parliamentarians toppled successive governments and created a deep frustration among the people about the way �democracy� was working. Not one post-1990 government completed its term in office and a serious crisis of governance has resulted. Some even thought the erstwhile panchayati democracy was preferable. Meanwhile, the Maoists were clandestinely organising in the hills of mid-western Nepal. By the time government in Kathmandu realised what was happening, the situation was already out of control. The social alienation based on caste, religion, ethnicity, gender and uneven and centralised development policy all helped fuel the movement. The road to breakdown The Nepali Congress party dominated most post-1990 governments and its leadership has always tried to suppress smaller political groups. Charismatic leaders like Baburam Bhattarai (then a leader of the modern Maoist movement, recently purged) exploited this opportunity. He based the movement in the most downtrodden, inaccessible, poverty-stricken and ethnically segregated part of the country to legitimise the Maoist ideology and built a movement with young people who were politically conscious but engulfed in poverty and frustrated by the policies of the main political parties. These young people, indoctrinated by a Maoist rhetoric of a utopian, just society, took up arms against their own clans while the ruling class in Kathmandu remained in deep slumber. Central governments in Kathmandu regarded the situation as a law-and-order rather than a political challenge, and started to suppress the movement. They never tried to correct their own mistakes and bring Maoists into the mainstream. Since 1990, Nepali political parties and governments have committed three mistakes: they failed to recognise the Maoists as a �political force� in the early years, ultimately forcing them to take up arms; they failed to resolve unfriendly inter-party relations; and they failed to establish good relationships with Nepal�s bureaucracy, monarchy and security forces (all of which have grossly discredited the image of successive governments). What resulted was a polarisation in Nepali society that allowed the monarchy to reassert its power. What is the rationality behind the Maoist movement? The Nepali conflict has different meanings for different people. For the government, it is terrorism; to the Maoist it is liberation from feudal rule; for some others it is a case of �revolutionary romanticism�. Some commentators have described it as a new barbarianism or a kind of Hobbesian anarchy or reversion to some imagined state of nature. Independent observers, however, variously see the insurgency as a communist revolution or as an ethnic alliance against high-caste, Hindu-dominated political elite. But the Maoist-led guerrilla war is neither solely an ideological war nor an ethnic conflict. It is not an ideological war because Maoists have always been willing to come to terms, provided the regime offers a genuine opportunity to discuss their demands. It is not an ethnic conflict because no ethnos has been threatened. The Nepali caste system is no longer pyramid-shaped: people can challenge it and there are provisions to do so. So ethnic and religious issues, and the �identity politics� based on them, are nothing more than a surrogate of political power and ambition used to gain advantage over rivals. It is not a secessionist movement because there is no ambition to change the borders of the state. If none of these are the objectives, then what is this movement all about? It is hard to understand Nepal�s Maoist movement through the logic of new and old wars, because the state has been reeling from conflict since its formation. A series of massacres and coups, which brought no societal change, sowed the seeds of deceit for the future political system. The pseudo-democratic shifts of 1950 and 1990 and the failure of political leadership have established an anti-political culture and created a vacuum in the overall system of governance, leading to the repeated emergence of the triangular power struggle between the assertive royal palace backed by the army, the political parties and the rebels. Most political scientists blame social, political and economic exclusion for the unrest in post-modern Nepal and argue that the Maoists have effectively made use of these for their program of class struggle. Rebellion was inevitable, given an environment of rampant corruption and injustice coupled with extreme poverty. But if this is so, Nepal should have witnessed a movement of this kind long ago. The Maoists are not the first to discover inequalities in Nepali society: they have just exploited them. If the Maoist movement had not emerged, another would have come along to counter the excessive behaviour of post-1990s political leaders. Nepal and democracy The cold war had little bearing on Nepal�s domestic politics, largely due to the �zone of peace� proposal by King Birendra in 1972 which warded off superpower rivalry over the country. But the role of the international community � particularly the US, Britain and India � in fuelling hostilities by supplying arms, cannot be dismissed. Did the failure of the international communist movement force communists to look for a weak state like Nepal where they could easily succeed? The Maoist movement seems to have been supported by various clandestine revolutionary groups from neighbouring countries and beyond; and the international community�s ever-increasing interest in Nepal prompts speculation as to whether interference has worsened or helped mitigate the conflict. But the question remains: why have the seemingly peaceful and law-abiding people of Nepal suddenly turned to violence, and under democracy rather than autocracy? Nepal�s retreat from democratisation at the height of a democratic revival is unique. Today the situation encompasses all the major ingredients of conflict: (Maoist) violence, non-violent conflict (which began with state formation), and conflict among traditional forces (monarchy and political parties). Violence has become a legitimate mode of political behaviour among state and non-state actors. Civil society, political parties and even the king have failed to bring these actors into a common platform to address the Maoist problem, despite the international community�s genuine interest in reinstalling and defending democracy in Nepal. The conflict, a product of centuries of bad governance and unholy compromise between elected politicians and selected elites, is so confusing that it is hard to discern whether it is fought in pursuit of a certain ideology or just over power. Any solution now rests entirely on the maturity of the actors involved: the traditionalists headed by the king (who wants to keep patrimony as the source of power) parliamentary political parties (who in theory believe in representative democracy, but have neglected to assimilate social movements into the system), and the Maoists (who have not yet been able to convince the majority of their strategy of state transformation and have largely discredited themselves by their terrorist approach). In these conditions, and with a Nepali population and diaspora hungry for democracy, the only chance for peace in Nepal lies not in �stability� but in a genuine democratic politics. Source: Open Democracy __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050528/2a2f6d18/attachment.html From zulfisindh at yahoo.com Sat May 28 13:09:07 2005 From: zulfisindh at yahoo.com (Zulfiqar Shah) Date: Sat, 28 May 2005 00:39:07 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] The End of the European Union Message-ID: <20050528073907.33675.qmail@web30707.mail.mud.yahoo.com> The End of the European Union Gwyn Prins Whatever the French and Dutch decide in their referenda on the European constitution, the European federal project is dying, says Gwyn Prins. For the first time, fear really stalks the Rue de la Loi in Brussels, headquarters of the European Commission. It is visceral. We know this because of the increasingly hysterical register of the messages in which the commissioners are sending French and Dutch voters preparing (in their referenda on 29 May and 1 June respectively) to vote down the treaty establishing a federal constitution. If you do so, the European Union nomenklatura is saying, you will bring to Europe economic disaster, a return to internecine war or (most tastelessly and least forgivably) another Holocaust. It is ridiculous hyperbole and therefore all the more demanding of explanation. How did it come to this? I watched, in voyeuristic fascination, the first two-hour television debate between the French protagonists on 16 May. Each side reached opposite conclusions from the same assumptions: that essential French interests were under mortal threat; that enlargement has already gone too far; that Turkey was a step too far. As voices rose, it sounded like a collective nervous breakdown. My guess (and hope) is still that we will see a �Maastricht yes� in France: a vote for the constitution, but by the slimmest of margins. Perhaps President Chirac, like Francois Mitterrand in a similar predicament, will announce prostate cancer on polling eve. The �yes� camp may yet triumph, but it is a close call. After two recent visits to Holland, it looks to me increasingly likely too that the Dutch will vote �no�, also for a mixture of reasons (in their case, much closer to English ones). There is no appetite there for federal union; much anger about being taken for granted in the past and now by the most unpopular Dutch government for a generation; there is mistrust of the French. A French �yes� and a Dutch �no� will mean that Tony Blair cannot escape his referendum in Britain; and a �no� there would write the obituary of the European federal project that is now � in any case � so plainly dying. A dying fall What a difference fifteen years can make! In 1990 the European Community (as it still was called) was still doing, more or less, what it had been intended to do since 1957: in essence, to ensure that the skilful French rider could ride the sturdy German horse, in Charles de Gaulle�s celebrated description (with, one might add, the Dutch and British stable-lads paying the bill for the cheerful French peasant to grow the fodder). In 1991 the rider fell off. The occasion was the death of Yugoslavia. Hans-Dietrich Genscher, Germany�s foreign minister, insisted that his newly-reunited country pursue an active foreign policy for the first time since 1945. Along with his Chancellor, Helmut Kohl, he forced the European Union in January 1992 to recognise two republics of fragmenting Yugoslavia � Croatia and Slovenia � as sovereign states. Many other European capitals, and Washington, had grave doubts about this move. London, Paris, Rome, and Amsterdam were convinced � correctly, as it turned out � that this would lead to a Balkan civil war. The Germans insisted, and won; John Major, the British prime minister, consented to the decision after having secured from Kohl in exchange an �opt out� from the Maastricht Treaty�s �social chapter�. The shock of German heavy-handedness and EU foreign-policy rudderlessness and division were the stimulus to accelerated federal steps in the 1990s. Some were taken on autopilot: the Brussels machine is programmed to legislate as a spider is to spin its web. Thus the Gulliver-like achievement of the single market was tied down by the myriad Lilliputian threads of the acquis communautaire legislation, advancing stealthily into ever-wider areas of member-states� national life (especially under cover of �heath and safety� and �environment� regulation). Among the historic errors of this period � when the heaviest-footed drivers were in Paris rather than Berlin � was the introduction of the single currency; a premature decision that has been severely punished by the capital markets, where the euro is now effectively traded as a debauched currency. France and Germany�s violation of the fiscal rules they signed up to elicited the just fury of the Dutch, who had surrendered the second strongest European currency (after the Swiss Franc) in a community-minded spirit, only to discover that the translation of communautaire was �French national interest�. The Netherlands everywhere experienced small-item price inflation (compare the price of a cup of coffee in lira or guilders and now euro). Then came Giscard d�Estaing�s extravagant federal constitution, which may yet prove to be the bridge too far. [The definitive insider�s account of the gestation of the bizarre, constipated text written by Giscard and Sir John Kerr is by Britain�s principal parliamentary member of the drafting group: Gisela Stuart, The Making of Europe�s Constitution (Fabian Society, December 2003).] This brutal acceleration of the European Union project in the post-1990 period has leaked so much legitimacy from it that it now starts to resemble that other superannuated, elite-created, imposed federal union �project� also conceived in Europe in the same period (1910s-20s): the Soviet Union. One of John Kenneth Galbraith�s most ingenious contributions to social knowledge was his observation that above a certain size, large organisations replace their original motivation (for example, profit) with the goal of integrated control of its entire operating environment, and that they hide this pursuit of unaccountable power behind a myth of its opposite. By the same token, neo-absolutist political institutions like the EU depend upon the maintenance of a fiction of democratic accountability. The claim is periodically challenged by the public refusal to vote for the European Parliament � hardly surprising when the parliamentarians vote to continue inflating their expenses, when an entire commission has to resign over corrupt practices, when the organisation as a whole fails to produce reliable, honest financial accounts, and when �whistleblowers� like Paul van Buitenen and Marta Andreasen are excommunicated and threatened. The fundamental issue is that the EU, like the failed Soviet experiment, cannot meet Alexis de Tocqueville�s tests of democratic legitimation. The organisation is trapped by the local effects of a worldwide crisis of institutional trust, and a breakdown in the essence of the social contract between citizen and state. The French effort to mount the German horse � an exercise first conceived in hope by Aristide Briand and Jean Monnet in reaction to the slaughter of Verdun and the Somme � is newly exposed as bloated and unlovely. The �European Union� is just another episode � now drawing to a close � in the long history of Europe and its peoples. It has no inherent identity except in the minds and worldview of the Brussels elite who depend on it for their privilege and power. Least of all is the �EU� coterminous with Europe. The Eurobarometer opinion surveys reveal that the generational gradient of affinity to a primary European identity is the reverse of what Monnet and his colleagues expected in 1945. They were the strongest enthusiasts for the federal project; the soixante-huitards (like me) were still keen, but less so; �Generation X� and today�s rising 20-somethings are just not interested. They take for granted the four basic qualifications for successful modern living: convenience of travel, the universal need to speak English, computer and mobile phone skills, and car-driving. And they feel Dutch, English, French, German or Italian, first of all. The castle is all lit up; the flag is flying, the wardens peer out anxiously, but the people aren�t at home. It is not what many would have predicted in 1991. Source: Open Democracy __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050528/77420a7a/attachment.html From zulfisindh at yahoo.com Sat May 28 13:10:12 2005 From: zulfisindh at yahoo.com (Zulfiqar Shah) Date: Sat, 28 May 2005 00:40:12 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] In a Bar in Tokyo Message-ID: <20050528074012.85090.qmail@web30708.mail.mud.yahoo.com> In a Bar in Tokyo Paulo Coelho [Unpublished] The Japanese journalist asks the usual question: �And who are your favorite writers?� The interpreter looks I give the usual answers: �Jorge Amado, Jorge Luis Borges, William Blake and Henry Miller.� at me in shock: �Henry Miller?� But she realizes at once that her job is not to ask questions, and she continues her work. When the interview is over, I want to know why she was so surprised at my answer. I tell her that Henry Miller may not be a �politically correct� writer but he was someone who opened up a vast world for me, an author whose books are filled with a vital energy that we rarely find in today�s literature. �I�m not criticizing Henry Miller, I�m also a fan of his, � she answered. �Did you know he was married to a Japanese woman?� Yes, of course I did. I am not ashamed to be fanatical about someone, so I try to find out all about their life. Once I went to a book fair just to meet Jorge Amado. I traveled 48 hours on a bus to meet Borges (which ended up not happening for my fault: when I did see him I stood paralyzed and could not say a word). I rang John Lennon�s doorbell in New York (the doorman asked me to leave a letter stating the reason for the visit, said that Lennon would eventually telephone, but this never happened). I had plans to go to Big Sur to see Henry Miller, but he died before I had enough money for the trip. �The Japanese woman is called Hoki,� I answer proudly. �I also know that in Tokyo there is a museum with Miller�s watercolors.� �Would you like to meet her tonight?� What a question! Of course I want to be close to someone who lived with one of my idols. I imagine she must receive visitors from all over, and requests for interviews, after all they lived together for nearly 10 years. Won�t it be difficult to ask her to spend some of her time with a simple fan? But if the interpreter says it is possible, then better trust her � the Japanese always keep their word. I wait anxiously the rest of the day, then we get into a taxi and everything begins to feel strange. We come to a halt in a street where the sun probably never shines, with a viaduct passing overhead. The interpreter points to a second-class bar on the second floor of a building that is falling to pieces. We climb the stairs, enter the completely empty bar, and there is Hoki Miller. To hide my surprise I try to overdo my enthusiasm for her ex-husband. She leads me to a small room in the back where she has installed a small museum � some photographs, two or three signed watercolors, a book with a dedication, and nothing else. She tells me that she met him when she was doing her Master�s in Los Angeles and to support herself she played piano in a restaurant, singing French songs (in Japanese). Miller went to have dinner there, loved the songs (he had spent a good part of his life in Paris), they went out a few times, then he asked her to marry him. I notice there is a piano in the bar � as if she were going back to the past, to the day that the two had met. She tells me delightful things about their life in common, the problems because of the difference in age (Miller was over 50, Hoki was not yet 20), the time they spent together. She explains that the heirs from the other marriages were left with everything, including the copyright on the books � but that was of no importance, what she lived is beyond financial compensation. I ask her to play the same song that had called Miller�s attention many years ago. She does so with tears in her eyes, singing �Autumn Leaves� (Les Feuilles Mortes). The interpreter and I are also moved. The bar, the piano, the voice of the Japanese woman echoing off the bare walls without any care for the glory of the ex-wives, the oceans of money that Miller�s books must bring in, the world fame that she could now be enjoying. �It wasn�t worth fighting for the inheritance, love was enough,� she finally says, understanding what we were feeling. Yes, seeing the complete absence of any bitterness or rancor, I understand that love was enough. Source: Warrior of the Light __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050528/f66ce83f/attachment.html From pukar at pukar.org.in Fri May 27 12:26:58 2005 From: pukar at pukar.org.in (PUKAR) Date: Fri, 27 May 2005 12:26:58 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] [announcements] Talk: The Making of an Immigrant Home Message-ID: <000d01c56289$495efa50$5dd0c0cb@freeda> The PUKAR Gender and Space Project presents a talk by Nandita Godbole on The making of an immigrant home Representation and improvisation of inherited cultural landscapes in immigrant homes date: Friday, 03 June 2005 time: 3 p.m. place: PUKAR Office, 2nd Floor, Kamanwala Chambers, Opp Stand Book Stall, Sir. P M Road, Fort, Mumbai 400001. Tel: 5574-8152 Abstract Overlays of political borders, contested lands and cultural landscapes often complicate and blur definitions of home. In culturally diverse, cosmopolitan cities, immigrant families continually reinterpret the fundamental question, "What is home?" As these families define their physical and cultural 'selves' in their adopted country, we witness the transformation of ordinary, mundane places into socio-culturally complex neighborhoods and cities. This on-going study examines how immigrants use visual elements to reflect their intrinsic values and philosophies and reinforce the idea of 'home'. It also explores how 'inherited' cultural landscapes influence, shape and define homemaking sensitivities of immigrant families. Nandita Godbole has a Masters degree in Botany (University of Mumbai) and Landscape Architecture (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign). She is currently an independent researcher and her areas of interest include public space usage and sacred landscapes. PUKAR (Partners for Urban Knowledge Action and Research) Mumbai Address:: 1-4, 2nd Floor, Kamanwala Chambers, Sir P. M. Road, Fort, Mumbai 400 001 Telephone:: +91 (022) 5574 8152 / +91 (0) 98204 04010 Email:: pukar at pukar.org.in Website:: www.pukar.org.in -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050527/f59ada7b/attachment.html -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From jha_vimal at rediffmail.com Sat May 28 13:28:31 2005 From: jha_vimal at rediffmail.com (vimlendu jha) Date: 28 May 2005 07:58:31 -0000 Subject: [Reader-list] (no subject) Message-ID: <20050528075831.7874.qmail@webmail26.rediffmail.com>  On the eve of World Environment Day 2005 WE FOR YAMUNA presents Jijivisha (a film on the journey of Yamuna) Opening musical performance by Valentine Shipley 4th June 2005 6.30 - 8.30 pm Amphitheatre, India Habitat Centre In collaboration with Vasant Valley School & Youthreach Spirit R.S.V.P. vimlendu jha 9811812788 vimlendu k jha Swechha - We for Change Foundation (We for Yamuna), New Delhi. Mobile - 98118-12788 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050528/7702b814/attachment.html From shivamvij at gmail.com Sun May 29 02:39:51 2005 From: shivamvij at gmail.com (shivam) Date: Sun, 29 May 2005 02:39:51 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Bombs, satellites and kids: the exciting world of A.P.J. Message-ID: I'm a little intrigued as to what such a satellite can do that the internet can't, or which the internet is already not doing. Never mind, you have to pay the price of having someone like APJ as your Prez. Shivam Kalam latest: an eye in the sky for the young Speaks to ISRO about satellites to connect universities and students By RITU SARIN GENEVA, MAY 27: http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=71232 President APJ Abdul Kalam's foreign tours have become occasions for marking the origins of some innovative satellite programmes. While in Cape Town last year, Kalam had telephoned Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and announced a grant of $50 million by India for launch of the Pan-African satellite programme. Scientists accompanying President Kalam during his current four-nation tour say the African satellite scheme—to provide e-connectivity to 53 African countries—is now at the blueprint stage. Proposals have just been discussed by a Rashtrapati Bhavan team which returned from South Africa earlier this month. This time, the President announced yet another mega satellite programme during his foreign tour, which his scientific aides say he fully conceived of only a week ago. The President's latest scheme is for the launch of an International Youth satellite, to provide connectivity to students and universities around the globe. True to form, before going public on his Youth Satellite scheme, the President telephoned Madhavan Nair, Chairman of ISRO, from Moscow, and briefed him about the scheme. Only after that, he spoke about it publicly, first at the Moscow University and then before the Russian President Vladimir Putin. Expanding on the President's latest satellite scheme from Geneva, Prof N Balakrishnan of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, said: ''It should take about two years before satellites can be located to provide world students a connectivity programme.'' Added V Ponraj, Technical head of the Rashtrapati Bhavan: ''The ISRO chief told the President that he feels such a satellite programme will greatly help the youth of the world and that the ISRO will give the necessary back-up.'' He said that since President Putin was the first world leader with whom the youth satellite was discussed, the two countries would soon need to formalize an agreement on the subject, maybe, with a Memorandum of Understanding. It is to be recalled that last month, an MoU for e-connectivity between the Universities of Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai was signed at Rashtrapati Bhavan in presence of the President and the Human Resources Minister, Arjun Singh. Ponraj said the latest satellite scheme conceived by the President is an extension of such ideas. ''The idea is for any student anywhere in the world to be able to learn and study what students in other countries are studying. A constellation of satellites will need to be networked to transform the President's vision into reality,'' he added. From radiofreealtair at gmail.com Sun May 29 09:44:02 2005 From: radiofreealtair at gmail.com (Anand Vivek Taneja) Date: Sun, 29 May 2005 05:14:02 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] death and bazaar: among the dead In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <8178da990505282114555feba3@mail.gmail.com> Dear Marya, I work at sarai, and I pass the grayeyard you mention on my way to work, and on my way to almost anywhere, as a matter of fact. From your postings so far it seems as if you're concentrating on this particular cemtery/necropolis and the lodi road crematorium adjacent to it. I'd recommend a story called 'Kabadi' by the Malyalam author Anand - the story is about a ragpicker who lived on a slum on the edges of this particular cemetery in delhi, and died in a riot engineered to expand the boundary of the crematorium. I have oversimplified the story here, for it powerfully weaves together a brilliant picture of Delhi - migration, illgeality, landgrabbing, exploitation, slums and flyovers. And though the story is purportedly fictional, the author is very much in tune with the realities, the processes and conflicts that make up delhi. All of which can be seen in the story of the Kabadi waala and his precarious slum on the edge of the cemetery - the living squatting on the land of the dead. There is still a slum hanging on to the edgs of the cemetery. this is on the eastern side, where you become aware that the cemtery is actually an island. the land of the cemtery forms a wedge bound by two ganda nallahs, which were once part of medieval delhi's irrigation network, and are now part of the sewage network. with these two nallahs, and the main road on the west, the cemtery is essentially an island very distintly separate from the habitations to its north and south, nizamuddin and jangpura, and from the cgo complex on the west. it would be interesting to see the cemtery in its historical contexts. many medieval towns had graves stretching outside their walls or borders, often called the 'ganj-e-shahidan'... did this cemtery serve a similar function for the settlement around Nizamuddin/Ghiyaspur? What were/are its connections to the mosque near the nallah? To the Dargah Fatima Bi across the road? And to the streams that bound it on two sides, and must have done so historically as well? How have those connections altered with the devlopment of the new roads, the coming of flyovers, the CGO complex and the Lodi hotel? How did the process of 'land grab' by the Lodi Road cemtery happen? What is the relation of the slums to the cemetery? Also, it might be interesting to speak to someone at the Wakf Board. By law, the wakf Board owns the land on which any Muslim cemtery exists. How does this work in practise? The Wakf board has recently lain claim to the Taj Mahal and the revenues it generates - because it contains Muslim graves. Which opens an interesting area for us - since a lot of extant Islamic architecture in India is funerary in nature. interesting possibilites there - I would recommend looking at some of Richard Eaton's work. I would also stress trying to figure out your cemtery's connections with the Nizamuddin Dargah and Basti. For the dargah is essentially built around the veneration of graves. 'Death and the bazaar' carries on at the urs of Nizamuddin Auliya, which is on right now... Finally, on an upbeat note, I hope taking pictures is part of your project. because I have passed the graveyard on the evenings of , I think, Shabe-Baraat (or Shabberraat?) and Shab-e-Mehraj. (I am probably wrong about this - but on some evenings...). Individual graves were lit with tens of candles in the gathering dusk, and the whole place looked really beautiful.... I hope you can capture that on film! Cheers, Anand ps - The short story, 'Kabadi' by Anand is in the collection 'Image and Representation: Stories of Muslim Lives in India', edited by Mushirul Hasan and M. Asaduddin, and published by OUP. I have a copy of the book. You can borrow it when you're next in Sarai. On 5/26/05, marya shakil wrote: > Dear friends, > > > We intend to enter a new space through this posting. > > > Choosing a space and deciding upon it is quite a task.The location? The > neighbours? Comfort? And what all comes to our mind………….. > > I am dead.The space will be decided by someone else and I have No Say. But > we can tell our loved ones to take care of "all that" after Death. > > Shamim Khan of an upper middle class background says he followed his > father's will and buried him at the place he desired. He had expressed his > desire for his final resting place. Were the neighbours known to him? - His > wife and mother. > > > > He repulsed our presence. We were researchers intruding and knocking at the > doors he had shut two months back. His father was one of the pandits who > performed the last rites at the Lodhi Road Crematorium. > > > Pt. Manish Kumar, a B Com graduate wanted to know our "motive behind the > research" . It was sacrilege,us addressing his calling as an industry. He > was determined that he would not be convinced. Reasons? He was there by > Will. Carrying on the family tradition. The issue wasn't the prestige. > "pundit are no longer respected" so why did he choose it. Family prestige > and societal acceptance. "He had to continue the tradition" while his > brothers are quite well placed as chartered accountants. Dressed in a > starched white kurta, Manish clearly did not belong to the place where he > was placed. He was visibly upset with his circumstances but couldn't state > it. But Why? For "karma and dharma". > > > It was "his day". According to the distribution of the task the eight > pandits of the crematorium perform rites on the allotted days. Interesting > day-wise distribution > > 7 days- 8 pandits how does it work. "it works for us….why are you worried. > Come with a dead and see it for yourself". We were not the customers. > > Accommodation is "first Class" with quarters given within the premises. > Besides the 8 masters of the dead, the crematorium provides employment to > two malis and "others". > > > Hierarcy exists among the eight as well. Pt Ramesh Kumar whom we had met on > our first visit is the most press savvy. "He is the one who responds to all > the queries and he is the head" told Pt.Daulat Sharma. Sitting in the office > of the crematorium he attended 5 calls while talking to us. So who pays the > telephone bills and the malis and other employees. It's the Arya Samaj Jor > bagh that looks after the maintenance. What about their appointments." We > are here on our will….grandfather, father and then I" what if your son wants > to take up some other profession. Such an option exists. Daulat Sharma > avoided any questions related to the boundary wall that separates the > graveyard and the issue of the disputed land. > > > > > We were welcomed on the other side. Have the dead started recognizing us. > Sakina was delighted to see us. Her grand child was sleeping in the > graveyard., next to a grave. > > Its just like any other resting place. > > > This time we manage to talk to another living presence in the graveyard. An > elderly rugged looking man, dressed in rags. The father-in-law of Ghulam > Rasool. His son-in-law is away on work, so he can talk. > > His reason for being there. As a guardian of his granddaughter who has now > become of marriageable age. "Its unsafe not having a male member around. > This place is open and accessible." So he stands in proxy while the father > is away. So how long does he plan to stay here.' As soon as she gets married > I'll leave', says he. > > So many conflicts,where the dead live! > > > > > Sakina, her friends and this old man are hopeful, they will benefit from us. > We give them ten rupees each for their chai-pani. They have not received > anything since morning. Its already lunchtime now. Their faces have > brightened up at the sight of the tenner. > > In turn we are blessed. > > > We promise to come back. We want to talk more. We have built our > acquaintances here. It's a familiar place now. > > Time will tell, of our return ,to this living space of the dead. > > _________________________________________________________________ > 44 Million Items on Sale. > http://adfarm.mediaplex.com/ad/ck/4686-26272-10936-377?ck=44MilItems What > Are you Looking for? Find it on eBay.in! > > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the subject header. > List archive: > -- Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, because you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup. (with apologies to Dilbert) http://www.synchroni-cities.blogspot.com/ Only that historian will have the gift of fanning the spark of hope in the past who is firmly convinced that without a sense of humour you're basically pretty f***ed anyway. (with apologies to Walter Benjamin) http://www.chapatimystery.com/ From indradg at icbic.com Sun May 29 12:31:44 2005 From: indradg at icbic.com (Indranil Das Gupta) Date: Sun, 29 May 2005 12:31:44 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Bombs, satellites and kids: the exciting world of A.P.J. In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <1117350104.11200.14.camel@ghost.banglamafia.org> On Sun, 2005-05-29 at 02:39 +0530, shivam wrote: > I'm a little intrigued as to what such a satellite can do that the > internet can't, or which the internet is already not doing. Never > mind, you have to pay the price of having someone like APJ as your > Prez. Apparently, the same thing that EduSat is supposed to do for Indian Colleges and Universities. Launched into orbit in Sep 2004, AFAIK, the bird isn't yet "doing" much. The phase I was announced with great fanfare, with the likes of VTU being involved in the phase, for distance education, educational TV programming and connectivity in areas without telephone/internet infrastructure. Rumors afloat suggest that ISRO hasn't yet encashed the demand draft for supply of Phase - I SITs (satellite connectivity terminals) as one of the private sector suppliers have fallen short in delivering the goods. But that may be just be a baseless "rumor" ;-) cheers, -indra. > Shivam -- Indranil Das Gupta L2C2 Technologies -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Phone : (0)-98300-20971 Email : indradg at icbic.com WWW : http://www.l2c2.org -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- L2C2 : Innovations for India From majorod22 at yahoo.com Sun May 29 15:48:02 2005 From: majorod22 at yahoo.com (Mario Rodrigues) Date: Sun, 29 May 2005 03:18:02 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] the political sociology of golf in south asia -- posting Message-ID: <20050529101802.54871.qmail@web51707.mail.yahoo.com> The political sociology of golf in South Asia--Posting Over the last decade, golf has acquired the status of a four-letter word because of the havoc it has wrought across the globe. These ravages have been most manifest in Asia, and especially in South-East Asia, which has experienced some of the most concentrated golf development as a result of state policy. The so-called ‘green game’ has made millions of people across the world see red because of the excesses and illegalities associated with golf course development. These include: issues relating to illegal and sometimes forcible acquisition of land required to build deluxe resorts and golf courses, the displacement of traditional and/or marginalised communities from their ancestral land, deforestation, destruction/alteration of environment and ecological life systems, use of (harmful) pesticides to keep courses green and pest-free, contamination of soil and neighbouring water systems due to heavy use of pesticides, and the consumption of large amounts of water at the cost of the public. These excesses have been mimicked in almost every country across the globe, including India: this will be highlighted in a future posting. Such excesses have provoked strident protests from environmentalists, activists, NGOs and those affected by golf developments, sometimes erupting in violent incidents. The violence has often been perpetrated by golf developers in collusion with the governments/authorities backing such developments. To combat the scourge of golf, the Global Anti-Golf Movement was founded in 1993 by Japanese market gardener Gen Morita after he discovered that his crops were contaminated by chemicals from the water draining off a nearby golf course. The GAGM has been observing a ‘World No Golf Day’ since the 1990s and its activists have waged sustained campaigns against controversial golf projects, especially in South-East and East Asia, sometimes successfully. Of late, GAGM has not been as active as before due to the economic recession and the setbacks to the ‘tiger economies’ a few years ago, which badly impacted on the golf business. But it seems that golf back is back on the agenda of national governments now and golf courses have become an intrinsic part of the landscape in South-East Asia. Some of the anti-golf struggles that erupted in the region, especially in the 1990s, and excesses connected with golf, include: * THAILAND: The Golden Valley Golf & Country Club designed by Jack Nicklaus allegedly encroached on the famous Khao Yai National Park, with developers dynamiting a hill in the park to join two roads. A number of golf courses in the country have allegedly trespassed on protected forest areas and national parks. * MYANMAR: GAGM activists launched a campaign to try and force Nicklaus to de-link himself from designing a golf course for the Andaman Club on Thahtay Kyan island, a $ 24 million five-star resort and casino project, in view of the economic sanctions that were in force against the Burmese military junta. In another instance, the army used strong-arm tactics to evict traditional residents so that the land could be freed for the development of the Myanmar Golf Club in Rangoon. * MALAYSIA: The Berawan, a small indigenous ethnic group, were locked in grim battle with a Japanese hotel chain and the Sarawak provincial government over plans to build a 200-acre course on their ancestral land in the Mulu National Park. Hundreds of acres of tropical forests were reportedly cleared to pave the way for luxury resorts and golf courses in Langkawi island leading to all-round havoc and deprivation. * INDONESIA: Farmers, students and religious groups launched a bitter though unsuccessful agitation against the forcible acquisition of land by the government to built the 120-acre Le Meridien Nirwana Golf and Spa Resort (with links to the disgraced former dictator General Suharto) near a Hindu shrine overlooking Tanah Lot in Bali. In the Gili Trawangan islands off the picturesque Lombok region, government forces used violence to evict inhabitants and visitors; while in West Java, a developer bulldozed crops to force farmers off their land. * VIETNAM: Security forces cracked down harshly on protestors from the Kim No village outside Hanoi who were protesting the Communist government’s decision to confiscate their farmlands and hand it over to foreign developers to build a golf course. * CHINA: There is a moratorium on golf course development after it was found that almost all courses have been built after illegal acquisition of land. Premier Wen Jiabao warned in Parliament that the government would resolutely put an end to illegal acquisition and use of farmland. According to statistics published in the ‘People’s Daily’, golf courses are devouring land illegally – and of the 176 course in 26 provinces, only one has been approved by the central government. The inference is that the rest are all illegally built. According to the law, golf courses can only be built on unused hills, waste land and sloping fields, a rule seemingly observed more in breach by local governments. * THE PHILIPPINES: Citizens groups have valiantly fought the efforts of the Fil-Estate Realty Corp to build the Harbortown golf course and marina over 8,650 hectares of farmlands in Hacienda Looc, about 80 kms off Manila at the suggestion of USAID. Ironically, ownership of about 5,000 hectares of land was handed over to the locals as part of the government’s agrarian reforms programme earlier. But the government then sold all 8,650 hectares on the cheap to Fil-Estate without even bothering to notify the peasants beforehand. To know more, check out the documentary film ‘The Golf War’ (1999) by Jen Schradie and Matt De Vries, a story of land, golf and revolution in the Philippines. Also check out the hard-hitting documentary ‘The Green Menace: The Untold Story of Golf’ (1993) by Thai independent film maker Ing Kanchanawanit, which highlights the devastating effects of golf course development on the environment. It includes graphic footage of pesticide poisoning, forest encroachment, and water theft associated with golf course construction in Thailand; and features interviews with golfers, caddies, engineers, doctors, developers, and golf superstars (including Jack Nicklaus and Greg Norman). * Golf courses are also known to use phenomenal amounts of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, artificial colouring agents and so on, to keep the ‘greens’ and fairways green and pest-free. A New York Attorney General study of pesticides used on 52 Long Island golf courses found that the average golf course applies about seven times more pesticides per acre per year as compared to that applied in agriculture. * Water usage of golf courses is also a very sticky issue. According to a study done in 2000, an average San Antonio golf course in Texas, USA, used 312,000 gallons of water per day. According to other sources, while on an average a golf course anywhere in the world uses about 10,800,000 litres of water per year, according to the Golf Course Superintendents Association, US golf courses use, on an average, 414,500,000 litres a year. In essence this means that each golf course uses enough water to provide at least 1200 people with their basic water needs for a year. Gen Morita of the GAGM says that an 18-hole golf course consumes 5,000 cubic metres of water a day, enough for 2,000 families. On its part the golf industry has since tried to clean up its act and introduced several environmentally-friendly measures to reduce pesticide consumption – a few pesticide-free courses too have made their appearance – and water consumption. The golf industry has also gone on a propaganda offensive to highlight the ‘green’ elements of golf. Whether all this goes far enough to qualify golf as a ‘green’ game or something close to it is the moot point. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com From sovantarafder at yahoo.co.in Sun May 29 15:03:43 2005 From: sovantarafder at yahoo.co.in (sovan tarafder) Date: Sun, 29 May 2005 10:33:43 +0100 (BST) Subject: [Reader-list] 5th posting: Urban Entertainment in Kolkata Message-ID: <20050529093343.89230.qmail@web8504.mail.in.yahoo.com> Dear all, My sincere apologies for the belated monthly posting. Actually, I've been terribly busy with my newspaper job since we just had a flurry of municipal elections in different parts of West Bengal, and to top it all, the election in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation--- which happens to be the last big shodown before the assembly election next year between the two foe-in-the-state-but-friend-in-the-center, the Left and the Congress--- is also round the corner. Regards Sovan Tarafder 5th Posting: Time and Tide The lifestyle is NEW. The modes of leisure are NEW. The patterns of getting relaxed are NEW. The housing arrangements are NEW. A whole new stretch of urbanity, NEW Town, is awaiting its new inhabitants. This is a brave NEW world, where success brings a NEW high (and failure a new low, expectedly). This is the NEW face of Kolkata, which, as many pundits opine, signals the advent of the much-awaited Development (21st century ishtyle!) in the cityscape. However, with election in Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC hereafter) being round the corner, the debate over this Development has taken an interesting turn. The fulcrum of the debate is the acceptability of this NEWness of the city. Instead of accolades, the developmental turn of the urban space is getting brickbats. There won’t be any rewards for guessing that the ruling coalition in West Bengal – Left front – is mouthing the invective since the left parties are presently occupying the opposition bench in KMC The significance of the current showdown lies in the fact that the face-lift of the city – decked with fly-overs, shopping malls and entertainment parks – is the bone of contention. All these attempts, which even the other day, were showered with critical acclaim, have begun to be called as development without a human face. This is allegedly a development that is for the rich, of the rich and by the rich! In an ad-campaign, the left front candidate for the prize-post of Mayor, Mr. Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, calls the development, taken place during the tenure of the outgoing BJP-TMC (Trinamul Congress) board virtually a meaningless one since, as he alleges significantly, this development is meant for a selected few and not for the common greater good. It is foolish to think that the so-called developmental activities in Kolkata were done simply in accordance with the sweet will of the Mayor Subrata Mukherjee, the Congress (I)-turned-TMC leader, who just severed links with TMC before the poll and is probably planning a return to Congress. The ruling coalition – and the big brother of the coalition, CPI (M)! – did give the nod and did not hesitate to hog the limelight while things like fly-over or entertainment parks were dedicated to the people (as if the people were awaiting them eagerly!) with much fanfare. Now, in the urban space, the left front is cleverly trying to regain lost grounds with a double-pronged attack on the rival. On one hand, the middle-class concern for good governance is repeatedly accentuated upon. On the other, the proletariat has again come to the fore. Notwithstanding the well-recorded and distinctly documented support behind the new face of urban development (now critically called the fly-over culture!), when CPI (M) and the other parties in the coalition try hard to distance themselves from this discourse of development, the debate seems more significant than it does on a mere cursory look. This is because the debate, currently raging between the rival camps, proves that there does exist a fissure in the urban mindset as far as new trend of urban development in Kolkata is concerned and this is precisely what the opposition in the KMC is trying to cash in on. The fault-line in this respect is also there in the very heart of the CPI (M) who, while spearheading the developmental activities in the state (meaning effectively in Kolkata, since the developments in West Bengal are unfortunately still very Kolkata-centric), is not-too-secretly suffering from an ideological crisis – whether to fall back on the traditional path of the dictatorship of the proletariat or to embrace the present trend of Development. The developmental activities are, as a large section within the CPI (M) perceives, nothing but attempts to get aligned to the bourgeois segment of the society and share the typical middle-class dreams that are themselves upwardly mobile. This is evident from the fact that just a few months back, in the convention of Kolkata district committee of CPI(M), the pro-reform Chief Minister himself drew flaks from different members who made no bones about telling that the party was getting more and more inclined to the richer sections of the society. The KMC election being just a few days away, I personally am keeping my fingers crossed, since the result of his election is sure to have a long lasting impact on the urban entertainment sector in Kolkata in future. However, as it seems, the train of development is least likely to be derailed, since Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, the CM has so far made it clear that development has landed here to stay. But what will be the human face of the development, if the Left wins (which seems most likely, taking into consideration the total mismanagement in the Congress and the TMC-BJP camp) the battle? Will the NEWs be there? If so, in which avatar? Let's wait and watch. This is not just another political brouhaha, seen at regular intervals during election-time in this country. Thanks Sovan Tarafder Yahoo! India Matrimony: Find your life partneronline. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050529/841ff17e/attachment.html From faraazmehmood at yahoo.com Mon May 30 07:12:25 2005 From: faraazmehmood at yahoo.com (faraaz mehmood) Date: Sun, 29 May 2005 18:42:25 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] =?iso-8859-1?q?Banks_Hain_Na_=85_also_for_loan_sha?= =?iso-8859-1?q?rking!!?= Message-ID: <20050530014225.82580.qmail@web31810.mail.mud.yahoo.com> My neighbour Jaiprakash Sadhwani was under the spell of marketing blitz unleashed by the private sector banks, which promised home loans & personal loans for the asking. He approached the bank with the most vigorous ad campaign & applied for a home loan. After filling a few forms & giving every personal detail about his job, monthly salary, health & his bank a/c’s he was asked to wait for a certain period of time. In the meanwhile the bank launched field investigation regarding the physical health, financial health & the reputation of Mr. Sadhwani by sending investigators to his work place, neighbours, doctor & the banks he dealt with. The home loan was sanctioned & a variety of re-payment plans were presented to Mr. Sadhwani. Repayment in 12 months means less interest which increases with the period like 24,36,48 months. Mr. Sadhwani opted for the 36 months repayment scheme. He was required to sign 36 post-dated repayment cheques, which were duly stamped & were sent to jaipur head office for sorting & storing. Mr. Sadhwani dealt in iron-scrap, after paying regular instalments for 10 months he had the good luck to grab a big contract. He decided to repay the remaining 26 instalments in one go & to do away with the remaining interest. This was not to be so. For the subsequent two months he found that the regular loan repayment amount was being debited from his a/c in spite of the full repayment. Mr. Sadhwani made a few trips to the bank contacted the front-office guy with a huge grin plastered on his face & pleaded with him to set his loan a/c right. Nothing happened. So Mr.Sadhwani took recourse to emptying his bank a/c & would derive the bank people from the pleasure of over charging him. One fine morning as Mr. Sadhwani was watering his plants, he was surrounded with four or five tuff looking guys who came trampling the flowerbeds to demand keys for his new car. Mr. Sadhwani had no idea what to say or how to deal with the intruders. For starters they snatched his cell-phone & roughed him up all the way to the front door. Although a businessman of long standing he never had seen such behaviour meted out to anyone. The tough ones pushed his wife aside, collected the keys & drove away the car. Though there is a clear system of presenting the cheques in local clearing for collecting the instalments from various customers who have availed of the loan facility, there exists none for people who make a deviation from the normal routine for example who settle for pre-payment options. A tedious follow up is required from the customer’s side to ensure that the remaining cheques are either returned back, destroyed or marked stopped cheques in the system of the bank where one has got an a/c. Mr. Sadhwani being a layperson was obviously unaware of the intricacies & was caught hapless in the act. As much as lending loans, loan sharking has also become part & parcel of the daily banking. Before going into the intricacies of repayment & before finding out that instead of default the loan has been paid fully in a premature way, banks set loose recovery agents or sharks. The recovery guys move in a bunch of 5-7, have more muscle than brawn & do not believe in the niceties of inquiry & explanation. The real defaulters have a tough time on hand. If there are lagging behind on the last few instalments then they are in for a few unpleasant surprises. The payment demanding bank agents would not let the defaulter breathe unless he has shelled out the require amount. Sometimes the well-meaning guy with the good intentions of paying in advance too gets caught in the sharks net. Naveen carves a niche! Naveen joined the bank a little more than one year before as an office boy earning the paltry sum of Rs. 1800. He was assigned the couriered desk wherein he was expected to receive the courier mail, open it & after sorting it deliver the letters & parcels to the relevant persons after duly taking their signatures. During the day time naveen has to make various trips to almost all the desks. Over a period of time he got a good hand about the various departments, the nature of work, people manning those desks & the skills required to operate in the different situations. He even came to know about the leisure hours of the desks chiefs & when the computers will be available to fiddle with. Naveen was a school pass out when he joined the bank. He soon realized that he is more worthy than a courier in charge. After delivering the letters & parcels, he would linger on the desk to learn about the intricacies of the computer & the mysteries of the bank software pinnacle. He constantly coaxed the bank staff to explain him certain things & to correct his mistakes. In an amazingly short duration naveen could handle the computer processes with ease & confidence. The clearing desk is at the rear end of the building. Because of the convenience & the benign nature of Preeti Mehta, the clearing officer, naveen silently & resolutely decided to make clearing his forte. All his non-courier hours were spent in the clearing section where naveen worked out the technical processes of clearing cheques & drafts amounting to several crores a day with precision & daring. A couple of months of back he was confident enough to face the Branch Head with the demand that he be assigned to the clearing desk. The Branch Head Mr. Shekhawat was more amused than outraged. A young man of 22, five feet in height with attempts to pass BA as a private candidate was hoping a place in the clearing section. But naveen was undaunted in his demands. He begged Shekhawat to let him work in place of employees on leave since he is not on the rolls of the bank, casually hired on a monthly basis, he is not eligible to be allotted a pinnacle id but he can always work on other employees id when they are not at work doing other interesting things. Besides naveen told himself that one did not need & id to learn various MS applications. There are some five persons working on the clearing desks they all find naveen a big help lending that extra hand during the rush hours & on certain salary days. Persistent pays as naveen sets out to carve a niche for himself. Not he does not sneak in & sneak out of the clearing section. He sits on a desk with a computer in front & a temp id allotted to him as all other outsourced employees are given. Shekhawat admits that he has proven his worth in a little more than one year. Not only in so many words but with a salary amounting to rs. 3500/- MF __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Small Business - Try our new Resources site http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/resources/ From sunilmonika at rediffmail.com Sun May 29 21:09:12 2005 From: sunilmonika at rediffmail.com (Sunil pandey) Date: 29 May 2005 15:39:12 -0000 Subject: [Reader-list] Maa Bagwati Message-ID: <20050529153912.13074.qmail@webmail28.rediffmail.com>   Why Bhagwati Jagran Frequently I have to satisfy people’s fundamental query about my work – why I have interest in Bhagwati Jagran .why don’t I seek other commonweal issues like health hazards and non pedagogic educational behavior? Actually this is a question that provokes both the communities. Here ‘both’ is some how my personal expression as I divide my people in two groups – people from reading writing community and others. For others this seems to be freakish and no matter I get round them by declaring it my hobby but during the quaquaversal gathering of my reading- writing compeers in JNU I felt it was also not easy to make my friends feel the encompassment of the Jagaran event through its endemic nature . Vijendra wants to observe time and space ,Swara is chasing the relation between the planning of a city and communal riots, Irfan is afraid of the bad entertainment, Mahesh and Preetpal percolating public transport and I Sunil, pipe –up Bhagwati Jagran . Any way, we are fellow travellers. Going somewhere in the same train. This may not be the need of the hour for Sumangala to know the content of the ‘Legend of Tara Rani’ but it is piquant that she is tracing the Musicological face of the ambiguities. This is fact that we are trying to excavate specific information in a particular field and this particularity may not be a point of attention for the other players. What may a poulterer do if husbands are getting henpecked in a city. Such things may be a matter of patter but these things are bound to happen. (Thank God! Aarti is already there with her broadsheet). Thus, These non-related relations get me to contemplate over the common issues. I don’t know what are these main commons but the changes in human behavior pattern of our city life seem to be our axis. (Ayes!!) While interacting the people related Bhagwati Jagaran, I found the question of the smooth bread to be still a query of the artist and programmers. I found a fire in people for their ‘happy home’ like ‘we’ and others, Jagaran professionals also have their dreams. They need publicity, they need money, they want financial freedom and they need love and care. I found them far from their dream world. Jagaran, celebrations have created new platform of business. Jagarans attract good payment, but where this money goes to ? No doubt, Bhagawati Jagaran is an event that is scudding towards its global heights and throwing away its ethnic nature. This is a trend being seen in other ethnological behaviors also but this change is rather fast in Jagaran, in spite of being a south Asian socio-religious phenomenon. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050529/a84c98d6/attachment.html From casalogic at gmail.com Tue May 31 05:37:43 2005 From: casalogic at gmail.com (casa logic) Date: Tue, 31 May 2005 02:07:43 +0200 Subject: [Reader-list] =?windows-1252?q?Telestreet_and_NGVision_achieve_t?= =?windows-1252?q?he_=93Award_of_Distinction=94_at_the_Linz_Prix_Ar?= =?windows-1252?q?s_Electronica_2005?= Message-ID: - press release - Telestreet, the Italian network of street televisions and NewGlobalVision, online video archive and distribuition project, achieved the "Award of Distinction" at the Linz Prix Ars Electronica 2005. The Prix Ars Electronica, currently addressed towards its nineteenth edition, is the most accredited international competition concerning arts, technologies, and digital media-based social practices. The "Digital Communities" category rewards the innovative projects concerning e-democracy, digital cities and citizens' participation. "Evaluations will honor visionary and forward-looking projects; those that display consummate social and technological innovativeness and that have been successfully set up and established. Digital Communities projects should enable human beings to enjoy the widest possible access to technology networks, and the 'Digital Commons'" (Prix's call for works). The international prize represents an acknowledgment for the Telestreet and NewGlobalVision network activity in reclaiming the right of free open access of the means of communications within a country, as Italy, where the right of expression seems loosing value. The movement of "antennas toward people" aims at enabling citizens to freely use the communication channel of television not only to receive information but especially to produce it. By so doing, it places individuals in the position of closely interacting and sharing as much as of producing information. "Don't watch TV, just do it!" is the slogan of the street televisions. The first street television, Orfeo TV, has started to broadcast on June 21st 2002 in Bologna. Since 2002, over 150 street-tvs were born all around Italy. They transmit via ether utilizing the so-called "shadow cones" where the signals of commercial terrestrial broadcasters cannot reach because obstructed by natural or manufacture barriers. We are dealing here with tiny street or neighbourhood televisions. The very low cost of the equipment gives everyone the opportunity of transmitting information usually not gathered by mainstream networks. Moreover, antenna broadcasting is combined with the Internet allowing the sharing of video works and the management of the circuit of the street-tvs scattered all over Italy. The international acknowledgment allows in thinking to claim the media free access even within new grounds like digital terrestrial and wireless. Convergence between terrestrial broadcasting and internet streaming dismantles the mediascape as we know it and creates a new one on the principles of decentralization of production, decentralization of resources and decentralization of points of emissions.The theme uphold by Telestreet in Italy is going exactly toward this direction: the acknowledgment of 10% of the ether frequencies for communitarian use. www.telestreet.it www.ngvision.org Orfeo Tv - Telestreet mail: orfeotv at telestreet.it NGVision.org mail: ngv at ecn.org From amsethi at rediffmail.com Mon May 30 18:47:58 2005 From: amsethi at rediffmail.com (Aman Sethi) Date: 30 May 2005 13:17:58 -0000 Subject: [Reader-list] Delhi masterplan 2021 Message-ID: <20050530131758.16111.qmail@webmail6.rediffmail.com> Dear all I am working on an article on the Commonwealth Games Village, to be built in time for the 2010 Commonwealth Games - Delhi .. I don't really have an angle yet .. but Delhi's proposal included plans for a review of the transportation and residental infrastructure in east and central delhi. I need a copy of the draftplan of the 2021 masterplan for delhi .. does anyone know where i can get a copy from? .. am already trying to contact the Urban development department, DDA and MCD .. if anyone has any other resources/ ideas? regards Aman -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050530/c231241e/attachment.html From aasim27 at yahoo.co.in Tue May 31 11:56:42 2005 From: aasim27 at yahoo.co.in (aasim khan) Date: Tue, 31 May 2005 07:26:42 +0100 (BST) Subject: [Reader-list] the political sociology of golf in south asia -- posting In-Reply-To: <20050529101802.54871.qmail@web51707.mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <20050531062643.92558.qmail@web8309.mail.in.yahoo.com> hope you know the latest pro golf-slogan. no if. no but. sirf putt. May i suggest an idea for a SUNNY day out:lets go golf course digging.Dont forget to pack some pickles wrapped in pranthas for the evening picnic .Also get some old copies of Indian Express to be used as a dastarkhwan.After all Mr. Gupta has been a PRO all the way when ever one mentions the four letter word.Eh says its in our natinal interest;( 'too bombastic...'.did i hear someone say. aasim. PS:something tells me Mr. Gupta is going to find the pickle a bit too sour for his taste. --- Mario Rodrigues wrote: > > The political sociology of golf in South > Asia--Posting > > > Over the last decade, golf has acquired the status > of > a four-letter word because of the havoc it has > wrought > across the globe. These ravages have been most > manifest in Asia, and especially in South-East Asia, > which has experienced some of the most concentrated > golf development as a result of state policy. > > The so-called ‘green game’ has made > millions of people across the world see red because > of > the excesses and illegalities associated with golf > course development. These include: issues relating > to > illegal and sometimes forcible acquisition of land > required to build deluxe resorts and golf courses, > the > displacement of traditional and/or marginalised > communities from their ancestral land, > deforestation, > destruction/alteration of environment and ecological > life systems, use of (harmful) pesticides to keep > courses green and pest-free, contamination of soil > and > neighbouring water systems due to heavy use of > pesticides, and the consumption of large amounts of > water at the cost of the public. > > These excesses have been mimicked in almost every > country across the globe, including India: this will > be highlighted in a future posting. Such excesses > have > provoked strident protests from environmentalists, > activists, NGOs and those affected by golf > developments, sometimes erupting in violent > incidents. > The violence has often been perpetrated by golf > developers in collusion with the > governments/authorities backing such developments. > > To combat the scourge of golf, the Global Anti-Golf > Movement was founded in 1993 by Japanese market > gardener Gen Morita after he discovered that his > crops > were contaminated by chemicals from the water > draining > off a nearby golf course. The GAGM has been > observing > a ‘World No Golf Day’ since the 1990s > and > its activists have waged sustained campaigns against > controversial golf projects, especially in > South-East > and East Asia, sometimes successfully. Of late, GAGM > has not been as active as before due to the economic > recession and the setbacks to the ‘tiger > economies’ a few years ago, which badly > impacted > on the golf business. But it seems that golf back is > back on the agenda of national governments now and > golf courses have become an intrinsic part of the > landscape in South-East Asia. > > Some of the anti-golf struggles that erupted in the > region, especially in the 1990s, and excesses > connected with golf, include: > > * THAILAND: The Golden Valley Golf & Country Club > designed by Jack Nicklaus allegedly encroached on > the > famous Khao Yai National Park, with developers > dynamiting a hill in the park to join two roads. A > number of golf courses in the country have allegedly > trespassed on protected forest areas and national > parks. > > * MYANMAR: GAGM activists launched a campaign to try > and force Nicklaus to de-link himself from designing > a > golf course for the Andaman Club on Thahtay Kyan > island, a $ 24 million five-star resort and casino > project, in view of the economic sanctions that were > in force against the Burmese military junta. > > In another instance, the army used strong-arm > tactics > to evict traditional residents so that the land > could > be freed for the development of the Myanmar Golf > Club > in Rangoon. > > * MALAYSIA: The Berawan, a small indigenous ethnic > group, were locked in grim battle with a Japanese > hotel chain and the Sarawak provincial government > over > plans to build a 200-acre course on their ancestral > land in the Mulu National Park. > > Hundreds of acres of tropical forests were > reportedly > cleared to pave the way for luxury resorts and golf > courses in Langkawi island leading to all-round > havoc > and deprivation. > > * INDONESIA: Farmers, students and religious groups > launched a bitter though unsuccessful agitation > against the forcible acquisition of land by the > government to built the 120-acre Le Meridien Nirwana > Golf and Spa Resort (with links to the disgraced > former dictator General Suharto) near a Hindu shrine > overlooking Tanah Lot in Bali. > > In the Gili Trawangan islands off the picturesque > Lombok region, government forces used violence to > evict inhabitants and visitors; while in West Java, > a > developer bulldozed crops to force farmers off their > land. > > * VIETNAM: Security forces cracked down harshly on > protestors from the Kim No village outside Hanoi who > were protesting the Communist government’s > decision to confiscate their farmlands and hand it > over to foreign developers to build a golf course. > > * CHINA: There is a moratorium on golf course > development after it was found that almost all > courses > have been built after illegal acquisition of land. > Premier Wen Jiabao warned in Parliament that the > government would resolutely put an end to illegal > acquisition and use of farmland. According to > statistics published in the ‘People’s > Daily’, golf courses are devouring land > illegally – and of the 176 course in 26 > provinces, only one has been approved by the central > government. The inference is that the rest are all > illegally built. According to the law, golf courses > can only be built on unused hills, waste land and > sloping fields, a rule seemingly observed more in > breach by local governments. > > * THE PHILIPPINES: Citizens groups have valiantly > fought the efforts of the Fil-Estate Realty Corp to > build the Harbortown golf course and marina over > 8,650 > hectares of farmlands in Hacienda Looc, about 80 kms > off Manila at the suggestion of USAID. Ironically, > ownership of about 5,000 hectares of land was handed > over to the locals as part of the government’s > agrarian reforms programme earlier. But the > government > then sold all 8,650 hectares on the cheap to > Fil-Estate without even bothering to notify the > peasants beforehand. To know more, check out the > documentary film ‘The Golf War’ (1999) > by > Jen Schradie and Matt De Vries, a story of land, > golf > and revolution in the Philippines. > > Also check out the hard-hitting documentary > ‘The > Green Menace: The Untold Story of Golf’ (1993) > by Thai independent film maker Ing Kanchanawanit, > which highlights the devastating effects of golf > course development on the environment. It includes > graphic footage of pesticide poisoning, forest > encroachment, and water theft associated with golf > course construction in Thailand; and features > interviews with golfers, caddies, engineers, > doctors, > developers, and golf superstars (including Jack > Nicklaus and Greg Norman). > > * Golf courses are also known to use phenomenal > amounts of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, > artificial colouring agents and so on, to keep the > ‘greens’ and fairways green and > pest-free. > A New York Attorney General study of pesticides used > on 52 Long Island golf courses found that the > average > golf course applies about seven times more > pesticides > per acre per year as compared to that applied in > agriculture. > > * Water usage of golf courses is also a very sticky > issue. According to a study done in 2000, an > average > San Antonio golf course in Texas, USA, used 312,000 > gallons of water per day. According to other > sources, > === message truncated === _______________________________________________________ Too much spam in your inbox? Yahoo! Mail gives you the best spam protection for FREE! http://in.mail.yahoo.com From prashantpandey10 at rediffmail.com Tue May 31 09:49:06 2005 From: prashantpandey10 at rediffmail.com (Prashant Pandey) Date: 31 May 2005 04:19:06 -0000 Subject: [Reader-list] Singing Styles, Prashant Pandey Message-ID: <20050531041906.12100.qmail@webmail8.rediffmail.com> My research on Bollywood music is aimed at understanding the latest trends and put them in a particular or multiple perspectives. Recently i had a chat with the playback singer Shantanu Mukherjee aka Shaan. Shaan shared his insights as well as his disagreements. One of the things that I find interesting that while discussing the singing schools of thought i.e Rafi and Kishore. He said now there is marked changed. These two "clasical" styles have been replaced by two new styles i.e Kumar Sanu school and Sonu Nigam school. Shaan has ample experience with singing talent show called Saregamapa and his observations on the participants and the new singers entering the industry would have us believe that both Sonu and Sanu styles are hot favourites replacing the "classical" Rafi and Kishore style. Interestingly both Sanu and Sonu derive their singing identity from these two aforementioned styles. The recently concluded Indian Idol too saw this clash of styles where Amit Sana sang all Sonu Nigam songs while Abhijit Sawant using a mix of Sanu and Abhijit. Also Rahul Vaidya tries to sing like Sonu. I recently attended a recording where his song was being mixed and supporting vocals were being added. For a momemt the Recording Engineer thought it was Sonu's voice. An assistant music director on the condition of anonymity told me that Babul Supriyo is nothing but a copycat's copycat.(Kumar Sanu's copycat) Well thats kind of harsh but try to listen "Hata Sawan Ki Ghata"(Hello Brother) or " Sitaro Ki Mehfil Me"(Kaho Na Pyaar Hai). You might have some idea. Rupa Raman, a music consultant says " It depends on how exactly you strike and sustain your notes". What exactly is then the Sanu Style of singing ? Speaking to a number of Recording engineers and voice trainers, I would say it is a mix of Vibratto and nasal (Mix of KL Saigal and Kishore ?)which works wonder for romantic soft songs. Sonu Nigam's style is more complex. He uses a mix of styles. Shaan says he is the hot favourite for any singer today. But that doesnt stop him from telling " He has got a crying voice...its crying for something or other". By crying Shaan means "soul-stirring"! Like everyone else Shaan is all praise for his colleage. Sonu employes classical variations, scatting, Boyband-ish charm and a an evolved amalgam of Rafi and Kishore. Listen to "Mujhe Raat Din" (SANGARSH). This is one of Sonu's favourite songs. As far as Shaan is concerened he is one those who subscribes to "song is more important than the singer" school. He says why must I scat when its a sad song ? "If a trend is hot it doesnt mean we mindlessly harness it everywhere." Prashant Pandey -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050531/617f4563/attachment.html From prashantpandey10 at rediffmail.com Mon May 30 21:35:03 2005 From: prashantpandey10 at rediffmail.com (Prashant Pandey) Date: 30 May 2005 16:05:03 -0000 Subject: [Reader-list] Bollywood Music, Prashant Pandey Message-ID: <20050530160503.446.qmail@webmail31.rediffmail.com> Hi all I hope you remember my posting about Swanand Kirkire,the writer behind the songs of Hazaroo Kwahishe Aisi and the latest Pareenita. Swanand has expressed his desire to know about how his work is being appreciated by the listeners. You can trash or praise his songs or can go beyond all that. He would like you to write to him and tell him your fedback. Who knows next time he writes what you want to hear... I think its a good idea for my research. There will be a cross talk and exhange without me,the reseacher, influencing things and giving you a second hand idea about the person and the body of work. Please write to me in case you are interested in this exercise. I will forward you his mail id. Cheers Prashant -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050530/ed89d0dd/attachment.html From zulfisindh at yahoo.com Mon May 30 16:55:31 2005 From: zulfisindh at yahoo.com (Zulfiqar Shah) Date: Mon, 30 May 2005 04:25:31 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] France Rejects European Constitution Message-ID: <20050530112532.20643.qmail@web30701.mail.mud.yahoo.com> France Rejects European Constitution Voters Say No by Wide Margin, Defying Leaders and Endangering Unification Plan By Craig Whitlock Washington Post Foreign Service Monday, May 30, 2005; A01 PARIS, May 29 -- Unhappy French voters on Sunday derailed plans to further erase political and economic barriers in Europe, decisively rejecting the proposed European constitution and thumbing their noses at the country's governing elite, which had pleaded for approval of the measure. The margin of defeat was wide, with about 56 percent voting against the constitution, and voter turnout was high. Opposition leaders harnessed widespread disenchantment over a variety of issues, including the unpopularity of President Jacques Chirac, the weakness of the French economy and fears that the country would lose its clout to a strengthened European central government. The French defeat throws into confusion -- for now -- the campaign to fashion a constitution for Europe, since each of the 25 countries that belong to the European Union must approve the document before it can take effect. The French vote does not mean the end of the European Union, which will continue to function under rules adopted by treaty in 2000. But it will freeze efforts to give more authority to the central European government in Brussels, such as the power to set foreign policy as well as to regulate fisheries, housing and myriad other issues. "There is no longer a constitution," said Philippe de Villiers, leader of Movement For France, a nationalist party that had warned that France would suffer if the European Union continued to expand its borders to include poorer countries such as Turkey. "We need to reconstruct Europe. This vote says there is a real difference in this country between the institutions and what the people really want." In a brief televised address shortly after the polls closed, Chirac said he accepted the will of the voters. "France has expressed itself democratically," said Chirac, who had lobbied heavily for approval of the constitution. "It is your sovereign decision." "But let's not be mistaken," he added. "The decision of France inevitably creates a difficult context for the defense of our interests in Europe." Chirac did not comment on his own political future but hinted that in the coming days he would announce a shake-up in the government, which has sagged in opinion polls. Critics amplified their calls for him to resign before his term ends in 2007. Chirac has not ruled out running for reelection, but his already weak political standing was hurt even more by the referendum results. E.U. leaders held out hope that they could salvage the constitutional campaign. They noted that nine countries had already given their assent and insisted that other members be allowed their say as well. If France remains the lone holdout, backers of the constitution suggested, another referendum could be held and French voters might be cajoled into approving the document. "The European process does not come to a halt today," Luxembourg's prime minister, Jean-Claude Juncker, who holds the rotating E.U. presidency, said at a news conference at the Brussels headquarters. "The ratification procedure must be pursued in other countries." But the constitution could run into more trouble Wednesday, when voters in the Netherlands are scheduled to hold a nonbinding referendum. Opinion polls show that a majority of Dutch voters are inclined to vote no. If the Dutch join the French in opposition, some lawmakers and analysts said the constitution might have to be scrapped or renegotiated. The French revolt against a stronger Europe marks a reversal of its historical support for greater unity with its continental neighbors. The origins of the European Union can be traced to an agreement forged a half-century ago by France and Germany to combine their coal and steel industries. Since then, many French political leaders -- including Chirac -- have pushed for a more integrated Europe as a political and economic counterweight to the United States and China. Former French president Valery Giscard d'Estaing helped draft the proposed constitution and lobbied for its passage, a stance shared by most French political leaders as well as the business and media elite. But dissatisfaction has bubbled under the surface in France and in other European countries that have been plagued for years by high unemployment and uncertainty over who should belong in the European club. Many French voters who opposed the constitution said they were angry that they had not been given a chance to vote on E.U. expansion from 15 to 25 members last year, pulling in most of Eastern Europe. The prospect that Europe's boundaries might be extended even further -- to Muslim Turkey and impoverished Ukraine -- has also unsettled many people in France. "I voted no out of a concern for democracy," said Gilles Noeul, 28, an engineer who attended an opposition victory rally Sunday night in Paris. "For me, the decisions should not be made by Europe, but by each nation. I want France to make decisions for herself." Economic anxieties played a big role in the referendum campaign. With France mired in double-digit unemployment rates, opponents said they worried that the constitution would enable low-wage workers from Eastern Europe to migrate to France and compete for scarce jobs. Others complained that the constitution increased the odds that French taxpayers would have to send more money to Brussels, which would in turn funnel it to poorer E.U. members. Fatouma Diallo, 19, a nursing student in Paris, said she and many of her friends fretted that their job prospects would worsen under a stronger E.U. "They are already taking money from our paychecks," she said. "These changes are going to affect my generation more than others." Even some supporters of the constitution acknowledged that the leaders of their side had failed to make a strong enough case. Michel Dumont, a deputy mayor in Paris who favored approval of the referendum, said France had waited too long to wrestle with the question of what its proper place in Europe should be. "It's the first time in many years that we've had a real debate on this question," Dumont said. "For the first time, really, people are confronted with this profound question on the future of Europe." Other French elected leaders who had pushed for approval of the constitution said they were sobered by the results but pledged to adhere to the popular will. "It was an occasion for a big debate for Europe, and the majority of French people said no," said Nicolas Sarkozy, chairman of the ruling party, the Union for a Popular Movement, and a Chirac rival who plans to run for president in 2007. "I regret that the project of the E.U. coalition can no longer stay the way we would like it to go." Special correspondent Erika Lorentzsen contributed to this report. � 2005 The Washington Post Company __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050530/aa048d91/attachment.html From amitrbasu50 at yahoo.co.in Tue May 31 11:59:46 2005 From: amitrbasu50 at yahoo.co.in (Amit Basu) Date: Tue, 31 May 2005 07:29:46 +0100 (BST) Subject: [Reader-list] Bengalis and their Adda In-Reply-To: <20050530075837.23169.qmail@web42407.mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <20050531062947.27241.qmail@web8505.mail.in.yahoo.com> Dear Roger, Thanks for your interest. As a Bengali, 'adda' has a special connotation with its usage in our culture. The word 'chatting' has been used by many (Bengali)translators perhaps to represent an informal dia/multilogue in a small group. A simple click on the google 'pages from India' churned out 1,430 sites for adda! Why don't you take a try? Cheers! amit roger das wrote: Dear mr. Amit, I failed to undertsand why bengalis called a chatting session 'adda'....if u can pls elaborate on this. thanks roger Amit Basu wrote: apologies for cross posting, if any. amit May 15, 2005 The New York Times The Chattering Masses By PETER TRACHTENBERG ome facts you had better get used to: you will never get to eavesdrop on Sartre and Genet at the Cafe de Flore, or watch Irving Howe and Philip Rahv getting worked up about Roth and Mailer at the Tip Toe Inn on the Upper West Side. And if you wander into Le Figaro Cafe you won't find Kerouac and Ginsberg hollering at each other in holy ecstasy -- just some N.Y.U. kids talking about relationships. But the tradition of freestyle intellectual conversation lives on in Calcutta. The city (officially renamed Kolkata in 2001) has an oral culture as lively and cerebral as that of 1950's New York or Paris. Bengalis love to talk, especially about exalted topics (the notion that some topics are exalted still holds currency there, even among postmodernists). And they have enshrined that love in adda, a kind of eclectic and often fiercely erudite conversation that originated among the upper classes but became democratized, thanks to universities, bookstores and coffeehouses. ''If you ask a Bengali what he is fond of,'' Suman Chattopadhyay, a producer at Star Anand TV News, told me, ''he will say rasgulla, which is a sweetmeat, Tagore's songs and adda.'' The word adda (pronounced AHD-da) is ''a place'' for ''careless talk with boon companions,'' as the scholar Sunitikumar Chattopadhyay puts it, and sometimes as ''the chat of intimate friends.'' Another scholar, Vipesh Chakrabarty, writes, ''Roughly speaking, it is the practice of friends getting together for long, informal and unrigorous conversations.'' Of course, all these terms are subject to debate. Take ''long.'' The journalist Subir Bhaumik reports that some older members of his swimming club start their adda at 6 in the morning and are still at it when the place closes for lunch. An adda at the last Calcutta Book Fair is said to have gone on for five days. As far as informality goes, the addas at the tony Center of International Modern Art (CIMA) are invitation-only and dedicated to specific topics. And can a conversation whose participants score points by reciting poetry really be called unrigorous? Bengalis assure me that addas may also include talk about job and family, but I suspect this is like a serious eater taking a little sherbet to clear his palate between the braised sea bass and the truffled sweetbreads. (An adda, incidentally, nearly always involves the eating of fried savories like samosas and bhaji, or the rococo sweets that Bengalis call mishti.) Tell a Calcuttan you went to his or her city looking for good talk, and there is a moment of incomprehension, followed by relief. The fear is that you will bring up Mother Teresa, who did a lot for the poor, according to the consensus, but dealt a body blow to the city's reputation, engendering an entire industry of squalor -- and uplift-tourism. Of course, there is squalor here, and poverty to gnash your teeth over. But the city also has legions of purposeful, well-dressed office workers; street chefs frying bhaji on propane stoves; vendors of saris, tube socks, counterfeit Nike bags and fresh papayas; and august old men in shalwar kameez that give them the sleek silhouette of an automobile hood ornament. Calcuttans might not want to talk about their presumptive saint, but when I asked them about adda, they wouldn't shut up. ''Adda is something typically Bengali,'' said the tiny, patrician Dr. Krishna Bose, a retired English literature professor at the University of Calcutta and a former member of Parliament. She is related by marriage to the Bengali independence leader Subhas Chandra Bose, which gives her pronouncements on the national character a definitive quality. ''It is something very spontaneous. The club life that the British have, that is not adda. It cannot be 50 people together. That becomes a meeting. So it should be three persons minimum, because if you have two that also is not an adda.'' Amithabha Bhattasali, a BBC reporter, believes that two people can have a perfectly decent adda, while the sisters Rakhi Sarkar and Pratiti Basu Sarkar, who run the events at CIMA, say that their addas typically draw 20 or 30 people. Most cognoscenti would say that the CIMA events don't qualify as true adda, since there is a program of topics. ''The thing about an adda is that it moves fluidly,'' Bhaumik insisted. ''You could be discussing Charles and Camilla's marriage this moment, and the next moment you're swinging over to the latest cricket series between India and Pakistan, and then swing back to the recent controversy over Tagore.'' During my stay in Calcutta, I began to feel that I was taking part in a never-ending adda about adda. The participants were scattered throughout the city, and I scurried back and forth among them, relaying an opinion and having it accepted or elaborated upon or shot down. Of course, everyone had an idea of what constituted a real adda. Was it peasants chatting at sundown by the Kali temple; the pensioners gabbing at Bhaumik's club; the tailors and goldsmiths opining by the tea stalls on Ganguly Road; the literary heavyweights who meet every Wednesday to discuss the arts? The one thing everyone agreed on was that the best addas were the ones held at coffeehouses, near Presidency College, at the University of Calcutta, the city's (and maybe India's) most revered academic institution. Bose had partaken of them as a student in the 50's (she recalled a professor whose seminars on Milton had lasted so long as to necessitate two addas). The other thing people agreed on was that those addas were a thing of the past. College students today were too obsessed with their grades. So when I went to the student coffeehouse, it was with low expectations. Nearby College Street is an uninterrupted corridor of used-book stalls; on this Friday evening all of them were thronged. The crowds and the lurid glow of the bookshops' lamps gave the street the feel of a carnival midway. The coffeehouse was on a side street. As I climbed a dank stone staircase, I heard a hum that might have been a generator, but when I rounded the corner it became apparent it was the sound of people talking. There seemed to be hundreds of them. I couldn't be sure because the room was so dark. In the tobacco-colored gloom, people sat at tiny tables built for one or two, but some had six people squeezed around them, gesticulating through a haze of cigarette smoke. (Seeing so many smokers at large was itself exhilarating.) I zeroed in on a rangy, bespectacled man in his 30's who seemed to be discussing something heavy with two older companions and introduced myself. ''So let me ask you, are you having an adda?'' ''Adda? Yes, this is an adda.'' ''And what are you talking about?'' ''We are writers,'' the ringleader announced grandly. His name was Sarosij Basu. ''I am a very simple and very marginal writer. I publish a magazine, a little magazine. We only publish local writers, in Bengali.'' He showed me a copy that was bound with staples. Another writer, Dilip Ghosh, translated Dostoyevsky from English into Bengali. Basu had published an issue of his translations and critical articles. All 400 copies had sold out. Everybody at the table loved Dostoyevsky. Also Joyce Carol Oates and the Italian scholar Roberto Calasso, whom they saluted as their guru. Our conversation went on for two hours and moved from Dostoyevsky to the blockade of Leningrad to Cioran to Calasso to Indian mythology to the demographics of Calcutta to the vagaries of the United States publishing industry. I suppose that made it a true adda. When I finally tugged myself away, I was tired and hoarse, but my brain seemed to be crisscrossed by new neural pathways, all of them roaring with conceptual traffic. On the basis of this experience, I would say that the coffeehouse adda is still thriving and that this is a good thing. But I should add the caveat of another man who joined our group and bemoaned the undisciplined spirits who spend their entire lives engrossed in adda: they ruin their kidneys with endless cups of coffee and their lungs with cigarettes, and their lives recede from them like mirages while they go on ceaselessly adda-fying. ''So you think adda is an addiction?'' I asked him. ''Adda,'' he answered, ''is a profession.'' Yahoo! India Matrimony: Find your life partner online._________________________________________ reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. Critiques & Collaborations To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the subject header. List archive: --------------------------------- Yahoo! Mail Stay connected, organized, and protected. Take the tour Yahoo! India Matrimony: Find your life partneronline. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050531/0910a0d3/attachment.html From blueskyandus at rediffmail.com Tue May 31 20:03:09 2005 From: blueskyandus at rediffmail.com (tangella madhavi) Date: 31 May 2005 14:33:09 -0000 Subject: [Reader-list] Tangella madhavi, Mumbai Message-ID: <20050531143309.29034.qmail@webmail49.rediffmail.com>  Over the past few months, I have been trying to understand the cinema-going culture of Telugu migrants at Sagar Cinema, a video theatre located along the Express Highway in the Western suburbs of Mumbai. My emphasis has been on their lived reality (-ies), the cause and effect of large-scale distress migration from Andhra Pradesh to mumbai city particularly from Telengana region. Sagar Cinema Days go past with mundane pace at Sagar Cinema. The screening of Telugu films begins by about 8.15 am. The young boy from the ticket counter plays the VCD while setting the volume to a blaring pitch. Shuklaji is fast asleep on the small cot placed at the corner of the next screening room where generally they screen Hindi films. One or two Telugu migrants, hearing the noise, decide to buy the ticket and enter the empty room. In about 45 minutes there are at least 15 people staring at the TV, occasionally spitting pan along walls of the theatre. Some of them still smell drunk and are careless about what is happening in the film. Few others enter and go straight to the first bench and lie down and sleep. Suddenly, the young boy decides to change the film. Without any clue of the name of the film or credits, another film begins. The only common aspect between the two films is the hero (for example, Nagarjuna); or the VCD is cued to either a fight scene or the climax wherein a hero like Krishna delivers dialogues with a mythic fervor. Few of them clap in complete agreement with his Hero. Suddenly, the sound goes mute. There is chaos and few of them yell out to the young boy sitting at the counter in Hindi. There is a crisis. Shuklaji walks in to control the crowd while the young boy fiddles with the TV and rushes out to get technical help. He returns with a palm sized CD player and attaches it to the TV. He asks the audience till where he needs to play back the film. The audience with a slight whimper helps the boy and come to a general consensus as to where the film should be played. At around 10 am another new film begins. By now there are at least 70 people in the room. This film might be over by 1 pm, after which the crowd disperses. On their way out, a few of them flip the VCD of the film to be screened at 10.30 pm. 'I don't like watching films in Mumbai," says Venkatesh (about 20-21 yrs old) who came to Mumbai only about six months ago. "In fact I don't like coming here. I come here stay for two months and then I go back home. I just came back few days ago. Back home we pay the same amount, ten rupees, to watch a film. If it is a newly released film then we even pay twenty rupees. Sound mast tuga untundi akada! (The sound in theatres back home is great!) I like the loudness of the theatre. If we have such sound as we have at Sagar Cinema we would have broken the chairs and walked out of the theatre. Here, we are at their mercy. It is the fourth day that all of us have not gone to work. In fact, no one from this area has gone to work. We are about 1000 of us. We are asking for a raise in our wages from the Seths. The cost of living in the city has gone up. Now we hear that the Seth has got another group from somewhere else in Mumbai to work for him. We do not know what to do. So we come to Sagar Cinema right from six in the morning. At least, here we can spend time here till late afternoon. If you have any more questions, we will be here tomorrow, that is if the bandh is still on. Otherwise, we will be back to work. You might never find us!" On the staircase next to Sagar Cinema, which leads to the Highway main road, Pushpa and Anathamma sit under the tree shade. Pushpa talks while Anathamma keeps nodding her head while watching the crowd go past on the lane below. "We went to the Malad naka but did not find any work. We are on our way back home. Thought we rest for a moment. Everyday, we go to the Naka a bit late because we have to finish chores at home. We have rented a place in Ashok Nagar for Rs. 350 a month. Our husbands also work as construction workers. This area was a jungle when we came here, we had horse carriages, now look how they are ripping the mountain to widen the road. They have also demolished a lot of houses in Ashok Nagar." "Yes! We do go back to our Village once a year to see our children. Boys are fine but we cannot keep our daughters with us in Mumbai. In fact, I (Pushpa) am planning to get my daughter married to a boy in the village itself. If given a choice and work we will leave the city and go back Home. I came to Mumbai about 27 yrs ago after my marriage. I had my son here. But he has his own life now. We do not know what he does for a living. Back in the Village if he behaved like this he would have got beaten." "No! We do not go to Sagar Cinema. Where is the time for all this? By the time we finish work at home we are already late to go to the Naka. The men need Sagar Cinema because they work very hard. They are woken up dead in the night, sometimes two in the morning, to get ready for work. They are taken in trucks or travel by trains to the worksite. After few days of work like this, their body gives up. They do not go to work. They drink and go places like Sagar Cinema to watch a film. They need to watch films and visit Video theatres more than us! Now showing at Sagar Cinema: Indira, Dil, Nenu Nanu, Shankar Dada MBBS, Bunny, Suryavansham, Gokulamlo Seetha, Justice Chowdary, Nuve Naku Nachavu, Mass. Ticket only Rs. 10. Other video theatres in Malad screening Telugu films The lane down the Orlem Church at Malad has community of migrants primarily from Tamil Nadu. There are at least four video theatres close to each other at the entrance of this locality. Vinose Video Theatre (Tamil films), Mahesh Video Theatre (only Hindi) and Padma Video Theatre (Tamil and Telugu) and Mala Video Theatre (Tamil and Telugu). They are primarily one-room theatres, which can accommodate about 70 people on an average. The tickets are priced at about Rs. 8- 10 for each film. Unlike Sagar Cinema, these Video theatres seem to operate clandestinely inside a narrow lane in the slum. Padma theatre's owner refused to share information. Inside a narrow lane, the entrance to Mala Theatre was crowded by young men tying to get buy tickets. At the counter, there were two men sitting busy selling the tickets. One of them looked like a Tamilian and the other was a young boy in his twenties. "Do you screen Telugu films here?" I asked. Dumb struck, the young boy replied and said, "Yes, only on Sunday evenings at 9.30 pm." How many come to watch the Telugu show? Looking at each other, they said about 15-20. Realizing that they too were not opening up and were too busy, I smiled and started walking back. Sometime later, I realised that the young man who was at the counter was following me. I turned back and so did he. He walked up to me rather sacred and anxious. Before he could ask me anything I told him that I was not from the Police. "No, Madam, we own two Video theatres at Jogeshwari. Some one like you came asked for some information and then clicked photographs. Next day, she came with the police and we had to shut it down. We don't do ganda kaam now. We at this theatre don't show blue films. Hamara Naam bhi Kharab hota hai." "My name is Vikas. At Padma, we do not show Telugu films everyday. At 9.30 pm, we have a new Hindi film/ 'fighting' film , Tamil and Telugu. That is, on Friday if we show a 'fighting film', then the Telugu people know that on Sunday there will be a Telugu films. There are at least 50-70 people who come and we show films they demand. We only allow one film per ticket. If a man comes at an odd time, ie, when a film in on, we allow him to get in and continue till the next film is over. We do not want him to go back. Where will he go, till the film playing gets over? Also, we don't collect the ticket for the last show. Generally during daytime, once the film is over, on their way out, we collect the tickets back and tear them. But for the last show, we allow them to keep it. This is because; the film gets over at around one in the morning. These Telugu people are usually detained by Police about their movement late in the night. They do no have an address or a contact phone number or any ID card. So, they show the film ticket as a proof as to where they have been so late. We regularly, get requests to stamp/ seal and sign the ticket." I ask Vikas, if I can come and watch a Telugu film in his theatre. He smiled and said, "No, Madam. Women not allowed." Since the Telugu migrants have stopped going to work for the fourth day now, I am able to spend considerable time with them. Also, this has allowed me to meet the same people on a regular basis. Raju, Devraj, Kurvanna and Budda anna are few people whom I will be talking to over he coming days. I will be talking to other migrant groups from Andhra Pradesh in Mumbai who are labourers. In the process, look at their cinema going culture. Also, enquire from which region of AP have they migrated to Mumbai. I also plan to talk to Shuklaji about the nexus between the police and video theatre owners. Also, there are a few hints that he is busy starting some other business. Enlist the Video theatres in Malad area as comprehensively as possible. Try to understand the manner in which these theatres get a license and go back to theatres at Orlem, Malad to meet Vikas. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050531/603a0194/attachment.html From sanghamitra at actionaidindia.org Tue May 31 13:38:00 2005 From: sanghamitra at actionaidindia.org (sanghamitra Chanda) Date: Tue, 31 May 2005 13:38:00 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Delhi masterplan 2021 References: <20050530131758.16111.qmail@webmail6.rediffmail.com> Message-ID: <002a01c565b7$ee5e38a0$0e01a8c0@at> Thnks Aman. Your mail gives me a chance to visit the book stores. I am also looking for it. We are working with urban poor in calcutta. Thanks Sanghamitra ----- Original Message ----- From: Aman Sethi To: reader-list at sarai.net Sent: Monday, May 30, 2005 6:47 PM Subject: [Reader-list] Delhi masterplan 2021 Dear all I am working on an article on the Commonwealth Games Village, to be built in time for the 2010 Commonwealth Games - Delhi .. I don't really have an angle yet .. but Delhi's proposal included plans for a review of the transportation and residental infrastructure in east and central delhi. I need a copy of the draftplan of the 2021 masterplan for delhi .. does anyone know where i can get a copy from? .. am already trying to contact the Urban development department, DDA and MCD .. if anyone has any other resources/ ideas? regards Aman ************************************************************** Scanned by eScan Anti-Virus and Content Security Software. Visit http://www.mwti.net for more info on eScan and MailScan. ************************************************************** ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _________________________________________ reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. Critiques & Collaborations To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the subject header. List archive: -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20050531/5dfc3fc9/attachment.html