From nalin.mathur at gmail.com Thu Nov 1 00:52:39 2007 From: nalin.mathur at gmail.com (Nalin Mathur) Date: Thu, 1 Nov 2007 00:52:39 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] B - Grade Engineering College Culture / Sixth Posting / Nalin N. Mathur Message-ID: <7c0063460710311222i5c8f0fc8sc69ac6ed9c7a0d1f@mail.gmail.com> B - Grade Engineering College Culture / Sixth Posting / Nalin N. Mathur I had planned to make trhis posting a visual one. But was unable to load the same over the relevent medium. Hence, the post below speaks on a couple of topics over which I had begun some work. During the course of discussion with fellow batchmates and people at work I observed that one thing that is absolutely similar during ones engineering days are movies. Also, there is one moment or instant that one expireences, which defines ones engineering days. The post below describes the same. ********************************************** Random Thoughts I am sure it seems somewhat amusing to have a whole write up about the effect that movies have had on the cultural aspect of my college days. For anyone living in times like these, movies certainly play a significant role in shaping one's cultural outlook. I strongly believe in the maxim that movies reflect the society and vice versa. Hence, to state the obvious brings in no value add or insight to this project. However, when the thin line between one's cultural inhabitations and outlook and one's identity as a whole, begins to fade, movies, I would say, carve out a new dimension. For me and my college friends, there is an uncanny relation between the way our eventful days at college and the movies released every Friday. What we saw, we did. There were instances, when we engrossed in a particular scene, simply exclaimed – Hey that is us! I had just left school when I saw American Pie. Unabashed and voyeuristic, the fable of those high school friends initiated my romance with the college life. I knew something was missing, when unlike the majestic prom, I found myself purchasing tickets for Appu Ghar after my school farewell. The actual disappointment came in college. Girls were as scarce as genuine all-rounders in our cricket team. Highly inspired by the movie, my gang made a pact too. It was not fetch a girl friend each. We knew our strengths, hence decided not to let any of our batch mate have one. We tried our best to spoil the show where ever possible. Our cause gained momentum and a few more joined the endeavor. It was only after a solid bashing by the seniors we lost steam. We never went to 'the next step'. Apart from movies, there have been instances whose incidental timings were in sync with some important junctures. It all began with the day when I, tucked in the back seat of my uncle's car, sped through the highway to visit my college for the first time. We were traveling to do get me admitted. My parents were discussing the tuition fee, while I blessed the beautiful sunny day; supremely confident of myself having got through a college whose standing was somewhat above my grasp for science, I was dead sure that nothing could go wrong today. Upon reaching my college, among the first things I saw was the coverage of airplanes crashing through the World Trade Center. The date was 9/11/2001. The Gods were showing me the signs and a gullible that I am, sank them in. The ominous day set the tone for my time ahead at the college. From yasir.media at gmail.com Thu Nov 1 03:20:02 2007 From: yasir.media at gmail.com (yasir ~) Date: Wed, 31 Oct 2007 14:50:02 -0700 Subject: [Reader-list] Regarding India Map #2 In-Reply-To: <814964.24329.qm@web45504.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> References: <814964.24329.qm@web45504.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <5af37bb0710311450p54da8fc5y7051fd18479dfba4@mail.gmail.com> dear dhatri / martin / all any guesses as to why this one is not on the map (apart from many others) http://www.hinglajmata.com/index2.htm the map in question seems to be this one http://sacredsites.com/asia/india/india.html it seems to be based on the current line of control LOC (see map) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_of_control read more http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060212/asp/frontpage/story_5836362.asp pictures of the trip http://www.pawspakistan.org/forums/viewtopic.php?pid=256 http://offroadpakistan.com/pictures/hingol_2005/index.html?page=all as for the the country pakistan (where this is...), it seems to be missing from both (sacred sites) categories asia and middle east - something that commonly happens in borderlands, frontier lands or as the article says nowherelands. iran gets its share, india its, .... its an old story... an older colleague was born in karachi, india in the 1930s. his passport from a north american country said so, which was endless problem for him as you can imagine a frequent traveller having to argue with the kids at immigration counters about whether karachi was india or pakistan. thats a version of manto's toba tek singh all over again ... its here http://www.findpk.com/SV/Toba_Tek_Singh.htm http://www.ttsinghpolice.gov.pk/Page.aspx?id=7 http://www.sacw.net/partition/tobateksingh.html On 10/31/07, we wi wrote: > Dear All, > > FYI. > > Jai Hind. > Dhatri. > > > > Martin Gray wrote: > > Yes, this correction will indeed be made. It, and several others, are going to be some time soon...........thanks for the reminder anyway.............martin > > On Oct 30, 2007, at 12:13 AM, we wi wrote: > > Hi Martin, > > Hope you are doing well. This is just a reminder to your previous mail. > > Regards, > Dhatri. > > Martin Gray wrote: > Dhatri, > > I see what you mean. My map of India does indeed need to be corrected. I will not be able to do this until a few days after October 15 since I will be away from Sedona, Arizona, where I live, presenting several slide shows around the states. > > Thank you for alerting me to this matter. > > Sincerely, > > Martin Gray > SacredSites.com > > > > --------------------------------- > From: we wi > Date: Fri, 14 Sep 2007 07:24:47 -0700 (PDT) > To: Martin Gray > Subject: Re: Regarding India Map > > > Martin, > > > > Jammu and Kashmir of India should be like this. Please find the attachment. > > > > Regards, > > Dhatri. > Martin Gray wrote: > > Tell me which parts. > > > > > --------------------------------- > From: we wi > Date: Fri, 14 Sep 2007 05:07:01 -0700 (PDT) > To: , , > Subject: Regarding India Map > > Hi Martin, > > > > Could you please correct the India Map. Some parts of Jammu and Kashmir of India are mistakenly joined into Pakistan and China. > > > > Regards, > > Dhatri. > > > > --------------------------------- > Building a website is a piece of cake. > Yahoo! Small Business gives you all the tools to get online. > > > > > --------------------------------- > Shape Yahoo! in your own image. Join our Network Research Panel today! > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > http://mail.yahoo.com > > > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > http://mail.yahoo.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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: From anivar.aravind at gmail.com Thu Nov 1 10:04:40 2007 From: anivar.aravind at gmail.com (Anivar Aravind) Date: Thu, 01 Nov 2007 10:04:40 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Janadesh & corporate land grab Message-ID: <47295760.9090407@gmail.com> An Interesting forward -------- Original Message -------- Subject: corporate land grab Date: Wed, 31 Oct 2007 17:25:22 +0530 From: willy Reply-To: willy Organization: INSAF Talking about love in time of cholera ==================================== The proposed draft of Land Policy while expresses a lot of good intentions of Nehruvian era where the policy focus was on “self cultivation” utterly fails in taking into account the developments that have already taken place during last one and half decade. The most important point that these good intentions miss is the National Agriculture Policy 2000, which commits itself to promote (a) lease markets in land, (b) contract farming, and (c) corporate farming. This all is approved with the intentions of improving the productivity of land and making transfer of land easier for the ‘efficient users’ (who else is more efficient than private Corporations?). For accomplishment of these goals the essential preconditions are worked out by World Bank in association with DFID and they are (i) computerization of land record (between the lines accessible by internet), (ii) regularization/legalization of all kinds of tenancy, and (iii) flexibility in protective (existing) measures in land transfers, (iv) drop restrictions on sale of land to non-agriculturalists and subdivision which have little economic justification, (v) allow transferability of land by land reform beneficiaries at least through lease and explore options for making the gains from such reform permanent, (vi) review legislation on compulsory land acquisition and, subject to the prevention of undesirable externalities, allow farmers or their representatives to negotiate with and if desired transfer land directly to investors rather than having to go through government and often receive only very limited compensation. This well intentioned effort of advocacy also seems to be oblivious to the fact that after pronouncement of the National Agriculture Policy 2000, several states had gone ahead (as it is part of the State List in Constitution of India) with providing relaxations in ‘land use transfers’ and ‘ceiling’ related regulations. This proposed policy draft is also unmindful of the fact that several state governments including the government of Madhya Pradesh has already given affidavit in Supreme Court stating that no land is available that can be provided for rehabilitation based on land for land. The latest Rehabilitation and Resettlement policy approved by the cabinet also mentions about ‘Land for Land’ but suffices it with ‘if possible’ (and every one knows in present era will be never possible). The draft is also ignorant about the fact that ‘common land’ had already disappeared to a substantial extend and whatever little is leftover is targeted by the corporate sector in the name of plantations for “Agro-fuels” namely Jatropha in concerted manner. Selling rosy dreams listed in the draft policy stink of what is called ‘ostrich approach’ which calls for dipping your neck in sand at the time of storm and feel safe. The wish list expressed in the draft reminds the title of the famous novel by Gabriel Garcia Marquez called ‘love in times of cholera’. At time when Government is looking for means to wriggle out of the business of ‘land acquisition’ and leave the matters to ‘market forces’ by making ‘land a freely tradable’ commodity the effort best can be termed as dangerously novice. It is this context, while the intentions of draft policy sound plausible, the implications of the draft provide the government the basis to fiddle with existing laws and procedure to make it smooth for the corporate takeover of the land and fulfillment of its promise to its Creditor and Donor like World Bank and DFID. Statement of Concern -draft (30/10/2007) ======================================== We highly appreciate the efforts by the participants of the JANADESH 2007 yatra for their contribution in bringing the perennial issue of Land and its equitable distribution back on National agenda. Some of the demands raised by this mammoth effort have their roots in the struggle for India’s independence which raised the aspirations of the peasantry by the promise of ‘land to tiller’ once the country has done away with the shackles of colonial rule. The Land laws and the agrarian policies in the initial phase of Interdependent India were also guided by the urge to promote “self cultivation” but with the pressure of achieving ‘self sufficiency’ in food and the advice from international agencies like Ford Foundation the government of India had embarked upon ‘green revolution’ and began to slag behind on its commitment to the promise of ‘Land to the tiller’. The Agriculture Commission set by the Government of India in its report’s volume XV on land reforms in 1972 (20 years after Ford Foundation funded pilot programme in 1952) brought out the fact that in major part of the country which were governed by the Zamidari and Mahalbari systems till the colonial rule the implementation of land reforms was utter failure. To insulate the Government from the fallout such report the process of initiating Land Ceiling Laws was initiated the same year and all most all the states have come up with the required law with slight variance. During the ‘Emergency Era’ the famous 20-point programme also incorporated agenda of distribution of land to the land less and deprived communities. There was a rush of competition among the Chief Ministers and other functionaries in getting photographed distributing land titles. All of us connected to grassroots in one way the other know very well that half of the land that was claimed to be distributed never been able to be ‘possessed’ by the legal claimant. On other this ‘claimed to be distributed land’ was not the acquired ceiling surplus land. A lot of militant ‘land grab’ movements by the peasant organisations from verity of ideological shades in various parts of the country were witnessed during 70s and 80s. But with the beginning of World Bank backed programme of Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP) in 1989 and the fast transforming functioning of parliamentary system in India (particularly with the demise of opposition as institution) had taken the steam out of the struggles and slowly but surely the question of land and its equitable distribution was tendered redundant. In 1991, when Mr. Manmohan Singh as Finance Minister in Mr. Narsimha Rao’s Government laid down the agenda of liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation the foundations were laid to change the fundamentals of the previous ‘policy framework’ in all sectors of economy including Land and Agriculture. Gradually the focus of agrarian policy began to drift from ‘self cultivation’ to smooth transfer the land from the ‘inefficient users’ that is small and marginal farmers to ‘efficient users’ that is private corporations. The context of land question and its ‘equitable distribution’ has transformed completely as the impact of joining WTO and giving a twist to Indian agriculture towards ‘export orientation’ saying good bye to the legacy of ‘food self sufficiency’ as hallmark of official policy framework. The National Agriculture Policy 2000 loudly and clearly pronounced to promote (a) lease markets in land, (b) contract farming, and (c) corporate farming. This all is approved with the intentions of improving the productivity of land and making transfer of land easier for the ‘efficient users’ (who else is more efficient than private Corporations?). It has also stated to promote biotechnology and genetic engineering as the basis to improve productivity of Indian agriculture. For the accomplishment of these goals the essential preconditions are worked out by World Bank in association with DFID and they are (i) computerization of land record (between the lines accessible by internet), (ii) regularization/legalization of all kinds of tenancy, and (iii) flexibility in protective (existing) measures in land transfers, (iv) drop restrictions on sale of land to non-agriculturalists and subdivision which have little economic justification, (v) allow transferability of land by land reform beneficiaries at least through lease and explore options for making the gains from such reform permanent, (vi) review legislation on compulsory land acquisition and, subject to the prevention of undesirable externalities, allow farmers or their representatives to negotiate with and if desired transfer land directly to investors rather than having to go through government and often receive only very limited compensation. After pronouncement of the National Agriculture Policy 2000, several states had gone ahead (as it is part of the State List in Constitution of India) with providing relaxations in ‘land use transfers’ and ‘ceiling’ related regulations. The Government further reinforced its commitment to transfer of land to the private corporations by enacting Special Economic Zones Act, 2005 which provides lot of concessions to the developers at the cost public exchequer and violates the fundamentals of even neo-liberal dictums of ‘equal playing field’ and ‘fair competition. The Government’s efforts of promoting plantation of Jatropha to meet targets of its own policy of mixing Ethanol with diesel on common and government lands for feeding “Agro-fuel” refinery set up by private corporation also create doubts on the credentials of both the government in general and its present leadership in general. It is this context that we take the response of the government to the plausible effort of JANADESH 2007 by announcing setting up of a Commission under the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with pinch of salt. We have serious doubt that the commission of this sort will be capable of standing against the commitment and enthusiasm of the government in implementing the obligations of WTO that are adversely affecting the small and marginal farmers; SEZ Act 2005 and non implementation of Forest Right Act, 2006 which are essential to pave way for any effective pro-poor land reforms. We also do not see much scope of justice to be done for the poor and the marginalized by a commission comprising of ‘stakeholders’ which includes colonizers, builders and developers, funded NGOs along with the token representation of the farmers. Hence we do not see these promises made by the Government as victory but see it at most as the beginning of a crucial and decisive phase of long history and traditions of Land Struggles. To be endoresed by several activists & intellectuals. If you want to endorse this pl mail to: Anil Chaudhary at anilpeace at gmail.com or insaf at vsnl.com Links to IFI documents: 1. DFID study done by CCDS & Ekta Parishad in PACS programme - "Towards a people's land policy": http://www.empowerpoor.org/downloads/people's%20land%20policy.pdf 2. World Bank report- "India - Land policies for growth & poverty reduction (July 9, 2007)": http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2007/08/31/000310607_20070831102106/Rendered/PDF/382980INoptmzd.pdf 3. FAO working paper "Land and livelihoods - Making land rights real for India’s rural poor (May 2004)" - Livelihood Support Programme (LSP) funded by DFID: ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/007/J2602E/J2602E00.pdf From announcer at crit.org.in Thu Nov 1 09:28:40 2007 From: announcer at crit.org.in (CAMP) Date: Wed, 31 Oct 2007 23:58:40 -0400 Subject: [Reader-list] Launch on Friday 2 November Message-ID: <1193889520.6565.28.camel@nowhereman> Announcing the Launch Event of CAMP, Mumbai FRIDAY 2 NOVEMBER 2007 at 6:00 P.M. at Jnanapravaha 3rd Floor, Queens Mansion (opposite New Chemould) G. Talwatkar Marg Fort, Mumbai 400001 for directions http://camputer.org/?rocket=launch CAMP is a new city-based initiative around art, media and technology practices, in collaboration with the Khoj International Artists Association. http://www.camputer.org CAMP's founding members are: Shaina Anand, filmmaker, artist and media activist, founder of http://www.chitrakarkhana.net Sanjay Bhangar, who trained in indymedia and urban studies, now works as an independent web developer and technology writer. Ashok Sukumaran, who trained as an architect and artist, and now develops speculative technical and conceptual projects. http://0ut.in The evening consists of an extended screening-cum-talk by the CAMP initiators, as an introduction to the context, politics and practices that CAMP will promote. This includes a discussion of Chitrakarkhana's ongoing work with alternative cable TV and CCTV systems, a social history of the internet in Bombay as told by Sanjay Bhangar, and Ashok Sukumaran's recent projects around electrical redistribution. They will also discuss the CAMP program for this year, and invite participation in various forms. The program will be interrupted by refreshments. -- About CAMP: CAMP is a platform to organise, and then to do, such artistic and media practices that build interfaces between themselves and urban activities, at various scales. The project is being undertaken with a broad shared experience (among CAMP members, its advisors and peers) of questioning the "digital", in the past decade. CAMP promises bold interpretations of current technology contexts, and their various micro-political implications. CAMP will begin its relationship with various Mumbai publics through 'weekends', fortnightly events that look intensively at specific histories, futures, and areas of multi-disciplinary collaboration. For example there are planned weekends around the history of broadcast as an artistic medium, on the art market, on censorship, on building technological "confidence", on various kinds of maps, rooftop "real-estate" surveys and so on, mostly with an orientation towards practitioners and projects. While CAMP is beginning with such small-scale activities, it also seeds two long term projects: a) New Documentary: On the future of the documentary image, in times of video's material abundance.To test the boundaries of production, reception and redistribution of video by adopting a range of existing technigues and technologies. This is related to chitrakarkhana's ongoing work, and will address artistic, ethical and pragmatic questions around video. b) On Design: on what "making things for others" means now, when you- and i- can both seemingly contribute. The project will engage with questions of "participation" in design, and of how knowledge moves across its different forms. It will take the form of institutional and pedagogic interventions into the broad field of activity presently known as Design. And finally, on its name: CAMP has various possible "backronyms", a large number in fact. This came from our inability to claim a singular identity within a field of ideas, to say that this and not that, is what will actually happen with CAMP. For more see www.camputer.org/?acronyms=many -- chitrakarkhana.net camputer.org _____ CRIT (Collective Research Initiatives Trust), Mumbai Announcements List http://www.crit.org.in http://lists.crit.org.in/mailman/listinfo/announcer From shambhu.rahmat at gmail.com Thu Nov 1 16:06:40 2007 From: shambhu.rahmat at gmail.com (Shambhu Rahmat) Date: Thu, 1 Nov 2007 18:36:40 +0800 Subject: [Reader-list] Secular Bengalis Find "Mohammad Cat" moment? Message-ID: A month ago, Bangladeshi Islamists made a fiery national issue over "Mohammad Biral (cat)" cartoon and were handed head of ex-Communist leader Motiur Rahman. http://rumiahmed.wordpress.com/2007/09/20/picture-of-the-day/ http://rumiahmed.wordpress.com/2007/09/30/chronology-of-major-blasphemy-cases-in-bangladesh-1972-2007/ Can Secularists learn from tactics of opponents? Can they take Jamaat's statement "there are no 1971 War Criminals" and 1971 was a "civil war" and turn it into a mega-issue? Watch the video (Bengali only), and read the links (English, below video) http://www.drishtipat.org/blog/2007/10/29/jamaat-1971/ As a tactical firestorm breaks out, the key is to not get hysterical about "opoman" (insult) or "aspordha" (audacity). Or to dream about trials, or banning Jamaat (will NEVER happen), but to use this as a tool to pry loose the Jamaat's current position as the reliable chess piece that is totally within Army's gameset. http://www.drishtipat.org/blog/2007/10/25/jamaat-ec/ This is the Secularists' Mohammed Biral moment...? From shambhu.rahmat at gmail.com Thu Nov 1 16:19:49 2007 From: shambhu.rahmat at gmail.com (Shambhu Rahmat) Date: Thu, 1 Nov 2007 18:49:49 +0800 Subject: [Reader-list] Yaba Drug Crisis Helps Army To Split BNP? Message-ID: Suddenly, overnight Yaba the amphetamine/speed/party drug is everywhere in Dhaka. Epidemic scream the papers. And just like that the ring is broken. BMWs, porn tapes, druglords arrested, dual passports huge haul. Code names for the drug varieties are Lal Koottha (red dog) and Golapjam (bangla sweet, I have no clue what is translation?). PINK DEATH screams Shaptahik 2000. Only Rumi Ahmed seems to have noticed that the Yaba crackdown dovetails very neatly with the Army's now-in-motion move to split the rightist BNP into two. DAILY STAR and PROTHOM ALO buy into Yaba coverage http://rumiahmed.wordpress.com/2007/10/31/little-different/ Where is Khondoker? http://rumiahmed.wordpress.com/2007/10/29/where-is-khondokar-delwar-hossain/ BNP Hijacked http://rumiahmed.wordpress.com/2007/10/29/the-hijack-of-bnp/ From ysaeed7 at yahoo.com Thu Nov 1 20:42:44 2007 From: ysaeed7 at yahoo.com (Yousuf) Date: Thu, 1 Nov 2007 08:12:44 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] "The New Muslim" in Hindustan Times In-Reply-To: <962b9f89ab32e2565b44e2e0ad4eabb4@sarai.net> Message-ID: <825743.62948.qm@web51406.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Dear Sadan Of course the difference of perception is there and I can't help it - can't shut my eyes. And its not just a two-level difference - there are so many levels to it. A lot of grey area in between, which is probably being erased too. You know what, some of the HT reporters wrote back to me saying that "its the sheer number of people they are talking about - there are so many "New Muslims" that people like you don't count - you would be unacceptable among your community - so why should we listen to your views" (the quoted text is not their exact words - but a gist). And that's why I was worried - my shock was not to see the euphoric Muslim response (I already knew how they'll respond), but the fact that it is a medium like HT which is the most powerful at the end of the day. They have just created a new truth (one reader says "thank you for giving birth to the new muslim", some NRIs have offered dollar donations for the New muslim!). So, going back to the "difference" - even if people like us wrongly (and arrogantly) assume that we are at the top of this intellectual hierarchy, we are helpless, it doesn't provide us any power. HT remains the most powerful finally. I know that they recieved a whole lot of negative criticism too about this series but they ignored most of it, highlighting only the euphoric emails. Also because they wanted to match this story with the surging stock market, I guess. That's what today's media all about - no space for nuances and subtleties. If they had published equal amount of negative or different-type-of criticism, maybe it could help reduce this difference we are talking about. Yousuf --- "sadan at sarai.net" wrote: > Dear Yousuf, > I agree with you and certainly do not find these > reportings in the series > 'cool' or anyway acceptable. I think i mentioned > this in my first mail too. > I in my first mail tried to address your anxiety at > another level and this > was in a way related to the methodology ( i know > t5his is a loaded word yet > using it). > You were upset by the way in which some of the > readers found these images > cool and away from thed ominant media image of > muslims as terrorists. This > leads to a difference between how you or Sohail look > at these images and > how people who do not have nuanced and critical > orientation (like you two > have or certain others may posses). From your first > post, what I gathered > was your difficulty to come to terms with this > difference. > We know that mainstream media constantly bombards > images producing muslims > as Others. Kabir Khan in Chak de India lives in a > locality full of > symbolism and markers that on the one hand confirms > to these dominant Hindu > image of how a muslim locality should look like. > Now, a lot of people did > not find any objectionable on the ground that > mainstream commercial film > main itana to chalta hai. I found it quite > problematic on different > grounds. And my concern was not merely about what > was shown but with the > degree with which these scenes are accepted as a > kind of compromise that we > unconsciously attain with our critical outlook while > watching a mainstream > movie. > Coming back to Hindustan Times series, I would > suggest to maintain the > difference between yourself and how others percieve, > between your > discomfort and others celebration and between your > rejection and others > acceptance. I would personally try to address this > difference rather than > keep going back to the logic in which images are > produced. It is this > difference that allow us not merely to reject > communal images but also > provides us analytical space to understand why > people accept such images. > wishes, > sadan. > > > > > On 10:23 pm 10/30/07 Yousuf > wrote: > > Dear Sadan > > Thanks for your comments. I will try to clarify on > > the use of certain words that you mentioned from my > > letter. When I say "dishonest images of Muslims" I > > don't mean to say that there is something called > "the > > honest image" and I know it – certainly not. You > and I > > know that some images in the popular media are > > definitely dishonest as their intention is to > vilify a > > certain community. But in the case of the New > Muslim > > series in HT, I found many images problematic or > > naively dishonest since the author assumes that to > be > > a Muslim is to be deeply religious and to be > coming > > out of a ghetto, and so on. In fact, someone asked > me > > if I have a problem with these images (in HT), > then > > what is my ideal and honest picture of the > Muslims. I > > said the only way to portray an honest picture of > > Muslims (or any other community) is to portray > them > > not so conspicuously at all - let them be ordinary > > people trying to live ordinary lives. And I think > > that's what should answer your question about > > objectification. Why make them objects or museum > > specimens on the front page. > > > > You may be right about the aspirations. Yes, most > > readers who liked these writings find them at par > with > > their aspirations. And I don't know about my > > aspirations, but my discomfort is mostly due to > the > > generous use of religion and the newly defined > jihad > > and so on, that is shown to be their aspiration. > Do > > you find that cool? Should we promote such role > models > > for the Muslim community’s future? > > > > Cheers > > > > Yousuf > > > > > > --- "sadan at sarai.net" wrote: > > > > > Dear Yousuf, > > > thanks for sharing your anxiety about Hindustan > > > Times series on 'the new > > > muslim'. I have been following your postings ( > on > > > reader list) and your > > > work on religious posters as well as > representations > > > of muslim steriotypes > > > and hence thought to respond to you by raising > few > > > questions back to you. > > > This may help you to think about your anxiety > from a > > > different vantage > > > point. If so I would be happy. > > > You have used certain words and I want you to > go > > > back to them. these are > > > 'dishonest images' and objectified community ( > > > 'objectification'). While I > > > can , to some extent, anticipate your anxiety I > am > > > not certain about why > > > you have used this word dishonest image. Do > mean to > > > say that these images > > > are not true representatives of the social > realities > > > they are trying to > > > convey? What is true representation? what is > honest > > > image? Can we portray > > > this 'true' this honest picture? > > > We both know ( i hope so) that this would be a > > > dream. I think your anxiety > > > is not about the truthfulness of these images > but > > > the way these reports, > > > this series bracket muslim identity and portray > an > > > image that are > > > fossilised within majoritarian politics of > > > representing 'muslim subject'. > > > The series claims to break stereotypification > but > > > accroding to you it fails > > > to do so and actually caters to the same > mindset. > > > So, in a way you have > > > deciphered a set of meanings, certain politics > that > > > operate there. > > > However, many readers prefer this image. They > > > receive this series > > > differently then you. Now, to say that they > cant > > > understand the politics > > > that you can would be unfare. At the same time, > you > > > cant not say that > > > because some readers like it as iconoclastic > images > > > the purpose of this > > > series is achieved. > > > This is all about aspirations that an image > > > generates. You have your own > > > aspiration and your own criticism. Other > readers > > > have their own way of > > > looking at same representation. And your > anxiety > > > comes from the fact that > > > you do not find a voice that can echo your > > > viewpoint, your anxiety. > > > Having said this, I must say that I fully agree > with > > > your concerns, your > > > anxiety that this series certainly produces > another > > > set of otherness and > > > hence politically quite problematic and > difficult to > === message truncated === __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com From nc-agricowi at netcologne.de Thu Nov 1 21:32:51 2007 From: nc-agricowi at netcologne.de (NewMediaFest2007) Date: Thu, 01 Nov 2007 17:02:51 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] =?iso-8859-1?q?=5BAnnouncements=5D_Launch_of_NewMed?= =?iso-8859-1?q?iaFest2007?= Message-ID: <20071101170251.BADBB681.B475988A@192.168.0.3> Press Release ----------------------------------------- On 1 November, NewMediafest2007 is launched online. NewMediaFest2007 is the 1st common festival of [NewMediaArtProjectNetwork]:||cologne - www.nmartproject.net - developed, organised and directed by Wilfried Agricola de Cologne, founder and director of this global network. This press release is the first and general one, individual press releases will follow during the 1st November week, each day featuring another festival aspect. -------------------------------------------- NewMediaFest2007 consists of 2 components 1. the online showcase including the common festival interface on -->> http://2007.newmediafest.org 2. NewMediaFest2007 Blog - http://www.newmediafest.org/blog/ which is publishing all news and program schedules. ad 1) presentation of the featured festival contributions includes programm available as PDF for free download http://downloads.nmartproject.net/NewMediaFest_2007.pdf a) CologneOFF - Cologne Online Film Festival - --> CologneOFF III - Cologne Online Film Festival 2007 "Toon! Toon! - art cartoons and animated narratives b) JavaMuseum - Forum for Internet Technology in Contemporary Art 5 features--> ---> "Seven Ways of Saying Internet Through Netart" curated by Elena Giulia Rossi (Italy) ---> "a+b=ba?" - a showcase about blog art curated by Wilfried Agricola de Cologne ---> solo feature: 10 years netart by the US artist Jody Zellen ---> net.NET - 1st of a series of netart features --> re-launch of JIP - JavaMuseum Interview Project c) VideoChannel - video project environments 4 features--> --> solo feature: 7 videos by the Icelandic video artist Unnur. A. Einarsdottir --> selection: "art cartoons and animated narratives" --> Women Directors Cut - Edition III --> official launch of VIP - VideoChannel Interview Project d) SoundLAB - sonic art project environments 4 features---> SoundLAB Edition V --->soundSTORY - sound as a tool for storytelling --> special feature: soundart from South Africa curated by Julian Jonker --> special feature: soundart from Spain curated by Ruben Garcia --> ofiicial launch of SIP - SoundLAB Interview Project e) Cinematheque - streaming media project environments two features---> -->Slowtime2007? - Quicktime as an artistic medium 1st program of a six months lasting series --> a series of web performances by the Israeli artists duo Lital Dotan & Eyal Perry f) official launch of "AND - Artists Network Database" incorporating the biographies of more than 1400 media artists and curators from 70 countries collaborating with [NewMediaArtProjectNetwork]:||cologne. -------------------------------------------- NewMediaFest2007 is launched and organised on two levels: 1. online on http://2007.newmediafest.org 2. in physical space generally via cooperations, in this special case NewMediaFest2007 becomes physical in cooperation with 3rd International Digital Art Festival Rosario/Argentina - 15-17 November 2007 -->additional physical manifestations are planned in sequence. NewMediaFest2007 is further linked in November to FONLAD - Digital Art Festival Coimbra/Portugal and will be connected to numerous media art events during the coming months. It is planned to run NewMediaFest2007 actively until May 2008 to be replaced by a new festival edition later on - whereby all online components remain for permanent online afterwards. -------------------------------------------- NewMediaFest2007 is planning to issue in sequence PDF catalogues of the presented festival components. Two basic publications are issued as PDF for free download on occasion of the festival launch 1. general program - NewMediaFest2007 --->http://downloads.nmartproject.net/NewMediaFest_2007.pdf 2. catalogue --> CologneOFF III - 3rd edition of Cologne Online Film Festival -->http://downloads.nmartproject.net/CologneOFF_3rd_edition_2007.pdf -------------------------------------------- NewMediaFest2007 is a free cultural production powered by [NewMediaArtProjectNetwork]:||cologne the experimental platform for art and new media from Cologne/Germany) Technical note--> All browsers welcome, but they need to be Flash enabled - Flash 9 plug-in required - -------------------------------------------- This press release is issued by netEX - networked experience http://netex.nmartproject.net powered by [NewMediaArtProjectNetwork]:||cologne info (at) nmartproject.net -------------------------------------------- _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From turbulence at turbulence.org Fri Nov 2 03:23:19 2007 From: turbulence at turbulence.org (Turbulence) Date: Thu, 1 Nov 2007 17:53:19 -0400 Subject: [Reader-list] [Announcements] Networked_Music_Review: Interview with Bill Fontana Message-ID: <014801c81cd1$b1133df0$1339b9d0$@org> Interview with Bill Fontana [excerpt] by Peter Traub Networked_Music_Review http://turbulence.org/networked_music_review Bill Fontana has been creating musical networks and making "sound sculptures" since the early 1970s. His works are usually large in scale and often involve the transmission of sounds from one 'listening' location with a network of microphones and/or sensors to another location where the sounds are overlayed onto the local sonic environment. Fontana's work focuses strongly on the idea of listening as a compositional act - that is, it is driven by the idea that music surrounds us constantly and that the patterns of music are audible if we just take the time to listen... Peter Traub: Natural sound is central to many of your pieces, especially the use of natural sound transplanted or displaced (or "trans-placed" as Anthony Moore termed it) into urban or man-made settings, such as your 1987 piece, "Sound Sculptures through the Golden Gate". The displacement and recontextualization of these sounds within new spaces is part of what makes your work effective. In the process of displacing the natural sounds, how do you treat them? That is, do you do any sort of processing on the sounds to transform them, do you prefer that they speak for themselves? Bill Fontana: There is no processing applied to the sounds except the artistic choice of putting a microphone near it or to map it. All my editing takes place before the recording or transmission is made. The transformation occurs in the re-contextualization of the sound. "Sound Sculptures through the Golden Gate", with its combination of vivid sea bird sounds and the deep musical tones of the Golden Gate Bridge Fog Horns has a musical quality that is almost Wagnerian. Many compositional details, such as how the placement of 8 microphones on different parts and dimensions of the Bridge would reveal natural acoustic delays was a type of acoustic processing that was deliberately chosen.. Bill Fontana will be answering reader's questions in the comments section until December 6, 2007. Read the complete interview here: http://tinyurl.com/2m3du3 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 Networked_Performance Blog: http://turbulence.org/blog Networked_Music_Review: http://turbulence.org/networked_music_review Upgrade! Boston: http://turbulence.org/upgrade New American Radio: http://somewhere.org _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From vrjogi at hotmail.com Sat Nov 3 10:46:53 2007 From: vrjogi at hotmail.com (Vedavati Jogi) Date: Sat, 3 Nov 2007 05:16:53 +0000 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: FW: Guests in Vedavati's house In-Reply-To: <602CC652-A4B4-4C09-9489-CAE87865E02E@sarai.net> References: <843470.23386.qm@web57214.mail.re3.yahoo.com> <602CC652-A4B4-4C09-9489-CAE87865E02E@sarai.net> Message-ID: lot must have been discussed by readers list members about tehelka, as i am not receiving any mail from r-list i don't have the priviledge to read the secular thoughts. i want to express my views which may or may not be published by r-list. i feel if tehelka is so much fond of digging the past things, i can suggest few more subjects. 1) for thousands of years muslimss killed/ looted/ converted hindus, pulled down their temples, humiliated their women. tehelka can study & find out how many of muslims in india are originally hindus. how many mandirs have been dismantled & converted into masjids. 2) why was india partitioned in 1947? inspite of gandhi's appeasement policy, why was jinnah & his followers remained so adamant? what was meant by 'has ke liya pakistan, ladh ke lenge hindustan'? 3) who masterminded 1993 bombay- bombblast? 4) was rubiya syed abduction episode, a true story? or mufti m. syed the then first muslim home minister had joined hands with pakistan to release 5 hardcore terrorists? > CC: vrjogi at hotmail.com; reader-list at sarai.net> From: monica at sarai.net> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: FW: Guests in Vedavati's house> Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2007 11:50:44 +0530> To: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com> > Vedavati,> > If you have disabled receiving mails, then it does not mean that your > mails are being blocked by anyone except yourself for yourself.> > Mots du jour like banned are easy to bandy but utterly pointless if > untrue. Useful however for creating an atmosphere of allegations and > defensiveness. Perhaps that was the intention?> > This is an administered - NOT moderated - list. As everyone by now > knows, to their edification (or boredom).> > best> M> > Monica Narula> Raqs> Sarai-CSDS> 29 Rajpur Road> Delhi 110 054> www.raqsmediacollective.net> www.sarai.net> > > On 06-Sep-07, at 10:09 PM, Kshmendra Kaul wrote:> > > Dear VJ> >> > I do not know what the glitch was if any, but this last mail of > > yours has come through SARAI.> >> > Your address in Subscribers List continues to show in parentheses > > which means your list delivery is disabled.> >> > KK> >> > Vedavati Jogi wrote:> > .hmmessage P { margin:0px; padding:0px } body.hmmessage > > { FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY:Tahoma } yes, kshemendra, my > > mails are being blocked by sarai and i am not surprised because > > this is the real nature of secularism practiced in india.> >> > this secularism will lead to disaster i am sure.> >> > few decades back britishers encouraged muslim separatism which > > ultimately resulted into partition. today same great job is being > > done by psudosecularists and i will not be surprised if one day > > muslims again start giving same slogan 'islam khatareme hai' > > leading the nation to many more partitions.> >> > 'gujrat' is a 'shame' but 'kashmir' is not!> > when one babri was pulled down then so many riots (initiated by > > muslims) took place more over their acts were justified by > > psudosecularists> > but many temples were pulled down in kashmir ...spineless hindus > > did not feel bad and ofcourse psudo secularists kept their mouths > > shut.> >> > list is very big. this is secularism. if you feel what i have > > written is not wrong please distribute it.> >> > thanks> > vj> >> >> >> > ---------------------------------> > From: vrjogi at hotmail.com> > To: tapasrayx at gmail.com; reader-list at sarai.net> > Subject: RE: [Reader-list] FW: FW: Guests in Vedavati's house> > Date: Tue, 4 Sep 2007 02:21:04 +0000> >> > .ExternalClass .EC_hmmessage P {padding: > > 0px;} .ExternalClass EC_body.hmmessage {font-size:10pt;font- > > family:Tahoma;} no i am not suffering from any mental problem, i > > only tell the truth which psudo secularists can not digest.> >> > vedavati> >> >> >> Date: Sat, 25 Aug 2007 13:02:38 +0530> >> From: tapasrayx at gmail.com> >> To: vrjogi at hotmail.com> >>>> >> Please do not forward anything to me in future. I do not > >> appreciate it.> >>> >> For your information, I have already received from Reader-list the > >> mail> >> you claim was blocked and have forwarded to me offlist.> >>> >> I suspect you may be suffering from some type of delusion or > >> paranoia.> >>> >> TR> >>> >>> >> Vedavati Jogi wrote:> >>> i have no alternative but to forward this mail to all of you> >>> individually as readers list people don't dare to publish my mail.> >>> i request all of you to please read this correspondance. views > >>> expressed> >>> by people like roger are posing real threat to this country' unity.> >>>> >>> vedavati> >>> -------------------------------------------------------------------- > >>> ----> >>> From: vrjogi at hotmail.com> >>> To: rgdj12 at yahoo.com; reader-list at sarai.net> >>> Subject: RE: [Reader-list] FW: FW: Guests in Vedavati's house> >>> Date: Sat, 25 Aug 2007 04:55:48 +0000> >>>> >>> pakistan is an enemy so i don't blame them as they are doing what an> >>> enemy is supposed to do. i am talking against psudoseculars like> >>> you. nobody has blocked minority advancement in india otherwise> >>> shahruhk, irfan pathan, zakir hussin, javed akhtar would not have > >>> > >> >> >> > ---------------------------------> > Download the latest version of Windows Live Messenger NOW! Click > > here!> >> > ---------------------------------> > Download the latest version of Windows Live Messenger NOW! Click > > here!> >> >> > ---------------------------------> > Be a better Globetrotter. Get better travel answers from someone > > who knows.> > Yahoo! Answers - Check it out.> > _________________________________________> > 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.> > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list> > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/>> _________________________________________________________________ Windows Live Spaces is here! It’s easy to create your own personal Web site. http://spaces.live.com/?mkt=en-in From pawan.durani at gmail.com Sat Nov 3 11:23:43 2007 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Sat, 3 Nov 2007 11:23:43 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Is Subsidy Islamic or UnIslamic ? Message-ID: <6b79f1a70711022253o58f0ba66qbab807178b5a07dd@mail.gmail.com> GOI to spend 387 Crore Rupees on Haj Subsidy this year! Union Cabinet approves continuation of Hajj subsidy New Delhi, Nov 2: The Government has decided that the number of pilgrims under the Government subsidy scheme during Hajj 2007 will remain 1, 10,000. The other approvals/decisions of the Government in this regard are inclusion of Varnasi as an embarkation point over and above the existing ones for Hajj 2007, retaining subsidized airfare to be charged per pilgrim for the round trip to Jeddah/Madinah at Rs 12000. The remaining cost is to be paid as subsidy by the Government of India to Air India. The Airport Tax levied by Saudi Government @ 50 Saudi Arabian Riyals per passenger to be paid by the pilgrim. Transportation of up to 59000 pilgrims by Saudi Arabian Airways (SAA) at the return fare of US$ 772 for Mumbai-Delhi, Ahemdabad and Hyderabad and US$ 849 from Chennai and Bangalore. Transportation of balance pilgrims by Air India from Lucknow, Kolkata, Calicut, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Patna, Guwahati, Srinagar and Varanasi. The movement of Hajj is scheduled to commence from November 10, 2007. Air India and Saudi Arabian Airlines will together be managing the air transportation of pilgrims for Hajj 2007 operations. The total cost of operation for Hajj 2007 is estimated to be around Rs 519 crores. With the pilgrims fare remaining at Rs 12,000 an amount of Rs 132 crores will be received from the pilgrims. The subsidy will be around Rs. 387 crores for Haj 2007 operations. Due to capacity constraints Air India proposes to undertake Haj operations through wet leasing of aircraft even as efforts are being made to minimize the cost of operations, the estimated per pilgrim cost in respect of Air India operations is expected to be US$ 1535 for Hajj 2007. The subsidy amount will be reimbursed to Air India by the Government. PIB From harilalms at gmail.com Sat Nov 3 11:37:11 2007 From: harilalms at gmail.com (harilal madhavan) Date: Sat, 3 Nov 2007 11:37:11 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Ayurveda in Transnational contexts Message-ID: <786e9c3e0711022307m793e59e1w4943288ac9b0de72@mail.gmail.com> *M S HARILAL/ SARAI INDEPENDENT FELLOW 2007/ SIXTH POSTING/AYURVEDA IN TRANS-NATIONAL CONTEXTS * The traditional systems like ayurveda and Traditional Chinese medicine is undergoing an unprecedented shift in its presentation in global market. Some elements of shift are very briefly presented below in the case of ayurveda. Manufacturing of ayurveda is least affected (compared to health practice and education) by the disturbances and conflicts within the sector. This has helped ayurveda to extent its influence in the domestic market. This could be understood from the establishment of small and big manufacturing companies and the mechanization efforts. But again standardization has become a problem, when the concept of "global ayurveda" has come into forefront. Even to surpass these hurdles different companies had to rely on various awareness programmes and product differentiation in such an extent to include in another category where regulations are least affected. Increasing production in the form of food supplements and health nutrients are evident for this. Modern development has shown that Ayurvedic companies have adopted various ways to nurture their industry in different countries. For example, in the case of United States of America, although ayurveda was introduced as a form of alternative healing, its link with religion and its constitutional guarantees of freedom allowed it to circumvent professionalizing routes of licensing and regulation that were usually sought by strictly medical practices. So the extension of ayurveda into other categories was a "circumvention strategy" to cope with the modern regulations as a system of medicine. Ayurveda in the South Asian contexts, transformed through a series of ideological and thematic interactions and negotiations, whether it is orientalist debate in the 19th and 20th century or biomedical confrontations in 20th century or the nationalist struggles of the same time the arguments were mainly hovering around the scientific authenticity, mostly restricted it as a system of medicine. But what we have mentioned as a "circumvention strategy" to deal with the same problem of 'less scientific' by introducing new product and market categories in the transnational contexts doesn't seem to have a long life. On contrary, what was claimed as cultural and original have to again attain proof. In a sense, what is realized that, in the transnational context, ayurveda's encounters with the west are not actually restricted to biomedicine alone, but mostly by global health care trends such as the interest in holistic medicine (Leslie and Young 1992; Langford 1995). This new trend works both as a support and hindrance for the "circumvention strategy". While the increased trust and demand woks as a positive outcome of this realization, this in turn, puts pressure on the institutions to develop more standardization and discipline in the practices and hence qualitative regulations on herbal systems. State level regulation of herbs and drugs or Food and Drug Association proscriptions against herbal imports might have influenced a shift in Ayurvedic therapeutics away from herbal medication and towards physical manipulation or massage treatments and inclusion of many non-medical therapeutic techniques like Yoga and meditations and, mass based spa like therapeutic centres that focus on health maintenance, non-clinical individualized self-help procedures like dietary regimes (Reddy 2002). This was mainly because the satisfying the larger audience, unlike other transplanters like Chinese medicine, of mostly non-Asian profile. But there are instances, where distortions are made even in ideological base of Ayurvedic therapeutics to 'fit' the holistic health care market in America. Zimmermann (1992) noted that how North American Panchakarma treatment packages selectively emphasize the gentle, non-violent, evacuative elements. During the past two decades, alternative medical groups in the United States have been marked by a distinct ideological shift towards an increased spiritualization, a shift Robert Fuller (1989) terms from 'physic to metaphysic' (Reddy 2002). Recently, the policies of many countries have a strong say in the development and shaping of traditional medicine both in the health system and in the market, whether it is Ayurveda or Traditional Chinese Medicine. This re-modeling the system as such in a trans-national context calls for some kind of homogeneity in acceptance. This acceptance works in tandem with scientificity and proof of efficacy. Hence the traditional systems are not only equipped with the acceptance of modernization not only in its systemic approach but also in its product market. Traditional medicine, especially ayurveda, which is considered to be one of the examples for reverse globalization, i.e. a move from "east to west", how far able to negotiate with the identity and market seems to be a significant concern in the coming future. *(Address for correspondence: harims at cds.ac.in)* From shijusam at gmail.com Sat Nov 3 13:22:44 2007 From: shijusam at gmail.com (Shiju Sam Varughese) Date: Sat, 3 Nov 2007 13:22:44 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] =?windows-1252?q?Local_negotiations_on_Science=3A_F?= =?windows-1252?q?rom_the_=91Public_Understanding_of_Science=92_to_?= =?windows-1252?q?the_=91Public_Engagement_with_Science=92?= Message-ID: <345848710711030052nd56bbd9y9ac3cf5f02b50f9a@mail.gmail.com> Local negotiations on Science: From the 'Public Understanding of Science' to the 'Public Engagement with Science'. Dear friends, This is my sixth posting. Here I would like to make some preliminary comments about the unusual geological phenomena that struck Kerala in 2001. Along with a series of tremors, several unusual geological phenomena started appearing in the region in 2001. The collapsing wells all over the region were the major among them. The phenomenon started appearing in the month of March. The regional press often named the event as 'well vanishing'. It was because the wells literally 'disappeared' being filled with mud due to the collapse of its walls. According to one report, more than 300 cases of well collapse occurred in the region during the period. Since the month of July, well collapses became more intense and the newspapers reported such cases from all over the state. A major fear that was raised in the regional press was the phenomenon's linkage with the Gujarat earthquake that occurred on 26 January 2001. In this context however the scientists from institutions like the CESS kept on arguing that the phenomenon was mainly due to the ground water pressure variations as it was the monsoon season, and they denied any possible connection of the phenomenon with the seismic activity in the Indian peninsula. This was the axis of the tension between scientists and the public that facilitated deliberations on the phenomenon in the regional press. Several new unusual geological phenomena also have been reported along with increasing number of well collapses. Cracks on the walls of buildings, ground fissures, leaf fall, tunnel/well formation, watercolour change as well as bubbling and boiling of water in wells, ponds and paddy fields, coloured rains and so on have been widely reported. At least 26 kinds of phenomena appeared in the region at this juncture. None of the scientific institutions could provide a satisfactory explanation to the phenomena. This inability from the side of the scientific community deteriorated the public's trust in the scientists and the legitimacy of the scientists and the scientific institutions have been questioned in the regional press. The unleashing of such a large spectrum of unusual geophysical incidents in the region created new problems for the scientists, as the local public demanded their visit to the locality where such incidents occurred in order to give expert opinion. In several instances the local public entered into heated arguments with the experts challenging the scientific explanations being offered. The fuming of a hill called Idinjimala at Irattayar, near Kattappana in the Idukki district was a specific case that further revealed this tension between the experts and the local public. The local people observed fumes coming out from the top of the hill and the regional press reported the incident. The local public became panic as the phenomenon resembled the formation of a volcano, and they also doubted its linkage with the increased seismic activity in the region. Therefore the villagers demanded scientific investigations on the matter and an expert team from the CESS visited the place. The expert team explained that there was no such fuming. The local public alleged that the scientists trivialised the issue when the district collector, quoting the scientists, declared the phenomenon as nothing but 'mist'. Reports in some newspapers also cited the scientists giving the same explanation. The villagers challenged the scientific explanation pointing out that there was no fuming of the hill when scientists were there and that the scientific explanation was not based on any detailed investigation of the phenomenon. The controversy between the local public and the scientists was reported in the regional newspapers and it further got amplified when this local incident was situated and interpreted in connection with other geological incidents in the region. The case of unusual geological phenomena and the deliberations over it in the regional press is thus giving a rare chance to understand the public engagement with modern science in their daily lives in a new light. Beyond the common allegations that the public misunderstand science and the media distort science, such incidents help us examine the complex process of negotiation between the scientists and the public in the context of a scientific controversy. Such an investigation leads to the portrayal of the 'public understanding of science' as a constructive political process of 'public engagement with science', where the public emerge as a political category rather than 'passive and ignorant masses', as usually branded in the science popularisation discourse. 02.11.2007 -- shiju sam varughese http://shijusam.blogspot.com/ From indersalim at gmail.com Sat Nov 3 14:22:36 2007 From: indersalim at gmail.com (inder salim) Date: Sat, 3 Nov 2007 14:22:36 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: FW: Guests in Vedavati's house In-Reply-To: References: <843470.23386.qm@web57214.mail.re3.yahoo.com> <602CC652-A4B4-4C09-9489-CAE87865E02E@sarai.net> Message-ID: <47e122a70711030152s7ce5465dr6a50e2fcca65c968@mail.gmail.com> dear jogi ji i am myself a guest in the reader list, but if i was the host, i would have thought twice about ciculation of your hate mails. But actually, may be there is some need to look into the minds of angry Hindu mindsets, but believe me, for that even you need to intensify your debate. What you are writing is too shallow. This is what i feel, but may be there are millions out there who agree with you, so i am again in minority without being a muslim. You have nothing to lose except your chains... with lot of love is On 11/3/07, Vedavati Jogi wrote: > > lot must have been discussed by readers list members about tehelka, as i am not receiving any mail from r-list i don't have the priviledge to read the secular thoughts. i want to express my views which may or may not be published by r-list. > > i feel if tehelka is so much fond of digging the past things, i can suggest few more subjects. 1) for thousands of years muslimss killed/ looted/ converted hindus, pulled down their temples, humiliated their women. tehelka can study & find out how many of muslims in india are originally hindus. how many mandirs have been dismantled & converted into masjids. 2) why was india partitioned in 1947? inspite of gandhi's appeasement policy, why was jinnah & his followers remained so adamant? what was meant by 'has ke liya pakistan, ladh ke lenge hindustan'? 3) who masterminded 1993 bombay- bombblast? 4) was rubiya syed abduction episode, a true story? or mufti m. syed the then first muslim home minister had joined hands with pakistan to release 5 hardcore terrorists? > CC: vrjogi at hotmail.com; reader-list at sarai.net> From: monica at sarai.net> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: FW: Guests in Vedavati's house> Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2007 11:50:44 +0530> To: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com> > Vedavati,> > If you have disabled receiving mails, then it does not mean that your > mails are being blocked by anyone except yourself for yourself.> > Mots du jour like banned are easy to bandy but utterly pointless if > untrue. Useful however for creating an atmosphere of allegations and > defensiveness. Perhaps that was the intention?> > This is an administered - NOT moderated - list. As everyone by now > knows, to their edification (or boredom).> > best> M> > Monica Narula> Raqs> Sarai-CSDS> 29 Rajpur Road> Delhi 110 054> www.raqsmediacollective.net> www.sarai.net> > > On 06-Sep-07, at 10:09 PM, Kshmendra Kaul wrote:> > > Dear VJ> >> > I do not know what the glitch was if any, but this last mail of > > yours has come through SARAI.> >> > Your address in Subscribers List continues to show in parentheses > > which means your list delivery is disabled.> >> > KK> >> > Vedavati Jogi wrote:> > .hmmessage P { margin:0px; padding:0px } body.hmmessage > > { FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY:Tahoma } yes, kshemendra, my > > mails are being blocked by sarai and i am not surprised because > > this is the real nature of secularism practiced in india.> >> > this secularism will lead to disaster i am sure.> >> > few decades back britishers encouraged muslim separatism which > > ultimately resulted into partition. today same great job is being > > done by psudosecularists and i will not be surprised if one day > > muslims again start giving same slogan 'islam khatareme hai' > > leading the nation to many more partitions.> >> > 'gujrat' is a 'shame' but 'kashmir' is not!> > when one babri was pulled down then so many riots (initiated by > > muslims) took place more over their acts were justified by > > psudosecularists> > but many temples were pulled down in kashmir ...spineless hindus > > did not feel bad and ofcourse psudo secularists kept their mouths > > shut.> >> > list is very big. this is secularism. if you feel what i have > > written is not wrong please distribute it.> >> > thanks> > vj> >> >> >> > ---------------------------------> > From: vrjogi at hotmail.com> > To: tapasrayx at gmail.com; reader-list at sarai.net> > Subject: RE: [Reader-list] FW: FW: Guests in Vedavati's house> > Date: Tue, 4 Sep 2007 02:21:04 +0000> >> > .ExternalClass .EC_hmmessage P {padding: > > 0px;} .ExternalClass EC_body.hmmessage {font-size:10pt;font- > > family:Tahoma;} no i am not suffering from any mental problem, i > > only tell the truth which psudo secularists can not digest.> >> > vedavati> >> >> >> Date: Sat, 25 Aug 2007 13:02:38 +0530> >> From: tapasrayx at gmail.com> >> To: vrjogi at hotmail.com> >>>> >> Please do not forward anything to me in future. I do not > >> appreciate it.> >>> >> For your information, I have already received from Reader-list the > >> mail> >> you claim was blocked and have forwarded to me offlist.> >>> >> I suspect you may be suffering from some type of delusion or > >> paranoia.> >>> >> TR> >>> >>> >> Vedavati Jogi wrote:> >>> i have no alternative but to forward this mail to all of you> >>> individually as readers list people don't dare to publish my mail.> >>> i request all of you to please read this correspondance. views > >>> expressed> >>> by people like roger are posing real threat to this country' unity.> >>>> >>> vedavati> >>> -------------------------------------------------------------------- > >>> ----> >>> From: vrjogi at hotmail.com> >>> To: rgdj12 at yahoo.com; reader-list at sarai.net> >>> Subject: RE: [Reader-list] FW: FW: Guests in Vedavati's house> >>> Date: Sat, 25 Aug 2007 04:55:48 +0000> >>>> >>> pakistan is an enemy so i don't blame them as they are doing what an> >>> enemy is supposed to do. i am talking against psudoseculars like> >>> you. nobody has blocked minority advancement in india otherwise> >>> shahruhk, irfan pathan, zakir hussin, javed akhtar would not have > >>> > >> >> >> > ---------------------------------> > Download the latest version of Windows Live Messenger NOW! Click > > here!> >> > ---------------------------------> > Download the latest version of Windows Live Messenger NOW! Click > > here!> >> >> > ---------------------------------> > Be a better Globetrotter. Get better travel answers from someone > > who knows.> > Yahoo! Answers - Check it out.> > _________________________________________> > 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.> > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list> > List archive: > > _________________________________________________________________ > Windows Live Spaces is here! It's easy to create your own personal Web site. > http://spaces.live.com/?mkt=en-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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: -- http://indersalim.livejournal.com From ysikand at gmail.com Sat Nov 3 14:48:00 2007 From: ysikand at gmail.com (Yogi Sikand) Date: Sat, 3 Nov 2007 14:48:00 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Modi A Psychic Killer, Worse Than Hitler, says Father of Slain Gujarat BJP Home Minister Message-ID: <48097acc0711030218w4b0baf74i8d9ffe67ee90664a@mail.gmail.com> *Modi A Psychic Killer, Worse Than Hitler, Should Be Jailed, says Father of Slain Gujarat BJP Home Minister * * * *Interview of Vithalbhai Pandya by Yoginder Sikand* *Q:* What do you feel about the recent judgment by the POTA court in the Haren Pandya murder case? *A:* I firmly believe that my son Haren Pandya was killed at Modi's behest through D.G. Vanjara, head of Gujarat's Anti-Terrorist Squad and Modi's blue-eyed boy. This was because Haren was a transparent and efficient man, whom Modi thought of as a threat to his power. Haren was opposed to the worship of any individual, and so became a thorn in Modi's flesh. He was the only BJP MLA in Gujarat who did not act according to Modi's will. When the train coach was set alight in Godhra, Haren told Modi to confine the incident to Godhra itself and not to spread violence in the rest of Gujarat, as that would tear apart the fabric of our society and cause irreparable economic, besides human, destruction. But, yet, Modi went ahead, and organized a meeting in Sabarkantha where he plotted the genocide of Muslims throughout the state. These were state-sponsored massacres. I am saying this in the capacity of the father of the then Gujarat Home Minister, because I knew this from Haren himself. I have leveled specific charges against Modi but the CBI did not interrogate him. Under stiff pressure from Modi and his mentor, Lal Krishen Advani, then Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of India, the CBI did not conduct a proper probe. Modi, Advani and Vanjara are all criminals. It is the height of tragedy that the criminals I have pointed to have not been interrogated and punished and key witnesses have not been called to court. Advani and Modi must be arrested and sentenced for their anti-national activities, for spreading communal hatred and violence and thereby tearing apart our country and destroying its unity and integrity. >From the very beginning I have been arguing that Modi was not killed in his Maruti car outside the Law Gardens in Ahmedabad, contrary to what the CBI claims in order to pass the blame on to the arrested Muslim youth. A team of top forensic scientists who studied the matter also concurred with me on this. No blood drops were found in the car, nor was there any residue of the bullets. Haren was shot at in the scrotum and the bullet traveled vertically from there, which would not have been possible if he had been shot at in the car. Since the data in the form of investigation is wrong, how can the judgment be right? The court did not consider the opinion of the forensic experts due to political interference in the case. I demanded that Modi be first removed from the post of Chief Minister of Gujarat and then let the CBI conduct its probe if it is to be fair and impartial, but, sadly, this did not happen, for obvious political reasons. *Q:* Have you appealed in the court to present your case? *A:* I applied to the court to file my appeal. I wanted to appear as a party in person but I did not get any reply from the court. I then wrote to the Supreme Court, but from there, too, I got no response. I also appealed to the President of India, the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice and leaders of various political parties to take up the case, but no one showed any sincere interest. I sent letters to BJP and RSS letters, but they, too, did not reply, despite the fact that my son was a top BJP leader, the Home Minister of Gujarat. *Q:* What, then, do you think of the RSS and the BJP? *A:* The BJP is today not a genuine political party at all. It is a gang of a few sophisticated ruffians. These people are hungry for money and power. Their speech and their actions do not match. They want to spread communal hatred in the name of Hinduism and thereby climb to power. According to the noted scholar Ashish Nandy, Modi shows all signs of being a psychopathic dictator. He, Advani and their likes have worked against the unity and integrity of this great nation. For their anti-national and anti-Constitutional crimes they must be arrested and jailed. People are losing faith in the RSS. Modi has created a vertical split in the RSS, and many RSS leaders tell me that they dislike him. He has also put aside the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), and is, instead, patronizing a bunch of *sadhu*s who constantly flatter him. Ambitious, selfish people have taken control of the RSS and the VHP. Look at Modi's ministry—it contains so many criminals and ruffians. Modi's government in Gujarat is being run on *jhoot*(lies), *julm* (oppression) and *jasusi* (spying). Modi has his spies in every office. And Gujarat is now engulfed in crime, in riots. RSS and VHP leaders have amassed vast amounts of money in the name of destroying the Babri Masjid and building a temple in Ayodhya. Some time ago, Gauri Advani, Lal Krishen Advani's daughter-in-law came out with a statement that Advani was not a true Hindu, that he was misusing the name of Rama. Such is the state of the BJP. *Q:* So, do you feel that the Muslims arrested and sentenced in the Haren Pandya case are actually innocent? *A:* I am concerned with the actual motivator of the murder, who, I say, is Narendra Modi. The Muslims who were arrested are poor and illiterate, and such people can be used. Modi is worse than Hitler. He will use all means to protect himself, including threats and enticements. *Q:* But what about the Muslims arrested? Do you think they are innocent and have been wrongly framed? *A:* Maybe they are innocent. This is something that should be properly investigated. How can I cite my own opinion? I am in touch with the families of these Muslim men. They respect me greatly. They have told me that their sons were not at all involved in Haren's murder. It may be that the CBI has fabricated the whole story about these Muslims in order to save Modi. *Q:* So, are you saying that you think that these Muslims were not involved in the killing? *A:* They were not involved. They did not kill Haren. They had no role in his murder. But, still, this is a matter for the court, so what can I say? The court should have been impartial but it was not. Key witnesses, such as myself and Haren's secretary, have not been examined. I believe Vanjara arranged for Haren's murder to please Modi in order to get a promotion, and the story of these innocent Muslims being involved was concocted in order to further fan Hindu emotions while getting rid of a major rival to Modi. One man, Mufti Sufiyan, who was under constant police vigil, was allowed to cross over to Pakistan so that witnesses could be made hostile and Modi could escape conviction. Further, efforts were made to destroy all possible evidence. All the telephone numbers on Haren's mobile phone of calls made on the 25th and 26thof March, that is the day before and the day of his murder, were later deleted. The Hutch company may have been bribed or led astray or put under pressure to do so. Had the numbers not been deleted, it could easily have been ascertained who it was who had called him the morning he was murdered, because it was after getting this call that he left home in haste, shortly after which he was killed. Obviously, that person must have been very familiar to him, otherwise he would not have rushed out like that. And then when he reached the place which he must have mentioned to this caller, he must have been surrounded by the killers, who pushed him on the ground, because of which some gravel got lodged in his knees. They must have shot him there, then put him in his car and taken it and his corpse to the Law Gardens. The fact of the gravel in his knees clearly indicates that he was not shot inside the car, but that he was killed elsewhere. I have clear-cut evidence to prove that Modi was responsible for Haren's murder. It is as good as a dying declaration. Some two or three months before Haren's murder, Modi asked the President of the Gujarat unit of the BJP to issue Haren a show-cause notice, because he felt that Haren was emerging as a powerful challenge to him. Haren said that he feared that he might fall a victim to Modi's ego, vendetta and revenge. Haren did not follow Modi's whims, and so Modi arranged for this show-cause notice to be issued. The President of the BJP state unit had to do as Modi had told him, although he held Haren in great respect, and was literally in tears when he informed Haren about the notice. On 24th March, two days before he was killed, Haren, referring to Modi, told me, 'Take it from me, this Ghanchi (oil-presser, the caste to which Modi belongs) may be rusticated from Gujarat within 15 days, by around the 10thof April, otherwise I am not a Brahmin.' And that matter leaked out. Haren may have told the same thing to someone else, who might have informed Modi, and then became the apple of Modi's eye. *Q:* And who is that person? *A:* Oh, let that person go to hell. As I said, Haren might have told some friends of his the same thing that he told me. It may have been a very big builder in Ahmedabad, who might have told this to Advani, and maybe Modi came to know of this through him. That is why Modi might have conspired to have him killed. Haren wanted to drive Modi out of Gujarat using constitutional means. He disliked Modi's attitude, his arrogance and his unconstitutional deeds. *Q:* What do you feel about the burning of the coach of the Sabarmati Express at Godhra, which was then used by Modi to engineer a genocide of Muslims across Gujarat? *A:* I think it was a pre-planned strategy of Modi to use the Hindutva card to keep himself in power at any cost. *Q:* So, are you saying that you think that the train was set alight on Modi's instructions? A: Yes. *Q:* Not by some Muslims in Godhra? *A:* No, no, no. *Q:* So are you saying that you believe that Modi was involved in the burning of the coach? *A:* Definitely. *Q:* Did Haren Pandya tell you that? *A:* He told me that Modi would certainly do something (*Modi zaroor kuch na kuch karega*). *Q:* But did he explicitly tell you that Modi had planned the burning of the coach? *A:* No, he did not tell me this. But I believe that the Muslims of Godhra were not responsible for the burning of the coach. The *karesevak*s returning from Ayodhya in the train were absolutely frenzied and then this happened. *Q:* But do you mean to say that you think the coach was burnt at Modi's instigation? *A:* Definitely. Definitely. Definitely. *Q:* Since you believe that the Gujarat High Court's judgmnent is wrong, have you demanded a reinvestigation into the Haren Pandya murder case? *A:* Yes, yes. I have sent numerous letters to leaders of the country demanding a reinvestigation. I wrote to the President of India, the Chief Justice and also delivered a letter to Sonia Gandhi in person. However, I have got no response at all. Maybe there is some pressure not to go ahead with the reinvestigation. I've been moving heaven and earth to get at the truth but as long as Modi and Advani are not punished justice will elude me. *Q:* What do you feel about Modi's chances of winning in the coming elections in Gujarat? *A:* He is feeding the people with sleeping pills, fanning communal hatred. But this time I don't think he will be elected. Who knows, prior to that he might be behind bars? I wish I could file a suit against him to disqualify him, but I am an ordinary middle-class man and cannot afford the exorbitant cost that this would entail. And then, only a lawyer who will not succumb to Modi's tactics—bribes and intimdation—can take him on. But I will continue my struggle against Modi. It is not a struggle for my son, but for Gujarat, for justice and democracy, for humanity, for the victims of those thousands of innocent Muslims who Modi arranged to have massacred. I am 80 years-old, and now at the fag end of my life. I am doing what I can to see that Modi and Advani and their likes are brought to justice. I send off letters to various leaders demanding justice. I cannot even remember the number of these letters. I have yet to get any positive response, even from the Congress. But still I shall continue to raise my voice. Otherwise, what is the use of living? I don't want to live like an inert corpse. Modi behaves like the monarch of all he surveys. But I know in my heart that God will not let him go unpunished. He will die a dog's death. These are the words of a Brahmin. -- Sukhia Sab Sansar Khaye Aur Soye Dukhia Das Kabir Jagey Aur Roye The world is 'happy', eating and sleeping The forlorn Kabir Das is awake and weeping From ramanchima at gmail.com Sat Nov 3 18:28:17 2007 From: ramanchima at gmail.com (Raman Chima) Date: Sat, 3 Nov 2007 18:28:17 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Regulation of the Internet by the Indian State (Sarai I-Fellowship) - Update on Posts In-Reply-To: <6e39cab40711030542m6797ded8m853587c1c4669446@mail.gmail.com> References: <2fbb8fe0711030519t67b2f07fm4ad244619a945866@mail.gmail.com> <6e39cab40711030542m6797ded8m853587c1c4669446@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <2fbb8fe0711030558g6a00d5dcw2bd9bb33e1cd4adf@mail.gmail.com> Dear all, Apologies for the long leave of absence from the Reader List- I've been stuck with lots of things, which made it difficult to post as regularly as I ought to have. I have, however, continued with my research all through, and I've been posting my progress via individual entries on my work blog at http://stateoftheweb.blogspot.com. It is currently at eight entries under various post headings. I've currently put up the entries grouped under post 4 (i.e. entries 4.1. and 4.2) and will be have the entries under post 5 up in two days or so. This email is to summarize the various entries that I've posted right now, specifically those grouped under posts 4 and 5. With the entries under posts 4 and 5, you see a shape emerging as to the form of regulation by which the Indian State has chosen to control speech and expression on the Internet in the national context. In our now bordered Internet, where the founding libertarian belief that the Internet was beyond the power of the nation state to regulate has lost credence, the Indian State has been steadily and quietly expanding its structure of regulation. Flowing from vague legislative authority in the form of the Information Technology Act passed by Parliament in 2000, executive agencies have sought to ensure that Internet regulation takes place not only with respect to online content, subject to opaque control in the form of website blocking requests decided by agencies such as CERT-In; but also control over the infrastructure of the network itself. This network information infrastructure (NII; a term coined by Giampiero Giacomello) is dominated at every stage by the Indian State, which had from the outset sought to regulate ISPs as well as cybercafes. We see regulation happening at the central level, with notifications empowering agencies such as CERT-In to coordinate and sanction direct acts of censorship by issuing website blocking instructions to ISPs, and the creation of ISP license agreements which not only call for compliance with such broad censorship powers, but which also call for frighteningly invasive forms of communication monitoring and interception at the level of the ISP complexes themselves. What is most notable about all of this perhaps is not as much the potentially Orwellian powers that the Indian State has granted itself, but rather the near abysmal public awareness and protest against the same. The Indian State is in fact particularly vulnerable to public outrage based on claims of violation of our rights to free speech and expression, as typified by its response to the widely recognized public outrage against the blog blocking incident of July 2006. As a result of this, the Indian State seems to be determined to avoid any public inquiry into its regulatory framework vis-a-vis speech and expression on the Internet, which can be seen in my observations from my interview with Dr. Gulshan Rai of CERT. The executive was stung by the outrage triggered in the blog blocking incident into being more careful and circumspect, but it still considers the continuance, and arguably also an expansion, of its regulatory framework (based on extremely flimsy legal authority) necessary and without opposition. The Centre is only one part of the matter, with there state governments also taking up the mantle of having to regulate matters which touch upon speech and expression on the Internet in India, most notably with regards the framework in which cybercafes operate. In their vitally important role of being cheap publicly available providers of access to the Internet, cybercafes have been systematically brought withing the ambit of local jurisdiction by the police acting on behalf of state governments. In certain cases, as in Karnataka, this is given some clarity in the form of a government order, dubiously authorized supposedly under the provisions of the Information Technology Act, putting in place a structure by which the state monitors usage of such fora, with details having to be maintained in registers of "prescribed formats". These are all broad observations based on my more specific and comprehensive entries posted at http://stateoftheweb.blogspot.com . I do hope that whoever is interested does go through my current and past entries there. Feel free to comment. I'll be posting several more entries as soon as possible. Sincerely, Raman. From amitabh at sarai.net Sat Nov 3 19:14:42 2007 From: amitabh at sarai.net (Amitabh Kumar) Date: Sat, 3 Nov 2007 19:14:42 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] COMIC BOOK WORKSHOP- Call for entries. Message-ID: <64912B42-59FB-4DAB-93AF-396D4F7AE2A7@sarai.net> Sarai-CSDS and the French Information and Resource Center (FIRC) are collaborating on a series of events to popularize and promote a wider dissemination of comic books, graphic novels and graphic literature. The first in this series of events was a Comic Book reading by Orijit Sen at FIRC on the 26 October 2007. We now invite applications for a 9- day Comic Book/Graphic Novel Workshop (3 three day sessions). Intended for aspiring graphic artists and writers who are interested in learning the craft from some of the top practitioners of the form. We have invited two comic book authors from France and three of India's premier comic book practitioners to contribute to this workshop. France has a rich history of comic book practice and has been a focal point in the emergence of the new genre in the comic form – the Graphic Novel. Mathieu Sapin and Francois Dermaut will conduct the first session (3 days) of the workshop. Francois Dermaut is a renowned comic book author who has been creating comics for almost 30 years. Mathieu Sapin has worked extensively in almost all genres of the form, ranging from illustrations for children's books to graphic novels. Parismita Singh and Sarnath Banerjee will conduct the second session (3 days) of the workshop. Sarnath Banerjee is India's most recognized comic book author. His graphic novels ('Corridors', [1994] and `The Barn Owl's Wondrous Capers',[2006] ) have been critically acclaimed and significant in promoting a comic book culture in India. Parismita Singh's first graphic novel is soon to be published by Penguin. Orijit Sen will conduct the third and final session(3 days) of the workshop. One of the earliest practitioners of the form in India,Orijit authored 'The River of Stories' in 1994. He is presently working on a texto-visual representation of Kabir's poetry and is making his first animation film. The Comic Book workshop will be conducted over a period of three weeks. There will be 3 sessions per week. Session 1: 17, 18, 19 DECEMBER 2007 Venue: French information & Resource Center 2 Aurangzeb Road, New Delhi Facilitators: Mathieu Sapin & Francois Dermaut Session 2: 4, 5, 6 JANUARY 2008 Venue: The ATTIC 36 Regal Building Connaught Place, New Delhi-110001. Facilitators: Sarnath Banerjee & Parismita Singh Session 3: 17, 18, 19 JANUARY 2008 Venue: Sarai-CSDS 29 Rajpur Road Civil Lines, Delhi -110054 Facilitator: Orijit Sen People interested in participation should: Send in an original story/plot, drawing or a 2 page comic strip on any of the following themes: - DELHI 2084 - A BIZZARE EXPERIENCE - GETTING LOST:GETTING FOUND - SIGNAGES IN THE CITY Send the submissions by post/email to : Marielle Morin, Director, French Information Resource Centre 2 Aurangzeb Road, New Delhi 110011 (director at fircdel.com) OR Amitabh Kumar, Sarai-CSDS 29 Rajpur Road, Civil Lines, Delhi -110054 (amitabh at sarai.net) Please send your submissions by 21 NOVEMBER 2007 Note: Those selected for the workshop will be required to pay a fee of Rs. 2000/-. A fee waiver for special cases will be decided by the selection committee, whose decision is final. From amitabh at sarai.net Sat Nov 3 19:14:42 2007 From: amitabh at sarai.net (Amitabh Kumar) Date: Sat, 3 Nov 2007 19:14:42 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] [Announcements] COMIC BOOK WORKSHOP- Call for entries. Message-ID: <64912B42-59FB-4DAB-93AF-396D4F7AE2A7@sarai.net> Sarai-CSDS and the French Information and Resource Center (FIRC) are collaborating on a series of events to popularize and promote a wider dissemination of comic books, graphic novels and graphic literature. The first in this series of events was a Comic Book reading by Orijit Sen at FIRC on the 26 October 2007. We now invite applications for a 9- day Comic Book/Graphic Novel Workshop (3 three day sessions). Intended for aspiring graphic artists and writers who are interested in learning the craft from some of the top practitioners of the form. We have invited two comic book authors from France and three of India's premier comic book practitioners to contribute to this workshop. France has a rich history of comic book practice and has been a focal point in the emergence of the new genre in the comic form – the Graphic Novel. Mathieu Sapin and Francois Dermaut will conduct the first session (3 days) of the workshop. Francois Dermaut is a renowned comic book author who has been creating comics for almost 30 years. Mathieu Sapin has worked extensively in almost all genres of the form, ranging from illustrations for children's books to graphic novels. Parismita Singh and Sarnath Banerjee will conduct the second session (3 days) of the workshop. Sarnath Banerjee is India's most recognized comic book author. His graphic novels ('Corridors', [1994] and `The Barn Owl's Wondrous Capers',[2006] ) have been critically acclaimed and significant in promoting a comic book culture in India. Parismita Singh's first graphic novel is soon to be published by Penguin. Orijit Sen will conduct the third and final session(3 days) of the workshop. One of the earliest practitioners of the form in India,Orijit authored 'The River of Stories' in 1994. He is presently working on a texto-visual representation of Kabir's poetry and is making his first animation film. The Comic Book workshop will be conducted over a period of three weeks. There will be 3 sessions per week. Session 1: 17, 18, 19 DECEMBER 2007 Venue: French information & Resource Center 2 Aurangzeb Road, New Delhi Facilitators: Mathieu Sapin & Francois Dermaut Session 2: 4, 5, 6 JANUARY 2008 Venue: The ATTIC 36 Regal Building Connaught Place, New Delhi-110001. Facilitators: Sarnath Banerjee & Parismita Singh Session 3: 17, 18, 19 JANUARY 2008 Venue: Sarai-CSDS 29 Rajpur Road Civil Lines, Delhi -110054 Facilitator: Orijit Sen People interested in participation should: Send in an original story/plot, drawing or a 2 page comic strip on any of the following themes: - DELHI 2084 - A BIZZARE EXPERIENCE - GETTING LOST:GETTING FOUND - SIGNAGES IN THE CITY Send the submissions by post/email to : Marielle Morin, Director, French Information Resource Centre 2 Aurangzeb Road, New Delhi 110011 (director at fircdel.com) OR Amitabh Kumar, Sarai-CSDS 29 Rajpur Road, Civil Lines, Delhi -110054 (amitabh at sarai.net) Please send your submissions by 21 NOVEMBER 2007 Note: Those selected for the workshop will be required to pay a fee of Rs. 2000/-. A fee waiver for special cases will be decided by the selection committee, whose decision is final. _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From pawan.durani at gmail.com Sat Nov 3 20:08:36 2007 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Sat, 3 Nov 2007 20:08:36 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: FW: Guests in Vedavati's house In-Reply-To: <47e122a70711030152s7ce5465dr6a50e2fcca65c968@mail.gmail.com> References: <843470.23386.qm@web57214.mail.re3.yahoo.com> <602CC652-A4B4-4C09-9489-CAE87865E02E@sarai.net> <47e122a70711030152s7ce5465dr6a50e2fcca65c968@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <6b79f1a70711030738kc28dcafy58c67c6a481a5131@mail.gmail.com> And what do you thing was wrong in Ms Vedavati's question ? Pawan On 11/3/07, inder salim wrote: > > dear jogi ji > i am myself a guest in the reader list, but if i was the host, i would > have thought twice about > ciculation of your hate mails. But actually, may be there is some need > to look into the minds of angry Hindu mindsets, but believe me, for > that even you need to intensify your debate. What you are writing is > too shallow. > This is what i feel, but may be there are millions out there who agree > with you, so i am again in minority without being a muslim. You have > nothing to lose except your chains... > > with lot of love > is > > On 11/3/07, Vedavati Jogi wrote: > > > > lot must have been discussed by readers list members about tehelka, as i > am not receiving any mail from r-list i don't have the priviledge to read > the secular thoughts. i want to express my views which may or may not be > published by r-list. > > > > i feel if tehelka is so much fond of digging the past things, i can > suggest few more subjects. 1) for thousands of years muslimss killed/ > looted/ converted hindus, pulled down their temples, humiliated their women. > tehelka can study & find out how many of muslims in india are originally > hindus. how many mandirs have been dismantled & converted into masjids. 2) > why was india partitioned in 1947? inspite of gandhi's appeasement policy, > why was jinnah & his followers remained so adamant? what was meant by 'has > ke liya pakistan, ladh ke lenge hindustan'? 3) who masterminded 1993 bombay- > bombblast? 4) was rubiya syed abduction episode, a true story? or mufti m. > syed the then first muslim home minister had joined hands with pakistan to > release 5 hardcore terrorists? > CC: vrjogi at hotmail.com; > reader-list at sarai.net> From: monica at sarai.net> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] > FW: FW: Guests in Vedavati's house> Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2007 11:50:44 +0530> > To: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com> > Vedavati,> > If you have disabled receiving > mails, then it does not mean that your > mails are being blocked by anyone > except yourself for yourself.> > Mots du jour like banned are easy to bandy > but utterly pointless if > untrue. Useful however for creating an atmosphere > of allegations and > defensiveness. Perhaps that was the intention?> > This > is an administered - NOT moderated - list. As everyone by now > knows, to > their edification (or boredom).> > best> M> > Monica Narula> Raqs> > Sarai-CSDS> 29 Rajpur Road> Delhi 110 054> www.raqsmediacollective.net> > www.sarai.net> > > On 06-Sep-07, at 10:09 PM, Kshmendra Kaul wrote:> > > > Dear VJ> >> > I do not know what the glitch was if any, but this last mail > of > > yours has come through SARAI.> >> > Your address in Subscribers List > continues to show in parentheses > > which means your list delivery is > disabled.> >> > KK> >> > Vedavati Jogi wrote:> > > .hmmessage P { margin:0px; padding:0px } body.hmmessage > > { FONT-SIZE: > 10pt; FONT-FAMILY:Tahoma } yes, kshemendra, my > > mails are being blocked > by sarai and i am not surprised because > > this is the real nature of > secularism practiced in india.> >> > this secularism will lead to disaster i > am sure.> >> > few decades back britishers encouraged muslim separatism > which > > ultimately resulted into partition. today same great job is being > > > done by psudosecularists and i will not be surprised if one day > > > muslims again start giving same slogan 'islam khatareme hai' > > leading the > nation to many more partitions.> >> > 'gujrat' is a 'shame' but 'kashmir' is > not!> > when one babri was pulled down then so many riots (initiated by > > > muslims) took place more over their acts were justified by > > > psudosecularists> > but many temples were pulled down in kashmir > ...spineless hindus > > did not feel bad and ofcourse psudo secularists kept > their mouths > > shut.> >> > list is very big. this is secularism. if you > feel what i have > > written is not wrong please distribute it.> >> > > thanks> > vj> >> >> >> > ---------------------------------> > From: > vrjogi at hotmail.com> > To: tapasrayx at gmail.com; reader-list at sarai.net> > > Subject: RE: [Reader-list] FW: FW: Guests in Vedavati's house> > Date: Tue, > 4 Sep 2007 02:21:04 +0000> >> > .ExternalClass .EC_hmmessage P {padding: > > > 0px;} .ExternalClass EC_body.hmmessage {font-size:10pt;font- > > > family:Tahoma;} no i am not suffering from any mental problem, i > > only > tell the truth which psudo secularists can not digest.> >> > vedavati> >> >> > >> Date: Sat, 25 Aug 2007 13:02:38 +0530> >> From: tapasrayx at gmail.com> >> > To: vrjogi at hotmail.com> >>>> >> Please do not forward anything to me in > future. I do not > >> appreciate it.> >>> >> For your information, I have > already received from Reader-list the > >> mail> >> you claim was blocked > and have forwarded to me offlist.> >>> >> I suspect you may be suffering > from some type of delusion or > >> paranoia.> >>> >> TR> >>> >>> >> Vedavati > Jogi wrote:> >>> i have no alternative but to forward this mail to all of > you> >>> individually as readers list people don't dare to publish my mail.> > >>> i request all of you to please read this correspondance. views > >>> > expressed> >>> by people like roger are posing real threat to this country' > unity.> >>>> >>> vedavati> >>> > -------------------------------------------------------------------- > >>> > ----> >>> From: vrjogi at hotmail.com> >>> To: rgdj12 at yahoo.com; > reader-list at sarai.net> >>> Subject: RE: [Reader-list] FW: FW: Guests in > Vedavati's house> >>> Date: Sat, 25 Aug 2007 04:55:48 +0000> >>>> >>> > pakistan is an enemy so i don't blame them as they are doing what an> >>> > enemy is supposed to do. i am talking against psudoseculars like> >>> you. > nobody has blocked minority advancement in india otherwise> >>> shahruhk, > irfan pathan, zakir hussin, javed akhtar would not have > >>> > >> >> > >> > ---------------------------------> > Download the latest version of > Windows Live Messenger NOW! Click > > here!> >> > > ---------------------------------> > Download the latest version of Windows > Live Messenger NOW! Click > > here!> >> >> > > ---------------------------------> > Be a better Globetrotter. Get better > travel answers from someone > > who knows.> > Yahoo! Answers - Check it > out.> > _________________________________________> > 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.> > To unsubscribe: > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list> > List archive: < > https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/>> > > _________________________________________________________________ > > Windows Live Spaces is here! It's easy to create your own personal Web > site. > > http://spaces.live.com/?mkt=en-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. > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > List archive: > > > -- > > http://indersalim.livejournal.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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From anu.mukh at gmail.com Sat Nov 3 21:16:14 2007 From: anu.mukh at gmail.com (anuradha mukherjee) Date: Sat, 3 Nov 2007 15:46:14 +0000 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: FW: Guests in Vedavati's house In-Reply-To: <47e122a70711030152s7ce5465dr6a50e2fcca65c968@mail.gmail.com> References: <843470.23386.qm@web57214.mail.re3.yahoo.com> <602CC652-A4B4-4C09-9489-CAE87865E02E@sarai.net> <47e122a70711030152s7ce5465dr6a50e2fcca65c968@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: Dear Vedavati, I have been reading your posts for a long time. Without going into their merits or demerits, they seriously need to be structured better in order to say what you want to convey. Otherwise it is simply a rant. Rants are also valid, but this may not be the best forum for that. I suggest, start a blog. And may I also add that you don't ever say anything new. Not a new line of thought or even facts. You just go on repeating yourself. I have been a most invisible reader here, but you inspired me to write in. Continue the good work, but do at least make an effort to make what you write readable and therefore more easy to understand. Your scorn for "pseudo-secularists" is well-known, but since many of them are your readers, at least be legible. But I also find it funny that words like intellectual and pseudo-secularists are tossed about with such ease without even sparing a thought about their meaning or genesis. Almost every totalitarian regime or mindset that wanted to attack free-thinking has used such terms regardless which side of the fence they were on. The earth-shattering questions you ask can all be answered. But only somebody with immense patience can do it, take up your arguments point-wise and shred them. May be it is high time somebody should. But then what's the point, you don't ever listen to others, do you? Frankly, for most of us, it's not worth the effort. I agree with Inder when he says that you need to shape your debate better. Before you lump me with him and declare us a part of some "pseudo-secularist agenda" let me add that I may or may not agree with him on other things. Best Anuradha From anu.mukh at gmail.com Sat Nov 3 21:51:14 2007 From: anu.mukh at gmail.com (anuradha mukherjee) Date: Sat, 3 Nov 2007 16:21:14 +0000 Subject: [Reader-list] Fwd: FW: FW: Guests in Vedavati's house In-Reply-To: <6b79f1a70711030849h6f166c22gf7431adb73812aa1@mail.gmail.com> References: <843470.23386.qm@web57214.mail.re3.yahoo.com> <602CC652-A4B4-4C09-9489-CAE87865E02E@sarai.net> <47e122a70711030152s7ce5465dr6a50e2fcca65c968@mail.gmail.com> <6b79f1a70711030849h6f166c22gf7431adb73812aa1@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: Pawan, I don't acknowledge pseudo-secularists here. I am merely saying that since most of her posts are peppered with references to "psuedo-secularists" and rants against them, it appears she feels she is speaking to that particular set identified by her (Not me) when she makes postings to the Reader List. I personally have a problem with the term "psuedo secularists". What does it mean? Either you are secular or you are not. It is thrown at people as an insult like saying "you a feminist" if you feel a woman is too assertive. So if you say a riot is very unfortunate and people should not be killed and the person in question does not agree, you are a psuedo-secularist. All I am saying is that such terminology is extremely dangerous and we should think twice before using it. Best Anuradha ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Pawan Durani Date: Nov 3, 2007 3:49 PM Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: FW: Guests in Vedavati's house To: anuradha mukherjee Good ...atleast you do acknowledge Psuedo secularist.......I agree with most of ur points ...though.... On 11/3/07, anuradha mukherjee wrote: > Dear Vedavati, > > I have been reading your posts for a long time. Without going into their > merits or demerits, they seriously need to be structured better in order > to > say what you want to convey. Otherwise it is simply a rant. Rants are also > valid, but this may not be the best forum for that. I suggest, start a > blog. > And may I also add that you don't ever say anything new. Not a new line of > > thought or even facts. You just go on repeating yourself. > > I have been a most invisible reader here, but you inspired me to write in. > Continue the good work, but do at least make an effort to make what you > write readable and therefore more easy to understand. Your scorn for > "pseudo-secularists" is well-known, but since many of them are your > readers, > at least be legible. But I also find it funny that words like intellectual > > and pseudo-secularists are tossed about with such ease without even > sparing > a thought about their meaning or genesis. Almost every totalitarian regime > or mindset that wanted to attack free-thinking has used such terms > regardless which side of the fence they were on. > > The earth-shattering questions you ask can all be answered. But only > somebody with immense patience can do it, take up your arguments > point-wise > and shred them. May be it is high time somebody should. But then what's > the > point, you don't ever listen to others, do you? Frankly, for most of us, > it's not worth the effort. I agree with Inder when he says that you need > to > shape your debate better. Before you lump me with him and declare us a > part > of some "pseudo-secularist agenda" let me add that I may or may not agree > with him on other things. > Best > Anuradha > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From monica at sarai.net Sun Nov 4 08:10:00 2007 From: monica at sarai.net (Monica Narula) Date: Sun, 4 Nov 2007 08:10:00 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Fwd: [cr-india] World's smallest radio fits in the palm of the hand...of an ant References: <472C475C.7010401@ideosyncmedia.org> Message-ID: <39FA8519-B1BE-455D-9E81-9EE3BD81AE14@sarai.net> dear all sometimes the things that are invented!! :-) best M Monica Narula Raqs Sarai-CSDS 29 Rajpur Road Delhi 110 054 www.raqsmediacollective.net www.sarai.net Begin forwarded message: > From: "N.Ramakrishnan" > Date: 3 November 2007 3:33:08 PM GMT+05:30 > To: "cr-india at sarai.net" > Subject: [cr-india] World's smallest radio fits in the palm of the > hand...of an ant > > *World's smallest radio fits in the palm of the hand...of an ant* > > *Single carbon nanotube is fully functional radio, receiving music > over > standard radio bandwidth* > > Harnessing the electrical and mechanical properties of the carbon > nanotube, a team of researchers has crafted a working radio from a > single fiber of that material, according to Eurekalert, the news > service > of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. > > Fixed between two electrodes, the vibrating tube successfully > performed > the four critical roles of a radio--antenna, tunable filter, amplifier > and demodulator--to tune in a radio signal generated in the room and > play it back through an attached speaker. > > Functional across a bandwidth widely used for commercial radio, the > tiny > device could have applications far beyond novelty, from radio- > controlled > devices that could flow in the human bloodstream to highly efficient, > miniscule, cell phone devices. > > Developed at the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Center of > Integrated Nanomechanical Systems, a research team led by Alex > Zettl of > the University of California at Berkeley announced the findings online > on Oct. 31, 2007 (http://pubs.acs.org/journals/nalefd/index.html). The > findings are scheduled to be printed in Nano Letters in November. > > "This breakthrough is a perfect example of how the unique behavior of > matter in the nanoworld enables startling new technologies," says > Bruce > Kramer, a senior advisor for engineering at NSF and the officer > overseeing the center's work. "The key functions of a radio, the > quintessential device that heralded the electronic age, have now been > radically miniaturized using the mechanical vibration of a single > carbon > nanotube." > > The source content for the first laboratory test of the radio was > "Layla," by Derek and the Dominos, followed soon after by "Good > Vibrations" by the Beach Boys. > > One of the primary goals for the center is to develop minuscule > sensors > that can communicate wirelessly, says Settle. "A key issue is how to > integrate individual molecular-scale components together into a system > that maintains the nanometer scale. The nanoradio achieves this by > having one molecular structure, the nanotube, simultaneously > perform all > critical functions," he adds. > > The new device works in a manner more similar to the vacuum tubes from > the 1930s than the transistors found in modern radios. In the new > radio, > a single carbon fiber a few hundred nanometers (billionths of a meter) > long, and only a few molecules thick, stands glued to a negatively > charged base of tungsten that acts as a cathode. Roughly one millionth > of a meter directly across from the base lies a positively charged > piece > of copper that acts as an anode. > > Power in the form of streaming electrons travels from an attached > battery through the cathode, into the nanotube, and across a vacuum to > the anode via a field-emission tunneling process. > > "The field emission process could be likened to a runner jumping > across > a ditch; you only make it across if you have enough speed, i.e. > energy, > to begin with," says Zettl. "So electrons jump the physical gap from > cathode to anode when you supply enough energy to the device from the > battery." > > The stream of electrons along the nanotube changes when a radio wave > encoded with information--simply a wave of photons that travels in a > controlled manner--washes across the tube and causes it to resonate. > This mechanical action is what amplifies and demodulates, or decodes, > the radio signal. > > Returning to Zettl's runner analogy, the vibrating nanotube is akin > to a > ditch with a constantly changing width. Just as the runner's > chances of > making the leap depend on how far the gap is, the chances of electrons > making the leap depend on the distance of the nanotube tip from the > anode. > > "This coupling of the mechanical waving motion of the nanotube to the > success rate of electrons jumping the gap is key to the functioning of > the radio," says Zettl. "What emerges from the anode is then the > information signal, which can be transferred to additional amplifiers > and a speaker to reveal the originally encoded music or any other > data." > > By permanently lengthening or shortening the nanotube, a modification > resulting from sending a short-lived larger-than-normal electrical > current through the device, the researchers were able to control the > frequency of the radio signal that the device could receive. > > The researchers believe it would be easy to produce such nanotube > radios > for receiving signals in the 40-400 megahertz range, a range within > which most FM radio broadcasts fall. > > The researchers fine tune the nanoradio to a frequency, akin to a > channel, by using the electrostatic field between the cathode and > anode > to tighten or loosen the nanotube, a process the researchers relate to > the tightening or loosening of a string on a guitar. According to > Zettl, > the sensitivity of the nanotube radio can be enhanced by attaching an > external antenna or by using an array of nanotubes that maintain the > extremely small size. > > While the concept of a miniaturized receiver for picking up broadcast > music signals has appeal, the technology has the potential to > assist in > a range of interesting uses. > > Adds Bruce Kramer, "The application of a fully functioning radio > receiver less than 50 millionths of an inch in length and one > millionth > of an inch in diameter potentially allows the radio control of almost > anything, from a single receiver in a living cell to a vast array > embedded in an airplane wing." > > -- > N.Ramakrishnan > > Director of Projects > Ideosync Media Combine > 177, Ashoka Enclave III > Sector 35, Faridabad - 121003 > Haryana - India > Tel: +91-0129-4131883/6510156/2254395/2254396 (Prefix 95129- from > Delhi) > Telfax: +91-0129-2254395 (Prefix 95129- from Delhi) > Mobile: +91-9810273883 > Email: nram at ideosyncmedia.org > > > YOU CAN SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY RADIO FORUM (India) BY JOINING AND > TAKING AN ACTIVE PART IN ONE OF THESE NETWORKS > > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/crforum-awareness (Awareness building) > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/crforum-helpdesk (Offering help) > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/crforum-policy-advocacy (Policy > advocacy) > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/crforum-techoptions (Technical options) > > _______________________________________________ > cr-india mailing list > cr-india at sarai.net > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/cr-india From indersalim at gmail.com Sun Nov 4 11:58:01 2007 From: indersalim at gmail.com (inder salim) Date: Sun, 4 Nov 2007 11:58:01 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Is Subsidy Islamic or UnIslamic ? In-Reply-To: <6b79f1a70711022253o58f0ba66qbab807178b5a07dd@mail.gmail.com> References: <6b79f1a70711022253o58f0ba66qbab807178b5a07dd@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <47e122a70711032328w48c11f80k1bb0bbcd40ace1ba@mail.gmail.com> dear Pwan, Not to increase the fare "in keeping with the commitment of the United Progressive Alliance government to protect and promote the welfare of the Muslim community." We both can piss on Priyaranjan Dasmushi's statment when the proposal was made to increase the Haj Air fare.: Congress is congress, they have pusued this kind of policiy in the past.In the name of Muslim welfare they always do politics and keep the community where they are. That is sad. By the way, why (Hindu) nation's BJP govt never thought of subsidy cut. I agree, this subsidy money could have be used for special shcools for muslims or hospitals where they are in large numbers. But that is unlikely. But let us come to the fundamental question: Why afterall people donate money to the shrines. Why all the Hindu Musilm Sikh Shrines manage to get millions ( gold Jewellery currency ) And what is the end use of the money. In their own super style: a hospital, an university, some social service, what else. But this money was never meant for that. People donate money to Gods, so that their sins are forgiven, or the gods are pleased to give them more money. Yes, also to exhibit their stauts in society as we recently saw in case of Amitab Bachhan. Adn the Brahmins were scuessful in conincing him that Ashwariya Roy needs to get married to a Banana tree, if they yearn for a happy family. Have we ever thought that why Dhan Patter is kept in front of a God or Godess. Are they beggers or what. Gods ae supposed to give us money and why should we give money to them in the first place. So if we agree that one should give money to Gods then what is wrong with the Govt if they give money to the pliigrims. After all they are also using money in they own super style. Soem 700 crore were earmarked to buy speical air crafts for Mantris. Some 1600 crore is given to exporters so that they dont feel crashed against the fall of dollar. The list is long. Who knows how they actually spent billions and bilions ( people's money ) for their own power stuctures. Giving subsidy to Muslim Piligrims is also part of that policy. They want to ensure that they are in power, how does it matter that few crores are given this way or that way. People's welfare is not the agenda of our Govt. The question is not about Hindu nation or Mulsim appeasement. What we are suffering is deeper than that. more on that on deepawali lights with love is On 11/3/07, Pawan Durani wrote: > GOI to spend 387 Crore Rupees on Haj Subsidy this year! > > Union Cabinet approves continuation of Hajj subsidy > > New Delhi, Nov 2: The Government has decided that the number of pilgrims > under the Government subsidy scheme during Hajj 2007 will remain 1, > 10,000. > The other approvals/decisions of the Government in this regard are > inclusion of Varnasi as an embarkation point over and above the existing > ones for Hajj 2007, retaining subsidized airfare to be charged per pilgrim > for the round trip to Jeddah/Madinah at Rs 12000. > > The remaining cost is to be paid as subsidy by the Government of India to > Air India. > > The Airport Tax levied by Saudi Government @ 50 Saudi Arabian Riyals per > passenger to be paid by the pilgrim. > > Transportation of up to 59000 pilgrims by Saudi Arabian Airways (SAA) at > the return fare of US$ 772 for Mumbai-Delhi, Ahemdabad and Hyderabad and US$ > 849 from Chennai and Bangalore. > > Transportation of balance pilgrims by Air India from Lucknow, Kolkata, > Calicut, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Patna, Guwahati, Srinagar and Varanasi. > The movement of Hajj is scheduled to commence from November 10, 2007. Air > India and Saudi Arabian Airlines will together be managing the air > transportation of pilgrims for Hajj 2007 operations. > > The total cost of operation for Hajj 2007 is estimated to be around Rs 519 > crores. With the pilgrims fare remaining at Rs 12,000 an amount of Rs 132 > crores will be received from the pilgrims. The subsidy will be around Rs. > 387 crores for Haj 2007 operations. > > Due to capacity constraints Air India proposes to undertake Haj operations > through wet leasing of aircraft even as efforts are being made to minimize > the cost of operations, the estimated per pilgrim cost in respect of Air > India operations is expected to be US$ 1535 for Hajj 2007. The subsidy > amount will be reimbursed to Air India by the Government. PIB > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> -- http://indersalim.livejournal.com From dhatr1i at yahoo.com Sun Nov 4 16:29:15 2007 From: dhatr1i at yahoo.com (we wi) Date: Sun, 4 Nov 2007 02:59:15 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] Modi A Psychic Killer, Worse Than Hitler, says Father of Slain Gujarat BJP Home Minister In-Reply-To: <48097acc0711030218w4b0baf74i8d9ffe67ee90664a@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <573795.55056.qm@web45506.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> Dear Yogi and readers, What an interview, but about these lines >>>But I know in my heart that God will not let him go unpunished. He will die a dog's >>>death. These are the words of a Brahmin. Hope the so called HINDU system and people should answer 1) Is this a MYTH or reality??? 2) Do the brahmins have that much power Still??? 3) People living throughout INDIA still have the same belief in these words and trust in brahmins? If YES thats great, if NO then why do people lost that faith in BRAHMINS(even vishnu do have faith n fear)??? DO THE BRAHMINS(All over India) LOST THE FAITH IN THEMSELVES or do they competing with rest of people whoever doing whatever with the evolving time??? If I quote from this link (vasudeva/krishna/VISHNU ) http://www.hinduism.co.za/vishnu.htm brahmanyo brahmakrit brahmaa brahma brahmavivardhanah brahmavid braahmano brahmee brahmagno braahmanapriyah. 661 brahmanyah 666 brahma-vid 662 brahmakrit 667 braahmanah 663 brahmaa 668 brahmee 664 brahma 669 brahma-gnah 665 brahma-vivardhanah 670 braahmana-priyah He that is the foremost object of silent recitation, of sacrifice, of the Vedas, and of all religious acts He that is the Creator of penances and the like He that is the form of (the grandsire) Brahma The Biggest, the Vastest, the All-pervading He that is the augmentor of penances He that is conversant with Brahma He that is the form of Brahmana (Brahmin) 668. He that has for His limbs Him that is called Brahma He that knows all the Vedas and everything in the universe He that is always fond of Brahmanas (Brahmins) and of whom the Brahmanas (Brahmins) also are fond Regards, Dhatri. Yogi Sikand wrote: *Modi A Psychic Killer, Worse Than Hitler, Should Be Jailed, says Father of Slain Gujarat BJP Home Minister * * * *Interview of Vithalbhai Pandya by Yoginder Sikand* *Q:* What do you feel about the recent judgment by the POTA court in the Haren Pandya murder case? *A:* I firmly believe that my son Haren Pandya was killed at Modi's behest through D.G. Vanjara, head of Gujarat's Anti-Terrorist Squad and Modi's blue-eyed boy. This was because Haren was a transparent and efficient man, whom Modi thought of as a threat to his power. Haren was opposed to the worship of any individual, and so became a thorn in Modi's flesh. He was the only BJP MLA in Gujarat who did not act according to Modi's will. When the train coach was set alight in Godhra, Haren told Modi to confine the incident to Godhra itself and not to spread violence in the rest of Gujarat, as that would tear apart the fabric of our society and cause irreparable economic, besides human, destruction. But, yet, Modi went ahead, and organized a meeting in Sabarkantha where he plotted the genocide of Muslims throughout the state. These were state-sponsored massacres. I am saying this in the capacity of the father of the then Gujarat Home Minister, because I knew this from Haren himself. I have leveled specific charges against Modi but the CBI did not interrogate him. Under stiff pressure from Modi and his mentor, Lal Krishen Advani, then Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of India, the CBI did not conduct a proper probe. Modi, Advani and Vanjara are all criminals. It is the height of tragedy that the criminals I have pointed to have not been interrogated and punished and key witnesses have not been called to court. Advani and Modi must be arrested and sentenced for their anti-national activities, for spreading communal hatred and violence and thereby tearing apart our country and destroying its unity and integrity. >From the very beginning I have been arguing that Modi was not killed in his Maruti car outside the Law Gardens in Ahmedabad, contrary to what the CBI claims in order to pass the blame on to the arrested Muslim youth. A team of top forensic scientists who studied the matter also concurred with me on this. No blood drops were found in the car, nor was there any residue of the bullets. Haren was shot at in the scrotum and the bullet traveled vertically from there, which would not have been possible if he had been shot at in the car. Since the data in the form of investigation is wrong, how can the judgment be right? The court did not consider the opinion of the forensic experts due to political interference in the case. I demanded that Modi be first removed from the post of Chief Minister of Gujarat and then let the CBI conduct its probe if it is to be fair and impartial, but, sadly, this did not happen, for obvious political reasons. *Q:* Have you appealed in the court to present your case? *A:* I applied to the court to file my appeal. I wanted to appear as a party in person but I did not get any reply from the court. I then wrote to the Supreme Court, but from there, too, I got no response. I also appealed to the President of India, the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice and leaders of various political parties to take up the case, but no one showed any sincere interest. I sent letters to BJP and RSS letters, but they, too, did not reply, despite the fact that my son was a top BJP leader, the Home Minister of Gujarat. *Q:* What, then, do you think of the RSS and the BJP? *A:* The BJP is today not a genuine political party at all. It is a gang of a few sophisticated ruffians. These people are hungry for money and power. Their speech and their actions do not match. They want to spread communal hatred in the name of Hinduism and thereby climb to power. According to the noted scholar Ashish Nandy, Modi shows all signs of being a psychopathic dictator. He, Advani and their likes have worked against the unity and integrity of this great nation. For their anti-national and anti-Constitutional crimes they must be arrested and jailed. People are losing faith in the RSS. Modi has created a vertical split in the RSS, and many RSS leaders tell me that they dislike him. He has also put aside the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), and is, instead, patronizing a bunch of *sadhu*s who constantly flatter him. Ambitious, selfish people have taken control of the RSS and the VHP. Look at Modi's ministry—it contains so many criminals and ruffians. Modi's government in Gujarat is being run on *jhoot*(lies), *julm* (oppression) and *jasusi* (spying). Modi has his spies in every office. And Gujarat is now engulfed in crime, in riots. RSS and VHP leaders have amassed vast amounts of money in the name of destroying the Babri Masjid and building a temple in Ayodhya. Some time ago, Gauri Advani, Lal Krishen Advani's daughter-in-law came out with a statement that Advani was not a true Hindu, that he was misusing the name of Rama. Such is the state of the BJP. *Q:* So, do you feel that the Muslims arrested and sentenced in the Haren Pandya case are actually innocent? *A:* I am concerned with the actual motivator of the murder, who, I say, is Narendra Modi. The Muslims who were arrested are poor and illiterate, and such people can be used. Modi is worse than Hitler. He will use all means to protect himself, including threats and enticements. *Q:* But what about the Muslims arrested? Do you think they are innocent and have been wrongly framed? *A:* Maybe they are innocent. This is something that should be properly investigated. How can I cite my own opinion? I am in touch with the families of these Muslim men. They respect me greatly. They have told me that their sons were not at all involved in Haren's murder. It may be that the CBI has fabricated the whole story about these Muslims in order to save Modi. *Q:* So, are you saying that you think that these Muslims were not involved in the killing? *A:* They were not involved. They did not kill Haren. They had no role in his murder. But, still, this is a matter for the court, so what can I say? The court should have been impartial but it was not. Key witnesses, such as myself and Haren's secretary, have not been examined. I believe Vanjara arranged for Haren's murder to please Modi in order to get a promotion, and the story of these innocent Muslims being involved was concocted in order to further fan Hindu emotions while getting rid of a major rival to Modi. One man, Mufti Sufiyan, who was under constant police vigil, was allowed to cross over to Pakistan so that witnesses could be made hostile and Modi could escape conviction. Further, efforts were made to destroy all possible evidence. All the telephone numbers on Haren's mobile phone of calls made on the 25th and 26thof March, that is the day before and the day of his murder, were later deleted. The Hutch company may have been bribed or led astray or put under pressure to do so. Had the numbers not been deleted, it could easily have been ascertained who it was who had called him the morning he was murdered, because it was after getting this call that he left home in haste, shortly after which he was killed. Obviously, that person must have been very familiar to him, otherwise he would not have rushed out like that. And then when he reached the place which he must have mentioned to this caller, he must have been surrounded by the killers, who pushed him on the ground, because of which some gravel got lodged in his knees. They must have shot him there, then put him in his car and taken it and his corpse to the Law Gardens. The fact of the gravel in his knees clearly indicates that he was not shot inside the car, but that he was killed elsewhere. I have clear-cut evidence to prove that Modi was responsible for Haren's murder. It is as good as a dying declaration. Some two or three months before Haren's murder, Modi asked the President of the Gujarat unit of the BJP to issue Haren a show-cause notice, because he felt that Haren was emerging as a powerful challenge to him. Haren said that he feared that he might fall a victim to Modi's ego, vendetta and revenge. Haren did not follow Modi's whims, and so Modi arranged for this show-cause notice to be issued. The President of the BJP state unit had to do as Modi had told him, although he held Haren in great respect, and was literally in tears when he informed Haren about the notice. On 24th March, two days before he was killed, Haren, referring to Modi, told me, 'Take it from me, this Ghanchi (oil-presser, the caste to which Modi belongs) may be rusticated from Gujarat within 15 days, by around the 10thof April, otherwise I am not a Brahmin.' And that matter leaked out. Haren may have told the same thing to someone else, who might have informed Modi, and then became the apple of Modi's eye. *Q:* And who is that person? *A:* Oh, let that person go to hell. As I said, Haren might have told some friends of his the same thing that he told me. It may have been a very big builder in Ahmedabad, who might have told this to Advani, and maybe Modi came to know of this through him. That is why Modi might have conspired to have him killed. Haren wanted to drive Modi out of Gujarat using constitutional means. He disliked Modi's attitude, his arrogance and his unconstitutional deeds. *Q:* What do you feel about the burning of the coach of the Sabarmati Express at Godhra, which was then used by Modi to engineer a genocide of Muslims across Gujarat? *A:* I think it was a pre-planned strategy of Modi to use the Hindutva card to keep himself in power at any cost. *Q:* So, are you saying that you think that the train was set alight on Modi's instructions? A: Yes. *Q:* Not by some Muslims in Godhra? *A:* No, no, no. *Q:* So are you saying that you believe that Modi was involved in the burning of the coach? *A:* Definitely. *Q:* Did Haren Pandya tell you that? *A:* He told me that Modi would certainly do something (*Modi zaroor kuch na kuch karega*). *Q:* But did he explicitly tell you that Modi had planned the burning of the coach? *A:* No, he did not tell me this. But I believe that the Muslims of Godhra were not responsible for the burning of the coach. The *karesevak*s returning from Ayodhya in the train were absolutely frenzied and then this happened. *Q:* But do you mean to say that you think the coach was burnt at Modi's instigation? *A:* Definitely. Definitely. Definitely. *Q:* Since you believe that the Gujarat High Court's judgmnent is wrong, have you demanded a reinvestigation into the Haren Pandya murder case? *A:* Yes, yes. I have sent numerous letters to leaders of the country demanding a reinvestigation. I wrote to the President of India, the Chief Justice and also delivered a letter to Sonia Gandhi in person. However, I have got no response at all. Maybe there is some pressure not to go ahead with the reinvestigation. I've been moving heaven and earth to get at the truth but as long as Modi and Advani are not punished justice will elude me. *Q:* What do you feel about Modi's chances of winning in the coming elections in Gujarat? *A:* He is feeding the people with sleeping pills, fanning communal hatred. But this time I don't think he will be elected. Who knows, prior to that he might be behind bars? I wish I could file a suit against him to disqualify him, but I am an ordinary middle-class man and cannot afford the exorbitant cost that this would entail. And then, only a lawyer who will not succumb to Modi's tactics—bribes and intimdation—can take him on. But I will continue my struggle against Modi. It is not a struggle for my son, but for Gujarat, for justice and democracy, for humanity, for the victims of those thousands of innocent Muslims who Modi arranged to have massacred. I am 80 years-old, and now at the fag end of my life. I am doing what I can to see that Modi and Advani and their likes are brought to justice. I send off letters to various leaders demanding justice. I cannot even remember the number of these letters. I have yet to get any positive response, even from the Congress. But still I shall continue to raise my voice. Otherwise, what is the use of living? I don't want to live like an inert corpse. Modi behaves like the monarch of all he surveys. But I know in my heart that God will not let him go unpunished. He will die a dog's death. These are the words of a Brahmin. -- Sukhia Sab Sansar Khaye Aur Soye Dukhia Das Kabir Jagey Aur Roye The world is 'happy', eating and sleeping The forlorn Kabir Das is awake and weeping _________________________________________ 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. To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list List archive: __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com From pawan.durani at gmail.com Sun Nov 4 18:05:14 2007 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Sun, 4 Nov 2007 18:05:14 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Is Subsidy Islamic or UnIslamic ? In-Reply-To: <47e122a70711032328w48c11f80k1bb0bbcd40ace1ba@mail.gmail.com> References: <6b79f1a70711022253o58f0ba66qbab807178b5a07dd@mail.gmail.com> <47e122a70711032328w48c11f80k1bb0bbcd40ace1ba@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <6b79f1a70711040435na17d402r83db9b397ab072a@mail.gmail.com> All that still leaves my question an-answered. If Subsidy is unislamic why arent any organisation agitating ? Or is it believing in enjoying best of both the worlds ? On 11/4/07, inder salim wrote: > > dear Pwan, > Not to increase the fare "in keeping with the commitment of the United > Progressive Alliance government to protect and promote the welfare of > the Muslim community." > We both can piss on Priyaranjan Dasmushi's statment when the proposal > was made to increase the Haj Air fare.: Congress is congress, they > have pusued this kind of policiy in the past.In the name of Muslim > welfare they always do politics and keep the community where they are. > That is sad. > > By the way, why (Hindu) nation's BJP govt never thought of subsidy cut. > > I agree, this subsidy money could have be used for special shcools > for muslims or hospitals where they are in large numbers. But that is > unlikely. > > But let us come to the fundamental question: Why afterall people > donate money to the shrines. Why all the Hindu Musilm Sikh Shrines > manage to get millions ( gold Jewellery currency ) And what is the end > use of the money. In their own super style: a hospital, an university, > some social service, what else. But this money was never meant for > that. People donate money to Gods, so that their sins are forgiven, or > the gods are pleased to give them more money. Yes, also to exhibit > their stauts in society as we recently saw in case of Amitab Bachhan. > Adn the Brahmins were scuessful in conincing him that Ashwariya Roy > needs to get married to a Banana tree, if they yearn for a happy > family. > > Have we ever thought that why Dhan Patter is kept in front of a God or > Godess. Are they beggers or what. Gods ae supposed to give us money > and why should we give money to them in the first place. So if we > agree that one should give money to Gods then what is wrong with the > Govt if they give money to the pliigrims. After all they are also > using money in they own super style. > > Soem 700 crore were earmarked to buy speical air crafts for Mantris. > Some 1600 crore is given to exporters so that they dont feel crashed > against the fall of dollar. The list is long. Who knows how they > actually spent billions and bilions ( people's money ) for their own > power stuctures. Giving subsidy to Muslim Piligrims is also part of > that policy. They want to ensure that they are in power, how does it > matter that few crores are given this way or that way. > > People's welfare is not the agenda of our Govt. The question is not > about Hindu nation or Mulsim appeasement. What we are suffering is > deeper than that. > > more on that on deepawali lights > with love > is > > On 11/3/07, Pawan Durani wrote: > > GOI to spend 387 Crore Rupees on Haj Subsidy this year! > > > > Union Cabinet approves continuation of Hajj subsidy > > > > New Delhi, Nov 2: The Government has decided that the number of pilgrims > > under the Government subsidy scheme during Hajj 2007 will remain 1, > > 10,000. > > The other approvals/decisions of the Government in this regard are > > inclusion of Varnasi as an embarkation point over and above the existing > > ones for Hajj 2007, retaining subsidized airfare to be charged per > pilgrim > > for the round trip to Jeddah/Madinah at Rs 12000. > > > > The remaining cost is to be paid as subsidy by the Government of India > to > > Air India. > > > > The Airport Tax levied by Saudi Government @ 50 Saudi Arabian Riyals > per > > passenger to be paid by the pilgrim. > > > > Transportation of up to 59000 pilgrims by Saudi Arabian Airways (SAA) > at > > the return fare of US$ 772 for Mumbai-Delhi, Ahemdabad and Hyderabad and > US$ > > 849 from Chennai and Bangalore. > > > > Transportation of balance pilgrims by Air India from Lucknow, Kolkata, > > Calicut, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Patna, Guwahati, Srinagar and Varanasi. > > The movement of Hajj is scheduled to commence from November 10, 2007. > Air > > India and Saudi Arabian Airlines will together be managing the air > > transportation of pilgrims for Hajj 2007 operations. > > > > The total cost of operation for Hajj 2007 is estimated to be around Rs > 519 > > crores. With the pilgrims fare remaining at Rs 12,000 an amount of Rs > 132 > > crores will be received from the pilgrims. The subsidy will be around > Rs. > > 387 crores for Haj 2007 operations. > > > > Due to capacity constraints Air India proposes to undertake Haj > operations > > through wet leasing of aircraft even as efforts are being made to > minimize > > the cost of operations, the estimated per pilgrim cost in respect of Air > > India operations is expected to be US$ 1535 for Hajj 2007. The subsidy > > amount will be reimbursed to Air India by the Government. PIB > > _________________________________________ > > 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. > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > -- > > http://indersalim.livejournal.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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From dhatr1i at yahoo.com Sun Nov 4 18:19:38 2007 From: dhatr1i at yahoo.com (we wi) Date: Sun, 4 Nov 2007 04:49:38 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] Is Subsidy Islamic or UnIslamic ? In-Reply-To: <47e122a70711032328w48c11f80k1bb0bbcd40ace1ba@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <832338.36679.qm@web45506.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> Dear Inder, >>>People donate money to Gods, so that their sins are forgiven, or >>>the gods are pleased to give them more money. 1) First of all what is SIN? 2) Why do people commit SINS in society? 3) Why do they approach god and bribe him(for all sins)? 4) Is god is a corrupted system(either in democracy or in communism)? 5) Is god is a bunch of people(Parallel Government you call whatever) which allow ransacking and then grant excuse as per its will and wish? YOU are CONFUSED CLEARLY. The Interpretation was wrong. God never either said/quoted like that. Its unfortunate that atheists gossip about the richness,clarity of thoughts and god and others are entertained and allowed such immense acts . ---Coming to the accusations, let me construct a foolproof argument with practical examples CASE 1: There are 9 types of bhakti(nav vidh bhakti). śravaṇaḿ kīrtanaḿ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaḿ pāda-sevanam arcanaḿ vandanaḿ dāsyaḿ sakhyam ātma-nivedanam These nine are 1) hearing, 2) chanting, 3) remembering Kṛṣṇa, 4) offering service to Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet, 5) offering worship in the temple, 6) offering prayers, 7) working as a servant, 8) making friendship with Kṛṣṇa and 9) unreservedly surrendering to Kṛṣṇa. Under these various types of bhakti there are so many devotees lived / composed / offered themselves to GOD. (Tulasidas,Tukaram,Meera,Ramdas,Thyagaiah,Tanisha,Akbar...) All recent forget age old history. For detailed meaning of the above 9 types, go through http://vedabase.net/sb/7/5/23/en. CASE 2: The prayer should be selfless,desireless http://www.dlshq.org/teachings/karmayoga.htm CASE 3: "Patram Pushpam Phalam Toyam Yo Me Bhaktya Prayacchati; Tadaham Bhaktyupahritamasanami Prayatatmanah" Whoever offers a leaf, a flower, a fruit or even water with devotion, that I accept, offered as it is with a loving heart". It is not necessary that one should offer gold, silver and costly dress to the Lord. The devotee offers these according to his ability and position in life, thereby denoting that the whole wealth of the world belongs to the Lord. A rich man offers costly things to the Lord. . The mental Bhava (attitude) of the devotee offering Bhog to the Lord has very great effect. If an ardent devotee of the Lord offers anything to the Lord, that Prasada, if taken, would bring very great change even in the minds of atheists. Not only that somany people will start surviving around with that donation, forget rest of all. First of all find yourself and then god and then India and then putforth comments on Hinduism and its practices, WHICH ARE VERY VERY DIFFICULT TO PRACTICALLY EXECUTE IN THE EVOLVING TIME. Comments are welcome either circastic/argumentative/logical from anybody. Regards, Dhatri. inder salim wrote: dear Pwan, Not to increase the fare "in keeping with the commitment of the United Progressive Alliance government to protect and promote the welfare of the Muslim community." We both can piss on Priyaranjan Dasmushi's statment when the proposal was made to increase the Haj Air fare.: Congress is congress, they have pusued this kind of policiy in the past.In the name of Muslim welfare they always do politics and keep the community where they are. That is sad. By the way, why (Hindu) nation's BJP govt never thought of subsidy cut. I agree, this subsidy money could have be used for special shcools for muslims or hospitals where they are in large numbers. But that is unlikely. But let us come to the fundamental question: Why afterall people donate money to the shrines. Why all the Hindu Musilm Sikh Shrines manage to get millions ( gold Jewellery currency ) And what is the end use of the money. In their own super style: a hospital, an university, some social service, what else. But this money was never meant for that. People donate money to Gods, so that their sins are forgiven, or the gods are pleased to give them more money. Yes, also to exhibit their stauts in society as we recently saw in case of Amitab Bachhan. Adn the Brahmins were scuessful in conincing him that Ashwariya Roy needs to get married to a Banana tree, if they yearn for a happy family. Have we ever thought that why Dhan Patter is kept in front of a God or Godess. Are they beggers or what. Gods ae supposed to give us money and why should we give money to them in the first place. So if we agree that one should give money to Gods then what is wrong with the Govt if they give money to the pliigrims. After all they are also using money in they own super style. Soem 700 crore were earmarked to buy speical air crafts for Mantris. Some 1600 crore is given to exporters so that they dont feel crashed against the fall of dollar. The list is long. Who knows how they actually spent billions and bilions ( people's money ) for their own power stuctures. Giving subsidy to Muslim Piligrims is also part of that policy. They want to ensure that they are in power, how does it matter that few crores are given this way or that way. People's welfare is not the agenda of our Govt. The question is not about Hindu nation or Mulsim appeasement. What we are suffering is deeper than that. more on that on deepawali lights with love is On 11/3/07, Pawan Durani wrote: > GOI to spend 387 Crore Rupees on Haj Subsidy this year! > > Union Cabinet approves continuation of Hajj subsidy > > New Delhi, Nov 2: The Government has decided that the number of pilgrims > under the Government subsidy scheme during Hajj 2007 will remain 1, > 10,000. > The other approvals/decisions of the Government in this regard are > inclusion of Varnasi as an embarkation point over and above the existing > ones for Hajj 2007, retaining subsidized airfare to be charged per pilgrim > for the round trip to Jeddah/Madinah at Rs 12000. > > The remaining cost is to be paid as subsidy by the Government of India to > Air India. > > The Airport Tax levied by Saudi Government @ 50 Saudi Arabian Riyals per > passenger to be paid by the pilgrim. > > Transportation of up to 59000 pilgrims by Saudi Arabian Airways (SAA) at > the return fare of US$ 772 for Mumbai-Delhi, Ahemdabad and Hyderabad and US$ > 849 from Chennai and Bangalore. > > Transportation of balance pilgrims by Air India from Lucknow, Kolkata, > Calicut, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Patna, Guwahati, Srinagar and Varanasi. > The movement of Hajj is scheduled to commence from November 10, 2007. Air > India and Saudi Arabian Airlines will together be managing the air > transportation of pilgrims for Hajj 2007 operations. > > The total cost of operation for Hajj 2007 is estimated to be around Rs 519 > crores. With the pilgrims fare remaining at Rs 12,000 an amount of Rs 132 > crores will be received from the pilgrims. The subsidy will be around Rs. > 387 crores for Haj 2007 operations. > > Due to capacity constraints Air India proposes to undertake Haj operations > through wet leasing of aircraft even as efforts are being made to minimize > the cost of operations, the estimated per pilgrim cost in respect of Air > India operations is expected to be US$ 1535 for Hajj 2007. The subsidy > amount will be reimbursed to Air India by the Government. PIB > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: -- http://indersalim.livejournal.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. To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list List archive: __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com From sadiafwahidi at yahoo.co.in Sun Nov 4 19:46:05 2007 From: sadiafwahidi at yahoo.co.in (S.Fatima) Date: Sun, 4 Nov 2007 14:16:05 +0000 (GMT) Subject: [Reader-list] Is Subsidy Islamic or UnIslamic ? In-Reply-To: <832338.36679.qm@web45506.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <229.44253.qm@web8414.mail.in.yahoo.com> Dear Pawan It would be good if you could read up a little more than just one news item. Haj subsidy has been on for many many decades or centuries. Originally the Mughals used to send entire ships full of pilgrims on their expense so that the pilgrims could pray for the king, and so on. It continued with the British, and even now. But in the present day scenario, this subsidy is a bit of a eyewash. Facts which the Ministry of External Affairs is concealing from the public in the name of subsidy are that the national or international carriers by which pilgrims are flown to Jeddah from different Indian cities are chartered ones which the Haj Committee hires. According to air travel rules, if a person travels in his individual capacity, he has to pay full fair but for group travel, fares are considerably reduced. If the entire plane is hired on charter, fares are reduced to even less than half. So, who is giving the subsidy - the GOI or the air carriers. S.Fatima > On 11/3/07, Pawan Durani > wrote: > > GOI to spend 387 Crore Rupees on Haj Subsidy this > year! > > > > Union Cabinet approves continuation of Hajj > subsidy > > > > New Delhi, Nov 2: The Government has decided that > the number of pilgrims > > under the Government subsidy scheme during Hajj > 2007 === message truncated === Bring your gang together - do your thing. Go to http://in.promos.yahoo.com/groups From pawan.durani at gmail.com Sun Nov 4 21:47:08 2007 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Sun, 4 Nov 2007 21:47:08 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Is Subsidy Islamic or UnIslamic ? In-Reply-To: <229.44253.qm@web8414.mail.in.yahoo.com> References: <832338.36679.qm@web45506.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> <229.44253.qm@web8414.mail.in.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <6b79f1a70711040817r3ad68e5cn45a3a45d573c1c10@mail.gmail.com> Fatima , That makes me wonder 1. Maybe Govt of India is making fool of the people and if that is so , the muslim organisations should expose the Govt, so that the subsidy budget for haj is abolished. 2. And what made even pakistan abolish subsidy ? Would love to hear your views ..... Pawan On 11/4/07, S.Fatima wrote: > > Dear Pawan > It would be good if you could read up a little more > than just one news item. Haj subsidy has been on for > many many decades or centuries. Originally the Mughals > used to send entire ships full of pilgrims on their > expense so that the pilgrims could pray for the king, > and so on. It continued with the British, and even > now. But in the present day scenario, this subsidy is > a bit of a eyewash. > > Facts which the Ministry of External Affairs is > concealing from the public in the name of subsidy are > that the national or international carriers by which > pilgrims are flown to Jeddah from different Indian > cities are chartered ones which the Haj Committee > hires. According to air travel rules, if a person > travels in his individual capacity, he has to pay full > fair but for group travel, fares are considerably > reduced. If the entire plane is hired on charter, > fares are reduced to even less than half. So, who is > giving the subsidy - the GOI or the air carriers. > > S.Fatima > > > On 11/3/07, Pawan Durani > > wrote: > > > GOI to spend 387 Crore Rupees on Haj Subsidy this > > year! > > > > > > Union Cabinet approves continuation of Hajj > > subsidy > > > > > > New Delhi, Nov 2: The Government has decided that > > the number of pilgrims > > > under the Government subsidy scheme during Hajj > > 2007 > === message truncated === > > > > Bring your gang together - do your thing. Go to > http://in.promos.yahoo.com/groups > > From pawan.durani at gmail.com Sun Nov 4 21:47:08 2007 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Sun, 4 Nov 2007 21:47:08 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Is Subsidy Islamic or UnIslamic ? In-Reply-To: <229.44253.qm@web8414.mail.in.yahoo.com> References: <832338.36679.qm@web45506.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> <229.44253.qm@web8414.mail.in.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <6b79f1a70711040817r3ad68e5cn45a3a45d573c1c10@mail.gmail.com> Fatima , That makes me wonder 1. Maybe Govt of India is making fool of the people and if that is so , the muslim organisations should expose the Govt, so that the subsidy budget for haj is abolished. 2. And what made even pakistan abolish subsidy ? Would love to hear your views ..... Pawan On 11/4/07, S.Fatima wrote: > > Dear Pawan > It would be good if you could read up a little more > than just one news item. Haj subsidy has been on for > many many decades or centuries. Originally the Mughals > used to send entire ships full of pilgrims on their > expense so that the pilgrims could pray for the king, > and so on. It continued with the British, and even > now. But in the present day scenario, this subsidy is > a bit of a eyewash. > > Facts which the Ministry of External Affairs is > concealing from the public in the name of subsidy are > that the national or international carriers by which > pilgrims are flown to Jeddah from different Indian > cities are chartered ones which the Haj Committee > hires. According to air travel rules, if a person > travels in his individual capacity, he has to pay full > fair but for group travel, fares are considerably > reduced. If the entire plane is hired on charter, > fares are reduced to even less than half. So, who is > giving the subsidy - the GOI or the air carriers. > > S.Fatima > > > On 11/3/07, Pawan Durani > > wrote: > > > GOI to spend 387 Crore Rupees on Haj Subsidy this > > year! > > > > > > Union Cabinet approves continuation of Hajj > > subsidy > > > > > > New Delhi, Nov 2: The Government has decided that > > the number of pilgrims > > > under the Government subsidy scheme during Hajj > > 2007 > === message truncated === > > > > Bring your gang together - do your thing. Go to > http://in.promos.yahoo.com/groups > > From shuddha at sarai.net Mon Nov 5 08:10:42 2007 From: shuddha at sarai.net (Shuddhabrata Sengupta) Date: Mon, 05 Nov 2007 08:10:42 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Is Subsidy Islamic or UnIslamic ? In-Reply-To: <6b79f1a70711040817r3ad68e5cn45a3a45d573c1c10@mail.gmail.com> References: <832338.36679.qm@web45506.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> <229.44253.qm@web8414.mail.in.yahoo.com> <6b79f1a70711040817r3ad68e5cn45a3a45d573c1c10@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <472E82AA.1040700@sarai.net> Dear all, it is interesting to find minority-baiting raise its head on this list yet again, particularly in the wake of the damaging revelations forwarded on to this list about the pogroms in Gujarat. I am referring to the efforts by some on this list to highlight the so-called 'Haj' subsidy issue in India, perhaps as a timely distraction from the fact of the complicity of the Modi regime in Gujarat in acts of organized mass murder. Let me state at the outset that I am against any effort by the state to financially subsidize the practice of any religion. Religion is a private matter, and the state, I believe, should have no role to play in the pursuit of private matters. Subsidizing religion amounts to an interference in religious matters and questions of faith. So I am against the Haj subsidy. For the same reason, I am against the state subidizing and supporting pilgrimages by Hindus and Sikhs to Mount Kailash, Nanakana Saheb and the gigantic infrastructural costs and logistical support offered during the various Kumbh and Ardha Kumbh Melas. I would have no problems if the Indian government were to do away with the Haj subsidy, following the example of many Muslim countries. Let us at the same time advocate that the Indian government withdraws state patronage of all Hindu (and other faiths') religious institutions, functionaries, events, temple trusts etc. I have grown tired of the Hindutva lobby's cynical and unfounded invocation of the Haj issue. Let us, for a change, have the facts speak for themselves. I offer below an excerpt from a well researched article on the question of subsidies to matters of faith in India, including the 'Haj Subsidy' by John Dayal which was originally published in Himal Magazine in October this year. I hope you all will find it of interest. regards, Shuddha ----------------------------------------------------------------- Financing Faith, by John Dayal Himal Magazine, October 2007 "...The subsidy for Haj is a more complicated matter entirely. There is no equivalent of Haj in any other religion: the Hindu teeraths do not come close, and Christianity has nothing remotely similar. Even in Islam, Haj is obligatory only for those who are in sound health and can afford it. They cannot perform the pilgrimage on borrowed money, nor on the charity of others. There is likewise no mention of help from the state, other than facilitation. Last year, one B N Shukla went to court against the Haj subsidy, demanding it be withdrawn. His plaint pointed out that the Constitution provides equal status to all Indians, while also restricting the government from giving benefits to one faith at the cost of others. Shukla did not site any official record, but alleged that every year the government spends more than INR 3 billion on more than 100,000 Hajjis. Special flights are run on the national carrier, Air India; air-conditioned Haj houses have been built across the country; and pilgrims are provided free food and lodging during the course of their trip. Even Islamic countries do not give subsidies for Haj, Shukla's application noted. A notice was subsequently sent to the government, the official response to which was reiterated in its response to a question in Parliament. The Haj subsidy was formally raised in the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs during P V Narasimha Rao's government, following the demolition of the Babri Masjid in December 1992. All parties were represented in the Committee, and the recommendation to reduce and eventually abolish the subsidy was unanimous. Fourteen years later, in 2006, the government reported that 83,000 pilgrims performed the Haj during the previous year, out of which the government subsidised around INR 1.8 billion. For good measure, Parliament was told that 529 Hindu pilgrims performed the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra that same year, at a public cost of INR 17.2 million. Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma, who reported these figures, also said that 8179 people visited Sikh gurudwaras and Hindu temples in Pakistan the previous year. Both groups were given free medical assistance, security and various escorts. For the RSS, the Haj-related data came at an opportune time. It reported a 500 percent increase in just seven years, which the RSS described as an "alarming, non-secular appeasement of one religious community when one considers that the Indian government is so desperate to reduce food grains and fertiliser subsidy to the large and poor farming community." Muslims and secular scholars alike point out that the Haj subsidy began during the early 1970s, after the oil crisis had caused Haj- related transportation prices to skyrocket. It was introduced as something of a stopgap measure - and the charge of official 'appeasement' of minorities has lingered ever since. The Haj charter fare was first fixed at INR 6000, before being eventually doubled. Of the 120,000 Indian Muslims who undertook the Mecca pilgrimage this year, some 70,000 went by air, and were able to avail themselves of a subsidy of more than INR 20,000 per person. (There is no subsidy for the 50,000 others who went by ship.) But former Member of Parliament Syed Shahabuddin points out that many Indian Muslim pilgrims come from rural areas, and are not even aware of the government subsidy. As such, much of this money is simply going to an elite group of Muslims, who would, one would assume, least need the taxpayer's subsidy. Islam in India further benefits from the public exchequer in the larger mosques, which receive government doles for salaries, annual upkeep and additional expenses. As elsewhere, however, very little information on these headings is public. Mela monies The situation with regards to Hinduism is even murkier. Despite the significant attention paid to the interface between the government and Islam, rarely are questions raised regarding government subsidies to Hindu and Sikh pilgrimages, in temple upkeep, in paying for the salaries of Hindu priests, and in maintaining public spaces during such events as the Maha and Ardha kumbhs. (Christians, meanwhile, claim that there is next to no money spent on them, other than by the Archaeological Survey of India on heritage buildings in Goa, or by the British government on graves for soldiers.) As noted, Hindus do receive government subsidies for pilgrimages to Mount Kailash, and from a variety of sources. First, the Ministry of External Affairs routes INR 3250 to each Kailash yatri. The Uttar Pradesh state government then adds INR 5000 per pilgrim. The Delhi state government adds another INR 5000 for any pilgrim from Delhi. Likewise, the Gujarat government gives a kit worth INR 2500 to every yatri from that state. This kind of subsidy may well be given by other states as well, although such information is not publicly available. Gujarat presents a particularly interesting case of state money being funnelled towards Hindu causes. The BJP government in 2001 announced that it would begin paying monthly salaries to Hindu priests in the state. During the first phase, each priest of the 354 government- controlled devasthans, or temples, would be entitled to a monthly salary of about INR 1200. The late Haren Pandya, at that time Minister of State for Home Affairs with the additional charge of "pilgrimage development and cow protection", told the media that priests of other religions were paid from either the Waqf Board or trusts managing the place of worship. The new payments were "to give justice to the feelings of the Hindu society that salaries are being paid to them", Pandya explained. There is some information available on the tab for massive Hindu fairs, although much of this spending is merely labelled as 'infrastructure development'. The grounds of the gargantuan 12-yearly Allahabad Maha Kumbh, for instance, are spread over 1500 hectares. During the last Kumbh Mela, in 2001, the site boasted 12,000 taps, capable of supplying 50.4 million litres of water; 450 kilometres of electric lines and 15,000 streetlights in place; 70,000 toilets; and 7100 sweepers to clean up the mess generated by an estimated five million devotees. There were also 11 post offices and 3000 temporary phone connections, while 4000 buses and five trains were also requisitioned for the mela period. At its peak, the mela administration had more than 80 officials working full time. The budget for all of this was INR 1.2 billion - INR 800 million from the state government, and INR 400 million from the Centre. This did not include the costs of deploying around 11,000 policemen, as well as 40 companies of the Provincial Armed Constabulary and other paramilitary forces. The case of the Ujjain Ardha Kumbh, in Madhya Pradesh in April 2004, was no different. At that time, Chief Minister Uma Bharati promised that she would do all she could for the festival, which at the time was expecting millions of pilgrims. Bharati ultimately received additional funds from the Centre to the tune of INR 10 billion. Melas and pilgrimages aside, the government does not reveal how much it costs to broadcast the gurubani from the Golden Temple in Amritsar, nor explain why some temples and church groups receive tax exemptions on commercial activities such as medical colleges, charging hundreds of thousands of rupees in capitation or admission charges..." From rashneek at gmail.com Mon Nov 5 09:10:50 2007 From: rashneek at gmail.com (rashneek kher) Date: Mon, 5 Nov 2007 09:10:50 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Is Subsidy Islamic or UnIslamic ? In-Reply-To: <47e122a70711032328w48c11f80k1bb0bbcd40ace1ba@mail.gmail.com> References: <6b79f1a70711022253o58f0ba66qbab807178b5a07dd@mail.gmail.com> <47e122a70711032328w48c11f80k1bb0bbcd40ace1ba@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <13df7c120711041940o63e27585hd5afcb5af8c2caf3@mail.gmail.com> Dear Pawan, I fully second Inder's point of view. Regards Rashneek On 11/4/07, inder salim wrote: > > dear Pwan, > Not to increase the fare "in keeping with the commitment of the United > Progressive Alliance government to protect and promote the welfare of > the Muslim community." > We both can piss on Priyaranjan Dasmushi's statment when the proposal > was made to increase the Haj Air fare.: Congress is congress, they > have pusued this kind of policiy in the past.In the name of Muslim > welfare they always do politics and keep the community where they are. > That is sad. > > By the way, why (Hindu) nation's BJP govt never thought of subsidy cut. > > I agree, this subsidy money could have be used for special shcools > for muslims or hospitals where they are in large numbers. But that is > unlikely. > > But let us come to the fundamental question: Why afterall people > donate money to the shrines. Why all the Hindu Musilm Sikh Shrines > manage to get millions ( gold Jewellery currency ) And what is the end > use of the money. In their own super style: a hospital, an university, > some social service, what else. But this money was never meant for > that. People donate money to Gods, so that their sins are forgiven, or > the gods are pleased to give them more money. Yes, also to exhibit > their stauts in society as we recently saw in case of Amitab Bachhan. > Adn the Brahmins were scuessful in conincing him that Ashwariya Roy > needs to get married to a Banana tree, if they yearn for a happy > family. > > Have we ever thought that why Dhan Patter is kept in front of a God or > Godess. Are they beggers or what. Gods ae supposed to give us money > and why should we give money to them in the first place. So if we > agree that one should give money to Gods then what is wrong with the > Govt if they give money to the pliigrims. After all they are also > using money in they own super style. > > Soem 700 crore were earmarked to buy speical air crafts for Mantris. > Some 1600 crore is given to exporters so that they dont feel crashed > against the fall of dollar. The list is long. Who knows how they > actually spent billions and bilions ( people's money ) for their own > power stuctures. Giving subsidy to Muslim Piligrims is also part of > that policy. They want to ensure that they are in power, how does it > matter that few crores are given this way or that way. > > People's welfare is not the agenda of our Govt. The question is not > about Hindu nation or Mulsim appeasement. What we are suffering is > deeper than that. > > more on that on deepawali lights > with love > is > > On 11/3/07, Pawan Durani wrote: > > GOI to spend 387 Crore Rupees on Haj Subsidy this year! > > > > Union Cabinet approves continuation of Hajj subsidy > > > > New Delhi, Nov 2: The Government has decided that the number of pilgrims > > under the Government subsidy scheme during Hajj 2007 will remain 1, > > 10,000. > > The other approvals/decisions of the Government in this regard are > > inclusion of Varnasi as an embarkation point over and above the existing > > ones for Hajj 2007, retaining subsidized airfare to be charged per > pilgrim > > for the round trip to Jeddah/Madinah at Rs 12000. > > > > The remaining cost is to be paid as subsidy by the Government of India > to > > Air India. > > > > The Airport Tax levied by Saudi Government @ 50 Saudi Arabian Riyals > per > > passenger to be paid by the pilgrim. > > > > Transportation of up to 59000 pilgrims by Saudi Arabian Airways (SAA) > at > > the return fare of US$ 772 for Mumbai-Delhi, Ahemdabad and Hyderabad and > US$ > > 849 from Chennai and Bangalore. > > > > Transportation of balance pilgrims by Air India from Lucknow, Kolkata, > > Calicut, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Patna, Guwahati, Srinagar and Varanasi. > > The movement of Hajj is scheduled to commence from November 10, 2007. > Air > > India and Saudi Arabian Airlines will together be managing the air > > transportation of pilgrims for Hajj 2007 operations. > > > > The total cost of operation for Hajj 2007 is estimated to be around Rs > 519 > > crores. With the pilgrims fare remaining at Rs 12,000 an amount of Rs > 132 > > crores will be received from the pilgrims. The subsidy will be around > Rs. > > 387 crores for Haj 2007 operations. > > > > Due to capacity constraints Air India proposes to undertake Haj > operations > > through wet leasing of aircraft even as efforts are being made to > minimize > > the cost of operations, the estimated per pilgrim cost in respect of Air > > India operations is expected to be US$ 1535 for Hajj 2007. The subsidy > > amount will be reimbursed to Air India by the Government. PIB > > _________________________________________ > > 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. > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > -- > > http://indersalim.livejournal.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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> -- Rashneek Kher http://www.nietzschereborn.blogspot.com From pawan.durani at gmail.com Mon Nov 5 11:03:01 2007 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Mon, 5 Nov 2007 11:03:01 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Is Subsidy Islamic or UnIslamic ? In-Reply-To: <472E82AA.1040700@sarai.net> References: <832338.36679.qm@web45506.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> <229.44253.qm@web8414.mail.in.yahoo.com> <6b79f1a70711040817r3ad68e5cn45a3a45d573c1c10@mail.gmail.com> <472E82AA.1040700@sarai.net> Message-ID: <6b79f1a70711042133g629fc91aq2e5fdcc7527adfa5@mail.gmail.com> I never knew that my simple querry about whether Subsidy is Islamic or Unislamic would make the heads of Modi baiters rise again. This question had nothing to do with Modi or Gujarat. I simply want to know as to why the muslims and their organisations dont raise their vooice against Huj subsidy which is grossly unislamic. After all we need to respect the sentiments of the minorities ....isn't it ? Pawan On 11/5/07, Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: > > Dear all, > > it is interesting to find minority-baiting raise its head on this list > yet again, particularly in the wake of the damaging revelations > forwarded on to this list about the pogroms in Gujarat. I am referring > to the efforts by some on this list to highlight the so-called 'Haj' > subsidy issue in India, perhaps as a timely distraction from the fact of > the complicity of the Modi regime in Gujarat in acts of organized mass > murder. > > Let me state at the outset that I am against any effort by the state to > financially subsidize the practice of any religion. Religion is a > private matter, and the state, I believe, should have no role to play in > the pursuit of private matters. Subsidizing religion amounts to an > interference in religious matters and questions of faith. So I am > against the Haj subsidy. For the same reason, I am against the state > subidizing and supporting pilgrimages by Hindus and Sikhs to Mount > Kailash, Nanakana Saheb and the gigantic infrastructural costs and > logistical support offered during the various Kumbh and Ardha Kumbh > Melas. I would have no problems if the Indian government were to do away > with the Haj subsidy, following the example of many Muslim countries. > Let us at the same time advocate that the Indian government withdraws > state patronage of all Hindu (and other faiths') religious institutions, > functionaries, events, temple trusts etc. > > I have grown tired of the Hindutva lobby's cynical and unfounded > invocation of the Haj issue. Let us, for a change, have the facts speak > for themselves. I offer below an excerpt from a well researched article > on the question of subsidies to matters of faith in India, including the > 'Haj Subsidy' by John Dayal which was originally published in Himal > Magazine in October this year. I hope you all will find it of interest. > > regards, > > Shuddha > > ----------------------------------------------------------------- > > Financing Faith, by John Dayal > Himal Magazine, October 2007 > > > "...The subsidy for Haj is a more complicated matter entirely. There is > no equivalent of Haj in any other religion: the Hindu teeraths do not > come close, and Christianity has nothing remotely similar. Even in > Islam, Haj is obligatory only for those who are in sound health and > can afford it. They cannot perform the pilgrimage on borrowed money, > nor on the charity of others. There is likewise no mention of help > from the state, other than facilitation. > > Last year, one B N Shukla went to court against the Haj subsidy, > demanding it be withdrawn. His plaint pointed out that the > Constitution provides equal status to all Indians, while also > restricting the government from giving benefits to one faith at the > cost of others. Shukla did not site any official record, but alleged > that every year the government spends more than INR 3 billion on more > than 100,000 Hajjis. Special flights are run on the national carrier, > Air India; air-conditioned Haj houses have been built across the > country; and pilgrims are provided free food and lodging during the > course of their trip. Even Islamic countries do not give subsidies for > Haj, Shukla's application noted. A notice was subsequently sent to the > government, the official response to which was reiterated in its > response to a question in Parliament. > > The Haj subsidy was formally raised in the Parliamentary Standing > Committee on External Affairs during P V Narasimha Rao's government, > following the demolition of the Babri Masjid in December 1992. All > parties were represented in the Committee, and the recommendation to > reduce and eventually abolish the subsidy was unanimous. Fourteen > years later, in 2006, the government reported that 83,000 pilgrims > performed the Haj during the previous year, out of which the > government subsidised around INR 1.8 billion. For good measure, > Parliament was told that 529 Hindu pilgrims performed the Kailash > Mansarovar Yatra that same year, at a public cost of INR 17.2 million. > Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma, who reported > these figures, also said that 8179 people visited Sikh gurudwaras and > Hindu temples in Pakistan the previous year. Both groups were given > free medical assistance, security and various escorts. > > For the RSS, the Haj-related data came at an opportune time. It > reported a 500 percent increase in just seven years, which the RSS > described as an "alarming, non-secular appeasement of one religious > community when one considers that the Indian government is so > desperate to reduce food grains and fertiliser subsidy to the large > and poor farming community." > > Muslims and secular scholars alike point out that the Haj subsidy > began during the early 1970s, after the oil crisis had caused Haj- > related transportation prices to skyrocket. It was introduced as > something of a stopgap measure - and the charge of official > 'appeasement' of minorities has lingered ever since. The Haj charter > fare was first fixed at INR 6000, before being eventually doubled. Of > the 120,000 Indian Muslims who undertook the Mecca pilgrimage this > year, some 70,000 went by air, and were able to avail themselves of a > subsidy of more than INR 20,000 per person. (There is no subsidy for > the 50,000 others who went by ship.) But former Member of Parliament > Syed Shahabuddin points out that many Indian Muslim pilgrims come from > rural areas, and are not even aware of the government subsidy. As > such, much of this money is simply going to an elite group of Muslims, > who would, one would assume, least need the taxpayer's subsidy. > > Islam in India further benefits from the public exchequer in the > larger mosques, which receive government doles for salaries, annual > upkeep and additional expenses. As elsewhere, however, very little > information on these headings is public. > > Mela monies > The situation with regards to Hinduism is even murkier. Despite the > significant attention paid to the interface between the government and > Islam, rarely are questions raised regarding government subsidies to > Hindu and Sikh pilgrimages, in temple upkeep, in paying for the > salaries of Hindu priests, and in maintaining public spaces during > such events as the Maha and Ardha kumbhs. (Christians, meanwhile, > claim that there is next to no money spent on them, other than by the > Archaeological Survey of India on heritage buildings in Goa, or by the > British government on graves for soldiers.) > > As noted, Hindus do receive government subsidies for pilgrimages to > Mount Kailash, and from a variety of sources. First, the Ministry of > External Affairs routes INR 3250 to each Kailash yatri. The Uttar > Pradesh state government then adds INR 5000 per pilgrim. The Delhi > state government adds another INR 5000 for any pilgrim from Delhi. > Likewise, the Gujarat government gives a kit worth INR 2500 to every > yatri from that state. This kind of subsidy may well be given by other > states as well, although such information is not publicly available. > > Gujarat presents a particularly interesting case of state money being > funnelled towards Hindu causes. The BJP government in 2001 announced > that it would begin paying monthly salaries to Hindu priests in the > state. During the first phase, each priest of the 354 government- > controlled devasthans, or temples, would be entitled to a monthly > salary of about INR 1200. The late Haren Pandya, at that time Minister > of State for Home Affairs with the additional charge of "pilgrimage > development and cow protection", told the media that priests of other > religions were paid from either the Waqf Board or trusts managing the > place of worship. The new payments were "to give justice to the > feelings of the Hindu society that salaries are being paid to them", > Pandya explained. > > There is some information available on the tab for massive Hindu > fairs, although much of this spending is merely labelled as > 'infrastructure development'. The grounds of the gargantuan 12-yearly > Allahabad Maha Kumbh, for instance, are spread over 1500 hectares. > During the last Kumbh Mela, in 2001, the site boasted 12,000 taps, > capable of supplying 50.4 million litres of water; 450 kilometres of > electric lines and 15,000 streetlights in place; 70,000 toilets; and > 7100 sweepers to clean up the mess generated by an estimated five > million devotees. There were also 11 post offices and 3000 temporary > phone connections, while 4000 buses and five trains were also > requisitioned for the mela period. At its peak, the mela > administration had more than 80 officials working full time. The > budget for all of this was INR 1.2 billion - INR 800 million from the > state government, and INR 400 million from the Centre. This did not > include the costs of deploying around 11,000 policemen, as well as 40 > companies of the Provincial Armed Constabulary and other paramilitary > forces. > > The case of the Ujjain Ardha Kumbh, in Madhya Pradesh in April 2004, > was no different. At that time, Chief Minister Uma Bharati promised > that she would do all she could for the festival, which at the time > was expecting millions of pilgrims. Bharati ultimately received > additional funds from the Centre to the tune of INR 10 billion. > > Melas and pilgrimages aside, the government does not reveal how much > it costs to broadcast the gurubani from the Golden Temple in Amritsar, > nor explain why some temples and church groups receive tax exemptions > on commercial activities such as medical colleges, charging hundreds > of thousands of rupees in capitation or admission charges..." > > > > > From shijusam at gmail.com Mon Nov 5 12:50:34 2007 From: shijusam at gmail.com (Shiju Sam Varughese) Date: Mon, 5 Nov 2007 12:50:34 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Free online access to all the Sage journals Message-ID: <345848710711042320j409465eds72c8c8fd8df4d5d3@mail.gmail.com> Dear Firends, Free Online Access to all SAGE Journals until November 30, 2007 please click to register on the link below: https://online.sagepub.com/cgi/register?registration=FTNov2007-9 -- shiju sam varughese http://shijusam.blogspot.com/ From apnawritings at yahoo.co.in Mon Nov 5 15:02:40 2007 From: apnawritings at yahoo.co.in (ARNAB CHATTERJEE) Date: Mon, 5 Nov 2007 09:32:40 +0000 (GMT) Subject: [Reader-list] Religion as private In-Reply-To: <472E82AA.1040700@sarai.net> Message-ID: <43234.10789.qm@web8515.mail.in.yahoo.com> Dear Shuddha, Sarai readers and writers, Back to Kolkata from my self chosen study leave, without pay-sojourn and now with you all and once again back to boo(k)s,bibliographies, web hosted attitudes and so on. And at the moment of initiation it was also nice to take on Shuddhabrata-- whose 'consent theory of censorship' is still pending and I had promised a reply, do you'll remember? That will be there,but let me reiterate once again Shuddha's debt to liberalism with him again declaring, "Religion is a private matter, and the state, I believe, should have no role to play in the pursuit of private matters." This is liberalism at its arguable best.Shuddha still considers himself not a libera, but then who is?Fine, one cannot be a liberal even if s/he shares many major liberal premises( I'll hazard that on the censorship debate, Shuddha is out and out liberal). But one question for him, the above statement which I've quoted is a loaded one and as far as I remember Ashis Nandy has some excellent critiques of the same. They are so good that I don't think they are at times even answerable ( except some of Rajeev Bhargava's brilliant but failed attempts.) Given this, may I ask my dear Shuddha and SARAI readers, what makes him think religion (like sex) is or should be a private matter? I wish I could tell reversing Adorno: After Ashis nandy, religion cannot be or should not be, anymore, private. The autonomy that Shuddha wants to grant to private will inform his ( and many others')opinion on some relevant related things as well. with love Arnab Chatterjee --- Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: > Dear all, > > it is interesting to find minority-baiting raise its > head on this list > yet again, particularly in the wake of the damaging > revelations > forwarded on to this list about the pogroms in > Gujarat. I am referring > to the efforts by some on this list to highlight the > so-called 'Haj' > subsidy issue in India, perhaps as a timely > distraction from the fact of > the complicity of the Modi regime in Gujarat in acts > of organized mass > murder. > > Let me state at the outset that I am against any > effort by the state to > financially subsidize the practice of any religion. > Religion is a > private matter, and the state, I believe, should > have no role to play in > the pursuit of private matters. Subsidizing religion > amounts to an > interference in religious matters and questions of > faith. So I am > against the Haj subsidy. For the same reason, I am > against the state > subidizing and supporting pilgrimages by Hindus and > Sikhs to Mount > Kailash, Nanakana Saheb and the gigantic > infrastructural costs and > logistical support offered during the various Kumbh > and Ardha Kumbh > Melas. I would have no problems if the Indian > government were to do away > with the Haj subsidy, following the example of many > Muslim countries. > Let us at the same time advocate that the Indian > government withdraws > state patronage of all Hindu (and other faiths') > religious institutions, > functionaries, events, temple trusts etc. > > I have grown tired of the Hindutva lobby's cynical > and unfounded > invocation of the Haj issue. Let us, for a change, > have the facts speak > for themselves. I offer below an excerpt from a well > researched article > on the question of subsidies to matters of faith in > India, including the > 'Haj Subsidy' by John Dayal which was originally > published in Himal > Magazine in October this year. I hope you all will > find it of interest. > > regards, > > Shuddha > > ----------------------------------------------------------------- > > Financing Faith, by John Dayal > Himal Magazine, October 2007 > > > "...The subsidy for Haj is a more complicated matter > entirely. There is > no equivalent of Haj in any other religion: the > Hindu teeraths do not > come close, and Christianity has nothing remotely > similar. Even in > Islam, Haj is obligatory only for those who are in > sound health and > can afford it. They cannot perform the pilgrimage on > borrowed money, > nor on the charity of others. There is likewise no > mention of help > from the state, other than facilitation. > > Last year, one B N Shukla went to court against the > Haj subsidy, > demanding it be withdrawn. His plaint pointed out > that the > Constitution provides equal status to all Indians, > while also > restricting the government from giving benefits to > one faith at the > cost of others. Shukla did not site any official > record, but alleged > that every year the government spends more than INR > 3 billion on more > than 100,000 Hajjis. Special flights are run on the > national carrier, > Air India; air-conditioned Haj houses have been > built across the > country; and pilgrims are provided free food and > lodging during the > course of their trip. Even Islamic countries do not > give subsidies for > Haj, Shukla's application noted. A notice was > subsequently sent to the > government, the official response to which was > reiterated in its > response to a question in Parliament. > > The Haj subsidy was formally raised in the > Parliamentary Standing > Committee on External Affairs during P V Narasimha > Rao's government, > following the demolition of the Babri Masjid in > December 1992. All > parties were represented in the Committee, and the > recommendation to > reduce and eventually abolish the subsidy was > unanimous. Fourteen > years later, in 2006, the government reported that > 83,000 pilgrims > performed the Haj during the previous year, out of > which the > government subsidised around INR 1.8 billion. For > good measure, > Parliament was told that 529 Hindu pilgrims > performed the Kailash > Mansarovar Yatra that same year, at a public cost of > INR 17.2 million. > Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma, > who reported > these figures, also said that 8179 people visited > Sikh gurudwaras and > Hindu temples in Pakistan the previous year. Both > groups were given > free medical assistance, security and various > escorts. > > For the RSS, the Haj-related data came at an > opportune time. It > reported a 500 percent increase in just seven years, > which the RSS > described as an "alarming, non-secular appeasement > of one religious > community when one considers that the Indian > government is so > desperate to reduce food grains and fertiliser > subsidy to the large > and poor farming community." > > Muslims and secular scholars alike point out that > the Haj subsidy > began during the early 1970s, after the oil crisis > had caused Haj- > related transportation prices to skyrocket. It was > introduced as > something of a stopgap measure - and the charge of > official > 'appeasement' of minorities has lingered ever since. > The Haj charter > fare was first fixed at INR 6000, before being > eventually doubled. Of > the 120,000 Indian Muslims who undertook the Mecca > pilgrimage this > year, some 70,000 went by air, and were able to > avail themselves of a > subsidy of more than INR 20,000 per person. (There > is no subsidy for > the 50,000 others who went by ship.) But former > Member of Parliament > Syed Shahabuddin points out that many Indian Muslim > pilgrims come from > rural areas, and are not even aware of the > government subsidy. As > such, much of this money is simply going to an elite > group of Muslims, > who would, one would assume, least need the > taxpayer's subsidy. > > Islam in India further benefits from the public > exchequer in the > larger mosques, which receive government doles for > salaries, annual > upkeep and additional expenses. As elsewhere, > however, very little > information on these headings is public. > > Mela monies > The situation with regards to Hinduism is even > murkier. Despite the > significant attention paid to the interface between > the government and > Islam, rarely are questions raised regarding > government subsidies to > Hindu and Sikh pilgrimages, in temple upkeep, in > paying for the > salaries of Hindu priests, and in maintaining public > spaces during > such events as the Maha and Ardha kumbhs. > (Christians, meanwhile, > claim that there is next to no money spent on them, > other than by the > Archaeological Survey of India on heritage buildings > in Goa, or by the > British government on graves for soldiers.) > > As noted, Hindus do receive government subsidies for > pilgrimages to > Mount Kailash, and from a variety of sources. First, > the Ministry of > External Affairs routes INR 3250 to each Kailash > yatri. The Uttar > Pradesh state government then adds INR 5000 per > pilgrim. The Delhi > state government adds another INR 5000 for any > pilgrim from Delhi. > Likewise, the Gujarat government gives a kit worth > INR 2500 to every > yatri from that state. This kind of subsidy may well > be given by other > states as well, although such information is not > publicly available. > > Gujarat presents a particularly interesting case of > state money being > funnelled towards Hindu causes. The BJP government > in 2001 announced > that it would begin paying monthly salaries to Hindu > priests in the > state. During the first phase, each priest of the > 354 government- > controlled devasthans, or temples, would be entitled > to a monthly > salary of about INR 1200. The late Haren Pandya, at > that time Minister > of State for Home Affairs with the additional charge > of "pilgrimage > development and cow protection", told the media that > priests of other > religions were paid from either the Waqf Board or > trusts managing the > place of worship. The new payments were "to give > justice to the > feelings of the Hindu society that salaries are > being paid to them", > Pandya explained. > > There is some information available on the tab for > massive Hindu > fairs, although much of this spending is merely > labelled as > 'infrastructure development'. The grounds of the > gargantuan 12-yearly > Allahabad Maha Kumbh, for instance, are spread over > 1500 hectares. > During the last Kumbh Mela, in 2001, the site > boasted 12,000 taps, > capable of supplying 50.4 million litres of water; > 450 kilometres of > electric lines and 15,000 streetlights in place; > 70,000 toilets; and > 7100 sweepers to clean up the mess generated by an > estimated five > million devotees. There were also 11 post offices > and 3000 temporary > phone connections, while 4000 buses and five trains > were also > requisitioned for the mela period. At its peak, the > mela > administration had more than 80 officials working > full time. The > budget for all of this was INR 1.2 billion - INR 800 > million from the > state government, and INR 400 million from the > Centre. This did not > include the costs of deploying around 11,000 > policemen, as well as 40 > companies of the Provincial Armed Constabulary and > other paramilitary > forces. > > The case of the Ujjain Ardha Kumbh, in Madhya > Pradesh in April 2004, > was no different. At that time, Chief Minister Uma > Bharati promised > that she would do all she could for the festival, > which at the time > was expecting millions of pilgrims. Bharati > ultimately received > additional funds from the Centre to the tune of INR > 10 billion. > > Melas and pilgrimages aside, the government does not > reveal how much > it costs to broadcast the gurubani from the Golden > Temple in Amritsar, > nor explain why some temples and church groups > receive tax exemptions > on commercial activities such as medical colleges, > charging hundreds > of thousands of rupees in capitation or admission > charges..." > > > > > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> Why delete messages? Unlimited storage is just a click away. Go to http://help.yahoo.com/l/in/yahoo/mail/yahoomail/tools/tools-08.html From ysaeed7 at yahoo.com Mon Nov 5 16:25:18 2007 From: ysaeed7 at yahoo.com (Yousuf) Date: Mon, 5 Nov 2007 02:55:18 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] An Evening of Protest. By Itzak Davidson Message-ID: <347040.49230.qm@web51401.mail.re2.yahoo.com> An Evening of Protest Itzak Davidson Bowing to a drowning general's orders a green-eyed fuzz directs his underlings. To a protester he says We have to act It is Section 144. Lyse Doucet shout into a camera for the Beeb A captive in the police van behind her. More policemen stream in "What 144? In this lawless country?" Shout many women. The Ray Ban man walks Over to one puffing his cigar The hour is over so off to the Club they go. The head policeman reaches for his golden packet A sergeant flicks the lighter Tis time for a puff. Tomorrow's another day The shivering general half-alive In a star-spangled flag flown by his protectors. Islamabad 4 Nov 2007 itzak.davidson at gmail.com __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com From mail at shivamvij.com Mon Nov 5 16:45:39 2007 From: mail at shivamvij.com (Shivam Vij) Date: Mon, 5 Nov 2007 16:45:39 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Free Binayak Sen Message-ID: <9c06aab30711050315v172564c9h82405dd0861511b6@mail.gmail.com> FREE BINAYAK SEN WEBSITE (http://www.freebinayaksen.org/) It is now almost five months since the arrest of Dr. Binayak Sen, National Vice-President of People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), on flimsy, trumped-up charges The case of Dr. Sen is not an isolated one. All over India, we are seeing a situation where human rights defenders are being targeted under draconian legislations. There is considerable material on Dr. Sen available from various sources, but it is necessary to bring all this material together in one place where it can be easily accessed by those concerned about the issue and campaigning for his release. The website http://www.freebinayaksen.org/ is a step in this direction. At a later stage, this website will be expanded to cover the cases of other human rights activists who have been arrested on trumped-up charges. From dhatr1i at yahoo.com Mon Nov 5 17:59:49 2007 From: dhatr1i at yahoo.com (we wi) Date: Mon, 5 Nov 2007 04:29:49 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] Is Subsidy Islamic or UnIslamic ? In-Reply-To: <472E82AA.1040700@sarai.net> Message-ID: <200807.53044.qm@web45513.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> Dear All, We do not expect/wish china to provide whatever of this pilgrimage to Mount Kailash, as it is under illegal possession. Similarly for the sharda temple in POK. As mount Kailash is already in Chinese possession GOI support is necessary until Chinese vacate the illegally occupied lands and so as Pakistan. --We expect/wish Pakistan to provide subsidy(better infrastructure facilities,basic amenities) to HINGLA Mata temple at BALUCHISTAN. Otherwise in my opinion Pakistan will better give a contract to INDIA to look after basic amenities under BOR(built,operate,run)/LEASE or whatever policy. (as yasir.media published a telegraph article on this a few days back). --We expect/wish Pakistan to stop day dreaming about Jammu and Kashmir. --We expect/wish China to vacate Tibet like Chinese expected/wished HONG KONG return after 99 year lease from British, and thinking about Taiwan. --We expect/wish China should practice Buddhism more sincerely, other wise they better quit it. As Dalailama and Tibet strictly believed in Buddhism and non-violence, they were like this today. If Dalailama was honored at US, why china felt uneasy(as per shudda words, private program, faith etc., )? China would have realized/recognized/considered Dalailama as peace maker on this earth and hence the honour is a private program between bush and Dalailama. Even kids will understand this simple thing, if you pick them anywhere from through out the globe . If any body wish to say anything please talk/write/question on the above. Regards, Dhatri. Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: Dear all, it is interesting to find minority-baiting raise its head on this list yet again, particularly in the wake of the damaging revelations forwarded on to this list about the pogroms in Gujarat. I am referring to the efforts by some on this list to highlight the so-called 'Haj' subsidy issue in India, perhaps as a timely distraction from the fact of the complicity of the Modi regime in Gujarat in acts of organized mass murder. Let me state at the outset that I am against any effort by the state to financially subsidize the practice of any religion. Religion is a private matter, and the state, I believe, should have no role to play in the pursuit of private matters. Subsidizing religion amounts to an interference in religious matters and questions of faith. So I am against the Haj subsidy. For the same reason, I am against the state subidizing and supporting pilgrimages by Hindus and Sikhs to Mount Kailash, Nanakana Saheb and the gigantic infrastructural costs and logistical support offered during the various Kumbh and Ardha Kumbh Melas. I would have no problems if the Indian government were to do away with the Haj subsidy, following the example of many Muslim countries. Let us at the same time advocate that the Indian government withdraws state patronage of all Hindu (and other faiths') religious institutions, functionaries, events, temple trusts etc. I have grown tired of the Hindutva lobby's cynical and unfounded invocation of the Haj issue. Let us, for a change, have the facts speak for themselves. I offer below an excerpt from a well researched article on the question of subsidies to matters of faith in India, including the 'Haj Subsidy' by John Dayal which was originally published in Himal Magazine in October this year. I hope you all will find it of interest. regards, Shuddha ----------------------------------------------------------------- Financing Faith, by John Dayal Himal Magazine, October 2007 "...The subsidy for Haj is a more complicated matter entirely. There is no equivalent of Haj in any other religion: the Hindu teeraths do not come close, and Christianity has nothing remotely similar. Even in Islam, Haj is obligatory only for those who are in sound health and can afford it. They cannot perform the pilgrimage on borrowed money, nor on the charity of others. There is likewise no mention of help from the state, other than facilitation. Last year, one B N Shukla went to court against the Haj subsidy, demanding it be withdrawn. His plaint pointed out that the Constitution provides equal status to all Indians, while also restricting the government from giving benefits to one faith at the cost of others. Shukla did not site any official record, but alleged that every year the government spends more than INR 3 billion on more than 100,000 Hajjis. Special flights are run on the national carrier, Air India; air-conditioned Haj houses have been built across the country; and pilgrims are provided free food and lodging during the course of their trip. Even Islamic countries do not give subsidies for Haj, Shukla's application noted. A notice was subsequently sent to the government, the official response to which was reiterated in its response to a question in Parliament. The Haj subsidy was formally raised in the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs during P V Narasimha Rao's government, following the demolition of the Babri Masjid in December 1992. All parties were represented in the Committee, and the recommendation to reduce and eventually abolish the subsidy was unanimous. Fourteen years later, in 2006, the government reported that 83,000 pilgrims performed the Haj during the previous year, out of which the government subsidised around INR 1.8 billion. For good measure, Parliament was told that 529 Hindu pilgrims performed the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra that same year, at a public cost of INR 17.2 million. Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma, who reported these figures, also said that 8179 people visited Sikh gurudwaras and Hindu temples in Pakistan the previous year. Both groups were given free medical assistance, security and various escorts. For the RSS, the Haj-related data came at an opportune time. It reported a 500 percent increase in just seven years, which the RSS described as an "alarming, non-secular appeasement of one religious community when one considers that the Indian government is so desperate to reduce food grains and fertiliser subsidy to the large and poor farming community." Muslims and secular scholars alike point out that the Haj subsidy began during the early 1970s, after the oil crisis had caused Haj- related transportation prices to skyrocket. It was introduced as something of a stopgap measure - and the charge of official 'appeasement' of minorities has lingered ever since. The Haj charter fare was first fixed at INR 6000, before being eventually doubled. Of the 120,000 Indian Muslims who undertook the Mecca pilgrimage this year, some 70,000 went by air, and were able to avail themselves of a subsidy of more than INR 20,000 per person. (There is no subsidy for the 50,000 others who went by ship.) But former Member of Parliament Syed Shahabuddin points out that many Indian Muslim pilgrims come from rural areas, and are not even aware of the government subsidy. As such, much of this money is simply going to an elite group of Muslims, who would, one would assume, least need the taxpayer's subsidy. Islam in India further benefits from the public exchequer in the larger mosques, which receive government doles for salaries, annual upkeep and additional expenses. As elsewhere, however, very little information on these headings is public. Mela monies The situation with regards to Hinduism is even murkier. Despite the significant attention paid to the interface between the government and Islam, rarely are questions raised regarding government subsidies to Hindu and Sikh pilgrimages, in temple upkeep, in paying for the salaries of Hindu priests, and in maintaining public spaces during such events as the Maha and Ardha kumbhs. (Christians, meanwhile, claim that there is next to no money spent on them, other than by the Archaeological Survey of India on heritage buildings in Goa, or by the British government on graves for soldiers.) As noted, Hindus do receive government subsidies for pilgrimages to Mount Kailash, and from a variety of sources. First, the Ministry of External Affairs routes INR 3250 to each Kailash yatri. The Uttar Pradesh state government then adds INR 5000 per pilgrim. The Delhi state government adds another INR 5000 for any pilgrim from Delhi. Likewise, the Gujarat government gives a kit worth INR 2500 to every yatri from that state. This kind of subsidy may well be given by other states as well, although such information is not publicly available. Gujarat presents a particularly interesting case of state money being funnelled towards Hindu causes. The BJP government in 2001 announced that it would begin paying monthly salaries to Hindu priests in the state. During the first phase, each priest of the 354 government- controlled devasthans, or temples, would be entitled to a monthly salary of about INR 1200. The late Haren Pandya, at that time Minister of State for Home Affairs with the additional charge of "pilgrimage development and cow protection", told the media that priests of other religions were paid from either the Waqf Board or trusts managing the place of worship. The new payments were "to give justice to the feelings of the Hindu society that salaries are being paid to them", Pandya explained. There is some information available on the tab for massive Hindu fairs, although much of this spending is merely labelled as 'infrastructure development'. The grounds of the gargantuan 12-yearly Allahabad Maha Kumbh, for instance, are spread over 1500 hectares. During the last Kumbh Mela, in 2001, the site boasted 12,000 taps, capable of supplying 50.4 million litres of water; 450 kilometres of electric lines and 15,000 streetlights in place; 70,000 toilets; and 7100 sweepers to clean up the mess generated by an estimated five million devotees. There were also 11 post offices and 3000 temporary phone connections, while 4000 buses and five trains were also requisitioned for the mela period. At its peak, the mela administration had more than 80 officials working full time. The budget for all of this was INR 1.2 billion - INR 800 million from the state government, and INR 400 million from the Centre. This did not include the costs of deploying around 11,000 policemen, as well as 40 companies of the Provincial Armed Constabulary and other paramilitary forces. The case of the Ujjain Ardha Kumbh, in Madhya Pradesh in April 2004, was no different. At that time, Chief Minister Uma Bharati promised that she would do all she could for the festival, which at the time was expecting millions of pilgrims. Bharati ultimately received additional funds from the Centre to the tune of INR 10 billion. Melas and pilgrimages aside, the government does not reveal how much it costs to broadcast the gurubani from the Golden Temple in Amritsar, nor explain why some temples and church groups receive tax exemptions on commercial activities such as medical colleges, charging hundreds of thousands of rupees in capitation or admission charges..." _________________________________________ 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. To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list List archive: __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com From dhatr1i at yahoo.com Mon Nov 5 18:11:53 2007 From: dhatr1i at yahoo.com (we wi) Date: Mon, 5 Nov 2007 04:41:53 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] Modi A Psychic Killer, Worse Than Hitler, says Father of Slain Gujarat BJP Home Minister In-Reply-To: <48097acc0711040320k670ee5fdv514fb29a7ce77312@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <742690.3681.qm@web45511.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> The power I mean, the power in the words thats come out of a brahmin. Yogi Sikand wrote: hi dhatri not being a hindu myself, i can hardly answer for the brahmins or hazard a guess about the power that they continue to wield rgds yogi On 11/4/07, we wi wrote: Dear Yogi and readers, What an interview, but about these lines >>>But I know in my heart that God will not let him go unpunished. He will die a dog's >>>death. These are the words of a Brahmin. Hope the so called HINDU system and people should answer 1) Is this a MYTH or reality??? 2) Do the brahmins have that much power Still??? 3) People living throughout INDIA still have the same belief in these words and trust in brahmins? If YES thats great, if NO then why do people lost that faith in BRAHMINS(even vishnu do have faith n fear)??? DO THE BRAHMINS(All over India) LOST THE FAITH IN THEMSELVES or do they competing with rest of people whoever doing whatever with the evolving time??? If I quote from this link (vasudeva/krishna/VISHNU ) http://www.hinduism.co.za/vishnu.htm brahmanyo brahmakrit brahmaa brahma brahmavivardhanah brahmavid braahmano brahmee brahmagno braahmanapriyah. 661 brahmanyah 666 brahma-vid 662 brahmakrit 667 braahmanah 663 brahmaa 668 brahmee 664 brahma 669 brahma-gnah 665 brahma-vivardhanah 670 braahmana-priyah He that is the foremost object of silent recitation, of sacrifice, of the Vedas, and of all religious acts He that is the Creator of penances and the like He that is the form of (the grandsire) Brahma The Biggest, the Vastest, the All-pervading He that is the augmentor of penances He that is conversant with Brahma He that is the form of Brahmana (Brahmin) 668. He that has for His limbs Him that is called Brahma He that knows all the Vedas and everything in the universe He that is always fond of Brahmanas (Brahmins) and of whom the Brahmanas (Brahmins) also are fond Regards, Dhatri. Yogi Sikand wrote: *Modi A Psychic Killer, Worse Than Hitler, Should Be Jailed, says Father of Slain Gujarat BJP Home Minister * * * *Interview of Vithalbhai Pandya by Yoginder Sikand* *Q:* What do you feel about the recent judgment by the POTA court in the Haren Pandya murder case? *A:* I firmly believe that my son Haren Pandya was killed at Modi's behest through D.G. Vanjara, head of Gujarat's Anti-Terrorist Squad and Modi's blue-eyed boy. This was because Haren was a transparent and efficient man, whom Modi thought of as a threat to his power. Haren was opposed to the worship of any individual, and so became a thorn in Modi's flesh. He was the only BJP MLA in Gujarat who did not act according to Modi's will. When the train coach was set alight in Godhra, Haren told Modi to confine the incident to Godhra itself and not to spread violence in the rest of Gujarat, as that would tear apart the fabric of our society and cause irreparable economic, besides human, destruction. But, yet, Modi went ahead, and organized a meeting in Sabarkantha where he plotted the genocide of Muslims throughout the state. These were state-sponsored massacres. I am saying this in the capacity of the father of the then Gujarat Home Minister, because I knew this from Haren himself. I have leveled specific charges against Modi but the CBI did not interrogate him. Under stiff pressure from Modi and his mentor, Lal Krishen Advani, then Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of India, the CBI did not conduct a proper probe. Modi, Advani and Vanjara are all criminals. It is the height of tragedy that the criminals I have pointed to have not been interrogated and punished and key witnesses have not been called to court. Advani and Modi must be arrested and sentenced for their anti-national activities, for spreading communal hatred and violence and thereby tearing apart our country and destroying its unity and integrity. >From the very beginning I have been arguing that Modi was not killed in his Maruti car outside the Law Gardens in Ahmedabad, contrary to what the CBI claims in order to pass the blame on to the arrested Muslim youth. A team of top forensic scientists who studied the matter also concurred with me on this. No blood drops were found in the car, nor was there any residue of the bullets. Haren was shot at in the scrotum and the bullet traveled vertically from there, which would not have been possible if he had been shot at in the car. Since the data in the form of investigation is wrong, how can the judgment be right? The court did not consider the opinion of the forensic experts due to political interference in the case. I demanded that Modi be first removed from the post of Chief Minister of Gujarat and then let the CBI conduct its probe if it is to be fair and impartial, but, sadly, this did not happen, for obvious political reasons. *Q:* Have you appealed in the court to present your case? *A:* I applied to the court to file my appeal. I wanted to appear as a party in person but I did not get any reply from the court. I then wrote to the Supreme Court, but from there, too, I got no response. I also appealed to the President of India, the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice and leaders of various political parties to take up the case, but no one showed any sincere interest. I sent letters to BJP and RSS letters, but they, too, did not reply, despite the fact that my son was a top BJP leader, the Home Minister of Gujarat. *Q:* What, then, do you think of the RSS and the BJP? *A:* The BJP is today not a genuine political party at all. It is a gang of a few sophisticated ruffians. These people are hungry for money and power. Their speech and their actions do not match. They want to spread communal hatred in the name of Hinduism and thereby climb to power. According to the noted scholar Ashish Nandy, Modi shows all signs of being a psychopathic dictator. He, Advani and their likes have worked against the unity and integrity of this great nation. For their anti-national and anti-Constitutional crimes they must be arrested and jailed. People are losing faith in the RSS. Modi has created a vertical split in the RSS, and many RSS leaders tell me that they dislike him. He has also put aside the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), and is, instead, patronizing a bunch of *sadhu*s who constantly flatter him. Ambitious, selfish people have taken control of the RSS and the VHP. Look at Modi's ministry—it contains so many criminals and ruffians. Modi's government in Gujarat is being run on *jhoot*(lies), *julm* (oppression) and *jasusi* (spying). Modi has his spies in every office. And Gujarat is now engulfed in crime, in riots. RSS and VHP leaders have amassed vast amounts of money in the name of destroying the Babri Masjid and building a temple in Ayodhya. Some time ago, Gauri Advani, Lal Krishen Advani's daughter-in-law came out with a statement that Advani was not a true Hindu, that he was misusing the name of Rama. Such is the state of the BJP. *Q:* So, do you feel that the Muslims arrested and sentenced in the Haren Pandya case are actually innocent? *A:* I am concerned with the actual motivator of the murder, who, I say, is Narendra Modi. The Muslims who were arrested are poor and illiterate, and such people can be used. Modi is worse than Hitler. He will use all means to protect himself, including threats and enticements. *Q:* But what about the Muslims arrested? Do you think they are innocent and have been wrongly framed? *A:* Maybe they are innocent. This is something that should be properly investigated. How can I cite my own opinion? I am in touch with the families of these Muslim men. They respect me greatly. They have told me that their sons were not at all involved in Haren's murder. It may be that the CBI has fabricated the whole story about these Muslims in order to save Modi. *Q:* So, are you saying that you think that these Muslims were not involved in the killing? *A:* They were not involved. They did not kill Haren. They had no role in his murder. But, still, this is a matter for the court, so what can I say? The court should have been impartial but it was not. Key witnesses, such as myself and Haren's secretary, have not been examined. I believe Vanjara arranged for Haren's murder to please Modi in order to get a promotion, and the story of these innocent Muslims being involved was concocted in order to further fan Hindu emotions while getting rid of a major rival to Modi. One man, Mufti Sufiyan, who was under constant police vigil, was allowed to cross over to Pakistan so that witnesses could be made hostile and Modi could escape conviction. Further, efforts were made to destroy all possible evidence. All the telephone numbers on Haren's mobile phone of calls made on the 25th and 26thof March, that is the day before and the day of his murder, were later deleted. The Hutch company may have been bribed or led astray or put under pressure to do so. Had the numbers not been deleted, it could easily have been ascertained who it was who had called him the morning he was murdered, because it was after getting this call that he left home in haste, shortly after which he was killed. Obviously, that person must have been very familiar to him, otherwise he would not have rushed out like that. And then when he reached the place which he must have mentioned to this caller, he must have been surrounded by the killers, who pushed him on the ground, because of which some gravel got lodged in his knees. They must have shot him there, then put him in his car and taken it and his corpse to the Law Gardens. The fact of the gravel in his knees clearly indicates that he was not shot inside the car, but that he was killed elsewhere. I have clear-cut evidence to prove that Modi was responsible for Haren's murder. It is as good as a dying declaration. Some two or three months before Haren's murder, Modi asked the President of the Gujarat unit of the BJP to issue Haren a show-cause notice, because he felt that Haren was emerging as a powerful challenge to him. Haren said that he feared that he might fall a victim to Modi's ego, vendetta and revenge. Haren did not follow Modi's whims, and so Modi arranged for this show-cause notice to be issued. The President of the BJP state unit had to do as Modi had told him, although he held Haren in great respect, and was literally in tears when he informed Haren about the notice. On 24th March, two days before he was killed, Haren, referring to Modi, told me, 'Take it from me, this Ghanchi (oil-presser, the caste to which Modi belongs) may be rusticated from Gujarat within 15 days, by around the 10thof April, otherwise I am not a Brahmin.' And that matter leaked out. Haren may have told the same thing to someone else, who might have informed Modi, and then became the apple of Modi's eye. *Q:* And who is that person? *A:* Oh, let that person go to hell. As I said, Haren might have told some friends of his the same thing that he told me. It may have been a very big builder in Ahmedabad, who might have told this to Advani, and maybe Modi came to know of this through him. That is why Modi might have conspired to have him killed. Haren wanted to drive Modi out of Gujarat using constitutional means. He disliked Modi's attitude, his arrogance and his unconstitutional deeds. *Q:* What do you feel about the burning of the coach of the Sabarmati Express at Godhra, which was then used by Modi to engineer a genocide of Muslims across Gujarat? *A:* I think it was a pre-planned strategy of Modi to use the Hindutva card to keep himself in power at any cost. *Q:* So, are you saying that you think that the train was set alight on Modi's instructions? A: Yes. *Q:* Not by some Muslims in Godhra? *A:* No, no, no. *Q:* So are you saying that you believe that Modi was involved in the burning of the coach? *A:* Definitely. *Q:* Did Haren Pandya tell you that? *A:* He told me that Modi would certainly do something (*Modi zaroor kuch na kuch karega*). *Q:* But did he explicitly tell you that Modi had planned the burning of the coach? *A:* No, he did not tell me this. But I believe that the Muslims of Godhra were not responsible for the burning of the coach. The *karesevak*s returning from Ayodhya in the train were absolutely frenzied and then this happened. *Q:* But do you mean to say that you think the coach was burnt at Modi's instigation? *A:* Definitely. Definitely. Definitely. *Q:* Since you believe that the Gujarat High Court's judgmnent is wrong, have you demanded a reinvestigation into the Haren Pandya murder case? *A:* Yes, yes. I have sent numerous letters to leaders of the country demanding a reinvestigation. I wrote to the President of India, the Chief Justice and also delivered a letter to Sonia Gandhi in person. However, I have got no response at all. Maybe there is some pressure not to go ahead with the reinvestigation. I've been moving heaven and earth to get at the truth but as long as Modi and Advani are not punished justice will elude me. *Q:* What do you feel about Modi's chances of winning in the coming elections in Gujarat? *A:* He is feeding the people with sleeping pills, fanning communal hatred. But this time I don't think he will be elected. Who knows, prior to that he might be behind bars? I wish I could file a suit against him to disqualify him, but I am an ordinary middle-class man and cannot afford the exorbitant cost that this would entail. And then, only a lawyer who will not succumb to Modi's tactics—bribes and intimdation—can take him on. But I will continue my struggle against Modi. It is not a struggle for my son, but for Gujarat, for justice and democracy, for humanity, for the victims of those thousands of innocent Muslims who Modi arranged to have massacred. I am 80 years-old, and now at the fag end of my life. I am doing what I can to see that Modi and Advani and their likes are brought to justice. I send off letters to various leaders demanding justice. I cannot even remember the number of these letters. I have yet to get any positive response, even from the Congress. But still I shall continue to raise my voice. Otherwise, what is the use of living? I don't want to live like an inert corpse. Modi behaves like the monarch of all he surveys. But I know in my heart that God will not let him go unpunished. He will die a dog's death. These are the words of a Brahmin. -- Sukhia Sab Sansar Khaye Aur Soye Dukhia Das Kabir Jagey Aur Roye The world is 'happy', eating and sleeping The forlorn Kabir Das is awake and weeping _________________________________________ 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. To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list List archive: __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- Sukhia Sab Sansar Khaye Aur Soye Dukhia Das Kabir Jagey Aur Roye The world is 'happy', eating and sleeping The forlorn Kabir Das is awake and weeping __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com From dhatr1i at yahoo.com Mon Nov 5 18:13:38 2007 From: dhatr1i at yahoo.com (we wi) Date: Mon, 5 Nov 2007 04:43:38 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] Modi A Psychic Killer, Worse Than Hitler, says Father of Slain Gujarat BJP Home Minister In-Reply-To: <006e01c81efb$49057c60$6500a8c0@taraprakash> Message-ID: <642117.77687.qm@web45515.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> The power I mean, the power in the words thats come out of a brahmin. TaraPrakash wrote: Maya Vati has not lost her faith in Brahmans. I don't think brahmans as brahmans are of any use to anyone else but her. Tara Prakash Tripathi ----- Original Message ----- From: "we wi" To: "Yogi Sikand" ; Sent: Sunday, November 04, 2007 5:59 AM Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Modi A Psychic Killer, Worse Than Hitler,says Father of Slain Gujarat BJP Home Minister > Dear Yogi and readers, > > What an interview, but about these lines > > >>>But I know in my heart that God will not let him go unpunished. He > will die a dog's > >>>death. These are the words of a Brahmin. > > Hope the so called HINDU system and people should answer > > 1) Is this a MYTH or reality??? > 2) Do the brahmins have that much power Still??? > 3) People living throughout INDIA still have the same belief in these > words and trust in > brahmins? > > If YES thats great, > if NO then why do people lost that faith in BRAHMINS(even vishnu do have > faith n fear)??? > DO THE BRAHMINS(All over India) LOST THE FAITH IN THEMSELVES or do they > competing with rest of people whoever doing whatever with the evolving > time??? > > If I quote from this link (vasudeva/krishna/VISHNU ) > http://www.hinduism.co.za/vishnu.htm > > > brahmanyo brahmakrit brahmaa brahma brahmavivardhanah > brahmavid braahmano brahmee brahmagno braahmanapriyah. > > 661 brahmanyah 666 brahma-vid 662 brahmakrit 667 > braahmanah 663 brahmaa 668 brahmee 664 brahma 669 > brahma-gnah 665 brahma-vivardhanah 670 braahmana-priyah > > He that is the foremost object of silent recitation, of sacrifice, of > the Vedas, and of all religious acts > He that is the Creator of penances and the like > He that is the form of (the grandsire) Brahma > The Biggest, the Vastest, the All-pervading > He that is the augmentor of penances > He that is conversant with Brahma > He that is the form of Brahmana (Brahmin) > 668. He that has for His limbs Him that is called Brahma > He that knows all the Vedas and everything in the universe > He that is always fond of Brahmanas (Brahmins) and of whom the Brahmanas > (Brahmins) also are fond > Regards, > Dhatri. > > > > Yogi Sikand wrote: > *Modi A Psychic Killer, Worse Than Hitler, Should Be Jailed, says Father > of > Slain Gujarat BJP Home Minister * > > * * > > *Interview of Vithalbhai Pandya by Yoginder Sikand* > > > *Q:* What do you feel about the recent judgment by the POTA court in the > Haren Pandya murder case? > > *A:* I firmly believe that my son Haren Pandya was killed at Modi's behest > through D.G. Vanjara, head of Gujarat's Anti-Terrorist Squad and Modi's > blue-eyed boy. This was because Haren was a transparent and efficient man, > whom Modi thought of as a threat to his power. Haren was opposed to the > worship of any individual, and so became a thorn in Modi's flesh. He was > the > only BJP MLA in Gujarat who did not act according to Modi's will. When the > train coach was set alight in Godhra, Haren told Modi to confine the > incident to Godhra itself and not to spread violence in the rest of > Gujarat, > as that would tear apart the fabric of our society and cause irreparable > economic, besides human, destruction. But, yet, Modi went ahead, and > organized a meeting in Sabarkantha where he plotted the genocide of > Muslims > throughout the state. These were state-sponsored massacres. I am saying > this > in the capacity of the father of the then Gujarat Home Minister, because I > knew this from Haren himself. > > > > I have leveled specific charges against Modi but the CBI did not > interrogate him. Under stiff pressure from Modi and his mentor, Lal > Krishen > Advani, then Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of India, the CBI did > not conduct a proper probe. Modi, Advani and Vanjara are all criminals. It > is the height of tragedy that the criminals I have pointed to have not > been > interrogated and punished and key witnesses have not been called to court. > Advani and Modi must be arrested and sentenced for their anti-national > activities, for spreading communal hatred and violence and thereby tearing > apart our country and destroying its unity and integrity. > > > > From the very beginning I have been arguing that Modi was not killed in > his > Maruti car outside the Law Gardens in Ahmedabad, contrary to what the CBI > claims in order to pass the blame on to the arrested Muslim youth. A team > of > top forensic scientists who studied the matter also concurred with me on > this. No blood drops were found in the car, nor was there any residue of > the > bullets. Haren was shot at in the scrotum and the bullet traveled > vertically > from there, which would not have been possible if he had been shot at in > the > car. Since the data in the form of investigation is wrong, how can the > judgment be right? The court did not consider the opinion of the forensic > experts due to political interference in the case. I demanded that Modi be > first removed from the post of Chief Minister of Gujarat and then let the > CBI conduct its probe if it is to be fair and impartial, but, sadly, this > did not happen, for obvious political reasons. > > > > *Q:* Have you appealed in the court to present your case? > > *A:* I applied to the court to file my appeal. I wanted to appear as a > party > in person but I did not get any reply from the court. I then wrote to the > Supreme Court, but from there, too, I got no response. I also appealed to > the President of India, the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice and leaders > of > various political parties to take up the case, but no one showed any > sincere > interest. I sent letters to BJP and RSS letters, but they, too, did not > reply, despite the fact that my son was a top BJP leader, the Home > Minister > of Gujarat. > > > > *Q:* What, then, do you think of the RSS and the BJP? > > *A:* The BJP is today not a genuine political party at all. It is a gang > of > a few sophisticated ruffians. These people are hungry for money and power. > Their speech and their actions do not match. They want to spread communal > hatred in the name of Hinduism and thereby climb to power. According to > the > noted scholar Ashish Nandy, Modi shows all signs of being a psychopathic > dictator. He, Advani and their likes have worked against the unity and > integrity of this great nation. For their anti-national and > anti-Constitutional crimes they must be arrested and jailed. > > > > People are losing faith in the RSS. Modi has created a vertical split in > the > RSS, and many RSS leaders tell me that they dislike him. He has also put > aside the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), and is, instead, patronizing a > bunch > of *sadhu*s who constantly flatter him. Ambitious, selfish people have > taken > control of the RSS and the VHP. Look at Modi's ministry—it contains so > many > criminals and ruffians. Modi's government in Gujarat is being run on > *jhoot*(lies), > *julm* (oppression) and *jasusi* (spying). Modi has his spies in every > office. And Gujarat is now engulfed in crime, in riots. > > > > RSS and VHP leaders have amassed vast amounts of money in the name of > destroying the Babri Masjid and building a temple in Ayodhya. Some time > ago, > Gauri Advani, Lal Krishen Advani's daughter-in-law came out with a > statement > that Advani was not a true Hindu, that he was misusing the name of Rama. > Such is the state of the BJP. > > > > *Q:* So, do you feel that the Muslims arrested and sentenced in the Haren > Pandya case are actually innocent? > > *A:* I am concerned with the actual motivator of the murder, who, I say, > is > Narendra Modi. The Muslims who were arrested are poor and illiterate, and > such people can be used. Modi is worse than Hitler. He will use all means > to > protect himself, including threats and enticements. > > > > *Q:* But what about the Muslims arrested? Do you think they are innocent > and > have been wrongly framed? > > *A:* Maybe they are innocent. This is something that should be properly > investigated. How can I cite my own opinion? I am in touch with the > families > of these Muslim men. They respect me greatly. They have told me that their > sons were not at all involved in Haren's murder. It may be that the CBI > has > fabricated the whole story about these Muslims in order to save Modi. > > > > *Q:* So, are you saying that you think that these Muslims were not > involved > in the killing? > > *A:* They were not involved. They did not kill Haren. They had no role in > his murder. But, still, this is a matter for the court, so what can I say? > The court should have been impartial but it was not. Key witnesses, such > as > myself and Haren's secretary, have not been examined. I believe Vanjara > arranged for Haren's murder to please Modi in order to get a promotion, > and > the story of these innocent Muslims being involved was concocted in order > to > further fan Hindu emotions while getting rid of a major rival to Modi. One > man, Mufti Sufiyan, who was under constant police vigil, was allowed to > cross over to Pakistan so that witnesses could be made hostile and Modi > could escape conviction. > > > > Further, efforts were made to destroy all possible evidence. All the > telephone numbers on Haren's mobile phone of calls made on the 25th > and 26thof March, that is the day before and the day of his murder, > were later > deleted. The Hutch company may have been bribed or led astray or put under > pressure to do so. Had the numbers not been deleted, it could easily have > been ascertained who it was who had called him the morning he was > murdered, > because it was after getting this call that he left home in haste, shortly > after which he was killed. Obviously, that person must have been very > familiar to him, otherwise he would not have rushed out like that. And > then > when he reached the place which he must have mentioned to this caller, he > must have been surrounded by the killers, who pushed him on the ground, > because of which some gravel got lodged in his knees. They must have shot > him there, then put him in his car and taken it and his corpse to the Law > Gardens. The fact of the gravel in his knees clearly indicates that he was > not shot inside the car, but that he was killed elsewhere. > > > > I have clear-cut evidence to prove that Modi was responsible for Haren's > murder. It is as good as a dying declaration. Some two or three months > before Haren's murder, Modi asked the President of the Gujarat unit of the > BJP to issue Haren a show-cause notice, because he felt that Haren was > emerging as a powerful challenge to him. Haren said that he feared that he > might fall a victim to Modi's ego, vendetta and revenge. Haren did not > follow Modi's whims, and so Modi arranged for this show-cause notice to be > issued. The President of the BJP state unit had to do as Modi had told > him, > although he held Haren in great respect, and was literally in tears when > he > informed Haren about the notice. > > > > On 24th March, two days before he was killed, Haren, referring to Modi, > told > me, 'Take it from me, this Ghanchi (oil-presser, the caste to which Modi > belongs) may be rusticated from Gujarat within 15 days, by around the > 10thof April, otherwise I am not a Brahmin.' And that matter leaked > out. Haren > may have told the same thing to someone else, who might have informed > Modi, > and then became the apple of Modi's eye. > > > > *Q:* And who is that person? > > *A:* Oh, let that person go to hell. As I said, Haren might have told some > friends of his the same thing that he told me. It may have been a very big > builder in Ahmedabad, who might have told this to Advani, and maybe Modi > came to know of this through him. That is why Modi might have conspired to > have him killed. Haren wanted to drive Modi out of Gujarat using > constitutional means. He disliked Modi's attitude, his arrogance and his > unconstitutional deeds. > > > > *Q:* What do you feel about the burning of the coach of the Sabarmati > Express at Godhra, which was then used by Modi to engineer a genocide of > Muslims across Gujarat? > > *A:* I think it was a pre-planned strategy of Modi to use the Hindutva > card > to keep himself in power at any cost. > > > > *Q:* So, are you saying that you think that the train was set alight on > Modi's instructions? > > A: Yes. > > > > *Q:* Not by some Muslims in Godhra? > > *A:* No, no, no. > > > > *Q:* So are you saying that you believe that Modi was involved in the > burning of the coach? > > *A:* Definitely. > > > > *Q:* Did Haren Pandya tell you that? > > *A:* He told me that Modi would certainly do something (*Modi zaroor kuch > na > kuch karega*). > > > > *Q:* But did he explicitly tell you that Modi had planned the burning of > the > coach? > > *A:* No, he did not tell me this. But I believe that the Muslims of Godhra > were not responsible for the burning of the coach. The *karesevak*s > returning from Ayodhya in the train were absolutely frenzied and then this > happened. > > > > *Q:* But do you mean to say that you think the coach was burnt at Modi's > instigation? > > *A:* Definitely. Definitely. Definitely. > > > > *Q:* Since you believe that the Gujarat High Court's judgmnent is wrong, > have you demanded a reinvestigation into the Haren Pandya murder case? > > *A:* Yes, yes. I have sent numerous letters to leaders of the country > demanding a reinvestigation. I wrote to the President of India, the Chief > Justice and also delivered a letter to Sonia Gandhi in person. However, I > have got no response at all. Maybe there is some pressure not to go ahead > with the reinvestigation. I've been moving heaven and earth to get at the > truth but as long as Modi and Advani are not punished justice will elude > me. > > > > > *Q:* What do you feel about Modi's chances of winning in the coming > elections in Gujarat? > > *A:* He is feeding the people with sleeping pills, fanning communal > hatred. > But this time I don't think he will be elected. Who knows, prior to that > he > might be behind bars? I wish I could file a suit against him to disqualify > him, but I am an ordinary middle-class man and cannot afford the > exorbitant > cost that this would entail. And then, only a lawyer who will not succumb > to > Modi's tactics—bribes and intimdation—can take him on. > > > > But I will continue my struggle against Modi. It is not a struggle for my > son, but for Gujarat, for justice and democracy, for humanity, for the > victims of those thousands of innocent Muslims who Modi arranged to have > massacred. I am 80 years-old, and now at the fag end of my life. I am > doing > what I can to see that Modi and Advani and their likes are brought to > justice. I send off letters to various leaders demanding justice. I cannot > even remember the number of these letters. I have yet to get any positive > response, even from the Congress. But still I shall continue to raise my > voice. Otherwise, what is the use of living? I don't want to live like an > inert corpse. > > > > Modi behaves like the monarch of all he surveys. But I know in my heart > that > God will not let him go unpunished. He will die a dog's death. These are > the words of a Brahmin. > > > -- > Sukhia Sab Sansar Khaye Aur Soye > Dukhia Das Kabir Jagey Aur Roye > > The world is 'happy', eating and sleeping > The forlorn Kabir Das is awake and weeping > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > http://mail.yahoo.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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com From shambhu.rahmat at gmail.com Mon Nov 5 21:17:07 2007 From: shambhu.rahmat at gmail.com (Shambhu Rahmat) Date: Mon, 5 Nov 2007 23:47:07 +0800 Subject: [Reader-list] Where are the 'transitionists' now? Message-ID: anonymous email circulating in Dhaka, the reference obviously to Dhaka's own military crisis.... What a delight that the Commando has done what would be expected of an adolescent and somewhat idiotic juvenile such as himself. The rumour in Islamabad all of yesterday was that he acted when he did because there was every indication that the bench hearing his 'election' case was going to rule 11-0 against him!! And because the CJ was threatening the "untouchability" of the ISI and MI. So this Martial Law has nothing whatever to do with the revolt in the frontier or anything else. The Supreme Court disgraced senior government officials he says, referring to the punishments handed down to the Chief Commissioner and IG Police of Islamabad and the other policemen who had manhandled the Chief Justice in March, not appreciating the fact that the country at large was thrilled at this deserved humiliation of functionaries of state who have forever humiliated and disgraced and tortured common citizens. We must appreciate and applaud the great services rendered to the country by Chief Justice Chaudhry, warts and all. When was the last time that someone in the illegal custody of frightening organisations like the MI and ISI was recovered? Which other judge had the guts to threaten the bosses of these agencies that he would jail them if they did not produce the 'disappeared' in court and explain why they were in detention and where? I hope the members have followed the stories surrounding some of these poor unfortunates? Here is one: A young man was arrested from Islamabad and locked up in Mangla Cantt., for breaking his engagement with the niece of a high official of an agency and court-martialled on trumped-up charges of treason. He was given 10 years RI but the Judge Advocate General's Branch refused to approve the proceedings because of insufficient evidence. A fresh court martial was ordered. The CJ stepped in then and had the man brought before him and ordered a new inquiry into the case after ordering he be housed in Adiala Jail and not in any military facility. We must salute this brave man - as we emotional sub-continentals would say: 'Iftikhar Chaudhry ko lakhon salaam'. We must also ready ourselves for demonstrating peacefully at this outrage. Where, oh where are the 'transitionists' now? From fmadre at free.fr Mon Nov 5 21:23:32 2007 From: fmadre at free.fr (fmadre at free.fr) Date: Mon, 05 Nov 2007 16:53:32 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] now? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <20071105165332.7v2d4xkg00gok8oo@imp4.free.fr> > Where, oh where are the 'transitionists' now? > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. just wondering if this is still the topic of this mailing list sorry for hijacking a thread to get attention but if the topic of the list has changed dramatically as it seems to have I will probably go somewhere else f. From shambhu.rahmat at gmail.com Mon Nov 5 21:30:44 2007 From: shambhu.rahmat at gmail.com (Shambhu Rahmat) Date: Tue, 6 Nov 2007 00:00:44 +0800 Subject: [Reader-list] Bangladesh Disruptions Creating Dangerous Void Message-ID: Got this note from a very observant friend in Dhaka in response to this article. I havent read the Prothom Alo article. The list if it exists, is a very direct attempt by Jamaat and its sympathizers to establish themselves as a source of alternative history of 1971. The political cover provided by this military govt & pragmatist technocrats is very insidious indeed. -RK <> CAUTIONARY TALE - Disruptions in Bangladesh are creating a dangerous void Swapan Dasgupta The Telegraph http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071102/asp/opinion/story_8501825.asp In April 1972, while walking aimlessly down Free School Street, a friend and I chanced upon a hawker selling forms that would enable travel between the newly-liberated Bangladesh and India. Being plain bored - it was that waiting period between the end of school and beginning of college - we completed the formalities, secured the necessary endorsements and persuaded our parents that a trip across the border would be educative. Just four months after the Pakistani army surrendered, Dacca (as it was then spelt) was a city on a permanent high. The turbulence of the past year dominated the conversations at the Dacca University campus. There were chilling stories of Pakistani high-handedness and an equal number of boastful accounts of Mukti Bahini "action". We heard passionate discussions centred on the role of particular individuals: were they "collaborators" or just frightened souls who had either "obeyed orders" or kept their heads down after the imposition of Martial Law? In the drawing rooms of Gulshan we heard accounts of post-December 16 recriminations against "Biharis" - how an entire family living in the adjoining lane had been killed the previous month and their possessions distributed among Awami League activists. On the final night of our week-long stay, there was a flurry of excitement when the women of an adjoining house began yelling "dakait" (dacoit). The younger brother of our host fished out a gun and rushed out. The next thing we knew was that a crowd had collected around a frightened man. They began hitting him with lathis and metal pipes. Soon someone exclaimed "razakar" and the intensity of the assault increased. In about 15 minutes, the assailant was dead. The incident left us shaken. Was the dead man truly a razakar - a member of a vigilante squad promoted by the Pakistan army to safeguard East Pakistan from the secessionists? Our hosts couldn't be sure. They assured us, however, that these were just the type of riff-raff who had been recruited and issued uniforms by the Pakistani authorities to terrorize people into submission. There was no mistaking the visceral hatred of the average Bangladeshi for the collaborators, particularly the lumpen razakars. After liberation, many razakars were killed either by the victorious Mukti Bahini or by local people; some, particularly the Urdu-speaking ones, fled to the new refugee camps in Mirpur; and others tried to worm their way back into society. The initial ferocity of post-liberation recriminations in Bangladesh was understandable, given the bestiality of the Pakistan army after March 25, 1971. After the December 16 surrender, some 92,000 Pakistani soldiers were sent to prisoner-of-war camps across India. Despite their inglorious record, the soldiers were treated with dignity and released after the Simla Accord. Initial noises about establishing a war crimes tribunal notwithstanding, no action was taken by either India or Bangladesh against soldiers. In 1973, those soldiers from East Pakistan, like Hossain Mohammed Ershad, who had remained loyal to the Pakistan army during the war of liberation, were allowed to make a seamless transition into the new Bangladesh army. The consequences were ominous. The civilian collaborators fell into two broad categories: the razakar rabble and the Bengali-speaking ideological upholders of Pakistan. On January 24, 1972, the Bangladesh government promulgated a special tribunal order that led to the arrest of nearly 37,000 collaborators. The bulk of them comprised razakars and members of peace committees promoted by the Martial Law authority, but a significant minority included members of the Al Badr group which waged its own distinctive ideological war for upholding Pakistan. The Al Badr's most notorious act was the identification, arrest and massacre of anti-Pakistan intellectuals in the final days of East Pakistan. On April 18, 1973, the government stripped Golam Azam, the head of the East Pakistan wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami and the most notorious of the ideological collaborators, and a few others of their citizenship. Although Azam had left for West Pakistan in late-November 1971 and, therefore, wasn't in Dacca at the time of liberation, the act was deeply symbolic. In 1974, as part of the infant state's attempts at national reconciliation, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman announced an amnesty that led to the release of 26,000 erstwhile collaborators. A grey area surrounded the remaining 11,000, which included Azam's right-hand man, Motiur Rahman Nizami ("Moitta Rajakar"), the head of Al Badr, and Abbas Ali Khan, both stalwarts of the Jamaat. On December 31, 1975, the military government, which organized the ouster of the Mujib regime, rescinded the act governing collaborators. Since then, the entire Jamaat top brass, including Azam and Nizami, have returned to active politics and even become ministers in a government headed by Khaleda Zia. I returned to Dhaka earlier this week to discover that interest in the razakars remain as potent after a gap of 35 years. Last week, Bangladeshi nationalists were incensed over a remark by the secretary-geeral of the local Jamaat-e-Islami, General Ali Ahsan Mohammed Mojaheed, that there were no war criminals in Bangladesh. Mojaheed was the president of the Jamaat's Islami Chhatra Sangha in 1971. Adding fuel to the fire, the former Islami bank chairman and Jamaat sympathizer, Shah Abdul Hannan, described the events of 1971 as a "civil war", and not a "liberation struggle". In suggesting that public opinion in East Pakistan was divided between those who wanted independence and those who preferred remaining in a united Pakistan, the Jamaat has sought to make the formation of Bangladesh a contested history. Apart from the implication that the scales were tilted in favour of Bangladesh solely by Indian intervention, the "civil war" theory seeks to marry the legacy of Bangladesh with the Islamic inheritance of Pakistan. The Jamaat does not deny it was in favour of maintaining the unity of Pakistan but insists this was part of a political debate that had nothing to do with a war of liberation. For the Jamaat, the most important aspect of this intervention is the denial of the bloody events that began with General Tikka Khan's operations on March 25, 1971. Jamaat supporters have consistently peddled the view of Pakistan's Hamoodur Rahman commission report that only 26,000 civilians died in the nine-month conflict. In other words, if the claims of "genocide" and the murder of three million people are wildly exaggerated, it follows that accusations of people like Azam, Nizami and others being war criminals are baseless. The Jamaat's attempts at acquiring a respectable pedigree shouldn't be brushed off as just an attempt to rewrite the history books. It is an important pointer to the fact that the organization now has the requisite self-confidence to believe it can emerge as one of the distinctive poles of Bangladesh politics - the other being the Awami League. Organized along the lines of the Hizbollah in Lebanon and the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, and riding the crest of global Islamism, the Jamaat has systematically infiltrated every wing of the state, but particularly the bureaucracy and military. Hannan, for example, is a former secretary to the government and Azam's son, Kaifi Azmi, is a mid-ranking officer in the army. Its network of mosques and madarsas is elaborate, and Jamaat leaders enjoy the patronage and protection of Saudi Arabia. The forcible suspension of politics by the military-backed caretaker government may have given Bangladesh a respite from bouts of mindless disruption, but it is also creating a vacuum. The void may well be filled by Islamist organizations that have different mobilizing strategies. At this rate, the razakars won't remain history; they are likely to resume their old ways. From shambhu.rahmat at gmail.com Mon Nov 5 21:32:54 2007 From: shambhu.rahmat at gmail.com (Shambhu Rahmat) Date: Tue, 6 Nov 2007 00:02:54 +0800 Subject: [Reader-list] Is The UN A Waste Of Time? Message-ID: Invitation for Press TV's Forum Press TV will provide a taxi or £20 to cover travel expenses Saturday 10th November 2007, from 1.30 to 3.20 pm Press TV Ltd Level 1, Westgate House West Gate, London W5 1YY Press TV is pleased to invite you to join the audience for a new TV current affairs debate show called the Forum. The programme is part of a weekly series of televised debates on various contemporary political issues. The 48 minutes show taking place on Saturday 10th November 2007, hosted by Andrew Gilligan, will feature 4 specialist panellists, who will be asked the question : Is the United Nation a waste of time? This will be followed by a number of questions on related themes. If you are interested in attending the event and would like to put a question to the panellists on air please send an email to forum at presstv.co.uk and fill in the following information about yourself followed by your question below. We are attempting to have a fairly balanced cross section of people attend our shows and it is important that the information you provide is as accurate as possible. All information provided will be treated in the strictest confidence. 1990 Full Name: Address: Tel No: Email Address: What is your Occupation: Your Question? Would you like to be kept informed of future events hosted by Press TV? Yes/No From pawan.durani at gmail.com Mon Nov 5 21:45:30 2007 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Mon, 5 Nov 2007 21:45:30 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Is Subsidy Islamic or UnIslamic ? In-Reply-To: <200807.53044.qm@web45513.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> References: <472E82AA.1040700@sarai.net> <200807.53044.qm@web45513.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <6b79f1a70711050815v4d3b0be9q6af2f03d3992a9d@mail.gmail.com> An intresting and fair write up on Haj Subsidy. http://opiningcynic.blogspot.com/2007/01/poverty-and-the-haj-subsidy.html Look around in India and it is not difficult to see the shades of economic prosperity. The picture you see is only a few blocks away from my house in Bandra (considered one of the more uptown locations in Mumbai). In a country where it is estimated that only 1 of every 100 rupees that is spent on development actually percolates down to the needy there is much merit in being prudent with developmental expenditure. Yet ours has been a country famous for its vote bank politics (and hence expenditure). Be it the freebees that have become the hallmark of Tamil Nadupolitics or the Haj Subsidy that has been the center of debate in this country for years. A petition was filed in the Supreme Court regarding the legality of the subsidy being afforded by the government to Haj Pilgrims. The petitioner is questioning the constitutional validity of the Haj Committee Act, 1959. To quote article 27 of the Indian constitution, which this act seems to contradict "Freedom as to payment of taxes for promotion of any particular religion.- No person shall be compelled to pay any taxes, the proceeds of which are specifically appropriated in payment of expenses for the promotion or maintenance of any particular religion or religious denomination." In a country that still has poverty of starvation deaths is it necessary to be paying out over 250 crores to one community. Liz Mathewhad written an interesting article on this *While Muslim intellectuals fiercely oppose Haj pilgrimage, the government argues that it is only assisting poor Muslims to fulfill their dream of a Haj pilgrimage and upholding the country's secular credentials. "For those who are going for Haj, it's a life time dream. The government is giving only travel subsidy to those who cannot meet the expenses - its not cash in hand," Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed, who is in charge of Haj affairs, told IANS. "The presence of Indian Muslims is felt in big way in an international congregation. Now the world realises that India is home to the second largest Muslim population. It upholds our secular credentials," Ahamedadded. But academicians like Firoz Bakht Ahamed rubbished the argument. "This is an argument that supports the compartmentalisation of people into religious groups. India is not going to enhance its status by sending more Haj pilgrims," said Feroz Ahamed, a grand nephew of freedom fighter Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. "Going for Haj is a desire and it should be done keeping in view the economical status also. The government is not helping Muslims by providing subsidy when the community lags behind in all social indicators. It is just vote bank-politics. "Instead, there should be a concrete plan to uplift the community, especially in girls' education," he said. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government last week decided to pay the round trip fare to 10,000 more Haj pilgrims every year, taking the total number entitled to the subsidy to 110,000. The government has spent nearly Rs.1.80 billion on the last Haj and the increase in the number could push this expenditure by at least 10 percent. Muslim intellectuals point out that even Saudi Arabia, home of Mecca, believes that any subsidy for the Haj goes against the spirit of the Shariat, the Islamic law. They say Haj is a religious duty only for those who can afford it and that the pilgrimage may not be 'accepted by god' if money spent on transport to reach the holy sites and on food is not the pilgrim's own. Pakistan discontinued Haj subsidies to pilgrims as well as goodwill delegations after a 1997 court ruling that any expenditure defrayed by the government was contrary to the Shariat. Syed Shahabuddin, former diplomat and a community leader, also opposed the idea. "I am against subsidy," Shahabuddin told IANS. "I have told successive prime ministers that this Haj subsidy is there because of their political need, it has never been our demand," he said. * Hopefully the courts will once again step in to favor good reason! On 11/5/07, we wi wrote: > > Dear All, > > We do not expect/wish china to provide whatever of this pilgrimage to > Mount Kailash, as it is under illegal possession. Similarly for the sharda > temple in POK. As mount Kailash is already in Chinese possession GOI > support is necessary until Chinese vacate the illegally occupied lands and > so as Pakistan. > > > > --We expect/wish Pakistan to provide subsidy(better infrastructure > facilities,basic amenities) > to HINGLA Mata temple at BALUCHISTAN. Otherwise in my opinion Pakistan > will better > give a contract to INDIA to look after basic amenities under > BOR(built,operate,run)/LEASE > or whatever policy. > (as yasir.media published a telegraph article on this a few days back). > --We expect/wish Pakistan to stop day dreaming about Jammu and Kashmir. > --We expect/wish China to vacate Tibet like Chinese expected/wished HONG > KONG return > after 99 year lease from British, and thinking about Taiwan. > --We expect/wish China should practice Buddhism more sincerely, other wise > they better quit it. > > > As Dalailama and Tibet strictly believed in Buddhism and non-violence, > they were like this today. If Dalailama was honored at US, why china felt > uneasy(as per shudda words, private program, faith etc., )? China > would have realized/recognized/considered Dalailama as peace maker on this > earth and hence the honour is a private program between bush and Dalailama. > > Even kids will understand this simple thing, if you pick them anywhere > from through out the globe . If any body wish to say anything please > talk/write/question on the above. > > > Regards, > Dhatri. > > > *Shuddhabrata Sengupta * wrote: > > Dear all, > > it is interesting to find minority-baiting raise its head on this list > yet again, particularly in the wake of the damaging revelations > forwarded on to this list about the pogroms in Gujarat. I am referring > to the efforts by some on this list to highlight the so-called 'Haj' > subsidy issue in India, perhaps as a timely distraction from the fact of > the complicity of the Modi regime in Gujarat in acts of organized mass > murder. > > Let me state at the outset that I am against any effort by the state to > financially subsidize the practice of any religion. Religion is a > private matter, and the state, I believe, should have no role to play in > the pursuit of private matters. Subsidizing religion amounts to an > interference in religious matters and questions of faith. So I am > against the Haj subsidy. For the same reason, I am against the state > subidizing and supporting pilgrimages by Hindus and Sikhs to Mount > Kailash, Nanakana Saheb and the gigantic infrastructural costs and > logistical support offered during the various Kumbh and Ardha Kumbh > Melas. I would have no problems if the Indian government were to do away > with the Haj subsidy, following the example of many Muslim countries. > Let us at the same time advocate that the Indian government withdraws > state patronage of all Hindu (and other faiths') religious institutions, > functionaries, events, temple trusts etc. > > I have grown tired of the Hindutva lobby's cynical and unfounded > invocation of the Haj issue. Let us, for a change, have the facts speak > for themselves. I offer below an excerpt from a well researched article > on the question of subsidies to matters of faith in India, including the > 'Haj Subsidy' by John Dayal which was originally published in Himal > Magazine in October this year. I hope you all will find it of interest. > > regards, > > Shuddha > > ----------------------------------------------------------------- > > Financing Faith, by John Dayal > Himal Magazine, October 2007 > > > "...The subsidy for Haj is a more complicated matter entirely. There is > no equivalent of Haj in any other religion: the Hindu teeraths do not > come close, and Christianity has nothing remotely similar. Even in > Islam, Haj is obligatory only for those who are in sound health and > can afford it. They cannot perform the pilgrimage on borrowed money, > nor on the charity of others. There is likewise no mention of help > from the state, other than facilitation. > > Last year, one B N Shukla went to court against the Haj subsidy, > demanding it be withdrawn. His plaint pointed out that the > Constitution provides equal status to all Indians, while also > restricting the government from giving benefits to one faith at the > cost of others. Shukla did not site any official record, but alleged > that every year the government spends more than INR 3 billion on more > than 100,000 Hajjis. Special flights are run on the national carrier, > Air India; air-conditioned Haj houses have been built across the > country; and pilgrims are provided free food and lodging during the > course of their trip. Even Islamic countries do not give subsidies for > Haj, Shukla's application noted. A notice was subsequently sent to the > government, the official response to which was reiterated in its > response to a question in Parliament. > > The Haj subsidy was formally raised in the Parliamentary Standing > Committee on External Affairs during P V Narasimha Rao's government, > following the demolition of the Babri Masjid in December 1992. All > parties were represented in the Committee, and the recommendation to > reduce and eventually abolish the subsidy was unanimous. Fourteen > years later, in 2006, the government reported that 83,000 pilgrims > performed the Haj during the previous year, out of which the > government subsidised around INR 1.8 billion. For good measure, > Parliament was told that 529 Hindu pilgrims performed the Kailash > Mansarovar Yatra that same year, at a public cost of INR 17.2 million. > Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma, who reported > these figures, also said that 8179 people visited Sikh gurudwaras and > Hindu temples in Pakistan the previous year. Both groups were given > free medical assistance, security and various escorts. > > For the RSS, the Haj-related data came at an opportune time. It > reported a 500 percent increase in just seven years, which the RSS > described as an "alarming, non-secular appeasement of one religious > community when one considers that the Indian government is so > desperate to reduce food grains and fertiliser subsidy to the large > and poor farming community." > > Muslims and secular scholars alike point out that the Haj subsidy > began during the early 1970s, after the oil crisis had caused Haj- > related transportation prices to skyrocket. It was introduced as > something of a stopgap measure - and the charge of official > 'appeasement' of minorities has lingered ever since. The Haj charter > fare was first fixed at INR 6000, before being eventually doubled. Of > the 120,000 Indian Muslims who undertook the Mecca pilgrimage this > year, some 70,000 went by air, and were able to avail themselves of a > subsidy of more than INR 20,000 per person. (There is no subsidy for > the 50,000 others who went by ship.) But former Member of Parliament > Syed Shahabuddin points out that many Indian Muslim pilgrims come from > rural areas, and are not even aware of the government subsidy. As > such, much of this money is simply going to an elite group of Muslims, > who would, one would assume, least need the taxpayer's subsidy. > > Islam in India further benefits from the public exchequer in the > larger mosques, which receive government doles for salaries, annual > upkeep and additional expenses. As elsewhere, however, very little > information on these headings is public. > > Mela monies > The situation with regards to Hinduism is even murkier. Despite the > significant attention paid to the interface between the government and > Islam, rarely are questions raised regarding government subsidies to > Hindu and Sikh pilgrimages, in temple upkeep, in paying for the > salaries of Hindu priests, and in maintaining public spaces during > such events as the Maha and Ardha kumbhs. (Christians, meanwhile, > claim that there is next to no money spent on them, other than by the > Archaeological Survey of India on heritage buildings in Goa, or by the > British government on graves for soldiers.) > > As noted, Hindus do receive government subsidies for pilgrimages to > Mount Kailash, and from a variety of sources. First, the Ministry of > External Affairs routes INR 3250 to each Kailash yatri. The Uttar > Pradesh state government then adds INR 5000 per pilgrim. The Delhi > state government adds another INR 5000 for any pilgrim from Delhi. > Likewise, the Gujarat government gives a kit worth INR 2500 to every > yatri from that state. This kind of subsidy may well be given by other > states as well, although such information is not publicly available. > > Gujarat presents a particularly interesting case of state money being > funnelled towards Hindu causes. The BJP government in 2001 announced > that it would begin paying monthly salaries to Hindu priests in the > state. During the first phase, each priest of the 354 government- > controlled devasthans, or temples, would be entitled to a monthly > salary of about INR 1200. The late Haren Pandya, at that time Minister > of State for Home Affairs with the additional charge of "pilgrimage > development and cow protection", told the media that priests of other > religions were paid from either the Waqf Board or trusts managing the > place of worship. The new payments were "to give justice to the > feelings of the Hindu society that salaries are being paid to them", > Pandya explained. > > There is some information available on the tab for massive Hindu > fairs, although much of this spending is merely labelled as > 'infrastructure development'. The grounds of the gargantuan 12-yearly > Allahabad Maha Kumbh, for instance, are spread over 1500 hectares. > During the last Kumbh Mela, in 2001, the site boasted 12,000 taps, > capable of supplying 50.4 million litres of water; 450 kilometres of > electric lines and 15,000 streetlights in place; 70,000 toilets; and > 7100 sweepers to clean up the mess generated by an estimated five > million devotees. There were also 11 post offices and 3000 temporary > phone connections, while 4000 buses and five trains were also > requisitioned for the mela period. At its peak, the mela > administration had more than 80 officials working full time. The > budget for all of this was INR 1.2 billion - INR 800 million from the > state government, and INR 400 million from the Centre. This did not > include the costs of deploying around 11,000 policemen, as well as 40 > companies of the Provincial Armed Constabulary and other paramilitary > forces. > > The case of the Ujjain Ardha Kumbh, in Madhya Pradesh in April 2004, > was no different. At that time, Chief Minister Uma Bharati promised > that she would do all she could for the festival, which at the time > was expecting millions of pilgrims. Bharati ultimately received > additional funds from the Centre to the tune of INR 10 billion. > > Melas and pilgrimages aside, the government does not reveal how much > it costs to broadcast the gurubani from the Golden Temple in Amritsar, > nor explain why some temples and church groups receive tax exemptions > on commercial activities such as medical colleges, charging hundreds > of thousands of rupees in capitation or admission charges..." > > > > > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > http://mail.yahoo.com > From naeem.mohaiemen at gmail.com Mon Nov 5 21:55:05 2007 From: naeem.mohaiemen at gmail.com (Naeem Mohaiemen) Date: Tue, 6 Nov 2007 00:25:05 +0800 Subject: [Reader-list] 1974 Tripartite Agreement Key Document in War Crimes Debate Message-ID: The storm over Jamaat e Islami calling 1971 a "civil war" continues. http://www.drishtipat.org/blog/2007/10/29/jamaat-1971/ Latest document to be dissected is the 1974 Tripartite... >From Bangladesh_1971 listserv... Pl read these 3 paras 13, 14, and 15. I didnot see any word "War Criminal" only 195 POW. And also read; "The Minister further noted that following recognition, the Prime Minister of Pakistan declared that he would visit Bangladesh in response to the invitation of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and appeal to the people of Bangladesh, to forgive and forget the mistakes of the past. Similarly, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh had declared with regard to the atrocities and destruction committed in Bangladesh in 1971 that he wanted the people to forget the past and to make a fresh start, stating that the people of Bangladesh knew how to forgive." They never appeal to the people of Bangladesh, to forgive and forget the mistake pf the past. MMR Jalal. "Pheeray Dekhun Ekattor. Ghuray Darak Bangladesh." TRIPARTITE AGREEMENT BETWEEN INDIA, BANGLADESH AND PAKISTAN FOR NORMALISATION OF RELATIONS IN THE SUB-CONTINENT New Delhi, April 9, 1974 1. On July 2, 1972, the President of Pakistan and the Prime Minister of India signed an historic agreement at Simla under which they resolved that the two countries put to an end the conflict and confrontation that has hitherto marred their relations and work for the promotion of a friendly and harmonious relationship and the establishment of a durable peace in the sub-continent. The Agreement also provided for the settlement of "their difference by peaceful means by bilateral negotiations or by any other peaceful means mutually agreed upon. 2. Bangladesh welcomed the Simla Agreement. The Prime Minister of Bangladesh strongly supported its objective of reconciliation, good neighborliness' and establishment of durable peace in the sub-continent. 3. The humanitarian problem arising in the wake of the tragic events of 1971 constituted a major obstacle in the way of reconciliation and normalization among the countries of the sub-continent. In the absence of reconciliation, it was not possible to have tripartite talks to settle the humanitarian problems, as Bangladesh could not participate in such meeting on the basis of sovereign equality. 4. On April 17, 1973, India and Bangladesh took a major step forward to break the deadlock on the humanitarian issues by setting aside the political problems of recognition. In a Declaration issued on the date they said that they "are resolved to continue their efforts to reduce tension, promote friendly and harmonious relationship in the sub-continent and work together towards the establishment of a durable peace ". Inspired by the vision and "in the larger interest of reconciliation, peace and stability in the sub-continent" they jointly proposed that the problem of the detained and stranded persons should be resolved on humanitarian considerations through simultaneous repatriation of all such persons except those Pakistani prisoners of war who might be required by the Government of Bangladesh for trial on certain charges. 5. Following the Declaration there were a series of talks between India and Bangladesh and India and Pakistan. These talks resulted in an agreement at Delhi on August 28, 1973 between India and Pakistan with the concurrence of Bangladesh, which provided for a solution of the outstanding humanitarian problems. 6. In pursuance of the Agreement, the process of three-way repatriation commenced on September 19, 1973. So far nearly 300,000 persons have been repatriated which has generated an atmosphere of reconciliation and paved the way for normalization of relations in the sub-continent. 7. In February 1974, recognition took place thus facilitating the participation of Bangladesh in the tripartite meeting envisaged in the Delhi Agreement, on the basis of sovereign equality. Accordingly His Excellency Dr.Kamal Hossain, Foreign Minster of the Government of Bangladesh, His Excellency Sardar Swaran Singh, Minister of External Affairs, Government of India and His Excellency Mr.Aziz Ahmed, the Minister of State for Defense and Foreign Affairs of the Government of Pakistan met in New Delhi from April 5 to April 9, 1974 and discussed the various issues mentioned in the Delhi Agreement in particular the question of the 195 prisoners of war and the completion of the three-way process of repatriation involving Bangalees in Pakistan, Pakistanis in Bangladesh and Pakistani prisoners of war in India. 8. The Ministries reviewed the progress of the three-way repatriation under the Delhi Agreement of August 28, 1973. They were gratified that such a large number of persons detained or stranded in the three countries had since reached their destinations. 9. The Ministers also considered steps that needed to be taken in order expeditiously to bring the process of the three-way repatriation to a satisfactory conclusion. 10. The Indian side stated that the remaining Pakistani prisoners of war and civilians internees in India to be repatriated under the Delhi Agreement, numbering approximately 6,500, would be repatriated at the usual pace of rain on alternate days and the likely short-fall [text illegible] ..to April 10, 1974 on account of Kumb Mela, would be made up by running additional trains after April 19. It was thus hoped that the repatriation of prisoners of war would be completed by the end of April 1974. 11. The Pakistani side stated that the repatriation of Bangladesh nationals from Pakistan was approaching completion. The remaining Bangladesh nationals in Pakistan would also repatriated without let or hindrance. 12. In respect of non-Bangalees in Bangladesh, the Pakistan side stated that the Government of Pakistan had already issued clearances for movement to Pakistan in favor of those non-Bangalees who were either domiciled in former West Pakistan, were employees of the Central Government and their families or were members of the divided families, irrespective of their original domicile. The issuance of the clearance to 25,000 persons who constitute hardship cases was also in progress. The Pakistan side reiterated that all those who fall under the first three categorize would be received by Pakistan without any limits to numbers. In respect of persons whose applications had been rejected, the Government of Pakistan would upon request, provide reasons why any particular case was rejected. Any aggrieved applicant could, at any time, seek a review of his application provided he was able to supply new facts or further information to the Government of Pakistan in support of his contention that he qualified in one or other of the three categories. The claims of such persons would not be time-barred. In the event of the decision of the review of a case being adverse, the Government of Pakistan and Bangladesh might seek to resolve it by mutual consultation. 13. The question of 195 Pakistani prisoners of war was discussed by the three Ministers, in the context of the earnest desire of the Governments for reconciliation, peace and friendship in the sub-continent. The Foreign Minister of Bangladesh stated that the excesses and manifold crimes committed by these prisoners of war constituted according to the relevant provisions of the U.N General Assembly Resolutions and International Law, war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, and that there was universal consensus that persons charged with such crimes as the 195 Pakistani prisoners of war should be held to account and subjected to the dues process of Law. The Minister of State for Defense and Foreign Affairs of the Government of Pakistan said that his Government condemned and deeply regretted any crimes that may have been committed. 14. In this connection the three Ministers noted that the matter should be viewed in the context of the determination of the three countries to continue resolutely to work for reconciliation. The Minister further noted that following recognition, the Prime Minister of Pakistan declared that he would visit Bangladesh in response to the invitation of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and appeal to the people of Bangladesh, to forgive and forget the mistakes of the past. Similarly, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh had declared with regard to the atrocities and destruction committed in Bangladesh in 1971 that he wanted the people to forget the past and to make a fresh start, stating that the people of Bangladesh knew how to forgive. 15. In the light of the foregoing and, in particular, having regard to the appeal of the Prime Minister of Pakistan to the people of Bangladesh to forgive and forget the mistakes of the past, the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh stated that the Government of Bangladesh has decided not to proceed with the trials as an act of clemency. It was agreed that the 195 prisoners of war may be repatriated to Pakistan along with the other prisoners of war now in process of repatriation under the Delhi Agreement. 16. The Minister expressed their convictions that the above agreements provide a firm basis for the resolution of the humanitarian problems arising out of the conflict of 1971. They reaffirmed the vital stake of seven hundred million people of the three countries have in peace and progress and reiterated the resolve of their Governments to work for the promotion of normalization of relations and the establishment of durable peace in the sub-continent. Signed in New Delhi on April 9, 1974 in three original, each of which is equally authentic. Sd/- Dr.Kamal Hossain, Foreign Minster of the Government of Bangladesh, Sd/- Sardar Swaran Singh, Minister of External Affairs, Government of India Sd/- Mr.Aziz Ahmed, the Minister of State for Defense and Foreign Affairs of the Government of Pakistan [RECORDED VERBATIM AS PER CIRCULATION BY THE OFFICE OF THE FOREIGN MINISTER, GOVERNMENT OF BANGLADESH] http://tpoi.blogspot.com/2002/08/did-we-forgive-pakistan-in-1974.html From vrjogi at hotmail.com Mon Nov 5 22:12:47 2007 From: vrjogi at hotmail.com (Vedavati Jogi) Date: Mon, 5 Nov 2007 16:42:47 +0000 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: FW: Guests in Vedavati's house In-Reply-To: References: <843470.23386.qm@web57214.mail.re3.yahoo.com> <602CC652-A4B4-4C09-9489-CAE87865E02E@sarai.net> Message-ID: hello, thanks for reading my mails for a long time. i don't know other's reactions because i don't receive r-list mails. i am sure they must not be different from what you have written. firstly i write things based on facts, if you find them rant its your opinion. if you don't understand/ see the things which are as bright as day its again your problem. i have to repeat myself because i find same secular lies again & again on r-list. when people like yogi sikand, shuddha, roger das , and many more keep talking about descrimination and problems faced by muslims in india, you don't get annoyed, when they keep cursing rss, vhp, modi again & again, you don't get provoked, but when i try to counter them that inspires you to write mail, surprising! r-list does not block mails by thses people mentioned above when they spread hatred towards rss & likes, but when i try to expose psudo secularists my mails are blocked. this type of psudosecularism was propagated in 20th century in gandhian era, which ultimately resulted into partition of this country. kashmiri hindus have become refugees in their own country again because of this psudo secularism - shame on us, that we have still not learnt any lesson. after 2006 news had appeared in indian express that terrorists wanted to make blasts in gujrat but local muslims did not 'dare' to support them hence ultimately terrorists chose mumbai. it speaks volumes. i hope you understand what i mean. i have never never supported gujrat riots in 2002. but one must try to understand psychology of hindus. they too have right to defend themselves, they too have right to take revenge. vedavati Date: Sat, 3 Nov 2007 15:42:29 +0000From: anu.mukh at gmail.comTo: vrjogi at hotmail.comSubject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: FW: Guests in Vedavati's house Dear Vedavati, I have been reading your posts for a long time. Without going into their merits or demerits, they seriously need to be structured better in order to say what you want to convey. Otherwise it is simply a rant. Rants are also valid, but this may not be the best forum for that. I suggest, start a blog. And may I also add that you don't ever say anything new. Not a new line of thought or even facts. You just go on repeating yourself. I have been a most invisible reader here, but you inspired me to write in. Continue the good work, but do at least make an effort to make what you write readable and therefore more easy to understand. Your scorn for "pseudo-secularists" is well-known, but since many of them are your readers, at least be legible. But I also find it funny that words like intellectual and pseudo-secularists are tossed about with such ease without even sparing a thought about their meaning or genesis. Almost every totalitarian regime or mindset that wanted to attack free-thinking has used such terms regardless which side of the fence they were on. The earth-shattering questions you ask can all be answered. But only somebody with immense patience can do it, take up your arguments point-wise and shred them. May be it is high time somebody should. But then what's the point, you don't ever listen to others, do you? Frankly, for most of us, it's not worth the effort. I agree with Inder when he says that you need to shape your debate better. Before you lump me with him and declare us a part of some "pseudo-secularist agenda" let me add that I may or may not agree with him on other things. Best Anuradha 1/red need3/07, Vedavati Jogi wrote: lot must have been discussed by readers list members about tehelka, as i am not receiving any mail from r-list i don't have the priviledge to read the secular thoughts. i want to express my views which may or may not be published by r-list. i feel if tehelka is so much fond of digging the past things, i can suggest few more subjects. 1) for thousands of years muslimss killed/ looted/ converted hindus, pulled down their temples, humiliated their women. tehelka can study & find out how many of muslims in india are originally hindus. how many mandirs have been dismantled & converted into masjids. 2) why was india partitioned in 1947? inspite of gandhi's appeasement policy, why was jinnah & his followers remained so adamant? what was meant by 'has ke liya pakistan, ladh ke lenge hindustan'? 3) who masterminded 1993 bombay- bombblast? 4) was rubiya syed abduction episode, a true story? or mufti m. syed the then first muslim home minister had joined hands with pakistan to release 5 hardcore terrorists? > CC: vrjogi at hotmail.com; reader-list at sarai.net> From: monica at sarai.net> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: FW: Guests in Vedavati's house> Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2007 11:50:44 +0530> To: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com> > Vedavati,> > If you have disabled receiving mails, then it does not mean that your > mails are being blocked by anyone except yourself for yourself.> > Mots du jour like banned are easy to bandy but utterly pointless if > untrue. Useful however for creating an atmosphere of allegations and > defensiveness. Perhaps that was the intention?> > This is an administered - NOT moderated - list. As everyone by now > knows, to their edification (or boredom).> > best> M> > Monica Narula> Raqs> Sarai-CSDS> 29 Rajpur Road> Delhi 110 054> www.raqsmediacollective.net> www.sarai.net> > > On 06-Sep-07, at 10:09 PM, Kshmendra Kaul wrote:> > > Dear VJ> >> > I do not know what the glitch was if any, but this last mail of > > yours has come through SARAI.> >> > Your address in Subscribers List continues to show in parentheses > > which means your list delivery is disabled.> >> > KK> >> > Vedavati Jogi < vrjogi at hotmail.com> wrote:> > .hmmessage P { margin:0px; padding:0px } body.hmmessage > > { FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY:Tahoma } yes, kshemendra, my > > mails are being blocked by sarai and i am not surprised because > > this is the real nature of secularism practiced in india.> >> > this secularism will lead to disaster i am sure.> >> > few decades back britishers encouraged muslim separatism which > > ultimately resulted into partition. today same great job is being > > done by psudosecularists and i will not be surprised if one day > > muslims again start giving same slogan 'islam khatareme hai' > > leading the nation to many more partitions.> >> > 'gujrat' is a 'shame' but 'kashmir' is not!> > when one babri was pulled down then so many riots (initiated by > > muslims) took place more over their acts were justified by > > psudosecularists> > but many temples were pulled down in kashmir ...spineless hindus > > did not feel bad and ofcourse psudo secularists kept their mouths > > shut.> >> > list is very big. this is secularism. if you feel what i have > > written is not wrong please distribute it.> >> > thanks> > vj> >> >> >> > ---------------------------------> > From: vrjogi at hotmail.com> > To: tapasrayx at gmail.com; reader-list at sarai.net> > Subject: RE: [Reader-list] FW: FW: Guests in Vedavati's house> > Date: Tue, 4 Sep 2007 02:21:04 +0000> >> > .ExternalClass .EC_hmmessage P {padding: > > 0px;} .ExternalClass EC_body.hmmessage {font-size:10pt;font- > > family:Tahoma;} no i am not suffering from any mental problem, i > > only tell the truth which psudo secularists can not digest.> >> > vedavati> >> >> >> Date: Sat, 25 Aug 2007 13:02:38 +0530> >> From: tapasrayx at gmail.com> >> To: vrjogi at hotmail.com> >>>> >> Please do not forward anything to me in future. I do not > >> appreciate it.> >>> >> For your information, I have already received from Reader-list the > >> mail> >> you claim was blocked and have forwarded to me offlist.> >>> >> I suspect you may be suffering from some type of delusion or > >> paranoia.> >>> >> TR> >>> >>> >> Vedavati Jogi wrote:> >>> i have no alternative but to forward this mail to all of you> >>> individually as readers list people don't dare to publish my mail.> >>> i request all of you to please read this correspondance. views > >>> expressed> >>> by people like roger are posing real threat to this country' unity.> >>>> >>> vedavati> >>> -------------------------------------------------------------------- > >>> ----> >>> From: vrjogi at hotmail.com> >>> To: rgdj12 at yahoo.com; reader-list at sarai.net> >>> Subject: RE: [Reader-list] FW: FW: Guests in Vedavati's house> >>> Date: Sat, 25 Aug 2007 04:55:48 +0000> >>>> >>> pakistan is an enemy so i don't blame them as they are doing what an> >>> enemy is supposed to do. i am talking against psudoseculars like> >>> you. nobody has blocked minority advancement in india otherwise> >>> shahruhk, irfan pathan, zakir hussin, javed akhtar would not have > >>> > >> >> >> > ---------------------------------> > Download the latest version of Windows Live Messenger NOW! Click > > here!> >> > ---------------------------------> > Download the latest version of Windows Live Messenger NOW! Click > > here!> >> >> > ---------------------------------> > Be a better Globetrotter. Get better travel answers from someone > > who knows.> > Yahoo! Answers - Check it out.> > _________________________________________> > 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.> > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > List archive: >_________________________________________________________________Windows Live Spaces is here! It's easy to create your own personal Web site. http://spaces.live.com/?mkt=en-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.To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-listList archive: _________________________________________________________________ Check out some new online services at Windows Live Ideas—so new they haven’t even been officially released yet. http://www.msnspecials.in/windowslive/ From nc-agricowi at netcologne.de Mon Nov 5 13:52:05 2007 From: nc-agricowi at netcologne.de (NMF2007) Date: Mon, 05 Nov 2007 09:22:05 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] =?iso-8859-1?q?=5BAnnouncements=5D_NMF2007_-_JavaMu?= =?iso-8859-1?q?seum_netart_features?= Message-ID: <20071105092205.721BA754.5F7A18A9@192.168.0.3> NewMediaFest2007 http://2007.newmediafest.org NewMediaFest2007 blog http://www.newmediafest.org/blog/ 1st common festival of [NewMediaArtProjectNetwork]:||cologne 1 November 2007 - 31 May 2008 is proud to present a bunch of excellent netart features contributed by --------------------------------------> JavaMuseum - Forum for Internet Technology in Contemporary Art http://www.javamuseum.org a virtual museum dedicated to a specific form of digital art, i.e. "netart" - Internet based art. Founded in 2000, JavaMuseum, one of the pioneers in the field of netart incorporates via 18 showcases a most comprehensive collection of netart from the years 2000-2004 and is completely re-launched on occasion of NewMediaFest2007, by presenting 5 exhibition components 2.1. featured netart show, entitled: "Seven Ways to Say Internet with Net Art" - curated by Elena Giulia Rossi , also curator at National Museum of 21th Century Art - MAXXI Rome/Italy - including the artists --> Juliet Davis, Reinhald Drouhin, Free Soil (Amy Franceschini, Myriel Milicevic, Nis Rømer) Molleindustria, Santiago Ortiz, C.J.Yeh, Lorenzo Pizzanelli 2.2. "a+b =ba? [art+blog=blogart?] curated by Wilfried Agricola de Cologne featuring the artists Randy Adams aka runran (Canada), Tauvydas Bajarkevicius (Lithuania), Raheema Begum (India), Hans Bernhard (Austria), JR Carpenter (Canada), Antony Carriere (USA), Dylan Davies (USA), Ryan Gallagher (USA), Fabian Giles (Mexico), Ellie Harrison (USA), Gita Hashemi (Canada), Jeremy Hight (USA), Juan Patino (Argentina), Alexander Jancijevic (Canada), Richard Jochum (USA), Keith Deverell, Seth Keen, David Wolf (Australia), Kyon (Germany), Yvonne Martinsson (Sweden), Vytautas Michellevicius (Lithuania), Alex Perl (USA), Karla Schuch Brunet (Brazil), Robert Sloon; (USA), Andres Torres (Chile), Michael Szpakowski (UK), Matthew Williamson; (USA), Salvatore Iaconesi (Italy) 2.3. "10 Years Netart" - solo show presenting the online work 1997-2007 by the US artist Jody Zellen 2.4 net.NET I --> 1st edition of netart features including Adele Prince (UK), J.T.Wine (USA), Carlo Sansolo (Brazil), Les Liens Invisibles (Italy), MEZ (Australia), Konstantia Sofokleous (Cyprus) Katty Vandenberghe and Chris Diedericks (South Africa) 2.5. JIP - JavaMuseum Interview Project Wilfried Agricola de Cologne invites more than 80 professionals in the field of Internet based art - for an interview and answering 10 questions in order to contribute to a better understanding of an undervaluated contemporary art genre. --------------------------------------------- The Netart features by JavaMuseum can be acessed via NewMediaFest2007 interface on http://2007.newmediafest.org but also separately via individual URLs 7 ways to Internet with Netart - http://www.javamuseum.org/2007/index1.html a+b=ba? - http://www.javamuseum.org/2007/index2.html ne.NET I - http://www.javamuseum.org/2007/index3.html solo Jody Zellen - http://www.javamuseum.org/2007/index4.html JIP - JavaMuseum Interview Project - http://jip.javamuseum.org --------------------------------------------- NewMediaFest2007 is realized on 2 levels - 1. online in its totality -->http://2007.newmediafest.org --->http://www.newmediafest.org/blog/ 2. in physical space via cooperations--> the 1st physical NewMediaFest2007 is launched in the framework of 3rd Digital Art Festival Rosario/Argentina - 15-17 November 2007 more info on http://www.newmediafest.org/blog/ The general festival catalogue can be downloaded as PDF for free http://downloads.nmartproject.net/NewMediaFest_2007.pdf --------------------------------------------- This press release is issued by netEX - networked experience http://netex.nmartproject.net powered by [NewMediaArtProjectNetwork]:||cologne info (at) nmartproject.net -------------------------------------------- _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From tcm1 at cornell.edu Sat Nov 3 19:57:16 2007 From: tcm1 at cornell.edu (timothy murray) Date: Sat, 3 Nov 2007 10:27:16 -0400 Subject: [Reader-list] Correction: Memory Errors on -empyre- Message-ID: Please forgive me; I mistakenly sent out September's -empyre- guests yesterday. The correct list of guests for Memory Errors in the Technosphere is below. Looks like I'm embodying memory error itself! Best, Tim Please Circulate (apologies for cross-postings) Memory Errors in the Technosphere November 2007 on -empyre- soft-skinned space : "Memory Errors in the Technosphere: Art, Accident, Archive." Moderated by Renate Ferro (US) and Tim Murray (US) with Ingrid Bachmann (Canada), Madeleine Casad (US), Out-of-Sync (Australia), Grace Quintanilla (Mexico), Monica Ross (England). Confident reliance on the expanse of virtual memory, data bases, and archives can be easily compromised by the uncertainties of art, the surprise of accident, and the shifts of archival assumptions, if not also by those irritating computer messages announcing "memory error." The interruption of digital memory error accentuates what Thomas Hobbes lamented in a much earlier age of technological revolution as the fragility or "decaying sense" of memory. This month's guests on -empyre- will reflect on how the tenuous memory reserves of digital culture reinvest the complex affect of the personal in the fragile fabrics of the social. They will ponder the inscription of the cultural importance of memory and archive in the inherent masochism of their fragility when art enters into contact with archive and accident. http://www.subtle.net/empyre ============================================================ Moderated by Renate Ferro (US) media artist, Department of Art, Cornell University, and Tim Murray (US), Curator of the Rose Goldsen Archive of New Media Art, Cornell University with special guests Ingrid Bachman (Canada) is an interdisciplinary artist who explores the complicated relationship between the material and virtual realms. Bachmann uses redundant, as well as new technologies, to create generative and interactive artworks, many of which are site-specific. She is the co-editor (with Ruth Scheuing) of Material Matters, a critical anthology on the relation of material and culture and has a chapter in a new anthology, The Object of Labor (ed. Joan Livingstone and John Ploof), published by MIT Press, 2007. Ingrid is a founding member of the Interactive Textiles and Wearable Computing Lab of Hexagram and is the Head of The Institute of Everyday Life. She is currently Associate Dean, Research and International Relations in the Faculty of Fine Arts at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec. Madeleine Casad (US) is Assistant Curator of the Rose Goldsen Archive of New Media Art and a doctoral candidate in Comparative Literature at Cornell University. She is interested in political aspects of memory and counter-memory in the context of digital culture and textuality, medium-specific temporalities (and aesthetics!) of information storage and retrieval, and questions related to subjectivity and "the archive." She teaches courses on gaming, narrative, and media and is completing a dissertation about virtuality, identity, and narrative desire in literature and media art, focusing mainly on German texts and institutions. Out-of-Sync (Australia) is a collaboration between Norie Neumark and Maria Miranda who have working collectively for over 15 years, beginning in radio and then from the early '90s making work with CD-Roms, installations, websites and Internet installations. Currently they are working with performative encounters in public places - process based works which they document in various ways for installation. In addition to their international new media art practice, Norie is Associate Professor of Media Arts and Production at the University of Technology, Sydney, and Maria is a doctoral candidate at Macquarie University in Sydney where she is researching the performativity of mediaspace and the possibilities of a new form of sociality. Monica Ross (England) is a British artist, based in Brighton, whose work is time based and includes performance, installation, video, CD-Rom, and text works such as valentine , a book work published by Milch, London, 2000. She was an Arts and Humanities Research Board Fellow in the Fine Art Department at the University of Newcastle from 2001-2004, where she established Connecting Principle. Her collaborative works on the net include The International Corporation of Lost Structures (ICOLS) and Matter of Fact, an e-book with An Tallentire. Her ongoing project, justfornow.net., explores the continuum between durational artworks in real time and a data based archive on line. Grace Quintanilla (Mexico) is Artistic Director of Transitio_Mx Electronic Arts and Video Festival in Mexico City. An artist, animator, and videomaker, she studied animation at the Edinburgh Film Workshop Trust and did graduate studies in Electronic Art and Television at The School of Television and Imaging at Dundee University in Scotland. Upon returning to Mexico in the mid-1990s she made the award-wining documentary series Aventurera, and began her ongoing experimentation with digital technologies that he resulted in numerous award-winning projects. -- Renate Ferro and Tim Murray CoModerators, -empyre- Department of Art/Rose Goldsen Archive of New Media Art Cornell University _______________________ -- -- -- From pkray11 at gmail.com Mon Nov 5 23:55:27 2007 From: pkray11 at gmail.com (prakash ray) Date: Mon, 5 Nov 2007 23:55:27 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Free Binayak Sen Message-ID: <98f331e00711051025j693b5392i7962696b26139f84@mail.gmail.com> Dear all, The website on Dr Binayak Sen is a much-needed step in the struggle against injustice. I am thankful to Shivam for informing about this site. I request you all to circulate this info to as many people as possible. Prakash From crd at fondation-langlois.org Tue Nov 6 01:57:48 2007 From: crd at fondation-langlois.org (CR+D) Date: Mon, 5 Nov 2007 15:27:48 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] [Announcements] Daniel Langlois Foundation - 9 Evenings Reconsidered at the Tesla (Berlin) Message-ID: 9 Evenings Reconsidered at the Tesla (Berlin) Through a loan of artifacts from its collection, the Foundation has made possible the Berlin presentation of 9 Evenings Reconsidered: Art, Theatre, and Engineering, 1966. The exhibition will be presented at the Tesla from November 10, 2007, to December 8, 2007. Originally presented in 2006 at the MIT List Visual Center (Cambridge, MA, U.S.), 9 Evenings Reconsidered is a touring exhibition that was featured at Concordia University's Leonard & Bina Ellen Gallery (Montreal) in the spring of 2007. Organised by independent curator Catherine Morris, the exhibition will showcase extensive archival material associated with this event and offer various viewpoints of the 10 performances presented at the 69th Regiment Armory in New York in 1966. The Foundation has loaned a number of objects and materials from its 9 Evenings: Theatre and Engineering fonds to the exhibition, including, among others, a sample of the factual footage produced by Alfons Schilling, stage props, technological components, and technical drawings by engineer Fred Waldhauer. For more information on the Foundation's collection, please consult the findings aids in the 9 Evenings: Theatre and Engineering fonds: http://www.fondation-langlois.org/flash/e/index.php?Lstsrv=200711&NumPage=1841 An illustrated catalogue (in English) accompanies the exhibition. For more information on the Tesla exhibition, please consult: http://www.tesla-berlin.de/ _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From turbulence at turbulence.org Tue Nov 6 04:08:42 2007 From: turbulence at turbulence.org (Turbulence) Date: Mon, 5 Nov 2007 17:38:42 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] [Announcements] The ShiftSpace Commissions Program Message-ID: <013701c81ffc$bb7cb130$32761390$@org> November 5, 2007 Turbulence Commission: "The ShiftSpace Commissions Program" by Dan Phiffer and Mushon Zer-Aviv http://turbulence.org/works/shiftspace Turbulence has commissioned ShiftSpace and now ShiftSpace commissions you. Ten development grants of up to $2,000 will be awarded to individuals and collectives using ShiftSpace as a platform to create new "Spaces" and "Trails". About ShiftSpace: While the Internet's design is widely understood to be open and distributed, control over how users interact online has given us largely centralized and closed systems. The web is undergoing a transformation whose promise is user empowerment -- but who controls the terms of this new read/write web? The web has followed the physical movement of the city's social center from the (public) town square to the (private) mall. ShiftSpace attempts to subvert this trend by providing a new public space on the web. By pressing the [Shift] + [Space] keys, a ShiftSpace user can invoke a new meta layer above any web page to browse and create additional interpretations, contextualizations and interventions -- which are called "Shifts". Users can choose between several authoring tools -- called "Spaces" -- that allow web users to annotate, modify and shift the content of a page and through ShiftSpace, share that shift with the rest of the web. "Trails" are maps of shifts (shiftspace content) that create meta-layer navigation across websites. These trails might be used as a platform for collaborative research, for curating net art exhibitions, or as a way to facilitate a context-based public debate. Go to the commissions site (http://turbulence.org/works/shiftspace), watch the introductory video, apply for a grant and help us spread the word. "The ShiftSpace Commissions Program" is a 2007 commission of New Radio and Performing Arts, Inc., (aka Ether-Ore) for its Turbulence web site. It was made possible with funding from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs." BIOGRAPHIES Dan Phiffer is a new media hacker from California, interested in exploring the cultural dimension of inexpensive communications networks such as voice telephony and the Internet. Mushon Zer-Aviv is a designer, teacher and a media activist from Tel-Aviv whose work explores media in public space and public space in media. Mushon is the co-founder of Shual.com, ShiftSpace.org, YouAreNotHere.org and the Tel Aviv node of the Upgrade international network. 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 Networked_Performance Blog: http://turbulence.org/blog Networked_Music_Review: http://turbulence.org/networked_music_review Upgrade! Boston: http://turbulence.org/upgrade New American Radio: http://somewhere.org _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From vadhimoolam at gmail.com Tue Nov 6 12:35:55 2007 From: vadhimoolam at gmail.com (Vetrivel Adhimoolam) Date: Mon, 5 Nov 2007 23:05:55 -0800 Subject: [Reader-list] Boundaries + Crossings Message-ID: <005b01c82043$7bd121a0$2901a8c0@Vetri> Boundaries + Crossings a multimedia journal inspired by the cultures and people of Asia Boundaries and Crossings is a critical journal showcasing creative and scholarly work examining the people and cultures of Asia, published by imagining global asia (iga). Boundaries explores issues of religion, media and communications, identity, image of other, immigration and energy-policy using a multimedia format to effectively showcase creative and scholarly work. The inaugural issue is based on the theme of media and identity. We invite submissions that explore the diverse ways that identity is mediated by people of Asian origin, whether in the diaspora or within Asia, from branding India Shining to the western world, to the face of Islam in mainstream media. Submission details: All submissions must include an abstract of no more than 100 words. * Text Submissions: should be in Microsoft Word and no more than 8000 words (including endnotes and references, if applicable) in length. All forms of writing are welcome - but scholarly pieces should properly cite material in accordance with the guidelines set forth in the APA Publication Manual (5th edition), the MLA Style Manual (2nd edition), or the Chicago Manual of Style (15th edition). * Video Submissions: should be in 320x240 or 240x180 QuickTime format with audio in 16 bit mono, and one to five minutes in length. * Audio Submissions: should be of CD quality and one to five minutes in length. * Photograph Submissions: should be in JPEG format, 300 dpi. Photos might be resized to fit our web space. Please keep in mind the web palate of colors. * Still Digital Art & Design Submissions: should be in GIF format, in the highest resolution possible. Designs might be resized to fit our web space. Please keep in mind the web palate of colors. * Web Design/Net Art Submissions: Please provide the address of a website/page hosted outside Immediacy. If we choose to feature your design, we will create an introductory page with a link to the external site. * Additional Formats are welcome, too. Please contact the editors. All submissions will be reviewed by the iga editorial board and at least one faculty reviewer. We cannot accept work that you have submitted elsewhere. The deadline for submission for the inaugural Fall 2007 edition is Friday, November 16, 5:00PM (extended). Submissions must be in electronic format, and can be either emailed to info at imaginingglobalasia.org or delivered on CD or DVD to (55 W 13th St. Rm. 100, NY,NY 10011). Please include your contact information - name, department, student status (MA/PhD), address, phone number, and email - either in the email to which you attach your submission, or in a cover sheet enclosed with your disc. You will be notified of the status of your submission by November 26 - and if your piece is accepted for publication, you will be expected to work with the editorial team to revise the piece and ultimately present a final submission in early December. http://www.imaginingglobalasia.org From parthaekka at gmail.com Tue Nov 6 10:02:06 2007 From: parthaekka at gmail.com (Partha Dasgupta) Date: Tue, 6 Nov 2007 10:02:06 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: FW: Guests in Vedavati's house In-Reply-To: References: <843470.23386.qm@web57214.mail.re3.yahoo.com> <602CC652-A4B4-4C09-9489-CAE87865E02E@sarai.net> Message-ID: <32144e990711052032w7bad4b19odb3d006cb81029ab@mail.gmail.com> Dear Vedavati, Typically, the difference between a 'rant' and a 'fact' is that a fact is based on actual happenings / observances - neither of which are in this post. There is no issue with exposing 'secular lies' (whatever that may denote!) but your posts only asks for Tehelka to probe into Muslim conversions, etc and mentions no rebuttal of any post / view point raised here. And then goes on to say that though you do not support the Gujarat Riots, Hindu's have the right to take revenge. What revenge? Kill some more people? Spread some more hate? Do you really think that's right? Rgds, Partha ................................ On 11/5/07, Vedavati Jogi wrote: > > > hello, > > thanks for reading my mails for a long time. i don't know other's > reactions because i don't receive r-list mails. i am sure they must not be > different from what you have written. > > firstly i write things based on facts, if you find them rant its your > opinion. if you don't understand/ see the things which are as bright as day > its again your problem. > > i have to repeat myself because i find same secular lies again & again on > r-list. > when people like yogi sikand, shuddha, roger das , and many more keep > talking about descrimination and problems faced by muslims in india, you > don't get annoyed, when they keep cursing rss, vhp, modi again & again, you > don't get provoked, but when i try to counter them that inspires you to > write mail, surprising! > > r-list does not block mails by thses people mentioned above when they > spread hatred towards rss & likes, but when i try to expose psudo > secularists my mails are blocked. > this type of psudosecularism was propagated in 20th century in gandhian > era, which ultimately resulted into partition of this country. kashmiri > hindus have become refugees in their own country again because of this psudo > secularism - shame on us, that we have still not learnt any lesson. > > after 2006 news had appeared in indian express that terrorists wanted to > make blasts in gujrat but local muslims did not 'dare' to support them hence > ultimately terrorists chose mumbai. it speaks volumes. > i hope you understand what i mean. i have never never supported gujrat > riots in 2002. but one must try to understand psychology of hindus. they too > have right to defend themselves, they too have right to take revenge. > > vedavati > > > Date: Sat, 3 Nov 2007 15:42:29 +0000From: anu.mukh at gmail.comTo: > vrjogi at hotmail.comSubject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: FW: Guests in Vedavati's > house > Dear Vedavati, > > I have been reading your posts for a long time. Without going into their > merits or demerits, they seriously need to be structured better in order to > say what you want to convey. Otherwise it is simply a rant. Rants are also > valid, but this may not be the best forum for that. I suggest, start a blog. > And may I also add that you don't ever say anything new. Not a new line of > thought or even facts. You just go on repeating yourself. > > I have been a most invisible reader here, but you inspired me to write in. > Continue the good work, but do at least make an effort to make what you > write readable and therefore more easy to understand. Your scorn for > "pseudo-secularists" is well-known, but since many of them are your readers, > at least be legible. But I also find it funny that words like intellectual > and pseudo-secularists are tossed about with such ease without even sparing > a thought about their meaning or genesis. Almost every totalitarian regime > or mindset that wanted to attack free-thinking has used such terms > regardless which side of the fence they were on. > > The earth-shattering questions you ask can all be answered. But only > somebody with immense patience can do it, take up your arguments point-wise > and shred them. May be it is high time somebody should. But then what's the > point, you don't ever listen to others, do you? Frankly, for most of us, > it's not worth the effort. I agree with Inder when he says that you need to > shape your debate better. Before you lump me with him and declare us a part > of some "pseudo-secularist agenda" let me add that I may or may not agree > with him on other things. > Best > Anuradha > > > 1/red need3/07, Vedavati Jogi wrote: > lot must have been discussed by readers list members about tehelka, as i > am not receiving any mail from r-list i don't have the priviledge to read > the secular thoughts. i want to express my views which may or may not be > published by r-list. i feel if tehelka is so much fond of digging the past > things, i can suggest few more subjects. 1) for thousands of years muslimss > killed/ looted/ converted hindus, pulled down their temples, humiliated > their women. tehelka can study & find out how many of muslims in india are > originally hindus. how many mandirs have been dismantled & converted into > masjids. 2) why was india partitioned in 1947? inspite of gandhi's > appeasement policy, why was jinnah & his followers remained so adamant? what > was meant by 'has ke liya pakistan, ladh ke lenge hindustan'? 3) who > masterminded 1993 bombay- bombblast? 4) was rubiya syed abduction episode, a > true story? or mufti m. syed the then first muslim home minister had joined > hands with pakistan to release 5 hardcore terrorists? > CC: > vrjogi at hotmail.com; reader-list at sarai.net> From: monica at sarai.net> > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: FW: Guests in Vedavati's house> Date: Fri, 7 > Sep 2007 11:50:44 +0530> To: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com> > Vedavati,> > If > you have disabled receiving mails, then it does not mean that your > mails > are being blocked by anyone except yourself for yourself.> > Mots du jour > like banned are easy to bandy but utterly pointless if > untrue. Useful > however for creating an atmosphere of allegations and > defensiveness. > Perhaps that was the intention?> > This is an administered - NOT moderated - > list. As everyone by now > knows, to their edification (or boredom).> > > best> M> > Monica Narula> Raqs> Sarai-CSDS> 29 Rajpur Road> Delhi 110 054> > www.raqsmediacollective.net> www.sarai.net> > > On 06-Sep-07, at 10:09 PM, > Kshmendra Kaul wrote:> > > Dear VJ> >> > I do not know what the glitch was > if any, but this last mail of > > yours has come through SARAI.> >> > Your > address in Subscribers List continues to show in parentheses > > which means > your list delivery is disabled.> >> > KK> >> > Vedavati Jogi < > vrjogi at hotmail.com> wrote:> > .hmmessage P { margin:0px; padding:0px } > body.hmmessage > > { FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY:Tahoma } yes, > kshemendra, my > > mails are being blocked by sarai and i am not surprised > because > > this is the real nature of secularism practiced in india.> >> > > this secularism will lead to disaster i am sure.> >> > few decades back > britishers encouraged muslim separatism which > > ultimately resulted into > partition. today same great job is being > > done by psudosecularists and i > will not be surprised if one day > > muslims again start giving same slogan > 'islam khatareme hai' > > leading the nation to many more partitions.> >> > > 'gujrat' is a 'shame' but 'kashmir' is not!> > when one babri was pulled > down then so many riots (initiated by > > muslims) took place more over > their acts were justified by > > psudosecularists> > but many temples were > pulled down in kashmir ...spineless hindus > > did not feel bad and ofcourse > psudo secularists kept their mouths > > shut.> >> > list is very big. this > is secularism. if you feel what i have > > written is not wrong please > distribute it.> >> > thanks> > vj> >> >> >> > > ---------------------------------> > From: vrjogi at hotmail.com> > To: > tapasrayx at gmail.com; reader-list at sarai.net> > Subject: RE: [Reader-list] > FW: FW: Guests in Vedavati's house> > Date: Tue, 4 Sep 2007 02:21:04 +0000> > >> > .ExternalClass .EC_hmmessage P {padding: > > 0px;} .ExternalClass > EC_body.hmmessage {font-size:10pt;font- > > family:Tahoma;} no i am not > suffering from any mental problem, i > > only tell the truth which psudo > secularists can not digest.> >> > vedavati> >> >> >> Date: Sat, 25 Aug 2007 > 13:02:38 +0530> >> From: tapasrayx at gmail.com> >> To: vrjogi at hotmail.com> > >>>> >> Please do not forward anything to me in future. I do not > >> > appreciate it.> >>> >> For your information, I have already received from > Reader-list the > >> mail> >> you claim was blocked and have forwarded to me > offlist.> >>> >> I suspect you may be suffering from some type of delusion > or > >> paranoia.> >>> >> TR> >>> >>> >> Vedavati Jogi wrote:> >>> i have no > alternative but to forward this mail to all of you> >>> individually as > readers list people don't dare to publish my mail.> >>> i request all of you > to please read this correspondance. views > >>> expressed> >>> by people > like roger are posing real threat to this country' unity.> >>>> >>> > vedavati> >>> > -------------------------------------------------------------------- > >>> > ----> >>> From: vrjogi at hotmail.com> >>> To: rgdj12 at yahoo.com; > reader-list at sarai.net> >>> Subject: RE: [Reader-list] FW: FW: Guests in > Vedavati's house> >>> Date: Sat, 25 Aug 2007 04:55:48 +0000> >>>> >>> > pakistan is an enemy so i don't blame them as they are doing what an> >>> > enemy is supposed to do. i am talking against psudoseculars like> >>> you. > nobody has blocked minority advancement in india otherwise> >>> shahruhk, > irfan pathan, zakir hussin, javed akhtar would not have > >>> > >> >> > >> > ---------------------------------> > Download the latest version of > Windows Live Messenger NOW! Click > > here!> >> > > ---------------------------------> > Download the latest version of Windows > Live Messenger NOW! Click > > here!> >> >> > > ---------------------------------> > Be a better Globetrotter. Get better > travel answers from someone > > who knows.> > Yahoo! Answers - Check it > out.> > _________________________________________> > 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.> > To unsubscribe: > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > List archive: < > https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/>>_________________________________________________________________Windows > Live Spaces is here! It's easy to create your own personal Web site. > http://spaces.live.com/?mkt=en-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.To unsubscribe: > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-listList archive: < > https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > _________________________________________________________________ > Check out some new online services at Windows Live Ideasâ€"so new they > haven’t even been officially released yet. > http://www.msnspecials.in/windowslive/ > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: -- Partha Dasgupta +919811047132 From parthaekka at gmail.com Tue Nov 6 10:12:10 2007 From: parthaekka at gmail.com (Partha Dasgupta) Date: Tue, 6 Nov 2007 10:12:10 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Is Subsidy Islamic or UnIslamic ? In-Reply-To: <6b79f1a70711050815v4d3b0be9q6af2f03d3992a9d@mail.gmail.com> References: <472E82AA.1040700@sarai.net> <200807.53044.qm@web45513.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> <6b79f1a70711050815v4d3b0be9q6af2f03d3992a9d@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <32144e990711052042v3693c512kcf6f64e6ef104024@mail.gmail.com> Hi, Religious subsidy is a part of Indian life. From quotas for castes to subsidies to religious foundations and trusts and land given at throw away prices to Temples, Masjid's and Churches. It is also a given fact that funds are misused and an extremely tiny percentage reaches the people who's poverty it is supposed to alleviate. I really don't care if it's a Haj subsidy or the huge amounts spent on making lavish temples or even the vast amount of money that is literally burnt in crackers in Diwali making the air unbreathable. What I do care about is that funds are misused for purposes other than what they are meant for. And let's not forget that it's not the "Governments" money that's being used. Governments don't have any money. They take it from citizens like us to develop the country - which is not happening here. If that is what we're all bothered about, maybe we should all look at the RTI as a route to demand transparency. Or we can sit here and quibble about religion and caste. Rgds, Partha ........................................ On 11/5/07, Pawan Durani wrote: > > An intresting and fair write up on Haj Subsidy. > > http://opiningcynic.blogspot.com/2007/01/poverty-and-the-haj-subsidy.html > > Look around in India and it is not difficult to see the shades of economic > prosperity. The picture you see is only a few blocks away from my house in > Bandra (considered one of the more uptown locations in Mumbai). In a > country > where it is estimated that only 1 of every 100 rupees that is spent on > development actually percolates down to the needy there is much merit in > being prudent with developmental expenditure. > > Yet ours has been a country famous for its vote bank politics (and hence > expenditure). Be it the freebees that have become the hallmark of > Tamil Nadupolitics > or the Haj > Subsidy that has been the center of debate in this country for years. > > A petition was filed in the Supreme Court regarding the legality of the > subsidy being afforded by the government to Haj Pilgrims. The petitioner > is > questioning the constitutional validity of the Haj Committee Act, 1959. > > To quote article 27 of the Indian constitution, which this act seems to > contradict > > "Freedom as to payment of taxes for promotion of any particular religion.- > No person shall be compelled to pay any taxes, the proceeds of which are > specifically appropriated in payment of expenses for the promotion or > maintenance of any particular religion or religious denomination." > > In a country that still has poverty of starvation deaths is it necessary > to > be paying out over 250 crores to one community. > > > Liz Mathew< > http://www.indianmuslims.info/news/2006/november/19/indian_muslim/haj_subsidy_government_proposes_others_oppose.html > >had > written an interesting article on this > > *While Muslim intellectuals fiercely oppose Haj pilgrimage, the government > argues that it is only assisting poor Muslims to fulfill their dream of a > Haj pilgrimage and upholding the country's secular credentials. > > "For those who are going for Haj, it's a life time dream. The government > is > giving only travel subsidy to those who cannot meet the expenses - its not > cash in hand," Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed, who is in > charge of Haj affairs, told IANS. > > "The presence of Indian Muslims is felt in big way in an international > congregation. Now the world realises that India is home to the second > largest Muslim population. It upholds our secular credentials," > Ahamedadded. > > But academicians like Firoz Bakht Ahamed rubbished the argument. > > "This is an argument that supports the compartmentalisation of people into > religious groups. India is not going to enhance its status by sending more > Haj pilgrims," said Feroz Ahamed, a grand nephew of freedom fighter > Maulana > Abul Kalam Azad. > "Going for Haj is a desire and it should be done keeping in view the > economical status also. The government is not helping Muslims by providing > subsidy when the community lags behind in all social indicators. It is > just > vote bank-politics. > "Instead, there should be a concrete plan to uplift the community, > especially in girls' education," he said. > > Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government last week decided to pay the > round trip fare to 10,000 more Haj pilgrims every year, taking the total > number entitled to the subsidy to 110,000. > > The government has spent nearly Rs.1.80 billion on the last Haj and the > increase in the number could push this expenditure by at least 10 percent. > > Muslim intellectuals point out that even Saudi Arabia, home of Mecca, > believes that any subsidy for the Haj goes against the spirit of the > Shariat, > the Islamic law. > They say Haj is a religious duty only for those who can afford it and that > the pilgrimage may not be 'accepted by god' if money spent on transport to > reach the holy sites and on food is not the pilgrim's own. > > Pakistan discontinued Haj subsidies to pilgrims as well as goodwill > delegations after a 1997 court ruling that any expenditure defrayed by the > government was contrary to the Shariat. > > Syed Shahabuddin, former diplomat and a community leader, also opposed the > idea. "I am against subsidy," Shahabuddin told IANS. > > "I have told successive prime ministers that this Haj subsidy is there > because of their political need, it has never been our demand," he said. > * > > Hopefully the courts will once again step in to favor good reason! > > > On 11/5/07, we wi wrote: > > > > Dear All, > > > > We do not expect/wish china to provide whatever of this pilgrimage to > > Mount Kailash, as it is under illegal possession. Similarly for the > sharda > > temple in POK. As mount Kailash is already in Chinese possession GOI > > support is necessary until Chinese vacate the illegally occupied lands > and > > so as Pakistan. > > > > > > > > --We expect/wish Pakistan to provide subsidy(better infrastructure > > facilities,basic amenities) > > to HINGLA Mata temple at BALUCHISTAN. Otherwise in my opinion > Pakistan > > will better > > give a contract to INDIA to look after basic amenities under > > BOR(built,operate,run)/LEASE > > or whatever policy. > > (as yasir.media published a telegraph article on this a few days > back). > > --We expect/wish Pakistan to stop day dreaming about Jammu and Kashmir. > > --We expect/wish China to vacate Tibet like Chinese expected/wished HONG > > KONG return > > after 99 year lease from British, and thinking about Taiwan. > > --We expect/wish China should practice Buddhism more sincerely, other > wise > > they better quit it. > > > > > > As Dalailama and Tibet strictly believed in Buddhism and non-violence, > > they were like this today. If Dalailama was honored at US, why china > felt > > uneasy(as per shudda words, private program, faith etc., )? China > > would have realized/recognized/considered Dalailama as peace maker on > this > > earth and hence the honour is a private program between bush and > Dalailama. > > > > Even kids will understand this simple thing, if you pick them anywhere > > from through out the globe . If any body wish to say anything please > > talk/write/question on the above. > > > > > > Regards, > > Dhatri. > > > > > > *Shuddhabrata Sengupta * wrote: > > > > Dear all, > > > > it is interesting to find minority-baiting raise its head on this list > > yet again, particularly in the wake of the damaging revelations > > forwarded on to this list about the pogroms in Gujarat. I am referring > > to the efforts by some on this list to highlight the so-called 'Haj' > > subsidy issue in India, perhaps as a timely distraction from the fact of > > the complicity of the Modi regime in Gujarat in acts of organized mass > > murder. > > > > Let me state at the outset that I am against any effort by the state to > > financially subsidize the practice of any religion. Religion is a > > private matter, and the state, I believe, should have no role to play in > > the pursuit of private matters. Subsidizing religion amounts to an > > interference in religious matters and questions of faith. So I am > > against the Haj subsidy. For the same reason, I am against the state > > subidizing and supporting pilgrimages by Hindus and Sikhs to Mount > > Kailash, Nanakana Saheb and the gigantic infrastructural costs and > > logistical support offered during the various Kumbh and Ardha Kumbh > > Melas. I would have no problems if the Indian government were to do away > > with the Haj subsidy, following the example of many Muslim countries. > > Let us at the same time advocate that the Indian government withdraws > > state patronage of all Hindu (and other faiths') religious institutions, > > functionaries, events, temple trusts etc. > > > > I have grown tired of the Hindutva lobby's cynical and unfounded > > invocation of the Haj issue. Let us, for a change, have the facts speak > > for themselves. I offer below an excerpt from a well researched article > > on the question of subsidies to matters of faith in India, including the > > 'Haj Subsidy' by John Dayal which was originally published in Himal > > Magazine in October this year. I hope you all will find it of interest. > > > > regards, > > > > Shuddha > > > > ----------------------------------------------------------------- > > > > Financing Faith, by John Dayal > > Himal Magazine, October 2007 > > > > > > "...The subsidy for Haj is a more complicated matter entirely. There is > > no equivalent of Haj in any other religion: the Hindu teeraths do not > > come close, and Christianity has nothing remotely similar. Even in > > Islam, Haj is obligatory only for those who are in sound health and > > can afford it. They cannot perform the pilgrimage on borrowed money, > > nor on the charity of others. There is likewise no mention of help > > from the state, other than facilitation. > > > > Last year, one B N Shukla went to court against the Haj subsidy, > > demanding it be withdrawn. His plaint pointed out that the > > Constitution provides equal status to all Indians, while also > > restricting the government from giving benefits to one faith at the > > cost of others. Shukla did not site any official record, but alleged > > that every year the government spends more than INR 3 billion on more > > than 100,000 Hajjis. Special flights are run on the national carrier, > > Air India; air-conditioned Haj houses have been built across the > > country; and pilgrims are provided free food and lodging during the > > course of their trip. Even Islamic countries do not give subsidies for > > Haj, Shukla's application noted. A notice was subsequently sent to the > > government, the official response to which was reiterated in its > > response to a question in Parliament. > > > > The Haj subsidy was formally raised in the Parliamentary Standing > > Committee on External Affairs during P V Narasimha Rao's government, > > following the demolition of the Babri Masjid in December 1992. All > > parties were represented in the Committee, and the recommendation to > > reduce and eventually abolish the subsidy was unanimous. Fourteen > > years later, in 2006, the government reported that 83,000 pilgrims > > performed the Haj during the previous year, out of which the > > government subsidised around INR 1.8 billion. For good measure, > > Parliament was told that 529 Hindu pilgrims performed the Kailash > > Mansarovar Yatra that same year, at a public cost of INR 17.2 million. > > Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma, who reported > > these figures, also said that 8179 people visited Sikh gurudwaras and > > Hindu temples in Pakistan the previous year. Both groups were given > > free medical assistance, security and various escorts. > > > > For the RSS, the Haj-related data came at an opportune time. It > > reported a 500 percent increase in just seven years, which the RSS > > described as an "alarming, non-secular appeasement of one religious > > community when one considers that the Indian government is so > > desperate to reduce food grains and fertiliser subsidy to the large > > and poor farming community." > > > > Muslims and secular scholars alike point out that the Haj subsidy > > began during the early 1970s, after the oil crisis had caused Haj- > > related transportation prices to skyrocket. It was introduced as > > something of a stopgap measure - and the charge of official > > 'appeasement' of minorities has lingered ever since. The Haj charter > > fare was first fixed at INR 6000, before being eventually doubled. Of > > the 120,000 Indian Muslims who undertook the Mecca pilgrimage this > > year, some 70,000 went by air, and were able to avail themselves of a > > subsidy of more than INR 20,000 per person. (There is no subsidy for > > the 50,000 others who went by ship.) But former Member of Parliament > > Syed Shahabuddin points out that many Indian Muslim pilgrims come from > > rural areas, and are not even aware of the government subsidy. As > > such, much of this money is simply going to an elite group of Muslims, > > who would, one would assume, least need the taxpayer's subsidy. > > > > Islam in India further benefits from the public exchequer in the > > larger mosques, which receive government doles for salaries, annual > > upkeep and additional expenses. As elsewhere, however, very little > > information on these headings is public. > > > > Mela monies > > The situation with regards to Hinduism is even murkier. Despite the > > significant attention paid to the interface between the government and > > Islam, rarely are questions raised regarding government subsidies to > > Hindu and Sikh pilgrimages, in temple upkeep, in paying for the > > salaries of Hindu priests, and in maintaining public spaces during > > such events as the Maha and Ardha kumbhs. (Christians, meanwhile, > > claim that there is next to no money spent on them, other than by the > > Archaeological Survey of India on heritage buildings in Goa, or by the > > British government on graves for soldiers.) > > > > As noted, Hindus do receive government subsidies for pilgrimages to > > Mount Kailash, and from a variety of sources. First, the Ministry of > > External Affairs routes INR 3250 to each Kailash yatri. The Uttar > > Pradesh state government then adds INR 5000 per pilgrim. The Delhi > > state government adds another INR 5000 for any pilgrim from Delhi. > > Likewise, the Gujarat government gives a kit worth INR 2500 to every > > yatri from that state. This kind of subsidy may well be given by other > > states as well, although such information is not publicly available. > > > > Gujarat presents a particularly interesting case of state money being > > funnelled towards Hindu causes. The BJP government in 2001 announced > > that it would begin paying monthly salaries to Hindu priests in the > > state. During the first phase, each priest of the 354 government- > > controlled devasthans, or temples, would be entitled to a monthly > > salary of about INR 1200. The late Haren Pandya, at that time Minister > > of State for Home Affairs with the additional charge of "pilgrimage > > development and cow protection", told the media that priests of other > > religions were paid from either the Waqf Board or trusts managing the > > place of worship. The new payments were "to give justice to the > > feelings of the Hindu society that salaries are being paid to them", > > Pandya explained. > > > > There is some information available on the tab for massive Hindu > > fairs, although much of this spending is merely labelled as > > 'infrastructure development'. The grounds of the gargantuan 12-yearly > > Allahabad Maha Kumbh, for instance, are spread over 1500 hectares. > > During the last Kumbh Mela, in 2001, the site boasted 12,000 taps, > > capable of supplying 50.4 million litres of water; 450 kilometres of > > electric lines and 15,000 streetlights in place; 70,000 toilets; and > > 7100 sweepers to clean up the mess generated by an estimated five > > million devotees. There were also 11 post offices and 3000 temporary > > phone connections, while 4000 buses and five trains were also > > requisitioned for the mela period. At its peak, the mela > > administration had more than 80 officials working full time. The > > budget for all of this was INR 1.2 billion - INR 800 million from the > > state government, and INR 400 million from the Centre. This did not > > include the costs of deploying around 11,000 policemen, as well as 40 > > companies of the Provincial Armed Constabulary and other paramilitary > > forces. > > > > The case of the Ujjain Ardha Kumbh, in Madhya Pradesh in April 2004, > > was no different. At that time, Chief Minister Uma Bharati promised > > that she would do all she could for the festival, which at the time > > was expecting millions of pilgrims. Bharati ultimately received > > additional funds from the Centre to the tune of INR 10 billion. > > > > Melas and pilgrimages aside, the government does not reveal how much > > it costs to broadcast the gurubani from the Golden Temple in Amritsar, > > nor explain why some temples and church groups receive tax exemptions > > on commercial activities such as medical colleges, charging hundreds > > of thousands of rupees in capitation or admission charges..." > > > > > > > > > > _________________________________________ > > 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. > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > List archive: > > > > > > __________________________________________________ > > Do You Yahoo!? > > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > > http://mail.yahoo.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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> -- Partha Dasgupta +919811047132 From pawan.durani at gmail.com Tue Nov 6 10:33:49 2007 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Tue, 6 Nov 2007 10:33:49 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Hajees should avoid Haj Subsidy Message-ID: <6b79f1a70711052103p224172fem9acd0529924ed784@mail.gmail.com> http://www.islamicvoice.com/march.2002/readers.htm Hajees should avoid Haj Subsidy With reference to Maqbool Ahmed Siraj's answer to the query on Haj Subsidy in the November issue of Islamic Voice, I agree that the government should take off subsidy from its agenda. If a Haji wants to proceed on Haj, there are certain conditions, that he has to spend the money he has earned from legal-halal sources, he should not trouble anybody, borrow money and so on. But in the case of subsidy, if the government feels the pinch to part with the subsidy for Hajees, then this is not right. When Hajees can afford to go on Haj with their hard-earned money, then what is the point in acting penny wise-pound foolish by trying to save a few thousands? I do not understand why our Ulema, leaders and scholars are keeping mum on this issue of subsidy. When they make petty things into a big issue, why cannot they raise their voice on important matters like this? *Mohd Fareed Khan Raichur* From parthaekka at gmail.com Tue Nov 6 11:20:18 2007 From: parthaekka at gmail.com (Partha Dasgupta) Date: Tue, 6 Nov 2007 11:20:18 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Hajees should avoid Haj Subsidy In-Reply-To: <6b79f1a70711052103p224172fem9acd0529924ed784@mail.gmail.com> References: <6b79f1a70711052103p224172fem9acd0529924ed784@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <32144e990711052150u50edcb0ay3c679f9190879b88@mail.gmail.com> Hi Pawan, Am unaware of how much you know about how this whole "Haj Subsidy" business goes. Had learnt some things about it due to a friend who was interested in finding out more. The subsidy is given to pilgrims who have to go by the National carriers (and the load benefit and profits by the carriers at that time is a noted fact). In fact, it seems that recently the load was so much (despite the extra leased carriers and planes taken off other routes) that the Saudi airlines had to pitch in. As you mentioned, Haji's are supposed to bear the expenses of the Haj from their personal purse. However, vote bank politics being what it is, despite the Allahabad High Court order, all political parties continue to play with public money from the Haj issue to the grants and exemptions it gives to religious institutions. Fact also remains that it was given by the Indian Government without any requests. An appeasement policy that it plays with different sets of vote banks with different hand outs. And if someone is freely handing out money to me, or if I can save some money, can't think of many people I know who'll refuse - especially if it's the government who's already taking my money and wasting it! However, Like I said in my earlier response, it is up to us to demand transparency from the government on how they're using public money. While we're on that topic, I admire the Sikh concept of building simple Gurdwara's usually with attached schools & dispensary's. Rgds, Partha ............................................. On 11/6/07, Pawan Durani wrote: > > http://www.islamicvoice.com/march.2002/readers.htm Hajees should avoid Haj > Subsidy With reference to Maqbool Ahmed Siraj's answer to the query on Haj > Subsidy in the November issue of Islamic Voice, I agree that the > government > should take off subsidy from its agenda. If a Haji wants to proceed on > Haj, > there are certain conditions, that he has to spend the money he has earned > from legal-halal sources, he should not trouble anybody, borrow money and > so > on. But in the case of subsidy, if the government feels the pinch to part > with the subsidy for Hajees, then this is not right. When Hajees can > afford > to go on Haj with their hard-earned money, then what is the point in > acting > penny wise-pound foolish by trying to save a few thousands? > > I do not understand why our Ulema, leaders and scholars are keeping mum on > this issue of subsidy. When they make petty things into a big issue, why > cannot they raise their voice on important matters like this? > > *Mohd Fareed Khan > Raichur* > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> -- Partha Dasgupta +919811047132 From parthaekka at gmail.com Tue Nov 6 11:51:15 2007 From: parthaekka at gmail.com (Partha Dasgupta) Date: Tue, 6 Nov 2007 11:51:15 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Modi A Psychic Killer, Worse Than Hitler, says Father of Slain Gujarat BJP Home Minister In-Reply-To: <642117.77687.qm@web45515.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> References: <006e01c81efb$49057c60$6500a8c0@taraprakash> <642117.77687.qm@web45515.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <32144e990711052221t2b92e9d7n1d2a211d698dd83c@mail.gmail.com> Hi, I think the issue that we're looking at here is that when those who are supposed to enforce the law are engaged in taking shortcuts for personal agenda's it sets a dangerous precedent that needs to be stopped. Whether the Modi genocide or the police killings in false encounters or the blinkered view of the deaths caused by the Blue Lines or the Rizwanur Rahman case, what we need to look at is how to ensure that ministers, policemen and sundry VIPs do not transgress the constitution out of whim - and that they are punished when they do. We all are aware of how the Nanda case has been pushed to the sideline and out of public memory so that he gets away free. The power is in people who speak in a collective voice and ask for answers. Not in bickering on semantics or bits of a section spoken by an anguished father. Instead look at what is causing that father his anguish. Rgds, Partha ......................................... On 11/5/07, we wi wrote: > > The power I mean, the power in the words thats come out of a brahmin. > > TaraPrakash wrote: > Maya Vati has not lost her faith in Brahmans. I don't think brahmans as > brahmans are of any use to anyone else but her. > Tara Prakash Tripathi > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "we wi" > To: "Yogi Sikand" ; > Sent: Sunday, November 04, 2007 5:59 AM > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Modi A Psychic Killer, Worse Than Hitler,says > Father of Slain Gujarat BJP Home Minister > > > > Dear Yogi and readers, > > > > What an interview, but about these lines > > > > >>>But I know in my heart that God will not let him go unpunished. He > > will die a dog's > > >>>death. These are the words of a Brahmin. > > > > Hope the so called HINDU system and people should answer > > > > 1) Is this a MYTH or reality??? > > 2) Do the brahmins have that much power Still??? > > 3) People living throughout INDIA still have the same belief in these > > words and trust in > > brahmins? > > > > If YES thats great, > > if NO then why do people lost that faith in BRAHMINS(even vishnu do have > > faith n fear)??? > > DO THE BRAHMINS(All over India) LOST THE FAITH IN THEMSELVES or do they > > competing with rest of people whoever doing whatever with the evolving > > time??? > > > > If I quote from this link (vasudeva/krishna/VISHNU ) > > http://www.hinduism.co.za/vishnu.htm > > > > > > brahmanyo brahmakrit brahmaa brahma brahmavivardhanah > > brahmavid braahmano brahmee brahmagno braahmanapriyah. > > > > 661 brahmanyah 666 brahma-vid 662 brahmakrit 667 > > braahmanah 663 brahmaa 668 brahmee 664 brahma 669 > > brahma-gnah 665 brahma-vivardhanah 670 braahmana-priyah > > > > He that is the foremost object of silent recitation, of sacrifice, of > > the Vedas, and of all religious acts > > He that is the Creator of penances and the like > > He that is the form of (the grandsire) Brahma > > The Biggest, the Vastest, the All-pervading > > He that is the augmentor of penances > > He that is conversant with Brahma > > He that is the form of Brahmana (Brahmin) > > 668. He that has for His limbs Him that is called Brahma > > He that knows all the Vedas and everything in the universe > > He that is always fond of Brahmanas (Brahmins) and of whom the Brahmanas > > (Brahmins) also are fond > > Regards, > > Dhatri. > > > > > > > > Yogi Sikand wrote: > > *Modi A Psychic Killer, Worse Than Hitler, Should Be Jailed, says Father > > of > > Slain Gujarat BJP Home Minister * > > > > * * > > > > *Interview of Vithalbhai Pandya by Yoginder Sikand* > > > > > > *Q:* What do you feel about the recent judgment by the POTA court in the > > Haren Pandya murder case? > > > > *A:* I firmly believe that my son Haren Pandya was killed at Modi's > behest > > through D.G. Vanjara, head of Gujarat's Anti-Terrorist Squad and Modi's > > blue-eyed boy. This was because Haren was a transparent and efficient > man, > > whom Modi thought of as a threat to his power. Haren was opposed to the > > worship of any individual, and so became a thorn in Modi's flesh. He was > > the > > only BJP MLA in Gujarat who did not act according to Modi's will. When > the > > train coach was set alight in Godhra, Haren told Modi to confine the > > incident to Godhra itself and not to spread violence in the rest of > > Gujarat, > > as that would tear apart the fabric of our society and cause irreparable > > economic, besides human, destruction. But, yet, Modi went ahead, and > > organized a meeting in Sabarkantha where he plotted the genocide of > > Muslims > > throughout the state. These were state-sponsored massacres. I am saying > > this > > in the capacity of the father of the then Gujarat Home Minister, because > I > > knew this from Haren himself. > > > > > > > > I have leveled specific charges against Modi but the CBI did not > > interrogate him. Under stiff pressure from Modi and his mentor, Lal > > Krishen > > Advani, then Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of India, the CBI > did > > not conduct a proper probe. Modi, Advani and Vanjara are all criminals. > It > > is the height of tragedy that the criminals I have pointed to have not > > been > > interrogated and punished and key witnesses have not been called to > court. > > Advani and Modi must be arrested and sentenced for their anti-national > > activities, for spreading communal hatred and violence and thereby > tearing > > apart our country and destroying its unity and integrity. > > > > > > > > From the very beginning I have been arguing that Modi was not killed in > > his > > Maruti car outside the Law Gardens in Ahmedabad, contrary to what the > CBI > > claims in order to pass the blame on to the arrested Muslim youth. A > team > > of > > top forensic scientists who studied the matter also concurred with me on > > this. No blood drops were found in the car, nor was there any residue of > > the > > bullets. Haren was shot at in the scrotum and the bullet traveled > > vertically > > from there, which would not have been possible if he had been shot at in > > the > > car. Since the data in the form of investigation is wrong, how can the > > judgment be right? The court did not consider the opinion of the > forensic > > experts due to political interference in the case. I demanded that Modi > be > > first removed from the post of Chief Minister of Gujarat and then let > the > > CBI conduct its probe if it is to be fair and impartial, but, sadly, > this > > did not happen, for obvious political reasons. > > > > > > > > *Q:* Have you appealed in the court to present your case? > > > > *A:* I applied to the court to file my appeal. I wanted to appear as a > > party > > in person but I did not get any reply from the court. I then wrote to > the > > Supreme Court, but from there, too, I got no response. I also appealed > to > > the President of India, the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice and > leaders > > of > > various political parties to take up the case, but no one showed any > > sincere > > interest. I sent letters to BJP and RSS letters, but they, too, did not > > reply, despite the fact that my son was a top BJP leader, the Home > > Minister > > of Gujarat. > > > > > > > > *Q:* What, then, do you think of the RSS and the BJP? > > > > *A:* The BJP is today not a genuine political party at all. It is a gang > > of > > a few sophisticated ruffians. These people are hungry for money and > power. > > Their speech and their actions do not match. They want to spread > communal > > hatred in the name of Hinduism and thereby climb to power. According to > > the > > noted scholar Ashish Nandy, Modi shows all signs of being a psychopathic > > dictator. He, Advani and their likes have worked against the unity and > > integrity of this great nation. For their anti-national and > > anti-Constitutional crimes they must be arrested and jailed. > > > > > > > > People are losing faith in the RSS. Modi has created a vertical split in > > the > > RSS, and many RSS leaders tell me that they dislike him. He has also put > > aside the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), and is, instead, patronizing a > > bunch > > of *sadhu*s who constantly flatter him. Ambitious, selfish people have > > taken > > control of the RSS and the VHP. Look at Modi's ministryâ€"it contains so > > many > > criminals and ruffians. Modi's government in Gujarat is being run on > > *jhoot*(lies), > > *julm* (oppression) and *jasusi* (spying). Modi has his spies in every > > office. And Gujarat is now engulfed in crime, in riots. > > > > > > > > RSS and VHP leaders have amassed vast amounts of money in the name of > > destroying the Babri Masjid and building a temple in Ayodhya. Some time > > ago, > > Gauri Advani, Lal Krishen Advani's daughter-in-law came out with a > > statement > > that Advani was not a true Hindu, that he was misusing the name of Rama. > > Such is the state of the BJP. > > > > > > > > *Q:* So, do you feel that the Muslims arrested and sentenced in the > Haren > > Pandya case are actually innocent? > > > > *A:* I am concerned with the actual motivator of the murder, who, I say, > > is > > Narendra Modi. The Muslims who were arrested are poor and illiterate, > and > > such people can be used. Modi is worse than Hitler. He will use all > means > > to > > protect himself, including threats and enticements. > > > > > > > > *Q:* But what about the Muslims arrested? Do you think they are innocent > > and > > have been wrongly framed? > > > > *A:* Maybe they are innocent. This is something that should be properly > > investigated. How can I cite my own opinion? I am in touch with the > > families > > of these Muslim men. They respect me greatly. They have told me that > their > > sons were not at all involved in Haren's murder. It may be that the CBI > > has > > fabricated the whole story about these Muslims in order to save Modi. > > > > > > > > *Q:* So, are you saying that you think that these Muslims were not > > involved > > in the killing? > > > > *A:* They were not involved. They did not kill Haren. They had no role > in > > his murder. But, still, this is a matter for the court, so what can I > say? > > The court should have been impartial but it was not. Key witnesses, such > > as > > myself and Haren's secretary, have not been examined. I believe Vanjara > > arranged for Haren's murder to please Modi in order to get a promotion, > > and > > the story of these innocent Muslims being involved was concocted in > order > > to > > further fan Hindu emotions while getting rid of a major rival to Modi. > One > > man, Mufti Sufiyan, who was under constant police vigil, was allowed to > > cross over to Pakistan so that witnesses could be made hostile and Modi > > could escape conviction. > > > > > > > > Further, efforts were made to destroy all possible evidence. All the > > telephone numbers on Haren's mobile phone of calls made on the 25th > > and 26thof March, that is the day before and the day of his murder, > > were later > > deleted. The Hutch company may have been bribed or led astray or put > under > > pressure to do so. Had the numbers not been deleted, it could easily > have > > been ascertained who it was who had called him the morning he was > > murdered, > > because it was after getting this call that he left home in haste, > shortly > > after which he was killed. Obviously, that person must have been very > > familiar to him, otherwise he would not have rushed out like that. And > > then > > when he reached the place which he must have mentioned to this caller, > he > > must have been surrounded by the killers, who pushed him on the ground, > > because of which some gravel got lodged in his knees. They must have > shot > > him there, then put him in his car and taken it and his corpse to the > Law > > Gardens. The fact of the gravel in his knees clearly indicates that he > was > > not shot inside the car, but that he was killed elsewhere. > > > > > > > > I have clear-cut evidence to prove that Modi was responsible for Haren's > > murder. It is as good as a dying declaration. Some two or three months > > before Haren's murder, Modi asked the President of the Gujarat unit of > the > > BJP to issue Haren a show-cause notice, because he felt that Haren was > > emerging as a powerful challenge to him. Haren said that he feared that > he > > might fall a victim to Modi's ego, vendetta and revenge. Haren did not > > follow Modi's whims, and so Modi arranged for this show-cause notice to > be > > issued. The President of the BJP state unit had to do as Modi had told > > him, > > although he held Haren in great respect, and was literally in tears when > > he > > informed Haren about the notice. > > > > > > > > On 24th March, two days before he was killed, Haren, referring to Modi, > > told > > me, 'Take it from me, this Ghanchi (oil-presser, the caste to which Modi > > belongs) may be rusticated from Gujarat within 15 days, by around the > > 10thof April, otherwise I am not a Brahmin.' And that matter leaked > > out. Haren > > may have told the same thing to someone else, who might have informed > > Modi, > > and then became the apple of Modi's eye. > > > > > > > > *Q:* And who is that person? > > > > *A:* Oh, let that person go to hell. As I said, Haren might have told > some > > friends of his the same thing that he told me. It may have been a very > big > > builder in Ahmedabad, who might have told this to Advani, and maybe Modi > > came to know of this through him. That is why Modi might have conspired > to > > have him killed. Haren wanted to drive Modi out of Gujarat using > > constitutional means. He disliked Modi's attitude, his arrogance and his > > unconstitutional deeds. > > > > > > > > *Q:* What do you feel about the burning of the coach of the Sabarmati > > Express at Godhra, which was then used by Modi to engineer a genocide of > > Muslims across Gujarat? > > > > *A:* I think it was a pre-planned strategy of Modi to use the Hindutva > > card > > to keep himself in power at any cost. > > > > > > > > *Q:* So, are you saying that you think that the train was set alight on > > Modi's instructions? > > > > A: Yes. > > > > > > > > *Q:* Not by some Muslims in Godhra? > > > > *A:* No, no, no. > > > > > > > > *Q:* So are you saying that you believe that Modi was involved in the > > burning of the coach? > > > > *A:* Definitely. > > > > > > > > *Q:* Did Haren Pandya tell you that? > > > > *A:* He told me that Modi would certainly do something (*Modi zaroor > kuch > > na > > kuch karega*). > > > > > > > > *Q:* But did he explicitly tell you that Modi had planned the burning of > > the > > coach? > > > > *A:* No, he did not tell me this. But I believe that the Muslims of > Godhra > > were not responsible for the burning of the coach. The *karesevak*s > > returning from Ayodhya in the train were absolutely frenzied and then > this > > happened. > > > > > > > > *Q:* But do you mean to say that you think the coach was burnt at Modi's > > instigation? > > > > *A:* Definitely. Definitely. Definitely. > > > > > > > > *Q:* Since you believe that the Gujarat High Court's judgmnent is wrong, > > have you demanded a reinvestigation into the Haren Pandya murder case? > > > > *A:* Yes, yes. I have sent numerous letters to leaders of the country > > demanding a reinvestigation. I wrote to the President of India, the > Chief > > Justice and also delivered a letter to Sonia Gandhi in person. However, > I > > have got no response at all. Maybe there is some pressure not to go > ahead > > with the reinvestigation. I've been moving heaven and earth to get at > the > > truth but as long as Modi and Advani are not punished justice will elude > > me. > > > > > > > > > > *Q:* What do you feel about Modi's chances of winning in the coming > > elections in Gujarat? > > > > *A:* He is feeding the people with sleeping pills, fanning communal > > hatred. > > But this time I don't think he will be elected. Who knows, prior to that > > he > > might be behind bars? I wish I could file a suit against him to > disqualify > > him, but I am an ordinary middle-class man and cannot afford the > > exorbitant > > cost that this would entail. And then, only a lawyer who will not > succumb > > to > > Modi's tacticsâ€"bribes and intimdationâ€"can take him on. > > > > > > > > But I will continue my struggle against Modi. It is not a struggle for > my > > son, but for Gujarat, for justice and democracy, for humanity, for the > > victims of those thousands of innocent Muslims who Modi arranged to have > > massacred. I am 80 years-old, and now at the fag end of my life. I am > > doing > > what I can to see that Modi and Advani and their likes are brought to > > justice. I send off letters to various leaders demanding justice. I > cannot > > even remember the number of these letters. I have yet to get any > positive > > response, even from the Congress. But still I shall continue to raise my > > voice. Otherwise, what is the use of living? I don't want to live like > an > > inert corpse. > > > > > > > > Modi behaves like the monarch of all he surveys. But I know in my heart > > that > > God will not let him go unpunished. He will die a dog's death. These are > > the words of a Brahmin. > > > > > > -- > > Sukhia Sab Sansar Khaye Aur Soye > > Dukhia Das Kabir Jagey Aur Roye > > > > The world is 'happy', eating and sleeping > > The forlorn Kabir Das is awake and weeping > > _________________________________________ > > 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. > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > List archive: > > > > __________________________________________________ > > Do You Yahoo!? > > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > > http://mail.yahoo.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. > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > List archive: > > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > http://mail.yahoo.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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: -- Partha Dasgupta +919811047132 From iram at sarai.net Tue Nov 6 12:21:01 2007 From: iram at sarai.net (Iram Ghufran) Date: Tue, 06 Nov 2007 12:21:01 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Is Subsidy Islamic or UnIslamic ? In-Reply-To: <6b79f1a70711042133g629fc91aq2e5fdcc7527adfa5@mail.gmail.com> References: <832338.36679.qm@web45506.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> <229.44253.qm@web8414.mail.in.yahoo.com> <6b79f1a70711040817r3ad68e5cn45a3a45d573c1c10@mail.gmail.com> <472E82AA.1040700@sarai.net> <6b79f1a70711042133g629fc91aq2e5fdcc7527adfa5@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <47300ED5.1070701@sarai.net> Dear Pawan, I understand your reservations regarding the GOI subsidy to Haj pilgrims. I also know that it plays a great part in GOI's 'appeasement' policy. We can see the results of GOI's 60 years of appeasement of minority communities in India through their prosperity, health, education and living standards. But I do not wish to discuss any of the above with you. I am here to raise my voice against the Haj subsidy, though, I do know, neither do I care, if a subsidy on Haj is Islamic or not. Pawan, I protest. GOI, I protest. Unfortunately I cannot do anything else - there are far greater concerns at the moment but if time allows, and I have the inclination, I may take part in a 'morcha' against Haj subsidy but that would be hypocritical because so far I have not participated in any 'morchas'/ 'dharnas'/ marches. I hope my written and very public protest is noted. To get more opinions, please write emails to 'the muslims and their organisations'. I do not think the reader- list is a sufficient platform for your very ambitious query. In fact I have a suggestion, it will be a very good idea if you create a separate data base of email addresses of 'Muslims' and post your queries directly to them. I sincerely hope that you do respect people. Often it is not very evident. Yours truly, Iram Ghufran writing as a 'Muslim' > > I simply want to know as to why the muslims and their organisations dont > raise their vooice against Huj subsidy which is grossly unislamic. After all > we need to respect the sentiments of the minorities ....isn't it ? > > Pawan > > From parthaekka at gmail.com Tue Nov 6 12:52:48 2007 From: parthaekka at gmail.com (Partha Dasgupta) Date: Tue, 6 Nov 2007 12:52:48 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] "The New Muslim" in Hindustan Times In-Reply-To: <825743.62948.qm@web51406.mail.re2.yahoo.com> References: <962b9f89ab32e2565b44e2e0ad4eabb4@sarai.net> <825743.62948.qm@web51406.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <32144e990711052322h70a8687bvc495827ee000f7c6@mail.gmail.com> Hi Yousuf, Unfortunately the image of a hardliner is more 'shocking' and therefore more salable. Just as a ranting Hindu hardliner gets more mileage, the same is true of other communities. Like Ronen's comment became the focus of the nuclear issue in India when there were so many important matters at stake which got sidelined. I don't think it has anything to do with what community one comes from. It's to do with displacement and appeasement and mass frustration that is causing an outbreak of anger at any source that the group(s) can strike at and vent the frustration. (Then again it's a personal point of view) Like the anti-Sikh riots after Indira Gandhi's assassination. However, we all have the choice to sit back and stay quiet while others shout louder, or stand up and ensure that we are heard and that the louder voice is not presumed to be ours. Thereby giving agreement to shouted lies. And that choice is what defines us - either as silent victims or individuals with a personal conscience. I've met many viewpoints here. Some I agree with and some I don't but they've all been eye-opening and have taught me a lot, for which I'm thankful to Sarai. Rgds, Partha .......................................... On 11/1/07, Yousuf wrote: > > Dear Sadan > Of course the difference of perception is there and I > can't help it - can't shut my eyes. And its not just a > two-level difference - there are so many levels to it. > A lot of grey area in between, which is probably being > erased too. You know what, some of the HT reporters > wrote back to me saying that "its the sheer number of > people they are talking about - there are so many "New > Muslims" that people like you don't count - you would > be unacceptable among your community - so why should > we listen to your views" (the quoted text is not their > exact words - but a gist). And that's why I was > worried - my shock was not to see the euphoric Muslim > response (I already knew how they'll respond), but the > fact that it is a medium like HT which is the most > powerful at the end of the day. They have just created > a new truth (one reader says "thank you for giving > birth to the new muslim", some NRIs have offered > dollar donations for the New muslim!). > > So, going back to the "difference" - even if people > like us wrongly (and arrogantly) assume that we are at > the top of this intellectual hierarchy, we are > helpless, it doesn't provide us any power. HT remains > the most powerful finally. I know that they recieved a > whole lot of negative criticism too about this series > but they ignored most of it, highlighting only the > euphoric emails. Also because they wanted to match > this story with the surging stock market, I guess. > That's what today's media all about - no space for > nuances and subtleties. If they had published equal > amount of negative or different-type-of criticism, > maybe it could help reduce this difference we are > talking about. > > Yousuf > > --- "sadan at sarai.net" wrote: > > > Dear Yousuf, > > I agree with you and certainly do not find these > > reportings in the series > > 'cool' or anyway acceptable. I think i mentioned > > this in my first mail too. > > I in my first mail tried to address your anxiety at > > another level and this > > was in a way related to the methodology ( i know > > t5his is a loaded word yet > > using it). > > You were upset by the way in which some of the > > readers found these images > > cool and away from thed ominant media image of > > muslims as terrorists. This > > leads to a difference between how you or Sohail look > > at these images and > > how people who do not have nuanced and critical > > orientation (like you two > > have or certain others may posses). From your first > > post, what I gathered > > was your difficulty to come to terms with this > > difference. > > We know that mainstream media constantly bombards > > images producing muslims > > as Others. Kabir Khan in Chak de India lives in a > > locality full of > > symbolism and markers that on the one hand confirms > > to these dominant Hindu > > image of how a muslim locality should look like. > > Now, a lot of people did > > not find any objectionable on the ground that > > mainstream commercial film > > main itana to chalta hai. I found it quite > > problematic on different > > grounds. And my concern was not merely about what > > was shown but with the > > degree with which these scenes are accepted as a > > kind of compromise that we > > unconsciously attain with our critical outlook while > > watching a mainstream > > movie. > > Coming back to Hindustan Times series, I would > > suggest to maintain the > > difference between yourself and how others percieve, > > between your > > discomfort and others celebration and between your > > rejection and others > > acceptance. I would personally try to address this > > difference rather than > > keep going back to the logic in which images are > > produced. It is this > > difference that allow us not merely to reject > > communal images but also > > provides us analytical space to understand why > > people accept such images. > > wishes, > > sadan. > > > > > > > > > > On 10:23 pm 10/30/07 Yousuf > > wrote: > > > Dear Sadan > > > Thanks for your comments. I will try to clarify on > > > the use of certain words that you mentioned from > my > > > letter. When I say "dishonest images of Muslims" I > > > don't mean to say that there is something called > > "the > > > honest image" and I know it â€" certainly not. You > > and I > > > know that some images in the popular media are > > > definitely dishonest as their intention is to > > vilify a > > > certain community. But in the case of the New > > Muslim > > > series in HT, I found many images problematic or > > > naively dishonest since the author assumes that to > > be > > > a Muslim is to be deeply religious and to be > > coming > > > out of a ghetto, and so on. In fact, someone asked > > me > > > if I have a problem with these images (in HT), > > then > > > what is my ideal and honest picture of the > > Muslims. I > > > said the only way to portray an honest picture of > > > Muslims (or any other community) is to portray > > them > > > not so conspicuously at all - let them be ordinary > > > people trying to live ordinary lives. And I think > > > that's what should answer your question about > > > objectification. Why make them objects or museum > > > specimens on the front page. > > > > > > You may be right about the aspirations. Yes, most > > > readers who liked these writings find them at par > > with > > > their aspirations. And I don't know about my > > > aspirations, but my discomfort is mostly due to > > the > > > generous use of religion and the newly defined > > jihad > > > and so on, that is shown to be their aspiration. > > Do > > > you find that cool? Should we promote such role > > models > > > for the Muslim community’s future? > > > > > > Cheers > > > > > > Yousuf > > > > > > > > > --- "sadan at sarai.net" wrote: > > > > > > > Dear Yousuf, > > > > thanks for sharing your anxiety about Hindustan > > > > Times series on 'the new > > > > muslim'. I have been following your postings ( > > on > > > > reader list) and your > > > > work on religious posters as well as > > representations > > > > of muslim steriotypes > > > > and hence thought to respond to you by raising > > few > > > > questions back to you. > > > > This may help you to think about your anxiety > > from a > > > > different vantage > > > > point. If so I would be happy. > > > > You have used certain words and I want you to > > go > > > > back to them. these are > > > > 'dishonest images' and objectified community ( > > > > 'objectification'). While I > > > > can , to some extent, anticipate your anxiety I > > am > > > > not certain about why > > > > you have used this word dishonest image. Do > > mean to > > > > say that these images > > > > are not true representatives of the social > > realities > > > > they are trying to > > > > convey? What is true representation? what is > > honest > > > > image? Can we portray > > > > this 'true' this honest picture? > > > > We both know ( i hope so) that this would be a > > > > dream. I think your anxiety > > > > is not about the truthfulness of these images > > but > > > > the way these reports, > > > > this series bracket muslim identity and portray > > an > > > > image that are > > > > fossilised within majoritarian politics of > > > > representing 'muslim subject'. > > > > The series claims to break stereotypification > > but > > > > accroding to you it fails > > > > to do so and actually caters to the same > > mindset. > > > > So, in a way you have > > > > deciphered a set of meanings, certain politics > > that > > > > operate there. > > > > However, many readers prefer this image. They > > > > receive this series > > > > differently then you. Now, to say that they > > cant > > > > understand the politics > > > > that you can would be unfare. At the same time, > > you > > > > cant not say that > > > > because some readers like it as iconoclastic > > images > > > > the purpose of this > > > > series is achieved. > > > > This is all about aspirations that an image > > > > generates. You have your own > > > > aspiration and your own criticism. Other > > readers > > > > have their own way of > > > > looking at same representation. And your > > anxiety > > > > comes from the fact that > > > > you do not find a voice that can echo your > > > > viewpoint, your anxiety. > > > > Having said this, I must say that I fully agree > > with > > > > your concerns, your > > > > anxiety that this series certainly produces > > another > > > > set of otherness and > > > > hence politically quite problematic and > > difficult to > > > === message truncated === > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > http://mail.yahoo.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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: -- Partha Dasgupta +919811047132 From dhatr1i at yahoo.com Tue Nov 6 14:26:05 2007 From: dhatr1i at yahoo.com (we wi) Date: Tue, 6 Nov 2007 00:56:05 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] Is Subsidy Islamic or UnIslamic ? In-Reply-To: <6b79f1a70711050815v4d3b0be9q6af2f03d3992a9d@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <286489.67373.qm@web45514.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> Dear All, Well to start with, there are 7 holy places, 7 rushis,7 immortals,7 rivers for every Hindu would think about atleast once in his/her life time. One need celestial vision to view rishi,immortals and SARASWATI RIVER disappeared with time. But rest are all available with the same names defined since unknown time. 1)7 places:( AYODHYA,MADHURA,MAYA,KASI,KANCHI,AVANTIKA,PURI) 2) 7 rivers(GANGES,YAMUNA,GODAVARI,SARASWATI,NARMADA,SINDHU,KAVERI). 3) 7 immortals(Ashwathama(SON OF DRONACHARYA), Bali(DEMON EMPEROR WHO DONATED 3 FEET TO VAMAN(VISHNU)), Vyasa(GREAT SAGE), Hanuman(DEVOTEE OF RAM), Vibhisana(BROTHER OF RAVANA who ruled LANKA), Kripa(ACHARYA TO KAURAVAS), Parasurama(SON OF JAMADAGNI WHO CONQUERED THE EARTH 21 TIMES)) Earlier days say 50 year back and even now at few parts of India(for name sake), Old people will start journeying towards VARANASI for a pilgrimage, once the younger generation in their family got married and enjoying the new life. They feel great if they die at Varanasi if not they will take a holy dip at Ganges in Varanasi and have a darshan of VISHWANATH (shiv) and ANNAPURNA(Parvathi) THERE and will return back to their homes. Forget Hindu feeling, let me bring a recent incident to your notice. USTAD BISMILLAH KHAN, WELL KNOWN SHEHNAI artist, denied to leave Varanasi for medication at his last days. At last he died at VARANASI at a riped age of 92. He knew the importance of VARANASI AND GANGES there. Government (who ever rules) Is willing to spend on this,that subsidies and reservations for this and that then, Why wouldn't be a GOI subsidy for these places? There are so many Hindus who will not travel to these places because of their poor economic status. Consider themselves to take a dip in Ganges and spend their end life at VARANASI(KASI). Though Upper castes or anybody else create/inject the CASTE tag/feeling and insecurity, there is subtle in depth feeling inside in the minds of people. They are trying to take the revenge if they get a chance. If anybody start quitting then one need to quit everything and eventually goes to no control region(RELIGION,CASTE) whatever like where in lot of freedom which will definitely leads to misuse. Because there is nothing to guide you and whatever is there inside/outside you obiviously guide towards bad. Either LOWER/UPPER caste people should note this and understand. If people are strong enough to understand the system and move on why would any body accuse somebody about the CONVERSION tactics(emotional/sentimental/beneficial/comparative bribing)? Not only that for everything If you are strong enough then you will not accuse anybody for anything. There should not be subsidies(gas,oil...,),reservations,bribing. Just imagine and view FUTURE INDIA. Can some body(like partha) ATLEAST answer me the feasibility about this? Dont murmur about INDIA by comparing with systems EUROPE,USA,SINGAPORE etc.(Because same people living and running offices at those places are verymuch part n parcel of India). But ALL ARE ADVANCED,NIL CURRUPTION where as India lets say Developing and corrupted in many ways. Regards, Dhatri. Pawan Durani wrote: An intresting and fair write up on Haj Subsidy. http://opiningcynic.blogspot.com/2007/01/poverty-and-the-haj-subsidy.html Look around in India and it is not difficult to see the shades of economic prosperity. The picture you see is only a few blocks away from my house in Bandra (considered one of the more uptown locations in Mumbai). In a country where it is estimated that only 1 of every 100 rupees that is spent on development actually percolates down to the needy there is much merit in being prudent with developmental expenditure. Yet ours has been a country famous for its vote bank politics (and hence expenditure). Be it the freebees that have become the hallmark of Tamil Nadu politics or the Haj Subsidy that has been the center of debate in this country for years. A petition was filed in the Supreme Court regarding the legality of the subsidy being afforded by the government to Haj Pilgrims. The petitioner is questioning the constitutional validity of the Haj Committee Act, 1959. To quote article 27 of the Indian constitution, which this act seems to contradict "Freedom as to payment of taxes for promotion of any particular religion.- No person shall be compelled to pay any taxes, the proceeds of which are specifically appropriated in payment of expenses for the promotion or maintenance of any particular religion or religious denomination." In a country that still has poverty of starvation deaths is it necessary to be paying out over 250 crores to one community. Liz Mathew had written an interesting article on this While Muslim intellectuals fiercely oppose Haj pilgrimage, the government argues that it is only assisting poor Muslims to fulfill their dream of a Haj pilgrimage and upholding the country's secular credentials. "For those who are going for Haj, it's a life time dream. The government is giving only travel subsidy to those who cannot meet the expenses - its not cash in hand," Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed, who is in charge of Haj affairs, told IANS. "The presence of Indian Muslims is felt in big way in an international congregation. Now the world realises that India is home to the second largest Muslim population. It upholds our secular credentials," Ahamed added. But academicians like Firoz Bakht Ahamed rubbished the argument. "This is an argument that supports the compartmentalisation of people into religious groups. India is not going to enhance its status by sending more Haj pilgrims," said Feroz Ahamed, a grand nephew of freedom fighter Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. "Going for Haj is a desire and it should be done keeping in view the economical status also. The government is not helping Muslims by providing subsidy when the community lags behind in all social indicators. It is just vote bank-politics. "Instead, there should be a concrete plan to uplift the community, especially in girls' education," he said. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government last week decided to pay the round trip fare to 10,000 more Haj pilgrims every year, taking the total number entitled to the subsidy to 110,000. The government has spent nearly Rs.1.80 billion on the last Haj and the increase in the number could push this expenditure by at least 10 percent. Muslim intellectuals point out that even Saudi Arabia, home of Mecca, believes that any subsidy for the Haj goes against the spirit of the Shariat, the Islamic law. They say Haj is a religious duty only for those who can afford it and that the pilgrimage may not be 'accepted by god' if money spent on transport to reach the holy sites and on food is not the pilgrim's own. Pakistan discontinued Haj subsidies to pilgrims as well as goodwill delegations after a 1997 court ruling that any expenditure defrayed by the government was contrary to the Shariat. Syed Shahabuddin , former diplomat and a community leader, also opposed the idea. "I am against subsidy," Shahabuddin told IANS. "I have told successive prime ministers that this Haj subsidy is there because of their political need, it has never been our demand," he said. Hopefully the courts will once again step in to favor good reason! On 11/5/07, we wi wrote: Dear All, We do not expect/wish china to provide whatever of this pilgrimage to Mount Kailash, as it is under illegal possession. Similarly for the sharda temple in POK. As mount Kailash is already in Chinese possession GOI support is necessary until Chinese vacate the illegally occupied lands and so as Pakistan. --We expect/wish Pakistan to provide subsidy(better infrastructure facilities,basic amenities) to HINGLA Mata temple at BALUCHISTAN. Otherwise in my opinion Pakistan will better give a contract to INDIA to look after basic amenities under BOR(built,operate,run)/LEASE or whatever policy. (as yasir.media published a telegraph article on this a few days back). --We expect/wish Pakistan to stop day dreaming about Jammu and Kashmir. --We expect/wish China to vacate Tibet like Chinese expected/wished HONG KONG return after 99 year lease from British, and thinking about Taiwan. --We expect/wish China should practice Buddhism more sincerely, other wise they better quit it. As Dalailama and Tibet strictly believed in Buddhism and non-violence, they were like this today. If Dalailama was honored at US, why china felt uneasy(as per shudda words, private program, faith etc., )? China would have realized/recognized/considered Dalailama as peace maker on this earth and hence the honour is a private program between bush and Dalailama. Even kids will understand this simple thing, if you pick them anywhere from through out the globe . If any body wish to say anything please talk/write/question on the above. Regards, Dhatri. Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: Dear all, it is interesting to find minority-baiting raise its head on this list yet again, particularly in the wake of the damaging revelations forwarded on to this list about the pogroms in Gujarat. I am referring to the efforts by some on this list to highlight the so-called 'Haj' subsidy issue in India, perhaps as a timely distraction from the fact of the complicity of the Modi regime in Gujarat in acts of organized mass murder. Let me state at the outset that I am against any effort by the state to financially subsidize the practice of any religion. Religion is a private matter, and the state, I believe, should have no role to play in the pursuit of private matters. Subsidizing religion amounts to an interference in religious matters and questions of faith. So I am against the Haj subsidy. For the same reason, I am against the state subidizing and supporting pilgrimages by Hindus and Sikhs to Mount Kailash, Nanakana Saheb and the gigantic infrastructural costs and logistical support offered during the various Kumbh and Ardha Kumbh Melas. I would have no problems if the Indian government were to do away with the Haj subsidy, following the example of many Muslim countries. Let us at the same time advocate that the Indian government withdraws state patronage of all Hindu (and other faiths') religious institutions, functionaries, events, temple trusts etc. I have grown tired of the Hindutva lobby's cynical and unfounded invocation of the Haj issue. Let us, for a change, have the facts speak for themselves. I offer below an excerpt from a well researched article on the question of subsidies to matters of faith in India, including the 'Haj Subsidy' by John Dayal which was originally published in Himal Magazine in October this year. I hope you all will find it of interest. regards, Shuddha ----------------------------------------------------------------- Financing Faith, by John Dayal Himal Magazine, October 2007 "...The subsidy for Haj is a more complicated matter entirely. There is no equivalent of Haj in any other religion: the Hindu teeraths do not come close, and Christianity has nothing remotely similar. Even in Islam, Haj is obligatory only for those who are in sound health and can afford it. They cannot perform the pilgrimage on borrowed money, nor on the charity of others. There is likewise no mention of help from the state, other than facilitation. Last year, one B N Shukla went to court against the Haj subsidy, demanding it be withdrawn. His plaint pointed out that the Constitution provides equal status to all Indians, while also restricting the government from giving benefits to one faith at the cost of others. Shukla did not site any official record, but alleged that every year the government spends more than INR 3 billion on more than 100,000 Hajjis. Special flights are run on the national carrier, Air India; air-conditioned Haj houses have been built across the country; and pilgrims are provided free food and lodging during the course of their trip. Even Islamic countries do not give subsidies for Haj, Shukla's application noted. A notice was subsequently sent to the government, the official response to which was reiterated in its response to a question in Parliament. The Haj subsidy was formally raised in the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs during P V Narasimha Rao's government, following the demolition of the Babri Masjid in December 1992. All parties were represented in the Committee, and the recommendation to reduce and eventually abolish the subsidy was unanimous. Fourteen years later, in 2006, the government reported that 83,000 pilgrims performed the Haj during the previous year, out of which the government subsidised around INR 1.8 billion. For good measure, Parliament was told that 529 Hindu pilgrims performed the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra that same year, at a public cost of INR 17.2 million. Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma, who reported these figures, also said that 8179 people visited Sikh gurudwaras and Hindu temples in Pakistan the previous year. Both groups were given free medical assistance, security and various escorts. For the RSS, the Haj-related data came at an opportune time. It reported a 500 percent increase in just seven years, which the RSS described as an "alarming, non-secular appeasement of one religious community when one considers that the Indian government is so desperate to reduce food grains and fertiliser subsidy to the large and poor farming community." Muslims and secular scholars alike point out that the Haj subsidy began during the early 1970s, after the oil crisis had caused Haj- related transportation prices to skyrocket. It was introduced as something of a stopgap measure - and the charge of official 'appeasement' of minorities has lingered ever since. The Haj charter fare was first fixed at INR 6000, before being eventually doubled. Of the 120,000 Indian Muslims who undertook the Mecca pilgrimage this year, some 70,000 went by air, and were able to avail themselves of a subsidy of more than INR 20,000 per person. (There is no subsidy for the 50,000 others who went by ship.) But former Member of Parliament Syed Shahabuddin points out that many Indian Muslim pilgrims come from rural areas, and are not even aware of the government subsidy. As such, much of this money is simply going to an elite group of Muslims, who would, one would assume, least need the taxpayer's subsidy. Islam in India further benefits from the public exchequer in the larger mosques, which receive government doles for salaries, annual upkeep and additional expenses. As elsewhere, however, very little information on these headings is public. Mela monies The situation with regards to Hinduism is even murkier. Despite the significant attention paid to the interface between the government and Islam, rarely are questions raised regarding government subsidies to Hindu and Sikh pilgrimages, in temple upkeep, in paying for the salaries of Hindu priests, and in maintaining public spaces during such events as the Maha and Ardha kumbhs. (Christians, meanwhile, claim that there is next to no money spent on them, other than by the Archaeological Survey of India on heritage buildings in Goa, or by the British government on graves for soldiers.) As noted, Hindus do receive government subsidies for pilgrimages to Mount Kailash, and from a variety of sources. First, the Ministry of External Affairs routes INR 3250 to each Kailash yatri. The Uttar Pradesh state government then adds INR 5000 per pilgrim. The Delhi state government adds another INR 5000 for any pilgrim from Delhi. Likewise, the Gujarat government gives a kit worth INR 2500 to every yatri from that state. This kind of subsidy may well be given by other states as well, although such information is not publicly available. Gujarat presents a particularly interesting case of state money being funnelled towards Hindu causes. The BJP government in 2001 announced that it would begin paying monthly salaries to Hindu priests in the state. During the first phase, each priest of the 354 government- controlled devasthans, or temples, would be entitled to a monthly salary of about INR 1200. The late Haren Pandya, at that time Minister of State for Home Affairs with the additional charge of "pilgrimage development and cow protection", told the media that priests of other religions were paid from either the Waqf Board or trusts managing the place of worship. The new payments were "to give justice to the feelings of the Hindu society that salaries are being paid to them", Pandya explained. There is some information available on the tab for massive Hindu fairs, although much of this spending is merely labelled as 'infrastructure development'. The grounds of the gargantuan 12-yearly Allahabad Maha Kumbh, for instance, are spread over 1500 hectares. During the last Kumbh Mela, in 2001, the site boasted 12,000 taps, capable of supplying 50.4 million litres of water; 450 kilometres of electric lines and 15,000 streetlights in place; 70,000 toilets; and 7100 sweepers to clean up the mess generated by an estimated five million devotees. There were also 11 post offices and 3000 temporary phone connections, while 4000 buses and five trains were also requisitioned for the mela period. At its peak, the mela administration had more than 80 officials working full time. The budget for all of this was INR 1.2 billion - INR 800 million from the state government, and INR 400 million from the Centre. This did not include the costs of deploying around 11,000 policemen, as well as 40 companies of the Provincial Armed Constabulary and other paramilitary forces. The case of the Ujjain Ardha Kumbh, in Madhya Pradesh in April 2004, was no different. At that time, Chief Minister Uma Bharati promised that she would do all she could for the festival, which at the time was expecting millions of pilgrims. Bharati ultimately received additional funds from the Centre to the tune of INR 10 billion. Melas and pilgrimages aside, the government does not reveal how much it costs to broadcast the gurubani from the Golden Temple in Amritsar, nor explain why some temples and church groups receive tax exemptions on commercial activities such as medical colleges, charging hundreds of thousands of rupees in capitation or admission charges..." _________________________________________ 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. To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list List archive: < https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com From yasir.media at gmail.com Tue Nov 6 14:46:19 2007 From: yasir.media at gmail.com (yasir ~) Date: Tue, 6 Nov 2007 01:16:19 -0800 Subject: [Reader-list] Pakistan media crackdown - was transitionists Message-ID: <5af37bb0711060116p18af791ge7adc4586578d6f9@mail.gmail.com> http://www.dawn.com/2007/11/04/ed.htm http://www.app.com.pk/en/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20132&Itemid=2 its quite terrible. people are addicted to news - it gets more ratings than entertainment tv all pakistani news channels on cable tv and radio have been shut for the last 3 days. an FM station 103 that used to broadcast "foreign" produced news from the BBC has its equipment taken away, as has a tv channel in islamabad - aaj tv. the printing press of the jang group (latgest media group) was almost shut yesterday tv broadcasts are now available on the internet from geo and dawn (neglected before. Dish antenna sales is up, price is doubled. police is being extremely brutal to lawyers and media people. geo tv (in urdu, but some bulletins late night in eng) http://65.36.215.69/ dawn news tv (in english) http://www.dawn.com/2007/11/06/index.htm On 11/5/07, Shambhu Rahmat wrote: > anonymous email circulating in Dhaka, the reference obviously to > Dhaka's own military crisis.... > > > What a delight that the Commando has done what would be expected of an > adolescent and somewhat idiotic juvenile such as himself. > > The rumour in Islamabad all of yesterday was that he acted when he did > because there was every indication that the bench hearing his > 'election' case was going to rule 11-0 against him!! And because the > CJ was threatening the "untouchability" of the ISI and MI. So this > Martial Law has nothing whatever to do with the revolt in the frontier > or anything else. > > The Supreme Court disgraced senior government officials he says, > referring to the punishments handed down to the Chief Commissioner and > IG Police of Islamabad and the other policemen who had manhandled the > Chief Justice in March, not appreciating the fact that the country at > large was thrilled at this deserved humiliation of functionaries of > state who have forever humiliated and disgraced and tortured common > citizens. > > We must appreciate and applaud the great services rendered to the > country by Chief Justice Chaudhry, warts and all. When was the last > time that someone in the illegal custody of frightening organisations > like the MI and ISI was recovered? Which other judge had the guts to > threaten the bosses of these agencies that he would jail them if they > did not produce the 'disappeared' in court and explain why they were > in detention and where? > > I hope the members have followed the stories surrounding some of these > poor unfortunates? Here is one: A young man was arrested from > Islamabad and locked up in Mangla Cantt., for breaking his engagement > with the niece of a high official of an agency and court-martialled on > trumped-up charges of treason. He was given 10 years RI but the Judge > Advocate General's Branch refused to approve the proceedings because > of insufficient evidence. > > A fresh court martial was ordered. The CJ stepped in then and had the > man brought before him and ordered a new inquiry into the case after > ordering he be housed in Adiala Jail and not in any military facility. > > We must salute this brave man - as we emotional sub-continentals would > say: 'Iftikhar Chaudhry ko lakhon salaam'. > > We must also ready ourselves for demonstrating peacefully at this outrage. > > Where, oh where are the 'transitionists' now? > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From shambhu.rahmat at gmail.com Tue Nov 6 15:11:32 2007 From: shambhu.rahmat at gmail.com (Shambhu Rahmat) Date: Tue, 6 Nov 2007 10:41:32 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] November 10th, Global Nur Hossain Day Message-ID: http://rumiahmed.wordpress.com/2007/11/02/mark-your-calender-10th-november-nur-hossain-day-raise-your-voice/ Please do not let this day pass without remembrance. Post on your blogs and let the world know. Forward to all your friends and blogging colleagues bangalis and nonbangalis. Post it on your blogs. In March 1982, the army overthrew a democratically elected government in Bangladesh. The military junta cited rampant corruption and a breakdown in governance as the reasons for the intervention. The army chief, Lt Gen HM Ershad, went on to assume the presidency through farcical elections. The general's rule, however, did not go unchallenged. There were frequent strikes and agitations. One such took place on 10 November 1987. On that day, a political activist named Nur Hossain had the words 'gonotontro mukti paak' (roughly translated as 'give back democracy') on his back. Nur Hossain was killed by the security forces minutes after this photo was taken. Democracy is once again suspended in Bangladesh 16 years after it was re-established. Shaheed Nur Hossain epitomizes the sacrifice and struggle of our fight for democracy. November 10 2007 will be the 20th death anniversary of shaheed Nur hossain. ~Nur Hossain Bloggers http://www.banglapedia.org/HT/H_0164.HTM http://shafiur.i-edit.net/?p=296 From naeem.mohaiemen at gmail.com Tue Nov 6 15:17:10 2007 From: naeem.mohaiemen at gmail.com (Naeem Mohaiemen) Date: Tue, 6 Nov 2007 10:47:10 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] Lahore blogger Kyla Pasha, As Pakistan Crushes Protests Message-ID: >From Lahore blogger Kyla Pasha http://www.sajaforum.org/2007/11/pakistan-police.html "Then at around noon we went out towards the gates of the High Court to find them locked from the outside and an army of riot police on the other side of them. After a few minutes of banter across the gates, where the protesters attempted to leave the High Court building to take to the streets, apparently the police started hitting with sticks whoever moved forward. We were very far back, right outside the buildings of the compound so when we saw them run like hell from the gates, we had time enough to turn and run like hell ourselves. My friend Sarah, a law student, grabbed my hand and we stayed like that until they let us out some three and half hours later. My friend Sadaf, a law professor, rallied all the LUMS folks around her - a bunch of students had decided to come to the protest as well - and we stayed together. They lobbed tear gas but we were prepared, thanks to the veteran protesters among us. We had our wet towels over our mouths and noses as we ran back into the courtyard, from room to room of the building, stopping only to catch our breath in one of the closed rooms that hadn't been flooded with tear gas." Read the rest of her account here: http://www.sajaforum.org/2007/11/pakistan-police.html From ysikand at gmail.com Tue Nov 6 18:14:57 2007 From: ysikand at gmail.com (Yogi Sikand) Date: Tue, 6 Nov 2007 16:44:57 +0400 Subject: [Reader-list] 6th Posting: On the Indian Muslim Publishing Industry Message-ID: <48097acc0711060444g10302f23rfda6ebc9ed2b4c25@mail.gmail.com> Maulana Waris Mazhari is a graduate of the Deoband madrasa and of the Nadwat ul-Ulama in Lucknow . He is the editor of the Tarjuman Dar ul-Ulum, the official organ of the Old Boys' Association of the Deoband madrasa. Despite his madrasa training, he is remarkably original in his thinking. Clearly, he is a maulana with a difference, as emerges in this interview with Yoginder Sikand on the issue of the Muslim publishing industry in India. Q: How do you look at the Muslim publishing industry in India today? A: The situation is not very heartening. Most Muslim publishing houses in India are geared only to a potential Muslim readership, being victims of extreme sectarianism. They publish only on those issues that have some relation or the other to Muslims. There are very few books published by such houses on the problems of other communities, their rights, their history, their culture and their contributions to humanity. I can say with confidence that the picture is quite different on the other side. Numerous books have been written by non-Muslim writers and published by non-Muslim publishing houses that give an objective and balanced picture of Muslim issues and problems. Because Muslim publishing houses focus on a Muslim readership, they do not consider it important to maintain quality and standards, because those who purchase and read these books have a particular mentality or way of thinking which corresponds to what these publishing houses publish. The Muslim ghetto mentality—of wanting to remain limited to Muslims alone—has meant that these publishing houses do not feel the need to enter into healthy competition with non-Muslim publishing houses. But success in business depends crucially on competition. Q: How do you explain the fact that relatively few Indian Muslim publishing houses publish books on the actual, empirical conditions of the Muslims, focusing, instead, much more on religion, hagiography and literature? A: This issue is related to the fact that there are almost no secular Muslim publishing houses at all. This is why secular Muslim writers almost always get their books published by non-Muslim publishing houses. Most Muslim publishing houses are associated with and propagate the views of a particular Muslim sect, organization or institution that funds them. So, obviously, these publishing houses cannot even conceive of publishing literature by writers whom these sects or organizations disapprove of. There is not a single quality national-level English language daily, weekly or monthly published by Muslims and there are very few Muslims in the electronic media. Some Muslims have tried to launch English newspapers and television channels, but I believe they cannot succeed if they do not learn from the experience of others. However, the so-called traditional religious mentality of the Muslims acts as a major hurdle in this regard. Unfortunately, a large number of Muslims are concerned solely with the issues and problems of Muslims alone and not those of the wider humankind. And here, too, their focus is on certain narrow issues, such as the impact of Hindu and Western culture on the Indian Muslims, the decline of the purdah system, minority institutions, madrasas, Muslim rights and so on. In creating this narrow and insular mentality, anti-Muslim Hindu chauvinist forces have had a major role to play, forcing Muslims to be constantly on the defensive. Consequently, Muslims feel that their lives, their religion, their culture and their history are all under grave threat from aggressive Hindutva forces. In my writings I have repeatedly argued that this is a conspiracy to cause Muslims to ghettoize themselves and cut them off from the broader Indian society. Muslims should be aware of this. So, to come back to the point about the content of the Muslim publishing industry, I would argue that Muslim-owned publishing houses must also publish literature of general interest, not just on issues of particular concern to Muslims alone. They must cater not just to Muslims alone but to others as well, which means that they must also publish on issues that others would also be interested in. They must desist from trying to present or project everything as 'Islamic'. We need to realize and keep in mind that non-Muslims, too, have played a very important role in humankind's progress and civilization. Hence, Muslim publishing houses must also give attention to their histories and cultures, and present them in an objective manner. I do not say that such books are not at all being published. There are indeed some books on these topics, but these are very few. Q: Do the themes that many Muslim publishing houses focus on have to do, at least to some extent, with the fact that many of the writers they promote are ulema? A: True. Many of the writers whose works Muslim publishing houses produce are graduates of madrasas. Sadly, no importance is given at all to social sciences in the madrasa syllabus. That is why madrasa graduates do not have the required social awareness. Nor can they write on such issues properly. And it is these people who influence the minds of the Muslim masses. They publish a lot on political issues, but these are mostly defensive, apologetic and one-sided, and often reflect the political interests of the Muslim middle-class and elites, not that of the vast majority of the Muslims, who are impoverished. I have repeatedly stressed in my writings that the madrasas must incorporate social sciences in their curriculum, so that their students can gain a realistic understanding of the empirical conditions and social issues affecting the community and the country at large. This is vital if they are to provide proper direction to the community, and to enable it to play a productive role in the development of the country. If this happens surely it will have a positive impact on the Muslim publishing industry by widening its scope. Unfortunately, much of what is taught in the madrasas has no relation with the present age. Many rules of traditional Muslim jurisprudence have today become irrelevant. They need to be re-thought. Several writings precisely on this question are available in English and Arabic, and I feel these must be translated into Urdu so that madrasa teachers and students can benefit from them. Muslim or Urdu publishing houses can take up this task. As things stand, today the only available such work is the Urdu translation of Muhammad Iqbal's "Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam", which was written decades ago. I think there should be a separate institution that must train madrasa graduates in promoting this task of the reconstruction of Islamic theology. Q: What exactly do you mean by this? A: Religion needs to be understood and taught in the context of the contemporary social context. I think the only notable Muslim institution to have done some work in this regard is the New Delhi-based Al-Risala Islamic Centre, run by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, which has produced a considerable deal of literature on this issue and has had a positive impact on a number of Muslim thinkers. Q: Perhaps the fact that Muslim publishing houses focus particularly on religion has to do with the fact of Muslims being a marginalised minority and, therefore, more protective of their identity. A: True enough, most minorities, like the Indian Muslims, are more conscious of their religion, identity and historical traditions. There is nothing unusual in this. But this should not lead, as it has in the case of many Indian Muslims, to a 'worship of the past'. Modernism is not opposed to religion. Rather, it is a means to express religion in a contemporary idiom. Q: An enormous amount of literature produced by many Muslim publishing houses is devoted to rebutting the claims of rival Muslim sects. How do you see this? A: Yes, much of the literature produced by Indian Muslim publishing houses that is classified as 'religious' is a product of intra-Muslim sectarian conflicts. So, polemical literature produced by the Barelvis, the Deobandis and the Ahl-e Hadith and so on, and sub-groups within these, sell like hot cakes! However, such furious polemics are opposed to, and even contradictory to, the true spirit of religion. If you take a glance at the catalogue of any Muslim publishing house, you will find mainly this sort of literature, geared to exploiting and cashing on the religious sentiments of the people. Of course, this is not an issue specific to Muslims alone. Many non-Muslim publishing houses also fan superstitions and obscurantism in the name of religion, although I must say that the case with Muslim publishing houses is much more severe. I feel that this pathetic situation cannot change unless the Muslim intelligentsia who are not associated with any particular religious sect or organization also get involved. Q: Why is it that despite a flood of books on issues related to Muslims and Islam coming out elsewhere in recent years, very few of them have been translated into Urdu and published in India? A: Lack of interest perhaps. Lack of awareness, possibly. Maybe sheer laziness and inertia. I feel there is a desperate need for books and literature published abroad on global, as well as Muslim, issues and also material published in India in English to be translated into and published in Urdu, in addition to various other Indian languages. This will certainly help the masses, including the Muslim masses. We should have specialized institutions for this sort of translation work. However, as of now, only some books from Arabic are translated into Urdu, most of which are on topics not different from those that Urdu publishers have already produced many books on, such as Islamic beliefs, Islamic Sciences, the Quran, the Prophetic Traditions, Islamic History, the Life of the Prophet and his companions, etc.. Q: Perhaps this sort of work can be promoted through establishing Muslim research centres or think tanks. A: There is a desperate need for Muslim think-tanks that can do research and publish on Muslim social, economic, political and educational issues, in addition to those related to the country as a whole. But these can only come about if there exists a demand for them, and the bitter truth is that this demand does not really exist. Perhaps no Muslim would deny the need for this sort of literature. Many Muslim writers keep mentioning the need for this sort of literature. But, as in other fields, they remain way behind in making practical efforts to do anything about it. This is not because of a lack of resources—after all, so much money is wasted on useless politicking. For instance, I've heard that the All-India Muslim Personal Board had set apart a sum of 75 lakh rupees for the Babri Masjid Action Committee, but how did this benefit ordinary Muslims? Couldn't the Board set up a research institution? It doesn't want to, because most of the people in it are not even aware of its importance. Another point I'd like to make is that relatively very few Muslim women have had their works published, even by Muslim publishing houses. This is because of the very low level of female literacy among Muslims. Muslim women are marginalized or virtually invisibilised not only in the publishing industry but in all other spheres as well. The Muslim religious leadership has never been very enthusiastic about highlighting the real problems of Muslim women, including through publishing literature on these issues, and this leadership that exercises a very crucial role in moulding the minds of ordinary Muslims. In fact, for a very long time Muslim religious leaders were not willing to allow Muslim women from learning how to write. A well-known Indian Muslim alim, Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi, even regarded writing and publishing about women as a source of strife (fitna) and as against the shariah. Hence, in the face of this, Muslim women who take to writing might have to face considerable opposition. This is, admittedly, a very big problem. It can only be addressed if Muslim women themselves become aware and start a movement of their own. Q: If you were to run a publishing house, what issues would you focus on? A: If I were the proprietor of a publishing house, I would give more importance to social issues than to religious matters, because there is no paucity of literature already available on the latter. I think the biggest problem facing Muslims is that of intellectual crisis. This has been caused by the fact that they have been cut off from the general intellectual stream or paradigm. Hence, I would publish such literature, both by Muslims and others, as would enable Muslims to join the intellectual mainstream. ----------------------------------------- Waris Mazhari can be contacted on ws_mazhari at yahoo.com Some very interesting articles by him and interviews of him can be read on the Internet [type his name in www.google.com] From indersalim at gmail.com Tue Nov 6 18:35:31 2007 From: indersalim at gmail.com (inder salim) Date: Tue, 6 Nov 2007 18:35:31 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: FW: Guests in Vedavati's house In-Reply-To: References: <843470.23386.qm@web57214.mail.re3.yahoo.com> <602CC652-A4B4-4C09-9489-CAE87865E02E@sarai.net> Message-ID: <47e122a70711060505y22315f08j8cffd4175fd04165@mail.gmail.com> dear Vedavati Strictly speaking, i am not replying ur mails but i am reacting to what is already out there.... your mails are not giving birth to my securlar thoughts, but i believe, that our society is really trying to get rid of unnecessary tags.... The people want to be free, but people like you are more worried about the fate of Brahmins, and their counterpart in other religions. In that sense there is no differnece between a Mullah and a Brahmin which you are hell bent to hightlight as lipstick on the face of modern India. Personally, I am truly trying to be secular. Here, i dont think you should have any problems. Gandhi was also trying to be secular, we all have right to judge him in our own personal capacity. He had done his bit, inspite of the fact that many people were uncomfortable. Both, merits and demerit of Gandhi's secular thought were meant to evolve but we unfortunately go back to vulgar past and identify it as Hinduism. For example, Gandhi was quite stupid when he suggested to cover the Khajuraho temple reliefs with cement or whatever.....He had no understanding of sexuality and that is why, perhaps he had ...... If you are a woman, please try to see the rigid and frigid Male in a Religion. The dignity of an individual is paramount. I guess if we quickly finish with this business of Gods then we might give some attention to enviromental issues. Just see the reason why air and sound pollution is a very very small issue on the eve of Deepavali. People are busy marketing the Ganeshas and Laxmis on gifts and commodities. Imagine Laxmi on a Rocket, Patakha or Annar. If you realy love Laxmi, you should feel ofended when Laxmi image is blasted by Hindus in the name of Deepawali. If you have no problems, why do you have with MF Hussain's art. Is not this biased.? When Parvez Musharaf said " Please dont expect the level of Democracy from us... He was also talking about the impossiblity of secularism in Pakistan, and which is not the fact. See, who is the beneficiary of Emergency in Pakistan. Just the Army and the elite. So if we curse the imposition of Martial Law in Pakistan, we also should curse something which is not in the interest of People in India. RSS is one such thing which we dont need, simply because it has no understanding of an individual on the basis of simple needs in life and nature. The only face it wants to see is: Hindu face of the individual, and therefore, it looks similar to Nazis. The same can be applied to Jamat-i-islami and other derivatives of such organizations. I agree, that the true level of democray is still a mirage in the west even, but they too are trying, so should we too... Here, you can easily label me as a communist. I dont have problems with the word but that too has become a passe, and we better move to a better future. What is in the name, so please come forward and give space to this democratic rose to sperad its fragrance of love and peace. Lastly, how you find it so easy to represent Kashmiri Pandits every time and mix it with whatever .... Do you know why Kasmirii Pandit communtiy employees were not allowed to join the offices in Jammu after migration becaue the Hindu Dogra popularion asserted its regional identity. They still conitue to be the outsiders in Hindu Jammu city. I am not complaining about that, but what i want to say is that there is not Hindu which fits in a single word ' HINDU' and that applies to Muslims too. Why i am writing this in detail, is because that i strongly feel that it is only our recent past which has given birth to this Hindu Muslim divide, and therefore, we urgently need to enter the maze of it with all sincerity and find common links which are so numerous that this 'divide' naturally sccumbs inwardly because of many inherent contradictions. with love and regards inder salim On 11/5/07, Vedavati Jogi wrote: > > hello, > > thanks for reading my mails for a long time. i don't know other's reactions because i don't receive r-list mails. i am sure they must not be different from what you have written. > > firstly i write things based on facts, if you find them rant its your opinion. if you don't understand/ see the things which are as bright as day its again your problem. > > i have to repeat myself because i find same secular lies again & again on r-list. > when people like yogi sikand, shuddha, roger das , and many more keep talking about descrimination and problems faced by muslims in india, you don't get annoyed, when they keep cursing rss, vhp, modi again & again, you don't get provoked, but when i try to counter them that inspires you to write mail, surprising! > > r-list does not block mails by thses people mentioned above when they spread hatred towards rss & likes, but when i try to expose psudo secularists my mails are blocked. > this type of psudosecularism was propagated in 20th century in gandhian era, which ultimately resulted into partition of this country. kashmiri hindus have become refugees in their own country again because of this psudo secularism - shame on us, that we have still not learnt any lesson. > > after 2006 news had appeared in indian express that terrorists wanted to make blasts in gujrat but local muslims did not 'dare' to support them hence ultimately terrorists chose mumbai. it speaks volumes. > i hope you understand what i mean. i have never never supported gujrat riots in 2002. but one must try to understand psychology of hindus. they too have right to defend themselves, they too have right to take revenge. > > vedavati > > > Date: Sat, 3 Nov 2007 15:42:29 +0000From: anu.mukh at gmail.comTo: vrjogi at hotmail.comSubject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: FW: Guests in Vedavati's house > Dear Vedavati, > > I have been reading your posts for a long time. Without going into their merits or demerits, they seriously need to be structured better in order to say what you want to convey. Otherwise it is simply a rant. Rants are also valid, but this may not be the best forum for that. I suggest, start a blog. And may I also add that you don't ever say anything new. Not a new line of thought or even facts. You just go on repeating yourself. > > I have been a most invisible reader here, but you inspired me to write in. Continue the good work, but do at least make an effort to make what you write readable and therefore more easy to understand. Your scorn for "pseudo-secularists" is well-known, but since many of them are your readers, at least be legible. But I also find it funny that words like intellectual and pseudo-secularists are tossed about with such ease without even sparing a thought about their meaning or genesis. Almost every totalitarian regime or mindset that wanted to attack free-thinking has used such terms regardless which side of the fence they were on. > > The earth-shattering questions you ask can all be answered. But only somebody with immense patience can do it, take up your arguments point-wise and shred them. May be it is high time somebody should. But then what's the point, you don't ever listen to others, do you? Frankly, for most of us, it's not worth the effort. I agree with Inder when he says that you need to shape your debate better. Before you lump me with him and declare us a part of some "pseudo-secularist agenda" let me add that I may or may not agree with him on other things. > Best > Anuradha > > > 1/red need3/07, Vedavati Jogi wrote: > lot must have been discussed by readers list members about tehelka, as i am not receiving any mail from r-list i don't have the priviledge to read the secular thoughts. i want to express my views which may or may not be published by r-list. i feel if tehelka is so much fond of digging the past things, i can suggest few more subjects. 1) for thousands of years muslimss killed/ looted/ converted hindus, pulled down their temples, humiliated their women. tehelka can study & find out how many of muslims in india are originally hindus. how many mandirs have been dismantled & converted into masjids. 2) why was india partitioned in 1947? inspite of gandhi's appeasement policy, why was jinnah & his followers remained so adamant? what was meant by 'has ke liya pakistan, ladh ke lenge hindustan'? 3) who masterminded 1993 bombay- bombblast? 4) was rubiya syed abduction episode, a true story? or mufti m. syed the then first muslim home minister had joined hands with pakistan to release 5 hardcore terrorists? > CC: vrjogi at hotmail.com; reader-list at sarai.net> From: monica at sarai.net> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: FW: Guests in Vedavati's house> Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2007 11:50:44 +0530> To: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com> > Vedavati,> > If you have disabled receiving mails, then it does not mean that your > mails are being blocked by anyone except yourself for yourself.> > Mots du jour like banned are easy to bandy but utterly pointless if > untrue. Useful however for creating an atmosphere of allegations and > defensiveness. Perhaps that was the intention?> > This is an administered - NOT moderated - list. As everyone by now > knows, to their edification (or boredom).> > best> M> > Monica Narula> Raqs> Sarai-CSDS> 29 Rajpur Road> Delhi 110 054> www.raqsmediacollective.net> www.sarai.net> > > On 06-Sep-07, at 10:09 PM, Kshmendra Kaul wrote:> > > Dear VJ> >> > I do not know what the glitch was if any, but this last mail of > > yours has come through SARAI.> >> > Your address in Subscribers List continues to show in parentheses > > which means your list delivery is disabled.> >> > KK> >> > Vedavati Jogi < vrjogi at hotmail.com> wrote:> > .hmmessage P { margin:0px; padding:0px } body.hmmessage > > { FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY:Tahoma } yes, kshemendra, my > > mails are being blocked by sarai and i am not surprised because > > this is the real nature of secularism practiced in india.> >> > this secularism will lead to disaster i am sure.> >> > few decades back britishers encouraged muslim separatism which > > ultimately resulted into partition. today same great job is being > > done by psudosecularists and i will not be surprised if one day > > muslims again start giving same slogan 'islam khatareme hai' > > leading the nation to many more partitions.> >> > 'gujrat' is a 'shame' but 'kashmir' is not!> > when one babri was pulled down then so many riots (initiated by > > muslims) took place more over their acts were justified by > > psudosecularists> > but many temples were pulled down in kashmir ...spineless hindus > > did not feel bad and ofcourse psudo secularists kept their mouths > > shut.> >> > list is very big. this is secularism. if you feel what i have > > written is not wrong please distribute it.> >> > thanks> > vj> >> >> >> > ---------------------------------> > From: vrjogi at hotmail.com> > To: tapasrayx at gmail.com; reader-list at sarai.net> > Subject: RE: [Reader-list] FW: FW: Guests in Vedavati's house> > Date: Tue, 4 Sep 2007 02:21:04 +0000> >> > .ExternalClass .EC_hmmessage P {padding: > > 0px;} .ExternalClass EC_body.hmmessage {font-size:10pt;font- > > family:Tahoma;} no i am not suffering from any mental problem, i > > only tell the truth which psudo secularists can not digest.> >> > vedavati> >> >> >> Date: Sat, 25 Aug 2007 13:02:38 +0530> >> From: tapasrayx at gmail.com> >> To: vrjogi at hotmail.com> >>>> >> Please do not forward anything to me in future. I do not > >> appreciate it.> >>> >> For your information, I have already received from Reader-list the > >> mail> >> you claim was blocked and have forwarded to me offlist.> >>> >> I suspect you may be suffering from some type of delusion or > >> paranoia.> >>> >> TR> >>> >>> >> Vedavati Jogi wrote:> >>> i have no alternative but to forward this mail to all of you> >>> individually as readers list people don't dare to publish my mail.> >>> i request all of you to please read this correspondance. views > >>> expressed> >>> by people like roger are posing real threat to this country' unity.> >>>> >>> vedavati> >>> -------------------------------------------------------------------- > >>> ----> >>> From: vrjogi at hotmail.com> >>> To: rgdj12 at yahoo.com; reader-list at sarai.net> >>> Subject: RE: [Reader-list] FW: FW: Guests in Vedavati's house> >>> Date: Sat, 25 Aug 2007 04:55:48 +0000> >>>> >>> pakistan is an enemy so i don't blame them as they are doing what an> >>> enemy is supposed to do. i am talking against psudoseculars like> >>> you. nobody has blocked minority advancement in india otherwise> >>> shahruhk, irfan pathan, zakir hussin, javed akhtar would not have > >>> > >> >> >> > ---------------------------------> > Download the latest version of Windows Live Messenger NOW! Click > > here!> >> > ---------------------------------> > Download the latest version of Windows Live Messenger NOW! Click > > here!> >> >> > ---------------------------------> > Be a better Globetrotter. Get better travel answers from someone > > who knows.> > Yahoo! Answers - Check it out.> > _________________________________________> > 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.> > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > List archive: >_________________________________________________________________Windows Live Spaces is here! It's easy to create your own personal Web site. http://spaces.live.com/?mkt=en-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.To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-listList archive: > _________________________________________________________________ > Check out some new online services at Windows Live Ideasâ€"so new they haven’t even been officially released yet. > http://www.msnspecials.in/windowslive/ > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: -- http://indersalim.livejournal.com From kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Tue Nov 6 19:27:48 2007 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Tue, 6 Nov 2007 05:57:48 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] Pakistan media crackdown - was transitionists In-Reply-To: <5af37bb0711060116p18af791ge7adc4586578d6f9@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <462590.2871.qm@web57213.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Other resources (in addition to those provided by Yasir) - http://www.thenews.com.pk/ (TOP STORIES often contains interesting 'opinion' pieces - http://www.pakistannewsroom.com/category/Breaking-News.aspx (excellent for videos) - http://www.dailytimes.com.pk Kshmendra yasir ~ wrote: http://www.dawn.com/2007/11/04/ed.htm http://www.app.com.pk/en/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20132&Itemid=2 its quite terrible. people are addicted to news - it gets more ratings than entertainment tv all pakistani news channels on cable tv and radio have been shut for the last 3 days. an FM station 103 that used to broadcast "foreign" produced news from the BBC has its equipment taken away, as has a tv channel in islamabad - aaj tv. the printing press of the jang group (latgest media group) was almost shut yesterday tv broadcasts are now available on the internet from geo and dawn (neglected before. Dish antenna sales is up, price is doubled. police is being extremely brutal to lawyers and media people. geo tv (in urdu, but some bulletins late night in eng) http://65.36.215.69/ dawn news tv (in english) http://www.dawn.com/2007/11/06/index.htm On 11/5/07, Shambhu Rahmat wrote: > anonymous email circulating in Dhaka, the reference obviously to > Dhaka's own military crisis.... > > > What a delight that the Commando has done what would be expected of an > adolescent and somewhat idiotic juvenile such as himself. > > The rumour in Islamabad all of yesterday was that he acted when he did > because there was every indication that the bench hearing his > 'election' case was going to rule 11-0 against him!! And because the > CJ was threatening the "untouchability" of the ISI and MI. So this > Martial Law has nothing whatever to do with the revolt in the frontier > or anything else. > > The Supreme Court disgraced senior government officials he says, > referring to the punishments handed down to the Chief Commissioner and > IG Police of Islamabad and the other policemen who had manhandled the > Chief Justice in March, not appreciating the fact that the country at > large was thrilled at this deserved humiliation of functionaries of > state who have forever humiliated and disgraced and tortured common > citizens. > > We must appreciate and applaud the great services rendered to the > country by Chief Justice Chaudhry, warts and all. When was the last > time that someone in the illegal custody of frightening organisations > like the MI and ISI was recovered? Which other judge had the guts to > threaten the bosses of these agencies that he would jail them if they > did not produce the 'disappeared' in court and explain why they were > in detention and where? > > I hope the members have followed the stories surrounding some of these > poor unfortunates? Here is one: A young man was arrested from > Islamabad and locked up in Mangla Cantt., for breaking his engagement > with the niece of a high official of an agency and court-martialled on > trumped-up charges of treason. He was given 10 years RI but the Judge > Advocate General's Branch refused to approve the proceedings because > of insufficient evidence. > > A fresh court martial was ordered. The CJ stepped in then and had the > man brought before him and ordered a new inquiry into the case after > ordering he be housed in Adiala Jail and not in any military facility. > > We must salute this brave man - as we emotional sub-continentals would > say: 'Iftikhar Chaudhry ko lakhon salaam'. > > We must also ready ourselves for demonstrating peacefully at this outrage. > > Where, oh where are the 'transitionists' now? > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > 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. To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list List archive: __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com From taraprakash at gmail.com Tue Nov 6 19:58:42 2007 From: taraprakash at gmail.com (Taraprakash) Date: Tue, 6 Nov 2007 09:28:42 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Is Subsidy Islamic or UnIslamic ? References: <286489.67373.qm@web45514.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <025a01c82081$5944f2e0$6400a8c0@Shabori> 7 days in a week too. I start the concept of 7 sins for not mentioning Kabir, who preferred to die in Maghar, the place which sevenizing myths tell you to avoid death at. Why should one Bismillah Khan and not Kabir? ----- Original Message ----- From: "we wi" To: "Pawan Durani" ; Cc: ; Sent: Tuesday, November 06, 2007 3:56 AM Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Is Subsidy Islamic or UnIslamic ? > Dear All, > > Well to start with, there are 7 holy places, 7 rushis,7 immortals,7 > rivers for every Hindu would think about atleast once in his/her life > time. One need celestial vision to view rishi,immortals and SARASWATI > RIVER disappeared with time. But rest are all available with the same > names defined since unknown time. > > 1)7 places:( AYODHYA,MADHURA,MAYA,KASI,KANCHI,AVANTIKA,PURI) > 2) 7 rivers(GANGES,YAMUNA,GODAVARI,SARASWATI,NARMADA,SINDHU,KAVERI). > 3) 7 immortals(Ashwathama(SON OF DRONACHARYA), Bali(DEMON EMPEROR WHO > DONATED 3 FEET TO VAMAN(VISHNU)), Vyasa(GREAT SAGE), Hanuman(DEVOTEE OF > RAM), Vibhisana(BROTHER OF RAVANA who ruled LANKA), Kripa(ACHARYA TO > KAURAVAS), Parasurama(SON OF JAMADAGNI WHO CONQUERED THE EARTH 21 TIMES)) > > Earlier days say 50 year back and even now at few parts of India(for name > sake), Old people will start journeying towards VARANASI for a > pilgrimage, once the younger generation in their family got married and > enjoying the new life. They feel great if they die at Varanasi if not > they will take a holy dip at Ganges in Varanasi and have a darshan of > VISHWANATH (shiv) and ANNAPURNA(Parvathi) THERE and will return back to > their homes. > > > Forget Hindu feeling, let me bring a recent incident to your notice. > USTAD BISMILLAH KHAN, WELL KNOWN SHEHNAI artist, denied to leave Varanasi > for medication at his last days. At last he died at VARANASI at a riped > age of 92. He knew the importance of VARANASI AND GANGES there. > > Government (who ever rules) Is willing to spend on this,that subsidies > and reservations for this and that then, Why wouldn't be a GOI subsidy > for these places? There are so many Hindus who will not travel to these > places because of their poor economic status. Consider themselves to take > a dip in Ganges and spend their end life at VARANASI(KASI). > > Though Upper castes or anybody else create/inject the CASTE tag/feeling > and insecurity, there is subtle in depth feeling inside in the minds of > people. They are trying to take the revenge if they get a chance. If > anybody start quitting then one need to quit everything and eventually > goes to no control region(RELIGION,CASTE) whatever like where in lot of > freedom which will definitely leads to misuse. Because there is nothing to > guide you and whatever is there inside/outside you obiviously guide > towards bad. Either LOWER/UPPER caste people should note this and > understand. If people are strong enough to understand the system and move > on why would any body accuse somebody about the CONVERSION > tactics(emotional/sentimental/beneficial/comparative bribing)? Not only > that for everything If you are strong enough then you will not accuse > anybody for anything. > > There should not be subsidies(gas,oil...,),reservations,bribing. Just > imagine and view FUTURE INDIA. Can some body(like partha) ATLEAST answer > me the feasibility about this? > > Dont murmur about INDIA by comparing with systems EUROPE,USA,SINGAPORE > etc.(Because same people living and running offices at those places are > verymuch part n parcel of India). But ALL ARE ADVANCED,NIL CURRUPTION > where as India lets say Developing and corrupted in many ways. > > Regards, > Dhatri. > > > Pawan Durani wrote: > An intresting and fair write up on Haj Subsidy. > > http://opiningcynic.blogspot.com/2007/01/poverty-and-the-haj-subsidy.html > > Look around in India and it is not difficult to see the shades of > economic prosperity. The picture you see is only a few blocks away from my > house in Bandra (considered one of the more uptown locations in Mumbai). > In a country where it is estimated that only 1 of every 100 rupees that is > spent on development actually percolates down to the needy there is much > merit in being prudent with developmental expenditure. > > Yet ours has been a country famous for its vote bank politics (and hence > expenditure). Be it the freebees that have become the hallmark of Tamil > Nadu politics or the Haj Subsidy that has been the center of debate in > this country for years. > > A petition was filed in the Supreme Court regarding the legality of the > subsidy being afforded by the government to Haj Pilgrims. The petitioner > is questioning the constitutional validity of the Haj Committee Act, 1959. > > To quote article 27 of the Indian constitution, which this act seems to > contradict > > "Freedom as to payment of taxes for promotion of any particular religion.- > No person shall be compelled to pay any taxes, the proceeds of which are > specifically appropriated in payment of expenses for the promotion or > maintenance of any particular religion or religious denomination." > > In a country that still has poverty of starvation deaths is it necessary > to be paying out over 250 crores to one community. > > > Liz Mathew had written an interesting article on this > > While Muslim intellectuals fiercely oppose Haj pilgrimage, the government > argues that it is only assisting poor Muslims to fulfill their dream of a > Haj pilgrimage and upholding the country's secular credentials. > > "For those who are going for Haj, it's a life time dream. The government > is giving only travel subsidy to those who cannot meet the expenses - its > not cash in hand," Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed, who > is in charge of Haj affairs, told IANS. > > "The presence of Indian Muslims is felt in big way in an international > congregation. Now the world realises that India is home to the second > largest Muslim population. It upholds our secular credentials," Ahamed > added. > > But academicians like Firoz Bakht Ahamed rubbished the argument. > > "This is an argument that supports the compartmentalisation of people into > religious groups. India is not going to enhance its status by sending more > Haj pilgrims," said Feroz Ahamed, a grand nephew of freedom fighter > Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. > "Going for Haj is a desire and it should be done keeping in view the > economical status also. The government is not helping Muslims by providing > subsidy when the community lags behind in all social indicators. It is > just vote bank-politics. > "Instead, there should be a concrete plan to uplift the community, > especially in girls' education," he said. > > Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government last week decided to pay the > round trip fare to 10,000 more Haj pilgrims every year, taking the total > number entitled to the subsidy to 110,000. > > The government has spent nearly Rs.1.80 billion on the last Haj and the > increase in the number could push this expenditure by at least 10 percent. > > Muslim intellectuals point out that even Saudi Arabia, home of Mecca, > believes that any subsidy for the Haj goes against the spirit of the > Shariat, the Islamic law. > They say Haj is a religious duty only for those who can afford it and that > the pilgrimage may not be 'accepted by god' if money spent on transport to > reach the holy sites and on food is not the pilgrim's own. > > Pakistan discontinued Haj subsidies to pilgrims as well as goodwill > delegations after a 1997 court ruling that any expenditure defrayed by the > government was contrary to the Shariat. > > Syed Shahabuddin , former diplomat and a community leader, also opposed > the idea. "I am against subsidy," Shahabuddin told IANS. > > "I have told successive prime ministers that this Haj subsidy is there > because of their political need, it has never been our demand," he said. > > > Hopefully the courts will once again step in to favor good reason! > > > On 11/5/07, we wi wrote: Dear All, > > We do not expect/wish china to provide whatever of this pilgrimage to > Mount Kailash, as it is under illegal possession. Similarly for the sharda > temple in POK. As mount Kailash is already in Chinese possession GOI > support is necessary until Chinese vacate the illegally occupied lands and > so as Pakistan. > > > > --We expect/wish Pakistan to provide subsidy(better infrastructure > facilities,basic amenities) > to HINGLA Mata temple at BALUCHISTAN. Otherwise in my opinion Pakistan > will better > give a contract to INDIA to look after basic amenities under > BOR(built,operate,run)/LEASE > or whatever policy. > (as yasir.media published a telegraph article on this a few days > back). > --We expect/wish Pakistan to stop day dreaming about Jammu and Kashmir. > --We expect/wish China to vacate Tibet like Chinese expected/wished HONG > KONG return > after 99 year lease from British, and thinking about Taiwan. > --We expect/wish China should practice Buddhism more sincerely, other > wise they better quit it. > > > As Dalailama and Tibet strictly believed in Buddhism and non-violence, > they were like this today. If Dalailama was honored at US, why china felt > uneasy(as per shudda words, private program, faith etc., )? China would > have realized/recognized/considered Dalailama as peace maker on this earth > and hence the honour is a private program between bush and Dalailama. > > Even kids will understand this simple thing, if you pick them anywhere > from through out the globe . If any body wish to say anything please > talk/write/question on the above. > > > Regards, > Dhatri. > > > Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: > > Dear all, > > it is interesting to find minority-baiting raise its head on this list > yet again, particularly in the wake of the damaging revelations > forwarded on to this list about the pogroms in Gujarat. I am referring > to the efforts by some on this list to highlight the so-called 'Haj' > subsidy issue in India, perhaps as a timely distraction from the fact of > the complicity of the Modi regime in Gujarat in acts of organized mass > murder. > > Let me state at the outset that I am against any effort by the state to > financially subsidize the practice of any religion. Religion is a > private matter, and the state, I believe, should have no role to play in > the pursuit of private matters. Subsidizing religion amounts to an > interference in religious matters and questions of faith. So I am > against the Haj subsidy. For the same reason, I am against the state > subidizing and supporting pilgrimages by Hindus and Sikhs to Mount > Kailash, Nanakana Saheb and the gigantic infrastructural costs and > logistical support offered during the various Kumbh and Ardha Kumbh > Melas. I would have no problems if the Indian government were to do away > with the Haj subsidy, following the example of many Muslim countries. > Let us at the same time advocate that the Indian government withdraws > state patronage of all Hindu (and other faiths') religious institutions, > functionaries, events, temple trusts etc. > > I have grown tired of the Hindutva lobby's cynical and unfounded > invocation of the Haj issue. Let us, for a change, have the facts speak > for themselves. I offer below an excerpt from a well researched article > on the question of subsidies to matters of faith in India, including the > 'Haj Subsidy' by John Dayal which was originally published in Himal > Magazine in October this year. I hope you all will find it of interest. > > regards, > > Shuddha > > ----------------------------------------------------------------- > > Financing Faith, by John Dayal > Himal Magazine, October 2007 > > > "...The subsidy for Haj is a more complicated matter entirely. There is > no equivalent of Haj in any other religion: the Hindu teeraths do not > come close, and Christianity has nothing remotely similar. Even in > Islam, Haj is obligatory only for those who are in sound health and > can afford it. They cannot perform the pilgrimage on borrowed money, > nor on the charity of others. There is likewise no mention of help > from the state, other than facilitation. > > Last year, one B N Shukla went to court against the Haj subsidy, > demanding it be withdrawn. His plaint pointed out that the > Constitution provides equal status to all Indians, while also > restricting the government from giving benefits to one faith at the > cost of others. Shukla did not site any official record, but alleged > that every year the government spends more than INR 3 billion on more > than 100,000 Hajjis. Special flights are run on the national carrier, > Air India; air-conditioned Haj houses have been built across the > country; and pilgrims are provided free food and lodging during the > course of their trip. Even Islamic countries do not give subsidies for > Haj, Shukla's application noted. A notice was subsequently sent to the > government, the official response to which was reiterated in its > response to a question in Parliament. > > The Haj subsidy was formally raised in the Parliamentary Standing > Committee on External Affairs during P V Narasimha Rao's government, > following the demolition of the Babri Masjid in December 1992. All > parties were represented in the Committee, and the recommendation to > reduce and eventually abolish the subsidy was unanimous. Fourteen > years later, in 2006, the government reported that 83,000 pilgrims > performed the Haj during the previous year, out of which the > government subsidised around INR 1.8 billion. For good measure, > Parliament was told that 529 Hindu pilgrims performed the Kailash > Mansarovar Yatra that same year, at a public cost of INR 17.2 million. > Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma, who reported > these figures, also said that 8179 people visited Sikh gurudwaras and > Hindu temples in Pakistan the previous year. Both groups were given > free medical assistance, security and various escorts. > > For the RSS, the Haj-related data came at an opportune time. It > reported a 500 percent increase in just seven years, which the RSS > described as an "alarming, non-secular appeasement of one religious > community when one considers that the Indian government is so > desperate to reduce food grains and fertiliser subsidy to the large > and poor farming community." > > Muslims and secular scholars alike point out that the Haj subsidy > began during the early 1970s, after the oil crisis had caused Haj- > related transportation prices to skyrocket. It was introduced as > something of a stopgap measure - and the charge of official > 'appeasement' of minorities has lingered ever since. The Haj charter > fare was first fixed at INR 6000, before being eventually doubled. Of > the 120,000 Indian Muslims who undertook the Mecca pilgrimage this > year, some 70,000 went by air, and were able to avail themselves of a > subsidy of more than INR 20,000 per person. (There is no subsidy for > the 50,000 others who went by ship.) But former Member of Parliament > Syed Shahabuddin points out that many Indian Muslim pilgrims come from > rural areas, and are not even aware of the government subsidy. As > such, much of this money is simply going to an elite group of Muslims, > who would, one would assume, least need the taxpayer's subsidy. > > Islam in India further benefits from the public exchequer in the > larger mosques, which receive government doles for salaries, annual > upkeep and additional expenses. As elsewhere, however, very little > information on these headings is public. > > Mela monies > The situation with regards to Hinduism is even murkier. Despite the > significant attention paid to the interface between the government and > Islam, rarely are questions raised regarding government subsidies to > Hindu and Sikh pilgrimages, in temple upkeep, in paying for the > salaries of Hindu priests, and in maintaining public spaces during > such events as the Maha and Ardha kumbhs. (Christians, meanwhile, > claim that there is next to no money spent on them, other than by the > Archaeological Survey of India on heritage buildings in Goa, or by the > British government on graves for soldiers.) > > As noted, Hindus do receive government subsidies for pilgrimages to > Mount Kailash, and from a variety of sources. First, the Ministry of > External Affairs routes INR 3250 to each Kailash yatri. The Uttar > Pradesh state government then adds INR 5000 per pilgrim. The Delhi > state government adds another INR 5000 for any pilgrim from Delhi. > Likewise, the Gujarat government gives a kit worth INR 2500 to every > yatri from that state. This kind of subsidy may well be given by other > states as well, although such information is not publicly available. > > Gujarat presents a particularly interesting case of state money being > funnelled towards Hindu causes. The BJP government in 2001 announced > that it would begin paying monthly salaries to Hindu priests in the > state. During the first phase, each priest of the 354 government- > controlled devasthans, or temples, would be entitled to a monthly > salary of about INR 1200. The late Haren Pandya, at that time Minister > of State for Home Affairs with the additional charge of "pilgrimage > development and cow protection", told the media that priests of other > religions were paid from either the Waqf Board or trusts managing the > place of worship. The new payments were "to give justice to the > feelings of the Hindu society that salaries are being paid to them", > Pandya explained. > > There is some information available on the tab for massive Hindu > fairs, although much of this spending is merely labelled as > 'infrastructure development'. The grounds of the gargantuan 12-yearly > Allahabad Maha Kumbh, for instance, are spread over 1500 hectares. > During the last Kumbh Mela, in 2001, the site boasted 12,000 taps, > capable of supplying 50.4 million litres of water; 450 kilometres of > electric lines and 15,000 streetlights in place; 70,000 toilets; and > 7100 sweepers to clean up the mess generated by an estimated five > million devotees. There were also 11 post offices and 3000 temporary > phone connections, while 4000 buses and five trains were also > requisitioned for the mela period. At its peak, the mela > administration had more than 80 officials working full time. The > budget for all of this was INR 1.2 billion - INR 800 million from the > state government, and INR 400 million from the Centre. This did not > include the costs of deploying around 11,000 policemen, as well as 40 > companies of the Provincial Armed Constabulary and other paramilitary > forces. > > The case of the Ujjain Ardha Kumbh, in Madhya Pradesh in April 2004, > was no different. At that time, Chief Minister Uma Bharati promised > that she would do all she could for the festival, which at the time > was expecting millions of pilgrims. Bharati ultimately received > additional funds from the Centre to the tune of INR 10 billion. > > Melas and pilgrimages aside, the government does not reveal how much > it costs to broadcast the gurubani from the Golden Temple in Amritsar, > nor explain why some temples and church groups receive tax exemptions > on commercial activities such as medical colleges, charging hundreds > of thousands of rupees in capitation or admission charges..." > > > > > > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: < https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > http://mail.yahoo.com > > > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > http://mail.yahoo.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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From parthaekka at gmail.com Tue Nov 6 20:55:50 2007 From: parthaekka at gmail.com (Partha Dasgupta) Date: Tue, 6 Nov 2007 20:55:50 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Is Subsidy Islamic or UnIslamic ? In-Reply-To: <911669.2598.qm@web45505.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> References: <025a01c82081$5944f2e0$6400a8c0@Shabori> <911669.2598.qm@web45505.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <32144e990711060725i5728795l13005aafa0cb47ba@mail.gmail.com> Hi, We forgot that a week has7 days. And we forgot another Indian, MF Husain, an old man in his 90's who is being denied two constitutional rights of expressing his view - and not being allowed to return to his home. And, as a personal view, India is about assimilation and understanding different views. Just as a 'Hindu' in different parts of India celebrate different festivals and wear different clothes (it would be quite ridiculous to wear a firan in Delhi weather) - similarly we have tribals, Hindu's, Muslims, Sikh, Jews, Christians and a host of other religions. God is a personal belief that one chooses to believe in - or not to. What I do find strange is how someone who claims to be religious can also not show love and respect for the creatures that God has created and their feelings. It is as ridiculous as the anti-abortonists killing to sanctify their concept of the human life value of an unborn child. Rgds, Partha ........................ We also forgot that the issue was about NOT using public money for religious subsidy but for more worthy things like education. infrastructure, etc. On 11/6/07, we wi wrote: > Dear Tara, > > Hahaha, good. That point would left to somebody like you to raise. > Anyway Bismillah khan is just happened scenario compared to Kabir, not only > that it didn't flashed in my mind at the time of this writing. INDIA is > purely based on KARMA SIDHHANTA. > > Regards, > Dhatri. > > Taraprakash wrote: > 7 days in a week too. I start the concept of 7 sins for not mentioning > Kabir, who preferred to die in Maghar, the place which sevenizing myths tell > you to avoid death at. Why should one Bismillah Khan and not Kabir? > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "we wi" > To: "Pawan Durani" > ; > > Cc: ; > Sent: Tuesday, November 06, 2007 3:56 AM > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Is Subsidy Islamic or UnIslamic ? > > > > Dear All, > > > > Well to start with, there are 7 holy places, 7 rushis,7 immortals,7 > > rivers for every Hindu would think about atleast once in his/her life > > time. One need celestial vision to view rishi,immortals and SARASWATI > > RIVER disappeared with time. But rest are all available with the same > > names defined since unknown time. > > > > 1)7 places:( AYODHYA,MADHURA,MAYA,KASI,KANCHI,AVANTIKA,PURI) > > 2) 7 rivers(GANGES,YAMUNA,GODAVARI,SARASWATI,NARMADA,SINDHU,KAVERI). > > 3) 7 immortals(Ashwathama(SON OF DRONACHARYA), Bali(DEMON EMPEROR WHO > > DONATED 3 FEET TO VAMAN(VISHNU)), Vyasa(GREAT SAGE), Hanuman(DEVOTEE OF > > RAM), Vibhisana(BROTHER OF RAVANA who ruled LANKA), Kripa(ACHARYA TO > > KAURAVAS), Parasurama(SON OF JAMADAGNI WHO CONQUERED THE EARTH 21 TIMES)) > > > > Earlier days say 50 year back and even now at few parts of India(for name > > sake), Old people will start journeying towards VARANASI for a > > pilgrimage, once the younger generation in their family got married and > > enjoying the new life. They feel great if they die at Varanasi if not > > they will take a holy dip at Ganges in Varanasi and have a darshan of > > VISHWANATH (shiv) and ANNAPURNA(Parvathi) THERE and will return back to > > their homes. > > > > > > Forget Hindu feeling, let me bring a recent incident to your notice. > > USTAD BISMILLAH KHAN, WELL KNOWN SHEHNAI artist, denied to leave Varanasi > > for medication at his last days. At last he died at VARANASI at a riped > > age of 92. He knew the importance of VARANASI AND GANGES there. > > > > Government (who ever rules) Is willing to spend on this,that subsidies > > and reservations for this and that then, Why wouldn't be a GOI subsidy > > for these places? There are so many Hindus who will not travel to these > > places because of their poor economic status. Consider themselves to take > > a dip in Ganges and spend their end life at VARANASI(KASI). > > > > Though Upper castes or anybody else create/inject the CASTE tag/feeling > > and insecurity, there is subtle in depth feeling inside in the minds of > > people. They are trying to take the revenge if they get a chance. If > > anybody start quitting then one need to quit everything and eventually > > goes to no control region(RELIGION,CASTE) whatever like where in lot of > > freedom which will definitely leads to misuse. Because there is nothing to > > guide you and whatever is there inside/outside you obiviously guide > > towards bad. Either LOWER/UPPER caste people should note this and > > understand. If people are strong enough to understand the system and move > > on why would any body accuse somebody about the CONVERSION > > tactics(emotional/sentimental/beneficial/comparative bribing)? Not only > > that for everything If you are strong enough then you will not accuse > > anybody for anything. > > > > There should not be subsidies(gas,oil...,),reservations,bribing. Just > > imagine and view FUTURE INDIA. Can some body(like partha) ATLEAST answer > > me the feasibility about this? > > > > Dont murmur about INDIA by comparing with systems EUROPE,USA,SINGAPORE > > etc.(Because same people living and running offices at those places are > > verymuch part n parcel of India). But ALL ARE ADVANCED,NIL CURRUPTION > > where as India lets say Developing and corrupted in many ways. > > > > Regards, > > Dhatri. > > > > > > Pawan Durani > wrote: > > An intresting and fair write up on Haj Subsidy. > > > > http://opiningcynic.blogspot.com/2007/01/poverty-and-the-haj-subsidy.html > > > > Look around in India and it is not difficult to see the shades of > > economic prosperity. The picture you see is only a few blocks away from my > > house in Bandra (considered one of the more uptown locations in Mumbai). > > In a country where it is estimated that only 1 of every 100 rupees that is > > spent on development actually percolates down to the needy there is much > > merit in being prudent with developmental expenditure. > > > > Yet ours has been a country famous for its vote bank politics (and hence > > expenditure). Be it the freebees that have become the hallmark of Tamil > > Nadu politics or the Haj Subsidy that has been the center of debate in > > this country for years. > > > > A petition was filed in the Supreme Court regarding the legality of the > > subsidy being afforded by the government to Haj Pilgrims. The petitioner > > is questioning the constitutional validity of the Haj Committee Act, 1959. > > > > To quote article 27 of the Indian constitution, which this act seems to > > contradict > > > > "Freedom as to payment of taxes for promotion of any particular religion.- > > No person shall be compelled to pay any taxes, the proceeds of which are > > specifically appropriated in payment of expenses for the promotion or > > maintenance of any particular religion or religious denomination." > > > > In a country that still has poverty of starvation deaths is it necessary > > to be paying out over 250 crores to one community. > > > > > > Liz Mathew had written an interesting article on this > > > > While Muslim intellectuals fiercely oppose Haj pilgrimage, the government > > argues that it is only assisting poor Muslims to fulfill their dream of a > > Haj pilgrimage and upholding the country's secular credentials. > > > > "For those who are going for Haj, it's a life time dream. The government > > is giving only travel subsidy to those who cannot meet the expenses - its > > not cash in hand," Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed, who > > is in charge of Haj affairs, told IANS. > > > > "The presence of Indian Muslims is felt in big way in an international > > congregation. Now the world realises that India is home to the second > > largest Muslim population. It upholds our secular credentials," Ahamed > > added. > > > > But academicians like Firoz Bakht Ahamed rubbished the argument. > > > > "This is an argument that supports the compartmentalisation of people into > > religious groups. India is not going to enhance its status by sending more > > Haj pilgrims," said Feroz Ahamed, a grand nephew of freedom fighter > > Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. > > "Going for Haj is a desire and it should be done keeping in view the > > economical status also. The government is not helping Muslims by providing > > subsidy when the community lags behind in all social indicators. It is > > just vote bank-politics. > > "Instead, there should be a concrete plan to uplift the community, > > especially in girls' education," he said. > > > > Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government last week decided to pay the > > round trip fare to 10,000 more Haj pilgrims every year, taking the total > > number entitled to the subsidy to 110,000. > > > > The government has spent nearly Rs.1.80 billion on the last Haj and the > > increase in the number could push this expenditure by at least 10 percent. > > > > Muslim intellectuals point out that even Saudi Arabia, home of Mecca, > > believes that any subsidy for the Haj goes against the spirit of the > > Shariat, the Islamic law. > > They say Haj is a religious duty only for those who can afford it and that > > the pilgrimage may not be 'accepted by god' if money spent on transport to > > reach the holy sites and on food is not the pilgrim's own. > > > > Pakistan discontinued Haj subsidies to pilgrims as well as goodwill > > delegations after a 1997 court ruling that any expenditure defrayed by the > > government was contrary to the Shariat. > > > > Syed Shahabuddin , former diplomat and a community leader, also opposed > > the idea. "I am against subsidy," Shahabuddin told IANS. > > > > "I have told successive prime ministers that this Haj subsidy is there > > because of their political need, it has never been our demand," he said. > > > > > > Hopefully the courts will once again step in to favor good reason! > > > > > > On 11/5/07, we wi wrote: Dear All, > > > > We do not expect/wish china to provide whatever of this pilgrimage to > > Mount Kailash, as it is under illegal possession. Similarly for the sharda > > temple in POK. As mount Kailash is already in Chinese possession GOI > > support is necessary until Chinese vacate the illegally occupied lands and > > so as Pakistan. > > > > > > > > --We expect/wish Pakistan to provide subsidy(better infrastructure > > facilities,basic amenities) > > to HINGLA Mata temple at BALUCHISTAN. Otherwise in my opinion Pakistan > > will better > > give a contract to INDIA to look after basic amenities under > > BOR(built,operate,run)/LEASE > > or whatever policy. > > (as yasir.media published a telegraph article on this a few days > > back). > > --We expect/wish Pakistan to stop day dreaming about Jammu and Kashmir. > > --We expect/wish China to vacate Tibet like Chinese expected/wished HONG > > KONG return > > after 99 year lease from British, and thinking about Taiwan. > > --We expect/wish China should practice Buddhism more sincerely, other > > wise they better quit it. > > > > > > As Dalailama and Tibet strictly believed in Buddhism and non-violence, > > they were like this today. If Dalailama was honored at US, why china felt > > uneasy(as per shudda words, private program, faith etc., )? China would > > have realized/recognized/considered Dalailama as peace maker on this earth > > and hence the honour is a private program between bush and Dalailama. > > > > Even kids will understand this simple thing, if you pick them anywhere > > from through out the globe . If any body wish to say anything please > > talk/write/question on the above. > > > > > > Regards, > > Dhatri. > > > > > > Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: > > > > Dear all, > > > > it is interesting to find minority-baiting raise its head on this list > > yet again, particularly in the wake of the damaging revelations > > forwarded on to this list about the pogroms in Gujarat. I am referring > > to the efforts by some on this list to highlight the so-called 'Haj' > > subsidy issue in India, perhaps as a timely distraction from the fact of > > the complicity of the Modi regime in Gujarat in acts of organized mass > > murder. > > > > Let me state at the outset that I am against any effort by the state to > > financially subsidize the practice of any religion. Religion is a > > private matter, and the state, I believe, should have no role to play in > > the pursuit of private matters. Subsidizing religion amounts to an > > interference in religious matters and questions of faith. So I am > > against the Haj subsidy. For the same reason, I am against the state > > subidizing and supporting pilgrimages by Hindus and Sikhs to Mount > > Kailash, Nanakana Saheb and the gigantic infrastructural costs and > > logistical support offered during the various Kumbh and Ardha Kumbh > > Melas. I would have no problems if the Indian government were to do away > > with the Haj subsidy, following the example of many Muslim countries. > > Let us at the same time advocate that the Indian government withdraws > > state patronage of all Hindu (and other faiths') religious institutions, > > functionaries, events, temple trusts etc. > > > > I have grown tired of the Hindutva lobby's cynical and unfounded > > invocation of the Haj issue. Let us, for a change, have the facts speak > > for themselves. I offer below an excerpt from a well researched article > > on the question of subsidies to matters of faith in India, including the > > 'Haj Subsidy' by John Dayal which was originally published in Himal > > Magazine in October this year. I hope you all will find it of interest. > > > > regards, > > > > Shuddha > > > > ----------------------------------------------------------------- > > > > Financing Faith, by John Dayal > > Himal Magazine, October 2007 > > > > > > "...The subsidy for Haj is a more complicated matter entirely. There is > > no equivalent of Haj in any other religion: the Hindu teeraths do not > > come close, and Christianity has nothing remotely similar. Even in > > Islam, Haj is obligatory only for those who are in sound health and > > can afford it. They cannot perform the pilgrimage on borrowed money, > > nor on the charity of others. There is likewise no mention of help > > from the state, other than facilitation. > > > > Last year, one B N Shukla went to court against the Haj subsidy, > > demanding it be withdrawn. His plaint pointed out that the > > Constitution provides equal status to all Indians, while also > > restricting the government from giving benefits to one faith at the > > cost of others. Shukla did not site any official record, but alleged > > that every year the government spends more than INR 3 billion on more > > than 100,000 Hajjis. Special flights are run on the national carrier, > > Air India; air-conditioned Haj houses have been built across the > > country; and pilgrims are provided free food and lodging during the > > course of their trip. Even Islamic countries do not give subsidies for > > Haj, Shukla's application noted. A notice was subsequently sent to the > > government, the official response to which was reiterated in its > > response to a question in Parliament. > > > > The Haj subsidy was formally raised in the Parliamentary Standing > > Committee on External Affairs during P V Narasimha Rao's government, > > following the demolition of the Babri Masjid in December 1992. All > > parties were represented in the Committee, and the recommendation to > > reduce and eventually abolish the subsidy was unanimous. Fourteen > > years later, in 2006, the government reported that 83,000 pilgrims > > performed the Haj during the previous year, out of which the > > government subsidised around INR 1.8 billion. For good measure, > > Parliament was told that 529 Hindu pilgrims performed the Kailash > > Mansarovar Yatra that same year, at a public cost of INR 17.2 million. > > Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma, who reported > > these figures, also said that 8179 people visited Sikh gurudwaras and > > Hindu temples in Pakistan the previous year. Both groups were given > > free medical assistance, security and various escorts. > > > > For the RSS, the Haj-related data came at an opportune time. It > > reported a 500 percent increase in just seven years, which the RSS > > described as an "alarming, non-secular appeasement of one religious > > community when one considers that the Indian government is so > > desperate to reduce food grains and fertiliser subsidy to the large > > and poor farming community." > > > > Muslims and secular scholars alike point out that the Haj subsidy > > began during the early 1970s, after the oil crisis had caused Haj- > > related transportation prices to skyrocket. It was introduced as > > something of a stopgap measure - and the charge of official > > 'appeasement' of minorities has lingered ever since. The Haj charter > > fare was first fixed at INR 6000, before being eventually doubled. Of > > the 120,000 Indian Muslims who undertook the Mecca pilgrimage this > > year, some 70,000 went by air, and were able to avail themselves of a > > subsidy of more than INR 20,000 per person. (There is no subsidy for > > the 50,000 others who went by ship.) But former Member of Parliament > > Syed Shahabuddin points out that many Indian Muslim pilgrims come from > > rural areas, and are not even aware of the government subsidy. As > > such, much of this money is simply going to an elite group of Muslims, > > who would, one would assume, least need the taxpayer's subsidy. > > > > Islam in India further benefits from the public exchequer in the > > larger mosques, which receive government doles for salaries, annual > > upkeep and additional expenses. As elsewhere, however, very little > > information on these headings is public. > > > > Mela monies > > The situation with regards to Hinduism is even murkier. Despite the > > significant attention paid to the interface between the government and > > Islam, rarely are questions raised regarding government subsidies to > > Hindu and Sikh pilgrimages, in temple upkeep, in paying for the > > salaries of Hindu priests, and in maintaining public spaces during > > such events as the Maha and Ardha kumbhs. (Christians, meanwhile, > > claim that there is next to no money spent on them, other than by the > > Archaeological Survey of India on heritage buildings in Goa, or by the > > British government on graves for soldiers.) > > > > As noted, Hindus do receive government subsidies for pilgrimages to > > Mount Kailash, and from a variety of sources. First, the Ministry of > > External Affairs routes INR 3250 to each Kailash yatri. The Uttar > > Pradesh state government then adds INR 5000 per pilgrim. The Delhi > > state government adds another INR 5000 for any pilgrim from Delhi. > > Likewise, the Gujarat government gives a kit worth INR 2500 to every > > yatri from that state. This kind of subsidy may well be given by other > > states as well, although such information is not publicly available. > > > > Gujarat presents a particularly interesting case of state money being > > funnelled towards Hindu causes. The BJP government in 2001 announced > > that it would begin paying monthly salaries to Hindu priests in the > > state. During the first phase, each priest of the 354 government- > > controlled devasthans, or temples, would be entitled to a monthly > > salary of about INR 1200. The late Haren Pandya, at that time Minister > > of State for Home Affairs with the additional charge of "pilgrimage > > development and cow protection", told the media that priests of other > > religions were paid from either the Waqf Board or trusts managing the > > place of worship. The new payments were "to give justice to the > > feelings of the Hindu society that salaries are being paid to them", > > Pandya explained. > > > > There is some information available on the tab for massive Hindu > > fairs, although much of this spending is merely labelled as > > 'infrastructure development'. The grounds of the gargantuan 12-yearly > > Allahabad Maha Kumbh, for instance, are spread over 1500 hectares. > > During the last Kumbh Mela, in 2001, the site boasted 12,000 taps, > > capable of supplying 50.4 million litres of water; 450 kilometres of > > electric lines and 15,000 streetlights in place; 70,000 toilets; and > > 7100 sweepers to clean up the mess generated by an estimated five > > million devotees. There were also 11 post offices and 3000 temporary > > phone connections, while 4000 buses and five trains were also > > requisitioned for the mela period. At its peak, the mela > > administration had more than 80 officials working full time. The > > budget for all of this was INR 1.2 billion - INR 800 million from the > > state government, and INR 400 million from the Centre. This did not > > include the costs of deploying around 11,000 policemen, as well as 40 > > companies of the Provincial Armed Constabulary and other paramilitary > > forces. > > > > The case of the Ujjain Ardha Kumbh, in Madhya Pradesh in April 2004, > > was no different. At that time, Chief Minister Uma Bharati promised > > that she would do all she could for the festival, which at the time > > was expecting millions of pilgrims. Bharati ultimately received > > additional funds from the Centre to the tune of INR 10 billion. > > > > Melas and pilgrimages aside, the government does not reveal how much > > it costs to broadcast the gurubani from the Golden Temple in Amritsar, > > nor explain why some temples and church groups receive tax exemptions > > on commercial activities such as medical colleges, charging hundreds > > of thousands of rupees in capitation or admission charges..." > > > > > > > > > > > > _________________________________________ > > 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. > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > List archive: < https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > __________________________________________________ > > Do You Yahoo!? > > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > > === message truncated === > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > http://mail.yahoo.com -- Partha Dasgupta +919811047132 From vivek at sarai.net Tue Nov 6 22:53:34 2007 From: vivek at sarai.net (Vivek Narayanan) Date: Tue, 06 Nov 2007 22:53:34 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] A REMINDER: How to tackle spam on the reader list Message-ID: <4730A316.7080402@sarai.net> Dear readers of the reader list, Please note, first of all, that I speak as an individual and not as a member of any organisation. As many of you know, there have recently been many attempts to hijack and dumb down the discourse of the reader list. This has been done by a small palmful of individuals ---- some of whom post as many as five times a day, with comments that are, by turns, inane, shallow, offensive or agressive. These individuals may have a right to their right-wing politics, although they are far from representative of our 1000+ mostly quiet or pertinent members. However, it has become very clear to me, at least, that this small group of hijackers with knives is not interested in nuanced or complex debate, merely in sloganeering and various forms of aggression and sabotage. This upsets me, since the reader-list is normally used to a very high and nuanced level of discussion, as evidenced in the patient, detailed and endlessly fascinating postings of independent research fellows, whether formally funded by Sarai or not, or in the recent exchange of different views that began with Yousuf Saeed and Sadan Jha. That was a discussion where the answers were not necessarily clear, and where the discussants weren't merely interested in beating down their opponents' views with a concerted barrage of emails. It was the kind of discussion where people think carefully before they write. This new phenomenon of windbags and Hindu terrorists hijacking the reader list not only upsets me, but it also bores me. And it seriously clutters up my inbox. I have a feeling that many on this list feel the same, and that the recent upsurge has simply meant that people eventually do not read any mail from the list, missing the good stuff. At the same time, deep in the spirit of the reader list is the idea is that no one should be excluded from membership or from posting. I understand, and stand by that. Those who wish to continue receiving postings from the saboteurs are, of course, welcome to do so. And to respond to them, too. I however, am no longer interested in reading mails from some individuals whose postings I don't find productive or instructional. Even if there is much mail on the reader list that I do want to read. I would like to remind all of you who feel the same way that there is a very simple solution for individuals who would like to declutter their inbox from some of the unnecessary emails that drown out the valuable voices of the reader list. The solution is: you can use the message filters in your email client to block email from certain senders, filtering by name. This means that any emails from a certain name will be filtered. Check your help files on how to do this. In Gmail, click on "create a filter", next to the search bar at the top. In Yahoo, click on options --> filters In Thunderbird, simply right-click on the email id at the top of the message and click on "create filter from this message". If anyone else wants to give a quick tutorial on how to use filters on other mail programs, please do so as part of this thread. You can set it up so that messages from all the people you don't wish to read or spend time deleting go straight into your "trash" folder; or you can create a new folder--called "bullshit", for instance-- and have those messages alone go directly into that folder. No doubt the aggressors will try to respond to this message by sending one or twenty abusive emails. Unfortunately, I will not be replying to these messages because I won't see them. They will be in my "bullshit" folder. Why not make your reader list experience simpler and less cluttered in this way? And now-- I'm off to read Partha's reply to the complex, ongoing thread started by Yousuf Saeed in response to the Hindustan Times' article on "The New Muslim". Not to mention important recent research postings by Jenny Chitra, Zubin Pastakia, Harilal Madhavan, Raman Chima, and many, many others. With regards, Vivek From tapasrayx at gmail.com Tue Nov 6 23:22:14 2007 From: tapasrayx at gmail.com (Tapas Ray) Date: Tue, 6 Nov 2007 12:52:14 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] A REMINDER: How to tackle spam on the reader list In-Reply-To: <4730A316.7080402@sarai.net> References: <4730A316.7080402@sarai.net> Message-ID: I have been using this method for some time and can vouch for its efficacy. Tapas On 06/11/2007, Vivek Narayanan wrote: > Dear readers of the reader list, > > Please note, first of all, that I speak as an individual and not as a > member of any organisation. > The solution is: you can use the message filters in your email client to > block email from certain senders, filtering by name. This means that > any emails from a certain name will be filtered. Check your help files > on how to do this. > With regards, > Vivek > From shambhu.rahmat at gmail.com Tue Nov 6 23:40:43 2007 From: shambhu.rahmat at gmail.com (Shambhu Rahmat) Date: Wed, 7 Nov 2007 01:10:43 +0700 Subject: [Reader-list] Internet Choke-Off In Bangladesh Message-ID: Army has begun Internet choke-off in Bangladesh. Not as crudely as in Burma, but in slow motion. Attention to all the army juntas of the world, please come and visit Bangladesh and study how to do a clever, smooth, invisible military crackdown. The world won't notice, and your country's army will be (like ours) the hot favorite to lead a post-US multinational UN peacekeeping mission in Iraq. We are loving the extra US attention and regular visits from US security for "training." Bangladesh now a plum posting for US diplos. Harry "kala jahangir" Thomas ended his Dhaka stint with a position in Condoleeza Rice's inner circle. Patricia "Beauty Apa" Butenis ended her tenure ushering in military rule on 1/11/07 and then went on to become # 2 in the Baghdad green zone (recently reported as handing cash to Iraqi father of Blackwater massacre victim). http://www.e-bangladesh.org/2007/10/06/bbc-bengali-internet-restrictions-in-bangladesh/ http://www.e-bangladesh.org/2007/10/03/crackdown-on-internet-users-in-bangladesh/ ############## BLOGGERS ARE BEING ASKED TO PUT THIS SOLIDARITY IMAGE ON THEIR SITE: http://rumiahmed.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/free_internet_bd.gif (and link to one of the URLs above) ############## More In Bengali... (you need the bangla fonts) http://www.sachalayatan.com/arup/9257 http://www.sachalayatan.com/rezwan/9252 From taraprakash at gmail.com Tue Nov 6 23:51:35 2007 From: taraprakash at gmail.com (TaraPrakash) Date: Tue, 6 Nov 2007 13:21:35 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] A REMINDER: How to tackle spam on the reader list References: <4730A316.7080402@sarai.net> Message-ID: <004101c820a1$e67bb6b0$6500a8c0@taraprakash> If you are using e-mail clients like outlook express, you can create message rules and prevent messages from certain addresses from being downloaded. The option for message rules can be found in the tools section of the menu. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Vivek Narayanan" To: Sent: Tuesday, November 06, 2007 12:23 PM Subject: [Reader-list] A REMINDER: How to tackle spam on the reader list > Dear readers of the reader list, > > Please note, first of all, that I speak as an individual and not as a > member of any organisation. > > As many of you know, there have recently been many attempts to hijack > and dumb down the discourse of the reader list. This has been done by a > small palmful of individuals ---- some of whom post as many as five > times a day, with comments that are, by turns, inane, shallow, offensive > or agressive. These individuals may have a right to their right-wing > politics, although they are far from representative of our 1000+ mostly > quiet or pertinent members. However, it has become very clear to me, at > least, that this small group of hijackers with knives is not interested > in nuanced or complex debate, merely in sloganeering and various forms > of aggression and sabotage. > > This upsets me, since the reader-list is normally used to a very high > and nuanced level of discussion, as evidenced in the patient, detailed > and endlessly fascinating postings of independent research fellows, > whether formally funded by Sarai or not, or in the recent exchange of > different views that began with Yousuf Saeed and Sadan Jha. That was a > discussion where the answers were not necessarily clear, and where the > discussants weren't merely interested in beating down their opponents' > views with a concerted barrage of emails. It was the kind of > discussion where people think carefully before they write. > > This new phenomenon of windbags and Hindu terrorists hijacking the > reader list not only upsets me, but it also bores me. And it seriously > clutters up my inbox. I have a feeling that many on this list feel the > same, and that the recent upsurge has simply meant that people > eventually do not read any mail from the list, missing the good stuff. > > At the same time, deep in the spirit of the reader list is the idea is > that no one should be excluded from membership or from posting. I > understand, and stand by that. > > Those who wish to continue receiving postings from the saboteurs are, of > course, welcome to do so. And to respond to them, too. I however, am > no longer interested in reading mails from some individuals whose > postings I don't find productive or instructional. Even if there is much > mail on the reader list that I do want to read. > > I would like to remind all of you who feel the same way that there is a > very simple solution for individuals who would like to declutter their > inbox from some of the unnecessary emails that drown out the valuable > voices of the reader list. > > The solution is: you can use the message filters in your email client to > block email from certain senders, filtering by name. This means that > any emails from a certain name will be filtered. Check your help files > on how to do this. > > In Gmail, click on "create a filter", next to the search bar at the top. > > In Yahoo, click on options --> filters > > In Thunderbird, simply right-click on the email id at the top of the > message and click on "create filter from this message". > > If anyone else wants to give a quick tutorial on how to use filters on > other mail programs, please do so as part of this thread. > > You can set it up so that messages from all the people you don't wish to > read or spend time deleting go straight into your "trash" folder; or you > can create a new folder--called "bullshit", for instance-- and have > those messages alone go directly into that folder. > > No doubt the aggressors will try to respond to this message by sending > one or twenty abusive emails. Unfortunately, I will not be replying to > these messages because I won't see them. They will be in my "bullshit" > folder. Why not make your reader list experience simpler and less > cluttered in this way? > > And now-- I'm off to read Partha's reply to the complex, ongoing thread > started by Yousuf Saeed in response to the Hindustan Times' article on > "The New Muslim". Not to mention important recent research postings by > Jenny Chitra, Zubin Pastakia, Harilal Madhavan, Raman Chima, and many, > many others. > > With regards, > Vivek > > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From yasir.media at gmail.com Wed Nov 7 00:51:48 2007 From: yasir.media at gmail.com (yasir ~) Date: Tue, 6 Nov 2007 11:21:48 -0800 Subject: [Reader-list] Internet Choke-Off In Bangladesh In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <5af37bb0711061121q1a8eb624kfc460a0134031d49@mail.gmail.com> Shambhu, i would not be surprised by this, as illegal as it is. In fact i work on the assumption that ISPs and local phone companies are staffed by people (lets say after regular work hours) who monitor and report. not to mention things set in motion by the amreeki terror discourse now reaching us in this particular way. as for sites which are blocked (you dont mention this as a problem) such as by the govt, httproxy works well - it is also a plugin for firefox, with several bypassing options. best On 11/6/07, Shambhu Rahmat wrote: > Army has begun Internet choke-off in Bangladesh. > > From oishiksircar at gmail.com Wed Nov 7 02:32:33 2007 From: oishiksircar at gmail.com (OISHIK SIRCAR) Date: Tue, 6 Nov 2007 15:02:33 -0600 Subject: [Reader-list] Renewed Call for Articles/ InfoChange Agenda issue on Migration and Displacement In-Reply-To: <62cba67a0711061250vbd3b0a2g6cebc233d476d082@mail.gmail.com> References: <62cba67a0711061218y2754ff68lb4bf84b5ea7f3f0c@mail.gmail.com> <62cba67a0711061225k1a1a07e4t389183b19845a189@mail.gmail.com> <62cba67a0711061227i24e827d4n5311aafc9f7060b3@mail.gmail.com> <62cba67a0711061250vbd3b0a2g6cebc233d476d082@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <62cba67a0711061302k175ff4f0q48931be9fad21d86@mail.gmail.com> Dear All: I am writing to invite contributions to the next issue of *InfoChange Agenda *, a journal on issues of development and rights which I am guest-editing. This special issue is on 'Migration and Displacement'. *This is a renewed call for articles - so you are welcome to contribute even if you did contribute earlier.* *InfoChange Agenda *has been conceived as a quarterly dossier that informs civil society on crucial issues of sustainable development and social justice, diversity and pluralism issues that are being pushed into the margins. It is designed to enable concerned citizens in India/ South Asia to marshal salient information, facts, figures, perspectives and reportage, so that they *can* clarify *their* ideas and participate in drawing up their own agenda for a more equitable and sustainable world. You can find more information on Infochange Agenda and access the previous issues at www.infochangeindia.org ** The broad themes being explored in this issue tentatively are: *1. **Why People Move* *2. **The Legacy of 'Partition' and '**Independence**': How has it has shaped '** India **' today? * *3. **Refugees in **India**: Questions of Rights and Protection* *4. **The Internally Displaced in **India**: Exodus within Borders* *5. **Of Migration, Trafficking and Sex work: Confusing Conflations* *6. **Development or Displacement? Searching for answers beyond the rhetoric* *7. **Reporting Disasters: Displacement and Media Sensitivity* *8. **The case of 'Other' Indians: Biharis in **Assam** and 'Outsiders' in **Maharashtra * ** *9. **A Critique of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee's (UNHCR) work in **India*** *10. **Displaced Women and Children: Vulnerability Unlimited?* *11. **Displacement Dispatches* i. Narmada Valley ii. Orissa iii. Jharkhand iv. Indo-Bangladesh Border v. North-East India vi. Post-carnage Gujarat vii. Latur viii. Singur/ Nandigram *12. **Tsunami Tales* *13. **Homelessness and Displacement: Evictions in Metros* *14. **The Indian government's policy on Resettlement and Rehabilitation (R & R)* Of course, the themes are not limited to these. You are welcome to write on anything else that is connected with the broader theme of 'Migration and Displacement'. Since InfoChange Agenda is not a purely academic journal, I request you to use minimal footnoting and make the pieces journalistic or feature-like. Please try and stick to a word limit of 2000-3000. The Centre for Communication and Development Studies (CCDS) that publishes the journal will be happy to pay you a fee of Rs. 2000 for the contribution. So please do send your complete postal address along with the article. Can I also request you to maintain a deadline of December 30. This deadline is marginally extendable if you commit to contributing. You can email it to oishiksircar at gmail.com A contribution from you will not only be an invaluable addition to the compilation but also lend a huge amount of credibility to our work. Looking forward to hearing from you soon. Warmly, Oishik Sircar -- OISHIK SIRCAR Fellow in Reproductive & Sexual Health and Women's Rights (LLM Programme) Faculty of Law, University of Toronto 60 Harbord Street Room 016 B Toronto, ON M5S 3L1 oishiksircar at gmail.com oishik.sircar at utoronto.ca 416.876.7926 -- OISHIK SIRCAR Fellow in Reproductive & Sexual Health and Women's Rights (LLM Programme) Faculty of Law, University of Toronto 60 Harbord Street Room 016 B Toronto, ON M5S 3L1 oishiksircar at gmail.com oishik.sircar at utoronto.ca 416.876.7926 From parthaekka at gmail.com Wed Nov 7 09:17:10 2007 From: parthaekka at gmail.com (Partha Dasgupta) Date: Wed, 7 Nov 2007 09:17:10 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Pakistan media crackdown - was transitionists In-Reply-To: <462590.2871.qm@web57213.mail.re3.yahoo.com> References: <5af37bb0711060116p18af791ge7adc4586578d6f9@mail.gmail.com> <462590.2871.qm@web57213.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <32144e990711061947k21306ffydc77571408b8a0ca@mail.gmail.com> Hi, What I found interesting reading was how political parties are staying out of the anti-emergency uprising. Benazir Bhutto talked against the emergency but avoided saying anything against the General. A 'popular' uprising led by lawyers and the common people - and avoided by the political parties - leaves me wondering how far the power structure has become warped in Pakistan. And now reading about Bangladesh and Burma, it is even more worrisome. If the political parties themselves are so married in to the military, can't imagine a true democracy coming up. Rgds, Partha On Nov 6, 2007 7:27 PM, Kshmendra Kaul wrote: > Other resources (in addition to those provided by Yasir) > > - http://www.thenews.com.pk/ > (TOP STORIES often contains interesting 'opinion' pieces > > - http://www.pakistannewsroom.com/category/Breaking-News.aspx > (excellent for videos) > > - http://www.dailytimes.com.pk > > > Kshmendra > > > > yasir ~ wrote: > http://www.dawn.com/2007/11/04/ed.htm > http://www.app.com.pk/en/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20132&Itemid=2 > > its quite terrible. > > people are addicted to news - it gets more ratings than entertainment tv > all pakistani news channels on cable tv and radio have been shut for > the last 3 days. > > an FM station 103 that used to broadcast "foreign" produced news from > the BBC has its equipment taken away, as has a tv channel in islamabad > - aaj tv. the printing press of the jang group (latgest media group) > was almost shut yesterday > > tv broadcasts are now available on the internet from geo and dawn > (neglected before. Dish antenna sales is up, price is doubled. > > police is being extremely brutal to lawyers and media people. > > geo tv (in urdu, but some bulletins late night in eng) > http://65.36.215.69/ > > dawn news tv (in english) > http://www.dawn.com/2007/11/06/index.htm > > > > > On 11/5/07, Shambhu Rahmat wrote: > > anonymous email circulating in Dhaka, the reference obviously to > > Dhaka's own military crisis.... > > > > > > What a delight that the Commando has done what would be expected of an > > adolescent and somewhat idiotic juvenile such as himself. > > > > The rumour in Islamabad all of yesterday was that he acted when he did > > because there was every indication that the bench hearing his > > 'election' case was going to rule 11-0 against him!! And because the > > CJ was threatening the "untouchability" of the ISI and MI. So this > > Martial Law has nothing whatever to do with the revolt in the frontier > > or anything else. > > > > The Supreme Court disgraced senior government officials he says, > > referring to the punishments handed down to the Chief Commissioner and > > IG Police of Islamabad and the other policemen who had manhandled the > > Chief Justice in March, not appreciating the fact that the country at > > large was thrilled at this deserved humiliation of functionaries of > > state who have forever humiliated and disgraced and tortured common > > citizens. > > > > We must appreciate and applaud the great services rendered to the > > country by Chief Justice Chaudhry, warts and all. When was the last > > time that someone in the illegal custody of frightening organisations > > like the MI and ISI was recovered? Which other judge had the guts to > > threaten the bosses of these agencies that he would jail them if they > > did not produce the 'disappeared' in court and explain why they were > > in detention and where? > > > > I hope the members have followed the stories surrounding some of these > > poor unfortunates? Here is one: A young man was arrested from > > Islamabad and locked up in Mangla Cantt., for breaking his engagement > > with the niece of a high official of an agency and court-martialled on > > trumped-up charges of treason. He was given 10 years RI but the Judge > > Advocate General's Branch refused to approve the proceedings because > > of insufficient evidence. > > > > A fresh court martial was ordered. The CJ stepped in then and had the > > man brought before him and ordered a new inquiry into the case after > > ordering he be housed in Adiala Jail and not in any military facility. > > > > We must salute this brave man - as we emotional sub-continentals would > > say: 'Iftikhar Chaudhry ko lakhon salaam'. > > > > We must also ready ourselves for demonstrating peacefully at this outrage. > > > > Where, oh where are the 'transitionists' now? > > _________________________________________ > > 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. > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > http://mail.yahoo.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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: -- Partha Dasgupta +919811047132 From dhatr1i at yahoo.com Tue Nov 6 20:16:54 2007 From: dhatr1i at yahoo.com (we wi) Date: Tue, 6 Nov 2007 06:46:54 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] Is Subsidy Islamic or UnIslamic ? In-Reply-To: <025a01c82081$5944f2e0$6400a8c0@Shabori> Message-ID: <911669.2598.qm@web45505.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> Dear Tara, Hahaha, good. That point would left to somebody like you to raise. Anyway Bismillah khan is just happened scenario compared to Kabir, not only that it didn't flashed in my mind at the time of this writing. INDIA is purely based on KARMA SIDHHANTA. Regards, Dhatri. Taraprakash wrote: 7 days in a week too. I start the concept of 7 sins for not mentioning Kabir, who preferred to die in Maghar, the place which sevenizing myths tell you to avoid death at. Why should one Bismillah Khan and not Kabir? ----- Original Message ----- From: "we wi" To: "Pawan Durani" ; Cc: ; Sent: Tuesday, November 06, 2007 3:56 AM Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Is Subsidy Islamic or UnIslamic ? > Dear All, > > Well to start with, there are 7 holy places, 7 rushis,7 immortals,7 > rivers for every Hindu would think about atleast once in his/her life > time. One need celestial vision to view rishi,immortals and SARASWATI > RIVER disappeared with time. But rest are all available with the same > names defined since unknown time. > > 1)7 places:( AYODHYA,MADHURA,MAYA,KASI,KANCHI,AVANTIKA,PURI) > 2) 7 rivers(GANGES,YAMUNA,GODAVARI,SARASWATI,NARMADA,SINDHU,KAVERI). > 3) 7 immortals(Ashwathama(SON OF DRONACHARYA), Bali(DEMON EMPEROR WHO > DONATED 3 FEET TO VAMAN(VISHNU)), Vyasa(GREAT SAGE), Hanuman(DEVOTEE OF > RAM), Vibhisana(BROTHER OF RAVANA who ruled LANKA), Kripa(ACHARYA TO > KAURAVAS), Parasurama(SON OF JAMADAGNI WHO CONQUERED THE EARTH 21 TIMES)) > > Earlier days say 50 year back and even now at few parts of India(for name > sake), Old people will start journeying towards VARANASI for a > pilgrimage, once the younger generation in their family got married and > enjoying the new life. They feel great if they die at Varanasi if not > they will take a holy dip at Ganges in Varanasi and have a darshan of > VISHWANATH (shiv) and ANNAPURNA(Parvathi) THERE and will return back to > their homes. > > > Forget Hindu feeling, let me bring a recent incident to your notice. > USTAD BISMILLAH KHAN, WELL KNOWN SHEHNAI artist, denied to leave Varanasi > for medication at his last days. At last he died at VARANASI at a riped > age of 92. He knew the importance of VARANASI AND GANGES there. > > Government (who ever rules) Is willing to spend on this,that subsidies > and reservations for this and that then, Why wouldn't be a GOI subsidy > for these places? There are so many Hindus who will not travel to these > places because of their poor economic status. Consider themselves to take > a dip in Ganges and spend their end life at VARANASI(KASI). > > Though Upper castes or anybody else create/inject the CASTE tag/feeling > and insecurity, there is subtle in depth feeling inside in the minds of > people. They are trying to take the revenge if they get a chance. If > anybody start quitting then one need to quit everything and eventually > goes to no control region(RELIGION,CASTE) whatever like where in lot of > freedom which will definitely leads to misuse. Because there is nothing to > guide you and whatever is there inside/outside you obiviously guide > towards bad. Either LOWER/UPPER caste people should note this and > understand. If people are strong enough to understand the system and move > on why would any body accuse somebody about the CONVERSION > tactics(emotional/sentimental/beneficial/comparative bribing)? Not only > that for everything If you are strong enough then you will not accuse > anybody for anything. > > There should not be subsidies(gas,oil...,),reservations,bribing. Just > imagine and view FUTURE INDIA. Can some body(like partha) ATLEAST answer > me the feasibility about this? > > Dont murmur about INDIA by comparing with systems EUROPE,USA,SINGAPORE > etc.(Because same people living and running offices at those places are > verymuch part n parcel of India). But ALL ARE ADVANCED,NIL CURRUPTION > where as India lets say Developing and corrupted in many ways. > > Regards, > Dhatri. > > > Pawan Durani wrote: > An intresting and fair write up on Haj Subsidy. > > http://opiningcynic.blogspot.com/2007/01/poverty-and-the-haj-subsidy.html > > Look around in India and it is not difficult to see the shades of > economic prosperity. The picture you see is only a few blocks away from my > house in Bandra (considered one of the more uptown locations in Mumbai). > In a country where it is estimated that only 1 of every 100 rupees that is > spent on development actually percolates down to the needy there is much > merit in being prudent with developmental expenditure. > > Yet ours has been a country famous for its vote bank politics (and hence > expenditure). Be it the freebees that have become the hallmark of Tamil > Nadu politics or the Haj Subsidy that has been the center of debate in > this country for years. > > A petition was filed in the Supreme Court regarding the legality of the > subsidy being afforded by the government to Haj Pilgrims. The petitioner > is questioning the constitutional validity of the Haj Committee Act, 1959. > > To quote article 27 of the Indian constitution, which this act seems to > contradict > > "Freedom as to payment of taxes for promotion of any particular religion.- > No person shall be compelled to pay any taxes, the proceeds of which are > specifically appropriated in payment of expenses for the promotion or > maintenance of any particular religion or religious denomination." > > In a country that still has poverty of starvation deaths is it necessary > to be paying out over 250 crores to one community. > > > Liz Mathew had written an interesting article on this > > While Muslim intellectuals fiercely oppose Haj pilgrimage, the government > argues that it is only assisting poor Muslims to fulfill their dream of a > Haj pilgrimage and upholding the country's secular credentials. > > "For those who are going for Haj, it's a life time dream. The government > is giving only travel subsidy to those who cannot meet the expenses - its > not cash in hand," Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed, who > is in charge of Haj affairs, told IANS. > > "The presence of Indian Muslims is felt in big way in an international > congregation. Now the world realises that India is home to the second > largest Muslim population. It upholds our secular credentials," Ahamed > added. > > But academicians like Firoz Bakht Ahamed rubbished the argument. > > "This is an argument that supports the compartmentalisation of people into > religious groups. India is not going to enhance its status by sending more > Haj pilgrims," said Feroz Ahamed, a grand nephew of freedom fighter > Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. > "Going for Haj is a desire and it should be done keeping in view the > economical status also. The government is not helping Muslims by providing > subsidy when the community lags behind in all social indicators. It is > just vote bank-politics. > "Instead, there should be a concrete plan to uplift the community, > especially in girls' education," he said. > > Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government last week decided to pay the > round trip fare to 10,000 more Haj pilgrims every year, taking the total > number entitled to the subsidy to 110,000. > > The government has spent nearly Rs.1.80 billion on the last Haj and the > increase in the number could push this expenditure by at least 10 percent. > > Muslim intellectuals point out that even Saudi Arabia, home of Mecca, > believes that any subsidy for the Haj goes against the spirit of the > Shariat, the Islamic law. > They say Haj is a religious duty only for those who can afford it and that > the pilgrimage may not be 'accepted by god' if money spent on transport to > reach the holy sites and on food is not the pilgrim's own. > > Pakistan discontinued Haj subsidies to pilgrims as well as goodwill > delegations after a 1997 court ruling that any expenditure defrayed by the > government was contrary to the Shariat. > > Syed Shahabuddin , former diplomat and a community leader, also opposed > the idea. "I am against subsidy," Shahabuddin told IANS. > > "I have told successive prime ministers that this Haj subsidy is there > because of their political need, it has never been our demand," he said. > > > Hopefully the courts will once again step in to favor good reason! > > > On 11/5/07, we wi wrote: Dear All, > > We do not expect/wish china to provide whatever of this pilgrimage to > Mount Kailash, as it is under illegal possession. Similarly for the sharda > temple in POK. As mount Kailash is already in Chinese possession GOI > support is necessary until Chinese vacate the illegally occupied lands and > so as Pakistan. > > > > --We expect/wish Pakistan to provide subsidy(better infrastructure > facilities,basic amenities) > to HINGLA Mata temple at BALUCHISTAN. Otherwise in my opinion Pakistan > will better > give a contract to INDIA to look after basic amenities under > BOR(built,operate,run)/LEASE > or whatever policy. > (as yasir.media published a telegraph article on this a few days > back). > --We expect/wish Pakistan to stop day dreaming about Jammu and Kashmir. > --We expect/wish China to vacate Tibet like Chinese expected/wished HONG > KONG return > after 99 year lease from British, and thinking about Taiwan. > --We expect/wish China should practice Buddhism more sincerely, other > wise they better quit it. > > > As Dalailama and Tibet strictly believed in Buddhism and non-violence, > they were like this today. If Dalailama was honored at US, why china felt > uneasy(as per shudda words, private program, faith etc., )? China would > have realized/recognized/considered Dalailama as peace maker on this earth > and hence the honour is a private program between bush and Dalailama. > > Even kids will understand this simple thing, if you pick them anywhere > from through out the globe . If any body wish to say anything please > talk/write/question on the above. > > > Regards, > Dhatri. > > > Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: > > Dear all, > > it is interesting to find minority-baiting raise its head on this list > yet again, particularly in the wake of the damaging revelations > forwarded on to this list about the pogroms in Gujarat. I am referring > to the efforts by some on this list to highlight the so-called 'Haj' > subsidy issue in India, perhaps as a timely distraction from the fact of > the complicity of the Modi regime in Gujarat in acts of organized mass > murder. > > Let me state at the outset that I am against any effort by the state to > financially subsidize the practice of any religion. Religion is a > private matter, and the state, I believe, should have no role to play in > the pursuit of private matters. Subsidizing religion amounts to an > interference in religious matters and questions of faith. So I am > against the Haj subsidy. For the same reason, I am against the state > subidizing and supporting pilgrimages by Hindus and Sikhs to Mount > Kailash, Nanakana Saheb and the gigantic infrastructural costs and > logistical support offered during the various Kumbh and Ardha Kumbh > Melas. I would have no problems if the Indian government were to do away > with the Haj subsidy, following the example of many Muslim countries. > Let us at the same time advocate that the Indian government withdraws > state patronage of all Hindu (and other faiths') religious institutions, > functionaries, events, temple trusts etc. > > I have grown tired of the Hindutva lobby's cynical and unfounded > invocation of the Haj issue. Let us, for a change, have the facts speak > for themselves. I offer below an excerpt from a well researched article > on the question of subsidies to matters of faith in India, including the > 'Haj Subsidy' by John Dayal which was originally published in Himal > Magazine in October this year. I hope you all will find it of interest. > > regards, > > Shuddha > > ----------------------------------------------------------------- > > Financing Faith, by John Dayal > Himal Magazine, October 2007 > > > "...The subsidy for Haj is a more complicated matter entirely. There is > no equivalent of Haj in any other religion: the Hindu teeraths do not > come close, and Christianity has nothing remotely similar. Even in > Islam, Haj is obligatory only for those who are in sound health and > can afford it. They cannot perform the pilgrimage on borrowed money, > nor on the charity of others. There is likewise no mention of help > from the state, other than facilitation. > > Last year, one B N Shukla went to court against the Haj subsidy, > demanding it be withdrawn. His plaint pointed out that the > Constitution provides equal status to all Indians, while also > restricting the government from giving benefits to one faith at the > cost of others. Shukla did not site any official record, but alleged > that every year the government spends more than INR 3 billion on more > than 100,000 Hajjis. Special flights are run on the national carrier, > Air India; air-conditioned Haj houses have been built across the > country; and pilgrims are provided free food and lodging during the > course of their trip. Even Islamic countries do not give subsidies for > Haj, Shukla's application noted. A notice was subsequently sent to the > government, the official response to which was reiterated in its > response to a question in Parliament. > > The Haj subsidy was formally raised in the Parliamentary Standing > Committee on External Affairs during P V Narasimha Rao's government, > following the demolition of the Babri Masjid in December 1992. All > parties were represented in the Committee, and the recommendation to > reduce and eventually abolish the subsidy was unanimous. Fourteen > years later, in 2006, the government reported that 83,000 pilgrims > performed the Haj during the previous year, out of which the > government subsidised around INR 1.8 billion. For good measure, > Parliament was told that 529 Hindu pilgrims performed the Kailash > Mansarovar Yatra that same year, at a public cost of INR 17.2 million. > Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma, who reported > these figures, also said that 8179 people visited Sikh gurudwaras and > Hindu temples in Pakistan the previous year. Both groups were given > free medical assistance, security and various escorts. > > For the RSS, the Haj-related data came at an opportune time. It > reported a 500 percent increase in just seven years, which the RSS > described as an "alarming, non-secular appeasement of one religious > community when one considers that the Indian government is so > desperate to reduce food grains and fertiliser subsidy to the large > and poor farming community." > > Muslims and secular scholars alike point out that the Haj subsidy > began during the early 1970s, after the oil crisis had caused Haj- > related transportation prices to skyrocket. It was introduced as > something of a stopgap measure - and the charge of official > 'appeasement' of minorities has lingered ever since. The Haj charter > fare was first fixed at INR 6000, before being eventually doubled. Of > the 120,000 Indian Muslims who undertook the Mecca pilgrimage this > year, some 70,000 went by air, and were able to avail themselves of a > subsidy of more than INR 20,000 per person. (There is no subsidy for > the 50,000 others who went by ship.) But former Member of Parliament > Syed Shahabuddin points out that many Indian Muslim pilgrims come from > rural areas, and are not even aware of the government subsidy. As > such, much of this money is simply going to an elite group of Muslims, > who would, one would assume, least need the taxpayer's subsidy. > > Islam in India further benefits from the public exchequer in the > larger mosques, which receive government doles for salaries, annual > upkeep and additional expenses. As elsewhere, however, very little > information on these headings is public. > > Mela monies > The situation with regards to Hinduism is even murkier. Despite the > significant attention paid to the interface between the government and > Islam, rarely are questions raised regarding government subsidies to > Hindu and Sikh pilgrimages, in temple upkeep, in paying for the > salaries of Hindu priests, and in maintaining public spaces during > such events as the Maha and Ardha kumbhs. (Christians, meanwhile, > claim that there is next to no money spent on them, other than by the > Archaeological Survey of India on heritage buildings in Goa, or by the > British government on graves for soldiers.) > > As noted, Hindus do receive government subsidies for pilgrimages to > Mount Kailash, and from a variety of sources. First, the Ministry of > External Affairs routes INR 3250 to each Kailash yatri. The Uttar > Pradesh state government then adds INR 5000 per pilgrim. The Delhi > state government adds another INR 5000 for any pilgrim from Delhi. > Likewise, the Gujarat government gives a kit worth INR 2500 to every > yatri from that state. This kind of subsidy may well be given by other > states as well, although such information is not publicly available. > > Gujarat presents a particularly interesting case of state money being > funnelled towards Hindu causes. The BJP government in 2001 announced > that it would begin paying monthly salaries to Hindu priests in the > state. During the first phase, each priest of the 354 government- > controlled devasthans, or temples, would be entitled to a monthly > salary of about INR 1200. The late Haren Pandya, at that time Minister > of State for Home Affairs with the additional charge of "pilgrimage > development and cow protection", told the media that priests of other > religions were paid from either the Waqf Board or trusts managing the > place of worship. The new payments were "to give justice to the > feelings of the Hindu society that salaries are being paid to them", > Pandya explained. > > There is some information available on the tab for massive Hindu > fairs, although much of this spending is merely labelled as > 'infrastructure development'. The grounds of the gargantuan 12-yearly > Allahabad Maha Kumbh, for instance, are spread over 1500 hectares. > During the last Kumbh Mela, in 2001, the site boasted 12,000 taps, > capable of supplying 50.4 million litres of water; 450 kilometres of > electric lines and 15,000 streetlights in place; 70,000 toilets; and > 7100 sweepers to clean up the mess generated by an estimated five > million devotees. There were also 11 post offices and 3000 temporary > phone connections, while 4000 buses and five trains were also > requisitioned for the mela period. At its peak, the mela > administration had more than 80 officials working full time. The > budget for all of this was INR 1.2 billion - INR 800 million from the > state government, and INR 400 million from the Centre. This did not > include the costs of deploying around 11,000 policemen, as well as 40 > companies of the Provincial Armed Constabulary and other paramilitary > forces. > > The case of the Ujjain Ardha Kumbh, in Madhya Pradesh in April 2004, > was no different. At that time, Chief Minister Uma Bharati promised > that she would do all she could for the festival, which at the time > was expecting millions of pilgrims. Bharati ultimately received > additional funds from the Centre to the tune of INR 10 billion. > > Melas and pilgrimages aside, the government does not reveal how much > it costs to broadcast the gurubani from the Golden Temple in Amritsar, > nor explain why some temples and church groups receive tax exemptions > on commercial activities such as medical colleges, charging hundreds > of thousands of rupees in capitation or admission charges..." > > > > > > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: < https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around === message truncated === __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com From dhatr1i at yahoo.com Tue Nov 6 20:32:46 2007 From: dhatr1i at yahoo.com (we wi) Date: Tue, 6 Nov 2007 07:02:46 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] FW: FW: Guests in Vedavati's house In-Reply-To: <47e122a70711060505y22315f08j8cffd4175fd04165@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <788508.72429.qm@web45502.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> Hmm, Initially I thought vedavati will better respond for this. But right or wrong, I just would like to make a correction here. --On Brahmins Probably wrong people are claiming themselves as brahmins and there by doing whatever or just using Brahmins. Hence the pity in society. --On Khajuraho There is an intimacy which will not be discussed/expressed/showed openly with everybody other than betterhalf. --On Depavali patakas Godesses and gods are not on Patakas, but they are winded as labels with good rapers. You remove the Laxmi image rapper outside and you can blew it. Wishing you to celebrate deepawali with all patakas this time,so that the dengue/malaria/viral fever related musquitos will be killed due to the smoke generation. I suggest you to practically experience the things. Wishing you and everybody here a HAPPY AND PROSPOROUS DEEPAWALI. Regards, Dhatri. inder salim wrote: dear Vedavati Strictly speaking, i am not replying ur mails but i am reacting to what is already out there.... your mails are not giving birth to my securlar thoughts, but i believe, that our society is really trying to get rid of unnecessary tags.... The people want to be free, but people like you are more worried about the fate of Brahmins, and their counterpart in other religions. In that sense there is no differnece between a Mullah and a Brahmin which you are hell bent to hightlight as lipstick on the face of modern India. Personally, I am truly trying to be secular. Here, i dont think you should have any problems. Gandhi was also trying to be secular, we all have right to judge him in our own personal capacity. He had done his bit, inspite of the fact that many people were uncomfortable. Both, merits and demerit of Gandhi's secular thought were meant to evolve but we unfortunately go back to vulgar past and identify it as Hinduism. For example, Gandhi was quite stupid when he suggested to cover the Khajuraho temple reliefs with cement or whatever.....He had no understanding of sexuality and that is why, perhaps he had ...... If you are a woman, please try to see the rigid and frigid Male in a Religion. The dignity of an individual is paramount. I guess if we quickly finish with this business of Gods then we might give some attention to enviromental issues. Just see the reason why air and sound pollution is a very very small issue on the eve of Deepavali. People are busy marketing the Ganeshas and Laxmis on gifts and commodities. Imagine Laxmi on a Rocket, Patakha or Annar. If you realy love Laxmi, you should feel ofended when Laxmi image is blasted by Hindus in the name of Deepawali. If you have no problems, why do you have with MF Hussain's art. Is not this biased.? When Parvez Musharaf said " Please dont expect the level of Democracy from us... He was also talking about the impossiblity of secularism in Pakistan, and which is not the fact. See, who is the beneficiary of Emergency in Pakistan. Just the Army and the elite. So if we curse the imposition of Martial Law in Pakistan, we also should curse something which is not in the interest of People in India. RSS is one such thing which we dont need, simply because it has no understanding of an individual on the basis of simple needs in life and nature. The only face it wants to see is: Hindu face of the individual, and therefore, it looks similar to Nazis. The same can be applied to Jamat-i-islami and other derivatives of such organizations. I agree, that the true level of democray is still a mirage in the west even, but they too are trying, so should we too... Here, you can easily label me as a communist. I dont have problems with the word but that too has become a passe, and we better move to a better future. What is in the name, so please come forward and give space to this democratic rose to sperad its fragrance of love and peace. Lastly, how you find it so easy to represent Kashmiri Pandits every time and mix it with whatever .... Do you know why Kasmirii Pandit communtiy employees were not allowed to join the offices in Jammu after migration becaue the Hindu Dogra popularion asserted its regional identity. They still conitue to be the outsiders in Hindu Jammu city. I am not complaining about that, but what i want to say is that there is not Hindu which fits in a single word ' HINDU' and that applies to Muslims too. Why i am writing this in detail, is because that i strongly feel that it is only our recent past which has given birth to this Hindu Muslim divide, and therefore, we urgently need to enter the maze of it with all sincerity and find common links which are so numerous that this 'divide' naturally sccumbs inwardly because of many inherent contradictions. with love and regards inder salim On 11/5/07, Vedavati Jogi wrote: > > hello, > > thanks for reading my mails for a long time. i don't know other's reactions because i don't receive r-list mails. i am sure they must not be different from what you have written. > > firstly i write things based on facts, if you find them rant its your opinion. if you don't understand/ see the things which are as bright as day its again your problem. > > i have to repeat myself because i find same secular lies again & again on r-list. > when people like yogi sikand, shuddha, roger das , and many more keep talking about descrimination and problems faced by muslims in india, you don't get annoyed, when they keep cursing rss, vhp, modi again & again, you don't get provoked, but when i try to counter them that inspires you to write mail, surprising! > > r-list does not block mails by thses people mentioned above when they spread hatred towards rss & likes, but when i try to expose psudo secularists my mails are blocked. > this type of psudosecularism was propagated in 20th century in gandhian era, which ultimately resulted into partition of this country. kashmiri hindus have become refugees in their own country again because of this psudo secularism - shame on us, that we have still not learnt any lesson. > > after 2006 news had appeared in indian express that terrorists wanted to make blasts in gujrat but local muslims did not 'dare' to support them hence ultimately terrorists chose mumbai. it speaks volumes. > i hope you understand what i mean. i have never never supported gujrat riots in 2002. but one must try to understand psychology of hindus. they too have right to defend themselves, they too have right to take revenge. > > vedavati > > > Date: Sat, 3 Nov 2007 15:42:29 +0000From: anu.mukh at gmail.comTo: vrjogi at hotmail.comSubject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: FW: Guests in Vedavati's house > Dear Vedavati, > > I have been reading your posts for a long time. Without going into their merits or demerits, they seriously need to be structured better in order to say what you want to convey. Otherwise it is simply a rant. Rants are also valid, but this may not be the best forum for that. I suggest, start a blog. And may I also add that you don't ever say anything new. Not a new line of thought or even facts. You just go on repeating yourself. > > I have been a most invisible reader here, but you inspired me to write in. Continue the good work, but do at least make an effort to make what you write readable and therefore more easy to understand. Your scorn for "pseudo-secularists" is well-known, but since many of them are your readers, at least be legible. But I also find it funny that words like intellectual and pseudo-secularists are tossed about with such ease without even sparing a thought about their meaning or genesis. Almost every totalitarian regime or mindset that wanted to attack free-thinking has used such terms regardless which side of the fence they were on. > > The earth-shattering questions you ask can all be answered. But only somebody with immense patience can do it, take up your arguments point-wise and shred them. May be it is high time somebody should. But then what's the point, you don't ever listen to others, do you? Frankly, for most of us, it's not worth the effort. I agree with Inder when he says that you need to shape your debate better. Before you lump me with him and declare us a part of some "pseudo-secularist agenda" let me add that I may or may not agree with him on other things. > Best > Anuradha > > > 1/red need3/07, Vedavati Jogi wrote: > lot must have been discussed by readers list members about tehelka, as i am not receiving any mail from r-list i don't have the priviledge to read the secular thoughts. i want to express my views which may or may not be published by r-list. i feel if tehelka is so much fond of digging the past things, i can suggest few more subjects. 1) for thousands of years muslimss killed/ looted/ converted hindus, pulled down their temples, humiliated their women. tehelka can study & find out how many of muslims in india are originally hindus. how many mandirs have been dismantled & converted into masjids. 2) why was india partitioned in 1947? inspite of gandhi's appeasement policy, why was jinnah & his followers remained so adamant? what was meant by 'has ke liya pakistan, ladh ke lenge hindustan'? 3) who masterminded 1993 bombay- bombblast? 4) was rubiya syed abduction episode, a true story? or mufti m. syed the then first muslim home minister had joined hands with pakistan to release 5 hardcore terrorists? > CC: vrjogi at hotmail.com; reader-list at sarai.net> From: monica at sarai.net> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: FW: Guests in Vedavati's house> Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2007 11:50:44 +0530> To: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com> > Vedavati,> > If you have disabled receiving mails, then it does not mean that your > mails are being blocked by anyone except yourself for yourself.> > Mots du jour like banned are easy to bandy but utterly pointless if > untrue. Useful however for creating an atmosphere of allegations and > defensiveness. Perhaps that was the intention?> > This is an administered - NOT moderated - list. As everyone by now > knows, to their edification (or boredom).> > best> M> > Monica Narula> Raqs> Sarai-CSDS> 29 Rajpur Road> Delhi 110 054> www.raqsmediacollective.net> www.sarai.net> > > On 06-Sep-07, at 10:09 PM, Kshmendra Kaul wrote:> > > Dear VJ> >> > I do not know what the glitch was if any, but this last mail of > > yours has come through SARAI.> >> > Your address in Subscribers List continues to show in parentheses > > which means your list delivery is disabled.> >> > KK> >> > Vedavati Jogi < vrjogi at hotmail.com> wrote:> > .hmmessage P { margin:0px; padding:0px } body.hmmessage > > { FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY:Tahoma } yes, kshemendra, my > > mails are being blocked by sarai and i am not surprised because > > this is the real nature of secularism practiced in india.> >> > this secularism will lead to disaster i am sure.> >> > few decades back britishers encouraged muslim separatism which > > ultimately resulted into partition. today same great job is being > > done by psudosecularists and i will not be surprised if one day > > muslims again start giving same slogan 'islam khatareme hai' > > leading the nation to many more partitions.> >> > 'gujrat' is a 'shame' but 'kashmir' is not!> > when one babri was pulled down then so many riots (initiated by > > muslims) took place more over their acts were justified by > > psudosecularists> > but many temples were pulled down in kashmir ...spineless hindus > > did not feel bad and ofcourse psudo secularists kept their mouths > > shut.> >> > list is very big. this is secularism. if you feel what i have > > written is not wrong please distribute it.> >> > thanks> > vj> >> >> >> > ---------------------------------> > From: vrjogi at hotmail.com> > To: tapasrayx at gmail.com; reader-list at sarai.net> > Subject: RE: [Reader-list] FW: FW: Guests in Vedavati's house> > Date: Tue, 4 Sep 2007 02:21:04 +0000> >> > .ExternalClass .EC_hmmessage P {padding: > > 0px;} .ExternalClass EC_body.hmmessage {font-size:10pt;font- > > family:Tahoma;} no i am not suffering from any mental problem, i > > only tell the truth which psudo secularists can not digest.> >> > vedavati> >> >> >> Date: Sat, 25 Aug 2007 13:02:38 +0530> >> From: tapasrayx at gmail.com> >> To: vrjogi at hotmail.com> >>>> >> Please do not forward anything to me in future. I do not > >> appreciate it.> >>> >> For your information, I have already received from Reader-list the > >> mail> >> you claim was blocked and have forwarded to me offlist.> >>> >> I suspect you may be suffering from some type of delusion or > >> paranoia.> >>> >> TR> >>> >>> >> Vedavati Jogi wrote:> >>> i have no alternative but to forward this mail to all of you> >>> individually as readers list people don't dare to publish my mail.> >>> i request all of you to please read this correspondance. views > >>> expressed> >>> by people like roger are posing real threat to this country' unity.> >>>> >>> vedavati> >>> -------------------------------------------------------------------- > >>> ----> >>> From: vrjogi at hotmail.com> >>> To: rgdj12 at yahoo.com; reader-list at sarai.net> >>> Subject: RE: [Reader-list] FW: FW: Guests in Vedavati's house> >>> Date: Sat, 25 Aug 2007 04:55:48 +0000> >>>> >>> pakistan is an enemy so i don't blame them as they are doing what an> >>> enemy is supposed to do. i am talking against psudoseculars like> >>> you. nobody has blocked minority advancement in india otherwise> >>> shahruhk, irfan pathan, zakir hussin, javed akhtar would not have > >>> > >> >> >> > ---------------------------------> > Download the latest version of Windows Live Messenger NOW! Click > > here!> >> > ---------------------------------> > Download the latest version of Windows Live Messenger NOW! Click > > here!> >> >> > ---------------------------------> > Be a better Globetrotter. Get better travel answers from someone > > who knows.> > Yahoo! Answers - Check it out.> > _________________________________________> > 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.> > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > List archive: >_________________________________________________________________Windows Live Spaces is here! It's easy to create your own personal Web site. http://spaces.live.com/?mkt=en-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.To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-listList archive: > _________________________________________________________________ > Check out some new online services at Windows Live Ideasâ€"so new they haven’t even been officially released yet. > http://www.msnspecials.in/windowslive/ > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: -- http://indersalim.livejournal.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. To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list List archive: __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com From nc-agricowi at netcologne.de Tue Nov 6 14:47:10 2007 From: nc-agricowi at netcologne.de (NMF2007) Date: Tue, 06 Nov 2007 10:17:10 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] =?iso-8859-1?q?=5BAnnouncements=5D_NMF2007_-_stream?= =?iso-8859-1?q?ing_media_features_by_Cinemathque?= Message-ID: <20071106101710.6E9CBFDD.EAEE3756@192.168.0.3> NewMediaFest2007 http://2007.newmediafest.org NewMediaFest2007 blog http://www.newmediafest.org/blog/ 1st common festival of [NewMediaArtProjectNetwork]:||cologne 1 November 2007 - 31 May 2008 proudly presents today two streaming media serials by ------------------------------------------------------ 5. Cinematheque - streaming media project environments http://cinema.nmartproject.net is dedicated to the artistic use of streaming technology. Founded in 2001, the different Cinema Rooms were presenting program series of streaming media. On occasion of New MediaFest2007, Cinematheque launches the new projection room "Cinema_C" and the start of the 6 months lasting program series of --> 5.1. Web performance serial "The Glass House" by the Israeli artists duo Lital Dotan & Eyal Perry http://cinema.nmartproject.net/blog/?page_id=20 is a platform for weekly Web Performance shows. Every Tuesday on exactly 23:00 (GMT +02:00) a new performance is transmitted via the artists website 4 different spaces of their home (bed room, living room, bath room and Entrance hall) are the location for the performance, which focuses on one location each week. On occasion of 3rd Digital Art Festival Rosario/Argentina - http://www.newmediafest.org/blog/?page_id=16, Dotan - Perry prepare a special performance via the net on 17 November 2007. NewMediaFest2007 has the pleasure to present an archived performance stream via its festival interface. -->Next web performance, Tuesday, 6 November 23:00 (GMT +02:00) 5.2. The program serial "Slowtime2007? - Quicktime as an artistic medium is exploring the capabilities of the video format Quicktime for its artistic use The 1st program launched on 1 November is featuring -->Marko Batista (Slovenia), Marco Coraggio (Italy), Duprass - Belford, Liora and Ido Govrin (Israel), Factory148 (Russia), G.H. Hovagimyan (USA), Martin Mayer & H. Vogel (Germany), Adrian Miles (Australia), Rika Ohara (USA), Lobo Pasolini (Brazil), Guenter Puller (Austria), Arzu Ozkal Telhan (Turkey), Michael Zahnhausen (Austria) The next following monthly programs include further -->Abdel-Gawad, Tarik (USA), Andres, Ariel (Chile/USA), Augustynowicz, Artur (Canada), Barbeni, Luca (Italy), Batista, Maria Bauer & Stefanie Buecker (Germany), Beard, Bebe (USA), Bianchi, Silvia (UK), Blank, Jeremy (Australia), Ryan Boserio (Australia), Brasington, Robin Diane (UK), Brunelle, Jon Keith (USA), Caglioni, Diego (ItaLy), Camargo, Hugo (Brazil), Choi, Kyong Mee (South Korea), Cooley, Dana (UK), Cruz, Christiaan (USA), Einarsdottir, Unnur Andrea (Iceland), Fischler, Rami (Australia), Freeman, Heather (USA), Golan, Doron (USA), Hall, Tom (Australia), Insua, José (USA), Jochum, Richard (Austria/USA), Jones, Jeremiah (USA), Kannenberg, John (USA), Kapon Annetta (USA), Kasari/Juan (Finland), Kim, Man (USA), Kobi, Lionel (Switzerland), Koven, Mark (USA), Latchman, Stephen Daniel (Australia), Lee, Irad (Israel/Netherlands), Majstorovic, Sonja H. (Croatia), Malc (Italy), Murphy, John (Ireland), Murray, Steve (Australia), Naismith, Emily (Australia), Niebe, Rick (USA), No, Goh de (Australia), Olim, Hugo (Portugal), Paiva Margerida (Portugal), Palmer, Stephen (USA), Pollak, Anat (USA), Paul, Lewis & Taylor, Sarah (UK), Prautzsch, Peter (Germany), Quaranta, Dario (Italy) & Soo-ja Jang (S.Korea), Ricardo, Joao & Matos, David (Portugal), Rosen, Avi (Israel), ROUSSEAU, Anthony (France), Rupp, Christian (Austria), Sarff, Michael (USA), Schmidt, Stephana (Germany), Schutterhoef, Arie van (Netherlands), Shatalova, Oksana (Kazakhstan), Szapakowski, Michael (UK), Tan, Sandra Louise (Australia), Telhan, VJ Nokami (Canada), Weberg, Anders (Sweden), Anette Weintraub (USA), Wilde, Frederik de (Belgium), Williams, Alison (SA), Dr. Woohoo (USA), Ying, Ma (Australia), Zellen, Jody (USA) 5.3 Special screening program to be screened on divers festivals "Slowtime/Dreamtime" is the title of a special selection program prepared forl screenings, including Marco Batista (Slovenia), Laurent Pernot (France), Oksana Shatalova (Kazakhstan), John Brunelle (USA), Artur Augustynowicz (Canada), Jeremiah Jones (USA), Anders Weberg (Sweden), Margerida Paiva (Portugal), Norbert Attard (Malta), Daniel Iturrizaga (Peru) and others. --------------------------------------------------- The streaming media features by Cinematheque can be acessed via NewMediaFest2007 interface on http://2007.newmediafest.org but also separately via an individual URL "Slowtime2007 - Quicktime as an artistic medium and Dotan-Perry web performance http://cinema.nmartproject.net/cinema_c/index.html --------------------------------------------- NewMediaFest2007 is realized on 2 levels - 1. online in its totality -->http://2007.newmediafest.org --->http://www.newmediafest.org/blog/ 2. in physical space via cooperations--> the 1st physical NewMediaFest2007 is launched in the framework of 3rd Digital Art Festival Rosario/Argentina - 15-17 November 2007 more info on http://www.newmediafest.org/blog/ --> It is further linked with FONLAD Digital Art Festival Coimbra/Portugal http://www.aaa-euac.org/fonlad.html The general festival catalogue can be downloaded as PDF for free http://downloads.nmartproject.net/NewMediaFest_2007.pdf --------------------------------------------- This press release is issued by netEX - networked experience http://netex.nmartproject.net powered by [NewMediaArtProjectNetwork]:||cologne info (at) nmartproject.net -------------------------------------------- _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Wed Nov 7 15:02:08 2007 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Wed, 7 Nov 2007 01:32:08 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] General Musharraf and Kashmir - Murtaza Shibli Message-ID: <568654.65911.qm@web57209.mail.re3.yahoo.com> General Musharraf and Kashmir by Murtaza Shibli (Monday, November 5, 2007) --------------------------------- "The massive challenges and exigencies of hanging on to his now very fragile rule is immense and overwhelming for the General so much so that it seems he has abandoned Kashmir for good. As he battles to maintain calm in his beleaguered country following his second and more ruthless coup, Kashmir seems to have been drowned under his new and ever increasing priorities. This is therefore no surprise that in his ‘emergency’ address to the nation, General Musharraf did not mention Kashmir at all." --------------------------------- When General Musharraf deposed the former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharief in 1999 in a blood less coup, he claimed one of the underlying reasons for his extra-constitutional action was Sharif’s withdrawal from Kargil war front in Jammu and Kashmir – where Pakistan had surprised and challenged the Indian military might, but had to concede defeat after losing diplomatic battle. Pakistan’s unceremonious withdrawal from Kargil had caused a great shame to Pakistan and Kashmiris alike and General lost no opportunity in placing Kashmir issue firmly at the core of his regime change action. Similarly when he sided with the US in its ‘War on Terror’, General Musharraf calmed down the overwhelming opposition of his countrymen by claiming that Pakistan’s support for the US-led action would get the much needed Western support for the resolution of Kashmir problem. But as the ‘War on Terror’ dragged and crossed into Iraq and beyond and has now deeply engulfed Pakistan, no promised Western support for Kashmir has come. Contrarily, General Musharraf designated himself in his own words as ‘man of peace’ and started dismantling the very basis of the Kashmir dispute – the UN Resolutions that guarantee Kashmiris their right to self-determination. In a rush of ambition and excitement to fulfil his self-prophesied role as the ‘man of peace’, he washed his hands off the UN resolutions and threw many formulas and ‘quad points’ into the quagmire that Kashmir has become. He even went to greater lengths in admitting his country’s role in fomenting ‘terror’ in Kashmir and its associated accessories. He even claimed that the Kashmiri resistance had contacts with Al-Qaeda and did not rule out Al-Qaeda presence in Kashmir, a charge even the Indian government resists to put forth for the lack of any substance. Through his uttering and actions, General Musharraf has not only hurt the Kashmiri interest, but also contributed in creating suspicions about the Kashmiri struggle at the international level and complicated the political configurations of the issue both in Kashmir and abroad. While the General is accredited with initiating and sustaining the ‘peace process’ between India and Pakistan, he has failed in one of his chief stated objective of bringing peace to Kashmir and its inhabitants. In his quest for a Kashmir solution, General Musharraf took a far reaching decision to dismantle the Kashmiri resistance and its paraphernalia in Azad Kashmir, but his position was weakened as he did not get anything in return from India – not even a symbolic reduction in troops – a process he refers to as ‘demilitarisation’ in heavily fortified Kashmir Valley. General Musharraf’s desperation to sell his ‘solutions’ to Kashmiris saw him courting all sorts of Kashmiri ‘leaders’ and cheerleaders – from the supposedly pro-freedom camp to the pro-India enclave. His diplomatic offensive went further and he coaxed journalists from Kashmir and India. Endless interviews were given to the scribes representing local and national news organisations. He even ‘performed’ interviews with such Kashmiri ‘journalists’ who do not even know what to ask and expect. This made Kashmiris to see a funny side of the otherwise grave and serious phenomenon that undermines Kashmiri aspirations and dreams for Azadi. Operating from his barricaded Army headquarters in Pakistani President’s avatar, he was confident that Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and his group of Hurriyat Conference would be able to sell his formulas to Kashmiris. Sadly for him, his formulas and potions could not move beyond the quack shops of Hurriyat and lacked appeal for a common Kashmiri. True, the deafening noise created deliberately by the hawkers of these ‘solutions’ and ‘visions’ created divisions and distortions in Kashmir, but General Musharraf’s appeal declined rapidly as he lost his credibility much earlier among Kashmiris than his compatriots in Pakistan. Despite lofty disclosures and claims about his proposed solutions and formulas, Musharraf’s words, actions and intentions are cloaked in ambiguity. As a result, even after millions of mentions and reminders, Kashmiris are yet to decipher the difference between his concept of ‘self-governance’ and pro-India National Conference’s demand for ‘autonomy’. At one occasion, when Syed Ali Geelani, chairman of the rival faction of Hurriyat Conference confronted him and sought clarifications, the General was confident not in the feasibility of his solutions but in an abstract boast that “George Bush and Tony Blair are with me”. Similarly, when Lord Nazir Ahmad, a British peer asked him in an open Question and Answer session at Brussels as to why he is exhausting his options without waiting for any response from the Indian side, his answer was that he was an avid Bridge player. But the General strangely accepted that while the people wait for a move from the enemy, he in his style of Bridge is exhausting all his options to seek a reaction move from India. Predictably, the Indians proved themselves far superior in the game – they allowed the General to exhaust all his cards till he was left with nothing and was even stripped down to his pants. Even without playing a hand, the Indians won the table. Despite using every local and the world forum to amplify the surrender of Pakistan’s traditional position over Jammu and Kashmir, General Musharraf failed to win any favour on Kashmir saving customary and automated responses from the Western capitals – “Kashmir issue should be solved amicably and peacefully”. Even his war on his own people in the name of ‘War on Terror’ did not win him any support for the Kashmir cause. His army background coupled with his record of stifling democracy proved a huge disaster for the Kashmiris at the international level. It was due to Pakistan military’s role in country’s politics and its reputation that the EU’s Kashmir Report lost track and ended up focussing on Pakistan’s role rather than focussing on the massive sufferings and miseries of Kashmiris on the Indian side. It is mainly because of Pakistan’s bad image at the international level that Kashmiris could not get the desired support for their struggle abroad. Besides, due to the strong Indian lobbying, Kashmir is always seen as a bilateral issue and now that General Musharraf has abandoned Kashmiri’s right to self-determination on their behalf, the world is less inclined to show any concern for dying Kashmiris. The reason is simple – as India and Pakistan come closer and share same position on this issue, there is less danger of any escalation. Despite his lofty claims of unfreezing the issue through fashion of formulas, General Musharraf has failed to effect any change to the Kashmir situation from the International players or even in the attitude of the Indian authorities. He was broadly and repeatedly snubbed when the Indian leaders and the Army who have consistently refused to ‘demilitarise’ and recently recommended a tenfold increase in the troop level to check and control the levels of ‘cross-border terrorism’. After failing in his Kashmir resolution bid, General Musharraf had been trying hard to seek at least a solution to the Siachen problem to keep some momentum and buoyancy to his now defunct ideas. But the worse struck him when the Government of India declared Siachen open for tourism – not only sending a strong message that it was not prepared to negotiate on the current status of the glacier, but also that it is formally integrating the world’s highest battleground into its territory and does not consider the current ‘peace process’ as any impediment to this regard. Despite Pakistan’s muted protestations, the tourist activity went ahead removing any doubt about the Indian position. If he had any doubt about his person and stand, it was removed when one of the close ‘War on Terror’ allies – the United Kingdom recently conducted joint exercises with the Indian Army in Ladakh region, part of disputed Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan’s protests and denouncements were deemed so redundant that it didn’t even elicit a reaction from the British. The massive challenges and exigencies of hanging on to his now very fragile rule is immense and overwhelming for the General so much so that it seems he has abandoned Kashmir for good. As he battles to maintain calm in his beleaguered country following his second and more ruthless coup, Kashmir seems to have been drowned under his new and ever increasing priorities. This is therefore no surprise that in his ‘emergency’ address to the nation, General Musharraf did not mention Kashmir at all. Is this that Kashmir has finally lost its meaning for the battling General or that Pakistan has yet again abandoned its raison d'être and the ‘jugular vein’. All indications lead to this conclusion and the Kashmiris and their ‘leaders’ based in Srinagar and Muzzaffarabad have raised the concern though mutely. General Musharraf’s antics vis-à-vis Kashmir seem to have succeeded in erasing Kashmir from the Pakistani psyche to a point that it even does not get a mention in his second coup as a reason to hold onto power. This must be heartening for the Indian side as they consolidate their stranglehold over Kashmir. There is no doubt that General Musharraf has shown unprecedented courage at the time of 9/11 and saved Pakistan from overwhelming and menacing disaster, but his over confidence in his intellect and ability to engineer solutions out of crisis and stalemates has boomeranged. He has not only failed to protect Kashmiris through his ‘surrender policy’, but also failed to keep his promises of their hopes for future. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq’s hired bunch of handful supporters may light few fire crackers in the old Srinagar city to please the military man over his ‘victory’ in the presidential elections, Musharraf remains a very unpopular Pakistani head of the state in Kashmir, a unique honour. When Zulfiqar Bhutto was hanged, hundreds of thousands of Kashmiris poured onto streets mourning in disbelief and shock. Similarly when Zia-ul Haq was killed in suspected US-engineered crash, Kashmiris showed their love and affection by taking funeral processions and offering janaza in absentia through the length and breadth of the Valley. As General Musharraf is replicating Zia-ul-Haq by adopting and innovating upon his ruthless practices, it is hard to ignore this oft-repeated phrase that his days are numbered. Even a Western analyst suggested on live TV that the end might be near and could be brutal and violent. Should this be the unfortunate truth, the General might create yet another unique honour for himself as there would be no mourners for him in Kashmir. END Murtaza Shibli, a London-based Kashmiri writer, poet and editor of Kashmir Affairs, contributed this article to Media Monitors Network (MMN) from the United Kingdom. SOURCE: http://world.mediamonitors.net/headlines/general_musharraf_and_kashmir __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com From image.science at donau-uni.ac.at Wed Nov 7 22:26:05 2007 From: image.science at donau-uni.ac.at (Image Science) Date: Wed, 07 Nov 2007 17:56:05 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] Remixing Cinema : Danube Telelecture streamed live tomorrow Message-ID: <4731FC350200007D0000465E@gwgwia.donau-uni.ac.at> The Department for Image Science and the Database of Virtual Art present: => REMIXING CINEMA: FUTURE AND PAST OF MOVING IMAGES <= Sean CUBITT "Immersion, Connectivity, Convivilaity" Lev MANOVICH "After Effects, or Invisible Revolution" Live debate at the MUMOK in Vienna's MuseumQuartier Danube TeleLecture #4: Thursday, Nov 8, 2007 Start Time! 19:00 Vienna, 20:00 Cairo, 21:00 Moskow, 23:30 Mumbai, 2:00 Singapore, 3:00 Tokyo, 5:00 Melbourne, 7:00 Waikato, 10:00 San Diego, 13:00 New York, 15:00 Bueno Aires, 18:00 Dublin + You can attend the event in MUMOK or in realtime over the www + http://www.donau-uni.ac.at/telelectures After the lectures the audience will have the possibility to ask the speakers questions. Internet users may join the discussion via e-mail. contact: Wendy Coones, M.Ed. Tel: +43 (0)2732 893-2543 Wendy.Coones at donau-uni.ac.at http://www.donau-uni.ac.at/dis From santanaissar at gmail.com Thu Nov 8 03:26:31 2007 From: santanaissar at gmail.com (Santana Issar) Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2007 03:26:31 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Rethinking animal activism in an urban context - Sarai fellowship posting Message-ID: If there's one case study that appears to defy outright modern categories of animal "rights" and "welfare", it is the charity Jain Bird Hospital nestled in the brick red compound of the Digambar Jain temple in Chandni Chowk. Its establishment itself is borne out of a particular religious worldview. It features prominently on several tourist websites and is famous as the only veterinary service catering specifically to the avian species – although there is a special sort of in-species discrimination, if you will, as is revealed in the course of this post. The genesis of the hospital is popularly attributed to the much vaunted principle of 'ahimsa' and its corollary - compassion for all living things – practiced by the Jains. According to Jain philosophy, the gravest karmic debasement of the soul occurs in causing hurt or harm to any living creature. A serious practitioner would tell you how a visitor to any Jain temple would find amongst the many donation boxes one marked for 'pashu daan' for the welfare of animals. This principle is also the motivation behind some of the practices that appear strange and eccentric to non-Jains – strict vegetarianism to the extent of abjuring vegetables and tubers that grow underground, abstinence from food and water after dark, the covering of the mouth with a strip of cloth to avoid ingesting micro-organisms while breathing are all ways devised to avoid unintentional harm to living beings. With religious philosophy interceding in such a big way into notions and functions of treatment and care of non-human species (the term 'welfare', with its conventional connotations, does not quite seem appropriate here), the Jain Bird Hospital occupies an ambiguous position amongst AWO's in Delhi. Many AW activists were quick to dismiss it on the ground that it does not treat "non-vegetarian" birds. Yet, though some of its policies evoked contempt and dismissal, one cannot dispute its significance as a widely-recognized, specialized institution for birds. We found ourselves there one morning to see for ourselves the validity of these competing claims. The Jain Bird Hospital was established in 1929 by the Prachin Sri Aggarwal Digambar Jain Panchayat Trust committee, and currently houses about 4,500 patients in its cages. All treatment is provided free of cost, though donations are welcome. The hospital receives no financial aid from the government, in fact - it avails of no government schemes, all expenses being met by funds from the committee board. The infrastructure at JBH is quite impressive. In addition to the mostly clean and well-maintained wards, the three-storey building also houses a research lab and an ICU. The team is led by the veterinary surgeon, Dr. Vijay Kumar, who has been with the hospital for 10 years, includes two compounders, one supervisor and six ward boys. We spent the first half-hour just looking around the place. The bigger 'wards' (cages) are inhabited by peacocks, cockerels and domestic fowl. Inoffensive smaller animals like rabbits and squirrels are allowed to share this space. Budgerigars, parakeets, sparrows and other colourful species shared smaller rooms – mostly rescued from bird sellers and brought to the hospital to recover until fit for release. This is hospital policy – recovered birds are not returned to their owners but set free. This flight to freedom is a spectacular weekend ritual (which, unfortunately, we missed) that takes place on the terrace of the hospital. Pigeons form the vast majority of the patients here at the hospital, and the top floor is occupied solely by them. Their strength in numbers may partly be attributed to their abundance in the walled city; 'kabootarbaazi' or pigeon flying being a popular pastime for numerous families. Single cages are reserved for the more seriously injured patients, as well as the hospital's most controversial wards – the birds of prey. Contrary to allegations, we found that the hospital does indeed treat "non-vegetarian" species as well, but seemingly only as an afterthought judging from the cramped conditions in which the few eagles and kites find themselves in. The uniformly-sized cages are clearly meant for smaller birds, and not the substantially larger birds of prey. Of all the patients, their conditions appeared to be the most wretched. "No flesh eating, no postmortem, no euthanasia..." The policy towards carnivorous birds was predictably the first topic we touched upon in conversation with Dr. Vijay Kumar. Dr. Kumar clarified that the chairperson of the hospital's trust had allowed their admission, but only when severely injured. Birds of prey may only be admitted on a temporary basis; those requiring long-term care are sent to another AWO - Wildlife SOS. During their stay at JBH, these carnivorous birds are kept on a diet of vegetarian food – largely bread and milk. But do they eat it? We don't know. "They just have to get used to it…" is all Dr. Kumar will say. The adherence to Jain philosophy also implies the removal of two other medical procedures common to many AWOs – postmortem and euthanasia. When we question the ban on postmortems with respect to the effect on research at JBH's lab, and enquire about the wastage of resources involved in palliative care that could otherwise be used to treat birds with a chance at survival, Dr. Kumar simply repeats that the committee does not allow the procedures. Point taken, we move on to other issues. About 20 to 30 birds are brought into the hospital daily by people from all walks of life, and treated free of charge. They suffer from a variety of ailments – injuries from ceiling fans and kites, vitamin D deficiency, worms, viral disease, dehydration. With the urban environment becoming increasingly inhospitable for birds, the hospital reports new kinds of injuries, for instance as obtained from pecking at/flying into the glass walls of high-rise buildings. The most frequent offenders are fans and kites (the latter of the inanimate variety). The hospital sets an example by covering their ceiling fans with a wire mesh to prevent accidents, and exhorts bird lovers to do the same. Admissions treble during the kite-flying season in August, caused mainly by the use of 'maanja' – the glass coated string used to fly kites. The hospital makes public appeals every year to discourage people from using maanja. Dr. Kumar tells us Pakistan has banned the use of maanja, and that it would save the lives of many thousands of birds if India did likewise. Are there any specialized institutes/courses concentrating on avian veterinary science? None outside the traditional poultry science courses, according to Dr. Kumar. His own expertise comes from ten years of learning on the job, and he says the Bird Hospital is the best place to provide it. Perhaps birds are the most fragile victims of rapid urban growth, as well as its first casualty. The last 10 years have seen an alarming drop in bird populations, with hitherto common species like sparrows and vultures vanishing at an unprecedented rate in our own (rather short) lifetimes. Shrinking of urban wetlands and changes in the environment have caused habitats and breeding spaces to become not just inhospitable but increasingly hostile. Windowsills, parapets and crevices, rooftops, balconies, parks hedges, grooves between buildings are getting increasingly difficult to find – these kinds of spaces now play host to coolers and air conditioners. In addition, features like exposed rafters, lofts in car parks, ledges over rolling shutters and open eaves prove to be "death traps" as they leave their nests more vulnerable to destruction as well as attacks by natural predators like dogs, cats and predatory birds like crows and kites. Increased chemicals and plastics in garbage, persistent use of chemicals to combat pests in urban spaces (including the banned DDT) and shrinking of feeding spaces have cause death by starvation and poisoning. Some species, however, like crows and kites have adapted rapidly to the new environment and continue to thrive, often at the expense of more vulnerable species like sparrows. Bird watchers call this process synurbisation. Coming back to the Jain Bird Hospital - an animal welfare organisation such as this one forces us to view notions of animal rights, animal welfare and speciesism from a different prism. While it is strongly "welfare" oriented in terms of prevention of hurt, pain and injury to another species, the hospital goes beyond that in the organic linking of human and non-human species based on the notions of what constitutes sin and salvation in Jainism. At times, the link is so strong that the same religious strictures - for instance, the imperative of vegetarianism – are applied to human and non- human species alike. The Jain Bird Hospital is an example of how the space provided by religion offers alternative spaces for rethinking and refashioning human-animal relationships from those offered by official discourses of western science. But then again, is this concern for non-human species motivated by 'faith' and 'religious duty', or 'genuine compassion'? This is the most unfair question, the unkindest cut of them all. Perhaps the biggest lesson to be learnt from the Jain Bird Hospital is that different discourses produce different notions of animal rights, welfare and interspecies relationships. And though they may seem 'irrational' and 'eccentric' to us, they inform the everyday life of people who live them. * For those with a taste for poetry: Aditi has managed to find an ode to the Jain Bird Hospital. Read it at - http://www.sccs.swarthmore.edu/~jrieffel/poetry/meredith/Jain_Bird.html ** References : Gobartimes cover story on disappearing urban birds From kneeshant at gmail.com Thu Nov 8 06:48:42 2007 From: kneeshant at gmail.com (Nishant Upadhyay) Date: Wed, 7 Nov 2007 20:18:42 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Fwd: Pakistan - Day two of underground life In-Reply-To: <3cf3fb400711071717k6c991567qd669b7831169528e@mail.gmail.com> References: <1194484430.473262ceab399@mymail.yorku.ca> <3cf3fb400711071717k6c991567qd669b7831169528e@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <3cf3fb400711071718s294a3f61n3e81194098c73b27@mail.gmail.com> really worth reading in its entirety... Pakistan - Day two of underground life By: Farooq Tariq general secretary Labour Party Pakistan Today is my second day in underground life. On 3rd November 2007, when General Musharaf declared an emergency and suspended the constitution, I was in Toba Tek Singh, a city around four hours from Lahore. This was to attend a meeting for the preparations of the Labour Party Pakistan fourth national conference. The conference was scheduled to held 9/10/11th November in the city. Poster for the welcome of the delegates were printed and an invitation card to invite supporters for the open session of the conference was ready as well. The meeting was nearly ending when I heard the news that emergency is been declared. I decided immediately to travel to Lahore. I was in contact with other party comrades on telephone and every one advised me not to go to my home. This was in the background of my three arrests in three months where I spent 23 days in jails and police stations. Labour Party Pakistan has become a target for the military regime because of active participation in the advocate movement. Several comrades had been arrested during the movement. As I arrived in Lahore, I heard that police has raided my house and are looking for me. My partner Shahnaz Iqbal told them that I am not home and will not be at home because I know that I will be arrested. This was around 11.30pm when police came to my home. It was good decision not to go home. I was immediately given few Sims of mobile phone from different private telephone companies and was advised not to use my regular mobile number in any case. "I must use a new number to contact comrades every day to avoid been traced" was the advice. The telecommunication system is so advance that when I will on my regular mobile, they can know where I am and can be immediately arrested. All the private television channels were off the air. It was only the official television that was broadcasting the official propaganda. Even BBC and CNN were off the line as well. We were in dark and did not know what is coming up. The government was using its dictatorial measures to silence any oppositional voice being heard by people of Pakistan on the news media. It was an unprecedented act of censorship. After midnight, General Musharaf came up on the official television to tell the reasons why he has imposed the emergency and that usual demagogy of national interest and Pakistan First. He was trying to tell that he has removed the chief justice of Supreme Court of Pakistan because his decisions have promoted terrorism and suicidal attacks in Pakistan. This was all none since. He had imposed the emergency rules to prolong his power period and was to avoid the Supreme Court decision that might be against him. It was a dictatorial act by a dictator who had tried to convince the world that he is not a dictator. That, he is in a transition period from dictatorship to democracy. I was awake till 3am trying to listen some international news from the radio. Next day was Sunday and I went out to buy the newspapers. The area I was staying was where I never had been earlier and no one knew who I am and so on. But the newspapers were not there yet even at 8am. I went back home and in the meantime, I put on my regular mobile telephone forgetting that I am in underground. There was immediately call from a friend and I replied to him. This was a mistake. I was told by my friend to change the venue immediately that is what I did. This was my second place in hiding during the last 12 hours. Here I read all the papers. Then I went to a park three kilometers away from my place of stay and spoke to some party comrades from my new telephone numbers and discussed the political situation. I called my family as well to check the moral. It was high as ever. My daughter and son asked me not to come home and that they are ok. A meeting by Joint Action Committee for Peoples Rights was called at the office of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan to discuss and chart out the strategy to oppose the dictatorial meausre. The chairperson of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan Asma Jahanghir was already detained at her house. And her office called me to tell the comrades to come for the meeting. I told them I will not be there and if police see me they will immediately arrest me. Khalid Malik, director Labour Education Foundation and Azra Shad chairperson Women Workers Help Line were among those who arrived in time for this meeting. So were around 70 others. Comrade Maqsood Mojahid, Khaliq Shah and Bushra Khaliq were little late for the meeting. As they arrived, they saw police everywhere around the HRCP office. They stopped and contacted inside via phones to tell them be ready for the arrests. This was may be the only time when being late has paid off. This laziness of three comrades saved them being arrested. Police went inside and broke the doors. They asked women to leave and men to stay for arrests. The women refused. The women included Hina Jilani, Rubina Sahgal, Neelum Hussain, Syeda Deep and Azra Shad. They were all bundled to the nearest police station. This incident showed the intensity of the police brutality and the military regime to silence any opposition voice. It was first time since the establishment of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan office in 1986, that police entered the building. It was considered to be a safe place and that police will not dare to enter. I heard within few minutes from Bushra, secretary Women Workers Help Line of the arrests. She told me to be more careful. In the evening, I made another mistake to on my regular telephone. Bad habits die hard. So there was a call, I spoke to a journalist from a private tv channel against the arrests. I immediately realized the mistake and left that place to stay another one for the evening. As I arrived at the new place, a received a call around 11.30 pm that police has entered my home and checked me everywhere. My partner told me next morning that police came with some intelligence officers in plain cloths. They ordered her to open the door otherwise they will break in. When police entered my home, it was only my daughter (13) son (7) and my partner Shahnaz at home. The police opened every room, cupboards, bathroom, and went to the rooftop. They were desperate to arrest me. I was upset after hearing the news but did not call home for security reasons. It was hard but I had to be patient, I was told by my friends. Today is Monday. We had decided to bring the weekly paper Workers Struggle in time and today was the last day of the paper production. It was decided that we would not work at the usual office of the paper; police might even come there. So decided to bring the equipments, computer, and printer and so on to a new place for working together. I also told the comrades I would come and write the main article for the paper. We were five together to work on the paper. I wrote the article and was on new telephone line to hear about the whole scale arrests of the advocates all over the country. Over seven hundreds have been arrested. Police entered the Lahore High Court building for the first time in the history and arrested the advocates after they were severely beaten up. It was writing a new history of police atrocities under a military dictatorship. Khalid Malik and Azra Shad along other were charged and sent to the same jail, Kot Lakhpat, where I had spent around ten days in June this year. Lucky they are, the weather is ok and not hot. We discussed some more measures for tomorrow. We decided to fight back the military regime and to organize the movement. It was agreed that I will not come up open but will be active in organizing the movement until my arrest on job. It was agreed that we will not accept the dictatorial measures and will organize the demonstrations and will ask comrades be ready for more arrests. Here I am sitting in a net café at 6pm to write this and sent it from there. I had to travel over 20 kilometers to reach my place for this evening. Farooq Tariq general secretary Labour Party Pakistan 40-Abbot Road Lahore, Pakistan Tel: 92 42 6315162 Fax: 92 42 6271149 Mobile: 92 300 8411945, labourpartypk at yahoo.com www.laborpakistan.org www.jeddojuhd.com Rise like lions after slumber In unvanquished number, Shake your chains to earth like dew, Which in sleep have fallen on you: Ye are many, they are few," From pawan.durani at gmail.com Thu Nov 8 10:58:49 2007 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2007 10:58:49 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] A REMINDER: How to tackle Psuedo Secularists on the reader list Message-ID: <6b79f1a70711072128q354f777kb2d45b863f7f9374@mail.gmail.com> Dear readers of the reader list, Please note, first of all, that I speak as an individual and not as a member of any organisation. As many of you know, there has been ongoing attempts to hijack and dumb down the discourse of the reader list. This has been done by a a group os psuedo secularists---- some of whom post as many as five times a day, with comments that are, by turns, inane, shallow, offensive or agressive. These individuals may have a right to their Pusedo secular and appeasement politics, although they are far from representative of truth. However, it has become very clear to me, at least, that this group of so called moral torchbearers without logic is not interested in nuanced or logical debate This phenomenon of windbags and Pusedo secular ,nations image destroyers, hijacking the reader list not only upsets me, but it also excites me. And it seriously makes me think of realise why India had been slave for centuries. I have a feeling that many on this list feel the same, and that the upsurge has simply meant that people eventually have started to realise and speak the truth. Those who wish to serve the truth should write and confront each of the Psuedo Secularists and to respond to them each time, too. I would like to remind all of you who feel the same way that there is a very simple solution for individuals who would like to respond and confront the false sermons and hype created by these Psuedo secularists. You should preserve all mails of them and respond accordingly. The solution is very simple The solution is: you can use the message filters in your email client to direct email from certain senders, filtering by name. This means that any emails from a certain name will be filtered. Check your help files on how to do this. In Gmail, click on "create a filter", next to the search bar at the top. In Yahoo, click on options --> filters In Thunderbird, simply right-click on the email id at the top of the message and click on "create filter from this message". If anyone else wants to give a quick tutorial on how to use filters on other mail programs, please do so as part of this thread. You can set it up so that messages from all the people you know are psuedo secularists and you wish to respond to ,create a new folder called - "bullshit", for instance-- and have those messages alone go directly into that folder.And estart exposing them. Its so simple Pawan Durani From xavier.cahen at pourinfos.org Wed Nov 7 16:07:31 2007 From: xavier.cahen at pourinfos.org (xavier cahen pourinfos.org) Date: Wed, 07 Nov 2007 11:37:31 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] [Announcements] Today is Auckland Time #1 ! Message-ID: <4731956B.6040206@pourinfos.org> Today is Auckland Time #1 ! 1. Public Lecture: Elam School of Fine Arts Lecture Theatre, University of Auckland, New Zealand Monday 12 November 2007. Easy Listening Series > Against Cultural Confinement: a talk by UK-based curators Kitty Anderson and Gavin Delahunty > UK based curators Gavin and Kitty will draw on their individual experiences to discuss the current landscape for contemporary art. Explore contemporary perspectives in the aesthetic, semantic, social and economic aspects of their different roles through the prism of the public institution and the art fair. Kitty Anderson is Associate Curator of Frieze Projects, the annual curatorial programme at Frieze Art Fair. Gavin Delahunty has recently been appointed Curator of Middlesborough Institute of Modern Art (MIMA). Prior to this he worked as Assistant Curator at Modern Art Oxford. http://www.artspace.org.nz/ 2. Public Lecture: Museum Building Theatrette, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand Thursday 15 November 2007 4-5PM. Patrick Laviolette > Dr Patrick Laviolette is a senior lecturer at Massey University. One of his current research projects The Second Life of Things investigates the recycling of identities, history and heritage. In this lecture Laviolette will present through several international examples how historically significant relics and waste are transformed into works of art. He aims to challenge superficial views of ‘recyclia’ (or recycled art) and consider more conceptual, holistic perspectives by emphasising the conversion of everyday artefacts into recyclia and recycled narratives. The talk will explore the recovery of social memory and the recuperation of the past. http://creative.massey.ac.nz/ 3. Artist Talk: The Gus Fisher Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand Saturday 17 November 1pm, Blackboard lecture: John Reynolds > John Reynolds is a well-known New Zealand painter who has used "drawing" heavily as a language of uncertainties, chance associations, of flashes of meaning. His work embraces life’s complexity through drawing, rather than trying to simplify it. In the Blackboard Lecture, John Reynolds will explore the texts in his I Tell You Solemnly installation, a site-specific work made for the foyer in response to the gallery's dramatic architecture. This installation is on show until Sat 24 November. Reynolds' Speaking Truth to Power is also on show in Gallery Two. http://www.gusfishergallery.auckland.ac.nz 4. Call for proposals: Blue Oyster Art Project Space 2008 International Summer Residency. Dunedin New Zealand Apply by Monday 19 November 2007: Residencies/Fellowships, all creative areas. Residency Dates: March 2008 (negotiable) > The Blue Oyster Art Project Space, Dunedin, New Zealand is currently seeking proposals from practitioners in any discipline or media for our 2008 International Summer Residency. The aim of the International Residency is to allow the Blue Oyster Art Project Space to engage directly with sectors of the Dunedin community and expose the city to the culture and practice of an international practitoner. It allows an international practitioner to travel to New Zealand (if required) and develop a project that specifically engages with a specified sector of the Dunedin community over a period of four weeks in March 2008. It is vital that the practitioner indicates how they propose to do this in their application. The Blue Oyster Arts Project space will provide some assistance to the chosen practitioner in liaising with the relevant community groups. For more details contact Michelle Armistead on blueoyster at blueoyster.org.nz or refer to the link below. http://www.blueoyster.org.nz 5. Call for proposals: The Kiosk 2008, The Physics Room, Christchurch, New Zealand Apply by Friday 30 November 2007, all visual arts > The Kiosk is located in the busy intersection on the corner of High, Lichfield and Manchester Streets in Christchurch. It brings contemporary art to the streets, and it's the smallest and most public art site of The Physics Room. The space is equipped with power, halogen lights and built-in speakers, with floor dimensions of 700mm along the windows, 557mm at the narrowest end, 710mm at the widest end and 705mm high. The Kiosk is currently seeking proposals from artists and curators for exhibitions in 2008. For application details and further information, please refer to the link below. http://www.physicsroom.org.nz/kiosk/ 6. Call for proposals: NZ Sculpture OnShore 2008 Apply by Saturday 1 December 2007 > NZ Sculpture OnShore is a national outdoor sculpture exhibition that's held biennially on Auckland's North Shore. NZ Sculpture OnShore features major works by many established sculptors alongside works by emerging artists, it is the largest outdoor sculpture exhibition and a major fixture on the New Zealand arts scene. The 2008 exhibition will be curated by Rob Garrett. Rob recently led Auckland City Council's public art review and project managed Speculation, New Zealand's portable pavilion for the 52nd Venice Biennale. The sculpture exhibition also helps raise funds for the support of Women's Refuges. For more information and an application form, contact Rob on curator at nzsculptureonshore.co.nz or refer to the link below. http://www.nzsculptureonshore.co.nz Selected by Hsiao-Hui HUANG for pourinfos.org ----------------------------------------------------------------------- http://pourinfos.org l'actualité du monde de l'art / daily Art news Direction de la publication Xavier Cahen, webdesign Loz pourinfos.org est une page d’informations diverses et variées sur l'art contemporain, entendez ici, l’art qui se fait aujourd’hui. Cette lettre d’informations est bihebdomadaire. Contact humain xavier.cahen at pourinfos.org _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From nc-agricowi at netcologne.de Wed Nov 7 14:33:10 2007 From: nc-agricowi at netcologne.de (NMF2007) Date: Wed, 07 Nov 2007 10:03:10 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] =?iso-8859-1?q?=5BAnnouncements=5D_NMF2007_-_Cologn?= =?iso-8859-1?q?e_Online_Film_Festival_-_3rd_edition?= Message-ID: <20071107100310.AA19DF7C.8DA5D171@192.168.0.3> NewMediaFest2007 http://2007.newmediafest.org NewMediaFest2007 blog http://www.newmediafest.org/blog/ 1st common festival of [NewMediaArtProjectNetwork]:||cologne 1 November 2007 - 31 May 2008 proudly presents CologneOFF III - 3rd edition of Cologne Online Film Festival ------------------------------------------------------ 1. CologneOFF - Cologne Online Film Festival http://coff.newmediafest.org is a new type of mobile film/video festival founded in 2006 and directed by Wilfried Agricola de Cologne, which takes place simultaneously online and offline. The OFFline festival is always organised in cooperation with partner festivals. In 2007, CologneOFF is organising its 3rd edition, entitled: Toon! Toon! art cartoons and animated narratives featuring 1.1 21 selected films (PDF catalogue for free download http://downloads.nmartproject.net/CologneOFF_3rd_edition_2007.pdf) by Ji Hyung Ahn (South Korea),topo - Leonardo R. Beltrán Navarro (Chile) Konstantin Dimitriev (Russia), Rami Fischler (Australia) Anaisa Franco (Brazil), Kaspars Groshevs (Latvia), Gerald Habarth (USA), Lycette Bros. (Australia), Man Kim (South Korea/USA), Hermes Mangialardo (Italy), Lars Nagler (Germany), Martin Oja (Estonia), Silvia Cacciatory Filloy (Uruguay), Ying-Fang Shen (Taiwan), Nadja Solari (Switzerland), Simon Streatfeild (Australia) Andy Sykes (UK), Tom de Pekin (France), Henry Gwiazda (USA), Alexander Satim Timofeev (Russia), Ina Loitzl (Austria) 1.2 Retrospective of 8 animated short films (2002-2006) by Nick Fox-Gieg (USA/NL) [PDF catalogue in preparation] --------------------------------------------------- The CologneOFF III festival program by can be acessed via NewMediaFest2007 interface on http://2007.newmediafest.org but also separately via 1. http.//coff.newmediafest.org/index00.html --> access to all festival editions - 2. http://coff.newmediafest.org/index3.html -->access to CologneOFF III only --------------------------------------------- NewMediaFest2007 is realized on 2 levels - 1. online in its totality -->http://2007.newmediafest.org --->http://www.newmediafest.org/blog/ 2. in physical space via cooperations--> the 1st physical NewMediaFest2007 and CologneOFF III are launched in the framework of 3rd Digital Art Festival Rosario/Argentina - 15-17 November 2007 more info on http://www.newmediafest.org/blog/ --> It is further linked with FONLAD Digital Art Festival Coimbra/Portugal http://www.aaa-euac.org/fonlad.html Following PDF catalogues are available for free download The general festival catalogue http://downloads.nmartproject.net/NewMediaFest_2007.pdf CologneOFF III - Toon! Toon! - art cartoon and animated narratives http://downloads.nmartproject.net/CologneOFF_3rd_edition_2007.pdf --------------------------------------------- This press release is issued by netEX - networked experience http://netex.nmartproject.net powered by [NewMediaArtProjectNetwork]:||cologne info (at) nmartproject.net -------------------------------------------- _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From mail at shivamvij.com Thu Nov 8 18:08:20 2007 From: mail at shivamvij.com (Shivam Vij) Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2007 18:08:20 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Demographers say Delhi is bigger (in population) than Mumbai In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <9c06aab30711080438k3aa6e11bnd4d721a9fd0f4655@mail.gmail.com> ---------- Forwarded message ---------- For Release: November 7, 2007 Delhi is India's Biggest City For more than 20 years, Mumbai has been officially considered the biggest metropolitan area in India in population. Now two demographers with the Washington, DC-based Population Reference Bureau have found that if the same definition for measuring Mumbai's and Kolkata's population is applied to Delhi, then Delhi is the biggest city. In India, an urban agglomeration is defined as a continuous urban spread constituting the urban population of a town or city and its adjoining urban outgrowths, or two or more physically contiguous towns together with their outgrowths. But India defines its urban agglomerations in a somewhat quirky way. They cannot cross state boundaries. This has no effect on the population size of Kolkata and Greater Mumbai UA, which are located far from state borders. But it does affect Delhi's official population size. Any visitor to Delhi would immediately realize that excluding its major suburban industrial and residential areas in neighboring states from the urban agglomeration population leaves the city at a distinct disadvantage compared to other UAs. When driving from Delhi to contiguous Faridabad city in Haryana state, one scarcely notices any change in the surroundings. But even contiguous suburban cities and towns such as Faridabad and Gurgaon in neighboring Haryana, and Ghaziabad in neighboring Uttar Pradesh, cannot be included in the Delhi UA. Click on http://www.prb.org/Articles/2007/delhi.aspx for the full article and links to supporting information, including related tables for Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata. O.P. Sharma is the Population Reference Bureau's India consultant and former deputy director of census operations in India. He has been involved in all aspects of the Indian census, since the 1951 Census. Carl Haub holds the Conrad Taeuber Chair of Population Information at PRB. The Population Reference Bureau is a Washington, DC-based nonprofit that informs people around the world about population, health, and the environment, and empowers them to use that information to advance the well-being of current and future generations. Sandra Yin | Associate Editor | Population Reference Bureau 1875 Connecticut Avenue, Suite 520, Washington, DC 20009 From naeem.mohaiemen at gmail.com Fri Nov 9 02:52:38 2007 From: naeem.mohaiemen at gmail.com (Naeem Mohaiemen) Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2007 04:22:38 +0700 Subject: [Reader-list] Former Army Chief Shoe-Beaten As Plans To Crack BNP Roll On Message-ID: >From blogger Asif S: Have you read the Tagore poem about a learned man bragging about his knowledge to a boatman. No? Here is how it goes. A pundit gets on a boat and seeing the wonders of nature asks the boatman, "Majhi, have you studied philosophy?". The illiterate majhi (boatman) stares at him blankly. Pandit says quarter of your life is a waste then (tomar jiboner char anai britha). He asks then if the majhi has traveled abroad. The poor majhi never got out of his village. "Alas!! One more quarter of your life is a waste then, majhi", the pundit repeats. Do you know any science, he asks? Seeing majhi shaking his head, panditbabu says there goes another quarter of your life to waste. At this time, a violent storm approaches and the boat is about to sink. The majhi asks the terrified pundit, "Do you know how to swim?" The pundit replies in the negative and starts crying and the majhi says "Babu, then all four quarters of your life is a waste. ("Apnar jiboner sholo anai britha"). Those words ring true as the Army's attempts to crack Bangladesh's right-wing BNP starts revealing the claws of the so-called "Army-backed Caretaker Government." Read on.... Army's Candidate Gets Shoe Beating http://rumiahmed.wordpress.com/2007/11/08/pictures-tell-a-thousand-words/ http://rumiahmed.wordpress.com/2007/11/07/picture-of-today-reality-of-future/ http://www.e-bangladesh.org/2007/11/07/juta-pita/ It's a mess! http://www.drishtipat.org/blog/2007/11/08/its-a-mess All The Chess Moves http://www.drishtipat.org/blog/2007/11/06/open-thread-5/ From aiindex at gmail.com Fri Nov 9 08:46:37 2007 From: aiindex at gmail.com (Harsh Kapoor) Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2007 04:16:37 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] Citizens Challenge State of Emergency in Pakistan Message-ID: Citizens Challenge Emergency Rule in Pakistan http://emergency2007.blogspot.com/ Citizens Respond To Emergency Rule in Pakistan * http://www.sacw.net/pakistan/emergency/ From ysaeed7 at yahoo.com Fri Nov 9 09:42:53 2007 From: ysaeed7 at yahoo.com (Yousuf) Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2007 20:12:53 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] from Asma Jahangir Message-ID: <989172.51448.qm@web51409.mail.re2.yahoo.com> From: "aghs" To: socialist_pakistan-news at yahoogroups.com Subject: from Asma Jahangir Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2007 10:59:51 +0500 Appeal for support to lawyers and judges in Pakistan I am fortunate to be under house arrest while my colleagues are suffering. The Musharaf government has declared martial law to settle scores with lawyers and judges. While the terrorists remain on the loose and continue to occupy more space in Pakistan , senior lawyers are being tortured. The civil society of Pakistan urges bar associations all over the world to mobilize public opinion in favor of the judges and lawyers in Pakistan . A large number of judges of superior courts are under arrest. Thousands of lawyers are imprisoned, beaten and tortured. In particular the cases of Muneer A Malik, Aitzaz Ahsan, Tariq Mahmood and Ali Ahmed Kurd are serious. Muneer A Malik, the former President of the Supreme Court Bar Association and leader of the lawyers’ movement has been shifted to the notorious Attack Fort. He is being tortured and is under the custody of the military intelligence. Tariq Mahmood, former President of the Supreme Court Bar Association, was imprisoned in Adiala jail. No one was allowed to see him and it is reported that he has been shifted to an unknown place. Mr. Ali Ahmed Kurd, former Vice Chair of the Pakistan Bar Council is in the custody of military intelligence and being kept at an undisclosed place. Mr. Aitzaz Ahsan, President of the Supreme Court Bar is being kept in Adiayala jail in solitary confinement. Representatives of bar associations should approach their governments to pressure the government of Pakistan to release all lawyers and judges and immediately provide access to Muneer A Malik, Tariq Mahmood, Ali Ahmed Kurd and Aitzaz Ahsan. The bars are also urged to hold press conferences in their country and express their solidarity with the lawyers of Pakistan who are struggling to establish the rule of law. Asma Jahngir Advocate Supreme Court of Pakistan Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com From sadiafwahidi at yahoo.co.in Fri Nov 9 14:27:57 2007 From: sadiafwahidi at yahoo.co.in (S.Fatima) Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2007 08:57:57 +0000 (GMT) Subject: [Reader-list] A REMINDER: How to tackle spam on the reader list In-Reply-To: <4730A316.7080402@sarai.net> Message-ID: <921254.64386.qm@web8410.mail.in.yahoo.com> Dear Vivek I don't want to mock your message, and although I too get very irritated with the kind of mails you're talking about, but I feel that your message reflects a rather elitist attitude of Sarai. We are treating Sarai as a kind of Pukka sahib's club where those not wearing shoes and tie are by law not allowed. At the same time we are magnanimus enough to not impose that law. If someone enters without shoes and tie, we let him come, we make a noise about it, but don't throw the person out. We apply filters to avoid looking at them, and sarcastically call them "bullshit". To me that sounds like hypocracy. I would rather have that person not enter the club at all than allow him in and call him names. If the reader-list is used for "a very high and nuanced level of discussion", then let us allow only those who are interested in maintaining the decorum. If you allow anybody and everybody to subscribe and post, then it is like a street. And on the street you are likely to meet all sorts of people, and cannot tell somebody to keep off the street. The reality is that the noisy street exists outside our club, and is full of sights and sounds that we do not wish to see/hear. We want to quitely sit and talk about those sights and sounds in the club. How long can we ignore the reality. S.F. --- Vivek Narayanan wrote: > Dear readers of the reader list, > > Please note, first of all, that I speak as an > individual and not as a > member of any organisation. > > As many of you know, there have recently been many > attempts to hijack > and dumb down the discourse of the reader list. This > has been done by a > small palmful of individuals ---- some of whom post > as many as five > times a day, with comments that are, by turns, > inane, shallow, offensive > or agressive. These individuals may have a right to > their right-wing > politics, although they are far from representative > of our 1000+ mostly > quiet or pertinent members. However, it has become > very clear to me, at > least, that this small group of hijackers with > knives is not interested > in nuanced or complex debate, merely in sloganeering > and various forms > of aggression and sabotage. > > This upsets me, since the reader-list is normally > used to a very high > and nuanced level of discussion, as evidenced in the > patient, detailed > and endlessly fascinating postings of independent > research fellows, > whether formally funded by Sarai or not, or in the > recent exchange of > different views that began with Yousuf Saeed and > Sadan Jha. That was a > discussion where the answers were not necessarily > clear, and where the > discussants weren't merely interested in beating > down their opponents' > views with a concerted barrage of emails. It was > the kind of > discussion where people think carefully before they > write. > > This new phenomenon of windbags and Hindu terrorists > hijacking the > reader list not only upsets me, but it also bores > me. And it seriously > clutters up my inbox. I have a feeling that many on > this list feel the > same, and that the recent upsurge has simply meant > that people > eventually do not read any mail from the list, > missing the good stuff. > > At the same time, deep in the spirit of the reader > list is the idea is > that no one should be excluded from membership or > from posting. I > understand, and stand by that. > > Those who wish to continue receiving postings from > the saboteurs are, of > course, welcome to do so. And to respond to them, > too. I however, am > no longer interested in reading mails from some > individuals whose > postings I don't find productive or instructional. > Even if there is much > mail on the reader list that I do want to read. > > I would like to remind all of you who feel the same > way that there is a > very simple solution for individuals who would like > to declutter their > inbox from some of the unnecessary emails that drown > out the valuable > voices of the reader list. > > The solution is: you can use the message filters in > your email client to > block email from certain senders, filtering by name. > This means that > any emails from a certain name will be filtered. > Check your help files > on how to do this. > > In Gmail, click on "create a filter", next to the > search bar at the top. > > In Yahoo, click on options --> filters > > In Thunderbird, simply right-click on the email id > at the top of the > message and click on "create filter from this > message". > > If anyone else wants to give a quick tutorial on how > to use filters on > other mail programs, please do so as part of this > thread. > > You can set it up so that messages from all the > people you don't wish to > read or spend time deleting go straight into your > "trash" folder; or you > can create a new folder--called "bullshit", for > instance-- and have > those messages alone go directly into that folder. > > No doubt the aggressors will try to respond to this > message by sending > one or twenty abusive emails. Unfortunately, I will > not be replying to > these messages because I won't see them. They will > be in my "bullshit" > folder. Why not make your reader list experience > simpler and less > cluttered in this way? > > And now-- I'm off to read Partha's reply to the > complex, ongoing thread > started by Yousuf Saeed in response to the Hindustan > Times' article on > "The New Muslim". Not to mention important recent > research postings by > Jenny Chitra, Zubin Pastakia, Harilal Madhavan, > Raman Chima, and many, > many others. > > With regards, > Vivek > > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> Love shopping? To find the best shops in every city, go to http://in.maps.yahoo.com From iram at sarai.net Fri Nov 9 14:42:32 2007 From: iram at sarai.net (Iram Ghufran) Date: Fri, 09 Nov 2007 14:42:32 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] A REMINDER: How to tackle spam on the reader list In-Reply-To: <921254.64386.qm@web8410.mail.in.yahoo.com> References: <921254.64386.qm@web8410.mail.in.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <47342480.8000606@sarai.net> Dear S. Fatima, As Vivek very clearly stated, his email is written only as a list member and not as a representative of the Sarai Programme. He is entitled to his opinion but they necessarily do not reflect Sarai's position on any issue. Lets keep in mind that Vivek is a member of the list and not the list administrator. Best regards Iram S.Fatima wrote: > Dear Vivek > I don't want to mock your message, and although I too > get very irritated with the kind of mails you're > talking about, but I feel that your message reflects a > rather elitist attitude of Sarai. > > We are treating Sarai as a kind of Pukka sahib's club > where those not wearing shoes and tie are by law not > allowed. At the same time we are magnanimus enough to > not impose that law. If someone enters without shoes > and tie, we let him come, we make a noise about it, > but don't throw the person out. We apply filters to > avoid looking at them, and sarcastically call them > "bullshit". To me that sounds like hypocracy. I would > rather have that person not enter the club at all than > allow him in and call him names. > > If the reader-list is used for "a very high and > nuanced level of discussion", then let us allow only > those who are interested in maintaining the decorum. > If you allow anybody and everybody to subscribe and > post, then it is like a street. And on the street you > are likely to meet all sorts of people, and cannot > tell somebody to keep off the street. > > The reality is that the noisy street exists outside > our club, and is full of sights and sounds that we do > not wish to see/hear. We want to quitely sit and talk > about those sights and sounds in the club. How long > can we ignore the reality. > > S.F. > > > --- Vivek Narayanan wrote: > > >> Dear readers of the reader list, >> >> Please note, first of all, that I speak as an >> individual and not as a >> member of any organisation. >> >> As many of you know, there have recently been many >> attempts to hijack >> and dumb down the discourse of the reader list. This >> has been done by a >> small palmful of individuals ---- some of whom post >> as many as five >> times a day, with comments that are, by turns, >> inane, shallow, offensive >> or agressive. These individuals may have a right to >> their right-wing >> politics, although they are far from representative >> of our 1000+ mostly >> quiet or pertinent members. However, it has become >> very clear to me, at >> least, that this small group of hijackers with >> knives is not interested >> in nuanced or complex debate, merely in sloganeering >> and various forms >> of aggression and sabotage. >> >> This upsets me, since the reader-list is normally >> used to a very high >> and nuanced level of discussion, as evidenced in the >> patient, detailed >> and endlessly fascinating postings of independent >> research fellows, >> whether formally funded by Sarai or not, or in the >> recent exchange of >> different views that began with Yousuf Saeed and >> Sadan Jha. That was a >> discussion where the answers were not necessarily >> clear, and where the >> discussants weren't merely interested in beating >> down their opponents' >> views with a concerted barrage of emails. It was >> the kind of >> discussion where people think carefully before they >> write. >> >> This new phenomenon of windbags and Hindu terrorists >> hijacking the >> reader list not only upsets me, but it also bores >> me. And it seriously >> clutters up my inbox. I have a feeling that many on >> this list feel the >> same, and that the recent upsurge has simply meant >> that people >> eventually do not read any mail from the list, >> missing the good stuff. >> >> At the same time, deep in the spirit of the reader >> list is the idea is >> that no one should be excluded from membership or >> from posting. I >> understand, and stand by that. >> >> Those who wish to continue receiving postings from >> the saboteurs are, of >> course, welcome to do so. And to respond to them, >> too. I however, am >> no longer interested in reading mails from some >> individuals whose >> postings I don't find productive or instructional. >> Even if there is much >> mail on the reader list that I do want to read. >> >> I would like to remind all of you who feel the same >> way that there is a >> very simple solution for individuals who would like >> to declutter their >> inbox from some of the unnecessary emails that drown >> out the valuable >> voices of the reader list. >> >> The solution is: you can use the message filters in >> your email client to >> block email from certain senders, filtering by name. >> This means that >> any emails from a certain name will be filtered. >> Check your help files >> on how to do this. >> >> In Gmail, click on "create a filter", next to the >> search bar at the top. >> >> In Yahoo, click on options --> filters >> >> In Thunderbird, simply right-click on the email id >> at the top of the >> message and click on "create filter from this >> message". >> >> If anyone else wants to give a quick tutorial on how >> to use filters on >> other mail programs, please do so as part of this >> thread. >> >> You can set it up so that messages from all the >> people you don't wish to >> read or spend time deleting go straight into your >> "trash" folder; or you >> can create a new folder--called "bullshit", for >> instance-- and have >> those messages alone go directly into that folder. >> >> No doubt the aggressors will try to respond to this >> message by sending >> one or twenty abusive emails. Unfortunately, I will >> not be replying to >> these messages because I won't see them. They will >> be in my "bullshit" >> folder. Why not make your reader list experience >> simpler and less >> cluttered in this way? >> >> And now-- I'm off to read Partha's reply to the >> complex, ongoing thread >> started by Yousuf Saeed in response to the Hindustan >> Times' article on >> "The New Muslim". Not to mention important recent >> research postings by >> Jenny Chitra, Zubin Pastakia, Harilal Madhavan, >> Raman Chima, and many, >> many others. >> >> With regards, >> Vivek >> >> From vivek at sarai.net Fri Nov 9 15:15:01 2007 From: vivek at sarai.net (Vivek Narayanan) Date: Fri, 09 Nov 2007 15:15:01 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] fatima's response Message-ID: <47342C1D.7070708@sarai.net> Dear Fatima, Thank you for your nuanced and considered note. Please note again that I am not speaking for anyone else but myself, certainly not as a "voice of Sarai". I don't think nuance is the privilege or preserve of any group, nor does it depend on education or decorum. Instead, it's a certain warmth and hospitality, and a willingness to listen carefully, and to be considered in one's responses. Essentially, it is about coming to the conversation in good faith, with love and with thoughtfulness-- not with the intention to sabotage dialogue or shout down others. Most of all, if it becomes obvious that a reply has been dashed off in a couple of seconds and, moreover, five or seven of those replies are sent in the course of a single day, then I feel that this wastes my time and makes it difficult to find the mails on the list that are more carefully thought out. So I disagree with you *completely* that such qualities would be found only among "elites at Sarai". These are protocols that one finds with many people on the street, regardless of their background and access to privilege. In fact, as you well know, on the Indian street, it is often the rich and privileged who tend to shout louder, for they fear no reprisal. Right wing nationalists can feel secure in the knowledge that they have the support of the state behind them. I would not be surprised if, in monitoring this list, there would be members who would not hesitate to report anyone they considered to be "anti-national" to the authorities. This is the kind of insecurity that shadows our conversations here--the question of what kinds of statements might involve violent reprisals or legal censure, and so on; this is the fragility of the discussions that have been built up on this list over the course of five or so short years. Yes indeed, one is dedicated here to the vibrancy, variousness and quirkiness of the street--with the caveat that all our members are at least privileged enough to have access to the internet. (Some write so often that they must almost certainly have their own full-time dedicated broadband.) Yet, it only takes a few goondas to suppress and drown out all the many conversations, trying to fill the space with only their own voices. In such instances, to renew our conversations, our whispering faith in each other, it may be necessary to shut out the bullies for a while. This would not be to pretend that those bullies don't exist; merely it would be to acknowledge that they don't have anything new to say. We have heard that shtick before. But again: my mail was addressed only to those who already felt the same way as me, and who wanted a practical and efficient solution. We have very different positions on this question even at Sarai; some agree with me, some most certainly don't. Those who have the time and energy to stay tuned to the bullying and the threatening and the chanting of shlokas and spells must please do so. I can even say I admire your Gandhian equanimity. I, on the other hand, have other things to do, and I can't afford to spend my time fighting an endless war of attrition, in the trenches, with little or no gain from day to day, on the Line of Discursive Control (LODC), here on the reader list. Warmly, Vivek From indersalim at gmail.com Fri Nov 9 17:33:25 2007 From: indersalim at gmail.com (inder salim) Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2007 17:33:25 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Deepawali kay shub awsar par... Message-ID: <47e122a70711090403r79a1dcdbn31c62675dcdce501@mail.gmail.com> please click:-- http://indersalim.livejournal.com with love and regards is From shuddha at sarai.net Fri Nov 9 18:00:01 2007 From: shuddha at sarai.net (Shuddhabrata Sengupta) Date: Fri, 09 Nov 2007 18:00:01 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Annotations to the History of Iconoclasm in Kashmir - I Message-ID: <473452C9.8020901@sarai.net> Dear all, Happy Deepavali to you all. I hope that this Deepavali brings more illumination and less noise into the discussions that we share on this list. Traditionally, Deepavali is an occasion for the balancing of books, the sqaring of debts and the settling of accounts. I thought I would take this opportunity to square a debt that I owe the list. Some time ago, while packing my bags for a trip to Istanbul, I had ventured a promise that I would come back to you all with notes of my reading of Kalhana's Rajtarangini, partly as a contributon to the off/on debate on Kashmir and its history that has haunted this list for some time. I would like to redeem that promise today so as to balance my books. I pray your indulgence. I am writing on this list after a period of silence out of respect for the desire expressed by the list administrator that those who have spoken a great deal (including me) on the list in the last two months on issues particularly referring to Kashmir, refrain from doing so for a cooling off period . I would have posted this some weeks ago, in the midst of some intensive travelling, but refrained from doing so, as I did not wish to disrespect the import of the list administrator's suggestion, and wanted to use the time to think through some issues in a careful manner. However, I do think that not posting this material would also be damaging, in my view, to the discursive integrity of this list. Hence this set of postings. regards Shuddha ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ANNOTATIONS TO THE PRLIMINARY HISTORY OF ICONOCLASM IN KASHMIR - I Prelogomena Disclaimer and Apologies: Apologies in advance (once again) for yet another lengthy text (divided into 4 postings) and for its dry, scholastic, even pedantic nature. This text is written so as to set a record straight, and to consider the merit in charges that were made on this list of inaccurate reading and citation. Consequently, I have to go in some detail into different kinds of textual material. Readers who do not have the interest or patience to follow me as I delve into this material will, I hope, either choose to refrain from reading this text in its entirety (it may not be of interest to many) or at least forgive the quantity of material that this posting has to contend with. The text is broken up into a set of four separate and successive postings so as to make for easier reading and in order to avoid a lengthy download process. Recapitulation of an Exchange: Around nine weeks ago, (on the 3rd and the 4th of September) an exchange occured on this list between me and Rashneek Kher regarding iconoclasm, religious persecution and the history of Kashmir. (see postings by me and by Rashneek Kher on the 3.9.3007 and 4.9.2007 on the Reader List under the thread 'By R.J.Rummel'.This thread was initiated by Pawan Durani, and has been responded to by many on this list) Rashneek Kher, writing in the wake of Pawan Durani's response to me, initially offered us a selective list of quotatiions from texts by Muslim chroniclers of Kashmir, (primarily, but not only, the 'Baharistan-I-Shahi' translated by Dr. Kashi Nath Pandita - see - ) testifying to the policies of temple destruction, iconoclasm and religious persecution carried out by three Muslim kings of early medieval Kashmir - Sultan Shihab ud Din, Sultan Qutub ud Din, Sultan Sikandar also known as 'but shikan' or Iconoclast, and the religious leader, Mir Syed Ali Hamadani (whom Rashneek does not name explicitly in his initial posting in the thread, but the quote he furnishes refers to him). [See - for Rashneek Kher's posting.] This was done within the larger agenda of buttressing a series of arguments made on the list that portrayed the Kashmiri Pandit community as the 'victims' of specifically Muslim animosity down the ages. In other words, the protagonists of this point of view were attempting to prove that their rendition of the current state of the Kashmiri Pandit community needs to be seen in continuity with what for them is a virtually uninterrupted history of the persecution of Kashmiri Pandits that began with the rise of Islam in Kashmir. I wrote back, pointing out that iconoclasm, temple destruction and religious persecution was by no means the monopoly of the Muslim kings of Kashmir, and that there are numerous instances in the historic record of temples and places of worship being destroyed and religious freedom curtailed due to the policies of rulers of other faiths. I referred to Rajiv Sapru and N N Dasgupta's comments on the history of Kashmir. Separately, I had made some references to Kalhana's Rajtarangini (a Sanskrit verse chronicle of the mythic, ancient and early medieval kings of Kashmir) particularly with regard to pre-islamic iconoclasm in Kashmir. [See - for my reply.] In writing back, I was trying to critique the role of the eternal and timeless victim that Rashneek Kher had ascribed to the figure of the Kashmiri Pandit by selectively quoting passages that speak of Muslim iconoclasm and persecution, while neglecting to speak either of Muslim patronage (as in the case of Zain Al Abedin, whom Rashneek Kher acknowledged only after I pointed out the example of Zain al Abedin) of Hindu religious practices, or of instances where non Muslim rulers in Kashmir have enacted policies of iconoclasm, temple destruction and persecution - of Buddhists and others. The Figure of the Innocent Victim: I did not think then, and do not now, that the figure of the 'innocent victim' of history, when ascribed to any community, whosoever they may be, has any value in a serious discussion. And in any case, recounting what may or may not have been done by a king eight hundred years ago cannot be used as a justification for an agenda of generating fear and hatred today. The history of Kashmir, especially, in my view, demonstrates that no community can claim for itself a monopoly of victimhood and innocence. The ordinary people of every community in Kashmir have suffered, and those from within each community who have had access to power have also had blood on their hands. Privileging the suffering, or historical experience of any one community over that of others (while neglecting to discuss the destiny of Kashmiri people as a whole) amounts, in my view, to the unleashing of an epistemic violence that perpetuates patterns of arrogance and impunity, leading to the continuation of the spiral of violence. The Admonitions of Rashneek Kher: Rashneek Kher then responded to my argument by saying that my reading of Kalhana was flawed, and that people like Rajiv Sapru, whom I had cited, had not based their statements on any textual evidence in Kalhana's Rajtarangini. See - for Rashneek's response to my reply. The purport of his posting was that that I was indulging in dissimulation. Rashneek Kher said - "...Please read Kalhana's Rajatarangni (Book V-128 to 227) and you will know that Kalhana has no where mentioned that Sankarvarman destroyed Parihaspura. Quoting Mr.Sapru as a source is like qouting me on some Molecular Biology topic of which I can be at best be a student. Learn to qoute from sources which are considered authentic and credible,not mamus,chachus and tayas (sic - maternal uncles, younger paternal uncles and elder paternal uncles)." I was further admonished and instructed by Rashneek Kher to read books like Pandit Jia Lal Kilam's 'A History of Kashmiri Pandits' and Advaitavadini Kaul's 'The Buddhist Savants of Kashmir' to correct my flawed understanding of the relationship between people of different faiths in Kashmir and to learn the 'true' history of Kashmir. Sources for the Present Posting: Kalhana's Rajtarangini In the past nine weeks, I have been doing precisely that. I have (re)read, not 'mamus, chachus and tayas', as Kher would have it, but the two currently available English translations of Kalhana's Rajtarangini (by Sir M. Aurel Stein, in three volumes, as well as the single volume translation by R. S. Pandit). The 3 volume Aurel Stein translation (containing the original Sanskrit text and critical commentary) is published by Gulshan Books, Srinagar, 2007. This edition is a facsimile of the first edition of the book, which was produced under the aegis of the Maharaja and State Council of Jammu and Kashmir in Srinagar in 1900 The R.S.Pandit translation (with a foreword by Jawaharlal Nehru) is published by the Sahitya Akademi, Delhi (2006 and several earlier editions ) There is another English translation, by a Jogesh Chander Dutt, which was published in Calcutta, (1879-1887) and is hard to find. I had read it years ago, but I do not want to rely on my memory of that reading. Dutt, also translated Jonaraja's Rajtarangini, as well as the lesser histories of Srivara and Shuka and these texts are currently more readily available. I have consulted the J.C. Dutt translation of Kalhana, but do not refer to it in this posting as it is not entirely relevant to the issues raised by Rashneek Kher. The Aurel Stein version is a significantly more complete than Dutt's translation of Kalhana and contains a detailed critical apparatus and notes. R S Pandit's version is more compact, though it follows the Aurel Stein edition closely, but also restores in translation some verses that were ommitted by Stein. Reading Stein and Pandit together with the Sanskrit original gives us the most comprehensive picture of Kalhana's Rajtarangini that is possible to obtain under present circumstances. This is what I have attempted to do here. I have also read, as per Kher's suggestion, Advaitavadini Kaul's 'Buddhist Savants of Kashmir: Their Contributions in Foreign Lands' and Pandit Jia Lal Kalam's 'A History of Kashmiri Pandits' (edited by Advaitavadini Kaul) both published by Utpal Publications, Delhi. In addition, I have read a few other texts, including portions of a Sanskrit Play by Jayanta Bhatta (a luminary of the court of King Sankaravarman) called 'Agambadambara' which has some interesting details of Sankaravarman's reign, and a host of other secondary material, the details of which I do not intend to go into now, because, it will get way too lengthy, and because, in disputes such as this it is perhaps best to stick to primary sources, so as to avoid accusations of interpretative bias. I mention all of these sources, not to demonstrate erudition, but to point to what is easily available, so that if necessary, anyone can cross check my readings of these texts with their own. Any reasonably good library or bookshop (including several in Delhi, for those who happen to be in Delhi) carry copies of both Aurel Stein as well as R.S. Pandit's translations of Kalhana's Rajtarangini in their holdings. These texts are not difficult to find. Jonaraja, Srivara, Prajabhatta and Shuka - the successors of Kalhana Rashneek Kher, in passing, said that "Of course it would be ideal that you read Jonaraja,Srivara,Prajabhatta and Shuka to know the truth for yourself but since you may have aversion to Brahman scholarship Baharistan-i-Shahi and Tarikh-i-Hassan Khuihami might be the right ones for you." Unfortunately for Rashneek, I have to admit that once again, I am reasonably familiar with whatever is available of Jonaraja, Srivara, Prajabhatta and Shuka. I am speaking here of 'Medieval Kashmir' by Jogesh Chandra Dutt, (consisting of translations of Jonaraja's 'Dwitiya Rajtarangini', Shrivara's 'Kaina Rajtarangini' and Shuka's 'Rajtarangini') edited and with notes by S.L. Sadhu, Atlantic Publishers, New Delhi, 1993 as well as Shrikanth Kaul's and Kashi Nath Dhar's separate editions of Srivara's crhonicle. My careful assessment of the textual sources mentioned here by Rashneek Kher suggests that the value of the accounts attributed to Jonaraja, Srivara, Prajabhatta and Shuka is not very high. My 'aversions' if any, have nothing to do with the 'Brahmin' identity of these chroniclers. Rather, they have to do with considerations of textual integrity and historiographic discernment. Let me here offer some citations in support of this opinion. Walter Slaje, an Austria-German Indologist with a special interest in the history of mediveal Kashmir, writes about the reasons for suspecting later interpolation in the so-called 'Dvitiya Rajatarangini' attributed to Jonaraja. "Of the Kashmiri Sanskrit chroniclers, four are available in published form at present: Kalhana, Jonaraja, Srivara, and Suka. With the exception of Kalhana, the received texts each display a peculiar feature. In the case of Jonaraja (A.D. 1459), one recension in the textual transmission of his work incorporates historical accounts of a considerably later period ("Pseudo-Jonaraja"), in some 350 verses, interpolated in the second half of the sixteenth century. As regards Suka, he starts his own account with Prajyabhatta's (now lost) chronicle (A.D. 1486-1513), consulted and adapted by him for the purpose of continuing the preceding chronicles." Srivara's so called 'Jaina Rajatarangini' has had several translations and editions since the ninenteenth century, (Calcutta, Bombay, Hoshiarpur and Varanasi) and the latest, by Kashi Nath Dhar (which collates material from previous editions and translations by is published in 1994 by the Indian Council for Historical Research and Peoples Publishing House, New Delhi Slaje, commenting once again on this multiplicity of editions of the text attributed to Srivara says - "Unfortunately, it is clear that such editorial zeal, which found expression in a remarkable number of editions, is in inverse proportion to the standards of the textual criticism applied to them. By this uncritical attitude of the editors essential facts relating to the genesis and character of Srivara's Rajatarangini have been concealed." (ibid) [See - 'A note on the genesis and character of Srivara's so-called "Jaina-Rajatarangini" '. by Walter Slaje, published in The Journal of the American Oriental Society, July-Sept , 2005. See also - 'Medieval Kashmir and the Science of History' by Walter Slaje, Madden Lecture, 2003-4, University of Texas, Austin ] Slaje is not alone in his disparaging of the editorial-critical integrity of the textual material of the 'later' Rajataranginis. S.C. Banerji, a scholar of Sanskrit who has worked on Kashmiri Sanskrit chroniclers says - "That the Rajtarangini has nothing comparable to itself is evident from, among other minor works, the three Kashmirian continuations of it. The first of these is the 'Dvitiya Raj Tarangini' of Jonaraja. Planned to bring the history down to the time of the author's patron Sultan Zainul Abdein (1417-1467 AD), it was left incomplete due to the death of Jonaraja in 1459. The second, by Srivara, pupil of Jonaraja, is entitled, Jaina Raj Tarangini and covers the period 1459-86. The last one, called Ravalit Pataka by Prajya Bhatta and his pupil Suka, brings the story to some years following the annexaction of Kashmir by Akbar (1486 AD) these are poor successors of Kalhana's work. The period covered by them is long indeed, but the total historical content of these wrks taken together is about half of that fund in the Raja Tarangini. These works needlessly devote space to descriptions of unimporatnat incidents. For example, the first two works exaggerate the virtues of the ruling Sultan while glossive nover his failings. Barring Jonaraja's work these accounts betray their authors' in accurate knowledge of the topography of Kashmir." [ - Cultural Heritage of Kashmir: A Survey of Kashmir's Contribution to Sanskrit Literature, by Sures Chandra Banerji (with a foreword by Dr. R.C. Majumdar), Sanskrit Pustak Bhandar, Calcutta , 1965 Chapter 5, page 53 ] Sheldon Pollock, writing in an article aptrly titled 'The Death of Sanskrit' concurs, Speaking of Kalhana;s successors, he says - "Although like its model this second Rajtarangini calls itself a literary work ("a tree of poetry in whose shade those travelers who are kings can cool the heat of the prideful ways of their forebears"), it is a bland chronicle, and has nothing of the aesthetic objectives of its prototype. Here for once the self-deprecation with which Sanskrit literary works conventionally begin, from Kalidasa and onward, finds some purchase: "What have these two in common, this shallow well of my literary talent and the wave-crested ocean of [Kalhana's] poem? . . . My work can succeed only by attaching itself to Kalhana's text. If it flows into a river even ditch water is eventually drunk." The other works Jonariija has left behind- commentaries on courtly epics and a few gnomic verses (niti) preserved in a later anthology-serve only to substantiate the grounds for his humility, and, again, to measure the distance Sanskrit culture has traveled from its peak." [See - The Death of Sanskrit by Sheldon Pollock, Comparative Studies in Society and History, Vol. 43, Pages 392-426. ] It is for this reason that historians and commentators rely so strongly on Kalhana's Rajatarangini as the primary source material for understanding the history of ancient and early medieval Kashmir, and on chronicles such as the 'Baharistan-i-Shahi' for medieval Kashmir. Not because they do not trust what 'Brahmin' chroniclers like Srivara, Suka, Jonaraja and the like write, (in any case they only supplement Kalhana, and primarily concern themselves with the reign of Kings who come after Kalhana's chronicle ends). Generally, less weightage is given to the credibility of these chronicles as compared to that of Kalhana because a careful assessment of comparative textual integrity makes it possible for us to discriminate between the high critical standards set by Kalhana and their inadequate realization by his immediate successors, namely, Jonaraja, Suka and Srivara. It is indeed unfortunate that Rashneek Kher should either mistake or knowingly confuses a reasoned discernment for secterian bias. Such charges, especially when they are made loosely and without foundation do not signify an intelligent or honest expression of a difference of opinion. I will leave it to the readers to decide as to what they do signify. Iconoclasm: It is no one's case, least of all mine, to state that iconoclasm by Muslim Kings in the sultanate period in Kashmir did not occur. It did, and my contention is that it is incorrect and biased to say that iconoclasm occurred only at the behest of Muslim rulers in Kashmir. It is also incorrect to say that such acts of iconoclasm were at all times, and in each instance endorsed by all Muslims Pandit Jia Lal Kilam, a scholar that Rashneek Kher himself approves of, categorically states, "The persecution of the Hindus or more particularly of the Brahmans has been borne as testimony by almost all of the Muslim historians. Hassan and Fauq, two great Muslim historians, have condemned these excesses in unscathing terms." ("A History of Kashmiri Pandits", Kilam, Chapter 3, Page 34) Muslim rulers in Kashmir destroyed temples, they also attacked Muslims who differed from whichever Muslim dispensation happenned to be different from their own. In doing so, they only showed how similar they were to some of their non-Muslim predecessors. But these acts by Muslim rulers were and have been criticized in 'unscathing terms' by Muslim commentators. Some non Muslim historians of Kashmir (especially but not only, Jonaraja, Shrivara, Prajyabhatta and Shuka, whom Rashneek cites approvingly) were also abundant in their praise for the tolerance and liberality of outlook of some Muslim rulers, just as they criticized other Muslim rulers who happenned to be intolerant. In Kashmir, as elsewhere in the Islamicate world, Shia Muslim rulers attacked Sunni Muslims. Sunni Muslim rulers attacked Shias, and Muslim rulers (both Shia and Sunni) protected and patronized people of all faiths, even those of no particular faith. Also, the historical record demonstrates that much before the advent of Islam in Kashmir, several Shaivite rulers attacked Buddhists, and destroyed Buddhist places of worship. To try and simplify this complex record into a binary conflict between 'Muslims' and 'Hindus' or others in Kashmir, is to risk a great deal of vulgar dissimulation. In what follows, I will attempt to show to what depths this vulgarity is prepared to descend by a close reading of the available textual evidence. I hope that the import of my intervention here (for reasons that are abundantly clear) will also be read as a response to Pawan Durani's one sentence posting on this list of the url of the online version of what purports to be a 'history' of Kashmir by one Narendar Sehgal. (See - 'Converted Kashmir - Memorials of Mistakes' posted by Durani on the 16th of October, 2007) See - http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/2007-October/010826.html (for Pawan Durani's posting) See - http://www.kashmir-information.com/ConvertedKashmir/index.html (for the site referred to in this posting) In a general sense, I hope that it will also be read as a unpicking of the machine that produces, day after day, the monotonous litany of 'the persecution of Hindus by Muslims in India/South Asia'. We have had to contend with the outpourings of this machine on this list through repeated postings by the Vedavati Jogi, We Wi and Dhatr1. A careful reading of Kalhana is a very good antidote for all of these maladies, . I highly recommend it. (continued in next posting) From shuddha at sarai.net Fri Nov 9 18:00:22 2007 From: shuddha at sarai.net (Shuddhabrata Sengupta) Date: Fri, 09 Nov 2007 18:00:22 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Annotations to the History of Iconoclasm in Kashmir - II Message-ID: <473452DE.6000100@sarai.net> ANNOTATIONS TO THE PRLIMINARY HISTORY OF ICONOCLASM IN KASHMIR - II What Does Kalhana Say about Temple Destruction and Intolerance ? Kalhana's importance for the understanding of early medieval history in South Asia is unquestionable. Especially because his writing embodies a singular and significant model for historiographic investigation and accounting, rare in the pre - Islamicate cultures of South Asia. He describes and lists the events that mark the reigns of rulers without favour or prejudice. He makes an effort at consistence and attempts to maintains a rigourous standard as far as chronology and the duration of reigns is concerned. His descriptions of everyday life, of the seasons, of customs, religious beliefs, rituals, war and political intrigue - all furnish valuable details about what life would have been like in Kashmir. He explicitly marks a distinction between the mythic and the historic phases of his narrative. He is especially important because reading Kalhana, one finds it impossible to state that iconoclasm and secterian strife was the special preserve of Muslim rulers in South Asia, as Hindutva apologists are wont to do. This point has been made in detail by several historians such as Romila Thapar, Harbans Mukhia and D.N. Jha. Each of whom points out how Kalhana details Hindu kings destroying Hindu temples in Kashmir. [See - the following essays - ' Imagined Religious Communities? Ancient History and the Modern Search for a Hindu Identity' by Romila Thapar, Modern Asian Studies, Vol. 23, Issue 2, Pages 209-231, 1989 'Communalism and the Historical Legacy: Some Facets' by Romila Thapar, Social Scientist, Vol.18, Issue 6/7, Pages 4-20, June-July 1990 'Communalism: A Study in Its Socio-Historical Perspective' by Harbans Mukhia, Social Scientist, Vol.1, Issue 1, Pages 45-57, August 1972 'Against Communalising History' by D.N. Jha, Social Scientist, Volume 26, Issue 9/10, Pages 52 - 62, September - October 1998 'Warrior Ascetics in Indian History', by David.N. Lorenzen, Journal of the American Oriental Society, Volume 98, Issue 1, Pages 61-75, Jan-March, 1978 'Harsa of Kashmir and the Iconoclast Ascetics' by A.L. Basham, Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, Vol 12, Issue 3/4, Oriental and African Studies Presented to Lionel David Barnett by His Colleagues, Past and Present, Pages 688-69, 1948 - for discussions of the significance of Kalhana's text with reference to the countering of communal and secterian readings of history in South Asia. ] That is why, Kalhana is such a tough nut to crack for those who have an agenda of promoting a secterian reading of history. His obstinate insistence on cataloguing the oppressions, iconoclasm and desecration wrought by several rulers of pre-Islamic Kashmir is a huge obstacle in the path of those who wish to push a simplified and reductivist history of Kashmir down our throats. When such people read or refer to Kalhana, they invariably do so selectively. They take what is convenient to their point of view, but always end up censoring what doesn't quite match their agenda. Rashneek Kher is no exception to this general rule. Kshemandra's Errors Before beginning on a survey of temple destruction and religious persecution in pre-Islamic Kashmir, (gleaned from Kalhana's Rajtarangini) it may be wise to pay heed to Kalhana's implicit warning about the writing and reading of history. The thirteenth sloka of the first Taranga (Taranga- Book) of the Rajtarangini has Kalhana telling us "kenapyanavadhanen kavikarmani satyapi, anshopi naasti nirdhosha kshmendrasya nripavali" (First Taranga, Sloka 13, Pg. 1. Vol 3. Kalhana's Rajtarangini, Aurel Stein Rescension) [Apologies, dear Readers, for not supplying the correct diacritical markings as per the accepted convention of rendering Sanskrit into English, but that would not be possible to do in a unicode based font, which is what we are constrained to use on the Reader List] Aurel Stein translates this passage as follows : Owing to a certain want of care, there is not a single part in Kshemendra's 'List of Kings' (Nrpavali) free from mistakes, though it is the work of a poet" (First Taranga, Sloka 13, Pg. 3. Vol 1. Kalhana's Rajtarangini, Aurel Stein Rescension) R.S.Pandit translates this sloka as follows: While owing to an incomprehensible lack of care in the work of Ksemendra, known as the 'List of Kings' (Nrpavali), even a portion of it is not free of error, although it is the composition of a poet. I cannot resist the temptation to apply Kalhana's caveat about Kshmendras emendation of the Kings of Kashmir to Rashneek Kher's lack of care while recounting history. I also cannot resist the temptation to gesture, in passing towards the close proximity that Rashneek Kher (who does have some desire to be acknowledged as a poet and a connossieur of poetry) has with the spectral presence of Kshmendra Kaul who inhabits, or should I say, haunts this list, from time to time.The identity of this Kshmendra Kaul can be a matter of some interesting speculation, and I have some theories of my own regarding the interesting relationship between Rashneek Kher and Kshmendra Kaul (or 'RK' and 'KK') but we should not allow ourselves to be distracted by such matters at this time. Whatever be the case, Rashneek Kher (like Kalhana's Kshmendra, and not unlike our own) though given at times to poetic excess is also not free of error, specially when he asserts that 'Kalhana has no where mentioned that Sankaravarman destroyed Parihaspura'. Whenever I read Rashneek on what he claims as his own history, I remember Kalhana's terse caveat - 'anshopi naasti nirdosha'. We will have time to discuss Sankaravarman, Parihaspura and exactly what Kalhana says in the fifth book of Rajtarangini a little later, But for now, let us now turn to the task of undertaking a brief survey of the account of pre-Islamic iconoclasm, temple destruction and religious persecution in Kashmir, based entirely on a reading of the primary text of Kalhana's Rajtarangini. Here, individual verses will be called Slokas and each book will be called Taranga. So when I say '13th Sloka of the First Taranga" I mean, 13th verse of the fifth book.I will generally give the R.S.Pandit translation, as it is more compact, and also more readily available. I have detailed notes of the Aurel Stein translation, but do not wish to burden the reader with two translations when one will do. Occasionally, for an exceptionnaly important case, I will however give both translations. (continued in next posting) From shuddha at sarai.net Fri Nov 9 18:00:34 2007 From: shuddha at sarai.net (Shuddhabrata Sengupta) Date: Fri, 09 Nov 2007 18:00:34 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Annotations to the History of Iconoclasm in Kashmir - III Message-ID: <473452EA.40506@sarai.net> ANNOTATIONS TO THE PRLIMINARY HISTORY OF ICONOCLASM IN KASHMIR - III What Does Kalhana Say about Temple Destruction and Intolerance ? (contd.) - A Short List of 'Eminent' Kings 1. Jalauka The first mention of the destruction of Buddhist shrines in Kashmir in Kalhana's Rajtarangini is in connection with Jalauka, who succeeded Ashoka (the Mauryan emperor) as the ruler of Kashmir. Jalauka's destruction of Buddhist shrines is mentioned in slokas 140 of the first Taranga (first book) of Kalhana's Rajtrangini. Kalhan tells the story of how Jalauka was put to a test by a Krtyadevi - a Buddhist sorceress, and then persuaded by her to repent and atone for his previous misdeeds of destroying Buddhist shrines and favouring the devotees of Shiva, by agreeing to build Buddhist viharas and chaityas, and repairing the ones already damaged by him (and so, we infer, follow the example set by his father, the Emperor Ashoka) (Page 25 in the R S Pandit translation published by Sahitya Akademi) 2. Abhimanyu I During the reign of Abimanyu I, Kalhana refers to conflicts between Buddhists and others. He says (in slokas 177-181 of the first Taranga) "During this era, the power of the Buddhists, whom the wise Bodhisattva Nagarjuna had protected predominated in the land. These disputants, who were opponents of the Vedas, having defeated all the learned men in open debate, had cut at the root of the religious rites prescribed in the Nilamatapurana. The country having drifted into confusion about the customary observances of the Nagas, whose sacrificial offerings had been cut off, caused loss of human life by heavy falls of snow. As heavy snow-falls occurred year after year, the king, during winter, resided for six months in Davabhisara and other places. During this period, due to some indescribable spiritual power, the Brahmans, who made votive offerings and sacrifices, were not destroyed, but the Buddhists perished." (R.S.Pandit translation, Book 1 Pgs. 29-30) R. S. Pandit in his footnote to slokas 180-181, says "this (the snow storms that killed the Buddhists) is perhaps a poetical description of the persecution of Buddhists during this era" 3. Nara The second instance of the destruction of Buddhist shrines is mentioned in slokas 199 and 200 of the first Taranga, in the account of the reign of King Nara. Kalhana tells us about how a certain Buddhist monk had seduced the king's lover, and how, "enraged by this, he (King Nara) caused thousands of viharas to be burnt down and had their (the Buddhists) villages occupied by the Brahmans residing in Madhyama Matha." (Page 32 in the R S Pandit translation) 4. Mihirakula The third instance of the destruction of Buddhist shrines can be inferred in slokas 289 - 293 of the first Taranga, in the description of the terrible reign of the Ephthalite Hun King Mihirakula who ruled Kashmir. Here we enter the terrain of a strictly historical account of iconoclasm in Kashmir. Kalhana describes Mihirakula as a 'God of Destruction' and says 'his approach became known by the sights of vultures, crows and the like, eager to feed on those being massacred by his encircling army, to the population fleeing before him'. Kalhana, always mindful of being even handed, does mention that 'this foul minded man founded the temple of Mihiresvara', and that "when the country had lost religion, he had promulgated the observance of religious conduct by settling the people from the land of the Aryas...giving one thousand Agraharas in gift to the Brahmanas born in the Gandhara country at Vijayeswara' R S Pandit, in his footnote to sloka 289 of the first Taranga, gives us a brief account of Mihirakula, saying "Mihirakula, the king of the Ephtalite of White Huns, was the Indian Attila. The Huns carried out a terrible persecution of Buddhism, destroying Stupas and Viharas and massacring the monks...Although the Huns were hostile to Buddhism, they protected Savisim and their kings built temples in honour of Siva" (Pg. 40. of R.S. Pandit's translation ) 5. Jayapida We also have mention of how conflict between the King Jayapida of the Karkota dynasty and Brahmins led ninety nine Brahmins to seek death in the water of the Tulamulya River. This act is said to have persuaded the king from refraining from further confiscation of the 'agraharas' of the Brahmins, but conflict with Brahmins remained a feauture of his reign. ( See Slokas 620-657of the fourth Taranga, Pages 174-177 of the R.S. Pandit translation) King Ksemagupta (950-58) was a weak, vice- ridden ruler whose most noteworthy acts were the destruction of the Buddhist Jayendravihara in Srinagar and the construction of a temple of Ksemagaurisvara with the help of stones from the ruins. Thirty-six villages belonging to the former vihara were given "into the tenure" of a neighbouring king and ally. Kalhana details the reign of Ksemagupta with considerable narrative flourishes, focusing especially on the promiscuity and lassitude of his court. However, that need not concern us here. What we are interested in is the account of the destruction of one of the most significant places of Buddhist worship by him. Here are the translations of the relevant verses that refer to this event. When upon an attack by assassins, the Damara Samgrama had taken refuge in the holy Jayendra Vihara (a Buddhist temple in Srinagar), the merciless king (Ksemagupta) in order to kill him, had it burnt down. (Sloka 171, Sixth Taranga, Page 243 of the R.S.Pandit translation) 6. Harsha (11th Century A.D.) Readers will recall, that the main emphasis in my earlier posting on iconclasm in pre Islamic Kashmir was on the discussion of Harsha's reign. Still, at the risk of repetition, let me quote at some length from Kalhana on Harsha. He occupies a lot of space in the seventh Taranga. I quote below from R.S.Pandit's translation of slokas 1089 to 1095. "In course of time, the king, who had got accustomed to expenditure upon the different departments of the army, fixed his mind for the sake of its efficiency upon robbing the properties of the gods. Thereafter the treasures granted by the former kings which were a marvel of the world, the greedy minded one carried away from all the shrines of the gods. When all the treasure had been seized, to remove the images of the gods, he appointed one Udayaraja, "officer of uprooting of the gods". On their (the gods) faces he caused ordure, urine and the like to be thrown, to ruin the images, by naked mendicants whose noses and toes of the feet and hands had rotted. The statues of the gods case from gold, silver and other metals rolled like bundles of fuel on the roads even in excrements. The images of the gods with ropes at the ankles were dragged and covered with spittle in lieu of flowers by the mamimed, the lepers and the rest. In no village, or town, or in Srinagara there was not one temple which was not despoiled of its images by the Turk king Harsha. There were however, two puissant gods who wre not insulted by him, the holy Ranaswamin and Martanda. Two images of Buddha, out of the colossal statues were saved by chance, the king having been "beseeched in a liberal mood he was engaged in granting favours; the one at Parihaspura, the place of his birth by the singer named Kanaka, and by Kusalasri the Sramana at Srinagara" The Debate over the Word - 'Turushka', with reference to Harsha of Kashmir Here, the word Turk (turushka) has been the subject of some controversy, and it occurs in sloka 1095 of the seventh taranga. It has been taken at times (by Aurel Stein as well as Pandit Jia Lal Kilam, for instance, whom we will discuss later) to mean that Harsa was somehow under the influence of Muslims (glossed from 'Turks') . This is highly unlikely, as at the time of Harsha's reign, the rise of Islam in Kashmir is still two centuries in the future. There is some speculation that Harsha's army had Muslim soldiers, settlers who had been inducted into his army. But the word Turushka is not yet synonymous with Muslim, in Kalhana's time. Words like 'Turushka', (Turk(, 'Yavan' (Greek) and 'Mleccha' (of unintelligible tongue, barbarians) are used often interchangably in Sanskrit sources to signify either foreigners, or behaviour alien to accepted custom. So, we have numerous instances of Muslims in general, being called 'yavan' or 'Greek' , which is hardly accurate. (Try calling a Turk a Greek, or a Greek a Turk, and see what happens!) So we need to be a little circumspect when apellations like 'Turk' are used liberally in Sanskrit texts. The exiled Hindu-Shahi kings of Kabul and their retinue, (who were not Muslim) who had for long been settled in Kashmir, and who had close relationships of marriage with the royal families of Kashmir, are also people who may have been described as 'Turk' or 'Turushka'. The word may be glossed pejoratively, or may be read in a totally neutral register, (simply as 'foreigner') depending entirely on the context in which it is embedded. The desire to read the prefix 'Turushka' (the exact word is 'TurushkaRajena' solely as 'Muslim' or 'Muslim influenced' in sloka 1095 of the seventh Taranga tells us more about the viewpoint of the reader than it does about the world in which it was written. Harsha is a difficult king for any ideologue interested in constructing the chimera of injured Hindu innocence to deal with. He destroyed more temples and places of worship than we can account for easily, hence, the only way to speak of him (if not to pass over him in silence) is to say that he was influenced by 'Turushka' hordes, who must have been Muslim. We could have been in agreement with such a reading, had Kalhana used the word 'Turushka' only in one sense, and only in relation to the context of the presence of Muslims. But that is not the case. In fact Kalhana uses the word 'Turushka' also to describe the Kushan kings Hushka, Jushka and Kanishka, and is full of praise for them, for their patronage of the Hindu and Buddhist religions. The 170th sloka of the first taranga says (while referring to Hushka, Juskha and Kanishka's 'good works') - "te turushkanvayodbhuta api punyashraya nrpah" ("these Turks/descended from Turks, too were kings who took refuge in good works" ). "Good works" here means the building of 'mathas' and 'viharas' - places of worship for Buddhists and Shaivites. In fact, it is during the reign of the 'Turushka' king Kanishka that the great fourth Buddhist council, which formulated a great deal of what would come to be Mahayana doctrine, took place in Srinagar under royal patronage. Thus, we have to abandon the idea that the word 'turushka' in sloka 1095 of the seventh taranga is necessarily synonymous with Muslim. If it is, then it can be only as a later interpolation. In any case, it would be difficult to imagine how Harsha, could be under Muslim influence and still be a devotee of the deities Ranaswamin and Martanda. Clearly, his iconclasm had a motivation other than an alleigance, or even the shadow of an alleigance to the precepts of Islam, which in any case were present at that time (if they were at all present) in a very nascent form in Kashmir. Even while discussing Harsha, Kalhana uses the word Turushka, conspicuously in another Sloka, Sloka 1149, Seventh Taranga) which simultaneously refers to him as being habituated to eating pigs. Sa turuskahsatadhisan aniiam posayan dhanaih Nidhantivadhi durbuddhir bubhuje gramysukaran 'While he ever fostered with money the Turks, who were his centurions, that perverse minded man (Harsha) until his death ate domesticated pigs (gramyasukaran)' (Sloka 1149, Seventh Taranga, page 357 of the R.S.Pandit translation) What this verse surely implies is that that Harsa, while favouring favouring foreign-born mercenaries in his armed corps (like many other Kings at many other times), remained personally uninfluenced by Islam. There is also nothing to indicate that these 'Turks' are in fact Muslims. Finally, a king who regularly eats pork is hard to pass off even as a crypto-Muslim. A.L.Basham, a well known historian of ancient India teases this obscure reference into a hypotheses on the possible doctrinal influences on Harsha's iconoclasm in a delightfully intricate essay titled 'Harsa of Kashmir and the Iconoclast Ascetics' [ See - 'Harsa of Kashmir and the Iconoclast Ascetics' by A.L. Basham, Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, Vol 12, Issue 3/4, Oriental and African Studies Presented to Lionel David Barnett by His Colleagues, Past and Present, Pages 688-69, 1948 ] A.L.Basham concludes, (on the basis of detailed textual, numismatic and material evidence) that the source of Harsha's iconoclasm lies elsewhere than in Islam. He points out Harsha's close links to the south and his willingness to be influenced by Southern adherents of the iconoclastic 'Ajivika' sect, and argues that it is here that we should look to the sources of his own iconoclasm. Basham's argument, albeit speculative, is less reliant on conjecture than the automatic identification of 'Turushka' with 'Muslim' that bedevils the other efforts to wrestle with the complexity of his reign that I have referred to above. 7. Sankaravarman, son of Avantivarman (Fifth Taranga, Slokas 128-227) (9th Century A.D.) Finally, we come to the figure of Sankaravarman, whose mention in my earlier posing on this issue, so exercised Rashneek Kher. Sankaravarman's reign is described in considerable detail in the fifth Taranga of Kalhana's Rajtarangini (Pgs. 197 - 206, R. S. Pandit's Translation of Kalhana's Rajtarangini) Let us take the verse that according to Rashneek Kher is 'simply nowhere' because the is the one one in which Kalhana mentions Sankaravarman sacking Parihaspura. "Thus the petty minded king (Sankaravarman) in order to make his own city celebrated, carried away everything of value belonging to Parihaspura" (Fifth Taranga, Sloka 161) Here, is the verse in its original Sanskrit. Svalpasatvo narapatih sva-purakhyapnaya sah, Sarapaharam-karot-parihaspurasya yata Aurel Stein translates this as - Thus this ruler, who posessed but little character, had whatever was of value at Parishaspura, carried off in order to raise the fame of his own city." (Fifth Book, Sloka 161. Vol. 1, Aurel Stein's translation of Kalhana's Rajtarangini, Pg. 207) There are several other slokas that go on to describe Sankaravarman's actions with regard to places of worship, they follow close on the heels of the 161st sloka. "In time, the Kings mind was in large measure, obsessed with the practice of covetousness and he bcame an adept in the persecution of the subjects" (Fifth Taranga, Sloka 165) "Owing to fresh vices he, as a rule, ran short of money time ang again; he robbed everything belonging to the gods and others through the device of imposts. Two state departments known as the Attapatibhaga and the Grhartyka were established by him, which was the robber of towns, the households, the villages and the rest." (Fifth Taranga, Sloka 167) "The money which was the sale proceeds of incense, sandal, oil and the like, he took from the shrines of the gods under the pretext of a share in the sale-price." (Fifth Taranga, Sloka 168) "For the rest under the pretext of supervision through officials specially empowered, he soon plundered sixty four temples of the gods." (Fifth Taranga, Sloka 169) (All taken from Page 200 of the R.S.Pandit translation) Sankaravarman in the eyes of Jayanta Bhatta Luckily, with regard to Sankaravarman and his reign, Kalhana's Rajtarangini is not the only source of information available to us. We also have a Sanskrit dramatic satire, by Jayanta Bhatta called 'Agamadambara' which gives us a wealth of detail, not only about the political conditions of Kashmir at the time of Sankaravarman, but also, a great deal of information about doctrinal and religious disputes. In fact, religious conflict is one of the major themes of this text. This means that we have available to us the means of an independent confirmation of Kalhana's assesment of Sankaravarman's reign by way of a reading of Jayanta Bhatta's text, which is located squarely in Sankaravarman's reign. There is an excellent translation and commentary of Jayanta Bhatta's satire by the the Hungarian Sanskritist Csaba Dezso. ('Agamadambara: Much Ado About Religion' by Jayanta Bhatta, edited and translated by Csaba Dezso, Clay Sanskrit Library, NYU Press; Bilingual edition, 2005). My reading of this text is indebted to the scholarship of Dezso, and much in the following passages are simply my paraphrasing of his introduction to the translation. Jayanta Bhatta (a Shaivite Brahmin poet and playwright who served Sankaravarman as a court poet and functionary) gives a more favourable account of king Sankaravarman in his Agamadambara compared to Kalhana. He described Sankaravarman as being ‘supremely devoted to ́Siva’, and says : ‘The merits of this king are celebrated all over the world, and his attention is solely devoted to social and religious order’; As long as His Majesty Sankaravarman righteously rules the country which has fallen to him, the kingdom belongs to the virtuous alone, but he supports it.' We know that Kalhana describes Sankaravarman as a destroyer of sixty four temples. But the motives for this destruction, which Kalhana attributes to greed alone, can be read differently, if we take into account Bhatta Jayanta's account of his patron's reign. Let us look at only two examples from Jayanta's 'Agamadambara'; 1. In the second act of the play, two dissident sadhus lament (in Prakrit, the language used for Buddhist and non Vedic characters in the play, and for women and lower caste characters) the fate of those who do not abide by the Vedas "because the king, shoulder to shoulder with his ‘rough’ (visama ) adviser, Jayanta, has ‘nabbed the mendicant Nılambaras, beat them to jelly, and expelled them from the kingdom, on the grounds that they were outside Vedic religion. And if any other mendicant is caught, who is outside Vedic religion, he’ll be beaten up, killed, thrown in jail, [or] slain. " 2. The beginning of the third act of the play has a royal herald decaliming - ye ’tranadijagatpravahapatita nanagamah sadhavas te tishthantu yathasthitah svasamayadisthas carantah kriyah ye tu prastutadharmaviplavakrtah papas tapopayinas te cedasu na yanti ghatayati ̄tan dasyun iva ksamapatih "Those virtuous people who have fallen into the beginningless stream of the world and belong to various religions—they should remain as they are, performing practices prescribed by their own religious discipline. Those criminal false ascetics, however, who devastate the established social and religious order—if they don’t leave immediately, the king will strike them like thieves. " Remember, this is not a writer who seeks to belittle Sankaravarman, he is the King's contemporary, he actually approves of his patron's actions, he is describing events and processes he is involved in, and that occur in his lifetime. And the words that he puts in the mouths of his characters can be seen to be reasonably accurate reflections of his own opinions. We do not get closer than this when it comes to the historical record. If anything, this (taken together with the reading of Kalhana's Rajtarangini) conclusively demonstrates that Sankaravarman's reign was a time of violence and religious persecution aimed specifically at heterodox sects. Anangapala Acts of iconoclasm are also mentioned with regard to the scions of the Hindu Shahi dynasty of Kabul who were given refuge by the Kings of Kashmir (with whom they had ties of blood). Anangapala, a Shahi prince in the court of King Ananta of Kashmir is described as 'the fiend Anangapala, the royal favourite, had his mind ever occupied in breaking up the gold images of the gods" (sloka 147, Seventh Taranga) Summary of Rajtarangini Survey in this way, I demonstrate that Kalhana's Rajtarangini actually lists the reign of seven kings of pre Islamic Kashmir (Jalauka, Abhimanyu I, Nara, Mihirakula, Ksemagupta Sankaravarman and Harsha) and the actions of one member of the royal household - the Hindu Shahi prince Anangapala, which feature acts of persecution based on religion occurred. The details are spelled out - idols were destroyed, temples abandoned and razed to the ground, adherents of faiths different to those of the king were put to the sword. We also have discussion by Kalhana of Jayapida's persecution of Brahmins, leading to an act of collective suicide by drowning in the Tulamulya river by ninety nine Brahmins. There is nothing surprising in any of this. Kings and rulers, everywhere, belonging to every religion have perseucted people on the basis of their religious or secterian identities, just as kings and rulers, belonging to different religions, have protected and patronized religions different from their own. No particular faith has a monopoly insofar as persecution or intolerance is concerned. No particular faith is more tolerant than others, just as none is necessarily more intolerant than others. (continued in next posting) From shuddha at sarai.net Fri Nov 9 18:00:50 2007 From: shuddha at sarai.net (Shuddhabrata Sengupta) Date: Fri, 09 Nov 2007 18:00:50 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Annotations to the History of Iconoclasm in Kashmir - IV Message-ID: <473452FA.9030702@sarai.net> ANNOTATIONS TO THE PRLIMINARY HISTORY OF ICONOCLASM IN KASHMIR - IV Pandit Jia Lal Kilam's 'A History of Kashmiri Pandits' Even Pandit Jia Lal Kilam, who Rashneek Kher refers to approvingly, does not offer a substantively different conclusion from what I am saying. I offer below a set of 3 quotes from his book. (edited by Advaitavadini Kaul) 1. "During Abhimanyu's reign who succeeded Kanishka, Nagarjuna made converts to Buddhism and defeated the Brahmans in discussion and argument. Civil war soon followed and the Brahmans in alliance with a local tribe named Nagas inflicted death, disaster and other untold miseries upon the Buddhists..." (Kilam, 'A History of Kashmiri Pandits, Chapter 1- 'A Survey of Ancient Hindu Rule', Pgs 4 & 5) 2. "During the reign of Nara "thousands of monastries were burnt, and thousands of villages that supported those monastries were given over to the Brahmans." Brahmans having succeeded in establishing their supremacy set themselves in right earnest in strengthening themselves and their position. Many superstitious observances and practices were invented. Thought and culture were denied to everybody excepting themselves and the modern Hinduism in Kashmir began its growth. But this degraded the Brahmans themselves. During Mihirkula's reign many shameless practices are ascribed to them..." (Kilam, 'A History of Kashmiri Pandits, Chapter 1- 'A Survey of Ancient Hindu Rule', Page 5) 3. "During the reign of Raja-deva (1252-1273 A. D.) some Bhattas (Brahmans) who had helped in his investiture as king, having been insulted by him, conspired to install somebody from amongst Khashas on the throne of Kashmir. But their conspiracy did not long remain a secret and an orgy of destruction and plunder was let loose upon them. Some were killed and others suppressed with atrocious mercilessness, and to save themselves the cry was raised everywhere 'Na Batoham..' "I am not a Bhatta." This is the first onslaught recorded in history against the Brahmans of Kashmir..." (Kilam, 'A History of Kashmiri Pandits, Chapter 1- 'A Survey of Ancient Hindu Rule', Page 16) It is interesting to note that Kilam explicitly states and underscores the fact that this 'first onslaught' on the Brahmans of Kashmir takes place during the reign of a Hindu king. Muslim rule is definitively established in Kashmir only in 1341 A.D. With the rise of the Salatins (the reign of Rinchen, a Tibetan Buddhist who converted to Islam because the Brahmin orthodoxy disdained him, cannot really be considered the reign of a Muslim king in its entirety and may be seen only as a prologue, or as an interregnum prior to the real decline of Hindu power in Kashmir, primarily as a result of palace intrigues.) It is necessary to remember that Kashmir is a part of South Asia where the rise of Islam did not accompany a military invasion, but occurred largely due to the example set by missionaries and religious divines. Jia Lal Kilam's book contains many instances of religious persecution, of Hindus at the hand of some Muslim kings, of Kashmiri Sunni Muslims by the Kashmiri Shia Muslim Chak dynasty, of Kashmiri Shia Muslims and Kashmiri Pandits by the Sunni Afghan kings, of Kashmiri Muslims in general by the Sikh rulers of Kashmir. Through all of this Kilam is at pains to point out that the Kashmiri Pandit survives, and with his predominant position in Kashmiri Society intact. This happens through much of the reign of the Salatins, (Zain Al Abedin hands them the task of land records and revenue collection, which they continue to undertake - as patwaris - until the mid twentieth century by official fiat, without interruption). They continue to hold high offices in the royal court. The Mughal emperors are so beholden to them that they decree that no Kashmiri Muslim will hold military office and give over the military reins of power in Kashmir to Kashmiri Pandits. The majority of Afghan rulers continue to patronize Pandits, and when instances of persecution do occur, Pandit influence at Kabul is sufficient to neutralize it. Some Pandit courtiers invite the Sikh rulers into Kashmir as Afghan power declines (even as other Pandit courtiers still remain committed to the resuscitation of Afghan power) and finally with the rise of the Dogra power in the nineteenth century the Pandits rise to a position of unquestioned pre-eminence. Kilam's book is largely a remarkably unbiased account of this entire process. He, unlike Rashneek Kher is not at all committed to the figure of the Pandit as eternal victim. Nor is he keen to separate Kashmiri Pandits from an Islamicate cultural sphere. He mentions how Kashmiri Pandits wrote hymns to Goddess Sharda in Persian, and how well integrated they were into the aristocratic Persianate cultural matrix that dominated much of Central Asia. In fact, to be fair to the Kashmiri Pandit ethos, we can see that it has no trace of anti-Muslim feeling. Kashmiri Pandit elites were happier in the company of the Muslim aristocracy and higher clergy than they were in the company of either the common Kashmiri Muslim peasant, artisan or labourer, or for that matter, non Muslim lower caste populations from the plains. While JIa Lal Kilam is understandably given to valorizing Pandit pre-eminence, just as he is given to lament episodes of the persecution of Pandits when they occur (after all he is a Kashmiri Pandit, writing the history of Kashmiri Pandits) , he does not undertake to practice the theory of Pandit exceptionalism. He does not indulge in a reading of history that paints Kashmiri Pandits as being the uninterrupted victim of the history of Kashmir since the rise of Islam. Nor is he shy of pointing out acts of persecution, intrigue and injustice that some Kashmiri Pandits had been party to, both before, during and after the advent of Islam in Kashmir. Reading Kilam we are forced to repeat what we have already stated, no religion has a monopoly on intolerance. Advaitavadini Kaul's "Buddhist Savants of Kashmir" Finally, let me come to Rashneek's admonition to me that I should read a book by a scholar called Advaitavadini Kaul. He says - "I would also suggest that you read Dr,Advaitavadini Kaul's post doctoral work ' Buddhist Savants of Kashmir'...No where has she found any evidence of Hindu kings breaking Buddhist Viharas." Unfortunately, I have read Dr. Advaitavadini Kaul's post doctoral thesis - at least the version that is published as a book by Utpal Publishers, (formerly of Srinagar, now based in Delhi) - a publishing house well known for its imprint of books sympathetic to the Indian nationalist position on Kashmir, as exemplified by that section of the Kashmiri Pandit intelligentsia which inspires Roots in Kashmir, Panun Kashmir and other such organizations. Now, Advaitavadini Kaul's book is quite detailed in its exposition of the contribution made by Kashmiri (or Kashmir based) Buddhist scholars and missionaries in the ancient and early medieval period - in Tibet, China and Central Asia. But it is not so articulate when it comes to the destiny of Buddhism in Kashmir itself. This is surprising, but not entirely incomprehensible, after all, Dr. Kaul's primary concern is the career of Kashmiri Buddhists outside Kashmir, and we cannot fault her entirely if her book chooses not to engage in any substantial way with the history of what happenned to Buddhism inside Kashmir. I have read this book line by line, and while no where does it say (contrary to Rashneek's assertion) that there is "no evidence of Hindu kings breaking Buddhist Viharas", it does not dwell either on instances of Shaivite or otherwise nominally non Buddhist Kings (I hesitate to use the term 'Hindu' because of the artifice involved in using the word 'Hindu' in a pre modern context) involved in acts of iconoclasm and temple destruction that targetted heterodox sects, especially Buddhism, in Kashmir. Advaitavadini Kaul cites her Kalhan when it suits her to construct an edifice of how Buddhism flourished in Kashmir. But she also very conveniently omits to cite Kalhana's Rajtarangini when it comes to tricky question of the destruction of Buddhist shrines. In fact she avoids having to deal with this question altogether. Causing a not invisible void to appear in her detailing of Buddhism in relation to Kashmir. Her only reference to the eventual eclipse of Buddhism in Kashmir occur in the following three sentences. - "In the following centuries Buddhism in Kashmir was overshadowed b y the wide upsurge of the Vaishnava and Shaiva faiths. However inspite of the overwhelming predominance of the Brahmanic Faith and the loss of royal patronage Buddhism continued to flourish even as late as the 13th century AD. This is supported by Rajtarangini and the epigraphic evidence." (Advaitavadini Kaul : Buddhist Savants of Kashmir: Their Contribution Abroad, Chapter 1, Page 8) In other words, Buddhism was 'overwhelmed, overshadowed' and encountered a 'lack of royal patronage' but still survived, and the Rajtarangini is conveniently cited as evidence for this assumption. In fact, she asserts, it survived in pockets, till the 13th century, by which time Islam is on the ascendant in Kashmir. Which suggests that here too, Islam is at fault for the demise of the Kashmiri Buddhist tradition. But the fact that the very same Rajtarangini mentions repeatedly the destruction of Buddhist temples by Kings, centuries before a single Muslim sets foot in Kashmir can be conveniently overlooked, is a surprising ommission on Advaitavadini Kaul's part. If we follow this pattern of citation and ommission closely then we are compelled to consider the possibility that Advaitavadini Kaul (who incidentally, also is the editor of Jia Lal Kilam's text, though Kilam himself is by no means reticent about the destruction of Buddhist shrines in pre-Islamic Kashmir) is following the dictates of an agenda that is committed to the whitewashing of the inconvenient and embarassing (embarrassing for the apologists of Hindu revanchism that is) historic record of anti-Buddhist iconoclasm and religious persecution in pre-Islamic Kashmir. Conclusion All of this suggests that Rashneek Kher's (and subsequetly Pawan Durani's) sad attempts at playing historian are ultimately plainly propogandist exercises devoid of seriousness, substance or critical depth. It is easy, far too easy to brandish a list of selected quotations based on the calculation that no one will bother to actually read the available textual record. It is easy, far too easy to assume that all of us on this list will be too intimidated and terrorised by the emotional charge of the narration of a one sided history of persecution to do a careful counter reading of a deeply contested history. Like all easy assumptions, these too have had their day, but now their time is over. Doing that act of counter reading, taking the care to read what the sources say is an exercise that some of us are quite prepared to do. And whenever anyone tries to derail this list by the promotion of a particular secterian agenda, they will encounter diligent, patient, meticulous objection. Anyone attempting to offer any more half baked histories should understand that they do so at the risk of appearing very foolish indeed. At the very beginning of this vexed exchange on Kashmir, some months ago, I had suggested to those on this list who seem to be making a habit out of attempting to cash in on this vulgar exhibitionism of pain, that instead of making a spectacle of suffering, they consider the worth of practising a modicum of reticence, if for nothing else, just out of respect for all those (Pandit and Muslim) who have suffered in Kashmir. At the risk of discursive redundance, and with apologies to all, I would like to take this opportunity to repeat my suggestion. I am addressing those (especially Rashneek Kher and Pawan Durani) who have thrown their half baked readings of the history of Kashmir in our direction in the past few months. If you have the least bit of respect for those you claim to speak on behalf of, learn at least not to dissimulate, not to quote fragmentary sources, or to hide inconvenient truths, when you attempt to speak in their name. Each time you do so, the memory of the dead you claim to speak for is desecrated, and the cause you hope to serve is damaged, perhaps irreparably. You lose sympathy and the chances that anyone will take you the least bit seriously. Learn to be less smug and arrogant about categories like guilt and innocence and learn to respect the complexity and the difficulty of speaking about a contentious past. Work harder at the construction of your arguments, and even those who might disagree with you will treat you with respect. And if you cannot bring yourself to undertake this level of maturity, or to work as hard as is necessary, then at least try a little silence for a while. It might compel you to examine the depths of what you call your pain in a more serious manner. I sincerely hope that my suggestion will be understood and taken in the spirit with which it is being offered. best Shuddha, Deepavali, 09 November 2007, Delhi ------------------------------- END From patrice at xs4all.nl Fri Nov 9 18:57:37 2007 From: patrice at xs4all.nl (Patrice Riemens) Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2007 14:27:37 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] NGO Advocacy as a new form of Non-tariff Barrier to International Trade? Message-ID: <20071109132737.GA93800@xs4all.nl> No Apps for X-posting! ;-) NGO advocacy activism: A new form of Non-Tariff Barrier to International Trade? Pending before the Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Bangalore, India, at the moment is a (criminal) case brought forward by the Indian textile firm "Fibre and Fabrics International" (FFI) against two Dutch advocay NGOs, Clean Clothes Campaign and the India Committee for the Netherlands (SKK and LIW, by their local acronyms) and their respective Internet access providers, XS4ALL and Antenna. FFI is a fairly large enterprise engaged in garment manufacture for export operating as a sub-contractor to major international clothing labels, among them G-Star, an originally Dutch multinational. SKK and LIW had both relayed internationally the seriously distressing findings of local unions and civil society groups regarding the working conditions at FFI's manufacturing plants, and this after the firm had managed to silence their local critics by judicial means. FFI was not best pleased with the subsequent international attention this attracted, especially since it seems to have lost it important clients in the process. Now eight Dutch citizens, staff persons and directors of the afore-mentioned organisations, are indicted and required to appear in person before court in India under a mendacious, but cleverly constructed 'cascade' of counts, starting with libel and diffamation, escalating into racism/ xenophobia carried on by means of 'cybercrime', and culminating in an alleged "international criminal conspiracy". The latter indictment constitutes an extraditable offense in the sense of international agreements on judicial co-operation between democratic, 'rule of law' states. The acting judge in Bangalore now needs only to sign an international arrest warrant for the real risk of deportation and delivery of these eight accused into an Indian remand jail to become effective. Though the Dutch minister of justice still would have the last word, he has not yet shown any inclination to take a stand in the matter, as he seems to see this as a purely private dispute. (The Dutch foreign ministry meanwhile, perceives the whole affair as profoundly embarassing - for the buoyant Dutch-Indian trade relations. ) This slightly out-of-control evolution of what in itself would be a fairly routinous incident in to-day's fiercely competitive globalised economy, might be taken as emblematic for the predicament into which the ongoing trend to lower procurement costs, and outsource and delocalise industrial production has landed us. Over the past two decades, scandals about labour and human rights abuses in emergent economies have been legion, national and international organisations, NGOs and CSOs have been locked in fierce struggles with corporates and governments big and small, and some, if slow, progress has been made to alleviate at least the worst excesses of labour exploitation. Both at the local and at the international level, agreements, rules and (self-)regulations have seen the light, and are being increasingly enforced and/ or respected. Yet the present case, and the case with India in general, is slightly different - and none too hopeful. For reasons both demographic and cultural, India, since the 'liberalisation' of its economy in the early 90s, has embarked in a mode of development that may be best characterised as elitist, with its entry into globalisation aimed to be at the upper reach rather than at a wholesale level, starting from below - as is the case with China. Unable to achieve this goal in glamorous sectors such as IT alone, India has been satisfied to allow the - very substanbtial - contribution of the more generic manufacturing sector (eg textiles) to be of a nature one can only very charitably describe as 'traditional', although it is in fact entirely, and scandalously so, at variance with 21st century ethical, or even plainly economic standards. As there is very little likelyhood that this dispensation will be altered - with the political will, and power, to do so obviously lacking, and this again, as opposed to the situation in China - India and its manufacturing export industry now are constantly confronted with damning, and very damaging, socio-political criticism, both at home and abroad. Today however, it would appear that the Indian authorities and (part of) the business community have embarked in response in a spirited, if probably desperate, rear-guard action to spite and harass their opponents. India's minister of commerce, Shri Kamal Nath, has let it known that criticism of the modus operandi of the Indian textile export industry amounts to 'hidden protectionism' by parties unhappy with India's competitive provess and resenting the consequent delocalisation of their own manufacturing base, theoretising a fresh form of NTBtIT (Non Tariff Barrier to International Trade in WTO-GATTese) in the same breath. He also let known his sentiment in none too diplomatic language to his counterparts in various countries harbouring pesky and in his view objectionable activist NGOs, and has now even called European trade commissionner Peter Mandelson to the rescue. His next step could be to take the dispute to the WTO itself, where one can only hope, but not entirely be sure of, that he will bring the house down in roars of laughter.However, in the meanwhile, the Indian government appears to be entirely supportive of the 'robust' judicial steps taken by firms such as FFI to safeguard their frayed reputation and interests. Rear-guard actions being what they are, their ultimate failure should not distract from the considerable, and sometime fatal damage they may inflict in the short term, to individuals, organisations, and principle of fairness the upholding of basic human rights. A perverse consequence, or as some would say, an intended effect, of increasing international judicial collaboration in the wake of the globalisation of trade, but also of crime, threats, and risks, is the opportunity to have annoying opponents or critics, first of governments, now apparently also of corporate interests, delivered into the hands of whatever 'rule of law' jurisdiction the powers that be deem appropriate to intimidate, harass, and possibly even eliminate them. This should not be allowed to happen. Check out for background (from the accuseds point of view): http://www.indianet.nl/ffie.html http://www.cleanclothes.org/ also for the latest scandal involving the Indian textile industry: http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,2200590,00.html Googling for 'labour ('child-'), 'India' and 'textile(s) (industry) will unearth a further wealt of recent information... Patrice Riemens Firenze, November 9, 2007. From image.science at donau-uni.ac.at Fri Nov 9 21:07:29 2007 From: image.science at donau-uni.ac.at (Image Science) Date: Fri, 09 Nov 2007 16:37:29 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] D.V.A. turns 10! and offers new collective tools Message-ID: <47348CC90200007D0000474C@gwgwia.donau-uni.ac.at> DATABASE OF VIRTUAL ART TURNS 10! WITH NEW SUBMISSION SUPPORT & NEW ARTIST SPECIALS As pioneer in the field, the collective Database of Virtual Art (DVA) has been documenting the rapidly evolving digital installation art since 1998. www.virtualart.at Beside new artist specials, which will be joined by editorial features, the DVA offers henceforth an innovative submission process: Collective documentation is supported by simplified *assist tools* to help upload information for publication in minutes. Artists, and at this point an additional 282 theorists and mediaarthistorians, are members of the collective DVA-Archive. Monthly evaluated user statistics and open source technology support the collective process. The DVA received public support from various foundations, allowing its research-oriented, complex overview of immersive, interactive, telematic and genetic art to be developed in cooperation with known media artists, researchers and institutions of the field. The DVA is based on the “concept of expanded documentation”. Currently it contains thousands of work descriptions and digital documents, videos, technical data, institutions and bio-bibliographical information. As one of the richest resources online, with a systematic thesaurus, the scientific project was from its beginning a university based endeavor. www.virtualart.at We encourage your remarks and suggestions! Anyone dealing with Media Art who has information or data to share is encouraged to register with sabine.lindner at donau-uni.ac.at -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ____ADVISORY BOARD_____Database_of_Virtual_Art_______ Roy ASCOTT, Beryl GRAHAM, Erkki HUHTAMO, Jorge LA FERLA, Gunalan NADARAJAN, Christiane PAUL, Martin ROTH, Steve WILSON --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Beside the Database of Virtual Art - GOETTWEIG-ONLINE will be up this month. The Print Collection contains 30.000 original prints from Renaissance to Barock. Connecting these archives will provide our field with an open archive contextualizing media art in art and image history. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The DVA is partner of: RE:PLACE http://tamtam.mi2.hr/replace & www.mediaarthistory.org DANUBE TELELECTURES : www.donau-uni.ac.at/telelectures From ixa10 at psu.edu Fri Nov 9 21:17:11 2007 From: ixa10 at psu.edu (Irina Aristarkhova) Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2007 10:47:11 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] About history Message-ID: <6cccf6770711090747y65dc31a3w180761f0a419a92c@mail.gmail.com> I love this old Soviet joke, reminded me by a friend: "Armenian Radio" is asked a question :"Can you predict what is going to happen in the future?" "Armenian Radio" answered: "We have absolutely no problem with the future, everything is clear, but it is really hard to tell what has happened in the past (history), it keeps changing." Warm regards, Irina From sadiafwahidi at yahoo.co.in Fri Nov 9 21:20:50 2007 From: sadiafwahidi at yahoo.co.in (S.Fatima) Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2007 15:50:50 +0000 (GMT) Subject: [Reader-list] fatima's response In-Reply-To: <47342C1D.7070708@sarai.net> Message-ID: <185691.89258.qm@web8403.mail.in.yahoo.com> Dear Vivek I didn't say that the nuance is a previlege of only the (Sarai) elite -- in fact, millions of nice people who know the nuances haven't probably heard about internet. I was only wondering about two things: (1) if we know that certain Sarai readers are adamant about posting all the rubbish, and there is no way they will ever heed, then why can't Sarai moderator do her job of moderating them. Is it because we are afraid that our status as a democratic reader-list will shatter. I think even democracry needs certain rules, to check the unruly. Why can't we simply put certain IDs on the moderated mode - their postings should pass only if they are not ranting, bantering, or shlokaneering. To me, that's better than suggesting everyone to apply filters. And I am sure enough warnings have already been given for this moderation to start. Allow them to post only if they sensibly add something to the on-going debates. (2) My other idea (which maybe contrary to the first one) was that there is much worse ranting in real life than what we've witnessed on Sarai. We are already distanced from some of that, and want to become further distanced by removing whatever little irritants we have. But in real life this ranting is a much bigger/deeper malaise, and it and won't get cured by our filtering of it. So I am just wondering if the reader-list (or internet for that matter) is able to play any role in changing the ranting habits of the people. You talk about warmth in the postings. But internet promotes a hit-and-run approach, people can post incognito, there is no accountibility - it is in fact worse than a street. I am sure the warmth in postings comes only from those people who are known to Sarai or know each other, hence they write carefully. --- Vivek Narayanan wrote: > > Dear Fatima, > > Thank you for your nuanced and considered note. > Please note again that > I am not speaking for anyone else but myself, > certainly not as a "voice > of Sarai". I don't think nuance is the privilege or > preserve of any > group, nor does it depend on education or decorum. > Instead, it's a > certain warmth and hospitality, and a willingness to > listen carefully, > and to be considered in one's responses. > Essentially, it is about > coming to the conversation in good faith, with love > and with > thoughtfulness-- not with the intention to sabotage > dialogue or shout > down others. Most of all, if it becomes obvious that > a reply has been > dashed off in a couple of seconds and, moreover, > five or seven of those > replies are sent in the course of a single day, then > I feel that this > wastes my time and makes it difficult to find the > mails on the list that > are more carefully thought out. > > So I disagree with you *completely* that such > qualities would be found > only among "elites at Sarai". These are protocols > that one finds with > many people on the street, regardless of their > background and access to > privilege. In fact, as you well know, on the Indian > street, it is often > the rich and privileged who tend to shout louder, > for they fear no > reprisal. Right wing nationalists can feel secure > in the knowledge that > they have the support of the state behind them. I > would not be > surprised if, in monitoring this list, there would > be members who would > not hesitate to report anyone they considered to be > "anti-national" to > the authorities. This is the kind of insecurity > that shadows our > conversations here--the question of what kinds of > statements might > involve violent reprisals or legal censure, and so > on; this is the > fragility of the discussions that have been built up > on this list over > the course of five or so short years. > > Yes indeed, one is dedicated here to the vibrancy, > variousness and > quirkiness of the street--with the caveat that all > our members are at > least privileged enough to have access to the > internet. (Some write so > often that they must almost certainly have their own > full-time dedicated > broadband.) Yet, it only takes a few goondas to > suppress and drown out > all the many conversations, trying to fill the space > with only their own > voices. In such instances, to renew our > conversations, our whispering > faith in each other, it may be necessary to shut out > the bullies for a > while. This would not be to pretend that those > bullies don't exist; > merely it would be to acknowledge that they don't > have anything new to > say. We have heard that shtick before. > > But again: my mail was addressed only to those who > already felt the same > way as me, and who wanted a practical and efficient > solution. We have > very different positions on this question even at > Sarai; some agree with > me, some most certainly don't. Those who have the > time and energy to > stay tuned to the bullying and the threatening and > the chanting of > shlokas and spells must please do so. I can even > say I admire your > Gandhian equanimity. I, on the other hand, have > other things to do, and > I can't afford to spend my time fighting an endless > war of attrition, in > the trenches, with little or no gain from day to > day, on the Line of > Discursive Control (LODC), here on the reader list. > > Warmly, > Vivek > Now you can chat without downloading messenger. Go to http://in.messenger.yahoo.com/webmessengerpromo.php From pkray11 at gmail.com Sat Nov 10 12:51:19 2007 From: pkray11 at gmail.com (prakash ray) Date: Sat, 10 Nov 2007 12:51:19 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] WB CPI (M) Deputation meets Governor on Nandigram developments Message-ID: <98f331e00711092321q6dadb8e6j7cc361267231308e@mail.gmail.com> A delegation of four WB CPI (M) MPs and one MLA met the Hon. Governor on the late morning of 9 November. The delegation in a detailed memorandum apprised him of the train of events that took place in Nandigram. Earlier, the WB Governor in a statement called for the establishment of peace at Nandigram and exhorted the state administration and the representatives of the people to intervene. The delegation consisted of Taritbaran Topdar (who led the delegation), Prasanta Pradhan, Sudhangsu Sil, Mainul Hasan, all MPs, and Rupa Bagchi, MLA. Hon. Governor assured the delegation that he would have the issue looked into towards amelioration. The full text of the memorandum that the delegation presented to the Governor is this: "The Hon'ble Governor West Bengal Raj Bhavan Kolkata 700001 Respected Sir, We would like to draw your attention to the developments that have taken place at Nandigram and its surrounding areas over the past eleven months, and the consequences thereof. 1.. From the beginning of 2007, a large number of people have been put to a great deal of distress. The train of events started on 3 January when a meeting in progress at the Kalicharanpur Gram Panchayat, for declaration of a Nirmal Gram, was misconstrued deliberately by the Trinamul Congress leadership as a plan to take over land for a proposed chemical hub. An attacking gang of the Trinamul Congress and the Naxalites, the Panchayat broke up the meeting and chased away government officials, set on fire police vehicles, and ransacked houses of CPI (M) supporters nearby. This set the pattern of things to develop over the next ten months. 2.. From the evening of 3 January, houses of CPI (M) supporters were attacked by an organisation called the Bhumi Ucchhed Pratirodh Samity (BUPS) or the so-called 'committee to prevent eviction from land' that was set up and run by the Trinamul Congress and its allies the Naxalites, and the SUCI with outside support declared by the local units of the Congress and the BJP. 3.. Since the night of the 3 January, the entire area of Nandigram, and its surrounding localities were forcefully taken over by the armed gangs of the BUPS and the Trinamul Congress and they allowed only their writ to run, they would not allow either the police or the civil administration any entry. This was the time when they aligned themselves with the armed Maoists from Jharkhand and Orissa to enter the area. 4.. Bridges were destroyed, culverts were broken up, all roads leading onto and out of Nandigram were slashed up, and Nandigram was declared a 'liberated zone' where the state government would not be allowed entry. 5.. A large amount of explosives and a large number of guns by then had been sneaked into Nandigram and they were distributed to a large number goons and anti-socials who swore allegiance to the Trinamul Congress, the Naxalites, and the SUCI under the garb and guise of the BUPS. Ostensibly, the violent 'movement' was to 'prevent the LF government from acquiring land for a chemical hub project,' which was a lie. 6.. Bengal chief minister declared in a huge CPI (M) rally at Khejuri in February that the LF government had not issued any notice at all for any such acquisition of land for any such project that would include Nandigram and its surrounds. However, the violence was continued with by the Trinamul Congress and its allies. 7.. On the morning of 14 March, a police firing had to be resorted to when violence was let loose by the Trinamul Congress and its allies. Bengal Left Front chairman and Bengal chief minister both expressed regret at the incident and called for peace. 8.. Specific targets have been made of the CPI (M) workers, and supporters and their houses were looted and then set on fire, forcing them to leave hearth-and-home and take refuge in the miserable conditions of relief camps that were set up on an emergency basis. Even the relief camps have since then been routinely attacked, and the refugees prevented form going back to their villages. 9.. The Trinamul Congress now joined by cadres of the Maoists ejected at gunpoint hundreds of people every day from Nandigram villages and from surrounding areas. At present more than 3,500 people are rendered refugees in their own homeland. 1, 500 live in the inadequacies of relief camps and the rest have found shelter in houses of relatives away from Nandigram. Men, women, and children are not able to lead a normal life and are terror-struck. 10.. What is criminal in intent are the acts of commission by the Trinamul Congress and its allies even after the Bengal chief minister again clearly declared subsequently in September that there was no plan to set up a chemical hub at Nandigram and that the desolate sandhead at the mouth of the River Ganges called Nayachar has been selected for the chemical hub extending from Haldia. 11.. In the meanwhile, more and more attacks have been organised on the CPI (M) workers and CPI (M) supporters. Until date, 13 more CPI (M) supporters have been done to death. Women have been raped and killed. Cattle, poultry, and fishes poisoned. Stocks of cereals, vegetables, food stuff looted. A business is run by the Trinamul Congress and the Maoists (under the cover of the BUPS) where funds are extracted from the villagers before allowing them to till the land and harvest crops, or to run shops. 12.. Every kind of developmental work was brought to a standstill. 15,000 children could not take doses of pulse polio. Rs two crore worth of health infrastructural work had to be abandoned. The health centres and the subsidiary health centres virtually could not function. Rs two crore worth of electrification could not be done. With no developmental work allowed by the Trinamul Congress-Maoists, the future of development even next year looks bleak with the inability of the district administration to produce utilisation certificates for funds allocated and not used. 13.. The CPI (Maoist) has added a violent dimension to the imbroglio at Nandigram. They have brought in groups of armed and trained action forces from outside of Nandigram, even outside of the two Midnapores, east, and west from Jharkhand and Orissa. They have coordinated efforts with the Trinamul Congress setting up joint commands at Nandigram and surrounding areas. The action is coordinated by Ranjit Pal of the Maoists (the self-declared killer of JMM MP Sunil Mahato), and Subhendu Adhikari of the Trinamul Congress. Three landmine bursts have occurred recently killing two CPI (M) supporters and it is apprehended that many more landmines have been planted in and around Nandigram. The Maoists control a large tract of land from Garchakraberia to Sonachura. The DNA of Mumbai and the national daily Economic Times (copies enclosed*) have carried the details of the Maoist plans of action very recently. 14.. To fund the armed activities the Trinamul Congress and the Maoists have stolen a huge quantity of products from the Burn Standard factory at Jellingham and sold them in localities of south 24 Parganas. They also cut down and illegally sold a large number of prime and valuable trees. In both instances, the criminal were caught and they confessed to the crimes. 15.. The need of the hour is peace and development. The Bengal chief minister has already briefed the media about the outcome of a meeting between the district administration and the BUPS led by the Trinamul Congress where it was agreed that the remaining concerned police officers would be transferred, cases lodged withdrawn, and payment compensation to victims fixed. In return, refugees living in the unhealthy conditions of the relief camps would be allowed a safe return. To this, the Trinamul Congress, and the BUPS agreed but later did not allow the refugees to go back to their villages. 16.. The Trinamul Congress leadership has recently declared publicly at a rally at Riyapara that anyone willing to live at Nandigram shall have to become a member of the Trinamul Congress or else will be either killed or ousted. In attacking the CPI (M) office there, the miscreants also tore down and burnt two Red Flags. 17.. A violent turn of events occurred soon after. Following the attack on the Riyapara office of the CPI (M), the combined forces of the Trinamul Congress, the BUPS, and the Maoists crossed a canal on 5 November, entered into newer areas, a process they have started during the festival season, and threatened to do away with relief camps. People in the relief camps have had a very miserable time for the past eleven months. 18.. You may kindly recall that the destitute people of Nandigram who were driven out from home-and-hearth had met you earlier in deputation (copy enclosed*) communicating to you the misery they faced at the relief camps. 19.. They could take it no longer. In utter desperation and braving bullets and bombs, they with the help of the people in the nearby areas came out of the camps and marched peacefully towards their home villages. 20.. Bengal Left Front has issued a specific appeal for peace and for the safe and secure return to villages of all people living outside of them, irrespective of political affiliation. The men, women, and children are to be ensured a safe rehabilitation. The Left Front has also called upon the people of Nandigram to cooperate with the police and the civil administration to help establish peace and ensure a new beginning for the stalled works of development. There should not be allowed any instance of retaliation. 21.. The state administration has recently iterated what the chief minister told the media earlier. The package announced include compensation for the victims, shifting of the remaining police officers, punishment for the guilty, withdrawal of cases, and providing relief to the distressed people. The police will with permission of the concerned political parties enter the Nandigram zone and set up police camps to begin the peace process. 22.. Out of fear, some villagers have very recently left their places, and have taken shelter in the Nandigram police station and a nearby school. A section of them has already gone back to their villages after assurance of safety and security by the erstwhile and returned refugees. 23.. Currently, peace talks have been initiated at the lower level and the concerned political parties have agreed that they want to restore normalcy and allow to the setting up of police camps. If there is no interference from above, everything will be normal very soon. 24.. Peace negotiations have commenced at the level of the district administration with participation of political parties. Negotiations can be continued with the BUPS and the Trinamul Congress but cannot be organised with the CPI (Maoist) for the latter has been the propagators of an intense violence taking the shelter of the Trinamul Congress and the BUPS. With best regards, Yours sincerely, 1. Prasanta Pradhan 2. Taritbaran Topdar 3. Mainul Hasan 4. Sudhangsu Sil 5. Rupa Bagchi" From nc-agricowi at netcologne.de Thu Nov 8 14:06:57 2007 From: nc-agricowi at netcologne.de (NMF2007) Date: Thu, 08 Nov 2007 09:36:57 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] =?iso-8859-1?q?=5BAnnouncements=5D_NMF2007_-_SoundL?= =?iso-8859-1?q?AB_-_Edition_V_-_soundart_features?= Message-ID: <20071108093658.30DEFCA7.13E18F48@192.168.0.3> NewMediaFest2007 http://2007.newmediafest.org NewMediaFest2007 blog http://www.newmediafest.org/blog/ 1st common festival of [NewMediaArtProjectNetwork]:||cologne 1 November 2007 - 31 May 2008 proudly presents the forth festival component ----------------------------------------------- 4. SoundLAB - sonic art project environments http://soundlab.newmediafest.org is dedicated to a specific form of digital art, i.e. soundart, - incorporating currently 12 curators, more than 300 artists & 1000 soundart works focussing on "memory and identity". 4.1. On occasion of NewMediaFest2007, SoundLAB issues its Edition V, standing under the theme of "soundSTORY - sound as a tool for storytelling" curated by Melody Parker-Carter, including --> 4th World Orchestra, Mauro Arrighi (Italy), Tautvydas Bajarkevicius (Lithuania), Nat Bates (USA), Andrea Callard (USA), Bronwen Casson (Ireland), Matthew Clair (UK), Budhaditya Chattopadhyay (India), Jessica Curry (UK), Martin Desloovere (Netherlands), Paul Devens(Belgium), Marcin Dopieralski (Poland), Dorsey Dunn (USA), Jared Dunne (USA), Chad Eby (USA), Edward Ficklin (USA); RobynYost (USA) Satoshi Fukushima (Japan), u n c l e j i m (UK), IdoGovrin (Israel), Scott Hall (USA), Le Tuan Hung (Vietnam), Zoe Irvine (UK), Margaret Jameson (USA), Sirpa Jokinen (Finland), Leonel Kaplan (Argentina), Jane Fenton Keane (Australia), Elsa Lankford (USA), les riches douaniers (France), Matt MacKissack (UK), Isabelle Mairiaux (Belgium), Wittwulf Y Malik;(Germany), John Maters (Netherlands), Jenni Meredith (UK), David Mooney (USA), Jeff Morris (USA), Monica Ong; (USA), Jo Pearson (USA), John Plenge (USA), Roland Roos (Netherlands), Benjamin Rossignol (USA), Khaled Sabsabi (Lebanon), Mukherjee Sayandeb (India), Janek Schaefer (UK), Yolanda Spinola Spain), Aleksei Stevens (USA), Eldad Tsabary (Canada), YohannWalter (France), Simon Whetham (UK) 4.2 Curatorial contribution by Ruben Garcia (Valencia/Spain) featuring following Spanish sound artists --> Coeval (Madrid), Xabi Erkizia (Basque Country), Roc Jimenez (EVOL) (Barcelona), Feran Fages (Barcelona), Ruben Garcia.(Valencia) 4.3. Curatorial contribution by Julian Jonker (South Africa) Featuring following South African sound artists --> Brendon Bussy, Garth Erasmus, Neo Muyanga, James Webb & James Sey, James Webb, Righard Kapp, Brydon Bolton, Julian Jonker 4.4. SIP - SoundLAB Interview Project - http://sip.newmediafest.org NewMediaFest2007 is the occasion to launch SIP official on a new site incorporating now more than120 interviews. Wilfried Agricola de Cologne invites sound artists participating in SoundLAB for an interview and answering 10 questions spotlighting the background of their artistic creations. --------------------------------------------- NewMediaFest2007 is realized on 2 levels - 1. online in its totality -->http://2007.newmediafest.org --->http://www.newmediafest.org/blog/ 2. in physical space via cooperations--> the 1st physical NewMediaFest2007 is launched in the framework of 3rd Digital Art Festival Rosario/Argentina - 15-17 November 2007 more info on http://www.newmediafest.org/blog/ --> It is further linked with FONLAD Digital Art Festival Coimbra/Portugal http://www.aaa-euac.org/fonlad.html The general festival catalogue can be downloaded as PDF for free http://downloads.nmartproject.net/NewMediaFest_2007.pdf --------------------------------------------- This press release is issued by netEX - networked experience http://netex.nmartproject.net powered by [NewMediaArtProjectNetwork]:||cologne info (at) nmartproject.net -------------------------------------------- _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From keshvani at leoalmanac.org Fri Nov 9 07:04:34 2007 From: keshvani at leoalmanac.org (Nisar Keshvani, LEA) Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2007 09:34:34 +0800 Subject: [Reader-list] [Announcements] Resend - Leonardo Electronic Almanac Supplement Volume 15, Number 9 - 10, 2007 Message-ID: <5d60ab0c0711081734t68051b22o7319f730c7009112@mail.gmail.com> Please ignore earlier email - the correct version of LEA Supplement Vol 15, No 9-10 is included in this email below. Sincere apologies. ________________________________________________________________ Leonardo Electronic Almanac Volume 15, Number 9 - 10, 2007 http://leoalmanac.org ISSN #1071-4391 ________________________________________________________________ LEONARDO REVIEWS ---------------- < Introduction by Michael Punt > < Camouflage and Art: Design for Deception in World War 2, by Henrietta Goodden > Reviewed by Roy R. Behrens < Cartographic Cinema, by Tom Conley > Reviewed by Jan Baetens < Much Ado About Almost Nothing: Man's Encounter with the Electron, by Hans Camenzin > Reviewed by John F. Barber < New Leonardo Reviews, September and October, 2007 > LEONARDO -------- < Table of Contents: Leonardo Vol. 40, No. 5, 2007 > LEONARDO ABSTRACT SERVICE -------------------------- < Expressive Processing: On Process-Intensive Literature and Digital Media > by Noah Wardrip-Fruin < Generative Music and Cellular Automata > by David Burraston < Aquabatics as new works of Live Art > by Sarah Jane Pell < Interactive Technologies for the Public Sphere: Towards a Theory of Critical Creative Technology > by Pamela Jennings < Landscape Denatured: Digitizing the Wild > by Eric Kabisch < This is not here: Connectedness, remote experiences and immersive telematic art > by Michael Hohl LEONARDO NETWORK NEWS --------------------- < Meredith Tromble Elected Secretary of Leonardo Governing Board > < Transactions Section Offers Rapid Publication Forum in Leonardo Journal > < Leonardo in Argentina: CEIArtE Lecture and Workshop series (2007--2008) > < Recent Events and Projects of the Leonardo Scientists Working Group > BYTES ----- < Digital Humanities Chair Position available at Dartmouth College > ________________________________________________________________ LEONARDO REVIEWS, October 2007 ________________________________________________________________ < Introduction > One of the great pleasures of editing Leonardo Reviews (and I hope reading them) is the unexpected and the appearance of the difficult to see. In this selection I want to draw attention to a few items that have a particular fascination, a sort of compulsive attraction. For example Roy R. Behren's review of Camouflage and Art: Design for Deception in World War 2 by Henrietta Goodden takes us into a rather specialised world of camouflage in such a way that one wonders what other connections there are to be made behind the drab daubs on military hardware that are designed for us to ignore. Jan Baetens' discussion of Tom Conley's new book Cartographic Cinema also deals with the scarcely visible. Conely, always a provocative thinker, turns his attention to some aspects of the cinema that might simply be running in the background to our normal engagement with a movie. As Baetens points out, in these he finds considerable significance and argues for their status with great compulsion. In doing so he claims a special place for all cinema- not just the landmark art house productions. Finally John Barber turns his attention to the invisible in Much Ado About Almost Nothing: Man's Encounter with the Electron, by Hans Camenzind. As Barber points out the cultural invisibility of electricity (as distinct from its effects) is underpinned by a long and fascinating history. Driven by a heterogeneous collection of oddballs and eccentrics the "taming" of the electron, as he puts it, has provided the scenario for Camenzind's comprehensive narrative which reveals to us a depth and complexity of an invisible entity that we all use but few of us acknowledge. These reviews and others which conceal equally fascinating treasures can be found at Leonardo Reviews along with the archive. Michael Punt Editor-in-Chief Leonardo Reviews Camouflage and Art: Design for Deception in World War 2 by Henrietta Goodden London: Unicorn Press, 2007 192 pp. 120 illustrations, color and b&w. Trade, $55.00 ISBN: 978-0-906290-87-3. Reviewed by Roy R. Behrens Department of Art, University of Northern Iowa, USA. http://www.bobolinkbooks.com, ballast at netins.net The current heightened interest in camouflage can be at least partly attributed to Charles Darwin. In The Origin of Species, first published in 1859, he hypothesized that the evolution of species occurs not through divine intervention but by autonomous natural selection, and that the likelihood of survival is weighted in favor of those that are better fitted than others. By the turn of the century, the study of natural camouflage (known then as "protective coloration") became a research theatre for the confirmation of Darwin's theories. Knowing that, it is of additional interest to find (as this book ably documents) that one of the chief participants in wartime British camouflage was Robin Darwin (1910-1974), a painter and descendent of the famous naturalist. During World War II, Robin Darwin became secretary to the British Camouflage Committee, where he spoke in favor of using artists as camouflage experts, along with architects, engineers and scientists. Later, a few years after the war, when the Royal College of Art was reopened and reorganized, Robin Darwin was appointed its director. One of the achievements of this book is to reveal the surprising extent to which artists associated with the college (whether before or after the war) were also directly connected with the development of camouflage: indeed, in the years that followed the war, nearly all the school's faculty in graphics, printmaking, industrial and furniture design, and jewelry, along with a number of tutors and guest artists, had in some way served as camouflage advisors. A further purpose of the book is more inclusive: divided into 10 chapters (with specific subject areas as Civil Camouflage, RAF Camouflage, Army Camouflage, Desert Camouflage, Admiralty Camouflage and so on), it provides a more generalized overview of the whole of British camouflage during World War II, as undertaken by a wide range of artists, not just those with direct links to the RCA. The roster of camouflage artists is lengthy and includes (among numerous others) such more or less familiar names as artists Frederick Gore, Stanley Hayter, Roland Penrose, Edward Wadsworth, David Pye, Edward Seago and Julian Trevelyan; architects Hugh Casson and Basil Spense; stage designers Robert Medley and Oliver Messel; fashion designer Victor Stiebel; and zoologist (and scientific illustrator) Hugh B. Cott. Few people are better suited for putting this book together than is Henrietta Goodden, a British authority on fashion design, who currently teaches at the Royal College of Art and who is the daughter of the late Robert Goodden, one of the RCA teachers who also served as a naval camouflage advisor. At the moment there is a frenzy of on-going research about camouflage, both natural and military, much of it still in the interests of understanding natural selection. Anyone who knows the existing literature will appreciate the significance of this book: It provides us for the first time with a tirelessly researched, well-written account of a slice of the oddball connection between Modern-era art and camouflage (especially British Modernism), a part that was there but not fully explored. Plentifully supplemented by camouflage-related artwork, historic wartime photographs, government documents, and hand-drawn field instructions (many of which appear in print for the first time), this book is a rich, indispensable source for future work within this field. (Reprinted by permission from Ballast Quarterly Review, Volume 21 Number 1, Autumn 2007.) Cartographic Cinema by Tom Conley University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, MN, 2007 264 pp. illus., 40 b/w. Trade, $75.00; paper, $25.00 ISBN: 0-8166-4357-1; ISBN: 0-8166-4356-3. Reviewed by Jan Baetens University of Leuven jan.baetens at arts.kuleuven.be In the steadily growing literature on maps and mapping in the fields of literary theory, visual studies, and critical thinking, Tom Conley's book can be called a major achievement, both for the clarity and profoundness of its theoretical insights and the exceptional brio of its close readings. Moreover, Cartographic Cinema is not just a book that makes a strong plea for close-reading but succeeds in demonstrating the theoretical necessity of this approach, provided it is articulated with strong theoretical perspectives. As such, Tom Conley has written a book that is a major contribution to film studies (and other related fields) as well as an exciting collection of essays on the history of 20th Century cinema, starting from René Clair's Paris qui dort (The Crazy Ray, 1923) to Ridley Scott's Gladiator (2000). How does Conley define the notions of "map" and "mapping"? A specialist of cartography himself, on which he has widely published, inside and outside the field of film studies, Conley argues first of all that maps are not just items or images that can be shown or mentioned in movies, but that movies themselves have to be considered maps (in the rest of Cartographic Cinema, this two-sidedness will be the leading thread of each analysis), i.e. visual structures that shape the imagination of the spectator and can be used as tools for the deciphering of the world that is referred to by the movie. The meaning of maps and mapping is, therefore, much broader than mere geography (a map offers or imposes also a worldview), while it cannot be reduced to a linguistic approach of the world (maps do not transcribe speech, even if they happen to include many verbal and written elements). As a matter of fact, it is not only the film seen as a whole that can function as a map, but also each of its images, as they gradually unfold and change before the eyes of the spectator. For Tom Conley (and almost all the close readings of the book will provide evidence of the rightness of this conviction), "everything" can obtain a cartographic dimension: the logo of the film company, the credits and intertitles, the very images (with or without visible maps), and so on. In all these occasions, movies do function as actual maps, by showing "where" we are and by linking our identities to that cartographic issue ("who" we are cannot be separated from "where" we are), and just like maps this showing function is not only referential but also ideological, for maps and movies disclose relationships that go otherwise unnoticed. In that regard, it would be unfair to reduce the cartographic function of maps to the appropriative, controlling, and administrative functions they are generally associated with. Conley's theoretical preferences and convictions go clearly into the direction of the singular and the event. Claiming that film studies should follow the hypothesis "to each film its map", Cartographic Cinema builds mainly on the work of two other major theoreticians, André Bazin (who had already developed a theory of movies as maps) and Gilles Deleuze (whose writings on Deleuze remain an essential contribution to the modern theory of mapping). From Bazin's defence of neo-Realism and his ideal of film as representation of the real, Conley uses the idea of the "image-field" which is not the (secondary) background for what really matters, namely the action, but an existential space in which all places are as important as any other and which is shifting itself through time. From Deleuze's ideas on the work as "open totality", Conley borrows the suggestion that the spatial field on screen is capable of producing events that modify our perception of the world itself. This openness to what may happen on screen, instead of being statically reproduced by the images, makes that Conley's focus--following in this also the majors beliefs of Deleuze and Bazin--is actually less on the map than on mapping, less on the display than on the making of history, less on the map (and the film) as representation than on the map (and the film) as becoming. It is this active dynamic that is foregrounded in the close- readings of the book, which are often breathtaking. In 10 chapters, Conley makes clear that the choice of the map as a privileged reading tool of cinema can be extremely illuminating and that the selection of films including maps is a very original and profound way to inscribe the reading of movies into the larger process of cognitive mapping, which is, for Conley and Jameson whom the author is following here, a way of linking the close-reading of often tiny details with contextual, historical, and political issues. The reader of Cartographic Cinema will, therefore, always hesitate between two types of admirations, appreciating both the cleverness and hermeneutic power of the reading of so many details linked with maps (or made visible thanks to the emphasis put on fragments containing maps or fragments read as maps) and the author's capacity to link these details with a larger inquiry on the historical and ideological positioning of the analyzed movies. In particular, one should mention here the exciting rereading of Renoir's La Règle du jeu, Rossellini's Roma, città aperta, Truffaut's Les 400 Coups (three films one thought to know by heart, but which Conley manages to "reinvent" completely) or Kassovitz's La Haine (whose dialogues and various inscriptions the author decodes with the same love and intelligence as did Stanley Cavell with the allegedly insignificant screwball comedies in The Pursuit of Happiness, a book which I think has quite some analogies with Cartographic Cinema). But all analyses by Conley are convincing and rewarding, and since the author happily mixes "art movies" and "commercial movies" (from film noir to post-cinema neo- cinema of attractions movies) it is no exaggeration to hope that his cartography may became a major paradigm in critical film studies. Much Ado About Almost Nothing: Man's Encounter with the Electron by Hans Camenzind BookLocker.com, Bangor, ME, 2007 240 pp., illus. 59 b/w. Trade, $14.95 ISBN: 978-0-615-13995-1. Reviewed by John F. Barber Digital Technology and Culture Washington State University Vancouver jfbarber at eaze.net Electricity, available on demand, is so much a part of our everyday lives as to be transparent, nondescript, seemingly without a story. But, as Hans Camenzind makes clear in his new book, Much Ado About Almost Nothing: Man's Encounter with the Electron, the history of electricity, electrical invention, and the application of electricity in a myriad of contexts, is both long and interesting. Camenzind, a microchip designer, has an affinity for the oddballs and eccentrics who discovered and tamed electricity. Scientists, engineers, inventors, self-promoters, professors, visionaries, speculators, moguls, geniuses, politicians, venture capitalists, and con artists all receive coverage. There are the well-known historical figures: Benjamin Franklin, Michael Faraday, Samuel F. B. Morse, Alexander Graham Bell, Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, and Guglielmo Marconi, as well as the lesser-known but still important contributors like Lee de Forest (the self-proclaimed "Father of Radio") and John Baird, who built the first television set in his attic in 1923. Camenzind briefly sketches the lives, education, achievements, fortunes and misfortunes of these and dozens of other electrical explorers. The results are (to pun) illuminating. For example, Benjamin Franklin's experiments with electricity are well known. Less known is that following his famous experiment flying a kite into an electrical storm, Franklin championed lightning rods to protect buildings and people from lightning strikes. But Puritan church leaders rallied against the rods, calling them the devil's instrument, until they realized their churches, with their high steeples, were favorite targets for lightning bolts. Lee de Forest helped invent the vacuum tube, a component instrumental in the development of radio broadcasting. Calling himself "Father of Radio," de Forest rode the entrepreneurial wave of fortune before settling down with a Hollywood starlet. Using an old tea chest, a biscuit box, darning needles, wood scrap, secondhand vacuum tubes, a bicycle lamp lens, and a used motor, John Baird built the first television set in his attic in 1923, which he then demonstrated in London's Selfridge's department store for £25 a week. He presided over the first trans-Atlantic television broadcast in February 1928. In quick order afterwards he got rich building and selling his television sets, but went broke in the late 1930s when a competing system was chosen by the BBC as the basis for their television broadcasts. Augustus H. Garland, neither scientist nor inventor, but rather Attorney General under President Grover Cleveland, used his office to wage an 11-year challenge against the patents of the Bell Telephone Company, all while holding a 10% "gift" stake in a competing telephone company. It is these stories, and others, that make Much Ado About Almost Nothing a rich and informative read. Camenzind bounces like a charged electron through the history of electronic discovery, discussing topics like electricity, magnetism, electromagnetism, X-rays, cathode rays, subatomic particles, transmitters, receivers, amplifiers, vacuum tubes, transistors, integrated circuits, telegraph, telephone, radio, television, microchips, calculators, and computers. Camenzind's historical overview shows how the electron at first bothered those that discovered or knew of its existence and implications. But, as more and more of the electron's secrets were discovered, the power and potential of electricity became desired and useful. Today, electricity dominates our lives, far more so than fuel for our automobiles. Like the invisible electron, its subject, Much Ado About Almost Nothing speaks to a story much deeper and richer than might be first realized. Requiring no prior knowledge of technology, the end result of this book is to provide an understanding of electricity and the technology it has wrought. New Leonardo Reviews October 2007 The Democratic Revolutionary Handbook First Run/Icarus Films, Brooklyn, New York, 2005 Reviewed by Jonathan Zilberg The Exiles of Marcel Duchamp by T. J. Demos Reviewed by Kieran Lyons Eye Contact: Photographing Indigenous Australians by Jane Lydon Reviewed by Brook Andrew Felix Werder: The Tempest by Felix Werder Reviewed by Stefaan Van Ryssen Forever by Heddy Honigmann Reviewed by Rob Harle (Australia) Freedom of Expression: Resistance and Repression in the Age of Intellectual Property by Kembrew McLeod Reviewed by Hugo de Rijke Looking for an Icon by Hans Pool & Maaik Krijgsman, Directors Reviewed by Amy Ione Pop Art Book by Corinne Miller, Nadine Monem and Margaret Nugent, Editors Reviewed by Fred Andersson Residual Media by Charles R. Acland, Editor Reviewed by John F. Barber Tambogrande: Mangos, Murder, Mining by Ernesto Cabellos & Stephanie Boyd Reviewed by José-Carlos Mariátegui Thousand Year Dreaming / floating world by Annea Lockwood Reviewed by Stefaan Van Ryssen T:BA:07 Sponsored by The Portland Institute for Contemporary Art Reviewed by Dene Grigar (Un)common Ground: Creative Encounters between Sectors and Disciplines by Cathy Brickwood, Bronac Ferran, David Garcia, Tim Putnam, Editors Reviewed by José-Carlos Mariátegui September 2007 Art for a House of Mathematics by Anna Campbell Bliss Reviewed by Rob Harle The Big Fish. Consciousness as Structure, Body and Space by Anna Bonshek Reviewed by Rob Harle The Blind Spot by Alec K. Redfearn and the Eyesores Reviewed by Michael R. (Mike) Mosher Camouflage and Art: Design for Deception in World War 2 by Henrietta Goodden Reviewed by Roy R. Behrens Can't Do It In Europe by Charlotta Copcutt, Anna Weitz and Anna Klara Åhrén Reviewed by Kathryn Adams Cartographic Cinema by Tom Conley Reviewed by Jan Baetens Collectivism after Modernism: The Art of Social Imagination after 1945 by Blake Stimson and Gregory Sholette, Editors Reviewed by Jan Baetens Descartes. The Life and Times of a Genius by Anthony C. Grayling Reviewed by Martha Patricia Niño M. For by The Claudia Quintet Reviewed by Michael R. (Mike) Mosher For by The Claudia Quintet Reviewed by Stefaan Van Ryssen Gods in the Bazaar by Kajri Jain Reviewed by Stefaan Van Ryssen Henry Cow: Concerts by Henry Cow Reviewed by Stefaan Van Ryssen The Image in French Philosophy by Temenuga Trifonova Reviewed by Jan Baetens I Am a Strange Loop by Douglas R. Hofstadter Reviewed by Richard Kade Much Ado About Almost Nothing: Man's Encounter with the Electron by Hans Camenzind Reviewed by John F. Barber Museum Frictions: Public Cultures/Global Transformations by Ivan Karp, Corrine Kratz, Lynn Szwaja and Tomas Ybarra- Frausto, Editors Reviewed by Jonathan Zilberg Stots by Lukas Simonis Reviewed by Stefaan Van Ryssen Surviving Death/Alive Why? by Bill Brovold and Larval Reviewed by Stefaan Van Ryssen The Topography of Chance by Stewart Lee, Curator Reviewed by Stefaan Van Ryssen Tribulation 99: Alien Anomalies under America by Craig Baldwin Reviewed by Stefaan Van Ryssen Tube Mouth Bow String by Nick Didkovsky Reviewed by Stefaan Van Ryssen Vali Myers: A Memoir by Gianni Menichetti Reviewed by Allan Graubard To read all new and archived reviews, visit Leonardo Reviews at: . ______________________________________________________ LEONARDO, VOL. 40, No. 5 (September 2007) TABLE OF CONTENTS AND SELECT ABSTRACTS ______________________________________________________ Editorial < The Electroacoustic Music Studies Network > by Marc Battier _______________________ Historical Perspective < Computer Graphic--Aesthetic Experiments between Two Cultures > by Christoph Klütsch ABSTRACT: The author presents a summary of his work on the Stuttgart School and information aesthetics as developed by Max Bense in the 1950s and 1960s. Three artists, Frieder Nake, Georg Nees and Manfred Mohr, adopted the use of information aesthetics in computer graphics. The author investigates the relation between artistic practice and aesthetic theory. _______________________ Artist's Note < The Teleporter Zone: Interactive Media Arts in the Healthcare Context > by Paul Sermon ABSTRACT: The author discusses the recent development and implementation of The Teleporter Zone, a permanent interactive art installation commissioned by Guy's and St Thomas' Charity for the new Evelina Children's Hospital in London. The article places the production and conception of this installation in the context of the author's research in telematic and telepresent art over the past 15 years, alongside current research reports on the effects and influences of the arts on healthcare. The author also draws upon personal experiences in order to provide practical insights into the objectives and outcomes of this work in the healthcare context. _______________________ Artists' Articles < Meaning without Borders: likn and Distributed Knowledge > by Ben Syverson ABSTRACT: This paper serves as a narrative companion to likn, an artware application about the nature of knowledge, ideas and language. According to the advocates and engineers of the "knowledge representation" project known as the Semantic Web, electronic ontologies are "a rationalization of actual data- sharing practice"; but where do artists and intellectuals fit into this data-oriented model of discourse? likn critiques the Semantic Web from a postmodern perspective. This account describes how postmodern theory was scrutinized, interpreted and ultimately expressed as "features" in likn. _______________________ Special Section: Lovely Weather: Art and Climate Change < O-24 Licht: A Project Combining Art and Applied Research > by Andrea van der Straeten and Angelo Stagno < Between Reason and Sensation: Antipodean Artists and Climate Change > by Janine Randerson ABSTRACT: The author, drawing on her experience as a New Zealand artist who has collaborated with meteorologists, suggests that artists may enter climate change discourse by translating (or mis-translating) scientific method into sensory affect. She examines three recent art projects from Australasia that draw on natural phenomena: her own Anemocinegraph (2006-- 2007), Nola Farman's working prototype The Ice Tower (1998) and Out-of-Sync's ongoing on-line project, Talking about the Weather. The author cites Herbert Marcuse's 1972 essay "Nature and Revolution," which argues that sensation is the process that binds us materially and socially to the world. _______________________ Color Plates _______________________ Extended Abstract < The Singing Shamail: A Computer Sound Installation > by Bulat M. Galeyev _______________________ Special Section: In the Light of History: Papers from the 2005 Refresh! Conference < Special Section Introduction > by Sean Cubitt < Peter Donebauer, Richard Monkhouse and the Development of the EMS Spectron and the Videokalos Image Processor > by Chris Meigh- Andrews ABSTRACT: The author details the development of two early color video synthesizers, the EMS Spectron and the Videokalos Image Processor, and examines their influence on video-based art. The Spectron, developed by Richard Monkhouse for Electronic Music Studios, influenced both its creator and various artists in the development of video-based art and images. Artist Peter Donebauer collaborated with Monkhouse to produce the Videokalos, leading to several artworks and a series of live performances. < Re-Writing the History of Media Art: From Personal Cinema to Artistic Collaboration > by Ryszard Klusczcynski ABSTRACT: The author reinterprets the artistic phenomena that composed historical avant-garde art. His method of interpretation is an intertextual strategy that approaches the historical artifacts through recent phenomena. The first case study is of structural film; its most important attributes appear to be artistic strategies questioning the structural/material integrity, durability and permanence of the film work. The second case study is of the avant-garde strategy of collective work, reinterpreted through the open-source work and interactive art of today. The author identifies three steps in the development of the 20th-century concept of joint creative work: avant-garde general strategies of artistic collaboration; avant-garde film works oriented toward creative collectivism; and collaborative artistic practices that manifest themselves in non-hierarchical strategies of contemporary interactive art. _______________________ Theoretical Perspective < Toward Other Epistemologies of Interface Culture: Dependent Origination, Tantra and Relational Being in an Age of Digital Reproduction > by Ajaykumar ABSTRACT: The author formally and thematically reconsiders the Buddhist philosophical concept of dependent origination in the context of technological practice. In this context, he discusses historical attempts in Tantric art to develop an integrated practice and conceive a dynamic "entity" of the body (that of the artist or the spectator), science, technology, art, architecture, philosophy, space-time and nature; and the veracity of such concepts in the context of particular new scientific insights. Furthermore, he reconsiders notions of relational being and nonanthropocentric being, and a polyphonic "I." The article aims to interrogate new ways of evolving current practice and thinking on themes related to the socialization and mediatization of "difference." _______________________ Special Section: ArtScience: The Essential Connection Robert Root-Bernstein: Certain of Heisenberg's Arts < Looking Beneath the Surface: The Radial Spread of Ink in Water > by Pery Burge ABSTRACT: The author discusses her use of ink in water to create three-dimensional radial spreads (outward movements of liquid about a central point). The radial spreads form patterns as the ink moves across and in the water. The patterns have both scientific and aesthetic aspects and form the basis for speculation in both areas. They also provide an exciting new dimension to the artist's work relating to fluid flow: Unique patterns, often seen only by the eye of the camera, can be generated and preserved within one photograph or a photographic sequence. _______________________ General Note < Governing Artistic Innovation: An Interface among Art, Science and Industry > by Jean-Paul Fourmentraux ABSTRACT: The author presents an analysis of the workings and tensions involved in the integration and articulation of academic research, artistic creation and industrial production. He makes use of the results of a study conducted among creator- researchers of a Canadian prototype for the organization of these relationships: the Montreal, Canada-based interuniversity consortium Hexagram. _______________________ From the Leonardo Archive < Introduction > by Michele Emmer < Scalebound or Scaling Shapes: A Useful Distinction in the Visual Arts and in the Natural Sciences > by Benoit B. Mandelbrot (Reprinted from Leonardo Vol. 14, No. 1, 1981) _______________________ Leonardo Reviews Reviews by Kathryn Adams, Jan Baetens, John F. Barber, Geoff Cox, Rob Harle, Amy Ione, Mike Leggett, Michael R. Mosher, Michael Punt, Stefaan Van Ryssen, Jonathan Zilberg _______________________ Transactions Andrew Johnston and Benjamin Marks: Partial Reflections _______________________ Leonardo Network News ______________________________________________________ LEONARDO ABSTRACT SERVICE ______________________________________________________ Leonardo/The International Society for the Arts, Sciences and Technology is pleased to announce the publication of the top- rated abstracts in the Leonardo Abstracts Service Databases during the 1st half of 2007. Leonardo Abstracts Service (LABS), consisting of the English- language, Spanish-language and Chinese-language databases, is a comprehensive collection of Ph.D., Masters and MFA thesis abstracts on topics in the emerging intersection of art, science and technology. Individuals receiving advanced degrees in the arts (visual, sound, performance, text), computer sciences, the sciences and/or technology that in some way investigate philosophical, historical or critical applications of science or technology to the arts are invited to submit abstracts of their theses for consideration. Top-rated abstracts in both the English and Spanish language databases are chosen twice annually by peer-review panels under the guidance of Sheila Pinkel, Pau Alsina and Kenneth Fields and published in the Leonardo Electronic Almanac. The top-rated abstracts in the English-language database for the 1st half of 2007 are Noah Wardrip-Fruin, David Burraston, Sarah Jane Pell, Pamela Jennings, Eric Kabisch and Michael Hohl. Abstracts by these authors are included below. To access abstracts in all of the databases, and for more about the project, visit: http://www.leonardo.info/isast/journal/calls/labsprojectcall.html < Expressive Processing: On Process-Intensive Literature and Digital Media > by Noah Wardrip-Fruin ABSTRACT: Most studies of digital media focus on elements familiar from traditional media. For example, studies of digital literature generally focus on surface text and audience experience. Interaction is considered only from the audience's perspective. This study argues that such approaches fail to interpret the element that defines digital media -- computational processes. An alternative is proposed here, focused on interpreting the internal operations of works. It is hoped that this will become a complement to (rather than replacement for) previous approaches. The examples considered include both processes developed as general practices and those of specific works. A detailed survey of story generation begins with James Meehan's Tale-Spin, interpreted through "possible worlds" theories of fiction (especially as employed by digital media theorists such as Marie-Laure Ryan). Previous interpretations missed important elements of Tale-Spin's fiction that are not visible in its output. Other story generation systems discussed include Minstrel, Universe, Brutus, and Terminal Time. These reveal the inevitably authored nature of simulations of human behavior. Further, the persistently anthropomorphizing approach to computational processes present in traditional artificial intelligence (and many critiques) is contrasted with authorship. Also discussed is Christopher Strachey's love letter generator for the Manchester Mark I -- likely the first work of digital literature, and arguably the first digital art of any kind. As with Tale-Spin, an interpretation of its processes offers more than output-focused approaches. In addition, this study considers works with algorithmic processes carried out by authors and audiences (rather than within the works) created by Raymond Queneau, Tristan Tzara, and Claude Shannon. Prior theoretical concepts are engaged, including Espen Aarseth's "cybertext," Michael Mateas's "expressive AI," and Chris Crawford's "process intensity." A set of concepts and vocabulary are proposed, beginning with the simple distinction between "surface," "data," and "process." Further chapters introduce the terms "implemented processes," "abstract processes," and "works of process." The most unfamiliar new term, "operational logics," names behavioral elements of systems that can be as elemental as gravity or as high-level as a quest structure. The computer game Fable embodies the strengths and weaknesses of using the same logics to drive graphical and linguistic behavior. < Generative Music and Cellular Automata > by David Burraston ABSTRACT: Complex systems such as Cellular Automata (CA) produce global behaviour based on the interactions of simple units (cells). They are fascinating objects, producing more pattern than a single human is capable of observing within their own lifetime. Their evolution is specified by local interaction rules that generate some form of ordered, complex or chaotic behaviour. This wide variety of behaviour represents an important generative tool for the artist. However, chaotic behaviour dominates rule space, which has serious implications for application and investigation. The main contribution of this thesis is a new perspective into a recognised key problem, the structure of rule space. This is achieved through empirical observation of a fundamental connection between state space and rule space. The methodology combines experimental music composition and reflective practice in its approach. The techniques are based on recent perspectives of CA theory, called global dynamics, and music composition practice. The significant problem of identifying rule space structure is approached from an artists perspective to obtain mixtures of behaviour, which differs from the traditional method of grouping together similar dynamics. A detailed account exposes the main process of creating mixed, but related groups of CA rules. The approach taken provides an interesting and alternative method of studying CA rule spaces in general, independent of musical application. Further contributions are made throughout the thesis and provide a significant foundation for the main contribution relating to rule space structure. An extensive review of CA and their application in music presents a balanced view of the field to set the work in context. The methodology proposes criteria for evaluation of this new approach to rule space structure. Important concepts of global dynamics are utilised in composition practice for the first time, enabling the key observations on the state and rule space connection. Fundamental connections between well known rules and music composition technology are introduced to establish links between the fields. This approach to produce generative music is fundamentally different from previous work and several descriptions of CA music mappings are presented in a practice-based context. New generative music compositions, a significant amount of CA data and an electronic copy of the thesis are included on the CD-ROM. The state/rule space connection identified in this thesis has the potential to open new directions, in both science and music. < Aquabatics as new works of Live Art > by Sarah Jane Pell ABSTRACT: This practice-based thesis (comprising of an exegesis, exhibition, performances and their documentation) traces a myriad of cognitive and sub cognitive processes that converge towards a complex practice referred to as 'Aquabatics'. In broad terms, Aquabatics describes the research nexus of occupational diving and contemporary performance. The purpose of this body of research has been to explore underwater performance, behaviour and boarders, in order to both devise new works of live art and to develop new methodologies and approaches to art-making. Aquabatics, as a performance strategy, seeks to critique, contest and explore the liminal natures of human performance, and the role and context of live artists, in contemporary life. The exegesis attempts to underscore the complex process of semiosis and the dissemination of experiential knowledge in, and through, human performance activities, behaviours and biotech fission engagements with, in, and related to, an underwater environment. The theoretical framework is best described as liquid and consequently the rationale for the exegesis is explained as one that traverses a multitude of 'borrowed' pedagogies to contextualise a knowledge system of newly proposed faculties*. Part One discusses the nature and condition of Aquabatics in terms of biological, ecological, technological, metaphysical, political and societal factors. Throughout, these natures are described as an active tool to suggest treatments for looking at, and understanding the acts/actions/activisms themselves and their possible functions to point towards liminality. The more complex issue of the inherent aqueous nature in/of/for performance is proposed as the vital link connecting Aquabatics to existing cultural texts and contexts. The multi-medial texts function to make sense of the aesthetic and utilitarian performance described by examining the intersections of performance praxis, theorem and the functional operations of occupational diving through a series of original live(d) engagements, hypothesis and proposals in Part Two. In undertaking and discussing these works, I propose that I enter into a zone of irreducibility; a permanently spirally vortex of forms, dissolving and evolving into an absent-present state of existence as the performer/ inhabitant/ pilot of this research. By documenting and re-membering this process herein, the notion of 'performance' along with liberty, identity, culture, art and politics also regularly collapses in meaning, status, form and function. Finally, considering Aquabatics, pre and post performance, offers insight into the spatial and temporal factors, beliefs and actions leading to, and arising from, this research. It introduces a new episteme that transgresses traditional transgressions and proposes a liminal juncture of research, and performance behaviours that constitutes an awareness of where, at depth, underwater, the self collapses into its priori opposite. < Interactive Technologies for the Public Sphere: Towards a Theory of Critical Creative Technology > by Pamela Jennings ABSTRACT: Digital media cultural practices continue to address the social, cultural and aesthetic contexts of the global information economy, perhaps better called ecology, by inventing new methods and genres that encourage interactive engagement, collaboration, exploration and learning. The theoretical framework for critical creative technology evolved from the confluence of the arts, human centered computing, and critical theories of technology. Molding this nascent theoretical framework from these seemingly disparate disciplines was a reflexive process where the influence of each component on each other spiraled into the theory and practice as illustrated through the Constructed Narratives project. The traditional reductionist approach to research requires that all confounding variables are eliminated or silenced using methods of statistics. However, that noise in the data, those confounding variables provide the rich context, media, and processes by which creative practices thrive. As research in the arts gains recognition for its contributions of new knowledge, the traditional reductive practice in search of general principles will be respectfully joined by methodologies for defining living principles that celebrate and build from the confounding variables, the data noise. The movement to develop research methodologies from the noisy edges of human interaction have been explored in the research and practices of ludic design and ambiguity (Gaver, 2003); affective gap (Sengers et al., 2005b; 2006); embodied interaction (Dourish, 2001); the felt life (McCarthy & Wright, 2004); and reflective HCI (Dourish, et al., 2004). The theory of critical creative technology examines the relationships between critical theories of technology, society and aesthetics, information technologies and contemporary practices in interaction design and creative digital media. The theory of critical creative technology is aligned with theories and practices in social navigation (Dourish, 1999) and community- based interactive systems (Stathis, 1999) in the development of smart appliances and network systems that support people in engaging in social activities, promoting communication and enhancing the potential for learning in a community-based environment. The theory of critical creative technology amends these community-based and collaborative design theories by emphasizing methods to facilitate face-to-face dialogical interaction when the exchange of ideas, observations, dreams, concerns, and celebrations may be silenced by societal norms about how to engage others in public spaces. The Constructed Narratives project is an experiment in the design of a critical creative technology that emphasizes the collaborative construction of new knowledge about one's lived world through computer-supported collaborative play (CSCP). To construct is to creatively invent one's world by engaging in creative decision- making, problem solving and acts of negotiation. The metaphor of construction is used to demonstrate how a simple artifact - a building block - can provide an interactive platform to support discourse between collaborating participants. The technical goal for this project was the development of a software and hardware platform for the design of critical creative technology applications that can process a dynamic flow of logistical and profile data from multiple users to be used in applications that facilitate dialogue between people in a real-time playful interactive experience. Rorty's persona of the liberal ironist is presented as the spirit by which this text and research has been approached. Shear and Varela's concept of first person methodology as a viable place from which to cultivate scientific research is discussed and followed with the description of a travel experience by the author which instigated the development of the theory of critical creative technology. The critical social cartography that informs the theory and the Constructed Narratives includes the following philosophical premises. Thompson's theory of enactive cognition and empathy set the foundation from which inquiry into the role of empathy, intentionality and intersubjectivity in supporting discourse, initiated from the author's person story, evolves to a theory of research and practice in digital media. Habermas's models of the theories of society, in particular his fourth model for communicative theories founded on intersubjective experiences sets the stage for the development of the theory of universal pragmatics and ideal speech acts. Alternative theories of communication and society that fit the specifications of the fourth model, which Habermas does not address, are discussed including Wittgenstein's "language games," Bakhtin's "speech genres," and Vygotsky's "constructivism. A metaphor for visualizing the polemic theoretical positions on the nature of discourse from Habermas's validity claims to Rorty's liberal ironist stance based on Davidson's concept of "passing theories" is presented. Models and theories of the public sphere are examined. Dewey's concept of the public sphere as the locus of political decisions is followed by Broeckmann's argument for engaging the public domain. Habermas's infamous theory on the bourgeois public sphere is addressed along with comments from several of his critics. Alternatives to the bourgeois public sphere are explored including Mouffe's agonistic democracy and Negt and Kluge's proletarian public sphere. Habermas' reprieve to his critics and an enlightened view to the nature and potentialities of the public sphere as a place to influence policy in a "siege- like manner" leads the text to consider Feenberg's theory of critical technology. Feenberg's analysis of the two main camps of critical theories of technology, instrumental and substantive, is examined. Instrumental theory is illustrated with an analysis of Vannevar Bush's article "As We May Think", Englebart's HLAM/T theory, Weiner's cybernetics, and Weiser's ubiquitous computing framework. The substantive theoretical platform is supported with Heidegger and Habermas's concerns, or lack of concern, on the impact of technology on society. Feenberg's position on the critical theory of technology his elaborations on the bias and neutrality factors of technology leads to discussion about and elaboration on his dialectics of technology. Feenberg's dialectics of technology and its four core components; concretization; vocation; aesthetics; and collegiality, are explored, dissected and augmented with examples from contemporary digital media, interaction design, human computer interaction and pedagogical practices. Among the theories and practices brought forth in support of his theory is the New London Groups theory of multiliteracies, Fuller's critical software, Fogg's persuasive computing, Dourish's embodied interaction, Ascott's behaviorist art; Rokeby's transforming mirror; Fischer's metadesign, and digital divide community empowerment efforts. The discussion leads to the connection of Feenberg's dialectics of technology to the theory of critical creative technologies proposed in this dissertation. From this academic exercise, three main principles in the design of applications in the spirit of critical creative technologies are described. Principle 1: Place as Connected Space is supported by theories that differentiate the terms space and place as one that defines logistics and the other which defines contextual attributes. Research methods, such as Hillier's space syntax, designed to analyze and assign attributes of quality to the quantified data are examined in comparison to Deleuze and Guattari's rhizome as a metaphor for place. Principle 2: Empathetic Intersubjective Experience takes its lead from the discussion on Thompson to further elaborate on situational requirements for an empathetic experience. Principle 3: Discourse and Play seeks to define a notion of "deep play," by examining the important western historical and philosophical platforms in which play was relegated as an important element of society or treated as an unnecessary distraction to rational discourse. The principles lead to the main goals involved in developing applications for critical creative technology in the form of tangible social interfaces (TSI). The Constructed Narratives project was initiated as an experiment in the design of tangible social interfaces for facilitating communication between people in public spaces. < Landscape Denatured: Digitizing the Wild > by Eric Kabisch ABSTRACT: This paper presents motivation and documentation of four technologically enabled artworks. These artworks explore ways in which digital technologies impact society and culture, focusing particularly on the impacts of information technologies on physical and cultural geography. A framework is provided for analyzing these works of art. This framework addresses the impacts of technology as a three-part cyclical process that includes (1) sensing elements of the environment, (2) analyzing and creating narratives from the captured data, and (3) the propagation of these methods and representations back into the world. SignalPlay is an interactive installation that employs wireless sensors to control a spatialized sound environment, allowing participants to explore a distributed collaborative system. Unexceptional.net is a web-based application for visualizing and sonifying network, database and player information of a multi-modal online role-playing game. Sonic Panoramas utilizes image sonification, immersive projection and camera-based machine vision to allow users to create an interactive musical experience from panoramic landscape imagery. Datascape is a periscope-like system for the visualization of geographic information. This system allows users to explore a 3D topography and musical soundtrack that are generated from geospatial information such as marketing demographics. In addressing the impacts of digital technologies on culture, these artworks employ the very technologies being investigated. Through the production and exhibition of this work, I hope to engage the public with these important issues and to help shape the ways that technological methodology embeds itself in our world and in our daily experience. < This is not here: Connectedness, remote experiences and immersive telematic art > by Michael Hohl ABSTRACT: This practice-based enquiry engages in the disciplines of Art and Computer Science. It explores participants experience of live data from remote locations, especially experiences of global consciousness or global awareness. The vehicle for the research is a software application called Radiomap. This photorealistic interactive map is used to listen to a selection of live radio programs from all over the planet. The research was conducted in two iterative studies, one with a screen-based application, the other with an immersive, telematic environment. Methods and Methodologies were informed by Human Computer Interaction, Art History and the Social Sciences. ______________________________________________________ LEONARDO NETWORK NEWS ______________________________________________________ < Meredith Tromble Elected Secretary of Leonardo Governing Board > Meredith Tromble was elected secretary of the Leonardo Governing Board in April of 2007. Her duties as Board secretary include keeping track of the paperwork for Leonardo/ISAST and helping make decisions as part of the Board Executive Committee. Meredith was a member of the Leonardo Advisory Board from 2005 to 2007. In January 2007 she was elected to the Leonardo Governing Board. More about Meredith can be found on the Leonardo Electronic Directory: < Transactions Section Offers Rapid Publication Forum in Leonardo Journal > Transactions is a new section in the print journal Leonardo that publishes fully refereed papers on a fast track to dissemination of key new results, ideas and developments in practice. Papers are solicited under the stated aims and scope of Leonardo, but are restricted to two pages of published material. A rapid refereeing process is employed in which the result is restricted to acceptance or rejection. If a submission is rejected, the submission of a revised version will be treated as a new paper. The announcement of results or developments in a Transactions paper will not exclude that work from subsequent publication as a full Leonardo paper. However, any such submission will be considered by Leonardo, in the normal way, as a new paper. Papers should be submitted electronically, in final camera- ready form, according to Leonardo's editorial guidelines. Incorrectly formatted papers will be rejected, so take great care. Refer both to the general editorial guidelines and also to the specific guidelines for Transactions papers. Visit the Transactions web site to review guidelines, submit a paper and sign up to receive updates and announcements: . < Leonardo in Argentina: CEIArtE Lecture and Workshop series (2007--2008) > We are pleased to announce a Leonardo collaboration with the Electronic Arts Research and Experimenting Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina as part of the Leonardo 40th Anniversary celebration. The Electronic Arts Research and Experimenting Centre (CEIArtE) at the National University of Tres de Febrero in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is organizing the "Research and the Arts" series of lectures and workshops running through 2007 and 2008 and is joining Leonardo in its 40th anniversary celebration. For information on current and upcoming events on this series, check the CEIArtE's web site at: < Recent Events and Projects of the Leonardo Scientists Working Group > The Leonardo Scientists Working Group (SWG) was initiated in 2005 by Leonardo Board member Tami Spector to further Leonardo's mission of bridging "the two cultures" of arts and sciences with projects, events and collaborations of mutual interest to both communities. One of the first projects was to compile a database of nearly 100 scientists who have shown a strong commitment to the arts. About 20 of these members from the San Francisco Bay Area were brought together in April 2007 for an event organized by Spector, Christian Simm and Piero Scaruffi and hosted at swissnex in San Francisco. Here they began discussions about current interests and future activities, collaborations and events with the group. At the event it was discovered that there was a particular interest in bringing science/art connections to younger people in schools, universities and other community settings. The SWG is also currently working on a special project, "Nanotechnology, Nanoscale Science and Art" under the direction of Spector and Exploratorium artist-in-residence Tom Rockwell. Leonardo, in collaboration with the Exploratorium under the auspices of the Nanotech Informal Science Education Network (NISE), will publish a special section in periodic installments over the next several years exploring the intersections of nanotech/science and art. Further information about the Leonardo Scientists Working Group can be found on the Leonardo web site: . < Leonardo Organizational Membership Program Flourishes > The Leonardo/ISAST Organizational/Corporate Membership Program, initiated in 2004, is one way that Leonardo seeks to strengthen its engagement with educational institutions and corporations committed to the art, science and technology field. We work with faculty, students and researchers in these organizations on projects of mutual interest including publication projects, internships and special events. Current members of the Leonardo Organizational Membership program include the Center for Digital Arts and Experimental Media at the University of Washington; the Digital + Media Department at Rhode Island School of Design; the Daniel Langlois Foundation; Ontario College of Art & Design; School of the Art Institute of Chicago; the Art & Technology Department at the University of Texas, Dallas; California Institute of the Arts School of Music; UCLA Art|Sci Center; swissnex; UTS Creativity & Cognition Studios; OMF-MINT at University of Paris IV-Sorbonne; and University of Plymouth. Leonardo/ISAST Organizational Membership benefits include participation in the Leonardo Organizational and Corporate Member Advisory Group moderated by Leonardo Executive Editor Roger Malina, full-page ads in Leonardo and Leonardo Music Journal, opportunities to collaborate with Leonardo on special projects and events, plus a number of other benefits. Memberships are by invitation only to educational and corporate organizations involved in the intersection of art, science and technology with projects of mutual interest. If you would like to become an organizational member of Leonardo/ISAST, please contact Roger Malina with your suggestions of areas for collaboration. _____________________________ LEONARDO NETWORK NEWS COORDINATOR: Kathleen Quillian kq [@] leonardo [dot] info ______________________________________________________ BYTES ______________________________________________________ < Digital Humanities Chair Position available at Dartmouth College > Dartmouth College invites applications for a newly endowed chair in the Digital Humanities. The successful candidate should be committed to interdisciplinary collaboration, technological innovation, and creating curricular links within the Humanities and across divisions. The position offers the opportunity to define a new area of research and teaching, and to build on Dartmouth's existing strengths in the Humanities and Computing. The field of research and teaching is open; we seek candidates with practical and/or theoretical expertise in one or several of the following fields in the Arts and Humanities: visual arts, visual culture, new media, screen studies, performance arts, music and sound, film, TV/Video, literature, and human-computer interaction. Expertise in computer hardware and/or software will be welcome but is not essential. The role of the Chair in Digital Humanities is intended to be broad in scope, potentially incorporating current or future initiatives in cyber-culture and the creation, performance, and critical study of digital arts, including a consideration of the socio-political and theoretical implications of new artistic technologies. The endowment for this Chair provides additional funds for projects involving research, teaching, and program building in the Digital Humanities. Our intention is to hire at the rank of associate or full professor with tenure. The successful candidate will be located in a single Dartmouth department or program, or jointly appointed to one or more departments or programs. Considerable flexibility exists regarding joint appointments, which may cross departmental or even divisional boundaries. Dartmouth College combines a commitment to innovative scholarship, creative practice, and excellent teaching, primarily but not only of undergraduate students. One of the most diverse institutions of higher education in New England, Dartmouth College is an equal opportunity/ affirmative action employer and has a strong commitment to diversity. In that spirit, we are particularly interested in receiving applications from a broad spectrum of people, including women, persons of color, persons with disabilities, and veterans. The Search Committee will begin reviewing applications after October 1, 2007. Applications will be considered until the position is filled. Applications should be submitted in digital form. Please send letter of application, CV, and the names of three references to: digital.search at dartmouth.edu Please contact Mark Williams, Chair of the Search Committee with any questions Mark Williams (Mark.J.Williams at Dartmouth.edu) Dept. of Film and Television Studies 317 Wilson Hall Dartmouth College Hanover, NH 03755 USA ________________________________________________________________ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * CREDITS * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ________________________________________________________________ Nisar Keshvani: LEA Editor-in-Chief Natra Haniff: LEA Editor Nicholas Cronbach: LEA Editor Kathleen Quillian: LEA e-news Digest Coordinator Michael Punt: LR Editor-in-Chief Andre Ho: Web Concept and Design Consultant Roger Malina: Leonardo Executive Editor Stephen Wilson: Chair, Leonardo/ISAST Web Committee Craig Harris: Founding Editor Editorial Advisory Board: Irina Aristarkhova, Roy Ascott, Craig Harris, Fatima Lasay, Michael Naimark, Julianne Pierce Gallery Advisory Board: Mark Amerika, Paul Brown, Choy Kok Kee, Steve Dietz, Kim Machan fAf-LEA Corresponding Editors: Lee Weng Choy, Ricardo Dal Farra, Elga Ferreira, Young Hae- Chang, Fatima Lasay, Jose-Carlos Mariategui, Marcus Neustetter, Elaine Ng, Marc Voge ________________________________________________________________ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * LEA PUBLISHING INFORMATION * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ________________________________________________________________ Editorial Address: Leonardo Electronic Almanac PO Box 850 Robinson Road Singapore 901650 keshvani [@] leoalmanac [dot] org ________________________________________________________________ Copyright (2007), Leonardo, the International Society for the Arts, Sciences and Technology All Rights Reserved. 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To post to this group, send email to LEAalerts at googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to LEAalerts-unsubscribe at googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/LEAalerts -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From nc-agricowi at netcologne.de Fri Nov 9 14:31:33 2007 From: nc-agricowi at netcologne.de (videoCHANNEL) Date: Fri, 09 Nov 2007 10:01:33 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] =?iso-8859-1?q?=5BAnnouncements=5D_NMF2007_-_VideoC?= =?iso-8859-1?q?hannel_-_video_art_features?= Message-ID: <20071109100133.18FC50DE.1598905B@192.168.0.3> NewMediaFest2007 http://2007.newmediafest.org NewMediaFest2007 blog http://www.newmediafest.org/blog/ 1st common festival of [NewMediaArtProjectNetwork]:||cologne 1 November 2007 - 31 May 2008 proudly presents as the 3rd festival component --> ------------------------------------------------------ 3. VideoChannel - video project environments http://videochannel.newmediafest.org is dealing with video and the subjects--> "memory and identity". Founded in 2004 in the framework of [R][R][F]200x--XP - global networking project, VideoChannel incorporates more than 20 curators , 250 artists from 40countries and about 300 videos - in total, a unique collection of collective memory, which can be accessed in full length online. VideoChannel prepared for NewMediaFest2007 3.1. Solo exhibition: Unnur Andrea Einarsdottir (Iceland) featuring 8 videos by this very talented Icelandic video artist 3.2. Women Directors Cut III 3rd edition of a program series featuring female film directors/videoartists participating in VideoChannel Edition III includes videos by--> Larissa Sansour (Palestine) Isabelle Schneider/ Sherri Lee Richardson(France) Cynthuia Whelan (UK) Cecilia Lundquist (Sweden) Antonia Valero (Spain) Caterina Davinio (Italy) 3.3. "Art cartoons and animated narratives" --> this component is extending the festival program of CologneOFF III through another selection of animated movies Andreja Andric (Serbia/Italy), Mauro Arrighi (Italy), Justin Barnes (Australia), David Burns (USA), Janet Curley Cannon (USA), Pablo Castillo, (Chile), Robin Clare (UK) Anisa Franco (Brazil), Ana Gutierrez (USA, Gerald Habarth (USA), David Hutchison (UK) Man Kim (South Korea USA), Aleksandar Kostjuk (Croatia), Dinko Kumanovic (Croatia) LEMEH42 - Michele Santini & Lorenza Paolini (Italy), Paul Mangan (Australia) Henrique Roscoe (Brazil), Ying-Fang Shen (Taiwan), Simon Streatfeild (Australia) Andy Sykes (UK), Alexander Satim Timofeev (Russia) Hermes Mangialardo (Italy), Jody Zellen (USA), Wilfried Agricola de Cologne (Germany), Lycette Bros .(Australia), Kaspars Groshevs (Latvia) 3.4. VIP - VideoChannel Interview Project - http://vip.newmediafest.org NewMediaFest2007 is the occasion to launch officially the new site of this interview project by VideoChannel. Wilfried Agricola de Cologne invites video artists and film directors incorporated in VideoChannel for an interview and answering 10 question which are spotlighting their professional and creative background. Currently more than 80 interviews are posted online. --------------------------------------------- VideoChannel - video art features in the framework of NewMediaFest2007 can be accessed via the festival interface on http://2007.newmediafest.org , but also separately via http://videochannel.newmediafest.org/2007/ and from VideoChannel interface on http://videochannel.newmediafest.org --------------------------------------------- NewMediaFest2007 is realized on 2 levels - 1. online in its totality -->http://2007.newmediafest.org --->http://www.newmediafest.org/blog/ 2. in physical space via cooperations--> the 1st physical NewMediaFest2007 are launched in the framework of 3rd Digital Art Festival Rosario/Argentina - 15-17 November 2007 more info on http://www.newmediafest.org/blog/ --> It is further linked with FONLAD Digital Art Festival Coimbra/Portugal http://www.aaa-euac.org/fonlad.html Following PDF catalogues are available for free download The general festival catalogue http://downloads.nmartproject.net/NewMediaFest_2007.pdf CologneOFF III - Toon! Toon! - art cartoon and animated narratives http://downloads.nmartproject.net/CologneOFF_3rd_edition_2007.pdf --------------------------------------------- This press release is issued by netEX - networked experience http://netex.nmartproject.net powered by [NewMediaArtProjectNetwork]:||cologne info (at) nmartproject.net -------------------------------------------- _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From pkray11 at gmail.com Sat Nov 10 13:06:31 2007 From: pkray11 at gmail.com (prakash ray) Date: Sat, 10 Nov 2007 13:06:31 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] an article on Nandigram Message-ID: <98f331e00711092336i2e3c9b7bi728756098697b3f5@mail.gmail.com> Dear all, please see the article on Nandigram.. http://www.pragoti.org/pragoti/news_detail.php?news_id=344&sessionid= prakash From parthaekka at gmail.com Sat Nov 10 13:27:56 2007 From: parthaekka at gmail.com (Partha Dasgupta) Date: Sat, 10 Nov 2007 13:27:56 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] fatima's response In-Reply-To: <185691.89258.qm@web8403.mail.in.yahoo.com> References: <47342C1D.7070708@sarai.net> <185691.89258.qm@web8403.mail.in.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <32144e990711092357i686007cclfc29e4917c4f8acf@mail.gmail.com> Dear Fatima, Despite the filter post (and the tons of junk I get from the net) have never used any filters for anything other than spam - which I also view a list of before deleting. That would be inimical to the reason I came on the list - which was to learn and hear different view. Sure, some are rants (again that's from my point of view while the author considers it as a justified post) and many are viewpoints that I deeply disagree with. It's like making a friend - we don't consider a person a friend because they're a Tribal, a Hindu, or a Muslim, or a Christain, or a Jew, or any of the myriad religions that reside in India. We consider a person a friend because we like them. And even while they are friends, we have areas that we disagree on. Some things are cultural. The practise of saying 'tu' to refer to a person is extremely uncomfortable to me. With my sister married into a Punjabi family, that's something I deal with because it is not done out of disrespect, but out of acceptance of me and my family into their home. The larger issue at hand is to raise a debate and clarify the fact - which many posters have done hear. Maybe some others will make loud noises. So what? At the end of the day, it's our choice - whether to join the herd or to run from the noise or to stand by ones self and say what you truly believe in. Rgds, Partha On Nov 9, 2007 9:20 PM, S.Fatima wrote: > Dear Vivek > I didn't say that the nuance is a previlege of only > the (Sarai) elite -- in fact, millions of nice people > who know the nuances haven't probably heard about > internet. I was only wondering about two things: (1) > if we know that certain Sarai readers are adamant > about posting all the rubbish, and there is no way > they will ever heed, then why can't Sarai moderator do > her job of moderating them. Is it because we are > afraid that our status as a democratic reader-list > will shatter. I think even democracry needs certain > rules, to check the unruly. Why can't we simply put > certain IDs on the moderated mode - their postings > should pass only if they are not ranting, bantering, > or shlokaneering. To me, that's better than suggesting > everyone to apply filters. And I am sure enough > warnings have already been given for this moderation > to start. Allow them to post only if they sensibly add > something to the on-going debates. > > (2) My other idea (which maybe contrary to the first > one) was that there is much worse ranting in real life > than what we've witnessed on Sarai. We are already > distanced from some of that, and want to become > further distanced by removing whatever little > irritants we have. But in real life this ranting is a > much bigger/deeper malaise, and it and won't get cured > by our filtering of it. So I am just wondering if the > reader-list (or internet for that matter) is able to > play any role in changing the ranting habits of the > people. > > You talk about warmth in the postings. But internet > promotes a hit-and-run approach, people can post > incognito, there is no accountibility - it is in fact > worse than a street. I am sure the warmth in postings > comes only from those people who are known to Sarai or > know each other, hence they write carefully. > > > --- Vivek Narayanan wrote: > > > > > Dear Fatima, > > > > Thank you for your nuanced and considered note. > > Please note again that > > I am not speaking for anyone else but myself, > > certainly not as a "voice > > of Sarai". I don't think nuance is the privilege or > > preserve of any > > group, nor does it depend on education or decorum. > > Instead, it's a > > certain warmth and hospitality, and a willingness to > > listen carefully, > > and to be considered in one's responses. > > Essentially, it is about > > coming to the conversation in good faith, with love > > and with > > thoughtfulness-- not with the intention to sabotage > > dialogue or shout > > down others. Most of all, if it becomes obvious that > > a reply has been > > dashed off in a couple of seconds and, moreover, > > five or seven of those > > replies are sent in the course of a single day, then > > I feel that this > > wastes my time and makes it difficult to find the > > mails on the list that > > are more carefully thought out. > > > > So I disagree with you *completely* that such > > qualities would be found > > only among "elites at Sarai". These are protocols > > that one finds with > > many people on the street, regardless of their > > background and access to > > privilege. In fact, as you well know, on the Indian > > street, it is often > > the rich and privileged who tend to shout louder, > > for they fear no > > reprisal. Right wing nationalists can feel secure > > in the knowledge that > > they have the support of the state behind them. I > > would not be > > surprised if, in monitoring this list, there would > > be members who would > > not hesitate to report anyone they considered to be > > "anti-national" to > > the authorities. This is the kind of insecurity > > that shadows our > > conversations here--the question of what kinds of > > statements might > > involve violent reprisals or legal censure, and so > > on; this is the > > fragility of the discussions that have been built up > > on this list over > > the course of five or so short years. > > > > Yes indeed, one is dedicated here to the vibrancy, > > variousness and > > quirkiness of the street--with the caveat that all > > our members are at > > least privileged enough to have access to the > > internet. (Some write so > > often that they must almost certainly have their own > > full-time dedicated > > broadband.) Yet, it only takes a few goondas to > > suppress and drown out > > all the many conversations, trying to fill the space > > with only their own > > voices. In such instances, to renew our > > conversations, our whispering > > faith in each other, it may be necessary to shut out > > the bullies for a > > while. This would not be to pretend that those > > bullies don't exist; > > merely it would be to acknowledge that they don't > > have anything new to > > say. We have heard that shtick before. > > > > But again: my mail was addressed only to those who > > already felt the same > > way as me, and who wanted a practical and efficient > > solution. We have > > very different positions on this question even at > > Sarai; some agree with > > me, some most certainly don't. Those who have the > > time and energy to > > stay tuned to the bullying and the threatening and > > the chanting of > > shlokas and spells must please do so. I can even > > say I admire your > > Gandhian equanimity. I, on the other hand, have > > other things to do, and > > I can't afford to spend my time fighting an endless > > war of attrition, in > > the trenches, with little or no gain from day to > > day, on the Line of > > Discursive Control (LODC), here on the reader list. > > > > Warmly, > > Vivek > > > > > > Now you can chat without downloading messenger. Go to > http://in.messenger.yahoo.com/webmessengerpromo.php > > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: -- Partha Dasgupta +919811047132 From dhatr1i at yahoo.com Thu Nov 8 15:42:57 2007 From: dhatr1i at yahoo.com (we wi) Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2007 02:12:57 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] A REMINDER: How to tackle Psuedo Secularists on the reader list In-Reply-To: <6b79f1a70711072128q354f777kb2d45b863f7f9374@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <218671.49753.qm@web45512.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> Hi, Constitution defines India as a sovereign socialist secular democratic republic. So sovereignity comes first. Those all linked with India should oblige the Constitution truthfully not in the otherway. Whats wrong if Vivek write names instead of indirectly mentioning and Pawans parady to that suggestive mail is boring(same content with fill in the blanks). Anyway filtering creates more confusion. Anyway All other cultures for whatever reasons will not ruin Hinduism, tradition and its cultural roots unline the invasons and ransacking with various techniquies. Change is inevitable but it should not be like fade you totally. Regards, Dhatri. Pawan Durani wrote: Dear readers of the reader list, Please note, first of all, that I speak as an individual and not as a member of any organisation. As many of you know, there has been ongoing attempts to hijack and dumb down the discourse of the reader list. This has been done by a a group os psuedo secularists---- some of whom post as many as five times a day, with comments that are, by turns, inane, shallow, offensive or agressive. These individuals may have a right to their Pusedo secular and appeasement politics, although they are far from representative of truth. However, it has become very clear to me, at least, that this group of so called moral torchbearers without logic is not interested in nuanced or logical debate This phenomenon of windbags and Pusedo secular ,nations image destroyers, hijacking the reader list not only upsets me, but it also excites me. And it seriously makes me think of realise why India had been slave for centuries. I have a feeling that many on this list feel the same, and that the upsurge has simply meant that people eventually have started to realise and speak the truth. Those who wish to serve the truth should write and confront each of the Psuedo Secularists and to respond to them each time, too. I would like to remind all of you who feel the same way that there is a very simple solution for individuals who would like to respond and confront the false sermons and hype created by these Psuedo secularists. You should preserve all mails of them and respond accordingly. The solution is very simple The solution is: you can use the message filters in your email client to direct email from certain senders, filtering by name. This means that any emails from a certain name will be filtered. Check your help files on how to do this. In Gmail, click on "create a filter", next to the search bar at the top. In Yahoo, click on options --> filters In Thunderbird, simply right-click on the email id at the top of the message and click on "create filter from this message". If anyone else wants to give a quick tutorial on how to use filters on other mail programs, please do so as part of this thread. You can set it up so that messages from all the people you know are psuedo secularists and you wish to respond to ,create a new folder called - "bullshit", for instance-- and have those messages alone go directly into that folder.And estart exposing them. Its so simple Pawan Durani _________________________________________ 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. To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list List archive: __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com From dhatr1i at yahoo.com Thu Nov 8 15:49:43 2007 From: dhatr1i at yahoo.com (we wi) Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2007 02:19:43 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] A REMINDER: How to tackle Psuedo Secularists on the reader list Message-ID: <135818.25602.qm@web45511.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> >>>Anyway All other cultures for whatever reasons will not ruin Hinduism, tradition and its >>>cultural roots unline the invasons and ransacking with various techniquies. Change is >>>inevitable but it should not be like fade you totally. Anyway All other cultures for whatever reasons will not ruin Hinduism, tradition and its cultural roots UNLIKE the invasons and ransacking with various techniquies. Change is inevitable but it should not be SWEEP you totally. we wi wrote: Hi, Constitution defines India as a sovereign socialist secular democratic republic. So sovereignity comes first. Those all linked with India should oblige the Constitution truthfully not in the otherway. Whats wrong if Vivek write names instead of indirectly mentioning and Pawans parady to that suggestive mail is boring(same content with fill in the blanks). Anyway filtering creates more confusion. Anyway All other cultures for whatever reasons will not ruin Hinduism, tradition and its cultural roots unline the invasons and ransacking with various techniquies. Change is inevitable but it should not be like fade you totally. Regards, Dhatri. Pawan Durani wrote: Dear readers of the reader list, Please note, first of all, that I speak as an individual and not as a member of any organisation. As many of you know, there has been ongoing attempts to hijack and dumb down the discourse of the reader list. This has been done by a a group os psuedo secularists---- some of whom post as many as five times a day, with comments that are, by turns, inane, shallow, offensive or agressive. These individuals may have a right to their Pusedo secular and appeasement politics, although they are far from representative of truth. However, it has become very clear to me, at least, that this group of so called moral torchbearers without logic is not interested in nuanced or logical debate This phenomenon of windbags and Pusedo secular ,nations image destroyers, hijacking the reader list not only upsets me, but it also excites me. And it seriously makes me think of realise why India had been slave for centuries. I have a feeling that many on this list feel the same, and that the upsurge has simply meant that people eventually have started to realise and speak the truth. Those who wish to serve the truth should write and confront each of the Psuedo Secularists and to respond to them each time, too. I would like to remind all of you who feel the same way that there is a very simple solution for individuals who would like to respond and confront the false sermons and hype created by these Psuedo secularists. You should preserve all mails of them and respond accordingly. The solution is very simple The solution is: you can use the message filters in your email client to direct email from certain senders, filtering by name. This means that any emails from a certain name will be filtered. Check your help files on how to do this. In Gmail, click on "create a filter", next to the search bar at the top. In Yahoo, click on options --> filters In Thunderbird, simply right-click on the email id at the top of the message and click on "create filter from this message". If anyone else wants to give a quick tutorial on how to use filters on other mail programs, please do so as part of this thread. You can set it up so that messages from all the people you know are psuedo secularists and you wish to respond to ,create a new folder called - "bullshit", for instance-- and have those messages alone go directly into that folder.And estart exposing them. Its so simple Pawan Durani _________________________________________ 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. To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list List archive: __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com From dhatr1i at yahoo.com Fri Nov 9 18:45:14 2007 From: dhatr1i at yahoo.com (we wi) Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2007 05:15:14 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] fatima's response In-Reply-To: <47342C1D.7070708@sarai.net> Message-ID: <181842.8868.qm@web45504.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> Vivek, What is the problem actually? Is the problem relies with posting shlokas? or writing argumentative mails? or posting many mails in a day? or talking sovereignty of India? Condemning false accusations and allegations about historians and history? I am just a 3 month old member here. Thats why confused a bit. Hope you can understand and eloborate on this. Regards, Dhatri. Vivek Narayanan wrote: Dear Fatima, Thank you for your nuanced and considered note. Please note again that I am not speaking for anyone else but myself, certainly not as a "voice of Sarai". I don't think nuance is the privilege or preserve of any group, nor does it depend on education or decorum. Instead, it's a certain warmth and hospitality, and a willingness to listen carefully, and to be considered in one's responses. Essentially, it is about coming to the conversation in good faith, with love and with thoughtfulness-- not with the intention to sabotage dialogue or shout down others. Most of all, if it becomes obvious that a reply has been dashed off in a couple of seconds and, moreover, five or seven of those replies are sent in the course of a single day, then I feel that this wastes my time and makes it difficult to find the mails on the list that are more carefully thought out. So I disagree with you *completely* that such qualities would be found only among "elites at Sarai". These are protocols that one finds with many people on the street, regardless of their background and access to privilege. In fact, as you well know, on the Indian street, it is often the rich and privileged who tend to shout louder, for they fear no reprisal. Right wing nationalists can feel secure in the knowledge that they have the support of the state behind them. I would not be surprised if, in monitoring this list, there would be members who would not hesitate to report anyone they considered to be "anti-national" to the authorities. This is the kind of insecurity that shadows our conversations here--the question of what kinds of statements might involve violent reprisals or legal censure, and so on; this is the fragility of the discussions that have been built up on this list over the course of five or so short years. Yes indeed, one is dedicated here to the vibrancy, variousness and quirkiness of the street--with the caveat that all our members are at least privileged enough to have access to the internet. (Some write so often that they must almost certainly have their own full-time dedicated broadband.) Yet, it only takes a few goondas to suppress and drown out all the many conversations, trying to fill the space with only their own voices. In such instances, to renew our conversations, our whispering faith in each other, it may be necessary to shut out the bullies for a while. This would not be to pretend that those bullies don't exist; merely it would be to acknowledge that they don't have anything new to say. We have heard that shtick before. But again: my mail was addressed only to those who already felt the same way as me, and who wanted a practical and efficient solution. We have very different positions on this question even at Sarai; some agree with me, some most certainly don't. Those who have the time and energy to stay tuned to the bullying and the threatening and the chanting of shlokas and spells must please do so. I can even say I admire your Gandhian equanimity. I, on the other hand, have other things to do, and I can't afford to spend my time fighting an endless war of attrition, in the trenches, with little or no gain from day to day, on the Line of Discursive Control (LODC), here on the reader list. Warmly, Vivek _________________________________________ 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. To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list List archive: __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com From pawan.durani at gmail.com Fri Nov 9 18:26:50 2007 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2007 18:26:50 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Human Rights in Jammu and Kashmir Message-ID: <6b79f1a70711090456k2f4285b4h23daad3466af1051@mail.gmail.com> http://www.kashmir-information.com/kashmirstory/chapter8.html From mail at shivamvij.com Sat Nov 10 14:27:05 2007 From: mail at shivamvij.com (Shivam Vij) Date: Sat, 10 Nov 2007 14:27:05 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Annotations to the History of Iconoclasm in Kashmir - IV In-Reply-To: <473452FA.9030702@sarai.net> References: <473452FA.9030702@sarai.net> Message-ID: <9c06aab30711100057w78a3e267xc8f9ed75746c4b2b@mail.gmail.com> What an excellent response Shuddha. Few, indeed, would care to reserach so much for the sake of facts. One is tempted to, as indeed you too have done, take this out of the Kashmiri context and into the larger context of Hindutva where the narrative of 'eternal victimhood' is in exactly the same way used to build a discourse of violence and subjugation. To be shown in this detail how "Hindu" rulers were given to violence amongst other "Hindus" and Buddhists completely demolishes the possibility of any ordinary individual succumbing to the appeal of the 'eternal victimhood' argument. To see "Hindus" kill and maim and rape and slaughter and burn in Gujarat five years ago, then, does not seem an aberration. best shivam On 11/9/07, Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: > ANNOTATIONS TO THE PRLIMINARY HISTORY OF ICONOCLASM IN KASHMIR - IV > > Pandit Jia Lal Kilam's 'A History of Kashmiri Pandits' > Even Pandit Jia Lal Kilam, who Rashneek Kher refers to approvingly, does > not offer a substantively different conclusion from what I am saying. I > offer below a set of 3 quotes from his book. (edited by Advaitavadini Kaul) > > 1. "During Abhimanyu's reign who succeeded Kanishka, Nagarjuna made > converts to Buddhism and defeated the Brahmans in discussion and > argument. Civil war soon followed and the Brahmans in alliance with a > local tribe named Nagas inflicted death, disaster and other untold > miseries upon the Buddhists..." > (Kilam, 'A History of Kashmiri Pandits, Chapter 1- 'A Survey of > Ancient Hindu Rule', Pgs 4 & 5) > > 2. "During the reign of Nara "thousands of monastries were burnt, and > thousands of villages that supported those monastries were given over to > the Brahmans." Brahmans having succeeded in establishing their supremacy > set themselves in right earnest in strengthening themselves and their > position. Many superstitious observances and practices were invented. > Thought and culture were denied to everybody excepting themselves and > the modern Hinduism in Kashmir began its growth. But this degraded the > Brahmans themselves. During Mihirkula's reign many shameless practices > are ascribed to them..." (Kilam, 'A History of Kashmiri Pandits, Chapter > 1- 'A Survey of Ancient Hindu Rule', Page 5) > > 3. "During the reign of Raja-deva (1252-1273 A. D.) some Bhattas > (Brahmans) who had helped in his investiture as king, having been > insulted by him, conspired to install somebody from amongst Khashas on > the throne of Kashmir. But their conspiracy did not long remain a secret > and an orgy of destruction and plunder was let loose upon them. Some > were killed and others suppressed with atrocious mercilessness, and to > save themselves the cry was raised everywhere 'Na Batoham..' "I am not a > Bhatta." This is the first onslaught recorded in history against the > Brahmans of Kashmir..." > (Kilam, 'A History of Kashmiri Pandits, Chapter 1- 'A Survey of Ancient > Hindu Rule', Page 16) > > It is interesting to note that Kilam explicitly states and underscores > the fact that this 'first onslaught' on the Brahmans of Kashmir takes > place during the reign of a Hindu king. Muslim rule is definitively > established in Kashmir only in 1341 A.D. With the rise of the Salatins > (the reign of Rinchen, a Tibetan Buddhist who converted to Islam because > the Brahmin orthodoxy disdained him, cannot really be considered the > reign of a Muslim king in its entirety and may be seen only as a > prologue, or as an interregnum prior to the real decline of Hindu power > in Kashmir, primarily as a result of palace intrigues.) It is necessary > to remember that Kashmir is a part of South Asia where the rise of Islam > did not accompany a military invasion, but occurred largely due to the > example set by missionaries and religious divines. > > Jia Lal Kilam's book contains many instances of religious persecution, > of Hindus at the hand of some Muslim kings, of Kashmiri Sunni Muslims by > the Kashmiri Shia Muslim Chak dynasty, of Kashmiri Shia Muslims and > Kashmiri Pandits by the Sunni Afghan kings, of Kashmiri Muslims in > general by the Sikh rulers of Kashmir. > > Through all of this Kilam is at pains to point out that the Kashmiri > Pandit survives, and with his predominant position in Kashmiri Society > intact. This happens through much of the reign of the Salatins, (Zain Al > Abedin hands them the task of land records and revenue collection, which > they continue to undertake - as patwaris - until the mid twentieth > century by official fiat, without interruption). They continue to hold > high offices in the royal court. The Mughal emperors are so beholden to > them that they decree that no Kashmiri Muslim will hold military office > and give over the military reins of power in Kashmir to Kashmiri > Pandits. The majority of Afghan rulers continue to patronize Pandits, > and when instances of persecution do occur, Pandit influence at Kabul is > sufficient to neutralize it. Some Pandit courtiers invite the Sikh > rulers into Kashmir as Afghan power declines (even as other Pandit > courtiers still remain committed to the resuscitation of Afghan power) > and finally with the rise of the Dogra power in the nineteenth century > the Pandits rise to a position of unquestioned pre-eminence. Kilam's > book is largely a remarkably unbiased account of this entire process. > He, unlike Rashneek Kher is not at all committed to the figure of the > Pandit as eternal victim. Nor is he keen to separate Kashmiri Pandits > from an Islamicate cultural sphere. He mentions how Kashmiri Pandits > wrote hymns to Goddess Sharda in Persian, and how well integrated they > were into the aristocratic Persianate cultural matrix that dominated > much of Central Asia. In fact, to be fair to the Kashmiri Pandit ethos, > we can see that it has no trace of anti-Muslim feeling. Kashmiri Pandit > elites were happier in the company of the Muslim aristocracy and higher > clergy than they were in the company of either the common Kashmiri > Muslim peasant, artisan or labourer, or for that matter, non Muslim > lower caste populations from the plains. > > While JIa Lal Kilam is understandably given to valorizing Pandit > pre-eminence, just as he is given to lament episodes of the persecution > of Pandits when they occur (after all he is a Kashmiri Pandit, writing > the history of Kashmiri Pandits) , he does not undertake to practice the > theory of Pandit exceptionalism. He does not indulge in a reading of > history that paints Kashmiri Pandits as being the uninterrupted victim > of the history of Kashmir since the rise of Islam. Nor is he shy of > pointing out acts of persecution, intrigue and injustice that some > Kashmiri Pandits had been party to, both before, during and after the > advent of Islam in Kashmir. Reading Kilam we are forced to repeat what > we have already stated, no religion has a monopoly on intolerance. > > Advaitavadini Kaul's "Buddhist Savants of Kashmir" > Finally, let me come to Rashneek's admonition to me that I should read a > book by a scholar called Advaitavadini Kaul. He says - "I would also > suggest that you read Dr,Advaitavadini Kaul's post doctoral work ' > Buddhist Savants of Kashmir'...No where has she found any evidence of > Hindu kings breaking Buddhist Viharas." > > Unfortunately, I have read Dr. Advaitavadini Kaul's post doctoral thesis > - at least the version that is published as a book by Utpal Publishers, > (formerly of Srinagar, now based in Delhi) - a publishing house well > known for its imprint of books sympathetic to the Indian nationalist > position on Kashmir, as exemplified by that section of the Kashmiri > Pandit intelligentsia which inspires Roots in Kashmir, Panun Kashmir and > other such organizations. > > Now, Advaitavadini Kaul's book is quite detailed in its exposition of > the contribution made by Kashmiri (or Kashmir based) Buddhist scholars > and missionaries in the ancient and early medieval period - in Tibet, > China and Central Asia. But it is not so articulate when it comes to the > destiny of Buddhism in Kashmir itself. This is surprising, but not > entirely incomprehensible, after all, Dr. Kaul's primary concern is the > career of Kashmiri Buddhists outside Kashmir, and we cannot fault her > entirely if her book chooses not to engage in any substantial way with > the history of what happenned to Buddhism inside Kashmir. > > I have read this book line by line, and while no where does it say > (contrary to Rashneek's assertion) that there is "no evidence of Hindu > kings breaking Buddhist Viharas", it does not dwell either on instances > of Shaivite or otherwise nominally non Buddhist Kings (I hesitate to use > the term 'Hindu' because of the artifice involved in using the word > 'Hindu' in a pre modern context) involved in acts of iconoclasm and > temple destruction that targetted heterodox sects, especially Buddhism, > in Kashmir. Advaitavadini Kaul cites her Kalhan when it suits her to > construct an edifice of how Buddhism flourished in Kashmir. But she also > very conveniently omits to cite Kalhana's Rajtarangini when it comes to > tricky question of the destruction of Buddhist shrines. In fact she > avoids having to deal with this question altogether. Causing a not > invisible void to appear in her detailing of Buddhism in relation to > Kashmir. > > Her only reference to the eventual eclipse of Buddhism in Kashmir occur > in the following three sentences. - > > "In the following centuries Buddhism in Kashmir was overshadowed b y the > wide upsurge of the Vaishnava and Shaiva faiths. However inspite of the > overwhelming predominance of the Brahmanic Faith and the loss of royal > patronage Buddhism continued to flourish even as late as the 13th > century AD. This is supported by Rajtarangini and the epigraphic > evidence." (Advaitavadini Kaul : Buddhist Savants of Kashmir: Their > Contribution Abroad, Chapter 1, Page 8) > > In other words, Buddhism was 'overwhelmed, overshadowed' and > encountered a 'lack of royal patronage' but still survived, and the > Rajtarangini is conveniently cited as evidence for this assumption. In > fact, she asserts, it survived in pockets, till the 13th century, by > which time Islam is on the ascendant in Kashmir. Which suggests that > here too, Islam is at fault for the demise of the Kashmiri Buddhist > tradition. > > But the fact that the very same Rajtarangini mentions repeatedly the > destruction of Buddhist temples by Kings, centuries before a single > Muslim sets foot in Kashmir can be conveniently overlooked, is a > surprising ommission on Advaitavadini Kaul's part. If we follow this > pattern of citation and ommission closely then we are compelled to > consider the possibility that Advaitavadini Kaul (who incidentally, also > is the editor of Jia Lal Kilam's text, though Kilam himself is by no > means reticent about the destruction of Buddhist shrines in pre-Islamic > Kashmir) is following the dictates of an agenda that is committed to the > whitewashing of the inconvenient and embarassing (embarrassing for the > apologists of Hindu revanchism that is) historic record of > anti-Buddhist iconoclasm and religious persecution in pre-Islamic Kashmir. > > Conclusion > All of this suggests that Rashneek Kher's (and subsequetly Pawan > Durani's) sad attempts at playing historian are ultimately plainly > propogandist exercises devoid of seriousness, substance or critical > depth. It is easy, far too easy to brandish a list of selected > quotations based on the calculation that no one will bother to actually > read the available textual record. It is easy, far too easy to assume > that all of us on this list will be too intimidated and terrorised by > the emotional charge of the narration of a one sided history of > persecution to do a careful counter reading of a deeply contested > history. Like all easy assumptions, these too have had their day, but > now their time is over. Doing that act of counter reading, taking the > care to read what the sources say is an exercise that some of us are > quite prepared to do. And whenever anyone tries to derail this list by > the promotion of a particular secterian agenda, they will encounter > diligent, patient, meticulous objection. Anyone attempting to offer any > more half baked histories should understand that they do so at the risk > of appearing very foolish indeed. > > At the very beginning of this vexed exchange on Kashmir, some months > ago, I had suggested to those on this list who seem to be making a habit > out of attempting to cash in on this vulgar exhibitionism of pain, that > instead of making a spectacle of suffering, they consider the worth of > practising a modicum of reticence, if for nothing else, just out of > respect for all those (Pandit and Muslim) who have suffered in Kashmir. > > At the risk of discursive redundance, and with apologies to all, I would > like to take this opportunity to repeat my suggestion. I am addressing > those (especially Rashneek Kher and Pawan Durani) who have thrown their > half baked readings of the history of Kashmir in our direction in the > past few months. If you have the least bit of respect for those you > claim to speak on behalf of, learn at least not to dissimulate, not to > quote fragmentary sources, or to hide inconvenient truths, when you > attempt to speak in their name. Each time you do so, the memory of the > dead you claim to speak for is desecrated, and the cause you hope to > serve is damaged, perhaps irreparably. You lose sympathy and the chances > that anyone will take you the least bit seriously. Learn to be less smug > and arrogant about categories like guilt and innocence and learn to > respect the complexity and the difficulty of speaking about a > contentious past. Work harder at the construction of your arguments, and > even those who might disagree with you will treat you with respect. > > And if you cannot bring yourself to undertake this level of maturity, or > to work as hard as is necessary, then at least try a little silence for > a while. It might compel you to examine the depths of what you call your > pain in a more serious manner. > > I sincerely hope that my suggestion will be understood and taken in the > spirit with which it is being offered. > > best > > Shuddha, > > Deepavali, 09 November 2007, Delhi > > ------------------------------- > > END > > > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From peter.ksmtf at gmail.com Sat Nov 10 17:09:31 2007 From: peter.ksmtf at gmail.com (T Peter) Date: Sat, 10 Nov 2007 17:09:31 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Fishing Community Leaders Condemn Attack on Medha Patkar Message-ID: <3457ce860711100339x76b220edl732a826a121aa1a7@mail.gmail.com> PRESS RELEASE 9.11.2007 Fishing Community Leaders Condemn Attack on Medha Patkar Thiruvananthapuram - The fishing community leaders have condemned the attack on well known social activist Medha Patkar by a group of hooligans in West Bengal. T.Peter, President, The Kerala Independent Fishworkders' Federation (KSMTF), Valerian Isaac, Dist. President, KSMTF and Anto Elias, Dist. Secretary, KSMTF have expressed their strong protest today on the attack on NAPM convenor Medha Patkar. This deplorable action on an activist like Medha Patkar who has Provided inspiration and energy to a number of struggles of the adivasis, fisher people and farmers as well as generating pressures on the governments on their issues, is in effect a challenge before the marginalized communities in India, said the leaders of KSMTF. The fisher people's union has demanded immediate arrest of those who are responsible for violence and to generate peaceful democratic space for social and political activists in West Bengal. The KSMTF has also reassured their support and cooperation for the marginalised people's movements led by Medha Patkar. http://www.keralafishworkers.org http://www.alakal.net From vivek at sarai.net Sat Nov 10 17:44:10 2007 From: vivek at sarai.net (Vivek Narayanan) Date: Sat, 10 Nov 2007 17:44:10 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] fatima's response In-Reply-To: <185691.89258.qm@web8403.mail.in.yahoo.com> References: <185691.89258.qm@web8403.mail.in.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <4735A092.3080302@sarai.net> Hi Fatima, I don't think it would be appropriate for the moderator to decide whom, and which messages, should be excluded from the list; but I do think individuals should be given the right-- and be shown how-- to filter the messages they find valuable and interesting, rather than allow those messages to be drowned out in a din of harrassment and attention seeking. No one can say that I'm advocating a generalised censorship; I'm only saying that individuals have ways of opting out of bombardment. Put in another, metaphorical way: I'm saying it's ok for people to stay away from a film screening if they wish, but it's very wrong for them to call the police and mob to shut down the screening of the objectionable film so that no one else is allowed to watch it. Partha: I'm interested in others' views; but I also look to this list to be told things I haven't heard a million times before. And I don't harbour the hope that certain footsoldiers can be talked out of their deliberate polemic. Freedom from boredom, Vivek S.Fatima wrote: > Dear Vivek > I didn't say that the nuance is a previlege of only > the (Sarai) elite -- in fact, millions of nice people > who know the nuances haven't probably heard about > internet. I was only wondering about two things: (1) > if we know that certain Sarai readers are adamant > about posting all the rubbish, and there is no way > they will ever heed, then why can't Sarai moderator do > her job of moderating them. Is it because we are > afraid that our status as a democratic reader-list > will shatter. I think even democracry needs certain > rules, to check the unruly. Why can't we simply put > certain IDs on the moderated mode - their postings > should pass only if they are not ranting, bantering, > or shlokaneering. To me, that's better than suggesting > everyone to apply filters. And I am sure enough > warnings have already been given for this moderation > to start. Allow them to post only if they sensibly add > something to the on-going debates. > > (2) My other idea (which maybe contrary to the first > one) was that there is much worse ranting in real life > than what we've witnessed on Sarai. We are already > distanced from some of that, and want to become > further distanced by removing whatever little > irritants we have. But in real life this ranting is a > much bigger/deeper malaise, and it and won't get cured > by our filtering of it. So I am just wondering if the > reader-list (or internet for that matter) is able to > play any role in changing the ranting habits of the > people. > > You talk about warmth in the postings. But internet > promotes a hit-and-run approach, people can post > incognito, there is no accountibility - it is in fact > worse than a street. I am sure the warmth in postings > comes only from those people who are known to Sarai or > know each other, hence they write carefully. > > > --- Vivek Narayanan wrote: > > >> Dear Fatima, >> >> Thank you for your nuanced and considered note. >> Please note again that >> I am not speaking for anyone else but myself, >> certainly not as a "voice >> of Sarai". I don't think nuance is the privilege or >> preserve of any >> group, nor does it depend on education or decorum. >> Instead, it's a >> certain warmth and hospitality, and a willingness to >> listen carefully, >> and to be considered in one's responses. >> Essentially, it is about >> coming to the conversation in good faith, with love >> and with >> thoughtfulness-- not with the intention to sabotage >> dialogue or shout >> down others. Most of all, if it becomes obvious that >> a reply has been >> dashed off in a couple of seconds and, moreover, >> five or seven of those >> replies are sent in the course of a single day, then >> I feel that this >> wastes my time and makes it difficult to find the >> mails on the list that >> are more carefully thought out. >> >> So I disagree with you *completely* that such >> qualities would be found >> only among "elites at Sarai". These are protocols >> that one finds with >> many people on the street, regardless of their >> background and access to >> privilege. In fact, as you well know, on the Indian >> street, it is often >> the rich and privileged who tend to shout louder, >> for they fear no >> reprisal. Right wing nationalists can feel secure >> in the knowledge that >> they have the support of the state behind them. I >> would not be >> surprised if, in monitoring this list, there would >> be members who would >> not hesitate to report anyone they considered to be >> "anti-national" to >> the authorities. This is the kind of insecurity >> that shadows our >> conversations here--the question of what kinds of >> statements might >> involve violent reprisals or legal censure, and so >> on; this is the >> fragility of the discussions that have been built up >> on this list over >> the course of five or so short years. >> >> Yes indeed, one is dedicated here to the vibrancy, >> variousness and >> quirkiness of the street--with the caveat that all >> our members are at >> least privileged enough to have access to the >> internet. (Some write so >> often that they must almost certainly have their own >> full-time dedicated >> broadband.) Yet, it only takes a few goondas to >> suppress and drown out >> all the many conversations, trying to fill the space >> with only their own >> voices. In such instances, to renew our >> conversations, our whispering >> faith in each other, it may be necessary to shut out >> the bullies for a >> while. This would not be to pretend that those >> bullies don't exist; >> merely it would be to acknowledge that they don't >> have anything new to >> say. We have heard that shtick before. >> >> But again: my mail was addressed only to those who >> already felt the same >> way as me, and who wanted a practical and efficient >> solution. We have >> very different positions on this question even at >> Sarai; some agree with >> me, some most certainly don't. Those who have the >> time and energy to >> stay tuned to the bullying and the threatening and >> the chanting of >> shlokas and spells must please do so. I can even >> say I admire your >> Gandhian equanimity. I, on the other hand, have >> other things to do, and >> I can't afford to spend my time fighting an endless >> war of attrition, in >> the trenches, with little or no gain from day to >> day, on the Line of >> Discursive Control (LODC), here on the reader list. >> >> Warmly, >> Vivek >> >> > > > > Now you can chat without downloading messenger. Go to http://in.messenger.yahoo.com/webmessengerpromo.php > > From taraprakash at gmail.com Sat Nov 10 18:39:29 2007 From: taraprakash at gmail.com (TaraPrakash) Date: Sat, 10 Nov 2007 08:09:29 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Fishing Community Leaders Condemn Attack on MedhaPatkar References: <3457ce860711100339x76b220edl732a826a121aa1a7@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <007601c8239a$f00cde10$6400a8c0@taraprakash> It was not just "a group of hooligans", but organized goons of CPIM who attacked her. I think the violence of Nandi Gram now needs to be taken to Calcutta and Delhi, to wake the sleeping politicians up. ----- Original Message ----- From: "T Peter" To: Sent: Saturday, November 10, 2007 6:39 AM Subject: [Reader-list] Fishing Community Leaders Condemn Attack on MedhaPatkar > PRESS RELEASE > 9.11.2007 > > > Fishing Community Leaders Condemn Attack on Medha Patkar > > Thiruvananthapuram - The fishing community leaders have condemned > the attack on well known social activist Medha Patkar by a group of > hooligans in West Bengal. T.Peter, President, The Kerala Independent > Fishworkders' Federation (KSMTF), Valerian Isaac, Dist. President, > KSMTF and Anto Elias, Dist. Secretary, KSMTF have expressed their strong > protest today on the attack on NAPM convenor Medha Patkar. > This deplorable action on an activist like Medha Patkar who has > Provided inspiration and energy to a number of struggles of the > adivasis, fisher people and farmers as well as generating pressures on > the governments on their issues, is in effect a challenge before the > marginalized communities in India, said the leaders of KSMTF. The > fisher people's union has demanded immediate arrest of those who are > responsible for violence and to generate peaceful democratic space for > social and political activists in West Bengal. The KSMTF has also > reassured their support and cooperation for the marginalised people's > movements led by Medha Patkar. > > http://www.keralafishworkers.org > http://www.alakal.net > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From taraprakash at gmail.com Sat Nov 10 18:53:15 2007 From: taraprakash at gmail.com (TaraPrakash) Date: Sat, 10 Nov 2007 08:23:15 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] WB CPI (M) Deputation meets Governor on Nandigramdevelopments References: <98f331e00711092321q6dadb8e6j7cc361267231308e@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <00d301c8239c$dc0a44f0$6400a8c0@taraprakash> In other words, the government has lost control and must be replaced. It was an interesting thing to add in the memo that the alliance that included ultra left destroyed red flags. The governor should be infuriated by this revelation. So, the president's rule in West Bengal? Marshal law? ----- Original Message ----- From: "prakash ray" To: Sent: Saturday, November 10, 2007 2:21 AM Subject: [Reader-list] WB CPI (M) Deputation meets Governor on Nandigramdevelopments >A delegation of four WB CPI (M) MPs and one MLA met the Hon. Governor on >the > late morning of 9 November. The delegation in a detailed memorandum > apprised > him of the train of events that took place in Nandigram. Earlier, the WB > Governor in a statement called for the establishment of peace at Nandigram > and exhorted the state administration and the representatives of the > people > to intervene. The delegation consisted of Taritbaran Topdar (who led the > delegation), Prasanta Pradhan, Sudhangsu Sil, Mainul Hasan, all MPs, and > Rupa Bagchi, MLA. Hon. Governor assured the delegation that he would have > the issue looked into towards amelioration. The full text of the > memorandum > that the delegation presented to the Governor is this: > > > "The Hon'ble Governor > > West Bengal > > Raj Bhavan > > Kolkata 700001 > > Respected Sir, > > We would like to draw your attention to the developments that have taken > place at Nandigram and its surrounding areas over the past eleven months, > and the consequences thereof. > > 1.. From the beginning of 2007, a large number of people have been put to > a > great deal of distress. The train of events started on 3 January when a > meeting in progress at the Kalicharanpur Gram Panchayat, for declaration > of > a Nirmal Gram, was misconstrued deliberately by the Trinamul Congress > leadership as a plan to take over land for a proposed chemical hub. An > attacking gang of the Trinamul Congress and the Naxalites, the Panchayat > broke up the meeting and chased away government officials, set on fire > police vehicles, and ransacked houses of CPI (M) supporters nearby. This > set the pattern of things to develop over the next ten months. > > 2.. From the evening of 3 January, houses of CPI (M) supporters were > attacked by an organisation called the Bhumi Ucchhed Pratirodh Samity > (BUPS) > or the so-called 'committee to prevent eviction from land' that was set up > and run by the Trinamul Congress and its allies the Naxalites, and the > SUCI > with outside support declared by the local units of the Congress and the > BJP. > > 3.. Since the night of the 3 January, the entire area of Nandigram, and > its > surrounding localities were forcefully taken over by the armed gangs of > the > BUPS and the Trinamul Congress and they allowed only their writ to run, > they > would not allow either the police or the civil administration any > entry. This was the time when they aligned themselves with the armed > Maoists from Jharkhand and Orissa to enter the area. > > 4.. Bridges were destroyed, culverts were broken up, all roads leading > onto > and out of Nandigram were slashed up, and Nandigram was declared a > 'liberated zone' where the state government would not be allowed entry. > > 5.. A large amount of explosives and a large number of guns by then had > been > sneaked into Nandigram and they were distributed to a large number goons > and > anti-socials who swore allegiance to the Trinamul Congress, the Naxalites, > and the SUCI under the garb and guise of the BUPS. Ostensibly, the > violent > 'movement' was to 'prevent the LF government from acquiring land for a > chemical hub project,' which was a lie. > > 6.. Bengal chief minister declared in a huge CPI (M) rally at Khejuri in > February that the LF government had not issued any notice at all for any > such acquisition of land for any such project that would include Nandigram > and its surrounds. However, the violence was continued with by the > Trinamul > Congress and its allies. > > 7.. On the morning of 14 March, a police firing had to be resorted to when > violence was let loose by the Trinamul Congress and its allies. Bengal > Left > Front chairman and Bengal chief minister both expressed regret at the > incident and called for peace. > > 8.. Specific targets have been made of the CPI (M) workers, and supporters > and their houses were looted and then set on fire, forcing them to leave > hearth-and-home and take refuge in the miserable conditions of relief > camps > that were set up on an emergency basis. Even the relief camps have since > then been routinely attacked, and the refugees prevented form going back > to > their villages. > > 9.. The Trinamul Congress now joined by cadres of the Maoists ejected at > gunpoint hundreds of people every day from Nandigram villages and from > surrounding areas. At present more than 3,500 people are rendered > refugees > in their own homeland. 1, 500 live in the inadequacies of relief camps > and > the rest have found shelter in houses of relatives away from > Nandigram. Men, women, and children are not able to lead a normal life > and > are terror-struck. > > 10.. What is criminal in intent are the acts of commission by the Trinamul > Congress and its allies even after the Bengal chief minister again clearly > declared subsequently in September that there was no plan to set up a > chemical hub at Nandigram and that the desolate sandhead at the mouth of > the > River Ganges called Nayachar has been selected for the chemical hub > extending from Haldia. > > 11.. In the meanwhile, more and more attacks have been organised on the > CPI > (M) workers and CPI (M) supporters. Until date, 13 more CPI (M) > supporters > have been done to death. Women have been raped and killed. Cattle, > poultry, and fishes poisoned. Stocks of cereals, vegetables, food stuff > looted. A business is run by the Trinamul Congress and the Maoists (under > the cover of the BUPS) where funds are extracted from the villagers before > allowing them to till the land and harvest crops, or to run shops. > > 12.. Every kind of developmental work was brought to a standstill. 15,000 > children could not take doses of pulse polio. Rs two crore worth of > health > infrastructural work had to be abandoned. The health centres and the > subsidiary health centres virtually could not function. Rs two crore > worth > of electrification could not be done. With no developmental work allowed > by > the Trinamul Congress-Maoists, the future of development even next year > looks bleak with the inability of the district administration to produce > utilisation certificates for funds allocated and not used. > > 13.. The CPI (Maoist) has added a violent dimension to the imbroglio at > Nandigram. They have brought in groups of armed and trained action forces > from outside of Nandigram, even outside of the two Midnapores, east, and > west from Jharkhand and Orissa. They have coordinated efforts with the > Trinamul Congress setting up joint commands at Nandigram and surrounding > areas. The action is coordinated by Ranjit Pal of the Maoists (the > self-declared killer of JMM MP Sunil Mahato), and Subhendu Adhikari of the > Trinamul Congress. Three landmine bursts have occurred recently killing > two > CPI (M) supporters and it is apprehended that many more landmines have > been > planted in and around Nandigram. The Maoists control a large tract of > land > from Garchakraberia to Sonachura. The DNA of Mumbai and the national > daily > Economic Times (copies enclosed*) have carried the details of the Maoist > plans of action very recently. > > 14.. To fund the armed activities the Trinamul Congress and the Maoists > have > stolen a huge quantity of products from the Burn Standard factory at > Jellingham and sold them in localities of south 24 Parganas. They also > cut > down and illegally sold a large number of prime and valuable trees. In > both > instances, the criminal were caught and they confessed to the crimes. > > 15.. The need of the hour is peace and development. The Bengal chief > minister has already briefed the media about the outcome of a meeting > between the district administration and the BUPS led by the Trinamul > Congress where it was agreed that the remaining concerned police officers > would be transferred, cases lodged withdrawn, and payment compensation to > victims fixed. In return, refugees living in the unhealthy conditions of > the relief camps would be allowed a safe return. To this, the Trinamul > Congress, and the BUPS agreed but later did not allow the refugees to go > back to their villages. > > 16.. The Trinamul Congress leadership has recently declared publicly at a > rally at Riyapara that anyone willing to live at Nandigram shall have to > become a member of the Trinamul Congress or else will be either killed or > ousted. In attacking the CPI (M) office there, the miscreants also tore > down and burnt two Red Flags. > > 17.. A violent turn of events occurred soon after. Following the attack > on > the Riyapara office of the CPI (M), the combined forces of the Trinamul > Congress, the BUPS, and the Maoists crossed a canal on 5 November, entered > into newer areas, a process they have started during the festival season, > and threatened to do away with relief camps. People in the relief camps > have had a very miserable time for the past eleven months. > > 18.. You may kindly recall that the destitute people of Nandigram who were > driven out from home-and-hearth had met you earlier in deputation (copy > enclosed*) communicating to you the misery they faced at the relief camps. > > 19.. They could take it no longer. In utter desperation and braving > bullets > and bombs, they with the help of the people in the nearby areas came out > of > the camps and marched peacefully towards their home villages. > > 20.. Bengal Left Front has issued a specific appeal for peace and for the > safe and secure return to villages of all people living outside of them, > irrespective of political affiliation. The men, women, and children are > to > be ensured a safe rehabilitation. The Left Front has also called upon the > people of Nandigram to cooperate with the police and the civil > administration to help establish peace and ensure a new beginning for the > stalled works of development. There should not be allowed any instance of > retaliation. > > 21.. The state administration has recently iterated what the chief > minister > told the media earlier. The package announced include compensation for > the > victims, shifting of the remaining police officers, punishment for the > guilty, withdrawal of cases, and providing relief to the distressed > people. The police will with permission of the concerned political > parties > enter the Nandigram zone and set up police camps to begin the peace > process. > > > 22.. Out of fear, some villagers have very recently left their places, and > have taken shelter in the Nandigram police station and a nearby school. A > section of them has already gone back to their villages after assurance of > safety and security by the erstwhile and returned refugees. > > 23.. Currently, peace talks have been initiated at the lower level and the > concerned political parties have agreed that they want to restore normalcy > and allow to the setting up of police camps. If there is no interference > from above, everything will be normal very soon. > > 24.. Peace negotiations have commenced at the level of the district > administration with participation of political parties. Negotiations can > be > continued with the BUPS and the Trinamul Congress but cannot be organised > with the CPI (Maoist) for the latter has been the propagators of an > intense > violence taking the shelter of the Trinamul Congress and the BUPS. > > With best regards, > Yours sincerely, > 1. Prasanta Pradhan > 2. Taritbaran Topdar > 3. Mainul Hasan > 4. Sudhangsu Sil > 5. Rupa Bagchi" > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From parthaekka at gmail.com Sat Nov 10 22:14:32 2007 From: parthaekka at gmail.com (Partha Dasgupta) Date: Sat, 10 Nov 2007 22:14:32 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Conclusion In-Reply-To: <417764.2551.qm@web45504.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> References: <32144e990711100621w2978889cu4911801cca7c465a@mail.gmail.com> <417764.2551.qm@web45504.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <32144e990711100844s576b39e9k7efdd3b884b5db7a@mail.gmail.com> Dear Dhatri, You are a coward who hides behind words and 'tradition' without even the sancticity of belief. You talk of Ashok leaving forgetting the base tenet of Hinduism called 'sanyas' when a man leaves the family for a higher calling. You are a lair. And a cheat who is posturing without knowing the basics of what India is about and you dare to make comments on Sarai!! Invaders are the aryans and the first book talks about an Aryan being a blond - at least don't lie to yourself. Or are you so blinded that your mind id dead. The same person who said s/he is an IT professional. What a laugh. You are SO pathetic!!! If you have the courage, meet me in a publiic debate and I will laugh you of the platform. You don't even begin to understand what you are saying. I had to tuck my 10 year old son into bed because even he knew what you wrote was CRAP and he thought the list was comprised of thinking adults. That's how corny you sound. In fact, forget me, just meet my 10 year old son in a public debate and find out how blinkered you are. Without regards, Partha >.............................................. PS: Do you really ahve the courage to follow up the CRAP you have posted? On 11/10/07, we wi wrote: > Dear Partha, > > On Dalits, > > In the name of reservations this that there is much happening. > > On the contrary let me write about GAUTAMA BUDDA TURNED INTO BODHISAVTA. > There are 4 reasons that GAUTAMA/SIDHARTHA to give up social life at NIGHT > like a thief or roberrer. > By that time he was survived with WIFE AND CHILD along with parents. > > > He is so weak in such a way that, having been watched the sorrows of life > and bothered to wipe them out of EVERYBODY LIFE. By the time he was survived > with a wife and a child beside from parents. But did he really think about > them? what happen if he become a yogi or took sanyaas? Who will take care > about them and their responsibility?? But He left everything in > NIGHT(Sleeping time) became BODHISATTVA and Invented Buddism. Later KINGS > followed and spread it. Followers spread it with modifications in present > form whatever. > > BODHISATVA never thought about family? Do I say like this? > > > Brahmin class never be considered as Aryans. > > The greatest mountain in India always was Maha Meru , which literally > touches the sky. The Sun and Moon were supposed to go round that mountain. > The Vindhya ranges which are in the middle of India got very jealous of > this state of affairs and started growing taller and taller. A stage came > when the Sun and the moon were not able to travel to the South. So Indra > requested Agasthya to do some thing about it. It was at this time that Lord > Shiva decided to marry Goddess Parvathi. People all over the world started > traveling to Himalayas to attend Lord Shiva's marriage. Due to this earth > started tilting north wards. God Shiva had to stop this so he requested > Sage Agasthya (whom he thought as equal to all people on earth) to travel > towards the south, so that the great penance he did will balance the earth. > Unwillingly Sage Agasthya traveled to south. On his way he was forced to > cross the Vindhya mountain which was extremely tall. Sage Agasthya > requested the Vindhya > Mountain to become tiny so that he can easily cross it. The Vindhyas > acceded to the request of sage Agasthya. Sage Agasthya requested the > mountain to be tiny till he came back to North. The mountain agreed to this > also. But sage Agasthya settled in south of India and never went back. > > Like that settlers and traversaries happened east to west and south to > north. > > Regards, > Dhatri. > > > > Partha Dasgupta wrote: Dear Dhatri, > > Atleast get the logic / argument straight instead of posting such junk. > > 1. We all have seen the ugly face of caste with the treatment of Dalit's > which exists to date. > > 2. Buddhism is a separate religion by a Hindu ruler who was sickened by > the killing > (and I do not see any cries of being marginalised) > > 3. If all invaders have to go, so do Aryans (including the entire Brahmin > class) and leave > India to the Dravid's who are the initial know inhabitants. > > Rgds, Partha > .............................. > > > On 11/10/07, we wi wrote: Dear All, > > What I observe is that the debates are going about > culture,religion,caste and history here in fallacious way. Buddism will > never be considered a separate religion and the ideologist GAUTAMA/SIDHARTHA > himself hails from KSHATRIYA CASTE. MUSLIMS AND CHRISTIAN created a false > IMAGE about the CASTE system, to spread their own religion with all witch > crafts.Using CASTE system of HINDUISM in their favor is just another > technique. Similarly Christians. > > Scholar Sri ADI SHANKARACHARYA(REINCARNATION OF SHIV) reconstructed > HINDUISM from its dis-integration stage. > > Since Hindu system is an old and Hindu system has flaws (as per > accusations), many religions generated/encouraged/transported and people > joined into them and following them SINCERELY. Do they really??? Definitely > no. people joined in new religions and feeling/thinking/following the same > age old tradition and ideology. Why??? > > Lets say UPPER CASTES in the HINDU religion USED POWER PLAY but they > never tuned the society into ATHEIST WAY(DON'T HAVE BELIEF IN EVERYTHING). > But now UNDER Christians,Muslims,LOWER castes RULING, isn't it more worsen ? > These common idealistic,secular,democratic people or rulers following any > different ruling system for better life that they or anybody enjoyed in > UPPER-CASTE RULE. The society we are living becoming FEELING-LESS for > EVERYTHING. > > > > If SARAI is partial recent days by not publishing all subscribers views, > and SARAI is encouraging non-democratic,non-Indian,non-Hindu Ideology for > whatever reasons. > Being citizens of INDIA,residents of JAMMU AND KASHMIR and threatened > silent viewers of ransacking(PAST OR PRESENT), whats wrong if Pawan durani > and Rashneek kher,... write here about the situations PAST OR PRESENT. > > For talking or writing about INDIA and its cultural,traditional roots the > depth I quoted on several mails is insufficient and for that subscribers > expressed their impatience and shown greater solutions in the name of > different feelings and technology for their OWN REASONS. How can INVADERS > HISTORY AND THEIR 4000 year old odd altered/duped > occurrences/incidents/theories can stand for all > criticisms/arguments/logic's. > > Regards, > Dhatri. > > > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > http://mail.yahoo.com > > > > > -- > Partha Dasgupta > +919811047132 > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > http://mail.yahoo.com -- Partha Dasgupta +919811047132 From amitabh at sarai.net Sun Nov 11 00:02:39 2007 From: amitabh at sarai.net (Amitabh Kumar) Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2007 00:02:39 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Attn: The Second Comic Book Reading Message-ID: <39793226-67D8-44C8-B53D-739BE0791DFC@sarai.net> Sarai-CSDS and the French Information Resource Center (FIRC) have collaborated to produce a series of events to popularize and promote a wider dissemination of comic books, graphic novels and graphic literature The first such event made its debut with Orijit Sen talking about his work and practice in FIRC on the 26th of October 2007. Continuing this effort to popularise comics practice in India, we are happy to announce the second Comic Book Reading with Shuddhabrata Sengupta. Date: 14th November 2007 Time:5:00 p.m Venue: Sarai- CSDS, 29,Rajpur Road, Civil Lines Delhi-110054 Shuddabrata Sengupta will be talking about 'THE INVISIBLES' comic book series. What is THE INVISIBLES ? Considered by many as the blueprint on which various super hero saga's (like the Matrix) have been based, the plot follows a single cell of The Invisible College, a secret organization battling against physical and psychic oppression using time travel , magic , meditation , and physical violence. For most of the series, the team includes leader King Mob; Lord Fanny, a Brazilian transgendered shaman; Boy, a former member of the NYPD; Ragged Robin, a telepath with a mysterious past; and Jack Frost, a young hooligan from Liverpool who may be the next Buddha. Their enemies are the Archons of Outer Church, interdimensional alien gods who have already enslaved most of the human race without its knowledge. Every conspiracy theory you've ever heard, every urban legend that stretches our perception of reality is true. Those in authority really are working from ancient, Freemason-approved schematics designs to alter the world and corral individuality. The anarchists are in the right, and there really are subliminal advertisements in the commercials for cereal and Must-See TV meant to keep the great unwashed subservient and stupid. As a comic, you can't get much better a premise to use the conventions of the medium. The cosmos, machinery, violence, dimensional hopscotch and dramatic poses . It's a counterculture battle. And those who would demand more from such a story need only follow a reference to McKenna, the I Ching, voodoo, sigils and cyberpunk. And those who would demand even more can follow the philosophical implications of human evolution helped along by a game including transvestites, blue mold and Molotov cocktails. Shuddabrata Sengupta is a co-initiator of the Sarai Programme at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies and a media practitioner, artist and writer with the Raqs Media Collective. Sengupta lives and works in Delhi, India. Raqs Media Collective works in contemporary art, media practices, and curation. Sengupta works at the Sarai Media Lab and is member of the editorial collective of the Sarai Reader Series. From amitabh at sarai.net Sun Nov 11 00:02:39 2007 From: amitabh at sarai.net (Amitabh Kumar) Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2007 00:02:39 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] [Announcements] Attn: The Second Comic Book Reading Message-ID: <39793226-67D8-44C8-B53D-739BE0791DFC@sarai.net> Sarai-CSDS and the French Information Resource Center (FIRC) have collaborated to produce a series of events to popularize and promote a wider dissemination of comic books, graphic novels and graphic literature The first such event made its debut with Orijit Sen talking about his work and practice in FIRC on the 26th of October 2007. Continuing this effort to popularise comics practice in India, we are happy to announce the second Comic Book Reading with Shuddhabrata Sengupta. Date: 14th November 2007 Time:5:00 p.m Venue: Sarai- CSDS, 29,Rajpur Road, Civil Lines Delhi-110054 Shuddabrata Sengupta will be talking about 'THE INVISIBLES' comic book series. What is THE INVISIBLES ? Considered by many as the blueprint on which various super hero saga's (like the Matrix) have been based, the plot follows a single cell of The Invisible College, a secret organization battling against physical and psychic oppression using time travel , magic , meditation , and physical violence. For most of the series, the team includes leader King Mob; Lord Fanny, a Brazilian transgendered shaman; Boy, a former member of the NYPD; Ragged Robin, a telepath with a mysterious past; and Jack Frost, a young hooligan from Liverpool who may be the next Buddha. Their enemies are the Archons of Outer Church, interdimensional alien gods who have already enslaved most of the human race without its knowledge. Every conspiracy theory you've ever heard, every urban legend that stretches our perception of reality is true. Those in authority really are working from ancient, Freemason-approved schematics designs to alter the world and corral individuality. The anarchists are in the right, and there really are subliminal advertisements in the commercials for cereal and Must-See TV meant to keep the great unwashed subservient and stupid. As a comic, you can't get much better a premise to use the conventions of the medium. The cosmos, machinery, violence, dimensional hopscotch and dramatic poses . It's a counterculture battle. And those who would demand more from such a story need only follow a reference to McKenna, the I Ching, voodoo, sigils and cyberpunk. And those who would demand even more can follow the philosophical implications of human evolution helped along by a game including transvestites, blue mold and Molotov cocktails. Shuddabrata Sengupta is a co-initiator of the Sarai Programme at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies and a media practitioner, artist and writer with the Raqs Media Collective. Sengupta lives and works in Delhi, India. Raqs Media Collective works in contemporary art, media practices, and curation. Sengupta works at the Sarai Media Lab and is member of the editorial collective of the Sarai Reader Series. -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From tapasrayx at gmail.com Sun Nov 11 01:26:31 2007 From: tapasrayx at gmail.com (Tapas Ray) Date: Sat, 10 Nov 2007 14:56:31 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] WB CPI (M) Deputation meets Governor on Nandigramdevelopments In-Reply-To: <00d301c8239c$dc0a44f0$6400a8c0@taraprakash> References: <98f331e00711092321q6dadb8e6j7cc361267231308e@mail.gmail.com> <00d301c8239c$dc0a44f0$6400a8c0@taraprakash> Message-ID: <47360CEF.7000600@googlemail.com> The memorandum places a great deal of emphasis on Maoist involvement. Mention of this factor is also being heard frequently from government/ruling quarters. There was a lengthy item recently in Ajkaal, a Bengali daily supposedly close to Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharya, with a title that translates roughly as 'Not Cong[ress] or Trinamool, it's Maoists that are entrenched in Nandigram'. The item says, essentially, that Tinamool and other opposition party workers are providing cover for Maoists in the area. With this supposed involvement of Maoists, Nandigram becomes part of the larger Maoist challenge which Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has stated as being the greatest before the Indian state at this time. Therefore, a subtext in the memorandum is a call - to the Centre through the Governor - to view Nandigram as part of the national "Maoist problem". This call for a "law-and-order" approach can also be read as an admission of the failure of the political process. A few thoughts, for whatever they are worth. Long before the Maoists became involved in Nandigram, which is in the south-eastern part of West Bengal, in the coastal region, they had established themselves in the western part. In fact, one of their strongholds at that stage was the tribal-inhabited western part of erstwhile Midnapore district. Nandigram was also in Midnapore. After the district was split up into West M. and East M., the Naxalite (Maoist) belt fell in West Midnapore along with Bankura and Purulia districts. Nandigram fell in East Midnapore. Thus, geographically, the Maoists were never far from Nandigram. The West Bengal government and the CPI(M) probably should have foreseen that if discontent festered, it would not be long before the Maoists found their way into Nandigram. But why and how have the Maoists come back to West Bengal - in the western part long before Nandigram - over a quarter century after it seemed that the state had put the bloody Naxalite phase, which lasted from the late 1960s to mid-1970s, behind itself? If the weakness or failure of the democratic process can be blamed for the rise of the Maoist challenge in the tribal-dominated states of Chattisgarh and Jharkhand, and the tribal areas of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa, can something similar be said of West Bengal as well? A senior leader of one of the CPI(M)'s "junior partners" in West Bengal's Left Front government had told me that extremism was bound to rise if the people's urge for democracy was curbed. He was a grassroots politician, not an academic, and I suppose he had his ear to the ground. If he had seen the writing on the wall, why hadn't the "senior partner" in the coalition, namely the CPI(M)? Was there a way to forestall Nandigram's turn towards extremism - assuming that it has indeed taken that turn as the CPI(M) MPs and ruling circles claim? There probably was, but that option was - and is still being - passed by. The CPI(M) MPs' memorandum to the Governor makes it clear that even almost eight months after the March 14 carnage, in which 14 people died, the "package announced" for victims - include compensation for the victims, shifting of the remaining police officers, punishment for the guilty, withdrawal of cases, and providing relief to the distressed people - is still only being "iterated". In this regard, those interested may read this article, which appeared in the Economic and Political Weekly last month: http://www.epw.org.in/uploads/articles/11127.pdf It says, "The findings of a people’s tribunal in Nandigram point to the fact that relief, rehabilitation and justice are yet to be provided to the victims of the Nandigram police firing on March 14. Tapas TaraPrakash wrote: > In other words, the government has lost control and must be replaced. > It was an interesting thing to add in the memo that the alliance that included ultra left destroyed red flags. The governor should be infuriated by this revelation. So, the president's rule in West Bengal? Marshal law? > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "prakash ray" > To: > Sent: Saturday, November 10, 2007 2:21 AM > Subject: [Reader-list] WB CPI (M) Deputation meets Governor on Nandigramdevelopments > > >> A delegation of four WB CPI (M) MPs and one MLA met the Hon. Governor on the >> late morning of 9 November. The delegation in a detailed memorandum From taraprakash at gmail.com Sun Nov 11 08:56:53 2007 From: taraprakash at gmail.com (TaraPrakash) Date: Sat, 10 Nov 2007 22:26:53 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] an article on Nandigram References: <98f331e00711092336i2e3c9b7bi728756098697b3f5@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <00e501c82412$b86a13b0$6400a8c0@taraprakash> Thanks for this link. I am pasting the article for those who may not want to download adobe reader required to read pdf files. It is distressing that a party I once sympathized with, has fallen to such a crude tribalism. Time to get rid of the legislative assembly. Time to ban and perhaps destroy the fascists in the garb of communists once and for all. Economic and Political Weekly October 13, 2007 Economic and Political Weekly October 13, 2007 Nandigram: Six Months Later The findings of a people’s tribunal in Nandigram point to the fact that relief, rehabilitation and justice are yet to be provided to the victims of the Nandigram police firing on March 14. Dipanjan Rai Chaudhuri, Satya Sivaraman A recently released report of the people’s tribunal on Nandigram has described the police firing and killings of March 14 in Nandigram as nothing less than a “state sponsored massacre”. And yet six months later the beleaguered people of Nandigram still live in a state of siege with no signs of relief, peace or justice in the near future. While they have been victorious in their battle against state attempts to take over their land for a chemical hub, they continue to be subjected to systematic “punishment” by the Left Front government for their defiance. Apart from facing attacks on an almost daily basis by CPI(M) cadre from their neighbouring stronghold of Khejuri, the people of Nandigram are coping with loss of livelihoods, severe trauma and injuries from the March 14 incident. On their part, the Left Front government and the main ruling party CPI(M) have just shrugged off the massacre as if nothing had happened. Revisiting March 14 Part of the CPI(M) strategy all along has been to cast doubts on what really happened in Nandigram on March 14, with some of its leaders referring to it as a “clash” between police and protestors opposed to the land acquisition. It is even implied that some of the 14 people officially declared as killed in the police action may have died due to violence indulged in by a section of the Nandigram villagers themselves. The report of the people’s tribunal, headed by justice S N Bhargava, a former chief justice of the Sikkim High Court however finds, “There was unprovoked, indiscriminate firing without sufficient warning and without following the established procedure in accordance with law against a peaceful, religious and lawful gathering of mostly women and children from Nandigram”. The report names 14 people, including two women, who were killed by the police, and one person who is missing. Further, it describes the unsavoury collusion between the government agencies and the ruling CPI(M) party, thus: The motive behind this massacre seems to be the ruling party’s wish to “teach a lesson” to poor villagers in Nandigram by terrorising them for opposing the proposed Special Economic Zone (SEZ) project. The 5-member tribunal, which was organised by a national initiative of con cerned citizens and included well known journalists, social activists, and doctors received 194 depositions from villagers and civil society organisations during its hearings in Nandigram and Kolkata from May 26-28. Of these seven written depo sitions claimed victims of the firing by police and CPI(M) cadre had bullet inju ries on the upper part of the body. Two claimed witnessing two people being shot in the chest, and one alleged that she saw a relative of hers shot in the back. Ac cording to the day-sheet at Nandigram health centre on March 14, four persons were brought dead with bullet injuries in the head or the abdomen. Many deponents mention that there was no parleying before start of the assault and they were falling back and running away while the police kept on firing. The tribunal concludes: “The lack of parleying seems to suggest that the carnage caused by police firing on the retreating mass, mainly of women and children, was pre-planned. The depo sitions also clearly bring out that police went on firing after the people started to flee and that they were not firing towards the legs.” The report cites one deposition which mentions stone throwing by youngsters, but is unequivocal in concluding that “There is no evidence of the carriage of any arms by the villagers”. More than 50 depositions allege violence, including firing, lathi charge and sexual violence, by alleged CPI(M) cadre – some dressed in police uniform but wearing slippers and others with black masks or white veils to hide their faces. Some deponents could identify and name the CPI(M) cadre among them. The involvement of non-police persons in the violence is seen in the stab injury in the chest of one of the persons brought dead to the Nandigram health centre, and also in the reported use of sophisticated arms like SLRs, not issued to the police forces. The report goes on to state starkly: “Children were not spared. Fracture cases due to police lathi charge have been treated by doctors. The rape of a 12-year old girl by a named CPI(M) cadre has the mother and sister as eyewitnesses. There are persistent reports of cruelty on very young children by the policemen.” A medical camp set up by a collective of independent doctors identified nine child victims. A doctor described two of the injuries examined by him to be “brutal”. Administrative Indifference Shockingly, till date, not a single family of the 14 people killed in March have received even ex gratia payment leave alone full compensation. No relief has been provided to those wounded in the police firing and unable to pay for their treatment or resume work of any kind. Though in June this year the Left Front government hinted at the possibility of offering compensation, a central committee member of the CPI(M) has gone on record to oppose such a move as he did not consider the Nandigram struggle to retain land “to be a democratic movement”. All this is in stark contrast to the way the CPI(M) rightly demanded and got compensation for its activists killed in police firings in Khammam from the Andhra Pradesh government. The West Bengal government has also not cooperated at all in attempts to trace Subrato Samanta who is missing since March 14 and is alleged to have been shot by many eyewitness accounts. Given the brazen partisanship of the state administration and its own involvement in the March 14 massacre, it is also not surprising that no charges have been filed against policemen or CPI(M) cadre implicated in the killings or the numerous cases of rape and sexual abuse of women from Nandigram on that day. The Left Front government on the other hand has in fact tried to protect all those implicated by a team of CBI investigators, who on March 17, 2007 arrested 10 persons with illegal arms and ammunition in their possession from the Janani Brick- fields, within the disturbed area. A case was started against the 10, who were clearly there at the service of the ruling party, under the Arms Act and the Criminal Conspiracy Act. The local police however did not file a charge sheet within the statutorily required 90 days, and the miscreants obtained bail. It must also be mentioned that the report of the executive inquiry conducted by Balbir Ram, Commissioner, Burdwan Division at the behest of the West Bengal govern ment has also not been made public. Further, not a single minister of the Left Front government, no front rank leader of the main ruling party, no top level official from the administration has so far visited the affected people of Nandigram, not even just to listen to their complaints. Recently the veteran CPI(M) leader Jyoti Basu remarked that “It seems as if Nandigram does not belong to Bengal anymore and has become a liberated zone”. The truth is that Nandigram has become “enemy territory” for the CPI(M) and its people aliens to be routed and subjugated to the diktats of their party. Sexual Abuse One of the most serious charges levelled against the police and CPI(M) cadre involved in the March 14 violence in Nandigram was widespread rape and sexual abuse of women. The tribunal report says, “There were a disturbingly large number of incidents of sexual violence by both police and armed ruling party cadre against women, many of them carried out in the most cruel, degrading and inhuman manner”. More than 20 depositions before the tribunal alleged sexual violence. A woman and her married daughter allege rape, and also name CPI(M) cadre as assailants. The youngest daughter, a minor, was also raped before them. There is another deponent who makes a clear accusation of rape, and three other depositions which do not use the term but whose experience on March 14 clearly point to rape. Other cases of sexual violence include insertion of rods into the sex organ, and scratching and biting in the breast and pelvic regions. The report says: “Sexual violence and the threat thereof were used as intimidation by CPI(M) cadre who are quoted by Nandigram villagers as taunting them with ‘Tell your women we are coming’”. No official body, like the West Bengal commission for women, has so far taken any steps to record and investigate the charges voiced by the sexually abused women. On the other hand, Lakshman Seth, the CPI(M) MP from Tamluk and the main force behind the land acquisition move, went on record with a statement that the those women who did dare to claim rape or sexual abuse were all lying because “no woman subjected to sexual violation would talk publicly about it”. Lack of Medical Facilities The government has also not taken any steps so far to arrange for adequate medical attention to the affected people although their plight was thrust into public knowledge again and again. The carnage of March 14 was a one-day affair, though the violations continued for two days. But health problems still dog the victims, gunshot injuries, lathi charge injuries, falls and fractures, tear gas generated burns and ocular problems, psychological trauma all require attention and treatment. But, the facilities at the Nandigram health centre and the Tamluk hospital are woefully inadequate. The government refuses to take the responsibility of ensuring proper treatment for the victims, and NGO help is all that reaches them. Also, there is evidence now that many of the medical discharge certificates of victims of the March 14 violence were manipulated. The SSKM government hospital in Kolkata, where several of the injured were taken to, referred to what was clearly a bullet injury in one case as being due to “a metallic foreign body”. About the SSKM hospital the people’s tribunal report observes: The doctors and the administration refused to give any information and, on insistence, advised the protestor to go to court. Discharge certificates were incomplete. Type of injury (bullet injury, head injury, fracture, etc) was not clearly mentioned. Police case number was not given. The aim was to underrate severity of the injury and obstruct legal action. The doctors of the government health service, too, stand charged by deponents before the tribunal with unethical behaviour, ranging from fear, leading to a reluctance in recording the evidence of police atrocities, to partisanship exemplified by falsification of dates of discharge of victims. Prospects of Peace The people’s tribunal report also points out the reasons why negotiations between the government and the people of Nandigram or between the supporters of the CPI(M) and the Bhoomi Uchched Pratirodh Committee (BUPC), which is leading the anti-land acquisition struggle have failed to make any headway so far. One is the clear partisan attitude of the state administration, especially the police. As the report notes, “Despite lodging of complaints by various members of the BUPC, no step was taken by the police personnel on the basis of the said complaints and there was no arrest of the miscreants who are members of the CPI(M)”. Secondly the report notes, “As of writing this report in August 2007 regular firing and terrorising of villagers in Nandigram by CPI(M) cadre based in Khejuri and counter-violence by members of the BUPC was still continuing on an almost daily basis”, and refers to 21 such armed incursions into Nandigram fom Khejuri, brought to the notice of the tribunal. Thirdly the report says that there is no agreement yet over how to work out the return of supporters of the CPI(M), hailing from Nandigram, who have been living with their families in camps on the Khejuri side due to alleged intimidation by BUPC members. The CPI(M) have claimed that there were thousands of such displaced people, while the maximum number of such cases conceded by BUPC is 250. School students in the area have been severely affected by the ongoing violence. Some schools have been made into police camps, and there is little security for school goers in the daily exchange of fire. The report quotes one deposition by a NGO working among the children in both Nandigram and Khejuri: Maheshpur high school (763 on the rolls) found 80 per cent absent after March 14. Those who were coming were tense and fearful. The annual examinations were postponed twice. Still, many could not appear, and were subsequently examined orally and half-yearly results also taken account of to decide (their) promotion. Teachers felt that 70 per cent of examinees were affected by the unrest. Gokulnagar high school is a police camp. Policemen occupy 11 out of 22 classrooms. The school has been forced to open two shifts. Science practical classes are taken in the open ground as policemen occupy the labs. .... Lessons are disturbed and girl students are uncomfortable.... the toilets give off a stench. There is scarcity of water because so many are consuming it. It may be mentioned that agitating students finally forced the police to vacate the Gokulnagar high school in July. The Way Out of the Mess Among its recommendations, the people’s tribunal has suggested: – the continuation of the CBI inquiry into the incidents at Nandigram with a speedy conclusion thereof, placing special emphasis on inquiry into the specific roles and culpability of different officials in the administration, in the events of March 14; – re-arrest of the 10 CPI(M) cadre, caught red-handed with illegal arms, by the CBI, and subsequently bailed out due to deliberate negligence of the state police; – setting up a special bench, headed by a woman judge, to hear the complaints of violence against women; – setting up “monitoring committees” by the Calcutta High Court to ensure peace- keeping in such areas like Nandigram where violent incidents continue to date and; – identification and prosecution of the CPI(M) cadre who impersonated policemen on March 14. The tribunal has also called for the involvement of the national human rights commission in working out ex gratia relief to the families of those who have been killed and two persons injured in the police action. It has asked the West Bengal government to provide compensation and damages for injury and loss of life and property to victims of the March 14 violence, on par with that paid in the case of the police person killed in Nandigram on February 7, 2007, as part of an earlier incident. Referring to the CPI(M) supporters living as refugees in the camps at Khejuri, the tribunal report observes that the peace process must allow the return and resettlement of all Nandigram residents, irrespective of their party affiliations barring those few accused of direct involvement in the heinous crimes of March 14-16. An independent body trusted by both the people of Nandigram and the refugees should monitor the return it said. Grounds for Optimism The only ray of hope in all these months has been the response of the governor of West Bengal, Gopal Krishna Gandhi, who immediately after the March 14 massacre issued a statement that said “the news of deaths by police firing in Nandigram this morning has filled me with a sense of cold horror”. Following this the high court at Kolkata suo motu initiated a public interest litigation through an order which said, “Prima facie we are satisfied that this action of the police department is wholly unconstitutional and cannot be justified under any provision of law”, and called for a special inquiry into the incident by the central bureau of investigation (CBI). In August, the high court also concluded hearings of a class action suit (among several others still pending) filed by the West Bengal bar association against the police action of March 14 and a judgment is still awaited. The people’s tribunal report notes approvingly the role of civil society in West Bengal in the aftermath of Singur and Nandigram: “There were huge spontaneous protest rallies and meetings in Kolkata and district towns as civil society initiatives. Students, teachers, doctors, lawyers, office workers, science club organisers, scientists, artistes, writers, dramatists, singers – all staged protest marches and meetings and also raised donations to organise relief and rehabilitation works.” Had civil society not erupted as it did, the West Bengal government would not have budged from its plan of imposing a chemical hub on Nandigram, drowning all protests in blood and tears. Hopefully, they will continue to play the role of defending the human rights of ordinary people in the face of state aggression and authoritarian behaviour. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tapas Ray" < tapasrayx at gmail.com> To: "TaraPrakash" < taraprakash at gmail.com> Sent: Saturday, November 10, 2007 9:39 AM Subject: Re: [Reader-list] WB CPI (M) Deputation meets Governor on Nandigramdevelopments > The memorandum places a great deal of emphasis on Maoist involvement. > Mention of this factor is also being heard frequently from > government/ruling quarters. There was a lengthy item recently in Ajkaal, a > Bengali daily supposedly close to Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharya, > with a title that translates roughly as 'Not Cong[ress] or Trinamool, it's > Maoists that are entrenched in Nandigram'. The item says, essentially, > that Tinamool and other opposition party workers are providing cover for > Maoists in the area. > > With this supposed involvement of Maoists, Nandigram becomes part of the > larger Maoist challenge which Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has stated as > being the greatest before the Indian state at this time. Therefore, a > subtext in the memorandum is a call - to the Centre through the Governor - > to view Nandigram as part of the national "Maoist problem". This call for > a "law-and-order" approach can also be read as an admission of the failure > of the political process. > > A few thoughts, for whatever they are worth. > > Long before the Maoists became involved in Nandigram, which is in the > south-eastern part of West Bengal, in the coastal region, they had > established themselves in the western part. In fact, one of their > strongholds at that stage was the tribal-inhabited western part of > erstwhile Midnapore district. Nandigram was also in Midnapore. After the > district was split up into West M. and East M., the Naxalite (Maoist) belt > fell in West Midnapore along with Bankura and Purulia districts. Nandigram > fell in East Midnapore. > > Thus, geographically, the Maoists were never far from Nandigram. The West > Bengal government and the CPI(M) probably should have foreseen that if > discontent festered, it would not be long before the Maoists found their > way into Nandigram. > > But why and how have the Maoists come back to West Bengal - in the western > part long before Nandigram - over a quarter century after it seemed that > the state had put the bloody Naxalite phase, which lasted from the late > 1960s to mid-1970s, behind itself? If the weakness or failure of the > democratic process can be blamed for the rise of the Maoist challenge in > the tribal-dominated states of Chattisgarh and Jharkhand, and the tribal > areas of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa, can something similar be > said of West Bengal as well? A senior leader of one of the CPI(M)'s > "junior partners" in West Bengal's Left Front government had told me that > extremism was bound to rise if the people's urge for democracy was curbed. > He was a grassroots politician, not an academic, and I suppose he had his > ear to the ground. > > If he had seen the writing on the wall, why hadn't the "senior partner" in > the coalition, namely the CPI(M)? > > Was there a way to forestall Nandigram's turn towards extremism - assuming > that it has indeed taken that turn as the CPI(M) MPs and ruling circles > claim? There probably was, but that option was - and is still being - > passed by. The CPI(M) MPs' memorandum to the Governor makes it clear that > even almost eight months after the March 14 carnage, in which 14 people > died, the "package announced" for victims - include compensation for the > victims, shifting of the remaining police officers, punishment for the > guilty, withdrawal of cases, and providing relief to the distressed > people - is still only being "iterated". In this regard, those interested > may read this article, which appeared in the Economic and Political Weekly > last month: > > http://www.epw.org.in/uploads/articles/11127.pdf > > It says, "The findings of a people’s tribunal in Nandigram point to the > fact that relief, rehabilitation and justice are yet to be provided to the > victims of the Nandigram police firing on March 14. > > Tapas > > > > TaraPrakash wrote: >> In other words, the government has lost control and must be replaced. >> It was an interesting thing to add in the memo that the alliance that >> included ultra left destroyed red flags. The governor should be >> infuriated by this revelation. So, the president's rule in West Bengal? >> Marshal law? >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "prakash ray" < pkray11 at gmail.com> >> To: < reader-list at sarai.net> >> Sent: Saturday, November 10, 2007 2:21 AM >> Subject: [Reader-list] WB CPI (M) Deputation meets Governor on >> Nandigramdevelopments >> >> >>> A delegation of four WB CPI (M) MPs and one MLA met the Hon. Governor on >>> the >>> late morning of 9 November. The delegation in a detailed memorandum ----- Original Message ----- From: "prakash ray" To: Sent: Saturday, November 10, 2007 2:36 AM Subject: [Reader-list] an article on Nandigram > Dear all, > > please see the article on Nandigram.. > http://www.pragoti.org/pragoti/news_detail.php?news_id=344&sessionid= > > prakash > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From radhikarajen at vsnl.net Sat Nov 10 14:37:20 2007 From: radhikarajen at vsnl.net (radhikarajen at vsnl.net) Date: Sat, 10 Nov 2007 14:07:20 +0500 Subject: [Reader-list] fatima's response In-Reply-To: <597935.78441.qm@web45506.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> References: <597935.78441.qm@web45506.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: I have not been getting posted the sarai responses for almost two weeks now, for reasons best known to the administrators of the sarai. May be they do not exactly like the way I putforth my thoughts of good governance and relevance of the governance and the citizens to rise above their communes of caste, faith and be humans first. ? For me faith is belief in good life, a way of life that gives me inner peace and has nothing to do with democratic life of the nation. Democratic life is rule of laws, with out fear or favour to any caste, any faith and common to all citizens in delivering good of rule of law in just and fair form irrespective of the faith, caste or region of that citizen enabling every citizen to be part of development in the nation without depriving any section of the society. God for me is good of the society which is prevalent in all of the humans,irrespective of their faith in Ram, Rahim or christ. All faiths are ways of life to be guide to the person to be in good life.No faith is superior or inferior by numerical strength of its followers as it only denotes the willing followers of that path with belief that the path chosen for them is their way to be good in life. Regards, radhikarajen at vsnl.net ----- Original Message ----- From: we wi Date: Saturday, November 10, 2007 12:44 pm Subject: Re: [Reader-list] fatima's response To: reader-list at sarai.net Cc: sen.gargi at gmail.com, kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com, parthaekka at gmail.com, pawan.durani at gmail.com, rana at ranadasgupta.com, radhikarajen at vsnl.net, theunderscoredhood at gmail.com, shuddha at sarai.net, taraprakash at gmail.com, vrjogi at hotmail.com, vishal.rawlley at gmail.com, yasir.media at gmail.com > > > we wi wrote: Vivek, > > What is the problem actually? > Is the problem relies with posting shlokas? or > writing argumentative mails? or > posting many mails in a day? or > talking sovereignty of India? > Condemning false accusations and allegations about > historians and history? > I am just a 3 month old member here. Thats why confused a > bit. Hope you can > understand and eloborate on this. > > Regards, > Dhatri. > > > > Vivek Narayanan wrote: > > Dear Fatima, > > Thank you for your nuanced and considered note. Please note again > that > I am not speaking for anyone else but myself, certainly not as a > "voice > of Sarai". I don't think nuance is the privilege or preserve of > any > group, nor does it depend on education or decorum. Instead, it's a > certain warmth and hospitality, and a willingness to listen > carefully, > and to be considered in one's responses. Essentially, it is about > coming to the conversation in good faith, with love and with > thoughtfulness-- not with the intention to sabotage dialogue or > shout > down others. Most of all, if it becomes obvious that a reply has > been > dashed off in a couple of seconds and, moreover, five or seven of > those > replies are sent in the course of a single day, then I feel that > this > wastes my time and makes it difficult to find the mails on the > list that > are more carefully thought out. > > So I disagree with you *completely* that such qualities would be > found > only among "elites at Sarai". These are protocols that one finds > with > many people on the street, regardless of their background and > access to > privilege. In fact, as you well know, on the Indian street, it is > often > the rich and privileged who tend to shout louder, for they fear no > reprisal. Right wing nationalists can feel secure in the knowledge > that > they have the support of the state behind them. I would not be > surprised if, in monitoring this list, there would be members who > would > not hesitate to report anyone they considered to be "anti- > national" to > the authorities. This is the kind of insecurity that shadows our > conversations here--the question of what kinds of statements might > involve violent reprisals or legal censure, and so on; this is the > fragility of the discussions that have been built up on this list > over > the course of five or so short years. > > Yes indeed, one is dedicated here to the vibrancy, variousness and > quirkiness of the street--with the caveat that all our members are > at > least privileged enough to have access to the internet. (Some > write so > often that they must almost certainly have their own full-time > dedicated > broadband.) Yet, it only takes a few goondas to suppress and drown > out > all the many conversations, trying to fill the space with only > their own > voices. In such instances, to renew our conversations, our > whispering > faith in each other, it may be necessary to shut out the bullies > for a > while. This would not be to pretend that those bullies don't > exist; > merely it would be to acknowledge that they don't have anything > new to > say. We have heard that shtick before. > > But again: my mail was addressed only to those who already felt > the same > way as me, and who wanted a practical and efficient solution. We > have > very different positions on this question even at Sarai; some > agree with > me, some most certainly don't. Those who have the time and energy > to > stay tuned to the bullying and the threatening and the chanting of > shlokas and spells must please do so. I can even say I admire your > Gandhian equanimity. I, on the other hand, have other things to > do, and > I can't afford to spend my time fighting an endless war of > attrition, in > the trenches, with little or no gain from day to day, on the Line > of > Discursive Control (LODC), here on the reader list. > > Warmly, > Vivek > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader- > list > List archive: > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > http://mail.yahoo.com > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > http://mail.yahoo.com From iram at sarai.net Sun Nov 11 13:54:03 2007 From: iram at sarai.net (Iram Ghufran) Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2007 13:54:03 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] fatima's response In-Reply-To: References: <597935.78441.qm@web45506.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <4736BC23.2010802@sarai.net> Before jumping to hasty conclusions - it is advisable to write to the List Administrator. My guess is that you have been resubscribed by now. Best Iram Ghufran >> >> On 10/30/07, *sushil at tetrain.com * >> > wrote: >> >> Dear All >> >> "Some users of the reader-list are not getting mails. To rectify >> this >> issue we need to restore the list with backed up information. This >> activity will take place at 10:00 PM IST on 30th oct 2007. It is >> possible that some of you might not receive list postings; if >> this is >> the case, we request you to re-subscribe to the list. Please email >> me if >> its difficult to subscribe online. Apologies for this technical >> problem". >> >> -- >> ................................. >> Thanks And Warm Regards >> Sushil Kumar Sharma >> Sr. Linux Engineer > radhikarajen at vsnl.net wrote: > I have not been getting posted the sarai responses for almost two weeks now, for reasons best known to the administrators of the sarai. > May be they do not exactly like the way I putforth my thoughts of good governance and relevance of the governance and the citizens to rise above their communes of caste, faith and be humans first. ? > > radhikarajen at vsnl.net > > From dhatr1i at yahoo.com Sat Nov 10 18:07:07 2007 From: dhatr1i at yahoo.com (we wi) Date: Sat, 10 Nov 2007 04:37:07 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] Conclusion Message-ID: <393357.31827.qm@web45516.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> Dear All, What I observe is that the debates are going about culture,religion,caste and history here in fallacious way. Buddism will never be considered a separate religion and the ideologist GAUTAMA/SIDHARTHA himself hails from KSHATRIYA CASTE. MUSLIMS AND CHRISTIAN created a false IMAGE about the CASTE system, to spread their own religion with all witch crafts.Using CASTE system of HINDUISM in their favor is just another technique. Similarly Christians. Scholar Sri ADI SHANKARACHARYA(REINCARNATION OF SHIV) reconstructed HINDUISM from its dis-integration stage. Since Hindu system is an old and Hindu system has flaws (as per accusations), many religions generated/encouraged/transported and people joined into them and following them SINCERELY. Do they really??? Definitely no. people joined in new religions and feeling/thinking/following the same age old tradition and ideology. Why??? Lets say UPPER CASTES in the HINDU religion USED POWER PLAY but they never tuned the society into ATHEIST WAY(DON'T HAVE BELIEF IN EVERYTHING). But now UNDER Christians,Muslims,LOWER castes RULING, isn't it more worsen ? These common idealistic,secular,democratic people or rulers following any different ruling system for better life that they or anybody enjoyed in UPPER-CASTE RULE. The society we are living becoming FEELING-LESS for EVERYTHING. If SARAI is partial recent days by not publishing all subscribers views, and SARAI is encouraging non-democratic,non-Indian,non-Hindu Ideology for whatever reasons. Being citizens of INDIA,residents of JAMMU AND KASHMIR and threatened silent viewers of ransacking(PAST OR PRESENT), whats wrong if Pawan durani and Rashneek kher,... write here about the situations PAST OR PRESENT. For talking or writing about INDIA and its cultural,traditional roots the depth I quoted on several mails is insufficient and for that subscribers expressed their impatience and shown greater solutions in the name of different feelings and technology for their OWN REASONS. How can INVADERS HISTORY AND THEIR 4000 year old odd altered/duped occurrences/incidents/theories can stand for all criticisms/arguments/logic's. Regards, Dhatri. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com From dhatr1i at yahoo.com Sat Nov 10 20:15:51 2007 From: dhatr1i at yahoo.com (we wi) Date: Sat, 10 Nov 2007 06:45:51 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] Conclusion In-Reply-To: <32144e990711100621w2978889cu4911801cca7c465a@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <417764.2551.qm@web45504.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> Dear Partha, On Dalits, In the name of reservations this that there is much happening. On the contrary let me write about GAUTAMA BUDDA TURNED INTO BODHISAVTA. There are 4 reasons that GAUTAMA/SIDHARTHA to give up social life at NIGHT like a thief or roberrer. By that time he was survived with WIFE AND CHILD along with parents. He is so weak in such a way that, having been watched the sorrows of life and bothered to wipe them out of EVERYBODY LIFE. By the time he was survived with a wife and a child beside from parents. But did he really think about them? what happen if he become a yogi or took sanyaas? Who will take care about them and their responsibility?? But He left everything in NIGHT(Sleeping time) became BODHISATTVA and Invented Buddism. Later KINGS followed and spread it. Followers spread it with modifications in present form whatever. BODHISATVA never thought about family? Do I say like this? Brahmin class never be considered as Aryans. The greatest mountain in India always was Maha Meru , which literally touches the sky. The Sun and Moon were supposed to go round that mountain. The Vindhya ranges which are in the middle of India got very jealous of this state of affairs and started growing taller and taller. A stage came when the Sun and the moon were not able to travel to the South. So Indra requested Agasthya to do some thing about it. It was at this time that Lord Shiva decided to marry Goddess Parvathi. People all over the world started traveling to Himalayas to attend Lord Shiva’s marriage. Due to this earth started tilting north wards. God Shiva had to stop this so he requested Sage Agasthya (whom he thought as equal to all people on earth) to travel towards the south, so that the great penance he did will balance the earth. Unwillingly Sage Agasthya traveled to south. On his way he was forced to cross the Vindhya mountain which was extremely tall. Sage Agasthya requested the Vindhya Mountain to become tiny so that he can easily cross it. The Vindhyas acceded to the request of sage Agasthya. Sage Agasthya requested the mountain to be tiny till he came back to North. The mountain agreed to this also. But sage Agasthya settled in south of India and never went back. Like that settlers and traversaries happened east to west and south to north. Regards, Dhatri. Partha Dasgupta wrote: Dear Dhatri, Atleast get the logic / argument straight instead of posting such junk. 1. We all have seen the ugly face of caste with the treatment of Dalit's which exists to date. 2. Buddhism is a separate religion by a Hindu ruler who was sickened by the killing (and I do not see any cries of being marginalised) 3. If all invaders have to go, so do Aryans (including the entire Brahmin class) and leave India to the Dravid's who are the initial know inhabitants. Rgds, Partha .............................. On 11/10/07, we wi wrote: Dear All, What I observe is that the debates are going about culture,religion,caste and history here in fallacious way. Buddism will never be considered a separate religion and the ideologist GAUTAMA/SIDHARTHA himself hails from KSHATRIYA CASTE. MUSLIMS AND CHRISTIAN created a false IMAGE about the CASTE system, to spread their own religion with all witch crafts.Using CASTE system of HINDUISM in their favor is just another technique. Similarly Christians. Scholar Sri ADI SHANKARACHARYA(REINCARNATION OF SHIV) reconstructed HINDUISM from its dis-integration stage. Since Hindu system is an old and Hindu system has flaws (as per accusations), many religions generated/encouraged/transported and people joined into them and following them SINCERELY. Do they really??? Definitely no. people joined in new religions and feeling/thinking/following the same age old tradition and ideology. Why??? Lets say UPPER CASTES in the HINDU religion USED POWER PLAY but they never tuned the society into ATHEIST WAY(DON'T HAVE BELIEF IN EVERYTHING). But now UNDER Christians,Muslims,LOWER castes RULING, isn't it more worsen ? These common idealistic,secular,democratic people or rulers following any different ruling system for better life that they or anybody enjoyed in UPPER-CASTE RULE. The society we are living becoming FEELING-LESS for EVERYTHING. If SARAI is partial recent days by not publishing all subscribers views, and SARAI is encouraging non-democratic,non-Indian,non-Hindu Ideology for whatever reasons. Being citizens of INDIA,residents of JAMMU AND KASHMIR and threatened silent viewers of ransacking(PAST OR PRESENT), whats wrong if Pawan durani and Rashneek kher,... write here about the situations PAST OR PRESENT. For talking or writing about INDIA and its cultural,traditional roots the depth I quoted on several mails is insufficient and for that subscribers expressed their impatience and shown greater solutions in the name of different feelings and technology for their OWN REASONS. How can INVADERS HISTORY AND THEIR 4000 year old odd altered/duped occurrences/incidents/theories can stand for all criticisms/arguments/logic's. Regards, Dhatri. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -- Partha Dasgupta +919811047132 __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com From pawan.durani at gmail.com Sun Nov 11 11:46:57 2007 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2007 11:46:57 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Annotations to the History of Iconoclasm in Kashmir - IV In-Reply-To: <9c06aab30711100057w78a3e267xc8f9ed75746c4b2b@mail.gmail.com> References: <473452FA.9030702@sarai.net> <9c06aab30711100057w78a3e267xc8f9ed75746c4b2b@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <6b79f1a70711102216o46b92d76s9aacaa239529350e@mail.gmail.com> Shivam , Is it ever likely that you would write the last line of your post in context to people who are spreading the terror all across the world ? I know you understand what i mean.,And i know you never would for you wont dare. Pawan On 11/10/07, Shivam Vij wrote: > > What an excellent response Shuddha. Few, indeed, would care to > reserach so much for the sake of facts. One is tempted to, as indeed > you too have done, take this out of the Kashmiri context and into the > larger context of Hindutva where the narrative of 'eternal victimhood' > is in exactly the same way used to build a discourse of violence and > subjugation. To be shown in this detail how "Hindu" rulers were given > to violence amongst other "Hindus" and Buddhists completely demolishes > the possibility of any ordinary individual succumbing to the appeal of > the 'eternal victimhood' argument. To see "Hindus" kill and maim and > rape and slaughter and burn in Gujarat five years ago, then, does not > seem an aberration. > > best > shivam > > On 11/9/07, Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: > > ANNOTATIONS TO THE PRLIMINARY HISTORY OF ICONOCLASM IN KASHMIR - IV > > > > Pandit Jia Lal Kilam's 'A History of Kashmiri Pandits' > > Even Pandit Jia Lal Kilam, who Rashneek Kher refers to approvingly, does > > not offer a substantively different conclusion from what I am saying. I > > offer below a set of 3 quotes from his book. (edited by Advaitavadini > Kaul) > > > > 1. "During Abhimanyu's reign who succeeded Kanishka, Nagarjuna made > > converts to Buddhism and defeated the Brahmans in discussion and > > argument. Civil war soon followed and the Brahmans in alliance with a > > local tribe named Nagas inflicted death, disaster and other untold > > miseries upon the Buddhists..." > > (Kilam, 'A History of Kashmiri Pandits, Chapter 1- 'A Survey of > > Ancient Hindu Rule', Pgs 4 & 5) > > > > 2. "During the reign of Nara "thousands of monastries were burnt, and > > thousands of villages that supported those monastries were given over to > > the Brahmans." Brahmans having succeeded in establishing their supremacy > > set themselves in right earnest in strengthening themselves and their > > position. Many superstitious observances and practices were invented. > > Thought and culture were denied to everybody excepting themselves and > > the modern Hinduism in Kashmir began its growth. But this degraded the > > Brahmans themselves. During Mihirkula's reign many shameless practices > > are ascribed to them..." (Kilam, 'A History of Kashmiri Pandits, Chapter > > 1- 'A Survey of Ancient Hindu Rule', Page 5) > > > > 3. "During the reign of Raja-deva (1252-1273 A. D.) some Bhattas > > (Brahmans) who had helped in his investiture as king, having been > > insulted by him, conspired to install somebody from amongst Khashas on > > the throne of Kashmir. But their conspiracy did not long remain a secret > > and an orgy of destruction and plunder was let loose upon them. Some > > were killed and others suppressed with atrocious mercilessness, and to > > save themselves the cry was raised everywhere 'Na Batoham..' "I am not a > > Bhatta." This is the first onslaught recorded in history against the > > Brahmans of Kashmir..." > > (Kilam, 'A History of Kashmiri Pandits, Chapter 1- 'A Survey of Ancient > > Hindu Rule', Page 16) > > > > It is interesting to note that Kilam explicitly states and underscores > > the fact that this 'first onslaught' on the Brahmans of Kashmir takes > > place during the reign of a Hindu king. Muslim rule is definitively > > established in Kashmir only in 1341 A.D. With the rise of the Salatins > > (the reign of Rinchen, a Tibetan Buddhist who converted to Islam because > > the Brahmin orthodoxy disdained him, cannot really be considered the > > reign of a Muslim king in its entirety and may be seen only as a > > prologue, or as an interregnum prior to the real decline of Hindu power > > in Kashmir, primarily as a result of palace intrigues.) It is necessary > > to remember that Kashmir is a part of South Asia where the rise of Islam > > did not accompany a military invasion, but occurred largely due to the > > example set by missionaries and religious divines. > > > > Jia Lal Kilam's book contains many instances of religious persecution, > > of Hindus at the hand of some Muslim kings, of Kashmiri Sunni Muslims by > > the Kashmiri Shia Muslim Chak dynasty, of Kashmiri Shia Muslims and > > Kashmiri Pandits by the Sunni Afghan kings, of Kashmiri Muslims in > > general by the Sikh rulers of Kashmir. > > > > Through all of this Kilam is at pains to point out that the Kashmiri > > Pandit survives, and with his predominant position in Kashmiri Society > > intact. This happens through much of the reign of the Salatins, (Zain Al > > Abedin hands them the task of land records and revenue collection, which > > they continue to undertake - as patwaris - until the mid twentieth > > century by official fiat, without interruption). They continue to hold > > high offices in the royal court. The Mughal emperors are so beholden to > > them that they decree that no Kashmiri Muslim will hold military office > > and give over the military reins of power in Kashmir to Kashmiri > > Pandits. The majority of Afghan rulers continue to patronize Pandits, > > and when instances of persecution do occur, Pandit influence at Kabul is > > sufficient to neutralize it. Some Pandit courtiers invite the Sikh > > rulers into Kashmir as Afghan power declines (even as other Pandit > > courtiers still remain committed to the resuscitation of Afghan power) > > and finally with the rise of the Dogra power in the nineteenth century > > the Pandits rise to a position of unquestioned pre-eminence. Kilam's > > book is largely a remarkably unbiased account of this entire process. > > He, unlike Rashneek Kher is not at all committed to the figure of the > > Pandit as eternal victim. Nor is he keen to separate Kashmiri Pandits > > from an Islamicate cultural sphere. He mentions how Kashmiri Pandits > > wrote hymns to Goddess Sharda in Persian, and how well integrated they > > were into the aristocratic Persianate cultural matrix that dominated > > much of Central Asia. In fact, to be fair to the Kashmiri Pandit ethos, > > we can see that it has no trace of anti-Muslim feeling. Kashmiri Pandit > > elites were happier in the company of the Muslim aristocracy and higher > > clergy than they were in the company of either the common Kashmiri > > Muslim peasant, artisan or labourer, or for that matter, non Muslim > > lower caste populations from the plains. > > > > While JIa Lal Kilam is understandably given to valorizing Pandit > > pre-eminence, just as he is given to lament episodes of the persecution > > of Pandits when they occur (after all he is a Kashmiri Pandit, writing > > the history of Kashmiri Pandits) , he does not undertake to practice the > > theory of Pandit exceptionalism. He does not indulge in a reading of > > history that paints Kashmiri Pandits as being the uninterrupted victim > > of the history of Kashmir since the rise of Islam. Nor is he shy of > > pointing out acts of persecution, intrigue and injustice that some > > Kashmiri Pandits had been party to, both before, during and after the > > advent of Islam in Kashmir. Reading Kilam we are forced to repeat what > > we have already stated, no religion has a monopoly on intolerance. > > > > Advaitavadini Kaul's "Buddhist Savants of Kashmir" > > Finally, let me come to Rashneek's admonition to me that I should read a > > book by a scholar called Advaitavadini Kaul. He says - "I would also > > suggest that you read Dr,Advaitavadini Kaul's post doctoral work ' > > Buddhist Savants of Kashmir'...No where has she found any evidence of > > Hindu kings breaking Buddhist Viharas." > > > > Unfortunately, I have read Dr. Advaitavadini Kaul's post doctoral thesis > > - at least the version that is published as a book by Utpal Publishers, > > (formerly of Srinagar, now based in Delhi) - a publishing house well > > known for its imprint of books sympathetic to the Indian nationalist > > position on Kashmir, as exemplified by that section of the Kashmiri > > Pandit intelligentsia which inspires Roots in Kashmir, Panun Kashmir and > > other such organizations. > > > > Now, Advaitavadini Kaul's book is quite detailed in its exposition of > > the contribution made by Kashmiri (or Kashmir based) Buddhist scholars > > and missionaries in the ancient and early medieval period - in Tibet, > > China and Central Asia. But it is not so articulate when it comes to the > > destiny of Buddhism in Kashmir itself. This is surprising, but not > > entirely incomprehensible, after all, Dr. Kaul's primary concern is the > > career of Kashmiri Buddhists outside Kashmir, and we cannot fault her > > entirely if her book chooses not to engage in any substantial way with > > the history of what happenned to Buddhism inside Kashmir. > > > > I have read this book line by line, and while no where does it say > > (contrary to Rashneek's assertion) that there is "no evidence of Hindu > > kings breaking Buddhist Viharas", it does not dwell either on instances > > of Shaivite or otherwise nominally non Buddhist Kings (I hesitate to use > > the term 'Hindu' because of the artifice involved in using the word > > 'Hindu' in a pre modern context) involved in acts of iconoclasm and > > temple destruction that targetted heterodox sects, especially Buddhism, > > in Kashmir. Advaitavadini Kaul cites her Kalhan when it suits her to > > construct an edifice of how Buddhism flourished in Kashmir. But she also > > very conveniently omits to cite Kalhana's Rajtarangini when it comes to > > tricky question of the destruction of Buddhist shrines. In fact she > > avoids having to deal with this question altogether. Causing a not > > invisible void to appear in her detailing of Buddhism in relation to > > Kashmir. > > > > Her only reference to the eventual eclipse of Buddhism in Kashmir occur > > in the following three sentences. - > > > > "In the following centuries Buddhism in Kashmir was overshadowed b y the > > wide upsurge of the Vaishnava and Shaiva faiths. However inspite of the > > overwhelming predominance of the Brahmanic Faith and the loss of royal > > patronage Buddhism continued to flourish even as late as the 13th > > century AD. This is supported by Rajtarangini and the epigraphic > > evidence." (Advaitavadini Kaul : Buddhist Savants of Kashmir: Their > > Contribution Abroad, Chapter 1, Page 8) > > > > In other words, Buddhism was 'overwhelmed, overshadowed' and > > encountered a 'lack of royal patronage' but still survived, and the > > Rajtarangini is conveniently cited as evidence for this assumption. In > > fact, she asserts, it survived in pockets, till the 13th century, by > > which time Islam is on the ascendant in Kashmir. Which suggests that > > here too, Islam is at fault for the demise of the Kashmiri Buddhist > > tradition. > > > > But the fact that the very same Rajtarangini mentions repeatedly the > > destruction of Buddhist temples by Kings, centuries before a single > > Muslim sets foot in Kashmir can be conveniently overlooked, is a > > surprising ommission on Advaitavadini Kaul's part. If we follow this > > pattern of citation and ommission closely then we are compelled to > > consider the possibility that Advaitavadini Kaul (who incidentally, also > > is the editor of Jia Lal Kilam's text, though Kilam himself is by no > > means reticent about the destruction of Buddhist shrines in pre-Islamic > > Kashmir) is following the dictates of an agenda that is committed to the > > whitewashing of the inconvenient and embarassing (embarrassing for the > > apologists of Hindu revanchism that is) historic record of > > anti-Buddhist iconoclasm and religious persecution in pre-Islamic > Kashmir. > > > > Conclusion > > All of this suggests that Rashneek Kher's (and subsequetly Pawan > > Durani's) sad attempts at playing historian are ultimately plainly > > propogandist exercises devoid of seriousness, substance or critical > > depth. It is easy, far too easy to brandish a list of selected > > quotations based on the calculation that no one will bother to actually > > read the available textual record. It is easy, far too easy to assume > > that all of us on this list will be too intimidated and terrorised by > > the emotional charge of the narration of a one sided history of > > persecution to do a careful counter reading of a deeply contested > > history. Like all easy assumptions, these too have had their day, but > > now their time is over. Doing that act of counter reading, taking the > > care to read what the sources say is an exercise that some of us are > > quite prepared to do. And whenever anyone tries to derail this list by > > the promotion of a particular secterian agenda, they will encounter > > diligent, patient, meticulous objection. Anyone attempting to offer any > > more half baked histories should understand that they do so at the risk > > of appearing very foolish indeed. > > > > At the very beginning of this vexed exchange on Kashmir, some months > > ago, I had suggested to those on this list who seem to be making a habit > > out of attempting to cash in on this vulgar exhibitionism of pain, that > > instead of making a spectacle of suffering, they consider the worth of > > practising a modicum of reticence, if for nothing else, just out of > > respect for all those (Pandit and Muslim) who have suffered in Kashmir. > > > > At the risk of discursive redundance, and with apologies to all, I would > > like to take this opportunity to repeat my suggestion. I am addressing > > those (especially Rashneek Kher and Pawan Durani) who have thrown their > > half baked readings of the history of Kashmir in our direction in the > > past few months. If you have the least bit of respect for those you > > claim to speak on behalf of, learn at least not to dissimulate, not to > > quote fragmentary sources, or to hide inconvenient truths, when you > > attempt to speak in their name. Each time you do so, the memory of the > > dead you claim to speak for is desecrated, and the cause you hope to > > serve is damaged, perhaps irreparably. You lose sympathy and the chances > > that anyone will take you the least bit seriously. Learn to be less smug > > and arrogant about categories like guilt and innocence and learn to > > respect the complexity and the difficulty of speaking about a > > contentious past. Work harder at the construction of your arguments, and > > even those who might disagree with you will treat you with respect. > > > > And if you cannot bring yourself to undertake this level of maturity, or > > to work as hard as is necessary, then at least try a little silence for > > a while. It might compel you to examine the depths of what you call your > > pain in a more serious manner. > > > > I sincerely hope that my suggestion will be understood and taken in the > > spirit with which it is being offered. > > > > best > > > > Shuddha, > > > > Deepavali, 09 November 2007, Delhi > > > > ------------------------------- > > > > END > > > > > > _________________________________________ > > 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. > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From indersalim at gmail.com Sun Nov 11 13:58:37 2007 From: indersalim at gmail.com (inder salim) Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2007 13:58:37 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Thus Shuddha concludes... Message-ID: <47e122a70711110028l1268b8edsbe75adcd155c59f5@mail.gmail.com> Thus Shuddha concludes " No particular faith has a monopoly insofar as persecution or intolerance is concerned. No particular faith is more tolerant than others, just as none is necessarily more intolerant than others." If this is the mantra then believers are unlikely to sing it. Ironically, the believers sing non-violence, compassion and ethics all the time; and so whatever it finally means to drift along with the sea of believers? I guess, a personal (spiritual) journey begins the moment one feels drifting against her/his will. So alternative practices of doing art and politics come into force. I remember, few yeas back, how Romilla Thapar spoke like an artist at IIC on Somnath Temple. That day she was like a magician who exorcized many a ghosts. Now Shuddha is playing the role of a magician to tackle the Kashmiri ghosts and for that I am personally delighted. " The history of Kashmir, especially, in my view, demonstrates that no community can claim for itself a monopoly of victimhood and innocence. The ordinary people of every community in Kashmir have suffered, and those from within each community who have had access to power have also had blood on their hands. Privileging the suffering, or historical experience of any one community over that of others (while neglecting to discuss the destiny of Kashmiri people as a whole) amounts, in my view, to the unleashing of an epistemic violence that perpetuates patterns of arrogance and impunity, leading to the continuation of the spiral of violence" I believe, this is the most important piece of thought in the whole of Shuddha's Kashmir pre-Islamic research. The term ' destiny of Kashmiri People' which explicitly talks about the on going conflict in Kashmir, which has a capacity to understand the history of past in a more scientific way. The more we talk about the Kashmir, the more it is likely to benefit our understanding of the past and how we need to think about the present. Just a case in the point, M.H. Zafar, a kashmiri poet intellectual who is admired by Kashmir Pandits for his open criticism of Sunni style Militancy in Kashmir, and who even suffered for that, but at the same time regrets the fact that the ruling elites in India have always undermined the rich Kashmiri ancient past. The people in power never cared about the restoration of ancient Buddhist or post Buddhist sites in Kashmir. He lamented the fact that if we( Kashmiris ) are not heard it is because we don't live with that rich past which is running in our veins. In other sense this is also regretted by Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad about Nehru's recognition to Aurangzeb against the heroic martyrdom of Hazrat Sufi Sarmad Shaheed. No wonder that Congress has always played the most dirty games in India and Kashmir. They were party to two nation theory, and that resulted in the suffering of Kashmir and millions of others who died in Bengal and Punjab. Now, how much damage has been done, and so we are rightly accusing American policy for the Vandalism of Bamiyan Buddha in Afganistan., and just today when we read again the Talibans have demolished important Buddhist sites in Pakistan. So accordingly, who is responsible for the unfortunate migration of Pandits from the valley? Who else but Indian Kashmir policy, and what congress has structured other parties follow. The question is about how much we need to disassociate ourselves from this short sighted vision of the past. Just some one the reader list talked about Buddha as Kshtriya who was a Prince Siddarth and therefore a Hindu at his best. While talking about Buddha I am personally wondering even how to ' his', since I believe the sexual identity is quite subjective, but for the most of people it is absolutely a biological fact. That squarely means that we don't recognize (his) teachings. If that is so then the 'change' is an impossible word. If I am born in a Muslim family, no matter what I do to become something else, I remain a Muslim, unendingly. Call it fascism or racism but the fact remains that we are not different from a Hitler or a Stalin etc. I know, a lot of paradox outwits us while we approach the understanding of ' violence'. But I am not personally afraid, and that is my spiritual journey, and we need to open ended if we want to grow. Research like Shuddha's is simply a readymade apple juice for thirsty people like me. With love indersalim http://indersalim.livejournal.com From naeem.mohaiemen at gmail.com Sun Nov 11 14:02:58 2007 From: naeem.mohaiemen at gmail.com (Naeem Mohaiemen) Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2007 16:32:58 +0800 Subject: [Reader-list] "non-Indian" Message-ID: > 3. Conclusion (we wi) > SARAI is encouraging non-democratic,non-Indian,non-Hindu Ideology for whatever reasons. Dear Dhatri/we wi Not everyone on SARAI is "Indian" (citizenship, living space, history, experiences). There are multiplicities represented here. It's part of being a global citizen. You may like to try it sometime. -Naeem From naeem.mohaiemen at gmail.com Sun Nov 11 14:17:41 2007 From: naeem.mohaiemen at gmail.com (Naeem Mohaiemen) Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2007 16:47:41 +0800 Subject: [Reader-list] Pakistan Emergency Resources Message-ID: A good one location for news reports coming out from Pakistan. http://www.sajaforum.org/pak-emergency-resources.html Here in Dhaka the media is reporting it in full force. From patrice at xs4all.nl Sun Nov 11 14:18:06 2007 From: patrice at xs4all.nl (Patrice Riemens) Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2007 09:48:06 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] "non-Indian" In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <20071111084806.GC26988@xs4all.nl> On Sun, Nov 11, 2007 at 04:32:58PM +0800, Naeem Mohaiemen wrote: > > 3. Conclusion (we wi) > > SARAI is encouraging non-democratic,non-Indian,non-Hindu Ideology for whatever reasons. > > Dear Dhatri/we wi > > Not everyone on SARAI is "Indian" (citizenship, living space, history, > experiences). There are multiplicities represented here. It's part > of being a global citizen. You may like to try it sometime. > > -Naeem Hear Hear! & In order not to leave it at a one-liner, let me add that this sort of arguments regularly creeps up, in a somewhat different, yet remarkably similar form, in discussions on European lists. It leads us to nowhere. If people want to interact only with their own (narrow) circles, nothing prevents them from starting their own platforms or joining one of the many, many already existing ones. Long live the multiciplities! Cheers from Ljubljana (Slovenia, Europe, Planet Earth) patrizio and the Dinosaurs! From shambhu.rahmat at gmail.com Sun Nov 11 14:31:04 2007 From: shambhu.rahmat at gmail.com (Shambhu Rahmat) Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2007 17:01:04 +0800 Subject: [Reader-list] From Nur Hossain Bloggers Message-ID: Nov 10th: 1 BlogPost for Nur Hossain Blog Day was a success. Below is message from organizers. Nur Hossain is the iconic protester who painted "gonothanthro mukti pak" (set democracy free) on his body during the anti-military protests that finally toppled the Ershad junta in 1991. The famous photo was taken minutes before Nur Hossain was shot to death. http://www.drishtipat.org/blog/2007/11/10/remembering-nur-hossain/ http://rumiahmed.wordpress.com/2007/11/09/down-with-militarycracy-bring-back-democracy/ http://rumiahmed.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/nurhossainback.jpg From: Nur Hossain Bloggers Dear all, The response we have received from all of you have been tremendous. We would like to thank each and every blogger and website administrator who put up something about this soldier of democracy. We would like to thank each and every person who forwarded our appeal to someone else. We would like to thank everyone who told their friends and family as to what we were trying to do. Without each of your individual efforts, our small initiative would have been that much smaller, that much poorer. Whatever happens in Bangladesh in the next year or so, we promise to be back. Because, as Thomas Jefferson said, " The price of democracy is eternal vigilance". Eternal vigilance in the safeguarding of our democracy is the only way we will be able to honour the spirit of Nur Hossain. - Nur Hossain Bloggers p.s. Please forward to anyone you may have forwarded our initial appeal to. From anansi1 at earthlink.net Sun Nov 11 18:33:00 2007 From: anansi1 at earthlink.net (Paul D. Miller) Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2007 7:03:00 -0600 Subject: [Reader-list] "non-Indian" Message-ID: People - Hello! I've been a lurker on the list to see what's up with digital media in the South Asian scene. I'm African American, and I live in New York (Manhattan). I'm currently in Monterrey, Mexico for the Forum on World Cultures. I have to admit I'm a bit surprised by the venom! Yo! There's lots to discuss with out the toxicity I've seen. I just thought I'd chip in my thoughts. In peace, Paul aka Dj Spooky -----Original Message----- From: "Naeem Mohaiemen" Subj: [Reader-list] "non-Indian" Date: Sun Nov 11, 2007 2:35 am Size: 706 bytes To: reader-list at sarai.net > 3. Conclusion (we wi) > SARAI is encouraging non-democratic,non-Indian,non-Hindu Ideology for whatever reasons. Dear Dhatri/we wi Not everyone on SARAI is "Indian" (citizenship, living space, history, experiences). There are multiplicities represented here. It's part of being a global citizen. You may like to try it sometime. -Naeem _________________________________________ 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. To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From naeem.mohaiemen at gmail.com Sun Nov 11 18:59:40 2007 From: naeem.mohaiemen at gmail.com (Naeem Mohaiemen) Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2007 21:29:40 +0800 Subject: [Reader-list] Smell Of Burning Celluloid Message-ID: I returned from a week out of Dhaka to sulphur at the airport. The paan chewing customs officer who insisted my camera charger was a "taxable computer part". The vapors extend to the Film Development Corporation (FDC) where filmmakers meekly gave in to the Joint Forces' drive against "obscene" films. Saha Alam Kiron, general secretary of BFDA, said "task force asked them to destroy the reels of obscene films and the film producers responded spontaneously." Love the smell of na-pailam in the morning... http://thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=11033 From aprajita at sarai.net Sun Nov 11 21:42:00 2007 From: aprajita at sarai.net (aprajita at sarai.net) Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2007 21:42:00 +0530 (IST) Subject: [Reader-list] Bulletproof points Message-ID: <2427.121.247.139.246.1194797520.squirrel@mail.sarai.net> Hello All I usually watch television with envy. I feel like I am sitting on the wrong side of the screen, and rightly so. I envy Barkha Dutt when she is able to shred many complex issues to neat articulate conclusions in a matter of forty minutes. I envy Rajat Kapoor when he tersely tells me that his news channel is the true voice of the real India. I envy Tulsi when she is able to look at me in the eye and tell me that nari shakti lies in protecting her children from all forms of evil. When I read the telelvision, I read these amazing sound bytes- I feel I can never be articulate enough and catch up with them, that my thoughts will never be as neat, to-the-point and emotive. I will be rambling and they will be speaking. I have learnt that if you cannot shred your arguments down to one word, one statement- psuedo-secularists, anit-national, communal, patriarchal, you should not speak. Am I 'right' in my learning? Please answer with a yes/no, if you want me to take you seriously, and envy you. Aprajita www.positivelybright.blogspot.com ----------------------------------------- This email was sent using SquirrelMail. "Webmail for nuts!" http://squirrelmail.org/ ----------------------------------------- This email was sent using SquirrelMail. "Webmail for nuts!" http://squirrelmail.org/ From tapasrayx at gmail.com Sun Nov 11 23:57:53 2007 From: tapasrayx at gmail.com (Tapas Ray) Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2007 13:27:53 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] WB CPI (M) Deputation meets Governor on Nandigramdevelopments In-Reply-To: <00d301c8239c$dc0a44f0$6400a8c0@taraprakash> References: <98f331e00711092321q6dadb8e6j7cc361267231308e@mail.gmail.com> <00d301c8239c$dc0a44f0$6400a8c0@taraprakash> Message-ID: <473749A9.6050100@googlemail.com> Going by these and other reports, Nandigram is now "terror-free". The interesting point to note is that this status has been bestowed upon it by the CPI(M) and not the state administration. The magnitude of murder and rape is not clear, as the media were prevented from entering the area. So were Medha Patkar and some intellectuals accompanying her. One wonders what the leaders think they are accomplishing with this, other than turning the state of West Bengal into fertile ground for all kinds of extremism. ====================================================================================================== http://www.zeenews.com/articles.asp?aid=406808&sid=REG&sname=INDIAN-NEWS&news=CPI(M)%20regains%20control%20of%20key%20BUPC%20areas CPI(M) regains control of key BUPC areas Nandigram, Nov 11: West Bengal's ruling CPI(M) Sunday regained control of strongholds of an opposition Trinamool Congress-backed outfit amidst reports of a large number of houses being torched and a senior party leader claimed Nandigram was 'now free of terror'. =========================================================================================== http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=65389230-fbae-4692-a0b3-d851eb1c7f51&MatchID1=4585&TeamID1=1&TeamID2=8&MatchType1=1&SeriesID1=1151&PrimaryID=4585&Headline=Leading+Kolkata+intellectuals+storm+police+HQ Kolkata intellectuals storm police headquarters In an unprecedented action, leading Kolkata intellectuals, including filmmakers Aparna Sen and Gautam Ghosh, on Sunday night fought with cops, entered the city police headquarters and freed their colleagues arrested during a rally to protest violence in Nandigram. Sen, Ghosh, upcoming actor Parambrata Chatterjee, poet Shankha Ghosh, playwright Bibhas Chakraborty and a host of others reached the police headquarters at Lalbazar, a stone's throw from the state secretariat, and demanded the release of 41 artists and intellectuals who were arrested before the Nandan and Rabindra Sadan cultural complex. ======================================================================================== TaraPrakash wrote: > In other words, the government has lost control and must be replaced. > It was an interesting thing to add in the memo that the alliance that > included ultra left destroyed red flags. The governor should be infuriated > by this revelation. So, the president's rule in West Bengal? Marshal law? > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "prakash ray" > >> A delegation of four WB CPI (M) MPs and one MLA met the Hon. Governor on >> the >> late morning of 9 November. The delegation in a detailed memorandum From iram at sarai.net Mon Nov 12 03:21:58 2007 From: iram at sarai.net (Iram Ghufran) Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 03:21:58 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] fatima's response In-Reply-To: <986996.16618.qm@web45501.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> References: <986996.16618.qm@web45501.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <4737797E.1020604@sarai.net> Dhatri/We Wi What can I say? Are you implying that the list admin SUPPORTS vrjogi at hotmail.com and shuddha at sarai.net AS OPPOSED TO bhatnagar_anamika at rediffmail.com, theunderscoredhood at gmail.com, sen.gargi at gmail.com, indersalim at gmail.com, adityarajkaul at gmail.com, kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com, parthaekka at gmail.com, radhikarajen at vsnl.net, rana at ranadasgupta.com, rashneek at gmail.com, shuddha at sarai.net, sadiafwahidi at yahoo.co.in, taraprakash at gmail.com, vrjogi at hotmail.com, vishal.rawlley at gmail.com, vivek at sarai.net, yasir.media at gmail.com ? I think this is not possible. Ideally your question should be addressed to the list administrator and not to me. My email was written as a response to Radhikarajen's rather paranoic and accusatory email. To quote Radhikarajen: >I have not been getting posted the sarai responses for almost two weeks now, for reasons best known to the administrators of the sarai. > May be they do not exactly like the way I put forth my thoughts of good governance and relevance of the governance and the citizens to rise above their communes of caste, faith and be humans first. ? > Now as most of us know, reader list was under some TECHNICAL STRESS, regarding which, an email was sent a while ago. Radhikarajen, obviously missed that email, so I forwarded it to her/ him. Coming to your question - "what do you say about the following" - Well, I say that its a technical gaffe, that your CURRENT posting made it to the list because I think it has html tags! Ideally it should have been held back for admin approval, unless it was the list admin who cleared your email. Regarding your previous email (with the Subject Header - Conclusion), your recipient list is too long!! Again, your email should have been held back for admin approval. Possibly it was cleared by the list admin but the long recipient list didn't show up in entirety. This does not imply that these people did not receive your email! In fact they probably received TWO copies - One from the Reader List and one directly. The changes in the CC field are not changes - just some addresses have been scrubbed off! However, the technical team at Sarai and the list admin will know the workings better and will hopefully respond to your accusations. Iram PS: Dhatri - Please make efforts to read up on mailing lists - their functioning, protocols, technical aspects. It will save everyone a lot of time. Please 'dug it more' before clicking the send button. I have a feeling that you are finding it difficult to cope with an unmoderated space - you cant believe your luck that actually you can just about say anything that you wish to and get away with it. Please forward your emails which have not appeared on the list to the list admin, the reader list and to me. I am very curious to read what the list admin seems to have 'moderated'/ censored and Dhatri promises are meant to be broken ;-) we wi wrote: > > */Dear Iram,/* > > *//* > > /* Vedavati,Radhika,Pawan and many more shouting in public openly > about the CENSORSHIP ,missing posts and receiving of messages. Leave > all of them, What do you say about the following?*/ > > /**/ > > /*The original message header that I posted to SARAI contain */ > > *//* > > To:reader-list at sarai.net and rest > > CC. > > > > // > > Date: Sat, 10 Nov 2007 04:37:07 -0800 (PST) > From: "we wi" View Contact Details View Contact > Details > Add > Mobile Alert > > > Subject: Conclusion > To: reader-list at sarai.net > CC: > > bhatnagar_anamika at rediffmail.com, theunderscoredhood at gmail.com, > sen.gargi at gmail.com, indersalim at gmail.com, adityarajkaul at gmail.com, > Send an Instant Message > kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com, > parthaekka at gmail.com, radhikarajen at vsnl.net, rana at ranadasgupta.com, > rashneek at gmail.com, shuddha at sarai.net, Send an Instant Message > sadiafwahidi at yahoo.co.in, > taraprakash at gmail.com, vrjogi at hotmail.com, vishal.rawlley at gmail.com, > vivek at sarai.net, yasir.media at gmail.com > > > > > > /*where as in SARAI PUBLISH of my original message , the header contain*/ > > /**/ > > Date: Sat, 10 Nov 2007 04:37:07 -0800 (PST) > From: "we wi" View Contact Details View Contact > Details > Add > Mobile Alert > > > To: reader-list at sarai.net > CC: vrjogi at hotmail.com, shuddha at sarai.net > Subject: [Reader-list] Conclusion > > // > > / _*Compare the 2 message headers and*_ /*_Please note the > CHANGES IN THE CC: FIELD. _* > > ** > > I Don't wish to dug it more. > Administering/moderating/censoring/editing whats going on ??? I have > a nil role in either media or art and not inters ted in them because I > never studied them. I have a purpose and that was served, hence > thought to opt out but I just tried to stay back upon the people > requests. Just reacted to mails which are cheeky and false > interpretive. Found so many interesting and friendly people around > with different domains in r-list. Hence continued on the list. I > would like to keep my promise so ... > > ** > > // > > // > > */Regards,/* > > */Dhatri./* > > *//* > > *//* > > */Iram Ghufran /* wrote: > > Before jumping to hasty conclusions - it is advisable to write to the > List Administrator. My guess is that you have been resubscribed by > now. > Best > Iram Ghufran > >> > >> On 10/30/07, *sushil at tetrain.com * > >> > wrote: > >> > >> Dear All > >> > >> "Some users of the reader-list are not getting mails. To rectify > >> this > >> issue we need to restore the list with backed up information. This > >> activity will take place at 10:00 PM IST on 30th oct 2007. It is > >> possible that some of you might not receive list postings; if > >> this is > >> the case, we request you to re-subscribe to the list. Please email > >> me if > >> its difficult to subscribe online. Apologies for this technical > >> problem". > >> > >> -- > >> ................................. > >> Thanks And Warm Regards > >> Sushil Kumar Sharma > >> Sr. Linux Engineer > > > > radhikarajen at vsnl.net wrote: > > I have not been getting posted the sarai responses for almost > two weeks now, for reasons best known to the administrators of the > sarai. > > May be they do not exactly like the way I putforth my thoughts > of good governance and relevance of the governance and the > citizens to rise above their communes of caste, faith and be > humans first. ? > > > > radhikarajen at vsnl.net > > > > > From taraprakash at gmail.com Mon Nov 12 04:41:17 2007 From: taraprakash at gmail.com (TaraPrakash) Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2007 18:11:17 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] WB CPI (M) Deputation meets Governoron Nandigramdevelopments References: <98f331e00711092321q6dadb8e6j7cc361267231308e@mail.gmail.com><00d301c8239c$dc0a44f0$6400a8c0@taraprakash> <473749A9.6050100@googlemail.com> Message-ID: <002c01c824b8$2cb1eea0$6400a8c0@taraprakash> Good that intellectuals could take a stand and act upon it. I wouldn't mind a suicide squad in the CPI (murderers) politburo meeting and help those to leave this world who should have died of shame long back. Not the best solution, but not at all bad. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tapas Ray" To: "sarai list" Sent: Sunday, November 11, 2007 1:27 PM Subject: Re: [Reader-list] WB CPI (M) Deputation meets Governoron Nandigramdevelopments > Going by these and other reports, Nandigram is now "terror-free". The > interesting point to note is that this status has been bestowed upon it > by the CPI(M) and not the state administration. The magnitude of murder > and rape is not clear, as the media were prevented from entering the > area. So were Medha Patkar and some intellectuals accompanying her. > > One wonders what the leaders think they are accomplishing with this, > other than turning the state of West Bengal into fertile ground for all > kinds of extremism. > > > ====================================================================================================== > http://www.zeenews.com/articles.asp?aid=406808&sid=REG&sname=INDIAN-NEWS&news=CPI(M)%20regains%20control%20of%20key%20BUPC%20areas > > CPI(M) regains control of key BUPC areas > > Nandigram, Nov 11: West Bengal's ruling CPI(M) Sunday regained control > of strongholds of an opposition Trinamool Congress-backed outfit amidst > reports of a large number of houses being torched and a senior party > leader claimed Nandigram was 'now free of terror'. > > =========================================================================================== > http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=65389230-fbae-4692-a0b3-d851eb1c7f51&MatchID1=4585&TeamID1=1&TeamID2=8&MatchType1=1&SeriesID1=1151&PrimaryID=4585&Headline=Leading+Kolkata+intellectuals+storm+police+HQ > > Kolkata intellectuals storm police headquarters > > In an unprecedented action, leading Kolkata intellectuals, including > filmmakers Aparna Sen and Gautam Ghosh, on Sunday night fought with > cops, entered the city police headquarters and freed their colleagues > arrested during a rally to protest violence in Nandigram. > > Sen, Ghosh, upcoming actor Parambrata Chatterjee, poet Shankha Ghosh, > playwright Bibhas Chakraborty and a host of others reached the police > headquarters at Lalbazar, a stone's throw from the state secretariat, > and demanded the release of 41 artists and intellectuals who were > arrested before the Nandan and Rabindra Sadan cultural complex. > ======================================================================================== > > TaraPrakash wrote: >> In other words, the government has lost control and must be replaced. >> It was an interesting thing to add in the memo that the alliance that >> included ultra left destroyed red flags. The governor should be >> infuriated >> by this revelation. So, the president's rule in West Bengal? Marshal law? >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "prakash ray" > > >>> A delegation of four WB CPI (M) MPs and one MLA met the Hon. Governor on >>> the >>> late morning of 9 November. The delegation in a detailed memorandum > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From ravig64 at gmail.com Mon Nov 12 08:03:44 2007 From: ravig64 at gmail.com (Ravi Agarwal) Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 08:03:44 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Yamuna Land before Wazirabad Message-ID: Dear all, this is a very recent email exchange, which is about yamuna land being sold off quietly. You may find this interesting. Best ravi -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Friends, The information as cited below has been confirmed from two other sources. While other details are still awaited as regards the name of the foreign firm and the purpose, clearly there is lot sinister going on than meets the eye. This is also a classic example of vultures pouring in once the state itself becomes or even appears to act predatory in intent and in action. Would some journalist friend on this list get to the bottom of it and help us nip this move in the bud. It was also learmt that something on similar lines was attempted by an influential politician few years back in the river bed immediately south of Wazirabad barrage but media glare ensured that that was stopped. If any one on this list has better or updated information on this please share it with us. Looking forward to your reactions and more importantly suggestions on how best to tackle these nefarious designs on the river bed at a stretch which till now appeared to be safe !!! manoj ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Ravi Agarwal Date: Nov 10, 2007 6:55 PM Subject: land before wazirabad barrage. To: Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan Cc: Ravi Agarwal Dear Manoj ji I have learnt from a farmer who I know for some time, that 4000 bigas of land has been sold to a 'foreign' company for Rs 25 lakhs a nali, before the wazirabad barrage. Why this is credible information is since he is one of the people who have sold it, along with the whole village. I know them for long, and met him on a visit to the river today. he said that 3 km down the govt has acquired land for Rs 5lakh a nali, and there are DDA boards everywhere, and the villagers decided that rather than get the low rate of the govt they sell it to the company who approached them. He told me that this winter was the last crop they will grow here. the 4000 bigas is the whole land owned by the village. This is also following the plan which Mr Sanat kaul presented to our meeting at wwf. As I have been saying the new big land change is on the 20 km before the barrage. this is scary... ravi From radhikarajen at vsnl.net Mon Nov 12 13:21:11 2007 From: radhikarajen at vsnl.net (radhikarajen at vsnl.net) Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 12:51:11 +0500 Subject: [Reader-list] fatima's response In-Reply-To: <312819.84763.qm@web45515.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> References: <4737797E.1020604@sarai.net> <312819.84763.qm@web45515.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Dear all, it is not my even remote intention to question the rights of moderator and his approach to "moderate" the thoughts expresswed by members, for let me assure you, I am one of those that I may not agree with you, but I will defend the right of anyone to express his /her thoughts in the freedom of the society. This is true for the simple reason that right of expression in freedom of thoughts is more a need of the society, a civilised one, if the thoughts do not have the substance they sink without trace.. In a society which has tasted the political freedom in 1947, but has not yet got the economic freedom, this is very important to have a healthy societal presence for the freedom in all spheres. This freedom is not free and it does not give license to impose views/ censor others views in society, as citizens we have, along with freedom , a duty, to be responsible to the society that we live in. Regards, radhikarajen at vsnl.net. ----- Original Message ----- From: we wi Date: Monday, November 12, 2007 11:37 am Subject: Re: [Reader-list] fatima's response To: Iram Ghufran , reader-list at sarai.net Cc: radhikarajen at vsnl.net, monica at sarai.net > Dear Iram, > > You can address me as Dhatri . Your response was quite > expected and Ok. What exactly I mean about that CONCLUSION mails > was THE CC fields of my original mail and the SARAI publish DIFFER > IN number of ADDRESSES(More clearly instead of 17 addresses why > there was only 2 named with vrjogi and shudda? ). Why and how, > who will be held responsible for this? (hope the moderator of the > list MONICA will answer this) > > >>> Ideally your question should be addressed to the list > administrator and not to me. My >>>email was written as a response > to Radhikarajen's rather paranoic and accusatory >>>email.To quote > Radhikarajen: > 1) If that would be the case why my name appear on CC list to > your response to > Radhikararajen? > Though it appear funny, looks quite amazing? (You only can > answer this surely.) > > > Regards, > Dhatri. > > Iram Ghufran wrote: > Dhatri/We Wi > > What can I say? > > Are you implying that the list admin SUPPORTS vrjogi at hotmail.com > and > shuddha at sarai.net AS OPPOSED TO > > bhatnagar_anamika at rediffmail.com, theunderscoredhood at gmail.com, > sen.gargi at gmail.com, indersalim at gmail.com, > adityarajkaul at gmail.com, > kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com, parthaekka at gmail.com, > radhikarajen at vsnl.net, > rana at ranadasgupta.com, rashneek at gmail.com, shuddha at sarai.net, > sadiafwahidi at yahoo.co.in, taraprakash at gmail.com, > vrjogi at hotmail.com, > vishal.rawlley at gmail.com, vivek at sarai.net, yasir.media at gmail.com ? > > I think this is not possible. > > Ideally your question should be addressed to the list > administrator and > not to me. My email was written as a response to Radhikarajen's > rather > paranoic and accusatory email. > To quote Radhikarajen: > > > >I have not been getting posted the sarai responses for almost two > weeks now, for reasons best known to the administrators of the sarai. > > May be they do not exactly like the way I put forth my thoughts > of > good governance and relevance of the governance and the citizens > to rise > above their communes of caste, faith and be humans first. ? > > > > Now as most of us know, reader list was under some TECHNICAL > STRESS, > regarding which, an email was sent a while ago. > Radhikarajen, obviously missed that email, so I forwarded it to > her/ him. > > Coming to your question - "what do you say about the following" - > Well, > I say that its a technical gaffe, that your CURRENT posting made > it to > the list because I think it has html tags! Ideally it should have > been > held back for admin approval, unless it was the list admin who > cleared > your email. > > Regarding your previous email (with the Subject Header - > Conclusion), > your recipient list is too long!! Again, your email should have > been > held back for admin approval. Possibly it was cleared by the list > admin > but the long recipient list didn't show up in entirety. This does > not > imply that these people did not receive your email! In fact they > probably received TWO copies - One from the Reader List and one > directly. > The changes in the CC field are not changes - just some addresses > have > been scrubbed off! However, the technical team at Sarai and the > list > admin will know the workings better and will hopefully respond to > your > accusations. > > Iram > > PS: Dhatri - Please make efforts to read up on mailing lists - > their > functioning, protocols, technical aspects. It will save everyone a > lot > of time. Please 'dug it more' before clicking the send button. I > have a > feeling that you are finding it difficult to cope with an > unmoderated > space - you cant believe your luck that actually you can just > about say > anything that you wish to and get away with it. Please forward > your > emails which have not appeared on the list to the list admin, the > reader > list and to me. I am very curious to read what the list admin > seems to > have 'moderated'/ censored and Dhatri promises are meant to be > broken ;-) > > > > we wi wrote: > > > > */Dear Iram,/* > > > > *//* > > > > /* Vedavati,Radhika,Pawan and many more shouting in public > openly > > about the CENSORSHIP ,missing posts and receiving of messages. > Leave > > all of them, What do you say about the following?*/ > > > > /**/ > > > > /*The original message header that I posted to SARAI contain */ > > > > *//* > > > > To:reader-list at sarai.net and rest > > > > CC. > > > > > > > > // > > > > Date: Sat, 10 Nov 2007 04:37:07 -0800 (PST) > > From: "we wi" View Contact Details View Contact > > Details > > Add > > Mobile Alert > > > > > > Subject: Conclusion > > To: reader-list at sarai.net > > CC: > > > > bhatnagar_anamika at rediffmail.com, theunderscoredhood at gmail.com, > > sen.gargi at gmail.com, indersalim at gmail.com, > adityarajkaul at gmail.com, > > Send an Instant Message > > kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com, > > parthaekka at gmail.com, radhikarajen at vsnl.net, > rana at ranadasgupta.com, > > rashneek at gmail.com, shuddha at sarai.net, Send an Instant Message > > sadiafwahidi at yahoo.co.in, > > taraprakash at gmail.com, vrjogi at hotmail.com, > vishal.rawlley at gmail.com, > > vivek at sarai.net, yasir.media at gmail.com > > > > > > > > > > > > /*where as in SARAI PUBLISH of my original message , the header > contain*/> > > /**/ > > > > Date: Sat, 10 Nov 2007 04:37:07 -0800 (PST) > > From: "we wi" View Contact Details View Contact > > Details > > Add > > Mobile Alert > > > > > > To: reader-list at sarai.net > > CC: vrjogi at hotmail.com, shuddha at sarai.net > > Subject: [Reader-list] Conclusion > > > > // > > > > / _*Compare the 2 message headers and*_ /*_Please note the > > CHANGES IN THE CC: FIELD. _* > > > > ** > > > > I Don't wish to dug it more. > > Administering/moderating/censoring/editing whats going on ??? I > have > > a nil role in either media or art and not inters ted in them > because I > > never studied them. I have a purpose and that was served, hence > > thought to opt out but I just tried to stay back upon the people > > requests. Just reacted to mails which are cheeky and false > > interpretive. Found so many interesting and friendly people > around > > with different domains in r-list. Hence continued on the list. I > > would like to keep my promise so ... > > > > ** > > > > // > > > > // > > > > */Regards,/* > > > > */Dhatri./* > > > > *//* > > > > *//* > > > > */Iram Ghufran /* wrote: > > > > Before jumping to hasty conclusions - it is advisable to write > to the > > List Administrator. My guess is that you have been resubscribed by > > now. > > Best > > Iram Ghufran > > >> > > >> On 10/30/07, *sushil at tetrain.com * > > >> > wrote: > > >> > > >> Dear All > > >> > > >> "Some users of the reader-list are not getting mails. To rectify > > >> this > > >> issue we need to restore the list with backed up information. > This> >> activity will take place at 10:00 PM IST on 30th oct > 2007. It is > > >> possible that some of you might not receive list postings; if > > >> this is > > >> the case, we request you to re-subscribe to the list. Please > email> >> me if > > >> its difficult to subscribe online. Apologies for this technical > > >> problem". > > >> > > >> -- > > >> ................................. > > >> Thanks And Warm Regards > > >> Sushil Kumar Sharma > > >> Sr. Linux Engineer > > > > > > > radhikarajen at vsnl.net wrote: > > > I have not been getting posted the sarai responses for almost > > two weeks now, for reasons best known to the administrators of the > > sarai. > > > May be they do not exactly like the way I putforth my thoughts > > of good governance and relevance of the governance and the > > citizens to rise above their communes of caste, faith and be > > humans first. ? > > > > > > radhikarajen at vsnl.net > > > > > > > > > > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > http://mail.yahoo.com From aarti.sethi at gmail.com Mon Nov 12 15:07:15 2007 From: aarti.sethi at gmail.com (Aarti Sethi) Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 15:07:15 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] apropos shuddha: iconoclasm and shaivism Message-ID: <48c2916d0711120137o66261874ld41a24e0d754ca06@mail.gmail.com> Dear Shuddha, Thank you for a fantastic set of reflections on the many histories of iconoclasm in Kashmir. I was just wondering, apropos an informal discussion we were having, whether in your close reading of Kalhana what he has to say about the particular case of Kashmiri shaivism and its relationship to Buddhism. >From my own cursory and sketchy reading it seems that by the 10th century Buddhism has taken a decisive beating, and you see the rise of the Shaivite kings and the rise of a shaivite brahmin bureaucracy. I am wondering if the iconoclasm of the shaivite rulers has something to do with the particular development of Kashmiri Shaivism and its relationship to philosophical abstraction. Therefore tantric ritualism is highly numerical and relies on the logic of the symbolic in a particular way. So then we have this very interesting relationship with a "secularisation" of a sort (because of abstraction) coupled with a high degree of ritual. Wondering what your thoughts were from your readings on Kashmiri shaivism, which actually develops some of the most philosophically sophisticated and rich discourses within the tantric tradition. Thanks again Shuddha. This set of writings were a real treat :) best Aarti From aarti.sethi at gmail.com Mon Nov 12 15:12:59 2007 From: aarti.sethi at gmail.com (Aarti Sethi) Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 15:12:59 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] apropos shuddha: iconoclasm and shaivism Message-ID: <48c2916d0711120142r457b04f7v7cecb94a33492ab1@mail.gmail.com> Dear Shuddha, Thank you for a fantastic set of reflections on the many histories of iconoclasm in Kashmir. I was just wondering, apropos an informal discussion we were having, whether in your close reading of Kalhana what he has to say about the particular case of Kashmiri shaivism and its relationship to Buddhism. >From my own cursory and sketchy reading it seems that by the 10th century Buddhism has taken a decisive beating, and you see the rise of the Shaivite kings and the rise of a shaivite brahmin bureaucracy. I am wondering if the iconoclasm of the shaivite rulers has something to do with the particular development of Kashmiri Shaivism and its relationship to philosophical abstraction. Therefore tantric ritualism is highly numerical and relies on the logic of the symbolic in a particular way. So then we have this very interesting relationship with a "secularisation" of a sort (because of abstraction) coupled with a high degree of ritual. Wondering what your thoughts were from your readings on Kashmiri shaivism, which actually develops some of the most philosophically sophisticated and rich discourses within the tantric tradition. Thanks again Shuddha. This set of writings were a real treat :) best Aarti From dhatr1i at yahoo.com Sun Nov 11 15:22:07 2007 From: dhatr1i at yahoo.com (we wi) Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2007 01:52:07 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] "non-Indian" In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <958149.65171.qm@web45512.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> Dear Naeem, Though you took in other way, hope it will become possible in future. Now let me clarify SARAI grown global and every body feel proud about it, but nobody should forget the fact that SARAI Headquartered in DELHI, the capital of INDIA and the founders are INDIAN students.(as per their WIKI publishing). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raqs_Media_Collective Regards, Dhatri. Naeem Mohaiemen wrote: > 3. Conclusion (we wi) > SARAI is encouraging non-democratic,non-Indian,non-Hindu Ideology for whatever reasons. Dear Dhatri/we wi Not everyone on SARAI is "Indian" (citizenship, living space, history, experiences). There are multiplicities represented here. It's part of being a global citizen. You may like to try it sometime. -Naeem _________________________________________ 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. To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list List archive: __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com From aarti.sethi at gmail.com Mon Nov 12 15:43:35 2007 From: aarti.sethi at gmail.com (Aarti Sethi) Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 15:43:35 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] "non-Indian" In-Reply-To: <958149.65171.qm@web45512.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> References: <958149.65171.qm@web45512.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <48c2916d0711120213n3d2bbc2bmc14a4842270ed795@mail.gmail.com> Dear Dhatri, If you had scrolled down a little further on this link you have helpfully provided us with, you would have read the following statement. "They [Raqs Media Collective] are, however, resistant to the label "Indian" since, they argue, it represents an abstraction so enormous that it can explain nothing about them, and prefer to talk about themselves simply as "from Delhi." Be that as it may, early last month there was a timely and, for me, chastening discussion on how easily discussions often slip into an unreflexive and insensitive indocentricism on the list. For many of us our citizenship is not the primary, or even one, of the identities we come with to the space of the reader-list. I would urge you to respect the fact that we all come from different locations, both in space and of the imagination, and the things we want to talk about and discuss are similarly unfettered by territorial boundaries. Warmly Aarti On Nov 11, 2007 3:22 PM, we wi wrote: > Dear Naeem, > > Though you took in other way, hope it will become possible in future. > > Now let me clarify > > SARAI grown global and every body feel proud about it, but nobody should forget the fact that SARAI Headquartered in DELHI, the capital of INDIA and the founders are INDIAN students.(as per their WIKI publishing). > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raqs_Media_Collective > > > Regards, > Dhatri. > > > Naeem Mohaiemen wrote: > > 3. Conclusion (we wi) > > SARAI is encouraging non-democratic,non-Indian,non-Hindu Ideology for whatever reasons. > > Dear Dhatri/we wi > > Not everyone on SARAI is "Indian" (citizenship, living space, history, > experiences). There are multiplicities represented here. It's part > of being a global citizen. You may like to try it sometime. > > -Naeem > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > http://mail.yahoo.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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: From dhatr1i at yahoo.com Sun Nov 11 16:00:16 2007 From: dhatr1i at yahoo.com (we wi) Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2007 02:30:16 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] fatima's response In-Reply-To: <4736BC23.2010802@sarai.net> Message-ID: <986996.16618.qm@web45501.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> Dear Iram, Vedavati,Radhika,Pawan and many more shouting in public openly about the CENSORSHIP ,missing posts and receiving of messages. Leave all of them, What do you say about the following? The original message header that I posted to SARAI contain To:reader-list at sarai.net and rest CC. Date: Sat, 10 Nov 2007 04:37:07 -0800 (PST) From: "we wi" View Contact Details Add Mobile Alert Subject: Conclusion To: reader-list at sarai.net CC: bhatnagar_anamika at rediffmail.com, theunderscoredhood at gmail.com, sen.gargi at gmail.com, indersalim at gmail.com, adityarajkaul at gmail.com, kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com, parthaekka at gmail.com, radhikarajen at vsnl.net, rana at ranadasgupta.com, rashneek at gmail.com, shuddha at sarai.net, sadiafwahidi at yahoo.co.in, taraprakash at gmail.com, vrjogi at hotmail.com, vishal.rawlley at gmail.com, vivek at sarai.net, yasir.media at gmail.com where as in SARAI PUBLISH of my original message , the header contain Date: Sat, 10 Nov 2007 04:37:07 -0800 (PST) From: "we wi" View Contact Details Add Mobile Alert To: reader-list at sarai.net CC: vrjogi at hotmail.com, shuddha at sarai.net Subject: [Reader-list] Conclusion Compare the 2 message headers and Please note the CHANGES IN THE CC: FIELD. I Don't wish to dug it more. Administering/moderating/censoring/editing whats going on ??? I have a nil role in either media or art and not inters ted in them because I never studied them. I have a purpose and that was served, hence thought to opt out but I just tried to stay back upon the people requests. Just reacted to mails which are cheeky and false interpretive. Found so many interesting and friendly people around with different domains in r-list. Hence continued on the list. I would like to keep my promise so ... Regards, Dhatri. Iram Ghufran wrote: Before jumping to hasty conclusions - it is advisable to write to the List Administrator. My guess is that you have been resubscribed by now. Best Iram Ghufran >> >> On 10/30/07, *sushil at tetrain.com * >> > wrote: >> >> Dear All >> >> "Some users of the reader-list are not getting mails. To rectify >> this >> issue we need to restore the list with backed up information. This >> activity will take place at 10:00 PM IST on 30th oct 2007. It is >> possible that some of you might not receive list postings; if >> this is >> the case, we request you to re-subscribe to the list. Please email >> me if >> its difficult to subscribe online. Apologies for this technical >> problem". >> >> -- >> ................................. >> Thanks And Warm Regards >> Sushil Kumar Sharma >> Sr. Linux Engineer > radhikarajen at vsnl.net wrote: > I have not been getting posted the sarai responses for almost two weeks now, for reasons best known to the administrators of the sarai. > May be they do not exactly like the way I putforth my thoughts of good governance and relevance of the governance and the citizens to rise above their communes of caste, faith and be humans first. ? > > radhikarajen at vsnl.net > > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com From dhatr1i at yahoo.com Mon Nov 12 11:36:58 2007 From: dhatr1i at yahoo.com (we wi) Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2007 22:06:58 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] fatima's response In-Reply-To: <4737797E.1020604@sarai.net> Message-ID: <312819.84763.qm@web45515.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> Dear Iram, You can address me as Dhatri . Your response was quite expected and Ok. What exactly I mean about that CONCLUSION mails was THE CC fields of my original mail and the SARAI publish DIFFER IN number of ADDRESSES(More clearly instead of 17 addresses why there was only 2 named with vrjogi and shudda? ). Why and how, who will be held responsible for this? (hope the moderator of the list MONICA will answer this) >>> Ideally your question should be addressed to the list administrator and not to me. My >>>email was written as a response to Radhikarajen's rather paranoic and accusatory >>>email.To quote Radhikarajen: 1) If that would be the case why my name appear on CC list to your response to Radhikararajen? Though it appear funny, looks quite amazing? (You only can answer this surely.) Regards, Dhatri. Iram Ghufran wrote: Dhatri/We Wi What can I say? Are you implying that the list admin SUPPORTS vrjogi at hotmail.com and shuddha at sarai.net AS OPPOSED TO bhatnagar_anamika at rediffmail.com, theunderscoredhood at gmail.com, sen.gargi at gmail.com, indersalim at gmail.com, adityarajkaul at gmail.com, kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com, parthaekka at gmail.com, radhikarajen at vsnl.net, rana at ranadasgupta.com, rashneek at gmail.com, shuddha at sarai.net, sadiafwahidi at yahoo.co.in, taraprakash at gmail.com, vrjogi at hotmail.com, vishal.rawlley at gmail.com, vivek at sarai.net, yasir.media at gmail.com ? I think this is not possible. Ideally your question should be addressed to the list administrator and not to me. My email was written as a response to Radhikarajen's rather paranoic and accusatory email. To quote Radhikarajen: >I have not been getting posted the sarai responses for almost two weeks now, for reasons best known to the administrators of the sarai. > May be they do not exactly like the way I put forth my thoughts of good governance and relevance of the governance and the citizens to rise above their communes of caste, faith and be humans first. ? > Now as most of us know, reader list was under some TECHNICAL STRESS, regarding which, an email was sent a while ago. Radhikarajen, obviously missed that email, so I forwarded it to her/ him. Coming to your question - "what do you say about the following" - Well, I say that its a technical gaffe, that your CURRENT posting made it to the list because I think it has html tags! Ideally it should have been held back for admin approval, unless it was the list admin who cleared your email. Regarding your previous email (with the Subject Header - Conclusion), your recipient list is too long!! Again, your email should have been held back for admin approval. Possibly it was cleared by the list admin but the long recipient list didn't show up in entirety. This does not imply that these people did not receive your email! In fact they probably received TWO copies - One from the Reader List and one directly. The changes in the CC field are not changes - just some addresses have been scrubbed off! However, the technical team at Sarai and the list admin will know the workings better and will hopefully respond to your accusations. Iram PS: Dhatri - Please make efforts to read up on mailing lists - their functioning, protocols, technical aspects. It will save everyone a lot of time. Please 'dug it more' before clicking the send button. I have a feeling that you are finding it difficult to cope with an unmoderated space - you cant believe your luck that actually you can just about say anything that you wish to and get away with it. Please forward your emails which have not appeared on the list to the list admin, the reader list and to me. I am very curious to read what the list admin seems to have 'moderated'/ censored and Dhatri promises are meant to be broken ;-) we wi wrote: > > */Dear Iram,/* > > *//* > > /* Vedavati,Radhika,Pawan and many more shouting in public openly > about the CENSORSHIP ,missing posts and receiving of messages. Leave > all of them, What do you say about the following?*/ > > /**/ > > /*The original message header that I posted to SARAI contain */ > > *//* > > To:reader-list at sarai.net and rest > > CC. > > > > // > > Date: Sat, 10 Nov 2007 04:37:07 -0800 (PST) > From: "we wi" View Contact Details View Contact > Details > Add > Mobile Alert > > > Subject: Conclusion > To: reader-list at sarai.net > CC: > > bhatnagar_anamika at rediffmail.com, theunderscoredhood at gmail.com, > sen.gargi at gmail.com, indersalim at gmail.com, adityarajkaul at gmail.com, > Send an Instant Message > kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com, > parthaekka at gmail.com, radhikarajen at vsnl.net, rana at ranadasgupta.com, > rashneek at gmail.com, shuddha at sarai.net, Send an Instant Message > sadiafwahidi at yahoo.co.in, > taraprakash at gmail.com, vrjogi at hotmail.com, vishal.rawlley at gmail.com, > vivek at sarai.net, yasir.media at gmail.com > > > > > > /*where as in SARAI PUBLISH of my original message , the header contain*/ > > /**/ > > Date: Sat, 10 Nov 2007 04:37:07 -0800 (PST) > From: "we wi" View Contact Details View Contact > Details > Add > Mobile Alert > > > To: reader-list at sarai.net > CC: vrjogi at hotmail.com, shuddha at sarai.net > Subject: [Reader-list] Conclusion > > // > > / _*Compare the 2 message headers and*_ /*_Please note the > CHANGES IN THE CC: FIELD. _* > > ** > > I Don't wish to dug it more. > Administering/moderating/censoring/editing whats going on ??? I have > a nil role in either media or art and not inters ted in them because I > never studied them. I have a purpose and that was served, hence > thought to opt out but I just tried to stay back upon the people > requests. Just reacted to mails which are cheeky and false > interpretive. Found so many interesting and friendly people around > with different domains in r-list. Hence continued on the list. I > would like to keep my promise so ... > > ** > > // > > // > > */Regards,/* > > */Dhatri./* > > *//* > > *//* > > */Iram Ghufran /* wrote: > > Before jumping to hasty conclusions - it is advisable to write to the > List Administrator. My guess is that you have been resubscribed by > now. > Best > Iram Ghufran > >> > >> On 10/30/07, *sushil at tetrain.com * > >> > wrote: > >> > >> Dear All > >> > >> "Some users of the reader-list are not getting mails. To rectify > >> this > >> issue we need to restore the list with backed up information. This > >> activity will take place at 10:00 PM IST on 30th oct 2007. It is > >> possible that some of you might not receive list postings; if > >> this is > >> the case, we request you to re-subscribe to the list. Please email > >> me if > >> its difficult to subscribe online. Apologies for this technical > >> problem". > >> > >> -- > >> ................................. > >> Thanks And Warm Regards > >> Sushil Kumar Sharma > >> Sr. Linux Engineer > > > > radhikarajen at vsnl.net wrote: > > I have not been getting posted the sarai responses for almost > two weeks now, for reasons best known to the administrators of the > sarai. > > May be they do not exactly like the way I putforth my thoughts > of good governance and relevance of the governance and the > citizens to rise above their communes of caste, faith and be > humans first. ? > > > > radhikarajen at vsnl.net > > > > > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com From yasir.media at gmail.com Mon Nov 12 16:05:45 2007 From: yasir.media at gmail.com (yasir ~) Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 02:35:45 -0800 Subject: [Reader-list] "non-Indian" In-Reply-To: <5af37bb0711120235h4644da50h54cdc56ff4087cd8@mail.gmail.com> References: <958149.65171.qm@web45512.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> <5af37bb0711120235h4644da50h54cdc56ff4087cd8@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <5af37bb0711120235p457f29edt8d93da74b67cdd53@mail.gmail.com> yes, how wonderful ! as the presidential challenger to Musharraf, Justice retired Wajeehuddin Ahmed, the lawyers candidate (incidentally both hailing from Dehli) when asked what he would do if elected president, regurgitated : Hanuuz Dilli duur ast - Dilli is still far away From ysaeed7 at yahoo.com Mon Nov 12 16:28:40 2007 From: ysaeed7 at yahoo.com (Yousuf) Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 02:58:40 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] fatima's response In-Reply-To: <986996.16618.qm@web45501.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <927477.55520.qm@web51408.mail.re2.yahoo.com> I don't belong to Sarai, and I know there was a technical snag some weeks ago. I was not able to recieve or post any messages. I had to resubscribe to start getting messages. Many people have reported this directly to Sarai moderator. You are not the only one. --- we wi wrote: > Dear Iram, > > Vedavati,Radhika,Pawan and many more > shouting in public openly about the CENSORSHIP > ,missing posts and receiving of messages. Leave all > of them, What do you say about the following? > > The original message header that I posted to SARAI > contain > > To:reader-list at sarai.net and rest > CC. > > > Date: Sat, 10 Nov 2007 04:37:07 -0800 > (PST) From: "we wi" View > Contact Details Add Mobile Alert Subject: > Conclusion To: reader-list at sarai.net CC: > bhatnagar_anamika at rediffmail.com, > theunderscoredhood at gmail.com, sen.gargi at gmail.com, > indersalim at gmail.com, adityarajkaul at gmail.com, > kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com, parthaekka at gmail.com, > radhikarajen at vsnl.net, rana at ranadasgupta.com, > rashneek at gmail.com, shuddha at sarai.net, > sadiafwahidi at yahoo.co.in, taraprakash at gmail.com, > vrjogi at hotmail.com, vishal.rawlley at gmail.com, > vivek at sarai.net, yasir.media at gmail.com > > > > where as in SARAI PUBLISH of my original message , > the header contain > > Date: Sat, 10 Nov 2007 04:37:07 -0800 > (PST) From: "we wi" View > Contact Details Add Mobile Alert To: > reader-list at sarai.net CC: vrjogi at hotmail.com, > shuddha at sarai.net Subject: [Reader-list] > Conclusion > > Compare the 2 message headers and Please > note the CHANGES IN THE CC: FIELD. > > I Don't wish to dug it more. > Administering/moderating/censoring/editing whats > going on ??? I have a nil role in either media or > art and not inters ted in them because I never > studied them. I have a purpose and that was served, > hence thought to opt out but I just tried to stay > back upon the people requests. Just reacted to mails > which are cheeky and false interpretive. Found so > many interesting and friendly people around with > different domains in r-list. Hence continued on the > list. I would like to keep my promise so ... > > > > Regards, > Dhatri. > > > Iram Ghufran wrote: > Before jumping to hasty conclusions - it is > advisable to write to the > List Administrator. My guess is that you have been > resubscribed by now. > Best > Iram Ghufran > >> > >> On 10/30/07, *sushil at tetrain.com * > >> > wrote: > >> > >> Dear All > >> > >> "Some users of the reader-list are not getting > mails. To rectify > >> this > >> issue we need to restore the list with backed up > information. This > >> activity will take place at 10:00 PM IST on 30th > oct 2007. It is > >> possible that some of you might not receive list > postings; if > >> this is > >> the case, we request you to re-subscribe to the > list. Please email > >> me if > >> its difficult to subscribe online. Apologies for > this technical > >> problem". > >> > >> -- > >> ................................. > >> Thanks And Warm Regards > >> Sushil Kumar Sharma > >> Sr. Linux Engineer > > > > radhikarajen at vsnl.net wrote: > > I have not been getting posted the sarai responses > for almost two weeks now, for reasons best known to > the administrators of the sarai. > > May be they do not exactly like the way I putforth > my thoughts of good governance and relevance of the > governance and the citizens to rise above their > communes of caste, faith and be humans first. ? > > > > radhikarajen at vsnl.net > > > > > > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam > protection around > http://mail.yahoo.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. > To unsubscribe: > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com From aarti.sethi at gmail.com Mon Nov 12 21:21:12 2007 From: aarti.sethi at gmail.com (Aarti Sethi) Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 21:21:12 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] "non-Indian" In-Reply-To: <440536.40404.qm@web45515.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> References: <48c2916d0711120213n3d2bbc2bmc14a4842270ed795@mail.gmail.com> <440536.40404.qm@web45515.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <48c2916d0711120751u79ef56c1u91e2eba36069a83b@mail.gmail.com> Dear Dhatri, Against my better judgment and good sense I am continuing to engage in a conversation which can only yield bewilderment at best and extreme frustration at worst. What can I say except that none of us can finally fight the death drive which impels us to masochism. Why should anyone be condemned for anything is what I am not able to understand. No one is fielding any accusations, or allegations of any sort against anyone. If you wish to identify yourself as Indian more power to you. No one is questioning your right to do so. Do any of us constantly assail you with mails to the contrary? No. Unfortunately one cannot say the same of you. I have done a quick tallying of the various people/positions that have become your moving targets in the last three months that this list has had the unfortunate distinction of you being a subscriber. From what I can tell, basically only Indian, upper-caste Hindus are legit. Everyone else should shut up. Amazing! How the worst kind of parochialism can actually be paraded as a virtue. Are you not able to find spaces in the real world where people listen to what you say? Is that the problem? If so, I can understand this can be very trying. Else I am not able to understand the vast reserves of energy that you can summon to say the same thing over and over and over again, in more and more incomprehensible ways. I apologise to you and all other list members for this mail. I realise there is nothing you can do about this. There is no cure for a poverty of the spirit and imagination this deep. I will not be answering any mails from you in future. best Aarti On Nov 12, 2007 6:10 PM, we wi wrote: > Dear Aarti, > > People playing with India not only in reality but with words as well. > Though I can understand the things, I just would like to put a question > here. What kind of Passport do the founders hold. If it is INDIAN then, at > certain point at least some condemnation about such talk or writing should > occur. I am not the sole representative of the CULTURE AND TRADITION ALONE > but I wonder why do people at least field such accusations, allegations > about INDIA. > > Regards, > Dhatri. > > > Aarti Sethi wrote: > Dear Dhatri, > > If you had scrolled down a little further on this link you have > helpfully provided us with, you would have read the following > statement. > > "They [Raqs Media Collective] are, however, resistant to the label > "Indian" since, they argue, it represents an abstraction so enormous > that it can explain nothing about them, and prefer to talk about > themselves simply as "from Delhi." > > > Be that as it may, early last month there was a timely and, for me, > chastening discussion on how easily discussions often slip into an > unreflexive and insensitive indocentricism on the list. For many of us > our citizenship is not the primary, or even one, of the identities we > come with to the space of the reader-list. I would urge you to respect > the fact that we all come from different locations, both in space and > of the imagination, and the things we want to talk about and discuss > are similarly unfettered by territorial boundaries. > > Warmly > Aarti > > > On Nov 11, 2007 3:22 PM, we wi wrote: > > Dear Naeem, > > > > Though you took in other way, hope it will become possible in future. > > > > Now let me clarify > > > > SARAI grown global and every body feel proud about it, but nobody should > forget the fact that SARAI Headquartered in DELHI, the capital of INDIA and > the founders are INDIAN students.(as per their WIKI publishing). > > > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raqs_Media_Collective > > > > > > Regards, > > Dhatri. > > > > > > Naeem Mohaiemen wrote: > > > 3. Conclusion (we wi) > > > SARAI is encouraging non-democratic,non-Indian,non-Hindu Ideology for > whatever reasons. > > > > Dear Dhatri/we wi > > > > Not everyone on SARAI is "Indian" (citizenship, living space, history, > > experiences). There are multiplicities represented here. It's part > > of being a global citizen. You may like to try it sometime. > > > > -Naeem > > _________________________________________ > > 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. > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > List archive: > > > > __________________________________________________ > > Do You Yahoo!? > > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > > http://mail.yahoo.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. > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > List archive: > > > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > http://mail.yahoo.com From zigzackly at gmail.com Mon Nov 12 23:09:36 2007 From: zigzackly at gmail.com (peter griffin) Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 23:09:36 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Nandigram Relief - an appeal Message-ID: <4d145a50711120939s4cd465aek3770a707d5105356@mail.gmail.com> I got this via reliable sources. Do please post / pass on. -----Original Message----- *From:* Anjum Katyal *Sent:* Monday, November 12, 2007 8:12 PM *To:* Kavita Panjabi *Subject:* relief for Nandigram Hi, I just received an sms from Aparna Sen asking for relief materials for Nandigram victims (she specifically mentioned old clothes, children's clothes and rice) which can be sent to Mahasweta Devi's address, given below: c/o Mahasweta Devi W 2C 12/3 Phase 2, Golf Green, Kolkata 95. Ph: 24143033 We've been asked to forward the request to as many people as possible. Regards Anjum From anansi1 at earthlink.net Mon Nov 12 23:50:47 2007 From: anansi1 at earthlink.net (Paul D. Miller) Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:20:47 -0500 (EST) Subject: [Reader-list] Towards the Legible City - The Art Institute of Chicago - Link City 11/14/07 Message-ID: <9943790.1194891648402.JavaMail.root@elwamui-hybrid.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Hi you all - I have an opening at The Art Institute of Chicago on Wednesday, November 14. If you have any friends in Chicago, please send 'em along. The opening will be pretty big! It's my first one person museum show. details in the PDF! Paul D. Miller presents: Link City at The Art Institute of Chicago Betty Rymer Gallery 280 S. Columbus Drive www.saic.edu/bettyrymer Wednesday, November 14, 7-9pm in peace, in peace, Paul From rana at ranadasgupta.com Mon Nov 12 23:52:14 2007 From: rana at ranadasgupta.com (Rana Dasgupta) Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 23:52:14 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Music industry insider defends piracy Message-ID: <473899D6.10406@ranadasgupta.com> A guy who worked in the music industry and thought downloading was stealing eventually joined the pirates because he found the industry's tactics so reprehensible. Here he advises all to stop buying from major music companies and to campaign against the current IP regime. http://www.demonbaby.com/blog/2007/10/when-pigs-fly-death-of-oink-birth-of.html From shuddha at sarai.net Tue Nov 13 00:14:33 2007 From: shuddha at sarai.net (Shuddhabrata Sengupta) Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2007 00:14:33 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Nandigram-Time for an Alternative Left in Bengal-Aditya Nigam Message-ID: <47389F11.9000602@sarai.net> Dear All, The sad reality of CPI(M) style thuggery in West Bengal has attracted some attention on this list over the past few months. The news from Nandigram, as recent posts from Peter Griffin, Tapas Ray and others has shown continues to be disturbing. I am enclosing below, a text by Aditya Nigam that was recently posted on www.kafila.org that many on this list may find of interest. best Shuddha ---------------------------- Time for Alternative Left Platform in W Bengal Aditya Nigam The CPM mask is off. Beneath it you can see the face of the totalitarian face of the Biman Boses, Benoy Konars and Brinda Karats. Much more is to come in coming days but one thing seems to be becoming clearer with each passing day: it will be wrong now on, to count the CPM as a Left wing force (at least in West Bengal). Unless we are able to shed this misleading idea, we are likely to misread the situation in the state completely. The situation in Nandigram is developing rapidly. The area has been ‘liberated’ - which is to say brought under CPM control. Nobody, including journalists and political and civil rights activitsts can enter the area. All you have are marauding criminal gangs of AK 47 (and other assorted weapon) wielding ‘cadres’. They roam about with the red flag and have no compunction in attacking the likes of Medha Patkar and Anuradha Talwar, punching them in the face and tearing at their clothes. This is a political style and culture that we have so far only associated with the fascist right. We have seen glimpses of it in the recent past in the state but now it has assumed a generalized form. And while the armed gangs are at work in Nandigram, the state’s police has started targetting protestors in Kolkata. Thus, even as Medha Patkar’s hunger strike continued in Kolkata, a march of artistes and intellectuals was stopped as they were walking towards Nandan, the venue of the Kolkata Film Festival. Forty of these intellectuals were arrested under section 151, (apprehension of breach of peace). The situation has reached such a pass, that the LF government is finding it difficult to even face such simple and harmless shows of protest by artistes and intellectuals; after all nobody including the CPM can really believe that these artistes posed any threat to ‘law and order’ or ‘peace’. In fact, for the first time in its history, three important Left Front partners, the RSP, Forward Bloc and the CPI, have come out openly against the CPM, holding it alone responsible for the violence. The time has indeed come for them to now quit the LF and help in the formation of an alternative Left platform in the state. For, this might be the beginning of the end of LF rule in the state - and if the entire discontent against the CPM is not to be mobilized under a Trinamool Congress type opposition, then it is imperative that efforts be stepped up to present and alternative, democratic Left opposition. But in the meantime, it is necessary to ask, what exactly is happening in Nandigram? The story that has been dished out over the past nine months - repeated with nauseating regularity by the illiterates in the televisual media - that it is a CPM-Trinamool Congress turf war, is, to say the least, completely off the mark. More, it is deliberately misleading. It is a line that suits the CPM ruling circles no doubt, but it is also something that the news media, drunk on its globalization potion, likes to believe. It like to believe that if only there were no political parties, everything would be hunky dory for the neo-liberal globalizers. It is only ‘politics’ which is holding back the rapid pace of India’s development. ‘Politics’ (which should, as far as the globalization-drunk media lingo is concerned, be read as ‘democracy’) is the the real road block. And here, Buddhadeb’s type of Left-wing capitalism was something they would have rather liked to see. It has unfortunately gone beyond all limits, even for the media to defend. Let us be clear about one thing: Buddhadeb’s and CPM’s socalled ‘assurances’ that the SEZ and the chemical hub will not be built in Nandigram, that its project has been abandoned, do not mean anything anymore. In the first place nobody trusts him or his party anymore. More importantly, the issue is not whether the SEZ will be made; it is a battle for suzerainty being conducted by the CPM. It is not that CPM supporters could not have returned to their homes in the last few months. But the CPM wanted to come back as rulers, with the area fully under their control. That is where the problem lies. Since large sections of the population have ceased to trust the government and the CPM, the people of the area are suspicious of its intent. The posture of innocence often struck by CPM leaders and supporters that “after all we have said that there will be no chemical hub” is disingenuous, to say the least. Let us therefore, also be clear about another thing: There is popular discontent in the region and the people have turned to the only available anti-CPM (anti- establishment) forces in the area, which include the Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Hind, the TMC and the Maoists. Just as popular discontent in the state had once turned to the CPM against the ruling Congress, it is now turning against it. Then, in the sixties, during the food movement and later the land struggles, the CPM also made alliances in the United Front with parties like the Bangla Congress and other assorted groups. In other places, the CPM has made common cause with the Jana Sangh/ BJP (the anti-Emergency struggle, the 1989 elections etc). [In Kerala, even without any mass struggle, the CPM has long had alliances (often legitimately) with the Muslim League.] So, for it to suddenly take this holier-than-thou attitude and dub the Nandigram struggle as a ‘Trinamool- Maoist’-combine-led ‘disturbance’ is not only dishonest, it in fact speaks of a fundamental change in the party’s role and self-perception. From a party of struggle, it has become a party of order and government. And while this completely illegal and unconstitutional violence is perpetrated on the hapless people of Nandigram, the CPM state leadership and the Polit Bureau have found fault with governor Gopal Gandhi for ‘overstepping his constitutional limits’. Interesting, to say the least. Let the CPM know, that for an increasingly large number of people in the state, it is Gandhi who is becoming the voice of sanity. It is to him that former Chief Justice Krishna Iyer appealed; it is to him that all intellectuals and concerned citizens elsewhere in India are appealing. It is also to Gandhi that the intellectuals in the state are looking up to for restoring constitutional order. Blinded by its arrogance of power, the CPM refuses to see the writing on the wall - but for how long. Now power, however despotic has lasted for ever. How can this one? From indersalim at gmail.com Tue Nov 13 01:06:42 2007 From: indersalim at gmail.com (inder salim) Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2007 01:06:42 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] yesterday evening, when i had almost nothing to do Message-ID: <47e122a70711121136t4d9aa887t390d791053732844@mail.gmail.com> yesderday evening, when i had almost nothing to do please click to see the image -- http://indersalim.livejournal.com with love is From pkray11 at gmail.com Tue Nov 13 01:40:35 2007 From: pkray11 at gmail.com (prakash ray) Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2007 01:40:35 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Nandigram is free from terror after 11 months.. Message-ID: <98f331e00711121210s75e00663t84d9aef2db237f88@mail.gmail.com> Nandigram at last is free from blockades after 11 months of terror and a status of 'liberated zone'. A 4 KM squad of people has reached the sky with Red flags at Sonachura and Garchakraberia. People from all over the place are rejoicing their free status after a 11-month-old reign of terror, extortions, and gunpowder. It is almost like a freedom for the masses from the shackles of brutal force, Maoist schools of arms, Trinamul extortion racket and the communal rumours. All blockades have been removed, wherever they were, and people are moving freely. It can never be forgotten that when the TMC chief last moved in to Nandigram, the Zonal Committee office of CPIM was set ablaze. The people of the place understand and can figure out who is the messenger of trouble and terror. They tried to find their own way to find out how the messenger of trouble and terror can be shown the door, all these at the local level without any sort of central intervention from any political parties. Of course a few unwarranted events happened, which is unfortunate, and should not have happened. CRPF was requested by the Chief Minister, and there was a lot of dilly dallying by the center. Probably a nexus was working to provide space for the armed Maoists and Trinamul goons to flee the place. The CRPF have come and will not be politically controlled by any of the political parties. They are free to do what they feel best to bring peace at the place, and remove the terror from the minds of the people. A local Bengali news channel started to create a big fuss yesterday on the two Tapan Ghosh and Suker Ali, and falsely alleged that they have connections with Choto Angaria. Nandigram and Choto Angaria are two separate things altogether, and the electronic media is trying to juxtapose the two. An ambulance was transporting a few patients to the Kamardaha hospital and these two people were returning from Digha, they showed conclusive evidence of their stay and vacation at Digha, and the Trinamul with the help of electronic media tried to create a big fuss around these two unrelated events. The Communist Party of India (Marxist), being a bigger partner, takes a lot of responsibilities on their shoulders, and it is happening since the semi-fascist rule of Congress of 1971-72. Left Front is an expanding coalition. Left Front is based on the slogan of unity-struggle-unity. Each of the constituents of the Left Front has their own identity. But it is important to see that none of the constituents should do something that encourages the opportunist opposition. If any of these constituents do not find any role of the Trinamul in this whole Nandigram episode, sadly it seems ultimately to be a tragi-comic farce! Even today there were landmine blasts near the Jellingham factory, those were planted by the Maoists on the run to injure and kill the innocent people returning to their respective homes. Almost 100 CPI(M) workers and sympathisers died during the Keshpur Line of terror by the opposition party, but after Keshpur was freed from the clutches of this force, Gurudas Dasgupta of CPI was again elected from the place. At least 28 CPI(M) activists were killed at Nandigram during the last few months, but again it will be Md. Iliyas who will contest and win assembly election from Nandigram. A few electronic and print media has suddenly after 11 long months woken up to the civil rights, which is always encouraging to see. But their disease is not still leaving them. Yesterday 417 people in the marching people of Nandigram crossed the Tekhali bridge to flee from the clutches of the Trinamul Maoists. The march was obviously to create more trouble in the area with armed Maoists behind the squad and innocent people in the front acting as a shield. The people were no longer ready to act as shields of the armed Maoists, and a few people were shot from behind, two died. After a complaint by the BUPC, a large contingent of police went there to get those 417 out, 407 of them chose to stay back as they were tired of the terror and were not feeling safe in the hands of Maoist-Trinamul violence. It is to be reiterated that the Communist Party of India (Marxist) does not want any kind of retaliation. CPI(M) wants the government to start the economic reconstruction of Nandigram from tomorrow itself if possible. A few intellectuals and artists wanted to create a bad name for the International Kolkata Film Festival to the whole world. There was a very high chance that using these intellectuals and artists as shield a few vandals could have done anything at the place where the festival was going on, and we are extremely pained to see this. But it is important to note that these few are not the monopoly repository of the intellect of Bengal. Peace has returned to Nandigram, perhaps for ever. The people of Nandigram learnt a lesson, who are their friends and who are their enemy. It will be easier for them to identify and isolate friends and enemy in the future. When the whole cause is irrelevant, the bandh called tomorrow will again be a grand fiasco! From pkray11 at gmail.com Tue Nov 13 01:46:33 2007 From: pkray11 at gmail.com (prakash ray) Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2007 01:46:33 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Nandigram-Time for an Alternative Left in Bengal-Aditya Nigam Message-ID: <98f331e00711121216q7a83c600g512c57f2caa48ddc@mail.gmail.com> Dear all, I have posted this letter to Mr Aditya Nigam some months back on kafila.org. I am re-posting it here in response to his latest write-up. Regards, Prakash Dear Adityaji, I know a bit about your stint in the Communist Party. Unfortunately, you happen to belong to a generation of disillusioned Communists, who harboured illusions about the Soviet Union when it existed and basked in its glory and then turned into an anti-Communist after its downfall, like the whole lot of post-modernists in Europe. Your problem is that your subjective feelings about shattered dreams of socialism in the USSR have overwhelmed your capacity to analyse the developments from an objective and Marxist point of view. Luckily for all of us, the ideology and praxis of Marxism and Scientific Socialism continues to survive, despite the fall of the USSR and opportunistic renegades like you. Marxism and Socialism continues to be the most formidable challenge before US led imperialism and a ray of hope for the millions of exploited people across the globe. At a personal level, I belong to a generation of Communists who joined the Party in the 1990s. I don't harbour any illusions about the USSR. My conviction regarding Marxism has developed through my association with the struggles waged by the CPI (M) in defence of secularism and democracy in India. I firmly believe that the CPI (M) is the best place to be for all those who believe in progressive social change and revolution in our country. As far as the Left Front government of bengal is concerned, my admiration for it arises especially because i don't come from bengal, but from a state (Bihar) which is the worst example of economic backwardness and Brahminical social oppression, in the absence of land reforms as was carried out in bengal under the aegis of the Left front Government. You may continue to revel at the idea of the Left front government being defeated in Bengal one day. May be it'll happen in future, although going by current developments, I don't see that happening at least in the next assembly ele ctions. As long as Mamata Banerjee and the assorted naxalite idiots are dominating the opposition discourse, the future of the LF government is secured. However, even if the LF is defeated in bengal one day, how does it matter? The LF has lost elections in Kerala and Tripura several times; that has not led to the decline of the Communist movement. They have fought and come back to power again. That is the beauty of Indian democracy. I look forward to the day when we'll all see a CPI (M) led LF government at the Centre. That will be a great moment for the Indian people, especially the working class and the peasantry. That will also be a day when the LF government in Bengal will not have to depend upon big capital to industrialize - it can be acieved through Public Sector investment. Perhaps, cynics like you would also come back to the communist fold that day. From pkray11 at gmail.com Tue Nov 13 01:58:26 2007 From: pkray11 at gmail.com (prakash ray) Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2007 01:58:26 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Nandigram - Martyrs' List (3 January - 10 November 2007) Message-ID: <98f331e00711121228s2fc1b871x8d57c1d4afc1d389@mail.gmail.com> Nandigram - Martyrs' List of CPIM Sympathisers: 3 January - 10 November 2007 1. Sankar Samanta Sonachura 07.01.2007 2. Sunita Mandal 09.02.2007 3. Dilip Mandal Gokulnagar 29.04.2007 4. Mohiroah Karan Jambari 29.04.2007 5. Ram Kamila Rangkinipur 05.05.2007 6. Sunita Jana Kanangochak 07.05.2007 7. Harekrishna Chiti Brindabanchak 04.07.2007 8. Bapan Patra Pankhai 29.07.2007 9. Arun Das Baratala 04.08.2007 10. Mahadeb Mandal Relief Camp 24.06.2007 11. Jamini Mandal (Das) Sonachura 10.03.2007 12. Rasmoni Das 8.05.2007 13. Mantu Mandal Sonachura-Jalpai 04.04.2007 14. Manas Mandal Katari 08.10.2007 15. Mohan Mandal Ranichak 08.10.2007 16. Mir Khurshed Satebgabari 26.10.2007 17.Chanchal Middya Amgachia 07.11.2007 18. Gostha Das Keyakhali 27.10.2007 19. Nirapada Ghanta Haludbari 06.11.2007 Land Mine 20. Tushar Shaw 06.11.2007 Land Mine 21. Sankar Maiti Kasharia 06.11.2007 22. Sunil Bar(in bomb attack at Relief Camp) 27.10.2007 23. Bachan Garudas 27.10.2007 24. Srimanta Das 30.10.2007 25. Gourhari Laya Das 01.11.2007 26. Gabinda Singh 01.11.2007 27. Tapan Manna 03.11.2007 From tapasrayx at gmail.com Tue Nov 13 02:05:21 2007 From: tapasrayx at gmail.com (Tapas Ray) Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 15:35:21 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Nandigram-Time for an Alternative Left in Bengal-Aditya Nigam In-Reply-To: <47389F11.9000602@sarai.net> References: <47389F11.9000602@sarai.net> Message-ID: Dear Shuddha and others, Let me begin by noting that I have not had an opportunity to visit Nandigram and my observations are based on media reports. The impression I have gathered from these reports is that a very large number of people from both sides of the divide - CPI(M) and BUPC - had been homeless for several months until the latest "liberation". I think no one will disagree that all of them needed to go back home. But to be successful, and meaningful in the long run, this process had to be one of reconciliation. The March 14 carnage showed that occupation is what the ruling party had in mind, not reconciliation. At least that is the impression I have gathered. One shudders to think what would have happened in South Africa if the ANC had decided to take a Nandigram-like approach after the end of Apartheid. This is not to trivialise the anti-apartheid struggle, nor to suggest that the CPI(M) in nandigram suffered at the hands of BUPC as much as black Africans did under the apartheid regime. My intention is only to point out that even after suffering so much, South Africa's blacks had not gone on the rampage after their liberation from apartheid rule. To return to Nandigram - even after the March 14 massacre, things probably could have been mended substantially if relief, rehabilitation and justice had been provided to the victims. But, according to the EPW article cited recently, these were in short supply. By the way, one wonders why the only action that one hears being talked about with regard to police officials responsible for the death of 14 people, as well as arson and rape on March 14, is their transfer from one place to another. (And even that, apparently, has not been completed eight months after the massacre.) All this seems to show that the government and the ruling party had no intention of healing wounds, and now the violent "liberation" of Nandigram cannot but drive the wedge even deeper. So what is their intention - not just in Nandigram but also in the state as a whole? The answer that suggests itself is that their goal is complete control, in raw physical terms. It may be that raw coercive power, the threat or actual use of violence, never lies too far below the "battle of ideas" in politics, even democratic politics. But I think the point is to keep it buried, so that people can exist in a way that is qualitatively different from the medieval and the barbaric. I think we really need to get back to talking instead of killing in West Bengal, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, or what have you. This may sound inane, as it's being said all the time, but it needs to be repeated over and over again, with the hope that those who matter will one day listen. Tapas On 12/11/2007, Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: > > > Dear All, > > The sad reality of CPI(M) style thuggery in West Bengal has attracted > some attention on this list over the past few months. The news from > Nandigram, as recent posts from Peter Griffin, Tapas Ray and others has > shown continues to be disturbing. I am enclosing below, a text by Aditya > Nigam that was recently posted on www.kafila.org that many on this list > may find of interest. > > best > > Shuddha > ---------------------------- > > Time for Alternative Left Platform in W Bengal > Aditya Nigam > > The CPM mask is off. Beneath it you can see the face of the totalitarian > face of the Biman Boses, Benoy Konars and Brinda Karats. Much more is to > come in coming days but one thing seems to be becoming clearer with each > passing day: it will be wrong now on, to count the CPM as a Left wing > force (at least in West Bengal). Unless we are able to shed this > misleading idea, we are likely to misread the situation in the state > completely. From taraprakash at gmail.com Tue Nov 13 02:13:30 2007 From: taraprakash at gmail.com (TaraPrakash) Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 15:43:30 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Fw: A REMINDER: How to tackle spam on the reader list Message-ID: <009701c8256c$b28a8fa0$6400a8c0@taraprakash> ----- Original Message ----- From: "TaraPrakash" To: "Vivek Narayanan" ; Sent: Tuesday, November 06, 2007 1:21 PM Subject: Re: [Reader-list] A REMINDER: How to tackle spam on the reader list > If you are using e-mail clients like outlook express, you can create > message rules and prevent messages from certain addresses from being > downloaded. The option for message rules can be found in the tools section > of the menu. > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Vivek Narayanan" > To: > Sent: Tuesday, November 06, 2007 12:23 PM > Subject: [Reader-list] A REMINDER: How to tackle spam on the reader list > > >> Dear readers of the reader list, >> >> Please note, first of all, that I speak as an individual and not as a >> member of any organisation. >> >> As many of you know, there have recently been many attempts to hijack >> and dumb down the discourse of the reader list. This has been done by a >> small palmful of individuals ---- some of whom post as many as five >> times a day, with comments that are, by turns, inane, shallow, offensive >> or agressive. These individuals may have a right to their right-wing >> politics, although they are far from representative of our 1000+ mostly >> quiet or pertinent members. However, it has become very clear to me, at >> least, that this small group of hijackers with knives is not interested >> in nuanced or complex debate, merely in sloganeering and various forms >> of aggression and sabotage. >> >> This upsets me, since the reader-list is normally used to a very high >> and nuanced level of discussion, as evidenced in the patient, detailed >> and endlessly fascinating postings of independent research fellows, >> whether formally funded by Sarai or not, or in the recent exchange of >> different views that began with Yousuf Saeed and Sadan Jha. That was a >> discussion where the answers were not necessarily clear, and where the >> discussants weren't merely interested in beating down their opponents' >> views with a concerted barrage of emails. It was the kind of >> discussion where people think carefully before they write. >> >> This new phenomenon of windbags and Hindu terrorists hijacking the >> reader list not only upsets me, but it also bores me. And it seriously >> clutters up my inbox. I have a feeling that many on this list feel the >> same, and that the recent upsurge has simply meant that people >> eventually do not read any mail from the list, missing the good stuff. >> >> At the same time, deep in the spirit of the reader list is the idea is >> that no one should be excluded from membership or from posting. I >> understand, and stand by that. >> >> Those who wish to continue receiving postings from the saboteurs are, of >> course, welcome to do so. And to respond to them, too. I however, am >> no longer interested in reading mails from some individuals whose >> postings I don't find productive or instructional. Even if there is much >> mail on the reader list that I do want to read. >> >> I would like to remind all of you who feel the same way that there is a >> very simple solution for individuals who would like to declutter their >> inbox from some of the unnecessary emails that drown out the valuable >> voices of the reader list. >> >> The solution is: you can use the message filters in your email client to >> block email from certain senders, filtering by name. This means that >> any emails from a certain name will be filtered. Check your help files >> on how to do this. >> >> In Gmail, click on "create a filter", next to the search bar at the top. >> >> In Yahoo, click on options --> filters >> >> In Thunderbird, simply right-click on the email id at the top of the >> message and click on "create filter from this message". >> >> If anyone else wants to give a quick tutorial on how to use filters on >> other mail programs, please do so as part of this thread. >> >> You can set it up so that messages from all the people you don't wish to >> read or spend time deleting go straight into your "trash" folder; or you >> can create a new folder--called "bullshit", for instance-- and have >> those messages alone go directly into that folder. >> >> No doubt the aggressors will try to respond to this message by sending >> one or twenty abusive emails. Unfortunately, I will not be replying to >> these messages because I won't see them. They will be in my "bullshit" >> folder. Why not make your reader list experience simpler and less >> cluttered in this way? >> >> And now-- I'm off to read Partha's reply to the complex, ongoing thread >> started by Yousuf Saeed in response to the Hindustan Times' article on >> "The New Muslim". Not to mention important recent research postings by >> Jenny Chitra, Zubin Pastakia, Harilal Madhavan, Raman Chima, and many, >> many others. >> >> With regards, >> Vivek >> >> _________________________________________ >> 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. >> To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >> List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > From taraprakash at gmail.com Tue Nov 13 02:35:32 2007 From: taraprakash at gmail.com (TaraPrakash) Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 16:05:32 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Nandigram is free from terror after 11 months.. References: <98f331e00711121210s75e00663t84d9aef2db237f88@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <009e01c8256f$c3dc4750$6400a8c0@taraprakash> stinks worse than a swine's shit. Somehow I forgot to use filter to avoid mails from the Squealers of the "Animal Farm." I am forwarding, for the benefit of those who might have missed it, Vivek's mail again which had instructions for filtering. Death on fascist liars. Death on their spokesdogs like Viman Bose. Death on Andhkar Karath and Darinda Karath. It is not nuanced enough! who cares! How can they call themselves Marxist? It is mortifying to associate the name of Marx with these goons. ----- Original Message ----- From: "prakash ray" To: Sent: Monday, November 12, 2007 3:10 PM Subject: [Reader-list] Nandigram is free from terror after 11 months.. > Nandigram at last is free from blockades after 11 months of terror and a > status of 'liberated zone'. A 4 KM squad of people has reached the sky > with > Red flags at Sonachura and Garchakraberia. People from all over the place > are rejoicing their free status after a 11-month-old reign of terror, > extortions, and gunpowder. It is almost like a freedom for the masses from > the shackles of brutal force, Maoist schools of arms, Trinamul extortion > racket and the communal rumours. > > All blockades have been removed, wherever they were, and people are moving > freely. It can never be forgotten that when the TMC chief last moved in to > Nandigram, the Zonal Committee office of CPIM was set ablaze. The people > of > the place understand and can figure out who is the messenger of trouble > and > terror. They tried to find their own way to find out how the messenger of > trouble and terror can be shown the door, all these at the local level > without any sort of central intervention from any political parties. Of > course a few unwarranted events happened, which is unfortunate, and should > not have happened. > > CRPF was requested by the Chief Minister, and there was a lot of dilly > dallying by the center. Probably a nexus was working to provide space for > the armed Maoists and Trinamul goons to flee the place. The CRPF have come > and will not be politically controlled by any of the political parties. > They > are free to do what they feel best to bring peace at the place, and remove > the terror from the minds of the people. > > A local Bengali news channel started to create a big fuss yesterday on the > two Tapan Ghosh and Suker Ali, and falsely alleged that they have > connections with Choto Angaria. Nandigram and Choto Angaria are two > separate > things altogether, and the electronic media is trying to juxtapose the > two. > An ambulance was transporting a few patients to the Kamardaha hospital and > these two people were returning from Digha, they showed conclusive > evidence > of their stay and vacation at Digha, and the Trinamul with the help of > electronic media tried to create a big fuss around these two unrelated > events. > > The Communist Party of India (Marxist), being a bigger partner, takes a > lot > of responsibilities on their shoulders, and it is happening since the > semi-fascist rule of Congress of 1971-72. Left Front is an expanding > coalition. Left Front is based on the slogan of unity-struggle-unity. Each > of the constituents of the Left Front has their own identity. But it is > important to see that none of the constituents should do something that > encourages the opportunist opposition. If any of these constituents do not > find any role of the Trinamul in this whole Nandigram episode, sadly it > seems ultimately to be a tragi-comic farce! Even today there were landmine > blasts near the Jellingham factory, those were planted by the Maoists on > the > run to injure and kill the innocent people returning to their respective > homes. > > Almost 100 CPI(M) workers and sympathisers died during the Keshpur Line of > terror by the opposition party, but after Keshpur was freed from the > clutches of this force, Gurudas Dasgupta of CPI was again elected from the > place. At least 28 CPI(M) activists were killed at Nandigram during the > last > few months, but again it will be Md. Iliyas who will contest and win > assembly election from Nandigram. > > A few electronic and print media has suddenly after 11 long months woken > up > to the civil rights, which is always encouraging to see. But their disease > is not still leaving them. Yesterday 417 people in the marching people of > Nandigram crossed the Tekhali bridge to flee from the clutches of the > Trinamul Maoists. The march was obviously to create more trouble in the > area > with armed Maoists behind the squad and innocent people in the front > acting > as a shield. The people were no longer ready to act as shields of the > armed > Maoists, and a few people were shot from behind, two died. After a > complaint > by the BUPC, a large contingent of police went there to get those 417 out, > 407 of them chose to stay back as they were tired of the terror and were > not > feeling safe in the hands of Maoist-Trinamul violence. > > It is to be reiterated that the Communist Party of India (Marxist) does > not > want any kind of retaliation. CPI(M) wants the government to start the > economic reconstruction of Nandigram from tomorrow itself if possible. > > A few intellectuals and artists wanted to create a bad name for the > International Kolkata Film Festival to the whole world. There was a very > high chance that using these intellectuals and artists as shield a few > vandals could have done anything at the place where the festival was going > on, and we are extremely pained to see this. But it is important to note > that these few are not the monopoly repository of the intellect of Bengal. > > Peace has returned to Nandigram, perhaps for ever. The people of Nandigram > learnt a lesson, who are their friends and who are their enemy. It will be > easier for them to identify and isolate friends and enemy in the future. > When the whole cause is irrelevant, the bandh called tomorrow will again > be > a grand fiasco! > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From taraprakash at gmail.com Tue Nov 13 09:48:26 2007 From: taraprakash at gmail.com (TaraPrakash) Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 23:18:26 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Nandigram is free from terror after 11 months.. References: <98f331e00711121210s75e00663t84d9aef2db237f88@mail.gmail.com> <009e01c8256f$c3dc4750$6400a8c0@taraprakash> <32144e990711121950v36ecad45w84074bbeabfa3ecb@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <02aa01c825ac$3dd4fbb0$6400a8c0@taraprakash> Hi Partha and all. I do understand your point and should have realized as much. I apologize to the list for an unnecessarily overzealous message. ----- Original Message ----- From: Partha Dasgupta To: TaraPrakash Sent: Monday, November 12, 2007 10:50 PM Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Nandigram is free from terror after 11 months.. Dear TaraPrakash, I can understand anger (and I have to admit that there was a recent mail that upset me so much that I lost my temper and made a harsh response). However, I would request you personally not to send such mail. Sure, go ahead and expose the lies, but keep the decorum. Have read much of what you have written, and this is not your style. Apologies in advance if anything in this mail upsets you. Rgds, Partha ........................................ On Nov 13, 2007 2:35 AM, TaraPrakash wrote: stinks worse than a swine's shit. Somehow I forgot to use filter to avoid mails from the Squealers of the "Animal Farm." I am forwarding, for the benefit of those who might have missed it, Vivek's mail again which had instructions for filtering. Death on fascist liars. Death on their spokesdogs like Viman Bose. Death on Andhkar Karath and Darinda Karath. It is not nuanced enough! who cares! How can they call themselves Marxist? It is mortifying to associate the name of Marx with these goons. ----- Original Message ----- From: "prakash ray" To: < reader-list at sarai.net> Sent: Monday, November 12, 2007 3:10 PM Subject: [Reader-list] Nandigram is free from terror after 11 months.. > Nandigram at last is free from blockades after 11 months of terror and a > status of 'liberated zone'. A 4 KM squad of people has reached the sky > with > Red flags at Sonachura and Garchakraberia. People from all over the place > are rejoicing their free status after a 11-month-old reign of terror, > extortions, and gunpowder. It is almost like a freedom for the masses from > the shackles of brutal force, Maoist schools of arms, Trinamul extortion > racket and the communal rumours. > > All blockades have been removed, wherever they were, and people are moving > freely. It can never be forgotten that when the TMC chief last moved in to > Nandigram, the Zonal Committee office of CPIM was set ablaze. The people > of > the place understand and can figure out who is the messenger of trouble > and > terror. They tried to find their own way to find out how the messenger of > trouble and terror can be shown the door, all these at the local level > without any sort of central intervention from any political parties. Of > course a few unwarranted events happened, which is unfortunate, and should > not have happened. > > CRPF was requested by the Chief Minister, and there was a lot of dilly > dallying by the center. Probably a nexus was working to provide space for > the armed Maoists and Trinamul goons to flee the place. The CRPF have come > and will not be politically controlled by any of the political parties. > They > are free to do what they feel best to bring peace at the place, and remove > the terror from the minds of the people. > > A local Bengali news channel started to create a big fuss yesterday on the > two Tapan Ghosh and Suker Ali, and falsely alleged that they have > connections with Choto Angaria. Nandigram and Choto Angaria are two > separate > things altogether, and the electronic media is trying to juxtapose the > two. > An ambulance was transporting a few patients to the Kamardaha hospital and > these two people were returning from Digha, they showed conclusive > evidence > of their stay and vacation at Digha, and the Trinamul with the help of > electronic media tried to create a big fuss around these two unrelated > events. > > The Communist Party of India (Marxist), being a bigger partner, takes a > lot > of responsibilities on their shoulders, and it is happening since the > semi-fascist rule of Congress of 1971-72. Left Front is an expanding > coalition. Left Front is based on the slogan of unity-struggle-unity. Each > of the constituents of the Left Front has their own identity. But it is > important to see that none of the constituents should do something that > encourages the opportunist opposition. If any of these constituents do not > find any role of the Trinamul in this whole Nandigram episode, sadly it > seems ultimately to be a tragi-comic farce! Even today there were landmine > blasts near the Jellingham factory, those were planted by the Maoists on > the > run to injure and kill the innocent people returning to their respective > homes. > > Almost 100 CPI(M) workers and sympathisers died during the Keshpur Line of > terror by the opposition party, but after Keshpur was freed from the > clutches of this force, Gurudas Dasgupta of CPI was again elected from the > place. At least 28 CPI(M) activists were killed at Nandigram during the > last > few months, but again it will be Md. Iliyas who will contest and win > assembly election from Nandigram. > > A few electronic and print media has suddenly after 11 long months woken > up > to the civil rights, which is always encouraging to see. But their disease > is not still leaving them. Yesterday 417 people in the marching people of > Nandigram crossed the Tekhali bridge to flee from the clutches of the > Trinamul Maoists. The march was obviously to create more trouble in the > area > with armed Maoists behind the squad and innocent people in the front > acting > as a shield. The people were no longer ready to act as shields of the > armed > Maoists, and a few people were shot from behind, two died. After a > complaint > by the BUPC, a large contingent of police went there to get those 417 out, > 407 of them chose to stay back as they were tired of the terror and were > not > feeling safe in the hands of Maoist-Trinamul violence. > > It is to be reiterated that the Communist Party of India (Marxist) does > not > want any kind of retaliation. CPI(M) wants the government to start the > economic reconstruction of Nandigram from tomorrow itself if possible. > > A few intellectuals and artists wanted to create a bad name for the > International Kolkata Film Festival to the whole world. There was a very > high chance that using these intellectuals and artists as shield a few > vandals could have done anything at the place where the festival was going > on, and we are extremely pained to see this. But it is important to note > that these few are not the monopoly repository of the intellect of Bengal. > > Peace has returned to Nandigram, perhaps for ever. The people of Nandigram > learnt a lesson, who are their friends and who are their enemy. It will be > easier for them to identify and isolate friends and enemy in the future. > When the whole cause is irrelevant, the bandh called tomorrow will again > be > a grand fiasco! > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> _________________________________________ 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. To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> -- Partha Dasgupta +919811047132 From taraprakash at gmail.com Tue Nov 13 10:13:15 2007 From: taraprakash at gmail.com (TaraPrakash) Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 23:43:15 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] an article about happiness Message-ID: <02ee01c825af$b561d010$6400a8c0@taraprakash> >From NY Times EDITORIAL OBSERVER All They Are Saying Is Give Happiness a Chance By EDUARDO PORTER The framers of the Constitution evidently believed that happiness could be achieved, putting its pursuit up there alongside the unalienable rights to life and liberty. Though governments since then have seen life and liberty as deserving of vigorous protection, for all the public policies aimed at increasing economic growth, people have been left to sort out their happiness. This is an unfortunate omission. Despite all the wealth we have accumulated -- increased life expectancy, central heating, plasma TVs and venti-white-chocolate-mocha Frappuccinos -- true happiness has lagged our prosperity. As Bobby Kennedy said in a speech at the University of Kansas in March 1968, the nation's gross national product measures everything 'except that which makes life worthwhile.' The era of laissez-faire happiness might be coming to an end. Some prominent economists and psychologists are looking into ways to measure happiness to draw it into the public policy realm. Thirty years from now, reducing unhappiness could become another target of policy, like cutting poverty. 'This is another outcome that we should be concerned about,' said Alan Krueger, a professor of economics at Princeton who is working to develop a measure of happiness that could be used with other economic indicators. Just like G.D.P.' It might be a bit of a political challenge to define happiness as a legitimate policy objective. Imagine the Republican outrage when the umpteenth tax cut didn't do the trick. Democrats would likely slam the effort as regressive, distracting from efforts to improve the lot of the less fortunate by more conventional measures -- like income. Happiness is clearly real, related to objective measures of well-being. Happier people have lower blood pressure and get fewer colds. But using it to guide policy could be tricky. Not least because we don't quite understand why it behaves the way it does. Men are unhappiest at almost 50, and women at just after 45. Paraplegics are not unhappier than healthy people. People who live with teenagers are the unhappiest of all. Happiness seems fairly cheap to manipulate. In one experiment, subjects were asked to answer a questionnaire about personal satisfaction after Xeroxing a sheet of paper. Those who found a dime lying on the Xerox machine reported substantially higher satisfaction with their lives. Most disconcerting, happiness seems to have little relation to economic achievement, which we have historically understood as the driver of well-being. A notorious study in 1974 found that despite some 30 years worth of stellar economic growth, Americans were no happier than they were at the end of World War II. A more recent study found that life satisfaction in China declined between 1994 and 2007, a period in which average real incomes grew by 250 percent. Happiness, it appears, adapts. It's true that the rich are happier, on average, than the poor. But while money boosts happiness, the effect doesn't last. We just become envious of a new, richer set of people than before. Satisfaction soon settles back to its prior level, as we adapt to changed circumstances and set our expectations to a higher level. Despite happiness' apparently Sisyphean nature, there may be ways to increase satisfaction over the long term. While the extra happiness derived from a raise or a winning lottery ticket might be fleeting, studies have found that the happiness people derive from free time or social interaction is less susceptible to comparisons with other people around them. Nonmonetary rewards -- like more vacations, or more time with friends or family -- are likely to produce more lasting changes in satisfaction. This swings the door wide open for government intervention. On a small scale, congestion taxes to encourage people to carpool would reduce the distress of the solo morning commute, which apparently drives people nuts. More broadly, if the object of public policy is to maximize society's well-being, more attention should be placed on fostering social interactions and less on accumulating wealth. If growing incomes are not increasing happiness, perhaps we should tax incomes more to force us to devote less time and energy to the endeavor and focus instead on the more satisfying pursuit of leisure. One thing seems certain, lining up every policy incentive to strive for higher and higher incomes is just going to make us all miserable. Happiness is one of the things that money just can't buy. From patrice at xs4all.nl Tue Nov 13 11:48:57 2007 From: patrice at xs4all.nl (Patrice Riemens) Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2007 07:18:57 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] ITUC Online: India: Government Supports Employer in Cover-up of Worker Rights Abuses Message-ID: <20071113061857.GA4919@xs4all.nl> Folowing my post on advocay NGOs falling foul on G.o.I. INTERNATIONAL TRADE UNION CONFEDERATION (ITUC) ITUC Online 193/081107 India: Government Supports Employer in Cover-up of Worker Rights Abuses Brussels, 9 November 2007 (ITUC OnLine): The ITUC has criticised attempts by the Indian government and the Bangalore Court to cover up serious labour rights violations by the Fibre & Fabrics International company (FFI) and its subsidiary Jeans Knits Pvt. Ltd in the Indian city. Local labour rights groups, supported by the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) and the India Committee of the Netherlands (ICN) initially exposed the violations in 2005. Following this the company, which supplies jeans to Dutch company G-Star and other international brands, took legal action in 2006 in the Bangalooru Court to ban the local groups, CCC and ICN from speaking about or publicising the violations. The CCC subsequently took the issue up with under the procedures of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, stressing that under the gagging order, local trade unions cannot operate freely, and that companies doing business with FFI cannot implement any credible form of corporate social responsibility programme. The company filed a court case against the CCC, ICN, internet provider Antenna and adsl supplier Xs4ALL, alleging that they engaged in cyber crime, defamation, racism and xenophobia. Refusing to accept that they be represented by a lawyer rather than travelling to India to appear in person, the Court issued summonses against the four organisations and seven individuals. A November 20 Court hearing is expected to determine whether the court will seek to issue international arrest warrants against the worker rights advocates. The initial report put forward by the CCC and ICN on the company based on interviews with workers from various parts of the company's operations, revealed physical and verbal abuse of the workforce, hazardous working conditions, lack of proper employment contracts, long working hours and non-payment of overtime entitlements. CCC and ICN did acknowledge that some improvements had been made by the company management after the release of the report, but that serious problems continued to exist. They called on the company to take part in a process of dialogue with the local trade union GATWU and independent mediators, however the company continued its court action instead. "All these people have done is to try to tell the truth about severe exploitation of the FFI workers," said ITUC General Secretary Guy Ryder. "Instead of supporting the employer's use of the local Court to threaten labour rights supporters with criminal proceedings which carry penalties of up to two years in prison, the Indian government should be defending the rights of its own people and not leaving them at the mercy of unscrupulous bosses", he added. The ITUC understand that the attack on CCC and ICN has now been taken up with the Dutch and other European governments and the European Commission by the Indian Trade and Commerce Ministry, which has claimed that the publicity around this and similar cases is a "non-tariff barrier" to trade. In past years, India has consistently refused to allow any discussion at the WTO of violations of labour standards. "Actions of this kind can only hurt India's reputation as a country with which global companies can do business in confidence, and we urge them to put a stop to this unacceptable attack on freedom of speech and fundamental workers' rights", said Ryder. The ITUC represents 168 million workers in 153 countries and territories and has 305 national affiliates. Website: http://www.ituc-csi.org ; For more information, please contact the ITUC Press Department on: +32 2 224 0204 or +32 476 621 018. From parthaekka at gmail.com Tue Nov 13 12:10:24 2007 From: parthaekka at gmail.com (Partha Dasgupta) Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2007 12:10:24 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Nandigram-Time for an Alternative Left in Bengal-Aditya Nigam In-Reply-To: <98f331e00711121216q7a83c600g512c57f2caa48ddc@mail.gmail.com> References: <98f331e00711121216q7a83c600g512c57f2caa48ddc@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <32144e990711122240wa58d84aq1482da70078747b2@mail.gmail.com> Dear Prakash, As someone who has never subscribed to calling himself a 'communist' (or 'capitalist' for that matter), would like to merely point out that active aggression by a ruling government in any state in any country is a dangerous precedent. That the government feels threatened by a small group of intellectuals, artists who are expressing their angst in Kolkatta is even more worrisome. Taking further into consideration that Police have been ordered to stay out (which can be done by none other than the government in power) and that the inhabitants feel the need to flee and armed cadres are roaming about is extremely dangerous. Something like the Delhi riots. Who they are is irrelevant - the moot point is that saner minds need to intercede and restore peace so that we do not end up having another crisis that end up in a cyle of hate and death. If the government which is supposed to uphold the law is actively bye-passing it, it certainly is the duty of those who elected the government to question those actions, else we are failing in our duty as citizens. Rgds, Partha ........................................... On 11/13/07, prakash ray wrote: > > Dear all, I have posted this letter to Mr Aditya Nigam some months back on > kafila.org. I am re-posting it here in response to his latest write-up. > > Regards, > Prakash > > Dear Adityaji, I know a bit about your stint in the Communist Party. > Unfortunately, you happen to belong to a generation of disillusioned > Communists, who harboured illusions about the Soviet Union when it existed > and basked in its glory and then turned into an anti-Communist after its > downfall, like the whole lot of post-modernists in Europe. Your problem is > that your subjective feelings about shattered dreams of socialism in the > USSR have overwhelmed your capacity to analyse the developments from an > objective and Marxist point of view. Luckily for all of us, the ideology > and > praxis of Marxism and Scientific Socialism continues to survive, despite > the > fall of the USSR and opportunistic renegades like you. Marxism and > Socialism > continues to be the most formidable challenge before US led imperialism > and > a ray of hope for the millions of exploited people across the globe. > > At a personal level, I belong to a generation of Communists who joined the > Party in the 1990s. I don't harbour any illusions about the USSR. My > conviction regarding Marxism has developed through my association with the > struggles waged by the CPI (M) in defence of secularism and democracy in > India. I firmly believe that the CPI (M) is the best place to be for all > those who believe in progressive social change and revolution in our > country. > > As far as the Left Front government of bengal is concerned, my admiration > for it arises especially because i don't come from bengal, but from a > state > (Bihar) which is the worst example of economic backwardness and > Brahminical > social oppression, in the absence of land reforms as was carried out in > bengal under the aegis of the Left front Government. > > You may continue to revel at the idea of the Left front government being > defeated in Bengal one day. May be it'll happen in future, although going > by > current developments, I don't see that happening at least in the next > assembly ele ctions. As long as Mamata Banerjee and the assorted naxalite > idiots are dominating the opposition discourse, the future of the LF > government is secured. > > However, even if the LF is defeated in bengal one day, how does it matter? > The LF has lost elections in Kerala and Tripura several times; that has > not > led to the decline of the Communist movement. They have fought and come > back > to power again. That is the beauty of Indian democracy. > > I look forward to the day when we'll all see a CPI (M) led LF government > at > the Centre. That will be a great moment for the Indian people, especially > the working class and the peasantry. That will also be a day when the LF > government in Bengal will not have to depend upon big capital to > industrialize - it can be acieved through Public Sector investment. > Perhaps, > cynics like you would also come back to the communist fold that day. > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> -- Partha Dasgupta +919811047132 From dhatr1i at yahoo.com Mon Nov 12 18:10:36 2007 From: dhatr1i at yahoo.com (we wi) Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 04:40:36 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] "non-Indian" In-Reply-To: <48c2916d0711120213n3d2bbc2bmc14a4842270ed795@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <440536.40404.qm@web45515.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> Dear Aarti, People playing with India not only in reality but with words as well. Though I can understand the things, I just would like to put a question here. What kind of Passport do the founders hold. If it is INDIAN then, at certain point at least some condemnation about such talk or writing should occur. I am not the sole representative of the CULTURE AND TRADITION ALONE but I wonder why do people at least field such accusations, allegations about INDIA. Regards, Dhatri. Aarti Sethi wrote: Dear Dhatri, If you had scrolled down a little further on this link you have helpfully provided us with, you would have read the following statement. "They [Raqs Media Collective] are, however, resistant to the label "Indian" since, they argue, it represents an abstraction so enormous that it can explain nothing about them, and prefer to talk about themselves simply as "from Delhi." Be that as it may, early last month there was a timely and, for me, chastening discussion on how easily discussions often slip into an unreflexive and insensitive indocentricism on the list. For many of us our citizenship is not the primary, or even one, of the identities we come with to the space of the reader-list. I would urge you to respect the fact that we all come from different locations, both in space and of the imagination, and the things we want to talk about and discuss are similarly unfettered by territorial boundaries. Warmly Aarti On Nov 11, 2007 3:22 PM, we wi wrote: > Dear Naeem, > > Though you took in other way, hope it will become possible in future. > > Now let me clarify > > SARAI grown global and every body feel proud about it, but nobody should forget the fact that SARAI Headquartered in DELHI, the capital of INDIA and the founders are INDIAN students.(as per their WIKI publishing). > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raqs_Media_Collective > > > Regards, > Dhatri. > > > Naeem Mohaiemen wrote: > > 3. Conclusion (we wi) > > SARAI is encouraging non-democratic,non-Indian,non-Hindu Ideology for whatever reasons. > > Dear Dhatri/we wi > > Not everyone on SARAI is "Indian" (citizenship, living space, history, > experiences). There are multiplicities represented here. It's part > of being a global citizen. You may like to try it sometime. > > -Naeem > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > http://mail.yahoo.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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com From dhatr1i at yahoo.com Tue Nov 13 11:29:37 2007 From: dhatr1i at yahoo.com (we wi) Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 21:59:37 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] "non-Indian" In-Reply-To: <48c2916d0711120751u79ef56c1u91e2eba36069a83b@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <996826.10600.qm@web45501.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> Aarti, >>I have done a quick tallying of the various people/positions that have >>become your moving targets in the last three months that this list has >>had the unfortunate distinction of you being a subscriber. From what I >>can tell, basically only Indian, upper-caste Hindus are legit. >>Everyone else should shut up. Amazing! How the worst kind of >>parochialism can actually be paraded as a virtue. There is a huge difference (conflict )between your first para and this one. It is great to understand that you didn't locate a single loophole/mistake/wrong at all in anybody either in the writings on r-list(against anything), or in the real polity happening today. If you have time you can send me the contacts with their positions in detail, so that by looking at the them I will take care of my writing from next time onwards(if any ofcourse). Dhatri. Aarti Sethi wrote: Dear Dhatri, Against my better judgment and good sense I am continuing to engage in a conversation which can only yield bewilderment at best and extreme frustration at worst. What can I say except that none of us can finally fight the death drive which impels us to masochism. Why should anyone be condemned for anything is what I am not able to understand. No one is fielding any accusations, or allegations of any sort against anyone. If you wish to identify yourself as Indian more power to you. No one is questioning your right to do so. Do any of us constantly assail you with mails to the contrary? No. Unfortunately one cannot say the same of you. I have done a quick tallying of the various people/positions that have become your moving targets in the last three months that this list has had the unfortunate distinction of you being a subscriber. From what I can tell, basically only Indian, upper-caste Hindus are legit. Everyone else should shut up. Amazing! How the worst kind of parochialism can actually be paraded as a virtue. Are you not able to find spaces in the real world where people listen to what you say? Is that the problem? If so, I can understand this can be very trying. Else I am not able to understand the vast reserves of energy that you can summon to say the same thing over and over and over again, in more and more incomprehensible ways. I apologise to you and all other list members for this mail. I realise there is nothing you can do about this. There is no cure for a poverty of the spirit and imagination this deep. I will not be answering any mails from you in future. best Aarti On Nov 12, 2007 6:10 PM, we wi wrote: > Dear Aarti, > > People playing with India not only in reality but with words as well. > Though I can understand the things, I just would like to put a question > here. What kind of Passport do the founders hold. If it is INDIAN then, at > certain point at least some condemnation about such talk or writing should > occur. I am not the sole representative of the CULTURE AND TRADITION ALONE > but I wonder why do people at least field such accusations, allegations > about INDIA. > > Regards, > Dhatri. > > > Aarti Sethi wrote: > Dear Dhatri, > > If you had scrolled down a little further on this link you have > helpfully provided us with, you would have read the following > statement. > > "They [Raqs Media Collective] are, however, resistant to the label > "Indian" since, they argue, it represents an abstraction so enormous > that it can explain nothing about them, and prefer to talk about > themselves simply as "from Delhi." > > > Be that as it may, early last month there was a timely and, for me, > chastening discussion on how easily discussions often slip into an > unreflexive and insensitive indocentricism on the list. For many of us > our citizenship is not the primary, or even one, of the identities we > come with to the space of the reader-list. I would urge you to respect > the fact that we all come from different locations, both in space and > of the imagination, and the things we want to talk about and discuss > are similarly unfettered by territorial boundaries. > > Warmly > Aarti > > > On Nov 11, 2007 3:22 PM, we wi wrote: > > Dear Naeem, > > > > Though you took in other way, hope it will become possible in future. > > > > Now let me clarify > > > > SARAI grown global and every body feel proud about it, but nobody should > forget the fact that SARAI Headquartered in DELHI, the capital of INDIA and > the founders are INDIAN students.(as per their WIKI publishing). > > > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raqs_Media_Collective > > > > > > Regards, > > Dhatri. > > > > > > Naeem Mohaiemen wrote: > > > 3. Conclusion (we wi) > > > SARAI is encouraging non-democratic,non-Indian,non-Hindu Ideology for > whatever reasons. > > > > Dear Dhatri/we wi > > > > Not everyone on SARAI is "Indian" (citizenship, living space, history, > > experiences). There are multiplicities represented here. It's part > > of being a global citizen. You may like to try it sometime. > > > > -Naeem > > _________________________________________ > > 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. > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > List archive: > > > > __________________________________________________ > > Do You Yahoo!? > > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > > http://mail.yahoo.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. > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > List archive: > > > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > http://mail.yahoo.com --------------------------------- Be a better sports nut! Let your teams follow you with Yahoo Mobile. Try it now. From dhatr1i at yahoo.com Tue Nov 13 11:45:59 2007 From: dhatr1i at yahoo.com (we wi) Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 22:15:59 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] FW: FW: FW: Guests in Vedavati's house In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <286227.12317.qm@web45515.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> FYI. Vedavati Jogi wrote: .hmmessage P { margin:0px; padding:0px } body.hmmessage { FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY:Tahoma } --------------------------------- From: vrjogi at hotmail.com To: anu.mukh at gmail.com; reader-list at sarai.net Subject: RE: [Reader-list] FW: FW: Guests in Vedavati's house Date: Mon, 5 Nov 2007 16:42:47 +0000 .ExternalClass .EC_hmmessage P {padding:0px;} .ExternalClass EC_body.hmmessage {font-size:10pt;font-family:Tahoma;} hello, thanks for reading my mails for a long time. i don't know other's reactions because i don't receive r-list mails. i am sure they must not be different from what you have written. firstly i write things based on facts, if you find them rant its your opinion. if you don't understand/ see the things which are as bright as day its again your problem. i have to repeat myself because i find same secular lies again & again on r-list. when people like yogi sikand, shuddha, roger das , and many more keep talking about descrimination and problems faced by muslims in india, you don't get annoyed, when they keep cursing rss, vhp, modi again & again, you don't get provoked, but when i try to counter them that inspires you to write mail, surprising! r-list does not block mails by thses people mentioned above when they spread hatred towards rss & likes, but when i try to expose psudo secularists my mails are blocked. this type of psudosecularism was propagated in 20th century in gandhian era, which ultimately resulted into partition of this country. kashmiri hindus have become refugees in their own country again because of this psudo secularism - shame on us, that we have still not learnt any lesson. after 2006 news had appeared in indian express that terrorists wanted to make blasts in gujrat but local muslims did not 'dare' to support them hence ultimately terrorists chose mumbai. it speaks volumes. i hope you understand what i mean. i have never never supported gujrat riots in 2002. but one must try to understand psychology of hindus. they too have right to defend themselves, they too have right to take revenge. vedavati --------------------------------- Date: Sat, 3 Nov 2007 15:42:29 +0000 From: anu.mukh at gmail.com To: vrjogi at hotmail.com Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: FW: Guests in Vedavati's house Dear Vedavati, I have been reading your posts for a long time. Without going into their merits or demerits, they seriously need to be structured better in order to say what you want to convey. Otherwise it is simply a rant. Rants are also valid, but this may not be the best forum for that. I suggest, start a blog. And may I also add that you don't ever say anything new. Not a new line of thought or even facts. You just go on repeating yourself. I have been a most invisible reader here, but you inspired me to write in. Continue the good work, but do at least make an effort to make what you write readable and therefore more easy to understand. Your scorn for "pseudo-secularists" is well-known, but since many of them are your readers, at least be legible. But I also find it funny that words like intellectual and pseudo-secularists are tossed about with such ease without even sparing a thought about their meaning or genesis. Almost every totalitarian regime or mindset that wanted to attack free-thinking has used such terms regardless which side of the fence they were on. The earth-shattering questions you ask can all be answered. But only somebody with immense patience can do it, take up your arguments point-wise and shred them. May be it is high time somebody should. But then what's the point, you don't ever listen to others, do you? Frankly, for most of us, it's not worth the effort. I agree with Inder when he says that you need to shape your debate better. Before you lump me with him and declare us a part of some "pseudo-secularist agenda" let me add that I may or may not agree with him on other things. Best Anuradha 1/red need3/07, Vedavati Jogi wrote: lot must have been discussed by readers list members about tehelka, as i am not receiving any mail from r-list i don't have the priviledge to read the secular thoughts. i want to express my views which may or may not be published by r-list. i feel if tehelka is so much fond of digging the past things, i can suggest few more subjects. 1) for thousands of years muslimss killed/ looted/ converted hindus, pulled down their temples, humiliated their women. tehelka can study & find out how many of muslims in india are originally hindus. how many mandirs have been dismantled & converted into masjids. 2) why was india partitioned in 1947? inspite of gandhi's appeasement policy, why was jinnah & his followers remained so adamant? what was meant by 'has ke liya pakistan, ladh ke lenge hindustan'? 3) who masterminded 1993 bombay- bombblast? 4) was rubiya syed abduction episode, a true story? or mufti m. syed the then first muslim home minister had joined hands with pakistan to release 5 hardcore terrorists? > CC: vrjogi at hotmail.com; reader-list at sarai.net> From: monica at sarai.net> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: FW: Guests in Vedavati's house> Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2007 11:50:44 +0530> To: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com> > Vedavati,> > If you have disabled receiving mails, then it does not mean that your > mails are being blocked by anyone except yourself for yourself.> > Mots du jour like banned are easy to bandy but utterly pointless if > untrue. Useful however for creating an atmosphere of allegations and > defensiveness. Perhaps that was the intention?> > This is an administered - NOT moderated - list. As everyone by now > knows, to their edification (or boredom).> > best> M> > Monica Narula> Raqs> Sarai-CSDS> 29 Rajpur Road> Delhi 110 054> www.raqsmediacollective.net> www.sarai.net> > > On 06-Sep-07, at 10:09 PM, Kshmendra Kaul wrote:> > > Dear VJ> >> > I do not know what the glitch was if any, but this last mail of > > yours has come through SARAI.> >> > Your address in Subscribers List continues to show in parentheses > > which means your list delivery is disabled.> >> > KK> >> > Vedavati Jogi < vrjogi at hotmail.com> wrote:> > .hmmessage P { margin:0px; padding:0px } body.hmmessage > > { FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY:Tahoma } yes, kshemendra, my > > mails are being blocked by sarai and i am not surprised because > > this is the real nature of secularism practiced in india.> >> > this secularism will lead to disaster i am sure.> >> > few decades back britishers encouraged muslim separatism which > > ultimately resulted into partition. today same great job is being > > done by psudosecularists and i will not be surprised if one day > > muslims again start giving same slogan 'islam khatareme hai' > > leading the nation to many more partitions.> >> > 'gujrat' is a 'shame' but 'kashmir' is not!> > when one babri was pulled down then so many riots (initiated by > > muslims) took place more over their acts were justified by > > psudosecularists> > but many temples were pulled down in kashmir ...spineless hindus > > did not feel bad and ofcourse psudo secularists kept their mouths > > shut.> >> > list is very big. this is secularism. if you feel what i have > > written is not wrong please distribute it.> >> > thanks> > vj> >> >> >> > ---------------------------------> > From: vrjogi at hotmail.com> > To: tapasrayx at gmail.com; reader-list at sarai.net> > Subject: RE: [Reader-list] FW: FW: Guests in Vedavati's house> > Date: Tue, 4 Sep 2007 02:21:04 +0000> >> > .ExternalClass .EC_hmmessage P {padding: > > 0px;} .ExternalClass EC_body.hmmessage {font-size:10pt;font- > > family:Tahoma;} no i am not suffering from any mental problem, i > > only tell the truth which psudo secularists can not digest.> >> > vedavati> >> >> >> Date: Sat, 25 Aug 2007 13:02:38 +0530> >> From: tapasrayx at gmail.com> >> To: vrjogi at hotmail.com> >>>> >> Please do not forward anything to me in future. I do not > >> appreciate it.> >>> >> For your information, I have already received from Reader-list the > >> mail> >> you claim was blocked and have forwarded to me offlist.> >>> >> I suspect you may be suffering from some type of delusion or > >> paranoia.> >>> >> TR> >>> >>> >> Vedavati Jogi wrote:> >>> i have no alternative but to forward this mail to all of you> >>> individually as readers list people don't dare to publish my mail.> >>> i request all of you to please read this correspondance. views > >>> expressed> >>> by people like roger are posing real threat to this country' unity.> >>>> >>> vedavati> >>> -------------------------------------------------------------------- > >>> ----> >>> From: vrjogi at hotmail.com> >>> To: rgdj12 at yahoo.com; reader-list at sarai.net> >>> Subject: RE: [Reader-list] FW: FW: Guests in Vedavati's house> >>> Date: Sat, 25 Aug 2007 04:55:48 +0000> >>>> >>> pakistan is an enemy so i don't blame them as they are doing what an> >>> enemy is supposed to do. i am talking against psudoseculars like> >>> you. nobody has blocked minority advancement in india otherwise> >>> shahruhk, irfan pathan, zakir hussin, javed akhtar would not have > >>> > >> >> >> > ---------------------------------> > Download the latest version of Windows Live Messenger NOW! Click > > here!> >> > ---------------------------------> > Download the latest version of Windows Live Messenger NOW! Click > > here!> >> >> > ---------------------------------> > Be a better Globetrotter. Get better travel answers from someone > > who knows.> > Yahoo! Answers - Check it out.> > _________________________________________> > 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.> > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > List archive: > _________________________________________________________________ Windows Live Spaces is here! It's easy to create your own personal Web site. http://spaces.live.com/?mkt=en-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. To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list List archive: --------------------------------- Check out some new online services at Windows Live Ideas—so new they haven’t even been officially released yet. Try it! --------------------------------- Get the new Windows Live Messenger! Try it! --------------------------------- Be a better pen pal. Text or chat with friends inside Yahoo! Mail. See how. From pawan.durani at gmail.com Mon Nov 12 23:12:11 2007 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 23:12:11 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Fundamental Aspect of Vedanta and Kashmir Shaivism Message-ID: <6b79f1a70711120942v58e32fd3xedd3d124389ded2c@mail.gmail.com> http://www.koausa.org/Shaivism/article8.html From pawan.durani at gmail.com Tue Nov 13 10:43:59 2007 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2007 10:43:59 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Nandigram is free from terror after 11 months.. In-Reply-To: <98f331e00711121210s75e00663t84d9aef2db237f88@mail.gmail.com> References: <98f331e00711121210s75e00663t84d9aef2db237f88@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <6b79f1a70711122113ma74085k469ea4a52569144@mail.gmail.com> Hello Prakash , You are writing contrary to what has been told to the world. Is it really CPM cadres who are saviors of Nadigram people ? Your mail has just left me confused ....kindly send more details so that we understand the situation better . The lies of media,if any,should be exposed and should reach the civil society. Also does the instability in WB anything to do with CPM not supporting the nuclear deal with US ? Pawan On 11/13/07, prakash ray wrote: > > Nandigram at last is free from blockades after 11 months of terror and a > status of 'liberated zone'. A 4 KM squad of people has reached the sky > with > Red flags at Sonachura and Garchakraberia. People from all over the place > are rejoicing their free status after a 11-month-old reign of terror, > extortions, and gunpowder. It is almost like a freedom for the masses from > the shackles of brutal force, Maoist schools of arms, Trinamul extortion > racket and the communal rumours. > > All blockades have been removed, wherever they were, and people are moving > freely. It can never be forgotten that when the TMC chief last moved in to > Nandigram, the Zonal Committee office of CPIM was set ablaze. The people > of > the place understand and can figure out who is the messenger of trouble > and > terror. They tried to find their own way to find out how the messenger of > trouble and terror can be shown the door, all these at the local level > without any sort of central intervention from any political parties. Of > course a few unwarranted events happened, which is unfortunate, and should > not have happened. > > CRPF was requested by the Chief Minister, and there was a lot of dilly > dallying by the center. Probably a nexus was working to provide space for > the armed Maoists and Trinamul goons to flee the place. The CRPF have come > and will not be politically controlled by any of the political parties. > They > are free to do what they feel best to bring peace at the place, and remove > the terror from the minds of the people. > > A local Bengali news channel started to create a big fuss yesterday on the > two Tapan Ghosh and Suker Ali, and falsely alleged that they have > connections with Choto Angaria. Nandigram and Choto Angaria are two > separate > things altogether, and the electronic media is trying to juxtapose the > two. > An ambulance was transporting a few patients to the Kamardaha hospital and > these two people were returning from Digha, they showed conclusive > evidence > of their stay and vacation at Digha, and the Trinamul with the help of > electronic media tried to create a big fuss around these two unrelated > events. > > The Communist Party of India (Marxist), being a bigger partner, takes a > lot > of responsibilities on their shoulders, and it is happening since the > semi-fascist rule of Congress of 1971-72. Left Front is an expanding > coalition. Left Front is based on the slogan of unity-struggle-unity. Each > of the constituents of the Left Front has their own identity. But it is > important to see that none of the constituents should do something that > encourages the opportunist opposition. If any of these constituents do not > find any role of the Trinamul in this whole Nandigram episode, sadly it > seems ultimately to be a tragi-comic farce! Even today there were landmine > blasts near the Jellingham factory, those were planted by the Maoists on > the > run to injure and kill the innocent people returning to their respective > homes. > > Almost 100 CPI(M) workers and sympathisers died during the Keshpur Line of > terror by the opposition party, but after Keshpur was freed from the > clutches of this force, Gurudas Dasgupta of CPI was again elected from the > place. At least 28 CPI(M) activists were killed at Nandigram during the > last > few months, but again it will be Md. Iliyas who will contest and win > assembly election from Nandigram. > > A few electronic and print media has suddenly after 11 long months woken > up > to the civil rights, which is always encouraging to see. But their disease > is not still leaving them. Yesterday 417 people in the marching people of > Nandigram crossed the Tekhali bridge to flee from the clutches of the > Trinamul Maoists. The march was obviously to create more trouble in the > area > with armed Maoists behind the squad and innocent people in the front > acting > as a shield. The people were no longer ready to act as shields of the > armed > Maoists, and a few people were shot from behind, two died. After a > complaint > by the BUPC, a large contingent of police went there to get those 417 out, > 407 of them chose to stay back as they were tired of the terror and were > not > feeling safe in the hands of Maoist-Trinamul violence. > > It is to be reiterated that the Communist Party of India (Marxist) does > not > want any kind of retaliation. CPI(M) wants the government to start the > economic reconstruction of Nandigram from tomorrow itself if possible. > > A few intellectuals and artists wanted to create a bad name for the > International Kolkata Film Festival to the whole world. There was a very > high chance that using these intellectuals and artists as shield a few > vandals could have done anything at the place where the festival was going > on, and we are extremely pained to see this. But it is important to note > that these few are not the monopoly repository of the intellect of Bengal. > > Peace has returned to Nandigram, perhaps for ever. The people of Nandigram > learnt a lesson, who are their friends and who are their enemy. It will be > easier for them to identify and isolate friends and enemy in the future. > When the whole cause is irrelevant, the bandh called tomorrow will again > be > a grand fiasco! > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From cahen.x at levels9.com Tue Nov 13 03:09:06 2007 From: cahen.x at levels9.com (xavier cahen) Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 22:39:06 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] [Announcements] pourinfos Newsletter / 11-11 to 02-12-2007 Message-ID: <4738C7FA.3030003@levels9.com> pourinfos.org l'actualité du monde de l'art / daily Art news ----------------------------------------------------------------------- >From Sunday, November 11, 2007 on Sunday, December 2, 2007 (included) ------------------------------------------------------------------- (mostly in french) Español abajo @ 001 (12/11/2007) Today is Auckland Time #1! http://pourinfos.org/art-35162-tit-Today-is-Auckland-Time -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 002 (12/11/2007) Publication: "Historians" (les Historiens), Peter Greenaway, éditions disvoir, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35189-tit--les-Historiens-Grandeur-Decadence -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 003 (12/11/2007) Publication: Marges 06, review of visual art and aesthetics, University of Paris 8, Saint Denis, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35190-tit--Marges-06-revue-des-arts-plastiques-et -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 004 (12/11/2007) Residency: Center for Contemporary Art Pontmain, Pontmain, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35164-tit-Residence-Centre-d-Art-Contemporain-de -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 005 (12/11/2007) Program: Program colloque of beaux-arts of Paris-November 2007, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35176-tit--de-la-salle-de-Conferences-des -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 006 (12/11/2007) Various: bilan de Docks Art Fair 07, Lyon, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35183-tit-Divers-bilan-de-Docks-Art-Fair-07-Lyon- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 007 (12/11/2007) Various: Petition, the uncertainties of cipM, Marseille, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35184-tit-Divers-Petition-les-incertitudes-du-cipM- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 008 (12/11/2007) Various: Bilan ShowOff 2007, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35185-tit-Divers-Bilan-ShowOff-2007-Paris- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 009 (12/11/2007) Various: letter of support for the Center for Contemporary Images, Saint-Gervais, Geneva, Switzerland. http://pourinfos.org/art-35187-tit-Divers-lettre-de-soutien-pour-le-Centre-de -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 010 (12/11/2007) Various: Presentation multimedia DVD Araucania, Association IconScope, Alcide d'Orbigny, Chili. http://pourinfos.org/art-35188-tit-Divers-Presentation-du-projet-Dvd -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 011 (12/11/2007) Publication: Poems Experimental Zone-digital (Poésies expérimentales – Zone numérique) (1953–2007), Jacques Donguy, Les presses du réel, Dijon, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35192-tit--Poesies-experimentales-Zone-numerique -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 012 (12/11/2007) Publication: « Le carnet-DVD des Salons de L'IFA » Dominique Jakob et Brendan Macfarlane, Co-edition Cite de l'architecture et du patrimoine and a.p.r.e.s edtions, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35193-tit--Le-carnet-DVD-des-Salons-de-L-IFA- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 013 (12/11/2007) Publications: New editions in the collection, le Creux de l'enfer – centre d'art contemporain, Thiers, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35195-tit-s-Nouvelles-editions-dans-la-collection- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 014 (12/11/2007) Publication: Shapes of commitment and public space, communication issues (Formes de l’engagement et espace public, questions de communication), Work directed by Vincent Meyer and Jacques Walter, Presses Universitaires de Nancy, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35196-tit--Formes-de-l-engagement-et-espace-public- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 015 (12/11/2007) Publication: Professionnal artists guide, Les Solutions Creatives, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35197-tit--Guide-Professionnel-des-Artistes-Les -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 016 (12/11/2007) Publication: N# 50 revue Papiers Libres, galerie esca, Nimes, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35198-tit--N-50-de-la-revue-Papiers-Libres-galerie -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 017 (12/11/2007) Publication: Sociology of the arts, sociology of science, Volumes I & II (Sociologie des arts, sociologie des sciences), Tomes I & II, Coordinated by Florent Gaudez, Collection « Logiques sociales », Edition L'harmmattan, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35199-tit--Sociologie-des-arts-sociologie-des -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 018 (12/11/2007) Publication : FACEHUG #1, Karl Holmqvist, Berlin, Germany. http://pourinfos.org/art-35201-tit--FACEHUG-1-Karl-Holmqvist-Berlin- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 019 (12/11/2007) Publications: october 2007, Editions l'harmattan, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35203-tit-s-octobre-2007-editions-l-harmattan- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 020 (12/11/2007) Job: Call for Directors - Green Arts Barns Community Association, artscape, Toronto, Canada. http://pourinfos.org/art-35205-tit--Call-for-Directors-Green-Arts-Barns -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 021 (12/11/2007) Job: intern for eventually a job, Chateau de Sacy, Sacy-le Petit, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35208-tit--stagiaire-pour-un-emploi-eventuel- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 022 (12/11/2007) Call: Video appart, Paris,France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35211-tit--Video-appart- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 023 (12/11/2007) Residency: artists residencies at chantier public, Lyon, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35212-tit-Residence-residence-d-artistes-a-chantier -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 024 (12/11/2007) Call: Futuresonic 2008, Urban Festival of Art, Music & Ideas, Manchester, United Kingdom. http://pourinfos.org/art-35213-tit--Futuresonic-2008-Urban-Festival-of-Art- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 025 (12/11/2007) Call: competition clips for Pascal Comelade, Eyeka, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35214-tit--concours-de-clips-pour-Pascal-Comelade- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 026 (12/11/2007) Call: Training programme, EURODOC 2008!, Montpellier, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35215-tit--Training-programme-EURODOC-2008- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 027 (12/11/2007) Call: Finding new texts for the collection ecrit sur l'art from editions Marguerite Waknine, Angouleme, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35217-tit--Recherche-de-textes-inedits-s-inscrivant -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 028 (12/11/2007) Call: young creation video cinema – 4th edition, Pepinieres europeennes pour jeunes artistes, Marly le Roi, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35218-tit-s-jeune-creation-video-cinema-4eme -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 029 (12/11/2007) Call: Copy– past, Empreintes Numeriques, Toulouse, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35219-tit--Copie-Colle-Empreintes-Numeriques- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 030 (12/11/2007) Residency: sound arts and visual arts association Appelboom, pommerie la pommerie, Saint-Setiers, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35220-tit--Art-sonore-et-arts-visuels-association -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 031 (12/11/2007) Call: FESTIVAL PROJ(ECT), festival of new images in Nancy, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35221-tit--FESTIVAL-PROJ-ECT-festival-des -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 032 (12/11/2007) Call: Etangs d'art, artists association of Pays de Broceliande, Breal sous Montfort, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35222-tit--Etangs-d-art-Collectif-d-artistes-du -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 033 (12/11/2007) Residency: artist studio of Sacy, Sacy-le-Petit, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35223-tit--Ateliers-d-artistes-de-Sacy- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 034 (12/11/2007) Call: ARTISTY Space is looking for artists, Denain, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35224-tit--L-espace-ARTISTY-est-a-la-recherche-de -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 035 (12/11/2007) Call: Salon of Bry, Artists Association of Bryards, Bry-sur-Marne, France http://pourinfos.org/art-35225-tit--Slaon-de-Bry-Association-des-Artistes -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 036 (12/11/2007) Call: Les chlorophylles, Ramonville saint agne, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35226-tit--Les-chlorophylles-Ramonville-saint-agne- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 037 (12/11/2007) Call: HORIZONS - Meetings "ARTS NATURE" 2008, Massif of Sancy, Le Mont-Dore, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35227-tit--HORIZONS-RENCONTRES-ARTS-NATURE-2008- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 038 (12/11/2007) Call: Selfportrait, Bourse de Travail Parallele, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35228-tit--autoportraits-au-travail-Bourse-de -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 039 (12/11/2007) Call: Competition of International Poetry, Biennale Internationale des Poetes, Ivry-sur-Seine, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35229-tit--Concours-International-de-Poesie- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 040 (12/11/2007) Call: Foundation Bullukian, Lyon, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35231-tit--fondation-Bullukian-Lyon- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 041 (13/11/2007) Job: webdesigner, association Panoplie, Montpellier, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35206-tit--webdesigner-association-Panoplie- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 042 (13/11/2007) Call: EngineerAid Call for Artworks, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. http://pourinfos.org/art-35230-tit-Appel-a-Participation-EngineerAid-Call-for -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 043 (14/11/2007) Call: The design network: a way to draw renewed!, Agence TOPO, Chambre Blanche Montreal, Quebec, Canada. http://pourinfos.org/art-35210-tit--Le-dessin-en-reseau-une-facon -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 044 (15/11/2007) Meetings: "The death and the body in the arts today", 15-17 November 2007, Aix en Provence, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35129-tit--La-mort-et-le-corps-dans-les-arts -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 045 (15/11/2007) Formation: max/msp, groupedunes, Friche la belle de mai, Marseille, France http://pourinfos.org/art-35209-tit-Formation-max-msp-groupedunes-friche-la -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 046 (16/11/2007) Publication: LIFE EXTREME, Eduardo Kac & Avital Ronell, editions Dis Voir, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35200-tit--LIFE-EXTREME-GUIDE-ILLUSTRE-DE-NOUVELLES -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 047 (17/11/2007) Meetings: RIAM 04 Sonic, like the sound amplification artistic strategy, David Sanson, Bastien Gallet, samedi 17 novembre 2007, Circuit Court, Marseille, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35175-tit--RIAM-04-Sonic-table-ronde- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 048 (18/11/2007) Publication: "Women Artists / artists women . Paris, from 1880 to the present" (femmes artistes/artistes femmes. Paris, de 1880 à nos jours) aux éditions Hazan, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35204-tit--femmes-artistes-artistes-femmes-Paris- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 049 (19/11/2007) Meetings: Outlab 2007, Monday, November 19, 2007, la Bellevilloise, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35170-tit--Outlab-2007-Lundi-19-Novembre-2007-la -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 050 (20/11/2007) Residency : artists studio of Asterides, Friche Belle de Mai, Marseille, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35165-tit-Residence-Les-ateliers-d-Asterides-Friche -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 051 (20/11/2007) Meetings: Policies a photograph of the body (Politiques de la photographie du corps), Tuesday, Nov. 20 at 19h, Library Château d’Eau, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35172-tit--Politiques-de-la-photographie-du-corps- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 052 (20/11/2007) various: crealab opens its doors! Nantes, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35182-tit-Divers-crealab-ouvre-ses-portes-Nantes- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 053 (22/11/2007) Meetings: Stop and Go, Xavier Franceschi, Gilles Baume, on 22 and 27 November 2007, Galerie de Paris 8, University of Paris 8, Saint Denis, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35180-tit--Stop-and-Go-Xavier-Franceschi-Gilles -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 054 (22/11/2007) Meetings: conference The role of the arts and culture in strategies for public diplomacy « Le rôle des arts et de la culture dans les stratégies de diplomatie publique », Nov. 22, 2007, UQAM, Montreal, Canada. http://pourinfos.org/art-35181-tit--colloque-Le-role-des-arts-et-de-la -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 055 (23/11/2007) Meetings: days of experimentation Experimenta 07, 23 and 24 November 2007, École d'art de la Communauté de l'agglomération d'Annecy, Annecy, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35186-tit--journees-de-l-experimentation-Experimenta -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 056 (24/11/2007) Meetings: Open studios, Montpellier, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35171-tit-Open-studios-Montpellier- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 057 (25/11/2007) Residency: artists studio at Lindre-Basse, centre d'art contemporain la Synagogue de Delme, Lindre-Basse, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35167-tit-Residence-d-artiste-a-Lindre-Basse-centre -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 058 (26/11/2007) Residency: A.I.R. International Artists Residencies/FilmFest, Balatonfured, Hungary. http://pourinfos.org/art-35168-tit-Residence-A-I-R-International-Artists -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 059 (27/11/2007) Sceening: « years 68 », Month of the documentary film at the BnF, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35173-tit--annees-68-Mois-du-film-documentaire -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 060 (27/11/2007) Meeting: Contemporary art, for whom? (L'art contemporain, pour qui ?) Tuesday, November 27, 2007, l'abbaye de Maubuisson, Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône, France http://pourinfos.org/art-35179-tit--L-art-contemporain-pour-qui-mardi-27 -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 061 (29/11/2007) Meeting: art should be event ? (L’art doit-il faire événement ?), Cipac 2007, the 5th Congress Cipac, Thursday 29 and Friday, November 30 in Lyon, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35216-tit--L-art-doit-il-faire-evenement-Cipac -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 062 (30/11/2007) Call: dossier artistique, Galerie SAW Gallery, Ontario, Canada. http://pourinfos.org/art-35166-tit--dossier-artistique-Galerie-SAW-Gallery- ///// Español ////// pourinfos.org Noticias del mundo del arte/ daily Art news ------------------------------------------------------------------- Del domingo 11de noviembre 2007 al domingo 02 de diciembre 2007 (incluso) @ 001 (12/11/2007) Today is Auckland Time #1! http://pourinfos.org/art-35162-tit-Today-is-Auckland-Time -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 002 (12/11/2007) Publicacion : « les Historiens » Grandeur & Décadence du Théâtre de Gestes, Peter Greenaway, éditions disvoir, Paris, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35189-tit--les-Historiens-Grandeur-Decadence -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 003 (12/11/2007) Publicacion : Marges 06, revue des arts plastiques et d'esthétique, Paris 8, Saint Denis, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35190-tit--Marges-06-revue-des-arts-plastiques-et -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 004 (12/11/2007) Résidencia : Centre d’Art Contemporain de Pontmain, Pontmain, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35164-tit-Residence-Centre-d-Art-Contemporain-de -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 005 (12/11/2007) Programa : Programa de la salle de Conférences des beaux-arts Paris - Noviembre 2007, Paris, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35176-tit--de-la-salle-de-Conferences-des -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 006 (12/11/2007) Varios : bilan de Docks Art Fair 07, Lyon, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35183-tit-Divers-bilan-de-Docks-Art-Fair-07-Lyon- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 007 (12/11/2007) Varios : Pétition, les incertitudes du cipM, Marseille, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35184-tit-Divers-Petition-les-incertitudes-du-cipM- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 008 (12/11/2007) Varios : Bilan ShowOff 2007, Paris, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35185-tit-Divers-Bilan-ShowOff-2007-Paris- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 009 (12/11/2007) Varios : lettre de soutien pour le Centre de l'Image Contemporaine, Saint-Gervais, Genève, Suiza. http://pourinfos.org/art-35187-tit-Divers-lettre-de-soutien-pour-le-Centre-de -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 010 (12/11/2007) Varios : Presentation du projet Dvd multimédia Araucania, Association IconScope, Alcide d'Orbigny, Chile. http://pourinfos.org/art-35188-tit-Divers-Presentation-du-projet-Dvd -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 011 (12/11/2007) Publicacion : Poésies expérimentales – Zone numérique (1953–2007), Jacques Donguy, Les presses du réel, Dijon, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35192-tit--Poesies-experimentales-Zone-numerique -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 012 (12/11/2007) Publicacion : « Le carnet-DVD des Salons de L'IFA » Dominique Jakob et Brendan Macfarlane, Co-édition Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine et a.p.r.e.s édtions, Paris, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35193-tit--Le-carnet-DVD-des-Salons-de-L-IFA- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 013 (12/11/2007) Publications : Nouvelles éditions dans la collection, le Creux de l'enfer – centre d'art contemporain, Thiers, France. http://pourinfos.org/art-35195-tit-s-Nouvelles-editions-dans-la-collection- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 014 (12/11/2007) Publicacion : Formes de l’engagement et espace public, questions de communication, Ouvrage dirigé Vincent Meyer et Jacques Walter, Presses Universitaires de Nancy, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35196-tit--Formes-de-l-engagement-et-espace-public- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 015 (12/11/2007) Publicacion : Guide Professionnel des Artistes, Les Solutions Créatives, Paris, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35197-tit--Guide-Professionnel-des-Artistes-Les -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 016 (12/11/2007) Publicacion : N° 50 de la revue Papiers Libres, galerie esca, Nimes, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35198-tit--N-50-de-la-revue-Papiers-Libres-galerie -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 017 (12/11/2007) Publicacion : Sociologie des arts, sociologie des sciences, Tomes I & II, Coordonné par Florent Gaudez, Collection « Logiques sociales », Édition L'harmmattan, Paris, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35199-tit--Sociologie-des-arts-sociologie-des -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 018 (12/11/2007) Publicacion : FACEHUG #1, Karl Holmqvist, Berlin, Alemania. http://pourinfos.org/art-35201-tit--FACEHUG-1-Karl-Holmqvist-Berlin- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 019 (12/11/2007) Publicacion : octobre 2007, éditions l'harmattan, Paris, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35203-tit-s-octobre-2007-editions-l-harmattan- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 020 (12/11/2007) Empleo : Call for Directors - Green Arts Barns Community Association, artscape, Toronto, Canada. http://pourinfos.org/art-35205-tit--Call-for-Directors-Green-Arts-Barns -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 021 (12/11/2007) Empleo : stagiaire pour un emploi eventuel, Château de Sacy, Sacy-le Petit, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35208-tit--stagiaire-pour-un-emploi-eventuel- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 022 (12/11/2007) Llamada a participacion : Video appart, Paris,Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35211-tit--Video-appart- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 023 (12/11/2007) Residencia : résidence d’artistes à chantier public, Lyon, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35212-tit-Residence-residence-d-artistes-a-chantier -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 024 (12/11/2007) Llamada a candidatura : Futuresonic 2008, Urban Festival of Art, Music & Ideas, Manchester, Reino Unido. http://pourinfos.org/art-35213-tit--Futuresonic-2008-Urban-Festival-of-Art- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 025 (12/11/2007) Llamada a candidatura: concours de clips pour Pascal Comelade, Eyeka, Paris, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35214-tit--concours-de-clips-pour-Pascal-Comelade- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 026 (12/11/2007) Llamada a candidatura: Training programme, EURODOC 2008!, Montpellier, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35215-tit--Training-programme-EURODOC-2008- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 027 (12/11/2007) Llamada a participacion : Recherche de textes inédits s'inscrivant dans la collection écrit sur l'art des éditions Marguerite Waknine, Angoulême, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35217-tit--Recherche-de-textes-inedits-s-inscrivant -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 028 (12/11/2007) Llamada a candidatura: jeune création vidéo cinéma – 4ème édition, Pépinières européennes pour jeunes artistes, Marly le Roi, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35218-tit-s-jeune-creation-video-cinema-4eme -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 029 (12/11/2007) Llamada a participacion : Copié – Collé, Empreintes Numériques, Toulouse, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35219-tit--Copie-Colle-Empreintes-Numeriques- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 030 (12/11/2007) Residencia : Art sonore et arts visuels, association Appelboom, la pommerie, Saint-Setiers, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35220-tit--Art-sonore-et-arts-visuels-association -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 031 (12/11/2007) Llamada a participacion : FESTIVAL PROJ(ECT), festival des nouvelles images à Nancy, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35221-tit--FESTIVAL-PROJ-ECT-festival-des -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 032 (12/11/2007) Llamada a candidatura: Étangs d'art, Collectif d'artistes du Pays de Brocéliande, Breal sous Montfort, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35222-tit--Etangs-d-art-Collectif-d-artistes-du -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 033 (12/11/2007) Residencia : Ateliers d'artistes de Sacy, Sacy-le-Petit, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35223-tit--Ateliers-d-artistes-de-Sacy- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 034 (12/11/2007) Llamada a candidatura: L’espace ARTISTY est à la recherche de créateurs, Denain, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35224-tit--L-espace-ARTISTY-est-a-la-recherche-de -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 035 (12/11/2007) Llamada a candidatura: Slaon de Bry, Association des Artistes Bryards, Bry-sur-Marne, Francia http://pourinfos.org/art-35225-tit--Slaon-de-Bry-Association-des-Artistes -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 036 (12/11/2007) Llamada a candidatura: Les chlorophylles, Ramonville saint agne, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35226-tit--Les-chlorophylles-Ramonville-saint-agne- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 037 (12/11/2007) Llamada a candidatura: HORIZONS - RENCONTRES "ARTS NATURE" 2008, Massif du Sancy, Le Mont-Dore, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35227-tit--HORIZONS-RENCONTRES-ARTS-NATURE-2008- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 038 (12/11/2007) Llamada a participacion : autoportraits au travail, Bourse de Travail Parallèle, Paris, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35228-tit--autoportraits-au-travail-Bourse-de -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 039 (12/11/2007) Llamada a candidatura: Concours International de Poésie, Biennale Internationale des Poètes, Ivry-sur-Seine, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35229-tit--Concours-International-de-Poesie- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 040 (12/11/2007) Llamada a candidatura: fondation Bullukian, Lyon, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35231-tit--fondation-Bullukian-Lyon- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 041 (13/11/2007) Empleo : webdesigner, association Panoplie, Montpellier, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35206-tit--webdesigner-association-Panoplie- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 042 (13/11/2007) Llamada a participacion : EngineerAid Call for Artworks, Edinburgh, Reino Unido. http://pourinfos.org/art-35230-tit-Appel-a-Participation-EngineerAid-Call-for -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 043 (14/11/2007) Llamada a candidatura: Le dessin en réseau : une façon renouvelée de dessiner!, Agence TOPO,Chambre Blanche Montréal, Québec, Canada. http://pourinfos.org/art-35210-tit--Le-dessin-en-reseau-une-facon -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 044 (15/11/2007) Encuentros : "La mort et le corps dans les arts aujourd'hui", 15-17 novembre 2007, Aix en Provence, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35129-tit--La-mort-et-le-corps-dans-les-arts -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 045 (15/11/2007) Formacion : max/msp, groupedunes, friche la belle de mai, Marseille, Francia http://pourinfos.org/art-35209-tit-Formation-max-msp-groupedunes-friche-la -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 046 (16/11/2007) Publicacion : LIFE EXTREME, GUIDE ILLUSTRÉ DE NOUVELLES FORMES DE VIE, Eduardo Kac & Avital Ronell,éditions Dis Voir, Paris, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35200-tit--LIFE-EXTREME-GUIDE-ILLUSTRE-DE-NOUVELLES -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 047 (17/11/2007) Encuentros : RIAM 04 Sonic, table ronde, L’amplification sonore comme stratégie artistique, David Sanson, Bastien Gallet, samedi 17 novembre 2007, Circuit Court, Marseille, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35175-tit--RIAM-04-Sonic-table-ronde- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 048 (18/11/2007) Publicacion : "femmes artistes/artistes femmes. Paris, de 1880 à nos jours" aux éditions Hazan, Paris, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35204-tit--femmes-artistes-artistes-femmes-Paris- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 049 (19/11/2007) Encuentros : Outlab 2007, Lundi 19 Novembre 2007, la Bellevilloise, Paris, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35170-tit--Outlab-2007-Lundi-19-Novembre-2007-la -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 050 (20/11/2007) Residencia : Les ateliers d’Astérides, Friche Belle de Mai, Marseille, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35165-tit-Residence-Les-ateliers-d-Asterides-Friche -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 051 (20/11/2007) Encuentros : Politiques de la photographie du corps, Mardi 20 novembre à 19h, Bibliothèque Château d’Eau, Paris, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35172-tit--Politiques-de-la-photographie-du-corps- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 052 (20/11/2007) Varios : crealab ouvre ses portes ! Nantes, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35182-tit-Divers-crealab-ouvre-ses-portes-Nantes- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 053 (22/11/2007) Encuentros : Stop and Go, Xavier Franceschi, Gilles Baume, le 22 et 27 novembre 2007, Galerie de Paris 8, Université Paris 8, Saint Denis, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35180-tit--Stop-and-Go-Xavier-Franceschi-Gilles -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 054 (22/11/2007) Encuentros : colloque « Le rôle des arts et de la culture dans les stratégies de diplomatie publique », 22 novembre, 2007, UQAM, Montréal, Canada. http://pourinfos.org/art-35181-tit--colloque-Le-role-des-arts-et-de-la -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 055 (23/11/2007) Encuentros : journées de l'expérimentation Experimenta 07, 23 et 24 novembre 2007, École d'art de la Communauté de l'agglomération d'Annecy, Annecy, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35186-tit--journees-de-l-experimentation-Experimenta -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 056 (24/11/2007) Encuentros : Open studios, Montpellier, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35171-tit-Open-studios-Montpellier- -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 057 (25/11/2007) Residencia : d'artiste à Lindre-Basse, centre d'art contemporain la Synagogue de Delme, Lindre-Basse, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35167-tit-Residence-d-artiste-a-Lindre-Basse-centre -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 058 (26/11/2007) Residencia : A.I.R. International Artists Residencies/FilmFest, Balatonfured, Hungria. http://pourinfos.org/art-35168-tit-Residence-A-I-R-International-Artists -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 059 (27/11/2007) Proyeccion : « années 68 », Mois du film documentaire à la BnF, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35173-tit--annees-68-Mois-du-film-documentaire -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 060 (27/11/2007) Encuentros : L'art contemporain, pour qui ? mardi 27 novembre 2007, l'abbaye de Maubuisson, Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône, Francia http://pourinfos.org/art-35179-tit--L-art-contemporain-pour-qui-mardi-27 -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 061 (29/11/2007) Encuentros : L’art doit-il faire événement ?, Cipac 2007, 5ème Congrès du Cipac, Jeudi 29 et vendredi 30 novembre à Lyon, Francia. http://pourinfos.org/art-35216-tit--L-art-doit-il-faire-evenement-Cipac -------------------------------------------------------------------- @ 062 (30/11/2007) Llamada a candidatura: dossier artistique, Galerie SAW Gallery, Ontario, Canada. http://pourinfos.org/art-35166-tit--dossier-artistique-Galerie-SAW-Gallery- ----------- traducción : françois Delaporte _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From pkray11 at gmail.com Tue Nov 13 12:31:16 2007 From: pkray11 at gmail.com (prakash ray) Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2007 12:31:16 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Nandigram is free from terror after 11 months.. Message-ID: <98f331e00711122301u34805906t80353f7a5330d4a3@mail.gmail.com> Dear Tara, Plz don't loose it.. I understand the frustration of anti-left people and TMC men. I urge you to look at the entire happenings related to Nandigram tragedy. The need of the hour is peace and all those who consider themselves humane should work in that direction. I dont see any merit in supporting Mamta's killers and blood-thirsty Maoists imported from Chhatisgarh and Jharkhand to kill, loot and rape. I request you to watch my film on google video..( http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8022234047270357934&hl=en). There is no point in loosing your cool.....You may watch Om Shanti Om for a change.. Get well soon... Prakash From vivek at sarai.net Tue Nov 13 15:06:33 2007 From: vivek at sarai.net (Vivek Narayanan) Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2007 15:06:33 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Nandigram is free from terror after 11 months.. Message-ID: <47397021.3020204@sarai.net> Fascinating, Prakash-- you use "anti-left" as an (inaccurate) curse on all who contradict your one-sided apologist propaganda (who made you lefter than thou?), the way some others on this list have been using "anti-national"! Clever, and wily indeed, but in the long run I don't think you really do yourself any favours by sounding like a party organ. Vivek prakash ray wrote: > Dear Tara, > Plz don't loose it.. I understand the frustration of anti-left people and > TMC men. I urge you to look at the entire happenings related to Nandigram > tragedy. The need of the hour is peace and all those who consider > themselves humane should work in that direction. I dont see any merit in > supporting Mamta's killers and blood-thirsty Maoists imported from > Chhatisgarh and Jharkhand to kill, loot and rape. I request you to watch my > film on google video..( > http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8022234047270357934&hl=en). > > There is no point in loosing your cool.....You may watch Om Shanti Om for a > change.. > > Get well soon... > > Prakash > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From tapasrayx at gmail.com Tue Nov 13 18:14:23 2007 From: tapasrayx at gmail.com (Tapas Ray) Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2007 07:44:23 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Nandigram is free from terror after 11 months.. In-Reply-To: <98f331e00711122301u34805906t80353f7a5330d4a3@mail.gmail.com> References: <98f331e00711122301u34805906t80353f7a5330d4a3@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <47399C27.1080707@googlemail.com> It may be just me, but I seem to detect in some messages from the member whose post is quoted below, an intention to provoke those who do not subscribe to his views. In this, he is very similar to the saffron crowd, which I have filtered out. The other similarity with the saffron crowd is a tendency to think in simplistic, black-and-white terms. I cannot help noting, as Vivek has done in his post, the use of the term "anti-Left". To me, this is rather amusing. This person has arrogated to himself the right to decide who and what is "Left" and what is "anti-Left". And of course, only those who support his party are "Leftists". All others are "anti-Left". As far as I know, some of the literature published by his own party cautions against such black-and-white thinking. But then those may be out of fashion in his organisation these days. (A related question: I think he will not deny that there are differences of opinion with the CPI(M), too. Then which opinion within the CPI(M) is "Left" and which is "anti-Left"?) A couple more things. I think it needs to be remembered that the "blood-thirsty Maoists" were a gift of the CPI(M) to West Bengal and the rest of India in the late 1960s. Once born, they went on to consume their own parents, along with police and other government officials. Even today, are the Maoists operating in West Midnapore, Bankura, Purulia and parts of Hooghly, etc., all imports from Chattisgarh and Jharkhand? Can such activities be carried on without the support or active participation of locals? The answer is no. They are locals, many formerly of the CPI(M) itself, who have taken up arms against that party because they found no possibility of injustices being redressed through it, or within its setup. As for the other group, "Mamata's killers", who are they? Again, many are former CPI(M) workers, or workers of its Left Front partners, who have turned against the party for the very same reason. Nandigram itself used to be a CPI(M) and CPI bastion until trouble started, and many people in the BUPC - including leading people - are former CPI(M) activists. For individuals who took up the CPI(M) flag in the 1990s or 2000s - when it had already become firmly entrenched for "1000 years of rule" as a party of the establishment with the power, virtually, over people's life and death in West Bengal - it is not possible to comprehend the respect the party commanded during the first term of West Bengal's Left Front Government in 1977-82, when land reforms were being implemented and the sufferings of its activists at the hands of Congress and Naxalite elements during 1972-77 were fresh in people's minds. But that goodwill was quickly dissipated by its own actions, which included murder, mayhem, and the tendency to control everything, every institution, by hook or by crook. What remained were the politics of fear, and of the "loaves and fishes" of office. The word "humane" sounds ridiculous coming from people who seem to support such an organisation unconditionally. Tapas prakash ray wrote: > Dear Tara, > Plz don't loose it.. I understand the frustration of anti-left people and > TMC men. I urge you to look at the entire happenings related to Nandigram > tragedy. The need of the hour is peace and all those who consider > themselves humane should work in that direction. I dont see any merit in > supporting Mamta's killers and blood-thirsty Maoists imported from > Chhatisgarh and Jharkhand to kill, loot and rape. I request you to watch my > film on google video..( > http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8022234047270357934&hl=en). > > There is no point in loosing your cool.....You may watch Om Shanti Om for a > change.. > > Get well soon... > > Prakash From zigzackly at gmail.com Tue Nov 13 20:58:25 2007 From: zigzackly at gmail.com (peter griffin) Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2007 20:58:25 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Nandigram Relief - an appeal In-Reply-To: <4d145a50711120939s4cd465aek3770a707d5105356@mail.gmail.com> References: <4d145a50711120939s4cd465aek3770a707d5105356@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <4d145a50711130728q4c46350fja2b38cfa8bec668c@mail.gmail.com> With reference to my earlier mail on the subject (quoted below), I had some misgivings about the old clothes, but sent it on nevertheless, since the folks who forarded it to me are reliable sources. After I sent it to a few more friends, I got this from Amit Varma: "It might be a well-meaning and genuine appeal, but in my experience, old clothes are generally the worst possible thing to give, because even poor people don't take hand-me-downs. When Dilip and I travelled in TN after the tsunami, the roadsides were littered with colorful heaps of old clothes nobody wanted. Both of us wrote about it extensively, Dilip also using the experience of previous trips through disaster-struck areas. Of course, in this instance this specific need might exist for some reason. But in general, it is a bad idea, and I thought it fair to share that." I wrote to Dilip D'souza as well: "What's your take on this? I had my misgivings about this, given my learnings from the post-Tsunami scenario, not least because of your own postings on the matter. Nevertheless, I did send it on to several others. Amit Varma echoed my concerns thusly: [Amit's mail quoted here] If you're in agreement, you may want to post a point of view somewhere. Dilip said: "Amit is right: from Orissa '99 to Kutch '01 to TN '04, nobody in those areas wants old clothes. It's true, this is a slightly different case -- it's a manmade calamity rather than a natural one. I think we should hold off sending old clothes until we get some more info from the trenches. Maybe we should reply to that appeal asking specifically about the old clothes. (Once we get a reply, I'll post that somewhere). I'll send a note. Money can be used to buy new clothes." Dilip has, after this exchange, written to the origanators of this appeal, stating his concerns, and asking for clarification. He also notes that the "phone number listed for Mahashweta Devi does not work." Should we get a response, I will share it with this list. Thanks for your time, peter On 12/11/2007, peter griffin wrote: > > I got this via reliable sources. Do please post / pass on. > > -----Original Message----- > *From:* Anjum Katyal > *Sent:* Monday, November 12, 2007 8:12 PM > *To:* Kavita Panjabi > *Subject:* relief for Nandigram > > Hi, > I just received an sms from Aparna Sen asking for relief materials for > Nandigram victims (she specifically mentioned old clothes, children's > clothes and rice) which can be sent to Mahasweta Devi's address, given > below: > c/o Mahasweta Devi > W 2C 12/3 Phase 2, Golf Green, Kolkata 95. Ph: 24143033 > > We've been asked to forward the request to as many people as possible. > > Regards > Anjum > > -- ---------------------------------------------------------------- http://zigzackly.blogspot.com/ http://yourchequeisinthemail.blogspot.com/ http://clickiii.blogspot.com/ & also http://www.caferati.com/ http://caferati.blogspot.com/ http://worldwidehelp.blogspot.com/ ---------------------------------------------------------------- From taraprakash at gmail.com Tue Nov 13 21:08:17 2007 From: taraprakash at gmail.com (TaraPrakash) Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2007 10:38:17 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Nandigram is free from terror after 11 months.. References: <98f331e00711122301u34805906t80353f7a5330d4a3@mail.gmail.com> <47399C27.1080707@googlemail.com> Message-ID: <047301c8260b$3914a850$6400a8c0@taraprakash> Quite right. Tapas, thanks for expressing this in a civilized manner. Yes, the individual concerned appears to be sufficiently drugged. How similar CPM and O-pi-um, (opium) sound! and Provocation seems to be the motive. I don't think Prakash will mind my pasting his "over and out" exchange sent to me personally. Interestingly, when I was at JNU everyone who did not support CPM/SFI ideology, was RSS and they were the only left. It is different matter though, that every time there was a defection in SFI, the defected members went to one of the right wing parties. Now that CPM has been RSSized, every opposition is TMC. Did you notice that when last time NandiGram massacre took place, the CPM rhetoric included RSS supporters also as one of the trouble maker? I did not hear RSS in the list of the 'culprits' in any of CPM leaders' apologies this time. Here is Prakash's mail that he sent to me personally, but he wanted to send them to the list. i got mail form ur id thts why i wrote to u.. i dont want to write to someone who does not know the language except abuses and killings like TMC goons.. you guys have become blind due to your anti-cpm attitude.. i ask u one question.... what was the fault of sunita mondol who was raped and killed in nandigram in february... what was the fault of kakuli giri..u killed shankar samanto but why u ousted his family from his house..... nandigram mamta banerjee aur uske maoist killers ke baap ki zamindaari hai kya... over and out.. On Nov 13, 2007 3:28 AM, TaraPrakash < taraprakash at gmail.com > wrote: block quote CPM dogs are now barking facing different side of the street. Earlier you could hear RSS in their barking, now when they have joined the parivar, by adopting their methods, they are barking TMC, TMC. You are requested to write only to the list, we don't have any reason for personal e-mail exchanges. block quote ----- Original Message ----- From: prakash ray To: TaraPrakash Sent: Monday, November 12, 2007 4:19 PM Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Nandigram is free from terror after 11 months.. Hindi me ek kahawat (saying) hai.... khisiyani billi khambha noche... noch bhai noch... all TMC supporters r doing same.. u r not alone lolz prakash ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tapas Ray" To: Sent: Tuesday, November 13, 2007 7:44 AM Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Nandigram is free from terror after 11 months.. > It may be just me, but I seem to detect in some messages from the member > whose post is quoted below, an intention to provoke those who do not > subscribe to his views. In this, he is very similar to the saffron > crowd, which I have filtered out. The other similarity with the saffron > crowd is a tendency to think in simplistic, black-and-white terms. > > I cannot help noting, as Vivek has done in his post, the use of the term > "anti-Left". To me, this is rather amusing. This person has arrogated to > himself the right to decide who and what is "Left" and what is > "anti-Left". And of course, only those who support his party are > "Leftists". All others are "anti-Left". As far as I know, some of the > literature published by his own party cautions against such > black-and-white thinking. But then those may be out of fashion in his > organisation these days. > > (A related question: I think he will not deny that there are differences > of opinion with the CPI(M), too. Then which opinion within the CPI(M) is > "Left" and which is "anti-Left"?) > > A couple more things. I think it needs to be remembered that the > "blood-thirsty Maoists" were a gift of the CPI(M) to West Bengal and the > rest of India in the late 1960s. Once born, they went on to consume > their own parents, along with police and other government officials. > Even today, are the Maoists operating in West Midnapore, Bankura, > Purulia and parts of Hooghly, etc., all imports from Chattisgarh and > Jharkhand? Can such activities be carried on without the support or > active participation of locals? The answer is no. They are locals, many > formerly of the CPI(M) itself, who have taken up arms against that party > because they found no possibility of injustices being redressed through > it, or within its setup. > > As for the other group, "Mamata's killers", who are they? Again, many > are former CPI(M) workers, or workers of its Left Front partners, who > have turned against the party for the very same reason. Nandigram itself > used to be a CPI(M) and CPI bastion until trouble started, and many > people in the BUPC - including leading people - are former CPI(M) > activists. > > For individuals who took up the CPI(M) flag in the 1990s or 2000s - when > it had already become firmly entrenched for "1000 years of rule" as a > party of the establishment with the power, virtually, over people's life > and death in West Bengal - it is not possible to comprehend the respect > the party commanded during the first term of West Bengal's Left Front > Government in 1977-82, when land reforms were being implemented and the > sufferings of its activists at the hands of Congress and Naxalite > elements during 1972-77 were fresh in people's minds. But that goodwill > was quickly dissipated by its own actions, which included murder, > mayhem, and the tendency to control everything, every institution, by > hook or by crook. What remained were the politics of fear, and of the > "loaves and fishes" of office. The word "humane" sounds ridiculous > coming from people who seem to support such an organisation > unconditionally. > > Tapas > > > prakash ray wrote: >> Dear Tara, >> Plz don't loose it.. I understand the frustration of anti-left people and >> TMC men. I urge you to look at the entire happenings related to Nandigram >> tragedy. The need of the hour is peace and all those who consider >> themselves humane should work in that direction. I dont see any merit in >> supporting Mamta's killers and blood-thirsty Maoists imported from >> Chhatisgarh and Jharkhand to kill, loot and rape. I request you to watch >> my >> film on google video..( >> http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8022234047270357934&hl=en). >> >> There is no point in loosing your cool.....You may watch Om Shanti Om for >> a >> change.. >> >> Get well soon... >> >> Prakash > > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From parthaekka at gmail.com Tue Nov 13 22:46:20 2007 From: parthaekka at gmail.com (Partha Dasgupta) Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2007 22:46:20 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Nandigram is free from terror after 11 months.. In-Reply-To: <047301c8260b$3914a850$6400a8c0@taraprakash> References: <98f331e00711122301u34805906t80353f7a5330d4a3@mail.gmail.com> <47399C27.1080707@googlemail.com> <047301c8260b$3914a850$6400a8c0@taraprakash> Message-ID: <32144e990711130916m8d74b14n7aa129d01aa99fdc@mail.gmail.com> Well, as a non 'ist' and a non 'ism' (I mean that I'm not a leftist or a secularist or even a pseudo-secularist and won't begin to claim that I represent any section, caste or religion in India or outside) - would like to get back to the issue of dictator-like behaviour by an elected government that is supposed to look after the electorate it swore to uphold, and not suppress it. Sure, some of the reporting can be biased, but all the national newspapers can't be wrong - which means that there's an obvious instance of people in power losing control and behaving as if they are overlords who have complete freedom to impose a writ irrespective of the wishes of the people where the writ is applicable. Forget which party or which religion they belong to. What matter's is that a wrong needs to be righted. Labels are irrelevant here. The people who took the decision and those who implemented it need to be stopped. Maybe I'm being simplistic here. However, I'd rather look at the trees and get the details clear so that the woods are organised. Rgds, Partha ................ On 11/13/07, TaraPrakash wrote: > Quite right. Tapas, thanks for expressing this in a civilized manner. > Yes, the individual concerned appears to be sufficiently drugged. How > similar CPM and O-pi-um, (opium) sound! and Provocation seems to be the > motive. I don't think Prakash will mind my pasting his "over and out" > exchange sent to me personally. Interestingly, when I was at JNU everyone > who did not support CPM/SFI ideology, was RSS and they were the only left. > It is different matter though, that every time there was a defection in SFI, > the defected members went to one of the right wing parties. > Now that CPM has been RSSized, every opposition is TMC. Did you notice that > when last time NandiGram massacre took place, the CPM rhetoric included RSS > supporters also as one of the trouble maker? I did not hear RSS in the list > of the 'culprits' in any of CPM leaders' apologies this time. > > Here is Prakash's mail that he sent to me personally, but he wanted to send > them to the list. > i got mail form ur id thts why i wrote to u.. i dont want to write to > someone who does not know the language except abuses and killings like TMC > goons.. > you guys have become blind due to your anti-cpm attitude.. i ask u one > question.... what was the fault of sunita mondol who was raped and killed in > nandigram in february... what was the fault of kakuli giri..u killed shankar > samanto but why u ousted his family from his house..... > > nandigram mamta banerjee aur uske maoist killers ke baap ki zamindaari hai > kya... > > over and out.. > > On Nov 13, 2007 3:28 AM, TaraPrakash < > taraprakash at gmail.com > > wrote: > > block quote > CPM dogs are now barking facing different side of the street. Earlier you > could hear RSS in their barking, now when they have joined the parivar, by > adopting > their methods, they are barking TMC, TMC. > > You are requested to write only to the list, we don't have any reason for > personal e-mail exchanges. > > block quote > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: > prakash ray > > To: > TaraPrakash > > Sent: Monday, November 12, 2007 4:19 PM > > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Nandigram is free from terror after 11 months.. > > Hindi me ek kahawat (saying) hai.... khisiyani billi khambha noche... noch > bhai noch... all TMC supporters r doing same.. u r not alone > > lolz > prakash > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Tapas Ray" > To: > Sent: Tuesday, November 13, 2007 7:44 AM > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Nandigram is free from terror after 11 months.. > > > > It may be just me, but I seem to detect in some messages from the member > > whose post is quoted below, an intention to provoke those who do not > > subscribe to his views. In this, he is very similar to the saffron > > crowd, which I have filtered out. The other similarity with the saffron > > crowd is a tendency to think in simplistic, black-and-white terms. > > > > I cannot help noting, as Vivek has done in his post, the use of the term > > "anti-Left". To me, this is rather amusing. This person has arrogated to > > himself the right to decide who and what is "Left" and what is > > "anti-Left". And of course, only those who support his party are > > "Leftists". All others are "anti-Left". As far as I know, some of the > > literature published by his own party cautions against such > > black-and-white thinking. But then those may be out of fashion in his > > organisation these days. > > > > (A related question: I think he will not deny that there are differences > > of opinion with the CPI(M), too. Then which opinion within the CPI(M) is > > "Left" and which is "anti-Left"?) > > > > A couple more things. I think it needs to be remembered that the > > "blood-thirsty Maoists" were a gift of the CPI(M) to West Bengal and the > > rest of India in the late 1960s. Once born, they went on to consume > > their own parents, along with police and other government officials. > > Even today, are the Maoists operating in West Midnapore, Bankura, > > Purulia and parts of Hooghly, etc., all imports from Chattisgarh and > > Jharkhand? Can such activities be carried on without the support or > > active participation of locals? The answer is no. They are locals, many > > formerly of the CPI(M) itself, who have taken up arms against that party > > because they found no possibility of injustices being redressed through > > it, or within its setup. > > > > As for the other group, "Mamata's killers", who are they? Again, many > > are former CPI(M) workers, or workers of its Left Front partners, who > > have turned against the party for the very same reason. Nandigram itself > > used to be a CPI(M) and CPI bastion until trouble started, and many > > people in the BUPC - including leading people - are former CPI(M) > > activists. > > > > For individuals who took up the CPI(M) flag in the 1990s or 2000s - when > > it had already become firmly entrenched for "1000 years of rule" as a > > party of the establishment with the power, virtually, over people's life > > and death in West Bengal - it is not possible to comprehend the respect > > the party commanded during the first term of West Bengal's Left Front > > Government in 1977-82, when land reforms were being implemented and the > > sufferings of its activists at the hands of Congress and Naxalite > > elements during 1972-77 were fresh in people's minds. But that goodwill > > was quickly dissipated by its own actions, which included murder, > > mayhem, and the tendency to control everything, every institution, by > > hook or by crook. What remained were the politics of fear, and of the > > "loaves and fishes" of office. The word "humane" sounds ridiculous > > coming from people who seem to support such an organisation > > unconditionally. > > > > Tapas > > > > > > prakash ray wrote: > >> Dear Tara, > >> Plz don't loose it.. I understand the frustration of anti-left people and > >> TMC men. I urge you to look at the entire happenings related to Nandigram > >> tragedy. The need of the hour is peace and all those who consider > >> themselves humane should work in that direction. I dont see any merit in > >> supporting Mamta's killers and blood-thirsty Maoists imported from > >> Chhatisgarh and Jharkhand to kill, loot and rape. I request you to watch > >> my > >> film on google video..( > >> http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8022234047270357934&hl=en). > >> > >> There is no point in loosing your cool.....You may watch Om Shanti Om for > >> a > >> change.. > >> > >> Get well soon... > >> > >> Prakash > > > > _________________________________________ > > 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. > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> -- Partha Dasgupta +919811047132 From shuddha at sarai.net Tue Nov 13 23:30:59 2007 From: shuddha at sarai.net (Shuddhabrata Sengupta) Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2007 23:30:59 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] A Request Message-ID: <4739E65B.3000303@sarai.net> Dear all, I unequivocally condemn the CPI(M) led Left Front government's reign of terror in West Bengal. I have written about the Nandigram issue on this list in the past, (in March this year) and so will not repeat myself on this matter. I also think that the CPI(M)'s paralysing control over cultural and intellectual life in West Bengal, and the poverty of its own intellectual resources stands nakedly and totally exposed today. Having said all this, I would request all those on this list who have expressed their anger on this issue (which I sympathize with) to not do the following. 1. Post private (off-list) correspondence on to the public forum of the list without the consent of the correspondents. 2. Use personalized invective and abuse in your communications on the list Those who have done the above may have done so in genuine dismay or anger, but it does their cause great damage.I say this in solidarity with their feelings, and in criticism of their actions. We have learnt a great deal in the past few months on this list about the need to cultivate a certain degree of restraint in terms of language, especially when we are in disagreement. I look on the turmoil of the past few months on this list positively, because they have helped us mature. And in that spirit, I request you all to debate and discuss every thing threadbare, but in a manner that does not waylay us into discussing the niceties of how people should be speaking to each other. That distracts us from the matters that we really want to discuss. So, for instance, if you want to be critical of the CPI(M), by all means be so, but if you do so in a manner that provokes others into saying that you are being personal in you attack, then we have to spend a lot of time and energy in discussing that. Eventually, your critique of the CPI(M) gets forgotten, and we end up trying to apportion blame between different speech acts, and wasting our time on yet another invocation of list protocols. I hope everyone understands that this is not a call to censorship, rather, it is a demand that we all write respnsibly, so that the issues that we are all angry about and anguished by can be discussed in all seriousness. It would be a terrible loss if a vibrant list with an evolving critical edge were to degenerate into a boxing ring where tired pugilists slug it out with each other to the dismay of bored spectators. Everyone, please, always take a few deep breaths before you hit 'send'. Better still, let your mails sit in your drafts folder, read them once a few hours later, and then hit 'send'. Believe me, it will make everyone's life much better, and we will have more rewarding discussions on the list. regards, Shuddha From pkray11 at gmail.com Wed Nov 14 01:01:18 2007 From: pkray11 at gmail.com (prakash ray) Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2007 01:01:18 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Nandigram: Only peace is future.... Message-ID: <98f331e00711131131g6c0d6783j3324fad5fd33efd2@mail.gmail.com> Men and women of Nandigram, who had to desert their homes leaving all behind have returned. They are looking towards a life of being united with parents, spouses and children. They are trying to plant poles again just to live under shade and have at least once a day food to eat. A section of people has started dreaming the work of repair and reconstruction to be started by the Panchayet, the schools to reopen, markets and shops to run, health centers to operate, are in a spirit of doubt of reasons not known. The Hindus expect to lit the evening diyas and the mosque Imam to chant Aajan. But tragedy has its black shadow still hanging over Nandigram, the smoke of disaster has not yet been off from the air. The harmads of Maoists and members of the BUPC along with the TMC activists before leaving certain zones of Sonachura, Garchakraberia, Adhikaripara etc planted mines, explosives in a scattered way and made arrangements for remote operation. The devices have taken lives and injured a lot of home coming people. A number of people are still dwindling in schools, college or simply in fields under tents. A great portion of these people, most of which are CPIM sympathizers, are anxiously waiting to join the work of developmental activities and to restore peace. Much of this chaos to terrorize people with the deliberate intention of usurping lands from the real landowners was really inhuman. It was simply useless to take resort to areas and ignoring administration, create disquiet taking hold of law and order in their own hands when the Chief Minister himself declared that no question of land acquisition would arise when no chemical hub would be setup at Nandigram, since the people in general did not have a consent. So what it the reason of the agitation of defending the land by BUPC? So long there prevailed lawlessness and riots, torture, molestation on women, looting, destroying property and killing lives continued for long 11 months at a stretch. The poor peasants having small plots of croplands have been sitting idle gazing at their lands filled with weeds with their implements getting rusted. It was decided in a joint meeting with the administration along with the TMC leaders and land saviours committee members that the deceased in the 14th March incident would be given compensation and proper steps would be taken against the offending police officers if found guilty, and that would be in consonance with the High court order. By this time, a few of the police officers were transfered. It was resolved that the government would start the work of development, health, education, 100 day employment generation scheme would again start moving, the panic stricken people driven out from Nandigram and Khejuri would be taken back to their own homes, the lawsuits excepting murder and rapes would be withdrawn according to the demands of the BUPC patronized by TMC, Maoists, SUCI and others having only self-interest. But the actual scenario is otherwise. The Panchayet chiefs were not allowed to work, even to open the office, they had been forced to write that they wouldn't start working. Otherwise they were threatened that there will be false allegation of corruption against them. So the ray of hope was again nipped in the bud. The TMC supporters were allowed in but not others. At last the peoples unity won the game, they got back facing an armed resistance. The arms had to bow down before mass and the government got the way to implement the process of reconstruction, its a victory of the people of Nandigram. Now the responsibility lies with the BUPC and the TMC to remove the armed Maoists from the area of Nandigram. The activists of the CPIM have now a greater responsibility. They have proved that power lies with the people and not guns. People have suffered a lot for the last 11 months. They are distressed with the pain of having to see the deaths of their near and dear ones. They have suffered cruelty in the hands of BUPC. But, they need to wipe their tears, and rebuild a new Nandigram with a broken heart. Even a single incident of violence against a human being will show them in good spirits. Men and women of Nandigram, Your victory is a glorious tribute to many activists and villagers who laid down their lives in the hands of BUPC violence. Shankar Samanta and a few others were killed with medieval cruelty, cruel torture on Sumita Mondal, have kindled fire in your hearts. We all need to be beside these families, with all possible help. We all need to start the normal functioning of Panchayats. Poor people must not get divided because of political colours. People from all over are saluting you. Red salute to the people of Nandigram. Your sacrifice, your struggle, your victory have created a new chapter in the glorious history of the left democratic struggle. From pkray11 at gmail.com Wed Nov 14 01:07:25 2007 From: pkray11 at gmail.com (prakash ray) Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2007 01:07:25 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Statement of CPI(M) PB Message-ID: <98f331e00711131137j35e58a64h72bca76b05bff6a8@mail.gmail.com> *Dear all, This is the statement issued by CPI(M) on 12 Nov,2007. Regards, Prakash * *The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) met in New Delhi on November 11 & 12, 2007. It has issued the following statement:* *Nandigram Situation* *The Polit Bureau heard a report on the developments in Nandigram in the recent period. Since January 2007, an abnormal situation had developed with an alliance of forces led by the Trinamul Congress driving out workers and supporters of the Left Front including elected panchayat members. Since then the police and the administration have not been allowed to function in the area.* *Even after the state government announced that there is no question of land acquisition for a chemical hub, for the past nine months the people evicted from the area were not able to go back to their homes or cultivate their fields.* *The Polit Bureau firmly rebuffs all the mischievous attempts to portray the developments in Nandigram as an outcome of "red terror". There has been no issue of land acquisition whatsoever in Nandigram since February 2007, yet the whole area was under siege on the spurious pretext of protection of land. The reality in Nandigram was a violent and undemocratic offensive to displace those who were the legitimate representatives of the people.* *The gang up of political forces against the CPI(M) and the Left operating in the guise of a Bhumi Ucchhed Pratirodh Samity virtually set up a parallel raj in the area. A dangerous phenomenon was their utilising the assistance of Maoist armed squads who came into the area from outside. The situation of utter lawlessness prevailed and bunkers were built and landmines laid. In this entire period 27 CPI(M) workers and supporters were killed. Such a situation cannot be tolerated by any state government or administration. After the March 14 police firing, repeated efforts were made for political negotiations and peace talks for the restoration of normalcy and the return of all the affected people.* *After a prolonged struggle, the determined efforts made by the people to return to their homes have succeeded and this should pave the way for normalcy to return. The CPI(M) and the Left Front have declared that they want peace to be restored and all sections of the people irrespective of political affiliations to be allowed to return to their family life in pursuit of their livelihood.* *With the deployment of central para military forces, the Left Front government should make all efforts for rehabilitation and resumption of development work in the area.* *Indo-US Nuclear Deal* *The Polit Bureau discussed the developments regarding the Indo-US nuclear deal since the last Central Committee meeting of the Party. It reiterated the stand of the Left parties that the government should not proceed further to operationalise the deal. There has to be a discussion on the deal in the coming session of parliament.* *Support Price for Paddy* *The Polit Bureau demanded that the minimum support price for paddy be increased to Rs. 1,000 per quintal. This is necessary keeping in mind the cost of production that the farmers are incurring in paddy cultivation.* *Price Rise* *The Polit Bureau expressed concern at the continuing price rise of essential commodities. The urgent need is to expand the PDS to reach a large section of people and also to include more essential commodities at controlled prices. * *Oil Price Rise* *The Polit Bureau urged the UPA government to undertake a review of the ad valorem tax structure and the scale of central excise duties on petroleum products in order to tackle the situation arising from the rise in oil prices at the international level. * *Notify Tribal Forest Act* *The Polit Bureau expressed its deep concern at the continuing delay in the notification of the Scheduled Tribes & Other Traditional Forest Dwellers. (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act 2006. There is no reason whatsoever to delay the notification after the rules have been framed. The implementation of the Critical Wildlife Habitat provision can be done only after the Act as a whole is notified and rights vested. Reports from various places show that the tribal people are being evicted from their lands in the forest to preempt the Act coming into force.* *Women's Reservation* *The Polit Bureau urged the UPA government to introduce the women's reservation bill in the forthcoming session of parliament. This is a commitment made in the Common Minimum Programme. The failure to move to fulfill this commitment is glaring and cannot be justified.* *Emergency in Pakistan* *The Polit Bureau demanded an end to the state of emergency in Pakistan and the release of all those arrested for protesting against this authoritarian step. The Polit Bureau reaffirmed its solidarity and support to the people of Pakistan who are struggling for the restoration of democracy.* *Party Congress* *The Polit Bureau decided to hold the 19th Congress of the Party in Coimbatore from March 29 to April 2, 2008. The PB discussed the preparations for the Party Congress. An outline of the Draft Political Resolution was discussed on which basis the draft will be prepared to be placed in the next meeting of the Central Committee to be held in December.* From aarti.sethi at gmail.com Wed Nov 14 02:59:36 2007 From: aarti.sethi at gmail.com (Aarti Sethi) Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2007 02:59:36 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Nandigram-Time for an Alternative Left in Bengal-Aditya Nigam In-Reply-To: <98f331e00711121216q7a83c600g512c57f2caa48ddc@mail.gmail.com> References: <98f331e00711121216q7a83c600g512c57f2caa48ddc@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <48c2916d0711131329k5012578ar52c98836bc2eb87d@mail.gmail.com> Dear All, Fascism appears to be the flavour of the month. After Tehelka's terrifying expose of the meticulous planning that went into the Gujarat genocide in 2002, we have before us, in the form of the CPIM, a timely reminder that totalitarian violence is not the sole preserve of the far-right. The news emerging from Nandigram is very disturbing indeed. Even more disturbing is the silence of the majority of the liberal intelligentsia of this country, barring Calcutta where huge numbers of people have borne the brunt of police violence to protest the killings in Nandigram. Having directly suffered the sleaze, corruption, and bloated moral bankruptcy of the CPIM for over two decades now, it is far more difficult there to sustain the illusion that there is anything progressive about the CPIM any longer. You say Prakash that you look forward to the day that we will have a CPIM government at the center. I'm not sure what you are waiting for. It will look no different from the government we currently have. The CPIM has turned, through the slow accretion of the accouterments of rule, into the Congress. This probably explains the hysteria with which it reacts to the TMC: the narcissism of minor difference. It even employs the same logic that the Congress does "We are the only bastions against the right." But thankfully, this spurious logic doesn't seem to be working anymore. [As an aside, I hope our Hindu-apologist friends on this list notice that the "pseudo-secularists" are as critical of the violence unleashed by the left as they are of the right.] Vivek has already remarked on this, but just to re-iterate the point, your use of "anti-communist" is precisely the same as others on this list have employed "anti-national". Namely to brand as "oppurtunists" all those who can continue to keep a critical distance from the machinations of state power. But we should not be surprised. Because in fact "anti-communist" and "anti-national", when it comes to swearing CPIM style, are only euphemisms for each other, to be used interchangebly. The CPIM provides yet another salutory example of what happens when preserving its hold on state power becomes the raison de etre of a communist party. If we are to take seriously at all the radical legacy of the international communist movement, then now is when the emergence of an alternative left position and voice, both in electoral politics and outside, is critical. And we must give up on the misapprehension that the CPIM can any longer represent for the "Left" in India in any true sense of the term. I would urge you to seriously consider what it means to continue parroting the "party line" of a formation which has so clearly abdicated even the basic tenets of liberal democracy, let alone radical social reform. This re-thinking and self-reflection might even benefit you closer to home. It might enable you to understand, for instance, SFI's sorry performance in the JNUSU 2008 elections, and AISA's landslide victory. Clearly large numbers of people have moved away from a center which is represented by SFI. (I dont think anyone suffers from the delusion in JNU at least that the SFI is anything other than a centrist formation. SFI voters on planet JNU will eventually be Congress voters in the Rest of the World). Interestingly, from the way the votes went in two key schools, it seems SFI lost cader votes to the YFE. This is not in the least bit surprising. At the heart of them the two formations work with the same basic assumptions - that politics is inimical to growth. And a "communist" party, through the definitional fiat, obviously doesnt have to bother with democracy. Its a straight road to totalitarian big capital nirvana. Buddhadeb has worked it out to a T. best Aarti On Nov 13, 2007 1:46 AM, prakash ray wrote: > Dear all, I have posted this letter to Mr Aditya Nigam some months back on > kafila.org. I am re-posting it here in response to his latest write-up. > > Regards, > Prakash > > Dear Adityaji, I know a bit about your stint in the Communist Party. > Unfortunately, you happen to belong to a generation of disillusioned > Communists, who harboured illusions about the Soviet Union when it existed > and basked in its glory and then turned into an anti-Communist after its > downfall, like the whole lot of post-modernists in Europe. Your problem is > that your subjective feelings about shattered dreams of socialism in the > USSR have overwhelmed your capacity to analyse the developments from an > objective and Marxist point of view. Luckily for all of us, the ideology and > praxis of Marxism and Scientific Socialism continues to survive, despite the > fall of the USSR and opportunistic renegades like you. Marxism and Socialism > continues to be the most formidable challenge before US led imperialism and > a ray of hope for the millions of exploited people across the globe. > > At a personal level, I belong to a generation of Communists who joined the > Party in the 1990s. I don't harbour any illusions about the USSR. My > conviction regarding Marxism has developed through my association with the > struggles waged by the CPI (M) in defence of secularism and democracy in > India. I firmly believe that the CPI (M) is the best place to be for all > those who believe in progressive social change and revolution in our > country. > > As far as the Left Front government of bengal is concerned, my admiration > for it arises especially because i don't come from bengal, but from a state > (Bihar) which is the worst example of economic backwardness and Brahminical > social oppression, in the absence of land reforms as was carried out in > bengal under the aegis of the Left front Government. > > You may continue to revel at the idea of the Left front government being > defeated in Bengal one day. May be it'll happen in future, although going by > current developments, I don't see that happening at least in the next > assembly ele ctions. As long as Mamata Banerjee and the assorted naxalite > idiots are dominating the opposition discourse, the future of the LF > government is secured. > > However, even if the LF is defeated in bengal one day, how does it matter? > The LF has lost elections in Kerala and Tripura several times; that has not > led to the decline of the Communist movement. They have fought and come back > to power again. That is the beauty of Indian democracy. > > I look forward to the day when we'll all see a CPI (M) led LF government at > the Centre. That will be a great moment for the Indian people, especially > the working class and the peasantry. That will also be a day when the LF > government in Bengal will not have to depend upon big capital to > industrialize - it can be acieved through Public Sector investment. Perhaps, > cynics like you would also come back to the communist fold that day. > > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From tapasrayx at gmail.com Wed Nov 14 03:11:41 2007 From: tapasrayx at gmail.com (Tapas Ray) Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2007 16:41:41 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Nandigram: Only peace is future.... In-Reply-To: <98f331e00711131131g6c0d6783j3324fad5fd33efd2@mail.gmail.com> References: <98f331e00711131131g6c0d6783j3324fad5fd33efd2@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <473A1A15.7070709@googlemail.com> Actually it's a chapter West Bengal has been reading for many years now. (Some people may have missed it, but that is all right.) This chapter is about a clear erosion in the ruling party's credibility - which was high at one time, even with many who were not necessarily its supporters - and a corresponding increase in its tendency to shed all democratic niceties and use open violence to keep populations and institutions under control. In other words, in a way the "liberation" of Nandigram is a sign of the ruling party's desperation. Winning control at any cost may be in keeping with Leninist and/or Stalinist principles - the party's spokespersons can enlighten the list on that - but certainly not in keeping with the norms of democracy as it is commonly understood. West Bengal does indeed need a new chapter, and events like Nandigram and Singur point to the fact that the people are writing it, but not in the way the quoted text suggests. Tapas prakash ray wrote: > People from all over are saluting you. Red salute to the people of > Nandigram. Your sacrifice, your struggle, your victory have created a new > chapter in the glorious history of the left democratic struggle. From taraprakash at gmail.com Wed Nov 14 04:16:35 2007 From: taraprakash at gmail.com (Taraprakash) Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2007 17:46:35 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Nandigram-Time for an Alternative Left inBengal-Aditya Nigam References: <98f331e00711121216q7a83c600g512c57f2caa48ddc@mail.gmail.com> <48c2916d0711131329k5012578ar52c98836bc2eb87d@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <003101c82647$0f68d080$6500a8c0@Shabori> Thanks for pointing it out. I had completely forgotten about 2007 JNUSU election results. I googled for them just now. It was of course a befitting response to the complacency of SFI, who could not manage to be called runners up this time. I am sure SFI argot would have found about the RSS and TMC support to AISA even in JNU elections. I am not sure if CPM ever was, but I never found SFI having anything to do with ideology. It was "machinations of power" which they could use in a very organized way that they ever won JNU elections. Congrats to AISA ----- Original Message ----- From: "Aarti Sethi" To: "prakash ray" Cc: Sent: Tuesday, November 13, 2007 4:29 PM Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Nandigram-Time for an Alternative Left inBengal-Aditya Nigam > Dear All, > > Fascism appears to be the flavour of the month. After Tehelka's > terrifying expose of the meticulous planning that went into the > Gujarat genocide in 2002, we have before us, in the form of the CPIM, > a timely reminder that totalitarian violence is not the sole preserve > of the far-right. The news emerging from Nandigram is very disturbing > indeed. Even more disturbing is the silence of the majority of the > liberal intelligentsia of this country, barring Calcutta where huge > numbers of people have borne the brunt of police violence to protest > the killings in Nandigram. Having directly suffered the sleaze, > corruption, and bloated moral bankruptcy of the CPIM for over two > decades now, it is far more difficult there to sustain the illusion > that there is anything progressive about the CPIM any longer. You say > Prakash that you look forward to the day that we will have a CPIM > government at the center. I'm not sure what you are waiting for. It > will look no different from the government we currently have. The CPIM > has turned, through the slow accretion of the accouterments of rule, > into the Congress. This probably explains the hysteria with which it > reacts to the TMC: the narcissism of minor difference. It even employs > the same logic that the Congress does "We are the only bastions > against the right." But thankfully, this spurious logic doesn't seem > to be working anymore. > > [As an aside, I hope our Hindu-apologist friends on this list notice > that the "pseudo-secularists" are as critical of the violence > unleashed by the left as they are of the right.] > > Vivek has already remarked on this, but just to re-iterate the point, > your use of "anti-communist" is precisely the same as others on this > list have employed "anti-national". Namely to brand as "oppurtunists" > all those who can continue to keep a critical distance from the > machinations of state power. But we should not be surprised. Because > in fact "anti-communist" and "anti-national", when it comes to > swearing CPIM style, are only euphemisms for each other, to be used > interchangebly. The CPIM provides yet another salutory example of what > happens when preserving its hold on state power becomes the raison de > etre of a communist party. > > If we are to take seriously at all the radical legacy of the > international communist movement, then now is when the emergence of an > alternative left position and voice, both in electoral politics and > outside, is critical. And we must give up on the misapprehension that > the CPIM can any longer represent for the "Left" in India in any true > sense of the term. > > I would urge you to seriously consider what it means to continue > parroting the "party line" of a formation which has so clearly > abdicated even the basic tenets of liberal democracy, let alone > radical social reform. This re-thinking and self-reflection might even > benefit you closer to home. It might enable you to understand, for > instance, SFI's sorry performance in the JNUSU 2008 elections, and > AISA's landslide victory. Clearly large numbers of people have moved > away from a center which is represented by SFI. (I dont think anyone > suffers from the delusion in JNU at least that the SFI is anything > other than a centrist formation. SFI voters on planet JNU will > eventually be Congress voters in the Rest of the World). > Interestingly, from the way the votes went in two key schools, it > seems SFI lost cader votes to the YFE. This is not in the least bit > surprising. At the heart of them the two formations work with the same > basic assumptions - that politics is inimical to growth. And a > "communist" party, through the definitional fiat, obviously doesnt > have to bother with democracy. Its a straight road to totalitarian big > capital nirvana. Buddhadeb has worked it out to a T. > > best > Aarti > > > > > > On Nov 13, 2007 1:46 AM, prakash ray wrote: >> Dear all, I have posted this letter to Mr Aditya Nigam some months back >> on >> kafila.org. I am re-posting it here in response to his latest write-up. >> >> Regards, >> Prakash >> >> Dear Adityaji, I know a bit about your stint in the Communist Party. >> Unfortunately, you happen to belong to a generation of disillusioned >> Communists, who harboured illusions about the Soviet Union when it >> existed >> and basked in its glory and then turned into an anti-Communist after its >> downfall, like the whole lot of post-modernists in Europe. Your problem >> is >> that your subjective feelings about shattered dreams of socialism in the >> USSR have overwhelmed your capacity to analyse the developments from an >> objective and Marxist point of view. Luckily for all of us, the ideology >> and >> praxis of Marxism and Scientific Socialism continues to survive, despite >> the >> fall of the USSR and opportunistic renegades like you. Marxism and >> Socialism >> continues to be the most formidable challenge before US led imperialism >> and >> a ray of hope for the millions of exploited people across the globe. >> >> At a personal level, I belong to a generation of Communists who joined >> the >> Party in the 1990s. I don't harbour any illusions about the USSR. My >> conviction regarding Marxism has developed through my association with >> the >> struggles waged by the CPI (M) in defence of secularism and democracy in >> India. I firmly believe that the CPI (M) is the best place to be for all >> those who believe in progressive social change and revolution in our >> country. >> >> As far as the Left Front government of bengal is concerned, my admiration >> for it arises especially because i don't come from bengal, but from a >> state >> (Bihar) which is the worst example of economic backwardness and >> Brahminical >> social oppression, in the absence of land reforms as was carried out in >> bengal under the aegis of the Left front Government. >> >> You may continue to revel at the idea of the Left front government being >> defeated in Bengal one day. May be it'll happen in future, although going >> by >> current developments, I don't see that happening at least in the next >> assembly ele ctions. As long as Mamata Banerjee and the assorted naxalite >> idiots are dominating the opposition discourse, the future of the LF >> government is secured. >> >> However, even if the LF is defeated in bengal one day, how does it >> matter? >> The LF has lost elections in Kerala and Tripura several times; that has >> not >> led to the decline of the Communist movement. They have fought and come >> back >> to power again. That is the beauty of Indian democracy. >> >> I look forward to the day when we'll all see a CPI (M) led LF government >> at >> the Centre. That will be a great moment for the Indian people, especially >> the working class and the peasantry. That will also be a day when the LF >> government in Bengal will not have to depend upon big capital to >> industrialize - it can be acieved through Public Sector investment. >> Perhaps, >> cynics like you would also come back to the communist fold that day. >> >> _________________________________________ >> 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. >> To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >> List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From parthaekka at gmail.com Wed Nov 14 09:05:32 2007 From: parthaekka at gmail.com (Partha Dasgupta) Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2007 09:05:32 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Statement of CPI(M) PB In-Reply-To: <98f331e00711131137j35e58a64h72bca76b05bff6a8@mail.gmail.com> References: <98f331e00711131137j35e58a64h72bca76b05bff6a8@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <32144e990711131935r35584d35me439eeb990c5c73c@mail.gmail.com> Dear Prakash, Putting aside phrases like 'red terror' or any other such generic description, any thinking individual can clearly see from the abundant information available online as well as in print that the government in West Bengal has played almost the same card that was played in Pakistan to impose emergency. There are reports in dailies of armed CPI(M) cadres roaming around and targetting offices and homes, while the party talks of Police not being deployed and even the CRPF sent not being deployed to the affected villages. Bodies being found (or hidden) without any details of the numbers. As a 'party of the masses' there is not even a pretension of caring for the masses who have died. Instead every casualty is supposed to be that of an aggressor. As for moving away from the 'Moscow' hangover, even now the blind stand against 'US Imperialism' seems just the same as it was in the hey days. In short, they are the enemy so everything they say / do is wrong. Putting aside what the 'Polit Bureau' states - do you really think that the state-sponsored terror and not allowing the police / CRPF to ensure safety on the inhabitants of Nandigram is right? I certainly hope you don't. Rgds, Partha ...................................... On Nov 14, 2007 1:07 AM, prakash ray wrote: > *Dear all, This is the statement issued by CPI(M) on 12 Nov,2007. > > Regards, > Prakash > > * *The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) met in New > Delhi on November 11 & 12, 2007. It has issued the following > statement:* *Nandigram > Situation* > > *The Polit Bureau heard a report on the developments in Nandigram in the > recent period. Since January 2007, an abnormal situation had developed > with > an alliance of forces led by the Trinamul Congress driving out workers and > supporters of the Left Front including elected panchayat members. Since > then > the police and the administration have not been allowed to function in the > area.* > > *Even after the state government announced that there is no question of > land > acquisition for a chemical hub, for the past nine months the people > evicted > from the area were not able to go back to their homes or cultivate their > fields.* > > *The Polit Bureau firmly rebuffs all the mischievous attempts to portray > the > developments in Nandigram as an outcome of "red terror". There has been no > issue of land acquisition whatsoever in Nandigram since February 2007, yet > the whole area was under siege on the spurious pretext of protection of > land. The reality in Nandigram was a violent and undemocratic offensive to > displace those who were the legitimate representatives of the people.* > > *The gang up of political forces against the CPI(M) and the Left operating > in the guise of a Bhumi Ucchhed Pratirodh Samity virtually set up a > parallel > raj in the area. A dangerous phenomenon was their utilising the assistance > of Maoist armed squads who came into the area from outside. The situation > of > utter lawlessness prevailed and bunkers were built and landmines laid. In > this entire period 27 CPI(M) workers and supporters were killed. Such a > situation cannot be tolerated by any state government or administration. > After the March 14 police firing, repeated efforts were made for political > negotiations and peace talks for the restoration of normalcy and the > return > of all the affected people.* > > *After a prolonged struggle, the determined efforts made by the people to > return to their homes have succeeded and this should pave the way for > normalcy to return. The CPI(M) and the Left Front have declared that they > want peace to be restored and all sections of the people irrespective of > political affiliations to be allowed to return to their family life in > pursuit of their livelihood.* > > *With the deployment of central para military forces, the Left Front > government should make all efforts for rehabilitation and resumption of > development work in the area.* > *Indo-US Nuclear Deal* > > *The Polit Bureau discussed the developments regarding the Indo-US nuclear > deal since the last Central Committee meeting of the Party. It reiterated > the stand of the Left parties that the government should not proceed > further > to operationalise the deal. There has to be a discussion on the deal in > the > coming session of parliament.* > *Support Price for Paddy* > > *The Polit Bureau demanded that the minimum support price for paddy be > increased to Rs. 1,000 per quintal. This is necessary keeping in mind the > cost of production that the farmers are incurring in paddy cultivation.* > *Price Rise* *The Polit Bureau expressed concern at the continuing price > rise of essential commodities. The urgent need is to expand the PDS to > reach > a large section of people and also to include more essential commodities > at > controlled prices. * *Oil Price Rise* *The Polit Bureau urged the UPA > government to undertake a review of the ad valorem tax structure and the > scale of central excise duties on petroleum products in order to tackle > the > situation arising from the rise in oil prices at the international level. > * > *Notify Tribal Forest Act* > > *The Polit Bureau expressed its deep concern at the continuing delay in > the > notification of the Scheduled Tribes & Other Traditional Forest Dwellers. > (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act 2006. There is no reason whatsoever to > delay the notification after the rules have been framed. The > implementation > of the Critical Wildlife Habitat provision can be done only after the Act > as > a whole is notified and rights vested. Reports from various places show > that > the tribal people are being evicted from their lands in the forest to > preempt the Act coming into force.* > *Women's Reservation* > > *The Polit Bureau urged the UPA government to introduce the women's > reservation bill in the forthcoming session of parliament. This is a > commitment made in the Common Minimum Programme. The failure to move to > fulfill this commitment is glaring and cannot be justified.* > *Emergency in Pakistan* > > *The Polit Bureau demanded an end to the state of emergency in Pakistan > and > the release of all those arrested for protesting against this > authoritarian > step. The Polit Bureau reaffirmed its solidarity and support to the people > of Pakistan who are struggling for the restoration of democracy.* > *Party Congress* > > *The Polit Bureau decided to hold the 19th Congress of the Party in > Coimbatore from March 29 to April 2, 2008. The PB discussed the > preparations > for the Party Congress. An outline of the Draft Political Resolution was > discussed on which basis the draft will be prepared to be placed in the > next > meeting of the Central Committee to be held in December.* > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> -- Partha Dasgupta +919811047132 From ghosh.ranu at gmail.com Wed Nov 14 11:29:25 2007 From: ghosh.ranu at gmail.com (ranu ghosh) Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2007 21:59:25 -0800 Subject: [Reader-list] Change in Industrial landscape in calcutta Message-ID: <80ea5720711132159t483e788auc0b127b0aeba18f3@mail.gmail.com> The changing industrial landscape of Kolkata: documenting the transformation of a half century old factory, Joy Engineering Works, into Kolkata's South City Project, "Eastern India's largest mixed use real estate development" Posting 6: sorry for the delay in posting 6 THE NEIGHBOURS OF SOUTH CITY On November 1, 2005, Malini Bhattacharya, member of National Commission for Women wrote a letter to the Chairman, of West Bengal Pollution Control Board, " This is to let you know that we live at B2/3 KMDA Complex, 39A Prince Golam Mohammad Shah Road, Kolkata 95 and that just behind our block of flats, the South City Building Complex is coming up. ….. For the last fortnight or so, 24 hours piling operations have been creating noise, heat and vibrations that are simply intolerable for senior citizens like us. The continuous noise and dust has been having severe repercussions on the health of my 90 years old mother in law". Prof. Bhattacharya, who shifted to this locality a few years back, laments that in 2003,, EMAMI hospital cum pharmaceutical factory was supposed to come up in the premises of Jay Engineering Works. Overnight it changed to the South City Complex and the project has created trouble to the neighbours ever since. Big flowering trees have been indiscriminately cut down, the water body is being indiscriminately filled up, the sewerage system in Katju Nagar area has been blocked and water logging problems in the neighbourhood have increased manifold. As a result of the complaints lodged by Malini Bhattacharya and other residents like her, a meeting was held in the South City premises on December 3, 2005. At this meeting, the South City representatives assured that • Piling work will stop by 8pm • A darma of 20ft height and 60m length will be put up to minimize noise and dust • A water trench 1m deep and 1m wide will run parallel to the darma to absorb the vibrations. The vibrations radiating from South City were causing damage to the neighbouring buildings. I have been to the residence of Bhaskar Gupta, another close neighbour of South City, and witnessed the cracks that have developed on his walls. The skyline from his windows has been completely wiped off by the 35 storeys tall towers. Mr. Gupta shudders to think that when residents begin to move into the apartments, how many degrees would his room temperature go up by the impact of so many ACs. He informed me with disgust that he had been continuously getting a foul smell from his windows facing the South City. When he complained to the builders and the matter was investigated, it was discovered that a worker's body had been rotting amidst the debris for a few days. The worker had slipped and fell un noticed. Nobody had missed him, nobody had noticed his absence. Later, his family was given minor compensation. Full compensation is still awaited. Bhaskar Gupta had filed a court case against South City. The Pollution Control Board instated the PN De Committee to look into the environmental hazards caused by South City. Details of this Committee report have been given in posting 4. The Committee recommended that tower 3 & 4 be broken down since they were erected on land created by filling a water body The Court gave an interim order to stop construction. South City appealed to the Court and surprisingly, the Court modified the order, declaring that South City may have to pull down the construction if the verdict is eventually passed against them. Ever since this court order has been passed, South City has stopped advertising their project. All hoardings have been taken off from the street corners and the important traffic junctions of Kolkata and the builders have accelerated their pace of work. The media too has stopped reporting about South City. Malini Bhattacharya recalls that the journalists had once taken her interview, but it never appeared in the papers. Ever since the court has intervened in the matter, protests and public debate have slackened. Malini Bhattacharya says, and many other residents echo her feelings, that the South City Project is not going to meet the real estate demand in this metropolis. The starting price of the apartments is Rs. 30 lakhs and above, making them unaffordable for the common man. South City will be an elitist pocket in the middle class locality of Prince Anwar Shah Road. It will create a distinct class difference in this part of the city. Residents have been initially vocal in voicing their protests. They have done road blockades and marches. Slowly their enthusiasm is dying out. Some say, they are being bought over by the South City. Bimal Chatterjee, the President of the workers' union, is now South City's agent to 'manage' the neighbours. I visited another family in the neighbourhood. The wife refused to discuss anything. She said with an air of irony, "Why should we have any complain? A hep shopping mall is coming up in our neighbourhood. That should make us happy". When I tried poking her a little more, she showed me the door and asked me not to come ever again.…. According to a survey made by The Telegraph, 1000 to 1200 persons are directly affected by the South City project. The public protest made by these people could have made a difference. The question is, why have they become so passive. Parimal Bhattacharya is the secretary of the Nagarik Committee (Citizaens' committee) of the local neighbourhood. – Ward No: 93. at the December 2005 meeting in the South City premise, he was very vocal. Now he has a resigned attitude. He has invested his life's savings to build a home for himself. Now his home is overshadowed by the towers. He says that his sons would perhaps never come back to live here. He has to somehow spend his remaining years here. Crusaders like Malini Bhattacharya are continuing to write letters to the Chief Minister and the Governor In June 2006 she wrote to the Chairman Of the Pollution Control Board, "The four towers will soon become a fait accompli and the WBPCB will at least have to bear some responsibility for the perpetration of the environmental disaster right in the heart of the already congested metropolis." All the letters written by Prof. Bhattacharya have been acknowledged by the respective authorities. But no step whatsoever is being taken to stop the illegal activities. Perhaps the vested interest of all the major political parties have got linked to the South City Project. South City is fast on its way to becoming a reality. The apartments will soon be handed over to the owners. But all the voices of dissent have not been silenced yet. Jayanta Basu, the journalist from The Telegraph, who has been following this beat, has told me that very soon he will come up with a bombastic story, based on the report submitted by the Land Use Department. To give a sneak preview to the report, he told me that the report clearly mentions that towers 3 & 4 have been built on the water body. Whether Jayanta Basu's story will be carried by the newspaper or not is another question. End of posting 6 From parthaekka at gmail.com Wed Nov 14 13:22:37 2007 From: parthaekka at gmail.com (Partha Dasgupta) Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2007 13:22:37 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] A Request In-Reply-To: <4739E65B.3000303@sarai.net> References: <4739E65B.3000303@sarai.net> Message-ID: <32144e990711132352l27c2cb0ck7d69c1803ed4b045@mail.gmail.com> Dear Shuddha, I completely agree and would like to take this opportunity to apologise to the list, and more specifically to Dhatri for words I used that are completely unjustfiable. Rgds, Partha ...................... On 11/13/07, Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: > > Dear all, > > I unequivocally condemn the CPI(M) led Left Front government's reign of > terror in West Bengal. I have written about the Nandigram issue on this > list in the past, (in March this year) and so will not repeat myself on > this matter. > > I also think that the CPI(M)'s paralysing control over cultural and > intellectual life in West Bengal, and the poverty of its own > intellectual resources stands nakedly and totally exposed today. > > Having said all this, I would request all those on this list who have > expressed their anger on this issue (which I sympathize with) to not do > the following. > > 1. Post private (off-list) correspondence on to the public forum of the > list without the consent of the correspondents. > > 2. Use personalized invective and abuse in your communications on the list > > Those who have done the above may have done so in genuine dismay or > anger, but it does their cause great damage.I say this in solidarity > with their feelings, and in criticism of their actions. > > We have learnt a great deal in the past few months on this list about > the need to cultivate a certain degree of restraint in terms of > language, especially when we are in disagreement. > > I look on the turmoil of the past few months on this list positively, > because they have helped us mature. And in that spirit, I request you > all to debate and discuss every thing threadbare, but in a manner that > does not waylay us into discussing the niceties of how people should be > speaking to each other. That distracts us from the matters that we > really want to discuss. > > So, for instance, if you want to be critical of the CPI(M), by all means > be so, but if you do so in a manner that provokes others into saying > that you are being personal in you attack, then we have to spend a lot > of time and energy in discussing that. Eventually, your critique of the > CPI(M) gets forgotten, and we end up trying to apportion blame between > different speech acts, and wasting our time on yet another invocation of > list protocols. > > I hope everyone understands that this is not a call to censorship, > rather, it is a demand that we all write respnsibly, so that the issues > that we are all angry about and anguished by can be discussed in all > seriousness. > > It would be a terrible loss if a vibrant list with an evolving critical > edge were to degenerate into a boxing ring where tired pugilists slug it > out with each other to the dismay of bored spectators. > > Everyone, please, always take a few deep breaths before you hit 'send'. > Better still, let your mails sit in your drafts folder, read them once a > few hours later, and then hit 'send'. Believe me, it will make > everyone's life much better, and we will have more rewarding discussions > on the list. > > regards, > > Shuddha > > > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> -- Partha Dasgupta +919811047132 From radhikarajen at vsnl.net Wed Nov 14 12:42:22 2007 From: radhikarajen at vsnl.net (radhikarajen at vsnl.net) Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2007 12:12:22 +0500 Subject: [Reader-list] fatima's response In-Reply-To: <561727.68385.qm@web45507.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> References: <4739E8E6.3050202@sarai.net> <561727.68385.qm@web45507.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: My dear friends, both, Iram and Dhatri, it is not very nice to be on ego trips in a healthy discussssion on any subject and never personalise the thoughts in a discussion, best software proffessional gets flouummoxed at times when they are in a new venture, unless they keep their mind and thoughts uncluttered, so also those who are in social service, and when we convey the thoughts , the communication is effective if it is objective, not for scoring brownie points on each other, we may agree or disagree on the view points but let us be in the mode of learning, as learning for the most learnt person is also incomplete as new fields of learning are always open. One learned person who is a researcher, on the capacity of brain and intellect, had exchange of thoughts when he felt that humans have very large scope to use their brains, on an average, humans use their brain only to the extent of 5. 5 percent, a genius uses it to about 7 %, and the learned thoughts of the saints are in the present age is only has thoughts of about 8 % used brain generated thoughts, please think it over. The scriptures and the revealed truths to understand and comprehend, it needs much more usage of our mind and intellect , for mundane thoughts of general welfare it is not that much taxing the brain, but good communication that matters. ? Regards, radhikarajen at vsnl.net ----- Original Message ----- From: we wi Date: Wednesday, November 14, 2007 12:12 pm Subject: Re: [Reader-list] fatima's response To: Iram Ghufran Cc: radhikarajen at vsnl.net, iram > S/W--SOFTWARE > H/W--HARDWARE > F/W--FIRMWARE > ... > > In exchange people used to call IT--INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY. > What is that other stuff, I am able to locate those 2 ref only > about yourself. Researcher-Practitioner, means what exactly and > what are the other stuff? > > Iram Ghufran wrote: > Wow! What does W stand for? I am not at all tech savvy! And ya - > thats > me - there will be other stuff too... > > we wi wrote: > > > > S/W is a technical term, SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT OR INFORMATION > TECHNOLOGY.> > > Hmm, Great I found you as > > > > > > > > *1.Iram Ghufran* (IN) > > */Researcher-Practitioner, Sarai-CSDS, Delhi/ * > > > > Iram Ghufran & Taha Mehmood > > > > ** > > > > / > > > > *2.Iram Ghufran & Taha Mehmood * > > > > / // > > > > //*Working Lives: *// > > > > // // > > > > //*Re-looking the Call Center Industry in Delhi *// > > > > // // > > > > > > > > */Iram Ghufran /* wrote: > > > > I don't play any role on the technical side. I make coffee among > > other > > things. You can read about me on the Sarai website. > > What's S/W? Let me hazard a guess - is it Social Welfare? > > > > > > we wi wrote: > > > By the way Iram, What kind of role you play at SARAI technical > > side. > > > Art/media/System admin ??? You are free to expose your role to > > me, so > > > that I can understand becauce, me working into S/W. > > > > > > ----------------------------------------------------------------- > ------- > > Get easy, one-click access to your favorites. Make Yahoo! your > > homepage. > > > > > --------------------------------- > Be a better pen pal. Text or chat with friends inside Yahoo! Mail. > See how. From radhikarajen at vsnl.net Wed Nov 14 13:16:01 2007 From: radhikarajen at vsnl.net (radhikarajen at vsnl.net) Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2007 12:46:01 +0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Nandigram: Only peace is future.... In-Reply-To: <473A1A15.7070709@googlemail.com> References: <98f331e00711131131g6c0d6783j3324fad5fd33efd2@mail.gmail.com> <473A1A15.7070709@googlemail.com> Message-ID: Dear all., When it was talked about "scientific rigging" by any one the role model that was evident to the society was that of thirty years of rule of the left parties in the nation in one state. All thinking minds started wondering how it was possible to rig "scientifically." The answer is simple, organise each and every section of the society into unions, mercilessly curb all dissent, stick is always kept ready to use against any individual who even questions the top leaders, as comrade leaders live like parasytes on the subscription of the union members or ordinary comrades, any dissent about any issue is to be curtailed, nay, has to be nipped in the bud. Then what do you have ? You have your own police, unionised, your own babus, totally unionised at various levels of grades , your own unions in every walk of life. If any small group which gathers enough courage even to think of changing their comrade leader in any of these unions, in democratic process of annual election, all that you, as comrade politburo leader has to do is ask the cadre to silence the dissent. Voting under fear with apparent joy for the party is mockery of democracy, that is cientific rigging for you. The party has thus become a closely held company of politburo and ordinary members or comrades are slaves, bonded labour of the party under the leadership of gun wielding goon cadres, what is there to talk of democracy in the state of west bengal. ? Regards, radhikarajen at vsnl.net ----- Original Message ----- From: Tapas Ray Date: Wednesday, November 14, 2007 3:13 am Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Nandigram: Only peace is future.... To: reader-list at sarai.net > Actually it's a chapter West Bengal has been reading for many > years now. > (Some people may have missed it, but that is all right.) > > This chapter is about a clear erosion in the ruling party's > credibility > - which was high at one time, even with many who were not > necessarily > its supporters - and a corresponding increase in its tendency to > shed > all democratic niceties and use open violence to keep populations > and > institutions under control. In other words, in a way the > "liberation" of > Nandigram is a sign of the ruling party's desperation. > > Winning control at any cost may be in keeping with Leninist and/or > Stalinist principles - the party's spokespersons can enlighten the > list > on that - but certainly not in keeping with the norms of democracy > as it > is commonly understood. > > West Bengal does indeed need a new chapter, and events like > Nandigram > and Singur point to the fact that the people are writing it, but > not in > the way the quoted text suggests. > > Tapas > > > prakash ray wrote: > > > People from all over are saluting you. Red salute to the people of > > Nandigram. Your sacrifice, your struggle, your victory have > created a new > > chapter in the glorious history of the left democratic struggle. > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader- > list > List archive: From tanja at exstat.org Wed Nov 14 01:03:21 2007 From: tanja at exstat.org (Tanja Vujinovic) Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2007 20:33:21 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] [Announcements] Extagram/Oscilo exhibition Message-ID: <609CA05B-AEAE-432F-A060-A17D28A86189@exstat.org> Exstat invites you to Extagram/Oscilo, 2007 Sound objects in noisy domains Author: Tanja Vujinovic Soft plush objects, custom electronics (micro-loudspeakers, video camera, contact microphones, computers, and audio and video mixers) Production: Exstat, 2007 www.exstat.org Location: Institute Jozef Stefan Gallery, Ljubljana Date: 14th November – 22nd November 2007 Opening: Institute Jozef Stefan Gallery, Ljubljana, 14th November at 15:00 This project is supported by: MOL Culture Department, Tosama d.d., and Conrad Electronic d.o.o. k.d. Description: Extagram/Oscilo consists of a multitude of soft, plush, toy-like objects incorporating custom electronics. The objects are of various dimensions, entirely hand-made and hand-sewn, and stuffed with sanitary cotton and electronic and analog devices. By touching and moving the stuffed toy-like objects, visitors create or affect already existing sound in a site-specific space. The toy-like, soft, and plush sculptures from these cycles consist of several non-linear sound and video systems. They recode real situations as a broken data stream of glitch sounds. They address and question the main features of contemporary toys by means of close personal contact through touch, simplified cute shapes, and the construction of micro-worlds through modularity and limited, mostly sound-based interactivity. Extagram/Oscilo sculptures are built through a bending of visual and sound data via generated and routed signals. This flux of data is sometimes paused in order to enable insight into the uncanny events of the digital and analog signals, and into the aesthetic of the corrupted data. By touching and moving the stuffed toy-like objects, visitors create or affect the already existing sound. Objects are de-characterized by an absence of any facial features and by the uniformity of the black fleece texture they are made of. They are variable in terms of dimension, entirely hand-made and hand-sewn, stuffed with sanitary cotton and contain various electronic components that generate sound and video output. The paradox of the interactivity of this series is explored by assigning almost indistinguishable sounds that become noise whenever there is an interaction with the sound sculptures. In Extagram1, close contact with the user is monitored by means of a real time video system that routes the contact through one of the toys containing a video camera. The toy-sculpture captures the signal from the space and sends it to a computer, where it is processed and transmitted to the screen of another toy-object. Extagram2 is a soft plush sculpture containing a video monitor that recycles audiovisual fragments. Extagram3 provides insight into the textures and landscapes of toy micro-worlds by means of a micro camera that captures the surfaces of the stuffed sculptures. The second part of the sculpture is made of 16 corresponding clay objects that contain loudspeakers. Sound is generated from samples consisting of synthetic, play related, and childish sounds. Oscilo consists of objects which each provide a different kind of sound by means of touching or moving objects that contain pick-up microphones, miniature sound producing devices, or loudspeakers. The length and intensity of the tactile contact affect the audio signals produced. Supermono is a multi-piece sculpture based on mono audio signals in which three embedded microphones pickup signals which are then processed and re-routed to other objects. Tanja Vujinovic (Tatjana Vujinovic Kusej, b.1973), is a visual and sound artist. Her work includes intermedia objects and sound and video pieces. She is the author of a number of video and sound works, installations and public art projects. She currently works on "Sound objects in noisy domains", where she unfolds the signals in anomalies of intermedia textures through the creative use of technology and rhythmic images for touching and hearing. Her A/V works and installations have been exhibited at numerous galleries and media festivals throughout Europe and the United States, including the Museum of Contemporary Art, Denver; Kunst Palast Museum Düesseldorf; the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Strasbourg; Kunsthaus Meran in Italy; and the Medienturm International Forum, Graz, Austria. Her works have been included in numerous collective exhibitions such as the Madrid Abierto, Euroscreen21 project, Zero Visibility, Ctheory Multimedia NetNoise and Web Biennial Istanbul. Exstat (Zavod Exstat) is a non-profit art project production and research institution that works with various intermedia projects related to sound and visual art, art in public spaces, and theory. It continues the work of the institution "Automata", which Tanja Vujinovic co-founded in 2002 and reorganized as Exstat in 2006. -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From tapasrayx at gmail.com Wed Nov 14 19:09:04 2007 From: tapasrayx at gmail.com (Tapas Ray) Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2007 08:39:04 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] After Nandigram In-Reply-To: <48c2916d0711131329k5012578ar52c98836bc2eb87d@mail.gmail.com> References: <98f331e00711121216q7a83c600g512c57f2caa48ddc@mail.gmail.com> <48c2916d0711131329k5012578ar52c98836bc2eb87d@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <473AFA78.1080802@googlemail.com> It is difficult to imagine that the CPI(M), with a large following in West Bengal, does not have members and supporters who possess a greater ability for critical thinking and are less prone to substituting press releases and the party line for rational discourse, than what has been seen on this list so far. Leaving aside such events as Bantala (almost forgotten), scams like treasury and waqf (again, almost forgotten), and the general atmosphere of "Party control" over everything, the recent events of Nandigram and Singur provide an opportunity for these sections to consider the need for evolving a genuinely progressive democratic politics. Only such an alternative can help the people survive the present phase of development, marked by increasing insecurity due to neoliberalism, the failure of the Left to present a credible challenge to this, and its tendency to resort to fascistic methods in response to this crisis. The alternative is an inevitable rise of communal and extremist forces, as the state is experiencing today. Tapas From naziaerum at gmail.com Wed Nov 14 19:44:23 2007 From: naziaerum at gmail.com (nazia erum) Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2007 19:44:23 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Nandigram Message-ID: *Nandigram: A black chapter in Indian History ** **NANDIGRAM IN WEST BENGAL has become the hub of cold-blooded clashes off late. The tragedy has stung the West Bengal government and given it a venomous tinge. The agitation in Nandigram began with attacks on panchayat members, administrative officials and the police on January 3rd this year............ * http://purdafash.com/posts/166 Saw some facts on how the nandigram episode got out of proportion on this site.. how legitimate are these facts?.. or is it finger pointing at CPM?.. From abhishek.hazra at gmail.com Wed Nov 14 20:17:33 2007 From: abhishek.hazra at gmail.com (Abhishek Hazra) Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2007 20:17:33 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] After Nandigram In-Reply-To: <473AFA78.1080802@googlemail.com> References: <98f331e00711121216q7a83c600g512c57f2caa48ddc@mail.gmail.com> <48c2916d0711131329k5012578ar52c98836bc2eb87d@mail.gmail.com> <473AFA78.1080802@googlemail.com> Message-ID: <6deae8300711140647l262e1633gf6824647b5d35245@mail.gmail.com> http://www.signandsight.com/features/510.html was reading an interview with Daniel Cohn-Bendit reminiscing about Hannah Arendt there are some threads there which i thought might be pertinent to the ongoing discussion of communist / anti-/non communism and democracy - - - - - - When did you begin to get interested in Hannah Arendt's work? In the 1970s, as the discussions about totalitarianism became more and more pressing. I was a leftist anti-communist and when I came to Germany in 1968, I was perplexed by the reluctance to compare communism with national socialism, which was rooted in German history. - - - - - - and back in Calcutta, the author Sunil Ganguly has apparently done a televised declaration of his scanty knowledge of politics. "ami oto raajniti bujhi na" or something to that effect (this was after he was asked on his attendance at the government organized film festival at the Nandan film complex in Calcutta. such a lovely sound bite, alas! anyway, its quite heartening to see that at least there are some loyal "left" intellectuals who still believe in the progressive antics of the CPM. On Nov 14, 2007 7:09 PM, Tapas Ray wrote: > It is difficult to imagine that the CPI(M), with a large following in > West Bengal, does not have members and supporters who possess a greater > ability for critical thinking and are less prone to substituting press > releases and the party line for rational discourse, than what has been > seen on this list so far. Leaving aside such events as Bantala (almost > forgotten), scams like treasury and waqf (again, almost forgotten), and > the general atmosphere of "Party control" over everything, the recent > events of Nandigram and Singur provide an opportunity for these sections > to consider the need for evolving a genuinely progressive democratic > politics. Only such an alternative can help the people survive the > present phase of development, marked by increasing insecurity due to > neoliberalism, the failure of the Left to present a credible challenge > to this, and its tendency to resort to fascistic methods in response to > this crisis. The alternative is an inevitable rise of communal and > extremist forces, as the state is experiencing today. > > Tapas > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - does the frog know it has a latin name? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - From abhishek.hazra at gmail.com Wed Nov 14 20:20:34 2007 From: abhishek.hazra at gmail.com (Abhishek Hazra) Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2007 20:20:34 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] After Nandigram In-Reply-To: <6deae8300711140647l262e1633gf6824647b5d35245@mail.gmail.com> References: <98f331e00711121216q7a83c600g512c57f2caa48ddc@mail.gmail.com> <48c2916d0711131329k5012578ar52c98836bc2eb87d@mail.gmail.com> <473AFA78.1080802@googlemail.com> <6deae8300711140647l262e1633gf6824647b5d35245@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <6deae8300711140650p7973c711x503571250bd1e0a0@mail.gmail.com> apologies for the mistake in the last post: it will be CPI(M) instead of CPM. On Nov 14, 2007 8:17 PM, Abhishek Hazra wrote: > http://www.signandsight.com/features/510.html > was reading an interview with Daniel Cohn-Bendit reminiscing about Hannah Arendt > there are some threads there which i thought might be pertinent to the > ongoing discussion of communist / anti-/non communism and democracy > - - - - - - > When did you begin to get interested in Hannah Arendt's work? > In the 1970s, as the discussions about totalitarianism became more and > more pressing. I was a leftist anti-communist and when I came to > Germany in 1968, I was perplexed by the reluctance to compare > communism with national socialism, which was rooted in German history. > - - - - - - > and back in Calcutta, the author Sunil Ganguly has apparently done a > televised declaration of his scanty knowledge of politics. "ami oto > raajniti bujhi na" or something to that effect (this was after he was > asked on his attendance at the government organized film festival at > the Nandan film complex in Calcutta. such a lovely sound bite, alas! > anyway, its quite heartening to see that at least there are some loyal > "left" intellectuals who still believe in the progressive antics of > the CPM. > > > > > > On Nov 14, 2007 7:09 PM, Tapas Ray wrote: > > It is difficult to imagine that the CPI(M), with a large following in > > West Bengal, does not have members and supporters who possess a greater > > ability for critical thinking and are less prone to substituting press > > releases and the party line for rational discourse, than what has been > > seen on this list so far. Leaving aside such events as Bantala (almost > > forgotten), scams like treasury and waqf (again, almost forgotten), and > > the general atmosphere of "Party control" over everything, the recent > > events of Nandigram and Singur provide an opportunity for these sections > > to consider the need for evolving a genuinely progressive democratic > > politics. Only such an alternative can help the people survive the > > present phase of development, marked by increasing insecurity due to > > neoliberalism, the failure of the Left to present a credible challenge > > to this, and its tendency to resort to fascistic methods in response to > > this crisis. The alternative is an inevitable rise of communal and > > extremist forces, as the state is experiencing today. > > > > Tapas > > _________________________________________ > > 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. > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > > -- > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > does the frog know it has a latin name? > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - does the frog know it has a latin name? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - From shambhu.rahmat at gmail.com Wed Nov 14 22:50:10 2007 From: shambhu.rahmat at gmail.com (Shambhu Rahmat) Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2007 23:20:10 +0600 Subject: [Reader-list] Notes From A Political Thug Message-ID: Notes from beyond the grave// from Nur Hossain, a political thug?/? Nov 10th was International One Blogpost For Nur Hossain Day http://rumiahmed.wordpress.com/2007/11/11/my-hooligan-life/ [Nur Hossain was shit dead by the Bangladesh army, minutes after this photo was taken] I grew up in the back lane tin shade colony in Banagram near Narinda of old Dhaka. For me, mere going to school was a big leap, doing well or thinking of continuing beyond high school was not even in my dreams. School was no fun for me also. How would you like to be confined to a place where you are always rebuked and yelled at by your teacher for being the bad backbencher of the class? In addition, not only academically, I was also the social backbencher too. When my friends used to come to school with nice dress, nice shoes and school bag, we had to wear the same dirty shirt, pant, and sandal throughout the year and carry he books in hand. Tell me, how I can be a good student. Who will help me with homework? The 1/1/2 room shanty my auto rickshaw driver father manages to rent, does not enough space for us 5 brothers sisters. So most our day and evening are spent on the streets. Unlike you or your children, as a kid I experienced all the dark things of an inner city life from a point blank range. So when you hear me invoking all those slang or see me resorting to violence once a while, please don't be so surprised or horrified. My childhood and my surrounding forced me to be the rough guy. When young boys and girls at your home debate on humanities or science, I finally drop out of school at class eight. I could not afford it anymore. I needed a place to live as my auto rickshaw driver father could not provide shelter for our growing family anymore. When you dream of higher or foreign education, my dreams get stuck in my 11/2 room tin shade Narinda shanty. From my 'eight pass' shanty life the only dream I am allowed is the dream of improving on my auto rickshaw driver fathers profession by becoming a car driver. Many of you have money set aside by your dad for your foreign education, many has job ready as the boss of your father's company and all of you had the opportunity to be born in an educated, cultured, decent environment. Is it my fault that I was born to an illiterate auto rickshaw driver and raised by him in an inner city shanty? Unfortunately while my reality glides me towards a lowly chauffeur's life, my passion and my heart constantly agitates me to uphold a bigger cause, a better cause and (why not) a better life? You all must agree that I am within my rights to dream of a better life or I also can dream of better Bangladesh or better governance. To try to change my star or helping fulfill my dream of a better Bangladesh, I join the political party I support and I work very hard for my party. A political party is the only establishment in the country which will not discriminate (at least in my level) you based on your social status or family wealth. Considering the background I am from, this platform is the only platform where I had the chance of climbing up the ladder from a street urchin to a respected social leader. Don't think it as a one sided ambition ad aspiration. My party needs me too. If it wasn't me who will attend the rallies or who will do elections? Will you? When last you attended a political party rally? Have you ever helped any political party with an election—helped make voter list, man election camp or be a poling agent? Will you ever be or let your son do that? I know you want free fair election as I know you fill those newspaper pages by writing big big columns. You want election but you will not help make it happen, so we have to fill in the vacuum, do all the things mentioned above. Everybody does things in their own style. You can't expect your home raised, English medium trained sons and daughters sense and sensibility in me or my shanty friends. For a country to be a country, to go forward and to have effective governance, it needs a free vibrant political culture. So far me and people of my class did that job for the rest of the nation. And not only that, when the time came to shed blood, give life for the country, it's me and many more like me, who did that. You are our Sir. Sirs rarely shed blood or give life for the country. Sir, you may call me the political thug or the hooligan, but it's me who make a rally successful, make an election happen and display peoples' power by our street movements. And don't forget that, its me who gives life. Sincerely yours Nur Hossain A political thug From pkray11 at gmail.com Wed Nov 14 23:59:56 2007 From: pkray11 at gmail.com (prakash ray) Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2007 23:59:56 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Nandigram: The challenges ahead Message-ID: <98f331e00711141029x7416627dk86393f007a713175@mail.gmail.com> Dear all, Please find time to read an editorial in the Hindu on Nandigram .. below is the link- http://www.hindu.com/2007/11/12/stories/2007111259681200.htm thanks Prakash From zigzackly at gmail.com Thu Nov 15 03:28:53 2007 From: zigzackly at gmail.com (peter griffin) Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2007 03:28:53 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Nandigram Relief - an appeal In-Reply-To: <4d145a50711130728q4c46350fja2b38cfa8bec668c@mail.gmail.com> References: <4d145a50711120939s4cd465aek3770a707d5105356@mail.gmail.com> <4d145a50711130728q4c46350fja2b38cfa8bec668c@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <4d145a50711141358t220f8b46q4cdcb4dcabb3af6b@mail.gmail.com> Dear All, This is with reference to my two earlier mails on the subject: 1. https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/2007-November/011079.html 2. https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/2007-November/011103.html Dilip and I received a reply from the originator of the appeal I had forwarded. Hi, I was passing on a message I received. Last morning the same person smsed to say that instead of the address of Mahasweta Devi that was given, we should send our stuff to Medha Patkar opposite Metro Cinema. I smsed a query this morning asking where to send relief materials and tried calling Mahasweta's number several times. So far no luck. I shall keep trying. If I find out, I will let you know. regards Anjum If Anjum is able to get some validated information, I will pass it on to the list again. My apologies to those of you who tried to contact the phone number in my first message. Thanks, peter From tapasrayx at gmail.com Thu Nov 15 08:25:13 2007 From: tapasrayx at gmail.com (Tapas Ray) Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2007 21:55:13 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Nandigram: The challenges ahead In-Reply-To: <98f331e00711141029x7416627dk86393f007a713175@mail.gmail.com> References: <98f331e00711141029x7416627dk86393f007a713175@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <473BB511.6000008@googlemail.com> I looked over the item and found nothing new or different from the official CPI-M line as conveyed by Prakash Ray already. So I wonder what the point of forwarding this link was. Tapas prakash ray wrote: > Dear all, > > Please find time to read an editorial in the Hindu on Nandigram .. below is > the link- > > http://www.hindu.com/2007/11/12/stories/2007111259681200.htm > > thanks > > Prakash From abhishek.hazra at gmail.com Thu Nov 15 09:58:23 2007 From: abhishek.hazra at gmail.com (Abhishek Hazra) Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2007 09:58:23 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Nandigram: The challenges ahead In-Reply-To: <473BB511.6000008@googlemail.com> References: <98f331e00711141029x7416627dk86393f007a713175@mail.gmail.com> <473BB511.6000008@googlemail.com> Message-ID: <6deae8300711142028i3b7be91fg8146847291014bac@mail.gmail.com> and coming from Hindu its not surprising at all - in the recent past, has anyone ever spotted a single article critical of the left front regime in Hindu or Frontline? it's always fulsome praise. When Buddhadev was first elected chief minister some years back, Frontline did a cover story on it. It was titled "Behind a Famous Victory" and it was almost naive in its complete lack of a critical voice. http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl1812/fl181200.htm This aspect of Hindu is anyway widely known. Some years back, when Hindu went through an editorial restructuring one of the columns that got axed was the wonderful Loose Canon by Rukun Advani (in the Sunday supplement). On Nov 15, 2007 8:25 AM, Tapas Ray wrote: > I looked over the item and found nothing new or different from the > official CPI-M line as conveyed by Prakash Ray already. So I wonder what > the point of forwarding this link was. > > Tapas > > > > prakash ray wrote: > > Dear all, > > > > Please find time to read an editorial in the Hindu on Nandigram .. below is > > the link- > > > > http://www.hindu.com/2007/11/12/stories/2007111259681200.htm > > > > thanks > > > > Prakash > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - does the frog know it has a latin name? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - From tarajnu at hotmail.com Thu Nov 15 10:02:13 2007 From: tarajnu at hotmail.com (Taraprakash) Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2007 23:32:13 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Has Hindu Left the left? Message-ID: It may be acceptable to play devil's advocate to a certain extent, but it seems Hindu and NDTV are doing much more than that. When the entire media in India and BBC, I get most of my news from BBC, were making it their first headline and showing the Monday strike as a complete success, NDTV covered the news somewhere in the middle, concluding that it was partially successful. Even though, Pranoy is CPM card holder and the partiality of his TV channel is not completely unexpected, but it seems he has forgotten the moral responsibility of not marginalizing the issues of the weak and the oppressed. I heard a couple interviews with Hindu correspondents on BBC, they would try to avoid answering questions directly about Nandi Gram. And now this below paragraph from today's editorial, has the paper been bought by CPI(M) corporate? There analysis of Governer Gandhi's role may be fair, but will they maintain their integrity by bringing Budhdev Bhrashtacharya under the scanner for talking like a war lord? From what standards can the following analysis be fair and impartial, whhen it does not speak a word against the previous day's statement of West Bengal's CM regarding "paying back with their own coin"? I know it is one of the best newspapers of the world, has it become so statist lately? Or my analysis is not correct. I don't get to read the paper too often, I must admit. But the following makes me think about the newspaper more critically. The role of Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi has, for a second time, come under the spotlight. In March 2007, he clearly stepped out of line in publicly airing his philosophical and tactical differences with the State government over Nandigram. He does not seem to have learnt any lessons from that experience and, in fact, his latest speaking out of line has had the effect of adding fuel to the flames. Let us concede that Nandigram represented a situation where the moral urge not to remain silent came into conflict with the restraints imposed by the constitutional office. Yet, of the restraints imposed by the office, there would seem to be little doubt, and a public statement critical of the government's handling of the issue could not have been made without transgressing them. The Hindu has consistently regarded this as a major question of principle in the constitutional realm. The classic 1867 exposition of the role of the British monarch by Walter Bagehot applies equally to the office of the President and the Governor: "To state the matter shortly, the Sovereign has, under a constitutional monarchy such as ours, three rights - the right to be consulted, the right to encourage, the right to warn. And a king of great sense and sagacity would want no others. He would find that his having no others would enable him to use these with singular effect." The right to advise and the right to warn are to be exercised in private and in confidence, and not through public statements. This restraint required of the head of state is not a mere constitutional formality but is based on sound democratic principles. In the first place, the head of state must not, through statements critical of its functioning, place himself or herself in conflict with the representative government, which has a greater democratic legitimacy. Secondly, the head of state should appear non-partisan and remain above the fray when controversial and divisive questions are being debated in the political sphere, and avoid any public statements that could give comfort to one side or the other. The Governor's public statements on Nandigram both challenged the wisdom of the government's approach and came down on the side of the critics of its action. Further, Mr. Gandhi laid himself open to the charge of remaining silent when the supporters of the Left Front were at the receiving end. His conduct through this crisis has been constitutionally indefensible. Yet the Left Front government must not get distracted by this. Its top priorities must be to re-establish peace, ensure human security, and resume development work in Nandigram. The CPI(M) has a special responsibility in this regard - among other things, to be manifestly fair in its dealings on the ground, and to restrain its cadre from any campaign of reprisal. From parthaekka at gmail.com Thu Nov 15 12:55:37 2007 From: parthaekka at gmail.com (Partha Dasgupta) Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2007 12:55:37 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Nandigram: The challenges ahead In-Reply-To: <6deae8300711142028i3b7be91fg8146847291014bac@mail.gmail.com> References: <98f331e00711141029x7416627dk86393f007a713175@mail.gmail.com> <473BB511.6000008@googlemail.com> <6deae8300711142028i3b7be91fg8146847291014bac@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <32144e990711142325m61a1a5d4p2cc31970966716ed@mail.gmail.com> Actually, it feels a bit strange. One wonders if the editors (or any other editorial content manager) presumes that it's readers are blind / deaf and don't read other publications. In any case, other dailies have given clear reporting from both sides and exposed the ugly underbelly of the government supported goondaism where elderly parents are beaten up and offices looted. As was reported from the CM's speech, revenge is a motif to show that might is stronger than right. So what if innocent citizens are raped / mauled / killed - the banal "greater good" while protecting the CPI(M)'s own turf as if winning the election has raised them above the law of the land. Sad, but unfortunately also the reality of what the CPI(M) has become today. Rgds, Partha .................... On Nov 15, 2007 9:58 AM, Abhishek Hazra wrote: > and coming from Hindu its not surprising at all - in the recent past, > has anyone ever spotted a single article critical of the left front > regime in Hindu or Frontline? it's always fulsome praise. When > Buddhadev was first elected chief minister some years back, Frontline > did a cover story on it. It was titled "Behind a Famous Victory" and > it was almost naive in its complete lack of a critical voice. > http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl1812/fl181200.htm > This aspect of Hindu is anyway widely known. > > Some years back, when Hindu went through an editorial restructuring > one of the columns that got axed was the wonderful Loose Canon by > Rukun Advani (in the Sunday supplement). > > On Nov 15, 2007 8:25 AM, Tapas Ray wrote: > > I looked over the item and found nothing new or different from the > > official CPI-M line as conveyed by Prakash Ray already. So I wonder what > > the point of forwarding this link was. > > > > Tapas > > > > > > > > prakash ray wrote: > > > Dear all, > > > > > > Please find time to read an editorial in the Hindu on Nandigram .. > below is > > > the link- > > > > > > http://www.hindu.com/2007/11/12/stories/2007111259681200.htm > > > > > > thanks > > > > > > Prakash > > _________________________________________ > > 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. > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > > -- > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > does the frog know it has a latin name? > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > -- Partha Dasgupta +919811047132 From mahmood.farooqui at gmail.com Thu Nov 15 13:22:19 2007 From: mahmood.farooqui at gmail.com (mahmood farooqui) Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2007 13:22:19 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] 2 blogs for Pakistan Message-ID: Two recent blogs created by stdents and academics in Pakistan... http://www.academicsforfreedom.blogspot.com/ http://www.pakistanmartiallaw.blogspot.com/ From zubinpastakia at gmail.com Thu Nov 15 15:07:32 2007 From: zubinpastakia at gmail.com (Zubin Pastakia) Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2007 15:07:32 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] New Photography Project | The Indian Built City Message-ID: <379173b10711150137x72396242o936896be3afac7e0@mail.gmail.com> Hello, The following pictures are a blueprint for a photography project that I am currently working on, which is looking at the contemporary urban landscape in India, you can find the project page at : http://peripheralvision.blogspot.com/2007/11/built-city.html The project contemplates the idea of place by looking at the contemporary urban landscape in India. I am particularly interested in the psychology of the built city and how it shapes our experience and perception of place. Take a few minutes to view the blog and feel free to post comments on it. Please note that it is a work in progress, and I am sharing it in the hope that a dialog may take place while working on it. Best, Zubin -- Zubin B. Pastakia Photographer e: zubinpastakia at gmail.com w: http://peripheralvision.blogspot.com t: [91] 9833739998 From fsrnkashmir at gmail.com Thu Nov 15 17:52:03 2007 From: fsrnkashmir at gmail.com (Shahnawaz Khan) Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2007 17:52:03 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] =?utf-8?q?=28no_subject=29?= Message-ID: <2ad82fd30711150422q2ccca78cpf5a5a2bbbc5018f@mail.gmail.com> Did you see these stories http://www.kashmirnewz.com/n000246.html *Photoshop to boost Kashmir CM image * To appease their master, the state's Information department is busy doctoring images of the chief minister and project his rallies attended by a few dozens into huge ones. As *Haroon Mirani* reports, this is perhaps what the CM prefers to call positive reporting. Pictures http://www.kashmirnewz.com/n000248.html *Indian troops are tired of fighting us * [image: Salahudin] Syed Salahudin *Syed Salahudin, Chairman of the United Jehad Council (UJC), an amalgam of 13 militant outfits operating in Kashmir says Indian troops are tired of fighting militants in Kashmir. In an in-depth telephonic interview with Shahnawaz Khan, he talks on various issues like elections, ceasefire, and Alison Macdonald. * Excerpts: Are you a publisher interested in indepth news features from Kashmir? Visit www.kashmirnewz.com From jumpshark at gmail.com Thu Nov 15 18:03:25 2007 From: jumpshark at gmail.com (Prashant Pandey) Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2007 18:03:25 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] hi Message-ID: want to become member...again From tapasrayx at gmail.com Thu Nov 15 18:07:44 2007 From: tapasrayx at gmail.com (Tapas Ray) Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2007 07:37:44 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Nandigram: The challenges ahead In-Reply-To: <6deae8300711142028i3b7be91fg8146847291014bac@mail.gmail.com> References: <98f331e00711141029x7416627dk86393f007a713175@mail.gmail.com> <473BB511.6000008@googlemail.com> <6deae8300711142028i3b7be91fg8146847291014bac@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <473C3D98.40106@googlemail.com> They probably did not realise the irony of it. I quote below the source of the phrase, "It was a famous victory" from 'The Battle of Blenheim'. I seem to remember seeing it in Alice in Wonderland (appropriately, again), but was not able to confirm this. ..................................... Great praise the Duke of Marlbro' won, And our good Prince Eugene. Why 't was a very wicked thing! Said little Wilhelmine. Nay . . nay . . my little girl, quoth he, It was a famous victory. And everybody praised the Duke Who this great fight did win. But what good came of it at last? Quoth little Peterkin, Why that I cannot tell, said he, But 't was a famous victory. - Robert Southey (1798) .................................... Tapas Abhishek Hazra wrote: > When Buddhadev was first elected chief minister some years back, Frontline > did a cover story on it. It was titled "Behind a Famous Victory" From zigzackly at gmail.com Thu Nov 15 20:13:53 2007 From: zigzackly at gmail.com (peter griffin) Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2007 20:13:53 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Nandigram Relief - an appeal In-Reply-To: <4d145a50711141358t220f8b46q4cdcb4dcabb3af6b@mail.gmail.com> References: <4d145a50711120939s4cd465aek3770a707d5105356@mail.gmail.com> <4d145a50711130728q4c46350fja2b38cfa8bec668c@mail.gmail.com> <4d145a50711141358t220f8b46q4cdcb4dcabb3af6b@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <4d145a50711150643k69af637cvc652609fcc38af3f@mail.gmail.com> A follow-up to: 1. http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/2007-November/011079.html 2. http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/2007-November/011103.html 3. http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/2007-November/011124.html This came in from the sender of the original email: Friends, I am sending this out to anyone in my address book who I feel would need the information, and be in a position to circulate it further. Over the past few days I have received several emails and queries about where exactly relief material is being collected for Nandigram victims. It seems that when Mahasweta Devi's phone number was called, they were being told that no materials were being collected there. I managed to speak directly to Mahasweta di this morning and here is what she has asked me to circulate: 1. Her address IS being used as a collection and despatch centre for relief materials for Nandigram victims. For those who do not have it, it is: W 2C, 12/3 Phase 2, Golf Green, Kolkata 700095. Children's warm clothes, new (not secondhand) lungis and dhotis for men. sturdy saris in wearable condition, rice and dal are welcome. 2. If money is being donated, it should be sent to Account no. 24941, Canara Bank, Sealdah branch. 3. Mahasweta di has been focusing on working with a doctors' group at Nandigram. The contact person if anyone wishes to help with the health centre there in any way is Dr Devapriya Mallick, 9830510911. Thanks and regards Anjum Katyal From taraprakash at gmail.com Thu Nov 15 20:37:13 2007 From: taraprakash at gmail.com (TaraPrakash) Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2007 10:07:13 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Nandigram: The challenges ahead References: <98f331e00711141029x7416627dk86393f007a713175@mail.gmail.com> <473BB511.6000008@googlemail.com> Message-ID: <00fc01c82799$37b49440$dc26ab0a@taraprakash> I did not know the link was forwarded as I have blocked that particular address. I did,however, read that editorial and had commented on that. But since I sent from an address not subscribed to this list, it did not make it to the list. Here is what I had written; I must acknowledge though that my knowledge of media is not necessarily quite adequate. I titled my mail "Has Hindu Left the Left?" It may be acceptable to play devil's advocate to a certain extent, but it seems Hindu and NDTV are doing much more than that. When the entire media in India and BBC, I get most of my news from BBC, were making it their first headline and showing the Monday strike as a complete success, NDTV covered the news somewhere in the middle, concluding that it was partially successful. Even though, Pranoy is CPM card holder and the partiality of his TV channel is not completely unexpected, but it seems even *he* has forgotten the moral responsibility of not marginalizing the issues of the weak and the oppressed. I had a lot of respect for NDTV and also for Hindu. I heard a couple interviews with Hindu correspondents on BBC, they would try to avoid answering questions directly about Nandi Gram. And now this below paragraph from today's editorial, has the paper been bought by CPI(M) corporate? There analysis of Governer Gandhi's role may be fair, but will they maintain their integrity by bringing Budhdev Bhrashtacharya under the scanner for talking like a war lord? From what standards can the following analysis be fair and impartial, whhen it does not speak a word against the previous day's statement of West Bengal's CM regarding "paying back with their own coin"? I know it is one of the best newspapers of the world, has it become so statist lately? Or my analysis is not correct. I don't get to read the paper too often, I must admit. But the following makes me think about the newspaper more critically. The role of Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi has, for a second time, come under the spotlight. In March 2007, he clearly stepped out of line in publicly airing his philosophical and tactical differences with the State government over Nandigram. He does not seem to have learnt any lessons from that experience and, in fact, his latest speaking out of line has had the effect of adding fuel to the flames. Let us concede that Nandigram represented a situation where the moral urge not to remain silent came into conflict with the restraints imposed by the constitutional office. Yet, of the restraints imposed by the office, there would seem to be little doubt, and a public statement critical of the government’s handling of the issue could not have been made without transgressing them. The Hindu has consistently regarded this as a major question of principle in the constitutional realm. The classic 1867 exposition of the role of the British monarch by Walter Bagehot applies equally to the office of the President and the Governor: “To state the matter shortly, the Sovereign has, under a constitutional monarchy such as ours, three rights — the right to be consulted, the right to encourage, the right to warn. And a king of great sense and sagacity would want no others. He would find that his having no others would enable him to use these with singular effect.” The right to advise and the right to warn are to be exercised in private and in confidence, and not through public statements. This restraint required of the head of state is not a mere constitutional formality but is based on sound democratic principles. In the first place, the head of state must not, through statements critical of its functioning, place himself or herself in conflict with the representative government, which has a greater democratic legitimacy. Secondly, the head of state should appear non-partisan and remain above the fray when controversial and divisive questions are being debated in the political sphere, and avoid any public statements that could give comfort to one side or the other. The Governor’s public statements on Nandigram both challenged the wisdom of the government’s approach and came down on the side of the critics of its action. Further, Mr. Gandhi laid himself open to the charge of remaining silent when the supporters of the Left Front were at the receiving end. His conduct through this crisis has been constitutionally indefensible. Yet the Left Front government must not get distracted by this. Its top priorities must be to re-establish peace, ensure human security, and resume development work in Nandigram. The CPI(M) has a special responsibility in this regard — among other things, to be manifestly fair in its dealings on the ground, and to restrain its cadre from any campaign of reprisal. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tapas Ray" To: "sarai list" Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2007 9:55 PM Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Nandigram: The challenges ahead >I looked over the item and found nothing new or different from the > official CPI-M line as conveyed by Prakash Ray already. So I wonder what > the point of forwarding this link was. > > Tapas > > > prakash ray wrote: >> Dear all, >> >> Please find time to read an editorial in the Hindu on Nandigram .. below >> is >> the link- >> >> http://www.hindu.com/2007/11/12/stories/2007111259681200.htm >> >> thanks >> >> Prakash > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From aarti.sethi at gmail.com Thu Nov 15 22:45:35 2007 From: aarti.sethi at gmail.com (Aarti Sethi) Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2007 22:45:35 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] CPIM and soft hindutva Message-ID: <48c2916d0711150915p1ed13a5ta46e945b6f9c52a2@mail.gmail.com> Dear All, This morning's Hindu carries a story on a statement signed by prominent left intellectuals and academics. Predictably the statement takes a pro-government line calling the agitation in Nandigram "unjustified". This is saddening but not in the least surprising. A similar statement was signed when the violence began in March 2006. The secular intelligensia in this country have tended to see the CPIM as the last defense against the far-right fascist forces. We need to get out of this siege mentality. It is important that the CPIM's legitimizing constituency begin to call a spade a spade. Our relationship to the actions and brutality of the the CPIM cannot be overdetermined by "secularism in the last instance" because the CPIM's own record on issues of caste and religion is extremely dubious. Here is an excellent piece that appeared on Kafila by Vidya Bhushan Rawat which dispels any illusions anyone might have to the contrary. Please do take the time to read it. Apologies in advance for the somewhat long post. best Aarti +++++++++++++++++++++++ http://www.kafila.org/2007/11/15/soft-bhadralok-hindutva-under-left-garb-vb-rawat/#more-221 Soft Bhadralok Hindutva Under Left Garb Vidya Bhushan Rawat We have received this guest piece from Vidya Bhushan Rawat, which looks at another pathology behind the 'Left' Front and its entrenchment in West Bengal politics. We are pleased to present this as it underlines a point seldom registered by self-proclaimed 'Leftists' and 'secularists': the saffron under the red colour of Indian marxism in general but especially of the CPM. The Sachar committee had recently only revealed what many had always suspected with regard to Muslims. With regard to the Dalits, analysts have been at pains to point out that West Bengal ranks far below even UP, in terms of ownership of land by Dalits. So much for its much touted land reforms. While publishing this piece, let us also underline, with the author that when, in the height of the anti-Islam hysteria during NDA rule, LK Advani's Home Ministry proposed 'bio-metric identification cards' - to check the problem of 'infiltration' (!?), then too, Buddhadeb was its most enthusiastic supporter. It is actually interesting that when the ruling classes and parties under Indira Gandhi used to see CIA everywhere, the CPM too saw CIA; and then when the NDA started seeing ISI 'under every bed as it were, CPM followed suit. Curious, would you say? Read on, for the real debate on the 'Left' should be here, which is not to say that we agree with every thing said here. - AN] By Vidya Bhushan Rawat Nandigram is burning and the Neros of the left front governments are watching it with great patience. Those who are up in arms against any displacement elsewhere remain mute spectators at the butchering of people in this 'war zone', as the governor of the state Mr Gopal Krishna Gandhi mentioned in his statement. CPM and its leadership were prompt in condemning the governor for his remark as unconstitutional. If governor's remark is out of the touch of Bengal's reality then how can one justify the 'call' for 'recapture' of land by the top leadership of CPM? The fact is that this unprecedented crisis needed a strong response. It is rare for a governor of the stature of Gopal Krishna Gandhi to speak out openly against the state government. It clearly reflects his mind and pain on what the state is witnessing in Nandigram. A governor should not keep quiet if the state government that operates under him violates basic principals of governance. Whether it is Gujarat or Bengal, the state can not withdraw itself from the governance asking people to take the law in their own hands, as CPM and its chief minister continue to chant. It is not only shocking for a party to defend the illegal act of their cadre to recapture the land. Why was government silent on this for such a long and why were the central forces being kept at the mercy of the party cadre. A party can not be asked to take over the role of the governance. Bengal's government is using the same language which very unfortunately Rajiv Gandhi spoke in the aftermath of Indira Gandhi's assassination and later on Narendra Modi, in Gujarat after the Godhara fire. A chief minister is expected to act and provide protection to the people and not to teach lesson to those who faulted or disagreed. West Bengal is passing through a big crisis. It is the test of its patience with a government which actually is the symbol of brahmanical supremacy and tyranny in the name of Marxism. Now, that supremacy is also being challenged by Mamata Banerjee, who herself has no clean record despite claiming to lead all the people's movement. In fact, any one supporting her should first ask her the question what her stand is on land reform and secondly how long would she flirt with the Hindutva forces in Delhi. But it looks as if all the opposition forces are uniting in their battle against the CPM. However, ground realities are different and mere media attention might not change the situation, though the halo of good governance and Panchayati Raj and much-touted land reforms the left stand exposed in front of the world. Whether the government goes or not, is not the question. Nandigram has silver lining on the one side and duplicity of Bengal's Bhadralok politics on the other. Let us discuss about the silver lining. Despite all our condemnation, one thing that needed to be expressed here is the spirit of the people of Nandigram, which defies all convention so far. The governments of the day, whether in Bengal or elsewhere are shamelessly pursuing the agenda of acquiring people's land for the SEZ, big dams and big companies, without rehabilitating them. Those in power know that the people's struggle start for a few months and fizzles out. And that has given them the reason to pursue with their dangerous policies of land acquisition. Hence the question is really not about the face of CPM. The question is that there is a broader agreement in the mainstream 'national' parties and regional parties for 'reform'. They have gone far beyond people's aspirations and the result is that these movement will shake the nation and find space somewhere else which might not be democratic. Unfortunately, many of their friends thought the Marxists as the only party committed to 'land reform'. But Buddhadev had other ideas. He had to attract the middle class Bengalies who felt betrayed of 30 years of left rule without any industrialization. Disturbed over the 'loss' of 'face' of Kolkata and Bengal as an 'industrial hub', Buddha government went over board to attract 'investment'. The selection of the company from Indonesia was equally important to understand. Despite its track record, the Marxist would want us to believe that contract given to this 'Indonesian' firm is according to secular and anti-imperialist beliefs of the left front. This, at a time when the Muslims and Dalits are regularly at the receiving end in West Bengal. The disturbing question is why particular area of Nandigram or Singur or why 19000 hectare of land was required. Many report charge Party MP Laxman Seth, a man who is heading Haldia Petrochemicals, as allegedly instigating the land grabbing in the area. All this was done to promote 'industrialisation' of Bengal. And in this battle to dislocate people and invite industries to suck the blood of the people, the government got wholehearted support from the 'national' media. Like Gujarat where Narender Modi's corrupt practices and criminal past as a chief minister is easily ignored by the equally corrupt corporatised media where corporate interest are bigger than the people's interest, all in the name of development, Buddha Dev Bhattacharya also became a star of the media even when a large number of his party persons were not in demand there. CPM and its allies have been opposing Congress party's new economic policies. They have participated in numerous programmes, condemned Narendra Modi and rightly so, they organized massive demonstration against WTO and yet when their own state is concern, they remain mute. They do not even want a discussion leave along allowing people to visit Nandigram. It is clear that the proposed SEZ would displace thousands of people particularly the rural poor. In the case of Nandigram and Singur, these would automatically be the poor Muslims and Dalits, who unfortunately are not the vote bank of the CPM. A party like CPM whose chief minister spoke the language of Lal Krishna Advani when he was home minister of India, on the issue of Madrasas and his stand on so-called Bangla Refugees, Buddh Dev and his party thought it is good to create an SEZ some where else which does not affect the Bangla upper caste or CPM's supporter's zone. After all, why should they annoy their own supporter who would get the benefit of Tata's promised Rs One lakh car and jobs in Salim's company? It would not be the Muslims and Dalits who would get job in these companies. This opinion maker Bhadralok had charged the CPM in the past with insensitivity towards its own issues and condition of stagnation in West Bengal in past three decade's left front rule. Left front has to come clean on the issue of Dalits and Muslims in Bengal. Where are their land reforms? Where is Dalit and Muslim representation in their government jobs, police and elsewhere? Well, the bhadralok make us believe that they don't believe in caste system and therefore there is no need for reservation. Of course, it can not deny the fact that the scavenging community in Bengal is worst hit by its manipulations apart from the Muslims. The condition of Dalits in Bengal is a matter of grave concern. Scavenging is still prevalent though CPM dominated cadre and intellectuals would not allow outsiders to expose this bitter truth of Bengal. Even loyalists like N Ram and his ' The Hindu' did not think twice before giving Bengal clean chit on issues of scavenging and now on Nandigram, the most 'secular' newspaper in India has turned brahmanical. Of course, those reading 'The Hindu' in the South know it well that it serves the brahmanical interest under the guise of secularism. The other loyalist for Buddha Dev at the moment is Goenka's Indian Express, voice of India's corrupt middle classes supporting an irresponsible privatization. Express has been supporting every effort of the government that displaces people and support Industries. But suddenly with huge turn around, the other dominating media houses could not ignore the public pressure and started condemning CPM. Their own friends started deserting them. This resulted in media scrutiny and blame game. Embarrassed, the party banned media and activists from going to Nandigram. And look who was the first visitor after CRPF reached Nandigram. It was Lal Krishna Advani and his Hindutva team, that visited Nandigram. It is rare for a communist chief minister to be complimented by the Hindutva Hridaya Samrat. When Lal Krishna Advani was home minister, he lauded Buddha's effort to fight against 'Bangla' 'infiltration. Buddha was also complimented for his remarks against Madrasas. Therefore, Bengal CPM reflects a domination of the Bhadralok and their political view point. The Bengali middle class has already been communalized long back and one can find these reflections in Durga Puja celebrations also. The problem of Nandigram is wider. Why was such a place chosen. Is it because the area has a sizeable Dalit and Muslim presence? In Bengal so far the issue of Dalits have not got any support from any political outfits. As far as Muslims are concern, Bengal is the only state where we find starvation deaths among the Muslim community in Midnapur and Jalangir. The Bhadralok dominated CPM's leadership might have thought this would go unresisted. Yet, they proved wrong. The brave people of Nandigram and Singur have actually rendered a great service to strengthen movement for land rights all over the country. Governments, corporations who are working to suck the blood of the people must also understand that their theory that after initial reactions people forget things, have proved absolutely wrong in Nandigram. The way the people have fought for their right to dignity and land will go in the history of India as one of the most sustained response to an effort of the government to occupy their land. The question is not whether the government is shifting SEZ elsewhere or not. The question is how come the forces of the left are silent on growing discontent in their home territory. Why should the government allow a political party to have a field day, to kill the opponent and 'capture' the land? Prakash Karat says that there is nothing wrong for the supporter of the CPM to 'recapture' their land, which was hijacked by Trinamul Congress workers. These political statements should not be taken on a serious note except for the fact that they are not meant to introspect. Prakash Karat's biggest blunder was to say that Maoists have joined the movement. It seems he realized it late that there are radical left groups who are uniting in Singur and Nandigram. But Karat's worry is not Mamata Banerjee but these left groups who can teach CPM and their goons a lesson in their own language. CPM has never bothered about the opposition in Bengal which is mute and Bhadrlok dominated like the CPM. It is worried about the reorganization of the radical left forces in the state. Therefore, it does not surprise us when Karat in his press conference in Delhi, charge the 'Maoists' from Jharkhand for spreading violence in Bengal. Mr Karat knows well that the National Security Advisor has already stated this that the red corridors are increasing. But more than that, the question again comes to the forefront of those in power. Nandigram has shown that people will resist any attempt to dislocate them in the name of development. Whether it is Khammam in Andhra Pradesh or Kalinganagar in Orissa, the war cries of the people should not be termed as 'revivalism' of Naxal movement in India. It is not therefore a co-incidence that the Naxalbari movement in the Darjeeling hills of West Bengal was butchered in the same way as we have been witnessing in Nandigram. The only difference was that time it was state police which caused enormous death in the village of Naxalbari while today it seems the police remain mute when the CPM's cadre started their 'gharwapasi', very similar like the offensive return of the tribals and Dalits by the Hindutva brigade in Chhatishgarh and Gujarat. General Secretary Prakash Karat also asked people not to equate the Nandigram incident with that of Godhra. But comparison will always be made as long as those who kills come from the same class and communities and those who suffer too hails from the same. In Gujarat the Muslims were butchered by a powerful state dominated by the Hindu upper caste, in Delhi it was the Sikhs who were killed by the same state and in Nandigram, it is again the Muslims and Dalits who are at the receiving end. I can understand the problem of those writing about 'poor' being killed in Bengal because none of them really want that Buddha Dev be declared new avatar of Hindutva. But so far all indications suggest CPM's common agenda seems to be soft Hindutva in Bengal by targeting the poor through its land mafia and Muslims in the name of Bangla refugees and growing Madrasas. CPM has lost an opportunity to lead people's movement in India which is now uniting to fight against privatization of public resources and highly tainted liberlisation and globalisation where corporations would call the shot and people would get the shot if they oppose the diktat of the status quoists. Nandigram has shown that people will not wait for a Messiahs to come to rescue them, they will unite and fight endlessly against oppression and exploitation. The battle for honor and dignity has just begun now. From pawan.durani at gmail.com Thu Nov 15 22:34:15 2007 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2007 22:34:15 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Left Morass: 123 Nuclear Deal and Nandigram Message-ID: <6b79f1a70711150904q51c5fbc5u6f8f1a2563f19095@mail.gmail.com> http://neurojava.wordpress.com/2007/11/14/the-left-morass-123-nuclear-deal-and-nandigram/ The Indian political Left is in crisis. Be it the opposition to the 123 Nuclear Deal or the dealing with Nandigram, it almost seems at times that sometimes even the more sensible of the coterie of Left's leadership has actually lost all semblance to sanity and are increasingly reverting back to that one standard last resort fall back path of politicians worldwide - parroting the party line without any regard to reality, opinions of the people they represent or even just common sense. The latest to fall in this category is the otherwise suave Buddhadev Bhattacharya - a self confessed "patron" of the arts and literature - yesterday, he actually defended the CPI(M) takeover of the villages! More so, there was no owning of responsibility for the total lack of state enforced law and order - instead he did what politicians from Bengal have done for decades now - blame the Central government for all their ills. That is not to say the other parties are any better. Mr. Advani of BJP ( and Rath Yatra fame) very astutely observed that the CPI(M) have " declared war against India". Hello?! The Communists which have long parroted the claim that they are the real sole representatives of the masses in India - are in a mess. In Kolkata, now you have the *hoi-polloi *protesting against the government. Buddhadev not only loses political credibility but also those he'd like the rest of us mortals believe are his friends, good taste and refinement being the binding factor. And as usual, West Bengal, its people and the already battered reputation it enjoys gets yet another ding. So much for the much touted SEZs. On the Nuclear Front, the Left seems to be actually relenting. Wonder if it was a well orchestrated political game from the beginning - as a show of force. Apparently, the Left is now open to India negotiating with the NSG as long as they dont sign the deal without discussing with them. Fair enough. The thing about the Nuclear Deal is this - as far as the middle class and urban India is concerned - I think the Left has recognized that they are pretty unanimous in supporting the deal. Also, the America centric phobia that dictates much of Left's ideology and actions - dont really play very well with Urban India anymore - hence to maintain any kind of political capital the Left still has with the very powerful middle class - it needs to come across as less intransigent to the deal. I think there is a popular perception within the political punditry that the middle class does not matter in the great egalitarian experiment that the Indian Democracy is. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. The Great Indian Middle Class is more than those few who work in IT companies and live in the big cities. The Great Indian Middle Class is about aspirations. The parents of those kids who struggle to send them to English medium schools in Indore, Gwalior, Jagdalpur, Sholapur and a countless other small Indian cities are as much middle class as the rest of us. And they aspire for a better life. For themselves and for their children. And like the rest of us, they recognize what this pseudo-socialism based on isolationist and colonial era mindset did to us for the first 45 years of our independence. And they want us to be integrated. I realize that everything isnt perfect with everything in India. But unequivocally, I'd rather live in India of today than the India that existed pre- 1991. And I am proud we could transition as well as we have. And I recognize we have a long way to go. And I think, viscerally, the Left recognizes all this too. Hence the flexibility. Because, their exalted leaders - who have never had to do a day's worth of honest work - dont want to start now. And they would have to. Unless the Left changes. And soon. From pawan.durani at gmail.com Thu Nov 15 22:36:22 2007 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2007 22:36:22 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Nandigram Nuked Message-ID: <6b79f1a70711150906n6eef0f4dp73a1d35387cdfee0@mail.gmail.com> http://chennaitv.blogspot.com/2007/11/breaking-news-nandigram-nuked.html The clever communists are at it again. They have struck a deal and are permitting a go ahead for IAEA meet. Rest can follow later. Now this is shown as breaking news throughout today afternoon and thus Nandigram is taken out of our memory. With some intelligent posturing by the congress led by munshi, and with some feeble noise from advani, poor nandigram is soon going off air. There will be one or two adjournment in the parliament and then since the nuclear deal has to be discussed, Nandigram issue will be nuked. The communists and congress have been hoodwinking us all for a long time. Act like beating me so that the real opposition is shown poor. Mamta and BJP in the receiving end. Who is bothered about Nandigram? Only Bengalis. And if they are communists they still do not bother. So a minority with no political heavy weight by its side will be let to suffer. The media is mute and subdued and this strengthens our theory of bias. The so called Intellectuals will make noise for some time and then vote for CPM. Mamta will be damned by the media as Bengal deserves better. BJP anyway is nonexistent. Congress will get some loksabha support from left and will present bengal to the communists again. Poor Nandigram. Nuked...... From turbulence at turbulence.org Thu Nov 15 20:20:13 2007 From: turbulence at turbulence.org (Turbulence) Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2007 09:50:13 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] [Announcements] Networked_Music_Review Commission: "ItSpace" by Peter Traub Message-ID: <003101c82796$e74f9830$b5eec890$@org> November 15, 2007 Networked_Music_Review Commission: "ItSpace" by Peter Traub http://turbulence.org/Works/itspace "ItSpace" creates a network of pages within the social networking site MySpace. Instead of people, the pages feature everyday household objects from the artist's house. Each page has a photo of the object, a description, and most importantly, a 1-minute piece composed of samples of the object being struck, resonated, and so forth. All the pages, or objects, are 'friends' with each other, so that visitors who discover one object may jump to the others to see their profiles and hear their sounds. Visitors to the site are invited to create new "ItSpace" pages with pieces made from their own household objects and link those in as 'friends' of the original set. "ItSpace" is a 2007 commission of New Radio and Performing Arts, Inc. for Networked_Music_Review. It was made possible with funding from the New York State Music Fund, established by the New York State Attorney General at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. BIOGRAPHY Peter Traub is a 4th year Ph.D. student in Composition and Computer Technologies at the University of Virginia. He received his Master's in Electro-Acoustic Music Composition from Dartmouth College in 1999. After that, Peter moved to the San Francisco Bay Area where he worked as a software engineer for five years. While gambling his daytime employment on internet startups, he spent nights composing at Stanford's CCRMA (Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics). His music and internet-based sound art works have been played and exhibited internationally. His interests at UV include music that utilizes computer networks, virtual and real spaces, multi-channel composition, and the exploration of alternative and open-source software systems for composition. 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 Networked_Performance Blog: http://turbulence.org/blog Networked_Music_Review: http://turbulence.org/networked_music_review Upgrade! Boston: http://turbulence.org/upgrade New American Radio: http://somewhere.org _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From pkray11 at gmail.com Fri Nov 16 01:11:26 2007 From: pkray11 at gmail.com (prakash ray) Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2007 01:11:26 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Nandigram.... Message-ID: <98f331e00711151141t2646be13ved5d3a46222473be@mail.gmail.com> Dear all, I am posting a commentary written by Sudhanva Deshpande. Prakash ZNet Commentary Nandigram Again By Sudhanva Deshpande 15 November 2007 As peace returns to Nandigram, the media – especially the electronic media – and the blogosphere is going crazy. One hears that Nandigram is a "concentration camp," and has been witness to "massacre" and "genocide." Nandigram 2007 is worse than – or at least as bad as – Gujarat 2002. And so on. For a long time, no one on the Left has responded to the comparison with Gujarat in 2002, which witnessed a barbaric anti-Muslim pogrom, simply because responding itself elevates the charge to an undeserved degree of seriousness. However, as the rubbish accumulates, let us remind ourselves of some simple facts. One, the so-called "land acquisition." What was purported to be the land acquisition notice was not that at all – it was a notice to clarify rumours about land acquisition. In any case, the notice was, rightly or wrongly, deliberately or otherwise, construed to be for land acquisition. Once this became apparent, the government, in February itself, clarified that there was no question of land acquisition in Nandigram. Period. Two, the so-called "massacre" or "genocide." Even after it became clear that the government would not acquire land in Nandigram, the "struggle" against it continued. This struggle was carried on under the banner of the Bhumi Uchhed Pratirodh Committee (BUPC, or Committee Against Land Eviction), an umbrella alliance that included the Hindu Right on the one hand, the ultra-Left on the other, with the lead and much of the muscle being provided by the Trinamul Congress (TMC), the main opposition to the Left Front in the state. It was an armed struggle even in January and February, before the police action on March 14. In the firing of March 14, it was alleged that "hundreds" were killed, women raped, children butchered. It turned out that the number of dead was 14. Of these, 8 were killed in police firing, 6 died for other reasons, including one person who died because a bomb he was holding went off. Since January, one has heard of "hundreds," even "thousands" dead and missing. This is simply not true. The one list that the Trinamul submitted to court turned out to be a fraud, with virtually everyone being traced alive. Television channels did interviews with them. The one person who was really dead was someone who had died more than a week before the March 14 firing, and his death in any case had nothing to do with the violence around land acquisition. Not a single child's body has been found. Not a single child is reported missing. For those who are comparing this with the Gujarat riots of 2002, it is worth recalling that over 2,000 Muslims were butchered by the Hindu Right in Gujarat within a span of 3-4 days, in a State-sponsored pogrom. In contrast, fifty-odd people have died in Nandigram in 11 months, half of them Left supporters. We have no concrete numbers, since the opposition has not put out its list of the dead. The list of Left supporters killed is available on www.pragoti.org, and the pattern is telling. 27 killed since January: 3 killed between January and March, 6 in April-May, 4 between June and August, and 14 in October and the first 10 days of November. Look at the spurts in killings: April-May, when Nandigram was being "liberated" and Left sympathizers driven out; and again in October-November, when people were being prevented from returning. And why were they forced to live in camps to begin with? Because the Left Front government decided to withdraw the police after the March 14 firing. This meant leaving Nandigram to the mercy of BUPC-TMC, who cleansed the area of Left supporters. To withdraw the police, in other words, was a decision that hurt the Left, and helped the opposition gain physical control of the area. However, to withdraw the police was a political decision, because a political problem demanded a political solution. Such a solution was attempted, time and again, by calling all-party meetings, both at the local as well as the State level. Repeated appeals for dialogue and a peaceful settlement of all issues were made to the opposition leader Mamata Banerjee. However, the impasse could not be broken because of the unjust position of the BUPC and Mamata Banerjee that no CPI (M)/Left supporter would be allowed to return to Nandigram. They would not allow road blocks to be lifted, would not allow people to come back, would not allow the administration to resume its normal functioning. Contrast this with Gujarat: who was forced to live in camps? Modi's supporters? VHP-Bajrang Dal hoodlums? The Left has responded by mobilizing the homeless people, who have returned to the villages in the face of bullets and land mines, and by refusing, even under severe provocation, to send in the state police. Instead, it asked for, and received after much delay, the assistance of Central paramilitary forces. Since the argument of the opposition was that the state police, along with the cadres of the ruling front, was responsible for the March 14 "massacre," to have sent in the police to oversee the return of refugees would have possibly led to more violence. However, had the Central paramilitary forces moved in when requested, in October, the latest round of violence in early November would almost certainly have been avoided, and several lives saved. To blame the Left for the latest violence is, therefore, to be callously blind to ground realities. Picture this now: Narendra Modi pleading for Central forces, refusing to send his state police into an area controlled by the opposition. Is this even imaginable? Three, the "armed gangs." There is no doubt that armed gangs moved around in Nandigram. But who were they? Who put in land mines, and who imported AK 47s? The CPI (M), of course. Except that the bracketed M stands for Maoist, not Marxist. For a politically illiterate press and deliberately blind army of bloggers, this is too fine a distinction. (See the report titled "Maoist network spreads to Nandigram," DNA, October 30, available at http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1130702. See also the PTI report of November 14 about the arrest of three persons with suspected Maoist links, available at http://in.news.yahoo.com/071114/20/6n8i6.html) The Maoist hit squads have infiltrated Nandigram from Jharkhand, Midnapore West and Purulia. They have made common cause with the TMC. The Maoists have a history of using land mines and automatic weapons, not the Marxists. But does it even make common sense for the Marxist cadres to put in land mines that targeted its own people and the administration that its own party runs? To be sure, faced with the Maoists, the Marxists fought back. Why should they not? Who are the imported Maoists to prevent hundreds of villagers from returning to their homes? Four, sympathy for the rural poor. After the March 14 firing, the Chief Minister expressed his anguish, Jyoti Basu said the police should have just come back when faced with resistance, the CPI (M) state secretary said we do not want the poor to be divided against each other. Has Mamata Banerjee, even once, expressed even verbal sympathy for the CPI (M) supporters who have been killed or the few thousand rural poor who were forced to live in camps for months? Forget Mamata, she is crass. Have Medha Patkar or Mahashweta Devi said a word? Have they tried to visit those camps? Why not? The CPI (M) is vile and villainous, but do its supporters among the rural poor deserve to be abandoned for that reason? What kind of politics is this? Five, the alleged "murder of democracy" in West Bengal. Let us remind ourselves that the Left Front has won every election it has contested since 1977. Each one of these elections has been won by a two-thirds majority, and two of these elections – including the last assembly elections which ushered in the present government – by a three-fourths majority. In each of the assembly elections, the CPI (M) alone has got enough seats to command a simple majority in the house. Aside from the assembly elections, the Left has won handsomely in panchayat and Lok Sabha elections, again and again. Over the years, the percentage of people who have gone out and voted has increased, and now the average voter turnout is more than 70%. For a long time, one heard whines that all this was rigged. The last assembly elections were conducted under massive scrutiny by the Election Commission – even the impossible Mamata admitted the elections were fair – and the Left Front romped home. Most recently, in the June by-elections to local bodies, which saw 85% polling, the Left Front performed spectacularly at the village level – including increasing its tally in the district where Nandigram falls. (For more details, see my ZNet commentary of June 24.) To discount all this is to have a profound contempt for the democracy that one supposedly swears by. But my main point is something else. The BUPC-Maoist siege of Nandigram meant that the elected representatives of the local population are not allowed to even move freely in the area, forget about discharging their duties. Even if, theoretically speaking, these individuals have lost the confidence of a section of the people, are we going to argue that they have no right at all to function? What kind of democracy is this? The "murder of democracy" charge is of course reminiscent of the charge that, for instance, Chavez and the Bolivarian revolution routinely face from global corporate interests. But in West Bengal itself, this charge comes from the TMC, which alternates between fronting for the RSS and the Maoists. But then, one expects nothing more from Mamata Banerjee. But why is Medha Patkar parroting Mamata Banerjee? One would have thought that given the impending Gujarat elections, Patkar would want to expend her energies in that state. But she chooses not to go to Gujarat. Why? Because her brand of politics has never believed in elections, or because it doesn't matter who wins in Gujarat? At the time of writing, on November 14, the CRPF has been able to move to all the villages of Nandigram, and no fresh violence has been reported for the past three days. Local markets are coming back to life. Residents are welcoming their neighbours with modest feasts. The festive season is finally bringing back some hope, even though still fragile, to Nandigram. All those who have the interests of the poor at heart should welcome the peace. To be sure, political battles will continue to be fought. But let them be fought democratically, by mobilizing the people. Not through the barrel of the gun. Sudhanva Deshpande is editor with LeftWord Books, New Delhi, www.leftword.com. He can be reached at deshsud at rediffmail.com. From markcmarino at gmail.com Thu Nov 15 12:47:33 2007 From: markcmarino at gmail.com (Mark Marino) Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2007 23:17:33 -0800 Subject: [Reader-list] [Announcements] Fwd: ELO and Library of Congress to archive 300 works of E-Lit In-Reply-To: <287213f30711142255r5e91a86bidc77d8941031398f@mail.gmail.com> References: <287213f30711142255r5e91a86bidc77d8941031398f@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <287213f30711142317y72b3137bl1838f5f2a85cec0f@mail.gmail.com> The United States Library of Congress is archiving 300 electronic literature web sites in collaboration with the ELO (Electronic Literature Organization) and archive-it.org. To participate in this project, please see (and note there is a FAQ linked on that page, ) If you have further questions, please use the contact page at the main ELO URL, For more information on the archive itself, please contact ELO Director Joseph Tabbi (jtabbi at gmail.com) or Patria Tomaszek (tomaszek at fk615.uni-siegen.de). ***************** Categories: ************* Electronic Literature: Collections of Works: Sites that aggregate works of electronic literature by multiple authors, such as online journals and anthologies. Electronic Literature: Individual Works: Individual works of electronic literature and collections of works by a single author, as opposed to collections of works by multiple authors. Electronic Literature: Context: Sites related to the critical, theoretical, and institutional contexts of electronic literature. ******************************* Criteria for submission ************************** This style guide is meant to provide general guidelines for drafting archive-it description entries. Contributions should be submitted directly on: http://eliterature.org/wiki/ All contributions should include the title of the work and the URL where it resides. All contributions should name the entity that is primarily responsible for making the work (name of Editor, Author or other Creators). Please name the language that is used and the publisher (the entity that makes the work available; i.e. name of a person, organization or a service). 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Mark Marino Electronic Literature Organization http://eliterature.org -- Writing Program University of Southern California http://WriterResponseTheory.org _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From shuddha at sarai.net Fri Nov 16 05:33:44 2007 From: shuddha at sarai.net (Shuddhabrata Sengupta) Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2007 05:33:44 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Nandigram.... In-Reply-To: <98f331e00711151141t2646be13ved5d3a46222473be@mail.gmail.com> References: <98f331e00711151141t2646be13ved5d3a46222473be@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <473CDE60.1040905@sarai.net> Dear All, (apologies for Cross Posting on Kafila.org) It is interesting to witness the spin doctoring of the CPI(M) come into play in the wake of the renewed violence in Nandigram, which in CPI(M) newspeak is now being called 'a transition to peaceful conditions' . I am referring to the numerous efforts made by one of our fellow subscribers, Prakash Ray, to enlighten us with the line that emanates A.K.Gopalan Bhavan the CPI (M) national headquartes and Muzaffer Ahmed Bhavan (The West Bengal CPI(M) headquarters) filtered, no doubt, through several cups of tea and sympathy at Ganga Dhaba at JNU. Now, the seasoned voice of one of the leading 'cultural' lights of the Consolidated Promotors of India(Militant) in Delhi, Comrades Sudhanva Deshpande has also come our way, again, thanks to Prakash. I am grateful for these morsels because they reveal a lot about how the current dispensation within the Consolidated Promoters of India (Militant) actually works. In this posting, I intend to subject portions of Comrade Deshpande's text to some close reading. I invite other members to take other portions of this wonderful example of 'socialist magical realist', or 'magical socialist realist' prose and subject it to close analytical scrutiny. I have relied extensively on an archive of news, opinion, analyses and articles at a blog called http://sanhati.com/ for the writing of this posting. 1. Nandigram and Gujarat I agree, "Nandigram 2007 is not Gujarat 2002", but is that ground for comfort? To be fair, the comparisons between Gujarat and West Bengal are misleading. Just as comparisons between Gujarat and Nazi Germany are misleading. And just as - to call the RSS 'Fascist' is to betray an understanding neither of the RSS, nor of Fascism, similarly, to call the CPI(M)'s rule in West Bengal a mirror of Modi's Gujarat is to understand neither Gujarat, nor West Bengal. This is not to say that West Bengal is heaven and Gujarat is hell. It is to make the important point that hell comes in different varieties, and that West Bengal and Gujarat can be, and are two very different flavours of hell. It is not to say that West Bengal is better, or worse, than Gujarat, it is just to point out that it is different in its venality. I for one, do not think that jumping the gun and parrotting the cliche of 'concentration camps' and 'genocide' is very useful as a method of being critical of the CPI(M)'s politics in West Bengal. Nandigram is not Auschwitz, nor was Naroda Patiya. And to invoke the language of some holocaust or the other when trying to construct a critical politics for today, in conditions that are quite different, is actually counter-productive. All that the CPI(M) needs to do in response is to say that West Bengal does not have 'concentration camps', or 'genocide' and because they are formally right on that score, the opposition to them, which includes everyone from the Trinamool Congress to several Naxalite factions all playing the very Bengali game of overstatement and exaggeration, risk looking foolish. And they have looked foolish. Mamata Bannerjee, has made a lifetime's theatrical career out of looking and sounding foolish, and virtuous. That is part of the reason why there is no effective opposition to the CPI(M)s stranglehold in West Bengal. The CPI(M) could not, in a thousand lifetimes of power, have hoped for anything better than the confused, incoherent, hysterical opposition than the one that entertains it in West Bengal. That is what keeps it in power, just as much as anything else does. No amount of 'scientific rigging' can be as effective as opponents as idiotic as what the CPI(M) has in West Bengal. If the CPI(M) did not have the Maoists and Trinamool Congress around, it would have had to invent them. With enemies like them, who needs friends? However, just because West Bengal is not Gujarat, does not mean that when Buddhadeb Bhattacharya says 'we paid them back in their own coin' he does not risk inviting a fair comparison with Narendra Modi who, post-Godhra, talked about the anger of the injured Hindu, or Rajiv Gandhi, who in the wake of the Anti-Sikh riots of 1984 invoked the language of 'when a big tree falls, the earth shakes'. In invoking the identical language of vendetta and retribution as a response to a political crisis, the speech acts of Bhattacharya, Modi and the late Rajiv Gandhi, speaks volumes about the impoverished monotony of the political imagination in contemporary India. Having agreed to point one of Sudhanva Deshpande's assertion, let me now come to the rest of his argument. 2. Violence First, let us come to the question of the quantum of violences. I am not one of those who say, or find it necessary to say, that "thousands of bodies were dumped into mass graves in Nandigram". I think that even at lesser numbers, the reality is quite chilling. Whatever be the case, the official count of 14 dead in the violence of March this year has reason to be widely disputed. In a report titled - 'Nandigram Turns Blood Red' in the Economic Times of March 15, 2007 http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Nandigram_turns_blood_red/articleshow/1764786.cms The West Bengal Left Front Government's PWD minister Kshiti Goswami (of the Revolutionary Socialist Party) is quoted as saying that "50 bodies were taken to hospital, but it was impossible to ascertain how many were actually dead." Normally, when one says "50 Bodies", it is understood that the reference is to 50 dead bodies. The accompanying qualifying expression "it was impossible to ascertain how many were actually dead." must then be taken to mean that at least 50 people had died, and their bodies were taken to hospital, and it is possible that more, perhaps many more had also died, but that number is impossible to ascertain". Clearly, we are looking at a number of dead that is at least three and a half times as large, if not more, than has been admitted to by the CPI(M). The math is simple three times fourteen is forty two, and it takes eight more than forty two to make fifty. If at least 50 died on the 14th of March according to a minister of a party allied to the CPI(M) - we are not talking about a hysterical Mamata Bannerjee plying her own obscene trade in the numbers of the dead here - then the juggling of that figure by Sudhanva Deshpande lays him open to the suspicion that he is dissimulating when he talks of casualties and the dead. I am all for probity and precision when it comes to statistics about the dead and the injured, whether the dead or the killers come from the CPI(M). In fact, the suspicion that After the resistance of the ordinary peasants of Nandigram in early January had compelled the West Bengal government to declare that no land will be grabbed without people’s wishes, there were ominous sound bytes coming from the CPI(M) leaders. On 29th January the central committee member, also the state health minister, Suryakanta Misra, was elaborating on the role the opposition was playing in stalling the State Government’s drive for industrialisation in a public meeting at Khejuri (three kilometres away from Sonachura village of Nandigram). His advice to the farmers, “winter is retreating and summer is on. Venomous snakes may raise heads from their holes. They may even bite. Keep the staff of the red flag handy. As they spread their hood, strike them. That would treat them fine.” 3. Notices, and a few things Sudhanva Deshpande chose not to notice "One, the so-called "land acquisition." What was purported to be the land acquisition notice was not that at all“ it was a notice to clarify rumours about land acquisition. In any case, the notice was, rightly or wrongly, deliberately or otherwise, construed to be for land acquisition. Once this became apparent, the government, in February itself, clarified that there was no question of land acquisition in Nandigram. Period." There is a very delicate game being played with language here. And I would like us all to pay close attention to it. According to Comrade Deshpande, a 'land acquisition notice' is not a land acquisition notice, it is only a notice to clarify rumours about land acquisition. Let's take that statement at face value. If this were so, then, the land acquisition notice that was not a land acquisition notice could have clarified the matter by saying that there would be no land acquisition. It did not do so. And that is very inconvenient, and totally contrary to party discipline. Because, as anyone schooled in Stalinism knows, 'the unity of opposites' is a fundamental dia-mat principle, such that, a thing should be itself and its own opposite. A land acquisition ought not to be a land acquisition notice. It is really being mischievously deviationist when it insists on being a land acquisition notice. A deviation from the party line is a far more serious error than a deviation from the truth. Because the truth only suggests how things are, while the party line tells us how things ought to be. Only a fool, or a renagade, would jettison the ought for the is. Be that as it may, the notice issued issued by the Haldia Development Authority (Nandigram-I block office), dated 28 December, 2006, which was circulated to all gram panchayat offices (though not to individual landholders) stated, that " 27 mouzas of land in Nandigram and two mouzas of land in Khejuri ~ comprising 25,000 acres in all ~ would be acquired for the Salem Group’s proposed chemical hub.” What did these "27 mouzas of land" include? In a subsequent notification, issued to the same Gram Panchayat and Block offices four days after the first, on the 2nd of January, 2007, the Haldia Development Authority stated initially, about 14,500 acres of land would be acquired. This included 5 Gram Panchayats in Nandigram-1 block namely 10 No. Sonachura, 9 No. Kalicharanpur, 3 No. Kendemari, 2 No. Muhammadpur and 1 No. Vekutia and Khejuri GP in Khejuri-2 Block - all having a population of nearly 60-70,000 people. In other words, the 'notice' (two notices, in fact) clarified the rumours about land acquisition by responding affirmatively. They effectively said - yes, there would be land acquisition that would affect about 60-70,000 people. The Chief Minister, in a statement in the West Bengal Assembly on March 15 said that "Though no final decision has yet been taken about the exact location of the projects, on December 29, 2006 an *informal* notice for public information regarding likely location of this project was circulated by the Haldia Development Authority to all blocks and Gram Panchayat offices of the area.” Since when does a written notice, sent out by a government department to the lowest tiers of legislative and administrative power - Gram Panchayats (village councils) and Block Offices constitute a study in informality, or have the rules about what constitutes a formal move by the state and what constitutes an informal move by sectional interests allied to the ruling party in West Bengal been radically reconstituted in the last 30 years? Or does this blurring of distinctions between the 'formal' and 'real' subsumption of capital (as in land) constitute the CPI(M) unique and singular contribution to a renewed Marxism for the twenty first century? Morover, the people of Nandigram were exercised about the possibility of the 'real' , if not 'formal' subsumption of 25,000 acres because news of the way in which the question of land acquisition and compensation had played out in Singur in Hoogly district had by then become common knowledge in West Bengal. The crisis in Nandigram has somewhat overshadowed the recent history of land acquisition in Singur (perhaps because the Trinamool Congress in that area has been reasonably successful in buying peace from the Tatas in hard cash, in happy collaboration with the local CPI(M). But it needs to be borne in mind that the road to Nandigram, and the history of SEZs in West Bengal had to necessarily pass through the experience of Singur. In a very detailed article (See - ) titled - "Agrarian Confusion-Singur, Farmers' Consent and the Left Front's Statistical Misrepresentations", Sankar Ray convincingly argues that there were a series of irregularities that attended to the process of the 'acquisition of land' in Singur. It is worth our while to read a lengthy quotation from this article - --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "The West Bengal's Land and Land Revenue Minister Abdul Rezzak Mollah has stated that in Singur, 2552 farmers, owning 326 acres did not consent to the policy of acquisition of land for the Tata Motors factory. Morevore, the acquisition of land itself did not occur as per the rules laid down in the West Bengal Land and Land Reforms Act... ...Let’s quote from the LF government’s Status Report on Singur (SRS) . 'Declaration of award for the entire 997.11 acres in five **mouzas** was made by the Collector of Hooghly on 23 and 25 September 2006. On 4 October 2006, the Collector took possession of the lands and handed them over to the WBIDC the same day.' The SRS stated that compensation, paid until 31 December last, covered 658 acres - meaning that compensation for 339 acres was yet to be paid. LF policy-framers may go through an article by Amar Chattopadhyay, an expert on matters pertaining to land and land laws, in 'Bhumibarta', mouthpiece of the West Bengal Land and Land Reforms Officers’ Association, months back. He raised fundamental queries on the SRS rationale. Referring to a circular (1701-LA, dated 6 June 2006) by the L&LR department, he cited the rampant violation. Para 23 of the circular states - Possession only after payment - “Along with and as soon as award money is paid in connection with any land acquired, the possession of such land shall be immediately handed over to the requiring body and the possession of the acquired land to the requiring body shall be a continuous process and completed within 15 days after payment of award money”. So, excepting lands for which compensation was paid until 4 October 2006, no land could be taken possession of. In other words, possession of over one-third of land by the Collector of Hooghly district (SRS rightly states that power for acquisition is delegated to the Collector, as per Section 16 of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894) (is irregular) The tearing hurry and lack of patience to abide by the rules are evident in the SRS. “Conversion of usage of land from agriculture to factory was done of 21st November, 2006 in accordance with Section 4C of the WB Land Reforms Act, 1955. WBIDC has thereafter given permissive possession on 27th December, 2006 to Tata Motors Ltd,” it states. Thus the 6 June 2006 circular was trampled arbitrarily, taking unwilling-to-consent land-owners for a ride. The WBIDC is obviously a trespasser, compensation-payment having been incomplete. Chattopadhyay elaborated the point further that Section 4C and rule 5A of WBLR rules were misused. How could the WBIDC accord “permissive possession” to a third party (Tata Motors Ltd)? It has been allowed to travel far behind the statutes. There are many instances of desperate bid by the CPI-M leaders to throw away principles of agrarian legalities. Ignorance or innocence is not an acceptable escape route after three decades of uninterrupted hegemony that provided the party enough trial-and-error experiences to fine-tune agrarian attitude in line with the electoral pledges, laid down in 1977 and thereafter. Sankar Ray cites Chattopadhyay pointing out several more lapses in the manner in which land was acquired and possession transferred at Singur, citing sections 9, 10,11, 12 and 13 of LA -1894 for dealing with likely objections or petitions and inquiries thereof as also preparation of individual-wise award for ascertaining compensation as per different subsections under Section 23. Relevant criteria include inter alia market value of land [“at the rate of twelve per cent per annum” over a period between on and from the date of publication of notification’ under sub-section 4(1), plus 30 per cent of market value]. The present government pays little attention to those fundamentals that are consonant with the logic of civil society. For instance, after notification for land acquisition under Section 4(1) through two newspapers (one local), the collector must elicit details about at least ten most recent sales of holdings up to the date of notification in order to compute market values (average) with type-wise segregation. This was not done, according to sources in the Hooghly collectorate. CPI(M) biggies from general secretary Prakash Karat to acid-tongue central committee member create an impression that the LF government goes out of the way to pay compensation to the share-croppers. Explanatory portion of Section 23(4), Chattopadhyay points out, has clearly provided for such compensation (not confined to recorded ones). The net annual income - six times of which being the compensation - is 50 per cent of “total produce of the land cultivated by him in that year where the plough, cattle, manure and seeds necessary for cultivation” are provided by the person owning the land and 75 per cent of total produce in all other cases. The compensation the so-called pro-landless peasant government wants to pay to the bargadars is much less. It’s nothing short of deprivation. The WBIDC, according to the SRS, “decided to pay higher compensation to the recorded bargadars to the extent of 25 per cent of the amount of compensation paid to the owners." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. The People, and their Consent From the above, four things become clear, and unfortunately, they fly in the face of everything that Brinda Karat, Jayati Ghosh, Sudhanva Deshpande, Sitaram Yechury and Buddhadev Dasgupta have said whenever they have uttered the word 'Nandigram' or 'Singur' Remember, the facts pointed out above come not from a Maoist or Trinamool source but from a journal (Bhumibarta) of the West Bengal Land and Land Reforms Officers’ Association. I do not know how much closer you can get than this to an official position on the subject of the mechanics of land transactions in West Bengal. 1. land was acquired against the wishes of at least 30% of the farming population of Singur. This exposes the CPI(M) claim that 95 % of the people of Singur had signed their consent to the acquisition. 2. The acquisition process occurred in undue haste, leading to several procedural irregularities, including the acquisition of land from people who were not compensated for the acquisition. 3. Where compensation was paid, it was not paid as per the guidelines which lay out methods for the computation of the inter alia market value of the land. 4. Bargadars or Share Croppers were compensated in a meagre fashion, as compared to large land owners. This meant that poorer people were worse off in the deal as a whole, even when they were given compensation. It does not take rocket science to prove that the process of land acquisition, as it had played out in Singur, was unjust, and there was nothing to reassure the people of Nandigram that it would not be unfair in their case. It was this clarity that made the people of Nandigram anxious when the two notices of December 28 and January 02 were sent to the Gram Panchayat and Block offices. It must be remembered, that Nandigram had been a solidly CPI(M) area, and a majority of the people who joined the resistance to the land acquisition were disgruntled former CPI(M) supporters who felt badly let down by the very party that they had supported for decades, and which claimed to speak on their behalf. No amount of CPI(M) spin about Maoists entering Nandigram from the Bay of Bengal, Trinamool terror, or even a secret (and unlikely, under the present circumstances) entente between the US consulate in Kolkata and muslim fundamentalists in Nandigram can distract us from the reality that in Nandigram, the CPI(M) was essentially battling what had been its 'own people'. And it is this that gives the developments in Nandigram a particularly vicious and violent character. The people of Nandigram had to be taught a lesson so that people elsewhere in West Bengal, especially the CPI(M)'s own people understand clearly that dissent from within the party's ranks would not be tolerated. As always, when a Communist party decides to shed blood, the first people it chooses to sacrifice are its own, are those who were once its own. The recent violence (which has its own unique revanchist, vendetta based character) is essentially about the party winning back its own turf, and realizing the conditions which will fructify the Chief Minister's assurance that land acquisition will not happen without the people's consent. So far, the 'people' of Nandigram had churlishly withheld their consent, and so, if necessary, a new 'people' must be invented, or manufactured in Nandigram. It is these 'new' people who will consent to the ever closer integration of their land with the juggernaut of global capitalism. Who better than a party that calls itself communist to oversee this transition. Remember, things ought to be the very opposites of what they are. No one makes for better partisans for capitalism than the apparitchiki of Communist parties. Berthold Brecht, writing in and ironic vein in the wake of the failed workers uprising against the workers state of the German Democratic Republic on the 17th of June, 1953 had said in a poem pithily titled, 'The Solution' "After the uprising of the 17th June The Secretary of the Writers Union Had leaflets distributed in the Stalinallee Stating that the people Had forfeited the confidence of the government And could win it back only By redoubled efforts. Would it not be easier In that case for the government To dissolve the people And elect another?" The ruling party in West Bengal, a past master at the intricacies of electoral politics, somewhat bruised after having faced a people angry at shady deals with Tata and Salem, and tragic ends to Hindu Muslim romances in Kolkata via contract killings (I am referring of course to the Rizwanur case) could now consider the wisdom of dissolving this angry, ungrateful and recalcitrant people, and electing another, more pliant one in its place. Nandigram in November is an exemplary first step in that direction. best Shuddha From tapasrayx at gmail.com Fri Nov 16 07:51:23 2007 From: tapasrayx at gmail.com (Tapas Ray) Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2007 21:21:23 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Nandigram.... In-Reply-To: <473CDE60.1040905@sarai.net> References: <98f331e00711151141t2646be13ved5d3a46222473be@mail.gmail.com> <473CDE60.1040905@sarai.net> Message-ID: <473CFEA3.3090505@googlemail.com> Thank you, Shuddha, for such painstaking research. It is clear that composing your post has taken hard work, but this work was sorely needed. The "victors", as usual, are rewriting history after the battle. They had to be exposed. It is another matter that, I think, this "victory" for the CPI(M) in its turf war will eventually prove worse than defeat. Tapas Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: > Dear All, (apologies for Cross Posting on Kafila.org) > > > It is interesting to witness the spin doctoring of the CPI(M) come into > play in the wake of the renewed violence in Nandigram, which in CPI(M) > newspeak is now being called 'a transition to peaceful conditions' . > From moinakb at yahoo.com Fri Nov 16 16:30:01 2007 From: moinakb at yahoo.com (moinak biswas) Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2007 03:00:01 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] Walking for Nandigram, November 14 Message-ID: <831467.21669.qm@web54307.mail.re2.yahoo.com> The organizers were obviously not prepared for size of the turn-out. That it would be big they must have known, as the outrage had reached a boiling point since the second offensive against Nandigram villagers started on the 6th. . But no one could have anticipated the multitudes that would render numbers obscure on the streets yesterday. The organizers didn’t even bring enough of those little badges which just said ‘Dhikkar’ (‘Shame!’). But then who were the organizers? Some familiar faces were using a loudspeaker to issue basic instructions – ‘Please do not carry organizational banners; do not shout slogans; our route will be.. .’ No one was leading. Many people did not know who gave the call for the rally; they still do not know. No parties joined, no trucks and trains carrying obedient supporters; one lakh people on the streets, smiling in the early winter sun - the smile of release from inaction, from silence. They had been asking constantly over the last few days: Is there somewhere we can go? Do you know if there is something we could do? I saw my cousins, schoolmates, neighbours - many of whom admitted that this was the first time in their lives they had joined a procession. We exchanged looks across the street, from one row to the other; they smiled and said, ‘Could not stay home’. Commuters, stranded by the endless human stream, often joined in. Someone shouted from an immobilized tram, ‘March on, we are with you’. Flower petals came raining down on the marchers from an old house near Wellington Square. On Nirmal Chandra Street, a group of locals stood by, displaying words of mourning and anger on small placards. I was near the Calcutta Medical College when Sibajida and Suman Mukhopadhyay called from Dharmatala, our destination, to say they had reached. ‘Reached! But we have only just started here. And how many are still following?’ No one had a clear idea how many; but someone from the back reported that the tail was moving near Hedua, a kilometre behind us. Calls were coming in from all points along the massive meandering stream, ‘Where are you? How long will you take?’ As if one was still receiving calls to leave home and join. You could just inhabit these old central districts of the city and wait for the march to pass through you, making you a part of its open torso. I felt like telling the first-timers that we were also doing this after a long, long time. A call came from Bankura; Dwaipayan Bhattacharya, missing the rally sorely, shouted: ‘When did you last see such a michhil ?’ I passed the question on to Sourin Bhattacharya, 70, walking in front of me - ‘When did we last see something like this, Sir? 'After Ayodhya', he says, 'After Guajarat’; he then adds, ‘But the CPM and the other Left in power joined those rallies in droves. When did one last see a mass of this size without political parties?’ The question is passed on, the students wait for us to remember; we look to our dadas, the quiet, grey brigade walking with us. Maybe the hunger marches of '66? But even then, they add, there were party workers. Some bystanders are found managing the lines. No one asks who they are, the most irrelevant question on November 14. We look around and find almost every face familiar, but the wonder is we didn’t know so many unknown faces would appear familiar. That's where numbers became obscure. We arrived at Dharmatala at quarter to four, the tail end was to come and mix into the sea forty-five minutes later. The protean mass in Dharmatala, standing, squatting on the main thoroughfare, drifting about and chatting, reuniting with friends, forming circles, cheering one another, singing, collecting relief for the affected in Nandigram, created a perfect picture of a rally without a centre, or rather, without the familiar centring. People weren't even sure for a while if there was to be the customary dais around which we should finally gather. Some suggested that the little truck leading the silent procession with the sole loudspeaker be made the dais; but Medha Patekar was seen already addressing the crowd from a make-shift stage. Let us have one stage then, the truck people quickly decided. It was impossible to go near the spot. The space, recently christened the 'Metro Channel' by anti-government protesters, was not meant for such a massive gathering. Indistinct voices came drifting in from there, but it was not designated as a focus for the eddying movements over the stretch between Lenin Sarani and S. N. Banerjee Road. It wasn't possible to form the usual semi-circle of spectatorship around a single voice. Was it Mahasweta Devi speaking or Sankha Ghosh? Aparna Sen or Joy Goswami? Was it Pratul Mukhopadhyay singing? Anjan Dutt materialized beside us with Gautam Ghose, who was asking anxiously if Nabaneeta Dev Sen had been spotted. 'She is ill', Gautam said, 'We asked her not to come, but she has sneaked out of home'. The stage had its own little circle, like innumerable other circles of students, actors, office workers, little-magazine wallahs, bespectacled teachers, journalists, holding intense transactions of information and wisecracks. The circles opened and closed to allow for a shifting membership, merged into one another. One could not see the neat police circle around the gathering though, like those found in the aftermath of March 14. Why? We were asking ourselves. The fairly modest gathering outside the Kolkata Film Festival on the 11th had drawn an excessive display of force from the police, who arrested 68 of a crowd singing songs. On the 10th, they arrested stray people walking away from Medha's fast. Bodhisattwa Kar, who has earned the distinction of getting arrested on both occasions, must have been wondering too: where were the cordons, the neatly lined up law-keepers? The police looked scattered and vaguely distributed over Dharmatala. Were they mirroring the formless discipline of the crowd, a mass that was swelling and flowing on all sides, not tied up into a bunch by a single thread of harangue? Before people dispersed with companions in tow, looking forward to an adda where the narratives would start, they were asking - what next? A sequence of rallies and meetings, writing, image-making, arguments. But what about a project, something more sustainable? as Sourin babu kept on saying. If one tried one could read many lips in the crowd uttering the same interrogative. The question was no doubt carried over to the addas that followed. Organizing the streets of November 14 into a legible sequence, a story, will perhaps be the small next step in the direction of formulating the 'project'. One hopes the story does not forget though that there was no one to pass a single thread of yarn from the beginning to the end of the michhil yesterday. Moinak Biswas Calcutta, November 15, 2007 ____________________________________________________________________________________ Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your home page. http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs From shuddha at sarai.net Fri Nov 16 16:59:21 2007 From: shuddha at sarai.net (Shuddhabrata Sengupta) Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2007 16:59:21 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Walking for Nandigram, November 14 In-Reply-To: <831467.21669.qm@web54307.mail.re2.yahoo.com> References: <831467.21669.qm@web54307.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <473D7F11.3040307@sarai.net> Dear Moinak, Thank you for that wonderfully evocative account of the march for Nandigram in Kolkata on the 14th of November, I was just about to send a forward of this text, (which I had just been reading on Kafila.org) when I saw your mail make its way into my Reader List inbox. It made my day. Readers will recognize Boddhisattva Kar, former Sarai independent fellow in a cameo role in this posting. I hope that he (Bodhi), who must be too busy getting arrested and released on a daily basis to be reading this list regularly right now, will also write and send us his own impressions of the gathering. In a recent forwarded blog posting sent on to this list, our resident right-wing agent-provocateur Pawan Durani had cynically endorsed the following statement "Who is bothered about Nandigram? Only Bengalis. And if they are communists they still do not bother." As will be clear from this posting, at least, or should I say 'only' one lakh Bengalis, of whom many would be communist or communist sympathizers, and who, like Moinak (or me) would be from families that have had long and close associations with the Communist Parties in Bengal, spontaneously and peacefully took to the streets of Kolkata to protest against the CPI(M)'s reign of terror in Nandigram. The generation of our parents and grandparents who became Communists in Bengal in the 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s, and who brought us up to own up to the ideas of internationalism, equality, democracy and a hatred of tyranny everywhere (including in states that would describe themseves as 'Communist') would have been motivated by the kind of anger and sorrow that brought these one lakh people on to the streets of Kolkata. The continuity of the spirit that made millions of people read Marx, and take the possibility of a revolutionary project seriously in resides, not in the CPI(M) any longer, but in those who came unbidden by any party on to the streets of Kolkata for this gathering. Something has changed in Bengal. What is interesting in this is that we are beginning to see the formation of a response that actually transcends the narrow and unquestioned loyalties of 'traditional' political affilations in Bengal. The automatic assumption that the left-leaning sections of the Bengali intelligentsia will fall in line when the 'cadre' call the shots is no longer working. The CPI(M) lost the working class when the CITU became an organized mafia that protected Capitalist and State Capitalist interests, it seems now to be beginning to lose the peasantry, and the intelligentsia, in the wake of Nandigram. All it has going for itself is the rump of global Capitalism, an ideology that can be identified only with a xenophic state capitalist streak of paranoia, with its Kerala, Bengal and South Delhi variations, the 'backing' of a murderous match fixer like Ashok Todi and the higher echelons of the Police hierarchy, and a few samples of a rentier cultural apparatchiki in Delhi. It's early days yet, and I could be wrong, but could this be the first sign of the beginning of the end of the stranglehold of the CPI(M) on the Bengali consciousness, and the first glimmer of the end of the so called Left Front's paralytic hold on political power in West Bengal? I certainly hope so. If you read right till the end of Moinak's post, you will see the tentative evocation of what Moinak calls - the hope for a 'project'. Nothing certain yet, no clear ideas, no ringing manifestos, but the hesitant, tentative recognition that something new is possible. For many days in the past few months, I have made posts on the reader list in anger, in sorrow and in irritation. This afternoon, in the sober after-light of Nandigram, reading about the whispers of the 'project' that emerged because one lakh people marched spontaneously together, I forward this post with unabashed joy. Thank you once again Moinak. best, in solidarity with all those who marched in Kolkata, wishing I was there Shuddha --------- moinak biswas wrote: > > The > organizers were obviously not prepared for size of the turn-out. That it would > be big they must have known, as the outrage had reached a boiling point since > the second offensive against Nandigram villagers started on the 6th. . > But no one could have anticipated the multitudes that would render numbers > obscure on the streets yesterday. The organizers didn’t even bring enough of > those little badges which just said ‘Dhikkar’ (‘Shame!’). But then who were the > organizers? Some familiar faces were using a loudspeaker to issue basic > instructions – ‘Please do not carry organizational banners; do not shout > slogans; our route will be.. .’ No one was leading. Many people did not know > who gave the call for the rally; they still do not know. No parties joined, no > trucks and trains carrying obedient supporters; one lakh people on the streets, > smiling in the early winter sun - the smile of release from inaction, from > silence. They had been asking constantly over the last few days: Is there > somewhere we can go? Do you know if there is something we could do? I saw my > cousins, schoolmates, neighbours - many of whom admitted that this was the > first time in their lives they had joined a procession. We exchanged looks > across the street, from one row to the other; they smiled and said, ‘Could not > stay home’. Commuters, stranded by the endless human stream, often joined in. > Someone shouted from an immobilized tram, ‘March on, we are with you’. Flower > petals came raining down on the marchers from an old house near Wellington Square. > On Nirmal Chandra Street, > a group of locals stood by, displaying words of mourning and anger on small > placards. I was near the Calcutta > Medical College > when Sibajida and Suman Mukhopadhyay called from Dharmatala, our destination, > to say they had reached. ‘Reached! But we have only just started here. And how > many are still following?’ No one had a clear idea how many; but someone from > the back reported that the tail was moving near Hedua, a kilometre behind us. > Calls were coming in from all points along the massive meandering stream, > ‘Where are you? How long will you take?’ As if one was still receiving calls to > leave home and join. You could just inhabit these old central districts of the > city and wait for the march to pass through you, making you a part of its open > torso. I felt like telling the first-timers that we were also doing this after > a long, long time. A call came from Bankura; Dwaipayan Bhattacharya, missing > the rally sorely, shouted: ‘When did you last see such a michhil ?’ I > passed the question on to Sourin Bhattacharya, 70, walking in front of me - > ‘When did we last see something like this, Sir? 'After Ayodhya', he says, > 'After Guajarat’; he then adds, ‘But the CPM and the other Left in power joined > those rallies in droves. When did one last see a mass of this size without > political parties?’ The question is passed on, the students wait for us to > remember; we look to our dadas, the quiet, grey brigade walking with us. Maybe > the hunger marches of '66? But even then, they add, there were party workers. > Some bystanders are found managing the lines. No one asks who they are, the > most irrelevant question on November 14. We look around and find almost every > face familiar, but the wonder is we didn’t know so many unknown faces would > appear familiar. That's where numbers became obscure. We arrived at Dharmatala > at quarter to four, the tail end was to come and mix into the sea forty-five > minutes later. The protean mass in Dharmatala, standing, squatting on the main > thoroughfare, drifting about and chatting, reuniting with friends, forming > circles, cheering one another, singing, collecting relief for the affected in > Nandigram, created a perfect picture of a rally without a centre, or rather, > without the familiar centring. People weren't even sure for a while if there > was to be the customary dais around which we should finally gather. Some > suggested that the little truck leading the silent procession with the sole > loudspeaker be made the dais; but Medha Patekar was seen already addressing the > crowd from a make-shift stage. Let us have one stage then, the truck people > quickly decided. It was impossible to go near the spot. The space, recently > christened the 'Metro Channel' by anti-government protesters, was not meant for > such a massive gathering. Indistinct voices came drifting in from there, but it > was not designated as a focus for the eddying movements over the stretch > between Lenin Sarani and S. N. > Banerjee Road. It wasn't possible to form the > usual semi-circle of spectatorship around a single voice. Was it Mahasweta Devi > speaking or Sankha Ghosh? Aparna Sen or Joy Goswami? Was it Pratul Mukhopadhyay > singing? Anjan Dutt materialized beside us with Gautam Ghose, who was asking > anxiously if Nabaneeta Dev Sen had been spotted. 'She is ill', Gautam said, 'We > asked her not to come, but she has sneaked out of home'. The stage had its own > little circle, like innumerable other circles of students, actors, office > workers, little-magazine wallahs, bespectacled teachers, journalists, holding > intense transactions of information and wisecracks. The circles opened and > closed to allow for a shifting membership, merged into one another. One could > not see the neat police circle around the gathering though, like those found in > the aftermath of March 14. Why? We were asking ourselves. The fairly modest > gathering outside the Kolkata Film Festival on the 11th had drawn an excessive > display of force from the police, who arrested 68 of a crowd singing songs. On > the 10th, they arrested stray people walking away from Medha's fast. Bodhisattwa > Kar, who has earned the distinction of getting arrested on both occasions, must > have been wondering too: where were the cordons, the neatly lined up > law-keepers? The police looked scattered and vaguely distributed over > Dharmatala. Were they mirroring the formless discipline of the crowd, a mass > that was swelling and flowing on all sides, not tied up into a bunch by a > single thread of harangue? Before people dispersed with companions in tow, > looking forward to an adda where the narratives would start, they were asking - > what next? A sequence of rallies and meetings, writing, image-making, > arguments. But what about a project, something more sustainable? as Sourin babu kept on saying. If one tried > one could read many lips in the crowd uttering the same interrogative. The > question was no doubt carried over to the addas that followed. Organizing the > streets of November 14 into a legible sequence, a story, will perhaps be the > small next step in the direction of formulating the 'project'. One hopes the > story does not forget though that there was no one to pass a single thread of > yarn from the beginning to the end of the michhil yesterday. > > > Moinak > Biswas > > > Calcutta, November > 15, 2007 > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ____________________________________________________________________________________ > Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your home page. > http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From shuddha at sarai.net Fri Nov 16 17:04:17 2007 From: shuddha at sarai.net (Shuddhabrata Sengupta) Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2007 17:04:17 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Text Of Media Release for the Arts Based Protest [Nandigram] Message-ID: <473D8039.4050902@sarai.net> And now, Nandigram-Bangalore. Amar Gram, tomar gram, Nandigram? -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Text Of Media Release for the Arts Based Protest [Nandigram] Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2007 16:57:42 +0530 From: peter griffin To: undisclosed-recipients:; ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: nandigram bangalore Date: 16 Nov 2007 16:32 Subject: Text Of Media Release for the Arts Based Protest To: The story of Nandigram is a grotesquely mediaeval saga of a government waging war on its own people. It is a story of political forces undermining the fabric of democratic governance, and of a rogue government debasing the integrity of the state in its mindless pursuit of political hegemony. It is a tale not only of the physical displacement of people but of the dislocation of memories, of the uprooting of the shared history and myth of uncounted generations whose lives have been grounded in their native soil. It is the story of power-crazed, totalitarian forces trying to hook the fabric of constitutional democracy to their appetite, to follow as they draw. It is the story of government functionaries - servants of the people - transforming themselves into political warlords, unable to accept people's rejection of their arbitrary impositions, crazed by bloodlust and following a perverted programme of revenge where the brutal rape and mutilation of women's bodies has been turned into a clinical, methodical weapon. Nandigram is a tale of immense human sorrow. To protest against this act of barbarity, we are coming together to answer the performance of brutality through the performance of creativity - to answer violence with poetry, music and art; to return gunfire with candlelight. We, artists and performers, will assemble in front of the Gandhi statue on Mahatma Gandhi Road, Bangalore, at 14:00 on Sunday, 18/11/'07, and express our horror through a series of performances - musical, Spoken Word, theatre, installation art, etc. Some of the key events are: Commencement - 14:00 hrs, Gandhi statue, MG Road Performance piece on Nandigram - 14:15 hrs, Gandhi statue, MG Road Street Theatre performance by Mayaavan - 15:00 hrs, pavement in frong of Cauvery Emporium, MG Road - Brigade Road Cross Performance - 'Otherness Of The Body' by Parnab Mukherjee - 16:00 hrs, in front of Gandhi statue on MG Road Backward March to symbolize regression into fascism - 17:00 hrs, Cariappa Park to Gandhi statue Beginning of candlelit vigil with music-poetry performance - 18:00 hours, Gandhi statue, MG Road This apart, musical peformances will continue throughout in front of the Gandhi statue. There will also be installations and other forms of contemporary arts/street arts. The aim of this intervention is twofold - to inform people in Bangalore about the human atrocities in Nandigram, but also to let people in West Bengal (both the victims as well as the perpetrators of the massacre) know that in spite of attempts to black out all information from the region, people in the rest of the country are coming forward in protest. If you are associated with the print/visual media in Bangalore, please do get in touch with us at the contact details given below if you'd like to cover the event or speak with us about it. you can mail us on this ID, leave a comment with your contact details on http://nandigram-bangalore.blogspot.com. Or, you may call Arka Mukhopadhyay on 9880966313 or Kallol Dasgupta on 9902989764. If you can get this message across to your friends in the media, that'll also be greatly appreciated. The Organizers From iram at sarai.net Fri Nov 16 15:18:29 2007 From: iram at sarai.net (Iram Ghufran) Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2007 15:18:29 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] [Announcements] Fwd: Hashiya Exhibition Invite In-Reply-To: <96c0bb200711152208o69401324j132bdf41cdeec795@mail.gmail.com> References: <9e81e6e0711151310x3d549ea7ne442bab0a13c7ac0@mail.gmail.com> <96c0bb200711152208o69401324j132bdf41cdeec795@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <473D676D.7080803@sarai.net> > Hi Iram, Can you post it on sarai announcements? > > thanks > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Dear friends, > > Warm wishes from the Hashiya team! > > We are a beginning of a voluntary community action group that will > initiate and carry out politico-cultural activities in the Jamia Nagar > area in order to engage with and act on the issues related to > marginalisation and urban poverty. (See our concept note below this > email for more details.) > > Hashiya team is putting up an exhibition as an outcome of the process > activity that we called */HASHIYE KE RANG/* or COLOURING THE MARGINS. > We held sessions with children of all age groups in a few schools in > the area on Children's Day where children expressed their views and > perspective on their lives through painting/drawing. All these schools > cater to the children mostly from lower class and lower middle class > families and most participants are girls. > > We will put */all these paintings/* into the exhibition without > judging them for the level of "artistic skill" or presence of a clear > social message. /*We value these expressions just as they are*/, for > each child made the images that their minds conjured while we spoke > with them about their lives, school, home, neighbourhood and the > larger world. > > *We invite you to visit the exhibition to be held on November 19-21, > 2007 between 10 am and 5 pm in collaboration with the Community > Outreach Programme of Centre for Jawaharlal Nehru Studies, ** Jamia > Millia Islamia** at Cafe Castro, JMI with friends/family/colleagues*. > We also extend a special invitation to you for the formal opening of > the exhibition on the 19 November at 11 am by Ms. Samina Mishra . > > Samina Mishra is an idependent film maker and writer of children's > literature. Her first book for children "Hina in the Old City" was > published by Tulika. She has made documentary films like "Aadha > Aasman" and "The House on Gulmohar Avenue". She has conducted numerous > workshops in Delhi and elsewhere encouraging creative writing, > thinking and exploration for children and has, in her own words, > "ended up with lot of work with children, home, belonging and such > issues". Samina is also a very special member of the Jamia community- > having been herself a student of the Jamia's AJK Mass Communication > Research Centre and having translated children's stories written by > her great grandfather, Dr Zakir Husain from Urdu to English- published > by Young Zubaan in their "The Magic Key series". > > Please come to see t he exhibition and interact with participating > children, their families, other community members on the themes of > marginalisation, urbanisation, children's perspective and aspiration > as also Hashiya and our work , with light music, over a cup of tea at > our wonderful venue- the Cafe Castro. > > > Best regards, > Ghazala Jamil > HASHIYA No song, no literature, no poem full of vitamins, no history connected to experience that you can pass along to help us start strong? You are an adult. The old one, the wise one. Stop thinking about saving your face. Think of our lives and tell us your particularized world. Make up a story. Narrative is radical, creating us at the very moment it is being created. We will not blame you if your reach exceeds your grasp; if love so ignites your words they go down in flames and nothing is left but their scald. Or if, with the reticence of a surgeon's hands, your words suture only the places where blood might flow. We know you can never do it properly - once and for all. Passion is never enough; neither is skill. But try. For our sake and yours forget your name in the street; tell us what the world has been to you in the dark places and in the light. Don't tell us what to believe, what to fear. Show us belief’s wide skirt and the stitch that unravels fear's caul. You, old woman, blessed with blindness, can speak the language that tells us what only language can: how to see without pictures. Language alone protects us from the scariness of things with no names. Language alone is meditation. Tell us what it is to be a woman so that we may know what it is to be a man. What moves at the margin. What it is to have no home in this place. To be set adrift from the one you knew. What it is to live at the edge of towns that cannot bear your company. … … In her country children have bitten their tongues off and use bullets instead to iterate the voice of speechlessness, of disabled and disabling language, of language adults have abandoned altogether as a device for grappling with meaning, providing guidance, or expressing love. But she knows tongue-suicide is not only the choice of children. It is common among the infantile heads of state and power merchants whose evacuated language leaves them with no access to what is left of their human instincts for they speak only to those who obey, or in order to force obedience. Toni Morrison On the city margins: Jamia Nagar Jamia Nagar is a predominantly Muslim community in the south-east corner of Delhi- literally on the city margins- a mish-mash of upper class enclaves where the rich wall themselves in socially (and physically in most cases) and poor quarters or ghettos, if you wish, which contain the repressed lower economic class. They stick together to protect their ‘cultural integrity’ and to ensure their physical safety from real or perceived threat of communal violence or simply because there is no where else to go to. The rest of the town seems unable to bear their company, rent them houses or hire their labour. A place where a self-defensive and chosen form of marginalisation as well as a negatively produced and repressed “Other” exist concurrently. Residents use these “self-defensive” or “repressive” walls to “protect” themselves but end up as unwitting perpetrators and victims of marginalisation leading to ‘otherness’ and suspicion, leading further to possibilities of criminalisation. Hashiya Our self-image is partly made up of how others see us and partly of our own assessment of our self. Where does one end and the other begins? The answer comes out a little garbled and unclear. What is clear though is that our self-image influences the way we behave or carry ourselves. In turn that influences people’s opinions of us which contribute to an altered (?) self-image. What if we extend this self image concept from individuals and apply it to group of people or communities? Hashiya is an exploration of their identity by people, and creation of a new altered identity for those who engage with the process. It is to support or bringing to fore (to the space where it can be used) knowledge created about a group of people and the world they cohabit with other people and communities by themselves. Language/articulation and the social conditions which shape it are the central theme since, through communication or an inability to communicate, specific ideas and interpretations of the world and how people behave in it are formulated. Hashiya, therefore, aims to become a space/an opportunity to give tongue to the language of the marginalised and through this new articulation give rise to a new political consciousness that brings change and creates new realities. Most groups working with the marginalised study them and their problems and inadvertently stop at creating knowledge about them for the mainstream. Hashiya will make conscious effort to study the society from the peripheral perspectives and strive to present these to the larger society. We will strive to create avenues for politico-cultural expression for the people of the community and use these to uphold the rights of the poorest within the community. Hashiya will always remain a community based voluntary action group initiated and sustained by the energy and people from within the community. In this manner it is different from other people’s organisations that depend on external leaders who work for a period of time with community and then ‘hand over’ to leave and move on. Hashiya: activities Activities that bring in more exposure to the world for children, youth and women from the community. Activities promoting democratic outlook Activities promoting arts and articulation Regular Local film screenings- World cinema, children’s cinema Bookshop and reading room Talks and readings by personalities in various fields Gatherings around music and poetry Publishing: Hashiya aarai (to comment) Books that carry articulation and expression of the marginalised communities and seek to end/minimise the degree of separation of the side stream from the ‘mainstream’. Books that comment on larger issues of the community, the larger society and the world. Abridged booklets, pamphlets liberated from jargon- for the consumption of community in English/Hindi and Urdu. The other aspect of Hashiya activities will be those that will draw energy from the above politico-cultural activities. Gaining strength from people’s articulation of their issues and concerns Hashiya will initiate and facilitate activities monitoring (and thereby, strengthening) the reach of the people to public welfare services and programmes of other community based organisations. Building and facilitating network of other CBOs in Jamia Nagar area with the objective of enriching work through sharing and increased accountability Monitoring and strengthening reach of the people to welfare services available in the area by the network. _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From labor at buchsenhausen.at Fri Nov 16 21:29:13 2007 From: labor at buchsenhausen.at (Kunstlerhaus Buchsenhausen) Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2007 16:59:13 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] Annual General Meeting AGM07: Doc.Art - Presentations, videos, discussion on the interaction between journalism and art Message-ID: <473DBE51.7060600@buchsenhausen.at> +::English::+ *************************************************** Annual General Meeting AGM07: Doc.Art Iben Bentzen, Alfredo Cramerotti, Francesca Recchia Presentations, videos, discussion on the interaction between journalism and art Fri 16.11.2007, 19.00 Künstlerhaus Büchsenhausen Weiherburggasse 13 Innsbruck, Austria *************************************************** Annual General Meeting AGM and Künstlerhaus Büchsenhausen present the 5th edition of AGM: AGM07 Doc.Art. The symposium analyses the interaction between journalism and art. It presents and discusses artistic projects produced through journalistic and documentary means, and conversely journalistic investigations which use artistic platforms to reach the public. AGM07 Doc.Art focusses particularly on the following topics: Aesthetic Journalism, the use of realism in documentary video art, and the artistic/journalistic exposing of territorial control. AGM07: Doc.Art is an event forming part of the series Aesthetic Journalism by Alfredo Cramerotti. The symposium is held in English. ******** SPEAKERS: Iben Bentzen (*1977) is a curator, critic, and artist based in Copenhagen. In her work, Iben Bentzen explores the existing modes of perception regarding cultural identity, realities created by media and otherness. She holds an MA in Art History and Visual Culture (Copenhagen University). She has produced experimental television for Chamber of Public Secrets at tv-tv.dk, worked as a presenter for the net-gallery Netfilmmakers.dk, and currently is working as project manager and art consultant at Crossroads Copenhagen. Alfredo Cramerotti (*1967) is a curator and writer based in Bologna. His practice investigates representation and reality across a variety of media and collaborations, ranging from radio, TV, and press to art festivals. He received an MA in Art in Context (UdK Berlin), and participated in the Critical Studies programme at the Lund University/ Malmö Art Academy. He has lectured internationally and publishes regularly in art, literature and media journals. Currently he is a fellow in Theory and Art Criticism at Künstlerhaus Büchsenhausen. Francesca Recchia (*1975) is a Research Fellow at the University College of London. Her work is focused on the geo-political dimension of cultural processes. She holds a PhD in Cultural Studies (Oriental Institute Naples) and an MA in Visual Cultures (Goldsmiths College London). She was part of the Documenta 11 Education Project. She has lectured internationally and has collaborated with the artist groups Multiplicity and Stalker/Osservatorio Nomade. Annual General Meeting AGM was initiated by Alfredo Cramerotti and Iben Bentzen in 2003 in order to pursue new modes of knowledge production in existing fields of knowledge. It is an annual and itinerant event focused on exploring the relation between the annual theme and the hosting institution. www.annualgeneralmeeting.net ********** PROGRAMME: 19.00 Andrei Siclodi: What is AGM? Presentation of the topic of AGM07 19:15 Alfredo Cramerotti : Aesthetic Journalism 19:45 Francesca Recchia: Histories from the Present. Counter-Balancing Official Narratives of Power 20:15 Iben Bentzen: Strategies of Realism in Documentary Video Art 21:45 Discussion Moderation: Andrei Siclodi, Director of the Künstlerhaus Büchsenhausen Throughout the evening the following video works will be screened: Vladimir Tomic: Echo, 2005 Colonel: Protest Underwear, 2005 Klaas Van Gorkum: Film as Fossil, 2004 The Atlas Group: The Bachar Tapes, 2001 Max Kestner: Max by Chance, 2004. ***************************************************** +::Deutsch::+ ***************************************************** Annual General Meeting AGM07 Doc.Art Präsentationen, Videos, Diskussion zur Wechselwirkung zwischen Journalismus und Kunst Iben Bentzen, Alfredo Cramerotti, Francesca Recchia FR 16.11.2007, 19.00 Künstlerhaus Büchsenhausen Weiherburggasse 13 Innsbruck, Austria Eintritt frei ************************************************ Annual General Meeting und das Künstlerhaus Büchsenhausen laden zur 5. Edition von Annual General Meeting: AGM07 Doc.Art am Freitag, 16.11.2007, um 19.00 ins Künstlerhaus Büchsenhausen ein. Das Symposium untersucht die gegenseitige Beeinflussung von Journalismus und Kunst. Kunstprojekte, die mit Hilfe journalistischer und/oder dokumentaristischer Methoden entwickelt wurden, sowie journalistische Recherchen, die sich zwecks ihrer Veröffentlichung künstlerischer Plattformen bedienen, werden vorgestellt und diskutiert. AGM07 Doc.Art konzentriert sich insbesondere auf folgende Themen: ästhetischer Journalismus, Einsatzstrategien des Realismus in der dokumentaristischen Videokunst sowie die künstlerische/journalistische Aufdeckung territorialer Überwachung. AGM07: Doc.Art ist eine Veranstaltung in der Reihe "Ästhetischer Journalismus" von Alfredo Cramerotti. Das Symposium findet in englischer Sprache statt. *********** ReferentInnen: Iben Bentzen (*1977) lebt als Kuratorin, Kritikerin und Künstlerin in Kopenhagen. In ihrer Arbeit untersucht sie bekannte Wahrnehmungsmethoden im Hinblick auf Fragen der kulturellen Identität, massenmediatisierter Realitätsvorstellungen und Alterität. Sie studierte Kunstgeschichte und Visual Culture an der Universität in Kopenhagen. Sie produzierte experimentelle TV-Sendungen für Chamber of Public Secrets auf tv-tv.dk und war Moderatorin für die Web-Galerie Netfilmmakers.dk. Gegenwärtig ist sie Projektmanagerin und Beraterin im Bereich Kunst bei Crossroads Copenhagen. Alfredo Cramerotti (*1967) lebt als Kurator und Autor in Bologna. In seiner Arbeit untersucht er Vorstellungen von Repräsentation und Realität in einer Vielzahl von Medien und durch Kollaborationen, von Radio, TV und Presse bis hin zu Kunstfestivals. Er absolvierte ein Master-Studium in Kunst im Kontext an der Universität der Künste Berlin und nahm am Critical-Studies-Programm an der Universität Lund/ Kunstakademie Malmö teil. Zahlreiche internationale Vorträge und Veröffentlichungen in Kunst-, Media- und Literaturjournalen. Gegenwärtig arbeitet er im Künstlerhaus Büchsenhausen als Fellow im Bereich Kunsttheorie und -kritik. Francesca Recchia (*1975) ist Research Fellow am University College of London. Ihre Arbeit konzentriert sich auf die geopolitische Dimension kultureller Prozesse. Sie besitzt ein PhD in Cultural Studies (Oriental Institute in Neapel) und ein MA in Visual Cultures (Goldsmiths College London) und war im Vermittlungsprogramm der Documenta 11 involviert. Zahlreiche internationale Vorträge und Kollaborationen mit den KünstlerInnengruppen Multiplicity und Stalker/Osservatorio Nomade. Annual General Meeting wurde 2003 von Alfredo Cramerotti und Iben Bentzen mit dem Ziel gegründet, neue Formen der Wissensproduktion in bereits existierenden Wissensfeldern zu erforschen. Das jährlich an verschiedenen Orten stattfindende Symposium stellt das Verhältnis zwischen dem Jahresthema und der jeweiligen Gastgeberinstitution in den Mittelpunkt des Interesses. www.annualgeneralmeeting.net ******** Programm: 19.00 Andrei Siclodi: What is AGM? Präsentation des Themas von AGM07 19:15 Alfredo Cramerotti : Aesthetic Journalism 19:45 Francesca Recchia: Histories from the Present. Counter-Balancing Official Narratives of Power 20:15 Iben Bentzen: Strategies of Realism in Documentary Video Art 21:45 Diskussion Moderation: Andrei Siclodi, Leiter des Künstlerhauses Büchsenhausen Die in den Vorträgen besprochenen Videoarbeiten werden während der Laufzeit des Symposiums (19.00 - 24.00) auf fünf Monitoren gezeigt: Vladimir Tomic: Echo, 2005 Colonel: Protest Underwear, 2005 Klaas Van Gorkum: Film as Fossil, 2004 The Atlas Group: The Bachar Tapes, 2001 Max Kestner: Max by Chance, 2004. -- Kunstlerhaus Buchsenhausen Weiherburggasse 13/12 6020 Innsbruck, Austria phone +43 512 278627 fax +43 512 278627-11 office at buchsenhausen.at http://buchsenhausen.at www.kuenstlerschaft.at member of www.baettle.net From shuddha at sarai.net Fri Nov 16 23:06:02 2007 From: shuddha at sarai.net (Shuddhabrata Sengupta) Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2007 23:06:02 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] All you who do not sleep tonight... Message-ID: <473DD502.40604@sarai.net> Dear all, (apologies for cross posting on Kafila.org) Sometimes I wonder whether, when I use the phrase 'rentier cultural apparatchiki' it actually describes faces, real people, or is it just an abstract category, that one deploys in anger and sadness. Well, em, here are some faces, some names - people we meet, say hello to, read the books of, see the art of, watch the films of... As the weather turns in Delhi, we will meet them more often, there will be soirees, readings, screenings, exhibition openings, so much fun in the winter whirlwind, and they will turn up - two by two, or one by one, and in the silence between us will hang the heavy weight of the name of a place called Nandigram. Read these names, read them carefully - Irfan Habib, Prabhat Patnaik, Utsa Patnaik, Shireen Moosvi, Jayati Ghosh, Indira Chandrasekhar, Rajen Prasad, Arjun Dev, D.N. Jha, Vivan Sundaram, M.K. Raina, C.P. Chandrasekhar, and Saeed Mirza. Please read, also below, their exemplary contribution - to our understanding of the unfolding situation in West Bengal in the Hindu yesterday - http://www.hindu.com/2007/11/15/stories/2007111561391600.htm Notice - how they nod their heads sagely between the words - ' "complete sympathy" for peasantry *anywhere* fighting forcible dispossession by or on behalf of corporate interests' Except of course, in West Bengal. West Bengal is not *anywhere*. It is the citadel. And so when they express their complete sympathy with fighting peasants - *anywhere*. They are actually completely consistent. West Bengal is not *anywhere*. There is no soil, no rivers, no fish, no rice, no nothing, there are no people in West Bengal. There are a few acres of land, which has come unhinged from a settlement that was thought to be permanent, and these gentlemen and ladies are busy gluing the permanent settlement back, more securely, with all the adhesive that they can secrete together. Their verdict - can be read to mean - "Agitation warranted if any storm happens in any teacup anywhere, but agitation unwarranted if villages are pillaged and burnt in West Bengal". But villages can be pillaged, indeed must be pillaged, because these villages are not *anywhere*. They are in West Bengal. And there are no people in West Bengal. Just as a notice for the acquisition of land is not a land acquisition notice, when it gets posted in a West Bengal Panchayat office, so too, there may be voters and cadres, but there are no people in West Bengal. And those who are not voters and cadres are non-persons anyway. They (the non-people) have been dissolved, and the party will think of how to reconstitute a new people, so that their consent can be ascertained for the building of a chemical hub. New improved people in new improved West Bengal, how could that be *anywhere*? It never existed, it never will. It won't be *anywhere*. How could we get such a simple equation wrong? How can we not understand? A rentier is someone who lives off the investments they have made in a piece of property. These worthy eminences invested the substance of their lives, and their intelligences, - in the party, or should I say the corporation, that they hold dearer than all the words they have ever written, and all the pictures they have ever made. The party-corporation has now called a shareholders meeting, and promised higher dividends, in radical prestige, in social capital, in whispering distance to power, in the ability to make a phone call and get things done, and the shareholders have closed ranks, made sure that their investments are secure. They have issued a promotors notice to the market. Their investments are secure. The party is safe. Normalcy has returned. This is not *anywhere*. This is West Bengal. The people who are not yet the people, or who may once have been the people, have spoken. its just that it is a bit difficult to hear them speak. Or maybe it is just me that is hard of hearing. Anyhow, I hope that each one of these 'activists', (for that is how the newspaper report below describes them) these worthy gentlemen and ladies, have bought an adequate supply of sleeping pills tonight. Because, as I know some of them, and as they are, at the end of the day, ordinary, way too ordinary, men and women, with headaches, joint pains and bad hair days ike the rest of us, they might have some trouble sleeping tonight. There is after all, that prickly and inconvenient human faculty-thing called a conscience, and that strange piece of connected human tissue called a spine, or back-bone, which sometimes makes the softest beds a torture if you twist it or bend it too often. Am I being presumptuous in thinking that they are troubled by their consciences and their backbones. Or did they lose both, conscience and back bone,on the way back from the last meeting of the corporation-party. There is a species that in the course of evolution decided to do away with the inconvenience of the back-bone. As far as I know it is not trobuled over much by a conscience either. In Biology, they are called 'Sarisreep' - Phylum Reptilia. From the sidelines, it is interesting and instructive to watch the shareholders of the corporation-party evolve into a wonderful new life-form that exhibits so many anatomical similarities to the Phylum Reptilia. Good luck to them, I hope they use their waking and sleepless hours to think about the distances that they have travelled, or should I say crawled, each one of them. best Shuddha -------------------------------------------------- Agitation unwarranted, say activists The Hindu, November 15, 2007 Special Correspondent NEW DELHI: Academics and artistes on Wednesday described as “totally unwarranted” the agitation in the Nandigram area of West Bengal after the Left Front government’s repeated announcements that no chemical hub would be established there. In a statement, they also said the protests being organised against the return of Communist Party of India (Marxist) sympathisers to the area are “as unjustified as they are unhelpful” for the restoration of normality. Sympathy with peasantry Expressing “complete sympathy” with peasantry engaged anywhere in struggles against forcible dispossession by or on behalf of corporate interests, they said the continuation of the agitation in Nandigram was a “means of making the region out of bounds for CPI(M) sympathisers.” Return of refugees Also, according to them, it was a means of preventing the return of refugees driven out of their homes and into refugee camps since January, of keeping out the administrative personnel of the State, and of establishing the unchallenged writ of a coterie over the entire area; all of which violated basic human rights and constituted a blatantly anti-democratic act reminiscent of what happened at Kespur in West Medinipur district a few years earlier. The signatories said no voices of protest other than from the Left Front were raised against the “flagrant denial of basic rights” to thousands of people whose only fault was that they supported the Left Front. “In the absence of intervention by the State machinery and civil society organisations, and of unwillingness for a political dialogue by the Opposition Trinamool Congress, is it surprising that the displaced CPI(M) sympathisers made their own moves to return to their homes?” Displacement The real need of the hour is to ensure that this return does not give rise to a further round of displacement — “this time for the opponents of the Left Front, and that peace and normality returns to Nandigram at the earliest.” The signatories include Irfan Habib, Prabhat Patnaik, Utsa Patnaik, Shireen Moosvi, Jayati Ghosh, Indira Chandrasekhar, Rajen Prasad, Arjun Dev, D.N. Jha, Vivan Sundaram, M.K. Raina, C.P. Chandrasekhar, and Saeed Mirza. From indersalim at gmail.com Fri Nov 16 23:32:05 2007 From: indersalim at gmail.com (inder salim) Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2007 23:32:05 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] No Exit (in Nandigram) by Jean Paul Sartre Message-ID: <47e122a70711161002p5eebc076t46d17c96d3217df1@mail.gmail.com> A quick adaptation of 'NO Exit' by Jean Paul Sartre Characters: B.B – He is a Bengali, who always yearned to live in Moscow.He deserted the army during Indian freedom struggle, and he blatantly cheated on his wife - he even brings his affairs home and gets her to make them breakfast, without any sympathy. Initially, he hates Inès because she understands his weakness, and lusts after Estelle because he feels that if she treats him as a man he will become manly. However, by the end of the play he understands that because Inès understands the meaning of cowardice and wickedness, only absolution at her hands can redeem him (if indeed redemption is possible). He is constantly waiting for his physical torture to come, but this itself is torturous. He is condemned to wish for pain, which he feels will redeem his cowardly actions. B.B. in the beginning was known as Garcin, in American adaptation of the play, he name is Vincent Cradeau. Garcin alias B.B's sin is his cowardice, and in hell he tries to use the two women, who are locked up forever with him in the same room, under the same strong light, as mirrors in which he will see a complacent and reassuring picture of himself. Inès – Inès is the second character to enter the space. A social activist, quite popular in Bengal, Her sin is turning a wife against her husband, twisting her perception of her spouse. Indeed, Inès seems to be the only character who understands the power of opinion, throughout the play manipulating Estelle's and B.B's (Garçin's) opinions of themselves and of each other. She is the only character who is honest about the evil deeds she, B.B. and Estelle have done. Estelle – Estelle is a high-society woman, an Italian, who married her husband for his money and family history. To her, the affair is merely an insignificant fling whereas her lover becomes emotionally attached to her. She drowns the illegitimate child that results, which drives her lover to commit suicide. Throughout the play she makes advances towards B.B. ( Garçin) , seeking to define herself as a woman in relation to a man. Her sins are deceit and murder (which also motivated a suicide). Valet – A local poor farmer who guides each character to make an entry to Nandigram. Valet does not introduce each character, but his only real dialog is with B.B. ( Garçin) . It is never made clear in the play whether the Valet's job is his by choice, by birth, or as punishment. We do learn that his uncle is the head valet. Few Notes and dialogues : The audience in Nandigram simply don't know how to see a play, and there fore, don't know all the inner details of the characters unlike in a citywalla. Nandigram is like an huge open air auditorium. The characters are sitting behind a huge bullet proof glass on a little rivulet against the audience who are running here or there in a strange confusion. But some of them who are positioned on trees and behind bushes with indigenous guns are able to see some of the movement of the characters. Valet is the only local inhabitant who is playing a real active role in the play. And now when the play was about to begin, they suddenly realize that they are too far from the audience, and so they decide to go back to Delhi. They instinctively know that is always better to play in Delhi where there are lights and systems to deliver dialogues in an auditorium. B.B. at that point whispers to Estella ( the rich Italian born lady) " HELL IS THE OTHER PEOPLE" . Estella smiled, and slowly lifted her saree from behind to urinate. She knew that audience would hardly notice what is actually going on at this point in Nandigram. After confessing her sins to B.B ( Garcin) , Inès acknowledges her evil and concludes with a statement as significant as B.B's definition of hell. Ines said in her own shrieking voice, " I need the suffering of others in order to exist" . B.B. hurriedly added while adjusting his Dothi under his logn Kurta. The viscosity (viscosité) of a social character is the strong metaphor by which this capital sin, and which will end by making it impossible for man to choose himself, to invent himself freely. Estella after finishing her long pee, replied back with her soft Italian accent, I know, you Mr. B.B. you are least guilty of the three of us, but you suffer the most under the relentless intellectualizing and even philosophizing, You are thinking too much about Ines. But be so, this is your invented problem. Let us hurry back to Delhi, at least there we have that bald headed old man who loves to slit throats of pregnant women in Gujarat. He is such a wonderful character, you know. B.B was full of wrinkles on his face and said wryly, Oh, I really hate that man, but i know he is a good actor. I know I am dying too early, and I don't have time to act every time with you in Delhi, but I know you will not mind if he plays my role. So I am trying my best, you know. Ines: "Well, well, let's get on with it.. It was too loud, and at this point every body in Nandigram heard and looked at what is happening on the other side of the hell. Characters were making an exit. Valet has no choice but to accompany them, if he wants to exist as a role. Because they can always arrange someone else in his place, who will resemble him, and the audience will never know the change. B.B. wait a sec, why don't we think to change this open air space into a huge Auditorium. We can ask some one rich man to help us, so that we can play our roles properly. Ines " Well, well, let's get on with it . There was strange of mix of dialogues, for example, this line "You are nothing else but your life." is usually delivered at the end of play by Garcin, here B.B. but since the characters decided to make an early exit so this line was uttered by Valet, because of sheer habit, who has otherwise no role but to accompany the characters to the room. B.B. instinctively realized what was going on and so whispered to Valet "Well, well, let's get on with it" Estella immediately repeated " Well, well, let's get on with it" after having a last look at the audience who were running here and there in strange confusion. ( it was not dark as yet ) -- From nicheant at yahoo.co.uk Sat Nov 17 01:10:57 2007 From: nicheant at yahoo.co.uk (Nishant) Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2007 19:40:57 +0000 (GMT) Subject: [Reader-list] Marichjhampi then, Nandigram now Message-ID: <7406.93340.qm@web27909.mail.ukl.yahoo.com> Lifting the veil : Marichjhampi then, Nandigram now Jai Sen November 16 2007 I would like to put forward a few background thoughts on what is going on in Nandigram today, and also around it, in Kolkata and elsewhere. What is happening also needs to be understood within a history of how the Left Front, and in particular the biggest party, the CPI(M), has handled such situations previously. And secondly, I suggest that the widespread reaction to what has happened that is being expressed in civil and political society in India today can perhaps be understood in part as a function of the huge changes that have taken place over these past three decades, especially in that part of the country but also elsewhere. I will try and sketch this out by comparing this to an ‘incident’ that took place back in West Bengal in 1978-79. At that time, when the Left Front government that is still in power today in West Bengal was just a year or so old (it came into power in 1977 and has remained there, uninterrupted, since then), in order to ‘reclaim’ an island in the Sunderbans part of the state that had been occupied and domesticated by refugees from Bangladesh named Marichjhampi, it surrounded and laid siege to the area, starved the inhabitants of food supplies and fresh water, and finally gunned them down even as they tried to escape by swimming across the river. All this, for a Project Tiger reserve. Some reports even said that they used motorboats to mow down some of those who were swimming across the river. (The full story – of the occupation of the area, and why the government reacted as it did – is not quite this simple, but I will leave it here like this, for the purposes of this note. But see the references given at the end of this note, for much of the full story.) Just as in the present case of Nandigram, the media was at that time prevented by the government from entering the area, as far as possible. Just as now, they were allowed to go only till the nearest town, Canning. Local boat-owners were prohibited – by threat of force – from ferrying anyone across the riverine area that separated Marichjhampi from the town. Sadly, at that time most journalists - and even many who otherwise would like to be called progressive, and perhaps in the glow of the Left finally coming back to power just a year before – acquiesced; and they remained passive and silent. As a result, and unlike today’s situation, media coverage was extremely sparse. But some people did get in, and others interviewed the survivors, and some people did write that history. And what happened there came subsequently to be quite widely perceived and referred to as a “massacre”. Reaction from other sections of civil society at that time was almost as muted. (The press, unfortunately, stood out.) Some individuals and organisations did get together however, to organise relief supplies; though some of them were then targeted and interrogated by the same state government, for ‘treasonous acts’. This muted reaction at that time also needs, however, to be understood within the history of the previous decade, of a memory of terror as the consequence of the Congress-led government prior to the Left coming in conducting a pogrom of so-called ‘Naxalites’ following the Naxalbari revolt of the late 60s. And by the time the Left came in to power, there was a totally polarised civil and political society in West Bengal : Either you were with the Left or you were against it and with the Congress. So even people of some conscience ducked. Those of us who criticised the Left government even in other areas – such as the rampant and brutal evictions of the labouring poor that also started back then, and the banning of slow-moving vehicles that threatened to put tens of thousands of rickshaw pullers and others out of work, actions that we thought were indefensible on the part of any government, but especially of the Left - were told privately “You’re saying all the right things, but do you really have to do this publicly ?”. Today, West Bengal is very different. It has new generations in the emerging leadership, a resurgent civil society that is unshackled from the fears and simple polarities of those days, and some of the younger and more independent leadership that was earlier in the CPI(M) and then purged remaining active politically. And unlike today, when the smaller parties of the Left are openly protesting what is happening in Nandigram and holding the CPI(M) directly responsible, there was no public protest at all from other constituents of the Left Front. Things are different today. Change, perhaps, is more possible. What is happening today in Nandigram thus needs to be understood within this longer history in the CPI(M)’s tragic struggle for establishing itself and asserting its power-over; within the history of this struggle intertwining with the compulsions of neoliberalism; and in terms of other forces that are taking shape. There are however two big differences in the situation now. The first is the fact that today the CPI(M) is also fighting to defend and preserve what it regards as being its empire, whereas back then, in 1978-79, it was fighting to establish its territory. This is vital to grasp. The empire that is at stake today is not only just of some physical territory but that of political hegemony in what is, after all, the only part of the country where it has been able to maintain undisputed control over a period as long as three decades, and through this, the party’s influence much more widely. In Kerala and Tripura they have been, and will always be, in and out of power. In a sense therefore, there is far more at stake today. It is – and its cadres are – today desperate. Second, there is a bitter legacy of the 70s that is showing through. Before the Left Front came to power in 1977, it – and particularly the CPI(M) – had learned from its humiliating dismissals from power earlier on, and one step that it took was to co-opt into the party large numbers ofthe goondas that the Congress had till then used, by promising them a slice of the cake; thereby nullifying, or at least reducing, the darker aspects of power that the Congress had quite freely used. But over the years, the party has had to pay the price of this, and there have been various times in the past three decades when these recruits – and their progeny, for it is a neo-feudal rule that has been established - have gone out of control, and the party has had to, at times, resort to purging its body of the worst elements. But only the worst, and the toxic has remained; and it continues to periodically irrupt. What has happened at Nandigram is very likely a mix of both these factors, intertwining with the enormous greed for wealth that neoliberalism has brought in. On the one hand, the pride and ‘honour’ of the local party cadres has been deeply challenged by the ability of local people to stand up for themselves, let alone a sustained resistance. In any feudal set-up, this is intolerable; the consequence is that they must be crushed, and preferably brutally, so that they will never forget. And on the other, there is so much to be gained, and so much to be lost. But what happened at Marichjhampi and has now happened at Nandigram however also show something else that is very special, and that seems to unite the two incidents. The particular viciousness of the two assaults - and also of the language that Ministers then used and that the party’s Politburo members are today using – is paralleled only in a few other recent occasions in the country’s history. There are parallels, but they are only dark parallels. It is therefore so sad to see good people like Jayati Ghosh, Irfan Habib, and Prabhat Patnaik, and apparently also Malini Bhattacharya and Vivan Sundaram – some of them friends - defending what is so evidently, and ultimately, the indefensible; or, at the minimum, covering it up and veiling it from their and our eyes. Their loyalty to The Party and to what it once symbolised has become blind. The defence today is not only of Nandigram but also of what once happened at Marichjhampi. Today, we all need – and they too need – the courage to face realities, and to critically reflect on what needs to be done. Perhaps they are already doing this, deep within themselves…. That time has come. Things today are different. Change is not only possible; it is urgently necessary. In ourselves as well as in the institutions to which we belong. As those on the Left should know well, criticism and self-criticism is the life, and not the death, of movements. Here, below, are some references to what those of us who were in West Bengal in those days referred to simply as “Marichjhampi”. It symbolised something, back then, just as today we are beginning to understand “Nandigram”. Let us remember; let us not forget. ____________ Some material on Marichjhampi : Annu Jalais, April 2005 – ‘Dwelling on Morichjhanpi’, in Economic & Political Weekly, vol 40 no 17, April 23 - April 29 2005 Annu Jalais, June 2005 - ‘Massacre’ in Morichjhanpi’, in Letters to the Editor in EPW (Economic & Political Weekly), June 18 2005, @ http://www.epw.org.in/showArticles.php?root=2005&leaf=06&filename=8748&filetype=html (accessed 27.06.05) Ashok Mitra, May 2005 - Letter to the Editor (commenting on Annu Jalais’ April 2005 article) in EPW (Economic & Political Weekly), May 14 2005 References cited in Annu Jalais, June 2005 : Ross Mallick, February 1999 - ‘Refugee Resettlement in Forest Reserves: West Bengal Policy Reversal and the Marichjhapi Massacre’, in The Journal of Asian Studies vol 58 no 1, pp 104-125 Jagadish Chandra Mondal, 2002 - ‘Morichjhanpi: noishabder antorale’ [‘Morichjhanpi : Behind the Curtain of Silence’, in Bengali]. Kolkata: People’s Book Society Ranjit Kumar Sikar, 1982 - ‘Marichjhapi Massacre’, in The Oppressed Indian, July 1982 ___________________________________________________________ Want ideas for reducing your carbon footprint? Visit Yahoo! For Good http://uk.promotions.yahoo.com/forgood/environment.html From yasir.media at gmail.com Sat Nov 17 03:56:10 2007 From: yasir.media at gmail.com (yasir ~) Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2007 14:26:10 -0800 Subject: [Reader-list] UAE shuts GEO & ARY tv on Musharraf's request In-Reply-To: <5af37bb0711161325n600b7adbn3743a2b135ebd02e@mail.gmail.com> References: <5af37bb0711161325n600b7adbn3743a2b135ebd02e@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <5af37bb0711161426r6220dc90l9268f0f6297ee4b1@mail.gmail.com> Unbelievable Dubai Media City indeed http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/11/16/pakistan.tv/ LAHORE, Pakistan (CNN) -- Two Pakistani television networks that transmit from Dubai in United Arab Emirates were ordered off the air Friday at the request of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, officials from the networks told CNN. [Pakistan's president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, has been under pressure to lift a state of emergency.] GEO-TV and ARY Digital both offer a variety of programming, including news, entertainment, sports and music. Since Musharraf declared a state of emergency earlier this month, Pakistani authorities have shut down media outlets and jailed opposition leaders. Musharraf has said the order improves stability and will foster peaceful parliamentary elections, which he has said he would like to see take place before January 9. The exact date will be set by Pakistan's Election Commission. Opposition leaders have accused Musharraf of declaring emergency rule to keep his hold on power and avoid an expected court ruling that would have nullified his election victory in October. http://www.geo.tv/ Latest Stories: Geo TV Network Shut Down. Geo News TV closed down (Posted at 0105) KARACHI: Under extreme pressure from Musharraf government, Geo News has been shut down late Friday night. This is the latest move by the government to slap the curbs on media especially Geo TV Network, which has been off air with all its entertainment channels since the imposition of emergency. Earlier, Geo TV network has been ordered to shut down by authorities of the country from where it is being aired. Now, the telecast of Geo News would not be viewed even through dish antenna. It was told from the authorities of the country where the Geo News is being aired that the news channel would be off air across the globe. It should be noted that Geo news and its entire sister channels had been closed down across Pakistan after the imposition of emergency. Earlier, the cable operators in Pakistan were forced to close all channels being operated by Geo Network and the Pakistani viewers were deprived of the great source of information. However, the Geo TV was on air from its Dubai office. According to Geo News, it was told to the network by the authorities of the concerned country that viewers across the globe would be able to watch the other channels of Geo Network including Geo Entertainment, Aag TV and Geo Super over Dish antenna. Geo News analyst Dr Shahid Masud said that it is appreciable that Geo administration did not surrender from its viewpoint. According to Geo TV network, it did not surrender to the will of the government and did not sign any paper of compliance with the government, for which it has been punished that its worldwide telecast is being gagged. According to Geo News analysts, while nearly all other entertainment channels were allowed to operate freely; however, most discriminately, the entertainment channels of Geo Network were made off air. On this occasion, Senior Geo News analyst Kamran Khan, Host of Capital Talk Hamid Mir, Dr Amir Liaquat Hussein, Geo News Senior analyst Nasir Beig Chughtai, Justice (rtd) Saeeduz Zaman Siddiqui, Senior defence analyst (Rtd) Talat Masud and British member of Parliament Mohammed Sarwar expressed their grief over this government step regarding closing down the Geo News network and condemned this fresh government attack on the media. It should be noted that nearly all the news channels of the country were taken off air, as soon as the emergency was announced in the country. PEMRA hammered out code of conduct for the media to follow and it was said only those channels would be allowed to operate if they fall in line with the government wishes. From debjanisgupta at yahoo.com Sat Nov 17 09:40:52 2007 From: debjanisgupta at yahoo.com (debjani sengupta) Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2007 20:10:52 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] the learned ones in the pages of The Hindu (and all those who sleep tonight) Message-ID: <592424.97481.qm@web54401.mail.yahoo.com> The learned ones who are writing about their unstinting support to 'peasants' in the pages of The Hindu (after the spate of violence in Nandigram) remind me of a poem by Donald Justice called 'The Grandfathers.' Here it is: The Grandfathers 'Why will they never sleep?' John Peale Bishop Why will they never sleep, The old ones, the grandfathers? Always you find them sitting On ruined porches, deep In the back country, at dusk, Hawking and spitting. They might have sat there forever, Tapping their sticks, Peevish discredited gods. Ask of the traveler how, At road-ends, they will fix You maybe with the cold Eye of a snake or a bird And answer not a word, Only these blank, oracular Head-shakes or head-nods. --------------------------------- Be a better sports nut! Let your teams follow you with Yahoo Mobile. Try it now. From pawan.durani at gmail.com Fri Nov 16 23:43:44 2007 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2007 23:43:44 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] SANKALP YATRA : From the site of Global Human Rights Defence Message-ID: <6b79f1a70711161013me523aa6yc28fb9cf9294cd5e@mail.gmail.com> *GHRD Global Human Rights Defence The Hague Jammu and Kashmir: Sankalp Yatra pilgrimige to raise awareness to the Kashmir issue* *The Panun Kashmir Movement (PKM) is organising a 7,000 kilometre pilgrimage, the Sankalp Yatra, to continue the struggle for Kashmir to become the homeland of the Kashmir Pandits. The two-month journey is to start in November, according to a PKM's official, visiting 41 places in nine states and two union territories of India. * Among the important sites are the Pandit refugee camps in Jammu and Kashmir, where large-scale supporters are due to join the journey. The Yatra also expects to visit the birth and work places of four prominent Indian political figures in history: Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Dr. K.B. Hedgewar and Lokmanya Tilak; and will also meet with several politicians and leaders of India. Religious sites will also be visited to bless the pilgrimage. Another goal of the pilgrimage is to raise awareness to the human rights violations and displacement of the Pandits in the area, at the same time as it seeks the affiliation with the younger generations to educate them about the values that may ensure the establishment of the Pandit Kashmir. Material support such as books, folders, and photographs are planned to be taken along the trip for the dissemination of the Pandit Kashmir cause. PKM leader, Ashwani Kumar Churangoo, is said to have stated that the Yatra focus not only on the Kashmir issue and terrorism, exodus and displacement of Kashmiri Pandits, but as well on other minorities of Kashmir, their present status, and the human rights situation of minorities in the Jammu and Kashmir state. He reportedly encouraged the Kashmir Sikh Displaced Forum to join the event. The Pandit leadership is hoping that the Sankalp Yatra will trigger solidarity among the people of the Pandit Kashmir and the Indian people. They are expecting to gather more political support from the Indian government for a viable solution in the establishment of the homeland of the Pandit community in Kashmir. From pawan.durani at gmail.com Fri Nov 16 23:45:09 2007 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2007 23:45:09 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] SANKALP YATRA - Pilgrimage with a difference Message-ID: <6b79f1a70711161015o31b84409maa32614e76c0d78e@mail.gmail.com> *Article Courtsey : Panun Kashmir Movement* *SANKALP YATRA* *Pilgrimage with a difference* * * * * *-Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo* SANKALP YATRA is a political pilgrimage. Panun Kashmir Movement (PKM) made a pubic declaration about the Yatra on 25th September 2007 in a rally at Rajinder Park, Jammu on Vitasta Divas. We have been observing this day as 'Sankalp Divas' also. It was on this day that we, for the first time, in 1991, organised a public rally on the banks of Ranbir Canal at Rajinder Park, Jammu, in which we took an oath (publicly) to continue the struggle for our reestablishment in Kashmir till 'HOMELAND' was achieved. Accordingly, the pilgrimage has also been named as SANKALP YATRA. It is aimed at the following: >To rekindle the homeland thought process and struggle in the community and give a fresh momentum to the political movement of the Kashmiri Pandits. >To bring to the fore, yet again, the issues about the ethnic cleansing and exodus of the community at national level in a forceful and practical manner by conducting a journey of about 7,000 km. >To make mass awareness about the human rights violations and issues pertaining to the genocidal action against the Pandits and the other minorities of the Jammu and Kashmir State. >To involve the youth in the political struggle of the community by making them a part of the two-month long Yatra and train them in a consistent and coordinated manner. >To reclaim the right on the territory of Kashmir as the indigenous people of Kashmir by initiating this political initiative -SANKALP YATRA from SHEETALNATH-Srinagar, a historically important place for the Kashmiri Pandit community. It gives me pleasure and strength to say, as a part of the delegation, which initiated this Yatra from Sheetalnath-Srinagar, that our visit to Kashmir has generated a new discussion and debate about the issues pertaining to our ethnic cleansing, exodus and resettlement in Kashmir. This is a testimony to the fact that the Sankalp Yatra has achieved its initial goals. For the next two months, it shall further intensify. The commencement of the Yatra from Sheetalnath has a great significance so far as our political struggle is concerned. Sheetalnath continued to be the political battleground of Kashmiri Pandits till exodus. It was at this place in 1947 that Gandhi ji, while addressing the Kashmiri Pandits, said that he had seen a ray of light in Kashmir. This place headquartered the office of the premier and the oldest socio-political organisation of the Kashmiri Pandits –Sanatan Dharma Yavak Sabha. This is the place wherefrom the agitation of 1967 was launched and fought. It is here that the biggest Youth organisation of the Kashmiri Pandits –Hindu Youth (Yuvak) Forum established its office in 1982. This sacred land also comprises the Samadhi of our martyrs of 1967. I take pride in the fact that I am also a product of this great battleground so far as my public life is concerned. On a historical day, the 11th November 2007, when the SANKALP YATRA commenced, the delegation that visited Sheetalnath kissed its sacred ground three times, brought its sacred earth along with and paid its *Shradanjali* to the Samadhi of the martyrs here by offering them floral tributes. Passions ran high while seeing the appalling conditions of the Sheetalnath temple. But that is the story of all such temples and shrines. Everything that houses this sacred land was seen in a shambles including the building of the Sanatan Dharma Yuvak Sabha. The only satisfaction was that the ground of Sheetalnath was fenced and locked. We also visited Zeethyar, Hanuman Temple-Amirakadal, banks of Vitasta, UN office at Gupkar Road and Durganag temple. A press conference was held at Hotel Welcome, Boulevard Road, Srinagar on 12thNovember 2007. We also took an oath (SANKALP) at Zeethyar to continue the struggle till we meet success. The Yatra shall now, in its second phase, leave Jammu on 25th November 2007 and visit the birthplaces (Janamabhumi) and/or work places (Karmabhumi) of four great political personalities of India. The thinking and action on behalf of these historical characters have been instrumental in founding the political edifice of India over the last one hundred years. The personalities are: Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. B.R Ambedkar, Dr. K.B.Hedgewar and Lokmanya Tilak. The Yatra shall in this connection visit Sabarmati Ashram-Ahemdabad, Nagpur and Pune. In order to seek blessings from the revered gods and the gurus for the success of the political pilgrimage, the Yatra shall also have a *darshan *of four important religious shrines i.e. Harmandir-Darbar Sahib, Amritsar, Durgiana Peeth-Amritsar, Akshardham-Ahemdabad and Hazoor Sahib-Nanded, Maharashtra.** The Yatra shall visit a minimum of 41 places in the nine States and two Union Territories of India. Besides this, it shall also visit the Pandit refugee camps in Jammu and Kashmir State to involve the community members in a practical manner. The Yatra shall, during its two month long journey period, also meet political and other important leaders of the country at various places throughout its course. Sufficient material in the shape of books, folders and photographs, depicting our plight and our demand, shall be taken along with the whole Yatra. I appeal to all concerned to contribute to the success of this historical mega-event. We dedicate this Yatra to the youth of the community who sacrificed their lives all these 20 years of turmoil and turbulence. May the Almighty bestow peace upon them. **************************** * * * * __._,_.___ From zigzackly at gmail.com Sat Nov 17 22:33:52 2007 From: zigzackly at gmail.com (peter griffin) Date: Sat, 17 Nov 2007 22:33:52 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Hitting the Gujarat and West Bengal governments where it hurts: in the wallet In-Reply-To: <4d145a50711170902t5254a19fl24da380baf25c1ee@mail.gmail.com> References: <4d145a50711170902t5254a19fl24da380baf25c1ee@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <4d145a50711170903j3b8947c4ha6496b1fc438a1cf@mail.gmail.com> This is a proposal from a friend, Anjan Ray, left as a comment on a post at the Citizens for Peace blog here: http://citizensforpeace.in/blog/2007/11/14/statement-on-nandigram/#comment-40 ==== To my mind, there is only one way to deal with State-sponsored terrorism. And that is a groundswell of economic boycott activity. When the rule of the law morphs with willing connivance of the political leadership into the rule of the jungle, it is funded by government and party cadre revenues. These, in turn, come from economic acitivity within the State in large measure. As a first step, I have sold - and encourage you to sell - every share of any company you hold that has its headquarters in the 2 states under discussion. You can also sell mutual funds that have invested in such companies. I will be happy to provide a list and propose alternate investments if the idea appeals to all those who read this. Check the packaging of every product you buy, and choose a different option if the place of manufacture lies within these two states. Simple enough? Pass this on, and I guarantee you will be amazed at the impact. ==== Should you wish to take Anjan up on his offer to provide the lists of companies HQed in those two states and the alternate investments, he can be reached at anjan DOT ray AT gmail DOT com And my question to you: How effective and implementable do you think Anjan's idea is? From whitenoise24 at gmail.com Sat Nov 17 23:52:24 2007 From: whitenoise24 at gmail.com (sridevi panikkar) Date: Sat, 17 Nov 2007 23:52:24 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Fwd: URGENT:Public Meeting on Anti-Vedanta struggle-19th November In-Reply-To: <431944be0711162303x2c5d2bfaya798c46bd0f654f0@mail.gmail.com> References: <431944be0711162256l31dd275br70041582a9c3643c@mail.gmail.com> <431944be0711162303x2c5d2bfaya798c46bd0f654f0@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: *Meeting with the Dongaria Kondhs from Niyamgiri, Orissa* *on Bauxite mining by Vedanta Alumina Ltd.* *19 November, 3 p.m,* *Indian Social Institute (ISI),Lodhi Road, New Delhi* ** Dear Friends The rich habitat of Niyamgiri mountain and its adjoining area in Orissa, with around 3 lakh population and hundreds of villages, faces the danger of bauxite mining operations by Vedanta Alumina Ltd, a UK-based mining company. For generations, this mountain has been protected by the primitive *Dongria Kondh *tribes, for whom it is the sacred mountain of "Niyam Raja"—is central to their life and culture. After 3.5 years of deliberations at various courts and Government-commissioned studies showing the detrimental effects of mining, it seems that the Supreme Court is all set to grant mining rights to Vedanta to mine bauxite from the Niyamgiri mountain in southwestern Orissa. On 26 October 2007, the Forest Bench of the Supreme Court comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan, Justice Arjit Passayat and Justice S H Kapadia took the decisive step of 'reserving for judgement' the case of Vedanta/Orissa Mining Corporation to mine bauxite on the Niyamgiri mountain. The lawyer representing the tribals was snapped at by one of the judges and was not even given a chance to present the 200-page objection to the Vedanta's mining report. This happens as the Norwegian Government has decided to withdraw its stake in Vedanta on the grounds of grave environmental damage and human rights violation; the same charges that Vedanta is facing in the Supreme Court. Also important is the first-time public revelation by Hon'ble Justice S.H. Kapadia in the court that he is a share-owner and hence a stake-holder in the Sterling India Private Limited, a sister concern and operations head for Vedanta Alumina Limited in India. In such circumstances, it is only natural that the Hon'ble judge should have recused himself from hearing the case. The mining clearance if granted will amount to a complete destruction of the rich biodiversity of the area and of an entire culture and a way of life. It will also have extremely grave wider implications. It will open the floodgates for several mining projects to be allowed on Adivasi lands in the region and elsewhere. It will also reinforce the view that entire communities can be sacrificed for projects whose gains for the people at large will be slight or even non-existent. *Following the adverse hearing in the Supreme Court, a group of Dongria Konds from southwestern Orissa, representing thousands of other people in the area, have come to Delhi* to meet the President of India, MPs, MLAs, to press their case that destructive mining not be allowed in the area. We have organized a meeting with the delegation from Orissa as well as Prafulla Samantara, Praful Bidwai, Mahesh Rangarajan, Manoranjan Mohanty among others. *It is crucial for all of us to attend this meeting and widely circulate this invite.* *Date: Monday, November 19, 2007 Time: 3 pm onwards Venue: Indian Social Institute, 10 Institutional Area, **near Saibaba Mandir **Lodhi Road* Looking forward to your presence and active participation. In solidarity, Mamata Dash, Vijayan MJ, Ranjana Padhi, D Manjit, Sridevi Panikar, Souparno Lahiri, Shree Prakash and other friends from Kashipur Solidarity Group and Delhi Solidarity Group -- "There ís something standing in a crowd Something which queries that. Why should it query that? What cheek to query that! The State just shoots-for that ís allowed- And something falls down flat. What was it that fell down flat? What made it fall like that?" -Bertolt Brecht From sadiafwahidi at yahoo.co.in Sun Nov 18 09:59:23 2007 From: sadiafwahidi at yahoo.co.in (S.Fatima) Date: Sun, 18 Nov 2007 04:29:23 +0000 (GMT) Subject: [Reader-list] Public Meeting on Anti-Vedanta struggle-19th November In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <673604.91033.qm@web8413.mail.in.yahoo.com> Oh, so this is "Vedanta Alumina Ltd", I thought this was anti-Vedanta, and now we'll have Vedavatis and Dhatris jumping up again. And its most ideal for them - anti-Vedanta meeting at ISI, where else? --- sridevi panikkar wrote: > *Meeting with the Dongaria Kondhs from Niyamgiri, > Orissa* > > *on Bauxite mining by Vedanta Alumina Ltd.* > > *19 November, 3 p.m,* > > *Indian Social Institute (ISI),Lodhi Road, New > Delhi* > > > ** > > Dear Friends > > The rich habitat of Niyamgiri mountain and its > adjoining area in Orissa, > with around 3 lakh population and hundreds of > villages, faces the danger of > bauxite mining operations by Vedanta Alumina Ltd, a > UK-based mining company. > For generations, this mountain has been protected by > the primitive *Dongria > Kondh *tribes, for whom it is the sacred mountain of > "Niyam Raja"—is central > to their life and culture. > > After 3.5 years of deliberations at various courts > and > Government-commissioned studies showing the > detrimental effects of mining, > it seems that the Supreme Court is all set to grant > mining rights to Vedanta > to mine bauxite from the Niyamgiri mountain in > southwestern Orissa. > > On 26 October 2007, the Forest Bench of the Supreme > Court comprising Chief > Justice K G Balakrishnan, Justice Arjit Passayat and > Justice S H Kapadia > took the decisive step of 'reserving for judgement' > the case of > Vedanta/Orissa Mining Corporation to mine bauxite on > the Niyamgiri mountain. > The lawyer representing the tribals was snapped at > by one of the judges and > was not even given a chance to present the 200-page > objection to the > Vedanta's mining report. > > This happens as the Norwegian Government has decided > to withdraw its stake > in Vedanta on the grounds of grave environmental > damage and human rights > violation; the same charges that Vedanta is facing > in the Supreme Court. > > Also important is the first-time public revelation > by Hon'ble Justice S.H. > Kapadia in the court that he is a share-owner and > hence a stake-holder in > the Sterling India Private Limited, a sister concern > and operations head for > Vedanta Alumina Limited in India. In such > circumstances, it is only natural > that the Hon'ble judge should have recused himself > from hearing the case. > > The mining clearance if granted will amount to a > complete destruction of the > rich biodiversity of the area and of an entire > culture and a way of life. It > will also have extremely grave wider implications. > It will open the > floodgates for several mining projects to be allowed > on Adivasi lands in the > region and elsewhere. It will also reinforce the > view that entire > communities can be sacrificed for projects whose > gains for the people at > large will be slight or even non-existent. > > *Following the adverse hearing in the Supreme Court, > a group of Dongria > Konds from southwestern Orissa, representing > thousands of other people in > the area, have come to Delhi* to meet the President > of India, MPs, MLAs, to > press their case that destructive mining not be > allowed in the area. > > We have organized a meeting with the delegation from > Orissa as well as > Prafulla Samantara, Praful Bidwai, Mahesh > Rangarajan, Manoranjan Mohanty > among others. > > *It is crucial for all of us to attend this meeting > and widely circulate > this invite.* > > *Date: Monday, November 19, 2007 > Time: 3 pm onwards > Venue: Indian Social Institute, 10 Institutional > Area, **near Saibaba Mandir > **Lodhi Road* > > Looking forward to your presence and active > participation. > > In solidarity, > > Mamata Dash, Vijayan MJ, Ranjana Padhi, D Manjit, > Sridevi Panikar, Souparno > Lahiri, Shree Prakash and other friends from > Kashipur Solidarity Group and > Delhi Solidarity Group > > > > -- > "There ís something standing in a crowd > Something which queries that. > Why should it query that? > What cheek to query that! > The State just shoots-for that ís allowed- > And something falls down flat. > What was it that fell down flat? > What made it fall like that?" > > -Bertolt Brecht > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> Bring your gang together - do your thing. Go to http://in.promos.yahoo.com/groups From apnawritings at yahoo.co.in Sun Nov 18 16:14:51 2007 From: apnawritings at yahoo.co.in (ARNAB CHATTERJEE) Date: Sun, 18 Nov 2007 10:44:51 +0000 (GMT) Subject: [Reader-list] Vast questions and the harsh machine : of answers Message-ID: <448285.47897.qm@web8509.mail.in.yahoo.com> Dear SARAI Readers and writers, In the wake of Vivek's beautiful reminder that we keep up with the Reader list's inheritance of nuanced, substantive and laboured debate, you will remember I had asked you all a question --particularly to those who believe that religion is private or ought to be private--as to why that should be so! But this is not a simple nag since it is relevant to my ongoing work ( even at SARAI) which surmises that a religious belief could be personal but not private and that which is personal--( please recall my theoretical distinction)is not necessarily opposed to the public. I might also add that Vivek does mention it as personal which I shall approve and not that of Shuddhabrata who bracketed it as private.But I anticipate not an easy passage for my theory and thus expect a hard and strong rationale which they must be holding on to --and if that comes forth would help all of us to ground our observations-- including myself. It might even help us correct mistakes that atleast I'm not ashamed to broadcast. And if it doesn't I think we have nothing to complaint about the less nuanced debates that take place on the list; the concerned persons have all the right to pursue it in their own ways; they are not complaining about us and our ways. So let me ask this time too: aren't there any substantive questions to be answered in the Nandigram context? if there are--what are they? Please answer and oblige yours in discourse and debt arnab Save all your chat conversations. Find them online at http://in.messenger.yahoo.com/webmessengerpromo.php From anivar.aravind at gmail.com Sun Nov 18 16:41:49 2007 From: anivar.aravind at gmail.com (Anivar Aravind) Date: Sun, 18 Nov 2007 16:41:49 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Ousting the Sex Workers: An Invisible land Issue in Kerala In-Reply-To: <718219.61232.qm@web94009.mail.in2.yahoo.com> References: <718219.61232.qm@web94009.mail.in2.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <35f96d470711180311l6ef77152td55aad9d260e5b12@mail.gmail.com> ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: bharadwaj reshma Date: Nov 18, 2007 1:59 PM Subject: [GreenYouth] Ousting the Sex Workers: An Invisible land Issue in Kerala Ousting the Sex Workers: An Invisible land Issue in Kerala Even among the claims for land and struggles for land rights by the marginalized there are situations which never go on record as claims and struggles. Presently sex workers of Kozhikode who are marginalized among marginalized are engaged in one such invisible agitation. Most of the sex workers in Kozhikode are living in Bangladesh Colony lying at the outskirts of the town, near to the sea shore. It was a vacant area encroached upon by the marginalized people for the last fifty years or so. Sex workers started occupying the place only within the last 30 years. Some brought the land by paying money to the then occupied and later got title deeds, while some others occupied vacant areas. In the beginning it was a deserted place with only thorny bushes and no water facilities. Now the place had become inhabitable. Some of the sex workers who worked with the political party committees in that area bargained with them and got water and other facilities. But now Janakeeya Samithi, formed by the CPI (M), has given the ultimatum that only those women who are ready to stop doing sex work will be allowed to stay in that place. Most of the sex workers had built houses there with their savings and their children are studying in the nearby schools. Usually they come to the town to do sex work and return home early in the morning. Now if they want to stay with their children they will have to stop with sex work and if they stop sex work they and their children will starve. Or they can live in another place without being able to come home and see their children every day (who cares for the needs of motherhood of a sex worker!). In the beginning CPI (M) gave the women some underpaid and insecure part time work and even that is stopped now. Around forty women were forced to leave the house as their houses were burned down and are living on the pavements and construction lots. Even that has become difficult now as Janakeeya Samithi is on move to clean Kozhikode city and they don't want to besmirch town with the presence of sex workers. The petition given by the sex workers to the authorities had disappeared and none of them are aware of the status of the case filed by them. Even the police are asking for the approval of Janakeeya samithy to take up the cases on atrocities against sex workers. Janakeeya samithy has become parallel governmental institution and this is alarming as they take upon themselves to be the moral police as well. As they have brought up the accusations of sex workers being drug carriers the public sympathy is also with them. But sex workers whom I talked to are against the drug trafficking as it effects the health of their own children and more over they accused that members of Janakeeya Samithi to be in league with the drug mafia of that area. They also told that they the suspect this to be a ploy for the real estate agents to buy that land from the present owners for nominal price. In a press conference conducted by FIRM-JWALA, an organization supporting sex workers, the sex workers narrated their plight to the media personnel and the press conveniently highlighted only the version by Janakeeya Samithy. CPI (M) is trying out the same move in other towns as well. In Kannur an office bearer of Snehatheeram, a group by transgenders and male sex workers told me how the Kannur municipality tried to push them out of the town as part of an attempt to provide them with housing facilities but which actually turned out to be a dump yard chocked with wild shrubs. Most of these people had to forego their rights over their ancestral property and their community rights due to their 'deviant' sexual choices. They had to leave their family and were living in very insecure condition on the streets until they found land in Bangladesh colony. But now when they are driven away from that place they are also losing the security that a house can provide and along with it, their political rights to join a party, to vote and to have access to other social security measures. We can also see that the situation is further compounded on other axes of power as well. Many of the sex workers, who come from lower castes, find that once they change the residence they will have to produce new caste certificate in order to avail the stipend their children are receiving in educational institutions. But the law which now stipulates that mother's caste is immaterial in deciding their children's caste and the fatherhood is which counts had taken care to see that it becomes extremely difficult for their children to continue their studies, thus in effect limiting their future choices. This sudden withdrawal of the existing educational support had resulted in a crisis for these students. As an activist of the sex worker's organization in Kozhikode asked me, 'so now they want my daughter also to be a sex worker?' So now I want to ask left intellectuals waxing eloquent on Munnar a simple question, 'Do you have any stand point on this issue except for legitimizing the hooliganism of local CPI (M) cadres? Where should they go? Or should they lose their work and starve, just to remain where they are? By sanctioning the 'clean and smart upper middle class) cities' are you not degrading into an elite bunch of experts? The rights of people who do not fall within the boundaries of Elite citizen ship (which is the only citizen ship in theory and practice), and the existential struggles brewing in the thickly populated 'boundaries' to claim exactly that citizen ship have to stimulate the political imagination of current intellectual enterprises. This calls for a radical rethinking of all the founding concepts of democracy. Hope the traditional left theoretician will at least concede that "economic" criteria alone won't justify/explain the experiences I have described above. Owners are denied rights out of social stigma. In our discourses there is an implied and invisible assumption that ownership of land is an exclusive right of certain particular sections belonging to particular castes, to particular jobs and conforming to acceptable moral standards. reshma - --- Anivar Aravind http://anivar.movingrepublic.org From indersalim at gmail.com Mon Nov 19 00:39:41 2007 From: indersalim at gmail.com (inder salim) Date: Mon, 19 Nov 2007 00:39:41 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] All you who do not sleep tonight... In-Reply-To: <473DD502.40604@sarai.net> References: <473DD502.40604@sarai.net> Message-ID: <47e122a70711181109v13d771c9of03092baa3edcd46@mail.gmail.com> dear Shuddha Mein joot kay darbar mein saach bolta hoon hairat hai ki sar maira kalam keun nahien hota. ( in the parliament of lies i speak nothing but the truth, and it surprieses me if i am not beheaded ) At the moment, It just happens that Munawar Rana is at the back of my head. I am quite lucky to hear his great Urdu poetry both recited live and recorded on Urdu Channel. He is certainly a peoples poet. I guess, this poet only dreams but never sleeps. in one way, he ( Munawar Rana ) regrets the fact that we are quite incapable to speak the truth. Hazarat Sufi Sarmad Shaeed was beheaded by the King Aurangzeb for daring to speak the truth in the kingdom of lies. The poet wants to be the hero, but has perhaps lost the language. So paradoxically, we lost the poet and the organ which speaks truth. This is a question i ask myself? This may be he dilemma of the language only, but most often the prime symbols of our society dont dare to speak the speak the simple truth even, which is a real tragedy of our tiems. It is a collective loss. . this is late night, distancing sleep from my eyes, but i know sooner or later i too will feel sleepy, i fear none but myself. thanks for the piongnant mail is. On Nov 16, 2007 11:06 PM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: > Dear all, (apologies for cross posting on Kafila.org) > > Sometimes I wonder whether, when I use the phrase 'rentier cultural > apparatchiki' it actually describes faces, real people, or is it just an > abstract category, that one deploys in anger and sadness. > > Well, em, here are some faces, some names - people we meet, say hello > to, read the books of, see the art of, watch the films of... > > As the weather turns in Delhi, we will meet them more often, there will > be soirees, readings, screenings, exhibition openings, so much fun in > the winter whirlwind, and they will turn up - two by two, or one by one, > and in the silence between us will hang the heavy weight of the name of > a place called Nandigram. > > Read these names, read them carefully - > > Irfan Habib, Prabhat Patnaik, Utsa Patnaik, Shireen Moosvi, Jayati > Ghosh, Indira Chandrasekhar, Rajen Prasad, Arjun Dev, D.N. Jha, Vivan > Sundaram, M.K. Raina, C.P. Chandrasekhar, and Saeed Mirza. > > Please read, also below, their exemplary contribution - to our > understanding of the unfolding situation in West Bengal > in the Hindu yesterday - > http://www.hindu.com/2007/11/15/stories/2007111561391600.htm > > Notice - how they nod their heads sagely between the words - > > ' "complete sympathy" for peasantry *anywhere* fighting forcible > dispossession by or on behalf of corporate interests' > > Except of course, in West Bengal. West Bengal is not *anywhere*. It is > the citadel. And so when they express their complete sympathy with > fighting peasants - *anywhere*. They are actually completely consistent. > West Bengal is not *anywhere*. There is no soil, no rivers, no fish, no > rice, no nothing, there are no people in West Bengal. There are a few > acres of land, which has come unhinged from a settlement that was > thought to be permanent, and these gentlemen and ladies are busy gluing > the permanent settlement back, more securely, with all the adhesive that > they can secrete together. > > Their verdict - can be read to mean - "Agitation warranted if any storm > happens in any teacup anywhere, but agitation unwarranted if villages > are pillaged and burnt in West Bengal". > > But villages can be pillaged, indeed must be pillaged, because these > villages are not *anywhere*. They are in West Bengal. And there are no > people in West Bengal. Just as a notice for the acquisition of land is > not a land acquisition notice, when it gets posted in a West Bengal > Panchayat office, so too, there may be voters and cadres, but there are > no people in West Bengal. And those who are not voters and cadres are > non-persons anyway. They (the non-people) have been dissolved, and the > party will think of how to reconstitute a new people, so that their > consent can be ascertained for the building of a chemical hub. New > improved people in new improved West Bengal, how could that be > *anywhere*? It never existed, it never will. It won't be *anywhere*. > How could we get such a simple equation wrong? How can we not understand? > > A rentier is someone who lives off the investments they have made in a > piece of property. These worthy eminences invested the substance of > their lives, and their intelligences, - in the party, or should I say > the corporation, that they hold dearer than all the words they have ever > written, and all the pictures they have ever made. > > The party-corporation has now called a shareholders meeting, and > promised higher dividends, in radical prestige, in social capital, in > whispering distance to power, in the ability to make a phone call and > get things done, and the shareholders have closed ranks, made sure that > their investments are secure. They have issued a promotors notice to > the market. Their investments are secure. The party is safe. Normalcy > has returned. This is not *anywhere*. This is West Bengal. The people > who are not yet the people, or who may once have been the people, have > spoken. its just that it is a bit difficult to hear them speak. Or maybe > it is just me that is hard of hearing. > > Anyhow, I hope that each one of these 'activists', (for that is how the > newspaper report below describes them) these worthy gentlemen and > ladies, have bought an adequate supply of sleeping pills tonight. > > Because, as I know some of them, and as they are, at the end of the day, > ordinary, way too ordinary, men and women, with headaches, joint pains > and bad hair days ike the rest of us, they might have some trouble > sleeping tonight. > > There is after all, that prickly and inconvenient human faculty-thing > called a conscience, and that strange piece of connected human tissue > called a spine, or back-bone, which sometimes makes the softest beds a > torture if you twist it or bend it too often. Am I being presumptuous > in thinking that they are troubled by their consciences and their backbones. > > Or did they lose both, conscience and back bone,on the way back from the > last meeting of the corporation-party. There is a species that in the > course of evolution decided to do away with the inconvenience of the > back-bone. As far as I know it is not trobuled over much by a conscience > either. In Biology, they are called 'Sarisreep' - Phylum Reptilia. > > From the sidelines, it is interesting and instructive to watch the > shareholders of the corporation-party evolve into a wonderful new > life-form that exhibits so many anatomical similarities to the Phylum > Reptilia. > > Good luck to them, I hope they use their waking and sleepless hours to > think about the distances that they have travelled, or should I say > crawled, each one of them. > > best > > Shuddha > > > -------------------------------------------------- > Agitation unwarranted, say activists > The Hindu, November 15, 2007 > > Special Correspondent > > NEW DELHI: Academics and artistes on Wednesday described as "totally > unwarranted" the agitation in the Nandigram area of West Bengal after > the Left Front government's repeated announcements that no chemical hub > would be established there. > > In a statement, they also said the protests being organised against the > return of Communist Party of India (Marxist) sympathisers to the area > are "as unjustified as they are unhelpful" for the restoration of normality. > Sympathy with peasantry > > Expressing "complete sympathy" with peasantry engaged anywhere in > struggles against forcible dispossession by or on behalf of corporate > interests, they said the continuation of the agitation in Nandigram was > a "means of making the region out of bounds for CPI(M) sympathisers." > Return of refugees > > Also, according to them, it was a means of preventing the return of > refugees driven out of their homes and into refugee camps since January, > of keeping out the administrative personnel of the State, and of > establishing the unchallenged writ of a coterie over the entire area; > all of which violated basic human rights and constituted a blatantly > anti-democratic act reminiscent of what happened at Kespur in West > Medinipur district a few years earlier. > > The signatories said no voices of protest other than from the Left Front > were raised against the "flagrant denial of basic rights" to thousands > of people whose only fault was that they supported the Left Front. > > "In the absence of intervention by the State machinery and civil society > organisations, and of unwillingness for a political dialogue by the > Opposition Trinamool Congress, is it surprising that the displaced > CPI(M) sympathisers made their own moves to return to their homes?" > Displacement > > The real need of the hour is to ensure that this return does not give > rise to a further round of displacement — "this time for the opponents > of the Left Front, and that peace and normality returns to Nandigram at > the earliest." > > The signatories include Irfan Habib, Prabhat Patnaik, Utsa Patnaik, > Shireen Moosvi, Jayati Ghosh, Indira Chandrasekhar, Rajen Prasad, Arjun > Dev, D.N. Jha, Vivan Sundaram, M.K. Raina, C.P. Chandrasekhar, and Saeed > Mirza. > > > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> -- http://indersalim.livejournal.com From taraprakash at gmail.com Mon Nov 19 01:48:16 2007 From: taraprakash at gmail.com (TaraPrakash) Date: Sun, 18 Nov 2007 15:18:16 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] All you who do not sleep tonight... References: <473DD502.40604@sarai.net> <47e122a70711181109v13d771c9of03092baa3edcd46@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <00c001c82a20$2b5c2bc0$6400a8c0@taraprakash> Hi all. Let me acknowledge that I don't know about Munawar Rana's poetry, but I think that the poets today are generally Eliotic Hollow Men. I just wanted to comment on the lines you quoted, even though I know that I don't know the context to these lines. To speak nothing but truth in the court (better equivalent of "darbaar") of lies, is akin to speak nothing but French where only English is understood. As long as you go by the rules of the bourgeois form of parliament, telling lies/truths (it varies with divergent perspectives) matters nothing. Stop talking in the court, stop being the poet of the elite, become people's poet, I am sure your wish will be granted. The poet then will be certainly prosecuted or persecuted. The prime suspect of the latest high profile killing in Jhar Khand is a poet. In Andhra, too, the government is mercilessly after Maoist activist poets. The poets otherwise are very willingly ready to be moved by the market forces. "Tum din ko agar raat kaho, raat kahenge." Somebody said in Sanskrit, and interestingly it seems such an appropriate critique of post modern? poets. "Ushtranam vivaheshu, geetam gayanti gardabhaah, Parasparam prashasanti. aho shabdah aho dhvanih." (In the weddings of camels , asses sing songs; praising each other's performance, "what lyrics, what sound!) ----- Original Message ----- From: "inder salim" To: Sent: Sunday, November 18, 2007 2:09 PM Subject: Re: [Reader-list] All you who do not sleep tonight... > dear Shuddha > > Mein joot kay darbar mein saach bolta hoon > hairat hai ki sar maira kalam keun nahien hota. > > ( in the parliament of lies i speak nothing but the truth, and it > surprieses me if i am not beheaded ) > > At the moment, It just happens that Munawar Rana is at the back of my > head. I am quite lucky to hear his great Urdu poetry both recited live > and recorded on Urdu Channel. He is certainly a peoples poet. > > I guess, this poet only dreams but never sleeps. > in one way, he ( Munawar Rana ) regrets the fact that we are quite > incapable to speak the truth. Hazarat Sufi Sarmad Shaeed was beheaded > by the King Aurangzeb for daring to speak the truth in the kingdom of > lies. The poet wants to be the hero, but has perhaps lost the > language. So paradoxically, we lost the poet and the organ which > speaks truth. This is a question i ask myself? > > This may be he dilemma of the language only, but most often the prime > symbols of our society dont dare to speak the speak the simple truth > even, which is a real tragedy of our tiems. It is a collective loss. . > > this is late night, distancing sleep from my eyes, but i know sooner > or later i too will feel sleepy, i fear none but myself. > > thanks for the piongnant mail > is. > > > > > > On Nov 16, 2007 11:06 PM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: >> Dear all, (apologies for cross posting on Kafila.org) >> >> Sometimes I wonder whether, when I use the phrase 'rentier cultural >> apparatchiki' it actually describes faces, real people, or is it just an >> abstract category, that one deploys in anger and sadness. >> >> Well, em, here are some faces, some names - people we meet, say hello >> to, read the books of, see the art of, watch the films of... >> >> As the weather turns in Delhi, we will meet them more often, there will >> be soirees, readings, screenings, exhibition openings, so much fun in >> the winter whirlwind, and they will turn up - two by two, or one by one, >> and in the silence between us will hang the heavy weight of the name of >> a place called Nandigram. >> >> Read these names, read them carefully - >> >> Irfan Habib, Prabhat Patnaik, Utsa Patnaik, Shireen Moosvi, Jayati >> Ghosh, Indira Chandrasekhar, Rajen Prasad, Arjun Dev, D.N. Jha, Vivan >> Sundaram, M.K. Raina, C.P. Chandrasekhar, and Saeed Mirza. >> >> Please read, also below, their exemplary contribution - to our >> understanding of the unfolding situation in West Bengal >> in the Hindu yesterday - >> http://www.hindu.com/2007/11/15/stories/2007111561391600.htm >> >> Notice - how they nod their heads sagely between the words - >> >> ' "complete sympathy" for peasantry *anywhere* fighting forcible >> dispossession by or on behalf of corporate interests' >> >> Except of course, in West Bengal. West Bengal is not *anywhere*. It is >> the citadel. And so when they express their complete sympathy with >> fighting peasants - *anywhere*. They are actually completely consistent. >> West Bengal is not *anywhere*. There is no soil, no rivers, no fish, no >> rice, no nothing, there are no people in West Bengal. There are a few >> acres of land, which has come unhinged from a settlement that was >> thought to be permanent, and these gentlemen and ladies are busy gluing >> the permanent settlement back, more securely, with all the adhesive that >> they can secrete together. >> >> Their verdict - can be read to mean - "Agitation warranted if any storm >> happens in any teacup anywhere, but agitation unwarranted if villages >> are pillaged and burnt in West Bengal". >> >> But villages can be pillaged, indeed must be pillaged, because these >> villages are not *anywhere*. They are in West Bengal. And there are no >> people in West Bengal. Just as a notice for the acquisition of land is >> not a land acquisition notice, when it gets posted in a West Bengal >> Panchayat office, so too, there may be voters and cadres, but there are >> no people in West Bengal. And those who are not voters and cadres are >> non-persons anyway. They (the non-people) have been dissolved, and the >> party will think of how to reconstitute a new people, so that their >> consent can be ascertained for the building of a chemical hub. New >> improved people in new improved West Bengal, how could that be >> *anywhere*? It never existed, it never will. It won't be *anywhere*. >> How could we get such a simple equation wrong? How can we not understand? >> >> A rentier is someone who lives off the investments they have made in a >> piece of property. These worthy eminences invested the substance of >> their lives, and their intelligences, - in the party, or should I say >> the corporation, that they hold dearer than all the words they have ever >> written, and all the pictures they have ever made. >> >> The party-corporation has now called a shareholders meeting, and >> promised higher dividends, in radical prestige, in social capital, in >> whispering distance to power, in the ability to make a phone call and >> get things done, and the shareholders have closed ranks, made sure that >> their investments are secure. They have issued a promotors notice to >> the market. Their investments are secure. The party is safe. Normalcy >> has returned. This is not *anywhere*. This is West Bengal. The people >> who are not yet the people, or who may once have been the people, have >> spoken. its just that it is a bit difficult to hear them speak. Or maybe >> it is just me that is hard of hearing. >> >> Anyhow, I hope that each one of these 'activists', (for that is how the >> newspaper report below describes them) these worthy gentlemen and >> ladies, have bought an adequate supply of sleeping pills tonight. >> >> Because, as I know some of them, and as they are, at the end of the day, >> ordinary, way too ordinary, men and women, with headaches, joint pains >> and bad hair days ike the rest of us, they might have some trouble >> sleeping tonight. >> >> There is after all, that prickly and inconvenient human faculty-thing >> called a conscience, and that strange piece of connected human tissue >> called a spine, or back-bone, which sometimes makes the softest beds a >> torture if you twist it or bend it too often. Am I being presumptuous >> in thinking that they are troubled by their consciences and their >> backbones. >> >> Or did they lose both, conscience and back bone,on the way back from the >> last meeting of the corporation-party. There is a species that in the >> course of evolution decided to do away with the inconvenience of the >> back-bone. As far as I know it is not trobuled over much by a conscience >> either. In Biology, they are called 'Sarisreep' - Phylum Reptilia. >> >> From the sidelines, it is interesting and instructive to watch the >> shareholders of the corporation-party evolve into a wonderful new >> life-form that exhibits so many anatomical similarities to the Phylum >> Reptilia. >> >> Good luck to them, I hope they use their waking and sleepless hours to >> think about the distances that they have travelled, or should I say >> crawled, each one of them. >> >> best >> >> Shuddha >> >> >> -------------------------------------------------- >> Agitation unwarranted, say activists >> The Hindu, November 15, 2007 >> >> Special Correspondent >> >> NEW DELHI: Academics and artistes on Wednesday described as "totally >> unwarranted" the agitation in the Nandigram area of West Bengal after >> the Left Front government's repeated announcements that no chemical hub >> would be established there. >> >> In a statement, they also said the protests being organised against the >> return of Communist Party of India (Marxist) sympathisers to the area >> are "as unjustified as they are unhelpful" for the restoration of >> normality. >> Sympathy with peasantry >> >> Expressing "complete sympathy" with peasantry engaged anywhere in >> struggles against forcible dispossession by or on behalf of corporate >> interests, they said the continuation of the agitation in Nandigram was >> a "means of making the region out of bounds for CPI(M) sympathisers." >> Return of refugees >> >> Also, according to them, it was a means of preventing the return of >> refugees driven out of their homes and into refugee camps since January, >> of keeping out the administrative personnel of the State, and of >> establishing the unchallenged writ of a coterie over the entire area; >> all of which violated basic human rights and constituted a blatantly >> anti-democratic act reminiscent of what happened at Kespur in West >> Medinipur district a few years earlier. >> >> The signatories said no voices of protest other than from the Left Front >> were raised against the "flagrant denial of basic rights" to thousands >> of people whose only fault was that they supported the Left Front. >> >> "In the absence of intervention by the State machinery and civil society >> organisations, and of unwillingness for a political dialogue by the >> Opposition Trinamool Congress, is it surprising that the displaced >> CPI(M) sympathisers made their own moves to return to their homes?" >> Displacement >> >> The real need of the hour is to ensure that this return does not give >> rise to a further round of displacement — "this time for the opponents >> of the Left Front, and that peace and normality returns to Nandigram at >> the earliest." >> >> The signatories include Irfan Habib, Prabhat Patnaik, Utsa Patnaik, >> Shireen Moosvi, Jayati Ghosh, Indira Chandrasekhar, Rajen Prasad, Arjun >> Dev, D.N. Jha, Vivan Sundaram, M.K. Raina, C.P. Chandrasekhar, and Saeed >> Mirza. >> >> >> _________________________________________ >> 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. >> To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >> List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > > -- > > http://indersalim.livejournal.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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From shuddha at sarai.net Mon Nov 19 03:28:39 2007 From: shuddha at sarai.net (Shuddhabrata Sengupta) Date: Mon, 19 Nov 2007 03:28:39 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Public/Private Message-ID: <4740B58F.8070000@sarai.net> Dear Arnab, Thank you for raising again the important question of 'publicness' and 'privacy' apropos of the past discussion on this list about whether religion is, or ought to be, in the public domain. As you have rightly pointed out, I prefer making a plea for a private place for matters of faith (or, for that matter, doubt). I am writing in the hope that my words tonight, might persuade you into conceding that my formulation of publicness and privateness is a little more complicated than the standard binary of "public-secular-reason-state" vs "private-sacred-emotion-subject" binary that I think you might be inadvertently transposing on to my mapping of the relationship between public and private matters. As I have said before on this list, I have no religion to call my own, but I consider my doubt, my scepticism, my lack of faith to be a private matter and have no intention of imposing it on to the reasons and expreiences of others, just as I have no desire to have someone else's faith, or doub, imposed on to me. (Let me say in passing that there are after all, as many kinds of doubt, as there are of faith, and there are many kinds of doubt that are far from my own, just as there are some kinds of faith that may be close to my doubts.) Lest I be misunderstood, let me make it very clear that I do not see the relation between the categories 'public' and 'private' as constituing a hierarchy - with public, placed higher than private, or even with an exalted 'private sphere'. My plea that religion, or the lack of it, faith, or doubt, be left alone in the private realm, and not be forced to account for itself in public has less to do with protecting the 'secular public realm' from the contagion of the turbulence of belief and heresy than it has to do with protecting the private turbulences of faith and heresy from the anodyne banality of always having to make things public. Tangentially, I argue for a removal of subsidy to Haj pilgrims, not in order to protect the state from the contagion of having discriminated in favour of the Haj Pilgrim, but rather to protect the Haj Pilgrim from the attention of the state. My objection to the mixing of faith and the political has to do with a concern against witnessing every aspect of one's existence, including those that I feel should not be accountable to anyone, being made subject to political or public considerations. In our discussions of faith and doubt, it is often forgotten that a large amount of acts to do with faith have a ritually secret, confessional, even confidential aspect to them. In such cases, publicness would constitute a violation. I am trying to be attentive to the need to protect against such violations. I am partial to that brand of Sufi thinking for instance, which is instinctively suspicious of acts of public piety. Here, the question of secrecy, of privacy has to do with the compacts that people as individuals make with their consciences, with their inner voices, with god or whatever takes god's place in the event of the absence of god in the inner life of an individual. Sometimes these are matters that can be shared within a circle of seekers who recognize the mutuality of their search. Sometimes even that concession to mutuality is unavaliable. They are rarely ever, if made 'public'. The pursuit of a Sufi 'style' in public, is taken by some Sufis as a mark of hypocrisy, and vanity. A true Sufi, from this point of view, is someone who can never be 'recognized' as such. From this perspective, there is a worth in the paradoxical assertion that a true 'Sufi' is one who disguises himself as a 'non-sufi'. Personally, I far prefer the very private company of those who either have faith, or those who are troubled by the lack of it, or those who celebrate the lack of it, to the banality of either secular, or ritualized public life. I am enclosing below a recent text that I (re)wrote and presented for an audience of art students and curatorial researchers who had asked me to speak to them about art in the public realm. As it happens, this text does not refer much to art, but as you will see, it does refer a lot to religion, and religiosity, which I happen to take very seriousy. Readers may recognize that the last portion of this text is taken from a reader-list posting made by me some months ago. I apologize for the repetition of this material, but hope it will benefit from being framed in a new context. I have tried in this text to make the words 'public' and 'private' somewhat difficult to use by pointing to how they can turn in upon themselves very often. Arnad, I hope this is of some interest to you. Often, I find words used in a very loose manner, and consequently, part of my intellectual work consists in making words more difficult to use, by pointing to shades, striations and whirlpools of meaning, so that when one uses them, one does so with great care. The ideas in this short essay are still being worked on, and should not be treated as finished. I would welcome any criticisms or comments By the way, Arnab, I am aware that I still owe you a reply to your question about what you construe as my statement about a relationship between censorship and the idea of consent. It will come, in due time. regards Shuddha ----------------------------------- Public Privations : Notes about Private Acts and Public Spaces *The Public Private Conundrum* The fifteenth century mausoleum of a dead Afghan monarch in a New Delhi public garden is perhaps the unlikeliest of private spaces. Here, along with an itinerant vendor of snacks and savories taking a breather on a hot summer afternoon and truant schoolboys, are a clutch of courting couples, a conspiracy of stolen intimacies, quiet seductions and secret trysts, ransomed from the grip of a heartless city. A collection of very private moments in very public spaces. They leave their inscriptions on the walls - defiant declarations of desire - that annotate the ornamental and sacred stucco calligraphy on the arches - "Raju loves Sunita", "Miriam loves Nusrat", "I love you Ram Dhan", "Rani + Rana = Sweethearts Forever". Privacy and affection, separately, or together never come cheap in the crowded city where I live. Public displays of affection are not necessarily encouraged in Delhi and only the well to do can afford the luxury of seclusion in love. Rooftop apartments with independent entrances in family owned town houses, love nests in hotels, the back seats of capacious SUVs, weekend getaways in hill station guest houses, or keys to the flats of pliant friends are conveniences that few can access. And those who can, can also go to clubs, bars and parties where public displays of affection do not lead to instant assault. The public that displays its affections to its own charmed circle finds ways to do so behind high walls, high cover charges and high gates with vigilant watchmen in attendance. They do not carve love letters on the tombs of forgotten kings. They do not tarry at the milk booth to catch someone's eye, or make small talk across rooftops in a squatter settlement while hanging out clothes to dry. They do not take long rides on the afternoon bus that takes them nowhere close to where they live, or work, or study, because the space of the bus ride is also the only time in which to have a conversation, uninterrupted, veiled by an invisible film of brave indifference, a duet of averted gazes that guards against the mocking stares of co-passengers. The abandoned cenotaph, the river-front walkway, the downtown underpass, the ruined urban fortress, the crowded, or empty bus, the broken down playground, the shade of a generous tree, the derelict back street of a commercial complex, the corner seat in the cinema that only shows b movies, the street corner snack stall, the park bench, the dank corridors of public toilets and the steps of a public library - spaces rife with presences, riddled with curious gazes, awash with the traffic of millions of human beings, become theatres of urban intimacy for millions of people in cities like Delhi. Here, Public and Private Life become contagious, contiguous, continuous facets of the same messy reality. Public architecture, and the accidents of urban planning yield themselves to the steadfast pressure of private life. *The Private Life of the Public Street* People fall in love, have sex, are born, defecate, cook, eat, sleep, work, play, read, sing, dance, pray, curse, quarrel, fight, riot, go mad, get possessed, enter trance states, cry, laugh, fall sick, get drunk, get arrested, get shot, get run over, and die on the street. The street is heaven and hell, factory and prison, morgue and nursery, market and office, boutique and salon, club and bar, library and university, high court and parliament, shrine and brothel, school and playground. The street is the city, the world, the bed you take your lover to. The street is the epic that people narrate their life into. The street is cruel and generous and indifferent and curious and concerned and hostile. The street is the hyphen that conjoins every public stance to every private longing. The street redeems every privation, hears every prayer and kicks every dream into the gutter. It should come as no surprise then, that often the most intensely emotional, even melodramatic moments in Hindi cinema are precisely those that get to be staged on the street. Here, in full public view, the most intense desires, the most painful humiliations, the darkest anger, the greatest joy, the strongest love and the most profound loneliness find their fullest expression. The street is where the public act and the private motive get to know each other. A phone tap of a conversation on a crowded Delhi street between Kasmiri lecturer in Arabic in Delhi University and his step brother in Kashmir about why his wife is not going back to her maternal home for a few days becomes evidence in a terrorism show-trial, and the cornerstone of proof of a so-called conspiracy to attack the Indian parliament that prompts the largest military mobilization since the second world war. Its words, which point to banal domestic issues are twisted and mistranslated to mean justifications of a terrorist attack. A very private conversation gets construed, retrospectively as a very public statement. A call centre worker in India, when catering to North American customers, is often expected to take on a different 'private identity' – Sunita, becomes Susan, her place of work and residence, glide over time zones. The weather report on her computer tells her of the climate in another part of the world, which she makes her own as she slips into a different accent to deal with her client. In the course of her conversation, she invokes her clients credit history, purchase decisions, and other private information. The shift between one private identity and another, and negotiating the contours of an 'other's' (the client) private life, is the ground on which her public persona as a worker in the service sector of the global new economy is constructed. *Different Histories, Different Publics* The neat separation between public and private existence that is supposed to attend to the rise of the modern individual in the notionally European centre-stage of world history has never quite been able to live up to its own premises in South Asian societies. It does not do so today. Yet even in Europe, historically, the distinction between public and private breaks has tended to break down the moment deviations from prescribed moral codes have occurred - thus behaviour outside the appropriate norms of marital heterosexuality has tended in the past to invite public punitive intervention even if it has occurred in private spaces, between consenting individuals. The division ordained by the law and by moral conventions between crimes and vices (which are offences without victims) in the nineteenth century, and which remained operational through much of the twentieth century, suggested that an individual's act in the privacy of his or her own presence, or in the presence of other individuals, is not devoid of public consequences, when it represents a deviation from marital heterosexuality. It is one of the strange ironies of post colonial societies, that these European, (and deeply Judeo-Christian, or actually more specifically, Protestant), heteronormative injunctions regulating 'private' behaviour and sexuality through publicly laid down norms, which arrived in non-European cultures as 'innovations' have now become the mainstay of cultural conservatism in the same non-European societies. Hindu and Islamic fundamentalists both lead virulent campaigns against gays and lesbians in the name of tradition, neglecting to examine the actual historical record of permissiveness in South Asian and Islamicate societies. In a remarkable act of cultural amnesia, the traditional liberality in the realm of the erotic and the sexual is forgotten to make way for a recent prudery that is then apotheosized as a newly constituted mark of 'traditional' morality. This too has consequences on the relationship between private and public life in societies such as ours. The terms 'Public' and 'Private' can then be seen more as place holders for concepts that change their content over time, than as actual descriptions of ways of inhabiting space. Having said this, it is not altogether fruitless to explore how different societies have realized the distinction in spatial terms. If the post renaissance European model of the public square, the public institutional building, the public park, the public street and the very private homestead is an instance of a neat binary operation, then, other societies and cultures have found other methods of articulating the public-private relationship. The rise of modernity in non-western societies has seen an overlay between different models of publicness and privacy. It is possible, then, for an individual to simultaneously inhabit an exclusively 'public' realm as derived from a European heritage, and a 'public-private' continuum that is more porous and flexible. Traditionally, South Asian cultures have tended to be arrange public and private aspects of life in a series of overlapping and concentric circles. Courtyards and kitchens, terraces and pavements, encroachments and annexes constantly re-position the line that separates public and private life by giving rise to permanently provisional zones of liminality. *The Outsideness of Inside - Considerations on Domesticity* The structure of a traditional North Indian 'big' house, with its different entrances and exits for different kinds of people, its 'meeting room' - the 'baithak' or 'majlis' - where menfolk do business and conduct public affairs, its inner and outer courtyards, its shrine, the 'andar mahal' - where the women of the household can go unveiled, the capacious beds that make room for more than a couple, the secret niches and hidden passages, or concealed staircases, godowns and attics that become playgrounds of intimacy, the roof that can be the bedchamber under the sky on summer nights and the backgarden overlooking a well or a pond is a complex zone where different articulations of publicness and privacy are bound by rigid rules. However, these rules are rigid not in terms of the separation between publicness and privacy, but in terms of which term is applicable to whom and in what context. Let us take for instance the example of the 'women's quarters' - here, the ritualized segregation of the sexes prohibits women from being exposed to adult men and the 'public realm' that such men inhabit. But in many ways, the 'inner palace' or the 'andar mahal' is the most intense conduit of news and information from the outside world. Here, the gossip and rumours of the neighbourhood, of the court, of the city and the district, conveyed by servants, artisans, nurses, friends and relatives, circulated with remarkable felicity. The women of the harem and the traditional household, though veiled, in 'pardah', in notional seclusion from the world outside, would often be more 'conversant' with what went on in the world than even the busy public men who dabbled in the affairs of the world from their noisy 'baithaks' and meeting rooms. Often female power, excercised from the depths of private space, from within the innermost folds of domestic interiority was able to change the course of outer, public events because it had access to unofficial, informal channels of information and communication. The commerce between ostensibly public and officially private would often lead to subtle alterations of the balance of power between them, with private acts leading on occasion to very public consequences. There is no archive, or history of private life. All that we glean of private moments come to us from lived experience, and from stories, from proverbs and songs, from myths and parables told by women, servants and old men to children. This is how many of us grow up to understand love and loss, longing and belonging, cunning and compassion, courage and discretion and all the things that you need to have a sense of to lead a life that constantly fluctuates between public and private registers. If the public sphere is the realm of history, and private life the domain of interiority, then history and interiority get constantly dovetailed into each other in all sorts of complicated ways. Dreams, longings, revelations, instances of amazement and other intensely individuated instances become the foundations of public acts, performances, pronouncements and positions. Naturally, this leads to anxieties about propriety and appropriateness, and typically, disputes about behaviour in public spaces tend to be about the fact that the actors concerned were seen to be acting in a manner that demonstrated their lack of regard for the 'publicness' of the space. In other words, they were acting as if the 'street' were their 'bedroom'. This obection to the inappropriate transposition of modes of behaviour is complicated by the fact that often the 'street' is also the 'bedroom', but that apart, what it is also challenged by is the fact that the models of 'public persona' and 'private self' that it is based on may not be consonant with the modes of living and acting of many people. *Public Mourning and Private Grief* Thus, the exhibition and display of grief, a very private emotion, through rituals of lament and self mortification in very public 'Moharram' processions by Shia Muslims in India are often instances where the whole 'public-private' conundrum gets sharply foregrounded. Lucknow, a north Indian city with a large Shia population, frequently witnesses Shia-Sunnic clashes, as the Shia moharram procession, with 'taaziyeh' being attacked, as it passes through Sunni neighbourhoods. For the majority Sunni Muslim community, and many non muslims, the rituals of Shia Muslim mourning are seen as 'the private affair of that community'. For Shias the mourning is meaningless if it is not 'performed' in public view. Rivulets of private grief mingle to form a very public lament, that reinforces the sense of identity of a people that sees itself as a beleaguered community, as a minority within a minority. That the performances of mourning also often entail the making of ritualized accusations against important Sunni personages is a bone of contention that ignites Shia-Sunni friction with repetetive regularity. Here, the private grief, of Shia individuals, what Sunnis call the 'private affair' , of the Shia community, and the space of the street, where these are made public - come together explosively. Peculiarly, Shia Sunni riots in public spaces over Moharram are very modern phenomena, (though Shia-Sunni conflicts are not) and they date precisely to the moment where public spaces were seen as somehow separate and distinct from private life. The argument made by those who protest against Shia street rituals are as follows - 'if the street is a public space, then, it is inappropriate that it be used for private purposes. If private claims are made on that public space, however temporarily, then they are likely to come up against counter claims made by other private parties, thus it is best that no private claims whatsoever are made on public space or on public consciousness.' The public space, public consciousness, public realm - is the domain of the secuarized, apparently un-marked bourgeoise citizen. The singular error in this operation however is that this being, actually generalizes his private claims, the very specific conditions of his very limited existence on to a universalizing claim of 'publicness'. It is this subject, everywhere a construct that relies on the tacit expression of majoritarian sentiment, which disguises its particularity under the garb of an ab initio ontological universality. In India, this is the abstract figure of the average 'Hindu' who consitutes the normative point of departure for both 'secular' as well as 'secterian' versions of the script of political citizenship. A variant of this same figure is the abstraction of the 'Indian Muslim' – who tends to conform to the criteria of mainstream 'Sunni' Islam. These are demographic accidents, the inverse could be possible in say, Iran, where the 'Shia' patina on the ritualization of citizenship would inflect differently say on Zorastrian or Jewish claims to action in public space, and in Scandinavia, where a raucous demonstration of indignant undifferentiated Muslim pietry may be seen as more disturbing of the public peace than even the carnivalesque celebrations of the Stockholm pride parade, which is now accepted and acceptable within the 'public realm' of contemporary Swedish society. Quasi - Public renditions of acceptable figures are possible, though subject to qualifications, that quarantine them from the 'majority' of the public, in a space designated as temporarily 'public' but for a 'large private purpose'. This is the stuff of negotiation and compromise, of give and take over claims to public space between community representatives and the officials of the law and order apparatus. But, events such as Moharram in North India regularly throw up anomalous figures, neither Hindu, nor Sunni Muslim, but loudly, lamentingly, embarrasingly Shia, and their claims to 'public space' suddenly constitutes a crisis of the secular realm, showing us how tenuous and fragile the foundations of acceptable 'publicness' are. Neither the machinery of the state, nor the 'leaders of the community', nor the written or unwritten norms of public behaviour are able to deal with such anomalies. Processions start and then deviate from the prescribed routes, the height of 'taaziyehs' exceeds that which is normally allowed, crowds of young men do things that they are not supposed to, like flagellate themselves more violently then they are expected to, and women keen their lament at the martyrdom of Husain and Hassan a pitch louder than necessary, and the narrator of the story of Karbala neglects to ask the Sunnis to politely leave the majlis when the turn in the narration necssitates the cursing of the oppressive caliphate. In each of these cases, the minority, is seen at best as 'venting' its private business in public society, and at worst, challenging the (loaded) neutrality of public space with subversive performances of its 'private' identity. *'Unspeakablilty'* The conditions of public life legislated through law and juridical convention are ultimately a code and a language unto themselves – acceptance of an utterance within the public realm is ultimately a matter of recognition that a speech act or an utterance is intelligible. Yet courts, and a variety of other constituted public spaces, routinely render different kinds of utterance as falling outside the circle of public intelligibility. Various kinds of utternace are processed into the 'unspeakable'. This forces these claims into a silence, an interiority, a privation that involves the stripping away of public status, and its reduction to a private and particular place. Thus, the claims of a group of tribals to their land, if expressed through myths and song is seen as un-intelligible ritual, unreadable in the domain of evidence and veracity, while the apparatus, staging, role play and paraphernalia of jurisprudence itself is not seen in ritualisitc terms. One ritual wins over another precisely by stating that it is not in fact a ritual. The public realm of the courtroom is then an arena where one 'private agenda' (that of modernity and its institutional history) wins over another ( a traditional claim to land by a tribal group). Perhaps we would do well to be wary of the fact that many public claims are energized by a complex web of private agendas disguised to the point of invisibility. *The Parable of Lions* The symbolic apparatus of the modern Indian nation state borrows heavily from a re-purposed ancient Imperial past. The lion capital of Ashoka, a symbol of Imperial power is today the seal of the Indian state. It features four roaring lions standing in close proximity on a pillar. In conclusion, I would like to offer you a parable of another image of a lion. Sometime in the summer of 2001, while working on a project that would be realized as 'The Co Ordinates of Everyday Life' a multi screen and cross media installation on law, illegality and claims on urban space, we came across and recorded a broken down wall in what had been a central delhi squatter settlement. The demolition, which was recent and incomplete, had exposed the inner walls of many makeshift dwellings. One such wall was inscribed with a child's drawing - a large, happy, blue lion. The lion on the seal of the state roars at the lion on the wall of the makeshift dwelling. The two lions emdody two ways in which a city can speak, and yet both speak of the way in which the hands of power transform a landscape. The Imperial Mauryan lion marks urban space with an official order, designating what is legal and what is illegal. This official order comes across a dwelling and demolishes its outer walls, revealing its innermost core, on which stands inscribed a child's happy lion. The broken interior back wall of an ‘illegal’ home becomes a public wall when the shell of the house is destroyed. An extant law forbids private inscriptions and acts of graffiti on public walls. The happy blue lion, hitherto the hero of a child's fantasy, expressed within the confines of a domestic space, becomes, post demolition, a private inscription on a public wall. A wall is destroyed, a drawing becomes a fugitive. Private niches yield to the onslaught of public laws, are transformed into public spaces, and then are subject to further scrutiny.In the civil war that rages between the master plan and the moment, the walls of the population must be more circumspect and reticent, in keeping with the urgencies of our times. The privations of the public realm have their own urgent ways of demanding our attention. *Public/ Private/ Peer* In closing, I would like to propose a possible way out of the relenteless public-private quandary - by way of urging a consideration of the category of the 'peer' as a counterpoint to the public-private binary. The 'peer group' is not an innocent category, it can be exclusionary towards those outside it, and deeply invasive towards those within it. But perhaps the one thing it does allow is to enable modes of being and acting that are more sympathetic to the demands of inter-subjectivity than the private-public binary can allow for. We know, at least notionally, what public spaces and private spaces are, or could be. What about 'spaces of peerage' - are they the commons of a transposed inter-subjectivity that allows for a greater porosity between public acts and private intents. Some designs of peerage seem discernible in the structure of online 'peer to peer' networks - how might these designs be translated into concrete and offline realms? How might we construct spaces where our private anxieties and public masks can on occasion be held in abeyance, while we construct other modes of interactive being? Perhaps some ideas might emerge in discussion. As I have no answers, but many questions about what 'peerage' might mean, I would love to learn from you, what you might think about the possibility of such spaces. --- A small footnote A few months earlier this year, an art student at a prestigious Art School in the University of Baroda in Western India got embroiled into a sad and strange controversy. He had made a series of not very interesting installations for the school's final year show, some of which, were seen as acts of deliberate insult to religious feelings - there were images of Hindu deities, and apparently an effigy of the crucified christ with water flowing out of the exposed penis of the effigy. A mob of Hindu fundamentalist activists, later to be followed by Protestant christian zealots (and normally, in the state of Gujarat, these two kinds of groups act against each other, rather than in concert with each other) entered the University Art School's gallery, damaged the 'offending' art works, threatened the students and the faculty, and roughed up the student. Later, police came to protect the mob, and arrested the student under a series of laws, including disruption of public order, intention to cause enmity between different groups and section Section 295A: Deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings The problem is, Chandramohan's lawyers can at best argue that his actions are not evidence of his intentions. However, an artist is such only because his actions have deliberation. Thus, to save Chandramohan the person from a prison sentence, his lawyers might have to jettison Chandramohan's identity as an artist. Such an argument, given the circumstances that the images in question were made for an exam of the fine arts department, may be impossible, or at the very leas difficult to sustain, The reason that distinguishes between the scrawls made by a chimpanzee and an abstract expressionist has to do with the idea of intention. To protect Chandramohan's act as an instance of un-malicious behavious, it has to be freed from the matrix of artistic intention. We cannot really quarrel about the purport of the intention, because the onus of proving hurt, has to do not with the hurter, but with the hurtee. Hurt, is a subjective feeling, and as long as the hurt say that they feel their pain, we are in no position to debate whether their pain or humiliation is real or imagined. There cannot, in fact be, imagined or feigned pain, because a court is in no position to measure the intensity of feeling on any given issue. Thus when a person says that their religious sensibilities are hurt, a court has to listen, (if the injury to sensibilities is mentioned as a cause of harm). Chandramohan cannot say that he intended to cause pain. He can only say that he intended to cause meaning to be read into his actions. If someone says that they read meaning in his actions in a manner that caused them pain,there is very little that Chandramohan or his lawyers can say in defence against such a charge The only thing that can be debated is the question of whether or not there was 'intention'in the first place. As an artist, Chandramohan cannot run away from intention. And so it is that along with Mr. Niraj Jain, (a purported Bajrang Dal leader who also contested the Vadodara civic body elections on a BJP ticket), the other guardian of public morality who protested against the art student Chandra Mohan's work in a departmental exhibition at the Fine Arts Faculty at MS University Baroda happens to be a pastor with the Methodist Church, most appropriately named the Rev. Emmaneul Kant. There has to be adequate recognition, I think of the magical facticity in knowing that a protest against a work of art is being led (at least in part) by an Emmanuel Kant. For all those familiar with the Vadodara pastor's distinguished Konigsbergian philosopher namesake, Emmanuel (or Immanuel) Kant's 'Critique of Judgement' (a book that continues to be influential enough in discussions of contemporary aesthetic practice and thought to be seen hovering around the curatorial mandate of Documenta 12 and other serious matters like a spirit that got stuck in limbo after a mistimed seance), the delicate ironies of this haunting of the Vadodara controversy by the ghost of Kant cannot be escaped. In his Critique of Judgement,Kant can be found paraphrased as saying : "through aesthetic judgments, beautiful objects appear to be 'purposive without purpose' (sometimes translated as 'final without end'). An object's purpose is the concept according to which it was made (the concept of a vegetable soup in the mind of the cook, for example); an object is purposive if it appears to have such a purpose; if, in other words, it appears to have been made or designed. But it is part of the experience of beautiful objects, Kant argues, that they should affect us as if they had a purpose, although no particular purpose can be found." Now a Kantian, confronted with Chandramohan's work, Jain & Kant led protests, and the sections 153 and 295 of the Indian Penal Code, would not be in any position to wriggle out of the problem of 'aesthetic intention'. If Chandramohan is an artist, his work would affect us as if they had a purpose, even if no particular purpose were to be found. The only legal solution available under the Indian legal system, in my opinion, is for Chandramohan to say that he is not an artist, but a mere impostor, and that his work, is not purposive, or intentional, but the mere outpouring of a distracted, and demented mind, in other words, to take refuge in the diginifed solitude of madness. What I am suggesting, is the insanity defence, as used in a murder trial. In other words the - 'My Lord, my client was not of sound mind, he did not know what he was doing, when he shot the plaintiff's aged mother' maneouvre. If Chandramohan is an artist, then the courts will look at intention. And as in a murder trial, the calibration of intention can lead to a degree of dimunition of a sentence from homicide to manslaughter, but cannot do away with the fact of the offence. I say this only to underscore the problems of aesthetic intention, ethical conduct and legal judgement that this case seems to have thrown open, perhaps at the instance of the long neglected spectre of the venerable I(E)mmanel Kant. Our understanding of art, and our valorization of the public realm, must at times I think be striated with a few modest caveats that make us look at instances of tactical retreat from the publicness of our work as occasional necessities. Let us not be so condescending towards an occasional bout of hesitation with regard to making things public. From shuddha at sarai.net Mon Nov 19 03:40:17 2007 From: shuddha at sarai.net (Shuddhabrata Sengupta) Date: Mon, 19 Nov 2007 03:40:17 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Modi's image builders have dictators on client list Message-ID: <4740B849.5070500@sarai.net> Dear All, Narendra Modi certainly could do with some image makeovers, and Buddhadeva Bhattachary could do with some too. In this case, Modi-ji is one up on Buddha Babu. He has hired a lobbying firm to make him look good. I thought that I would post the news item that details this piece of information (which appeared on Times of India and was forwarded to me by a friend, so that those who have a line to Muzaffar Ahmed Bhavan in Kolkata on this list may take the information where it is needed most). Perhaps those on this list who are partisans of Modi-ji could act as consultants to those who root for Buddha-Babu, and they can compare notes on how each leader is faring under the loving attention of the right kind of PR. And together, they can perfect the fine art of decorating and improving the public image of politicians whose hands are stained with blood. regards Shuddha ------------------------------ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Modis_image_builders_have_dictators_on_client_list/articleshow/2549293.cms Modi's image builders have dictators on client list 18 Nov 2007, 0136 hrs IST,TNN AHMEDABAD: Adolf Hitler was a brilliant propagandist. Narendra Modi too believes in the power of image. Which is probably why the chief minister hired a US lobbying firm which has serviced clients like former Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha and President-for-life of Kazakhstan Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev. This Washington-based firm, Apco Worldwide, was hired by Modi sometime in August this year, in the run-up to an important Assembly election, to improve his image before the world community. Among its recent clients are Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a former Communist youth leader-turned-Russian billionaire with mafia links. The firm has a distinction of taking contracts of boosting images of leaders who fell out of favour of their followers. On the face of it Apco Worldwide's brief is to build and sell Brand Gujarat to the international community. But according to sources Modi, who was denied visa by the US earlier because of the taint he earned in the 2002 riots, wants his image to be improved so that he gets to visit the US in future. The Modi regime feels lobbying is required to attract much-sought after foreign direct investment (FDI) which has been a cause for concern even though Gujarat is topping the charts among Indian states in terms of overall investments, according to latest statistics brought out by the Reserve Bank of India. Modi, of course, still nurtures the wish to get an US visa and some of his NRI friends have advised him to use the services of lobbyists for the same. Sources in the government told TOI that if it works and Modi comes back to power, Apco's contract will be renewed in January for Vibrant Gujarat 2009, the event that Modi prides himself in, for bringing investments to the state. The Gujarat government will pay Apco 25,000 USD per month for the Modi image building exercise. Sources in the government said Modi thought of this image-building exercise during his visit to Switzerland earlier this year. His government shortlisted some seven national and international firms, without floating tenders of which two were shortlisted. Even though it quoted a sum that was three times more than others, Apco was picked for the job. The reason given was that Apco has a better team. Apco has former senators from Republican and Democratic parties working with it. From sadan at sarai.net Mon Nov 19 11:59:10 2007 From: sadan at sarai.net (sadan at sarai.net) Date: Mon, 19 Nov 2007 11:59:10 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Modi's image builders have dictators on client list In-Reply-To: <4740B849.5070500@sarai.net> References: <4740B849.5070500@sarai.net> Message-ID: Dear All, Long back, writing on Hitler, Adorno made a remark that Hitler was perceived as a combination of King Kong and the neighbourhood barber. This remark is quite popular and I do not need to go into the details of either this statment, or Adorno's work on authoritarian personality. Adorno's abovequoted remark still provides us clues and ways to engage with questions i.e. why a personality (so hated otherwise by a good number of critics who believe in humanity) not merely charms a large section but also appears popular among a very good number of people. The catch words here may be 'charm', quantity of 'people' (this is the most crucial in democracy and have clear implications in other forms of politics:totalitarianism for example) and the 'popular'. These are key words not because they open up the subject of discussion but they perform the task of closing and bracketing the discussion. This also does not mean that these concepts do not possess the potential to open the subject but quite often we do not find the case. Now, coming back to Suddha's post. For sometimes, we have been obsessively discussing Gujarat, Modi, Nandigram and the left(sorry a particular section of the lest establishment). I celebrate this obession to critique and dissaminate information in whatever way we can do). My concern is slightly less clear to me. We constantly talk about Modi we hardly talk about BJP. I can anticipate few ready-made answers but i do not buy them. I read only two newspapers here: Times of India and DNA( which has started its Gujarat edition only from this month and currently I get a complementary copy). In both these papers everyday (without any fail) we find at least one news focussed only on Modi (his life, his hair, his photograph) and believe me these are not opinionated pieces in any overt sense of the term. The representational logic of national media(both mainstream as wella s alternative spaces) is hardly different. The logic continues.. Modi...communalism...development...sometimes Keshu Bhai, Ahmad Patel and the figure of rebel BJP also adds to it. Is this the only circulatory logic available before us? I go back to the last two Bihar elections. The frame was more or less similar, players and key words were changed. But one cant compare Gujarat with Bihar. Neither Gujaratis will like that nor Biharis will prefer that. Gujjus for being compared with a backward state ( in terms of developmental index) and Biharis for being treated on the platform of humanity. We can also not compare Gujarat pogrom with Nandigram. Neither people from these states will like, nor we can go too far with these comparisions. Though media loves such bytes. Why are we comparing them, what for? Despite the fact that people often use the term genocide for any state sponsored systemtically organised mass violence, despite the fact that my very learned teacher Prof. Sumit Sarkar has quite painfully equated the two, despite the fact that Sudhha in his brilliant postings have informed us instances of mass violence unleased by leftist regimes and despite the fact that encyclopedias often give exaples of both Hitler's rule and leftist regimes while defining totalitarianism. My reservation has nothing to do with privilaging one regime over the other in their response over a particular section of people. It is also not about the ideology, nor about social structure where these brutal acts have taken place under specific circumstances. It is not about history either. It is about the memory of violence, the pain of victims and the futures of democracy. And we need to look at there and not in the eyes of the perpetrator. These Eyes are always charming. sadan. On 3:40 am 11/19/07 Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: > Dear All, > > Narendra Modi certainly could do with some image makeovers, and > Buddhadeva Bhattachary could do with some too. In this case, Modi-ji > is one up on Buddha Babu. He has hired a lobbying firm to make him > look good. > > I thought that I would post the news item that details this piece of > information (which appeared on Times of India and was forwarded to me > by a friend, so that those who have a line to Muzaffar Ahmed Bhavan > in Kolkata on this list may take the information where it is needed > most). Perhaps those on this list who are partisans of Modi-ji > could act as consultants to those who root for Buddha-Babu, and they > can compare notes on how each leader is faring under the loving > attention of the right kind of PR. > > And together, they can perfect the fine art of decorating and > improving the public image of politicians whose hands are stained > with blood. > > regards > > Shuddha > > ------------------------------ > > http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Modis_image_builders_have_dic > tators_on_client_list/articleshow/2549293.cms > > Modi's image builders have dictators on client list > 18 Nov 2007, 0136 hrs IST,TNN > > AHMEDABAD: Adolf Hitler was a brilliant propagandist. Narendra Modi > too believes in the power of image. > > Which is probably why the chief minister hired a US lobbying firm > which has serviced clients like former Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha > and President-for-life of Kazakhstan Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev. > > This Washington-based firm, Apco Worldwide, was hired by Modi > sometime in August this year, in the run-up to an important Assembly > election, to improve his image before the world community. Among its > recent clients are Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a former Communist youth > leader-turned-Russian billionaire with mafia links. > > The firm has a distinction of taking contracts of boosting images of > leaders who fell out of favour of their followers. > > On the face of it Apco Worldwide's brief is to build and sell Brand > Gujarat to the international community. But according to sources > Modi, who was denied visa by the US earlier because of the taint he > earned in the 2002 riots, wants his image to be improved so that he > gets to visit the US in future. > > The Modi regime feels lobbying is required to attract much-sought > after foreign direct investment (FDI) which has been a cause for > concern even though Gujarat is topping the charts among Indian states > in terms of overall investments, according to latest statistics > brought out by the Reserve Bank of India. > > Modi, of course, still nurtures the wish to get an US visa and some > of his NRI friends have advised him to use the services of lobbyists > for the same. Sources in the government told TOI that if it works and > Modi comes back to power, Apco's contract will be renewed in January > for Vibrant Gujarat 2009, the event that Modi prides himself in, for > bringing investments to the state. > > The Gujarat government will pay Apco 25,000 USD per month for the > Modi image building exercise. > > Sources in the government said Modi thought of this image-building > exercise during his visit to Switzerland earlier this year. His > government shortlisted some seven national and international firms, > without floating tenders of which two were shortlisted. Even though > it quoted a sum that was three times more than others, Apco was > picked for the job. > > The reason given was that Apco has a better team. Apco has former > senators from Republican and Democratic parties working with it. > > _________________________________________ > 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. To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.ne > t/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From pawan.durani at gmail.com Mon Nov 19 10:37:32 2007 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Mon, 19 Nov 2007 10:37:32 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Modi's image builders have dictators on client list In-Reply-To: <4740B849.5070500@sarai.net> References: <4740B849.5070500@sarai.net> Message-ID: <6b79f1a70711182107lbb67cbdx9d4d9929f635701@mail.gmail.com> >>>>>>>>>> And together, they can perfect the fine art of decorating and improving the public image of politicians whose hands are stained with blood>>>>>>>>> Thatz an unfair statement. On 11/19/07, Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: > > Dear All, > > Narendra Modi certainly could do with some image makeovers, and > Buddhadeva Bhattachary could do with some too. In this case, Modi-ji is > one up on Buddha Babu. He has hired a lobbying firm to make him look good. > > I thought that I would post the news item that details this piece of > information (which appeared on Times of India and was forwarded to me by > a friend, so that those who have a line to Muzaffar Ahmed Bhavan in > Kolkata on this list may take the information where it is needed most). > Perhaps those on this list who are partisans of Modi-ji could act as > consultants to those who root for Buddha-Babu, and they can compare > notes on how each leader is faring under the loving attention of the > right kind of PR. > > And together, they can perfect the fine art of decorating and improving > the public image of politicians whose hands are stained with blood. > > regards > > Shuddha > > ------------------------------ > > > http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Modis_image_builders_have_dictators_on_client_list/articleshow/2549293.cms > > Modi's image builders have dictators on client list > 18 Nov 2007, 0136 hrs IST,TNN > > AHMEDABAD: Adolf Hitler was a brilliant propagandist. Narendra Modi too > believes in the power of image. > > Which is probably why the chief minister hired a US lobbying firm which > has serviced clients like former Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha and > President-for-life of Kazakhstan Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev. > > This Washington-based firm, Apco Worldwide, was hired by Modi sometime > in August this year, in the run-up to an important Assembly election, to > improve his image before the world community. Among its recent clients > are Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a former Communist youth leader-turned-Russian > billionaire with mafia links. > > The firm has a distinction of taking contracts of boosting images of > leaders who fell out of favour of their followers. > > On the face of it Apco Worldwide's brief is to build and sell Brand > Gujarat to the international community. But according to sources Modi, > who was denied visa by the US earlier because of the taint he earned in > the 2002 riots, wants his image to be improved so that he gets to visit > the US in future. > > The Modi regime feels lobbying is required to attract much-sought after > foreign direct investment (FDI) which has been a cause for concern even > though Gujarat is topping the charts among Indian states in terms of > overall investments, according to latest statistics brought out by the > Reserve Bank of India. > > Modi, of course, still nurtures the wish to get an US visa and some of > his NRI friends have advised him to use the services of lobbyists for > the same. Sources in the government told TOI that if it works and Modi > comes back to power, Apco's contract will be renewed in January for > Vibrant Gujarat 2009, the event that Modi prides himself in, for > bringing investments to the state. > > The Gujarat government will pay Apco 25,000 USD per month for the Modi > image building exercise. > > Sources in the government said Modi thought of this image-building > exercise during his visit to Switzerland earlier this year. His > government shortlisted some seven national and international firms, > without floating tenders of which two were shortlisted. Even though it > quoted a sum that was three times more than others, Apco was picked for > the job. > > The reason given was that Apco has a better team. Apco has former > senators from Republican and Democratic parties working with it. > > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From mitoo at sarai.net Mon Nov 19 11:15:38 2007 From: mitoo at sarai.net (mitoo das) Date: Mon, 19 Nov 2007 11:15:38 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] [Announcements] Three Day Film Festival by The Russian Centre of Science and Magic Lantern Foundation Message-ID: <47412302.9050203@sarai.net> Dear friends, The Russian Centre of Science & Culture and Magic Lantern Foundation invite you to a three-day film festival Celebrating 60 years of Indo-Russian Friendship. A collection of Russian and Indian documentaries that explore various dimensions of freedom, citizenship, gender and arts practices will be screened from 26 to 28 November 2007 in New Delhi. In total nine documentaries will be screened of which six are from Russia and three from India. Details of the event and films are provided below. We hope to see you at the festival. ---------------------------------------------- Celebrating 60 years of Indo-Russian Friendship, 26th to 28th November 2007 Venue: Concert Hall, Russian Centre of Science & Culture; 24, Ferozshah Road, New Delhi. Time: 6 pm to 9 pm No tickets required, seating on first come first serve basis. FILM FESTIVAL SCHEDULE DAY 1: 26th November 2007 1. Zilim Grannies; by V. Yumagulova, English (subtitles), 35 min This film presents live history and the life of ordinary village women and their use of songs as expressions. 2. Jashn-e-Azadi (How We celebrate Freedom), by Sanjay Kak, Kashmiri/Urdu/English (English subtitles), 138 mins, 2007 Shot and edited between August 2004-2006 Jashn-e-Azadi engages us with the idea of Azadi in Kashmir. In 2007, as India celebrates it's 60th anniversary of Independence, this is also a conversation about Freedom in India. DAY 2: 27th November 2007 1. Scribbles on Akka; by Madhusree Dutta English (with subtitles), 60 minutes, 2000 The film is a celebration of rebellion, feminity and legacy down nine hundred years and explores the multiple existence of the 12th century saint poet, Mahadevi Akka through the work of contemporary artists and writers and testimonies of ordinary folks who nurtured her image through centuries in their folklores and oral literature. 2. Martha; by N. Guguyeva, A. Kogan, English (subtitles), 39 minutes, Moscow The film is a story of Martha, a 75 year-old sculptor in Moscow, her life as woman and artist, and her creative work. 3. The Bastion; by Viktoria Fomina, English (subtitles), 52 min, Moscow A Medieval Russian St. Makary, founder of the Troitsky-Kalyazin Monastery, submerged at beginning of the 20 century, appeared before a contemporary carpenter Alexander Kapitonov. The film opens new pages in the history of the Monastery 4. Ledin; by V.Petukhov & E. Korolenko, English (subtitles), 44 min, St. Petersburg The film is a beautiful life story of Russian documentary film-maker Yuriy Ledin, who together with his wife and little daughter for a long time lived and worked in Arctic regions among snow and white bears. DAY 3: 28th November 2007 1. Moscow Forever; by O. Chernov, English (subtitles), 90 min, Moscow The film shows the great celebration of 850th Anniversary of the foundation of Russian capital Moscow in 1997. The celebration has become significant event in world cultural life. 2. Yaptik Hesse; by E. Bartenev, English (subtitles), 30 minutes, St. Petersburg The film shows everyday life and unique customs of the family Yaptik, which belongs to Nenets people, who live in the far North of Russia. 3. Q2P; Paromita Vohra, English (with subtitles), 53 minutes, 2006 Who is dreaming up the global city? Q2P peers through the dream of Mumbai as a future Shanghai and finds... public toilets... not enough of them. The toilet becomes a riddle with many answers and some of those answers are questions - about gender, about class, about caste and most of all about space, urban development and the twisted myth of the global metropolis. ----------- Magic Lantern Foundation J 1881 Chittaranjan Park, Basement, New Delhi 110019 P: +91 11 41605239 and 26273244 E: magiclantern.foundation at gmail.com/ magiclf at vsnl.com W: http://www.magiclanternfoundation.org ----------- _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From oishiksircar at gmail.com Mon Nov 19 14:21:52 2007 From: oishiksircar at gmail.com (OISHIK SIRCAR) Date: Mon, 19 Nov 2007 02:51:52 -0600 Subject: [Reader-list] Modi's image builders have dictators on client list In-Reply-To: <6b79f1a70711182107lbb67cbdx9d4d9929f635701@mail.gmail.com> References: <4740B849.5070500@sarai.net> <6b79f1a70711182107lbb67cbdx9d4d9929f635701@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <62cba67a0711190051p6a7c0351tfeab58b9f6855d54@mail.gmail.com> What's unfair about it? The fact that their hands are stained with blood? Or that politicians' public images van never be decorated or improved?! On Nov 18, 2007 11:07 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > >>>>>>>>>> And together, they can perfect the fine art of decorating and > improving > the public image of politicians whose hands are stained with > blood>>>>>>>>> > > Thatz an unfair statement. > > > On 11/19/07, Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: > > > > Dear All, > > > > Narendra Modi certainly could do with some image makeovers, and > > Buddhadeva Bhattachary could do with some too. In this case, Modi-ji is > > one up on Buddha Babu. He has hired a lobbying firm to make him look > good. > > > > I thought that I would post the news item that details this piece of > > information (which appeared on Times of India and was forwarded to me by > > a friend, so that those who have a line to Muzaffar Ahmed Bhavan in > > Kolkata on this list may take the information where it is needed most). > > Perhaps those on this list who are partisans of Modi-ji could act as > > consultants to those who root for Buddha-Babu, and they can compare > > notes on how each leader is faring under the loving attention of the > > right kind of PR. > > > > And together, they can perfect the fine art of decorating and improving > > the public image of politicians whose hands are stained with blood. > > > > regards > > > > Shuddha > > > > ------------------------------ > > > > > > > http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Modis_image_builders_have_dictators_on_client_list/articleshow/2549293.cms > > > > Modi's image builders have dictators on client list > > 18 Nov 2007, 0136 hrs IST,TNN > > > > AHMEDABAD: Adolf Hitler was a brilliant propagandist. Narendra Modi too > > believes in the power of image. > > > > Which is probably why the chief minister hired a US lobbying firm which > > has serviced clients like former Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha and > > President-for-life of Kazakhstan Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev. > > > > This Washington-based firm, Apco Worldwide, was hired by Modi sometime > > in August this year, in the run-up to an important Assembly election, to > > improve his image before the world community. Among its recent clients > > are Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a former Communist youth leader-turned-Russian > > billionaire with mafia links. > > > > The firm has a distinction of taking contracts of boosting images of > > leaders who fell out of favour of their followers. > > > > On the face of it Apco Worldwide's brief is to build and sell Brand > > Gujarat to the international community. But according to sources Modi, > > who was denied visa by the US earlier because of the taint he earned in > > the 2002 riots, wants his image to be improved so that he gets to visit > > the US in future. > > > > The Modi regime feels lobbying is required to attract much-sought after > > foreign direct investment (FDI) which has been a cause for concern even > > though Gujarat is topping the charts among Indian states in terms of > > overall investments, according to latest statistics brought out by the > > Reserve Bank of India. > > > > Modi, of course, still nurtures the wish to get an US visa and some of > > his NRI friends have advised him to use the services of lobbyists for > > the same. Sources in the government told TOI that if it works and Modi > > comes back to power, Apco's contract will be renewed in January for > > Vibrant Gujarat 2009, the event that Modi prides himself in, for > > bringing investments to the state. > > > > The Gujarat government will pay Apco 25,000 USD per month for the Modi > > image building exercise. > > > > Sources in the government said Modi thought of this image-building > > exercise during his visit to Switzerland earlier this year. His > > government shortlisted some seven national and international firms, > > without floating tenders of which two were shortlisted. Even though it > > quoted a sum that was three times more than others, Apco was picked for > > the job. > > > > The reason given was that Apco has a better team. Apco has former > > senators from Republican and Democratic parties working with it. > > > > _________________________________________ > > 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. > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > -- OISHIK SIRCAR Fellow in Reproductive & Sexual Health and Women's Rights Faculty of Law, University of Toronto 60 Harbord Street Room 016 B Toronto, ON M5S 3L1 oishiksircar at gmail.com oishik.sircar at utoronto.ca 416.876.7926 From shuddha at sarai.net Mon Nov 19 14:36:24 2007 From: shuddha at sarai.net (Shuddhabrata Sengupta) Date: Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:36:24 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Ashok Mitra on Nandigram (from Sanhati.org) Message-ID: <47415210.4050501@sarai.net> Dear all, here is a text by Ashok Mitra, the former finance minister in the Left Front government of West Bengal. It appeared originally in Bengali in the Ananda Bazar Patrika. This is a translation by Debarshi Das posted on Sanhati.org. While I may have many disagreements with Ashok Mitra's politics, I have always admired his eccentric integrity. I think this text will be of interest to people on the list as it represents the honesty that I wish we would see more of in people associated with the CPI(M) today, at least vis-a-vis Nandigram. regards Shuddha ---------------------- You are not what you were - Ashok Mitra after 14th November, 2007 By Ashok Mitra. Translated from Bengali by Debarshi Das, Sanhati. The original article appeared in The Anandabazaar Patrika Till death I would remain guilty to my conscience if I keep mum about the happenings of the last two weeks in West Bengal over Nandigram. One gets torn by pain too. Those against whom I am speaking have been my comrades at some time. The party whose leadership they are adorning has been the centre of my dreams and works for last sixty years. Let me start with the governor. Those who remember Anantaprasad Sharma or Rajeshwar would readily admit that it’s a great fortune for this state and the State Government that they have someone as gentle, well-mannered, sympathetic, modest, erudite as Gopal Krishna Gandhi as the governor of the state. Let me also add he had consented to the post because of the interest shown by the central leadership of the ruling party. What has been his grave fault that the ruling party is so determined to declare even him as its enemy? Through a travesty of truth it is being said that governor has termed the return of those who were forced flee Nandigram to take shelter in Khejuri as illegitimate and unpardonable. He has not done so. He has condemned, in no uncertain terms, the way in which they have been brought back. By now the machination that went on behind the return is known to the world. The government had had enough scope to rehabilitate these devastated people in their own homes through political mediation or administrative arrangements during the last eleven months. The attempts through unilateral threatening, police action, indiscriminate firing had a tragic end. But there were still many avenues left to be explored. The government could have announced compensation for the family of dead and injured immediately after the idiotic incident of firing. Promises could have been made to take action against the police officers and personnel involved in the crime. Days passed, and the government did nothing. Announcement was made in the fashion of Vijay Tendulkar’s play’s title, “Shantata, court chalu ahe.” The senior most political leader of the state and the country had to take the initiative to call up Mamata Banerjee, sit and discuss with her a few conditions for resolution. The government was intimated of them. It did not proceed on them. On the initiative of the senior leader of Forward Bloc, Ashok Ghosh, an all-party meeting was convened. That also got stalled due to indirect pressure from the ruling party. In the meanwhile, as was inevitable, opposition parties started using the unstable situation of Nandigram to their own advantage. The flame of tension was kept burning by a variety of organisations of different colour and class. The discontented whining one hears from the ruling party over this has no rationale whatsoever. The responsibility of unspoken suffering of those who spent eleven months as homeless rests squarely upon the shoulders of the government. It is better to look further into the past. Nandigram was not after all the first blood. Singur episode had happened before that. The Left Front Government does not like nationalised industries. They want to set up private industries in the state. Hence there are promises to acquire land on behalf of the national, international capitalists. That land would supposedly be used by capitalists to set up industries. Since there was declaration of industrialisation in the election manifesto, and since they have won 235 seats, it was readily assumed that there was no need for preparations. All of a sudden peasants were told: leave the land, the masters would set up industries here. If it had learned minimum lessons from the protests, clashes and the blood letting of Singur, the government would have been more careful in Nandigram. But that was not to be. It remained as arrogant as ever. Even the top leaders of the ruling party have been saying there was no existence of the opposition parties in Nandigram. The government itself provided them with the opportunity to grow. The loyal followers of the ruling party declared revolt and those who were not with them were driven out. The onus of this rests on the government as well. For eleven months complete silence and inactivity were carefully maintained, no political or administrative alternative was explored. And suddenly a new plot was hatched. As has been repeatedly admitted by the home secretary, the police was instructed to remain inactive. Mercenaries were collected from across the state. Workers of the ruling party encircled Nandigram from all directions. Birds, bees, flies, journalists none was given the permission to penetrate the blockade. And then the light brigade of the ruling party charged in, beat the wayward militants of Nandigram to a pulp and into submission. Those who had fled returned. However the moment of their return saw a parallel and opposite incident. Houses were torched anew, those who were inside Nandigram were butchered in a massive celebration of revenge. Presently, the Nandigram sky is reverberating by the scream of the recent batch of refugees. The governor must have been informed of the developments by the secretaries. Much concerned, he must have appealed to the honchos of the ministry to keep peace. But to no effect. The rampage is going on as we speak. And so is the blood bath. The governor has made a public statement condemning the incident. I don’t know if what he said, how he said it falls within the framework of the constitution. Those who have not forgotten the framework of humanism, however, will not have two minds about it. The problem does not involve Singur and Nandigram alone. It is much more deep and serious. The repetition of mistakes has become a habit. Just consider this for a minute. It has only been a year and a half since the Left Front has won a massive mandate; and what examples of arrogance and stupidity during this brief span! Come what may, we shall have control over every nook and corner of the state. The cricket board will get its chief elected to our dictates. If our candidate loses we would say, “evil power has won, we will chase him out.” Not only the ordinary people, economic thinkers have offered diverse views over land acquisition in Singur and Nandigram. These different opinion holders are nothing but bookworms, what do they know about running a government! Consequently prominent economist and party comrade of the stature of Prabhat Patnaik is hounded. We are an all-knowing government: from cricket, poetry, theatre, films to the magic of land acquisition – we know everything. Neither should anyone lecture us on the pros and cons of the nuclear deal, for we have won 235 seats. Jyoti Basu won more seats in 1987; he was not heard to mouth such hubris. Not only hubris, add inaptitude to it. Decades have passed shouting hoarse about universal education, and still West Bengal is behind so many states. Money is flowing in from the centre for employment generation schemes, there is zero administrative initiative, the hungry and the unemployed go hungry and unemployed. The centre has arrangement for wheat and rice; these are not even lifted so that they could be sent to the middle and lower class through the ration system. There are uncountable errors and omissions in the list of people living below the poverty line. The shortcomings in the state over empowering the minorities have been detailed in the Sachar Committee report. Take the incident surrounding the death of Rizwanur Rahman. If the police chief of Kolkata along with his cohorts were removed the very evening in which he let his social philosophy known at a press conference and if the investigation were handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation, public rage would not have assumed such ominous proportions. Instead we witnessed an extraordinary serial exhibition of a strange paralysis. Examples go on mounting. Three decades ago when the Left Front government took the oath of office it was not to sit at Writers’ building and indulge in empty talks. But to be one with the people, listening to it and after realising the advice of the people with due humility to design government programmes to implement it. Improvisation of the Panchayat system was precisely for this purpose. Yet all this have somehow become stagnant. Though panchayats are elected democratically they are in a sorry state today. The little money that reaches them is not properly utilised, plenty of it disappears into dark tunnels. It is not possible therefore to avoid the unpleasant truth anymore. One can borrow S. D. Burman’s song to describe what the Communist Party of India (Marxist) was in this state a few decades ago, “you are not what you were.” 90% of its members have joined after 1977, 70% after 1991. They do not know the history of sacrifices of the party. To them ideological commitment to revolution and socialism is simply a fading folktale. As the new ideology is development, many of them are associated with the party in the search for personal development. They have come to take, not to give. They are learning different tricks so as to appropriate various privileges by aligning with the governing party. One efficient way to bag privileges is to flatter the masters. The party has turned into a wide open field of flatterers and court jesters. Moreover, there has been a rising dominance of ‘anti-socials’. For different reasons, every political party has to lend patronage to ‘anti-socials’, they remain in the background and are called into duty at urgent times. In the seventies these anti-socials had reached the top rung of Congress party. I fear same fate is awaiting the communist party. Many of the old people, long time and still party members, who have been through numerous sacrifices and are idealists, are a disheartened, disillusioned lot today. But any organised protest will face party disciplinary action, what will be their support in the twilight of life if the party throws them out? I feel sorry for Mr. Jyoti Basu. Of the four ministerial colleagues who took the oath as members of the first Left Front government with him on 21st June, 1977, only I am still alive. His current state of an imprisoned Shah Jahan saddens the heart deeply. State leadership does not heed the little advice he tries to offer from time to time. If his talks are a tad uncomfortable for the party they are not published in the party organs. Every Friday after the meeting of the party secretaries he comes down stairs and is made to say different things; what he says today may completely be the opposite of what he had said the last time. But my real concern lies elsewhere. Mamata Banerjee is the safest insurance for the current ruling party. Urban, rural masses may have become discontented with the Left Front, but whenever they imagine Mamata Banerjee’s ascent to power, the sheer terror of that possibility has made them vote for the Left Front. But if it comes to a situation that the hubris and ineptitude of leaders of the Left Front government frustrate them so much that they begin to think there is no difference really, it’s all tweedledum and tweedledee, that will be a real disaster. For notice the behaviour, patronage, programme, mode of action, speech of Mamata Banerjee – she personifies fascism. My ardent appeal to the central leadership of the party which I still love to think to be mine, please think it over, you shiver at the terror of Maoism, will that shivering compel you to throw West Bengal into the gutter of fascism? From fsrnkashmir at gmail.com Mon Nov 19 14:48:14 2007 From: fsrnkashmir at gmail.com (Shahnawaz Khan) Date: Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:48:14 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Final Posting. Kashmir Cinemas through Pictures Message-ID: <2ad82fd30711190118w6eae1640p236e7502e8a56a1f@mail.gmail.com> Dear Sarai Readers, As a last posting, I am submitting this blog created by me.This is a story of Kashmir Cinemas through pictures. I will be adding more pictures to the post as i Get them. Most of the pictures are by Srinagar based photojournalist Javed Dar. Here it is http://kashmircinema.blogspot.com/ -- Shahnawaz Khan +91-9419006204 (cell) +91-194-2412130 (R) From atreyee.m at gmail.com Mon Nov 19 18:54:21 2007 From: atreyee.m at gmail.com (atreyee majumder) Date: Mon, 19 Nov 2007 18:54:21 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Call for Submissions: Socio-Legal Review, National Law School of India University In-Reply-To: <720079100711190520y2cd0cf9eldf5d4ab552858cdc@mail.gmail.com> References: <720079100711170035g3ac4e4f5hed188cf7dc79371f@mail.gmail.com> <720079100711190520y2cd0cf9eldf5d4ab552858cdc@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <1944bc230711190524k9153ad5u59338c19ad083e93@mail.gmail.com> The 'Socio-Legal Review', a peer reviewed journal, is an initiative of the Committee that hopes to inspire socio-legal writing among members of the legal and social science community. It aims at exploring themes relating to the interface of law and society and providing a platform for students and young scholars. The Committee is keen to give 'law and society' an expansive interpretation, thereby keeping its basic criteria for contributions simply that of high academic merit, as long as there is a perceivable link. This would include not just writing about the role played by law in social change, or the role played by social dynamics in the formulation and implementation of law, but also writing that simply takes cognizance of legal institutions/ institutions of governance/administration, power structures in social commentary and so on. Through this effort, the journal also hopes to fill the lacunae relating to academic debate on socio-legal matters among law students. Socio-Legal Review has recently received a generous grant from Modern Law Review, United Kingdom to carry on its efforts, in spite of this being only its third year of publication. The first issue of 'Socio-Legal Review', published in 2005, carried the theme 'Law and Marginalisation'. The first issue included contributions from Shail Mayaram (Senior Fellow, Centre for Study of Developing Societies, Delhi), Sivamohan Sumathy (University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka), apart from contributions from within the National Law School. Themes ranged from 'Poverty, Migration and Memory in the Mega-City', 'Migration and 'Displacement of Sri Lankan Tamil Women', 'Globalisation and the City-zen' to 'Reservation Policy of India and Rawls' Theory of Justice' and 'Contours of the Dalit Movement'. The second volume, published in 2006, has articles by W. T. Murphy (London School of Economics) and Rajeev Dhavan (Advocate, Supreme Court). As a theme was not imposed on contribution, writing ranged from subjects as varied as the pharmaceutical industry and patents to the impact of genetics on theories of crime and punishment. The third volume of the journal, released in August 2007, includes contributions by Dr. Fiona Kumari Campbell (Griffith University) and Dr. Narnia Bohler-Muller (Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth), besides contributions from law students. The Socio-Legal Review welcomes contributions for its fourth volume to be released in 2008. Contributions may be in the form of articles or notes from the field.This year's Editorial Board has decided to continue with the policy of not imposing a theme. A contribution is eligible as long as fits in with the general mandate of the journal. Guidelines for Submission All contributions submitted to the journal should be original and should not be simultaneously considered by any other publication. Articles should not ordinarily exceed 8000 words.An abstract of about 300 words should accompany the contribution. Besides articles, the journal has a column on notes from the field, titled 'Law's Translations'. Notes from the Field are shorter pieces designed to provide a glimpse into a new legal strategy, political initiative or advocacy technique applied in the field, a current problem or obstacle faced in, legal reform or development work, or a new issue that has not yet received much attention and needs to be brought to light. This section is designed for the student researchers, legal practitioners, field staffers, and activists who often have the most significant insights to contribute, but the least time to write longer, scholarly articles. Notes from the field should not ordinarily exceed 5000 words. Contributions should be mailed in a soft copy to slr at nls.ac.in. The name of the author should not appear anywhere in the submission. Biographical information should be provided in a separate title page. The last date for submission is December 10, 2007. Submission is, however, on a rolling basis. Submissions made after this date may be considered for publication in the next volume. For any clarifications, please mail us at slr at nls.ac.in. From yasir.media at gmail.com Tue Nov 20 03:15:56 2007 From: yasir.media at gmail.com (yasir ~) Date: Mon, 19 Nov 2007 13:45:56 -0800 Subject: [Reader-list] Martial Repression & Protest in Pakistan In-Reply-To: <5af37bb0711191322k3b184941s995f9e5fb21ef5d9@mail.gmail.com> References: <5af37bb0711191322k3b184941s995f9e5fb21ef5d9@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <5af37bb0711191345n27b8efb3o705cdb649d54eb8c@mail.gmail.com> Pakistan's two worlds (07 Nov) Saskia Sassen As the day proceeded, the same dynamic repeated itself - a stark disconnect between what I saw on television and my experience of the city's streets. And Lahore was the centre of arrests of lawyers on that day. http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/saskia_sassen/2007/11/pakistans_two_worlds.html SMS Update @ 1949: Vigil at Geo » (19 Nov) [Background : In an unprecedented move, Pakistani authorities which had already cut off cable distribution of news channels Geo and ARY within Pakistan, successfully exerted pressure on a third country the UAE (Dubai Media City) to also cut-off their global satellite feeds. UAE as an emerging media and financial hub is treading delicately, while the US Ambassdor Anne Patterson and Benazir Bhutto visited Geo TV's offices in Karachi to express support for free media. Geo is now being broadcast on the internet since the martial law was imposed on November 03.] http://www.teeth.com.pk/blog/ Intelligentsia Finds Ways to Beat Emergency Rule (09 Nov) Beena Sarwar Faced with a continuing news blackout and with street protests being met with police beatings and imprisonment, members of Pakistan's civil society who oppose the 'emergency', imposed by President Gen. Pervez Musharraf a week ago, are finding alternative ways to express dissent. http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39990 From pawan.durani at gmail.com Mon Nov 19 14:55:27 2007 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:55:27 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Modi's image builders have dictators on client list In-Reply-To: <62cba67a0711190051p6a7c0351tfeab58b9f6855d54@mail.gmail.com> References: <4740B849.5070500@sarai.net> <6b79f1a70711182107lbb67cbdx9d4d9929f635701@mail.gmail.com> <62cba67a0711190051p6a7c0351tfeab58b9f6855d54@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <6b79f1a70711190125n7b59433apddf61e384dd954a3@mail.gmail.com> both Budhadeb Ji & Modi ji are mass leaders and win elections democratically . They may not be held responsible for they are not one in the mob. Pawan On 11/19/07, OISHIK SIRCAR wrote: > > What's unfair about it? The fact that their hands are stained with blood? > Or that politicians' public images van never be decorated or improved?! > > On Nov 18, 2007 11:07 PM, Pawan Durani < pawan.durani at gmail.com> wrote: > > > >>>>>>>>>> And together, they can perfect the fine art of decorating > > and > > improving > > the public image of politicians whose hands are stained with > > blood>>>>>>>>> > > > > > > Thatz an unfair statement. > > > > > > On 11/19/07, Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: > > > > > > Dear All, > > > > > > Narendra Modi certainly could do with some image makeovers, and > > > Buddhadeva Bhattachary could do with some too. In this case, Modi-ji > > is > > > one up on Buddha Babu. He has hired a lobbying firm to make him look > > good. > > > > > > I thought that I would post the news item that details this piece of > > > information (which appeared on Times of India and was forwarded to me > > by > > > a friend, so that those who have a line to Muzaffar Ahmed Bhavan in > > > Kolkata on this list may take the information where it is needed > > most). > > > Perhaps those on this list who are partisans of Modi-ji could act as > > > consultants to those who root for Buddha-Babu, and they can compare > > > notes on how each leader is faring under the loving attention of the > > > right kind of PR. > > > > > > And together, they can perfect the fine art of decorating and > > improving > > > the public image of politicians whose hands are stained with blood. > > > > > > regards > > > > > > Shuddha > > > > > > ------------------------------ > > > > > > > > > > > http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Modis_image_builders_have_dictators_on_client_list/articleshow/2549293.cms > > > > > > Modi's image builders have dictators on client list > > > 18 Nov 2007, 0136 hrs IST,TNN > > > > > > AHMEDABAD: Adolf Hitler was a brilliant propagandist. Narendra Modi > > too > > > believes in the power of image. > > > > > > Which is probably why the chief minister hired a US lobbying firm > > which > > > has serviced clients like former Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha and > > > President-for-life of Kazakhstan Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev. > > > > > > This Washington-based firm, Apco Worldwide, was hired by Modi sometime > > > in August this year, in the run-up to an important Assembly election, > > to > > > improve his image before the world community. Among its recent clients > > > are Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a former Communist youth > > leader-turned-Russian > > > billionaire with mafia links. > > > > > > The firm has a distinction of taking contracts of boosting images of > > > leaders who fell out of favour of their followers. > > > > > > On the face of it Apco Worldwide's brief is to build and sell Brand > > > Gujarat to the international community. But according to sources Modi, > > > > > who was denied visa by the US earlier because of the taint he earned > > in > > > the 2002 riots, wants his image to be improved so that he gets to > > visit > > > the US in future. > > > > > > The Modi regime feels lobbying is required to attract much-sought > > after > > > foreign direct investment (FDI) which has been a cause for concern > > even > > > though Gujarat is topping the charts among Indian states in terms of > > > overall investments, according to latest statistics brought out by the > > > > > Reserve Bank of India. > > > > > > Modi, of course, still nurtures the wish to get an US visa and some of > > > his NRI friends have advised him to use the services of lobbyists for > > > the same. Sources in the government told TOI that if it works and Modi > > > > > comes back to power, Apco's contract will be renewed in January for > > > Vibrant Gujarat 2009, the event that Modi prides himself in, for > > > bringing investments to the state. > > > > > > The Gujarat government will pay Apco 25,000 USD per month for the Modi > > > > > image building exercise. > > > > > > Sources in the government said Modi thought of this image-building > > > exercise during his visit to Switzerland earlier this year. His > > > government shortlisted some seven national and international firms, > > > without floating tenders of which two were shortlisted. Even though it > > > quoted a sum that was three times more than others, Apco was picked > > for > > > the job. > > > > > > The reason given was that Apco has a better team. Apco has former > > > senators from Republican and Democratic parties working with it. > > > > > > _________________________________________ > > > 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. > > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > _________________________________________ > > 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. > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > > > > -- > OISHIK SIRCAR > > Fellow in Reproductive & Sexual Health and Women's Rights > Faculty of Law, University of Toronto > > 60 Harbord Street > Room 016 B > Toronto, ON M5S 3L1 > > oishiksircar at gmail.com > oishik.sircar at utoronto.ca > > 416.876.7926 From shuddha at sarai.net Tue Nov 20 16:49:29 2007 From: shuddha at sarai.net (Shuddhabrata Sengupta) Date: Tue, 20 Nov 2007 16:49:29 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Nandigram.... In-Reply-To: <473CDE60.1040905@sarai.net> References: <98f331e00711151141t2646be13ved5d3a46222473be@mail.gmail.com> <473CDE60.1040905@sarai.net> Message-ID: <4742C2C1.2050506@sarai.net> Dear All, I have recently been forwarded a post (on the Foil List) made by Vijay Prashad on the Foil List (http://insaf.net/mailman/listinfo/foil-l_insaf.net) This post contains Sudhanva Deshpande's criticism of the reading I had done (posted here and on Kafila.org)of his ZNet Commentary on Nandigram (earlier forwarded on this thread on the Reader List by Prakash Ray.) Since this is not a private communication, and has been made on an archived mailing list. I thought - that in the interests of free and fair debate on the issue of Nandigram on the Reader List, since it represents a significant criticism of my recent writing and in order that we have more than one side's take on this issue - it ought to be read here as well. regards, Shuddha --------------------------------------------------- SUDHANVA DESHPANDE'S CRITICISM OF MY POSTS ON NANDIGRAM Dear Shuddhabrata, Some friends were kind enough to forward your response to my ZNet commentary, which you posted on the Sarai list. I found then that the response is also posted on Kafila. Your eloquence overwhelms me. I am not,however, similarly blessed. I will keep my response short, and limit it to the two points of fact that you dispute. The number of dead. I said that 14 died on March 14, and, as many on the Left have said, this was 14 too many. I have faced police brutality a number of times while protesting, and I am no fan of it. I am perfectly willing to believe that the number exceeds 14. All I am asking for is: where are the lists of those dead or missing? Masum supplied to the Asian Human Rights Commission a list of 11 dead, and there were fears that the number would be higher. For seven-and-a-half-months, from March 14 to end of October, Nandigram was out of bounds for CPI (M) supporters. Surely, this was enough time to figure out who was missing. As I wrote in my commentary, the one list submitted to the court turned out to be a fraud. If you have come across any other list, please do let me know. Sanhati doesn't have a list, by the way, so don't bother with that. As an aside, a Bengali paper today published an interview with a "corpse." This man, by the way, is Kanai Sheth, alleged to have been killed on November 9. He is also, by the way, the father of Khokon Sheth, the main accused in the killing of Shankar Samanta, the elected panchayat member from Nandigram, who was hacked and burnt on January 7. Old man Kanai, by the way, was not interviewed in a hideout, but in his own house, where he returned after the violence abated. He was, by the way, hiding in a CPI (M)-run camp all the while, which is why the BUPC activists couldn't trace him and presumed him murdered, especially given his relationship to the main accused in the killing of an elected representative. Oh, but the interview appeared in Ganashakti, so I am sure it is utter fabrication. Then, the notice. What did I say? That the notice was meant to clarify rumours about land acquisition, and that the notice itself was not a land acquisition notice. As you well know, the proposal of the chemical hub was not new. The location was not finalized. There was speculation, there were rumours ­ about how much land would be acquired, which blocks would come under acquisition, whether it will all be done at one go, and so on. The notice was meant to clarify how much land would come under acquisition. The second notice was a further clarification on the first one, to say that the acquisition would be in phases, and to tell the public exactly which blocks were to be covered. In any case, as the Chief Minister pointed out, the Haldia Development Authority had overstepped its jurisdiction in issuing the notice. But suppose, for argument's sake, that it had not overstepped its jurisdiction. Is a notice that informs the public of an intention to acquire land the same as a notice that actually acquires the land? Surely not. Even you would understand this. A research proposal is merely that, a proposal. A Ph.D. thesis is something else. Did I say in my commentary that the notice(s) denied the proposed land acquisition? No. You simply attribute it to me. The simplest argument to demolish is one that was never made. Your other, more recent post, the one about Prabhat Patnaik, Irfan Habib, Vivan Sundaram et al., was also forwarded to me, this time by another friend, with the question, "Why is he so abusive?" I corrected her by pointing out that there was in fact no abuse in your post, though the prose tends toward purple. Given your long record of struggle and sacrifice for the poor and dispossessed, you are understandably angry with individuals who have nothing to show on that front. People with fancy institutional affiliations do not abuse. Abuse is what a poor cycle rickshaw wallah gets from guys who drive big imported cars. I am told it leads to a testosterone surge and makes them feel manly. You have never made a secret of your intense hatred for the Left. I only urge you to lace your purple prose with the occasional nod at verifiable facts. Best, Sudhanva PS: Reptiles - Phylum Reptilia ­ are a class of vertebrates, and they do have backbones, I am afraid. And a species is not the same as a phylum either. And to deride reptiles because they do not, like the species Homo sapiens, have a conscience ­ oh dear, this is not very humble, is it. From naeem.mohaiemen at gmail.com Tue Nov 20 18:02:58 2007 From: naeem.mohaiemen at gmail.com (Naeem Mohaiemen) Date: Tue, 20 Nov 2007 18:32:58 +0600 Subject: [Reader-list] Sidr Resources Message-ID: Drishtipat is a source for various updates on Cyclone Sidr, and how you can help. http://www.drishtipat.org/blog/ Stats: During Katrina, Bangladesh (pop: 140 million) offered to send $1 million to help the people of New Orleans. After Sidr, USA (population: 300 million) has offered to send $2 million to help the people of southern Bangladesh. UK offered $5 million The Saudis have offered $100 million From subasrik at yahoo.com Tue Nov 20 19:34:39 2007 From: subasrik at yahoo.com (Subasri Krishnan) Date: Tue, 20 Nov 2007 06:04:39 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] Forwarding Sudhanva Deshpande's mail... Message-ID: <74975.37216.qm@web52112.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Hi, Sudhanva Deshpande asked me to post this on the Reader List as he's not a member. Attached below is the mail he has written to Shuddha. Subasri -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Shuddhabrata, Some friends were kind enough to forward your response to my ZNet commentary, which you posted on the Sarai list. I found then that the response is also posted on Kafila. Your eloquence overwhelms me. I am not, however, similarly blessed. I will keep my response short, and limit it to the two points of fact that you dispute. The number of dead. I said that 14 died on March 14, and, as many on the Left have said, this was 14 too many. I have faced police brutality a number of times while protesting, and I am no fan of it. I am perfectly willing to believe that the number exceeds 14. All I am asking for is: where are the lists of those dead or missing? Masum supplied to the Asian Human Rights Commission a list of 11 dead, and there were fears that the number would be higher. For seven-and-a-half-months, from March 14 to end of October, Nandigram was out of bounds for CPI (M) supporters. Surely, this was enough time to figure out who was missing. As I wrote in my commentary, the one list submitted to the court turned out to be a fraud. If you have come across any other list, please do let me know. Sanhati doesn't have a list, by the way, so don't bother with that. As an aside, a Bengali paper today published an interview with a "corpse." This man, by the way, is Kanai Sheth, alleged to have been killed on November 9. He is also, by the way, the father of Khokon Sheth, the main accused in the killing of Shankar Samanta, the elected panchayat member from Nandigram, who was hacked and burnt on January 7. Old man Kanai, by the way, was not interviewed in a hideout, but in his own house, where he returned after the violence abated. He was, by the way, hiding in a CPI (M)-run camp all the while, which is why the BUPC activists couldn't trace him and presumed him murdered, especially given his relationship to the main accused in the killing of an elected representative. Oh, but the interview appeared in Ganashakti, so I am sure it is utter fabrication. Then, the notice. What did I say? That the notice was meant to clarify rumours about land acquisition, and that the notice itself was not a land acquisition notice. As you well know, the proposal of the chemical hub was not new. The location was not finalized. There was speculation, there were rumours – about how much land would be acquired, which blocks would come under acquisition, whether it will all be done at one go, and so on. The notice was meant to clarify how much land would come under acquisition. The second notice was a further clarification on the first one, to say that the acquisition would be in phases, and to tell the public exactly which blocks were to be covered. In any case, as the Chief Minister pointed out, the Haldia Development Authority had overstepped its jurisdiction in issuing the notice. But suppose, for argument's sake, that it had not overstepped its jurisdiction. Is a notice that informs the public of an intention to acquire land the same as a notice that actually acquires the land? Surely not. Even you would understand this. A research proposal is merely that, a proposal. A Ph.D. thesis is something else. Did I say in my commentary that the notice(s) denied the proposed land acquisition? No. You simply attribute it to me. The simplest argument to demolish is one that was never made. Your other, more recent post, the one about Prabhat Patnaik, Irfan Habib, Vivan Sundaram et al., was also forwarded to me, this time by another friend, with the question, "Why is he so abusive?" I corrected her by pointing out that there was in fact no abuse in your post, though the prose tends toward purple. Given your long record of struggle and sacrifice for the poor and dispossessed, you are understandably angry with individuals who have nothing to show on that front. People with fancy institutional affiliations do not abuse. Abuse is what a poor cycle rickshaw wallah gets from guys who drive big imported cars. I am told it leads to a testosterone surge and makes them feel manly. You have never made a secret of your intense hatred for the Left. I only urge you to lace your purple prose with the occasional nod at verifiable facts. Best, Sudhanva PS: Reptiles – Phylum Reptilia – are a class of vertebrates, and they do have backbones, I am afraid. And a species is not the same as a phylum either. And to deride reptiles because they do not, like the species Homo sapiens, have a conscience – oh dear, this is not very humble, is it. 'You can only understand your life backwards. But you have to live it forwards' --------------------------------- Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your homepage. From rehanhasanansari at yahoo.com Tue Nov 20 19:57:03 2007 From: rehanhasanansari at yahoo.com (rehan ansari) Date: Tue, 20 Nov 2007 06:27:03 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] The General's new enemies Message-ID: <6810.75287.qm@web51103.mail.re2.yahoo.com> http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1133814 ____________________________________________________________________________________ Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your home page. http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs From shuddha at sarai.net Tue Nov 20 20:12:51 2007 From: shuddha at sarai.net (Shuddhabrata Sengupta) Date: Tue, 20 Nov 2007 20:12:51 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Nandigram.... Message-ID: <4742F26B.1090806@sarai.net> Dear All, I have recently been forwarded a post (on the Foil List) made by Vijay Prashad on the Foil List (http://insaf.net/mailman/listinfo/foil-l_insaf.net) This post contains Sudhanva Deshpande's criticism of the reading I had done (posted here and on Kafila.org)of his ZNet Commentary on Nandigram (earlier forwarded on this thread on the Reader List by Prakash Ray.) Since this is not a private communication, and has been made on an archived mailing list. I thought - that in the interests of free and fair debate on the issue of Nandigram on the Reader List, since it represents a significant criticism of my recent writing and in order that we have more than one side's take on this issue - it ought to be read here as well. regards, Shuddha --------------------------------------------------- SUDHANVA DESHPANDE'S CRITICISM OF MY POSTS ON NANDIGRAM Dear Shuddhabrata, Some friends were kind enough to forward your response to my ZNet commentary, which you posted on the Sarai list. I found then that the response is also posted on Kafila. Your eloquence overwhelms me. I am not,however, similarly blessed. I will keep my response short, and limit it to the two points of fact that you dispute. The number of dead. I said that 14 died on March 14, and, as many on the Left have said, this was 14 too many. I have faced police brutality a number of times while protesting, and I am no fan of it. I am perfectly willing to believe that the number exceeds 14. All I am asking for is: where are the lists of those dead or missing? Masum supplied to the Asian Human Rights Commission a list of 11 dead, and there were fears that the number would be higher. For seven-and-a-half-months, from March 14 to end of October, Nandigram was out of bounds for CPI (M) supporters. Surely, this was enough time to figure out who was missing. As I wrote in my commentary, the one list submitted to the court turned out to be a fraud. If you have come across any other list, please do let me know. Sanhati doesn't have a list, by the way, so don't bother with that. As an aside, a Bengali paper today published an interview with a "corpse." This man, by the way, is Kanai Sheth, alleged to have been killed on November 9. He is also, by the way, the father of Khokon Sheth, the main accused in the killing of Shankar Samanta, the elected panchayat member from Nandigram, who was hacked and burnt on January 7. Old man Kanai, by the way, was not interviewed in a hideout, but in his own house, where he returned after the violence abated. He was, by the way, hiding in a CPI (M)-run camp all the while, which is why the BUPC activists couldn't trace him and presumed him murdered, especially given his relationship to the main accused in the killing of an elected representative. Oh, but the interview appeared in Ganashakti, so I am sure it is utter fabrication. Then, the notice. What did I say? That the notice was meant to clarify rumours about land acquisition, and that the notice itself was not a land acquisition notice. As you well know, the proposal of the chemical hub was not new. The location was not finalized. There was speculation, there were rumours ­ about how much land would be acquired, which blocks would come under acquisition, whether it will all be done at one go, and so on. The notice was meant to clarify how much land would come under acquisition. The second notice was a further clarification on the first one, to say that the acquisition would be in phases, and to tell the public exactly which blocks were to be covered. In any case, as the Chief Minister pointed out, the Haldia Development Authority had overstepped its jurisdiction in issuing the notice. But suppose, for argument's sake, that it had not overstepped its jurisdiction. Is a notice that informs the public of an intention to acquire land the same as a notice that actually acquires the land? Surely not. Even you would understand this. A research proposal is merely that, a proposal. A Ph.D. thesis is something else. Did I say in my commentary that the notice(s) denied the proposed land acquisition? No. You simply attribute it to me. The simplest argument to demolish is one that was never made. Your other, more recent post, the one about Prabhat Patnaik, Irfan Habib, Vivan Sundaram et al., was also forwarded to me, this time by another friend, with the question, "Why is he so abusive?" I corrected her by pointing out that there was in fact no abuse in your post, though the prose tends toward purple. Given your long record of struggle and sacrifice for the poor and dispossessed, you are understandably angry with individuals who have nothing to show on that front. People with fancy institutional affiliations do not abuse. Abuse is what a poor cycle rickshaw wallah gets from guys who drive big imported cars. I am told it leads to a testosterone surge and makes them feel manly. You have never made a secret of your intense hatred for the Left. I only urge you to lace your purple prose with the occasional nod at verifiable facts. Best, Sudhanva PS: Reptiles - Phylum Reptilia ­ are a class of vertebrates, and they do have backbones, I am afraid. And a species is not the same as a phylum either. And to deride reptiles because they do not, like the species Homo sapiens, have a conscience ­ oh dear, this is not very humble, is it. From shuddha at sarai.net Wed Nov 21 01:12:44 2007 From: shuddha at sarai.net (Shuddhabrata Sengupta) Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2007 01:12:44 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Nandigram.... Message-ID: <474338B4.70700@sarai.net> Dear All, I am forwarding below Sudhanva Deshpande's criticism of the reading I had done ('Nandigram Redux' posted here and on Kafila.org)of his ZNet Commentary ('Nandigram Again') which was earlier forwarded on this thread on the Reader List by Prakash Ray. This text by Sudhanva Deshpande is also available on the growing archive of the CPI(M)'s evolving position on Nandigram at Pragoti.org http://www.pragoti.org/pragoti/news_detail.php?news_id=370&sessionid= Since this is not a private communication, (although it is addressed to me)and has been already posted been on an archived mailing list (The Foil List) and is available on a free to read blog. I thought - that in the interests of free and fair debate on the issue of Nandigram on the Reader List, since it represents a significant criticism of my recent writing and in order that we have more than one side's take on this issue - it ought to be read here as well. regards, Shuddha --------------------------------------------------- SUDHANVA DESHPANDE'S CRITICISM OF MY POSTS ON NANDIGRAM Dear Shuddhabrata, Some friends were kind enough to forward your response to my ZNet commentary, which you posted on the Sarai list. I found then that the response is also posted on Kafila. Your eloquence overwhelms me. I am not,however, similarly blessed. I will keep my response short, and limit it to the two points of fact that you dispute. The number of dead. I said that 14 died on March 14, and, as many on the Left have said, this was 14 too many. I have faced police brutality a number of times while protesting, and I am no fan of it. I am perfectly willing to believe that the number exceeds 14. All I am asking for is: where are the lists of those dead or missing? Masum supplied to the Asian Human Rights Commission a list of 11 dead, and there were fears that the number would be higher. For seven-and-a-half-months, from March 14 to end of October, Nandigram was out of bounds for CPI (M) supporters. Surely, this was enough time to figure out who was missing. As I wrote in my commentary, the one list submitted to the court turned out to be a fraud. If you have come across any other list, please do let me know. Sanhati doesn't have a list, by the way, so don't bother with that. As an aside, a Bengali paper today published an interview with a "corpse." This man, by the way, is Kanai Sheth, alleged to have been killed on November 9. He is also, by the way, the father of Khokon Sheth, the main accused in the killing of Shankar Samanta, the elected panchayat member from Nandigram, who was hacked and burnt on January 7. Old man Kanai, by the way, was not interviewed in a hideout, but in his own house, where he returned after the violence abated. He was, by the way, hiding in a CPI (M)-run camp all the while, which is why the BUPC activists couldn't trace him and presumed him murdered, especially given his relationship to the main accused in the killing of an elected representative. Oh, but the interview appeared in Ganashakti, so I am sure it is utter fabrication. Then, the notice. What did I say? That the notice was meant to clarify rumours about land acquisition, and that the notice itself was not a land acquisition notice. As you well know, the proposal of the chemical hub was not new. The location was not finalized. There was speculation, there were rumours ­ about how much land would be acquired, which blocks would come under acquisition, whether it will all be done at one go, and so on. The notice was meant to clarify how much land would come under acquisition. The second notice was a further clarification on the first one, to say that the acquisition would be in phases, and to tell the public exactly which blocks were to be covered. In any case, as the Chief Minister pointed out, the Haldia Development Authority had overstepped its jurisdiction in issuing the notice. But suppose, for argument's sake, that it had not overstepped its jurisdiction. Is a notice that informs the public of an intention to acquire land the same as a notice that actually acquires the land? Surely not. Even you would understand this. A research proposal is merely that, a proposal. A Ph.D. thesis is something else. Did I say in my commentary that the notice(s) denied the proposed land acquisition? No. You simply attribute it to me. The simplest argument to demolish is one that was never made. Your other, more recent post, the one about Prabhat Patnaik, Irfan Habib, Vivan Sundaram et al., was also forwarded to me, this time by another friend, with the question, "Why is he so abusive?" I corrected her by pointing out that there was in fact no abuse in your post, though the prose tends toward purple. Given your long record of struggle and sacrifice for the poor and dispossessed, you are understandably angry with individuals who have nothing to show on that front. People with fancy institutional affiliations do not abuse. Abuse is what a poor cycle rickshaw wallah gets from guys who drive big imported cars. I am told it leads to a testosterone surge and makes them feel manly. You have never made a secret of your intense hatred for the Left. I only urge you to lace your purple prose with the occasional nod at verifiable facts. Best, Sudhanva PS: Reptiles - Phylum Reptilia ­ are a class of vertebrates, and they do have backbones, I am afraid. And a species is not the same as a phylum either. And to deride reptiles because they do not, like the species Homo sapiens, have a conscience ­ oh dear, this is not very humble, is it. From indersalim at gmail.com Wed Nov 21 01:45:07 2007 From: indersalim at gmail.com (inder salim) Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2007 01:45:07 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] When i was a student of 8th... Message-ID: <47e122a70711201215h788878a3mb3083034370be46d@mail.gmail.com> please click to see the image and read a little more about Kashmir -- http://indersalim.livejournal.com with love is From tapasrayx at gmail.com Wed Nov 21 02:20:59 2007 From: tapasrayx at gmail.com (Tapas Ray) Date: Tue, 20 Nov 2007 15:50:59 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Ashok Mitra on Nandigram (from Sanhati.org) In-Reply-To: <47415210.4050501@sarai.net> References: <47415210.4050501@sarai.net> Message-ID: <474348B3.2070903@googlemail.com> This is heartening indeed. Tapas Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: > You are not what you were - Ashok Mitra after 14th November, 2007 > > By Ashok Mitra. Translated from Bengali by Debarshi Das, Sanhati. > The original article appeared in The Anandabazaar Patrika > > Till death I would remain guilty to my conscience if I keep mum about > the happenings of the last two weeks in West Bengal over Nandigram. One > gets torn by pain too. Those against whom I am speaking have been my > comrades at some time. The party whose leadership they are adorning has > been the centre of my dreams and works for last sixty years. From peter.ksmtf at gmail.com Wed Nov 21 09:19:43 2007 From: peter.ksmtf at gmail.com (T Peter) Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2007 09:19:43 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Fish workers to protest today Message-ID: <3457ce860711201949k68338536r2b9ec063753989bd@mail.gmail.com> Fish workers to protest today http://www.hindu.com/2007/11/21/stories/2007112160070300.htm Special Correspondent THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Protests and public meetings will mark the observance of World Fish workers Day in Kerala on Wednesday. Thousands of fish workers in the State will join a nation-wide campaign announced by the National Coastal Protection Campaign Committee against import of fish from European Union countries and the move to replace the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms with a Coastal Zone Management (CZM) policy. State president of the Kerala Swathantra Matsya Thozhilali Federation T. Peter told a press conference on Tuesday that human chains would be organised in West Bengal, Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu. In the city, fish workers will take out a march and stage a dharna before the General Post Office. The federation is also organising a seminar at the Bank Employees Union hall. Mr. Peter said organisations representing fish workers had not been invited to talks organised by the Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority to discuss the CZM policy. From hpp at vsnl.com Wed Nov 21 13:45:40 2007 From: hpp at vsnl.com (hpp at vsnl.com) Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2007 08:15:40 +0000 (GMT) Subject: [Reader-list] Udayan Ghosh passes away Message-ID: The Bengali writer Udayan Ghosh passed away last week. Born in in 1934, Udayan Ghosh was a leading writer of the parallell literature and the little magazine streams. He was one of the group of five writers whose names defined Bengali parallel literature, the others being Kamal Majumdar, Sandipan Chattopadhyay, Amiya Bhushan Majumdar and Debesh Ray. Udayan Ghosh's first book "Abani bonam Santanu" was published in 1971. Among his other works are: "Shylock", "Bondooker Nol Thekey Ekoda", "Asansol-er Lokkhyi", "Kanaklata", "Mukulesh-er Ma Ja Hoiben", "Udayan Ghosh-er Chhoto Golpo", "Ami Ekhon Underground-ey", "Dui Konya", "Swapan-er Magic Reality", "Atanur Kotha", and "Khalasitolay Ami Ek Prodigal Khalasi". V Ramaswamy Calcutta cuckooscall.blogspot.com From aarti.sethi at gmail.com Wed Nov 21 14:14:08 2007 From: aarti.sethi at gmail.com (Aarti Sethi) Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2007 14:14:08 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Modi's image builders have dictators on client list In-Reply-To: <6b79f1a70711190125n7b59433apddf61e384dd954a3@mail.gmail.com> References: <4740B849.5070500@sarai.net> <6b79f1a70711182107lbb67cbdx9d4d9929f635701@mail.gmail.com> <62cba67a0711190051p6a7c0351tfeab58b9f6855d54@mail.gmail.com> <6b79f1a70711190125n7b59433apddf61e384dd954a3@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <48c2916d0711210044h33f399careafc4e55e2ccb4ae@mail.gmail.com> Dear All, Surely this has to be one of the strangest comments I have read so far. It is true tragic-comedy in the old sense of the term. I am not sure whether the fact that today votaries of the right are defending the CPIM is the tragic element or the comic element. Pawan Durani ji the fact that a leader is a mass leader and wins elections democratically is no defence of his/her actions. I am amazed that you can argue for majoritarian politics in this matter of fact fashion. Are we to assume that a "democratic" decision to kill 4,000 people over two days is alright, because the people behind this were elected democratically? Your statement that Narendra Modi cannot be held responsible for what happened is complete nonsense. Please spare us this Hindu-apologist garbage. Narendra Modi is a mass murderer. There can be no quibbling on this. It is interesting that you equate Buddhadeb and Modi in this fashion because today morning's news carries a story on the NHRC's equation of Nandigram 2006 with Gujarat 2002. http://www.indianexpress.com/story/241118.html I am deeply troubled by this. I do not think statements like this are helpful in thinking through and opposing what occurred in either instance. We need to be able to fashion languages that can take into account the particularity of violence. In this way all the CPIM has to say is "Nandigram is not like Gujarat," which is true, and that's the end of that. Nandigram is like Nandigram. That's bad enough. Of course this question of the brutality with which the state reacts to demands by farmers, is something that needs to be thought through. And this brutality is the preserve neither of the left or the right. Remember the killing of farmers agitating for water in police firing in Rajasthan, under BJP rule, last year and in 2004 http://www.indiaenews.com/india/20071119/81460.htm best Aarti On Nov 19, 2007 2:55 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > both Budhadeb Ji & Modi ji are mass leaders and win elections democratically > . They may not be held responsible for they are not one in the mob. > > Pawan > > > > On 11/19/07, OISHIK SIRCAR wrote: > > > > What's unfair about it? The fact that their hands are stained with blood? > > Or that politicians' public images van never be decorated or improved?! > > > > On Nov 18, 2007 11:07 PM, Pawan Durani < pawan.durani at gmail.com> wrote: > > > > > >>>>>>>>>> And together, they can perfect the fine art of decorating > > > and > > > improving > > > the public image of politicians whose hands are stained with > > > blood>>>>>>>>> > > > > > > > > > Thatz an unfair statement. > > > > > > > > > On 11/19/07, Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: > > > > > > > > Dear All, > > > > > > > > Narendra Modi certainly could do with some image makeovers, and > > > > Buddhadeva Bhattachary could do with some too. In this case, Modi-ji > > > is > > > > one up on Buddha Babu. He has hired a lobbying firm to make him look > > > good. > > > > > > > > I thought that I would post the news item that details this piece of > > > > information (which appeared on Times of India and was forwarded to me > > > by > > > > a friend, so that those who have a line to Muzaffar Ahmed Bhavan in > > > > Kolkata on this list may take the information where it is needed > > > most). > > > > Perhaps those on this list who are partisans of Modi-ji could act as > > > > consultants to those who root for Buddha-Babu, and they can compare > > > > notes on how each leader is faring under the loving attention of the > > > > right kind of PR. > > > > > > > > And together, they can perfect the fine art of decorating and > > > improving > > > > the public image of politicians whose hands are stained with blood. > > > > > > > > regards > > > > > > > > Shuddha > > > > > > > > ------------------------------ > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Modis_image_builders_have_dictators_on_client_list/articleshow/2549293.cms > > > > > > > > Modi's image builders have dictators on client list > > > > 18 Nov 2007, 0136 hrs IST,TNN > > > > > > > > AHMEDABAD: Adolf Hitler was a brilliant propagandist. Narendra Modi > > > too > > > > believes in the power of image. > > > > > > > > Which is probably why the chief minister hired a US lobbying firm > > > which > > > > has serviced clients like former Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha and > > > > President-for-life of Kazakhstan Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev. > > > > > > > > This Washington-based firm, Apco Worldwide, was hired by Modi sometime > > > > in August this year, in the run-up to an important Assembly election, > > > to > > > > improve his image before the world community. Among its recent clients > > > > are Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a former Communist youth > > > leader-turned-Russian > > > > billionaire with mafia links. > > > > > > > > The firm has a distinction of taking contracts of boosting images of > > > > leaders who fell out of favour of their followers. > > > > > > > > On the face of it Apco Worldwide's brief is to build and sell Brand > > > > Gujarat to the international community. But according to sources Modi, > > > > > > > who was denied visa by the US earlier because of the taint he earned > > > in > > > > the 2002 riots, wants his image to be improved so that he gets to > > > visit > > > > the US in future. > > > > > > > > The Modi regime feels lobbying is required to attract much-sought > > > after > > > > foreign direct investment (FDI) which has been a cause for concern > > > even > > > > though Gujarat is topping the charts among Indian states in terms of > > > > overall investments, according to latest statistics brought out by the > > > > > > > Reserve Bank of India. > > > > > > > > Modi, of course, still nurtures the wish to get an US visa and some of > > > > his NRI friends have advised him to use the services of lobbyists for > > > > the same. Sources in the government told TOI that if it works and Modi > > > > > > > comes back to power, Apco's contract will be renewed in January for > > > > Vibrant Gujarat 2009, the event that Modi prides himself in, for > > > > bringing investments to the state. > > > > > > > > The Gujarat government will pay Apco 25,000 USD per month for the Modi > > > > > > > image building exercise. > > > > > > > > Sources in the government said Modi thought of this image-building > > > > exercise during his visit to Switzerland earlier this year. His > > > > government shortlisted some seven national and international firms, > > > > without floating tenders of which two were shortlisted. Even though it > > > > quoted a sum that was three times more than others, Apco was picked > > > for > > > > the job. > > > > > > > > The reason given was that Apco has a better team. Apco has former > > > > senators from Republican and Democratic parties working with it. > > > > > > > > _________________________________________ > > > > 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. > > > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > _________________________________________ > > > 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. > > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > OISHIK SIRCAR > > > > Fellow in Reproductive & Sexual Health and Women's Rights > > Faculty of Law, University of Toronto > > > > 60 Harbord Street > > Room 016 B > > Toronto, ON M5S 3L1 > > > > oishiksircar at gmail.com > > oishik.sircar at utoronto.ca > > > > 416.876.7926 > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From shuddha at sarai.net Wed Nov 21 14:27:08 2007 From: shuddha at sarai.net (Shuddhabrata Sengupta) Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2007 14:27:08 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Apologies for sending the same post thrice Message-ID: <4743F2E4.6000301@sarai.net> Dear All, Apologies for sending the same post thrice. There was some technical problem in the server yesterday as a result of which, I thought that the first forwarded posting that I had made of Sudhanva Deshpande's text had not gone through. As a result of which I tried to send it, repeatedly. Sorry for clogging your mailboxes. regards Shuddha From rashneek at gmail.com Wed Nov 21 15:43:21 2007 From: rashneek at gmail.com (rashneek kher) Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2007 15:43:21 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Modi's image builders have dictators on client list In-Reply-To: <6b79f1a70711190125n7b59433apddf61e384dd954a3@mail.gmail.com> References: <4740B849.5070500@sarai.net> <6b79f1a70711182107lbb67cbdx9d4d9929f635701@mail.gmail.com> <62cba67a0711190051p6a7c0351tfeab58b9f6855d54@mail.gmail.com> <6b79f1a70711190125n7b59433apddf61e384dd954a3@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <13df7c120711210213u251f94dbm7bed23b75a58c04@mail.gmail.com> For Once I agree with Shuddha.Both are mass murderers and faces of evil. Modern Day Neros On 11/19/07, Pawan Durani wrote: > > both Budhadeb Ji & Modi ji are mass leaders and win elections > democratically > . They may not be held responsible for they are not one in the mob. > > Pawan > > > On 11/19/07, OISHIK SIRCAR wrote: > > > > What's unfair about it? The fact that their hands are stained with > blood? > > Or that politicians' public images van never be decorated or improved?! > > > > On Nov 18, 2007 11:07 PM, Pawan Durani < pawan.durani at gmail.com> wrote: > > > > > >>>>>>>>>> And together, they can perfect the fine art of decorating > > > and > > > improving > > > the public image of politicians whose hands are stained with > > > blood>>>>>>>>> > > > > > > > > > Thatz an unfair statement. > > > > > > > > > On 11/19/07, Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: > > > > > > > > Dear All, > > > > > > > > Narendra Modi certainly could do with some image makeovers, and > > > > Buddhadeva Bhattachary could do with some too. In this case, Modi-ji > > > is > > > > one up on Buddha Babu. He has hired a lobbying firm to make him look > > > good. > > > > > > > > I thought that I would post the news item that details this piece of > > > > information (which appeared on Times of India and was forwarded to > me > > > by > > > > a friend, so that those who have a line to Muzaffar Ahmed Bhavan in > > > > Kolkata on this list may take the information where it is needed > > > most). > > > > Perhaps those on this list who are partisans of Modi-ji could act as > > > > consultants to those who root for Buddha-Babu, and they can compare > > > > notes on how each leader is faring under the loving attention of the > > > > right kind of PR. > > > > > > > > And together, they can perfect the fine art of decorating and > > > improving > > > > the public image of politicians whose hands are stained with blood. > > > > > > > > regards > > > > > > > > Shuddha > > > > > > > > ------------------------------ > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Modis_image_builders_have_dictators_on_client_list/articleshow/2549293.cms > > > > > > > > Modi's image builders have dictators on client list > > > > 18 Nov 2007, 0136 hrs IST,TNN > > > > > > > > AHMEDABAD: Adolf Hitler was a brilliant propagandist. Narendra Modi > > > too > > > > believes in the power of image. > > > > > > > > Which is probably why the chief minister hired a US lobbying firm > > > which > > > > has serviced clients like former Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha and > > > > President-for-life of Kazakhstan Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev. > > > > > > > > This Washington-based firm, Apco Worldwide, was hired by Modi > sometime > > > > in August this year, in the run-up to an important Assembly > election, > > > to > > > > improve his image before the world community. Among its recent > clients > > > > are Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a former Communist youth > > > leader-turned-Russian > > > > billionaire with mafia links. > > > > > > > > The firm has a distinction of taking contracts of boosting images of > > > > leaders who fell out of favour of their followers. > > > > > > > > On the face of it Apco Worldwide's brief is to build and sell Brand > > > > Gujarat to the international community. But according to sources > Modi, > > > > > > > who was denied visa by the US earlier because of the taint he earned > > > in > > > > the 2002 riots, wants his image to be improved so that he gets to > > > visit > > > > the US in future. > > > > > > > > The Modi regime feels lobbying is required to attract much-sought > > > after > > > > foreign direct investment (FDI) which has been a cause for concern > > > even > > > > though Gujarat is topping the charts among Indian states in terms of > > > > overall investments, according to latest statistics brought out by > the > > > > > > > Reserve Bank of India. > > > > > > > > Modi, of course, still nurtures the wish to get an US visa and some > of > > > > his NRI friends have advised him to use the services of lobbyists > for > > > > the same. Sources in the government told TOI that if it works and > Modi > > > > > > > comes back to power, Apco's contract will be renewed in January for > > > > Vibrant Gujarat 2009, the event that Modi prides himself in, for > > > > bringing investments to the state. > > > > > > > > The Gujarat government will pay Apco 25,000 USD per month for the > Modi > > > > > > > image building exercise. > > > > > > > > Sources in the government said Modi thought of this image-building > > > > exercise during his visit to Switzerland earlier this year. His > > > > government shortlisted some seven national and international firms, > > > > without floating tenders of which two were shortlisted. Even though > it > > > > quoted a sum that was three times more than others, Apco was picked > > > for > > > > the job. > > > > > > > > The reason given was that Apco has a better team. Apco has former > > > > senators from Republican and Democratic parties working with it. > > > > > > > > _________________________________________ > > > > 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. > > > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > _________________________________________ > > > 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. > > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > OISHIK SIRCAR > > > > Fellow in Reproductive & Sexual Health and Women's Rights > > Faculty of Law, University of Toronto > > > > 60 Harbord Street > > Room 016 B > > Toronto, ON M5S 3L1 > > > > oishiksircar at gmail.com > > oishik.sircar at utoronto.ca > > > > 416.876.7926 > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> -- Rashneek Kher http://www.nietzschereborn.blogspot.com From cahen.x at levels9.com Tue Nov 20 03:47:29 2007 From: cahen.x at levels9.com (xavier cahen) Date: Mon, 19 Nov 2007 23:17:29 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] [Announcements] ))))) RadioList.org ((((( Plate-forme sonore des arts visuels ))))) | ))))) visual arts noise platform ((((( 13 Message-ID: <47420B79.1050207@levels9.com> RadioList.org Plate-forme sonore des arts visuels / visual arts noise platform (((((((((.)))))))))) # 13 .((((( Abonnement RSS : podcast, ipodder, sage, etc... http://radiolist.org/index.php?feed=rss2 .((((( Abonnement à la newsletter http://radiolist.org Petite chronique sur facebook, le trombinoscope mondial : épisode n°1 )))))))).(((((((((( épisode n°1 : la poésie web 3.0 c’est un peu comme le fortune cookie Emission réalisée par : Albertine Meunier http://www.radiolist.org/?p=174 Divagations 6 : Le musée Gustave Moreau )))))))).(((((((((( Ces « divagations » ne sont ni des études savantes – ni même des études, et savantes encore moins – sur des œuvres qui m’ont, à un moment où à un autre, profondément bouleversé. De l’une à l’autre peu de points communs, si ce n’est, peut-être, un principe d’incertitude – tableaux, photos, peintres et photographes connus ou inconnus ne seront pas là tout à fait dans la norme, dans l’échelle, dans l’allure ou dans le goût. Et pour le reste, comme dirait l’autre, on en reparlera. Emission réalisée par : Vincent Gille http://www.radiolist.org/?p=173 Miniatures : miniature_3_octobre07 )))))))).(((((((((( Les miniatures ont rarement un titre. Elles sont numérotées dans une série elle-même repérée par un mois et une année … Emission réalisée par : Guillaume Loizillon http://www.radiolist.org/?p=172 de qui de quoi : La Villa des Arts, Fondation Ona, Maroc )))))))).(((((((((( Interview de Mme Miriam Bennani médiatrice au département des arts à la Villa des Arts de Rabat. La Villa des Arts traduit dans la réalité la découverte et de promotion des arts contemporains marocain mais aussi international. C’est une initiative de la fondation ONA, fondation privé marocaine vouée à l’action socio-culturelle. Emission réalisée par : Xavier Cahen http://www.radiolist.org/?p=168 Miniatures : miniature_2_octobre07 )))))))).(((((((((( Les miniatures ont rarement un titre. Elles sont numérotées dans une série elle-même repérée par un mois et une année … Emission réalisée par : Guillaume Loizillon http://www.radiolist.org/?p=171 Cuisine sonore : épater sa belle-mère avec des oeufs )))))))).(((((((((( La cuisine comme un milieu sonore où les enjeux de la cuisine se constituent en même temps que se constitue la cuisine. Emission réalisée par : John Deneuve http://www.radiolist.org/?p=170 Miniatures : miniature_1_octobre07 )))))))).(((((((((( Les miniatures ont rarement un titre. Elles sont numérotées dans une série elle-même repérée par un mois et une année … Emission réalisée par : Guillaume Loizillon http://www.radiolist.org/?p=169 MWalk5=Dalida, Hôtel de ville, Paris )))))))).(((((((((( Dalida, une vie. Paris accueillit la jeune Yolanda Gigliotti, Miss Egypte aux cheveux de jais et aux yeux bordés de khôl et la vit se transformer en Dalida, sirène blonde gansée de strass, et reine incontestée des shows et du disco. Emission réalisée par : Julia Drouin http://www.radiolist.org/?p=167 -- RadioList.org (((((((.))))))) xavier cahen administrateur xavier.cahen at radiolist.org http://www.radiolist.org _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From pawan.durani at gmail.com Wed Nov 21 14:43:34 2007 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2007 14:43:34 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Modi's image builders have dictators on client list In-Reply-To: <48c2916d0711210044h33f399careafc4e55e2ccb4ae@mail.gmail.com> References: <4740B849.5070500@sarai.net> <6b79f1a70711182107lbb67cbdx9d4d9929f635701@mail.gmail.com> <62cba67a0711190051p6a7c0351tfeab58b9f6855d54@mail.gmail.com> <6b79f1a70711190125n7b59433apddf61e384dd954a3@mail.gmail.com> <48c2916d0711210044h33f399careafc4e55e2ccb4ae@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <6b79f1a70711210113v9db042aj8169c5644e3336a2@mail.gmail.com> Arti Ji, NamaskAr I am not sure how you can bring Modi in each and every conflict across regions in India. Modi's image has been mostly tarnished by his own detractors and by those who feel insecure by hindutva. But the question still remains ......is hindutva a threat. Hindutva can be the most peaceful thought . Hindutva doesn't teach to be aggressive and dominate. Similarly CPM govt has been elected by the people of the state. If a violence erupts , does it give anyone a right to call the chief minister a mass murderer ? I am sure no CM would like violence in his/her state. As for me , though i do not belong to any political party or am not a political philosopher, but I am of firm belief that Nandigram happening has a direct relation with India & US nuclear pact . There must be many agencies working overtime to put WB govt in a tight situation , where it can be dominated . As of now CPM is ready for Indian Govt talking to IAEA . What made CPM climb down ? has anyone thought of it ? Is Nandigram responsible for this ? This may sound absurd to many ......but i have got my own views ......it is my own understanding. Pawan Durani On 11/21/07, Aarti Sethi wrote: > > Dear All, > > Surely this has to be one of the strangest comments I have read so > far. It is true tragic-comedy in the old sense of the term. I am not > sure whether the fact that today votaries of the right are defending > the CPIM is the tragic element or the comic element. > > Pawan Durani ji the fact that a leader is a mass leader and wins > elections democratically is no defence of his/her actions. I am amazed > that you can argue for majoritarian politics in this matter of fact > fashion. Are we to assume that a "democratic" decision to kill 4,000 > people over two days is alright, because the people behind this were > elected democratically? Your statement that Narendra Modi cannot be > held responsible for what happened is complete nonsense. Please spare > us this Hindu-apologist garbage. Narendra Modi is a mass murderer. > There can be no quibbling on this. > > It is interesting that you equate Buddhadeb and Modi in this fashion > because today morning's news carries a story on the NHRC's equation of > Nandigram 2006 with Gujarat 2002. > > http://www.indianexpress.com/story/241118.html > > I am deeply troubled by this. I do not think statements like this are > helpful in thinking through and opposing what occurred in either > instance. We need to be able to fashion languages that can take into > account the particularity of violence. In this way all the CPIM has to > say is "Nandigram is not like Gujarat," which is true, and that's the > end of that. Nandigram is like Nandigram. That's bad enough. Of course > this question of the brutality with which the state reacts to demands > by farmers, is something that needs to be thought through. And this > brutality is the preserve neither of the left or the right. Remember > the killing of farmers agitating for water in police firing in > Rajasthan, under BJP rule, last year and in 2004 > > http://www.indiaenews.com/india/20071119/81460.htm > > best > Aarti > > > > On Nov 19, 2007 2:55 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > > both Budhadeb Ji & Modi ji are mass leaders and win elections > democratically > > . They may not be held responsible for they are not one in the mob. > > > > Pawan > > > > > > > > On 11/19/07, OISHIK SIRCAR wrote: > > > > > > What's unfair about it? The fact that their hands are stained with > blood? > > > Or that politicians' public images van never be decorated or > improved?! > > > > > > On Nov 18, 2007 11:07 PM, Pawan Durani < pawan.durani at gmail.com> > wrote: > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>> And together, they can perfect the fine art of > decorating > > > > and > > > > improving > > > > the public image of politicians whose hands are stained with > > > > blood>>>>>>>>> > > > > > > > > > > > > Thatz an unfair statement. > > > > > > > > > > > > On 11/19/07, Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: > > > > > > > > > > Dear All, > > > > > > > > > > Narendra Modi certainly could do with some image makeovers, and > > > > > Buddhadeva Bhattachary could do with some too. In this case, > Modi-ji > > > > is > > > > > one up on Buddha Babu. He has hired a lobbying firm to make him > look > > > > good. > > > > > > > > > > I thought that I would post the news item that details this piece > of > > > > > information (which appeared on Times of India and was forwarded to > me > > > > by > > > > > a friend, so that those who have a line to Muzaffar Ahmed Bhavan > in > > > > > Kolkata on this list may take the information where it is needed > > > > most). > > > > > Perhaps those on this list who are partisans of Modi-ji could act > as > > > > > consultants to those who root for Buddha-Babu, and they can > compare > > > > > notes on how each leader is faring under the loving attention of > the > > > > > right kind of PR. > > > > > > > > > > And together, they can perfect the fine art of decorating and > > > > improving > > > > > the public image of politicians whose hands are stained with > blood. > > > > > > > > > > regards > > > > > > > > > > Shuddha > > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------ > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Modis_image_builders_have_dictators_on_client_list/articleshow/2549293.cms > > > > > > > > > > Modi's image builders have dictators on client list > > > > > 18 Nov 2007, 0136 hrs IST,TNN > > > > > > > > > > AHMEDABAD: Adolf Hitler was a brilliant propagandist. Narendra > Modi > > > > too > > > > > believes in the power of image. > > > > > > > > > > Which is probably why the chief minister hired a US lobbying firm > > > > which > > > > > has serviced clients like former Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha and > > > > > President-for-life of Kazakhstan Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev. > > > > > > > > > > This Washington-based firm, Apco Worldwide, was hired by Modi > sometime > > > > > in August this year, in the run-up to an important Assembly > election, > > > > to > > > > > improve his image before the world community. Among its recent > clients > > > > > are Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a former Communist youth > > > > leader-turned-Russian > > > > > billionaire with mafia links. > > > > > > > > > > The firm has a distinction of taking contracts of boosting images > of > > > > > leaders who fell out of favour of their followers. > > > > > > > > > > On the face of it Apco Worldwide's brief is to build and sell > Brand > > > > > Gujarat to the international community. But according to sources > Modi, > > > > > > > > > who was denied visa by the US earlier because of the taint he > earned > > > > in > > > > > the 2002 riots, wants his image to be improved so that he gets to > > > > visit > > > > > the US in future. > > > > > > > > > > The Modi regime feels lobbying is required to attract much-sought > > > > after > > > > > foreign direct investment (FDI) which has been a cause for concern > > > > even > > > > > though Gujarat is topping the charts among Indian states in terms > of > > > > > overall investments, according to latest statistics brought out by > the > > > > > > > > > Reserve Bank of India. > > > > > > > > > > Modi, of course, still nurtures the wish to get an US visa and > some of > > > > > his NRI friends have advised him to use the services of lobbyists > for > > > > > the same. Sources in the government told TOI that if it works and > Modi > > > > > > > > > comes back to power, Apco's contract will be renewed in January > for > > > > > Vibrant Gujarat 2009, the event that Modi prides himself in, for > > > > > bringing investments to the state. > > > > > > > > > > The Gujarat government will pay Apco 25,000 USD per month for the > Modi > > > > > > > > > image building exercise. > > > > > > > > > > Sources in the government said Modi thought of this image-building > > > > > exercise during his visit to Switzerland earlier this year. His > > > > > government shortlisted some seven national and international > firms, > > > > > without floating tenders of which two were shortlisted. Even > though it > > > > > quoted a sum that was three times more than others, Apco was > picked > > > > for > > > > > the job. > > > > > > > > > > The reason given was that Apco has a better team. Apco has former > > > > > senators from Republican and Democratic parties working with it. > > > > > > > > > > _________________________________________ > > > > > 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. > > > > > To unsubscribe: > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > > > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > > _________________________________________ > > > > 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. > > > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > > OISHIK SIRCAR > > > > > > Fellow in Reproductive & Sexual Health and Women's Rights > > > Faculty of Law, University of Toronto > > > > > > 60 Harbord Street > > > Room 016 B > > > Toronto, ON M5S 3L1 > > > > > > oishiksircar at gmail.com > > > oishik.sircar at utoronto.ca > > > > > > 416.876.7926 > > _________________________________________ > > 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. > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > From turbulence at turbulence.org Wed Nov 21 03:32:37 2007 From: turbulence at turbulence.org (Turbulence) Date: Tue, 20 Nov 2007 17:02:37 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] [Announcements] Upgrade! Boston: Kurt Ralske Message-ID: <010f01c82bc1$2334bb40$699e31c0$@org> :: Kurt Ralske :: ::: Up Next ::: :::: About :::: :: Kurt Ralske :: http://turbulence.org/upgrade/archives/12_04_07KR.html DATE: December 4, 2007 TIME: 7:00-9:00 pm VENUE: North 181 - entrance on Evans Way, Massachusetts College of Art + Design, 621 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts. Follow the signs posted on the outside of the Tower Building (black glass) [Green Line "E"] Kurt Ralske's video installations and performances are created exclusively with his own custom software. His work has been exhibited internationally, including at the Guggenheim Bilbao, Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art. Kurt programmed and co-designed the 9-channel video installation that is permanently in the lobby of the MoMA in NYC. In 2003, his work received First Prize at the Transmediale International Media Art Festival in Berlin, as a member of the video ensemble 242.pilots. He is also the author/programmer of Auvi, a popular video software environment in use by artists in 22 countries. Kurt is the recipient of a 2007 Rockefeller Foundation Media Arts Fellowship. Kurt resides in New York City. He is Visiting Professor of Digital Art at The School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and is on the faculty of The School of Visual Arts, NYC, in the MFA Computer Art Department. ::: Up Next ::: Limor Fried + Seth Riskin - January 24, 2008 :::: About Upgrade Boston :::: Upgrade! Boston (http://turbulence.org/upgrade) is curated by Jo-Anne Green for Turbulence.org (http://turbulence.org) in partnership with the Studio for Interrelated Media at Massachusetts College of Art + Design (http://www.massart.edu/). It is one of 27 nodes currently active in Upgrade! International (http://www.theupgrade.net/), an emerging network of autonomous nodes united by art, technology, and a commitment to bridging cultural divides. If you would like to present your work or get involved, please email jo at turbulence dot org. 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 Networked_Performance Blog: http://turbulence.org/blog Networked_Music_Review: http://turbulence.org/networked_music_review Upgrade! Boston: http://turbulence.org/upgrade New American Radio: http://somewhere.org _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From J.Dow at leeds.ac.uk Wed Nov 21 18:44:18 2007 From: J.Dow at leeds.ac.uk (Jamie Dow) Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2007 13:14:18 -0000 Subject: [Reader-list] Taslima Nasreen References: <474338B4.70700@sarai.net> Message-ID: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7105277.stm Background articles would be useful, if any other list members can oblige. Thanks Jamie From oishiksircar at gmail.com Wed Nov 21 21:16:09 2007 From: oishiksircar at gmail.com (OISHIK SIRCAR) Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2007 09:46:09 -0600 Subject: [Reader-list] Fwd: [PUCL] one Indian citizen languishing in Bangladesh jail even after full term is over, families are starving In-Reply-To: <2574adb30711202222t513f7a74i46587e4eed40b099@mail.gmail.com> References: <2574adb30711202222t513f7a74i46587e4eed40b099@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <62cba67a0711210746y3bb9d79p53407efb5dfad28a@mail.gmail.com> ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Kirity Roy Date: Nov 21, 2007 12:22 AM Subject: [PUCL] one Indian citizen languishing in Bangladesh jail even after full term is over, families are starving To: MASUM Friends Please send your appeal to 1. Mr. Pranab Mukherjee Minister-in-Charge, External Affairs Government of India South Block New Delhi Fax: +91-11-23011463 2. Mr. Liaquat Ali Choudhury High Commissioner for the People's Republic of Bangladesh to New Delhi EP-39, Dr. S. Radhakrisnan Marg Chanakyapuri New Delhi - 21 Fax - +91-11-26878953 To 19 November 2007 The High Commissioner of India House No. 2, Road No. 142 Gulshan – 1 Dhaka Bangladesh *Attn. Mr. Pinak Ranjan Chakraborty* *Sub:** Confinement of Indian Citizen in Rajshahi Jail of **Bangladesh**despite period of punishment period is over. * Dear Sir, We have come to know that one Indian citizen, namely, *Tujammel Hoque @ Bokul @ Tofajjul Hoque (23) s/o Late Hajrat Ali residing at village- Farajipara, Post- Muradpur Araji, Police Station- Jalangi, District- Murshidabad, West Bengal *was arrested by the Bangladesh Riffle (BDR) personnel of Alaipur, Police Station- Bagha, District- Rajshahi, Bangladesh on *13/08/07* for illegally crossing the Indo-Bangladesh Border and entering into Bangladesh without any valid document. BDR handed over Tujammel to Bagha Police Station. Officers attached to *Bagha Police Station filed a case against Tujammel having number 11 dated **14/08/07 under section 4 of Bangladesh** (Control of Entry) Act 1952* under laws of Bangladesh. He was produced before *Md. Samsul Azam, the 1st Class Magistrate at **RajshahiCourt, Bangladesh*. On 2.10.2007, Rajshahi court sentenced him for one month simple imprisonment and Tk.500 as penalty in default of paying the penalty, another month simple imprisonment as he pleaded guilty to committing offence before the court. The period which he had undergone imprisonment within that period would be adjusted with total period of punishment. By way of calculation the *period of punishment was already over on **13/10/07. * Despite spending full punishment term he has not yet been released from Rajshahi Central Jail. He has been leading inhuman life in the Jail. He was the only earning member of his family. In such situation his wife and his mother are spending their days with serious problems for maintaining his family with his two kids. *Mr. Abdul Samad, father in law of Tujammel sent his complaint to the High Commissioner of India. But it yielded no fruitful change upon the situation. * The right to life and liberty has been seriously challenged in this incident. He can not be detained beyond the limit of his punishment; particularly the court ordered that after the punishment period was over he would be pushed back to India. But the victim has been languishing in jail without any reason. The human rights of the person are grossly violated by inaction and negligent attitude of the governments of both India and Bangladesh. We draw your attention in this matter and urgently seek your intervention so that the victim is set at liberty forthwith and he returns in India without delay. It is also equally important that the persons responsible for extended illegal detention of the victim in Rajshahi jail of Bangladesh must be brought to book to stop repetition of such incident. The silent and indifferent role of our government and failure to protect its citizen is also shameful and deplorable. Thanking You Yours Sincerely Sd/- Kirity Roy State Director of NPPTI & President of MASUM - -- Kirity Roy President Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM) 26 Guitendal Lane Howrah 711101 West Bengal INDIA Mobile: 9903099699 Fax : +91-33-2640 4118 Phone: +91-33-2640 4520 e. mail : kirityroy at gmail.com Web: www.masum.org.in __._,_.___ Messages in this topic ( 1) Reply (via web post) | Start a new topic Messages For access to archives or to change membership options go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PUCL/To contact the PUCL, send an email to: national at pucl.org Website: http://www.pucl.org [image: Yahoo! Groups] Change settings via the Web(Yahoo! ID required) Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest| Switch format to Traditional Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe Recent Activity - 7 New Members Visit Your Group Yahoo! 360° Get Started Your place online To share your life Parenting Groups on Yahoo! Groups Single Parenting to managing twins. Shedding Pounds on Yahoo! Groups Read sucess stories & share your own. . __,_._,___ - -- OISHIK SIRCAR Fellow in Reproductive & Sexual Health and Women's Rights Faculty of Law, University of Toronto 60 Harbord Street Room 016 B Toronto, ON M5S 3L1 oishiksircar at gmail.com oishik.sircar at utoronto.ca 416.876.7926 From naeem.mohaiemen at gmail.com Wed Nov 21 21:22:43 2007 From: naeem.mohaiemen at gmail.com (Naeem Mohaiemen) Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2007 21:52:43 +0600 Subject: [Reader-list] Sidr, American Generosity, & Sirocco Message-ID: Bangladesh, the week after Cyclone Sidr. A bureaucrat told me today: we were very lucky, this was the strongest cyclone to hit Bangladesh, but water was at low tide, so many lives were saved because they were not water-dragged away as in Sri Lanka. Official toll is "only" 3,000 (we are trained over decades to expect far worse), Red Crescent says it will be 10,000. Numbers, #s, I am obtusely numb. During Hurricane Katrina, Bangladesh (population: 140 million; size: state of Wisconsin) offered to send $1 million to help New Orleans. After Cyclone Sidr, USA (population: 300 million) offered to send $2 million to help southern Bangladesh. Saudi Arabia offered $100 million. The city middle class wonders why the Saudis have so much influence here. Happy thanksgiving. Condoleeza Rice: "We extend our deepest sympathies to the people of Bangladesh following this major natural disaster, and we stand ready to assist further." Warm fuzzies. A friend writes to me from Los Angeles, tongue_firmly_in_cheek: "You callin' us cheapskates? We got a war goin' on that needs all the cash we can muster, so spare your cyclone sob stories, baby" I'm in Dhaka, which is inland. Most of the impact here is mild, and on infrastructure -- relative to what the south has gone through, we're on another planet. In the north, it was only initial outage of electricity, running water, internet, and mobile networks. Speaking of mobile phones, in the south they are being called "lifelines" for the cyclone refugees. Some are powering up their mobiles with solar panels. Ten years ago there was virtually no mobile network in Bangladesh. A decade of explosive growth has reached 30 million customers, and VCs now call this country one of the "three hottest" markets for telco. Grameenphone (owned by a subsidiary of Grameen Bank and Norway's Telenor), which has 59% market share, plans to go IPO next year and claims a market valuation of $3.5 billion. Telenor's customer base in Bangladesh is 3 times Norway's total population. Mobile networks are now the backbone of the country, and sorely missed when they get snapped. .... Somehow life went on, in the middle of it all. I went to an art opening by candle light, everyone soldiering on in the middle of a blackout. The next night, there was an event in more questionable taste. Sirocco, a club night at 5-star Hotel Sheraton ("Winter Garden & Poolside") was the party that "survived Sidr". Cue angry posts about the ridiculous sight of $15 tickets and $85/night hotel rooms the day after the cyclone (the median national income by the way is about $2 per day). But room rate includes extras: Buffet breakfast (extra breakfast is $16 per person, that means ..umm... if you have any guests), one hour Tennis lesson, half hour Squash lesson, Health Club, and Swimming Pool. I skipped Sirocco, but I saved a copy of the flyer (see attachment). For future generations. In the south, a sign reprinted in the newspaper says "no food, no home, no burial cloth (dafon kapor)" ############################### Drishtipat's ongoing coverage: http//drishtipat.org/blog/ and...our friends & neighbors http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-2554441,prtpage-1.cms khujeci_tomai (comment # 7) writes about Dhaka in the dark: http://www.drishtipat.org/blog/2007/11/16/cyclone-sidr-hits-bangladesh-the-day-after/ From taraprakash at gmail.com Wed Nov 21 21:30:28 2007 From: taraprakash at gmail.com (TaraPrakash) Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2007 11:00:28 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Nandigram.... References: <98f331e00711151141t2646be13ved5d3a46222473be@mail.gmail.com><473CDE60.1040905@sarai.net> <4742C2C1.2050506@sarai.net> Message-ID: <007d01c82c57$a5c04fc0$002bab0a@taraprakash> Well, the wizards of the words, Hitler was one of them, know how to confuse the and send the main issues to the backburner. The exchanges in the below mail and whatever preceded this clarification seems to me as criminal and unfortunate as is the debate whether Babar ever demolished the Ram temple in Ayodhya and built the mosque in the temple's place; after the massacre in Gujarat. Whether there was a notice or not, what its contents were, whether 14 people got killed or 14 thousand, or none at all, is a debate that mortifies those butchered in Nandi Gram. It hurts the sensibilities of those who suffered with them, wherever they were. As a citizen of this democratic country, people would like to know, why the goons of Capitalist Party of India (Murderers) , were allowed to have a free for all in Nandi Gram. CPIM has been getting itself elected by people "democratically", whatever means they use for it is a different matter, why couldn't they function in a democratic manner? Weren't, those who died, on whatever side, citizens of this country who had a right to protecttion by the state? If the state couldn't give them protection, shouldn't the state government, at least, apologise for failing in their duty? Rather than isolating the criminals and their bourgeois supporters in the metropolitan cities, by letting them explain to you that actually there were 13 people and not fourteen whom we killed, and actually the women who were raped were not virgins, and the notice was printed with inkjet printer and not hand written, it was signed by x and countersigned by none, and so on and so forth, aren't we giving them space for sidetracking the actual violence unleashed on the villagers? ----- Original Message ----- From: "Shuddhabrata Sengupta" To: "sarai list" Sent: Tuesday, November 20, 2007 6:19 AM Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Nandigram.... > Dear All, > > I have recently been forwarded a post (on the Foil List) made by Vijay > Prashad on the Foil List > (http://insaf.net/mailman/listinfo/foil-l_insaf.net) > > This post contains Sudhanva Deshpande's criticism of the reading I had > done (posted here and on Kafila.org)of his ZNet Commentary on Nandigram > (earlier forwarded on this thread on the Reader List by Prakash Ray.) > > Since this is not a private communication, and has been made on an > archived mailing list. I thought - that in the interests of free and > fair debate on the issue of Nandigram on the Reader List, since it > represents a significant criticism of my recent writing and in order > that we have more than one side's take on this issue - it ought to be > read here as well. > > regards, > > Shuddha > --------------------------------------------------- > SUDHANVA DESHPANDE'S CRITICISM OF MY POSTS ON NANDIGRAM > > Dear Shuddhabrata, > > Some friends were kind enough to forward your response to my ZNet > commentary, which you posted on the Sarai list. I found then that the > response is also posted on Kafila. Your eloquence overwhelms me. I am > not,however, similarly blessed. I will keep my response short, and limit > it to the two points of fact that you dispute. > > The number of dead. I said that 14 died on March 14, and, as many on the > Left have said, this was 14 too many. I have faced police brutality a > number of times while protesting, and I am no fan of it. I am perfectly > willing to believe that the number exceeds 14. All I am asking for is: > where are the lists of those dead or missing? Masum supplied to the > Asian Human Rights Commission a list of 11 dead, and there were fears > that the number would be higher. For seven-and-a-half-months, from March > 14 to end of October, Nandigram was out of bounds for CPI (M) > supporters. Surely, this was enough time to figure out who was missing. > > As I wrote in my commentary, the one list submitted to the court turned > out to be a fraud. If you have come across any other list, please do let > me know. Sanhati doesn't have a list, by the way, so don't bother with > that. > > As an aside, a Bengali paper today published an interview with a > "corpse." This man, by the way, is Kanai Sheth, alleged to have been > killed on November 9. He is also, by the way, the father of Khokon > Sheth, the main accused in the killing of Shankar Samanta, the elected > panchayat member from Nandigram, who was hacked and burnt on January 7. > Old man Kanai, by the way, was not interviewed in a hideout, but in his > own house, where he returned after the violence abated. He was, by the > way, hiding in a CPI (M)-run camp all the while, which is why the BUPC > activists couldn't trace him and presumed him murdered, especially given > his relationship to the main accused in the killing of an elected > representative. Oh, but the interview appeared in Ganashakti, so I am > sure it is utter fabrication. > > Then, the notice. What did I say? That the notice was meant to clarify > rumours about land acquisition, and that the notice itself was not a > land acquisition notice. As you well know, the proposal of the chemical > hub was not new. The location was not finalized. There was speculation, > there were rumours ­ about how much land would be acquired, which blocks > would come under acquisition, whether it will all be done at one go, and > so on. The notice was meant to clarify how much land would come under > acquisition. The second notice was a further clarification on the first > one, to say that the acquisition would be in phases, and to tell the > public exactly which blocks were to be covered. > > In any case, as the Chief Minister pointed out, the Haldia Development > Authority had overstepped its jurisdiction in issuing the notice. But > suppose, for argument's sake, that it had not overstepped its > jurisdiction. Is a notice that informs the public of an intention to > acquire land the same as a notice that actually acquires the land? > Surely not. Even you would understand this. A research proposal is > merely that, a proposal. A Ph.D. thesis is something else. > > Did I say in my commentary that the notice(s) denied the proposed land > acquisition? No. You simply attribute it to me. The simplest argument to > demolish is one that was never made. > > Your other, more recent post, the one about Prabhat Patnaik, Irfan > Habib, Vivan Sundaram et al., was also forwarded to me, this time by > another friend, with the question, "Why is he so abusive?" I corrected > her by pointing out that there was in fact no abuse in your post, though > the prose tends toward purple. Given your long record of struggle and > sacrifice for the poor and dispossessed, you are understandably angry > with individuals who have nothing to show on that front. People with > fancy institutional affiliations do not abuse. Abuse is what a poor > cycle rickshaw wallah gets from guys who drive big imported cars. I am > told it leads to a testosterone surge and makes them feel manly. > > You have never made a secret of your intense hatred for the Left. I only > urge you to lace your purple prose with the occasional nod at verifiable > facts. > > Best, > > Sudhanva > > PS: Reptiles - Phylum Reptilia ­ are a class of vertebrates, and they do > have backbones, I am afraid. And a species is not the same as a phylum > either. And to deride reptiles because they do not, like the species > Homo sapiens, have a conscience ­ oh dear, this is not very humble, is it. > > > > > > > > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From tapasrayx at gmail.com Wed Nov 21 21:34:11 2007 From: tapasrayx at gmail.com (Tapas Ray) Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2007 11:04:11 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Taslima Nasreen In-Reply-To: References: <474338B4.70700@sarai.net> Message-ID: Though I do not count myself among Taslima Nasreen's fans, I think the Minority Forum's call for her deportation is condemnable. However, the rioting does look fishy, because as a Calcuttan/Kolkatan, I do not remember the Forum managing a large mobilisation in that city in the last several years. As such, there may be something in what Forum leader Idris Ali says about the CPI(M)'s agent provocateurs. Maybe I have read too many detective stories in my boyhood, but the questions I find myself asking are: What can be the motive? Who can have that motive? Who stands to gain from the rioting? The answer is, the CPI(M) and the Left Front government. The very fact of the Forum raising the Nandigram issue along with Taslima was good for the CPI(M), in that it can be used to create an association in people's minds, subliminally, between the anti-Nandigram campaign and communalism, thus painting the former in anti-democratic and obscurantist colours. This is something the CPI(M) had failed to accomplish with its stress on the active role of the Jamaat-e-Islami in the BUPC during the months of stand-off with the latter. If the Forum's curious choice of issues was good enough for the CPI(M), the rioting purportedly by those supporting these demands is even better, for obvious reasons. But why did the Forum arrive at that choice in the first place? One factor could be the influence of CPI(M) moles in it - the party is well known for trying to infiltrate every organisation of any consequence. Also, there are elements in the Forum with Congress links, and it needs to be remembered that, despite the CPI(M)'s critical stand with respect to Nandigram, it is still with Congress in the ruling coalition at the national level. In fact, just a few days ago, after months of fire-breathing, the Left gave the Congress government the go-ahead for negotiations with the IAEA on India-specific safeguards related to the Indo-US nuclear deal. Today's happenings could be the Congress' way of saying thank you to the CPI(M). Reads like a bad detective story? At least some of those who have some knowledge of West Bengal, will probably agree if I say that things in that state often resemble that. Tapas > Idris Ali, a senior leader of the Minority Forum, blamed the state's ruling Communists > for the violence. > "They have infiltrated our ranks and sparked the violence. We wanted to protest > peacefully but the Marxists are trying to discredit us," Mr Ali told the BBC. > The Marxists denied the charge. > "We had no idea of their plans, they have planned the trouble, they must take the > blame for this mayhem," Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Biman Bose said. On 21/11/2007, Jamie Dow wrote: > http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7105277.stm > > Background articles would be useful, if any other list members can oblige. > Thanks > Jamie > From tapasrayx at gmail.com Wed Nov 21 22:01:08 2007 From: tapasrayx at gmail.com (Tapas Ray) Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2007 11:31:08 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Fwd: Taslima Nasreen In-Reply-To: References: <474338B4.70700@sarai.net> Message-ID: In the following message, posted a little while ago, "CPI(M)'s critical stand with respect to Nandigram" should be "CPI(M)'s critical stand with respect to the nuclear deal". Apologies for the error. Tapas ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Tapas Ray Date: 21 Nov 2007 11:04 Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Taslima Nasreen To: sarai list Also, there are elements in the Forum with Congress links, and it needs to be remembered that, despite the CPI(M)'s critical stand with respect to Nandigram, it is still with Congress in the ruling coalition at the national level. In fact, just a few days ago, after months of fire-breathing, the Left gave the Congress government the go-ahead for negotiations with the IAEA on India-specific safeguards related to the Indo-US nuclear deal. Today's happenings could be the Congress' way of saying thank you to the CPI(M). Reads like a bad detective story? At least some of those who have some knowledge of West Bengal, will probably agree if I say that things in that state often resemble that. Tapas > Idris Ali, a senior leader of the Minority Forum, blamed the state's ruling Communists > for the violence. > "They have infiltrated our ranks and sparked the violence. We wanted to protest > peacefully but the Marxists are trying to discredit us," Mr Ali told the BBC. > The Marxists denied the charge. > "We had no idea of their plans, they have planned the trouble, they must take the > blame for this mayhem," Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Biman Bose said. On 21/11/2007, Jamie Dow wrote: > http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7105277.stm > > Background articles would be useful, if any other list members can oblige. > Thanks > Jamie > From peerzadaarshad at gmail.com Thu Nov 22 00:10:29 2007 From: peerzadaarshad at gmail.com (Peerzada Arshad) Date: Thu, 22 Nov 2007 00:10:29 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Changing forms of art in the public spaces of Kashmir Message-ID: <83db55e00711211040m2b75297fjd5adf89f8cab7569@mail.gmail.com> Hi all, I have created a blog to showcase some changing forms of art in the open space of Kashmir. Visit the blog and you will find some thoughtful photos. In the coming days, you will find more pictures adding to the gallery. Click on to : http://kashmirpublicspaces.blogspot.com/ Cheers, Peerzada From shuddha at sarai.net Thu Nov 22 00:56:42 2007 From: shuddha at sarai.net (Shuddhabrata Sengupta) Date: Thu, 22 Nov 2007 00:56:42 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Forwarding Sudhanva Deshpande's mail... In-Reply-To: <74975.37216.qm@web52112.mail.re2.yahoo.com> References: <74975.37216.qm@web52112.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <47448672.5080607@sarai.net> Dear all, I am posting below, my reply to Sudhanva's rejoinder that was forwarded on to this list by me, and by Subasri Krishnan. Apologies in advance for its length. regards, Shuddha ------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Little Biology, A little Arithmetic, And a lot of Politics Shuddhabrata Sengupta Dear Sudhanva, *A Biology Lesson* The discussion on Nandigram is heading in interesting directions across lists and blogs, (even as the Army walks the talk in Kolkata tonight) and I find this situation of accumulating discursive intensity actually very productive. Let a hundred rejoinders blossom, and a few good schools of thought contend. So I welcome your rejoinder and criticism of my text. And I for one, stand chastised by your incisive criticism of my posts (responding to your earlier writing) on the reader-list, and on Kafila. Clearly, I did not pay as much attention to Biology textbooks as I should have in high school. Reptilia are indeed vertebrates (albeit with remarkably supple and flexible spines, that bend with ease and elegance, not unlike the spines of some of those that I listed) and a Phylum are indeed not a Species. In my opinion, in this case, it is only a matter of academic interest for the biologist as to whether the spines in question are elastic or absent, but since the point has been laboured, I am happy to concede. I am all for precision in argument. Had I actually worked harder on making my prose more precise than purple - and therefore tended towards underlining the 'absence' as opposed to the elasticity of the spine in the leading lights amongst the fellow travellers of the Consolidated Promotors of India (Militant) I would have gestured towards Arthropoda, Crustacea, Mollusca and other invertebrates. Not doing so, was an unforgivable error on my part. Thank you Com.Deshpande for pointing out this taxonomical error. You have actually helped me refine my argument. I stand corrected. Sudhanva, dear readers, please do insert the phrase 'Arthroproda' wherever the words 'Reptilia' occur in the concerned posting. Better still, choose whichever invertebrate family you fancy, depending on the specific character of spinelessness of those 'activists' who said in their statement in the Hindu a few days ago that further 'agitation in Nandigram is unwarranted'. Then hit the 'find and replace all' commands on your word processing programmes. *Nodding at Verifiable Facts* Having said that, let me return, inspired by your urging, to the urgent task of an 'occasional nod at verifiable facts. In your rejoinder, you say "...I said that 14 died on March 14, and, as many on the Left have said, this was 14 too many. I have faced police brutality a number of times while protesting, and I am no fan of it. I am perfectly willing to believe that the number exceeds 14. " I am glad to see that your arithmetic is as capable of improvement as my biology. Because the statement - "I am perfectly willing to believe that the number exceeds 14 " - is a significant step forward from your previous ZNet communique, which while mentioning the question of the 'numbers' of the dead baldly stated - "In the firing of March 14, it was alleged that "hundreds" were killed, women raped, children butchered. It turned out that the number of dead was 14. Of these, 8 were killed in police firing, 6 died for other reasons, including one person who died because a bomb he was holding went off. Since January, one has heard of "hundreds," even "thousands" dead and missing. This is simply not true." Reading the above, where all numbers other than 14, are only cited in hundreds and thousands (and therefore easy to dismiss) one could have formed the impression that you mean that it is 'simply not true' that the number of casualties could have been more than 14. It is also 'simply not true' that 'since January' all that 'we' have heard is accounts of 'hundreds, even thousands' killed. Neither hundreds, nor thousands are likely to have died on March 14. And the reports that carry with them the greatest credence, the APDR, PBKMS and MASUM reports, do not speculate wildly and irresponsibly about the numbers of the dead and missing. Which is why I agreed with you that any comparison of the scale of violence with Gujarat was misplaced and exaggerated. In your rejoinder you say - "All I am asking for is: where are the lists of those dead or missing? Masum supplied to the Asian Human Rights Commission a list of 11 dead, and there were fears that the number would be higher. For seven-and-a-half-months, from March 14 to end of October, Nandigram was out of bounds for CPI (M) supporters. Surely, this was enough time to figure out who was missing. As I wrote in my commentary, the one list submitted to the court turned out to be a fraud. If you have come across any other list, please do let me know. Sanhati doesn't have a list, by the way, so don't bother with that." You also say "Not a single child's body has been found. Not a single child is reported missing." *Lists of Lists* Where, indeed are the lists of the dead and missing? Unfortunately, I have to report that there are lists available. They name several amongst the missing, and they cite places where the unidentified dead may be lying buried, or where their corpses may have been disposed of. In fact one can even begin constructing a 'list of lists' of this nature. But before we get to the lists, a few thoughts on identification. In any exercise of identifying missing people, one has to tally the names, residences and other known details pertinent to a number of people in a given area, with census records, land records, police records, FIRs, electoral rolls and other administrative data. The list of the missing or the unclaimed dead in any situation is extremely difficult to construct given the reluctance of a hostile government machinery to undertake such an excercise or to allow for any transparency into its own records. For one, across India (and this is not specific to West Bangal) attacks against ruling party activist routinely show up in FIR records in police stations, but attacks against opposition activists by ruling pary members tend to be less frequently acknowledged. Missing children, as we know from Nithari, are often 'missing' from police records. The fact of their disappearance, also disappears because they leave no paper trail. Their parents, if they are not millionaires are not known to be entertained at Police Stations. Children do not figure on electoral rolls, or government muster rolls, or revenue records. It is not surprising that there is a 'paper' silence about missing children in Nandigram, there was a 'paper' silence about missing children in Nithari, and it took the stench of bones to break that silence. Files, and the record rooms of police stations, may speak, but they generally end up telling only one side of the story, and often only one set of numbers gets tallied. Since the issue of children as casualties has been brought up by Sudhanva, let me here quote verbatim some of the statements given in the APDR-PKBMS report "...I also witnessed the police killing children and stuffing them in sacks and taking them away" Kajal Gharai W/o Ratan Gharai. Residence- Sonachura. "... We wanted to save the children however the police started targeting them and dragging them. They even kicked the children in the stomach with their boots.." Renuka Bala Kar. W/o Sampada Kar. Residence- Gokulnagar "....I witnessed women being dragged away by the police and they were also throwing small children into the pond..."Satyabala Mandal W/o Anadhi Mandal. Residence-Soudkhali Char "......They killed children-they shot, hacked and even tore them apart with their two legs..." Lata Mondal w/o Shakun Mondal. Residence- Gokulnagar I wanted to state this as baldly as possible in order to demonstrate exactly what has been reported in the matter of children as casualties in Nandigram. The tumultous events of March 14 make clinical accounts difficult to muster. However, lists, patchy, inadequate, contradictory, based on the statements of affected people, relatives, neighbours and friends can still be made. And they need to be refined and honed through persistent investigation. It is my case that such 'lists' do exist with regard to Nandigram. *The Missing* For one, the list submitted by MASUM (Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha - Human Rights Protection Forum) to the Asian Human Rights Commission does incidentally contain a list of 19 missing. They are named. Here are the 19 names. 1. Mr. Subrata Patra, son of Mr. Lalu Patra of Sonachura village 2. Mrs. Basanti Kar, wife of Gora Chand Kar of Sonachura village 3. Mr. Subrata Samanta alias Gura, son of Pranab Samanta of Sonachura village 4. Mr. Musaraf Khan, son of Kaked Khan Nathchirachar 5. Mr. Badal Mondal, son of Gobardhan Mondal of 7 Jalpai village 6. Mrs. Sabitri Bijoli, wife of Sudarshan Bijoli of Sonachura village 7. Mr. Ratikanta Das, son of Surendra Das of 7 Jalpai village 8. Mr. Durga Pada Mondal of Roynagar village 9. Mr. Rabindra Nath Das, son of Bhanu Das of 7 Jalpai village 10. Mr. Subrata Bijoli, son of Late Sudarshan of Sonachura village 11. Mr. Proloy Giri, son of Loba Giri of South Khali village 12. Mrs. Kalibala Patra, wife of Nishi Patra of Kalicharanpur village 13. Mrs. Swapna Patra, wife of Bidhan Patra of Kalicharanpur village 14. Mrs. Srimati Das, wife of Panchanan Das of Kalicharanpur village 15. Mrs. Kalpana Patra, wife of Bibhuti Patra of Kalicharanpur village 16. Mrs. Basanti Bala Kar, wife of Gora Chand Kar of Kalicharanpur village 17. Mr. Tapas Kar, son of Gora Chand Kar of Kalicharanpur village 18. Mr. Panchanan Das, son of Gunadhar of Keshabpur village 19. Mr. Imadul alias Raja, son of Manirul Islam of Jadubari Chowk village This list is available on the MASUM website at http://www.masum.org.in/list.HTM This list is also quoted on the Asian Human Rights Commission webpage at http://www.ahrchk.net/ua/mainfile.php/2007/2276/ The APDR-PBKMS report has its own list of the 'missing', it mentions the number of 28 missing reported in two days of investigation, and names the following. The investigators state that since this list is based are the accounts that they heard in their brief span of two days in the area, their list is likely to feature a lower figure than was really the case. In all likelihood, there are many more who went missing on March 14, 2007 For the sake of precision, here are the details, and wherever possible, names and provenances of the missing detailed in this extract taken from the APDR-PBKMS report. The discerning reader will not fail to notice that several amongst those reported missing are alleged to be children. a) Basanti Utthasin 60 years w/o Montu Utthasin Village Sonachura Cannot find any of her family members , except for 1 child b) 3 children of Anubha Khanra, wife of Rasbihari Khanra, village Sonachura c) The Mahatos of Sonachura Village Joydeb Mahato S/o Gobindo Mahato Sandhya Rani Mahato w/o Joydeb Mahato Bishu Mahato (age 12) S/o Joydeb Mahato Pooja Mahato (age 8) D/o Joydeb Mahato Sukhdev Mahato S/o Gobindo Mahato Arati Mahato w/o Sukhdev Mahato Musha Mahato S/o Sukhdev Mahato (all of village Sonachura) d) Badal Chandra Mandal S/o late Gobardhan Mondal,Village 7 Nambar Jalpai is missing .He was last seen with bullet wounds on stomach and leg e) Salil Das Adhikary, Purnima Das Adhikary, Animesh das Adhikary(9 years). Atanau Das Adhikary (7 years), Aparna Das Adhikary( 3 years) f) Mangal Das, son of Shakti Das, village Gokulnagar Prabhanjan Maity and daughter Sabitri Bijli w/o Sudarshan Bijli g)Panchanan Das, S/O Gunadhar Das, Barkeshabpur, Nandigram h)Pushpendu Mondal, S/O Beni Madhab Mondal, Vill – Gangra, Nandigram i))Joydeb Das, S/O Haradhan Das, Sonachura, Nandigram. j) Basanti Kar, W/O Gora Chand Kar, Kalicharanpur *The Unclaimed and Unidentified Dead* The report goes on to add "Meanwhile, there is confirmed information that 27 additional dead bodies were found near the Haldi River near Nandigram." There is also another grisly list of locally confirmed as well as likely locations of unclaimed dead bodies in and around Nandigram in the aftermath of the 14th of March this year. This list forms a part of a report prepared by the Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR) and Paschim Banga Khet Majoor Samity (PBKMS). Incidentally, contrary to your assertion, it is available on the Sanhati.org site. Perhaps you have not had the time to look hard enough for it. Here is the url. http://sanhati.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/nandigram_final_report.pdf. The section of the report titled 'Concealing of Dead Bodies' merits a lengthy quotation - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FROM THE APDR-PBKMS REPORT "The CPI (M) - police combine disposed off 5 bodies in the septic tank of the latrine at Janani Brick field, Khejuri . Several bodies were earlier carried from Bhangabera and Tekhali areas to Khejuri and from there to Naya Char. At 8 PM on the 15th night, launches came from the Haldia Satkar Samity to Naya Char and the dead bodies were transferred to these launches. Soon after, the bodies were burnt on the other side of the river. A pick up van was used to take bodies from Tekhali to Heria, after which their destination was not known.Some bodies were buried in a sunflower field near Sonachura by Sudanghsu Samanta of Sonachura and his men. On hearing that a CBI team was coming, the bodies were transferred and buried under a bamboo bridge nearby . Local people would be able to give the exact location. A ground floor room in the Khejuri College had been used as a store house for 4 bodies. After hearing that the CBI team was coming they tried to transfer these bodies out but had not been able to do so, as the police was no longer so cooperative. Bodies of three children were found in a pond to the south of Bhangabera, two floating in the pond and one on the side. When villagers went to recover the bodies, they were refused access by the police. Journalists had also not been allowed to go to the spot. According to Abdus Sammad of the Bhumi Ucched Pratirodh Committee (BUPC) Bodies of children and others had been buried under the earth that was used to fill up a trench near the Bhangabera Bridge. Bodies had also been buried around Shankar Samanta's house in Bhangabera. He also informed the CBI team about the same, but they refused to dig up the earth in the trench. However they did find blood stains and women's and girls' clothes and undergarments in Shankara Samanta's premises. The were corroborated by Sumit Sinha and Mohidul also activists of the Bhumi Ucched Pratirodh Committee and many others. That the above spots are the likely places where the bodies of a large number of missing persons, feared to have been killed have been corroborated by many people with whom the team interacted. According to Sukumar Mitra, a journalist working with the Dainik Statesman, Two bodies had been found in Geokhali by the 19th of March, which could be of those killed in the police-cum-goons firing. one dead body and a unconscious person had been found in Uluberia who could again be of those killed. A mangrove forest in Kadirabad Char was a possible place for disposal of bodies as that was being used as a safe haven by armed CPI(M) men . Bodies could have been burnt in Kalinagar and near Rasulpur Ghat, as it was known that these spots were used for disposal of bodies at earlier times. Meen Dwip near Naya Char had been used for the burning of bodies. Furnaces of 7 brick fields (including Shibani and Janani brick fields) and 2 tile factories in Khejuri on the other side of Talpati Canal have been used for disposal of bodies." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *Forensic Politics* The Shibani and Janani Brick Fields, Khejuri; Nayachar; a Sunflower farm in Sonachua; a bamboo bridge in Sonachura; Khejuri college; Bhangabera; Geokhali; a mangrove forest in Kadirabad Char; Kalinagar; Rasulpur Chat; Meen Dwip in Nayachar; 2 tile factories on the other sie of the Talpati Canal - all these are real places. All that needs to be done is a little mapping, a little excavation, a little forensics. In all likelihood, we are looking at numbers way above fourteen. If we count however many still remain missing from the original list of nineteen missing, add the 27 unclaimed and unidentifiable bodies in the Haldi river, add the 5 bodies found in the Janani Brick Fields, 2 bodies in Geokhali and 1 in Uluberia . We get 34 bodies in total. To which remain to be added the possible numbers buried in mass graves, or cremated, or thrown into the sea and the rivers. Reasonable estimates, given the pattern and scale of violence on that single day could make the numbers range anywhere from fifty to a hundred. The world over, from Rwanda to Congo to Sri Lanka to Cambodia to Argentina to Iraq to Bosnia - the discipline of forensic anthropology has actually yielded concrete results in terms of finding mass graves, and the accumulated evidence of the hasty and hurried disposal of bodies - which often accompanies mass violence.If, as the CPI(M) and its apologists have claimed, there was no mass killing in Nandigram and its environs on the 14thof march, they should have nothing to fear from an independent and professional forensic investigation. For one, DNA analysis of remains could also help identify the dead, and consequently point towards who killed them. *The West Bengal High Court's Judgement on Nandigram* Meanwhile, the West Bengal High Court, has, as of the 16th of November, rejected all all arguments of the West Bengal government and held that the action of the police on March 14th was wholly unconstitutional and cannot be justified. The court has also ordered a CBI enquiry into the incident. There are no guarantees, but It is possible,that an independent and professional forensic investigation in the Nandigram region, were it to become a part of the now mandatory CBI enquiry, could yield evidence of a nature that might be deeply troubling for the ruling party in West Bengal. It will be time, in any case, to revisit all the sites that have been mentioned in the APDR - PBKMS and MASUM reports, and interview all those individuals who have been named and quoted in great detail in these reports. For this to occur, it is necessary that the invesitgators be allowed to function without fear or favour. See - http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070033028&ch=11/17/2007%2012:45:00%20AM - for a report detailing this news on NDTV. The West Bengal government, in its wisdom, has said that it is considering an appeal in the Supreme Court against the 16th November High Court decision. It has, after all, the precedence before it of the way in which the CBI enquiries in Gujarat began to unravel the carefully constructed edifice of 'terrorist encounter deaths' in that state. *A 'Conservative' Estimate* Whatever the case may be. Let us be conservative. Let us say perhaps 'only' fifty people of the 'anti-CPI(M)' camp, were killed on or around that single day of the 14th of March. We are not here, taking into account subsequent incidents of sporadic violence in the months after March. Then we look at the much touted list of 27 CPI (M) supporters dead over a period of 11 months from January to November this year, and we begin to get a sense of where the actual brunt of violence in Nandigram comes from. At a highly conservative estimate, the State government's police forces, in connivance with the CPI(M) machine, in a single day, killed more than twice the number of people that the opposition felled over 11 months. I am nowhere suggesting that the agitation at Nandigram was peaceful, or non-violent, nor do I expect it to have been so. Peasant and subaltern disaffection over land, revenue or tax revolts against authority, wherever it occurs, whether in Chauri-Chaura in 1922, Tebhaga in Bengal in 1946, or Naxalbari in Bengal in 1967 - tend towards violence, often as a measure to defend the gains of the immediate results of peasant and/or subaltern appropriation of property or resources. That the people of Nandigram, in enforcing a social boycott of the forces they saw as threatening their livelihoods, or even by defending their land from perceived threats of alienation by a vastly better equipped and armed force, may have taken to violence is neither surprising, nor, in my view, particularly reprehensible. After all, if, as per the CPI(M) line, the state government was sincere in its intention to actually not grab land in an unfair manner in West Bengal, then, following from the early days of March, all that the CPI(M) would have needed to do was to say to its 'own' people in Nandigram - "There has been a mistake, 'our party' has made that mistake, and 'we' will rectify it by ensuring that those in the party at the local level who were pushing for that mistake would be made accountable." In what transpired, no sign of contrition or self criticism came from the local party unit. Nothing changed on the ground. The men who had been rooting for the Salim Chemical Hub in Nandigram and at the State level, the Lakshman Seth-Bijoy Konar network in Nandigram-Haldia, and their masters in Kolkata, continued to function as they had always done, with impunity. In these circumstances, it is hardly surprising that the people of Nandigram thought that the only option available to them lay in an armed defence of their land. *On Notices* Finally, at the risk of repetition, let me try and answer your question about land and notices - "Is a notice that informs the public of an intention to acquire land the same as a notice that actually acquires the land? Surely not." Let's try and get to grips with this by means of an analogy. When a judge informs a defendent that they will be hanged till they are dead on such and such a date, they are not hanging the accused. They are informing the accused of the fact that he will be hanged. But the impact of a death sentence, and the impact of an official (but yet somehow retrospectively 'informal') notice that land will be acquired are remarkably similar. They seal the fate of the future, for the person who will die, or lose his land. In fact the certitude that such a prounouncement brings in its wake is in some ways far more cruel than the actual act itself. The prisoner on death row who has lost his last appeal is as good as dead. All he can do is either bide is time or make a run for it by trying to enact a jail-break. The people of Nandigram were trying to make a run for it, trying to enact a jail-break by acting against the notice that came their way. Their actions may have been desparate and they may not have always made the best chocies of allies, but we have to ask, seriously, what options did they have? *Anti-Shanti* Finally, Sudhanva, I have actually never made a secret of the fact that I consider myself very much on the left. And my definition of left wing politics does not have to devolve to a 'one size fits all number' that has you and me chafing together in the same narrow space. To you, whatever is left of what you believe in, to me my understanding of where exactly I stand on the left, for which I do not see how exactly I have to owe you an explanation. It is just that I do not treat whatever may be my political commitment as a form of inherited property, which I must jealously guard against those that I consider to be encroachers. Or as we might say in the crude language of the street which you rightly read in my anger, 'Marxvaad, ya Communism, kisi saale ki baap ki jaagir to hai nahin, ki aap harap lo aur ham harapne dein'. I have never thought that you, or the CPI(M) are not the left. It is rather my contention that today the CPI(M) acts as the effective left hand of capital, just as Social-Democracy and State Capitalist tendencies of different varieties have done in many parts of the world, in different epochs. You want 'patriotic' nuclear weapons (so does the BJP) you want a big tough state (so does the BJP) , you want your culture minister to be your police minister to be your chief minister (so alas, does the BJP). I don't want ministers, I don't want nuclear weapons, or a big tough state. This difference between what you want and what I want does not mean that we are not both on the left. Its just that we have very different points of departure in terms of how we define the space of the left. We come to it from different ends, for radically different purposes. You come to make the state your own, I come expecting, desiring, working to make it to wither away. Rather than quibble over which corner of the Left suits our contrary predelictions, I am more interested in seeing whether your actions place you behind the guns, the barricades of the police and the well oiled apparatus of the party-state, and the spin that emanates from the CC or PB or whichever alphabetical combination your have going for you at the moment, or whether you choose a place confronting them. For me, thinking about that location is more important than whether one is to the left or right of any arbitrarily chosen centre of nominally left wing gravity. I sincerely hope that, as someone who wears his radicalism flamboyantly on his sleeve, you will find it in you someday to cross that line and move from being behind the guns, the lies and the spin-doctoring to standing with people who happen to be in front of them, and with those who are in solidarity with them. If and when that happens you will find many comrades, me amongst them, and even your ideas of what constitutes freedom, dignity and equality might find unexpected ports of anchorage in critical but respectful challenge. I actually look forward to that happening, and hope that it does not take that many more Nandigrams to make you cross that line. Until that happens, until you walk rather than crawl, until you are so disabused, I am afraid, there will only be more abuse from the likes of me. sincerely, Shuddha ----------------- *Nandigram and the riddle of Nayachar* PS: I have been intrigued at the great urgency with which operation 'Recover Nandigram' was realized. It is true that Buddhadev Bhattacharya had said that the proposed chemical hub would not be located in Nandigram if people did not want it. There was even talk of another site - 'Nayachar', which is not far from Nandigram. But the 'Nayachar' option began palling. The geological surveys of the site found a great deal of problems that needed longer periods of study before any definitive decision could be made about siting a Chemical complex on the soil of Nayachar. see - the following reports in the Telegraph of a Geological Survey of India team's visit in September this year to Nayachar http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070913/asp/bengal/story_8311582.asp http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070914/asp/bengal/story_8316158.asp Further, the central government made it clear that siting the complex on Nayachar would be in clear violation of environmental regulations pertaining to the protection of the ecology and environment of the deltaic coast. see - the following reports in the Financial Express and the Times of India on the environmental regulatory hurdles to the Nayachar proposal that have very recently come to light http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Green-hurdle-to-Bengals-Nayachar-hub-plan/232799/ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Centre_spanner_in_Nayachar_hub_plan/rssarticleshow/2493913.cms Consequently, is it possible that attention was once again focussed on Nandigram as a site, and therefore, a comprehensive operation to engineer consent for the land acquisition had to be put in place, in order to placate and address the restlessness of those who represented the interests of the Salim Group of Industries in the corridors of power in West Bengal? From yasir.media at gmail.com Thu Nov 22 01:18:06 2007 From: yasir.media at gmail.com (yasir ~) Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2007 11:48:06 -0800 Subject: [Reader-list] Karachi yesterday: Details and clarifications In-Reply-To: <5af37bb0711211146q40c77303qdf30c385db8a2b70@mail.gmail.com> References: <109c65220711210503l612734cdi3bd293c958027bb6@mail.gmail.com> <5af37bb0711211146q40c77303qdf30c385db8a2b70@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <5af37bb0711211148m7546952q504edfdf67fd79b3@mail.gmail.com> from a journalist hand arrested and released yesterday (well worth a read and wonder) Dear all, First off, the funny part: All the journalists arrested (and later released) in Karachi yesterday have been charged with "rioting, creating [a] law and order situation, encounter, kidnapping and attempt to murder." ATTEMPT TO MURDER!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Attempt to murder what? Musharraf's hegemony? HELL yeah, baby! :-P Okay, here's what happened yesterday: The rally The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and the Karachi Union of Journalists (KUJ) had called for a peaceful demonstration at 03:00 Tuesday (yesterday) outside the Karachi Press Club. The purpose was to demand the freedom of the Press, etc. Please note, all of us were totally unarmed, while the police surrounding the area were in complete riot gear with shields and motey dandey and bulletproof vests, helmets, knee pads, and whatnot. The entire area around the press club had been cordoned off. The moment the rally got out of the Press Club, we were attacked (yes, "attacked") by the policemen. There was a LOAD of brutal baton-charging, and one policeman hit ARY's Aajiz Jamali so hard on his back with the shield, that the shield broke in two. :-S Women and men were hit indiscriminately and very VERY brutally -- yes I can emphasize that enough. I'm skinny -- I crawled around and got out unhurt. Everyone ran back towards the press club. Some of our office bearers and senior people had been picked up. The demands and the negotiations We all got out again and demanded that everyone be released. The policemen said they'd let everyone go if we went back inside the press club. We refused, and said we'd go in ONLY after our people were released. Negotiations followed, and it turned out that our people could not be released. We said fine, if you can arrest 10, you can arrest all the rest of us too. :-P We gave in "ba-jamaa'at" giriftaariaN. The policemen tried to stop the women but we said we were standing by our male colleagues. They said there were no female police officials and we could therefore not be arrested. We reminded them that the people who had baton charged us were not female police officials, and if the male police waalahs could hit us, they could pretty darn well arrest us too. Khair, female police waaliaN were brought in, but we insisted that we will go in the same vans as our male colleagues. In the van Now this is the fun part! :-D There were 27 of us in this van -- seven women and 20 men. And boy did we raise hell!!! The van took us on a tour of the entire city, and we kept naarafying all the way. Passersby stopped to gape at us and then joined in the naareybaazi. In short, we conducted a State-sponsored anti-Musharraf rally. AHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!! Yes, I can't get over this -- this IS funny!!! :-D They took us to the Boat Basin police station, only to realise that it was full. Ditto for Gizri and Darakhshan. They were then told to take us to the Docks police station, but the driver did not know the way (YUP!!! :-D). He took us to the Jackson police station instead, where his bum was kicked, and the correct raasta explained to him by officials concerned. LOL! All this while, we weren't making life easier for him by continuously naarafying, jeering and heckling. Yes we're mean. :-P At the Docks Police Station We were "offloaded" and the women were told to go separately. We refused and decided to stick with our male colleagues. "We're here as journalists, not men or women," we told the police waalahs there. Since the Docks Police Station does not have a female lockup, they had to put all 26 of us in the interrogation room where we continued to party. :-P At around 05:30 p.m. they came to the women and said that we were free to go. We asked if EVERYONE was free to go and we were told, "No, only the 'laddiss'." We told them to sod off -- either EVERYONE leaves, or no one does. They tried to confiscate our cellphones, and we refused en masse. So while cellphones at the rest of the police stations were taken away, us "Docks waalahs" still had ours on us. :-D We also took over the SHO's rest room, because the "prisoners' restrooms" were filthy and the doors wouldn't lock. We made them bring water for us, etc etc, didn't tell them our home addresses for the FIR, bugged them every way we could. :-P Faiz saheb's kalaam was sung, nareybaazi huee. Some PPP waalahs brought us food, tea, diet coke and jaali ciggies, for which we're thankful to them. :-P A lot of people visited us, and we are sincerely grateful for their support. Special thanks to Ayes from the yyyyyy for staying with us for a whole bunch of hours together. A majority of the ddddd camped out outside the gates of the police station, as did fffff from the bbb, and ttttttt and all. The HRCP visited us too, as did members of Peoples Resistance, including ggggg and hhhh (I'm sorry I'm missing out names here). From what I heard from the other police stations (people were spread out -- some, including two women, were at the Clifton police station, some at the Artillery Maidan police station, Frere police station, Darakhshan too, I think), journos there were having as much fun as we were having at the Docks Police Station. Ten people who had been taken to the Shershah police station were brought over to Docks, bringing the total at our camp to 36 -- the more, the merrier! :-P The Release At around 09:30 p.m. they said all of us were free to go. We came to know, however, that four of our senior office bearers could not be traced. It was mutually decided that no one would leave any police station, until those four people were released with us. The police waalahs threatened to physically throw everyone out, and they were told to "try." :-P The missing people were then "miraculously" traced out within 15 minutes, and everyone rejoiced. We left the Docks police station the way we'd entered it -- naarafying and partying. :-D All of us "criminals" from all the police stations then congregated outside the Clifton police station, where we raised hell again. We then proceeded to the Karachi Press Club, where we partied again -- yes, that's what us Karachi'ites do best -- and we do things with a bang! : ) Lesson learnt yesterday: Unity = Victory. ddddd asked me yesterday about why we were not mistreated at the police station. The answer, fffffff, is: they dared not mistreat us because we stood united. Also, from what we were told by the new information minister, Nesar Memon, the decision to arrest journos was taken independently by the Sindh government -- no such orders had come forth from the provincial level. Now I'm wondering how or why a caretaker government would take such a major step. Moreover, there are people who're going around saying that the police resorted to violence only after journos hurled stones at them. This is WRONG. Stones were hurled, yes, but only AFTER the police started beating us up like cattle. A friend of mine rolled up her placard and started hitting a police waalah on the head with it -- after his lathi hit her really hard. Serves them right, I'd say. But let the records show that the stone-throwing was a REACTION. Anyone would do it if you saw your friends being beaten up this way for no reason -- and we're all friends here. No matter how cut-throat the competition between publications and channels, no matter how hard we try to outdo each other professionally, but when push comes to shove, we journos are all friends and we stand united!!! Oh and naaras that journos came up with yesterday: Mukk gya tera show Musharraf (you show is ended Musharraf) Go Musharraf, Go Musharraf! Kalla baetha ro Musharraf (you sit there alone Musharraf) Go Musharraf, Go Musharraf!!! :-D Inquilaab Zindabad! In Solidarity, From shuddha at sarai.net Thu Nov 22 03:28:18 2007 From: shuddha at sarai.net (Shuddhabrata Sengupta) Date: Thu, 22 Nov 2007 03:28:18 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Curfew in Kolkata: The Sword and the Monk's Cowl Message-ID: <4744A9FA.2030403@sarai.net> The Sword and the Monk' s Cowl: Curfew in Kolkata (apologies for cross posting on Kafila.org, responding to Tapas Ray's posting on Taslima Nasrin a few hours ago) --------------------------- "Instead of society having conquered a new content for itself, it seems that the state has only returned to its oldest form, to a shamelessly simple rule by the sword and the monk’s cowl. " Karl Marx, The 18th Brumaire of Louis Napoleon ----------------------------- We live in strange times. Really strange times. Just as the news from Kokata was getting better, it got worse again. The sudden spectre of 'communal rioting' has reared its head, as if from nowhere in West Bengal. The All India Minorities Forum, a little known entity led by a busy body called Idris Ali materialized yersterday on the streets of Kolkata demanding the deportation of the exiled Bangladeshi writer, on the grounds that she had once injured the sensitivities of Muslims. Crowds attacked police, pitched street battles continued, the Army was called in. Curfew was declared, and on television, Biman Bose, a CPI(M) and 'Left' Front hatchet man, declared - "... if her stay creates a problem for peace, she (Nasrin) should leave the state'' (see NDTV report at the end of this posting) Readers will recall that this is not the first time that Taslima Nasrin has had a run in with the Left Front. 'Dwikhondito' a book by her was banned under express orders from Buddhadev Bhattacharya in 2004 when it was alleged that it had offended 'Muslim' sentiments in Kolkata. Then too, threats were issued by self declared leaders of the Muslim community, who emerged as if from nowhere.Then too, the ban was justified, on grounds of maintaining peace and order. This time, it is the Army out on the streets, curfew, a prohibition on public gatherings, and portents of worse to come. The 'situation is tense, but under control'. Just as society in Kolkata was conquering a new content for itself in the wake of Nandigram and even the murder of Rizwanur Rahman, the state (and its shadows), to all intents and purposes have returned to its oldest form in West Bengal. Even as I write, the Army is out on the streets of Kolkata, imposing a curfew, and the past few hours have been spent witnessing (on television in my case) the ridiculous and pathetic spectre of what seems even at first glance to be an orchestrated outbreak of rioting on the streets. Clearly, there will be no more rallies against the CPI(M);s actions in Nandigram in the coming days in Kolkata For weeks, since the mysterious death of Rizwanur Rahman, allegedly at the behest of a powerful trading family, allegedly with the connivance of the senior echelons of the Kolkata police, allegedly acting under the patronage of the ruling party - the CPI(M) and for days, since the 'retaking' of Nandigram by a militia of CPI(M) cadres - the streets of Kolkata have witnessed a flowering of fraternization between young people, students, peasants, activists disturbed by the happennings of Nandigram, intellectuals and cultural workers.In both responses, the response to Nandigram, and in the response to Rizwanur Rahman's death, we have seen a great deal of involvement by people who happen to be Muslims, and this is in part because of the fact that Rizwanur was murdered because he happenned to be not well off, and Muslim, and because incidentally, a large number of people affected in Nandigram also happen to be Muslim. What this was leading to was a degree of fraternization between Muslims and others, not on grounds of secterian identitiy, but on banal, and utterly secular issues that had to do with the blatant misuse of power and the realities of having to live with capitalism. In this process, the CPI(M)'s cherished 'secular' image was taking a bit of a beating, and an emergent, as yet ephemeral coalition of peasants, working people, young people, minorities and intellectuals - long the mainstay of Leftist politics in West Bengal (and indeed in India) had given rise to the idea of the dawning of a long awaited democratic left alternative to the CPI(M)'s hegemony in West Bengal. This is the background against which the happenings of the day in Kolkata need to be seen. By suddenly bringing the issue of 'Taslima Nasrin' and a threat to her freedom to stay, her freedom of speech, the events of today have cut a deep divide right through the emerging coalition that included as two significant foci - poor Bengali peasant Muslims, and a disenchanted urban intelligentsia. The calcualation works out as follows the 'Muslims' will be sought to be mobilized to protect the faith and quran, and the intelligentsia will mobilize around issues to do with freedom of speech, and the rights of a Bengali writer in exile to stay unmolested in the second largest Bengali speaking city in the world. A simple 'qui bono' (who benefits) analysis of the situation suggests that the CPI(M) stands most to gain from the day's events. First of all, the Army is out on the streets, the state government is a champion of order, the 'situation' is 'tense but under control'. So no more public protests. Secondly, the CPI(M) badly needs an opportunity to play messiah to the minorities in West Bengal, and this comes as a great opportunity. The signal has been given, Taslima Nasrin must leave West Bengal, and the ' hurt feelings' of Muslims in West Bengal have been tended to by the caring 'Left' Front government. It is highly likely that a few toothless but useful Imams and Maulanas will now pronounce their benediction on the ruling party's move to muzzle and deport Taslima Nasrin. The party will have effectively, and cynically played its 'Muslim' card after having butchered Muslims in Nandigram, and having intrigued over the death of Rizwanur Rahman. idris Ali, the busy body who speaks for the so called All India Minorities Forum claims that the mobs on the street today contained agent provocateurs from the CPI(M), and that is why things got out of hand. That may be the case, it also may not be the case. Idris Ali himself may be only a puppet on a very long chain. Incidentally, the issue of Taslima Nasrin had surfaced again, literally two days after the 'retaking of Nandigram' on the 8th of November, when the West Bengal government banned a magazine called Pathasanket, which along with articles by the Left Front chairman Biman Bose and other CPI(M) worthies, also carried an unsigned article endorsing Taslima Nasrin's views and her right to stay on in India. The Times of India story detailing this development some days ago has not had the attention it should have had. Suddenly, now, it seems very relevant. I will quote it here in toto. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Left magazine's autumn number banned The Times of India 9 Nov 2007, 0332 hrs IST, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-2530076,prtpage-1.cms KOLKATA: An unsigned article published in a Left-sponsored Bengali magazine has prompted the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government to ban its autumn number. This despite the fact that it includes an article by Left Front chairman Biman Bose and a couple of front-ranking CPM leaders such as former school education minister Kanti Biswas and MLA Deblina Hembram. There is also an article by Sudhir Mridha in defence of the chief minister's industrialisation programme. This apart, two CPM ministers — Subhas Chakraborty and Debesh Das — have wished all success to the magazine: Pathasanket 1414. The controversial article, Taslima Prasange Bangladesher Bharatiya Rashtradut, Pradhan Mantri O Moulabadider Prasange, makes out a case for writer Taslima Nasreen, who has come under fire from religious fundamentalists and Bangladesh government that has banished her from her homeland. The article argues that Taslima's hitting out at fundamentalist sentiments from scientific outlook cannot be treated as an offence under Section 295(3) of the Bangladesh Criminal Procedure Code. While doing so, the article takes out a leaf from Osman Gani's book Mahamanabi to establish how blind some of the episodes related to the life of Prophet Mohammed are. Whatever the logic, the writer makes a vitriolic attack on the Prophet over his marital life, sending shock waves among the Muslim community. A copy of the article also reached the corridors of power and the government acted promptly on grounds that it contains all the elements that might be construed as an assault on Islam. The writer probably anticipated all this, which is why he made a passing reference to the Italian scientist Galileo Galilei who was put behind the bars at a ripe age because he refuted the Church's view that the sun moves round the earth. Idris Ali of the All India Minority Forum took strong exception to the article. "I am amazed at the audacity of the writer. How dare he write such things against the Prophet? I also can't understand how such an outrageous piece could come out in a magazine sponsored by senior Left leaders and ministers," Ali said. He, however, welcomed the government's decision to ban the autumn issue of the magazine, but said hundreds of copies have already reached the readers. "The government has to seize all the copies." -------------------------------- Idris Ali promptly demands a ban. Buddhadev Bhattacharya promptly orders a ban, demonstrating how 'fair' he was. Idris Ali commends Bhattacharya's censorship. But then demands that her visa be revoked. Biman Bose, who, along with the anonymous writer who had spoken up so suddenly for Taslmia, had also lost the readership of his article, clarifies that in fact, he wanted Taslima Nasrin out of West Bengal. No sequence of events can be so convenient in terms of choreographing the CPI(M) tango with so called offended 'Muslim sentiment'. Willingly, or unwillingly, Idris Ali has danced to the tune of a piper he may have hardly known. In the light of all this, it is possible, as Tapas Ray has hinted in his posting on the Reader List, that because so much of life in West Bengal is actually like a detective novel, there could really be a cynical move by the CPI(M) to destabilize the rising tide of discontent against its actions in Nandigram by suddenly introducing a non-issue like 'deportation for Taslima Nasrin'. As of now, this is only speculation, but it is not groundless speculation. On the other hand, it is also highly possible, that Idris Ali, who has had various associations, but seems to have found some sort of home in the archipelago the Trinamool Congress, may genuinely be disaffected with the CPI(M). But even as that may be, with enemies like him, the CPI (M) in West Bengal (as I have pointed out before here) has hardly any need for friends. In my previous posting (in my response to Sudhanva Deshpande's rejoinder) I had hinted at the strange urgency to 'wrest' Nandigram, and possibly create the grounds for a 'new consent' to land acquistion, now that the plan to relocate the Salim Chemical Hub at Nayachar has run aground. Could the latest fracas around Taslima Nasrin be also a part of the 'collateral damage' of this sudden urgency? Whatever the case may be, the only sane response (in my opinion), to the emerging vortex in West Bengal would be to insist that the demand for the deportation of Taslima Nasrin be unequivocally condemned, and simultaneously hope that the movement against the CPI(M)s actions in Nandigram stay its course. Muslims in West Bengal have a lot to worry about, terrible social and economic indicators (as have been revealed by the Sachar report, and pointed out in the post forwarded earlier by Aarti Sethi earlier here), unemployment, an apathetic government that holds them hostage to the shibboleth of 'secularism' and the violence that has scarred and displaced so many poor Muslim peasants in Nandigram. Taslima Nasrin neither steals Muslim bread, nor appropriates Muslim peasants land, nor keeps Muslim kids away from school, nor organizes riots against them, nor condemns them to a situation of studied social apathy. She may or may not be a good writer, and is probably not even by her own self description a 'good Muslim' but by raising questions that have to do with exegesis and Quranic interpretation, she is only demonstrating the continuity of her project with the long tradition of reasoned and passionate philosophical enquiries about faith that have been part of Islamicate traditions. The partisans of the All India Minorities Forum, like their Hindu fundamentalist peers, may be performatively pious, but they certainly have no handle on the rich intellectual heritage and history of doubt within the cultures they claim as their own. Finally, as a Communist, I believe that the liberty and dignity of all individuals to live and work freely wheresoever they please, is of far more greater value than the fetish of visas, passports and nationality. It is time to demand unconditional rights of residence, not only for Taslima Nasrin, but for all Bangladeshis (legal or otherwise) who happen to have made India their home, or who may be sojourning in this country at the moment. I may or may not agree with Taslima Nasrin's views or styles of utterance (I do, and I dont) but I think that as a writer she has every right to stay and work freely in Kolkata. I appeal to everyone who is reading this to demand an end to deportations of Bangladeshis from India. That includes deportations of poor Bengali speaking Muslims who are harrassed by the police and the politics of the far right in Delhi, or by the police and the politics of the CPI(M) in West Bengal, as much as it includes Taslima Nasrin. As someone who lives in Delhi, I would hope that if Taslima Nasrin did have to leave Kolkata (and I hope she doesn't) at Biman Basu's diktat, she, like thousands of other Bangladeshis, would consider Delhi a possible home (despite the Delhi Police and the animus of the Sangh Parivar). We have no shortage of thugs in Delhi, but as far as I know, neither the CPI(M) nor any fly-by-night, rent-a-nuisance outfit called the All India Minorities Forum, rule the streets here. Not yet. Here's hoping for an early end to secterian tensions, threats to the freedom of speech, curfews, flag marches by the military, the CPI(M)'s infinite capacity for intrigue and the idiocy of Muslim fundamentalist mayhem in Kolkata. best Shuddha ------------------------------------------------------ Situation in Kolkata under control: Buddhadeb http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070033512&ch=11/22/2007%2012:29:00%20AM Monideepa Bannerjee, NDTV Wednesday, November 21, 2007 (Kolkata) Kolkata was a city under siege on Wednesday as protests against the violence in Nandigram spiraled out of control. Reacting to the day's events, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said that while the violence was unfortunate, the situation in Kolkata was under control. ''City police Commissioner, who is out on road to supervise law and order situation, informed me that the situation is under control,'' the Chief Minister told reporters at Writers' Buildings. He said partial or full curfew has been clamped in some areas of the city from 10 pm to 6 am. ''The Army will patrol during the night in the affected areas as also the police,'' he added. Asked if he would order any inquiry into the violent incidents, the Chief Minister quipped ''as in other cases, probe will be done here too.'' Willing to dump Nasreen Meanwhile, the ruling CPI(M) in West Bengal on Wednesday night said controversial Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen should ''leave the state'' if her stay disturbs the peace. ''I don't want to speak elaborately on the role played by the Centre on Taslima Nasreen's stay in West Bengal. But if her stay creates a problem for peace, she should leave the state,'' CPI(M) state secretary Biman Bose told reporters. He said when two Union ministers sought Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee's view on the issue, he had told them that if the Centre thought it advisable for her stay, she could do so. Bose's comments came after the city witnessed large-scale violence when a mob attacked the police injuring 35 personnel besides torching and damaging vehicles during a three-hour shutdown called by a minority fringe group in protest against the Nandigram violence. They also demanded cancellation of Nasreen's visa. However, the author was not available for comment. Nasreen, in exile since 1994 after fundamentalists in Bangladesh issued a fatwa against her for the allegedly blasphemous first novel Lajja was ''deeply disturbed'' over the violent incidents in the city, sources close to her said. Fierce clashes Earlier in the day as fierce clashes gripped the city, within a matter of hours Kolkata resembled a battlefield with hundreds of protestors armed with swords and stones taking on the police. Vehicles were burnt down as supporters of a fringe group, the All India Minority Forum, protested against the Nandigram violence and demanded the cancellation of Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen's visa. ''We need to know why Taslima Nasreen is still let to stay in India,'' said a protester All schools, colleges and offices were closed down in central Kolkata and worried parents rushed to pick up their children from school. Many students were escorted back home with armed escorts. The state government not wanting to take any chances called in the Army, and by late evening, hundreds of soldiers were out in troubled areas staging a Flag March. However, the AIMF says that they aren't responsible for the violence and blames other groups for the trouble. AIMF President Idris Ali claimed the trouble started after police ''without reason'' arrested 200 agitators. The administration, on the other hand, has insisted they had no choice. Governor calls for calm Meanwhile, West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi on Wednesday described as 'reprehensible' the violence that erupted in the city. ''The trauma caused to school children and teachers is particularly so,'' the Governor said in a release from Raj Bhavan. Gandhi urged all to refrain from violence and help maintain peace and harmony in the best traditions of ''our great city.'' (With PTI Inputs) ----------------------------------------------------------------- From hpp at vsnl.com Thu Nov 22 12:55:20 2007 From: hpp at vsnl.com (V Ramaswamy) Date: Thu, 22 Nov 2007 12:55:20 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Riot in Calcutta: 30 June 1897 Message-ID: <000001c82cd9$ccd42640$97ba41db@Ramaswamy> MUSSULMAN RIOT IN CALCUTTA; Hindoos Passively Sympathize with the Mob Which Hooted and Stoned Europeans. July 2, 1897, Wednesday (From The New York Times Archive) article available at: http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D03E5DF1039E433A25751C0A9619C94669ED7CF Calcutta, July 1. - Serious riots among the Mussulmans occurred here yesterday evening. Besides the main mob, scattered gangs of rioters paraded the streets, hooting and stoning the Europeans, several of whom were injured. Finally the authorities were compelled to call out the troops. It is regarded as significant that the Hindoos passively sympathize with the rioters. The situation this morning is still grave. An additiuonal force of cavalry was required to disperse the rioters, but the mobs quickly gathered again. There is bitter complaint at the absence of the imperial and provincial officials, who are now at Simla, the Summer resort of the Government officers. V Ramaswamy Calcutta cuckooscall.blogspot.com From hpp at vsnl.com Thu Nov 22 13:48:03 2007 From: hpp at vsnl.com (V Ramaswamy) Date: Thu, 22 Nov 2007 13:48:03 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] More on Calcutta riots Message-ID: <002601c82ce0$e5bc2bb0$97ba41db@Ramaswamy> UPRISING IN INDIA FEARED; Riotous Mussulmans to Celebrate Their Successes in Every Part of the Country. NATIVE POLICE FATALLY HURT Calcutta Mob handled Twenty-Four Men So Roughly that All May Die -- No One Present Who Dares to Order the Troops to Fire. New York Times, July 3, 1897, Wednesday CALCUTTA, July 2. -- In the fighting which took place yesterday in the suburb of Chitpore between the police and the rioters, during which the former were compelled to fire on the latter, many policemen were injured. A party of twenty-four members of the native police was surrounded by a mob and so roughly handled that all of them are expected to die of the injuries they received. Full article available at: http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9901EEDD163DE433A25750C0A9619C94669ED7CF&oref=slogin "Locating the Origins of a Criminal Riot" by Sarai fellow Sugata Nandi: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/urbanstudygroup/2006-April/000824.html From hpp at vsnl.com Thu Nov 22 14:18:00 2007 From: hpp at vsnl.com (V Ramaswamy) Date: Thu, 22 Nov 2007 14:18:00 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] On the changing face of crime in Calcutta Message-ID: <01a001c82ce8$a78a9090$97ba41db@Ramaswamy> >From "The underside of a city divided" SUMANTA BANERJEE (from Seminar, No 559, March 2006, SOUL CITY: a symposium on the many facets of Calcutta.) http://www.india-seminar.com/2006/559/559%20sumanta%20banerjee.htm "Kolkata offers an interesting example of causality of contraries. The causes of crime in one situation may find their contrary in another environment. On the one hand we find that despite signs of urban prosperity, the lack of legitimate means for earning enough to lead a decent life continues to drive the poor citizens to the conventional forms of petty crime. On the other hand, the abundance of wealth in the hands of a section of the rich is inducing them to invest it in newer and newer illegitimate avenues to accumulate more wealth that is displayed in conspicuous consumption. The disparity reflects the asymmetric distribution of socio-economic freedom and opportunities in today's Kolkata. The high degree of freedom enjoyed by the criminals among the nouveau riche - in the shape of availability of financial resources and access to political mediators who ensure their immunity against legal prosecution - stands out in sharp contrast with the limited options available in a constricted space that is the lot of the underclass criminals of the traditional type like thieves or pickpockets. But a new generation of criminals has emerged from among this under-class, who have learnt to make use of a political system that has to depend on crime and corruption for its maintenance. They have found opportunities in the vast network of hidden, parallel, and semi-legal economies that had sprung up as appendages to political skullduggery, corporate crime, and administrative corruption of the upper echelons of Bengali society which we described earlier. Unlike the conventional gangs of house-breakers or purse snatchers of the traditional Kolkata underworld, these new gangs have found different occupations by establishing links with the political machinery that engineers the present 'economic boom' in Kolkata. During elections for instance, they lend themselves for hiring by political parties to capture booths and prevent voters from casting votes for the candidates of opposition parties. Once they get the electoral verdict delivered in favour of their patrons, they rest assured that they will be protected by their political bosses, and then move into other areas of operations. If for instance, anyone wants to buy or sell a house in any of the constituencies controlled by them, they extort a certain amount of commission from both - and then, keeping their own share, deliver a percentage to the fund of the party of their political patrons. If a promoter wants to clear a prime area of slums to construct a housing estate, the gang lord is available for rendering the necessary service. Well-trained in the techniques to spread fear, they soon become kings of protection rackets in Kolkata's middle class neighbourhoods and bazaars, where they collect money from shopkeepers and households by threats of violence. They can get away with anything with total impunity, thanks to the patronage that they receive from their political bosses. One of the city's notorious gangsters, known as haat kata Dilip, or one-armed Dilip, is a protégé of an important minister of the state. A police officer who dared to arrest him sometime ago earned the ire of the minister who had him shunted out to a low-profile job. These gangsters of Kolkata today straddle both the underworld of the criminals and the world of the respectable gentry - forging a kinship of intrigue that has become very much a part of the city's socio-political milieu. The borders between the new upper crust and the new underworld are fast getting blurred. Crime has finally come out of the sewers to gain acceptance in Kolkata's bhadralok society, and bring together the two divisions once known as the White and Black Towns." From mrsg at vsnl.com Thu Nov 22 15:00:47 2007 From: mrsg at vsnl.com (MRSG) Date: Thu, 22 Nov 2007 15:00:47 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Islamic violence and Taslima Nasreen References: <474338B4.70700@sarai.net> <"F8091DEE2A584F4D845F507433EA07770716 6 4"@HERMES1.ds.leeds.ac.uk> Message-ID: <000601c82cea$5f209780$0201a8c0@MRAY> Please do not spread conspiracy theory about Islamic violence in Kolkata - It was the logical outcome of the past events during last few years. Just some facts below. 1. LF Govt bans Taslima's book. CPI, CPIM. RSP, Forward Block all supported to appease the muslim fundamentalists. Congress, Trinamul never protested. 2. Congress minority cell has officially demanded Taslima's expulsion long back. 3. Mamata has officially supported the cause at a madrasa students conference 4. Siddikullah, the real hero of Nadigram, the leader of Jamat, has been termed a secular by Mahasweta devi and all other fellow travellers of Nandigram resistance. Siddikulla's party organised a huge demonstration on 11 Novemeber in Kolkata against Taslima, in which the death to Taslima was one of the major slogans. It has been reported prominently in Anandabazar Patrika. Earlier this organisation with others have prevented Taslima's poetry session in Medinipur, the district headquarter where Nandigram is situated. No significant poet or intellectual of West Bengal protested 6. Left front government spread the madrasa education and have a separate minister for it. 7. Taslima was prevented to inaugurate Book Fair at Siliguri after a handful of islamic protestors demonstrated. No significant poet or intellectual of West Bengal protested 8. Biman Basu, CPIM supremo has asked Taslima to consider leaving West Bengal. 9. So all the significant political parties have ganged up with the Islamic fundamentalists to drive away Taslima Nasrin. People of West Bengal, 'civil society' have mostly remained silent. There have been a few protests but not significant. This is the result. And probably more to come of similar nature beyond the issue of Taslima. M Ray ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tapas Ray" To: "sarai list" Sent: Wednesday, November 21, 2007 10:01 PM Subject: [Reader-list] Fwd: Taslima Nasreen > In the following message, posted a little while ago, "CPI(M)'s > critical stand with > respect to Nandigram" should be "CPI(M)'s critical stand with respect > to the nuclear deal". > > Apologies for the error. > > Tapas > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Tapas Ray > Date: 21 Nov 2007 11:04 > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Taslima Nasreen > To: sarai list > > > > > Also, there are elements in the Forum with Congress links, and it > needs to be remembered that, despite the CPI(M)'s critical stand with > respect to Nandigram, it is still with Congress in the ruling > coalition at the national level. In fact, just a few days ago, after > months of fire-breathing, the Left gave the Congress government the > go-ahead for negotiations with the IAEA on India-specific safeguards > related to the Indo-US nuclear deal. Today's happenings could be the > Congress' way of saying thank you to the CPI(M). > > Reads like a bad detective story? At least some of those who have some > knowledge of West Bengal, will probably agree if I say that things in > that state often resemble that. > > Tapas > > >> Idris Ali, a senior leader of the Minority Forum, blamed the state's >> ruling Communists > for the violence. > >> "They have infiltrated our ranks and sparked the violence. We wanted to >> protest > peacefully but the Marxists are trying to discredit us," >> Mr Ali told the BBC. > >> The Marxists denied the charge. > >> "We had no idea of their plans, they have planned the trouble, they must >> take the > blame for this mayhem," Communist Party of India (Marxist) >> leader Biman Bose said. > > > > On 21/11/2007, Jamie Dow wrote: >> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7105277.stm >> >> Background articles would be useful, if any other list members can >> oblige. >> Thanks >> Jamie >> > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From amitabh at sarai.net Thu Nov 22 15:02:20 2007 From: amitabh at sarai.net (Amitabh Kumar) Date: Thu, 22 Nov 2007 15:02:20 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Third Comic Book Reading Message-ID: Sometime around the late 1980s, when Indrajaal comics was beginning to close shop and Amar Chitra Katha had stopped creating new stories and was printing re-runs, three brothers decided to open their own comic book publication. In their quest for the Indian Superhero , Raj Comics was born. The late 1980s were also a tumultuous time in India. The then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi had been shot dead, there was trouble brewing in Punjab, Delhi was still recovering from the 1984 communal riots, and the Kashmir issue was just beginning to seethe. The stage was set for a saviour, a super hero who would rid the world of crime, corruption and the loaded word taking root in the Indian psyche:terrorism. And so, (arguably) India’s first Superhero, Nagraj, was born. After 25 years of producing a galaxy of Indian superheroes, Raj Comics remains the single largest comic book publication house in India today. Their flagship characters include Hindi comic- book legends such as Nagraj, Super Commando Dhruv, Doga, Parmanu, Bhokal, Shakti, Bhediya, and Tiranga. Sarai-CSDS and the FIRC (French Information Resource Center) are happy to announce that for the first time in its history, Raj Comics will be talking about its origin, history, evolution and future. The Third Comic Book Reading will be taking place on 30th November 2007 at 5:00 p.m. Venue: FIRC(French Information Resource Center) 2, Aurengzeb Road, New Delhi. From amitabh at sarai.net Thu Nov 22 15:02:20 2007 From: amitabh at sarai.net (Amitabh Kumar) Date: Thu, 22 Nov 2007 15:02:20 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] [Announcements] The Third Comic Book Reading Message-ID: Sometime around the late 1980s, when Indrajaal comics was beginning to close shop and Amar Chitra Katha had stopped creating new stories and was printing re-runs, three brothers decided to open their own comic book publication. In their quest for the Indian Superhero , Raj Comics was born. The late 1980s were also a tumultuous time in India. The then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi had been shot dead, there was trouble brewing in Punjab, Delhi was still recovering from the 1984 communal riots, and the Kashmir issue was just beginning to seethe. The stage was set for a saviour, a super hero who would rid the world of crime, corruption and the loaded word taking root in the Indian psyche:terrorism. And so, (arguably) India’s first Superhero, Nagraj, was born. After 25 years of producing a galaxy of Indian superheroes, Raj Comics remains the single largest comic book publication house in India today. Their flagship characters include Hindi comic- book legends such as Nagraj, Super Commando Dhruv, Doga, Parmanu, Bhokal, Shakti, Bhediya, and Tiranga. Sarai-CSDS and the FIRC (French Information Resource Center) are happy to announce that for the first time in its history, Raj Comics will be talking about its origin, history, evolution and future. The Third Comic Book Reading will be taking place on 30th November 2007 at 5:00 p.m. Venue: FIRC(French Information Resource Center) 2, Aurengzeb Road, New Delhi. -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From sananth99 at gmail.com Thu Nov 22 14:02:01 2007 From: sananth99 at gmail.com (Ananth S) Date: Thu, 22 Nov 2007 14:02:01 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Migration, Money Flow and Western Union Message-ID: <8E2A1FDB-8590-4FD8-BD87-8F61BE5FFCF2@gmail.com> November 22, 2007 Border Crossings Western Union Empire Moves Migrant Cash Home By JASON DePARLE http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/22/world/22western.html? _r=1&hp=&oref=slogin&pagewanted=all WASHINGTON, Nov. 21 — To glimpse how migration is changing the world, consider Western Union, a fixture of American lore that went bankrupt selling telegrams at the dawn of the Internet age but now earns nearly $1 billion a year helping poor migrants across the globe send money home. Migration is so central to Western Union that forecasts of border movements drive the company's stock. Its researchers outpace the Census Bureau in tracking migrant locations. Long synonymous with Morse code, the company now advertises in Tagalog and Twi and runs promotions for holidays as obscure as Phagwa and Fiji Day. Its executives hail migrants as "heroes" and once tried to oust a congressman because of his push for tougher immigration laws. "Global migration is the cornerstone of how we've grown," said Christina A. Gold, Western Union's chief executive. With five times as many locations worldwide as McDonald's, Starbucks, Burger King and Wal-Mart combined, Western Union is the lone behemoth among hundreds of money transfer companies. Little noticed by the public and seldom studied by scholars, these businesses form the infrastructure of global migration, a force remaking economics, politics and cultures across the world. Last year migrants from poor countries sent home $300 billion, nearly three times the world's foreign aid budgets combined. Western Union's dominance of the industry casts it in a host of unlikely new roles: as a force in development economics, a player in American immigration debates and a target of contrasting attacks. Its unparalleled reach gives millions of migrants a safe way to transmit money, and may even increase the amounts sent. But critics have long complained about its fees, which can run from about 4 percent to 20 percent or more. And the company's lobbying for immigrant-friendly laws has raised the ire of people who say it profits from, or even promotes, illegal immigration. Western Union tracks migrants so closely that it has made pitches to illegal immigrants just released from detention camps. Its agent in Panama offered customers legal aid to keep them from being deported. After settling a damaging lawsuit that accused it of hiding large fees, Western Union set out a few years ago to recast its image, portraying itself as the migrants' trusted friend. It has spent more than $1 billion on marketing over the past four years, selectively cut prices and charged into American politics, donating to immigrants' rights groups and advocating a path to legalization for illegal immigrants. While some migrant groups still complain of predatory pricing, the company has won unlikely praise. "Western Union has become a company that values and protects its customers," said Matthew J. Piers, the Chicago lawyer who sued the company over its fees. "Nobody was more surprised at the change than me, because I was Western Union critic Numero Uno." Western Union's zealous pursuit of migrants can be seen in a government office in Manila, where a half million Filipinos a year wait to have their papers processed before leaving for overseas jobs. Everything in the waiting room is labeled "Western Union": the backs of the chairs, the tops of the desks, the bottom of the queue sign and the front of the menu in the adjacent cafeteria. The walls are even painted Western Union yellow. The Philippines requires each outbound migrant to attend a predeparture seminar. Western Union paid to offer migrants instructions on sending money home. "We tell them about the services of Western Union," said Steve Peregrino, the marketing director in the Philippines, "with the basic idea of seeking out Western Union when they go abroad." In and around the waiting room, reviews are positive. Ernald Vincent Mendoza, a restaurant supervisor in Saudi Arabia, dismissed his wife's argument that the company's pricing hurt the poor. Though banks are cheaper, the money can take a week to arrive, he said, while Western Union sends it instantly. "If they have good quality and service, you have to pay for that," he said. Emmanuel Ellorian, a waiter in Dubai, said Western Union agents came to the hotel where he worked and processed the transfers there. "If any of the Filipino clubs have an event," he said, "one of the sponsors is Western Union." A Telegraph Giant Evolves Western Union's founders set out in 1851 to build the first telegraph giant. A decade later, they had linked the coasts, a feat celebrated in a Zane Grey novel and a Hollywood film, both called "Western Union." Airmail and faxes left telegrams obsolete, and the company went bankrupt in 1992. It emerged two years later with a focus on its money transfer service and was acquired in 1995 by the Colorado corporation First Data. Flush times followed. Fueled by the surge in migration, international money transfers were growing by 20 percent a year. In 1998, Mr. Piers sued the company, alleging that Western Union and a rival, MoneyGram, deceived customers with advertisements like "Send $300 to Mexico for $15," since the companies typically made much more (in this case an additional $25) by setting foreign exchange rates to their advantage. While denying any wrongdoing, the companies paid millions to settle the case. Western Union appeared "money oriented" and "cold," warned an internal marketing document that called for a more empathetic image. The goal, as one plan put it, was to capture a "share of mind" and a "share of heart" to preserve a "share of wallet." Having once stressed efficiency ("the fastest way to send money"), Western Union now emphasizes the devotion the money represents. One poster pairs a Filipino nurse in London with her daughter back home in cap and gown, making Western Union an implicit partner in the family's achievements. "Sending so much more than money" is a common tag line. The company sponsors hundreds of ethnic festivals, concerts and sporting events, from cricket matches for Indians in Dubai to sack races for Jamaicans in Queens. Last year it paid a Filipino pop star, Jim Paredes, to record a Tagalog song urging migrants to send money home. It paid the producers of a Bollywood film, "Namastey London," for a scene in which a Western Union wire transfer helps rescue the heroine. The Western Union agent in Panama played the rescuer's role himself. With many of his customers illegal immigrants — mostly from Colombia — he put three lawyers on retainer and started a radio show. The lawyers answered callers' questions and scheduled free appointments to get them legalized. "Every time an immigrant is forced outside the country, we lose a potential customer," said the agent, Jaime Lacayo, who provided the legal services for two years and still runs the radio show. "We have participated in many marriages of foreigners marrying Panamanian ladies, because that is the best way to legalize your status." A Global Operation Western Union boasts of 320,000 locations worldwide. Many agents are large organizations, like the Chinese postal system or grocery store chains. (About 60 percent of Western Union's person-to-person transfers occur wholly outside the United States.) But companies also battle block by block for trusted local figures. Among them is Michael Lee, 35, who owns an electronics store called World Top Communications in New York's Chinatown. Sharing a building with a "lupus and tumor consultant," on a block of East Broadway that smells of dried shrimp, he was told by Western Union to expect a few hundred transactions a month. He now does 100,000 a year, he said. Mr. Lee, who earns about $2.50 per transaction, is so enthusiastic he persuaded his landlord to paint the building yellow, and the company donated $16,000 worth of paint. Many of his customers are in the country illegally. Mr. Lee, who was once an illegal immigrant, said his business fell by about 40 percent last spring after a series of nationwide immigration raids. "A lot of people don't have green cards — they are afraid," he said. Salo Eduardo Levy, Western Union's Mexico director, echoed that theme at a September meeting of industry executives. "We have customers calling agents before they go: 'Is it safe? Is La Migra around?'" A 2006 survey by the Inter-American Development Bank found that illegal immigrants made up 41 percent of the Latin Americans in the United States who used money transfer companies. Western Union says it does not know what share of its customers are illegal immigrants, but at times it has made pitches directly to them. As Central Americans surged across the Texas border in 1999, an overflowing federal detention center bused them to a homeless shelter in Brownsville, the Ozanam Center. Western Union sponsored a lunch there, dispensing T-shirts, bandannas and fliers in Spanish with the company's toll-free telephone number. Western Union also held marketing events around the same time for people deported from the United States to Honduras and El Salvador. "They would arrive in a special holding area, and we would have an agent in there — a young lady in tight jeans, tight T-shirt" to promote Western Union products, said a former company official who spoke only on the condition of anonymity. "We knew that within a week they would be back on their way to the U.S." Fred Niehaus, a company vice president, said, "I can tell you that's something the company would not do now." Immigration and Politics Western Union's views on immigration have brought conflicts with Tom Tancredo, the Republican congressman who represents the Denver suburb where the company has its headquarters, Three years ago, when Mr. Tancredo, a fierce critic of illegal immigration, proposed taxing the money that migrants send, First Data formed a political action committee to drive him from office. "We're tired of his antics," Mr. Niehaus told The Rocky Mountain News. "We're opting for change." After winning re-election, Mr. Tancredo attacked Western Union for co- sponsoring a Spanish guide that he said promoted illegal immigration. The guide said that schools and clinics would not check migrants' papers and advised them to "always carry the name and number of an attorney." Mr. Tancredo, who is running for president, said the company's activities occupied "a gray area" between aggressive marketing and "aiding and abetting illegal immigration." "Western Union wants to encourage illegal immigration in order to expand the number of people in their market," he said. "Believe me, if I were president, I would ask the Justice Department to look into it." In 2004, Charles T. Fote, then First Data's chairman, gave a speech calling for "comprehensive" reform, a term used by supporters of legalization plans for illegal immigrants. The company sponsored public forums to promote the idea and donated $100,000 to a group unsuccessfully fighting Proposition 200 in Arizona, which requires proof of citizenship from people seeking to vote or collect certain public benefits. As the debate moved to Washington, Western Union gave money to many groups supporting legalization plans. The United States Chamber of Commerce received "in the high six figures," a Chamber official said, while an Illinois group used some Western Union money to bring busloads of immigrants to Capitol Hill. When a bipartisan Senate bill emerged last spring, company officials flew to Washington to lobby directly, urging Senator Ken Salazar, a Colorado Democrat, to support the measure. He did, though it ultimately failed. "Most companies are afraid to speak up," said Frank Sharry, executive director of the National Immigration Forum, which has received $40,000 from Western Union in the past three years. "When it got hot, they stayed with it." But proponents of stricter border controls see commerce, not courage, at play. "Western Union has decided that its business model depends on a continuing flow of illegal immigrants," said Mark Krikorian, director of the Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates low levels of immigration. Western Union's latest battle is with the Arizona attorney general, Terry Goddard, who in 2004 began seizing money transfers into Arizona that he suspected were meant to pay human smugglers. The effort led to hundreds of arrests but also froze legitimate transfers and scared away customers, costing Western Union millions. After two years of cooperation, the company resisted in court last year when Mr. Goddard, a Democrat, expanded his request to cover transfers from across the United States to Sonora, Mexico. In September, an Arizona court ruled for Western Union. The company's resistance won plaudits from migrant groups but left Mr. Goddard angry. The company is "protecting an illegal enterprise in human smuggling," he said. "It's outrageous." The company spun off from First Data a year ago, and it has an estimated global market share of 14 percent, versus 3 percent for its closest competitor, MoneyGram. Though Western Union has responded to increased competition by cutting its charges, it typically remains the most expensive service. An Oakland group, the Transnational Institute for Grassroots Research and Action, began a boycott campaign in September, demanding that Western Union lower its prices and increase its corporate giving. But it has gained little traction, in part because of the company's recent courtship of migrant groups. One critic who now gives Western Union grudging credit is Donald F. Terry, an official at the Inter-American Development Bank. He has spent years trying to get more migrants to use banks, so they could establish financial histories and qualify for loans. But banks have not fully welcomed migrants, he said, while Western Union and other money transfer companies have more locations, better hours and agents who know their customers' language and culture. "You could say they were ripping people off, or you could also say they're providing a service that poor people desperately needed and were willing to pay for," Mr. Terry said. "Any consumer company in the world would like to have the customer loyalty they have. They're doing something right." Margot Williams contributed research. From nadira at bttb.net.bd Thu Nov 22 02:39:38 2007 From: nadira at bttb.net.bd (Ihtesham Kazi) Date: Thu, 22 Nov 2007 03:09:38 +0600 Subject: [Reader-list] FAQ on Bangladesh/Musee Guimet Controversy Message-ID: <000501c82c82$d6f1a370$5ec570cb@toshibauser> “Guimet of France and Bangladesh Art Treasures” Exhibiting artifacts from one country to the other is always a healthy sign of cultural exchange, provided it is done properly safeguarding international norms and standard. But the artifacts bundled up for Guimet Museum, France from Varendra Research Museum, Rajshahi and Bangladesh National Museum, Dhaka are yet to be apprised properly. For that matter each and every items has to be pictured in all dimensions, measured, evaluated, and insured according to the value of each of them. Unfortunately, there is much lax and less thoroughness on the part of the Bangladesh government officials on these priceless objects of our culture and heritage. As the French Government is not a signatory to the UNESCO regulations regarding artifacts exchange, this creates doubts among art lovers that there would be no international binding on the French government to follow through if any unforeseen thing happens. All the museums of repute in Europe are beneficiaries of stolen arts, crafts and artifacts of Asia and Africa, and that experience is always a wakeup call before any item is let out of Bangladesh. Moreover, cultural exchange or exchange of artifacts are two way process, and we are not as yet sure what kind of reciprocity is there to bring French treasures in Bangladesh. These are pertinent issues, and should be addressed before any item is sent to Guimet museum. Ihtesham Kazi Jahangirnagar University Bangladesh No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.16.1/1141 - Release Date: 11/20/2007 11:34 AM From matters.art at gmail.com Wed Nov 21 21:47:35 2007 From: matters.art at gmail.com (mattersofart.com) Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2007 16:17:35 +0000 Subject: [Reader-list] [Announcements] MOA November 20th, 2007 upload can be viewed online now! Message-ID: <9bbea5780711210817y71c5029ej136f76af900062a1@mail.gmail.com> Dear Friends, Greetings from www.mattersofart.com. Our November 20th, 2007 upload can be viewed online now! - *Ranjit Hoskote's *essay on* Distinguished Company: Pictorial Dialogues *by* Nayanaa Kanodia* - A poem by* Rakhi Peshwani - Sonnet for the Silent Machines* - *Nataraj Sharma *writes about his inspiration and works* – Flight – *which is* *currently being exhibited at Art & Public: Cabinet PH, Geneva by Bodhi Art** - *Anand Gadapa *writes about *Piraji Sagara*'s exhibition *Metaphors for Living *which was on view at Sarjan gallery, Baroda.** - ** Plus our regular features and news… Log on to www.mattersofart.com for the latest news in Indian contemporary art -- Anoop Kamath Editor-in-Chief www.mattersofart.com Mobile: 98111 68775 -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From daisyhasan at yahoo.co.uk Thu Nov 22 18:30:11 2007 From: daisyhasan at yahoo.co.uk (Daisy Hasan) Date: Thu, 22 Nov 2007 13:00:11 +0000 (GMT) Subject: [Reader-list] Publicity for Sarai Reader In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <150595.50168.qm@web25409.mail.ukl.yahoo.com> Dear All, Below is a link to a recent entry on an American blog called Nowtopian, run by the eminent novelist, designer and radical Chris Carlsson. As you can see (beginning towards the end of the fourth paragraph) Carlsson gives some excellent publicity to Sarai Reader no. 6. He's especially impressed by Philip Bounds's essay Remembering Communism: The Experience of Political Defeat, which he quotes at considerable length. http://lipmagazine.org/ccarlsson/archives/2007/11/precarious_urba.html Best Wishes, Daisy Hasan. --------------------------------- Copy addresses and emails from any email account to Yahoo! Mail - quick, easy and free. Do it now... From bfs at bgl.vsnl.net.in Thu Nov 22 18:56:32 2007 From: bfs at bgl.vsnl.net.in (bfs) Date: Thu, 22 Nov 2007 18:56:32 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] women and men in black vigil Message-ID: <004701c82d0b$528b4c10$6901a8c0@mainsystem> Dear Friends, Nandigram in West Bengal is in the news from January 2007, for people's resistance to the proposed acquisition of land for setting up a chemical hub as part of a Special Economic Zone project. Many lives were lost in sporadic fight between the CPI(M) administration and the protestors. On March 14th 2007,3000 strong police force entered Nandigram and shot dead 14 people. This police brutality on the protestors was widely condemned. Subsequent to this Nandigram remained a liberated zone from the local administration under the Bhumi Uchched Pratirodh Committee (BUPC) the antiland acquisition Forum. However, on November 5th, five battalions (about 500) armed CPI(M) cadres attacked Nandigram with active support from the ruling party and recaptured it from BUPC. Countless innocent people were shot dead, women were raped, the dead and the wounded were set on fire in a nearby brick kiln. No media or observers were allowed into Nandigram for days by these armed CPI(M) cadres. On 12th November, the opposition parties called an indifinite Bengal bundh to protest this terror unleashed by the ruling party goons. On 14th November, there was a procession taken out by the civil society activists numbering over 150,000 people. This rally was spontaneous without any political party's patronage. To protest this growing state terror which also started using its own private army to silence the aspirations of the people, Hasnath Mansoor, Geetha Menon from Stree Jagruti; Manohar from SICHREM and Michael Fernandes with people from CIEDS/Vimochana met at Cubbon Park on Sunday, decided to hold a women and men in black vigil at Mahatma Gandhi Statue, on November 29th at 4.45 p.m. This will be in support of many other actions being organised across the country against Special Economic Zone and will be focussing on violence. We invite women and men to join us. End State terrorism on people Stop forced land acquisition for Special Economic Zone Looking forward to your participation. Warm regards Celine Suguna for Women in Black Vimochana From shuddha at sarai.net Fri Nov 23 04:09:33 2007 From: shuddha at sarai.net (shuddha at sarai.net) Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2007 04:09:33 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Kunal Chattopadhyay to Tariq Ali on Nandigram Message-ID: <0264c7f9d8c687c50be1849541ab270d@sarai.net> Dear All, Some of you may have read the letter signed by Chomsky, Zinn and others, prevaricating on Nandigram, primarily at the behest of Vijay Prashad. I am posting below a response, addressed to Tariq Ali by Kunal Chattopadhyay (he teaches history at Jadavpur University, Kolkata). Tariq Ali and Kunal Chattopadhyay were both comrades in the Fourth International. This informative post may be of interest to those following the continuing debate on West Bengal best Shuddha ------------------------------ An Open Letter to Tariq Ali Posted on www.sanhati.com By Kunal Chattopadhyay, Radicalblogger http://kunal-radicalblogger.blogspot.com/ Dear Tariq, When I was a very young radical, still a Maoist rather than a Trotskyist, it was your name, rather than that of Ernest Mandel, or of anyone else, that we came across, here in our part of India. There are still older comrades in West Bengal, who talk about a certain period of Fourth International history, in terms of “in those days of Tariq Ali”. This is why, a statement, even though signed by Chomsky, Zinn and others, along with the man who seems to have carried out the coup, a gentleman named Vijay Prashad, becomes most painful because you are among the signatories. As you once wrote in one of your wonderful books, about another comrade of yours, ‘there was fire in his belly in those days’. Perhaps we have all grown older, but some of us have refused to grow “wiser”. I read, and re-read, with a growing sense of wonder, shame and above all anger, “the statement that some of you have signed. If you are uninformed, what gave you the authority to issue a pompous statement based on that lack of information? I write to you, because I consider you a comrade who has committed a mistake in signing this statement. Right at the beginning, you write: News travels to us that events in West Bengal have overtaken the optimism that some of us have experienced during trips to the state. We are concerned about the rancor that has divided the public space, created what appear to be unbridgeable gaps between people who share similar values. Who are these people who share similar values? Just what do you know about the values shared by those in governmental authority in West Bengal? You, and those others amongst you, who made trips here, met some of the CPI(M)’s intellectuals, who put on a special face for foreign delegations. But as someone who has known Marxism for longer than I have, you know well that it is never possible to judge people solely by what they say about themselves. When someone uses words like democracy, even socialism, anti-imperialism, unless you know the context, unless you know exactly what their political practice is, you cannot assume that they say those words in the same way that you, or someone else does. So let us begin by looking at values. Just a small example of values. When the Singur –Nandigram issues began blowing up, Medha Patkar, who happens to be one of India’s most respected social movement activists, someone who has therefore been vilified by parties and governments across India, extended her solidarity for the militant people. CPI(M) leaders took umbrage. CPI(M) State Secretariat member (and Central Committee member) Benoy Konar, in a speech, called on women to show Medha Patkar their buttocks. When Medha tried to go to Nandigram, her car was blockaded, and some people, supporters of the CPI(M), indeed followed Konar’s advice and showed Medha their buttocks. I could quote dozens of newspaper and television reports, but most clippings I have are in Bengali, so I give you the url of Medha’s own report. I dare you, or any of your co-signatories, with the exception of Mr. Vijay Prashad, to come forward and assert that you share similar values as these people. I am sure, that once this open letter is circulated, it will also be trivialized by the murders who are posing as leftists and persuading you to sign on behalf of them. So let me say that this is not the only issue I am talking about when we say values. I will be talking about political outlook and values in other ways. But Tariq, in the most extreme days of the IMT line, when talking about guerilla warfare, did you ever call on your comrades to do unto political opponents, that which Benoy Konar suggested and that which his followers obliged by doing? If by values you mean left wing values, you would have to define more precisely what sort of leftism you are talking about. CPI(M) leaders and their government here in West Bengal are deeply wedded to a very authoritarian form of bourgeois democracy. I will be able to mention only a few cases below. But perhaps the clearest evidence is this – despite the fact that in the period 1971-1977, the Congress in power used utmost brutality, had people illegally arrested, tortured, many actually killed, in three decades in power, the CPI(M) led government has failed to carry though the prosecution of a single police officer of that era. In your statement, you present a euphemistic comment, saying that you are concerned about the rancor that has divided the public space. The “rancor” that you talk about is the result of a long period of violation of civil liberties, of brutal repression of political opposition and massive use of party cadres as thugs. The most respected civil liberties organization in West Bengal , the Association for the Protection of Democratic Rights, has recently been targeted by the chief minister, who claimed that the APDR is a Maoist outfit. The crime of the APDR was that it has consistently argued that everyone has political and civil rights, and these cannot be circumscribed without threatening all of us. Let me again give some illustration. Attacks on the Maoists, especially the organizations CPI(ML) Peoples’ War, the Maoist Communist Centre, and after they merged, the CPI(Maoist) have been massive. Anyone suspected of being a Maoist has been arrested, even without real charges. And why is someone suspected? In Medinipur district, an activist of the APDR was arrested as a suspected Maoist, on the strength of material found in his possession. Such material included a copy of George Thompson’s From Marx to Mao-tse Tung. I still have a copy at home, and I am wondering when it will be my turn to be arrested. In Kolkata, a man was arrested on suspicion of being a Maoist, and he was so traumatized by police action, that he committed suicide. (Ananda Bazar patrika, 9.7.2002). Four days after Ananda Bazar Patrika wrote about this, the CPI(M) daily newspaper, Ganashakti, reported that Benoy Konar told journalists, in reply to a question on whether the police had overstepped the boundaries of human rights, that it is difficult to determine the boundaries of human rights. In addition, Konar treated the media to the homily that the baton of the police is used as a repressive apparatus. (Ganashakti, 11.7,02). In 2002, the Chief Minister said that the KLO in North Bengal or the Maoists elsewhere were holding up development. So the priority for development was used to justify violence on them. The Home Minister’s budget speech for 2002-2003 seeking additional funds for the police highlighted the commitment of the state to modernisation of the police for counter-insurgency; at a time when the government’s debt burden had risen to 7500 billion rupees. (Amit Bhattacharya, ‘Duhsomoy: Ganatantra, Manabadhikar O Paschimbanger ‘Sangbedanshil’ Sarkar’, in Bartaman Lokayatik, 2002-2003, Nos. 3-4 and 1-2, pp. 238-270 . See especially pp. 245-7; and also Ananda Bazar Patrika, 7.8.2002) . There has been a long, very long trail of state and party sponsored violence. The APDR has regularly listed cases. Two comrades, members of the Nari Nirjatan Pratirodh Mancha (Forum Against Oppression of Women, Kolkata), Mira Roy and Soma Marik, have written a booklet, Women Under the left Front rule: Expectations Betrayed, where violence on women have been discussed extensively. Not all are cases of political violence. In many cases, we have seen how rapists have been defended by leaders of the ruling party. For example, in August 1991, a young woman had been arrested from a hotel in Kanthi, where she had registered with a male friend. She was then raped by the police. Virtually defending the police, Acting Chief Minister Benoy Chowdhury told the West Bengal Assembly that she had registered under an assumed name with a male friend. In other words, since she was a presumably unmarried woman “gone bad” it was fair enough if the police had a little fun with her. Values I share with them? No thanks. Violence over Singur and Nandigram are not unrelated to the foregoing. At one level, they reflect the culture of violence supported by the ruling party. At another level, they reflect the submission to neo-liberal globalization, even while a huge rhetoric is floated abroad for the consumption of international left-wing intellectuals. After all, we boast of an intellectual chief minister capable of quoting noted poets as part of his political spiels. So he needs the endorsement of intellectuals. You write, “We continue to trust that the people of Bengal will not allow their differences on some issues to tear apart the important experiments undertaken in the state (land reforms, local self-government).” Since the signature is mostly of leftwing persons, and since in particular I am writing to you, a well-known Marxist, I trust the signatories, and especially you, know that there is no unified and homogeneous people. I am sorry if I have to spell out such truisms. But in these days of triumph of neo-liberalism, this kind of woolly-woolly, non-class language is being resorted to, even by those whom I have always treated as charter members of the class struggle camp. West Bengal is part of India, and India is a bourgeois state with an economy where extremes coexist. From the latest in Information Technology in Sector V of Salt Lake, it will take you just about two and a half hours by car to get to Nandigram, where you have plenty of poor peasants eking out a living much as their grandparents did. Not that there has been no change, no development, but that has been limited development in a backward capitalist economy. Since the current conflicts seem minor to you, compared to the “important experiments”, let us look at those experiments briefly. As I am not writing a treatise, I do not intend to write for long pages, nor to provide extensive footnotes. It is however necessary to question fundamentally the false claims of the West Bengal Government, that you seem to have swallowed hook, line and sinker. Some years back, when the PRC had just started its trek back to class collaborationist politics, a comrade in the PRC named Franco Grisolia wrote to two of us, asking for a note on the CPI(M) led government, as well as CPI(M)’s support to the UPA at the center, because this model was being held up by supporters of Bertinotti to justify their turn to the right. So Soma Marik and I wrote a longish essay, The Left Front and the United Progressive Alliance, one version of which was published in Italian, and another version, in English, was put up in the website of our comrades of Socialist Democracy, Irish supporters of the Fourth International. Just one paragraph from that essay will reveal an interesting story: “The key issue of land distribution, in fact, tells an interesting story. In 1967, and again in 1969, two short-lived United Front governments had been formed. There had been a mass upsurge, and huge land seizures and distribution. OF ALL the ceiling-surplus land vested with the state since 1953 (when the West Bengal Estate Acquisition Act was passed) and the year 2000, as much as 44 per cent of this land (6 lakh acres) was obtained in the five-year period between 1967 and 1972, thanks to the energetic initiatives of the two United Fronts; another 26% (3.5 lakh acres) had been acquired earlier. In the last 20 years of Left Front rule only 1.53 lakh acres were acquired, which amounts to almost a quarter of what was achieved during the very short UF regime and almost a half of what was obtained during the 14 years (1953-1967) of Congress rule.” The two United Front governments saw an active left, and one moreover facing a serious challenge from the emerging Maoist forces who eventually became the CPI (ML). Land reform at that time was based on popular initiative, not bureaucratic measures. The collapse of the governments clearly taught the CPI (M) a lesson – to wit, do not rock the boat of the bourgeoisie and their partners if you want a long stint. As for the important local self government experiments that you talk about, what, really, is significant? The three tier panchayat system has been in operation in other provinces as well. Digvijay Singh, the Congress chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, took measures to extend it to the level of the individual village. Despite much talk about panchayats being organs of self-rule of peasants, rich peasants and teachers formed the bulk. And given the fact that the poorer classes seldom were able to let their children finish secondary education, let alone college, teachers came from rich peasant families, or from non-agricultural families. A survey in one of the districts, Purulia, further showed that real help was received from the government’s developmental projects by a significant part of the rural rich, using their positions in the panchayats. (Prabir Bhattacharyya, ed, Anva Artha 19: Bamfront Sarkar—Ekti Mulyayan, Calcutta, May 1985, pp.11-14.) You next write: “We send our fullest solidarity to the peasants who have been forcibly dispossessed. We understand that the government has promised not to build a chemical hub in the area around Nandigram. We understand that those who had been dispossessed by the violence are now being allowed back to their homes, without recrimination. We understand that there is now talk of reconciliation. This is what we favor.” This paragraph was drafted by/ is based on arguments by someone who is a dab hand at creating confusions that eventually aid exploiters, but is at the same time able to pull the wool over the eyes of leftists who are a little away from the scene. “We send our fullest solidarity to the peasants who have been forcibly dispossessed.” Exactly which groups are you talking about? Evidently not those of Singur, since the next sentence clearly talks about Nandigram. In Singur, a colonial era law was used to dispossess peasants, to hand over land to one of India’s major capitalist concerns, the Tatas. Even if we accept, (as I do not, as I hope you still do not), the logic of the “free market”, why should a supposedly progressive government use a colonial law to dispossess peasants for the benefit of a capitalist group that is so rich that it can bid for and win in a battle to control a First World company? Why did the government not tell the Tatas to go and negotiate directly with the peasants so that they could get whatever benefits they were able to wrest? Moreover, perhaps your informants forgot to tell you, that there were vast numbers of share croppers, agricultural labourers, as well as people in various industries and transportation sectors in and around Singur, for whom the rich agricultural land of singur mattered. Thus, people in the potato industry (for Singur grows potato) lost out. People transporting potato lost out. Wage labourers lost out. And these, the proletarian sections, have received what compensation? The answer, dear Tariq, is zilch. So let us pass on to Nandigram. There, your statement is extraordinarily damaging. If it had come from comparable intellectuals in India, I would have used stronger language. I suppose that ignorance lets you partially off the hook. What is sad is that you think it perfectly legitimate to issue a statement even though you are ignorant about the details. There have been two charges of being dispossessed. On 6th January, 2007, CPI(M) thugs attacked peasants, and the retaliatory violence drove out a number of them. A further lot left of their own, fearful of the situation. They all stayed in a place called Khejuri. The CVPI(M) has claimed high figures – sometimes mentioning 1500, sometimes 3000. No independent investigation has proved this. Several of us went to Nandigram after the CPI(M) attack of 14 March, when 14 persons, at least, were murdered, and at least four women were raped. At that time, our investigations suggested that the total number of CPI(M) supporters forced to leave Nandigram were around 300. The APDR twice sent teams to Khejuri, and suggested a figure of around 350. Out of these, some 35 had clearly been identified by peasants in Nandigram as active elements in the so-called cadre force of CPI(M) , i.e., the gun toting criminals who eventually carried out the November attacks to “reconquer” Nandigram. Now, in the first days, tens of thousands fled. Over the last few days they have trickled back, after having pledged loyalty to the CPI(M). So there is no recrimination, provided you have the 100% support for the CPI(M). You write that you understand that the government has promised not to build a chemical hub around Nandigram. This specific reference comes as a surprise. Because it is actually once again a case of your walking into a trap. First, the chemical hub, and a number of similar proposals, are all of the same type – calls to build SEZs. If SEZs are built, who will they benefit? They will not follow even India’s far from excellent labour laws. Secondly, the chemical hub, wherever built, is going to be an environmental disaster. Finally, and most crucially, the West Bengal government never formally promised not to build the chemical hub in Nandigram. What they said was that it will not be built in Nandigram if the people do not want it. Now, after the CPI(M) conquest,( for that is what it was, it was not even the state apparatus going in, but armed forces of the major party of the Left Front), what if people are compelled to say that yes, they do want the chemical hub? Let me remind you, that the CPI(M) is among the world’s largest surviving parties of Stalinist origin, and while the Moscow tie is long gone, the Moscow style has been retained — but in the service of capitalism. Today’s (21st November) newspapers already carry a news about how peasants have been forced to give written apologies to the CPI(M) in order to go and work in their fields. You talk of reconciliation. Between whom do you wish for reconciliation? Now that the CPI(M) has actually conquered the territory by force, would a humble acquiescence, given the inability to do anything else, be treated as reconciliation? Perhaps a little more detail about who the cadres were and how they fought the peasants would come in handy. Cadres — local criminals mostly involved in robbery cases — for the operation were drawn from Chandrakona and Garbeta zonal committees. Also, cadres were sent from Narayangarh and Keshiary areas. Another group of around 250 armed CPM supporters and criminals came from the villages of Punishol at Onda and Rajpur, Taldangra in Bankura. Sources said criminals were given money in advance and given a free-hand to bring whatever they could from the empty homes once the operation is complete. Sources said one such group that has returned to Onda came with motorcycles. The Bankura group reached Nandigram after travelling by train and then road. The group boarded trains and allegedly got off at Balichak, four stations after Kharagpur, and then headed towards Nandigram via Khejuri in the guise of daily wage earners. They take the same disguise when they go to Bihar and Jharkhand to collect arms, sources said. Most of these people are suspected to be running arms smuggling rackets. The arms used in the recapture operation are believed to have been supplied from these suppliers. Another cache of arms came from Purulia where party workers had received arms to combat Maoists. It is also suspected that the arms gone missing after the Purulia arms drop are with CPM supporters and were smuggled to Nandigram. The coal mafia from Burdwan is also believed to have played a key role in the operation. The money from the mafia is believed to have supplied funds for the operation, helped in procuring ammunition and hire vehicles that carried the armed men to the interior areas as the attack progressed. In your final paragraph, written in bold type in the version I received, you write: “The balance of forces in the world is such that it would be impetuous to split the left. We are faced with a world power that has demolished one state (Iraq) and is now threatening another (Iran). This is not the time for division when the basis of division no longer appears to exist.” So here we get the motivation that led you to write the letter. You do not wish for a split in the left in the face of resurgent US imperialism. Let me go back several years. As you are aware, the Fourth International had been great supporters of the Nicaraguan Revolution, and we, here in locally, tried our best to campaign for Nicaragua. At one stage, when Halima Lopez Sarkar was appointed the Nicaraguan ambassador to India, the CPI(M) decided to take up the campaign for Nicaragua. Of c ourse, with their incomparably bigger force, they could do much more. But when I had a talk with a Sandinista comrade who came here, he accused us of being sectarian to the CPI(M). I pointed out that our problem was simple – the CPI(M) would not even let us do any united front work while retaining our independent political stance. So even if we accept, as you obviously do, that the CPI(M) is a legitimate part of the left, how would we be able to avoid a split? In emails where what passes for debates, CPI(M) supporters are not only abusive towards us, but even to RSP or forward Bloc, partners of the CPI(M) in the Left Front who have been critical about Nandigram as well as the CPI(M)’s sudden volte face over the Nuclear Deal. Yet you are confident, that it is we who are impetuously causing the split. Tariq, the split is decades old. The CPI(M)’s idea of political hegemony is simple – bash everyone on the left till they genuflect before you. But according to you and your fellow signatories, the basis of divisions no longer appears to exist. If by this you mean that Nandigram’s resistance has been smashed, that armed terrorists of the CPI(M) have silenced the peasants, you are of course right. The basis however exists, because we have been unable to accept what was done. Your argument, that in the face of the US, we must not fight the CPI(M), can be extended to every tin pot dictator who takes a formal anti-US stand. Meanwhile, the CPI(M) led government constantly strives to welcome multinationals, it fights tooth and nail in defence of globalization. In lieu of several more pages of details, I offer you the URL of Sanhati (Solidarity), an anti-globalization website. Here you will find plenty of discussions about the Left front government and globalization. Nonetheless, you will say, what about the Left and its ability to influence the Government of India, or its ability to bring out millions in demonstrations? Once more, even accepting your premise that when you say CPI(M) you still say Left (would you make the same concession for the right wing of the old Italian CP?) , why can we not oppose the CPI(M) on other issues? Or are you saying, that in the face of the US war threat, all class questions inside India disappear? Are you saying that those who are in government and are implementing World Bank-IMF dictated economic policies are such valiant fighters against imperialism that we must accept the loving pats they give us, even through their guns? Would demobilizing militant fighters be then the best road to militant anti-imperialism? I never learnt that from Marx, Engels, Lenin, Trotsky, Luxemburg or Mandel. Long years of defeat and retreat have made many of us cautious. I agree that the power of US imperialism is greater than it was. But I firmly believe that we can best contribute to the anti-imperialist struggles by consistent anti-capitalism at the point of our existence. When I joined the Trotskyist movement, nearly three decades back, this was clear to me. This was clear to me even before that, when I understood the meaning of Che’s call to create two, three, many Vietnams. And yes, on 14th November, despite attempts to turn the protest demonstration into an “apolitical” show by some high profile figures, there were banners and posters, like the one that said, Nandigram is Bengal’s Vietnam, or the poster where Marx says, “Not in My name.” Don’t, please, call for a cession of the struggles of toilers in Marx’s name, and don’t claim that bourgeois reformism, like some land distribution, some registration of sharecroppers, or panchayat elections, make West Bengal a planet apart. Stand by those who have been murdered, and their comrades, and don’t call for a reconciliation between defenders of the ruling class who use sophisticated Marxist sounding jargon, and the crude, unsophisticated, but militant fighters who resist them. With comradely greetings Kunal Chattopadhyay Professor of History Jadavpur University Fourth Internationalist since 1980 From indersalim at gmail.com Fri Nov 23 08:39:59 2007 From: indersalim at gmail.com (inder salim) Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2007 08:39:59 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Kolkata Ritual Material Message-ID: <47e122a70711221909h4f586903qef7f5661092524ff@mail.gmail.com> Dear All Please click to see and read http://indersalim.livejournal.com with love is From kirdarsingh at gmail.com Fri Nov 23 08:47:51 2007 From: kirdarsingh at gmail.com (kirdar singh) Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2007 08:47:51 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Islamic violence and Taslima Nasreen In-Reply-To: <000601c82cea$5f209780$0201a8c0@MRAY> References: <474338B4.70700@sarai.net> <000601c82cea$5f209780$0201a8c0@MRAY> Message-ID: <73eb60090711221917x314858d8p48fc6d6b0d6555bd@mail.gmail.com> Dear MRSG Before we can criticize the "Islamic" violence against Taslima, let us allow M.F.Husain to come back to India. KS On 11/22/07, MRSG wrote: > Please do not spread conspiracy theory about Islamic violence in Kolkata - > It was the logical outcome of the past events during last few years. > Just some facts below. > 1. LF Govt bans Taslima's book. CPI, CPIM. RSP, Forward Block all supported > to appease the muslim fundamentalists. Congress, Trinamul never protested. > 2. Congress minority cell has officially demanded Taslima's expulsion long > back. > 3. Mamata has officially supported the cause at a madrasa students > conference > 4. Siddikullah, the real hero of Nadigram, the leader of Jamat, has been > termed a secular by Mahasweta devi and all other fellow travellers of > Nandigram resistance. Siddikulla's party organised a huge demonstration on > 11 Novemeber in Kolkata against Taslima, in which the death to Taslima was > one of the major slogans. It has been reported prominently in Anandabazar > Patrika. Earlier this organisation with others have prevented Taslima's > poetry session in Medinipur, the district headquarter where Nandigram is > situated. No significant poet or intellectual of West Bengal protested > 6. Left front government spread the madrasa education and have a separate > minister for it. > 7. Taslima was prevented to inaugurate Book Fair at Siliguri after a handful > of islamic protestors demonstrated. No significant poet or intellectual of > West Bengal protested > 8. Biman Basu, CPIM supremo has asked Taslima to consider leaving West > Bengal. > 9. So all the significant political parties have ganged up with the Islamic > fundamentalists to drive away Taslima Nasrin. People of West Bengal, 'civil > society' have mostly remained silent. There have been a few protests but not > significant. This is the result. And probably more to come of similar nature > beyond the issue of Taslima. > > M Ray > From hpp at vsnl.com Fri Nov 23 08:53:49 2007 From: hpp at vsnl.com (hpp at vsnl.com) Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2007 03:23:49 +0000 (GMT) Subject: [Reader-list] 3 poems by Langston Hughes Message-ID: Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up Like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore-- And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over-- like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode? I, too, sing America. by Langston Hughes I am the darker brother. They send me to eat in the kitchen When company comes, But I laugh, And eat well, And grow strong. Tomorrow, I'll be at the table When company comes. Nobody'll dare Say to me, "Eat in the kitchen," Then. Besides, They'll see how beautiful I am And be ashamed-- I, too, am America. Let America be America again by Langston Hughes Let America be America again. Let it be the dream it used to be. Let it be the pioneer on the plain Seeking a home where he himself is free. (America never was America to me.) Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed-- Let it be that great strong land of love Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme That any man be crushed by one above. (It never was America to me.) O, let my land be a land where Liberty Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath, But opportunity is real, and life is free, Equality is in the air we breathe. (There's never been equality for me,Nor freedom in this "homeland of the free.") Say, who are you that mumbles in the dark? And who are you that draws your veil across the stars? I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart, I am the Negro bearing slavery's scars. I am the red man driven from the land, I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek--And finding only the same old stupid plan Of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak. I am the young man, full of strength and hope, Tangled in that ancient endless chain Of profit, power, gain, of grab the land! Of grab the gold! Of grab the ways of satisfying need! Of work the men! Of take the pay! Of owning everything for one's own greed! I am the farmer, bondsman to the soil. I am the worker sold to the machine. I am the Negro, servant to you all. I am the people, humble, hungry, mean-- Hungry yet today despite the dream. Beaten yet today--O, Pioneers! I am the man who never got ahead, The poorest worker bartered through the years. Yet I'm the one who dreamt our basic dream In the Old World while still a serf of kings, Who dreamt a dream so strong, so brave, so true, That even yet its mighty daring sings In every brick and stone, in every furrow turned That's made America the land it has become. O, I'm the man who sailed those early seas In search of what I meant to be my home-- For I'm the one who left dark Ireland's shore, And Poland's plain, and England's grassy lea, And torn from Black Africa's strand I came To build a "homeland of the free." The free? Who said the free? Not me? Surely not me? The millions on relief today? The millions shot down when we strike? The millions who have nothing for our pay? For all the dreams we've dreamed And all the songs we've sung And all the hopes we've held And all the flags we've hung, The millions who have nothing for our pay--Except the dream that's almost dead today. O, let America be America again-- The land that never has been yet-- And yet must be--the land where every man is free. The land that's mine--the poor man's, Indian's, Negro's, ME-- Who made America, Whose sweat and blood, whose faith and pain, Whose hand at the foundry, whose plow in the rain, Must bring back our mighty dream again. Sure, call me any ugly name you choose-- The steel of freedom does not stain. >From those who live like leeches on the people's lives, We must take back our land again, America! O, yes, I say it plain, America never was America to me, And yet I swear this oath-- America will be! Out of the rack and ruin of our gangster death, The rape and rot of graft, and stealth, and lies, We, the people, must redeem The land, the mines, the plants, the rivers. The mountains and the endless plain-- All, all the stretch of these great green states--And make America again! posted by V Ramaswamy, Calcutta cuckooscall.blogspot.com From ramganeshk at gmail.com Fri Nov 23 09:13:33 2007 From: ramganeshk at gmail.com (Ram Ganesh Kamatham) Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2007 09:13:33 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Final posting on re-imagining Vikram and Betal (IFS-8) Message-ID: Hi all My monthly posting is available at: http://addledbraindump.blogspot.com/ After months of jabbering 'about' the play - it would be lovely if you could actually come experience it. Would love to hear what 'talking' - the work itself is doing. Warm regards Ram From vishal.rawlley at gmail.com Fri Nov 23 09:31:00 2007 From: vishal.rawlley at gmail.com (Vishal Rawlley) Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2007 09:31:00 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] [Announcements] The Third Comic Book Reading In-Reply-To: <31d5ea920711220827w44db4d94hd47ab4de9aeb502d@mail.gmail.com> References: <31d5ea920711220827w44db4d94hd47ab4de9aeb502d@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <31d5ea920711222001h5ba09556ud8ac2bfb81a981bd@mail.gmail.com> Dear Amitabh and other reader-listers, This is fantastic! If I were in Delhi I would never miss this talk. I rececently re-discovered Raj Comics on a train journey. At the Rourkela train station (the small town I grew up in - which I was visiting after almost a decade) I decided to recreate my train journey experience as a child and bought three comics: Jaljala by Raj comics, a Billu by Diamond comics (with a new logo) and a revamped Tinkle by IBH. All three are on a revival. They were prominently displayed at the Wheeler stall. The sales of Raj Comics has been picking up again after a lull period claims the stall owner.The new look of Tinkle is actually putting off some old fans, but Diamond comics is just the same. Jaljala by Raj Comics was truly fantastic. Nagraj, Dhruv, Doga, Inspector Steel, Tiranga, Pramanu, Shakti, Bhediya aur uska doosra roop and Chandika, all combine to fight Mahamanush, Bajil and Doctor Virus form Antartica to Mumbai. An orgy of super heroes and their super powers: sharirik taakat and mansik taakat aur adbhut vagyaanik shaktiyon ka prayog. A battle fest in a unique narrative style that goes on for 120 pages. Awesome stuff!!! I wish the talk by Raj Comics creators can be documented and put up online. What's next?? Pran from Diamond Comics??!! Guys look up www.rajcomics.com and www.diamondcomic.com Googling Raj Comics also fetched me your murals on the Sarai campus, Amitabh - cool stuff! Shaktidar salaam, Vishal On 11/22/07, Amitabh Kumar wrote: > > > Sometime around the late 1980s, when Indrajaal comics was beginning > to close shop and Amar Chitra Katha had stopped creating new stories > and was printing re-runs, three brothers decided to open their own > comic book publication. In their quest for the Indian Superhero , Raj > Comics was born. > The late 1980s were also a tumultuous time in India. The then > Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi had been shot dead, there was trouble > brewing in Punjab, Delhi was still recovering from the 1984 communal > riots, and the Kashmir issue was just beginning to seethe. The stage > was set for a saviour, a super hero who would rid the world of crime, > corruption and the loaded word taking root in the Indian > psyche:terrorism. And so, (arguably) India's first Superhero, Nagraj, > was born. > After 25 years of producing a galaxy of Indian superheroes, Raj > Comics remains the single largest comic book publication house in > India today. Their flagship characters include Hindi comic- book > legends such as Nagraj, Super Commando Dhruv, Doga, Parmanu, Bhokal, > Shakti, Bhediya, and Tiranga. > > Sarai-CSDS and the FIRC (French Information Resource Center) are > happy to announce that for the first time in its history, Raj Comics > will be talking about its origin, history, evolution and future. > > The Third Comic Book Reading will be taking place on 30th November > 2007 at 5:00 p.m. > Venue: > FIRC(French Information Resource Center) > 2, Aurengzeb Road, > New Delhi. > > > > _______________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > From sampathlives at gmail.com Fri Nov 23 09:37:12 2007 From: sampathlives at gmail.com (Sampath G) Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2007 09:37:12 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Kunal's response to the statement issued by Chomsky, Tariq and others Message-ID: <9bf30d340711222007p3f3728f2n648bd486fa45e89b@mail.gmail.com> Dear All, It was heartening to read Kunal Chattopadhyay's sane response to the statement issued by Chomsky, Tariq Ali, Zinn and others. I keep running into, and have never understood, this argument about the Left having remain 'united' – be it against US imperialism, or whatever else. I sometimes think it is Left's obsession with itself that was critical in its decline. Its obsession with itself, and with its past and with the future, cost it its connection with the people in the present. The moment you make your own institution (the 'Left') of greater importance than that of the people you supposedly 'represent', then its tata-bye-bye to people's concerns. The most telling banner in the recent protest rally in Kolkata was "Not in the name of Marx". The more I think about it, the less and less I trust any kind of representative politics – either democratic or socialist or otherwise. Nobody can represent my interests better than me – not my father, not my wife, least of all my God or Marx, whichever applicable. And yet, politics by and large in India, even 'progressive' politics, has been based on a surrender of the person to the representative. Political practice in our country is, for those of us still interested – limited to changing our 'representatives' once in five years. And in the meantime, if a representative of your representative comes around to tell you to pack your belongings and surrender your land for your own development, you are, as per the law of the land, supposed to do as told. Or else, you have Singur and Nandigram. Before they issued a signed statement, the least Chomsky et all could have done was to visit Bengal, so that they did not have to go by what the representatives of Bengal (in their political circles) told them was happening there. If they could not do so, then they should remain quiet. A statement such as theirs, which could be interpreted as a tacit endorsement of a criminal government — for how else can the Left remain united unless all those on the Left are willing to support the CPI (M) and its criminality? — could be hugely damaging. Damaging to the villagers in whose support they presume to speak. The worst and the easiest place to be in, in today's India is in the so-called middle class, (which is actually an affluent class if you go by averages of consumption across income categories, but never mind). If you were 'properly rich', you can say, nothing matters to me as long as I can go to bed with my bottle of Scotch. And then wake up and breeze through your city in your air-conditioned car with tinted windows, and sign some more deals. You might occasionally have to agonse about 'down-sizing', but thats inevitable. On the otehr hand, if you are poor and destitute, well, I don't know about the destitute. If there is anyone out there who is destitute and reading this, and, well, dying to contribute to this conversation, I look forward to it. But being in the middle class, and being caught in the struggle to remain there even as forces beyond your control want to push you lower – to lower middle, then poor, — this is not the worst. What is worse is to obey your class enemies so that you don't get pushed off your precarious perch round about the middle of the class hierarchy, and knowing that every single thing you do to maintain your perch is going to help put more and more people at the bottom. Living with this knowledge –as I have discovered – is very easy. All you need to do is just watch lots of TV and keep going to the movies. And when you're not doing either, shop, visit malls. By the time you're done with all this, it will be time to get back to 'work'. And if you are a 'media professional', thats easy: peddle some more lies — the latest, newsiest, and the most entertaining of them. Sampath From patrice at xs4all.nl Fri Nov 23 12:52:10 2007 From: patrice at xs4all.nl (Patrice Riemens) Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2007 08:22:10 +0100 (CET) Subject: [Reader-list] Migration, Money Flow and Western Union Message-ID: <9969.89.216.30.20.1195802530.squirrel@webmail.xs4all.nl> As is quite usual with the NYT, this otherwise very interesting article glosses over an important piece of information within the issue of money transfers, vital for migrant labourers the world over: how Western Union profited, if it was not directly instrumental to, the relentless attacks against, and the partial demise of, informal money transfer systems and structures (known in S.Asia, and even quite generally, as _Havala_) migrants were using these en masse before 911. Havala, which is/ was as fast and reliable as Western Union, but considerably cheaper, was demonised and criminalised after 911 as a conduit for terrorist money, and, in 'advanced' economies at last, largely disbanded. Very little has been written (afaik) about this. > November 22, 2007 > Border Crossings > Western Union Empire Moves Migrant Cash Home > By JASON DePARLE > > http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/22/world/22western.html? > _r=1&hp=&oref=slogin&pagewanted=all > > WASHINGTON, Nov. 21 — To glimpse how migration is changing the world, > consider Western Union, a fixture of American lore that went bankrupt > selling telegrams at the dawn of the Internet age but now earns > nearly $1 billion a year helping poor migrants across the globe send > money home. > From abhishek.hazra at gmail.com Fri Nov 23 13:25:35 2007 From: abhishek.hazra at gmail.com (Abhishek Hazra) Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2007 13:25:35 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Kunal Chattopadhyay to Tariq Ali on Nandigram In-Reply-To: <0264c7f9d8c687c50be1849541ab270d@sarai.net> References: <0264c7f9d8c687c50be1849541ab270d@sarai.net> Message-ID: <6deae8300711222355q3c0e14aau838e6ea5f4a94642@mail.gmail.com> thanks shuddha for the post, reading it i was reminded of one of E.P. Thompson's essay (collected i think in Writing by Candlelight) where he narrates his experience of visiting india during the emergency and repeatedly facing the same question from fellow indian communists: "why has the labour party decided to support mrs. gandhi?" On Nov 23, 2007 4:09 AM, wrote: > Dear All, > > Some of you may have read the letter signed by Chomsky, Zinn and others, > prevaricating on Nandigram, primarily at the behest of Vijay Prashad. > > I am posting below a response, addressed to Tariq Ali by Kunal > Chattopadhyay (he teaches history at Jadavpur University, Kolkata). Tariq > Ali and Kunal Chattopadhyay were both comrades in the Fourth International. > > This informative post may be of interest to those following the continuing > debate on West Bengal > > best > > Shuddha > > ------------------------------ > > > An Open Letter to Tariq Ali > Posted on www.sanhati.com > > By Kunal Chattopadhyay, Radicalblogger > http://kunal-radicalblogger.blogspot.com/ > > Dear Tariq, > > When I was a very young radical, still a Maoist rather than a Trotskyist, > it was your name, rather than that of Ernest Mandel, or of anyone else, > that we came across, here in our part of India. There are still older > comrades in West Bengal, who talk about a certain period of Fourth > International history, in terms of "in those days of Tariq Ali". This > is why, a statement, even though signed by Chomsky, Zinn and others, along > with the man who seems to have carried out the coup, a gentleman named > Vijay Prashad, becomes most painful because you are among the signatories. > As you once wrote in one of your wonderful books, about another comrade of > yours, 'there was fire in his belly in those days'. Perhaps we have all > grown older, but some of us have refused to grow "wiser". > > I read, and re-read, with a growing sense of wonder, shame and above all > anger, "the statement that some of you have signed. If you are > uninformed, what gave you the authority to issue a pompous statement based > on that lack of information? I write to you, because I consider you a > comrade who has committed a mistake in signing this statement. > > Right at the beginning, you write: > > News travels to us that events in West Bengal have overtaken the optimism > that some of us have experienced during trips to the state. We are > concerned about the rancor that has divided the public space, created what > appear to be unbridgeable gaps between people who share similar values. > > Who are these people who share similar values? Just what do you know about > the values shared by those in governmental authority in West Bengal? You, > and those others amongst you, who made trips here, met some of the > CPI(M)'s intellectuals, who put on a special face for foreign > delegations. But as someone who has known Marxism for longer than I have, > you know well that it is never possible to judge people solely by what they > say about themselves. When someone uses words like democracy, even > socialism, anti-imperialism, unless you know the context, unless you know > exactly what their political practice is, you cannot assume that they say > those words in the same way that you, or someone else does. > > So let us begin by looking at values. Just a small example of values. When > the Singur –Nandigram issues began blowing up, Medha Patkar, who happens > to be one of India's most respected social movement activists, someone > who has therefore been vilified by parties and governments across India, > extended her solidarity for the militant people. CPI(M) leaders took > umbrage. CPI(M) State Secretariat member (and Central Committee member) > Benoy Konar, in a speech, called on women to show Medha Patkar their > buttocks. When Medha tried to go to Nandigram, her car was blockaded, and > some people, supporters of the CPI(M), indeed followed Konar's advice and > showed Medha their buttocks. I could quote dozens of newspaper and > television reports, but most clippings I have are in Bengali, so I give you > the url of Medha's own report. > > I dare you, or any of your co-signatories, with the exception of Mr. Vijay > Prashad, to come forward and assert that you share similar values as these > people. > > I am sure, that once this open letter is circulated, it will also be > trivialized by the murders who are posing as leftists and persuading you to > sign on behalf of them. So let me say that this is not the only issue I am > talking about when we say values. I will be talking about political outlook > and values in other ways. But Tariq, in the most extreme days of the IMT > line, when talking about guerilla warfare, did you ever call on your > comrades to do unto political opponents, that which Benoy Konar suggested > and that which his followers obliged by doing? > > If by values you mean left wing values, you would have to define more > precisely what sort of leftism you are talking about. CPI(M) leaders and > their government here in West Bengal are deeply wedded to a very > authoritarian form of bourgeois democracy. I will be able to mention only a > few cases below. But perhaps the clearest evidence is this – despite the > fact that in the period 1971-1977, the Congress in power used utmost > brutality, had people illegally arrested, tortured, many actually killed, > in three decades in power, the CPI(M) led government has failed to carry > though the prosecution of a single police officer of that era. > > In your statement, you present a euphemistic comment, saying that you are > concerned about the rancor that has divided the public space. The > "rancor" that you talk about is the result of a long period of > violation of civil liberties, of brutal repression of political opposition > and massive use of party cadres as thugs. The most respected civil > liberties organization in West Bengal , the Association for the Protection > of Democratic Rights, has recently been targeted by the chief minister, who > claimed that the APDR is a Maoist outfit. The crime of the APDR was that it > has consistently argued that everyone has political and civil rights, and > these cannot be circumscribed without threatening all of us. > > Let me again give some illustration. Attacks on the Maoists, especially the > organizations CPI(ML) Peoples' War, the Maoist Communist Centre, and > after they merged, the CPI(Maoist) have been massive. Anyone suspected of > being a Maoist has been arrested, even without real charges. And why is > someone suspected? In Medinipur district, an activist of the APDR was > arrested as a suspected Maoist, on the strength of material found in his > possession. Such material included a copy of George Thompson's From Marx > to Mao-tse Tung. I still have a copy at home, and I am wondering when it > will be my turn to be arrested. In Kolkata, a man was arrested on suspicion > of being a Maoist, and he was so traumatized by police action, that he > committed suicide. (Ananda Bazar patrika, 9.7.2002). Four days after Ananda > Bazar Patrika wrote about this, the CPI(M) daily newspaper, Ganashakti, > reported that Benoy Konar told journalists, in reply to a question on > whether the police had overstepped the boundaries of human rights, that it > is difficult to determine the boundaries of human rights. In addition, > Konar treated the media to the homily that the baton of the police is used > as a repressive apparatus. (Ganashakti, 11.7,02). In 2002, the Chief > Minister said that the KLO in North Bengal or the Maoists elsewhere were > holding up development. So the priority for development was used to justify > violence on them. The Home Minister's budget speech for 2002-2003 seeking > additional funds for the police highlighted the commitment of the state to > modernisation of the police for counter-insurgency; at a time when the > government's debt burden had risen to 7500 billion rupees. (Amit > Bhattacharya, 'Duhsomoy: Ganatantra, Manabadhikar O Paschimbanger > 'Sangbedanshil' Sarkar', in Bartaman Lokayatik, 2002-2003, Nos. 3-4 > and 1-2, pp. 238-270 . See especially pp. 245-7; and also Ananda Bazar > Patrika, 7.8.2002) . > > There has been a long, very long trail of state and party sponsored > violence. The APDR has regularly listed cases. Two comrades, members of the > Nari Nirjatan Pratirodh Mancha (Forum Against Oppression of Women, > Kolkata), Mira Roy and Soma Marik, have written a booklet, Women Under the > left Front rule: Expectations Betrayed, where violence on women have been > discussed extensively. Not all are cases of political violence. In many > cases, we have seen how rapists have been defended by leaders of the ruling > party. For example, in August 1991, a young woman had been arrested from a > hotel in Kanthi, where she had registered with a male friend. She was then > raped by the police. Virtually defending the police, Acting Chief Minister > Benoy Chowdhury told the West Bengal Assembly that she had registered under > an assumed name with a male friend. In other words, since she was a > presumably unmarried woman "gone bad" it was fair enough if the police > had a little fun with her. Values I share with them? No thanks. > > Violence over Singur and Nandigram are not unrelated to the foregoing. At > one level, they reflect the culture of violence supported by the ruling > party. At another level, they reflect the submission to neo-liberal > globalization, even while a huge rhetoric is floated abroad for the > consumption of international left-wing intellectuals. After all, we boast > of an intellectual chief minister capable of quoting noted poets as part of > his political spiels. So he needs the endorsement of intellectuals. > > You write, "We continue to trust that the people of Bengal will not allow > their differences on some issues to tear apart the important experiments > undertaken in the state (land reforms, local self-government)." Since the > signature is mostly of leftwing persons, and since in particular I am > writing to you, a well-known Marxist, I trust the signatories, and > especially you, know that there is no unified and homogeneous people. I am > sorry if I have to spell out such truisms. But in these days of triumph of > neo-liberalism, this kind of woolly-woolly, non-class language is being > resorted to, even by those whom I have always treated as charter members of > the class struggle camp. West Bengal is part of India, and India is a > bourgeois state with an economy where extremes coexist. From the latest in > Information Technology in Sector V of Salt Lake, it will take you just > about two and a half hours by car to get to Nandigram, where you have > plenty of poor peasants eking out a living much as their grandparents did. > Not that there has been no change, no development, but that has been > limited development in a backward capitalist economy. Since the current > conflicts seem minor to you, compared to the "important experiments", > let us look at those experiments briefly. As I am not writing a treatise, I > do not intend to write for long pages, nor to provide extensive footnotes. > It is however necessary to question fundamentally the false claims of the > West Bengal Government, that you seem to have swallowed hook, line and > sinker. > > Some years back, when the PRC had just started its trek back to class > collaborationist politics, a comrade in the PRC named Franco Grisolia wrote > to two of us, asking for a note on the CPI(M) led government, as well as > CPI(M)'s support to the UPA at the center, because this model was being > held up by supporters of Bertinotti to justify their turn to the right. So > Soma Marik and I wrote a longish essay, The Left Front and the United > Progressive Alliance, one version of which was published in Italian, and > another version, in English, was put up in the website of our comrades of > Socialist Democracy, Irish supporters of the Fourth International. > > Just one paragraph from that essay will reveal an interesting story: "The > key issue of land distribution, in fact, tells an interesting story. In > 1967, and again in 1969, two short-lived United Front governments had been > formed. There had been a mass upsurge, and huge land seizures and > distribution. OF ALL the ceiling-surplus land vested with the state since > 1953 (when the West Bengal Estate Acquisition Act was passed) and the year > 2000, as much as 44 per cent of this land (6 lakh acres) was obtained in > the five-year period between 1967 and 1972, thanks to the energetic > initiatives of the two United Fronts; another 26% (3.5 lakh acres) had been > acquired earlier. In the last 20 years of Left Front rule only 1.53 lakh > acres were acquired, which amounts to almost a quarter of what was achieved > during the very short UF regime and almost a half of what was obtained > during the 14 years (1953-1967) of Congress rule." The two United Front > governments saw an active left, and one moreover facing a serious challenge > from the emerging Maoist forces who eventually became the CPI (ML). Land > reform at that time was based on popular initiative, not bureaucratic > measures. The collapse of the governments clearly taught the CPI (M) a > lesson – to wit, do not rock the boat of the bourgeoisie and their > partners if you want a long stint. > > As for the important local self government experiments that you talk about, > what, really, is significant? The three tier panchayat system has been in > operation in other provinces as well. Digvijay Singh, the Congress chief > minister of Madhya Pradesh, took measures to extend it to the level of the > individual village. Despite much talk about panchayats being organs of > self-rule of peasants, rich peasants and teachers formed the bulk. And > given the fact that the poorer classes seldom were able to let their > children finish secondary education, let alone college, teachers came from > rich peasant families, or from non-agricultural families. A survey in one > of the districts, Purulia, further showed that real help was received from > the government's developmental projects by a significant part of the > rural rich, using their positions in the panchayats. (Prabir Bhattacharyya, > ed, Anva Artha 19: Bamfront Sarkar—Ekti Mulyayan, Calcutta, May 1985, > pp.11-14.) > > You next write: > > "We send our fullest solidarity to the peasants who have been forcibly > dispossessed. We understand that the government has promised not to build a > chemical hub in the area around Nandigram. We understand that those who had > been dispossessed by the violence are now being allowed back to their > homes, without recrimination. We understand that there is now talk of > reconciliation. This is what we favor." > > This paragraph was drafted by/ is based on arguments by someone who is a > dab hand at creating confusions that eventually aid exploiters, but is at > the same time able to pull the wool over the eyes of leftists who are a > little away from the scene. "We send our fullest solidarity to the > peasants who have been forcibly dispossessed." Exactly which groups are > you talking about? Evidently not those of Singur, since the next sentence > clearly talks about Nandigram. In Singur, a colonial era law was used to > dispossess peasants, to hand over land to one of India's major capitalist > concerns, the Tatas. Even if we accept, (as I do not, as I hope you still > do not), the logic of the "free market", why should a supposedly > progressive government use a colonial law to dispossess peasants for the > benefit of a capitalist group that is so rich that it can bid for and win > in a battle to control a First World company? Why did the government not > tell the Tatas to go and negotiate directly with the peasants so that they > could get whatever benefits they were able to wrest? Moreover, perhaps your > informants forgot to tell you, that there were vast numbers of share > croppers, agricultural labourers, as well as people in various industries > and transportation sectors in and around Singur, for whom the rich > agricultural land of singur mattered. Thus, people in the potato industry > (for Singur grows potato) lost out. People transporting potato lost out. > Wage labourers lost out. And these, the proletarian sections, have received > what compensation? The answer, dear Tariq, is zilch. > > So let us pass on to Nandigram. There, your statement is extraordinarily > damaging. If it had come from comparable intellectuals in India, I would > have used stronger language. I suppose that ignorance lets you partially > off the hook. What is sad is that you think it perfectly legitimate to > issue a statement even though you are ignorant about the details. > > There have been two charges of being dispossessed. On 6th January, 2007, > CPI(M) thugs attacked peasants, and the retaliatory violence drove out a > number of them. A further lot left of their own, fearful of the situation. > They all stayed in a place called Khejuri. The CVPI(M) has claimed high > figures – sometimes mentioning 1500, sometimes 3000. No independent > investigation has proved this. Several of us went to Nandigram after the > CPI(M) attack of 14 March, when 14 persons, at least, were murdered, and at > least four women were raped. At that time, our investigations suggested > that the total number of CPI(M) supporters forced to leave Nandigram were > around 300. The APDR twice sent teams to Khejuri, and suggested a figure of > around 350. Out of these, some 35 had clearly been identified by peasants > in Nandigram as active elements in the so-called cadre force of CPI(M) , > i.e., the gun toting criminals who eventually carried out the November > attacks to "reconquer" Nandigram. Now, in the first days, tens of > thousands fled. Over the last few days they have trickled back, after > having pledged loyalty to the CPI(M). So there is no recrimination, > provided you have the 100% support for the CPI(M). > > You write that you understand that the government has promised not to build > a chemical hub around Nandigram. This specific reference comes as a > surprise. Because it is actually once again a case of your walking into a > trap. First, the chemical hub, and a number of similar proposals, are all > of the same type – calls to build SEZs. If SEZs are built, who will they > benefit? They will not follow even India's far from excellent labour > laws. Secondly, the chemical hub, wherever built, is going to be an > environmental disaster. Finally, and most crucially, the West Bengal > government never formally promised not to build the chemical hub in > Nandigram. What they said was that it will not be built in Nandigram if the > people do not want it. Now, after the CPI(M) conquest,( for that is what it > was, it was not even the state apparatus going in, but armed forces of the > major party of the Left Front), what if people are compelled to say that > yes, they do want the chemical hub? Let me remind you, that the CPI(M) is > among the world's largest surviving parties of Stalinist origin, and > while the Moscow tie is long gone, the Moscow style has been retained — > but in the service of capitalism. Today's (21st November) newspapers > already carry a news about how peasants have been forced to give written > apologies to the CPI(M) in order to go and work in their fields. > > You talk of reconciliation. Between whom do you wish for reconciliation? > Now that the CPI(M) has actually conquered the territory by force, would a > humble acquiescence, given the inability to do anything else, be treated as > reconciliation? Perhaps a little more detail about who the cadres were and > how they fought the peasants would come in handy. Cadres — local > criminals mostly involved in robbery cases — for the operation were drawn > from Chandrakona and Garbeta zonal committees. Also, cadres were sent from > Narayangarh and Keshiary areas. Another group of around 250 armed CPM > supporters and criminals came from the villages of Punishol at Onda and > Rajpur, Taldangra in Bankura. > > Sources said criminals were given money in advance and given a free-hand to > bring whatever they could from the empty homes once the operation is > complete. Sources said one such group that has returned to Onda came with > motorcycles. > > The Bankura group reached Nandigram after travelling by train and then > road. The group boarded trains and allegedly got off at Balichak, four > stations after Kharagpur, and then headed towards Nandigram via Khejuri in > the guise of daily wage earners. They take the same disguise when they go > to Bihar and Jharkhand to collect arms, sources said. > > Most of these people are suspected to be running arms smuggling rackets. > The arms used in the recapture operation are believed to have been supplied > from these suppliers. > > Another cache of arms came from Purulia where party workers had received > arms to combat Maoists. It is also suspected that the arms gone missing > after the Purulia arms drop are with CPM supporters and were smuggled to > Nandigram. > > The coal mafia from Burdwan is also believed to have played a key role in > the operation. The money from the mafia is believed to have supplied funds > for the operation, helped in procuring ammunition and hire vehicles that > carried the armed men to the interior areas as the attack progressed. > > In your final paragraph, written in bold type in the version I received, > you write: > > "The balance of forces in the world is such that it would be impetuous to > split the left. We are faced with a world power that has demolished one > state (Iraq) and is now threatening another (Iran). This is not the time > for division when the basis of division no longer appears to exist." > > So here we get the motivation that led you to write the letter. You do not > wish for a split in the left in the face of resurgent US imperialism. Let > me go back several years. As you are aware, the Fourth International had > been great supporters of the Nicaraguan Revolution, and we, here in > locally, tried our best to campaign for Nicaragua. At one stage, when > Halima Lopez Sarkar was appointed the Nicaraguan ambassador to India, the > CPI(M) decided to take up the campaign for Nicaragua. Of c ourse, with > their incomparably bigger force, they could do much more. But when I had a > talk with a Sandinista comrade who came here, he accused us of being > sectarian to the CPI(M). I pointed out that our problem was simple – the > CPI(M) would not even let us do any united front work while retaining our > independent political stance. So even if we accept, as you obviously do, > that the CPI(M) is a legitimate part of the left, how would we be able to > avoid a split? In emails where what passes for debates, CPI(M) supporters > are not only abusive towards us, but even to RSP or forward Bloc, partners > of the CPI(M) in the Left Front who have been critical about Nandigram as > well as the CPI(M)'s sudden volte face over the Nuclear Deal. > > Yet you are confident, that it is we who are impetuously causing the split. > Tariq, the split is decades old. The CPI(M)'s idea of political hegemony > is simple – bash everyone on the left till they genuflect before you. But > according to you and your fellow signatories, the basis of divisions no > longer appears to exist. If by this you mean that Nandigram's resistance > has been smashed, that armed terrorists of the CPI(M) have silenced the > peasants, you are of course right. The basis however exists, because we > have been unable to accept what was done. > > Your argument, that in the face of the US, we must not fight the CPI(M), > can be extended to every tin pot dictator who takes a formal anti-US stand. > Meanwhile, the CPI(M) led government constantly strives to welcome > multinationals, it fights tooth and nail in defence of globalization. In > lieu of several more pages of details, I offer you the URL of Sanhati > (Solidarity), an anti-globalization website. Here you will find plenty of > discussions about the Left front government and globalization. > > Nonetheless, you will say, what about the Left and its ability to influence > the Government of India, or its ability to bring out millions in > demonstrations? Once more, even accepting your premise that when you say > CPI(M) you still say Left (would you make the same concession for the right > wing of the old Italian CP?) , why can we not oppose the CPI(M) on other > issues? Or are you saying, that in the face of the US war threat, all class > questions inside India disappear? Are you saying that those who are in > government and are implementing World Bank-IMF dictated economic policies > are such valiant fighters against imperialism that we must accept the > loving pats they give us, even through their guns? Would demobilizing > militant fighters be then the best road to militant anti-imperialism? I > never learnt that from Marx, Engels, Lenin, Trotsky, Luxemburg or Mandel. > > Long years of defeat and retreat have made many of us cautious. I agree > that the power of US imperialism is greater than it was. But I firmly > believe that we can best contribute to the anti-imperialist struggles by > consistent anti-capitalism at the point of our existence. When I joined the > Trotskyist movement, nearly three decades back, this was clear to me. This > was clear to me even before that, when I understood the meaning of Che's > call to create two, three, many Vietnams. And yes, on 14th November, > despite attempts to turn the protest demonstration into an "apolitical" > show by some high profile figures, there were banners and posters, like the > one that said, Nandigram is Bengal's Vietnam, or the poster where Marx > says, "Not in My name." Don't, please, call for a cession of the > struggles of toilers in Marx's name, and don't claim that bourgeois > reformism, like some land distribution, some registration of sharecroppers, > or panchayat elections, make West Bengal a planet apart. Stand by those who > have been murdered, and their comrades, and don't call for a > reconciliation between defenders of the ruling class who use sophisticated > Marxist sounding jargon, and the crude, unsophisticated, but militant > fighters who resist them. > > With comradely greetings > > Kunal Chattopadhyay > > Professor of History > Jadavpur University > Fourth Internationalist since 1980 > > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - does the frog know it has a latin name? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - From mrsg at vsnl.com Fri Nov 23 15:14:13 2007 From: mrsg at vsnl.com (MRSG) Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2007 15:14:13 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Islamic violence and Taslima Nasreen References: <474338B4.70700@sarai.net> <"e86cc8540711210831x354137fhec54f5cd9 a 12882d"@mail.gmail.com> <000601c82cea$5f209780$0201a8c0@MRAY> <73eb60090711221917x314858d8p48fc6d6b0d6555bd@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <000101c82db5$b943d4e0$0201a8c0@MRAY> I do not know who is stopping M.F Hussain to come back. As far as I know he is in self exile to avoid facing cases in India. No one has demanded his ouster from India. ----- Original Message ----- From: "kirdar singh" To: "MRSG" Cc: "sarai list" Sent: Friday, November 23, 2007 8:47 AM Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Islamic violence and Taslima Nasreen > Dear MRSG > Before we can criticize the "Islamic" violence against Taslima, let us > allow M.F.Husain to come back to India. > > KS > > > > On 11/22/07, MRSG wrote: >> Please do not spread conspiracy theory about Islamic violence in >> Kolkata - >> It was the logical outcome of the past events during last few years. >> Just some facts below. >> 1. LF Govt bans Taslima's book. CPI, CPIM. RSP, Forward Block all >> supported >> to appease the muslim fundamentalists. Congress, Trinamul never >> protested. >> 2. Congress minority cell has officially demanded Taslima's expulsion >> long >> back. >> 3. Mamata has officially supported the cause at a madrasa students >> conference >> 4. Siddikullah, the real hero of Nadigram, the leader of Jamat, has been >> termed a secular by Mahasweta devi and all other fellow travellers of >> Nandigram resistance. Siddikulla's party organised a huge demonstration >> on >> 11 Novemeber in Kolkata against Taslima, in which the death to Taslima >> was >> one of the major slogans. It has been reported prominently in Anandabazar >> Patrika. Earlier this organisation with others have prevented Taslima's >> poetry session in Medinipur, the district headquarter where Nandigram is >> situated. No significant poet or intellectual of West Bengal protested >> 6. Left front government spread the madrasa education and have a separate >> minister for it. >> 7. Taslima was prevented to inaugurate Book Fair at Siliguri after a >> handful >> of islamic protestors demonstrated. No significant poet or intellectual >> of >> West Bengal protested >> 8. Biman Basu, CPIM supremo has asked Taslima to consider leaving West >> Bengal. >> 9. So all the significant political parties have ganged up with the >> Islamic >> fundamentalists to drive away Taslima Nasrin. People of West Bengal, >> 'civil >> society' have mostly remained silent. There have been a few protests but >> not >> significant. This is the result. And probably more to come of similar >> nature >> beyond the issue of Taslima. >> >> M Ray >> From pawan.durani at gmail.com Thu Nov 22 23:06:15 2007 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Thu, 22 Nov 2007 23:06:15 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] POLITICS OF APOLOGY - By Kamal Hak Message-ID: <6b79f1a70711220936v79e238eer18f9fb8fd4fb5323@mail.gmail.com> http://thekashmir.wordpress.com/2007/11/21/politics-of-apology-by-kamal-hak/ From hansathap1 at hotmail.com Fri Nov 23 10:24:52 2007 From: hansathap1 at hotmail.com (hansa thapliyal) Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2007 04:54:52 +0000 Subject: [Reader-list] film screening at Majlis, tomorrow! Message-ID: Do come , Hansa Majlis presents the Bombay premier of: Yi As Akh Padshah Bai (There was a Queen…); 105 minutes Kashmiri/Urdu/Hindi/English with English subtitles Date: 6 pm, Saturday, 24th November, 2007. Venue: 'Majlis', 1st Floor, Christina Apartments, Lane opp S.V. Electronics, near Kalina Police Chowky, Kalina Market,Santa Cruz(East),Bombay phone: 65017723 Directed by Kavita Pai and Hansa Thapliyal Produced by Other Media Communications Camera: Ranu Ghosh Sound: Gissy Michael Editing: Gouri Patwardhan Music: Manish J. Tipu Synopsis "Give us guns and we'll play our role!" This is what Farhana had to say, less than a week after her sister was buried. Farhana's sister Shahnaza, and her friend, Ulfat, victims of 'crossfire', were barely seventeen when they died - as old as the tehreek that exploded into existence in 1989, shattering forever the peace of the Valley, turning it into one of the most critical conflict zones in the world. Over these eighteen years, flashes of intensified conflict and bouts of negotiations have followed one another with monotonous regularity in Kashmir. Newspapers and television channels manufacture predictable binary images of conflict – angry men and weeping women, misguided innocents and fundamentalist separatists, victims and aggressors. Over and above these is the image that erases all differences – the Kashmiri as terrorist. When we set out to make a film on peace initiatives by women in Kashmir, the question uppermost in our minds was, are women in Kashmir not Kashmiri, do they really want peace? At what cost? If women want peace then what about the men, don't they want peace too, aren't they human? Can 'peace' still the turmoil at the heart of every Kashmiri? What are the conditions that beget violence, that drive young men to take to the gun? What then, are the conditions for peace? It felt strange to speak to women, only women, ignoring the other half. So we spoke to a few men – one a former militant, another who had sent his son for training across the border with his blessings, a third, a school master, who lost his son in a gun battle only to realize he was a militant, a fourth, a school boy, whose brother was killed in crossfire – we spoke to men and realized that while every story in Kashmir has the power to shock and move, while the stories of both men and women were compelling in their honesty, in their rage, in their grief, in their helplessness, in their contempt, in their fierce refusal to forget, the women's stories are markedly different in their determination to survive, to nurture. It is through these women – proud, strong, with an undying zest for life – that we try to explore what peace means and how it can come about in Kashmir. _________________________________________________________________ Post free property ads on Yello Classifieds now! www.yello.in http://ss1.richmedia.in/recurl.asp?pid=219 From pawan.durani at gmail.com Fri Nov 23 10:32:51 2007 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2007 10:32:51 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Stin(k)ging Modi Message-ID: <6b79f1a70711222102h1388bfefyf47416ca337e0c3a@mail.gmail.com> http://greatbong.net/2007/11/01/stinkging-modi/#more-468 From pawan.durani at gmail.com Fri Nov 23 10:34:22 2007 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2007 10:34:22 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Killing Fields Of Nandigram Message-ID: <6b79f1a70711222104iadcf31v3ce3cd6e2646794f@mail.gmail.com> Amar naam, tomar naam—-Vietnam http://greatbong.net/2007/11/21/the-killing-fields-of-bengal/#more-480 From sadan at sarai.net Fri Nov 23 15:28:31 2007 From: sadan at sarai.net (sadan at sarai.net) Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2007 15:28:31 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Migration, Money Flow and Western Union In-Reply-To: <9969.89.216.30.20.1195802530.squirrel@webmail.xs4all.nl> References: <9969.89.216.30.20.1195802530.squirrel@webmail.xs4all.nl> Message-ID: <9fc32e08a219bdd8c99c8da1a97a74a6@sarai.net> Dear Patrice, Thanks for your post. Yes you are right in poiting out the role of \ informalchannels of money transfer. However, I am not sure whether 'Havala' can help us to understand migration and money transfer in a scenario \ involving small players, less well to do migrants i.e. workers or middle level professionals. This is I think where Western Union aims at. You are right pointing out that there is a lack of good material on the practice of havala. I remember reading a narrative of one such encounter in Delhi \ where some one posted his personal experience of sending money using this network. Havala at times refer to a whole range of practice of money transfer \ and this blanket use of the term at times doesnot permit us to know the intricacies involved with specific practices otherwise referred as \ Havala. For example, we know very little about domestic money transfer, ways \ in which migrant workers from north Bihar, Orissa, Jharkhand send money back to their homes. In Surat, Gujarat there are operators (people from \ this migrant community of workers) who are known as 'Tappawalla'. They work very smoothly to send money to Orissa and enjoy the faith of this community. I am told that the emergence of these 'Tappawallas' owes a lot to the mushrooming private banks (non-state players i.e. HSBC, CITY Bank, ICICI etc), ATM booths and mobile phone culture. sadan. On 12:52 pm 11/23/07 "Patrice Riemens" wrote: > > As is quite usual with the NYT, this otherwise very interesting > article glosses over an important piece of information within the > issue of money transfers, vital for migrant labourers the world over: > how Western Union profited, if it was not directly instrumental to, > the relentless attacks against, and the partial demise of, informal > money transfer systems and structures (known in S.Asia, and even > quite generally, as _Havala_) migrants were using these en masse > before 911. Havala, which is/ was as fast and reliable as Western > Union, but considerably cheaper, was demonised and criminalised after > 911 as a conduit for terrorist money, and, in 'advanced' economies at > last, largely disbanded. Very little has been written (afaik) about > this. > > > November 22, 2007 > > Border Crossings > > Western Union Empire Moves Migrant Cash Home > > By JASON DePARLE > > > > http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/22/world/22western.html? > > _r=1&hp=&oref=slogin&pagewanted=all > > > > WASHINGTON, Nov. 21 — To glimpse how migration is changing > > the world, consider Western Union, a fixture of American lore that > > went bankrupt selling telegrams at the dawn of the Internet age > > but now earns nearly $1 billion a year helping poor migrants > > across the globe send money home. > > > > _________________________________________ > 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. To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.ne > t/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From dak at sarai.net Thu Nov 22 17:08:31 2007 From: dak at sarai.net (The Sarai Programme) Date: Thu, 22 Nov 2007 17:08:31 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] [Announcements] Sarai Newsletter [November 2007]- Comic Book Reading Message-ID: <47456A37.7050706@sarai.net> *Sarai Newsletter [November 2007] - Comic Book Reading * The comic book readings go on with the third one being held at the French Information and Resource Centre. The details of the reading are given below. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *Third Comic Book Reading 30th November, 5:00 pm French Information and Resource Centre 2, Aurengzeb Road New Delhi* Sarai-CSDS and the FIRC (French Information Resource Center) are happy to announce that for the first time in its history, *Raj Comics* will be talking about its origin, history, evolution and future. Sometime around the late 1980s, when Indrajaal comics was beginning to close shop and Amar Chitra Katha had stopped creating new stories and was printing re-runs, three brothers decided to open their own comic book publication. In their quest for the Indian Superhero, Raj Comics was born. The late 1980s were also a tumultuous time in India. The then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi had been shot dead, there was trouble brewing in Punjab, Delhi was still recovering from the 1984 communal riots, and the Kashmir issue was just beginning to seethe. The stage was set for a saviour, a super hero who would rid the world of crime, corruption and the loaded word taking root in the Indian psyche: terrorism. And so, (arguably) India's first Superhero, Nagraj, was born. After 25 years of producing a galaxy of Indian superheroes, Raj Comics remain the single largest comic book publication house in India today. Their flagship characters include Hindi comic- book legends such as Nagraj, Super Commando Dhruv, Doga, Parmanu, Bhokal, Shakti, Bhediya, and Tiranga. Hope you will make yourself available for the event. Best, Mitoo Das Programme Coordinator Sarai, CSDS Email me at: mitoo at sarai.net -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From hpp at vsnl.com Fri Nov 23 15:12:18 2007 From: hpp at vsnl.com (V Ramaswamy) Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2007 15:12:18 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Regarding CPI(M) Message-ID: <005601c82dbb$d70b5ec0$c701a8c0@Ramaswamy> Dear friends Further to Prof Kunal Chattopadhyay's piece in response to the letter by Chomsky et al, here is the link to my blog-posts about the CPI(M): http://cuckooscall.blogspot.com/search/label/CPI%28M%29 Happy reading! Best V Ramaswamy Calcutta cuckooscall.blogspot.com From patrice at xs4all.nl Fri Nov 23 16:00:45 2007 From: patrice at xs4all.nl (Patrice Riemens) Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2007 11:30:45 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] Migration, Money Flow and Western Union In-Reply-To: <9fc32e08a219bdd8c99c8da1a97a74a6@sarai.net> References: <9969.89.216.30.20.1195802530.squirrel@webmail.xs4all.nl> <9fc32e08a219bdd8c99c8da1a97a74a6@sarai.net> Message-ID: <20071123103045.GA59843@xs4all.nl> Dear , Yes, you're quite right, both on the count of the intricacies of the 'havala' system, and also the importance of internal transfers, which I didn't touch on on purpose. You also allude to a very important element of informal systems: trust (as opposed to formal /legal arrangements based on protection against abuses - mistrust). Regarding India, I remember that the Postal Money Order service is taking a cut of Re 1 in 20 (5%) which is truly extortionate and a tax on the poor (as are so many other taxes...). The first instance where I read a direct allusion of Western Union's probable role in the demise of 'havala' comes from an improbable source: John Brady Kiesling's book on the disaster that American Foreign Policy has become (pls search for it, no browser at hand...) Cheers, p+2D! On Fri, Nov 23, 2007 at 03:28:31PM +0530, sadan at sarai.net wrote: > Dear Patrice, > Thanks for your post. Yes you are right in poiting out the role of \ > informalchannels of money transfer. However, I am not sure whether 'Havala' > can help us to understand migration and money transfer in a scenario \ > involving small players, less well to do migrants i.e. workers or middle > level professionals. This is I think where Western Union aims at. You are > right pointing out that there is a lack of good material on the practice of > havala. I remember reading a narrative of one such encounter in Delhi \ > where some one posted his personal experience of sending money using this > network. > Havala at times refer to a whole range of practice of money transfer \ > and this blanket use of the term at times doesnot permit us to know the > intricacies involved with specific practices otherwise referred as \ > Havala. > For example, we know very little about domestic money transfer, ways \ > in which migrant workers from north Bihar, Orissa, Jharkhand send money > back to their homes. In Surat, Gujarat there are operators (people from \ > this migrant community of workers) who are known as 'Tappawalla'. They > work very smoothly to send money to Orissa and enjoy the faith of this > community. I am told that the emergence of these 'Tappawallas' owes a lot > to the mushrooming private banks (non-state players i.e. HSBC, CITY Bank, > ICICI etc), ATM booths and mobile phone culture. > sadan. > > > > > > On 12:52 pm 11/23/07 "Patrice Riemens" wrote: > > > > As is quite usual with the NYT, this otherwise very interesting > > article glosses over an important piece of information within the > > issue of money transfers, vital for migrant labourers the world over: > > how Western Union profited, if it was not directly instrumental to, > > the relentless attacks against, and the partial demise of, informal > > money transfer systems and structures (known in S.Asia, and even > > quite generally, as _Havala_) migrants were using these en masse > > before 911. Havala, which is/ was as fast and reliable as Western > > Union, but considerably cheaper, was demonised and criminalised after > > 911 as a conduit for terrorist money, and, in 'advanced' economies at > > last, largely disbanded. Very little has been written (afaik) about > > this. > > > > > November 22, 2007 > > > Border Crossings > > > Western Union Empire Moves Migrant Cash Home > > > By JASON DePARLE > > > > > > http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/22/world/22western.html? > > > _r=1&hp=&oref=slogin&pagewanted=all > > > > > > WASHINGTON, Nov. 21 ???????? To glimpse how migration is changing > > > the world, consider Western Union, a fixture of American lore that > > > went bankrupt selling telegrams at the dawn of the Internet age > > > but now earns nearly $1 billion a year helping poor migrants > > > across the globe send money home. > > > From taraprakash at gmail.com Fri Nov 23 21:03:42 2007 From: taraprakash at gmail.com (TaraPrakash) Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2007 10:33:42 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Kunal Chattopadhyay to Tariq Ali on Nandigram References: <0264c7f9d8c687c50be1849541ab270d@sarai.net> <6deae8300711222355q3c0e14aau838e6ea5f4a94642@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <00a501c82de6$40e9a0c0$6400a8c0@taraprakash> With due respect to the two American intelectuals, we are concerned with in this thread, I don't think Chomsky and Zin have as much to do with India, rather Nandi Gram, "a very small corner of a big country" --in the words of a Forward (read backward) Block MP-- as Labour party had to do with the government of India. Getting a letter signed by Chomsky and Zin can be an achievement as far as the left intellectuals are concerned, but for the people massacred in Nandi Gram and those living under the rule of terror in West Bengal, Gujarat, J&K and so on, it means nothing. As much as I know, Chomsky and Zin have written nothing that have anything substential to do with the suffering multitude in the developing countries, even if they had written, the sufferers can't care less. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Abhishek Hazra" To: "sarai list" Sent: Friday, November 23, 2007 2:55 AM Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Kunal Chattopadhyay to Tariq Ali on Nandigram > thanks shuddha for the post, > reading it i was reminded of one of E.P. Thompson's essay (collected i > think in Writing by Candlelight) where he narrates his experience of > visiting india during the emergency and repeatedly facing the same > question from fellow indian communists: "why has the labour party > decided to support mrs. gandhi?" > > On Nov 23, 2007 4:09 AM, wrote: >> Dear All, >> >> Some of you may have read the letter signed by Chomsky, Zinn and others, >> prevaricating on Nandigram, primarily at the behest of Vijay Prashad. >> >> I am posting below a response, addressed to Tariq Ali by Kunal >> Chattopadhyay (he teaches history at Jadavpur University, Kolkata). Tariq >> Ali and Kunal Chattopadhyay were both comrades in the Fourth >> International. >> >> This informative post may be of interest to those following the >> continuing >> debate on West Bengal >> >> best >> >> Shuddha >> >> ------------------------------ >> >> >> An Open Letter to Tariq Ali >> Posted on www.sanhati.com >> >> By Kunal Chattopadhyay, Radicalblogger >> http://kunal-radicalblogger.blogspot.com/ >> >> Dear Tariq, >> >> When I was a very young radical, still a Maoist rather than a Trotskyist, >> it was your name, rather than that of Ernest Mandel, or of anyone else, >> that we came across, here in our part of India. There are still older >> comrades in West Bengal, who talk about a certain period of Fourth >> International history, in terms of "in those days of Tariq Ali". This >> is why, a statement, even though signed by Chomsky, Zinn and others, >> along >> with the man who seems to have carried out the coup, a gentleman named >> Vijay Prashad, becomes most painful because you are among the >> signatories. >> As you once wrote in one of your wonderful books, about another comrade >> of >> yours, 'there was fire in his belly in those days'. Perhaps we have all >> grown older, but some of us have refused to grow "wiser". >> >> I read, and re-read, with a growing sense of wonder, shame and above all >> anger, "the statement that some of you have signed. If you are >> uninformed, what gave you the authority to issue a pompous statement >> based >> on that lack of information? I write to you, because I consider you a >> comrade who has committed a mistake in signing this statement. >> >> Right at the beginning, you write: >> >> News travels to us that events in West Bengal have overtaken the optimism >> that some of us have experienced during trips to the state. We are >> concerned about the rancor that has divided the public space, created >> what >> appear to be unbridgeable gaps between people who share similar values. >> >> Who are these people who share similar values? Just what do you know >> about >> the values shared by those in governmental authority in West Bengal? You, >> and those others amongst you, who made trips here, met some of the >> CPI(M)'s intellectuals, who put on a special face for foreign >> delegations. But as someone who has known Marxism for longer than I have, >> you know well that it is never possible to judge people solely by what >> they >> say about themselves. When someone uses words like democracy, even >> socialism, anti-imperialism, unless you know the context, unless you know >> exactly what their political practice is, you cannot assume that they say >> those words in the same way that you, or someone else does. >> >> So let us begin by looking at values. Just a small example of values. >> When >> the Singur –Nandigram issues began blowing up, Medha Patkar, who happens >> to be one of India's most respected social movement activists, someone >> who has therefore been vilified by parties and governments across India, >> extended her solidarity for the militant people. CPI(M) leaders took >> umbrage. CPI(M) State Secretariat member (and Central Committee member) >> Benoy Konar, in a speech, called on women to show Medha Patkar their >> buttocks. When Medha tried to go to Nandigram, her car was blockaded, and >> some people, supporters of the CPI(M), indeed followed Konar's advice and >> showed Medha their buttocks. I could quote dozens of newspaper and >> television reports, but most clippings I have are in Bengali, so I give >> you >> the url of Medha's own report. >> >> I dare you, or any of your co-signatories, with the exception of Mr. >> Vijay >> Prashad, to come forward and assert that you share similar values as >> these >> people. >> >> I am sure, that once this open letter is circulated, it will also be >> trivialized by the murders who are posing as leftists and persuading you >> to >> sign on behalf of them. So let me say that this is not the only issue I >> am >> talking about when we say values. I will be talking about political >> outlook >> and values in other ways. But Tariq, in the most extreme days of the IMT >> line, when talking about guerilla warfare, did you ever call on your >> comrades to do unto political opponents, that which Benoy Konar suggested >> and that which his followers obliged by doing? >> >> If by values you mean left wing values, you would have to define more >> precisely what sort of leftism you are talking about. CPI(M) leaders and >> their government here in West Bengal are deeply wedded to a very >> authoritarian form of bourgeois democracy. I will be able to mention only >> a >> few cases below. But perhaps the clearest evidence is this – despite the >> fact that in the period 1971-1977, the Congress in power used utmost >> brutality, had people illegally arrested, tortured, many actually killed, >> in three decades in power, the CPI(M) led government has failed to carry >> though the prosecution of a single police officer of that era. >> >> In your statement, you present a euphemistic comment, saying that you are >> concerned about the rancor that has divided the public space. The >> "rancor" that you talk about is the result of a long period of >> violation of civil liberties, of brutal repression of political >> opposition >> and massive use of party cadres as thugs. The most respected civil >> liberties organization in West Bengal , the Association for the >> Protection >> of Democratic Rights, has recently been targeted by the chief minister, >> who >> claimed that the APDR is a Maoist outfit. The crime of the APDR was that >> it >> has consistently argued that everyone has political and civil rights, and >> these cannot be circumscribed without threatening all of us. >> >> Let me again give some illustration. Attacks on the Maoists, especially >> the >> organizations CPI(ML) Peoples' War, the Maoist Communist Centre, and >> after they merged, the CPI(Maoist) have been massive. Anyone suspected of >> being a Maoist has been arrested, even without real charges. And why is >> someone suspected? In Medinipur district, an activist of the APDR was >> arrested as a suspected Maoist, on the strength of material found in his >> possession. Such material included a copy of George Thompson's From Marx >> to Mao-tse Tung. I still have a copy at home, and I am wondering when it >> will be my turn to be arrested. In Kolkata, a man was arrested on >> suspicion >> of being a Maoist, and he was so traumatized by police action, that he >> committed suicide. (Ananda Bazar patrika, 9.7.2002). Four days after >> Ananda >> Bazar Patrika wrote about this, the CPI(M) daily newspaper, Ganashakti, >> reported that Benoy Konar told journalists, in reply to a question on >> whether the police had overstepped the boundaries of human rights, that >> it >> is difficult to determine the boundaries of human rights. In addition, >> Konar treated the media to the homily that the baton of the police is >> used >> as a repressive apparatus. (Ganashakti, 11.7,02). In 2002, the Chief >> Minister said that the KLO in North Bengal or the Maoists elsewhere were >> holding up development. So the priority for development was used to >> justify >> violence on them. The Home Minister's budget speech for 2002-2003 seeking >> additional funds for the police highlighted the commitment of the state >> to >> modernisation of the police for counter-insurgency; at a time when the >> government's debt burden had risen to 7500 billion rupees. (Amit >> Bhattacharya, 'Duhsomoy: Ganatantra, Manabadhikar O Paschimbanger >> 'Sangbedanshil' Sarkar', in Bartaman Lokayatik, 2002-2003, Nos. 3-4 >> and 1-2, pp. 238-270 . See especially pp. 245-7; and also Ananda Bazar >> Patrika, 7.8.2002) . >> >> There has been a long, very long trail of state and party sponsored >> violence. The APDR has regularly listed cases. Two comrades, members of >> the >> Nari Nirjatan Pratirodh Mancha (Forum Against Oppression of Women, >> Kolkata), Mira Roy and Soma Marik, have written a booklet, Women Under >> the >> left Front rule: Expectations Betrayed, where violence on women have been >> discussed extensively. Not all are cases of political violence. In many >> cases, we have seen how rapists have been defended by leaders of the >> ruling >> party. For example, in August 1991, a young woman had been arrested from >> a >> hotel in Kanthi, where she had registered with a male friend. She was >> then >> raped by the police. Virtually defending the police, Acting Chief >> Minister >> Benoy Chowdhury told the West Bengal Assembly that she had registered >> under >> an assumed name with a male friend. In other words, since she was a >> presumably unmarried woman "gone bad" it was fair enough if the police >> had a little fun with her. Values I share with them? No thanks. >> >> Violence over Singur and Nandigram are not unrelated to the foregoing. At >> one level, they reflect the culture of violence supported by the ruling >> party. At another level, they reflect the submission to neo-liberal >> globalization, even while a huge rhetoric is floated abroad for the >> consumption of international left-wing intellectuals. After all, we boast >> of an intellectual chief minister capable of quoting noted poets as part >> of >> his political spiels. So he needs the endorsement of intellectuals. >> >> You write, "We continue to trust that the people of Bengal will not allow >> their differences on some issues to tear apart the important experiments >> undertaken in the state (land reforms, local self-government)." Since the >> signature is mostly of leftwing persons, and since in particular I am >> writing to you, a well-known Marxist, I trust the signatories, and >> especially you, know that there is no unified and homogeneous people. I >> am >> sorry if I have to spell out such truisms. But in these days of triumph >> of >> neo-liberalism, this kind of woolly-woolly, non-class language is being >> resorted to, even by those whom I have always treated as charter members >> of >> the class struggle camp. West Bengal is part of India, and India is a >> bourgeois state with an economy where extremes coexist. From the latest >> in >> Information Technology in Sector V of Salt Lake, it will take you just >> about two and a half hours by car to get to Nandigram, where you have >> plenty of poor peasants eking out a living much as their grandparents >> did. >> Not that there has been no change, no development, but that has been >> limited development in a backward capitalist economy. Since the current >> conflicts seem minor to you, compared to the "important experiments", >> let us look at those experiments briefly. As I am not writing a treatise, >> I >> do not intend to write for long pages, nor to provide extensive >> footnotes. >> It is however necessary to question fundamentally the false claims of the >> West Bengal Government, that you seem to have swallowed hook, line and >> sinker. >> >> Some years back, when the PRC had just started its trek back to class >> collaborationist politics, a comrade in the PRC named Franco Grisolia >> wrote >> to two of us, asking for a note on the CPI(M) led government, as well as >> CPI(M)'s support to the UPA at the center, because this model was being >> held up by supporters of Bertinotti to justify their turn to the right. >> So >> Soma Marik and I wrote a longish essay, The Left Front and the United >> Progressive Alliance, one version of which was published in Italian, and >> another version, in English, was put up in the website of our comrades of >> Socialist Democracy, Irish supporters of the Fourth International. >> >> Just one paragraph from that essay will reveal an interesting story: "The >> key issue of land distribution, in fact, tells an interesting story. In >> 1967, and again in 1969, two short-lived United Front governments had >> been >> formed. There had been a mass upsurge, and huge land seizures and >> distribution. OF ALL the ceiling-surplus land vested with the state since >> 1953 (when the West Bengal Estate Acquisition Act was passed) and the >> year >> 2000, as much as 44 per cent of this land (6 lakh acres) was obtained in >> the five-year period between 1967 and 1972, thanks to the energetic >> initiatives of the two United Fronts; another 26% (3.5 lakh acres) had >> been >> acquired earlier. In the last 20 years of Left Front rule only 1.53 lakh >> acres were acquired, which amounts to almost a quarter of what was >> achieved >> during the very short UF regime and almost a half of what was obtained >> during the 14 years (1953-1967) of Congress rule." The two United Front >> governments saw an active left, and one moreover facing a serious >> challenge >> from the emerging Maoist forces who eventually became the CPI (ML). Land >> reform at that time was based on popular initiative, not bureaucratic >> measures. The collapse of the governments clearly taught the CPI (M) a >> lesson – to wit, do not rock the boat of the bourgeoisie and their >> partners if you want a long stint. >> >> As for the important local self government experiments that you talk >> about, >> what, really, is significant? The three tier panchayat system has been in >> operation in other provinces as well. Digvijay Singh, the Congress chief >> minister of Madhya Pradesh, took measures to extend it to the level of >> the >> individual village. Despite much talk about panchayats being organs of >> self-rule of peasants, rich peasants and teachers formed the bulk. And >> given the fact that the poorer classes seldom were able to let their >> children finish secondary education, let alone college, teachers came >> from >> rich peasant families, or from non-agricultural families. A survey in one >> of the districts, Purulia, further showed that real help was received >> from >> the government's developmental projects by a significant part of the >> rural rich, using their positions in the panchayats. (Prabir >> Bhattacharyya, >> ed, Anva Artha 19: Bamfront Sarkar—Ekti Mulyayan, Calcutta, May 1985, >> pp.11-14.) >> >> You next write: >> >> "We send our fullest solidarity to the peasants who have been forcibly >> dispossessed. We understand that the government has promised not to build >> a >> chemical hub in the area around Nandigram. We understand that those who >> had >> been dispossessed by the violence are now being allowed back to their >> homes, without recrimination. We understand that there is now talk of >> reconciliation. This is what we favor." >> >> This paragraph was drafted by/ is based on arguments by someone who is a >> dab hand at creating confusions that eventually aid exploiters, but is at >> the same time able to pull the wool over the eyes of leftists who are a >> little away from the scene. "We send our fullest solidarity to the >> peasants who have been forcibly dispossessed." Exactly which groups are >> you talking about? Evidently not those of Singur, since the next sentence >> clearly talks about Nandigram. In Singur, a colonial era law was used to >> dispossess peasants, to hand over land to one of India's major capitalist >> concerns, the Tatas. Even if we accept, (as I do not, as I hope you still >> do not), the logic of the "free market", why should a supposedly >> progressive government use a colonial law to dispossess peasants for the >> benefit of a capitalist group that is so rich that it can bid for and win >> in a battle to control a First World company? Why did the government not >> tell the Tatas to go and negotiate directly with the peasants so that >> they >> could get whatever benefits they were able to wrest? Moreover, perhaps >> your >> informants forgot to tell you, that there were vast numbers of share >> croppers, agricultural labourers, as well as people in various industries >> and transportation sectors in and around Singur, for whom the rich >> agricultural land of singur mattered. Thus, people in the potato industry >> (for Singur grows potato) lost out. People transporting potato lost out. >> Wage labourers lost out. And these, the proletarian sections, have >> received >> what compensation? The answer, dear Tariq, is zilch. >> >> So let us pass on to Nandigram. There, your statement is extraordinarily >> damaging. If it had come from comparable intellectuals in India, I would >> have used stronger language. I suppose that ignorance lets you partially >> off the hook. What is sad is that you think it perfectly legitimate to >> issue a statement even though you are ignorant about the details. >> >> There have been two charges of being dispossessed. On 6th January, 2007, >> CPI(M) thugs attacked peasants, and the retaliatory violence drove out a >> number of them. A further lot left of their own, fearful of the >> situation. >> They all stayed in a place called Khejuri. The CVPI(M) has claimed high >> figures – sometimes mentioning 1500, sometimes 3000. No independent >> investigation has proved this. Several of us went to Nandigram after the >> CPI(M) attack of 14 March, when 14 persons, at least, were murdered, and >> at >> least four women were raped. At that time, our investigations suggested >> that the total number of CPI(M) supporters forced to leave Nandigram were >> around 300. The APDR twice sent teams to Khejuri, and suggested a figure >> of >> around 350. Out of these, some 35 had clearly been identified by peasants >> in Nandigram as active elements in the so-called cadre force of CPI(M) , >> i.e., the gun toting criminals who eventually carried out the November >> attacks to "reconquer" Nandigram. Now, in the first days, tens of >> thousands fled. Over the last few days they have trickled back, after >> having pledged loyalty to the CPI(M). So there is no recrimination, >> provided you have the 100% support for the CPI(M). >> >> You write that you understand that the government has promised not to >> build >> a chemical hub around Nandigram. This specific reference comes as a >> surprise. Because it is actually once again a case of your walking into a >> trap. First, the chemical hub, and a number of similar proposals, are all >> of the same type – calls to build SEZs. If SEZs are built, who will they >> benefit? They will not follow even India's far from excellent labour >> laws. Secondly, the chemical hub, wherever built, is going to be an >> environmental disaster. Finally, and most crucially, the West Bengal >> government never formally promised not to build the chemical hub in >> Nandigram. What they said was that it will not be built in Nandigram if >> the >> people do not want it. Now, after the CPI(M) conquest,( for that is what >> it >> was, it was not even the state apparatus going in, but armed forces of >> the >> major party of the Left Front), what if people are compelled to say that >> yes, they do want the chemical hub? Let me remind you, that the CPI(M) is >> among the world's largest surviving parties of Stalinist origin, and >> while the Moscow tie is long gone, the Moscow style has been retained — >> but in the service of capitalism. Today's (21st November) newspapers >> already carry a news about how peasants have been forced to give written >> apologies to the CPI(M) in order to go and work in their fields. >> >> You talk of reconciliation. Between whom do you wish for reconciliation? >> Now that the CPI(M) has actually conquered the territory by force, would >> a >> humble acquiescence, given the inability to do anything else, be treated >> as >> reconciliation? Perhaps a little more detail about who the cadres were >> and >> how they fought the peasants would come in handy. Cadres — local >> criminals mostly involved in robbery cases — for the operation were drawn >> from Chandrakona and Garbeta zonal committees. Also, cadres were sent >> from >> Narayangarh and Keshiary areas. Another group of around 250 armed CPM >> supporters and criminals came from the villages of Punishol at Onda and >> Rajpur, Taldangra in Bankura. >> >> Sources said criminals were given money in advance and given a free-hand >> to >> bring whatever they could from the empty homes once the operation is >> complete. Sources said one such group that has returned to Onda came with >> motorcycles. >> >> The Bankura group reached Nandigram after travelling by train and then >> road. The group boarded trains and allegedly got off at Balichak, four >> stations after Kharagpur, and then headed towards Nandigram via Khejuri >> in >> the guise of daily wage earners. They take the same disguise when they go >> to Bihar and Jharkhand to collect arms, sources said. >> >> Most of these people are suspected to be running arms smuggling rackets. >> The arms used in the recapture operation are believed to have been >> supplied >> from these suppliers. >> >> Another cache of arms came from Purulia where party workers had received >> arms to combat Maoists. It is also suspected that the arms gone missing >> after the Purulia arms drop are with CPM supporters and were smuggled to >> Nandigram. >> >> The coal mafia from Burdwan is also believed to have played a key role in >> the operation. The money from the mafia is believed to have supplied >> funds >> for the operation, helped in procuring ammunition and hire vehicles that >> carried the armed men to the interior areas as the attack progressed. >> >> In your final paragraph, written in bold type in the version I received, >> you write: >> >> "The balance of forces in the world is such that it would be impetuous to >> split the left. We are faced with a world power that has demolished one >> state (Iraq) and is now threatening another (Iran). This is not the time >> for division when the basis of division no longer appears to exist." >> >> So here we get the motivation that led you to write the letter. You do >> not >> wish for a split in the left in the face of resurgent US imperialism. Let >> me go back several years. As you are aware, the Fourth International had >> been great supporters of the Nicaraguan Revolution, and we, here in >> locally, tried our best to campaign for Nicaragua. At one stage, when >> Halima Lopez Sarkar was appointed the Nicaraguan ambassador to India, the >> CPI(M) decided to take up the campaign for Nicaragua. Of c ourse, with >> their incomparably bigger force, they could do much more. But when I had >> a >> talk with a Sandinista comrade who came here, he accused us of being >> sectarian to the CPI(M). I pointed out that our problem was simple – the >> CPI(M) would not even let us do any united front work while retaining our >> independent political stance. So even if we accept, as you obviously do, >> that the CPI(M) is a legitimate part of the left, how would we be able to >> avoid a split? In emails where what passes for debates, CPI(M) supporters >> are not only abusive towards us, but even to RSP or forward Bloc, >> partners >> of the CPI(M) in the Left Front who have been critical about Nandigram as >> well as the CPI(M)'s sudden volte face over the Nuclear Deal. >> >> Yet you are confident, that it is we who are impetuously causing the >> split. >> Tariq, the split is decades old. The CPI(M)'s idea of political hegemony >> is simple – bash everyone on the left till they genuflect before you. But >> according to you and your fellow signatories, the basis of divisions no >> longer appears to exist. If by this you mean that Nandigram's resistance >> has been smashed, that armed terrorists of the CPI(M) have silenced the >> peasants, you are of course right. The basis however exists, because we >> have been unable to accept what was done. >> >> Your argument, that in the face of the US, we must not fight the CPI(M), >> can be extended to every tin pot dictator who takes a formal anti-US >> stand. >> Meanwhile, the CPI(M) led government constantly strives to welcome >> multinationals, it fights tooth and nail in defence of globalization. In >> lieu of several more pages of details, I offer you the URL of Sanhati >> (Solidarity), an anti-globalization website. Here you will find plenty of >> discussions about the Left front government and globalization. >> >> Nonetheless, you will say, what about the Left and its ability to >> influence >> the Government of India, or its ability to bring out millions in >> demonstrations? Once more, even accepting your premise that when you say >> CPI(M) you still say Left (would you make the same concession for the >> right >> wing of the old Italian CP?) , why can we not oppose the CPI(M) on other >> issues? Or are you saying, that in the face of the US war threat, all >> class >> questions inside India disappear? Are you saying that those who are in >> government and are implementing World Bank-IMF dictated economic policies >> are such valiant fighters against imperialism that we must accept the >> loving pats they give us, even through their guns? Would demobilizing >> militant fighters be then the best road to militant anti-imperialism? I >> never learnt that from Marx, Engels, Lenin, Trotsky, Luxemburg or Mandel. >> >> Long years of defeat and retreat have made many of us cautious. I agree >> that the power of US imperialism is greater than it was. But I firmly >> believe that we can best contribute to the anti-imperialist struggles by >> consistent anti-capitalism at the point of our existence. When I joined >> the >> Trotskyist movement, nearly three decades back, this was clear to me. >> This >> was clear to me even before that, when I understood the meaning of Che's >> call to create two, three, many Vietnams. And yes, on 14th November, >> despite attempts to turn the protest demonstration into an "apolitical" >> show by some high profile figures, there were banners and posters, like >> the >> one that said, Nandigram is Bengal's Vietnam, or the poster where Marx >> says, "Not in My name." Don't, please, call for a cession of the >> struggles of toilers in Marx's name, and don't claim that bourgeois >> reformism, like some land distribution, some registration of >> sharecroppers, >> or panchayat elections, make West Bengal a planet apart. Stand by those >> who >> have been murdered, and their comrades, and don't call for a >> reconciliation between defenders of the ruling class who use >> sophisticated >> Marxist sounding jargon, and the crude, unsophisticated, but militant >> fighters who resist them. >> >> With comradely greetings >> >> Kunal Chattopadhyay >> >> Professor of History >> Jadavpur University >> Fourth Internationalist since 1980 >> >> _________________________________________ >> 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. >> To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >> List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > > -- > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > does the frog know it has a latin name? > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From bainulsatoor at googlemail.com Fri Nov 23 21:42:05 2007 From: bainulsatoor at googlemail.com (Bain Al Satoor) Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2007 21:42:05 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] reader-list Digest, Vol 52, Issue 64 In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hello all I am new to this group. Since the time i have joined this reader-list, i am being bombarded with hot discussion (accompanied by long mails) on Nandigram, Tasleema Nasreen, M. F. Hussain etc. etc. I must say they are all informative and educating mails. But i wonder why there is no discussion on Busharraf's emergency. i am trying to get to know what's happening there but the only good weblinks that i could find are as follows, which are able to to provide some updates http://paki-blogger.blogspot.com http://dictatorshipwatch.com http://academicsforfreedom.blogspot.com anyways... i think pakistan is too far and too troubled state to have any discussion on. Good Luck to the right cause, right protest and right to protest on Nandigram. Bain On Nov 23, 2007 9:03 PM, 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. Re: Kunal Chattopadhyay to Tariq Ali on Nandigram (TaraPrakash) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2007 10:33:42 -0500 > From: "TaraPrakash" > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Kunal Chattopadhyay to Tariq Ali on > Nandigram > To: "Abhishek Hazra" , "sarai list" > > Message-ID: <00a501c82de6$40e9a0c0$6400a8c0 at taraprakash> > Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="utf-8"; > reply-type=original > > With due respect to the two American intelectuals, we are concerned with in > this thread, I don't think Chomsky and Zin have as much to do with India, > rather Nandi Gram, "a very small corner of a big country" --in the words of > a Forward (read backward) Block MP-- as Labour party had to do with the > government of India. Getting a letter signed by Chomsky and Zin can be an > achievement as far as the left intellectuals are concerned, but for the > people massacred in Nandi Gram and those living under the rule of terror in > West Bengal, Gujarat, J&K and so on, it means nothing. As much as I know, > Chomsky and Zin have written nothing that have anything substential to do > with the suffering multitude in the developing countries, even if they had > written, the sufferers can't care less. > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Abhishek Hazra" > To: "sarai list" > Sent: Friday, November 23, 2007 2:55 AM > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Kunal Chattopadhyay to Tariq Ali on Nandigram > > > > thanks shuddha for the post, > > reading it i was reminded of one of E.P. Thompson's essay (collected i > > think in Writing by Candlelight) where he narrates his experience of > > visiting india during the emergency and repeatedly facing the same > > question from fellow indian communists: "why has the labour party > > decided to support mrs. gandhi?" > > > > On Nov 23, 2007 4:09 AM, wrote: > >> Dear All, > >> > >> Some of you may have read the letter signed by Chomsky, Zinn and others, > >> prevaricating on Nandigram, primarily at the behest of Vijay Prashad. > >> > >> I am posting below a response, addressed to Tariq Ali by Kunal > >> Chattopadhyay (he teaches history at Jadavpur University, Kolkata). Tariq > >> Ali and Kunal Chattopadhyay were both comrades in the Fourth > >> International. > >> > >> This informative post may be of interest to those following the > >> continuing > >> debate on West Bengal > >> > >> best > >> > >> Shuddha > >> > >> ------------------------------ > >> > >> > >> An Open Letter to Tariq Ali > >> Posted on www.sanhati.com > >> > >> By Kunal Chattopadhyay, Radicalblogger > >> http://kunal-radicalblogger.blogspot.com/ > >> > >> Dear Tariq, > >> > >> When I was a very young radical, still a Maoist rather than a Trotskyist, > >> it was your name, rather than that of Ernest Mandel, or of anyone else, > >> that we came across, here in our part of India. There are still older > >> comrades in West Bengal, who talk about a certain period of Fourth > >> International history, in terms of "in those days of Tariq Ali". This > >> is why, a statement, even though signed by Chomsky, Zinn and others, > >> along > >> with the man who seems to have carried out the coup, a gentleman named > >> Vijay Prashad, becomes most painful because you are among the > >> signatories. > >> As you once wrote in one of your wonderful books, about another comrade > >> of > >> yours, 'there was fire in his belly in those days'. Perhaps we have all > >> grown older, but some of us have refused to grow "wiser". > >> > >> I read, and re-read, with a growing sense of wonder, shame and above all > >> anger, "the statement that some of you have signed. If you are > >> uninformed, what gave you the authority to issue a pompous statement > >> based > >> on that lack of information? I write to you, because I consider you a > >> comrade who has committed a mistake in signing this statement. > >> > >> Right at the beginning, you write: > >> > >> News travels to us that events in West Bengal have overtaken the optimism > >> that some of us have experienced during trips to the state. We are > >> concerned about the rancor that has divided the public space, created > >> what > >> appear to be unbridgeable gaps between people who share similar values. > >> > >> Who are these people who share similar values? Just what do you know > >> about > >> the values shared by those in governmental authority in West Bengal? You, > >> and those others amongst you, who made trips here, met some of the > >> CPI(M)'s intellectuals, who put on a special face for foreign > >> delegations. But as someone who has known Marxism for longer than I have, > >> you know well that it is never possible to judge people solely by what > >> they > >> say about themselves. When someone uses words like democracy, even > >> socialism, anti-imperialism, unless you know the context, unless you know > >> exactly what their political practice is, you cannot assume that they say > >> those words in the same way that you, or someone else does. > >> > >> So let us begin by looking at values. Just a small example of values. > >> When > >> the Singur –Nandigram issues began blowing up, Medha Patkar, who happens > >> to be one of India's most respected social movement activists, someone > >> who has therefore been vilified by parties and governments across India, > >> extended her solidarity for the militant people. CPI(M) leaders took > >> umbrage. CPI(M) State Secretariat member (and Central Committee member) > >> Benoy Konar, in a speech, called on women to show Medha Patkar their > >> buttocks. When Medha tried to go to Nandigram, her car was blockaded, and > >> some people, supporters of the CPI(M), indeed followed Konar's advice and > >> showed Medha their buttocks. I could quote dozens of newspaper and > >> television reports, but most clippings I have are in Bengali, so I give > >> you > >> the url of Medha's own report. > >> > >> I dare you, or any of your co-signatories, with the exception of Mr. > >> Vijay > >> Prashad, to come forward and assert that you share similar values as > >> these > >> people. > >> > >> I am sure, that once this open letter is circulated, it will also be > >> trivialized by the murders who are posing as leftists and persuading you > >> to > >> sign on behalf of them. So let me say that this is not the only issue I > >> am > >> talking about when we say values. I will be talking about political > >> outlook > >> and values in other ways. But Tariq, in the most extreme days of the IMT > >> line, when talking about guerilla warfare, did you ever call on your > >> comrades to do unto political opponents, that which Benoy Konar suggested > >> and that which his followers obliged by doing? > >> > >> If by values you mean left wing values, you would have to define more > >> precisely what sort of leftism you are talking about. CPI(M) leaders and > >> their government here in West Bengal are deeply wedded to a very > >> authoritarian form of bourgeois democracy. I will be able to mention only > >> a > >> few cases below. But perhaps the clearest evidence is this – despite the > >> fact that in the period 1971-1977, the Congress in power used utmost > >> brutality, had people illegally arrested, tortured, many actually killed, > >> in three decades in power, the CPI(M) led government has failed to carry > >> though the prosecution of a single police officer of that era. > >> > >> In your statement, you present a euphemistic comment, saying that you are > >> concerned about the rancor that has divided the public space. The > >> "rancor" that you talk about is the result of a long period of > >> violation of civil liberties, of brutal repression of political > >> opposition > >> and massive use of party cadres as thugs. The most respected civil > >> liberties organization in West Bengal , the Association for the > >> Protection > >> of Democratic Rights, has recently been targeted by the chief minister, > >> who > >> claimed that the APDR is a Maoist outfit. The crime of the APDR was that > >> it > >> has consistently argued that everyone has political and civil rights, and > >> these cannot be circumscribed without threatening all of us. > >> > >> Let me again give some illustration. Attacks on the Maoists, especially > >> the > >> organizations CPI(ML) Peoples' War, the Maoist Communist Centre, and > >> after they merged, the CPI(Maoist) have been massive. Anyone suspected of > >> being a Maoist has been arrested, even without real charges. And why is > >> someone suspected? In Medinipur district, an activist of the APDR was > >> arrested as a suspected Maoist, on the strength of material found in his > >> possession. Such material included a copy of George Thompson's From Marx > >> to Mao-tse Tung. I still have a copy at home, and I am wondering when it > >> will be my turn to be arrested. In Kolkata, a man was arrested on > >> suspicion > >> of being a Maoist, and he was so traumatized by police action, that he > >> committed suicide. (Ananda Bazar patrika, 9.7.2002). Four days after > >> Ananda > >> Bazar Patrika wrote about this, the CPI(M) daily newspaper, Ganashakti, > >> reported that Benoy Konar told journalists, in reply to a question on > >> whether the police had overstepped the boundaries of human rights, that > >> it > >> is difficult to determine the boundaries of human rights. In addition, > >> Konar treated the media to the homily that the baton of the police is > >> used > >> as a repressive apparatus. (Ganashakti, 11.7,02). In 2002, the Chief > >> Minister said that the KLO in North Bengal or the Maoists elsewhere were > >> holding up development. So the priority for development was used to > >> justify > >> violence on them. The Home Minister's budget speech for 2002-2003 seeking > >> additional funds for the police highlighted the commitment of the state > >> to > >> modernisation of the police for counter-insurgency; at a time when the > >> government's debt burden had risen to 7500 billion rupees. (Amit > >> Bhattacharya, 'Duhsomoy: Ganatantra, Manabadhikar O Paschimbanger > >> 'Sangbedanshil' Sarkar', in Bartaman Lokayatik, 2002-2003, Nos. 3-4 > >> and 1-2, pp. 238-270 . See especially pp. 245-7; and also Ananda Bazar > >> Patrika, 7.8.2002) . > >> > >> There has been a long, very long trail of state and party sponsored > >> violence. The APDR has regularly listed cases. Two comrades, members of > >> the > >> Nari Nirjatan Pratirodh Mancha (Forum Against Oppression of Women, > >> Kolkata), Mira Roy and Soma Marik, have written a booklet, Women Under > >> the > >> left Front rule: Expectations Betrayed, where violence on women have been > >> discussed extensively. Not all are cases of political violence. In many > >> cases, we have seen how rapists have been defended by leaders of the > >> ruling > >> party. For example, in August 1991, a young woman had been arrested from > >> a > >> hotel in Kanthi, where she had registered with a male friend. She was > >> then > >> raped by the police. Virtually defending the police, Acting Chief > >> Minister > >> Benoy Chowdhury told the West Bengal Assembly that she had registered > >> under > >> an assumed name with a male friend. In other words, since she was a > >> presumably unmarried woman "gone bad" it was fair enough if the police > >> had a little fun with her. Values I share with them? No thanks. > >> > >> Violence over Singur and Nandigram are not unrelated to the foregoing. At > >> one level, they reflect the culture of violence supported by the ruling > >> party. At another level, they reflect the submission to neo-liberal > >> globalization, even while a huge rhetoric is floated abroad for the > >> consumption of international left-wing intellectuals. After all, we boast > >> of an intellectual chief minister capable of quoting noted poets as part > >> of > >> his political spiels. So he needs the endorsement of intellectuals. > >> > >> You write, "We continue to trust that the people of Bengal will not allow > >> their differences on some issues to tear apart the important experiments > >> undertaken in the state (land reforms, local self-government)." Since the > >> signature is mostly of leftwing persons, and since in particular I am > >> writing to you, a well-known Marxist, I trust the signatories, and > >> especially you, know that there is no unified and homogeneous people. I > >> am > >> sorry if I have to spell out such truisms. But in these days of triumph > >> of > >> neo-liberalism, this kind of woolly-woolly, non-class language is being > >> resorted to, even by those whom I have always treated as charter members > >> of > >> the class struggle camp. West Bengal is part of India, and India is a > >> bourgeois state with an economy where extremes coexist. From the latest > >> in > >> Information Technology in Sector V of Salt Lake, it will take you just > >> about two and a half hours by car to get to Nandigram, where you have > >> plenty of poor peasants eking out a living much as their grandparents > >> did. > >> Not that there has been no change, no development, but that has been > >> limited development in a backward capitalist economy. Since the current > >> conflicts seem minor to you, compared to the "important experiments", > >> let us look at those experiments briefly. As I am not writing a treatise, > >> I > >> do not intend to write for long pages, nor to provide extensive > >> footnotes. > >> It is however necessary to question fundamentally the false claims of the > >> West Bengal Government, that you seem to have swallowed hook, line and > >> sinker. > >> > >> Some years back, when the PRC had just started its trek back to class > >> collaborationist politics, a comrade in the PRC named Franco Grisolia > >> wrote > >> to two of us, asking for a note on the CPI(M) led government, as well as > >> CPI(M)'s support to the UPA at the center, because this model was being > >> held up by supporters of Bertinotti to justify their turn to the right. > >> So > >> Soma Marik and I wrote a longish essay, The Left Front and the United > >> Progressive Alliance, one version of which was published in Italian, and > >> another version, in English, was put up in the website of our comrades of > >> Socialist Democracy, Irish supporters of the Fourth International. > >> > >> Just one paragraph from that essay will reveal an interesting story: "The > >> key issue of land distribution, in fact, tells an interesting story. In > >> 1967, and again in 1969, two short-lived United Front governments had > >> been > >> formed. There had been a mass upsurge, and huge land seizures and > >> distribution. OF ALL the ceiling-surplus land vested with the state since > >> 1953 (when the West Bengal Estate Acquisition Act was passed) and the > >> year > >> 2000, as much as 44 per cent of this land (6 lakh acres) was obtained in > >> the five-year period between 1967 and 1972, thanks to the energetic > >> initiatives of the two United Fronts; another 26% (3.5 lakh acres) had > >> been > >> acquired earlier. In the last 20 years of Left Front rule only 1.53 lakh > >> acres were acquired, which amounts to almost a quarter of what was > >> achieved > >> during the very short UF regime and almost a half of what was obtained > >> during the 14 years (1953-1967) of Congress rule." The two United Front > >> governments saw an active left, and one moreover facing a serious > >> challenge > >> from the emerging Maoist forces who eventually became the CPI (ML). Land > >> reform at that time was based on popular initiative, not bureaucratic > >> measures. The collapse of the governments clearly taught the CPI (M) a > >> lesson – to wit, do not rock the boat of the bourgeoisie and their > >> partners if you want a long stint. > >> > >> As for the important local self government experiments that you talk > >> about, > >> what, really, is significant? The three tier panchayat system has been in > >> operation in other provinces as well. Digvijay Singh, the Congress chief > >> minister of Madhya Pradesh, took measures to extend it to the level of > >> the > >> individual village. Despite much talk about panchayats being organs of > >> self-rule of peasants, rich peasants and teachers formed the bulk. And > >> given the fact that the poorer classes seldom were able to let their > >> children finish secondary education, let alone college, teachers came > >> from > >> rich peasant families, or from non-agricultural families. A survey in one > >> of the districts, Purulia, further showed that real help was received > >> from > >> the government's developmental projects by a significant part of the > >> rural rich, using their positions in the panchayats. (Prabir > >> Bhattacharyya, > >> ed, Anva Artha 19: Bamfront Sarkar—Ekti Mulyayan, Calcutta, May 1985, > >> pp.11-14.) > >> > >> You next write: > >> > >> "We send our fullest solidarity to the peasants who have been forcibly > >> dispossessed. We understand that the government has promised not to build > >> a > >> chemical hub in the area around Nandigram. We understand that those who > >> had > >> been dispossessed by the violence are now being allowed back to their > >> homes, without recrimination. We understand that there is now talk of > >> reconciliation. This is what we favor." > >> > >> This paragraph was drafted by/ is based on arguments by someone who is a > >> dab hand at creating confusions that eventually aid exploiters, but is at > >> the same time able to pull the wool over the eyes of leftists who are a > >> little away from the scene. "We send our fullest solidarity to the > >> peasants who have been forcibly dispossessed." Exactly which groups are > >> you talking about? Evidently not those of Singur, since the next sentence > >> clearly talks about Nandigram. In Singur, a colonial era law was used to > >> dispossess peasants, to hand over land to one of India's major capitalist > >> concerns, the Tatas. Even if we accept, (as I do not, as I hope you still > >> do not), the logic of the "free market", why should a supposedly > >> progressive government use a colonial law to dispossess peasants for the > >> benefit of a capitalist group that is so rich that it can bid for and win > >> in a battle to control a First World company? Why did the government not > >> tell the Tatas to go and negotiate directly with the peasants so that > >> they > >> could get whatever benefits they were able to wrest? Moreover, perhaps > >> your > >> informants forgot to tell you, that there were vast numbers of share > >> croppers, agricultural labourers, as well as people in various industries > >> and transportation sectors in and around Singur, for whom the rich > >> agricultural land of singur mattered. Thus, people in the potato industry > >> (for Singur grows potato) lost out. People transporting potato lost out. > >> Wage labourers lost out. And these, the proletarian sections, have > >> received > >> what compensation? The answer, dear Tariq, is zilch. > >> > >> So let us pass on to Nandigram. There, your statement is extraordinarily > >> damaging. If it had come from comparable intellectuals in India, I would > >> have used stronger language. I suppose that ignorance lets you partially > >> off the hook. What is sad is that you think it perfectly legitimate to > >> issue a statement even though you are ignorant about the details. > >> > >> There have been two charges of being dispossessed. On 6th January, 2007, > >> CPI(M) thugs attacked peasants, and the retaliatory violence drove out a > >> number of them. A further lot left of their own, fearful of the > >> situation. > >> They all stayed in a place called Khejuri. The CVPI(M) has claimed high > >> figures – sometimes mentioning 1500, sometimes 3000. No independent > >> investigation has proved this. Several of us went to Nandigram after the > >> CPI(M) attack of 14 March, when 14 persons, at least, were murdered, and > >> at > >> least four women were raped. At that time, our investigations suggested > >> that the total number of CPI(M) supporters forced to leave Nandigram were > >> around 300. The APDR twice sent teams to Khejuri, and suggested a figure > >> of > >> around 350. Out of these, some 35 had clearly been identified by peasants > >> in Nandigram as active elements in the so-called cadre force of CPI(M) , > >> i.e., the gun toting criminals who eventually carried out the November > >> attacks to "reconquer" Nandigram. Now, in the first days, tens of > >> thousands fled. Over the last few days they have trickled back, after > >> having pledged loyalty to the CPI(M). So there is no recrimination, > >> provided you have the 100% support for the CPI(M). > >> > >> You write that you understand that the government has promised not to > >> build > >> a chemical hub around Nandigram. This specific reference comes as a > >> surprise. Because it is actually once again a case of your walking into a > >> trap. First, the chemical hub, and a number of similar proposals, are all > >> of the same type – calls to build SEZs. If SEZs are built, who will they > >> benefit? They will not follow even India's far from excellent labour > >> laws. Secondly, the chemical hub, wherever built, is going to be an > >> environmental disaster. Finally, and most crucially, the West Bengal > >> government never formally promised not to build the chemical hub in > >> Nandigram. What they said was that it will not be built in Nandigram if > >> the > >> people do not want it. Now, after the CPI(M) conquest,( for that is what > >> it > >> was, it was not even the state apparatus going in, but armed forces of > >> the > >> major party of the Left Front), what if people are compelled to say that > >> yes, they do want the chemical hub? Let me remind you, that the CPI(M) is > >> among the world's largest surviving parties of Stalinist origin, and > >> while the Moscow tie is long gone, the Moscow style has been retained — > >> but in the service of capitalism. Today's (21st November) newspapers > >> already carry a news about how peasants have been forced to give written > >> apologies to the CPI(M) in order to go and work in their fields. > >> > >> You talk of reconciliation. Between whom do you wish for reconciliation? > >> Now that the CPI(M) has actually conquered the territory by force, would > >> a > >> humble acquiescence, given the inability to do anything else, be treated > >> as > >> reconciliation? Perhaps a little more detail about who the cadres were > >> and > >> how they fought the peasants would come in handy. Cadres — local > >> criminals mostly involved in robbery cases — for the operation were drawn > >> from Chandrakona and Garbeta zonal committees. Also, cadres were sent > >> from > >> Narayangarh and Keshiary areas. Another group of around 250 armed CPM > >> supporters and criminals came from the villages of Punishol at Onda and > >> Rajpur, Taldangra in Bankura. > >> > >> Sources said criminals were given money in advance and given a free-hand > >> to > >> bring whatever they could from the empty homes once the operation is > >> complete. Sources said one such group that has returned to Onda came with > >> motorcycles. > >> > >> The Bankura group reached Nandigram after travelling by train and then > >> road. The group boarded trains and allegedly got off at Balichak, four > >> stations after Kharagpur, and then headed towards Nandigram via Khejuri > >> in > >> the guise of daily wage earners. They take the same disguise when they go > >> to Bihar and Jharkhand to collect arms, sources said. > >> > >> Most of these people are suspected to be running arms smuggling rackets. > >> The arms used in the recapture operation are believed to have been > >> supplied > >> from these suppliers. > >> > >> Another cache of arms came from Purulia where party workers had received > >> arms to combat Maoists. It is also suspected that the arms gone missing > >> after the Purulia arms drop are with CPM supporters and were smuggled to > >> Nandigram. > >> > >> The coal mafia from Burdwan is also believed to have played a key role in > >> the operation. The money from the mafia is believed to have supplied > >> funds > >> for the operation, helped in procuring ammunition and hire vehicles that > >> carried the armed men to the interior areas as the attack progressed. > >> > >> In your final paragraph, written in bold type in the version I received, > >> you write: > >> > >> "The balance of forces in the world is such that it would be impetuous to > >> split the left. We are faced with a world power that has demolished one > >> state (Iraq) and is now threatening another (Iran). This is not the time > >> for division when the basis of division no longer appears to exist." > >> > >> So here we get the motivation that led you to write the letter. You do > >> not > >> wish for a split in the left in the face of resurgent US imperialism. Let > >> me go back several years. As you are aware, the Fourth International had > >> been great supporters of the Nicaraguan Revolution, and we, here in > >> locally, tried our best to campaign for Nicaragua. At one stage, when > >> Halima Lopez Sarkar was appointed the Nicaraguan ambassador to India, the > >> CPI(M) decided to take up the campaign for Nicaragua. Of c ourse, with > >> their incomparably bigger force, they could do much more. But when I had > >> a > >> talk with a Sandinista comrade who came here, he accused us of being > >> sectarian to the CPI(M). I pointed out that our problem was simple – the > >> CPI(M) would not even let us do any united front work while retaining our > >> independent political stance. So even if we accept, as you obviously do, > >> that the CPI(M) is a legitimate part of the left, how would we be able to > >> avoid a split? In emails where what passes for debates, CPI(M) supporters > >> are not only abusive towards us, but even to RSP or forward Bloc, > >> partners > >> of the CPI(M) in the Left Front who have been critical about Nandigram as > >> well as the CPI(M)'s sudden volte face over the Nuclear Deal. > >> > >> Yet you are confident, that it is we who are impetuously causing the > >> split. > >> Tariq, the split is decades old. The CPI(M)'s idea of political hegemony > >> is simple – bash everyone on the left till they genuflect before you. But > >> according to you and your fellow signatories, the basis of divisions no > >> longer appears to exist. If by this you mean that Nandigram's resistance > >> has been smashed, that armed terrorists of the CPI(M) have silenced the > >> peasants, you are of course right. The basis however exists, because we > >> have been unable to accept what was done. > >> > >> Your argument, that in the face of the US, we must not fight the CPI(M), > >> can be extended to every tin pot dictator who takes a formal anti-US > >> stand. > >> Meanwhile, the CPI(M) led government constantly strives to welcome > >> multinationals, it fights tooth and nail in defence of globalization. In > >> lieu of several more pages of details, I offer you the URL of Sanhati > >> (Solidarity), an anti-globalization website. Here you will find plenty of > >> discussions about the Left front government and globalization. > >> > >> Nonetheless, you will say, what about the Left and its ability to > >> influence > >> the Government of India, or its ability to bring out millions in > >> demonstrations? Once more, even accepting your premise that when you say > >> CPI(M) you still say Left (would you make the same concession for the > >> right > >> wing of the old Italian CP?) , why can we not oppose the CPI(M) on other > >> issues? Or are you saying, that in the face of the US war threat, all > >> class > >> questions inside India disappear? Are you saying that those who are in > >> government and are implementing World Bank-IMF dictated economic policies > >> are such valiant fighters against imperialism that we must accept the > >> loving pats they give us, even through their guns? Would demobilizing > >> militant fighters be then the best road to militant anti-imperialism? I > >> never learnt that from Marx, Engels, Lenin, Trotsky, Luxemburg or Mandel. > >> > >> Long years of defeat and retreat have made many of us cautious. I agree > >> that the power of US imperialism is greater than it was. But I firmly > >> believe that we can best contribute to the anti-imperialist struggles by > >> consistent anti-capitalism at the point of our existence. When I joined > >> the > >> Trotskyist movement, nearly three decades back, this was clear to me. > >> This > >> was clear to me even before that, when I understood the meaning of Che's > >> call to create two, three, many Vietnams. And yes, on 14th November, > >> despite attempts to turn the protest demonstration into an "apolitical" > >> show by some high profile figures, there were banners and posters, like > >> the > >> one that said, Nandigram is Bengal's Vietnam, or the poster where Marx > >> says, "Not in My name." Don't, please, call for a cession of the > >> struggles of toilers in Marx's name, and don't claim that bourgeois > >> reformism, like some land distribution, some registration of > >> sharecroppers, > >> or panchayat elections, make West Bengal a planet apart. Stand by those > >> who > >> have been murdered, and their comrades, and don't call for a > >> reconciliation between defenders of the ruling class who use > >> sophisticated > >> Marxist sounding jargon, and the crude, unsophisticated, but militant > >> fighters who resist them. > >> > >> With comradely greetings > >> > >> Kunal Chattopadhyay > >> > >> Professor of History > >> Jadavpur University > >> Fourth Internationalist since 1980 > >> > >> _________________________________________ > >> 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. > >> To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > >> List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > > > > > > -- > > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > > does the frog know it has a latin name? > > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > > _________________________________________ > > 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. > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > > ------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > reader-list mailing list > reader-list at sarai.net > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > > End of reader-list Digest, Vol 52, Issue 64 > ******************************************* > From taraprakash at gmail.com Fri Nov 23 22:10:16 2007 From: taraprakash at gmail.com (TaraPrakash) Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2007 11:40:16 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] reader-list Digest, Vol 52, Issue 64 References: Message-ID: <013401c82def$87e0cef0$6400a8c0@taraprakash> Well, the discussion has taken place about that as well, and I guess you are free to start or continue the discussion on that. Good luck ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bain Al Satoor" To: Sent: Friday, November 23, 2007 11:12 AM Subject: Re: [Reader-list] reader-list Digest, Vol 52, Issue 64 > Hello all > > I am new to this group. Since the time i have joined this reader-list, > i am being bombarded with hot discussion (accompanied by long mails) > on Nandigram, Tasleema Nasreen, M. F. Hussain etc. etc. I must say > they are all informative and educating mails. But i wonder why there > is no discussion on Busharraf's emergency. > > i am trying to get to know what's happening there but the only good > weblinks that i could find are as follows, which are able to to > provide some updates > > http://paki-blogger.blogspot.com > > http://dictatorshipwatch.com > > http://academicsforfreedom.blogspot.com > > anyways... i think pakistan is too far and too troubled state to have > any discussion on. > > Good Luck to the right cause, right protest and right to protest on > Nandigram. > > Bain > > On Nov 23, 2007 9:03 PM, 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. Re: Kunal Chattopadhyay to Tariq Ali on Nandigram (TaraPrakash) >> >> >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- >> >> Message: 1 >> Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2007 10:33:42 -0500 >> From: "TaraPrakash" >> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Kunal Chattopadhyay to Tariq Ali on >> Nandigram >> To: "Abhishek Hazra" , "sarai list" >> >> Message-ID: <00a501c82de6$40e9a0c0$6400a8c0 at taraprakash> >> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="utf-8"; >> reply-type=original >> >> With due respect to the two American intelectuals, we are concerned with >> in >> this thread, I don't think Chomsky and Zin have as much to do with India, >> rather Nandi Gram, "a very small corner of a big country" --in the words >> of >> a Forward (read backward) Block MP-- as Labour party had to do with the >> government of India. Getting a letter signed by Chomsky and Zin can be an >> achievement as far as the left intellectuals are concerned, but for the >> people massacred in Nandi Gram and those living under the rule of terror >> in >> West Bengal, Gujarat, J&K and so on, it means nothing. As much as I know, >> Chomsky and Zin have written nothing that have anything substential to do >> with the suffering multitude in the developing countries, even if they >> had >> written, the sufferers can't care less. >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "Abhishek Hazra" >> To: "sarai list" >> Sent: Friday, November 23, 2007 2:55 AM >> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Kunal Chattopadhyay to Tariq Ali on Nandigram >> >> >> > thanks shuddha for the post, >> > reading it i was reminded of one of E.P. Thompson's essay (collected i >> > think in Writing by Candlelight) where he narrates his experience of >> > visiting india during the emergency and repeatedly facing the same >> > question from fellow indian communists: "why has the labour party >> > decided to support mrs. gandhi?" >> > >> > On Nov 23, 2007 4:09 AM, wrote: >> >> Dear All, >> >> >> >> Some of you may have read the letter signed by Chomsky, Zinn and >> >> others, >> >> prevaricating on Nandigram, primarily at the behest of Vijay Prashad. >> >> >> >> I am posting below a response, addressed to Tariq Ali by Kunal >> >> Chattopadhyay (he teaches history at Jadavpur University, Kolkata). >> >> Tariq >> >> Ali and Kunal Chattopadhyay were both comrades in the Fourth >> >> International. >> >> >> >> This informative post may be of interest to those following the >> >> continuing >> >> debate on West Bengal >> >> >> >> best >> >> >> >> Shuddha >> >> >> >> ------------------------------ >> >> >> >> >> >> An Open Letter to Tariq Ali >> >> Posted on www.sanhati.com >> >> >> >> By Kunal Chattopadhyay, Radicalblogger >> >> http://kunal-radicalblogger.blogspot.com/ >> >> >> >> Dear Tariq, >> >> >> >> When I was a very young radical, still a Maoist rather than a >> >> Trotskyist, >> >> it was your name, rather than that of Ernest Mandel, or of anyone >> >> else, >> >> that we came across, here in our part of India. There are still older >> >> comrades in West Bengal, who talk about a certain period of Fourth >> >> International history, in terms of "in those days of Tariq Ali". This >> >> is why, a statement, even though signed by Chomsky, Zinn and others, >> >> along >> >> with the man who seems to have carried out the coup, a gentleman named >> >> Vijay Prashad, becomes most painful because you are among the >> >> signatories. >> >> As you once wrote in one of your wonderful books, about another >> >> comrade >> >> of >> >> yours, 'there was fire in his belly in those days'. Perhaps we have >> >> all >> >> grown older, but some of us have refused to grow "wiser". >> >> >> >> I read, and re-read, with a growing sense of wonder, shame and above >> >> all >> >> anger, "the statement that some of you have signed. If you are >> >> uninformed, what gave you the authority to issue a pompous statement >> >> based >> >> on that lack of information? I write to you, because I consider you a >> >> comrade who has committed a mistake in signing this statement. >> >> >> >> Right at the beginning, you write: >> >> >> >> News travels to us that events in West Bengal have overtaken the >> >> optimism >> >> that some of us have experienced during trips to the state. We are >> >> concerned about the rancor that has divided the public space, created >> >> what >> >> appear to be unbridgeable gaps between people who share similar >> >> values. >> >> >> >> Who are these people who share similar values? Just what do you know >> >> about >> >> the values shared by those in governmental authority in West Bengal? >> >> You, >> >> and those others amongst you, who made trips here, met some of the >> >> CPI(M)'s intellectuals, who put on a special face for foreign >> >> delegations. But as someone who has known Marxism for longer than I >> >> have, >> >> you know well that it is never possible to judge people solely by what >> >> they >> >> say about themselves. When someone uses words like democracy, even >> >> socialism, anti-imperialism, unless you know the context, unless you >> >> know >> >> exactly what their political practice is, you cannot assume that they >> >> say >> >> those words in the same way that you, or someone else does. >> >> >> >> So let us begin by looking at values. Just a small example of values. >> >> When >> >> the Singur –Nandigram issues began blowing up, Medha Patkar, who >> >> happens >> >> to be one of India's most respected social movement activists, someone >> >> who has therefore been vilified by parties and governments across >> >> India, >> >> extended her solidarity for the militant people. CPI(M) leaders took >> >> umbrage. CPI(M) State Secretariat member (and Central Committee >> >> member) >> >> Benoy Konar, in a speech, called on women to show Medha Patkar their >> >> buttocks. When Medha tried to go to Nandigram, her car was blockaded, >> >> and >> >> some people, supporters of the CPI(M), indeed followed Konar's advice >> >> and >> >> showed Medha their buttocks. I could quote dozens of newspaper and >> >> television reports, but most clippings I have are in Bengali, so I >> >> give >> >> you >> >> the url of Medha's own report. >> >> >> >> I dare you, or any of your co-signatories, with the exception of Mr. >> >> Vijay >> >> Prashad, to come forward and assert that you share similar values as >> >> these >> >> people. >> >> >> >> I am sure, that once this open letter is circulated, it will also be >> >> trivialized by the murders who are posing as leftists and persuading >> >> you >> >> to >> >> sign on behalf of them. So let me say that this is not the only issue >> >> I >> >> am >> >> talking about when we say values. I will be talking about political >> >> outlook >> >> and values in other ways. But Tariq, in the most extreme days of the >> >> IMT >> >> line, when talking about guerilla warfare, did you ever call on your >> >> comrades to do unto political opponents, that which Benoy Konar >> >> suggested >> >> and that which his followers obliged by doing? >> >> >> >> If by values you mean left wing values, you would have to define more >> >> precisely what sort of leftism you are talking about. CPI(M) leaders >> >> and >> >> their government here in West Bengal are deeply wedded to a very >> >> authoritarian form of bourgeois democracy. I will be able to mention >> >> only >> >> a >> >> few cases below. But perhaps the clearest evidence is this – despite >> >> the >> >> fact that in the period 1971-1977, the Congress in power used utmost >> >> brutality, had people illegally arrested, tortured, many actually >> >> killed, >> >> in three decades in power, the CPI(M) led government has failed to >> >> carry >> >> though the prosecution of a single police officer of that era. >> >> >> >> In your statement, you present a euphemistic comment, saying that you >> >> are >> >> concerned about the rancor that has divided the public space. The >> >> "rancor" that you talk about is the result of a long period of >> >> violation of civil liberties, of brutal repression of political >> >> opposition >> >> and massive use of party cadres as thugs. The most respected civil >> >> liberties organization in West Bengal , the Association for the >> >> Protection >> >> of Democratic Rights, has recently been targeted by the chief >> >> minister, >> >> who >> >> claimed that the APDR is a Maoist outfit. The crime of the APDR was >> >> that >> >> it >> >> has consistently argued that everyone has political and civil rights, >> >> and >> >> these cannot be circumscribed without threatening all of us. >> >> >> >> Let me again give some illustration. Attacks on the Maoists, >> >> especially >> >> the >> >> organizations CPI(ML) Peoples' War, the Maoist Communist Centre, and >> >> after they merged, the CPI(Maoist) have been massive. Anyone suspected >> >> of >> >> being a Maoist has been arrested, even without real charges. And why >> >> is >> >> someone suspected? In Medinipur district, an activist of the APDR was >> >> arrested as a suspected Maoist, on the strength of material found in >> >> his >> >> possession. Such material included a copy of George Thompson's From >> >> Marx >> >> to Mao-tse Tung. I still have a copy at home, and I am wondering when >> >> it >> >> will be my turn to be arrested. In Kolkata, a man was arrested on >> >> suspicion >> >> of being a Maoist, and he was so traumatized by police action, that he >> >> committed suicide. (Ananda Bazar patrika, 9.7.2002). Four days after >> >> Ananda >> >> Bazar Patrika wrote about this, the CPI(M) daily newspaper, >> >> Ganashakti, >> >> reported that Benoy Konar told journalists, in reply to a question on >> >> whether the police had overstepped the boundaries of human rights, >> >> that >> >> it >> >> is difficult to determine the boundaries of human rights. In addition, >> >> Konar treated the media to the homily that the baton of the police is >> >> used >> >> as a repressive apparatus. (Ganashakti, 11.7,02). In 2002, the Chief >> >> Minister said that the KLO in North Bengal or the Maoists elsewhere >> >> were >> >> holding up development. So the priority for development was used to >> >> justify >> >> violence on them. The Home Minister's budget speech for 2002-2003 >> >> seeking >> >> additional funds for the police highlighted the commitment of the >> >> state >> >> to >> >> modernisation of the police for counter-insurgency; at a time when the >> >> government's debt burden had risen to 7500 billion rupees. (Amit >> >> Bhattacharya, 'Duhsomoy: Ganatantra, Manabadhikar O Paschimbanger >> >> 'Sangbedanshil' Sarkar', in Bartaman Lokayatik, 2002-2003, Nos. 3-4 >> >> and 1-2, pp. 238-270 . See especially pp. 245-7; and also Ananda Bazar >> >> Patrika, 7.8.2002) . >> >> >> >> There has been a long, very long trail of state and party sponsored >> >> violence. The APDR has regularly listed cases. Two comrades, members >> >> of >> >> the >> >> Nari Nirjatan Pratirodh Mancha (Forum Against Oppression of Women, >> >> Kolkata), Mira Roy and Soma Marik, have written a booklet, Women Under >> >> the >> >> left Front rule: Expectations Betrayed, where violence on women have >> >> been >> >> discussed extensively. Not all are cases of political violence. In >> >> many >> >> cases, we have seen how rapists have been defended by leaders of the >> >> ruling >> >> party. For example, in August 1991, a young woman had been arrested >> >> from >> >> a >> >> hotel in Kanthi, where she had registered with a male friend. She was >> >> then >> >> raped by the police. Virtually defending the police, Acting Chief >> >> Minister >> >> Benoy Chowdhury told the West Bengal Assembly that she had registered >> >> under >> >> an assumed name with a male friend. In other words, since she was a >> >> presumably unmarried woman "gone bad" it was fair enough if the police >> >> had a little fun with her. Values I share with them? No thanks. >> >> >> >> Violence over Singur and Nandigram are not unrelated to the foregoing. >> >> At >> >> one level, they reflect the culture of violence supported by the >> >> ruling >> >> party. At another level, they reflect the submission to neo-liberal >> >> globalization, even while a huge rhetoric is floated abroad for the >> >> consumption of international left-wing intellectuals. After all, we >> >> boast >> >> of an intellectual chief minister capable of quoting noted poets as >> >> part >> >> of >> >> his political spiels. So he needs the endorsement of intellectuals. >> >> >> >> You write, "We continue to trust that the people of Bengal will not >> >> allow >> >> their differences on some issues to tear apart the important >> >> experiments >> >> undertaken in the state (land reforms, local self-government)." Since >> >> the >> >> signature is mostly of leftwing persons, and since in particular I am >> >> writing to you, a well-known Marxist, I trust the signatories, and >> >> especially you, know that there is no unified and homogeneous people. >> >> I >> >> am >> >> sorry if I have to spell out such truisms. But in these days of >> >> triumph >> >> of >> >> neo-liberalism, this kind of woolly-woolly, non-class language is >> >> being >> >> resorted to, even by those whom I have always treated as charter >> >> members >> >> of >> >> the class struggle camp. West Bengal is part of India, and India is a >> >> bourgeois state with an economy where extremes coexist. From the >> >> latest >> >> in >> >> Information Technology in Sector V of Salt Lake, it will take you just >> >> about two and a half hours by car to get to Nandigram, where you have >> >> plenty of poor peasants eking out a living much as their grandparents >> >> did. >> >> Not that there has been no change, no development, but that has been >> >> limited development in a backward capitalist economy. Since the >> >> current >> >> conflicts seem minor to you, compared to the "important experiments", >> >> let us look at those experiments briefly. As I am not writing a >> >> treatise, >> >> I >> >> do not intend to write for long pages, nor to provide extensive >> >> footnotes. >> >> It is however necessary to question fundamentally the false claims of >> >> the >> >> West Bengal Government, that you seem to have swallowed hook, line and >> >> sinker. >> >> >> >> Some years back, when the PRC had just started its trek back to class >> >> collaborationist politics, a comrade in the PRC named Franco Grisolia >> >> wrote >> >> to two of us, asking for a note on the CPI(M) led government, as well >> >> as >> >> CPI(M)'s support to the UPA at the center, because this model was >> >> being >> >> held up by supporters of Bertinotti to justify their turn to the >> >> right. >> >> So >> >> Soma Marik and I wrote a longish essay, The Left Front and the United >> >> Progressive Alliance, one version of which was published in Italian, >> >> and >> >> another version, in English, was put up in the website of our comrades >> >> of >> >> Socialist Democracy, Irish supporters of the Fourth International. >> >> >> >> Just one paragraph from that essay will reveal an interesting story: >> >> "The >> >> key issue of land distribution, in fact, tells an interesting story. >> >> In >> >> 1967, and again in 1969, two short-lived United Front governments had >> >> been >> >> formed. There had been a mass upsurge, and huge land seizures and >> >> distribution. OF ALL the ceiling-surplus land vested with the state >> >> since >> >> 1953 (when the West Bengal Estate Acquisition Act was passed) and the >> >> year >> >> 2000, as much as 44 per cent of this land (6 lakh acres) was obtained >> >> in >> >> the five-year period between 1967 and 1972, thanks to the energetic >> >> initiatives of the two United Fronts; another 26% (3.5 lakh acres) had >> >> been >> >> acquired earlier. In the last 20 years of Left Front rule only 1.53 >> >> lakh >> >> acres were acquired, which amounts to almost a quarter of what was >> >> achieved >> >> during the very short UF regime and almost a half of what was obtained >> >> during the 14 years (1953-1967) of Congress rule." The two United >> >> Front >> >> governments saw an active left, and one moreover facing a serious >> >> challenge >> >> from the emerging Maoist forces who eventually became the CPI (ML). >> >> Land >> >> reform at that time was based on popular initiative, not bureaucratic >> >> measures. The collapse of the governments clearly taught the CPI (M) a >> >> lesson – to wit, do not rock the boat of the bourgeoisie and their >> >> partners if you want a long stint. >> >> >> >> As for the important local self government experiments that you talk >> >> about, >> >> what, really, is significant? The three tier panchayat system has been >> >> in >> >> operation in other provinces as well. Digvijay Singh, the Congress >> >> chief >> >> minister of Madhya Pradesh, took measures to extend it to the level of >> >> the >> >> individual village. Despite much talk about panchayats being organs of >> >> self-rule of peasants, rich peasants and teachers formed the bulk. And >> >> given the fact that the poorer classes seldom were able to let their >> >> children finish secondary education, let alone college, teachers came >> >> from >> >> rich peasant families, or from non-agricultural families. A survey in >> >> one >> >> of the districts, Purulia, further showed that real help was received >> >> from >> >> the government's developmental projects by a significant part of the >> >> rural rich, using their positions in the panchayats. (Prabir >> >> Bhattacharyya, >> >> ed, Anva Artha 19: Bamfront Sarkar—Ekti Mulyayan, Calcutta, May 1985, >> >> pp.11-14.) >> >> >> >> You next write: >> >> >> >> "We send our fullest solidarity to the peasants who have been forcibly >> >> dispossessed. We understand that the government has promised not to >> >> build >> >> a >> >> chemical hub in the area around Nandigram. We understand that those >> >> who >> >> had >> >> been dispossessed by the violence are now being allowed back to their >> >> homes, without recrimination. We understand that there is now talk of >> >> reconciliation. This is what we favor." >> >> >> >> This paragraph was drafted by/ is based on arguments by someone who is >> >> a >> >> dab hand at creating confusions that eventually aid exploiters, but is >> >> at >> >> the same time able to pull the wool over the eyes of leftists who are >> >> a >> >> little away from the scene. "We send our fullest solidarity to the >> >> peasants who have been forcibly dispossessed." Exactly which groups >> >> are >> >> you talking about? Evidently not those of Singur, since the next >> >> sentence >> >> clearly talks about Nandigram. In Singur, a colonial era law was used >> >> to >> >> dispossess peasants, to hand over land to one of India's major >> >> capitalist >> >> concerns, the Tatas. Even if we accept, (as I do not, as I hope you >> >> still >> >> do not), the logic of the "free market", why should a supposedly >> >> progressive government use a colonial law to dispossess peasants for >> >> the >> >> benefit of a capitalist group that is so rich that it can bid for and >> >> win >> >> in a battle to control a First World company? Why did the government >> >> not >> >> tell the Tatas to go and negotiate directly with the peasants so that >> >> they >> >> could get whatever benefits they were able to wrest? Moreover, perhaps >> >> your >> >> informants forgot to tell you, that there were vast numbers of share >> >> croppers, agricultural labourers, as well as people in various >> >> industries >> >> and transportation sectors in and around Singur, for whom the rich >> >> agricultural land of singur mattered. Thus, people in the potato >> >> industry >> >> (for Singur grows potato) lost out. People transporting potato lost >> >> out. >> >> Wage labourers lost out. And these, the proletarian sections, have >> >> received >> >> what compensation? The answer, dear Tariq, is zilch. >> >> >> >> So let us pass on to Nandigram. There, your statement is >> >> extraordinarily >> >> damaging. If it had come from comparable intellectuals in India, I >> >> would >> >> have used stronger language. I suppose that ignorance lets you >> >> partially >> >> off the hook. What is sad is that you think it perfectly legitimate to >> >> issue a statement even though you are ignorant about the details. >> >> >> >> There have been two charges of being dispossessed. On 6th January, >> >> 2007, >> >> CPI(M) thugs attacked peasants, and the retaliatory violence drove out >> >> a >> >> number of them. A further lot left of their own, fearful of the >> >> situation. >> >> They all stayed in a place called Khejuri. The CVPI(M) has claimed >> >> high >> >> figures – sometimes mentioning 1500, sometimes 3000. No independent >> >> investigation has proved this. Several of us went to Nandigram after >> >> the >> >> CPI(M) attack of 14 March, when 14 persons, at least, were murdered, >> >> and >> >> at >> >> least four women were raped. At that time, our investigations >> >> suggested >> >> that the total number of CPI(M) supporters forced to leave Nandigram >> >> were >> >> around 300. The APDR twice sent teams to Khejuri, and suggested a >> >> figure >> >> of >> >> around 350. Out of these, some 35 had clearly been identified by >> >> peasants >> >> in Nandigram as active elements in the so-called cadre force of CPI(M) >> >> , >> >> i.e., the gun toting criminals who eventually carried out the November >> >> attacks to "reconquer" Nandigram. Now, in the first days, tens of >> >> thousands fled. Over the last few days they have trickled back, after >> >> having pledged loyalty to the CPI(M). So there is no recrimination, >> >> provided you have the 100% support for the CPI(M). >> >> >> >> You write that you understand that the government has promised not to >> >> build >> >> a chemical hub around Nandigram. This specific reference comes as a >> >> surprise. Because it is actually once again a case of your walking >> >> into a >> >> trap. First, the chemical hub, and a number of similar proposals, are >> >> all >> >> of the same type – calls to build SEZs. If SEZs are built, who will >> >> they >> >> benefit? They will not follow even India's far from excellent labour >> >> laws. Secondly, the chemical hub, wherever built, is going to be an >> >> environmental disaster. Finally, and most crucially, the West Bengal >> >> government never formally promised not to build the chemical hub in >> >> Nandigram. What they said was that it will not be built in Nandigram >> >> if >> >> the >> >> people do not want it. Now, after the CPI(M) conquest,( for that is >> >> what >> >> it >> >> was, it was not even the state apparatus going in, but armed forces of >> >> the >> >> major party of the Left Front), what if people are compelled to say >> >> that >> >> yes, they do want the chemical hub? Let me remind you, that the CPI(M) >> >> is >> >> among the world's largest surviving parties of Stalinist origin, and >> >> while the Moscow tie is long gone, the Moscow style has been >> >> retained — >> >> but in the service of capitalism. Today's (21st November) newspapers >> >> already carry a news about how peasants have been forced to give >> >> written >> >> apologies to the CPI(M) in order to go and work in their fields. >> >> >> >> You talk of reconciliation. Between whom do you wish for >> >> reconciliation? >> >> Now that the CPI(M) has actually conquered the territory by force, >> >> would >> >> a >> >> humble acquiescence, given the inability to do anything else, be >> >> treated >> >> as >> >> reconciliation? Perhaps a little more detail about who the cadres were >> >> and >> >> how they fought the peasants would come in handy. Cadres — local >> >> criminals mostly involved in robbery cases — for the operation were >> >> drawn >> >> from Chandrakona and Garbeta zonal committees. Also, cadres were sent >> >> from >> >> Narayangarh and Keshiary areas. Another group of around 250 armed CPM >> >> supporters and criminals came from the villages of Punishol at Onda >> >> and >> >> Rajpur, Taldangra in Bankura. >> >> >> >> Sources said criminals were given money in advance and given a >> >> free-hand >> >> to >> >> bring whatever they could from the empty homes once the operation is >> >> complete. Sources said one such group that has returned to Onda came >> >> with >> >> motorcycles. >> >> >> >> The Bankura group reached Nandigram after travelling by train and then >> >> road. The group boarded trains and allegedly got off at Balichak, four >> >> stations after Kharagpur, and then headed towards Nandigram via >> >> Khejuri >> >> in >> >> the guise of daily wage earners. They take the same disguise when they >> >> go >> >> to Bihar and Jharkhand to collect arms, sources said. >> >> >> >> Most of these people are suspected to be running arms smuggling >> >> rackets. >> >> The arms used in the recapture operation are believed to have been >> >> supplied >> >> from these suppliers. >> >> >> >> Another cache of arms came from Purulia where party workers had >> >> received >> >> arms to combat Maoists. It is also suspected that the arms gone >> >> missing >> >> after the Purulia arms drop are with CPM supporters and were smuggled >> >> to >> >> Nandigram. >> >> >> >> The coal mafia from Burdwan is also believed to have played a key role >> >> in >> >> the operation. The money from the mafia is believed to have supplied >> >> funds >> >> for the operation, helped in procuring ammunition and hire vehicles >> >> that >> >> carried the armed men to the interior areas as the attack progressed. >> >> >> >> In your final paragraph, written in bold type in the version I >> >> received, >> >> you write: >> >> >> >> "The balance of forces in the world is such that it would be impetuous >> >> to >> >> split the left. We are faced with a world power that has demolished >> >> one >> >> state (Iraq) and is now threatening another (Iran). This is not the >> >> time >> >> for division when the basis of division no longer appears to exist." >> >> >> >> So here we get the motivation that led you to write the letter. You do >> >> not >> >> wish for a split in the left in the face of resurgent US imperialism. >> >> Let >> >> me go back several years. As you are aware, the Fourth International >> >> had >> >> been great supporters of the Nicaraguan Revolution, and we, here in >> >> locally, tried our best to campaign for Nicaragua. At one stage, when >> >> Halima Lopez Sarkar was appointed the Nicaraguan ambassador to India, >> >> the >> >> CPI(M) decided to take up the campaign for Nicaragua. Of c ourse, with >> >> their incomparably bigger force, they could do much more. But when I >> >> had >> >> a >> >> talk with a Sandinista comrade who came here, he accused us of being >> >> sectarian to the CPI(M). I pointed out that our problem was simple – >> >> the >> >> CPI(M) would not even let us do any united front work while retaining >> >> our >> >> independent political stance. So even if we accept, as you obviously >> >> do, >> >> that the CPI(M) is a legitimate part of the left, how would we be able >> >> to >> >> avoid a split? In emails where what passes for debates, CPI(M) >> >> supporters >> >> are not only abusive towards us, but even to RSP or forward Bloc, >> >> partners >> >> of the CPI(M) in the Left Front who have been critical about Nandigram >> >> as >> >> well as the CPI(M)'s sudden volte face over the Nuclear Deal. >> >> >> >> Yet you are confident, that it is we who are impetuously causing the >> >> split. >> >> Tariq, the split is decades old. The CPI(M)'s idea of political >> >> hegemony >> >> is simple – bash everyone on the left till they genuflect before you. >> >> But >> >> according to you and your fellow signatories, the basis of divisions >> >> no >> >> longer appears to exist. If by this you mean that Nandigram's >> >> resistance >> >> has been smashed, that armed terrorists of the CPI(M) have silenced >> >> the >> >> peasants, you are of course right. The basis however exists, because >> >> we >> >> have been unable to accept what was done. >> >> >> >> Your argument, that in the face of the US, we must not fight the >> >> CPI(M), >> >> can be extended to every tin pot dictator who takes a formal anti-US >> >> stand. >> >> Meanwhile, the CPI(M) led government constantly strives to welcome >> >> multinationals, it fights tooth and nail in defence of globalization. >> >> In >> >> lieu of several more pages of details, I offer you the URL of Sanhati >> >> (Solidarity), an anti-globalization website. Here you will find plenty >> >> of >> >> discussions about the Left front government and globalization. >> >> >> >> Nonetheless, you will say, what about the Left and its ability to >> >> influence >> >> the Government of India, or its ability to bring out millions in >> >> demonstrations? Once more, even accepting your premise that when you >> >> say >> >> CPI(M) you still say Left (would you make the same concession for the >> >> right >> >> wing of the old Italian CP?) , why can we not oppose the CPI(M) on >> >> other >> >> issues? Or are you saying, that in the face of the US war threat, all >> >> class >> >> questions inside India disappear? Are you saying that those who are in >> >> government and are implementing World Bank-IMF dictated economic >> >> policies >> >> are such valiant fighters against imperialism that we must accept the >> >> loving pats they give us, even through their guns? Would demobilizing >> >> militant fighters be then the best road to militant anti-imperialism? >> >> I >> >> never learnt that from Marx, Engels, Lenin, Trotsky, Luxemburg or >> >> Mandel. >> >> >> >> Long years of defeat and retreat have made many of us cautious. I >> >> agree >> >> that the power of US imperialism is greater than it was. But I firmly >> >> believe that we can best contribute to the anti-imperialist struggles >> >> by >> >> consistent anti-capitalism at the point of our existence. When I >> >> joined >> >> the >> >> Trotskyist movement, nearly three decades back, this was clear to me. >> >> This >> >> was clear to me even before that, when I understood the meaning of >> >> Che's >> >> call to create two, three, many Vietnams. And yes, on 14th November, >> >> despite attempts to turn the protest demonstration into an >> >> "apolitical" >> >> show by some high profile figures, there were banners and posters, >> >> like >> >> the >> >> one that said, Nandigram is Bengal's Vietnam, or the poster where Marx >> >> says, "Not in My name." Don't, please, call for a cession of the >> >> struggles of toilers in Marx's name, and don't claim that bourgeois >> >> reformism, like some land distribution, some registration of >> >> sharecroppers, >> >> or panchayat elections, make West Bengal a planet apart. Stand by >> >> those >> >> who >> >> have been murdered, and their comrades, and don't call for a >> >> reconciliation between defenders of the ruling class who use >> >> sophisticated >> >> Marxist sounding jargon, and the crude, unsophisticated, but militant >> >> fighters who resist them. >> >> >> >> With comradely greetings >> >> >> >> Kunal Chattopadhyay >> >> >> >> Professor of History >> >> Jadavpur University >> >> Fourth Internationalist since 1980 >> >> >> >> _________________________________________ >> >> 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. >> >> To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >> >> List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> >> > >> > >> > >> > -- >> > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - >> > does the frog know it has a latin name? >> > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - >> > _________________________________________ >> > 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. >> > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >> > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> >> >> >> >> ------------------------------ >> >> _______________________________________________ >> reader-list mailing list >> reader-list at sarai.net >> https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >> >> >> End of reader-list Digest, Vol 52, Issue 64 >> ******************************************* >> > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From pawan.durani at gmail.com Sat Nov 24 09:30:21 2007 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Sat, 24 Nov 2007 09:30:21 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Biman Bose - Taslima Nasreen Message-ID: <6b79f1a70711232000taa61405y7fbcef4f379f01b0@mail.gmail.com> Just a question ! Why did Biman Bose and CPM ask Taslima Nasreen to leave ? Is it appeasement and election related issue ? From jeebesh at sarai.net Sat Nov 24 16:00:47 2007 From: jeebesh at sarai.net (Jeebesh Bagchi) Date: Sat, 24 Nov 2007 15:30:47 +0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Biman Bose - Taslima Nasreen In-Reply-To: <6b79f1a70711232000taa61405y7fbcef4f379f01b0@mail.gmail.com> References: <6b79f1a70711232000taa61405y7fbcef4f379f01b0@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: On 24-Nov-07, at 9:00 AM, Pawan Durani wrote: > Just a question ! > > Why did Biman Bose and CPM ask Taslima Nasreen to leave ? Is it > appeasement > and election related issue ? To whom are you asking this profound question. It will be best to ask Biman Bose or whoever. Keep thinking such high minded and stimulating questions. From yasir.media at gmail.com Sat Nov 24 15:56:55 2007 From: yasir.media at gmail.com (yasir ~) Date: Sat, 24 Nov 2007 02:26:55 -0800 Subject: [Reader-list] Fwd: [People'sResistance] This article is an eye opener!/ Ahmed Quraishi article In-Reply-To: References: <95720.51572.qm@web55005.mail.re4.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <5af37bb0711240226u79ac8b0ajffa832592b2c33ac@mail.gmail.com> FYI ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: sara inayat Date: Nov 24, 2007 2:15 AM Dear All, I seek your opinions on a letter that i plan to write to Indian newspapers. The Idea is to get the Indian government to quit sitting on the fence and to speak out against state excesses in Pakistan. the main idea however is to condemn the Indian government's decision to permit cricket between the two teams. The aparthied regime in south Africa was barred from participating in any international sporting competitions. There is no way for us to measure the impact that this had on the collapse of the Aparthied regime, howver it did build soft pressure on the regime. by taking such an action the international community made it obvious to the world that Aparthied was unacceptable. Perhaps a similar pressure can be built up on the Pakistani state by refusing to let the cricket team participate in any match. Plz also be mindful of the fact that the ICC and the cricketers of the world had noithing to say about the incarceration of Imran Khan. That is not only shocking its downright shameful. Just let me know what u think . Once we have a concensus on this ill send out the letter. In the letter i have also complained of the indifference of the indian judges,, lawyers and journalists. My understanding of the indian civil society's response to the martial law is based on Kudip Nayar' recent article in Dawn. According to that article the response has been quite pathetic. Plz do comment , as i want to send this letter only after consulting u guys. Regards sara Inayat + from All list http://pakvoices.net/ From yasir.media at gmail.com Sat Nov 24 16:00:33 2007 From: yasir.media at gmail.com (yasir ~) Date: Sat, 24 Nov 2007 02:30:33 -0800 Subject: [Reader-list] letter that i plan to write to Indian newspapers Message-ID: <5af37bb0711240230y3e52b1efm63c3d60cfeac591@mail.gmail.com> FYI ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: sara inayat Date: Nov 24, 2007 2:15 AM Dear All, I seek your opinions on a letter that i plan to write to Indian newspapers. The Idea is to get the Indian government to quit sitting on the fence and to speak out against state excesses in Pakistan. the main idea however is to condemn the Indian government's decision to permit cricket between the two teams. The aparthied regime in south Africa was barred from participating in any international sporting competitions. There is no way for us to measure the impact that this had on the collapse of the Aparthied regime, howver it did build soft pressure on the regime. by taking such an action the international community made it obvious to the world that Aparthied was unacceptable. Perhaps a similar pressure can be built up on the Pakistani state by refusing to let the cricket team participate in any match. Plz also be mindful of the fact that the ICC and the cricketers of the world had noithing to say about the incarceration of Imran Khan. That is not only shocking its downright shameful. Just let me know what u think . Once we have a concensus on this ill send out the letter. In the letter i have also complained of the indifference of the indian judges,, lawyers and journalists. My understanding of the indian civil society's response to the martial law is based on Kudip Nayar' recent article in Dawn. According to that article the response has been quite pathetic. Plz do comment , as i want to send this letter only after consulting u guys. Regards sara Inayat + from All list http://pakvoices.net/ From taraprakash at gmail.com Sat Nov 24 18:55:04 2007 From: taraprakash at gmail.com (TaraPrakash) Date: Sat, 24 Nov 2007 08:25:04 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] nandi gram: lessons and challenges (from m.l.) References: <6b79f1a70711232000taa61405y7fbcef4f379f01b0@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <004001c82e9d$6f3ad950$6400a8c0@taraprakash> Nandigram-III: Lessons and Challenges CPIML, Editorial from Liberation, December 2007 The year 2007 will be remembered as the year when the CPI(M) completely unmasked itself in the mirror of Nandigram. If January 2007 was re-enacted in March, November witnessed a brutal replay of the atrocities perpetrated in March 2007. Each time the operation has been more lethal and barbaric than the previous episode. If in March, the massacre was perpetrated under the joint auspices of the police force and armed marauders patronized by the party, in November the CPI(M) chose to keep the police in the background letting the party's armed machinery be in exclusive charge of the entire operation. But sure enough, on every occasion, the killings have been preceded by categorical commands from some central leaders of the CPI(M). The March 14-15 mayhem had followed in the wake of a televised threat issued by CPI(M) Central Committee member and peasant association leader Benoy Konar to make Nandigram a "living hell". Likewise, the November killings too were forewarned by none other than Brinda Karat, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and Rajya Sabha MP when she publicly advocated "Dumdum dawai" (direct physical action) to silence Nandigram. What cruel jokes history can play! The expression "Dumdum dawai" had gained popular currency in Bengal in the course of the food movement of the 1960s when the Left-led masses administered this medicine of physical action against hoarders and profiteers. Today once again, West Bengal is in the throes of a powerful food movement, and this time the movement is directed against the CPI(M)-led government and the nexus of corrupt PDS dealers, panchayat functionaries, middlemen and government officials that is almost invariably identified with and blessed by the CPI(M). There is also another dimension to the "Dumdum dawai" irony. Rural women have visibly been in the forefront of the Singur-Nandigram resistance, and they have also had to bear the brunt of the barbaric repression unleashed by the state-CPI(M) combine. The "Dumdum dawai" advocated by the 'firebrand' women's leader of the CPI(M) has been duly delivered in the form of more abuse, rapes and killings directed at the brave and fighting women of Nandigram. A comparative study of the post-incident statements of West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee will also be in order. After Nandigram-I, the CM said it was wrong on the part of the Haldia Development Authority to issue the notice announcing the impending acquisition of land. He asked for the HDA land acquisition notice to be torn and consigned to the waste-paper basket. Following Nandigram-II, he said the 'incident' was unfortunate and as Chief Minister he owned all moral responsibility (without of course taking any concrete corrective step except withdrawing the SEZ proposal). The same CM has now greeted Nandigram-III as a case of tit-for-tat justice: "they have been paid back in their own coin!" The timing of the operation is also worth noting. Nandigram-III happened at a time when the whole of West Bengal was immersed in Kalipuja-Dipavali festivities. The focus of the media had already shifted to other issues – Rizwanur's 'mysterious death' in particular. As for the discourse concerning Nandigram, debates had veered around the need for deployment of central paramilitary forces with the State Government itself requesting the Centre for CRPF battalions. In fact, while the operation was on, CRPF jawans were already on their way to Nandigram, but the actual posting was delayed by the district administration and the CPI(M) machinery till "Operation Nandigrab" came to a temporary conclusion! Meanwhile, activists and mediapersons trying to enter Nandigram also got a taste of Brinda's "Dumdum dawai" concoction. The CPI(M) may well believe that it has now conclusively won the battle of Nandigram. With only a few months to go before the forthcoming panchayat elections, it may reasonably calculate that it has now sufficiently galvanized its 'electoral machinery'. But there are indications galore that it has already lost heavily in the larger war of Nandigram. Inside West Bengal, the CPI(M)'s mass isolation has reached a new high as demonstrated so visibly by the unprecedented scale and composition of the November 14 dhikkar michhil (march of the people condemning the CPI(M) and its government and congratulating the fighting people of Singur and Nandigram). From the Governor and High Court to the media and intelligentsia to its own partners in the Left Front – the CPI(M) now has to direct its barbs almost at everybody except its own poor shadow in West Bengal. In many ways, the pattern of ossification and degeneration of the CPI(M) rule in West Bengal resembles the East European syndrome. For an authentic and moving description of the signs of degeneration of the 'Left' powerlords of West Bengal, one does not have to go any farther than veteran Marxist economist and writer Ashok Mitra. In one of his recent articles, Mitra has even gone to the extent of comparing the ruling CPI(M) in Buddahadeb's dispensation to the anti-social dominated Congress of the 1970s in Siddhartha Shankar Ray's regime. The veteran Marxist is alarmed that this degeneration may well pave the way for some sort of reactionary and even fascist revival in West Bengal. Yet Mitra has no hope of a Left and democratic resurgence in West Bengal and his only weapon against the rotten present and a frightening future is an 'appeal' to the CPI(M) central leadership to read the writing on Kolkata walls. At the other end of this spectrum of disillusionment are activists and intellectuals who either harbour fond hopes of 'democratising' and 'radicalising' Mamata Banerjee or see a resurgent civil society as the panacea for all that ails Bengal. We beg to differ from both these approaches. While fully sharing the anguish of Ashok Mitra and wholeheartedly welcoming the new-found activism of the civil society, we firmly believe that the need of the hour is to reorient the Left movement in the country along revolutionary lines. The CPI(M) leaders who camouflage their capitulation to capital and capitalism as 'development-oriented class struggle' and seek to justify the serial massacres and continuous bloodletting in Nandigram in the name of 'peace, justice and democracy' are doing an unpardonable disservice to the entire Left and democratic camp in the country. The Left movement therefore needs a bold new direction and a new leadership. Indeed, from the fighting rural poor of West Bengal to the progressive student community of JNU, the yearning for a radical alternative can be felt everywhere. Let us do all we can to strengthen this alternative direction and back it with an alternative framework of Left and democratic unity. From ysaeed7 at yahoo.com Sat Nov 24 18:57:47 2007 From: ysaeed7 at yahoo.com (Yousuf) Date: Sat, 24 Nov 2007 05:27:47 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] letter that i plan to write to Indian newspapers In-Reply-To: <5af37bb0711240230y3e52b1efm63c3d60cfeac591@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <303194.85733.qm@web51405.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Dear Sara Inayat You should certainly write this letter, but Indian govt. would rather spend its energy on pressurizing Pakistan if the latter is promoting cross border terrorism. This emergency everyone thinks is actually meant to fight the extremists, so they think its good for India. The silence of Indian lawyers and judges is certainly pathetic although predictable. But I am not sure if banning India-Pak cricket would mean anything. Imran Khan is struggling as a politician, and every one should condemn his arrest not just because he was a cricketer. Pakistani cricket team may have been sent by the state, but some of us (in India) believe that India-Pak cricket actually promotes a bomhomie between us. (of course there are some in India who want to ban it for certain other reasons too). In that regard it would be good to allow the cricket going on. BTW, I had sent a message on a few Indian e-lists condemning the banning of Paksitani TV channels, but no one reacted to it. We have too many of our own problems to deal with. Yousuf --- yasir ~ wrote: > FYI > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: sara inayat > Date: Nov 24, 2007 2:15 AM > > > > Dear All, > I seek your opinions on a letter that i plan to > write to Indian > newspapers. The Idea is to get the Indian government > to quit sitting > on the fence and to speak out against state excesses > in Pakistan. the > main idea however is to condemn the Indian > government's decision to > permit cricket between the two teams. > The aparthied regime in south Africa was barred from > participating in > any international sporting competitions. There is no > way for us to > measure the impact that this had on the collapse of > the Aparthied > regime, howver it did build soft pressure on the > regime. by taking > such an action the international community made it > obvious to the > world that Aparthied was unacceptable. > Perhaps a similar pressure can be built up on the > Pakistani state by > refusing to let the cricket team participate in any > match. Plz also be > mindful of the fact that the ICC and the cricketers > of the world had > noithing to say about the incarceration of Imran > Khan. That is not > only shocking its downright shameful. > Just let me know what u think . Once we have a > concensus on this ill > send out the letter. > In the letter i have also complained of the > indifference of the indian > judges,, lawyers and journalists. My understanding > of the indian civil > society's response to the martial law is based on > Kudip Nayar' recent > article in Dawn. According to that article the > response has been quite > pathetic. > Plz do comment , as i want to send this letter only > after consulting u guys. > Regards > sara Inayat > > + > > from All list > > http://pakvoices.net/ > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better sports nut! Let your teams follow you with Yahoo Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/sports;_ylt=At9_qDKvtAbMuh1G1SQtBI7ntAcJ From shuddha at sarai.net Sat Nov 24 23:15:05 2007 From: shuddha at sarai.net (shuddha at sarai.net) Date: Sat, 24 Nov 2007 23:15:05 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Response to Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn et al on Nandigram Message-ID: Response to Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn et al on Nandigram We (the undersigned) read with growing dismay the statement signed by Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn and others advising those opposing the CPI(M)'s pro-capitalist policies in West Bengal not to “split the Left” in the face of American imperialism. We believe that for some of the signatories, their distance from events in India has resulted in their falling prey to a CPI(M) public relations coup and that they may have signed the statement without fully realising the import of it and what it means here in India, not just in Bengal. We cannot believe that many of the signatories whom we know personally, and whose work we respect, share the values of the CPI(M) - to "share similar values" with the party today is to stand for unbridled capitalist development, nuclear energy at the cost of both ecological concerns and mass displacement of people (the planned nuclear plant at Haripur, West Bengal), and the Stalinist arrogance that the party knows what "the people" need better than the people themselves. Moreover, the violence that has been perpetrated by CPI(M) cadres to browbeat the peasants into submission, including time-tested weapons like rape, demonstrate that this “Left” shares little with the Left ideals that we cherish. Over the last decade, the policies of the Left Front government in West Bengal have become virtually indistinguishable from those of other parties committed to the neoliberal agenda. Indeed, “the important experiments undertaken in the State” – the land reforms referred to in the statement - are being rapidly reversed. According to figures provided by the West Bengal state secretary for land reforms, over the past five years there has been a massive increase of landless peasants in the state due to government acquisition of land cheaply for handing over to corporations and developing posh upper class neighbourhoods. We urge our friends to take very seriously the fact that all over the country, democratic rights groups, activists and intellectuals of impeccable democratic credentials have come out in full support of the Nandigram struggle. The statement reiterates the CPI(M)'s claim that "there will be no chemical hub" in Nandigram, but this assurance is itself deliberately misleading. This is the explanation repeatedly offered by CPI(M) for the first round of resistance in Nandigram – that people reacted to a baseless rumour that there would be land acquisitions in the area. In fact, as the Chief Minister himself conceded in the State Assembly, it was no rumour but a notification issued by the Haldia Development Authority on January 2, 2007 indicating the approximate size and location of the projected SEZ, which triggered the turmoil. The major factor shaping popular reaction to the notification was Singur. Singur was the chronicle of the fate foretold for Nandigram. There, land was acquired in most cases without the consent of peasant-owners and at gun-point (terrorizing people is one way of obtaining their consent), under the colonial Land Acquisition Act (1894). That land is now under the control of the industrial house of the Tatas, cordoned off and policed by the state police of West Bengal. The dispossessed villagers are lost to history. A fortunate few among them will become wage slaves of the Tatas on the land on which they were once owners. While the CPM-led West Bengal government has announced that it will not go ahead with the chemical hub without the consent of the people of Nandigram, it has not announced any plans of withdrawing its commitment to the neo-liberal development model. It has not announced the shelving of plans to create Special Economic Zones. It has not withdrawn its invitation to Dow Chemicals (formerly known as Union Carbide, the corporation responsible for tens of thousands of deaths in Bhopal) to invest in West Bengal. In other words, there are many more Nandigrams waiting to happen. In any case, the reason for the recently renewed violence in Nandigram has been widely established to have nothing to do with the rumour or otherwise of a chemical hub. Print and visual media, independent reports, the governor of West Bengal (Gopal Gandhi) and the State Home Secretary’s police intelligence all establish that this round of violence was initiated by the CPI(M) to re-establish its control in the area. We all have seen TV coverage of unarmed villagers barricaded behind walls of rubble, while policemen train their guns on them. With the plans it has for the future, regaining control over Nandigram is vital for the CPI(M) to reassure its corporate partners that it is in complete control of the situation and that any kind of resistance will be comprehensively crushed. The euphemism for this in the free marketplace is ‘creating a good investment climate’. The anti-Taslima Nasreen angle that has recently been linked to the Nandigram struggle against land acquisition is disturbing to all of us. However, we should remember that it is largely Muslim peasants who are being dispossessed by land acquisitions all over the state. There is a general crisis of confidence of the Muslim community vis-à-vis the Left Front government, inaugurated by the current Chief Minister’s aggressive campaign to “clean up” madarsas, followed by the revelation of the Sachar Committee that Muslim employment in government jobs in West Bengal is among the lowest in the country. While we condemn the attempts to utilize this discontent and channelize it in sectarian ways, we feel very strongly that it would be unfortunate if the entire anger of the community were to be mobilized by communal and sectarian tendencies within it. Such a situation would be inevitable if all Left forces were seen to be backing the CPI(M). This is why at this critical juncture it is crucial to articulate a Left position that is simultaneously against forcible land acquisition in Nandigram and for the right of Tasleema Nasreen to live, write and speak freely in India. History has shown us that internal dissent is invariably silenced by dominant forces claiming that a bigger enemy is at the gate. Iraq and Iran are not the only targets of that bigger enemy. The struggle against SEZ’s and corporate globalization is an intrinsic part of the struggle against US imperialism. We urge our fellow travellers among the signatories to that statement, not to treat the “Left” as homogeneous, for there are many different tendencies which claim that mantle, as indeed you will recognize if you look at the names on your own statement. Mahashweta Devi Arundhati Roy Sumit Sarkar Uma Chakravarty Tanika Sarkar Moinak Biswas Kaushik Ghosh Saroj Giri Sourin Bhattacharya Nirmalangshu Mukherji Sibaji Bandyopadhyay Swapan Chakravorty Rajarshi Dasgupta Anand Chakravarty Apoorvanand Shuddhabrata Sengupta Nivedita Menon Aditya Nigam From shambhu.rahmat at gmail.com Sun Nov 25 10:59:50 2007 From: shambhu.rahmat at gmail.com (Shambhu Rahmat) Date: Sun, 25 Nov 2007 11:29:50 +0600 Subject: [Reader-list] Back To The Future in Bangladesh Message-ID: The debate about war crimes denial continues in Bangladesh. But history is not on our side as witnesses are dying out and documents have been destroyed comprehensively over 30 years. Going Deeper Back to the future Kazi Anwarul Masud http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=12887 One wonders about the audacity of Jamaat-e-Islami leaders raising questions about the liberation war and their description of the war as a civil conflict not so long ago. It should not be lost on Jamaat that the moment the Bangalis refused to be a part of Pakistan and the armed forces and the civilians took up arms (as well as those who did not, but rebelled against the central authority) -- the "civilian" character of the conflict dramatically changed. It was not the French Revolution against an insensitive king and aristocracy or the Bolshevik Revolution against the Czar, though both changed the course of the world history, it was a war by the people, for the people, and of the people. Only an amnesiac can forget that a Jamaat leader himself as the president of East Pakistan Islami Chatra Sangha and as the chief of the infamous Al-Badr back in 1971 helped then occupying Pakistani army in carrying out massacre, looting, and rape. The present amir of Jamaat-e-Islami, as president of Islamic Chatra Sangha, directly supervised the formation of Al-Badr Bahini and became its commander-in-chief. The atrocities committed by the Pakistani army and their cohorts, namely Jamaat-e-Islami and their offshoots like Al-Badr, Al-Shams and other collaborators, have been documented in many books, journals, and research papers. Yet a follower of Jamaat-e-Islami, albeit unsurprisingly, would rather accept Hamoodur Rahman Commission Report that less than 26,000 people died in what he termed as "civil conflict" than the figure of three million killed, mentioned by the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. To quote a report on Bangladesh by the International Crisis Group on Bangladesh: Islamists, especially the Jamaat-e-Islami Party, are often accused of siding with Pakistanis, joining in genocide and actively assisting massacres, especially targeted killing of intellectuals in Dhaka in the last weeks. The same report states that as early as April 1971 US officials protested their government's support for West Pakistan and argued that the overworked term genocide was applicable. Perhaps, one of the most telling accounts of Jamaat's collaboration during our war of liberation has been given in a book titled "Witness to surrender" by Pakistani major Siddiq Salim of the anti-liberation role played by Jamaat, Muslim League, and Nizam-i-Islam. His book is regarded as a detailed professional account of the war. He wrote that due to the atrocities committed by the occupation army, the Bengali population who were not very fond of Pakistani army before, became even more opposed. Hence there was no question of mass cooperation by the Bengalis. Of the collaborators, Salik said that the elderly and the prominent among them formed the Peace Committees while the young and able-bodied were raised as Razakars to augment the strength of the Pak army who numbered 100,000 while the Razakars numbered 50,000. In under-developed societies, political community is sometimes fragmented into opposed religious, ethnic, racial, and ideological groups, more familiarly known as identity politics, and the democratic structure therein being fragile, religion-based politics can invite instability. In Bangladesh, it is believed that corporations run by religious extremists make an annual net profit of billions of taka of which ten percent is used by Islamic extremists for organisational purposes like carrying out regular party activities, providing remuneration and allowances to about half a million party cadres, and running armed training camps. The number of primary schools since liberation has doubled while that of dakhil madrasas has increased eight-fold. Concern about possible rise of Islamic extremists, who look for areas of weakness, has been expressed by Western countries. Bertil Lintner, Elizabeth Griswold, Time magazine, Wall Street Journal, and others have voiced concern about rising religious extremism in Bangladesh. Indians, being our next-door neighbour and having been subjected to religion-based atrocities, both from within and without, have linked increasing activities of Islamist extremists with elements within the immediate past ruling coalition in Bangladesh. If one were to look at the political landscape of Pakistan, one can easily find the basis of strength of Muttahihiha Majlis-e-Amal, a conglomerate of religion-based parties that were courted from the days of late president Ziaul Huq till today in order to marginalise moderate political parties like that of Benazir Bhutto. Added to the woes of democracy deficit in Pakistan, the Brussels-based International Crisis Group observed that sectarian conflict in Pakistan was the direct consequence of state policies of Islamisation and marginalisation of secular democratic forces. Co-option and patronage of religious parties by successive military governments have brought Pakistan to a point where religious extremism threatens to erode the foundation of the state and society. The Islamists in Bangladesh, who reportedly have transnational links, are likely to have links with their fellow travelers in Pakistan and other countries. These days, Bangladeshi liberation war heroes, sector commanders, civil society and politicians appear to have reached near unanimity in their demand that Jamaat-e-Islami, that collaborated with the Pakistani occupation forces during the war of liberation, should be banned and barred from contesting the elections, and all those found guilty of crimes against humanity should be tried by a special tribunal. The argument is not only based on acts against humanity perpetrated by them during the war of liberation, but also to prevent the incendiary nature of religion-based politics in Bangladesh. It now appears that though the Zia government in 1976 repealed the restriction on communal politics imposed by the 1972 constitution, they and successive governments did not repeal the Special Powers Act of 1974, still in force, providing for ban on communal politics and punishment for violation of the SPA. We should, however, be conscious that the proposed tribunal does not imitate the one that tried Saddam Hussein, as many people believe that Saddam was already pre-judged to be hanged before the trial even began. Our endeavor should be to have tribunals like the International Criminal Court or the Rwanda Tribunal or UN backed Cambodia Genocide Tribunal that would receive international legitimacy. If political parties are meant to strengthen social coordination among different interest groups in order to maximise social benefits, then parties like Jamaat that foster dissention and sectarianism among the people should not be allowed political space in the country. If Bangladesh were to revert back to secular politics, which was one of the country's founding principles, it would not have to compromise its Muslim identity, because the great majority of the people are devout Muslims and do practice religion in their day-to-day life -- and Jamaat never got even double digit popular votes before 2001 elections. Kazi Anwarul Masud is a former Secretary and Ambassador. From dak at sarai.net Sun Nov 25 13:30:47 2007 From: dak at sarai.net (The Sarai Programme) Date: Sun, 25 Nov 2007 13:30:47 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] [Announcements] Sarai Readers Now Available Online Message-ID: <47492BAF.8030700@sarai.net> *Sarai Readers Now Available Online* We are happy to announce that the Sarai English Readers which are published once a year can be bought online now. Each issue is structured around a specific theme and features articles, essays, reviews & criticism, interviews and photographic essays. The Readers are inter-disciplinary and have writings by practitioners, academics, activists and artists from diverse fields. To know more about the Sarai Readers one can visit the following link: http://www.sarai.net/publications/readers/ To buy the Sarai Readers one can visit the link given below: http://www.scholarswithoutborders.in/search_list.php?field=publisher&fieldValue=sarai We hope this attempt by us will make you collect the Readers easily and comfortably. Best, Mitoo Das ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Programme Coordinator Sarai- CSDS Email me at: mitoo at sarai.net -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From logos.theword at gmail.com Sun Nov 25 10:27:13 2007 From: logos.theword at gmail.com (Logos Theatre) Date: Sun, 25 Nov 2007 10:27:13 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] [Announcements] Words of Freedom and Love - An Evening Of Performance Poetry In-Reply-To: <33bc2ee60711230929k1884122q38784d2353b449b8@mail.gmail.com> References: <33bc2ee60711230929k1884122q38784d2353b449b8@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <33bc2ee60711242057t547002a2se672c5000093abd@mail.gmail.com> The SpeechMagic initiative presents 'Words of Freedom and Love - An Evening Of Performance Poetry', performed by poet, performer and Spoken Word artist Arka Mukhopadhyay, on November 30th at 6:30 PM. The performance will comprise his own published and recent work, as well as works by a diverse range of poets such as Yeats, Neruda, Dylan Thomas, Akhmatova, Faiz, Jibanananda Das (in Bangla and in English translation) and many others, focusing on the universal articulation of love and freedom in poetry. Arka has presented Spoken Word recital, poetry and movement based performance pieces and solo plays in Bangalore, Calcutta, Pune, Bombay and Hyderabad. He teaches theatre at an international school in the city. He started the SpeechMagic initiative as an attempt to popularize the Spoken Word and oral performance art, especially among young people and young adults. The performance is at *Easy Library, *972 H, 1st A Main, ST Bed Layout, 4th Block, Koramangala (Phone: 41102231,25501499), near Maharaja Restaurant. The performance is non-ticketed. -- Logos Theatre In the beginning was the word No. 126, 3rd Main Road, Jayamahal Extension, Bangalore 560046 -------------------------------------------------------- If it be now, 'tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come: the readiness is all. Since no man has aught of what he leaves, what is 't to leave betimes? Let be. -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From apnawritings at yahoo.co.in Sun Nov 25 16:42:06 2007 From: apnawritings at yahoo.co.in (ARNAB CHATTERJEE) Date: Sun, 25 Nov 2007 11:12:06 +0000 (GMT) Subject: [Reader-list] Editing as censorship: The Response begins 1 Message-ID: <542846.53804.qm@web8511.mail.in.yahoo.com> Dear Shuddha, SARAI readers and writers, Welcome back to the debate concerning open and explicit censorship and implicit and hidden ones legitimized through the door of necessity (there are more than one or two). Shuddhabrata Sengupta ( though Attreye Majumdar agreed with me, Raheema Begum and Anjalika Sagar will do so after I finish) in a long answer denied to call this censorship—the everyday ( privately controlled) media tactic (among many others) where he himself acknowledged ‘things are distorted beyond recognition’, where content is raped in every orifice, the mediocre form maneuvered by self declared, salaried experts ( “bibhagiyo sampadak namer kichu daroan”—Sandipan Chattopadhyaya) fly high in the flattened air. (The audience seems to be wanting it or asking for more-- he seems to be saying later). I will believe Sandipan and stick to the word daroan ( guard/security guard) used to describe section editors; now, what is the nature of this surveillance? This is the question. Before getting into the details, let me anticipate the conclusion I shall be making: I’ll show theoretically ( and refrain from making empirical references about which I have enough evidence though) that not only is this censorship, it is something worse. Explicit governmental censorship is a far more honest system; this one which parades itself as having inspired authorial self censorship (Shuddha celebrates this) is in tune with the new techniques of power ( exercised through voluntary self comportment) that Foucault charted so excellently. (My negotiation with my censor degenerates into my struggle with my own self and I’m adding this, the supposedly ‘intelligent’ pragmatic self wins.) To understand our own times we have to locate censor here in this form. We have to invoke all of these notions to understand such a phenomenon and stop not at just calling this force ‘oppressive’ as Shuddha does, since as Foucault had argued, like many censored films have become landmarks, private censorial activity also grants paradoxical positivity, i.e., identity ( recall Freud’s use of the word censor). But this is a long and arduous task and I have been thinking of a complete separate article on this and therefore trying to stock-take references to be used once for all. This has not been happening; lately I noticed I have been missing out on many( my proud memory is fading, finally) and therefore decided to take back the night and call it a day. This will therefore be a letter in progress: bits and pieces of arguments, points and references like scattered sand, fragment. And last of all then, having incited some response, I’ll collect all in recognition of their arguments and give it the shape of a paper. Now, please notice that one major argument underlies Shuddha’s refutation of my proposal: governmental censorship is against the author, private or civil censorship is with the author; governmental censorship is imposing and obligatory, private censorship is processual and voluntary, it has the consent of the author, it is the author’s self censorship. Now this word self censorship ( also used by Shuddha) as you see retains the word censorship and in a way if not defeats, precariously harms his purpose; but I’ll overlook this technical moment of contradiction and speculate for it a better chance : let us propose, Shuddha wants to argue -- self censorship is not censorship. This is a more promising path and I’ll surmise, Shuddha is falling, despite his intentions, a victim to the blindness that a modern capillary mode of power regulates – where even the crudest form of intervention will seem, through this sieve, an exercise of free will. Shuddha’s ‘working with the author’ is the high noon of this disciplinary technique. ( Shobha De had argued similarly for Bollywood’s casting couch syndrome as a fact of voluntary free giving at a promising site of mutual exchange. ) Just imagine a real case and you can recover many instances of this : the film censor board says, you have to sacrifice this bed scene and you find it foolish but comply; the editor rejects your article without a reason ( because it’s too good?) or ‘distorts beyond recognition’, you are struck by his brilliance, his emotional management of expressive difference, his pathology, and you oblige by thanking him and giving him a kiss or two. The first one is censorship because the board calls it by that name; the second is not—it is editor’s prerogative and institutional autonomy. But suppose the film censor board changes its name : let us imagine it names itself, FILM EDITING BOARD; now tell me wouldn’t its activity be classified as censorship anymore? I hope it does and if it does then the intelligent forum which bears the name editing might be –in a very possible manner—strike a censorious chord. Readers might argue, yes but the Board has stipulated rules while the private media does not; I’ll say that’s a reprieve where you have clear rules, you can still argue or complain—even file a lawsuit, but where there are not, you are gone. It’s take it or leave it situation. Infact Shobha De ended that article with this famous phrase, “ Who’s complaining?” Truly, nobody is and that’s the problem. Let me clarify one thing here : Shuddha and all others who share his view-important as it is-are falling an unwilling victim to –what Foucault called –the legal juridical view of sovereignty. Where there are state institutions, legally cognizable rules and power of coercion—we think censorship resides there; and where these entities are absent, it is not. I’ll urge you to begin with something where it is NOT, and then only –dissatisfied with received definitions—we’ll be able to chart new grounds. So I’ll come to consent ( and address also-- when Shuddha took a step backward to call it an apriori consent) and self censorship later; first I’ll try to chart the progress of some thinkers in relation to what I’ve said above; that is, first I’ll make a space clearing gesture in that I’ll try to show genealogically that my use of the word censorship in the way I’m trying to use it ( some may smell an exaggeration in that), is not anachronistic or odd but has a justified genealogy. Let me begin with Kant and in this post I’ll limit myself to him. (1) As many of you might be knowing Kant had fallen a victim to censorship both ways : to the state as well as the church. While state censorship today is minimal, I’ll argue church censorship is retained in the civil censorship of today. All media houses, institutions can be seen as various churches. But it is interesting the way Kant formulates censorship, he could have easily defined it as falling to kingly edicts or church norms. But no, he defined censorship as “a criticism which has coercive power”(1) ( and given Kant’s own view of the critical, it cannot be, curiously dogmatic.) Later it is clear that Kant wants to understand censorship in disciplinary terms. When biblical theology thinks that philosophical theology has crossed its bounds and has encroached its boundaries, the biblical theologian tends to censor it. (Kan’t own tryst with censorship and argument for rational theology to evade the censor of biblical theologians is irrelevant here; but that he could be held negatively within the stipulations of the latter is an enough testimony to the presence of his attempt .) Censorship then, in Kantian terms, is itself the philosophy of a limit where a number of obstacles seem to be struggling for expression. ( Note, this is a curious point, obstacles looking for their own freedom). And here Kant makes a hierarchy—of faculties seems not to argue against the independence of faculties. “ The government reserves the right itself to sanction the teachings of the higher faculties, but those of the lower faculty it leaves up to the scholar’s reason. But even when the government sanctions teachings, it does not itself teach; it requires only that the respective faculties, in expounding a subject publicly adopt certain teachings and exclude their contraries. For the government does not teach, but it commands those who, in accepting its offices, have contracted to teach what it wants ( whether this be true or not).”(2) Now this is important, Kant makes this point again and again that for the welfare of the general public ( not “welfare of the sciences”), the state is well within its right to put restrictions or censor. But this is because, and this is important, the government is not related to truth which could be pursued by a scholarly seeker of the sciences, and more importantly by the sciences themselves. And as you know elsewhere ( in his now famous ‘What is enlightenment?’ ) Kant had made a similar point : before your chosen public ( say, the scholar and his audience, the scientist and his audience, the poet and his audience) and Kant calls this private, you are free to criticize but in public you must obey. Freedom to pursue truth is a private matter belonging to the faculties, the government with no claim to truth cannot allow you such a freedom and function. But this search for truth in unbounded private freedom, did it happen really? Then why would we have such a good mind as Shuddhabrata Sengupta arguing for autonomy of private institutions to select, edit, change or transform a content as it thinks so? This assertion has a historic background. But this has become possible because the private forum with its reading or viewing or listening public has transformed its relation to truth itself. Please hold your breath now and follow me here: Kant says Government sanctions or rejects because it has no relation to truth; I’ll argue both ways, anything that has no relation to truth sanctions ( or censors with criticism that has coercive power—in this sense it is the same as the government), and anything that censors has no relation to truth. And because no body believes that a newspaper or for that matter a capitalist is bound to (publish) true fact or opinion, it needs to censor; I’ll say further that it has to. Following Kant then only unbounded seeking of truth (All hands and hats off before truth!) that too along with a specialized private audience need not be coerced and censored or are not suited to the regulation of censorial agencies. But then when truth is ‘distorted beyond recognition’ to parade truth of its own kind., what is that? It is worse than censorship. Kant could have given it a better name. But still, if you are censored in one house, you can go to another-Shuddha seems to be arguing somewhere. ( This is the private contractual freedom of a wage labourer as if, you are free to sell your word power to anybody, but obey wherever you go ( a reversal of Kant). And you go to another house and they have their own scissors. Instead of one censorious authority, you have numerous. This is the pluralisation of the church today. You can still file a case against state censor and win the case (Taslima did win one) but tell me who has filed a case and won it against our numerous civil censors? Censorship is everywhere because our relationship to truth needs to be censored, always, everywhere. [To be continued] [ I have left out Partha Chaterjee’s question he asked in his ‘Our modernity’ as to why the Kantian use of the private and public did not become popular i.e., now we think public sphere is where we should disagree and debate ( for Kant it is the private), and that a government should allow it publicly to become democratic; private is the realm where we cannot transcend particular standpoint ( for Kant it is the standpoint of the Government). To Chaterjee’s question I think I’m closing in on an answer which I shall be able to provide soon. It is the Kantian notion of truth and its relation to particular faculties that is behind such a formulation. Secondly, while talking about truth, in order to remain faithful to the Kantian use, I’ve avoided raising the question of dissensus on truth, how truth is the longest lie, a construction, a fiction etc etc ( this will not affect Kant’s project though]. More productive would be how different discourses appear with different truth claims in modernity: for Habermas they are morality, science and art and this could affect the Kantian project; but let it be some time else.] With love Arnab ENDNOTES 1. Immanuel Kant, ‘Religion within the boundaries of mere reason’ in his Religion and Rational Theology, Trans. & Ed. Allen W. Wood and George Di Giovanni, Cambridge University Press : Cambridge, 1996, p.60. 2. ‘The conflict of the faculties’p.248, in Ibid, pp. 237-327 Now you can chat without downloading messenger. Go to http://in.messenger.yahoo.com/webmessengerpromo.php From mail at shivamvij.com Sun Nov 25 19:26:41 2007 From: mail at shivamvij.com (Shivam Vij) Date: Sun, 25 Nov 2007 19:26:41 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] American giants run into IIT backlash Message-ID: <9c06aab30711250556s197f24a3y99e6d74f54216f2f@mail.gmail.com> I just can't believe this! Shivam American giants run into IIT backlash The Telegraph, Calcutta http://www.telegraphindia.com//1071029/asp/nation/story_8485027.asp Sat Nov 24, 2007 12:43 pm (PST) New Delhi: Select US corporate giants - long viewed as symbols of America's military-industry complex - have run into an unlikely hurdle in their plans to recruit and research at the Indian Institutes of Technology. The red flag has passed on from the Left's hands to students and faculty members at the IITs, which are as symbolic of India's brain drain as George W. Bush is of the Iraq war. Across the IITs, students and professors do not want companies like Halliburton, Lockheed Martin and Dow Chemicals to have "anything to do with IIT". "We don't allow al Qaida to come and recruit from our campuses. There clearly is some line which has to be drawn," said Siddharth Sareeen, an IIT Madras student. The students and faculty want the companies to be scrutinised for their past record in business ethics, environmental issues and human rights before being allowed into any IIT campus. While Dow and Halliburton want to recruit from the IITs, Lockheed Martin has made requests for cooperation with specific departments like aerospace engineering. A petition against Dow has been signed by over a thousand IITians, including several faculty members, and submitted to the directors of the seven institutes across the country. Dow had provided the notorious Napalm - a chemical that sets on fire anything that it falls on - to the American military during the Vietnam War. "Dow's history, particularly its role in the Vietnam war, is an important reason for our opposition," Milind Brahme, assistant professor at IIT Madras, said. Methane leaked from a plant of Union Carbide, now owned by Dow, on a December 1984 night killed thousands - some immediately and many more later from medical complications caused by the gas. "Dow coming to the IITs is quite disturbing. It has a lot of unfulfilled economic and environmental liabilities in Bhopal," a professor at IIT Bombay said, clarifying that these were his personal views and not those of the institute. Lockheed Martin, one of the world's largest defence contractors, is an integral part of the US military-industrial complex. It is one of the bidders for the 126 fighter aircraft India is seeking. Halliburton was one of the first companies to win oil contracts in Iraq after the Americans quelled the initial resistance in that country, and has been at the centre of controversies because of its links to US Vice-President Dick Cheney. At IIT Madras on Friday, students and faculty - including some who believe Dow should be allowed to come to the campus - held a debate. They had invited a Dow representative to participate, but the company did not send one. IIT Bombay's placement committee is examining the request to scrap Dow from the list of visiting companies. The company's representatives were scheduled to come yesterday, but the IIT has asked for the visit to be postponed, citing a busy Sunday schedule. Dow had also postponed its visit to IIT Madras for recruitment on Friday. The company, which has paid compensation to Bhopal victims but is still battling a case on environmental compensation against the Indian government, said the postponement was unrelated to the campaign against it. "Our officials who were to visit the campus could not come on the pre-decided date as other meetings suddenly came up. This has been conveyed to the IIT," Nand Kumar Sanglikar, Dow India's spokesperson, said. "We are expanding in India. We want the best brains in the country to join us." Building consensus against Lockheed Martin or Halliburton will not be as easy as the campaign against Dow, Brahme confessed, because of the absence of an India link. "But the main issue is to put in place guidelines by which companies would be evaluated on an ethics compliance scale. There is growing sentiment on campus for such guidelines," Brahme said. From tapasrayx at gmail.com Sun Nov 25 21:07:04 2007 From: tapasrayx at gmail.com (Tapas Ray) Date: Sun, 25 Nov 2007 10:37:04 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] American giants run into IIT backlash In-Reply-To: <9c06aab30711250556s197f24a3y99e6d74f54216f2f@mail.gmail.com> References: <9c06aab30711250556s197f24a3y99e6d74f54216f2f@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <474996A0.9080105@gmail.com> Thanks, Shivam. As an IIT alumnus, I think this is a step in the right direction. Incidentally, a section of students and teachers have always been concerned about the larger issues, though they may not have been vocal in this way. Tapas Shivam Vij wrote: > I just can't believe this! > Shivam > > American giants run into IIT backlash > > The Telegraph, Calcutta > http://www.telegraphindia.com//1071029/asp/nation/story_8485027.asp > Sat Nov 24, 2007 12:43 pm (PST) From shambhu.rahmat at gmail.com Sun Nov 25 23:44:28 2007 From: shambhu.rahmat at gmail.com (Shambhu Rahmat) Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2007 00:14:28 +0600 Subject: [Reader-list] Yasmin Murshed, English Medium & Pakistani Ambassadorship Message-ID: I had the unfortunate fortune of getting dragged to Yasmin Murshed's son Maher's house once at the end of a long party night, and Ithose of you who who critique Maher because he owns a Humvee the size of two city streets, a private billiard room, DJ booth and his own private bar, all within his little Dhaka palace...all of you want to make some point about the runaway Dhaka plutocracy and their obscene wealth... You are all haters And about Bangla vs English language.... Give it a rest man, 1952 was many years ago. Who cares about Ek Shagoro Rokther Bimimoye any more Get with the program! Mike Davis may call it Evil Paradise, but I prefer to call Dhaka the Dreamworld of Neoliberalism. Read on McDuff.... http://rumiahmed.wordpress.com/2007/11/24/ambassador-story-1-yasmin-morshed-to-represent-bangla-desh From turbulence at turbulence.org Mon Nov 26 05:01:40 2007 From: turbulence at turbulence.org (Turbulence) Date: Sun, 25 Nov 2007 18:31:40 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] [Announcements] Now is the Time! Message-ID: <007501c82fbb$7861e310$6925a930$@org> Dear Friends, We need your support. If you: -- are one of the thousands of people who regularly visit Turbulence.org, Networked_Performance, Networked_Music_Review and/or New American Radio and/or -- are one of the hundreds of teachers who use Turbulence works in your new media/digital art courses and/or -- are an artist who has received a Turbulence, Networked_Music_Review or New American Radio commission and/or -- have presented at or attended Upgrade! Boston (Art Interactive or Massachusetts College of Art and Design), Floating Points (Emerson College), or Programmable Media (Pace Digital Gallery) now is the time to give something back. We cannot continue without your help. We MUST raise $25,000 by December 31, 2007. WHAT WE'VE ACCOMPLISHED IN 2007 In addition to an exceptional year of supporting artists through commissions, public events, and our world-renowned resource, Networked_Performance, we started a second blog called Networked_Music_Review (NMR). On it you will find in-depth interviews with sonic artists and musicians; world-wide events highlighted in real time; a "Weekly" post spotlighting interesting works, artists and conversations; a monthly newsletter which summarizes each month's activities; and much more. WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT IN 2008 On November 15, NMR began launching fifteen commissioned works, several of which will premiere live at "Programmable Media II: Networked_Music," a 2-day symposium at Pace University, New York City in April 2008. In addition to launching 20 new commissioned works, other upcoming highlights include "Mixed Realities," an exhibition and symposium at Emerson College, winter 2008; and "Re(Connecting) the Adamses," a major exhibition co-presented with Greylock Arts (Adams, Massachusetts) and MCLA Gallery 51 (North Adams, Massachusetts), summer 2008. Please make a cash tax-deductible (for US residents) contribution. No amount is too small! Pay via the PayPal button on the Turbulence homepage: http://turbulence.org. Or send a check to New Radio and Performing Arts, Inc., 124 Bourne Street, MA 02131. Thanks. Kind Regards, Jo-Anne Green and Helen Thorington Co-Directors New Radio and Performing Arts, Inc.: http://new-radio.org New York: 917.548.7780 . Boston: 617.522.3856 Turbulence: http://turbulence.org Networked_Performance Blog: http://turbulence.org/blog Networked_Music_Review: http://turbulence.org/networked_music_review Upgrade! Boston: http://turbulence.org/upgrade New American Radio: http://somewhere.org _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From whitenoise24 at gmail.com Mon Nov 26 14:49:59 2007 From: whitenoise24 at gmail.com (sridevi panikkar) Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2007 14:49:59 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] How different is Salwa Judum from Nandigram? Message-ID: Out of sight, out of mindhttp://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=b74bd9be-caa1-4aef-bfc4-ff78a8810e0b&&Headline=Out+of+sight%2c+out+of+mind It is hard to decide which is more unappetising — the spectacle of Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee declaring that the CPI(M) had paid those against the West Bengal's industrialisation programme in Nandigram "back in their own coin", or the BJP and the Congress condemning the violence there while ignoring their own culpability for similar behaviour in Gujarat and Chhattisgarh respectively. The use of vigilante groups or armed cadres, supported and sanctioned by a pliant bureaucracy, to physically defeat an opposing group, rather than relying on legal means and political discussions, is evidently the latest fashion in governance. It is time, we are told, to forget the old expectation that it is the police that is meant to maintain law and order and not gangs of party members. What happened in Nandigram at the behest of the West Bengal Chief Minister is not very different from the Salwa Judum — 'peace mission' — being run jointly by the Congress MLA of Dantewada, Mahendra Karma, and the BJP government of Chhattisgarh. Here armed vigilantes, some of them given official positions as special police officers (SPOs), burn villages, kill people and rape women with impunity on the grounds that they are wresting these areas back from the Naxalites. Officials take orders from party goons. In Dantewada district, a letter from the Chief Secretary carries less weight than the orders of a lumpen Salwa Judum camp leader. In both cases, the presence of Maoists is used to imply that anything goes; that once an area is declared 'Naxal affected', all the normal protections of the rule of law and fundamental rights cease to apply. Government presence in these areas then depends solely on the power of the gun, and the relative superiority of its police and vigilantes over the 'other side' that include unarmed civilians. Yet, the differences between Nandigram and Dantewada are also striking. Even though the scale of Salwa Judum terror is far greater than that being witnessed in Nandigram, it has gone almost entirely unreported. According to the figures provided in a public interest litigation before the Supreme Court, at least 540 persons have been killed by the Salwa Judum and security forces since June 2005, including 33 children and 45 women. This is a small fraction of the killings by the Salwa Judum, most of which have gone unrecorded, and does not include the approximately 550 civilians and police personnel that the Naxalites have killed in escalating retaliatory action for Salwa Judum. At least 2,825 houses have been burnt by the Salwa Judum and at least 99 women have been raped. Approximately, one lakh people — one-eighth the district's population — has been displaced. Half of them are in government-controlled camps to which they were forcibly evacuated, and the other half are refugees in neighbouring states. When two lakh people rallied in Jagdalpur on November 5 to protest against the Salwa Judum and land acquisition by the Tatas and Essar for steel plants, there was not even a whisper in the national media. In part, this silence is explained by the natural anti-Leftism of the media, and its warped notion of 'balance'. As Michael Tomasky pointed out in the American context, "They now bend over backward to demonstrate that they can be 'tough' on liberals and 'fair' to conservatives." But the difference also needs to be further explained in terms of the lack of the appropriate kind of organisations to feed the media. Nandigram 2007 and Gujarat 2002 became front page news partly because they were located next to major cities (Ahmedabad and Calcutta) with concentrations of journalists, partly because of the presence of middle-class local activists, and partly because the issue was taken up by opposing parliamentary parties. Chhattisgarh, by contrast, lacks a tribal middle-class or a density of civil/political society organisations. Above all, Chhattisgarh, unlike West Bengal, also has a Public Security Act, which is even worse than Pota in terms of its censorship, and which has been used to arrest and intimidate people who have protested, such as the General Secretary of the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Binayak Sen. But finally, the real difference lies in the principles of the Left and Right, between a state ruled for many years by the Left as in Bengal and one ruled by the BJP as in Gujarat. While the citizens of Gujarat let no hint of remorse taint their restful nights, the people of Bengal are today an anguished lot, anguished at the betrayal of the principles they voted for. Decades of CPI(M) rule may not have done much for Bengal's human development indicators, but it has expanded the constituency of those who believe in democracy and equality. As for Chhattisgarh, let us all go back to pretending that it doesn't exist. At the rate that villages are being emptied and people killed, there will soon be nothing and nobody left to destroy. *Nandini Sundar is Professor of Sociology, Delhi University.* From apnawritings at yahoo.co.in Mon Nov 26 15:17:14 2007 From: apnawritings at yahoo.co.in (ARNAB CHATTERJEE) Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2007 09:47:14 +0000 (GMT) Subject: [Reader-list] A comment on derrida's reading of Kant on censorship Message-ID: <755494.75285.qm@web8510.mail.in.yahoo.com> Dear All, Following yesterday's post I might just remind those concerned, that besides my reading of Kant you can take Derrida's in his 'Eyes of the University" where he says “There is no private censorship" [which I'm calling civil censorship otherwise], "even if censorship reduces speech to its condition of private manifestation.” Derrida interestingly bases himself again on the definition of censorship as a state related event with law and the police, he gets to the topic of liberal regimes and finds various other mechanisms of prohibition, suppression etc "without censorship ( in the strict sense of the term." For an extreme other view where censorship is the primordial condition of all production you might just see Judith Butler and her 'Excitable speech' where one might specualte my usage as having found an interesting resonance. No comments on both of them but I shall wait for some to retain this debate in some form and link them in a way ( well why not priyo Jeebesh Bagchi, dear Lawrence Liang ( that critical legal theorist gone missing)and anybody else?) I'll join you with a jump. join you anyway, Till then with a theoretical hug osuddho ( as my 'active'well wishers say) arnab Explore your hobbies and interests. Go to http://in.promos.yahoo.com/groups From peter.ksmtf at gmail.com Mon Nov 26 21:46:15 2007 From: peter.ksmtf at gmail.com (T Peter) Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2007 21:46:15 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Fishing Community Undertake March to MPEDA Message-ID: <3457ce860711260816k6b33a87eie45a82bdb16aaee9@mail.gmail.com> Fishing Community Undertake March to MPEDA Ernakulam: In protest against the signing of the agreement by the Indian government to import fish from 27 countries of the European Union, the fishing community marched to the MPEDA at Ernakulam under the leadership of the Kerala Swatanthra Matsya Thozhilali Federation. The march was inaugurated by T. Peter, the state president of Kerala Swatanthra Matsya Thozhilali Federation. T. Peter stated that this policy of the central government will affect the livelihood of lakhs of traditional small scale fish-workers and deny the job opportunities of fish sellers of which majority are women. T. Peter cautioned that this policy of the government to import fish would give rise to many health hazards because India does not have the facilities to find out the right quantity of antibiotics and other chemicals to preserve the imported fish. T. Peter warned that if the government does not go back on their decision to import fish a nationwide protest would be undertaken. KSMTF General Secretary A. Andrews, Ernakulam district president P.V. Wilson, District secretary N.J.Antony, V.S.Podiyan, P.T.Muhammad Koya, M.Ambrose, J.P.john, Anto Elias, Elizabath Antony, Maglin Peter also expressed their strong dissent against the present move of the central government. The KSMTF stated that this issue is not just of the fishing community alone since it involves millions of people who eat fish in this country. They appealed to all sections of the civil society to support this struggle. http://www.keralafishworkers.org http://www.alakal.net From oishiksircar at gmail.com Mon Nov 26 22:22:25 2007 From: oishiksircar at gmail.com (OISHIK SIRCAR) Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2007 10:52:25 -0600 Subject: [Reader-list] Seminar Invite Nov 30th - Is there an essential unity between the real and the virtual ? In-Reply-To: <6dbd410b0711260227t12060987pa1bd2774a7dba7f6@mail.gmail.com> References: <6dbd410b0711260227t12060987pa1bd2774a7dba7f6@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <62cba67a0711260852l6d4d83acyad807b14870ae218@mail.gmail.com> Dear Friends, CACIM under its 'CACIM MUltilogues' Series invites you to an interesting discussion on *an exploration of theoretical and activist convergences between place-based or ecological commons and the information commons* on Friday, November 30th 2007 from 6 pm onwards at YMCA International Guest House. Kindly join us for the session and also spread the word around about the event who would be an active participant in such an exchange. Please do print out the attached note and pin it up in your organisations. Look forward to meeting you at the meeting. Regards Jai / Madhuresh / Aryan and other members of CACIM. *CACIM Multilogues* * * *ALL ARE WELCOME !* *I**s there an essential unity * *between the real and the virtual ?* *An exploration of theoretical and activist convergences between place-based or ecological commons and the information commons*** * * *S**hiri ** P**asternak* in discussion with *N**ishant* On *6–8 pm**, **Friday November 30 2007** * @ Conference Room *YMCA Tourist Hostel* Jaisingh Road, Off Sansad Marg (near Jantar Mantar) New Delhi 110 001 *Shiri Pasternak* is a Toronto-based writer and activist, who researches and campaigns on issues related to food sovereignty, intellectual property, and the commons. *Nishant *is a Delhi based geek who dabbles with literature, politics, history, films, radio, publishing, web journalism and everything that's out there to experiment with but likes to call himself a journalist. *Discussion Brief :* *This engagement will over-view different kinds of theoretical and activist convergences between place-based or ecological commons and information commons. The introduction of new forms of property has meant new forms of social control enforced by police, surveillance, and the law. In response to the "enclosures" of knowledge, land, culture, public services and urban space, a call for the reemergence of "the commons" has rang out in social justice movements. But what is the relationship between these diverse calls for the "commons"? In order to answer this question, we must understand three waves of global enclosure that structure this moment: the European enclosures, colonialism, and the expansion of intellectual property rights. A major underlying force of these enclosures is the process of primitive accumulation, which also distinguishes a social justice analysis of the commons from the cooptation of the "commons" and "information commons" by the World Bank and development agencies rising in prevalence around the world and threatening to usurp the radical political content of our work. Using **Canada** as a case study for this analysis, this presentation will offer several examples of convergences between information and ecological commons and open a discussion on which way forward we must go.* *Write back to Madhuresh / Jai @ cacim at cacim.net or Phone +91 11 4155 1521 * CACIM, A-3, Defence Colony, New Delhi 110 024 India www.cacim.net / www.openspaceforum.net -- **************************** CACIM - Critical Action : Centre in Movement A-3, Defence Colony, New Delhi 110 024 Ph : +91 4155 1521 / 2433 2451 (O) Mobile : + 91 98 1890 5316 e-mail : madhuresh at cacim.net / kmadhuresh at gmail.com Web : www.cacim.net / www.openspaceforum.net -- OISHIK SIRCAR Fellow in Reproductive & Sexual Health and Women's Rights Faculty of Law, University of Toronto 60 Harbord Street Room 016 B Toronto, ON M5S 3L1 oishiksircar at gmail.com oishik.sircar at utoronto.ca 416.876.7926 From ranjani.jnu at gmail.com Tue Nov 27 09:24:59 2007 From: ranjani.jnu at gmail.com (Ranjani Mazumdar) Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2007 09:24:59 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Carlo Ginzburg in Delhi! Message-ID: Dear all, please see the following link - its an interview with Carlo Ginzburg by Sanjay Subramanyam. Ginzburg will be speaking at India Habitat Centre on the 21st of December. http://www.hindu.com/nic/ginzburg-interview.htm Cheers Ranjani From jyotirmoy.chaudhuri at gmail.com Tue Nov 27 09:57:59 2007 From: jyotirmoy.chaudhuri at gmail.com (Jyotirmoy Chaudhuri) Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2007 09:57:59 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] [saja-disc] PAK: Sara Malik on her uncle, Muneer Malik In-Reply-To: <7599a3d10711262018l3193e6b2u40fad1829842a399@mail.gmail.com> References: <7599a3d10711262018l3193e6b2u40fad1829842a399@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: Possibly a cross-post. Apologies. Nevertheless, important. Thanks. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Sree Sreenivasan Date: Nov 27, 2007 5:29 AM Subject: [saja-disc] PAK: Sara Malik on her uncle, Muneer Malik To: SAJA DISC Professor, I just wanted to update you about my uncle, Muneer Malik; the news I have might be interesting to reporters covering the state of emergency in Pakistan. I mentioned before that Mr. Malik is the outgoing president of the Supreme Court Bar Association. Musharraf had him arrested at the start of the state of emergency, and contact was basically cut off. It's unclear what happened. We know he was arrested, later moved to the Attock Jail (which the NYTimes called a "tougher facility") and then released just two days ago. What I can tell you is that this was by no means an act of kindness: my uncle had apparently become very sick in the Attock jail and is currently in renal failure as a result. He was taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences for treatment, and doctors there have said the next 48 hours are critical. You can read more here: http://dawn.com/2007/11/26/top10.htm This is all very disconcerting because not only does it speak to the conditions of my uncle's detention but also a few of his colleagues are still being detained by the authorities. If you know anyone who might find this information relevant, please pass this along as you see fit. Below I've included the contact information for two people in Pakistan. Saeed Malik is another uncle mine who flew out to Pak on Saturday. He is currently in the hospital with Muneer. His cell is 408-623-0683 (US number but its on roaming) and his email is saeed at erp2020.com. Satar is a friend/colleague of my uncle's. I don't know his last name, but he, too, is staying at the hospital with my uncle. His cell is 011923042008009. I appreciate your help, and I'll keep passing along whatever information I get. Feel free to call me if you have any questions. Sincerely, Sara Malik - -- Sara Malik 510-552-6745 - This is the SAJA E-mail Discussion List http://www.saja.org/lists To switch to the articles only list, unsubscribe by sending a blank email to leave-saja-disc-76031G at lists.jrn.columbia.edu and then send a note to sree at sree.net asking to be placed on the articles list. Give us feedback on the SAJA Stylebook http://www.saja.org/stylebook From fatima.n82 at gmail.com Tue Nov 27 13:40:24 2007 From: fatima.n82 at gmail.com (fatima n) Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2007 13:40:24 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] SCREENING OF THE FILM 'PARADESI' Message-ID: <5f47d6f0711270010i758756e3p522563b9c2d0da1d@mail.gmail.com> Dear All, Reputed Malayali film maker Mr.P.T.Kunju Muhammed will be screening his film 'Paradeshi' tomorrow [28-11-07] at 5.45pm. Paradeshi' has its roots in the Partition of 1947 but the film deals with the trauma of innocent lives trapped in a no-man's land. 'Paradeshi' narrates the story of 'Valiyakkathu Moosa' but deals with the universal theme of displacement, identity and belonging Venue: Mavlenkara audi, Rafi Marg Opposite INS with regards, Fathima.N From pawan.durani at gmail.com Tue Nov 27 11:10:05 2007 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2007 11:10:05 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Disinformation On Ethinic Cleansing Continues Message-ID: <6b79f1a70711262140jc6cfc7oef8a7c4b9a803ea7@mail.gmail.com> http://www.kashmirsentinel.com/feb2003/23.html ** *Disinformation on Pandit ethnic cleansing continues* ** *"The ethnic cleansing of 2,48,000 Kashmiri Pandits contained within it all the seeds of an ethnoreligious movement, the like of which the world has witnessed in recent times in erstwhile Yugoslavia and Ruwanda. Had the Pandits dithered or delayed their departure from the Valley, they too would have suffered the cruel fate of serbs and Muslims croats in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The eviction of the Pandits must also be viewed against the background of 97 Hindu temples being destroyed since 1990, a fact that has been underplayed in the overall interests of communal harmony and religious amity". * *--Major General Arjun Ray in "Kashmir Diary- Psychology of Militancy.* *Hindal Tyabji, **a (non Kashmiri) Muslim Bureaucrat * "There should have been no need for the Hindus to leave the Valley. After all, we have not had communal riots here like there have been in other parts of India... Jagmohan has denied that the government deliberately encouraged the Hindus to leave and provided them with transport. What I can say is that the government certainly didn't discourage them. The local police did say things like "The militants will use your houses to hid in and we don't want you to get hurt". And some of the Hindus did leave in military transport... It suits the government to have Hindu refugees in Jammu. They can be shown to foreign visitors as an example of the suffering caused by the militants. At the same because their property has not been protected, it has been taken over by locals who have a vested interest--so the problem is a criminal land mafia, not communal". *- "India in Slow Motion" By Mark Tully * *Ghulam Mohammad Sofi, **The Editor Srinagar Times * *Q: As per a survey by Kashmir Images, a weekly published in Kashmir, 68 per cent Muslims believe that Pandits betrayed them in their hour of distress. Do you agree? * *Sofi: *No, I am not in agreement at all. The Kashmiri Pandits were not in a position to help in any way. They were compelled to leave their homes, their jobs, and their land overnight. So what is this betrayal all about?* * *Q: The reference obviously is to suffering of common Muslims in the street during cordon-cum-search operations, crackdowns and arbitrary arrests resorted to by the security forces to control the militancy. Have they not been wronged? * *Sofi: *Majority community should understand that they are the victims of a proxy war. This war was neither been engineered nor supported by Pandits. In fact they were the first victims of the scheme which forced them to leave the state. Therefore this is an unfair "charge" against Pandits.* * *Q: The political chief of Jamaat-i-Islami says that not a single cadre of his "Jamat" was responsible for Pandit killings. What is your view? * *Sofi: (*Smiles*)*:* *Technically he may be right. Even today they claim that there is no connection between the present killings and Jamat-i-Islami. But the ground realities should also support their views.* * *Q: Most people in the Valley blame Mr. Jagmohan, the erstwhile Governor of the state, for encouraging the Pandit flight. Do you agree? * *Sofi: *It is a total lie. It is a part of systematic propaganda. The Pandit flight from the Valley was the sequel to a plan hatched well in advance from the state. It had nothing to do with Jagmohan.* * *Q: **Why could Mr. Jagmohan not organise Pandit camps in some among the 30-odd military stations in the Valley itself? * *Sofi: *The situation was too bad for Jagmohan when he assumed office. Mr Rajiv Gandhi (not prime minister then) came for an overnight visit. Both I and Jagmohan were present in Centaur Hotel in the lake. Rajiv Gandhi said, "Kashmir is slipping away from us". Such was the situation for Jagmohan. Even Mr. M.L. Fotedar and the then Dy. Prime Minister, Mr Devi Lal, were accompanying Rajiv Gandhi when he said so.* * *Q: **What was the problem in housing the Pandits in makeshift barracks, schools, dharmshalas, institutional army buildings close to military stations? The whole race of Pandits would have been saved the tragedy of deserting their homeland? * *Sofi: *One has to appreciate the January 1990 situation in the Valley. Jagmohan stayed in Jammu for one night. He took a flight from Jammu and arrived in Srinagar Raj Bhavan the next day. He called some of his friends. He called me too. Had I known that the situation was as bad as it later turned out to be, frankly, I would not have gone to Raj Bhavan. There were just three people in the room when I arrived in Srinagar Raj Bhavan. He offered a cup of tea to me but there was nobody to bring one. I saw him go towards the kitchen three times; presumably, he made the tea himself. There was no administration worth the name anywhere in the state, I mean in the Valley. The police stations all over the Valley were centres of operation for the militants. Jagmohan could not have done anything. Nearly 32,000 Kashmiri Pandits' houses have been burnt since 1991. Is there Jagmohan's hand in this too?* *People like you, even in 1997, need courage to come to the Valley. Otherwise it is still not safe here. Look what happened in Sangrampura in March 1997 when seven Pandits were mercilessly gunned down. *Q: **What is your opinion of the Kashmir Images Survey in which 76% Muslims population wanted the Kashmiri Pandits back in the Valley? * *Sofi: *The fact is that even today your erstwhile neighbours wish that you all should come back. They would even extend warm hospitality to you when you visit them. But even they will be harbouring a sense of fear while dealing with Pandits. We all need to wait for normalcy which is not yet in sight. **** *- *"Interview with Omkar Razdan in "*The Trauma of Kashmir-The Untold Reality * From anivar.aravind at gmail.com Tue Nov 27 14:02:18 2007 From: anivar.aravind at gmail.com (Anivar Aravind) Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2007 14:02:18 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] CPI-M activists evict Kerala tribal families Message-ID: <474BD612.3010003@gmail.com> This News is also covered by mainstream Malayalam dailies Anivar CPI-M activists evict Kerala tribal families Web posted at: 11/27/2007 0:54:59 Source ::: The Peninsula/ By John Mary http://tinyurl.com/2thxab Thiruvananthapuram • In a Nadigram-style operation minus the violence, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) activists drove out tribal people from Government land atop the Munnar hills today, thwarting their move for a permanent settlement. Tribal families, who had pitched tents on 1,500 acres allotted to Hindustan Newsprint for its captive plantation at Chinnakkanal, were caught unawares as the CPM cadres staged the takeover operation this morning. The activists, backed by local party reinforcements later in the day, tore down tents and put party flags, declaring the success of the operation. Local people said tension prevailed in the area since tribal activists have threatened to recover the land and not to leave until the Government honored its commitment to distribute land to all landless Adivasi families in the State. Tribal families, including children, had occupied the land under the banner of the Adivasi Punaradhivasa Samrakshana Samithy (tribal rehabilitation protection committee). The provocation had come as the fallout of the deal struck between Chief Minister AK Antony and tribal leader C K Janu. At a grand function, Antony distributed title-deeds but only 540 families out of the 798 families got the land. “They had waited for more than five years for the land. The Government had forced them to resort to direct action. They have run out of patience and there’s no question of returning without getting the land”, said tribal solidarity leader C P Shaji. However, the local CPM leaders alleged that Congress and Communist Party of India had instigated the tribal people to occupy Government land so they could grab the land once the dust settled. Tribal agitation has traversed a chequered course in Kerala. Janu had led many families on a 48-day sit-in in front of the Government Secretariat soon after Antony came to power in 2001. The agitation ended with Antony agreeing to a seven-point demand, mainly five acres to each landless tribal family and a rehabilitation package to ensure that the land was not alienated. However, the pact suffered a setback after Janu led a tribal band to the Muthanga wildlife sanctuary in the northern Wynad district two years later, leading to deaths a policeman and a tribal youth. The most important fallout of agitations has been that both the Government and the tribal activists succeeded in shifting the focus of the nearly 50-year-old tribal struggle in Kerala from the issue of “restoration of alienated land” to one of “land for the landless tribal people”. In April 1975, Kerala Assembly unanimously adopted the Kerala Scheduled Tribes (Restriction on Transfer of Lands and Restoration of Alienated Lands) Act, which sought to prevent the lands of the tribal people from falling into the hands of non-tribal people. The Act also sought to restore to the tribal people their previously alienated lands. But that has remained mostly on paper. From yasir.media at gmail.com Tue Nov 27 14:36:39 2007 From: yasir.media at gmail.com (yasir ~) Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2007 01:06:39 -0800 Subject: [Reader-list] [saja-disc] PAK: Sara Malik on her uncle, Muneer Malik In-Reply-To: References: <7599a3d10711262018l3193e6b2u40fad1829842a399@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <5af37bb0711270106s4f6347a9i22a0952800c20cea@mail.gmail.com> http://www.teeth.com.pk/blog/2007/11/26/muneer-a-malik-talks-from-hosptial-bed-in-pims/ also 'claims' that he was poisoned through drinks he forced to take. On Nov 26, 2007 8:27 PM, Jyotirmoy Chaudhuri wrote: > Possibly a cross-post. Apologies. Nevertheless, important. Thanks. > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Sree Sreenivasan > Date: Nov 27, 2007 5:29 AM > Subject: [saja-disc] PAK: Sara Malik on her uncle, Muneer Malik > To: SAJA DISC > > > Professor, > > I just wanted to update you about my uncle, Muneer Malik; the news I have > might be interesting to reporters covering the state of emergency in > Pakistan. From shambhu.rahmat at gmail.com Tue Nov 27 14:37:50 2007 From: shambhu.rahmat at gmail.com (Shambhu Rahmat) Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2007 15:07:50 +0600 Subject: [Reader-list] Army Renegades, Golfing Retreats, & Bangladesh Embassies Message-ID: Two absolutely essential articles by Rumi Ahmed, who dissects how global Bangladesh diplomatic missions have become dumping grounds and/or cushy rewards for the Bangladesh Army.... Key quotes: "Australia is another vital mission and another hot spot of Bangladeshi immigrants as well as regional and trade collaborations. But traditionally this mission has been used as all paid, golfing retirement retreat of our military Generals. The outpost in Canberra has seen the golfing skills of Generals Shafiullah, Latif, Mannaf, Moinul, Harun Ur Rashid etc and now Bangladesh is paying an all paid three years golfing tour for Lt General Z Alam." "[Since 1971] 40-60% top diplomat jobs went to persons who are not career diplomats. Since independence, the most wanted foreign mission jobs went to military discards. And discards include murderers of national leaders, coup mongering outlaws in the military." "Even foreign missions have turned into dumping ground black sheeps in Bangladesh armed forces. A strong rumor goes around that an officer was sent to a foreign mission top diplomat job after internal inquiry found him guilty of raping a tribal girl." "Bangladesh foreign service attracts the brightest young men and women of Bangladesh. They spend their lifetime, painstakingly climbing up the foreign service ladders...Their dream is to someday become an ambassador in a attractive places like Canada, Australia, UK etc. But almost all the time their dream is shattered by a renegade army general or a fortune seeking managing editor or NGO man who somehow manages to grab the grand slam." Read on... ##################################################### Ambassador Story II: Ghost King's three boons by Rumi Ahmed In Satyajit Ray movie Gupi Gayen Bagha Bayen the ghost king ( ভুতের রাজা ) gave three " বর" (Boon) to Gupi and Bahga. With these three boons Gupi and Bagha conquered the kingdom and his two daughters and did a lot of good things. Although the Ghost king only had three boons to give away, he ghost kings that has been running our Ghost kingdom apparently has a never ending stash of boons. And their boons usually are in one single form, i.e. ambassadorship to foreign kingdoms. Three recent ambassador posting reminded me of the ghost king. Some of these postings definitely raise concern about their appropriateness and justification. Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya was given the most vital post of the permanent rep at Geneva UN mission. This very important diplomatic job usually went to brightest of the foreign service officials. And this job needs diplomatic depth, experience and insight. And for sure this is definitely not a job where you need expertise in conspiracy. Dr Bhattacharya's activities of last five years are laudable. But with change of government, his sudden silence, sudden collapse of his good candidate movement, his sudden blindness on what is going on in the election commission made people wonder about the real intentions of his last five years activities. Now his reward job tend to clear up many confusions. Then comes two other top missions in Canada and Australia. This government has decided to award one Syed Fahim Munaem as ambassador to Canada. First it's worth mention that with increasing number of Bangladeshi migrants in Canada and as a country with huge potential for a labor/manpower market as well as an importer of our RMG products, the Ottawa mission needed an experienced and dynamic diplomat. This Syed Fahim Munaem was a disaster as CA's press secretary. I can't believe his abject failure is a reason for his reward. So there must be something else that won him the boon. And it does not need too much wisdom to guess that his managing skill as managing editor of the Daily Star helped pave 1/11 and the benefactors of 1/11 owe someone some payback. Australia is another vital mission and another hot spot of Bangladeshi immigrants as well as regional and trade collaborations. But traditionally this mission has been used as all paid, golfing retirement retreat of our military Generals. The outpost in Canberra has seen the golfing skills of Generals Shafiullah, Latif, Mannaf, Moinul, Harun Ur Rashid etc and now Bangladesh is paying an all paid three years golfing tour for Lt General Z Alam. Nobody knows what splendid thing Lt Gen Z Alam did for the nation so that a foreign secretary need to be bypassed for this job. We need to remember that Bangladesh foreign service attracts the brightest young men and women of Bangladesh. They spend their lifetime, painstakingly climbing up the foreign service ladders. They spend a nomad life sometimes in Senegal, sometimes in Philippines and intermittently in Bangladesh. Their dream is to someday become an ambassador in a attractive places like Canada, Australia, UK etc. But almost all the time their dream is shattered by a renegade army general or a fortune seeking managing editor or NGO man who somehow manages to grab the grand slam. It has been learnt that in par with Pakistan tradition, Bangladesh Foreign Service also had an understanding of allocating 30% of diplomat jobs to non cadre persons, meant for political postings. However since independence the 30% cutoff probably was never maintained as at any moment 40-60% top diplomat jobs went to persons who are not career diplomats. Since independence, the most wanted foreign mission jobs went to military discards. And discards include murderers of national leaders, coup mongering outlaws in the military. This tradition continued till to date. Our dear general Moeen U Ahmed became army chief bypassing 4 seniors generals. So all four had to go into retirement and they had to become ambassadors to 4 vital Bangladesh missions. Some senior officers are not liked by the army chief, again go open up some more top diplomat posts in foreign missions. Even foreign missions have turned into dumping ground blacksheeps in Bangladesh armed forces. A strong rumor goes around that an officer was sent to a foreign mission top diplomat job after internal inquiry found him guilty of raping a tribal girl. As this government is a non political neutral caretaker government, it was expected that they will avoid snatching top foreign mission posts away from foreign service officers. However, looks like this government is in a competition with all other political government to distribute these jobs to their near and dear ones. Otherwise how would you explain these three new postings in Canada, Australi, UN-Geneva? How do they deserve these jobs of tremedous value? And what is the fault of foreign service official who worked all his life from mission to mission with the hope of becoming an ambassador to those countries one day. What hope they will left with? ##################################################### Ambassador story 1: Yasmin Morshed to represent Bangla Desh by Rumi Ahmed When in 1952 the students of Dhaka university took to streets in demand of announcing Bengali as the state language, defied rule 144 and was fired upon, the leader of pakistan was Khawaja Nazimuddin of Dhaka Nabab Bari. And clearly his ordered the police shooting that killed Rafiq, Jabbar, Shafiur, Salam, Barkat and 9 year old Ohiullah. Khawaja Nazimuddin took over the governorship of Pakistan after the sudden death of Mr M A Zinnah and became the prime minister after assasination of Liakat Ali Khan. Even after the killing of 21 st february when there was strong pressure/emotion both from the east and the west side of the country to announce Bangla as the state language, Khawaja Nazimuddin refused to yield to any pressure to recognize Bangla. And he did not let it happen as long as he was the prime minister. Later Mohammad Ali Bogra of Bogra Nabab Bari, after becaming prime minister, did take the steps to recognize Bangla as the state language. Although Khawaja Nazimuddin and his family failed to stop Bangla from getting the official recognition, they themselves never accepted Bangla as a respectable language. Down the generations his family kept on speaking urdu at home and getting education in a non bengali format i.e. either English or Urdu. Yasmin Zakiuddin ( later turned Morshed) had to go to Pakistan for her education in sohi Urdu as there was no good " Non-Bangla" education outfit in pre and post independence Bangladesh. So, on returning home, she built Dhaka Scholastica school to help the coming generations of Khawaja Nazimuddin keep shunning Bangla. This school will, rather following a school curriculum tailored to the culture, history and sensitivity of Bangladesh, will impose a European curriculum. Although scholastica maintains a tag line of "equal fluency in Bangla" to silence the skeptics like me, the ultimate goal was to send Bangla back to where Nazimuddin thought it belongs, the language of the uncultured, dirt poor peasants and subjects. And what Nazimuddin could not do with bullets and tear gas, her great-grand daughter did it superbly fifty years later. Only in 25 years, The counter 'Ekushey' revolution of language movement that she started, saw grand success. Thanks to Yasmin Morshed's English Medium revolution, we now have a generation of Kids who would rather converse in English among themselves. And Bangla has been relegated to where is belongs, the education medium of the poor, low class kids. Yasmin Morshed has just been apointed Bangladesh's high commissioner to Pakistan. I don't know what she did to uplift the nation or to promote the science, economy or culture of Bangladesh to deserve such a rewarding assignment. But I know that urdu loving Ms Yasmin Morshed will have a soothing life in Pakistan among her kins. And this is how the revolution that started on 21st february 1952, ends, three generations later, in a big defeat. Reader comments are here: http://rumiahmed.wordpress.com/2007/11/26/ambassador-story-ii-ghost-kings-three-boons http://rumiahmed.wordpress.com/2007/11/24/ambassador-story-1-yasmin-morshed-to-represent-bangla-desh/ From moinakb at yahoo.com Tue Nov 27 14:12:56 2007 From: moinakb at yahoo.com (moinak biswas) Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2007 00:42:56 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] Answer to an attempted blackmail Message-ID: <1E7C0FFA-1868-4BAC-AC0D-129D356E0653@yahoo.com> some of us thought of writing this up. moinak Why Didn't You Shed Tears for Eleven Months? - Why don't you say if you find what happened in Nandigram between November 5 and 11 condemnable or not? What is made conditional here? The protest, the grief, or both? If protesting against an act of atrocity is to be made conditional how is your argument different from the Hindutva leaders in Gujarat who kept on asking us why we didn't protest against the Godhra incident? Why don't you just say you support an action where party cadres and hired goons are gathered, are provided with arms and ammunition, the police is asked not to make a move, the CRPF is blocked on its way, the state ensures your protection, and you go on a rampage inside Nandigram. After all, you do not mean if someone grieved over the incidents of the 'eleven months' and also protested against your murderous assault you would offer him/her a state reward. - You say the protesters never shed tears for the unfortunate 1500 or 2000 or now 3000/3500 or nobody knows how many. How should one know, if you do not allow anyone save the blessed ones to enter the area marked 'protected zone'? Not even the media unless they pass the 'friendly' test? - Granted, numbers don't matter here. No question people suffered. As a matter of fact, they were made to suffer. Hence the all- important question: why did the administration let them suffer? Would it be far-fetched to suppose that it normally counts among the usual duties of a responsible government that people under its jurisdiction, when in difficulty, need to be looked after? We pay taxes and elect our government so that in the event of such human plight, caused politically or otherwise, our fellow citizens are taken proper care of by the administration, regardless of political affiliations. It would take only a tiny percentage of the money the party earns from 'friendly' donations, or of the Chief Minister's Relief Fund, to arrange proper accommodation and food for the CPI (M) sympathizers ousted from Nandigram. For what reason was this never done? Is it wrong to say that the reason became clear after November 5? - How come the Khejuri camp managed to rain bullets almost every night on Nandigram since March? Even if these were retaliatory or self-defensive, where did the hapless villagers get such ammunition? From the Maoists? Mr. Biman Bose made a public statement pointing out the necessity of throwing back something more effective than rasgullas from the Khejuri side in retaliation. None of us supported the continuing exchange of fire across the Talpati canal. The question is: who fought from the Khejuri side? The government? The comrades-in-arms of the Marxist revolutionaries caught by the CBI in the Janani brick kiln immediately after March 14? Or the 'assets of the party' from various time-tested encounters like Garbeta? - Your complaint: the opposition didn't allow the administration to function for eleven months. Assuming that our administration is too gentle to offend anybody's tender feelings, especially that of the parties and forces of the opposition, and conceding respect for the sensibilities of a responsive government, the question remains since when the government decided to depend on the permission of the opposition to follow the rule books under which any government administration normally runs. - Your possible answer to this last observation: the administration did try to intervene and restore normalcy on 14th March and that resulted in those unfortunate matching figures - 14 dead, and many injured. Hence no police action. Sounds pretty invincible as an argument to believers. The non-believers' response might be slightly different: When was the equation between administrative intervention and cynically planned police action really finalized? The 14th March action seems cynically planned for two reasons: One, there was no immediate cause that necessitated the action on that particular date. The Khejuri relief camps were more than a couple of months old by that date. Two, the workers in league with a particular political party placed themselves curiously close to the police force in action on14th March, often exchanging clothes and shoes, as the reports go. - This takes us back to 3rd January and the Khejuri episode. A supposedly unauthorized notification was issued announcing land acquisition for purposes of industrial development in the form of something called a chemical hub. Nobody apparently was clear about the nature of the hub, nor did the government ever care to clarify it. There is no clear answer till date if it was any clearer even to the government. This notification by a leading light of the Haldia Development Authority led to trouble and violent clashes - all amongst people who were supporters of the left. The notice was said to be withdrawn with alacrity. The Chief Minister announced with his usual aplomb that the notice may be torn up and thrown away. He should know that simple tearing and throwing would not invalidate the notice, if it was ever valid at all. The notice needed to be withdrawn, which can be done only through the issuance of another notice cancelling the earlier one. It is not known if that has ever been done. Was the still-born notice being tried as a test case in January? That was allegedly the beginning of those eleven months. - - People said to be displaced from their homes, threatened with armed attacks and forced to leave their normal area of living, sheltered in relief camps by sympathetic individuals or self-help groups or political parties or even a responsive local administration would certainly make sense and deserve our admiration. The number of the displaced persons or their living conditions in the camps should normally be a matter of factual description and to that extent an empirical entity. But that was not to be. Those 'eleven months' was to be soon shaped into a logical category to be used as the major premise of an Aristotelian syllogism of the following kind: A. Given the human tragedy during those eleven months B. Tears needed to be shed for the suffering humanity but were not. C. Tears now being shed when the displaced of the eleven months make arrangements for their own rehabilitation. D. Conclusion: These tears then are malicious and politically suspect. A fine piece of deductive argument. One basic principle of a sound logical deduction is that it must not be productive. This is to say that the content of the conclusion must entirely be contained in the premise. It must not contain anything that is not there in the premise itself. This brings us to those eleven months. Another principle of deduction says that the conclusion cannot be true (mind not valid) unless the premise is true. A relevant question is: how true is the premise? To break it up into sub-questions: How many people were locked up in the Khejuri camps? Who locked them up there? Who looked after them? Was there any attempt on the part of the inmates to flee the camps? What was the relation between the inmates and their local guardians? Did any guard need to be posted to see to it that no one may escape? Did the inmates collectively urge upon the guardians to make arrangements for their safe return home on a particular auspicious date? Or the arrangements were made by the guardians themselves, and the inmates merely nodded their heads when they learnt about the plan? Sorry to answer you with so many questions. We simply wanted to ask why don’t you shed tears ever? Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your homepage. From sadiafwahidi at yahoo.co.in Tue Nov 27 21:48:48 2007 From: sadiafwahidi at yahoo.co.in (S.Fatima) Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2007 16:18:48 +0000 (GMT) Subject: [Reader-list] Narendra Modi invites Taslima to Gujarat Message-ID: <149665.70735.qm@web8405.mail.in.yahoo.com> Ha, ha, ha... ----- Narendra Modi invites Taslima to Gujarat 27 Nov 2007, 1700 hrs IST,PTI Botad (Gujarat)/New Delhi: Saffron forces on Tuesday jumped into the raging controversy over Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen with Chief Minister Narendra Modi inviting her to Gujarat and RSS demanding political asylum for her. "Taslima has been courageous in speaking out against fundamentalists. If the Central government cannot look after her, send her to Gujarat. The people and government of Gujarat will look after her. I have the courage to protect her," the Chief Minister said while addressing an election meeting in Botad town of Bhavnagar district. Modi, the Sangh's poster-boy, alleged that the Central government was trying to send Nasreen out of the country. Accusing the Central Government of not being clear on Bangladesh, Modi said first it was unsuccessful in stopping infiltration and now the political allies of those in power have overnight forced Nasreen to flee from Kolkata. He said Taslima, who has written against fundamentalists, was first sent to Rajasthan and then to New Delhi. Speaking on the sidelines of a function in Delhi, RSS Chief K S Sudharshan told PTI that "she should be given political asylum. Get the freedom to save as many mails as you wish. To know how, go to http://help.yahoo.com/l/in/yahoo/mail/yahoomail/tools/tools-08.html From kirdarsingh at gmail.com Wed Nov 28 09:01:40 2007 From: kirdarsingh at gmail.com (kirdar singh) Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2007 09:01:40 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Narendra Modi invites Taslima to Gujarat In-Reply-To: <149665.70735.qm@web8405.mail.in.yahoo.com> References: <149665.70735.qm@web8405.mail.in.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <73eb60090711271931w39e79c85y379b7ff2ef7b4b60@mail.gmail.com> I guess Modi will keep Taslima Nasreen in the Fine Arts department of M.S.University at Baroda...? The most suitable place in Gujarat for liberal arts... On 11/27/07, S.Fatima wrote: > Ha, ha, ha... > ----- > > Narendra Modi invites Taslima to Gujarat > 27 Nov 2007, 1700 hrs IST,PTI > Botad (Gujarat)/New Delhi: Saffron forces on Tuesday > jumped into the raging controversy over Bangladeshi > writer Taslima Nasreen with Chief Minister Narendra > Modi inviting her to Gujarat and RSS demanding > political asylum for her. > > "Taslima has been courageous in speaking out against > fundamentalists. If the Central government cannot look > after her, send her to Gujarat. The people and > government of Gujarat will look after her. I have the > courage to protect her," the Chief Minister said while > addressing an election meeting in Botad town of > Bhavnagar district. > > Modi, the Sangh's poster-boy, alleged that the Central > government was trying to send Nasreen out of the > country. > > Accusing the Central Government of not being clear on > Bangladesh, Modi said first it was unsuccessful in > stopping infiltration and now the political allies of > those in power have overnight forced Nasreen to flee > from Kolkata. > > He said Taslima, who has written against > fundamentalists, was first sent to Rajasthan and then > to New Delhi. > > Speaking on the sidelines of a function in Delhi, RSS > Chief K S Sudharshan told PTI that "she should be > given political asylum. > > > > Get the freedom to save as many mails as you wish. To know how, go to http://help.yahoo.com/l/in/yahoo/mail/yahoomail/tools/tools-08.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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: From tapasrayx at gmail.com Wed Nov 28 18:49:54 2007 From: tapasrayx at gmail.com (Tapas Ray) Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2007 08:19:54 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Response to Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn et al on Nandigram In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <474D6AFA.2040603@gmail.com> Shuddha and others: I was wondering if you have received a response from Prof. Chomsky or any other signatory of the open letter published in The Hindu. If you have, it would be interesting to know what they had to say. Tapas shuddha at sarai.net wrote: > Response to Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn et al on Nandigram > > We (the undersigned) read with growing dismay the statement signed by Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn and others From shuddha at sarai.net Wed Nov 28 18:56:23 2007 From: shuddha at sarai.net (shuddha at sarai.net) Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2007 18:56:23 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Response to Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn et al on Nandigram In-Reply-To: <474D6AFA.2040603@gmail.com> References: <474D6AFA.2040603@gmail.com> Message-ID: <615cf9de6ce9fe977f6b021e5ced91a1@sarai.net> Dear Tapas, There is no formal response as yet that has come, other than Susan George's retraction, which we are all familiar with by now, which has been published by Sanhati.org regards Shuddha On 6:49 pm 11/28/07 Tapas Ray wrote: > Shuddha and others: > > I was wondering if you have received a response from Prof. Chomsky or > any other signatory of the open letter published in The Hindu. If you > have, it would be interesting to know what they had to say. > > Tapas > > shuddha at sarai.net wrote: > > Response to Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn et al on Nandigram > > > > We (the undersigned) read with growing dismay the statement signed > by Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn and others > > _________________________________________ > 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. To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.ne > t/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From indersalim at gmail.com Wed Nov 28 19:34:15 2007 From: indersalim at gmail.com (inder salim) Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2007 19:34:15 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Back To The Future in Bangladesh In-Reply-To: <47e122a70711250010y2782df01gbf851c072bf8ff6e@mail.gmail.com> References: <47e122a70711250010y2782df01gbf851c072bf8ff6e@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <47e122a70711280604w35fb1c5ew5fbff71e195a5416@mail.gmail.com> dear all it seems we will never get rid of that part of histroy which torments...i sound pessimistic, but that is how the situation in Kolkata has emerged, and which is sadly in sync with Bangladesh's..... Rest of India is equally pregnant with such a history...is hell bent to repeat itself. Paskitan's present is sadder than it was in the past... kashmir is much sadder than it was in the past... and still we are wondering what to do with Taslima, Salman Rushide, MF Hussain and such other heros both forgotten and celebrated.... If this is how we treat our artists and writers then we naturally deserve the situation we are in.... Oscar Wilde was once humilated and punished for his love affair and his writings...wrtiers and artists by and large preferred silence at that time.... but indirectly the western rebel writing quickly restored what was lost to the selfish politics of nobles....Biman Dass looks like father of Lord Alferd Dougles ( oscar Wilde;s boy friend ) who left no stone unturned to Punish Taslima Oscar Wilde is an icon of modern history and literature, whether you like his homo-erotic throught and aestheticism... he is a hero... J.P. Sartre in his book Saint Jenet described him as Prince Aesthet.... the question is whether we restore Taslima Nasreen before her death or after.... She is likely to inspire future generation of writers poets and artists...( the argument that she is not a good writer hold no water at the moment ) She is already an icon....but still i dont like my pessimism... becuase it is hard to ignore things like Modi's phallic-Gujarat who is so shamelessly inviting Taslima Nasreen for political asylum...for a safe future ! with love to all is On Nov 25, 2007 10:59 AM, Shambhu Rahmat wrote: > The debate about war crimes denial continues in Bangladesh. But > history is not on our side as witnesses are dying out and documents > have been destroyed comprehensively over 30 years. > > Going Deeper > Back to the future > Kazi Anwarul Masud > http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=12887 > > One wonders about the audacity of Jamaat-e-Islami leaders raising > questions about the liberation war and their description of the war as > a civil conflict not so long ago. It should not be lost on Jamaat that > the moment the Bangalis refused to be a part of Pakistan and the armed > forces and the civilians took up arms (as well as those who did not, > but rebelled against the central authority) -- the "civilian" > character of the conflict dramatically changed. > > It was not the French Revolution against an insensitive king and > aristocracy or the Bolshevik Revolution against the Czar, though both > changed the course of the world history, it was a war by the people, > for the people, and of the people. > > Only an amnesiac can forget that a Jamaat leader himself as the > president of East Pakistan Islami Chatra Sangha and as the chief of > the infamous Al-Badr back in 1971 helped then occupying Pakistani army > in carrying out massacre, looting, and rape. The present amir of > Jamaat-e-Islami, as president of Islamic Chatra Sangha, directly > supervised the formation of Al-Badr Bahini and became its > commander-in-chief. > > The atrocities committed by the Pakistani army and their cohorts, > namely Jamaat-e-Islami and their offshoots like Al-Badr, Al-Shams and > other collaborators, have been documented in many books, journals, and > research papers. Yet a follower of Jamaat-e-Islami, albeit > unsurprisingly, would rather accept Hamoodur Rahman Commission Report > that less than 26,000 people died in what he termed as "civil > conflict" than the figure of three million killed, mentioned by the > Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. > > To quote a report on Bangladesh by the International Crisis Group on > Bangladesh: Islamists, especially the Jamaat-e-Islami Party, are often > accused of siding with Pakistanis, joining in genocide and actively > assisting massacres, especially targeted killing of intellectuals in > Dhaka in the last weeks. > > The same report states that as early as April 1971 US officials > protested their government's support for West Pakistan and argued that > the overworked term genocide was applicable. Perhaps, one of the most > telling accounts of Jamaat's collaboration during our war of > liberation has been given in a book titled "Witness to surrender" by > Pakistani major Siddiq Salim of the anti-liberation role played by > Jamaat, Muslim League, and Nizam-i-Islam. > > His book is regarded as a detailed professional account of the war. He > wrote that due to the atrocities committed by the occupation army, the > Bengali population who were not very fond of Pakistani army before, > became even more opposed. Hence there was no question of mass > cooperation by the Bengalis. Of the collaborators, Salik said that the > elderly and the prominent among them formed the Peace Committees while > the young and able-bodied were raised as Razakars to augment the > strength of the Pak army who numbered 100,000 while the Razakars > numbered 50,000. > > In under-developed societies, political community is sometimes > fragmented into opposed religious, ethnic, racial, and ideological > groups, more familiarly known as identity politics, and the democratic > structure therein being fragile, religion-based politics can invite > instability. > > In Bangladesh, it is believed that corporations run by religious > extremists make an annual net profit of billions of taka of which ten > percent is used by Islamic extremists for organisational purposes like > carrying out regular party activities, providing remuneration and > allowances to about half a million party cadres, and running armed > training camps. > > The number of primary schools since liberation has doubled while that > of dakhil madrasas has increased eight-fold. Concern about possible > rise of Islamic extremists, who look for areas of weakness, has been > expressed by Western countries. > > Bertil Lintner, Elizabeth Griswold, Time magazine, Wall Street > Journal, and others have voiced concern about rising religious > extremism in Bangladesh. Indians, being our next-door neighbour and > having been subjected to religion-based atrocities, both from within > and without, have linked increasing activities of Islamist extremists > with elements within the immediate past ruling coalition in > Bangladesh. > > If one were to look at the political landscape of Pakistan, one can > easily find the basis of strength of Muttahihiha Majlis-e-Amal, a > conglomerate of religion-based parties that were courted from the days > of late president Ziaul Huq till today in order to marginalise > moderate political parties like that of Benazir Bhutto. > > Added to the woes of democracy deficit in Pakistan, the Brussels-based > International Crisis Group observed that sectarian conflict in > Pakistan was the direct consequence of state policies of Islamisation > and marginalisation of secular democratic forces. Co-option and > patronage of religious parties by successive military governments have > brought Pakistan to a point where religious extremism threatens to > erode the foundation of the state and society. The Islamists in > Bangladesh, who reportedly have transnational links, are likely to > have links with their fellow travelers in Pakistan and other > countries. > > These days, Bangladeshi liberation war heroes, sector commanders, > civil society and politicians appear to have reached near unanimity in > their demand that Jamaat-e-Islami, that collaborated with the > Pakistani occupation forces during the war of liberation, should be > banned and barred from contesting the elections, and all those found > guilty of crimes against humanity should be tried by a special > tribunal. > > The argument is not only based on acts against humanity perpetrated by > them during the war of liberation, but also to prevent the incendiary > nature of religion-based politics in Bangladesh. It now appears that > though the Zia government in 1976 repealed the restriction on communal > politics imposed by the 1972 constitution, they and successive > governments did not repeal the Special Powers Act of 1974, still in > force, providing for ban on communal politics and punishment for > violation of the SPA. > > We should, however, be conscious that the proposed tribunal does not > imitate the one that tried Saddam Hussein, as many people believe that > Saddam was already pre-judged to be hanged before the trial even > began. Our endeavor should be to have tribunals like the International > Criminal Court or the Rwanda Tribunal or UN backed Cambodia Genocide > Tribunal that would receive international legitimacy. > > If political parties are meant to strengthen social coordination among > different interest groups in order to maximise social benefits, then > parties like Jamaat that foster dissention and sectarianism among the > people should not be allowed political space in the country. > > If Bangladesh were to revert back to secular politics, which was one > of the country's founding principles, it would not have to compromise > its Muslim identity, because the great majority of the people are > devout Muslims and do practice religion in their day-to-day life -- > and Jamaat never got even double digit popular votes before 2001 > elections. > > Kazi Anwarul Masud is a former Secretary and Ambassador. > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> -- From anjalisaga at blueyonder.co.uk Wed Nov 28 22:51:39 2007 From: anjalisaga at blueyonder.co.uk (Anjalika Sagar) Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2007 17:21:39 +0000 Subject: [Reader-list] Response to Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn/ Nandigram Message-ID: <474DA3A3.2090407@blueyonder.co.uk> Response to Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn et al on Nandigram We (the undersigned) read with growing dismay the statement signed by Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn and others advising those opposing the CPI(M)'s pro-capitalist policies in West Bengal not to "split the Left" in the face of American imperialism. We believe that for some of the signatories, their distance from events in India has resulted in their falling prey to a CPI(M) public relations coup and that they may have signed the statement without fully realising the import of it and what it means here in India, not just in Bengal . We cannot believe that many of the signatories whom we know personally, and whose work we respect, share the values of the CPI(M) - to "share similar values" with the party today is to stand for unbridled capitalist development, nuclear energy at the cost of both ecological concerns and mass displacement of people (the planned nuclear plant at Haripur, West Bengal), and the Stalinist arrogance that the party knows what "the people" need better than the people themselves. Moreover, the violence that has been perpetrated by CPI(M) cadres to browbeat the peasants into submission, including time-tested weapons like rape, demonstrate that this "Left" shares little with the Left ideals that we cherish. Over the last decade, the policies of the Left Front government in West Bengal have become virtually indistinguishable from those of other parties committed to the neoliberal agenda. Indeed, "the important experiments undertaken in the State" – the land reforms referred to in the statement - are being rapidly reversed. According to figures provided by the West Bengal state secretary for land reforms, over the past five years there has been a massive increase of landless peasants in the state due to government acquisition of land cheaply for handing over to corporations and developing posh upper class neighbourhoods. We urge our friends to take very seriously the fact that all over the country, democratic rights groups, activists and intellectuals of impeccable democratic credentials have come out in full support of the Nandigram struggle. The statement reiterates the CPI(M)'s claim that "there will be no chemical hub" in Nandigram, but this assurance is itself deliberately misleading. This is the explanation repeatedly offered by CPI(M) for the first round of resistance in Nandigram – that people reacted to a baseless rumour that there would be land acquisitions in the area. In fact, as the Chief Minister himself conceded in the State Assembly, it was no rumour but a notification issued by the Haldia Development Authority on January 2, 2007 indicating the approximate size and location of the projected SEZ, which triggered the turmoil. The major factor shaping popular reaction to the notification was Singur. Singur was the chronicle of the fate foretold for Nandigram. There, land was acquired in most cases without the consent of peasant-owners and at gun-point (terrorizing people is one way of obtaining their consent), under the colonial Land Acquisition Act (1894). That land is now under the control of the industrial house of the Tatas, cordoned off and policed by the state police of West Bengal. The dispossessed villagers are lost to history. A fortunate few among them will become wage slaves of the Tatas on the land on which they were once owners. While the CPM-led West Bengal government has announced that it will not go ahead with the chemical hub without the consent of the people of Nandigram, it has not announced any plans of withdrawing its commitment to the neo-liberal development model. It has not announced the shelving of plans to create Special Economic Zones. It has not withdrawn its invitation to Dow Chemicals (formerly known as Union Carbide, the corporation responsible for tens of thousands of deaths in Bhopal) to invest in West Bengal. In other words, there are many more Nandigrams waiting to happen. In any case, the reason for the recently renewed violence in Nandigram has been widely established to have nothing to do with the rumour or otherwise of a chemical hub. Print and visual media, independent reports, the Governor of West Bengal (Gopal Gandhi) and the State Home Secretary's police intelligence all establish that this round of violence was initiated by the CPI(M) to re-establish its control in the area. We all have seen TV coverage of unarmed villagers barricaded behind walls of rubble, while policemen train their guns on them. With the plans it has for the future, regaining control over Nandigram is vital for the CPI(M) to reassure its corporate partners that it is in complete control of the situation and that any kind of resistance will be comprehensively crushed. The euphemism for this in the free marketplace is 'creating a good investment climate'. The anti-Taslima Nasreen angle that has recently been linked to the Nandigram struggle against land acquisition is disturbing to all of us. However, we should remember that it is largely Muslim peasants who are being dispossessed by land acquisitions all over the state. There is a general crisis of confidence of the Muslim community vis-à-vis the Left Front government, inaugurated by the current Chief Minister's aggressive campaign to "clean up" madarsas, followed by the revelation of the Sachar Committee that Muslim employment in government jobs in West Bengal is among the lowest in the country. While we condemn the attempts to utilize this discontent and channelize it in sectarian ways, we feel very strongly that it would be unfortunate if the entire anger of the community were to be mobilized by communal and sectarian tendencies within it. Such a situation would be inevitable if all Left forces were seen to be backing the CPI(M). This is why at this critical juncture it is crucial to articulate a Left position that is simultaneously against forcible land acquisition in Nandigram and for the right of Tasleema Nasreen to live, write and speak freely in India . History has shown us that internal dissent is invariably silenced by dominant forces claiming that a bigger enemy is at the gate. Iraq and Iran are not the only targets of that bigger enemy. The struggle against SEZ's and corporate globalization is an intrinsic part of the struggle against US imperialism. We urge our fellow travellers among the signatories to that statement, not to treat the "Left" as homogeneous, for there are many different tendencies which claim that mantle, as indeed you will recognize if you look at the names on your own statement. Mahashweta Devi Arundhati Roy Sumit Sarkar Uma Chakravarty Tanika Sarkar Moinak Biswas Kaushik Ghosh Saroj Giri Sourin Bhattacharya Nirmalangshu Mukherji Sibaji Bandyopadhyay Swapan Chakravorty Rajarshi Dasgupta Anand Chakravarty Apoorvanand Shuddhabrata Sengupta Nivedita Menon Aditya Nigam Anjalika Sagar Dear Friends, thank you for getting in touch. Please see my response and feel free to distribute if you like, All good wishes, solidarity, Susan George ************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ***** To my friends in India: Without wishing to place responsibility on anyone but myself, I want to apologise for having signed the common letter concerning Nandigram and hereby withdraw my signature. I signed because the statement seemed reasonable, recognised that the signatories "could not say anything definitive", seemed compatible with principles like left unity and non-violence which I try to uphold and, above all, had been previously signed by people I greatly admire and respect. Due to a certain urgency, I gave my name without consulting friends in India, particularly the two Indian Fellows of the Transnational Institute, Praful Bidwai and Achin Vanaik, as I ought normally to have done. Now I have received further information from Indians who have regretted my signature and, while exercising great comradely restraint towards me personally, have pointed to the recent tragic events in Nandigram as unequivocally the responsibility of the CPI[M]. All the communications sent to me blame the government, but having consulted other signatories, I learn that some of them have received thanks and letters of support, also from India. While my instinct is quite naturally to side with those who have written to me personally, particularly my TNI comrades, I regret above all that I was presumptuous enough to comment, however mildly, on a situation I was not, and am not, in any position to judge. I hope my Indian friends will forgive this presumption and accept my regrets for having signed a letter which has been used politically in India in ways I cannot condone and do not approve. In solidarity, Susan George Text of Chomsky et al's Statement To Our Friends in Bengal. News travels to us that events in West Bengal have overtaken the optimism that some of us have experienced during trips to the state. We are concerned about the rancor that has divided the public space, created what appear to be unbridgeable gaps between people who share similar values. It is this that distresses us. We hear from people on both sides of this chasm, and we are trying to make some sense of the events and the dynamics. Obviously, our distance prevents us from saying anything definitive. We continue to trust that the people of Bengal will not allow their differences on some issues to tear apart the important experiments undertaken in the state (land reforms, local self-government) . We send our fullest solidarity to the peasants who have been forcibly dispossessed. We understand that the government has promised not to build a chemical hub in the area around Nandigram. We understand that those who had been dispossessed by the violence are now being allowed back to their homes, without recrimination. We understand that there is now talk of reconciliation. This is what we favor. The balance of forces in the world is such that it would be impetuous to split the left. We are faced with a world power that has demolished one state (Iraq) and is now threatening another (Iran). This is not the time for division when the basis of division no longer appears to exist. Noam Chomsky, author, Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assult on Democracy. Tariq Ali, author, Pirates of the Caribbean: Axis of Hope and editor, New Left Review. Howard Zinn, author, A Power Governments Cannot Suppress. Susan George, author, Another World is Possible if, and Fellow, Transnational Institute. Victoria Brittain, co-author, Enemy Combatant: A British Muslim's Journey to Guantanamo and Back, former editor, Guardian. Walden Bello, author, Dilemmas of Domination. The Unmaking of the American Empire, and Chair, Akbayan, the fastest growing party in the Philippines. Mahmood Mamdani, author, Good Muslim, Bad Muslim: America, The Cold War and the Roots of Terror. Akeel Bilgrami, author, Politics and the Moral Psychology of Identity. Richard Falk, author, The Costs of War: International Law, the UN and World Order After Iraq. Jean Bricmont, author, Humanitarian Imperialism: Using Human Rights to Sell War. Michael Albert, author, Parecon: Life After Capitalism, and editor, ZNET. Stephen Shalom, author, Imperial Alibis: Rationalizing US Intervention After the Cold War. Charles Derber, author, People Before Profit. The New Globalization in an Age of Terror, Big Money and Economic Crisis. Vijay Prashad, author, The Darker Nations: A People's History of the Third World From naeem.mohaiemen at gmail.com Wed Nov 28 23:33:35 2007 From: naeem.mohaiemen at gmail.com (Naeem Mohaiemen) Date: Thu, 29 Nov 2007 00:03:35 +0600 Subject: [Reader-list] Response to Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn et al on Nandigram Message-ID: There is a group letter (response to the response) being drafted by the original signatories (Chomsky, Ali, Bilgrami, et al). By the way, one of the earlier emails on this thread indicated a theory that the letter may have been initiated by Vijay Prashad (I suppose an unsaid hint may be that the "well meaning white liberals" had been duped by the "argumentative indian"). I checked w/ Vijay-- he did not initiate the letter, although he did indeed sign it. >From: Tapas Ray >I was wondering if you have received a response from Prof. Chomsky or >any other signatory of the open letter published in The Hindu. From dash.suryashankar at gmail.com Wed Nov 28 23:36:24 2007 From: dash.suryashankar at gmail.com (SURYA) Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2007 23:36:24 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Appeal to boycott Bhubaneswar Film Festival '07 In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Dear Friends, I would like to bring to everyone's urgent attention on a disturbing trend emerging in Bhubaneswar amongst the film fraternity & media persons. Over the last few years more and more film festivals are being sponsored by corporations facing charges of gross human rights violations & environmental damage. The best example being Vedanta Alumina Ltd., a company that has been internationally hounded for its activities in Orissa. Vedanta sponsored Bring Your Film Festival in Puri two years back and now it has sponsored the Bhubaneswar Film Festival '07. The timing of these festivals sponsored by Vedanta is always when the company is going through a tough time. The Bhubaneswar Film Festival '07 kicks off today, a week after the company was denied permission to carry out bauxite mining in the pristine primary forested Niyamgiri Hills by the Supreme Court of India on many grounds, a week after the State Pollution Control Board issued a notice to the company for affecting more than 25,000 villagers in 10 villages by the air and water pollution caused by its illegal factory in Lanjigarh and three weeks after the Govt of Norway withdrew its investments in the company for its malpractices in Orissa. The people's movement against Vedanta has been raging for five years now. Many inncoent civilians have been beaten up by goons, and arrested under false charges. Vedanta's factory was built in the most dubious manner and many villages were forcefully displaced with ample support by district administration. Their villages were bulldozed while the police held them captive. Their cattle was shooed away and they have been put in a virtual prison since then which the company has termed Rehabilitation Colony. One local person was allegedly killed by the goons of the company for resisting displacement and protesting strongly against the atrocities of the company. Around the factory there are many stories of many deaths that have been hushed up. As a headline in the frontpage of The Times of India questioned a week back "Whats good for Orissa, bad for Norway?", the same question can be put to the organisers of the Bhubaneswar Film Festival who choose to ignore the mishappenings in other parts of the state caused by their patron company Vedanta. Just google keywords like Vedanta, Niyamgiri, & Lanjigarh and one finds hundreds of webpages with adequate information on how the company has violated almost every law of the land in order to get its way ahead. One can only guess if the organisers are ignorant partners in this 'consent manufacturing event' or not. Nevertheless, their disrespect towards other citizens of the state who are suffering due to the company's activities, cannot be more overt than the mammoth billboards plastered all over Bhubaneswar, advertising the film festival and Vedanta's name. These bilboards might create some goodwill amongst lovers of cinema and distract them from the real nature of the sponsors which is most certainly a planned strategy. Unfortunately these kind of festivals which are supposedly for the cause of meaningful & good cinema will incur more damage on society than the very meaningless & commercial cinema with whom they are fighting for space. Though I have tried my best not to make this appeal to boycott the film festival to be a personal attack on the organisers I am compelled to mention that seemingly they have started to make a livelihood out of organising film festivals. In Orissa erring companies like Vedanta and Tata need all the goodwill they can and are more than happy to pay these people more than they ask for. Being a volunteer in some festivals in the past I am aware of how budgets are proposed to potential sponsors who are mostly companies with overactive PR wings (meaning they require more damage control) many times more than the actual cost Inscreen Film Society of which I was once a part is also planning on a film festival next month in Bhubaneswar and it will not be a surprise if names like Vedanta or Tata pop up again alongwith as they have started the trend of manufacturing consent through film festival with BYOFF in Puri. Ironically BYOFF was born to liberate and democratise film festivals but has only proved to be facade for 'consent manufacturing'. Now Bhubaneswar Film Society is doing it with the Bhubaneswar Film Festival '07 from today without any regard for thousands of people in Orissa who might be displaced if Vedanta Alumina has its way. This film festival cannot be treated as a film festival, rather an advertising vehicle by Vedanta. I would call it a Trojan horse and would like to sincerely appeal to everyone to boycott such film festivals that disregard human life and nature. With regards, Surya Shankar Dash Filmmaker, Bhubaneswar P.s. Please sign and circulate it as widely as possible. From kokopeli at gmail.com Thu Nov 29 00:31:25 2007 From: kokopeli at gmail.com (Sujata & Samantak) Date: Thu, 29 Nov 2007 00:31:25 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] News from Nandigram Message-ID: <556b1d6b0711281101p5a6a2fb2o6960742a93a2a8bd@mail.gmail.com> Dear All, This is my first post and I'm not sure this hasn't reached you already from other members of this list. If so, my apologies, but I thought this important enough to take the risk of cross-posting. Thanks. Samantak Das *Interim Report of an Independent Citizens' Team from Kolkata * *on the Current State of Affairs in Nandigram* *28 November 2007* On November 24, 2007, an eleven member women's team of concerned citizens from Kolkata comprising teachers, social activists, researchers and students visited Nandigram. Concerned about the repeated disruption of peace in the region, the members decided to visit the affected areas and talk to the local people, with the objectives of showing solidarity with the survivors of violence, documenting people's needs in the current circumstances, and drawing up recommendations based on our understanding of the situation. The people who constituted this team were Kavita Panjabi, Anuradha Kapur, Rajashri Dasgupta, Saswati Ghosh, Shyamoli Das, Swapna Banerjee, Trina Nileena Banerjee, Shuktara Lal, Sushmita Sinha and Shubhasree Bhattacharya. On arrival in Nandigram at the Relief Camp at Brij Mohan Tiwari Shiksha Niketan, the team split into two groups. One talked to the people in the relief camps, the other to a woman who had been sexually assaulted, and the injured in Nandigram Hospital. One group then proceeded to the villages of Sonachura and Garchakraberia, also stopping at the Bhangaberia Bridge where the CRPF is stationed; the other half of the team went to the village of Daudpur. This interim report comprises the general findings and recommendations of all the members of the team that visited Nandigram on the 24th of November. The specific testimonies and individual stories will be included in the final report. *PRIMARY FINDINGS:* 1) Overall there is a reign of terror; the people are marked by deep fear, disillusionment and depression. They are helplessly trapped in the crossfire between the forces of political parties, specially the CPM and the TMC. Criminals who have killed, sexually assaulted and injured people continue to threaten the population of the villages. Many who had tried to return to their villages but had to come back to the relief camp spoke of bombs and firing that they heard even on the 23rd night when they had tried to return to their homes. And the night-time threats, specially against women, also continue. Across all the villages, people testified to the complete loss of political freedom - they are being forced to pledge their allegiance to one particular party or the other, and they talked angrily about their right to decide which party they wanted to support. The people in the camp, as well as the majority in the villages, have lost all confidence in the government, administration and police. 2) At the relief camp, at Brij Mohan Tiwari Shiksha Niketan in Nandigram town, villagers testified to rampant firing, brutal killing and large-scale threats by the cadres of CPM, the ruling party, across the villages of Gokulnagar, Kalicharanpur, Adhikaripara, Simulkunda and Satengabari. Many carried scars of deep bullet injuries on their faces, stomachs and legs. The People's Health doctors working in the relief camp said they had not received any complaints of sexual or physical assault, but mainly children's health related complains, like cough, fever, diarrhoea. About 20-25 thousand people have left their homes. Of them 3,000 to 3,5000 people had been living in this camp, approximately 1,500 of whom were still there on 24th November. Extensive physical abuse and sexual abuse of women, ranging from rape and forcing of rods into women's vaginas, to rampant sexual harassment, as well as abduction of girls has been reported since March this year, but not much has been done to provide relief to the women, or to initiate investigation against and punish the perpetrators. Such violence against women continues, accompanied by terrifying threats, and there is no evidence of any steps having been taken to curb either. 3) Hundreds of women who had fled Kalicharanpur, Adhikaripara, Simulkunda and Satengabari in fear of sexual assault were still in the Nandigram camp. They testified that not only had their homes been looted and burnt down, in villages like Satengabari they had also been severely threatened by CPM cadres, who came around saying "We'll come back at night – light your lamps and wait for us with open doors. Send your men away, we'll come back to you at night." "How can we stay in a place under such threats?" the women asked. They told us about one Akhreja Bibi who had been gang-raped in Satengabari by 6-7 men is now in Tamluk hospital. Both her daughters, one about 17, one younger, were abducted. They are still missing. Women of these villages are still living in fear of being sexually abused, and young girls have been sent to relatives' homes elsewhere. The fear and insecurity of the villagers and specially the women at the Nandigram camp has been so high that they have refused to go back to their villages till the* *CRPF is posted their to ensure their safety and protect them from the violent vengeance of the "Harmad Bahini" comprising CPM cadres. 4) Some of the people who had participated in the unarmed march to Maheshpur on 10th November were arrested and locked up for three days in the school building. The women were subject to repeated sexual harassment by male CPM cadres who claimed the women were were Maoists. 5) In villages such as Garchakraberia where the CRPF has already been posted, normal life and activity seem to have returned; however there is simmering tension and fear under the facade of peace. At night, when CRPF personnel go off vigil, assailants begin their attacks again; so people have been forced to flee their homes at night and take shelter elsewhere from fear of reprisal. Villagers claim this is a forced calm and are terrified of what may happen when the CRPF is withdrawn. 6) Residents of Sonachura also expressed their anger and frustration at the BUPC leadership for keeping their own women safe at home, while forcing other women in the villages to join the marches and threatening to beat and burn down the homes of all who refused. 7) The situation in Daudpur is still very tense and the administration should take immediate measures to address this. There is resentment and anger brewing among the villagers. People openly accuse each other of violence while questioning the authority and corruption of particular CPM leaders. BUPC has forced people to volunteer to stand as night guards against the armed attacks from the CPM's Harmad Bahini. 8) Villagers testified that the police are playing a partisan role. BUPC members returning to their villages were being arrested, some on false charges. Others are being levied exorbitant "fines" to "compensate for the damages done to the CPM families in the last 11 months". Complaints about the atrocities of the CPM followers were either not registered, or the accused were released after being arrested, without any of the legal procedures being followed. 9) The senior police officer at the Relief Camp refused to comment on most of our questions. He (i) hinted at pressure from some political parties, (ii) implied that work was being made 'difficult' due to 'interference', (iii) said peace is returning to the villages, but the situation is 'still difficult'. 10) While language is proving to be a barrier to the CRPF in dealing with the volatile situation here, there are apparent efforts to restore peace, including red-flag processions etc. But the atmosphere outside the temporary 'protection' of the relief camp is of extreme terror. In spite of all apparent efforts and assurance on the part of the authorities, this terror is persistent. 11) There is a tremendous breakdown of trust. The villages of Nandigram are zones of pregnant silence today - they are zones of seething fear, terror, suspicion and threat.. (i) The police is still playing a partisan role. (ii) Vicious cycles of vengeance are in operation across the CPM and the TMC led BUPC. (iii) The political parties are set on a continued use of violence to mark territory and consolidate their forces. There is no evidence of any of them being ready or prepared for peace. Given the situation, people expect more violence and further exploitation. *RECOMMENDATIONS:* 1. *Non-partisan, just and effective action on the part of the State* is the most basic and critical factor for restoring peace in Nandigram. The government must strengthen administrative structures and ensure impartial and immediate action on the part of the administration to instill confidence in the people and normalize the situation in Nandigram. Conditions must be created for people to renew their daily social and economic activities without fear and apprehension of reprisal. 2. The *violence* *in Nandigram must be stopped.* (i.) All arms in the possession of the entire population of all the villages of Nandigram must be confiscated (ii.) The area must be rid of all outside cadres. (iii.) All criminals, irrespective of political affiliation, must be arrested immediately and tried. (iv.) Effective vigilance should be set in place against all those* *indulging in retaliatory and revengeful acts that will derail the peace process. 3. We demand *responsible action now from all the political parties*too. They must stop exploiting the situation, abstain from violence, and play a constructive role in bringing peace back to Nandigram. . 4. *Rape and sexual assault* have clearly become dominant weapons of war in the crossfire between vested political interests in Nandigram. (i) Urgent *measures must be taken by the administration and the police* to* *stop this immediately. (ii) Perpetrators have been resorting to sexual assault on women to intimidate, humiliate and subjugate the opposition, while the opposition has been using incidents of rape to discredit the perpetrators, not to seek justice for the women affected. We also demand that *every political party involved puts a complete and immediate stop to such practices,* and to all threats of sexual violence too. 5. The administration should also ensure that* all rape cases are registered, thoroughly investigated, and followed up*. Cases where women have been brutally assaulted should also receive the attention they merit and should not be brushed aside merely because the case was not one of rape. Sexual assault is a serious offence and must be dealt with as such. *All* *victims of sexual assault must be provided immediate medical treatment and their privacy respected and dignity upheld.* 6. Both men, and large numbers of women, specially those subject to sexual assault and/or rape are now severely traumatized and have sunk into visibly deep depression or shock. The government should set up a counselling cell in Nandigram or authorize an NGO to do so for the purpose of *trauma alleviation*. 7. Those who are suffering from the latest violence, as well as those who have been* *injured* *earlier in the year, cannot afford the *medication * required. Many cannot work as they could earlier. On both counts, their * livelihood* is adversely affected. *Compensation* to the injured and raped, and to the families of the dead should be made available on an urgent footing. *Women and children* have been the worst sufferers of the violence; attention should be paid to their *special needs*, and efforts made to restore their dignity and confidence in the process of rehabilitation. The *grant promised to repair houses must be distributed without any partisan preference*. The SDO/BDO must ensure that the grant promised to repair houses is distributed without any partisan preference. 8. The presence of the CRPF can ensure only a temporary and forced calm. This is no solution to the reign of terror. The state must *set in place peacemaking efforts, and involve all political parties and people's organisations in the region* to renew the democratic process and enable citizens to reclaim the lost democratic space for a lasting and just peace in the area. Peoples'* political rights* must be ensured. Democracy does not mean rule of the majority, but ensuring the rights and respect of the minority and those holding opposing political opinions and beliefs too. Concerted efforts have to be made, across all political differences, to control the spate of vengeance, and rebuild the confidence of the people of Nandigram who are living with violence as well as the fear of violence on a day to day basis. 9. The *government must be held* *accountable *for the breakdown of law and order in Nandigram. Given the current lack of accountability, a Public Interest Litigation maybe filed so that a Supreme Court probe can take place or a CBI enquiry may serve this purpose. __________________________ From anivar at movingrepublic.org Tue Nov 27 13:58:30 2007 From: anivar at movingrepublic.org (Anivar Aravind) Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2007 13:58:30 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] CPI-M activists evict Kerala tribal families Message-ID: <474BD52E.5050309@movingrepublic.org> This News is also covered by mainstream Malayalam dailies Anivar CPI-M activists evict Kerala tribal families Web posted at: 11/27/2007 0:54:59 Source ::: The Peninsula/ By John Mary http://tinyurl.com/2thxab Thiruvananthapuram • In a Nadigram-style operation minus the violence, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) activists drove out tribal people from Government land atop the Munnar hills today, thwarting their move for a permanent settlement. Tribal families, who had pitched tents on 1,500 acres allotted to Hindustan Newsprint for its captive plantation at Chinnakkanal, were caught unawares as the CPM cadres staged the takeover operation this morning. The activists, backed by local party reinforcements later in the day, tore down tents and put party flags, declaring the success of the operation. Local people said tension prevailed in the area since tribal activists have threatened to recover the land and not to leave until the Government honored its commitment to distribute land to all landless Adivasi families in the State. Tribal families, including children, had occupied the land under the banner of the Adivasi Punaradhivasa Samrakshana Samithy (tribal rehabilitation protection committee). The provocation had come as the fallout of the deal struck between Chief Minister AK Antony and tribal leader C K Janu. At a grand function, Antony distributed title-deeds but only 540 families out of the 798 families got the land. “They had waited for more than five years for the land. The Government had forced them to resort to direct action. They have run out of patience and there’s no question of returning without getting the land”, said tribal solidarity leader C P Shaji. However, the local CPM leaders alleged that Congress and Communist Party of India had instigated the tribal people to occupy Government land so they could grab the land once the dust settled. Tribal agitation has traversed a chequered course in Kerala. Janu had led many families on a 48-day sit-in in front of the Government Secretariat soon after Antony came to power in 2001. The agitation ended with Antony agreeing to a seven-point demand, mainly five acres to each landless tribal family and a rehabilitation package to ensure that the land was not alienated. However, the pact suffered a setback after Janu led a tribal band to the Muthanga wildlife sanctuary in the northern Wynad district two years later, leading to deaths a policeman and a tribal youth. The most important fallout of agitations has been that both the Government and the tribal activists succeeded in shifting the focus of the nearly 50-year-old tribal struggle in Kerala from the issue of “restoration of alienated land” to one of “land for the landless tribal people”. In April 1975, Kerala Assembly unanimously adopted the Kerala Scheduled Tribes (Restriction on Transfer of Lands and Restoration of Alienated Lands) Act, which sought to prevent the lands of the tribal people from falling into the hands of non-tribal people. The Act also sought to restore to the tribal people their previously alienated lands. But that has remained mostly on paper. From dash.suryashankar at gmail.com Wed Nov 28 11:14:10 2007 From: dash.suryashankar at gmail.com (SURYA) Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2007 11:14:10 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Appeal to boycott Bhubaneswar Film Festival '07 Message-ID: Dear Friends, I would like to bring to everyone's urgent attention on a disturbing trend emerging in Bhubaneswar amongst the film fraternity & media persons. Over the last few years more and more film festivals are being sponsored by corporations facing charges of gross human rights violations & environmental damage. The best example being Vedanta Alumina Ltd., a company that has been internationally hounded for its activities in Orissa. Vedanta sponsored Bring Your Film Festival in Puri two years back and now it has sponsored the Bhubaneswar Film Festival '07. The timing of these festivals sponsored by Vedanta is always when the company is going through a tough time. The Bhubaneswar Film Festival '07 kicks off today, a week after the company was denied permission to carry out bauxite mining in the pristine primary forested Niyamgiri Hills by the Supreme Court of India on many grounds, a week after the State Pollution Control Board issued a notice to the company for affecting more than 25,000 villagers in 10 villages by the air and water pollution caused by its illegal factory in Lanjigarh and three weeks after the Govt of Norway withdrew its investments in the company for its malpractices in Orissa. The people's movement against Vedanta has been raging for five years now. Many inncoent civilians have been beaten up by goons, and arrested under false charges. Vedanta's factory was built in the most dubious manner and many villages were forcefully displaced with ample support by district administration. Their villages were bulldozed while the police held them captive. Their cattle was shooed away and they have been put in a virtual prison since then which the company has termed Rehabilitation Colony. One local person was allegedly killed by the goons of the company for resisting displacement and protesting strongly against the atrocities of the company. Around the factory there are many stories of many deaths that have been hushed up. As a headline in the frontpage of The Times of India questioned a week back "Whats good for Orissa, bad for Norway?", the same question can be put to the organisers of the Bhubaneswar Film Festival who choose to ignore the mishappenings in other parts of the state caused by their patron company Vedanta. Just google keywords like Vedanta, Niyamgiri, & Lanjigarh and one finds hundreds of webpages with adequate information on how the company has violated almost every law of the land in order to get its way ahead. One can only guess if the organisers are ignorant partners in this 'consent manufacturing event' or not. Nevertheless, their disrespect towards other citizens of the state who are suffering due to the company's activities, cannot be more overt than the mammoth billboards plastered all over Bhubaneswar, advertising the film festival and Vedanta's name. These bilboards might create some goodwill amongst lovers of cinema and distract them from the real nature of the sponsors which is most certainly a planned strategy. Unfortunately these kind of festivals which are supposedly for the cause of meaningful & good cinema will incur more damage on society than the very meaningless & commercial cinema with whom they are fighting for space. Though I have tried my best not to make this appeal to boycott the film festival to be a personal attack on the organisers I am compelled to mention that seemingly they have started to make a livelihood out of organising film festivals. In Orissa erring companies like Vedanta and Tata need all the goodwill they can and are more than happy to pay these people more than they ask for. Being a volunteer in some festivals in the past I am aware of how budgets are proposed to potential sponsors who are mostly companies with overactive PR wings (meaning they require more damage control) many times more than the actual cost Inscreen Film Society of which I was once a part is also planning on a film festival next month in Bhubaneswar and it will not be a surprise if names like Vedanta or Tata pop up again alongwith as they have started the trend of manufacturing consent through film festival with BYOFF in Puri. Ironically BYOFF was born to liberate and democratise film festivals but has only proved to be facade for 'consent manufacturing'. Now Bhubaneswar Film Society is doing it with the Bhubaneswar Film Festival '07 from today without any regard for thousands of people in Orissa who might be displaced if Vedanta Alumina has its way. This film festival cannot be treated as a film festival, rather an advertising vehicle by Vedanta. I would call it a Trojan horse and would like to sincerely appeal to everyone to boycott such film festivals that disregard human life and nature. With regards, Surya Shankar Dash Filmmaker, Bhubaneswar P.s. Please sign and circulate it as widely as possible. From nc-agricowi at netcologne.de Tue Nov 27 16:17:59 2007 From: nc-agricowi at netcologne.de (netEX) Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2007 11:47:59 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] [Announcements] =?ISO-8859-1?Q?netEX=5Fcalls, =20deadlines=20and=20news=20-=20December=202007?= Message-ID: <20071127114759.20CFCE75.EE33E04E@192.168.0.3> netEX: calls, deadlines & news December 2007 ------------------------------------- [NewMediaArtProjectNetwork]:||cologne newsletter contents 1. calls & deadlines 10 Calls: December deadlines external 08 Calls: ongoing external 2. network news a) NewMediaFest2007 b) CologneOFF - Cologne Online Film Festival c) Agricola de Cologne news ------------------------------------- First of all !! --> [NewMediaArtProjectNetwork]:||cologne and its virtual team wish all their friends and partners a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Peaceful New Year 2008 ------------------------------------- 1. Calls & deadlines ---> [NewMediaArtProjectNetwork]:||cologne www.nmartproject.net ------------------------------------------------ December deadlines: external ------------------------------------------------ 31 December Biennale des Poètes Val de Marne/France http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=161 31 December Web Biennial Istanbul/Turkey http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=10 20 December "In Transition Russia 2008?, exhibition project in Moskow & Yekaterinburg/Russia http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=152 15 December Screenings of videos under the subject of "The unfaithful narrator" - Studio 27 San Francisco/USA http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=153 15 December Application for Master of Science in Visual Studies, MIT http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=155 12 December T-10 Video Festival Oklahoma/USA http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=174 1 December Dreaming a New Real: Video & Multimedia at RENSSELAER NEWMAN FOUNDATION, Troy, NY, USA http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=144 1 December Labour - exhibition project for the web http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=151 1 December Residency in Beijing (China) http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=164 1 December Tampere Int. Shortfilm Festival (Finland) http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=102 ----------------------------------------------- Ongoing calls: external/internal ----------------------------------------------- Netart for JavaMuseum - Forum for Internet Technology in Contemp. Art http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=138 Films and video screenings Sioux City (USA) http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=15 Laisle screenings Rio de Janeiro/Brazil http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=21 Videos for Helsinki based video gallery - 00130 Gallery http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=93 Web based works for 00130 Gallery Helsinki/Finland http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=94 Project: Repetion as a Model for Progression by Marianne Holm Hansen http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=95 Raw Video New York/NY (USA) http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=147 US webjournal Atomic Unicorn seeks netart and video art for coming editions http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=170 ------------------------------------------ more deadlines on http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?page_id=4 ------------------------------------------ 2. network news ------------------------------------------ a) On 1 November 2007, the Network launched NewMediaFest2007 - http://2007.newmediafest.org http//www.newmediafest.org/blog/ - the 1st common festival of The Network - www.nmartproject.net running from 1 Nov 2007 - 31 May 2008 and the 1st physical NewMediaFest2007 was running 15-17 November hosted by 3rd Int. Digital Art Festival 2007 Rosario/Argentina http://www.newmediafest.org/blog/?page_id=16 NewMediaFest2007 is presenting a program of new media art in a broad bandwidth and variety featuring latest competition results and project developments by * CologneOFF - Cologne Online Film Festival - http://coff.newmediafest.org * JavaMuseum - Forum for Internet Technology in Contemporary Art - http://www.javamuseum.org * VideoChannel - video project environments - http://videochannel.newmediafest.org * SoundLAB - sonic art project environments - http://soundlab.newmediafest.org * Cinematheque - streaming media project environments - http://cinema.nmartproject.net * AND - Artists Network Database - http://and.nmartproject.net - official launch More details on netEX news November 2007 http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=169 http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=168 http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=167 http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=165 http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=163 http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=162 or on the festival blog - http://www.newmediafest.org/blog/ Following PDF catalogue is available for free download NewMediaFest2007 - general program http://downloads.nmartproject.net/NewMediaFest_2007.pdf b) CologneOFF - Cologne Online Film Festival http://coff.newmediafest.org launched on 1 November in the framework of NewMediaFest2007 its 3rd festival edition - CologneOFF III - Toon! Toon! - art cartoons and animated narratives see list of participants - http://coff.newmediafest.org/blog/?page_id=6 CologneOFF continued its physical manifestations ---> CologneOFF III 9/10 November --->24 Hours of Nuremberg Film Festival/Germany 15-17 November---> 3rd Digital Art Festival Rosario/Argentina - CologneOFF I on 19 November ---> VIP Art Gallery Belgrade/Serbia Following new PDF catalogues are available for free download *CologneOFF III - Toon! Toon! - art cartoons & animates narratives http://downloads.nmartproject.net/CologneOFF_3rd_edition_2007.pdf *CologneOFF III - Retrospective Nick Fox-Gieg http://downloads.nmartproject.net/CologneOFF_retro_fox.gieg_2007.pdf Preview--> Cologne OFF - Cologne Online Film Festival is invited to present a selection from "CologneOFF I - genderscapes" during "Les Inattendus Film Festival" Lyon/France - 25-28 January 2008 c) Agricola de Cologne film/videos - were presented in November on 1. Pantheon -Experimental Film Festival Nikosia/Cyprus 2. Optica VideoFestival Gijon/Spain 3.. Belle Arte Lamia VideoArt Lamia/Greece 4. 3rd International Digital Art Festival Rosario/Argentina 5. 24 hours of Nuremberg/Germany 6. Laisle Videotape & Sound Rio de Janeir/Brazil 7. Screening in Belgrade/Serbia 8. Desert Generation in Amsterdam/NL 9. Experimental Film Festival Baia Mare/Romania More details on http://www.agricola-de-cologne.de/blog/?p=125 in December 10. Instants Video Festival Marseille/France in Liege/Belgium - 12 December 2007 - 11. 2nd Bursa International Film Festival Bursa/Turkey - 7-13 December 2007 more news on http://www.agricola-de-cologne.de/blog/ ----------------------------------------------- NetEX - networked experience http://netex.nmartproject.net http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/ # calls in the external section--> http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?cat=3 # calls in the internal section--> http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?cat=1 ----------------------------------------------- # This newsletter is also released on http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?cat=9 # NetEx - networked experiences http://netex.nmartproject.net is a free information service powered by [NewMediaArtProjectNetwork]:||cologne www.nmartproject.net - the experimental platform for Art and New Media from Cologne/Germany # info & contact: info (at) nmartproject.net _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From alice at tank.tv Tue Nov 27 17:57:05 2007 From: alice at tank.tv (Alice O'Reilly) Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2007 12:27:05 +0000 Subject: [Reader-list] [Announcements] www.tank.tv : Rachel Reupke : 01.12.07 - 01.01.08 Message-ID: <442eb4460711270427q2c378bb8qe5a8d9be89258749@mail.gmail.com> Rachel Reupke 1st December - 1st January 2008 tank.tv sees out the year with a solo show from Rachel Reupke. Showcasing a selection of chapters from her ongoing project of re-examining romantic filmic conventions in the age of mass reproduction, the programme will include previously unseen work. Inspired by the opening moments of Herzog's Aguirre: Wrath of God, Hitchcock's North By Northwest and the landscapes of Bruegel, Friedrich and Turner, in Reupke's work scenery and vistas are manipulated to the point of hyperreality. "Romanticism is tempered" Reupke says, her moving images, "set within the post-industrial age depict landscapes organised for economic gain and social control, where technological progress, though impressive in scale and ambition, retains an underlying element of threat." Visually beautiful and delicately unsettling her work explores the tensions inherent in the contemporary vista as interpret ed by technologies (both current and historical), industry and inhabitants. Several recent works will form part of the exhibition. Now Wait for Last Year (2007) is made in response to the rapid developments in the architecture of contemporary Beijing and was made whilst the artist was on an Arts Council fellowship in China. Utilising 21st century techniques of digital manipiulation this work contrasts with the historical nature of the technology used to create Land of Cockaigne (2007). This god's eye view of the Sussex Downs was taken using the camera obscura at Foredown Tower in the village of Portslade. Taking it's cue from early camera obscura entertainments, fictional scenes are staged in the landscape which appear in the footage from this one continuous camera movement. Other works include Parc Naturel (2003), Untitled No1 and No2 (2006) and Tignes (2005), Reupke's choreographed look at the French ski resort when Summer and neglect conspire to disrupt the views from a selection of 'webcams'. Rachel Reupke was born in Henley-on-Thames in 1971 and studied at Nottingham Trent University and Goldsmiths College, London. She now lives and works in the British capital and recent exhibitions include Land of Cockaigne, Fabrica, Brighton; Beyond the Country, Lewis Glucksman Gallery, Cork; Vidéo et après, Pompidou Centre, Paris (solo screening) and 24 Hour Fresh Air, L'Espace Croisé, Roubaix. Rachel Reupke is online at www.tank.tv from 1st December 2007 - 1st January 2008. www.tank.tv www.tank.tv/freshmoves.htm For all press enquiries please contact Alice O'Reilly E: alice at tank.tv Tel: +44 (0)207 434 0110, A: tank.tv / Tank Magazine 5th Floor 49 - 50 Great Marlborough Street, London, W1F 7JR. -- - - - - - - - - - - - - Alice O'Reilly tank.tv 5th floor 49-50 Great Marlborough street London W1F 7JR alice at tank.tv T +44 (0)207434 0110 F +44 (0)207434 9232 http://www.tank.tv - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Now showing: Love & Hate 15th October – 15th November 2007 Fresh Moves - Out now! Order your copy on www.tank.tv "A significant archive of creative practices in the early years of twenty-first century England" Tyler Coburn, Tomorrow Unlimited --- tank.tv is an inspirational showcase for innovative work in film and video. Dedicated to exhibiting and promoting emerging and established international artists, www.tank.tv acts as a major online gallery and archive for video art. A platform for contemporary moving images. -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements From tapasrayx at gmail.com Thu Nov 29 07:59:54 2007 From: tapasrayx at gmail.com (Tapas Ray) Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2007 21:29:54 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Response to Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn et al on Nandigram In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <474E2422.9010400@gmail.com> Thanks, Naeem. It will be interesting to see what they say. Tapas Naeem Mohaiemen wrote: > There is a group letter (response to the response) being drafted by > the original signatories (Chomsky, Ali, Bilgrami, et al). > > By the way, one of the earlier emails on this thread indicated a > theory that the letter may have been initiated by Vijay Prashad (I > suppose an unsaid hint may be that the "well meaning white liberals" > had been duped by the "argumentative indian"). I checked w/ Vijay-- > he did not initiate the letter, although he did indeed sign it. > > >> From: Tapas Ray >> I was wondering if you have received a response from Prof. Chomsky or >> any other signatory of the open letter published in The Hindu. >> > _ From taraprakash at gmail.com Thu Nov 29 10:06:20 2007 From: taraprakash at gmail.com (Taraprakash) Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2007 23:36:20 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Response to Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn et al on Nandigram References: <474E2422.9010400@gmail.com> Message-ID: <007e01c83241$672f1120$18f0bd48@Shabori> What if Chomsky buys the CPIM line? ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tapas Ray" To: "Naeem Mohaiemen" Cc: Sent: Wednesday, November 28, 2007 9:29 PM Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Response to Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn et al on Nandigram > Thanks, Naeem. It will be interesting to see what they say. > > Tapas > > Naeem Mohaiemen wrote: >> There is a group letter (response to the response) being drafted by >> the original signatories (Chomsky, Ali, Bilgrami, et al). >> >> By the way, one of the earlier emails on this thread indicated a >> theory that the letter may have been initiated by Vijay Prashad (I >> suppose an unsaid hint may be that the "well meaning white liberals" >> had been duped by the "argumentative indian"). I checked w/ Vijay-- >> he did not initiate the letter, although he did indeed sign it. >> >> >>> From: Tapas Ray >>> I was wondering if you have received a response from Prof. Chomsky or >>> any other signatory of the open letter published in The Hindu. >>> >> _ > > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From taraprakash at gmail.com Thu Nov 29 10:11:24 2007 From: taraprakash at gmail.com (Taraprakash) Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2007 23:41:24 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] In Defence of defending the reviled References: <474E2422.9010400@gmail.com> Message-ID: <008301c83242$1991e040$18f0bd48@Shabori> The following article from Hindu, leaves out the trend of influencing the jury by unfair means and buying out the witnesses. In defence of defending the reviled Vishnu V. Shankar By giving terrorists, dictators, and even manipulative defendants proper legal representation and a fair trial, we not only occupy the moral high ground to condemn them; we also create potent symbols of the superiority of our way of life in contrast with theirs. What connects Captain Preston, Kehar Singh, Saddam Hussein, Manu Sharma, and Salim Hamdan? Besides being among our community’s most reviled individuals (many of them at least), they were defended by some of the most conscientious lawyers of their time. Unsurprisingly the legal profession’s time-honoured commitment to defend the most reviled of defendants has never been free from criticism, even in societies committed to the rule of law such as India and the Uni ted States. In November 2006, Ram Jethmalani, one of India’s most respected criminal lawyers, was attacked on television and in the press for defending Manu Sharma, the prime accused in the Jessica Lall murder case. In January 2007, Charles Stimson, a senior Bush administration official responsible for the Guantanamo detainees, called for a boycott of the law firms who were pro bono representing the detainees. A year has passed since these events and since the Supreme Court is to shortly decide Mr. Sharma’s appeal against his conviction, it is about time to re-evaluate the issue. “Come on, why should lawyers defend someone who is so ‘obviously guilty’?” Although this may sound like self-serving lawyer-talk, the question of guilt, “obvious” or otherwise, is for the court and not for the lawyer — or for the press. The honest lawyer (there are many of us, I assure you) does not manufacture facts (the ‘crime’ has already been committed) or twist the law (the law already exists) and certainly does not lie. Among other things, lying destroys that intangible asset to success at the bar — reputation. Nevertheless, even honest defence lawyers do put a gloss on the evidence as well as the law in favour of their clients — but so do the prosecution’s lawyers. The truth, according to theory, emerges from this adversarial cauldron. Nobody seriously believes that this system is perfect. What lawyers believe is that the alternatives will exceed the monstrosity of a Kafkaesque trial, where prosecutor and judge are rolled into one. The media have suggested that public opinion should determine whether Mr. Jethmalani should represent Mr. Sharma. The public, according to the press at least, had pronounced him guilty. Yet “obvious guilt” has the unpleasant familiarity of mob justice and societal prejudice. Consider the European inquisitions or the ad hoc caste panchayats. As Bob Dylan memorably put it in Hurricane (1976), a song about the 1967 murder conviction of the black boxer Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter: “…if you’re black you might as well as not show up on the streets ‘less you want to draw the heat…” Even more tellingly: “…all of Rubin’s cards were marked in advance…the trial was a pig-circus, he never had a chance…” If public opinion can deny Mr. Sharma legal representation today, tomorrow it can deny other unpopular defendants proper representation — lower castes, religious minorities, the poor, women, sexual minorities, and others. “Okay, I can see why the ‘most prejudiced’ need good lawyers but why the high and mighty like Manu Sharma who abuse the legal system?” Equality before the law Our Constitution entitles us to equality before the law — no accused, meek or mighty, can be disfavoured for legal representation. This embodies a deeper truth: a criminal trial is essentially a commitment to pursue the truth and nothing else. A criminal trial is not the forum to ventilate even genuine grievances about power imbalances in society. A criminal trial, unlike an affirmative action law, is not meant to favour the weak over the powerful. The purpose of a criminal trial is to determine the truth — whether Mr. Sharma murdered Jessica Lall and, if he did, to punish him for it by expressing our collective moral outrage. Whatever the Supreme Court’s verdict will turn out to be, Mr. Jethmalani’s courageous refusal to withdraw from the case reaffirmed our society’s unqualified commitment to the truth. The commitment to the truth requires fair access to legal representation. If the ‘problem’ was that Mr. Jethmalani’s unquestioned legal brilliance would tip the scales in favour of the defence, it would have been solved not by getting him to withdraw but by getting equally skilled lawyers for the prosecution. Fortunately, Mr. Jethmalani does not have a monopoly over high-quality advocacy in this country. Still, if defendants buy witnesses or bribe the police, courts should punish them for it. But denying them lawyers of their choice is troubling for both moral (why fight a wrong with another wrong?) and pragmatic reasons. If incompetent lawyers reign in the courtroom, on either side, no one will be wiser about who killed Jessica Lall. “Isn’t there a difference between defending ‘ordinary’ criminals and those who commit ‘high’ crimes like terrorism or genocide?” On March 5, 1770, at the height of revolutionary fervour in the American colonies, a group of British soldiers led by Captain Preston shot and killed unarmed civilians in what is known as the Boston Massacre. Still he was defended not by an English barrister but by an American patriot and future President, John Adams. History abounds with similar examples. Mr. Jethmalani defended Kehar Singh, who was accused of killing Prime Minister Indira Gandhi; Ramsey Clark, a former U.S. Attorney General, defended Saddam Hussein; and many American law firms pro bono represent Guantanamo detainees, such as Osama bin Laden’s bodyguard, Salim Hamdan. Criticising these lawyers shows a fixation with short-sighted goals: this defendant, this trial, this crime — this conviction. This “ends justifies the means” approach destroys a crucial justification for criminal justice — expressing the collective moral outrage of society. Collective moral outrage can legitimately be expressed only from a position of collective moral superiority. If I treat you the same way that you have (or would have) treated me, how can I be morally superior to you? I may even be your moral equal but I can never sit in judgment over you. This is not philosophical sophistry but is embodied throughout the criminal law. Why, in a murder trial, is a damning confession extracted by torture inadmissible in evidence? This is so because in respect of the confession at least, the prosecution and the accused have been reduced to moral equals — each committed a violation of another’s right to bodily integrity. Likewise, denying defendants the counsel of their choice makes it impossible to legitimately convict them. By doing so, we risk cutting ourselves on that sharpest of knives — moral hypocrisy. Collective moral superiority is especially valuable when the community is fighting a war of principle and ideology — for example, the ideals of liberal democracy versus the intolerance of religious fundamentalism. Like all important values, the moral high ground does not come free. The defence of the reviled involves costs — unfortunate acquittals, lenient sentences, and worse — and we will lose many battles before we win the war. A mature society committed to the rule of law will resist the popular impulse to react to temporary discomfort. This is what separates us from them. By giving terrorists, dictators, and even manipulative defendants proper legal representation and a fair trial — the very ideals they would deny the rest of us — we not only occupy the moral high ground to condemn them, we also create potent symbols of the superiority of our way of life in contrast with theirs. The defeat of crime, terrorism, intolerance — and the resolute condemnation of the reviled — require no less. (Vishnu V. Shankar, a graduate of the National Law School, Bangalore, and Oxford University and a former law clerk to Justice B.N. Srikrishna, is a student at the Harvard Law School.) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tapas Ray" To: "Naeem Mohaiemen" Cc: Sent: Wednesday, November 28, 2007 9:29 PM Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Response to Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn et al on Nandigram > Thanks, Naeem. It will be interesting to see what they say. > > Tapas > > Naeem Mohaiemen wrote: >> There is a group letter (response to the response) being drafted by >> the original signatories (Chomsky, Ali, Bilgrami, et al). >> >> By the way, one of the earlier emails on this thread indicated a >> theory that the letter may have been initiated by Vijay Prashad (I >> suppose an unsaid hint may be that the "well meaning white liberals" >> had been duped by the "argumentative indian"). I checked w/ Vijay-- >> he did not initiate the letter, although he did indeed sign it. >> >> >>> From: Tapas Ray >>> I was wondering if you have received a response from Prof. Chomsky or >>> any other signatory of the open letter published in The Hindu. >>> >> _ > > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From parthaekka at gmail.com Thu Nov 29 13:29:39 2007 From: parthaekka at gmail.com (parthaekka at gmail.com) Date: Thu, 29 Nov 2007 13:29:39 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Modi's image builders have dictators on client list In-Reply-To: <6b79f1a70711210113v9db042aj8169c5644e3336a2@mail.gmail.com> References: <4740B849.5070500@sarai.net> <6b79f1a70711182107lbb67cbdx9d4d9929f635701@mail.gmail.com> <62cba67a0711190051p6a7c0351tfeab58b9f6855d54@mail.gmail.com> <6b79f1a70711190125n7b59433apddf61e384dd954a3@mail.gmail.com> <48c2916d0711210044h33f399careafc4e55e2ccb4ae@mail.gmail.com> <6b79f1a70711210113v9db042aj8169c5644e3336a2@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <32144e990711282359k16d9cbb7oad44a58b994377aa@mail.gmail.com> Dear Pawan, 'Hindutva' or 'Leftism' aside, I would disagree with you on the issue of CM's. We, as citizen's of India, elect our leaders (unfortunately more often swayed by caste than qualification and capability) to enact and uphold the law of the land. The Chief Minister in the core leader for a state and is responsible for any mishap just as a CEO is responsible for problems in an organisation (for example, the Ansal's for the Uphaar tragedy). Any position gained has it's benefits... and it's responsibilities. As a personal viewpoint, I feel that the Chief Minister's of both Gujarat and West Bengal have failed miserably in their mandate. That a Chief Minister is spending public money given to an international firm for a PR exercise as Modi is doing is even more reprehensible - not only in the fact that it is a misuse of funds, but that it sets a precedent of high level government funded eye-wash. Rgds, Partha ....................... On 11/21/07, Pawan Durani wrote: > Arti Ji, > > NamaskAr > > I am not sure how you can bring Modi in each and every conflict across > regions in India. Modi's image has been mostly tarnished by his own > detractors and by those who feel insecure by hindutva. But the question > still remains ......is hindutva a threat. Hindutva can be the most peaceful > thought . Hindutva doesn't teach to be aggressive and dominate. > > Similarly CPM govt has been elected by the people of the state. If a > violence erupts , does it give anyone a right to call the chief minister a > mass murderer ? I am sure no CM would like violence in his/her state. > > As for me , though i do not belong to any political party or am not a > political philosopher, but I am of firm belief that Nandigram happening has > a direct relation with India & US nuclear pact . There must be many agencies > working overtime to put WB govt in a tight situation , where it can be > dominated . As of now CPM is ready for Indian Govt talking to IAEA . What > made CPM climb down ? has anyone thought of it ? Is Nandigram responsible > for this ? This may sound absurd to many ......but i have got my own views > ......it is my own understanding. > > Pawan Durani > > > > > > > On 11/21/07, Aarti Sethi wrote: > > > > Dear All, > > > > Surely this has to be one of the strangest comments I have read so > > far. It is true tragic-comedy in the old sense of the term. I am not > > sure whether the fact that today votaries of the right are defending > > the CPIM is the tragic element or the comic element. > > > > Pawan Durani ji the fact that a leader is a mass leader and wins > > elections democratically is no defence of his/her actions. I am amazed > > that you can argue for majoritarian politics in this matter of fact > > fashion. Are we to assume that a "democratic" decision to kill 4,000 > > people over two days is alright, because the people behind this were > > elected democratically? Your statement that Narendra Modi cannot be > > held responsible for what happened is complete nonsense. Please spare > > us this Hindu-apologist garbage. Narendra Modi is a mass murderer. > > There can be no quibbling on this. > > > > It is interesting that you equate Buddhadeb and Modi in this fashion > > because today morning's news carries a story on the NHRC's equation of > > Nandigram 2006 with Gujarat 2002. > > > > http://www.indianexpress.com/story/241118.html > > > > I am deeply troubled by this. I do not think statements like this are > > helpful in thinking through and opposing what occurred in either > > instance. We need to be able to fashion languages that can take into > > account the particularity of violence. In this way all the CPIM has to > > say is "Nandigram is not like Gujarat," which is true, and that's the > > end of that. Nandigram is like Nandigram. That's bad enough. Of course > > this question of the brutality with which the state reacts to demands > > by farmers, is something that needs to be thought through. And this > > brutality is the preserve neither of the left or the right. Remember > > the killing of farmers agitating for water in police firing in > > Rajasthan, under BJP rule, last year and in 2004 > > > > http://www.indiaenews.com/india/20071119/81460.htm > > > > best > > Aarti > > > > > > > > On Nov 19, 2007 2:55 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > > > both Budhadeb Ji & Modi ji are mass leaders and win elections > > democratically > > > . They may not be held responsible for they are not one in the mob. > > > > > > Pawan > > > > > > > > > > > > On 11/19/07, OISHIK SIRCAR wrote: > > > > > > > > What's unfair about it? The fact that their hands are stained with > > blood? > > > > Or that politicians' public images van never be decorated or > > improved?! > > > > > > > > On Nov 18, 2007 11:07 PM, Pawan Durani < pawan.durani at gmail.com> > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>> And together, they can perfect the fine art of > > decorating > > > > > and > > > > > improving > > > > > the public image of politicians whose hands are stained with > > > > > blood>>>>>>>>> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Thatz an unfair statement. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On 11/19/07, Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > Dear All, > > > > > > > > > > > > Narendra Modi certainly could do with some image makeovers, and > > > > > > Buddhadeva Bhattachary could do with some too. In this case, > > Modi-ji > > > > > is > > > > > > one up on Buddha Babu. He has hired a lobbying firm to make him > > look > > > > > good. > > > > > > > > > > > > I thought that I would post the news item that details this piece > > of > > > > > > information (which appeared on Times of India and was forwarded to > > me > > > > > by > > > > > > a friend, so that those who have a line to Muzaffar Ahmed Bhavan > > in > > > > > > Kolkata on this list may take the information where it is needed > > > > > most). > > > > > > Perhaps those on this list who are partisans of Modi-ji could act > > as > > > > > > consultants to those who root for Buddha-Babu, and they can > > compare > > > > > > notes on how each leader is faring under the loving attention of > > the > > > > > > right kind of PR. > > > > > > > > > > > > And together, they can perfect the fine art of decorating and > > > > > improving > > > > > > the public image of politicians whose hands are stained with > > blood. > > > > > > > > > > > > regards > > > > > > > > > > > > Shuddha > > > > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------ > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Modis_image_builders_have_dictators_on_client_list/articleshow/2549293.cms > > > > > > > > > > > > Modi's image builders have dictators on client list > > > > > > 18 Nov 2007, 0136 hrs IST,TNN > > > > > > > > > > > > AHMEDABAD: Adolf Hitler was a brilliant propagandist. Narendra > > Modi > > > > > too > > > > > > believes in the power of image. > > > > > > > > > > > > Which is probably why the chief minister hired a US lobbying firm > > > > > which > > > > > > has serviced clients like former Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha and > > > > > > President-for-life of Kazakhstan Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev. > > > > > > > > > > > > This Washington-based firm, Apco Worldwide, was hired by Modi > > sometime > > > > > > in August this year, in the run-up to an important Assembly > > election, > > > > > to > > > > > > improve his image before the world community. Among its recent > > clients > > > > > > are Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a former Communist youth > > > > > leader-turned-Russian > > > > > > billionaire with mafia links. > > > > > > > > > > > > The firm has a distinction of taking contracts of boosting images > > of > > > > > > leaders who fell out of favour of their followers. > > > > > > > > > > > > On the face of it Apco Worldwide's brief is to build and sell > > Brand > > > > > > Gujarat to the international community. But according to sources > > Modi, > > > > > > > > > > > who was denied visa by the US earlier because of the taint he > > earned > > > > > in > > > > > > the 2002 riots, wants his image to be improved so that he gets to > > > > > visit > > > > > > the US in future. > > > > > > > > > > > > The Modi regime feels lobbying is required to attract much-sought > > > > > after > > > > > > foreign direct investment (FDI) which has been a cause for concern > > > > > even > > > > > > though Gujarat is topping the charts among Indian states in terms > > of > > > > > > overall investments, according to latest statistics brought out by > > the > > > > > > > > > > > Reserve Bank of India. > > > > > > > > > > > > Modi, of course, still nurtures the wish to get an US visa and > > some of > > > > > > his NRI friends have advised him to use the services of lobbyists > > for > > > > > > the same. Sources in the government told TOI that if it works and > > Modi > > > > > > > > > > > comes back to power, Apco's contract will be renewed in January > > for > > > > > > Vibrant Gujarat 2009, the event that Modi prides himself in, for > > > > > > bringing investments to the state. > > > > > > > > > > > > The Gujarat government will pay Apco 25,000 USD per month for the > > Modi > > > > > > > > > > > image building exercise. > > > > > > > > > > > > Sources in the government said Modi thought of this image-building > > > > > > exercise during his visit to Switzerland earlier this year. His > > > > > > government shortlisted some seven national and international > > firms, > > > > > > without floating tenders of which two were shortlisted. Even > > though it > > > > > > quoted a sum that was three times more than others, Apco was > > picked > > > > > for > > > > > > the job. > > > > > > > > > > > > The reason given was that Apco has a better team. Apco has former > > > > > > senators from Republican and Democratic parties working with it. > > > > > > > > > > > > _________________________________________ > > > > > > 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. > > > > > > To unsubscribe: > > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > > > > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > > > _________________________________________ > > > > > 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. > > > > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > > > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > > > OISHIK SIRCAR > > > > > > > > Fellow in Reproductive & Sexual Health and Women's Rights > > > > Faculty of Law, University of Toronto > > > > > > > > 60 Harbord Street > > > > Room 016 B > > > > Toronto, ON M5S 3L1 > > > > > > > > oishiksircar at gmail.com > > > > oishik.sircar at utoronto.ca > > > > > > > > 416.876.7926 > > > _________________________________________ > > > 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. > > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> -- Partha Dasgupta +919811047132 From parthaekka at gmail.com Thu Nov 29 14:27:49 2007 From: parthaekka at gmail.com (parthaekka at gmail.com) Date: Thu, 29 Nov 2007 14:27:49 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Modi's image builders have dictators on client list In-Reply-To: <6b79f1a70711290023h5166785bm32a619d5be695abf@mail.gmail.com> References: <4740B849.5070500@sarai.net> <6b79f1a70711182107lbb67cbdx9d4d9929f635701@mail.gmail.com> <62cba67a0711190051p6a7c0351tfeab58b9f6855d54@mail.gmail.com> <6b79f1a70711190125n7b59433apddf61e384dd954a3@mail.gmail.com> <48c2916d0711210044h33f399careafc4e55e2ccb4ae@mail.gmail.com> <6b79f1a70711210113v9db042aj8169c5644e3336a2@mail.gmail.com> <32144e990711282359k16d9cbb7oad44a58b994377aa@mail.gmail.com> <6b79f1a70711290023h5166785bm32a619d5be695abf@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <32144e990711290057i3f80581ar5d029701156fc524@mail.gmail.com> Hi Pawan, I should clarify here that because I'm against specific actions taken by Modi or Buddhadeb that I tar everything that they do as wrong. However, what is deeply frightening is the use of state machinery and 'cadres' to bludgeon anybody opposing what they are saying into submisson. Might is not right, and should not be allowed to become that - and that's what I believe is the base of any democracy - the right to self determination. And it's true that "not everything works that way" - which happens to be our fault. We chooose leaders and then turn a blind eye as long as it doesn't affect us. It's time we demand responsibilty from the people we have chosen to lead our country. Maybe this forum is the wrong place for that, but all 'ism' aside, nothing can change the fact that Godhra and Nandigram are elements of a 'rogue' government crushing people against the law of the land - irrespective of what party or ideology they follow. Rgds, Partha ............. On 11/29/07, Pawan Durani wrote: > Hello Partha , > > Well , maybe you are right . But then not everything works that way . If > that is the case , how does most of our leaders have crores of property > which they even declare in their nomination ? > > Has anyone questioned any of them ? > > We need to come out of Modi fixation . Atleast he has given Gujarat more > than 10% growth. Almost zero corruption . No riots in last few years . > > Also we shud give credit to Budhadeb , he is atleast trying to change the > system . The old face of communists. He is atleast trying to drive WB into a > modern Indian state. > > Over here , there are enough intellectuals who are experts on just > everything controversial . Issues are so simple for them that it takes > few minutes for them to type and give the best solution. > > Little do they know that it is the ringmaster who kows the risk of taming > tigers and other wild animals for a circus show. > > Pawan > > > On 11/29/07, parthaekka at gmail.com wrote: > > > > Dear Pawan, > > > > 'Hindutva' or 'Leftism' aside, I would disagree with you on the issue > > of CM's. We, as citizen's of India, elect our leaders (unfortunately > > more often swayed by caste than qualification and capability) to enact > > and uphold the law of the land. The Chief Minister in the core leader > > for a state and is responsible for any mishap just as a CEO is > > responsible for problems in an organisation (for example, the Ansal's > > for the Uphaar tragedy). > > > > Any position gained has it's benefits... and it's responsibilities. As > > a personal viewpoint, I feel that the Chief Minister's of both Gujarat > > and West Bengal have failed miserably in their mandate. That a Chief > > Minister is spending public money given to an international firm for a > > PR exercise as Modi is doing is even more reprehensible - not only in > > the fact that it is a misuse of funds, but that it sets a precedent of > > high level government funded eye-wash. > > > > Rgds, Partha > > ....................... > > > > On 11/21/07, Pawan Durani wrote: > > > Arti Ji, > > > > > > NamaskAr > > > > > > I am not sure how you can bring Modi in each and every conflict across > > > regions in India. Modi's image has been mostly tarnished by his own > > > detractors and by those who feel insecure by hindutva. But the question > > > still remains ......is hindutva a threat. Hindutva can be the most > > peaceful > > > thought . Hindutva doesn't teach to be aggressive and dominate. > > > > > > Similarly CPM govt has been elected by the people of the state. If a > > > violence erupts , does it give anyone a right to call the chief minister > > a > > > mass murderer ? I am sure no CM would like violence in his/her state. > > > > > > As for me , though i do not belong to any political party or am not a > > > political philosopher, but I am of firm belief that Nandigram happening > > has > > > a direct relation with India & US nuclear pact . There must be many > > agencies > > > working overtime to put WB govt in a tight situation , where it can be > > > dominated . As of now CPM is ready for Indian Govt talking to IAEA . > > What > > > made CPM climb down ? has anyone thought of it ? Is Nandigram > > responsible > > > for this ? This may sound absurd to many ......but i have got my own > > views > > > ......it is my own understanding. > > > > > > Pawan Durani > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On 11/21/07, Aarti Sethi wrote: > > > > > > > > Dear All, > > > > > > > > Surely this has to be one of the strangest comments I have read so > > > > far. It is true tragic-comedy in the old sense of the term. I am not > > > > sure whether the fact that today votaries of the right are defending > > > > the CPIM is the tragic element or the comic element. > > > > > > > > Pawan Durani ji the fact that a leader is a mass leader and wins > > > > elections democratically is no defence of his/her actions. I am amazed > > > > that you can argue for majoritarian politics in this matter of fact > > > > fashion. Are we to assume that a "democratic" decision to kill 4,000 > > > > people over two days is alright, because the people behind this were > > > > elected democratically? Your statement that Narendra Modi cannot be > > > > held responsible for what happened is complete nonsense. Please spare > > > > us this Hindu-apologist garbage. Narendra Modi is a mass murderer. > > > > There can be no quibbling on this. > > > > > > > > It is interesting that you equate Buddhadeb and Modi in this fashion > > > > because today morning's news carries a story on the NHRC's equation of > > > > Nandigram 2006 with Gujarat 2002. > > > > > > > > http://www.indianexpress.com/story/241118.html > > > > > > > > I am deeply troubled by this. I do not think statements like this are > > > > helpful in thinking through and opposing what occurred in either > > > > instance. We need to be able to fashion languages that can take into > > > > account the particularity of violence. In this way all the CPIM has to > > > > say is "Nandigram is not like Gujarat," which is true, and that's the > > > > end of that. Nandigram is like Nandigram. That's bad enough. Of course > > > > this question of the brutality with which the state reacts to demands > > > > by farmers, is something that needs to be thought through. And this > > > > brutality is the preserve neither of the left or the right. Remember > > > > the killing of farmers agitating for water in police firing in > > > > Rajasthan, under BJP rule, last year and in 2004 > > > > > > > > http://www.indiaenews.com/india/20071119/81460.htm > > > > > > > > best > > > > Aarti > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On Nov 19, 2007 2:55 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > > > > > both Budhadeb Ji & Modi ji are mass leaders and win elections > > > > democratically > > > > > . They may not be held responsible for they are not one in the mob. > > > > > > > > > > Pawan > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On 11/19/07, OISHIK SIRCAR wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > What's unfair about it? The fact that their hands are stained with > > > > blood? > > > > > > Or that politicians' public images van never be decorated or > > > > improved?! > > > > > > > > > > > > On Nov 18, 2007 11:07 PM, Pawan Durani < pawan.durani at gmail.com> > > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>> And together, they can perfect the fine art of > > > > decorating > > > > > > > and > > > > > > > improving > > > > > > > the public image of politicians whose hands are stained with > > > > > > > blood>>>>>>>>> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Thatz an unfair statement. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On 11/19/07, Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Dear All, > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Narendra Modi certainly could do with some image makeovers, > > and > > > > > > > > Buddhadeva Bhattachary could do with some too. In this case, > > > > Modi-ji > > > > > > > is > > > > > > > > one up on Buddha Babu. He has hired a lobbying firm to make > > him > > > > look > > > > > > > good. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > I thought that I would post the news item that details this > > piece > > > > of > > > > > > > > information (which appeared on Times of India and was > > forwarded to > > > > me > > > > > > > by > > > > > > > > a friend, so that those who have a line to Muzaffar Ahmed > > Bhavan > > > > in > > > > > > > > Kolkata on this list may take the information where it is > > needed > > > > > > > most). > > > > > > > > Perhaps those on this list who are partisans of Modi-ji could > > act > > > > as > > > > > > > > consultants to those who root for Buddha-Babu, and they can > > > > compare > > > > > > > > notes on how each leader is faring under the loving attention > > of > > > > the > > > > > > > > right kind of PR. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > And together, they can perfect the fine art of decorating and > > > > > > > improving > > > > > > > > the public image of politicians whose hands are stained with > > > > blood. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > regards > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Shuddha > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------ > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Modis_image_builders_have_dictators_on_client_list/articleshow/2549293.cms > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Modi's image builders have dictators on client list > > > > > > > > 18 Nov 2007, 0136 hrs IST,TNN > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > AHMEDABAD: Adolf Hitler was a brilliant propagandist. Narendra > > > > Modi > > > > > > > too > > > > > > > > believes in the power of image. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Which is probably why the chief minister hired a US lobbying > > firm > > > > > > > which > > > > > > > > has serviced clients like former Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha > > and > > > > > > > > President-for-life of Kazakhstan Nursultan Abishuly > > Nazarbayev. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > This Washington-based firm, Apco Worldwide, was hired by Modi > > > > sometime > > > > > > > > in August this year, in the run-up to an important Assembly > > > > election, > > > > > > > to > > > > > > > > improve his image before the world community. Among its recent > > > > clients > > > > > > > > are Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a former Communist youth > > > > > > > leader-turned-Russian > > > > > > > > billionaire with mafia links. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > The firm has a distinction of taking contracts of boosting > > images > > > > of > > > > > > > > leaders who fell out of favour of their followers. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On the face of it Apco Worldwide's brief is to build and sell > > > > Brand > > > > > > > > Gujarat to the international community. But according to > > sources > > > > Modi, > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > who was denied visa by the US earlier because of the taint he > > > > earned > > > > > > > in > > > > > > > > the 2002 riots, wants his image to be improved so that he gets > > to > > > > > > > visit > > > > > > > > the US in future. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > The Modi regime feels lobbying is required to attract > > much-sought > > > > > > > after > > > > > > > > foreign direct investment (FDI) which has been a cause for > > concern > > > > > > > even > > > > > > > > though Gujarat is topping the charts among Indian states in > > terms > > > > of > > > > > > > > overall investments, according to latest statistics brought > > out by > > > > the > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Reserve Bank of India. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Modi, of course, still nurtures the wish to get an US visa and > > > > some of > > > > > > > > his NRI friends have advised him to use the services of > > lobbyists > > > > for > > > > > > > > the same. Sources in the government told TOI that if it works > > and > > > > Modi > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > comes back to power, Apco's contract will be renewed in > > January > > > > for > > > > > > > > Vibrant Gujarat 2009, the event that Modi prides himself in, > > for > > > > > > > > bringing investments to the state. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > The Gujarat government will pay Apco 25,000 USD per month for > > the > > > > Modi > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > image building exercise. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Sources in the government said Modi thought of this > > image-building > > > > > > > > exercise during his visit to Switzerland earlier this year. > > His > > > > > > > > government shortlisted some seven national and international > > > > firms, > > > > > > > > without floating tenders of which two were shortlisted. Even > > > > though it > > > > > > > > quoted a sum that was three times more than others, Apco was > > > > picked > > > > > > > for > > > > > > > > the job. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > The reason given was that Apco has a better team. Apco has > > former > > > > > > > > senators from Republican and Democratic parties working with > > it. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _________________________________________ > > > > > > > > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > > > > > > > > Critiques & Collaborations > > > > > > > > To subscribe: send an email to > reader-list-request at sarai.netwith > > > > > > > > subscribe in the subject header. > > > > > > > > To unsubscribe: > > > > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > > > > > > > List archive: > > <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > > > > > _________________________________________ > > > > > > > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > > > > > > > Critiques & Collaborations > > > > > > > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.netwith > > > > > > > subscribe in the subject header. > > > > > > > To unsubscribe: > > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > > > > > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > > > > > OISHIK SIRCAR > > > > > > > > > > > > Fellow in Reproductive & Sexual Health and Women's Rights > > > > > > Faculty of Law, University of Toronto > > > > > > > > > > > > 60 Harbord Street > > > > > > Room 016 B > > > > > > Toronto, ON M5S 3L1 > > > > > > > > > > > > oishiksircar at gmail.com > > > > > > oishik.sircar at utoronto.ca > > > > > > > > > > > > 416.876.7926 > > > > > _________________________________________ > > > > > 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. > > > > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > > > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > > > > > _________________________________________ > > > 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. > > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > > > > -- > > Partha Dasgupta > > +919... > > > -- Partha Dasgupta +919811047132 From parthaekka at gmail.com Thu Nov 29 15:18:37 2007 From: parthaekka at gmail.com (parthaekka at gmail.com) Date: Thu, 29 Nov 2007 15:18:37 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Response to Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn et al on Nandigram In-Reply-To: <007e01c83241$672f1120$18f0bd48@Shabori> References: <474E2422.9010400@gmail.com> <007e01c83241$672f1120$18f0bd48@Shabori> Message-ID: <32144e990711290148q6ad650c3h5af191fdc8f3187f@mail.gmail.com> Hi, As a personal viewpoint, whether "Chomsky buys the CPIM line" or a fishing line is irrelevant. Putting aside the fact that the government in WB is a 'Left' party or a host of other facts that are obfuscating the issue, why don't we focus on the core? - That the WB government has behaved like the pigs in Gorge Orwell's 'Animal Farm' - That people have been killed, raped and otherwise subjucated by the state and cadres - That wether or not we are 'left' or 'right'. 'capitalist' or 'socialist' or 'imperialist' or any other absurd tag that is bandied, we as human beings have a sense of right and wrong, and what has happened (and is still fermenting) at Nandigram is wrong and has been done by the very government that is supposed to uphold the law. Rgds, Partha .............................. On 11/29/07, Taraprakash wrote: > What if Chomsky buys the CPIM line? > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Tapas Ray" > To: "Naeem Mohaiemen" > Cc: > Sent: Wednesday, November 28, 2007 9:29 PM > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Response to Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn et al on > Nandigram > > > > Thanks, Naeem. It will be interesting to see what they say. > > > > Tapas > > > > Naeem Mohaiemen wrote: > >> There is a group letter (response to the response) being drafted by > >> the original signatories (Chomsky, Ali, Bilgrami, et al). > >> > >> By the way, one of the earlier emails on this thread indicated a > >> theory that the letter may have been initiated by Vijay Prashad (I > >> suppose an unsaid hint may be that the "well meaning white liberals" > >> had been duped by the "argumentative indian"). I checked w/ Vijay-- > >> he did not initiate the letter, although he did indeed sign it. > >> > >> > >>> From: Tapas Ray > >>> I was wondering if you have received a response from Prof. Chomsky or > >>> any other signatory of the open letter published in The Hindu. > >>> > >> _ > > > > _________________________________________ > > 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. > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> -- Partha Dasgupta +919811047132 From tapasrayx at gmail.com Thu Nov 29 16:04:59 2007 From: tapasrayx at gmail.com (Tapas Ray) Date: Thu, 29 Nov 2007 05:34:59 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Response to Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn et al on Nandigram In-Reply-To: <007e01c83241$672f1120$18f0bd48@Shabori> References: <474E2422.9010400@gmail.com> <007e01c83241$672f1120$18f0bd48@Shabori> Message-ID: <474E95D3.2040809@gmail.com> If Chomsky and the other signatories buy that line, it will provide useful insights into (a) their thought process, which will be useful for contextualising and interpreting their words (not only about India) from now on, and (b) the pains that have been taken by interested parties for years, to induce such thinking in order to buy credibility abroad, and then import that credibility, because the supply of that commodity has been dwindling at home. These insights can be used by those who are interested in democracy, alternatives, and democratic alternatives - as opposed to authoritarian neoliberalism by another name - to be more proactive in forging links with, and arriving at a common understanding with, people like Chomsky in future. That is, if they think this is worth the trouble. Just my two-bit. Tapas Taraprakash wrote: > What if Chomsky buys the CPIM line? > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tapas Ray" > >> Thanks, Naeem. It will be interesting to see what they say. >> >> Tapas >> >> Naeem Mohaiemen wrote: >>> There is a group letter (response to the response) being drafted by >>> the original signatories (Chomsky, Ali, Bilgrami, et al). >>> >>> By the way, one of the earlier emails on this thread indicated a >>> theory that the letter may have been initiated by Vijay Prashad (I >>> suppose an unsaid hint may be that the "well meaning white liberals" >>> had been duped by the "argumentative indian"). I checked w/ Vijay-- >>> he did not initiate the letter, although he did indeed sign it. >>> >>> >>>> From: Tapas Ray >>>> I was wondering if you have received a response from Prof. Chomsky or >>>> any other signatory of the open letter published in The Hindu. From tapasrayx at gmail.com Thu Nov 29 16:41:57 2007 From: tapasrayx at gmail.com (Tapas Ray) Date: Thu, 29 Nov 2007 06:11:57 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Response to Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn et al on Nandigram In-Reply-To: <474E95D3.2040809@gmail.com> References: <474E2422.9010400@gmail.com> <007e01c83241$672f1120$18f0bd48@Shabori> <474E95D3.2040809@gmail.com> Message-ID: <474E9E7D.9000603@gmail.com> I should add that this is not going to be easy for critics of the Left Front government, because they do not have anything like the resources which the latter can bring to bear for this purpose. Tapas Ray > If Chomsky and the other signatories buy that line, it will provide > useful insights into (a) their thought process, which will be useful > for contextualising and interpreting their words (not only about > India) from now on, and (b) the pains that have been taken by > interested parties for years, to induce such thinking in order to buy > credibility abroad, and then import that credibility, because the > supply of that commodity has been dwindling at home. These insights > can be used by those who are interested in democracy, alternatives, > and democratic alternatives - as opposed to authoritarian > neoliberalism by another name - to be more proactive in forging links > with, and arriving at a common understanding with, people like Chomsky > in future. That is, if they think this is worth the trouble. > > Just my two-bit. > > Tapas > > > Taraprakash wrote: >> What if Chomsky buys the CPIM line? >> >> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tapas Ray" >> >>> Thanks, Naeem. It will be interesting to see what they say. >>> >>> Tapas >>> >>> Naeem Mohaiemen wrote: >>>> There is a group letter (response to the response) being drafted by >>>> the original signatories (Chomsky, Ali, Bilgrami, et al). >>>> >>>> By the way, one of the earlier emails on this thread indicated a >>>> theory that the letter may have been initiated by Vijay Prashad (I >>>> suppose an unsaid hint may be that the "well meaning white liberals" >>>> had been duped by the "argumentative indian"). I checked w/ Vijay-- >>>> he did not initiate the letter, although he did indeed sign it. >>>> >>>> >>>>> From: Tapas Ray >>>>> I was wondering if you have received a response from Prof. Chomsky or >>>>> any other signatory of the open letter published in The Hindu. > > From kokopeli at gmail.com Thu Nov 29 18:52:47 2007 From: kokopeli at gmail.com (Sujata & Samantak) Date: Thu, 29 Nov 2007 18:52:47 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] News from Nandigram - please ignore first Interim Report Message-ID: <556b1d6b0711290522s4af3268dla85f807149131b3b@mail.gmail.com> Dear All, I had sent you the following Interim Report, prepared by a team that went to Nandigram on 24 November, yesterday. I am now told by those who drafted it that the report is incomplete in several crucial respects. The definitive interim report (can one call it a "Final Interim Report"?!) will be prepared in a couple of days and I'll send it to all of you then. Apologies. Samantak ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Sujata & Samantak Date: 29 Nov 2007 00:31 Subject: News from Nandigram To: SARAI Reader List Dear All, This is my first post and I'm not sure this hasn't reached you already from other members of this list. If so, my apologies, but I thought this important enough to take the risk of cross-posting. Thanks. Samantak Das *Interim Report of an Independent Citizens' Team from Kolkata * *on the Current State of Affairs in Nandigram* *28 November 2007* On November 24, 2007, an eleven member women's team of concerned citizens from Kolkata comprising teachers, social activists, researchers and students visited Nandigram. Concerned about the repeated disruption of peace in the region, the members decided to visit the affected areas and talk to the local people, with the objectives of showing solidarity with the survivors of violence, documenting people's needs in the current circumstances, and drawing up recommendations based on our understanding of the situation. The people who constituted this team were Kavita Panjabi, Anuradha Kapur, Rajashri Dasgupta, Saswati Ghosh, Shyamoli Das, Swapna Banerjee, Trina Nileena Banerjee, Shuktara Lal, Sushmita Sinha and Shubhasree Bhattacharya. On arrival in Nandigram at the Relief Camp at Brij Mohan Tiwari Shiksha Niketan, the team split into two groups. One talked to the people in the relief camps, the other to a woman who had been sexually assaulted, and the injured in Nandigram Hospital. One group then proceeded to the villages of Sonachura and Garchakraberia, also stopping at the Bhangaberia Bridge where the CRPF is stationed; the other half of the team went to the village of Daudpur. This interim report comprises the general findings and recommendations of all the members of the team that visited Nandigram on the 24th of November. The specific testimonies and individual stories will be included in the final report. *PRIMARY FINDINGS:* 1) Overall there is a reign of terror; the people are marked by deep fear, disillusionment and depression. They are helplessly trapped in the crossfire between the forces of political parties, specially the CPM and the TMC. Criminals who have killed, sexually assaulted and injured people continue to threaten the population of the villages. Many who had tried to return to their villages but had to come back to the relief camp spoke of bombs and firing that they heard even on the 23rd night when they had tried to return to their homes. And the night-time threats, specially against women, also continue. Across all the villages, people testified to the complete loss of political freedom - they are being forced to pledge their allegiance to one particular party or the other, and they talked angrily about their right to decide which party they wanted to support. The people in the camp, as well as the majority in the villages, have lost all confidence in the government, administration and police. 2) At the relief camp, at Brij Mohan Tiwari Shiksha Niketan in Nandigram town, villagers testified to rampant firing, brutal killing and large-scale threats by the cadres of CPM, the ruling party, across the villages of Gokulnagar, Kalicharanpur, Adhikaripara, Simulkunda and Satengabari. Many carried scars of deep bullet injuries on their faces, stomachs and legs. The People's Health doctors working in the relief camp said they had not received any complaints of sexual or physical assault, but mainly children's health related complains, like cough, fever, diarrhoea. About 20-25 thousand people have left their homes. Of them 3,000 to 3,5000 people had been living in this camp, approximately 1,500 of whom were still there on 24th November. Extensive physical abuse and sexual abuse of women, ranging from rape and forcing of rods into women's vaginas, to rampant sexual harassment, as well as abduction of girls has been reported since March this year, but not much has been done to provide relief to the women, or to initiate investigation against and punish the perpetrators. Such violence against women continues, accompanied by terrifying threats, and there is no evidence of any steps having been taken to curb either. 3) Hundreds of women who had fled Kalicharanpur, Adhikaripara, Simulkunda and Satengabari in fear of sexual assault were still in the Nandigram camp. They testified that not only had their homes been looted and burnt down, in villages like Satengabari they had also been severely threatened by CPM cadres, who came around saying "We'll come back at night – light your lamps and wait for us with open doors. Send your men away, we'll come back to you at night." "How can we stay in a place under such threats?" the women asked. They told us about one Akhreja Bibi who had been gang-raped in Satengabari by 6-7 men is now in Tamluk hospital. Both her daughters, one about 17, one younger, were abducted. They are still missing. Women of these villages are still living in fear of being sexually abused, and young girls have been sent to relatives' homes elsewhere. The fear and insecurity of the villagers and specially the women at the Nandigram camp has been so high that they have refused to go back to their villages till the* *CRPF is posted their to ensure their safety and protect them from the violent vengeance of the "Harmad Bahini" comprising CPM cadres. 4) Some of the people who had participated in the unarmed march to Maheshpur on 10th November were arrested and locked up for three days in the school building. The women were subject to repeated sexual harassment by male CPM cadres who claimed the women were were Maoists. 5) In villages such as Garchakraberia where the CRPF has already been posted, normal life and activity seem to have returned; however there is simmering tension and fear under the facade of peace. At night, when CRPF personnel go off vigil, assailants begin their attacks again; so people have been forced to flee their homes at night and take shelter elsewhere from fear of reprisal. Villagers claim this is a forced calm and are terrified of what may happen when the CRPF is withdrawn. 6) Residents of Sonachura also expressed their anger and frustration at the BUPC leadership for keeping their own women safe at home, while forcing other women in the villages to join the marches and threatening to beat and burn down the homes of all who refused. 7) The situation in Daudpur is still very tense and the administration should take immediate measures to address this. There is resentment and anger brewing among the villagers. People openly accuse each other of violence while questioning the authority and corruption of particular CPM leaders. BUPC has forced people to volunteer to stand as night guards against the armed attacks from the CPM's Harmad Bahini. 8) Villagers testified that the police are playing a partisan role. BUPC members returning to their villages were being arrested, some on false charges. Others are being levied exorbitant "fines" to "compensate for the damages done to the CPM families in the last 11 months". Complaints about the atrocities of the CPM followers were either not registered, or the accused were released after being arrested, without any of the legal procedures being followed. 9) The senior police officer at the Relief Camp refused to comment on most of our questions. He (i) hinted at pressure from some political parties, (ii) implied that work was being made 'difficult' due to 'interference', (iii) said peace is returning to the villages, but the situation is 'still difficult'. 10) While language is proving to be a barrier to the CRPF in dealing with the volatile situation here, there are apparent efforts to restore peace, including red-flag processions etc. But the atmosphere outside the temporary 'protection' of the relief camp is of extreme terror. In spite of all apparent efforts and assurance on the part of the authorities, this terror is persistent. 11) There is a tremendous breakdown of trust. The villages of Nandigram are zones of pregnant silence today - they are zones of seething fear, terror, suspicion and threat.. (i) The police is still playing a partisan role. (ii) Vicious cycles of vengeance are in operation across the CPM and the TMC led BUPC. (iii) The political parties are set on a continued use of violence to mark territory and consolidate their forces. There is no evidence of any of them being ready or prepared for peace. Given the situation, people expect more violence and further exploitation. *RECOMMENDATIONS:* 1. *Non-partisan, just and effective action on the part of the State* is the most basic and critical factor for restoring peace in Nandigram. The government must strengthen administrative structures and ensure impartial and immediate action on the part of the administration to instill confidence in the people and normalize the situation in Nandigram. Conditions must be created for people to renew their daily social and economic activities without fear and apprehension of reprisal. 2. The *violence* *in Nandigram must be stopped.* (i.) All arms in the possession of the entire population of all the villages of Nandigram must be confiscated (ii.) The area must be rid of all outside cadres. (iii.) All criminals, irrespective of political affiliation, must be arrested immediately and tried. (iv.) Effective vigilance should be set in place against all those* *indulging in retaliatory and revengeful acts that will derail the peace process. 3. We demand *responsible action now from all the political parties*too. They must stop exploiting the situation, abstain from violence, and play a constructive role in bringing peace back to Nandigram. . 4. *Rape and sexual assault* have clearly become dominant weapons of war in the crossfire between vested political interests in Nandigram. (i) Urgent *measures must be taken by the administration and the police* to* *stop this immediately. (ii) Perpetrators have been resorting to sexual assault on women to intimidate, humiliate and subjugate the opposition, while the opposition has been using incidents of rape to discredit the perpetrators, not to seek justice for the women affected. We also demand that *every political party involved puts a complete and immediate stop to such practices,* and to all threats of sexual violence too. 5. The administration should also ensure that* all rape cases are registered, thoroughly investigated, and followed up*. Cases where women have been brutally assaulted should also receive the attention they merit and should not be brushed aside merely because the case was not one of rape. Sexual assault is a serious offence and must be dealt with as such. *All* *victims of sexual assault must be provided immediate medical treatment and their privacy respected and dignity upheld.* 6. Both men, and large numbers of women, specially those subject to sexual assault and/or rape are now severely traumatized and have sunk into visibly deep depression or shock. The government should set up a counselling cell in Nandigram or authorize an NGO to do so for the purpose of *trauma alleviation*. 7. Those who are suffering from the latest violence, as well as those who have been* *injured* *earlier in the year, cannot afford the *medication * required. Many cannot work as they could earlier. On both counts, their * livelihood* is adversely affected. *Compensation* to the injured and raped, and to the families of the dead should be made available on an urgent footing. *Women and children* have been the worst sufferers of the violence; attention should be paid to their *special needs*, and efforts made to restore their dignity and confidence in the process of rehabilitation. The *grant promised to repair houses must be distributed without any partisan preference*. The SDO/BDO must ensure that the grant promised to repair houses is distributed without any partisan preference. 8. The presence of the CRPF can ensure only a temporary and forced calm. This is no solution to the reign of terror. The state must *set in place peacemaking efforts, and involve all political parties and people's organisations in the region* to renew the democratic process and enable citizens to reclaim the lost democratic space for a lasting and just peace in the area. Peoples'* political rights* must be ensured. Democracy does not mean rule of the majority, but ensuring the rights and respect of the minority and those holding opposing political opinions and beliefs too. Concerted efforts have to be made, across all political differences, to control the spate of vengeance, and rebuild the confidence of the people of Nandigram who are living with violence as well as the fear of violence on a day to day basis. 9. The *government must be held* *accountable *for the breakdown of law and order in Nandigram. Given the current lack of accountability, a Public Interest Litigation maybe filed so that a Supreme Court probe can take place or a CBI enquiry may serve this purpose. __________________________ From vivek at sarai.net Thu Nov 29 19:53:07 2007 From: vivek at sarai.net (Vivek Narayanan) Date: Thu, 29 Nov 2007 19:53:07 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The 2007 Sarai-CSDS Independent Fellowship Programme : 3-7 December 2007 Message-ID: <474ECB4B.10400@sarai.net> PROGRAMME Working Questions: the 2007 Sarai-CSDS Independent Fellowship Workshop 3-7 December 2007 Each year Sarai-CSDS’s unique fellowship programme gives grants for all kinds of practitioners—artists, performers, writers, filmmakers, working professionals and academics too—to pursue their own (sometimes serious, sometimes quirky) research projects. The results of this research can be applied in any direction and, in recent years, has eventually led to all kinds of things, from comic to public actions to films to books. This year, Sarai’s yearly Independent Fellowship workshop will be a special gala event, in the centre of town, looking back over the five years of the fellowship. It will feature presentations from this year’s Independent Fellows, who will be coming in from various corners of the country, as well as some previous recipients of the Fellowship. Expect an unconventional convention. Expect talks (both academic and non-academic), musical and theatrical performances, books, videos, listening booths, slide shows, arguments, dialogues, merriment and controversy. A special curated multimedia exhibition accompanies the events. Monday 3 December Venue: Sarai-CSDS, 29 Rajpur Road, CSDS 6.00 – 8.00 pm Launch of Working Questions (the Sarai-CSDS Independent Fellowship Book) Opening Remarks by Professor Rajeev Bhargava Director, CSDS Reflecting on Five Years of the Sarai-CSDS Fellowship Programme Shuddabrata Sengupta Vivek Narayanan Debjani Sengupta Mahmood Farooqui Tuesday 4 December Venue: LTG Auditorium, Mandi House 10.30 – 12.00 History Versus Reminiscence Chair: Debjani Sengupta Anuja Ghosalkar Papa Ajoba: My Grandfather, the Film Make Up Artist Renee C. Lulam and Julius L. Basaiawmoit Changing Faces of Democratic Spaces in Urban Cosmopolitan Shillong Sugata Nandi Eventful Adolescence, Memorable Youth: The Politics of Personal Reminiscence in Calcutta, 1947-1967 12.15 – 1.15 Proving Residence Chair: Shveta Sarda Ajit K. Dwivedi Sealing ke Nazar Mein: Sealing Banam Pusta ka Visthapan (Media Study: Comparative Reporting on Land Ceilings and Displacement from Jamuna Pushta) Bipul K. Pandey The Residence Proof 1.30 pm – 2.30 pm Sub-metropolitan Dreams Chair: Iram Ghufran Nalin Narain Mathur B-Grade Engineering College Culture Syed Zaigham Imam Sapno ke Rail (The Train of Dreams: Narratives from the Allahabad-Jaunpur Passenger Train): a short documentary film 2.45 – 4.15 Hearing Spaces, Seeing Spaces Chair: Aarti Sethi Shahnawaz Khan Entertainment Ghosts in Srinagar: A Tale of Cinema Halls in the City Zubin Pastakia A Photographic Study of Bombay’s Cinema Halls Sayandeb Mukherjee Corridors: An Exploration of Sound and Space 4.30—6.30 pm Special Panel: The Past of Research and the Present of Practice Featuring: TP Sabitha, Yousuf Saeed, Mahmood Farooqui and Rahaab Allana Discussant: Shuddhabrata Sengupta 7.00—7.30 (In Upstairs Gallery Space) Performance Art: “This Evening Too: From Lal Ded to Abdul Ahad Zargar” by Inder Salim: Space limited to 25 persons only—first come, first serve. Wed 5 December Venue: LTG Auditorium, Mandi House 10.00 am – 11.30 Distant Communities Chair: Ravikant Surya Prakash Upadhyay Guru on the Air: Televised Hinduism in Contemporary India Neelima Chauhan Blogit Hindi Jati ka Linkit Man: Blogon mein Hindi Hypertext ka Adhayayan (The World of Hindi Blogs) Raman Jit Singh Chima The Regulation of the Internet by the Indian State 11.45 – 1.15 In the Midst of Conflict I: Looking Back and Looking Ahead Chair: Ravi Sundaram Arvind Kumar Caste Violence in Urban Maharashtra: A study of the 1974 Worli Riots in Mumbai and the Dalit Panthers Movement P. Jenny and C. Christy Chitralekha’s Burning Autorickshaw: Caste, Class and Gender in the Urban Space of Keralam Meena Menon Recovering Lost Histories: Riot Victims, the Communal Polarisation of Mumbai and Its Impact on People and Perceptions about Communities 11.00 – 11.30 (In Upstairs Gallery Space) Short film on ragging—Listen, Little Man-- by Madhavi Tangella; [See also discussion with Shivam Vij on Friday’s programme below.] 1.30 – 3.00 In the Midst of Conflict II: Reading Between the Column Inches Chair: Sanjay Sharma Shiju Sam Varughese The Public Sphere as a Site of Knowledge Production: Science in the Malayalam Press Alok Puranik Bazaar Reporting in Hindi Newspapers Shubhra Nagalia The Representation of Communal Conflicts in Hindi Media: A Case study of the 2005 Mau Riots 3.15—4.45 Other Traditions Chair: Priya Sen Priya Babu Traditions of the Aravani (Transgender) Community in Tamilnadu Mithun Narayan Bose Tracing Life from the Stroke: Documenting the Rickshaw-Painting of Kolkata Streets Deepak Kadyan Popular Musical Traditions and Configuration of Jat identity in Haryana, 1900-2000 5.30 – 6.00 pm (In Upstairs Gallery Space) Performance Art: “This Evening Too: From Lal Ded to Abdul Ahad Zargar” by Inder Salim: Space limited to 25 persons only—first come, first serve. 7.00 – 8.15 (Back in main auditorium) “Creeper”, a play written and directed by Ram Ganesh Kamatham, recasting the Vikram and Vetal myth in a contemporary urban setting. Featuring Mallika Prasad and Abhishek Majumdar. Thurs 6 December Venue: LTG Auditorium, Mandi House 10.00 am – 11.30 Medicine and Modernity Chair: Awadhendra Sharan Gyaltsen Lama Shamans in Gangtok: A Graphic Novel M.S. Harilal Adopting Modernisation and Negotiating Modernisation: Placing Modern and Traditional Ayurvedic Sectors in the Context of Transformation Burton Cleetus Urbanisation, Western Medicine and Modernity: The Rockefeller Foundation in Travancore 11.00 – 11.30 (In Upstairs Gallery Space) Short film on ragging—Listen, Little Man-- by Madhavi Tangella; see also discussion with Shivam Vij on Friday’s programme below. 11.45 – 12.45 Two Views of the Changing Industrial Landscape (short documentary films & discussion) Chair: Jeebesh Bagchi Ranu Ghosh The Story of a Laid-off Worker’s Resistance to Eviction in Kolkata T. Venkat and Meghna Sukumar Building the Indian Dream: Living and Working Conditions of Migrant Workers on Chennai's IT Corridor 1pm – 2pm Tracking Literatures Chair: Ravikant Rajiv Ranjan Giri Saraswati ki Sarvajanik Duniya, 1900-1920 (The Popular World of the Journal Saraswati, 1900-1920) Gopal Ji Pradhan Hindi mein Uttar Purv (The North-east in Hindi Literature) 2.15 –4.15 Special Panel: Where Does Research Go? Featuring: Zainab Bawa, Parismita Singh, Madhavi Tangella and Prasad Shetty. Discussant: Vivek Narayanan. 4.30 – 5.45 Work In “Progress”: Feature-length video by 2007 Sarai-CSDS Associate Fellow Debkamal Ganguly 6.15 – 6.45 (In Upstairs Gallery Space) Performance Art: “This Evening Too: From Lal Ded to Abdul Ahad Zargar” by Inder Salim: Space limited to 25 persons only—first come, first serve. 7.15pm – 8pm Solo Performance: Pritham K Chakravarty The Life of an Actor in Chennai’s Sabha Drama Fri Dec 7 Venue: LTG Auditorium, Mandi House 10.00 – 11.00 Proofreading: Identity and Publishing Chair: Mahmood Farooqui Vijay Kumar Pandey Meerut ka Prakasan Udyog (The Publishing Industry in Meerut) Yoginder Sikand & Naseemur Rahman Islamic Publishing Houses in Delhi 11.00 – 12.15 (In Upstairs Gallery Space) Side Effects: Collaborations and Conversations Between Independent Fellows. Short film on ragging—Listen, Little Man-- by Madhavi Tangella; discussion and commentary by Shivam Vij, who studied ragging for his Sarai-CSDS Fellowship. Introduced and moderated by Iram Ghufran 11.15 – 12.15 Maps for Lost Cities Chair: Shuddhabrata Sengupta Surojit Sen The Displacement of Prostitutes: A Tale of Two Cities in Two Centuries Mohit K. Ray & Soma Ghosh Heritage Ponds of Kolkata: A Contemporary History Dates available: 5,6,7 12.30 – 1.30 Rethinking the Social Chair: Vivek Narayanan Santana Issar and Aditi Saraf Rethinking Animal Activism in an Urban Context Arnab Chatterjee Beyond Private and Public: New Perspectives on the Personal and Personalist in Social Work 1.45 pm – 3.45 pm Special Presentation: The SARAI-CSDS Associate Fellowships Nancy Adajania: A New Journal for the Arts: Prototype Issue, 2007 Debkamal Ganguly: An Imaginative Text Based on Contemporary Travel Through the “Forests” Described in Bibhuthibhushan’s Memoirs (see complete video by Debkamal Ganguly on previous day.) Chair: Monica Narula 4.00 – 5.30 pm Towards a Future for Independent Research: Interactive Open Discussion 7.00 – 8.30 Punches Ponytails Ringtones: Women Boxers in India A film by Pankaj Rishi Kumar (82 mins) Introduced by Shuddhabrata Sengupta -- www.sarai.net Vivek Narayanan The Sarai Programme Centre for the Study of Developing Societies 29,Rajpur Road, Civil Lines Delhi 110 054. From dash.suryashankar at gmail.com Thu Nov 29 20:07:21 2007 From: dash.suryashankar at gmail.com (SURYA) Date: Thu, 29 Nov 2007 20:07:21 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] POSCO ALERT: IMMEDIATELY CALL ORISSA CHIEF MINISTER In-Reply-To: References: <005c01c83283$43c5f310$d04fe0dc@abc> Message-ID: Dear friends, Independent Media has confirmed the attack on the peacful demonstration of the Anti-POSCO people. At least five bombs were hurled and people were beaten up. The camp has been burnt. As per reports received this happened at around 5:30 PM today evening when approximately 500 armed persons carrying bombs and other lethal weapon launched an attack on the peaceful demonstration on the Balitutha bridge. The demonstrators included women and children. They burst bombs, beat up the demonstrators and burned the camp of the demonstrators. The number of casualties is not known. We have also been told that this is inspite of the fact that after the request of all leaders of mass movements the Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti lifted its blockade on Balitutha bridge unilaterally. Today 15 members of the gang supporting Raju Baba came and told the leaders that simply lifting the blockade will not do. They warned them to lift the camp and the community kitchen. The leaders declined to do so as they were only holding a demonstration and not blocking the road. The possibility of such an attack and the preparation for the same had been conveyed to all concerned including the district administration and the media. However unlike the media in West Bengal which provided objective and courageous coverage of Nandigram, the so called "neutral" role played by Orissa's media has only strengthened criminals and anti-people elements which are using force to try to destroy a peaceful, non-violent movement. The goons for this attack have been outsourced from Kendrapara area, famous for its mafias and gangs and obviously there are sponsors of this violence against local people. The political opposition has kept quiet as usual. An insensitive, corporate friendly bureaucracy does not bother about any thing else other than the MOUs signed with the companies. The ruling elites and leading intellectuals are busy attending dance festivals and cultural, events sponsored by Vedanta types. As in Nandigram, the state and the corporate sector has outsourced violence to private armies. As requested below, please take up the matter with the State Government. Please forward the appeal on all networks. Update on the breaking situation will follow as we get more details. Regards Nachiketa ----- Original Message ----- *From:* Kanchi Kohli *To:* 'Kanchi Kohli' *Sent:* Thursday, November 29, 2007 5:51 PM *Subject:* POSCO ALERT: IMMEDIATELY CALL ORISSA CHIEF MINISTER *BOMB BLASTS IN POSCO AREA, CAMPS DESTROYED, PEOPLE INJURED* * * Dear friends, As per information received from Orissa, the conflict in the POSCO project area has really worsened. As per reports there have been 5-6 bomb blasts in the area, the camps where people were staying have been destroyed and anti-POSCO have been forced to flee from the area. There is still no information on how many people have been injured or how bad the situation is in the area. It is reported that most of the pro-POSCO people are from outside the affected areas or goons. Please immediately call the Chief Minister and Governor to put an immediate halt to this conflict situation. Also please try and contact as many Members of Parliament (MPs) you are in touch with to call the Chief Minister and the Governor. The numbers are mentioned in the email below. In solidarity ------------------------------ *From:* nityanand jayaraman [mailto:nity68 at gmail.com] *Sent:* Thursday, November 29, 2007 5:37 PM *To:* Kanchi Kohli; Vijayan MJ; manju menon; pb kms *Subject:* Act Immediately: Attack on anti-Posco has begun Very urgent. 5 bombs hurled on anti-POSCO agitators. Please have MPs and other bigwigs call the Governor of Orissa and Chief Minister of Orissa. Murlidhar Chandrakan Bhandare, GOvernor Off: 0674 2400056, 2410550. Fax: 2404695 Private Secretary: 2401002 Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister Off: 0674 2531100, 2535100 Secretary: 0674 2590299, 2591099 See below. ciao, nity ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: *Delhi Forum* Date: Nov 28, 2007 8:44 PM Subject: URGENT: Forestall another Nandigram!Situation in Jagatsinghpur Tense| Attacks on Anti- POSCO Agitators To: *URGENT APPEAL!!!* * * *Forestall another Nandigram! * * * *Situation in Jagatsinghpur Tense as State Backed Goons Mount Attacks on Anti- POSCO Agitators * * * *Write urgently to CM, Governor and PMO to take action to stop planned Nandigram type violence against the people who are protesting against the POSCO plant (fax number given below) * Dear friends A strong people's resistance has been going on in the parts of Jagatsinghpur district of Orissa against acquisition of their land for a steel plant and captive port proposed in the area since July 2005, a month after the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) regarding the project was signed between the Government of Orissa and Pohang Steel Company Limited (POSCO). Despite the strong local resistance, government seems hell bent on expediting the implementation of the project. The situation became very volatile in April this year when several platoons of Orissa Military Police were deployed in the area five days before the mandatory environmental clearance public hearing on 15 th April 2007. The protests in the three affected Gram Panchayats have become stronger especially after PM Manmohan Singh's statement on April 19th asking the Orissa government to expedite the land acquisition process. *The State is desperate to start the POSCO project work by April 2008. Failing to break the anti-POSCO movement through money, bribery and threat, POSCO and Government of Orissa have taken a clue from Nandigram and are trying to create a situation of violence, which then will become a pretext to send in the police. They have realized by now that they can't use state force directly. Thus local mafia and criminals are being armed to initiate action against the ant-POSCO people. Through such interventions they are trying to create a situation for entry of police /para military force to support the local goons. * * * *The current situation on the ground is extremely tense. On 25 th November 2007, armed supporters of pro-POSCO local MLA and ex-minister Damodar Rout (BJD) launched an attack on the procession of villagers opposing the POSCO project in Jagatsinghpur. The procession was passing by the Mahaveer Peetha at Nuagan on their way to Nolia Sahi to reconstruct a check which Rout's men had smashed on 23rd November. Latest reports suggest that an attack is being planned on the road blockade by anti-POSCO agitators and there is every possibility of a confrontation at any moment. * On 21st November, a group of employees of the Hyderabad based Dharitri Company attempted a PUJA to start the dredging work of river Jatadhari claiming that it was a contract job of the oil refinery in Paradeep. The agitating villagers who have been fooled by such groups many a times in the past refused to believe them and requested the employees to honorably leave the place. But, the chief of the local Mahaveer Peetha (a place owned by fundamentalist Hindu groups) who was supposed to perform the Puja and who is also known as a person controlling a few musclemen in the area and a close associate of ruling party MLA Mr.Rout, entered into a verbal duel with the agitators which ultimately resulted in a conflict causing injuries to a few people from both sides. Taking a procession of his followers on 23rdNovember he broke the check gate constructed by the protesting villagers to prevent the entry of POSCO officials, police and administration. The agitating villagers decided to reconstruct the gate. They convened a meeting at Balitutha to discuss the new threats to their movement from the religious head with organized muscle power who has been engaged by POSCO and Rout with the active support of the administration. At 2 pm a procession of anti-POSCO villagers marched towards Nolia Sahi to repair the check gate. This procession was attacked Mahaveer Peetha by an armed gang under the leadership of Raju baba. Two leaders of the anti- POSCO agitation were critically injured and shifted to SCB medical college hospital while 6 more have been admitted in to the local hospital at Balitutha. The movement has shown admirable restraint and has been trying to defuse the situation. The movement leadership however apprehends that once this attack is launched, the armed police will also move in and a repeat of Nandigram may take place. With hundreds of anti-POSCO youth and children having formed "Self-sacrifice brigade", we are extremely apprehensive about the outcomes of this deliberate provocation being planned by POSCO and State Government. *We therefore request you to urgently:* *1. Write to the Governor and Chief Minister of Orissa to ask them to take action to stop planned Nandigram type violence against the people who are protesting against the POSCO plant and their displacement in Jagatsinghpur. * *2. Write to the Prime Minister whose office is taking extra interest in mobilizing all administrative support for the project * * * *The Fax Nos. are: * Naveen Patnaik, chief minister, Orissa - Fax 0674-2535100, Shri Murlidhar Chandrakant Bhandare, Governor, Orissa- Fax: 0674-2536582 Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister - Fax: 011-23019545 / 011-23016857. * * In Solidarity Mamata Dash, Subrat Sahu, Vijayan MJ and Sridevi Panikkar On behalf of Delhi Solidarity Group - -- In Solidarity, Delhi Forum F-10/12, Malviya Nagar New Delhi - 110017 INDIA Phones: +91-11-26680883/26680914 Emails: dforum at bol.net.in / delhiforum at gmail.com - -- website: www.freewebs.com/epgorissa __._,_.___ Messages in this topic (0) Reply (via web post) | Start a new topic Messages| Files| Photos| Links| Database| Polls| Members| Calendar [image: Yahoo! Groups] Change settings via the Web(Yahoo! 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Real Food Group Share recipes and favorite meals w/ Real Food lovers. . __,_._,___ From pawan.durani at gmail.com Thu Nov 29 13:53:38 2007 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Thu, 29 Nov 2007 13:53:38 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Modi's image builders have dictators on client list In-Reply-To: <32144e990711282359k16d9cbb7oad44a58b994377aa@mail.gmail.com> References: <4740B849.5070500@sarai.net> <6b79f1a70711182107lbb67cbdx9d4d9929f635701@mail.gmail.com> <62cba67a0711190051p6a7c0351tfeab58b9f6855d54@mail.gmail.com> <6b79f1a70711190125n7b59433apddf61e384dd954a3@mail.gmail.com> <48c2916d0711210044h33f399careafc4e55e2ccb4ae@mail.gmail.com> <6b79f1a70711210113v9db042aj8169c5644e3336a2@mail.gmail.com> <32144e990711282359k16d9cbb7oad44a58b994377aa@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <6b79f1a70711290023h5166785bm32a619d5be695abf@mail.gmail.com> Hello Partha , Well , maybe you are right . But then not everything works that way . If that is the case , how does most of our leaders have crores of property which they even declare in their nomination ? Has anyone questioned any of them ? We need to come out of Modi fixation . Atleast he has given Gujarat more than 10% growth. Almost zero corruption . No riots in last few years . Also we shud give credit to Budhadeb , he is atleast trying to change the system . The old face of communists. He is atleast trying to drive WB into a modern Indian state. Over here , there are enough intellectuals who are experts on just everything controversial . Issues are so simple for them that it takes few minutes for them to type and give the best solution. Little do they know that it is the ringmaster who kows the risk of taming tigers and other wild animals for a circus show. Pawan On 11/29/07, parthaekka at gmail.com wrote: > > Dear Pawan, > > 'Hindutva' or 'Leftism' aside, I would disagree with you on the issue > of CM's. We, as citizen's of India, elect our leaders (unfortunately > more often swayed by caste than qualification and capability) to enact > and uphold the law of the land. The Chief Minister in the core leader > for a state and is responsible for any mishap just as a CEO is > responsible for problems in an organisation (for example, the Ansal's > for the Uphaar tragedy). > > Any position gained has it's benefits... and it's responsibilities. As > a personal viewpoint, I feel that the Chief Minister's of both Gujarat > and West Bengal have failed miserably in their mandate. That a Chief > Minister is spending public money given to an international firm for a > PR exercise as Modi is doing is even more reprehensible - not only in > the fact that it is a misuse of funds, but that it sets a precedent of > high level government funded eye-wash. > > Rgds, Partha > ....................... > > On 11/21/07, Pawan Durani wrote: > > Arti Ji, > > > > NamaskAr > > > > I am not sure how you can bring Modi in each and every conflict across > > regions in India. Modi's image has been mostly tarnished by his own > > detractors and by those who feel insecure by hindutva. But the question > > still remains ......is hindutva a threat. Hindutva can be the most > peaceful > > thought . Hindutva doesn't teach to be aggressive and dominate. > > > > Similarly CPM govt has been elected by the people of the state. If a > > violence erupts , does it give anyone a right to call the chief minister > a > > mass murderer ? I am sure no CM would like violence in his/her state. > > > > As for me , though i do not belong to any political party or am not a > > political philosopher, but I am of firm belief that Nandigram happening > has > > a direct relation with India & US nuclear pact . There must be many > agencies > > working overtime to put WB govt in a tight situation , where it can be > > dominated . As of now CPM is ready for Indian Govt talking to IAEA . > What > > made CPM climb down ? has anyone thought of it ? Is Nandigram > responsible > > for this ? This may sound absurd to many ......but i have got my own > views > > ......it is my own understanding. > > > > Pawan Durani > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On 11/21/07, Aarti Sethi wrote: > > > > > > Dear All, > > > > > > Surely this has to be one of the strangest comments I have read so > > > far. It is true tragic-comedy in the old sense of the term. I am not > > > sure whether the fact that today votaries of the right are defending > > > the CPIM is the tragic element or the comic element. > > > > > > Pawan Durani ji the fact that a leader is a mass leader and wins > > > elections democratically is no defence of his/her actions. I am amazed > > > that you can argue for majoritarian politics in this matter of fact > > > fashion. Are we to assume that a "democratic" decision to kill 4,000 > > > people over two days is alright, because the people behind this were > > > elected democratically? Your statement that Narendra Modi cannot be > > > held responsible for what happened is complete nonsense. Please spare > > > us this Hindu-apologist garbage. Narendra Modi is a mass murderer. > > > There can be no quibbling on this. > > > > > > It is interesting that you equate Buddhadeb and Modi in this fashion > > > because today morning's news carries a story on the NHRC's equation of > > > Nandigram 2006 with Gujarat 2002. > > > > > > http://www.indianexpress.com/story/241118.html > > > > > > I am deeply troubled by this. I do not think statements like this are > > > helpful in thinking through and opposing what occurred in either > > > instance. We need to be able to fashion languages that can take into > > > account the particularity of violence. In this way all the CPIM has to > > > say is "Nandigram is not like Gujarat," which is true, and that's the > > > end of that. Nandigram is like Nandigram. That's bad enough. Of course > > > this question of the brutality with which the state reacts to demands > > > by farmers, is something that needs to be thought through. And this > > > brutality is the preserve neither of the left or the right. Remember > > > the killing of farmers agitating for water in police firing in > > > Rajasthan, under BJP rule, last year and in 2004 > > > > > > http://www.indiaenews.com/india/20071119/81460.htm > > > > > > best > > > Aarti > > > > > > > > > > > > On Nov 19, 2007 2:55 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > > > > both Budhadeb Ji & Modi ji are mass leaders and win elections > > > democratically > > > > . They may not be held responsible for they are not one in the mob. > > > > > > > > Pawan > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On 11/19/07, OISHIK SIRCAR wrote: > > > > > > > > > > What's unfair about it? The fact that their hands are stained with > > > blood? > > > > > Or that politicians' public images van never be decorated or > > > improved?! > > > > > > > > > > On Nov 18, 2007 11:07 PM, Pawan Durani < pawan.durani at gmail.com> > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > >>>>>>>>>> And together, they can perfect the fine art of > > > decorating > > > > > > and > > > > > > improving > > > > > > the public image of politicians whose hands are stained with > > > > > > blood>>>>>>>>> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Thatz an unfair statement. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On 11/19/07, Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Dear All, > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Narendra Modi certainly could do with some image makeovers, > and > > > > > > > Buddhadeva Bhattachary could do with some too. In this case, > > > Modi-ji > > > > > > is > > > > > > > one up on Buddha Babu. He has hired a lobbying firm to make > him > > > look > > > > > > good. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > I thought that I would post the news item that details this > piece > > > of > > > > > > > information (which appeared on Times of India and was > forwarded to > > > me > > > > > > by > > > > > > > a friend, so that those who have a line to Muzaffar Ahmed > Bhavan > > > in > > > > > > > Kolkata on this list may take the information where it is > needed > > > > > > most). > > > > > > > Perhaps those on this list who are partisans of Modi-ji could > act > > > as > > > > > > > consultants to those who root for Buddha-Babu, and they can > > > compare > > > > > > > notes on how each leader is faring under the loving attention > of > > > the > > > > > > > right kind of PR. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > And together, they can perfect the fine art of decorating and > > > > > > improving > > > > > > > the public image of politicians whose hands are stained with > > > blood. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > regards > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Shuddha > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------ > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Modis_image_builders_have_dictators_on_client_list/articleshow/2549293.cms > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Modi's image builders have dictators on client list > > > > > > > 18 Nov 2007, 0136 hrs IST,TNN > > > > > > > > > > > > > > AHMEDABAD: Adolf Hitler was a brilliant propagandist. Narendra > > > Modi > > > > > > too > > > > > > > believes in the power of image. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Which is probably why the chief minister hired a US lobbying > firm > > > > > > which > > > > > > > has serviced clients like former Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha > and > > > > > > > President-for-life of Kazakhstan Nursultan Abishuly > Nazarbayev. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > This Washington-based firm, Apco Worldwide, was hired by Modi > > > sometime > > > > > > > in August this year, in the run-up to an important Assembly > > > election, > > > > > > to > > > > > > > improve his image before the world community. Among its recent > > > clients > > > > > > > are Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a former Communist youth > > > > > > leader-turned-Russian > > > > > > > billionaire with mafia links. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > The firm has a distinction of taking contracts of boosting > images > > > of > > > > > > > leaders who fell out of favour of their followers. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On the face of it Apco Worldwide's brief is to build and sell > > > Brand > > > > > > > Gujarat to the international community. But according to > sources > > > Modi, > > > > > > > > > > > > > who was denied visa by the US earlier because of the taint he > > > earned > > > > > > in > > > > > > > the 2002 riots, wants his image to be improved so that he gets > to > > > > > > visit > > > > > > > the US in future. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > The Modi regime feels lobbying is required to attract > much-sought > > > > > > after > > > > > > > foreign direct investment (FDI) which has been a cause for > concern > > > > > > even > > > > > > > though Gujarat is topping the charts among Indian states in > terms > > > of > > > > > > > overall investments, according to latest statistics brought > out by > > > the > > > > > > > > > > > > > Reserve Bank of India. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Modi, of course, still nurtures the wish to get an US visa and > > > some of > > > > > > > his NRI friends have advised him to use the services of > lobbyists > > > for > > > > > > > the same. Sources in the government told TOI that if it works > and > > > Modi > > > > > > > > > > > > > comes back to power, Apco's contract will be renewed in > January > > > for > > > > > > > Vibrant Gujarat 2009, the event that Modi prides himself in, > for > > > > > > > bringing investments to the state. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > The Gujarat government will pay Apco 25,000 USD per month for > the > > > Modi > > > > > > > > > > > > > image building exercise. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Sources in the government said Modi thought of this > image-building > > > > > > > exercise during his visit to Switzerland earlier this year. > His > > > > > > > government shortlisted some seven national and international > > > firms, > > > > > > > without floating tenders of which two were shortlisted. Even > > > though it > > > > > > > quoted a sum that was three times more than others, Apco was > > > picked > > > > > > for > > > > > > > the job. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > The reason given was that Apco has a better team. Apco has > former > > > > > > > senators from Republican and Democratic parties working with > it. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _________________________________________ > > > > > > > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > > > > > > > Critiques & Collaborations > > > > > > > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.netwith > > > > > > > subscribe in the subject header. > > > > > > > To unsubscribe: > > > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > > > > > > List archive: > <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > > > > _________________________________________ > > > > > > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > > > > > > Critiques & Collaborations > > > > > > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.netwith > > > > > > subscribe in the subject header. > > > > > > To unsubscribe: > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > > > > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > > > > OISHIK SIRCAR > > > > > > > > > > Fellow in Reproductive & Sexual Health and Women's Rights > > > > > Faculty of Law, University of Toronto > > > > > > > > > > 60 Harbord Street > > > > > Room 016 B > > > > > Toronto, ON M5S 3L1 > > > > > > > > > > oishiksircar at gmail.com > > > > > oishik.sircar at utoronto.ca > > > > > > > > > > 416.876.7926 > > > > _________________________________________ > > > > 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. > > > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > > > _________________________________________ > > 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. > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > -- > Partha Dasgupta > +919... > From pawan.durani at gmail.com Thu Nov 29 13:57:29 2007 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Thu, 29 Nov 2007 13:57:29 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Ashish Kaul aka Emcee Hash Message-ID: <6b79f1a70711290027r3fe85384ie24370a2e6815ee0@mail.gmail.com> [ Wonder why the reporters are not linking Panun Kashmir song with Panun Kashmir ? ] http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1136112 *Non-resident Kashmiri wraps pain of militancy into song* Ishfaq-ul-Hassan Thursday, November 29, 2007 03:39 IST *The rap song highlights the suffering of pandits who had to leave the valley because of violence* SRINAGAR: A song expressing the pain and trauma of Kashmiri migrant pandits is creating waves in the West. A 26-year-old non-resident Kashmiri Pandit rapper is going places with the song which highlights the suffering of the thousands of people who were made refugees in their own land by militancy. California-based rapper Ashish Kaul aka Emcee Hash has not only penned the song – Panun Kashmir (My Kashmir) – but sings it as well. "I wanted to write a song that would highlight our story, our struggle. I hope to inspire the Kashmiri community as a whole (Hindus, Muslims and all) to realise that it's not about religion, but about terrorism, and it's time to take a stand and unite to destroy this horror," Hash told DNA via e-mail from California. Hash's grandfather suffered a stroke after he was forced to migrate from Srinagar. The pain of his grandfather had tremendous impact on Hash. "I did not personally experience the exodus and the atrocities that have scarred my brethren. But at my home in the US, I am deeply hurt witnessing the condition of my grandfather who suffers from dementia caused by the stroke. Circumstances forced him to sell our lovely ancestral home (where I spent the formative years of my childhood) in Srinagar," he says. "I could not begin the song until I found the perfect instrumental. But as soon as I heard a beat created by Rapid Fly Beats, I got to writing, and when I did, I could not stop till the song was complete. Having completed the lyrics for the song in early August 2007, I forwarded them almost immediately to my harshest critics, my family and friends, and all of them gave a positive feedback," Hash says. Produced by Steve Burich, the song was released on November 17 and there has been no looking back since. "I did not get a chance to actually complete this track until very recently due to schedule conflicts with my producer in California. Finally, on Saturday, November 17, we completed the track and released it. It is a hit." Hash never lived in Kashmir, though he visited the valley every summer till 1988 when trouble began. His family, however, was born and brought up primarily in Kashmir. Having migrated to Australia and then to the US since 1992, he has incorporated multiple cultures in his life. "I started writing songs around 2001 and recorded on my PC microphone using simple beats. Even then, my friends were excited and I knew I had found something in myself that I could not hold back," he said. "I have performed at multiple events, including campus shows, IIT Alumni events and certain clubs in California, to excited responses and I will continue to perform as the album is completed," he added. Hash's album is scheduled for release next year. "I began recording with a producer in October 2006 and since have been working diligently to complete the album which will contain 13 or so songs and will be released in early 2008. "The content of the album is diverse – stories of terrorism, love, pain, struggles of being a musician and some fun tracks that depict the experiences of my life," he says. From vivek at sarai.net Thu Nov 29 20:12:06 2007 From: vivek at sarai.net (Vivek Narayanan) Date: Thu, 29 Nov 2007 20:12:06 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The 2007 Sarai-CSDS Independent Fellowship Programme : 3-7 December 2007 In-Reply-To: References: <474ECB4B.10400@sarai.net> Message-ID: <474ECFBE.1090206@sarai.net> Absolutely! Please note these events are open to all. Aashish Gupta wrote: > Hi Vivek > Can people who are not part of CSDS or not related to it attend the > events? > > Aashish Gupta > 2nd Year Student > Integrated MA (Five Year) in Development Studies > IIT Madras > > On Nov 29, 2007 7:53 PM, Vivek Narayanan > wrote: > > PROGRAMME > > Working Questions: the 2007 Sarai-CSDS Independent Fellowship Workshop > 3-7 December 2007 > > > Each year Sarai-CSDS's unique fellowship programme gives grants > for all > kinds of practitioners—artists, performers, writers, filmmakers, > working > professionals and academics too—to pursue their own (sometimes > serious, > sometimes quirky) research projects. The results of this research > can be > applied in any direction and, in recent years, has eventually led > to all > kinds of things, from comic to public actions to films to books. This > year, Sarai's yearly Independent Fellowship workshop will be a special > gala event, in the centre of town, looking back over the five > years of > the fellowship. It will feature presentations from this year's > Independent Fellows, who will be coming in from various corners of the > country, as well as some previous recipients of the Fellowship. Expect > an unconventional convention. Expect talks (both academic and > non-academic), musical and theatrical performances, books, videos, > listening booths, slide shows, arguments, dialogues, merriment and > controversy. A special curated multimedia exhibition accompanies the > events. > > > Monday 3 December > Venue: Sarai-CSDS, 29 Rajpur Road, CSDS > > 6.00 – 8.00 pm > Launch of Working Questions (the Sarai-CSDS Independent Fellowship > Book) > > Opening Remarks > by Professor Rajeev Bhargava > Director, CSDS > > Reflecting on Five Years of the Sarai-CSDS Fellowship Programme > Shuddabrata Sengupta > Vivek Narayanan > Debjani Sengupta > Mahmood Farooqui > > > > Tuesday 4 December > Venue: LTG Auditorium, Mandi House > > 10.30 – 12.00 > History Versus Reminiscence > Chair: Debjani Sengupta > > Anuja Ghosalkar > Papa Ajoba: My Grandfather, the Film Make Up Artist > > Renee C. Lulam and Julius L. Basaiawmoit > Changing Faces of Democratic Spaces in Urban Cosmopolitan Shillong > > Sugata Nandi > Eventful Adolescence, Memorable Youth: The Politics of Personal > Reminiscence in Calcutta, 1947-1967 > > > 12.15 – 1.15 > Proving Residence > Chair: Shveta Sarda > > Ajit K. Dwivedi > Sealing ke Nazar Mein: Sealing Banam Pusta ka Visthapan (Media Study: > Comparative Reporting on Land Ceilings and Displacement from > Jamuna Pushta) > > Bipul K. Pandey > The Residence Proof > > > 1.30 pm – 2.30 pm > Sub-metropolitan Dreams > Chair: Iram Ghufran > > Nalin Narain Mathur > B-Grade Engineering College Culture > > Syed Zaigham Imam > Sapno ke Rail (The Train of Dreams: Narratives from the > Allahabad-Jaunpur Passenger Train): a short documentary film > > > 2.45 – 4.15 > Hearing Spaces, Seeing Spaces > Chair: Aarti Sethi > > Shahnawaz Khan > Entertainment Ghosts in Srinagar: A Tale of Cinema Halls in the City > > Zubin Pastakia > A Photographic Study of Bombay's Cinema Halls > > Sayandeb Mukherjee > Corridors: An Exploration of Sound and Space > > > 4.30—6.30 pm > Special Panel: The Past of Research and the Present of Practice > > Featuring: TP Sabitha, Yousuf Saeed, Mahmood Farooqui and Rahaab > Allana > Discussant: Shuddhabrata Sengupta > > 7.00—7.30 > (In Upstairs Gallery Space) > Performance Art: "This Evening Too: From Lal Ded to Abdul Ahad Zargar" > by Inder Salim: Space limited to 25 persons only—first come, first > serve. > > > Wed 5 December > Venue: LTG Auditorium, Mandi House > > 10.00 am – 11.30 > Distant Communities > Chair: Ravikant > > Surya Prakash Upadhyay > Guru on the Air: Televised Hinduism in Contemporary India > > Neelima Chauhan > Blogit Hindi Jati ka Linkit Man: Blogon mein Hindi Hypertext ka > Adhayayan (The World of Hindi Blogs) > > Raman Jit Singh Chima > The Regulation of the Internet by the Indian State > > > > 11.45 – 1.15 > In the Midst of Conflict I: Looking Back and Looking Ahead > Chair: Ravi Sundaram > > Arvind Kumar > Caste Violence in Urban Maharashtra: A study of the 1974 Worli > Riots in > Mumbai and the Dalit Panthers Movement > > > > P. Jenny and C. Christy > Chitralekha's Burning Autorickshaw: Caste, Class and Gender in the > Urban > Space of Keralam > > Meena Menon > Recovering Lost Histories: Riot Victims, the Communal Polarisation of > Mumbai and Its Impact on People and Perceptions about Communities > > > 11.00 – 11.30 > (In Upstairs Gallery Space) > Short film on ragging—Listen, Little Man-- by Madhavi Tangella; > [See also discussion with Shivam Vij on Friday's programme below.] > > > 1.30 – 3.00 > In the Midst of Conflict II: Reading Between the Column Inches > Chair: Sanjay Sharma > > Shiju Sam Varughese > The Public Sphere as a Site of Knowledge Production: Science in the > Malayalam Press > > Alok Puranik > Bazaar Reporting in Hindi Newspapers > > Shubhra Nagalia > The Representation of Communal Conflicts in Hindi Media: A Case > study of > the 2005 Mau Riots > > > 3.15—4.45 > Other Traditions > Chair: Priya Sen > > Priya Babu > Traditions of the Aravani (Transgender) Community in Tamilnadu > > Mithun Narayan Bose > Tracing Life from the Stroke: Documenting the Rickshaw-Painting of > Kolkata Streets > > Deepak Kadyan > Popular Musical Traditions and Configuration of Jat identity in > Haryana, > 1900-2000 > > > > > 5.30 – 6.00 pm > (In Upstairs Gallery Space) > Performance Art: "This Evening Too: From Lal Ded to Abdul Ahad > Zargar" > by Inder Salim: Space limited to 25 persons only—first come, first > serve. > > > 7.00 – 8.15 > (Back in main auditorium) > "Creeper", a play written and directed by Ram Ganesh Kamatham, > recasting > the Vikram and Vetal myth in a contemporary urban setting. Featuring > Mallika Prasad and Abhishek Majumdar. > > > Thurs 6 December > Venue: LTG Auditorium, Mandi House > > 10.00 am – 11.30 > Medicine and Modernity > Chair: Awadhendra Sharan > > Gyaltsen Lama > Shamans in Gangtok: A Graphic Novel > > M.S. Harilal > Adopting Modernisation and Negotiating Modernisation: Placing > Modern and > Traditional Ayurvedic Sectors in the Context of Transformation > > > Burton Cleetus > Urbanisation, Western Medicine and Modernity: The Rockefeller > Foundation > in Travancore > > > 11.00 – 11.30 > (In Upstairs Gallery Space) > Short film on ragging—Listen, Little Man-- by Madhavi Tangella; > see also > discussion with Shivam Vij on Friday's programme below. > > > 11.45 – 12.45 > Two Views of the Changing Industrial Landscape > (short documentary films & discussion) > Chair: Jeebesh Bagchi > > Ranu Ghosh > The Story of a Laid-off Worker's Resistance to Eviction in Kolkata > > T. Venkat and Meghna Sukumar > Building the Indian Dream: Living and Working Conditions of Migrant > Workers on Chennai's IT Corridor > > > 1pm – 2pm > Tracking Literatures > Chair: Ravikant > > Rajiv Ranjan Giri > Saraswati ki Sarvajanik Duniya, 1900-1920 (The Popular World of the > Journal Saraswati, 1900-1920) > > Gopal Ji Pradhan > Hindi mein Uttar Purv (The North-east in Hindi Literature) > > > 2.15 –4.15 > Special Panel: Where Does Research Go? > Featuring: Zainab Bawa, Parismita Singh, Madhavi Tangella and Prasad > Shetty. > Discussant: Vivek Narayanan. > > > 4.30 – 5.45 Work In "Progress": Feature-length video by 2007 > Sarai-CSDS > Associate Fellow Debkamal Ganguly > > > 6.15 – 6.45 > (In Upstairs Gallery Space) > Performance Art: "This Evening Too: From Lal Ded to Abdul Ahad Zargar" > by Inder Salim: Space limited to 25 persons only—first come, first > serve. > > > 7.15pm – 8pm > Solo Performance: Pritham K Chakravarty > The Life of an Actor in Chennai's Sabha Drama > > > Fri Dec 7 > Venue: LTG Auditorium, Mandi House > > 10.00 – 11.00 > Proofreading: Identity and Publishing > Chair: Mahmood Farooqui > > Vijay Kumar Pandey > Meerut ka Prakasan Udyog (The Publishing Industry in Meerut) > > Yoginder Sikand & Naseemur Rahman > Islamic Publishing Houses in Delhi > > > 11.00 – 12.15 > (In Upstairs Gallery Space) > Side Effects: Collaborations and Conversations Between Independent > Fellows. > Short film on ragging—Listen, Little Man-- by Madhavi Tangella; > discussion and commentary by Shivam Vij, who studied ragging for his > Sarai-CSDS Fellowship. Introduced and moderated by Iram Ghufran > > 11.15 – 12.15 > Maps for Lost Cities > Chair: Shuddhabrata Sengupta > > Surojit Sen > The Displacement of Prostitutes: A Tale of Two Cities in Two > Centuries > > Mohit K. Ray & Soma Ghosh > Heritage Ponds of Kolkata: A Contemporary History > Dates available: 5,6,7 > > > 12.30 – 1.30 > Rethinking the Social > Chair: Vivek Narayanan > > Santana Issar and Aditi Saraf > Rethinking Animal Activism in an Urban Context > > Arnab Chatterjee > Beyond Private and Public: New Perspectives on the Personal and > Personalist in Social Work > > > > 1.45 pm – 3.45 pm > Special Presentation: The SARAI-CSDS Associate Fellowships > > Nancy Adajania: A New Journal for the Arts: Prototype Issue, 2007 > > Debkamal Ganguly: An Imaginative Text Based on Contemporary Travel > Through the "Forests" Described in Bibhuthibhushan's Memoirs (see > complete video by Debkamal Ganguly on previous day.) > > Chair: Monica Narula > > 4.00 – 5.30 pm > Towards a Future for Independent Research: Interactive Open Discussion > > > 7.00 – 8.30 Punches Ponytails Ringtones: Women Boxers in India > A film by Pankaj Rishi Kumar (82 mins) > Introduced by Shuddhabrata Sengupta > > -- > www.sarai.net > > Vivek Narayanan > The Sarai Programme > Centre for the Study of Developing Societies > 29,Rajpur Road, > Civil Lines > Delhi 110 054. > > > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > > > -- > Chal Bulleya chal othae challeeya, jithae sarae annae. Naa koi saddi > zaat paehchannae, thae na koi sanu mannae From pawan.durani at gmail.com Thu Nov 29 23:23:09 2007 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Thu, 29 Nov 2007 23:23:09 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Godhra carnage vs. Pandits exodus Message-ID: <6b79f1a70711290953n306b3bb7s1ffb4382506e7b57@mail.gmail.com> http://www.kashmirherald.com/main.php?t=OP&st=D&no=341 On-again, off-again nature of talk about 2002 Gujarat riots, on the heels of Godhra carnage, is preposterous. It is outrageous and disgusting to raise such issues, rendered irrelevant with the passage of time, to tarnish the image of India, booming with economic activity. It is disrespectful to the nation of one billion people. The so-called 'Tehelka expose' has, in fact, exposed the hollowness of pseudo-secularists, who flourish on such 'gossip'. Such loose discussions, brought to the fore repeatedly, should be put to an end once for all. The drum-beaters of secularism are deliberately orchestrating of what they call 'sting operation', when the Assembly elections in Gujarat are approaching. It is the height of stupidity to claim that the 'expose' just 'coincided' with the announcement of the Assembly poll in Gujarat. In the first instance, such 'exposures' are politically-motivated. The 'power hungry' Congress politicians know when and how to operationalise their 'mischievous designs', how to indulge in dirty tricks and how to mould public opinion. They raise the bogey of Gujarat riots, without bothering to mention about Godhra mayhem, in which 58 Hindu Kar Sevaks were roasted alive while they were traveling in the Sabarmati Express. The reaction to Godhra was Gujarat riots. The question is what was the need to reopen healed up wounds. If it was needed at all, why 'publicity' was not given to these killings six months earlier? What was done is done; cannot be undone. No sane person will gloat over the killings or justify them. But raising such issues repeatedly cannot be justified. More so since the secularists across the country did not bother to talk about the gruesome killings of nearly 1200 Kashmiri Hindus in early 1990 and later in sporadic incidents of ethnic cleansing. These killings and the resultant mass exodus of 5, 00,000 Hindus from Kashmir Valley are a blot on the Indian democracy. Hardly 15,000 Hindus are left in the valley now. Have they no right to live in their land of birth? Have they no democratic rights? The Human Rights organizations and the Amnesty International are just feigning ignorance about the apathetic conditions of the Kashmiri Hindus. So far the Indian Government's internal policy priorities are concerned human rights of Kashmiri Pundits have been locked in the boot. Since there is so much talk about post-Godhra carnage by secularists, may I ask them why they are not equally strident in the case of Kashmiri Hindus' plight. Why don't they pause for a while to wonder what was the fault of the Kashmiri Hindus to be marginalised and neglected in their own country? What crime had they committed against the majority Muslim community in the Valley? After the mass exodus, their houses were looted and set on fire. Temples and other places of worship were burnt down. The Hindus were compelled to dispose off their properties at throwaway prices, so that they don't dare to return to the Valley. Is this secularism? Is this democracy? No eyebrows were raised about the pogrom of the Kashmiri Hindus. For Kashmiri Hindus, secularism has been buried in the graveyards of Kashmir. The moderate Muslims were helpless as the radicals are holding the sway. And they just advised the 'Hindu brethren' to leave for lack of security. To cap it all, some maverick writers believe that killings of Muslims in Gujarat, as exposed by Tehelka, should not be suppressed. Does it mean, what has happened to Kashmiri Hindus and non-Kashmiri Hindus, who had also settled there for decades, should be suppressed? It is shameful. Why was not any commission set up to go into the killings and forcible exodus of Kashmiri Hindus? Why are there one-sided sting operations? Is it not a new weapon in the hands of the secularists to divide the society on communal lines, keeping in mind the vote bank policy? The authorities in Godhra, soon after the mayhem, had made an unsavoury statement that those who had burnt alive the karsevaks were "uneducated, without jobs and poor. Most of them, called Ghanchi Muslims, live in poverty and have no economic activity" How amazing? The Godhra officials were forced to make confusing statements to suppress the truth about Godhra. These tactics are sure to boomerang and destroy the age-old residual communal harmony. They should realize such exposures will retaliate on them, just like terrorism has boomeranged on Pakistan. Dr Sachidananda Sinha has well said: "Where there is no vision, the people perish". Maverick writer Farzana Versey argues that the cause of Kashmiri Hindus has been romanticized. In a recent news paper article, "Fission Kashmir" (September 7, 2007) she remarks: "Unlike the 140 terrorist groups, the Pandit lobby is strong. It can organize itself. Displaced Pundits are now demanding reservations in the Jammu and Kashmir legislature and government jobs, as well as setting up of three townships in the Valley for their rehabilitation". What is wrong in making these demands? Unlike Versey, some Pakistan journalists appear to sympathise with Kashmiri Pundits. They visited the migrant camps in Jammu and saw things for themselves. They have taken up the cudgels for speaking the truth. For the past 17 years, the Pundit community has lost its cultural moorings. They have lost their identity as an ethnic group, and are unable to preserve their traditions and customs. Some Indian journalists are talking about 'nailing the guilty of Gujarat'. Their response is based on Tehelka's investigations, which, according to them, has 'provided evidence on tapes 'of stories relating to the Muslims' killings by top functionaries of the BJP and Sangh Parivar. Well, if that is indeed the case, what about nailing known JKLF activist Bitta Karatay, who, in a recent TV interview had claimed responsibility for killing scores of Hindus, with many more on his hit-list. He was in jail for 16 years on the charge of murdering a score of Kashmiri Hindus. The Supreme Court has released Karatay recently for 'want of evidence'. From parthaekka at gmail.com Fri Nov 30 11:51:09 2007 From: parthaekka at gmail.com (Partha Dasgupta) Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2007 11:51:09 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Godhra carnage vs. Pandits exodus In-Reply-To: <6b79f1a70711290953n306b3bb7s1ffb4382506e7b57@mail.gmail.com> References: <6b79f1a70711290953n306b3bb7s1ffb4382506e7b57@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <32144e990711292221w1abd6380lcf2dc4323a3c3bf8@mail.gmail.com> Dear Pawan, Somehow the matter of Godhra being a 'healed wound' doesn't fit in - just as you forwarded the details of a young Kashmiri abroad who has never been in Kashmir and remembers his grandfather's death on leaving the valley, making him compose a rap song. Godhra is still alive in the hearts of those who lost family and friends in that episode. That aside, the Delhi riots on Indira Gandi's death, Nandigram and Godhra are worrisome as state 'approved' violence when the very government(s) that are sworn in to save lives sheds it's skin and shows a dirty underbelly that rukes by rape, killings and subjugation of voices which it presumes are against it's views. The Godhra issue is not about '58 Hindu Kar Sevaks' or the subsequent violence. Both incidents are reprehensible. However, in the second incident, the state allowing it to happen after the first flare up and condoning it is completely against the reason that we elect politicians to lead the state towards peace and prosperity. That is irrespective of whether the victims were Muslims (as in the 2nd incident at Godhra) or a mix of religions in Nandigram (though I should point out that I'm unaware of any mention of religion in that episode). Nor do I believe that the violence that rose in Godhra due to the killing of 58 Sevaks is justified - as your statement seems to mention. And if you truly believe what seems to be a closure by mentioning - "*The question is what was the need to reopen healed up wounds. If it was needed at all, why 'publicity' was not given to these killings six months earlier? What was done is done; cannot be undone. No sane person will gloat over the killings or justify them.*" Then the Kashmir issue is far older, and should have healed far more completely with generations born out of the shadow of the valley. This is not a retribution game where we say xx Hindu's were killed so kill yy Muslims, or Bitta Karatay was freed by the Supreme Court so free those responsible for the Godhra riots. Maybe that's not what you said, but the wording used seem to denote that. Rgds, Partha .................... On Nov 29, 2007 11:23 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > http://www.kashmirherald.com/main.php?t=OP&st=D&no=341 > > On-again, off-again nature of talk about 2002 Gujarat riots, on the heels > of > Godhra carnage, is preposterous. It is outrageous and disgusting to raise > such issues, rendered irrelevant with the passage of time, to tarnish the > image of India, booming with economic activity. It is disrespectful to the > nation of one billion people. > > The so-called 'Tehelka expose' has, in fact, exposed the hollowness of > pseudo-secularists, who flourish on such 'gossip'. Such loose discussions, > brought to the fore repeatedly, should be put to an end once for all. The > drum-beaters of secularism are deliberately orchestrating of what they > call > 'sting operation', when the Assembly elections in Gujarat are approaching. > It is the height of stupidity to claim that the 'expose' just 'coincided' > with the announcement of the Assembly poll in Gujarat. > > In the first instance, such 'exposures' are politically-motivated. The > 'power hungry' Congress politicians know when and how to operationalise > their 'mischievous designs', how to indulge in dirty tricks and how to > mould > public opinion. They raise the bogey of Gujarat riots, without bothering > to > mention about Godhra mayhem, in which 58 Hindu Kar Sevaks were roasted > alive > while they were traveling in the Sabarmati Express. The reaction to Godhra > was Gujarat riots. > > The question is what was the need to reopen healed up wounds. If it was > needed at all, why 'publicity' was not given to these killings six months > earlier? What was done is done; cannot be undone. No sane person will > gloat > over the killings or justify them. > > But raising such issues repeatedly cannot be justified. More so since the > secularists across the country did not bother to talk about the gruesome > killings of nearly 1200 Kashmiri Hindus in early 1990 and later in > sporadic > incidents of ethnic cleansing. These killings and the resultant mass > exodus > of 5, 00,000 Hindus from Kashmir Valley are a blot on the Indian > democracy. > > Hardly 15,000 Hindus are left in the valley now. Have they no right to > live > in their land of birth? Have they no democratic rights? The Human Rights > organizations and the Amnesty International are just feigning ignorance > about the apathetic conditions of the Kashmiri Hindus. So far the Indian > Government's internal policy priorities are concerned human rights of > Kashmiri Pundits have been locked in the boot. > > Since there is so much talk about post-Godhra carnage by secularists, may > I > ask them why they are not equally strident in the case of Kashmiri Hindus' > plight. Why don't they pause for a while to wonder what was the fault of > the > Kashmiri Hindus to be marginalised and neglected in their own country? > What > crime had they committed against the majority Muslim community in the > Valley? > > After the mass exodus, their houses were looted and set on fire. Temples > and > other places of worship were burnt down. The Hindus were compelled to > dispose off their properties at throwaway prices, so that they don't dare > to > return to the Valley. Is this secularism? Is this democracy? No eyebrows > were raised about the pogrom of the Kashmiri Hindus. > > For Kashmiri Hindus, secularism has been buried in the graveyards of > Kashmir. The moderate Muslims were helpless as the radicals are holding > the > sway. And they just advised the 'Hindu brethren' to leave for lack of > security. > > To cap it all, some maverick writers believe that killings of Muslims in > Gujarat, as exposed by Tehelka, should not be suppressed. Does it mean, > what > has happened to Kashmiri Hindus and non-Kashmiri Hindus, who had also > settled there for decades, should be suppressed? It is shameful. Why was > not > any commission set up to go into the killings and forcible exodus of > Kashmiri Hindus? > > Why are there one-sided sting operations? Is it not a new weapon in the > hands of the secularists to divide the society on communal lines, keeping > in > mind the vote bank policy? > > The authorities in Godhra, soon after the mayhem, had made an unsavoury > statement that those who had burnt alive the karsevaks were "uneducated, > without jobs and poor. Most of them, called Ghanchi Muslims, live in > poverty > and have no economic activity" How amazing? The Godhra officials were > forced > to make confusing statements to suppress the truth about Godhra. > > These tactics are sure to boomerang and destroy the age-old residual > communal harmony. They should realize such exposures will retaliate on > them, > just like terrorism has boomeranged on Pakistan. Dr Sachidananda Sinha has > well said: "Where there is no vision, the people perish". > > Maverick writer Farzana Versey argues that the cause of Kashmiri Hindus > has > been romanticized. In a recent news paper article, "Fission Kashmir" > (September 7, 2007) she remarks: "Unlike the 140 terrorist groups, the > Pandit lobby is strong. It can organize itself. Displaced Pundits are now > demanding reservations in the Jammu and Kashmir legislature and government > jobs, as well as setting up of three townships in the Valley for their > rehabilitation". What is wrong in making these demands? > > Unlike Versey, some Pakistan journalists appear to sympathise with > Kashmiri > Pundits. They visited the migrant camps in Jammu and saw things for > themselves. They have taken up the cudgels for speaking the truth. For the > past 17 years, the Pundit community has lost its cultural moorings. They > have lost their identity as an ethnic group, and are unable to preserve > their traditions and customs. > > Some Indian journalists are talking about 'nailing the guilty of Gujarat'. > Their response is based on Tehelka's investigations, which, according to > them, has 'provided evidence on tapes 'of stories relating to the Muslims' > killings by top functionaries of the BJP and Sangh Parivar. > > Well, if that is indeed the case, what about nailing known JKLF activist > Bitta Karatay, who, in a recent TV interview had claimed responsibility > for > killing scores of Hindus, with many more on his hit-list. He was in jail > for > 16 years on the charge of murdering a score of Kashmiri Hindus. > > The Supreme Court has released Karatay recently for 'want of evidence'. > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> -- Partha Dasgupta +919811047132 From pawan.durani at gmail.com Fri Nov 30 14:13:08 2007 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:13:08 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Rape Victim ordered 200 lashes and prison by Saudi judges Message-ID: <6b79f1a70711300043t1c3d3ff5vcfc303fddcc99c11@mail.gmail.com> Would Someone Puhleez link this to Modi , RSS & Hindutva ..........some intellectual surely would .............. http://www.themuslimwoman.org/ http://www.themuslimwoman.org/entry/rape-victim-ordered-200-lashes-and-prison-by-saudi-judges/ What can be called a travesty of judiciary, the Saudi Arabia's Higher Judicial Council has actually sentenced a rape victim to receive 200 lashes and prison while the perpetrators of humanity's most heinous crime were allowed to walk free. The 19-year-old Shiite woman who was raped by six armed men was originally sentenced to receive 90 lashes for traveling in the car of an 'unrelated male' at the time of the rape. However after the woman had the temerity of not unquestioningly submitting herself to be tortured as punishment of being raped, the judges on Saudi Arabia's Higher Judicial Council more than doubled her punishment for attempting to influence the judiciary through the media. Her lawyer, human right activist Abdul Rahman al-Lahem, has been banned from carrying her case further. His license has been revoked and he has been called to appear before a disciplinary committee for challenging the judgment, which only punished the victim of the crime and not its perpetrators. The Sunni rapists were given a paltry sentence of one to five years of imprisonment. This is the horrendous state of a country that keeps its women forcefully behind veils only to extenuate and encourage heinous crimes against them in the name of maintaining social discipline. From ratishn at gmail.com Fri Nov 30 14:45:17 2007 From: ratishn at gmail.com (Ratish Nanda) Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:45:17 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Fwd: YJA - Bhujal Suraksha Yamuna Yatra - Final program In-Reply-To: References: <659937df0711290844n570cc3fdu760f9328f9fc656a@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: Dear all, please see e mail below from Shri Manoj Misra of Yamuna Bachao Andolan - they have been protesting against the proposed constructions planned on the Yamuna riverbed for over a 100 days and are now planning a padyatra. The proposed constructions are expected to choke our city as, amongst other factors, the river bed is essentially a water recharge zone. Please forward this e mail and join in the Yatra. Regards Ratish ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan Date: Nov 29, 2007 10:14 PM Subject: YJA - Bhujal Suraksha Yamuna Yatra - Final program Dear Friends, Kindly note the program as under: 1.12.2007 - Yatra begins at 1030 hrs from Satyagrah Sthal (behind Akshardham next to NZM bridge) and proceeds northwards along the west bank of the river. After we have crossed the urban stretch of the river walking through ITO bridge, and Wazirabad Barrage we shall halt for the night at Village Buradi. 2.12.2007 - Start morning and travel through western bank of the river till Palla village (where the river enters Delhi). Halt for the night at Bhaktarpur Village. 3.12.2007 - Start morning, cross over to the eastern Bank and travel southwards along the river. Halt at Gamdi Village for the night. (It is the 125th day of the Yamuna Satyagrah) 4.12.2007 - Start morning and travel along the eastern bank, cross Wazirabad, Shastri Park, Geeta Colony and back to Satyagrah Sthal. 5.12.2007 - Start morning and travel southwards along the west bank of the river, cross DND, Okhla and halt for the night at Basantpur / Jaitpur Village (where the river leaves Delhi). 6.12.2007 - Start morning and return to Satyagrah Sthal along the east bank of the river. 9.12.2007 - Yamuna Sansad at the Satyagrah Sthal. Kindly forward this program as widely as possible. Looking forward to having you with us during the Yatra. manoj -- www.yamunajiyeabhiyaan.blogspot.com -- Ratish Nanda -- Ratish Nanda From shuddha at sarai.net Fri Nov 30 15:40:26 2007 From: shuddha at sarai.net (shuddha at sarai.net) Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2007 15:40:26 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Rape Victim ordered 200 lashes and prison by Saudi judges In-Reply-To: <6b79f1a70711300043t1c3d3ff5vcfc303fddcc99c11@mail.gmail.com> References: <6b79f1a70711300043t1c3d3ff5vcfc303fddcc99c11@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: Dear Pawan, Hell comes in different flavours, as I tried to explain in an earlier post, and as is evident from your posting of the brutal treatment meted out to a young woman who has been the victim of gang rape in Saudi Arabia. Being against one kind of hell does not mean that we have to be the partisans of other kinds of hell, elsewhere. The kind of intellectual that I find interesting it the one who has no problem at all in terms of evolving an engaged critique of oppression, no matter what form it takes, no matter where it occurs. That is why, despite our respect for people like Noam Chomsky, some of us took it upon ourselves to sharply criticize his prevaricating apology for the 'Left Front' government's violence against its own subjects in West Bengal And so, contrary to your expectations, some of those of us who have been active on this list in arguing against the Indian state's military occupation of the Kashmir valley have had no problems at all in being determined in our opposition to oppression when it occurs in Left Front ruled West Bengal, in the current conditions of military dictatorship in Burma and Pakistan, or for that matter when it occurs under the aegis of the Ibn Saud dynasty in Saudi Arabia. Tomorrow, if North Korea were to be discussed on this list, I would be certain that there will be clear arguments on this list against the imbecilic regime that rules North Korea at the moment. The list can be justifiedly expanded to include Iran, the United States, Russia and many other countries and states. Saudi Arabia is one of the most horrible places on the planet. It is ruled by a corrupt, decadent ruling elite and kept in place by money, weapons and influence wielded by British and American corporate intersts and foreign policy. If the international community was justified in operating a set of sanctions against the hated South African apartheid regime, it should have no business in cosying up to the sexist, slave-owning, xenophobic, anti-semitic Saudi regime which is the favourite retirement support agency of third rate dictators like Idi Amin and corrupt rulers like Nawaz Sharif. The Saudi Monarchy, which rose to eminence as the stooge of British foreign policy in the middle east in the early twentieth century presides over an imbecilic and paranoid gloss of Islam, and the particularly Salafist brand of Islam that is held out as an ideal by the Saudi monarchy and its rented clerics is rightly rejected by the majority of Muslims in the world. Its significance lies only in that it is backed by petro-dollars and American fighter jets. One does not have to link the decadence of current Saudi Arabia to the venality of Moditva/Hindutva. They are two different kinds of abominations that need to be fought, and fought till they are destroyed. I would be just as happy to see Salafist Islamo-fascism perish in Saudi Arabia, as I would be to see the short, sharp end of Moditva and Hindutva in Gujarat and in India. regards. Shuddha On 2:13 pm 11/30/07 "Pawan Durani" wrote: > Would Someone Puhleez link this to Modi , RSS & Hindutva > ..........some intellectual surely would .............. > > http://www.themuslimwoman.org/ > http://www.themuslimwoman.org/entry/rape-victim-ordered-200-lashes-and > -prison-by-saudi-judges/ > What can be called a travesty of judiciary, the Saudi Arabia's Higher > Judicial Council has actually sentenced a rape victim to receive 200 > lashes and prison while the perpetrators of humanity's most heinous > crime were allowed to walk free. > > The 19-year-old Shiite woman who was raped by six armed men was > originally sentenced to receive 90 lashes for traveling in the car of > an 'unrelated male' at the time of the rape. However after the woman > had the temerity of not unquestioningly submitting herself to be > tortured as punishment of being raped, the judges on Saudi Arabia's > Higher Judicial Council more than doubled her punishment for > attempting to influence the judiciary through the media. > > Her lawyer, human right activist Abdul Rahman al-Lahem, has been > banned from carrying her case further. His license has been revoked > and he has been called to appear before a disciplinary committee for > challenging the judgment, which only punished the victim of the crime > and not its perpetrators. The Sunni rapists were given a paltry > sentence of one to five years of imprisonment. > > This is the horrendous state of a country that keeps its women > forcefully behind veils only to extenuate and encourage heinous > crimes against them in the name of maintaining social discipline. > _________________________________________ > 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. To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.ne > t/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From anu.mukh at gmail.com Fri Nov 30 18:05:34 2007 From: anu.mukh at gmail.com (anuradha mukherjee) Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2007 12:35:34 +0000 Subject: [Reader-list] Rape Victim ordered 200 lashes and prison by Saudi judges In-Reply-To: References: <6b79f1a70711300043t1c3d3ff5vcfc303fddcc99c11@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: I think Shuddha's reply has summed it up beautifully. Why should a horrible incident in Saudi Arabia be brought up to shame those who are against a particularly violent form of Hindutva being practised in India? What is the connection? Best Anuradha On 11/30/07, shuddha at sarai.net wrote: > > Dear Pawan, > > Hell comes in different flavours, as I tried to explain in an earlier > post, > and as is evident from your posting of the brutal treatment meted out to a > young woman who has been the victim of gang rape in Saudi Arabia. > > Being against one kind of hell does not mean that we have to be the > partisans of other kinds of hell, elsewhere. The kind of intellectual that > I find interesting it the one who has no problem at all in terms of > evolving an engaged critique of oppression, no matter what form it takes, > no matter where it occurs. That is why, despite our respect for people > like > Noam Chomsky, some of us took it upon ourselves to sharply criticize his > prevaricating apology for the 'Left Front' government's violence against > its own subjects in West Bengal > > And so, contrary to your expectations, some of those of us who have been > active on this list in arguing against the Indian state's military > occupation of the Kashmir valley have had no problems at all in being > determined in our opposition to oppression when it occurs in Left Front > ruled West Bengal, in the current conditions of military dictatorship in > Burma and Pakistan, or for that matter when it occurs under the aegis of > the Ibn Saud dynasty in Saudi Arabia. Tomorrow, if North Korea were to be > discussed on this list, I would be certain that there will be clear > arguments on this list against the imbecilic regime that rules North Korea > at the moment. The list can be justifiedly expanded to include Iran, the > United States, Russia and many other countries and states. > > Saudi Arabia is one of the most horrible places on the planet. It is ruled > by a corrupt, decadent ruling elite and kept in place by money, weapons > and > influence wielded by British and American corporate intersts and foreign > policy. If the international community was justified in operating a set of > sanctions against the hated South African apartheid regime, it should have > no business in cosying up to the sexist, slave-owning, xenophobic, > anti-semitic Saudi regime which is the favourite retirement support agency > of third rate dictators like Idi Amin and corrupt rulers like Nawaz > Sharif. > > The Saudi Monarchy, which rose to eminence as the stooge of British > foreign > policy in the middle east in the early twentieth century presides over an > imbecilic and paranoid gloss of Islam, and the particularly Salafist brand > of Islam that is held out as an ideal by the Saudi monarchy and its rented > clerics is rightly rejected by the majority of Muslims in the world. Its > significance lies only in that it is backed by petro-dollars and American > fighter jets. > > One does not have to link the decadence of current Saudi Arabia to the > venality of Moditva/Hindutva. They are two different kinds of abominations > that need to be fought, and fought till they are destroyed. I would be > just > as happy to see Salafist Islamo-fascism perish in Saudi Arabia, as I would > be to see the short, sharp end of Moditva and Hindutva in Gujarat and in > India. > > regards. > > Shuddha > > > > On 2:13 pm 11/30/07 "Pawan Durani" wrote: > > Would Someone Puhleez link this to Modi , RSS & Hindutva > > ..........some intellectual surely would .............. > > > > http://www.themuslimwoman.org/ > > http://www.themuslimwoman.org/entry/rape-victim-ordered-200-lashes-and > > -prison-by-saudi-judges/ > > What can be called a travesty of judiciary, the Saudi Arabia's Higher > > Judicial Council has actually sentenced a rape victim to receive 200 > > lashes and prison while the perpetrators of humanity's most heinous > > crime were allowed to walk free. > > > > The 19-year-old Shiite woman who was raped by six armed men was > > originally sentenced to receive 90 lashes for traveling in the car of > > an 'unrelated male' at the time of the rape. However after the woman > > had the temerity of not unquestioningly submitting herself to be > > tortured as punishment of being raped, the judges on Saudi Arabia's > > Higher Judicial Council more than doubled her punishment for > > attempting to influence the judiciary through the media. > > > > Her lawyer, human right activist Abdul Rahman al-Lahem, has been > > banned from carrying her case further. His license has been revoked > > and he has been called to appear before a disciplinary committee for > > challenging the judgment, which only punished the victim of the crime > > and not its perpetrators. The Sunni rapists were given a paltry > > sentence of one to five years of imprisonment. > > > > This is the horrendous state of a country that keeps its women > > forcefully behind veils only to extenuate and encourage heinous > > crimes against them in the name of maintaining social discipline. > > _________________________________________ > > 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. To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.ne > > t/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From mail at shivamvij.com Fri Nov 30 18:12:10 2007 From: mail at shivamvij.com (Shivam Vij) Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2007 18:12:10 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Rape Victim ordered 200 lashes and prison by Saudi judges In-Reply-To: References: <6b79f1a70711300043t1c3d3ff5vcfc303fddcc99c11@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <9c06aab30711300442xdc57c49ucd01db8e4bd05647@mail.gmail.com> Well the connection is, 'Look you are obsessed with Gujarat but not with Saudi Arabia'. It assumes that one condones oppression and violence when it comes to "Muslims" and one is thus a "pseudo-secularist". Shuddha has demolished it well. Those who accuse others of pseudo-secularism are in fact themselves guilty of partisan obsessions with oppression. Funny how they seek to transpose their bias onto others. shivam On 11/30/07, anuradha mukherjee wrote: > > I think Shuddha's reply has summed it up beautifully. Why should a > horrible > incident in Saudi Arabia be brought up to shame those who are against a > particularly violent form of Hindutva being practised in India? What is > the > connection? > Best > Anuradha > > > On 11/30/07, shuddha at sarai.net wrote: > > > > Dear Pawan, > > > > Hell comes in different flavours, as I tried to explain in an earlier > > post, > > and as is evident from your posting of the brutal treatment meted out to > a > > young woman who has been the victim of gang rape in Saudi Arabia. > > > > Being against one kind of hell does not mean that we have to be the > > partisans of other kinds of hell, elsewhere. The kind of intellectual > that > > I find interesting it the one who has no problem at all in terms of > > evolving an engaged critique of oppression, no matter what form it > takes, > > no matter where it occurs. That is why, despite our respect for people > > like > > Noam Chomsky, some of us took it upon ourselves to sharply criticize his > > prevaricating apology for the 'Left Front' government's violence against > > its own subjects in West Bengal > > > > And so, contrary to your expectations, some of those of us who have been > > active on this list in arguing against the Indian state's military > > occupation of the Kashmir valley have had no problems at all in being > > determined in our opposition to oppression when it occurs in Left Front > > ruled West Bengal, in the current conditions of military dictatorship in > > Burma and Pakistan, or for that matter when it occurs under the aegis of > > the Ibn Saud dynasty in Saudi Arabia. Tomorrow, if North Korea were to > be > > discussed on this list, I would be certain that there will be clear > > arguments on this list against the imbecilic regime that rules North > Korea > > at the moment. The list can be justifiedly expanded to include Iran, the > > United States, Russia and many other countries and states. > > > > Saudi Arabia is one of the most horrible places on the planet. It is > ruled > > by a corrupt, decadent ruling elite and kept in place by money, weapons > > and > > influence wielded by British and American corporate intersts and foreign > > policy. If the international community was justified in operating a set > of > > sanctions against the hated South African apartheid regime, it should > have > > no business in cosying up to the sexist, slave-owning, xenophobic, > > anti-semitic Saudi regime which is the favourite retirement support > agency > > of third rate dictators like Idi Amin and corrupt rulers like Nawaz > > Sharif. > > > > The Saudi Monarchy, which rose to eminence as the stooge of British > > foreign > > policy in the middle east in the early twentieth century presides over > an > > imbecilic and paranoid gloss of Islam, and the particularly Salafist > brand > > of Islam that is held out as an ideal by the Saudi monarchy and its > rented > > clerics is rightly rejected by the majority of Muslims in the world. Its > > significance lies only in that it is backed by petro-dollars and > American > > fighter jets. > > > > One does not have to link the decadence of current Saudi Arabia to the > > venality of Moditva/Hindutva. They are two different kinds of > abominations > > that need to be fought, and fought till they are destroyed. I would be > > just > > as happy to see Salafist Islamo-fascism perish in Saudi Arabia, as I > would > > be to see the short, sharp end of Moditva and Hindutva in Gujarat and in > > India. > > > > regards. > > > > Shuddha > > > > > > > > On 2:13 pm 11/30/07 "Pawan Durani" wrote: > > > Would Someone Puhleez link this to Modi , RSS & Hindutva > > > ..........some intellectual surely would .............. > > > > > > http://www.themuslimwoman.org/ > > > http://www.themuslimwoman.org/entry/rape-victim-ordered-200-lashes-and > > > -prison-by-saudi-judges/ > > > What can be called a travesty of judiciary, the Saudi Arabia's Higher > > > Judicial Council has actually sentenced a rape victim to receive 200 > > > lashes and prison while the perpetrators of humanity's most heinous > > > crime were allowed to walk free. > > > > > > The 19-year-old Shiite woman who was raped by six armed men was > > > originally sentenced to receive 90 lashes for traveling in the car of > > > an 'unrelated male' at the time of the rape. However after the woman > > > had the temerity of not unquestioningly submitting herself to be > > > tortured as punishment of being raped, the judges on Saudi Arabia's > > > Higher Judicial Council more than doubled her punishment for > > > attempting to influence the judiciary through the media. > > > > > > Her lawyer, human right activist Abdul Rahman al-Lahem, has been > > > banned from carrying her case further. His license has been revoked > > > and he has been called to appear before a disciplinary committee for > > > challenging the judgment, which only punished the victim of the crime > > > and not its perpetrators. The Sunni rapists were given a paltry > > > sentence of one to five years of imprisonment. > > > > > > This is the horrendous state of a country that keeps its women > > > forcefully behind veils only to extenuate and encourage heinous > > > crimes against them in the name of maintaining social discipline. > > > _________________________________________ > > > 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. To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.ne > > > t/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > > _________________________________________ > > 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. > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From naeem.mohaiemen at gmail.com Fri Nov 30 18:37:07 2007 From: naeem.mohaiemen at gmail.com (Naeem Mohaiemen) Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2007 19:07:07 +0600 Subject: [Reader-list] URGENT: Protestors Clash With Police As Artifacts Leave For Musee Guimet Message-ID: URGENT: In a secret decision, the controversial loan of historic artifacts from Bangladesh to Musee Guimet in France finally went underway this morning. The upper court struck down the lawsuit brought by Bangladeshi artists and archaeologists blocking the loan of artifacts. The controversy had already cost the previous French Ambassador his job. The French Embassy was "outraged" at the accusations from Bangladeshi protesters. How dare they accuse a French museum of being a location where theft, counterfeiting or any other harm to the artifacts could happen! But in the end "French prestige" was saved as Guimet and the Dhaka French Embassy collaborated to secretly ship the artifacts out of the museum this morning. The artifacts are flying out of Dhaka on a midnight Air France flight tonight. What next? Guimet Protests http://www.drishtipat.org/blog/2007/11/30/guimet-protests/ "Protesters are asking international media to disseminate the news, and prevent the artefacts from being taken away in this manner." Shahidul Alam: Price of Priceless Objects http://shahidul.wordpress.com/2007/11/29/the-price-of-priceless-objects/ From vivek at sarai.net Fri Nov 30 18:38:38 2007 From: vivek at sarai.net (Vivek Narayanan) Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2007 18:38:38 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Details of sessions at Sarai-CSDS Independent Fellowship Workshop Message-ID: <47500B56.9010905@sarai.net> Please note: this document is about 26 printed pages long. PROGRAMME Working Questions: the 2007 Sarai-CSDS Independent Fellowship Workshop 3-7 December 2007 Monday 3 December Venue: Sarai-CSDS, 29 Rajpur Road, CSDS 6.00 – 10.00 pm Opening Reception and Launch of Working Questions (the Sarai-CSDS Independent Fellowship Book) Opening Remarks by Professor Rajeev Bhargava Director, CSDS Reflecting on Five Years of the Sarai-CSDS Fellowship Programme Shuddabrata Sengupta Vivek Narayanan Debjani Sengupta Mahmood Farooqui Tuesday 4 December – Friday 7 December 10.00 am – 8.00 pm LTG Auditorium – Mandi House (Upstairs) Working Questions: a curated multimedia exhibition of work and archival material by Sarai-CSDS Independent Fellows This curated journey gathers together a wide and various range of audio-visual and print material from Sarai’s archives, collected and produced by Independent Fellows. It features photographic work, graphic panels, audio and visual loops, short films, etc., from research areas as diverse as Jazz in Bollywood, glass negatives from early cinema, signage in the Indian city, digital imaging in photo studios, street musicians, video theaters, and much much more… Tuesday 4 December Venue: LTG Auditorium, Mandi House 10.30 – 12.00 History Versus Reminiscence Chair: Debjani Sengupta [Debjani Sengupta (debjanisgupta @yahoo.com) is an ex independent fellow and teaches English Literature at Indraprastha College, Delhi University. She is the editor of Mapmaking: Partition Stories from two Bengals, and has translated Taslima Nasreen’s Selected Columns. Most recently, she co-edited and wrote Working Questions , the Sarai Independent Fellowship book.] Anuja Ghosalkar Papa Ajoba: My Grandfather, the Film Make Up Artist The project chronicles the life of my grandfather, who was a make up artist in the Hindi film industry from 1941 to 2000: from his early years at Raj Kamal studio with V. Shantaram (when they literally made their own make-up) to his 17 years spent at the Filmistan studio. There is a sharper focus on the 1960’s - when he predominantly worked with Shammi Kapoor, Asha Parekh, Sadhana & Saira Banu. It also documents film history from the point of view of a technician who might lacquer it with his own stories. It is finally, a tribute to a grandfather who narrated stories of his everyday life, not knowing that stories often become history. The research is primarily through interviews. The presentation will be in an audio-visual form with a written essay. Anuja Ghosalkar (anu.ghosalkar @gmail.com) is a lecturer and researcher in film and has been involved with an experimental theatre group in Mumbai for over half a decade. She is currently working with Breakthrough – a globally active human rights organization. Her project blog can be found at: http://www.papaajoba.blogspot.com/ Renee C. Lulam and Julius L. Basaiawmoit Changing Faces of Democratic Spaces in Urban Cosmopolitan Shillong Understanding personal events as profoundly social allows a broader perception of human interactions that have shaped the past and continue into the present. As the research progresses and we meet more people sharing their versions of ‘cosmopolitan’, we find that the backdrop we initially placed the research against has often proven inadequate and therefore challenging. In one of the testimonies, Shillong has been called an ‘artifact of British administration….artificial…’ The place and people are variously known to have been tolerant, narrow, short sighted, confused, but most of all, absorbent. Our intention through this research is to explore the different ways Shillong considers ‘cosmopolitan’. We were fortunate that in the course of our research, an event like the Indian Idol contest took place, evoking an almost ‘patriotic’ fervour over the finalist from Shillong. Many have quoted it as an example of how Shillong has progressed in cosmopolitan tolerance, though much of it was driven by emotion and tended towards the superficial and reactionary, in the observation of some others. Through excerpts of audio interviews, video clips, newspaper or journal articles, photographs, city soundscapes, and an interpretative paper, we will attempt to present a picture of the changing faces of Shillong vis-à-vis the term ‘cosmopolitan’. Julius Basaiawmoit (lemiwell @hotmail.com) specializes in sound for film and television. Renee Lulam (renee75 @gmail.com) works with independent research based projects. Both are from Shillong. Sugata Nandi Eventful Adolescence, Memorable Youth: The Politics of Personal Reminiscence in Calcutta, 1947-1967 Personal reminisces of the adolescents and youths of the 1950s and 1960s in Kolkata, of specific incidents listed above will be gathered through interviews with them. The oral data thus gathered will constitute the primary source for constructing a collage of remembered experiences. The project will treat the same as texts authored by individuals who endeavour to locate and to interpret through the emotional performance of remembering what may be termed as significant episodes in the recent history of the city. The project, on completion of research, will be given the shape of a academic history paper. At the moment I have fixed the target of writing the paper in about 15 thousand words, which might have to be increased if required. As of now I have planned to record (in audio cassettes) the interviews that will constitute the archival text for the work, if resources permit then I would try to make audio-visual record of the interviews. Sugata Nandi (largestriver @hotmail.com) is Lecturer in History, Krishnagar Government College, West Bengal 12.15 – 1.15 Proving Residence Chair: Shveta Sarda [Shveta Sarda (shveta @sarai.net) is a content editor and translator with Sarai. She works in Cybermohalla as a process chronicler and edits the labs' content for diverse circulation – books, website, blogs, broadsheets, and wall magazines. At present she is working with the various research projects at the CM mobile lab. She was part of the editorial collective of the broadsheet series Sarai.txt.] Ajit K. Dwivedi Sealing ke Nazar Mein: Sealing Banam Pusta ka Visthapan (Media Study: Comparative Reporting on Land Ceilings and Displacement from Jamuna Pushta) Ajit K. Dwivedi (dajeet @gmail.com) is a career journalist. He just left Dainik Bhaskar to join ITV News as Associate Editor. Bipul K. Pandey The Residence Proof Bipul Pandey (bipulpandey @gmail.com) worked in print media for nine years. He currently works with Star News as Associate Producer. 1.30 pm – 2.30 pm Sub-metropolitan Dreams Chair: Iram Ghufran [Iram Ghufran (iram @sarai.net) is trained as a media practitioner and works as video/ audio editor in Sarai Media Lab. She has co-researched the work culture of call centres, and is part of the editorial collective of the broadsheet series Sarai.txt. She works on various multimedia, video and audio works produced at Sarai.] Nalin Narain Mathur B-Grade Engineering College Culture Being subjected with the experience of studying at an engineering college, I happened to witness the living experiences, aspirations and values that make an 'engineer' beyond all the techy stuff he learns in the classroom. Add to it the different background and identity of students and the acute realization that "This – is- not – IIT", which more often then not looms large in everyone's conscience. Hence, engineering colleges constitute of interesting and fantastical cultural dynamics wherein a mix of identities, cultures and aspirations are played out in non-metropolitan spaces to get an amalgamation of different worlds in one campus. Through this project I aim to study the phase of social and emotional renaissance which unavoidably crops up during one's stay away from his natural locale. Nalin Narain Mathur (nalin.mathur @gmail.com) works as a systems analyst. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Uttar Pradesh Technical University, Lucknow. Syed Zaigham Imam Sapno ke Rail (The Train of Dreams: Narratives from the Allahabad-Jaunpur Passenger Train): a short documentary film If faster trains denote speed and arrival, slower trains can sometimes nurture dreams that compress a lifetime into a few hours. Zaigham’s project is to study how students, literally, arrive at Allahabad. The passenger trains, so called because they stop at even the smallest of stations connecting Allahabad (the educational headquarters of Northern India) to Jaunpur and Faizabad, two towns in the hinterland and encompassing other smaller towns such as Pratapgarh, Mau and Aimma. Sixty percent of the people travelling in these trains are students on their way to Allahabad. Not so much to enroll at the university but to join one of the innumerable coaching centres and to prepare for the Central and Provincial Civil Services Exams. In the seventies and eighties, students from Allahabad dominated the civil service selections, not only at the centre, but also in states such as UP, Bihar, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. The sons mainly of farmers, who travelled out of the smaller qasbas chasing a dream, even came to be known as ‘collectors.’ What does the inside of these trains look like? Zaigham travels up and down the ravaged trains with missing bulbs, fans and fittings and investigates peculiarities like ACP, a short form for alarm chain pulling. People use it to stop the train at convenient points, an illegal practice that is stoically accepted by the authorities, and most travel ticket-less. The towns and stations falling on the way represent the rise and fall of the qasbas of UP, like Mau Aimma which is an important production centre for crackers. The story of these trains is also a metaphor for the democratisation of higher education that took place in the last three decades of the twentieth century. Through interviews with passengers and train officials, and unsuccessful attempts to get information through the Right to Information Act, Zaigham builds a picture of slow development and the aspiration for a government job that is primary, on the poor students all over India. Trained as a journalist, Zaigham Imam (zaighamimam @rediffmail.com) also writes fiction and is currently trying his hand at filmmaking. He left Amar Ujala recently to work with BAG films. The project is blogged at: http://www.merirail.blogspot.com/ 2.45 – 4.15 Hearing Spaces, Seeing Spaces Chair: Aarti Sethi [Aarti Sethi (aarti.sethi @gmail.com) previously worked with the Sarai Programme; currently she is pursuing her M.Phil in Film Studies at the School of Arts and Aesthetics, JNU.] Shahnawaz Khan Entertainment Ghosts in Srinagar: A Tale of Cinema Halls in the City This study aims to analyse the impact of the closure of cinema halls in Srinagar after the outbreak of armed insurgency in early nineties. Most of the closed cinema halls are occupied by paramilitary troopers and have even functioned as torture centres in the nineties. Some others have changed business. Only one is functional, but not in good condition. Shahnawaz talks to people associated with the trade, cine goers who have been to these halls when they functioned, and the youth today who do not find a place to go for a movie in the city. The study also looks at the psychological impact of these structures in the city, which stand witness to the times they have gone through. Shahnawaz Khan (fsrnkashmir @gmail.com) is a journalist based in Srinagar, associated with the US based Free Speech Radio News. Along with some friends he launched Kashmirnewz.com in 2006. Zubin Pastakia A Photographic Study of Bombay’s Cinema Halls The project seeks to photographically examine the cultural experience of different types of cinema halls in Bombay city. In part, this is a meditation on different urban spaces. More importantly, this is an attempt to illustrate the subjective nature of the film-going experience. From the designer shop - to cinema hall - to chain restaurant mall/multiplex experience, to the still-standing single-screen bastions of the art-deco era, to the musty largely male-dominated "c-grade" halls, the photographs will evoke the unique experience of these different spaces. The intention is to eventually produce a monograph on Bombay's cinema halls as well as to exhibit the photographs publicly. Zubin Pastakia (zubinpastakia @gmail.com) is a photographer and filmmaker living in Bombay. He blogs his photos at: http://peripheralvision.blogspot.com/ Sayandeb Mukherjee Corridors: An Exploration of Sound and Space This project delves into the emotional and acoustic contours of corridors. This contemporary architectural design which may appear simple structurally possesses a complicated and sometimes convoluted auditory space due to reflective and diffractive properties of sound. The project attempts to enlighten the variability of these acoustic qualities/characterestics of corridors integrated in different urban spaces. The process of research includes a vivid physical involvement and exploration in the corridor like spaces, taking notes in a descriptive way in the spot itself, acquiring photographs and live recordings of the acoustic environments at different spots of the same space. The recording process may also involve time stamps (i.e. recordings of the same space over the different parts of a day) for the analysis of the soundscape in a particular space. The process also includes the collection of films, texts or any other form of art, where one can notice a conscious application of such corridor-like spaces. Sayandeb Mukherjee (sayandebmukherjee @yahoo.co.in) is a graduate of the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute in Kolkata who now works as a professional sound recordist in Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad. 4.30—6.30 pm Special Panel: The Past of Research and the Present of Practice Featuring: TP Sabitha, Yousuf Saeed, Mahmood Farooqui and Rahaab Allana Discussant: Shuddhabrata Sengupta How might a detailed study of the past, dredging and building archives, serve not just to make museums, but invigorate and change our sense of the present, feed directly into practice? The panelists, who are all former Sarai-CSDS Independent Fellows, are all people whose research has engaged deeply with the archive, with documents and images from the past. At the same time, as performers, writers, photographers, and filmmakers they are also people who work with and produce highly contemporary forms. TP Sabitha (sabitha_tp @yahoo.co.uk) is a writer who writes in both Malayalam and English, as well as a teacher and researcher of literature and art. Yousuf Saeed (ysaeed7 @yahoo.com) is a filmmaker and writer in Urdu and English. He is currently associated with a new archival initiative for visual culture, TasveerGhar. Mahmood Farooqui (mahmood @sarai.net) is a historian and performance artist. He works with the Independent Fellowship programme and with the translation and editing of Hindi publications at Sarai. Rahaab Allana (rahaab @acparchives.com) currently works as a curator for the Alkazi Foundation for Photography. Shuddhabrata Sengupta (shuddha @sarai.net) is a writer, columnist and media practitioner with training in sociology and filmmaking. He is one of the co-initiators of Sarai, one of the editors of the Sarai Reader series and a member of the Raqs Media Collective. He has contributed numerous scholarly and popular articles in newspapers, magazines, journals, anthologies and books on a range of themes. He coordinates the distributed research network at Sarai. 7.00—7.30 (In Upstairs Gallery Space) Performance Art: “This Evening Too: From Lal Ded to Abdul Ahad Zargar” by Inder Salim: Space limited to 25 persons only—first come, first serve. Inder Salim (indersalim @gmail.com), an Independent Fellow this year, is a performance artist based in Delhi. He blogs his work at: http://indersalim.livejournal.com/ Wed 5 December Venue: LTG Auditorium, Mandi House 10.00 am – 11.30 Distant Communities Chair: Ravikant [Ravikant (ravikant @sarai.net) taught and researched history in Delhi University for a number of years. He currently conceptualises and edits content in Hindi at Sarai. He is the co-editor of Deewan-e-Sarai (the Hindi Reader series). He also writes for Hindi magazines and newspapers on the issues of media, language, computing and translation.] Surya Prakash Upadhyay Guru on the Air: Televised Hinduism in Contemporary India The project proposes to look at the instrumentality of audio-visual media in the construction and maintenance of the religio-spiritual world in contemporary Hinduism and in the mobilization of people towards “tele-gurus”. The project attempts to look into a recent and interesting addition in the religious sphere, especially in present-day Hinduism, catered to the people by cable television in the urban spaces. It looks at a new-age guru named Asharam Bapu, and at the phenomenon of media playing a vital part in the growth of his organization, in increasing the numbers of followers and devotees, and in propagation as well as spread of religiosity and spirituality among people. There are several gurus and also several devotional channels that are highly influential in urban spaces, transmitting their programmes through television and providing an opportunity for people to listen and watch their favorite guru. This development in the media sector has filled the gap of physical absence of the guru and multiplied the communication between him and his followers. The aim of the research is to give a ‘thick description’ of the whole phenomenon. Surya Prakash Upadhyay (surya_rajan21 @yahoo.com) is a Research Scholar in the Dept of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. Neelima Chauhan Blogit Hindi Jati ka Linkit Man: Blogon mein Hindi Hypertext ka Adhayayan (The World of Hindi Blogs) This research attempts to do an online study of Hindi hyper text on Hindi blogs. It will be an attempt to make a critical appreciation of Language and style of hypertextual prose as it flows through the terminals of Hindi Bloggers. It will be an online study which will take in account the existing blogs, Hindi Networks, Blog Archives, Comments etc. Narratives from the Hindi Online community will be collected. The objective is to identify the construction of the grand narrative of 'Hindi Jati' (Hindi nationality) as described in Hindi literary criticism, especially that by Ram Vilas Sharma. This construction of Hindi Jati where geographical space seemingly becomes meaningless (or less important, at least) will be explored. As the research will be an online study, its progress will be available to all interested in real time. Neelima Chauhan (neelimasayshi @gmail.com)'s doctoral and postdoctoral work is in post-colonial Hindi prose. She teaches Hindi at Delhi University's Zakir Husain Post Graduate Evening College. The blog for this project can be found at: http://linkitmann.blogspot.com/ Raman Jit Singh Chima The Regulation of the Internet by the Indian State Though considerable work has been done on exploring how the Internet is capable of being regulated, not much has been done to chart out the exact shape of such regulation of expression on the Internet in India. More importantly, the exact manner in which the Indian State has regulated the Internet through all the structures and mechanisms at its disposal has not been studied, which is important since this affects the flow of speech and expression. In order to attempt to chart out the empirical aspects of Internet regulation in India and its linkages with normative frameworks, the focus of this project is thus on the following two goals: firstly, to track out and study the manner in which the Indian State regulates the Internet through legal structures and connected mechanism (both through formal legal rules as well as through informal measure such as executive action); and secondly, to analyze how this regulatory framework relates to the constitutional safeguards with respect to the limitations on state action viz. free speech and expression and whether it respects these constraints. Raman Chima (ramanchima @gmail.com) is pursuing the B.A.LL.B. (Hons) program at the National Law School of India University, Bangalore and is currently in the 3rd year of this course. The blog for this project can be found at: http://stateoftheweb.blogspot.com/ 11.45 – 1.15 In the Midst of Conflict I: Looking Back and Looking Ahead Chair: Ravi Sundaram [Ravi Sundaram (ravis @sarai.net) is a Fellow of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies. He is one of the initiators of Sarai and is one of the editors of the Sarai Reader series. He coordinates the media city research project. He has written extensively on contemporary intersection of technology, media and urban experience.] Arvind Kumar Caste Violence in Urban Maharashtra: A study of the 1974 Worli Riots in Mumbai and the Dalit Panthers Movement The proposed study intends to analyse the Worli riots of 1974 when there was a violent clash between the Shiv Sena and the Dalit Panthers. In this riot the main target of communal wrath were dalits who opted out of the oppressive caste-hindu religion and converted to Neo-Buddhism. The riots and the agitation brought to the surface dissensions within the Dalit Panther movement, which ultimately led to its split in 1974. There are enough sources available on Dalit Panther movement. The consciousness of revolt was also expressed in an outburst of poetry by new writers like Namdev Dhasal, Daya Powar, J V Pawar, Waman Nimbalkar, Arun Kamble and many others. The present study will locate the Worli riots in a historical perspective and will try and address new questions as and when they arise through the course of the study. Arvind Kumar (arvind.access @gmail.com) is pursuing a PhD in American Studies at the School of International Studies, JNU on the topic 'Discrimination and Resistance - A Comparative Study of Black Movements in the U.S and Dalit Movements in India'. P. Jenny and C. Christy Chitralekha’s Burning Autorickshaw: Caste, Class and Gender in the Urban Space of Keralam This proposal is about a Dalit woman married to a Backward Caste man and their struggle to move above caste and gender structures in a moffusil town in Keralam. The story begins when the couple buys an autorickshaw in Chithra Lekha's name and she decides to drive it herself. However, Chithra Lekha's caste and gender identity makes it impossible for her to step into the public sphere of this liberated moffusil town. The leftist trade union (mainly consisting of a dominant BC caste) already angered by her caste violation of marrying above her caste, acts against her by delaying her membership card and continues to harass her till at last her autorickshaw is burned to ashes. In this project we collect and document each and every aspect of this (true) incident by conducting thorough interviews with all the people concerned. Along with this we would also like to produce a theoretical paper which tries to understand how caste, class, gender relations constitute the urban space in Keralam. Here we would examine: > how the dominant Marxist party works to reproduce the caste and gender structure in Keralam; > the important tools of sexual morality which are used against the progress of Dalit and "other" women; > the intricacies of the OBC-Dalit relationship and the reasons that triggers violence between them; > the role of subaltern masculinities in the entire incident. P. Jenny (jenny.chithra @gmail.com) is an independent researcher, writer and columnist. She holds a PhD on Malayalam Cinema, from the Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. C. Christy (christy.carmel @gmail.com) is at present doing her PhD in Media and Commmunications from the Central University of Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. Meena Menon Recovering Lost Histories: Riot Victims, the Communal Polarisation of Mumbai and Its Impact on People and Perceptions about Communities Is Mumbai the unbreakable city it is touted to be? As a city, it has changed in obvious and not so obvious ways since the post Babri Masjid demolition riots of December 1992 and January 1993. The main focus of the research will be the families of the riot victims and their lives after more than a decade since the violence. The research is based on interviews first hand visits to places and talking to as wide a spectrum of people as possible— including researchers, journalists, riot affected families, government, police officials, apart from political parties. At the end of the research I would like to use the material for a book. Meena Menon (meenamenon @gmail.com) is currently a special correspondent with The Hindu. She has been a journalist for 22 years and has worked with The Times of India, Mid-day and the United of News of India. 11.00 – 11.30 (In Upstairs Gallery Space) Listen, Little Man-- by Madhavi Tangella; [See also discussion with Shivam Vij on Friday’s programme below.] Listen Little Man is a 28-minute documentary film study of ragging in India. Madhavi Tangella (manzilechar @yahoo.com) worked on Sagar Cinema, a “poor man’s multiplex” for her Sarai Independent Fellowship. She is currently a film student at SRFTI, Kolkata. 1.30 – 3.00 In the Midst of Conflict II: Reading Between the Column Inches Chair: Sanjay Sharma [Sanjay Sharma (sanjaykusharma @yahoo.co.in) is a historian and radio broadcaster. He teaches History at Zakir Hussain College, Delhi University and is co-editor of Sarai-CSDS’s Hindi reader series, Deewan-e-Sarai.] Shiju Sam Varughese The Public Sphere as a Site of Knowledge Production: Science in the Malayalam Press This study attempts to understand the functioning of the public sphere, constituted through the regional press in Keralam, as a site of knowledge production in the context of scientific controversies. This will be studied by taking a specific scientific controversy as case. In the wake of an earthquake on 12th December 2000, several unusual geophysical incidents including well collapses, coloured rains and micro tremors began appearing in Keralam. These phenomena have been reported in the regional press from every nook and cranny of the region and the deliberations over it continued for almost one year in the regional press, involving a wide range of issues and actors. This case will be studied in detail based on content analysis of five major Malayalam newspapers (Malayala Manorama, Mathrubhumi, Deshabhimani, Madhyamam, and Keralam Kaumudi) as well as interviews with key actors involved in the controversy. This is to demonstrate how the public sphere acts as a site of knowledge production in the context of a scientific controversy. Shiju Sam Varughese (shijusam @gmail.com)is a doctoral candidate at the Zakir Husain Centre for Educational Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. His research is on the public understanding of science in Keralam. Alok Puranik Bazaar Reporting in Hindi Newspapers In the days when the Sensex is a mandatory presence in news reporting, Alok Puranik tried to study reportage of the market in Hindi newspapers down the years. When did these market reports originate, how did its terminology evolve, what was its relationship with the rest of the news and how has it changed over the years? He starts his study in 1947 and concentrates on two dailies published from Delhi. Alok Puranik (puranika @gmail.com) is an economist, columnist, satirist, and blogger who teaches at Agrasen College, Delhi University. His books include Neki kar Akhbar mein Daal and Arthik Patrakarita. Shubhra Nagalia The Representation of Communal Conflicts in Hindi Media: A Case study of the 2005 Mau Riots The research investigates the reportage of Mau riots by electronic and print media. While there has been extensive documentation and studies on the ‘communalisation’ of media and its role in riot situations, the small town manifestation of this phenomenon in Mau and its resultant repercussions on hegemonic discourses and construction of religious identity will be one of the areas of our study. The images, slogans, language and presentation of Mau riots through the lens of Hindi media; linkages between political influences, capital and communities that shapes the contours of media in general and local news in particular will also be subjects of our research. The paper also contains detailed interview excerpts. Shubhra Nagalia (shubhra_n71 @yahoo.com) is doing her Ph.D in the School of International Studies, JNU. She has taught Women’s Studies at Mahatma Gandhi University, Wardha. She is a longtime activist and a member of All India Progressive Womens’ Association. 3.15—4.45 Other Traditions Chair: Priya Sen [Priya Sen is a trained filmmaker who has taught media production in the US and India. She works with sound, multimedia and radio content at the Cybermohalla Labs. She is part of the editorial collective of the broadsheet series Sarai.txt.] Priya Babu Traditions of the Aravani (Transgender) Community in Tamilnadu Aravanis, called Hijrahs in north India, have existed in Tamilnadu for several centuries. Though born biologically as males, they closely identify themselves as girl/woman. By doing so, they undergo a lot of suffering due to the great psychological pressure exerted by different social forces that prevail. Because of lack of understanding among the general public and the society, those who do not behave like boys are often discrimination and even face violence from their own family members. Hence they are forced to leave their family members and later join the Aravani community, which accepts them and provides support. This research will study and document the Tamilnadu Aravani community’s varied traditions. It will try to understand different sects and their hierarchies with a focus on interrelations during public celebrations and private gatherings. In the process, the project will also document their worshipping places, their relation with the god Aravan and the story of how they became linked with mainstream society. Priya Babu (priyababu_sudar @yahoo.co.in) is a Chennai-based researcher, journalist and coordinator of the theatre group, ‘Kannadi Kalai Kuzhu’. She is herself a member of the Aravani community. Mithun Narayan Bose Tracing Life from the Stroke: Documenting the Rickshaw-Painting of Kolkata Streets The paintings behind the rickshaws of the city of Calcutta are a unique example of an unnoticed urban folk-art, and the detailed study of the paintings can be an alternative way to know about the life of these people. As most of the Calcutta rickshaw-pullers have migrated to the city from other places, the paintings’ style reflect the form/ style of art available at the rickshaw-puller’s place of origin. A unique heterogeneity is also observed due to its confluence with the urban style. Thematically, the rickshaw paintings of Calcutta-streets are of different types (e.g. religious, landscape, portrait of near and dear ones, film star etc.). In this project, the painting behind the rickshaws is documented with the help of both video recording and photography. Mithun Narayan Bose (bangali_mnb @yahoo.com) is a language teacher at a Kolkata school. He contributes regularly to several Kolkata little magazines, and his interests include poetry, folklore, cultural anthropology, art and art criticism. Deepak Kadyan Popular Musical Traditions and Configuration of Jat identity in Haryana, 1900-2000 This research seeks to examine the relationship between popular musical traditions and the forging of a jat identity in north India in general and in Haryana in particular. The processes of identity formation and self-perceived notions of community are analyzed and discerned through the prism of popular culture and as to how a 'community' viewed itself, and what its aspirations have been over a period of time. An important aspect of this study is an analysis of the sites of performance and circulation of this oral tradition. One such site is the akharas (lit. a wrestling arena, but here, it refers to a space for rehearsals and practice), influential until the mid twentieth century. Another such site available to oral tradition for circulation was the colonial army and police. The history of oral tradition is intertwined with the history of prominent performers, and major structural and performative changes, whether in terms of musical instruments, rhythms, intonation, appropriation of symbols or content— in other words, the relationship between performers and performance. Interestingly, the social composition of oral tradition in Haryana is different, as it wasn't dominated by any particular community. Deepak Kadyan can be reached at: hie.deepak at gmail.com 5.30 – 6.00 pm (In Upstairs Gallery Space) Performance Art: “This Evening Too: From Lal Ded to Abdul Ahad Zargar” by Inder Salim: Space limited to 25 persons only—first come, first serve. Inder Salim (indersalim @gmail.com), an Independent Fellow this year, is a performance artist based in Delhi. He blogs his work at: http://indersalim.livejournal.com/ 7.00 – 8.15 (Back in main auditorium) “Creeper”, a play written and directed by Ram Ganesh Kamatham, recasting the Vikram and Vetal myth in a contemporary urban setting. Featuring Mallika Prasad and Abhishek Majumdar. (Running time: 1 hour fifteen minutes) "Shit!" "What?" "Some kid fell off an escalator in Garuda mall and died." "It's ok, it's ok. As long as it's not someone we know. Just someone else's kid." "How can they let this happen? People must be allowed to go shopping in peace." About the play This is a story about two people in the city. She is the expert narrator, he is a mischievous sutradhar. These two story-tellers have amazing stories to share. Problem is they don't agree on how to tell the story! Creeper is a modern re-imagination of the tale of Vikram and Vetal. The play slams this mythos into a contemporary urban setting – creating a shadowy world that is immediately recognizable, yet bizarre and entertaining. “Creeper” was written and produced as part of Ram Ganesh Kamatham’s project on Vikram and Vetal during the 2007 Sarai-CSDS Independent Fellowship. Kamatham, one of Bangalore’s best known up-and-coming directors (ramganeshk @gmail.com) has created work for stage, film, radio, and video games. The project is blogged at: http://addledbraindump.blogspot.com/ Thurs 6 December Venue: LTG Auditorium, Mandi House 10.00 am – 11.30 Medicine and Modernity Chair: Awadhendra Sharan Gyaltsen Lama Shamans in Gangtok: A Graphic Novel A four part graphic novel exploring the lives of four different shamans in Gangtok, Sikkim. 20 pages of each part with black and white illustrations. Each part is approached with different illustration and narrative styles. Gyaltsen Lama (gyaltsenlama @gmail.com) received his bachelor of fine arts degree in 2000 from the Sir JJ School of Art, Mumbai. He is currently the fine arts teacher at the Tashi Namgyal Academy, Gangtok. Photographs, interview transcripts, pages from the novel and videos for this project are uploaded at: http://www.etattoo7.com/sarai/home.html M.S. Harilal Adopting Modernisation and Negotiating Modernisation: Placing Modern and Traditional Ayurvedic Sectors in the Context of Transformation The study endeavors to analyze responses of the larger transformation of a traditional medical system, namely Ayurveda, to a more affirmative institutional system and a well developed market. The modern forms of Ayurveda seem to be pulled by both pharmaceutical companies and modern practitioners in a direction that flaunts cultural authenticity and tradition as well as scientific efficacy and standardization for its products. It analyses how the stakeholders in this bifurcation - traditional and modern ayurvedic manufacturing, perceive and deal with modernization, which is two fold, both in form and content. The two specific questions that the study intends to explore, based on selected case analysis and necessary ethnographic works, are: one, How do we explain the recent gains made by many firms operating in the 'modern' sector? Two, what are the ways in which the traditional-informal sector has coped with the processes of transformation? To the gist, we are addressing the question of agential relation in the transformation and want to contrast and compare how the two sections deal with the challenge of globalization or negotiate to find their space in the global era. Three rationales may be given for this study: one, the traditional knowledge systems are increasingly become relevant, two, there is a universal concern to addressing community ownership of traditional knowledge and third, it will help us understand the struggle and revival of similarly placed traditional industries. M.S. Harilal (harilalms @gmail.com) is, at present, a doctoral scholar in Economics at the Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram. His current areas of interests are the modernization of Indian systems of medicine, the medicinal plants sector, IPR and traditional knowledge. Burton Cleetus Urbanisation, Western Medicine and Modernity: The Rockefeller Foundation in Travancore One of the most important interventions made by the “progressive” state of Travancore which later became part of the state of Kerala, was in the field of health care. The reorganization of the public health department with the aid of the Rockefeller Foundation of the United States was aimed at drafting a coherent health care policy for the state, primarily to cater to the needs of the emerging population in the urban centres. The study seeks to argue that the process of reconstituting the health care policy by the princely state in the early twentieth century was a political project of governance aimed at socio-cultural framing. A comparison between activities of the Rockefeller foundation in addressing the spread of malaria and plague in the early twentieth century with the attempts made by the state of Kerala in tackling similar contagious diseases in recent times would enable to one understand the shifts in the frames of references of the nature of interventions of western medicine over the last century. Burton Cleetus (burtoncleetus @yahoo.co.uk) is a PhD scholar from the Center for Historical Studies, JNU. He did his post graduation and M Phil from JNU. His research on the institutionalization of indigenous medicine in Kerala is an attempt to explore as to how esoteric cultural practices and localized healing techniques were refashioned, revitalized and consequently institutionalized into the broad framework of Ayurveda. 11.00 – 11.30 (In Upstairs Gallery Space) Short film on ragging—Listen, Little Man-- by Madhavi Tangella; see also discussion with Shivam Vij on Friday’s programme below. Madhavi Tangella (manzilechar @yahoo.com) worked on Sagar Cinema, a “poor man’s multiplex” for her Sarai Independent Fellowship. She is currently a film student at SRFTI, Kolkata. 11.45 – 12.45 Two Views of the Changing Industrial Landscape (short documentary films & discussion) Chair: Jeebesh Bagchi Ranu Ghosh The Story of a Laid-off Worker’s Resistance to Eviction in Kolkata I have been following the transformation of a productive, half a century old Jay Engineering Works into Kolkata’s South City Project, “Eastern India's largest mixed use real estate development”. Jay Engineering, commonly called Usha Factory, started operations manufacturing electrical consumer durables in the 1950s. The labour force of this reasonably large manufacturing unit was mostly comprised of migrants from Bihar and UP, and refugees from East Pakistan. The Works was closed down, made defunct and the land was handed over to the real estate consortium of five major real estate “magnates” in 2003. The factory buildings were demolished and the construction of the South City Projects comprising three 35-storey and one 28-storey tower, a shopping mall, school, multiplex, club etc, started from February 2004, which included the illegal filling up of one of south Calcutta's largest natural water bodies. The workers of Jay were forced into retirement with little or no compensation and sent into limbo, except for Shambhu Prasad Singh. Shambhu has refused to opt for the meagre handouts and has instead taken his case to court. Against all odds, and withstanding the sustained pressure of the builders, he continues to live in his original quarters, surrounded and dwarfed on all sides by the construction in progress of South City. This brave stand taken by an individual is an example of how such “development” can be challenged. Since the latter half of 2004 I have been documenting in video and still formats, the stages of development at the construction site as the work progressed and the displaced labour force, and out of that, Shambhu Prasad evolved as an outstanding example of the protest against this “development”. I began to follow his everyday life, his improvised strategies of survival in the face of difficult circumstances and his innate zeal to fight for his rights. He has transformed from a character in my film into that of a collaborator, adding a unique dimension to the project. Ranu Ghosh (ghosh.ranu @gmail.com)has worked as a freelance camera person and director in the Indian industry for the past eight years. T. Venkat and Meghna Sukumar Building the Indian Dream: Living and Working Conditions of Migrant Workers on Chennai's IT Corridor Cities in this country have been promoting huge infrastructural projects in their attempt to redefine themselves to the age of globalisation. The 6 lane express way, christened the IT corridor, along with the luxurious industrial, commercial and residential complexes are part of Chennai city’s attempt to create a global image. Thus to the people of the city it is an image, a dream and an opportunity for change and transformation. To the migrant construction workers it is undeniably an opportunity with enormous economic prospects, but in what ways does it transform their lives? What hope does it hold out for them? What image does it create in them? What is their stake in it? Presented through a short documentary film, our research delves into the aspirations of the workers, and their imageries of the creature they are building. It enquires into the change and transformation that this grand project has brought to their lives. T. Venkata Naga Narasimhan, alias Venkat (venkatt2k @gmail.com), is a post graduate in sociology from the University of Madras. He joined as research assistant to Dr. Karen Coelho (an earlier Sarai Independent Fellow and asst professor at Madras Institute of Development Studies) on a project titled “Neighbourhood Associations as Urban Collective Actors: a comparative study of Bangalore and Chennai” in the year 2006-07. 1pm – 2pm Tracking Literatures Chair: Ravikant Rajiv Ranjan Giri Saraswati ki Sarvajanik Duniya, 1900-1920 (The Popular World of the Journal Saraswati, 1900-1920) Rajiv Ranjan Giri has published extensively on the history of Hindi. He co-edits a Hindi journal called Samved. He can be reached at: rajeevgirijnu @rediffmail.com . Gopal Ji Pradhan Hindi mein Uttar Purv (The North-east in Hindi Literature) Gopal Ji Pradhan is a writer and activist. He teaches Hindi at Assam University, Silchar and can be reached at: gopaljeepradhan @rediffmail.com . 2.15 –4.15 Special Panel: Where Does Research Go? Featuring: Zainab Bawa, Parismita Singh, Madhavi Tangella and Prasad Shetty. Discussant: Vivek Narayanan. If research really did proceed as it plans to do, time after time, in the bright, overdeterminate clarity of good proposals, asking direct questions and receiving exact answers, this would not be saying very much for the richness or depth of our lives, our social and built structures and knotted networks! Instead, we wander, we diverge, we rethink, we scratch out, we revisit: the strength of research is not in the attempt to control the world’s material but in questions leading to new questions, that is, in the ability to stay alert while the ground unexpectedly shifts under us. In this panel, we ask four previous Independent Fellows to look back on their fellowship research, considering the ways they have been led to unexpected conclusions, new projects, critiques of what they were doing in the first instance, and revisitings of the original site of research to find it changed. How does research evolve, and what kinds of other projects does it lead to? Prasad Shetty (askshetty @rediffmail.com) is an architect and urban planner. He is a founding member of CRIT (Collective Research Initiatives Trust), Mumbai. Parismita Singh (parismitasingh @yahoo.com) is finishing her first graphic novel, due in 2008. Zainab Bawa (zainabbawa @yahoo.com) talks her walks through a world of words on her infrequently updated blog www.xanga.com/citybytes. Madhavi Tangella (manzilechar @yahoo.com) is currently a film student at SRFTI. Vivek Narayanan (vivek @sarai.net) co-coordinates the Independent Fellowship programme for Sarai and writes, mostly poetry and some fiction. He is Consulting Editor for the web-based literary journal, Almost Island and an Associate Editor for the Boston-based international poetry annual, Fulcrum. His first book of poems appeared last year. 4.30 – 6.00 Work In “Progress”: Feature-length video by Debkamal Ganguly (87 minutes) Following the trail of a 1932 journey by one key Bengali novelist, Bibhutibhushan, the video tries to explore varied ways of interaction of 'urban-subject' with 'non-urban' forest and plateau-like spaces, close to the western border of West Bengal. Selecting Bangla texts as early as 1872 to as late as 2007, the video tries to articulate the changing trajectory of space-emotion, from mythical to self-conscious to sublime to existentialist and finally the virtual and hyper-real. The video acknowledges the random and arbitrary as an aesthetic function and recycles whatever comes along its way. Debkamal Ganguly (deb99kamal @yahoo.com)’s work as a scriptwriter, film and sound editor (including with director Vipin Vijay) has earned him some national and international recognition. He pursues this current project as a 2007 Sarai-CSDS Associate Fellow. 6.15 – 6.45 (In Upstairs Gallery Space) Performance Art: “This Evening Too: From Lal Ded to Abdul Ahad Zargar” by Inder Salim: Space limited to 25 persons only—first come, first serve. Inder Salim (indersalim @gmail.com), an Independent Fellow this year, is a performance artist based in Delhi. He blogs his work at: http://indersalim.livejournal.com/ 7.15pm – 8pm Chennai Sabha Drama: An Actor’s Story: Solo performance by Pritham Chakravarty (running time: 30 mins) For her 2007 Independent Fellowship project, Pritham Chakravarty researched and revisited the lingering artifacts of a scene that she herself had been a part of as a child actress: Chennai’s “sabha drama”, a semi-amateur subscription theatre scene. Her solo show performance is not autobiographical, but is based on a composite reconstruction of interviews with actors and others—it draws on Chakravarty’s usual and intensive method of designing one-person scripts based on a series of interviews, inhabiting the persona of the interviewed. Pritham K. Chakravarty (prithu7 @hotmail.com) has been a political theatre performer and theatre activist based in Chennai for 20 years; but her acting debut first came on the Sabha drama stage itself, at the age of six. Fri Dec 7 Venue: LTG Auditorium, Mandi House 10.00 – 11.00 Proofreading: Identity and Publishing Chair: Mahmood Farooqui Vijay Kumar Pandey Meerut ka Prakasan Udyog (The Publishing Industry in Meerut) The publication industry of Meerut is almost 200 years old. During this period the industry has evolved with time and flourished. The present turnover of the industry is nearly Rs. 200 crore per annum and provides employment to approximately one lakh people. The study aims at identifying the factors contributing to the rapid growth and evolution of this industry in Meerut during past 200 years as well as the problems and challenges before it. It will also look into how the industry has changed with time. Vijay Kumar Pandey (vijaykharsh @yahoo.co.in) has been a journalist for the last five years. He is currently with Amar Ujala. Yoginder Sikand & Naseemur Rahman Islamic Publishing Houses in Delhi This research project focuses on the Muslim publishing industry in Delhi. It examines various aspects of this industry, including content of publications and linkages between authors, publishers and consumers of the literature produced by these publishing houses. It also looks at how the Muslim publishing industry is responding to the various challenges that Muslims in India today see themselves faced with. Naseem ur Rahman (majidee @yahoo.com) is a Ph.D. student at the Jamia Millia Islamia and is presently working with the Markazi Maktaba Islami, a leading Muslim publishing house in Delhi; and Yoginder Sikand, Professor at the Centre for Jawaharlal Nehru Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. 11.00 – 12.15 (In Upstairs Gallery Space) Side Effects: Collaborations and Conversations Between Independent Fellows. A documentary film on ragging—Listen, Little Man (28 mins)-- by Madhavi Tangella; discussion and commentary by Shivam Vij, who studied ragging for his Sarai-CSDS Fellowship. Introduced and moderated by Iram Ghufran Madhavi Tangella (manzilechar @yahoo.com) worked on Sagar Cinema, a “poor man’s multiplex” for her Sarai Independent Fellowship. She is currently a film student at SRFTI, Kolkata. Shivam Vij (mail @shivamvij.com) is a journalist, blogger, and runs the website stopragging.org . His research on the nature of ragging in hostels for the Independent Fellowship in 2005 led him to being appointed as a consultant to the R.K. Raghavan committee set up by the Supreme Court to recommend measures to curb ragging. His journalistic interests include caste, social mobility, internet censorship, and online communities. 11.15 – 12.15 Maps for Lost Cities Chair: Shuddhabrata Sengupta Surojit Sen The Displacement of Prostitutes: A Tale of Two Cities in Two Centuries This paper focuses on a satirical text Bodmaes Jobdo (Wicked Punished) by Prankrishna Dutta in 1869 on the aftermath of 1868 The Contagious Diseases Act XIV. Which the British enforced in April 1869 in order to control flesh trade and prevent the brothel-going soldiers from contracting venereal diseases. The Act made it mandatory for the prostitutes to register their names and undergo medical examination and treatment ( if necessary ). While the police used the legislation as a ploy to harass the prostitutes, their clients also felt axed by the Act. Things came to such a pass that some prostitutes brought the matter to the attention Viceroy Lord Mayo and his wife through a letter (19 July, 1869 ) most probably written by someone on their behalf. The chaotic situation forced a section of prostitutes to leave the Sonagachi red light area of Calcutta for Chandannagar town, then under French rule, and throng the brothel that had existed there since the 1770s. This 200 year old settlement was demolished by some promoters bent on using the land as real estate. The prostitutes living there couldn’t resist the onslaught; nor did any organization come to their rescue. I view the event from the standpoint of ‘rights’ and relate it to the recently proposed amendment to the existing ITPA Act ( 1987 ). Which tends to treat prostitution as criminal offence even as it has not been declared illegal. Without making any provision for their rehabilitation or alternative livelihood, this official move I argue, is going to take away the little space that the ‘fallen’ women have and marginalize them further. Surojit Sen (surojit369 @yahoo.co.in) does research for documentary films, writes book reviews, short prose pieces on literature and scripts for telefilms (in Bengali). He renders editorial service and is now working on his first Bengali novel named City Edition. Mohit K. Ray Heritage Ponds of Kolkata: A Contemporary History Kolkata is a city of ponds. Job Charnok, the first well-known British merchant, set up his office by the side of a pond called Lal Dighi, which still exists to remind of this city’s colonial past. There are many ponds like this with rich historical linkages. Many streets and places of Kolkata are named after ponds. Even after the onslaught of the real estate sector, the city has more than 3500 ponds. The significance of these urban waterbodies as water resources is being appreciated now as never before. These ponds form a part of the cultural history of the city. Once, it was the place where community people met during bathing; Bengali literature has so many narratives about the ghats of these ponds. The fields by the side of some ponds provide space to hold fairs. However, there is still no proper documentation of such an important city heritage. This study will add to the urban cultural history where the city ponds are not mere past heroes, but active agents of a thriving present. Mohit Ray (mrsg @vsnl.com), the principal researcher, is an environmental professional who has a PhD in Chemical Engineering and works for environmental rights. 12.30 – 1.30 Rethinking the Social Chair: Vivek Narayanan Santana Issar and Aditi Saraf Rethinking Animal Activism in an Urban Context Human-animal relationships have been historically constituted in complex and intimate ways along the economic, the affective, the cultural and ritual, and the metaphoric. As these relationships have receded into an irretrievable past, it has been suggested that animals have been reconfigured in the urban imagination; as household pets, as objects of wonder in zoos and circuses, and as (Kentucky or not) fried chicken. Our question is - does this driving of a wedge between human lives and those of animals inform dominant notions of 'animal welfare'? We study the relationship between the theory of the human-animal interaction in a post-industrial urban context, and the practices of animal rescue and welfare, in order to understand how, and to what extent, each is shaped by the other. All this in the particular context of our very own urban jungle – Delhi. Both Santana Issar (santanaissar @gmail.com) and Aditi Saraf (aditisrf @gmail.com) are graduates of St Stephen's College. Santana is a filmmaker, Aditi works as a research associate at the National Knowledge Commission. Arnab Chatterjee Beyond Private and Public: New Perspectives on Personal and Personalist Social Work In the first part of my presentation ( in the final version of the paper too) I shall dwell on the importance of the public/private divide in modern social theory and ask, is the public/private divide the main unresolved dilemma that haunts the sign of our own times ? How does the personal interrupt and contaminate the above binary and wherefrom our engagement could temporarily begin? An impersonal public sphere, threatened by the deceptive nature of the personal, was founded to ground political modernity and was extended to cover such remote questions of personal charity which –some like Hegel sought to replace by state related public assistance or welfare. This normalizing restraint was energized even at the level of speech, but through the instance of personal attacks, the repressed narrative of the personal seemed to recur at the cost of our unease—a political pornography of sorts. An excavation informed us--behind the masked ordeal of innocent impersonality, there lurks the obscene narratives of manipulation, lying, backstabbing, blackmailing, fraud, betrayal, malice by which persons govern each other. Now, all proposed resolutions, located within the impasse, have they worked? I discuss the Gandhian attempt and discuss the dictatorial desire. The failure to integrate the public and the private until it vanishes in the terrorized unity of the person/al -- inaugurates—in a sense-- and urges us to recover the suppressed history of the personal and subsequently a theory of the personal with its roots in the German version of personalism. Finally, does the category personal, through the sieve of personalist social work, solve the public/private problem posed in the beginning, or compound the problem further? How, despite the personalist indeterminacy and irreducibility of the person, a personalist ethics could be found will be addressed in this section; I’ll spend a considerable five minutes on the above and end by reflecting on my most recent work not covered in SARAI postings. Arnab Chatterjee (apnawritings @yahoo.co.in) is Doctoral Fellow at the department of Philosophy, Jadavpur University, Kolkata and on the visiting faculty of Ethics and Human Values at the Bengal Institute of Technology, Kolkata. 1.45 pm – 3.45 pm Special Presentation: The SARAI-CSDS Associate Fellowships Chair: Monica Narula [Monica Narula (monica @sarai.net) is a media practitioner with a background in filmmaking and English Literature. She is one the co-initiators of Sarai and one of the editors of the Sarai Reader series. She is part of the Raqs Media Collective. She coordinates the media practice projects at Sarai.] Nancy Adajania: A New Journal for the Arts: Prototype Issue, 2007 Although there have been exciting recent developments in the world of Indian art, there is a strong sense that much of it has been happening in the dark, without enough open discussion made widely available to the public. Hoskote and Adajania argue that in order for art to have significance and value beyond a point, it needs to be made in the context of lively discussion and critical debate. Modern India has had a rich history of such critical initiatives, but in the current context there are very few platforms for such engagement; those that do exist confine themselves largely to reporting on events, or more often, to sales figures and scandals, focusing on the life of the studio, the solitary creator, and of economic institutions such as the gallery and the auction house. Both senior art critics in their own right, Hoskote and Adajania propose to make a journal that focuses on actually mobilising and creating a new context for the production of art. Rather than being a public relations exercise for art in India, the journal would be a colloquium across disciplines, regions, traditions and intellectual lineages. It would include, among other forms of writing, analytical essays, tactical accounts, select reviews, and polemical texts. The journal would be interested in developing a perspective of what the proposal calls “a nuanced critical regionalism”, which would reject both the “neo-tribalism” of an inward-looking isolationism, as well as an uncritical globalism that lacks anchorage in a specific cultural context. Last but not least, the journal would seek and institute collaborative ventures between artists and public-sphere or civil-society activists. Nancy Adajania (nancyadajania71 at yahoo.co.uk) is a well-known cultural theorist, art critic and independent curator. She is developing this project for the Associate Fellowship with Ranjit Hoskote. Debkamal Ganguly: An Imaginative Text Based on Contemporary Travel Through the “Forests” Described in Bibhuthibhushan’s Memoirs [note showing of complete video by Debkamal Ganguly at 4.30 on previous day, Thursday December 6. On the 7th, Ganguly will show excerpts from the video, discuss its making and answer questions.] Sarai generally focusses on urban spaces and the processes of urbanisation. However, a very crucial emerging question in contemporary India is, how are “rural” and forest spaces being transformed in the current context, and what is the relationship of this process to the development of cities? One could look at the question only in terms of contemporary transformations, but another approach would also situate it historically, in relation to accounts of what these non-urban areas used to look like. The project looks precisely at this question, in the context of Eastern India. Debkamal Ganguly is interested in how the idea of “nature” has developed and has been changed by visitors from the city, over several decades, including himself. He seeks to understand "how an otherwise 'underdeveloped' marginalized geographical/cultural space in the immediate west of the Gangetic plains has been entangled in multilayered relationship with the urban consciousness and artistic creativity of Kolkata." 4.00 – 5.30 pm Towards a Future for Independent Research: Interactive Open Discussion All participants. 7.00 – 8.30 Punches Ponytails Ringtones: Women Boxers in India A film by Pankaj Rishi Kumar (82 mins) Introduced by Shuddhabrata Sengupta “This is a journey into the science of boxing as practiced by 2 Indian women. From Dec’04 to May’07, I shot with them as they tried to understand their bodies, their undying love for the sport and their constant struggle to realize their dreams. The film unfolds their story.” Pankaj Rishi Kumar (kumartalkies at yahoo.com) has been making making documentary films for the last 11 years. His best known films include Kumar Talkies. He showed the first rushes from his Independent Fellowship project on women boxers at the 2005 workshop. From parthaekka at gmail.com Fri Nov 30 18:39:55 2007 From: parthaekka at gmail.com (Partha Dasgupta) Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2007 18:39:55 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Rape Victim ordered 200 lashes and prison by Saudi judges In-Reply-To: <9c06aab30711300442xdc57c49ucd01db8e4bd05647@mail.gmail.com> References: <6b79f1a70711300043t1c3d3ff5vcfc303fddcc99c11@mail.gmail.com> <9c06aab30711300442xdc57c49ucd01db8e4bd05647@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <32144e990711300509i4f27469ep1468580c5b8bc2e0@mail.gmail.com> Hi, Without trying to imply that Pawan's view-point is justified, I can understand his angst of being a displaced Hindu minority in a state which he can no longer visit in peace. And, to make another jump, these segregations of 'pseudo-secularist' or 'Islamo-fascism' or even 'Hindutva' seem rather dangerous categorizations to me. How does a viewpoint force us into one camp or another? They are reasoned and / or believed views. For example, though I would condemn Modi for the Godhra riots, I would also have to admit that the frequent Hindu-Muslim riots that would happen while I was in college in Baroda are no longer so common. To get back to the point raised by Shuddha, I still oppose state-sponsored and / or state-endorsed violence fo reasons that I've mentioned elsewhere so I won't drag this post. Rgds, Partha ........................... On Nov 30, 2007 6:12 PM, Shivam Vij wrote: > Well the connection is, 'Look you are obsessed with Gujarat but not with > Saudi Arabia'. It assumes that one condones oppression and violence when > it > comes to "Muslims" and one is thus a "pseudo-secularist". Shuddha has > demolished it well. Those who accuse others of pseudo-secularism are in > fact > themselves guilty of partisan obsessions with oppression. Funny how they > seek to transpose their bias onto others. > shivam > > > On 11/30/07, anuradha mukherjee wrote: > > > > I think Shuddha's reply has summed it up beautifully. Why should a > > horrible > > incident in Saudi Arabia be brought up to shame those who are against a > > particularly violent form of Hindutva being practised in India? What is > > the > > connection? > > Best > > Anuradha > > > > > > On 11/30/07, shuddha at sarai.net wrote: > > > > > > Dear Pawan, > > > > > > Hell comes in different flavours, as I tried to explain in an earlier > > > post, > > > and as is evident from your posting of the brutal treatment meted out > to > > a > > > young woman who has been the victim of gang rape in Saudi Arabia. > > > > > > Being against one kind of hell does not mean that we have to be the > > > partisans of other kinds of hell, elsewhere. The kind of intellectual > > that > > > I find interesting it the one who has no problem at all in terms of > > > evolving an engaged critique of oppression, no matter what form it > > takes, > > > no matter where it occurs. That is why, despite our respect for people > > > like > > > Noam Chomsky, some of us took it upon ourselves to sharply criticize > his > > > prevaricating apology for the 'Left Front' government's violence > against > > > its own subjects in West Bengal > > > > > > And so, contrary to your expectations, some of those of us who have > been > > > active on this list in arguing against the Indian state's military > > > occupation of the Kashmir valley have had no problems at all in being > > > determined in our opposition to oppression when it occurs in Left > Front > > > ruled West Bengal, in the current conditions of military dictatorship > in > > > Burma and Pakistan, or for that matter when it occurs under the aegis > of > > > the Ibn Saud dynasty in Saudi Arabia. Tomorrow, if North Korea were to > > be > > > discussed on this list, I would be certain that there will be clear > > > arguments on this list against the imbecilic regime that rules North > > Korea > > > at the moment. The list can be justifiedly expanded to include Iran, > the > > > United States, Russia and many other countries and states. > > > > > > Saudi Arabia is one of the most horrible places on the planet. It is > > ruled > > > by a corrupt, decadent ruling elite and kept in place by money, > weapons > > > and > > > influence wielded by British and American corporate intersts and > foreign > > > policy. If the international community was justified in operating a > set > > of > > > sanctions against the hated South African apartheid regime, it should > > have > > > no business in cosying up to the sexist, slave-owning, xenophobic, > > > anti-semitic Saudi regime which is the favourite retirement support > > agency > > > of third rate dictators like Idi Amin and corrupt rulers like Nawaz > > > Sharif. > > > > > > The Saudi Monarchy, which rose to eminence as the stooge of British > > > foreign > > > policy in the middle east in the early twentieth century presides over > > an > > > imbecilic and paranoid gloss of Islam, and the particularly Salafist > > brand > > > of Islam that is held out as an ideal by the Saudi monarchy and its > > rented > > > clerics is rightly rejected by the majority of Muslims in the world. > Its > > > significance lies only in that it is backed by petro-dollars and > > American > > > fighter jets. > > > > > > One does not have to link the decadence of current Saudi Arabia to the > > > venality of Moditva/Hindutva. They are two different kinds of > > abominations > > > that need to be fought, and fought till they are destroyed. I would be > > > just > > > as happy to see Salafist Islamo-fascism perish in Saudi Arabia, as I > > would > > > be to see the short, sharp end of Moditva and Hindutva in Gujarat and > in > > > India. > > > > > > regards. > > > > > > Shuddha > > > > > > > > > > > > On 2:13 pm 11/30/07 "Pawan Durani" wrote: > > > > Would Someone Puhleez link this to Modi , RSS & Hindutva > > > > ..........some intellectual surely would .............. > > > > > > > > http://www.themuslimwoman.org/ > > > > > http://www.themuslimwoman.org/entry/rape-victim-ordered-200-lashes-and > > > > -prison-by-saudi-judges/ > > > > What can be called a travesty of judiciary, the Saudi Arabia's > Higher > > > > Judicial Council has actually sentenced a rape victim to receive 200 > > > > lashes and prison while the perpetrators of humanity's most heinous > > > > crime were allowed to walk free. > > > > > > > > The 19-year-old Shiite woman who was raped by six armed men was > > > > originally sentenced to receive 90 lashes for traveling in the car > of > > > > an 'unrelated male' at the time of the rape. However after the woman > > > > had the temerity of not unquestioningly submitting herself to be > > > > tortured as punishment of being raped, the judges on Saudi Arabia's > > > > Higher Judicial Council more than doubled her punishment for > > > > attempting to influence the judiciary through the media. > > > > > > > > Her lawyer, human right activist Abdul Rahman al-Lahem, has been > > > > banned from carrying her case further. His license has been revoked > > > > and he has been called to appear before a disciplinary committee for > > > > challenging the judgment, which only punished the victim of the > crime > > > > and not its perpetrators. The Sunni rapists were given a paltry > > > > sentence of one to five years of imprisonment. > > > > > > > > This is the horrendous state of a country that keeps its women > > > > forcefully behind veils only to extenuate and encourage heinous > > > > crimes against them in the name of maintaining social discipline. > > > > _________________________________________ > > > > 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. To unsubscribe: > https://mail.sarai.ne > > > > t/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > > > > _________________________________________ > > > 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. > > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > _________________________________________ > > 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. > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > -- Partha Dasgupta +919811047132 From taraprakash at gmail.com Fri Nov 30 19:36:48 2007 From: taraprakash at gmail.com (TaraPrakash) Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2007 09:06:48 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Rape Victim ordered 200 lashes and prison bySaudi judges References: <6b79f1a70711300043t1c3d3ff5vcfc303fddcc99c11@mail.gmail.com> <9c06aab30711300442xdc57c49ucd01db8e4bd05647@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <005901c8335a$425e03f0$6600a8c0@taraprakash> How many places can one be obsessed with? Why Shuddha only be expected to be obsessed with the oppression of Chinese in Indonesia, Tamils in Malaysia, Pashtoons in Pakistan, Bihari Muslims in Bangladesh, etc etc etc, plus the disadvantaged in all nooks and corners of the world, women, disabled, and other kind of have-nots? ----- Original Message ----- From: "Shivam Vij" To: "anuradha mukherjee" Cc: ; Sent: Friday, November 30, 2007 7:42 AM Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Rape Victim ordered 200 lashes and prison bySaudi judges > Well the connection is, 'Look you are obsessed with Gujarat but not with > Saudi Arabia'. It assumes that one condones oppression and violence when > it > comes to "Muslims" and one is thus a "pseudo-secularist". Shuddha has > demolished it well. Those who accuse others of pseudo-secularism are in > fact > themselves guilty of partisan obsessions with oppression. Funny how they > seek to transpose their bias onto others. > shivam > > > On 11/30/07, anuradha mukherjee wrote: >> >> I think Shuddha's reply has summed it up beautifully. Why should a >> horrible >> incident in Saudi Arabia be brought up to shame those who are against a >> particularly violent form of Hindutva being practised in India? What is >> the >> connection? >> Best >> Anuradha >> >> >> On 11/30/07, shuddha at sarai.net wrote: >> > >> > Dear Pawan, >> > >> > Hell comes in different flavours, as I tried to explain in an earlier >> > post, >> > and as is evident from your posting of the brutal treatment meted out >> > to >> a >> > young woman who has been the victim of gang rape in Saudi Arabia. >> > >> > Being against one kind of hell does not mean that we have to be the >> > partisans of other kinds of hell, elsewhere. The kind of intellectual >> that >> > I find interesting it the one who has no problem at all in terms of >> > evolving an engaged critique of oppression, no matter what form it >> takes, >> > no matter where it occurs. That is why, despite our respect for people >> > like >> > Noam Chomsky, some of us took it upon ourselves to sharply criticize >> > his >> > prevaricating apology for the 'Left Front' government's violence >> > against >> > its own subjects in West Bengal >> > >> > And so, contrary to your expectations, some of those of us who have >> > been >> > active on this list in arguing against the Indian state's military >> > occupation of the Kashmir valley have had no problems at all in being >> > determined in our opposition to oppression when it occurs in Left Front >> > ruled West Bengal, in the current conditions of military dictatorship >> > in >> > Burma and Pakistan, or for that matter when it occurs under the aegis >> > of >> > the Ibn Saud dynasty in Saudi Arabia. Tomorrow, if North Korea were to >> be >> > discussed on this list, I would be certain that there will be clear >> > arguments on this list against the imbecilic regime that rules North >> Korea >> > at the moment. The list can be justifiedly expanded to include Iran, >> > the >> > United States, Russia and many other countries and states. >> > >> > Saudi Arabia is one of the most horrible places on the planet. It is >> ruled >> > by a corrupt, decadent ruling elite and kept in place by money, weapons >> > and >> > influence wielded by British and American corporate intersts and >> > foreign >> > policy. If the international community was justified in operating a set >> of >> > sanctions against the hated South African apartheid regime, it should >> have >> > no business in cosying up to the sexist, slave-owning, xenophobic, >> > anti-semitic Saudi regime which is the favourite retirement support >> agency >> > of third rate dictators like Idi Amin and corrupt rulers like Nawaz >> > Sharif. >> > >> > The Saudi Monarchy, which rose to eminence as the stooge of British >> > foreign >> > policy in the middle east in the early twentieth century presides over >> an >> > imbecilic and paranoid gloss of Islam, and the particularly Salafist >> brand >> > of Islam that is held out as an ideal by the Saudi monarchy and its >> rented >> > clerics is rightly rejected by the majority of Muslims in the world. >> > Its >> > significance lies only in that it is backed by petro-dollars and >> American >> > fighter jets. >> > >> > One does not have to link the decadence of current Saudi Arabia to the >> > venality of Moditva/Hindutva. They are two different kinds of >> abominations >> > that need to be fought, and fought till they are destroyed. I would be >> > just >> > as happy to see Salafist Islamo-fascism perish in Saudi Arabia, as I >> would >> > be to see the short, sharp end of Moditva and Hindutva in Gujarat and >> > in >> > India. >> > >> > regards. >> > >> > Shuddha >> > >> > >> > >> > On 2:13 pm 11/30/07 "Pawan Durani" wrote: >> > > Would Someone Puhleez link this to Modi , RSS & Hindutva >> > > ..........some intellectual surely would .............. >> > > >> > > http://www.themuslimwoman.org/ >> > > http://www.themuslimwoman.org/entry/rape-victim-ordered-200-lashes-and >> > > -prison-by-saudi-judges/ >> > > What can be called a travesty of judiciary, the Saudi Arabia's Higher >> > > Judicial Council has actually sentenced a rape victim to receive 200 >> > > lashes and prison while the perpetrators of humanity's most heinous >> > > crime were allowed to walk free. >> > > >> > > The 19-year-old Shiite woman who was raped by six armed men was >> > > originally sentenced to receive 90 lashes for traveling in the car of >> > > an 'unrelated male' at the time of the rape. However after the woman >> > > had the temerity of not unquestioningly submitting herself to be >> > > tortured as punishment of being raped, the judges on Saudi Arabia's >> > > Higher Judicial Council more than doubled her punishment for >> > > attempting to influence the judiciary through the media. >> > > >> > > Her lawyer, human right activist Abdul Rahman al-Lahem, has been >> > > banned from carrying her case further. His license has been revoked >> > > and he has been called to appear before a disciplinary committee for >> > > challenging the judgment, which only punished the victim of the crime >> > > and not its perpetrators. The Sunni rapists were given a paltry >> > > sentence of one to five years of imprisonment. >> > > >> > > This is the horrendous state of a country that keeps its women >> > > forcefully behind veils only to extenuate and encourage heinous >> > > crimes against them in the name of maintaining social discipline. >> > > _________________________________________ >> > > 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. To unsubscribe: >> > > https://mail.sarai.ne >> > > t/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >> > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> >> > >> > _________________________________________ >> > 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. >> > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >> > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> >> _________________________________________ >> 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. >> To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >> List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From taraprakash at gmail.com Fri Nov 30 19:55:57 2007 From: taraprakash at gmail.com (TaraPrakash) Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2007 09:25:57 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Taslima browbeaten in to submission? References: <6b79f1a70711290953n306b3bb7s1ffb4382506e7b57@mail.gmail.com> <32144e990711292221w1abd6380lcf2dc4323a3c3bf8@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <008901c8335c$ed2ce790$6600a8c0@taraprakash> I just heard GuruDas Dasgupta telling BBC that Taslima called him up and informed that she is ready to remove the portions which might cause disturbance in the society from her "Dvikhandita". This will provide fresh amunition to the Brigade, and for any champion of true democracy, a new genuine reason to be ashamed of being part of a society which cannot allow the freedom of expression to artists and others. From mail at shivamvij.com Fri Nov 30 20:07:58 2007 From: mail at shivamvij.com (Shivam Vij) Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2007 20:07:58 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Rape Victim ordered 200 lashes and prison by Saudi judges In-Reply-To: <6b79f1a70711300630s52ac407w9681aadc044da0f1@mail.gmail.com> References: <6b79f1a70711300043t1c3d3ff5vcfc303fddcc99c11@mail.gmail.com> <9c06aab30711300442xdc57c49ucd01db8e4bd05647@mail.gmail.com> <6b79f1a70711300630s52ac407w9681aadc044da0f1@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <9c06aab30711300637g5c72d172k9cf742cb1098062a@mail.gmail.com> Brother Pawan, I spoke on my own behalf, not my ex-employer. Or future employers, for that matter! best shivam On 11/30/07, Pawan Durani wrote: > > Dear Friend Shivam , > > Let us demloish the myth . Are you ready for the debate ? > > On a side note , forget even saudi arabia ! Isn't the place you work for > still obsessed with Gujarat while as it has has not given more than 5cc > column for all the killings of hindus which have happened . > > I would discuss more , if you are open for a debate . But the question is > .....would you ? > > Pawan Durani. > > > On 11/30/07, Shivam Vij wrote: > > > > Well the connection is, 'Look you are obsessed with Gujarat but not with > > Saudi Arabia'. It assumes that one condones oppression and violence when > > it > > comes to "Muslims" and one is thus a "pseudo-secularist". Shuddha has > > demolished it well. Those who accuse others of pseudo-secularism are in > > fact > > themselves guilty of partisan obsessions with oppression. Funny how they > > > > seek to transpose their bias onto others. > > shivam > > > > > > On 11/30/07, anuradha mukherjee wrote: > > > > > > I think Shuddha's reply has summed it up beautifully. Why should a > > > horrible > > > incident in Saudi Arabia be brought up to shame those who are against > > a > > > particularly violent form of Hindutva being practised in India? What > > is > > > the > > > connection? > > > Best > > > Anuradha > > > > > > > > > On 11/30/07, shuddha at sarai.net wrote: > > > > > > > > Dear Pawan, > > > > > > > > Hell comes in different flavours, as I tried to explain in an > > earlier > > > > post, > > > > and as is evident from your posting of the brutal treatment meted > > out to > > > a > > > > young woman who has been the victim of gang rape in Saudi Arabia. > > > > > > > > Being against one kind of hell does not mean that we have to be the > > > > partisans of other kinds of hell, elsewhere. The kind of > > intellectual > > > that > > > > I find interesting it the one who has no problem at all in terms of > > > > evolving an engaged critique of oppression, no matter what form it > > > takes, > > > > no matter where it occurs. That is why, despite our respect for > > people > > > > like > > > > Noam Chomsky, some of us took it upon ourselves to sharply criticize > > his > > > > prevaricating apology for the 'Left Front' government's violence > > against > > > > its own subjects in West Bengal > > > > > > > > And so, contrary to your expectations, some of those of us who have > > been > > > > active on this list in arguing against the Indian state's military > > > > occupation of the Kashmir valley have had no problems at all in > > being > > > > determined in our opposition to oppression when it occurs in Left > > Front > > > > ruled West Bengal, in the current conditions of military > > dictatorship in > > > > Burma and Pakistan, or for that matter when it occurs under the > > aegis of > > > > the Ibn Saud dynasty in Saudi Arabia. Tomorrow, if North Korea were > > to > > > be > > > > discussed on this list, I would be certain that there will be clear > > > > arguments on this list against the imbecilic regime that rules North > > > Korea > > > > at the moment. The list can be justifiedly expanded to include Iran, > > the > > > > United States, Russia and many other countries and states. > > > > > > > > Saudi Arabia is one of the most horrible places on the planet. It is > > > ruled > > > > by a corrupt, decadent ruling elite and kept in place by money, > > weapons > > > > and > > > > influence wielded by British and American corporate intersts and > > foreign > > > > policy. If the international community was justified in operating a > > set > > > of > > > > sanctions against the hated South African apartheid regime, it > > should > > > have > > > > no business in cosying up to the sexist, slave-owning, xenophobic, > > > > anti-semitic Saudi regime which is the favourite retirement support > > > agency > > > > of third rate dictators like Idi Amin and corrupt rulers like Nawaz > > > > Sharif. > > > > > > > > The Saudi Monarchy, which rose to eminence as the stooge of British > > > > foreign > > > > policy in the middle east in the early twentieth century presides > > over > > > an > > > > imbecilic and paranoid gloss of Islam, and the particularly Salafist > > > brand > > > > of Islam that is held out as an ideal by the Saudi monarchy and its > > > rented > > > > clerics is rightly rejected by the majority of Muslims in the world. > > Its > > > > significance lies only in that it is backed by petro-dollars and > > > American > > > > fighter jets. > > > > > > > > One does not have to link the decadence of current Saudi Arabia to > > the > > > > venality of Moditva/Hindutva. They are two different kinds of > > > abominations > > > > that need to be fought, and fought till they are destroyed. I would > > be > > > > just > > > > as happy to see Salafist Islamo-fascism perish in Saudi Arabia, as I > > > > > would > > > > be to see the short, sharp end of Moditva and Hindutva in Gujarat > > and in > > > > India. > > > > > > > > regards. > > > > > > > > Shuddha > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On 2:13 pm 11/30/07 "Pawan Durani" wrote: > > > > > Would Someone Puhleez link this to Modi , RSS & Hindutva > > > > > ..........some intellectual surely would .............. > > > > > > > > > > http://www.themuslimwoman.org/ > > > > > > > http://www.themuslimwoman.org/entry/rape-victim-ordered-200-lashes-and > > > > > -prison-by-saudi-judges/ > > > > > What can be called a travesty of judiciary, the Saudi Arabia's > > Higher > > > > > Judicial Council has actually sentenced a rape victim to receive > > 200 > > > > > lashes and prison while the perpetrators of humanity's most > > heinous > > > > > crime were allowed to walk free. > > > > > > > > > > The 19-year-old Shiite woman who was raped by six armed men was > > > > > originally sentenced to receive 90 lashes for traveling in the car > > of > > > > > an 'unrelated male' at the time of the rape. However after the > > woman > > > > > had the temerity of not unquestioningly submitting herself to be > > > > > tortured as punishment of being raped, the judges on Saudi > > Arabia's > > > > > Higher Judicial Council more than doubled her punishment for > > > > > attempting to influence the judiciary through the media. > > > > > > > > > > Her lawyer, human right activist Abdul Rahman al-Lahem, has been > > > > > banned from carrying her case further. His license has been > > revoked > > > > > and he has been called to appear before a disciplinary committee > > for > > > > > challenging the judgment, which only punished the victim of the > > crime > > > > > and not its perpetrators. The Sunni rapists were given a paltry > > > > > sentence of one to five years of imprisonment. > > > > > > > > > > This is the horrendous state of a country that keeps its women > > > > > forcefully behind veils only to extenuate and encourage heinous > > > > > crimes against them in the name of maintaining social discipline. > > > > > _________________________________________ > > > > > 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. To unsubscribe: > > https://mail.sarai.ne > > > > > t/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > > > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > > > > > > _________________________________________ > > > > 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. > > > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > _________________________________________ > > > 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. > > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > _________________________________________ > > 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. > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > From mail at shivamvij.com Fri Nov 30 20:35:18 2007 From: mail at shivamvij.com (Shivam Vij) Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2007 20:35:18 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Rape Victim ordered 200 lashes and prison by Saudi judges In-Reply-To: <6b79f1a70711300644t5533974cvb39d391f891718ef@mail.gmail.com> References: <6b79f1a70711300043t1c3d3ff5vcfc303fddcc99c11@mail.gmail.com> <9c06aab30711300442xdc57c49ucd01db8e4bd05647@mail.gmail.com> <6b79f1a70711300630s52ac407w9681aadc044da0f1@mail.gmail.com> <9c06aab30711300637g5c72d172k9cf742cb1098062a@mail.gmail.com> <6b79f1a70711300644t5533974cvb39d391f891718ef@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <9c06aab30711300705q45446e18j3d87c04cfc8b2370@mail.gmail.com> You may first want to reply Shuddha's reply to your post. s On 11/30/07, Pawan Durani wrote: > > Brother Shivam , > > An employee makes an organisation / future organisation and presents a thought. It anyway doesnt matter. > > Anyway , as an individuals one of us has to demolish the myth and it takes two to debate ? > > I am game for it ....are you ? > > > > > > > > > On 11/30/07, Shivam Vij wrote: > > > > Brother Pawan, I spoke on my own behalf, not my ex-employer. Or future employers, for that matter! > > best > > shivam > > > > > > > > On 11/30/07, Pawan Durani wrote: > > > > > > Dear Friend Shivam , > > > > > > Let us demloish the myth . Are you ready for the debate ? > > > > > > On a side note , forget even saudi arabia ! Isn't the place you work for still obsessed with Gujarat while as it has has not given more than 5cc column for all the killings of hindus which have happened . > > > > > > I would discuss more , if you are open for a debate . But the question is .....would you ? > > > > > > Pawan Durani. > > > > > > > > > > > > On 11/30/07, Shivam Vij wrote: > > > > Well the connection is, 'Look you are obsessed with Gujarat but not with > > > > Saudi Arabia'. It assumes that one condones oppression and violence when it > > > > comes to "Muslims" and one is thus a "pseudo-secularist". Shuddha has > > > > demolished it well. Those who accuse others of pseudo-secularism are in fact > > > > themselves guilty of partisan obsessions with oppression. Funny how they > > > > seek to transpose their bias onto others. > > > > shivam > > > > > > > > > > > > On 11/30/07, anuradha mukherjee wrote: > > > > > > > > > > I think Shuddha's reply has summed it up beautifully. Why should a > > > > > horrible > > > > > incident in Saudi Arabia be brought up to shame those who are against a > > > > > particularly violent form of Hindutva being practised in India? What is > > > > > the > > > > > connection? > > > > > Best > > > > > Anuradha > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On 11/30/07, shuddha at sarai.net wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > Dear Pawan, > > > > > > > > > > > > Hell comes in different flavours, as I tried to explain in an earlier > > > > > > post, > > > > > > and as is evident from your posting of the brutal treatment meted out to > > > > > a > > > > > > young woman who has been the victim of gang rape in Saudi Arabia. > > > > > > > > > > > > Being against one kind of hell does not mean that we have to be the > > > > > > partisans of other kinds of hell, elsewhere. The kind of intellectual > > > > > that > > > > > > I find interesting it the one who has no problem at all in terms of > > > > > > evolving an engaged critique of oppression, no matter what form it > > > > > takes, > > > > > > no matter where it occurs. That is why, despite our respect for people > > > > > > like > > > > > > Noam Chomsky, some of us took it upon ourselves to sharply criticize his > > > > > > prevaricating apology for the 'Left Front' government's violence against > > > > > > its own subjects in West Bengal > > > > > > > > > > > > And so, contrary to your expectations, some of those of us who have been > > > > > > active on this list in arguing against the Indian state's military > > > > > > occupation of the Kashmir valley have had no problems at all in being > > > > > > determined in our opposition to oppression when it occurs in Left Front > > > > > > ruled West Bengal, in the current conditions of military dictatorship in > > > > > > Burma and Pakistan, or for that matter when it occurs under the aegis of > > > > > > the Ibn Saud dynasty in Saudi Arabia. Tomorrow, if North Korea were to > > > > > be > > > > > > discussed on this list, I would be certain that there will be clear > > > > > > arguments on this list against the imbecilic regime that rules North > > > > > Korea > > > > > > at the moment. The list can be justifiedly expanded to include Iran, the > > > > > > United States, Russia and many other countries and states. > > > > > > > > > > > > Saudi Arabia is one of the most horrible places on the planet. It is > > > > > ruled > > > > > > by a corrupt, decadent ruling elite and kept in place by money, weapons > > > > > > and > > > > > > influence wielded by British and American corporate intersts and foreign > > > > > > policy. If the international community was justified in operating a set > > > > > of > > > > > > sanctions against the hated South African apartheid regime, it should > > > > > have > > > > > > no business in cosying up to the sexist, slave-owning, xenophobic, > > > > > > anti-semitic Saudi regime which is the favourite retirement support > > > > > agency > > > > > > of third rate dictators like Idi Amin and corrupt rulers like Nawaz > > > > > > Sharif. > > > > > > > > > > > > The Saudi Monarchy, which rose to eminence as the stooge of British > > > > > > foreign > > > > > > policy in the middle east in the early twentieth century presides over > > > > > an > > > > > > imbecilic and paranoid gloss of Islam, and the particularly Salafist > > > > > brand > > > > > > of Islam that is held out as an ideal by the Saudi monarchy and its > > > > > rented > > > > > > clerics is rightly rejected by the majority of Muslims in the world. Its > > > > > > significance lies only in that it is backed by petro-dollars and > > > > > American > > > > > > fighter jets. > > > > > > > > > > > > One does not have to link the decadence of current Saudi Arabia to the > > > > > > venality of Moditva/Hindutva. They are two different kinds of > > > > > abominations > > > > > > that need to be fought, and fought till they are destroyed. I would be > > > > > > just > > > > > > as happy to see Salafist Islamo-fascism perish in Saudi Arabia, as I > > > > > would > > > > > > be to see the short, sharp end of Moditva and Hindutva in Gujarat and in > > > > > > India. > > > > > > > > > > > > regards. > > > > > > > > > > > > Shuddha > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On 2:13 pm 11/30/07 "Pawan Durani" < pawan.durani at gmail.com> wrote: > > > > > > > Would Someone Puhleez link this to Modi , RSS & Hindutva > > > > > > > ..........some intellectual surely would .............. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > http://www.themuslimwoman.org/ > > > > > > > http://www.themuslimwoman.org/entry/rape-victim-ordered-200-lashes-and > > > > > > > -prison-by-saudi-judges/ > > > > > > > What can be called a travesty of judiciary, the Saudi Arabia's Higher > > > > > > > Judicial Council has actually sentenced a rape victim to receive 200 > > > > > > > lashes and prison while the perpetrators of humanity's most heinous > > > > > > > crime were allowed to walk free. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > The 19-year-old Shiite woman who was raped by six armed men was > > > > > > > originally sentenced to receive 90 lashes for traveling in the car of > > > > > > > an 'unrelated male' at the time of the rape. However after the woman > > > > > > > had the temerity of not unquestioningly submitting herself to be > > > > > > > tortured as punishment of being raped, the judges on Saudi Arabia's > > > > > > > Higher Judicial Council more than doubled her punishment for > > > > > > > attempting to influence the judiciary through the media. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Her lawyer, human right activist Abdul Rahman al-Lahem, has been > > > > > > > banned from carrying her case further. His license has been revoked > > > > > > > and he has been called to appear before a disciplinary committee for > > > > > > > challenging the judgment, which only punished the victim of the crime > > > > > > > and not its perpetrators. The Sunni rapists were given a paltry > > > > > > > sentence of one to five years of imprisonment. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > This is the horrendous state of a country that keeps its women > > > > > > > forcefully behind veils only to extenuate and encourage heinous > > > > > > > crimes against them in the name of maintaining social discipline. > > > > > > > _________________________________________ > > > > > > > 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. To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.ne > > > > > > > t/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > > > > > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > > > > > > > > > > _________________________________________ > > > > > > 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. > > > > > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > > > > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > > > _________________________________________ > > > > > 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. > > > > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > > > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > > _________________________________________ > > > > 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. > > > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > > > > > > > > > > From krishnanrr at rediffmail.com Fri Nov 30 20:47:13 2007 From: krishnanrr at rediffmail.com (Radhakrishnan) Date: 30 Nov 2007 15:17:13 -0000 Subject: [Reader-list] Saudi Verdict Message-ID: <20071130151713.25457.qmail@webmail35.rediffmail.com> Pawan, We have been interacting about defending democracy and civil society in the Sarai discussion forum. So kindly spare the undemocratic theocratic as well as medieval regimes from the discourse of secularism and welfare of socio-cultural groups or for that matter any debate on threats to primordial identities. Lets us look at issues within the country in a holistic manner. Discrimination and violence is quiet rampant in this country, particularly in some areas cutting across region and religion. The recent abominable acts of stripping an adivasi girl in Assam or such similar act in Kerala wherein a pregnant woman was disrobed on the suspicion of stealing, few months ago. It's high time to shed the upper caste/class attitude of being in a state of self denial. There has been violence, discrimnation and oppression based on gender whether at the hands of law enforcement agents in Jammu and Kashmir or Ideological fascists in Nandigram, Gujarat or kerala or for that matter primodialists in Assam. If such things are an aberration we have been witnessing, with stomach full of indignation, since the inception of organized violence in the name of defending one's caste, religion or so called ideology. It's time we shed our colonial as well as pathological biases towards the others' whom we try to outwit through contrived rationality and self righteousness. R.Radhakrishnan On Fri, 30 Nov 2007 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. Rape Victim ordered 200 lashes and prison by Saudi judges > (Pawan Durani) > 2. Fwd: YJA - Bhujal Suraksha Yamuna Yatra - Final program > (Ratish Nanda) > 3. Re: Rape Victim ordered 200 lashes and prison by Saudi judges > (shuddha at sarai.net) > 4. Re: Rape Victim ordered 200 lashes and prison by Saudi judges > (anuradha mukherjee) > 5. Re: Rape Victim ordered 200 lashes and prison by Saudi judges > (Shivam Vij) > > >---------------------------------------------------------------------- > >Message: 1 >Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:13:08 +0530 > From: "Pawan Durani" >Subject: [Reader-list] Rape Victim ordered 200 lashes and prison by > Saudi judges >To: "sarai list" >Message-ID: > <6b79f1a70711300043t1c3d3ff5vcfc303fddcc99c11 at mail.gmail.com> >Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" > >Would Someone Puhleez link this to Modi , RSS & Hindutva ..........some >intellectual surely would .............. > >http://www.themuslimwoman.org/ >http://www.themuslimwoman.org/entry/rape-victim-ordered-200-lashes-and-prison-by-saudi-judges/ >What can be called a travesty of judiciary, the Saudi Arabia's Higher >Judicial Council has actually sentenced a rape victim to receive 200 lashes >and prison while the perpetrators of humanity's most heinous crime were >allowed to walk free. > >The 19-year-old Shiite woman who was raped by six armed men was originally >sentenced to receive 90 lashes for traveling in the car of an 'unrelated >male' at the time of the rape. However after the woman had the temerity of >not unquestioningly submitting herself to be tortured as punishment of being >raped, the judges on Saudi Arabia's Higher Judicial Council more than >doubled her punishment for attempting to influence the judiciary through the >media. > >Her lawyer, human right activist Abdul Rahman al-Lahem, has been banned from >carrying her case further. His license has been revoked and he has been >called to appear before a disciplinary committee for challenging the >judgment, which only punished the victim of the crime and not its >perpetrators. The Sunni rapists were given a paltry sentence of one to five >years of imprisonment. > >This is the horrendous state of a country that keeps its women forcefully >behind veils only to extenuate and encourage heinous crimes against them in >the name of maintaining social discipline. > > >------------------------------ > >Message: 2 >Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:45:17 +0530 > From: "Ratish Nanda" >Subject: [Reader-list] Fwd: YJA - Bhujal Suraksha Yamuna Yatra - Final > program >To: reader-list at sarai.net >Message-ID: > >Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" > > Dear all, > >please see e mail below from Shri Manoj Misra of Yamuna Bachao Andolan - >they have been protesting against the proposed constructions planned on >the Yamuna riverbed for over a 100 days and are now planning a padyatra. The >proposed constructions are expected to choke our city as, amongst other >factors, the river bed is essentially a water recharge zone. > >Please forward this e mail and join in the Yatra. > >Regards > >Ratish > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan >Date: Nov 29, 2007 10:14 PM >Subject: YJA - Bhujal Suraksha Yamuna Yatra - Final program > > >Dear Friends, > >Kindly note the program as under: > >1.12.2007 - Yatra begins at 1030 hrs from Satyagrah Sthal (behind Akshardham >next to NZM bridge) and proceeds northwards along the west bank of the >river. After we have crossed the urban stretch of the river walking through >ITO bridge, and Wazirabad Barrage we shall halt for the night at >Village Buradi. >2.12.2007 - Start morning and travel through western bank of the river till >Palla village (where the river enters Delhi). Halt for the night at >Bhaktarpur Village. >3.12.2007 - Start morning, cross over to the eastern Bank and travel >southwards along the river. Halt at Gamdi Village for the night. (It is the >125th day of the Yamuna Satyagrah) >4.12.2007 - Start morning and travel along the eastern bank, cross >Wazirabad, Shastri Park, Geeta Colony and back to Satyagrah Sthal. >5.12.2007 - Start morning and travel southwards along the west bank of the >river, cross DND, Okhla and halt for the night at Basantpur / Jaitpur >Village (where the river leaves Delhi). >6.12.2007 - Start morning and return to Satyagrah Sthal along the east bank >of the river. > >9.12.2007 - Yamuna Sansad at the Satyagrah Sthal. > >Kindly forward this program as widely as possible. > >Looking forward to having you with us during the Yatra. > >manoj > > > > >-- >www.yamunajiyeabhiyaan.blogspot.com > > > >-- >Ratish Nanda > > > >-- >Ratish Nanda > > >------------------------------ > >Message: 3 >Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2007 15:40:26 +0530 > From: >Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Rape Victim ordered 200 lashes and prison > by Saudi judges >To: " Pawan Durani " >Cc: reader-list at sarai.net >Message-ID: >Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > >Dear Pawan, > >Hell comes in different flavours, as I tried to explain in an earlier post, >and as is evident from your posting of the brutal treatment meted out to a >young woman who has been the victim of gang rape in Saudi Arabia. > >Being against one kind of hell does not mean that we have to be the >partisans of other kinds of hell, elsewhere. The kind of intellectual that >I find interesting it the one who has no problem at all in terms of >evolving an engaged critique of oppression, no matter what form it takes, >no matter where it occurs. That is why, despite our respect for people like >Noam Chomsky, some of us took it upon ourselves to sharply criticize his >prevaricating apology for the 'Left Front' government's violence against >its own subjects in West Bengal > >And so, contrary to your expectations, some of those of us who have been >active on this list in arguing against the Indian state's military >occupation of the Kashmir valley have had no problems at all in being >determined in our opposition to oppression when it occurs in Left Front >ruled West Bengal, in the current conditions of military dictatorship in >Burma and Pakistan, or for that matter when it occurs under the aegis of >the Ibn Saud dynasty in Saudi Arabia. Tomorrow, if North Korea were to be >discussed on this list, I would be certain that there will be clear >arguments on this list against the imbecilic regime that rules North Korea >at the moment. The list can be justifiedly expanded to include Iran, the >United States, Russia and many other countries and states. > >Saudi Arabia is one of the most horrible places on the planet. It is ruled >by a corrupt, decadent ruling elite and kept in place by money, weapons and >influence wielded by British and American corporate intersts and foreign >policy. If the international community was justified in operating a set of >sanctions against the hated South African apartheid regime, it should have >no business in cosying up to the sexist, slave-owning, xenophobic, >anti-semitic Saudi regime which is the favourite retirement support agency >of third rate dictators like Idi Amin and corrupt rulers like Nawaz Sharif. > >The Saudi Monarchy, which rose to eminence as the stooge of British foreign >policy in the middle east in the early twentieth century presides over an >imbecilic and paranoid gloss of Islam, and the particularly Salafist brand >of Islam that is held out as an ideal by the Saudi monarchy and its rented >clerics is rightly rejected by the majority of Muslims in the world. Its >significance lies only in that it is backed by petro-dollars and American >fighter jets. > >One does not have to link the decadence of current Saudi Arabia to the >venality of Moditva/Hindutva. They are two different kinds of abominations >that need to be fought, and fought till they are destroyed. I would be just >as happy to see Salafist Islamo-fascism perish in Saudi Arabia, as I would >be to see the short, sharp end of Moditva and Hindutva in Gujarat and in >India. > >regards. > >Shuddha > > > >On 2:13 pm 11/30/07 "Pawan Durani" wrote: > > Would Someone Puhleez link this to Modi , RSS & Hindutva > > ..........some intellectual surely would .............. > > > > http://www.themuslimwoman.org/ > > http://www.themuslimwoman.org/entry/rape-victim-ordered-200-lashes-and > > -prison-by-saudi-judges/ > > What can be called a travesty of judiciary, the Saudi Arabia's Higher > > Judicial Council has actually sentenced a rape victim to receive 200 > > lashes and prison while the perpetrators of humanity's most heinous > > crime were allowed to walk free. > > > > The 19-year-old Shiite woman who was raped by six armed men was > > originally sentenced to receive 90 lashes for traveling in the car of > > an 'unrelated male' at the time of the rape. However after the woman > > had the temerity of not unquestioningly submitting herself to be > > tortured as punishment of being raped, the judges on Saudi Arabia's > > Higher Judicial Council more than doubled her punishment for > > attempting to influence the judiciary through the media. > > > > Her lawyer, human right activist Abdul Rahman al-Lahem, has been > > banned from carrying her case further. His license has been revoked > > and he has been called to appear before a disciplinary committee for > > challenging the judgment, which only punished the victim of the crime > > and not its perpetrators. The Sunni rapists were given a paltry > > sentence of one to five years of imprisonment. > > > > This is the horrendous state of a country that keeps its women > > forcefully behind veils only to extenuate and encourage heinous > > crimes against them in the name of maintaining social discipline. > > _________________________________________ > > 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. To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.ne > > t/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > List archive: > > > >------------------------------ > >Message: 4 >Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2007 12:35:34 +0000 > From: "anuradha mukherjee" >Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Rape Victim ordered 200 lashes and prison > by Saudi judges >To: shuddha at sarai.net >Cc: reader-list at sarai.net >Message-ID: > >Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" > >I think Shuddha's reply has summed it up beautifully. Why should a horrible >incident in Saudi Arabia be brought up to shame those who are against a >particularly violent form of Hindutva being practised in India? What is the >connection? >Best >Anuradha > > >On 11/30/07, shuddha at sarai.net wrote: > > > > Dear Pawan, > > > > Hell comes in different flavours, as I tried to explain in an earlier > > post, > > and as is evident from your posting of the brutal treatment meted out to a > > young woman who has been the victim of gang rape in Saudi Arabia. > > > > Being against one kind of hell does not mean that we have to be the > > partisans of other kinds of hell, elsewhere. The kind of intellectual that > > I find interesting it the one who has no problem at all in terms of > > evolving an engaged critique of oppression, no matter what form it takes, > > no matter where it occurs. That is why, despite our respect for people > > like > > Noam Chomsky, some of us took it upon ourselves to sharply criticize his > > prevaricating apology for the 'Left Front' government's violence against > > its own subjects in West Bengal > > > > And so, contrary to your expectations, some of those of us who have been > > active on this list in arguing against the Indian state's military > > occupation of the Kashmir valley have had no problems at all in being > > determined in our opposition to oppression when it occurs in Left Front > > ruled West Bengal, in the current conditions of military dictatorship in > > Burma and Pakistan, or for that matter when it occurs under the aegis of > > the Ibn Saud dynasty in Saudi Arabia. Tomorrow, if North Korea were to be > > discussed on this list, I would be certain that there will be clear > > arguments on this list against the imbecilic regime that rules North Korea > > at the moment. The list can be justifiedly expanded to include Iran, the > > United States, Russia and many other countries and states. > > > > Saudi Arabia is one of the most horrible places on the planet. It is ruled > > by a corrupt, decadent ruling elite and kept in place by money, weapons > > and > > influence wielded by British and American corporate intersts and foreign > > policy. If the international community was justified in operating a set of > > sanctions against the hated South African apartheid regime, it should have > > no business in cosying up to the sexist, slave-owning, xenophobic, > > anti-semitic Saudi regime which is the favourite retirement support agency > > of third rate dictators like Idi Amin and corrupt rulers like Nawaz > > Sharif. > > > > The Saudi Monarchy, which rose to eminence as the stooge of British > > foreign > > policy in the middle east in the early twentieth century presides over an > > imbecilic and paranoid gloss of Islam, and the particularly Salafist brand > > of Islam that is held out as an ideal by the Saudi monarchy and its rented > > clerics is rightly rejected by the majority of Muslims in the world. Its > > significance lies only in that it is backed by petro-dollars and American > > fighter jets. > > > > One does not have to link the decadence of current Saudi Arabia to the > > venality of Moditva/Hindutva. They are two different kinds of abominations > > that need to be fought, and fought till they are destroyed. I would be > > just > > as happy to see Salafist Islamo-fascism perish in Saudi Arabia, as I would > > be to see the short, sharp end of Moditva and Hindutva in Gujarat and in > > India. > > > > regards. > > > > Shuddha > > > > > > > > On 2:13 pm 11/30/07 "Pawan Durani" wrote: > > > Would Someone Puhleez link this to Modi , RSS & Hindutva > > > ..........some intellectual surely would .............. > > > > > > http://www.themuslimwoman.org/ > > > http://www.themuslimwoman.org/entry/rape-victim-ordered-200-lashes-and > > > -prison-by-saudi-judges/ > > > What can be called a travesty of judiciary, the Saudi Arabia's Higher > > > Judicial Council has actually sentenced a rape victim to receive 200 > > > lashes and prison while the perpetrators of humanity's most heinous > > > crime were allowed to walk free. > > > > > > The 19-year-old Shiite woman who was raped by six armed men was > > > originally sentenced to receive 90 lashes for traveling in the car of > > > an 'unrelated male' at the time of the rape. However after the woman > > > had the temerity of not unquestioningly submitting herself to be > > > tortured as punishment of being raped, the judges on Saudi Arabia's > > > Higher Judicial Council more than doubled her punishment for > > > attempting to influence the judiciary through the media. > > > > > > Her lawyer, human right activist Abdul Rahman al-Lahem, has been > > > banned from carrying her case further. His license has been revoked > > > and he has been called to appear before a disciplinary committee for > > > challenging the judgment, which only punished the victim of the crime > > > and not its perpetrators. The Sunni rapists were given a paltry > > > sentence of one to five years of imprisonment. > > > > > > This is the horrendous state of a country that keeps its women > > > forcefully behind veils only to extenuate and encourage heinous > > > crimes against them in the name of maintaining social discipline. > > > _________________________________________ > > > 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. To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.ne > > > t/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > > 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. > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > List archive: > > >------------------------------ > >Message: 5 >Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2007 18:12:10 +0530 > From: "Shivam Vij" >Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Rape Victim ordered 200 lashes and prison > by Saudi judges >To: "anuradha mukherjee" >Cc: reader-list at sarai.net, shuddha at sarai.net >Message-ID: > <9c06aab30711300442xdc57c49ucd01db8e4bd05647 at mail.gmail.com> >Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" > >Well the connection is, 'Look you are obsessed with Gujarat but not with >Saudi Arabia'. It assumes that one condones oppression and violence when it >comes to "Muslims" and one is thus a "pseudo-secularist". Shuddha has >demolished it well. Those who accuse others of pseudo-secularism are in fact >themselves guilty of partisan obsessions with oppression. Funny how they >seek to transpose their bias onto others. >shivam > > >On 11/30/07, anuradha mukherjee wrote: > > > > I think Shuddha's reply has summed it up beautifully. Why should a > > horrible > > incident in Saudi Arabia be brought up to shame those who are against a > > particularly violent form of Hindutva being practised in India? What is > > the > > connection? > > Best > > Anuradha > > > > > > On 11/30/07, shuddha at sarai.net wrote: > > > > > > Dear Pawan, > > > > > > Hell comes in different flavours, as I tried to explain in an earlier > > > post, > > > and as is evident from your posting of the brutal treatment meted out to > > a > > > young woman who has been the victim of gang rape in Saudi Arabia. > > > > > > Being against one kind of hell does not mean that we have to be the > > > partisans of other kinds of hell, elsewhere. The kind of intellectual > > that > > > I find interesting it the one who has no problem at all in terms of > > > evolving an engaged critique of oppression, no matter what form it > > takes, > > > no matter where it occurs. That is why, despite our respect for people > > > like > > > Noam Chomsky, some of us took it upon ourselves to sharply criticize his > > > prevaricating apology for the 'Left Front' government's violence against > > > its own subjects in West Bengal > > > > > > And so, contrary to your expectations, some of those of us who have been > > > active on this list in arguing against the Indian state's military > > > occupation of the Kashmir valley have had no problems at all in being > > > determined in our opposition to oppression when it occurs in Left Front > > > ruled West Bengal, in the current conditions of military dictatorship in > > > Burma and Pakistan, or for that matter when it occurs under the aegis of > > > the Ibn Saud dynasty in Saudi Arabia. Tomorrow, if North Korea were to > > be > > > discussed on this list, I would be certain that there will be clear > > > arguments on this list against the imbecilic regime that rules North > > Korea > > > at the moment. The list can be justifiedly expanded to include Iran, the > > > United States, Russia and many other countries and states. > > > > > > Saudi Arabia is one of the most horrible places on the planet. It is > > ruled > > > by a corrupt, decadent ruling elite and kept in place by money, weapons > > > and > > > influence wielded by British and American corporate intersts and foreign > > > policy. If the international community was justified in operating a set > > of > > > sanctions against the hated South African apartheid regime, it should > > have > > > no business in cosying up to the sexist, slave-owning, xenophobic, > > > anti-semitic Saudi regime which is the favourite retirement support > > agency > > > of third rate dictators like Idi Amin and corrupt rulers like Nawaz > > > Sharif. > > > > > > The Saudi Monarchy, which rose to eminence as the stooge of British > > > foreign > > > policy in the middle east in the early twentieth century presides over > > an > > > imbecilic and paranoid gloss of Islam, and the particularly Salafist > > brand > > > of Islam that is held out as an ideal by the Saudi monarchy and its > > rented > > > clerics is rightly rejected by the majority of Muslims in the world. Its > > > significance lies only in that it is backed by petro-dollars and > > American > > > fighter jets. > > > > > > One does not have to link the decadence of current Saudi Arabia to the > > > venality of Moditva/Hindutva. They are two different kinds of > > abominations > > > that need to be fought, and fought till they are destroyed. I would be > > > just > > > as happy to see Salafist Islamo-fascism perish in Saudi Arabia, as I > > would > > > be to see the short, sharp end of Moditva and Hindutva in Gujarat and in > > > India. > > > > > > regards. > > > > > > Shuddha > > > > > > > > > > > > On 2:13 pm 11/30/07 "Pawan Durani" wrote: > > > > Would Someone Puhleez link this to Modi , RSS & Hindutva > > > > ..........some intellectual surely would .............. > > > > > > > > http://www.themuslimwoman.org/ > > > > http://www.themuslimwoman.org/entry/rape-victim-ordered-200-lashes-and > > > > -prison-by-saudi-judges/ > > > > What can be called a travesty of judiciary, the Saudi Arabia's Higher > > > > Judicial Council has actually sentenced a rape victim to receive 200 > > > > lashes and prison while the perpetrators of humanity's most heinous > > > > crime were allowed to walk free. > > > > > > > > The 19-year-old Shiite woman who was raped by six armed men was > > > > originally sentenced to receive 90 lashes for traveling in the car of > > > > an 'unrelated male' at the time of the rape. However after the woman > > > > had the temerity of not unquestioningly submitting herself to be > > > > tortured as punishment of being raped, the judges on Saudi Arabia's > > > > Higher Judicial Council more than doubled her punishment for > > > > attempting to influence the judiciary through the media. > > > > > > > > Her lawyer, human right activist Abdul Rahman al-Lahem, has been > > > > banned from carrying her case further. His license has been revoked > > > > and he has been called to appear before a disciplinary committee for > > > > challenging the judgment, which only punished the victim of the crime > > > > and not its perpetrators. The Sunni rapists were given a paltry > > > > sentence of one to five years of imprisonment. > > > > > > > > This is the horrendous state of a country that keeps its women > > > > forcefully behind veils only to extenuate and encourage heinous > > > > crimes against them in the name of maintaining social discipline. > > > > _________________________________________ > > > > 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. To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.ne > > > > t/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > > > 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. > > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > > 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. > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > List archive: > > >------------------------------ > >_______________________________________________ >reader-list mailing list >reader-list at sarai.net >https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > >End of reader-list Digest, Vol 52, Issue 79 >******************************************* Cell - 9818063517 From bridgetkustin at gmail.com Fri Nov 30 21:30:06 2007 From: bridgetkustin at gmail.com (Bridget Kustin) Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2007 11:00:06 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Myanmar's Rohingyas Message-ID: <8d2a79ac0711300800o23fa5852u1d9ca3e645ded83b@mail.gmail.com> *http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10214763* ** *Myanmar's Rohingyas* *No place like home* Nov 29th 2007 | SITTWE AND TAL CAMP >From The Economist print edition *Stateless and homeless, Myanmar's Muslims have been abandoned by everyone* AS UNREST in Myanmar kindled flickering hopes of political change, long-suffering refugees in Bangladesh were glued to their radios. They hope for a chance to reclaim their land and their dignity. Sadly, they may be waiting in vain. Not only are there scant signs of change from the repressive ruling junta. But these are also Rohingyas, members of a poor Muslim minority never very welcome at home. The junta's persecution of Muslims has been extreme. But anti-Muslim sentiments have been simmering for centuries in Burma. The dark-skinned Rohingyas, who have more in common physically and culturally with Bangladeshis than with most Burmese, have always suffered abuse. The junta has ostracised them, by refusing full Myanmar citizenship, calling them only "residents of Rakhine state". Almost all the roughly 800,000 Rohingyas today are stateless. The military regime routinely presses them into slave labour, severely restricts their rights to travel and marry, and denies them access to both medical care and education. In Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine (formerly Arakan), Rohingyas lead desperately poor lives. Those not pressganged into road construction at meagre wages live by subsistence farming and fishing. "It's because we're Muslim," declares a trishaw driver. He says people give work to Buddhists. There are many poor Buddhists in Sittwe too. But the perception of unfair treatment lingers amongst Muslims, though some made common cause with September's anti-government protesters. Rohingyas have been fleeing Myanmar for decades. Many mingle among the million or so illegal Burmese migrants living in Thailand. And the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has documented 12,000 in Malaysia, but admits there may be twice that number. The largest number has fled to Bangladesh. But the Bangladeshis have been reluctant hosts. Citing overpopulation and land scarcity, successive governments have forcibly repatriated the refugees: 250,000 were expelled between 1991 and 1992, and almost as many since. Since 1992 Bangladesh has refused to grant the Rohingyas refugee status. Only two official UNHCR camps now remain near Chittagong. But most of those repatriated to the same dire conditions they had fled have trickled back to squat in makeshift shelters and camps just across the border. Today around 8,000 live in an unofficial camp called Tal. Another 200,000 have settled in the surrounding area. Tal was born out of Operation Clean Heart, a 2002 crackdown in which thousands of Rohingyas were rooted out of local villages. Frido Herinckx of Médecins Sans Frontières, an aid organisation, describes how the police threatened local Bangladeshis with prison unless they reported on their Burmese neighbours. Instead of returning to Myanmar, thousands of homeless Rohingyas regrouped and settled on a 30-metre-wide stretch of mud along the banks of the Naf River. In Tal as many as 12 people are crammed into flimsy shelters patched together from reeds and plastic sheets. Floods regularly inundate the camp, and local hostility to the incomers often leads to violence. Still, most feel that life there is preferable to the daily humiliations suffered in Myanmar. "If I can't even say 'this house is mine,' how can I live there?" asks one 32-year-old man. He says the regime confiscated all he had. The government in Bangladesh has recently shown signs of softening its policies. It plans to move Tal to a drier and more permanent location. Aid workers hope the Rohingyas will eventually be granted Bangladeshi citizenship. Most Rohingyas say that if democracy is established in Myanmar, they will go back. But the junta is not their only enemy. From atul2242 at yahoo.com Fri Nov 30 06:50:39 2007 From: atul2242 at yahoo.com (Atul Gupta) Date: Thu, 29 Nov 2007 17:20:39 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] [CACDelhi] Appeal to boycott Bhubaneswar Film Festival '07 Message-ID: <99BB6FFB-43C0-4E9F-B7C8-DF4478070867@yahoo.com> Dear Friends, I would like to bring to everyone's urgent attention on a disturbing trend emerging in Bhubaneswar amongst the film fraternity & media persons. Over the last few years more and more film festivals are being sponsored by corporations facing charges of gross human rights violations & environmental damage. The best example being Vedanta Alumina Ltd., a company that has been internationally hounded for its activities in Orissa. Vedanta sponsored Bring Your Film Festival in Puri two years back and now it has sponsored the Bhubaneswar Film Festival '07. The timing of these festivals sponsored by Vedanta is always when the company is going through a tough time. The Bhubaneswar Film Festival '07 kicks off today, a week after the company was denied permission to carry out bauxite mining in the pristine primary forested Niyamgiri Hills by the Supreme Court of India on many grounds, a week after the State Pollution Control Board issued a notice to the company for affecting more than 25,000 villagers in 10 villages by the air and water pollution caused by its illegal factory in Lanjigarh and three weeks after the Govt of Norway withdrew its investments in the company for its malpractices in Orissa. The people's movement against Vedanta has been raging for five years now. Many inncoent civilians have been beaten up by goons, and arrested under false charges. Vedanta's factory was built in the most dubious manner and many villages were forcefully displaced with ample support by district administration. Their villages were bulldozed while the police held them captive. Their cattle was shooed away and they have been put in a virtual prison since then which the company has termed Rehabilitation Colony. One local person was allegedly killed by the goons of the company for resisting displacement and protesting strongly against the atrocities of the company. Around the factory there are many stories of many deaths that have been hushed up. As a headline in the frontpage of The Times of India questioned a week back "Whats good for Orissa, bad for Norway?", the same question can be put to the organisers of the Bhubaneswar Film Festival who choose to ignore the mishappenings in other parts of the state caused by their patron company Vedanta. Just google keywords like Vedanta, Niyamgiri, & Lanjigarh and one finds hundreds of webpages with adequate information on how the company has violated almost every law of the land in order to get its way ahead. One can only guess if the organisers are ignorant partners in this 'consent manufacturing event' or not. Nevertheless, their disrespect towards other citizens of the state who are suffering due to the company's activities, cannot be more overt than the mammoth billboards plastered all over Bhubaneswar, advertising the film festival and Vedanta's name. These bilboards might create some goodwill amongst lovers of cinema and distract them from the real nature of the sponsors which is most certainly a planned strategy. Unfortunately these kind of festivals which are supposedly for the cause of meaningful & good cinema will incur more damage on society than the very meaningless & commercial cinema with whom they are fighting for space. Though I have tried my best not to make this appeal to boycott the film festival to be a personal attack on the organisers I am compelled to mention that seemingly they have started to make a livelihood out of organising film festivals. In Orissa erring companies like Vedanta and Tata need all the goodwill they can and are more than happy to pay these people more than they ask for. Being a volunteer in some festivals in the past I am aware of how budgets are proposed to potential sponsors who are mostly companies with overactive PR wings (meaning they require more damage control) many times more than the actual cost Inscreen Film Society of which I was once a part is also planning on a film festival next month in Bhubaneswar and it will not be a surprise if names like Vedanta or Tata pop up again alongwith as they have started the trend of manufacturing consent through film festival with BYOFF in Puri. Ironically BYOFF was born to liberate and democratise film festivals but has only proved to be facade for 'consent manufacturing'. Now Bhubaneswar Film Society is doing it with the Bhubaneswar Film Festival '07 from today without any regard for thousands of people in Orissa who might be displaced if Vedanta Alumina has its way. This film festival cannot be treated as a film festival, rather an advertising vehicle by Vedanta. I would call it a Trojan horse and would like to sincerely appeal to everyone to boycott such film festivals that disregard human life and nature. With regards, Surya Shankar Dash Filmmaker, Bhubaneswar P.s. Please sign and circulate it as widely as possible. -- AMAR KANWAR New Delhi India Email : amarkanwar at gmail.com atul gupta New Delhi atul2242 at yahoo.com Atul Gupta Delhi Biscope Company Pvt. Ltd. H-75a Saket, New Delhi-17. email: 2biscope at gmail.com, atul2242 at yahoo.com skype: atul2242 --------------------------------- Get easy, one-click access to your favorites. Make Yahoo! your homepage. 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Connect with others. . __,_._,___ From ysaeed7 at yahoo.com Fri Nov 30 22:03:59 2007 From: ysaeed7 at yahoo.com (Yousuf) Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2007 08:33:59 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] apeal for release and pardon of Gillian Gibbons in Sudan Message-ID: <23876.37648.qm@web51405.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Please write to the embassies mentioned on this link for the release and pardon of the British teacher: http://www.sudan.net/government/embassay.html -------------------------------- Calls in Sudan for execution of Briton KHARTOUM, Sudan - Thousands of Sudanese, many armed with clubs and knives, rallied Friday in a central square and demanded the execution of a British teacher convicted of insulting Islam for allowing her students to name a teddy bear "Muhammad." The protesters streamed out of mosques after Friday sermons, as pickup trucks with loudspeakers blared messages against Gillian Gibbons, the teacher who was sentenced Thursday to 15 days in prison and deportation. She avoided the more serious punishment of 40 lashes. They massed in central Martyrs Square outside the presidential palace, where hundreds of riot police were deployed. They did not try to stop the rally, which lasted about an hour. "Shame, shame on the U.K.," protesters chanted. They called for Gibbons' execution, saying, "No tolerance: Execution," and "Kill her, kill her by firing squad." The women's prison where Gibbons is being held is far from the square. Several hundred protesters, not openly carrying weapons, marched about a mile away to Unity High School, where Gibbons worked. They chanted slogans outside the school, which is closed and under heavy security, then marched toward the nearby British Embassy. They were stopped by security forces two blocks away from the embassy. The protest arose despite vows by Sudanese security officials the day before, during Gibbons' trial, that threatened demonstrations after Friday prayers would not take place. Some of the protesters carried green banners with the name of the Society for Support of the Prophet Muhammad, a previously unknown group. Many protesters carried clubs, knives and axes — but not automatic weapons, which some have brandished at past government-condoned demonstrations. That suggested Friday's rally was not organized by the government. A Muslim cleric at Khartoum's main Martyrs Mosque denounced Gibbons during one sermon, saying she intentionally insulted Islam. He did not call for protests, however. "Imprisoning this lady does not satisfy the thirst of Muslims in Sudan. But we welcome imprisonment and expulsion," the cleric, Abdul-Jalil Nazeer al-Karouri, a well-known hard-liner, told worshippers. "This an arrogant woman who came to our country, cashing her salary in dollars, teaching our children hatred of our Prophet Muhammad," he said. Britain, meanwhile, pursued diplomatic moves to free Gibbons. Prime Minister Gordon Brown spoke with a member of her family to convey his regret, his spokeswoman said. "He set out his concern and the fact that we were doing all we could to secure her release," spokeswoman Emily Hands told reporters. Most Britons expressed shock at the verdict by a court in Khartoum, alongside hope it would not raise tensions between Muslims and non-Muslims in Britain. "One of the good things is the U.K. Muslims who've condemned the charge as completely out of proportion," said Paul Wishart, 37, a student in London. "In the past, people have been a bit upset when different atrocities have happened and there hasn't been much voice in the U.K. Islamic population, whereas with this, they've quickly condemned it." Muhammad Abdul Bari, secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, accused the Sudanese authorities of "gross overreaction." "This case should have required only simple common sense to resolve. It is unfortunate that the Sudanese authorities were found wanting in this most basic of qualities," he said. The Muslim Public Affairs Committee, a political advocacy group, said the prosecution was "abominable and defies common sense." The Federation of Student Islamic Societies, which represents 90,000 Muslim students in Britain and Ireland, called on Sudan's government to free Gibbons, saying she had not meant to cause offense. "We are deeply concerned that the verdict to jail a schoolteacher due to what's likely to be an innocent mistake is gravely disproportionate," said the group's president, Ali Alhadithi. The Ramadhan Foundation, a Muslim youth organization, said Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir should pardon the teacher. "The Ramadhan Foundation is disappointed and horrified by the conviction of Gillian Gibbons in Sudan," said spokesman Mohammed Shafiq. Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, spiritual leader of the world's 77 million Anglicans, said Gibbons' prosecution and conviction was "an absurdly disproportionate response to what is at worst a cultural faux pas." Foreign Secretary David Miliband summoned the Sudanese ambassador late Thursday to express Britain's disappointment with the verdict. The Foreign Office said Britain would continue diplomatic efforts to achieve "a swift resolution" to the crisis. Gibbons was arrested Sunday after another staff member at the school complained that she had allowed her 7-year-old students to name a teddy bear Muhammad. Giving the name of the Muslim prophet to an animal or a toy could be considered insulting. The case put Sudan's government in an embarrassing position — facing the anger of Britain on one side and potential trouble from powerful Islamic hard-liners on the other. Many saw the 15-day sentence as an attempt to appease both sides. In The Times, columnist Bronwen Maddox said the verdict was "something of a fudge ... designed to give a nod to British reproof but also to appease the street." Britain's response — applying diplomatic pressure while extolling ties with Sudan and affirming respect for Islam — had produced mixed results, British commentators concluded. In an editorial, The Daily Telegraph said Miliband "has tiptoed around the case, avoiding a threat to cut aid and asserting that respect for Islam runs deep in Britain. Given that much of the government's financial support goes to the wretched refugees in Darfur and neighboring Chad, Mr. Miliband's caution is understandable." Now, however, the newspaper said, Britain should recall its ambassador in Khartoum and impose sanctions on the Sudanese regime. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better pen pal. Text or chat with friends inside Yahoo! Mail. See how. http://overview.mail.yahoo.com/ From pawan.durani at gmail.com Fri Nov 30 20:00:51 2007 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2007 20:00:51 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Rape Victim ordered 200 lashes and prison by Saudi judges In-Reply-To: <9c06aab30711300442xdc57c49ucd01db8e4bd05647@mail.gmail.com> References: <6b79f1a70711300043t1c3d3ff5vcfc303fddcc99c11@mail.gmail.com> <9c06aab30711300442xdc57c49ucd01db8e4bd05647@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <6b79f1a70711300630s52ac407w9681aadc044da0f1@mail.gmail.com> Dear Friend Shivam , Let us demloish the myth . Are you ready for the debate ? On a side note , forget even saudi arabia ! Isn't the place you work for still obsessed with Gujarat while as it has has not given more than 5cc column for all the killings of hindus which have happened . I would discuss more , if you are open for a debate . But the question is .....would you ? Pawan Durani. On 11/30/07, Shivam Vij wrote: > > Well the connection is, 'Look you are obsessed with Gujarat but not with > Saudi Arabia'. It assumes that one condones oppression and violence when > it > comes to "Muslims" and one is thus a "pseudo-secularist". Shuddha has > demolished it well. Those who accuse others of pseudo-secularism are in > fact > themselves guilty of partisan obsessions with oppression. Funny how they > seek to transpose their bias onto others. > shivam > > > On 11/30/07, anuradha mukherjee wrote: > > > > I think Shuddha's reply has summed it up beautifully. Why should a > > horrible > > incident in Saudi Arabia be brought up to shame those who are against a > > particularly violent form of Hindutva being practised in India? What is > > the > > connection? > > Best > > Anuradha > > > > > > On 11/30/07, shuddha at sarai.net wrote: > > > > > > Dear Pawan, > > > > > > Hell comes in different flavours, as I tried to explain in an earlier > > > post, > > > and as is evident from your posting of the brutal treatment meted out > to > > a > > > young woman who has been the victim of gang rape in Saudi Arabia. > > > > > > Being against one kind of hell does not mean that we have to be the > > > partisans of other kinds of hell, elsewhere. The kind of intellectual > > that > > > I find interesting it the one who has no problem at all in terms of > > > evolving an engaged critique of oppression, no matter what form it > > takes, > > > no matter where it occurs. That is why, despite our respect for people > > > like > > > Noam Chomsky, some of us took it upon ourselves to sharply criticize > his > > > prevaricating apology for the 'Left Front' government's violence > against > > > its own subjects in West Bengal > > > > > > And so, contrary to your expectations, some of those of us who have > been > > > active on this list in arguing against the Indian state's military > > > occupation of the Kashmir valley have had no problems at all in being > > > determined in our opposition to oppression when it occurs in Left > Front > > > ruled West Bengal, in the current conditions of military dictatorship > in > > > Burma and Pakistan, or for that matter when it occurs under the aegis > of > > > the Ibn Saud dynasty in Saudi Arabia. Tomorrow, if North Korea were to > > be > > > discussed on this list, I would be certain that there will be clear > > > arguments on this list against the imbecilic regime that rules North > > Korea > > > at the moment. The list can be justifiedly expanded to include Iran, > the > > > United States, Russia and many other countries and states. > > > > > > Saudi Arabia is one of the most horrible places on the planet. It is > > ruled > > > by a corrupt, decadent ruling elite and kept in place by money, > weapons > > > and > > > influence wielded by British and American corporate intersts and > foreign > > > policy. If the international community was justified in operating a > set > > of > > > sanctions against the hated South African apartheid regime, it should > > have > > > no business in cosying up to the sexist, slave-owning, xenophobic, > > > anti-semitic Saudi regime which is the favourite retirement support > > agency > > > of third rate dictators like Idi Amin and corrupt rulers like Nawaz > > > Sharif. > > > > > > The Saudi Monarchy, which rose to eminence as the stooge of British > > > foreign > > > policy in the middle east in the early twentieth century presides over > > an > > > imbecilic and paranoid gloss of Islam, and the particularly Salafist > > brand > > > of Islam that is held out as an ideal by the Saudi monarchy and its > > rented > > > clerics is rightly rejected by the majority of Muslims in the world. > Its > > > significance lies only in that it is backed by petro-dollars and > > American > > > fighter jets. > > > > > > One does not have to link the decadence of current Saudi Arabia to the > > > venality of Moditva/Hindutva. They are two different kinds of > > abominations > > > that need to be fought, and fought till they are destroyed. I would be > > > just > > > as happy to see Salafist Islamo-fascism perish in Saudi Arabia, as I > > would > > > be to see the short, sharp end of Moditva and Hindutva in Gujarat and > in > > > India. > > > > > > regards. > > > > > > Shuddha > > > > > > > > > > > > On 2:13 pm 11/30/07 "Pawan Durani" wrote: > > > > Would Someone Puhleez link this to Modi , RSS & Hindutva > > > > ..........some intellectual surely would .............. > > > > > > > > http://www.themuslimwoman.org/ > > > > > http://www.themuslimwoman.org/entry/rape-victim-ordered-200-lashes-and > > > > -prison-by-saudi-judges/ > > > > What can be called a travesty of judiciary, the Saudi Arabia's > Higher > > > > Judicial Council has actually sentenced a rape victim to receive 200 > > > > lashes and prison while the perpetrators of humanity's most heinous > > > > crime were allowed to walk free. > > > > > > > > The 19-year-old Shiite woman who was raped by six armed men was > > > > originally sentenced to receive 90 lashes for traveling in the car > of > > > > an 'unrelated male' at the time of the rape. However after the woman > > > > had the temerity of not unquestioningly submitting herself to be > > > > tortured as punishment of being raped, the judges on Saudi Arabia's > > > > Higher Judicial Council more than doubled her punishment for > > > > attempting to influence the judiciary through the media. > > > > > > > > Her lawyer, human right activist Abdul Rahman al-Lahem, has been > > > > banned from carrying her case further. His license has been revoked > > > > and he has been called to appear before a disciplinary committee for > > > > challenging the judgment, which only punished the victim of the > crime > > > > and not its perpetrators. The Sunni rapists were given a paltry > > > > sentence of one to five years of imprisonment. > > > > > > > > This is the horrendous state of a country that keeps its women > > > > forcefully behind veils only to extenuate and encourage heinous > > > > crimes against them in the name of maintaining social discipline. > > > > _________________________________________ > > > > 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. To unsubscribe: > https://mail.sarai.ne > > > > t/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > > > > _________________________________________ > > > 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. > > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > _________________________________________ > > 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. > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > _________________________________________ > 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. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From pawan.durani at gmail.com Fri Nov 30 20:14:19 2007 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2007 20:14:19 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Rape Victim ordered 200 lashes and prison by Saudi judges In-Reply-To: <9c06aab30711300637g5c72d172k9cf742cb1098062a@mail.gmail.com> References: <6b79f1a70711300043t1c3d3ff5vcfc303fddcc99c11@mail.gmail.com> <9c06aab30711300442xdc57c49ucd01db8e4bd05647@mail.gmail.com> <6b79f1a70711300630s52ac407w9681aadc044da0f1@mail.gmail.com> <9c06aab30711300637g5c72d172k9cf742cb1098062a@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <6b79f1a70711300644t5533974cvb39d391f891718ef@mail.gmail.com> Brother Shivam , An employee makes an organisation / future organisation and presents a thought. It anyway doesnt matter. Anyway , as an individuals one of us has to demolish the myth and it takes two to debate ? I am game for it ....are you ? On 11/30/07, Shivam Vij wrote: > > Brother Pawan, I spoke on my own behalf, not my ex-employer. Or future > employers, for that matter! > best > shivam > > > On 11/30/07, Pawan Durani wrote: > > > > Dear Friend Shivam , > > > > Let us demloish the myth . Are you ready for the debate ? > > > > On a side note , forget even saudi arabia ! Isn't the place you work > > for still obsessed with Gujarat while as it has has not given more than 5cc > > column for all the killings of hindus which have happened . > > > > I would discuss more , if you are open for a debate . But the question > > is .....would you ? > > > > Pawan Durani. > > > > > > On 11/30/07, Shivam Vij wrote: > > > > > > Well the connection is, 'Look you are obsessed with Gujarat but not > > > with > > > Saudi Arabia'. It assumes that one condones oppression and violence > > > when it > > > comes to "Muslims" and one is thus a "pseudo-secularist". Shuddha has > > > demolished it well. Those who accuse others of pseudo-secularism are > > > in fact > > > themselves guilty of partisan obsessions with oppression. Funny how > > > they > > > seek to transpose their bias onto others. > > > shivam > > > > > > > > > On 11/30/07, anuradha mukherjee wrote: > > > > > > > > I think Shuddha's reply has summed it up beautifully. Why should a > > > > horrible > > > > incident in Saudi Arabia be brought up to shame those who are > > > against a > > > > particularly violent form of Hindutva being practised in India? What > > > is > > > > the > > > > connection? > > > > Best > > > > Anuradha > > > > > > > > > > > > On 11/30/07, shuddha at sarai.net wrote: > > > > > > > > > > Dear Pawan, > > > > > > > > > > Hell comes in different flavours, as I tried to explain in an > > > earlier > > > > > post, > > > > > and as is evident from your posting of the brutal treatment meted > > > out to > > > > a > > > > > young woman who has been the victim of gang rape in Saudi Arabia. > > > > > > > > > > Being against one kind of hell does not mean that we have to be > > > the > > > > > partisans of other kinds of hell, elsewhere. The kind of > > > intellectual > > > > that > > > > > I find interesting it the one who has no problem at all in terms > > > of > > > > > evolving an engaged critique of oppression, no matter what form it > > > > > > > takes, > > > > > no matter where it occurs. That is why, despite our respect for > > > people > > > > > like > > > > > Noam Chomsky, some of us took it upon ourselves to sharply > > > criticize his > > > > > prevaricating apology for the 'Left Front' government's violence > > > against > > > > > its own subjects in West Bengal > > > > > > > > > > And so, contrary to your expectations, some of those of us who > > > have been > > > > > active on this list in arguing against the Indian state's military > > > > > > > > occupation of the Kashmir valley have had no problems at all in > > > being > > > > > determined in our opposition to oppression when it occurs in Left > > > Front > > > > > ruled West Bengal, in the current conditions of military > > > dictatorship in > > > > > Burma and Pakistan, or for that matter when it occurs under the > > > aegis of > > > > > the Ibn Saud dynasty in Saudi Arabia. Tomorrow, if North Korea > > > were to > > > > be > > > > > discussed on this list, I would be certain that there will be > > > clear > > > > > arguments on this list against the imbecilic regime that rules > > > North > > > > Korea > > > > > at the moment. The list can be justifiedly expanded to include > > > Iran, the > > > > > United States, Russia and many other countries and states. > > > > > > > > > > Saudi Arabia is one of the most horrible places on the planet. It > > > is > > > > ruled > > > > > by a corrupt, decadent ruling elite and kept in place by money, > > > weapons > > > > > and > > > > > influence wielded by British and American corporate intersts and > > > foreign > > > > > policy. If the international community was justified in operating > > > a set > > > > of > > > > > sanctions against the hated South African apartheid regime, it > > > should > > > > have > > > > > no business in cosying up to the sexist, slave-owning, xenophobic, > > > > > > > > anti-semitic Saudi regime which is the favourite retirement > > > support > > > > agency > > > > > of third rate dictators like Idi Amin and corrupt rulers like > > > Nawaz > > > > > Sharif. > > > > > > > > > > The Saudi Monarchy, which rose to eminence as the stooge of > > > British > > > > > foreign > > > > > policy in the middle east in the early twentieth century presides > > > over > > > > an > > > > > imbecilic and paranoid gloss of Islam, and the particularly > > > Salafist > > > > brand > > > > > of Islam that is held out as an ideal by the Saudi monarchy and > > > its > > > > rented > > > > > clerics is rightly rejected by the majority of Muslims in the > > > world. Its > > > > > significance lies only in that it is backed by petro-dollars and > > > > American > > > > > fighter jets. > > > > > > > > > > One does not have to link the decadence of current Saudi Arabia to > > > the > > > > > venality of Moditva/Hindutva. They are two different kinds of > > > > abominations > > > > > that need to be fought, and fought till they are destroyed. I > > > would be > > > > > just > > > > > as happy to see Salafist Islamo-fascism perish in Saudi Arabia, as > > > I > > > > would > > > > > be to see the short, sharp end of Moditva and Hindutva in Gujarat > > > and in > > > > > India. > > > > > > > > > > regards. > > > > > > > > > > Shuddha > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On 2:13 pm 11/30/07 "Pawan Durani" < pawan.durani at gmail.com> > > > wrote: > > > > > > Would Someone Puhleez link this to Modi , RSS & Hindutva > > > > > > ..........some intellectual surely would .............. > > > > > > > > > > > > http://www.themuslimwoman.org/ > > > > > > > > > http://www.themuslimwoman.org/entry/rape-victim-ordered-200-lashes-and > > > > > > -prison-by-saudi-judges/ > > > > > > What can be called a travesty of judiciary, the Saudi Arabia's > > > Higher > > > > > > Judicial Council has actually sentenced a rape victim to receive > > > 200 > > > > > > lashes and prison while the perpetrators of humanity's most > > > heinous > > > > > > crime were allowed to walk free. > > > > > > > > > > > > The 19-year-old Shiite woman who was raped by six armed men was > > > > > > originally sentenced to receive 90 lashes for traveling in the > > > car of > > > > > > an 'unrelated male' at the time of the rape. However after the > > > woman > > > > > > had the temerity of not unquestioningly submitting herself to be > > > > > > > > > tortured as punishment of being raped, the judges on Saudi > > > Arabia's > > > > > > Higher Judicial Council more than doubled her punishment for > > > > > > attempting to influence the judiciary through the media. > > > > > > > > > > > > Her lawyer, human right activist Abdul Rahman al-Lahem, has been > > > > > > banned from carrying her case further. His license has been > > > revoked > > > > > > and he has been called to appear before a disciplinary committee > > > for > > > > > > challenging the judgment, which only punished the victim of the > > > crime > > > > > > and not its perpetrators. The Sunni rapists were given a paltry > > > > > > sentence of one to five years of imprisonment. > > > > > > > > > > > > This is the horrendous state of a country that keeps its women > > > > > > forcefully behind veils only to extenuate and encourage heinous > > > > > > crimes against them in the name of maintaining social > > > discipline. > > > > > > _________________________________________ > > > > > > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > > > > > > Critiques & Collaborations > > > > > > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.netwith > > > > > > subscribe in the subject header. To unsubscribe: > > > https://mail.sarai.ne > > > > > > t/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > > > > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > > > > > > > > > > > _________________________________________ > > > > > 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. > > > > > To unsubscribe: > > > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > > > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > > _________________________________________ > > > > 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. > > > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > _________________________________________ > > > 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. > > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > > > > > From dash.suryashankar at gmail.com Fri Nov 30 20:23:01 2007 From: dash.suryashankar at gmail.com (SURYA) Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2007 20:23:01 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Online petition to boycott Bhubaneswar Film Festival 07 sponsored by Vedanta Message-ID: Dear Friends, This is the online petition to boycott the bhubaneswar film festival sponsored by Vedanta. Regards Surya http://www.PetitionOnline.com/filmfete/petition.html From alice at tank.tv Fri Nov 30 22:27:19 2007 From: alice at tank.tv (Alice O'Reilly) Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2007 16:57:19 +0000 Subject: [Reader-list] Submissions Invited for Exhibition on www.tank.tv Message-ID: <442eb4460711300857l50dc6f40j8195d51a7e2f98a@mail.gmail.com> Submissions Invited for Exhibition on www.tank.tv 1st January - 1st March 2008 tank.tv is inviting submissions to its forthcoming show, The Whole World, curated by Ian White. The Whole World is a list of lists: a programme of artists' film and video and an interactive online exhibition. Both a formal device and a political strategy, film and video that deploys a list as part of its structure often does so with political intent: to subvert hierarchies, to undermine rationalism or to reveal contradiction. In contemporary culture the pop chart's Top 10 has been replaced by an ever-expanding craze for "Top 100s" of everything from Hollywood genres to celebrity gaffes. The Whole World attempts to wrestle back the initiative… The Whole World is situated somewhere between the absurd and obsessive enterprises of Flaubert's eponymous characters Bouvard and Pecuchet (they hopelessly collect and explore until, exhausted, they revert to their original jobs as copy clerks) and the Japanese animated game Katamari in which players roll all matter – objects, buildings, landscapes, the world itself - into snowballing globes of stuff. The Whole World is ridiculous and irreverent, ambitious and viral. Viewers are invited to contribute to the programme selected by Ian White by uploading their own video list, be that an extract from an existing work or something made specially for the purpose, to compile a unique, exponential collection: an extraordinary list of lists, of the world as we know it – the whole world. Work will be selected to join the online exhibition as well as a rolling tank.tv programme on the CASZartscreen in Amsterdam. Submissions will be accepted prior to, and throughout the exhibition online. Submit work via the website or mail mini DV tapes and/or Quicktime files to tank.tv 5th Floor 49 - 50 Great Marlborough St London W1F 7JR UK Queries and questions to: Alice O'Reilly / alice at tank.tv -- - - - - - - - - - - - - Alice O'Reilly tank.tv 5th floor 49-50 Great Marlborough street London W1F 7JR alice at tank.tv T +44 (0)207434 0110 F +44 (0)207434 9232 http://www.tank.tv - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Now showing: Love & Hate 15th October – 15th November 2007 Fresh Moves - Out now! Order your copy on www.tank.tv "A significant archive of creative practices in the early years of twenty-first century England" Tyler Coburn, Tomorrow Unlimited --- tank.tv is an inspirational showcase for innovative work in film and video. Dedicated to exhibiting and promoting emerging and established international artists, www.tank.tv acts as a major online gallery and archive for video art. A platform for contemporary moving images. From alice at tank.tv Fri Nov 30 22:27:19 2007 From: alice at tank.tv (Alice O'Reilly) Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2007 16:57:19 +0000 Subject: [Reader-list] [Announcements] Submissions Invited for Exhibition on www.tank.tv Message-ID: <442eb4460711300857l50dc6f40j8195d51a7e2f98a@mail.gmail.com> Submissions Invited for Exhibition on www.tank.tv 1st January - 1st March 2008 tank.tv is inviting submissions to its forthcoming show, The Whole World, curated by Ian White. The Whole World is a list of lists: a programme of artists' film and video and an interactive online exhibition. Both a formal device and a political strategy, film and video that deploys a list as part of its structure often does so with political intent: to subvert hierarchies, to undermine rationalism or to reveal contradiction. In contemporary culture the pop chart's Top 10 has been replaced by an ever-expanding craze for "Top 100s" of everything from Hollywood genres to celebrity gaffes. The Whole World attempts to wrestle back the initiative… The Whole World is situated somewhere between the absurd and obsessive enterprises of Flaubert's eponymous characters Bouvard and Pecuchet (they hopelessly collect and explore until, exhausted, they revert to their original jobs as copy clerks) and the Japanese animated game Katamari in which players roll all matter – objects, buildings, landscapes, the world itself - into snowballing globes of stuff. The Whole World is ridiculous and irreverent, ambitious and viral. Viewers are invited to contribute to the programme selected by Ian White by uploading their own video list, be that an extract from an existing work or something made specially for the purpose, to compile a unique, exponential collection: an extraordinary list of lists, of the world as we know it – the whole world. Work will be selected to join the online exhibition as well as a rolling tank.tv programme on the CASZartscreen in Amsterdam. Submissions will be accepted prior to, and throughout the exhibition online. Submit work via the website or mail mini DV tapes and/or Quicktime files to tank.tv 5th Floor 49 - 50 Great Marlborough St London W1F 7JR UK Queries and questions to: Alice O'Reilly / alice at tank.tv -- - - - - - - - - - - - - Alice O'Reilly tank.tv 5th floor 49-50 Great Marlborough street London W1F 7JR alice at tank.tv T +44 (0)207434 0110 F +44 (0)207434 9232 http://www.tank.tv - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Now showing: Love & Hate 15th October – 15th November 2007 Fresh Moves - Out now! Order your copy on www.tank.tv "A significant archive of creative practices in the early years of twenty-first century England" Tyler Coburn, Tomorrow Unlimited --- tank.tv is an inspirational showcase for innovative work in film and video. Dedicated to exhibiting and promoting emerging and established international artists, www.tank.tv acts as a major online gallery and archive for video art. A platform for contemporary moving images. -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announcements at sarai.net https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements