From kaksanjay at gmail.com Thu Apr 1 11:32:58 2010 From: kaksanjay at gmail.com (Sanjay Kak) Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2010 11:32:58 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Selective condemnation of rape and murder has become bane of J&K politics In-Reply-To: References: <504441.28007.qm@web57202.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Sonia, Where is this piece from? It usually helps to source such incendiary writing, since the net is a place awash with propaganda and psy-ops. (Sly ops?) Of course Mr Ahmed Ali Fayyaz is a senior Kashmiri journalist-in fact he is widely regarded as the Praveen Swami of Kashmiri journalism, and that is no small compliment to both. About the piece: he has devoted considerable space to last years events around the Shopian rape and murder, but the rhetorical use to which he puts it overwhelms the details of this more recent event. One misses a straight forward rendering of what has actually happened in Pulwama. This is important because the mainstream media (including the vast Indian Express bureau) seem to have missed the importance of this incident. For me A A Fayyaz's sentence "Second one has been purportedly shot on camera and the actor stands not only identified but also placed under suspension, arrested and jailed" is quite loaded. I would imagine that most serious journalists would want to tarry for a moment on the "purportedly shot on camera", and ask the who/how of this piece of evidence. A rape shot on camera? By whom? The fact that he has been placed under suspension, arrested and jailed is not evidentiary. This is Kashmir we are talking about, after all. Whatever its journalistic failings the piece inadvertantly still draws attention to some important questions: why is there such a huge trust deficit between the men in Olive Green/Khakhi and the people of Kashmir? Why did the people of Shopian go on a 42 day hartal last year? To suggest that it was only because they were misled by self-serving politicians of the PDP and NC is to display an astonishing lack of regard for facts: the Majlis-e-Mashawarat, which led the hartal and the ongoing struggle, had made it clear that no political parties were welcome in town, and they managed to keep the issue quite distinct from "Separatist" politics as well. I think think a journalist of A A Fayyaz's stature would have done well to find out what were the pressures that made Dr Nighat change her statement (whether or not she swore on the Qur'an). Then perhaps he would be led to the circumstances that led to the other Dr Un-named being "purportedly shot on camera". Lastly, am I the only one who reads some condescension in your comment that "this group of well-meaning women are not the first to get misled with half-facts and half-truths in Kashmir". Perhaps it would be better if there was a concrete critique of the report of the Independent Initiative, or their findings and conclusions. When you say "the Shopian case was an extremely complicated case, which was manipulated and presented to the world as fact", is there an alternative reading that you would share with us, or guide us to? Best Sanjay Kak On Wed, Mar 31, 2010 at 7:47 PM, S. Jabbar wrote: > Kshmendra, it is unfair to condemn them as such. The Shopian case was an > extremely complicated case, which was manipulated and presented to the world > as fact. Sadly, this group of well-meaning women are not the first to get > misled with half-facts and half-truths in Kashmir. I think the admission by > Dr.Nighat last year of forging the vaginal samples genuinely shocked many > people in Kashmir-- after all she had sworn upon the Qur'an. That coupled > with the 2 cases of murder in Maisuma (where near riots had broken out as > people had initially suspected the security forces) will, hopefully cause > some introspection. Ahmed Ali Fayyaz's article is a move in that direction. > --sj > > > From: Kshmendra Kaul > Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2010 06:37:29 -0700 (PDT) > To: "S. Jabbar" > Cc: sarai list > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Selective condemnation of rape and murder has > become bane of J&K politics > > Continuing the question (it is a continual one where incidents and > characters change): > > Where today are the Miss Marples, the whodunit experts, the Umas > (Chakravarty), Ushas (Ramanathan), Seemas (Misra), Vrindas (Grover), Dr. > Ajitas, Anuradhas (Bhasin Jamwal), those members of "Independent Women's > Initiative for Justice" and authors of "Shopian: Manufacturing a Suitable > Story" > > Kshmendra > > > --- On Wed, 3/31/10, S. Jabbar wrote: >> >> From: S. Jabbar >> Subject: [Reader-list] Selective condemnation of rape and murder has become >> bane of J&K politics >> To: "Sarai" >> Date: Wednesday, March 31, 2010, 5:22 PM >> >> RAPE OF POLITICS >> >> ....and where are those Mehboobas, Shameemas, Asiyas today? >> >> Selective condemnation of rape and murder has become bane of J&K politics >> >> Ahmed Ali Fayyaz >> >> JAMMU, Mar 30: Hullabaloo over then widely perceived rape-cum-murder of two >> young woman, married Neelofar Jan and unmarried Asiya Jan, of Shopian in May >> last year was understandable as well as justifiable. Jostling for the >> limelight, female politicians of all hues had done whatever possible to >> undercut one another in the race of smudging the men in uniform. There were >> initially efforts to involve the Balpora-based formation of Rashtriya >> Rifles. Soon the campaign was downgraded to a unit of Central Reserve Police >> Force (CRPF). But once both proved to be the hard nuts, convenience zeroed >> in on Police. Even as two of the Police personnel, detained for their >> alleged involvement in destroying the evidences, were just a vegetarian >> target, counter-insurgency profile of then SP and Dy SP of Shopian made it a >> perfect case for a mass movement. >> >> For weeks together, Kashmir was yet again in flames. Eight people got >> killed, and around 1,000 sustained injuries in clashes with Police and armed >> forces. Over a thousand vehicles, including 50 ambulances of different >> hospitals in the Valley, were damaged in stone pelting. There was shutdown >> after shutdown for four months. Damage caused to the Kashmir economy is >> estimated to be in hundreds of Crores of Rupees. Loss suffered by the >> student community remained incalculable. Why all that? Obviously because >> government officials, supposed to protect the honour and life of women, were >> perceived to be involved in the sinister act of outraging the modesty of the >> victims and doing away with them. >> >> Within months, yet another government official---this time a doctor on whose >> evidence stood the ³rape-cum-murder² of the Shopian duo---has been found to >> have outraged the chastity of a hapless woman at his clinic at the nearby >> district headquarters of Pulwama. There are few differences between the two. >> First one was fully based on surmise, speculation and perception. Post >> mortem reports of two teams of doctors made it an explosive case of gang >> rape and murder. Actors need not to be searched in such kind of incidents in >> the strife torn Valley. Second one has been purportedly shot on camera and >> the actor stands not only identified but also placed under suspension, >> arrested and jailed. >> >> In case of Shopian, the victims were found to have died once. In case of >> Pulwama, the victim has been left to die a hundred times every day as long >> as she lives. The latest revelation is that she happens to be the mother of >> a girl doing first year of her MBBS and a 17-year-old son who is in class >> 11th. Shopian happened by night in a nullah and Pulwama in broad daylight >> during the holy month of Ramazan, at a property owned by a religious trust. >> Then, why an uproar on Shopian and a silence of convenience on Pulwama? The >> biggest poser of the cruel times in Kashmir: Is it the outfits of an actor >> that categorizes rapes in the Valley? Had the Pulwama actor been in Khaki, >> would the Kashmiri politicians have maintained this silence. The questions >> ahead: Are the Kashmiri female politicians concerned over the outrage of the >> modesty of hapless women by government officials or are they exploiting such >> incidents selectively to create space for themselves in the politics of >> deceit and camouflage that has had a bullish market from New Delhi to >> Islamabad? >> >> PDP President, Mehbooba Mufti, and the pro-Pakistan Dukhataraan-e-Millat >> supremo, Asiya Andrabi, stole the show in Shopian as they left no stone >> unturned in berating the men in uniform. That was understandable for one was >> the queen of the mainstream opposition and another indisputably the highest >> profile female political activist in the separatist camp. But the ruling >> National Conference¹s MLA, Shameema Firdaus, appeared to outsmart all and >> sundry in the agitation when she led a procession of workers on Residency >> Road in Srinagar, chanting slogans against the Shopian rapists and killers >> and demanding exemplary punishment for them all. >> >> Of late, Shameema Firdaus, has been appointed by Omar Abdullah government as >> the Chairperson of the State Women¹s Commission. While Asiya and her ilk in >> the separatist camp must have now realized the dangers of walking into the >> trap of pro-India politicians, PDP chief has never been sighted in Assembly >> since the day Pulwama surfaced on March 21. Ms Firdaus remained in >> attendance but did not utter a word of condemnation even when the >> independent MLA from Langet, Engineer Sheikh Abdul Rashid, raised his lonely >> voice on the floor of the House and demanded termination of the doctor¹s >> services. >> >> Until yesterday, the big question was: How could the two women have drowned >> to death in ³ankle deep waters² of Rambiara ? After CBI exonerated all the >> four Policemen and filed a chargesheet against 13 persons, including six >> doctors---notably then deputy Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Ghulam Qadir >> Sofi, now booked for raping a woman at his clinic---a bigger question >> surfaced: How do the gang rapes in Valley take place while leaving hymen of >> an unmarried woman intact? Now a far bigger question: Is it all politics on >> rape or rape of politics---to spare the rapists in civvies and target only >> the rapists in uniform? >> _________________________________________ >> 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 yasir.media at gmail.com Thu Apr 1 12:16:34 2010 From: yasir.media at gmail.com (=?UTF-8?B?eWFzaXIgftmK2Kcg2LPYsQ==?=) Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2010 11:46:34 +0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Constitution Overhauled in PK Message-ID: some good news on khyber-pakhtunkhwa renaming of province, provincial and local autonomy (federal concurrent list thrown away), judges appointment (CJ will appoint 7th member who is a retired judge) many of the changes reversed were brought about under dictatorships and military govts. a few of the faces are still there and even part of the commitee, faces who supported the the earlier mangling of the constitution. good job. y *From Presidency to PM House* Thursday, April 01, 2010 History made as parliamentary panel signs draft of 18th Amendment ; Reforms package proposes transfer of powers to parliament;repeal of concurrent list; agreement on seventh judge; NWFP to be renamed Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa; removal of Ziaul Haq’s name http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=28096 *Parties strike accord on 18th Amendment* By Ahmad Hassan Thursday, 01 Apr, 2010 http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/12-crc+signs+18th+amendment+draft--bi-05 From chandni_parekh at yahoo.com Thu Apr 1 12:15:50 2010 From: chandni_parekh at yahoo.com (Chandni Parekh) Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2010 23:45:50 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] Film Screenings in April Message-ID: <575074.59972.qm@web54401.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Chandni Parekh sent a message to the members of the Vikalp at Prithvi group on Facebook. Upcoming Film Screenings: 'We Care Film Fest 2010', March 31-April 1, Bombay Queer Nazariya - International LGBTI Film Festival, April 2-4, Bombay 'The Great Indian Butterfly' by Sarthak Dasgupta, April 3, Delhi 'Due Partite' ('The Ladies Get their Say') [Italian] by Enzo Monteleone, April 3, Delhi 'Chilika Banks': Stories From India's Largest Coastal Lake by Akanksha Joshi, April 5, Delhi 'We Care Film Fest 2010', April 7-9, Allahabad 'Anche Libero Va Bene' ('Along the Ridge') [Italian] by Kim Rossi Stuart, April 7 & 10, Delhi 'Ocean Of An Old Man' by Rajesh Shera, April 8, Delhi 'What's Cooking Stella?' by Dilip Mehta, April 11, Delhi 'Solo un Padre' ('The Semi-Serious Adventures of a Single Father') [Italian] by Luca Lucini, April 14 & 17, Delhi Child Birth Film Festival, April 18-19, Delhi 'Il Papà di Giovanna' ('Giovanna's Father') [Italian] by Pupi Avati, April 21 & 24, Delhi 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' [Swedish] by Niels Arden Oplev, April 22, Delhi Kashish - Mumbai International Queer Film Festival, April 22-25 'Leaving Home: The Life And Music Of Indian Ocean' by Jaideep Varma, April 23, Delhi Vikalp at Prithvi Screening of 'A Jihad for Love' by Parvez Sharma, April 26, 7 pm, Juhu, Bombay 'Come Dio Comanda' ('As God Commands') [Italian] by Gabriele Salvatores, April 28, Delhi 'The Groundwater Up Project' by Manchanda, Katie Gillett and Moriah Mason, April 29, Delhi For details: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=46819848804 From sonia.jabbar at gmail.com Thu Apr 1 12:26:38 2010 From: sonia.jabbar at gmail.com (S. Jabbar) Date: Thu, 01 Apr 2010 12:26:38 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Selective condemnation of rape and murder has become bane of J&K politics In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Dear Sanjay, Psy-ops, sly-ops? Strong language. Why, because you don't agree with what is being said? A.A. Fayyaz being 'widely regarded as the Praveen Swami of Kashmiri journalism' is neither here nor there. There are many names floating around about me and about you, and indeed about many people who draw attention to themselves by occasionally speaking the truth in Kashmir so let us not go into the merits and demerits of these appellations. This piece is the latest of a few he has written about Pulwama. If you do a net search you will find his first report, which was indeed a 'straight forward rendering' of the incident. You may also find a few reported by others, though few journalists have written about this case because few have the courage to do so. The reason I did not post the ones preceding this because I think someone already did post it last week or 10 days ago, unless I read it on another list-serve. I apologise for the confusion this may have caused. Fayyaz incidentally, writes now for the Early Times. He calls the Pulwama incident rape as does the MLA from Langate in the Assembly. You may pass it off as sexual harassment/sexual violence/sex-under-coercion, but the fact remains that the woman in question was an unemployed nurse who had gone to the CMO's office because he had promised her a job. I have no idea whether this was the first time he was sexually assaulting her, or not and I don't know whether the person who filmed it was her relative or his colleague. An enquiry has been ordered and I will not comment until some more facts emerge. You ask rhetorically why is there a trust deficit between the citizens of the Valley and men in khaki? The answer is obvious and I am the last person to be mealy mouthed about it. You want me to further clarify: because the men in khaki have not had an exemplary record in the last 20 years in J&K, just as men in khaki and by extension men with guns all over the world, murder often passing for patriotic action and rape, shrugged off as collateral damage. I have actually met women who have been sexually assaulted by men in khaki in Kashmir and have condemned those incidents in no uncertain terms. However, having gone through all that is available on the Shopian case, I cannot in all good conscience say that the women were either murdered or raped. I am deeply disturbed that you read condescension in my statement about the 'women's initiative.' Please do not create misunderstandings by putting words into my mouth. Some of these women I have known for many, many years, some I have worked with in the past and I have great affection and respect for all of them. Having said that I do not agree with their report. They know this as I attended their press conference and publicly asked questions that they could not answer to my satisfaction. To go into the Shopian case, its twists and turns, to question every allegation will take me time and energy that I do not wish to expend on this list. I am writing about it and I beg your patience until it is published. If not, do call or drop in for a cup of coffee and I will be happy to clarify my views. Best sj > From: Sanjay Kak > Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2010 11:32:58 +0530 > To: Sarai > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Selective condemnation of rape and murder has > become bane of J&K politics > > Sonia, Where is this piece from? It usually helps to source such > incendiary writing, since the net is a place awash with propaganda and > psy-ops. (Sly ops?) Of course Mr Ahmed Ali Fayyaz is a senior > Kashmiri journalist-in fact he is widely regarded as the Praveen Swami > of Kashmiri journalism, and that is no small compliment to both. About the > piece: he has devoted considerable space to last years events around the > Shopian rape and murder, but the rhetorical use to which he puts it overwhelms > the details of this more recent event. One misses a straight forward rendering > of what has actually happened in Pulwama. This is important because the > mainstream media (including the vast Indian Express bureau) seem to have > missed the importance of this incident. For me A A Fayyaz's sentence "Second > one has been purportedly shot on camera and the actor stands not only > identified but also placed under suspension, arrested and jailed" is quite > loaded. I would imagine that most serious journalists would want to tarry for > a moment on the "purportedly shot on camera", and ask the who/how of this > piece of evidence. A rape shot on camera? By whom? The fact that he has > been placed under suspension, arrested and jailed is not evidentiary. This is > Kashmir we are talking about, after all. Whatever its journalistic failings > the piece inadvertantly still draws attention to some important questions: why > is there such a huge trust deficit between the men in Olive Green/Khakhi and > the people of Kashmir? Why did the people of Shopian go on a 42 day hartal > last year? To suggest that it was only because they were misled > by self-serving politicians of the PDP and NC is to display an astonishing > lack of regard for facts: the Majlis-e-Mashawarat, which led the hartal and > the ongoing struggle, had made it clear that no political parties were welcome > in town, and they managed to keep the issue quite distinct from "Separatist" > politics as well. I think think a journalist of A A Fayyaz's stature would > have done well to find out what were the pressures that made Dr Nighat > change her statement (whether or not she swore on the Qur'an). Then perhaps he > would be led to the circumstances that led to the other Dr Un-named being > "purportedly shot on camera". Lastly, am I the only one who reads some > condescension in your comment that "this group of well-meaning women are not > the first to get misled with half-facts and half-truths in Kashmir". Perhaps > it would be better if there was a concrete critique of the report of > the Independent Initiative, or their findings and conclusions. When you say > "the Shopian case was an extremely complicated case, which was manipulated and > presented to the world as fact", is there an alternative reading that you > would share with us, or guide us to? Best Sanjay Kak On Wed, Mar 31, 2010 > at 7:47 PM, S. Jabbar wrote: > Kshmendra, it is > unfair to condemn them as such. The Shopian case was an > extremely > complicated case, which was manipulated and presented to the world > as fact. > Sadly, this group of well-meaning women are not the first to get > misled with > half-facts and half-truths in Kashmir. I think the admission by > Dr.Nighat > last year of forging the vaginal samples genuinely shocked many > people in > Kashmir-- after all she had sworn upon the Qur'an. That coupled > with the 2 > cases of murder in Maisuma (where near riots had broken out as > people had > initially suspected the security forces) will, hopefully cause > some > introspection. Ahmed Ali Fayyaz's article is a move in that direction. > > --sj > > > From: Kshmendra Kaul > Date: Wed, 31 Mar > 2010 06:37:29 -0700 (PDT) > To: "S. Jabbar" > Cc: > sarai list > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Selective > condemnation of rape and murder has > become bane of J&K politics > > > Continuing the question (it is a continual one where incidents and > > characters change): > > Where today are the Miss Marples, the whodunit > experts, the Umas > (Chakravarty), Ushas (Ramanathan), Seemas (Misra), Vrindas > (Grover), Dr. > Ajitas, Anuradhas (Bhasin Jamwal), those members of > "Independent Women's > Initiative for Justice" and authors of "Shopian: > Manufacturing a Suitable > Story" > > Kshmendra > > > --- On Wed, 3/31/10, S. > Jabbar wrote: >> >> From: S. Jabbar > >> Subject: [Reader-list] Selective condemnation of > rape and murder has become >> bane of J&K politics >> To: "Sarai" > >> Date: Wednesday, March 31, 2010, 5:22 PM >> >> RAPE > OF POLITICS >> >> ....and where are those Mehboobas, Shameemas, Asiyas > today? >> >> Selective condemnation of rape and murder has become bane of J&K > politics >> >> Ahmed Ali Fayyaz >> >> JAMMU, Mar 30: Hullabaloo over then > widely perceived rape-cum-murder of two >> young woman, married Neelofar Jan > and unmarried Asiya Jan, of Shopian in May >> last year was understandable as > well as justifiable. Jostling for the >> limelight, female politicians of all > hues had done whatever possible to >> undercut one another in the race of > smudging the men in uniform. There were >> initially efforts to involve the > Balpora-based formation of Rashtriya >> Rifles. Soon the campaign was > downgraded to a unit of Central Reserve Police >> Force (CRPF). But once both > proved to be the hard nuts, convenience zeroed >> in on Police. Even as two of > the Police personnel, detained for their >> alleged involvement in destroying > the evidences, were just a vegetarian >> target, counter-insurgency profile of > then SP and Dy SP of Shopian made it a >> perfect case for a mass > movement. >> >> For weeks together, Kashmir was yet again in flames. Eight > people got >> killed, and around 1,000 sustained injuries in clashes with > Police and armed >> forces. Over a thousand vehicles, including 50 ambulances > of different >> hospitals in the Valley, were damaged in stone pelting. There > was shutdown >> after shutdown for four months. Damage caused to the Kashmir > economy is >> estimated to be in hundreds of Crores of Rupees. Loss suffered > by the >> student community remained incalculable. Why all that? Obviously > because >> government officials, supposed to protect the honour and life of > women, were >> perceived to be involved in the sinister act of outraging the > modesty of the >> victims and doing away with them. >> >> Within months, yet > another government official---this time a doctor on whose >> evidence stood > the ³rape-cum-murder² of the Shopian duo---has been found to >> have outraged > the chastity of a hapless woman at his clinic at the nearby >> district > headquarters of Pulwama. There are few differences between the two. >> First > one was fully based on surmise, speculation and perception. Post >> mortem > reports of two teams of doctors made it an explosive case of gang >> rape and > murder. Actors need not to be searched in such kind of incidents in >> the > strife torn Valley. Second one has been purportedly shot on camera and >> the > actor stands not only identified but also placed under suspension, >> arrested > and jailed. >> >> In case of Shopian, the victims were found to have died > once. In case of >> Pulwama, the victim has been left to die a hundred times > every day as long >> as she lives. The latest revelation is that she happens > to be the mother of >> a girl doing first year of her MBBS and a 17-year-old > son who is in class >> 11th. Shopian happened by night in a nullah and Pulwama > in broad daylight >> during the holy month of Ramazan, at a property owned by > a religious trust. >> Then, why an uproar on Shopian and a silence of > convenience on Pulwama? The >> biggest poser of the cruel times in Kashmir: Is > it the outfits of an actor >> that categorizes rapes in the Valley? Had the > Pulwama actor been in Khaki, >> would the Kashmiri politicians have maintained > this silence. The questions >> ahead: Are the Kashmiri female politicians > concerned over the outrage of the >> modesty of hapless women by government > officials or are they exploiting such >> incidents selectively to create space > for themselves in the politics of >> deceit and camouflage that has had a > bullish market from New Delhi to >> Islamabad? >> >> PDP President, Mehbooba > Mufti, and the pro-Pakistan Dukhataraan-e-Millat >> supremo, Asiya Andrabi, > stole the show in Shopian as they left no stone >> unturned in berating the > men in uniform. That was understandable for one was >> the queen of the > mainstream opposition and another indisputably the highest >> profile female > political activist in the separatist camp. But the ruling >> National > Conference¹s MLA, Shameema Firdaus, appeared to outsmart all and >> sundry in > the agitation when she led a procession of workers on Residency >> Road in > Srinagar, chanting slogans against the Shopian rapists and killers >> and > demanding exemplary punishment for them all. >> >> Of late, Shameema Firdaus, > has been appointed by Omar Abdullah government as >> the Chairperson of the > State Women¹s Commission. While Asiya and her ilk in >> the separatist camp > must have now realized the dangers of walking into the >> trap of pro-India > politicians, PDP chief has never been sighted in Assembly >> since the day > Pulwama surfaced on March 21. Ms Firdaus remained in >> attendance but did not > utter a word of condemnation even when the >> independent MLA from Langet, > Engineer Sheikh Abdul Rashid, raised his lonely >> voice on the floor of the > House and demanded termination of the doctor¹s >> services. >> >> Until > yesterday, the big question was: How could the two women have drowned >> to > death in ³ankle deep waters² of Rambiara ? After CBI exonerated all the>> > four Policemen and filed a chargesheet against 13 persons, including six >> > doctors---notably then deputy Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Ghulam Qadir>> > Sofi, now booked for raping a woman at his clinic---a bigger question >> > surfaced: How do the gang rapes in Valley take place while leaving hymen of >> > an unmarried woman intact? Now a far bigger question: Is it all politics on >> > rape or rape of politics---to spare the rapists in civvies and target only >> > the rapists in uniform? >> _________________________________________ >> > 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 sonia.jabbar at gmail.com Thu Apr 1 13:20:49 2010 From: sonia.jabbar at gmail.com (S. Jabbar) Date: Thu, 01 Apr 2010 13:20:49 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Selective condemnation of rape and murder has become bane of J&K politics In-Reply-To: Message-ID: >From Indian Express Print Story Seen in sex clip, Shopian case CMO suspended Bashaarat Masood Posted online: March 21, 2010 at 0217 The Jammu and Kashmir government on Saturday suspended Pulwama Chief Medical Officer Dr Ghulam Qadir, already chargesheeted by the CBI for fabricating evidence in the Shopian case, after footage of him having sex with a woman in a clinic became public on Friday. “We watched the clip and the man in the video resembles Dr Qadir,” said SSP Kifayat Haider. “It seems that the clip was shot last summer and shows the doctor having sex with a woman in a clinic-like room. We are investigating the case,” he added. The CMO Qadir has since been booked. The police are also looking for the people who shot and distributed the video. “The matter is serious and we have placed the doctor under suspension,” Health Minister Sham Lal Sharma said, adding that an independent inquiry had been initiated. Dr Qadir was among the persons chargesheeted by CBI in the Shopian case in relation to the death of 22-year-old Neelofar Jan and her 17-year-old sister-in-law Asiya Jan that led to massive protests across the Kashmir valley. The CMO and 12 other persons were charged with fabricating and destroying evidence. > From: Sanjay Kak > Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2010 11:32:58 +0530 > To: Sarai > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Selective condemnation of rape and murder has > become bane of J&K politics > > Sonia, Where is this piece from? It usually helps to source such > incendiary writing, since the net is a place awash with propaganda and > psy-ops. (Sly ops?) Of course Mr Ahmed Ali Fayyaz is a senior > Kashmiri journalist-in fact he is widely regarded as the Praveen Swami > of Kashmiri journalism, and that is no small compliment to both. About the > piece: he has devoted considerable space to last years events around the > Shopian rape and murder, but the rhetorical use to which he puts it overwhelms > the details of this more recent event. One misses a straight forward rendering > of what has actually happened in Pulwama. This is important because the > mainstream media (including the vast Indian Express bureau) seem to have > missed the importance of this incident. For me A A Fayyaz's sentence "Second > one has been purportedly shot on camera and the actor stands not only > identified but also placed under suspension, arrested and jailed" is quite > loaded. I would imagine that most serious journalists would want to tarry for > a moment on the "purportedly shot on camera", and ask the who/how of this > piece of evidence. A rape shot on camera? By whom? The fact that he has > been placed under suspension, arrested and jailed is not evidentiary. This is > Kashmir we are talking about, after all. Whatever its journalistic failings > the piece inadvertantly still draws attention to some important questions: why > is there such a huge trust deficit between the men in Olive Green/Khakhi and > the people of Kashmir? Why did the people of Shopian go on a 42 day hartal > last year? To suggest that it was only because they were misled > by self-serving politicians of the PDP and NC is to display an astonishing > lack of regard for facts: the Majlis-e-Mashawarat, which led the hartal and > the ongoing struggle, had made it clear that no political parties were welcome > in town, and they managed to keep the issue quite distinct from "Separatist" > politics as well. I think think a journalist of A A Fayyaz's stature would > have done well to find out what were the pressures that made Dr Nighat > change her statement (whether or not she swore on the Qur'an). Then perhaps he > would be led to the circumstances that led to the other Dr Un-named being > "purportedly shot on camera". Lastly, am I the only one who reads some > condescension in your comment that "this group of well-meaning women are not > the first to get misled with half-facts and half-truths in Kashmir". Perhaps > it would be better if there was a concrete critique of the report of > the Independent Initiative, or their findings and conclusions. When you say > "the Shopian case was an extremely complicated case, which was manipulated and > presented to the world as fact", is there an alternative reading that you > would share with us, or guide us to? Best Sanjay Kak On Wed, Mar 31, 2010 > at 7:47 PM, S. Jabbar wrote: > Kshmendra, it is > unfair to condemn them as such. The Shopian case was an > extremely > complicated case, which was manipulated and presented to the world > as fact. > Sadly, this group of well-meaning women are not the first to get > misled with > half-facts and half-truths in Kashmir. I think the admission by > Dr.Nighat > last year of forging the vaginal samples genuinely shocked many > people in > Kashmir-- after all she had sworn upon the Qur'an. That coupled > with the 2 > cases of murder in Maisuma (where near riots had broken out as > people had > initially suspected the security forces) will, hopefully cause > some > introspection. Ahmed Ali Fayyaz's article is a move in that direction. > > --sj > > > From: Kshmendra Kaul > Date: Wed, 31 Mar > 2010 06:37:29 -0700 (PDT) > To: "S. Jabbar" > Cc: > sarai list > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Selective > condemnation of rape and murder has > become bane of J&K politics > > > Continuing the question (it is a continual one where incidents and > > characters change): > > Where today are the Miss Marples, the whodunit > experts, the Umas > (Chakravarty), Ushas (Ramanathan), Seemas (Misra), Vrindas > (Grover), Dr. > Ajitas, Anuradhas (Bhasin Jamwal), those members of > "Independent Women's > Initiative for Justice" and authors of "Shopian: > Manufacturing a Suitable > Story" > > Kshmendra > > > --- On Wed, 3/31/10, S. > Jabbar wrote: >> >> From: S. Jabbar > >> Subject: [Reader-list] Selective condemnation of > rape and murder has become >> bane of J&K politics >> To: "Sarai" > >> Date: Wednesday, March 31, 2010, 5:22 PM >> >> RAPE > OF POLITICS >> >> ....and where are those Mehboobas, Shameemas, Asiyas > today? >> >> Selective condemnation of rape and murder has become bane of J&K > politics >> >> Ahmed Ali Fayyaz >> >> JAMMU, Mar 30: Hullabaloo over then > widely perceived rape-cum-murder of two >> young woman, married Neelofar Jan > and unmarried Asiya Jan, of Shopian in May >> last year was understandable as > well as justifiable. Jostling for the >> limelight, female politicians of all > hues had done whatever possible to >> undercut one another in the race of > smudging the men in uniform. There were >> initially efforts to involve the > Balpora-based formation of Rashtriya >> Rifles. Soon the campaign was > downgraded to a unit of Central Reserve Police >> Force (CRPF). But once both > proved to be the hard nuts, convenience zeroed >> in on Police. Even as two of > the Police personnel, detained for their >> alleged involvement in destroying > the evidences, were just a vegetarian >> target, counter-insurgency profile of > then SP and Dy SP of Shopian made it a >> perfect case for a mass > movement. >> >> For weeks together, Kashmir was yet again in flames. Eight > people got >> killed, and around 1,000 sustained injuries in clashes with > Police and armed >> forces. Over a thousand vehicles, including 50 ambulances > of different >> hospitals in the Valley, were damaged in stone pelting. There > was shutdown >> after shutdown for four months. Damage caused to the Kashmir > economy is >> estimated to be in hundreds of Crores of Rupees. Loss suffered > by the >> student community remained incalculable. Why all that? Obviously > because >> government officials, supposed to protect the honour and life of > women, were >> perceived to be involved in the sinister act of outraging the > modesty of the >> victims and doing away with them. >> >> Within months, yet > another government official---this time a doctor on whose >> evidence stood > the ³rape-cum-murder² of the Shopian duo---has been found to >> have outraged > the chastity of a hapless woman at his clinic at the nearby >> district > headquarters of Pulwama. There are few differences between the two. >> First > one was fully based on surmise, speculation and perception. Post >> mortem > reports of two teams of doctors made it an explosive case of gang >> rape and > murder. Actors need not to be searched in such kind of incidents in >> the > strife torn Valley. Second one has been purportedly shot on camera and >> the > actor stands not only identified but also placed under suspension, >> arrested > and jailed. >> >> In case of Shopian, the victims were found to have died > once. In case of >> Pulwama, the victim has been left to die a hundred times > every day as long >> as she lives. The latest revelation is that she happens > to be the mother of >> a girl doing first year of her MBBS and a 17-year-old > son who is in class >> 11th. Shopian happened by night in a nullah and Pulwama > in broad daylight >> during the holy month of Ramazan, at a property owned by > a religious trust. >> Then, why an uproar on Shopian and a silence of > convenience on Pulwama? The >> biggest poser of the cruel times in Kashmir: Is > it the outfits of an actor >> that categorizes rapes in the Valley? Had the > Pulwama actor been in Khaki, >> would the Kashmiri politicians have maintained > this silence. The questions >> ahead: Are the Kashmiri female politicians > concerned over the outrage of the >> modesty of hapless women by government > officials or are they exploiting such >> incidents selectively to create space > for themselves in the politics of >> deceit and camouflage that has had a > bullish market from New Delhi to >> Islamabad? >> >> PDP President, Mehbooba > Mufti, and the pro-Pakistan Dukhataraan-e-Millat >> supremo, Asiya Andrabi, > stole the show in Shopian as they left no stone >> unturned in berating the > men in uniform. That was understandable for one was >> the queen of the > mainstream opposition and another indisputably the highest >> profile female > political activist in the separatist camp. But the ruling >> National > Conference¹s MLA, Shameema Firdaus, appeared to outsmart all and >> sundry in > the agitation when she led a procession of workers on Residency >> Road in > Srinagar, chanting slogans against the Shopian rapists and killers >> and > demanding exemplary punishment for them all. >> >> Of late, Shameema Firdaus, > has been appointed by Omar Abdullah government as >> the Chairperson of the > State Women¹s Commission. While Asiya and her ilk in >> the separatist camp > must have now realized the dangers of walking into the >> trap of pro-India > politicians, PDP chief has never been sighted in Assembly >> since the day > Pulwama surfaced on March 21. Ms Firdaus remained in >> attendance but did not > utter a word of condemnation even when the >> independent MLA from Langet, > Engineer Sheikh Abdul Rashid, raised his lonely >> voice on the floor of the > House and demanded termination of the doctor¹s >> services. >> >> Until > yesterday, the big question was: How could the two women have drowned >> to > death in ³ankle deep waters² of Rambiara ? After CBI exonerated all the>> > four Policemen and filed a chargesheet against 13 persons, including six >> > doctors---notably then deputy Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Ghulam Qadir>> > Sofi, now booked for raping a woman at his clinic---a bigger question >> > surfaced: How do the gang rapes in Valley take place while leaving hymen of >> > an unmarried woman intact? Now a far bigger question: Is it all politics on >> > rape or rape of politics---to spare the rapists in civvies and target only >> > the rapists in uniform? >> _________________________________________ >> > 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 sonia.jabbar at gmail.com Thu Apr 1 13:28:38 2010 From: sonia.jabbar at gmail.com (S. Jabbar) Date: Thu, 01 Apr 2010 13:28:38 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Selective condemnation of rape and murder has become bane of J&K politics In-Reply-To: Message-ID: More twists in Shopian: ‘hymen intact,’ doctor ‘admits’ cover-up RIYAZ WANI Posted online: Wednesday, Sep 30, 2009 at 0358 hrs Srinagar : More questions have come to haunt the Shopian murder and rape case in the wake of the CBI’s exhumation of the two bodies. While a forensic examination is said to have found that 17-year-old Aasiya Jan, the younger of the two victims, had her hymen intact, a doctor who conducted the first set of tests is said to have admitted to an alleged cover-up. “The CBI team showed us (Aasiya’s) hymen. But I told them it still doesn’t rule out sexual assault or an attempt to rape,” said Ghulam Qadir Khan of the Mushawarat Majlis-e-Committee, the ad hoc body of village elders which led the 47-day agitation demanding justice for the victims. “We will wait for the result (of the forensic examination) to come. And then we will respond,” Khan said. Several representatives of the Mushawarat were present when a team of senior forensic experts from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences exhumed the bodies and carried out a series of tests. Significantly, the Mushawarat has acknowledged that it has “trust” in the CBI and that procedures were carried out in a “transparent manner”. Aasiya, 17, was found dead in a stream along with her sister-in-law Neelofar, 22, on May 30. It was alleged they had been raped and killed by security forces. Khan said there was “no doubt” about the fact that the women had been murdered. “There is a grievous injury on the skull of Aasiya which may turn out to be the likely cause of her death,” he said. Meanwhile, Nighat Chillo, a gynaecologist who was part of the team sent from the Pulwama district hospital to Shopian to examine the bodies of the two victims, is said to have told the CBI that she “forgot” to take vaginal swabs and, as a cover-up, her superiors told her to pass off two “fake slides” as the victims’. The gynecologist was called to the camp office of the CBI team at Humhama for questioning where she is said to have broken down. Chillo had gone to examine the bodies along with Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Pulwama, Ghulam Qadir Sofi and Health Officer Mohammad Maqbool. Sources said that Chillo has claimed that when she told the doctors that she didn’t have the swabs, she was asked to “check if she could collect it from the gloves” she had used in the examination. When that didn’t yield anything, she was told to collect “any two slides of the many in the hospital” and pass them off as the victims.’ When contacted, Sofi, the then deputy CMO (now CMO Pulwama), said: “It is true that we did not get samples (vaginal swabs for the slides) but we thought that we will get them from the gloves that she (Nighat) was wearing at the time of the examination”. Ghulam Mohammad Paul, who was the CMO then, said: “When they (the team of doctors) came to my office, they were carrying slides which I sealed and forwarded to FSL...They didn’t tell me that the samples were not taken at all.” Maqbool was not available for comment. > From: Sanjay Kak > Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2010 11:32:58 +0530 > To: Sarai > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Selective condemnation of rape and murder has > become bane of J&K politics > > Sonia, Where is this piece from? It usually helps to source such > incendiary writing, since the net is a place awash with propaganda and > psy-ops. (Sly ops?) Of course Mr Ahmed Ali Fayyaz is a senior > Kashmiri journalist-in fact he is widely regarded as the Praveen Swami > of Kashmiri journalism, and that is no small compliment to both. About the > piece: he has devoted considerable space to last years events around the > Shopian rape and murder, but the rhetorical use to which he puts it overwhelms > the details of this more recent event. One misses a straight forward rendering > of what has actually happened in Pulwama. This is important because the > mainstream media (including the vast Indian Express bureau) seem to have > missed the importance of this incident. For me A A Fayyaz's sentence "Second > one has been purportedly shot on camera and the actor stands not only > identified but also placed under suspension, arrested and jailed" is quite > loaded. I would imagine that most serious journalists would want to tarry for > a moment on the "purportedly shot on camera", and ask the who/how of this > piece of evidence. A rape shot on camera? By whom? The fact that he has > been placed under suspension, arrested and jailed is not evidentiary. This is > Kashmir we are talking about, after all. Whatever its journalistic failings > the piece inadvertantly still draws attention to some important questions: why > is there such a huge trust deficit between the men in Olive Green/Khakhi and > the people of Kashmir? Why did the people of Shopian go on a 42 day hartal > last year? To suggest that it was only because they were misled > by self-serving politicians of the PDP and NC is to display an astonishing > lack of regard for facts: the Majlis-e-Mashawarat, which led the hartal and > the ongoing struggle, had made it clear that no political parties were welcome > in town, and they managed to keep the issue quite distinct from "Separatist" > politics as well. I think think a journalist of A A Fayyaz's stature would > have done well to find out what were the pressures that made Dr Nighat > change her statement (whether or not she swore on the Qur'an). Then perhaps he > would be led to the circumstances that led to the other Dr Un-named being > "purportedly shot on camera". Lastly, am I the only one who reads some > condescension in your comment that "this group of well-meaning women are not > the first to get misled with half-facts and half-truths in Kashmir". Perhaps > it would be better if there was a concrete critique of the report of > the Independent Initiative, or their findings and conclusions. When you say > "the Shopian case was an extremely complicated case, which was manipulated and > presented to the world as fact", is there an alternative reading that you > would share with us, or guide us to? Best Sanjay Kak On Wed, Mar 31, 2010 > at 7:47 PM, S. Jabbar wrote: > Kshmendra, it is > unfair to condemn them as such. The Shopian case was an > extremely > complicated case, which was manipulated and presented to the world > as fact. > Sadly, this group of well-meaning women are not the first to get > misled with > half-facts and half-truths in Kashmir. I think the admission by > Dr.Nighat > last year of forging the vaginal samples genuinely shocked many > people in > Kashmir-- after all she had sworn upon the Qur'an. That coupled > with the 2 > cases of murder in Maisuma (where near riots had broken out as > people had > initially suspected the security forces) will, hopefully cause > some > introspection. Ahmed Ali Fayyaz's article is a move in that direction. > > --sj > > > From: Kshmendra Kaul > Date: Wed, 31 Mar > 2010 06:37:29 -0700 (PDT) > To: "S. Jabbar" > Cc: > sarai list > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Selective > condemnation of rape and murder has > become bane of J&K politics > > > Continuing the question (it is a continual one where incidents and > > characters change): > > Where today are the Miss Marples, the whodunit > experts, the Umas > (Chakravarty), Ushas (Ramanathan), Seemas (Misra), Vrindas > (Grover), Dr. > Ajitas, Anuradhas (Bhasin Jamwal), those members of > "Independent Women's > Initiative for Justice" and authors of "Shopian: > Manufacturing a Suitable > Story" > > Kshmendra > > > --- On Wed, 3/31/10, S. > Jabbar wrote: >> >> From: S. Jabbar > >> Subject: [Reader-list] Selective condemnation of > rape and murder has become >> bane of J&K politics >> To: "Sarai" > >> Date: Wednesday, March 31, 2010, 5:22 PM >> >> RAPE > OF POLITICS >> >> ....and where are those Mehboobas, Shameemas, Asiyas > today? >> >> Selective condemnation of rape and murder has become bane of J&K > politics >> >> Ahmed Ali Fayyaz >> >> JAMMU, Mar 30: Hullabaloo over then > widely perceived rape-cum-murder of two >> young woman, married Neelofar Jan > and unmarried Asiya Jan, of Shopian in May >> last year was understandable as > well as justifiable. Jostling for the >> limelight, female politicians of all > hues had done whatever possible to >> undercut one another in the race of > smudging the men in uniform. There were >> initially efforts to involve the > Balpora-based formation of Rashtriya >> Rifles. Soon the campaign was > downgraded to a unit of Central Reserve Police >> Force (CRPF). But once both > proved to be the hard nuts, convenience zeroed >> in on Police. Even as two of > the Police personnel, detained for their >> alleged involvement in destroying > the evidences, were just a vegetarian >> target, counter-insurgency profile of > then SP and Dy SP of Shopian made it a >> perfect case for a mass > movement. >> >> For weeks together, Kashmir was yet again in flames. Eight > people got >> killed, and around 1,000 sustained injuries in clashes with > Police and armed >> forces. Over a thousand vehicles, including 50 ambulances > of different >> hospitals in the Valley, were damaged in stone pelting. There > was shutdown >> after shutdown for four months. Damage caused to the Kashmir > economy is >> estimated to be in hundreds of Crores of Rupees. Loss suffered > by the >> student community remained incalculable. Why all that? Obviously > because >> government officials, supposed to protect the honour and life of > women, were >> perceived to be involved in the sinister act of outraging the > modesty of the >> victims and doing away with them. >> >> Within months, yet > another government official---this time a doctor on whose >> evidence stood > the ³rape-cum-murder² of the Shopian duo---has been found to >> have outraged > the chastity of a hapless woman at his clinic at the nearby >> district > headquarters of Pulwama. There are few differences between the two. >> First > one was fully based on surmise, speculation and perception. Post >> mortem > reports of two teams of doctors made it an explosive case of gang >> rape and > murder. Actors need not to be searched in such kind of incidents in >> the > strife torn Valley. Second one has been purportedly shot on camera and >> the > actor stands not only identified but also placed under suspension, >> arrested > and jailed. >> >> In case of Shopian, the victims were found to have died > once. In case of >> Pulwama, the victim has been left to die a hundred times > every day as long >> as she lives. The latest revelation is that she happens > to be the mother of >> a girl doing first year of her MBBS and a 17-year-old > son who is in class >> 11th. Shopian happened by night in a nullah and Pulwama > in broad daylight >> during the holy month of Ramazan, at a property owned by > a religious trust. >> Then, why an uproar on Shopian and a silence of > convenience on Pulwama? The >> biggest poser of the cruel times in Kashmir: Is > it the outfits of an actor >> that categorizes rapes in the Valley? Had the > Pulwama actor been in Khaki, >> would the Kashmiri politicians have maintained > this silence. The questions >> ahead: Are the Kashmiri female politicians > concerned over the outrage of the >> modesty of hapless women by government > officials or are they exploiting such >> incidents selectively to create space > for themselves in the politics of >> deceit and camouflage that has had a > bullish market from New Delhi to >> Islamabad? >> >> PDP President, Mehbooba > Mufti, and the pro-Pakistan Dukhataraan-e-Millat >> supremo, Asiya Andrabi, > stole the show in Shopian as they left no stone >> unturned in berating the > men in uniform. That was understandable for one was >> the queen of the > mainstream opposition and another indisputably the highest >> profile female > political activist in the separatist camp. But the ruling >> National > Conference¹s MLA, Shameema Firdaus, appeared to outsmart all and >> sundry in > the agitation when she led a procession of workers on Residency >> Road in > Srinagar, chanting slogans against the Shopian rapists and killers >> and > demanding exemplary punishment for them all. >> >> Of late, Shameema Firdaus, > has been appointed by Omar Abdullah government as >> the Chairperson of the > State Women¹s Commission. While Asiya and her ilk in >> the separatist camp > must have now realized the dangers of walking into the >> trap of pro-India > politicians, PDP chief has never been sighted in Assembly >> since the day > Pulwama surfaced on March 21. Ms Firdaus remained in >> attendance but did not > utter a word of condemnation even when the >> independent MLA from Langet, > Engineer Sheikh Abdul Rashid, raised his lonely >> voice on the floor of the > House and demanded termination of the doctor¹s >> services. >> >> Until > yesterday, the big question was: How could the two women have drowned >> to > death in ³ankle deep waters² of Rambiara ? After CBI exonerated all the>> > four Policemen and filed a chargesheet against 13 persons, including six >> > doctors---notably then deputy Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Ghulam Qadir>> > Sofi, now booked for raping a woman at his clinic---a bigger question >> > surfaced: How do the gang rapes in Valley take place while leaving hymen of >> > an unmarried woman intact? Now a far bigger question: Is it all politics on >> > rape or rape of politics---to spare the rapists in civvies and target only >> > the rapists in uniform? >> _________________________________________ >> > 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 kaksanjay at gmail.com Thu Apr 1 13:41:51 2010 From: kaksanjay at gmail.com (Sanjay Kak) Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2010 13:41:51 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Selective condemnation of rape and murder has become bane of J&K politics In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Thanks, Sonia Thanks for alerting me to the existence of Early Times which I had somehow missed. The link to AA Fayyaz's March 20th story is here http://www.earlytimes.in/newsdet.aspx?q=51425 However, both the Indian Express story (forwarded by you today) as well as this Early Times report don't easily lend themselves to a reading of rape. (Although there does seem to be considerable sleaze in the story...) For others on this list, I quote a paragraph from A A Fayyaz's story: "The video clip, now in circulation in the capital city and entire south Kashmir, shows Dr Sofi committing the sexual act on a pretty young woman who enters a room and takes off her trousers. Entire act, in which both the characters are clearly identifiable, takes place on a bed, reportedly in a room of the CMO's office. However, some people suspect it to be Dr Sofi's clinic in Pulwama. The woman, wearing an embroidered pink colour Pheran and Shalwar, and half of burqa on her head (which is fully lifted from the front) does not pose any resistance but does not offer any smiles either. Legal experts insist that sexual exploitation of females on the promise of rewarding them with a government job was very much rape and the accused was supposed to be booked for rape. In three days of investigation, Police have identified the woman as an unemployed nurse of Balpora village of Shopian district. However, she had neither been called nor questioned in custody or otherwise till late tonight." >From this, it does seem a bit early to put this incident on par with the Shopian rape and murder, don't you think? Meanwhile I sincerely look forward to your reading of the Shopian incident. (Then I won't need to interpret your comments, and risk getting them wrong!) Best Sanjay Kak 2010/4/1 S. Jabbar : > > From Indian Express > Print Story > Seen in sex clip, Shopian case CMO suspended > > Bashaarat Masood > Posted online: March 21, 2010 at 0217 > > The Jammu and Kashmir government on Saturday suspended Pulwama Chief Medical > Officer Dr Ghulam Qadir, already chargesheeted by the CBI for fabricating > evidence in the Shopian case, after footage of him having sex with a woman > in a clinic became public on Friday. > “We watched the clip and the man in the video resembles Dr Qadir,” said SSP > Kifayat Haider. > > “It seems that the clip was shot last summer and shows the doctor having sex > with a woman in a clinic-like room. We are investigating the case,” he > added. The CMO Qadir has since been booked. The police are also looking for > the people who shot and distributed the video. > > “The matter is serious and we have placed the doctor under suspension,” > Health Minister Sham Lal Sharma said, adding that an independent inquiry had > been initiated. > > Dr Qadir was among the persons chargesheeted by CBI in the Shopian case in > relation to the death of 22-year-old Neelofar Jan and her 17-year-old > sister-in-law Asiya Jan that led to massive protests across the Kashmir > valley. > > The CMO and 12 other persons were charged with fabricating and destroying > evidence. > > >> From: Sanjay Kak >> Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2010 11:32:58 +0530 >> To: Sarai >> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Selective condemnation of rape and murder has >> become bane of J&K politics >> >> Sonia, > Where is this piece from? It usually helps to source such >> incendiary > writing, since the net is a place awash with propaganda and >> psy-ops. > (Sly ops?) Of course Mr Ahmed Ali Fayyaz is a senior >> Kashmiri > journalist-in fact he is widely regarded as the Praveen Swami >> of > Kashmiri journalism, and that is no small compliment to both. > About the >> piece: he has devoted considerable space to last years > events around the >> Shopian rape and murder, but the rhetorical use to > which he puts it overwhelms >> the details of this more recent event. One > misses a straight forward rendering >> of what has actually happened in > Pulwama. This is important because the >> mainstream media (including the > vast Indian Express bureau) seem to have >> missed the importance of this > incident. > For me A A Fayyaz's sentence "Second >> one has been purportedly shot on > camera and the actor stands not only >> identified but also placed under > suspension, arrested and jailed" is quite >> loaded. I would imagine that > most serious journalists would want to tarry for >> a moment on the > "purportedly shot on camera", and ask the who/how of this >> piece of > evidence. A rape shot on camera? By whom? The fact that he has >> been > placed under suspension, arrested and jailed is not evidentiary. This > is >> Kashmir we are talking about, after all. > Whatever its journalistic failings >> the piece inadvertantly still draws > attention to some important questions: why >> is there such a huge trust > deficit between the men in Olive Green/Khakhi and >> the people of > Kashmir? Why did the people of Shopian go on a 42 day hartal >> last > year? To suggest that it was only because they were misled >> by > self-serving politicians of the PDP and NC is to display an > astonishing >> lack of regard for facts: the Majlis-e-Mashawarat, which > led the hartal and >> the ongoing struggle, had made it clear that no > political parties were welcome >> in town, and they managed to keep the > issue quite distinct  from "Separatist" >> politics as well. > I think think a journalist of A A Fayyaz's stature would >> have done > well to find out what were the pressures that made Dr Nighat >> change > her statement (whether or not she swore on the Qur'an). Then perhaps > he >> would be led to the circumstances that led to the other Dr Un-named > being >> "purportedly shot on camera". > Lastly, am I the only one who reads some >> condescension in your comment > that "this group of well-meaning women are not >> the first to get misled > with half-facts and half-truths in Kashmir". Perhaps >> it would be > better if there was a concrete critique of the report of >> the > Independent Initiative, or their findings and conclusions. When you > say >> "the Shopian case was an extremely complicated case, which was > manipulated and >> presented to the world as fact", is there an > alternative reading that you >> would share with us, or guide us to? > > Best > > Sanjay Kak > > On Wed, Mar 31, 2010 >> at 7:47 PM, S. Jabbar wrote: >> Kshmendra, it is >> unfair to condemn them as such.  The Shopian case was an >> extremely >> complicated case, which was manipulated and presented to the world >> as fact. >> Sadly, this group of well-meaning women are not the first to get >> misled with >> half-facts and half-truths in Kashmir.  I think the admission by >> Dr.Nighat >> last year of forging the vaginal samples genuinely shocked many >> people in >> Kashmir-- after all she had sworn upon the Qur'an.  That coupled >> with the 2 >> cases of murder in Maisuma (where near riots had broken out as >> people had >> initially suspected the security forces) will, hopefully cause >> some >> introspection.  Ahmed Ali Fayyaz's article is a move in that direction. >> >> --sj >> >> >> From: Kshmendra Kaul >> Date: Wed, 31 Mar >> 2010 06:37:29 -0700 (PDT) >> To: "S. Jabbar" >> Cc: >> sarai list >> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Selective >> condemnation of rape and murder has >> become bane of J&K politics >> >> >> Continuing the question (it is a continual one where incidents and >> >> characters change): >> >> Where today are the Miss Marples, the whodunit >> experts, the Umas >> (Chakravarty), Ushas (Ramanathan), Seemas (Misra), Vrindas >> (Grover), Dr. >> Ajitas, Anuradhas (Bhasin Jamwal), those members of >> "Independent Women's >> Initiative for Justice" and authors of "Shopian: >> Manufacturing a Suitable >> Story" >> >> Kshmendra >> >> >> --- On Wed, 3/31/10, S. >> Jabbar wrote: >>> >>> From: S. Jabbar >> >>> Subject: [Reader-list] Selective condemnation of >> rape and murder has become >>> bane of J&K politics >>> To: "Sarai" >> >>> Date: Wednesday, March 31, 2010, 5:22 PM >>> >>> RAPE >> OF POLITICS >>> >>> ....and where are those Mehboobas, Shameemas, Asiyas >> today? >>> >>> Selective condemnation of rape and murder has become bane of J&K >> politics >>> >>> Ahmed Ali Fayyaz >>> >>> JAMMU, Mar 30: Hullabaloo over then >> widely perceived rape-cum-murder of two >>> young woman, married Neelofar Jan >> and unmarried Asiya Jan, of Shopian in May >>> last year was understandable as >> well as justifiable. Jostling for the >>> limelight, female politicians of all >> hues had done whatever possible to >>> undercut one another in the race of >> smudging the men in uniform. There were >>> initially efforts to involve the >> Balpora-based formation of Rashtriya >>> Rifles. Soon the campaign was >> downgraded to a unit of Central Reserve Police >>> Force (CRPF). But once both >> proved to be the hard nuts, convenience zeroed >>> in on Police. Even as two of >> the Police personnel, detained for their >>> alleged involvement in destroying >> the evidences, were just a vegetarian >>> target, counter-insurgency profile of >> then SP and Dy SP of Shopian made it a >>> perfect case for a mass >> movement. >>> >>> For weeks together, Kashmir was yet again in flames. Eight >> people got >>> killed, and around 1,000 sustained injuries in clashes with >> Police and armed >>> forces. Over a thousand vehicles, including 50 ambulances >> of different >>> hospitals in the Valley, were damaged in stone pelting. There >> was shutdown >>> after shutdown for four months. Damage caused to the Kashmir >> economy is >>> estimated to be in hundreds of Crores of Rupees. Loss suffered >> by the >>> student community remained incalculable. Why all that? Obviously >> because >>> government officials, supposed to protect the honour and life of >> women, were >>> perceived to be involved in the sinister act of outraging the >> modesty of the >>> victims and doing away with them. >>> >>> Within months, yet >> another government official---this time a doctor on whose >>> evidence stood >> the ³rape-cum-murder² of the Shopian duo---has been found to >>> have outraged >> the chastity of a hapless woman at his clinic at the nearby >>> district >> headquarters of Pulwama. There are few differences between the two. >>> First >> one was fully based on surmise, speculation and perception. Post >>> mortem >> reports of two teams of doctors made it an explosive case of gang >>> rape and >> murder. Actors need not to be searched in such kind of incidents in >>> the >> strife torn Valley. Second one has been purportedly shot on camera and >>> the >> actor stands not only identified but also placed under suspension, >>> arrested >> and jailed. >>> >>> In case of Shopian, the victims were found to have died >> once. In case of >>> Pulwama, the victim has been left to die a hundred times >> every day as long >>> as she lives. The latest revelation is that she happens >> to be the mother of >>> a girl doing first year of her MBBS and a 17-year-old >> son who is in class >>> 11th. Shopian happened by night in a nullah and Pulwama >> in broad daylight >>> during the holy month of Ramazan, at a property owned by >> a religious trust. >>> Then, why an uproar on Shopian and a silence of >> convenience on Pulwama? The >>> biggest poser of the cruel times in Kashmir: Is >> it the outfits of an actor >>> that categorizes rapes in the Valley? Had the >> Pulwama actor been in Khaki, >>> would the Kashmiri politicians have maintained >> this silence. The questions >>> ahead: Are the Kashmiri female politicians >> concerned over the outrage of the >>> modesty of hapless women by government >> officials or are they exploiting such >>> incidents selectively to create space >> for themselves in the politics of >>> deceit and camouflage that has had a >> bullish market from New Delhi to >>> Islamabad? >>> >>> PDP President, Mehbooba >> Mufti, and the pro-Pakistan Dukhataraan-e-Millat >>> supremo, Asiya Andrabi, >> stole the show in Shopian as they left no stone >>> unturned in berating the >> men in uniform. That was understandable for one was >>> the queen of the >> mainstream opposition and another indisputably the highest >>> profile female >> political activist in the separatist camp. But the ruling >>> National >> Conference¹s MLA, Shameema Firdaus, appeared to outsmart all and >>> sundry in >> the agitation when she led a procession of workers on Residency >>> Road in >> Srinagar, chanting slogans against the Shopian rapists and killers >>> and >> demanding exemplary punishment for them all. >>> >>> Of late, Shameema Firdaus, >> has been appointed by Omar Abdullah government as >>> the Chairperson of the >> State Women¹s Commission. While Asiya and her ilk in >>> the separatist camp >> must have now realized the dangers of walking into the >>> trap of pro-India >> politicians, PDP chief has never been sighted in Assembly >>> since the day >> Pulwama surfaced on March 21. Ms Firdaus remained in >>> attendance but did not >> utter a word of condemnation even when the >>> independent MLA from Langet, >> Engineer Sheikh Abdul Rashid, raised his lonely >>> voice on the floor of the >> House and demanded termination of the doctor¹s >>> services. >>> >>> Until >> yesterday, the big question was: How could the two women have drowned >>> to >> death in ³ankle deep waters² of Rambiara ? After CBI exonerated all the>> >> four Policemen and filed a chargesheet against 13 persons, including six >>> >> doctors---notably then deputy Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Ghulam Qadir>> >> Sofi, now booked for raping a woman at his clinic---a bigger question >>> >> surfaced: How do the gang rapes in Valley take place while leaving hymen of >>> >> an unmarried woman intact? Now a far bigger question: Is it all politics on >>> >> rape or rape of politics---to spare the rapists in civvies and target only >>> >> the rapists in uniform? >>> _________________________________________ >>> >> 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 sonia.jabbar at gmail.com Thu Apr 1 14:17:40 2010 From: sonia.jabbar at gmail.com (S. Jabbar) Date: Thu, 01 Apr 2010 14:17:40 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Selective condemnation of rape and murder has become bane of J&K politics In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Sanjay, I think I made myself adequately clear in my last mail: Fayyaz sees coercion as rape as does Engineer Rashid, the MLA from Langate. It could be sexual harassment or rape. I don't have enough information to judge whether the act was consensual. The courts will decide. Do I consider it on par with the Shopian rape & murder? I told you before and I will repeat it again: Based on the evidence that we have at the I do not believe it was either rape or murder. I am perfectly willing to change my mind if compelling evidence is provided. The reason I posted Fayyaz's article was because it underscored what many on this list are guilty of. Making a noise about things that further their world views or political interests and keeping quiet when it doesn't. I have no axe to grind. I feel wretched that 2 women died a tragic death and then they were subjected to the worst kind of public scrutiny for months, their sexual lives speculated upon, their characters ground down to the dust. The so-called custodians of public morality were the worst culprits in this sick, perverse display of necrophilia. And in all this din I wonder whether you or anyone else heard the name of Nigeena Awan, a 16 year old, Class X student and what happened to her around the same time and the same place as the infamous Shopian 'gang rape & murder'? > From: Sanjay Kak > Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2010 13:41:51 +0530 > To: Sarai > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Selective condemnation of rape and murder has > become bane of J&K politics > > Thanks, Sonia Thanks for alerting me to the existence of Early Times which I > had somehow missed. The link to AA Fayyaz's March 20th story is > here http://www.earlytimes.in/newsdet.aspx?q=51425 However, both the Indian > Express story (forwarded by you today) as well as this Early Times report > don't easily lend themselves to a reading of rape. (Although there does seem > to be considerable sleaze in the story...) For others on this list, I quote a > paragraph from A A Fayyaz's story: "The video clip, now in circulation in the > capital city and entire south Kashmir, shows Dr Sofi committing the sexual act > on a pretty young woman who enters a room and takes off her trousers. Entire > act, in which both the characters are clearly identifiable, takes place on a > bed, reportedly in a room of the CMO's office. However, some people suspect it > to be Dr Sofi's clinic in Pulwama. The woman, wearing an embroidered pink > colour Pheran and Shalwar, and half of burqa on her head (which is fully > lifted from the front) does not pose any resistance but does not offer any > smiles either. Legal experts insist that sexual exploitation of females on the > promise of rewarding them with a government job was very much rape and the > accused was supposed to be booked for rape. In three days of investigation, > Police have identified the woman as an unemployed nurse of Balpora village of > Shopian district. However, she had neither been called nor questioned in > custody or otherwise till late tonight." >From this, it does seem a bit early > to put this incident on par with the Shopian rape and murder, don't you > think? Meanwhile I sincerely look forward to your reading of the Shopian > incident. (Then I won't need to interpret your comments, and risk getting them > wrong!) Best Sanjay Kak 2010/4/1 S. Jabbar : > > > From Indian Express > Print Story > Seen in sex clip, Shopian case CMO > suspended > > Bashaarat Masood > Posted online: March 21, 2010 at 0217 > > The > Jammu and Kashmir government on Saturday suspended Pulwama Chief Medical > > Officer Dr Ghulam Qadir, already chargesheeted by the CBI for fabricating> > evidence in the Shopian case, after footage of him having sex with a woman > > in a clinic became public on Friday. > “We watched the clip and the man in the > video resembles Dr Qadir,” said SSP > Kifayat Haider. > > “It seems that the > clip was shot last summer and shows the doctor having sex > with a woman in a > clinic-like room. We are investigating the case,” he > added. The CMO Qadir > has since been booked. The police are also looking for > the people who shot > and distributed the video. > > “The matter is serious and we have placed the > doctor under suspension,” > Health Minister Sham Lal Sharma said, adding that > an independent inquiry had > been initiated. > > Dr Qadir was among the > persons chargesheeted by CBI in the Shopian case in > relation to the death of > 22-year-old Neelofar Jan and her 17-year-old > sister-in-law Asiya Jan that > led to massive protests across the Kashmir > valley. > > The CMO and 12 other > persons were charged with fabricating and destroying > evidence. > > >> From: > Sanjay Kak >> Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2010 11:32:58 +0530 >> > To: Sarai >> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Selective > condemnation of rape and murder has >> become bane of J&K politics >> >> > Sonia, > Where is this piece from? It usually helps to source such >> > incendiary > writing, since the net is a place awash with propaganda and >> > psy-ops. > (Sly ops?) Of course Mr Ahmed Ali Fayyaz is a senior >> Kashmiri > > journalist-in fact he is widely regarded as the Praveen Swami >> of > Kashmiri > journalism, and that is no small compliment to both. > About the >> piece: he > has devoted considerable space to last years > events around the >> Shopian > rape and murder, but the rhetorical use to > which he puts it overwhelms >> > the details of this more recent event. One > misses a straight forward > rendering >> of what has actually happened in > Pulwama. This is important > because the >> mainstream media (including the > vast Indian Express bureau) > seem to have >> missed the importance of this > incident. > For me A A > Fayyaz's sentence "Second >> one has been purportedly shot on > camera and the > actor stands not only >> identified but also placed under > suspension, > arrested and jailed" is quite >> loaded. I would imagine that > most serious > journalists would want to tarry for >> a moment on the > "purportedly shot on > camera", and ask the who/how of this >> piece of > evidence. A rape shot on > camera? By whom? The fact that he has >> been > placed under suspension, > arrested and jailed is not evidentiary. This > is >> Kashmir we are talking > about, after all. > Whatever its journalistic failings >> the piece > inadvertantly still draws > attention to some important questions: why >> is > there such a huge trust > deficit between the men in Olive Green/Khakhi and >> > the people of > Kashmir? Why did the people of Shopian go on a 42 day > hartal >> last > year? To suggest that it was only because they were misled >> > by > self-serving politicians of the PDP and NC is to display an > > astonishing >> lack of regard for facts: the Majlis-e-Mashawarat, which > led > the hartal and >> the ongoing struggle, had made it clear that no > political > parties were welcome >> in town, and they managed to keep the > issue quite > distinct ?from "Separatist" >> politics as well. > I think think a journalist > of A A Fayyaz's stature would >> have done > well to find out what were the > pressures that made Dr Nighat >> change > her statement (whether or not she > swore on the Qur'an). Then perhaps > he >> would be led to the circumstances > that led to the other Dr Un-named > being >> "purportedly shot on camera". > > Lastly, am I the only one who reads some >> condescension in your comment > > that "this group of well-meaning women are not >> the first to get misled > > with half-facts and half-truths in Kashmir". Perhaps >> it would be > better > if there was a concrete critique of the report of >> the > Independent > Initiative, or their findings and conclusions. When you > say >> "the Shopian > case was an extremely complicated case, which was > manipulated and >> > presented to the world as fact", is there an > alternative reading that you >> > would share with us, or guide us to? > > Best > > Sanjay Kak > > On Wed, Mar > 31, 2010 >> at 7:47 PM, S. Jabbar wrote: >> > Kshmendra, it is >> unfair to condemn them as such. ?The Shopian case was > an >> extremely >> complicated case, which was manipulated and presented to > the world >> as fact. >> Sadly, this group of well-meaning women are not the > first to get >> misled with >> half-facts and half-truths in Kashmir. ?I think > the admission by >> Dr.Nighat >> last year of forging the vaginal samples > genuinely shocked many >> people in >> Kashmir-- after all she had sworn upon > the Qur'an. ?That coupled >> with the 2 >> cases of murder in Maisuma (where > near riots had broken out as >> people had >> initially suspected the security > forces) will, hopefully cause >> some >> introspection. ?Ahmed Ali Fayyaz's > article is a move in that direction. >> >> --sj >> >> >> From: Kshmendra Kaul > >> Date: Wed, 31 Mar >> 2010 06:37:29 -0700 (PDT) >> > To: "S. Jabbar" >> Cc: >> sarai list > >> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Selective >> > condemnation of rape and murder has >> become bane of J&K politics >> >> >> > Continuing the question (it is a continual one where incidents and >> >> > characters change): >> >> Where today are the Miss Marples, the whodunit >> > experts, the Umas >> (Chakravarty), Ushas (Ramanathan), Seemas (Misra), > Vrindas >> (Grover), Dr. >> Ajitas, Anuradhas (Bhasin Jamwal), those members > of >> "Independent Women's >> Initiative for Justice" and authors of > "Shopian: >> Manufacturing a Suitable >> Story" >> >> Kshmendra >> >> >> --- > On Wed, 3/31/10, S. >> Jabbar wrote: >>> >>> From: S. > Jabbar >> >>> Subject: [Reader-list] Selective > condemnation of >> rape and murder has become >>> bane of J&K politics >>> To: > "Sarai" >> >>> Date: Wednesday, March 31, 2010, 5:22 > PM >>> >>> RAPE >> OF POLITICS >>> >>> ....and where are those Mehboobas, > Shameemas, Asiyas >> today? >>> >>> Selective condemnation of rape and murder > has become bane of J&K >> politics >>> >>> Ahmed Ali Fayyaz >>> >>> JAMMU, Mar > 30: Hullabaloo over then >> widely perceived rape-cum-murder of two >>> young > woman, married Neelofar Jan >> and unmarried Asiya Jan, of Shopian in May >>> > last year was understandable as >> well as justifiable. Jostling for the >>> > limelight, female politicians of all >> hues had done whatever possible to >>> > undercut one another in the race of >> smudging the men in uniform. There > were >>> initially efforts to involve the >> Balpora-based formation of > Rashtriya >>> Rifles. Soon the campaign was >> downgraded to a unit of Central > Reserve Police >>> Force (CRPF). But once both >> proved to be the hard nuts, > convenience zeroed >>> in on Police. Even as two of >> the Police personnel, > detained for their >>> alleged involvement in destroying >> the evidences, > were just a vegetarian >>> target, counter-insurgency profile of >> then SP > and Dy SP of Shopian made it a >>> perfect case for a mass >> > movement. >>> >>> For weeks together, Kashmir was yet again in flames. > Eight >> people got >>> killed, and around 1,000 sustained injuries in clashes > with >> Police and armed >>> forces. Over a thousand vehicles, including 50 > ambulances >> of different >>> hospitals in the Valley, were damaged in stone > pelting. There >> was shutdown >>> after shutdown for four months. Damage > caused to the Kashmir >> economy is >>> estimated to be in hundreds of Crores > of Rupees. Loss suffered >> by the >>> student community remained > incalculable. Why all that? Obviously >> because >>> government officials, > supposed to protect the honour and life of >> women, were >>> perceived to be > involved in the sinister act of outraging the >> modesty of the >>> victims > and doing away with them. >>> >>> Within months, yet >> another government > official---this time a doctor on whose >>> evidence stood >> the > ³rape-cum-murder² of the Shopian duo---has been found to >>> have outraged >> > the chastity of a hapless woman at his clinic at the nearby >>> district >> > headquarters of Pulwama. There are few differences between the two. >>> > First >> one was fully based on surmise, speculation and perception. Post >>> > mortem >> reports of two teams of doctors made it an explosive case of > gang >>> rape and >> murder. Actors need not to be searched in such kind of > incidents in >>> the >> strife torn Valley. Second one has been purportedly > shot on camera and >>> the >> actor stands not only identified but also placed > under suspension, >>> arrested >> and jailed. >>> >>> In case of Shopian, the > victims were found to have died >> once. In case of >>> Pulwama, the victim > has been left to die a hundred times >> every day as long >>> as she lives. > The latest revelation is that she happens >> to be the mother of >>> a girl > doing first year of her MBBS and a 17-year-old >> son who is in class >>> > 11th. Shopian happened by night in a nullah and Pulwama >> in broad > daylight >>> during the holy month of Ramazan, at a property owned by >> a > religious trust. >>> Then, why an uproar on Shopian and a silence of >> > convenience on Pulwama? The >>> biggest poser of the cruel times in Kashmir: > Is >> it the outfits of an actor >>> that categorizes rapes in the Valley? Had > the >> Pulwama actor been in Khaki, >>> would the Kashmiri politicians have > maintained >> this silence. The questions >>> ahead: Are the Kashmiri female > politicians >> concerned over the outrage of the >>> modesty of hapless women > by government >> officials or are they exploiting such >>> incidents > selectively to create space >> for themselves in the politics of >>> deceit > and camouflage that has had a >> bullish market from New Delhi to >>> > Islamabad? >>> >>> PDP President, Mehbooba >> Mufti, and the pro-Pakistan > Dukhataraan-e-Millat >>> supremo, Asiya Andrabi, >> stole the show in Shopian > as they left no stone >>> unturned in berating the >> men in uniform. That was > understandable for one was >>> the queen of the >> mainstream opposition and > another indisputably the highest >>> profile female >> political activist in > the separatist camp. But the ruling >>> National >> Conference¹s MLA, Shameema > Firdaus, appeared to outsmart all and >>> sundry in >> the agitation when she > led a procession of workers on Residency >>> Road in >> Srinagar, chanting > slogans against the Shopian rapists and killers >>> and >> demanding exemplary > punishment for them all. >>> >>> Of late, Shameema Firdaus, >> has been > appointed by Omar Abdullah government as >>> the Chairperson of the >> State > Women¹s Commission. While Asiya and her ilk in >>> the separatist camp >> must > have now realized the dangers of walking into the >>> trap of pro-India >> > politicians, PDP chief has never been sighted in Assembly >>> since the day >> > Pulwama surfaced on March 21. Ms Firdaus remained in >>> attendance but did > not >> utter a word of condemnation even when the >>> independent MLA from > Langet, >> Engineer Sheikh Abdul Rashid, raised his lonely >>> voice on the > floor of the >> House and demanded termination of the doctor¹s >>> > services. >>> >>> Until >> yesterday, the big question was: How could the two > women have drowned >>> to >> death in ³ankle deep waters² of Rambiara ? After > CBI exonerated all the>> >> four Policemen and filed a chargesheet against 13 > persons, including six >>> >> doctors---notably then deputy Chief Medical > Officer (CMO) Dr Ghulam Qadir>> >> Sofi, now booked for raping a woman at his > clinic---a bigger question >>> >> surfaced: How do the gang rapes in Valley > take place while leaving hymen of >>> >> an unmarried woman intact? Now a far > bigger question: Is it all politics on >>> >> rape or rape of politics---to > spare the rapists in civvies and target only >>> >> the rapists in > uniform? >>> _________________________________________ >>> >> 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/> > > > _____________________ > ____________________ 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 Thu Apr 1 14:23:13 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2010 14:23:13 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Cigarettes may contain pig blood: Australian expert Message-ID: Source : http://story.pakistantelegraph.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/8c3d7d78943a99c7/id/618535/cs/1/ Cigarettes may contain traces of pig blood which, if confirmed, can lead to protests against tobacco companies that refuse to disclose the ingredients used in making the product, an Australian expert was quoted by Pakistan's Online news agency as saying. A study conducted in the Netherlands has identified 185 different industrial uses of the pig, including the use of its haemoglobin in cigarette filters, which religious groups could find to be 'very offensive', Simon Chapman, professor of public health at the University of Sydney, said here Wednesday. The research offered an insight into the 'otherwise secretive world' of cigarette manufacture and was likely to raise concerns for devout Muslims and Jews, Chapman said. Religious texts at the core of both of these faiths specifically ban the consumption of pork, he said. 'I think that there would be some particularly devout groups who would find the idea that there were pig products in cigarettes to be very offensive. 'The Jewish community certainly takes these matters extremely seriously and the Islamic community certainly do as well, as would many vegetarians. It just puts into hard relief the problem that the tobacco industry is not required to declare the ingredients of cigarettes... they say 'that's our business' and a trade secret,' he said. The research found out that haemoglobin (a blood protein) from pigs was being used to make cigarette filters more effective at trapping harmful chemicals before they could enter a smoker's lungs. Though tobacco companies list the contents of their products on their websites, they also refer to undisclosed 'processing aids' that are not significantly present in, and do not functionally affect, the finished product, he said. This term hides from public view an array of chemicals and other substances used in the making of tobacco products, he said. At least one cigarette brand sold in Greece was confirmed as using pig haemoglobin in its processes, he said. From parthaekka at gmail.com Thu Apr 1 14:53:20 2010 From: parthaekka at gmail.com (Partha Dasgupta) Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2010 14:53:20 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Cigarettes may contain pig blood: Australian expert In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Don't think the "particularly devout groups" would approve of smoking in any case... Partha Dasgupta +919811047132 On Thu, Apr 1, 2010 at 2:23 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > Source : > http://story.pakistantelegraph.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/8c3d7d78943a99c7/id/618535/cs/1/ > > Cigarettes may contain traces of pig blood which, if confirmed, can > lead to protests against tobacco companies that refuse to disclose the > ingredients used in making the product, an Australian expert was > quoted by Pakistan's Online news agency as saying. > > A study conducted in the Netherlands has identified 185 different > industrial uses of the pig, including the use of its haemoglobin in > cigarette filters, which religious groups could find to be 'very > offensive', Simon Chapman, professor of public health at the > University of Sydney, said here Wednesday. > > The research offered an insight into the 'otherwise secretive world' > of cigarette manufacture and was likely to raise concerns for devout > Muslims and Jews, Chapman said. > > Religious texts at the core of both of these faiths specifically ban > the consumption of pork, he said. > > 'I think that there would be some particularly devout groups who would > find the idea that there were pig products in cigarettes to be very > offensive. > > 'The Jewish community certainly takes these matters extremely > seriously and the Islamic community certainly do as well, as would > many vegetarians. It just puts into hard relief the problem that the > tobacco industry is not required to declare the ingredients of > cigarettes... they say 'that's our business' and a trade secret,' he > said. > > The research found out that haemoglobin (a blood protein) from pigs > was being used to make cigarette filters more effective at trapping > harmful chemicals before they could enter a smoker's lungs. > > Though tobacco companies list the contents of their products on their > websites, they also refer to undisclosed 'processing aids' that are > not significantly present in, and do not functionally affect, the > finished product, he said. > > This term hides from public view an array of chemicals and other > substances used in the making of tobacco products, he said. > > At least one cigarette brand sold in Greece was confirmed as using pig > haemoglobin in its processes, he said. > _________________________________________ > 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 kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Thu Apr 1 18:44:57 2010 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2010 06:14:57 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] "From Amarnath to Shopian----Kashmiris Entangle Themselves in a Web of Lies" Message-ID: <842900.34976.qm@web57207.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Sharing this piece, seeing the conversation between Sonia Jabbar and Sanjay Kak.   Antecedents of the author are not know to me but I did not read anything shockingly irrational.   Except that the author deduces from his analysis that Sir Walter Lawrence was right when "in his seminal 19th century work on Kashmir had written about the propensity of the Kashmiri race to lie through its teeth".   And of course, whatever be one's disagreements with the newspaper "Greater Kashmir", to generalise a dismissal on the basis of renaming it "Greater Lies" is not on. It is not ethical.    Kshmendra     "From Amarnath to Shopian----Kashmiris Entangle Themselves in a Web of Lies" Parvez Raina 2/23/2010   The cartoon in a Jammu Daily put it all very well. It depicted a bewildered police post facing a rather angry stone throwing mob in Kashmir, with a police man saying: "First, they were stoning us for a Reported Rape; now they are stoning us for a Rape Not Reported!" The ponderous wheels of justice have finally started to move with a hearing on 13 Feb. 2010 about the charge sheeted persons, who incidentally all succeeded in getting bail.   What the CBI has, however, established in the Shopian "Rape" case is not that there was no rape, but the extent to which Kashmiris can stoop to establish one to implicate 'Indian dogs'. So the doctors don't first conduct post mortems. And when they are forced to conduct one, they take heart samples and report they were lung tissues, not full of water, thereby ruling out drowning. When swabs are sent to the forensic labs, they are from everywhere (including from the doctors!) than from the victims. Lawyers and politicians coach "witnesses" to claim how they heard victims shrieking from a vehicle belonging to Army/paramilitary/police (in that order of preference, please). And when all this is nailed by the CBI, the entire Kashmir is up in arms, wanting azadi, autonomy, self-rule, whatever a weak-kneed India can agree to. What exactly is the reason? Is a section of J&K press so corrupted or so communal that it is no longer interested in finding the truth? Sitting in Delhi, I used to be similarly bewildered when the Kashmir press in 2008 summer used to claim that Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) had been handed over thousands of acres of land in Baltal, when the truth was that it had only about 40 hectares that was agreed to be 'diverted' for yatra purposes, that in any case was traditionally occupied by security forces, ponywallas, tent wallas, and langars since ages. But what about the thousands of trees to be cut in the process? Again the truth: not a single tree exists on this patch of land nor can anything grow there at that altitude. So the money to the tune of Rs. 2.50 crores demanded by the Forest Dept for 'compensatory afforestation' was to be used somewhere else! Hey, but what about the pollution caused by so many unwashed yatries? 'Greater Lies' (which is what should be the name of this Kashmiri paper I'm referring to) caught hold of a Muslim glaciologist who readily agreed to be quoted that the 4 lakh pilgrims going up would definitely destroy all the glaciers of Kashmir thereby flooding the entire valley.   So folks, don't just blame Dr. Pachauri and the IPCC. But seriously, as the then much reviled CEO-SASB used to plead, look at the ridiculous logic. 4 lakh Hindus in 2 months cause more pollution that 50 lakh Kashmiris who live in the Valley for 12 months? At this rate, we will soon be blaming these wretched yatris for killing the Dal and Wular lakes as well. What kind of bad science and maths are we espousing? Thank God no one said that India is trying to solve the Kashmir problem by flooding the valley and letting the Kashmiris float down the Jhelum to Pakistan! Lest we be accused of overreacting about an odd or two "honest" mistakes, let's focus on this typically Kashmiri trend of reporting 'news', without categorizing them as 'views' or even wishful, politically motivated thinking. No, but as 'Rising Lies'(which is what should be the name of this other Kashmiri paper I'm referring to) told us most conspiratorially, SASB was busy making an Amarnath Nagar at 14,000 ft so that the demographic complexion of the valley changes. Such an outrageous observation doesn't need a defence because it can only come from sources that have changed the demographic composition so often in Kashmir with their own murderous blood-stained hands. But what any one as a professional would want to know is whether the concerned reporter accessed any official documents, contacted SASB/Govt. or did anything that is taught in any School of Journalism before planting such a preposterous lie? We can only commend the fertile imagination of the reporter who came up with the name and concept of Amarnath Nagar and confer on him the Best Liar award. Then one can refer to the Kashmiri influence on Prem Shankar Jha's very confused article "It's The Moneybags Who Lost In Amarnath" that was printed in the 15 Sept 2008 issue of Outlook. His thesis was, and still is, that SASB's request for land was motivated by pure commercial considerations. If that be so, then the Azad Govt's orders which allotted land on May 26, 2008 and revoked it after a week on July 1, didn't serve any purpose because it permitted the installation of only "temporary structures" (and no hotels or resorts please). And if commercial interests were really involved, why Mr. Jha is not able to mention the name of even one foolhardy party willing to invest on the Amarnath route or quote one official document to establish this assertion? And why Jha in the next breath claimed that actually SASB "cannot …. own any land". That is, of course incorrect because Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, which works under a similar Act, owns more than one lakh Kanal of forest land, despite Article 370, in the same state of J&K? Then you can trust Muzamil Jaleel of Indian Express to come up with a really "zaleel" article "Raj Bhawan to Lal Chowk: Yatra to the Valley mess" that was printed/posted online on 18 Sept. 2008. The piece as usual is full of falsehoods and half truths presenting Muzamil's standard Talibanised views with a secular veneer. I don't know why it is so difficult for apologists like Muzamil to admit that Kashmiris could be so easily instigated to explode against either the Amarnath land allotment or the Shopian "Rape" case, because they are now brazenly communal, period. Otherwise, if they can tolerate land allotment to the Railways, Army, CPWD, Islamic University, even Airtel and Reliance, then why not to a State Govt. created Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB)? In the same piece, Muzamil is, a little later, found objecting to the request for developing a new authority for the Amarnath route, when there are more than two dozen such authorities in J&K, including one each at Pahalgam and Sonemarg, the base camps for Amarnath. It is crystal clear that Muzamil agrees with Mufti's plans that since the Katra Development Authority to look after the other famous shrine of the state remained on paper, so should be the Amarnath Development Authority. Again the basic mindset--we can have authorities everywhere to look after the needs of tourists, who come strictly for tourism, but not if they come for pilgrimage and chant "Jai Mata Di" or "Bam Bam Bhole". When out of 85 lakhs visitors who came to J&K last year, 80 lakhs came to Vaishno Devi, 4 lakhs to Amarnath and 50,000 only each to Kashmir and Ladakh, where do you need more Tourist development authorities, you decide. When Sir Walter Lawrence in his seminal 19th century work on Kashmir had written about the propensity of the Kashmiri race to lie through its teeth, we had all squirmed and protested about such a colonial, paternalistic kind of an attitude. On the other hand, when Mahatma Gandhi saw a ray of light coming only out of Kashmir, in the communal holocaust of 1947 that had engulfed the whole of India, our chests had swelled with pride. By espousing sick, communal lies of the kind that we discussed above has only proved Lawrence right and Gandhi wrong. writerswithoutborders at hotmail.com   http://www.thenorthlines.com/newsdet.aspx?q=29447 From kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Thu Apr 1 19:18:50 2010 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2010 06:48:50 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] " Magnets 'can modify our morality' " Message-ID: <343495.46618.qm@web57205.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Very interesting article   I am not too sure whether they should call it a modification in "morality", "moral judgement" or "moral principle" taking place.   But interesting.   Kshmendra     " Magnets 'can modify our morality' "   Scientists have shown they can change people's moral judgements by disrupting a specific area of the brain with magnetic pulses.   They identified a region of the brain just above and behind the right ear which appears to control morality.   And by using magnetic pulses to block cell activity they impaired volunteers' notion of right and wrong.   The small Massachusetts Institute of Technology study appears in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.   Lead researcher Dr Liane Young said: "You think of morality as being a really high-level behaviour.   "To be able to apply a magnetic field to a specific brain region and change people's moral judgments is really astonishing."   The key area of the brain is a knot of nerve cells known as the right temporo-parietal junction (RTPJ).   The researchers subjected 20 volunteers to a number of tests designed to assess their notions of right and wrong.   In one scenario participants were asked how acceptable it was for a man to let his girlfriend walk across a bridge he knew to be unsafe.   After receiving a 500 millisecond magnetic pulse to the scalp, the volunteers delivered verdicts based on outcome rather than moral principle.   If the girlfriend made it across the bridge safely, her boyfriend was not seen as having done anything wrong.   In effect, they were unable to make moral judgments that require an understanding of other people's intentions.   Previous work has shown the RTPJ to be highly active when people think about the thoughts and beliefs of others.   Electric currents The MIT team pinpointed the region in volunteers using a sophisticated functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) brain scan.   They then targeted the area using a technique called transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to create weak electric currents that temporarily stop brain cells working normally.   In one test, volunteers were exposed to TMS for 25 minutes before reading stories involving morally questionable characters, and being asked to judge their actions.   In a second experiment, volunteers were subjected to a much shorter 500 millisecond TMS burst while being asked to make a moral judgement.   In both cases, the researchers found that when the RTPJ was disrupted volunteers were more likely to judge actions solely on the basis of whether they caused harm - not whether they were morally wrong in themselves.   Morally dubious acts with a "happy" ending were often deemed acceptable.   Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, a brain expert at University College London, said the findings were insightful.   "The study suggests that this region - the RTPJ - is necessary for moral reasoning.   "What is interesting is that this is a region that is very late developing - into adolescence and beyond right into the 20s.   "The next step would be to look at how or whether moral development changes through childhood into adulthood."     Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8593748.stm   Published: 2010/03/30     From kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Thu Apr 1 19:36:51 2010 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2010 07:06:51 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] Constitution Overhauled in PK In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <519469.23469.qm@web57206.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Dear Yasir   Bravo!!!! Pakistan!!!! Well done.   Pakistan must be congratulated on this bring back of Parliamentary Democracy to replace the current 'khichdi'.   And of course other significant changes and reversals through the 18th Amendment.   Having followed the ups and downs in the tackling of many a sensitive issue in this endeavour for Constitutional Reforms, to have it culminating in agreement by consensus amongst the participating members of the committee has been truly amazing.   Kshmendra --- On Thu, 4/1/10, yasir ~يا سر wrote: From: yasir ~يا سر Subject: [Reader-list] Constitution Overhauled in PK To: "Sarai Reader-list" Date: Thursday, April 1, 2010, 12:16 PM some good news on khyber-pakhtunkhwa renaming of province, provincial and local autonomy (federal concurrent list thrown away), judges appointment (CJ will appoint 7th member who is a retired judge) many of the changes reversed were brought about under dictatorships and military govts. a few of the faces are still there and even part of the commitee, faces who supported the the earlier mangling of the constitution. good job. y *From Presidency to PM House* Thursday, April 01, 2010 History made as parliamentary panel signs draft of 18th Amendment ; Reforms package proposes transfer of powers to parliament;repeal of concurrent list; agreement on seventh judge; NWFP to be renamed Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa; removal of Ziaul Haq’s name http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=28096 *Parties strike accord on 18th Amendment* By Ahmad Hassan Thursday, 01 Apr, 2010 http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/12-crc+signs+18th+amendment+draft--bi-05 _________________________________________ 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 gowharfazili at yahoo.com Thu Apr 1 20:23:33 2010 From: gowharfazili at yahoo.com (gowhar fazli) Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2010 07:53:33 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] On Demography, Gender and Emancipation Message-ID: <2735.86280.qm@web65716.mail.ac4.yahoo.com> On Demography, Gender and Emancipation By Gowhar Fazili The controversial PR (Disqualification) Bill, with all its negative fallouts like fragmentation of politics along regional, religious and gender lines, has had one positive repercussion: it has opened up a broader debate around the issues of gender and possibly other cleavages within our society. This debate is especially important for the ongoing movement which aims for the emancipation of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Though the primary focus of ‘Azadi’ at the moment is around the notion of right to self-determination, this question cannot be looked at without understanding the constituents of the political community in Jammu and Kashmir on whose behalf it is demanded. It is also pertinent that the movement, in the process of achieving its goal, is concerned about the interests of all its constituents. The issue of domicile and the concern about changes in demography is closely connected with the idea of political autonomy and self-determination—the fear that the people of Jammu and Kashmir may be swamped by the mainland settlers. The fear of being rendered a minority within our own state is not baseless. North Eastern states, especially Assam, has faced serious and bloody conflict around demographic changes, be these due to mainland Baniya, Bengali, Bihari and Punjabi business community displacing local businessmen, or the persistent problem of Bangladeshi/Bengali Muslim immigration. In this regard, we must acknowledge that Jammu and Kashmir has benefitted due to the favourable laws protecting the state from outsiders moving in permanently. Not surprisingly, the people of Jammu and Kashmir would not want to dilute this safeguard. Even the Indian state is concerned about immigration. Intriguingly though, despite its proclaimed secular credentials, it treats immigration from Muslim-majority Bangladesh differently than from the Hindu-majority Nepal, irrespective of the likely Maoist connection, which is otherwise seen as a threat to the nation. Conversely, in Nepal, there has been a history of repeated backlashes against Indian immigrants. The worst scenario is that of Palestine, which has faced the issue of land-grabbing and demographic change since the creation of Israel after the World War II. For all its ‘modernity’, Israel maintains discriminatory racist practices differentiating between Arab natives and Jewish settlers. As a result, the Arabs have progressively lost land and the Palestinian refugees, their right of return, even while the Jewish settlers from everywhere around the world have gained ‘citizenship’ and ‘land rights’ with ease. This has been the case even within the internationally recognised occupied territories. (Recently on the March 11, the American allies had to face embarrassment as the Israelis announced fresh illegal settlements in the West Bank, while they were trying to broker a peace deal with the Palestinians) What makes such discrimination among apparently ‘civilised’ people possible? The Israeli sense of victimhood is based on the Jewish holocaust experience in Europe. This makes them excessively sensitive about their own interests while being oblivious of those of others who may be equally vulnerable. Jewish justification for wiping out Palestinians in their own homeland is premised on the understanding that Palestinians are basically Arabs and Muslims who can get absorbed anywhere else in the Muslim world, while Jews, having been a persecuted everywhere in the World, require an exclusive state of their own where their future is safeguarded. While their sense of persecution may be genuine, this illustrates how persecuted communities can become unjust and perpretrate the very atrocities they have suffered onto other people, a danger of which Kashmiris, in the interest of justice and the moral basis of their struggle, must never lose sight. In the same vein, Malaysia has had a problem with Chinese immigration and is concerned about how the immigrant population, which is also exceedingly enterprising, affects its Malay and Muslim culture, politics and economy. Though this remains a source of tension, it has not resulted in serious or violent conflict as yet. Though the concern around demographic change is legitimate, the manner in which we choose to address it should not be discriminatory along the lines of gender, race or religion. This is not only necessary to uphold democratic values but also to retain the moral basis of our cause. It also makes pragmatic and political sense not to lose enthusiasm and support for the cause among various constituencies, including women. Moreover, not engaging with the issues of justice reinforces the stereotype that Kashmiris are conservative and patriarchal in their outlook and, by association, their cause. This kind of stereotyping is a known colonial practices through which people are demonised and then denied legitimacy and rights. Further, being involved in an emancipatory struggle, we must not leave the discourses around justice issues unaddressed, to be then taken over and exploited by politically conservative rightwing groups like the BJP and JMM. If the change in demography is so significant as to require a fresh legislation, it would need to be established through statistics and not conjecture, bias or political expediency. Finally, any solution we arrive at must ensure that women are treated on par with men even as there is, and ought to be, no discrimination on the basis of race, region or religion. In my view, justice demands that either both men and women who marry outside should forgo their status as state subjects or both should be able to retain it, or alternatively, the children of both male and female state-subjects who marry outside should be entitled for domicile status or neither should. The privileging of the male subject is inadmissible and unjust. From chandni_parekh at yahoo.com Thu Apr 1 21:51:31 2010 From: chandni_parekh at yahoo.com (Chandni Parekh) Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2010 09:21:31 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] Be a pro-bono Consultant to an NGO this April Message-ID: <610722.22727.qm@web54406.mail.re2.yahoo.com> To read the responses this mail has received, visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/karmayog/message/61038 >From info at karmayog.org Mar 24, 2010 Subject: Be a pro-bono Consultant to an NGO this April You can help an NGO today! If you have been wanting to do something to help society, don't wait till you retire, or till you take a break from your career or till you have more time. You can start helping an NGO today. How can you help? Don't think that you have nothing to offer - take a look at yourself and the skills that you have and you will see that you definitely have a skill set to offer. There are 1400+ NGOs in Mumbai alone that are listed on Karmayog (and 19,000 all over India). These have all been started by people who have a passion to do something to improve the world. 99% of these NGOs don't have a well rounded team which would look after different aspects of an organisation. Neither have these people worked in corporates to have the managerial skills to understand how an organisation is developed, managed and grown. This much is clear: you have a skill that many NGOs can benefit from. Some examples of how you can help: MBAs - can use their analytical ability to help solve problems Teachers - can observe and give inputs on processes Doctors - can refine and improve medical camps Accountants - can help in regular cost control measures Writers / Journalists - can help in communication initiatives Social Networking experts - can help in outreach and awareness on issues Designers - can offer inputs on product, packaging design If you are a consultant of any kind, you can provide basic advice free (lawyers, architects, counsellers, etc.) How will this help the NGO? You can spend just a few hours with an NGO, as even this itself is enough to bring a fresh perspective and review of things. Or you can spend time on a regular basis and give regular inputs to NGOs. We tend to think that these kind of resources and skills will be available easily to NGOs if they try, but this is not true. Just as if you were to try and find a suitable NGO to support, it would not be easy to do so. NGOs also benefit from coming into contact with a different set of people who are from outside the social sector, and benefit from their academic background, work experience, reach, contacts, network, etc. Such resources and support systems provide a strong impetus to the NGO, both in their day-to-day working as well as to overcome difficult situations, such as disasters or a sudden shortfall of donations due to the recession. How will this help you? Offering your skills to NGOs will be a meaningful way to contribute your expertise to make a difference to society and at the same time will enhance your own learning on the practical difficulties of applying your experience to situations different from what you are normally exposed to. e.g. how NGOs deal with limited resources, work with people with varying skill sets and work in difficult and unconventional environments. How will this process work? If you are interested in offering your skills to NGOs, send us an email at info at karmayog.orgwith your Name, Location, Email address, Professional expertise (what you can help with), Time availability (when you can help). These will be circulated to NGOs in the Karmayog group, who will then contact you directly by email for further action. "Making oneself useful even for one person for one day is a good way to spend the day." - Dr. Muhammad Yunus, Grameen Bank Regards, Vinay www.karmayog.org-- New Growing Opportunities PS: Circulate messages of your interest in www.karmayog.org/messages From csdva at wowm.org Thu Apr 1 21:56:26 2010 From: csdva at wowm.org (csdva at wowm.org) Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2010 18:26:26 +0200 Subject: [Reader-list] Call for proposals Message-ID: <006a01cad1b8$148db7a0$6402a8c0@default> Upgrade International 2010: Soft Borders http://www.softborders.art.br/ October 18-21, 2010 Sao Paulo, Brazil Open Call for Participation - Deadline: April 30, 2010 We invite proposals of papers, posters and workshops for Soft Borders - the 4th Upgrade! International Conference & Festival on New Media Art, that will take place in Sao Paulo, Brazil, from October 18-21, 2010. Information about submitting proposals and the event can be found online at the official conference website: http://www.softborders.art.br/ A brief summary is required for the selection process. This should be submitted electronically via the online submission system, by April 30, 2010. You will be asked to create an account within the system before uploading your summary. The call for participation in Softborders art exhibition will be announced in May. Follow Softborders on Twitter: http://twitter.com/softborders Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=106150429415517 From pkray11 at gmail.com Fri Apr 2 01:09:45 2010 From: pkray11 at gmail.com (Prakash K Ray) Date: Fri, 2 Apr 2010 01:09:45 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Emergency returns to JNU Message-ID: Dear all, After attempts to bulldoze its agenda of commercialization and to tamper with reservation, the JNU administration is now going all out to muzzle freedom of expression and speech with a series of draconian measures. In a meeting of the Provosts held on 26th March, the Dean of Students has come up with a Proforma for all hostels regarding organizing Public Meetings and Film Screenings. The guidelines formulated unanimously in the meeting are nothing short of attempts on the part of the administration to suppress the democratic rights of the students. The guidelines stipulates that no film can be screened that doesn’t have a Censor Board certificate. Also, all details on the movie, its makers, and time duration need to be mentioned while filling the form for seeking permission to organize screenings in the hostels. This implies that Documentaries/Films made by independent film makers, cannot be screened. Furthermore, the guidelines also make it mandatory on individuals/organizations holding Public Meetings to provide all details of the topic, and list of speakers. According to the circular, any meeting the administration feels would be in contravention of ‘national harmony’ or ‘national integration’ or ' national security' could be disallowed and denied permission. Permission must be taken a week before. These new guidelines under the garb of standardizing procedures for all hostels, are in fact draconian attempts to muzzle the voices of dissent, thereby seeking to curtail the freedoms of speech and expression. The pretext of the national interest and harmony is another excuse of suppressing the heterodox views. These terms are always defined conveniently to suit the hegemonic projects of those in power and against those who are challenging this hegemony. These anti-democratic guidelines thus are a systematic effort on part of administration to curb the progressive student movement and launching fresh onslaughts on the student community. In the absence of elections and an elected JNUSU, the administration has been increasingly getting high-handed and pushing through such anti-student policies. The administration has sought to conveniently use the stay on JNUSU elections surreptitiously to bulldoze such anti-democratic measures. It is a sad thing that most of teachers of JNU are either silent or supporting the JNU administration. It is pertinent that the student community in JNU remains vigilant and fight against such assaults on our democratic rights that have been won after hard-fought struggles. All right-thinking people should join hands with the progressive students of JNU in their fight against these draconian measures tooth and nail. Prakash From iram at sarai.net Fri Apr 2 00:48:06 2010 From: iram at sarai.net (Iram Ghufran) Date: Fri, 02 Apr 2010 01:18:06 +0600 Subject: [Reader-list] Fwd: Call letter for abstracts for a conference on environmental activism in New Delhi, Dec 9th and 10th 2010 In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <4BB4F16E.5090808@sarai.net> Fwd: Subject: Call letter for abstracts for a conference on environmental activism in New Delhi, Dec 9th and 10th 2010 From: Monica Narula Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2010 01:34:41 +0530 To: announcements at sarai.net Between mainstream and the fringe: environmental activism in a globalised world International Conference on Dec 9th and 10th, 2010 at Jamia Milia Islamia, New Delhi Organised by University of Heidelberg in collaboration with Centre for Culture,Media and Governance, JMI Environmental activism entered the political domain in the 1980s. The demand for rights and justice pitched activists against their adversaries: the state, business corporations, corporate media and the judiciary. Over the next 20 years, however, these mainstream actors slowly colonised the environmental agenda. It is important therefore, to understand the effectivity and nature of mainstream concern around environment as well as the renegotiated charter for the fringe activists who have assumed a new dimension in a globalised world. The continous push of globalisation brings with it other changes. Emerging transnational networks, the entry of Northeren NGOs into South and their collaborations with local partners and the corporatisation of the green agenda are changing the scope and nature of environmental politics. New financial arrangements are emerging with increased transnational funding giving rise to flows of ideas and knowledge that transcend national boundaries and change the relationship between both state and non-state actors. The contested terrains of control over natural resources are “glocally” renegotiated between various agents. It is to map the changes within the sphere of environmental activism and shifting transnational engagements that Heidelberg University’s Cluster of Excellence 'Asia and Europe', is organising a two day conference in Delhi on Decemebr 9th and 10th, 2010 at the Jamia Millia Islamia University (JMI) in New Delhi. The conference is being held in collaboration with the Centre for Culture, Media and Governance, JMI. The conference lays a strong emphasis on practitioner experience and case studies and aims to facilitate a conversation between both activists and academics. (While the emphasis of the conference is on India and South Asian case studies, relevant papers from other parts of the world are welcome.) Keeping our broad concerns in mind, the conference invites papers around the following themes (but not restricted to): 1) Media Discourse on the environment Mainstream media narative of environment and its politics. Communication strategy of the fringe in the mainstream media clutter. 2) Transnational donors and environmental agenda Guiding principles for funding actions/research in the South and donor expectations. Compliance and subversion of donor agenda by Southern civil society. 3) Business imperatives in new ’environment’ Corporate sponsorship of green movement and its business benefits. Business leadership through financing clean technology. Public relations and the politics of reputational advantage. 4) Warfare in hyperreality Determinants of successful activism in New Media/Social networking and politics of new technology 5) Youth movements on environment Staking claims for the future and relevance of ’immature politicians’ 6) Political Parties, state and the superstructure of environmental administration Appealing to the eloctorate with the green agenda. The bureaucratisation of people’s movements. 7) The grassroot in global networks Retaining local identity in global resistance movements. 8) Judiciary, rights and wrongs Can judicial activism restore environmental justice or does it bypas the democratic process? Deadlines The deadlines for abstracts is May 30th. Abstracts are to be sent to batabyal at asia-europe.uni-heidelberg.de and somras at gmail.com You will be notified by june 30th if your abstract is succesful and you will have to submit a full paper (between 7,000 to 10,000 words) by October end for dissemination to other participants and paper discussants. Submission of a full paper is essential as a book is planned around the conference. Discussants For those who do not wish to present a paper but would like to lead the discussion of papers in their areas of interest, do let us know at the same email ids regarding your areas of work, publications, etc and we will notify you regarding submissions. -- Somnath Batabyal, Dr Post Doctoral Fellow Cluster of Excellence-- (Asia Europe) University of Heidelberg Adjunct Fellow, Centre for Culture, Media and Governance, Jamia Millia Islamia Monica Narula Raqs Media Collective Sarai-CSDS www.raqsmediacollective.net www.sarai.net From aiindex at gmail.com Fri Apr 2 02:05:52 2010 From: aiindex at gmail.com (Harsh Kapoor) Date: Fri, 2 Apr 2010 02:05:52 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] =?utf-8?b?4oCZRGVmZW5zaXZlIEppaGFk4oCZIE5vdCBBbnRp?= =?utf-8?q?thetical_to_Human_Rights_says_Amnesty_international=3A_S?= =?utf-8?q?hocked_Rights_Activists_Respond?= Message-ID: Human Rights For All (http://www.human-rights-for-all.org) PRESS RELEASE April 1, 2010 Amnesty International responds to the global petition and a response from the petitioners In a letter in response to the Global Petition to Amnesty International, the Secretary General of Amnesty International makes a shocking and incredible claim that "Defensive Jihad not antithetical to Human Rights". If this is the official position of the world’s leading human rights organisation, this would gravely undermine the future of the human rights movement. The rationale and call for ‘defensive jihad’ runs through many muslim fundamentalist texts. It is precisely ‘defensive jihad’ that the Taleban use to legitimise its anti human rights actions such as the beheading of dissidents, attacks on minorities, attacks on schools and religious shrines and the public lashing of women. A similar logic based on ‘defence of religion’ is used by the Christian right to justify the killing of doctors providing abortion services as well as by Hindutva fundamentalists to justify their violent attacks against Muslims and Christians in India. We are revealing and making public (see attached documents) the full text of the letter received from secretary General of Amnesty international in response to the ’Global Petition to Amnesty International: Restoring the Integrity of Human Rights’ and also the Response sent by Initiators of Global Petition The highlights of the response sent to Amnesty International by Initiators of Global Petition are: * Endorsement of the concept of ‘defensive jihad’ by an organization such as Amnesty International calls into question its commitment to research the ideological underpinnings of acts of terrorism and its commitment to the eradication of discrimination on the basis of sex/gender and religion. * In the present climate, within the mainstream human rights world, a serious challenge is being posed to the principles of universality and equality by a host of concessions to ‘traditional values’ and ‘cultural rights’. * Amnesty International should make public the following information - Investigative research which informs decisions on partnerships and alliances: o What process of investigation was carried out to determine whether Moazzam Begg was a suitable partner for Amnesty International? * Allow real internal debate and give individuals within Amnesty International including at the level of National Sections, the right to act according to their conscience and to exercise their freedom to dissent. Released to the world media by Human Rights For All Campaign. Response to Amnesty International from the Initators of the Global Petition Full Text original in PDF Date: 29 March 2010 - PDF - 152.5 kb (URL: http://tinyurl.com/ydmet8g) Letter from Claudio Cordone, Secretary General of Amnesty International Full Text original in PDF Date: 28 February 2010 - PDF - 101.7 kb (Located at: http://tinyurl.com/ybd2ep5) -###- Released to the media by Human Rights For All Campaign (Press Release URL: http://www.human-rights-for-all.org/spip.php?article53) From justjunaid at gmail.com Fri Apr 2 02:26:02 2010 From: justjunaid at gmail.com (Junaid) Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2010 16:56:02 -0400 Subject: [Reader-list] Selective condemnation of rape and murder has become bane of J&K politic Message-ID: Hi Sonia, Thank you for sending across a slew of sordid reports suggesting how Kashmir has become a den of sex, sleaze, and hypocrisy. Your posts are complemented well by Kshmendra Kaul's post which asserts that Kashmiris are compulsive liars, and Pawan Durani's forwards that underscore how Kashmiris lie about human rights violations by the Indian troops. Between the three of you, you have finally nailed the true psyche of Kashmiris! But you know since sleaze is something that defines the present state of politics in and about Kashmir, the nature of what is written about it cannot entirely escape its shadow. We have a history of making "noises" about rapes and molestations and almost invariably we have been told by the Indian agencies and the Indian media that we are wrong. The rape of dozens of women in Kunan-Poshpora in Kupwara by the Indian army has been declared a fabrication by the Indian govt and its intellegentsia. A number of books (authored by pro-establishment people like Manoj Joshi, Tavleen Singh etc) and tomes of news-stories have been manufactured to silence our "hypocritical" "noise". Press Council of India put a stamp of innocence on the Indian army units involved. (Only, we came to know later that BG Verghese hadn't even visited the village or talked to any victims). But that is too far in the past. The reports of sexual abuse and exploitation of underage Kashmiri girls by the pro-India politicians, the bureaucrats, and the top officers of the paramilitary forces and the police, and the subsequent investigations have led to nowhere. CBI didn't particularly prove itself to be objective or free from political influence in that case. See: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/highcourtnamesstringofvvipsinsexualabusecase/226255/ It is quite understandable that, after all this, the Kashmiri people (and the sane people in India who see what CBI did to the Bofors case and the Hawala scandal) don't trust its "reports". See: http://kashmirprocess.com/news/20100104_GK_Wani.pdf So, when you say "Based on the evidence that we have at the (moment) I do not believe it was either rape or murder", I would like to know what "evidence" are you talking about. What evidence do you have to suggest that the two women found dead in knee-deep water were not raped and murdered? If you have "evidence" it means you are suggesting that the evidence points to an alternative scenario. What is that scenario? Unless you are suggesting that both the women happened to drown in the rivulet, in which even fish didn't have water enough to swim! (Well, that scenario would not need evidence but a miracle... or a dopey imagination!) I am asking this because it seems you have an opinion on what actually happened to the two women. After all, you call it a "tragic death": "I feel wretched that 2 women died a tragic death and then they were subjected to the worst kind of public scrutiny for months, their sexual lives speculated upon, their characters ground down to the dust.." You are right about the second part, of course. But the question is who speculated on the character of the two women, or cast aspersions about the role of Neelofar's husband? Who was most interested in showing the women as bad-charactered? Have you read these two reports: http://www.kashmirprocess.org/reports/shopian/ and http://www.kashmirtimes.com/shopian-report.pdf ? But these are independent reports. What happened to the findings of the Jan Commission? It was a govt report, right? It established rape and murder. See http://www.hindu.com/nic/shopian/index.htm In reality, even if I accept your (self-appointed) three-member bench's unanimous conclusion about Kashmiris as liars, hypocrites, and manipulators, don't you think it still keeps pointing to the single most important thing about Kashmiri opinion about Indian rule over Kashmir: that they don't like it at all. That Indian rule over Kashmir has no democratic legitimacy? Junaid From sonia.jabbar at gmail.com Fri Apr 2 08:06:23 2010 From: sonia.jabbar at gmail.com (S. Jabbar) Date: Fri, 02 Apr 2010 08:06:23 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Selective condemnation of rape and murder has become bane of J&K politic In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Dear Junaid, Has Kashmir become a den of sleaze? Have I suggested that this is so and that 'Kashmiris are compulsive liars'? I don't think so. And if I have, I think you need to back your accusations with evidence from my posts. The CMO Pulwama, Dr. Ghulam Qadir's actions can hardly be conflated with the actions of all Kashmiris, so where is the question of Kashmir becoming a 'den of sex, sleaze and hypocrisy'? Having said that I still think it is necessary to examine the actions of this particular gentleman as he was the man ultimately responsible for collecting the vaginal samples and fudging them. I have in my earlier post to Sanjay-- which I am sure you have read-- condemned rapes and murders by men in khaki so I really don't understand your outrageous attempt to paint me as someone who condones violations in J&K or anywhere else. You talk of Kunan Poshpora. Have you been there? I doubt it. But I have. I spent time, I talked to the women in private, away from the gaze of the men. And guess what? I believed them. And guess what else? They really hate being talked about, written about, bandied about by politicians who don't give a flying F about them and have used them to further their political agenda. Guess what else? The money that was collected in their name by the men who made the greatest noise about the rapes never got to them. And guess what else? They are still known as 'the raped village' and girls who were too little at the time of the ghastly incident are still tormented whenever they leave their village to attend a HS school in a nearby village-- not by men in khaki, but by their own brethren. Turning to Shopian. I have read every report on the case. Have you been to the Rambiara? Has anyone determined where exactly the women drowned? All that is known is where the bodies were found. The bodies were found near the bridge way downstream from the logical point of crossing from their orchard to their home, both which were upstream. All people who claimed they could not have drowned in Rambiara where the bodies were found were absolutely correct. However, if you bother to read the testimonies of the victims' relatives in the Jan Commission Report you will realize that even that spot was difficult to cross. Early that morning, when the group saw some 'clothes' across the nullah, the brother in-law went back some 200 yards, crossed the bridge and then descended to the spot where they found Niloufer. When he shouted across the nullah to the men on the other side, Niloufer's husband, wild with grief, wanted to leap into the nullah and go straight across. He was restrained and finally the men went back 200 yards, crossed the bridge and went down to the other side. If the water was 'ankle-deep' as everyone claims, the men would have walked across without a fuss. Why didn't they? To date no one who claims there was a rape and murder have been able to scientifically establish cause of death. And if you cannot establish cause of death how can you say whether, it is homicide, suicide, or death by accident? Soon after the incident the state government had announced a reward of 25 lakh rupees to any information leading to the arrest of the culprits. Every man, woman and child was following this case in J&K. And yet to date not a single person has come up with any information leading to the arrest of the culprits. Every claim when investigated turned out to be false. As far as the claim of rape or gang rape: where is the evidence? Everything that has come out points to the contrary. As far as your last assertion, I only have one thing to say, and that is, I don't need to prove 2 women were raped and murdered to underscore how bad it is in Kashmir to be living under the shadow of so many guns. I have always said this and will say it again: India and Pakistan must resolve Kashmir. The solution must be acceptable to all people and regions of J&K. > From: Junaid > Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2010 16:56:02 -0400 > To: Sarai , Sanjay Kak , "S. > Jabbar" > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Selective condemnation of rape and murder has > become bane of J&K politic > > Hi Sonia, > > Thank you for sending across a slew of sordid reports suggesting how > Kashmir has become a den of sex, sleaze, and hypocrisy. Your posts are > complemented well by Kshmendra Kaul's post which asserts that > Kashmiris are compulsive liars, and Pawan Durani's forwards that > underscore how Kashmiris lie about human rights violations by the > Indian troops. Between the three of you, you have finally nailed the > true psyche of Kashmiris! But you know since sleaze is something that > defines the present state of politics in and about Kashmir, the nature > of what is written about it cannot entirely escape its shadow. > > We have a history of making "noises" about rapes and molestations and > almost invariably we have been told by the Indian agencies and the > Indian media that we are wrong. The rape of dozens of women in > Kunan-Poshpora in Kupwara by the Indian army has been declared a > fabrication by the Indian govt and its intellegentsia. A number of > books (authored by pro-establishment people like Manoj Joshi, Tavleen > Singh etc) and tomes of news-stories have been manufactured to silence > our "hypocritical" "noise". Press Council of India put a stamp of > innocence on the Indian army units involved. (Only, we came to know > later that BG Verghese hadn't even visited the village or talked to > any victims). But that is too far in the past. > > The reports of sexual abuse and exploitation of underage Kashmiri > girls by the pro-India politicians, the bureaucrats, and the top > officers of the paramilitary forces and the police, and the subsequent > investigations have led to nowhere. CBI didn't particularly prove > itself to be objective or free from political influence in that case. > See: > http://www.indianexpress.com/news/highcourtnamesstringofvvipsinsexualabusecase > /226255/ > > It is quite understandable that, after all this, the Kashmiri people > (and the sane people in India who see what CBI did to the Bofors case > and the Hawala scandal) don't trust its "reports". See: > http://kashmirprocess.com/news/20100104_GK_Wani.pdf > > So, when you say "Based on the evidence that we have at the (moment) I > do not believe it was either rape or murder", I would like to know > what "evidence" are you talking about. What evidence do you have to > suggest that the two women found dead in knee-deep water were not > raped and murdered? If you have "evidence" it means you are suggesting > that the evidence points to an alternative scenario. What is that > scenario? Unless you are suggesting that both the women happened to > drown in the rivulet, in which even fish didn't have water enough to > swim! (Well, that scenario would not need evidence but a miracle... or > a dopey imagination!) > > I am asking this because it seems you have an opinion on what actually > happened to the two women. After all, you call it a "tragic death": "I > feel wretched that 2 women died a tragic death and then they were > subjected to the worst kind of public scrutiny for months, their > sexual lives speculated upon, their characters ground down to the > dust.." You are right about the second part, of course. But the > question is who speculated on the character of the two women, or cast > aspersions about the role of Neelofar's husband? Who was most > interested in showing the women as bad-charactered? > > Have you read these two reports: > http://www.kashmirprocess.org/reports/shopian/ and > http://www.kashmirtimes.com/shopian-report.pdf ? But these are > independent reports. What happened to the findings of the Jan > Commission? It was a govt report, right? It established rape and > murder. See http://www.hindu.com/nic/shopian/index.htm > > In reality, even if I accept your (self-appointed) three-member > bench's unanimous conclusion about Kashmiris as liars, hypocrites, and > manipulators, don't you think it still keeps pointing to the single > most important thing about Kashmiri opinion about Indian rule over > Kashmir: that they don't like it at all. That Indian rule over Kashmir > has no democratic legitimacy? > > Junaid From pawan.durani at gmail.com Fri Apr 2 09:54:48 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Fri, 2 Apr 2010 09:54:48 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] She married a Hindu - She is missing now ! - from Kashmir Message-ID: http://www.hindustantimes.com/rssfeed/mumbai/Kashmiri-woman-goes-missing-from-her-parents-house-too/Article1-526048.aspx The 22-year-old Kashmiri woman, who married a Hindu against her parents’ wishes last year, has gone missing from her Srinagar home too. That’s what the affidavit filed by Samadhan Dhanedhar, senior police inspector with the Saki Naka police, in the Bombay High Court said. The court on Thursday was hearing a habeas corpus (produce person in court) petition filed by Ravi Tiwari (26) who alleged that his wife Anusha was detained by her parents in Srinagar. In December 2009, Anusha approached the HC seeking protection against her father Gulam Mohammed and brother Altaf. The court directed the police to provide protection to the couple. But when the couple received a letter claiming that Anusha’s father was unwell, they went to Kashmir. His wife’s family held her back forcibly, claimed Tiwari. Additional Public Prosecutor Sangeeta Shinde said a team of three policemen and a woman constable, along with the Khaniyar police, visited Anusha’s Srinagar residence to get her back to Mumbai as per the HC directions, but they did not find her there. Her parents told the police that she had gone to buy medicines on February 22 and never returned. A division bench of Justice D.B. Bhosale and Justice A.R. Joshi asked the police to file a progress report in tracing the woman after four weeks. From justjunaid at gmail.com Fri Apr 2 10:39:33 2010 From: justjunaid at gmail.com (Junaid) Date: Fri, 2 Apr 2010 01:09:33 -0400 Subject: [Reader-list] Selective condemnation of rape and murder has become bane of J&K politic In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Dear Sonia, Shopian case has, from the day it became clear that the two women hadn't simply drowned, been a game where it seems those responsible are hell bent on proving that the women were neither sexually assaulted nor murdered. We have seen over these months not only attempts at portraying the two women as loose charactered, but also attacks against those involved in uncovering the truth behind the incident. Till date one Coordination Committee member has been assassinated, Neelofer's husband has been publicly assaulted by policemen, a number of others have been framed. I don't know much about the ex-CMO Qadir's video. If he has forced someone to have sex with him, then obviously he needs to be punished. What is curious is the video. Who was filming the thing? Why? As the pattern of events that have preceded it go, it is not unwise to be on a lookout for mal-intent. It is interesting that the witnesses who appeared before Justice Muzaffar Jan gave him a different story altogether than what CBI came up with. Jan pointed out that Asiya's death was caused by a gash on her forehead. CBI said it was not the reason, but since sand and phytoplankton from Rambiara were found inside the lungs CBI declared it a case of drowning. Well clearly since Asiya's and Neelofar's body were taken out of shallow water the possibility that the water could have entered her lungs after her death was not even seen as a real possibility. Intact hymen in one body doesn't rule out rape, right? But CBI took a very conservative view about it. The line CBI took from the beginning was to falsify all claims of rape and murder, and for CBI it was not difficult to do what they had been asked for. In between, what happened to the AIIMS doctor involved in the exhumation of the bodies who doubted the CBI report. Praveen IB Swami rubished him by suggesting that the doctor had been caught plagiarising in 2004 and was therefore not credible! If the doctor wasn't credible, why was he in the investigation team in the first place? I have seen Rambiara many times. Even where it joins Vaishav, which is at its end, it is not deep enough. And generally at the end of May water in Kashmiri streams is especially low, as some of it gets diverted to paddy fields. Government did its best to suggest that there was a sudden cloud burst and water overflowed in the brook. And IB Swami claimed there was flood that night. I was in a place close to Shopian around that time, and there had been no rain for days. Where did the great flood myth come from? Old Testament? Anycase see photos of Rambi Ara here: http://www.kashmirprocess.org/reports/shopian/shopian_materials.html http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2525/3751167090_9fe348e660.jpg Would you have been able to cross it? Now what you are saying is this: "Early that morning, when the group saw some 'clothes' across the nullah, the brother in-law went back some 200 yards, crossed the bridge and then descended to the spot where they found Niloufer. When he shouted across the nullah to the men on the other side, Niloufer's husband, wild with grief, wanted to leap into the nullah and go straight across. He was restrained and finally the men went back 200 yards, crossed the bridge and went down to the other side. If the water was 'ankle-deep' as everyone claims, the men would have walked across without a fuss. Why didn't they?" Well, I ask you this question: Why didn't the two women use the bridge instead of doing a thing that even men (wild with grief) wouldn't do? If the river was really not crossable why did the women do it? And, more curiously, why both of them? That you have been to Kunan-Poshpora (and, no, I haven't been there) and that the victims are saying (and rightly so) that the politicians (?) didn't care about them, that they didn't see any money, or that they face enormous social hardships, does not prove that they were not raped. It is a great failure of the Kashmiri society not to have adequately shown solidarity with these women. But where are the culprits? It is not so difficult to find them, right? In your earlier post you said this: "The reason I posted Fayyaz's article was because it underscored what many on this list are guilty of. Making a noise about things that further their world views or political interests and keeping quiet when it doesn't. I have no axe to grind." Whose worldviews and political interests "on this list" are you talking about? You seem to suggest that there are some hypocrites who make "noise about things". Well first of all, most of the time I see absolute garbage posted here on issues related to Kashmir. (Some posts count dead people in Kashmir in "Ks"... 16 K instead of 219). Second, I don't think Fayyaz's report is a sound way to underscore anything. In fact, his reports are doltish in the least and dark propaganda if you read it carefully enough. Junaid On Thu, Apr 1, 2010 at 10:36 PM, S. Jabbar wrote: > Dear Junaid, > > Has Kashmir become a den of sleaze?  Have I suggested that this is so and > that 'Kashmiris are compulsive liars'? I don't think so.  And if I have, I > think you need to back your accusations with evidence from my posts. > > The CMO Pulwama, Dr. Ghulam Qadir's actions can hardly be conflated with the > actions of all Kashmiris, so where is the question of Kashmir becoming a > 'den of sex, sleaze and hypocrisy'?  Having said that I still think it is > necessary to examine the actions of this particular gentleman as he was the > man ultimately responsible for collecting the vaginal samples and fudging > them. > > I have in my earlier post to Sanjay-- which I am sure you have read-- > condemned rapes and murders by men in khaki so I really don't understand > your outrageous attempt to paint me as someone who condones violations in > J&K or anywhere else. > > You talk of Kunan Poshpora.  Have you been there?  I doubt it. But I have. > I spent time, I talked to the women in private, away from the gaze of the > men.  And guess what?  I believed them.  And guess what else?  They really > hate being talked about, written about, bandied about by politicians who > don't give a flying F about them and have used them to further their > political agenda.  Guess what else?  The money that was collected in their > name by the men who made the greatest noise about the rapes never got to > them.  And guess what else?  They are still known as 'the raped village' and > girls who were too little at the time of the ghastly incident are still > tormented whenever they leave their village to attend a HS school in a > nearby village-- not by men in khaki, but by their own brethren. > > Turning to Shopian.  I have read every report on the case. Have you been to > the Rambiara?  Has anyone determined where exactly the women drowned?  All > that is known is where the bodies were found.  The bodies were found near > the bridge way downstream from the logical point of crossing from their > orchard to their home, both which were upstream.  All people who claimed > they could not have drowned in Rambiara where the bodies were found were > absolutely correct.  However, if you bother to read the testimonies of the > victims' relatives in the Jan Commission Report you will realize that even > that spot was difficult to cross.  Early that morning, when the group saw > some 'clothes' across the nullah, the brother in-law went back some 200 > yards, crossed the bridge and then descended to the spot where they found > Niloufer.  When he shouted across the nullah to the men on the other side, > Niloufer's husband, wild with grief, wanted to leap into the nullah and go > straight across.  He was restrained and finally the men went back 200 yards, > crossed the bridge and went down to the other side.  If the water was > 'ankle-deep' as everyone claims, the men would have walked across without a > fuss.  Why didn't they? > > To date no one who claims there was a rape and murder have been able to > scientifically establish cause of death.  And if you cannot establish cause > of death how can you say whether, it is  homicide, suicide, or death by > accident?  Soon after the incident the state government had announced a > reward of 25 lakh rupees to any information leading to the arrest of the > culprits.  Every man, woman and child was following this case in J&K.  And > yet to date not a single person has come up with any information leading to > the arrest of the culprits.  Every claim when investigated turned out to be > false. > > As far as the claim of rape or gang rape: where is the evidence? Everything > that has come out points to the contrary. > > As far as your last assertion, I only have one thing to say, and that is, I > don't need to prove 2 women were raped and murdered to underscore how bad it > is in Kashmir to be living under the shadow of so many guns.  I have always > said this and will say it again: India and Pakistan must resolve Kashmir. > The solution must be acceptable to all people and regions of J&K. > > > >> From: Junaid >> Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2010 16:56:02 -0400 >> To: Sarai , Sanjay Kak , "S. >> Jabbar" >> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Selective condemnation of rape and murder has >> become bane of J&K politic >> >> Hi Sonia, >> >> Thank you for sending across a slew of sordid reports suggesting how >> Kashmir has become a den of sex, sleaze, and hypocrisy. Your posts are >> complemented well by Kshmendra Kaul's post which asserts that >> Kashmiris are compulsive liars, and Pawan Durani's forwards that >> underscore how Kashmiris lie about human rights violations by the >> Indian troops. Between the three of you, you have finally nailed the >> true psyche of Kashmiris! But you know since sleaze is something that >> defines the present state of politics in and about Kashmir, the nature >> of what is written about it cannot entirely escape its shadow. >> >> We have a history of making "noises" about rapes and molestations and >> almost invariably we have been told by the Indian agencies and the >> Indian media that we are wrong. The rape of dozens of women in >> Kunan-Poshpora in Kupwara by the Indian army has been declared a >> fabrication by the Indian govt and its intellegentsia. A number of >> books (authored by pro-establishment people like Manoj Joshi, Tavleen >> Singh etc) and tomes of news-stories have been manufactured to silence >> our "hypocritical" "noise". Press Council of India put a stamp of >> innocence on the Indian army units involved. (Only, we came to know >> later that BG Verghese hadn't even visited the village or talked to >> any victims). But that is too far in the past. >> >> The reports of sexual abuse and exploitation of underage Kashmiri >> girls by the pro-India politicians, the bureaucrats, and the top >> officers of the paramilitary forces and the police, and the subsequent >> investigations have led to nowhere. CBI didn't particularly prove >> itself to be objective or free from political influence in that case. >> See: >> http://www.indianexpress.com/news/highcourtnamesstringofvvipsinsexualabusecase >> /226255/ >> >> It is quite understandable that, after all this, the Kashmiri people >> (and the sane people in India who see what CBI did to the Bofors case >> and the Hawala scandal) don't trust its "reports". See: >> http://kashmirprocess.com/news/20100104_GK_Wani.pdf >> >> So, when you say "Based on the evidence that we have at the (moment) I >> do not believe it was either rape or murder", I would like to know >> what "evidence" are you talking about. What evidence do you have to >> suggest that the two women found dead in knee-deep water were not >> raped and murdered? If you have "evidence" it means you are suggesting >> that the evidence points to an alternative scenario. What is that >> scenario? Unless you are suggesting that both the women happened to >> drown in the rivulet, in which even fish didn't have water enough to >> swim! (Well, that scenario would not need evidence but a miracle... or >> a dopey imagination!) >> >> I am asking this because it seems you have an opinion on what actually >> happened to the two women. After all, you call it a "tragic death": "I >> feel wretched that 2 women died a tragic death and then they were >> subjected to the worst kind of public scrutiny for months, their >> sexual lives speculated upon, their characters ground down to the >> dust.." You are right about the second part, of course. But the >> question is who speculated on the character of the two women, or cast >> aspersions about the role of Neelofar's husband? Who was most >> interested in showing the women as bad-charactered? >> >> Have you read these two reports: >> http://www.kashmirprocess.org/reports/shopian/ and >> http://www.kashmirtimes.com/shopian-report.pdf ? But these are >> independent reports. What happened to the findings of the Jan >> Commission? It was a govt report, right? It established rape and >> murder. See http://www.hindu.com/nic/shopian/index.htm >> >> In reality, even if I accept your (self-appointed) three-member >> bench's unanimous conclusion about Kashmiris as liars, hypocrites, and >> manipulators, don't you think it still keeps pointing to the single >> most important thing about Kashmiri opinion about Indian rule over >> Kashmir: that they don't like it at all. That Indian rule over Kashmir >> has no democratic legitimacy? >> >> Junaid > > > From pawan.durani at gmail.com Fri Apr 2 11:00:56 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Fri, 2 Apr 2010 11:00:56 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Selective condemnation of rape and murder has become bane of J&K politic In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Dear Junaid Ji , NamaskAr Just a clarification . 16000 figure of deaths in Kashmir since 1990 was written by me. I did not write that those 16000 + were Kashmiri Pandits. All i said was the Govt claim, 2 years back said so. Also , as it seems you believe 219 KP's died in Kashmir as said by the minister in the assembly , you should also believe in other report of Govt. I do not believe in Govt figures in either of the cases. In another few days , i would share with you report compiled by an amateur , with all Govt records which shows around 500 Kashmiri pandits were killed. The list contains , name , nature of killing , parentage , FIR number etc.... Seems Govt has underestimated the killings or underestimated the pandits. On Shopian , i share with you an article by Harinder Baweja and hope he escapes being pre fixed with an IB acronym. http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/story?sId=83795&secid=4 But taped conversation between a doctor who conducted the post-mortem and Mohammad Shafi Khan, the vice-president of the Majlis - which was representing the families of the victims - show a deliberate attempt was made to cook up false reports. Headlines Today is in exclusive possession of a copy of the audio tape and also another one in which conversations between Shafi Khan and Dr Qadir Khan were recorded. Dr Khan was appointed by the Majlis as observer at the time when the bodies of Nilofer and Asia were exhumed by the CBI. Soon after the exhumation, he called up Shafi Khan and told him that Asiya's hymen was intact, which ruled out the charge of rape. He told Shafi that the CBI had evidence to prove that the rape charges were false and suggested that the Majlis should now take the stand that "attempts to rape" were made. Here are excerpts of their conversation. Dr Qadir Khan: I have told you that the hymen is intact and our case has become weak. But if we say otherwise, that is not possible now because the CBI have taken samples and photographs. What can be done? Shafi Khan: That is right. Dr Qadir Khan: They have taken vaginal samples. We cannot lie in this regard and why should we lie? They have taken close photographs/ magnifying photographs… Even then, I told them that we cannot rule out attempt of rape. Because we can then say she (Asiya) was brave, she resisted… This I told the lady doctor present there and she agreed that it can also happen. Now take care of me. I do not want to get involved in this. Dr Khan is on tape admitting that the hymen of one of the alleged victims was intact. But to the Majlis, he suggests that another fake charge be levelled as a way to save its face. Nearly 900 people were injured in violence across the Valley after allegations of rape of the two women by the security forces surfaced. The entire valley witnessed several bandhs. Security personnel were arrested on charges of rape. The CBI report accessed exclusively by Headlines Today says a "deliberate conspiracy was hatched against the police and the security forces where concerted efforts were made to create false evidence". The report says doctors at the Shopian and Pulwama hospitals created false postmortem reports, fudged slides of samples taken from the alleged victims' bodies and resorted to inducing and threatening the witnesses to give false testimony. Dr Nighat Shaheen, who was on the team that conducted the second post-mortems on the victims, concluded that they had been raped without even examining their vaginas. She admits her mistake to the Majlis vice-president and even said she wanted to go to the court to speak out the truth, but was stopped from doing so. The CBI report says the first team of doctors prepared several post-mortem reports, making additions to suit the changing circumstances. Dr Nighat and her associates falsely mentioned in their postmortem report that Asiya's hymen was ruptured. However, doctors of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) who conducted the autopsy after the CBI exhumed the bodies, found that Asiya's hymen was intact. Dr Nighat and her associates said Nilofar died due to neurogenic shock. The AIIMS team found that she died due to asphyxia as a result of antemortem drowning. Even after accepting that she had fudged the slides, Dr Nighat insisted that rape did take place. The Abdullah government gave the clearance for tapping the phones of Majlis representatives, the doctors and lawyers of the Shopian bar council. But given the sensitivities in the Valley, it is a challenge for it to bring out the undoctored truth. Security forces have committed excesses in Kashmir in many cases, but Shopian clearly was not one of them. Listen to it yourself. On Fri, Apr 2, 2010 at 10:39 AM, Junaid wrote: > Dear Sonia, > > Shopian case has, from the day it became clear that the two women > hadn't simply drowned, been a game where it seems those responsible > are hell bent on proving that the women were neither sexually > assaulted nor murdered. We have seen over these months not only > attempts at portraying the two women as loose charactered, but also > attacks against those involved in uncovering the truth behind the > incident. Till date one Coordination Committee member has been > assassinated, Neelofer's husband has been publicly assaulted by > policemen, a number of others have been framed. I don't know much > about the ex-CMO Qadir's video. If he has forced someone to have sex > with him, then obviously he needs to be punished. What is curious is > the video. Who was filming the thing? Why? As the pattern of events > that have preceded it go, it is not unwise to be on a lookout for > mal-intent. > > It is interesting that the witnesses who appeared before Justice > Muzaffar Jan gave him a different story altogether than what CBI came > up with. Jan pointed out that Asiya's death was caused by a gash on > her forehead. CBI said it was not the reason, but since sand and > phytoplankton from Rambiara were found inside the lungs CBI declared > it a case of drowning. Well clearly since Asiya's and Neelofar's body > were taken out of shallow water the possibility that the water could > have entered her lungs after her death was not even seen as a real > possibility. Intact hymen in one body doesn't rule out rape, right? > But CBI took a very conservative view about it. The line CBI took from > the beginning was to falsify all claims of rape and murder, and for > CBI it was not difficult to do what they had been asked for. In > between, what happened to the AIIMS doctor involved in the exhumation > of the bodies who doubted the CBI report. Praveen IB Swami rubished > him by suggesting that the doctor had been caught plagiarising in 2004 > and was therefore not credible! If the doctor wasn't credible, why was > he in the investigation team in the first place? > > I have seen Rambiara many times. Even where it joins Vaishav, which is > at its end, it is not deep enough. And generally at the end of May > water in Kashmiri streams is especially low, as some of it gets > diverted to paddy fields. Government did its best to suggest that > there was a sudden cloud burst and water overflowed in the brook. And > IB Swami claimed there was flood that night. I was in a place close to > Shopian around that time, and there had been no rain for days. Where > did the great flood myth come from? Old Testament? > > Anycase see photos of Rambi Ara here: > http://www.kashmirprocess.org/reports/shopian/shopian_materials.html > http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2525/3751167090_9fe348e660.jpg > Would you have been able to cross it? > > Now what you are saying is this: > > "Early that morning, when the group saw some 'clothes' across the > nullah, the brother in-law went back some 200 yards, crossed the > bridge and then descended to the spot where they found Niloufer.  When > he shouted across the nullah to the men on the other side, Niloufer's > husband, wild with grief, wanted to leap into the nullah and go > straight across.  He was restrained and finally the men went back 200 > yards, crossed the bridge and went down to the other side.  If the > water was 'ankle-deep' as everyone claims, the men would have walked > across without a fuss.  Why didn't they?" > > Well, I ask you this question: Why didn't the two women use the bridge > instead of doing a thing that even men (wild with grief) wouldn't do? > If the river was really not crossable why did the women do it? And, > more curiously, why both of them? > > That you have been to Kunan-Poshpora (and, no, I haven't been there) > and that the victims are saying (and rightly so) that the politicians > (?) didn't care about them, that they didn't see any money, or that > they face enormous social hardships, does not prove that they were not > raped. It is a great failure of the Kashmiri society not to have > adequately shown solidarity with these women. But where are the > culprits? It is not so difficult to find them, right? > > In your earlier post you said this: "The reason I posted Fayyaz's > article was because it underscored what many on > this list are guilty of. Making a noise about things that further > their world views or political interests and keeping quiet when it > doesn't. I have no axe to grind." Whose worldviews and political > interests "on this list" are you talking about? You seem to suggest > that there are some hypocrites who make "noise about things". Well > first of all, most of the time I see absolute garbage posted here on > issues related to Kashmir. (Some posts count dead people in Kashmir in > "Ks"... 16 K instead of 219). Second, I don't think Fayyaz's report is > a sound way to underscore anything. In fact, his reports are doltish > in the least and dark propaganda if you read it carefully enough. > > > Junaid > > > On Thu, Apr 1, 2010 at 10:36 PM, S. Jabbar wrote: >> Dear Junaid, >> >> Has Kashmir become a den of sleaze?  Have I suggested that this is so and >> that 'Kashmiris are compulsive liars'? I don't think so.  And if I have, I >> think you need to back your accusations with evidence from my posts. >> >> The CMO Pulwama, Dr. Ghulam Qadir's actions can hardly be conflated with the >> actions of all Kashmiris, so where is the question of Kashmir becoming a >> 'den of sex, sleaze and hypocrisy'?  Having said that I still think it is >> necessary to examine the actions of this particular gentleman as he was the >> man ultimately responsible for collecting the vaginal samples and fudging >> them. >> >> I have in my earlier post to Sanjay-- which I am sure you have read-- >> condemned rapes and murders by men in khaki so I really don't understand >> your outrageous attempt to paint me as someone who condones violations in >> J&K or anywhere else. >> >> You talk of Kunan Poshpora.  Have you been there?  I doubt it. But I have. >> I spent time, I talked to the women in private, away from the gaze of the >> men.  And guess what?  I believed them.  And guess what else?  They really >> hate being talked about, written about, bandied about by politicians who >> don't give a flying F about them and have used them to further their >> political agenda.  Guess what else?  The money that was collected in their >> name by the men who made the greatest noise about the rapes never got to >> them.  And guess what else?  They are still known as 'the raped village' and >> girls who were too little at the time of the ghastly incident are still >> tormented whenever they leave their village to attend a HS school in a >> nearby village-- not by men in khaki, but by their own brethren. >> >> Turning to Shopian.  I have read every report on the case. Have you been to >> the Rambiara?  Has anyone determined where exactly the women drowned?  All >> that is known is where the bodies were found.  The bodies were found near >> the bridge way downstream from the logical point of crossing from their >> orchard to their home, both which were upstream.  All people who claimed >> they could not have drowned in Rambiara where the bodies were found were >> absolutely correct.  However, if you bother to read the testimonies of the >> victims' relatives in the Jan Commission Report you will realize that even >> that spot was difficult to cross.  Early that morning, when the group saw >> some 'clothes' across the nullah, the brother in-law went back some 200 >> yards, crossed the bridge and then descended to the spot where they found >> Niloufer.  When he shouted across the nullah to the men on the other side, >> Niloufer's husband, wild with grief, wanted to leap into the nullah and go >> straight across.  He was restrained and finally the men went back 200 yards, >> crossed the bridge and went down to the other side.  If the water was >> 'ankle-deep' as everyone claims, the men would have walked across without a >> fuss.  Why didn't they? >> >> To date no one who claims there was a rape and murder have been able to >> scientifically establish cause of death.  And if you cannot establish cause >> of death how can you say whether, it is  homicide, suicide, or death by >> accident?  Soon after the incident the state government had announced a >> reward of 25 lakh rupees to any information leading to the arrest of the >> culprits.  Every man, woman and child was following this case in J&K.  And >> yet to date not a single person has come up with any information leading to >> the arrest of the culprits.  Every claim when investigated turned out to be >> false. >> >> As far as the claim of rape or gang rape: where is the evidence? Everything >> that has come out points to the contrary. >> >> As far as your last assertion, I only have one thing to say, and that is, I >> don't need to prove 2 women were raped and murdered to underscore how bad it >> is in Kashmir to be living under the shadow of so many guns.  I have always >> said this and will say it again: India and Pakistan must resolve Kashmir. >> The solution must be acceptable to all people and regions of J&K. >> >> >> >>> From: Junaid >>> Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2010 16:56:02 -0400 >>> To: Sarai , Sanjay Kak , "S. >>> Jabbar" >>> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Selective condemnation of rape and murder has >>> become bane of J&K politic >>> >>> Hi Sonia, >>> >>> Thank you for sending across a slew of sordid reports suggesting how >>> Kashmir has become a den of sex, sleaze, and hypocrisy. Your posts are >>> complemented well by Kshmendra Kaul's post which asserts that >>> Kashmiris are compulsive liars, and Pawan Durani's forwards that >>> underscore how Kashmiris lie about human rights violations by the >>> Indian troops. Between the three of you, you have finally nailed the >>> true psyche of Kashmiris! But you know since sleaze is something that >>> defines the present state of politics in and about Kashmir, the nature >>> of what is written about it cannot entirely escape its shadow. >>> >>> We have a history of making "noises" about rapes and molestations and >>> almost invariably we have been told by the Indian agencies and the >>> Indian media that we are wrong. The rape of dozens of women in >>> Kunan-Poshpora in Kupwara by the Indian army has been declared a >>> fabrication by the Indian govt and its intellegentsia. A number of >>> books (authored by pro-establishment people like Manoj Joshi, Tavleen >>> Singh etc) and tomes of news-stories have been manufactured to silence >>> our "hypocritical" "noise". Press Council of India put a stamp of >>> innocence on the Indian army units involved. (Only, we came to know >>> later that BG Verghese hadn't even visited the village or talked to >>> any victims). But that is too far in the past. >>> >>> The reports of sexual abuse and exploitation of underage Kashmiri >>> girls by the pro-India politicians, the bureaucrats, and the top >>> officers of the paramilitary forces and the police, and the subsequent >>> investigations have led to nowhere. CBI didn't particularly prove >>> itself to be objective or free from political influence in that case. >>> See: >>> http://www.indianexpress.com/news/highcourtnamesstringofvvipsinsexualabusecase >>> /226255/ >>> >>> It is quite understandable that, after all this, the Kashmiri people >>> (and the sane people in India who see what CBI did to the Bofors case >>> and the Hawala scandal) don't trust its "reports". See: >>> http://kashmirprocess.com/news/20100104_GK_Wani.pdf >>> >>> So, when you say "Based on the evidence that we have at the (moment) I >>> do not believe it was either rape or murder", I would like to know >>> what "evidence" are you talking about. What evidence do you have to >>> suggest that the two women found dead in knee-deep water were not >>> raped and murdered? If you have "evidence" it means you are suggesting >>> that the evidence points to an alternative scenario. What is that >>> scenario? Unless you are suggesting that both the women happened to >>> drown in the rivulet, in which even fish didn't have water enough to >>> swim! (Well, that scenario would not need evidence but a miracle... or >>> a dopey imagination!) >>> >>> I am asking this because it seems you have an opinion on what actually >>> happened to the two women. After all, you call it a "tragic death": "I >>> feel wretched that 2 women died a tragic death and then they were >>> subjected to the worst kind of public scrutiny for months, their >>> sexual lives speculated upon, their characters ground down to the >>> dust.." You are right about the second part, of course. But the >>> question is who speculated on the character of the two women, or cast >>> aspersions about the role of Neelofar's husband? Who was most >>> interested in showing the women as bad-charactered? >>> >>> Have you read these two reports: >>> http://www.kashmirprocess.org/reports/shopian/ and >>> http://www.kashmirtimes.com/shopian-report.pdf ? But these are >>> independent reports. What happened to the findings of the Jan >>> Commission? It was a govt report, right? It established rape and >>> murder. See http://www.hindu.com/nic/shopian/index.htm >>> >>> In reality, even if I accept your (self-appointed) three-member >>> bench's unanimous conclusion about Kashmiris as liars, hypocrites, and >>> manipulators, don't you think it still keeps pointing to the single >>> most important thing about Kashmiri opinion about Indian rule over >>> Kashmir: that they don't like it at all. That Indian rule over Kashmir >>> has no democratic legitimacy? >>> >>> Junaid >> >> >> > _________________________________________ > 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 sonia.jabbar at gmail.com Fri Apr 2 12:57:59 2010 From: sonia.jabbar at gmail.com (S. Jabbar) Date: Fri, 02 Apr 2010 12:57:59 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Further on CMO Pulwama Message-ID: Dear Sanjay, I was wrong about the incident re. CMO Pulwama and the nurse. The laws of this land are quite clear on this. Please see sec (d). Apparently the law is so strict that no one can argue a woman in a police station or a hospital or a government institution who was subjected to sexual harassment/ assault was actually engaging in consensual sex. So the law of the land defines Dr. Ghulam Qadir¹s actions as rape under sec 376 (d). Best sj Section 376. Punishment for rape 1[376. Punishment for rape. (1) Whoever, except in the cases provided for by sub-section (2), commits rape shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which shall not be less than seven years but which may be for life or for a term which may extend to ten years and shall also be liable to fine unless the woman raped is his own wife and is not under twelve years of age, in which cases, he shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years or with fine or with both: Provided that the court may, for adequate and special reasons to be mentioned in the judgment, impose a sentence of imprisonment for a term of less than seven years. (1) Whoever: - (a) Being a police officer commits rape- (i) Within the limits of the police station to which he is appointed; or (ii) In the premises of any station house whether or not situated in the police station to which he is appointed; or (iii) On a woman is his custody or in the custody of a police officer subordinate to him; or (b) Being a public servant, takes advantage of his official position and commits rape on a woman is custody as such public servant or in the custody of a public servant subordinate to him; or (c) Being on the management or on the staff of a jail, remand home or other place of custody established by or under any law for the time being in force or of a woman's or children's institution takes advantage of his official position and commits rape on any inmate of such jail, remand home, place or institution; or (d) Being on the management or on the staff of a hospital, takes advantage of his official position and commits rape on a woman in that hospital; or (e) Commits rape on a woman knowing her to be pregnant; or (f) Commits rape when she is under twelve years of age; or (g) Commits gang rape, Shall be punished with rigorous imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than ten years but which may be for life and shall also be liable to fine: Provided that the court may, for adequate and special reasons to be mentioned in the judgment, impose a sentence of imprisonment of either description for a term of less than ten years. Explanation 1- Where a woman is raped by one or more in a group of persons acting in furtherance of their common intention, each of the persons shall be deemed to have committed gang rape within the meaning of this sub-section. Explanation 2-"Women's or children's institution "means an institution, whether called an orphanage of a home for neglected women or children or a widows' home or by any other name, which is established and maintained for the reception and care of women or children. Explanation: 3. - "Hospital" means the precincts of the hospital and includes the precincts of any institution for the reception and treatment of persons during convalescence or of persons requiring medical attention or rehabilitation]. From kaksanjay at gmail.com Fri Apr 2 13:24:09 2010 From: kaksanjay at gmail.com (Sanjay Kak) Date: Fri, 2 Apr 2010 13:24:09 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Further on CMO Pulwama In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Thanks again, Sonia, for taking the trouble to draw our attention to the law of the land on rape. Of course, in this conversation I was not trying to suggest that the charge of rape against the CMO Pulwama was not valid. I was merely trying to suggest that to sweep it in the same bag as the Shopian rape and murder of last summer may be a trifle hasty. A more cautious reading could perhaps explain why thousands of people were on the streets in the earlier case, and are not in this one... Having just re-read your earlier post–to which I had first responded–I had a moment of deja vu. You say: "The Shopian case was an extremely complicated case, which was manipulated and presented to the world as fact. Sadly, this group of well-meaning women are not the first to get misled with half-facts and half-truths in Kashmir." I wonder whether the case around the CMO Pulwama could not be seen in the same light? Best Sanjay On Fri, Apr 2, 2010 at 12:57 PM, S. Jabbar wrote: > Dear Sanjay, > I was wrong about the incident re. CMO Pulwama and the nurse.  The laws of > this land are quite clear on this. Please see sec (d). Apparently the law is > so strict that no one can argue a woman in a police station or a hospital or > a government institution who was subjected to sexual harassment/ assault was > actually engaging in consensual sex.  So the law of the land defines Dr. > Ghulam Qadir’s actions as rape under sec 376 (d). > Best > sj > > > Section 376. Punishment for rape > 1[376. Punishment for rape. > > (1) Whoever, except in the cases provided for by sub-section (2), commits > rape shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term > which shall not be less than seven years but which may be for life or for a > term which may extend to ten years and shall also be liable to fine unless > the woman raped is his own wife and is not under twelve years of age, in > which cases, he shall be punished with imprisonment of either description > for a term which may extend to two years or with fine or with both: > > Provided that the court may, for adequate and special reasons to be > mentioned in the judgment, impose a sentence of imprisonment for a term of > less than seven years. > > (1) Whoever: - > > (a) Being a police officer commits rape- > > (i) Within the limits of the police station to which he is appointed; or > > (ii) In the premises of any station house whether or not situated in the > police station to which he is appointed; or > > (iii) On a woman is his custody or in the custody of a police officer > subordinate to him; or > > (b) Being a public servant, takes advantage of his official position and > commits rape on a woman is custody as such public servant or in the custody > of a public servant subordinate to him; or > > (c) Being on the management or on the staff of a jail, remand home or other > place of custody established by or under any law for the time being in force > or of a woman's or children's institution takes advantage of his official > position and commits rape on any inmate of such jail, remand home, place or > institution; or > > (d) Being on the management or on the staff of a hospital, takes advantage > of his official position and commits rape on a woman in that hospital; or > > (e) Commits rape on a woman knowing her to be pregnant; or > > (f) Commits rape when she is under twelve years of age; or > > (g) Commits gang rape, > > Shall be punished with rigorous imprisonment for a term which shall not be > less than ten years but which may be for life and shall also be liable to > fine: > > Provided that the court may, for adequate and special reasons to be > mentioned in the judgment, impose a sentence of imprisonment of either > description for a term of less than ten years. > > Explanation 1- Where a woman is raped by one or more in a group of persons > acting in furtherance of their common intention, each of the persons shall > be deemed to have committed gang rape within the meaning of this > sub-section. > > Explanation 2-"Women's or children's institution "means an institution, > whether called an orphanage of a home for neglected women or children or a > widows' home or by any other name, which is established and maintained for > the reception and care of women or children. > > Explanation: 3. - "Hospital" means the precincts of the hospital and > includes the precincts of any institution for the reception and treatment of > persons during convalescence or of persons requiring medical attention or > rehabilitation]. > From pawan.durani at gmail.com Fri Apr 2 13:31:42 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Fri, 2 Apr 2010 13:31:42 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Islamic groups block shaving contest Message-ID: http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/pakistan/Islamic-groups-block-shaving-contest/Article1-525565.aspx The banned Jamaat-ut Dawah (JuD) organisation, along with other religious parties in Karachi, have prevented the holding of a promotion event organised by a leading multinational company for its shaving razors by ransacking the venue. The competition, organised by Gillette Pakistan, was supposed to create a local record of number of people shaving at the same time. Just as the event was about to get underway, JuD activists forcibly entered the Expo Centre and disrupted the proceedings. They then staged a protest outside the Expo Centre and shouted slogans against the company. “Anything contradictory to the principles of Islam would not be accepted in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” Qari Muhammad Usman told men who started converging at the centre. “It is blasphemous and the criminals should be punished.” He also called on people to boycott the MNC and its products. The event was a follow up to a competition held in Mumbai in which 1,700 people had participated, organisers said. According to the organisers more than 2,600 participants had entered the hall and the shaving kits had been distributed when some police officials and expo centre administration first switched off the lights of the hall and then informed the organisers that they could not be allowed to carry on with their work as the centres administrators had been constantly receiving threats from some unknown people. From sonia.jabbar at gmail.com Fri Apr 2 13:35:31 2010 From: sonia.jabbar at gmail.com (S. Jabbar) Date: Fri, 02 Apr 2010 13:35:31 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Selective condemnation of rape and murder has become bane of J&K politic In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Dear Junaid, I will respond point by point, and Sanju sorry, as I have ended up doing what I said I wouldn't in my email to you, but Junaid has made my task easier with specific charges/accusations/assertions. For the rest of the people on this list, my apologies, as much of this will seem confusing without the longer narrative of the case, which I simply do not have the time to put down. > Shopian case has, from the day it became clear that the two women > hadn't simply drowned, been a game where it seems those responsible > are hell bent on proving that the women were neither sexually > assaulted nor murdered. This is simply not true. Everyone was on the back foot when protests erupted following Omar Abdullah's statement that the women had drowned. After that the entire state machinery was employed to prove that they were raped and murdered. This included the police investigation team led by IGP Kashmir, and the state govt. paying their lawyers Rs.13 Lakhs to stop the 4 policemen (who were booked for dereliction of duty) from getting bail in the supreme court. > Jan pointed out that Asiya's death was caused by a gash on > her forehead. Jan based his observations on the post-mortem report, which was fabricated. The doctors had not even x-rayed Asiya's skull let alone open it up to ascertain whether the wound had led to a brain hemorrhage. The first lot of doctors measured the wound to be 2-3 cm, the 2nd, 2-3 inches. Wow! Fantastic. If a tailor had this kind of margin of error he would've been without any customers and the Jan Commission doesn't even comment on this! CBI said it was not the reason, but since sand and > phytoplankton from Rambiara were found inside the lungs CBI declared > it a case of drowning. Well clearly since Asiya's and Neelofar's body > were taken out of shallow water the possibility that the water could > have entered her lungs after her death was not even seen as a real > possibility. Dr. Bilal had claimed he had done a flotation test on the lungs, but when the bodies were exhumed and autopsy conducted in front of Majlis Mashawarat the lungs were found intact. Turns out the tissue used was a slice of the heart! The AIIMS team did a flotation test on the lungs that failed. This is recorded on camera and was done in front of members of the Majlis Mashawarat. >Intact hymen in one body doesn't rule out rape, right? Wrong. If you can't figure out why I really don't want to go into this list. What else is there to prove rape? The vaginal samples with multiple spermatozoa that were displayed as proof of a brutal 'gang rape' turned out to be the sick fabrication of Dr. Chiloo and Dr. Gh.Qadir who manufactured the samples by taking scrapings of gloves from the Pulwama district hospital. A second slide was also prepared, bizarrely, from Dr.Chiloo's own vaginal swab. Ugh. Praveen IB Swami rubished > him by suggesting that the doctor had been caught plagiarising in 2004 > and was therefore not credible! If the doctor wasn't credible, why was > he in the investigation team in the first place? Pl attach Pravin Swmai's report. As far as I recall it was the Bar Assoc. that spread the canard. And which doctor are you referring to? The team of 9 doctors that was sent by AIIMS was led by the doctor who had done the post mortem on Indira Gandhi in '84. There were 9 doctors from AIIMS and 9 scientists from the Central Forensic Laboratory. From the autopsy to the tests to the preservation of the tissue samples was done on camera. Anyone wishing to challenge this can file an RTI and examine the evidence. > > I have seen Rambiara many times. Even where it joins Vaishav, which is > at its end, it is not deep enough. And generally at the end of May > water in Kashmiri streams is especially low, as some of it gets > diverted to paddy fields. Government did its best to suggest that > there was a sudden cloud burst and water overflowed in the brook. And > IB Swami claimed there was flood that night. I was in a place close to > Shopian around that time, and there had been no rain for days. Where > did the great flood myth come from? Old Testament? Let us not quibble but meet at the Rambiara on May 29th this year with a whole bunch of witnesses. I have no idea what the weather will be like but really don't mind wagering you will not be able to cross. Incidentally, the claim that no one has ever drowned in the Rambiara is false. Please check J&K Police records from 1995-2009 and you will be surprised to learn that it wasn't just Neloufer and Asiya who were found washed up. > Anycase see photos of Rambi Ara here: > http://www.kashmirprocess.org/reports/shopian/shopian_materials.html > http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2525/3751167090_9fe348e660.jpg > Would you have been able to cross it? > > Now what you are saying is this: > > "Early that morning, when the group saw some 'clothes' across the > nullah, the brother in-law went back some 200 yards, crossed the > bridge and then descended to the spot where they found Niloufer. When > he shouted across the nullah to the men on the other side, Niloufer's > husband, wild with grief, wanted to leap into the nullah and go > straight across. He was restrained and finally the men went back 200 > yards, crossed the bridge and went down to the other side. If the > water was 'ankle-deep' as everyone claims, the men would have walked > across without a fuss. Why didn't they?" > > Well, I ask you this question: Why didn't the two women use the bridge > instead of doing a thing that even men (wild with grief) wouldn't do? > If the river was really not crossable why did the women do it? And, > more curiously, why both of them? Why did they cross? Why did they not use the bridge? My dear Junaid, I wish I could answer this. I haven't the slightest clue, but even if one could answer this, how does it prove rape and murder? > > That you have been to Kunan-Poshpora (and, no, I haven't been there) > and that the victims are saying (and rightly so) that the politicians > (?) didn't care about them, that they didn't see any money, or that > they face enormous social hardships, does not prove that they were not > raped. It is a great failure of the Kashmiri society not to have > adequately shown solidarity with these women. But where are the > culprits? It is not so difficult to find them, right? > Have I said the culprits should not be punished, that rape should go unpunished? You seem to be driven by a sick determination to twist everything I say. Kunan Poshpora, like many other crimes have gone unpunished. If and when there is peace in Kashmir there ought to be a truth & reconciliation commission where these matters can be raised. Not just what happened to women of Kunan Poshpora, but also scores of others like Sarla Butt (remember her?), Nigeena Awan, and Mariam Bi of Doda who had the great distinction of being gang-raped by militants and then carved up by knives. > In your earlier post you said this: "The reason I posted Fayyaz's > article was because it underscored what many on > this list are guilty of. Making a noise about things that further > their world views or political interests and keeping quiet when it > doesn't. I have no axe to grind." Whose worldviews and political > interests "on this list" are you talking about? You seem to suggest > that there are some hypocrites who make "noise about things". Well > first of all, most of the time I see absolute garbage posted here on > issues related to Kashmir. (Some posts count dead people in Kashmir in > "Ks"... 16 K instead of 219). Second, I don't think Fayyaz's report is > a sound way to underscore anything. In fact, his reports are doltish > in the least and dark propaganda if you read it carefully enough. > Garbage on this list, the doltishness of Fayyaz, the dark propaganda...this is the world we live in. People don't always have to agree with you. Sometimes you have to engage with them, wrestle and debate with their ideas. It's too easy to brush people aside as Indian agents/Pakistani agents/ CIA agents. Sometimes annoying people and their irritating ideas can't just be wished away, or for that matter, liquidated. Sincerely, Sonia Jabbar > > Junaid > > > On Thu, Apr 1, 2010 at 10:36 PM, S. Jabbar wrote: >> Dear Junaid, >> >> Has Kashmir become a den of sleaze?  Have I suggested that this is so and >> that 'Kashmiris are compulsive liars'? I don't think so.  And if I have, I >> think you need to back your accusations with evidence from my posts. >> >> The CMO Pulwama, Dr. Ghulam Qadir's actions can hardly be conflated with the >> actions of all Kashmiris, so where is the question of Kashmir becoming a >> 'den of sex, sleaze and hypocrisy'?  Having said that I still think it is >> necessary to examine the actions of this particular gentleman as he was the >> man ultimately responsible for collecting the vaginal samples and fudging >> them. >> >> I have in my earlier post to Sanjay-- which I am sure you have read-- >> condemned rapes and murders by men in khaki so I really don't understand >> your outrageous attempt to paint me as someone who condones violations in >> J&K or anywhere else. >> >> You talk of Kunan Poshpora.  Have you been there?  I doubt it. But I have. >> I spent time, I talked to the women in private, away from the gaze of the >> men.  And guess what?  I believed them.  And guess what else?  They really >> hate being talked about, written about, bandied about by politicians who >> don't give a flying F about them and have used them to further their >> political agenda.  Guess what else?  The money that was collected in their >> name by the men who made the greatest noise about the rapes never got to >> them.  And guess what else?  They are still known as 'the raped village' and >> girls who were too little at the time of the ghastly incident are still >> tormented whenever they leave their village to attend a HS school in a >> nearby village-- not by men in khaki, but by their own brethren. >> >> Turning to Shopian.  I have read every report on the case. Have you been to >> the Rambiara?  Has anyone determined where exactly the women drowned?  All >> that is known is where the bodies were found.  The bodies were found near >> the bridge way downstream from the logical point of crossing from their >> orchard to their home, both which were upstream.  All people who claimed >> they could not have drowned in Rambiara where the bodies were found were >> absolutely correct.  However, if you bother to read the testimonies of the >> victims' relatives in the Jan Commission Report you will realize that even >> that spot was difficult to cross.  Early that morning, when the group saw >> some 'clothes' across the nullah, the brother in-law went back some 200 >> yards, crossed the bridge and then descended to the spot where they found >> Niloufer.  When he shouted across the nullah to the men on the other side, >> Niloufer's husband, wild with grief, wanted to leap into the nullah and go >> straight across.  He was restrained and finally the men went back 200 yards, >> crossed the bridge and went down to the other side.  If the water was >> 'ankle-deep' as everyone claims, the men would have walked across without a >> fuss.  Why didn't they? >> >> To date no one who claims there was a rape and murder have been able to >> scientifically establish cause of death.  And if you cannot establish cause >> of death how can you say whether, it is  homicide, suicide, or death by >> accident?  Soon after the incident the state government had announced a >> reward of 25 lakh rupees to any information leading to the arrest of the >> culprits.  Every man, woman and child was following this case in J&K.  And >> yet to date not a single person has come up with any information leading to >> the arrest of the culprits.  Every claim when investigated turned out to be >> false. >> >> As far as the claim of rape or gang rape: where is the evidence? Everything >> that has come out points to the contrary. >> >> As far as your last assertion, I only have one thing to say, and that is, I >> don't need to prove 2 women were raped and murdered to underscore how bad it >> is in Kashmir to be living under the shadow of so many guns.  I have always >> said this and will say it again: India and Pakistan must resolve Kashmir. >> The solution must be acceptable to all people and regions of J&K. >> >> >> >>> From: Junaid >>> Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2010 16:56:02 -0400 >>> To: Sarai , Sanjay Kak , >>> "S. >>> Jabbar" >>> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Selective condemnation of rape and murder has >>> become bane of J&K politic >>> >>> Hi Sonia, >>> >>> Thank you for sending across a slew of sordid reports suggesting how >>> Kashmir has become a den of sex, sleaze, and hypocrisy. Your posts are >>> complemented well by Kshmendra Kaul's post which asserts that >>> Kashmiris are compulsive liars, and Pawan Durani's forwards that >>> underscore how Kashmiris lie about human rights violations by the >>> Indian troops. Between the three of you, you have finally nailed the >>> true psyche of Kashmiris! But you know since sleaze is something that >>> defines the present state of politics in and about Kashmir, the nature >>> of what is written about it cannot entirely escape its shadow. >>> >>> We have a history of making "noises" about rapes and molestations and >>> almost invariably we have been told by the Indian agencies and the >>> Indian media that we are wrong. The rape of dozens of women in >>> Kunan-Poshpora in Kupwara by the Indian army has been declared a >>> fabrication by the Indian govt and its intellegentsia. A number of >>> books (authored by pro-establishment people like Manoj Joshi, Tavleen >>> Singh etc) and tomes of news-stories have been manufactured to silence >>> our "hypocritical" "noise". Press Council of India put a stamp of >>> innocence on the Indian army units involved. (Only, we came to know >>> later that BG Verghese hadn't even visited the village or talked to >>> any victims). But that is too far in the past. >>> >>> The reports of sexual abuse and exploitation of underage Kashmiri >>> girls by the pro-India politicians, the bureaucrats, and the top >>> officers of the paramilitary forces and the police, and the subsequent >>> investigations have led to nowhere. CBI didn't particularly prove >>> itself to be objective or free from political influence in that case. >>> See: >>> http://www.indianexpress.com/news/highcourtnamesstringofvvipsinsexualabuseca >>> se >>> /226255/ >>> >>> It is quite understandable that, after all this, the Kashmiri people >>> (and the sane people in India who see what CBI did to the Bofors case >>> and the Hawala scandal) don't trust its "reports". See: >>> http://kashmirprocess.com/news/20100104_GK_Wani.pdf >>> >>> So, when you say "Based on the evidence that we have at the (moment) I >>> do not believe it was either rape or murder", I would like to know >>> what "evidence" are you talking about. What evidence do you have to >>> suggest that the two women found dead in knee-deep water were not >>> raped and murdered? If you have "evidence" it means you are suggesting >>> that the evidence points to an alternative scenario. What is that >>> scenario? Unless you are suggesting that both the women happened to >>> drown in the rivulet, in which even fish didn't have water enough to >>> swim! (Well, that scenario would not need evidence but a miracle... or >>> a dopey imagination!) >>> >>> I am asking this because it seems you have an opinion on what actually >>> happened to the two women. After all, you call it a "tragic death": "I >>> feel wretched that 2 women died a tragic death and then they were >>> subjected to the worst kind of public scrutiny for months, their >>> sexual lives speculated upon, their characters ground down to the >>> dust.." You are right about the second part, of course. But the >>> question is who speculated on the character of the two women, or cast >>> aspersions about the role of Neelofar's husband? Who was most >>> interested in showing the women as bad-charactered? >>> >>> Have you read these two reports: >>> http://www.kashmirprocess.org/reports/shopian/ and >>> http://www.kashmirtimes.com/shopian-report.pdf ? But these are >>> independent reports. What happened to the findings of the Jan >>> Commission? It was a govt report, right? It established rape and >>> murder. See http://www.hindu.com/nic/shopian/index.htm >>> >>> In reality, even if I accept your (self-appointed) three-member >>> bench's unanimous conclusion about Kashmiris as liars, hypocrites, and >>> manipulators, don't you think it still keeps pointing to the single >>> most important thing about Kashmiri opinion about Indian rule over >>> Kashmir: that they don't like it at all. That Indian rule over Kashmir >>> has no democratic legitimacy? >>> >>> Junaid >> >> >> From sonia.jabbar at gmail.com Fri Apr 2 13:58:13 2010 From: sonia.jabbar at gmail.com (S. Jabbar) Date: Fri, 02 Apr 2010 13:58:13 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Further on CMO Pulwama In-Reply-To: Message-ID: How? Unlike Shopian, this case 1. Has a clear victim who is alive and can testify 2. Has a clear culprit who was caught on camera 3. Has at least 2 clear witnesses. Usually this adds up to open & shut. > From: Sanjay Kak > Date: Fri, 2 Apr 2010 13:24:09 +0530 > To: Sarai > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Further on CMO Pulwama > > Thanks again, Sonia, for taking the trouble to draw our attention to the law > of the land on rape. Of course, in this conversation I was not trying to > suggest that the charge of rape against the CMO Pulwama was not valid. I was > merely trying to suggest that to sweep it in the same bag as the Shopian > rape and murder of last summer may be a trifle hasty. A more cautious reading > could perhaps explain why thousands of people were on the streets in the > earlier case, and are not in this one... Having just re-read your earlier > post­to which I had first responded­I had a moment of deja vu. You say: "The > Shopian case was an extremely complicated case, which was manipulated and > presented to the world as fact. Sadly, this group of well-meaning women are > not the first to get misled with half-facts and half-truths in Kashmir." I > wonder whether the case around the CMO Pulwama could not be seen in the same > light? Best Sanjay On Fri, Apr 2, 2010 at 12:57 PM, S. Jabbar > wrote: > Dear Sanjay, > I was wrong about the > incident re. CMO Pulwama and the nurse.  The laws of > this land are quite > clear on this. Please see sec (d). Apparently the law is > so strict that no > one can argue a woman in a police station or a hospital or > a government > institution who was subjected to sexual harassment/ assault was > actually > engaging in consensual sex.  So the law of the land defines Dr. > Ghulam > Qadir¹s actions as rape under sec 376 (d). > Best > sj > > > Section 376. > Punishment for rape > 1[376. Punishment for rape. > > (1) Whoever, except in > the cases provided for by sub-section (2), commits > rape shall be punished > with imprisonment of either description for a term > which shall not be less > than seven years but which may be for life or for a > term which may extend to > ten years and shall also be liable to fine unless > the woman raped is his own > wife and is not under twelve years of age, in > which cases, he shall be > punished with imprisonment of either description > for a term which may extend > to two years or with fine or with both: > > Provided that the court may, for > adequate and special reasons to be > mentioned in the judgment, impose a > sentence of imprisonment for a term of > less than seven years. > > (1) > Whoever: - > > (a) Being a police officer commits rape- > > (i) Within the > limits of the police station to which he is appointed; or > > (ii) In the > premises of any station house whether or not situated in the > police station > to which he is appointed; or > > (iii) On a woman is his custody or in the > custody of a police officer > subordinate to him; or > > (b) Being a public > servant, takes advantage of his official position and > commits rape on a > woman is custody as such public servant or in the custody > of a public > servant subordinate to him; or > > (c) Being on the management or on the staff > of a jail, remand home or other > place of custody established by or under any > law for the time being in force > or of a woman's or children's institution > takes advantage of his official > position and commits rape on any inmate of > such jail, remand home, place or > institution; or > > (d) Being on the > management or on the staff of a hospital, takes advantage > of his official > position and commits rape on a woman in that hospital; or > > (e) Commits rape > on a woman knowing her to be pregnant; or > > (f) Commits rape when she is > under twelve years of age; or > > (g) Commits gang rape, > > Shall be punished > with rigorous imprisonment for a term which shall not be > less than ten years > but which may be for life and shall also be liable to > fine: > > Provided > that the court may, for adequate and special reasons to be > mentioned in the > judgment, impose a sentence of imprisonment of either > description for a term > of less than ten years. > > Explanation 1- Where a woman is raped by one or > more in a group of persons > acting in furtherance of their common intention, > each of the persons shall > be deemed to have committed gang rape within the > meaning of this > sub-section. > > Explanation 2-"Women's or children's > institution "means an institution, > whether called an orphanage of a home for > neglected women or children or a > widows' home or by any other name, which is > established and maintained for > the reception and care of women or > children. > > Explanation: 3. - "Hospital" means the precincts of the hospital > and > includes the precincts of any institution for the reception and > treatment of > persons during convalescence or of persons requiring medical > attention or > > rehabilitation]. > _________________________________________ 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 Apr 2 04:58:40 2010 From: shuddha at sarai.net (Shuddhabrata Sengupta) Date: Fri, 2 Apr 2010 04:58:40 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Emergency returns to JNU In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <3ECE9327-D659-4D65-BC52-7C3879D74F6D@sarai.net> Dear Prakash, many thanks for posting this. This is a very grave and serious violation of the rights and liberties of students by the JNU administration, and must be challenged. It is also totally arbitrary and a serious break with the tradition of JNU being a venue for serious discussion. All of us should stand with the JNU students in ensuring that this gross, unnecessary, undemocratic and totally arbitrary decision is not allowed to prevail. By doing this, the JNU administration has only brought public shame on to itself. Incidentally,I think that there is a provision within the censorship guidelines that suggests that the screening of a film for educational purposes (which is exactly what happens within the context of a university) is exempt from the necessity of having to display a CBFC certificate. This can be confirmed. if this is the case, then, not only is the JNU administration's step retrograde, it also becomes illegal. On 02-Apr-10, at 1:09 AM, Prakash K Ray wrote: > Dear all, > > After attempts to bulldoze its agenda of commercialization and to > tamper > with reservation, the JNU administration is now going all out to > muzzle > freedom of expression and speech with a series of draconian > measures. In a > meeting of the Provosts held on 26th March, the Dean of Students > has come up > with a Proforma for all hostels regarding organizing Public > Meetings and > Film Screenings. The guidelines formulated unanimously in the > meeting are > nothing short of attempts on the part of the administration to > suppress the > democratic rights of the students. The guidelines stipulates that > no film > can be screened that doesn’t have a Censor Board certificate. Also, > all > details on the movie, its makers, and time duration need to be > mentioned > while filling the form for seeking permission to organize > screenings in the > hostels. This implies that Documentaries/Films made by independent > film > makers, cannot be screened. Furthermore, the guidelines also make it > mandatory on individuals/organizations holding Public Meetings to > provide > all details of the topic, and list of speakers. According to the > circular, > any meeting the administration feels would be in contravention of > ‘national > harmony’ or ‘national integration’ or ' national security' could be > disallowed and denied permission. Permission must be taken a week > before. > > These new guidelines under the garb of standardizing procedures for > all > hostels, are in fact draconian attempts to muzzle the voices of > dissent, > thereby seeking to curtail the freedoms of speech and expression. The > pretext of the national interest and harmony is another excuse of > suppressing the heterodox views. These terms are always defined > conveniently > to suit the hegemonic projects of those in power and against those > who are > challenging this hegemony. These anti-democratic guidelines thus are a > systematic effort on part of administration to curb the progressive > student > movement and launching fresh onslaughts on the student community. > In the > absence of elections and an elected JNUSU, the administration has been > increasingly getting high-handed and pushing through such anti-student > policies. The administration has sought to conveniently use the > stay on > JNUSU elections surreptitiously to bulldoze such anti-democratic > measures. > It is a sad thing that most of teachers of JNU are either silent or > supporting the JNU administration. It is pertinent that the student > community in JNU remains vigilant and fight against such assaults > on our > democratic rights that have been won after hard-fought struggles. All > right-thinking people should join hands with the progressive > students of JNU > in their fight against these draconian measures tooth and nail. > > > 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/> Shuddhabrata Sengupta The Sarai Programme at CSDS Raqs Media Collective shuddha at sarai.net www.sarai.net www.raqsmediacollective.net From kauladityaraj at gmail.com Fri Apr 2 16:02:57 2010 From: kauladityaraj at gmail.com (Aditya Raj Kaul) Date: Fri, 2 Apr 2010 16:02:57 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Terrorist Yasin Malik distributes cash in Sopore, Geelani angry Message-ID: Wonder where from Yasin Malik arranged to get cash? Worth investigating. Kashmiri separatists feud for supremacy *Yusuf Jameel, Foreign Correspondent * *April 01. 2010* Link - http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100402/FOREIGN/704019949/1135 SRINAGAR, INDIA // The Kashmiri separatist leadership is in disarray and an ongoing struggle for supremacy between factions turned uglier last month when the supporters of at least two of the major players clashed on the streets of Sopore town. The developments come amid speculation that Saudi Arabia could assume the role of mediator between India and Pakistan, including the dispute over Kashmir. Supporters of Syed Ali Shah Geelani, the octogenarian leader of the Islamist Tehrik-e-Hurriyat (TeH) party, allegedly set upon those of Muhammad Yasin Malik, the chairman of his faction of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), on March 14 in Sopore, 50km north of the capital, Srinagar. Mr Malik’s group had spent the day distributing cash to locals, whose houses had been damaged in previous violence between militants and the Indian army. Analysts say the TeH viewed that as a provocative attempt by the JKLF to win support in Sopore, which is a TeH stronghold. According to witnesses, Mr Geelani’s supporters attacked the JKLF members with knives and stones, injuring five. Locals, who said the police did not intervene, chased the attackers away. The following day JKLF members ransacked a TeH office in Srinagar in retribution. From sonia.jabbar at gmail.com Fri Apr 2 16:22:34 2010 From: sonia.jabbar at gmail.com (S. Jabbar) Date: Fri, 02 Apr 2010 16:22:34 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Yasin Malik distributes cash in Sopore, Geelani angry In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Old news, Aditya. Malik gives away Rs 9.4 lakh to encounter victims Ishfaq Ahmad Shah Chinkipora (Sopore), March 14: JKLF chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik Sunday distributed Rs 9.40 lakhs among the people, whose houses were damaged in recent troopers action here. More than 32 structures were totally damaged and some others partially in army action during the gunfight with militants at Chinkipora, Sopore. ³Although the amount donated among the victims is not enough but people have generously donated for the affected people. The response shown by people during the fund-raising has proved that we have tremendous passion towards the struggle,² JKLF chairman said while addressing people after handing Rs 9.40 lakh to local auqaf for distribution among the victims. Malik said JKLF has collected more than Rs 12.50 lakh in last nine days. ³I handed Rs 9.40 lakh to aquaf. Rs 8 lakh are meant for Chinkipora victims, 1 lakh for two families whose houses were damaged in an encounter in November 2009, Rs 25000 to Pervez Ahmad Hajam, who was killed during a shoot-out At Sopore on January 15 and Rs 15000 to Ramiz Ahmad, who got injured in the initial round of gunfight at Chinkipora². He said rest of the money will be distributed among residents of Dadsera, Tral, whose houses were razed by army recently. Malik said there is an immediate need to establish Biat-ul-Maal (Charity Centers) so that affected people could receive instant help at the time of need. ³If we don¹t help our brethren, they will be disappointed. This will weaken our struggle,² he said. Maintaining that international community is pressing for resolution of Kashmir issue, JKLF chairman said India and Pakistan are being pressurized to resolve this long pending issue. ³ The inclusion of Kashmiri people in any result-oriented dialogue process is must. It is our issue and we have the right to speak about it,² he said. Malik urged the people, who work for peace around the world, to focus on Kashmir. ³Peace in sub continent will prevail only when Kashmir issue is resolved as per wishes and aspirations of people of Kashmir². JKLF chairman said since the Amarnath land row agitation, the freedom struggle have undergone a transition. ³We have shunned the violent path and are now pursuing a non-violent movement. We don¹t want our third generation to go through the same trauma which we are facing,² he said. Malik hailed people of Sopore for their contribution and sacrifices rendered by them for the struggle. JKLF vice chairman Advocate Bashir Ahmad Bhat and others also spoke on the occasion. > From: Aditya Raj Kaul > Date: Fri, 2 Apr 2010 16:02:57 +0530 > To: sarai list > Subject: [Reader-list] Terrorist Yasin Malik distributes cash in Sopore, > Geelani angry > > Wonder where from Yasin Malik arranged to get cash? Worth > investigating. Kashmiri separatists feud for supremacy *Yusuf Jameel, > Foreign Correspondent * *April 01. 2010* Link > - http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100402/FOREIGN/704019 > 949/1135 SRINAGAR, INDIA // The Kashmiri separatist leadership is in disarray > and an ongoing struggle for supremacy between factions turned uglier last > month when the supporters of at least two of the major players clashed on > the streets of Sopore town. The developments come amid speculation that Saudi > Arabia could assume the role of mediator between India and Pakistan, including > the dispute over Kashmir. Supporters of Syed Ali Shah Geelani, the > octogenarian leader of the Islamist Tehrik-e-Hurriyat (TeH) party, allegedly > set upon those of Muhammad Yasin Malik, the chairman of his faction of the > Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), on March 14 in Sopore, 50km north of > the capital, Srinagar. Mr Malik¹s group had spent the day distributing cash > to locals, whose houses had been damaged in previous violence between > militants and the Indian army. Analysts say the TeH viewed that as a > provocative attempt by the JKLF to win support in Sopore, which is a TeH > stronghold. According to witnesses, Mr Geelani¹s supporters attacked the JKLF > members with knives and stones, injuring five. Locals, who said the police did > not intervene, chased the attackers away. The following day JKLF > members ransacked a TeH office in Srinagar in > retribution. _________________________________________ 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 Fri Apr 2 18:27:34 2010 From: yasir.media at gmail.com (=?UTF-8?B?eWFzaXIgftmK2Kcg2LPYsQ==?=) Date: Fri, 2 Apr 2010 17:57:34 +0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Islamic groups block shaving contest In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: oh this is very near where i am. I also saw the local tv news on this. the beards are making a laughing stock of themselves... obviously what the beards fear movst are razors :D of course this particular group of beards is a brand in itself. not all beards are equal or the same. mine keeps growing out too. y On Fri, Apr 2, 2010 at 1:01 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > > http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/pakistan/Islamic-groups-block-shaving-contest/Article1-525565.aspx > > The banned Jamaat-ut Dawah (JuD) organisation, along with other > religious parties in Karachi, have prevented the holding of a > promotion event organised by a leading multinational company for its > shaving razors by ransacking the venue. > > The competition, organised by Gillette Pakistan, was supposed to > create a local record of number of people shaving at the same time. > Just as the event was about to get underway, JuD activists forcibly > entered the Expo Centre and disrupted the proceedings. They then > staged a protest outside the Expo Centre and shouted slogans against > the company. > > “Anything contradictory to the principles of Islam would not be > accepted in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” Qari Muhammad Usman > told men who started converging at the centre. “It is blasphemous and > the criminals should be punished.” > > He also called on people to boycott the MNC and its products. The > event was a follow up to a competition held in Mumbai in which 1,700 > people had participated, organisers said. > > According to the organisers more than 2,600 participants had entered > the hall and the shaving kits had been distributed when some police > officials and expo centre administration first switched off the lights > of the hall and then informed the organisers that they could not be > allowed to carry on with their work as the centres administrators had > been constantly receiving threats from some unknown people. > _________________________________________ > 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 Apr 2 18:49:06 2010 From: taraprakash at gmail.com (TaraPrakash) Date: Fri, 2 Apr 2010 09:19:06 -0400 Subject: [Reader-list] Further on CMO Pulwama References: Message-ID: "why thousands of people were on the streets in the earlier case, and are not in this one..." Politics, thy name is hypocrisy. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Sanjay Kak" To: "Sarai" Sent: Friday, April 02, 2010 3:54 AM Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Further on CMO Pulwama > Thanks again, Sonia, > for taking the trouble to draw our attention to the law of the land on > rape. > > Of course, in this conversation I was not trying to suggest that the > charge of rape against the CMO Pulwama was not valid. I was merely > trying to suggest that to sweep it in the same bag as the Shopian rape > and murder of last summer may be a trifle hasty. A more cautious > reading could perhaps explain why thousands of people were on the > streets in the earlier case, and are not in this one... > > Having just re-read your earlier post–to which I had first responded–I > had a moment of deja vu. > You say: > "The Shopian case was an extremely complicated case, which was > manipulated and presented to the world as fact. Sadly, this group of > well-meaning women are not the first to get misled with half-facts and > half-truths in Kashmir." > I wonder whether the case around the CMO Pulwama could not be seen in > the same light? > > Best > > Sanjay > > On Fri, Apr 2, 2010 at 12:57 PM, S. Jabbar wrote: >> Dear Sanjay, >> I was wrong about the incident re. CMO Pulwama and the nurse. The laws of >> this land are quite clear on this. Please see sec (d). Apparently the law >> is >> so strict that no one can argue a woman in a police station or a hospital >> or >> a government institution who was subjected to sexual harassment/ assault >> was >> actually engaging in consensual sex. So the law of the land defines Dr. >> Ghulam Qadir’s actions as rape under sec 376 (d). >> Best >> sj >> >> >> Section 376. Punishment for rape >> 1[376. Punishment for rape. >> >> (1) Whoever, except in the cases provided for by sub-section (2), commits >> rape shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term >> which shall not be less than seven years but which may be for life or for >> a >> term which may extend to ten years and shall also be liable to fine >> unless >> the woman raped is his own wife and is not under twelve years of age, in >> which cases, he shall be punished with imprisonment of either description >> for a term which may extend to two years or with fine or with both: >> >> Provided that the court may, for adequate and special reasons to be >> mentioned in the judgment, impose a sentence of imprisonment for a term >> of >> less than seven years. >> >> (1) Whoever: - >> >> (a) Being a police officer commits rape- >> >> (i) Within the limits of the police station to which he is appointed; or >> >> (ii) In the premises of any station house whether or not situated in the >> police station to which he is appointed; or >> >> (iii) On a woman is his custody or in the custody of a police officer >> subordinate to him; or >> >> (b) Being a public servant, takes advantage of his official position and >> commits rape on a woman is custody as such public servant or in the >> custody >> of a public servant subordinate to him; or >> >> (c) Being on the management or on the staff of a jail, remand home or >> other >> place of custody established by or under any law for the time being in >> force >> or of a woman's or children's institution takes advantage of his official >> position and commits rape on any inmate of such jail, remand home, place >> or >> institution; or >> >> (d) Being on the management or on the staff of a hospital, takes >> advantage >> of his official position and commits rape on a woman in that hospital; or >> >> (e) Commits rape on a woman knowing her to be pregnant; or >> >> (f) Commits rape when she is under twelve years of age; or >> >> (g) Commits gang rape, >> >> Shall be punished with rigorous imprisonment for a term which shall not >> be >> less than ten years but which may be for life and shall also be liable to >> fine: >> >> Provided that the court may, for adequate and special reasons to be >> mentioned in the judgment, impose a sentence of imprisonment of either >> description for a term of less than ten years. >> >> Explanation 1- Where a woman is raped by one or more in a group of >> persons >> acting in furtherance of their common intention, each of the persons >> shall >> be deemed to have committed gang rape within the meaning of this >> sub-section. >> >> Explanation 2-"Women's or children's institution "means an institution, >> whether called an orphanage of a home for neglected women or children or >> a >> widows' home or by any other name, which is established and maintained >> for >> the reception and care of women or children. >> >> Explanation: 3. - "Hospital" means the precincts of the hospital and >> includes the precincts of any institution for the reception and treatment >> of >> persons during convalescence or of persons requiring medical attention or >> rehabilitation]. >> > _________________________________________ > 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 Apr 2 19:59:58 2010 From: taraprakash at gmail.com (TaraPrakash) Date: Fri, 2 Apr 2010 10:29:58 -0400 Subject: [Reader-list] Selective condemnation of rape and murder has become bane of J&K politic References: Message-ID: <6EB88C4079FD490E8EAEC7ECFC466BF9@tara> Dear Sonia. thanks for offering some rational discourse on this otherwise emotionally charged list. There seems to be a "revolution" on the way in US in the form of tea party movement. The most regressive types today are calling themselves revolutionary. These revolutionaries include as regressive and as fascist a group as KKK. This movement that is getting a lot of media attention is calling whoever does not agree with them, fascist. Only those agree with them are true Americans. Their rallies include a lot of gun-toting individuals who speak in favor of armed militia who would take America back to impose middle ages on people. Well, what is the parallel? We will understand from some of these mails that true Kashmiris are only those who think like them. Just say no, just disrupt is the only right thing. There is nothing wrong in gun culture. It's okay to subjugate women and behead those who think differently. Brand them as Indian agent, Hindu agents, RSS agents wherever need be. Sadly, you will see some of progressives playing in the hands of Kashmiri regressives. When I asked some time back who Junaid considered Kashmiris, my motives were declared as specious. But yes there was a response that dekashmirize a lot of Kashmiris. Now again when you talk about some miscreants, they equate it as your calling all kashmiris names. In the name of an alternative model, they have nothing but a philosophical chatter. If you ask my opinion, some individuals for whom Kashmiris are bread and butter, have harmed the cause of Kashmir. If their alternative model is as insane as the current one, what is the need for change? If they just want to replace oppressors, is there any reason for supporting the movement? It's not a freedom movement, it's like give me the rein movement -- Let me control the asses, I mean masses. Again, we need sane voices like yours, keep your emails coming. Best regards TaraPrakash ----- Original Message ----- From: "S. Jabbar" To: "Junaid" Cc: "Sarai" ; "Sanjay Kak" Sent: Friday, April 02, 2010 4:05 AM Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Selective condemnation of rape and murder has become bane of J&K politic > Dear Junaid, > I will respond point by point, and Sanju sorry, as I have ended up doing > what I said I wouldn't in my email to you, but Junaid has made my task > easier with specific charges/accusations/assertions. For the rest of the > people on this list, my apologies, as much of this will seem confusing > without the longer narrative of the case, which I simply do not have the > time to put down. > >> Shopian case has, from the day it became clear that the two women >> hadn't simply drowned, been a game where it seems those responsible >> are hell bent on proving that the women were neither sexually >> assaulted nor murdered. > This is simply not true. Everyone was on the back foot when protests > erupted following Omar Abdullah's statement that the women had drowned. > After that the entire state machinery was employed to prove that they were > raped and murdered. This included the police investigation team led by > IGP > Kashmir, and the state govt. paying their lawyers Rs.13 Lakhs to stop the > 4 > policemen (who were booked for dereliction of duty) from getting bail in > the > supreme court. >> > Jan pointed out that Asiya's death was caused by a gash on >> her forehead. > > Jan based his observations on the post-mortem report, which was > fabricated. > The doctors had not even x-rayed Asiya's skull let alone open it up to > ascertain whether the wound had led to a brain hemorrhage. The first lot > of > doctors measured the wound to be 2-3 cm, the 2nd, 2-3 inches. Wow! > Fantastic. If a tailor had this kind of margin of error he would've been > without any customers and the Jan Commission doesn't even comment on this! > > CBI said it was not the reason, but since sand and >> phytoplankton from Rambiara were found inside the lungs CBI declared >> it a case of drowning. Well clearly since Asiya's and Neelofar's body >> were taken out of shallow water the possibility that the water could >> have entered her lungs after her death was not even seen as a real >> possibility. > Dr. Bilal had claimed he had done a flotation test on the lungs, but when > the bodies were exhumed and autopsy conducted in front of Majlis > Mashawarat > the lungs were found intact. Turns out the tissue used was a slice of the > heart! The AIIMS team did a flotation test on the lungs that failed. This > is recorded on camera and was done in front of members of the Majlis > Mashawarat. > >>Intact hymen in one body doesn't rule out rape, right? > Wrong. If you can't figure out why I really don't want to go into this > list. What else is there to prove rape? The vaginal samples with multiple > spermatozoa that were displayed as proof of a brutal 'gang rape' turned > out > to be the sick fabrication of Dr. Chiloo and Dr. Gh.Qadir who manufactured > the samples by taking scrapings of gloves from the Pulwama district > hospital. A second slide was also prepared, bizarrely, from Dr.Chiloo's > own > vaginal swab. Ugh. > > Praveen IB Swami rubished >> him by suggesting that the doctor had been caught plagiarising in 2004 >> and was therefore not credible! If the doctor wasn't credible, why was >> he in the investigation team in the first place? > Pl attach Pravin Swmai's report. As far as I recall it was the Bar Assoc. > that spread the canard. And which doctor are you referring to? The team > of 9 doctors that was sent by AIIMS was led by the doctor who had done the > post mortem on Indira Gandhi in '84. There were 9 doctors from AIIMS and 9 > scientists from the Central Forensic Laboratory. From the autopsy to the > tests to the preservation of the tissue samples was done on camera. > Anyone > wishing to challenge this can file an RTI and examine the evidence. >> >> I have seen Rambiara many times. Even where it joins Vaishav, which is >> at its end, it is not deep enough. And generally at the end of May >> water in Kashmiri streams is especially low, as some of it gets >> diverted to paddy fields. Government did its best to suggest that >> there was a sudden cloud burst and water overflowed in the brook. And >> IB Swami claimed there was flood that night. I was in a place close to >> Shopian around that time, and there had been no rain for days. Where >> did the great flood myth come from? Old Testament? > > Let us not quibble but meet at the Rambiara on May 29th this year with a > whole bunch of witnesses. I have no idea what the weather will be like > but > really don't mind wagering you will not be able to cross. Incidentally, > the > claim that no one has ever drowned in the Rambiara is false. Please check > J&K Police records from 1995-2009 and you will be surprised to learn that > it > wasn't just Neloufer and Asiya who were found washed up. > >> Anycase see photos of Rambi Ara here: >> http://www.kashmirprocess.org/reports/shopian/shopian_materials.html >> http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2525/3751167090_9fe348e660.jpg >> Would you have been able to cross it? >> >> Now what you are saying is this: >> >> "Early that morning, when the group saw some 'clothes' across the >> nullah, the brother in-law went back some 200 yards, crossed the >> bridge and then descended to the spot where they found Niloufer. When >> he shouted across the nullah to the men on the other side, Niloufer's >> husband, wild with grief, wanted to leap into the nullah and go >> straight across. He was restrained and finally the men went back 200 >> yards, crossed the bridge and went down to the other side. If the >> water was 'ankle-deep' as everyone claims, the men would have walked >> across without a fuss. Why didn't they?" >> >> Well, I ask you this question: Why didn't the two women use the bridge >> instead of doing a thing that even men (wild with grief) wouldn't do? >> If the river was really not crossable why did the women do it? And, >> more curiously, why both of them? > Why did they cross? Why did they not use the bridge? > My dear Junaid, I wish I could answer this. I haven't the slightest clue, > but even if one could answer this, how does it prove rape and murder? >> >> That you have been to Kunan-Poshpora (and, no, I haven't been there) >> and that the victims are saying (and rightly so) that the politicians >> (?) didn't care about them, that they didn't see any money, or that >> they face enormous social hardships, does not prove that they were not >> raped. It is a great failure of the Kashmiri society not to have >> adequately shown solidarity with these women. But where are the >> culprits? It is not so difficult to find them, right? >> > Have I said the culprits should not be punished, that rape should go > unpunished? You seem to be driven by a sick determination to twist > everything I say. Kunan Poshpora, like many other crimes have gone > unpunished. If and when there is peace in Kashmir there ought to be a > truth > & reconciliation commission where these matters can be raised. Not just > what happened to women of Kunan Poshpora, but also scores of others like > Sarla Butt (remember her?), Nigeena Awan, and Mariam Bi of Doda who had > the > great distinction of being gang-raped by militants and then carved up by > knives. > >> In your earlier post you said this: "The reason I posted Fayyaz's >> article was because it underscored what many on >> this list are guilty of. Making a noise about things that further >> their world views or political interests and keeping quiet when it >> doesn't. I have no axe to grind." Whose worldviews and political >> interests "on this list" are you talking about? You seem to suggest >> that there are some hypocrites who make "noise about things". Well >> first of all, most of the time I see absolute garbage posted here on >> issues related to Kashmir. (Some posts count dead people in Kashmir in >> "Ks"... 16 K instead of 219). Second, I don't think Fayyaz's report is >> a sound way to underscore anything. In fact, his reports are doltish >> in the least and dark propaganda if you read it carefully enough. >> > Garbage on this list, the doltishness of Fayyaz, the dark > propaganda...this > is the world we live in. People don't always have to agree with you. > Sometimes you have to engage with them, wrestle and debate with their > ideas. > It's too easy to brush people aside as Indian agents/Pakistani agents/ CIA > agents. Sometimes annoying people and their irritating ideas can't just be > wished away, or for that matter, liquidated. > > Sincerely, > Sonia Jabbar > >> >> Junaid >> >> >> On Thu, Apr 1, 2010 at 10:36 PM, S. Jabbar >> wrote: >>> Dear Junaid, >>> >>> Has Kashmir become a den of sleaze? Have I suggested that this is so and >>> that 'Kashmiris are compulsive liars'? I don't think so. And if I have, >>> I >>> think you need to back your accusations with evidence from my posts. >>> >>> The CMO Pulwama, Dr. Ghulam Qadir's actions can hardly be conflated with >>> the >>> actions of all Kashmiris, so where is the question of Kashmir becoming a >>> 'den of sex, sleaze and hypocrisy'? Having said that I still think it is >>> necessary to examine the actions of this particular gentleman as he was >>> the >>> man ultimately responsible for collecting the vaginal samples and >>> fudging >>> them. >>> >>> I have in my earlier post to Sanjay-- which I am sure you have read-- >>> condemned rapes and murders by men in khaki so I really don't understand >>> your outrageous attempt to paint me as someone who condones violations >>> in >>> J&K or anywhere else. >>> >>> You talk of Kunan Poshpora. Have you been there? I doubt it. But I have. >>> I spent time, I talked to the women in private, away from the gaze of >>> the >>> men. And guess what? I believed them. And guess what else? They really >>> hate being talked about, written about, bandied about by politicians who >>> don't give a flying F about them and have used them to further their >>> political agenda. Guess what else? The money that was collected in their >>> name by the men who made the greatest noise about the rapes never got to >>> them. And guess what else? They are still known as 'the raped village' >>> and >>> girls who were too little at the time of the ghastly incident are still >>> tormented whenever they leave their village to attend a HS school in a >>> nearby village-- not by men in khaki, but by their own brethren. >>> >>> Turning to Shopian. I have read every report on the case. Have you been >>> to >>> the Rambiara? Has anyone determined where exactly the women drowned? All >>> that is known is where the bodies were found. The bodies were found near >>> the bridge way downstream from the logical point of crossing from their >>> orchard to their home, both which were upstream. All people who claimed >>> they could not have drowned in Rambiara where the bodies were found were >>> absolutely correct. However, if you bother to read the testimonies of >>> the >>> victims' relatives in the Jan Commission Report you will realize that >>> even >>> that spot was difficult to cross. Early that morning, when the group saw >>> some 'clothes' across the nullah, the brother in-law went back some 200 >>> yards, crossed the bridge and then descended to the spot where they >>> found >>> Niloufer. When he shouted across the nullah to the men on the other >>> side, >>> Niloufer's husband, wild with grief, wanted to leap into the nullah and >>> go >>> straight across. He was restrained and finally the men went back 200 >>> yards, >>> crossed the bridge and went down to the other side. If the water was >>> 'ankle-deep' as everyone claims, the men would have walked across >>> without a >>> fuss. Why didn't they? >>> >>> To date no one who claims there was a rape and murder have been able to >>> scientifically establish cause of death. And if you cannot establish >>> cause >>> of death how can you say whether, it is homicide, suicide, or death by >>> accident? Soon after the incident the state government had announced a >>> reward of 25 lakh rupees to any information leading to the arrest of the >>> culprits. Every man, woman and child was following this case in J&K. And >>> yet to date not a single person has come up with any information leading >>> to >>> the arrest of the culprits. Every claim when investigated turned out to >>> be >>> false. >>> >>> As far as the claim of rape or gang rape: where is the evidence? >>> Everything >>> that has come out points to the contrary. >>> >>> As far as your last assertion, I only have one thing to say, and that >>> is, I >>> don't need to prove 2 women were raped and murdered to underscore how >>> bad it >>> is in Kashmir to be living under the shadow of so many guns. I have >>> always >>> said this and will say it again: India and Pakistan must resolve >>> Kashmir. >>> The solution must be acceptable to all people and regions of J&K. >>> >>> >>> >>>> From: Junaid >>>> Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2010 16:56:02 -0400 >>>> To: Sarai , Sanjay Kak >>>> , >>>> "S. >>>> Jabbar" >>>> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Selective condemnation of rape and murder >>>> has >>>> become bane of J&K politic >>>> >>>> Hi Sonia, >>>> >>>> Thank you for sending across a slew of sordid reports suggesting how >>>> Kashmir has become a den of sex, sleaze, and hypocrisy. Your posts are >>>> complemented well by Kshmendra Kaul's post which asserts that >>>> Kashmiris are compulsive liars, and Pawan Durani's forwards that >>>> underscore how Kashmiris lie about human rights violations by the >>>> Indian troops. Between the three of you, you have finally nailed the >>>> true psyche of Kashmiris! But you know since sleaze is something that >>>> defines the present state of politics in and about Kashmir, the nature >>>> of what is written about it cannot entirely escape its shadow. >>>> >>>> We have a history of making "noises" about rapes and molestations and >>>> almost invariably we have been told by the Indian agencies and the >>>> Indian media that we are wrong. The rape of dozens of women in >>>> Kunan-Poshpora in Kupwara by the Indian army has been declared a >>>> fabrication by the Indian govt and its intellegentsia. A number of >>>> books (authored by pro-establishment people like Manoj Joshi, Tavleen >>>> Singh etc) and tomes of news-stories have been manufactured to silence >>>> our "hypocritical" "noise". Press Council of India put a stamp of >>>> innocence on the Indian army units involved. (Only, we came to know >>>> later that BG Verghese hadn't even visited the village or talked to >>>> any victims). But that is too far in the past. >>>> >>>> The reports of sexual abuse and exploitation of underage Kashmiri >>>> girls by the pro-India politicians, the bureaucrats, and the top >>>> officers of the paramilitary forces and the police, and the subsequent >>>> investigations have led to nowhere. CBI didn't particularly prove >>>> itself to be objective or free from political influence in that case. >>>> See: >>>> http://www.indianexpress.com/news/highcourtnamesstringofvvipsinsexualabuseca >>>> se >>>> /226255/ >>>> >>>> It is quite understandable that, after all this, the Kashmiri people >>>> (and the sane people in India who see what CBI did to the Bofors case >>>> and the Hawala scandal) don't trust its "reports". See: >>>> http://kashmirprocess.com/news/20100104_GK_Wani.pdf >>>> >>>> So, when you say "Based on the evidence that we have at the (moment) I >>>> do not believe it was either rape or murder", I would like to know >>>> what "evidence" are you talking about. What evidence do you have to >>>> suggest that the two women found dead in knee-deep water were not >>>> raped and murdered? If you have "evidence" it means you are suggesting >>>> that the evidence points to an alternative scenario. What is that >>>> scenario? Unless you are suggesting that both the women happened to >>>> drown in the rivulet, in which even fish didn't have water enough to >>>> swim! (Well, that scenario would not need evidence but a miracle... or >>>> a dopey imagination!) >>>> >>>> I am asking this because it seems you have an opinion on what actually >>>> happened to the two women. After all, you call it a "tragic death": "I >>>> feel wretched that 2 women died a tragic death and then they were >>>> subjected to the worst kind of public scrutiny for months, their >>>> sexual lives speculated upon, their characters ground down to the >>>> dust.." You are right about the second part, of course. But the >>>> question is who speculated on the character of the two women, or cast >>>> aspersions about the role of Neelofar's husband? Who was most >>>> interested in showing the women as bad-charactered? >>>> >>>> Have you read these two reports: >>>> http://www.kashmirprocess.org/reports/shopian/ and >>>> http://www.kashmirtimes.com/shopian-report.pdf ? But these are >>>> independent reports. What happened to the findings of the Jan >>>> Commission? It was a govt report, right? It established rape and >>>> murder. See http://www.hindu.com/nic/shopian/index.htm >>>> >>>> In reality, even if I accept your (self-appointed) three-member >>>> bench's unanimous conclusion about Kashmiris as liars, hypocrites, and >>>> manipulators, don't you think it still keeps pointing to the single >>>> most important thing about Kashmiri opinion about Indian rule over >>>> Kashmir: that they don't like it at all. That Indian rule over Kashmir >>>> has no democratic legitimacy? >>>> >>>> Junaid >>> >>> >>> > > > _________________________________________ > 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 rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com Fri Apr 2 23:28:22 2010 From: rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com (Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi) Date: Fri, 2 Apr 2010 23:28:22 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Bliss of Madhuri: Husain and His Muse - a public lecture In-Reply-To: <461579.77234.qm@web57205.mail.re3.yahoo.com> References: <7271ec561003301036v26867fb3l6c136c699312524e@mail.gmail.com> <461579.77234.qm@web57205.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Kshemendra, disgusting or otherwise, it is your choice, freedom of choice, but issue here is khans preferring to have females from ill organised castes with wealth as criteria, khans claiming not terrorists with spins of movies, khans being the violent khan clans is a fact, verified be it in this side or that side of the "border". A togadia and a owaisi are enough to stoke the violence and beget more of it, and the type of rule we have, which is "secular" to overlook the atrocities of organised faiths indulging in violence, making issue of retaliations, a bigger issue of intolerence, is disgusting. Seculars did not have any words to condemn, express disgust at the death of 57 lives in S6 coach, 3800 lives when the tree fell and earth shook, Theesta was quiet for the zafri and his goonda acts, but is active now for his violent death, that resulted his being goon. How long do you think, kashmiris should live in camps of delhi, to get disgusted.? As to Hussain, let him express his drawings but include his own parents whom he revers as we rever our deities, for we say, parents are like god, teacher is divine, so is the guest, but geelani, headley, rana and khans have proved that thyey have no noble intentions or actions for the hosts with our rule being "secular". Your disgust does not stand to reason, for the simple reason, I am disgusted that this 95 year old man has freedom to insult and injure, hurt the societal feelings using freedom as license, freedom without duty to society that we live in is useless, as all such freedom leads to anarchy and social disorder. love and regards, rajen. On Wed, Mar 31, 2010 at 4:09 PM, Kshmendra Kaul wrote: > Dear Rajendra > > I thought your mail was quite disgusting. > > But please ignore such thoughts of mine. Instead I would like to be > educated by you through answers to the following two questions: > > 1. What should India do with these disgusting Muslims and all their > disgusting practices? > > AND > > 2. What should India do with these disgusting Hindus and all their > disgusting practices? > > These two questions need to be answered simultaneously so that we can make > the roadmap for a better India. > > Kshmendra > > > --- On *Tue, 3/30/10, Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi < > rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com>* wrote: > > > From: Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] The Bliss of Madhuri: Husain and His Muse - a > public lecture > To: "Yousuf" > Cc: "sarai list" , "jmi list" < > jamia_millia_alumni_directory at yahoogroups.com> > Date: Tuesday, March 30, 2010, 11:06 PM > > Yousuf, there is nothing special about the fact that mindset of "muse", > it > is quite obivious mindset of few followers of a faith, as conquerers, to > have woman of different faith in the present time, as if to live with past > glories, as exhibited by the likes of a Mahesh Bhatt, shahrukh khan Amir > Khan, in bollywood as well as that of Rizvis and many and many thousands > who > still make all out efforts to have faithful "harmony" and the fate of those > wives with triple talaqs is well known in "secular India. ! > Atleast, individuals like a Harish Salve, Vayalar ravi who have married > outside the faith, have been more sensitive unlike the My name is khan > clan.! > > Regards, > rajen. > > On Fri, Mar 19, 2010 at 11:59 AM, Yousuf > > wrote: > > > JAMES BEVERIDGE MEDIA RESOURCE CENTRE > > AJK MCRC, Jamia Millia Islamia > > > > invites you to a Public Lecture on > > THE BLISS OF MADHURI: HUSAIN AND HIS MUSE > > By > > Patricia Uberoi > > > > JB MRC Room, MCRC New Building, 2nd Floor > > Thursday, March 25, 2010, 2PM > > > > By all accounts, including his own, M.F. Husain has found artistic > > inspiration in several ‘muses’, but none so publicly acknowledged and > > well-publicized as his relationship with Bollywood screen goddess, > Madhuri > > Dixit. Husain committed her image to canvas in a series of featureless > > portraits, and on celluloid through his five-million dollar film, Gaja > > Gamini, which he scripted and directed. ‘It took me 60 years to realize > > this dream’, Husain wrote, ‘of which 30 years were spent in allowing > Madhuri > > to arrive.’ > > Following his trajectory from art to cinema, this illustrated > presentation > > critically reflects upon Husain’s project of rendering in cinema the > > timeless attributes of Indian womanhood in relation to a universal ideal > of > > the feminine. In particular it seeks to address two interconnected issues > > raised by Husain’s Gaja Gamini project and the public discourse that has > > surrounded it: (i) the problematics of the female ‘muse’; or, should one > say > > bluntly, the gender politics of male artistic production; and (ii) > Husain’s > > spectacularisation of the female body of Madhuri Dixit. Admittedly, > linking > > these two themes is no straightforward matter, located as they are in > very > > different discursive universes. However, addressing these questions might > > lead us to understand how Husain’s infatuation with his muse is actually > > pertinent to an understanding of the public controversies in which he has > > become so conspicuously embroiled in recent years. > > > > Patricia UBEROI was formerly Professor of Social Change and Development > at > > the Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi, and Honorary Director of the > > Institute of Chinese Studies, Centre for the Study of Developing > Societies, > > Delhi. She has published widely in the fields of family, kinship, gender, > > sexuality and popular culture with reference to both India and China. In > > addition to her book Freedom and Destiny: Gender, Family and Popular > Culture > > in India (2006), she has edited Family, Kinship and Marriage in India > > (1993), Social Reform, Sexuality and the State (1996), Tradition, > Pluralism > > and Identity (co-ed., 1999), Anthropology in the East: Founders of > Indian > > Sociology and Anthropology (co-ed., 2007), Marriage, Migration and Gender > > (co-ed, 2008) and Rise of the Asian Giants: Dragon-Elephant Tango > (2008). > > > > (The JB MRC is supported by funds from the SRTT.) > > > > > > > > > > _________________________________________ > > 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: > > > > > -- > Rajen. > _________________________________________ > 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/> > > > -- Rajen. From pawan.durani at gmail.com Sat Apr 3 12:01:22 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Sat, 3 Apr 2010 12:01:22 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] An Enthusiastic Defender of Freedom Message-ID: http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,686906,00.html#ref=nlint The Turkish-German writer Necla Kelek is a vehement defender of democracy. Her criticism of Islam has made many German intellectuals uneasy. But has she been unjustly vilified? There are also problems among Germans, it's not just the Turks, a young man points out. Necla Kelek is familiar with this objection -- it's one she hears again and again. She grimaces for a moment but then smiles gently and says in a confessional tone, "There are also a lot of things not right in Germany." The young man is satisfied, and Necla Kelek later admits that certainly not all Muslims pose a problem for democracy in Germany. In fact most of them certainly don't -- but there are still the few who do and they are the ones she has chosen to focus on. It's the problems she is concerned with, she says. Kelek, 52, a German woman with Turkish roots, is sitting in the cultural center in Achim, a town near Bremen in northern Germany. She has just finished a reading from her new book, "Himmelsreise" ("Journey to Heaven"). The book casts a critical look at Islam and condemns the oppression and lack of freedom within Turkish communities and families in Germany. Hate Monger and Holy Warrior? Such views have made Kelek a controversial figure. The center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung has labeled her a "hate monger," while the center-right Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung has called her a "holy warrior." People often talk about Kelek in the same breath as Henryk M. Broder, a controversial polemic journalist who writes for SPIEGEL. The interesting thing about Kelek is that she defends all of the terms that form the basis of German society: freedom, democracy, enlightenment, secular order, civil society. Yet in doing so, she draws harsh criticism from Germans. She's a woman who makes people uneasy. But why? One accusation is that Kelek has been unable to rid herself of the humiliation she suffered at the hands of her own family and that this is why she condemns Islam as a whole. Kelek has often recounted her life story. As a child, she came from Turkey to a small city in the German state of Lower Saxony, but never fully arrived in Germany. Breaks were the worst part of the school day because she stood around alone, not knowing what to do. Before and after school, Kelek lived in a completely Turkish world. Her father ran that world like a dictator, her mother obeyed, and the children had to humbly serve their father. When Kelek disobeyed one of his orders and locked herself in her bedroom, her father forced his way in with an axe, seized his daughter by the throat, and swung her around. He disappeared shortly after, and Kelek never saw him again. He is now dead. Kelek experienced what it was not to be free, a situation that applied in particular to women. The mothers had to obey the fathers, and many girls were married off to men from Turkish villages while they were still children. Kelek's sister was among them. Kelek herself escaped this fate -- "You're too ugly," her mother told her. 'Our Society Is so Marvelous!' Kelek studied technical drawing, and then was given the opportunity to study sociology through a grant from the Hans Böckler Stiftung, a foundation with close ties to labor unions. She calls the people from the foundation "my true parents." After spending a period working as an academic, Kelek now makes her living mainly as an author. She has since obtained German citizenship, but when Kelek talks about Europeans, she says "the Europeans," not "we Europeans." Questioned about this, she says she counts herself among their ranks, but has to smile, as if she's been caught out. It's a fairly big leap from a Turkish identity to a European one. Kelek generally speaks in a calm, quiet voice. At the reading in Achim, again and again she invites the audience to criticize and debate. When she speaks of the freedoms denied to Turkish girls, her tone grows sharp, but she's still a far cry from a "hate monger." Oddly enough one of the things that can make a conversation with Kelek somewhat disconcerting is the enthusiasm with which she praises freedom. It's unfamiliar because Germans don't talk this way anymore. Questioning Creates Discourse Kelek says words like "freedom," "democracy," "civil society," and "enlightenment" in a tone others reserve for the describing amazing soccer goals. "Our society is so marvelous!" she exclaims. It pains Kelek that she rarely meets Germans capable of mentioning the word "freedom" without immediately alluding to the downsides, whether it be obsessive consumption or pornography. Perhaps it's necessary to have experienced a lack of freedom in order to have such enthusiasm for it. And once the unease subsides, it's actually gratifying to experience Kelek's enthusiasm for the foundations of Western society. Kelek is so taken by Germans, she can even find something positive in their endless contrition. "I've come to see that these self-doubts advance them," she explains. Endless questioning creates discourse, she says, and discourse is the basis of all democracy. In the course of two long conversations, never once does a negative word about her critics pass her lips. She defends herself, but welcomes debate. Her heroes are people like the German writers Ludwig Börne and Heinrich Heine, both intellectual fighters for freedom in the early 19th century. "I would have loved to have lived during that period," Kelek says. The second source of unease when talking to Necla Kelek is the fact that in her unapologetic criticism of the circumstances in some Turkish families or communities, she fails to constantly add that there are many Turks in Germany who are in favor of freedom, democracy, and enlightenment, and she also lacks the usual discomfort that suggests criticizing other ways of life can sometimes border on racism. 'Religion Is Part of Freedom' There are two reasons, it seems, why Germans often make lousy defenders of their own values -- their detachment and their fear of being accused of intolerance. But a free society needs enthusiasts like Kelek. Otherwise, it risks becoming cynical. Kelek finds herself in a dilemma familiar to all those who defend freedom and tolerance -- namely, that freedom can never be complete freedom, and tolerance never complete tolerance. This means that a rational person who fights for freedom and tolerance is necessarily also always fighting for intolerance and a lack of freedom. In other words, those who fight for tolerance must also be intolerant of those who are intolerant. Thus the accusation against Kelek turns out to be an empty one. It is during a debate such as the current one that a democratic society determines where it draws the line between what it will tolerate and what it won't. Headscarves cannot be tolerated as long as they remain an expression of the oppression of women, Kelek says. Sharia law cannot apply in Germany, and forced marriages of young girls are shameful. What happens in mosques and Koran schools, she adds, should be transparent and founded on Germany's democratic constitutional order. "Religion," she declares, "is part of freedom. It does not stand above it." It's only natural that "Himmelsreise" is a one-sided book, singling out the aspects that, from a Western perspective, argue against allowing an unlimited Islam in Germany. The book is, after all, a contribution to a debate -- an important contribution. Others can take up the role of responding to her views, but Kelek doesn't deserve to be vilified. Fighting For Every Immigrant Child An event in early March demonstrated the importance of Kelek's position. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) invited 1,500 Turks living abroad to a conversation in Istanbul. Ali Ertan Toprak, deputy chairman of Germany's Alevi community, said afterward, "They wanted us to integrate in Europe, but with the single goal of representing Turkish interests." In addition, the Islam Conference -- a dialogue series initiated by the German Interior Ministry -- failed to reach an agreement with representatives from Turkish organizations on common core values. Kelek participated in the conference and considers it to have "successfully failed." It became clear, she says, that these representatives didn't place importance on common core values. For Kelek, the central point is that Muslims should be able to become European citizens, with an appreciation for democracy, freedom, and secular society. Particularly in light of the growing proportion of Muslims in the population, society needs to fight for every single child of immigrants. It's not enough to count on every oppressed person emerging with a disposition toward freedom and democracy, as Kelek did. Democracy requires a critical mass of democrats -- otherwise, it collapses. The multicultural approach has given too little consideration to this aspect. Kelek is fighting for nothing less than an Islamic enlightenment in Germany. As a devout Muslim, she has every right to do so. Her goal is to have many religions, but a single understanding of government and society. This consensus leaves enough room for individual cultural differences. Kelek, for example, the enlightened Turkish-German woman, has done something that isn't easy for a European to comprehend. She visited her father's grave in Turkey and found it neglected. So she paid to have the grave fixed up again, and did it in such a manner that she and her siblings will be able to have their final resting place next to the man who oppressed and abused them. She wouldn't want to be buried anywhere else. Translated from the German by Ella Ornstein From chintangirishmodi at gmail.com Sat Apr 3 12:14:42 2010 From: chintangirishmodi at gmail.com (Chintan) Date: Sat, 3 Apr 2010 12:14:42 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Plugging the skills gap: Challenges in vocational education and training Message-ID: Sharing excerpts from http://www.indiatogether.org/2010/mar/eco-skills.htm The article is written by Megha Aggarwal, introduced on the website as* "*a social entrepreneur currently in the process of setting up institutions for quality dynamic and inclusive vocational education." To read the entire article, check the link pasted above. "Most policy decisions in India invoke the 'guns and butter' trade-off - we have limited resources, many conflicting uses for these resources and our policy makers therefore have to make hard choices. However, there are some critical issues, the solutions for which lie less in resource allocation, and more with a change in policy and mindset. This article focuses on one such issue - the severe need that India has for skilled workers, and the inability of our existing vast educational system to produce them." "What is the solution to this glaring mismatch? A cursory glance at several industrialised nations indicates that a thriving, dominant Vocational Education and Training (VET) system can play a significant role in reducing this imbalance. Vocational education focuses on the creation of skills in specific trades that generate employability. Its focus is significantly different from higher education in that it recognises a very basic fact from operations theory - our products, services, and potentially our long-run welfare are only as good as the weakest link in the chain. Offering quality vocational education to our youth today is of paramount importance to India's economic and social development, if we want India to become to force to be reckoned with globally." "We live in a world with diverse and evolving production lines, which in turn require diverse skill sets. While a country needs someone to produce research on say, how to build the best goods, it also needs someone who is trained to a world-class level, to man and operate the technical apparatus used to produce and maintain these world-class goods and services. The weakest link in India today is not a lack of engineers and doctors, business school students or IT professionals. It is the lack of young skilled-workers to make our steel factories run, to provide top-notch ancillary services from automobile repair and white-goods installation to planning our cities better and improving our revenues from tourism." "The student population does not perceive VET as an option that gets them what they aspire for. An optimal strategy has to address both why more Indian students are not taking up vocational education, as well as aim to correct the ineffectiveness of existing providers to attract and equip motivated students with skills to become part of a productive workforce." "Industry insiders, however, are aware that mechanisms for promoting vocational education have been around in the Government for ages, in different shapes and forms, and have failed dismally for the most part. There are close to 7000 ITIs, where training is imparted in 128 trades. The period of training varies from 6 months to 3 years, while the entry qualifications are academic and vary - from those who have passed Class 8 to 12. These institutions are widely perceived - both by students and the industry - as being ineffective and out of touch with industry needs. Of the 128 trades they teach, many such as turners, machinists and grinders have been rendered obsolete by technological advances. The curriculum for several of the others e.g. several engineering trades has not been revised in several decades. This has led to a mass-churn of graduates who are not needed by the industry and are not equipped with the basic technical know-how of their trade and as a result are becoming a part of India's vast unemployment pool. At the same time, the government is encouraging private sector participation in the form of Public-Private-Partnerships (PPPs). However, due to the lack of a transparent and intuitive accreditation system, a multitude of unaccredited institutions have sprung up in places, and a lack of any formal accreditation makes accountability and quality control impossible. There are several thousand community polytechnics that are training about 450,000 people a year, and none of these programs has been evaluated rigorously. Unfortunately, simply reducing existing government inefficiencies and involving the private sector will not automatically ensure that parents will want their children to take up vocational education. It is dangerous to discount the very deep-rooted stigma associated with vocational training. It is common perception amongst parents and students that going for any sort of vocational or skills-based training would lead to eventual employment (if at all) in a 'blue collar' job, which is considered less respectable. Also, vocational education is perceived as a dead-end, with no existing linkages to the formal higher education system. Given these challenges, the critical message to get across is that not everyone *should* (as opposed to *can*) become an engineer, MBA, lawyer or a doctor. It is only by demonstrating that vocational education allows people to improve their livelihoods by getting jobs they desire that this mindset can be shifted." From pawan.durani at gmail.com Sat Apr 3 12:24:45 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Sat, 3 Apr 2010 12:24:45 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Uttarakhand Records Nearly 100% Student Enrolment Message-ID: Uttarakhand has achieved nearly 100 per cent enrolment of students in schools this year and the drop out percentage has come down to mere 0.31 per cent from 15 per cent in 2000-01. Of the 18.06 lakh children in the age group of 6-14 years in the state, 17.97 lakh (99.50%) have been enrolled in various schools, Uttarakhand Government officials said here. "The drop out percentage has come down from 15 per cent as per 2000-2001 census to 0.31 per cent at present," they said. In the last three years, 613 new schools and 594 upper primary schools have been set up under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) in the hill state, the officials said. The government has been implementing several innovative schemes like `Sapno ki Udan', `Pahal' and `Muskan' under the Centre's flagship programme to improve the quality and reach of education in the State. The salient features of `Sapno ki Udan' include organising `Mobile Schools' to reach out to the children and their parents, to identify and mainstream `Out-of-School' children, hosting community and educational fairs and conducting regular health camps, Radhika Jha, the State Project Director of SSA, told a visiting team of journalists. "The Mobile Schools/Multi Purpose Vehicle are equipped with projector, computer library, learning material and other necessary tools. These vehicles are used to provide mobile schooling as well as to extend awareness and motivational campaigns among the masses," she said. (more) "SSA helped our school in a big way. All the children of our school belong to BPL families. We did not have basic infrastructure earlier. Now we have chairs, benches and other basic things," Deepa Semwal, in-charge Head Mistress of the Primary School at a slum in Dehradun, said. "Health camps are also conducted at our school. We also tell the children and their parents about the need to maintain good hygiene at home," she said. `Pahal' is an initiative in PPP (public private partnership) mode for providing school education to `never- enrolled' and drop-out children in the age-group of 6-14 years belonging to vulnerable sections like rag-pickers, beggars and scavengers. The programme has benefited 763 children in Udham Singh Nagar, Nainital and Haridwar districts, officials said. `Muskaan' is another successful programme that aims at ensuring education of children of migrant labourers from states like UP, Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. The programme, that had won appreciation from the Centre, was initially implemented in Nainital under SSA. http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?678523 A certificate mentioning the ability of the student is given when the parents migrate to another place so that the student can be admitted to a school there. As many as 3,191 children, studying at 39 centres in Nainital, Udham Singh Nagar, Haridwar and Dehradun, are benefiting from the `Muskan' programme, the officials said. The schools in Uttarakhand have school management committees and the members of these panels meet the parents, generally underprivileged sections of the society, and convince them to send their children to the school. "The parents of the children are extremely poor. They are involved in things like rag-picking. We tell them to send the children to school. We follow up with the parents to see that their children attend classes regularly," Brij Mohan Sharma, president of the management committee of a primary school at Ajabpur in the state capital said. As many as 17,783 women belonging to BPL families have been appointed as `Bhojan Mata' (women who prepare food) under the mid-day meal scheme. The scheme, under which free lunch is provided to students on all working days, was also instrumental in increasing the enrolment in the primary schools, the officials added. From chintangirishmodi at gmail.com Sat Apr 3 12:42:26 2010 From: chintangirishmodi at gmail.com (Chintan) Date: Sat, 3 Apr 2010 12:42:26 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Uttarakhand Records Nearly 100% Student Enrolment In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Pawan, thanks for sharing this. On Sat, Apr 3, 2010 at 12:24 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > Uttarakhand has achieved nearly 100 per cent enrolment of students in > schools this year and the drop out percentage has come down to mere > 0.31 per cent from 15 per cent in 2000-01. > > Of the 18.06 lakh children in the age group of 6-14 years in the > state, 17.97 lakh (99.50%) have been enrolled in various schools, > Uttarakhand Government officials said here. > > "The drop out percentage has come down from 15 per cent as per > 2000-2001 census to 0.31 per cent at present," they said. In the last > three years, 613 new schools and 594 upper primary schools have been > set up under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) in the hill state, the > officials said. > > The government has been implementing several innovative schemes like > `Sapno ki Udan', `Pahal' and `Muskan' under the Centre's flagship > programme to improve the quality and reach of education in the State. > > The salient features of `Sapno ki Udan' include organising `Mobile > Schools' to reach out to the children and their parents, to identify > and mainstream `Out-of-School' children, hosting community and > educational fairs and conducting regular health camps, Radhika Jha, > the State Project Director of SSA, told a visiting team of > journalists. > > "The Mobile Schools/Multi Purpose Vehicle are equipped with projector, > computer library, learning material and other necessary tools. These > vehicles are used to provide mobile schooling as well as to extend > awareness and motivational campaigns among the masses," she said. > (more) > > "SSA helped our school in a big way. All the children of our school > belong to BPL families. We did not have basic infrastructure earlier. > Now we have chairs, benches and other basic things," Deepa Semwal, > in-charge Head Mistress of the Primary School at a slum in Dehradun, > said. > > "Health camps are also conducted at our school. We also tell the > children and their parents about the need to maintain good hygiene at > home," she said. > > `Pahal' is an initiative in PPP (public private partnership) mode for > providing school education to `never- enrolled' and drop-out children > in the age-group of 6-14 years belonging to vulnerable sections like > rag-pickers, beggars and scavengers. > > The programme has benefited 763 children in Udham Singh Nagar, > Nainital and Haridwar districts, officials said. > > `Muskaan' is another successful programme that aims at ensuring > education of children of migrant labourers from states like UP, Bihar, > Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. The programme, that had won appreciation > from the Centre, was initially implemented in Nainital under SSA. > > http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?678523 > > A certificate mentioning the ability of the student is given when the > parents migrate to another place so that the student can be admitted > to a school there. > > As many as 3,191 children, studying at 39 centres in Nainital, Udham > Singh Nagar, Haridwar and Dehradun, are benefiting from the `Muskan' > programme, the officials said. > > The schools in Uttarakhand have school management committees and the > members of these panels meet the parents, generally underprivileged > sections of the society, and convince them to send their children to > the school. > > "The parents of the children are extremely poor. They are involved in > things like rag-picking. We tell them to send the children to school. > We follow up with the parents to see that their children attend > classes regularly," Brij Mohan Sharma, president of the management > committee of a primary school at Ajabpur in the state capital said. > > As many as 17,783 women belonging to BPL families have been appointed > as `Bhojan Mata' (women who prepare food) under the mid-day meal > scheme. > > The scheme, under which free lunch is provided to students on all > working days, was also instrumental in increasing the enrolment in the > primary schools, the officials added. > _________________________________________ > 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 Apr 3 12:50:31 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Sat, 3 Apr 2010 12:50:31 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Uttarakhand Records Nearly 100% Student Enrolment In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Thank you Chintan , Uttrakhand like other BJP ruled states have really done some great works in terms of education and women empowerment etc. On Sat, Apr 3, 2010 at 12:42 PM, Chintan wrote: > Pawan, thanks for sharing this. > > On Sat, Apr 3, 2010 at 12:24 PM, Pawan Durani > wrote: >> >> Uttarakhand has achieved nearly 100 per cent enrolment of students in >> schools this year and the drop out percentage has come down to mere >> 0.31 per cent from 15 per cent in 2000-01. >> >> Of the 18.06 lakh children in the age group of 6-14 years in the >> state, 17.97 lakh (99.50%) have been enrolled in various schools, >> Uttarakhand Government officials said here. >> >> "The drop out percentage has come down from 15 per cent as per >> 2000-2001 census to 0.31 per cent at present," they said. In the last >> three years, 613 new schools and 594 upper primary schools have been >> set up under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) in the hill state, the >> officials said. >> >> The government has been implementing several innovative schemes like >> `Sapno ki Udan', `Pahal' and `Muskan' under the Centre's flagship >> programme to improve the quality and reach of education in the State. >> >> The salient features of `Sapno ki Udan' include organising `Mobile >> Schools' to reach out to the children and their parents, to identify >> and mainstream `Out-of-School' children, hosting community and >> educational fairs and conducting regular health camps, Radhika Jha, >> the State Project Director of SSA, told a visiting team of >> journalists. >> >> "The Mobile Schools/Multi Purpose Vehicle are equipped with projector, >> computer library, learning material and other necessary tools. These >> vehicles are used to provide mobile schooling as well as to extend >> awareness and motivational campaigns among the masses," she said. >> (more) >> >> "SSA helped our school in a big way. All the children of our school >> belong to BPL families. We did not have basic infrastructure earlier. >> Now we have chairs, benches and other basic things," Deepa Semwal, >> in-charge Head Mistress of the Primary School at a slum in Dehradun, >> said. >> >> "Health camps are also conducted at our school. We also tell the >> children and their parents about the need to maintain good hygiene at >> home," she said. >> >> `Pahal' is an initiative in PPP (public private partnership) mode for >> providing school education to `never- enrolled' and drop-out children >> in the age-group of 6-14 years belonging to vulnerable sections like >> rag-pickers, beggars and scavengers. >> >> The programme has benefited 763 children in Udham Singh Nagar, >> Nainital and Haridwar districts, officials said. >> >> `Muskaan' is another successful programme that aims at ensuring >> education of children of migrant labourers from states like UP, Bihar, >> Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. The programme, that had won appreciation >> from the Centre, was initially implemented in Nainital under SSA. >> >> http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?678523 >> >> A certificate mentioning the ability of the student is given when the >> parents migrate to another place so that the student can be admitted >> to a school there. >> >> As many as 3,191 children, studying at 39 centres in Nainital, Udham >> Singh Nagar, Haridwar and Dehradun, are benefiting from the `Muskan' >> programme, the officials said. >> >> The schools in Uttarakhand have school management committees and the >> members of these panels meet the parents, generally underprivileged >> sections of the society, and convince them to send their children to >> the school. >> >> "The parents of the children are extremely poor. They are involved in >> things like rag-picking. We tell them to send the children to school. >> We follow up with the parents to see that their children attend >> classes regularly," Brij Mohan Sharma, president of the management >> committee of a primary school at Ajabpur in the state capital said. >> >> As many as 17,783 women belonging to BPL families have been appointed >> as `Bhojan Mata' (women who prepare food) under the mid-day meal >> scheme. >> >> The scheme, under which free lunch is provided to students on all >> working days, was also instrumental in increasing the enrolment in the >> primary schools, the officials added. >> _________________________________________ >> 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 kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Sat Apr 3 14:55:55 2010 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Sat, 3 Apr 2010 02:25:55 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] "The naked secularist" - R Jagannathan Message-ID: <846446.63396.qm@web57207.mail.re3.yahoo.com> I looked at myself. I wasnt naked.   I checked whether there a difference between being a 'secularist' and being a 'secular' person. Nothing registered.   Perhaps Jagannathan is talking about the (cliched) "pseudo-seculars" and he would be right (IMO).   Cliched terms become so because they find widespread representation of the same form. Some on this List are an excellent example.    Kshmendra     "The naked secularist" R Jagannathan Thursday, April 1, 2010   Recent media coverage of Narendra Modi’s interrogation by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) and the Amitabh Bachchan controversy constitute further evidence of the emptiness of Indian secularism. By gloating over the simple fact that Modi was called by the SIT for questioning, and then fulminating over his non-appearance on March 21, the secularists have proved that what they care about is not justice, but their own vanity.   India’s humbug secularists have personalised the definition of secularism for narrow political ends. It corresponds to no dictionary meaning of the word. Secularism is defined as the opposite of what the Sangh parivar stands for. Like Pakistan defining itself as “not India,” secularists define themselves as “not the Sangh parivar”. The Sangh is the unspeakable “other”, the demon they are trying to exorcise in themselves. And in Modi they have found the perfect personification of all that they hate in themselves.   Modi has often been accused — and legitimately — of equating his state’s interests with his own. But his detractors are playing into his hands. When Amitabh Bachchan is asked to be the state’s brand ambassador for tourism, he is pilloried for his impertinence. Modi may have had his own agenda in inviting him to promote Gujarat’s cause, but isn’t that what politicians do anyway? Why is anyone who promotes Gujarat an instant target for secularists? This is ideological tyranny.   If Modi is wrapping himself in the state’s colours, the secularists are helping him do so through sheer stupidity. By blasting anyone who is hired by the state, they are effectively saying that working for Gujarat is the same as working for Modi. So when Modi says the secularists are trampling on Gujarati asmita, it is entirely believable.   Blind hatred cannot lead to any good. Before the Gujarat elections in 2007, Jairam Ramesh made out a case suggesting that the state’s economic success under Modi was less due to him than the Gujarati’s business instincts — which may be partly true. But this no different from saying that the UPA’s economic performance is due to India’s demographic bulge driven by George Bush’s global growth engine — which was equally the case. Being a supporter of dynasty, Ramesh, of course, won’t have the guts to acknowledge this. But Modi’s achievements are worth sullying.   It is also sickening to see secularists salivating at the prospect of Modi’s humiliation — when justice is the priority. No one noted that Rajiv Gandhi was never called to answer questions on Bofors when it was more than clear that he and his nominees were the unstated suspects. The Swedish prosecutor in the Bofors case expressed surprise why Sonia Gandhi was not quizzed in the scam — when she is also the obvious link to Ottavio Quattrochi. Is it any surprise that Quattrochi gets a quiet exit during the UPA regime?   Much is also being made of the fact that the Congress expressed regrets for the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 while Modi has kept mum. Ask yourself: is the apology of a Sikh prime minister for his party’s anti-Sikh pogrom really worth taking at face value? Not that apologies make any difference. LK Advani’s belated “saddest day of my life” apology was not good enough for the secularists to forgive him for the Babri demolition, but Manmohan Singh’s apology 20 years after 1984 is a wonderful example of contrition!   As for the Bachchan episode, he has no chance of being excused by the secular cabal. In fact, he is doubly guilty. His first crime was, of course, related to the fact that he had the temerity to bat for Gujarat. His second crime was that he had fallen foul of the Gandhi family. Combine the two, and he had no chance of being left alone. This is why Congress party buffoons are busy demanding all kinds of explanations from him when Ratan Tata, Mukesh Ambani and Anil Ambani — all businessmen who showered praise on Modi directly —got away unnoticed, as Amitabh pointed out in his blogs.   It is not anybody’s case that Modi should not be punished or tried for whatever he did or didn’t do in 2002. But we have already tried him in the media and convicted him. Even assuming this is poetic justice for a man who let unspeakable things happen in his state eight years ago, it is no excuse for one-sided secularism.   In Hans Christian Andersen’s immortal tale, it took the innocence of a child to tell the emperor that he was wearing no clothes. The emperor’s tailors had told him that the invisible clothes they had made for him would not be seen by anyone who was “just hopelessly stupid.” Since the emperor did not want to be labelled stupid, he pretended to wear the clothes when he was really walking stark naked.   It seems our secularists are also running stark naked — and they don’t seem to know it.   http://www.dnaindia.com/opinion/column_the-naked-secularist_1365849   From chintangirishmodi at gmail.com Sat Apr 3 15:34:45 2010 From: chintangirishmodi at gmail.com (Chintan) Date: Sat, 3 Apr 2010 15:34:45 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] VIII Theory Praxis Workshop in Pune In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Anand Vijayan http://fctworld.org/8th%20Theory%20Praxis%20Course.htm *VIII Theory/Praxis Course* *June 14-July 10, 2010* *Venue: Department of English* *University of Pune* The Forum on Contemporary Theory has been conducting an intensive course in Theory/Praxis since 2003 for the benefit of scholars across disciplines interested in new developments in Theory and their application. The Course includes intensive textual readings in specific areas, supported by seminars and talks on broader but related issues. The Course will be held in the University of Pune from June 14 to July 10, 2010. COURSE OUTLINES The Course is organized around the following topics to be discussed in-depth by the core faculty, supported by public lectures and mini-seminars by the invited scholars. 1) *Matters of Life & Death *(Faculty: Costica Bradatan) The recent resurgence of the phenomenon of “suicide bombing” has starkly reminded us of the important political functions that a dying body can perform. From the Buddhist monks who immolated themselves in Vietnam in early 1960s to Jan Palach, who did the same thing in Czechoslovakia in 1969, from the Japanese kamikazes during the WWII to today’s suicide-bombers, the ways in which one’s violent death can be turned into an expressive political gesture have been as different as have the ultimate goals sought through such an act. However, despite its persistence and shocking occurrences, this type of voluntary death hasn’t yet received the theoretical treatment it deserves; social and political theorists are still to come up with a comprehensive and interdisciplinary understanding of the dying body as a carrier of political, ideological and religious messages. This course has been born precisely out of the felt need for such a broader understanding of the body and the political functions it can perform in radical situations. The primary theoretical premise on which the course is based is Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s insight that the “use a man is to make of his body is transcendent in relation to that body as a mere biological entity.” Drawing on this insight, we will be looking at various practices through which a body can be made to transcend itself. The course is dedicated to exploring the body as the locus of a number of fundamental experiences: the experience of a living (embodied) being, “thrown into the world,” of living in limit-situations (torture, starvation, physical degradation), the experience of finitude and imperfection, of overcoming one’s natural fear of death, finally the experience of self-transcending and re-signification through dying a violent voluntary death. We will be discussing several types of such voluntary death: martyrdom, self-immolation as a form of political protest, suicide-bombing and the kamikaze pilots. In terms of textual resources, we will be analyzing texts on the phenomenology of the body (Merleau-Ponty), on the phenomenology of death and dying (Heidegger, Landsberg and Michelstaedter), as well as scholarly literature on the posthumous significance that a “martyred body” can acquire in radicalized contexts (Girard). We will also examine fiction literature (Lev Tolstoy), literature by Nazi camp survivors such as Primo Levi and Jean Améry, as well as personal diaries left behind by Japanese kamikaze pilots. Finally, in order to make our approach more intuitive and, at the same time, more interdisciplinary, we will be watching and discussing a number of films on the subject by such major directors as Bergman, Pontecorvo, Benigni, and Iñárritu. Course Structure • Session I: The Body as a Philosophical Problem; the Body and the World; Being-in-the-World. o Readings: Merleau-Ponty, *Phenomenology of Perception*, pp. 77-232; Heidegger, *Being and Time, *pp. 149-224. o Film viewing: *21 Grams *(Dir. Alejandro González Iñárritu) • Session II: Death as a Philosophical Problem; Living with Death; Death and (the Quest for) Authenticity; Death, Irony and Humor o Readings: Heidegger, *Being and Time*, pp. 279-311; Tolstoy, *The Death of Ivan Ilyich*; Michelstaedter, *Persuasion and Rhetoric*, pp. 7-57 o Film viewing: *The Barbarian Invasions *(Dir. Denys Arcand) • Session III: Overcoming the Fear of Death; Self-Transcending; Dying as a Rite of Passage; Death and Meaning o Readings: Plato, *Apology; *Landsberg, “The Experience of Death”; Michelstaedter, *Persuasion and Rhetoric*, pp. 61-100 o Film viewing: *The Seventh Seal *(Dir. Ingmar Bergman) • Session IV: Marked for Death; Torture and Resistance; Scapegoating; o Readings: Améry, “Torture,” pp. 21-40; Girard, *The Scapegoat, *pp. 1-75 o Film viewing: *The Battle of Algiers *(Dir. Gillo Pontecorvo) • Session V: Dying vs. Death; the Body in the Concentration Camp; Death and Annihilation o Readings: Améry, “At the Mind’s Limits,” pp. 1-20; Primo Levi, *Survival in Auschwitz * o Film viewing: *Life is Beautiful *(Dir. Roberto Benigni) • Session VI: Making the Most of the Dying Body. Various Political Uses of the Body; Narratives of Martyrdom o Readings: Girard, *The Scapegoat, *pp. 100-148; Emiko Ohnuki-Tierney, *Kamikaze Diaries*; Luke Allnutt, “A True Martyr” o Film viewing: *Paradise now *(Dir. Hany Abu-Assad) *2) *Can Subaltern Studies Speak? A Critical Reading of Three Decades of Discourse on and of Subalternists and Subalternity (Faculty: Arjuna Parakrama) While detractors would admit that the subalternist intervention in colonial historiography and cultural studies was both important and influential, ardent acolytes will concede that there’s been a decline in both interest and interesting new work in the field. This course seeks to examine the ways in which subaltern studies has perceived itself and has been understood by others during the past three decades, in order to better predict its future trajectory. Thus, subaltern theory will be subjected to a discourse study, the assumption being that its reception and reproduction, both complex discursive processes, are (mis)appropriations of power/knowledge in globalised space. Since the public inauguration of Subaltern Studies in the early 1980s, and particularly with Ranajit Guha’s “manifesto” in *Subaltern Studies I: Writings on South Asian History and Society *(1982) this loosely-knit group of Indian historians and cultural theorists enjoyed a two-decade-long wave of popularity in Indian and Anglo-US academe. Many imitations and applications were spawned during this period, even the inner circle of the Subaltern Studies Collective grew to around 15 amidst much soul-searching [See Hardiman 1986], and included adherents in the most prestigious US and Australian universities. Caricature accounts had US graduate students looking for subalterns in every nook and cranny, and the crudest misunderstandings degenerated into celebrations of primitivism and the romanticizing of marginality. To risk a generalization that this course will unpack, at a more serious level the British and US responses to Subaltern Studies have been markedly divergent because each sees different aspects as its core content. While the first response dealt almost exclusively with colonial historiography, this was quickly followed by a literary critical appropriation of Subaltern Studies which gradually became the one of the trendiest methodologies in US English Departments. Throughout this period the definition of the term “subaltern” came under constant scrutiny and regular revision, a discursive arena that will be meticulously mapped in our readings. Subaltern Studies’ origins as a critical engagement with Marxism is well-known. Hence, serious opposition to Subaltern Studies has most consistently come from the traditional left which argues that revolutionary struggle is being diverted to over-nuanced abstractions and obscurantist theory. A related major strand of criticism exemplified by members of the Cambridge School held that the Subalternists have nothing new to offer which either (British) Marxists and/or Indian historians had not discussed earlier. A rising antagonism from within India, including by a few former members of the Collective such as Sumit Sarkar, has critiqued what it perceives as the post-structuralist turn of later subaltern work. However, the early excitement, both pro and con has diminished, and during the last five or so years the output and interest in Subalternity has reached a low ebb, prompting some critics to express the view that it was merely a fad whose heyday was irrevocably past. We will track these changes in terms of their over-arching conceptual ramifications in the context of the global financial crisis and the rise of ethno-nationalist conflict and reconstitution of new social movements. This course seeks to map the trajectory of subaltern studies as well as critical responses to it over the past three decades, in the attempt to theorize future roles for this intellectual movement. Of particular interest in this regard will be the detailed examination of subaltern studies relationship to Marxism and postcolonial theories in the current conjuncture. The unabashedly elite status of subaltern scholars and the disciplinary privileging of India (even within South Asia) will also be scrutinized to identify how this gets played out in their analysis and presentation. As a capstone exercise, participants will be invited to present a preliminary analysis of a contemporary intervention of struggle or resistance that they feel strongly about from a subaltern perspective, which includes the use of alternative sources and methodologies to mainstream research. Course Structure • Session I: Subaltern Studies and the Critique of Colonial Historiography: New Wine in Old Bottles? o Readings: Selections from Guha, Ranajit *Elementary Aspects of Peasant Insurgency*, *Dominance without Hegemony*, and Guha and Spivak (eds.) *Selected Subaltern Studies*. Essays by Chandravarkar, Brass and Bayley in *Mapping Subaltern Studies * o Creative Expression: *La Nouba des femmes du Mont Chenoua *[Film by Assia Djebar] • Session II: Subaltern Studies and Marxism: Fellow Travellers or Incommensurable Alternatives? o Readings: Essays by O’Hanlon, Washbrook, Prakash (Response), Lazarus & Varma o Creative Expression: *Genesis *[Film by Mrinal Sen] • Session III: Subaltern Studies and Postcolonial Theory: Orientalism Revisited, Eurocentrism Reinscribed o Readings: Lazarus & Varma, Prakash, Spivak “Can the Subaltern Speak?” o Creative Expression: Kanafani “Men in the Sun” [See Bibliography] • Session IV: The Literary Appropriation of Subaltern Studies: Spivak and Subaltern Sources o Readings: Selections from Spivak, Gayatri *In Other Worlds*, *Other Asias*, and the interviews o Creative Expression: Devi, Mahasweta “Draupadi” and “Stanadayini” [English translation by Gayatri Spivak contained in *In Other Worlds*] • Session V: Synthesizing the Contribution of Subaltern Studies to Present Struggles: Public Debates and Private Wars o Readings: A collection of critical essays and responses from the *Economic & Political Weekly *in the 1980s and 90s, James C Scott. o Creative Expression: Selected Film Documentaries • Session VI: *Whither Subaltern Studies Tomorrow? Subjects, Approaches, Saturation of an Area * o Readings: Chatterjee (Selections), Gunawardena, Pandian, Arnold (Selection) o Creative Expression: *Abaa *(Sri Lankan Film by Jackson Anthony) • Session VII: *Participant Presentations and Discussion: How is Subaltern Theory Useful Today?* *COLLABORATION AND ORGANIZATIONAL DETAILS* The eighth Theory/Praxis course is jointly organized by the Forum on Contemporary Theory, Baroda and the Department of English, University of Pune. The program will be conducted by a core faculty and invited speakers for a period of four weeks. Study material will be made available to the participants after their registration; the participants are expected to have gone through the material before the commencement of the Course. Each participant is required to make at least one formal presentation during the course, which will be evaluated by a member of the core faculty. Both faculty and participants are expected to stay together in the same venue for greater interaction and exchange between them. *PARTICIPATION CRITERIA* Participation in the Course is mainly open to scholars in the humanities and social sciences, preferably those working toward research degrees, but post-graduate students and post-doctoral scholars in these disciplines and scholars from the disciplines outside the humanities and social sciences interested in inter-disciplinary studies can also apply. Maximum number of participants to be selected is *35*. *REGISTRATION FEE* Each participant is required to pay a registration fee of *Rs.7000*/ (Rupees seven thousand only) to the Forum on Contemporary Theory through a bank draft drawn on a bank in Baroda. The registration fee is non-refundable. The fee will take care of his/her board and lodging, cost of course material and other related expenses. The participants will not be paid by the organizers for their travel. *DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION* The last date for receiving application for participation is *April 5, 2010*. The application may be sent to Director, Centre for Contemporary Theory, Baroda. Selection for participation will be made by *April 20, 2010. *Selected candidates are required to send the bank draft favoring Forum on Contemporary Theory before *May 5, 2010*. Course material will be mailed only after receiving the registration fee. *CORE FACULTY * *Costica Bradatan a) *is Assistant Professor of Honors at Texas Tech University. He has also taught at Cornell University, Miami University, as well as at several universities in Europe (England, Germany, Hungary and Romania). Currently (2009-2010) he is a Solmsen Fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Institute for Research in the Humanities. Bradatan has held research fellowships at, among others, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of California Los Angeles, and the Newberry Library in Chicago. His research interests include Continental philosophy, history of philosophy, East-European philosophy, and philosophy of literature. His work has appeared in English, Romanian, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch and Polish. Bradatan’s most recent book *The Other Bishop Berkeley: An Exercise in Reenchantment *was published with Fordham University Press in 2006. He is also the author of two other books (in Romanian): *An Introduction to the History of Romanian Philosophy in the 20th Century *(Bucharest, 2000) and *Isaac Bernstein’s Diary *(Bucharest, 2001), as well as of several dozens of scholarly papers, essays, encyclopedia entries, book translations and book reviews. He has co-edited (with Serguei Alex. Oushakine) *In Marx’s Shadow. Knowledge, Power and Intellectuals in Eastern Europe and Russia *(Lexington Books, 2010) and guest-edited two special journal issues: one on “Philosophy as Literature” for *The European Legacy *(Summer 2009) and another on “Philosophy in Eastern Europe” for *Angelaki *(forthcoming)*. * *Arjuna Parakrama b) *is currently Visiting Professor at the School of Language & Linguistics of the National University of Malaysia. He was Professor of English (Cadre Chair) at Sri Lanka’s oldest and most prestigious university, the University of Peradeniya, from 2004 - 2009. He has also served in the United Nations in Nepal and elsewhere as an expert on (post)conflict development and human rights, and has a parallel existence working with multiply marginalized communities in Sri Lanka’s war-ravaged “border villages”. Professor Parakrama was a Fulbright New Century Scholar in 2007/8, a Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Council on Ethics & International Affairs (2000/1), a Senior Fellow at the US Institute of Peace (1999/2000) and a Guggenheim Research Grantee (2002). Among his publications are three books, *De-Hegemonizing Language Standards *(Macmillan, 1995), *Language and Rebellion *(Katha, 1990) and Collected Poems (2002) and a monograph *Social Cleaving: Resistance and Loss within a Bereaved Culture *(2004). His current research interests include anti-languages, extra-linguistic value systems embedded within everyday language, collective trauma and social cleaving in (post)conflict societies, and subaltern discourse. *RESIDENCE * Accommodation for outstation participants is made in the Guest House of the University of Pune *ATTENDANCE* The participants are required to attend all the sessions and to stay until the end of the program in order to get the certificate of participation. *APPLICATION FORMAT * The following format may be used for the application: *Name* *Address (including telephone no. and email ID)* *Institutional Affiliation* *Date of Birth* *Department* *Teaching Experience (indicate number of years also)* *Academic Qualifications* *Areas of Research and Teaching* *Publications, if any* *Specific Research Topics, if any* *Whether Registered for Research Degree?* *Whether participated in any Course organized by the Forum? If participated, when?* *A Brief Statement (200 words) about what you expect to gain from the Course * *Names and Addresses of Two Referees* *Signature* *Date* *ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE* *Prafulla C. Kar* Director, Centre for Contemporary Theory C-304 Siddhi Vinayak Complex, Behind Vadodara Railway Station (Alkapuri Side) Faramji Road, Vadodara- 390007 Tel: 0265- 2320870 Email: prafullakar at gmail.com Website: www.fctworld.org *Bajrang S. Korde * Local Coordinator Professor & Head Department of English University of Pune Tel: 020-25690648/25601332 Mobile: 09422518108 E-mail: korde at unipune.ernet.in Link to Home Page * * From chintangirishmodi at gmail.com Sat Apr 3 15:49:50 2010 From: chintangirishmodi at gmail.com (Chintan) Date: Sat, 3 Apr 2010 15:49:50 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Books and infrastructure needed to set up library in rural Maharashtra Message-ID: Details here: http://fundacause.posterous.com/setting-up-a-rural-library-maharashtra From kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Sat Apr 3 16:03:11 2010 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Sat, 3 Apr 2010 03:33:11 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] "The Missing Introspection" - Sultan Shahin Message-ID: <381235.82286.qm@web57203.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Excellent article (IMO).   This is not a neo-convert (having discarded Islam) or a Muslim-Apostate or a Non-Muslim denigrating Muslims and Islam.   It seems to be genuine and highly commendable introspection voiced publicly by a Muslim who has no hesitation in declaring himself (herself?) a Muslim.   So very admirably refreshing when compared to those idiots (both Muslim and Non-Muslim) who are apologists for the terrorist activities carried out with justifications given from Islam itself or very many other vague and fanciful excuses furnished for such activities.    Sultan Shahin does not whine, as has become a habit for very many, "the world is against me because I am a Muslim, the world is against Islam" instead he (she) tries to give some insight into the possible reasons for Muslims (as a generalisation) and Muslim-Countries being increasingly questioned for their double-standards and being viewed with a lot of suspicion.   Kshmendra     Mar 31, 2010 "The Missing Introspection" (Growing Islamophobia is a reality. Is it the result of a deliberate anti-Islam crusade? Or a paranoid reaction to growing radicalism, extremism and exclusivism in Islamic societies?)   Sultan Shahin   I would like to confine myself to reflecting on the problems of religious minorities, particularly Muslim minorities who are facing xenophobia and related forms of intolerance today in an atmosphere of widespread Islamophobia. We Muslims are also complaining of an attempt to encourage Islamophobia. The French ban on veils and Swiss ban on minarets has further vitiated the atmosphere. We do not know for sure how much of this is deliberate as a sort of anti-Islam crusade as we Muslims allege and how much is a paranoid reaction to growing radicalism, extremism and exclusivism in Islamic societies. But I find a note of introspection on the part of us Muslims and Muslim governments completely missing in the continuing debate. I intend to do precisely that today. While we Muslims demand, and rightly so, the freedom to freely practise and propagate our religion in the non-Muslim majority countries, we do not seem to worry about the plight of religious minorities living in Muslim-majority lands. That Muslim societies in general have radicalised over the last decades cannot be denied. This has been a direct result of tens of billions of petrodollars having been spent in promoting a rigid, obscurantist, desiccated version of Islam, shorn of all its beauty and bounty. Preachers of what I can only call “petrodollar Islam” have gone around the world asking Muslims to develop a separate identity that distinguishes them not only in the practice of Islamic prayer rituals but also looks and apparel. The phenomenal rise in Muslim women wearing hijab and an assortment of veils or men growing what is called an Islamic beard is no accident. Discrimination against religious minorities in Muslim-majority countries has grown. Anti-blasphemy laws, for instance, have been routinely used to harass and commit acts of violence against religious minorities. The Report of the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Asma Jahangir, mentioned the case of Christians and the minority Muslim sect of Ahmadis who are continually harassed on baseless allegations of blasphemy in Pakistan despite the government’s stated commitment to fulfil its international obligations. One almost routinely comes across in the media these days headlines like the following emanating from Muslim-majority countries: Saudi man kills daughter for converting to Christianity Two Sikhs beheaded in Pakistan for refusing to convert to Islam 'Scared Pakistani Hindus fleeing to India' Malaysia Strips Hindus of Rights Indonesia: Religious TV jeopardizing pluralism And so on. Another issue that may be fuelling Islamophobia is the widespread Islam-supremacism in the Muslim community. God told us in the Quran that Islam is not a new religion; it is the same religion that God has been sending to this planet through tens of thousands of previous prophets. We were told that the Holy Quran is merely a reiteration of the messages that were sent before. We were specifically told not to fall in the trap of considering ourselves the chosen people. But we did not listen. We have developed an ideology of Islam-supremacism, contrary to all Islamic teachings. We have developed a theory that Muslims alone will go to Heaven, all others are going to be consigned to Hell, no matter how righteous. Obviously anyone who harbours a feeling of superiority over others cannot possibly expect to have good relations with them. Then we have allowed a section of Muslims to spread among us a version of exclusivist Islam that wants us to get away from each and every pre-Islamic tradition. Pre-Islamic traditions like Hajj and veneration of Kaaba sharif are intrinsic to Islam itself. But we are told that we should behave and look different from followers of all other religions and forego all our local cultural traditions. A derivative of this same petrodollar Islam is what is known as Jihadi Islam. This Jihadi Islam is taking away our youth, brainwashing them and turning them into human bombs. It is using some verses of the Holy Quran as weapons of war. We all know that the Prophet had to fight existential battles to safeguard Islam. These verses were revealed then to buttress the war effort. But they are not meant for us to act upon today. While the Jihadi Islam is using these verses to brainwash our youth to following these dictates to the letter even today, the petrodollar Islam helps the process by saying repeatedly that every word in the Quran is of equally universal significance implying that the call to war contained there has the same value as the call to prayer, for instance, or the call to righteousness. Apparently the petrodollar Islam and the Jihadi Islam are two sides of the same coin. We mainstream Muslims are silent spectators; we are allowing both of them to devastate our societies, create permanent fissures in our relations with other communities. We are allowing them to suck the spiritual content out of our religion and fill it with a desiccated, dry, desert version of Islam in which there is no room for anything that is cheerful or beautiful. One of the attributes of God is beauty, but there is only ugliness and strife in the hearts of petrodollar Islamists. Mainstream Islam is still mainstream. These sections are still small, though with the infusion of massive money power they have grown quite aggressive lately. It is time, we the Muslim people and our governments stopped merely demanding rights from the international community but also thought of what we can ourselves contribute to fulfilling the UN ideals of establishing peace and safeguarding the human rights of all peoples around the world. It is time we decided to take the Jihadi bull by its horns. Time for dilly-dallying is long past. We will have to go back to our roots, our Quranic roots, our philosophical roots, our greatest saints and their teachings. We will have to once again inculcate the broadmindedness of our saints, the generosity and forgiveness, the attitude of gratitude that was the hallmark of our prophet. It has now become a question of safeguarding not only our religion but our children, our youth from being whisked away to Jihadi camps and active and sleeper cells. The very least we can do to safeguard our own youth as much as the human rights of entire humanity as well as world peace is to explain to our people loudly and repeatedly: That we are not a chosen people; Islam-supremacism is nonsense and that the ummah of all prophets are equal in the eyes of God who will judge them according to their own faith, not ours. That the war verses in the Holy Quran were meant for wars being fought then and do not apply to situations today. That Islam is not the exclusivist religion that the Petrodollar Islam is preaching. It is a religion of co-existence encapsulated in the verse lakum deenakum waleya deen (For you be your religion and for me mine) and La Ikraha fid Deen (There can be no compulsion in religion) That it is dangerous to press for the establishment of Sharia laws in non-Muslim lands. India is the only non-Muslim majority country in the world that allows Muslims to organise their family life according to their own personal laws. But other societies are not prepared for it. Muslim countries themselves do not allow religious minorities such freedom. So making a case for that in Europe and other countries creates further Islamophobia in the present atmosphere in which some fear of Islam and Muslims should not be difficult to understand, though of course, all governments should try to fight it and protect legitimate rights of the Muslim community. That religious freedom is indivisible. If we as a minority community need freedom, it becomes our duty to also fight for the religious freedom of minorities in Muslim lands. That Islam itself teaches us Ijtihad, rethinking, so that we can adjust to the newer realities of changing times.   (Sultan Shahin is the editor of NewAgeIslam.com. The above is his oral statement to the Thirteenth session of UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on 16 March, 2010)   Courtesy, New Age Islam. (http://www.newageislam.com/Default.aspx )   http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?264889   From kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Sat Apr 3 18:09:14 2010 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Sat, 3 Apr 2010 05:39:14 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] Bhagat Singh in today's Pakistan. Revolutionary inspiration. ("Martyr is The Message") Message-ID: <11677.92301.qm@web57202.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Exciting News Report. No, not because of Bhagat Singh, though that is interesting too.   This is an extremely rare report (in India) which mentions the recognition of Pakistan as an occupying force in Pakistan Controlled Kashmir.   To quote from the report:   "In Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, there is a vibrant student movement that represents the aspirations of thousands of Kashmiri youngsters. It is called the Jammu Kashmir National Students Federation (JKNSF) and is a vocal opponent of Pakistani State-sponsored jihadi factories in the region. Nothing the outfit does ever finds a mention in the mainstream Pakistani media. Many of its activists have allegedly been abducted by Pakistani agencies in the past.   JKNSF posters featuring pictures of Bhagat Singh and Che Guevara are a common sight at most rallies. Danish Khan, a Kashmiri student, says: “For most outsiders this is a unique phenomenon, but for the youth of Kashmir the life and struggle of Bhagat Singh is a source of inspiration and motivation. They see Pakistan as an occupying force just as Bhagat saw the British.”   "   It is in Tehelka. Respectable as Tehelka is, it still isnt mainstream.   Kshmendra     >From Tehelka Magazine, Vol 7, Issue 14, Dated April 10, 2010   "Martyr is The Message"   (Bhagat Singh’s legacy of liberty and social justice is being invoked by Pakistani civil society to fight for their rights. YOUNAS CHOWDHRY reports from Lahore)   MARCH 23 is an important date in Pakistan’s history since it is the day the Muslim League adopted the Pakistan Resolution in Lahore in 1940. The idea of Pakistan was conceived, and the fate of the subcontinent as a divided entity sealed on this day. This year was the 70th anniversary of Pakistan Day, as the day is now known. Being a national holiday, most Pakistanis were either immersed in festivities or enjoying a quiet day off.   But this March 23, there was a commemorative event in Lahore that ran contrary to the “official” discourse of the country’s history — or, perhaps, it would be more apt to say, it was disowned altogether. Nevertheless, it cuts through that admixture of religiosity and nationalism that runs rampant in Pakistan’s sociopolitical milieu.   Some 30 defiant demonstrators stood for hours in the middle of Shadman Chowk, an affluent neighbourhood in old Lahore, through the afternoon, braving the scorching sun. The demonstrators comprised students from various universities of Lahore, civil society activists, factory workers, communists and even little children.   It was at the same spot 79 years ago that Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev were executed by the British government on March 23. The gallows of the nearby camp jail were housed here at the time. What remains now is a small roundabout with a fountain.   Holding placards and chanting such slogans as ‘Zinda hai, Bhagat zinda hai’ (Bhagat is still alive), ‘We salute Bhagat Singh’, ‘Har zulm ka ek jawab, inquilab inquilab’ (Revolution is the answer to all oppression), they demanded that the Chowk be renamed Shaheed Bhagat Singh Chowk and declared a national heritage site. The protesters even installed a red signboard that read “Shaheed Bhagat Singh Chowk”. The organisers of the event said they decided to install the signboard themselves after requests to the local Nazim(mayor) and the government to do so went unheeded for years. The protesters remained there till sunset and departed after a candlelight vigil.   “Reviving Bhagat Singh’s ideals is a necessity in Pakistan, where masses live in abject poverty and suffer from religious intolerance and imperialism,” says Sonya Qadir, a student activist and participant. “His legacy is a reminder that we are all human and deserve to be free from all oppression.”   This is no isolated event. The figure of Bhagat Singh, despite being ignored in all mainstream textbooks, has long been regarded as a symbol of resistance by a variety of groups across Pakistan. On March 23 last year, at a seminar on the subject of missing persons in Lahore, Punjab University student Amir Jalal walked up to the dais and delivered an impromptu lecture on Bhagat Singh’s execution and sacrifice. As he finished, the audience observed a moment’s silence in his memory.   “Bhagat too is a missing person and we need to find him in order to find ourselves,” says Jalal, a PhD student. “I felt compelled to speak out about him.” Jalal used to be the convener of the now defunct University Students’ Federation (USF), formed in 2008 to oppose the Islami-Jamiat-e-Tulba (IJT), the student wing of the Islamic hardline group, Jamaat-e-Islami. Punjab University has been an IJT stronghold ever since it was installed in the state during President Zia-ul-Haq’s dictatorship that lasted between 1977 to 1986, to suppress all progressive, left-leaning and peaceloving student organisations. The USF brought this to the attention of the government and media, forcing the government to take action. Jalal adds: “The USF endorsed the values of secularism, pluralism and democracy. We drew our inspiration from the ideals of Bhagat Singh, among others. We often discussed him during our study circles.”   In Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, there is a vibrant student movement that represents the aspirations of thousands of Kashmiri youngsters. It is called the Jammu Kashmir National Students Federation (JKNSF) and is a vocal opponent of Pakistani State-sponsored jihadi factories in the region. Nothing the outfit does ever finds a mention in the mainstream Pakistani media. Many of its activists have allegedly been abducted by Pakistani agencies in the past.   JKNSF posters featuring pictures of Bhagat Singh and Che Guevara are a common sight at most rallies. Danish Khan, a Kashmiri student, says: “For most outsiders this is a unique phenomenon, but for the youth of Kashmir the life and struggle of Bhagat Singh is a source of inspiration and motivation. They see Pakistan as an occupying force just as Bhagat saw the British.”   In Balochistan, five military operations have been carried out against the nationalists. Thousands of Baloch activists have been picked up and, to this day, remain missing. This year, some members of the Baloch Students Organisation, a nationalist student front, gathered at Shadman Chowk to pay homage to Bhagat Singh, who is a source of inspiration to them too.   STUDENTS AND Leftist organisations aren’t the only ones endorsing his ideals. Throughout the lawyers’ movement (2007-2009), responsible for the ouster of President Pervez Musharraf and politicisation of a large cross-section of Pakistani society, Bhagat Singh’s slogans and the poems he would often recite — such as Ram Prasad Bismil’s Sarfaroshi ki Tammana — were often heard during the rallies.   Umer Chaudhry, a young lawyer from Lahore who was at the forefront of the protests, says: “In our part of the subcontinent, we conveniently forget the role played by non-Muslims in the struggle against British colonialism. The same fate befell Bhagat Singh. That he was supported by [Muhammad Ali] Jinnah is never mentioned in the textbooks. It is not surprising though. Bhagat Singh, a symbol of resistance, could never be the hero of a government that doesn’t represent its people.”   In the search for an identity, many have gone outside the decadent ideologies manufactured by the status quo. One such search — for an ethos of peace and an end to religious intolerance and liberty from oppression — manifests itself in the adoption of Bhagat Singh’s ideals and the revisiting of his legacy by many Pakistanis. It won’t come as a surprise if in the coming years more Pakistanis discover Bhagat Singh and begin to question the social order of things. If that happens, then we might even succeed in rescuing these valuable figures from obscurity and make their ideals a reality.   WRITER’S EMAIL : younas.chowdhry at gmail.com   http://www.tehelka.com/story_main44.asp?filename=Ne100410martyr_is.asp#     From ysaeed7 at yahoo.com Sat Apr 3 20:25:46 2010 From: ysaeed7 at yahoo.com (Yousuf) Date: Sat, 3 Apr 2010 07:55:46 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] heavy cost of Delhi's CWG glitter Message-ID: <676444.32653.qm@web51401.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Wish The Dross Away There’s a heavy cost to making Delhi glitter for the games. It’s what no one wants to look at. Amba Batra Bakshi Under The Carpet * The capital will have 30 lakh homeless after the Commonwealth Games * 12-15 lakh of them will be migrant labourers who build the games sites * One lakh families have been displaced to facilitate beautification plans and build parking lots * About 2,000 boys aged 14-16 years are working at several games sites in gross violation of labour laws * So far, over 70 deaths have taken place during construction work and due to diseases caused by the unhealthy conditions prevailing at the living quarters of the labourers * 50,000 adult beggars and 60,000 child beggars will be removed from the city for the duration of the games and housed in camps on the outskirts * There is anger over the money that is being splurged. Also at the new taxes announced by the Delhi government. *** Delhi may well be bringing its citizens world-class infrastructure, thanks to the Commonwealth Games (CWG). But the human cost of development and the long-term impact on the poorer sections are either being underplayed or overlooked. As work races to meet the October deadline, stories abound of violation of labour laws, use of child labour, shabby living conditions, even deaths. The long-term cut: the CWG will leave behind lakhs of homeless. Around 15 lakh migrant labourers working in the capital are likely to be rendered homeless once their work for the CWG is completed. Add to that the one lakh families whose jhuggis have been bulldozed to beautify the city or to create parking lots. Since they haven’t been provided alternative housing, these people are either setting up makeshift settlements on the outskirts or on the roadsides. It’s not as if the government doesn’t understand the scale and magnitude of the problem. “We will have about 30 lakh homeless in the city after the games,” says Delhi chief minister Sheila Dixit. “This is a serious concern. Housing for them will be a priority after the games.” That “after”, sincere and well-intentioned though it may be, is a giveaway to what might never get done, considering how the system works and considering the overwhelming numbers involved. And the amorphous noise of the suffering millions will drown out the pathos of individual stories, like that of Rani. For the last ten years, she lived with her husband and three children in a one-room house near the Hanuman temple in Connaught Place. A few months ago, they were asked to vacate to make way for a parking lot. No alternative housing was provided, so the family began to live on the pavement and it’s from there that the children go to school. With the games drawing nearer, they fear another eviction. An estimated 1 lakh families in and around the capital have been evicted ruthlessly to spruce up the city for the games, adding to the numbers of homeless. This has been noted by the Delhi High Court. In a judgement directing the state government to restore shelters that were bulldozed last month, the court said: “We think you want to show the foreigners coming for the games that there are no poor people in India.” The Delhi government has also asked neighbouring states and those like Bihar, from which migrants are known to arrive in the city, to take beggars back. None has obliged. Now, the plan is for the 50,000 adults and 60,000 children begging in Delhi to be housed in camps outside the city during the games. Then there’s a cruel dispensability at play. The CWG organisers themselves employ a workforce of 12 lakh, of which about one lakh are involved in building the games venues. The rest work with organisations making ancillary contributions to the games effort, such as the pwd, Delhi Development Authority, New Delhi Municipal Council and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. By law, all workers are required to be registered and their ID cards must specify their skill. They are entitled to minimum wages, insurance cover and other benefits. However, only some 22,000 workers are registered. So contractors get away without paying what they are bound to. In its eagerness to get the work done in the 180-odd days left for the games, these agencies are unlikely to insist on contractors going by the rule book. Dilip Chauhan of Bihar has been a labourer in Delhi for the past three years. He first worked in Gurgaon to construct a residential complex and came to the main CWG village site near Akshardham two weeks ago. Chauhan, his wife, his eight-year-old daughter and six-year-old son live in a makeshift tent by the main road near the work site. The son joins him at work, helping him mix mortar. Chauhan hasn’t been issued an ID card, and he’s still hoping the contractor will accommodate him in a labourers’ camp. That may never happen. Harsh Mander, the poverty commissioner appointed by the Supreme Court, says labour laws are being blatantly violated. “We have a fair amount of laws for the protection of labourers. But laws in the interest of the poorest never get implemented,” he says. “A construction worker must be provided minimum standards, apart from wages. If we are building a world-class city, we should have world-class standards for workers. It’s very frustrating that the government is breaching such a progressive legislation. The state is breaching its own laws.” At camps Outlook visited, living conditions were unhygienic, a fact highlighted in a report of a committee set up by the Delhi High Court. At the labour camp near Akshardham, over 10,000 workers live in small rooms, six to seven workers to a room. There’s an area in the middle of the camp for the residents to bathe and collect water for daily use. The drains are clogged; there’s stagnant water; mosquitoes breed. Officials claim children below six are given proper meals at the creche, but they all appear malnourished. “Not enough thought was given to providing decent accommodation for these workers,” says Marco Ferrario, an Italian architect and founding partner of the Delhi-based ‘micro Home Solutions’, who is photo-documenting the dark side of the games. “The government lost the opportunity to involve local society partners in assisting them on a simple habitat project.” Living conditions in the main complexes are said to be even worse. Armed guards keep out outsiders. “The condition of workers inside is unbelievable. People are living in filthy conditions. Why can’t we go in to help? What does the state want to hide?” asks Amjad Hassan, general secretary of the Delhi Asangathit Nirman Mazdoor Union. While 25 deaths have occurred during construction work for the games, 40 workers died in 2008-2009 of meningitis and another 15 of jaundice. According to Hassan, the number of injured are much more. They are either sent back to their villages, resort to begging or join the homeless millions. Another violation overlooked by the state is that of child labour. Over 2,000 boys aged 14-16 years are said to be working on CWG sites. Lax implementation of the registration process lets contractors get away with this. While children up to six years of age are cared for in creches provided by contractors, older children have to be looked after by their siblings. There is no designated spot or shed for this. Neither is there any adult supervision. Har Bai, from Jhansi, has been working outside the Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium site for the past three months. She picks stones for the pavement being made outside and has to keep her children at the workplace. “My children are not allowed in the creche because we work for a sub-contractor. There are no extra facilities for them,” she says. “When they fall sick we have to spend our own money and take them to the hospital. The contractor does not care.” Mander says there’s little will to implement laws for the poor. “It is not difficult to register all workers. It would take just three months,” he says. “But the government is turning its back on them. Instead, the government is allowing people to make illegal profits at the cost of the workers. I don’t think this city should have the choice between getting work completed by October and giving workers their rights. It must do both.” http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?264896 From javedmasoo at gmail.com Sat Apr 3 23:02:12 2010 From: javedmasoo at gmail.com (Javed) Date: Sat, 3 Apr 2010 23:02:12 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Mumbai attack a joint IB-CIA-Mossad-RSS project? Message-ID: Headley Saga: Mumbai attack was a joint IB-CIA-Mossad-RSS project By Amaresh Misra 28 March 2010 With the row over India getting access to David Headley growing acrimonious each day, the CIA's double agent saga seems all set to open up a can of incredible worms. First, the case unmasks the pro-US face of the Indian English media. When the Headley saga first came to light, Vir Sanghavi of the Hindustan Times carried an editorial piece claiming that if 'Headley is CIA, and knew about 26/11, the CIA knew about the attack.' In other words, Sanghavi accepted the 'conspiracy theory'–which in the eyes of the English media was 'peddled' by Aziz Burney and this author during the terrible aftermath of 26/11–that the event was a CIA/Mossad/RSS/ISI plot. In November-December 2008, Vir Sanghavi and his cohorts in the English media attacked both Aziz Burney and this author for spelling forth the 'conspiracy theory'. Then after Headley's name surfaced, they changed tune, without of course admitting their debt to Mr. Burney or this author. Mumbai Attack, 26/11, Terrorism, Politics, Communalism, Minorities, Human Rights, Minority Rights, Hemant Karkare, Vijay Salaskar, Ashok Kamte, Batala House encounter, fakeThe fact of the matter is that in the 2009 Parliamentary elections, the English media was all set to project Lal Krishna Advani as India's next Prime Minister. It was the feverish anti-RSS, anti-Mossad work done by Aziz Burney and this author that went a long way in ensuring the victory of Congress and secular forces. Now when the CIA hand behind 26/11 is slowly being unraveled, the English media is seeing red. It is again trying to portray Headley merely as a Lashkar operative, severing thus his links with the CIA. This highlights the second point, that basically Headley and the CIA cannot be de-linked. Thank God the government of India put into place the NIA, a new National Investigative Agency. The NIA was set up, as the IB and other Indian agencies, especially the IB, had not only gone anti-Muslim-they had gone anti-India. This was proved in the case of Azamgarh boys picked up in and around the Batla House encounter on various bomb blasts charges. Most of the boys were products not of madarsas, but modern schools. They were youngsters in their teens; they had made a mark for themselves in professional courses and were holding jobs in the new, professional sector of the economy. When Shri Digvijay Singh, the General Secretary AICC and the most secular leader of the India, went to Sanjarpur (under the banner of Anti-Communal Front) in Azamgarh to find out the facts for himself, he was shocked to find that Zeeshan, a boy from Azamgarh who on the fateful day of the Batala House encounter was giving his exams, had more than 50 cases slapped over him in more than three states–which meant that his parents could go on fighting cases for more than 100 years and yet Zeeshan would be in jail. There are dozens and hundreds of Zeeshans from Azamgarh and other districts of UP, Gujarat and Maharashtra languishing in various Indian jails on unsubstantiated charges. This in fact is India's Guantanamo Bay story–that right here in the world's largest democracy the Indian security services like the IB have secret detention and torture centres where innocent Muslim youths are tortured and put to death. The IB today has been infiltrated heavily by RSS, Mossad and CIA. In fact, this one agency is an anti-national agency—it is obstructing the work of NIA and secular Indians like Shri Digvijay Singh. Soon, in India's interest, the IB will have to be closed down. All its communal officers will be hunted down and tried in a court of just law. The IB knew about Headley—this is proved by the fact that the SIM cards used by the ten 26/11 terrorists were purchased by an Intelligence Bureau (India) (IB) informer. Till date, the investigations into the 26/11 case, which the IB is handling, have been unable to state as to how the ten terrorists got hold of the SIM cards. The State IB chief of Maharashtra told a very senior Mumbai Police Officer just after 26/11 that he was ‘entirely in the dark about 26/11 investigations as Delhi (meaning the chief IB office) was handling it'. Basic information about 26/11 was not shared with secular Indian officers. The Headley lead would never have come to the fore had the NIA not stepped in. IB training criminals [read here Charge-sheet against IB] Now comes the news that the IB has set-up training camps in Gorakhpur, where it trains criminals–and then uses them to kill Muslim under-trials. The name of Chota Rajan is used as a convenient scapegoat. It is in this manner that dozens of accused in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts, several other such accused in other cases, Muslim businessmen and men of influence have been eliminated on a systematic basis in Maharashtra. The latest in the long list of victims killed allegedly by IB is Shahid Azmi, the lawyer defending the accused of the 2006 Mumbai train blasts. Shahid had hit upon evidence which proved the innocence of the accused-and that is why he was bumped off, again by criminals with Nepal–Gorakhpur links! In fact, the state of Maharashtra holds the dubious distinction of almost institutionalizing the extra-judicial killing of Muslim youth and personalities. Headley was in India months and years before the 26/11 attack; he even surveyed Pune where a blast took place as late as February 2010. It beats one’s imagination as to how the IB did not know about Headley and his movements. There can only be two scenarios: that the IB is totally incompetent–or that the IB is heavily infiltrated by CIA and Mossad: the agency knew about 26/11 and did nothing to stop it. This places the IB at par with Headley, as executioners of 26/11 and mass murderers. There can be no other honest conclusion. Headley holds the key to the fact that 26/11 was not just a mere Lashkar operation–that it was a joint Mossad-CIA operation, conducted with possible ISI and RSS help. If the charge-sheet against Raj Kumar Purohit and Sadhvi Pragya, accused in the Malegaon and other blasts, is read, it is clear that there was always some sort of collusion between the RSS and the ISI. The so-called nationalists, the Hindutva forces, took money to the tune of crores of rupees from the ISI! The IB knows about this transaction but is keeping quiet! The Headley saga has links to Abhinav Bharat and pro-Hindutva terror groups. The pro-Hindutva terror groups are widely believed to be behind the Pune blasts where a combination of RDX and Ammonium Nitrate was used. Right after the visit of Shri Digvijay Singh to Maharashtra in February 2010, the state home secretary spoke of the possibility of the involvement of Hindutva groups in the Pune blasts. Other officers, including the ATS chief Raghuvanshi, purported to be an RSS/opportunist also spoke of this possibility. But then RR Patil, the Maharashtra Home Minister whose role during 26/11 was disastrous and who was removed from his post in the wake of the attack on Mumbai (but who was restored after the 2009 assembly elections), made amazing statements ‘that those who take the name of Hindu organizations in the Pune blasts will be punished'! How can a Home Minister make such a statement? Now we hear that Rakesh Maria, a notorious anti-Muslim officer, with pro-Israeli links, a man who has killed and tortured innocents, has been made the new ATS chief and Raguvanshi has been promoted! Secular organizations in Maharashtra were demanding that Raghuvanshi be removed and that an honest, secular officer be made the ATS chief so that Hemant Karkare's seminal work in cracking the shell of Hindutva communalism could be promoted!. But Rakesh Maria is even worse than Raghuvanshi. It seems that the NCP in Maharashtra has taken a clear anti-Congress, anti-national line. RR Patil, who is a third grade, uncouth, thoroughly communal, NCP leader should be removed from his post. The Maharashtra chief minister should act, because if the NIA gets access to Headley, the latter's links with Hindutva organizations–and the whole RSS-Mossad-CIA-ISI-IB nexus–will be exposed. This nexus is working overtime to destabilize the Congress government and undo the commendable work done by the party under the secular leadership of Sonia Gandhi. ---- Amaresh Misra is a famed historian and chief of the Anti-Communal Front of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) From chintangirishmodi at gmail.com Sat Apr 3 23:31:17 2010 From: chintangirishmodi at gmail.com (Chintan) Date: Sat, 3 Apr 2010 23:31:17 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] School asks students to use deodorant Message-ID: From http://www.mid-day.com/news/2010/mar/230310-juhu-school-students-deodorant-hygiene-lessons.htm Article by Kranti Vibhute Don't be surprised if you see a child buying a deodorant, as city schools are giving them hygiene tips for the summer. The renowned Ecole Mondiale World School in Juhu has instructed primary students to use deodorants in classrooms, as they have to sit with others. The Ecole Mondiale newsletter to parents says, "As the weather gets warmer we need to think about personal hygiene and the need for regular bathing. As our students grow we need to remind them about the use of deodorant and how important this is when in a classroom with others." The school official refused to comment, but MiD DAY spoke to several schools to know how advisable it is to suggest primary students to use a deo. *'Not recommended'* A parent reasoned, "Since the school is renowned for having celebrity kids as students, they would demand for such things as well. Though it's not recommended for small kids." Hanif Kanjer, director, Rustomjee Cambridge International School, said, "For hygiene, I would suggest them to take a proper bath everyday, but won't suggest the use of deodorant, because I think it is only suitable for older kids, but not for primary students." Francis Joseph, executive head (Operations and Strategy), Ryan International School, agreed, "We would give basic tips to the students to follow hygiene during the summer season, but asking them to use deodorant would be too much and might create disparity among students." Swati Jajodia, a parent, said, "I remember one of the schools had kept a sanitiser for kids, but a child swallowed it by mistake. Hence, I personally won't recommend any chemicals for my kids just because the summer has arrived." From chintangirishmodi at gmail.com Sun Apr 4 10:08:48 2010 From: chintangirishmodi at gmail.com (Chintan) Date: Sun, 4 Apr 2010 10:08:48 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Rethinking Rural Education by Sudheendra Kulkarni Message-ID: *Rethinking Rural Education* By Sudheendra Kulkarni >From http://www.indianexpress.com/news/rethinkingruraleducation/599729/ Avinash Sheshare, a class VII student at a small boarding school in Yamgarwadi village near Solapur in southern Maharashtra, explained to me the concept of convex and concave lenses more innovatively than I had learnt even at IIT. He took the sole of a worn-out rubber slipper, which had 5-6 equidistant holes punched in lengthwise, put a soft drink straw in each of them, and was ready for the demonstration. “Imagine the sole to be a lens and the straws to be sun rays,” he said in Marathi. “I bend the sole to make the straws point inwards. This is how a convex lens works. When I bend it the other way to make the straws point outwards, it becomes a concave lens.” The school where Avinash studies is meant for the children of Paradhi and other nomadic tribes, many of which the British had branded “criminal tribes” because they were the most militant in the anti-colonial struggle. Even today, people belonging to these tribes suffer from extreme poverty and social exclusion, and rank lowest in formal school education. However, it would be naïve to think their minds are uneducated. As I discovered during my recent visit to Yamgarwadi, their children have amazing knowledge of the environment around them. These boys and girls knew the medicinal properties of the locally grown “weeds”. They could identify different birds with their sounds. They could name the stars in the night sky. In a little room that served as the “science laboratory” in the school, all the various types of snakes, crabs and scorpions kept in specimen jars had been caught by the children themselves. And how incredibly talented they all were in singing, dancing, playing local sports, and using their magical hands to create things of beauty in wood, mud and grass! Avinash and his friends are lucky because they found a place in this RSS-inspired school founded by Girish Prabhune, a social activist and author whose lifelong and widely acclaimed work for the social uplift of the nomadic tribes in Maharashtra deserves far greater governmental support than he has got so far. But I doubt if the formal primary and secondary school education system, rigidly and unimaginatively structured as it is today, can either open its doors to, or meaningfully benefit, all the children belonging to the diverse communities in rural India. My thoughts on this subject are provoked by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s address to the nation on Thursday on the historic occasion of enshrining education as a fundamental right of every child between the ages of six and 14. He made a fervent appeal for the fulfillment of this “national commitment to the future of India”. Noble and well-intentioned words. However, it must be said that our governments, Central as well as state, have not got their act right on either of the two crucial aspects of the Right to Education in rural India—access and content. The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan has no doubt succeeded in enlarging access to primary education. However, as many as eight crore children who come out of primary schools find their path blocked to further schooling because there simply aren’t enough secondary schools in the country—a reality that has prompted many educationists to comment that these children are not “dropouts” but “pushouts”. The Central government’s Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan remains a woefully inadequate response to remove the bottleneck in secondary education. But a far more debilitating shortcoming is the quality and content of the education imparted in our village schools. Apart from the well-recognised fact that the system demands rote learning that impairs children’s creativity, it also attaches little importance to either the local knowledge resources or the specific development needs of India’s diverse communities. It functions under the premise that education is only that which is rammed into young minds by text books and guidebooks. By corollary, those who are out of the school system or have underperformed are deemed uneducated, with all the negative sociological and psychological consequences. The relevance of much of what is taught in schools does not become apparent to rural children. Conversely, what is relevant to them and their communities is not taught to them. For example, isn’t it astounding that agriculture is not a subject in secondary schools in rural areas, although most students studying in these schools come from kisan families? Similarly, the school curriculum completely bypasses the native skills, traditionally acquired learnings, and the rich artistic-literary heritage of our various “backward” castes and tribes in rural India. No wonder, children belonging to these communities perform poorly in the formal school system and end up swelling the ranks of the “uneducated” and “semi-educated”. For RTE to become meaningful to these communities, and for it to make its fullest contribution to the realisation of a progressive vision for the “Future of India”, big and innovative changes are needed in the school education system, especially in our rural schools. Smart kids like Avinash abound in India’s villages. What they need is not just the right to education, but also the right education. *sudheenkulkarni at gmail.com* From kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Sun Apr 4 14:02:16 2010 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Sun, 4 Apr 2010 01:32:16 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] Rethinking Rural Education by Sudheendra Kulkarni In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <428176.15835.qm@web57201.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Dear Chintan   Thanks for posting this.   Kulkarni makes two points that I am taking the liberty of highlighting:   1. " ..... children who come out of primary schools find their path blocked to further schooling because there simply aren’t enough secondary schools in the country—a reality that has prompted many educationists to comment that these children are not “dropouts” but “pushouts”. The Central government’s Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan remains a woefully inadequate response to remove the bottleneck in secondary education"   2. " .....  isn’t it astounding that agriculture is not a subject in secondary schools in rural areas, although most students studying in these schools come from kisan families? Similarly, the school curriculum completely bypasses the native skills, traditionally acquired learnings, and the rich artistic-literary heritage of our various “backward” castes and tribes in rural India. No wonder, children belonging to these communities perform poorly in the formal school system and end up swelling the ranks of the “uneducated” and “semi-educated”.    "     Kshmendra --- On Sun, 4/4/10, Chintan wrote: From: Chintan Subject: [Reader-list] Rethinking Rural Education by Sudheendra Kulkarni To: "sarai list" , learningnet-india at yahoogroups.com Date: Sunday, April 4, 2010, 10:08 AM *Rethinking Rural Education* By Sudheendra Kulkarni >From http://www.indianexpress.com/news/rethinkingruraleducation/599729/ Avinash Sheshare, a class VII student at a small boarding school in Yamgarwadi village near Solapur in southern Maharashtra, explained to me the concept of convex and concave lenses more innovatively than I had learnt even at IIT. He took the sole of a worn-out rubber slipper, which had 5-6 equidistant holes punched in lengthwise, put a soft drink straw in each of them, and was ready for the demonstration. “Imagine the sole to be a lens and the straws to be sun rays,” he said in Marathi. “I bend the sole to make the straws point inwards. This is how a convex lens works. When I bend it the other way to make the straws point outwards, it becomes a concave lens.” The school where Avinash studies is meant for the children of Paradhi and other nomadic tribes, many of which the British had branded “criminal tribes” because they were the most militant in the anti-colonial struggle. Even today, people belonging to these tribes suffer from extreme poverty and social exclusion, and rank lowest in formal school education. However, it would be naïve to think their minds are uneducated. As I discovered during my recent visit to Yamgarwadi, their children have amazing knowledge of the environment around them. These boys and girls knew the medicinal properties of the locally grown “weeds”. They could identify different birds with their sounds. They could name the stars in the night sky. In a little room that served as the “science laboratory” in the school, all the various types of snakes, crabs and scorpions kept in specimen jars had been caught by the children themselves. And how incredibly talented they all were in singing, dancing, playing local sports, and using their magical hands to create things of beauty in wood, mud and grass! Avinash and his friends are lucky because they found a place in this RSS-inspired school founded by Girish Prabhune, a social activist and author whose lifelong and widely acclaimed work for the social uplift of the nomadic tribes in Maharashtra deserves far greater governmental support than he has got so far. But I doubt if the formal primary and secondary school education system, rigidly and unimaginatively structured as it is today, can either open its doors to, or meaningfully benefit, all the children belonging to the diverse communities in rural India. My thoughts on this subject are provoked by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s address to the nation on Thursday on the historic occasion of enshrining education as a fundamental right of every child between the ages of six and 14. He made a fervent appeal for the fulfillment of this “national commitment to the future of India”. Noble and well-intentioned words. However, it must be said that our governments, Central as well as state, have not got their act right on either of the two crucial aspects of the Right to Education in rural India—access and content. The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan has no doubt succeeded in enlarging access to primary education. However, as many as eight crore children who come out of primary schools find their path blocked to further schooling because there simply aren’t enough secondary schools in the country—a reality that has prompted many educationists to comment that these children are not “dropouts” but “pushouts”. The Central government’s Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan remains a woefully inadequate response to remove the bottleneck in secondary education. But a far more debilitating shortcoming is the quality and content of the education imparted in our village schools. Apart from the well-recognised fact that the system demands rote learning that impairs children’s creativity, it also attaches little importance to either the local knowledge resources or the specific development needs of India’s diverse communities. It functions under the premise that education is only that which is rammed into young minds by text books and guidebooks. By corollary, those who are out of the school system or have underperformed are deemed uneducated, with all the negative sociological and psychological consequences. The relevance of much of what is taught in schools does not become apparent to rural children. Conversely, what is relevant to them and their communities is not taught to them. For example, isn’t it astounding that agriculture is not a subject in secondary schools in rural areas, although most students studying in these schools come from kisan families? Similarly, the school curriculum completely bypasses the native skills, traditionally acquired learnings, and the rich artistic-literary heritage of our various “backward” castes and tribes in rural India. No wonder, children belonging to these communities perform poorly in the formal school system and end up swelling the ranks of the “uneducated” and “semi-educated”. For RTE to become meaningful to these communities, and for it to make its fullest contribution to the realisation of a progressive vision for the “Future of India”, big and innovative changes are needed in the school education system, especially in our rural schools. Smart kids like Avinash abound in India’s villages. What they need is not just the right to education, but also the right education. *sudheenkulkarni at gmail.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 yasir.media at gmail.com Sun Apr 4 16:44:19 2010 From: yasir.media at gmail.com (=?UTF-8?B?eWFzaXIgftmK2Kcg2LPYsQ==?=) Date: Sun, 4 Apr 2010 16:14:19 +0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Sunil Sethi Karachi: Its already happened Message-ID: *Sunil Sethi: Can Karachi get a new start?* New Delhi April 3, 2010, 0:17 IST http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/sunil-sethi-can-karachi-getnew-start/390586/ From kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Sun Apr 4 16:53:40 2010 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Sun, 4 Apr 2010 04:23:40 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] =?utf-8?q?=22Amaresh_Mishra=E2=80=99s_web_of_lies?= =?utf-8?q?=22_-_the_Teesta_Setalvad_letter?= Message-ID: <419361.33306.qm@web57202.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Javed Masoo posted the article by Amaresh Misra "Headley Saga: Mumbai attack was a joint IB-CIA-Mossad-RSS project"   Amaresh Misra is well known for his conspiracy theories and only when someone is intent on suggesting some credibility to his lunacies, a bio-bit about his being a "famed"/"eminent" historian is inserted.    A variation on the Amaresh Misra conpiracy theory on the Mumbai Attack suggests that it is actually the nexus of CIA-Mossad-RSS that controls/finances/directs the terror-agenda of IB/RAW (of India) and ISI (of Pakistan). Yes ISI of Pakistan included.   In the Dec 2008 letter of Teesta Setalvad, she had this to say about Amaresh Misra: http://communalism.blogspot.com/2008/12/amaresh-mishras-web-of-lies.html   - .... MR AMARESH MISHRA, a dangerous individual .....   - ...... the conspiracy theories spouted by Mr Mishra in print and on the internet that are not just too incerdible but have also, surprisingly escaped the wrath of the sangh parivar.     "Communalism Watch" also offers weblink for the article "Amaresh Mishra -a case of intellectual rottenness" posted by one "gurmeet"   That article has this to offer about Amaresh Misra: http://libertynewscentral.blogspot.com/2008/12/amaresh-mishra-case-of-intellectual.html   - I did not know very much about Amaresh Mishra but that he had written a book that appeared to be of dubious merit and dodgy scholarship.   - Now it seems that that dodginess runs deep indeed -deep into the dark recesses of conspiracy theories. He suffers from the same strain of kookiness that Union Minority Affairs Minister A R Antulay does.   - He belongs to that overflowing breed of intellectual/media/pundit/academic class that sees Mossad and CIA (or America and Israel) as the fountainhead of most evil in the world.Kookiness is not an aberration in this circle but a feature.   - Aren't we told that Amaresh Mishra is a renowned historian? I am glad we were enlightened or we might have come to the conclusion that he is a conspiracy mongering lout.   Kshmendra     From rahul_capri at yahoo.com Sun Apr 4 17:12:53 2010 From: rahul_capri at yahoo.com (Rahul Asthana) Date: Sun, 4 Apr 2010 04:42:53 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] Rethinking Rural Education by Sudheendra Kulkarni In-Reply-To: <428176.15835.qm@web57201.mail.re3.yahoo.com> References: <428176.15835.qm@web57201.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <671532.48577.qm@web53606.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Brilliant article.Thanks Chintan. I have made this point elsewhere before. Our education system, which is a colonial legacy, is still geared towards making civil servants, doctors, engineers out of us.The reality of India is that more than 80% of people are self employed. Even after completing their education they are ill equipped to face the harsh existential realities of life.Even in urban areas the content needs to have more entrepreneurial focus. In rural areas one of the reasons of population increase is that the incremental cost of bringing up a child is negligible compared to the wages brought in by the child. Since the primary and the secondary education is completely irrelevant in the day to day lives, the families choose to beget more children to use as unskilled labor. If the education in customized to help them in their primary requirement, how to bring food to the table, they might have an interest in investing in education. It should also be pointed out that reservation does not do anything for those living in abject poverty. They do not have the means to compete for the meager % of jobs.For them the primary purpose of education should be survival- this should be pretty much like stating the obvious. Thanks Rahul ----- Original Message ---- From: Kshmendra Kaul To: sarai list ; Chintan Sent: Sun, April 4, 2010 4:32:16 AM Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Rethinking Rural Education by SudheendraKulkarni Dear Chintan Thanks for posting this. Kulkarni makes two points that I am taking the liberty of highlighting: 1. " ..... children who come out of primary schools find their path blocked to further schooling because there simply aren’t enough secondary schools in the country—a reality that has prompted many educationists to comment that these children are not “dropouts” but “pushouts”. The Central government’s RashtriyaMadhyamikShikshaAbhiyan remains a woefully inadequate response to remove the bottleneck in secondary education" 2. " ..... isn’t it astounding that agriculture is not a subject in secondary schools in rural areas, although most students studying in these schools come from kisan families? Similarly, the school curriculum completely bypasses the native skills, traditionally acquired learnings, and the rich artistic-literary heritage of our various “backward” castes and tribes in rural India. No wonder, children belonging to these communities perform poorly in the formal school system and end up swelling the ranks of the “uneducated” and “semi-educated”. " Kshmendra --- On Sun, 4/4/10, Chintan wrote: From: Chintan Subject: [Reader-list] Rethinking Rural Education by SudheendraKulkarni To: "sarai list" , learningnet-india at yahoogroups.com Date: Sunday, April 4, 2010, 10:08 AM *Rethinking Rural Education* By SudheendraKulkarni From http://www.indianexpress.com/news/rethinkingruraleducation/599729/ AvinashSheshare, a class VII student at a small boarding school in Yamgarwadi village near Solapur in southern Maharashtra, explained to me the concept of convex and concave lenses more innovatively than I had learnt even at IIT. He took the sole of a worn-out rubber slipper, which had 5-6 equidistant holes punched in lengthwise, put a soft drink straw in each of them, and was ready for the demonstration. “Imagine the sole to be a lens and the straws to be sun rays,” he said in Marathi. “I bend the sole to make the straws point inwards. This is how a convex lens works. When I bend it the other way to make the straws point outwards, it becomes a concave lens.” The school where Avinash studies is meant for the children of Paradhi and other nomadic tribes, many of which the British had branded “criminal tribes” because they were the most militant in the anti-colonial struggle. Even today, people belonging to these tribes suffer from extreme poverty and social exclusion, and rank lowest in formal school education. However, it would be naïve to think their minds are uneducated. As I discovered during my recent visit to Yamgarwadi, their children have amazing knowledge of the environment around them. These boys and girls knew the medicinal properties of the locally grown “weeds”. They could identify different birds with their sounds. They could name the stars in the night sky. In a little room that served as the “science laboratory” in the school, all the various types of snakes, crabs and scorpions kept in specimen jars had been caught by the children themselves. And how incredibly talented they all were in singing, dancing, playing local sports, and using their magical hands to create things of beauty in wood, mud and grass! Avinash and his friends are lucky because they found a place in this RSS-inspired school founded by GirishPrabhune, a social activist and author whose lifelong and widely acclaimed work for the social uplift of the nomadic tribes in Maharashtra deserves far greater governmental support than he has got so far. But I doubt if the formal primary and secondary school education system, rigidly and unimaginatively structured as it is today, can either open its doors to, or meaningfully benefit, all the children belonging to the diverse communities in rural India. My thoughts on this subject are provoked by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s address to the nation on Thursday on the historic occasion of enshrining education as a fundamental right of every child between the ages of six and 14. He made a fervent appeal for the fulfillment of this “national commitment to the future of India”. Noble and well-intentioned words. However, it must be said that our governments, Central as well as state, have not got their act right on either of the two crucial aspects of the Right to Education in rural India—access and content. The SarvaShikshaAbhiyan has no doubt succeeded in enlarging access to primary education. However, as many as eight crore children who come out of primary schools find their path blocked to further schooling because there simply aren’t enough secondary schools in the country—a reality that has prompted many educationists to comment that these children are not “dropouts” but “pushouts”. The Central government’s RashtriyaMadhyamik ShikshaAbhiyan remains a woefully inadequate response to remove the bottleneck in secondary education. But a far more debilitating shortcoming is the quality and content of the education imparted in our village schools. Apart from the well-recognised fact that the system demands rote learning that impairs children’s creativity, it also attaches little importance to either the local knowledge resources or the specific development needs of India’s diverse communities. It functions under the premise that education is only that which is rammed into young minds by text books and guidebooks. By corollary, those who are out of the school system or have underperformed are deemed uneducated, with all the negative sociological and psychological consequences. The relevance of much of what is taught in schools does not become apparent to rural children. Conversely, what is relevant to them and their communities is not taught to them. For example, isn’t it astounding that agriculture is not a subject in secondary schools in rural areas, although most students studying in these schools come from kisan families? Similarly, the school curriculum completely bypasses the native skills, traditionally acquired learnings, and the rich artistic-literary heritage of our various “backward” castes and tribes in rural India. No wonder, children belonging to these communities perform poorly in the formal school system and end up swelling the ranks of the “uneducated” and “semi-educated”. For RTE to become meaningful to these communities, and for it to make its fullest contribution to the realisation of a progressive vision for the “Future of India”, big and innovative changes are needed in the school education system, especially in our rural schools. Smart kids like Avinash abound in India’s villages. What they need is not just the right to education, but also the right education. *sudheenkulkarni at gmail.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/> _________________________________________ 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 justjunaid at gmail.com Mon Apr 5 05:24:21 2010 From: justjunaid at gmail.com (Junaid) Date: Sun, 4 Apr 2010 19:54:21 -0400 Subject: [Reader-list] Selective condemnation of rape and murder has become bane of J&K politic In-Reply-To: <6EB88C4079FD490E8EAEC7ECFC466BF9@tara> References: <6EB88C4079FD490E8EAEC7ECFC466BF9@tara> Message-ID: Hi Sonia, Here is the link to, and the relevant passage from, Praveen IB Swami's article. Perhaps, you have read it; it says pretty much the same things that you are saying. http://beta.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/article71564.ece "The Kashmir High Court Bar Association says it has a letter from AIIMS forensic medicine expert Sudhir Gupta, casting doubt on the forensic findings. Dr. Gupta has offered no independent corroboration of this claim; indeed, in an in-house AIIMS correspondence obtained by The Hindu, Dr. Gupta asked for a copy of the letter so he could give a “legitimate reply.” The AIIMS spat has led to some bizarre media allegations, including assertions that its experts helped to rig forensic evidence in the murder of a Delhi teenager — a case the institution had nothing to do with. Dr. Gupta, whose name was struck off the rolls of the Medical Council of India in 2004, on plagiarism charges, may or may not be a credible witness, but if there is any serious critique of the evidence marshalled by the CBI, it must be assessed and responded to." (Except Praveen IB declared all charges were wrong, that every thing was a fabrication, and never waited for any criticism of the CBI report, which no one in Kashmir--the victims relatives, the high court, the Kashmiri people in Shopian and elsewhere, the independent tribunals, the local media, or even the pro-India political parties saw as credible!) Just briefly on Kunan-Poshpora. Since you said the victims of the mass rape don't want to talk about what befell them. You said: "You talk of Kunan Poshpora. Have you been there? I doubt it. But I have. I spent time, I talked to the women in private, away from the gaze of the men. And guess what? I believed them. And guess what else? They really hate being talked about, written about, bandied about by politicians who don't give a flying F about them." First I think your sweeping generalization "the gaze of men" is unsustainable in the context of nature of the Kashmiri society (and perhaps elsewhere as well). We do have, as you do, structural problems concerning gender. But please don't think you have a different kind of, or a privileged, access to Kashmiri women than have their own men. By using your unitary brush "men" you are, even if subtly, treating their own men on par with their rapists (Indian troops) and pro-India politicians. Just because Kashmir is a Muslim society, Indian media and the intelligentsia can't play the Laura Bush's "Saving Muzlim Women" card in Kashmir. In the Kashmiri context, it is the Indian state which acts like a hyper-aggressive male trying to domesticate Kashmiris. Both Kashmiri women AND men are victims of gendered violence of the Indian state. Second, here is a link to an excerpt where the women and the men of Kunan Poshpora actually do speak: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3y3SuBvCDes&feature=related Courtesy of: Shilpi Gupta's "When the Storm Came" a documentary about 23 Feb 1991 Kunan Poshpora. And thanks for suggesting Truth and Reconciliation (?) Commission for Kashmir: "If and when there is peace in Kashmir there ought to be a truth & reconciliation commission where these matters can be raised. Not just what happened to women of Kunan Poshpora, but also scores of others like Sarla Butt (remember her?-- [REMEMBER HER sounds like you're insinuating something here...]--), Nigeena Awan, and Mariam Bi of Doda who had the great distinction of being gang-raped by militants and then carved up by knives." First, what does it mean "IF and WHEN there is PEACE in Kashmir there ought to be..........where these MATTERS CAN be raised"? Rape in Kunan Poshpora constitutes a crime against humanity since the Indian state is not accepting it and has no intention of bringing anyone to trial, meaning it is shielding culprits and effectively suggesting the whole incident had blessings of the state. MATTERS can't wait for your PEACE! Any Matter. And Reconciliation to what? Forced Military Occupation? Junaid On Fri, Apr 2, 2010 at 10:29 AM, TaraPrakash wrote: > Dear Sonia. thanks for offering some rational discourse on this otherwise > emotionally charged list. There seems to be a "revolution" on the way in US > in the form of tea party movement. The most regressive types today are > calling themselves revolutionary. These revolutionaries include as > regressive and as fascist a group as KKK. This movement that is getting a > lot of media attention is calling whoever does not agree with them, fascist. > Only those agree with them are true Americans. Their rallies include a lot > of gun-toting individuals who speak in favor of armed militia who would take > America back to impose middle ages on people. > > Well, what is the parallel? We will understand from some of these mails that > true Kashmiris are only those who think like them. Just say no, just disrupt > is the only right thing. There is nothing wrong in gun culture. It's okay to > subjugate women and behead those who think differently. Brand them as Indian > agent, Hindu agents, RSS agents wherever need be. Sadly, you will see some > of progressives playing in the hands of Kashmiri regressives. > > When I asked some time back who Junaid considered Kashmiris, my motives were > declared as specious. But yes there was a response that dekashmirize a lot > of Kashmiris. Now again when you talk about some miscreants, they equate it > as your calling all kashmiris names. In the name of an alternative model, > they have nothing but a philosophical chatter. If you ask my opinion, some > individuals for whom Kashmiris are bread and butter, have harmed the cause > of Kashmir. If their alternative model is as insane as the current one, what > is the need for change? If they just want to replace oppressors, is there > any reason for supporting the movement? It's not a freedom movement, it's > like give me the rein movement -- Let me control the asses, I mean masses. > Again, we need sane voices like yours, keep your emails coming. > > > > Best regards > > TaraPrakash > ----- Original Message ----- From: "S. Jabbar" > To: "Junaid" > Cc: "Sarai" ; "Sanjay Kak" > > Sent: Friday, April 02, 2010 4:05 AM > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Selective condemnation of rape and murder has > become bane of J&K politic > > >> Dear Junaid, >> I will respond point by point, and Sanju sorry, as I have ended up doing >> what I said I wouldn't in my email to you, but Junaid has made my task >> easier with specific charges/accusations/assertions.  For the rest of the >> people on this list, my apologies, as much of this will seem confusing >> without the longer narrative of the case, which I simply do not have the >> time to put down. >> >>> Shopian case has, from the day it became clear that the two women >>> hadn't simply drowned, been a game where it seems those responsible >>> are hell bent on proving that the women were neither sexually >>> assaulted nor murdered. >> >> This is simply not true.  Everyone was on the back foot when protests >> erupted following Omar Abdullah's statement that the women had drowned. >> After that the entire state machinery was employed to prove that they were >> raped and murdered.  This included the police investigation team led by >> IGP >> Kashmir, and the state govt. paying their lawyers Rs.13 Lakhs to stop the >> 4 >> policemen (who were booked for dereliction of duty) from getting bail in >> the >> supreme court. >>> >> Jan pointed out that Asiya's death was caused by a gash on >>> >>> her forehead. >> >> Jan based his observations on the post-mortem report, which was >> fabricated. >> The doctors had not even x-rayed Asiya's skull let alone open it up to >> ascertain whether the wound had led to a brain hemorrhage. The first lot >> of >> doctors measured the wound to be 2-3 cm, the 2nd, 2-3 inches.  Wow! >> Fantastic.  If a tailor had this kind of margin of error he would've been >> without any customers and the Jan Commission doesn't even comment on this! >> >> CBI said it was not the reason, but since sand and >>> >>> phytoplankton from Rambiara were found inside the lungs CBI declared >>> it a case of drowning. Well clearly since Asiya's and Neelofar's body >>> were taken out of shallow water the possibility that the water could >>> have entered her lungs after her death was not even seen as a real >>> possibility. >> >> Dr. Bilal had claimed he had done a flotation test on the lungs, but when >> the bodies were exhumed and autopsy conducted in front of Majlis >> Mashawarat >> the lungs were found intact.  Turns out the tissue used was a slice of the >> heart! The AIIMS team did a flotation test on the lungs that failed.  This >> is recorded on camera and was done in front of members of the Majlis >> Mashawarat. >> >>> Intact hymen in one body doesn't rule out rape, right? >> >> Wrong.  If you can't figure out why I really don't want to go into this >> list. What else is there to prove rape?  The vaginal samples with multiple >> spermatozoa that were displayed as proof of a brutal 'gang rape' turned >> out >> to be the sick fabrication of Dr. Chiloo and Dr. Gh.Qadir who manufactured >> the samples by taking scrapings of gloves from the Pulwama district >> hospital.  A second slide was also prepared, bizarrely, from Dr.Chiloo's >> own >> vaginal swab. Ugh. >> >> Praveen IB Swami rubished >>> >>> him by suggesting that the doctor had been caught plagiarising in 2004 >>> and was therefore not credible! If the doctor wasn't credible, why was >>> he in the investigation team in the first place? >> >> Pl attach Pravin Swmai's report. As far as I recall it was the Bar Assoc. >> that spread the canard.  And which doctor are you referring to?   The team >> of 9 doctors that was sent by AIIMS was led by the doctor who had done the >> post mortem on Indira Gandhi in '84. There were 9 doctors from AIIMS and 9 >> scientists from the Central Forensic Laboratory.  From the autopsy to the >> tests to the preservation of the tissue samples was done on camera. Anyone >> wishing to challenge this can file an RTI and examine the evidence. >>> >>> I have seen Rambiara many times. Even where it joins Vaishav, which is >>> at its end, it is not deep enough. And generally at the end of May >>> water in Kashmiri streams is especially low, as some of it gets >>> diverted to paddy fields. Government did its best to suggest that >>> there was a sudden cloud burst and water overflowed in the brook. And >>> IB Swami claimed there was flood that night. I was in a place close to >>> Shopian around that time, and there had been no rain for days. Where >>> did the great flood myth come from? Old Testament? >> >> Let us not quibble but meet at the Rambiara on May 29th this year with a >> whole bunch of witnesses.  I have no idea what the weather will be like >> but >> really don't mind wagering you will not be able to cross.  Incidentally, >> the >> claim that no one has ever drowned in the Rambiara is false.  Please check >> J&K Police records from 1995-2009 and you will be surprised to learn that >> it >> wasn't just Neloufer and Asiya who were found washed up. >> >>> Anycase see photos of Rambi Ara here: >>> http://www.kashmirprocess.org/reports/shopian/shopian_materials.html >>> http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2525/3751167090_9fe348e660.jpg >>> Would you have been able to cross it? >>> >>> Now what you are saying is this: >>> >>> "Early that morning, when the group saw some 'clothes' across the >>> nullah, the brother in-law went back some 200 yards, crossed the >>> bridge and then descended to the spot where they found Niloufer.  When >>> he shouted across the nullah to the men on the other side, Niloufer's >>> husband, wild with grief, wanted to leap into the nullah and go >>> straight across.  He was restrained and finally the men went back 200 >>> yards, crossed the bridge and went down to the other side.  If the >>> water was 'ankle-deep' as everyone claims, the men would have walked >>> across without a fuss.  Why didn't they?" >>> >>> Well, I ask you this question: Why didn't the two women use the bridge >>> instead of doing a thing that even men (wild with grief) wouldn't do? >>> If the river was really not crossable why did the women do it? And, >>> more curiously, why both of them? >> >> Why did they cross?  Why did they not use the bridge? >> My dear Junaid, I wish I could answer this. I haven't the slightest clue, >> but even if one could answer this, how does it prove rape and murder? >>> >>> That you have been to Kunan-Poshpora (and, no, I haven't been there) >>> and that the victims are saying (and rightly so) that the politicians >>> (?) didn't care about them, that they didn't see any money, or that >>> they face enormous social hardships, does not prove that they were not >>> raped. It is a great failure of the Kashmiri society not to have >>> adequately shown solidarity with these women. But where are the >>> culprits? It is not so difficult to find them, right? >>> >> Have I said the culprits should not be punished, that rape should go >> unpunished?  You seem to be driven by a sick determination to twist >> everything I say. Kunan Poshpora, like many other crimes have gone >> unpunished.  If and when there is peace in Kashmir there ought to be a >> truth >> & reconciliation commission where these matters can be raised.  Not just >> what happened to women of Kunan Poshpora, but also scores of others like >> Sarla Butt (remember her?), Nigeena Awan, and Mariam Bi of Doda who had >> the >> great distinction of being gang-raped by militants and then carved up by >> knives. >> >>> In your earlier post you said this: "The reason I posted Fayyaz's >>> article was because it underscored what many on >>> this list are guilty of. Making a noise about things that further >>> their world views or political interests and keeping quiet when it >>> doesn't. I have no axe to grind." Whose worldviews and political >>> interests "on this list" are you talking about? You seem to suggest >>> that there are some hypocrites who make "noise about things". Well >>> first of all, most of the time I see absolute garbage posted here on >>> issues related to Kashmir. (Some posts count dead people in Kashmir in >>> "Ks"... 16 K instead of 219). Second, I don't think Fayyaz's report is >>> a sound way to underscore anything. In fact, his reports are doltish >>> in the least and dark propaganda if you read it carefully enough. >>> >> Garbage on this list, the doltishness of Fayyaz, the dark >> propaganda...this >> is the world we live in.  People don't always have to agree with you. >> Sometimes you have to engage with them, wrestle and debate with their >> ideas. >> It's too easy to brush people aside as Indian agents/Pakistani agents/ CIA >> agents. Sometimes annoying people and their irritating ideas can't just be >> wished away, or for that matter, liquidated. >> >> Sincerely, >> Sonia Jabbar >> >>> >>> Junaid >>> >>> >>> On Thu, Apr 1, 2010 at 10:36 PM, S. Jabbar >>> wrote: >>>> >>>> Dear Junaid, >>>> >>>> Has Kashmir become a den of sleaze? Have I suggested that this is so and >>>> that 'Kashmiris are compulsive liars'? I don't think so. And if I have, >>>> I >>>> think you need to back your accusations with evidence from my posts. >>>> >>>> The CMO Pulwama, Dr. Ghulam Qadir's actions can hardly be conflated with >>>> the >>>> actions of all Kashmiris, so where is the question of Kashmir becoming a >>>> 'den of sex, sleaze and hypocrisy'? Having said that I still think it is >>>> necessary to examine the actions of this particular gentleman as he was >>>> the >>>> man ultimately responsible for collecting the vaginal samples and >>>> fudging >>>> them. >>>> >>>> I have in my earlier post to Sanjay-- which I am sure you have read-- >>>> condemned rapes and murders by men in khaki so I really don't understand >>>> your outrageous attempt to paint me as someone who condones violations >>>> in >>>> J&K or anywhere else. >>>> >>>> You talk of Kunan Poshpora. Have you been there? I doubt it. But I have. >>>> I spent time, I talked to the women in private, away from the gaze of >>>> the >>>> men. And guess what? I believed them. And guess what else? They really >>>> hate being talked about, written about, bandied about by politicians who >>>> don't give a flying F about them and have used them to further their >>>> political agenda. Guess what else? The money that was collected in their >>>> name by the men who made the greatest noise about the rapes never got to >>>> them. And guess what else? They are still known as 'the raped village' >>>> and >>>> girls who were too little at the time of the ghastly incident are still >>>> tormented whenever they leave their village to attend a HS school in a >>>> nearby village-- not by men in khaki, but by their own brethren. >>>> >>>> Turning to Shopian. I have read every report on the case. Have you been >>>> to >>>> the Rambiara? Has anyone determined where exactly the women drowned? All >>>> that is known is where the bodies were found. The bodies were found near >>>> the bridge way downstream from the logical point of crossing from their >>>> orchard to their home, both which were upstream. All people who claimed >>>> they could not have drowned in Rambiara where the bodies were found were >>>> absolutely correct. However, if you bother to read the testimonies of >>>> the >>>> victims' relatives in the Jan Commission Report you will realize that >>>> even >>>> that spot was difficult to cross. Early that morning, when the group saw >>>> some 'clothes' across the nullah, the brother in-law went back some 200 >>>> yards, crossed the bridge and then descended to the spot where they >>>> found >>>> Niloufer. When he shouted across the nullah to the men on the other >>>> side, >>>> Niloufer's husband, wild with grief, wanted to leap into the nullah and >>>> go >>>> straight across. He was restrained and finally the men went back 200 >>>> yards, >>>> crossed the bridge and went down to the other side. If the water was >>>> 'ankle-deep' as everyone claims, the men would have walked across >>>> without a >>>> fuss. Why didn't they? >>>> >>>> To date no one who claims there was a rape and murder have been able to >>>> scientifically establish cause of death. And if you cannot establish >>>> cause >>>> of death how can you say whether, it is homicide, suicide, or death by >>>> accident? Soon after the incident the state government had announced a >>>> reward of 25 lakh rupees to any information leading to the arrest of the >>>> culprits. Every man, woman and child was following this case in J&K. And >>>> yet to date not a single person has come up with any information leading >>>> to >>>> the arrest of the culprits. Every claim when investigated turned out to >>>> be >>>> false. >>>> >>>> As far as the claim of rape or gang rape: where is the evidence? >>>> Everything >>>> that has come out points to the contrary. >>>> >>>> As far as your last assertion, I only have one thing to say, and that >>>> is, I >>>> don't need to prove 2 women were raped and murdered to underscore how >>>> bad it >>>> is in Kashmir to be living under the shadow of so many guns. I have >>>> always >>>> said this and will say it again: India and Pakistan must resolve >>>> Kashmir. >>>> The solution must be acceptable to all people and regions of J&K. >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>>> From: Junaid >>>>> Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2010 16:56:02 -0400 >>>>> To: Sarai , Sanjay Kak >>>>> , >>>>> "S. >>>>> Jabbar" >>>>> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Selective condemnation of rape and murder >>>>> has >>>>> become bane of J&K politic >>>>> >>>>> Hi Sonia, >>>>> >>>>> Thank you for sending across a slew of sordid reports suggesting how >>>>> Kashmir has become a den of sex, sleaze, and hypocrisy. Your posts are >>>>> complemented well by Kshmendra Kaul's post which asserts that >>>>> Kashmiris are compulsive liars, and Pawan Durani's forwards that >>>>> underscore how Kashmiris lie about human rights violations by the >>>>> Indian troops. Between the three of you, you have finally nailed the >>>>> true psyche of Kashmiris! But you know since sleaze is something that >>>>> defines the present state of politics in and about Kashmir, the nature >>>>> of what is written about it cannot entirely escape its shadow. >>>>> >>>>> We have a history of making "noises" about rapes and molestations and >>>>> almost invariably we have been told by the Indian agencies and the >>>>> Indian media that we are wrong. The rape of dozens of women in >>>>> Kunan-Poshpora in Kupwara by the Indian army has been declared a >>>>> fabrication by the Indian govt and its intellegentsia. A number of >>>>> books (authored by pro-establishment people like Manoj Joshi, Tavleen >>>>> Singh etc) and tomes of news-stories have been manufactured to silence >>>>> our "hypocritical" "noise". Press Council of India put a stamp of >>>>> innocence on the Indian army units involved. (Only, we came to know >>>>> later that BG Verghese hadn't even visited the village or talked to >>>>> any victims). But that is too far in the past. >>>>> >>>>> The reports of sexual abuse and exploitation of underage Kashmiri >>>>> girls by the pro-India politicians, the bureaucrats, and the top >>>>> officers of the paramilitary forces and the police, and the subsequent >>>>> investigations have led to nowhere. CBI didn't particularly prove >>>>> itself to be objective or free from political influence in that case. >>>>> See: >>>>> >>>>> http://www.indianexpress.com/news/highcourtnamesstringofvvipsinsexualabuseca >>>>> se >>>>> /226255/ >>>>> >>>>> It is quite understandable that, after all this, the Kashmiri people >>>>> (and the sane people in India who see what CBI did to the Bofors case >>>>> and the Hawala scandal) don't trust its "reports". See: >>>>> http://kashmirprocess.com/news/20100104_GK_Wani.pdf >>>>> >>>>> So, when you say "Based on the evidence that we have at the (moment) I >>>>> do not believe it was either rape or murder", I would like to know >>>>> what "evidence" are you talking about. What evidence do you have to >>>>> suggest that the two women found dead in knee-deep water were not >>>>> raped and murdered? If you have "evidence" it means you are suggesting >>>>> that the evidence points to an alternative scenario. What is that >>>>> scenario? Unless you are suggesting that both the women happened to >>>>> drown in the rivulet, in which even fish didn't have water enough to >>>>> swim! (Well, that scenario would not need evidence but a miracle... or >>>>> a dopey imagination!) >>>>> >>>>> I am asking this because it seems you have an opinion on what actually >>>>> happened to the two women. After all, you call it a "tragic death": "I >>>>> feel wretched that 2 women died a tragic death and then they were >>>>> subjected to the worst kind of public scrutiny for months, their >>>>> sexual lives speculated upon, their characters ground down to the >>>>> dust.." You are right about the second part, of course. But the >>>>> question is who speculated on the character of the two women, or cast >>>>> aspersions about the role of Neelofar's husband? Who was most >>>>> interested in showing the women as bad-charactered? >>>>> >>>>> Have you read these two reports: >>>>> http://www.kashmirprocess.org/reports/shopian/ and >>>>> http://www.kashmirtimes.com/shopian-report.pdf ? But these are >>>>> independent reports. What happened to the findings of the Jan >>>>> Commission? It was a govt report, right? It established rape and >>>>> murder. See http://www.hindu.com/nic/shopian/index.htm >>>>> >>>>> In reality, even if I accept your (self-appointed) three-member >>>>> bench's unanimous conclusion about Kashmiris as liars, hypocrites, and >>>>> manipulators, don't you think it still keeps pointing to the single >>>>> most important thing about Kashmiri opinion about Indian rule over >>>>> Kashmir: that they don't like it at all. That Indian rule over Kashmir >>>>> has no democratic legitimacy? >>>>> >>>>> Junaid >>>> >>>> >>>> >> >> >> _________________________________________ >> 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 Mon Apr 5 10:02:43 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Mon, 5 Apr 2010 10:02:43 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Selective condemnation of rape and murder has become bane of J&K politic In-Reply-To: References: <6EB88C4079FD490E8EAEC7ECFC466BF9@tara> Message-ID: And here is the latest shocking report about Shopian.. http://www.earlytimes.in/newsdet.aspx?q=52063 'Doctors stored samples of Shopian women in tamarind jars' Early Times Report Srinagar, Apr 4: Six Kashmir doctors, accused by the CBI of fabricating and falsifying crucial evidence in the Shopian case, had callously stored forensic samples and body tissues from the two deceased women in an empty tamarind jar and a chewing gun container. This is one of the details to be presented before the Jammu and Kashmir High court by the CBI in the ongoing hearings into the death of Aasiya (17) and Neelofar (22), last May, which led to widespread protests and bandhs that paralysed the Kashmir valley for 47 days. This information will be given in response to the queries posed to the CBI by the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, which had taken suo moto cognizance of a letter by an unknown criminologist disputing the CBI's findings in the case. Official sources said other evidence that the CBI will present before the court to prove its case that the two women were not raped and in fact drowned, is an analysis of the water found in the lungs of the deceased women. The water contained termites which had been ingested while the women were drowning. The probe agency, which carried out the investigation with the help of forensic experts from AIIMS, will also inform the court that the doctors in Kashmir, who have been named as accused in the case, had stored the samples in empty jars of chewing gum and tamarind. CBI, which will contest the so-called criminologist's letter as malafide, has also prepared a detailed medical examination of the hymen of Aasiya along with documents and microscopic slides to support its claim that she was never raped or sexually assaulted. Life in Shopian town, 51 kms from here, had come to a standstill after the bodies of Neelofar and Aasiya were found in a stream in May last year. Protests were held claiming that the two had been allegedly raped and murdered. Four policemen including the then Superintendent of Police Javed Mattoo were arrested following directions by the High Court. However, the CBI investigations found that the doctors in the district hospital had not conducted the port-mortem properly and had in fact fabricated evidence. The CBI has based its finding on the opinion of experts from AIIMS, Central Forensic and Scientific Laboratory and FSL of Haryana, which said the women were never raped and had died due to drowning. The CBI has now filed a chargesheet against six doctors -- Nighat Shaheen, G Q Sofi, Maqbool Mir, G M Paul, Bilal Ahmed Dalal and Nazia Hassan -- under Section 167 (public servant framing an incorrect document) and Section 194 (giving or fabricating evidence with intent to procure conviction of capital offence) of the Ranbir Penal Code. The medicos were also charged with preparing false vaginal slides to suggest rape. Five lawyers including two former public prosecutors Mushtaq Ahmed Gattoo and Sheikh Mubarak have also been charged with conspiring and intimidating witnesses to make false submissions before a magistrate about women's cries being heard from a police van. Three lawyers, Abdul Majid Dar, Mohammed Yusuf Bhat and Altaf Ahmed, have also been charged with wrongful confinement and criminal conspiracy. On Mon, Apr 5, 2010 at 5:24 AM, Junaid wrote: > Hi Sonia, > > Here is the link to, and the relevant passage from, Praveen IB Swami's > article. Perhaps, you have read it; it says pretty much the same > things that you are saying. > > http://beta.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/article71564.ece > > "The Kashmir High Court Bar Association says it has a letter from > AIIMS forensic medicine expert Sudhir Gupta, casting doubt on the > forensic findings. Dr. Gupta has offered no independent corroboration > of this claim; indeed, in an in-house AIIMS correspondence obtained by > The Hindu, Dr. Gupta asked for a copy of the letter so he could give a > “legitimate reply.” The AIIMS spat has led to some bizarre media > allegations, including assertions that its experts helped to rig > forensic evidence in the murder of a Delhi teenager — a case the > institution had nothing to do with. Dr. Gupta, whose name was struck > off the rolls of the Medical Council of India in 2004, on plagiarism > charges, may or may not be a credible witness, but if there is any > serious critique of the evidence marshalled by the CBI, it must be > assessed and responded to." > > (Except Praveen IB declared all charges were  wrong, that every thing > was a fabrication, and never waited for any criticism of the CBI > report, which no one in Kashmir--the victims relatives, the high > court, the Kashmiri people in Shopian and elsewhere, the independent > tribunals, the local media, or even the pro-India political parties > saw as credible!) > > Just briefly on Kunan-Poshpora. Since you said the victims of the mass > rape don't want to talk about what befell them. > You said: "You talk of Kunan Poshpora. Have you been there? I doubt > it. But I have. I spent time, I talked to the women in private, away > from the gaze of the men. And guess what? I believed them. And guess > what else? They really hate being talked about, written about, bandied > about by politicians who don't give a flying F about them." > > First I think your sweeping generalization "the gaze of men" is > unsustainable in the context of nature of the Kashmiri society (and > perhaps elsewhere as well). We do have, as you do, structural problems > concerning gender. But please don't think you have a different kind > of, or a privileged, access to Kashmiri women than have their own men. > By using your unitary brush "men" you are, even if subtly, treating > their own men on par with their rapists (Indian troops) and pro-India > politicians. Just because Kashmir is a Muslim society, Indian media > and the intelligentsia can't play the Laura Bush's "Saving Muzlim > Women" card in Kashmir. In the Kashmiri context, it is the Indian > state which acts like a hyper-aggressive male trying to domesticate > Kashmiris. Both Kashmiri women AND men are victims of gendered > violence of the Indian state. > > Second, here is a link to an excerpt where the women and the men of > Kunan Poshpora actually do speak: > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3y3SuBvCDes&feature=related > > Courtesy of: Shilpi Gupta's "When the Storm Came" a documentary about > 23 Feb 1991 Kunan Poshpora. > > And thanks for suggesting Truth and Reconciliation (?) Commission for Kashmir: > > "If and when there is peace in Kashmir there ought to be a truth & > reconciliation commission where these matters can be raised. Not just > what happened to women of Kunan Poshpora, but also scores of others > like Sarla Butt (remember her?-- [REMEMBER HER sounds like you're > insinuating something here...]--), Nigeena Awan, and Mariam Bi of Doda > who had the great distinction of being gang-raped by militants and > then carved up by knives." > > First, what does it mean "IF and WHEN there is PEACE in Kashmir there > ought to be..........where these MATTERS CAN be raised"? Rape in Kunan > Poshpora constitutes a crime against humanity since the Indian state > is not accepting it and has no intention of bringing anyone to trial, > meaning it is shielding culprits and effectively suggesting the whole > incident had blessings of the state. MATTERS can't wait for your > PEACE! Any Matter. And Reconciliation to what? Forced Military > Occupation? > > Junaid > > > > > On Fri, Apr 2, 2010 at 10:29 AM, TaraPrakash wrote: >> Dear Sonia. thanks for offering some rational discourse on this otherwise >> emotionally charged list. There seems to be a "revolution" on the way in US >> in the form of tea party movement. The most regressive types today are >> calling themselves revolutionary. These revolutionaries include as >> regressive and as fascist a group as KKK. This movement that is getting a >> lot of media attention is calling whoever does not agree with them, fascist. >> Only those agree with them are true Americans. Their rallies include a lot >> of gun-toting individuals who speak in favor of armed militia who would take >> America back to impose middle ages on people. >> >> Well, what is the parallel? We will understand from some of these mails that >> true Kashmiris are only those who think like them. Just say no, just disrupt >> is the only right thing. There is nothing wrong in gun culture. It's okay to >> subjugate women and behead those who think differently. Brand them as Indian >> agent, Hindu agents, RSS agents wherever need be. Sadly, you will see some >> of progressives playing in the hands of Kashmiri regressives. >> >> When I asked some time back who Junaid considered Kashmiris, my motives were >> declared as specious. But yes there was a response that dekashmirize a lot >> of Kashmiris. Now again when you talk about some miscreants, they equate it >> as your calling all kashmiris names. In the name of an alternative model, >> they have nothing but a philosophical chatter. If you ask my opinion, some >> individuals for whom Kashmiris are bread and butter, have harmed the cause >> of Kashmir. If their alternative model is as insane as the current one, what >> is the need for change? If they just want to replace oppressors, is there >> any reason for supporting the movement? It's not a freedom movement, it's >> like give me the rein movement -- Let me control the asses, I mean masses. >> Again, we need sane voices like yours, keep your emails coming. >> >> >> >> Best regards >> >> TaraPrakash >> ----- Original Message ----- From: "S. Jabbar" >> To: "Junaid" >> Cc: "Sarai" ; "Sanjay Kak" >> >> Sent: Friday, April 02, 2010 4:05 AM >> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Selective condemnation of rape and murder has >> become bane of J&K politic >> >> >>> Dear Junaid, >>> I will respond point by point, and Sanju sorry, as I have ended up doing >>> what I said I wouldn't in my email to you, but Junaid has made my task >>> easier with specific charges/accusations/assertions.  For the rest of the >>> people on this list, my apologies, as much of this will seem confusing >>> without the longer narrative of the case, which I simply do not have the >>> time to put down. >>> >>>> Shopian case has, from the day it became clear that the two women >>>> hadn't simply drowned, been a game where it seems those responsible >>>> are hell bent on proving that the women were neither sexually >>>> assaulted nor murdered. >>> >>> This is simply not true.  Everyone was on the back foot when protests >>> erupted following Omar Abdullah's statement that the women had drowned. >>> After that the entire state machinery was employed to prove that they were >>> raped and murdered.  This included the police investigation team led by >>> IGP >>> Kashmir, and the state govt. paying their lawyers Rs.13 Lakhs to stop the >>> 4 >>> policemen (who were booked for dereliction of duty) from getting bail in >>> the >>> supreme court. >>>> >>> Jan pointed out that Asiya's death was caused by a gash on >>>> >>>> her forehead. >>> >>> Jan based his observations on the post-mortem report, which was >>> fabricated. >>> The doctors had not even x-rayed Asiya's skull let alone open it up to >>> ascertain whether the wound had led to a brain hemorrhage. The first lot >>> of >>> doctors measured the wound to be 2-3 cm, the 2nd, 2-3 inches.  Wow! >>> Fantastic.  If a tailor had this kind of margin of error he would've been >>> without any customers and the Jan Commission doesn't even comment on this! >>> >>> CBI said it was not the reason, but since sand and >>>> >>>> phytoplankton from Rambiara were found inside the lungs CBI declared >>>> it a case of drowning. Well clearly since Asiya's and Neelofar's body >>>> were taken out of shallow water the possibility that the water could >>>> have entered her lungs after her death was not even seen as a real >>>> possibility. >>> >>> Dr. Bilal had claimed he had done a flotation test on the lungs, but when >>> the bodies were exhumed and autopsy conducted in front of Majlis >>> Mashawarat >>> the lungs were found intact.  Turns out the tissue used was a slice of the >>> heart! The AIIMS team did a flotation test on the lungs that failed.  This >>> is recorded on camera and was done in front of members of the Majlis >>> Mashawarat. >>> >>>> Intact hymen in one body doesn't rule out rape, right? >>> >>> Wrong.  If you can't figure out why I really don't want to go into this >>> list. What else is there to prove rape?  The vaginal samples with multiple >>> spermatozoa that were displayed as proof of a brutal 'gang rape' turned >>> out >>> to be the sick fabrication of Dr. Chiloo and Dr. Gh.Qadir who manufactured >>> the samples by taking scrapings of gloves from the Pulwama district >>> hospital.  A second slide was also prepared, bizarrely, from Dr.Chiloo's >>> own >>> vaginal swab. Ugh. >>> >>> Praveen IB Swami rubished >>>> >>>> him by suggesting that the doctor had been caught plagiarising in 2004 >>>> and was therefore not credible! If the doctor wasn't credible, why was >>>> he in the investigation team in the first place? >>> >>> Pl attach Pravin Swmai's report. As far as I recall it was the Bar Assoc. >>> that spread the canard.  And which doctor are you referring to?   The team >>> of 9 doctors that was sent by AIIMS was led by the doctor who had done the >>> post mortem on Indira Gandhi in '84. There were 9 doctors from AIIMS and 9 >>> scientists from the Central Forensic Laboratory.  From the autopsy to the >>> tests to the preservation of the tissue samples was done on camera. Anyone >>> wishing to challenge this can file an RTI and examine the evidence. >>>> >>>> I have seen Rambiara many times. Even where it joins Vaishav, which is >>>> at its end, it is not deep enough. And generally at the end of May >>>> water in Kashmiri streams is especially low, as some of it gets >>>> diverted to paddy fields. Government did its best to suggest that >>>> there was a sudden cloud burst and water overflowed in the brook. And >>>> IB Swami claimed there was flood that night. I was in a place close to >>>> Shopian around that time, and there had been no rain for days. Where >>>> did the great flood myth come from? Old Testament? >>> >>> Let us not quibble but meet at the Rambiara on May 29th this year with a >>> whole bunch of witnesses.  I have no idea what the weather will be like >>> but >>> really don't mind wagering you will not be able to cross.  Incidentally, >>> the >>> claim that no one has ever drowned in the Rambiara is false.  Please check >>> J&K Police records from 1995-2009 and you will be surprised to learn that >>> it >>> wasn't just Neloufer and Asiya who were found washed up. >>> >>>> Anycase see photos of Rambi Ara here: >>>> http://www.kashmirprocess.org/reports/shopian/shopian_materials.html >>>> http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2525/3751167090_9fe348e660.jpg >>>> Would you have been able to cross it? >>>> >>>> Now what you are saying is this: >>>> >>>> "Early that morning, when the group saw some 'clothes' across the >>>> nullah, the brother in-law went back some 200 yards, crossed the >>>> bridge and then descended to the spot where they found Niloufer.  When >>>> he shouted across the nullah to the men on the other side, Niloufer's >>>> husband, wild with grief, wanted to leap into the nullah and go >>>> straight across.  He was restrained and finally the men went back 200 >>>> yards, crossed the bridge and went down to the other side.  If the >>>> water was 'ankle-deep' as everyone claims, the men would have walked >>>> across without a fuss.  Why didn't they?" >>>> >>>> Well, I ask you this question: Why didn't the two women use the bridge >>>> instead of doing a thing that even men (wild with grief) wouldn't do? >>>> If the river was really not crossable why did the women do it? And, >>>> more curiously, why both of them? >>> >>> Why did they cross?  Why did they not use the bridge? >>> My dear Junaid, I wish I could answer this. I haven't the slightest clue, >>> but even if one could answer this, how does it prove rape and murder? >>>> >>>> That you have been to Kunan-Poshpora (and, no, I haven't been there) >>>> and that the victims are saying (and rightly so) that the politicians >>>> (?) didn't care about them, that they didn't see any money, or that >>>> they face enormous social hardships, does not prove that they were not >>>> raped. It is a great failure of the Kashmiri society not to have >>>> adequately shown solidarity with these women. But where are the >>>> culprits? It is not so difficult to find them, right? >>>> >>> Have I said the culprits should not be punished, that rape should go >>> unpunished?  You seem to be driven by a sick determination to twist >>> everything I say. Kunan Poshpora, like many other crimes have gone >>> unpunished.  If and when there is peace in Kashmir there ought to be a >>> truth >>> & reconciliation commission where these matters can be raised.  Not just >>> what happened to women of Kunan Poshpora, but also scores of others like >>> Sarla Butt (remember her?), Nigeena Awan, and Mariam Bi of Doda who had >>> the >>> great distinction of being gang-raped by militants and then carved up by >>> knives. >>> >>>> In your earlier post you said this: "The reason I posted Fayyaz's >>>> article was because it underscored what many on >>>> this list are guilty of. Making a noise about things that further >>>> their world views or political interests and keeping quiet when it >>>> doesn't. I have no axe to grind." Whose worldviews and political >>>> interests "on this list" are you talking about? You seem to suggest >>>> that there are some hypocrites who make "noise about things". Well >>>> first of all, most of the time I see absolute garbage posted here on >>>> issues related to Kashmir. (Some posts count dead people in Kashmir in >>>> "Ks"... 16 K instead of 219). Second, I don't think Fayyaz's report is >>>> a sound way to underscore anything. In fact, his reports are doltish >>>> in the least and dark propaganda if you read it carefully enough. >>>> >>> Garbage on this list, the doltishness of Fayyaz, the dark >>> propaganda...this >>> is the world we live in.  People don't always have to agree with you. >>> Sometimes you have to engage with them, wrestle and debate with their >>> ideas. >>> It's too easy to brush people aside as Indian agents/Pakistani agents/ CIA >>> agents. Sometimes annoying people and their irritating ideas can't just be >>> wished away, or for that matter, liquidated. >>> >>> Sincerely, >>> Sonia Jabbar >>> >>>> >>>> Junaid >>>> >>>> >>>> On Thu, Apr 1, 2010 at 10:36 PM, S. Jabbar >>>> wrote: >>>>> >>>>> Dear Junaid, >>>>> >>>>> Has Kashmir become a den of sleaze? Have I suggested that this is so and >>>>> that 'Kashmiris are compulsive liars'? I don't think so. And if I have, >>>>> I >>>>> think you need to back your accusations with evidence from my posts. >>>>> >>>>> The CMO Pulwama, Dr. Ghulam Qadir's actions can hardly be conflated with >>>>> the >>>>> actions of all Kashmiris, so where is the question of Kashmir becoming a >>>>> 'den of sex, sleaze and hypocrisy'? Having said that I still think it is >>>>> necessary to examine the actions of this particular gentleman as he was >>>>> the >>>>> man ultimately responsible for collecting the vaginal samples and >>>>> fudging >>>>> them. >>>>> >>>>> I have in my earlier post to Sanjay-- which I am sure you have read-- >>>>> condemned rapes and murders by men in khaki so I really don't understand >>>>> your outrageous attempt to paint me as someone who condones violations >>>>> in >>>>> J&K or anywhere else. >>>>> >>>>> You talk of Kunan Poshpora. Have you been there? I doubt it. But I have. >>>>> I spent time, I talked to the women in private, away from the gaze of >>>>> the >>>>> men. And guess what? I believed them. And guess what else? They really >>>>> hate being talked about, written about, bandied about by politicians who >>>>> don't give a flying F about them and have used them to further their >>>>> political agenda. Guess what else? The money that was collected in their >>>>> name by the men who made the greatest noise about the rapes never got to >>>>> them. And guess what else? They are still known as 'the raped village' >>>>> and >>>>> girls who were too little at the time of the ghastly incident are still >>>>> tormented whenever they leave their village to attend a HS school in a >>>>> nearby village-- not by men in khaki, but by their own brethren. >>>>> >>>>> Turning to Shopian. I have read every report on the case. Have you been >>>>> to >>>>> the Rambiara? Has anyone determined where exactly the women drowned? All >>>>> that is known is where the bodies were found. The bodies were found near >>>>> the bridge way downstream from the logical point of crossing from their >>>>> orchard to their home, both which were upstream. All people who claimed >>>>> they could not have drowned in Rambiara where the bodies were found were >>>>> absolutely correct. However, if you bother to read the testimonies of >>>>> the >>>>> victims' relatives in the Jan Commission Report you will realize that >>>>> even >>>>> that spot was difficult to cross. Early that morning, when the group saw >>>>> some 'clothes' across the nullah, the brother in-law went back some 200 >>>>> yards, crossed the bridge and then descended to the spot where they >>>>> found >>>>> Niloufer. When he shouted across the nullah to the men on the other >>>>> side, >>>>> Niloufer's husband, wild with grief, wanted to leap into the nullah and >>>>> go >>>>> straight across. He was restrained and finally the men went back 200 >>>>> yards, >>>>> crossed the bridge and went down to the other side. If the water was >>>>> 'ankle-deep' as everyone claims, the men would have walked across >>>>> without a >>>>> fuss. Why didn't they? >>>>> >>>>> To date no one who claims there was a rape and murder have been able to >>>>> scientifically establish cause of death. And if you cannot establish >>>>> cause >>>>> of death how can you say whether, it is homicide, suicide, or death by >>>>> accident? Soon after the incident the state government had announced a >>>>> reward of 25 lakh rupees to any information leading to the arrest of the >>>>> culprits. Every man, woman and child was following this case in J&K. And >>>>> yet to date not a single person has come up with any information leading >>>>> to >>>>> the arrest of the culprits. Every claim when investigated turned out to >>>>> be >>>>> false. >>>>> >>>>> As far as the claim of rape or gang rape: where is the evidence? >>>>> Everything >>>>> that has come out points to the contrary. >>>>> >>>>> As far as your last assertion, I only have one thing to say, and that >>>>> is, I >>>>> don't need to prove 2 women were raped and murdered to underscore how >>>>> bad it >>>>> is in Kashmir to be living under the shadow of so many guns. I have >>>>> always >>>>> said this and will say it again: India and Pakistan must resolve >>>>> Kashmir. >>>>> The solution must be acceptable to all people and regions of J&K. >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>>> From: Junaid >>>>>> Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2010 16:56:02 -0400 >>>>>> To: Sarai , Sanjay Kak >>>>>> , >>>>>> "S. >>>>>> Jabbar" >>>>>> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Selective condemnation of rape and murder >>>>>> has >>>>>> become bane of J&K politic >>>>>> >>>>>> Hi Sonia, >>>>>> >>>>>> Thank you for sending across a slew of sordid reports suggesting how >>>>>> Kashmir has become a den of sex, sleaze, and hypocrisy. Your posts are >>>>>> complemented well by Kshmendra Kaul's post which asserts that >>>>>> Kashmiris are compulsive liars, and Pawan Durani's forwards that >>>>>> underscore how Kashmiris lie about human rights violations by the >>>>>> Indian troops. Between the three of you, you have finally nailed the >>>>>> true psyche of Kashmiris! But you know since sleaze is something that >>>>>> defines the present state of politics in and about Kashmir, the nature >>>>>> of what is written about it cannot entirely escape its shadow. >>>>>> >>>>>> We have a history of making "noises" about rapes and molestations and >>>>>> almost invariably we have been told by the Indian agencies and the >>>>>> Indian media that we are wrong. The rape of dozens of women in >>>>>> Kunan-Poshpora in Kupwara by the Indian army has been declared a >>>>>> fabrication by the Indian govt and its intellegentsia. A number of >>>>>> books (authored by pro-establishment people like Manoj Joshi, Tavleen >>>>>> Singh etc) and tomes of news-stories have been manufactured to silence >>>>>> our "hypocritical" "noise". Press Council of India put a stamp of >>>>>> innocence on the Indian army units involved. (Only, we came to know >>>>>> later that BG Verghese hadn't even visited the village or talked to >>>>>> any victims). But that is too far in the past. >>>>>> >>>>>> The reports of sexual abuse and exploitation of underage Kashmiri >>>>>> girls by the pro-India politicians, the bureaucrats, and the top >>>>>> officers of the paramilitary forces and the police, and the subsequent >>>>>> investigations have led to nowhere. CBI didn't particularly prove >>>>>> itself to be objective or free from political influence in that case. >>>>>> See: >>>>>> >>>>>> http://www.indianexpress.com/news/highcourtnamesstringofvvipsinsexualabuseca >>>>>> se >>>>>> /226255/ >>>>>> >>>>>> It is quite understandable that, after all this, the Kashmiri people >>>>>> (and the sane people in India who see what CBI did to the Bofors case >>>>>> and the Hawala scandal) don't trust its "reports". See: >>>>>> http://kashmirprocess.com/news/20100104_GK_Wani.pdf >>>>>> >>>>>> So, when you say "Based on the evidence that we have at the (moment) I >>>>>> do not believe it was either rape or murder", I would like to know >>>>>> what "evidence" are you talking about. What evidence do you have to >>>>>> suggest that the two women found dead in knee-deep water were not >>>>>> raped and murdered? If you have "evidence" it means you are suggesting >>>>>> that the evidence points to an alternative scenario. What is that >>>>>> scenario? Unless you are suggesting that both the women happened to >>>>>> drown in the rivulet, in which even fish didn't have water enough to >>>>>> swim! (Well, that scenario would not need evidence but a miracle... or >>>>>> a dopey imagination!) >>>>>> >>>>>> I am asking this because it seems you have an opinion on what actually >>>>>> happened to the two women. After all, you call it a "tragic death": "I >>>>>> feel wretched that 2 women died a tragic death and then they were >>>>>> subjected to the worst kind of public scrutiny for months, their >>>>>> sexual lives speculated upon, their characters ground down to the >>>>>> dust.." You are right about the second part, of course. But the >>>>>> question is who speculated on the character of the two women, or cast >>>>>> aspersions about the role of Neelofar's husband? Who was most >>>>>> interested in showing the women as bad-charactered? >>>>>> >>>>>> Have you read these two reports: >>>>>> http://www.kashmirprocess.org/reports/shopian/ and >>>>>> http://www.kashmirtimes.com/shopian-report.pdf ? But these are >>>>>> independent reports. What happened to the findings of the Jan >>>>>> Commission? It was a govt report, right? It established rape and >>>>>> murder. See http://www.hindu.com/nic/shopian/index.htm >>>>>> >>>>>> In reality, even if I accept your (self-appointed) three-member >>>>>> bench's unanimous conclusion about Kashmiris as liars, hypocrites, and >>>>>> manipulators, don't you think it still keeps pointing to the single >>>>>> most important thing about Kashmiri opinion about Indian rule over >>>>>> Kashmir: that they don't like it at all. That Indian rule over Kashmir >>>>>> has no democratic legitimacy? >>>>>> >>>>>> Junaid >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>> >>> >>> _________________________________________ >>> 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 sonia.jabbar at gmail.com Mon Apr 5 10:04:39 2010 From: sonia.jabbar at gmail.com (S. Jabbar) Date: Mon, 05 Apr 2010 10:04:39 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Selective condemnation of rape and murder has become bane of J&K politic In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Dear Junaid, You claimed in your last mail that, ' In between, what happened to the AIIMS doctor involved in the exhumation of the bodies who doubted the CBI report. Praveen IB Swami rubished him by suggesting that the doctor had been caught plagiarising in 2004 and was therefore not credible! If the doctor wasn't credible, why was he in the investigation team in the first place?' When I doubted that you have now sent Praveen Swami's link (and why do you add the appellation IB to his name? Because you don't agree with him? As I said in one of my emails to Sanjay Kak, this is the cheapest and easiest way to dismiss someone if one doesn't agree with their ideas, but you still can't wish him away. Even you end up quoting or misquoting him!) But I've read the piece and it nowhere suggests that Dr. Gupta was a part of the AIIMS team as suggested by you. So, what are you trying to say to people on this list? Please clarify lest one believes that you only want to deliberately and mischievously confuse the issue further. You say '(Except Praveen IB declared all charges were wrong, that every thing was a fabrication...' suggesting that the women were indeed raped and murdered. I took the time and energy to go through your last email to provide point by point, some facts that indicate otherwise. You haven't bothered to respond to those, but seem perfectly content to continue to drum up outrage on the rape and murder and heap scorn on those who doubt it-- why, despite my repeatedly saying I am open to changing my mind if you can provide SOME credible evidence? You seem to want to sift through my statement on Kunan Poshpora to find some grist for your mill. I'm sorry to disappoint you again and again. Why did I say 'away from the gaze of men?' Women talk about their bodies very differently within a group of women than in front of a group of men. This, dear Junaid, is a very, very basic for anyone who has worked in the field. The women I met in K.Poshpora were a large group-- not of one family. No woman Kashmiri or Tamilian or Bengali or Pakhtun would talk about details of a terrible incident of molestation and/or rape in front of men, even of her own family-- husband, brother, uncle, nephew, son included. And what I said, if you bothered to read carefully, which you evidently did not, was that I said that DESPITE my speaking to them privately, what they had to say corroborated the fact that sexual violence DID take place and that is why, 'I believed them,' contrary to the findings of B.G. Verghese and others. like Sarla Butt (remember her?-- [REMEMBER HER sounds like you're insinuating something here...]--), Nigeena Awan, and Mariam Bi of Doda who had the great distinction of being gang-raped by militants and then carved up by knives." Yes, I am clearly saying something here, not simply insinuating it. And if you want me to say it again here it is: Rape, sadly, is not the sole prerogative of the Indian security forces, and I don't hear your outrage when women are raped by the militants. In conflict zones across India there are two sets of men (or more) with guns and both, unfortunately share unchallenged patriarchal views on women.  Violence against women is seen as a natural extension and privilege of patriarchy and rape as a weapon of war is never limited to one side. Tragically, human rights groups have rarely responded to women who have been sexually abused by militants. For them these women simply do not exist. If the woman lives, she has no right to express outrage as it goes Œagainst the movement.¹ The friends and family of such women are made to shut up, their feelings made to seem illegitimate. What does this do to a community? Everyone knows the truth but are divided because only selective truths see the light of day. Hardly, a situation conducive for the cohesion in an ordinary society, let alone the kind one requires in a society engaged in a freedom struggle. You ask: First, what does it mean "IF and WHEN there is PEACE in Kashmir there ought to be..........where these MATTERS CAN be raised"? Rape in Kunan Poshpora constitutes a crime against humanity since the Indian state is not accepting it and has no intention of bringing anyone to trial, meaning it is shielding culprits and effectively suggesting the whole incident had blessings of the state. MATTERS can't wait for your PEACE! Any Matter. And Reconciliation to what? Forced Military Occupation? 'If & when' does not refer to my desire for peace but refers to the nature of wars in the late 20th c., which are protracted, and do not have a clear conclusion. Kashmir, sadly, seems to be one of those. As I had already clarified that I believed the Kashmir Dispute had to be settled amicably between India and Pakistan in accordance with the wishes of all people in all the regions of J&K (Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh, Pakistan Administered Kashmir and Gilgit & Baltistan) I did not think I had to reiterate it again. Knowing how the aspirations of all regions pull in different directions and the trajectories of both India and Pakistan and their perceived national interests pull in opposite directions, I do not see a solution in the near future, therefore, the 'if & when.' 'Matters can't wait for my peace?' OK. So what have YOU done to bring the perpetrators of K.Poshpora to justice and how far have you gotten in your endeavor? Please share this with us, because I really wish I could occupy a place of permanent outrage like you and feel with a clear conscience that I have done my duty to humanity. My efforts have been slightly more humble, but they have come from the best intentions to communicate with a larger public on the truth of K.Poshpora and I want to tell you that despite my writing about it, speaking about it and having it as part of a photo-installation that has traveled the country and abroad it has made no damned difference. So now what? Will my continued anger make any difference to the lives of the women of K.Poshpora, or for that matter the lives of the Babus who continue to shield perpetrators? I doubt it. When I speak of Truth & Reconciliation (in capitals) I refer to a very specific historic experiment that to some extent was successful in allowing the beginning of some healing process in South Africa. I suggest you read about it before subjecting me to another volley of hysterical accusations. Best sj > From: Junaid > Date: Sun, 4 Apr 2010 19:54:21 -0400 > To: TaraPrakash > Cc: "S. Jabbar" , Sarai , > Sanjay Kak > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Selective condemnation of rape and murder has > become bane of J&K politic > > Hi Sonia, > > Here is the link to, and the relevant passage from, Praveen IB Swami's > article. Perhaps, you have read it; it says pretty much the same > things that you are saying. > > http://beta.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/article71564.ece > > "The Kashmir High Court Bar Association says it has a letter from > AIIMS forensic medicine expert Sudhir Gupta, casting doubt on the > forensic findings. Dr. Gupta has offered no independent corroboration > of this claim; indeed, in an in-house AIIMS correspondence obtained by > The Hindu, Dr. Gupta asked for a copy of the letter so he could give a > ³legitimate reply.² The AIIMS spat has led to some bizarre media > allegations, including assertions that its experts helped to rig > forensic evidence in the murder of a Delhi teenager ‹ a case the > institution had nothing to do with. Dr. Gupta, whose name was struck > off the rolls of the Medical Council of India in 2004, on plagiarism > charges, may or may not be a credible witness, but if there is any > serious critique of the evidence marshalled by the CBI, it must be > assessed and responded to." > > (Except Praveen IB declared all charges were wrong, that every thing > was a fabrication, and never waited for any criticism of the CBI > report, which no one in Kashmir--the victims relatives, the high > court, the Kashmiri people in Shopian and elsewhere, the independent > tribunals, the local media, or even the pro-India political parties > saw as credible!) > > Just briefly on Kunan-Poshpora. Since you said the victims of the mass > rape don't want to talk about what befell them. > You said: "You talk of Kunan Poshpora. Have you been there? I doubt > it. But I have. I spent time, I talked to the women in private, away > from the gaze of the men. And guess what? I believed them. And guess > what else? They really hate being talked about, written about, bandied > about by politicians who don't give a flying F about them." > > First I think your sweeping generalization "the gaze of men" is > unsustainable in the context of nature of the Kashmiri society (and > perhaps elsewhere as well). We do have, as you do, structural problems > concerning gender. But please don't think you have a different kind > of, or a privileged, access to Kashmiri women than have their own men. > By using your unitary brush "men" you are, even if subtly, treating > their own men on par with their rapists (Indian troops) and pro-India > politicians. Just because Kashmir is a Muslim society, Indian media > and the intelligentsia can't play the Laura Bush's "Saving Muzlim > Women" card in Kashmir. In the Kashmiri context, it is the Indian > state which acts like a hyper-aggressive male trying to domesticate > Kashmiris. Both Kashmiri women AND men are victims of gendered > violence of the Indian state. > > Second, here is a link to an excerpt where the women and the men of > Kunan Poshpora actually do speak: > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3y3SuBvCDes&feature=related > > Courtesy of: Shilpi Gupta's "When the Storm Came" a documentary about > 23 Feb 1991 Kunan Poshpora. > > And thanks for suggesting Truth and Reconciliation (?) Commission for Kashmir: > > "If and when there is peace in Kashmir there ought to be a truth & > reconciliation commission where these matters can be raised. Not just > what happened to women of Kunan Poshpora, but also scores of others > like Sarla Butt (remember her?-- [REMEMBER HER sounds like you're > insinuating something here...]--), Nigeena Awan, and Mariam Bi of Doda > who had the great distinction of being gang-raped by militants and > then carved up by knives." > > First, what does it mean "IF and WHEN there is PEACE in Kashmir there > ought to be..........where these MATTERS CAN be raised"? Rape in Kunan > Poshpora constitutes a crime against humanity since the Indian state > is not accepting it and has no intention of bringing anyone to trial, > meaning it is shielding culprits and effectively suggesting the whole > incident had blessings of the state. MATTERS can't wait for your > PEACE! Any Matter. And Reconciliation to what? Forced Military > Occupation? > > Junaid > > > > > On Fri, Apr 2, 2010 at 10:29 AM, TaraPrakash wrote: >> Dear Sonia. thanks for offering some rational discourse on this otherwise >> emotionally charged list. There seems to be a "revolution" on the way in US >> in the form of tea party movement. The most regressive types today are >> calling themselves revolutionary. These revolutionaries include as >> regressive and as fascist a group as KKK. This movement that is getting a >> lot of media attention is calling whoever does not agree with them, fascist. >> Only those agree with them are true Americans. Their rallies include a lot >> of gun-toting individuals who speak in favor of armed militia who would take >> America back to impose middle ages on people. >> >> Well, what is the parallel? We will understand from some of these mails that >> true Kashmiris are only those who think like them. Just say no, just disrupt >> is the only right thing. There is nothing wrong in gun culture. It's okay to >> subjugate women and behead those who think differently. Brand them as Indian >> agent, Hindu agents, RSS agents wherever need be. Sadly, you will see some >> of progressives playing in the hands of Kashmiri regressives. >> >> When I asked some time back who Junaid considered Kashmiris, my motives were >> declared as specious. But yes there was a response that dekashmirize a lot >> of Kashmiris. Now again when you talk about some miscreants, they equate it >> as your calling all kashmiris names. In the name of an alternative model, >> they have nothing but a philosophical chatter. If you ask my opinion, some >> individuals for whom Kashmiris are bread and butter, have harmed the cause >> of Kashmir. If their alternative model is as insane as the current one, what >> is the need for change? If they just want to replace oppressors, is there >> any reason for supporting the movement? It's not a freedom movement, it's >> like give me the rein movement -- Let me control the asses, I mean masses. >> Again, we need sane voices like yours, keep your emails coming. >> >> >> >> Best regards >> >> TaraPrakash >> ----- Original Message ----- From: "S. Jabbar" >> To: "Junaid" >> Cc: "Sarai" ; "Sanjay Kak" >> >> Sent: Friday, April 02, 2010 4:05 AM >> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Selective condemnation of rape and murder has >> become bane of J&K politic >> >> >>> Dear Junaid, >>> I will respond point by point, and Sanju sorry, as I have ended up doing >>> what I said I wouldn't in my email to you, but Junaid has made my task >>> easier with specific charges/accusations/assertions.  For the rest of the >>> people on this list, my apologies, as much of this will seem confusing >>> without the longer narrative of the case, which I simply do not have the >>> time to put down. >>> >>>> Shopian case has, from the day it became clear that the two women >>>> hadn't simply drowned, been a game where it seems those responsible >>>> are hell bent on proving that the women were neither sexually >>>> assaulted nor murdered. >>> >>> This is simply not true.  Everyone was on the back foot when protests >>> erupted following Omar Abdullah's statement that the women had drowned. >>> After that the entire state machinery was employed to prove that they were >>> raped and murdered.  This included the police investigation team led by >>> IGP >>> Kashmir, and the state govt. paying their lawyers Rs.13 Lakhs to stop the >>> 4 >>> policemen (who were booked for dereliction of duty) from getting bail in >>> the >>> supreme court. >>>> >>> Jan pointed out that Asiya's death was caused by a gash on >>>> >>>> her forehead. >>> >>> Jan based his observations on the post-mortem report, which was >>> fabricated. >>> The doctors had not even x-rayed Asiya's skull let alone open it up to >>> ascertain whether the wound had led to a brain hemorrhage. The first lot >>> of >>> doctors measured the wound to be 2-3 cm, the 2nd, 2-3 inches.  Wow! >>> Fantastic.  If a tailor had this kind of margin of error he would've been >>> without any customers and the Jan Commission doesn't even comment on this! >>> >>> CBI said it was not the reason, but since sand and >>>> >>>> phytoplankton from Rambiara were found inside the lungs CBI declared >>>> it a case of drowning. Well clearly since Asiya's and Neelofar's body >>>> were taken out of shallow water the possibility that the water could >>>> have entered her lungs after her death was not even seen as a real >>>> possibility. >>> >>> Dr. Bilal had claimed he had done a flotation test on the lungs, but when >>> the bodies were exhumed and autopsy conducted in front of Majlis >>> Mashawarat >>> the lungs were found intact.  Turns out the tissue used was a slice of the >>> heart! The AIIMS team did a flotation test on the lungs that failed.  This >>> is recorded on camera and was done in front of members of the Majlis >>> Mashawarat. >>> >>>> Intact hymen in one body doesn't rule out rape, right? >>> >>> Wrong.  If you can't figure out why I really don't want to go into this >>> list. What else is there to prove rape?  The vaginal samples with multiple >>> spermatozoa that were displayed as proof of a brutal 'gang rape' turned >>> out >>> to be the sick fabrication of Dr. Chiloo and Dr. Gh.Qadir who manufactured >>> the samples by taking scrapings of gloves from the Pulwama district >>> hospital.  A second slide was also prepared, bizarrely, from Dr.Chiloo's >>> own >>> vaginal swab. Ugh. >>> >>> Praveen IB Swami rubished >>>> >>>> him by suggesting that the doctor had been caught plagiarising in 2004 >>>> and was therefore not credible! If the doctor wasn't credible, why was >>>> he in the investigation team in the first place? >>> >>> Pl attach Pravin Swmai's report. As far as I recall it was the Bar Assoc. >>> that spread the canard.  And which doctor are you referring to?   The team >>> of 9 doctors that was sent by AIIMS was led by the doctor who had done the >>> post mortem on Indira Gandhi in '84. There were 9 doctors from AIIMS and 9 >>> scientists from the Central Forensic Laboratory.  From the autopsy to the >>> tests to the preservation of the tissue samples was done on camera. Anyone >>> wishing to challenge this can file an RTI and examine the evidence. >>>> >>>> I have seen Rambiara many times. Even where it joins Vaishav, which is >>>> at its end, it is not deep enough. And generally at the end of May >>>> water in Kashmiri streams is especially low, as some of it gets >>>> diverted to paddy fields. Government did its best to suggest that >>>> there was a sudden cloud burst and water overflowed in the brook. And >>>> IB Swami claimed there was flood that night. I was in a place close to >>>> Shopian around that time, and there had been no rain for days. Where >>>> did the great flood myth come from? Old Testament? >>> >>> Let us not quibble but meet at the Rambiara on May 29th this year with a >>> whole bunch of witnesses.  I have no idea what the weather will be like >>> but >>> really don't mind wagering you will not be able to cross.  Incidentally, >>> the >>> claim that no one has ever drowned in the Rambiara is false.  Please check >>> J&K Police records from 1995-2009 and you will be surprised to learn that >>> it >>> wasn't just Neloufer and Asiya who were found washed up. >>> >>>> Anycase see photos of Rambi Ara here: >>>> http://www.kashmirprocess.org/reports/shopian/shopian_materials.html >>>> http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2525/3751167090_9fe348e660.jpg >>>> Would you have been able to cross it? >>>> >>>> Now what you are saying is this: >>>> >>>> "Early that morning, when the group saw some 'clothes' across the >>>> nullah, the brother in-law went back some 200 yards, crossed the >>>> bridge and then descended to the spot where they found Niloufer.  When >>>> he shouted across the nullah to the men on the other side, Niloufer's >>>> husband, wild with grief, wanted to leap into the nullah and go >>>> straight across.  He was restrained and finally the men went back 200 >>>> yards, crossed the bridge and went down to the other side.  If the >>>> water was 'ankle-deep' as everyone claims, the men would have walked >>>> across without a fuss.  Why didn't they?" >>>> >>>> Well, I ask you this question: Why didn't the two women use the bridge >>>> instead of doing a thing that even men (wild with grief) wouldn't do? >>>> If the river was really not crossable why did the women do it? And, >>>> more curiously, why both of them? >>> >>> Why did they cross?  Why did they not use the bridge? >>> My dear Junaid, I wish I could answer this. I haven't the slightest clue, >>> but even if one could answer this, how does it prove rape and murder? >>>> >>>> That you have been to Kunan-Poshpora (and, no, I haven't been there) >>>> and that the victims are saying (and rightly so) that the politicians >>>> (?) didn't care about them, that they didn't see any money, or that >>>> they face enormous social hardships, does not prove that they were not >>>> raped. It is a great failure of the Kashmiri society not to have >>>> adequately shown solidarity with these women. But where are the >>>> culprits? It is not so difficult to find them, right? >>>> >>> Have I said the culprits should not be punished, that rape should go >>> unpunished?  You seem to be driven by a sick determination to twist >>> everything I say. Kunan Poshpora, like many other crimes have gone >>> unpunished.  If and when there is peace in Kashmir there ought to be a >>> truth >>> & reconciliation commission where these matters can be raised.  Not just >>> what happened to women of Kunan Poshpora, but also scores of others like >>> Sarla Butt (remember her?), Nigeena Awan, and Mariam Bi of Doda who had >>> the >>> great distinction of being gang-raped by militants and then carved up by >>> knives. >>> >>>> In your earlier post you said this: "The reason I posted Fayyaz's >>>> article was because it underscored what many on >>>> this list are guilty of. Making a noise about things that further >>>> their world views or political interests and keeping quiet when it >>>> doesn't. I have no axe to grind." Whose worldviews and political >>>> interests "on this list" are you talking about? You seem to suggest >>>> that there are some hypocrites who make "noise about things". Well >>>> first of all, most of the time I see absolute garbage posted here on >>>> issues related to Kashmir. (Some posts count dead people in Kashmir in >>>> "Ks"... 16 K instead of 219). Second, I don't think Fayyaz's report is >>>> a sound way to underscore anything. In fact, his reports are doltish >>>> in the least and dark propaganda if you read it carefully enough. >>>> >>> Garbage on this list, the doltishness of Fayyaz, the dark >>> propaganda...this >>> is the world we live in.  People don't always have to agree with you. >>> Sometimes you have to engage with them, wrestle and debate with their >>> ideas. >>> It's too easy to brush people aside as Indian agents/Pakistani agents/ CIA >>> agents. Sometimes annoying people and their irritating ideas can't just be >>> wished away, or for that matter, liquidated. >>> >>> Sincerely, >>> Sonia Jabbar >>> >>>> >>>> Junaid >>>> >>>> >>>> On Thu, Apr 1, 2010 at 10:36 PM, S. Jabbar >>>> wrote: >>>>> >>>>> Dear Junaid, >>>>> >>>>> Has Kashmir become a den of sleaze? Have I suggested that this is so and >>>>> that 'Kashmiris are compulsive liars'? I don't think so. And if I have, >>>>> I >>>>> think you need to back your accusations with evidence from my posts. >>>>> >>>>> The CMO Pulwama, Dr. Ghulam Qadir's actions can hardly be conflated with >>>>> the >>>>> actions of all Kashmiris, so where is the question of Kashmir becoming a >>>>> 'den of sex, sleaze and hypocrisy'? Having said that I still think it is >>>>> necessary to examine the actions of this particular gentleman as he was >>>>> the >>>>> man ultimately responsible for collecting the vaginal samples and >>>>> fudging >>>>> them. >>>>> >>>>> I have in my earlier post to Sanjay-- which I am sure you have read-- >>>>> condemned rapes and murders by men in khaki so I really don't understand >>>>> your outrageous attempt to paint me as someone who condones violations >>>>> in >>>>> J&K or anywhere else. >>>>> >>>>> You talk of Kunan Poshpora. Have you been there? I doubt it. But I have. >>>>> I spent time, I talked to the women in private, away from the gaze of >>>>> the >>>>> men. And guess what? I believed them. And guess what else? They really >>>>> hate being talked about, written about, bandied about by politicians who >>>>> don't give a flying F about them and have used them to further their >>>>> political agenda. Guess what else? The money that was collected in their >>>>> name by the men who made the greatest noise about the rapes never got to >>>>> them. And guess what else? They are still known as 'the raped village' >>>>> and >>>>> girls who were too little at the time of the ghastly incident are still >>>>> tormented whenever they leave their village to attend a HS school in a >>>>> nearby village-- not by men in khaki, but by their own brethren. >>>>> >>>>> Turning to Shopian. I have read every report on the case. Have you been >>>>> to >>>>> the Rambiara? Has anyone determined where exactly the women drowned? All >>>>> that is known is where the bodies were found. The bodies were found near >>>>> the bridge way downstream from the logical point of crossing from their >>>>> orchard to their home, both which were upstream. All people who claimed >>>>> they could not have drowned in Rambiara where the bodies were found were >>>>> absolutely correct. However, if you bother to read the testimonies of >>>>> the >>>>> victims' relatives in the Jan Commission Report you will realize that >>>>> even >>>>> that spot was difficult to cross. Early that morning, when the group saw >>>>> some 'clothes' across the nullah, the brother in-law went back some 200 >>>>> yards, crossed the bridge and then descended to the spot where they >>>>> found >>>>> Niloufer. When he shouted across the nullah to the men on the other >>>>> side, >>>>> Niloufer's husband, wild with grief, wanted to leap into the nullah and >>>>> go >>>>> straight across. He was restrained and finally the men went back 200 >>>>> yards, >>>>> crossed the bridge and went down to the other side. If the water was >>>>> 'ankle-deep' as everyone claims, the men would have walked across >>>>> without a >>>>> fuss. Why didn't they? >>>>> >>>>> To date no one who claims there was a rape and murder have been able to >>>>> scientifically establish cause of death. And if you cannot establish >>>>> cause >>>>> of death how can you say whether, it is homicide, suicide, or death by >>>>> accident? Soon after the incident the state government had announced a >>>>> reward of 25 lakh rupees to any information leading to the arrest of the >>>>> culprits. Every man, woman and child was following this case in J&K. And >>>>> yet to date not a single person has come up with any information leading >>>>> to >>>>> the arrest of the culprits. Every claim when investigated turned out to >>>>> be >>>>> false. >>>>> >>>>> As far as the claim of rape or gang rape: where is the evidence? >>>>> Everything >>>>> that has come out points to the contrary. >>>>> >>>>> As far as your last assertion, I only have one thing to say, and that >>>>> is, I >>>>> don't need to prove 2 women were raped and murdered to underscore how >>>>> bad it >>>>> is in Kashmir to be living under the shadow of so many guns. I have >>>>> always >>>>> said this and will say it again: India and Pakistan must resolve >>>>> Kashmir. >>>>> The solution must be acceptable to all people and regions of J&K. >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>>> From: Junaid >>>>>> Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2010 16:56:02 -0400 >>>>>> To: Sarai , Sanjay Kak >>>>>> , >>>>>> "S. >>>>>> Jabbar" >>>>>> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Selective condemnation of rape and murder >>>>>> has >>>>>> become bane of J&K politic >>>>>> >>>>>> Hi Sonia, >>>>>> >>>>>> Thank you for sending across a slew of sordid reports suggesting how >>>>>> Kashmir has become a den of sex, sleaze, and hypocrisy. Your posts are >>>>>> complemented well by Kshmendra Kaul's post which asserts that >>>>>> Kashmiris are compulsive liars, and Pawan Durani's forwards that >>>>>> underscore how Kashmiris lie about human rights violations by the >>>>>> Indian troops. Between the three of you, you have finally nailed the >>>>>> true psyche of Kashmiris! But you know since sleaze is something that >>>>>> defines the present state of politics in and about Kashmir, the nature >>>>>> of what is written about it cannot entirely escape its shadow. >>>>>> >>>>>> We have a history of making "noises" about rapes and molestations and >>>>>> almost invariably we have been told by the Indian agencies and the >>>>>> Indian media that we are wrong. The rape of dozens of women in >>>>>> Kunan-Poshpora in Kupwara by the Indian army has been declared a >>>>>> fabrication by the Indian govt and its intellegentsia. A number of >>>>>> books (authored by pro-establishment people like Manoj Joshi, Tavleen >>>>>> Singh etc) and tomes of news-stories have been manufactured to silence >>>>>> our "hypocritical" "noise". Press Council of India put a stamp of >>>>>> innocence on the Indian army units involved. (Only, we came to know >>>>>> later that BG Verghese hadn't even visited the village or talked to >>>>>> any victims). But that is too far in the past. >>>>>> >>>>>> The reports of sexual abuse and exploitation of underage Kashmiri >>>>>> girls by the pro-India politicians, the bureaucrats, and the top >>>>>> officers of the paramilitary forces and the police, and the subsequent >>>>>> investigations have led to nowhere. CBI didn't particularly prove >>>>>> itself to be objective or free from political influence in that case. >>>>>> See: >>>>>> >>>>>> http://www.indianexpress.com/news/highcourtnamesstringofvvipsinsexualabus >>>>>> eca >>>>>> se >>>>>> /226255/ >>>>>> >>>>>> It is quite understandable that, after all this, the Kashmiri people >>>>>> (and the sane people in India who see what CBI did to the Bofors case >>>>>> and the Hawala scandal) don't trust its "reports". See: >>>>>> http://kashmirprocess.com/news/20100104_GK_Wani.pdf >>>>>> >>>>>> So, when you say "Based on the evidence that we have at the (moment) I >>>>>> do not believe it was either rape or murder", I would like to know >>>>>> what "evidence" are you talking about. What evidence do you have to >>>>>> suggest that the two women found dead in knee-deep water were not >>>>>> raped and murdered? If you have "evidence" it means you are suggesting >>>>>> that the evidence points to an alternative scenario. What is that >>>>>> scenario? Unless you are suggesting that both the women happened to >>>>>> drown in the rivulet, in which even fish didn't have water enough to >>>>>> swim! (Well, that scenario would not need evidence but a miracle... or >>>>>> a dopey imagination!) >>>>>> >>>>>> I am asking this because it seems you have an opinion on what actually >>>>>> happened to the two women. After all, you call it a "tragic death": "I >>>>>> feel wretched that 2 women died a tragic death and then they were >>>>>> subjected to the worst kind of public scrutiny for months, their >>>>>> sexual lives speculated upon, their characters ground down to the >>>>>> dust.." You are right about the second part, of course. But the >>>>>> question is who speculated on the character of the two women, or cast >>>>>> aspersions about the role of Neelofar's husband? Who was most >>>>>> interested in showing the women as bad-charactered? >>>>>> >>>>>> Have you read these two reports: >>>>>> http://www.kashmirprocess.org/reports/shopian/ and >>>>>> http://www.kashmirtimes.com/shopian-report.pdf ? But these are >>>>>> independent reports. What happened to the findings of the Jan >>>>>> Commission? It was a govt report, right? It established rape and >>>>>> murder. See http://www.hindu.com/nic/shopian/index.htm >>>>>> >>>>>> In reality, even if I accept your (self-appointed) three-member >>>>>> bench's unanimous conclusion about Kashmiris as liars, hypocrites, and >>>>>> manipulators, don't you think it still keeps pointing to the single >>>>>> most important thing about Kashmiri opinion about Indian rule over >>>>>> Kashmir: that they don't like it at all. That Indian rule over Kashmir >>>>>> has no democratic legitimacy? >>>>>> >>>>>> Junaid >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>> >>> >>> _________________________________________ >>> 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 Sun Apr 4 23:13:10 2010 From: shuddha at sarai.net (Shuddhabrata Sengupta) Date: Sun, 4 Apr 2010 23:13:10 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] =?windows-1252?q?=22Amaresh_Mishra=92s_web_of_lies?= =?windows-1252?q?=22_-_the_Teesta_Setalvad_letter?= In-Reply-To: <419361.33306.qm@web57202.mail.re3.yahoo.com> References: <419361.33306.qm@web57202.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <4AF0AF9E-9F28-4B7A-926A-2AD131487EBF@sarai.net> Dear All, I would also caution everyone about the contents of Amaresh Mishra's communiques with the world. The Headley angle is disturbing, no doubt, but Mishra does us all a disservice by cooking the wildest of conspiracy theories. Especially those who do not buy the standard line on these matters should be careful not to tarnish their own arguments with wild, and unfounded speculation best Shuddha On 04-Apr-10, at 4:53 PM, Kshmendra Kaul wrote: > Javed Masoo posted the article by Amaresh Misra "Headley Saga: > Mumbai attack was a joint IB-CIA-Mossad-RSS project" > > Amaresh Misra is well known for his conspiracy theories and only > when someone is intent on suggesting some credibility to his > lunacies, a bio-bit about his being a "famed"/"eminent" historian > is inserted. > > A variation on the Amaresh Misra conpiracy theory on the Mumbai > Attack suggests that it is actually the nexus of CIA-Mossad-RSS > that controls/finances/directs the terror-agenda of IB/RAW (of > India) and ISI (of Pakistan). Yes ISI of Pakistan included. > > In the Dec 2008 letter of Teesta Setalvad, she had this to say > about Amaresh Misra: > http://communalism.blogspot.com/2008/12/amaresh-mishras-web-of- > lies.html > > - .... MR AMARESH MISHRA, a dangerous individual ..... > > - ...... the conspiracy theories spouted by Mr Mishra in print and > on the internet that are not just too incerdible but have also, > surprisingly escaped the wrath of the sangh parivar. > > > "Communalism Watch" also offers weblink for the article "Amaresh > Mishra -a case of intellectual rottenness" posted by one "gurmeet" > > That article has this to offer about Amaresh Misra: > http://libertynewscentral.blogspot.com/2008/12/amaresh-mishra-case- > of-intellectual.html > > - I did not know very much about Amaresh Mishra but that he had > written a book that appeared to be of dubious merit and dodgy > scholarship. > > - Now it seems that that dodginess runs deep indeed -deep into the > dark recesses of conspiracy theories. He suffers from the same > strain of kookiness that Union Minority Affairs Minister A R > Antulay does. > > - He belongs to that overflowing breed of intellectual/media/pundit/ > academic class that sees Mossad and CIA (or America and Israel) as > the fountainhead of most evil in the world.Kookiness is not an > aberration in this circle but a feature. > > - Aren't we told that Amaresh Mishra is a renowned historian? I am > glad we were enlightened or we might have come to the conclusion > that he is a conspiracy mongering lout. > > > Kshmendra > > > > > > _________________________________________ > 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/> Shuddhabrata Sengupta The Sarai Programme at CSDS Raqs Media Collective shuddha at sarai.net www.sarai.net www.raqsmediacollective.net From aliens at dataone.in Mon Apr 5 11:16:31 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Mon, 05 Apr 2010 11:16:31 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] GUJARAT - INTERESTING LINK Message-ID: <01a301cad483$58870b50$099521f0$@in> INTERESTING LINK WORTH TO SEE http://www.intentlabs.net/image004.jpg http://www.intentlabs.net/image005.jpg http:/www.intentlabs.net/image006.jpg From pawan.durani at gmail.com Mon Apr 5 11:19:23 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Mon, 5 Apr 2010 11:19:23 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] =?windows-1252?q?=22Amaresh_Mishra=92s_web_of_lies?= =?windows-1252?q?=22_-_the_Teesta_Setalvad_letter?= In-Reply-To: <4AF0AF9E-9F28-4B7A-926A-2AD131487EBF@sarai.net> References: <419361.33306.qm@web57202.mail.re3.yahoo.com> <4AF0AF9E-9F28-4B7A-926A-2AD131487EBF@sarai.net> Message-ID: Dear Shuddha , While i too find Amaresh Mishra's arguments weird , but I still believe that all we know about Headley is that he has been a US agent . I see no reason why US has been reluctant to let India quiz him ? Hasn't US demanded and got their terror suspects from Pakistan ? Why double standards ? So far it seems that there is something US wants to hide. Pawan On Sun, Apr 4, 2010 at 11:13 PM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: > Dear All, > > I would also caution everyone about the contents of Amaresh Mishra's > communiques with the world. The Headley angle is disturbing, no > doubt, but Mishra does us all a disservice by cooking the wildest of > conspiracy theories. Especially those who do not buy the standard > line on these matters should be careful not to tarnish their own > arguments with wild, and unfounded speculation > > best > > Shuddha > > On 04-Apr-10, at 4:53 PM, Kshmendra Kaul wrote: > >> Javed Masoo posted the article by Amaresh Misra "Headley Saga: >> Mumbai attack was a joint IB-CIA-Mossad-RSS project" >> >> Amaresh Misra is well known for his conspiracy theories and only >> when someone is intent on suggesting some credibility to his >> lunacies, a bio-bit about his being a "famed"/"eminent" historian >> is inserted. >> >> A variation on the Amaresh Misra conpiracy theory on the Mumbai >> Attack suggests that it is actually the nexus of CIA-Mossad-RSS >> that controls/finances/directs the terror-agenda of IB/RAW (of >> India) and ISI (of Pakistan). Yes ISI of Pakistan included. >> >> In the Dec 2008 letter of Teesta Setalvad, she had this to say >> about Amaresh Misra: >> http://communalism.blogspot.com/2008/12/amaresh-mishras-web-of- >> lies.html >> >> - .... MR AMARESH MISHRA, a dangerous individual ..... >> >> - ...... the conspiracy theories spouted by Mr Mishra in print and >> on the internet that are not just too incerdible but have also, >> surprisingly escaped the wrath of the sangh parivar. >> >> >> "Communalism Watch" also offers weblink for the article "Amaresh >> Mishra -a case of intellectual rottenness" posted by one "gurmeet" >> >> That article has this to offer about Amaresh Misra: >> http://libertynewscentral.blogspot.com/2008/12/amaresh-mishra-case- >> of-intellectual.html >> >> - I did not know very much about Amaresh Mishra but that he had >> written a book that appeared to be of dubious merit and dodgy >> scholarship. >> >> - Now it seems that that dodginess runs deep indeed -deep into the >> dark recesses of conspiracy theories. He suffers from the same >> strain of kookiness that Union Minority Affairs Minister A R >> Antulay does. >> >> - He belongs to that overflowing breed of intellectual/media/pundit/ >> academic class that sees Mossad and CIA (or America and Israel) as >> the fountainhead of most evil in the world.Kookiness is not an >> aberration in this circle but a feature. >> >> - Aren't we told that Amaresh Mishra is a renowned historian? I am >> glad we were enlightened or we might have come to the conclusion >> that he is a conspiracy mongering lout. >> >> >> Kshmendra >> >> >> >> >> >> _________________________________________ >> 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/> > > Shuddhabrata Sengupta > The Sarai Programme at CSDS > Raqs Media Collective > shuddha at sarai.net > www.sarai.net > www.raqsmediacollective.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 aliens at dataone.in Mon Apr 5 12:09:24 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Mon, 05 Apr 2010 12:09:24 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Gujarat is Modi? Message-ID: <01a801cad48a$bb394b30$31abe190$@in> http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Daily/skins/MIRRORNEW/navigator.asp?Daily=MMI R &showST=true Article of Ahmedabad Mirror on April 2 2010 by Mr. Pradeep Mallik Gujarat is Modi and... By censuring Amitabh Bachchan for promoting Gujarat tourism, the Congress party is implying that Gujarat is Modi and Modi is Gujarat Gujarat is Modi and Modi is Gujarat. This is the message that Congress is giving out in 2010 after famously singing India is Indira and Indira is India in the 1970s. The only difference is that the latter was sang in an unparalleled display of supreme Congressque sycophancy while the former is being painted with a view to embarrassing a political adversary and another who was their very own a few years ago. Investors and entrepreneurs living within the geographical limits of state called Gujarat and wanting to go there, beware. A certain political party that calls itself secular and national, may brand you communal and question your sanity simply because a certain Narendra Damodar Modi, too, lives within the same limits and happens to be its chief minister. That he was elected in a perfectly democratic election conducted by the Election Commission of India and “observed” by independent panels has no sanctity. How could it be so? The result did not go in Congress’ favour. There was a time when Modi would term any attack on him, his ideas, ways and administration, as an attack on Gujarat. He would famously say that it was an attack on “sava paanch crore Gujaratis” (52.5 million Gujaratis). Inherent in this statement, repeated over the years, was the idea that Modi and Gujarat are synonymous even as his detractors would rightly snigger. Like an expert judoka, Modi would use the challengers’ force and motion to pull and pin them down. To wit, recall Sonia Gandhi’s “maut ka saudagar” remark. Modi and his supporters used the UPA chairperson’s ill-advised phrase to transform Modi into a “vote ka saudagar.” An emphatic victory for BJP and corresponding crushing defeat for Congress was the obvious conclusion. Incidentally, this time around the Congress seems to have decided to help Modi further underline his expertise in political judo. By censuring Amitabh Bachchan for his decision to promote tourism in Gujarat, Congress is telling the world Gujarat is Modi and Modi is Gujarat. Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari has asked Bachchan if, by promoting brand Gujarat, he is endorsing sectarian violence in which Modi’s reported role is being probed. Implied in his question is that anyone who decides to do anything for Gujarat is doing it for Modi. So, if you promote Somnath, you are promoting Modi. If you are singing praise of Dwarka, you are singing praise of Modi. If you are telling the world about the glory of Rann of Kutch, you are glorifying Modi. To cut it short, Gujarat is Modi and Modi is Gujarat, Congress suggests. What next? Will Congress ask the federal government that it heads to impose sanctions on Gujarat? While the Planning Commission give Gujarat a GDP target higher than that for the nation, will Congress recommend travel and investment advisory for Indians and foreigners? As Modi in his blog says, at this rate, the Congress will end up telling people outside Gujarat, don’t have Amul milk or butter because they are produced in Gujarat. I know, I am exaggerating Congress’ probable reaction but what do you expect of a party that has been unable to see the party and its presiding family as two separate entities. Remember its former president Devakant Barua’s pearl of wisdom, “India is Indira and Indira is India”? You can’t expect anything better of a party that has refused to take the blame for massacre of Sikhs across the country. Instead of apologising to the community it nominated the reported killers to run for elections and rewarded them with ministerial berths, perks and security. It does not take much intellectual effort to form some corollary to Tewary’s questions: Does anyone, by being in Congress, endorse the killings of Sikhs in 1984? By nominating the accused to run for elections, does the party say that it is all right to kill Sikhs? By withdrawing the nomination of its candidate from a Delhi Lok Sabha seat after public outcry, does the party acknowledge its guilt? The party that pretends to be secular has been selectively ignoring the plight of minority communities and forging electoral alliances with parties with communal ideology and agenda. Sorry for repeating a cliché, but couldn’t find anything better to describe Congress polemics: Pot calling kettle black. From nc-agricowi at netcologne.de Mon Apr 5 12:59:31 2010 From: nc-agricowi at netcologne.de ([videoChannel}) Date: Mon, 05 Apr 2010 09:29:31 +0200 Subject: [Reader-list] =?iso-8859-1?q?VideoChannel=3A_Feature_of_the_Month?= =?iso-8859-1?q?_April_2010_--=3E_US_video_art?= Message-ID: <20100405092932.E2D70068.95B1260D@192.168.0.2> VideoChannel Cologne is happy to launch on 5 April 2010 in the framework of NewMediaFest'2010 and as the feature of the Month April 2010 http://2010.newmediafest.org/?p=733 "Memory & Identity" 10 experimetal videos from the USA curated by Alysse Stepanian (Santa Fe/USA) featuring works by Lana Z. Caplan, Brian DeLevie, Ron Diorio Michael Greathouse, Soyeon Jung, Laleh Mehran Joe Merrell, David Montgomery, Christine Schiavo Brooks Williams Access to the feature http://videochannel.newmediafest.org/blog/?page_id=962 After the collaboration in "For Action's Sake" on 12 March 2010, an exhibition of video art co-curated by Alysse Stepanian and Wilfried Agricola de Cologne, "memory & identy" represents already the 2nd intercontinental collaboration between the curatorial initiative "Manipulated Image" (Santa Fe/USA) directed by Alyssse Stepanian and VideoChannel Cologne directed by Wilfried Agricola de Cologne which was launched as a physical screening first on 2 April 2010 at The Complex in Santa Fe/USA Read also the CURATOR’S STATEMENT (by Alysse Stepanian): http://2010.newmediafest.org/?p=733 More info about Manipulated Image on entMAXX - networked magazine http://maxx.nmartproject.net/?p=110 ------------------------------------------------------- VideoChannel Cologne http://videochannel.newmediafest.org NewMediaFest'2010 10 Years [NewMediaArtProjectNetwork]:||cologne global heritage of digital culture 1 January - 31 December 2010 http://2010.newmediafest.org director and chief curator: Wilfried Agricola de Cologne 2010 [at] newmediafest.org ---------------------------------------------------- From kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Mon Apr 5 14:16:08 2010 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Mon, 5 Apr 2010 01:46:08 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] =?utf-8?q?=22Amaresh_Mishra=E2=80=99s_web_of_lies?= =?utf-8?q?=22_-_the_Teesta_Setalvad_letter?= Message-ID: <716829.30574.qm@web57206.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Dear Shuddha   What intrigued/shocked me was to see the famous Yoginder Sikand posting that article of Amaresh Misra (one posted by Javed) on 28/03/10 in a webgroup (primarily for) "We Want Aazadi" Kashmiris.   Yogi Sikand doing it ???????   Didnt expect that of him. I guess he plays the field with different aspects of his motives depending on who he wants to provoke into what kind of a reaction.   My submission to Yogi Sikand was:   """""" I had the impression that Yogi Sikand is an ethical person who uses both his intellect and conscience. Seeing you post this article by Amaresh Misra, I need to re-evaluate you as a person and question your motives."""""     Kshmendra --- On Sun, 4/4/10, Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: From: Shuddhabrata Sengupta Subject: Re: [Reader-list] "Amaresh Mishra’s web of lies" - the Teesta Setalvad letter To: "Kshmendra Kaul" Cc: "sarai list" Date: Sunday, April 4, 2010, 11:13 PM Dear All,  I would also caution everyone about the contents of Amaresh Mishra's communiques with the world. The Headley angle is disturbing, no doubt, but Mishra does us all a disservice by cooking the wildest of conspiracy theories. Especially those who do not buy the standard line on these matters should be careful not to tarnish their own arguments with wild, and unfounded speculation best Shuddha On 04-Apr-10, at 4:53 PM, Kshmendra Kaul wrote: Javed Masoo posted the article by Amaresh Misra "Headley Saga: Mumbai attack was a joint IB-CIA-Mossad-RSS project"   Amaresh Misra is well known for his conspiracy theories and only when someone is intent on suggesting some credibility to his lunacies, a bio-bit about his being a "famed"/"eminent" historian is inserted.    A variation on the Amaresh Misra conpiracy theory on the Mumbai Attack suggests that it is actually the nexus of CIA-Mossad-RSS that controls/finances/directs the terror-agenda of IB/RAW (of India) and ISI (of Pakistan). Yes ISI of Pakistan included.    In the Dec 2008 letter of Teesta Setalvad, she had this to say about Amaresh Misra: http://communalism.blogspot.com/2008/12/amaresh-mishras-web-of-lies.html   - .... MR AMARESH MISHRA, a dangerous individual .....   - ...... the conspiracy theories spouted by Mr Mishra in print and on the internet that are not just too incerdible but have also, surprisingly escaped the wrath of the sangh parivar.     "Communalism Watch" also offers weblink for the article "Amaresh Mishra -a case of intellectual rottenness" posted by one "gurmeet"   That article has this to offer about Amaresh Misra: http://libertynewscentral.blogspot.com/2008/12/amaresh-mishra-case-of-intellectual.html   - I did not know very much about Amaresh Mishra but that he had written a book that appeared to be of dubious merit and dodgy scholarship.   - Now it seems that that dodginess runs deep indeed -deep into the dark recesses of conspiracy theories. He suffers from the same strain of kookiness that Union Minority Affairs Minister A R Antulay does.   - He belongs to that overflowing breed of intellectual/media/pundit/academic class that sees Mossad and CIA (or America and Israel) as the fountainhead of most evil in the world.Kookiness is not an aberration in this circle but a feature.   - Aren't we told that Amaresh Mishra is a renowned historian? I am glad we were enlightened or we might have come to the conclusion that he is a conspiracy mongering lout.   Kshmendra     _________________________________________ 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/> Shuddhabrata Sengupta The Sarai Programme at CSDS Raqs Media Collective shuddha at sarai.net www.sarai.net www.raqsmediacollective.net From chintangirishmodi at gmail.com Mon Apr 5 14:25:38 2010 From: chintangirishmodi at gmail.com (Chintan) Date: Mon, 5 Apr 2010 14:25:38 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] New issue of Shiksha Vimarsh on Right to Education Message-ID: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Shiksha Vimarsh Date: Mon, Apr 5, 2010 at 1:59 PM Subject: Shiksha Vimarsh / New issue of Shiksha Vimarsh on 'RTE' This is an email from 'Shiksha Vimarsh' Message: Dear Friends, The new issue of Shiksha Vimarsh, November-December 2009 on 'Right To Education' has been published online also. In this issue contributors are : Vinod Raina, Prof. Krishan Kumar, Prof. Shanta Sinha, Pankaj S. Jain, Ravindra H. Dholakia , Padma M. Sarangapani, Prof. A. K. Jalaluddin, Prof. Anil Sadgopal and Rohit Dhankar. Please login on website www.digantar.org/vimarsh to access the new issue. Regards, Khyali Ram Circulation Manager Shiksha Vimarsh, Digantar, Jaipur 9214181380 From javedmasoo at gmail.com Mon Apr 5 15:27:30 2010 From: javedmasoo at gmail.com (Javed) Date: Mon, 5 Apr 2010 15:27:30 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] =?windows-1252?q?=22Amaresh_Mishra=92s_web_of_lies?= =?windows-1252?q?=22_-_the_Teesta_Setalvad_letter?= In-Reply-To: <419361.33306.qm@web57202.mail.re3.yahoo.com> References: <419361.33306.qm@web57202.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Dear Kshmendra I did not post that article because I believe in it. If you remember, I had put a question mark in my subject. And I did not add the phrase that Mishra is an "eminent historian" - that was how it was quoted from the source. By the way, you folks are probably not familiar with Aziz Burney, the editor of Rashtriya Sahara, whose writings have been the inspiration for much of conspiracy theories of Mishra and others. But some of Burney's theories have also caught the authorities by surprise. If anyone is interested, please take a look at http://azizburney.com/ You are going to have fun, especially if you know Urdu. Javed On Sun, Apr 4, 2010 at 4:53 PM, Kshmendra Kaul wrote: > Javed Masoo posted the article by Amaresh Misra "Headley Saga: Mumbai attack was a joint IB-CIA-Mossad-RSS project" > > Amaresh Misra is well known for his conspiracy theories and only when someone is intent on suggesting some credibility to his lunacies, a bio-bit about his being a "famed"/"eminent" historian is inserted. > > A variation on the Amaresh Misra conpiracy theory on the Mumbai Attack suggests that it is actually the nexus of CIA-Mossad-RSS that controls/finances/directs the terror-agenda of IB/RAW (of India) and ISI (of Pakistan). Yes ISI of Pakistan included. > > In the Dec 2008 letter of Teesta Setalvad, she had this to say about Amaresh Misra: > http://communalism.blogspot.com/2008/12/amaresh-mishras-web-of-lies.html > > - .... MR AMARESH MISHRA, a dangerous individual ..... > > - ...... the conspiracy theories spouted by Mr Mishra in print and on the internet that are not just too incerdible but have also, surprisingly escaped the wrath of the sangh parivar. > > > "Communalism Watch" also offers weblink for the article "Amaresh Mishra -a case of intellectual rottenness" posted by one "gurmeet" > > That article has this to offer about Amaresh Misra: > http://libertynewscentral.blogspot.com/2008/12/amaresh-mishra-case-of-intellectual.html > > - I did not know very much about Amaresh Mishra but that he had written a book that appeared to be of dubious merit and dodgy scholarship. > > - Now it seems that that dodginess runs deep indeed -deep into the dark recesses of conspiracy theories. He suffers from the same strain of kookiness that Union Minority Affairs Minister A R Antulay does. > > - He belongs to that overflowing breed of intellectual/media/pundit/academic class that sees Mossad and CIA (or America and Israel) as the fountainhead of most evil in the world.Kookiness is not an aberration in this circle but a feature. > > - Aren't we told that Amaresh Mishra is a renowned historian? I am glad we were enlightened or we might have come to the conclusion that he is a conspiracy mongering lout. > > > Kshmendra > > From kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Mon Apr 5 15:51:07 2010 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Mon, 5 Apr 2010 03:21:07 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] =?utf-8?q?=22Amaresh_Mishra=E2=80=99s_web_of_lies?= =?utf-8?q?=22_-_the_Teesta_Setalvad_letter?= In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <180070.59472.qm@web57208.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Dear Javed   That you believe what is written in the article was never considered by me. But that Yogi Sikand posted it in a webgroup (as I wrote earlier to Shuddha) really shocked me. That alone prompted me to comment on the re-churn by Amaresh Misra of earlier such article by him.   And yes, I know the "famed historian" was from the source. At least saw it thus promoted in Milli Gazette.    I am a bit familiar with Aziz Burney (from secondary sources).   Thanks for the weblink. Unfortunately I do not know Urdu. The site though has material in Hindi also and some in English.   Kshmendra     --- On Mon, 4/5/10, Javed wrote: From: Javed Subject: Re: [Reader-list] "Amaresh Mishra’s web of lies" - the Teesta Setalvad letter To: "Kshmendra Kaul" , "Shuddhabrata Sengupta" Cc: "sarai list" Date: Monday, April 5, 2010, 3:27 PM Dear Kshmendra I did not post that article because I believe in it. If you remember, I had put a question mark in my subject. And I did not add the phrase that Mishra is an "eminent historian" - that was how it was quoted from the source. By the way, you folks are probably not familiar with Aziz Burney, the editor of Rashtriya Sahara, whose writings have been the inspiration for much of conspiracy theories of Mishra and others. But some of Burney's theories have also caught the authorities by surprise. If anyone is interested, please take a look at http://azizburney.com/ You are going to have fun, especially if you know Urdu. Javed On Sun, Apr 4, 2010 at 4:53 PM, Kshmendra Kaul wrote: > Javed Masoo posted the article by Amaresh Misra "Headley Saga: Mumbai attack was a joint IB-CIA-Mossad-RSS project" > > Amaresh Misra is well known for his conspiracy theories and only when someone is intent on suggesting some credibility to his lunacies, a bio-bit about his being a "famed"/"eminent" historian is inserted. > > A variation on the Amaresh Misra conpiracy theory on the Mumbai Attack suggests that it is actually the nexus of CIA-Mossad-RSS that controls/finances/directs the terror-agenda of IB/RAW (of India) and ISI (of Pakistan). Yes ISI of Pakistan included. > > In the Dec 2008 letter of Teesta Setalvad, she had this to say about Amaresh Misra: > http://communalism.blogspot.com/2008/12/amaresh-mishras-web-of-lies.html > > - .... MR AMARESH MISHRA, a dangerous individual ..... > > - ...... the conspiracy theories spouted by Mr Mishra in print and on the internet that are not just too incerdible but have also, surprisingly escaped the wrath of the sangh parivar. > > > "Communalism Watch" also offers weblink for the article "Amaresh Mishra -a case of intellectual rottenness" posted by one "gurmeet" > > That article has this to offer about Amaresh Misra: > http://libertynewscentral.blogspot.com/2008/12/amaresh-mishra-case-of-intellectual.html > > - I did not know very much about Amaresh Mishra but that he had written a book that appeared to be of dubious merit and dodgy scholarship. > > - Now it seems that that dodginess runs deep indeed -deep into the dark recesses of conspiracy theories. He suffers from the same strain of kookiness that Union Minority Affairs Minister A R Antulay does. > > - He belongs to that overflowing breed of intellectual/media/pundit/academic class that sees Mossad and CIA (or America and Israel) as the fountainhead of most evil in the world.Kookiness is not an aberration in this circle but a feature. > > - Aren't we told that Amaresh Mishra is a renowned historian? I am glad we were enlightened or we might have come to the conclusion that he is a conspiracy mongering lout. > > > Kshmendra > > From kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Mon Apr 5 16:10:56 2010 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Mon, 5 Apr 2010 03:40:56 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] GUJARAT - INTERESTING LINK In-Reply-To: <01a301cad483$58870b50$099521f0$@in> Message-ID: <841782.55494.qm@web57202.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Dear Bipin   Thanks for sharing the links.   I found the following lines very interesting, in the context of what the article presents:   """" Last week, INDIA TODAY quizzed Setalvad about the charge of tutoring the witnesses and creating false evidence before the courts in the 2002 Gujarat riot cases.   Her response: "I am under no obligation to respond to your questions." The human rights activists' band seems to believe that one side's suffering is greater than the other's. """""   Bipin, I am ashamed to admit, but admit I must, that I was suspicious whether the links you posted carried genuine pages or photoshopped fabrications of India Today.   Please forgive me for my suspicions.   Weblink for the article in India Today: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/89840/Opting+out.html?complete=1     Kshmendra --- On Mon, 4/5/10, Bipin Trivedi wrote: From: Bipin Trivedi Subject: [Reader-list] GUJARAT - INTERESTING LINK To: "sarai-list" Date: Monday, April 5, 2010, 11:16 AM INTERESTING LINK WORTH TO SEE http://www.intentlabs.net/image004.jpg http://www.intentlabs.net/image005.jpg http:/www.intentlabs.net/image006.jpg _________________________________________ 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 c.anupam at gmail.com Mon Apr 5 16:32:31 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Mon, 5 Apr 2010 16:32:31 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] GUJARAT - INTERESTING LINK In-Reply-To: <841782.55494.qm@web57202.mail.re3.yahoo.com> References: <01a301cad483$58870b50$099521f0$@in> <841782.55494.qm@web57202.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Message-ID: it is absolutely ridiculous to read about the versions of kausarbi's death. now the investigators are asking whether her womb was intact or not to prove if human rights activists are involved in pressurizing the witnesses. she was burnt to death while she was pregnant. isnt that enough. killing a pregnant woman is also killing a child. it is grotesque and horrible for someone to explore this argument: whether kausarbi's womb was intact or not. On Mon, Apr 5, 2010 at 4:10 PM, Kshmendra Kaul wrote: > Dear Bipin > > Thanks for sharing the links. > > I found the following lines very interesting, in the context of what the article presents: > > """" Last week, INDIA TODAY quizzed Setalvad about the charge of tutoring the witnesses and creating false evidence before the courts in the 2002 Gujarat riot cases. > > Her response: "I am under no obligation to respond to your questions." The human rights activists' band seems to believe that one side's suffering is greater than the other's. """"" > > Bipin, I am ashamed to admit, but admit I must, that I was suspicious whether the links you posted carried genuine pages or photoshopped fabrications of India Today. > > Please forgive me for my suspicions. > > Weblink for the article in India Today: > http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/89840/Opting+out.html?complete=1 > > > Kshmendra > > --- On Mon, 4/5/10, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > > > From: Bipin Trivedi > Subject: [Reader-list] GUJARAT - INTERESTING LINK > To: "sarai-list" > Date: Monday, April 5, 2010, 11:16 AM > > > INTERESTING LINK WORTH TO SEE > > > > http://www.intentlabs.net/image004.jpg > > http://www.intentlabs.net/image005.jpg > > http:/www.intentlabs.net/image006.jpg > _________________________________________ > 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: From aliens at dataone.in Mon Apr 5 16:47:05 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Mon, 05 Apr 2010 16:47:05 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] GUJARAT - INTERESTING LINK In-Reply-To: <841782.55494.qm@web57202.mail.re3.yahoo.com> References: <01a301cad483$58870b50$099521f0$@in> <841782.55494.qm@web57202.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <000b01cad4b1$8cca2b80$a65e8280$@in> Dear Kshemendra, Thanks for posting India Today original link. The link I have posted is photo copy in 3 parts of the article I have received from some other source. I could not have time really to find the link and so did not search the sites. Important is Teesta's fabricating the news and evidence is already proved and now she openly admits it with the statement "I am under no obligation to respond to your questions. The human rights activists' band seems to believe that one side's suffering is greater than the other's." Teesta neutrality was always on doubt, since she works against Modi only every time and might be guided by someone else remotely for specific task against Gujarat/Modi. Same way, she is instigating Mrs. Zakia Zafri also and will prove wrong in the court of law. Thanks Bipin From: Kshmendra Kaul [mailto:kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com] Sent: Monday, April 05, 2010 4:11 PM To: sarai-list; Bipin Trivedi Subject: Re: [Reader-list] GUJARAT - INTERESTING LINK Dear Bipin Thanks for sharing the links. I found the following lines very interesting, in the context of what the article presents: """" Last week, INDIA TODAY quizzed Setalvad about the charge of tutoring the witnesses and creating false evidence before the courts in the 2002 Gujarat riot cases. Her response: "I am under no obligation to respond to your questions." The human rights activists' band seems to believe that one side's suffering is greater than the other's. """"" Bipin, I am ashamed to admit, but admit I must, that I was suspicious whether the links you posted carried genuine pages or photoshopped fabrications of India Today. Please forgive me for my suspicions. Weblink for the article in India Today: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/89840/Opting+out.html?complete=1 Kshmendra --- On Mon, 4/5/10, Bipin Trivedi wrote: From: Bipin Trivedi Subject: [Reader-list] GUJARAT - INTERESTING LINK To: "sarai-list" Date: Monday, April 5, 2010, 11:16 AM INTERESTING LINK WORTH TO SEE http://www.intentlabs.net/image004.jpg http://www.intentlabs.net/image005.jpg http:/www.intentlabs.net/image006.jpg _________________________________________ 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 kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Mon Apr 5 17:11:26 2010 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Mon, 5 Apr 2010 04:41:26 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] "Why March 26 should be apology day for Pakistan" - Hamid Mir Message-ID: <520458.8104.qm@web57206.mail.re3.yahoo.com> The call for 'apology', commendable as it is, is not why I am posting this article.    Hamid Mir is one of the best known journalists (TV) in Pakistan. I watch his "CAPITAL TALK" regularly and much about him I like and much about him I dislike.   That a person of his (in the mainstream) stature should talk so forthrightly that Pakistan should apologise to Bangladesh is admirable. That in doing so he castigates the Pakistan Army is courageous of him. That there should not be a call for his blood in Pakistan or attempts to discredit him as "Agent" of this or that one is a tribute to Freedom of Expression enjoyed by the Media in Pakistan and tolerance by the Pakistanis of what would have appeared to be unpalatable viewpoints.   Interestingly, the article by Hamid Mir of GEO-TV (which is a part of the JANG Group) was also carried by DAWN which is part of a competitor group.   Kshmendra   Hamid Mir "Why March 26 should be apology day for Pakistan" March 26, 2010   (On March 26, the government of Pakistan should apologise to the people of Bangladesh for the genocide of March 1971, says the wellknown Pakistan television anchor Hamid Mir.)   Some people hate me a lot in Pakistan. They hate me because I said sorry to Bangladeshis two years ago at the Islamabad Press Club for the atrocities committed by the Pakistan army in 1971.   They hate me because I also demanded an official apology from the government of Pakistan to the people of Bangladesh for the genocide of March 1971. They say I don't know anything. They say I am not a good Pakistani. They say I was very young in 1971 and I am not aware of the truth. Yes, I was only a young school-going boy in 1971, but I heard and read a lot about the genocide. How can I deny my late father Professor Waris Mir who visited Dhaka in October 1971 with a delegation of Punjab University students?   My father was a teacher of journalism at the Punjab University in Lahore. He was asked by the university administration to organise a visit of the student union's office bearers to Turkey, but my father took the boys to Dhaka with their consent. They wanted to know what was actually going on in Dhaka. I still remember that after my father came back from Dhaka, he wept for many days. He told us stories of bloodshed. These stories were similar to the story of my mother.   My mother lost her whole family during the migration from Jammu to Pakistan in 1947. Her brothers were killed by Hindus and Sikhs in front of her eyes. Her mother was kidnapped.   She saved her life by hiding under the bodies of her relatives. I remember that my mother cried a lot when my father told her that Pakistan army officers raped many Bengali women. My mother said, "We sacrificed for the safety of our honour, but why we are dishonouring each other today?" My father always said that Bengalis made Pakistan and we Punjabis broke Pakistan. Once he said that March 23 is Pakistan Day, March 26 should be the apology day and December 16 should be the accountability day. I started understanding the thoughts of my late father when I became a journalist in 1987.   When I first read the Hamoodur Rehman Commission Report I felt ashamed. This Pakistani commission inquiry report admitted to murder and rapes, but despite this documentary evidence, many people still live in a state of denial.   They say Sheikh Mujibur Rehman was a traitor who created the Mukti Bahini with India's help and killed many innocent Punjabis and Biharis. I say Sheikh Mujib was a worker of the Pakistan movement; he was a supporter of Fatima Jinnah, Muhammad Ali Jinnah's sister, till 1966. He only demanded some provincial autonomy, but the military rulers declared him a traitor. In fact, these military rulers were traitors because their troops raped their own mothers and sisters.   They say I am a liar and I am an enemy of Pakistan.   How could I be an enemy of Pakistan? My mother sacrificed her whole family for Pakistan. My problem is that I cannot deny the truth.   A senior colleague of mine is still alive. His name is Afzal Khan. He is 73 years old. He worked with the Associated Press of Pakistan. He was secretary general of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists between 1980 and 1985.   Afzal Khan was sent to Dhaka on March 28, 1971 for coverage of the army operations. He told me many times that yes, the Mukti Bahini killed a lot of innocent people, but what the Pakistan army did was not the job of a national army.   Once he was staying at Isphahani House in Khulna, then East Pakistan. An army major offered him the chance to spend the night with a girl. When Afzal Khan asked who the girl was, the major informed him that she was the daughter of a local police officer and she could come to Isphahani House at gun point. After this incident, Afzal Khan returned to Lahore.   Afzal Khan says that all those who were responsible for the rapes and genocide of Bangladeshis never enjoyed any respect in Pakistan. The name of General Yahya Khan is still like an abuse in Pakistan. His son Ali Yahya always tries to hide from people. General Tikka Khan is still remembered as the 'butcher of Bengal'. General A A K Niazi wanted to become the 'tiger of Bengal', but he is remembered as the 'jackal of Bengal'.   A majority of Pakistanis hate all those who were responsible for the genocide of their Bangladeshi brothers. That is the reason the family members of these army officers don't even mention publicly who their fathers were. Still there are people who are not ready to admit their blunders.   These people are in a minority, but they are powerful. I consider them enemies of the Pakistan for which my mother sacrificed her family.   Why should we defend these enemies? Why doesn't our democratic government officially apologise to Bengalis? This apology will not weaken Pakistan. It will strengthen Pakistan. I am sure that Pakistan is changing fast. A day will come very soon when the government of Pakistan will officially say sorry to Bangladeshis and March 26 will become an apology day for patriotic Pakistanis.   I want this apology because Bengalis created Pakistan.   I want this apology because Bengalis supported Jinnah's sister against General Ayub Khan till her last breath.   I want this apology because I want to forge a new relationship with the people of Bangladesh.   I don't want to live in my dirty past. I want to live in a neat and clean future. I want a bright future not only for Pakistan but also for Bangladesh.   I want this apology because I love Pakistan and I love Bangladesh.   Happy Independence Day to my Bangladeshi brothers and sisters. (Hamid Mir, Executive Editor, Geo TV, receives the SAARC Lifetime Achievement Award at the SAARC Writers Conference on Friday.)   http://news.rediff.com/column/2010/mar/26/why-march-26-should-be-apology-day-for-pakistan.htm   From pawan.durani at gmail.com Mon Apr 5 17:32:41 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Mon, 5 Apr 2010 17:32:41 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] =?windows-1252?q?Hindus_in_Pakistan_=96_A_People_Wi?= =?windows-1252?q?thout_a_Voice?= Message-ID: http://www.chakranews.com/hindus-in-pakistan-a-people-without-a-voice/672 Hindus in Pakistan – A People Without a Voice By Linda Brock The Islamic State of Pakistan (Flag) Lahore, Pakistan (CHAKRA) - Not only are Pakistani Hindus a people without a voice but also a people without an identity or existence to the outside world. Most people are not even aware of the fact that about 2.5 million Hindus (about 2% of the total population according to the last census but this number is decreasing rapidly due to fear and is soon expected to be less than 1% ) exist in the Muslim majority Pakistan. The dwindling numbers of Pakistani Hindus are the result of a quiet and steady cultural genocide in a state that has little ’Separation of Church and State’ . Just before the end of colonial rule and independence in 1947, the land, which is now Pakistan comprised of about 26% Hindus out of its total population. However, after the partition of India, the largest forced migration in human history resulted, during which large scale massacres took place. Unfortunately, the 26% had dropped down to only 15% Hindus in Pakistan. With such a high death toll and even greater rate of forced resettlements, many Hindus still chose to remain in their ancestral homeland and were promised protection by the Pakistani government. Needless to say, the Hindu population of Pakistan, got no such protection, but instead were subject to persecution and had to live a daily life in fear—something they live with even to this very day. The constitution and legal system created for Pakistan, openly discriminated against Hindus with a high level of crime and harassment against them. Moreover, periods of tension between India and Pakistan were the worst times for Hindus in Pakistan, during which large numbers were killed and expelled by the Pakistani people, who were supported by the government. Furthermore, in 1965 a law (The Enemy Property Act) was passed, which openly legitimized the confiscation of the property of Hindus whether it was their homes or temples that were destroyed. This also resulted in a great drop of the Hindu population. During 1970 and 1971, a huge undocumented number of Hindus were massacred by the Pakistani army in which the estimated death toll was up to 3 million. However, an actual study has never been done to determine the casualty figures. In addition, during this time, millions of Hindu women were raped and killed. It was not only one of the largest but also one the most ignored massacres in human history. In 1977, Islamic Law was introduced by General Zia ul-Haq, who led a military coup in Pakistan. This further excluded the Hindu minority in Pakistan creating an arena of open discrimination and hatred against people in their ancestral homes. According to the facts of history, one would assume that there no longer remains a Hindu population in Pakistan. Surprisingly, Hindus still exist in Pakistan, most of whom reside in the province of Sindh. The Hindus of Pakistan, still today are threatened by constant discrimination and fear of the Pakistani people and their government. Their security, property and lives are at risk on a day to day basis. Hindus in Pakistan are forced to live in a state in which they cannot openly identify themselves as Hindus. Their low profile existence, not only affects their self-identity but also, results in a misrepresentation of the number of actual Hindus in Pakistan, hence there is no exact percentage that is completely accurate. They have become a people without a true identity. Without an identity there exists no real voice. Hindus in Pakistan are a people without a voice. Unfortunately, human rights groups around the world and the international community takes no interest in helping these Hindus without a say. Due to this, the Hindus of Pakistan remain a forgotten people for whom no help is available to voice their views and fears. If the outside community does not raise awareness and concern for the Hindus of Pakistan, they will remain a voiceless people and eventually cease to exist within the Pakistani population. We must come together and help these Hindus without a voice. From aliens at dataone.in Mon Apr 5 17:46:23 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Mon, 05 Apr 2010 17:46:23 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] THE NAKED SECULARISTS Message-ID: <001001cad4b9$cf2e3270$6d8a9750$@in> R. Jagannathan has rightly said, "secularists have proved that what they care about is not justice, but their own vanity. India's humbug secularists have personalized the definition of secularism for narrow political ends. Why is anyone who promotes Gujarat an instant target for secularists? This is ideological tyranny". Unfortunately in India, only those are counted as secular who speak for or create show to speak for minority. Can anyone explain who is communal and who is secular? Of course congress has proved pseudo-secular in many occasions earlier. But, this time they have proved communal and also once again proved their dirty vote bank tactics/politics. Every one blame or rather fashion to blame BJP as communal party, but congress is also communal party. How? They think that by highlighting Gujarat riots on regular interval and this is what they are doing since 2002, congress may not get room in Gujarat but they think of getting benefit in the rest of the India. Some congress leader even told this earlier. By this way actually they spread communalism, isn't it? But, they forget one thing. You can fool the people for the couple of occasion, but not all the time. Looking to the history since independence, there are so many violence occurred even bigger than Gujarat and even some of them state sponsored also, but no SC intervene, no SIT formed, no outcry by so called secularist and Human activist. Even in Gujarat also in 1985, much larger scale state sponsored violence was their but no one even noticed that. What kind of justice this is going on? Congress is asking from Bachhan to clarify his stand on 2002 riots. This shows the way of congress thinking that riots can be justifiable and this shows the communal mind of congress actually. It's question of common sense that any form of riots communal/non-communal are always condemnable. So, what's the reason to seek clarification from Bachhan or anyone else. Thanks Bipin From taraprakash at gmail.com Mon Apr 5 19:46:22 2010 From: taraprakash at gmail.com (TaraPrakash) Date: Mon, 5 Apr 2010 10:16:22 -0400 Subject: [Reader-list] =?utf-8?q?=22Amaresh_Mishra=E2=80=99s_web_of_lies?= =?utf-8?q?=22_-_the_Teesta_Setalvad_letter?= References: <419361.33306.qm@web57202.mail.re3.yahoo.com> <4AF0AF9E-9F28-4B7A-926A-2AD131487EBF@sarai.net> Message-ID: Interestingly, long before Javed graced this list with this "intelectual"'s views, there was a cautionary mail from Prakash Ray soon after Bombay attacks, urging that anything written by this guy not be posted on this list. I was surprised that people mostly complied and I won't be surprised if more conspiracy theories are forwarded to this mail. Best ----- Original Message ----- From: "Shuddhabrata Sengupta" To: "Kshmendra Kaul" Cc: "sarai list" Sent: Sunday, April 04, 2010 1:43 PM Subject: Re: [Reader-list] "Amaresh Mishra’s web of lies" - the Teesta Setalvad letter > Dear All, > > I would also caution everyone about the contents of Amaresh Mishra's > communiques with the world. The Headley angle is disturbing, no > doubt, but Mishra does us all a disservice by cooking the wildest of > conspiracy theories. Especially those who do not buy the standard > line on these matters should be careful not to tarnish their own > arguments with wild, and unfounded speculation > > best > > Shuddha > > On 04-Apr-10, at 4:53 PM, Kshmendra Kaul wrote: > >> Javed Masoo posted the article by Amaresh Misra "Headley Saga: >> Mumbai attack was a joint IB-CIA-Mossad-RSS project" >> >> Amaresh Misra is well known for his conspiracy theories and only >> when someone is intent on suggesting some credibility to his >> lunacies, a bio-bit about his being a "famed"/"eminent" historian >> is inserted. >> >> A variation on the Amaresh Misra conpiracy theory on the Mumbai >> Attack suggests that it is actually the nexus of CIA-Mossad-RSS >> that controls/finances/directs the terror-agenda of IB/RAW (of >> India) and ISI (of Pakistan). Yes ISI of Pakistan included. >> >> In the Dec 2008 letter of Teesta Setalvad, she had this to say >> about Amaresh Misra: >> http://communalism.blogspot.com/2008/12/amaresh-mishras-web-of- >> lies.html >> >> - .... MR AMARESH MISHRA, a dangerous individual ..... >> >> - ...... the conspiracy theories spouted by Mr Mishra in print and >> on the internet that are not just too incerdible but have also, >> surprisingly escaped the wrath of the sangh parivar. >> >> >> "Communalism Watch" also offers weblink for the article "Amaresh >> Mishra -a case of intellectual rottenness" posted by one "gurmeet" >> >> That article has this to offer about Amaresh Misra: >> http://libertynewscentral.blogspot.com/2008/12/amaresh-mishra-case- >> of-intellectual.html >> >> - I did not know very much about Amaresh Mishra but that he had >> written a book that appeared to be of dubious merit and dodgy >> scholarship. >> >> - Now it seems that that dodginess runs deep indeed -deep into the >> dark recesses of conspiracy theories. He suffers from the same >> strain of kookiness that Union Minority Affairs Minister A R >> Antulay does. >> >> - He belongs to that overflowing breed of intellectual/media/pundit/ >> academic class that sees Mossad and CIA (or America and Israel) as >> the fountainhead of most evil in the world.Kookiness is not an >> aberration in this circle but a feature. >> >> - Aren't we told that Amaresh Mishra is a renowned historian? I am >> glad we were enlightened or we might have come to the conclusion >> that he is a conspiracy mongering lout. >> >> >> Kshmendra >> >> >> >> >> >> _________________________________________ >> 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/> > > Shuddhabrata Sengupta > The Sarai Programme at CSDS > Raqs Media Collective > shuddha at sarai.net > www.sarai.net > www.raqsmediacollective.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 lawrence at altlawforum.org Mon Apr 5 20:05:03 2010 From: lawrence at altlawforum.org (Lawrence Liang) Date: Mon, 5 Apr 2010 20:05:03 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] High Court stays suspension of AMU teacher References: Message-ID: <73B32D1A-0B3E-4C12-9935-0E7D1DBBF35B@altlawforum.org> > > > http://www.hindu.com/2010/04/02/stories/2010040256470100.htm High Court stays suspension of AMU professor Some relief: Dr. Ramchandra Siras ALLAHABAD: The Allahabad High Court on Thursday stayed the suspension of a Aligarh Muslim University professor against whom disciplinary action was taken following reports of his involvement in a homosexual relationship. A Division Bench comprising Justice Sunil Ambawani and Justice Kashi Nath Pandey passed the order on a writ petition filed by Professor Srinivas Ramchandra Siras challenging the suspension order.AMU Vice-Chancellor P. K. Abdul Azis had on February 19 suspended Dr. Siras, a Reader in the Department of Modern Indian Languages, and asked him to vacate the varsity premises accusing him of “misconduct” following reports of his alleged homosexual relation with a rickshaw-puller, which had led to a furore in the minority educational institution. In his petition, Dr. Siras had refuted the charges levelled against him. The court, while granting relief to the petitioner, asked the university authorities to file their counter-affidavits. - PTI Our Staff Reporter adds from New Delhi: Reacting to the stay order, Dr. Siras said: “We have won the court case and I am extremely glad. A stay has been granted on my suspension and also on ousting me from my residential accommodation.” Advocate Anand Grover who fought Dr. Siras' case said: “We have made a big dent. Dr. Siras can get back to work now. With regard to his promotion to the professor level, the professor will simply have to approach the university and ask them to consider his promotion since he is no longer suspended.” “The stay order demonstrates that an individual with a different sexual orientation cannot be treated in a fashion devoid of justice,” he added. From taraprakash at gmail.com Mon Apr 5 21:08:55 2010 From: taraprakash at gmail.com (TaraPrakash) Date: Mon, 5 Apr 2010 11:38:55 -0400 Subject: [Reader-list] request for a petition Message-ID: <0AB033AFCD3B4980AB42A157B70DD5A6@tara> Hello all. Please look at the following request to sign a petition. This must be looked in to, it may be yu next. Friends, Please sign and circulate the petition against the arrest and detainment of Sunil Mandiwal, a Delhi University professor and well known democratic right activist, allegedly in connection with the Kobad Ghandy case. Let us condemn the attempt by the state to criminalise and terrorize intellectuals and activists. http://www.PetitionOnline.com/mandiwal/petition.html Anirban Kar, P K Vijayan, Karen Gabriel From babuubab at gmail.com Mon Apr 5 21:46:39 2010 From: babuubab at gmail.com (SUNDARA BABU) Date: Mon, 5 Apr 2010 21:46:39 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] A fleet of ships to Gaza In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: FYI ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Jorgen Johansen FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 4, 2010 Istanbul, Turkey – Following months of preparation, a coalition bringing together a number of organizations and movements working to break Israel’s illegal blockade on Gaza was announced yesterday in Istanbul. The coalition, comprised of the Turkey-based IHH (Insani Yardim Vakfi) organization, the European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza (ECESG), the Greek Ship to Gaza campaign, the Swedish Ship to Gaza campaign and the Free Gaza Movement, will launch a flotilla of ships laden with cargo, media, parliamentarians, celebrities and activists to Gaza next month. The flotilla includes at least eight vessels, including three cargo ships, and will set sail from European ports beginning May 3, reaching the port of Gaza later in the month. Over 500 passengers from more than 20 countries will take part, and 5,000 tons of cargo, including cement, prefabricated housing, other building materials, medical equipment, and educational supplies will be delivered to Palestinians in Gaza. The Free Gaza Movement has been launching ships to Gaza since August 2008, partnering with organizations and activists around the world on these missions. In December 2009, IHH led a land convoy to Gaza that brought tons of humanitarian aid and other supplies. In January 2010 the European Campaign brought 50 parliamentarians to Gaza in solidarity with the Palestinian people and to witness the devastation wrought by Israel’s illegal policies. Ship to Gaza/Greece and Ship to Gaza/Sweden meanwhile have had ongoing campaigns in their countries to raise awareness and funds for this effort and for materials to be brought to Gaza. “Through this coalition, these organizations will be able to maximize resources, experience and commitment to ending the illegal siege on Gaza. Even as Israel continues its daily persecution of Palestinians, we will use this action to wake the world’s consciousness about the crimes committed against Palestinians,” said IHH President Bulent Yildirim. The coalition invites organizations and individuals from around the world to join the effort by providing supplies for Gaza and contributing financial support for the mission. Contact: Free Gaza Movement – Greta Berlin - +33607374512; www.freegaza.org ECESG – Arafat Madhi - +44 7908 200 559; www.savegaza.eu IHH – Ahmet Emin Dag – +90 530 341 1934; www.ihh.org.tr Ship to Gaza / Greece – Vangelis Pissias - +30 697 200 9339; www.shiptogaza.gr Ship to Gaza / Sweden – Dror Feiler - +46702855777; www.shiptogaza.se From rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com Mon Apr 5 22:36:56 2010 From: rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com (Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi) Date: Mon, 5 Apr 2010 22:36:56 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] =?windows-1252?q?=22Amaresh_Mishra=92s_web_of_lies?= =?windows-1252?q?=22_-_the_Teesta_Setalvad_letter?= In-Reply-To: <419361.33306.qm@web57202.mail.re3.yahoo.com> References: <419361.33306.qm@web57202.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Theesta has lost all credibility with her actions of defending terror accused, she is in charge of communal NGO, which specialises in defending only accused of one community.Her expressions need not be taken seriously.She has specialised in using the law which is an ass to flog for her faith, and faithfuls of her community. regards, rajen On Sun, Apr 4, 2010 at 4:53 PM, Kshmendra Kaul wrote: > Javed Masoo posted the article by Amaresh Misra "Headley Saga: Mumbai > attack was a joint IB-CIA-Mossad-RSS project" > > Amaresh Misra is well known for his conspiracy theories and only when > someone is intent on suggesting some credibility to his lunacies, a bio-bit > about his being a "famed"/"eminent" historian is inserted. > > A variation on the Amaresh Misra conpiracy theory on the Mumbai Attack > suggests that it is actually the nexus of CIA-Mossad-RSS that > controls/finances/directs the terror-agenda of IB/RAW (of India) and ISI (of > Pakistan). Yes ISI of Pakistan included. > > In the Dec 2008 letter of Teesta Setalvad, she had this to say about > Amaresh Misra: > http://communalism.blogspot.com/2008/12/amaresh-mishras-web-of-lies.html > > - .... MR AMARESH MISHRA, a dangerous individual ..... > > - ...... the conspiracy theories spouted by Mr Mishra in print and on the > internet that are not just too incerdible but have also, surprisingly > escaped the wrath of the sangh parivar. > > > "Communalism Watch" also offers weblink for the article "Amaresh Mishra -a > case of intellectual rottenness" posted by one "gurmeet" > > That article has this to offer about Amaresh Misra: > > http://libertynewscentral.blogspot.com/2008/12/amaresh-mishra-case-of-intellectual.html > > - I did not know very much about Amaresh Mishra but that he had written a > book that appeared to be of dubious merit and dodgy scholarship. > > - Now it seems that that dodginess runs deep indeed -deep into the dark > recesses of conspiracy theories. He suffers from the same strain of > kookiness that Union Minority Affairs Minister A R Antulay does. > > - He belongs to that overflowing breed of > intellectual/media/pundit/academic class that sees Mossad and CIA (or > America and Israel) as the fountainhead of most evil in the world.Kookiness > is not an aberration in this circle but a feature. > > - Aren't we told that Amaresh Mishra is a renowned historian? I am glad we > were enlightened or we might have come to the conclusion that he is a > conspiracy mongering lout. > > > Kshmendra > > > > > > _________________________________________ > 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: -- Rajen. From subhachops at gmail.com Mon Apr 5 22:40:41 2010 From: subhachops at gmail.com (Subhash) Date: Mon, 5 Apr 2010 22:40:41 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Documentary on the communal violence in Kandhamal Message-ID: On Mon, 5/4/10, debaranjan sarangi wrote: Dear friend I am thankful to Prof. Ram Puniyani for his review of my film “From Hindu to Hindutva”. His review text is pasted below. I have traveled to the Kandhamal area several times (with and without camera). I was surprised, how much hatred human hearts could be filled with in name of religion. The same thing should not be repeated any where in this world. Apart from all other efforts this film should be screened more and more in all other areas including adivasis areas. I would request leaders of mass organizations, different political organizations, NGOs, educational institutions, clubs, proprietor of local channels and individuals to screen it. If I be informed earlier I will try to be present there. Also I am trying my best to organize such screenings and your initiatives are most welcome. This film was made out of individual contributions from like minded friends. I am thankful to them. I am planning to do my next film on a similar way. Your contribution may help me to make another. Language of the film : Oriya and Oriya with English subtitle. Hindi subtitle will be available soon. I would welcome voluntary efforts to make it into other regional languages. Price: Individual : Rs 100 per DVD copy (excluding courier) Institutions : Rs 250 per DVD copy (excluding courier) Pl add Rs 60/ for courier charges inside India . Contributions (and price for outside India ) : Rs 500/Rs 1000 per copy (including all charges). All remittances should be through cash/DD/Money Order in favor of “Debaranjan Sarangi”. For cheque please add Rs 40. Don’t forget to write your complete address and phone numbers while ordering for the copy. Yours, Debaranjan Postal Address DEBARANJAN SARANGI A/202 SONALI PALACE SAILASHRI VIHAR BHUBANESWAR – 751021 ORISSA Email : debasar11 at yahoo. co.in Cell : 09437762272 Reaping the Harvest of Hate Ram Puniyani Film Review Film: From Hindu to Hindutva Debaranjan Sarangi, Pedestrian Pictures , Language: Oriya with English Subtitles Duration- 44 Minutes Kandhmal violence has been the most ghastly communal violence in the Adivasi areas in India . Close to two years after the violence the tragedy of the area continues, the victims of violence, the rehabilitation, the justice to victims, most of these are no where close to what they should be. Debaranjan Sarangi, a social activist and writer has effectively caught the Kandhamal carnage in his short but comprehensive film with great amount of sensitivity and objectivity. He presents the whole event with the help of field interviews, the shots of burning of houses and churches and the pathetic condition of the refugee camps. His subtitling and comments not only make the theme more understandable to non-Oriya audience but also connect up different aspects of the material presented by him. The commentary in the form of text is very coherent making the film a powerful analysis of the events of Orrisa. The director weaves the picture with great precision without intruding into the flow of events as told by the perpetrators of the crime and the victims of the same. The film begins with the event of murder of Swami Laxmandnand, Maoists state it has been done by them as he was spreading Hate in the area. Praveen Togadia of VHP takes out the procession of his body through sensitive areas of Kandhmal, the rumor is spread that Christians are behind the murder of Swami, as it is at their behest that Maoists have murdered him. One striking parallel which emerges from this account is that even in Gujarat Modi permitted the procession of the victims of Godhra train burning through Ahmedabad, accompanied by rumor that Muslims have burnt the train and this in turn incited the feelings of the people leading to carnage. VHP’s Praveen Togadia does the same. The methods of RSS combine have so much of a parallel. The victims of ‘RSS combine’ violence come through the film with their pain and anguish. Director has taken care to edit the interviews to the most relevant parts. From amongst victims many say that those who have killed the Swami should be punished, why are we and our children being punished. The attacker’s were shouting the slogans of Jai Bajarang Bali. The state, since Biju Janata Dal had BJP as an ally, soft peddled towards the criminals indulging in communal riots. This is the same story in most of the carnages, be it the anti Sikh pogrom, Mumbai violence or Gujarat carnage, state devices kid gloves to deal with the perpetrators of the crime. Also on the ‘expected’ pattern state gave no protection to victims. The VHP supporters worsened the situation by asserting that Christianity is a foreign religion, Christians should leave or they will be killed unless they convert into Hinduism. The hysterical pitch of the mob has been caught well in the camera. Krishna Majhi, leader of Kui samaj, Adivasis, points out that Adivasis are not Hindus and the ‘Home coming’ campaign, conversion of Adivasis into Hinduism, is a forcible one. This home coming was conducted by Laxmandnand, at big scale. The Christians were tonsured and given a Hanuman locket. Hanuman has a central role in Hinduising the Adivasis. Most of the interviewees point out that Christian missionaries were involved mainly in health and education work. The VHP propaganda that dalits have grabbed Adivsai land is false as no such complaints were ever filed, nor do dalits have substantial land holdings. The interesting point is if it was a land issue, why the campaign for and rights was not taken, and why Hate was chosen as weapon. Clearly land issue was made a pretext for dividing the communities. The violence is done by VHP for its political goals. Laxmananand indulged in lot of unchecked ‘hate speech’ against Christians. As a matter of fact his and RSS combines ‘Hate other’ speech against Christians laid the foundation of the violence. Kandhmal was no flash in the pan. It was systematically built up from 1970 since the swami began his activities there. He had opened Sanskrit schools and Bhajan Mandali (group singing devotional songs), through which hate campaign was conducted. After the violence the major sectors of state were apathetic to the plight of Christians. Currently even their children are looked down in schools. The anti Christian atmosphere prevails till the day. Film ends on a sad note, the reality of minorities in Orissa today is well depicted. Probably the efforts to get justice and relief done by civil society groups could have been highlighted by Sarangi. The film is a very good contribution by Pedestrian Pictures to draw our attention to the phenomenon of Kandhamal. It gives enough hints about the method of working of VHP, Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram and RSS combine in the Adivasi areas. Bringing out these linkages with RSS combine’s methods in unleashing violence in other areas would have enriched the quality of the film. The title does not much convey the theme of the film. It is a must watch for all social activists and citizens at large. From kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Mon Apr 5 22:54:17 2010 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Mon, 5 Apr 2010 10:24:17 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] =?utf-8?q?=22Amaresh_Mishra=E2=80=99s_web_of_lies?= =?utf-8?q?=22_-_the_Teesta_Setalvad_letter?= In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <424187.10745.qm@web57204.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Dear Rajendra   a. Which terror accused did Teesta defend?   b. Is it wrong to defend an accused person, since the person is just 'accused' and not proven guilty?   Kshmendra  --- On Mon, 4/5/10, Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi wrote: From: Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi Subject: Re: [Reader-list] "Amaresh Mishra’s web of lies" - the Teesta Setalvad letter To: "Kshmendra Kaul" Cc: "sarai list" Date: Monday, April 5, 2010, 10:36 PM Theesta has lost all credibility with her actions of defending terror accused, she is in charge of communal NGO, which specialises in defending only accused of one community.Her expressions need not be taken seriously.She has specialised in using the law which is an ass to flog for her faith, and faithfuls of her community. regards, rajen On Sun, Apr 4, 2010 at 4:53 PM, Kshmendra Kaul wrote: Javed Masoo posted the article by Amaresh Misra "Headley Saga: Mumbai attack was a joint IB-CIA-Mossad-RSS project"   Amaresh Misra is well known for his conspiracy theories and only when someone is intent on suggesting some credibility to his lunacies, a bio-bit about his being a "famed"/"eminent" historian is inserted.    A variation on the Amaresh Misra conpiracy theory on the Mumbai Attack suggests that it is actually the nexus of CIA-Mossad-RSS that controls/finances/directs the terror-agenda of IB/RAW (of India) and ISI (of Pakistan). Yes ISI of Pakistan included.   In the Dec 2008 letter of Teesta Setalvad, she had this to say about Amaresh Misra: http://communalism.blogspot.com/2008/12/amaresh-mishras-web-of-lies.html   - .... MR AMARESH MISHRA, a dangerous individual .....   - ...... the conspiracy theories spouted by Mr Mishra in print and on the internet that are not just too incerdible but have also, surprisingly escaped the wrath of the sangh parivar.     "Communalism Watch" also offers weblink for the article "Amaresh Mishra -a case of intellectual rottenness" posted by one "gurmeet"   That article has this to offer about Amaresh Misra: http://libertynewscentral.blogspot.com/2008/12/amaresh-mishra-case-of-intellectual.html   - I did not know very much about Amaresh Mishra but that he had written a book that appeared to be of dubious merit and dodgy scholarship.   - Now it seems that that dodginess runs deep indeed -deep into the dark recesses of conspiracy theories. He suffers from the same strain of kookiness that Union Minority Affairs Minister A R Antulay does.   - He belongs to that overflowing breed of intellectual/media/pundit/academic class that sees Mossad and CIA (or America and Israel) as the fountainhead of most evil in the world.Kookiness is not an aberration in this circle but a feature.   - Aren't we told that Amaresh Mishra is a renowned historian? I am glad we were enlightened or we might have come to the conclusion that he is a conspiracy mongering lout.   Kshmendra     _________________________________________ 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: -- Rajen. From itsnishant at gmail.com Tue Apr 6 12:55:49 2010 From: itsnishant at gmail.com (Nishant Shah) Date: Tue, 6 Apr 2010 12:55:49 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Advertisement: Digital Natives Research Coordinator @ CIS In-Reply-To: <4BBADBA8.1040606@cis-india.org> References: <4BBADBA8.1040606@cis-india.org> Message-ID: Dear All, For the next step of Digital Natives activities at the Centre for Internet and Society, we are looking for a Digital Natives Research Coordinator. I am attaching the advertisement for it here and hope that you will be able to circulate widely and/or also send in suggestions for candidates you think might be appropriate for the post. Warmly Nishant *Digital Natives Research Project Coordinator – Job Advertisement* The Centre for Internet and Society, Bangalore, in collaboration with Hivos Netherlands, is looking for a Research Project Coordinator to help develop a knowledge network and coordinate international workshops for the project “Digital Natives with a Cause?” The job profile is as follows: 1. Coordinating international workshops in liaison with regional partners to produce content for a book mapping technology mediated interventions by young people in different parts of the world. 2. Developing a knowledge network of stakeholders in emerging Information Societies in the Global South, to document debates, discussions and ideas in the field of Digital Natives. 3. Working closely with academic researchers, scholars, and practitioners in the development sector to develop content for an international website on Digital Natives. 4. Supervise and coordinate the production of the Digital Natives research in print and digital content. 5. Strategise and execute dissemination, design and collaboration strategies for developing the Digital Natives research areas. 6. Supervising intellectual and financial logistics for the project. The candidate should be below 35 years of age and have fluent familiarity with digital platforms, trends, fashions and activities. Excellent communication and planning skills and the ability to work sensitively with partners in different countries and contexts are expected. Candidates with an advanced degree in Sociology, Culture Studies, Communication and Management, with experience in international programme/project management within the development sector or those working in the field of youth-politics/youth-technology with experience in international collaborative projects will be given preference. The job is based in Bangalore but requires a fair amount of international travel for logistical and substantial coordination. The position will open in May and is full-time. The position will be supported by two Project Associates who shall be selected in consultation with the Research Project Coordinator. Consolidated consultation fees will be in the range of 34,000 – 45,000 Rupees per month commensurate with experience. International travel and per diem will be provided based on established CIS standards. Send in applications in SOFT COPY ONLY, along with an updated CV and samples of writing or project deliverables to nishant at cis-india.org by the 25th of April 2010. The Digital Natives with a Cause? Report is available on the CIS website for further reference at http://www.cis-india.org/publications/cis/nishant/dnrep.pdf/view -- Nishant Shah Director - Research Centre for Internet and Society, Bangalore Asia Awards Fellow, 2008-09 Doctoral Student, CSCS Phone: +91-(0)-9740074884 -- Nishant Shah Doctoral Candidate, CSCS, Bangalore. Director (Research), Centre for Internet and Society,( www.cis-india.org ) Asia Awards Fellow, 2008-09 # 00-91-9740074884 From phadkeshilpa at gmail.com Tue Apr 6 14:02:22 2010 From: phadkeshilpa at gmail.com (Shilpa Phadke) Date: Tue, 6 Apr 2010 14:02:22 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Talk: 20 April: Distributed Networks: On Security, Terror, Mobility and Other Sensations In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: The Centre for Media and Cultural Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai and Jnanapravaha, Mumbai invite you to a Talk Distributed Networks On Security, Terror, Mobility and Other Sensations by Amit S. Rai Venue: Jnanapravaha, Queens Mansion, 3rd Floor, G Talwatkar Marg, Fort, Mumbai Date: Wednesday, April 20, 2010 Time: 6 p.m. Abstract of the Talk: This lecture is based on research conducted in Delhi-NCR and Mumbai on mobile phone cultures over the past nine months. This research has focused on changing patterns of use emerging from shifts in relations of power between government, network providers, content producers, value added companies, and communities of active users across urban and rural space. The wager of my research is that a new ecology of sensation is emerging through an evolving, globally distributed security apparatus. This apparatus has become centered on controlling populations as searchable digital information, while mutating the biopolitical project of maximizing productive capacity and minimizing risk. About Amit S Rai: Dr. Amit S. Rai is an associate professor of film, media, and postcolonial studies at Florida State University. He received his PhD in Modern Thought and Literature, from Stanford University in 1995, and has taught at the New School for Social Research, and Florida State University. He is the author of Rule of Sympathy: Race, Sentiment, and Power (Palgrave: 2002). He has written on Indian masculinity in film, anthropologies of monstrosity, discourses of colonial sympathy, and the swerves of media (clinamedia). His study of new media in India, entitled Untimely Bollywood: Globalization and India’s New Media Assemblage was published by Duke University Press in May of 2009. His blog on media assemblages and the politics of perception can be found athttp://mediaecologiesresonate.wordpress.com. He is presently in India on a Fulbright Senior Research Fellowship located at the Centre for Media and Cultural Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai diagramming the perceptual mutations involved in mobile phone networks in urban areas. From patrice at xs4all.nl Tue Apr 6 15:53:34 2010 From: patrice at xs4all.nl (Patrice Riemens) Date: Tue, 6 Apr 2010 12:23:34 +0200 Subject: [Reader-list] Fwdfyi: [RR] Bhagat Singh: Promoting Terrorism? Message-ID: FollFollowing the posting on Bhagat Singh in Pakistan, here a rejoinder fromPakistan that was sent to me by a Pakistani friend ... Cheers, p+3D! ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Khurram Ali Shafique Date: Wed, Mar 31, 2010 at 2:58 AM Subject: [RR] Bhagat Singh: Promoting Terrorism? To: therepublicofrumi at yahoogroups.com On March 23 this year, when most Pakistani celebrated the 70th anniversary of Pakistan Resolution, some observed the death anniversary of Bhagat Singh (1907-1931) who had been hanged on charges of terrorism on the same date in 1931. Especially under the present circumstances, an average Pakistani may ask a few questions to be considered dispassionately. Bhagat Singh was a member of HSRA, a leftist terrorist organization in India in the 1920s ("when expediency will demand it the Party will unhesitatingly enter into a desperate campaign of terrorism," said the party's manifesto; see *Wikipedia entry*). In 1928, Hindu leader Lala Lajpat Rai succumbed to injuries suffered from baton charge by police during a public protest. Singh sought to avenge him by assassinating the police chief but his bullet killed another police officer instead. He fled the scene and later threw a bomb in the Central Legislative Assembly that did not kill anyone but created panic. He got arrested and defended his position throughout his trial. He was convicted for murder and hanged on March 23, 1931. In India, Singh is celebrated as a hero. Among Marxists, his pamphlet `Why I am an Atheist' is especially popular as a tool for promoting atheism among youth. Pakistan too has an association with him, since he was born in a village near Lyallpur (now called Faisalabad) and got executed in Lahore. In September 2007, Lt Gen (Retired) Khalid Maqool (governor of Punjab in the Musharraf era) addressed a birth centenary seminar on Bhagat Singh, paid tribute to him and promised a memorial (see *Daily Times*). Showing due respect to Bhagat Singh as an icon respected by our neighboring India is one thing. Preaching his ideas to our own youth and presenting him as a role model for Pakistanis are different matters altogether. The country is being accused of harboring terrorists. The international media, especially Indian media, often seems to be giving an impression as if most Pakistanis harbor a longing for becoming suicide bombers. What kind of image shall we receive if at this time some of our lobbies are found to be promoting a "hero" whose recorded statement after throwing a bomb in the assembly was, "We are sorry to admit that we... have been forced to shed human blood. But the sacrifice of individuals at the altar of the 'Great Revolution' is inevitable." The implications are: - Is this the kind of image we desire to associated with Pakistan? - Is this the message we want to give to our youth? - Precisely why did India release not one, but two, biopics about Bhagat Singh defending terrorism soon after 09/11 (both movies were released on June 7, 2002)? However, the biggest question is that at a time when the country is already combating terrorism, why on earth we need to promote terrorism? We may compare the following excerpts from the pamphlet distributed by Singh after bombing the assembly with the video messages released by the militants of today: "It takes a loud voice to make the deaf hear, with these immortal words uttered on a similar occasion by Valiant, a French anarchist martyr, do we strongly justify this action of ours In these extremely provocative circumstances, the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association, in all seriousness, realizing their full responsibility, had decided and ordered its army to do this particular action We are sorry to admit that we who attach so great a sanctity to human life, who dream of a glorious future, when man will be enjoying perfect peace and full liberty, have been forced to shed human blood. But the sacrifice of individuals at the altar of the 'Great Revolution' that will bring freedom to all, rendering the exploitation of man by man impossible, is inevitable. Long Live the Revolution." Really, do you have to promote terrorism? This is an honest question which the mainstream Pakistanis may be entitled to ask some of their leftist brothers. * * - *Post your comments or read others' *** From pawan.durani at gmail.com Tue Apr 6 18:19:22 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Tue, 6 Apr 2010 18:19:22 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached Message-ID: …and committed a strategic mistake at Dantewada The reason why Naxalites have been able to sustain their insurgency for so long is due to three main reasons: the absence or failure of governance; the romanticism and propaganda of their overground sympathisers; and, finally, due to the relatively subliminal nature of their violence. To the extent that their violence was distributed in space and time they could slip in and out of the public mind, pursue on-and-off talks with state governments and generally avoid provoking the government into hitting back hard. Over the last five years Naxalites have violently expanded the geographical spread of their extortion and protection rackets—yet, the violence in any given place and time has been below a certain threshold. That threshold itself is high for a number of reasons, including efforts by their sympathisers to romanticise their violence, spectacular terrorist attacks by jihadi groups and due to the remoteness of the areas of their operations. This allowed Naxalites to get away with murder. A lot of times. In a lot of places. Literally. But killing 73 out of 80 (or 120) CRPF and police personnel in a short span of time in a single battle is no longer subliminal violence. In all likelihood the Naxalites have crossed a threshold—this incident is likely to stay much longer in the public mind and increase the pressure on politicians to tackle the Naxalite threat with greater resolve. Also, given that it has also become an issue of P Chidambaram’s—and hence the UPA government’s—reputation, the gloves are likely to come off in the coming weeks. There’s a chance that India’s psychological threshold is even higher. But it is more likely that the Naxalites have overreached. Perhaps their leadership has calculated that they are in the next stage of their revolutionary war. If so, that would neither the first nor the only delusion in their minds. http://acorn.nationalinterest.in/2010/04/06/the-naxalites-overreached/ From rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com Tue Apr 6 21:12:54 2010 From: rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com (Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi) Date: Tue, 6 Apr 2010 21:12:54 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Fwdfyi: [RR] Bhagat Singh: Promoting Terrorism? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Dear all, Bhagath Singh though used violence to protest the british rule, kill the british officer who murdered thousands of innocents at Jalianwalabagh,who had gathered there peacefully to listen to the message of non-violent struggle for freedom, to even suggest that Bhagath Singh was terrorist is travesty and curious over reach of intellectual terrorism. Bhagath Singh not only owned the act of violence, faced the rule of laws, judiciary, the verdict and accepted with grace the death penalty unlike the present day Kobad Ghandys, varavara raos and sympathisers of naxal movement. regards,rajen. On Tue, Apr 6, 2010 at 3:53 PM, Patrice Riemens wrote: > > FollFollowing the posting on Bhagat Singh in Pakistan, here a rejoinder > fromPakistan that was sent to me by a Pakistani friend ... > > Cheers, p+3D! > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Khurram Ali Shafique > Date: Wed, Mar 31, 2010 at 2:58 AM > Subject: [RR] Bhagat Singh: Promoting Terrorism? > To: therepublicofrumi at yahoogroups.com > > > > > On March 23 this year, when most Pakistani celebrated the 70th anniversary > of Pakistan Resolution, some observed the death anniversary of Bhagat Singh > (1907-1931) who had been hanged on charges of terrorism on the same date in > 1931. Especially under the present circumstances, an average Pakistani may > ask a few questions to be considered dispassionately. > > Bhagat Singh was a member of HSRA, a leftist terrorist organization in > India > in the 1920s ("when expediency will demand it the Party will unhesitatingly > enter into a desperate campaign of terrorism," said the party's manifesto; > see *Wikipedia > entry*< > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindustan_Socialist_Republican_Association#Objectives_and_Ideology > >). > In 1928, Hindu leader Lala Lajpat Rai succumbed to injuries suffered from > baton charge by police during a public protest. Singh sought to avenge him > by assassinating the police chief but his bullet killed another police > officer instead. He fled the scene and later threw a bomb in the Central > Legislative Assembly that did not kill anyone but created panic. He got > arrested and defended his position throughout his trial. He was convicted > for murder and hanged on March 23, 1931. > > In India, Singh is celebrated as a hero. Among Marxists, his pamphlet `Why > I > am an Atheist' is especially popular as a tool for promoting atheism among > youth. Pakistan too has an association with him, since he was born in a > village near Lyallpur (now called Faisalabad) and got executed in Lahore. > In > September 2007, Lt Gen (Retired) Khalid Maqool (governor of Punjab in the > Musharraf era) addressed a birth centenary seminar on Bhagat Singh, paid > tribute to him and promised a memorial (see *Daily > Times*< > http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C09%5C02%5Cstory_2-9-2007_pg7_33 > >). > > > Showing due respect to Bhagat Singh as an icon respected by our neighboring > India is one thing. Preaching his ideas to our own youth and presenting him > as a role model for Pakistanis are different matters altogether. The > country > is being accused of harboring terrorists. The international media, > especially Indian media, often seems to be giving an impression as if most > Pakistanis harbor a longing for becoming suicide bombers. What kind of > image > shall we receive if at this time some of our lobbies are found to be > promoting a "hero" whose recorded statement after throwing a bomb in the > assembly was, "We are sorry to admit that we... have been forced to shed > human blood. But the sacrifice of individuals at the altar of the 'Great > Revolution'… is inevitable." > > The implications are: > > - Is this the kind of image we desire to associated with Pakistan? > - Is this the message we want to give to our youth? > - Precisely why did India release not one, but two, biopics about Bhagat > Singh defending terrorism soon after 09/11 (both movies were released on > June 7, 2002)? > > However, the biggest question is that at a time when the country is already > combating terrorism, why on earth we need to promote terrorism? We may > compare the following excerpts from the pamphlet distributed by Singh after > bombing the assembly with the video messages released by the militants of > today: > > "It takes a loud voice to make the deaf hear, with these immortal words > uttered on a similar occasion by Valiant, a French anarchist martyr, do we > strongly justify this action of ours… In these extremely provocative > circumstances, the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association, in all > seriousness, realizing their full responsibility, had decided and ordered > its army to do this particular action… We are sorry to admit that we who > attach so great a sanctity to human life, who dream of a glorious future, > when man will be enjoying perfect peace and full liberty, have been forced > to shed human blood. But the sacrifice of individuals at the altar of the > 'Great Revolution' that will bring freedom to all, rendering the > exploitation of man by man impossible, is inevitable. Long Live the > Revolution." > > Really, do you have to promote terrorism? This is an honest question which > the mainstream Pakistanis may be entitled to ask some of their leftist > brothers. > > * > < > http://khurramsdesk.blogspot.com/2010/03/bhagat-singh-promoting-terrorism.html > > > * > - *Post your comments or read others' > < > http://khurramsdesk.blogspot.com/2010/03/bhagat-singh-promoting-terrorism.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: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > -- Rajen. From rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com Tue Apr 6 21:24:36 2010 From: rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com (Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi) Date: Tue, 6 Apr 2010 21:24:36 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] request for a petition In-Reply-To: <69D12D3F58D947228A7BE76E4D6B5AA9@tara> References: <0AB033AFCD3B4980AB42A157B70DD5A6@tara> <69D12D3F58D947228A7BE76E4D6B5AA9@tara> Message-ID: Thanks Tara, sorry, I love to follow the same yardstick for signing the petition or any action from my side, when those who actually led the riots from 1945, when those who danced on the table of Justice Shah while hearing the atrocities of Emergency rule are free and are privileged lot, the secular rules does target only few by choice, such vested interests are led by individuals who are communal with facade of communal NGOs and "centres" of intellectuals in studies of the socities, studying how to divide the "majority" society further, in this land mass, for the information, take it, population of organised faith, christianity is, 3.1 billion, islam has 2.8 billions and even organised "majority' of hindu is a small as 0.80 billion, and worse, these have never had run crusades or jihaads.! regards, rajen. On Tue, Apr 6, 2010 at 12:10 AM, TaraPrakash wrote: > Yes Rajendra. We should petition against the leaders who led the riots > enjoying the privileges of being MPs, those criminal lawyers who defended > the uncle Q , law minister who defreezed the 21 crores now sitting and > enjoying the life in Raj Bhavan as governor of a state, judges who fudged > the judicial system with stays and injuctions and delayed the process of > laws,lawyers who handled the obstruction of justice, now are MPs and > ministers, is this what is to be petitioned. Yes high time something should > be done against them, even if petitioning , go for it. I will sign the > petition and ask others to do the same. > IN your entire mail you had nothing to say about the person about whom the > petition was written. So please go sign the petition. > Thanks > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > *From:* Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi > *To:* TaraPrakash > *Sent:* Monday, April 05, 2010 1:02 PM > *Subject:* Re: [Reader-list] request for a petition > > Tara prakash, > are intellectuals who use intellect to destroy societal laws above laws.? > Can intellectual terrorism be accepted, when media men and women twerrorise > the viewers with negative publicity for political leaders showing old > archive of riots, particularly where "minority" which perpetretated violence > got it back in full measure, but not repeat telecast of genocide of 3000 > humans in Delhi in 1984, leaders who led the riots enjoying the privileges > of being MPs, those criminal lawyers who defended the uncle Q , law minister > who defreezed the 21 crores now sitting and enjoying the life in Raj Bhavan > as governor of a state, judges who fudged the judicial system with stays and > injuctions and delayed the process of laws,lawyers who handled the > obstruction of justice, now are MPs and ministers, is this what is to be > petitioned or a Kobad who says jai Bhagath Singh who did not run away from > the site after his violent protest, kobad is a coward, not even an > intellectual, and like a fake gandhi, using the name for violence with his > cronies, deserve the laws to tackle him with the system of judicial process. > > Regards, > > On Mon, Apr 5, 2010 at 9:08 PM, TaraPrakash wrote: > >> Hello all. Please look at the following request to sign a petition. This >> must be looked in to, it may be yu next. >> >> >> >> Friends, >> >> Please sign and circulate the petition against the arrest and detainment >> of Sunil Mandiwal, a Delhi University professor and well known democratic >> right activist, allegedly in connection with the Kobad Ghandy case. Let us >> condemn the attempt by the state to criminalise and terrorize intellectuals >> and activists. >> >> http://www.PetitionOnline.com/mandiwal/petition.html >> >> Anirban Kar, P K Vijayan, Karen Gabriel >> _________________________________________ >> 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/> > > > > > -- > Rajen. > > -- Rajen. From rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com Tue Apr 6 21:34:34 2010 From: rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com (Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi) Date: Tue, 6 Apr 2010 21:34:34 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] =?windows-1252?q?=22Amaresh_Mishra=92s_web_of_lies?= =?windows-1252?q?=22_-_the_Teesta_Setalvad_letter?= In-Reply-To: <424187.10745.qm@web57204.mail.re3.yahoo.com> References: <424187.10745.qm@web57204.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Teesta defended the terror accused of mumbai blasts, who were of a minority faith, not the other five who were all convicted, with funds for lawyers, help and sheltor for the accused, natural laws say, the accused is guilty once convicted by trial court, further appeal and the process of appeal to higher courts is not that EASY AND FEASIBLE FOR A COMMON CITIZEN. As to defend the accused, yes, till they are proved guilty, with evidence produced by prosecution, as found by investigation, is within the right of a NGO, but is NGO only for select individuals of one community.? All accused are not guilty till proved otherwise, but these vote bank NGOs have a role to play for the malfeasence and non delivery of judicial correction. regards, rajen. On Mon, Apr 5, 2010 at 10:54 PM, Kshmendra Kaul wrote: > Dear Rajendra > > a. Which terror accused did Teesta defend? > > b. Is it wrong to defend an accused person, since the person is just > 'accused' and not proven guilty? > > Kshmendra > > --- On *Mon, 4/5/10, Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi < > rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com>* wrote: > > > From: Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi > > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] "Amaresh Mishra’s web of lies" - the Teesta > Setalvad letter > To: "Kshmendra Kaul" > Cc: "sarai list" > Date: Monday, April 5, 2010, 10:36 PM > > > Theesta has lost all credibility with her actions of defending terror > accused, she is in charge of communal NGO, which specialises in defending > only accused of one community.Her expressions need not be taken > seriously.She has specialised in using the law which is an ass to flog for > her faith, and faithfuls of her community. > regards, > rajen > > On Sun, Apr 4, 2010 at 4:53 PM, Kshmendra Kaul > > wrote: > >> Javed Masoo posted the article by Amaresh Misra "Headley Saga: Mumbai >> attack was a joint IB-CIA-Mossad-RSS project" >> >> Amaresh Misra is well known for his conspiracy theories and only when >> someone is intent on suggesting some credibility to his lunacies, a bio-bit >> about his being a "famed"/"eminent" historian is inserted. >> >> A variation on the Amaresh Misra conpiracy theory on the Mumbai Attack >> suggests that it is actually the nexus of CIA-Mossad-RSS that >> controls/finances/directs the terror-agenda of IB/RAW (of India) and ISI (of >> Pakistan). Yes ISI of Pakistan included. >> >> In the Dec 2008 letter of Teesta Setalvad, she had this to say about >> Amaresh Misra: >> http://communalism.blogspot.com/2008/12/amaresh-mishras-web-of-lies.html >> >> - .... MR AMARESH MISHRA, a dangerous individual ..... >> >> - ...... the conspiracy theories spouted by Mr Mishra in print and on the >> internet that are not just too incerdible but have also, surprisingly >> escaped the wrath of the sangh parivar. >> >> >> "Communalism Watch" also offers weblink for the article "Amaresh Mishra -a >> case of intellectual rottenness" posted by one "gurmeet" >> >> That article has this to offer about Amaresh Misra: >> >> http://libertynewscentral.blogspot.com/2008/12/amaresh-mishra-case-of-intellectual.html >> >> - I did not know very much about Amaresh Mishra but that he had written a >> book that appeared to be of dubious merit and dodgy scholarship. >> >> - Now it seems that that dodginess runs deep indeed -deep into the dark >> recesses of conspiracy theories. He suffers from the same strain of >> kookiness that Union Minority Affairs Minister A R Antulay does. >> >> - He belongs to that overflowing breed of >> intellectual/media/pundit/academic class that sees Mossad and CIA (or >> America and Israel) as the fountainhead of most evil in the world.Kookiness >> is not an aberration in this circle but a feature. >> >> - Aren't we told that Amaresh Mishra is a renowned historian? I am glad we >> were enlightened or we might have come to the conclusion that he is a >> conspiracy mongering lout. >> >> >> Kshmendra >> >> >> >> >> >> _________________________________________ >> 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: > > > > > -- > Rajen. > > > -- Rajen. From taraprakash at gmail.com Tue Apr 6 21:42:41 2010 From: taraprakash at gmail.com (TaraPrakash) Date: Tue, 6 Apr 2010 12:12:41 -0400 Subject: [Reader-list] request for a petition References: <0AB033AFCD3B4980AB42A157B70DD5A6@tara> <69D12D3F58D947228A7BE76E4D6B5AA9@tara> Message-ID: <070B0CBF7D2C490D83C5A389C66F1306@tara> You seem to be one of those who find reasons not to do things. What stops you to write a petition to support or oppose the things you are concerned about. You haven't yet shown how you equate Sunil Mandival and all the other nice people you keep on harping about. ----- Original Message ----- From: Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi To: TaraPrakash Cc: reader-list at sarai.net Sent: Tuesday, April 06, 2010 11:54 AM Subject: Re: [Reader-list] request for a petition Thanks Tara, sorry, I love to follow the same yardstick for signing the petition or any action from my side, when those who actually led the riots from 1945, when those who danced on the table of Justice Shah while hearing the atrocities of Emergency rule are free and are privileged lot, the secular rules does target only few by choice, such vested interests are led by individuals who are communal with facade of communal NGOs and "centres" of intellectuals in studies of the socities, studying how to divide the "majority" society further, in this land mass, for the information, take it, population of organised faith, christianity is, 3.1 billion, islam has 2.8 billions and even organised "majority' of hindu is a small as 0.80 billion, and worse, these have never had run crusades or jihaads.! regards, rajen. On Tue, Apr 6, 2010 at 12:10 AM, TaraPrakash wrote: Yes Rajendra. We should petition against the leaders who led the riots enjoying the privileges of being MPs, those criminal lawyers who defended the uncle Q , law minister who defreezed the 21 crores now sitting and enjoying the life in Raj Bhavan as governor of a state, judges who fudged the judicial system with stays and injuctions and delayed the process of laws,lawyers who handled the obstruction of justice, now are MPs and ministers, is this what is to be petitioned. Yes high time something should be done against them, even if petitioning , go for it. I will sign the petition and ask others to do the same. IN your entire mail you had nothing to say about the person about whom the petition was written. So please go sign the petition. Thanks ----- Original Message ----- From: Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi To: TaraPrakash Sent: Monday, April 05, 2010 1:02 PM Subject: Re: [Reader-list] request for a petition Tara prakash, are intellectuals who use intellect to destroy societal laws above laws.? Can intellectual terrorism be accepted, when media men and women twerrorise the viewers with negative publicity for political leaders showing old archive of riots, particularly where "minority" which perpetretated violence got it back in full measure, but not repeat telecast of genocide of 3000 humans in Delhi in 1984, leaders who led the riots enjoying the privileges of being MPs, those criminal lawyers who defended the uncle Q , law minister who defreezed the 21 crores now sitting and enjoying the life in Raj Bhavan as governor of a state, judges who fudged the judicial system with stays and injuctions and delayed the process of laws,lawyers who handled the obstruction of justice, now are MPs and ministers, is this what is to be petitioned or a Kobad who says jai Bhagath Singh who did not run away from the site after his violent protest, kobad is a coward, not even an intellectual, and like a fake gandhi, using the name for violence with his cronies, deserve the laws to tackle him with the system of judicial process. Regards, On Mon, Apr 5, 2010 at 9:08 PM, TaraPrakash wrote: Hello all. Please look at the following request to sign a petition. This must be looked in to, it may be yu next. Friends, Please sign and circulate the petition against the arrest and detainment of Sunil Mandiwal, a Delhi University professor and well known democratic right activist, allegedly in connection with the Kobad Ghandy case. Let us condemn the attempt by the state to criminalise and terrorize intellectuals and activists. http://www.PetitionOnline.com/mandiwal/petition.html Anirban Kar, P K Vijayan, Karen Gabriel _________________________________________ 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/> -- Rajen. -- Rajen. From taraprakash at gmail.com Tue Apr 6 22:34:13 2010 From: taraprakash at gmail.com (TaraPrakash) Date: Tue, 6 Apr 2010 13:04:13 -0400 Subject: [Reader-list] =?utf-8?q?=22Amaresh_Mishra=E2=80=99s_web_of_lies?= =?utf-8?q?=22_-_the_Teesta_Setalvad_letter?= References: <424187.10745.qm@web57204.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <0215EBB3E6BA4C72AB4873FA05955E0E@tara> Vote bank NGO is really a nice word but new to me. Are the NGOs compete for votes these days? ----- Original Message ----- From: "Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi" To: "Kshmendra Kaul" Cc: "sarai list" Sent: Tuesday, April 06, 2010 12:04 PM Subject: Re: [Reader-list]"Amaresh Mishra’s web of lies" - the Teesta Setalvad letter > Teesta defended the terror accused of mumbai blasts, who were of a > minority > faith, not the other five who were all convicted, with funds for lawyers, > help and sheltor for the accused, natural laws say, the accused is guilty > once convicted by trial court, further appeal and the process of appeal to > higher courts is not that > EASY AND FEASIBLE FOR A COMMON CITIZEN. > > As to defend the accused, yes, till they are proved guilty, with evidence > produced by prosecution, as found by investigation, is within the right of > a > NGO, but is NGO only for select individuals of one community.? All accused > are not guilty till proved otherwise, but these vote bank NGOs have a role > to play for the malfeasence and non delivery of judicial correction. > > regards, > rajen. > On Mon, Apr 5, 2010 at 10:54 PM, Kshmendra Kaul > wrote: > >> Dear Rajendra >> >> a. Which terror accused did Teesta defend? >> >> b. Is it wrong to defend an accused person, since the person is just >> 'accused' and not proven guilty? >> >> Kshmendra >> >> --- On *Mon, 4/5/10, Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi < >> rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com>* wrote: >> >> >> From: Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi >> >> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] "Amaresh Mishra’s web of lies" - the Teesta >> Setalvad letter >> To: "Kshmendra Kaul" >> Cc: "sarai list" >> Date: Monday, April 5, 2010, 10:36 PM >> >> >> Theesta has lost all credibility with her actions of defending terror >> accused, she is in charge of communal NGO, which specialises in defending >> only accused of one community.Her expressions need not be taken >> seriously.She has specialised in using the law which is an ass to flog >> for >> her faith, and faithfuls of her community. >> regards, >> rajen >> >> On Sun, Apr 4, 2010 at 4:53 PM, Kshmendra Kaul >> >> > wrote: >> >>> Javed Masoo posted the article by Amaresh Misra "Headley Saga: Mumbai >>> attack was a joint IB-CIA-Mossad-RSS project" >>> >>> Amaresh Misra is well known for his conspiracy theories and only when >>> someone is intent on suggesting some credibility to his lunacies, a >>> bio-bit >>> about his being a "famed"/"eminent" historian is inserted. >>> >>> A variation on the Amaresh Misra conpiracy theory on the Mumbai Attack >>> suggests that it is actually the nexus of CIA-Mossad-RSS that >>> controls/finances/directs the terror-agenda of IB/RAW (of India) and ISI >>> (of >>> Pakistan). Yes ISI of Pakistan included. >>> >>> In the Dec 2008 letter of Teesta Setalvad, she had this to say about >>> Amaresh Misra: >>> http://communalism.blogspot.com/2008/12/amaresh-mishras-web-of-lies.html >>> >>> - .... MR AMARESH MISHRA, a dangerous individual ..... >>> >>> - ...... the conspiracy theories spouted by Mr Mishra in print and on >>> the >>> internet that are not just too incerdible but have also, surprisingly >>> escaped the wrath of the sangh parivar. >>> >>> >>> "Communalism Watch" also offers weblink for the article "Amaresh >>> Mishra -a >>> case of intellectual rottenness" posted by one "gurmeet" >>> >>> That article has this to offer about Amaresh Misra: >>> >>> http://libertynewscentral.blogspot.com/2008/12/amaresh-mishra-case-of-intellectual.html >>> >>> - I did not know very much about Amaresh Mishra but that he had written >>> a >>> book that appeared to be of dubious merit and dodgy scholarship. >>> >>> - Now it seems that that dodginess runs deep indeed -deep into the dark >>> recesses of conspiracy theories. He suffers from the same strain of >>> kookiness that Union Minority Affairs Minister A R Antulay does. >>> >>> - He belongs to that overflowing breed of >>> intellectual/media/pundit/academic class that sees Mossad and CIA (or >>> America and Israel) as the fountainhead of most evil in the >>> world.Kookiness >>> is not an aberration in this circle but a feature. >>> >>> - Aren't we told that Amaresh Mishra is a renowned historian? I am glad >>> we >>> were enlightened or we might have come to the conclusion that he is a >>> conspiracy mongering lout. >>> >>> >>> Kshmendra >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> _________________________________________ >>> 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: >> >> >> >> >> -- >> Rajen. >> >> >> > > > -- > Rajen. > _________________________________________ > 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 asitredsalute at gmail.com Fri Apr 2 11:32:53 2010 From: asitredsalute at gmail.com (Asit asitreds) Date: Fri, 2 Apr 2010 11:32:53 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] protest against police firing in kalinganagar orissa Message-ID: dear friends the recent police firng on peaceful protesters in kalinganagar indicates how a fascist state government can cross all civilsed barriers to facilitate corporate land grab we should immediately protest against police atrocities on peaceful mass movements in orissa asit From pawan.durani at gmail.com Wed Apr 7 11:33:13 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Wed, 7 Apr 2010 11:33:13 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] MMS has assets worth 44 Crores Message-ID: Our Prime Minister has assets worth Rs 44 cr while as Mr D Raja has declared no assets and surprisingly Ms Brinda Karat has assets worth only Rs 1.7 Lac Pls check this link : http://www.mid-day.com/news/2010/apr/070410-Delhi-Rajya-Sabha-MP-millionaires-crorepatis.htm From sub_sengupta at yahoo.co.in Wed Apr 7 14:18:02 2010 From: sub_sengupta at yahoo.co.in (subhrodip sengupta) Date: Wed, 7 Apr 2010 14:18:02 +0530 (IST) Subject: [Reader-list] Blank Noise Message-ID: <272708.1916.qm@web94711.mail.in2.yahoo.com> I Never Asked for it. Surely when we try to  justify every wrong physically or chemically, even in the intellectual forms as 'asked for it' Some say I NEVER ASKED FOR IT. Sexual harassment in all forms is unwanted, only because it hurts somebody. Now that all of us know what unwelcome sexual advances are, all we can say was exhibitionism was asking for it. But 'it' was 'too rude', and no body for sure goes on asking for a public orgy.  For an understanding of all the pervos, a cloth-collection of clothes worn by real individuals who  were harrassed in them. I Never Asked for it . Creative, just follow the links. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_NeiopOhFSss/S3bX0Zu1TMI/AAAAAAAABps/jA00BfMd_QQ/s1600-h/opinion-poll.jpg http://blog.blanknoise.org/ Asking for Understanding rather than stereotyping and reservations. The talk on Things written on T shirts of girls like Look UP etc. By the way does any one know who hosts this site? The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage. http://in.yahoo.com/ From pawan.durani at gmail.com Wed Apr 7 14:22:35 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Wed, 7 Apr 2010 14:22:35 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: It's high time that not only Maosists , but their supporters are handled with iron fist. Regards Pawan On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 1:55 PM, Asit asitreds wrote: > what about the voilence in gujrat bhagalpur etc which have killed hundred > times more people than in dantewada >  what about tens of thousands of noncobatant civilan population killed by > security forces in northeast kashmir and punjab > asit > > > On 4/6/10, Pawan Durani wrote: >> >> …and committed a strategic mistake at Dantewada >> >> >> The reason why Naxalites have been able to sustain their insurgency >> for so long is due to three main reasons: the absence or failure of >> governance; the romanticism and propaganda of their overground >> sympathisers; and, finally, due to the relatively subliminal nature of >> their violence. >> >> To the extent that their violence was distributed in space and time >> they could slip in and out of the public mind, pursue on-and-off talks >> with state governments and generally avoid provoking the government >> into hitting back hard. Over the last five years Naxalites have >> violently expanded the geographical spread of their extortion and >> protection rackets—yet, the violence in any given place and time has >> been below a certain threshold. That threshold itself is high for a >> number of reasons, including efforts by their sympathisers to >> romanticise their violence, spectacular terrorist attacks by jihadi >> groups and due to the remoteness of the areas of their operations. >> This allowed Naxalites to get away with murder. A lot of times. In a >> lot of places. Literally. >> >> But killing 73 out of 80 (or 120) CRPF and police personnel in a short >> span of time in a single battle is no longer subliminal violence. In >> all likelihood the Naxalites have crossed a threshold—this incident is >> likely to stay much longer in the public mind and increase the >> pressure on politicians to tackle the Naxalite threat with greater >> resolve. Also, given that it has also become an issue of P >> Chidambaram’s—and hence the UPA government’s—reputation, the gloves >> are likely to come off in the coming weeks. >> >> There’s a chance that India’s psychological threshold is even higher. >> But it is more likely that the Naxalites have overreached. Perhaps >> their leadership has calculated that they are in the next stage of >> their revolutionary war. If so, that would neither the first nor the >> only delusion in their minds. >> >> http://acorn.nationalinterest.in/2010/04/06/the-naxalites-overreached/ >> _________________________________________ >> 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 Wed Apr 7 16:09:08 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Wed, 7 Apr 2010 16:09:08 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Shadow lands: Pakistan - a nation under attack Message-ID: "American drones overhead, Taliban troops on the offensive, and the horrifying rise of child kidnapping – Pakistan is in pieces, writes Robert Fisk, in a devastating portrait of a country thwarted by violence and corruption" http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/shadow-lands-pakistan--a-nation-under-attack-1936507.html Pakistan ambushes you. The midday heat is also beginning to ambush all who live in Peshawar, the capital of the North West Frontier Province. Canyons of fumes grey out the vast ramparts of the Bala Hisar fort. "Headquarters Frontier Force" is written on the ancient gateway. I notice the old British cannon on the heights – and the spanking new anti-aircraft gun beside it, barrels deflected to point at us, at all who enter this vast metropolis of pain. There are troops at every intersection, bullets draped in belts over their shoulders, machine guns on tripods erected behind piles of sandbags, the sights of AK-47s brushing impersonally across rickshaws, and rubbish trucks and buses with men clinging to the sides. There are beards that reach to the waist. The soldiers have beards, too, sometimes just as long. I am sitting in a modest downstairs apartment in the old British cantonment. A young Peshawar journalist sits beside me, talking in a subdued but angry way, as if someone is listening to us, about the pilotless American aircraft which now slaughter by the score – or the four score – along the Afghanistan border. "I was in Damadola when the drones came. They killed more than 80 teenagers – all students – and, yes they were learning the Koran, and the madrasah, the Islamic school, was run by a Taliban commander. But 80! Many of them came from Bajaur, which would be attacked later. Their parents came afterwards, all their mothers were there, but the bodies were in pieces. There were so many children, some as young as 12. We didn't know how to fit them together." The reporter – no name, of course, because he still has to work in Peshawar – was in part of the Bajaur tribal area, to cover negotiations between the government and the Taliban. "The drones stayed around for about half an hour, watching," he says. "Then two Pakistani helicopter gunships came over. Later, the government said the helicopters did the attack. But it was the drones." Related articles Omar Waraich: Blasts put Zardari's aim in grim context America under attack in Pakistan Search the news archive for more stories An Islamabad garden now, light with bright oak trees and big birds that bark at us from the branches, beneath which sit two humanitarian workers, both Europeans who have spent weeks in the Swat valley during and after the Pakistani army's offensive against the Taliban. "There were dozens – perhaps hundreds – executed by the army. They were revenge killings by the soldiers, no doubt about it. A number of people we had reported to us as arrested – they were later found dead. What does that mean? The Americans and the Brits were aware of this, of course they were, and they intervened with the government. But what does this say about the army? In one village, two bodies lay in the street for two days – it was a way of showing the local people what would happen to them if they supported the Taliban. What does this say about the army? Can they control Pakistan like this?" Some 70 per cent of the Pakistani army come from Punjab, and 80 per cent of retired army officers come from Punjab. In a few days, Punjab will pay for this. But lest the Taliban appear in freedom-fighter mode, here is a different account of the Swat valley by one of Pakistan's most eloquent journalists, Owais Tohid, reporting from the city of Mingora. Read, as they say, and inwardly digest. "Splotches of red blood still stain Ziarat Gul's memory: his sister was gunned down by the Taliban and her body placed at the chowk [square] where I stand... A year ago, Gul's sister, Shabana, was shot three times by the bearded and turbaned men." Shabana was a singing and dancing girl, of whom there are many in the tribal areas; they perform at weddings, while the men play harmoniums and the stringed rabab. Back to Owais Tohid. "Her body was then strewn with currency notes, CDs of her performances, and her photographs. Pooled in blood, nobody was allowed to her body until the next day. Gul, his father and two cousins were the only ones to offer funeral prayers and bury her the next morning..." Shabana's friend Shehnaz, a famous dancing girl, was a witness to the murder: "I switched off the light and peeped through a hole; I could see the door was broken. Shabana sat on the floor and Taliban carrying Kalashnikovs and rocket-launchers stood around her. Some carried swords. I heard Shabana beg them to spare her life. She was pleading, 'Don't kill me, don't kill me.' But then one of the Taliban said, 'We warned you ... we even offered you our mujahid to marry, but you continued to dance...' Shabana continued pleading..." Shehnaz heard the gunshots. I wonder if all these tales are true. Alas, they are. Not far from Peshawar last month, a dancing troupe was returning from a party in Hindko Damaan, when armed men surrounded their vehicle at 3am. Afsana, one of the girls, had her two sisters, Salma and Sana, alongside her in the car, and her stepfather, Azizur Rahman. Her brother, in a following car, argued with the gunmen, who were demanding money. So they shot Afsana dead. She had just divorced, and danced to earn money for her family. Three other girls have been murdered outside Peshawar in the past fortnight. But the drones dominate the tribal lands. They killed 14 men in just one night last month, at Datta Khel in north Waziristan. The drones come in flocks, and five of them settled over the village, firing a missile each at a pick-up truck, splitting it in two and dismembering six men aboard. When local residents as well as Taliban arrived to help the wounded, the drones attacked again, killing all eight of them. The drones usually return to shoot at the rescuers. It's a policy started by the Israeli air force over Beirut during the 1982 siege: bomb now, come back 12 minutes later for a second shot. Now Waziristan villagers wait up to half an hour – listening to the shrieks and howls of the dying – before they try to help the wounded. The drones – Predators and Reapers, or "Shadows", as the Americans call them when they follow US troops into battle – have acquired mythical proportions in the minds of Pakistanis, a form of spaceship colonialism, imperialism from the sky, caught with literary brilliance by A H Khayal in the daily newspaper The Nation, when he asked where the drones come from: "The masses are piteously ignorant. They just don't know that the drones are not material creatures. Actually, they are spiritual beings. They don't need earthly runways for taking off... They live in outer space, beyond the international boundaries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. "When they feel hungry, they swoop down and kill innocent Afghani women and children. They eat the corpses and fly back to their spacial residences for a siesta. When they again feel hungry, they again swoop down and kill another lot of innocent women and children. Having devoured the dead bodies, they fly back to their bedrooms in space. It has been going on and on like this for years." Indeed it has. But where do the drones come from? When President Hamid Karzai flew into Islamabad last month, the entire Pakistani cabinet turned up to welcome this fraudulently elected satrap of the United States. Many are the Pakistanis who found this a natural circumstance. Was not their own President, Asif Ali Zardari, another of Washington's corrupt satraps, his minions heading to Washington only two weeks later to plead for a vast increase in the $7.8bn (£5.1bn) of aid which Congress voted Pakistan last year? "There was a time when America did not trust you," Pakistan's Prime Minister, Yousuf Gilani, lectured the upper house of his federal parliament. "You were their ally, but they did not trust you. Now they are trusting you and holding a strategic dialogue." It was enough to make the average Pakistani squirm. After Hillary Clinton arrived last November to berate the students of Pakistan on their anti-Americanism – and to hint that their government must surely know the location of al-Qa'ida's top men in the tribal lands – the Foreign Minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, set off to Washington last week with his chain-smoking army commander, General Ashfaq Kayani, with the biggest begging bowl in Pakistani history. President Barack Obama wants an exit strategy in Afghanistan and realises – at last – that only Pakistan can provide this. But he also wants to support India as a bulwark against China, and the Pakistanis know that Delhi's agents are trying to control Afghanistan. But what struck Pakistanis about Karzai's visit was not his cloying remarks about the fraternal love of the Afghan and Pakistani people – "India is our close friend but Pakistan is like a twin brother," he piously observed – but his astonishing statement that the devastating missile attacks against Pakistan by pilotless US drone aircraft were not being launched from inside Afghanistan. "We are not responsible for these attacks," he said. "They are being carried out by a powerful sovereign country, namely the United States, which is also a close ally of Pakistan. They [the drones] don't fly from our territory but in our airspace, and it is beyond our capacity to stop them." Karzai looked subdued, apologetic, meekly sympathising with Gilani over the growing number of civilian casualties. Karzai was (for once) telling the truth. The drones launched from the Kandahar airbase are attacking the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban inside the international frontier. The drones attacking Pakistan come from – Pakistan. In fact, the Americans launch them from a Pakistan Air Force base at Terbile, 50 miles west of Islamabad. US officers were also interested in using the Peshawar airfield – the same runways employed by the old U-2 spy planes, from which Gary Powers took off over the Soviet Union during the Cold War – and the Taliban spent weeks trying to discover the headquarters from which the Americans were directing the drones. They eventually decided that the US drone control centre was on the highest floor of the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad. They were wrong. US officers did stay at the Marriott, but they were not air force personnel. This, however, was the reason the Marriott was attacked by a suicide bomber in 2007, and then again with a truckload of explosives on 20 September 2008 – not because President Zardari had just given his first speech to parliament a few hundred metres away, but because the Taliban were trying to destroy the "brain" behind the drones. At least 54 civilians were killed – most of them Pakistanis – and 266 wounded. The drone attacks continued, more than ever after Barack Obama became US President. The war, however, is now directed at the Pakistani army – although the authorities try to portray the Taliban's targets as purely civilian. The assault on the police torture centre in Lahore on 8 March was merely a warning. Nine policemen were among the 18 dead at a building known for its night-time torture sessions – local inhabitants had complained many times about screams from the basement, not because of the abuse taking place there but because it made their homes a target for bombers. They were right. The worst suicide bombing of the year had already occurred at a volleyball field in Lakki Marwat, when the killer murdered 105 people – many of them policemen and Frontier Corps personnel. On 4 February, another suicide bomber – after a long surveillance operation by the Pakistani Taliban – struck a military convoy in the Koto area of the Lower Dir district. He killed three schoolgirls, a Frontier Corps policeman – and three US soldiers. Since 11 September 2001, more than 5,700 men and women have been killed in insurgent attacks in Pakistan. This is revenge for the army's offensives in Swat and Waziristan. The double suicide attack on two army vehicles in Lahore, the Punjabi capital, on 12 March was thus merely the most brazen assault on the Pakistani military. Both killers destroyed themselves next to two army trucks – killing 14 soldiers – in the garrison city, shaming the security authorities and provoking the local chief minister, Shahbaz Sharif, to plead shamefully with the Taliban to spare his capital in future. Attack another city, was the implication. Sixty-one men and women were killed – most of them, of course, civilians – and hundreds wounded. Within 24 hours, another suicide bomber attacked an army checkpoint in the North West Frontier Province at Saidu Sharif, killing 14 people, most of them soldiers and policemen. Even the military were surprised by the determination of the Pakistani Taliban to assault them. Four days after the attack in Lahore, the police found 1,500 kilos of explosives and two suicide vests in Iqbal Town in the Punjabi capital, along with Russian-made hand grenades and rifle ammunition. The next day, they discovered another 3,000 kilos of explosives in the same area. Amir Mir, the most accurate of Pakistani journalists amid the chaos of what is in fact a war, has calculated that 321 Pakistanis have been killed and more than 500 wounded in 15 suicide bombings across Pakistan in the first 70 days of 2010. This is up from 'only' 11 suicide bombings in the same period last year. The Institute for Peace Studies in Pakistan has been recording every act of violence in the country since the 2001 attack on America, and concludes that just in 2009 12,632 men and women – civilians, soldiers, Taliban militants, even victims of inter- tribal battles – were killed. Of the dead, 3,021 were killed by insurgents, 6,329 in Pakistan army operations, 1,163 in army-Taliban battles, 700 in border violence, and 1,419 in other violence, including drone missiles. The scorecard for death over the past four years – I'm afraid that death in Pakistan is today much like a tally – is truly awful. In 2005, a mere 216 Pakistanis were reported killed. In 2006, 907 Pakistanis died; in 2007, 3,448; in 2008, 7,997. By 2009, the total number of victims in just five years came to more than 25,000. When I twice visited Lahore, it felt like a city under martial law, thronged with troops and checkpoints, its bridges and ancient British ministries and schools laced with soldiers in steel helmets. In just two weeks in March – far from Lahore – lawlessness reached epic proportions. On 14 March, four men were killed in the Khyber tribal area. In Quetta on 17 March, a retired policeman, a member of a "sectarian organisation", and two construction workers were shot dead or blown up. A day later, 10 men of the Mehsud tribe – quite possibly militants – were killed in a five-missile US drone attack. In a suburb of Peshawar on the same day, three Frontier Force soldiers and two policemen were shot dead. In Karachi that day, two political leaders, their lawyer and a taxi driver were shot. Within 24 hours, a prominent Quetta lawyer was kidnapped. By the end of the same week, the Pakistani Taliban publicly announced that it intended to murder the Pakistani Interior Minister, Rehman Malik. And there would be more attacks across the country, the Taliban said, in revenge for the American drone attacks. "Just wait for our reaction," the Taliban's spokesman, Azam Tariq, said. The Pakistani military responded in the time-honoured way. The Taliban's attacks were "a clear sign of frustration and desperation" on the part of the militants. The director of the CIA, Leon Panetta, declared from the safety of Washington that the drone assaults – and other attacks, unspecified – were "the most aggressive operation that the CIA has been involved in in our history. The CIA's offensive in the Pakistan tribal region had driven Osama bin Laden and his colleagues into hiding – where they have presumably been since 2001 – leaving al-Qa'ida "rudderless and incapable of planning sophisticated operations". Pakistan surely deserves better than this nonsense. Embedded with the Pakistani military, writers such as Michael O'Hanlon in The New York Times remind their readers that America's $17bn in aid since 2001 comes to only half Pakistan's costs in the "war on terror", a battle to which the Pakistani army is now fully committed (or so he believes). This, however, does not explain the scores of soldiers who have surrendered to the insurgents over the past 12 months, nor the weird double-game being played by the Pakistani security services, who captured senior members of the Afghan Taliban only to find themselves condemned by Hamid Karzai's corrupt government for breaking up the secret communications between the Afghan government and its enemies. The US was "extremely gratified" by Pakistan's arrests, President Obama's envoy, Richard Holbrooke, says. In other words, the Americans would control contacts with the Afghan Taliban – not their local ruler, Hamid Karzai. And all the while, the 'security' experts who dominate the American press have been sowing their suspicions through the dumbed-down intelligence world of the West. For while we bomb the tribal regions with our drones, we are told to fear the imminent theft of Pakistan's nuclear weapons. Terrorists, we are told in a West Point journal, may take the country's atomic arms for use against us – note how this threat never seems to apply to our trusted ally, India – and mythical accounts are told of three separate attacks by "terrorists" (unnamed, of course) on Pakistan's nuclear facilities in the last three years. In the past we were told that Muslim "nationalists" might hijack Pakistan's nuclear weapons. Now the danger is supposed to come from "Islamists". In fact, the real danger is much closer to home. Seventy per cent of NATO's ammunition, vehicles and food in Afghanistan still transits through Pakistan, along with 40 per cent of its fuel. The Taliban's attacks on these convoys – both the Pakistani and Afghan versions of the movement (for they are not the same) – have over the past two years netted some incredible dividends, which NATO has not seen fit to disclose. Gunmen have managed to steal three separate – disassembled but complete – military helicopters and a clutch of American Humvee armoured vehicles, one of which was used by the Pakistani Taliban's leader, Hakimullah Mehsud. At least 62 Humvees were burned out in just one raid near Peshawar in 2008. And all this, you have to remember, takes place against the profound corruption of Pakistani society, from the shoe-shine boy to the president, Asif Ali Zardari, Benazir Bhutto's widower, whose own venality is so legendary that only rarely does it cause discussion. Only once in the last month has it been mentioned – when Zardari, addressing a conference on Sufism and peace, announced that he was not afraid of death, that he represented "nothing more than a speck in the universe" and would donate his body organs on his death. Within hours, five people – including my taxi driver, a hotel waiter, the owner of an Islamabad bookshop, a Pakistani humanitarian worker and a lawyer – made precisely the same comment to me: "Zardari will donate his body organs to the people – but not his dollars!" Thank God, I suppose, for the Pakistani press, as brave, as disillusioned and as tough as any media folk in the West. The 'oil mafia' which siphoned off billions of rupees during Musharraf's rule, the four cabinet ministers living in government houses but claiming rent (shades of Westminster's very own), the massive financial irregularities in the Punjab education department, all have been exposed in Pakistan's newspapers. "The government," reported The News International on 11 March, "has removed yet another officer of impeccable integrity, the chief Commissioner, Islamabad, Shahid Mehmood, within 90 days of his posting, after he allegedly refused to accommodate the 'wishes' of certain political masters." Now that's what I call reporting. The luckless Mehmood, it turned out, had rashly frozen a land deal which involved a certain Asif Ali Zardari, the President of Pakistan. Pakistanis – in other words, most of the 150 million men and women who live in penury in this nuclear state – simply no longer believe in the authorities who claim to govern them. When an increase in bus fares brought hundreds – and then thousands – of young people onto the streets of Islamabad's suburbs last month, the police opened live fire on the demonstrators. Western embassy personnel were confined to their bunkers – US diplomats are not even allowed to go grocery shopping at the best of times – and Zardari's government then announced that the protesters had been "imported", brought into the capital from "surrounding areas". Where does a foreigner – a real one, like me – go to understand this beautiful, ferociously angry, ripped-up, intelligent, hopelessly overcrowded, war-smitten country? Raza Kazim admits only to being in his eighties, but he has a perfunctory, almost irritatingly child-like way of twining his thin fingers together while trying to define his love of country, his belief in the worth of Pakistan. His is speaking over the throb of the air-conditioners, as an unprecedented spring heat warms up the Lahore trees outside his home. He brings in two frozen cans of Murree beer and is vexed that I won't join him. I can see why he led the first strike in his Indian school's history. "I benefited vastly from the Raj," he says. "It wasn't a love-hate relationship – it was a love-adversarial relationship. My heart went out to the 'Quit India' movement, and I was coming from the peasantry. It was a time when peasants could be flogged for two rupees. I had a belief in freedom and in 1946, I took a leap of faith and feeling." Some faith. Some feeling. Kazim is a kind of 'guru' – in the original meaning of the word, an elderly advisor/oracle for generations of Pakistani politicians – and his involvement in the Indian National Congress of British India, then in the Muslim League and later in the Pakistan People's Party, have turned him into the Malcolm Muggeridge – or perhaps Tony Benn – of Pakistan. A lawyer and ex-Communist whose philanthropy has produced the Sanjan Nagar School Institute of Philosophy and Arts, and the inventor of a stringed musical instrument intended to preserve South Asian classical music as a modern art form, he has two qualifications for Pakistani sainthood: he was kidnapped by military intelligence in 1984, and has been jailed five times between 1950 and 1985. His other quality is historical; he still thinks the date is 1947 and he smiles when he realises that I agree with him. "August 1947 was a kind of competition between Hindus and Muslims," he recalls, the fingers beginning to twist around each other, the lamp-light reflecting his baldness as dusk brings out the big birds in the garden. "Who would give a better account of freedom? I never had a sense of India being divided. It was like the people were split into two teams. Who would score more runs off freedom?" Freedom at midnight, I murmured. At what cost? "Yes, there was bloodshed in Bihar. There was bloodshed in Delhi, a lot of bloodshed in the Punjab – but that was action and reaction. Then it spread into the Deccan area. They (the new Indian state) took soldiers from the Punjab whose children had been murdered here and whose women had been abducted here, and sent them to the Deccan area where they bashed the heads of [Muslim] children against pillars. Yes, I know what happened in those trains. "The political capital made out of these killings is another story – a bad story, but a different story. The events were capitalised. But bloodshed didn't begin with Pakistan. The first genocide of Indian history took place in the Punjab in 3,000 BC – it was a conflict between feudal and pastoral Kazim had it easy. "On 13 September, 1947, I came on a plane to Pakistan as guest of the Indian communications minister. I came with my gramophone records, books and poetry, and two sets of clothes." It is a very post-colonial story. While the masses tore each other to pieces below, Kazim's plane soared above the bloodbath to drop him as a witness to the mass looting of the new Pakistan's most beautiful city, Lahore. "People think of the properties taken from the Hindus and Sikhs, but the most important things were the jobs, the business, the vacancies, and grabbing those properties. The educated people looted and took things away in trucks – these were the people who were going to run the country. It became a sign of patriotism that you forged property papers to homes in India that you never had – this was thought to be a patriotic duty because the Indians had three times as many claims against us. The bureaucracy had been civil servants under the British system – they were middle-level bureaucrats in India, who had suddenly become senior bureaucrats in Pakistan." Mohammad Jinnah, the founder of the state, who died in 1948 – Kazim went to his funeral – "had a weakness for flattery. He didn't keep good company." I've heard this story before, albeit less eloquently told. Pakistan existed, but there was no sign of a developing society or the creation of a nation. "We have still not made a society," Kazim says. "People have to take something out of their personal lives and invest it in our society." There is a pause here, then Kazim's voice rises. "WE ARE STILL IN 1947!" Pakistan obtained its freedom under the Indian Independence Act – but there is nothing called the Pakistan Independence Act." Another room now, in what Pakistani reporters still call a "posh" area of Islamabad. (When they bring themselves into their own stories, by the way, Pakistani journalists call themselves "scribes", rather than our self-denigrating "hacks"). But the air conditioner is just as noisy. Now it is another lawyer, Aitzaz Ahsan, hero of the 'Long March' of spring 2009 which eventually secured the reinstatement of Iftikhar Chaudhry as Chief Justice after the abdication of America's favourite dictator, the president-general Pervez Musharraf. Ahsan's new book, The Indus Saga and the Making of Pakistan suggests that there were two culturally different regions of the land which the British called India, that there was a continuous social and political order in the Indus region – the bit that became Pakistan – that was quite different from that of the rest of India. On Pakistani independence, the structure of state-Raj versus the citizen-native did not change. As Ahsan puts it bleakly, "the military officers who on 14 August, 1947, saluted the raising of the green standard with crescent and star had on the 13 August been saluting the Union Jack. They couldn't change in a day. Somebody else had fought for independence. The 'natives' remained and continued to be denied democratic rights until 1970." Thus – and Kazim would not agree with this – Pakistanis loved their judges rather than their soldiers, and admired them with a fair degree of cynicism. Rightly so. In 1954, the Governor General dissolved parliament – an act unsustainable in law – but the judges upheld the dissolution. In 1958, the military commander dissolved the assembly, abrogating the constitution. And the country's Supreme Court endorsed the imposition of martial law on the grounds that "a successful coup d'état is an internationally-recognised, legal method of changing a government." Judges reversed this opinion in 1972, ruling that there was no place for a military regime in Pakistan – but it did so only after the military regime had fallen. Now the army – guardian of the nation of Pakistan, and America's second-best friend in the region (after the Indian army) – is under constant military attack, while obligingly allowing the totally corrupted (and corrupting) politicians to run the vehicle of state under the banner of 'democracy'. Everyone knows that the Inter- Services Intelligence – their leaders appear to be interchangeable with the regular army – continue to succour and guard and lead the Afghan Taliban. They will do so as long as America ignores Pakistan's conflict with India over Kashmir. American soldiers die because of Muslim anger at Washington's support for Israel, as US Commander General David Petraeus suggested last month. But American soldiers also die because of Kashmir. Pakistanis – and here is something which truly unites all of them – believe that America supports India, and that Kashmir is thus ultimately lost to them. So why should they allow America – and Indian money and political influence – to control Afghanistan? It's sometimes difficult to find the line between aggression and fear in Pakistan. We in the West fear its nuclear weapons without even looking at a map of the country about which we obsess with such devotion. Every major city – Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta – is close to the borders of India or Afghanistan. It is a both sump of poverty and a nuclear power, an intelligent nation – its people desire education with the same craving as the Palestinians – with a history that began and ended at the moment of partition, its datelines framed by military coups and imperial hand-outs and, now, by drone attacks and suicide bombers. The latter arrived with a peculiar shock in Pakistan. They started in Lebanon, moved to 'Palestine', then to Iraq and then to Afghanistan – and then to Pakistan. From the Mediterranean to the old Raj, this black-magic rite travelled with incredible speed. And now it has merged with the dirt and corruption and nuclear power of Pakistan. I tried, in Pakistan, to define the sorrow which so constantly afflicts this country. The massive loss of life, the poverty, the corruption, the internal and external threats to its survival, the existentialism of Islam and the power of the army; perhaps Pakistan's story can only be told in a novel. It requires, I suspect, a Tolstoy or a Dostoyevsky. But perhaps it is Pakistan's ability to do harm to itself that most struck me – symbolised, I fear, by the latest and most terrible affliction to strike it: child-kidnapping. Steal a little boy or a little girl, ask the parents for money, and kill the infant if they don't pay. When Sahil Saeed, the British-Pakistani boy, was taken, the police and the British embassy helped to bring him home. But journalists covering the story found that the family home was sometimes overwhelmed with other parents, like those of six-year-old Mahnoor Fatima, who was stolen from his family in October of last year and never seen again. "This shows the difference between rich and poor," Mahnoor's mother said. "No one even came to my house to console me... Everything is done here for the rich and the British, but nothing for Pakistanis and the poor." Near Peshawar, a three-year old girl called Fariha was taken from a wedding party last month, her kidnappers demanding Sterling pounds 8,000 for her life. The parents couldn't pay. So Fariha was killed and thrown into a canal. Her father, a worker at a brick-kiln, later came to the Peshawar Press Club with the body of his daughter to demand punishment for her killers. In Faisalabad two days later, another kidnapped child, seven-year-old Samina Ali, was found dead in a drain after her parents failed to pay a ransom for her. They complained that the police later demanded £120 for handing over her body. A kidnapped boy, a six-year-old identified only as Sharjeel, was also found dead in a drain a few hours earlier. In the first two months of this year, 240 people – almost all of them children – have been kidnapped in Pakistan. Only 74 have been recovered alive. There – not in the suicide attacks and the venality of politicians– lies the worst statistic in Pakistan. From shuddha at sarai.net Wed Apr 7 16:15:58 2010 From: shuddha at sarai.net (Shuddhabrata Sengupta) Date: Wed, 7 Apr 2010 16:15:58 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <89953293-1C86-422B-8F06-4550D76E83F2@sarai.net> Dear all, Whenever I hear of 'iron fists', I reach for my 'velevet glove'. : ). I strongly condemn any move to call for 'iron fist' treatment of anyone who is not a combatant. Let me elaborate. I intensely dislike, and am opposed to the politics of Pawan Durani and some of his friends on this list. I think their agendas are dangerous and divisive. But I do not think that people should be treated with 'iron fists' merely for holding and expressing an opinion, no matter how objectionable that opinion may be. It is a crime to set off an IED or a mine or kill someone, but it is not a crime to call for an understanding of the motivations of those that do, or even to say that these acts of violence are part of a 'just war'. And the crucial difference between these two lines of action is the very basis on which an open society is built and sustained. But, just as, if the Maoists were to start targetting pro- establishment journalists instead of combatants, they would be violating a fundamental code of how armed conflict ought to be conducted, so too, when people call for 'targeting' Maoist sympathizers along with combatants, as if the realm of discourse and opinions were a battlefield where punitive and military measures can and ought to be taken, they are pointing us in the direction of a closed, authoritarian society - where all of society is a prison camp. Where people are prosecuted not on the grounds of what they do, but on the grounds of what they think, or believe, or what other people think they think. The taking of human life is never something we need to celebrate. The deaths of the more than 75 people in an ambush is not something that anyone can exult over. But, to be fair, if this party, which was on an 'area domination exercise' came across a squad of Maoists who happened to be less prepared than them, the killed would have been the killers. These two forces are at war, and in a war, combatants are not expected to shoot to kill, not to hold their fire. As is evident from what I have written, much of which has appeared here earlier, I have little sympathy for the politics of the Maoists. But I strongly feel that we should also think about the culpability of those who are pushing the CRPF jawans into a war to defend the interests of rapacious mining companies. They are just as responsible for these deaths as those who planted the mines or pulled the triggers, just as the American presidents who sent young American men into war in Vietnam were equally responsible for their deaths, as were the Vietcong. The soldiers who are pushed into the frontline of any war are the victims of the decisions made by the commanders of two armies, their own, as well as of their opponents. And frankly, if , the story had turned the other way around, if 75 Maoists were killed in a CRPF ambush, those who are asking for 'iron fists' to crush Maoists and their sympathisers today would be celebrating. Arnab Goswamy would be singing an aria. I see a large casualty figure as an occasion to mourn, to reflect on what is making the violence happen, not as a reason to call for authoritarian measures. If, we feel strongly about the toll that this war is taking, we should be feeling just as strongly, regardless of which side the casualties are on. I watched a hysterical Arnab Goswami go ballistic last night on television, asking for measures that will 'wipe out' the menace, that will tackle 'sympathizers'. He kept asking two of his panelists whom he had decided were Maoist sympathisers, despite at least one of them disagreeing with that appelation, whether they were 'with the Indian people' or 'against' them. Now, if you are a Maoist, you will automatically reply that killing the armed police and militaries of the Indian state automatically proves that you are with the Indian people, since the state is the Indian state, in their view, is the monster oppressing the Indian people. In this case, both the CRPF officers who send their jawans into be slaughtered, as well as the Maoists commanders who order the slaughter, act in the name of the same 'Indian people'. Both use the language of 'wiping off' the opposition. Both seem to need massacres to justify their very existence. The 'indian people' must be truly bloodthirsty if so much blood is being shed in its name by opposite forces in an escalating war I do not recall this intensity of condemnation during instances where massacres in 'Naxal' affected regions have happened earlier (with a difference in the protagonists of the massacres) say in Bihar, at Laxmanpur Bathe, or at Arwal, or Mianpur, where upper caste / landlord militias with the tacit backing of the police slaughtered peasant activists (Arwal, 24 people died in 1986, Laxmanpur Bathe, 58 people died in 1997, Mianpur, 35 people died in 2001). Do the hackles of our 'patriots' rise more when Maoists or Naxals are doing the killing than when peasants or tribals are killed by upper caste militias, outfits like the Salwa Judum or the state's police and paramilitary forces. If you look at the table of casualties in the South Asian Terrorism Portal for casualties in Naxal affected regions in Bihar for the period between 1976 and 2001, for instance, you can see clearly that 86 or so massacres and incidents of violence were cased by a combination of upper caste militias and the state police. This is the overwhelming majority of incidents. But I do not recall anyone having the gall to say on prime time television that the upper/ landed caste militias or the Bihar State police and their sympathizers should be 'wiped out' or that their 'sympathizers' (who include activists of every single mainstream political party in India) should be treated with an 'iron fist'. http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/terroristoutfits/ massacres.htm Is this not a case of one standard for 'Maoists' and their actual and/ or supposed sympathizers, and quite another for everyone else ? best Shuddha On 07-Apr-10, at 2:22 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > It's high time that not only Maosists , but their supporters are > handled with iron fist. > > Regards > > Pawan > > > On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 1:55 PM, Asit asitreds > wrote: >> what about the voilence in gujrat bhagalpur etc which have killed >> hundred >> times more people than in dantewada >> what about tens of thousands of noncobatant civilan population >> killed by >> security forces in northeast kashmir and punjab >> asit >> >> >> On 4/6/10, Pawan Durani wrote: >>> >>> …and committed a strategic mistake at Dantewada >>> >>> >>> The reason why Naxalites have been able to sustain their insurgency >>> for so long is due to three main reasons: the absence or failure of >>> governance; the romanticism and propaganda of their overground >>> sympathisers; and, finally, due to the relatively subliminal >>> nature of >>> their violence. >>> >>> To the extent that their violence was distributed in space and time >>> they could slip in and out of the public mind, pursue on-and-off >>> talks >>> with state governments and generally avoid provoking the government >>> into hitting back hard. Over the last five years Naxalites have >>> violently expanded the geographical spread of their extortion and >>> protection rackets—yet, the violence in any given place and time has >>> been below a certain threshold. That threshold itself is high for a >>> number of reasons, including efforts by their sympathisers to >>> romanticise their violence, spectacular terrorist attacks by jihadi >>> groups and due to the remoteness of the areas of their operations. >>> This allowed Naxalites to get away with murder. A lot of times. In a >>> lot of places. Literally. >>> >>> But killing 73 out of 80 (or 120) CRPF and police personnel in a >>> short >>> span of time in a single battle is no longer subliminal violence. In >>> all likelihood the Naxalites have crossed a threshold—this >>> incident is >>> likely to stay much longer in the public mind and increase the >>> pressure on politicians to tackle the Naxalite threat with greater >>> resolve. Also, given that it has also become an issue of P >>> Chidambaram’s—and hence the UPA government’s—reputation, the gloves >>> are likely to come off in the coming weeks. >>> >>> There’s a chance that India’s psychological threshold is even >>> higher. >>> But it is more likely that the Naxalites have overreached. Perhaps >>> their leadership has calculated that they are in the next stage of >>> their revolutionary war. If so, that would neither the first nor the >>> only delusion in their minds. >>> >>> http://acorn.nationalinterest.in/2010/04/06/the-naxalites- >>> overreached/ >>> _________________________________________ >>> 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/> Shuddhabrata Sengupta The Sarai Programme at CSDS Raqs Media Collective shuddha at sarai.net www.sarai.net www.raqsmediacollective.net From pawan.durani at gmail.com Wed Apr 7 16:45:00 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Wed, 7 Apr 2010 16:45:00 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: <89953293-1C86-422B-8F06-4550D76E83F2@sarai.net> References: <89953293-1C86-422B-8F06-4550D76E83F2@sarai.net> Message-ID: Dear Shuddha , What is good about your politics which does not come out in straight condemnation of the massacre by the Maoist without mincing words. This is a war ...you are either with it or against it. Pawan On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 4:15 PM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: > Dear all, > Whenever I hear of 'iron fists', I reach for my 'velevet glove'. : ). > I strongly condemn any move to call for 'iron fist' treatment of anyone who > is not a combatant.  Let me elaborate. > I intensely dislike, and am opposed to the politics of Pawan Durani and some > of his friends on this list. I think their agendas are dangerous and > divisive. But I do not think that people should be treated with 'iron fists' > merely for holding and expressing an opinion, no matter how objectionable > that opinion may be. It is a crime to set off an IED or a mine or kill > someone, but it is not a crime to call for an understanding of the > motivations of those that do, or even to say that these acts of violence are > part of a 'just war'. And the crucial difference between these two lines of > action is the very basis on which an open society is built and sustained. > But, just as, if the Maoists were to start targetting pro-establishment > journalists instead of combatants, they would be violating a fundamental > code of how armed conflict ought to be conducted, so too, when people call > for 'targeting' Maoist sympathizers along with combatants, as if the realm > of discourse and opinions were a battlefield where punitive and military > measures can and ought to be taken, they are pointing us in the direction of > a closed, authoritarian society - where all of society is a prison camp. > Where people are prosecuted not on the grounds of what they do, but on the > grounds of what they think, or believe, or what other people think they > think. > The taking of human life is never something we need to celebrate. The deaths > of the more than 75 people in an ambush is not something that anyone can > exult over. But, to be fair, if this party, which was on an 'area domination > exercise' came across a squad of Maoists who happened to be less prepared > than them, the killed would have been the killers. These two forces are at > war, and in a war, combatants are not expected to shoot to kill, not to hold > their fire. > As is evident from what I have written, much of which has appeared here > earlier, I have little sympathy for the politics of the Maoists. But I > strongly feel that we should also think about the culpability of those who > are pushing the CRPF jawans into a war to defend the interests of rapacious > mining companies. They are just as responsible for these deaths as those who > planted the mines or pulled the triggers, just as the American presidents > who sent young American men into war in Vietnam were equally responsible for > their deaths, as were the Vietcong. The soldiers who are pushed into the > frontline of any war are the victims of the decisions made by the commanders > of two armies, their own, as well as of their opponents. > And frankly, if , the story had turned the other way around, if 75 Maoists > were killed in a CRPF ambush, those who are asking for 'iron fists' to crush > Maoists and their sympathisers today would be celebrating. Arnab Goswamy > would be singing an aria. > I see a large casualty figure as an occasion to mourn, to reflect on what is > making the violence happen, not as a reason to call for authoritarian > measures.  If, we feel strongly about the toll that this war is taking, we > should be feeling just as strongly, regardless of which side the casualties > are on. > I watched a hysterical Arnab Goswami go ballistic last night on television, > asking for measures that will 'wipe out' the menace, that will tackle > 'sympathizers'. He kept asking two of his panelists whom he had  decided > were Maoist sympathisers, despite at least one of them disagreeing with that > appelation, whether they were 'with the Indian people' or 'against' them. > Now, if you are a Maoist, you will automatically reply that killing the > armed police and militaries of the Indian state automatically proves that > you are with the Indian people, since the state is the Indian state, in > their view, is the monster oppressing the Indian people. In this case, both > the CRPF officers who send their jawans into be slaughtered, as well as the > Maoists commanders who order the slaughter, act in the name of the same > 'Indian people'. Both use the language of 'wiping off' the opposition. Both > seem to need massacres to justify their very existence. The 'indian people' > must be truly bloodthirsty if so much blood is being shed in its name by > opposite forces in an escalating war >  I do not recall this intensity of condemnation during instances where > massacres in 'Naxal' affected regions have happened earlier (with a > difference in the protagonists of the massacres) say in Bihar, at Laxmanpur > Bathe, or at Arwal, or Mianpur, where upper caste / landlord militias with > the tacit backing of the police slaughtered peasant activists (Arwal, 24 > people died in 1986, Laxmanpur Bathe, 58 people died in 1997, Mianpur, 35 > people died in 2001). Do the hackles of our 'patriots' rise more when > Maoists or Naxals are doing the killing than when peasants or tribals are > killed by upper caste militias, outfits like the Salwa Judum or the state's > police and paramilitary forces. > If you look at the table of casualties in the South Asian Terrorism Portal > for casualties in Naxal affected regions in Bihar for the period between > 1976 and 2001, for instance, you can see clearly that 86 or so massacres and > incidents of violence were cased by a combination of upper caste militias > and the state police. > > This is the overwhelming majority of incidents. But I do not recall anyone > having the gall to say on prime time television that the upper/landed caste > militias or the Bihar State police and their sympathizers should be 'wiped > out' or that their 'sympathizers' (who include activists of every single > mainstream political party in India) should be treated with an 'iron fist'. > http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/terroristoutfits/massacres.htm > Is this not a case of one standard for 'Maoists' and their actual and/or > supposed sympathizers, and quite another for everyone else ? > best > Shuddha > > On 07-Apr-10, at 2:22 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > > It's high time that not only Maosists , but their supporters are > handled with iron fist. > Regards > Pawan > > On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 1:55 PM, Asit asitreds > wrote: > > what about the voilence in gujrat bhagalpur etc which have killed hundred > times more people than in dantewada >  what about tens of thousands of noncobatant civilan population killed by > security forces in northeast kashmir and punjab > asit > > On 4/6/10, Pawan Durani wrote: > > …and committed a strategic mistake at Dantewada > > The reason why Naxalites have been able to sustain their insurgency > for so long is due to three main reasons: the absence or failure of > governance; the romanticism and propaganda of their overground > sympathisers; and, finally, due to the relatively subliminal nature of > their violence. > To the extent that their violence was distributed in space and time > they could slip in and out of the public mind, pursue on-and-off talks > with state governments and generally avoid provoking the government > into hitting back hard. Over the last five years Naxalites have > violently expanded the geographical spread of their extortion and > protection rackets—yet, the violence in any given place and time has > been below a certain threshold. That threshold itself is high for a > number of reasons, including efforts by their sympathisers to > romanticise their violence, spectacular terrorist attacks by jihadi > groups and due to the remoteness of the areas of their operations. > This allowed Naxalites to get away with murder. A lot of times. In a > lot of places. Literally. > But killing 73 out of 80 (or 120) CRPF and police personnel in a short > span of time in a single battle is no longer subliminal violence. In > all likelihood the Naxalites have crossed a threshold—this incident is > likely to stay much longer in the public mind and increase the > pressure on politicians to tackle the Naxalite threat with greater > resolve. Also, given that it has also become an issue of P > Chidambaram’s—and hence the UPA government’s—reputation, the gloves > are likely to come off in the coming weeks. > There’s a chance that India’s psychological threshold is even higher. > But it is more likely that the Naxalites have overreached. Perhaps > their leadership has calculated that they are in the next stage of > their revolutionary war. If so, that would neither the first nor the > only delusion in their minds. > http://acorn.nationalinterest.in/2010/04/06/the-naxalites-overreached/ > _________________________________________ > 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/> > > Shuddhabrata Sengupta > The Sarai Programme at CSDS > Raqs Media Collective > shuddha at sarai.net > www.sarai.net > www.raqsmediacollective.net > > From pawan.durani at gmail.com Wed Apr 7 16:52:05 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Wed, 7 Apr 2010 16:52:05 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: References: <89953293-1C86-422B-8F06-4550D76E83F2@sarai.net> Message-ID: So sad that a restraint is being suggested when all options have run out. These Maosist haven't realized that once the 'war' is over ...these mines are going to kill the tribals. On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 4:50 PM, Asit asitreds wrote: >  when iraq was attacked George Bush said you are either with me or with them >        the result one million iraqis butchered > asit > > > On 4/7/10, Pawan Durani wrote: >> >> Dear Shuddha , >> >> What is good about your politics which does not come out in straight >> condemnation of the massacre by the Maoist without mincing words. >> >> This is a war ...you are either with it or against it. >> >> Pawan >> >> On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 4:15 PM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta >> wrote: >> > Dear all, >> > Whenever I hear of 'iron fists', I reach for my 'velevet glove'. : ). >> > I strongly condemn any move to call for 'iron fist' treatment of anyone >> > who >> > is not a combatant.  Let me elaborate. >> > I intensely dislike, and am opposed to the politics of Pawan Durani and >> > some >> > of his friends on this list. I think their agendas are dangerous and >> > divisive. But I do not think that people should be treated with 'iron >> > fists' >> > merely for holding and expressing an opinion, no matter how >> > objectionable >> > that opinion may be. It is a crime to set off an IED or a mine or kill >> > someone, but it is not a crime to call for an understanding of the >> > motivations of those that do, or even to say that these acts of violence >> > are >> > part of a 'just war'. And the crucial difference between these two lines >> > of >> > action is the very basis on which an open society is built and >> > sustained. >> > But, just as, if the Maoists were to start targetting pro-establishment >> > journalists instead of combatants, they would be violating a fundamental >> > code of how armed conflict ought to be conducted, so too, when people >> > call >> > for 'targeting' Maoist sympathizers along with combatants, as if the >> > realm >> > of discourse and opinions were a battlefield where punitive and military >> > measures can and ought to be taken, they are pointing us in the >> > direction of >> > a closed, authoritarian society - where all of society is a prison camp. >> > Where people are prosecuted not on the grounds of what they do, but on >> > the >> > grounds of what they think, or believe, or what other people think they >> > think. >> > The taking of human life is never something we need to celebrate. The >> > deaths >> > of the more than 75 people in an ambush is not something that anyone can >> > exult over. But, to be fair, if this party, which was on an 'area >> > domination >> > exercise' came across a squad of Maoists who happened to be less >> > prepared >> > than them, the killed would have been the killers. These two forces are >> > at >> > war, and in a war, combatants are not expected to shoot to kill, not to >> > hold >> > their fire. >> > As is evident from what I have written, much of which has appeared here >> > earlier, I have little sympathy for the politics of the Maoists. But I >> > strongly feel that we should also think about the culpability of those >> > who >> > are pushing the CRPF jawans into a war to defend the interests of >> > rapacious >> > mining companies. They are just as responsible for these deaths as those >> > who >> > planted the mines or pulled the triggers, just as the American >> > presidents >> > who sent young American men into war in Vietnam were equally responsible >> > for >> > their deaths, as were the Vietcong. The soldiers who are pushed into the >> > frontline of any war are the victims of the decisions made by the >> > commanders >> > of two armies, their own, as well as of their opponents. >> > And frankly, if , the story had turned the other way around, if 75 >> > Maoists >> > were killed in a CRPF ambush, those who are asking for 'iron fists' to >> > crush >> > Maoists and their sympathisers today would be celebrating. Arnab Goswamy >> > would be singing an aria. >> > I see a large casualty figure as an occasion to mourn, to reflect on >> > what is >> > making the violence happen, not as a reason to call for authoritarian >> > measures.  If, we feel strongly about the toll that this war is taking, >> > we >> > should be feeling just as strongly, regardless of which side the >> > casualties >> > are on. >> > I watched a hysterical Arnab Goswami go ballistic last night on >> > television, >> > asking for measures that will 'wipe out' the menace, that will tackle >> > 'sympathizers'. He kept asking two of his panelists whom he had  decided >> > were Maoist sympathisers, despite at least one of them disagreeing with >> > that >> > appelation, whether they were 'with the Indian people' or 'against' >> > them. >> > Now, if you are a Maoist, you will automatically reply that killing the >> > armed police and militaries of the Indian state automatically proves >> > that >> > you are with the Indian people, since the state is the Indian state, in >> > their view, is the monster oppressing the Indian people. In this case, >> > both >> > the CRPF officers who send their jawans into be slaughtered, as well as >> > the >> > Maoists commanders who order the slaughter, act in the name of the same >> > 'Indian people'. Both use the language of 'wiping off' the opposition. >> > Both >> > seem to need massacres to justify their very existence. The 'indian >> > people' >> > must be truly bloodthirsty if so much blood is being shed in its name by >> > opposite forces in an escalating war >> >  I do not recall this intensity of condemnation during instances where >> > massacres in 'Naxal' affected regions have happened earlier (with a >> > difference in the protagonists of the massacres) say in Bihar, at >> > Laxmanpur >> > Bathe, or at Arwal, or Mianpur, where upper caste / landlord militias >> > with >> > the tacit backing of the police slaughtered peasant activists (Arwal, 24 >> > people died in 1986, Laxmanpur Bathe, 58 people died in 1997, Mianpur, >> > 35 >> > people died in 2001). Do the hackles of our 'patriots' rise more when >> > Maoists or Naxals are doing the killing than when peasants or tribals >> > are >> > killed by upper caste militias, outfits like the Salwa Judum or the >> > state's >> > police and paramilitary forces. >> > If you look at the table of casualties in the South Asian Terrorism >> > Portal >> > for casualties in Naxal affected regions in Bihar for the period between >> > 1976 and 2001, for instance, you can see clearly that 86 or so massacres >> > and >> > incidents of violence were cased by a combination of upper caste >> > militias >> > and the state police. >> > >> > This is the overwhelming majority of incidents. But I do not recall >> > anyone >> > having the gall to say on prime time television that the upper/landed >> > caste >> > militias or the Bihar State police and their sympathizers should be >> > 'wiped >> > out' or that their 'sympathizers' (who include activists of every single >> > mainstream political party in India) should be treated with an 'iron >> > fist'. >> > >> > http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/terroristoutfits/massacres.htm >> > Is this not a case of one standard for 'Maoists' and their actual and/or >> > supposed sympathizers, and quite another for everyone else ? >> > best >> > Shuddha >> > >> > On 07-Apr-10, at 2:22 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: >> > >> > It's high time that not only Maosists , but their supporters are >> > handled with iron fist. >> > Regards >> > Pawan >> > >> > On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 1:55 PM, Asit asitreds >> > wrote: >> > >> > what about the voilence in gujrat bhagalpur etc which have killed >> > hundred >> > times more people than in dantewada >> >  what about tens of thousands of noncobatant civilan population killed >> > by >> > security forces in northeast kashmir and punjab >> > asit >> > >> > On 4/6/10, Pawan Durani wrote: >> > >> > …and committed a strategic mistake at Dantewada >> > >> > The reason why Naxalites have been able to sustain their insurgency >> > for so long is due to three main reasons: the absence or failure of >> > governance; the romanticism and propaganda of their overground >> > sympathisers; and, finally, due to the relatively subliminal nature of >> > their violence. >> > To the extent that their violence was distributed in space and time >> > they could slip in and out of the public mind, pursue on-and-off talks >> > with state governments and generally avoid provoking the government >> > into hitting back hard. Over the last five years Naxalites have >> > violently expanded the geographical spread of their extortion and >> > protection rackets—yet, the violence in any given place and time has >> > been below a certain threshold. That threshold itself is high for a >> > number of reasons, including efforts by their sympathisers to >> > romanticise their violence, spectacular terrorist attacks by jihadi >> > groups and due to the remoteness of the areas of their operations. >> > This allowed Naxalites to get away with murder. A lot of times. In a >> > lot of places. Literally. >> > But killing 73 out of 80 (or 120) CRPF and police personnel in a short >> > span of time in a single battle is no longer subliminal violence. In >> > all likelihood the Naxalites have crossed a threshold—this incident is >> > likely to stay much longer in the public mind and increase the >> > pressure on politicians to tackle the Naxalite threat with greater >> > resolve. Also, given that it has also become an issue of P >> > Chidambaram’s—and hence the UPA government’s—reputation, the gloves >> > are likely to come off in the coming weeks. >> > There’s a chance that India’s psychological threshold is even higher. >> > But it is more likely that the Naxalites have overreached. Perhaps >> > their leadership has calculated that they are in the next stage of >> > their revolutionary war. If so, that would neither the first nor the >> > only delusion in their minds. >> > http://acorn.nationalinterest.in/2010/04/06/the-naxalites-overreached/ >> > _________________________________________ >> > 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/> >> > >> > Shuddhabrata Sengupta >> > The Sarai Programme at CSDS >> > Raqs Media Collective >> > shuddha at sarai.net >> > www.sarai.net >> > www.raqsmediacollective.net >> > >> > > > From rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com Wed Apr 7 17:57:44 2010 From: rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com (Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi) Date: Wed, 7 Apr 2010 17:57:44 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] request for a petition In-Reply-To: <070B0CBF7D2C490D83C5A389C66F1306@tara> References: <0AB033AFCD3B4980AB42A157B70DD5A6@tara> <69D12D3F58D947228A7BE76E4D6B5AA9@tara> <070B0CBF7D2C490D83C5A389C66F1306@tara> Message-ID: Tara, who is this individual, whom I have never harped about,.................! As to petions and my petioning for such as the rioters and riot accused, it is rule of laws which has to govern the issue, not my petition. Love and regards, rajen. On Tue, Apr 6, 2010 at 9:42 PM, TaraPrakash wrote: > You seem to be one of those who find reasons not to do things. What stops > you to write a petition to support or oppose the things you are concerned > about. > > You haven't yet shown how you equate Sunil Mandival and all the other nice > people you keep on harping about. > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > *From:* Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi > *To:* TaraPrakash > *Cc:* reader-list at sarai.net > *Sent:* Tuesday, April 06, 2010 11:54 AM > *Subject:* Re: [Reader-list] request for a petition > > Thanks Tara, > > sorry, I love to follow the same yardstick for signing the petition or any > action from my side, when those who actually led the riots from 1945, when > those who danced on the table of Justice Shah while hearing the atrocities > of Emergency rule are free and are privileged lot, the secular rules does > target only few by choice, such vested interests are led by individuals who > are communal with facade of communal NGOs and "centres" of intellectuals in > studies of the socities, studying how to divide the "majority" society > further, in this land mass, for the information, take it, population of > organised faith, christianity is, 3.1 billion, islam has 2.8 billions and > even organised "majority' of hindu is a small as 0.80 billion, and worse, > these have never had run crusades or jihaads.! > regards, > rajen. > > On Tue, Apr 6, 2010 at 12:10 AM, TaraPrakash wrote: > >> Yes Rajendra. We should petition against the leaders who led the riots >> enjoying the privileges of being MPs, those criminal lawyers who defended >> the uncle Q , law minister who defreezed the 21 crores now sitting and >> enjoying the life in Raj Bhavan as governor of a state, judges who fudged >> the judicial system with stays and injuctions and delayed the process of >> laws,lawyers who handled the obstruction of justice, now are MPs and >> ministers, is this what is to be petitioned. Yes high time something should >> be done against them, even if petitioning , go for it. I will sign the >> petition and ask others to do the same. >> IN your entire mail you had nothing to say about the person about whom the >> petition was written. So please go sign the petition. >> Thanks >> >> >> >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> *From:* Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi >> *To:* TaraPrakash >> *Sent:* Monday, April 05, 2010 1:02 PM >> *Subject:* Re: [Reader-list] request for a petition >> >> Tara prakash, >> are intellectuals who use intellect to destroy societal laws above laws.? >> Can intellectual terrorism be accepted, when media men and women twerrorise >> the viewers with negative publicity for political leaders showing old >> archive of riots, particularly where "minority" which perpetretated violence >> got it back in full measure, but not repeat telecast of genocide of 3000 >> humans in Delhi in 1984, leaders who led the riots enjoying the privileges >> of being MPs, those criminal lawyers who defended the uncle Q , law minister >> who defreezed the 21 crores now sitting and enjoying the life in Raj Bhavan >> as governor of a state, judges who fudged the judicial system with stays and >> injuctions and delayed the process of laws,lawyers who handled the >> obstruction of justice, now are MPs and ministers, is this what is to be >> petitioned or a Kobad who says jai Bhagath Singh who did not run away from >> the site after his violent protest, kobad is a coward, not even an >> intellectual, and like a fake gandhi, using the name for violence with his >> cronies, deserve the laws to tackle him with the system of judicial process. >> >> Regards, >> >> On Mon, Apr 5, 2010 at 9:08 PM, TaraPrakash wrote: >> >>> Hello all. Please look at the following request to sign a petition. This >>> must be looked in to, it may be yu next. >>> >>> >>> >>> Friends, >>> >>> Please sign and circulate the petition against the arrest and detainment >>> of Sunil Mandiwal, a Delhi University professor and well known democratic >>> right activist, allegedly in connection with the Kobad Ghandy case. Let us >>> condemn the attempt by the state to criminalise and terrorize intellectuals >>> and activists. >>> >>> http://www.PetitionOnline.com/mandiwal/petition.html >>> >>> Anirban Kar, P K Vijayan, Karen Gabriel >>> _________________________________________ >>> 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/> >> >> >> >> >> -- >> Rajen. >> >> > > > -- > Rajen. > > -- Rajen. From rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com Wed Apr 7 18:03:32 2010 From: rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com (Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi) Date: Wed, 7 Apr 2010 18:03:32 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] =?windows-1252?q?=22Amaresh_Mishra=92s_web_of_lies?= =?windows-1252?q?=22_-_the_Teesta_Setalvad_letter?= In-Reply-To: <0215EBB3E6BA4C72AB4873FA05955E0E@tara> References: <424187.10745.qm@web57204.mail.re3.yahoo.com> <0215EBB3E6BA4C72AB4873FA05955E0E@tara> Message-ID: Dear Tara, what a good question, just look around, there are enough of these NGOs, who take moneys from MPs, from MPLAD funds, have their nominees as election offisials, there are enough NGOs who defend the killers and murderers of law keepers, destroy the institutions in democratic rule,there are enough NGOs who plead for eco issues and make the PSUs to close down, societal pressures need not make us so naive.! Very few NGOs and individuals rise above selfish vested interests to serve the society they are exceptions to the rule..! Love and regards, On Tue, Apr 6, 2010 at 10:34 PM, TaraPrakash wrote: > Vote bank NGO is really a nice word but new to me. Are the NGOs compete for > votes these days? > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi" < > rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com> > > To: "Kshmendra Kaul" > Cc: "sarai list" > Sent: Tuesday, April 06, 2010 12:04 PM > > Subject: Re: [Reader-list]"Amaresh Mishra’s web of lies" - the Teesta > Setalvad letter > > > Teesta defended the terror accused of mumbai blasts, who were of a >> minority >> faith, not the other five who were all convicted, with funds for lawyers, >> help and sheltor for the accused, natural laws say, the accused is guilty >> once convicted by trial court, further appeal and the process of appeal to >> higher courts is not that >> EASY AND FEASIBLE FOR A COMMON CITIZEN. >> >> As to defend the accused, yes, till they are proved guilty, with evidence >> produced by prosecution, as found by investigation, is within the right of >> a >> NGO, but is NGO only for select individuals of one community.? All accused >> are not guilty till proved otherwise, but these vote bank NGOs have a role >> to play for the malfeasence and non delivery of judicial correction. >> >> regards, >> rajen. >> On Mon, Apr 5, 2010 at 10:54 PM, Kshmendra Kaul > >wrote: >> >> Dear Rajendra >>> >>> a. Which terror accused did Teesta defend? >>> >>> b. Is it wrong to defend an accused person, since the person is just >>> 'accused' and not proven guilty? >>> >>> Kshmendra >>> >>> --- On *Mon, 4/5/10, Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi < >>> rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com>* wrote: >>> >>> >>> From: Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi >>> >>> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] "Amaresh Mishra’s web of lies" - the Teesta >>> Setalvad letter >>> To: "Kshmendra Kaul" >>> Cc: "sarai list" >>> Date: Monday, April 5, 2010, 10:36 PM >>> >>> >>> Theesta has lost all credibility with her actions of defending terror >>> accused, she is in charge of communal NGO, which specialises in defending >>> only accused of one community.Her expressions need not be taken >>> seriously.She has specialised in using the law which is an ass to flog >>> for >>> her faith, and faithfuls of her community. >>> regards, >>> rajen >>> >>> On Sun, Apr 4, 2010 at 4:53 PM, Kshmendra Kaul >> http://us.mc572.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com> >>> > wrote: >>> >>> Javed Masoo posted the article by Amaresh Misra "Headley Saga: Mumbai >>>> attack was a joint IB-CIA-Mossad-RSS project" >>>> >>>> Amaresh Misra is well known for his conspiracy theories and only when >>>> someone is intent on suggesting some credibility to his lunacies, a >>>> bio-bit >>>> about his being a "famed"/"eminent" historian is inserted. >>>> >>>> A variation on the Amaresh Misra conpiracy theory on the Mumbai Attack >>>> suggests that it is actually the nexus of CIA-Mossad-RSS that >>>> controls/finances/directs the terror-agenda of IB/RAW (of India) and ISI >>>> (of >>>> Pakistan). Yes ISI of Pakistan included. >>>> >>>> In the Dec 2008 letter of Teesta Setalvad, she had this to say about >>>> Amaresh Misra: >>>> http://communalism.blogspot.com/2008/12/amaresh-mishras-web-of-lies.html >>>> >>>> - .... MR AMARESH MISHRA, a dangerous individual ..... >>>> >>>> - ...... the conspiracy theories spouted by Mr Mishra in print and on >>>> the >>>> internet that are not just too incerdible but have also, surprisingly >>>> escaped the wrath of the sangh parivar. >>>> >>>> >>>> "Communalism Watch" also offers weblink for the article "Amaresh Mishra >>>> -a >>>> case of intellectual rottenness" posted by one "gurmeet" >>>> >>>> That article has this to offer about Amaresh Misra: >>>> >>>> >>>> http://libertynewscentral.blogspot.com/2008/12/amaresh-mishra-case-of-intellectual.html >>>> >>>> - I did not know very much about Amaresh Mishra but that he had written >>>> a >>>> book that appeared to be of dubious merit and dodgy scholarship. >>>> >>>> - Now it seems that that dodginess runs deep indeed -deep into the dark >>>> recesses of conspiracy theories. He suffers from the same strain of >>>> kookiness that Union Minority Affairs Minister A R Antulay does. >>>> >>>> - He belongs to that overflowing breed of >>>> intellectual/media/pundit/academic class that sees Mossad and CIA (or >>>> America and Israel) as the fountainhead of most evil in the >>>> world.Kookiness >>>> is not an aberration in this circle but a feature. >>>> >>>> - Aren't we told that Amaresh Mishra is a renowned historian? I am glad >>>> we >>>> were enlightened or we might have come to the conclusion that he is a >>>> conspiracy mongering lout. >>>> >>>> >>>> Kshmendra >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> _________________________________________ >>>> 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< >>>> http://us.mc572.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?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: >>>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> Rajen. >>> >>> >>> >>> >> >> -- >> Rajen. >> _________________________________________ >> 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/> >> > > -- Rajen. From c.anupam at gmail.com Wed Apr 7 18:06:19 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Wed, 7 Apr 2010 18:06:19 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: References: <89953293-1C86-422B-8F06-4550D76E83F2@sarai.net> Message-ID: Pawan, your attempts to invigorate the readers by saying "either you are with it or against it', you have with a possibility of a another vietnam to be waged in india on its very own people by the government. it is very comfortable for you to choose this stand because you with your pithy sayings know it very well that if anyone from this list comments on your post, it means people are reading about your ideas and you have successfully peddled them to a platform. let us see who you have excluded from this debate. you exclude the families by readily declaring them as "martyrs" (isnt it shameful that these men who could have worked to built these areas in the heart of india are brutally killed because another set of people do not want to come with guns? i know i shouldn't be asking these questions to you as it was an administrative decision to send such a large number of personnel into area which is already a stronghold) because they fought ' for/on your side'. it also excludes the staff of the hospital which worked for 48 hours on each and every corpse to send it to their homes, hoping that they never have to see a day like this again. you are excluding the independent opinion by always labelling it as maoist sympathisers, which could form as a bridge for negotiations at a later stage. for your information, it was stated by the senior police official working in that area, that the so-called liberated zone is largely uninhabited zone, so does it mean that security forces were planning to 'invade' the zone? at the cost of all these lives which have been lost despite the home minister making tall claims Dantewada and Gadhchiroli will be naxal free. so is this the approach? i think operation green hunt is a failure. the home ministry should admit that green hunt is a failure and use other approaches to negotiate peace. guess who you are including in this argument ...a band of young men and women who have probably exhausted all means of negotiating with all forms of governance and are now nothing but waiting to kill anyone that comes their way because it has been stated that Indian governance massively failed in its interventions. you are also including those mining companies who want to become mai-baap of indigenous communities. a few stakeholders who do not know whose line to toe, is it mao or marx or birsa munda or some politically correct arm chair intellectual... i am afraid but if this is how you perceive governance than a lot of people who are opposed to violence are in grave danger from people like you who just want to perpetuate conflicts. kindly think before you launch such statements sir. these so called maoists are people from own country who have lost faith. your faith in the system has absolutely no correlation with someone's else belief in the same system. so you cannot call for a iron hand treatment on anyone you feel like because the tv and the newspapers screamed headlines, rather give an alternative. the same mistakes that american government cannot be committed by india. -anupam On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 4:45 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > Dear Shuddha , > > What is good about your politics which does not come out in straight > condemnation of the massacre by the Maoist without mincing words. > > This is a war ...you are either with it or against it. > > Pawan > > On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 4:15 PM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: >> Dear all, >> Whenever I hear of 'iron fists', I reach for my 'velevet glove'. : ). >> I strongly condemn any move to call for 'iron fist' treatment of anyone who >> is not a combatant.  Let me elaborate. >> I intensely dislike, and am opposed to the politics of Pawan Durani and some >> of his friends on this list. I think their agendas are dangerous and >> divisive. But I do not think that people should be treated with 'iron fists' >> merely for holding and expressing an opinion, no matter how objectionable >> that opinion may be. It is a crime to set off an IED or a mine or kill >> someone, but it is not a crime to call for an understanding of the >> motivations of those that do, or even to say that these acts of violence are >> part of a 'just war'. And the crucial difference between these two lines of >> action is the very basis on which an open society is built and sustained. >> But, just as, if the Maoists were to start targetting pro-establishment >> journalists instead of combatants, they would be violating a fundamental >> code of how armed conflict ought to be conducted, so too, when people call >> for 'targeting' Maoist sympathizers along with combatants, as if the realm >> of discourse and opinions were a battlefield where punitive and military >> measures can and ought to be taken, they are pointing us in the direction of >> a closed, authoritarian society - where all of society is a prison camp. >> Where people are prosecuted not on the grounds of what they do, but on the >> grounds of what they think, or believe, or what other people think they >> think. >> The taking of human life is never something we need to celebrate. The deaths >> of the more than 75 people in an ambush is not something that anyone can >> exult over. But, to be fair, if this party, which was on an 'area domination >> exercise' came across a squad of Maoists who happened to be less prepared >> than them, the killed would have been the killers. These two forces are at >> war, and in a war, combatants are not expected to shoot to kill, not to hold >> their fire. >> As is evident from what I have written, much of which has appeared here >> earlier, I have little sympathy for the politics of the Maoists. But I >> strongly feel that we should also think about the culpability of those who >> are pushing the CRPF jawans into a war to defend the interests of rapacious >> mining companies. They are just as responsible for these deaths as those who >> planted the mines or pulled the triggers, just as the American presidents >> who sent young American men into war in Vietnam were equally responsible for >> their deaths, as were the Vietcong. The soldiers who are pushed into the >> frontline of any war are the victims of the decisions made by the commanders >> of two armies, their own, as well as of their opponents. >> And frankly, if , the story had turned the other way around, if 75 Maoists >> were killed in a CRPF ambush, those who are asking for 'iron fists' to crush >> Maoists and their sympathisers today would be celebrating. Arnab Goswamy >> would be singing an aria. >> I see a large casualty figure as an occasion to mourn, to reflect on what is >> making the violence happen, not as a reason to call for authoritarian >> measures.  If, we feel strongly about the toll that this war is taking, we >> should be feeling just as strongly, regardless of which side the casualties >> are on. >> I watched a hysterical Arnab Goswami go ballistic last night on television, >> asking for measures that will 'wipe out' the menace, that will tackle >> 'sympathizers'. He kept asking two of his panelists whom he had  decided >> were Maoist sympathisers, despite at least one of them disagreeing with that >> appelation, whether they were 'with the Indian people' or 'against' them. >> Now, if you are a Maoist, you will automatically reply that killing the >> armed police and militaries of the Indian state automatically proves that >> you are with the Indian people, since the state is the Indian state, in >> their view, is the monster oppressing the Indian people. In this case, both >> the CRPF officers who send their jawans into be slaughtered, as well as the >> Maoists commanders who order the slaughter, act in the name of the same >> 'Indian people'. Both use the language of 'wiping off' the opposition. Both >> seem to need massacres to justify their very existence. The 'indian people' >> must be truly bloodthirsty if so much blood is being shed in its name by >> opposite forces in an escalating war >>  I do not recall this intensity of condemnation during instances where >> massacres in 'Naxal' affected regions have happened earlier (with a >> difference in the protagonists of the massacres) say in Bihar, at Laxmanpur >> Bathe, or at Arwal, or Mianpur, where upper caste / landlord militias with >> the tacit backing of the police slaughtered peasant activists (Arwal, 24 >> people died in 1986, Laxmanpur Bathe, 58 people died in 1997, Mianpur, 35 >> people died in 2001). Do the hackles of our 'patriots' rise more when >> Maoists or Naxals are doing the killing than when peasants or tribals are >> killed by upper caste militias, outfits like the Salwa Judum or the state's >> police and paramilitary forces. >> If you look at the table of casualties in the South Asian Terrorism Portal >> for casualties in Naxal affected regions in Bihar for the period between >> 1976 and 2001, for instance, you can see clearly that 86 or so massacres and >> incidents of violence were cased by a combination of upper caste militias >> and the state police. >> >> This is the overwhelming majority of incidents. But I do not recall anyone >> having the gall to say on prime time television that the upper/landed caste >> militias or the Bihar State police and their sympathizers should be 'wiped >> out' or that their 'sympathizers' (who include activists of every single >> mainstream political party in India) should be treated with an 'iron fist'. >> http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/terroristoutfits/massacres.htm >> Is this not a case of one standard for 'Maoists' and their actual and/or >> supposed sympathizers, and quite another for everyone else ? >> best >> Shuddha >> >> On 07-Apr-10, at 2:22 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: >> >> It's high time that not only Maosists , but their supporters are >> handled with iron fist. >> Regards >> Pawan >> >> On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 1:55 PM, Asit asitreds >> wrote: >> >> what about the voilence in gujrat bhagalpur etc which have killed hundred >> times more people than in dantewada >>  what about tens of thousands of noncobatant civilan population killed by >> security forces in northeast kashmir and punjab >> asit >> >> On 4/6/10, Pawan Durani wrote: >> >> …and committed a strategic mistake at Dantewada >> >> The reason why Naxalites have been able to sustain their insurgency >> for so long is due to three main reasons: the absence or failure of >> governance; the romanticism and propaganda of their overground >> sympathisers; and, finally, due to the relatively subliminal nature of >> their violence. >> To the extent that their violence was distributed in space and time >> they could slip in and out of the public mind, pursue on-and-off talks >> with state governments and generally avoid provoking the government >> into hitting back hard. Over the last five years Naxalites have >> violently expanded the geographical spread of their extortion and >> protection rackets—yet, the violence in any given place and time has >> been below a certain threshold. That threshold itself is high for a >> number of reasons, including efforts by their sympathisers to >> romanticise their violence, spectacular terrorist attacks by jihadi >> groups and due to the remoteness of the areas of their operations. >> This allowed Naxalites to get away with murder. A lot of times. In a >> lot of places. Literally. >> But killing 73 out of 80 (or 120) CRPF and police personnel in a short >> span of time in a single battle is no longer subliminal violence. In >> all likelihood the Naxalites have crossed a threshold—this incident is >> likely to stay much longer in the public mind and increase the >> pressure on politicians to tackle the Naxalite threat with greater >> resolve. Also, given that it has also become an issue of P >> Chidambaram’s—and hence the UPA government’s—reputation, the gloves >> are likely to come off in the coming weeks. >> There’s a chance that India’s psychological threshold is even higher. >> But it is more likely that the Naxalites have overreached. Perhaps >> their leadership has calculated that they are in the next stage of >> their revolutionary war. If so, that would neither the first nor the >> only delusion in their minds. >> http://acorn.nationalinterest.in/2010/04/06/the-naxalites-overreached/ >> _________________________________________ >> 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/> >> >> Shuddhabrata Sengupta >> The Sarai Programme at CSDS >> Raqs Media Collective >> shuddha at sarai.net >> www.sarai.net >> www.raqsmediacollective.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 pawan.durani at gmail.com Wed Apr 7 18:17:23 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Wed, 7 Apr 2010 18:17:23 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: References: <89953293-1C86-422B-8F06-4550D76E83F2@sarai.net> Message-ID: Dear Anupam Ji , NamaskAr While as I do not disagree that these naxalites are our own people , we should also remember that majority of them have become criminals. There are other people too , who have been victim of state policies etc etc ....but they haven't picked up the arms and go ahead beheading people and killing our own policemen. It is sad that if a brute force would be used by the state , but i guess they havent been left with much options. I hope and pray , that naxalites realize that they would carry much more guilt , of many more deaths , orphans , widows and homeless people. The naxalites have already made thousands of poor people homeless , especially in Orissa. They are nothing but cowards. Pawan On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 6:06 PM, anupam chakravartty wrote: > Pawan, > > your attempts to invigorate the readers by saying "either you are with > it or against it', you have with a possibility of a another vietnam to > be waged in india on its very own people by the government. it is very > comfortable for you to choose this stand because you with your pithy > sayings know it very well that if anyone from this list comments on > your post, it means people are reading about your ideas and you have > successfully peddled them to a platform. > > let us see who you have excluded from this debate. you exclude the > families by readily declaring them as "martyrs" (isnt it shameful that > these men who could have worked to built these areas in the heart of > india are brutally killed because another set of people do not want to > come with guns? i know i shouldn't be asking these questions to you as > it was an administrative decision to send such a large number of > personnel into area which is already a stronghold) because they fought > ' for/on your side'. it also excludes the staff of the hospital which > worked for 48 hours on each and every corpse to send it to their > homes, hoping that they never have to see a day like this again. you > are excluding the independent opinion by always labelling it as maoist > sympathisers, which could form as a bridge for negotiations at a later > stage. for your information, it was stated by the senior police > official working in that area, that the so-called liberated zone is > largely uninhabited zone, so does it mean that security forces were > planning to 'invade' the zone? at the cost of all these lives which > have been lost despite the home minister making tall claims Dantewada > and Gadhchiroli will be naxal free. so is this the approach? i think > operation green hunt is a failure. the home ministry should admit that > green hunt is a failure and use other approaches to negotiate peace. > > guess who you are including in this argument ...a band of young men > and women who have probably exhausted all means of negotiating with > all forms of governance and are now nothing but waiting to kill anyone > that comes their way because it has been stated that Indian governance > massively failed in its interventions. you are also including those > mining companies who want to become mai-baap of indigenous > communities. a few stakeholders who do not know whose line to toe, is > it mao or marx or birsa munda or some politically correct arm chair > intellectual... > > i am afraid but if this is how you perceive governance than a lot of > people who are opposed to violence are in grave danger from people > like you who just want to perpetuate conflicts. > > kindly think before you launch such statements sir. these so called > maoists are people from own country who have lost faith. your faith in > the system has absolutely no correlation with someone's else belief in > the same system. so you cannot call for a iron hand treatment on > anyone you feel like because the tv and the newspapers screamed > headlines, rather give an alternative. the same mistakes that american > government cannot be committed by india. > > -anupam > > > > > > On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 4:45 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: >> Dear Shuddha , >> >> What is good about your politics which does not come out in straight >> condemnation of the massacre by the Maoist without mincing words. >> >> This is a war ...you are either with it or against it. >> >> Pawan >> >> On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 4:15 PM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: >>> Dear all, >>> Whenever I hear of 'iron fists', I reach for my 'velevet glove'. : ). >>> I strongly condemn any move to call for 'iron fist' treatment of anyone who >>> is not a combatant.  Let me elaborate. >>> I intensely dislike, and am opposed to the politics of Pawan Durani and some >>> of his friends on this list. I think their agendas are dangerous and >>> divisive. But I do not think that people should be treated with 'iron fists' >>> merely for holding and expressing an opinion, no matter how objectionable >>> that opinion may be. It is a crime to set off an IED or a mine or kill >>> someone, but it is not a crime to call for an understanding of the >>> motivations of those that do, or even to say that these acts of violence are >>> part of a 'just war'. And the crucial difference between these two lines of >>> action is the very basis on which an open society is built and sustained. >>> But, just as, if the Maoists were to start targetting pro-establishment >>> journalists instead of combatants, they would be violating a fundamental >>> code of how armed conflict ought to be conducted, so too, when people call >>> for 'targeting' Maoist sympathizers along with combatants, as if the realm >>> of discourse and opinions were a battlefield where punitive and military >>> measures can and ought to be taken, they are pointing us in the direction of >>> a closed, authoritarian society - where all of society is a prison camp. >>> Where people are prosecuted not on the grounds of what they do, but on the >>> grounds of what they think, or believe, or what other people think they >>> think. >>> The taking of human life is never something we need to celebrate. The deaths >>> of the more than 75 people in an ambush is not something that anyone can >>> exult over. But, to be fair, if this party, which was on an 'area domination >>> exercise' came across a squad of Maoists who happened to be less prepared >>> than them, the killed would have been the killers. These two forces are at >>> war, and in a war, combatants are not expected to shoot to kill, not to hold >>> their fire. >>> As is evident from what I have written, much of which has appeared here >>> earlier, I have little sympathy for the politics of the Maoists. But I >>> strongly feel that we should also think about the culpability of those who >>> are pushing the CRPF jawans into a war to defend the interests of rapacious >>> mining companies. They are just as responsible for these deaths as those who >>> planted the mines or pulled the triggers, just as the American presidents >>> who sent young American men into war in Vietnam were equally responsible for >>> their deaths, as were the Vietcong. The soldiers who are pushed into the >>> frontline of any war are the victims of the decisions made by the commanders >>> of two armies, their own, as well as of their opponents. >>> And frankly, if , the story had turned the other way around, if 75 Maoists >>> were killed in a CRPF ambush, those who are asking for 'iron fists' to crush >>> Maoists and their sympathisers today would be celebrating. Arnab Goswamy >>> would be singing an aria. >>> I see a large casualty figure as an occasion to mourn, to reflect on what is >>> making the violence happen, not as a reason to call for authoritarian >>> measures.  If, we feel strongly about the toll that this war is taking, we >>> should be feeling just as strongly, regardless of which side the casualties >>> are on. >>> I watched a hysterical Arnab Goswami go ballistic last night on television, >>> asking for measures that will 'wipe out' the menace, that will tackle >>> 'sympathizers'. He kept asking two of his panelists whom he had  decided >>> were Maoist sympathisers, despite at least one of them disagreeing with that >>> appelation, whether they were 'with the Indian people' or 'against' them. >>> Now, if you are a Maoist, you will automatically reply that killing the >>> armed police and militaries of the Indian state automatically proves that >>> you are with the Indian people, since the state is the Indian state, in >>> their view, is the monster oppressing the Indian people. In this case, both >>> the CRPF officers who send their jawans into be slaughtered, as well as the >>> Maoists commanders who order the slaughter, act in the name of the same >>> 'Indian people'. Both use the language of 'wiping off' the opposition. Both >>> seem to need massacres to justify their very existence. The 'indian people' >>> must be truly bloodthirsty if so much blood is being shed in its name by >>> opposite forces in an escalating war >>>  I do not recall this intensity of condemnation during instances where >>> massacres in 'Naxal' affected regions have happened earlier (with a >>> difference in the protagonists of the massacres) say in Bihar, at Laxmanpur >>> Bathe, or at Arwal, or Mianpur, where upper caste / landlord militias with >>> the tacit backing of the police slaughtered peasant activists (Arwal, 24 >>> people died in 1986, Laxmanpur Bathe, 58 people died in 1997, Mianpur, 35 >>> people died in 2001). Do the hackles of our 'patriots' rise more when >>> Maoists or Naxals are doing the killing than when peasants or tribals are >>> killed by upper caste militias, outfits like the Salwa Judum or the state's >>> police and paramilitary forces. >>> If you look at the table of casualties in the South Asian Terrorism Portal >>> for casualties in Naxal affected regions in Bihar for the period between >>> 1976 and 2001, for instance, you can see clearly that 86 or so massacres and >>> incidents of violence were cased by a combination of upper caste militias >>> and the state police. >>> >>> This is the overwhelming majority of incidents. But I do not recall anyone >>> having the gall to say on prime time television that the upper/landed caste >>> militias or the Bihar State police and their sympathizers should be 'wiped >>> out' or that their 'sympathizers' (who include activists of every single >>> mainstream political party in India) should be treated with an 'iron fist'. >>> http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/terroristoutfits/massacres.htm >>> Is this not a case of one standard for 'Maoists' and their actual and/or >>> supposed sympathizers, and quite another for everyone else ? >>> best >>> Shuddha >>> >>> On 07-Apr-10, at 2:22 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: >>> >>> It's high time that not only Maosists , but their supporters are >>> handled with iron fist. >>> Regards >>> Pawan >>> >>> On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 1:55 PM, Asit asitreds >>> wrote: >>> >>> what about the voilence in gujrat bhagalpur etc which have killed hundred >>> times more people than in dantewada >>>  what about tens of thousands of noncobatant civilan population killed by >>> security forces in northeast kashmir and punjab >>> asit >>> >>> On 4/6/10, Pawan Durani wrote: >>> >>> …and committed a strategic mistake at Dantewada >>> >>> The reason why Naxalites have been able to sustain their insurgency >>> for so long is due to three main reasons: the absence or failure of >>> governance; the romanticism and propaganda of their overground >>> sympathisers; and, finally, due to the relatively subliminal nature of >>> their violence. >>> To the extent that their violence was distributed in space and time >>> they could slip in and out of the public mind, pursue on-and-off talks >>> with state governments and generally avoid provoking the government >>> into hitting back hard. Over the last five years Naxalites have >>> violently expanded the geographical spread of their extortion and >>> protection rackets—yet, the violence in any given place and time has >>> been below a certain threshold. That threshold itself is high for a >>> number of reasons, including efforts by their sympathisers to >>> romanticise their violence, spectacular terrorist attacks by jihadi >>> groups and due to the remoteness of the areas of their operations. >>> This allowed Naxalites to get away with murder. A lot of times. In a >>> lot of places. Literally. >>> But killing 73 out of 80 (or 120) CRPF and police personnel in a short >>> span of time in a single battle is no longer subliminal violence. In >>> all likelihood the Naxalites have crossed a threshold—this incident is >>> likely to stay much longer in the public mind and increase the >>> pressure on politicians to tackle the Naxalite threat with greater >>> resolve. Also, given that it has also become an issue of P >>> Chidambaram’s—and hence the UPA government’s—reputation, the gloves >>> are likely to come off in the coming weeks. >>> There’s a chance that India’s psychological threshold is even higher. >>> But it is more likely that the Naxalites have overreached. Perhaps >>> their leadership has calculated that they are in the next stage of >>> their revolutionary war. If so, that would neither the first nor the >>> only delusion in their minds. >>> http://acorn.nationalinterest.in/2010/04/06/the-naxalites-overreached/ >>> _________________________________________ >>> 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/> >>> >>> Shuddhabrata Sengupta >>> The Sarai Programme at CSDS >>> Raqs Media Collective >>> shuddha at sarai.net >>> www.sarai.net >>> www.raqsmediacollective.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 c.anupam at gmail.com Wed Apr 7 18:22:26 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Wed, 7 Apr 2010 18:22:26 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: References: <89953293-1C86-422B-8F06-4550D76E83F2@sarai.net> Message-ID: it is because of people like you most of the indigenous people forced to take up arms. your statements criminalise them not these arms or killings because by that time nothing is left in them to loose. On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 6:17 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > Dear Anupam Ji , > > NamaskAr > > While as I do not disagree that these naxalites are our own people , > we should also remember that majority of them have become criminals. > > There are other people too , who have been victim of state policies > etc etc ....but they haven't picked up the arms and go ahead beheading > people and killing our own policemen. > > It is sad that if a brute force would be used by the state , but i > guess they havent been left with much options. > > I hope and pray , that naxalites realize that they would carry much > more guilt , of many more deaths , orphans , widows and homeless > people. > > The naxalites have already made thousands of poor people homeless , > especially in Orissa. > > They are nothing but cowards. > > Pawan > > > > > > On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 6:06 PM, anupam chakravartty wrote: >> Pawan, >> >> your attempts to invigorate the readers by saying "either you are with >> it or against it', you have with a possibility of a another vietnam to >> be waged in india on its very own people by the government. it is very >> comfortable for you to choose this stand because you with your pithy >> sayings know it very well that if anyone from this list comments on >> your post, it means people are reading about your ideas and you have >> successfully peddled them to a platform. >> >> let us see who you have excluded from this debate. you exclude the >> families by readily declaring them as "martyrs" (isnt it shameful that >> these men who could have worked to built these areas in the heart of >> india are brutally killed because another set of people do not want to >> come with guns? i know i shouldn't be asking these questions to you as >> it was an administrative decision to send such a large number of >> personnel into area which is already a stronghold) because they fought >> ' for/on your side'. it also excludes the staff of the hospital which >> worked for 48 hours on each and every corpse to send it to their >> homes, hoping that they never have to see a day like this again. you >> are excluding the independent opinion by always labelling it as maoist >> sympathisers, which could form as a bridge for negotiations at a later >> stage. for your information, it was stated by the senior police >> official working in that area, that the so-called liberated zone is >> largely uninhabited zone, so does it mean that security forces were >> planning to 'invade' the zone? at the cost of all these lives which >> have been lost despite the home minister making tall claims Dantewada >> and Gadhchiroli will be naxal free. so is this the approach? i think >> operation green hunt is a failure. the home ministry should admit that >> green hunt is a failure and use other approaches to negotiate peace. >> >> guess who you are including in this argument ...a band of young men >> and women who have probably exhausted all means of negotiating with >> all forms of governance and are now nothing but waiting to kill anyone >> that comes their way because it has been stated that Indian governance >> massively failed in its interventions. you are also including those >> mining companies who want to become mai-baap of indigenous >> communities. a few stakeholders who do not know whose line to toe, is >> it mao or marx or birsa munda or some politically correct arm chair >> intellectual... >> >> i am afraid but if this is how you perceive governance than a lot of >> people who are opposed to violence are in grave danger from people >> like you who just want to perpetuate conflicts. >> >> kindly think before you launch such statements sir. these so called >> maoists are people from own country who have lost faith. your faith in >> the system has absolutely no correlation with someone's else belief in >> the same system. so you cannot call for a iron hand treatment on >> anyone you feel like because the tv and the newspapers screamed >> headlines, rather give an alternative. the same mistakes that american >> government cannot be committed by india. >> >> -anupam >> >> >> >> >> >> On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 4:45 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: >>> Dear Shuddha , >>> >>> What is good about your politics which does not come out in straight >>> condemnation of the massacre by the Maoist without mincing words. >>> >>> This is a war ...you are either with it or against it. >>> >>> Pawan >>> >>> On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 4:15 PM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: >>>> Dear all, >>>> Whenever I hear of 'iron fists', I reach for my 'velevet glove'. : ). >>>> I strongly condemn any move to call for 'iron fist' treatment of anyone who >>>> is not a combatant.  Let me elaborate. >>>> I intensely dislike, and am opposed to the politics of Pawan Durani and some >>>> of his friends on this list. I think their agendas are dangerous and >>>> divisive. But I do not think that people should be treated with 'iron fists' >>>> merely for holding and expressing an opinion, no matter how objectionable >>>> that opinion may be. It is a crime to set off an IED or a mine or kill >>>> someone, but it is not a crime to call for an understanding of the >>>> motivations of those that do, or even to say that these acts of violence are >>>> part of a 'just war'. And the crucial difference between these two lines of >>>> action is the very basis on which an open society is built and sustained. >>>> But, just as, if the Maoists were to start targetting pro-establishment >>>> journalists instead of combatants, they would be violating a fundamental >>>> code of how armed conflict ought to be conducted, so too, when people call >>>> for 'targeting' Maoist sympathizers along with combatants, as if the realm >>>> of discourse and opinions were a battlefield where punitive and military >>>> measures can and ought to be taken, they are pointing us in the direction of >>>> a closed, authoritarian society - where all of society is a prison camp. >>>> Where people are prosecuted not on the grounds of what they do, but on the >>>> grounds of what they think, or believe, or what other people think they >>>> think. >>>> The taking of human life is never something we need to celebrate. The deaths >>>> of the more than 75 people in an ambush is not something that anyone can >>>> exult over. But, to be fair, if this party, which was on an 'area domination >>>> exercise' came across a squad of Maoists who happened to be less prepared >>>> than them, the killed would have been the killers. These two forces are at >>>> war, and in a war, combatants are not expected to shoot to kill, not to hold >>>> their fire. >>>> As is evident from what I have written, much of which has appeared here >>>> earlier, I have little sympathy for the politics of the Maoists. But I >>>> strongly feel that we should also think about the culpability of those who >>>> are pushing the CRPF jawans into a war to defend the interests of rapacious >>>> mining companies. They are just as responsible for these deaths as those who >>>> planted the mines or pulled the triggers, just as the American presidents >>>> who sent young American men into war in Vietnam were equally responsible for >>>> their deaths, as were the Vietcong. The soldiers who are pushed into the >>>> frontline of any war are the victims of the decisions made by the commanders >>>> of two armies, their own, as well as of their opponents. >>>> And frankly, if , the story had turned the other way around, if 75 Maoists >>>> were killed in a CRPF ambush, those who are asking for 'iron fists' to crush >>>> Maoists and their sympathisers today would be celebrating. Arnab Goswamy >>>> would be singing an aria. >>>> I see a large casualty figure as an occasion to mourn, to reflect on what is >>>> making the violence happen, not as a reason to call for authoritarian >>>> measures.  If, we feel strongly about the toll that this war is taking, we >>>> should be feeling just as strongly, regardless of which side the casualties >>>> are on. >>>> I watched a hysterical Arnab Goswami go ballistic last night on television, >>>> asking for measures that will 'wipe out' the menace, that will tackle >>>> 'sympathizers'. He kept asking two of his panelists whom he had  decided >>>> were Maoist sympathisers, despite at least one of them disagreeing with that >>>> appelation, whether they were 'with the Indian people' or 'against' them. >>>> Now, if you are a Maoist, you will automatically reply that killing the >>>> armed police and militaries of the Indian state automatically proves that >>>> you are with the Indian people, since the state is the Indian state, in >>>> their view, is the monster oppressing the Indian people. In this case, both >>>> the CRPF officers who send their jawans into be slaughtered, as well as the >>>> Maoists commanders who order the slaughter, act in the name of the same >>>> 'Indian people'. Both use the language of 'wiping off' the opposition. Both >>>> seem to need massacres to justify their very existence. The 'indian people' >>>> must be truly bloodthirsty if so much blood is being shed in its name by >>>> opposite forces in an escalating war >>>>  I do not recall this intensity of condemnation during instances where >>>> massacres in 'Naxal' affected regions have happened earlier (with a >>>> difference in the protagonists of the massacres) say in Bihar, at Laxmanpur >>>> Bathe, or at Arwal, or Mianpur, where upper caste / landlord militias with >>>> the tacit backing of the police slaughtered peasant activists (Arwal, 24 >>>> people died in 1986, Laxmanpur Bathe, 58 people died in 1997, Mianpur, 35 >>>> people died in 2001). Do the hackles of our 'patriots' rise more when >>>> Maoists or Naxals are doing the killing than when peasants or tribals are >>>> killed by upper caste militias, outfits like the Salwa Judum or the state's >>>> police and paramilitary forces. >>>> If you look at the table of casualties in the South Asian Terrorism Portal >>>> for casualties in Naxal affected regions in Bihar for the period between >>>> 1976 and 2001, for instance, you can see clearly that 86 or so massacres and >>>> incidents of violence were cased by a combination of upper caste militias >>>> and the state police. >>>> >>>> This is the overwhelming majority of incidents. But I do not recall anyone >>>> having the gall to say on prime time television that the upper/landed caste >>>> militias or the Bihar State police and their sympathizers should be 'wiped >>>> out' or that their 'sympathizers' (who include activists of every single >>>> mainstream political party in India) should be treated with an 'iron fist'. >>>> http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/terroristoutfits/massacres.htm >>>> Is this not a case of one standard for 'Maoists' and their actual and/or >>>> supposed sympathizers, and quite another for everyone else ? >>>> best >>>> Shuddha >>>> >>>> On 07-Apr-10, at 2:22 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: >>>> >>>> It's high time that not only Maosists , but their supporters are >>>> handled with iron fist. >>>> Regards >>>> Pawan >>>> >>>> On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 1:55 PM, Asit asitreds >>>> wrote: >>>> >>>> what about the voilence in gujrat bhagalpur etc which have killed hundred >>>> times more people than in dantewada >>>>  what about tens of thousands of noncobatant civilan population killed by >>>> security forces in northeast kashmir and punjab >>>> asit >>>> >>>> On 4/6/10, Pawan Durani wrote: >>>> >>>> …and committed a strategic mistake at Dantewada >>>> >>>> The reason why Naxalites have been able to sustain their insurgency >>>> for so long is due to three main reasons: the absence or failure of >>>> governance; the romanticism and propaganda of their overground >>>> sympathisers; and, finally, due to the relatively subliminal nature of >>>> their violence. >>>> To the extent that their violence was distributed in space and time >>>> they could slip in and out of the public mind, pursue on-and-off talks >>>> with state governments and generally avoid provoking the government >>>> into hitting back hard. Over the last five years Naxalites have >>>> violently expanded the geographical spread of their extortion and >>>> protection rackets—yet, the violence in any given place and time has >>>> been below a certain threshold. That threshold itself is high for a >>>> number of reasons, including efforts by their sympathisers to >>>> romanticise their violence, spectacular terrorist attacks by jihadi >>>> groups and due to the remoteness of the areas of their operations. >>>> This allowed Naxalites to get away with murder. A lot of times. In a >>>> lot of places. Literally. >>>> But killing 73 out of 80 (or 120) CRPF and police personnel in a short >>>> span of time in a single battle is no longer subliminal violence. In >>>> all likelihood the Naxalites have crossed a threshold—this incident is >>>> likely to stay much longer in the public mind and increase the >>>> pressure on politicians to tackle the Naxalite threat with greater >>>> resolve. Also, given that it has also become an issue of P >>>> Chidambaram’s—and hence the UPA government’s—reputation, the gloves >>>> are likely to come off in the coming weeks. >>>> There’s a chance that India’s psychological threshold is even higher. >>>> But it is more likely that the Naxalites have overreached. Perhaps >>>> their leadership has calculated that they are in the next stage of >>>> their revolutionary war. If so, that would neither the first nor the >>>> only delusion in their minds. >>>> http://acorn.nationalinterest.in/2010/04/06/the-naxalites-overreached/ >>>> _________________________________________ >>>> 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/> >>>> >>>> Shuddhabrata Sengupta >>>> The Sarai Programme at CSDS >>>> Raqs Media Collective >>>> shuddha at sarai.net >>>> www.sarai.net >>>> www.raqsmediacollective.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 chandni_parekh at yahoo.com Wed Apr 7 18:37:18 2010 From: chandni_parekh at yahoo.com (Chandni Parekh) Date: Wed, 7 Apr 2010 06:07:18 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] Available: Funds from Canada for NGOs in India + Rotary Peace Fellowships Message-ID: <780372.9899.qm@web54401.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Proposals for financial assistance (2010-11) under the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives will be accepted for consideration until April 30, 2010. For details: http://z.pe/5p4i --- Rotary Peace Fellowships: http://post.ly/YGS0 From pawan.durani at gmail.com Wed Apr 7 18:38:49 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Wed, 7 Apr 2010 18:38:49 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: References: <89953293-1C86-422B-8F06-4550D76E83F2@sarai.net> Message-ID: Be blessed On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 6:22 PM, anupam chakravartty wrote: > it is because of people like you most of the indigenous people forced > to take up arms. your statements criminalise them not these arms or > killings because by that time nothing is left in them to loose. > > On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 6:17 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: >> Dear Anupam Ji , >> >> NamaskAr >> >> While as I do not disagree that these naxalites are our own people , >> we should also remember that majority of them have become criminals. >> >> There are other people too , who have been victim of state policies >> etc etc ....but they haven't picked up the arms and go ahead beheading >> people and killing our own policemen. >> >> It is sad that if a brute force would be used by the state , but i >> guess they havent been left with much options. >> >> I hope and pray , that naxalites realize that they would carry much >> more guilt , of many more deaths , orphans , widows and homeless >> people. >> >> The naxalites have already made thousands of poor people homeless , >> especially in Orissa. >> >> They are nothing but cowards. >> >> Pawan >> >> >> >> >> >> On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 6:06 PM, anupam chakravartty wrote: >>> Pawan, >>> >>> your attempts to invigorate the readers by saying "either you are with >>> it or against it', you have with a possibility of a another vietnam to >>> be waged in india on its very own people by the government. it is very >>> comfortable for you to choose this stand because you with your pithy >>> sayings know it very well that if anyone from this list comments on >>> your post, it means people are reading about your ideas and you have >>> successfully peddled them to a platform. >>> >>> let us see who you have excluded from this debate. you exclude the >>> families by readily declaring them as "martyrs" (isnt it shameful that >>> these men who could have worked to built these areas in the heart of >>> india are brutally killed because another set of people do not want to >>> come with guns? i know i shouldn't be asking these questions to you as >>> it was an administrative decision to send such a large number of >>> personnel into area which is already a stronghold) because they fought >>> ' for/on your side'. it also excludes the staff of the hospital which >>> worked for 48 hours on each and every corpse to send it to their >>> homes, hoping that they never have to see a day like this again. you >>> are excluding the independent opinion by always labelling it as maoist >>> sympathisers, which could form as a bridge for negotiations at a later >>> stage. for your information, it was stated by the senior police >>> official working in that area, that the so-called liberated zone is >>> largely uninhabited zone, so does it mean that security forces were >>> planning to 'invade' the zone? at the cost of all these lives which >>> have been lost despite the home minister making tall claims Dantewada >>> and Gadhchiroli will be naxal free. so is this the approach? i think >>> operation green hunt is a failure. the home ministry should admit that >>> green hunt is a failure and use other approaches to negotiate peace. >>> >>> guess who you are including in this argument ...a band of young men >>> and women who have probably exhausted all means of negotiating with >>> all forms of governance and are now nothing but waiting to kill anyone >>> that comes their way because it has been stated that Indian governance >>> massively failed in its interventions. you are also including those >>> mining companies who want to become mai-baap of indigenous >>> communities. a few stakeholders who do not know whose line to toe, is >>> it mao or marx or birsa munda or some politically correct arm chair >>> intellectual... >>> >>> i am afraid but if this is how you perceive governance than a lot of >>> people who are opposed to violence are in grave danger from people >>> like you who just want to perpetuate conflicts. >>> >>> kindly think before you launch such statements sir. these so called >>> maoists are people from own country who have lost faith. your faith in >>> the system has absolutely no correlation with someone's else belief in >>> the same system. so you cannot call for a iron hand treatment on >>> anyone you feel like because the tv and the newspapers screamed >>> headlines, rather give an alternative. the same mistakes that american >>> government cannot be committed by india. >>> >>> -anupam >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 4:45 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: >>>> Dear Shuddha , >>>> >>>> What is good about your politics which does not come out in straight >>>> condemnation of the massacre by the Maoist without mincing words. >>>> >>>> This is a war ...you are either with it or against it. >>>> >>>> Pawan >>>> >>>> On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 4:15 PM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: >>>>> Dear all, >>>>> Whenever I hear of 'iron fists', I reach for my 'velevet glove'. : ). >>>>> I strongly condemn any move to call for 'iron fist' treatment of anyone who >>>>> is not a combatant.  Let me elaborate. >>>>> I intensely dislike, and am opposed to the politics of Pawan Durani and some >>>>> of his friends on this list. I think their agendas are dangerous and >>>>> divisive. But I do not think that people should be treated with 'iron fists' >>>>> merely for holding and expressing an opinion, no matter how objectionable >>>>> that opinion may be. It is a crime to set off an IED or a mine or kill >>>>> someone, but it is not a crime to call for an understanding of the >>>>> motivations of those that do, or even to say that these acts of violence are >>>>> part of a 'just war'. And the crucial difference between these two lines of >>>>> action is the very basis on which an open society is built and sustained. >>>>> But, just as, if the Maoists were to start targetting pro-establishment >>>>> journalists instead of combatants, they would be violating a fundamental >>>>> code of how armed conflict ought to be conducted, so too, when people call >>>>> for 'targeting' Maoist sympathizers along with combatants, as if the realm >>>>> of discourse and opinions were a battlefield where punitive and military >>>>> measures can and ought to be taken, they are pointing us in the direction of >>>>> a closed, authoritarian society - where all of society is a prison camp. >>>>> Where people are prosecuted not on the grounds of what they do, but on the >>>>> grounds of what they think, or believe, or what other people think they >>>>> think. >>>>> The taking of human life is never something we need to celebrate. The deaths >>>>> of the more than 75 people in an ambush is not something that anyone can >>>>> exult over. But, to be fair, if this party, which was on an 'area domination >>>>> exercise' came across a squad of Maoists who happened to be less prepared >>>>> than them, the killed would have been the killers. These two forces are at >>>>> war, and in a war, combatants are not expected to shoot to kill, not to hold >>>>> their fire. >>>>> As is evident from what I have written, much of which has appeared here >>>>> earlier, I have little sympathy for the politics of the Maoists. But I >>>>> strongly feel that we should also think about the culpability of those who >>>>> are pushing the CRPF jawans into a war to defend the interests of rapacious >>>>> mining companies. They are just as responsible for these deaths as those who >>>>> planted the mines or pulled the triggers, just as the American presidents >>>>> who sent young American men into war in Vietnam were equally responsible for >>>>> their deaths, as were the Vietcong. The soldiers who are pushed into the >>>>> frontline of any war are the victims of the decisions made by the commanders >>>>> of two armies, their own, as well as of their opponents. >>>>> And frankly, if , the story had turned the other way around, if 75 Maoists >>>>> were killed in a CRPF ambush, those who are asking for 'iron fists' to crush >>>>> Maoists and their sympathisers today would be celebrating. Arnab Goswamy >>>>> would be singing an aria. >>>>> I see a large casualty figure as an occasion to mourn, to reflect on what is >>>>> making the violence happen, not as a reason to call for authoritarian >>>>> measures.  If, we feel strongly about the toll that this war is taking, we >>>>> should be feeling just as strongly, regardless of which side the casualties >>>>> are on. >>>>> I watched a hysterical Arnab Goswami go ballistic last night on television, >>>>> asking for measures that will 'wipe out' the menace, that will tackle >>>>> 'sympathizers'. He kept asking two of his panelists whom he had  decided >>>>> were Maoist sympathisers, despite at least one of them disagreeing with that >>>>> appelation, whether they were 'with the Indian people' or 'against' them. >>>>> Now, if you are a Maoist, you will automatically reply that killing the >>>>> armed police and militaries of the Indian state automatically proves that >>>>> you are with the Indian people, since the state is the Indian state, in >>>>> their view, is the monster oppressing the Indian people. In this case, both >>>>> the CRPF officers who send their jawans into be slaughtered, as well as the >>>>> Maoists commanders who order the slaughter, act in the name of the same >>>>> 'Indian people'. Both use the language of 'wiping off' the opposition. Both >>>>> seem to need massacres to justify their very existence. The 'indian people' >>>>> must be truly bloodthirsty if so much blood is being shed in its name by >>>>> opposite forces in an escalating war >>>>>  I do not recall this intensity of condemnation during instances where >>>>> massacres in 'Naxal' affected regions have happened earlier (with a >>>>> difference in the protagonists of the massacres) say in Bihar, at Laxmanpur >>>>> Bathe, or at Arwal, or Mianpur, where upper caste / landlord militias with >>>>> the tacit backing of the police slaughtered peasant activists (Arwal, 24 >>>>> people died in 1986, Laxmanpur Bathe, 58 people died in 1997, Mianpur, 35 >>>>> people died in 2001). Do the hackles of our 'patriots' rise more when >>>>> Maoists or Naxals are doing the killing than when peasants or tribals are >>>>> killed by upper caste militias, outfits like the Salwa Judum or the state's >>>>> police and paramilitary forces. >>>>> If you look at the table of casualties in the South Asian Terrorism Portal >>>>> for casualties in Naxal affected regions in Bihar for the period between >>>>> 1976 and 2001, for instance, you can see clearly that 86 or so massacres and >>>>> incidents of violence were cased by a combination of upper caste militias >>>>> and the state police. >>>>> >>>>> This is the overwhelming majority of incidents. But I do not recall anyone >>>>> having the gall to say on prime time television that the upper/landed caste >>>>> militias or the Bihar State police and their sympathizers should be 'wiped >>>>> out' or that their 'sympathizers' (who include activists of every single >>>>> mainstream political party in India) should be treated with an 'iron fist'. >>>>> http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/terroristoutfits/massacres.htm >>>>> Is this not a case of one standard for 'Maoists' and their actual and/or >>>>> supposed sympathizers, and quite another for everyone else ? >>>>> best >>>>> Shuddha >>>>> >>>>> On 07-Apr-10, at 2:22 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: >>>>> >>>>> It's high time that not only Maosists , but their supporters are >>>>> handled with iron fist. >>>>> Regards >>>>> Pawan >>>>> >>>>> On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 1:55 PM, Asit asitreds >>>>> wrote: >>>>> >>>>> what about the voilence in gujrat bhagalpur etc which have killed hundred >>>>> times more people than in dantewada >>>>>  what about tens of thousands of noncobatant civilan population killed by >>>>> security forces in northeast kashmir and punjab >>>>> asit >>>>> >>>>> On 4/6/10, Pawan Durani wrote: >>>>> >>>>> …and committed a strategic mistake at Dantewada >>>>> >>>>> The reason why Naxalites have been able to sustain their insurgency >>>>> for so long is due to three main reasons: the absence or failure of >>>>> governance; the romanticism and propaganda of their overground >>>>> sympathisers; and, finally, due to the relatively subliminal nature of >>>>> their violence. >>>>> To the extent that their violence was distributed in space and time >>>>> they could slip in and out of the public mind, pursue on-and-off talks >>>>> with state governments and generally avoid provoking the government >>>>> into hitting back hard. Over the last five years Naxalites have >>>>> violently expanded the geographical spread of their extortion and >>>>> protection rackets—yet, the violence in any given place and time has >>>>> been below a certain threshold. That threshold itself is high for a >>>>> number of reasons, including efforts by their sympathisers to >>>>> romanticise their violence, spectacular terrorist attacks by jihadi >>>>> groups and due to the remoteness of the areas of their operations. >>>>> This allowed Naxalites to get away with murder. A lot of times. In a >>>>> lot of places. Literally. >>>>> But killing 73 out of 80 (or 120) CRPF and police personnel in a short >>>>> span of time in a single battle is no longer subliminal violence. In >>>>> all likelihood the Naxalites have crossed a threshold—this incident is >>>>> likely to stay much longer in the public mind and increase the >>>>> pressure on politicians to tackle the Naxalite threat with greater >>>>> resolve. Also, given that it has also become an issue of P >>>>> Chidambaram’s—and hence the UPA government’s—reputation, the gloves >>>>> are likely to come off in the coming weeks. >>>>> There’s a chance that India’s psychological threshold is even higher. >>>>> But it is more likely that the Naxalites have overreached. Perhaps >>>>> their leadership has calculated that they are in the next stage of >>>>> their revolutionary war. If so, that would neither the first nor the >>>>> only delusion in their minds. >>>>> http://acorn.nationalinterest.in/2010/04/06/the-naxalites-overreached/ >>>>> _________________________________________ >>>>> 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/> >>>>> >>>>> Shuddhabrata Sengupta >>>>> The Sarai Programme at CSDS >>>>> Raqs Media Collective >>>>> shuddha at sarai.net >>>>> www.sarai.net >>>>> www.raqsmediacollective.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/> >>> >> > _________________________________________ > 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 c.anupam at gmail.com Wed Apr 7 20:16:24 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Wed, 7 Apr 2010 20:16:24 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] THE NAKED SECULARISTS In-Reply-To: <001001cad4b9$cf2e3270$6d8a9750$@in> References: <001001cad4b9$cf2e3270$6d8a9750$@in> Message-ID: Can we have Bipin here please? http://www.flonnet.com/stories/20100423270808000.htm Excerpts: "First of all, in 1980, exactly 20 years after its creation and long before the Modi dispensation came on the scene and the Tata-Ambani-Mittal industrial hype involving Gujarat began, Gujarat was among the three fastest-growing States. Since then it has more or less occupied that position. Apart from its long history of mercantilism, Gujarat, like Punjab, is one of the few States with a long history of migration to foreign countries. The remittances from abroad further fuelled trade and mercantilism and resulted in rural prosperity to some degree. On the other hand, it is also a part of Gujarat’s reality that the bulk of the State’s people, 77 per cent of whom constitute Other Backward Classes, Dalits and Adivasis, live in severe conditions of the impoverishment and marginalisation. The conditions of the latter two groups are particularly bad. At the same time, communal riots, which have broken out periodically since 1969, have often served the purpose of consolidating the OBCs on the one hand and oppressing the Dalits, the deprived Muslim minority and the poor Parsi landowners on the other." On Mon, Apr 5, 2010 at 5:46 PM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > R. Jagannathan has rightly said, "secularists have proved that what they > care about is not justice, but their own vanity. India's humbug secularists > have personalized the definition of secularism for narrow political ends. > Why is anyone who promotes Gujarat an instant target for secularists? This > is ideological tyranny". > > > > Unfortunately in India, only those are counted as secular who speak for or > create show to speak for minority. > > > > Can anyone explain who is communal and who is secular? Of course congress > has proved pseudo-secular in many occasions earlier. But, this time they > have proved communal and also once again proved their dirty vote bank > tactics/politics. Every one blame or rather fashion to blame BJP as communal > party, but congress is also communal party. How? > > > > They think that by highlighting Gujarat riots on regular interval and this > is what they are doing since 2002, congress may not get room in Gujarat but > they think of getting benefit in the rest of the India. Some congress leader > even told this earlier. By this way actually they spread communalism, isn't > it? But, they forget one thing. You can fool the people for the couple of > occasion, but not all the time. > > > > Looking to the history since independence, there are so many violence > occurred even bigger than Gujarat and even some of them state sponsored > also, but no SC intervene, no SIT formed, no outcry by so called secularist > and Human activist. Even in Gujarat also in 1985, much larger scale state > sponsored violence was their but no one even noticed that. What kind of > justice this is going on? > > > > Congress is asking from Bachhan to clarify his stand on 2002 riots. This > shows the way of congress thinking that riots can be justifiable and this > shows the communal mind of congress actually. It's question of common sense > that any form of riots communal/non-communal are always condemnable. So, > what's the reason to seek clarification from Bachhan or anyone else. > > > > Thanks > > Bipin > > > > _________________________________________ > 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 rahul_capri at yahoo.com Wed Apr 7 20:15:57 2010 From: rahul_capri at yahoo.com (Rahul Asthana) Date: Wed, 7 Apr 2010 07:45:57 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: <89953293-1C86-422B-8F06-4550D76E83F2@sarai.net> References: <89953293-1C86-422B-8F06-4550D76E83F2@sarai.net> Message-ID: <114619.38245.qm@web53607.mail.re2.yahoo.com> "I strongly condemn any move to call for 'iron fist' treatment of  anyone who is not a combatant." Agreed totally. Though, the state is and should be the only entity that can legally use violence, it should be subject to strict standards of accountability,even if it sometimes may place it at a disadvantage. ----- Original Message ---- From: Shuddhabrata Sengupta To: Pawan Durani Cc: reader-list Sent: Wed, April 7, 2010 6:45:58 AM Subject: Re: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached Dear all, Whenever I hear of 'iron fists', I reach for my 'velevet glove'. : ). I strongly condemn any move to call for 'iron fist' treatment of  anyone who is not a combatant.  Let me elaborate. I intensely dislike, and am opposed to the politics of Pawan Durani  and some of his friends on this list. I think their agendas are  dangerous and divisive. But I do not think that people should be  treated with 'iron fists' merely for holding and expressing an  opinion, no matter how objectionable that opinion may be. It is a  crime to set off an IED or a mine or kill someone, but it is not a  crime to call for an understanding of the motivations of those that  do, or even to say that these acts of violence are part of a 'just  war'. And the crucial difference between these two lines of action is  the very basis on which an open society is built and sustained. But, just as, if the Maoists were to start targetting pro- establishment journalists instead of combatants, they would be  violating a fundamental code of how armed conflict ought to be  conducted, so too, when people call for 'targeting' Maoist  sympathizers along with combatants, as if the realm of discourse and  opinions were a battlefield where punitive and military measures can  and ought to be taken, they are pointing us in the direction of a  closed, authoritarian society - where all of society is a prison  camp. Where people are prosecuted not on the grounds of what they do,  but on the grounds of what they think, or believe, or what other  people think they think. The taking of human life is never something we need to celebrate. The  deaths of the more than 75 people in an ambush is not something that  anyone can exult over. But, to be fair, if this party, which was on  an 'area domination exercise' came across a squad of Maoists who  happened to be less prepared than them, the killed would have been  the killers. These two forces are at war, and in a war, combatants  are not expected to shoot to kill, not to hold their fire. As is evident from what I have written, much of which has appeared  here earlier, I have little sympathy for the politics of the Maoists.  But I strongly feel that we should also think about the culpability  of those who are pushing the CRPF jawans into a war to defend the  interests of rapacious mining companies. They are just as responsible  for these deaths as those who planted the mines or pulled the  triggers, just as the American presidents who sent young American men  into war in Vietnam were equally responsible for their deaths, as  were the Vietcong. The soldiers who are pushed into the frontline of  any war are the victims of the decisions made by the commanders of  two armies, their own, as well as of their opponents. And frankly, if , the story had turned the other way around, if 75  Maoists were killed in a CRPF ambush, those who are asking for 'iron  fists' to crush Maoists and their sympathisers today would be  celebrating. Arnab Goswamy would be singing an aria. I see a large casualty figure as an occasion to mourn, to reflect on  what is making the violence happen, not as a reason to call for  authoritarian measures.  If, we feel strongly about the toll that  this war is taking, we should be feeling just as strongly, regardless  of which side the casualties are on. I watched a hysterical Arnab Goswami go ballistic last night on  television, asking for measures that will 'wipe out' the menace, that  will tackle 'sympathizers'. He kept asking two of his panelists whom  he had  decided were Maoist sympathisers, despite at least one of  them disagreeing with that appelation, whether they were 'with the  Indian people' or 'against' them. Now, if you are a Maoist, you will  automatically reply that killing the armed police and militaries of  the Indian state automatically proves that you are with the Indian  people, since the state is the Indian state, in their view, is the  monster oppressing the Indian people. In this case, both the CRPF  officers who send their jawans into be slaughtered, as well as the  Maoists commanders who order the slaughter, act in the name of the  same 'Indian people'. Both use the language of 'wiping off' the  opposition. Both seem to need massacres to justify their very  existence. The 'indian people' must be truly bloodthirsty if so much  blood is being shed in its name by opposite forces in an escalating war   I do not recall this intensity of condemnation during instances  where massacres in 'Naxal' affected regions have happened earlier  (with a difference in the protagonists of the massacres) say in  Bihar, at Laxmanpur Bathe, or at Arwal, or Mianpur, where upper  caste / landlord militias with the tacit backing of the police  slaughtered peasant activists (Arwal, 24 people died in 1986,  Laxmanpur Bathe, 58 people died in 1997, Mianpur, 35 people died in  2001). Do the hackles of our 'patriots' rise more when Maoists or  Naxals are doing the killing than when peasants or tribals are killed  by upper caste militias, outfits like the Salwa Judum or the state's  police and paramilitary forces. If you look at the table of casualties in the South Asian Terrorism  Portal for casualties in Naxal affected regions in Bihar for the  period between 1976 and 2001, for instance, you can see clearly that  86 or so massacres and incidents of violence were cased by a  combination of upper caste militias and the state police. This is the overwhelming majority of incidents. But I do not recall  anyone having the gall to say on prime time television that the upper/ landed caste militias or the Bihar State police and their  sympathizers should be 'wiped out' or that their 'sympathizers' (who  include activists of every single mainstream political party in  India) should be treated with an 'iron fist'. http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/terroristoutfits/ massacres.htm Is this not a case of one standard for 'Maoists' and their actual and/ or supposed sympathizers, and quite another for everyone else ? best Shuddha On 07-Apr-10, at 2:22 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > It's high time that not only Maosists , but their supporters are > handled with iron fist. > > Regards > > Pawan > > > On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 1:55 PM, Asit asitreds  > wrote: >> what about the voilence in gujrat bhagalpur etc which have killed  >> hundred >> times more people than in dantewada >>  what about tens of thousands of noncobatant civilan population  >> killed by >> security forces in northeast kashmir and punjab >> asit >> >> >> On 4/6/10, Pawan Durani wrote: >>> >>> …and committed a strategic mistake at Dantewada >>> >>> >>> The reason why Naxalites have been able to sustain their insurgency >>> for so long is due to three main reasons: the absence or failure of >>> governance; the romanticism and propaganda of their overground >>> sympathisers; and, finally, due to the relatively subliminal  >>> nature of >>> their violence. >>> >>> To the extent that their violence was distributed in space and time >>> they could slip in and out of the public mind, pursue on-and-off  >>> talks >>> with state governments and generally avoid provoking the government >>> into hitting back hard. Over the last five years Naxalites have >>> violently expanded the geographical spread of their extortion and >>> protection rackets—yet, the violence in any given place and time has >>> been below a certain threshold. That threshold itself is high for a >>> number of reasons, including efforts by their sympathisers to >>> romanticise their violence, spectacular terrorist attacks by jihadi >>> groups and due to the remoteness of the areas of their operations. >>> This allowed Naxalites to get away with murder. A lot of times. In a >>> lot of places. Literally. >>> >>> But killing 73 out of 80 (or 120) CRPF and police personnel in a  >>> short >>> span of time in a single battle is no longer subliminal violence. In >>> all likelihood the Naxalites have crossed a threshold—this  >>> incident is >>> likely to stay much longer in the public mind and increase the >>> pressure on politicians to tackle the Naxalite threat with greater >>> resolve. Also, given that it has also become an issue of P >>> Chidambaram’s—and hence the UPA government’s—reputation, the gloves >>> are likely to come off in the coming weeks. >>> >>> There’s a chance that India’s psychological threshold is even  >>> higher. >>> But it is more likely that the Naxalites have overreached. Perhaps >>> their leadership has calculated that they are in the next stage of >>> their revolutionary war. If so, that would neither the first nor the >>> only delusion in their minds. >>> >>> http://acorn.nationalinterest.in/2010/04/06/the-naxalites- >>> overreached/ >>> _________________________________________ >>> 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/> Shuddhabrata Sengupta The Sarai Programme at CSDS Raqs Media Collective shuddha at sarai.net www.sarai.net www.raqsmediacollective.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 rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com Wed Apr 7 20:19:12 2010 From: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com (Rakesh Iyer) Date: Wed, 7 Apr 2010 20:19:12 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: References: <89953293-1C86-422B-8F06-4550D76E83F2@sarai.net> Message-ID: Cool. From a fight against violence, now we have got to fights amongst ourselves. Pray, what's the use of all this? I would say one thing though. The time for peace with the Naxals has now, whether we like it or not, gone out, at least for the present. We talk about violence of the state. Since the authorities of the Indian state are missing, it's actually the Naxals who comprise the State. And their violence is brutal certainly. This isn't just a group of people who fight because their resources are at stake. This is a group of people who function like bandits or dacoits with their fixed commissions from the bureaucrats and the industrialists. And now allegations surface that naxals are hand-in-glove with the politicians. What more has to be said? Today, we see that clearly. All those advocating force against Naxalites, why don't you go and train yourself and fight Naxalites? Why sacrifice our soldiers who have no strategy, no way to identify the enemy, no intelligence and no understanding of the situation? Why try to solve what is a problem of the administration through the military? Does anything as 'acting only in defence' position ever exist? Aren't forces supposed to attack the enemy? Yes, Naxals have to be fought, but not only militarily, but politically and administratively, as well as logically. Our current administration setups will never be able to tackle Naxalism, and if allegations are true, they are instead using Naxal problem as a cash cow to milk resources of the Indian state and also through commissions from the industries. There has to be a complete reform of the police, the administration and the judiciary, as well as better understanding of the problem first, which has to be undertaken on a war footing. This is important. Secondly, there needs to be a debate about our development paradigm itself, associated with a complete reform of the media. That is the need of the hour. If fighting Naxals is a war, then one needs to have a strategy to fight the war. And that can't be 'shock and awe', as the US example shows. Rakesh From aliens at dataone.in Wed Apr 7 21:21:41 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Wed, 07 Apr 2010 21:21:41 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Ashok Malik article Message-ID: <000f01cad66a$380d3eb0$a827bc10$@in> http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/platform/Unchoose-this-man/Article1- 528032.aspx Public discourse in India tends to be over-the-top. But the debate around Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has been extraordinarily excessive. To have had a Congress spokesperson liken Modi's questioning by the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) with Dawood Ibrahim showing up for interrogation doesn't stick. Whether you like his politics or not, you just don't compare a democratically-elected CM with a terror and criminal mastermind. Such flippancy also trivialises the entire issue of providing justice and closure to the events in Gujarat in 2002. To begin with, it is entirely welcome that the head of a government has been called and agreed to go before a judicially-mandated investigation team. Indeed, the Modi example should be the norm. There is reason for this. Each case of religious, caste or sectarian violence leading to large-scale deaths is, in its essence, a repudiation of the social contract between citizens and those they elect to office. If people have died on someone's watch - even indirect watch - he is honour-bound to answer questions. What went wrong? What could have been done to prevent this? What are the lessons for the future? Were there failures on the part of the authorities? Were these failures of omission or commission? If failures of omission, were they inadvertent or deliberate? Why just Modi, every CM or home minister - or, in an extreme case, even a prime minister - should be invited to give evidence and clarify doubts. Step away from the polarising '1984 versus 2002' (anti-Sikh riots versus Gujarat violence) equation and consider a more neutral example: the Mandal Commission unrest of 1990. The turbulence began when V.P. Singh, as PM, announced job quotas for OBCs without priming the public. It led to student protests, police action, suicide attempts and deaths. An SIT-type body could have asked Singh about the circumstances of his announcement, whether he was sufficiently aware of or prepared for its incendiary potential, whether he did enough to calm the waters, or if his subsequent actions and somewhat stilted television appearances only served to provoke. No one is suggesting Singh killed people in 1990; no one is accusing him of 'mass murder'. Yet, if he had answered questions to an independent panel - as government leaders in mature democracies routinely do - it would have added to the lustre of public discourse. It would also have made Modi's appearance before the SIT, or the Justice G.T. Nanavati Commission that is studying the Godhra massacre of 2002 and the retaliatory killings, expected rather than exceptional. >From the larger principle, move to the facts of the case. Why was Modi called in by the SIT? It is sobering to note that other than loose, unproven statements by political mavericks, there is no charge against him. There is only a claim by the family of Ehsan Jafri, a senior politician who was horrifically burnt to death during the riots, that Jafri phoned Modi several times while his house was besieged. Were these calls made? If so, did Modi receive them or did someone else in his office? If Modi and Jafri spoke, did Modi promise and send help, which couldn't make it in time? If Modi and Jafri spoke, did Modi delay help and instead encourage Jafri's killers? Each of these has a profoundly different implication. Unfortunately, on television chat shows, they are likely to be bundled together. This is exactly what Modi's opponents are doing. Sources suggest the Supreme Court and the SIT have no evidence that these calls were made or that Modi's rejection or perversion of any notional SOS calls led to Jafri's unfortunate and terrible murder. That's why Modi was only "requested to answer questions". That's why there is no First Information Report or chargesheet against him. Should then all of Modi's congenital adversaries - from the 'Dawood-comparing' Congress spokesperson to the cabal of activists who have made Gujarat 2002 a cottage industry, complete with doctored victims' petitions and perjury - simply give up, pull their ears and surrender? Certainly not. They are welcome to fight him. Even so, they must not and cannot use (or seek to pervert) the judicial process and the criminal justice system for what is essentially a political battle. Modi's triumph and validation - or, conversely, defeat and punishment - will not come in a courtroom but in the larger arena of public life and electoral politics. That is his true test, not some hyped-up hours before a court-monitored panel. That is where the legacy of 2002 will forever be with Modi. Consider Modi's career in the past eight years. He has gone from strength to strength in Gujarat, combining charisma and identity appeal with integrity and deft governance. He is near unassailable there. The Congress is decidedly defeatist, playing second fiddle to NGO warriors. The Dawood Ibrahim statement reflects the party's frustration. Yet, in the India outside Gujarat, Modi continues to face a challenge. Despite his achievements as perhaps the most able CM of his generation, the fact is many BJP allies (or would-be allies) are wary of him. Forget the SIT; this is the lonesome valley he has to negotiate. Ashok Malik is a political commentator From akmalik45 at yahoo.com Wed Apr 7 23:11:36 2010 From: akmalik45 at yahoo.com (A.K. Malik) Date: Wed, 7 Apr 2010 10:41:36 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <371996.79361.qm@web112119.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Dear Durani Sahib, I fully agree with you. However, the record of the current governance in the country is dismal.They may say they will deal with it firmly but ultimately the Govt buckles under pressure from various quarters including the supporters. No one can justify what is being done by the Maoists. I don't know in what way Asit is trying to justify the same. Regards, (A.K.MALIK) --- On Wed, 4/7/10, Pawan Durani wrote: > From: Pawan Durani > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached > To: "Asit asitreds" > Cc: "reader-list" > Date: Wednesday, April 7, 2010, 2:22 PM > It's high time that not only Maosists > , but their supporters are > handled with iron fist. > > Regards > > Pawan > > > On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 1:55 PM, Asit asitreds > wrote: > > what about the voilence in gujrat bhagalpur etc which > have killed hundred > > times more people than in dantewada > >  what about tens of thousands of noncobatant civilan > population killed by > > security forces in northeast kashmir and punjab > > asit > > > > > > On 4/6/10, Pawan Durani > wrote: > >> > >> …and committed a strategic mistake at Dantewada > >> > >> > >> The reason why Naxalites have been able to sustain > their insurgency > >> for so long is due to three main reasons: the > absence or failure of > >> governance; the romanticism and propaganda of > their overground > >> sympathisers; and, finally, due to the relatively > subliminal nature of > >> their violence. > >> > >> To the extent that their violence was distributed > in space and time > >> they could slip in and out of the public mind, > pursue on-and-off talks > >> with state governments and generally avoid > provoking the government > >> into hitting back hard. Over the last five years > Naxalites have > >> violently expanded the geographical spread of > their extortion and > >> protection rackets—yet, the violence in any > given place and time has > >> been below a certain threshold. That threshold > itself is high for a > >> number of reasons, including efforts by their > sympathisers to > >> romanticise their violence, spectacular terrorist > attacks by jihadi > >> groups and due to the remoteness of the areas of > their operations. > >> This allowed Naxalites to get away with murder. A > lot of times. In a > >> lot of places. Literally. > >> > >> But killing 73 out of 80 (or 120) CRPF and police > personnel in a short > >> span of time in a single battle is no longer > subliminal violence. In > >> all likelihood the Naxalites have crossed a > threshold—this incident is > >> likely to stay much longer in the public mind and > increase the > >> pressure on politicians to tackle the Naxalite > threat with greater > >> resolve. Also, given that it has also become an > issue of P > >> Chidambaram’s—and hence the UPA > government’s—reputation, the gloves > >> are likely to come off in the coming weeks. > >> > >> There’s a chance that India’s psychological > threshold is even higher. > >> But it is more likely that the Naxalites have > overreached. Perhaps > >> their leadership has calculated that they are in > the next stage of > >> their revolutionary war. If so, that would neither > the first nor the > >> only delusion in their minds. > >> > >> http://acorn.nationalinterest.in/2010/04/06/the-naxalites-overreached/ > >> _________________________________________ > >> 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 chintangirishmodi at gmail.com Wed Apr 7 23:47:01 2010 From: chintangirishmodi at gmail.com (Chintan) Date: Wed, 7 Apr 2010 23:47:01 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] A Tribute to Dilip Chitre @ Prithvi Theatre Bombay, April 11 Message-ID: *PRITHVI THEATRE* *A TRIBUTE TO DILIP CHITRE* (English / Hindi / Marathi / Gujarati) *11am at Prithvi Theatre* A tribute to poet-filmmaker-translator-editor-artist-essayist Dilip Chitre [1938-2010]. Forbes Gujarathi celebrates his work with readings from his Marathi-English poems, translations from Tukaram, Jnanadev, Namdev Dhasal and some translations of Dilip's in German. An Abhang performance by Leela Bhagvat and musicians from Varkari Sampradaya. The release of a trilingual book of Dilip's remarkable essay *Life on the Bridge*. It will include the German, Gujarati and Marathi translation of the essay. There will also be an exhibition of some of his paintings in the Prithvi Theatre foyer along with his published books at the Prithvi Bookshop. *2 pm at Prithvi House* Screening his feature film Godam as well as couple of short films made by Dilip Chitre on fellow poets. For details: http://www.prithvitheatre.org/home.php From rahul_capri at yahoo.com Thu Apr 8 05:37:59 2010 From: rahul_capri at yahoo.com (Rahul Asthana) Date: Wed, 7 Apr 2010 17:07:59 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] Himanshu Kumar from Dantewada Message-ID: <776947.69621.qm@web53607.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Please see the four videos for some background. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAs7sDH-OlA&feature=related From pawan.durani at gmail.com Thu Apr 8 09:19:41 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2010 09:19:41 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: <371996.79361.qm@web112119.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> References: <371996.79361.qm@web112119.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Dear Mr Malik , And then there are covert statement which i find quite amusing . Must admire the the overground 'intellectuals & liberals' ... ...........Shuddha wrote ">>>>> The taking of human life is never something we need to celebrate. The deaths of the more than 75 people in an ambush is not something that anyone can exult over. But, to be fair, if this party, which was on an 'area domination exercise' came across a squad of Maoists who happened to be less prepared than them, the killed would have been the killers. These two forces are at war, and in a war, combatants are not expected to shoot to kill, not to hold their fire. I do not have to explain further what these words were ......I personally find it a justification for the ambush ... Pawan On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 11:11 PM, A.K. Malik wrote: > Dear Durani Sahib, >                  I fully agree with you. However, the record of the current governance in the country is dismal.They may say they will deal with it firmly but ultimately the Govt buckles under pressure from various quarters including the supporters. No one can justify what is being done by the Maoists. I don't know in what way Asit is trying to justify the same. > Regards, > > (A.K.MALIK) > > > --- On Wed, 4/7/10, Pawan Durani wrote: > >> From: Pawan Durani >> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached >> To: "Asit asitreds" >> Cc: "reader-list" >> Date: Wednesday, April 7, 2010, 2:22 PM >> It's high time that not only Maosists >> , but their supporters are >> handled with iron fist. >> >> Regards >> >> Pawan >> >> >> On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 1:55 PM, Asit asitreds >> wrote: >> > what about the voilence in gujrat bhagalpur etc which >> have killed hundred >> > times more people than in dantewada >> >  what about tens of thousands of noncobatant civilan >> population killed by >> > security forces in northeast kashmir and punjab >> > asit >> > >> > >> > On 4/6/10, Pawan Durani >> wrote: >> >> >> >> …and committed a strategic mistake at Dantewada >> >> >> >> >> >> The reason why Naxalites have been able to sustain >> their insurgency >> >> for so long is due to three main reasons: the >> absence or failure of >> >> governance; the romanticism and propaganda of >> their overground >> >> sympathisers; and, finally, due to the relatively >> subliminal nature of >> >> their violence. >> >> >> >> To the extent that their violence was distributed >> in space and time >> >> they could slip in and out of the public mind, >> pursue on-and-off talks >> >> with state governments and generally avoid >> provoking the government >> >> into hitting back hard. Over the last five years >> Naxalites have >> >> violently expanded the geographical spread of >> their extortion and >> >> protection rackets—yet, the violence in any >> given place and time has >> >> been below a certain threshold. That threshold >> itself is high for a >> >> number of reasons, including efforts by their >> sympathisers to >> >> romanticise their violence, spectacular terrorist >> attacks by jihadi >> >> groups and due to the remoteness of the areas of >> their operations. >> >> This allowed Naxalites to get away with murder. A >> lot of times. In a >> >> lot of places. Literally. >> >> >> >> But killing 73 out of 80 (or 120) CRPF and police >> personnel in a short >> >> span of time in a single battle is no longer >> subliminal violence. In >> >> all likelihood the Naxalites have crossed a >> threshold—this incident is >> >> likely to stay much longer in the public mind and >> increase the >> >> pressure on politicians to tackle the Naxalite >> threat with greater >> >> resolve. Also, given that it has also become an >> issue of P >> >> Chidambaram’s—and hence the UPA >> government’s—reputation, the gloves >> >> are likely to come off in the coming weeks. >> >> >> >> There’s a chance that India’s psychological >> threshold is even higher. >> >> But it is more likely that the Naxalites have >> overreached. Perhaps >> >> their leadership has calculated that they are in >> the next stage of >> >> their revolutionary war. If so, that would neither >> the first nor the >> >> only delusion in their minds. >> >> >> >> http://acorn.nationalinterest.in/2010/04/06/the-naxalites-overreached/ >> >> _________________________________________ >> >> 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: > > > > From pawan.durani at gmail.com Thu Apr 8 09:33:04 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2010 09:33:04 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] =?windows-1252?q?I=92m_not_Indian=2C_says_Bar_Prez?= Message-ID: http://www.risingkashmir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=22289&Itemid=1 After Abdullah and Nazir, Qayoom dares Delhi in court Ishfaq Tantry Srinagar, April 07: In an unprecedented development, J&K Bar Association President Wednesday made an open statement before the High Court (HC) saying “he isn’t an Indian citizen and doesn’t believe in the constitution of India”. Qayoom made this statement while being cross examined in the case relating to contempt of HC orders by the Kotbalwal Jail authorities, which today came up before Justice Muhammad Yaqoob Mir. On January 9, Bar Association had filed a contempt petition 426/2010 against Kotbalwal Jail SP and DSP “for violating HC orders dated January 1 by disallowing a four-member Bar team to meet the jail inmates on 7 January 2010. Subsequently, the Bar had decided to lead six witnesses against the SP and DSP to prove their contempt case. In the first step towards that, Qayoom deposed before the HC on Tuesday as one of the witnesses of the Bar. Today, during cross examination in the post lunch session, Advocate Sheikh Shakeel and Advocate Syed Tasaduq Khawaja, the counsel for the contemnors, Kotbalwal Jail SP Mirza Saleem Beg and DySP R S Jamwal asked Bar president Qayoom a specific question. “Do you believe yourself to be a citizen of India?” Qayoom replied: “No. I’m not a citizen of India. I’m a resident of Jammu and Kashmir.” The defense counsel then asked, “Do you have faith in the Constitution of India?” to which the Bar President replied: “No I’ve no faith in the Indian constitution. You’ve yourself eroded the Indian constitution in J&K.” As Qayoom was making this statement before the court, which was being simultaneously recorded, one of his colleagues asked him to reconsider this part of the statement but Qayoom did not stop and continued. “I’m not afraid. If they put me behind bars for this, let them do it. Let it come on record.” Though in the recent history there is no such precedent wherein in a prominent Kashmiri has openly declared himself not an Indian citizen, one such move was made by former Prime Minister of J&K Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah in 1960s when he embarked on the Hajj pilgrimage. “In 1964, when Sheikh Abdullah decided to proceed for Hajj, he declared he wants his passport issued as a Kashmiri national not as an Indian citizen. In fact, later on he was issued one such passport by the authorities but the issued then rocked the Indian Parliament,” said Dr Sheikh Showkat Hussain, a noted Kashmiri commentator who teaches Law at the University of Kashmir. “Specifically, I don’t remember any such move in the recent times wherein a statement to this effect has been made in the open court.” About the legal ramifications of such a statement by the Bar president, Prof Showkat said: “If we go by the definition of the Union of India, at many places, the territory has been defined as whole of India except the state of J&K.” He said: “There is a general tendency among the Kashmiris to portray themselves as Kashmiri nationals rather than Indian citizens.” In May 2008, National Conference president Omar Abdullah wrote in his blog about his uncle, who, because of his opposition to Kashmir’s accession to India, has always refused to be associated with anything “Indian”. According to NC insiders, the uncle Omar was referring to was Sheikh Nazir. “I’ve an uncle who more often than not I disagree with but I admire the conviction he has — he disagrees with what happened in 1947 and subsequent events and so refuses to carry a passport,” Chief Minister Omar Abdullah blogged in 2008. “He has never applied for one. For the longest time he never left the State and only travelled by road between Srinagar and Jammu because he refused to travel on ‘Indian’ Airlines.” Sheikh Nazir, 70, General Secretary of the National Conference is the nephew of National Conference leader Sheikh Abdullah and was raised by him as his son. From c.anupam at gmail.com Thu Apr 8 11:07:50 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2010 11:07:50 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: References: <371996.79361.qm@web112119.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Rahul We do not stay under a totalitarian regime for you to say that state should be the only force to exercise violence. state should rather be a facilitator to create conditions by which opposing parties could surrender themselves. Anupam On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 9:19 AM, Pawan Durani wrote: > Dear Mr Malik , > > And then there are covert statement which i find quite amusing . Must > admire the the overground  'intellectuals & liberals' ... > > ...........Shuddha wrote ">>>>> The taking of human life is never > something we need to celebrate. The deaths  of the more than 75 people > in an ambush is not something that anyone can  exult over. But, to be > fair, if this party, which was on an 'area domination exercise' came > across a squad of Maoists who happened to be less prepared than them, > the killed would have been the killers. These two forces are at war, > and in a war, combatants are not expected to shoot to kill, not to > hold their fire. > > I do not have to explain further what these words were ......I > personally find it a justification for the ambush ... > > Pawan > > On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 11:11 PM, A.K. Malik wrote: >> Dear Durani Sahib, >>                  I fully agree with you. However, the record of the current governance in the country is dismal.They may say they will deal with it firmly but ultimately the Govt buckles under pressure from various quarters including the supporters. No one can justify what is being done by the Maoists. I don't know in what way Asit is trying to justify the same. >> Regards, >> >> (A.K.MALIK) >> >> >> --- On Wed, 4/7/10, Pawan Durani wrote: >> >>> From: Pawan Durani >>> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached >>> To: "Asit asitreds" >>> Cc: "reader-list" >>> Date: Wednesday, April 7, 2010, 2:22 PM >>> It's high time that not only Maosists >>> , but their supporters are >>> handled with iron fist. >>> >>> Regards >>> >>> Pawan >>> >>> >>> On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 1:55 PM, Asit asitreds >>> wrote: >>> > what about the voilence in gujrat bhagalpur etc which >>> have killed hundred >>> > times more people than in dantewada >>> >  what about tens of thousands of noncobatant civilan >>> population killed by >>> > security forces in northeast kashmir and punjab >>> > asit >>> > >>> > >>> > On 4/6/10, Pawan Durani >>> wrote: >>> >> >>> >> …and committed a strategic mistake at Dantewada >>> >> >>> >> >>> >> The reason why Naxalites have been able to sustain >>> their insurgency >>> >> for so long is due to three main reasons: the >>> absence or failure of >>> >> governance; the romanticism and propaganda of >>> their overground >>> >> sympathisers; and, finally, due to the relatively >>> subliminal nature of >>> >> their violence. >>> >> >>> >> To the extent that their violence was distributed >>> in space and time >>> >> they could slip in and out of the public mind, >>> pursue on-and-off talks >>> >> with state governments and generally avoid >>> provoking the government >>> >> into hitting back hard. Over the last five years >>> Naxalites have >>> >> violently expanded the geographical spread of >>> their extortion and >>> >> protection rackets—yet, the violence in any >>> given place and time has >>> >> been below a certain threshold. That threshold >>> itself is high for a >>> >> number of reasons, including efforts by their >>> sympathisers to >>> >> romanticise their violence, spectacular terrorist >>> attacks by jihadi >>> >> groups and due to the remoteness of the areas of >>> their operations. >>> >> This allowed Naxalites to get away with murder. A >>> lot of times. In a >>> >> lot of places. Literally. >>> >> >>> >> But killing 73 out of 80 (or 120) CRPF and police >>> personnel in a short >>> >> span of time in a single battle is no longer >>> subliminal violence. In >>> >> all likelihood the Naxalites have crossed a >>> threshold—this incident is >>> >> likely to stay much longer in the public mind and >>> increase the >>> >> pressure on politicians to tackle the Naxalite >>> threat with greater >>> >> resolve. Also, given that it has also become an >>> issue of P >>> >> Chidambaram’s—and hence the UPA >>> government’s—reputation, the gloves >>> >> are likely to come off in the coming weeks. >>> >> >>> >> There’s a chance that India’s psychological >>> threshold is even higher. >>> >> But it is more likely that the Naxalites have >>> overreached. Perhaps >>> >> their leadership has calculated that they are in >>> the next stage of >>> >> their revolutionary war. If so, that would neither >>> the first nor the >>> >> only delusion in their minds. >>> >> >>> >> http://acorn.nationalinterest.in/2010/04/06/the-naxalites-overreached/ >>> >> _________________________________________ >>> >> 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: 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 sonia.jabbar at gmail.com Thu Apr 8 11:27:30 2010 From: sonia.jabbar at gmail.com (S. Jabbar) Date: Thu, 08 Apr 2010 11:27:30 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Dear Pawan, Though I have no sympathy for the Naxals there is something absolutely idiotic in the way force is being used in so-called Maoist-infested areas. As America learned to its great dismay in the 60's and 70's there is no out-gunning involved in guerilla insurgencies-- esp in jungles-- that use superior knowledge of terrain, superior intelligence networks, and superior logistical support to successfully oppose a brute force that has much greater fire-power. It is not a question of 'for us' and 'against us' as you suggest. The buck as Mr. Chidambram, taunted the Bengal CM the other day, actually stops with him and he should have the grace to admit that his hyper-macho, Rambo strategy is not paying off. It is not just me or so-called Maoist 'sympathizers' who are saying so but a host of other 'experts' in the field who can hardly be labeled as pacifists. Among them are the chief of the Indian army, the air force chief, KPS Gill and even Ajit Jogi, who feels that the intelligence failure leading to the deaths of 76 personnel had to do with the deep alienation caused in the local population by the bullying excesses of the Salwa Judum. To fight a guerrilla insurgency you need the support of the local population, as I'm sure you fully know from the Kashmir experience. And what is in full evidence, the state clearly lacks it. That Chidambram has used the word 'war' is shocking and intemperate. The first question really to be asked is why this CRPF company was 25 km from their base camp? Who is planning and executing this 'war?' These are the first people who ought to be hauled up. As the father of one of the CRPF men replied when asked whether he was proud his son had died, why were they sent without adequate intelligence or training? Our senior politicians have, since the 1962 border war with the Chinese, categorically refused to be held accountable for decisions leading to the deaths of soldiers. Put up a few memorials and be done with it, seems to be the attitude--and keep howling loudly about the perfidy of the enemy. India has many more men to replace the 76 who died, they will keep coming because they are too poor to have a choice. Some of the profiles of the soldiers showed families that lived in abject poverty. One man had 10 people dependent on his income. What is so shameful about this is that recent finding on hunger show about 300 million people living under $1 or Rs.45 a day. This includes spending on food, shelter and health. If you raised the bar to $2 or Rs.90, the population living below the poverty line rises to 800 million people or 80% of India's population. If there is a war to be fought, it seems to me, this is where it ought to start, not in the forests of Dantewada. > From: Pawan Durani > Date: Wed, 7 Apr 2010 18:17:23 +0530 > To: anupam chakravartty > Cc: sarai list > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached > > Dear Anupam Ji , NamaskAr While as I do not disagree that these naxalites > are our own people , we should also remember that majority of them have become > criminals. There are other people too , who have been victim of state > policies etc etc ....but they haven't picked up the arms and go ahead > beheading people and killing our own policemen. It is sad that if a brute > force would be used by the state , but i guess they havent been left with much > options. I hope and pray , that naxalites realize that they would carry > much more guilt , of many more deaths , orphans , widows and > homeless people. The naxalites have already made thousands of poor people > homeless , especially in Orissa. They are nothing but cowards. Pawan On > Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 6:06 PM, anupam chakravartty wrote: > > Pawan, > > your attempts to invigorate the readers by saying "either you are > with > it or against it', you have with a possibility of a another vietnam > to > be waged in india on its very own people by the government. it is very > > comfortable for you to choose this stand because you with your pithy > sayings > know it very well that if anyone from this list comments on > your post, it > means people are reading about your ideas and you have > successfully peddled > them to a platform. > > let us see who you have excluded from this debate. you > exclude the > families by readily declaring them as "martyrs" (isnt it > shameful that > these men who could have worked to built these areas in the > heart of > india are brutally killed because another set of people do not want > to > come with guns? i know i shouldn't be asking these questions to you as > > it was an administrative decision to send such a large number of > personnel > into area which is already a stronghold) because they fought > ' for/on your > side'. it also excludes the staff of the hospital which > worked for 48 hours > on each and every corpse to send it to their > homes, hoping that they never > have to see a day like this again. you > are excluding the independent opinion > by always labelling it as maoist > sympathisers, which could form as a bridge > for negotiations at a later > stage. for your information, it was stated by > the senior police > official working in that area, that the so-called > liberated zone is > largely uninhabited zone, so does it mean that security > forces were > planning to 'invade' the zone? at the cost of all these lives > which > have been lost despite the home minister making tall claims > Dantewada > and Gadhchiroli will be naxal free. so is this the approach? i > think > operation green hunt is a failure. the home ministry should admit > that > green hunt is a failure and use other approaches to negotiate > peace. > > guess who you are including in this argument ...a band of young > men > and women who have probably exhausted all means of negotiating with > > all forms of governance and are now nothing but waiting to kill anyone > that > comes their way because it has been stated that Indian governance > massively > failed in its interventions. you are also including those > mining companies > who want to become mai-baap of indigenous > communities. a few stakeholders > who do not know whose line to toe, is > it mao or marx or birsa munda or some > politically correct arm chair > intellectual... > > i am afraid but if this is > how you perceive governance than a lot of > people who are opposed to violence > are in grave danger from people > like you who just want to perpetuate > conflicts. > > kindly think before you launch such statements sir. these so > called > maoists are people from own country who have lost faith. your faith > in > the system has absolutely no correlation with someone's else belief in > > the same system. so you cannot call for a iron hand treatment on > anyone you > feel like because the tv and the newspapers screamed > headlines, rather give > an alternative. the same mistakes that american > government cannot be > committed by india. > > -anupam > > > > > > On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 4:45 PM, > Pawan Durani wrote: >> Dear Shuddha , >> >> What is > good about your politics which does not come out in straight >> condemnation > of the massacre by the Maoist without mincing words. >> >> This is a war > ...you are either with it or against it. >> >> Pawan >> >> On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 > at 4:15 PM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: >>> Dear all, >>> > Whenever I hear of 'iron fists', I reach for my 'velevet glove'. : ). >>> I > strongly condemn any move to call for 'iron fist' treatment of anyone who>>> > is not a combatant.  Let me elaborate. >>> I intensely dislike, and am opposed > to the politics of Pawan Durani and some >>> of his friends on this list. I > think their agendas are dangerous and >>> divisive. But I do not think that > people should be treated with 'iron fists' >>> merely for holding and > expressing an opinion, no matter how objectionable >>> that opinion may be. It > is a crime to set off an IED or a mine or kill >>> someone, but it is not a > crime to call for an understanding of the >>> motivations of those that do, or > even to say that these acts of violence are >>> part of a 'just war'. And the > crucial difference between these two lines of >>> action is the very basis on > which an open society is built and sustained. >>> But, just as, if the Maoists > were to start targetting pro-establishment >>> journalists instead of > combatants, they would be violating a fundamental >>> code of how armed > conflict ought to be conducted, so too, when people call >>> for 'targeting' > Maoist sympathizers along with combatants, as if the realm >>> of discourse > and opinions were a battlefield where punitive and military >>> measures can > and ought to be taken, they are pointing us in the direction of >>> a closed, > authoritarian society - where all of society is a prison camp. >>> Where > people are prosecuted not on the grounds of what they do, but on the >>> > grounds of what they think, or believe, or what other people think they >>> > think. >>> The taking of human life is never something we need to celebrate. > The deaths >>> of the more than 75 people in an ambush is not something that > anyone can >>> exult over. But, to be fair, if this party, which was on an > 'area domination >>> exercise' came across a squad of Maoists who happened to > be less prepared >>> than them, the killed would have been the killers. These > two forces are at >>> war, and in a war, combatants are not expected to shoot > to kill, not to hold >>> their fire. >>> As is evident from what I have > written, much of which has appeared here >>> earlier, I have little sympathy > for the politics of the Maoists. But I >>> strongly feel that we should also > think about the culpability of those who >>> are pushing the CRPF jawans into > a war to defend the interests of rapacious >>> mining companies. They are just > as responsible for these deaths as those who >>> planted the mines or pulled > the triggers, just as the American presidents >>> who sent young American men > into war in Vietnam were equally responsible for >>> their deaths, as were the > Vietcong. The soldiers who are pushed into the >>> frontline of any war are > the victims of the decisions made by the commanders >>> of two armies, their > own, as well as of their opponents. >>> And frankly, if , the story had turned > the other way around, if 75 Maoists >>> were killed in a CRPF ambush, those > who are asking for 'iron fists' to crush >>> Maoists and their sympathisers > today would be celebrating. Arnab Goswamy >>> would be singing an aria. >>> I > see a large casualty figure as an occasion to mourn, to reflect on what is >>> > making the violence happen, not as a reason to call for authoritarian >>> > measures.  If, we feel strongly about the toll that this war is taking, we >>> > should be feeling just as strongly, regardless of which side the > casualties >>> are on. >>> I watched a hysterical Arnab Goswami go ballistic > last night on television, >>> asking for measures that will 'wipe out' the > menace, that will tackle >>> 'sympathizers'. He kept asking two of his > panelists whom he had  decided >>> were Maoist sympathisers, despite at least > one of them disagreeing with that >>> appelation, whether they were 'with the > Indian people' or 'against' them. >>> Now, if you are a Maoist, you will > automatically reply that killing the >>> armed police and militaries of the > Indian state automatically proves that >>> you are with the Indian people, > since the state is the Indian state, in >>> their view, is the monster > oppressing the Indian people. In this case, both >>> the CRPF officers who > send their jawans into be slaughtered, as well as the >>> Maoists commanders > who order the slaughter, act in the name of the same >>> 'Indian people'. Both > use the language of 'wiping off' the opposition. Both >>> seem to need > massacres to justify their very existence. The 'indian people' >>> must be > truly bloodthirsty if so much blood is being shed in its name by >>> opposite > forces in an escalating war >>>  I do not recall this intensity of > condemnation during instances where >>> massacres in 'Naxal' affected regions > have happened earlier (with a >>> difference in the protagonists of the > massacres) say in Bihar, at Laxmanpur >>> Bathe, or at Arwal, or Mianpur, > where upper caste / landlord militias with >>> the tacit backing of the police > slaughtered peasant activists (Arwal, 24 >>> people died in 1986, Laxmanpur > Bathe, 58 people died in 1997, Mianpur, 35 >>> people died in 2001). Do the > hackles of our 'patriots' rise more when >>> Maoists or Naxals are doing the > killing than when peasants or tribals are >>> killed by upper caste militias, > outfits like the Salwa Judum or the state's >>> police and paramilitary > forces. >>> If you look at the table of casualties in the South Asian > Terrorism Portal >>> for casualties in Naxal affected regions in Bihar for the > period between >>> 1976 and 2001, for instance, you can see clearly that 86 or > so massacres and >>> incidents of violence were cased by a combination of > upper caste militias >>> and the state police. >>> >>> This is the > overwhelming majority of incidents. But I do not recall anyone >>> having the > gall to say on prime time television that the upper/landed caste >>> militias > or the Bihar State police and their sympathizers should be 'wiped >>> out' or > that their 'sympathizers' (who include activists of every single >>> > mainstream political party in India) should be treated with an 'iron > fist'. >>> > http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/terroristoutfits/massacres.htm > > >> Is this not a case of one standard for 'Maoists' and their actual > and/or >>> supposed sympathizers, and quite another for everyone else ? >>> > best >>> Shuddha >>> >>> On 07-Apr-10, at 2:22 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: >>> >>> > It's high time that not only Maosists , but their supporters are >>> handled > with iron fist. >>> Regards >>> Pawan >>> >>> On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 1:55 PM, > Asit asitreds >>> wrote: >>> >>> what about the > voilence in gujrat bhagalpur etc which have killed hundred >>> times more > people than in dantewada >>>  what about tens of thousands of noncobatant > civilan population killed by >>> security forces in northeast kashmir and > punjab >>> asit >>> >>> On 4/6/10, Pawan Durani > wrote: >>> >>> Šand committed a strategic mistake at Dantewada >>> >>> The > reason why Naxalites have been able to sustain their insurgency >>> for so > long is due to three main reasons: the absence or failure of >>> governance; > the romanticism and propaganda of their overground >>> sympathisers; and, > finally, due to the relatively subliminal nature of >>> their violence. >>> To > the extent that their violence was distributed in space and time >>> they > could slip in and out of the public mind, pursue on-and-off talks >>> with > state governments and generally avoid provoking the government >>> into > hitting back hard. Over the last five years Naxalites have >>> violently > expanded the geographical spread of their extortion and >>> protection > rackets‹yet, the violence in any given place and time has >>> been below a > certain threshold. That threshold itself is high for a >>> number of reasons, > including efforts by their sympathisers to >>> romanticise their violence, > spectacular terrorist attacks by jihadi >>> groups and due to the remoteness > of the areas of their operations. >>> This allowed Naxalites to get away with > murder. A lot of times. In a >>> lot of places. Literally. >>> But killing 73 > out of 80 (or 120) CRPF and police personnel in a short >>> span of time in a > single battle is no longer subliminal violence. In >>> all likelihood the > Naxalites have crossed a threshold‹this incident is >>> likely to stay much > longer in the public mind and increase the >>> pressure on politicians to > tackle the Naxalite threat with greater >>> resolve. Also, given that it has > also become an issue of P >>> Chidambaram¹s‹and hence the UPA > government¹s‹reputation, the gloves >>> are likely to come off in the coming > weeks. >>> There¹s a chance that India¹s psychological threshold is even > higher. >>> But it is more likely that the Naxalites have overreached. > Perhaps >>> their leadership has calculated that they are in the next stage > of >>> their revolutionary war. If so, that would neither the first nor > the >>> only delusion in their minds. >>> > http://acorn.nationalinterest.in/2010/04/06/the-naxalites-overreached/ >>> > _________________________________________ >>> 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/> >>> >>> Shuddhabrata > Sengupta >>> The Sarai Programme at CSDS >>> Raqs Media Collective >>> > shuddha at sarai.net >>> www.sarai.net >>> www.raqsmediacollective.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/> > _________________________ > ________________ 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 kaksanjay at gmail.com Thu Apr 8 11:40:55 2010 From: kaksanjay at gmail.com (Sanjay Kak) Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2010 11:40:55 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Fwd: [chhattisgarh-net] Justice and Peace In-Reply-To: <595255.74438.qm@web38508.mail.mud.yahoo.com> References: <595255.74438.qm@web38508.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Am forwarding this from the cgnet list, an excellent resource for anyone interested in developments in chattisgarh. (Apologies for cross etc. ...) Some on this list may know Felix Padel, co-author (with Samarendra Das) of the recently published ‘Out of This Earth: East India Adivasis and the Aluminium Cartel’ (Orient Blackswan 2010) In these over-heated times, I think his nuanced post deserves a patient read. Best Sanjay Kak ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Felix Padel Date: Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 5:35 AM Subject: [chhattisgarh-net] Justice and Peace To: chhattisgarh-net at yahoogroups.com Dear friends It is surprising and horrifying to see the voices on this listserve attacking human rights work while calling for an escalation in the war. Surely, the Maoist insurgency has its roots in the state's appalling human rights situation over the last 5 years? Analysing the causes of the conflict, and the reasons why many tribal people join the Maoists, I'd give the following main ones: 1. The system of endemic exploitation of tribal people, coupled with ingrained disrespect for tribal culture 2. the escalating dispossession of tribal people from their land and resources - by numerous industrial projects but also by the war itself. No-one disputes the figures of 644 tribal villages burnt by Salwa Judum and an estimated 200,000 tribal refugees from these burnt villages. 3. The atrocities perpetrated on tribal villages by the Salwa Judum and security forces, and the impossibility of getting justice through the courts. The case of Sodhi and the villagers killed at Gompad has highlighted this impossibility of bringing securitymen responsible for atrocities to account, and the appeal of Maoists arises directly out of this impunity to prosecution. Numerous human rights reports and courageous journalism have highlighted a definite pattern of attacks on tribal villages, in which most of the village flees, and the women, old and young who don't get away are raped, killed, tortured or taken away. The best aspect of Roy's recent article "Walking with the Comrades" is that she brings out the voices of young Maoist women and men. These voices need to be heard!! All of them witnessed close friends and family raped and killed, and were motivated to join the Maoists by these atrocities. Having suffered such loss and witnessed such horror, if there is no chance of bringing the perpetrators to account, and the Maoists are there, offering comradeship and guns - who wouldn't go with them? 4. However, the Maoist ideology and leadership believes in war, exactly as many do in the mainstream & military. War has an attraction, and we all need to fight internal as well as external battles to resist this attraction. What is happening is a polarisation into two sides who both believe in war, leaving no space for neutraility, truth and peace. The recent attack is a deliberate escalation of war. We should not blame the individual Maoist fighters, any more than the individual CRPF men: both are pawns in a game where leaders actually believe in sacrificng people's lives, on a huge scale. Mao himself was one of the worst tyrants: during his rise to power as well as his 'great leap forward' (upping steel production, causing a massive famine) and cultural revolution, he was responsible for millions of deaths of innocent people & even loyal party supporters. He was a superb propagandist though, and in that, very similar to mining companies' PR machine, turning truth on its head. As the Brigadier said in yesterday's interview, the ideology he created promotes war, and promotes an escalation of war. We must not let this happen. Maoist attacks instigate huge-scale counterinsurgency attacks on villages: this pattern must stop. 5. In other words, the attack on tribal communities as a strategy to wipe out Maoists is paradoxically a principal cause of the growing strength of the Maoists. This mirrors the worldwide 'war on terror' (in Afghanistan, Iraq etc), where everyone can see that attacks on 'terrorists' - and the 'collateral damage' on countless civilians whose outrage has no outlet through judicial process - have increased the number of 'terrorists' exponentially. In Dantewara, the systematic attacks on tribal villages are a campaign of terror. In other words, the primary perpetrators of terror are the security foces rather than the Maoists. In the recent attack, the CRPF people killed are human beings too, and their death is very sad; security forces in the area live in fear of attack. The difference is - these men are trained to fight and have chosen a job that involves high risk of killing or being killed. The villages they terrorise by contrast, are essentially innocent - even if they often support the Maoists, in that they experience an invasion and atrocities in which they lose their land, food families, culture - everything. We get to hear of only a tiny percentage of the atrocities committed by security forces in villages, while every killing by Maoists gets high publicity. If there is a genuine move for peace, one essential step will be repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) - this has often been called for, esp from the Northeast and Kashmir. This has become essential for the war in Dantewara. If it can be seen that security personnel who commit atrocities are punished this will automatically take wind out of the Maoist sails. Human rights work is a prerequisite for peace. Tribal culture places a high value on Justice and Truth. Some kind of Truth and Reconciliation process will have to take place if the escaltion towards war is to be halted. Responsibility lies on both sides. Where it does not lie is with the tribal communities, and when they know they can get Justice, Peace will prevail. Regards to all Felix Padel From pawan.durani at gmail.com Thu Apr 8 12:20:44 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2010 12:20:44 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: References: <371996.79361.qm@web112119.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Dear Asit , While as the nation has condemned whatever you have written , it still does not justify the Naxalites and their barbaric acts. I understand your support to them as your E-Mail ID is quite obvious - Asit red salute ....lal salaam. I am sharing you a piece on this 'civil war' by my favorite blogger :- GreatBong http://greatbong.net/2010/04/08/the-invisible-civil-war/ We have been in the middle of an invisible civil war for many years now. Civil war because it is an armed struggle by a section of the people against the democratic administration of the country, a war that has spiraled so out of control that representatives of law enforcement accept that there are large swathes of country where they cannot enter. Invisible because it rarely captures national attention, confined as it is to largely rural backward areas for which it is pushed to the rear of the news by other things more important to our national life—like IPL, Shoaib-Sania and Kites. That is unless more than seventy-six CRPF personnel are brutally massacred at which point of time we are forced to deal with the issue. At least for a few news cycles. For those of us who do care, at least perfunctorily, and who havent drunk the “It’s all India’s fault” cool-aid it is tempting to angrily shout out “Ms Roy, happy now?” , in the context of her frothing diatribe against the Indian government, Hindutva, corporations (basically all of her enemies) and her rapturous glorification of the violence of Maoists in the execrable piece of garbage recently published in Outlook. But analyzing or rebutting a fanatic fundamentalist like Ms. Roy is as futile as deconstructing a Payal Rohatgi movie and once you realize that she is essentially a Rakhi Sawant with a laptop and a Booker, with the only difference that she uses Maoists instead of Mika to get attention, the uselessness of the exercise is even more evident. What however is worth looking at are her rhetorical tools, principally because they are re-used by many people who share Ms. Roy’s agenda, from your unshaven friend at JNU to the slacker cousin of yours who leaves cigarette ash on your carpet. One of it is in presenting random pictures of Maoist rebels, women or young men, and saying “India’s Biggest Threats” as if the incongruity between their innocent visages and the phrase “India’s Biggest Threat” should show how ridiculous a liar the Indian government is. Of course, Ms. Roy the point is not the bholi soorat that you so lovingly present but that AK47 slung on her shoulder. That is the problem. Villains rarely look like Dr. Dong and do a Shaam-O-Sasha dance and even Osama would look like a poet had not we known his other activities. The second is in humanizing terrorist organizations by saying “Look at the kind of development work they have done.” Well even the Mujahideen in Kashmir did earthquake relief and it is well known that terrorists do public outreach programs to win hearts and minds. Just like big industrial houses. However people like Ms. Roy will sneer at the altruism of big business and glorify that of terrorists. Not surprising. The third is of course making wild accusations of government excesses and then obviating the necessity of providing supporting evidence by saying “The corporate press suppressed the news.” This is an old game, a game played by radicals across the political spectrum. Get some wild bit of news, either from “alternative media” or from unimpeachable sources like Maoists with a gun and say “There is no proof for this assertion of mine because there can never be.” This is not to say that government excesses do not take place (italicized for the benefit of those rushing to comment with a “On so-and-so day the government did this and this was reported in Newspaper so-and-so) but much of the accusations are just that. Accusations with nothing to back them up. Accusations so often repeated that they become fact. And what is worth touching upon is the Big Lie that people like Ms. Roy perpetuate. That somehow we are seeing another Santhal Rebellion with the oppressive British being replaced by the oppressive Indian (Hindu) state. During the British era, Santhals using bows and arrows went up against British guns and cannons. Today’s Maoist “tribals” have AK47s and ultra-modern weaponry and commando-like training, which obviously some agency has supplied to them. In that respect this is not a “spontaneous” rising of the dispossessed but a carefully engineered insurrection with the fighting fuel being supplied by our “good neighbors” and the propaganda lungs (since propaganda is a vital part of Communist struggle) being supplied by “We know who”. However what is true is that fighting footsoldiers of the Maoist movement are coming from the ranks of tribals and it is important we try to understand, even imperfectly since a full understanding of such a difficult problem requires much study which we are unable to do between two KKR matches, what is going on. What our Maoists in the press would tell us is a very simple story. One one side are the good people—the tribals, monstrously poor, sitting on minerals, being exploited and taken advantage of. On on the other side are the bad people—-big industrial houses, the Indian government, police, army and Hindutva (Yes the last word people like Ms. Roy put in every piece almost as if padding a piece for Google Adwords purpose). And that the tribals, the good guys, are launching a justified armed struggle against the bad guys. The truth is slightly different. The tribals are not a monlithic entity. A few of them have, over the generations, taken advantage of quotas and the other special privileges provided to them by the Constitution as well as economic liberalization to improve their lot. Some of them have become middlemen, some of them small businessmen like brick kiln owners. A few of them, over generations, have risen in ranks even further becoming powerhouses like a Madhu Koda or Shibu Soren. But there are others who have stayed behind rolling kendu leaves and essentially doing the same things that their ancestors did. Now when big mining companies moved in, it was those “advanced” tribals who saw an opportunity to make more money by becoming land-brokers. Needless to say, they were coming up against their socially immobile brethren who naturally resented the comparative wealth and influence of their fellow-tribals. And then “people” started putting AK47s in the hands of those pissed off telling them “Grab what you dont have. We can make our own laws.” Soon government-supported, pro-development “tribals” (Salwa Judum—–Mahendra Karma the founder of Salwa Judum is an ethnic Adivasi himself who had made it “big”) and the dispossessed but armed tribals were fighting each other, in an increasing spiral of violence. And despite what the “liberals” would have you believe, these “dispossessed” tribals forming the Maoists are not Robin Hoods. They go about terrorizing villages, collecting extortion and protection money and organizing people’s courts for punishing “informers” i.e. those who were trying to get into the gang of the “advanced” tribals. So yes this isnt a battle between good and evil but a massive gang war being played out in the backwoods with no heroes and no villains. Only victims. A solution is difficult to find here. And I wont be presumptuous to say I have any idea what should be done. However I feel that part of the solution would be to have tribals brought into the mainstream. For too long I have seen people, usually city folks and academics, glorifying tribal life as the last surviving vestige of a simple, ancient way of living. But a tribal life, of subsisting on hunting and rolling kendu leaves, is a life that is medieval and there is a reason why people in most parts of the country abandoned this lifestyle many centuries ago (After all we all were tribals once). As mentioned before, the tension underlying the Maoist struggle is between those who have forsaken their old life for “capitalist pleasures” which in turn has led to an understanding of how they can leverage their possession of natural reserves for their own benefit, and those who have not. While glorying Maoists, Ms. Roy says that they have gotten tribals organized and have won victories like getting a better price for kendu leaves. However it should be noted that poor and exploited people in other parts of the country did not need guns and terrorists to get organized. They formed cooperatives like Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd (Amul) and changed their futures peacefully. So community organization, as Ms. Roy hints, does not need Maoists. As a matter of fact, Maoists prevent aid and assistance from reaching those that need it (being a kind of mafia themselves) and the perpetuation of the Maoist movement, as strategized by its handlers who are anything but tribals, depends critically on people being angry at the government. Hence lack of real development, as done by the government, serves them well because then they can show themselves to be an alternative. In conclusion, I sometimes wonder what would happen to people like Ms. Roy should the Maoists actually succeed in overthrowing the Indian state in a few decades, a publicly stated aim. Well based on the glorious example of Chairman Mao and his attitude towards “intellectuals” during the Cultural Revolution and of his disciple Pol Pot, who made them work in the fields till they died, the fate of champagne liberals like Ms. Roy would not be all that great. But somehow I think she wouldnt stay around in the country to find out. Pawan On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 11:53 AM, Asit asitreds wrote: >  i was not talking about maoists i was just saying why you people were not > outraged when thousands were killed and raped in gujrat riots when babri > masjid was  was raged, when hundreds of honour killings takes place in and > around delhi, when dalit women are paraded naked in the country, when > peaceful democratic mass movements are ruthless supressed for the super > profits of a few corporations, when thousands of farmers are forced out of > their land for sezs, mines and factories for the profits of national and > international big business, when rural poor in kalahandi sell their > daughters in dire poverty the list is endless, im surprised you people are > not at all bothered about the starvation deaths and the acute agrian crisis > where more than two lakh farmers have commited suicide dont you think their > lives are also imortant > asit > > On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 11:11 PM, A.K. Malik wrote: >> >> Dear Durani Sahib, >>                  I fully agree with you. However, the record of the >> current governance in the country is dismal.They may say they will deal with >> it firmly but ultimately the Govt buckles under pressure from various >> quarters including the supporters. No one can justify what is being done by >> the Maoists. I don't know in what way Asit is trying to justify the same. >> Regards, >> >> (A.K.MALIK) >> >> >> --- On Wed, 4/7/10, Pawan Durani wrote: >> >> > From: Pawan Durani >> > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached >> > To: "Asit asitreds" >> > Cc: "reader-list" >> > Date: Wednesday, April 7, 2010, 2:22 PM >> > It's high time that not only Maosists >> > , but their supporters are >> > handled with iron fist. >> > >> > Regards >> > >> > Pawan >> > >> > >> > On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 1:55 PM, Asit asitreds >> > wrote: >> > > what about the voilence in gujrat bhagalpur etc which >> > have killed hundred >> > > times more people than in dantewada >> > >  what about tens of thousands of noncobatant civilan >> > population killed by >> > > security forces in northeast kashmir and punjab >> > > asit >> > > >> > > >> > > On 4/6/10, Pawan Durani >> > wrote: >> > >> >> > >> …and committed a strategic mistake at Dantewada >> > >> >> > >> >> > >> The reason why Naxalites have been able to sustain >> > their insurgency >> > >> for so long is due to three main reasons: the >> > absence or failure of >> > >> governance; the romanticism and propaganda of >> > their overground >> > >> sympathisers; and, finally, due to the relatively >> > subliminal nature of >> > >> their violence. >> > >> >> > >> To the extent that their violence was distributed >> > in space and time >> > >> they could slip in and out of the public mind, >> > pursue on-and-off talks >> > >> with state governments and generally avoid >> > provoking the government >> > >> into hitting back hard. Over the last five years >> > Naxalites have >> > >> violently expanded the geographical spread of >> > their extortion and >> > >> protection rackets—yet, the violence in any >> > given place and time has >> > >> been below a certain threshold. That threshold >> > itself is high for a >> > >> number of reasons, including efforts by their >> > sympathisers to >> > >> romanticise their violence, spectacular terrorist >> > attacks by jihadi >> > >> groups and due to the remoteness of the areas of >> > their operations. >> > >> This allowed Naxalites to get away with murder. A >> > lot of times. In a >> > >> lot of places. Literally. >> > >> >> > >> But killing 73 out of 80 (or 120) CRPF and police >> > personnel in a short >> > >> span of time in a single battle is no longer >> > subliminal violence. In >> > >> all likelihood the Naxalites have crossed a >> > threshold—this incident is >> > >> likely to stay much longer in the public mind and >> > increase the >> > >> pressure on politicians to tackle the Naxalite >> > threat with greater >> > >> resolve. Also, given that it has also become an >> > issue of P >> > >> Chidambaram’s—and hence the UPA >> > government’s—reputation, the gloves >> > >> are likely to come off in the coming weeks. >> > >> >> > >> There’s a chance that India’s psychological >> > threshold is even higher. >> > >> But it is more likely that the Naxalites have >> > overreached. Perhaps >> > >> their leadership has calculated that they are in >> > the next stage of >> > >> their revolutionary war. If so, that would neither >> > the first nor the >> > >> only delusion in their minds. >> > >> >> > >> >> > >> http://acorn.nationalinterest.in/2010/04/06/the-naxalites-overreached/ >> > >> _________________________________________ >> > >> 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: 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 c.anupam at gmail.com Thu Apr 8 12:46:57 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2010 12:46:57 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: References: <371996.79361.qm@web112119.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Pawan you favorite blogger doesnt even have the guts to put his name on the record for writing such things. he is like Kishenji, who turns his back to the camera before speaking addressing the media. my only advice to this "great bong" is that he should step out his cubicle before he plays around with his words. i bet he hasnt been either to gujarat or dantewada to have suggested that indigenous communities should start dairies in these areas. anupam On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 12:20 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > Dear Asit , > > While as the nation has condemned whatever you have written , it still > does not justify the Naxalites and their barbaric acts. > > I understand your support to them as your E-Mail ID is quite obvious - > Asit red salute ....lal salaam. > > I am sharing you a piece on this 'civil war' by my favorite blogger :- GreatBong > > http://greatbong.net/2010/04/08/the-invisible-civil-war/ > > We have been in the middle of an invisible civil war for many years > now. Civil war because it is an armed struggle by a section of the > people against the democratic administration of the country, a war > that has spiraled so out of control that representatives of law > enforcement accept that there are large swathes of country where they > cannot enter. Invisible because it rarely captures national attention, > confined as it is to largely rural backward areas for which it is > pushed to the rear of the news by other things more important to our > national life—like IPL, Shoaib-Sania and Kites. > > That is unless more than seventy-six CRPF personnel are brutally > massacred at which point of time we are forced to deal with the issue. > At least for a few news cycles. > > For those of us who do care, at least perfunctorily, and who havent > drunk the “It’s all India’s fault” cool-aid it is tempting to angrily > shout out “Ms Roy, happy now?” , in the context of her frothing > diatribe against the Indian government, Hindutva, corporations > (basically all of her enemies) and her rapturous glorification of the > violence of Maoists in the execrable piece of garbage recently > published in Outlook.  But analyzing or rebutting a fanatic > fundamentalist like Ms. Roy is as futile as deconstructing a Payal > Rohatgi movie and once you realize that she is essentially a Rakhi > Sawant with a laptop and a Booker, with the only difference that she > uses Maoists instead of Mika to get attention, the uselessness of the > exercise is even more evident. > > What however is worth looking at are her rhetorical tools, principally > because they are re-used by many people who share Ms. Roy’s agenda, > from your unshaven friend at JNU to the slacker cousin of yours who > leaves cigarette ash on your carpet. One of it is in presenting random > pictures of Maoist rebels, women or young men, and saying “India’s > Biggest Threats” as if the incongruity between their innocent visages > and the phrase “India’s Biggest Threat” should show how ridiculous a > liar the Indian government is. Of course, Ms. Roy the point is not the > bholi soorat that you so lovingly present but that AK47 slung on her > shoulder. That is the problem. Villains rarely look like Dr. Dong and > do a Shaam-O-Sasha dance and even Osama would look like a poet had not > we known his other activities. > > The second is in humanizing terrorist organizations by saying “Look at > the kind of development work they have done.”  Well even the > Mujahideen in Kashmir did earthquake relief and it is well known that > terrorists do public outreach programs to win hearts and minds. Just > like big industrial houses. However people like Ms. Roy will sneer at > the altruism of big business and glorify that of terrorists. Not > surprising. > > The third is of course making wild accusations of government excesses > and then obviating the necessity of providing supporting evidence by > saying “The corporate press suppressed the news.” This is an old game, > a game played by radicals across the political spectrum. Get some wild > bit of news, either from “alternative media” or from unimpeachable > sources like Maoists with a gun and say “There is no proof for this > assertion of mine because there can never be.” This is not to say that > government excesses do not take place (italicized for the benefit of > those rushing to comment with a “On so-and-so day the government did > this and this was reported in Newspaper so-and-so) but much of the > accusations are just that. Accusations with nothing to back them up. > Accusations so often repeated that they become fact. > > And what is worth touching upon is the Big Lie that people like Ms. > Roy perpetuate. That somehow we are seeing another Santhal Rebellion > with the oppressive British being replaced by the oppressive Indian > (Hindu) state. During the British era, Santhals using bows and arrows > went up against British guns and cannons. Today’s Maoist “tribals” > have AK47s and ultra-modern weaponry and commando-like training, which > obviously some agency has supplied to them. In that respect this is > not a “spontaneous” rising of the dispossessed but a carefully > engineered insurrection with the fighting fuel being supplied by our > “good neighbors”  and the propaganda lungs (since propaganda is a > vital part of Communist struggle) being supplied by “We know who”. > > However what is true is that fighting footsoldiers of the Maoist > movement are coming from the ranks of tribals and it is important we > try to understand, even imperfectly since a full understanding of such > a difficult problem requires much study which we are unable to do > between two KKR matches, what is going on. What our Maoists in the > press would tell us is a very simple story. One one side are the good > people—the tribals, monstrously poor, sitting on minerals, being > exploited and taken advantage of. On on the other side are the bad > people—-big industrial houses, the Indian government, police, army and > Hindutva (Yes the last word people like Ms. Roy put in every piece > almost as if padding a piece for Google Adwords purpose). And that the > tribals, the good guys, are launching a justified armed struggle > against the bad guys. > > The truth is slightly different. The tribals are not a monlithic > entity. A few of them have, over the generations, taken advantage of > quotas and the other special privileges provided to them by the > Constitution as well as economic liberalization to improve their lot. > Some of them have become middlemen, some of them small businessmen > like brick kiln owners. A few of them, over generations, have risen in > ranks even further becoming powerhouses like a Madhu Koda or Shibu > Soren. But there are others who have stayed behind rolling kendu > leaves and essentially doing the same things that their ancestors did. > Now when big mining companies moved in, it was those “advanced” > tribals who saw an opportunity to make more money by becoming > land-brokers. Needless to say, they were coming up against their > socially immobile brethren who naturally resented the comparative > wealth and influence of their fellow-tribals. And then “people” > started putting AK47s in the hands of those pissed off telling them > “Grab what you dont have. We can make our own laws.” > > Soon government-supported, pro-development “tribals” (Salwa > Judum—–Mahendra Karma the founder of Salwa Judum is an ethnic Adivasi > himself who had made it “big”) and the dispossessed but armed tribals > were fighting each other,  in an increasing spiral of violence. And > despite what the “liberals” would have you believe,  these > “dispossessed” tribals forming the Maoists are not Robin Hoods. They > go about terrorizing villages, collecting extortion and protection > money and organizing people’s courts for punishing “informers” i.e. > those who were trying to get into the gang of the “advanced” tribals. > So yes this isnt a battle between good and evil but a massive gang war > being played out in the backwoods with no heroes and no villains. Only > victims. > > A solution is difficult to find here. And I wont be presumptuous to > say I have any idea what should be done. However I feel that part of > the solution would be to have tribals brought into the mainstream. For > too long I have seen people, usually city folks and academics, > glorifying tribal life as the last surviving vestige of a simple, > ancient way of living. But a tribal life, of subsisting on hunting and > rolling kendu leaves, is a life that is medieval and there is a reason > why people in most parts of the country abandoned this lifestyle many > centuries ago (After all we all were tribals once). As mentioned > before, the tension underlying the Maoist struggle is between those > who have forsaken their old life for “capitalist pleasures” which in > turn has led to an understanding of how they can leverage their > possession of natural reserves for their own benefit,  and those who > have not. > > While glorying Maoists, Ms. Roy says that they have gotten tribals > organized and have won victories like getting a better price for kendu > leaves. However it should be noted that poor and exploited people in > other parts of the country did not need guns and terrorists to get > organized. They formed cooperatives like Gujarat Co-operative Milk > Marketing Federation Ltd (Amul) and changed their futures peacefully. > So community organization, as Ms. Roy hints, does not need Maoists. As > a matter of fact, Maoists prevent aid and assistance from reaching > those that need it (being a kind of mafia themselves) and the > perpetuation of the Maoist movement, as strategized by its handlers > who are anything but tribals, depends critically on people being angry > at the government. Hence lack of real development, as done by the > government, serves them well because then they can show themselves to > be an alternative. > > In conclusion, I sometimes wonder what would happen to people like Ms. > Roy should the Maoists actually succeed in overthrowing the Indian > state in a few decades, a publicly stated aim. Well based on the > glorious example of Chairman Mao and his attitude towards > “intellectuals” during the Cultural Revolution and of his disciple Pol > Pot, who made them work in the fields till they died, the fate of > champagne liberals like Ms. Roy would not be all that great. But > somehow I think she wouldnt stay around in the country to find out. > > > > Pawan > > On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 11:53 AM, Asit asitreds wrote: >>  i was not talking about maoists i was just saying why you people were not >> outraged when thousands were killed and raped in gujrat riots when babri >> masjid was  was raged, when hundreds of honour killings takes place in and >> around delhi, when dalit women are paraded naked in the country, when >> peaceful democratic mass movements are ruthless supressed for the super >> profits of a few corporations, when thousands of farmers are forced out of >> their land for sezs, mines and factories for the profits of national and >> international big business, when rural poor in kalahandi sell their >> daughters in dire poverty the list is endless, im surprised you people are >> not at all bothered about the starvation deaths and the acute agrian crisis >> where more than two lakh farmers have commited suicide dont you think their >> lives are also imortant >> asit >> >> On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 11:11 PM, A.K. Malik wrote: >>> >>> Dear Durani Sahib, >>>                  I fully agree with you. However, the record of the >>> current governance in the country is dismal.They may say they will deal with >>> it firmly but ultimately the Govt buckles under pressure from various >>> quarters including the supporters. No one can justify what is being done by >>> the Maoists. I don't know in what way Asit is trying to justify the same. >>> Regards, >>> >>> (A.K.MALIK) >>> >>> >>> --- On Wed, 4/7/10, Pawan Durani wrote: >>> >>> > From: Pawan Durani >>> > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached >>> > To: "Asit asitreds" >>> > Cc: "reader-list" >>> > Date: Wednesday, April 7, 2010, 2:22 PM >>> > It's high time that not only Maosists >>> > , but their supporters are >>> > handled with iron fist. >>> > >>> > Regards >>> > >>> > Pawan >>> > >>> > >>> > On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 1:55 PM, Asit asitreds >>> > wrote: >>> > > what about the voilence in gujrat bhagalpur etc which >>> > have killed hundred >>> > > times more people than in dantewada >>> > >  what about tens of thousands of noncobatant civilan >>> > population killed by >>> > > security forces in northeast kashmir and punjab >>> > > asit >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > On 4/6/10, Pawan Durani >>> > wrote: >>> > >> >>> > >> …and committed a strategic mistake at Dantewada >>> > >> >>> > >> >>> > >> The reason why Naxalites have been able to sustain >>> > their insurgency >>> > >> for so long is due to three main reasons: the >>> > absence or failure of >>> > >> governance; the romanticism and propaganda of >>> > their overground >>> > >> sympathisers; and, finally, due to the relatively >>> > subliminal nature of >>> > >> their violence. >>> > >> >>> > >> To the extent that their violence was distributed >>> > in space and time >>> > >> they could slip in and out of the public mind, >>> > pursue on-and-off talks >>> > >> with state governments and generally avoid >>> > provoking the government >>> > >> into hitting back hard. Over the last five years >>> > Naxalites have >>> > >> violently expanded the geographical spread of >>> > their extortion and >>> > >> protection rackets—yet, the violence in any >>> > given place and time has >>> > >> been below a certain threshold. That threshold >>> > itself is high for a >>> > >> number of reasons, including efforts by their >>> > sympathisers to >>> > >> romanticise their violence, spectacular terrorist >>> > attacks by jihadi >>> > >> groups and due to the remoteness of the areas of >>> > their operations. >>> > >> This allowed Naxalites to get away with murder. A >>> > lot of times. In a >>> > >> lot of places. Literally. >>> > >> >>> > >> But killing 73 out of 80 (or 120) CRPF and police >>> > personnel in a short >>> > >> span of time in a single battle is no longer >>> > subliminal violence. In >>> > >> all likelihood the Naxalites have crossed a >>> > threshold—this incident is >>> > >> likely to stay much longer in the public mind and >>> > increase the >>> > >> pressure on politicians to tackle the Naxalite >>> > threat with greater >>> > >> resolve. Also, given that it has also become an >>> > issue of P >>> > >> Chidambaram’s—and hence the UPA >>> > government’s—reputation, the gloves >>> > >> are likely to come off in the coming weeks. >>> > >> >>> > >> There’s a chance that India’s psychological >>> > threshold is even higher. >>> > >> But it is more likely that the Naxalites have >>> > overreached. Perhaps >>> > >> their leadership has calculated that they are in >>> > the next stage of >>> > >> their revolutionary war. If so, that would neither >>> > the first nor the >>> > >> only delusion in their minds. >>> > >> >>> > >> >>> > >> http://acorn.nationalinterest.in/2010/04/06/the-naxalites-overreached/ >>> > >> _________________________________________ >>> > >> 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: 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: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From pawan.durani at gmail.com Thu Apr 8 12:52:53 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2010 12:52:53 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: References: <371996.79361.qm@web112119.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Dear Anupam Ji , Why are you in anger all the time ? The blogger GreatBong is a famous blogger who has won many awards. His name is Arnab and is an author of just released book "May I Hebb Your Attention Please".He is from Kolkota . Have you traveled to Dantewada ? Pawan He is from Kolkota . On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 12:46 PM, anupam chakravartty wrote: > Pawan > > you favorite blogger doesnt even have the guts to put his name on the > record for writing such things. he is like Kishenji, who turns his > back to the camera before speaking addressing the media. my only > advice to this "great bong" is that he should step out his cubicle > before he plays around with his words. i bet he hasnt been either to > gujarat or dantewada to have suggested that indigenous communities > should start dairies in these areas. > > anupam > > On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 12:20 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: >> Dear Asit , >> >> While as the nation has condemned whatever you have written , it still >> does not justify the Naxalites and their barbaric acts. >> >> I understand your support to them as your E-Mail ID is quite obvious - >> Asit red salute ....lal salaam. >> >> I am sharing you a piece on this 'civil war' by my favorite blogger :- GreatBong >> >> http://greatbong.net/2010/04/08/the-invisible-civil-war/ >> >> We have been in the middle of an invisible civil war for many years >> now. Civil war because it is an armed struggle by a section of the >> people against the democratic administration of the country, a war >> that has spiraled so out of control that representatives of law >> enforcement accept that there are large swathes of country where they >> cannot enter. Invisible because it rarely captures national attention, >> confined as it is to largely rural backward areas for which it is >> pushed to the rear of the news by other things more important to our >> national life—like IPL, Shoaib-Sania and Kites. >> >> That is unless more than seventy-six CRPF personnel are brutally >> massacred at which point of time we are forced to deal with the issue. >> At least for a few news cycles. >> >> For those of us who do care, at least perfunctorily, and who havent >> drunk the “It’s all India’s fault” cool-aid it is tempting to angrily >> shout out “Ms Roy, happy now?” , in the context of her frothing >> diatribe against the Indian government, Hindutva, corporations >> (basically all of her enemies) and her rapturous glorification of the >> violence of Maoists in the execrable piece of garbage recently >> published in Outlook.  But analyzing or rebutting a fanatic >> fundamentalist like Ms. Roy is as futile as deconstructing a Payal >> Rohatgi movie and once you realize that she is essentially a Rakhi >> Sawant with a laptop and a Booker, with the only difference that she >> uses Maoists instead of Mika to get attention, the uselessness of the >> exercise is even more evident. >> >> What however is worth looking at are her rhetorical tools, principally >> because they are re-used by many people who share Ms. Roy’s agenda, >> from your unshaven friend at JNU to the slacker cousin of yours who >> leaves cigarette ash on your carpet. One of it is in presenting random >> pictures of Maoist rebels, women or young men, and saying “India’s >> Biggest Threats” as if the incongruity between their innocent visages >> and the phrase “India’s Biggest Threat” should show how ridiculous a >> liar the Indian government is. Of course, Ms. Roy the point is not the >> bholi soorat that you so lovingly present but that AK47 slung on her >> shoulder. That is the problem. Villains rarely look like Dr. Dong and >> do a Shaam-O-Sasha dance and even Osama would look like a poet had not >> we known his other activities. >> >> The second is in humanizing terrorist organizations by saying “Look at >> the kind of development work they have done.”  Well even the >> Mujahideen in Kashmir did earthquake relief and it is well known that >> terrorists do public outreach programs to win hearts and minds. Just >> like big industrial houses. However people like Ms. Roy will sneer at >> the altruism of big business and glorify that of terrorists. Not >> surprising. >> >> The third is of course making wild accusations of government excesses >> and then obviating the necessity of providing supporting evidence by >> saying “The corporate press suppressed the news.” This is an old game, >> a game played by radicals across the political spectrum. Get some wild >> bit of news, either from “alternative media” or from unimpeachable >> sources like Maoists with a gun and say “There is no proof for this >> assertion of mine because there can never be.” This is not to say that >> government excesses do not take place (italicized for the benefit of >> those rushing to comment with a “On so-and-so day the government did >> this and this was reported in Newspaper so-and-so) but much of the >> accusations are just that. Accusations with nothing to back them up. >> Accusations so often repeated that they become fact. >> >> And what is worth touching upon is the Big Lie that people like Ms. >> Roy perpetuate. That somehow we are seeing another Santhal Rebellion >> with the oppressive British being replaced by the oppressive Indian >> (Hindu) state. During the British era, Santhals using bows and arrows >> went up against British guns and cannons. Today’s Maoist “tribals” >> have AK47s and ultra-modern weaponry and commando-like training, which >> obviously some agency has supplied to them. In that respect this is >> not a “spontaneous” rising of the dispossessed but a carefully >> engineered insurrection with the fighting fuel being supplied by our >> “good neighbors”  and the propaganda lungs (since propaganda is a >> vital part of Communist struggle) being supplied by “We know who”. >> >> However what is true is that fighting footsoldiers of the Maoist >> movement are coming from the ranks of tribals and it is important we >> try to understand, even imperfectly since a full understanding of such >> a difficult problem requires much study which we are unable to do >> between two KKR matches, what is going on. What our Maoists in the >> press would tell us is a very simple story. One one side are the good >> people—the tribals, monstrously poor, sitting on minerals, being >> exploited and taken advantage of. On on the other side are the bad >> people—-big industrial houses, the Indian government, police, army and >> Hindutva (Yes the last word people like Ms. Roy put in every piece >> almost as if padding a piece for Google Adwords purpose). And that the >> tribals, the good guys, are launching a justified armed struggle >> against the bad guys. >> >> The truth is slightly different. The tribals are not a monlithic >> entity. A few of them have, over the generations, taken advantage of >> quotas and the other special privileges provided to them by the >> Constitution as well as economic liberalization to improve their lot. >> Some of them have become middlemen, some of them small businessmen >> like brick kiln owners. A few of them, over generations, have risen in >> ranks even further becoming powerhouses like a Madhu Koda or Shibu >> Soren. But there are others who have stayed behind rolling kendu >> leaves and essentially doing the same things that their ancestors did. >> Now when big mining companies moved in, it was those “advanced” >> tribals who saw an opportunity to make more money by becoming >> land-brokers. Needless to say, they were coming up against their >> socially immobile brethren who naturally resented the comparative >> wealth and influence of their fellow-tribals. And then “people” >> started putting AK47s in the hands of those pissed off telling them >> “Grab what you dont have. We can make our own laws.” >> >> Soon government-supported, pro-development “tribals” (Salwa >> Judum—–Mahendra Karma the founder of Salwa Judum is an ethnic Adivasi >> himself who had made it “big”) and the dispossessed but armed tribals >> were fighting each other,  in an increasing spiral of violence. And >> despite what the “liberals” would have you believe,  these >> “dispossessed” tribals forming the Maoists are not Robin Hoods. They >> go about terrorizing villages, collecting extortion and protection >> money and organizing people’s courts for punishing “informers” i.e. >> those who were trying to get into the gang of the “advanced” tribals. >> So yes this isnt a battle between good and evil but a massive gang war >> being played out in the backwoods with no heroes and no villains. Only >> victims. >> >> A solution is difficult to find here. And I wont be presumptuous to >> say I have any idea what should be done. However I feel that part of >> the solution would be to have tribals brought into the mainstream. For >> too long I have seen people, usually city folks and academics, >> glorifying tribal life as the last surviving vestige of a simple, >> ancient way of living. But a tribal life, of subsisting on hunting and >> rolling kendu leaves, is a life that is medieval and there is a reason >> why people in most parts of the country abandoned this lifestyle many >> centuries ago (After all we all were tribals once). As mentioned >> before, the tension underlying the Maoist struggle is between those >> who have forsaken their old life for “capitalist pleasures” which in >> turn has led to an understanding of how they can leverage their >> possession of natural reserves for their own benefit,  and those who >> have not. >> >> While glorying Maoists, Ms. Roy says that they have gotten tribals >> organized and have won victories like getting a better price for kendu >> leaves. However it should be noted that poor and exploited people in >> other parts of the country did not need guns and terrorists to get >> organized. They formed cooperatives like Gujarat Co-operative Milk >> Marketing Federation Ltd (Amul) and changed their futures peacefully. >> So community organization, as Ms. Roy hints, does not need Maoists. As >> a matter of fact, Maoists prevent aid and assistance from reaching >> those that need it (being a kind of mafia themselves) and the >> perpetuation of the Maoist movement, as strategized by its handlers >> who are anything but tribals, depends critically on people being angry >> at the government. Hence lack of real development, as done by the >> government, serves them well because then they can show themselves to >> be an alternative. >> >> In conclusion, I sometimes wonder what would happen to people like Ms. >> Roy should the Maoists actually succeed in overthrowing the Indian >> state in a few decades, a publicly stated aim. Well based on the >> glorious example of Chairman Mao and his attitude towards >> “intellectuals” during the Cultural Revolution and of his disciple Pol >> Pot, who made them work in the fields till they died, the fate of >> champagne liberals like Ms. Roy would not be all that great. But >> somehow I think she wouldnt stay around in the country to find out. >> >> >> >> Pawan >> >> On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 11:53 AM, Asit asitreds wrote: >>>  i was not talking about maoists i was just saying why you people were not >>> outraged when thousands were killed and raped in gujrat riots when babri >>> masjid was  was raged, when hundreds of honour killings takes place in and >>> around delhi, when dalit women are paraded naked in the country, when >>> peaceful democratic mass movements are ruthless supressed for the super >>> profits of a few corporations, when thousands of farmers are forced out of >>> their land for sezs, mines and factories for the profits of national and >>> international big business, when rural poor in kalahandi sell their >>> daughters in dire poverty the list is endless, im surprised you people are >>> not at all bothered about the starvation deaths and the acute agrian crisis >>> where more than two lakh farmers have commited suicide dont you think their >>> lives are also imortant >>> asit >>> >>> On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 11:11 PM, A.K. Malik wrote: >>>> >>>> Dear Durani Sahib, >>>>                  I fully agree with you. However, the record of the >>>> current governance in the country is dismal.They may say they will deal with >>>> it firmly but ultimately the Govt buckles under pressure from various >>>> quarters including the supporters. No one can justify what is being done by >>>> the Maoists. I don't know in what way Asit is trying to justify the same. >>>> Regards, >>>> >>>> (A.K.MALIK) >>>> >>>> >>>> --- On Wed, 4/7/10, Pawan Durani wrote: >>>> >>>> > From: Pawan Durani >>>> > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached >>>> > To: "Asit asitreds" >>>> > Cc: "reader-list" >>>> > Date: Wednesday, April 7, 2010, 2:22 PM >>>> > It's high time that not only Maosists >>>> > , but their supporters are >>>> > handled with iron fist. >>>> > >>>> > Regards >>>> > >>>> > Pawan >>>> > >>>> > >>>> > On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 1:55 PM, Asit asitreds >>>> > wrote: >>>> > > what about the voilence in gujrat bhagalpur etc which >>>> > have killed hundred >>>> > > times more people than in dantewada >>>> > >  what about tens of thousands of noncobatant civilan >>>> > population killed by >>>> > > security forces in northeast kashmir and punjab >>>> > > asit >>>> > > >>>> > > >>>> > > On 4/6/10, Pawan Durani >>>> > wrote: >>>> > >> >>>> > >> …and committed a strategic mistake at Dantewada >>>> > >> >>>> > >> >>>> > >> The reason why Naxalites have been able to sustain >>>> > their insurgency >>>> > >> for so long is due to three main reasons: the >>>> > absence or failure of >>>> > >> governance; the romanticism and propaganda of >>>> > their overground >>>> > >> sympathisers; and, finally, due to the relatively >>>> > subliminal nature of >>>> > >> their violence. >>>> > >> >>>> > >> To the extent that their violence was distributed >>>> > in space and time >>>> > >> they could slip in and out of the public mind, >>>> > pursue on-and-off talks >>>> > >> with state governments and generally avoid >>>> > provoking the government >>>> > >> into hitting back hard. Over the last five years >>>> > Naxalites have >>>> > >> violently expanded the geographical spread of >>>> > their extortion and >>>> > >> protection rackets—yet, the violence in any >>>> > given place and time has >>>> > >> been below a certain threshold. That threshold >>>> > itself is high for a >>>> > >> number of reasons, including efforts by their >>>> > sympathisers to >>>> > >> romanticise their violence, spectacular terrorist >>>> > attacks by jihadi >>>> > >> groups and due to the remoteness of the areas of >>>> > their operations. >>>> > >> This allowed Naxalites to get away with murder. A >>>> > lot of times. In a >>>> > >> lot of places. Literally. >>>> > >> >>>> > >> But killing 73 out of 80 (or 120) CRPF and police >>>> > personnel in a short >>>> > >> span of time in a single battle is no longer >>>> > subliminal violence. In >>>> > >> all likelihood the Naxalites have crossed a >>>> > threshold—this incident is >>>> > >> likely to stay much longer in the public mind and >>>> > increase the >>>> > >> pressure on politicians to tackle the Naxalite >>>> > threat with greater >>>> > >> resolve. Also, given that it has also become an >>>> > issue of P >>>> > >> Chidambaram’s—and hence the UPA >>>> > government’s—reputation, the gloves >>>> > >> are likely to come off in the coming weeks. >>>> > >> >>>> > >> There’s a chance that India’s psychological >>>> > threshold is even higher. >>>> > >> But it is more likely that the Naxalites have >>>> > overreached. Perhaps >>>> > >> their leadership has calculated that they are in >>>> > the next stage of >>>> > >> their revolutionary war. If so, that would neither >>>> > the first nor the >>>> > >> only delusion in their minds. >>>> > >> >>>> > >> >>>> > >> http://acorn.nationalinterest.in/2010/04/06/the-naxalites-overreached/ >>>> > >> _________________________________________ >>>> > >> 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: 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: <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 rashneek at gmail.com Thu Apr 8 13:21:01 2010 From: rashneek at gmail.com (rashneek kher) Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2010 13:21:01 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Mark by Words by Arvind Gigoo(in GK) Message-ID: *Letter to Kashmiri Muslims and Kashmiri Pandits MUSINGS BY ARVIND GIGOO* My dear Kashmiri Muslims Right from 1947 your leaders and politicians lied to you, confused you and exploited you. The crafty politicians used you for their selfish ends and the Indian leadership took you for granted. Pakistan played upon your religious sentiments. Then some other countries started playing their own games with you. When George Bush condemned Muslim terrorism you turned sad. When Obama praised Muslims you were happy. When Pakistan mentions Kashmir you feel elated. You are a gullible lot. You believe in false promises. Nobody trusts you. Your tragedy is the result of the politicking of your leaders and of those you consider your well-wishers. Kashmir is an issue of betrayal, blunder, falsehood and mistrust. It is a confusing admixture of plebiscite, Pakistan, India(?), independence and ambiguous ideas and theories. Once it was jana gana mana; then it was nizam-e-mustafa. You turned so naïve that you thought azadi was a question of some days. Now things have degenerated into something you have no control over. In the last twenty years you lost hundreds of thousands of people__ young boys, men, women and children. You lost your humanism and your cultural ethos. You lost Pandits. You are living in lies. You are a victim of depression, repentance, sorrow and defeat. Pakistanis have a very poor opinion of you. Indians don’t trust you at all. Your leaders don’t care for you. Militants, double agents, suspects, informants, spies, looters, freebooters and con men thrive in Kashmir. Nobody knows who is doing what. You suffer from political and societal schizophrenia and civilizational dementia. You have lost your freedom of speech. The cunning among you talk one thing in private and change their stance in public. Some have chosen silence, and silence, during a period of political unrest, is dangerous. Political blackmailers, extortionists, security forces and greedy opportunists have devastated you. Now you are insensitive to your own suffering and to the suffering of your own people. Rumours and farcical slogans have placed you in a quagmire of directionless aspiration, purposelessness and psychological trauma. You have yet to fix your goal. Your educated youth have intellect, vision and dreams. But unemployment, uncertainty and lack of opportunity have frustrated them. How long will they and you go on waiting for the outcome of ‘meaningful and composite dialogue’? Answer your own questions. Question your leaders, politicians and think tank. Everything is in your hands. Shifting loyalties and short term plans will lead you nowhere. For sixty-three years your leaders did nothing for you. Pursue only one goal. Politics of doubletalk is bound to fail. And remember what Lancelot Hogben has said: ‘ No society is safe in the hands of its clever people.’ Letter to Pandits 100 Years Hence (Read this letter on 19 January, 2110) My dear Descendants, You are rootless. You belong to no place. You are nowhere. The base of your life is a vacuum. The language you speak is not your own. Your festivals are borrowed. You live by proxy. You are half-machine. The rain and the snow you enjoy are artificial. Machines and robots wait upon your parents. You buy the organs of the body from the departmental stores. You are unaware of your children. You visit other planets. There is a place called Kashmir on this planet. Fly to that place and find your scattered selves there. Your life is uselessly long. What is your religion? You don’t know. What do you believe in? You don’t know. You are lost in this world peopled with cold and callous half-humans. You have no love and compassion. You don’t celebrate memory because you have none. Your life is some digits and speed. What are you up to? What do you want? You will never know. You are unpersons. (Arvind Gigoo, a retired professor of English, is the author of The Ugly Kashmiri. Feedback at arvindgigoo00 at gmail.com -- Rashneek Kher http://www.kashmiris-in-exile.blogspot.com http://www.nietzschereborn.blogspot.com From c.anupam at gmail.com Thu Apr 8 13:28:01 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2010 13:28:01 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: References: <371996.79361.qm@web112119.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: i think arnab ray should stick to his ideas of popular bollywood culture before talking about maoists. he has no clue whatsoever. like you, i am sure he has not even seen purulia. forget dantewada. what will do if i tell you that i have been to dantewada several times? ... you could only label people as maoist sympathiser, he is pro muslim, he is anti development. label me quickly, else you might just run out of stock. fast! -anupam On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 12:52 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > Dear Anupam Ji , > > Why are you in anger all the time ? The blogger GreatBong is a famous > blogger who has won many awards. His name is Arnab and is an author of > just released book "May I Hebb Your Attention Please".He is from > Kolkota . > > Have you traveled to Dantewada ? > > Pawan > > > > He is from Kolkota . > > On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 12:46 PM, anupam chakravartty wrote: >> Pawan >> >> you favorite blogger doesnt even have the guts to put his name on the >> record for writing such things. he is like Kishenji, who turns his >> back to the camera before speaking addressing the media. my only >> advice to this "great bong" is that he should step out his cubicle >> before he plays around with his words. i bet he hasnt been either to >> gujarat or dantewada to have suggested that indigenous communities >> should start dairies in these areas. >> >> anupam >> >> On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 12:20 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: >>> Dear Asit , >>> >>> While as the nation has condemned whatever you have written , it still >>> does not justify the Naxalites and their barbaric acts. >>> >>> I understand your support to them as your E-Mail ID is quite obvious - >>> Asit red salute ....lal salaam. >>> >>> I am sharing you a piece on this 'civil war' by my favorite blogger :- GreatBong >>> >>> http://greatbong.net/2010/04/08/the-invisible-civil-war/ >>> >>> We have been in the middle of an invisible civil war for many years >>> now. Civil war because it is an armed struggle by a section of the >>> people against the democratic administration of the country, a war >>> that has spiraled so out of control that representatives of law >>> enforcement accept that there are large swathes of country where they >>> cannot enter. Invisible because it rarely captures national attention, >>> confined as it is to largely rural backward areas for which it is >>> pushed to the rear of the news by other things more important to our >>> national life—like IPL, Shoaib-Sania and Kites. >>> >>> That is unless more than seventy-six CRPF personnel are brutally >>> massacred at which point of time we are forced to deal with the issue. >>> At least for a few news cycles. >>> >>> For those of us who do care, at least perfunctorily, and who havent >>> drunk the “It’s all India’s fault” cool-aid it is tempting to angrily >>> shout out “Ms Roy, happy now?” , in the context of her frothing >>> diatribe against the Indian government, Hindutva, corporations >>> (basically all of her enemies) and her rapturous glorification of the >>> violence of Maoists in the execrable piece of garbage recently >>> published in Outlook.  But analyzing or rebutting a fanatic >>> fundamentalist like Ms. Roy is as futile as deconstructing a Payal >>> Rohatgi movie and once you realize that she is essentially a Rakhi >>> Sawant with a laptop and a Booker, with the only difference that she >>> uses Maoists instead of Mika to get attention, the uselessness of the >>> exercise is even more evident. >>> >>> What however is worth looking at are her rhetorical tools, principally >>> because they are re-used by many people who share Ms. Roy’s agenda, >>> from your unshaven friend at JNU to the slacker cousin of yours who >>> leaves cigarette ash on your carpet. One of it is in presenting random >>> pictures of Maoist rebels, women or young men, and saying “India’s >>> Biggest Threats” as if the incongruity between their innocent visages >>> and the phrase “India’s Biggest Threat” should show how ridiculous a >>> liar the Indian government is. Of course, Ms. Roy the point is not the >>> bholi soorat that you so lovingly present but that AK47 slung on her >>> shoulder. That is the problem. Villains rarely look like Dr. Dong and >>> do a Shaam-O-Sasha dance and even Osama would look like a poet had not >>> we known his other activities. >>> >>> The second is in humanizing terrorist organizations by saying “Look at >>> the kind of development work they have done.”  Well even the >>> Mujahideen in Kashmir did earthquake relief and it is well known that >>> terrorists do public outreach programs to win hearts and minds. Just >>> like big industrial houses. However people like Ms. Roy will sneer at >>> the altruism of big business and glorify that of terrorists. Not >>> surprising. >>> >>> The third is of course making wild accusations of government excesses >>> and then obviating the necessity of providing supporting evidence by >>> saying “The corporate press suppressed the news.” This is an old game, >>> a game played by radicals across the political spectrum. Get some wild >>> bit of news, either from “alternative media” or from unimpeachable >>> sources like Maoists with a gun and say “There is no proof for this >>> assertion of mine because there can never be.” This is not to say that >>> government excesses do not take place (italicized for the benefit of >>> those rushing to comment with a “On so-and-so day the government did >>> this and this was reported in Newspaper so-and-so) but much of the >>> accusations are just that. Accusations with nothing to back them up. >>> Accusations so often repeated that they become fact. >>> >>> And what is worth touching upon is the Big Lie that people like Ms. >>> Roy perpetuate. That somehow we are seeing another Santhal Rebellion >>> with the oppressive British being replaced by the oppressive Indian >>> (Hindu) state. During the British era, Santhals using bows and arrows >>> went up against British guns and cannons. Today’s Maoist “tribals” >>> have AK47s and ultra-modern weaponry and commando-like training, which >>> obviously some agency has supplied to them. In that respect this is >>> not a “spontaneous” rising of the dispossessed but a carefully >>> engineered insurrection with the fighting fuel being supplied by our >>> “good neighbors”  and the propaganda lungs (since propaganda is a >>> vital part of Communist struggle) being supplied by “We know who”. >>> >>> However what is true is that fighting footsoldiers of the Maoist >>> movement are coming from the ranks of tribals and it is important we >>> try to understand, even imperfectly since a full understanding of such >>> a difficult problem requires much study which we are unable to do >>> between two KKR matches, what is going on. What our Maoists in the >>> press would tell us is a very simple story. One one side are the good >>> people—the tribals, monstrously poor, sitting on minerals, being >>> exploited and taken advantage of. On on the other side are the bad >>> people—-big industrial houses, the Indian government, police, army and >>> Hindutva (Yes the last word people like Ms. Roy put in every piece >>> almost as if padding a piece for Google Adwords purpose). And that the >>> tribals, the good guys, are launching a justified armed struggle >>> against the bad guys. >>> >>> The truth is slightly different. The tribals are not a monlithic >>> entity. A few of them have, over the generations, taken advantage of >>> quotas and the other special privileges provided to them by the >>> Constitution as well as economic liberalization to improve their lot. >>> Some of them have become middlemen, some of them small businessmen >>> like brick kiln owners. A few of them, over generations, have risen in >>> ranks even further becoming powerhouses like a Madhu Koda or Shibu >>> Soren. But there are others who have stayed behind rolling kendu >>> leaves and essentially doing the same things that their ancestors did. >>> Now when big mining companies moved in, it was those “advanced” >>> tribals who saw an opportunity to make more money by becoming >>> land-brokers. Needless to say, they were coming up against their >>> socially immobile brethren who naturally resented the comparative >>> wealth and influence of their fellow-tribals. And then “people” >>> started putting AK47s in the hands of those pissed off telling them >>> “Grab what you dont have. We can make our own laws.” >>> >>> Soon government-supported, pro-development “tribals” (Salwa >>> Judum—–Mahendra Karma the founder of Salwa Judum is an ethnic Adivasi >>> himself who had made it “big”) and the dispossessed but armed tribals >>> were fighting each other,  in an increasing spiral of violence. And >>> despite what the “liberals” would have you believe,  these >>> “dispossessed” tribals forming the Maoists are not Robin Hoods. They >>> go about terrorizing villages, collecting extortion and protection >>> money and organizing people’s courts for punishing “informers” i.e. >>> those who were trying to get into the gang of the “advanced” tribals. >>> So yes this isnt a battle between good and evil but a massive gang war >>> being played out in the backwoods with no heroes and no villains. Only >>> victims. >>> >>> A solution is difficult to find here. And I wont be presumptuous to >>> say I have any idea what should be done. However I feel that part of >>> the solution would be to have tribals brought into the mainstream. For >>> too long I have seen people, usually city folks and academics, >>> glorifying tribal life as the last surviving vestige of a simple, >>> ancient way of living. But a tribal life, of subsisting on hunting and >>> rolling kendu leaves, is a life that is medieval and there is a reason >>> why people in most parts of the country abandoned this lifestyle many >>> centuries ago (After all we all were tribals once). As mentioned >>> before, the tension underlying the Maoist struggle is between those >>> who have forsaken their old life for “capitalist pleasures” which in >>> turn has led to an understanding of how they can leverage their >>> possession of natural reserves for their own benefit,  and those who >>> have not. >>> >>> While glorying Maoists, Ms. Roy says that they have gotten tribals >>> organized and have won victories like getting a better price for kendu >>> leaves. However it should be noted that poor and exploited people in >>> other parts of the country did not need guns and terrorists to get >>> organized. They formed cooperatives like Gujarat Co-operative Milk >>> Marketing Federation Ltd (Amul) and changed their futures peacefully. >>> So community organization, as Ms. Roy hints, does not need Maoists. As >>> a matter of fact, Maoists prevent aid and assistance from reaching >>> those that need it (being a kind of mafia themselves) and the >>> perpetuation of the Maoist movement, as strategized by its handlers >>> who are anything but tribals, depends critically on people being angry >>> at the government. Hence lack of real development, as done by the >>> government, serves them well because then they can show themselves to >>> be an alternative. >>> >>> In conclusion, I sometimes wonder what would happen to people like Ms. >>> Roy should the Maoists actually succeed in overthrowing the Indian >>> state in a few decades, a publicly stated aim. Well based on the >>> glorious example of Chairman Mao and his attitude towards >>> “intellectuals” during the Cultural Revolution and of his disciple Pol >>> Pot, who made them work in the fields till they died, the fate of >>> champagne liberals like Ms. Roy would not be all that great. But >>> somehow I think she wouldnt stay around in the country to find out. >>> >>> >>> >>> Pawan >>> >>> On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 11:53 AM, Asit asitreds wrote: >>>>  i was not talking about maoists i was just saying why you people were not >>>> outraged when thousands were killed and raped in gujrat riots when babri >>>> masjid was  was raged, when hundreds of honour killings takes place in and >>>> around delhi, when dalit women are paraded naked in the country, when >>>> peaceful democratic mass movements are ruthless supressed for the super >>>> profits of a few corporations, when thousands of farmers are forced out of >>>> their land for sezs, mines and factories for the profits of national and >>>> international big business, when rural poor in kalahandi sell their >>>> daughters in dire poverty the list is endless, im surprised you people are >>>> not at all bothered about the starvation deaths and the acute agrian crisis >>>> where more than two lakh farmers have commited suicide dont you think their >>>> lives are also imortant >>>> asit >>>> >>>> On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 11:11 PM, A.K. Malik wrote: >>>>> >>>>> Dear Durani Sahib, >>>>>                  I fully agree with you. However, the record of the >>>>> current governance in the country is dismal.They may say they will deal with >>>>> it firmly but ultimately the Govt buckles under pressure from various >>>>> quarters including the supporters. No one can justify what is being done by >>>>> the Maoists. I don't know in what way Asit is trying to justify the same. >>>>> Regards, >>>>> >>>>> (A.K.MALIK) >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> --- On Wed, 4/7/10, Pawan Durani wrote: >>>>> >>>>> > From: Pawan Durani >>>>> > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached >>>>> > To: "Asit asitreds" >>>>> > Cc: "reader-list" >>>>> > Date: Wednesday, April 7, 2010, 2:22 PM >>>>> > It's high time that not only Maosists >>>>> > , but their supporters are >>>>> > handled with iron fist. >>>>> > >>>>> > Regards >>>>> > >>>>> > Pawan >>>>> > >>>>> > >>>>> > On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 1:55 PM, Asit asitreds >>>>> > wrote: >>>>> > > what about the voilence in gujrat bhagalpur etc which >>>>> > have killed hundred >>>>> > > times more people than in dantewada >>>>> > >  what about tens of thousands of noncobatant civilan >>>>> > population killed by >>>>> > > security forces in northeast kashmir and punjab >>>>> > > asit >>>>> > > >>>>> > > >>>>> > > On 4/6/10, Pawan Durani >>>>> > wrote: >>>>> > >> >>>>> > >> …and committed a strategic mistake at Dantewada >>>>> > >> >>>>> > >> >>>>> > >> The reason why Naxalites have been able to sustain >>>>> > their insurgency >>>>> > >> for so long is due to three main reasons: the >>>>> > absence or failure of >>>>> > >> governance; the romanticism and propaganda of >>>>> > their overground >>>>> > >> sympathisers; and, finally, due to the relatively >>>>> > subliminal nature of >>>>> > >> their violence. >>>>> > >> >>>>> > >> To the extent that their violence was distributed >>>>> > in space and time >>>>> > >> they could slip in and out of the public mind, >>>>> > pursue on-and-off talks >>>>> > >> with state governments and generally avoid >>>>> > provoking the government >>>>> > >> into hitting back hard. Over the last five years >>>>> > Naxalites have >>>>> > >> violently expanded the geographical spread of >>>>> > their extortion and >>>>> > >> protection rackets—yet, the violence in any >>>>> > given place and time has >>>>> > >> been below a certain threshold. That threshold >>>>> > itself is high for a >>>>> > >> number of reasons, including efforts by their >>>>> > sympathisers to >>>>> > >> romanticise their violence, spectacular terrorist >>>>> > attacks by jihadi >>>>> > >> groups and due to the remoteness of the areas of >>>>> > their operations. >>>>> > >> This allowed Naxalites to get away with murder. A >>>>> > lot of times. In a >>>>> > >> lot of places. Literally. >>>>> > >> >>>>> > >> But killing 73 out of 80 (or 120) CRPF and police >>>>> > personnel in a short >>>>> > >> span of time in a single battle is no longer >>>>> > subliminal violence. In >>>>> > >> all likelihood the Naxalites have crossed a >>>>> > threshold—this incident is >>>>> > >> likely to stay much longer in the public mind and >>>>> > increase the >>>>> > >> pressure on politicians to tackle the Naxalite >>>>> > threat with greater >>>>> > >> resolve. Also, given that it has also become an >>>>> > issue of P >>>>> > >> Chidambaram’s—and hence the UPA >>>>> > government’s—reputation, the gloves >>>>> > >> are likely to come off in the coming weeks. >>>>> > >> >>>>> > >> There’s a chance that India’s psychological >>>>> > threshold is even higher. >>>>> > >> But it is more likely that the Naxalites have >>>>> > overreached. Perhaps >>>>> > >> their leadership has calculated that they are in >>>>> > the next stage of >>>>> > >> their revolutionary war. If so, that would neither >>>>> > the first nor the >>>>> > >> only delusion in their minds. >>>>> > >> >>>>> > >> >>>>> > >> http://acorn.nationalinterest.in/2010/04/06/the-naxalites-overreached/ >>>>> > >> _________________________________________ >>>>> > >> 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: 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: <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 cubbykabi at yahoo.com Thu Apr 8 13:35:26 2010 From: cubbykabi at yahoo.com (kabi cubby sherman) Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2010 13:35:26 +0530 (IST) Subject: [Reader-list] new indian online bookstore - queer ink Message-ID: <980595.10313.qm@web94715.mail.in2.yahoo.com> http://www.queer-ink.com/ things are really happening since 377 got read down. this is bringing access to resources that were either hard to find or needed to be ordered from out. If i've contravened any of the guidelines by posting this, my apologies. Its not to advertise, it to spread the joy of access. Yay! best, kabi Meter Down - काली पीली की कहानी blog: http://meterdown.wordpress.com podcast: http://feeds2.feedburner.com/meterdown The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage. http://in.yahoo.com/ From kaksanjay at gmail.com Thu Apr 8 13:39:28 2010 From: kaksanjay at gmail.com (Sanjay Kak) Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2010 13:39:28 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Thrill of the chaste Message-ID: Thrill of the chaste: The truth about Gandhi's sex life With religious chastity under scrutiny, a new book throws light on Gandhi's practice of sleeping next to naked girls. In fact, he was sex-mad, writes biographer Jad Adams Wednesday, 7 April 2010 It was no secret that Mohandas Gandhi had an unusual sex life. He spoke constantly of sex and gave detailed, often provocative, instructions to his followers as to how to they might best observe chastity. And his views were not always popular; "abnormal and unnatural" was how the first Prime Minister of independent India, Jawaharlal Nehru, described Gandhi's advice to newlyweds to stay celibate for the sake of their souls. But was there something more complex than a pious plea for chastity at play in Gandhi's beliefs, preachings and even his unusual personal practices (which included, alongside his famed chastity, sleeping naked next to nubile, naked women to test his restraint)? In the course of researching my new book on Gandhi, going through a hundred volumes of his complete works and many tomes of eye-witness material, details became apparent which add up to a more bizarre sexual history. Much of this material was known during his lifetime, but was distorted or suppressed after his death during the process of elevating Gandhi into the "Father of the Nation" Was the Mahatma, in fact, as the pre-independence prime minister of the Indian state of Travancore called him, "a most dangerous, semi-repressed sex maniac"? Gandhi was born in the Indian state of Gujarat and married at 13 in 1883; his wife Kasturba was 14, not early by the standards of Gujarat at that time. The young couple had a normal sex life, sharing a bed in a separate room in his family home, and Kasturba was soon pregnant. Two years later, as his father lay dying, Gandhi left his bedside to have sex with Kasturba. Meanwhile, his father drew his last breath. The young man compounded his grief with guilt that he had not been present, and represented his subsequent revulsion towards "lustful love" as being related to his father's death. However, Gandhi and Kasturba's last child wasn't born until fifteen years later, in 1900. In fact, Gandhi did not develop his censorious attitude to sex (and certainly not to marital sex) until he was in his 30s, while a volunteer in the ambulance corps, assisting the British Empire in its wars in Southern Africa. On long marches in sparsely populated land in the Boer War and the Zulu uprisings, Gandhi considered how he could best "give service" to humanity and decided it must be by embracing poverty and chastity. At the age of 38, in 1906, he took a vow of brahmacharya, which meant living a spiritual life but is normally referred to as chastity, without which such a life is deemed impossible by Hindus. Gandhi found it easy to embrace poverty. It was chastity that eluded him. So he worked out a series of complex rules which meant he could say he was chaste while still engaging in the most explicit sexual conversation, letters and behaviour. With the zeal of the convert, within a year of his vow, he told readers of his newspaper Indian Opinion: "It is the duty of every thoughtful Indian not to marry. In case he is helpless in regard to marriage, he should abstain from sexual intercourse with his wife." Meanwhile, Gandhi was challenging that abstinence in his own way. He set up ashrams in which he began his first "experiments" with sex; boys and girls were to bathe and sleep together, chastely, but were punished for any sexual talk. Men and women were segregated, and Gandhi's advice was that husbands should not be alone with their wives, and, when they felt passion, should take a cold bath. The rules did not, however, apply to him. Sushila Nayar, the attractive sister of Gandhi's secretary, also his personal physician, attended Gandhi from girlhood. She used to sleep and bathe with Gandhi. When challenged, he explained how he ensured decency was not offended. "While she is bathing I keep my eyes tightly shut," he said, "I do not know ... whether she bathes naked or with her underwear on. I can tell from the sound that she uses soap." The provision of such personal services to Gandhi was a much sought-after sign of his favour and aroused jealousy among the ashram inmates. As he grew older (and following Kasturba's death) he was to have more women around him and would oblige women to sleep with him whom – according to his segregated ashram rules – were forbidden to sleep with their own husbands. Gandhi would have women in his bed, engaging in his "experiments" which seem to have been, from a reading of his letters, an exercise in strip-tease or other non-contact sexual activity. Much explicit material has been destroyed but tantalising remarks in Gandhi's letters remain such as: "Vina's sleeping with me might be called an accident. All that can be said is that she slept close to me." One might assume, then, that getting into the spirit of the Gandhian experiment meant something more than just sleeping close to him. It can't, one imagines, can have helped with the "involuntary discharges" which Gandhi complained of experiencing more frequently since his return to India. He had an almost magical belief in the power of semen: "One who conserves his vital fluid acquires unfailing power," he said. Meanwhile, it seemed that challenging times required greater efforts of spiritual fortitude, and for that, more attractive women were required: Sushila, who in 1947 was 33, was now due to be supplanted in the bed of the 77-year-old Gandhi by a woman almost half her age. While in Bengal to see what comfort he could offer in times of inter-communal violence in the run-up to independence, Gandhi called for his 18-year-old grandniece Manu to join him – and sleep with him. "We both may be killed by the Muslims," he told her, "and must put our purity to the ultimate test, so that we know that we are offering the purest of sacrifices, and we should now both start sleeping naked." Such behaviour was no part of the accepted practice of bramacharya. He, by now, described his reinvented concept of a brahmachari as: "One who never has any lustful intention, who, by constant attendance upon God, has become proof against conscious or unconscious emissions, who is capable of lying naked with naked women, however beautiful, without being in any manner whatsoever sexually excited ... who is making daily and steady progress towards God and whose every act is done in pursuance of that end and no other." That is, he could do whatever he wished, so long as there was no apparent "lustful intention". He had effectively redefined the concept of chastity to fit his personal practices. Thus far, his reasoning was spiritual, but in the maelstrom that was India approaching independence he took it upon himself to see his sex experiments as having national importance: "I hold that true service of the country demands this observance," he stated. But while he was becoming bolder in his self-righteousness, Gandhi's behaviour was widely discussed and criticised by family members and leading politicians. Some members of his staff resigned, including two editors of his newspaper who left after refusing to print parts of Gandhi's sermons dealing with his sleeping arrangements. But Gandhi found a way of regarding the objections as a further reason tocontinue. "If I don't let Manu sleep with me, though I regard it as essential that she should," he announced, "wouldn't that be a sign of weakness in me?" Eighteen-year-old Abha, the wife of Gandhi's grandnephew Kanu Gandhi, rejoined Gandhi's entourage in the run-up to independence in 1947 and by the end of August he was sleeping with both Manu and Abha at the same time. When he was assassinated in January 1948, it was with Manu and Abha by his side. Despite her having been his constant companion in his last years, family members, tellingly, removed Manu from the scene. Gandhi had written to his son: "I have asked her to write about her sharing the bed with me," but the protectors of his image were eager to eliminate this element of the great leader's life. Devdas, Gandhi's son, accompanied Manu to Delhi station where he took the opportunity of instructing her to keep quiet. Questioned in the 1970s, Sushila revealingly placed the elevation of this lifestyle to a brahmacharya experiment was a response to criticism of this behaviour. "Later on, when people started asking questions about his physical contact with women – with Manu, with Abha, with me – the idea of brahmacharya experiments was developed ... in the early days, there was no question of calling this a brahmacharya experiment." It seems that Gandhi lived as he wished, and only when challenged did he turn his own preferences into a cosmic system of rewards and benefits. Like many great men, Gandhi made up the rules as he went along. While it was commonly discussed as damaging his reputation when he was alive, Gandhi's sexual behaviour was ignored for a long time after his death. It is only now that we can piece together information for a rounded picture of Gandhi's excessive self-belief in the power of his own sexuality. Tragically for him, he was already being sidelined by the politicians at the time of independence. The preservation of his vital fluid did not keep India intact, and it was the power-brokers of the Congress Party who negotiated the terms of India's freedom. Gandhi: Naked Ambition is published by Quercus (£20). To order a copy for the special price of £18 (free P&P) call Independent Books Direct on 08430 600 030, or visit www.independentbooksdirect.co.uk From kaksanjay at gmail.com Thu Apr 8 13:42:12 2010 From: kaksanjay at gmail.com (Sanjay Kak) Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2010 13:42:12 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Thrill of the chaste - with source! Message-ID: Apologies: this part got left behind: In these times of war, just to cheer people up, a blast from the past! Best Sanjay --------------------------- http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/thrill-of-the-chaste-the-truth-about-gandhis-sex-life-1937411.html Thrill of the chaste: The truth about Gandhi's sex life With religious chastity under scrutiny, a new book throws light on Gandhi's practice of sleeping next to naked girls. In fact, he was sex-mad, writes biographer Jad Adams Wednesday, 7 April 2010 It was no secret that Mohandas Gandhi had an unusual sex life. He spoke constantly of sex and gave detailed, often provocative, instructions to his followers as to how to they might best observe chastity. And his views were not always popular; "abnormal and unnatural" was how the first Prime Minister of independent India, Jawaharlal Nehru, described Gandhi's advice to newlyweds to stay celibate for the sake of their souls. But was there something more complex than a pious plea for chastity at play in Gandhi's beliefs, preachings and even his unusual personal practices (which included, alongside his famed chastity, sleeping naked next to nubile, naked women to test his restraint)? In the course of researching my new book on Gandhi, going through a hundred volumes of his complete works and many tomes of eye-witness material, details became apparent which add up to a more bizarre sexual history. Much of this material was known during his lifetime, but was distorted or suppressed after his death during the process of elevating Gandhi into the "Father of the Nation" Was the Mahatma, in fact, as the pre-independence prime minister of the Indian state of Travancore called him, "a most dangerous, semi-repressed sex maniac"? Gandhi was born in the Indian state of Gujarat and married at 13 in 1883; his wife Kasturba was 14, not early by the standards of Gujarat at that time. The young couple had a normal sex life, sharing a bed in a separate room in his family home, and Kasturba was soon pregnant. Two years later, as his father lay dying, Gandhi left his bedside to have sex with Kasturba. Meanwhile, his father drew his last breath. The young man compounded his grief with guilt that he had not been present, and represented his subsequent revulsion towards "lustful love" as being related to his father's death. However, Gandhi and Kasturba's last child wasn't born until fifteen years later, in 1900. In fact, Gandhi did not develop his censorious attitude to sex (and certainly not to marital sex) until he was in his 30s, while a volunteer in the ambulance corps, assisting the British Empire in its wars in Southern Africa. On long marches in sparsely populated land in the Boer War and the Zulu uprisings, Gandhi considered how he could best "give service" to humanity and decided it must be by embracing poverty and chastity. At the age of 38, in 1906, he took a vow of brahmacharya, which meant living a spiritual life but is normally referred to as chastity, without which such a life is deemed impossible by Hindus. Gandhi found it easy to embrace poverty. It was chastity that eluded him. So he worked out a series of complex rules which meant he could say he was chaste while still engaging in the most explicit sexual conversation, letters and behaviour. With the zeal of the convert, within a year of his vow, he told readers of his newspaper Indian Opinion: "It is the duty of every thoughtful Indian not to marry. In case he is helpless in regard to marriage, he should abstain from sexual intercourse with his wife." Meanwhile, Gandhi was challenging that abstinence in his own way. He set up ashrams in which he began his first "experiments" with sex; boys and girls were to bathe and sleep together, chastely, but were punished for any sexual talk. Men and women were segregated, and Gandhi's advice was that husbands should not be alone with their wives, and, when they felt passion, should take a cold bath. The rules did not, however, apply to him. Sushila Nayar, the attractive sister of Gandhi's secretary, also his personal physician, attended Gandhi from girlhood. She used to sleep and bathe with Gandhi. When challenged, he explained how he ensured decency was not offended. "While she is bathing I keep my eyes tightly shut," he said, "I do not know ... whether she bathes naked or with her underwear on. I can tell from the sound that she uses soap." The provision of such personal services to Gandhi was a much sought-after sign of his favour and aroused jealousy among the ashram inmates. As he grew older (and following Kasturba's death) he was to have more women around him and would oblige women to sleep with him whom – according to his segregated ashram rules – were forbidden to sleep with their own husbands. Gandhi would have women in his bed, engaging in his "experiments" which seem to have been, from a reading of his letters, an exercise in strip-tease or other non-contact sexual activity. Much explicit material has been destroyed but tantalising remarks in Gandhi's letters remain such as: "Vina's sleeping with me might be called an accident. All that can be said is that she slept close to me." One might assume, then, that getting into the spirit of the Gandhian experiment meant something more than just sleeping close to him. It can't, one imagines, can have helped with the "involuntary discharges" which Gandhi complained of experiencing more frequently since his return to India. He had an almost magical belief in the power of semen: "One who conserves his vital fluid acquires unfailing power," he said. Meanwhile, it seemed that challenging times required greater efforts of spiritual fortitude, and for that, more attractive women were required: Sushila, who in 1947 was 33, was now due to be supplanted in the bed of the 77-year-old Gandhi by a woman almost half her age. While in Bengal to see what comfort he could offer in times of inter-communal violence in the run-up to independence, Gandhi called for his 18-year-old grandniece Manu to join him – and sleep with him. "We both may be killed by the Muslims," he told her, "and must put our purity to the ultimate test, so that we know that we are offering the purest of sacrifices, and we should now both start sleeping naked." Such behaviour was no part of the accepted practice of bramacharya. He, by now, described his reinvented concept of a brahmachari as: "One who never has any lustful intention, who, by constant attendance upon God, has become proof against conscious or unconscious emissions, who is capable of lying naked with naked women, however beautiful, without being in any manner whatsoever sexually excited ... who is making daily and steady progress towards God and whose every act is done in pursuance of that end and no other." That is, he could do whatever he wished, so long as there was no apparent "lustful intention". He had effectively redefined the concept of chastity to fit his personal practices. Thus far, his reasoning was spiritual, but in the maelstrom that was India approaching independence he took it upon himself to see his sex experiments as having national importance: "I hold that true service of the country demands this observance," he stated. But while he was becoming bolder in his self-righteousness, Gandhi's behaviour was widely discussed and criticised by family members and leading politicians. Some members of his staff resigned, including two editors of his newspaper who left after refusing to print parts of Gandhi's sermons dealing with his sleeping arrangements. But Gandhi found a way of regarding the objections as a further reason tocontinue. "If I don't let Manu sleep with me, though I regard it as essential that she should," he announced, "wouldn't that be a sign of weakness in me?" Eighteen-year-old Abha, the wife of Gandhi's grandnephew Kanu Gandhi, rejoined Gandhi's entourage in the run-up to independence in 1947 and by the end of August he was sleeping with both Manu and Abha at the same time. When he was assassinated in January 1948, it was with Manu and Abha by his side. Despite her having been his constant companion in his last years, family members, tellingly, removed Manu from the scene. Gandhi had written to his son: "I have asked her to write about her sharing the bed with me," but the protectors of his image were eager to eliminate this element of the great leader's life. Devdas, Gandhi's son, accompanied Manu to Delhi station where he took the opportunity of instructing her to keep quiet. Questioned in the 1970s, Sushila revealingly placed the elevation of this lifestyle to a brahmacharya experiment was a response to criticism of this behaviour. "Later on, when people started asking questions about his physical contact with women – with Manu, with Abha, with me – the idea of brahmacharya experiments was developed ... in the early days, there was no question of calling this a brahmacharya experiment." It seems that Gandhi lived as he wished, and only when challenged did he turn his own preferences into a cosmic system of rewards and benefits. Like many great men, Gandhi made up the rules as he went along. While it was commonly discussed as damaging his reputation when he was alive, Gandhi's sexual behaviour was ignored for a long time after his death. It is only now that we can piece together information for a rounded picture of Gandhi's excessive self-belief in the power of his own sexuality. Tragically for him, he was already being sidelined by the politicians at the time of independence. The preservation of his vital fluid did not keep India intact, and it was the power-brokers of the Congress Party who negotiated the terms of India's freedom. Gandhi: Naked Ambition is published by Quercus (£20). To order a copy for the special price of £18 (free P&P) call Independent Books Direct on 08430 600 030, or visit www.independentbooksdirect.co.uk From pawan.durani at gmail.com Thu Apr 8 13:59:25 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2010 13:59:25 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: References: <371996.79361.qm@web112119.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Dear Anupam Ji, NamaskAr I am delighted that you know the complete name of GreatBong. Writing is his profession and you have all the rights to disagree with him . It would have been quite nice had you pin pointed the lines where you disagree with him , so that it would have been useful to readers,including me , to have a balanced understanding. Traveling does not necessarily make an expert or non travelling does not curtail the right to opinion. You have a lot of opinion about Kashmir , and i doubt you have traveled there as much. Regards Pawan On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 1:28 PM, anupam chakravartty wrote: > i think arnab ray should stick to his ideas of popular bollywood > culture before talking about maoists. he has no clue whatsoever. > > like you, i am sure he has not even seen purulia. forget dantewada. > what will do if i tell you that i have been to dantewada several > times? ... you could only label people as maoist sympathiser, he is > pro muslim, he is anti development. label me quickly, else you might > just run out of stock. fast! > > -anupam > > > On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 12:52 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: >> Dear Anupam Ji , >> >> Why are you in anger all the time ? The blogger GreatBong is a famous >> blogger who has won many awards. His name is Arnab and is an author of >> just released book "May I Hebb Your Attention Please".He is from >> Kolkota . >> >> Have you traveled to Dantewada ? >> >> Pawan >> >> >> >> He is from Kolkota . >> >> On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 12:46 PM, anupam chakravartty wrote: >>> Pawan >>> >>> you favorite blogger doesnt even have the guts to put his name on the >>> record for writing such things. he is like Kishenji, who turns his >>> back to the camera before speaking addressing the media. my only >>> advice to this "great bong" is that he should step out his cubicle >>> before he plays around with his words. i bet he hasnt been either to >>> gujarat or dantewada to have suggested that indigenous communities >>> should start dairies in these areas. >>> >>> anupam >>> >>> On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 12:20 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: >>>> Dear Asit , >>>> >>>> While as the nation has condemned whatever you have written , it still >>>> does not justify the Naxalites and their barbaric acts. >>>> >>>> I understand your support to them as your E-Mail ID is quite obvious - >>>> Asit red salute ....lal salaam. >>>> >>>> I am sharing you a piece on this 'civil war' by my favorite blogger :- GreatBong >>>> >>>> http://greatbong.net/2010/04/08/the-invisible-civil-war/ >>>> >>>> We have been in the middle of an invisible civil war for many years >>>> now. Civil war because it is an armed struggle by a section of the >>>> people against the democratic administration of the country, a war >>>> that has spiraled so out of control that representatives of law >>>> enforcement accept that there are large swathes of country where they >>>> cannot enter. Invisible because it rarely captures national attention, >>>> confined as it is to largely rural backward areas for which it is >>>> pushed to the rear of the news by other things more important to our >>>> national life—like IPL, Shoaib-Sania and Kites. >>>> >>>> That is unless more than seventy-six CRPF personnel are brutally >>>> massacred at which point of time we are forced to deal with the issue. >>>> At least for a few news cycles. >>>> >>>> For those of us who do care, at least perfunctorily, and who havent >>>> drunk the “It’s all India’s fault” cool-aid it is tempting to angrily >>>> shout out “Ms Roy, happy now?” , in the context of her frothing >>>> diatribe against the Indian government, Hindutva, corporations >>>> (basically all of her enemies) and her rapturous glorification of the >>>> violence of Maoists in the execrable piece of garbage recently >>>> published in Outlook.  But analyzing or rebutting a fanatic >>>> fundamentalist like Ms. Roy is as futile as deconstructing a Payal >>>> Rohatgi movie and once you realize that she is essentially a Rakhi >>>> Sawant with a laptop and a Booker, with the only difference that she >>>> uses Maoists instead of Mika to get attention, the uselessness of the >>>> exercise is even more evident. >>>> >>>> What however is worth looking at are her rhetorical tools, principally >>>> because they are re-used by many people who share Ms. Roy’s agenda, >>>> from your unshaven friend at JNU to the slacker cousin of yours who >>>> leaves cigarette ash on your carpet. One of it is in presenting random >>>> pictures of Maoist rebels, women or young men, and saying “India’s >>>> Biggest Threats” as if the incongruity between their innocent visages >>>> and the phrase “India’s Biggest Threat” should show how ridiculous a >>>> liar the Indian government is. Of course, Ms. Roy the point is not the >>>> bholi soorat that you so lovingly present but that AK47 slung on her >>>> shoulder. That is the problem. Villains rarely look like Dr. Dong and >>>> do a Shaam-O-Sasha dance and even Osama would look like a poet had not >>>> we known his other activities. >>>> >>>> The second is in humanizing terrorist organizations by saying “Look at >>>> the kind of development work they have done.”  Well even the >>>> Mujahideen in Kashmir did earthquake relief and it is well known that >>>> terrorists do public outreach programs to win hearts and minds. Just >>>> like big industrial houses. However people like Ms. Roy will sneer at >>>> the altruism of big business and glorify that of terrorists. Not >>>> surprising. >>>> >>>> The third is of course making wild accusations of government excesses >>>> and then obviating the necessity of providing supporting evidence by >>>> saying “The corporate press suppressed the news.” This is an old game, >>>> a game played by radicals across the political spectrum. Get some wild >>>> bit of news, either from “alternative media” or from unimpeachable >>>> sources like Maoists with a gun and say “There is no proof for this >>>> assertion of mine because there can never be.” This is not to say that >>>> government excesses do not take place (italicized for the benefit of >>>> those rushing to comment with a “On so-and-so day the government did >>>> this and this was reported in Newspaper so-and-so) but much of the >>>> accusations are just that. Accusations with nothing to back them up. >>>> Accusations so often repeated that they become fact. >>>> >>>> And what is worth touching upon is the Big Lie that people like Ms. >>>> Roy perpetuate. That somehow we are seeing another Santhal Rebellion >>>> with the oppressive British being replaced by the oppressive Indian >>>> (Hindu) state. During the British era, Santhals using bows and arrows >>>> went up against British guns and cannons. Today’s Maoist “tribals” >>>> have AK47s and ultra-modern weaponry and commando-like training, which >>>> obviously some agency has supplied to them. In that respect this is >>>> not a “spontaneous” rising of the dispossessed but a carefully >>>> engineered insurrection with the fighting fuel being supplied by our >>>> “good neighbors”  and the propaganda lungs (since propaganda is a >>>> vital part of Communist struggle) being supplied by “We know who”. >>>> >>>> However what is true is that fighting footsoldiers of the Maoist >>>> movement are coming from the ranks of tribals and it is important we >>>> try to understand, even imperfectly since a full understanding of such >>>> a difficult problem requires much study which we are unable to do >>>> between two KKR matches, what is going on. What our Maoists in the >>>> press would tell us is a very simple story. One one side are the good >>>> people—the tribals, monstrously poor, sitting on minerals, being >>>> exploited and taken advantage of. On on the other side are the bad >>>> people—-big industrial houses, the Indian government, police, army and >>>> Hindutva (Yes the last word people like Ms. Roy put in every piece >>>> almost as if padding a piece for Google Adwords purpose). And that the >>>> tribals, the good guys, are launching a justified armed struggle >>>> against the bad guys. >>>> >>>> The truth is slightly different. The tribals are not a monlithic >>>> entity. A few of them have, over the generations, taken advantage of >>>> quotas and the other special privileges provided to them by the >>>> Constitution as well as economic liberalization to improve their lot. >>>> Some of them have become middlemen, some of them small businessmen >>>> like brick kiln owners. A few of them, over generations, have risen in >>>> ranks even further becoming powerhouses like a Madhu Koda or Shibu >>>> Soren. But there are others who have stayed behind rolling kendu >>>> leaves and essentially doing the same things that their ancestors did. >>>> Now when big mining companies moved in, it was those “advanced” >>>> tribals who saw an opportunity to make more money by becoming >>>> land-brokers. Needless to say, they were coming up against their >>>> socially immobile brethren who naturally resented the comparative >>>> wealth and influence of their fellow-tribals. And then “people” >>>> started putting AK47s in the hands of those pissed off telling them >>>> “Grab what you dont have. We can make our own laws.” >>>> >>>> Soon government-supported, pro-development “tribals” (Salwa >>>> Judum—–Mahendra Karma the founder of Salwa Judum is an ethnic Adivasi >>>> himself who had made it “big”) and the dispossessed but armed tribals >>>> were fighting each other,  in an increasing spiral of violence. And >>>> despite what the “liberals” would have you believe,  these >>>> “dispossessed” tribals forming the Maoists are not Robin Hoods. They >>>> go about terrorizing villages, collecting extortion and protection >>>> money and organizing people’s courts for punishing “informers” i.e. >>>> those who were trying to get into the gang of the “advanced” tribals. >>>> So yes this isnt a battle between good and evil but a massive gang war >>>> being played out in the backwoods with no heroes and no villains. Only >>>> victims. >>>> >>>> A solution is difficult to find here. And I wont be presumptuous to >>>> say I have any idea what should be done. However I feel that part of >>>> the solution would be to have tribals brought into the mainstream. For >>>> too long I have seen people, usually city folks and academics, >>>> glorifying tribal life as the last surviving vestige of a simple, >>>> ancient way of living. But a tribal life, of subsisting on hunting and >>>> rolling kendu leaves, is a life that is medieval and there is a reason >>>> why people in most parts of the country abandoned this lifestyle many >>>> centuries ago (After all we all were tribals once). As mentioned >>>> before, the tension underlying the Maoist struggle is between those >>>> who have forsaken their old life for “capitalist pleasures” which in >>>> turn has led to an understanding of how they can leverage their >>>> possession of natural reserves for their own benefit,  and those who >>>> have not. >>>> >>>> While glorying Maoists, Ms. Roy says that they have gotten tribals >>>> organized and have won victories like getting a better price for kendu >>>> leaves. However it should be noted that poor and exploited people in >>>> other parts of the country did not need guns and terrorists to get >>>> organized. They formed cooperatives like Gujarat Co-operative Milk >>>> Marketing Federation Ltd (Amul) and changed their futures peacefully. >>>> So community organization, as Ms. Roy hints, does not need Maoists. As >>>> a matter of fact, Maoists prevent aid and assistance from reaching >>>> those that need it (being a kind of mafia themselves) and the >>>> perpetuation of the Maoist movement, as strategized by its handlers >>>> who are anything but tribals, depends critically on people being angry >>>> at the government. Hence lack of real development, as done by the >>>> government, serves them well because then they can show themselves to >>>> be an alternative. >>>> >>>> In conclusion, I sometimes wonder what would happen to people like Ms. >>>> Roy should the Maoists actually succeed in overthrowing the Indian >>>> state in a few decades, a publicly stated aim. Well based on the >>>> glorious example of Chairman Mao and his attitude towards >>>> “intellectuals” during the Cultural Revolution and of his disciple Pol >>>> Pot, who made them work in the fields till they died, the fate of >>>> champagne liberals like Ms. Roy would not be all that great. But >>>> somehow I think she wouldnt stay around in the country to find out. >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> Pawan >>>> >>>> On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 11:53 AM, Asit asitreds wrote: >>>>>  i was not talking about maoists i was just saying why you people were not >>>>> outraged when thousands were killed and raped in gujrat riots when babri >>>>> masjid was  was raged, when hundreds of honour killings takes place in and >>>>> around delhi, when dalit women are paraded naked in the country, when >>>>> peaceful democratic mass movements are ruthless supressed for the super >>>>> profits of a few corporations, when thousands of farmers are forced out of >>>>> their land for sezs, mines and factories for the profits of national and >>>>> international big business, when rural poor in kalahandi sell their >>>>> daughters in dire poverty the list is endless, im surprised you people are >>>>> not at all bothered about the starvation deaths and the acute agrian crisis >>>>> where more than two lakh farmers have commited suicide dont you think their >>>>> lives are also imortant >>>>> asit >>>>> >>>>> On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 11:11 PM, A.K. Malik wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>> Dear Durani Sahib, >>>>>>                  I fully agree with you. However, the record of the >>>>>> current governance in the country is dismal.They may say they will deal with >>>>>> it firmly but ultimately the Govt buckles under pressure from various >>>>>> quarters including the supporters. No one can justify what is being done by >>>>>> the Maoists. I don't know in what way Asit is trying to justify the same. >>>>>> Regards, >>>>>> >>>>>> (A.K.MALIK) >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> --- On Wed, 4/7/10, Pawan Durani wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>> > From: Pawan Durani >>>>>> > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached >>>>>> > To: "Asit asitreds" >>>>>> > Cc: "reader-list" >>>>>> > Date: Wednesday, April 7, 2010, 2:22 PM >>>>>> > It's high time that not only Maosists >>>>>> > , but their supporters are >>>>>> > handled with iron fist. >>>>>> > >>>>>> > Regards >>>>>> > >>>>>> > Pawan >>>>>> > >>>>>> > >>>>>> > On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 1:55 PM, Asit asitreds >>>>>> > wrote: >>>>>> > > what about the voilence in gujrat bhagalpur etc which >>>>>> > have killed hundred >>>>>> > > times more people than in dantewada >>>>>> > >  what about tens of thousands of noncobatant civilan >>>>>> > population killed by >>>>>> > > security forces in northeast kashmir and punjab >>>>>> > > asit >>>>>> > > >>>>>> > > >>>>>> > > On 4/6/10, Pawan Durani >>>>>> > wrote: >>>>>> > >> >>>>>> > >> …and committed a strategic mistake at Dantewada >>>>>> > >> >>>>>> > >> >>>>>> > >> The reason why Naxalites have been able to sustain >>>>>> > their insurgency >>>>>> > >> for so long is due to three main reasons: the >>>>>> > absence or failure of >>>>>> > >> governance; the romanticism and propaganda of >>>>>> > their overground >>>>>> > >> sympathisers; and, finally, due to the relatively >>>>>> > subliminal nature of >>>>>> > >> their violence. >>>>>> > >> >>>>>> > >> To the extent that their violence was distributed >>>>>> > in space and time >>>>>> > >> they could slip in and out of the public mind, >>>>>> > pursue on-and-off talks >>>>>> > >> with state governments and generally avoid >>>>>> > provoking the government >>>>>> > >> into hitting back hard. Over the last five years >>>>>> > Naxalites have >>>>>> > >> violently expanded the geographical spread of >>>>>> > their extortion and >>>>>> > >> protection rackets—yet, the violence in any >>>>>> > given place and time has >>>>>> > >> been below a certain threshold. That threshold >>>>>> > itself is high for a >>>>>> > >> number of reasons, including efforts by their >>>>>> > sympathisers to >>>>>> > >> romanticise their violence, spectacular terrorist >>>>>> > attacks by jihadi >>>>>> > >> groups and due to the remoteness of the areas of >>>>>> > their operations. >>>>>> > >> This allowed Naxalites to get away with murder. A >>>>>> > lot of times. In a >>>>>> > >> lot of places. Literally. >>>>>> > >> >>>>>> > >> But killing 73 out of 80 (or 120) CRPF and police >>>>>> > personnel in a short >>>>>> > >> span of time in a single battle is no longer >>>>>> > subliminal violence. In >>>>>> > >> all likelihood the Naxalites have crossed a >>>>>> > threshold—this incident is >>>>>> > >> likely to stay much longer in the public mind and >>>>>> > increase the >>>>>> > >> pressure on politicians to tackle the Naxalite >>>>>> > threat with greater >>>>>> > >> resolve. Also, given that it has also become an >>>>>> > issue of P >>>>>> > >> Chidambaram’s—and hence the UPA >>>>>> > government’s—reputation, the gloves >>>>>> > >> are likely to come off in the coming weeks. >>>>>> > >> >>>>>> > >> There’s a chance that India’s psychological >>>>>> > threshold is even higher. >>>>>> > >> But it is more likely that the Naxalites have >>>>>> > overreached. Perhaps >>>>>> > >> their leadership has calculated that they are in >>>>>> > the next stage of >>>>>> > >> their revolutionary war. If so, that would neither >>>>>> > the first nor the >>>>>> > >> only delusion in their minds. >>>>>> > >> >>>>>> > >> >>>>>> > >> http://acorn.nationalinterest.in/2010/04/06/the-naxalites-overreached/ >>>>>> > >> _________________________________________ >>>>>> > >> 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: 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: <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 rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com Thu Apr 8 14:32:27 2010 From: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com (Rakesh Iyer) Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2010 14:32:27 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Thrill of the chaste - with source! In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: While thanks for this piece of info, I think one should not forget what Gandhi and Vivekananda once said, should be the core of our living: Take what is good from others, and leave aside the bad. We have a lot many issues I believe, and we can take good from this and also the bad. And accordingly live our life. Rakesh On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 1:42 PM, Sanjay Kak wrote: > Apologies: this part got left behind: > > In these times of war, just to cheer people up, a blast from the past! > Best > Sanjay > > --------------------------- > > > http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/thrill-of-the-chaste-the-truth-about-gandhis-sex-life-1937411.html > > Thrill of the chaste: The truth about Gandhi's sex life > > With religious chastity under scrutiny, a new book throws light on > Gandhi's practice of sleeping next to naked girls. In fact, he was > sex-mad, writes biographer Jad Adams > > Wednesday, 7 April 2010 > > It was no secret that Mohandas Gandhi had an unusual sex life. He > spoke constantly of sex and gave detailed, often provocative, > instructions to his followers as to how to they might best observe > chastity. And his views were not always popular; "abnormal and > unnatural" was how the first Prime Minister of independent India, > Jawaharlal Nehru, described Gandhi's advice to newlyweds to stay > celibate for the sake of their souls. > > But was there something more complex than a pious plea for chastity at > play in Gandhi's beliefs, preachings and even his unusual personal > practices (which included, alongside his famed chastity, sleeping > naked next to nubile, naked women to test his restraint)? In the > course of researching my new book on Gandhi, going through a hundred > volumes of his complete works and many tomes of eye-witness material, > details became apparent which add up to a more bizarre sexual history. > > Much of this material was known during his lifetime, but was distorted > or suppressed after his death during the process of elevating Gandhi > into the "Father of the Nation" Was the Mahatma, in fact, as the > pre-independence prime minister of the Indian state of Travancore > called him, "a most dangerous, semi-repressed sex maniac"? > > Gandhi was born in the Indian state of Gujarat and married at 13 in > 1883; his wife Kasturba was 14, not early by the standards of Gujarat > at that time. The young couple had a normal sex life, sharing a bed in > a separate room in his family home, and Kasturba was soon pregnant. > > Two years later, as his father lay dying, Gandhi left his bedside to > have sex with Kasturba. Meanwhile, his father drew his last breath. > The young man compounded his grief with guilt that he had not been > present, and represented his subsequent revulsion towards "lustful > love" as being related to his father's death. > > However, Gandhi and Kasturba's last child wasn't born until fifteen > years later, in 1900. > > In fact, Gandhi did not develop his censorious attitude to sex (and > certainly not to marital sex) until he was in his 30s, while a > volunteer in the ambulance corps, assisting the British Empire in its > wars in Southern Africa. On long marches in sparsely populated land in > the Boer War and the Zulu uprisings, Gandhi considered how he could > best "give service" to humanity and decided it must be by embracing > poverty and chastity. > > At the age of 38, in 1906, he took a vow of brahmacharya, which meant > living a spiritual life but is normally referred to as chastity, > without which such a life is deemed impossible by Hindus. > > Gandhi found it easy to embrace poverty. It was chastity that eluded > him. So he worked out a series of complex rules which meant he could > say he was chaste while still engaging in the most explicit sexual > conversation, letters and behaviour. > > With the zeal of the convert, within a year of his vow, he told > readers of his newspaper Indian Opinion: "It is the duty of every > thoughtful Indian not to marry. In case he is helpless in regard to > marriage, he should abstain from sexual intercourse with his wife." > > Meanwhile, Gandhi was challenging that abstinence in his own way. He > set up ashrams in which he began his first "experiments" with sex; > boys and girls were to bathe and sleep together, chastely, but were > punished for any sexual talk. Men and women were segregated, and > Gandhi's advice was that husbands should not be alone with their > wives, and, when they felt passion, should take a cold bath. > > The rules did not, however, apply to him. Sushila Nayar, the > attractive sister of Gandhi's secretary, also his personal physician, > attended Gandhi from girlhood. She used to sleep and bathe with > Gandhi. When challenged, he explained how he ensured decency was not > offended. "While she is bathing I keep my eyes tightly shut," he said, > "I do not know ... whether she bathes naked or with her underwear on. > I can tell from the sound that she uses soap." The provision of such > personal services to Gandhi was a much sought-after sign of his favour > and aroused jealousy among the ashram inmates. > > As he grew older (and following Kasturba's death) he was to have more > women around him and would oblige women to sleep with him whom – > according to his segregated ashram rules – were forbidden to sleep > with their own husbands. Gandhi would have women in his bed, engaging > in his "experiments" which seem to have been, from a reading of his > letters, an exercise in strip-tease or other non-contact sexual > activity. Much explicit material has been destroyed but tantalising > remarks in Gandhi's letters remain such as: "Vina's sleeping with me > might be called an accident. All that can be said is that she slept > close to me." One might assume, then, that getting into the spirit of > the Gandhian experiment meant something more than just sleeping close > to him. > > It can't, one imagines, can have helped with the "involuntary > discharges" which Gandhi complained of experiencing more frequently > since his return to India. He had an almost magical belief in the > power of semen: "One who conserves his vital fluid acquires unfailing > power," he said. > > Meanwhile, it seemed that challenging times required greater efforts > of spiritual fortitude, and for that, more attractive women were > required: Sushila, who in 1947 was 33, was now due to be supplanted in > the bed of the 77-year-old Gandhi by a woman almost half her age. > While in Bengal to see what comfort he could offer in times of > inter-communal violence in the run-up to independence, Gandhi called > for his 18-year-old grandniece Manu to join him – and sleep with him. > "We both may be killed by the Muslims," he told her, "and must put our > purity to the ultimate test, so that we know that we are offering the > purest of sacrifices, and we should now both start sleeping naked." > > Such behaviour was no part of the accepted practice of bramacharya. > He, by now, described his reinvented concept of a brahmachari as: "One > who never has any lustful intention, who, by constant attendance upon > God, has become proof against conscious or unconscious emissions, who > is capable of lying naked with naked women, however beautiful, without > being in any manner whatsoever sexually excited ... who is making > daily and steady progress towards God and whose every act is done in > pursuance of that end and no other." That is, he could do whatever he > wished, so long as there was no apparent "lustful intention". He had > effectively redefined the concept of chastity to fit his personal > practices. > > Thus far, his reasoning was spiritual, but in the maelstrom that was > India approaching independence he took it upon himself to see his sex > experiments as having national importance: "I hold that true service > of the country demands this observance," he stated. > > But while he was becoming bolder in his self-righteousness, Gandhi's > behaviour was widely discussed and criticised by family members and > leading politicians. Some members of his staff resigned, including two > editors of his newspaper who left after refusing to print parts of > Gandhi's sermons dealing with his sleeping arrangements. > > But Gandhi found a way of regarding the objections as a further reason > tocontinue. "If I don't let Manu sleep with me, though I regard it as > essential that she should," he announced, "wouldn't that be a sign of > weakness in me?" > > Eighteen-year-old Abha, the wife of Gandhi's grandnephew Kanu Gandhi, > rejoined Gandhi's entourage in the run-up to independence in 1947 and > by the end of August he was sleeping with both Manu and Abha at the > same time. > > When he was assassinated in January 1948, it was with Manu and Abha by > his side. Despite her having been his constant companion in his last > years, family members, tellingly, removed Manu from the scene. Gandhi > had written to his son: "I have asked her to write about her sharing > the bed with me," but the protectors of his image were eager to > eliminate this element of the great leader's life. Devdas, Gandhi's > son, accompanied Manu to Delhi station where he took the opportunity > of instructing her to keep quiet. > > Questioned in the 1970s, Sushila revealingly placed the elevation of > this lifestyle to a brahmacharya experiment was a response to > criticism of this behaviour. "Later on, when people started asking > questions about his physical contact with women – with Manu, with > Abha, with me – the idea of brahmacharya experiments was developed ... > in the early days, there was no question of calling this a > brahmacharya experiment." It seems that Gandhi lived as he wished, and > only when challenged did he turn his own preferences into a cosmic > system of rewards and benefits. Like many great men, Gandhi made up > the rules as he went along. > > While it was commonly discussed as damaging his reputation when he was > alive, Gandhi's sexual behaviour was ignored for a long time after his > death. It is only now that we can piece together information for a > rounded picture of Gandhi's excessive self-belief in the power of his > own sexuality. Tragically for him, he was already being sidelined by > the politicians at the time of independence. The preservation of his > vital fluid did not keep India intact, and it was the power-brokers of > the Congress Party who negotiated the terms of India's freedom. > > Gandhi: Naked Ambition is published by Quercus (£20). To order a copy > for the special price of £18 (free P&P) call Independent Books Direct > on 08430 600 030, or visit www.independentbooksdirect.co.uk > _________________________________________ > 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 Thu Apr 8 14:42:57 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2010 14:42:57 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: References: <371996.79361.qm@web112119.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Dreams and lives lost: He said Jai Hind, and the phone went dead ... After the deadly attack on CRPF, here are stories of men who had dreams – for their parents, family and village. All of that in tatters now. Some even desperately tried to say a few words as they were ambushed and dying. Here are stories of brave men and how their ambitions would never come true. Wounded and dying, Constable Mallick wanted to talk to his wife Bhubaneswar: Around 7 am on Tuesday, Constable Hrusikesh Mallick called up his wife Ahalyarani at their home in Brundabanpur village of Jajpur district. When she didn't pick up her mobile phone, he called up his nephew in Bhubaneswar and told him to let Ahalyarani know he had called. It was much later that the nephew would realise why Mallick was so insistent. The family believes the constable with the CRPF's 62nd battalion may have been breathing his last, surrounded by Naxals, when he made the call. "After telling the nephew to inform Ahalyarani, he said `Jai Hind'. The call then went dead," says Mallick's younger brother Pitabas. Mallick was the sole bread-earner of his large family of 14, and leaves behind wife, a 14-year old son and two daughters, aged 7 and 11. A Dalit and son of daily labourers, he endured difficult times to make it to the CRPF in 1994, having started out as a homeguard in Orissa Police with a measly salary. He and Constable Jagneswar Nayak, 27, of Panisala village in the tribal-dominated Mayurbhanj district were among the two CRPF personnel from Orissa killed in the Dantewada attack. Long after the incident, their families had no inkling of what had happened. "Though we knew that he was posted in Chhattisgarh, he never told us about his operation in Dantewada. After we heard about the attack, a cousin of mine working in CRPF in Jammu and Kashmir told us about my brother's possible death. But even then we did not know for sure," says Nayak's younger brother Sibakar. When The Indian Express correspondent called up, Nayak's wife of two years, Shantilata, and his farmer parents were in a state of shock. The Constable has a one-year-old daughter, who was inconsolable. Nayak, who joined the force in 2001, last visited his wife and parents 20 days ago and was supposed to come home in May this year. Even the local CRPF office in Bhubaneswar did not have proper information about the deaths as well as the contact details of the jawans till this afternoon. It was local politicians who first broke the news of Mallick's death to his family in Brundabanpur. Hassan called to say he was dying and helpless New Delhi: On Tuesday morning, just moments after he had been shot at, CRPF Head Constable Ali Hassan called up his wife to tell her to take care of herself and of their three young daughters. He also spoke briefly to his 80-year-old father, informing him of the incident and telling him that they were ambushed and there was no help available. "The phone got disconnected soon after and for the next three hours we kept calling him, but it went unanswered," says wife Tasleen Bano. Hassan, 38, who was killed in the Dantewada Naxal attack on Tuesday, had incidentally "volunteered" to be a part of the operation against the Naxalites. "He said he wanted to climb up the hierarchial ladder in the CRPF with his work," says Tasleen. A resident of Khatola village near Shahpur in Muzaffarnagar district, Hassan was supposed to come home three days from now, to help his father at the time of harvest on their modest farm. He last visited home five months back. This is the second time in the past one year that tragedy has struck Hassan's family. Earlier last year, his three-year-old son Shahnawaz had died after he fell off the terrace of their house while playing with his siblings. "When he called on Tuesday, he told my father he was injured badly and might not survive. He said the Naxals had ambushed them and there was no help available," Hassan's elder brother Taj Mohammed says. "We immediately called up Brij Mohan, the DIG of his battalion. He told us he was trying to get help." Hassan's mother hasn't spoken a word since the news came, while Tasleen hasn't stopped crying. "I do not know what I will tell his daughters when I return with Hassan's body," Taj says. His daughters Raviya, Saviya and Naziya are aged 9, 7 and 4. Family members say Hassan was always the brave one among his five brothers. "Since childhood, he dreamed of making it big," Taj Mohammed recalls. "He wanted to make his country proud. That is why he chose not to be a farmer like the rest of us." Sopan's parents were to celebrate his wedding, but ended up waiting for his body Mumbai: For the Amble family in Jalgaon, Tuesday was a busy day -- they had finally got the first draft of the wedding card of their son, Sopan. His father wanted Sopan's name and his designation -wireless operator -- written in bold. His mother wanted their family deity mentioned in both the pages, and his two brothers wanted the name of their late sister Asha mentioned in the card. On Wednesday morning, the family received a call saying that Sopan, 24, had died in the jungles of Dantewada. Having joined the CRPF in 2004, Sopan was posted as a wireless operator in Chhattisgarh. His first stint was in Jammu and Kashmir. "When we spoke about the wedding details this week on the phone, he had said that he will come home on the morning of May 14, just in time for the wedding," says elder brother Ashok. Father Kautik, a caterer, was excited that his son's wedding would have "simple but good food especially prepared by him", adds Ashok. Sopan's last visit to his home in Wadali Wadala, Chalisgaon in Jalgaon, was in February. His sister had been detected with a serious liver infection, with remote chances of survival. Sopan and his brothers took Asha to Mumbai's KEM Hospital where she breathed her last. "He was a man of few words and did not show much emotion, but he was the most hurt at Asha's death. At home, he never discussed work, but we knew that he was pas sionate about his job," says Ashok. "All of us assist our father in his catering business. But he never showed interest in this business and wanted to join the Army. After he cleared his HSC exam, he applied and got selected for a job in the CRPF. Last year, he applied for a special training for the job of a wireless operator. He was clear about his priorities and duty always came first for him," says Ashok. First the phone went dead, then came terrible news Jhunjhunu: Rukmini Meena has been unconscious for over a day now and is lying in a hospital near Papurna village in Rajasthan's Jhunjhunu district. Doctors are not sure when she will recover. It was early on Tuesday morning that the 26-year-old was told of her husband Assistant Commandant Bajrang Meena's death in the Naxal attack in Dantewada. Bajrang Meena, 32, was second-in-command of the company that was ambushed in Chhattisgarh. Since she got the news, Rukmini hasn't spoken or stirred. Aunts and relatives are looking after her two-and-half-year-old daughter Ria. "She had spoken to Bajrangji only on Monday night, at around 8 pm. He had returned to Dantewada 15 days ago after a vacation here. He told her that he was involved in an operation and would speak to her the next morning," said Rukmini's brother Om Prakash. But the next morning had TV channels reporting the Naxals staging their deadliest attack till date, striking men of the 62nd Battalion of the CRPF. Rukmini immediately knew something was wrong. y "She tried calling his number repeatedly, but no one picked up. Later that morning, a CRPF man called back," Om Prakash said. She was told Meena was among those killed in the attack, and that his s body had not yet been found. "My sister fell unconscious." Bajrang's brother Kailash Meena (46), a Head Constable with the Jaipur city police, is inconsolable. "He was the youngest brother of four and the brightest. Our father died when we were young and I saved every paisa of my constable salary to educate Bajrang. We were so proud when he became an officer. Now all that is shattered," Kailash said. Over 1000 naxals plan a deadly strike and the intelligence did not know? In Lakhu, 30 km away from Jhunjhunu, is another bereaved family, that of Meena's commanding officer, Deputy Commandant Satyavan Singh Yadav (46). Like Meena, Yadav hailed from a forces family -- brother Sumer (56) had retired as a CRPF commandant. Yadav was the family hero. He had served in the Special Protection Group (SPG) with all Prime Ministers, from Rajiv Gandhi to Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and was promoted only six months ago. The youngest of five brothers, he left behind wife Rajbala and two sons, Nitin (16) and Sanjeet (22). "We found out at 10 am. I know several people serving in Dantewada. I spoke to him only three days ago when he said he was leading an operation into Naxal territory," Sumer said. Both Papurna and Lakhu villages pride themselves on the fact that most of their families have at least one member serving in the forces. And on the fact that residents have given their lives in almost every war post-Independence. But these are deaths they can't comprehend or accept. "Yeh to dhokha hai (this is treachery)," says Meena's brother Badri. "He was not fighting an external enemy but his own countrymen who killed him. How can his death be justified? In this area, most families send one member to the forces. But if our sons, fathers and brothers have to die fighting Naxals in poor conditions, we will stop sending our people," Sumer said. "The government dithers on policy, saying this one day and something else the next. And the CRPF means a hard life... how can the government not know about an ambush planned by more than a thousand Naxals? How?" Sumer asked. The only person not to know of Vinod's death is his wife Lucknow: The only person in Manikapur village in Sultanpur who does not know about the death of CRPF jawan Vinod Kumar in the Dantewada Maoist attack is his wife Savitri Devi. Four months pregnant, she had a miscarriage early this morning after staying up the whole night to hear about him. "I don't how to tell her. She has had a miscarriage and undergone surgery," said Vinod's younger brother Ajay Kumar who had to rush Savitri to a hospital 15 km from their village on his motorcycle because no four-wheeler was available at that hour. A policeman brought the news about 30-year-old Vinod's death to the house a little later. The family heard on the radio in the evening about the Dantewada attack on CRPF personnel. Vinod was posted in Dantewada, and they spent all of the night hoping and praying. "We tried to contact Vinod on his cellphone several times, but it was switched off," said Vinod's father Dev Narayan. "I tried my best to contact officials in Lucknow but had no luck. Someone told me that the jawans of his company were attacked. But there was no word about Vinod." After spending an anxious night, Savitri suffered a miscarriage. Then the policeman came with the news. "I have told Ajay not to tell Savitri. Let her be alright and return home," said Dev Narayan. Vinod and Savitri, who got married in 1991, have two children, Rasha (5) and Abhishek (3). Vinod had last called the family on the Monday evening, saying his unit was going out on an operation that could last three days. He also said he would not be carrying his cellphone, but would call them after returning from the operation, said Dev Narayan. A graduate, Vinod joined the CRPF in 2006. His elder brother Suresh Kumar works in a private firm, while Ajay is doing his graduation. The village was all praise for Dev Narayan who ensured all his sons got a good education. "Vinod was a symbol of the aspirations for our young men," said gram pradhan Kalawati. Sanctioned leave, Vinod was to come home in May. The family would have seen him for the first time in six months. But that was never to be. Narendra Singh had big plans, but now he will never be back Mahmadnpur, Ghaziabad: Narendra Singh was supposed to come home on April 20. When the 28-year-old CRPF Constable spoke to his younger brother Zile Singh three days ago, he had told him about his plans to make their brick house better. He wanted to put up a big entrance gate, make some portions of the house pucca and also get the broken music system repaired. On Tuesday, the family lost Narendra, and with him the hope of a future. A day after, at his home in Mahmadpur village, Narendra's father Dhan Singh lay on a charpoy surrounded by his neighbours. All he could say was that when he spoke to his son last, he had rebuked him for not taking care of his health. Mother Barfi Devi is still to believe that her elder son is dead. "Call Narendra, I want to speak to him," she was telling visitors. Narendra's wife Saroj was too shocked to talk. They have a one-year-old son, Kunal. Zile Singh said Narendra wanted to study further. "My brother could not complete his MA final year from Rana Degree College as he was selected in CRPF in 2002. But he wanted to study more and had to appear for a B.Ed entrance test this month. I never knew it was t our last talk." The villagers, too, remembered Narendra as someone who was keen on education. "The father is a labourer and the brother a high school passout. He was the only one who pursued education. Whenever he would see children playing in the village, he would advise them to take their studies seriously," said Mukesh, a villager. Narendra always took care that his family did now about the serious nature of his work. "He never used to discuss his posting with the family members. He only once said that he was tensed and feared he would not return home. We could never understand his life was in danger," said Zile Singh. Khalil Khan saw death coming Fazalgarh, Ghaziabad: Khalil Khan told his family members it was a battle for survival in Dantewada every single day. The family members of the 28-year-old CRPF Constable said he had a premonition that the Chhattisgarh posting would be his last. Elder brother Rahisuddin recalled how Khalil escaped Naxalites last time when he came out for a visit home. "He told us he along with his friends paid Rs 10,000 to an auto driver to take them to the city. They knew that Naxalites would kill them if their identities were revealed. The fear came true. Naxalites stopped their auto for 12 hours and released them only when the driver assured the rebels that they were locals," Rahisuddin said. The family last spoke to him 15 days ago. "I could feel the fear in his voice. He told me that surviving in the area was becoming impossible. He said he was counting days and was not sure when he could fall prey to the Naxalites. He also told us there were no facilities for them for self defence," informed Salim, a relative who broke the news of his death to the family. Since early Wednesday, Khalil's kuccha house in Fazalgarh village, Ghaziabad, saw a line of villagers paying condolences. His father Fakhruddin, a carpenter, recalled how his son made him proud when he joined the CRPF in 2002 from Rampur. "He said he will not do any other job. He was adamant on joining the security forces. He was our only hope," Fakhruddin said. He slammed the government for not doing enough for the security forces. "They (CRPF personnel) do not even have basic facilities," said the father. Khalil is survived by his wife and two children. Source: The Indian Express From c.anupam at gmail.com Thu Apr 8 15:09:08 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2010 15:09:08 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: References: <371996.79361.qm@web112119.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Pawan, I wonder if you really read and understood what victim's families have to say. you have posted the news for sure but failed to read between the lines: here's an excerpt for what you have posted: Deputy Commandant Satyavan Singh Yadav (46) But these are deaths they can't comprehend or accept. "Yeh to dhokha hai (this is treachery)," says Meena's brother Badri. "He was not fighting an external enemy but his own countrymen who killed him. How can his death be justified? In this area, most families send one member to the forces. But if our sons, fathers and brothers have to die fighting Naxals in poor conditions, we will stop sending our people," Sumer said. "The government dithers on policy, saying this one day and something else the next. And the CRPF means a hard life... how can the government not know about an ambush planned by more than a thousand Naxals? How?" Sumer asked. i have nothing more to say Pawan but only to go back to your iron hand analogy in dealing with Maoists: http://www.navhindtimes.in/news/iaf-must-not-be-used-fight-naxals-chief "The Air Force chief also visualised a scenario if the IAF is called in. “Let us say that air force is called in for attack in Naxal locality and it needs to fire a rocket, which is fired at a minimum distance from 1,500-1,800 metres...From that distance we are not able to visualise what the target is,” he said. “The basic thing is Naxals are our own citizens,” he said, when asked if it was time for the military to join the anti-Naxal operations. Meanwhile, the Home Minister, Mr P Chidambaram said on Wednesday that the government may have to reconsider its policy of not using Air Force in the fight against Naxalites but cautioned against “knee-jerk” reactions in the wake of the savage Maoist attack in Chattisgarh on Tuesday. He said there will be no let-up in the offensive against Naxals." i rest my case here Pawan. You have every right to have your own point of view, i shall defend that right but i will never endorse statements that has been made by you regarding the maoists and the means to tackle the issue. anupam From pawan.durani at gmail.com Thu Apr 8 15:13:24 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2010 15:13:24 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: References: <371996.79361.qm@web112119.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Anupam Ji , What the families feel and what the Govt does are beyond me. I have my view and I still believe that the Naxalism should be CRUSHED. Interestingly those who preach restrain in this list have been admirers of violent movements , be it Kashmir or Naxalism or anything else. Losers Pawan On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 3:09 PM, anupam chakravartty wrote: > Pawan, > > I wonder if you really read and understood what victim's families have to say. > > you have posted the news for sure but failed to read between the lines: > > here's an excerpt for what you have posted: Deputy Commandant Satyavan > Singh Yadav (46) > > But these are deaths they can't comprehend or accept. "Yeh to dhokha > hai (this is treachery)," says Meena's brother Badri. "He was not > fighting an external enemy but his own countrymen who killed him. How > can his death be justified? In this area, most families send one > member to the forces. But if our sons, fathers and brothers have to > die fighting Naxals in poor conditions, we will stop sending our > people," Sumer said. > > "The government dithers on policy, saying this one day and something > else the next. And the CRPF means a hard life... how can the > government not know about an ambush planned by more than a thousand > Naxals? How?" Sumer asked. > > i have nothing more to say Pawan but only to go back to your iron hand > analogy in dealing with Maoists: > > http://www.navhindtimes.in/news/iaf-must-not-be-used-fight-naxals-chief > > "The Air Force chief also visualised a scenario if the IAF is called > in. “Let us say that air force is called in for attack in Naxal > locality and it needs to fire a rocket, which is fired at a minimum > distance from 1,500-1,800 metres...From that distance we are not able > to visualise what the target is,” he said. “The basic thing is Naxals > are our own citizens,” he said, when asked if it was time for the > military to join the anti-Naxal operations. > Meanwhile, the Home Minister, Mr P Chidambaram said on Wednesday that > the government may have to reconsider its policy of not using Air > Force in the fight against Naxalites but cautioned against “knee-jerk” > reactions in the wake of the savage Maoist attack in Chattisgarh on > Tuesday. He said there will be no let-up in the offensive against > Naxals." > > i rest my case here Pawan. You have every right to have your own point > of view, i shall defend that right but i will never endorse statements > that has been made by you regarding the maoists and the means to > tackle the issue. > > anupam > _________________________________________ > 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 c.anupam at gmail.com Thu Apr 8 15:26:13 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2010 15:26:13 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: References: <371996.79361.qm@web112119.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: consider yourself fortunate to have an opinion and also for having the capacity to bring in your opinion to the readers here. there are others who are invisible and unheard of. you are talking about crushing them without going to roots of the issue. i think it is unfair on your part to call the list members as admirers of violence. shows your spirit with which you want to discuss issues here on this list. i dont think individually people wish for violence. that is my basic premise. if i have to deduce from what you have said, you are a fan of retributive justice. so no arguing with you sir, you can have your opinion. crush whoever you feel like with your words. have a nice day. anupam On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 3:13 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > Anupam Ji , > > What the families feel and what the Govt does are beyond me. I have my > view and I still believe that the Naxalism should be CRUSHED. > > Interestingly those who preach restrain in this list have been > admirers of violent movements , be it Kashmir or Naxalism or anything > else. > > Losers > > Pawan > > On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 3:09 PM, anupam chakravartty wrote: >> Pawan, >> >> I wonder if you really read and understood what victim's families have to say. >> >> you have posted the news for sure but failed to read between the lines: >> >> here's an excerpt for what you have posted: Deputy Commandant Satyavan >> Singh Yadav (46) >> >> But these are deaths they can't comprehend or accept. "Yeh to dhokha >> hai (this is treachery)," says Meena's brother Badri. "He was not >> fighting an external enemy but his own countrymen who killed him. How >> can his death be justified? In this area, most families send one >> member to the forces. But if our sons, fathers and brothers have to >> die fighting Naxals in poor conditions, we will stop sending our >> people," Sumer said. >> >> "The government dithers on policy, saying this one day and something >> else the next. And the CRPF means a hard life... how can the >> government not know about an ambush planned by more than a thousand >> Naxals? How?" Sumer asked. >> >> i have nothing more to say Pawan but only to go back to your iron hand >> analogy in dealing with Maoists: >> >> http://www.navhindtimes.in/news/iaf-must-not-be-used-fight-naxals-chief >> >> "The Air Force chief also visualised a scenario if the IAF is called >> in. “Let us say that air force is called in for attack in Naxal >> locality and it needs to fire a rocket, which is fired at a minimum >> distance from 1,500-1,800 metres...From that distance we are not able >> to visualise what the target is,” he said. “The basic thing is Naxals >> are our own citizens,” he said, when asked if it was time for the >> military to join the anti-Naxal operations. >> Meanwhile, the Home Minister, Mr P Chidambaram said on Wednesday that >> the government may have to reconsider its policy of not using Air >> Force in the fight against Naxalites but cautioned against “knee-jerk” >> reactions in the wake of the savage Maoist attack in Chattisgarh on >> Tuesday. He said there will be no let-up in the offensive against >> Naxals." >> >> i rest my case here Pawan. You have every right to have your own point >> of view, i shall defend that right but i will never endorse statements >> that has been made by you regarding the maoists and the means to >> tackle the issue. >> >> anupam >> _________________________________________ >> 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 rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com Thu Apr 8 15:30:08 2010 From: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com (Rakesh Iyer) Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2010 15:30:08 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: References: <371996.79361.qm@web112119.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Dear Pawan This is highly atrocious of you to state things without even understanding the ground realities. You are talking of crushing the Maoists. Such crushing is only possible if we completely bomb out the area. Are you thinking of that? In other words, are you going to create an Afghanistan or Vietnam within India? You can't identify who is a Naxal from who is not a Naxal in the villages. The Naxals don't wear a uniform. You don't have intelligence on how they conduct their operations. You don't even have an idea of how many people are there as Naxalites. Neither are you willing to look at the causes of how tribals become Naxalites. You don't try to address the real issues like poverty, lack of employment and displacement of tribals. Neither do you ensure administrative, police or judicial reforms. And then, without doing anything of this, you agree to using force against your own citizens and fellow human beings. You talk about Kashmir. People like you have forgotten that Kashmiri separatists are still there because people don't trust the Indian state. To ensure that India wins Kashmir for once and for all, a mass slaughter of all Kashmiri Muslims would have to be organized. Are you ready for that? If you can't accept that to Kashmiri Pandits, would you accept that for Kashmiri Muslims? Or are you communal or strategically minded to pursue gains only for your community? All those here talking about crushing the Maoists or separatists or terrorists. Remember this. All counter-insurgency measures across the world have been a failure with the exception of one, as told by a professor to me. This one was in Malaysia, where the British successfully fought the Communist insurgencies. How? Simple. Instead of confronting the insurgency militarily, they strengthened the development and administrative machinery. They won over the people. Result was that the insurgency was successfully defeated. All others, be it Kashmir or anti-Naxal operations, have failed and failed most miserably. You may not care, but I care about the soldiers who reside in Kashmir only to develop psychiatric disorders and coming out to home and not able to lead lives peacefully. Now the army also complains of stresses in Kashmir. Aren't they too human beings? Find where the problem lies. Understand who is creating violence, and why, for then it becomes easier to counter him/her. Rakesh From pawan.durani at gmail.com Thu Apr 8 15:34:59 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2010 15:34:59 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Dear Rakesh , Crushing the naxalism and naxalites has become imperative. Govt has given them enough chance and each time they have responded with an even worse act. The killers dont need any sympathy. Ofcourse , it is important for Govt to ensure that innocents are not victimised. Pawan On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 3:30 PM, Rakesh Iyer wrote: > Dear Pawan > > This is highly atrocious of you to state things without even understanding > the ground realities. You are talking of crushing the Maoists. Such crushing > is only possible if we completely bomb out the area. Are you thinking of > that? In other words, are you going to create an Afghanistan or Vietnam > within India? > > You can't identify who is a Naxal from who is not a Naxal in the villages. > The Naxals don't wear a uniform. You don't have intelligence on how they > conduct their operations. You don't even have an idea of how many people are > there as Naxalites. Neither are you willing to look at the causes of how > tribals become Naxalites. You don't try to address the real issues like > poverty, lack of employment and displacement of tribals. Neither do you > ensure administrative, police or judicial reforms. And then, without doing > anything of this, you agree to using force against your own citizens and > fellow human beings. > > You talk about Kashmir. People like you have forgotten that Kashmiri > separatists are still there because people don't trust the Indian state. To > ensure that India wins Kashmir for once and for all, a mass slaughter of all > Kashmiri Muslims would have to be organized. Are you ready for that? If you > can't accept that to Kashmiri Pandits, would you accept that for Kashmiri > Muslims? Or are you communal or strategically minded to pursue gains only > for your community? > > All those here talking about crushing the Maoists or separatists or > terrorists. Remember this. All counter-insurgency measures across the world > have been a failure with the exception of one, as told by a professor to me. > This one was in Malaysia, where the British successfully fought the > Communist insurgencies. How? Simple. Instead of confronting the insurgency > militarily, they strengthened the development and administrative machinery. > They won over the people. Result was that the insurgency was successfully > defeated. > > All others, be it Kashmir or anti-Naxal operations, have failed and failed > most miserably. You may not care, but I care about the soldiers who reside > in Kashmir only to develop psychiatric disorders and coming out to home and > not able to lead lives peacefully. Now the army also complains of stresses > in Kashmir. Aren't they too human beings? > > Find where the problem lies. Understand who is creating violence, and why, > for then it becomes easier to counter him/her. > > Rakesh > From pawan.durani at gmail.com Thu Apr 8 15:44:30 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2010 15:44:30 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: "76 jawan shahid" was what the headline of one of the local newspaper screamed and everything else was the same in this part of Chhattisgarh. The life was going on as if nothing had happened. The local population was more interested in when will the herd of wild elephants that have come to this part of Gharghoda leave and they were more concerned with how much price they will get this year for Mahua produce. And it was only when my dad messaged me about the ambush that I came to know that not more than 4 hours away from here our security personnel were being culled like a group of birds. And I instantly thought about how many of them will die. 76 is the official figure that has come out from the dense forests of Dantewara. 76 family have lost their close one but lets not get into the emotive aspect. I have tried that before in my previous pieces on similar attacks that have taken place and they have not generated any surge of emotion. Emotions can never be a great ingredient when you are discussing naxalism. How many of us remember that on 12th July 09, in Rajnandgaon 29 jawans including an ASP died, on 5th March 07, in Rani Bodli 55 Jawans died ? The figures are high, they always are. But like in any other terror attacks, with every passing day, the number starts fading. And finally there are forgotten, until a new set of number crops up. There is a buzz of how naxal sympathizers are doing their best to put an ideological pressure on the Indian establishment so as to stop the 'excessive use ' of force on our own people who have taken to killing because the have been exploited by the government machinery. I can smell the same identical buzz from one of the recent "collector's issue" of an English weekly. Every page, every word of its cover story that goes by "Walking with the Comrades" emits this smell. The writer of this cover story has done a brilliant work. She has left no scope for even thinking that the naxals are brutal killers. Infact she has made sure that by the time we turn the last page we too start sympathizing with the comrades. Infact the weak hearted may even start shedding a tear or two. The term "romanticize" has been aptly displayed in this cover story. Start romanticizing Naxalism or you too are a bloody heartless capitalist bourgeois. Now I just want to ask this booker award winner intellect author that when will she start on her precarious, dangerous journey of sympathizing with these jawans who too are fighting for their death. Or maybe she is aware of the fact that no one will be interested in the life of a small low ranked jawan. Maybe she is correct and practical, none of the national magazine will make a cover story out of a piece that is based on the life of a CRPF jawan. Another amazing ability of these intellects is that they have developed a very effective way of going into a shell whenever something that will make them appear like a faceless buffoon happens. Search for them after any such terror incident and they will disappear, only to appear after 10 days, more refreshed than before and with more fire in their belly to support naxalism and show their intellect. "The Intellectuals". I have started to hate this word so much. And it is just because of people like Arundhati Roy who wear this very type of intellect on their sleeve and express through their pen. The only positive that has come out after this attack is that both the national parties have reiterated that they are one when it comes to tackling naxalism. And the current Home minister too has started talking tough as can be gauged from his statement that the Indian government in the past has been lousy while dealing with the naxalites. The use of air force and army is being delayed on the ground that it will be unethical to use our military might against our own people. This argument though doesn't stand much ground. The army has been used and still being used in Northern and Eastern sector of India and they have been successfully able to control the local form of terrorism. The reach of naxals has penetrated every sphere of social life. There are numerous illutrations of this. In Chhattisgarh , the naxalites annual income in expected to be 1000 crores, chiefly though extortion from local traders. According to forest officers with whom I have been interacting ever since I came here, the naxalites along with the ever present politicians are equally responsible for the lack of development of this newly born state. It has become very difficult to carry out developmental activities in the interior parts of the state because of the naxal terror and because of this very terror the government is not able to extend its activities into the remote areas, thus providing for a fertile fodder ground for naxals to recruit and expand. It is kind of a circle. "Operation Greenhunt" has taken a long time to materialize; maybe we are two three years late. But now when it has begun it should only stop when it has completely wiped out this gravest internal threat to Indian security. The fact is that naxalism needs to be eradicated at all cost and I hope Chidambaram and Company will make this sure. Till then keep praying that you are not affected by the intellects like Roy who see killing of these jawans as a legitimate act of defying the rule of government by the naxals. And in between all this, life goes on in Gharghoda, like it is going on in Delhi,Patna or Mumbai. http://desicritics.org/2010/04/08/033720.php A law graduate from NLIU, Bhopal.Worked for 2 years as a journalist in media organizations like Qatar Tribune, PTI and UNI. Now more of just 'a writer' rather than a 'paid' writ On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 3:36 PM, Rakesh Iyer wrote: > How do we crush the Maoists? Every time you are using the word. Can you > elaborate on how you think this should be done? > > It's like one of my friends saying that the terrorists should be wiped out. > You dont' have a Sudarshan Chakra of Lord Vishnu which goes around cutting > heads of all terrorists while leaving behind all innocents. If that were > there, I could understand your enthusiasm and would like you to unleash it. > > Rakesh > > On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 3:34 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: >> >> Dear Rakesh , >> >> Crushing the naxalism and naxalites has become imperative. Govt has >> given them enough chance and each time they have responded with an >> even worse act. The killers dont need any sympathy. >> >> Ofcourse , it is important for Govt to ensure that innocents are not >> victimised. >> >> Pawan >> >> On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 3:30 PM, Rakesh Iyer >> wrote: >> > Dear Pawan >> > >> > This is highly atrocious of you to state things without even >> > understanding >> > the ground realities. You are talking of crushing the Maoists. Such >> > crushing >> > is only possible if we completely bomb out the area. Are you thinking of >> > that? In other words, are you going to create an Afghanistan or Vietnam >> > within India? >> > >> > You can't identify who is a Naxal from who is not a Naxal in the >> > villages. >> > The Naxals don't wear a uniform. You don't have intelligence on how they >> > conduct their operations. You don't even have an idea of how many people >> > are >> > there as Naxalites. Neither are you willing to look at the causes of how >> > tribals become Naxalites. You don't try to address the real issues like >> > poverty, lack of employment and displacement of tribals. Neither do you >> > ensure administrative, police or judicial reforms. And then, without >> > doing >> > anything of this, you agree to using force against your own citizens and >> > fellow human beings. >> > >> > You talk about Kashmir. People like you have forgotten that Kashmiri >> > separatists are still there because people don't trust the Indian state. >> > To >> > ensure that India wins Kashmir for once and for all, a mass slaughter of >> > all >> > Kashmiri Muslims would have to be organized. Are you ready for that? If >> > you >> > can't accept that to Kashmiri Pandits, would you accept that for >> > Kashmiri >> > Muslims? Or are you communal or strategically minded to pursue gains >> > only >> > for your community? >> > >> > All those here talking about crushing the Maoists or separatists or >> > terrorists. Remember this. All counter-insurgency measures across the >> > world >> > have been a failure with the exception of one, as told by a professor to >> > me. >> > This one was in Malaysia, where the British successfully fought the >> > Communist insurgencies. How? Simple. Instead of confronting the >> > insurgency >> > militarily, they strengthened the development and administrative >> > machinery. >> > They won over the people. Result was that the insurgency was >> > successfully >> > defeated. >> > >> > All others, be it Kashmir or anti-Naxal operations, have failed and >> > failed >> > most miserably. You may not care, but I care about the soldiers who >> > reside >> > in Kashmir only to develop psychiatric disorders and coming out to home >> > and >> > not able to lead lives peacefully. Now the army also complains of >> > stresses >> > in Kashmir. Aren't they too human beings? >> > >> > Find where the problem lies. Understand who is creating violence, and >> > why, >> > for then it becomes easier to counter him/her. >> > >> > Rakesh >> > > > From rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com Thu Apr 8 15:54:50 2010 From: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com (Rakesh Iyer) Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2010 15:54:50 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Dear Pawan This is for both you and those blog writers you keep finding. You can pass on this message to them too if they are your friends or even if you agree with them. Chidambaram is one of the biggest fools and hopeless ministers of this govt. And I would repeat this statement again and again. He doesn't even understand how he is going to solve this problem. He is not willing to bring about police, judicial or administrative reforms. Neither is he ensuring that there is ground level intelligence against Naxalism. The intelligence doesn't even know how many Naxals are there in India. What will he and his home ministry achieve at all? What kind of strategy can you formulate based on unavailable information? Which dream world are you and others living in? Chidambaram and company will never be able to solve it. At best, they may temporarily result in Naxals going underground, only to surface again back in the open, ala Emergency. And that will involve victimization of innocents. For solving a problem, one needs to know the situation on the ground. I repeat it. And it's not being intellectual or being a Maoist sympathizer. I am not Arundhati Roy who romanticizes the violence of the Maoists while condemning the violence of the right-wing brigade of India or that of the Indian state. All violence must be condemned. Without understanding it, talking of 'crushing' and fighting this 'war' is only media hype, nothing else. The govt. has nothing in place to counter Maoists. And even things which I have stated are not new. They are there in the public domain for so many years. To implement them will take next 10-12 years minimum, and that too will involve violence. The best way, unfortunately whether you like it or not, is to call Maoists to talks, or so I felt before this incident. And before you call me a sympathizer, let me remind you that it's the Indian state which has ditched talks against Naxals through some activity or the other. But now that talks can't be done, reform the administration. Get the police changed. Start reforming the administration. Give tribals the rights to their own land. And you will see things changing. It's indeed surprising that while Dantewada remains in the grip of Naxals, neighboring districts like Sarguja have no Naxalism as the govt. schemes function reasonably better. Rakesh From aliens at dataone.in Thu Apr 8 16:05:27 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Thu, 08 Apr 2010 16:05:27 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Allow normal politics to prevail in Gujarat by Swapan Dasgupta Message-ID: <000f01cad707$35976e60$a0c64b20$@in> http://www.freepressjournal.in/FPJ/FPJ/2010/04/06/ArticleHtmls/06_04_2010_00 5_026.shtml?Mode=1 Hostile public reaction may well force the Congress to call off its hounds and allow normal politics to prevail once again. That would be prudent. If nothing, there is a cruel irony behind embracing the vicious logic of the very rioters who equated the Godhra arsonists with an entire community. Indian jurisprudence is based on the presumption of innocence unless proved otherwise by law. In the case of the Chief Minister of Gujarat, a clutch of determined activists have turned the principle on its head. The starting point of the liberal' discourse on Gujarat is that the law is an ass and Narendra Modi is guilty of `genocide', `mass murder' and organising an `antiMuslim pogrom' in 2002. This epidemic of hyperbole would not have mattered had the abuses been confined to routine political sparring. Never mind Cgrade politicians who love embellishments, even India's intellectuals have a tradition of overstating their case Lord Curzon once rued it as the Indian penchant for what the English called a `mare's nest'. "Very often", he noted bitterly, "a whole fabric of hypothesis is built out of nothing at all. Worthy people are extolled as heroes. Political opponents are branded as malefactors. Immoderate adjectives are flung about as though they had no significance. The writer no doubt did not mean to lie...As he writes in hyperbole, so he tends to think in hyperbole, and he ends by becoming blind to the truth." Curzon made that observation to the Calcutta University convocation in 1905. A hundred years later, we had the curious spectacle of one of India's leading historians comparing the CPI(M)'s high-handedness in Nandigram to the Jallianwala Bagh killings! The `truth' that Curzon felt Indians had scant respect for is, of course, a matter of perception. In statecraft, however, there is a wall that separates political rhetoric and the legal process. In the case of Modi, that distinction has been sought to be obliterated by shrill group-think. Modi may well be politically culpable for the administration's failure to prevent the retaliatory killings of Muslims after the Godhra outrage of February 2002-and this was a sub-text of the 2002 and 2007 Gujarat Assembly elections-but this is different from the unproven assertion that he conspired with the killers. It is important to distinguish between political failure and criminal conspiracy. The inability of his opponents to defeat Modi electorally on two separate occasions has prompted them to seek a legal recourse, using moral indignation and media outrage as pressure points on the judicial system. Modi's detractors failed to influence voting behaviour in Gujarat but they succeeded in creating a polarised environment and unilaterally pronounced him personally guilty of mass murder. Eight years after the riots and despite many of the cases going to the Supreme Court, there is no FIR or charges against Modi. The Special Investigation Team which questioned the Chief Minister exhaustively last Saturday can, of course, recommend that Modi has a legal case to answer but till that happens and till a court pronounces him guilty, the Chief Minister is innocent. This fundamental principle of jurisprudence holds good for every citizen of India, however exalted or lofty. On the other hand, it is entirely possible that the SIT may conclude that there is no evidence to link Modi to a criminal conspiracy. Will that satisfy the activists or his political opponents? The answer is well known. Those who persist in describing Modi as a `mass murderer' will continue to do so regardless of what the SIT or courts decide. The unending abuse of Modi by those who see themselves as enlightened may well be political grandstanding. But through sheer persistence, and some official patronage that began with Atal Bihari Vajpayee and has continued with the UPA, they have distorted the discourse to ensure that everything in Gujarat, including its spectacular economic progress, is viewed through the prism of the 2002 riots. Some NGOs even invoked the 2002 riots to denounce the Tata decision to shift its Nano manufacturing unit from Singur to Gujarat. Sanctimonious shrillness, it would seem, has overwhelmed civilised conversation. The incredibly petty blacklisting of Amitabh Bachchan, and even his son Abhishek, by the Congress is in line with this wave of hysteria and intolerance. The owners of the Congress have their personal reasons for shunning the Bachchan family-the inside story of the great GandhiBachchan fallout remains a subject of salacious gossip. In the normal course, this feud should be of little concern to the great unwashed. Nor has it affected the fortunes of the two families: both are distinguished in their own spheres. However, when a family feud is cynically linked to the standards of activist-determined correctness, it becomes a source of worry. By charging the brand ambassador for Gujarat Tourism with implicitly endorsing the 2002 killings, the Congress has signalled a ban on any association with Gujarat. Despite their personal misgivings, Congress Chief Ministers have rushed to oblige someone's flight of whimsy. Conversely, as the Republic Day awards showed, Modi-baiting has become the route to a Padma honour and a compensation for forfeiture of deposits in elections. The issue is not Bachchan. The Congress has imposed sanctions on a Gujarat that is celebrating the Golden Jubilee of its statehood. Last week, an attempt was made by activists, with the backing of the Congress, to prevent the Chief Justice of India from sharing the dais with the Chief Minister. Thankfully it didn't work and Constitutional decorum was maintained but the message was unmistakable: any association with Modi's Gujarat will incur the Centre's displeasure. It was also a message to the Ambanis, Tatas and Adanis too. An integral part of India has been declared a rogue state for having the temerity to elect Modi. Bachchan has the standing and perhaps even the self-confidence to withstand official pressure. Given the hostile public reaction to the Congress' churlishness, the controversy may even help him get back some of his sheen. But many lesser beings may wilt under the threat of official pressure. In the liberal discourse on Modi, there is no pretence of balance: the khap pan chayat of liberalism has pronounced him guilty. The clamour is for the Indian courts to endorse the verdict; those who resist, risk abuse and accusations of bigotry. For the indefatigable Chief Minister, there is a definite sunny side to the Congress' targeting of the Big B. By equating the promotion of Gujarat with the deification of Modi, the party has added weight to the Chief Minister's attempt to become synonymous with his state. An assault on Bachchan is certain to be regarded as an attempt by the Congress to deflate Gujarat. The resulting outburst of regional pride is calculated to give Modi's political standing a further fillip. In the past, he has cleverly translated the 'secular' indignation over the riots into an attack on the self-respect of Gujarat. The Bachchan episode may help the veteran marginally but it has given Modi a brush to paint his opponents as petty and spiteful. For India, however, there is a heavy price to be paid for the Congress' ham-handed overkill. Competitive politics has hitherto been governed by a set of club rules that the mainstream parties have agreed to follow. The Congress has chosen to break the liberal assumptions of Constitutional politics by setting bizarre standards of intolerance. Those with long memories will recall the unwritten ban on broadcasting Kishore Kumar songs during the Emergency because the singer had the temerity to refuse to perform at a Youth Congress rally. Hostile public reaction may well force the Congress to call off its hounds and allow normal politics to prevail once again. That would be prudent. If nothing, there is a cruel irony behind embracing the vicious logic of the very rioters who equated the Godhra arsonists with an entire community. From rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com Thu Apr 8 15:36:49 2010 From: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com (Rakesh Iyer) Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2010 15:36:49 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: How do we crush the Maoists? Every time you are using the word. Can you elaborate on how you think this should be done? It's like one of my friends saying that the terrorists should be wiped out. You dont' have a Sudarshan Chakra of Lord Vishnu which goes around cutting heads of all terrorists while leaving behind all innocents. If that were there, I could understand your enthusiasm and would like you to unleash it. Rakesh On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 3:34 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > Dear Rakesh , > > Crushing the naxalism and naxalites has become imperative. Govt has > given them enough chance and each time they have responded with an > even worse act. The killers dont need any sympathy. > > Ofcourse , it is important for Govt to ensure that innocents are not > victimised. > > Pawan > > On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 3:30 PM, Rakesh Iyer > wrote: > > Dear Pawan > > > > This is highly atrocious of you to state things without even > understanding > > the ground realities. You are talking of crushing the Maoists. Such > crushing > > is only possible if we completely bomb out the area. Are you thinking of > > that? In other words, are you going to create an Afghanistan or Vietnam > > within India? > > > > You can't identify who is a Naxal from who is not a Naxal in the > villages. > > The Naxals don't wear a uniform. You don't have intelligence on how they > > conduct their operations. You don't even have an idea of how many people > are > > there as Naxalites. Neither are you willing to look at the causes of how > > tribals become Naxalites. You don't try to address the real issues like > > poverty, lack of employment and displacement of tribals. Neither do you > > ensure administrative, police or judicial reforms. And then, without > doing > > anything of this, you agree to using force against your own citizens and > > fellow human beings. > > > > You talk about Kashmir. People like you have forgotten that Kashmiri > > separatists are still there because people don't trust the Indian state. > To > > ensure that India wins Kashmir for once and for all, a mass slaughter of > all > > Kashmiri Muslims would have to be organized. Are you ready for that? If > you > > can't accept that to Kashmiri Pandits, would you accept that for Kashmiri > > Muslims? Or are you communal or strategically minded to pursue gains only > > for your community? > > > > All those here talking about crushing the Maoists or separatists or > > terrorists. Remember this. All counter-insurgency measures across the > world > > have been a failure with the exception of one, as told by a professor to > me. > > This one was in Malaysia, where the British successfully fought the > > Communist insurgencies. How? Simple. Instead of confronting the > insurgency > > militarily, they strengthened the development and administrative > machinery. > > They won over the people. Result was that the insurgency was successfully > > defeated. > > > > All others, be it Kashmir or anti-Naxal operations, have failed and > failed > > most miserably. You may not care, but I care about the soldiers who > reside > > in Kashmir only to develop psychiatric disorders and coming out to home > and > > not able to lead lives peacefully. Now the army also complains of > stresses > > in Kashmir. Aren't they too human beings? > > > > Find where the problem lies. Understand who is creating violence, and > why, > > for then it becomes easier to counter him/her. > > > > Rakesh > > > From kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Thu Apr 8 16:13:27 2010 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2010 03:43:27 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] Fwd: [chhattisgarh-net] Justice and Peace In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <841035.19551.qm@web57203.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Dear Sanjay   Felix says:   "What is happening is a polarisation into two sides who both believe in war, leaving no space for neutraility, truth and peace."   Yes polarisation seems to have taken place but I am not too sure about "both believe in war" and that there is no space for "neutraility, truth and peace". That evaluation can only serve the purpose of demonizing. If you lined up the 'two sides' and asked them the common question "Do you essentially believe in 'truth and peace?'" I have no doubt that "both sides" will answer with a Yes!   In the manner that he lays out the problem Felix himself polarises the "two sides" to the extent of allowing no scope for "neutraility, truth and peace".   Felix says "Surely, the Maoist insurgency has its roots in the state's appalling human rights situation over the last 5 years?"   Trying to suggest that the cause of the present conflict lies in happenings over the "last 5 years" shows a very shallow understanding of the 'roots'.   As does Felix's reducing the understanding of the present conflict to the statements he makes in Points 1, 2 & 3. Those might be reflections of the 'polarisation' but are not the 'roots'.   In my opinion, the 'roots' are spread over the last 63 years and fed by the almost total indifference shown towards and, to make it worse, the convienient exploitation of those very people who, to start with, are the most disadvantaged and have little or no access to Justice. Indifference and exploitation by "We the People of India", by "We the Indian State".   I have mentioned the period of 63 years because "We the People of India" and "We the Indian State" are accountable for and responsible for the negatives since 1947 and not prior to that.   Felix is not only defining 'sides' but also playing sides.   But then Dr Felix Padel is an intellectual and I am an ordinary mind.   Kshmendra   --- On Thu, 4/8/10, Sanjay Kak wrote: From: Sanjay Kak Subject: [Reader-list] Fwd: [chhattisgarh-net] Justice and Peace To: "Sarai Reader List" Date: Thursday, April 8, 2010, 11:40 AM Am forwarding this from the cgnet list, an excellent resource for anyone interested in developments in chattisgarh. (Apologies for cross etc. ...) Some on this list may know Felix Padel, co-author (with Samarendra Das) of the recently published ‘Out of This Earth: East India Adivasis and the Aluminium Cartel’ (Orient Blackswan 2010) In these over-heated times, I think his nuanced post deserves a patient read. Best Sanjay Kak ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Felix Padel Date: Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 5:35 AM Subject: [chhattisgarh-net] Justice and Peace To: chhattisgarh-net at yahoogroups.com Dear friends It is surprising and horrifying to see the voices on this listserve attacking human rights work while calling for an escalation in the war. Surely, the Maoist insurgency has its roots in the state's appalling human rights situation over the last 5 years? Analysing the causes of the conflict, and the reasons why many tribal people join the Maoists, I'd give the following main ones: 1. The system of endemic exploitation of tribal people, coupled with ingrained disrespect for tribal culture 2. the escalating dispossession of tribal people from their land and resources - by numerous industrial projects but also by the war itself. No-one disputes the figures of 644 tribal villages burnt by Salwa Judum and an estimated 200,000 tribal refugees from these burnt villages. 3. The atrocities perpetrated on tribal villages by the Salwa Judum and security forces, and the impossibility of getting justice through the courts. The case of Sodhi and the villagers killed at Gompad has highlighted this impossibility of bringing securitymen responsible for atrocities to account, and the appeal of Maoists arises directly out of this impunity to prosecution. Numerous human rights reports and courageous journalism have highlighted a definite pattern of attacks on tribal villages, in which most of the village flees, and the women, old and young who don't get away are raped, killed, tortured or taken away. The best aspect of Roy's recent article "Walking with the Comrades" is that she brings out the voices of young Maoist women and men. These voices need to be heard!! All of them witnessed close friends and family raped and killed, and were motivated to join the Maoists by these atrocities. Having suffered such loss and witnessed such horror, if there is no chance of bringing the perpetrators to account, and the Maoists are there, offering comradeship and guns - who wouldn't go with them? 4. However, the Maoist ideology and leadership believes in war, exactly as many do in the mainstream & military. War has an attraction, and we all need to fight internal as well as external battles to resist this attraction. What is happening is a polarisation into two sides who both believe in war, leaving no space for neutraility, truth and peace. The recent attack is a deliberate escalation of war. We should not blame the individual Maoist fighters, any more than the individual CRPF men: both are pawns in a game where leaders actually believe in sacrificng people's lives, on a huge scale. Mao himself was one of the worst tyrants: during his rise to power as well as his 'great leap forward' (upping steel production, causing a massive famine) and cultural revolution, he was responsible for millions of deaths of innocent people & even loyal party supporters. He was a superb propagandist though, and in that, very similar to mining companies' PR machine, turning truth on its head. As the Brigadier said in yesterday's interview, the ideology he created promotes war, and promotes an escalation of war. We must not let this happen. Maoist attacks instigate huge-scale counterinsurgency attacks on villages: this pattern must stop. 5. In other words, the attack on tribal communities as a strategy to wipe out Maoists is paradoxically a principal cause of the growing strength of the Maoists. This mirrors the worldwide 'war on terror' (in Afghanistan, Iraq etc), where everyone can see that attacks on 'terrorists' - and the 'collateral damage' on countless civilians whose outrage has no outlet through judicial process - have increased the number of 'terrorists' exponentially. In Dantewara, the systematic attacks on tribal villages are a campaign of terror. In other words, the primary perpetrators of terror are the security foces rather than the Maoists. In the recent attack, the CRPF people killed are human beings too, and their death is very sad; security forces in the area live in fear of attack. The difference is - these men are trained to fight and have chosen a job that involves high risk of killing or being killed. The villages they terrorise by contrast, are essentially innocent - even if they often support the Maoists, in that they experience an invasion and atrocities in which they lose their land, food families, culture - everything. We get to hear of only a tiny percentage of the atrocities committed by security forces in villages, while every killing by Maoists gets high publicity. If there is a genuine move for peace, one essential step will be repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) - this has often been called for, esp from the Northeast and Kashmir. This has become essential for the war in Dantewara. If it can be seen that security personnel who commit atrocities are punished this will automatically take wind out of the Maoist sails. Human rights work is a prerequisite for peace. Tribal culture places a high value on Justice and Truth. Some kind of Truth and Reconciliation process will have to take place if the escaltion towards war is to be halted. Responsibility lies on both sides. Where it does not lie is with the tribal communities, and when they know they can get Justice, Peace will prevail. Regards to all Felix Padel _________________________________________ 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 Thu Apr 8 16:17:16 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2010 16:17:16 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indus-calling/entry/naxalites-in-delhi Seventy-six jawans who were on duty to fight the antinational and barbaric Communist terrorists were killed in an ambush and the home ministry says "there was an element of failure". This is not the time for a blame game. I wrote before too, "Support Chidambaram's war", though the home minister dithered in between and gave wrong signals to the Naxalites, hoping that they would listen to him and his badly produced ads. In a way, the Indian polity helps fissiparous tendencies. It's mired in taking revenge on Amitabh Bachchan and making a tamasha of a nikah, which is strictly a matter between two interested persons. Such a polity can issue carbon copies of the previous statements of sham condemnation but can't instil confidence in the citizens and the security forces. Ask Raman Singh, the brave face CM of Chhattisgarh, who has been struggling hard to tackle the Naxalite menace amid a volley of attacks by Dilliwala Naxalites, who accused him of being harsh on the barbarians, and almost killed his Salwa Judum through false allegations. So far the government hasn't spoken about taking the war on the Communist terrorists to its logical end. Neither has it announced a free hand to the security persons to find, flush out and annihilate the cowardly terrorists who have become a bigger threat to the nation than the Pakistan-supported jihadis. It should be doing that immediately. Home secretary Gopal Pillay has rightly questioned "not only the CPI (Maoist) but also those who speak on their behalf and chastise the government' as to what was the motive behind the attack and what is the message the CPI (Maoist) intends to convey". The "jholawala" supporters of the Naxalites should also be booked for instigating murders and sedition. They are all Communists. They swear by Mao, Lenin and Stalin. Their loyalties are extraterritorial. Their sources of inspiration - all of them have smeared their hands in the blood of innocent people - from Lenin, Stalin and Mao to Pol Pot. And they have thrived so far in spite of having killed more than 6,000 Indian citizens and security personnel because there is a powerful lobby in Delhi which portrays them as revolutionaries and puts pressure on the government not to take any stern action. When a publishing house like Penguin chooses to publish a book of so-called poems of a jail inmate, a known supporter and the voice of the mass-killer Naxalites, Varavara Rao, what can be expected of the morale of those who are supposed to take on the barbarians to protect the Constitution? There is a socially desensitized section of the neo-rich enveloped in Anglo-Saxon traditions that has taken upon the "responsibility" to romanticize the butchers and win dollar awards. They are the writers, filmmakers and poster boys of the glitterati that find it fashionable to safeguard Maoists and have them as an acceptable phenomenon in a society that's described as (a positioning to justify the murders) 'ridden with corruption, administrative lethargy, rich class insensitive towards the poor and the downtrodden', etc. So the logic is, if there would be so much of political and administrative injustice to a large number of poor, they would, rise in revolt. Yeah, sounds good. Doesn't it? Poor revolting against the rich, burning their bungalows and establishing a just, fair and Communist reign of the proletariat! Like they did in Moscow and saw the disintegration of the Soviet Union? Like they did in Cambodia and saw the mass murder of 25% of the population? Like they did in China and saw millions killed and ultimately a Communist regime giving way to the market forces? There is not a single place on this earth, including the haven of the Red revolutionaries West Bengal where they have been able to establish a small corner that portrays the model success of their revolution. Bad roads, dillapidated schools, no industrialization, poverty-struck labour class and the fattened Commissars. That's the end result of their struggle. Naxals too become rogue armies, blackmailing gullible villagers and their kids to join their ranks, destroy schools, public health dispensaries and roads. They are, in the words of Chidambaram, just criminals. This must make Indian citizens to sit up and ask the media and the government some inconvenient questions. Did the Sania-Shoaib controversy really merit front page when the nation's foreign minister was in Beijing negotiating the country's most sensitive issues? Did Penguin do the right thing by publishing the so-called poems of a barbaric supporter of the mass murderers, giving him and the book a halo of revolutionary spirit, thus according the criminals a social sanction. Those who mock at the patriotic people and heroes like Savarkar, decorate gun runners who kill citizens with a sadistic pleasure? That lady, Arundhati they say is her name, with a penchant for laughing at the beheading of security personnel like Francis and eulogising in her inimitable de-Indianised style the savagery of the Naxals must be charged with sedition and supporting mass annihilators. Who were those seventy-six killed by the Naxal? And who felt happiness seeing their dead bodies? Who were the bereaved families and who were negotiating electoral alliances and secret pacts with the killers? The rebels or the antinational insurgent groups called Naxal, Maoist and Red revolutionaries have been working in 220 districts in 20 states and the government has established a special cell to monitor and resist them. They created a Red Corridor from Tirupati to Pashupatinath. Help from China to Nepalese Maoists to them has been suspected by Indian intelligence agencies. They are working against India and it's a war, in real sense. Still the rebels prove weightier than the patriotic jawans, who had nothing in their mind except to protect the citizens and the Indian constitution? Why? So far this is a skeleton of some official statistics describing killings of Indians by Naxals: 1996: 156 deaths 1997: 428 deaths 1998: 270 deaths 1999: 363 deaths 2000: 50 deaths 2001: 100+ deaths 2002: 140 deaths 2003: 451 deaths 2004: 500+ deaths 2005: 700+ deaths 2006: 750 deaths 2007: 650 deaths 2008: 794 deaths 2009: 1,134 deaths Why the sacred forces of the state die like cattle unsung and often insulted like it happened in the case of Inspector Mohan Lal Sharma and pilgrimages are organized to the homes of the terrorists in Azamgarh but none to the homes of the patriotic soldiers? Why it helps to be a terrorist in Delhi to remain safe and have civil rights committees to organise interviews in magazines and channels and its often embarrassingly deadly to be soldier, with none coming to hear their woes and interview the mother of the martyred? It is this Naxalism that needs to be crushed. They don't remove poverty through guns. They use poor to help their luxuries. From rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com Thu Apr 8 16:19:38 2010 From: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com (Rakesh Iyer) Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2010 16:19:38 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Dear Pawan Please go and find about Salwa Judum. It was stopped by the Supreme Court for violating the Constitution of India. Should we sacrifice our Constitution and distribute arms to citizens to finish off Naxalites? Then what is the difference between us and them? Rakesh On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 4:17 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > > http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indus-calling/entry/naxalites-in-delhi > > Seventy-six jawans who were on duty to fight the antinational and > barbaric Communist terrorists were killed in an ambush and the home > ministry says "there was an element of failure". > > This is not the time for a blame game. I wrote before too, "Support > Chidambaram's war", though the home minister dithered in between and > gave wrong signals to the Naxalites, hoping that they would listen to > him and his badly produced ads. In a way, the Indian polity helps > fissiparous tendencies. It's mired in taking revenge on Amitabh > Bachchan and making a tamasha of a nikah, which is strictly a matter > between two interested persons. Such a polity can issue carbon copies > of the previous statements of sham condemnation but can't instil > confidence in the citizens and the security forces. Ask Raman Singh, > the brave face CM of Chhattisgarh, who has been struggling hard to > tackle the Naxalite menace amid a volley of attacks by Dilliwala > Naxalites, who accused him of being harsh on the barbarians, and > almost killed his Salwa Judum through false allegations. > > So far the government hasn't spoken about taking the war on the > Communist terrorists to its logical end. Neither has it announced a > free hand to the security persons to find, flush out and annihilate > the cowardly terrorists who have become a bigger threat to the nation > than the Pakistan-supported jihadis. It should be doing that > immediately. Home secretary Gopal Pillay has rightly questioned "not > only the CPI (Maoist) but also those who speak on their behalf and > chastise the government' as to what was the motive behind the attack > and what is the message the CPI (Maoist) intends to convey". The > "jholawala" supporters of the Naxalites should also be booked for > instigating murders and sedition. > > They are all Communists. They swear by Mao, Lenin and Stalin. Their > loyalties are extraterritorial. Their sources of inspiration - all of > them have smeared their hands in the blood of innocent people - from > Lenin, Stalin and Mao to Pol Pot. And they have thrived so far in > spite of having killed more than 6,000 Indian citizens and security > personnel because there is a powerful lobby in Delhi which portrays > them as revolutionaries and puts pressure on the government not to > take any stern action. When a publishing house like Penguin chooses to > publish a book of so-called poems of a jail inmate, a known supporter > and the voice of the mass-killer Naxalites, Varavara Rao, what can be > expected of the morale of those who are supposed to take on the > barbarians to protect the Constitution? There is a socially > desensitized section of the neo-rich enveloped in Anglo-Saxon > traditions that has taken upon the "responsibility" to romanticize the > butchers and win dollar awards. > > They are the writers, filmmakers and poster boys of the glitterati > that find it fashionable to safeguard Maoists and have them as an > acceptable phenomenon in a society that's described as (a positioning > to justify the murders) 'ridden with corruption, administrative > lethargy, rich class insensitive towards the poor and the > downtrodden', etc. So the logic is, if there would be so much of > political and administrative injustice to a large number of poor, they > would, rise in revolt. Yeah, sounds good. Doesn't it? Poor revolting > against the rich, burning their bungalows and establishing a just, > fair and Communist reign of the proletariat! > > Like they did in Moscow and saw the disintegration of the Soviet > Union? Like they did in Cambodia and saw the mass murder of 25% of the > population? Like they did in China and saw millions killed and > ultimately a Communist regime giving way to the market forces? There > is not a single place on this earth, including the haven of the Red > revolutionaries West Bengal where they have been able to establish a > small corner that portrays the model success of their revolution. Bad > roads, dillapidated schools, no industrialization, poverty-struck > labour class and the fattened Commissars. That's the end result of > their struggle. Naxals too become rogue armies, blackmailing gullible > villagers and their kids to join their ranks, destroy schools, public > health dispensaries and roads. They are, in the words of Chidambaram, > just criminals. > > This must make Indian citizens to sit up and ask the media and the > government some inconvenient questions. Did the Sania-Shoaib > controversy really merit front page when the nation's foreign minister > was in Beijing negotiating the country's most sensitive issues? Did > Penguin do the right thing by publishing the so-called poems of a > barbaric supporter of the mass murderers, giving him and the book a > halo of revolutionary spirit, thus according the criminals a social > sanction. Those who mock at the patriotic people and heroes like > Savarkar, decorate gun runners who kill citizens with a sadistic > pleasure? That lady, Arundhati they say is her name, with a penchant > for laughing at the beheading of security personnel like Francis and > eulogising in her inimitable de-Indianised style the savagery of the > Naxals must be charged with sedition and supporting mass annihilators. > > Who were those seventy-six killed by the Naxal? And who felt happiness > seeing their dead bodies? Who were the bereaved families and who were > negotiating electoral alliances and secret pacts with the killers? The > rebels or the antinational insurgent groups called Naxal, Maoist and > Red revolutionaries have been working in 220 districts in 20 states > and the government has established a special cell to monitor and > resist them. They created a Red Corridor from Tirupati to > Pashupatinath. Help from China to Nepalese Maoists to them has been > suspected by Indian intelligence agencies. They are working against > India and it's a war, in real sense. Still the rebels prove weightier > than the patriotic jawans, who had nothing in their mind except to > protect the citizens and the Indian constitution? Why? So far this is > a skeleton of some official statistics describing killings of Indians > by Naxals: > > 1996: 156 deaths > 1997: 428 deaths > 1998: 270 deaths > 1999: 363 deaths > 2000: 50 deaths > 2001: 100+ deaths > 2002: 140 deaths > 2003: 451 deaths > 2004: 500+ deaths > 2005: 700+ deaths > 2006: 750 deaths > 2007: 650 deaths > 2008: 794 deaths > 2009: 1,134 deaths > > Why the sacred forces of the state die like cattle unsung and often > insulted like it happened in the case of Inspector Mohan Lal Sharma > and pilgrimages are organized to the homes of the terrorists in > Azamgarh but none to the homes of the patriotic soldiers? Why it helps > to be a terrorist in Delhi to remain safe and have civil rights > committees to organise interviews in magazines and channels and its > often embarrassingly deadly to be soldier, with none coming to hear > their woes and interview the mother of the martyred? > > It is this Naxalism that needs to be crushed. They don't remove > poverty through guns. They use poor to help their luxuries. > From c.anupam at gmail.com Thu Apr 8 16:19:54 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2010 16:19:54 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: the blog says killing of indians by naxal...who is an indian and who is a naxal? On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 4:17 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indus-calling/entry/naxalites-in-delhi > > Seventy-six jawans who were on duty to fight the antinational and > barbaric Communist terrorists were killed in an ambush and the home > ministry says "there was an element of failure". > > This is not the time for a blame game. I wrote before too, "Support > Chidambaram's war", though the home minister dithered in between and > gave wrong signals to the Naxalites, hoping that they would listen to > him and his badly produced ads. In a way, the Indian polity helps > fissiparous tendencies. It's mired in taking revenge on Amitabh > Bachchan and making a tamasha of a nikah, which is strictly a matter > between two interested persons. Such a polity can issue carbon copies > of the previous statements of sham condemnation but can't instil > confidence in the citizens and the security forces. Ask Raman Singh, > the brave face CM of Chhattisgarh, who has been struggling hard to > tackle the Naxalite menace amid a volley of  attacks by Dilliwala > Naxalites, who accused him of being harsh on the barbarians, and > almost killed his Salwa Judum through false allegations. > > So far the government hasn't spoken about taking the war on the > Communist terrorists to its logical end. Neither has it announced a > free hand to the security persons to find, flush out and annihilate > the cowardly terrorists who have become a bigger threat to the nation > than the Pakistan-supported jihadis. It should be doing that > immediately. Home secretary Gopal Pillay has rightly questioned "not > only the CPI (Maoist) but also those who speak on their behalf and > chastise the government' as to what was the motive behind the attack > and what is the message the CPI (Maoist) intends to convey". The > "jholawala" supporters of the Naxalites should also be booked for > instigating murders and sedition. > > They are all Communists. They swear by Mao, Lenin and Stalin. Their > loyalties are extraterritorial. Their sources of inspiration - all of > them have smeared their hands in the blood of innocent people - from > Lenin, Stalin and Mao to Pol Pot. And they have thrived so far in > spite of having killed more than 6,000 Indian citizens and security > personnel because there is a powerful lobby in Delhi which portrays > them as revolutionaries and puts pressure on the government not to > take any stern action. When a publishing house like Penguin chooses to > publish a book of so-called poems of a jail inmate, a known supporter > and the voice of the mass-killer Naxalites, Varavara Rao, what can be > expected of the morale of those who are supposed to take on the > barbarians to protect the Constitution? There is a socially > desensitized section of the neo-rich enveloped in Anglo-Saxon > traditions that has taken upon the "responsibility" to romanticize the > butchers and win dollar awards. > > They are the writers, filmmakers and poster boys of the glitterati > that find it fashionable to safeguard Maoists and have them as an > acceptable phenomenon in a society that's described as (a positioning > to justify the murders) 'ridden with corruption, administrative > lethargy, rich class insensitive towards the poor and the > downtrodden', etc. So the logic is, if there would be so much of > political and administrative injustice to a large number of poor, they > would, rise in revolt. Yeah, sounds good. Doesn't it? Poor revolting > against the rich, burning their bungalows and establishing a just, > fair and Communist reign of the proletariat! > > Like they did in Moscow and saw the disintegration of the Soviet > Union? Like they did in Cambodia and saw the mass murder of 25% of the > population? Like they did in China and saw millions killed and > ultimately a Communist regime giving way to the market forces? There > is not a single place on this earth, including the haven of the Red > revolutionaries West Bengal where they have been able to establish a > small corner that portrays the model success of their revolution. Bad > roads, dillapidated schools, no industrialization, poverty-struck > labour class and the fattened Commissars. That's the end result of > their struggle. Naxals too become rogue armies, blackmailing gullible > villagers and their kids to join their ranks, destroy schools, public > health dispensaries and roads. They are, in the words of Chidambaram, > just criminals. > > This must make Indian citizens to sit up and ask the media and the > government some inconvenient questions. Did the Sania-Shoaib > controversy really merit front page when the nation's foreign minister > was in Beijing negotiating the country's most sensitive issues? Did > Penguin do the right thing by publishing the so-called poems of a > barbaric supporter of the mass murderers, giving him and the book a > halo of revolutionary spirit, thus according the criminals a social > sanction. Those who mock at the patriotic people and heroes like > Savarkar, decorate gun runners who kill citizens with a sadistic > pleasure? That lady, Arundhati they say is her name, with a penchant > for laughing at the beheading of security personnel like Francis and > eulogising in her inimitable de-Indianised style the savagery of the > Naxals must be charged with sedition and supporting mass annihilators. > > Who were those seventy-six killed by the Naxal? And who felt happiness > seeing their dead bodies? Who were the bereaved families and who were > negotiating electoral alliances and secret pacts with the killers? The > rebels or the antinational insurgent groups called Naxal, Maoist and > Red revolutionaries have been working in 220 districts in 20 states > and the government has established a special cell to monitor and > resist them. They created a Red Corridor from Tirupati to > Pashupatinath. Help from China to Nepalese Maoists to them has been > suspected by Indian intelligence agencies. They are working against > India and it's a war, in real sense. Still the rebels prove weightier > than the patriotic jawans, who had nothing in their mind except to > protect the citizens and the Indian constitution? Why? So far this is > a skeleton of some official statistics describing killings of Indians > by Naxals: > > 1996: 156 deaths > 1997: 428 deaths > 1998: 270 deaths > 1999: 363 deaths > 2000: 50 deaths > 2001: 100+ deaths > 2002: 140 deaths > 2003: 451 deaths > 2004: 500+ deaths > 2005: 700+ deaths > 2006: 750 deaths > 2007: 650 deaths > 2008: 794 deaths > 2009: 1,134 deaths > > Why the sacred forces of the state die like cattle unsung and often > insulted like it happened in the case of Inspector Mohan Lal Sharma > and pilgrimages are organized to the homes of the terrorists in > Azamgarh but none to the homes of the patriotic soldiers? Why it helps > to be a terrorist in Delhi to remain safe and have civil rights > committees to organise interviews in magazines and channels and its > often embarrassingly deadly to be soldier, with none coming to hear > their woes and interview the mother of the martyred? > > It is this Naxalism that needs to be crushed. They don't remove > poverty through guns. They use poor to help their luxuries. > From whysabih at gmail.com Thu Apr 8 17:34:29 2010 From: whysabih at gmail.com (Sabih .) Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2010 17:34:29 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Vacancy for Project Coordinator Visual Studies Projects JNU Message-ID: *SCHOOL OF ARTS AND AESTHETICS* *JAWAHARLAL NEHRU UNIVERSITY* *Vacancy for Project Coordinator Visual Studies Projects* *Job Description: Project Coordinator* ***http://www.jnu.ac.in/Career/currentjobs.htm* School of Arts and Aesthetics is searching for a Project Coordinator to manage projects of the Visual Studies Stream. The successful candidate will hold responsibility for administering and overseeing grants to the School of Arts and Aesthetics at JNU. He/she will be expected to correspond with the Grantees, prepare project reports, as well as ensure that the allocated funds for each grant head are responsibly utilized in a timely manner. The Candidate will further be responsible for maintaining a transparent accounting system for all expenses, devise procedures for the management of funds, liaise with the Project Cell, Accounts and Audit Sections of JNU to ensure smooth functioning of the project are made available on time for various activities of the project. The project involves making all arrangements for a Visiting Faculty programme, a fellowship programme and the organization of related workshops. This will include correspondence, making arrangements for travel and transport, accommodation and public engagements of Visiting Faculty; administrative assistance in selection and maintenance of fellows; and organization of workshops as well as the responsible utilization of funds intended to strengthen library and associated resources at the school. The successful candidate will be appointed initially for 12* months on a contractual basis*, extendable to the full duration of the project Monthly Salary – *Rs 25,000/- [with 10% increase in 2nd year] * * * *Eligibility * Applicants should be mature professionals with at least three years of experience of Arts Management or Research and/or Teaching in the Arts or Humanities. * * *Deadline* The deadline for receipt of applications is *Friday 23rd April 2010. Interviews will be held shortly thereafter* and the successful applicant will be expected to take up this position by *1st June 2010*. Applicants should send in a detailed resume and other relevant supporting documents by email (to *kavising at gmail.com* and kavising at bol.net.in) and in hard copy at the following address: Dr Kavita Singh School of Arts and Aesthetics Jawaharlal Nehru University New Delhi – 110067 From c.anupam at gmail.com Thu Apr 8 19:04:29 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2010 19:04:29 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Memories of inferno still remain fresh NEWSLINK Monday, March 05, 2007 Bureau report Aizawl, March 5th, 1966: Today marks the 41st anniversary of the historic Aizawl bombardment, which had turned the once-beautiful hill town Aizawl into ashes, a few days after the declaration of the "Mizoram independence" by the Laldenga-led Mizo National Front. While Mizoram now has emerged as one of the most peaceful states and marching ahead as one of the most developing states of India, memories of the inferno still remain with those who survived the trial by fire. "In the afternoon of March 4 1966, a flock of jet fighters hovered over Aizawl and dropped bombs leaving a number of houses in flames. The next day, a more excessive bombing took place for several hours which left most houses in Dawrpui and Chhingaveng area in ashes," recollected 62-year-old Rothangpuia in Aizawl. According to some records, Hunter and Toofani fighters were deployed for the Aizawl bombardment, which became the first and only aerial attack India has carried out against its own people. The fighters came from Tezpur, an IAF air base in Assam. Apart from Aizawl, Tualbung and Hnahlan villages in northeast Mizoram were bombarded. Surprisingly, there were no human casualties officially reported in any of the air raids. "In the first wave of attack the planes used machine guns and later on used bombs. The attack came in three waves, on the second day the attack lasted for about five hours," MLA Andrew Lalherliana recounted. According to Joe Lalhmingliana, a retired wing commander of Indian Air Force, Tezpur Air Force base - which presently hangars MIG 21 Operational Flying Training Unit (MOFTU) - was the base for the Mizoram aerial attack of March 1966. "The Indian Air Force deployed Hunter and Toofani jet fighters to carry out the mission; it was the first time India used its air force to quell a movement of any kind among its citizens. Goa was a different story, it was a move to drive away the Portuguese," the former airman said. Till today there has been no satisfactory answer as to why India used such excessive air force against its own citizens in order to suppress an insurgency. Surprisingly, the Mizo National Front was outlawed only later in 1968. In the aftermath of the Aizawl air raids, two MLAs of Assam, Stanley DD Nichols Roy and Hoover H Hynniewta, came to Mizoram (then Mizo district under Assam) to see with their own eyes what happened to the people of the Mizo District and were totally shocked by what they saw. Later in April, Nichols Roy moved a motion in the Assam House on the Aizawl air attack. "The use of excessive air force for taking Aijal (the former name of Aizawl) was excessive because you can not pinpoint from the air who is loyal and who is not loyal, who is an MNF and who is somebody pledging allegiance to the Mizo Union, the ruling party in the Mizo district," Roy was quoted as speaking to the Assam chief minister by Mizo historian JV Hluna in his book 'Debates on Mizo Problems on Insurgencies, with special reference to the contributions of Stanley DD Nichols Roy, MLA and Hoover H Hynniewta, MLA.' JV Hluna noted that a hot debate over the Mizo issue continued in the House. Nichol Roy even referred to a statement made by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi published in the Hindusthan Standard on March 9, 1966 where the PM, answering a foreign correspondent, insisted that the air force was "deployed to drop men and supplies." "Nichols Roy stated that whether the shells of bombs, which had been dropped in Aijal, be sent to Delhi to ask the Prime Minister, 'How do you cook this ration? If these are supplies, please tell us how you cook these things'?", JV Hluna said in his book. Strongly condemning the use of air force, the other MLA Hynniewta produced photographs of one unexploded bomb and some fragments of exploded bombs as proof of the Aizawl air attack, which was strongly denied by the Government of India. "We touched it, we measured it and we took photograph of it. We have fragments of the bombs. We have the testimony of hundreds of people who have heard the explosions the moment the planes flew over in Mizo Hills," Hynniewta addressed the chief minister. "If you want to suppress the MNF rebellion, ordinary bullets are sufficient. From any point of view, military, physical or economic, these weapons should never have been used," the MLA told the House. "Given that the only sources of information regarding the insurgency in Mizoram for the outside world were the words of the Assam chief minister, the Assam chief secretary and the Prime Minister (who on the other hand denied the air attack), the contributions of the two MLAs were very notable," JV Hluna said. Since the MNF rebels had already taken Army installations in Champhai, Lunglei and Saitual in the initial stage of the rebellion and Aizawl in danger of being overpowered, the Indian Government might have been too nervous to have second thoughts about an aerial attack on its own territory. On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 4:19 PM, anupam chakravartty wrote: > the blog says killing of indians by naxal...who is an indian and who > is a naxal? > > > > On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 4:17 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: >> http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indus-calling/entry/naxalites-in-delhi >> >> Seventy-six jawans who were on duty to fight the antinational and >> barbaric Communist terrorists were killed in an ambush and the home >> ministry says "there was an element of failure". >> >> This is not the time for a blame game. I wrote before too, "Support >> Chidambaram's war", though the home minister dithered in between and >> gave wrong signals to the Naxalites, hoping that they would listen to >> him and his badly produced ads. In a way, the Indian polity helps >> fissiparous tendencies. It's mired in taking revenge on Amitabh >> Bachchan and making a tamasha of a nikah, which is strictly a matter >> between two interested persons. Such a polity can issue carbon copies >> of the previous statements of sham condemnation but can't instil >> confidence in the citizens and the security forces. Ask Raman Singh, >> the brave face CM of Chhattisgarh, who has been struggling hard to >> tackle the Naxalite menace amid a volley of  attacks by Dilliwala >> Naxalites, who accused him of being harsh on the barbarians, and >> almost killed his Salwa Judum through false allegations. >> >> So far the government hasn't spoken about taking the war on the >> Communist terrorists to its logical end. Neither has it announced a >> free hand to the security persons to find, flush out and annihilate >> the cowardly terrorists who have become a bigger threat to the nation >> than the Pakistan-supported jihadis. It should be doing that >> immediately. Home secretary Gopal Pillay has rightly questioned "not >> only the CPI (Maoist) but also those who speak on their behalf and >> chastise the government' as to what was the motive behind the attack >> and what is the message the CPI (Maoist) intends to convey". The >> "jholawala" supporters of the Naxalites should also be booked for >> instigating murders and sedition. >> >> They are all Communists. They swear by Mao, Lenin and Stalin. Their >> loyalties are extraterritorial. Their sources of inspiration - all of >> them have smeared their hands in the blood of innocent people - from >> Lenin, Stalin and Mao to Pol Pot. And they have thrived so far in >> spite of having killed more than 6,000 Indian citizens and security >> personnel because there is a powerful lobby in Delhi which portrays >> them as revolutionaries and puts pressure on the government not to >> take any stern action. When a publishing house like Penguin chooses to >> publish a book of so-called poems of a jail inmate, a known supporter >> and the voice of the mass-killer Naxalites, Varavara Rao, what can be >> expected of the morale of those who are supposed to take on the >> barbarians to protect the Constitution? There is a socially >> desensitized section of the neo-rich enveloped in Anglo-Saxon >> traditions that has taken upon the "responsibility" to romanticize the >> butchers and win dollar awards. >> >> They are the writers, filmmakers and poster boys of the glitterati >> that find it fashionable to safeguard Maoists and have them as an >> acceptable phenomenon in a society that's described as (a positioning >> to justify the murders) 'ridden with corruption, administrative >> lethargy, rich class insensitive towards the poor and the >> downtrodden', etc. So the logic is, if there would be so much of >> political and administrative injustice to a large number of poor, they >> would, rise in revolt. Yeah, sounds good. Doesn't it? Poor revolting >> against the rich, burning their bungalows and establishing a just, >> fair and Communist reign of the proletariat! >> >> Like they did in Moscow and saw the disintegration of the Soviet >> Union? Like they did in Cambodia and saw the mass murder of 25% of the >> population? Like they did in China and saw millions killed and >> ultimately a Communist regime giving way to the market forces? There >> is not a single place on this earth, including the haven of the Red >> revolutionaries West Bengal where they have been able to establish a >> small corner that portrays the model success of their revolution. Bad >> roads, dillapidated schools, no industrialization, poverty-struck >> labour class and the fattened Commissars. That's the end result of >> their struggle. Naxals too become rogue armies, blackmailing gullible >> villagers and their kids to join their ranks, destroy schools, public >> health dispensaries and roads. They are, in the words of Chidambaram, >> just criminals. >> >> This must make Indian citizens to sit up and ask the media and the >> government some inconvenient questions. Did the Sania-Shoaib >> controversy really merit front page when the nation's foreign minister >> was in Beijing negotiating the country's most sensitive issues? Did >> Penguin do the right thing by publishing the so-called poems of a >> barbaric supporter of the mass murderers, giving him and the book a >> halo of revolutionary spirit, thus according the criminals a social >> sanction. Those who mock at the patriotic people and heroes like >> Savarkar, decorate gun runners who kill citizens with a sadistic >> pleasure? That lady, Arundhati they say is her name, with a penchant >> for laughing at the beheading of security personnel like Francis and >> eulogising in her inimitable de-Indianised style the savagery of the >> Naxals must be charged with sedition and supporting mass annihilators. >> >> Who were those seventy-six killed by the Naxal? And who felt happiness >> seeing their dead bodies? Who were the bereaved families and who were >> negotiating electoral alliances and secret pacts with the killers? The >> rebels or the antinational insurgent groups called Naxal, Maoist and >> Red revolutionaries have been working in 220 districts in 20 states >> and the government has established a special cell to monitor and >> resist them. They created a Red Corridor from Tirupati to >> Pashupatinath. Help from China to Nepalese Maoists to them has been >> suspected by Indian intelligence agencies. They are working against >> India and it's a war, in real sense. Still the rebels prove weightier >> than the patriotic jawans, who had nothing in their mind except to >> protect the citizens and the Indian constitution? Why? So far this is >> a skeleton of some official statistics describing killings of Indians >> by Naxals: >> >> 1996: 156 deaths >> 1997: 428 deaths >> 1998: 270 deaths >> 1999: 363 deaths >> 2000: 50 deaths >> 2001: 100+ deaths >> 2002: 140 deaths >> 2003: 451 deaths >> 2004: 500+ deaths >> 2005: 700+ deaths >> 2006: 750 deaths >> 2007: 650 deaths >> 2008: 794 deaths >> 2009: 1,134 deaths >> >> Why the sacred forces of the state die like cattle unsung and often >> insulted like it happened in the case of Inspector Mohan Lal Sharma >> and pilgrimages are organized to the homes of the terrorists in >> Azamgarh but none to the homes of the patriotic soldiers? Why it helps >> to be a terrorist in Delhi to remain safe and have civil rights >> committees to organise interviews in magazines and channels and its >> often embarrassingly deadly to be soldier, with none coming to hear >> their woes and interview the mother of the martyred? >> >> It is this Naxalism that needs to be crushed. They don't remove >> poverty through guns. They use poor to help their luxuries. >> > From nc-agricowi at netcologne.de Thu Apr 8 23:18:07 2010 From: nc-agricowi at netcologne.de (CologneOFF) Date: Thu, 08 Apr 2010 19:48:07 +0200 Subject: [Reader-list] =?iso-8859-1?q?CologneOFF_VI=3A_call_for_film_=26_v?= =?iso-8859-1?q?ideo_art?= Message-ID: <20100408194808.1CB47D9F.8D4CF420@192.168.0.2> Call for film & videoart extended deadline: 4 May 2010 ------------------------------------------- In 2010, CologneOFF is celebrating its 5th anniversary with its 6th festival edition in sequence. Again CologneOFF is looking for exciting films and videos focussing on "memory" & "identity" in an experimental context. For the anniversary festival in 2010, CologneOFF invited a jury consiting of the directors of 7 partner festivals. Find all details, the regulations and entry form on http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=1907 ------------------------------------------ --> Cologne International Videoart Festival CologneOFF VI - 6th Cologne Online Film Festival http://coff.newmediafest.org info [at] coff.newmediafest.org From akmalik45 at yahoo.com Fri Apr 9 01:42:00 2010 From: akmalik45 at yahoo.com (A.K. Malik) Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2010 13:12:00 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <335148.75221.qm@web112120.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Durani Ji, I think what these people need to understand that sometimes one has to get the problematic leg amputed so that rest of the body system remains or else you lose the entire body.If the law of the land is not honoured, one can justify all the crimes-rapes,murders, burning of houses so on ans so forth because you can justify.Why limit brotherhood to your own country.Don't kill the terorrists,those crossing borders, fighting for ulterior motives etc to maintain brotherhood.What a fancy idea. And then Modi is always available there to justify anything later on. REGARDS, (A.K.MALIK) --- On Thu, 4/8/10, Pawan Durani wrote: > From: Pawan Durani > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached > To: "A.K. Malik" > Cc: "Sarai List" > Date: Thursday, April 8, 2010, 9:19 AM > Dear Mr Malik , > > And then there are covert statement which i find quite > amusing . Must > admire the the overground  'intellectuals & > liberals' ... > > ...........Shuddha wrote ">>>>> The taking > of human life is never > something we need to celebrate. The deaths  of the > more than 75 people > in an ambush is not something that anyone can  exult > over. But, to be > fair, if this party, which was on an 'area domination > exercise' came > across a squad of Maoists who happened to be less prepared > than them, > the killed would have been the killers. These two forces > are at war, > and in a war, combatants are not expected to shoot to kill, > not to > hold their fire. > > I do not have to explain further what these words were > ......I > personally find it a justification for the ambush ... > > Pawan > > On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 11:11 PM, A.K. Malik > wrote: > > Dear Durani Sahib, > >                  I fully agree with you. > However, the record of the current governance in the country > is dismal.They may say they will deal with it firmly but > ultimately the Govt buckles under pressure from various > quarters including the supporters. No one can justify what > is being done by the Maoists. I don't know in what way Asit > is trying to justify the same. > > Regards, > > > > (A.K.MALIK) > > > > > > --- On Wed, 4/7/10, Pawan Durani > wrote: > > > >> From: Pawan Durani > >> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] The Naxalites > overreached > >> To: "Asit asitreds" > >> Cc: "reader-list" > >> Date: Wednesday, April 7, 2010, 2:22 PM > >> It's high time that not only Maosists > >> , but their supporters are > >> handled with iron fist. > >> > >> Regards > >> > >> Pawan > >> > >> > >> On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 1:55 PM, Asit asitreds > > >> wrote: > >> > what about the voilence in gujrat bhagalpur > etc which > >> have killed hundred > >> > times more people than in dantewada > >> >  what about tens of thousands of noncobatant > civilan > >> population killed by > >> > security forces in northeast kashmir and > punjab > >> > asit > >> > > >> > > >> > On 4/6/10, Pawan Durani > >> wrote: > >> >> > >> >> …and committed a strategic mistake at > Dantewada > >> >> > >> >> > >> >> The reason why Naxalites have been able > to sustain > >> their insurgency > >> >> for so long is due to three main reasons: > the > >> absence or failure of > >> >> governance; the romanticism and > propaganda of > >> their overground > >> >> sympathisers; and, finally, due to the > relatively > >> subliminal nature of > >> >> their violence. > >> >> > >> >> To the extent that their violence was > distributed > >> in space and time > >> >> they could slip in and out of the public > mind, > >> pursue on-and-off talks > >> >> with state governments and generally > avoid > >> provoking the government > >> >> into hitting back hard. Over the last > five years > >> Naxalites have > >> >> violently expanded the geographical > spread of > >> their extortion and > >> >> protection rackets—yet, the violence in > any > >> given place and time has > >> >> been below a certain threshold. That > threshold > >> itself is high for a > >> >> number of reasons, including efforts by > their > >> sympathisers to > >> >> romanticise their violence, spectacular > terrorist > >> attacks by jihadi > >> >> groups and due to the remoteness of the > areas of > >> their operations. > >> >> This allowed Naxalites to get away with > murder. A > >> lot of times. In a > >> >> lot of places. Literally. > >> >> > >> >> But killing 73 out of 80 (or 120) CRPF > and police > >> personnel in a short > >> >> span of time in a single battle is no > longer > >> subliminal violence. In > >> >> all likelihood the Naxalites have crossed > a > >> threshold—this incident is > >> >> likely to stay much longer in the public > mind and > >> increase the > >> >> pressure on politicians to tackle the > Naxalite > >> threat with greater > >> >> resolve. Also, given that it has also > become an > >> issue of P > >> >> Chidambaram’s—and hence the UPA > >> government’s—reputation, the gloves > >> >> are likely to come off in the coming > weeks. > >> >> > >> >> There’s a chance that India’s > psychological > >> threshold is even higher. > >> >> But it is more likely that the Naxalites > have > >> overreached. Perhaps > >> >> their leadership has calculated that they > are in > >> the next stage of > >> >> their revolutionary war. If so, that > would neither > >> the first nor the > >> >> only delusion in their minds. > >> >> > >> >> http://acorn.nationalinterest.in/2010/04/06/the-naxalites-overreached/ > >> >> > _________________________________________ > >> >> 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: > > > > > > > > > From akmalik45 at yahoo.com Fri Apr 9 01:47:20 2010 From: akmalik45 at yahoo.com (A.K. Malik) Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2010 13:17:20 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] =?utf-8?q?I=E2=80=99m_not_Indian=2C_says_Bar_Prez?= In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <913583.1379.qm@web112110.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Dear Durani Ji, If the fellow doesn't believe in Constitution of India, what he is doing as a witness in a Court of Law established by the Constitution of India? There is a limit to the ''Natakbaazis'. Regards, (A.K.MALIK) --- On Thu, 4/8/10, Pawan Durani wrote: > From: Pawan Durani > Subject: [Reader-list] I’m not Indian, says Bar Prez > To: "reader-list" > Date: Thursday, April 8, 2010, 9:33 AM > http://www.risingkashmir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=22289&Itemid=1 > > After Abdullah and Nazir, Qayoom dares Delhi in court > > Ishfaq Tantry > Srinagar, April 07: In an unprecedented development, > J&K Bar > Association President Wednesday made an open statement > before the High > Court (HC) saying “he isn’t an Indian citizen and > doesn’t believe in > the constitution of India”. > > > Qayoom made this statement while being cross examined in > the case > relating to contempt of HC orders by the Kotbalwal Jail > authorities, > which today came up before Justice Muhammad Yaqoob Mir. > > On January 9, Bar Association had filed a contempt petition > 426/2010 > against Kotbalwal Jail SP and DSP “for violating HC > orders dated > January 1 by disallowing a four-member Bar team to meet the > jail > inmates on 7 January 2010. > > Subsequently, the Bar had decided to lead six witnesses > against the SP > and DSP to prove their contempt case. In the first step > towards that, > Qayoom deposed before the HC on Tuesday as one of the > witnesses of the > Bar. > > Today, during cross examination in the post lunch session, > Advocate > Sheikh Shakeel and Advocate Syed Tasaduq Khawaja, the > counsel for the > contemnors, Kotbalwal Jail SP Mirza Saleem Beg and DySP R S > Jamwal > asked Bar president Qayoom a specific question. > > “Do you believe yourself to be a citizen of India?” > > Qayoom replied: “No. I’m not a citizen of India. I’m > a resident of > Jammu and Kashmir.” > > The defense counsel then asked, “Do you have faith in the > Constitution > of India?” to which the Bar President replied: “No > I’ve no faith in > the Indian constitution. You’ve yourself eroded the > Indian > constitution in J&K.” > > As Qayoom was making this statement before the court, which > was being > simultaneously recorded, one of his colleagues asked him to > reconsider > this part of the statement but Qayoom did not stop and > continued. > > “I’m not afraid. If they put me behind bars for this, > let them do it. > Let it come on record.” > > Though in the recent history there is no such precedent > wherein in a > prominent Kashmiri has openly declared himself not an > Indian citizen, > one such move was made by former Prime Minister of J&K > Sheikh Muhammad > Abdullah in 1960s when he embarked on the Hajj pilgrimage. > > “In 1964, when Sheikh Abdullah decided to proceed for > Hajj, he > declared he wants his passport issued as a Kashmiri > national not as an > Indian citizen. In fact, later on he was issued one such > passport by > the authorities but the issued then rocked the Indian > Parliament,” > said Dr Sheikh Showkat Hussain, a noted Kashmiri > commentator who > teaches Law at the University of Kashmir. “Specifically, > I don’t > remember any such move in the recent times wherein a > statement to this > effect has been made in the open court.” > > About the legal ramifications of such a statement by the > Bar > president, Prof Showkat said: “If we go by the definition > of the Union > of India, at many places, the territory has been defined as > whole of > India except the state of J&K.” > > He said: “There is a general tendency among the Kashmiris > to portray > themselves as Kashmiri nationals rather than Indian > citizens.” > > In May 2008, National Conference president Omar Abdullah > wrote in his > blog about his uncle, who, because of his opposition to > Kashmir’s > accession to India, has always refused to be associated > with anything > “Indian”. > > According to NC insiders, the uncle Omar was referring to > was Sheikh Nazir. > > “I’ve an uncle who more often than not I disagree with > but I admire > the conviction he has — he disagrees with what happened > in 1947 and > subsequent events and so refuses to carry a passport,” > Chief Minister > Omar Abdullah blogged in 2008. > > “He has never applied for one. For the longest time he > never left the > State and only travelled by road between Srinagar and Jammu > because he > refused to travel on ‘Indian’ Airlines.” > > Sheikh Nazir, 70, General Secretary of the National > Conference is the > nephew of National Conference leader Sheikh Abdullah and > was raised by > him as his son. > _________________________________________ > 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 Fri Apr 9 07:04:51 2010 From: ravig64 at gmail.com (Ravi Agarwal) Date: Fri, 9 Apr 2010 07:04:51 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Thrill of the chaste In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Dear Sanjay, This is an interesting take on Gandhi, and adds to the complexity of the man. It seems to me that this could also be read as Gandhi's attempt to seem complete 'purity,' in his inner desire - which could be termed 'obsessive' as well. I cannot say, I am not a psychoanalyst. Just one sentence many not be true, and I point it out since the person who wrote it is obviously a scholar who has researched many sources.. "At the age of 38, in 1906, he took a vow of brahmacharya, which meant living a spiritual life but is normally referred to as chastity, without which such a life is deemed impossible by Hindus." Again as a lay person- from my experience and knowledge, in Hinduism as in other religions, spiritual life is possible being in and raising a 'family' as well. So there have been many 'holy' people who have had spouses, as is true in hindu texts as well. I have also met such people, and it is neither frowned upon or un-accepted. I am not sure how the author came to such a conclusion. I do agree tht there is a high value put on 'chastity' by religions, as a way to go beyond desire. Maybe such an assertion by the author reflects the narrow, though interesting reading which the article leads to. However if I am wrong, I will be happy to learn. best ravi On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 1:39 PM, Sanjay Kak wrote: > Thrill of the chaste: The truth about Gandhi's sex life > > With religious chastity under scrutiny, a new book throws light on > Gandhi's practice of sleeping next to naked girls. In fact, he was > sex-mad, writes biographer Jad Adams > > Wednesday, 7 April 2010 > > It was no secret that Mohandas Gandhi had an unusual sex life. He > spoke constantly of sex and gave detailed, often provocative, > instructions to his followers as to how to they might best observe > chastity. And his views were not always popular; "abnormal and > unnatural" was how the first Prime Minister of independent India, > Jawaharlal Nehru, described Gandhi's advice to newlyweds to stay > celibate for the sake of their souls. > > But was there something more complex than a pious plea for chastity at > play in Gandhi's beliefs, preachings and even his unusual personal > practices (which included, alongside his famed chastity, sleeping > naked next to nubile, naked women to test his restraint)? In the > course of researching my new book on Gandhi, going through a hundred > volumes of his complete works and many tomes of eye-witness material, > details became apparent which add up to a more bizarre sexual history. > > Much of this material was known during his lifetime, but was distorted > or suppressed after his death during the process of elevating Gandhi > into the "Father of the Nation" Was the Mahatma, in fact, as the > pre-independence prime minister of the Indian state of Travancore > called him, "a most dangerous, semi-repressed sex maniac"? > > Gandhi was born in the Indian state of Gujarat and married at 13 in > 1883; his wife Kasturba was 14, not early by the standards of Gujarat > at that time. The young couple had a normal sex life, sharing a bed in > a separate room in his family home, and Kasturba was soon pregnant. > > Two years later, as his father lay dying, Gandhi left his bedside to > have sex with Kasturba. Meanwhile, his father drew his last breath. > The young man compounded his grief with guilt that he had not been > present, and represented his subsequent revulsion towards "lustful > love" as being related to his father's death. > > However, Gandhi and Kasturba's last child wasn't born until fifteen > years later, in 1900. > > In fact, Gandhi did not develop his censorious attitude to sex (and > certainly not to marital sex) until he was in his 30s, while a > volunteer in the ambulance corps, assisting the British Empire in its > wars in Southern Africa. On long marches in sparsely populated land in > the Boer War and the Zulu uprisings, Gandhi considered how he could > best "give service" to humanity and decided it must be by embracing > poverty and chastity. > > At the age of 38, in 1906, he took a vow of brahmacharya, which meant > living a spiritual life but is normally referred to as chastity, > without which such a life is deemed impossible by Hindus. > > Gandhi found it easy to embrace poverty. It was chastity that eluded > him. So he worked out a series of complex rules which meant he could > say he was chaste while still engaging in the most explicit sexual > conversation, letters and behaviour. > > With the zeal of the convert, within a year of his vow, he told > readers of his newspaper Indian Opinion: "It is the duty of every > thoughtful Indian not to marry. In case he is helpless in regard to > marriage, he should abstain from sexual intercourse with his wife." > > Meanwhile, Gandhi was challenging that abstinence in his own way. He > set up ashrams in which he began his first "experiments" with sex; > boys and girls were to bathe and sleep together, chastely, but were > punished for any sexual talk. Men and women were segregated, and > Gandhi's advice was that husbands should not be alone with their > wives, and, when they felt passion, should take a cold bath. > > The rules did not, however, apply to him. Sushila Nayar, the > attractive sister of Gandhi's secretary, also his personal physician, > attended Gandhi from girlhood. She used to sleep and bathe with > Gandhi. When challenged, he explained how he ensured decency was not > offended. "While she is bathing I keep my eyes tightly shut," he said, > "I do not know ... whether she bathes naked or with her underwear on. > I can tell from the sound that she uses soap." The provision of such > personal services to Gandhi was a much sought-after sign of his favour > and aroused jealousy among the ashram inmates. > > As he grew older (and following Kasturba's death) he was to have more > women around him and would oblige women to sleep with him whom – > according to his segregated ashram rules – were forbidden to sleep > with their own husbands. Gandhi would have women in his bed, engaging > in his "experiments" which seem to have been, from a reading of his > letters, an exercise in strip-tease or other non-contact sexual > activity. Much explicit material has been destroyed but tantalising > remarks in Gandhi's letters remain such as: "Vina's sleeping with me > might be called an accident. All that can be said is that she slept > close to me." One might assume, then, that getting into the spirit of > the Gandhian experiment meant something more than just sleeping close > to him. > > It can't, one imagines, can have helped with the "involuntary > discharges" which Gandhi complained of experiencing more frequently > since his return to India. He had an almost magical belief in the > power of semen: "One who conserves his vital fluid acquires unfailing > power," he said. > > Meanwhile, it seemed that challenging times required greater efforts > of spiritual fortitude, and for that, more attractive women were > required: Sushila, who in 1947 was 33, was now due to be supplanted in > the bed of the 77-year-old Gandhi by a woman almost half her age. > While in Bengal to see what comfort he could offer in times of > inter-communal violence in the run-up to independence, Gandhi called > for his 18-year-old grandniece Manu to join him – and sleep with him. > "We both may be killed by the Muslims," he told her, "and must put our > purity to the ultimate test, so that we know that we are offering the > purest of sacrifices, and we should now both start sleeping naked." > > Such behaviour was no part of the accepted practice of bramacharya. > He, by now, described his reinvented concept of a brahmachari as: "One > who never has any lustful intention, who, by constant attendance upon > God, has become proof against conscious or unconscious emissions, who > is capable of lying naked with naked women, however beautiful, without > being in any manner whatsoever sexually excited ... who is making > daily and steady progress towards God and whose every act is done in > pursuance of that end and no other." That is, he could do whatever he > wished, so long as there was no apparent "lustful intention". He had > effectively redefined the concept of chastity to fit his personal > practices. > > Thus far, his reasoning was spiritual, but in the maelstrom that was > India approaching independence he took it upon himself to see his sex > experiments as having national importance: "I hold that true service > of the country demands this observance," he stated. > > But while he was becoming bolder in his self-righteousness, Gandhi's > behaviour was widely discussed and criticised by family members and > leading politicians. Some members of his staff resigned, including two > editors of his newspaper who left after refusing to print parts of > Gandhi's sermons dealing with his sleeping arrangements. > > But Gandhi found a way of regarding the objections as a further reason > tocontinue. "If I don't let Manu sleep with me, though I regard it as > essential that she should," he announced, "wouldn't that be a sign of > weakness in me?" > > Eighteen-year-old Abha, the wife of Gandhi's grandnephew Kanu Gandhi, > rejoined Gandhi's entourage in the run-up to independence in 1947 and > by the end of August he was sleeping with both Manu and Abha at the > same time. > > When he was assassinated in January 1948, it was with Manu and Abha by > his side. Despite her having been his constant companion in his last > years, family members, tellingly, removed Manu from the scene. Gandhi > had written to his son: "I have asked her to write about her sharing > the bed with me," but the protectors of his image were eager to > eliminate this element of the great leader's life. Devdas, Gandhi's > son, accompanied Manu to Delhi station where he took the opportunity > of instructing her to keep quiet. > > Questioned in the 1970s, Sushila revealingly placed the elevation of > this lifestyle to a brahmacharya experiment was a response to > criticism of this behaviour. "Later on, when people started asking > questions about his physical contact with women – with Manu, with > Abha, with me – the idea of brahmacharya experiments was developed ... > in the early days, there was no question of calling this a > brahmacharya experiment." It seems that Gandhi lived as he wished, and > only when challenged did he turn his own preferences into a cosmic > system of rewards and benefits. Like many great men, Gandhi made up > the rules as he went along. > > While it was commonly discussed as damaging his reputation when he was > alive, Gandhi's sexual behaviour was ignored for a long time after his > death. It is only now that we can piece together information for a > rounded picture of Gandhi's excessive self-belief in the power of his > own sexuality. Tragically for him, he was already being sidelined by > the politicians at the time of independence. The preservation of his > vital fluid did not keep India intact, and it was the power-brokers of > the Congress Party who negotiated the terms of India's freedom. > > Gandhi: Naked Ambition is published by Quercus (£20). To order a copy > for the special price of £18 (free P&P) call Independent Books Direct > on 08430 600 030, or visit www.independentbooksdirect.co.uk > _________________________________________ > 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 Apr 9 10:01:31 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Fri, 9 Apr 2010 10:01:31 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Jihadist warnings from Moscow Message-ID: http://beta.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/article392054.ece?homepage=true Chechen jihadists have provided inspiration to Islamists across the world. Threats to India could emanate from Russia's battlefields in future. “The Mujahid,” wrote Chechen jihadist Shamil Salmanovich Basayev, “never asks anyone for permission to strike with his sword; he just takes the sword in his hand. He will never waste his time explaining his actions; he is faithful to what has been predetermined by God.” Last month, a jihadist group founded by Basayev staged suicide bombings targeting Moscow's metropolitan train system, killing 39 people. Followed in quick time by a suicide bombing in Dagestan, which claimed 12 lives, the attacks have again focussed attention on jihadist groups in Russia —groups responsible for attacks which match, even dwarf, the assaults on India by Pakistan-backed Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammad. In September 2004, jihadists from Basayev's Riyad ul-Saliheen Martyrs Brigade seized control of a school in the town of Beslan, sparking a hostage crisis which ended in the death of 334 people, including 186 children. Earlier, in 2002, the Brigade took 800 people hostage at the Nord-Ost theatre in Moscow, leading to the death of 129 of them. Last year, 29 were killed when the group bombed a Moscow-bound high-speed train. India has paid little attention to jihadist violence in north Caucasus. It should have. The jihadist movement in Russia has provided inspiration — and, on occasion, training grounds — to Islamists in India and across the world. Had our police forces studied the Beslan and Nord-Ost attacks, for example, they might have been better prepared for the November 2008 horrors in Mumbai. More important, the history of the Islamist movement in Chechnya and the North Caucuses illustrates just how global the jihadist threat in fact is. In the future, India could discover that threats to its soil emanate not just from Pakistan but further afield. India's Chechen jihadist Twenty years ago, Mohammad Abdul Aziz — ‘Gidda' to his friends — began an improbable journey that led him from Hyderabad to Chechnya and, finally, to the prison in Saudi Arabia, where he began serving time for terrorism a year ago. Born in the crowded neighbourhood of Hyderabad to a police constable, Aziz's political life was shaped by the city's highly criminalised communal politics. Hyderabad's communal war of attrition was spearheaded by street gangs, legitimising themselves as defenders of the community. Educated at the Anwar-ul-Uloom College in Mallepally, Aziz discontinued his studies in 1984 and apprenticed with an electrician. But he soon fell in with the gang of Mohammad Fasiuddin, from which many jihadists would emerge. Aziz cut his teeth in an anti-prostitution campaign targeting the Mehboob ki Mandi red light district. He also joined the Darsgah Jihad-o-Shahadat, a vigilante group set up by cleric Maulana Mohammad Naseeruddin. Late in 1989, Aziz got a job in Saudi Arabia, where he worked as electrician with construction giant Bemco. He returned home on a vacation in December 1992, days before the demolition of the Babri Masjid. Embittered, he joined an Islamist group in Saudi Arabia. In 1994, he volunteered to fight against the Serbian forces in Bosnia. Aziz trained at Zentica along with jihadists from Europe, West Asia and Africa before being despatched to fight on the front lines. In an interview to the Pakistani jihadist magazine, al-Sirat al-Mustaqeem, in August 1994, Aziz said his decision to fight in Bosnia had been laid by the speeches of Abdullah Azzam — the Palestinian jihadist who was Osama bin Laden's ideological mentor and co-founder of the Lashkar's parent organisation, Markaz Dawat wal'Irshad. “I was one of those,” Aziz said, “who heard about the jihad in Afghanistan when it started. I used to hear about it, but was doubtful about its purity and imagination. One of those who came to our land [through audiotape?] was Dr. Abdullah Azzam. I heard him rallying the youth to come forth and go to Afghanistan. I decided to go and check the matter for myself. This was the beginning of my jihad.” Back home in 1996 — carrying a Bosnian passport as a memento of his tour of duty — Aziz found his desire for jihad unstilled. In March that year, he travelled to Moscow and on to Shatoy, near Grozny in Chechnya. Aziz helped provide logistics support to fighters operating under the command of the Saudi Arabia-born jihadist Samir Saleh Abdullah al-Suwailem. Later, in April, al-Suwailem's forces carried out the now famous ambush, massacring troops of Russia's 245 Motor Rifle Regiment, killing 53 soldiers. Fighting alongside Basayev's jihadist forces, al-Suwailem commanded the guerrilla units which sparked the second Chechen war. Al-Suwailem was eventually assassinated by Russia's Federal Security Service in 2002. For his part, Aziz returned home to help assemble infrastructure for the growing jihadist movement in India. In 1996, India's intelligence services say, he met with the Lashkar's covert operative, Mohammad Ishtiaq who, operating under the code-name Salim Junaid, had set up one of the organisation's first cells in the country. He also met with Lashkar commander Mohammad Azam Ghauri, one of the co-founders of the outfit's Indian networks. Helped with funding from his Saudi contacts, Aziz set about making plans to execute bombings across India, to avenge the demolition of the Babri Masjid. He was arrested by the Hyderabad police, but he jumped bail and worked for several years as a jihad financier before his arrest in Saudi Arabia. The jihad in Russia Like India, complex political processes underpinned the growth of the jihadist movement, of which Aziz was a part. In the 18th century, as Russia expanded into territories until then controlled by Iran and Turkey, it faced frequent resistance from local Muslim rulers. Chechen rebellion often broke out in times of crisis. In 1940, Chechen fascists allied with Nazi Germany in an effort to gain independence from the Soviet Union, sparking a prolonged insurgency. Even as the Soviet Union crumbled in 1991, a war for independence broke out between Russia and the newly-formed Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. Years of fighting followed, claiming the lives of an estimated 5,500 Russian troops. In the wake of a ceasefire with Russia, Basayev was appointed Vice-Prime Minister of the Chechen Republic by President Aslam Maskhadov. But in August 1999, he led an Islamist army to stage a coup in neighbouring Dagestan. Russian forces intervened, ending the de facto independence of Chechnya. Basayev himself was killed in 2006. Basayev's writings show that the Chechen jihadist movement, like others across the world, was a product of modernity — not traditionalist Islam. His iconic 2004 book, The Book of the Mujahid, was derived bizarrely from the Brazilian pop novelist Paulo Coelho. “In late March of last year,” Basayev wrote in the preface, “I had two weeks of spare time when I got a hold of Warrior of the Light: A Manual. I wanted to derive benefits for the mujahideen from this book and this is why I rewrote most of it, removing some of the excesses and strengthened all of it with Quranic verses, Hadiths and stories from the lives of the disciples [of the Prophet].” >From mid-2008, the jihadist movement in Chechnya began to gather momentum again. In November that year, jihadist leader Doku Khamatovich Umarov declared himself the amir, or supreme leader, of a so-called Islamic Emirate of the Caucasus. Early this year, he gave an interview warning Russians: “God-willing, we plan to show them that the war will return to their homes.” In July 2008, a woman suicide bomber critically injured the President of the Russian republic of Ingushetia, targeting his armoured convoy. The previous month, a sniper shot dead Dagestan interior ministry chief Lieutenant-General Adilgerei Magomedtagirov, while gunmen assassinated Aza Gazgireyeva, deputy head of Ingushetia's Supreme Court, and Bashir Aushev, Deputy Prime Minister. In May, another suicide bomber killed two police officers while attempting to target the offices of the Interior Ministry in Grozny. Early in March, Russian forces shot dead Alexander Tikhomirov, a key jihadist commander who operated under the name Sheikh Said Buryatsky. Born to an ethnic-Buryat mother and a Russian father in eastern Siberia, Tikhomirov converted to Islam and studied theology in Egypt. His unit, the Russian media reported, was part of a group planning to assassinate Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and presidential envoy to the North Caucuses Aleksandr Khloponin during a visit to the region. The killings followed the elimination, in February, of al-Qaeda-linked Egyptian jihadist Mohammad Shabban in a shootout in Dagestan. Last month's Moscow bombings are believed to have been carried out to avenge these deaths. Before the Beslan attacks, the Riyad ul-Saliheen Martyrs Brigade bombed the headquarters of the Chechen government in 2002, killing 72 and injuring 280. In August 2003, Riyad ul-Saliheen also targeted a hospital serving both military and civilian patients, killing 52. India has lessons to learn from Russia's experience. Its jihadists, like those of the north Caucasus, are intimately entwined with Islamist groups in Pakistan —but, increasingly, are acquiring the capabilities needed to stage major operations independently. Facing up to the new challenges of a globalised jihadist movement will need unprecedented levels of international cooperation From chintangirishmodi at gmail.com Fri Apr 9 12:04:21 2010 From: chintangirishmodi at gmail.com (Chintan) Date: Fri, 9 Apr 2010 12:04:21 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Introducing children to green ideas Message-ID: From http://bangalore.citizenmatters.in/articles/view/913-daily-dump-childrens-books-environment-eco-friendly Introduce your child to green ideas This book with the attention-grabbing title spreads ecological awareness among children in a unique way. By Vinita Disgustingly Cool Books for Kids. Hearing the title, I was certainly curious to know more. I decided to meet Poonam Bir Kasturi (founder of Daily Dump, which offers home composting solutions in Bengaluru through a range of services and products), the person responsible for these publications. The sleek set of five booklets, published by Daily Dump, introduces concepts of environment-friendliness, waste, sustainability, consumerism et cetera to children in an interesting and engaging manner. Poonam firmly believes product design must always intersect with sustainability. The primary design consideration for this set of books was that children must start thinking about issues related to ecology, democracy and sustainability very early on. The age between 8-12 years is critical as this is when children start developing their ideas. What's more, what ever has to be said must be in the children's language, rather than as a textbook or sermon. Before actually designing the books, Pallavi Agarwal, the student helping Poonam on this project observed the environmental studies classes in various schools and found that in most instances, it is not treated as a serious or main subject by both the children and the school. In today's urban context, she found parents want to be more involved with their children's learning and thinking process. However, working parents often lack time. The brief to themselves was, thus, to make literature that is crisp and provocative; and serves as a conversation starter for parents and educators. This set of five books (together priced at Rs.100) encourages young children to question some of the choices in their daily lives, discover the connections between these choices and issues of ecology and sustainability. For instance, *Where do you think the cleanest water comes from? What is yucky? Why do pizzas seem cooler than rotis? What if I don’t say enough? What are the not-so-cool stories behind every product we buy?* The interactive format of the books enables children to see it as an activity book (where they need to tick their choices) and the striking visuals make it exciting, fun and provocative. The ideal expectation from these books would be that children are triggered to think about such issues. The books are currently being sold by word-of-mouth to schools and individuals. Poonam is wary of selling through large bookstores as it may affect the price and, therefore, the accessibility of the books. Poonam is keen to have the books widely disseminated by getting them translated into a few Indian languages. Some schools are already using the books and Poonam is keen on feedback from the general public, too. Poonam has adopted the “open source” concept here also, similar to the Daily Dump clone format. She is open to other publishers' reprinting, translating into different languages and distributing the books. Poonam believes that distributed ownership without any legal payback obligations may spawn a richer way of looking at work, and of knowledge dissemination. “My interest is to try and change behaviour and creating a large centralised business is not the priority,” she says. “So when you set such a goal, you view traditional ideas of competition, market share, wealth et cetera through a new lens.” Those interested in buying, translating and/or distributing could get in touch with Daily Dump. And for parents like me with younger children, do not despair! Poonam promises that there is plenty more books in the offing.* ⊕* Contact: Daily Dump 2992, 12th A Main HAL II Stage Bangalore 560038 dailydumpcompost at gmail.com From pawan.durani at gmail.com Fri Apr 9 13:13:19 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Fri, 9 Apr 2010 13:13:19 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: http://www.dnaindia.com/opinion/main-article_dynasty-vs-government_1368625 The brutal massacre of over 75 security personnel by the Maoists in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district is a pointer to two things: one, the men in uniform are ill-prepared for their challenges, and two, there is a strange inconsistency between official assessments of the growing Maoist threat and the political will backing those assertions. Both the prime minister and the home minister have minced no words in calling a spade a spade. While Manmohan Singh has called the Maoists the biggest security threat to the country, P Chidambaram has promised tough action to deal with it. But here’s the point: months after launching Operation Green Hunt, it is not clear who’s hunting whom. The Maoists have been more successful in intimidating the state — aided by a cacophony of phony human rights advocates — than the other way around. It is the security forces who are being hunted and eliminated. What explains this gap between thought and action? The answer lies in the complete lack of will at the top of the political pyramid. This means Sonia Gandhi, not Manmohan Singh or Chidambaram. Given the extremely secretive nature of the Manmohan Singh-Sonia-Rahul Gandhi interface, it is not possible to conclusively prove this, but it is reasonable to presume that Sonia is not actively backing the government in its anti-Maoist campaign. We certainly haven’t heard a single Sonia statement on Maoism that backs the official stand of her government. At best we have had non-descript statements deploring violence — something similar to what the human-rightswallahs mumble when confronted with the latest Maoist atrocities. In her last statement before the Jharkhand polls, Sonia said “there is no place for violence in a democracy” — a motherhood statement at best. Her son Rahul blamed non-Congress governments for the Maoist violence, neatly deflecting the issue. This reluctance to back their own government on a hard policy issue is in sharp contrast to the way the dynasty hogs all credit for the aam aadmi schemes implemented by the UPA government. From NREGA to farm loan waivers to extending coverage under the food security bill, Sonia and Rahul are seen to be driving the government’s actions. They vanish whenever there is talk of an oil price hike or action against Maoists. There is some political method to this madness. A substantial chunk of the future vote bank of the Congress lies in the tribal belts where missionaries are active. This is also the area where the Maoists rule. But we do not hear of any clashes or even tensions between the soldiers of god and the mercenaries of Mao. On the other hand, we do have a case of a Maoist claiming “credit” for murdering a Hindu religious leader who was also doing missionary work in the tribal areas of Kandhamal — a traumatic event that triggered a terrible massacre of Christian tribals in retaliation. So what’s the nexus? It is interesting to note that the jholawala sympathisers of the Maoists have attacked the Government of India and the states for their anti-Maoist operations. They have criticised local resistance groups like the Salwa Judum in Chhattisgarh, but not Sonia or Rahul. One thing is starkly clear. The Manmohan Singh government’s main job is not to do right by the country, but by the dynasty. As long as the decisions taken are politically acceptable to Sonia and Rahul, it’s fine. But when political capital has to be expended in the long-term interests of the country, the family will be far away. What else explains the reluctance of Rahul Gandhi to join the government when the PM was more than willing to give him a chance? The decision to decline power gives him obvious advantages: the media tom-toms this as a great sacrifice, something that proves that the Gandhis are not power-hungry. Actually, they are only wary of accountability. It is not surprising that the government chose this moment to resurrect the National Advisory Council (NAC) under Sonia Gandhi — an unnecessary appendage and extra-constitutional authority that inhibits real accountability in government. The official reason given for reviving NAC is that the party needs to monitor the implementation of its pro-poor programmes. Wouldn’t it have been simpler to appoint Rahul as programme implementation minister? But then he would have become accountable to Parliament and even the PM. Horror or horrors. How can a member of the dynasty be accountable to a mere PM or the legislature? The dynasty is internally playing the same role in UPA-2 that the Left was doing in UPA-1: demanding power without an iota of responsibility. Sonia and Rahul are involved only in the spending decisions that will presumably ensure re-elections. They are stonewalling or opposing the harder decisions that true governance calls for. You never hear a Sonia or a Rahul talking about fiscal prudence, targeting subsidies better, implementing reforms, or public sector autonomy. This does not serve their political purposes. Let’s be clear. Manmohan Singh is the dynasty’s fall guy. He had better watch out. From nagraj.adve at gmail.com Fri Apr 9 16:59:22 2010 From: nagraj.adve at gmail.com (Nagraj Adve) Date: Fri, 9 Apr 2010 16:59:22 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] on Greenhunt Message-ID: Am forwarding an interestingly written parcha on Greenhunt. copied below. Selling India by the Pound The Hidden Story of Operation Green Hunt Operation Green Hunt was launched in the latter half of 2009 and a large contingent of paramilitary and military forces aided and abetted by mercenaries were deployed in large parts of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and West Bengal. It is a war supposedly to free the people of these areas from Maoist influence. By repeated declarations and one-sided media statements the Government has made Maoists “the single largest internal security threat to the country”. Advertisements are regularly appearing in all major newspapers which call Maoists nothing but cold-blooded murderers. They are being accused of terrorizing the poor, killing men and rendering women widows, destroying school buildings, as criminals who indulge in extortion. The Home Ministry then exhorts the common people to stop violence and become prosperous. According to government sources 203 districts are affected by Maoists. What we should ask is: are people prospering in the remaining 400 districts? Do people have enough employment there? Do children go to schools? Do innocent people not die untimely deaths there? Let’s take the case of Delhi which is not affected by Maoists. Prices of basic food items have skyrocketed. One day it is sugar, another day milk, on the third the price of cooking gas or public transport – the government keeps increasing prices under one pretext or the other, or many a time without giving any reasons. While the common citizens pay ever-rising prices the benefits go increasingly to big companies. Sugar mills and traders make windfall profits by importing sugar and selling it at uncontrolled prices; Petrol fills the coffers of the likes of Ambanis. We have witnessed many innocent people being killed in the last thirty years. Gas leak in Bhopal killed thousands but no punitive action has yet been taken against the management. In the case of the proposed Nuclear Civil Liability Bill, instead of protecting its citizens, the government has been trying to cap the damages to be paid by nuclear companies of US regardless of the destruction they cause. The killing of innocents is not acceptable to anyone, but why have the guilty of the 1984 riots belonging to Congress not been punished as yet? By inciting people to break down the Babri Masjid, BJP caused riots all over the country; why use the army against one set of supposed killers (Maoists and other “insurgents”) but set up tedious commissions for communal riots against another? The other charge against the Maoists is that they are luring people by making false promises of prosperity. But one must not forget that the Maoist party and their predecessors came into existence long after ruling parties had made these promises to people for decades to garner their votes. It is the false promises of development which lacked any real will that gave opportunity to new forces and parties. At any rate the real reason to send the army to these states is not to flush out Maoists. The reality is that our government is subservient to domestic and foreign capital. Today, these masters are not satisfied with control over the market—whether it is retail, whole sale, rural, urban, high end or of those that cater to basic necessities. They are desperate for the real estate, water, and minerals and other natural resources. The regions and states where the Operation Green Hunt is being carried out have a large proportion of tribal population who have been living under dismal conditions for decades. The only outreach of the government to them has comprised of the Forest Department and the police and neither has lost any opportunity to intimidate them. Unfortunately for the tribals, their land has vast mineral treasures hidden under their feet. To mine these and to process them, the concerned governments have signed unprecedented numbers of MoUs with Indian as well as foreign companies during the last five years. In this period another opportunity has also been created for real estate speculation and take-over with the SEZs Act. If the MoUs have to be honoured then the government is under compulsion to remove the present inhabitants. Crores of people will be affected in this exercise. While the government is eager to implement the MoUs it has thrown to winds all the constitutional guarantees under the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution which acknowledge the traditional rights of the tribals to the forest land. Notwithstanding the tall claims of Rehabilitation and Resettlement there has not been a single case so far of proper rehabilitation of the people who have been affected. All the ‘Modern Temples’—as Nehru used to call it—of ‘Development’ like Mega dams, Steel factories, mining establishments till date have been built on the graveyards of people who were never part of that much abused word, ‘development’. The poorest of the poor people of these regions are facing perhaps the worst ever murderous campaign, called “the biggest land grab since Colombus” by none other than the Ministry of Rural Development report of the Government of India! In the state of Chhattisgarh 644 villages have been vacated in the district of Dantewada alone by burning and looting. The residents are forced to live in inhuman conditions in refugee camps which lack basic facilities and are no more than night shelters. Lakhs are hiding in the jungles without any support system and lakhs have migrated to districts like Khammam in the neighbouring states. This eviction was carried out using a private army called Salwa Judum. But when this operation was not adequate as it met with stiff resistance from the local people as well as the civil society and a sizeable section of the media provoking worldwide indignation then further operations were planned using the pretext of Maoist threat. The people of India is time and again being informed and reassured by a suave, erudite, Mining Company Director-turned Lawyer- turned Finance Minister-turned Home Minister that the army will move in, clear the area of the Maoist ‘menace’, and development will follow closely on its heels. Today it has become a crime to take the side of the tribals. Whether it is the Gandhians who provide them with rations, or the doctors who reach out for treating the tribals where the government has abandoned them, or the democratic rights organizations who expose the violence committed by the state or Salwa Judum. Such supporters have their Ashrams demolished, doctors and civil rights activists are thrown in jail, even fact finding teams are not allowed in the area. The tribals themselves are in a much worse shape. Complaints of rape are not filed, witnesses of police firing and atrocities are made to disappear and the Salwa Judum crosses over to Andhra Pradesh to intimidate the internally displaced tribals. Opposing the government and its excesses has been made the synonym of support to Maoists. Now, well known civil rights groups and leaders have been named explicitly in Kobad Ghandy’s charge sheet. They are being called the fronts of Maoists. This act of association has been carried to such extremes that even the Supreme Court has warned the Chhattisgarh police to refrain from using “Maoist supporter” as an “innuendo”. Not just in Chhattisgarh but in other states as well people are struggling against oppression and exploitation. To term all protest as Maoist has become the standard response of the government. Does it mean that sooner than later the army will be called to deal with all resistance? Will prisons be filled up with the voices of dissent? The government’s own reports acknowledge that Naxalism has grown on account of neglect and miseries of the people. The response then calls for social and economic justice and not of military attacks under the guidance of American and Israeli specialists. Violence will evoke counter-violence because peaceful protests are facing firing everywhere leaving them little option. Whether we look at Tamil Nadu or UP or Karnataka or Maharashtra we find that freedom of expression is largely abridged and leafleting is also termed as sedition. Draconian laws follow each other with urgency to crush dissent, terming everything into a crime at the whim of those in power and bringing incarceration without trials in their wake. Media is run as a profit making venture by large corporations and it gives weightage and coverage to those in power. No amount of force or use of army is likely to bring lasting peace. We should not forget that army has been used extensively in Kashmir and the Northeast. For sixty years these areas are under siege. In Manipur, for every citizen there are forty men in uniform – the result is false encounters, rapes and disappearances. The Home ministry states that at the height of insurgency there were 3000 extremists in Kashmir. The violence unleashed to contain them led to human right violations, rapes and disappearances – all leaving deep scars in the psyche of Kashmiris which still breed hatred and mistrust. UN figures suggest that the victims of army atrocities far outnumber those of the militants. But this has not taught any lesson to the government and it persists in repeating military offensive in large parts of the country. The problem cannot be solved by combat and will lend itself only to a political and economic solution. In the light of this, we call upon all concerned citizens to come together and join the struggle for people’s rights to life, livelihood and resources. We demand: · Immediate and complete withdrawal of military and paramilitary forces. · Allow independent observers to visit the affected areas. · Make public all MOUs concerned with natural resource extraction and industrial production, 2005-09. Please attend the following programmes: · Public Meeting against State-Military Offensive on People's Lives & Resources: 6 April, 2009. 4.00 pm at Central Park C P. · Independent People's Tribunal on Land Acquisition, Resource Grab and Operation Green Hunt: 9th to 11th April, Speakers Hall, Constitution Club, Rafi Marg, New Delhi. Delhi University Campaign against War on People; Jawaharlal Nehru University Forum against War on People; Forum against War on People; Campaign against Genocide of Adivasis; Citizens Initiative for Peace; Manipur Students’ Association, Delhi; Janmadhyam; Saheli; PUDR; PCC, CPI (M-L); Delhi Solidarity Grouop; Campaign for Peace and Justice in Chhatisgarh; Campaign for Peace and Democracy, Manipur; Pratidhwani; Kashipur Solidarity Group and others. From aliens at dataone.in Fri Apr 9 18:05:40 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Fri, 09 Apr 2010 18:05:40 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] NAXAL/MOIST BRUTAL TERROR Message-ID: <000101cad7e1$2a410c80$7ec32580$@in> Dear Sir, Regarding recent Moist attack, I am no authority for such matter and I have never visited Moist effected area, but trying to give my opinion honestly what I feel. I remember on earlier days, when dacoit (dakkos) in Chambal and other such areas were there and somewhere in 1980's they came back to society for normal living. At that time respected state govt. and some NGO's engaged in dialogue with dakoos and convinced them for their un-societal act and if they surrender their arms, promised to give alternatives for earning and also promised to freed from court cases. They realize about their act not good for society and started living normal life. Such approach is necessary today in large scale in Naxal affected states. To kill about 76 CRPF personnel is as condemnable as we condemn terror attack. Yes, Maoist or Naxals are no doubt Indian citizens, this does not mean they got license to kill other Indians. Actually after stiff opposition from Maoist and (Maoist well-wisher?) earlier, govt. remove army and put CRPF. To remove army, is also part of negotiation and govt. compromise that way. Central Reserve Police Force, as the name suggests that they are reserve force and not actually trained for such emergency situation. Even they were not at all aware with that area. It was totally new area for them. They don't have even sufficient arms/amenities required for the purpose, so how can you expect retaliation from them. On the other side, Maoist are well equipped with latest arms, fully aware of the area, well planned for attack as they were hide earlier only behind and over the trees in dense forest. Of course negotiations are the best way to solve their problem and in my knowledge govt. has negotiated earlier with them to solve their problems but somehow could not satisfy Moist fully. There is no amicable solution for any problem which satisfied both the side fully. One has to compromise some way or other. Tribal problem can be solved by implementing amicable land reform which benefits them. On other side, we want development also which give employment to them. Combining both the things, govt. must decide according to the situation by taking local people into confidence. Sometimes tribal or local people attitude plays the key role, since they don't want to come out from their tradition and want to remain as it is without changing themselves. Also, what I feel that tribal not supporting Maoist by heart but they forced to support with gun on their head. This is what I heard in the talk show by one of the tribal leader. Same way as in J&K, where people with fear supporting separatists there. Political parties must come out of vote bank politics, since it is also biggest hindrance to fight with them. Earlier to defeat Chandrababu, congress took support of Naxals openly and came back to power. Left soft corner to Maoist are well known. Similarly, some CM not attending the meeting of Maoist effected states arranged by govt. perhaps to save their vote bank. With such attitude, we cannot fight this evil. Thanks Bipin From aliens at dataone.in Fri Apr 9 18:19:24 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Fri, 09 Apr 2010 18:19:24 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Thrill of the chaste - with source! In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <000601cad7e3$15a0fae0$40e2f0a0$@in> Dear Rakesh, Good positive approach. Keep it up. Of course this book is return by the author Mr. Jad Adams own eye and does not reflect true nature of Gandhiji. He is too short to understand this millennium hero. By this way, they sensitize the issue for chip publicity. Thanks Bipin -----Original Message----- From: reader-list-bounces at sarai.net [mailto:reader-list-bounces at sarai.net] On Behalf Of Rakesh Iyer Sent: Thursday, April 08, 2010 2:32 PM To: Sanjay Kak Cc: Sarai Reader List Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Thrill of the chaste - with source! While thanks for this piece of info, I think one should not forget what Gandhi and Vivekananda once said, should be the core of our living: Take what is good from others, and leave aside the bad. We have a lot many issues I believe, and we can take good from this and also the bad. And accordingly live our life. Rakesh On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 1:42 PM, Sanjay Kak wrote: > Apologies: this part got left behind: > > In these times of war, just to cheer people up, a blast from the past! > Best > Sanjay > > --------------------------- > > > http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/thrill-of-the-chaste-the-truth-about-gandhis-sex-life-1937411.html > > Thrill of the chaste: The truth about Gandhi's sex life > > With religious chastity under scrutiny, a new book throws light on > Gandhi's practice of sleeping next to naked girls. In fact, he was > sex-mad, writes biographer Jad Adams > > Wednesday, 7 April 2010 > > It was no secret that Mohandas Gandhi had an unusual sex life. He > spoke constantly of sex and gave detailed, often provocative, > instructions to his followers as to how to they might best observe > chastity. And his views were not always popular; "abnormal and > unnatural" was how the first Prime Minister of independent India, > Jawaharlal Nehru, described Gandhi's advice to newlyweds to stay > celibate for the sake of their souls. > > But was there something more complex than a pious plea for chastity at > play in Gandhi's beliefs, preachings and even his unusual personal > practices (which included, alongside his famed chastity, sleeping > naked next to nubile, naked women to test his restraint)? In the > course of researching my new book on Gandhi, going through a hundred > volumes of his complete works and many tomes of eye-witness material, > details became apparent which add up to a more bizarre sexual history. > > Much of this material was known during his lifetime, but was distorted > or suppressed after his death during the process of elevating Gandhi > into the "Father of the Nation" Was the Mahatma, in fact, as the > pre-independence prime minister of the Indian state of Travancore > called him, "a most dangerous, semi-repressed sex maniac"? > > Gandhi was born in the Indian state of Gujarat and married at 13 in > 1883; his wife Kasturba was 14, not early by the standards of Gujarat > at that time. The young couple had a normal sex life, sharing a bed in > a separate room in his family home, and Kasturba was soon pregnant. > > Two years later, as his father lay dying, Gandhi left his bedside to > have sex with Kasturba. Meanwhile, his father drew his last breath. > The young man compounded his grief with guilt that he had not been > present, and represented his subsequent revulsion towards "lustful > love" as being related to his father's death. > > However, Gandhi and Kasturba's last child wasn't born until fifteen > years later, in 1900. > > In fact, Gandhi did not develop his censorious attitude to sex (and > certainly not to marital sex) until he was in his 30s, while a > volunteer in the ambulance corps, assisting the British Empire in its > wars in Southern Africa. On long marches in sparsely populated land in > the Boer War and the Zulu uprisings, Gandhi considered how he could > best "give service" to humanity and decided it must be by embracing > poverty and chastity. > > At the age of 38, in 1906, he took a vow of brahmacharya, which meant > living a spiritual life but is normally referred to as chastity, > without which such a life is deemed impossible by Hindus. > > Gandhi found it easy to embrace poverty. It was chastity that eluded > him. So he worked out a series of complex rules which meant he could > say he was chaste while still engaging in the most explicit sexual > conversation, letters and behaviour. > > With the zeal of the convert, within a year of his vow, he told > readers of his newspaper Indian Opinion: "It is the duty of every > thoughtful Indian not to marry. In case he is helpless in regard to > marriage, he should abstain from sexual intercourse with his wife." > > Meanwhile, Gandhi was challenging that abstinence in his own way. He > set up ashrams in which he began his first "experiments" with sex; > boys and girls were to bathe and sleep together, chastely, but were > punished for any sexual talk. Men and women were segregated, and > Gandhi's advice was that husbands should not be alone with their > wives, and, when they felt passion, should take a cold bath. > > The rules did not, however, apply to him. Sushila Nayar, the > attractive sister of Gandhi's secretary, also his personal physician, > attended Gandhi from girlhood. She used to sleep and bathe with > Gandhi. When challenged, he explained how he ensured decency was not > offended. "While she is bathing I keep my eyes tightly shut," he said, > "I do not know ... whether she bathes naked or with her underwear on. > I can tell from the sound that she uses soap." The provision of such > personal services to Gandhi was a much sought-after sign of his favour > and aroused jealousy among the ashram inmates. > > As he grew older (and following Kasturba's death) he was to have more > women around him and would oblige women to sleep with him whom – > according to his segregated ashram rules – were forbidden to sleep > with their own husbands. Gandhi would have women in his bed, engaging > in his "experiments" which seem to have been, from a reading of his > letters, an exercise in strip-tease or other non-contact sexual > activity. Much explicit material has been destroyed but tantalising > remarks in Gandhi's letters remain such as: "Vina's sleeping with me > might be called an accident. All that can be said is that she slept > close to me." One might assume, then, that getting into the spirit of > the Gandhian experiment meant something more than just sleeping close > to him. > > It can't, one imagines, can have helped with the "involuntary > discharges" which Gandhi complained of experiencing more frequently > since his return to India. He had an almost magical belief in the > power of semen: "One who conserves his vital fluid acquires unfailing > power," he said. > > Meanwhile, it seemed that challenging times required greater efforts > of spiritual fortitude, and for that, more attractive women were > required: Sushila, who in 1947 was 33, was now due to be supplanted in > the bed of the 77-year-old Gandhi by a woman almost half her age. > While in Bengal to see what comfort he could offer in times of > inter-communal violence in the run-up to independence, Gandhi called > for his 18-year-old grandniece Manu to join him – and sleep with him. > "We both may be killed by the Muslims," he told her, "and must put our > purity to the ultimate test, so that we know that we are offering the > purest of sacrifices, and we should now both start sleeping naked." > > Such behaviour was no part of the accepted practice of bramacharya. > He, by now, described his reinvented concept of a brahmachari as: "One > who never has any lustful intention, who, by constant attendance upon > God, has become proof against conscious or unconscious emissions, who > is capable of lying naked with naked women, however beautiful, without > being in any manner whatsoever sexually excited ... who is making > daily and steady progress towards God and whose every act is done in > pursuance of that end and no other." That is, he could do whatever he > wished, so long as there was no apparent "lustful intention". He had > effectively redefined the concept of chastity to fit his personal > practices. > > Thus far, his reasoning was spiritual, but in the maelstrom that was > India approaching independence he took it upon himself to see his sex > experiments as having national importance: "I hold that true service > of the country demands this observance," he stated. > > But while he was becoming bolder in his self-righteousness, Gandhi's > behaviour was widely discussed and criticised by family members and > leading politicians. Some members of his staff resigned, including two > editors of his newspaper who left after refusing to print parts of > Gandhi's sermons dealing with his sleeping arrangements. > > But Gandhi found a way of regarding the objections as a further reason > tocontinue. "If I don't let Manu sleep with me, though I regard it as > essential that she should," he announced, "wouldn't that be a sign of > weakness in me?" > > Eighteen-year-old Abha, the wife of Gandhi's grandnephew Kanu Gandhi, > rejoined Gandhi's entourage in the run-up to independence in 1947 and > by the end of August he was sleeping with both Manu and Abha at the > same time. > > When he was assassinated in January 1948, it was with Manu and Abha by > his side. Despite her having been his constant companion in his last > years, family members, tellingly, removed Manu from the scene. Gandhi > had written to his son: "I have asked her to write about her sharing > the bed with me," but the protectors of his image were eager to > eliminate this element of the great leader's life. Devdas, Gandhi's > son, accompanied Manu to Delhi station where he took the opportunity > of instructing her to keep quiet. > > Questioned in the 1970s, Sushila revealingly placed the elevation of > this lifestyle to a brahmacharya experiment was a response to > criticism of this behaviour. "Later on, when people started asking > questions about his physical contact with women – with Manu, with > Abha, with me – the idea of brahmacharya experiments was developed ... > in the early days, there was no question of calling this a > brahmacharya experiment." It seems that Gandhi lived as he wished, and > only when challenged did he turn his own preferences into a cosmic > system of rewards and benefits. Like many great men, Gandhi made up > the rules as he went along. > > While it was commonly discussed as damaging his reputation when he was > alive, Gandhi's sexual behaviour was ignored for a long time after his > death. It is only now that we can piece together information for a > rounded picture of Gandhi's excessive self-belief in the power of his > own sexuality. Tragically for him, he was already being sidelined by > the politicians at the time of independence. The preservation of his > vital fluid did not keep India intact, and it was the power-brokers of > the Congress Party who negotiated the terms of India's freedom. > > Gandhi: Naked Ambition is published by Quercus (£20). To order a copy > for the special price of £18 (free P&P) call Independent Books Direct > on 08430 600 030, or visit www.independentbooksdirect.co.uk > _________________________________________ > 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 chandni_parekh at yahoo.com Fri Apr 9 22:01:47 2010 From: chandni_parekh at yahoo.com (Chandni Parekh) Date: Fri, 9 Apr 2010 09:31:47 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] Distribution 2.0, Bringing Wealth for all : Join us in offering safety to your community Message-ID: <960158.27618.qm@web54401.mail.re2.yahoo.com> ----- Forwarded Message ---- From: Mukut Deepak To: chandni_parekh at yahoo.com Sent: Fri, April 9, 2010 Subject: Distribution 2.0,Bringing Wealth for all : Join us in offering safety to your community Dear Chandani, Greetings from Distribution 2.0 At D20 (Distribution 2.0 network private limited) we are committed to bringing to common man’s doorstep low cost, simple to understand and consume financial service products (insurance, loans, bank accounts etc) through unconventional distribution channels (convenience stores etc.) Through this initiative we want to reach out to the common man- farmers and the urban poor- factory workers, artisans, auto and taxi drivers, hawkers etc. We have a growing face book community: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wealth-for-All/109490439078740 Our first product is Rs 100 per annum insurance in partnership with ICICI L. This is a personal accident cover which provides protection to the tune of Rs 50,000 in case of loss of ability to work (from one or more limbs or eyes). There are no supporting documents needed (id, address proof or photograph) to get this policy. We are also looking to partner NGOs so as to support their communities through corporate sponsorship. Our insurance product is then made available free of cost to the community adopted by NGOs. We are looking for interested * Distribution partners for taking this product to the target communities - a significant proportion of customer collections is earmarked for this * NGOs who work for the needy communities and would be interested in extending safety through corporate sponsorship Come join us in our journey. Help us spread wealth for all. You may connect with Mamta.m15 at gmail.com /9958810056 or Mukut.deepak at thinklink-scs.com /9820323871 Here are some video links to action on ground þ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azbpvYmbzVs þ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPMa9yuvt1k þ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S778H9kTcmU þ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nqj4yJX6RGI A short presentation on Distribution 2.0 is also attached Regards, Mukut Deepak Founder, Distribution 2.0 P.S – we have made a promising start. In addition to our presence through many convenience stores in Bombay (around Chembur) * Through our association with a leading PSU and a Bombay based NGO dedicated to addressing the needs for the homeless, we are very close to offering insurance free of cost to several thousand homeless individuals * Through our distribution alliance with a leading chain of agricultural warehouses (spread over 5 states) we are working towards reaching out to lacs of farmers. * Through our other affiliates - which include a premier educational institute, a leading restaurant, organic products firm and a bunch of spirited individuals we are now reaching out to customers in Bangalore, Kota and upcountry Karnataka. From aliens at dataone.in Sat Apr 10 10:35:51 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Sat, 10 Apr 2010 10:35:51 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <000801cad86b$7e637cf0$7b2a76d0$@in> Dear Pawan, Thanks posting R. Jagnnathan article. It is well timed and his assessments are really root based. Be it secularism or vote bank politics. Read these sentence of R. Jagnnathan: 1. Given the extremely secretive nature of the Manmohan Singh-Sonia-Rahul Gandhi interface, it is not possible to conclusively prove this, but it is reasonable to presume that Sonia is not actively backing the government in its anti-Maoist campaign. 2. Rahul blamed non-Congress governments for the Maoist violence, neatly deflecting the issue. 3. This reluctance to back their own government on a hard policy issue is in sharp contrast to the way the dynasty hogs all credit for the aam aadmi schemes implemented by the UPA government. From NREGA to farm loan waivers to extending coverage under the food security bill, Sonia and Rahul are seen to be driving the government’s actions. They vanish whenever there is talk of an oil price hike or action against Maoists. 4. A substantial chunk of the future vote bank of the Congress lies in the tribal belts where missionaries are active. This is also the area where the Maoists rule. But we do not hear of any clashes or even tensions between the soldiers of god and the mercenaries of Mao. 5. The decision to decline power gives him obvious advantages: the media tom-toms this as a great sacrifice, something that proves that the Gandhis are not power-hungry. Actually, they are only wary of accountability. 6. The official reason given for reviving NAC is that the party needs to monitor the implementation of its pro-poor programmes. Wouldn’t it have been simpler to appoint Rahul as programme implementation minister? But then he would have become accountable to Parliament and even the PM. Horror or horrors. How can a member of the dynasty be accountable to a mere PM or the legislature? 7. The dynasty is internally playing the same role in UPA-2 that the Left was doing in UPA-1: demanding power without an iota of responsibility. Sonia and Rahul are involved only in the spending decisions that will presumably ensure re-elections. Please read above sentence carefully. You will understand that dynasty is only after their vote bank only and not at all worry for real poor people or development. By hook or crook, they want to implement pro-poor schemes without looking into its long term implications on people's own self development/efficiency, economic conditions. Such huge amount used in schemes of which 60/70% money will be wasted, while the same if used for all types of infrastructure development would have much more long term benefit even on poor. It is better to invest this money for huge power plant and give power at subsidized rate even it makes loss than also it is beneficial instead of these popular schemes which shows lollipop to poor without any long term benefit. The problem is that poor cannot have vision to think long term benefit and congress taking such advantage only since independence, so the poor remains poor only. I am sure such scheme will not uplift them and one has to rethink after huge spending. However, after several years or perhaps a decade, realization will be there after wasting huge money on the schemes like NAREGA. Thanks Bipin -----Original Message----- From: reader-list-bounces at sarai.net [mailto:reader-list-bounces at sarai.net] On Behalf Of Pawan Durani Sent: Friday, April 09, 2010 1:13 PM To: anupam chakravartty Cc: sarai list Subject: Re: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached http://www.dnaindia.com/opinion/main-article_dynasty-vs-government_1368625 The brutal massacre of over 75 security personnel by the Maoists in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district is a pointer to two things: one, the men in uniform are ill-prepared for their challenges, and two, there is a strange inconsistency between official assessments of the growing Maoist threat and the political will backing those assertions. Both the prime minister and the home minister have minced no words in calling a spade a spade. While Manmohan Singh has called the Maoists the biggest security threat to the country, P Chidambaram has promised tough action to deal with it. But here’s the point: months after launching Operation Green Hunt, it is not clear who’s hunting whom. The Maoists have been more successful in intimidating the state — aided by a cacophony of phony human rights advocates — than the other way around. It is the security forces who are being hunted and eliminated. What explains this gap between thought and action? The answer lies in the complete lack of will at the top of the political pyramid. This means Sonia Gandhi, not Manmohan Singh or Chidambaram. Given the extremely secretive nature of the Manmohan Singh-Sonia-Rahul Gandhi interface, it is not possible to conclusively prove this, but it is reasonable to presume that Sonia is not actively backing the government in its anti-Maoist campaign. We certainly haven’t heard a single Sonia statement on Maoism that backs the official stand of her government. At best we have had non-descript statements deploring violence — something similar to what the human-rightswallahs mumble when confronted with the latest Maoist atrocities. In her last statement before the Jharkhand polls, Sonia said “there is no place for violence in a democracy” — a motherhood statement at best. Her son Rahul blamed non-Congress governments for the Maoist violence, neatly deflecting the issue. This reluctance to back their own government on a hard policy issue is in sharp contrast to the way the dynasty hogs all credit for the aam aadmi schemes implemented by the UPA government. From NREGA to farm loan waivers to extending coverage under the food security bill, Sonia and Rahul are seen to be driving the government’s actions. They vanish whenever there is talk of an oil price hike or action against Maoists. There is some political method to this madness. A substantial chunk of the future vote bank of the Congress lies in the tribal belts where missionaries are active. This is also the area where the Maoists rule. But we do not hear of any clashes or even tensions between the soldiers of god and the mercenaries of Mao. On the other hand, we do have a case of a Maoist claiming “credit” for murdering a Hindu religious leader who was also doing missionary work in the tribal areas of Kandhamal — a traumatic event that triggered a terrible massacre of Christian tribals in retaliation. So what’s the nexus? It is interesting to note that the jholawala sympathisers of the Maoists have attacked the Government of India and the states for their anti-Maoist operations. They have criticised local resistance groups like the Salwa Judum in Chhattisgarh, but not Sonia or Rahul. One thing is starkly clear. The Manmohan Singh government’s main job is not to do right by the country, but by the dynasty. As long as the decisions taken are politically acceptable to Sonia and Rahul, it’s fine. But when political capital has to be expended in the long-term interests of the country, the family will be far away. What else explains the reluctance of Rahul Gandhi to join the government when the PM was more than willing to give him a chance? The decision to decline power gives him obvious advantages: the media tom-toms this as a great sacrifice, something that proves that the Gandhis are not power-hungry. Actually, they are only wary of accountability. It is not surprising that the government chose this moment to resurrect the National Advisory Council (NAC) under Sonia Gandhi — an unnecessary appendage and extra-constitutional authority that inhibits real accountability in government. The official reason given for reviving NAC is that the party needs to monitor the implementation of its pro-poor programmes. Wouldn’t it have been simpler to appoint Rahul as programme implementation minister? But then he would have become accountable to Parliament and even the PM. Horror or horrors. How can a member of the dynasty be accountable to a mere PM or the legislature? The dynasty is internally playing the same role in UPA-2 that the Left was doing in UPA-1: demanding power without an iota of responsibility. Sonia and Rahul are involved only in the spending decisions that will presumably ensure re-elections. They are stonewalling or opposing the harder decisions that true governance calls for. You never hear a Sonia or a Rahul talking about fiscal prudence, targeting subsidies better, implementing reforms, or public sector autonomy. This does not serve their political purposes. Let’s be clear. Manmohan Singh is the dynasty’s fall guy. He had better watch 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/> From chintangirishmodi at gmail.com Sat Apr 10 15:02:30 2010 From: chintangirishmodi at gmail.com (Chintan) Date: Sat, 10 Apr 2010 15:02:30 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Press Conference on Copyright Amendment Message-ID: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Dr. Sam Taraporevala sam at xrcvc.org Dear Chintan As you are well aware one of the major issues that the XRCVC has been working on is the promotion of the access to the printed word for print impaired persons. Along with like minded organizations we have nationally campaigned to bring about an appropriate amendment to the copyright act 1957. Unfortunately there is every possibility that the government proposed amendment could be very counter productive. We need to collectively ensure that the law changes but changes in an appropriate manner. I would request you to be present on Thursday 15th April at 4.00 pm for a Press conference on the subject. I would also request you to spread the word to your other colleagues in the media. We are at a very critical juncture and what is important is mass awareness and mobilization. I count on your support to help us change the way the government is thinking. Do let me know if you have anybody else I could contact. Looking forward to your participations in the press conference. Thanking You Best Regards, Dr. Sam Taraporevala ------------------------------------------ Director Xavier�s Resource Centre for the Visually Challenged St. Xavier�s College, Mumbai sam at xrcvc.org +91 22 22623298 (D) +91 22 22620661-5 (B); extn: 366 +91 22 24112478 (R) +91 22 24228769 (R) +91 9967028769 (M) ---------------------------------------- *National Access Alliance* *Alliance of India’s leading organizations and legal professionals * *working for the print disabled* Dr. Sam Taraporevala, Director, Xavier’s Resource Centre for the Visually Challenged (XRCVC) on behalf of the National Access Alliance (NAA) Cordially invites you to a Press Conference To launch a nationwide movement to oppose the upcoming amendment to the Copyright Act, 1957 to be tabled in parliament in the session starting 15th April ’10. The proposed amendment will deprive over 70 million persons with disabilities in India including persons with visual impairment, dyslexia, cerebral palsy etc. from exercising their Right to Education and other fundamental rights. The cause has been supported by leading politicians in the country including Shri L.K. Advani, Smt. Sushma Swaraj, Shri Arun Jaitely Shri Veerapan Moily, Shri Mani Shankar Aiyer, Shri Sashi Tharoor, Smt. Brinda Karat, Smt Supriya Sule. NAA has requested the Government to set up a subcommittee of stakeholders to address the concerns of the print disabled, similar to the subcommittee set up for the film producers but no subcommittee has been constituted. The Government has failed in its obligations to its disabled citizens and proposes to go ahead with amendments that clearly violate the rights of the disabled. Date: 15th April 2010 Venue: XRCVC- St. Xavier’s College 5 Mahapalika Marg, Mumbai, 400001 Time: 4.00 pm RSVP: Dr. Sam Taraporevala Director Xavier's Resource Centre for the Visually Challenged St. Xavier's College, Mumbai Email: sam at xrcvc.org 91 22 22623298 (D) / 91 22 22932698 /+91 22 22620661-5 (B); Extn: 366 Cell: +91 9967028769 (M) From shuddha at sarai.net Sat Apr 10 01:52:03 2010 From: shuddha at sarai.net (Shuddhabrata Sengupta) Date: Sat, 10 Apr 2010 01:52:03 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <7BB75BD2-5666-4337-944F-7137280D296D@sarai.net> Dear Anupam, Many thanks for posting this, I have been geturing towards the aerial bombardment of Aizawl several times, just to show that the trigger happy attitude of the Indian state is not a a recent fact. Incidentally, this aerial bombardment one of the several is what led to the total alienation of the people in the north east who the Indian state wanted to rein in and force into the Indian union. As of now, senior officers of the air force have correctly stated that aerial attacks in 'Naxal' affected regions will be unwise. Lets hope that their counsel prevails, although the pressure from those who want to 'crush' naxalism will also grow. I hope that we can hold dark days at bay for as long as possible. On 08-Apr-10, at 7:04 PM, anupam chakravartty wrote: > Memories of inferno still remain fresh > NEWSLINK Monday, March 05, 2007 > Bureau report > > Aizawl, March 5th, 1966: Today marks the 41st anniversary of the > historic Aizawl bombardment, which had turned the once-beautiful hill > town Aizawl into ashes, a few days after the declaration of the > "Mizoram independence" by the Laldenga-led Mizo National Front. > > While Mizoram now has emerged as one of the most peaceful states and > marching ahead as one of the most developing states of India, memories > of the inferno still remain with those who survived the trial by fire. > > "In the afternoon of March 4 1966, a flock of jet fighters hovered > over Aizawl and dropped bombs leaving a number of houses in flames. > The next day, a more excessive bombing took place for several hours > which left most houses in Dawrpui and Chhingaveng area in ashes," > recollected 62-year-old Rothangpuia in Aizawl. > > According to some records, Hunter and Toofani fighters were deployed > for the Aizawl bombardment, which became the first and only aerial > attack India has carried out against its own people. The fighters came > from Tezpur, an IAF air base in Assam. Apart from Aizawl, Tualbung and > Hnahlan villages in northeast Mizoram were bombarded. Surprisingly, > there were no human casualties officially reported in any of the air > raids. > > "In the first wave of attack the planes used machine guns and later on > used bombs. The attack came in three waves, on the second day the > attack lasted for about five hours," MLA Andrew Lalherliana recounted. > > According to Joe Lalhmingliana, a retired wing commander of Indian Air > Force, Tezpur Air Force base - which presently hangars MIG 21 > Operational Flying Training Unit (MOFTU) - was the base for the > Mizoram aerial attack of March 1966. > > "The Indian Air Force deployed Hunter and Toofani jet fighters to > carry out the mission; it was the first time India used its air force > to quell a movement of any kind among its citizens. Goa was a > different story, it was a move to drive away the Portuguese," the > former airman said. > > Till today there has been no satisfactory answer as to why India used > such excessive air force against its own citizens in order to suppress > an insurgency. Surprisingly, the Mizo National Front was outlawed only > later in 1968. > > In the aftermath of the Aizawl air raids, two MLAs of Assam, Stanley > DD Nichols Roy and Hoover H Hynniewta, came to Mizoram (then Mizo > district under Assam) to see with their own eyes what happened to the > people of the Mizo District and were totally shocked by what they saw. > Later in April, Nichols Roy moved a motion in the Assam House on the > Aizawl air attack. > > "The use of excessive air force for taking Aijal (the former name of > Aizawl) was excessive because you can not pinpoint from the air who is > loyal and who is not loyal, who is an MNF and who is somebody pledging > allegiance to the Mizo Union, the ruling party in the Mizo district," > Roy was quoted as speaking to the Assam chief minister by Mizo > historian JV Hluna in his book 'Debates on Mizo Problems on > Insurgencies, with special reference to the contributions of Stanley > DD Nichols Roy, MLA and Hoover H Hynniewta, MLA.' > > JV Hluna noted that a hot debate over the Mizo issue continued in the > House. Nichol Roy even referred to a statement made by Prime Minister > Indira Gandhi published in the Hindusthan Standard on March 9, 1966 > where the PM, answering a foreign correspondent, insisted that the air > force was "deployed to drop men and supplies." > > "Nichols Roy stated that whether the shells of bombs, which had been > dropped in Aijal, be sent to Delhi to ask the Prime Minister, 'How do > you cook this ration? If these are supplies, please tell us how you > cook these things'?", JV Hluna said in his book. > > Strongly condemning the use of air force, the other MLA Hynniewta > produced photographs of one unexploded bomb and some fragments of > exploded bombs as proof of the Aizawl air attack, which was strongly > denied by the Government of India. > > "We touched it, we measured it and we took photograph of it. We have > fragments of the bombs. We have the testimony of hundreds of people > who have heard the explosions the moment the planes flew over in Mizo > Hills," Hynniewta addressed the chief minister. "If you want to > suppress the MNF rebellion, ordinary bullets are sufficient. From any > point of view, military, physical or economic, these weapons should > never have been used," the MLA told the House. > > "Given that the only sources of information regarding the insurgency > in Mizoram for the outside world were the words of the Assam chief > minister, the Assam chief secretary and the Prime Minister (who on the > other hand denied the air attack), the contributions of the two MLAs > were very notable," JV Hluna said. > > Since the MNF rebels had already taken Army installations in Champhai, > Lunglei and Saitual in the initial stage of the rebellion and Aizawl > in danger of being overpowered, the Indian Government might have been > too nervous to have second thoughts about an aerial attack on its own > territory. > > On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 4:19 PM, anupam chakravartty > wrote: >> the blog says killing of indians by naxal...who is an indian and who >> is a naxal? >> >> >> >> On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 4:17 PM, Pawan Durani >> wrote: >>> http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indus-calling/entry/ >>> naxalites-in-delhi >>> >>> Seventy-six jawans who were on duty to fight the antinational and >>> barbaric Communist terrorists were killed in an ambush and the home >>> ministry says "there was an element of failure". >>> >>> This is not the time for a blame game. I wrote before too, "Support >>> Chidambaram's war", though the home minister dithered in between and >>> gave wrong signals to the Naxalites, hoping that they would >>> listen to >>> him and his badly produced ads. In a way, the Indian polity helps >>> fissiparous tendencies. It's mired in taking revenge on Amitabh >>> Bachchan and making a tamasha of a nikah, which is strictly a matter >>> between two interested persons. Such a polity can issue carbon >>> copies >>> of the previous statements of sham condemnation but can't instil >>> confidence in the citizens and the security forces. Ask Raman Singh, >>> the brave face CM of Chhattisgarh, who has been struggling hard to >>> tackle the Naxalite menace amid a volley of attacks by Dilliwala >>> Naxalites, who accused him of being harsh on the barbarians, and >>> almost killed his Salwa Judum through false allegations. >>> >>> So far the government hasn't spoken about taking the war on the >>> Communist terrorists to its logical end. Neither has it announced a >>> free hand to the security persons to find, flush out and annihilate >>> the cowardly terrorists who have become a bigger threat to the >>> nation >>> than the Pakistan-supported jihadis. It should be doing that >>> immediately. Home secretary Gopal Pillay has rightly questioned "not >>> only the CPI (Maoist) but also those who speak on their behalf and >>> chastise the government' as to what was the motive behind the attack >>> and what is the message the CPI (Maoist) intends to convey". The >>> "jholawala" supporters of the Naxalites should also be booked for >>> instigating murders and sedition. >>> >>> They are all Communists. They swear by Mao, Lenin and Stalin. Their >>> loyalties are extraterritorial. Their sources of inspiration - >>> all of >>> them have smeared their hands in the blood of innocent people - from >>> Lenin, Stalin and Mao to Pol Pot. And they have thrived so far in >>> spite of having killed more than 6,000 Indian citizens and security >>> personnel because there is a powerful lobby in Delhi which portrays >>> them as revolutionaries and puts pressure on the government not to >>> take any stern action. When a publishing house like Penguin >>> chooses to >>> publish a book of so-called poems of a jail inmate, a known >>> supporter >>> and the voice of the mass-killer Naxalites, Varavara Rao, what >>> can be >>> expected of the morale of those who are supposed to take on the >>> barbarians to protect the Constitution? There is a socially >>> desensitized section of the neo-rich enveloped in Anglo-Saxon >>> traditions that has taken upon the "responsibility" to >>> romanticize the >>> butchers and win dollar awards. >>> >>> They are the writers, filmmakers and poster boys of the glitterati >>> that find it fashionable to safeguard Maoists and have them as an >>> acceptable phenomenon in a society that's described as (a >>> positioning >>> to justify the murders) 'ridden with corruption, administrative >>> lethargy, rich class insensitive towards the poor and the >>> downtrodden', etc. So the logic is, if there would be so much of >>> political and administrative injustice to a large number of poor, >>> they >>> would, rise in revolt. Yeah, sounds good. Doesn't it? Poor revolting >>> against the rich, burning their bungalows and establishing a just, >>> fair and Communist reign of the proletariat! >>> >>> Like they did in Moscow and saw the disintegration of the Soviet >>> Union? Like they did in Cambodia and saw the mass murder of 25% >>> of the >>> population? Like they did in China and saw millions killed and >>> ultimately a Communist regime giving way to the market forces? There >>> is not a single place on this earth, including the haven of the Red >>> revolutionaries West Bengal where they have been able to establish a >>> small corner that portrays the model success of their revolution. >>> Bad >>> roads, dillapidated schools, no industrialization, poverty-struck >>> labour class and the fattened Commissars. That's the end result of >>> their struggle. Naxals too become rogue armies, blackmailing >>> gullible >>> villagers and their kids to join their ranks, destroy schools, >>> public >>> health dispensaries and roads. They are, in the words of >>> Chidambaram, >>> just criminals. >>> >>> This must make Indian citizens to sit up and ask the media and the >>> government some inconvenient questions. Did the Sania-Shoaib >>> controversy really merit front page when the nation's foreign >>> minister >>> was in Beijing negotiating the country's most sensitive issues? Did >>> Penguin do the right thing by publishing the so-called poems of a >>> barbaric supporter of the mass murderers, giving him and the book a >>> halo of revolutionary spirit, thus according the criminals a social >>> sanction. Those who mock at the patriotic people and heroes like >>> Savarkar, decorate gun runners who kill citizens with a sadistic >>> pleasure? That lady, Arundhati they say is her name, with a penchant >>> for laughing at the beheading of security personnel like Francis and >>> eulogising in her inimitable de-Indianised style the savagery of the >>> Naxals must be charged with sedition and supporting mass >>> annihilators. >>> >>> Who were those seventy-six killed by the Naxal? And who felt >>> happiness >>> seeing their dead bodies? Who were the bereaved families and who >>> were >>> negotiating electoral alliances and secret pacts with the >>> killers? The >>> rebels or the antinational insurgent groups called Naxal, Maoist and >>> Red revolutionaries have been working in 220 districts in 20 states >>> and the government has established a special cell to monitor and >>> resist them. They created a Red Corridor from Tirupati to >>> Pashupatinath. Help from China to Nepalese Maoists to them has been >>> suspected by Indian intelligence agencies. They are working against >>> India and it's a war, in real sense. Still the rebels prove >>> weightier >>> than the patriotic jawans, who had nothing in their mind except to >>> protect the citizens and the Indian constitution? Why? So far >>> this is >>> a skeleton of some official statistics describing killings of >>> Indians >>> by Naxals: >>> >>> 1996: 156 deaths >>> 1997: 428 deaths >>> 1998: 270 deaths >>> 1999: 363 deaths >>> 2000: 50 deaths >>> 2001: 100+ deaths >>> 2002: 140 deaths >>> 2003: 451 deaths >>> 2004: 500+ deaths >>> 2005: 700+ deaths >>> 2006: 750 deaths >>> 2007: 650 deaths >>> 2008: 794 deaths >>> 2009: 1,134 deaths >>> >>> Why the sacred forces of the state die like cattle unsung and often >>> insulted like it happened in the case of Inspector Mohan Lal Sharma >>> and pilgrimages are organized to the homes of the terrorists in >>> Azamgarh but none to the homes of the patriotic soldiers? Why it >>> helps >>> to be a terrorist in Delhi to remain safe and have civil rights >>> committees to organise interviews in magazines and channels and its >>> often embarrassingly deadly to be soldier, with none coming to hear >>> their woes and interview the mother of the martyred? >>> >>> It is this Naxalism that needs to be crushed. They don't remove >>> poverty through guns. They use poor to help their luxuries. >>> >> > _________________________________________ > 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/> Shuddhabrata Sengupta The Sarai Programme at CSDS Raqs Media Collective shuddha at sarai.net www.sarai.net www.raqsmediacollective.net From shuddha at sarai.net Sat Apr 10 01:38:10 2010 From: shuddha at sarai.net (Shuddhabrata Sengupta) Date: Sat, 10 Apr 2010 01:38:10 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] GurgaonWorkersNews - Newsletter 24 (April 2010) References: <571385.2618.qm@web27804.mail.ukl.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <717044D9-0BFB-4833-AD8D-9976F22052DA@sarai.net> Begin forwarded message: > From: gurgaon workers news > Date: 8 April 2010 12:32:36 PM GMT+05:30 > To: gurgaon_workers_news at yahoo.co.uk > Subject: GurgaonWorkersNews - Newsletter 24 (April 2010) > > GurgaonWorkersNews - Newsletter 24 (April 2010) > (full version: www.gurgaonworkersnews.wordpress.com) > > Gurgaon in Haryana is presented as the shining India, a symbol of > capitalist success promising a better life for everyone behind the > gateway of development. At a first glance the office towers and > shopping malls reflect this chimera and even the facades of the > garment factories look like three star hotels. Behind the facade, > behind the factory walls and in the side streets of the industrial > areas thousands of workers keep the rat-race going, producing cars > and scooters for the middle-classes which end up in the traffic jam > on the new highway between Delhi and Gurgaon. Thousands of young > proletarianised middle class people lose time, energy and academic > aspirations on night-shifts in call centres, selling loan schemes > to working-class people in the US or pre-paid electricity schemes > to the poor in the UK. Next door, thousands of rural-migrant > workers uprooted by the agrarian crisis stitch and sew for export, > competing with their angry brothers and sisters > in Bangladesh or Vietnam. And the rat-race will not stop; on the > outskirts of Gurgaon, Asia's biggest Special Economic Zone is in > the making. The following newsletter documents some of the > developments in and around this miserable boom region. If you want > to know more about working and struggling in Gurgaon, if you want > more info about or even contribute to this project, please do so via: > > www.gurgaonworkersnews.wordpress.com > gurgaon_workers_news at yahoo.co.uk > > In the April 2010 issue you can find: > > 1) Proletarian Experiences - > Daily life stories and reports from a workers' perspective > > *** In the Spiral of Inflation / Reports from Gurgaon Metal and > Textile Factories - > In March 2010 the transport prices on most routes within Gurgaon > doubled, milk got more expensive, in April 2010 the government > announced that cooking gas and petrol price will increase further. > Within the spiral of inflation the pressure to work overtime > increases. The 30 per cent minimum wage increase for workers in > Delhi is a real wage loss – nevertheless it increases workers’ > discontent, as a friend from Okhla has told us. Metal and textile > workers from Gurgaon told their reports to friends of Faridabad > Majdoor Samachar during distribution of the newspaper in February > 2010. > > *** What Are You/We Doing / Proletarian Autobiography - > A 55 years old worker tells about his life-long attempts to escape > from field-work drudgery and to avoid 'real subsumption', the > direct control of capital. He goes back and forth between village > and town, survives on short jobs in factories, business activities > like peanut and cigarette selling and self-employed white-washing > of other people's brick-walls. > > 2) Collective Action - > Reports on proletarian struggles in the area > > *** First Lock-Out, then Scientological Brain-Wash: Up-Date on > Denso Car-Parts Factory and on Strike at Groz Tool Factory, Gurgaon - > On 22nd of March 2010 Denso in Manesar announced that it will take > 23 out of 36 suspended workers back. The company 'promises' to take > the rest back after one month, given a peaceful atmosphere in the > factory. All Denso workers will be sent to one week of training in > a Brahma Kumaris “World Spiritual University” Ashram near Manesar, > to find a "peaceful mind". During the lock-out in Manesar, Denso > workers in Poland confronted the company with wage demands. In > closer spacial proximity workers at nearby tool manufacturing > company Groz also sit outside the factory after suspension of 16 > workers. (Missed) chances of a proletarian just-in-time solidarity... > > 3) According to Plan - > General information on the development of the region or on certain > company policies > > *** Warfare against the Huts, Gated Peace for the Palaces / Note on > Slum Raids and Fires in Gurgaon - > In times when land converts into ‘land-banks’ and the price paid to > farmers for an acre of agricultural land in Gurgaon/Manesar can be > around 4 to 6 crore Rs the question of who can live on it and how > becomes a question of life in a mortal atmosphere. Short news on > raids of unauthorised colonies in Gurgaon and slum fires in Faridabad. > > 4) About the Project - > Updates on Gurgaon Workers News > > *** Organising Workers Collectivities / Proposal by Faridabad > Majdoor Samachar - > Friends of Faridabad Majdoor Samachar (FMS) are opening various > places in Faridabad, Okhla and Gurgaon, inviting workers to meet, > talk and coordinate practical steps together. They have published a > proposal in the current issue of FMS which has been distributed > within the industrial areas. Read their proposal in English > translation on their web-site. > www.faridabadmajdoorsamachar.blogspot.com > > *** Glossary - > Updated version of the Glossary: things that you always wanted to > know, but could never be bothered to google. Now even in > alphabetical order. > > News from the Special Exploitation Zone - > www.gurgaonworkersnews.wordpress.com > > > Shuddhabrata Sengupta The Sarai Programme at CSDS Raqs Media Collective shuddha at sarai.net www.sarai.net www.raqsmediacollective.net From ysaeed7 at yahoo.com Sun Apr 11 14:09:24 2010 From: ysaeed7 at yahoo.com (Yousuf) Date: Sun, 11 Apr 2010 01:39:24 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] Justice for Dr Siras, at CP, New Delhi, April 12 Message-ID: <27465.70740.qm@web51402.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Dear all, We urge all who are concerned with the sanctity of an individual's human rights, who mourn the tragic death of Dr Srinivas Ramchandra Siras, who want to see the beloved Aligarh Muslim University delivered from the hands of the criminals currently running this institution, who support the rights of queer people, to come for the protest meeting planned on Monday evening at Central Park, Connaught Place, New Delhi. Please do forward this information widely. JUSTICE FOR Dr SIRAS We condemn the events leading to the persecution and eventual death of Dr. Srinivas Ramachandra Siras, Reader and Chair of Modern Indian Languages at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). His death is the result of the harassment he faced, including the unlawful and unethical suspension he faced on account of his being gay. Dr Siras had to undergo trauma, fear, harassment and humiliation in and by his own University and all actors involved must be held culpable in his death. What: Protest Where: Central Park, Connaught Place, in front of Metro Station Gate When: 5:30pm, Monday, April 12th Solidarity, -Lesley, Voices Against 377 Lesley A. Esteves Deputy Editor, Outlook Traveller Getaways Managing Editor, Outlook Lounge From rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com Sun Apr 11 15:54:26 2010 From: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com (Rakesh Iyer) Date: Sun, 11 Apr 2010 15:54:26 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Reg: Naxalism Message-ID: Hi Since many people were talking about the need to fight Naxalism on this forum without trying to understand the issue, I am posting a series of articles which were there in Outlook magazine this week. Rakesh *http://outlookindia.com/article.aspx?265016 http://outlookindia.com/article.aspx?265017 http://outlookindia.com/article.aspx?265018 http://outlookindia.com/article.aspx?265014 http://outlookindia.com/article.aspx?265019 http://outlookindia.com/article.aspx?265013 * From aliens at dataone.in Sun Apr 11 18:58:43 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Sun, 11 Apr 2010 18:58:43 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] R. Jagannathan root based analysis Message-ID: <002101cad97a$e86d11a0$b94734e0$@in> http://www.dnaindia.com/opinion/main-article_dynasty-vs-government_1368625 It is well timed and his assessments are really root based. Be it secularism or vote bank politics. After Reading the article of R. Jagnnathan carefully posting my comment as under: The congress dynasty is only after their vote bank only and not at all worry for real poor people or development. By hook or crook, they want to implement pro-poor schemes without looking into its long term implications on people's own self development/efficiency, economic conditions. Such huge amount used in schemes of which 60/70% money will be wasted, while the same if used for all types of infrastructure development would have much more long term benefit even on poor. It is better to invest this money for huge power plant and give power at subsidized rate even it makes loss than also it is beneficial instead of these popular schemes which shows lollipop to poor without any long term benefit. The problem is that poor cannot have vision to think long term benefit and congress taking such advantage only since independence, so the poor remains poor only. I am sure such scheme will not uplift them and one has to rethink after huge spending. However, after several years or perhaps a decade, realization will be there after wasting huge money on the schemes like NAREGA. Thanks Bipin http://www.dnaindia.com/opinion/main-article_dynasty-vs-government_1368625 The brutal massacre of over 75 security personnel by the Maoists in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district is a pointer to two things: one, the men in uniform are ill-prepared for their challenges, and two, there is a strange inconsistency between official assessments of the growing Maoist threat and the political will backing those assertions. Both the prime minister and the home minister have minced no words in calling a spade a spade. While Manmohan Singh has called the Maoists the biggest security threat to the country, P Chidambaram has promised tough action to deal with it. But here’s the point: months after launching Operation Green Hunt, it is not clear who’s hunting whom. The Maoists have been more successful in intimidating the state — aided by a cacophony of phony human rights advocates — than the other way around. It is the security forces who are being hunted and eliminated. What explains this gap between thought and action? The answer lies in the complete lack of will at the top of the political pyramid. This means Sonia Gandhi, not Manmohan Singh or Chidambaram. Given the extremely secretive nature of the Manmohan Singh-Sonia-Rahul Gandhi interface, it is not possible to conclusively prove this, but it is reasonable to presume that Sonia is not actively backing the government in its anti-Maoist campaign. We certainly haven’t heard a single Sonia statement on Maoism that backs the official stand of her government. At best we have had non-descript statements deploring violence — something similar to what the human-rightswallahs mumble when confronted with the latest Maoist atrocities. In her last statement before the Jharkhand polls, Sonia said “there is no place for violence in a democracy” — a motherhood statement at best. Her son Rahul blamed non-Congress governments for the Maoist violence, neatly deflecting the issue. This reluctance to back their own government on a hard policy issue is in sharp contrast to the way the dynasty hogs all credit for the aam aadmi schemes implemented by the UPA government. From NREGA to farm loan waivers to extending coverage under the food security bill, Sonia and Rahul are seen to be driving the government’s actions. They vanish whenever there is talk of an oil price hike or action against Maoists. There is some political method to this madness. A substantial chunk of the future vote bank of the Congress lies in the tribal belts where missionaries are active. This is also the area where the Maoists rule. But we do not hear of any clashes or even tensions between the soldiers of god and the mercenaries of Mao. On the other hand, we do have a case of a Maoist claiming “credit” for murdering a Hindu religious leader who was also doing missionary work in the tribal areas of Kandhamal — a traumatic event that triggered a terrible massacre of Christian tribals in retaliation. So what’s the nexus? It is interesting to note that the jholawala sympathisers of the Maoists have attacked the Government of India and the states for their anti-Maoist operations. They have criticised local resistance groups like the Salwa Judum in Chhattisgarh, but not Sonia or Rahul. One thing is starkly clear. The Manmohan Singh government’s main job is not to do right by the country, but by the dynasty. As long as the decisions taken are politically acceptable to Sonia and Rahul, it’s fine. But when political capital has to be expended in the long-term interests of the country, the family will be far away. What else explains the reluctance of Rahul Gandhi to join the government when the PM was more than willing to give him a chance? The decision to decline power gives him obvious advantages: the media tom-toms this as a great sacrifice, something that proves that the Gandhis are not power-hungry. Actually, they are only wary of accountability. It is not surprising that the government chose this moment to resurrect the National Advisory Council (NAC) under Sonia Gandhi — an unnecessary appendage and extra-constitutional authority that inhibits real accountability in government. The official reason given for reviving NAC is that the party needs to monitor the implementation of its pro-poor programmes. Wouldn’t it have been simpler to appoint Rahul as programme implementation minister? But then he would have become accountable to Parliament and even the PM. Horror or horrors. How can a member of the dynasty be accountable to a mere PM or the legislature? The dynasty is internally playing the same role in UPA-2 that the Left was doing in UPA-1: demanding power without an iota of responsibility. Sonia and Rahul are involved only in the spending decisions that will presumably ensure re-elections. They are stonewalling or opposing the harder decisions that true governance calls for. You never hear a Sonia or a Rahul talking about fiscal prudence, targeting subsidies better, implementing reforms, or public sector autonomy. This does not serve their political purposes. Let’s be clear. Manmohan Singh is the dynasty’s fall guy. He had better watch 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/> _________________________________________ 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 rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com Sun Apr 11 20:24:56 2010 From: rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com (Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi) Date: Sun, 11 Apr 2010 20:24:56 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Reg: Naxalism In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Dear Rakesh and members of the list, it has become a sort of trademark for some, to romanticise the violence, justify the violence on the basis of deprivation, poverty and lack of governance etc, to be known and identified as "intellectuals". Moot issue is who are these supporters of violence, all are a bunch of well settled individuals, eating the doled out funds of system, enjoying power without responsibilty for that power, but at the same time biting the system, mking it weaker to gain more power being "opinion makers". Violence and use of violence as a form of expression to dissent is to be condemned who so ever does it, as otherwise the right that is earned by the democracy is at stake.For the faith, for the caste and for the idealogy, if violence is the way to dominate, thenm the democratic fabric is lost,and let it be rule of laws to manage the dissent, earned and made feasible by democratic process, so any group of individuals who use violence, be it naxals, their supporters or be it hindu, muslim or any faith followers who try to dominate the society by violence, such group of individuals are violating the very basic tenets of democratic rule.Enemies of the society who use violence to express dissent are enmies of the society, nation, have to be dealt as such. Regards, rajen. On Sun, Apr 11, 2010 at 3:54 PM, Rakesh Iyer wrote: > Hi > > Since many people were talking about the need to fight Naxalism on this > forum without trying to understand the issue, I am posting a series of > articles which were there in Outlook magazine this week. > > Rakesh > > *http://outlookindia.com/article.aspx?265016 > > http://outlookindia.com/article.aspx?265017 > > http://outlookindia.com/article.aspx?265018 > > http://outlookindia.com/article.aspx?265014 > > http://outlookindia.com/article.aspx?265019 > > http://outlookindia.com/article.aspx?265013 > > > * > _________________________________________ > 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/> -- Rajen. From rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com Sun Apr 11 20:39:53 2010 From: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com (Rakesh Iyer) Date: Sun, 11 Apr 2010 20:39:53 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Reg: Naxalism In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Dear Rajendra This is where you lose the plot. There are people like Arundhati Roy who do romanticize the Maoists when they refer to them as 'Gandhians with guns'. There is no way a Gandhian would be found with a gun. But while Roy is an anti-statist (not just an anti Indian-state person), she must be heard for one reason: she has the patience to go to the places where tribals live, talk to them, and understand why are they fighting the war. Her romanticizing it is wrong, but as one of the links which I shared in the previous mail said (written by Umar Mujahir I believe), which section of the media today goes to the Naxalite areas and publish what is going on. Chhattisgarh is one state which stops media persons from going to such regions. Even our defence experts analyze Jamaat-ud-Dawa statements to decide on the possible moves. That does not mean that they are supporters of terrorism. I personally feel we have to solve this problem, and this would mean understand Naxalites and the reason why people take to violence, even at the cost of their lives. Some of them even know they will never win, yet they are sacrificing their lives. We must know this method to madness, because ultimately it's cutting this base and making people realize that this will not solve their problems and it can be solved in a much easier way, which will ultimately ensure that Naxalism is wiped out. Also, every Maoist is not a tribal, and neither is every tribal a Maoist. Plus of course, let's not forget the structural violence conducted by the state every day in the name of movements like Salwa Judum which are the worst examples of state-sponsored terror on its own citizens, in the name of fighting Naxalism. In this movement, not a single Naxalite has been killed or caught upto date, but certainly innocents have been massacred and raped. If they become Maoists, who is responsible for it? It's also high time we as a society stop thinking what is best for adivasis. Who are we to decide what is good for them and what isn't. There is no need for Chidambaram to claim that development in the form of industries is the solution, or mining is the solution. Ask them what they want, make them feel important, and automatically they will be your ears and eyes in the fight against Naxals. And then you would not need a huge CRPF to fight the Naxalites; simply the police force would be enough. Rakesh From rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com Sun Apr 11 22:19:26 2010 From: rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com (Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi) Date: Sun, 11 Apr 2010 22:19:26 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Reg: Naxalism In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Rakesh and all those who are keen about the movement of naxalism, having seen from close quarters the ideologues, the enforcers and the foot soldiers of naxal movement, it is with regrets, it has to be recorded that the movement has become hotbed of extortion, sadistic rapists and anti socials in the guise of giving justice to the poor and the tribals, which is used by the political parties to garner power, be it Andhra when ruled by TDP, Congress had tacit understanding with naxals, as backdoor talks for power, to defeat TDP.Be it West Bengal, then it is Trinamool which is now having romance with the rapists, and murderers, as these leaders have fetish for the power and kickbacks. As to indstrialisation, even that step needs careful planning, rehabilitation of the displaced, use of non agrarian lands, but leaders and barons of industry want lands nearer to cities, not semi urban non agrarian, non fertile lands.! tribals who live on sale and supply of forest products have become pawns in the hands of political leaders as the 'contractors who buy the products have enslaved the tribals. That is the reality at grass root level, sitting in ivory towers of power and being honest is a method of cheating the nation,as lap top dog of America, when the honest PM sold his soul for few dollars for the vote of confidence bought the votes of N-deal, as America again, wants to be police to the comity of nations, which is now more divided as christian and muslim nations, and as a secular nation, with lowest divided populace but biggest consumer number India is a joke of a nation., again thanks to the policies of sacrificing mother of the nation and her UPA @ in its present avtar. regards, rajen. On Sun, Apr 11, 2010 at 8:39 PM, Rakesh Iyer wrote: > Dear Rajendra > > This is where you lose the plot. There are people like Arundhati Roy who do > romanticize the Maoists when they refer to them as 'Gandhians with guns'. > There is no way a Gandhian would be found with a gun. But while Roy is an > anti-statist (not just an anti Indian-state person), she must be heard for > one reason: she has the patience to go to the places where tribals live, > talk to them, and understand why are they fighting the war. Her > romanticizing it is wrong, but as one of the links which I shared in the > previous mail said (written by Umar Mujahir I believe), which section of the > media today goes to the Naxalite areas and publish what is going on. > Chhattisgarh is one state which stops media persons from going to such > regions. > > Even our defence experts analyze Jamaat-ud-Dawa statements to decide on the > possible moves. That does not mean that they are supporters of terrorism. I > personally feel we have to solve this problem, and this would mean > understand Naxalites and the reason why people take to violence, even at the > cost of their lives. Some of them even know they will never win, yet they > are sacrificing their lives. We must know this method to madness, because > ultimately it's cutting this base and making people realize that this will > not solve their problems and it can be solved in a much easier way, which > will ultimately ensure that Naxalism is wiped out. > > Also, every Maoist is not a tribal, and neither is every tribal a Maoist. > Plus of course, let's not forget the structural violence conducted by the > state every day in the name of movements like Salwa Judum which are the > worst examples of state-sponsored terror on its own citizens, in the name of > fighting Naxalism. In this movement, not a single Naxalite has been killed > or caught upto date, but certainly innocents have been massacred and raped. > If they become Maoists, who is responsible for it? > > It's also high time we as a society stop thinking what is best for > adivasis. Who are we to decide what is good for them and what isn't. There > is no need for Chidambaram to claim that development in the form of > industries is the solution, or mining is the solution. Ask them what they > want, make them feel important, and automatically they will be your ears and > eyes in the fight against Naxals. And then you would not need a huge CRPF to > fight the Naxalites; simply the police force would be enough. > > Rakesh > -- Rajen. From rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com Sun Apr 11 22:40:56 2010 From: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com (Rakesh Iyer) Date: Sun, 11 Apr 2010 22:40:56 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Reg: Naxalism In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Dear Rajendra My response to your mail as follows: 1) It is and should be my right to decide what I want to do with land owned by me. Just because somebody feels an industry can help doesn't mean I am stripped of my land and asked to take a compensation and go away. I am sorry, I can't tolerate it. Why should I pay because somebody wants an industry or a power plant? What do I get from it? I have an emotional attachment with my land, and I can't be just asked to leave it. I am against this kind of land acquisition acts done by both the state and private players. Besides there are huge acres of land under State Industrial Corporation. Why can't they use that? If private players can get land only by grabbing, then they need not have land. They can go to other nations and get land there. When land is given or used for such projects, neither should there be any amount of forcing, nor should there be any govt. money spending. Let private players give compensation as well as certain shares to the landholders in the company, as well as take the land only for lease and return it to them if they are not able to set up the land in the stipulated time. 2) The top leadership of Naxalites is indeed in ad-hoc with some politicians and this needs to be curbed. But the problem is also genuine and is not a case of just criminalization of politics. This is not like the Lalu Yadav-crime brigade where people in his party indulged in crime and his administration looked the other way. These are a set of people who indulge in crime due to their victimization and loss of dignity at the hands of the Indian state. And they will continue to fight it. Today they do so in villages. Tomorrow with confidence they can attack your cities as well. They don't care for their lives, and are ready to die. What can you give them? Death? They don't care at all. They will take your lives too. So since you care for your life, think as to how to solve this problem in a constructive way, and then go about implementing it and removing obstacles and problems in the path of implementation. 3) Yes the administration has been sleeping and has been responsible for the lack of dignity of the tribals. They should be taken to task. The administration has to be reformed. And things have to change. I would also like to say one thing. I had, in one of my mails said that the time for talking to Maoists is gone now. However, having had discussions with one of my professors, I would be honest enough to state that I have changed my opinion. It was a quite useful discussion, where he told me that Indian police and administration has no capability whatsoever to take on the Maoists, and the CRPF and the other batallions too are incapable in this regard. What's more, the armed forces (the army, navy and air force) are only capable of fighting an aggressive war and not a defensive war (meaning they will kill all people in the area rather than waiting to receive fire from Maoists and then opening fire to protect themselves). Also, the changes which I had suggested, along with better training and equipment for the personnel fighting out, according to him, would take a minimum of 10-12 years for the effect to be seen on the ground, which would be a quite long time, by when many more people would have lost their lives. According to him, and he is a strategic thinker, the Indian govt. should invite Maoists for talks and during these talks strengthen its intelligence network to know about the top leadership functioning and their residences and areas. They should simultaneously bring about changes in administration and other areas, not only in Maoist-affected areas but also across the rest of the nation. He was categorical that use of air power is not going to help, and very clearly stated that use of excessive force against tribals is only going to enlarge the specter of violence. According to him, Chidambaram is only fit for giving media interviews rather than understanding things. This will also save our soldiers from unnecessarily losing our lives and not dampen further their morale, which can create further problems. Armed with facts and figures, he seemed reasonable to me. And I feel it's high time we do go back to talks. I know it seems awkward after such a massacre, and people may not necessarily be ready, but if we can talk to Pakistan, we should talk to our own citizens. At least the time can be used to ensure this leadership comes out and we can collect better intelligence on them in case we wish to solve this problem in future if it turns to armed intervention requirement. Because my professor and I both agreed, that ultimately, solving Naxalism would involve force, the extent of which may be different. Rakesh From rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com Mon Apr 12 06:26:53 2010 From: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com (Rakesh Iyer) Date: Mon, 12 Apr 2010 06:26:53 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] R. Jagannathan root based analysis In-Reply-To: <002101cad97a$e86d11a0$b94734e0$@in> References: <002101cad97a$e86d11a0$b94734e0$@in> Message-ID: Dear Bipin I read the article. I think the entire article is based on presumptions (which can certainly be true), but the article makes certain points which can be laughed at: 1) Jagannathan says that: " *It is interesting to note that the jholawala sympathisers of the Maoists have attacked the Government of India and the states for their anti-Maoist operations. They have criticised local resistance groups like the Salwa Judum in Chhattisgarh, but not Sonia or Rahul" * First of all, the Salwa Judum is run by the Chhattisgarh government, and not by Sonia or Rahul Gandhi. It's certainly true that Salwa Judum was initiated by the then Leader of Oppositon in Chhattisgarh assembly, namely Mahendra Karma, who belonged to the Congress. However, leaders of Congress in Chhattisgarh like Ajit Jogi have also rejected this movement and have blamed it for increasing casualties in the fight against Naxalism. But now the movement has been taken over by the Raman Singh govt. So if I feel that the movement is wrong and constitutionally invalid (which is what even the Supreme Court has said), why should I be a 'jholawala sympathizer' of the Maoists or a faithful of Rahul and Sonia Gandhi? Is the Supreme Court also a sympathizer? And why should I criticize Sonia or Rahul Gandhi for it when the thing is run by a BJP govt? There are many other things to criticize Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi on, but this is not one of them. 2) Jagannathan says that: "* It is not surprising that the government chose this moment to resurrect the National Advisory Council (NAC) under Sonia Gandhi — an unnecessary appendage and extra-constitutional authority that inhibits real accountability in government" * Mr. Jagannathan has not understood till now what this NAC has meant for the poor, and will probably never be able to understand as well. This is what you get as journalists if you don't understand your true responsibilities. May be he can learn from another journalist named P.Sainath, who is an expert in rural India. The NAC not only had Sonia Gandhi, but had some of the most outstanding names in civil society initiatives which tried to formulate not just schemes but Rights of people in socio-economic field to bring about improvements in the lives of people. Mr. Jagannathan would do well to read the book 'Development As Freedom' by Amartya Sen, the only Nobel-prize winner of India after independence. The NAC implemented moves which make what Sen said in his book, a reality for people on the ground. The NAC consisted of Aruna Roy, Jean Dreze, Madhav Sawan etc. and even now will consist of some of the most exceptional names in the civil society like Harsh Mander and NC Saxena (Commissioners appointed by the Supreme Court in the case filed by PUCL which introduced the famous 'Mid Day Meal Scheme' compulsorily in all govt. or govt-funded schools for all children). By the way, the NAC is not a Programme Implementation Monitor. It's a council through which acts of popular demand among the poor or of grave importance are discussed and drafted and put through Sonia Gandhi before the govt. If Sonia was not there, these acts would never be even once read by the ministers of Manmohan Singh govt, who just are there to serve the industrialists including the PM himself, while for them civil society initiatives are crap and need not be looked into or heard at all. The shameful fact is that since the govt. is not transparent at all, an NAC is needed. The NAC is the only organ which has worked with some amount of transparency to bring about acts which can help millions of poor of this country. Be it the Right to Information act, or the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (now termed the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act), or even the Forest Rights' Bill, these acts were passed because of the pressure of Sonia Gandhi, otherwise Manmohan Singh can be known only for passing the useless and hopeless '123 Agreement' (Indo-US Nuclear Deal) which is only going to create more and more problems for us (in the form of bills like the Civil Nuclear Liability Bill). That is exactly what is not wanted. At the same time, Sonia can't escape blame for such scenes like the one witnessed in the July trust vote in 2008 in Parliament. She has been supporting the PM on such useless deals, whereas what is needed is known and should have been tried out long ago. She can't escape the blame laid on the govt's doorstep since it's her brainchild. 3) " *You never hear a Sonia or a Rahul talking about fiscal prudence, targeting subsidies better, implementing reforms, or public sector autonomy. This does not serve their political purposes.*" First of all, I least expect Sonia or Rahul Gandhi talking on these issues, simply because they don't know about them at all. Infact, while Sonia not becoming the Prime Minister is not an act of sacrifice, nor can it be termed an act of great selfishness necessarily. The woman must have used a little bit of idealism and a little bit of pragmatism in her ways to come to that decision. The idealism is that what is the use of a post which she never will be able to enjoy without any protests. And the pragmatism is that she will be the centre of attack, and vicious protests will only lead to problems plus cripple the entire country. And this way she can do what she wants. Which is why Manmohan is the PM. He knows these things better than both of them. And which is why it's not just that Manmohan needs Sonia, it's also that Sonia needs Manmohan since she can't trust anyone other than him for being the PM. I don't understand what people have problems with. If Sonia becomes the PM, you protest. If Sonia doesn't become the PM, you protest. Similarly, if Rahul doesn't become the PM, you have problems. And you will have problems if Rahul becomes the PM also, since he is a dynastic figure. Please go and vote in elections against them and also campaign against them to ensure they don't win, rather than cribbing out here in articles. 4) Finally, " *We certainly haven’t heard a single Sonia statement on Maoism that backs the official stand of her government. At best we have had non-descript statements deploring violence — something similar to what the human-rightswallahs mumble when confronted with the latest Maoist atrocities*." So if the human right activists don't condemn Maoist violence (which is never the case to begin with), they are criticized. And now when they condemn violence, they are criticized. The basic assumption Mr. Bipin ji you and others who talk about crushing Naxalism want to make is never stated out here, and it's this: *You and your subset believe that Naxalites have no human rights and they should be treated like the way you treat others. * My counter to this is simple. I don't like Naxals. I want their violence to end. But that won't end by violating the human rights of Naxalites. Even strategically speaking, it won't. Instead violations will almost always involve violations of the human rights of innocents as well, and ultimately those people will take to Naxalism and further propagate violence. Moreover, a policy of 'tit for tat' will never solve problems, unless the aim is to finish off all human beings. That will include at some point of time, you and me as well. Why should I lose my life because someone somewhere indulges in violence and is wrong? As for Sonia, yes she has saved herself from being answerable. But to make the claim that she is responsible for the weak response needs proof. What proof does Jagannathan have? This is similar to saying that well, Praveen Swami articles are the best piece of truth in the world. The reality is far from this. Swami quotes the police always in his articles to write things. We all know how the Indian police works. When we can't trust the Indian police to solve simple cases like theft and robbery of banks, how do we trust the same police when it comes to cases of terrorism? Some people don't trust the police, but trust Swami who quotes the same police. This is nothing more than a joke. The same Swami was quoting about the Mecca Masjid blasts many things. Later, the local court acquitted all accused and one of the judges asked the police to go back to training schools and learn how to conduct any criminal investigation. If you feel that Sonia is the problem, do protest by all means. But back it with proof. I feel Manmohan govt is nonsense, and I have multiple things to back it up with, be it the rice scam, wheat scam, pulses scam, corruption and embezzlement of funds in Congress ruled states, telecom scam, scam in ministries generally held by DMK and NCP, and also the Indo-US Nuclear Deal and working under US pressure. And these are not scams of figment of imagination, they are there in the public domain for all to read. You can add govt's handling of internal security to it also. But have some proof before blaming. Or some understanding. Rakesh From pawan.durani at gmail.com Mon Apr 12 09:18:19 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Mon, 12 Apr 2010 09:18:19 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: <7BB75BD2-5666-4337-944F-7137280D296D@sarai.net> References: <7BB75BD2-5666-4337-944F-7137280D296D@sarai.net> Message-ID: And now we have this shocking news of JNU students celebrating the butchering of 76 Jawans by Maobadis. Talk of rights !!! http://jaibihar.com/jnu-students-celebrate-butchering-of-76-crpf-jawans/201018916.html JNU students celebrate butchering of 76 CRPF jawans NEW DELHI — The NSUI and ABVP, otherwise bitter rivals, along with Youth for Equality (YFE) together disrupted a meeting organised by the newly formed ‘JNU Forum Against War on People’ (JNU-FAWP), which, they claimed, held a pro-Maoist meeting in the Jawaharlal Nehru University. The NSUI national general secretary, Shaikh Shahnawaz, said: “Members of Democratic Students Union (DSU) and All India Students Association (AISA) organized a meeting to celebrate the killing of 76 CRPF personnel in Dantewada, Chhattisgarh. They were even shouting slogans like ‘India murdabad, Maovad zindabad’. How can this be allowed inside a Central university?” To oppose the function, NSUI and ABVP activists took out a march to the venue where a clash broke out among the students. Four persons got injured in the clash. Assistant Dean of Students, Prof Sachidanand, said that no permission was granted by the authorities for the meeting. Senior BJP leader VK Malhotra has urged home minister P Chidambaram to remove the “elements supporting the Maoists” from the university. On Sat, Apr 10, 2010 at 1:52 AM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: > Dear Anupam, > > Many thanks for posting this, I have been geturing towards the aerial > bombardment of Aizawl several times, just to show that the trigger > happy attitude of the Indian state is not a a recent fact. > Incidentally, this aerial bombardment one of the several is what led > to the total alienation of the people in the north east who the > Indian state wanted to rein in and force into the Indian union. As of > now, senior officers of the air force have correctly stated that > aerial attacks in 'Naxal' affected regions will be unwise. Lets hope > that their counsel prevails, although the pressure from those who > want to 'crush' naxalism will also grow. I hope that we can hold dark > days at bay for as long as possible. > On 08-Apr-10, at 7:04 PM, anupam chakravartty wrote: > >> Memories of inferno still remain fresh >> NEWSLINK Monday, March 05, 2007 >> Bureau report >> >> Aizawl, March 5th, 1966: Today marks the 41st anniversary of the >> historic Aizawl bombardment, which had turned the once-beautiful hill >> town Aizawl into ashes, a few days after the declaration of the >> "Mizoram independence" by the Laldenga-led Mizo National Front. >> >> While Mizoram now has emerged as one of the most peaceful states and >> marching ahead as one of the most developing states of India, memories >> of the inferno still remain with those who survived the trial by fire. >> >> "In the afternoon of March 4 1966, a flock of jet fighters hovered >> over Aizawl and dropped bombs leaving a number of houses in flames. >> The next day, a more excessive bombing took place for several hours >> which left most houses in Dawrpui and Chhingaveng area in ashes," >> recollected 62-year-old Rothangpuia in Aizawl. >> >> According to some records, Hunter and Toofani fighters were deployed >> for the Aizawl bombardment, which became the first and only aerial >> attack India has carried out against its own people. The fighters came >> from Tezpur, an IAF air base in Assam. Apart from Aizawl, Tualbung and >> Hnahlan villages in northeast Mizoram were bombarded. Surprisingly, >> there were no human casualties officially reported in any of the air >> raids. >> >> "In the first wave of attack the planes used machine guns and later on >> used bombs. The attack came in three waves, on the second day the >> attack lasted for about five hours," MLA Andrew Lalherliana recounted. >> >> According to Joe Lalhmingliana, a retired wing commander of Indian Air >> Force, Tezpur Air Force base - which presently hangars MIG 21 >> Operational Flying Training Unit (MOFTU) - was the base for the >> Mizoram aerial attack of March 1966. >> >> "The Indian Air Force deployed Hunter and Toofani jet fighters to >> carry out the mission; it was the first time India used its air force >> to quell a movement of any kind among its citizens. Goa was a >> different story, it was a move to drive away the Portuguese," the >> former airman said. >> >> Till today there has been no satisfactory answer as to why India used >> such excessive air force against its own citizens in order to suppress >> an insurgency. Surprisingly, the Mizo National Front was outlawed only >> later in 1968. >> >> In the aftermath of the Aizawl air raids, two MLAs of Assam, Stanley >> DD Nichols Roy and Hoover H Hynniewta, came to Mizoram (then Mizo >> district under Assam) to see with their own eyes what happened to the >> people of the Mizo District and were totally shocked by what they saw. >> Later in April, Nichols Roy moved a motion in the Assam House on the >> Aizawl air attack. >> >> "The use of excessive air force for taking Aijal (the former name of >> Aizawl) was excessive because you can not pinpoint from the air who is >> loyal and who is not loyal, who is an MNF and who is somebody pledging >> allegiance to the Mizo Union, the ruling party in the Mizo district," >> Roy was quoted as speaking to the Assam chief minister by Mizo >> historian JV Hluna in his book 'Debates on Mizo Problems on >> Insurgencies, with special reference to the contributions of Stanley >> DD Nichols Roy, MLA and Hoover H Hynniewta, MLA.' >> >> JV Hluna noted that a hot debate over the Mizo issue continued in the >> House. Nichol Roy even referred to a statement made by Prime Minister >> Indira Gandhi published in the Hindusthan Standard on March 9, 1966 >> where the PM, answering a foreign correspondent, insisted that the air >> force was "deployed to drop men and supplies." >> >> "Nichols Roy stated that whether the shells of bombs, which had been >> dropped in Aijal, be sent to Delhi to ask the Prime Minister, 'How do >> you cook this ration? If these are supplies, please tell us how you >> cook these things'?", JV Hluna said in his book. >> >> Strongly condemning the use of air force, the other MLA Hynniewta >> produced photographs of one unexploded bomb and some fragments of >> exploded bombs as proof of the Aizawl air attack, which was strongly >> denied by the Government of India. >> >> "We touched it, we measured it and we took photograph of it. We have >> fragments of the bombs. We have the testimony of hundreds of people >> who have heard the explosions the moment the planes flew over in Mizo >> Hills," Hynniewta addressed the chief minister. "If you want to >> suppress the MNF rebellion, ordinary bullets are sufficient. From any >> point of view, military, physical or economic, these weapons should >> never have been used," the MLA told the House. >> >> "Given that the only sources of information regarding the insurgency >> in Mizoram for the outside world were the words of the Assam chief >> minister, the Assam chief secretary and the Prime Minister (who on the >> other hand denied the air attack), the contributions of the two MLAs >> were very notable," JV Hluna said. >> >> Since the MNF rebels had already taken Army installations in Champhai, >> Lunglei and Saitual in the initial stage of the rebellion and Aizawl >> in danger of being overpowered, the Indian Government might have been >> too nervous to have second thoughts about an aerial attack on its own >> territory. >> >> On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 4:19 PM, anupam chakravartty >> wrote: >>> the blog says killing of indians by naxal...who is an indian and who >>> is a naxal? >>> >>> >>> >>> On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 4:17 PM, Pawan Durani >>> wrote: >>>> http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indus-calling/entry/ >>>> naxalites-in-delhi >>>> >>>> Seventy-six jawans who were on duty to fight the antinational and >>>> barbaric Communist terrorists were killed in an ambush and the home >>>> ministry says "there was an element of failure". >>>> >>>> This is not the time for a blame game. I wrote before too, "Support >>>> Chidambaram's war", though the home minister dithered in between and >>>> gave wrong signals to the Naxalites, hoping that they would >>>> listen to >>>> him and his badly produced ads. In a way, the Indian polity helps >>>> fissiparous tendencies. It's mired in taking revenge on Amitabh >>>> Bachchan and making a tamasha of a nikah, which is strictly a matter >>>> between two interested persons. Such a polity can issue carbon >>>> copies >>>> of the previous statements of sham condemnation but can't instil >>>> confidence in the citizens and the security forces. Ask Raman Singh, >>>> the brave face CM of Chhattisgarh, who has been struggling hard to >>>> tackle the Naxalite menace amid a volley of  attacks by Dilliwala >>>> Naxalites, who accused him of being harsh on the barbarians, and >>>> almost killed his Salwa Judum through false allegations. >>>> >>>> So far the government hasn't spoken about taking the war on the >>>> Communist terrorists to its logical end. Neither has it announced a >>>> free hand to the security persons to find, flush out and annihilate >>>> the cowardly terrorists who have become a bigger threat to the >>>> nation >>>> than the Pakistan-supported jihadis. It should be doing that >>>> immediately. Home secretary Gopal Pillay has rightly questioned "not >>>> only the CPI (Maoist) but also those who speak on their behalf and >>>> chastise the government' as to what was the motive behind the attack >>>> and what is the message the CPI (Maoist) intends to convey". The >>>> "jholawala" supporters of the Naxalites should also be booked for >>>> instigating murders and sedition. >>>> >>>> They are all Communists. They swear by Mao, Lenin and Stalin. Their >>>> loyalties are extraterritorial. Their sources of inspiration - >>>> all of >>>> them have smeared their hands in the blood of innocent people - from >>>> Lenin, Stalin and Mao to Pol Pot. And they have thrived so far in >>>> spite of having killed more than 6,000 Indian citizens and security >>>> personnel because there is a powerful lobby in Delhi which portrays >>>> them as revolutionaries and puts pressure on the government not to >>>> take any stern action. When a publishing house like Penguin >>>> chooses to >>>> publish a book of so-called poems of a jail inmate, a known >>>> supporter >>>> and the voice of the mass-killer Naxalites, Varavara Rao, what >>>> can be >>>> expected of the morale of those who are supposed to take on the >>>> barbarians to protect the Constitution? There is a socially >>>> desensitized section of the neo-rich enveloped in Anglo-Saxon >>>> traditions that has taken upon the "responsibility" to >>>> romanticize the >>>> butchers and win dollar awards. >>>> >>>> They are the writers, filmmakers and poster boys of the glitterati >>>> that find it fashionable to safeguard Maoists and have them as an >>>> acceptable phenomenon in a society that's described as (a >>>> positioning >>>> to justify the murders) 'ridden with corruption, administrative >>>> lethargy, rich class insensitive towards the poor and the >>>> downtrodden', etc. So the logic is, if there would be so much of >>>> political and administrative injustice to a large number of poor, >>>> they >>>> would, rise in revolt. Yeah, sounds good. Doesn't it? Poor revolting >>>> against the rich, burning their bungalows and establishing a just, >>>> fair and Communist reign of the proletariat! >>>> >>>> Like they did in Moscow and saw the disintegration of the Soviet >>>> Union? Like they did in Cambodia and saw the mass murder of 25% >>>> of the >>>> population? Like they did in China and saw millions killed and >>>> ultimately a Communist regime giving way to the market forces? There >>>> is not a single place on this earth, including the haven of the Red >>>> revolutionaries West Bengal where they have been able to establish a >>>> small corner that portrays the model success of their revolution. >>>> Bad >>>> roads, dillapidated schools, no industrialization, poverty-struck >>>> labour class and the fattened Commissars. That's the end result of >>>> their struggle. Naxals too become rogue armies, blackmailing >>>> gullible >>>> villagers and their kids to join their ranks, destroy schools, >>>> public >>>> health dispensaries and roads. They are, in the words of >>>> Chidambaram, >>>> just criminals. >>>> >>>> This must make Indian citizens to sit up and ask the media and the >>>> government some inconvenient questions. Did the Sania-Shoaib >>>> controversy really merit front page when the nation's foreign >>>> minister >>>> was in Beijing negotiating the country's most sensitive issues? Did >>>> Penguin do the right thing by publishing the so-called poems of a >>>> barbaric supporter of the mass murderers, giving him and the book a >>>> halo of revolutionary spirit, thus according the criminals a social >>>> sanction. Those who mock at the patriotic people and heroes like >>>> Savarkar, decorate gun runners who kill citizens with a sadistic >>>> pleasure? That lady, Arundhati they say is her name, with a penchant >>>> for laughing at the beheading of security personnel like Francis and >>>> eulogising in her inimitable de-Indianised style the savagery of the >>>> Naxals must be charged with sedition and supporting mass >>>> annihilators. >>>> >>>> Who were those seventy-six killed by the Naxal? And who felt >>>> happiness >>>> seeing their dead bodies? Who were the bereaved families and who >>>> were >>>> negotiating electoral alliances and secret pacts with the >>>> killers? The >>>> rebels or the antinational insurgent groups called Naxal, Maoist and >>>> Red revolutionaries have been working in 220 districts in 20 states >>>> and the government has established a special cell to monitor and >>>> resist them. They created a Red Corridor from Tirupati to >>>> Pashupatinath. Help from China to Nepalese Maoists to them has been >>>> suspected by Indian intelligence agencies. They are working against >>>> India and it's a war, in real sense. Still the rebels prove >>>> weightier >>>> than the patriotic jawans, who had nothing in their mind except to >>>> protect the citizens and the Indian constitution? Why? So far >>>> this is >>>> a skeleton of some official statistics describing killings of >>>> Indians >>>> by Naxals: >>>> >>>> 1996: 156 deaths >>>> 1997: 428 deaths >>>> 1998: 270 deaths >>>> 1999: 363 deaths >>>> 2000: 50 deaths >>>> 2001: 100+ deaths >>>> 2002: 140 deaths >>>> 2003: 451 deaths >>>> 2004: 500+ deaths >>>> 2005: 700+ deaths >>>> 2006: 750 deaths >>>> 2007: 650 deaths >>>> 2008: 794 deaths >>>> 2009: 1,134 deaths >>>> >>>> Why the sacred forces of the state die like cattle unsung and often >>>> insulted like it happened in the case of Inspector Mohan Lal Sharma >>>> and pilgrimages are organized to the homes of the terrorists in >>>> Azamgarh but none to the homes of the patriotic soldiers? Why it >>>> helps >>>> to be a terrorist in Delhi to remain safe and have civil rights >>>> committees to organise interviews in magazines and channels and its >>>> often embarrassingly deadly to be soldier, with none coming to hear >>>> their woes and interview the mother of the martyred? >>>> >>>> It is this Naxalism that needs to be crushed. They don't remove >>>> poverty through guns. They use poor to help their luxuries. >>>> >>> >> _________________________________________ >> 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/> > > Shuddhabrata Sengupta > The Sarai Programme at CSDS > Raqs Media Collective > shuddha at sarai.net > www.sarai.net > www.raqsmediacollective.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 aliens at dataone.in Mon Apr 12 10:43:48 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Mon, 12 Apr 2010 10:43:48 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE Message-ID: <000f01cad9fe$ef259a60$cd70cf20$@in> Forwarding herewith reply received from Indira Hirway against my objection for her article in the Hindu. From: Indira Hirway [mailto:indira_hirway at yahoo.com] Sent: Monday, April 12, 2010 10:01 AM To: Bipin Trivedi Subject: Re: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE Dear Mr. Bipin Trivedi, I was away and therefore seen your mail only today. It is an interesting mail! I do not know you, but it will be nice to talk. Can we meet or talk? My mobile is . I am located in Ahmedabad. Best wishes, Indira Hirway --- On Sat, 3/20/10, Bipin Trivedi wrote: From: Bipin Trivedi Subject: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE To: bleditor at thehindu.co.in Cc: ndira.hirway at cfda.ac.in, Indira_hirway at yahoo.com Date: Saturday, March 20, 2010, 4:51 PM The Editor Hindu Business Line I refer to article by Dr. Indira Hirway in Hindu Business Line on Gujarat economy sustains growth; human development index falls Feb. 25, 2010. You are mentioning report of the period 1993 to 2005 in 2010 and highlighting the issue. Do you have current figure or figure upto March 2009 of the same or even upto March 2008? How can you highlight 4 years old news? Gujarat has much changed thereafter. Please be updated and publish accordingly. Gujarat is on very much development path even in the HDI parameters also. Please search latest figure and publish accordingly and stop tarnishing Gujarat image just because Narendra Modi will not get credit. I am not belonging to any political party and not fan of Narendra Modi but I am fan of development, whoever does it. Actually you are indirectly helping Narendra Modi popularity in Gujarati people by repeating attempts of tarnishing Gujarat image. Thanks Bipin Trivedi From jeebesh at sarai.net Mon Apr 12 11:25:14 2010 From: jeebesh at sarai.net (Jeebesh) Date: Mon, 12 Apr 2010 11:25:14 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] =?windows-1252?q?Teachers=92_Statement_against_cens?= =?windows-1252?q?orship_in_JNU?= Message-ID: <9ACFCE95-285B-4694-ABE2-CE563C8E9469@sarai.net> Teachers’ Statement against censorship in JNU Submitted to the Vice Chancellor of JNU April 8, 2010 We, members of the teaching community of JNU, strongly object to the circular issued by the Associate Dean of Students (dated March 29, 2010) that requires students to seek permission one week in advance for organizing talks and events on hostel premises. More disturbingly, the proforma for seeking permission includes questions regarding the affiliation and name of the speaker if the event is to be followed by discussion, full details including producers, for film screenings, and states that "events that may be sensitive to national integration/ national harmony and may have implications for national security will not be permitted." We object to the circular on two grounds: First, Provosts are not empowered to institute such sweeping changes without discussion in the wider JNU community. Second, this attempt to censor freedom of expression and intellectual activity on the JNU campus is unacceptable to us under any circumstances. Free exchange of opinions, however controversial, is at the heart of any institution of modern learning, but especially of JNU, which was established precisely to promote "a democratic way of life" as well as "an awareness and understanding of social needs." The circular will destroy the tradition of critical debate and discussion that has been such a special part of JNU culture and history. JNU is a space where the freedom to debate censorship itself must be protected. This circular attempts to control the very freedom to question authority that it is our responsibility to ensure. This circular must be withdrawn with immediate effect. Endorsements received by Email 1. Romila Thapar 2. Amit Bhaduri 3. Gopal Guru 4. Prabhat Patnaik 5. Neeladri Bhattacharya 6. Zoya Hasan 7. CP Chandrasekhar 8. Chaman Lal 9. Jayati Ghosh 10. Tanika Sarkar 11. Pushpesh Pant 12. Anuradha Chenoy 13. Kamal Mitra Chenoy 14. Ranjani Mazumdar 15. Nivedita Menon 16. Ayesha Kidwai 17. AK Ramakrishnan 18. Valerian Rodrigues 19. Bhagat Oinam 20. Bimol Akoijam 21. GJV Prasad 22. Amitabh Mattoo 23. BS Chimni 24. Arun Kumar 25. Janaki Nair 26. Rohan D’Souza 27. Mohan Rao 28. Padmini Mongia 29. Rajarshi Dasgupta 30. Pratiksha Baxi 31. Naman Ahuja 32. Kavita Singh 33. Shukla Sawant 34. Ira Bhaskar 35. Parul Dave Mukherjee 36. G Arunima 37. KB Usha 38. Ajay Gudavarthy 39. Anupama Roy 40. Madhu Sahni 41. Radhika Singha 42. Geetha Nambissan 43. Happymon Jacob 44. Vikas Rawal 45. Rinku Lamba 46. YS Alone 47. Bishnupriya Dutt 48. Amita Singh 49. Alka Acharya 50. Rama Baru 52. Sima Baidya 53. Siddharth Mallavarapu 54. Renuka Singh 55. Rekha Kamat 56. Alka Acharya 57. Jayati Srivastava For further information contact: 1. Nivedita Menon, Professor, School of International Studies Phone: 9971268730 2. Ranjani Mazumdar, Associate Professor, School of Arts and Aesthetics Phone: 9818089519 CC: Registrar Rector I Rector II -- Ranjani Mazumdar Associate Professor Cinema Studies School of Arts and Aesthetics Jawaharlal Nehru University New Delhi 110067 http://www.jnu.ac.in/SAA/ From c.anupam at gmail.com Mon Apr 12 11:50:40 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Mon, 12 Apr 2010 11:50:40 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: References: <7BB75BD2-5666-4337-944F-7137280D296D@sarai.net> Message-ID: Look who is talking against violence here. how do you explain the ugly politics prevalant in University of Delhi under ABVP leadership especially in University of Delhi along with NSUI? how do you explain death of professor Sabharwal in Bhopal? how do you explain gun battles between NSUI and ABVP during University of Delhi elections as well as other parts of the country? how many student leaders have been arrested? what do you have to say about allegations of covert and overt support to maoist violence by student associations during JP years? some of our great leaders have willingly taken support of their maoist brethren to find a spot in the legislative assemblies and parliament. how do you explain that? I am not from JNU or support JNUSU but i am sure these students were not celebrating the deaths as these report suggests. therefore, leave the students out of this is my only request. why cant we have some realistic opposition to such violence? if we are condemning the violent act of naxals, then one has to also see how salva judum along with members of armed forces have perpetuated violence in these areas. with your lopsided reports Pawan, i dont think you are doing any justice to the souls of the asking for a retribution from the state. it is short term and illogical. lives are lost, people killed, more tensions in these areas. anupam P.S.: how about writing an open letter to Maoist leader Kishenji and Ramanna? why do they hide behind that cloth? their hiding more important than several young men and women who lay their lives for him and the party or for their cause? this means there exists hierarchy in rank and information among Maoists just like any other armed guerilla unit. so are they proposing change or they are also like you, Pawan, harbingers of retributive justice. do they expect that there can be negotiation now that they have attained a certain level of expertise in killing people? On Mon, Apr 12, 2010 at 9:18 AM, Pawan Durani wrote: > And now we have this shocking news of JNU students celebrating the > butchering of 76 Jawans by Maobadis. > > Talk of rights !!! > > > http://jaibihar.com/jnu-students-celebrate-butchering-of-76-crpf-jawans/201018916.html > > JNU students celebrate butchering of 76 CRPF jawans > > NEW DELHI — The NSUI and ABVP, otherwise bitter rivals, along with > Youth for Equality (YFE) together disrupted a meeting organised by the > newly formed ‘JNU Forum Against War on People’ (JNU-FAWP), which, they > claimed, held a pro-Maoist meeting in the Jawaharlal Nehru University. > > The NSUI national general secretary, Shaikh Shahnawaz, said: “Members > of Democratic Students Union (DSU) and All India Students Association > (AISA) organized a meeting to celebrate the killing of 76 CRPF > personnel in Dantewada, Chhattisgarh. They were even shouting slogans > like ‘India murdabad, Maovad zindabad’. How can this be allowed inside > a Central university?” > > To oppose the function, NSUI and ABVP activists took out a march to > the venue where a clash broke out among the students. Four persons got > injured in the clash. > > Assistant Dean of Students, Prof Sachidanand, said that no permission > was granted by the authorities for the meeting. > > Senior BJP leader VK Malhotra has urged home minister P Chidambaram to > remove the “elements supporting the Maoists” from the university. > > On Sat, Apr 10, 2010 at 1:52 AM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta > wrote: >> Dear Anupam, >> >> Many thanks for posting this, I have been geturing towards the aerial >> bombardment of Aizawl several times, just to show that the trigger >> happy attitude of the Indian state is not a a recent fact. >> Incidentally, this aerial bombardment one of the several is what led >> to the total alienation of the people in the north east who the >> Indian state wanted to rein in and force into the Indian union. As of >> now, senior officers of the air force have correctly stated that >> aerial attacks in 'Naxal' affected regions will be unwise. Lets hope >> that their counsel prevails, although the pressure from those who >> want to 'crush' naxalism will also grow. I hope that we can hold dark >> days at bay for as long as possible. >> On 08-Apr-10, at 7:04 PM, anupam chakravartty wrote: >> >>> Memories of inferno still remain fresh >>> NEWSLINK Monday, March 05, 2007 >>> Bureau report >>> >>> Aizawl, March 5th, 1966: Today marks the 41st anniversary of the >>> historic Aizawl bombardment, which had turned the once-beautiful hill >>> town Aizawl into ashes, a few days after the declaration of the >>> "Mizoram independence" by the Laldenga-led Mizo National Front. >>> >>> While Mizoram now has emerged as one of the most peaceful states and >>> marching ahead as one of the most developing states of India, memories >>> of the inferno still remain with those who survived the trial by fire. >>> >>> "In the afternoon of March 4 1966, a flock of jet fighters hovered >>> over Aizawl and dropped bombs leaving a number of houses in flames. >>> The next day, a more excessive bombing took place for several hours >>> which left most houses in Dawrpui and Chhingaveng area in ashes," >>> recollected 62-year-old Rothangpuia in Aizawl. >>> >>> According to some records, Hunter and Toofani fighters were deployed >>> for the Aizawl bombardment, which became the first and only aerial >>> attack India has carried out against its own people. The fighters came >>> from Tezpur, an IAF air base in Assam. Apart from Aizawl, Tualbung and >>> Hnahlan villages in northeast Mizoram were bombarded. Surprisingly, >>> there were no human casualties officially reported in any of the air >>> raids. >>> >>> "In the first wave of attack the planes used machine guns and later on >>> used bombs. The attack came in three waves, on the second day the >>> attack lasted for about five hours," MLA Andrew Lalherliana recounted. >>> >>> According to Joe Lalhmingliana, a retired wing commander of Indian Air >>> Force, Tezpur Air Force base - which presently hangars MIG 21 >>> Operational Flying Training Unit (MOFTU) - was the base for the >>> Mizoram aerial attack of March 1966. >>> >>> "The Indian Air Force deployed Hunter and Toofani jet fighters to >>> carry out the mission; it was the first time India used its air force >>> to quell a movement of any kind among its citizens. Goa was a >>> different story, it was a move to drive away the Portuguese," the >>> former airman said. >>> >>> Till today there has been no satisfactory answer as to why India used >>> such excessive air force against its own citizens in order to suppress >>> an insurgency. Surprisingly, the Mizo National Front was outlawed only >>> later in 1968. >>> >>> In the aftermath of the Aizawl air raids, two MLAs of Assam, Stanley >>> DD Nichols Roy and Hoover H Hynniewta, came to Mizoram (then Mizo >>> district under Assam) to see with their own eyes what happened to the >>> people of the Mizo District and were totally shocked by what they saw. >>> Later in April, Nichols Roy moved a motion in the Assam House on the >>> Aizawl air attack. >>> >>> "The use of excessive air force for taking Aijal (the former name of >>> Aizawl) was excessive because you can not pinpoint from the air who is >>> loyal and who is not loyal, who is an MNF and who is somebody pledging >>> allegiance to the Mizo Union, the ruling party in the Mizo district," >>> Roy was quoted as speaking to the Assam chief minister by Mizo >>> historian JV Hluna in his book 'Debates on Mizo Problems on >>> Insurgencies, with special reference to the contributions of Stanley >>> DD Nichols Roy, MLA and Hoover H Hynniewta, MLA.' >>> >>> JV Hluna noted that a hot debate over the Mizo issue continued in the >>> House. Nichol Roy even referred to a statement made by Prime Minister >>> Indira Gandhi published in the Hindusthan Standard on March 9, 1966 >>> where the PM, answering a foreign correspondent, insisted that the air >>> force was "deployed to drop men and supplies." >>> >>> "Nichols Roy stated that whether the shells of bombs, which had been >>> dropped in Aijal, be sent to Delhi to ask the Prime Minister, 'How do >>> you cook this ration? If these are supplies, please tell us how you >>> cook these things'?", JV Hluna said in his book. >>> >>> Strongly condemning the use of air force, the other MLA Hynniewta >>> produced photographs of one unexploded bomb and some fragments of >>> exploded bombs as proof of the Aizawl air attack, which was strongly >>> denied by the Government of India. >>> >>> "We touched it, we measured it and we took photograph of it. We have >>> fragments of the bombs. We have the testimony of hundreds of people >>> who have heard the explosions the moment the planes flew over in Mizo >>> Hills," Hynniewta addressed the chief minister. "If you want to >>> suppress the MNF rebellion, ordinary bullets are sufficient. From any >>> point of view, military, physical or economic, these weapons should >>> never have been used," the MLA told the House. >>> >>> "Given that the only sources of information regarding the insurgency >>> in Mizoram for the outside world were the words of the Assam chief >>> minister, the Assam chief secretary and the Prime Minister (who on the >>> other hand denied the air attack), the contributions of the two MLAs >>> were very notable," JV Hluna said. >>> >>> Since the MNF rebels had already taken Army installations in Champhai, >>> Lunglei and Saitual in the initial stage of the rebellion and Aizawl >>> in danger of being overpowered, the Indian Government might have been >>> too nervous to have second thoughts about an aerial attack on its own >>> territory. >>> >>> On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 4:19 PM, anupam chakravartty >>> wrote: >>>> the blog says killing of indians by naxal...who is an indian and who >>>> is a naxal? >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 4:17 PM, Pawan Durani >>>> wrote: >>>>> http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indus-calling/entry/ >>>>> naxalites-in-delhi >>>>> >>>>> Seventy-six jawans who were on duty to fight the antinational and >>>>> barbaric Communist terrorists were killed in an ambush and the home >>>>> ministry says "there was an element of failure". >>>>> >>>>> This is not the time for a blame game. I wrote before too, "Support >>>>> Chidambaram's war", though the home minister dithered in between and >>>>> gave wrong signals to the Naxalites, hoping that they would >>>>> listen to >>>>> him and his badly produced ads. In a way, the Indian polity helps >>>>> fissiparous tendencies. It's mired in taking revenge on Amitabh >>>>> Bachchan and making a tamasha of a nikah, which is strictly a matter >>>>> between two interested persons. Such a polity can issue carbon >>>>> copies >>>>> of the previous statements of sham condemnation but can't instil >>>>> confidence in the citizens and the security forces. Ask Raman Singh, >>>>> the brave face CM of Chhattisgarh, who has been struggling hard to >>>>> tackle the Naxalite menace amid a volley of  attacks by Dilliwala >>>>> Naxalites, who accused him of being harsh on the barbarians, and >>>>> almost killed his Salwa Judum through false allegations. >>>>> >>>>> So far the government hasn't spoken about taking the war on the >>>>> Communist terrorists to its logical end. Neither has it announced a >>>>> free hand to the security persons to find, flush out and annihilate >>>>> the cowardly terrorists who have become a bigger threat to the >>>>> nation >>>>> than the Pakistan-supported jihadis. It should be doing that >>>>> immediately. Home secretary Gopal Pillay has rightly questioned "not >>>>> only the CPI (Maoist) but also those who speak on their behalf and >>>>> chastise the government' as to what was the motive behind the attack >>>>> and what is the message the CPI (Maoist) intends to convey". The >>>>> "jholawala" supporters of the Naxalites should also be booked for >>>>> instigating murders and sedition. >>>>> >>>>> They are all Communists. They swear by Mao, Lenin and Stalin. Their >>>>> loyalties are extraterritorial. Their sources of inspiration - >>>>> all of >>>>> them have smeared their hands in the blood of innocent people - from >>>>> Lenin, Stalin and Mao to Pol Pot. And they have thrived so far in >>>>> spite of having killed more than 6,000 Indian citizens and security >>>>> personnel because there is a powerful lobby in Delhi which portrays >>>>> them as revolutionaries and puts pressure on the government not to >>>>> take any stern action. When a publishing house like Penguin >>>>> chooses to >>>>> publish a book of so-called poems of a jail inmate, a known >>>>> supporter >>>>> and the voice of the mass-killer Naxalites, Varavara Rao, what >>>>> can be >>>>> expected of the morale of those who are supposed to take on the >>>>> barbarians to protect the Constitution? There is a socially >>>>> desensitized section of the neo-rich enveloped in Anglo-Saxon >>>>> traditions that has taken upon the "responsibility" to >>>>> romanticize the >>>>> butchers and win dollar awards. >>>>> >>>>> They are the writers, filmmakers and poster boys of the glitterati >>>>> that find it fashionable to safeguard Maoists and have them as an >>>>> acceptable phenomenon in a society that's described as (a >>>>> positioning >>>>> to justify the murders) 'ridden with corruption, administrative >>>>> lethargy, rich class insensitive towards the poor and the >>>>> downtrodden', etc. So the logic is, if there would be so much of >>>>> political and administrative injustice to a large number of poor, >>>>> they >>>>> would, rise in revolt. Yeah, sounds good. Doesn't it? Poor revolting >>>>> against the rich, burning their bungalows and establishing a just, >>>>> fair and Communist reign of the proletariat! >>>>> >>>>> Like they did in Moscow and saw the disintegration of the Soviet >>>>> Union? Like they did in Cambodia and saw the mass murder of 25% >>>>> of the >>>>> population? Like they did in China and saw millions killed and >>>>> ultimately a Communist regime giving way to the market forces? There >>>>> is not a single place on this earth, including the haven of the Red >>>>> revolutionaries West Bengal where they have been able to establish a >>>>> small corner that portrays the model success of their revolution. >>>>> Bad >>>>> roads, dillapidated schools, no industrialization, poverty-struck >>>>> labour class and the fattened Commissars. That's the end result of >>>>> their struggle. Naxals too become rogue armies, blackmailing >>>>> gullible >>>>> villagers and their kids to join their ranks, destroy schools, >>>>> public >>>>> health dispensaries and roads. They are, in the words of >>>>> Chidambaram, >>>>> just criminals. >>>>> >>>>> This must make Indian citizens to sit up and ask the media and the >>>>> government some inconvenient questions. Did the Sania-Shoaib >>>>> controversy really merit front page when the nation's foreign >>>>> minister >>>>> was in Beijing negotiating the country's most sensitive issues? Did >>>>> Penguin do the right thing by publishing the so-called poems of a >>>>> barbaric supporter of the mass murderers, giving him and the book a >>>>> halo of revolutionary spirit, thus according the criminals a social >>>>> sanction. Those who mock at the patriotic people and heroes like >>>>> Savarkar, decorate gun runners who kill citizens with a sadistic >>>>> pleasure? That lady, Arundhati they say is her name, with a penchant >>>>> for laughing at the beheading of security personnel like Francis and >>>>> eulogising in her inimitable de-Indianised style the savagery of the >>>>> Naxals must be charged with sedition and supporting mass >>>>> annihilators. >>>>> >>>>> Who were those seventy-six killed by the Naxal? And who felt >>>>> happiness >>>>> seeing their dead bodies? Who were the bereaved families and who >>>>> were >>>>> negotiating electoral alliances and secret pacts with the >>>>> killers? The >>>>> rebels or the antinational insurgent groups called Naxal, Maoist and >>>>> Red revolutionaries have been working in 220 districts in 20 states >>>>> and the government has established a special cell to monitor and >>>>> resist them. They created a Red Corridor from Tirupati to >>>>> Pashupatinath. Help from China to Nepalese Maoists to them has been >>>>> suspected by Indian intelligence agencies. They are working against >>>>> India and it's a war, in real sense. Still the rebels prove >>>>> weightier >>>>> than the patriotic jawans, who had nothing in their mind except to >>>>> protect the citizens and the Indian constitution? Why? So far >>>>> this is >>>>> a skeleton of some official statistics describing killings of >>>>> Indians >>>>> by Naxals: >>>>> >>>>> 1996: 156 deaths >>>>> 1997: 428 deaths >>>>> 1998: 270 deaths >>>>> 1999: 363 deaths >>>>> 2000: 50 deaths >>>>> 2001: 100+ deaths >>>>> 2002: 140 deaths >>>>> 2003: 451 deaths >>>>> 2004: 500+ deaths >>>>> 2005: 700+ deaths >>>>> 2006: 750 deaths >>>>> 2007: 650 deaths >>>>> 2008: 794 deaths >>>>> 2009: 1,134 deaths >>>>> >>>>> Why the sacred forces of the state die like cattle unsung and often >>>>> insulted like it happened in the case of Inspector Mohan Lal Sharma >>>>> and pilgrimages are organized to the homes of the terrorists in >>>>> Azamgarh but none to the homes of the patriotic soldiers? Why it >>>>> helps >>>>> to be a terrorist in Delhi to remain safe and have civil rights >>>>> committees to organise interviews in magazines and channels and its >>>>> often embarrassingly deadly to be soldier, with none coming to hear >>>>> their woes and interview the mother of the martyred? >>>>> >>>>> It is this Naxalism that needs to be crushed. They don't remove >>>>> poverty through guns. They use poor to help their luxuries. >>>>> >>>> >>> _________________________________________ >>> 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/> >> >> Shuddhabrata Sengupta >> The Sarai Programme at CSDS >> Raqs Media Collective >> shuddha at sarai.net >> www.sarai.net >> www.raqsmediacollective.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/> > _________________________________________ > 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 Mon Apr 12 13:38:23 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Mon, 12 Apr 2010 13:38:23 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Fatwa's against Dr Zakir Naik Message-ID: Fatwa 's against Zakir Naik by Darul Ifta, Darul Uloom Deoband *Fatwa: 352=363/B* * **"Muslims should avoid listening to him"* URL: http://darulifta-deoband.org/viewfatwa.jsp?ID=171 *Fatwa: 1058/1058=J* *"His approach seems contradicted to authentic Ulama of salaf"* URL: http://darulifta-deoband.org/viewfatwa.jsp?ID=2415 *Fatwa: 1541/1322=B/1429* *"One should not rely upon his speeches"* URL: http://darulifta-deoband.org/viewfatwa.jsp?ID=7077 From patrice at xs4all.nl Mon Apr 12 14:52:47 2010 From: patrice at xs4all.nl (Patrice Riemens) Date: Mon, 12 Apr 2010 11:22:47 +0200 Subject: [Reader-list] Hartman de Souza: Raving pristine landscapes ... report from the Western Ghats Message-ID: <682c0412995dda026c47395b9a2f2948.squirrel@webmail.xs4all.nl> bwo Goanet --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sign the Petition requesting The Honble Minister of State for Environment and Forests (I/C) to maintain the moratorium on issuing further environmental clearances for mining activities in Goa http://goanvoice.org.uk/miningpetition.php --------------------------------------------------------------------------- RAPE: Rapid Assessment Pauperised Environment So why are they ravaging the pristine landscape of fruits, crops, springs and waterfalls in the Western Ghats, violating every law of the land? And who will smash this perverse nexus of politicians, administrators and mining companies? Hartman de Souza hartman.desouza at gmail.com Asniye (Maharashtra) and Margao (Goa) While a ridiculous debate -- whether mining in Goa is legal or not --ontinues, and mining magnates and their close friends in the government and administration bulldoze Goans into believing that destroying forests, water and selling the mud beneath to China is in their best interest, spare a thought for 14 villages just across the border in neighbouring Maharashtra. Darpi, Phukeri, Kunshi, Tambolim, Kesri, Otawane, Bawlat, Danoli, Bilawada, Zolambe, Talkat, Dongorpal, Asniye and Kalne. These are their names and you must remember them because soon, say another three years after the government of India has gifted them to Goan-based mining companies, and their surrounding hills and forests have disappeared in a huge cloud of red dust, they will return to haunt you in the form of summers that turn hotter by the year, air-conditioners that don't work because of power cuts, expensive 'designer' taps attached to pipes that have run dry, tankers which bring in water to wash your limousines and fill your swimming pools and spray your golf courses. They may even come back in the form of armed guards standing watch over sources of drinking water. Pay even closer attention to the last three-named hillside hamlets on the list above, namely, Asniye, Dongorpal and Kalne. Why these three you ask? Because the future seems over for these three villages if the ministry of environment and forests in New Delhi accepts 14 farcical permissions to mine that await clearance. The gigantic hill that once sheltered Kalne from the fierce post-noon heat just after Holi has already fallen to a mining company. The giant bulldozers and shovels, the mammoth trucks with double sets of rear wheels, look like ants, such is the height at which this ecocide is taking place; the more famous orange-painted Tata dumpers look like aphids scurrying around. This is destruction in progress. Kalne has just begun operations and what is taking place before one's eyes could be referred to as 'preparing the ground'. Chronicling this is not easy if you have a soft heart. The forest on the hill is first bulldozed and the trees disposed of. There are many ways to do this, some ingenious enough to involve pliant forest authorities in their sale and some as crude as just burying them under truckloads of mud. This too is not difficult. One merely shoves the trees, roots and stumps and all into the plain or foot of the valley, and covers them with a few thousand truckloads of the topsoil beneath, then cover this too with the laterite scree well below that, as truck by truck, a waste dump is created and the mining engineers get at the dark, almost black lode of ore. Unfortunately, for the 14 villages in this area, this is also where are to be found the area's traditional orchards of mango, jackfruit, cashew, guava, and chikoo, and where, thanks to an abundance of water, local inhabitants have been traditionally growing two crops of rice a year for a few centuries, using the surplus created by agricultural produce to live, have children, own houses and land, be able to trade and even have aspirations. More importantly though, by their own admission, inhabitants here are contented, and at peace with their ways of life and the unmeasured pace that accompanies this. It is villages and dwellings such as these, in a huge tract of land that passes down the eastern side of the Western Ghats in Goa and, now, into 14 villages in Maharashtra, where hills and forests and water have been and will be, legally appropriated, to leave behind dumps of dead mud adjacent to pits that in some instances go below the sea level, and where sources of water that seep there are pumped out to either wash trucks or filled in tankers to water roads to keep the dust levels down; where everyday life itself is and will be, covered in a thick sheen of fine, clogging red dust. What is conveniently ignored is that Goan mining companies seeking permission to mine in the Western Ghats, wish to do so in areas where human settlements have existed for a few centuries. The waste dumps created can be anything from 500 metres to a kilometre or so away from where the pit will be created. The creation of the pit itself is a mockery at two levels. The first, of course, heinous in the extreme, is the fact that in the name of 'economic progress and industrial development', heavy machinery can be used to make suppurating wounds on the face of the earth, that, as compelling evidence clearly shows, have never been healed. The other is that in doing this, the mining operation crudely mimics the methodology of a farmer who terraces the slopes of a hill to create fields and orchards, who, in doing so, reveres water and works with this element so that it remains in abundance, if not grows. The extremely converse is true in a mining pit where terraces are made so that two dumper trucks can pass each other, where the pit lures water only to pump it out so that the ground below is dry enough to get at the ore. Wags in Goan bars -- and there are quite a few of them in the mining areas, both wags and bars -- have their own take on just how deep mining pits can go. They should just keep digging, they say, in between sips, then soon the pit will be deep enough for them to come straight out in China! In Kalne right now, the ground has been prepared so well, we are actually watching the slaughter as if the hill there was just the neck of a goat. The trucks leaving the mine, moving towards Banda and then, to Bicholim in Goa and onto a platform where the ore will be tipped into barges, are few in number right now because the pit is only just being opened. The trucks have no permission to haul the ore through Goa. So powerful is the greed to be a mining magnate and own your own helicopter that one can afford to ignore all public complaints and protests from people affected by mining. Just before the rains arrive in another two months, rest assured that there will be convoys of trucks going into the mine, all the way to the bottom, and climbing out on carefully moulded terraces. All mining pits are progressively widened and made deeper. In the first year of operation, in a mine like Kalne for instance in Sawantwadi Taluka, or Cavorem in Quepem Taluka, trucks drive up the hill from the main road below; in the third year of operation, the hill long gone, trucks on the same road, drive down into the mine. What links the 14 villages in this area is the range of hills within which and on whose steep slopes they exist. Driving into Asniye, Dongorpal and Kalne, for instance, coming in from the plain on which Banda sits, is no indication at all for the almost magical discovery of these hamlets, where the people revere the existence of water with such belief that they seem blessed with knowing they are content. In perfect consonance with each other, with local legislation that is village-centred and far from acrimonious, they have traditionally 'recycled' the hills where cashew, mango and jackfruit orchards have not been already planted in recent years. It is a time-honoured tradition, clearing and burning undergrowth and cutting some trees for produce, to plant cash crops, then, after some years, leaving that to regenerate for some years and moving to another part of the hill to cultivate. They may cut a few hundred trees, but in ten years, such is the presence of water and fertility of the soil, the trees are back, sprouted from the same root and the villagers are already planting elsewhere. Each of the 14 hamlets is at the foot of a valley, on the sides of the gentler slopes, surrounded on either side by this immaculate range of hills that threads them. As one enters Asniye, for instance, one skirts a hill high enough to shield you from the village itself. From the top of this hill, going down in third gear, is a slope steep enough and bending left that forces you to change down to second gear and brake cautiously, and not without the sense that some mystery lies ahead. You enter a valley where the light itself, even though coming to mid morning, is gentle enough to make you catch your breath. The bright, almost luminescent green of rice ripening in the hot sun either side of the road, is tempered with the lushness and shade of areca nut plantations dense enough to block out the sun, and between them, beyond them, other fruit trees -- wide fronds of breadfruit leaves; the small, juicy, glistening ones of kokum -- and between these the villagers of Asniye calmly announcing themselves with the tiled roofs of their simple but spacious dwellings, each awash with the red and pink of hibiscus, the fierce orange of marigold. If you stop at the tea shop at the entrance to Asniye, at the base of the hill that will climb right through the village, facing the valley and hills that fence off the horizon and keep in time, you feel water around you. You can feel it in the air, sense it, smell it, and even taste it on your tongue. Thirteen hamlets other than Kalne would have gone unnoticed from all but the Goan mining companies had it not been for the Applied Environmental Research Foundation (AERF), Pune [http://www.aerfindia.org] which have undertaken exhaustive studies mapping the bio-diversity of these hamlets, and among other things, studying the patterns, use and conservation of water, identifying 'sacred groves' in the area, and, frankly, learning from the villagers their agricultural practices and traditions that many now know are far more respectful of the earth. Quite recently too, a group of teachers and students from a well-known institute of architecture and environmental studies in Mumbai also discovered what 'development' translates into when a greedy government and the mining industry get into the act. This entire corridor of hills falls under the project area of the proposed Sahyadri Ecologically Sensitive Area, a project, ironically for Goans, that abbreviates to SESA, and which is, quite shamelessly, sponsored by the ministry of environment and forests, New Delhi! If one considers that these ghats and their thick forests and water resources course down through six states on the western side of this country, traversing north to south, with an equal number of ghats in states on the eastern coastline also branching off further south, at the cusp of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, it is no wonder these make for one of the major ecological hotspots of the world, and the gateways, let us never forget, to both monsoons. In all this lies a truism. That mining companies go where the ghats are at their steepest, flowing outwards like bolts of rich cloth adorned with forests and sheltering water in their folds. Below the aquifers, as any idiot will tell you, lies the ore, or the bedrock that keeps the water from disappearing into vapour. In studying Asniye as a human settlement, the young architecture students from Mumbai discovered 28 perennial springs and other water bodies that make the watershed. AERF knows of 68 such resources of water. Students discovered, that just as in Goa, the forests are community-owned, and that Asniye has two deorai, or sacred groves, protected and managed by villagers. If that is not all, the villagers in this area have been reporting sightings of 'patteri' tigers, a fact that just as in Goa, forest authorities have steadfastly refused to take seriously. What AERF and others do know now is that a Goan mining company (read Dempo), as early as September 2008, submitted a farcical Rapid Environment Impact Assessment and Environment Management Plan for Asniye. A laboratory based in Hyderabad with a shop recently opened in Goa, prepares these reports at the hit of a cursor. The first report, blatant in its untruth, was actually rejected! Unlike in Goa, mining in Maharashtra is not governed by a colonial dispensation. In Asniye, the villagers let their grievances be heard, and the panel issuing such approvals to mine, were left with no option other than veer on the side of caution. The mining company, not to be outdone, submitted a new report in February 2009. Such reports abbreviate among mining companies and the ministry to REIA or Rapid Environment Impact Assessment. Many want this to abbreviate to RAPE, or Rapid Assessment Pauperised Environment. The new report mentions some 28 springs, the actual existence of the village and a list of plants and bio-diversity, but still proposes mining in the same area with mitigation measures and what is actually called an 'Environmental Management Plan'. The company claims the report was prepared by environmental planners, scientists, biologists, geologists and 'technical' experts. Everyone has found serious problems with many of the recommendations and mitigation measures. Here is a small sample that got everyone shaking their heads in disbelief, wondering who was more dangerous, the venerable MoEF supporting an environmental initiative in the area and charged with protecting our forests and water, or the mining company intent on taking away the trees for the mud: "For existence of living things, water is the most important commodity," the report states, "accordingly provisions have to be made for water holes, check dams, and gully plugging in order to provide drinking water to the faunal population. During the lean period, water will be provided from the Terekol river by pump and underground supply pipes to smaller ponds in the forest. The pond should be lined with polythene sheet to stop leakage of water stored in it." This in a village where the students found the water table so lush, the village has no need for wells! See what the wildlife experts making up the report had to say: "In general, wildlife is devoid of food with salt content. In order to have good health of fauna, salt licks have to be made next to watering holes etc." After turning village communities into ramshackle human habitations totally governed by the detritus of mining operations, red dust, grease, roads filled with trucks that spew dust, and a floating migrant workforce doomed to travel from one mining operation to the other, leaving behind ruination that no one has ever repaired, the report states: "The mine management will conduct social awareness camps for education, addiction, health and hygiene etc in nearby villages on a regular basis. The information about malaria eradication, HIV/aids awareness and prevention etc and the importance of proper sanitation health and hygiene etc will be conveyed to the people." In actual fact, unlike villages that fall to mining, there is no consumption of alcohol in Asniye. Unlike Goa, villagers collect the nuts from the cashew and let the fruit rot and fertilise the earth. Villagers give high importance to issues of health, hygiene and cleanliness. Most are already aware of HIV and malaria and insisted they do not need any welfare or awareness programmes to add to the local government facilities which are excellent to say the least. They were unanimous in saying that mining would destroy the water resources and increase the risk of disease and illness. As always, the mining company in question, cash rich, did as they do in Goa in the name of 'industrial and economic development'. They gave out the money to make even more money. Close to 30 per cent of the village land therefore has already been procured, the company taking full advantage of a rural population, in most cases not mentioning mining and in almost all cases targeting the male population with figures of what they could earn owning or driving a truck. In this sordid tale, the larger picture is even more frightening for rural populations in both Goa and Konkan Maharashtra. The ghats, in which the people of Asniye lead their contented everyday lives, are crucial to the watershed for the entire coastal belt of Sindhudurg district in Maharashtra and an integral part of the catchment of the Terekhol river. Just three days ago, on a bright Saturday morning, between 11 and 12.30, when the sun was at its fiercest, history may have been made in Asniye, on the ground opposite their stately panchayat office, not far from the primary school and local health centre. Close to 400 men, women and young people, dressed in their best, came to attend a so-called 'public hearing' -- the forum where mining companies cursorily present their Rapid Environment Impact Assessment and Environment Management Plan before officials from the State Pollution Control Board, who then act as couriers for the mining companies who have already paid for and bought their so-called 'environment clearances'. History was not in the fact that the 'public hearing' was cancelled and that neither the local government nor administration informed of the same. This is par for the course when it comes to mining. Already, political big-wigs, regardless of earlier affiliations and even so-called ideological divides, have rushed in to ally themselves with the mining companies in Konkan Maharashtra and take a share of the obscenely huge profits to be made from iron ore. No, history is in 400 men and women braving the hot afternoon sun and shielding their eyes to listen to local village leaders elected by them, representing their best interests. They took a decision that ought to impact hugely on those in Goa and New Delhi who stubbornly refuse to see the dust and destruction of mining and its murderous accompaniment - the total displacement of people, their livelihoods and their histories. All 14 villages in this ecological corridor joined forces in mid-March, 2010, and issued what ought to be now known as 'The Asniye Declaration'. Down to the last person, regardless of the few who sold out, none of the villages want mining to take place. If need be, they said, they would sit on the roads and physically block them. The declaration noted that since the villagers already opposed mining tooth and nail, there was no need to have a 'public hearing' to discuss the issue further. There is a perversity in Goa that one must deal with. Mining operations in some cases are barely a few kilometres away from villages where a few hundred mining trucks are parked for the night, and where the impact is being felt even as this is being written, and yet, what madness can grip a population to do this? In Goa, in the mining areas, as soon as the money comes in, truck drivers break down their old houses and build news ones, sometimes going a story up. This is the story in the length and breadth of mining country, people building new houses to show their new-found status and standing witness to how, they, their children and their dwellings can be covered by dust. Will this be the case with Asniye and the hamlets in the Western Ghats as they course through Konkan Maharashtra? At the last hill where the road climbs ever higher to leave Asniye is the temple of the village deity, charged with protecting Asniye and surrounded by one of the sacred groves that the village reveres. Below this temple, where the dwellings that make up Asniye themselves wend like a river, flow most of the 68 springs that give the village its magnificent watershed. Right down this hill on which the local deity presides, course a series of man-made channels taking water to each house, each interlinked by nothing more than a flat stone used to open and lock water for use. Villagers in Asniye never walk in this water with their slippers on. One can venture that no people who inhabit the Western Ghats, who live there, who work with the land, would fail to venerate the presence of water. In Goa, in village after village that is blessed with an abundance of water, mining, real estate and tourism-related projects have been, and are, destroying traditional water sources and bodies. Is this the same fate that awaits the 13 other villages neighbouring Asniye? It may be that in all the villages in the Western Ghats, there is a mythology surrounding the grandeur of a local deity and how protection and blessing for the village is made manifest in water. Asniye's temple and sacred grove is thick with trees whose branches sway, awash in colours of various shades -- many kinds of green, some trees that begin with tender leaves that first turn pink and then change to bright red, others with leaves that have already turned a deeper red and many still covered in gold sheen. Above this is Asniye's main and largest hill, on the toe of which, westwards, towards the mining operation in Kalne, will come the Dempo-owned mine. On this same hill behind the temple, beyond a mammoth and sheer rock of granite, tucked into hills that are only a six kilometre trek away from the famous Ambolim Ghat, is a waterfall that makes up Asniye's myth. Except of course that this myth is based on a fact; in the months of mid=April and May villagers living close to the temple will tell you, while springs in the area lower their levels, this waterfall gushes even stronger. What they may not tell you, is that as soon as the Dempo mine begins operation that same waterfall will revert to what is commonly referred to as 'myth', the telling of a story of what used to be... APRIL 2010 Source: http://www.hardnewsmedia.com/2010/04/3519 From nc-agricowi at netcologne.de Mon Apr 12 15:47:06 2010 From: nc-agricowi at netcologne.de (nmf2010) Date: Mon, 12 Apr 2010 12:17:06 +0200 Subject: [Reader-list] =?iso-8859-1?q?Program_-_week_16_-_NewMediaFest=272?= =?iso-8859-1?q?010?= Message-ID: <20100412121706.BFC596D.957A7726@192.168.0.2> NewMediaFest'2010 _____________________________________ program- week 16 - 12-18 April 2010 http://2010.newmediafest.org/?p=745 _____________________________________ 1. Feature of the week 16 -->Flash & Thunder - Flash as a tool & medium for artistic creations featuring David Clark (Canada), Rita Sa (Portugal), Roderick Coover (USA), Alexander Mouton (USA), Cynthia Lawson Jaramillo & Stephanie Strickland (USA) 2. Feature of the Month April 2010 -->VideoChannel Cologne - -Memory & Identity- 10 experimental videos from the USA curated by Alysse Stepanian (Santa Fe/USA) including Lana Z. Caplan, Brian DeLevie, Ron Diorio, Michael Greathouse, Soyeon Jung , Laleh Mehran, Joe Merrell, David Montgomery, Christine Schiavo, Brooks Williams 3. Celebrate! - netart features 2010 10 Years - JavaMuseum - Forum for Internet Technology in Contemporary Art This week--> Myriam Thyes - Flag Metamorphoses Gregory Chatonsky - 7 years - 7 works All details on the week program --> http://2010.newmediafest.org/?p=745 ---------------------------------------------- NewMediaFest'2010 10 Years [NewMediaArtProjectNetwork]:||cologne global heritage of digital culture 1 January - 31 December 2010 http://2010.newmediafest.org director and chief curator: Wilfried Agricola de Cologne 2010 [at] newmediafest.org ---------------------------------------------------- From pawan.durani at gmail.com Mon Apr 12 15:57:58 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Mon, 12 Apr 2010 15:57:58 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: References: <7BB75BD2-5666-4337-944F-7137280D296D@sarai.net> Message-ID: http://janatantra.com/2010/04/08/mukesh-kumar-singh-on-naxal-attack/ इस युद्ध में नक्सलियों का सफाया ज़रूरी है युद्ध की परिभाषा क्या होनी चाहिए? क्या कोई माई का लाल हमारी सरकार को ये समझा सकता है? देश के सामने आज यही सवाल खड़ा है। हम युद्धरत हैं। हमारी सरकार को ये समझ में नहीं आ रहा है। विपक्षी पार्टियां भी उसे समझा नहीं पा रही हैं। कुछ अपनी सरकारों की नाकामी को छिपाने के लिए तो कुछ इसलिए कि हम्माम में सारे नंगे हैं। लोकतंत्र में सरकार भले ही गूंगी-बहरी और निकम्मी हो जाए लेकिन अगर विपक्ष का हाल भी ऐसा हो तो कैसे जागेगी सरकार? कैसे समझेगी और कौन समझाएगा? जनता की बारी तो पांच साल पर आती है। नक्सलवाद की लाल धारा देश के कम से कम 13 राज्यों में बह रही है। नक्सलियों ने अपने इलाके में रहने वाले करोड़ों लोगों को बंधक बना रखा है। लाखों वर्ग किलोमीटर पर इनका अवैध कब्ज़ा है। वहां सरकार और कानून का राज नाम की कोई चीज़ नहीं है। नक्सली हज़ारों सिपाहियों को हर साल मौत की गोद में पहुंचा देते हैं। करोड़ों की सम्पत्ति बर्बाद करते हैं। खुद गृह मंत्री और प्रधानमंत्री भी नक्सलियों को देश का सबसे बड़ा खतरा और यहां तक कि ‘वार अगेंस्ट पीपुल्स एंड स्टेट’ यानी ‘देश और जनता पर हमला’ बता चुके हैं। वो ये भी कह चुके हैं कि ये सबसे बड़ी समस्याओं में से एक है। वो इसे खुल्लम-खुल्ला युद्ध का नाम नहीं देना चाहते हैं। वजह साफ है। साहस नदारद है। नक्सलियों का सफाया करने की बात तो की जाती है लेकिन कहा जाता है, इसमें समय लगेगा। दो-तीन साल या उससे ज़्यादा भी लग सकते हैं। सरकार पूरी कोशिश कर रही है। लेकिन युद्ध की सारी परिभाषाओं पर खरा उतरने के बावजूद नक्सलियों को देश का दुश्मन कहने से परहेज़ हो रहा है। युद्ध को युद्ध कहने की हिम्मत नहीं हो रही है। युद्ध को विद्रोह का नाम देकर नेताओं की जमात पूरे देश को बहला रही है। इसकी एक वजह और है कि सरकारें नहीं चाहती है कि कल को उन्हें जनता को ये जबाव देना पड़े कि आखिर इस युद्ध के लिए ज़िम्मेदार कौन है? ज़िम्मेदारी तो सरकार की है कि क्योंकि युद्ध देश के नागरिकों ने ही छेड़ा है। कदाचित अपनी सतत उपेक्षा से अपमानित होकर। अपनी अमिट गरीबी और शोषण से प्रताड़ित होकर। अपनी ही सरकार के खिलाफ। लेकिन दुर्भाग्य से बगैर किसी राजनीतिक लक्ष्य के। नक्सलियों की सिर्फ यही कमज़ोरी है। उनका राजनीतिक लक्ष्य साफ नहीं है। वो मौजूदा व्यवस्था के तो विरोधी है लेकिन नयी व्यवस्था का जो मॉडल उनके पास है, उसमें भी न्याय और बराबरी नहीं है। सच्चाई और इमानदारी नहीं है। समाज को कहां पहुंचाना चाहते हैं, इसकी रणनीति नहीं है। वो सिर्फ एक खराब और गैरजबावदेह तंत्र के ऐसे विकल्प के रूप में खड़े हैं, जो खुद बर्बर, नृशंस, आतंकी और अमानवीय है। उसका न्याय ‘जिसकी लाठी, उसकी भैंस’ जैसा है। इसीलिए सरकार को सबसे पहले युद्ध को युद्ध कहने और मानने का साहस दिखाना चाहिए। युद्ध मान लें तो फिर कमान सेना के हवाले होनी चाहिए। सेना का काम ही है — युद्ध करना औऱ दुश्मन को परास्त करके उसे अनुशासित और अधीन बनाना। सेना को भी आक्रमण की ललकार आधे-अधूरे मन से नहीं दी जानी चाहिए। उसे पूरी ताकत से दुश्मन के सफाये का राजनीतिक आदेश सत्ता के शीर्ष से सरेआम मिलना चाहिए। सेना पर ये अंकुश नहीं होना चाहिए कि तो तोप का इस्तेमाल नहीं करेगी, मिसाइल नहीं दागेगी, टैंक नहीं दौड़ाएगी या हवाई हमले नहीं करेगी। क्योंकि युद्ध तो युद्ध है। उसकी श्रेणियां बनाएंगे तो कश्मीर और नगालैंड के किस्से ही दोहराए जाएंगे। हज़ारों और सिपाही शहीद करने पड़ेंगे। उन माताओं के लाल औऱ बहन-बेटियों का सुहाग कुर्बान करना पड़ेगा जो युद्ध को विद्रोह मानने के लिए मज़बूर होकर मुकाबले में अपने प्राणों का उत्सर्ग करते हैं। अब ज़रा हमारे शहीद सिपाहियों का कसूर तो देखिए! नक्सलवाद की वजह से निपटने का ज़िम्मा हमारे जिन हुक्मरानों के पास है, वो नाकाम रहे हैं। कानून-व्यवस्था राज्य का विषय है। पुलिस का काम है। राज्य सरकारों ने पुलिस और अदालत को निकम्मा बनाकर रखा है। वो सत्ताधारी पार्टी के लठौत से ज़्यादा और कुछ नहीं है। आम आदमी को न्याय देने और कानून का राज सुनिश्चित करने के लिए पुलिस का इस्तेमाल होता ही कब है! कभी हुआ भी ही नहीं है। वो नेताओं और प्रभावशाली लोगों के लिए निजी सुरक्षा गार्ड की तरह है जिसका बोझ जनता के टैक्स के पैसों से उठाया जाता है। बाकी जनता को अपनी सामान्य ज़रूरतों के लिए भी अलग से और अपने बूते सुरक्षा गार्ड का इंतज़ाम करना पड़ता है। हुकूमत के निक्कमेपन से जब हालात बेकाबू हो जाते हैं तो भ्रष्ट और पतित पुलिस से उम्मीदें की जाती हैं। कल तक नाइंसाफी की मिसाल बनी रही पुलिस से सरकार इंसाफ बहाल करने की उम्मीद करती है। ऐसी उम्मीद न तो पुलिस से पूरी हो सकती है और ना ही होती है। केन्द्र और राज्य दोनों ही सरकारों के पाप को धोने के लिए अर्धसैनिक बल को लगाया जाता है। ये पुलिस का विकल्प कभी नहीं बन पाते। बन भी नहीं सकते और बनना भी नहीं चाहिए। पुलिस की वेशभूषा वाले अर्धसैनिकों से न तो पुलिस के काम की अपेक्षा होती है और ना ही सेना के दायित्व की। ये पुलिस के काम में भी कमज़ोर होते हैं और सेना के भी। इनकी ट्रेनिंग ही ऐसी होती है। इसकी क्षमता और प्रतिभा इनके नाम ‘अर्धसैनिक’ से ही साफ समझी जा सकती है। ये सिर्फ पुलिस से बेहतर चौकीदारी कर सकते हैं। युद्ध ये लड़ ही नहीं सकते। ये तो बेचारे सरकार के नाम पर शहीद होने के लिए ही बने हैं। ज़्यादा से ज़्यादा पुलिस और अर्धसैनिक बल में इतना ही फर्क हो सकता है कि पहला राज्य सरकार की खातिर और दूसरा केन्द्र सरकार की खातिर शहीद होने के लिए अभिशप्त है। युद्ध लड़ना सेना का काम है। उसे युद्ध के लिए ही तैयार किया जाता है। युद्ध ही उसका संकल्प है और विजय ही उसका धर्म। सेना में ही साधनहीनता के बावजूद फतह हासिल करने का कौशल और मनोबल होता है। यही उसका सबसे बड़ा पराक्रम है। सेना को साधन मुहैया कराने के लिए देश किसी भी सीमा तक जाने को तत्पर होता है। जबकि पुलिस के साधनों का दायरा स्वार्थी सरकारें तय करती है। कश्मीर और बाकी अशांत क्षेत्रों में युद्ध को लेकर सरकार की ये सीमा तो समझ में आती है कि दुश्मन सीमा पार से दांव खेल रहा है। सीमा लांघने से अंतर्राष्ट्रीय दबाव की समस्या खड़ी हो जाएगी। परमाणु युद्ध की आशंका पैदा हो जाएगी। महाविनाश की नौबत आ जाएगी। अर्थव्यवस्था पर विकराल बोझ पड़ेगा। इससे गरीब और बदहाल हो जाएंगे। लेकिन नक्सलियों के मामले में तो ऐसा नहीं है कि उनके प्रशिक्षण शिविर पाक अधिकृत कश्मीर में चल रहे हैं। वहां भारत सरकार की लाचारी है। नक्सली तो सब कुछ देश में ही कर रहे हैं। देश में ही इनके प्रशिक्षण शिविर हैं। यहीं पुलिस की हत्या करके वो उनके हथियार लूट लेते हैं। मौका लगे तो जेल पर धावा बोल देते हैं। थाना लूट लेते हैं। सड़क और रेल की पटरी उखाड़ देते हैं। इसीलिए सरकार का युद्ध का एलान करना चाहिए। सेना को हर हाल में फतह का हुक्म मिलना चाहिए। सेना पर कोई बंदिश नहीं होनी चाहिए। न ज़मीनी और ना ही हवाई। मानवाधिकारों की कोई बात नहीं होनी चाहिए। इसके लिए राजनीतिक इच्छा शक्ति जुटाई होगी। ये कहने से बात नहीं बनेगी कि नक्सली तृणमूल के नज़दीकी हैं या वामपंथियों के। चंद बंधकों की रिहाई के लिए अगर कंधार जाकर आतंकवादियों को छोड़ा जा सकता है तो ज़रा सोचिए नक्सलियों ने जिन करोड़ों लोगों को बंधक बना रखा है, उनके लिए हुकूमत को किस सीमा तक जाना चाहिए! संविधान में कहां ऐसा लिखा कि अगर देश के ही कुछ भटके हुए लोग देश के ही खिलाफ युद्ध छेड़ दें तो भी सरकार को उसे युद्ध नहीं मानना चाहिए! मानवाधिकारों को लेकर अगर किसी को संदेह है तो सरकार को युद्ध की परिभाषा को साफ करना चाहिए। वर्ना नक्सलियों जैसे खराब नागरिकों के सामने सिपाहियों जैसे तिरंगा प्रमियों की बलि जारी रहेगी। फिर भले ही हम अपनी सुविधा के मुताबिक बलि को शहीद के रूप में परिभाषित करते रहें। ((मुकेश कुमार सिंह ज़ी न्यूज़ में वरिष्ठ विशेष संवाददाता हैं। आप उनसे mukesh1765 at gmail.com पर संपर्क कर सकते हैं।) From c.anupam at gmail.com Mon Apr 12 16:09:24 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Mon, 12 Apr 2010 16:09:24 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: References: <7BB75BD2-5666-4337-944F-7137280D296D@sarai.net> Message-ID: "ज़िम्मेदारी तो सरकार की है कि क्योंकि युद्ध देश के नागरिकों ने ही छेड़ा है। कदाचित अपनी सतत उपेक्षा से अपमानित होकर। अपनी अमिट गरीबी और शोषण से प्रताड़ित होकर। अपनी ही सरकार के खिलाफ। लेकिन दुर्भाग्य से बगैर किसी राजनीतिक लक्ष्य के। नक्सलियों की सिर्फ यही कमज़ोरी है। " 2010/4/12 Pawan Durani > http://janatantra.com/2010/04/08/mukesh-kumar-singh-on-naxal-attack/ > > इस युद्ध में नक्सलियों का सफाया ज़रूरी है > > युद्ध की परिभाषा क्या होनी चाहिए? क्या कोई माई का लाल हमारी सरकार को > ये समझा सकता है? देश के सामने आज यही सवाल खड़ा है। हम युद्धरत हैं। > हमारी सरकार को ये समझ में नहीं आ रहा है। विपक्षी पार्टियां भी उसे समझा > नहीं पा रही हैं। कुछ अपनी सरकारों की नाकामी को छिपाने के लिए तो कुछ > इसलिए कि हम्माम में सारे नंगे हैं। लोकतंत्र में सरकार भले ही > गूंगी-बहरी और निकम्मी हो जाए लेकिन अगर विपक्ष का हाल भी ऐसा हो तो कैसे > जागेगी सरकार? कैसे समझेगी और कौन समझाएगा? जनता की बारी तो पांच साल पर > आती है। > > नक्सलवाद की लाल धारा देश के कम से कम 13 राज्यों में बह रही है। > नक्सलियों ने अपने इलाके में रहने वाले करोड़ों लोगों को बंधक बना रखा > है। लाखों वर्ग किलोमीटर पर इनका अवैध कब्ज़ा है। वहां सरकार और कानून का > राज नाम की कोई चीज़ नहीं है। नक्सली हज़ारों सिपाहियों को हर साल मौत की > गोद में पहुंचा देते हैं। करोड़ों की सम्पत्ति बर्बाद करते हैं। खुद गृह > मंत्री और प्रधानमंत्री भी नक्सलियों को देश का सबसे बड़ा खतरा और यहां > तक कि ‘वार अगेंस्ट पीपुल्स एंड स्टेट’ यानी ‘देश और जनता पर हमला’ बता > चुके हैं। वो ये भी कह चुके हैं कि ये सबसे बड़ी समस्याओं में से एक है। > वो इसे खुल्लम-खुल्ला युद्ध का नाम नहीं देना चाहते हैं। > > वजह साफ है। साहस नदारद है। नक्सलियों का सफाया करने की बात तो की जाती > है लेकिन कहा जाता है, इसमें समय लगेगा। दो-तीन साल या उससे ज़्यादा भी > लग सकते हैं। सरकार पूरी कोशिश कर रही है। लेकिन युद्ध की सारी परिभाषाओं > पर खरा उतरने के बावजूद नक्सलियों को देश का दुश्मन कहने से परहेज़ हो > रहा है। युद्ध को युद्ध कहने की हिम्मत नहीं हो रही है। युद्ध को विद्रोह > का नाम देकर नेताओं की जमात पूरे देश को बहला रही है। इसकी एक वजह और है > कि सरकारें नहीं चाहती है कि कल को उन्हें जनता को ये जबाव देना पड़े कि > आखिर इस युद्ध के लिए ज़िम्मेदार कौन है? > > ज़िम्मेदारी तो सरकार की है कि क्योंकि युद्ध देश के नागरिकों ने ही > छेड़ा है। कदाचित अपनी सतत उपेक्षा से अपमानित होकर। अपनी अमिट गरीबी और > शोषण से प्रताड़ित होकर। अपनी ही सरकार के खिलाफ। लेकिन दुर्भाग्य से > बगैर किसी राजनीतिक लक्ष्य के। नक्सलियों की सिर्फ यही कमज़ोरी है। उनका > राजनीतिक लक्ष्य साफ नहीं है। वो मौजूदा व्यवस्था के तो विरोधी है लेकिन > नयी व्यवस्था का जो मॉडल उनके पास है, उसमें भी न्याय और बराबरी नहीं है। > सच्चाई और इमानदारी नहीं है। समाज को कहां पहुंचाना चाहते हैं, इसकी > रणनीति नहीं है। वो सिर्फ एक खराब और गैरजबावदेह तंत्र के ऐसे विकल्प के > रूप में खड़े हैं, जो खुद बर्बर, नृशंस, आतंकी और अमानवीय है। उसका न्याय > ‘जिसकी लाठी, उसकी भैंस’ जैसा है। > > इसीलिए सरकार को सबसे पहले युद्ध को युद्ध कहने और मानने का साहस दिखाना > चाहिए। युद्ध मान लें तो फिर कमान सेना के हवाले होनी चाहिए। सेना का काम > ही है — युद्ध करना औऱ दुश्मन को परास्त करके उसे अनुशासित और अधीन > बनाना। सेना को भी आक्रमण की ललकार आधे-अधूरे मन से नहीं दी जानी चाहिए। > उसे पूरी ताकत से दुश्मन के सफाये का राजनीतिक आदेश सत्ता के शीर्ष से > सरेआम मिलना चाहिए। सेना पर ये अंकुश नहीं होना चाहिए कि तो तोप का > इस्तेमाल नहीं करेगी, मिसाइल नहीं दागेगी, टैंक नहीं दौड़ाएगी या हवाई > हमले नहीं करेगी। क्योंकि युद्ध तो युद्ध है। उसकी श्रेणियां बनाएंगे तो > कश्मीर और नगालैंड के किस्से ही दोहराए जाएंगे। हज़ारों और सिपाही शहीद > करने पड़ेंगे। उन माताओं के लाल औऱ बहन-बेटियों का सुहाग कुर्बान करना > पड़ेगा जो युद्ध को विद्रोह मानने के लिए मज़बूर होकर मुकाबले में अपने > प्राणों का उत्सर्ग करते हैं। > > अब ज़रा हमारे शहीद सिपाहियों का कसूर तो देखिए! नक्सलवाद की वजह से > निपटने का ज़िम्मा हमारे जिन हुक्मरानों के पास है, वो नाकाम रहे हैं। > कानून-व्यवस्था राज्य का विषय है। पुलिस का काम है। राज्य सरकारों ने > पुलिस और अदालत को निकम्मा बनाकर रखा है। वो सत्ताधारी पार्टी के लठौत से > ज़्यादा और कुछ नहीं है। आम आदमी को न्याय देने और कानून का राज > सुनिश्चित करने के लिए पुलिस का इस्तेमाल होता ही कब है! कभी हुआ भी ही > नहीं है। वो नेताओं और प्रभावशाली लोगों के लिए निजी सुरक्षा गार्ड की > तरह है जिसका बोझ जनता के टैक्स के पैसों से उठाया जाता है। बाकी जनता को > अपनी सामान्य ज़रूरतों के लिए भी अलग से और अपने बूते सुरक्षा गार्ड का > इंतज़ाम करना पड़ता है। > > हुकूमत के निक्कमेपन से जब हालात बेकाबू हो जाते हैं तो भ्रष्ट और पतित > पुलिस से उम्मीदें की जाती हैं। कल तक नाइंसाफी की मिसाल बनी रही पुलिस > से सरकार इंसाफ बहाल करने की उम्मीद करती है। ऐसी उम्मीद न तो पुलिस से > पूरी हो सकती है और ना ही होती है। केन्द्र और राज्य दोनों ही सरकारों के > पाप को धोने के लिए अर्धसैनिक बल को लगाया जाता है। ये पुलिस का विकल्प > कभी नहीं बन पाते। बन भी नहीं सकते और बनना भी नहीं चाहिए। पुलिस की > वेशभूषा वाले अर्धसैनिकों से न तो पुलिस के काम की अपेक्षा होती है और ना > ही सेना के दायित्व की। ये पुलिस के काम में भी कमज़ोर होते हैं और सेना > के भी। इनकी ट्रेनिंग ही ऐसी होती है। इसकी क्षमता और प्रतिभा इनके नाम > ‘अर्धसैनिक’ से ही साफ समझी जा सकती है। ये सिर्फ पुलिस से बेहतर > चौकीदारी कर सकते हैं। युद्ध ये लड़ ही नहीं सकते। ये तो बेचारे सरकार के > नाम पर शहीद होने के लिए ही बने हैं। ज़्यादा से ज़्यादा पुलिस और > अर्धसैनिक बल में इतना ही फर्क हो सकता है कि पहला राज्य सरकार की खातिर > और दूसरा केन्द्र सरकार की खातिर शहीद होने के लिए अभिशप्त है। > > युद्ध लड़ना सेना का काम है। उसे युद्ध के लिए ही तैयार किया जाता है। > युद्ध ही उसका संकल्प है और विजय ही उसका धर्म। सेना में ही साधनहीनता के > बावजूद फतह हासिल करने का कौशल और मनोबल होता है। यही उसका सबसे बड़ा > पराक्रम है। सेना को साधन मुहैया कराने के लिए देश किसी भी सीमा तक जाने > को तत्पर होता है। जबकि पुलिस के साधनों का दायरा स्वार्थी सरकारें तय > करती है। > > कश्मीर और बाकी अशांत क्षेत्रों में युद्ध को लेकर सरकार की ये सीमा तो > समझ में आती है कि दुश्मन सीमा पार से दांव खेल रहा है। सीमा लांघने से > अंतर्राष्ट्रीय दबाव की समस्या खड़ी हो जाएगी। परमाणु युद्ध की आशंका > पैदा हो जाएगी। महाविनाश की नौबत आ जाएगी। अर्थव्यवस्था पर विकराल बोझ > पड़ेगा। इससे गरीब और बदहाल हो जाएंगे। लेकिन नक्सलियों के मामले में तो > ऐसा नहीं है कि उनके प्रशिक्षण शिविर पाक अधिकृत कश्मीर में चल रहे हैं। > वहां भारत सरकार की लाचारी है। नक्सली तो सब कुछ देश में ही कर रहे हैं। > देश में ही इनके प्रशिक्षण शिविर हैं। यहीं पुलिस की हत्या करके वो उनके > हथियार लूट लेते हैं। मौका लगे तो जेल पर धावा बोल देते हैं। थाना लूट > लेते हैं। सड़क और रेल की पटरी उखाड़ देते हैं। > > इसीलिए सरकार का युद्ध का एलान करना चाहिए। सेना को हर हाल में फतह का > हुक्म मिलना चाहिए। सेना पर कोई बंदिश नहीं होनी चाहिए। न ज़मीनी और ना > ही हवाई। मानवाधिकारों की कोई बात नहीं होनी चाहिए। इसके लिए राजनीतिक > इच्छा शक्ति जुटाई होगी। ये कहने से बात नहीं बनेगी कि नक्सली तृणमूल के > नज़दीकी हैं या वामपंथियों के। चंद बंधकों की रिहाई के लिए अगर कंधार > जाकर आतंकवादियों को छोड़ा जा सकता है तो ज़रा सोचिए नक्सलियों ने जिन > करोड़ों लोगों को बंधक बना रखा है, उनके लिए हुकूमत को किस सीमा तक जाना > चाहिए! संविधान में कहां ऐसा लिखा कि अगर देश के ही कुछ भटके हुए लोग देश > के ही खिलाफ युद्ध छेड़ दें तो भी सरकार को उसे युद्ध नहीं मानना चाहिए! > मानवाधिकारों को लेकर अगर किसी को संदेह है तो सरकार को युद्ध की परिभाषा > को साफ करना चाहिए। वर्ना नक्सलियों जैसे खराब नागरिकों के सामने > सिपाहियों जैसे तिरंगा प्रमियों की बलि जारी रहेगी। फिर भले ही हम अपनी > सुविधा के मुताबिक बलि को शहीद के रूप में परिभाषित करते रहें। > > ((मुकेश कुमार सिंह ज़ी न्यूज़ में वरिष्ठ विशेष संवाददाता हैं। आप उनसे > mukesh1765 at gmail.com पर संपर्क कर सकते हैं।) > From rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com Mon Apr 12 16:33:12 2010 From: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com (Rakesh Iyer) Date: Mon, 12 Apr 2010 16:33:12 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Reg: Your views on Naxalism Message-ID: Hi http://janatantra.com/2010/04/08/mukesh-kumar-singh-on-naxal-attack/ This is the link of an article you had written which got posted on a reader list I am a member of. First of all, being a journalist, did you even go once into the lands where these Naxalites operate to know why tribals are joining Naxalism. Did you try to find out what their views are and whether talks are a possibility or not? Whose responsibility is it in society to find out why is this happening? Aren't you as media persons responsible to portray this harsh truth in the society to the people? Why is this not being out in the open? Why is every tribal being portrayed as a Naxalite? Secondly, you have openly asked for armed forces to intervene. This is what America did in Afghanistan and Iraq. In Iraq, 5 lakh civilians were killed. The count is not yet out for Afghanistan. Most of these were not terrorists, but innocent civilians in both nations. If these people become terrorists, who is responsible for this? And contrary to what you believe, out of every 100 people being killed in both nations, 5-6 may be terrorists but the rest are indeed civilians who are innocent. The same will happen with Naxals as well. They will not wait for your air power to be used upon them. Moreover, you are asking Indians to kill fellow citizens and bomb them assuming all of them are your enemies. This is not the case. A naxal doesn't wear a uniform, nor does he live in one specified territory. He is here, there and everywhere. He may be in cities, in forests and other places as well. If places you bomb are evacuated by Naxalites and then you simply bomb them, only innocents will be killed. The Naxals would simply spread to other regions and carry their operations as before. How many areas will you bomb like this? Entire India? And if they enter Reliance and Tata plants then? Bomb that too? What about the Indian Parliament? And remember the Parliament is no longer secure specially after the 13 December 2001 attack. So which foolish strategy are you talking about? As for the army, the army only believes in attack and not in defense. The only way it can do so is by killing all people in such areas. Why should innocents die for it? How would you feel if I were a police officer and I would arrest you in the name of being a Naxal supporter without you actually being one? Fight the Naxals. Yes. That is important. But it's more important to use your brains while fighting. Otherwise you will only suffer further defeats and losses. Rakesh From rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com Mon Apr 12 19:22:01 2010 From: rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com (Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi) Date: Mon, 12 Apr 2010 19:22:01 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Reg: Your views on Naxalism In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi, Rakesh and other members of the list, when Rakesh talks of American attack in Afghan and Iraq, is he essentially overlooking the facts that these were sovereign nations, and millions were killed, innocents as collateral damages by americans, but naxals are basically about 27,000 indians, core group, with partly supported by other indians, partly support sought by coercive methods of fear and extortion, killing and rapes of the core group. Also, atrocities of the law keepers on the innocents, the motive to take revenge against such is another factor which keeps the oil burning in naxal lamp. Basic issue is violence to express dissent in democratic way of life is not acceptable, by any group of naxals or of any faith, if at all the last resort of violence is to be used only by the system to quell the violence of law breakers.Having said this, let me hasten to add, system festers and breeds the delay in justice, thus riots from 1935 for the two nation theory, had islamic fundamentalists pampered, leadership rewarded, as leaders of the islam, becoming MLA and MPs, thus after five decades this was to be stopped as godhra and train S6 burnt, judicial commission again gave report which was not worth the paper wasted,Disputed site was a simple title suit, which went upto privy council and settled, but again, opened to garner votes of "minorities" thus justice and the system of free India played the game of violence, provoking the "minority in majority" to take laws in to their own hands to settle scores.! In view of the pst records, it is time that citizens learnt to see both sides of the coin before "expressing the views"., is my request. Regards, rajen. On Mon, Apr 12, 2010 at 4:33 PM, Rakesh Iyer wrote: > Hi > > http://janatantra.com/2010/04/08/mukesh-kumar-singh-on-naxal-attack/ > > This is the link of an article you had written which got posted on a reader > list I am a member of. > > First of all, being a journalist, did you even go once into the lands where > these Naxalites operate to know why tribals are joining Naxalism. Did you > try to find out what their views are and whether talks are a possibility or > not? Whose responsibility is it in society to find out why is this > happening? Aren't you as media persons responsible to portray this harsh > truth in the society to the people? Why is this not being out in the open? > Why is every tribal being portrayed as a Naxalite? > > Secondly, you have openly asked for armed forces to intervene. This is what > America did in Afghanistan and Iraq. In Iraq, 5 lakh civilians were killed. > The count is not yet out for Afghanistan. Most of these were not > terrorists, > but innocent civilians in both nations. If these people become terrorists, > who is responsible for this? And contrary to what you believe, out of every > 100 people being killed in both nations, 5-6 may be terrorists but the rest > are indeed civilians who are innocent. The same will happen with Naxals as > well. They will not wait for your air power to be used upon them. > > Moreover, you are asking Indians to kill fellow citizens and bomb them > assuming all of them are your enemies. This is not the case. A naxal > doesn't > wear a uniform, nor does he live in one specified territory. He is here, > there and everywhere. He may be in cities, in forests and other places as > well. If places you bomb are evacuated by Naxalites and then you simply > bomb > them, only innocents will be killed. The Naxals would simply spread to > other > regions and carry their operations as before. > > How many areas will you bomb like this? Entire India? And if they enter > Reliance and Tata plants then? Bomb that too? What about the Indian > Parliament? And remember the Parliament is no longer secure specially after > the 13 December 2001 attack. > > So which foolish strategy are you talking about? > > As for the army, the army only believes in attack and not in defense. The > only way it can do so is by killing all people in such areas. Why should > innocents die for it? How would you feel if I were a police officer and I > would arrest you in the name of being a Naxal supporter without you > actually > being one? > > Fight the Naxals. Yes. That is important. But it's more important to use > your brains while fighting. Otherwise you will only suffer further defeats > and losses. > > Rakesh > _________________________________________ > 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/> -- Rajen. From rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com Mon Apr 12 19:32:24 2010 From: rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com (Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi) Date: Mon, 12 Apr 2010 19:32:24 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE In-Reply-To: <000f01cad9fe$ef259a60$cd70cf20$@in> References: <000f01cad9fe$ef259a60$cd70cf20$@in> Message-ID: Bipin, you have hit where it really sticks out, media men and women seem to have strange hate for Narendra Modi and very affectionate love for Sonia, in the process, the more the hate is spread, the voters in Gujarath are giving thumbs up to Modi, and for sure, they know best, as they have seen the governance rendered by the Nehru, his minions later, India the india and her Rajiv and now Sonia and her minions.! regards, Rajen. On Mon, Apr 12, 2010 at 10:43 AM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > Forwarding herewith reply received from Indira Hirway against my objection > for her article in the Hindu. > > > > > > From: Indira Hirway [mailto:indira_hirway at yahoo.com] > Sent: Monday, April 12, 2010 10:01 AM > To: Bipin Trivedi > Subject: Re: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE > > > > > Dear Mr. Bipin Trivedi, > > > > I was away and therefore seen your mail only today. It is an interesting > mail! > > I do not know you, but it will be nice to talk. Can we meet or talk? My > mobile is . I am located in Ahmedabad. > > > > Best wishes, > > > > Indira Hirway > > > > --- On Sat, 3/20/10, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > > > From: Bipin Trivedi > Subject: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE > To: bleditor at thehindu.co.in > Cc: ndira.hirway at cfda.ac.in, Indira_hirway at yahoo.com > Date: Saturday, March 20, 2010, 4:51 PM > > The Editor > > Hindu Business Line > > > > I refer to article by Dr. Indira Hirway in Hindu Business Line on Gujarat > economy sustains growth; human development index falls Feb. 25, 2010. > > > > You are mentioning report of the period 1993 to 2005 in 2010 and > highlighting the issue. Do you have current figure or figure upto March > 2009 > of the same or even upto March 2008? How can you highlight 4 years old > news? > Gujarat has much changed thereafter. Please be updated and publish > accordingly. > > > > Gujarat is on very much development path even in the HDI parameters also. > Please search latest figure and publish accordingly and stop tarnishing > Gujarat image just because Narendra Modi will not get credit. I am not > belonging to any political party and not fan of Narendra Modi but I am fan > of development, whoever does it. > > > > Actually you are indirectly helping Narendra Modi popularity in Gujarati > people by repeating attempts of tarnishing Gujarat image. > > > > Thanks > > Bipin Trivedi > > > > > > _________________________________________ > 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/> -- Rajen. From rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com Mon Apr 12 19:51:49 2010 From: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com (Rakesh Iyer) Date: Mon, 12 Apr 2010 19:51:49 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Reg: Your views on Naxalism In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Dear Rajendra Let me state a few obvious things: 1) With respect to brute American force, neither the Iraq led by a Saddam Hussain regime, nor an Afghanistan led by Taliban had the might to challenge it and enforce its' own sovereignty and attack America. At least Iraq had a few ineffective missiles, but Taliban had nothing. Sovereignty is enforced, not accepted by people. If America did the same in India, we will simply nuke America or its' allies and that will be the end of the story, even if it be just one city of America. 2) It is very easy to say that innocents are collateral damages. If your own wife and children had been killed due to such an attack, would you still consider them as only collateral damages? This is mass murder, whether you like it or not. It is as much a mass murder as 9/11, 26/11, 1984 Delhi pogrom or 2002 Gujarat pogrom or even the attacks organized by Maoists which kill people on a large scale. 3) The state has been given the sole right to violence only to ensure that rights of people as a whole are protected. For example, when the state takes action against rioters, it's only to ensure that the rights of other human beings are not sacrificed due to the action of the rioters, like the right to life. I am not saying that those whom Naxals kill don't have any rights. They have rights, which is why I accept the need to fight Naxalism. The tribals have been cheated, but organizing violence is no way to get justice and only leads to further problems for others. But I feel that to solve a problem, realizing its' root cause is important, otherwise we will be shooting arrows in darkness in the hope that it somehow strikes the 'enemy', which is what we are currently doing. The adivasis have rights, which people are forgetting here. You people think that by teaching a lesson to adivasis, we can wean them away from the Maoists. You can't. There are only two ways of winning the war, if you call it that: 1) Kill all adivasis in the countryside and ensure nobody remains alive. Then you have won. Don't care about the innocents at all, as they are collateral damages in the war. If they still remain, force them to migrate and run away. 2) Realize that you have to get back the support of the adivasis to counter the Naxals. And some feel it's only to counter Naxals. I go beyond that. We need to get support of adivasis back to strengthen the Indian democracy, to make the Indian state less of a beast and more people-friendly. I support the 2nd. I know we can't use excessive force, and I do understand the frustrations of those who have the power to use it but not in offense, be it the army or the CRPF. But I care for their lives, even if they don't care for themselves. I don't want them to die for the ineptness of the govt or lack of strategy or choices. I want a coordinated strategy where armed forces and bureaucracy are able to work in tandem with civil society and adivasis and the poor to ensure that Maoists become irrelevant and the problem is solved. As for those who want maximalist use of force, why don't you go ahead and lives in those areas to begin with? That will teach you certain lessons. I deplore the complete lack of concern for both the soldiers and also those who have to live in their fear, among people on this forum. Both of them suffer, the latter both physically and mentally, and the former mentally. The people who lost their lives in the CRPF don't come from the middle class which can only chatter and sit on TV's asking to 'smoke out' Naxalites, they come from the poor families which live in villages and still live in joint families. Think of them at least. How will you feel if your own family member were to die because of the ineptness of the govt and the lack of understanding of the problem. I still state it, those who believe in smoking out approach should be the first ones to undergo military training by joining CRPF and the army and be sent there, rather than only shouting here while enjoying the comforts of life. I care for my citizens and other fellow human beings, be it the army or the adivasis, and strategically too realize this is not the solution. And I don't romanticize the Naxals ala Arundhati Roy. Rakesh From tasveerghar at gmail.com Mon Apr 12 21:50:20 2010 From: tasveerghar at gmail.com (Tasveer Ghar) Date: Mon, 12 Apr 2010 21:50:20 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] New visual essays based on Priya Paul collection Message-ID: Dear friends, Following the publication of Philip Lutgendorf’s essay, "Chai Why? The Triumph of Tea in India as Documented in the Priya Paul Collection", Tasveer Ghar is happy to announce the posting of the next round of essays by distinguished scholars across the world who have been commissioned to write for us using the images we have digitized from the Priya Paul collection.  The 4000+ images from this collection that have been digitized and catalogued are now hosted at Heidelberg University’s library database ‘Heidikon’ (with restricted access). In the current round of essays, our three experts –Sandria Freitag, Abigail McGowan, and Arvind Rajagopal—use the evidence of popular visual culture to comment on the consumption practices of the “everyday” and of the modern Indian in twentieth-century India. Following upon Lutgendorf’s lively piece on what we learn from popular visual culture of how an “imperial thirst” is transformed into the national pastime of drinking tea, these essays get us to think about the manner in which everyday objects as well as innovative new commodities entering the Indian landscape are re-presented to the viewing public as things to be desired, purchased, owned, displayed, and to be associated with.  These essays also get us to reflect on the role that the alluring technologies of mass reproduction have played in creating new regimes of desire and consumption in Indian modernity. The images these authors bring to our attention present a uniquely distinct kaleidoscope of modernising and urbanising India in the light of work and leisure, gender and religion. We welcome you to read and enjoy—and leave comments on: Sandria Freitag, Consumption and identity: Imagining ‘Everyday Life’ Through Popular Visual Culture http://tasveerghar.net/cmsdesk/essay/96/ Abigail McGowan, Modernity at Home: Leisure, Autonomy and the New Woman in India http://tasveerghar.net/cmsdesk/essay/95/ Arvind Rajagopal: The Commodity Image in the (Post)Colony (forthcoming) We will soon be announcing essays by Richard Davis on the ubiquitous Hindu “god-poster,” and Shaswati Talukdar on the featuring of landscapes in colonial Indian postcards.  Other essays to follow have been authored by Sabeena Gadihoke, Ranjani Mazumdar, and Rosie Thomas. The commissioning of these essays as well as the digitizing of Priya Paul’s collection were made possible with a generous grant from the Trehan Foundation at the University of Michigan and finalised with funding from the Cluster of Excellence ‘Asia and Europe in a Global Context’. The newsletter also announces the publication of Christiane Brosius’ monograph India’s Middle Class. New Forms of Urban Leisure, Consumption and Prosperity. New Delhi, London, New York: Routledge 2010, and Sumathi Ramaswamy’s latest book entitled The Goddess and the Nation: Mapping Mother India. Durham: Duke University Press, 2010. The Tasveer Ghar team -- http://www.tasveerghar.net From pawan.durani at gmail.com Tue Apr 13 09:23:16 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 09:23:16 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Rememberance -Jallianwala Bagh massacre Message-ID: Just to remind everyone in the list that today is the anniversary of Jallianwala Bagh massacre . From aliens at dataone.in Tue Apr 13 10:32:06 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 10:32:06 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE In-Reply-To: References: <000f01cad9fe$ef259a60$cd70cf20$@in> Message-ID: <001e01cadac6$77b1ef10$6715cd30$@in> Thanks Dear Rajen for your consent and views. From: Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi [mailto:rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com] Sent: Monday, April 12, 2010 7:32 PM To: Bipin Trivedi Cc: sarai-list Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE Bipin, you have hit where it really sticks out, media men and women seem to have strange hate for Narendra Modi and very affectionate love for Sonia, in the process, the more the hate is spread, the voters in Gujarath are giving thumbs up to Modi, and for sure, they know best, as they have seen the governance rendered by the Nehru, his minions later, India the india and her Rajiv and now Sonia and her minions.! regards, Rajen. On Mon, Apr 12, 2010 at 10:43 AM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: Forwarding herewith reply received from Indira Hirway against my objection for her article in the Hindu. From: Indira Hirway [mailto:indira_hirway at yahoo.com] Sent: Monday, April 12, 2010 10:01 AM To: Bipin Trivedi Subject: Re: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE Dear Mr. Bipin Trivedi, I was away and therefore seen your mail only today. It is an interesting mail! I do not know you, but it will be nice to talk. Can we meet or talk? My mobile is . I am located in Ahmedabad. Best wishes, Indira Hirway --- On Sat, 3/20/10, Bipin Trivedi wrote: From: Bipin Trivedi Subject: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE To: bleditor at thehindu.co.in Cc: ndira.hirway at cfda.ac.in, Indira_hirway at yahoo.com Date: Saturday, March 20, 2010, 4:51 PM The Editor Hindu Business Line I refer to article by Dr. Indira Hirway in Hindu Business Line on Gujarat economy sustains growth; human development index falls Feb. 25, 2010. You are mentioning report of the period 1993 to 2005 in 2010 and highlighting the issue. Do you have current figure or figure upto March 2009 of the same or even upto March 2008? How can you highlight 4 years old news? Gujarat has much changed thereafter. Please be updated and publish accordingly. Gujarat is on very much development path even in the HDI parameters also. Please search latest figure and publish accordingly and stop tarnishing Gujarat image just because Narendra Modi will not get credit. I am not belonging to any political party and not fan of Narendra Modi but I am fan of development, whoever does it. Actually you are indirectly helping Narendra Modi popularity in Gujarati people by repeating attempts of tarnishing Gujarat image. Thanks Bipin Trivedi _________________________________________ 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/> -- Rajen. From rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com Tue Apr 13 10:35:15 2010 From: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com (Rakesh Iyer) Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 10:35:15 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE In-Reply-To: <001e01cadac6$77b1ef10$6715cd30$@in> References: <000f01cad9fe$ef259a60$cd70cf20$@in> <001e01cadac6$77b1ef10$6715cd30$@in> Message-ID: It seems Modi has got further additions to his list of those who want to brag about the 'image of Gujarat'. Anyways, the very same Modi didn't realize that post-Godhra pogrom also tarnished the image of Gujarat. Rakesh On Tue, Apr 13, 2010 at 10:32 AM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > Thanks Dear Rajen for your consent and views. > > > > > > From: Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi [mailto:rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com] > Sent: Monday, April 12, 2010 7:32 PM > To: Bipin Trivedi > Cc: sarai-list > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE > > > > Bipin, > > you have hit where it really sticks out, media men and women seem to have > strange hate for Narendra Modi and very affectionate love for Sonia, in the > process, the more the hate is spread, the voters in Gujarath are giving > thumbs up to Modi, and for sure, they know best, as they have seen the > governance rendered by the Nehru, his minions later, India the india and > her > Rajiv and now Sonia and her minions.! > > regards, > > Rajen. > > On Mon, Apr 12, 2010 at 10:43 AM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > > Forwarding herewith reply received from Indira Hirway against my objection > for her article in the Hindu. > > > > > > From: Indira Hirway [mailto:indira_hirway at yahoo.com] > Sent: Monday, April 12, 2010 10:01 AM > To: Bipin Trivedi > Subject: Re: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE > > > > > Dear Mr. Bipin Trivedi, > > > > I was away and therefore seen your mail only today. It is an interesting > mail! > > I do not know you, but it will be nice to talk. Can we meet or talk? My > mobile is . I am located in Ahmedabad. > > > > Best wishes, > > > > Indira Hirway > > > > --- On Sat, 3/20/10, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > > > From: Bipin Trivedi > Subject: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE > To: bleditor at thehindu.co.in > Cc: ndira.hirway at cfda.ac.in, Indira_hirway at yahoo.com > Date: Saturday, March 20, 2010, 4:51 PM > > The Editor > > Hindu Business Line > > > > I refer to article by Dr. Indira Hirway in Hindu Business Line on Gujarat > economy sustains growth; human development index falls Feb. 25, 2010. > > > > You are mentioning report of the period 1993 to 2005 in 2010 and > highlighting the issue. Do you have current figure or figure upto March > 2009 > of the same or even upto March 2008? How can you highlight 4 years old > news? > Gujarat has much changed thereafter. Please be updated and publish > accordingly. > > > > Gujarat is on very much development path even in the HDI parameters also. > Please search latest figure and publish accordingly and stop tarnishing > Gujarat image just because Narendra Modi will not get credit. I am not > belonging to any political party and not fan of Narendra Modi but I am fan > of development, whoever does it. > > > > Actually you are indirectly helping Narendra Modi popularity in Gujarati > people by repeating attempts of tarnishing Gujarat image. > > > > Thanks > > Bipin Trivedi > > > > > > _________________________________________ > 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/> > > > > > -- > Rajen. > > _________________________________________ > 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 aliens at dataone.in Tue Apr 13 10:42:53 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 10:42:53 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Rememberance -Jallianwala Bagh massacre In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <002801cadac7$f8cfb770$ea6f2650$@in> Let us salute them, since their sacrifice was acted as big tool for independence movement and leads to independent India. -----Original Message----- From: reader-list-bounces at sarai.net [mailto:reader-list-bounces at sarai.net] On Behalf Of Pawan Durani Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 9:23 AM To: reader-list Subject: [Reader-list] Rememberance -Jallianwala Bagh massacre Just to remind everyone in the list that today is the anniversary of Jallianwala Bagh massacre . _________________________________________ reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. Critiques & Collaborations To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the subject header. To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From pawan.durani at gmail.com Tue Apr 13 10:47:26 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 10:47:26 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE In-Reply-To: References: <000f01cad9fe$ef259a60$cd70cf20$@in> <001e01cadac6$77b1ef10$6715cd30$@in> Message-ID: Dear Rakesh , There is nothing to brag about . The action speaks louder. Please visit Gujarat once and see the change. And to tell you , i travel to almost every city in the country to A category cities to B & C .... I am on road 25 days a month and I know where each state stands. And yes....i dont drive trucks regards Pawan On Tue, Apr 13, 2010 at 10:35 AM, Rakesh Iyer wrote: > It seems Modi has got further additions to his list of those who want to > brag about the 'image of Gujarat'. Anyways, the very same Modi didn't > realize that post-Godhra pogrom also tarnished the image of Gujarat. > > Rakesh > > On Tue, Apr 13, 2010 at 10:32 AM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > >> Thanks Dear Rajen for your consent and views. >> >> >> >> >> >> From: Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi [mailto:rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com] >> Sent: Monday, April 12, 2010 7:32 PM >> To: Bipin Trivedi >> Cc: sarai-list >> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE >> >> >> >> Bipin, >> >> you have hit where it really sticks out, media men and women seem to have >> strange hate for Narendra Modi and very affectionate love for Sonia, in the >> process, the more the hate is spread, the voters in Gujarath are giving >> thumbs up to Modi, and for sure, they know best, as they have seen the >> governance rendered by the Nehru, his minions later, India the india and >> her >> Rajiv and now Sonia and her minions.! >> >> regards, >> >> Rajen. >> >> On Mon, Apr 12, 2010 at 10:43 AM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: >> >> Forwarding herewith reply received from Indira Hirway against my objection >> for her article in the Hindu. >> >> >> >> >> >> From: Indira Hirway [mailto:indira_hirway at yahoo.com] >> Sent: Monday, April 12, 2010 10:01 AM >> To: Bipin Trivedi >> Subject: Re: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE >> >> >> >> >> Dear Mr. Bipin Trivedi, >> >> >> >> I was away and therefore seen your mail only today. It is an interesting >> mail! >> >> I do not know you, but it will be nice to talk. Can we meet or talk?  My >> mobile is                        . I am located in Ahmedabad. >> >> >> >> Best wishes, >> >> >> >> Indira Hirway >> >> >> >> --- On Sat, 3/20/10, Bipin Trivedi wrote: >> >> >> From: Bipin Trivedi >> Subject: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE >> To: bleditor at thehindu.co.in >> Cc: ndira.hirway at cfda.ac.in, Indira_hirway at yahoo.com >> Date: Saturday, March 20, 2010, 4:51 PM >> >> The Editor >> >> Hindu Business Line >> >> >> >> I refer to article by Dr. Indira Hirway in Hindu Business Line on Gujarat >> economy sustains growth; human development index falls Feb. 25, 2010. >> >> >> >> You are mentioning report of the period 1993 to 2005 in 2010 and >> highlighting the issue. Do you have current figure or figure upto March >> 2009 >> of the same or even upto March 2008? How can you highlight 4 years old >> news? >> Gujarat has much changed thereafter. Please be updated and publish >> accordingly. >> >> >> >> Gujarat is on very much development path even in the HDI parameters also. >> Please search latest figure and publish accordingly and stop tarnishing >> Gujarat image just because Narendra Modi will not get credit. I am not >> belonging to any political party and not fan of Narendra Modi but I am fan >> of development, whoever does it. >> >> >> >> Actually you are indirectly helping Narendra Modi popularity in Gujarati >> people by repeating attempts of tarnishing Gujarat image. >> >> >> >> Thanks >> >> Bipin Trivedi >> >> >> >> >> >> _________________________________________ >> 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/> >> >> >> >> >> -- >> Rajen. >> >> _________________________________________ >> 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 rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com Tue Apr 13 10:50:17 2010 From: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com (Rakesh Iyer) Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 10:50:17 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Rememberance -Jallianwala Bagh massacre In-Reply-To: <002801cadac7$f8cfb770$ea6f2650$@in> References: <002801cadac7$f8cfb770$ea6f2650$@in> Message-ID: @ Bipin: I don't know what this salute being means, since it seems they acted as a sacrificial tool to engage more people, and therefore were only of instrumental value, which is not how I see it. Dear all It certainly is a moment to remember those who lost their lives due to the butchery and inhumanity of the British General and his soldiers. In one single moment, or a few moments, because of the action of a few who were wrong, lives of many were lost, lives which could have made the world a better place, lives which could have made the lives of their own family members and other friends a better one. It was not just against the basic right to life, it was against the whole philosophy which people have about their life, and also about the disrespect to others' emotions. I hope we can learn from it, particularly as we are involved in a fight against terrorism and also brutalized with problems due to Naxalism. I sincerely believe there are lessons to be learnt from such barbarity perpetrated on hapless innocent citizens, and that is that force on innocents is wrong and should never be tolerated or considered right, be it by the state (then it was British, today it is Indian), or by non-state (be it Kasab or by Naxals or even petty thieves). If we can learn a lesson from this, that indeed will be the true homage paid to these victims. Let us strive towards this goal, to make our nation, our whole world, a better place to live in. Rakesh From rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com Tue Apr 13 10:54:11 2010 From: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com (Rakesh Iyer) Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 10:54:11 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE In-Reply-To: References: <000f01cad9fe$ef259a60$cd70cf20$@in> <001e01cadac6$77b1ef10$6715cd30$@in> Message-ID: Dear Pawan Well. I never said Modi didn't bring development. But it seems ironical that a CM constantly is fighting opposition in the name of them destroying the image of Gujarat, even in elections. Two elections have gone now with Modi talking about Gujarati asmita. Is Modi afraid of the development he has himself brought, that it can't win elections for him? As for the changes, changes will take place. Good. But is everybody benefiting from such 'wonderful changes'? That's the question you must answer. I think our argument is now turning to just intellectual point making. We need to find answers as much as we can and then discuss. I would try to do the same myself. Rakesh From aliens at dataone.in Tue Apr 13 10:59:37 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 10:59:37 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE In-Reply-To: References: <000f01cad9fe$ef259a60$cd70cf20$@in> <001e01cadac6$77b1ef10$6715cd30$@in> Message-ID: <002f01cadaca$4f56ad90$ee0408b0$@in> Bhagalpur massacre didn't tarnish the image of Bihar, Shikh killing didn't tarnish the image of Delhi/India, Mumbai bomb blast followed by the riots didn't tarnished the image of Mumbai/Maharashtra. These are few can be listed many such more, but only Gujarat riots tarnished the image of Gujarat!!! For argument also normally everyone use Gujarat name only. However, this much hatred of Gujarat will not at all affect its development and prosperity, since Gujarati's are very soft and sober and never show hatred for anyone. Thanks Bipin From: Rakesh Iyer [mailto:rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com] Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 10:35 AM To: Bipin Trivedi Cc: Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi; sarai-list Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE It seems Modi has got further additions to his list of those who want to brag about the 'image of Gujarat'. Anyways, the very same Modi didn't realize that post-Godhra pogrom also tarnished the image of Gujarat. Rakesh On Tue, Apr 13, 2010 at 10:32 AM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: Thanks Dear Rajen for your consent and views. From: Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi [mailto:rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com] Sent: Monday, April 12, 2010 7:32 PM To: Bipin Trivedi Cc: sarai-list Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE Bipin, you have hit where it really sticks out, media men and women seem to have strange hate for Narendra Modi and very affectionate love for Sonia, in the process, the more the hate is spread, the voters in Gujarath are giving thumbs up to Modi, and for sure, they know best, as they have seen the governance rendered by the Nehru, his minions later, India the india and her Rajiv and now Sonia and her minions.! regards, Rajen. On Mon, Apr 12, 2010 at 10:43 AM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: Forwarding herewith reply received from Indira Hirway against my objection for her article in the Hindu. From: Indira Hirway [mailto:indira_hirway at yahoo.com] Sent: Monday, April 12, 2010 10:01 AM To: Bipin Trivedi Subject: Re: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE Dear Mr. Bipin Trivedi, I was away and therefore seen your mail only today. It is an interesting mail! I do not know you, but it will be nice to talk. Can we meet or talk? My mobile is . I am located in Ahmedabad. Best wishes, Indira Hirway --- On Sat, 3/20/10, Bipin Trivedi wrote: From: Bipin Trivedi Subject: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE To: bleditor at thehindu.co.in Cc: ndira.hirway at cfda.ac.in, Indira_hirway at yahoo.com Date: Saturday, March 20, 2010, 4:51 PM The Editor Hindu Business Line I refer to article by Dr. Indira Hirway in Hindu Business Line on Gujarat economy sustains growth; human development index falls Feb. 25, 2010. You are mentioning report of the period 1993 to 2005 in 2010 and highlighting the issue. Do you have current figure or figure upto March 2009 of the same or even upto March 2008? How can you highlight 4 years old news? Gujarat has much changed thereafter. Please be updated and publish accordingly. Gujarat is on very much development path even in the HDI parameters also. Please search latest figure and publish accordingly and stop tarnishing Gujarat image just because Narendra Modi will not get credit. I am not belonging to any political party and not fan of Narendra Modi but I am fan of development, whoever does it. Actually you are indirectly helping Narendra Modi popularity in Gujarati people by repeating attempts of tarnishing Gujarat image. Thanks Bipin Trivedi _________________________________________ 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/> -- Rajen. _________________________________________ 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 c.anupam at gmail.com Tue Apr 13 12:52:55 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 12:52:55 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE In-Reply-To: <002f01cadaca$4f56ad90$ee0408b0$@in> References: <000f01cad9fe$ef259a60$cd70cf20$@in> <001e01cadac6$77b1ef10$6715cd30$@in> <002f01cadaca$4f56ad90$ee0408b0$@in> Message-ID: Bipin, It is has been only Mr Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister of Gujarat, who thinks that anything being said against BJP Gujarat or BJP-ruled government is against Gujarati people. Gujarat has more people than you think you know, Bipin. Hence, your statement also proves that you do not know anything about the glory of Gujarat. Your very sense of Gujarat begins with Modi and ends with Modi. There are documented evidences since 2002 pogrom that it was Mr Modi in his speech and actions have been accusing everyone for tarnishing the image of Gujarat. As a political leader, if he feels so, he has every right to engage in such a discourse. But the fact, that there are parallel political discourses in Gujarat that cannot be undermined and I am sure when they voice their concerns about state government or its organs, they are not tarnishing its image but working towards a better, a more tolerant and a democratic Gujarat. You have been abashedly using this slogan about Gujarat's image being tarnished as if you have inherited the legacy of this state. When a certain section of people demand their rights or hope for justice, you cannot twist it and turn it against its own people by deeming their protests as a move to tarnish the image of Gujarat. When people from Vapi in South Gujarat or Ankleshwar voice their concerns about pollution, these are residents of these areas who suffer from it. It is Manish Tandel, the fisherman, AND NOT ME OR YOU who has to go all the way to Porbander from Navsari, even though sea is on his backyard. For Tandel, finding his catch is his only concern more than the risk of getting kidnapped by Somali pirates in the high seas or straying on to the waters of Pakistan or his dinghy washed away by torrential storms. Have you wondered why thousands of fishermen from Navsari and Valsad district have to go 800 kilometres every six months to Porbander? Iqbal Hasan Mamdu, visually impaired since birth has spent eight years inside a prison -- first accused as a terrorist for burning a train, then when POTA was repealed now waiting for his trial. When Modi says there are no jails in India fit for him to be imprisoned, he is right. The jails in Gujarat, as admitted by Gujarat Home Minister, Amit Shah, himself on the floor of the Gujarat State Assembly, are overcrowded with prisoners. Eight years back, on Feb 27, when Satish Mishra's wife was exhumed by the flames of fire of a train, that allegedly changed the course of history for Gujarat, health officials could not confirm if his wife was missing or dead. While, local VHP offices immediately branded her as a martyr, a karsevak from Ayodhya and put her posters in their offices. Was it Mishra's decision to send his daughter from Vadodara to Sultanpur in UP to spend rest of her childhood with her grandparents, while he waited for one fact finding commission after the another to confirm his exact statement as an eyewitness of the tragedy? What happens to Member of Gujarat Legislative Assembly, Kanu Kalsaria? He is very much a part of the BJP when he raised objections to a privately owned detergent manufacturing plant being set up in his village because that would take all the water meant for the animals and people. Is he tarnishing the image of Gujarat by raising objection to the construction of a industry? Actually, what is your fascination with image Bipin? you and Pawan Durani have been harping about this one elusive thing called image. Do you mean to say, the seeming is true and what does not appear is not? Your politics is such that it will only touch on the issues which are seemingly existent, but about the issues which have been pushed under the carpet, it can wait and rot. Although, now I do not have a home per se, I grew up in this little town in Assam the north eastern part of India. There was a point of time, when about 70 extremist groups were operating from that region organising protests, bomb blasts, bandhs, killings on an everyday basis. So much happened in these areas that three generation of youths misguided by their own ideals and cheated by an extremely corrupt government making money through security-terror apparatus. Some said there were Chinese training north eastern youths, others said it was the lack of development. Do you think it was the lack of development that forced Assamese youths to take up arms against the state? This is coming from a state, where the first oil refinery and an already existing tea industry was there before India got independence. So was it degeneration in a phased manner adopted by successive governments in Assam that lead to this insurgency? And now when I say this, you will say i am tarnishing the image of north eastern states. People like you are the enemies of the nation, who are ready to do cover ups for any political outfit at the slight provocation. Anupam On Tue, Apr 13, 2010 at 10:59 AM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > Bhagalpur massacre didn't tarnish the image of Bihar, Shikh killing didn't > tarnish the image of Delhi/India, Mumbai bomb blast followed by the riots > didn't tarnished the image of Mumbai/Maharashtra. These are few can be > listed many such more, but only Gujarat riots tarnished the image of > Gujarat!!! For argument also normally everyone use Gujarat name only. > > > > However, this much hatred of Gujarat will not at all affect its development > and prosperity, since Gujarati's are very soft and sober and never show > hatred for anyone. > > > > Thanks > > Bipin > > > > > > From: Rakesh Iyer [mailto:rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com] > Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 10:35 AM > To: Bipin Trivedi > Cc: Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi; sarai-list > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE > > > > It seems Modi has got further additions to his list of those who want to > brag about the 'image of Gujarat'. Anyways, the very same Modi didn't > realize that post-Godhra pogrom also tarnished the image of Gujarat. > > Rakesh > > On Tue, Apr 13, 2010 at 10:32 AM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > > Thanks Dear Rajen for your consent and views. > > > > > > From: Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi [mailto:rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com] > Sent: Monday, April 12, 2010 7:32 PM > To: Bipin Trivedi > Cc: sarai-list > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE > > > > > Bipin, > > you have hit where it really sticks out, media men and women seem to have > strange hate for Narendra Modi and very affectionate love for Sonia, in the > process, the more the hate is spread, the voters in Gujarath are giving > thumbs up to Modi, and for sure, they know best, as they have seen the > governance rendered by the Nehru, his minions later, India the india and > her > Rajiv and now Sonia and her minions.! > > regards, > > Rajen. > > On Mon, Apr 12, 2010 at 10:43 AM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > > Forwarding herewith reply received from Indira Hirway against my objection > for her article in the Hindu. > > > > > > From: Indira Hirway [mailto:indira_hirway at yahoo.com] > Sent: Monday, April 12, 2010 10:01 AM > To: Bipin Trivedi > Subject: Re: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE > > > > > Dear Mr. Bipin Trivedi, > > > > I was away and therefore seen your mail only today. It is an interesting > mail! > > I do not know you, but it will be nice to talk. Can we meet or talk? My > mobile is . I am located in Ahmedabad. > > > > Best wishes, > > > > Indira Hirway > > > > --- On Sat, 3/20/10, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > > > From: Bipin Trivedi > Subject: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE > To: bleditor at thehindu.co.in > Cc: ndira.hirway at cfda.ac.in, Indira_hirway at yahoo.com > Date: Saturday, March 20, 2010, 4:51 PM > > The Editor > > Hindu Business Line > > > > I refer to article by Dr. Indira Hirway in Hindu Business Line on Gujarat > economy sustains growth; human development index falls Feb. 25, 2010. > > > > You are mentioning report of the period 1993 to 2005 in 2010 and > highlighting the issue. Do you have current figure or figure upto March > 2009 > of the same or even upto March 2008? How can you highlight 4 years old > news? > Gujarat has much changed thereafter. Please be updated and publish > accordingly. > > > > Gujarat is on very much development path even in the HDI parameters also. > Please search latest figure and publish accordingly and stop tarnishing > Gujarat image just because Narendra Modi will not get credit. I am not > belonging to any political party and not fan of Narendra Modi but I am fan > of development, whoever does it. > > > > Actually you are indirectly helping Narendra Modi popularity in Gujarati > people by repeating attempts of tarnishing Gujarat image. > > > > Thanks > > Bipin Trivedi > > > > > > _________________________________________ > 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/> > > > > > -- > Rajen. > > _________________________________________ > 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 Tue Apr 13 14:01:22 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 14:01:22 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE In-Reply-To: References: <000f01cad9fe$ef259a60$cd70cf20$@in> <001e01cadac6$77b1ef10$6715cd30$@in> <002f01cadaca$4f56ad90$ee0408b0$@in> Message-ID: NamaskAr And do you feel that you have been balanced in your views ? regards pawan On Tue, Apr 13, 2010 at 12:52 PM, anupam chakravartty wrote: > Bipin, > > It is has been only Mr Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister of Gujarat, who > thinks that anything being said against BJP Gujarat or BJP-ruled government > is against Gujarati people. Gujarat has more people than you think you know, > Bipin. Hence, your statement also proves that you do not know anything about > the glory of Gujarat. Your very sense of Gujarat begins with Modi and ends > with Modi. There are documented evidences since 2002 pogrom that it was Mr > Modi in his speech and actions have been accusing everyone for tarnishing > the image of Gujarat. As a political leader, if he feels so, he has every > right to engage in such a discourse. But the fact, that there are parallel > political discourses in Gujarat that cannot be undermined and I am sure when > they voice their concerns about state government or its organs, they are not > tarnishing its image but working towards a better, a more tolerant and a > democratic Gujarat. > > You have been abashedly using this slogan about Gujarat's image being > tarnished as if you have inherited the legacy of this state. When a certain > section of people demand their rights or hope for justice, you cannot twist > it and turn it against its own people by deeming their protests as a move to > tarnish the image of Gujarat. When people from Vapi in South Gujarat or > Ankleshwar voice their concerns about pollution, these are residents of > these areas who suffer from it. It is Manish Tandel, the fisherman, AND NOT > ME OR YOU who has to go all the way to Porbander from Navsari, even though > sea is on his backyard. For Tandel, finding his catch is his only concern > more than the risk of getting kidnapped by Somali pirates in the high seas > or straying on to the waters of Pakistan or his dinghy washed away by > torrential storms. Have you wondered why thousands of fishermen from Navsari > and Valsad district have to go 800 kilometres every six months to Porbander? > > > Iqbal Hasan Mamdu, visually impaired since birth has spent eight years > inside a prison -- first accused as a terrorist for burning a train, then > when POTA was repealed now waiting for his trial. When Modi says there are > no jails in India fit for him to be imprisoned, he is right. The jails in > Gujarat, as admitted by Gujarat Home Minister, Amit Shah, himself on the > floor of the Gujarat State Assembly, are overcrowded with prisoners. > > Eight years back, on Feb 27, when Satish Mishra's wife was exhumed by the > flames of fire of a train, that allegedly changed the course of history for > Gujarat, health officials could not confirm if his wife was missing or dead. > While, local VHP offices immediately branded her as a martyr, a karsevak > from Ayodhya and put her posters in their offices. Was it Mishra's decision > to send his daughter from Vadodara to Sultanpur in UP to spend rest of her > childhood with her grandparents, while he waited for one fact finding > commission after the another to confirm his exact statement as an eyewitness > of the tragedy? > > What happens to Member of Gujarat Legislative Assembly, Kanu Kalsaria? He is > very much a part of the BJP when he raised objections to a privately owned > detergent manufacturing plant being set up in his village because that would > take all the water meant for the animals and people. Is he tarnishing the > image of Gujarat by raising objection to the construction of a industry? > > Actually, what is your fascination with image Bipin? you and Pawan Durani > have been harping about this one elusive thing called image. Do you mean to > say, the seeming is true and what does not appear is not? Your politics is > such that it will only touch on the issues which are seemingly existent, but > about the issues which have been pushed under the carpet, it can wait and > rot. > > Although, now I do not have a home per se, I grew up in this little town in > Assam the north eastern part of India. There was a point of time, when about > 70 extremist groups were operating from that region organising protests, > bomb blasts, bandhs, killings on an everyday basis. So much happened in > these areas that three generation of youths misguided by their own ideals > and cheated by an extremely corrupt government making money through > security-terror apparatus. Some said there were Chinese training north > eastern youths, others said it was the lack of development. Do you think it > was the lack of development that forced Assamese youths to take up arms > against the state? This is coming from a state, where the first oil refinery > and an already existing tea industry was there before India got > independence. So was it degeneration in a phased manner adopted by > successive governments in Assam that lead to this insurgency? And now when I > say this, you will say i am tarnishing the image of north eastern states. > > People like you are the enemies of the nation, who are ready to do cover ups > for any political outfit at the slight provocation. > > Anupam > > > > > > On Tue, Apr 13, 2010 at 10:59 AM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > >> Bhagalpur massacre didn't tarnish the image of Bihar, Shikh killing didn't >> tarnish the image of Delhi/India, Mumbai bomb blast followed by the riots >> didn't tarnished the image of Mumbai/Maharashtra. These are few can be >> listed many such more, but only Gujarat riots tarnished the image of >> Gujarat!!! For argument also normally everyone use Gujarat name only. >> >> >> >> However, this much hatred of Gujarat will not at all affect its development >> and prosperity, since Gujarati's are very soft and sober and never show >> hatred for anyone. >> >> >> >> Thanks >> >> Bipin >> >> >> >> >> >> From: Rakesh Iyer [mailto:rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com] >> Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 10:35 AM >> To: Bipin Trivedi >> Cc: Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi; sarai-list >> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE >> >> >> >> It seems Modi has got further additions to his list of those who want to >> brag about the 'image of Gujarat'. Anyways, the very same Modi didn't >> realize that post-Godhra pogrom also tarnished the image of Gujarat. >> >> Rakesh >> >> On Tue, Apr 13, 2010 at 10:32 AM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: >> >> Thanks Dear Rajen for your consent and views. >> >> >> >> >> >> From: Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi [mailto:rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com] >> Sent: Monday, April 12, 2010 7:32 PM >> To: Bipin Trivedi >> Cc: sarai-list >> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE >> >> >> >> >> Bipin, >> >> you have hit where it really sticks out, media men and women seem to have >> strange hate for Narendra Modi and very affectionate love for Sonia, in the >> process, the more the hate is spread, the voters in Gujarath are giving >> thumbs up to Modi, and for sure, they know best, as they have seen the >> governance rendered by the Nehru, his minions later, India the india and >> her >> Rajiv and now Sonia and her minions.! >> >> regards, >> >> Rajen. >> >> On Mon, Apr 12, 2010 at 10:43 AM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: >> >> Forwarding herewith reply received from Indira Hirway against my objection >> for her article in the Hindu. >> >> >> >> >> >> From: Indira Hirway [mailto:indira_hirway at yahoo.com] >> Sent: Monday, April 12, 2010 10:01 AM >> To: Bipin Trivedi >> Subject: Re: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE >> >> >> >> >> Dear Mr. Bipin Trivedi, >> >> >> >> I was away and therefore seen your mail only today. It is an interesting >> mail! >> >> I do not know you, but it will be nice to talk. Can we meet or talk?  My >> mobile is                        . I am located in Ahmedabad. >> >> >> >> Best wishes, >> >> >> >> Indira Hirway >> >> >> >> --- On Sat, 3/20/10, Bipin Trivedi wrote: >> >> >> From: Bipin Trivedi >> Subject: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE >> To: bleditor at thehindu.co.in >> Cc: ndira.hirway at cfda.ac.in, Indira_hirway at yahoo.com >> Date: Saturday, March 20, 2010, 4:51 PM >> >> The Editor >> >> Hindu Business Line >> >> >> >> I refer to article by Dr. Indira Hirway in Hindu Business Line on Gujarat >> economy sustains growth; human development index falls Feb. 25, 2010. >> >> >> >> You are mentioning report of the period 1993 to 2005 in 2010 and >> highlighting the issue. Do you have current figure or figure upto March >> 2009 >> of the same or even upto March 2008? How can you highlight 4 years old >> news? >> Gujarat has much changed thereafter. Please be updated and publish >> accordingly. >> >> >> >> Gujarat is on very much development path even in the HDI parameters also. >> Please search latest figure and publish accordingly and stop tarnishing >> Gujarat image just because Narendra Modi will not get credit. I am not >> belonging to any political party and not fan of Narendra Modi but I am fan >> of development, whoever does it. >> >> >> >> Actually you are indirectly helping Narendra Modi popularity in Gujarati >> people by repeating attempts of tarnishing Gujarat image. >> >> >> >> Thanks >> >> Bipin Trivedi >> >> >> >> >> >> _________________________________________ >> 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/> >> >> >> >> >> -- >> Rajen. >> >> _________________________________________ >> 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 rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com Tue Apr 13 14:34:23 2010 From: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com (Rakesh Iyer) Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 14:34:23 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE In-Reply-To: References: <000f01cad9fe$ef259a60$cd70cf20$@in> <001e01cadac6$77b1ef10$6715cd30$@in> <002f01cadaca$4f56ad90$ee0408b0$@in> Message-ID: Dear Bipin Any riot tarnishes the image of that place, but our concern should not be just image (image is a concern, particularly when the place is a tourist hot spot and because of communal riots or pogroms like Gujarat, Bhagalpur or Delhi lead to people not going there and tourism sector being hit, impoverishing the local people). Our concern should be that the rights of innocents have been trampled upon, and our efforts must be directed towards securing those rights for those people. What has Narendra Modi done in the last 8 years in this direction? Only once did he visit the camps where Muslims had to flee to after the pogrom, that too when the then PM came visiting the state. Didn't he have any time to visit the camps? He is supposed to be the Chief Minister of 5.5 crore Gujaratis, doesn't he have time to visit the Gujaratis among whom he keeps chanting that he is not Chief Minister, but Common Man. Everybody by the way is talking about Gujarati asmita. Because of the pogrom he presided over, Indian asmita was under threat and infact torn to shreds. Infact, Vajpayee and Advani had to save their faces on their foreign trips as the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister after this pogrom simply because everywhere they went, this became a matter of discussion. Does India deserve to get its' asmita torn to shreds because of someone's selfishness in playing Hindu-Muslim vote bank politics and organizing pogroms? Isn't Narendra Modi responsible for attacking Indian asmita? And don't ask questions here about Delhi and Bhagalpur not having attacked Indian asmita too. They too have attacked, and so has post-Godhra pogrom. And they can't hide behind that, none of them, because they are all wrongs. And for me that is still not a concern. The concern is that Sikhs and Muslims have had to pay with their lives even though they were not responsible for Godhra or Indira Gandhi assassination. Rakesh From pawan.durani at gmail.com Tue Apr 13 14:36:17 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 14:36:17 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE In-Reply-To: References: <000f01cad9fe$ef259a60$cd70cf20$@in> <001e01cadac6$77b1ef10$6715cd30$@in> <002f01cadaca$4f56ad90$ee0408b0$@in> Message-ID: Dear Rakesh, The demonising of Narender Bhai has been done by the sickulars. Why didnt they do the same to lt Gandhi or Abdullahs of this world ? Pawan On Tue, Apr 13, 2010 at 2:34 PM, Rakesh Iyer wrote: > Dear Bipin > > Any riot tarnishes the image of that place, but our concern should not be > just image (image is a concern, particularly when the place is a tourist hot > spot and because of communal riots or pogroms like Gujarat, Bhagalpur or > Delhi lead to people not going there and tourism sector being hit, > impoverishing the local people). > > Our concern should be that the rights of innocents have been trampled upon, > and our efforts must be directed towards securing those rights for those > people. What has Narendra Modi done in the last 8 years in this direction? > Only once did he visit the camps where Muslims had to flee to after the > pogrom, that too when the then PM came visiting the state. Didn't he have > any time to visit the camps? He is supposed to be the Chief Minister of 5.5 > crore Gujaratis, doesn't he have time to visit the Gujaratis among whom he > keeps chanting that he is not Chief Minister, but Common Man. > > Everybody by the way is talking about Gujarati asmita. Because of the pogrom > he presided over, Indian asmita was under threat and infact torn to shreds. > Infact, Vajpayee and Advani had to save their faces on their foreign trips > as the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister after this pogrom simply > because everywhere they went, this became a matter of discussion. Does India > deserve to get its' asmita torn to shreds because of someone's selfishness > in playing Hindu-Muslim vote bank politics and organizing pogroms? > > Isn't Narendra Modi responsible for attacking Indian asmita? > > And don't ask questions here about Delhi and Bhagalpur not having attacked > Indian asmita too. They too have attacked, and so has post-Godhra pogrom. > And they can't hide behind that, none of them, because they are all wrongs. > > And for me that is still not a concern. The concern is that Sikhs and > Muslims have had to pay with their lives even though they were not > responsible for Godhra or Indira Gandhi assassination. > > Rakesh > > > > From rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com Tue Apr 13 14:37:58 2010 From: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com (Rakesh Iyer) Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 14:37:58 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE In-Reply-To: References: <000f01cad9fe$ef259a60$cd70cf20$@in> <001e01cadac6$77b1ef10$6715cd30$@in> <002f01cadaca$4f56ad90$ee0408b0$@in> Message-ID: Dear Pawan I am not a 'sickular'. So how come I am supposed to know why a Gandhi or an Abdullah has not been or has been criticized by these 'sickulars'? Rakesh On Tue, Apr 13, 2010 at 2:36 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > Dear Rakesh, > > The demonising of Narender Bhai has been done by the sickulars. Why > didnt they do the same to lt Gandhi or Abdullahs of this world ? > > Pawan > > > On Tue, Apr 13, 2010 at 2:34 PM, Rakesh Iyer > wrote: > > Dear Bipin > > > > Any riot tarnishes the image of that place, but our concern should not be > > just image (image is a concern, particularly when the place is a tourist > hot > > spot and because of communal riots or pogroms like Gujarat, Bhagalpur or > > Delhi lead to people not going there and tourism sector being hit, > > impoverishing the local people). > > > > Our concern should be that the rights of innocents have been trampled > upon, > > and our efforts must be directed towards securing those rights for those > > people. What has Narendra Modi done in the last 8 years in this > direction? > > Only once did he visit the camps where Muslims had to flee to after the > > pogrom, that too when the then PM came visiting the state. Didn't he have > > any time to visit the camps? He is supposed to be the Chief Minister of > 5.5 > > crore Gujaratis, doesn't he have time to visit the Gujaratis among whom > he > > keeps chanting that he is not Chief Minister, but Common Man. > > > > Everybody by the way is talking about Gujarati asmita. Because of the > pogrom > > he presided over, Indian asmita was under threat and infact torn to > shreds. > > Infact, Vajpayee and Advani had to save their faces on their foreign > trips > > as the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister after this pogrom > simply > > because everywhere they went, this became a matter of discussion. Does > India > > deserve to get its' asmita torn to shreds because of someone's > selfishness > > in playing Hindu-Muslim vote bank politics and organizing pogroms? > > > > Isn't Narendra Modi responsible for attacking Indian asmita? > > > > And don't ask questions here about Delhi and Bhagalpur not having > attacked > > Indian asmita too. They too have attacked, and so has post-Godhra pogrom. > > And they can't hide behind that, none of them, because they are all > wrongs. > > > > And for me that is still not a concern. The concern is that Sikhs and > > Muslims have had to pay with their lives even though they were not > > responsible for Godhra or Indira Gandhi assassination. > > > > Rakesh > > > > > > > > > From kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Tue Apr 13 14:43:10 2010 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 02:13:10 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] "Our wonderful quotocracy" Message-ID: <885184.11382.qm@web57208.mail.re3.yahoo.com> "Our wonderful quotocracy"   Pratap Bhanu Mehta Posted online: Monday , Mar 15, 2010 at 0217 hrs   There is a constitutional revolution underway. It has long been in the making. But its full logic is unfolding now. This new type of regime it will beget defies classification. It cannot be captured by the categories bequeathed by those who understood different regime types: Plato or Polybius, Aristotle or Kautilya, Montesquieu or Madison. This new regime is not a monarchy, aristocracy, republic or a democracy. It has its distinct identity, values and institutional frame. Behold all, the rise of Quotocracy! Experience the bliss that is this new dawn.   The principles behind quotocracy need to be carefully understood. It arises out of a democracy and often gets confused with it. But make no mistake. Quotocracy is distinct. A democracy values choice. Voters are free to elect whoever they wish. In a quotocracy, voters by turn are obliged to vote for someone with particular ascriptive characteristics. In a democracy, a general will is possible. In principle people can reason in terms that take all relevant reasons into consideration and are good for all. In a quotocracy, by definition there are only particular reasons and interests: men for men, women for women, caste for caste. A general will is a conceptual impossibility.   Montesquieu said each regime has a principle that sustains its best form. In despotism it is fear, in aristocracy it is honour, in republics it is virtue. Quotocracy has its own principle: victimhood. No quotocracy can be sustained without it. The currency of new claims is the narrative of hurt. The axis of competition is also victimhood: those who do not get that status are left most aggrieved. The identification of each new victim group escalates the race for identifying the next.   Democracies occasionally make exceptions to redress gross injustice. In a quotocracy, the exception is the norm. OBCs want quotas for themselves, but not for women. Women want for themselves, but not for OBCs. And no one wants for Muslims. Some say, “Why do women need quotas? Why don’t parties give tickets?” But in a quotocracy this question is not legitimate. However, those who deny the legitimacy of this question use this same argument when the demand for sub-quotas is made. “Why not give OBC women tickets under the quota?” But don’t confuse this with hypocrisy. Hypocrisy can exist only in a democracy, when ideals do not match reality. In a quotocracy, exception is the norm.   Democracies have ideological contention: between left and right, liberty and equality, secular and religious. Quotocracy has consensus: all divisions between left, right and centre are dissolved by quota. And those who oppose quotas are accused of treason. In a way there is justice to this charge. After all, in quotocracy, opposing quota is like subverting a regime. Quotocracy creates a new distinction between public and private. Privately you may oppose quota, but you politically act on that belief at your own peril.   Quotocracy has its own conception of justice. It is not equality, or capability or fitness or fairness. It is simple arithmetic: 33 here, 22 there, 50 for the rest. And since arithmetic can be complicated there is no point doing fractions and subdivisions. Simple quota is just what justice is. In a democracy, where you came from should matter less than where you are going. It seeks to make de jure rights and privileges we have less and less dependent upon our identity. A quotocracy is the reverse. It makes de jure rights dependent upon identity. A democracy prizes individuality (not to be confused with its bad cousin, individualism). Quotocracy prizes group think. You are your group. Democracy values self-identification. You should be whatever you wish to or choose to be or name yourself. Quotocracy is premised upon ascription. You are what the state certificate says you are: SC/ ST or OBC. You can be this and no other. Democracy is suspicious giving the state power to construct identities. Quotocracy creates new identities by using state power to create incentives.   A quotocracy has a new separation of powers. OBCs get reservation in jobs and education but don’t deserve it in politics. Women can get it in Lok Sabha but not Rajya Sabha. Women get reservation in politics but don’t get it in jobs. In a quotocracy, legislation and administration are also confused. Panchayats are equated with supreme law making bodies forgetting that they have different functions.   Quotocracy also has its own logic of mystification. Tocqueville said that in a democracy the myth of formal equality can disguise substantive inequality. In a quotocracy, the fact that select individuals from some communities are empowered is considered as empowering the community. And this mystification is justified as a compensation for democracy’s mystification. Since in a democracy there is a gap between formal and substantive equality, in a quotocracy we can empower elites within communities with impunity and call it empowerment for all.   Democracy strives for deliberation. For quotocracy getting numbers right is paramount. Democracy is bound by constitutionalism. It is hemmed in by a diversity of values. Quotocracy makes constitutionalism subordinate to itself. So what if some states exceed 50 per cent and the courts for fear are unable to pronounce a verdict. Quotocracy redefines the scale of values: excellence is a ruse for domination, self-reliance a tactic for injustice and so forth.   Democracy thrives on historical traditions associated with its founding. A quotocracy thrives on historical amnesia. The British used two tactics: divide and rule. And they said that we were infants because we could not think outside of caste and community. We were incapable of self-government. Quotocracy likes divide and rule. And it also thinks we are incapable of self-government. Our identities need to be boxed. Our founders worked hard to combat ascriptive identities. They rejected two-nation theories, separate electorates, narcissism of partial groups, communal representation, caste censuses. The logic of quotocracy is to bring them back. Democracy seeks to unite despite differences. Quotocracy seeks to divide despite commonalities.   But democracy and quotocracy have this in common: they are never complete. They are always a work in progress. Democracy has to continually dissolve hierarchy. Quotocracy has to continually create new quotas. In a democracy, all animals are equal but some more equal than others. In a quotocracy, some deprived groups will get their deprivations recognised more than others.   Quotocracy is truly revolutionary. Make no mistake about it. It is deeper than most revolutions because it needs a new moral vocabulary. And it needs a new political science to understand it. Prepare for the Age of Quotocracy.   The writer is president, Centre for Policy Research, Delhi   http://www.indianexpress.com/news/our-wonderful-quotocracy/590788/0   From kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Tue Apr 13 14:48:45 2010 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 02:18:45 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] "Dalit versus Mahadalit" - new political battle in Bihar Message-ID: <883589.97335.qm@web57204.mail.re3.yahoo.com> "Nitish shows Paswans the Mahadalit carrot"   Vandita Mishra Posted: Apr 12, 2010 at 0158 hrs   New Delhi The setting was apt and, by itself, the announcement was hardly controversial. At a Dalit conference in Patna on April 4 to mark the birth anniversary of Baba Chauharmal, revered among the Paswans, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar declared that the state government would begin distributing three decimals of land to landless Paswans, a promise it has earlier made to the newly minted category of Mahadalits in the state.   Yet Kumar’s announcement has touched off an extraordinary question: If every Dalit group in Bihar has been officially designated as Mahadalit, or will be treated as such by the government, who is a Dalit in Bihar? Or conversely, if all Dalits are now Mahadalits, or to be treated as such, who is a Mahadalit?   The story so far: In 2007, the Bihar government set up the Mahadalit Commission to identify the Mahadalits, that is, the most deprived of the deprived, ostensibly for better targeting of schemes for their uplift and development. According to the Commission, there were three criteria of inclusion: literacy rates, placement in services and social stigma.   To begin with, the Mahadalit Commission identified 18 of Bihar’s 22 Dalit castes as Mahadalit. That is, all Dalit groups except four: Jatavs and Paswans, the two most numerically dominant groups, together accounting for more than 60 per cent of Bihar’s SC population, and Dhobis and Pasis, the two groups considered relatively better off in terms of development parameters among Dalits.   A year later, in 2008, Pasis and Dhobis were also included in the Mahadalit list. In 2009, the Jatavs followed them into the burgeoning Mahadalit ranks, leaving out only the Paswans. And now, Nitish has promised to Paswans that the government would extend to them the special schemes it has designed for Mahadalits. So is Nitish setting the stage for the formal induction of the Paswans into the Mahadalit category, in the process abolishing the very distinction his government was responsible for creating with much political fanfare in 2007?   “That situation (of all Dalits becoming Mahadalits) will not arise. Leaders of the Paswan community have said they do not want to be included in the Mahadalit list. They consider it a term of abuse,” says Babban Rawat, member of the Mahadalit Commission. “There is no question of including anyone in Mahadalits now,” says K P Ramaiah, secretary of the Commission.   But Ramaiah admits that “the facilities that are being given to Mahadalits will also be given to Paswans”. These include, apart from the three decimals of land, job training, toilet and health facilities, distribution of uniforms to school-going children from Class I to V, and formation of self-help groups.   According to sources in the Commission, all the benefits to Mahadalits will eventually be extended to Paswans “in one form or another”, “with a little variation”. For instance, the Bihar Mahadalit Vikas Mission pledges to “enrol and ensure retention of students from Mahadalit families” by the appointment of a “Local Resource Person (Vikas Mitra) who will be in direct consultation with the Mahadalit families and will also ensure the implementation of other schemes”. For the Paswans, the plan is to appoint the Vikas Mitra by another name — he will be called the Suraksha Mitra.   Sensing his opportunity, Ram Vilas Paswan, the leading claimant of the state’s Paswan vote bank, throws down a challenge: “If the Paswans also get three decimal land, like the Mahadalits, then why create the separate category? Will Nitish Kumar tell the people this: which of the benefits given to Mahadalits will be denied by his government to the Paswans?”   According to Paswan, the creation of the Mahadalit category was a ploy to divide the Dalits. But as the groups left out of the Mahadalit circle mounted pressure and agitations — with Paswan’s own Lok Janshakti Party taking the lead — Nitish buckled under the pressure, and included more and more Dalit groups till only one remained outside the boundary. On April 3, Paswan points out, he had called a Dalit Sena Sammelan in Patna, in which a decision was taken to launch a statewide agitation against the Nitish government. A day later, Nitish announced the three decimal land benefit for Paswans.   Ali Anwar, a JD(U) MP and the party’s chief in the Upper House, explains the inexorable expansion of the Mahadalit category in Bihar by drawing a parallel with the JD(U)’s “flexibility” on the Women’s Reservation Bill after Nitish publicly urged his party to reconsider its oppositional stand. “Just as we showed flexibility on the issue of women’s reservation, we are doing the same vis-a-vis demands for inclusion in the Mahadalit list. We are open to new facts and figures. Why should the poor among the Paswans be discriminated against?” he says. “We are not snatching away from one to give to the other, we are only reaching out to more groups.”   As Dalit versus Mahadalit becomes the new political battle in Bihar’s election year, the state’s misfortune is specially amplified by this tug-of-war of the deprived. While Dalits lag behind the other castes on all socio-economic indices all across the country, Bihar’s Dalits uniformly lag behind those in other states.   With 93.3 per cent residing in rural areas, Dalits in Bihar are overwhelmingly rural. According to the 2001 Census, the sex ratio of Bihar’s Dalit population is 923 females per 1,000 males, lower than the national average of 936 for all Dalits. The overall literacy rate of Bihar’s Dalits is 28.5 per cent, nearly half of the 54.7 per cent recorded for all SCs. More than three-fourth of the total Dalit workers in Bihar are agricultural labour, far higher than the national average of 45.6 per cent.     http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Nitish-shows-Paswans-the-Mahadalit-carrot/604983/   From aliens at dataone.in Tue Apr 13 15:15:01 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 15:15:01 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE In-Reply-To: References: <000f01cad9fe$ef259a60$cd70cf20$@in> <001e01cadac6$77b1ef10$6715cd30$@in> <002f01cadaca$4f56ad90$ee0408b0$@in> Message-ID: <000e01cadaed$fd0889e0$f7199da0$@in> Thanks for your compliments and describing me as enemy of the nation. God bless you. From: anupam chakravartty [mailto:c.anupam at gmail.com] Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 12:53 PM To: Bipin Trivedi; sarai list Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE Bipin, It is has been only Mr Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister of Gujarat, who thinks that anything being said against BJP Gujarat or BJP-ruled government is against Gujarati people. Gujarat has more people than you think you know, Bipin. Hence, your statement also proves that you do not know anything about the glory of Gujarat. Your very sense of Gujarat begins with Modi and ends with Modi. There are documented evidences since 2002 pogrom that it was Mr Modi in his speech and actions have been accusing everyone for tarnishing the image of Gujarat. As a political leader, if he feels so, he has every right to engage in such a discourse. But the fact, that there are parallel political discourses in Gujarat that cannot be undermined and I am sure when they voice their concerns about state government or its organs, they are not tarnishing its image but working towards a better, a more tolerant and a democratic Gujarat. You have been abashedly using this slogan about Gujarat's image being tarnished as if you have inherited the legacy of this state. When a certain section of people demand their rights or hope for justice, you cannot twist it and turn it against its own people by deeming their protests as a move to tarnish the image of Gujarat. When people from Vapi in South Gujarat or Ankleshwar voice their concerns about pollution, these are residents of these areas who suffer from it. It is Manish Tandel, the fisherman, AND NOT ME OR YOU who has to go all the way to Porbander from Navsari, even though sea is on his backyard. For Tandel, finding his catch is his only concern more than the risk of getting kidnapped by Somali pirates in the high seas or straying on to the waters of Pakistan or his dinghy washed away by torrential storms. Have you wondered why thousands of fishermen from Navsari and Valsad district have to go 800 kilometres every six months to Porbander? Iqbal Hasan Mamdu, visually impaired since birth has spent eight years inside a prison -- first accused as a terrorist for burning a train, then when POTA was repealed now waiting for his trial. When Modi says there are no jails in India fit for him to be imprisoned, he is right. The jails in Gujarat, as admitted by Gujarat Home Minister, Amit Shah, himself on the floor of the Gujarat State Assembly, are overcrowded with prisoners. Eight years back, on Feb 27, when Satish Mishra's wife was exhumed by the flames of fire of a train, that allegedly changed the course of history for Gujarat, health officials could not confirm if his wife was missing or dead. While, local VHP offices immediately branded her as a martyr, a karsevak from Ayodhya and put her posters in their offices. Was it Mishra's decision to send his daughter from Vadodara to Sultanpur in UP to spend rest of her childhood with her grandparents, while he waited for one fact finding commission after the another to confirm his exact statement as an eyewitness of the tragedy? What happens to Member of Gujarat Legislative Assembly, Kanu Kalsaria? He is very much a part of the BJP when he raised objections to a privately owned detergent manufacturing plant being set up in his village because that would take all the water meant for the animals and people. Is he tarnishing the image of Gujarat by raising objection to the construction of a industry? Actually, what is your fascination with image Bipin? you and Pawan Durani have been harping about this one elusive thing called image. Do you mean to say, the seeming is true and what does not appear is not? Your politics is such that it will only touch on the issues which are seemingly existent, but about the issues which have been pushed under the carpet, it can wait and rot. Although, now I do not have a home per se, I grew up in this little town in Assam the north eastern part of India. There was a point of time, when about 70 extremist groups were operating from that region organising protests, bomb blasts, bandhs, killings on an everyday basis. So much happened in these areas that three generation of youths misguided by their own ideals and cheated by an extremely corrupt government making money through security-terror apparatus. Some said there were Chinese training north eastern youths, others said it was the lack of development. Do you think it was the lack of development that forced Assamese youths to take up arms against the state? This is coming from a state, where the first oil refinery and an already existing tea industry was there before India got independence. So was it degeneration in a phased manner adopted by successive governments in Assam that lead to this insurgency? And now when I say this, you will say i am tarnishing the image of north eastern states. People like you are the enemies of the nation, who are ready to do cover ups for any political outfit at the slight provocation. Anupam On Tue, Apr 13, 2010 at 10:59 AM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: Bhagalpur massacre didn't tarnish the image of Bihar, Shikh killing didn't tarnish the image of Delhi/India, Mumbai bomb blast followed by the riots didn't tarnished the image of Mumbai/Maharashtra. These are few can be listed many such more, but only Gujarat riots tarnished the image of Gujarat!!! For argument also normally everyone use Gujarat name only. However, this much hatred of Gujarat will not at all affect its development and prosperity, since Gujarati's are very soft and sober and never show hatred for anyone. Thanks Bipin From: Rakesh Iyer [mailto:rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com] Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 10:35 AM To: Bipin Trivedi Cc: Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi; sarai-list Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE It seems Modi has got further additions to his list of those who want to brag about the 'image of Gujarat'. Anyways, the very same Modi didn't realize that post-Godhra pogrom also tarnished the image of Gujarat. Rakesh On Tue, Apr 13, 2010 at 10:32 AM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: Thanks Dear Rajen for your consent and views. From: Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi [mailto:rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com] Sent: Monday, April 12, 2010 7:32 PM To: Bipin Trivedi Cc: sarai-list Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE Bipin, you have hit where it really sticks out, media men and women seem to have strange hate for Narendra Modi and very affectionate love for Sonia, in the process, the more the hate is spread, the voters in Gujarath are giving thumbs up to Modi, and for sure, they know best, as they have seen the governance rendered by the Nehru, his minions later, India the india and her Rajiv and now Sonia and her minions.! regards, Rajen. On Mon, Apr 12, 2010 at 10:43 AM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: Forwarding herewith reply received from Indira Hirway against my objection for her article in the Hindu. From: Indira Hirway [mailto:indira_hirway at yahoo.com] Sent: Monday, April 12, 2010 10:01 AM To: Bipin Trivedi Subject: Re: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE Dear Mr. Bipin Trivedi, I was away and therefore seen your mail only today. It is an interesting mail! I do not know you, but it will be nice to talk. Can we meet or talk? My mobile is . I am located in Ahmedabad. Best wishes, Indira Hirway --- On Sat, 3/20/10, Bipin Trivedi wrote: From: Bipin Trivedi Subject: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE To: bleditor at thehindu.co.in Cc: ndira.hirway at cfda.ac.in, Indira_hirway at yahoo.com Date: Saturday, March 20, 2010, 4:51 PM The Editor Hindu Business Line I refer to article by Dr. Indira Hirway in Hindu Business Line on Gujarat economy sustains growth; human development index falls Feb. 25, 2010. You are mentioning report of the period 1993 to 2005 in 2010 and highlighting the issue. Do you have current figure or figure upto March 2009 of the same or even upto March 2008? How can you highlight 4 years old news? Gujarat has much changed thereafter. Please be updated and publish accordingly. Gujarat is on very much development path even in the HDI parameters also. Please search latest figure and publish accordingly and stop tarnishing Gujarat image just because Narendra Modi will not get credit. I am not belonging to any political party and not fan of Narendra Modi but I am fan of development, whoever does it. Actually you are indirectly helping Narendra Modi popularity in Gujarati people by repeating attempts of tarnishing Gujarat image. Thanks Bipin Trivedi _________________________________________ 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/> -- Rajen. _________________________________________ 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 Tue Apr 13 15:17:15 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 15:17:15 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE In-Reply-To: <000e01cadaed$fd0889e0$f7199da0$@in> References: <000f01cad9fe$ef259a60$cd70cf20$@in> <001e01cadac6$77b1ef10$6715cd30$@in> <002f01cadaca$4f56ad90$ee0408b0$@in> <000e01cadaed$fd0889e0$f7199da0$@in> Message-ID: Dear Bipin Ji, It would be interesting to know how 'they' define NATION. Pawan On Tue, Apr 13, 2010 at 3:15 PM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > Thanks for your compliments and describing me as enemy of the nation. God > bless you. > > > > > > From: anupam chakravartty [mailto:c.anupam at gmail.com] > Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 12:53 PM > To: Bipin Trivedi; sarai list > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE > > > > Bipin, > > It is has been only Mr Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister of Gujarat, who > thinks that anything being said against BJP Gujarat or BJP-ruled government > is against Gujarati people. Gujarat has more people than you think you know, > Bipin. Hence, your statement also proves that you do not know anything about > the glory of Gujarat. Your very sense of Gujarat begins with Modi and ends > with Modi. There are documented evidences since 2002 pogrom that it was Mr > Modi in his speech and actions have been accusing everyone for tarnishing > the image of Gujarat. As a political leader, if he feels so, he has every > right to engage in such a discourse. But the fact, that there are parallel > political discourses in Gujarat that cannot be undermined and I am sure when > they voice their concerns about state government or its organs, they are not > tarnishing its image but working towards a better, a more tolerant and a > democratic Gujarat. > > You have been abashedly using this slogan about Gujarat's image being > tarnished as if you have inherited the legacy of this state. When a certain > section of people demand their rights or hope for justice, you cannot twist > it and turn it against its own people by deeming their protests as a move to > tarnish the image of Gujarat. When people from Vapi in South Gujarat or > Ankleshwar voice their concerns about pollution, these are residents of > these areas who suffer from it. It is Manish Tandel, the fisherman, AND NOT > ME OR YOU who has to go all the way to Porbander from Navsari, even though > sea is on his backyard. For Tandel, finding his catch is his only concern > more than the risk of getting kidnapped by Somali pirates in the high seas > or straying on to the waters of Pakistan or his dinghy washed away by > torrential storms. Have you wondered why thousands of fishermen from Navsari > and Valsad district have to go 800 kilometres every six months to Porbander? > > > Iqbal Hasan Mamdu, visually impaired since birth has spent eight years > inside a prison -- first accused as a terrorist for burning a train, then > when POTA was repealed now waiting for his trial. When Modi says there are > no jails in India fit for him to be imprisoned, he is right. The jails in > Gujarat, as admitted by Gujarat Home Minister, Amit Shah, himself on the > floor of the Gujarat State Assembly, are overcrowded with prisoners. > > Eight years back, on Feb 27, when Satish Mishra's wife was exhumed by the > flames of fire of a train, that allegedly changed the course of history for > Gujarat, health officials could not confirm if his wife was missing or dead. > While, local VHP offices immediately branded her as a martyr, a karsevak > from Ayodhya and put her posters in their offices. Was it Mishra's decision > to send his daughter from Vadodara to Sultanpur in UP to spend rest of her > childhood with her grandparents, while he waited for one fact finding > commission after the another to confirm his exact statement as an eyewitness > of the tragedy? > > What happens to Member of Gujarat Legislative Assembly, Kanu Kalsaria? He is > very much a part of the BJP when he raised objections to a privately owned > detergent manufacturing plant being set up in his village because that would > take all the water meant for the animals and people. Is he tarnishing the > image of Gujarat by raising objection to the construction of a industry? > > Actually, what is your fascination with image Bipin? you and Pawan Durani > have been harping about this one elusive thing called image. Do you mean to > say, the seeming is true and what does not appear is not? Your politics is > such that it will only touch on the issues which are seemingly existent, but > about the issues which have been pushed under the carpet, it can wait and > rot. > > Although, now I do not have a home per se, I grew up in this little town in > Assam the north eastern part of India. There was a point of time, when about > 70 extremist groups were operating from that region organising protests, > bomb blasts, bandhs, killings on an everyday basis. So much happened in > these areas that three generation of youths misguided by their own ideals > and cheated by an extremely corrupt government making money through > security-terror apparatus. Some said there were Chinese training north > eastern youths, others said it was the lack of development. Do you think it > was the lack of development that forced Assamese youths to take up arms > against the state? This is coming from a state, where the first oil refinery > and an already existing tea industry was there before India got > independence. So was it degeneration in a phased manner adopted by > successive governments in Assam that lead to this insurgency? And now when I > say this, you will say i am tarnishing the image of north eastern states. > > People like you are the enemies of the nation, who are ready to do cover ups > for any political outfit at the slight provocation. > > Anupam > > > > > > > On Tue, Apr 13, 2010 at 10:59 AM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > > Bhagalpur massacre didn't tarnish the image of Bihar, Shikh killing didn't > tarnish the image of Delhi/India, Mumbai bomb blast followed by the riots > didn't tarnished the image of Mumbai/Maharashtra. These are few can be > listed many such more, but only Gujarat riots tarnished the image of > Gujarat!!! For argument also normally everyone use Gujarat name only. > > > > However, this much hatred of Gujarat will not at all affect its development > and prosperity, since Gujarati's are very soft and sober and never show > hatred for anyone. > > > > Thanks > > Bipin > > > > > > From: Rakesh Iyer [mailto:rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com] > Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 10:35 AM > To: Bipin Trivedi > Cc: Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi; sarai-list > > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE > > > > It seems Modi has got further additions to his list of those who want to > brag about the 'image of Gujarat'. Anyways, the very same Modi didn't > realize that post-Godhra pogrom also tarnished the image of Gujarat. > > Rakesh > > On Tue, Apr 13, 2010 at 10:32 AM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > > Thanks Dear Rajen for your consent and views. > > > > > > From: Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi [mailto:rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com] > Sent: Monday, April 12, 2010 7:32 PM > To: Bipin Trivedi > Cc: sarai-list > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE > > > > > Bipin, > > you have hit where it really sticks out, media men and women seem to have > strange hate for Narendra Modi and very affectionate love for Sonia, in the > process, the more the hate is spread, the voters in Gujarath are giving > thumbs up to Modi, and for sure, they know best, as they have seen the > governance rendered by the Nehru, his minions later, India the india and her > Rajiv and now Sonia and her minions.! > > regards, > > Rajen. > > On Mon, Apr 12, 2010 at 10:43 AM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > > Forwarding herewith reply received from Indira Hirway against my objection > for her article in the Hindu. > > > > > > From: Indira Hirway [mailto:indira_hirway at yahoo.com] > Sent: Monday, April 12, 2010 10:01 AM > To: Bipin Trivedi > Subject: Re: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE > > > > > Dear Mr. Bipin Trivedi, > > > > I was away and therefore seen your mail only today. It is an interesting > mail! > > I do not know you, but it will be nice to talk. Can we meet or talk?  My > mobile is                        . I am located in Ahmedabad. > > > > Best wishes, > > > > Indira Hirway > > > > --- On Sat, 3/20/10, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > > > From: Bipin Trivedi > Subject: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE > To: bleditor at thehindu.co.in > Cc: ndira.hirway at cfda.ac.in, Indira_hirway at yahoo.com > Date: Saturday, March 20, 2010, 4:51 PM > > The Editor > > Hindu Business Line > > > > I refer to article by Dr. Indira Hirway in Hindu Business Line on Gujarat > economy sustains growth; human development index falls Feb. 25, 2010. > > > > You are mentioning report of the period 1993 to 2005 in 2010 and > highlighting the issue. Do you have current figure or figure upto March 2009 > of the same or even upto March 2008? How can you highlight 4 years old news? > Gujarat has much changed thereafter. Please be updated and publish > accordingly. > > > > Gujarat is on very much development path even in the HDI parameters also. > Please search latest figure and publish accordingly and stop tarnishing > Gujarat image just because Narendra Modi will not get credit. I am not > belonging to any political party and not fan of Narendra Modi but I am fan > of development, whoever does it. > > > > Actually you are indirectly helping Narendra Modi popularity in Gujarati > people by repeating attempts of tarnishing Gujarat image. > > > > Thanks > > Bipin Trivedi > > > > > > _________________________________________ > 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/> > > > > > -- > Rajen. > > _________________________________________ > 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 rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com Tue Apr 13 15:20:59 2010 From: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com (Rakesh Iyer) Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 15:20:59 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE In-Reply-To: <000e01cadaed$fd0889e0$f7199da0$@in> References: <000f01cad9fe$ef259a60$cd70cf20$@in> <001e01cadac6$77b1ef10$6715cd30$@in> <002f01cadaca$4f56ad90$ee0408b0$@in> <000e01cadaed$fd0889e0$f7199da0$@in> Message-ID: Dear Bipin I have never said that you are the 'enemy' of a nation, be it any nation including ours. My thoughts are based on the assumption that you are misguided or believe in wrong things but are not a bad human being who selfishly propagats things while not believing in an iota of them. The day you do so, you are not just enemy of a nation, but of the humankind. Rakesh From c.anupam at gmail.com Tue Apr 13 15:23:48 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 15:23:48 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE In-Reply-To: References: <000f01cad9fe$ef259a60$cd70cf20$@in> <001e01cadac6$77b1ef10$6715cd30$@in> <002f01cadaca$4f56ad90$ee0408b0$@in> <000e01cadaed$fd0889e0$f7199da0$@in> Message-ID: Pawan Durrani and Bipin Trivedi, Either you take it or leave it. No more discussions with you both. If you have the guts, trying answering certain questions that has been posed to you. Moreover, both of you have committed treason against people of gujarat by hiding their real issues. i appeal the list members to boycott your posts here. Anupam On Tue, Apr 13, 2010 at 3:17 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > Dear Bipin Ji, > > It would be interesting to know how 'they' define NATION. > > Pawan > > On Tue, Apr 13, 2010 at 3:15 PM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > > Thanks for your compliments and describing me as enemy of the nation. God > > bless you. > > > > > > > > > > > > From: anupam chakravartty [mailto:c.anupam at gmail.com] > > Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 12:53 PM > > To: Bipin Trivedi; sarai list > > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE > > > > > > > > Bipin, > > > > It is has been only Mr Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister of Gujarat, who > > thinks that anything being said against BJP Gujarat or BJP-ruled > government > > is against Gujarati people. Gujarat has more people than you think you > know, > > Bipin. Hence, your statement also proves that you do not know anything > about > > the glory of Gujarat. Your very sense of Gujarat begins with Modi and > ends > > with Modi. There are documented evidences since 2002 pogrom that it was > Mr > > Modi in his speech and actions have been accusing everyone for tarnishing > > the image of Gujarat. As a political leader, if he feels so, he has every > > right to engage in such a discourse. But the fact, that there are > parallel > > political discourses in Gujarat that cannot be undermined and I am sure > when > > they voice their concerns about state government or its organs, they are > not > > tarnishing its image but working towards a better, a more tolerant and a > > democratic Gujarat. > > > > You have been abashedly using this slogan about Gujarat's image being > > tarnished as if you have inherited the legacy of this state. When a > certain > > section of people demand their rights or hope for justice, you cannot > twist > > it and turn it against its own people by deeming their protests as a move > to > > tarnish the image of Gujarat. When people from Vapi in South Gujarat or > > Ankleshwar voice their concerns about pollution, these are residents of > > these areas who suffer from it. It is Manish Tandel, the fisherman, AND > NOT > > ME OR YOU who has to go all the way to Porbander from Navsari, even > though > > sea is on his backyard. For Tandel, finding his catch is his only concern > > more than the risk of getting kidnapped by Somali pirates in the high > seas > > or straying on to the waters of Pakistan or his dinghy washed away by > > torrential storms. Have you wondered why thousands of fishermen from > Navsari > > and Valsad district have to go 800 kilometres every six months to > Porbander? > > > > > > Iqbal Hasan Mamdu, visually impaired since birth has spent eight years > > inside a prison -- first accused as a terrorist for burning a train, then > > when POTA was repealed now waiting for his trial. When Modi says there > are > > no jails in India fit for him to be imprisoned, he is right. The jails in > > Gujarat, as admitted by Gujarat Home Minister, Amit Shah, himself on the > > floor of the Gujarat State Assembly, are overcrowded with prisoners. > > > > Eight years back, on Feb 27, when Satish Mishra's wife was exhumed by the > > flames of fire of a train, that allegedly changed the course of history > for > > Gujarat, health officials could not confirm if his wife was missing or > dead. > > While, local VHP offices immediately branded her as a martyr, a karsevak > > from Ayodhya and put her posters in their offices. Was it Mishra's > decision > > to send his daughter from Vadodara to Sultanpur in UP to spend rest of > her > > childhood with her grandparents, while he waited for one fact finding > > commission after the another to confirm his exact statement as an > eyewitness > > of the tragedy? > > > > What happens to Member of Gujarat Legislative Assembly, Kanu Kalsaria? He > is > > very much a part of the BJP when he raised objections to a privately > owned > > detergent manufacturing plant being set up in his village because that > would > > take all the water meant for the animals and people. Is he tarnishing the > > image of Gujarat by raising objection to the construction of a industry? > > > > Actually, what is your fascination with image Bipin? you and Pawan Durani > > have been harping about this one elusive thing called image. Do you mean > to > > say, the seeming is true and what does not appear is not? Your politics > is > > such that it will only touch on the issues which are seemingly existent, > but > > about the issues which have been pushed under the carpet, it can wait and > > rot. > > > > Although, now I do not have a home per se, I grew up in this little town > in > > Assam the north eastern part of India. There was a point of time, when > about > > 70 extremist groups were operating from that region organising protests, > > bomb blasts, bandhs, killings on an everyday basis. So much happened in > > these areas that three generation of youths misguided by their own ideals > > and cheated by an extremely corrupt government making money through > > security-terror apparatus. Some said there were Chinese training north > > eastern youths, others said it was the lack of development. Do you think > it > > was the lack of development that forced Assamese youths to take up arms > > against the state? This is coming from a state, where the first oil > refinery > > and an already existing tea industry was there before India got > > independence. So was it degeneration in a phased manner adopted by > > successive governments in Assam that lead to this insurgency? And now > when I > > say this, you will say i am tarnishing the image of north eastern states. > > > > People like you are the enemies of the nation, who are ready to do cover > ups > > for any political outfit at the slight provocation. > > > > Anupam > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On Tue, Apr 13, 2010 at 10:59 AM, Bipin Trivedi > wrote: > > > > Bhagalpur massacre didn't tarnish the image of Bihar, Shikh killing > didn't > > tarnish the image of Delhi/India, Mumbai bomb blast followed by the riots > > didn't tarnished the image of Mumbai/Maharashtra. These are few can be > > listed many such more, but only Gujarat riots tarnished the image of > > Gujarat!!! For argument also normally everyone use Gujarat name only. > > > > > > > > However, this much hatred of Gujarat will not at all affect its > development > > and prosperity, since Gujarati's are very soft and sober and never show > > hatred for anyone. > > > > > > > > Thanks > > > > Bipin > > > > > > > > > > > > From: Rakesh Iyer [mailto:rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com] > > Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 10:35 AM > > To: Bipin Trivedi > > Cc: Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi; sarai-list > > > > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE > > > > > > > > It seems Modi has got further additions to his list of those who want to > > brag about the 'image of Gujarat'. Anyways, the very same Modi didn't > > realize that post-Godhra pogrom also tarnished the image of Gujarat. > > > > Rakesh > > > > On Tue, Apr 13, 2010 at 10:32 AM, Bipin Trivedi > wrote: > > > > Thanks Dear Rajen for your consent and views. > > > > > > > > > > > > From: Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi [mailto:rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com] > > Sent: Monday, April 12, 2010 7:32 PM > > To: Bipin Trivedi > > Cc: sarai-list > > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE > > > > > > > > > > Bipin, > > > > you have hit where it really sticks out, media men and women seem to have > > strange hate for Narendra Modi and very affectionate love for Sonia, in > the > > process, the more the hate is spread, the voters in Gujarath are giving > > thumbs up to Modi, and for sure, they know best, as they have seen the > > governance rendered by the Nehru, his minions later, India the india and > her > > Rajiv and now Sonia and her minions.! > > > > regards, > > > > Rajen. > > > > On Mon, Apr 12, 2010 at 10:43 AM, Bipin Trivedi > wrote: > > > > Forwarding herewith reply received from Indira Hirway against my > objection > > for her article in the Hindu. > > > > > > > > > > > > From: Indira Hirway [mailto:indira_hirway at yahoo.com] > > Sent: Monday, April 12, 2010 10:01 AM > > To: Bipin Trivedi > > Subject: Re: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE > > > > > > > > > > Dear Mr. Bipin Trivedi, > > > > > > > > I was away and therefore seen your mail only today. It is an interesting > > mail! > > > > I do not know you, but it will be nice to talk. Can we meet or talk? My > > mobile is . I am located in Ahmedabad. > > > > > > > > Best wishes, > > > > > > > > Indira Hirway > > > > > > > > --- On Sat, 3/20/10, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > > > > > > From: Bipin Trivedi > > Subject: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE > > To: bleditor at thehindu.co.in > > Cc: ndira.hirway at cfda.ac.in, Indira_hirway at yahoo.com > > Date: Saturday, March 20, 2010, 4:51 PM > > > > The Editor > > > > Hindu Business Line > > > > > > > > I refer to article by Dr. Indira Hirway in Hindu Business Line on Gujarat > > economy sustains growth; human development index falls Feb. 25, 2010. > > > > > > > > You are mentioning report of the period 1993 to 2005 in 2010 and > > highlighting the issue. Do you have current figure or figure upto March > 2009 > > of the same or even upto March 2008? How can you highlight 4 years old > news? > > Gujarat has much changed thereafter. Please be updated and publish > > accordingly. > > > > > > > > Gujarat is on very much development path even in the HDI parameters also. > > Please search latest figure and publish accordingly and stop tarnishing > > Gujarat image just because Narendra Modi will not get credit. I am not > > belonging to any political party and not fan of Narendra Modi but I am > fan > > of development, whoever does it. > > > > > > > > Actually you are indirectly helping Narendra Modi popularity in Gujarati > > people by repeating attempts of tarnishing Gujarat image. > > > > > > > > Thanks > > > > Bipin Trivedi > > > > > > > > > > > > _________________________________________ > > 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/> > > > > > > > > > > -- > > Rajen. > > > > _________________________________________ > > 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 c.anupam at gmail.com Tue Apr 13 15:36:08 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 15:36:08 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: References: <7BB75BD2-5666-4337-944F-7137280D296D@sarai.net> Message-ID: Here are some more questions for you Pawan. I hope you find your answers. http://www.tehelka.com/story_main44.asp?filename=Ne170410how_many.asp Excerpt: "Exterminate the terrorists! Wipe them out! The entire nation is united: launch an all-out war. Bring on the airforce. Didn’t we pull it off in Punjab? Haven’t the Sri Lankans pulled it off with the LTTE? Why are you “intellectual sympathisers” talking of root causes and development and urging other approaches? Are you on the side of the savages? Are you condoning Maoist violence? Why are you raising questions about police atrocities and State neglect? How can you equate our violence with their violence? How can you lump the good guys with the bad guys?" -Anupam 2010/4/12 anupam chakravartty > "ज़िम्मेदारी तो सरकार की है कि क्योंकि युद्ध देश के नागरिकों ने ही > छेड़ा है। कदाचित अपनी सतत उपेक्षा से अपमानित होकर। अपनी अमिट गरीबी और शोषण > से प्रताड़ित होकर। अपनी ही सरकार के खिलाफ। लेकिन दुर्भाग्य से बगैर किसी > राजनीतिक लक्ष्य के। नक्सलियों की सिर्फ यही कमज़ोरी है। " > > > > 2010/4/12 Pawan Durani > > http://janatantra.com/2010/04/08/mukesh-kumar-singh-on-naxal-attack/ >> >> इस युद्ध में नक्सलियों का सफाया ज़रूरी है >> >> युद्ध की परिभाषा क्या होनी चाहिए? क्या कोई माई का लाल हमारी सरकार को >> ये समझा सकता है? देश के सामने आज यही सवाल खड़ा है। हम युद्धरत हैं। >> हमारी सरकार को ये समझ में नहीं आ रहा है। विपक्षी पार्टियां भी उसे समझा >> नहीं पा रही हैं। कुछ अपनी सरकारों की नाकामी को छिपाने के लिए तो कुछ >> इसलिए कि हम्माम में सारे नंगे हैं। लोकतंत्र में सरकार भले ही >> गूंगी-बहरी और निकम्मी हो जाए लेकिन अगर विपक्ष का हाल भी ऐसा हो तो कैसे >> जागेगी सरकार? कैसे समझेगी और कौन समझाएगा? जनता की बारी तो पांच साल पर >> आती है। >> >> नक्सलवाद की लाल धारा देश के कम से कम 13 राज्यों में बह रही है। >> नक्सलियों ने अपने इलाके में रहने वाले करोड़ों लोगों को बंधक बना रखा >> है। लाखों वर्ग किलोमीटर पर इनका अवैध कब्ज़ा है। वहां सरकार और कानून का >> राज नाम की कोई चीज़ नहीं है। नक्सली हज़ारों सिपाहियों को हर साल मौत की >> गोद में पहुंचा देते हैं। करोड़ों की सम्पत्ति बर्बाद करते हैं। खुद गृह >> मंत्री और प्रधानमंत्री भी नक्सलियों को देश का सबसे बड़ा खतरा और यहां >> तक कि ‘वार अगेंस्ट पीपुल्स एंड स्टेट’ यानी ‘देश और जनता पर हमला’ बता >> चुके हैं। वो ये भी कह चुके हैं कि ये सबसे बड़ी समस्याओं में से एक है। >> वो इसे खुल्लम-खुल्ला युद्ध का नाम नहीं देना चाहते हैं। >> >> वजह साफ है। साहस नदारद है। नक्सलियों का सफाया करने की बात तो की जाती >> है लेकिन कहा जाता है, इसमें समय लगेगा। दो-तीन साल या उससे ज़्यादा भी >> लग सकते हैं। सरकार पूरी कोशिश कर रही है। लेकिन युद्ध की सारी परिभाषाओं >> पर खरा उतरने के बावजूद नक्सलियों को देश का दुश्मन कहने से परहेज़ हो >> रहा है। युद्ध को युद्ध कहने की हिम्मत नहीं हो रही है। युद्ध को विद्रोह >> का नाम देकर नेताओं की जमात पूरे देश को बहला रही है। इसकी एक वजह और है >> कि सरकारें नहीं चाहती है कि कल को उन्हें जनता को ये जबाव देना पड़े कि >> आखिर इस युद्ध के लिए ज़िम्मेदार कौन है? >> >> ज़िम्मेदारी तो सरकार की है कि क्योंकि युद्ध देश के नागरिकों ने ही >> छेड़ा है। कदाचित अपनी सतत उपेक्षा से अपमानित होकर। अपनी अमिट गरीबी और >> शोषण से प्रताड़ित होकर। अपनी ही सरकार के खिलाफ। लेकिन दुर्भाग्य से >> बगैर किसी राजनीतिक लक्ष्य के। नक्सलियों की सिर्फ यही कमज़ोरी है। उनका >> राजनीतिक लक्ष्य साफ नहीं है। वो मौजूदा व्यवस्था के तो विरोधी है लेकिन >> नयी व्यवस्था का जो मॉडल उनके पास है, उसमें भी न्याय और बराबरी नहीं है। >> सच्चाई और इमानदारी नहीं है। समाज को कहां पहुंचाना चाहते हैं, इसकी >> रणनीति नहीं है। वो सिर्फ एक खराब और गैरजबावदेह तंत्र के ऐसे विकल्प के >> रूप में खड़े हैं, जो खुद बर्बर, नृशंस, आतंकी और अमानवीय है। उसका न्याय >> ‘जिसकी लाठी, उसकी भैंस’ जैसा है। >> >> इसीलिए सरकार को सबसे पहले युद्ध को युद्ध कहने और मानने का साहस दिखाना >> चाहिए। युद्ध मान लें तो फिर कमान सेना के हवाले होनी चाहिए। सेना का काम >> ही है — युद्ध करना औऱ दुश्मन को परास्त करके उसे अनुशासित और अधीन >> बनाना। सेना को भी आक्रमण की ललकार आधे-अधूरे मन से नहीं दी जानी चाहिए। >> उसे पूरी ताकत से दुश्मन के सफाये का राजनीतिक आदेश सत्ता के शीर्ष से >> सरेआम मिलना चाहिए। सेना पर ये अंकुश नहीं होना चाहिए कि तो तोप का >> इस्तेमाल नहीं करेगी, मिसाइल नहीं दागेगी, टैंक नहीं दौड़ाएगी या हवाई >> हमले नहीं करेगी। क्योंकि युद्ध तो युद्ध है। उसकी श्रेणियां बनाएंगे तो >> कश्मीर और नगालैंड के किस्से ही दोहराए जाएंगे। हज़ारों और सिपाही शहीद >> करने पड़ेंगे। उन माताओं के लाल औऱ बहन-बेटियों का सुहाग कुर्बान करना >> पड़ेगा जो युद्ध को विद्रोह मानने के लिए मज़बूर होकर मुकाबले में अपने >> प्राणों का उत्सर्ग करते हैं। >> >> अब ज़रा हमारे शहीद सिपाहियों का कसूर तो देखिए! नक्सलवाद की वजह से >> निपटने का ज़िम्मा हमारे जिन हुक्मरानों के पास है, वो नाकाम रहे हैं। >> कानून-व्यवस्था राज्य का विषय है। पुलिस का काम है। राज्य सरकारों ने >> पुलिस और अदालत को निकम्मा बनाकर रखा है। वो सत्ताधारी पार्टी के लठौत से >> ज़्यादा और कुछ नहीं है। आम आदमी को न्याय देने और कानून का राज >> सुनिश्चित करने के लिए पुलिस का इस्तेमाल होता ही कब है! कभी हुआ भी ही >> नहीं है। वो नेताओं और प्रभावशाली लोगों के लिए निजी सुरक्षा गार्ड की >> तरह है जिसका बोझ जनता के टैक्स के पैसों से उठाया जाता है। बाकी जनता को >> अपनी सामान्य ज़रूरतों के लिए भी अलग से और अपने बूते सुरक्षा गार्ड का >> इंतज़ाम करना पड़ता है। >> >> हुकूमत के निक्कमेपन से जब हालात बेकाबू हो जाते हैं तो भ्रष्ट और पतित >> पुलिस से उम्मीदें की जाती हैं। कल तक नाइंसाफी की मिसाल बनी रही पुलिस >> से सरकार इंसाफ बहाल करने की उम्मीद करती है। ऐसी उम्मीद न तो पुलिस से >> पूरी हो सकती है और ना ही होती है। केन्द्र और राज्य दोनों ही सरकारों के >> पाप को धोने के लिए अर्धसैनिक बल को लगाया जाता है। ये पुलिस का विकल्प >> कभी नहीं बन पाते। बन भी नहीं सकते और बनना भी नहीं चाहिए। पुलिस की >> वेशभूषा वाले अर्धसैनिकों से न तो पुलिस के काम की अपेक्षा होती है और ना >> ही सेना के दायित्व की। ये पुलिस के काम में भी कमज़ोर होते हैं और सेना >> के भी। इनकी ट्रेनिंग ही ऐसी होती है। इसकी क्षमता और प्रतिभा इनके नाम >> ‘अर्धसैनिक’ से ही साफ समझी जा सकती है। ये सिर्फ पुलिस से बेहतर >> चौकीदारी कर सकते हैं। युद्ध ये लड़ ही नहीं सकते। ये तो बेचारे सरकार के >> नाम पर शहीद होने के लिए ही बने हैं। ज़्यादा से ज़्यादा पुलिस और >> अर्धसैनिक बल में इतना ही फर्क हो सकता है कि पहला राज्य सरकार की खातिर >> और दूसरा केन्द्र सरकार की खातिर शहीद होने के लिए अभिशप्त है। >> >> युद्ध लड़ना सेना का काम है। उसे युद्ध के लिए ही तैयार किया जाता है। >> युद्ध ही उसका संकल्प है और विजय ही उसका धर्म। सेना में ही साधनहीनता के >> बावजूद फतह हासिल करने का कौशल और मनोबल होता है। यही उसका सबसे बड़ा >> पराक्रम है। सेना को साधन मुहैया कराने के लिए देश किसी भी सीमा तक जाने >> को तत्पर होता है। जबकि पुलिस के साधनों का दायरा स्वार्थी सरकारें तय >> करती है। >> >> कश्मीर और बाकी अशांत क्षेत्रों में युद्ध को लेकर सरकार की ये सीमा तो >> समझ में आती है कि दुश्मन सीमा पार से दांव खेल रहा है। सीमा लांघने से >> अंतर्राष्ट्रीय दबाव की समस्या खड़ी हो जाएगी। परमाणु युद्ध की आशंका >> पैदा हो जाएगी। महाविनाश की नौबत आ जाएगी। अर्थव्यवस्था पर विकराल बोझ >> पड़ेगा। इससे गरीब और बदहाल हो जाएंगे। लेकिन नक्सलियों के मामले में तो >> ऐसा नहीं है कि उनके प्रशिक्षण शिविर पाक अधिकृत कश्मीर में चल रहे हैं। >> वहां भारत सरकार की लाचारी है। नक्सली तो सब कुछ देश में ही कर रहे हैं। >> देश में ही इनके प्रशिक्षण शिविर हैं। यहीं पुलिस की हत्या करके वो उनके >> हथियार लूट लेते हैं। मौका लगे तो जेल पर धावा बोल देते हैं। थाना लूट >> लेते हैं। सड़क और रेल की पटरी उखाड़ देते हैं। >> >> इसीलिए सरकार का युद्ध का एलान करना चाहिए। सेना को हर हाल में फतह का >> हुक्म मिलना चाहिए। सेना पर कोई बंदिश नहीं होनी चाहिए। न ज़मीनी और ना >> ही हवाई। मानवाधिकारों की कोई बात नहीं होनी चाहिए। इसके लिए राजनीतिक >> इच्छा शक्ति जुटाई होगी। ये कहने से बात नहीं बनेगी कि नक्सली तृणमूल के >> नज़दीकी हैं या वामपंथियों के। चंद बंधकों की रिहाई के लिए अगर कंधार >> जाकर आतंकवादियों को छोड़ा जा सकता है तो ज़रा सोचिए नक्सलियों ने जिन >> करोड़ों लोगों को बंधक बना रखा है, उनके लिए हुकूमत को किस सीमा तक जाना >> चाहिए! संविधान में कहां ऐसा लिखा कि अगर देश के ही कुछ भटके हुए लोग देश >> के ही खिलाफ युद्ध छेड़ दें तो भी सरकार को उसे युद्ध नहीं मानना चाहिए! >> मानवाधिकारों को लेकर अगर किसी को संदेह है तो सरकार को युद्ध की परिभाषा >> को साफ करना चाहिए। वर्ना नक्सलियों जैसे खराब नागरिकों के सामने >> सिपाहियों जैसे तिरंगा प्रमियों की बलि जारी रहेगी। फिर भले ही हम अपनी >> सुविधा के मुताबिक बलि को शहीद के रूप में परिभाषित करते रहें। >> >> ((मुकेश कुमार सिंह ज़ी न्यूज़ में वरिष्ठ विशेष संवाददाता हैं। आप उनसे >> mukesh1765 at gmail.com पर संपर्क कर सकते हैं।) >> > > From aliens at dataone.in Tue Apr 13 15:57:14 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 15:57:14 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE In-Reply-To: References: <000f01cad9fe$ef259a60$cd70cf20$@in> <001e01cadac6$77b1ef10$6715cd30$@in> <002f01cadaca$4f56ad90$ee0408b0$@in> <000e01cadaed$fd0889e0$f7199da0$@in> Message-ID: <001601cadaf3$e36efbd0$aa4cf370$@in> Misguiding or believing wrong things in your eye does not mean, that I believe or argue is absolutely wrong. Let others decide whether my arguments/belief are wrong or right. Nothing I am writing here with anybody's guidance. I never met even single politician in my life accept late Mr. Haren Pandya that is also as his friend's neighbor. Yes I am not believe in much of these surveys or datas (since bearing a few most of them) I know how it can be fractured and can be derived own way. What I am writing with my instinct and general knowledge and even I do not have much time to search the datas/sites. That's why someone posting the good site link worth to read, I always thank/appreciate him. Since I am worrying for my nation, so I share my thought as neutral way to put before public in forums like sarai. I never forced to believe in my thoughts. With my posting, many might believe that I am BJP man or soft corner with BJP. This is not true. But, what I fill that congress vote bank politics harmed the country more than its good work whatever did since today. What BJP did tit for tat to counter congress politics and when came to power at the centre, they did not come with any single step which harmful for any community. From: Rakesh Iyer [mailto:rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com] Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 3:21 PM To: Bipin Trivedi Cc: anupam chakravartty; sarai-list Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE Dear Bipin I have never said that you are the 'enemy' of a nation, be it any nation including ours. My thoughts are based on the assumption that you are misguided or believe in wrong things but are not a bad human being who selfishly propagats things while not believing in an iota of them. The day you do so, you are not just enemy of a nation, but of the humankind. Rakesh From c.anupam at gmail.com Tue Apr 13 16:20:31 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 16:20:31 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE In-Reply-To: <001601cadaf3$e36efbd0$aa4cf370$@in> References: <000f01cad9fe$ef259a60$cd70cf20$@in> <001e01cadac6$77b1ef10$6715cd30$@in> <002f01cadaca$4f56ad90$ee0408b0$@in> <000e01cadaed$fd0889e0$f7199da0$@in> <001601cadaf3$e36efbd0$aa4cf370$@in> Message-ID: Bipin, If that is the case then do not run topics on this forum saying: "ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE". there are genuine issues from this side of India, as well as other parts of India which need to addressed both on collective as well as individual level. Everyone knows how Gujaratis have achieved success just like other Indians from other states as well as individuals who refuse to be associated with geographical confines of a region. at the same time, there are individuals who have critically assessed the performance of all the states. if i were to go by your subject line for this topic, then the recent CAG report which shows how police, health and narmada dam fund utilization has failed to achieve target, will you say that this is an attempt to tarnish the image of Gujarat? -anupam On Tue, Apr 13, 2010 at 3:57 PM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > Misguiding or believing wrong things in your eye does not mean, that I > believe or argue is absolutely wrong. Let others decide whether my > arguments/belief are wrong or right. > > > > Nothing I am writing here with anybody's guidance. I never met even single > politician in my life accept late Mr. Haren Pandya that is also as his > friend's neighbor. Yes I am not believe in much of these surveys or datas > (since bearing a few most of them) I know how it can be fractured and can > be > derived own way. What I am writing with my instinct and general knowledge > and even I do not have much time to search the datas/sites. That's why > someone posting the good site link worth to read, I always thank/appreciate > him. > > > > Since I am worrying for my nation, so I share my thought as neutral way to > put before public in forums like sarai. I never forced to believe in my > thoughts. With my posting, many might believe that I am BJP man or soft > corner with BJP. This is not true. But, what I fill that congress vote bank > politics harmed the country more than its good work whatever did since > today. What BJP did tit for tat to counter congress politics and when came > to power at the centre, they did not come with any single step which > harmful > for any community. > > > > > > > > From: Rakesh Iyer [mailto:rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com] > Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 3:21 PM > To: Bipin Trivedi > Cc: anupam chakravartty; sarai-list > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE > > > > Dear Bipin > > I have never said that you are the 'enemy' of a nation, be it any nation > including ours. My thoughts are based on the assumption that you are > misguided or believe in wrong things but are not a bad human being who > selfishly propagats things while not believing in an iota of them. > > The day you do so, you are not just enemy of a nation, but of the > humankind. > > > Rakesh > > > > _________________________________________ > 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 Tue Apr 13 17:01:12 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 17:01:12 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: References: <7BB75BD2-5666-4337-944F-7137280D296D@sarai.net> Message-ID: Source : http://www.merinews.com/article/jnu-an-oasis-for-maoists-and-naxalites/15803839.shtml NAXALITES, THE most deadly terrorists of our time have staunch supporters in India’s most famous university Jawahar Lal Nehru University. Though these pro-Maoist students are a small section of student community, but they manage to express their viewpoint very widely as they get very strong support from media, administration and political leaders. They also get support of some students vouching for caste based politics, their small numbers get presented in a big way in media as they are well known to media houses. All this supports is exploited by them when it comes to defend the killings of poor Adivasis and poor security personnel who thrive their families on mere few thousands of salaries. These Maoist-Naxalites students’ wings are comprised of two main organizations: AISA (All India Student Associations) and DSU (Democratic Students Union). AISA says, ‘Naxalbari lal Salam’ (Naxalbari Red Salute) while DSU says, ‘Naxalbari ek Hi Rasta’ (Naxalbari the only way). This is the reason they are well known as Naxalites among common students. Most of the time they are supporters of each other and often they violently oppose nationalist student organizations like YFE (Youth For Equality), AVBP (Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishad), NSUI (National Student Union of India). The barbaric killing of 76 CRPF personnel was mourned by YFE, ABVP and NSUI. YFE is still lighting candles in each hostel to pay homage to the souls of our security forces, who died for our national integrity. However, Dantewara attack was vindicated by DSU and AISA and a celebration was organized in form of a movie show on the next night. It was an open support to naxalites, this act irked most of the students and the programmed was opposed. Due to large participation in anti-naxalite procession AISA came with mild words against the ‘killings’ still their pamphlet was more against government and less against killer Maoists. It is strange to see that AISA and DSU, openly support Maoists and Islamic Terrorists, SAR Gilani and all possible insurgents from North East. Maoist poets and thinkers are openly called and honoured by them within JNU premises and JNU administration silently support such acts. The Batla House encounter was held ‘fake’ by DSU and AISA, Kashmiri separatists are praised by them… but still with administration’s passive support they are able to retain JNUSU funds, offices for three years. The various clubs are also with them and administration has still to say anything on fund’s misappropriation by these naxalites. Despite memorandums, letters to VC, requests and warnings by YFE, ABVP, NSUI and many common students, these Maoists are performing well and smoothly with JNU administration’s permissive attitude towards them. The deadliest attack of Dantewara is not just an attack against India but also a hideous act against human rights. All concerned students have formed an organization to combat the naxal menace in JNU campus in name of ‘Student Against Naxalism’. On 11th April a huge solidarity march was organized by Student Against Naxalim, and they are also called a protest against administration on 12th April for allowing Naxalites activities in campus. The presence of Naxalites in campus has not only promoted anti-national environment but also spread bitter division among students on caste and religion lines. The divisive students group are trapped by these naxalites on some caste issues but implicated that support for their main business of Naxal terrorism. >> 2010/4/12 Pawan Durani >> >> http://janatantra.com/2010/04/08/mukesh-kumar-singh-on-naxal-attack/ >>> >>> इस युद्ध में नक्सलियों का सफाया ज़रूरी है >>> >>> युद्ध की परिभाषा क्या होनी चाहिए? क्या कोई माई का लाल हमारी सरकार को >>> ये समझा सकता है? देश के सामने आज यही सवाल खड़ा है। हम युद्धरत हैं। >>> हमारी सरकार को ये समझ में नहीं आ रहा है। विपक्षी पार्टियां भी उसे समझा >>> नहीं पा रही हैं। कुछ अपनी सरकारों की नाकामी को छिपाने के लिए तो कुछ >>> इसलिए कि हम्माम में सारे नंगे हैं। लोकतंत्र में सरकार भले ही >>> गूंगी-बहरी और निकम्मी हो जाए लेकिन अगर विपक्ष का हाल भी ऐसा हो तो कैसे >>> जागेगी सरकार? कैसे समझेगी और कौन समझाएगा? जनता की बारी तो पांच साल पर >>> आती है। >>> >>> नक्सलवाद की लाल धारा देश के कम से कम 13 राज्यों में बह रही है। >>> नक्सलियों ने अपने इलाके में रहने वाले करोड़ों लोगों को बंधक बना रखा >>> है। लाखों वर्ग किलोमीटर पर इनका अवैध कब्ज़ा है। वहां सरकार और कानून का >>> राज नाम की कोई चीज़ नहीं है। नक्सली हज़ारों सिपाहियों को हर साल मौत की >>> गोद में पहुंचा देते हैं। करोड़ों की सम्पत्ति बर्बाद करते हैं। खुद गृह >>> मंत्री और प्रधानमंत्री भी नक्सलियों को देश का सबसे बड़ा खतरा और यहां >>> तक कि ‘वार अगेंस्ट पीपुल्स एंड स्टेट’ यानी ‘देश और जनता पर हमला’ बता >>> चुके हैं। वो ये भी कह चुके हैं कि ये सबसे बड़ी समस्याओं में से एक है। >>> वो इसे खुल्लम-खुल्ला युद्ध का नाम नहीं देना चाहते हैं। >>> >>> वजह साफ है। साहस नदारद है। नक्सलियों का सफाया करने की बात तो की जाती >>> है लेकिन कहा जाता है, इसमें समय लगेगा। दो-तीन साल या उससे ज़्यादा भी >>> लग सकते हैं। सरकार पूरी कोशिश कर रही है। लेकिन युद्ध की सारी परिभाषाओं >>> पर खरा उतरने के बावजूद नक्सलियों को देश का दुश्मन कहने से परहेज़ हो >>> रहा है। युद्ध को युद्ध कहने की हिम्मत नहीं हो रही है। युद्ध को विद्रोह >>> का नाम देकर नेताओं की जमात पूरे देश को बहला रही है। इसकी एक वजह और है >>> कि सरकारें नहीं चाहती है कि कल को उन्हें जनता को ये जबाव देना पड़े कि >>> आखिर इस युद्ध के लिए ज़िम्मेदार कौन है? >>> >>> ज़िम्मेदारी तो सरकार की है कि क्योंकि युद्ध देश के नागरिकों ने ही >>> छेड़ा है। कदाचित अपनी सतत उपेक्षा से अपमानित होकर। अपनी अमिट गरीबी और >>> शोषण से प्रताड़ित होकर। अपनी ही सरकार के खिलाफ। लेकिन दुर्भाग्य से >>> बगैर किसी राजनीतिक लक्ष्य के। नक्सलियों की सिर्फ यही कमज़ोरी है। उनका >>> राजनीतिक लक्ष्य साफ नहीं है। वो मौजूदा व्यवस्था के तो विरोधी है लेकिन >>> नयी व्यवस्था का जो मॉडल उनके पास है, उसमें भी न्याय और बराबरी नहीं है। >>> सच्चाई और इमानदारी नहीं है। समाज को कहां पहुंचाना चाहते हैं, इसकी >>> रणनीति नहीं है। वो सिर्फ एक खराब और गैरजबावदेह तंत्र के ऐसे विकल्प के >>> रूप में खड़े हैं, जो खुद बर्बर, नृशंस, आतंकी और अमानवीय है। उसका न्याय >>> ‘जिसकी लाठी, उसकी भैंस’ जैसा है। >>> >>> इसीलिए सरकार को सबसे पहले युद्ध को युद्ध कहने और मानने का साहस दिखाना >>> चाहिए। युद्ध मान लें तो फिर कमान सेना के हवाले होनी चाहिए। सेना का काम >>> ही है — युद्ध करना औऱ दुश्मन को परास्त करके उसे अनुशासित और अधीन >>> बनाना। सेना को भी आक्रमण की ललकार आधे-अधूरे मन से नहीं दी जानी चाहिए। >>> उसे पूरी ताकत से दुश्मन के सफाये का राजनीतिक आदेश सत्ता के शीर्ष से >>> सरेआम मिलना चाहिए। सेना पर ये अंकुश नहीं होना चाहिए कि तो तोप का >>> इस्तेमाल नहीं करेगी, मिसाइल नहीं दागेगी, टैंक नहीं दौड़ाएगी या हवाई >>> हमले नहीं करेगी। क्योंकि युद्ध तो युद्ध है। उसकी श्रेणियां बनाएंगे तो >>> कश्मीर और नगालैंड के किस्से ही दोहराए जाएंगे। हज़ारों और सिपाही शहीद >>> करने पड़ेंगे। उन माताओं के लाल औऱ बहन-बेटियों का सुहाग कुर्बान करना >>> पड़ेगा जो युद्ध को विद्रोह मानने के लिए मज़बूर होकर मुकाबले में अपने >>> प्राणों का उत्सर्ग करते हैं। >>> >>> अब ज़रा हमारे शहीद सिपाहियों का कसूर तो देखिए! नक्सलवाद की वजह से >>> निपटने का ज़िम्मा हमारे जिन हुक्मरानों के पास है, वो नाकाम रहे हैं। >>> कानून-व्यवस्था राज्य का विषय है। पुलिस का काम है। राज्य सरकारों ने >>> पुलिस और अदालत को निकम्मा बनाकर रखा है। वो सत्ताधारी पार्टी के लठौत से >>> ज़्यादा और कुछ नहीं है। आम आदमी को न्याय देने और कानून का राज >>> सुनिश्चित करने के लिए पुलिस का इस्तेमाल होता ही कब है! कभी हुआ भी ही >>> नहीं है। वो नेताओं और प्रभावशाली लोगों के लिए निजी सुरक्षा गार्ड की >>> तरह है जिसका बोझ जनता के टैक्स के पैसों से उठाया जाता है। बाकी जनता को >>> अपनी सामान्य ज़रूरतों के लिए भी अलग से और अपने बूते सुरक्षा गार्ड का >>> इंतज़ाम करना पड़ता है। >>> >>> हुकूमत के निक्कमेपन से जब हालात बेकाबू हो जाते हैं तो भ्रष्ट और पतित >>> पुलिस से उम्मीदें की जाती हैं। कल तक नाइंसाफी की मिसाल बनी रही पुलिस >>> से सरकार इंसाफ बहाल करने की उम्मीद करती है। ऐसी उम्मीद न तो पुलिस से >>> पूरी हो सकती है और ना ही होती है। केन्द्र और राज्य दोनों ही सरकारों के >>> पाप को धोने के लिए अर्धसैनिक बल को लगाया जाता है। ये पुलिस का विकल्प >>> कभी नहीं बन पाते। बन भी नहीं सकते और बनना भी नहीं चाहिए। पुलिस की >>> वेशभूषा वाले अर्धसैनिकों से न तो पुलिस के काम की अपेक्षा होती है और ना >>> ही सेना के दायित्व की। ये पुलिस के काम में भी कमज़ोर होते हैं और सेना >>> के भी। इनकी ट्रेनिंग ही ऐसी होती है। इसकी क्षमता और प्रतिभा इनके नाम >>> ‘अर्धसैनिक’ से ही साफ समझी जा सकती है। ये सिर्फ पुलिस से बेहतर >>> चौकीदारी कर सकते हैं। युद्ध ये लड़ ही नहीं सकते। ये तो बेचारे सरकार के >>> नाम पर शहीद होने के लिए ही बने हैं। ज़्यादा से ज़्यादा पुलिस और >>> अर्धसैनिक बल में इतना ही फर्क हो सकता है कि पहला राज्य सरकार की खातिर >>> और दूसरा केन्द्र सरकार की खातिर शहीद होने के लिए अभिशप्त है। >>> >>> युद्ध लड़ना सेना का काम है। उसे युद्ध के लिए ही तैयार किया जाता है। >>> युद्ध ही उसका संकल्प है और विजय ही उसका धर्म। सेना में ही साधनहीनता के >>> बावजूद फतह हासिल करने का कौशल और मनोबल होता है। यही उसका सबसे बड़ा >>> पराक्रम है। सेना को साधन मुहैया कराने के लिए देश किसी भी सीमा तक जाने >>> को तत्पर होता है। जबकि पुलिस के साधनों का दायरा स्वार्थी सरकारें तय >>> करती है। >>> >>> कश्मीर और बाकी अशांत क्षेत्रों में युद्ध को लेकर सरकार की ये सीमा तो >>> समझ में आती है कि दुश्मन सीमा पार से दांव खेल रहा है। सीमा लांघने से >>> अंतर्राष्ट्रीय दबाव की समस्या खड़ी हो जाएगी। परमाणु युद्ध की आशंका >>> पैदा हो जाएगी। महाविनाश की नौबत आ जाएगी। अर्थव्यवस्था पर विकराल बोझ >>> पड़ेगा। इससे गरीब और बदहाल हो जाएंगे। लेकिन नक्सलियों के मामले में तो >>> ऐसा नहीं है कि उनके प्रशिक्षण शिविर पाक अधिकृत कश्मीर में चल रहे हैं। >>> वहां भारत सरकार की लाचारी है। नक्सली तो सब कुछ देश में ही कर रहे हैं। >>> देश में ही इनके प्रशिक्षण शिविर हैं। यहीं पुलिस की हत्या करके वो उनके >>> हथियार लूट लेते हैं। मौका लगे तो जेल पर धावा बोल देते हैं। थाना लूट >>> लेते हैं। सड़क और रेल की पटरी उखाड़ देते हैं। >>> >>> इसीलिए सरकार का युद्ध का एलान करना चाहिए। सेना को हर हाल में फतह का >>> हुक्म मिलना चाहिए। सेना पर कोई बंदिश नहीं होनी चाहिए। न ज़मीनी और ना >>> ही हवाई। मानवाधिकारों की कोई बात नहीं होनी चाहिए। इसके लिए राजनीतिक >>> इच्छा शक्ति जुटाई होगी। ये कहने से बात नहीं बनेगी कि नक्सली तृणमूल के >>> नज़दीकी हैं या वामपंथियों के। चंद बंधकों की रिहाई के लिए अगर कंधार >>> जाकर आतंकवादियों को छोड़ा जा सकता है तो ज़रा सोचिए नक्सलियों ने जिन >>> करोड़ों लोगों को बंधक बना रखा है, उनके लिए हुकूमत को किस सीमा तक जाना >>> चाहिए! संविधान में कहां ऐसा लिखा कि अगर देश के ही कुछ भटके हुए लोग देश >>> के ही खिलाफ युद्ध छेड़ दें तो भी सरकार को उसे युद्ध नहीं मानना चाहिए! >>> मानवाधिकारों को लेकर अगर किसी को संदेह है तो सरकार को युद्ध की परिभाषा >>> को साफ करना चाहिए। वर्ना नक्सलियों जैसे खराब नागरिकों के सामने >>> सिपाहियों जैसे तिरंगा प्रमियों की बलि जारी रहेगी। फिर भले ही हम अपनी >>> सुविधा के मुताबिक बलि को शहीद के रूप में परिभाषित करते रहें। >>> >>> ((मुकेश कुमार सिंह ज़ी न्यूज़ में वरिष्ठ विशेष संवाददाता हैं। आप उनसे >>> mukesh1765 at gmail.com पर संपर्क कर सकते हैं।) >>> >> >> > _________________________________________ > 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 iram at sarai.net Tue Apr 13 17:27:21 2010 From: iram at sarai.net (Iram Ghufran) Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 17:57:21 +0600 Subject: [Reader-list] Fwd: Art Karavan presentations Message-ID: <4BC45C21.4040902@sarai.net> Subject: art karavan presentaion From: Inder Salim Date: 11:17 To: Art Karavan presentations: > our first exhibtion of works is at MF Hussain Gallery on 14th at 6. pm > on 15th we have a presentation at SARAI at 5pm > and at 16th we have presentation at LKA > on 17th we have presentation at JNU at 4 pm and 6 pm onwards we have performances in the campus. From pawan.durani at gmail.com Tue Apr 13 18:06:00 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 18:06:00 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Gita Sahgal quits Amnesty International Message-ID: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World-Indians-Abroad/Gita-Sahgal-quits-Amnesty-International-/articleshow/5797281.cms?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter LONDON: Gita Sahgal, a senior Indian-origin official at Amnesty International, under suspension for complaining that the human rights body was too closely linked to a pro-jihadi group, has quit her job, saying her 7-years campaigning for women's rights had been a waste of time. Sahgal claimed the Amnesty's links with Moazzam Begg, a former inmate at Guantanamo Bay, and his organisation Cageprisoners were undermining its campaigns. She was suspended as the interim head of Amnesty's gender unit in February after the e-mail she sent to her bosses criticising the links with Begg was made public. 53-year-old Sahgal said that she felt that her seven years' campaigning for women's rights had been a waste of time due to the charity's continuing work with the former prison-camp detainee and his group. "Their continued link to Moazzam Begg and Cageprisoners undermines Amnesty's claims to stand against gender-based violence and religious discrimination," she said. "He supports Islamic states where women are second-class citizens," she said. Cageprisoners, a pressure group, has defended some jihadi Muslim prisoners, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks. 42-year-old Begg is part of an Amnesty-hosted tour that is urging countries to offer a haven to former Guantanamo detainees. From c.anupam at gmail.com Tue Apr 13 18:08:48 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 18:08:48 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: References: <7BB75BD2-5666-4337-944F-7137280D296D@sarai.net> Message-ID: For your kind information Pawan: here's is the disclaimer that the website merinews.com has published regarding the information disseminated by the people who write for it: http://www.merinews.com/disclaimer.jsp Bizsol Advisors Pvt. ltd has taken every care in the preparation of this web site, but Bizsol Advisors Pvt. ltd makes no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, as to the operation of the site or the accuracy or completeness of information, content, materials, or products included on this site. Opinions expressed in reviews or articles exhibited on this site are not necessarily those of Bizsol Advisors Pvt. ltd. Bizsol Advisors Pvt. ltd will not be liable for any damages of any kind to any person arising from the use of this site. Certain hotlinks in this site will lead to websites, which are not under the control of Bizsol Advisors Pvt. ltd. When you activate any of these you will leave Bizsol Advisors Pvt. ltd's website and Bizsol Advisors Pvt. ltd has no control over and will accept no liability for these sites and the material that you find exhibited on those sites. ENDS 2010/4/13 Pawan Durani > Source : > http://www.merinews.com/article/jnu-an-oasis-for-maoists-and-naxalites/15803839.shtml > > NAXALITES, THE most deadly terrorists of our time have staunch > supporters in India’s most famous university Jawahar Lal Nehru > University. Though these pro-Maoist students are a small section of > student community, but they manage to express their viewpoint very > widely as they get very strong support from media, administration and > political leaders. > > They also get support of some students vouching for caste based > politics, their small numbers get presented in a big way in media as > they are well known to media houses. All this supports is exploited by > them when it comes to defend the killings of poor Adivasis and poor > security personnel who thrive their families on mere few thousands of > salaries. > > These Maoist-Naxalites students’ wings are comprised of two main > organizations: AISA (All India Student Associations) and DSU > (Democratic Students Union). AISA says, ‘Naxalbari lal Salam’ > (Naxalbari Red Salute) while DSU says, ‘Naxalbari ek Hi Rasta’ > (Naxalbari the only way). This is the reason they are well known as > Naxalites among common students. Most of the time they are supporters > of each other and often they violently oppose nationalist student > organizations like YFE (Youth For Equality), AVBP (Akhil Bharatiya > Vidhyarthi Parishad), NSUI (National Student Union of India). > > The barbaric killing of 76 CRPF personnel was mourned by YFE, ABVP and > NSUI. YFE is still lighting candles in each hostel to pay homage to > the souls of our security forces, who died for our national integrity. > However, Dantewara attack was vindicated by DSU and AISA and a > celebration was organized in form of a movie show on the next night. > It was an open support to naxalites, this act irked most of the > students and the programmed was opposed. Due to large participation in > anti-naxalite procession AISA came with mild words against the > ‘killings’ still their pamphlet was more against government and less > against killer Maoists. > > It is strange to see that AISA and DSU, openly support Maoists and > Islamic Terrorists, SAR Gilani and all possible insurgents from North > East. Maoist poets and thinkers are openly called and honoured by them > within JNU premises and JNU administration silently support such acts. > The Batla House encounter was held ‘fake’ by DSU and AISA, Kashmiri > separatists are praised by them… but still with administration’s > passive support they are able to retain JNUSU funds, offices for three > years. The various clubs are also with them and administration has > still to say anything on fund’s misappropriation by these naxalites. > > Despite memorandums, letters to VC, requests and warnings by YFE, > ABVP, NSUI and many common students, these Maoists are performing well > and smoothly with JNU administration’s permissive attitude towards > them. > > The deadliest attack of Dantewara is not just an attack against India > but also a hideous act against human rights. All concerned students > have formed an organization to combat the naxal menace in JNU campus > in name of ‘Student Against Naxalism’. On 11th April a huge solidarity > march was organized by Student Against Naxalim, and they are also > called a protest against administration on 12th April for allowing > Naxalites activities in campus. > > The presence of Naxalites in campus has not only promoted > anti-national environment but also spread bitter division among > students on caste and religion lines. The divisive students group are > trapped by these naxalites on some caste issues but implicated that > support for their main business of Naxal terrorism. > > > > > > >> 2010/4/12 Pawan Durani > >> > >> http://janatantra.com/2010/04/08/mukesh-kumar-singh-on-naxal-attack/ > >>> > >>> इस युद्ध में नक्सलियों का सफाया ज़रूरी है > >>> > >>> युद्ध की परिभाषा क्या होनी चाहिए? क्या कोई माई का लाल हमारी सरकार को > >>> ये समझा सकता है? देश के सामने आज यही सवाल खड़ा है। हम युद्धरत हैं। > >>> हमारी सरकार को ये समझ में नहीं आ रहा है। विपक्षी पार्टियां भी उसे समझा > >>> नहीं पा रही हैं। कुछ अपनी सरकारों की नाकामी को छिपाने के लिए तो कुछ > >>> इसलिए कि हम्माम में सारे नंगे हैं। लोकतंत्र में सरकार भले ही > >>> गूंगी-बहरी और निकम्मी हो जाए लेकिन अगर विपक्ष का हाल भी ऐसा हो तो कैसे > >>> जागेगी सरकार? कैसे समझेगी और कौन समझाएगा? जनता की बारी तो पांच साल पर > >>> आती है। > >>> > >>> नक्सलवाद की लाल धारा देश के कम से कम 13 राज्यों में बह रही है। > >>> नक्सलियों ने अपने इलाके में रहने वाले करोड़ों लोगों को बंधक बना रखा > >>> है। लाखों वर्ग किलोमीटर पर इनका अवैध कब्ज़ा है। वहां सरकार और कानून का > >>> राज नाम की कोई चीज़ नहीं है। नक्सली हज़ारों सिपाहियों को हर साल मौत की > >>> गोद में पहुंचा देते हैं। करोड़ों की सम्पत्ति बर्बाद करते हैं। खुद गृह > >>> मंत्री और प्रधानमंत्री भी नक्सलियों को देश का सबसे बड़ा खतरा और यहां > >>> तक कि ‘वार अगेंस्ट पीपुल्स एंड स्टेट’ यानी ‘देश और जनता पर हमला’ बता > >>> चुके हैं। वो ये भी कह चुके हैं कि ये सबसे बड़ी समस्याओं में से एक है। > >>> वो इसे खुल्लम-खुल्ला युद्ध का नाम नहीं देना चाहते हैं। > >>> > >>> वजह साफ है। साहस नदारद है। नक्सलियों का सफाया करने की बात तो की जाती > >>> है लेकिन कहा जाता है, इसमें समय लगेगा। दो-तीन साल या उससे ज़्यादा भी > >>> लग सकते हैं। सरकार पूरी कोशिश कर रही है। लेकिन युद्ध की सारी परिभाषाओं > >>> पर खरा उतरने के बावजूद नक्सलियों को देश का दुश्मन कहने से परहेज़ हो > >>> रहा है। युद्ध को युद्ध कहने की हिम्मत नहीं हो रही है। युद्ध को विद्रोह > >>> का नाम देकर नेताओं की जमात पूरे देश को बहला रही है। इसकी एक वजह और है > >>> कि सरकारें नहीं चाहती है कि कल को उन्हें जनता को ये जबाव देना पड़े कि > >>> आखिर इस युद्ध के लिए ज़िम्मेदार कौन है? > >>> > >>> ज़िम्मेदारी तो सरकार की है कि क्योंकि युद्ध देश के नागरिकों ने ही > >>> छेड़ा है। कदाचित अपनी सतत उपेक्षा से अपमानित होकर। अपनी अमिट गरीबी और > >>> शोषण से प्रताड़ित होकर। अपनी ही सरकार के खिलाफ। लेकिन दुर्भाग्य से > >>> बगैर किसी राजनीतिक लक्ष्य के। नक्सलियों की सिर्फ यही कमज़ोरी है। उनका > >>> राजनीतिक लक्ष्य साफ नहीं है। वो मौजूदा व्यवस्था के तो विरोधी है लेकिन > >>> नयी व्यवस्था का जो मॉडल उनके पास है, उसमें भी न्याय और बराबरी नहीं है। > >>> सच्चाई और इमानदारी नहीं है। समाज को कहां पहुंचाना चाहते हैं, इसकी > >>> रणनीति नहीं है। वो सिर्फ एक खराब और गैरजबावदेह तंत्र के ऐसे विकल्प के > >>> रूप में खड़े हैं, जो खुद बर्बर, नृशंस, आतंकी और अमानवीय है। उसका न्याय > >>> ‘जिसकी लाठी, उसकी भैंस’ जैसा है। > >>> > >>> इसीलिए सरकार को सबसे पहले युद्ध को युद्ध कहने और मानने का साहस दिखाना > >>> चाहिए। युद्ध मान लें तो फिर कमान सेना के हवाले होनी चाहिए। सेना का काम > >>> ही है — युद्ध करना औऱ दुश्मन को परास्त करके उसे अनुशासित और अधीन > >>> बनाना। सेना को भी आक्रमण की ललकार आधे-अधूरे मन से नहीं दी जानी चाहिए। > >>> उसे पूरी ताकत से दुश्मन के सफाये का राजनीतिक आदेश सत्ता के शीर्ष से > >>> सरेआम मिलना चाहिए। सेना पर ये अंकुश नहीं होना चाहिए कि तो तोप का > >>> इस्तेमाल नहीं करेगी, मिसाइल नहीं दागेगी, टैंक नहीं दौड़ाएगी या हवाई > >>> हमले नहीं करेगी। क्योंकि युद्ध तो युद्ध है। उसकी श्रेणियां बनाएंगे तो > >>> कश्मीर और नगालैंड के किस्से ही दोहराए जाएंगे। हज़ारों और सिपाही शहीद > >>> करने पड़ेंगे। उन माताओं के लाल औऱ बहन-बेटियों का सुहाग कुर्बान करना > >>> पड़ेगा जो युद्ध को विद्रोह मानने के लिए मज़बूर होकर मुकाबले में अपने > >>> प्राणों का उत्सर्ग करते हैं। > >>> > >>> अब ज़रा हमारे शहीद सिपाहियों का कसूर तो देखिए! नक्सलवाद की वजह से > >>> निपटने का ज़िम्मा हमारे जिन हुक्मरानों के पास है, वो नाकाम रहे हैं। > >>> कानून-व्यवस्था राज्य का विषय है। पुलिस का काम है। राज्य सरकारों ने > >>> पुलिस और अदालत को निकम्मा बनाकर रखा है। वो सत्ताधारी पार्टी के लठौत से > >>> ज़्यादा और कुछ नहीं है। आम आदमी को न्याय देने और कानून का राज > >>> सुनिश्चित करने के लिए पुलिस का इस्तेमाल होता ही कब है! कभी हुआ भी ही > >>> नहीं है। वो नेताओं और प्रभावशाली लोगों के लिए निजी सुरक्षा गार्ड की > >>> तरह है जिसका बोझ जनता के टैक्स के पैसों से उठाया जाता है। बाकी जनता को > >>> अपनी सामान्य ज़रूरतों के लिए भी अलग से और अपने बूते सुरक्षा गार्ड का > >>> इंतज़ाम करना पड़ता है। > >>> > >>> हुकूमत के निक्कमेपन से जब हालात बेकाबू हो जाते हैं तो भ्रष्ट और पतित > >>> पुलिस से उम्मीदें की जाती हैं। कल तक नाइंसाफी की मिसाल बनी रही पुलिस > >>> से सरकार इंसाफ बहाल करने की उम्मीद करती है। ऐसी उम्मीद न तो पुलिस से > >>> पूरी हो सकती है और ना ही होती है। केन्द्र और राज्य दोनों ही सरकारों के > >>> पाप को धोने के लिए अर्धसैनिक बल को लगाया जाता है। ये पुलिस का विकल्प > >>> कभी नहीं बन पाते। बन भी नहीं सकते और बनना भी नहीं चाहिए। पुलिस की > >>> वेशभूषा वाले अर्धसैनिकों से न तो पुलिस के काम की अपेक्षा होती है और ना > >>> ही सेना के दायित्व की। ये पुलिस के काम में भी कमज़ोर होते हैं और सेना > >>> के भी। इनकी ट्रेनिंग ही ऐसी होती है। इसकी क्षमता और प्रतिभा इनके नाम > >>> ‘अर्धसैनिक’ से ही साफ समझी जा सकती है। ये सिर्फ पुलिस से बेहतर > >>> चौकीदारी कर सकते हैं। युद्ध ये लड़ ही नहीं सकते। ये तो बेचारे सरकार के > >>> नाम पर शहीद होने के लिए ही बने हैं। ज़्यादा से ज़्यादा पुलिस और > >>> अर्धसैनिक बल में इतना ही फर्क हो सकता है कि पहला राज्य सरकार की खातिर > >>> और दूसरा केन्द्र सरकार की खातिर शहीद होने के लिए अभिशप्त है। > >>> > >>> युद्ध लड़ना सेना का काम है। उसे युद्ध के लिए ही तैयार किया जाता है। > >>> युद्ध ही उसका संकल्प है और विजय ही उसका धर्म। सेना में ही साधनहीनता के > >>> बावजूद फतह हासिल करने का कौशल और मनोबल होता है। यही उसका सबसे बड़ा > >>> पराक्रम है। सेना को साधन मुहैया कराने के लिए देश किसी भी सीमा तक जाने > >>> को तत्पर होता है। जबकि पुलिस के साधनों का दायरा स्वार्थी सरकारें तय > >>> करती है। > >>> > >>> कश्मीर और बाकी अशांत क्षेत्रों में युद्ध को लेकर सरकार की ये सीमा तो > >>> समझ में आती है कि दुश्मन सीमा पार से दांव खेल रहा है। सीमा लांघने से > >>> अंतर्राष्ट्रीय दबाव की समस्या खड़ी हो जाएगी। परमाणु युद्ध की आशंका > >>> पैदा हो जाएगी। महाविनाश की नौबत आ जाएगी। अर्थव्यवस्था पर विकराल बोझ > >>> पड़ेगा। इससे गरीब और बदहाल हो जाएंगे। लेकिन नक्सलियों के मामले में तो > >>> ऐसा नहीं है कि उनके प्रशिक्षण शिविर पाक अधिकृत कश्मीर में चल रहे हैं। > >>> वहां भारत सरकार की लाचारी है। नक्सली तो सब कुछ देश में ही कर रहे हैं। > >>> देश में ही इनके प्रशिक्षण शिविर हैं। यहीं पुलिस की हत्या करके वो उनके > >>> हथियार लूट लेते हैं। मौका लगे तो जेल पर धावा बोल देते हैं। थाना लूट > >>> लेते हैं। सड़क और रेल की पटरी उखाड़ देते हैं। > >>> > >>> इसीलिए सरकार का युद्ध का एलान करना चाहिए। सेना को हर हाल में फतह का > >>> हुक्म मिलना चाहिए। सेना पर कोई बंदिश नहीं होनी चाहिए। न ज़मीनी और ना > >>> ही हवाई। मानवाधिकारों की कोई बात नहीं होनी चाहिए। इसके लिए राजनीतिक > >>> इच्छा शक्ति जुटाई होगी। ये कहने से बात नहीं बनेगी कि नक्सली तृणमूल के > >>> नज़दीकी हैं या वामपंथियों के। चंद बंधकों की रिहाई के लिए अगर कंधार > >>> जाकर आतंकवादियों को छोड़ा जा सकता है तो ज़रा सोचिए नक्सलियों ने जिन > >>> करोड़ों लोगों को बंधक बना रखा है, उनके लिए हुकूमत को किस सीमा तक जाना > >>> चाहिए! संविधान में कहां ऐसा लिखा कि अगर देश के ही कुछ भटके हुए लोग देश > >>> के ही खिलाफ युद्ध छेड़ दें तो भी सरकार को उसे युद्ध नहीं मानना चाहिए! > >>> मानवाधिकारों को लेकर अगर किसी को संदेह है तो सरकार को युद्ध की परिभाषा > >>> को साफ करना चाहिए। वर्ना नक्सलियों जैसे खराब नागरिकों के सामने > >>> सिपाहियों जैसे तिरंगा प्रमियों की बलि जारी रहेगी। फिर भले ही हम अपनी > >>> सुविधा के मुताबिक बलि को शहीद के रूप में परिभाषित करते रहें। > >>> > >>> ((मुकेश कुमार सिंह ज़ी न्यूज़ में वरिष्ठ विशेष संवाददाता हैं। आप उनसे > >>> mukesh1765 at gmail.com पर संपर्क कर सकते हैं।) > >>> > >> > >> > > _________________________________________ > > 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 Tue Apr 13 18:17:33 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 18:17:33 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: References: <7BB75BD2-5666-4337-944F-7137280D296D@sarai.net> Message-ID: http://www.idsa.in/idsacomments/MaoistChallengeThePartyshallbeover_pvramana_130410 Maoist Challenge: The Party shall be over! P. V. Ramana April 13, 2010 The massacre of 76 police personnel, on April 6, 2010, in Dantewada district, in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh, by Naxalites of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), or CPI (Maoist), sent shock waves across the country and, understandably, generated the impression that the Indian state is losing the battle against the Maoists. The chilling massacre, naturally, provoked angry reactions and decrying of the security forces. Let us face the stark reality! Bastar is central to the Maoists’ principal objective of capturing state power. Therefore, they shall not ‘tolerate’ any disturbance, but shall fight it out. It is a war and there are bound to be casualties on both sides –– the state and the rebels. It is also becoming evident that personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force did not ‘strictly’ adhere to the laid-down Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). It would be wiser to leave to a Court of Inquiry that would be constituted by the CRPF to inquire into the reasons for the avoidable, unfortunate and heart wrenching deaths. But the CRPF shall have to learn its lessons, thereafter. Chhattisgarh is a unique theatre. The Naxalites staged their entry into what is now Chhattisgarh, or the current war zone –– Bastar region (which now constitutes five revenue and police districts, and is a little larger in geographical area than Kerala and a little smaller than Haryana) –– to be more precise, almost immediately after the Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninist (People’s War) was founded in 1980. From then on, the powers that be allowed the Naxalites to entrench themselves, until, say, six or seven years ago. The highest leadership of the Maoists today were, during those years, the field-commanders (local leaders), who built the outfit. Polit Bureau (PB) Member Malla Raji Reddy, who was arrested in Kerala and later escaped bail in November/December 2009, was one such person. Kishanji –– Mallojula Koteswara Rao –– who is in the news presently for leading the movement in Lalgarh, West Bengal, was another key person. His brother is Mallojula Venugopal alias Bhupathi alias Sonu, the present PB in-charge of Dandakaranya Special Zone Committee (DKSZC), who was earlier Secretary of the DKSZC. The list is vast. On the other hand, while the Naxalites were building themselves up, the State adopted an ostrich-like approach. It did not, until now, hurt Bhopal, the then capital of Madhya Pradesh, nor Gwalior, its northern-most important town, which is barely 321 km from Delhi. Therefore, Madhya Pradesh/Chhattisgarh was not only little prepared but rather disinclined to take on the Naxalites militarily. Precious little seems to have changed in the past few years. Everything seemed hunky-dory in Bastar until the ‘engagement’ began. Thus, Chhattisgarh, now, reports a large numbers of casualties, and the Maoists are seemingly determined to fight back, rather than make a tactical retreat, as they have done elsewhere say in Andhra Pradesh. Perhaps, they are ‘sure’ of themselves in Bastar and might have assessed that it is yet not time to flee. For a number of reasons that have been identified by knowledgeable persons already, a posting in Bastar is considered as ‘punishment’. Local intelligence is lacking, troop morale is low, motivation is hardly present, the leadership is not as strong as it needs to be, and infrastructure, training, etc. are yet to be geared-up to the required level. In this backdrop, it is difficult to expect results to be delivered on the ground by the Chhattisgarh Police. The onus, then, is laid on the central paramilitary forces (CPMFs). Here, coordination between the CPMFs and the Chhattisgarh Police is yet to reach the desired levels. This, nevertheless, does not absolve the Chhattisgarh Police of making every effort to move in the direction of gearing itself up. At the same time, CPMFs need to adhere strictly to every single SOP laid down in the manual. The hype generated in the media of an all-India offensive on the Naxalites raised the expectations of the people, and people are fickle minded with short memories. Even as the Union government was claiming that the Maoists would be put-down in two to three years, as if to cock a snook at such claims the Maoists executed one strike after another –– mowing down 24 personnel of the Eastern Frontier Rifles at the Silda camp on March 15 in West Medinipore district, West Bengal; killing 11 personnel of the Special Operations Group (SOG) near Govindapalli in a land mine blast on April 4, 2010 in Koraput district, Orissa. The watch words are ‘patience’ and ‘silent work’. The sate and the people should be prepared for a few more Dantewada-like ‘shocks’ before the tables are eventually turned on the Maoists. There have been a number of wake-up calls, but, somehow, state response has left a lot to be desired. If at all a final wake-up call was needed, it came through the medium of the Chintalnar attack. The Union Government has clearly laid-out its approach –– ‘security and development’. The affected States would also need to join-in. This has, perhaps, just begun. It is a matter of time before the party is over for the Maoists. In its totality, the Indian state is no match for the Maoists and it is eminently possible to make them wind-up their business of macabre killings, wanton destruction and irresponsible actions. From kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Tue Apr 13 19:06:32 2010 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 06:36:32 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] "How Many Deaths Before Too Many Die" (the dantewada massacre by maoists) Message-ID: <160630.17108.qm@web57201.mail.re3.yahoo.com> (weblink for this article, earlier posted here by anupam chakravartty)   Excellent article by Shoma Chaudhury (SC). The most sensible one I have read on the Maoist issue.   Any good article must be read in full since it would (as this article does) explore many aspects of an issue especially when it is as complex as the Maoist one.   The excerpts given below are not meant to convey a summary of the article but only some of contents that I found interesting.   Kshmendra    EDITED/ PARAPHRASED EXCERPTS IN RANDOM ORDER:   - The truth is, as long as the poor suffer silently, Indian democracy chugs along, doing little. If people protest peacefully, no one cares: not the media, not the government. If they organise themselves in outrage, they are berated for being disruptive and crushed. If they have grown too powerful to be crushed, the State offers talks. - (SC)   - Few — positioned anywhere on the political spectrum — can deny that the Indian Constitution is a shining document and a real existential and political counter-challenge to the Maoists. Every deformity in the Indian polity today is a corruption of the Constitution. But as organising principles for society go, there can be very few documents in the world that are more sophisticated and far-seeing. - (SC)   -  Why doesn’t the Indian State follow the Constitution? Why doesn’t it act on its own Planning Commission Report on Naxal-affected areas which advocates a development-centric approach?  - (Lawyer KG Kannabiran, who was part of the Committee of Citizens that brokered the (failed) peace talks between Maoists and the YSR Reddy government in Andhra Pradesh)   - It’s like watching two locomotives hurtling towards each other. Bent upon colliding even when all the warning signals are clearly flashing. And you can do nothing to stop it. - (Binayak Sen, when asked what he thought of the Maoist crisis and the government’s response to it.)   - These 76 dead were just a punctuation: more jawans would be sent out, more jawans would be killed. The poor being set to kill the poor. If ever there was reason to rethink strategy, surely, here it was. - (SC)   - If you watched television studio debates that night or read many of the newspapers the next morning; Livid, one-sided conversations: ill-informed, deaf, uncurious. And, most damagingly, simple-minded. - (SC)     - Are you on the side of the savages? Are you condoning Maoist violence? Why are you raising questions about police atrocities and State neglect? How can you equate our violence with their violence? How can you lump the good guys with the bad guys? - (SC describing the Anti-Maoist voices)   - On the other side, less loud but equally intractable are voices hurling blanket abuse at the State. Ignoring the slow fruits of 60 years of democracy; ignoring the genuine moral challenges the Maoists present; ignoring the inevitable corruptions of armed rebellion; willing to overlook the dangerous imperfections of one political position to vanquish the other. - (SC on the Anti-State voices)   - None of the public positions trotted out by its most voluble stakeholders really tell the whole truth. Anger then is inevitable: it arises out of each side finding itself willfully and inadequately described. - (SC)   - Drowned by the fierce volume of media debates, those who hold a third position feel an added helplessness — the helplessness of being strapped bang centre in the path of rushing trains. Yet if there is anything that can make the collision screech to a halt, it is this position: this saving in-betweeness. Which makes it imperative to outline what the third position is. And turn up its volume. (SC)   - What sort of a society are we creating? What sort of a society have we become? How will this cycle of violence end? The Maoists might have a lot to answer for, but where will we find the answers to the imperfections in ourselves? We can exterminate them physically, but what are we going to do with the big, rebuking questions they have unleashed around us? - (SC)   - How can one neutralise Maoist influence in India? Deeper answers than merely killing them; more sustainable strategies. Strategies more introspective and selftransformative. - (SC)   - The State has crushed the Naxal movement thrice before — in Bengal, in Bihar, in Andhra Pradesh. Each time thousands of Indian citizens have been killed; each time the Maoists have resurrected themselves. This is the fourth big wave. Are we finally going to accept their challenge and address “root causes”, or are we going to content ourselves with killing tens of thousands of our poor every decade? - (SC)   - “I am completely unequivocal about this, violence cannot be the answer. This growing militarisation cannot be the way forward.” - (Binayak Sen)   - “I have lived in the jungles. I have been in jail. I have been tortured by the police. And I have seen the idealism and zeal with which the Maoists work in the jungles. But I no longer believe violence can be the path.” - (a former member of the People’s War Group and close aide of their towering leader Kondapalli Seetharamaiah)   - It a measure of the deep scorn and distrust on both sides that even a hint of talks arouses two viscerally cynical reactions: the State says it’s merely a ploy on the part of the Maoists to gain time and regroup; the Maoists says it’s merely a ploy on the part of the State to bring them over ground and smash their hideouts.  - (SC)   - How can a State committed to parliamentary democracy (no matter how flawed) broker peace with an armed group whose stated resolve is to overthrow it and seize State power by 2050? - (SC giving example of reluctance-argument for the State talking to the Maoists)   - On the other hand, equally, the Maoists might ask, why should we lay down arms and join Indian democracy? Has the Indian State ever demonstrated that it speaks to peaceful people’s movements? The only reason tribal welfare has even entered contemporary national discourse — even as mere lip service — is because of the power of the gun. - ( SC giving example of reluctance-argument for the Maoists talking to the State)   - If the tribals lay down arms, will the State keep its promises, or will it ride like a storm over them, seizing their lands and stealing their resources as it has done elsewhere? And why does the Indian State have such a dismal record of speaking to people’s movements espousing just demands? The Bhopal Gas victims have never taken to arms. For 25 years they have walked the 800 miles to Delhi again and again, camping in Jantar Mantar and asking for justice: have they got it? - (SC)   - Were the people of Nandigram and Singur made stakeholders in the projects that would displace them from their emerald land? Why was the draconian Land Acquisition Act and malafide SEZ Act not thought through in equitable ways, on the sheer basis of the State’s benevolent intention? Why was the State ramming its projects through? Why did it take violent people’s resistance for these Acts to go back to the drawing board? Why are workers in Delhi being uprooted from colonies they have lived in for 30 years and being pitchforked into far-flung wastelands where there are no schools, no health centres, no toilets, no roads, no public transport merely to beautify the city for 12 days of Commonwealth Games? Why do the people of Sohanbadra in UP have to walk miles through arsenic sludge and breathe fly ash from thermal plants? Why is it that almost every industrial project in India turns into a human rights violation — either in terms of land or labour or environmental violation or human health? - (SC)   - We could choose the path of escalated violence that will lead to a bloody civil war in the heart of the country. Or we could step back and choose the long march to social transformations that will leach away the attraction the oppressed have for the Maoists. -(SC)    - “Ultimately nobody wins a war. You can only win in an ideological and social domain.” - (GN Saibaba, a Delhi University professor and an activist)   - What is this third position then? The first and primary relief of the third position is that it is not a monolithic one: it is no soundproof room blocking out all argument that challenges its notions. It recognises that India is a complex country to run. It recognises that Home Minister Chidambaram is partially right in saying a State cannot let 234 districts slip out of its hands and some targeted use of force is called for to re-dominate those areas. But in the same breath it recognises that military action alone is suicidal. “Compassionate governance” cannot be a verbal frill attached to a machine gun. It has to be the primary soldier, the captain of the guard. In the third position, courage lies in rethinking fundamental directions of our society. It lies in acknowledging that Maoists are not merely demonic outsiders but a complex grid of Indians driven in equal parts by ideology, desperation and new political awakening. -(SC)   - “It is ridiculous to attack everyone just because they have a view on the Maoist issue as anything more than just a ‘menace’. While there’s no alternative to a State defending itself to a challenge by insurgents, we have to ask ourselves why this insurgency is confined to 5th Schedule Areas (ie, tribal) areas. And as long as our ideas of development is restricted to gains for people like Vedanta and POSCO and Tata and Essar and the Mittals, and we allow them to exploit tribal resources, the tribals are bound to see this development not as desired but disruptive. The point is, we have to define the difference between ‘participatory development’ and ‘aggressive development’.” - (veteran Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar)   - Read the 73rd Amendment along with Article 243G and 243ZD of the Constitution, he urges. Let all states governments implement PESA — (Provisions of the Panchayat [Extension to Scheduled Areas] 1996) — on the ground. Invoke the provisions of the Forest Act to give full ownership of forest produce to tribals. And watch the miracles start to flow. - ( Mani Shankar Aiyar's inspiring list of simple measures, constitutional provisions and visionary legislations that can begin to effect change.)   - For middle-class audiences, PESA is probably the least known piece of legislation, yet it is sheer genius in its simplicity. It prescribes that no proposal of a Panchayat, no disbursal of funds, and no use of common property resources can be sanctioned without the permission of the Gram Sabha. Unlike the Panchayat which has elected members, the Gram Sabha includes every adult member of a village community. This consultative process is the most elemental step of a democracy and it effectively ensures that tribals can take full control of their lives, finances and functionaries — cutting out the corruptions of an alien bureaucracy. - (SC)   - “It is misleading to suggest all these areas have slipped out of government control. Even in Naxal-affected areas, only some thanas are under their control. The rest are all under State control. We should immediately implement full-fledged Panchayati Raj and PESA in these thanas. We can win this only if we construct a real and shining alternative to the Maoist-led government.” (Mani Shankar Aiyar)   - “If the Tatas and Ambanis can own vast tracts of land and the government deems private property as sacred, how is it that we think of community property as something that the government can take over? The tribals have owned these forests since time immemorial. This tradition was only disrupted when the British entered the forests of Dandakaranya. Can’t democratic India restore the the rights over this forest back to its own people? Finally, if middle-class Indians can have shares in corporate projects, why can’t tribals be made stakeholders in projects that ursurp their land?” - (Mani Shankar Aiyar)   - “There is a failure of governance, a real crisis of credibility among the lower level functionaries. The whole judicial system, for instance, relies on the patwari and thanedar. If they tamper with an FIR or land paper, how can the system work? We have to think of alternative forms of governance. We have 32 states — let there be 10,000 forms of local government in them. We have to take the traditions of each community and work within that to implement democratic ideals.” - (Rural Minister CP Joshi, who was handpicked by Rahul Gandhi and whose ministry report on ‘State Agrarian Relations’ spoke of Operation Green Hunt as the “biggest land grab in the history of India”),   - “When governance fails to reach people, such movements are bound to gain strength.” - (Rahul Gandhi at a press conference in Chhattisgarh, asked about the Maoist crisis)   - So before the memory of the 76 jawans fades, here’s the question again: what route is India going to take now? - (SC)   - Barely weeks after her husband’s gory murder at the hands of Maoists, she was pleading with the government not for revenge but a non-military approach to resolve the Maoist crisis. - ( widow of beheaded policeman, Francis Induwar )   - It is futile to remind them that they are our elected representatives and democracy demands we hold them more accountable than the Maoists; futile to remind them that we expect the State to have a greater morality than the outlaws they are combating. Futile to assert that our constitutional concern about the nature of the Indian State does not equate to support for the Maoists. Violence can only legitimise itself by painting broad pictures of Good and Evil, by painting itself the Avenger. - (SC)   - A cardinal rule of leadership that leaders often forget is the powerful symbolism of taking the unilaterally ethical stand. Not contingent on the good behaviour of others. (SC)   EDITED/ PARAPHRASED EXCERPTS IN RANDOM ORDER from: http://www.tehelka.com/story_main44.asp?filename=Ne170410how_many.asp   From rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com Tue Apr 13 19:35:55 2010 From: rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com (Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi) Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 19:35:55 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] "How Many Deaths Before Too Many Die" (the dantewada massacre by maoists) In-Reply-To: <160630.17108.qm@web57201.mail.re3.yahoo.com> References: <160630.17108.qm@web57201.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Kshemendra, very thought provoking excerpts and the article truly reflects average indian citizens mind in thoughts, that the party entrusted with governance in democratic rule, irrespective of the colour of the flag does nothing to care or govern the citizens by rule of laws.! regards, rajen. On Tue, Apr 13, 2010 at 7:06 PM, Kshmendra Kaul wrote: > (weblink for this article, earlier posted here by anupam chakravartty) > > Excellent article by Shoma Chaudhury (SC). The most sensible one I have > read on the Maoist issue. > > Any good article must be read in full since it would (as this article does) > explore many aspects of an issue especially when it is as complex as the > Maoist one. > > The excerpts given below are not meant to convey a summary of the article > but only some of contents that I found interesting. > > Kshmendra > > EDITED/ PARAPHRASED EXCERPTS IN RANDOM ORDER: > > - The truth is, as long as the poor suffer silently, Indian democracy chugs > along, doing little. If people protest peacefully, no one cares: not the > media, not the government. If they organise themselves in outrage, they are > berated for being disruptive and crushed. If they have grown too powerful to > be crushed, the State offers talks. - (SC) > > - Few — positioned anywhere on the political spectrum — can deny that the > Indian Constitution is a shining document and a real existential and > political counter-challenge to the Maoists. Every deformity in the Indian > polity today is a corruption of the Constitution. But as organising > principles for society go, there can be very few documents in the world that > are more sophisticated and far-seeing. - (SC) > > - Why doesn’t the Indian State follow the Constitution? Why doesn’t it act > on its own Planning Commission Report on Naxal-affected areas which > advocates a development-centric approach? - (Lawyer KG Kannabiran, who was > part of the Committee of Citizens that brokered the (failed) peace talks > between Maoists and the YSR Reddy government in Andhra Pradesh) > > - It’s like watching two locomotives hurtling towards each other. Bent upon > colliding even when all the warning signals are clearly flashing. And you > can do nothing to stop it. - (Binayak Sen, when asked what he thought of the > Maoist crisis and the government’s response to it.) > > - These 76 dead were just a punctuation: more jawans would be sent out, > more jawans would be killed. The poor being set to kill the poor. If ever > there was reason to rethink strategy, surely, here it was. - (SC) > > - If you watched television studio debates that night or read many of the > newspapers the next morning; Livid, one-sided conversations: ill-informed, > deaf, uncurious. And, most damagingly, simple-minded. - (SC) > > - Are you on the side of the savages? Are you condoning Maoist violence? > Why are you raising questions about police atrocities and State neglect? How > can you equate our violence with their violence? How can you lump the good > guys with the bad guys? - (SC describing the Anti-Maoist voices) > > - On the other side, less loud but equally intractable are voices hurling > blanket abuse at the State. Ignoring the slow fruits of 60 years of > democracy; ignoring the genuine moral challenges the Maoists present; > ignoring the inevitable corruptions of armed rebellion; willing to overlook > the dangerous imperfections of one political position to vanquish the other. > - (SC on the Anti-State voices) > > - None of the public positions trotted out by its most voluble stakeholders > really tell the whole truth. Anger then is inevitable: it arises out of each > side finding itself willfully and inadequately described. - (SC) > > - Drowned by the fierce volume of media debates, those who hold a third > position feel an added helplessness — the helplessness of being strapped > bang centre in the path of rushing trains. Yet if there is anything that can > make the collision screech to a halt, it is this position: this saving > in-betweeness. Which makes it imperative to outline what the third position > is. And turn up its volume. (SC) > > - What sort of a society are we creating? What sort of a society have we > become? How will this cycle of violence end? The Maoists might have a lot to > answer for, but where will we find the answers to the imperfections in > ourselves? We can exterminate them physically, but what are we going to do > with the big, rebuking questions they have unleashed around us? - (SC) > > - How can one neutralise Maoist influence in India? Deeper answers than > merely killing them; more sustainable strategies. Strategies more > introspective and selftransformative. - (SC) > > - The State has crushed the Naxal movement thrice before — in Bengal, in > Bihar, in Andhra Pradesh. Each time thousands of Indian citizens have been > killed; each time the Maoists have resurrected themselves. This is the > fourth big wave. Are we finally going to accept their challenge and address > “root causes”, or are we going to content ourselves with killing tens of > thousands of our poor every decade? - (SC) > > - “I am completely unequivocal about this, violence cannot be the answer. > This growing militarisation cannot be the way forward.” - (Binayak Sen) > > - “I have lived in the jungles. I have been in jail. I have been tortured > by the police. And I have seen the idealism and zeal with which the Maoists > work in the jungles. But I no longer believe violence can be the path.” - (a > former member of the People’s War Group and close aide of their towering > leader Kondapalli Seetharamaiah) > > - It a measure of the deep scorn and distrust on both sides that even a > hint of talks arouses two viscerally cynical reactions: the State says it’s > merely a ploy on the part of the Maoists to gain time and regroup; the > Maoists says it’s merely a ploy on the part of the State to bring them over > ground and smash their hideouts. - (SC) > > - How can a State committed to parliamentary democracy (no matter how > flawed) broker peace with an armed group whose stated resolve is to > overthrow it and seize State power by 2050? - (SC giving example of > reluctance-argument for the State talking to the Maoists) > > - On the other hand, equally, the Maoists might ask, why should we lay down > arms and join Indian democracy? Has the Indian State ever demonstrated that > it speaks to peaceful people’s movements? The only reason tribal welfare has > even entered contemporary national discourse — even as mere lip service — is > because of the power of the gun. - ( SC giving example of > reluctance-argument for the Maoists talking to the State) > > - If the tribals lay down arms, will the State keep its promises, or will > it ride like a storm over them, seizing their lands and stealing their > resources as it has done elsewhere? And why does the Indian State have such > a dismal record of speaking to people’s movements espousing just demands? > The Bhopal Gas victims have never taken to arms. For 25 years they have > walked the 800 miles to Delhi again and again, camping in Jantar Mantar and > asking for justice: have they got it? - (SC) > > - Were the people of Nandigram and Singur made stakeholders in the projects > that would displace them from their emerald land? Why was the draconian Land > Acquisition Act and malafide SEZ Act not thought through in equitable ways, > on the sheer basis of the State’s benevolent intention? Why was the State > ramming its projects through? Why did it take violent people’s resistance > for these Acts to go back to the drawing board? Why are workers in Delhi > being uprooted from colonies they have lived in for 30 years and being > pitchforked into far-flung wastelands where there are no schools, no health > centres, no toilets, no roads, no public transport merely to beautify the > city for 12 days of Commonwealth Games? Why do the people of Sohanbadra in > UP have to walk miles through arsenic sludge and breathe fly ash from > thermal plants? Why is it that almost every industrial project in India > turns into a human rights violation — either in terms of land or labour or > environmental violation or human health? - (SC) > > - We could choose the path of escalated violence that will lead to a bloody > civil war in the heart of the country. Or we could step back and choose the > long march to social transformations that will leach away the attraction the > oppressed have for the Maoists. -(SC) > > - “Ultimately nobody wins a war. You can only win in an ideological and > social domain.” - (GN Saibaba, a Delhi University professor and an activist) > > - What is this third position then? The first and primary relief of the > third position is that it is not a monolithic one: it is no soundproof room > blocking out all argument that challenges its notions. It recognises that > India is a complex country to run. It recognises that Home Minister > Chidambaram is partially right in saying a State cannot let 234 districts > slip out of its hands and some targeted use of force is called for to > re-dominate those areas. But in the same breath it recognises that military > action alone is suicidal. “Compassionate governance” cannot be a verbal > frill attached to a machine gun. It has to be the primary soldier, the > captain of the guard. In the third position, courage lies in rethinking > fundamental directions of our society. It lies in acknowledging that Maoists > are not merely demonic outsiders but a complex grid of Indians driven in > equal parts by ideology, desperation and new political awakening. -(SC) > > - “It is ridiculous to attack everyone just because they have a view on the > Maoist issue as anything more than just a ‘menace’. While there’s no > alternative to a State defending itself to a challenge by insurgents, we > have to ask ourselves why this insurgency is confined to 5th Schedule Areas > (ie, tribal) areas. And as long as our ideas of development is restricted to > gains for people like Vedanta and POSCO and Tata and Essar and the Mittals, > and we allow them to exploit tribal resources, the tribals are bound to see > this development not as desired but disruptive. The point is, we have to > define the difference between ‘participatory development’ and ‘aggressive > development’.” - (veteran Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar) > > - Read the 73rd Amendment along with Article 243G and 243ZD of the > Constitution, he urges. Let all states governments implement PESA — > (Provisions of the Panchayat [Extension to Scheduled Areas] 1996) — on the > ground. Invoke the provisions of the Forest Act to give full ownership of > forest produce to tribals. And watch the miracles start to flow. - ( Mani > Shankar Aiyar's inspiring list of simple measures, constitutional provisions > and visionary legislations that can begin to effect change.) > > - For middle-class audiences, PESA is probably the least known piece of > legislation, yet it is sheer genius in its simplicity. It prescribes that no > proposal of a Panchayat, no disbursal of funds, and no use of common > property resources can be sanctioned without the permission of the Gram > Sabha. Unlike the Panchayat which has elected members, the Gram Sabha > includes every adult member of a village community. This consultative > process is the most elemental step of a democracy and it effectively ensures > that tribals can take full control of their lives, finances and > functionaries — cutting out the corruptions of an alien bureaucracy. - (SC) > > - “It is misleading to suggest all these areas have slipped out of > government control. Even in Naxal-affected areas, only some thanas are under > their control. The rest are all under State control. We should immediately > implement full-fledged Panchayati Raj and PESA in these thanas. We can win > this only if we construct a real and shining alternative to the Maoist-led > government.” (Mani Shankar Aiyar) > > - “If the Tatas and Ambanis can own vast tracts of land and the government > deems private property as sacred, how is it that we think of community > property as something that the government can take over? The tribals have > owned these forests since time immemorial. This tradition was only disrupted > when the British entered the forests of Dandakaranya. Can’t democratic India > restore the the rights over this forest back to its own people? Finally, if > middle-class Indians can have shares in corporate projects, why can’t > tribals be made stakeholders in projects that ursurp their land?” - (Mani > Shankar Aiyar) > > - “There is a failure of governance, a real crisis of credibility among the > lower level functionaries. The whole judicial system, for instance, relies > on the patwari and thanedar. If they tamper with an FIR or land paper, how > can the system work? We have to think of alternative forms of governance. We > have 32 states — let there be 10,000 forms of local government in them. We > have to take the traditions of each community and work within that to > implement democratic ideals.” - (Rural Minister CP Joshi, who was handpicked > by Rahul Gandhi and whose ministry report on ‘State Agrarian Relations’ > spoke of Operation Green Hunt as the “biggest land grab in the history of > India”), > > - “When governance fails to reach people, such movements are bound to gain > strength.” - (Rahul Gandhi at a press conference in Chhattisgarh, asked > about the Maoist crisis) > > - So before the memory of the 76 jawans fades, here’s the question again: > what route is India going to take now? - (SC) > > - Barely weeks after her husband’s gory murder at the hands of Maoists, she > was pleading with the government not for revenge but a non-military approach > to resolve the Maoist crisis. - ( widow of beheaded policeman, Francis > Induwar ) > > - It is futile to remind them that they are our elected representatives and > democracy demands we hold them more accountable than the Maoists; futile to > remind them that we expect the State to have a greater morality than the > outlaws they are combating. Futile to assert that our constitutional concern > about the nature of the Indian State does not equate to support for the > Maoists. Violence can only legitimise itself by painting broad pictures of > Good and Evil, by painting itself the Avenger. - (SC) > > - A cardinal rule of leadership that leaders often forget is the powerful > symbolism of taking the unilaterally ethical stand. Not contingent on the > good behaviour of others. (SC) > > EDITED/ PARAPHRASED EXCERPTS IN RANDOM ORDER from: > http://www.tehelka.com/story_main44.asp?filename=Ne170410how_many.asp > > > > > _________________________________________ > 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: -- Rajen. From aiindex at gmail.com Tue Apr 13 19:46:26 2010 From: aiindex at gmail.com (Harsh Kapoor) Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 19:46:26 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Gita Sahgal quits Amnesty International In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Source URL: http://www.human-rights-for-all.org/spip.php?article54 Statement by Gita Sahgal on Leaving Amnesty International Press Release 11 April 2010 Below follow two statements on the departure of the Head of the Gender Unit from Amnesty International following her making public her concerns regarding Amnesty International’s relationship with Moazzam Begg a former Guantanamo detainee, now running an organisation called Cageprisoners which has championed the views of Anwar al Awlaki. Begg has also described the convicted terrorist recruiter Ali Al Timimi as “one of the most reasonable and middle of the path scholars that I have come across”. Begg once owned a bookshop in Birmingham UK which sold a books by al Qaida mentor Abdullah Azzam. The bookshop also published ’The Army of Madinah’ by Dhiren Barot, a close associate of Khalid Mohammed Sheikh, perhaps Britain’s most important connection to the al Queda leadership, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to murder and is serving a life sentence in prison, without parole. o o o On April 9th 2010, Amnesty International issued the following statement: Due to irreconcilable differences of view over policy between Gita Sahgal and Amnesty International regarding Amnesty International’s relationship with Moazzam Begg and Cageprisoners, it has been agreed that Gita will leave Amnesty International on 9 April 2010. Gita has most recently held the position of Interim Head of the Gender, Sexuality and Identity Unit, and was in a period of consultation over possible redeployment following a redundancy process. Accordingly, Gita will leave receiving a payment based on Amnesty International’s redundancy policy. o o o STATEMENT BY GITA SAHGAL ON LEAVING AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL On Friday 9th April, 2010 Amnesty International announced my departure from the organization. The agreed statement said, ‘due to irreconcilable differences of view over policy between Gita Sahgal and Amnesty International regarding Amnesty International’s relationship with Moazzam Begg and Cageprisoners, it has been agreed that Gita will leave Amnesty International.’ I was hired as the Head of the Gender Unit as the organization began to develop its Stop Violence Against Women campaign. I leave with great sadness as the campaign is closed. Thousands of activists of Amnesty International enthusiastically joined the campaign. Many hoped that it would induce respect for women’s human rights in every aspect of the work. Today, there is little ground for optimism. The senior leadership of Amnesty International chose to answer the questions I posed about Amnesty International’s relationship with Moazzam Begg by affirming their links with him. Now they have also confirmed that the views of Begg, his associates and his organisation Cageprisoners, do not trouble them. They have stated that the idea of jihad in self defence is not antithetical to human rights; and have explained that they meant only the specific form of violent jihad that Moazzam Begg and others in Cageprisoners assert is the individual obligation of every Muslim. I thank the senior leadership for these admissions and for their further clarification that concerns around the legitimization of Begg were of very long standing and that there was strong opposition from Head of the Asia programme to a partnership with him. When disagreements are profound, it is best that disputes over matters of fact, are reduced. Unfortunately, their stance has laid waste every achievement on women’s equality and made a mockery of the universality of rights. In fact, the leadership has effectively rejected a belief in universality as an essential basis for partnership. I extend my sympathies to all who have fought long and hard within Amnesty International to match the movement’s principles with its actions. I know many of you have been bewildered by this dispute and others deeply shamed by what is being done in your name. You may have been told that that debate is not possible in the middle of a crisis. I agree that there is indeed a crisis and that the hardest questions are being posed by Amnesty International’s close human rights allies, particularly in areas where jihad supported by Begg’s associates, is being waged. I am now free to offer my help as an external expert with an intimate knowledge of Amnesty International’s processes and policies. I can explain in public debates, both with the leadership and inside the Sections, that adherence to violent jihad even if it indeed rejects the killing of some civilians, is an integral part of a political philosophy that promotes the destruction of human rights generally and contravenes Amnesty International’s specific policies relating to systematic violence and discrimination, particularly against women and minorities. During these last two months, human rights gains have been made to defend the torture standard and to shame governments who have been complicit in torture through their ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policies. But the spectre that arises through the continued promotion of Moazzam Begg as the perfect victim, is that Amnesty International is operating its own policies of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell.’ So I invite you to join me as I continue to campaign for public accountability at this moment, which comes but rarely in history, when a great organisation must ask: if it lies to itself, can it demand the truth of others? Gita Sahgal Former Interim Head of the Gender, Sexuality and Identity Unit, Amnesty International ---------- From rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com Tue Apr 13 19:49:25 2010 From: rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com (Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi) Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 19:49:25 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE In-Reply-To: References: <000f01cad9fe$ef259a60$cd70cf20$@in> <001e01cadac6$77b1ef10$6715cd30$@in> Message-ID: Rakesh, it is the media which shows repeat telecast of visuals from gujarath riots, not burning of S6 coach or the death of 56 innocents,it is the anchors who have been bestowed with Padmashri awards, conducting talk shows at every election times of the riots of Gujarath, but has any one shown any of the media men or women showing the person they blame irresponsibly for "not controlling" the riots any shreds of evidence for such bragging by these prosecutors and judges rolled in to one.? Has any one seen the media men and women discussing about the men and women who led much bigger genocide in Delhi in 1984 right from the front led by HKL Bhagath, Kamalnath, Sajan Kumar tak,Jagadeesh tytler, to prove their loyalty to the ruler of their sin"cere good work for the party.? Did the premier investigative agency, CBI has ever produced any evidence which stands the court scrutiny against the powerful and rich or any of the politicians.? has any men and women anchors of media ever taken up the good work of CBI if done at all of lowest rate of convictions in any crime, that too some scapegoat , like the servant of the rich and powerful.?CBI has the notorious record of being the tool of the power which governs at the centre, so please, remember, unlike Germany which did the mistake of not knowing the diffrence between duly elected leader and the nominated CM has commented, you can have the liberty at your own risk.! Regards, Rajen. On Tue, Apr 13, 2010 at 10:35 AM, Rakesh Iyer wrote: > It seems Modi has got further additions to his list of those who want to > brag about the 'image of Gujarat'. Anyways, the very same Modi didn't > realize that post-Godhra pogrom also tarnished the image of Gujarat. > > Rakesh > > > On Tue, Apr 13, 2010 at 10:32 AM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > >> Thanks Dear Rajen for your consent and views. >> >> >> >> >> >> From: Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi [mailto:rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com] >> Sent: Monday, April 12, 2010 7:32 PM >> To: Bipin Trivedi >> Cc: sarai-list >> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE >> >> >> >> Bipin, >> >> you have hit where it really sticks out, media men and women seem to have >> strange hate for Narendra Modi and very affectionate love for Sonia, in >> the >> process, the more the hate is spread, the voters in Gujarath are giving >> thumbs up to Modi, and for sure, they know best, as they have seen the >> governance rendered by the Nehru, his minions later, India the india and >> her >> Rajiv and now Sonia and her minions.! >> >> regards, >> >> Rajen. >> >> On Mon, Apr 12, 2010 at 10:43 AM, Bipin Trivedi >> wrote: >> >> Forwarding herewith reply received from Indira Hirway against my objection >> for her article in the Hindu. >> >> >> >> >> >> From: Indira Hirway [mailto:indira_hirway at yahoo.com] >> Sent: Monday, April 12, 2010 10:01 AM >> To: Bipin Trivedi >> Subject: Re: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE >> >> >> >> >> Dear Mr. Bipin Trivedi, >> >> >> >> I was away and therefore seen your mail only today. It is an interesting >> mail! >> >> I do not know you, but it will be nice to talk. Can we meet or talk? My >> mobile is . I am located in Ahmedabad. >> >> >> >> Best wishes, >> >> >> >> Indira Hirway >> >> >> >> --- On Sat, 3/20/10, Bipin Trivedi wrote: >> >> >> From: Bipin Trivedi >> Subject: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE >> To: bleditor at thehindu.co.in >> Cc: ndira.hirway at cfda.ac.in, Indira_hirway at yahoo.com >> Date: Saturday, March 20, 2010, 4:51 PM >> >> The Editor >> >> Hindu Business Line >> >> >> >> I refer to article by Dr. Indira Hirway in Hindu Business Line on Gujarat >> economy sustains growth; human development index falls Feb. 25, 2010. >> >> >> >> You are mentioning report of the period 1993 to 2005 in 2010 and >> highlighting the issue. Do you have current figure or figure upto March >> 2009 >> of the same or even upto March 2008? How can you highlight 4 years old >> news? >> Gujarat has much changed thereafter. Please be updated and publish >> accordingly. >> >> >> >> Gujarat is on very much development path even in the HDI parameters also. >> Please search latest figure and publish accordingly and stop tarnishing >> Gujarat image just because Narendra Modi will not get credit. I am not >> belonging to any political party and not fan of Narendra Modi but I am fan >> of development, whoever does it. >> >> >> >> Actually you are indirectly helping Narendra Modi popularity in Gujarati >> people by repeating attempts of tarnishing Gujarat image. >> >> >> >> Thanks >> >> Bipin Trivedi >> >> >> >> >> >> _________________________________________ >> 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/> >> >> >> >> >> -- >> Rajen. >> >> _________________________________________ >> 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/> >> > > -- Rajen. From c.anupam at gmail.com Tue Apr 13 19:51:07 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 19:51:07 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE In-Reply-To: References: <000f01cad9fe$ef259a60$cd70cf20$@in> <001e01cadac6$77b1ef10$6715cd30$@in> <002f01cadaca$4f56ad90$ee0408b0$@in> <000e01cadaed$fd0889e0$f7199da0$@in> Message-ID: I think you have warped ideas about the word 'boycott'. i am not talking about boycotting Bipin or Pawan but such agendas with tagline which are misleading. it has happened quite a few times on this list. it is my appeal, it depends on the other readers as well. i do not think there is any need for me to give a certificate about my ideas of nation to you and others. the questions pertains to some of the issues which have been laboriously discussed by both the sides. they are of very particular nature which can be addressed without making a sweeping statement about the nation or ideas of nation. as far as i know definition of nation of late has been reduced to a ration card, a PAN card, a passport and inner line permits in some cases and in some other cases, complete no entry, a few holidays or bandhs depending on which side of the nation you are. there are others who say that they feel extremely indebted to the nation when they walk past India Gate or Raj Ghat. others click their pictures and form personal associations while visiting these places. there are others who complain about pickpockets lurking about major national monuments. and many more who duplicate the national symbol using fake inks and sell stamp papers to acquire land. sometimes nation is just a notion, on other occasions it is a manifestation of the hubris. a nation cannot be a monument or a commodity, it is about the people. it is a dynamic entity. anupam On Tue, Apr 13, 2010 at 6:29 PM, Rakesh Iyer wrote: > Dear Anupam > > First of all, I believe that howsoever much we may not agree with each > other, boycott is not a solution. Boycott can be a solution against the > govt. to force it to agree to your views, but this kind of boycott will only > lead later to fascism. Tomorrow, people may start boycotting those whose > views may be right but are not agreed to by majority of the people. That is > wrong. > > Views are there, and if they are wrong, one should try to show people why > they are wrong. If they are not willing to accept it, let it be. Boycott can > never change a person. > > As Aashish (a friend beside me who is one member of this forum once said): > > *People change. They do. But don't force them to. * > > As for them not answering questions, they too have asked a question to me > and even you it seems : > > What do we mean by a nation? I guess I have to think it out properly. > > > With regards, > > Rakesh > From lawrence at altlawforum.org Tue Apr 13 20:57:51 2010 From: lawrence at altlawforum.org (Lawrence Liang) Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 18:27:51 +0300 Subject: [Reader-list] LASSnet Conference 2: Call for Papers, December 27-30, 2010, at FLAME, Pune, India, please forward In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: *CALL FOR PAPERS* *LASSnet 2010: Siting Law* *Second Conference of the Law and Social Sciences Research Network (LASSnet) * *DECEMBER 27-30, 2010* *Venue: Foundation for Liberal and Management Education (FLAME), Pune, India * The Law and Social Science Research Network (*LASSnet*) was established in 2008 to bring together scholars, lawyers and doctoral researchers engaged in the research and teaching of issues connected with the law in different social sciences in contemporary South Asian contexts. The idea was to create a common forum for the exchange of ideas, work, materials, pedagogies and aspirations from a range of different institutional locations and theoretical frameworks. Given how much of our understanding of the law in South Asia has been shaped by the experience of social movements, we also hoped to provide a space in which activists, legal practitioners, and academics of all stripes could get together to share experiences and reflections. The creative tensions that emerged from such conversations, we felt, might lead to new agendas for both research and practice in the future. The inaugural LASS conference was held at the Centre for the Study of Law and Governance, Jawarharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, in January 2009. In the inaugural conference of *LASSnet*, we saw a number of conversations across disciplines among legal scholars, practitioners, activists, anthropologists, historians, philosophers, social theorists, political scientists, economists and science and technology scholars. For the second edition of the *LASSnet *conference we have chosen to continue with such inter-disciplinary excavations, and to venture further afield. By focussing on the multiple sites of law we seek to open out ways of thinking about the social life of law and legality and its relation to questions of violence and injustice in South Asia. We recognize that the project of modern law emerged through the universalizing of a particular form of rationality and established itself in a large part of the world through the violent history of colonialism. The project of law and the project of modernity often became synonymous, and legal scholarship also tended to reproduce this relationship. We are therefore interested in enquiries that critique monolithic forms of legal rationality. If the project of critiquing is to have any relevance, it is in its ability to conjure possibilities and alternatives that have remained unimagined. Thus another way of thinking about the relationship between law and the social sciences would be through the metaphor of ‘sighting law’, which invites us to look at a range of social practices which have either been marginalized as custom or dismissed as affect and hence deemed irrelevant to legal theory. To be attentive to the multiple sites of law is also to be attentive to the role played by the social sciences - particularly anthropology and history- in opening out the way we think of law as a cultural and not merely as a legal process. *LASSnet* seeks to extend the ways in which the law can be ‘cited’ in other disciplines, and we hope that the sub themes of this edition of the conference allows us to collectively explore the diversity of forms that may exist, both within the formal legal structure as well as outside it. The routes which social scientists and legal scholars took to the sites of law, and the methodologies that they developed have traditionally been accounted for in terms of their differences. We wish to see this difference as being precisely the common ground on which we stand, and as the basis on which we can cite scholarship about legal experience differently. *CONFERENCE SUB-THEMES* While the Steering Committee will make its selection from as wide a basis as possible, we would particularly welcome presentations that address the following themes, which we see as especially interesting to consider in the contemporary South Asian context. Please note that the sub-themes are merely illustrative of the goals of the conference and are not exhaustive. *1. Law’s Publics: Counter legalities and Counter Publics * The law often claims to have an unmediated access to the public, for instance in Public Interest Litigation or in the determination of what counts as legitimate public purpose. Struggles for the recognition of socio-economic rights and dignity have often been premised on the claimants being recognized as legitimate public actors. What role is played by the law in the constitution of a public, and what role is played by the notion of a public in thinking about the legitimacy of the law? Conversely, what role is played by the law in the constitution of the hybrid realm of public-private entities which facilitate the flows of a globalised capital? Is the valorized language of illegality the only means of expressing resistance to law, or can political struggles, marked by their inability to be properly constituted in the sphere of liberal legality, resurface as counter publics who nevertheless stake a claim to legitimacy? In a time of ever more inventive forms of neo-liberal violence, how can counter-publics avoid capture by a legal apparatus intent on re-territorialising the terrain of the political? *2. Law like Love: Law and Affect* The ‘affective turn’ in the social sciences is beginning to speak to legal debates. How do we begin to undertake a genealogy of the affective life of law in which reason and unreason intermingle? To explore the affective life of law is to understand the ‘body of law’ not merely as an archive of legal judgments, but to engage seriously with ideas of corporeality in law, and to acknowledge that the power of law emanates as much from its affective force as its symbolic power. How does the law deal with this messy world of affect and emotion, and what are the ways through which inter disciplinary scholarship can redress the historic disavowal of affect in legal scholarship? * * *3. The Careers of Constitutionalism in South Asia* Constitutions as a genre have deep roots within the histories of European universalism. The emergence and experience of postcolonial transformative constitutions, marked by a different relation to questions of justice, time and memory, have significantly altered this universal narrative. How do we account for the various histories of this transformative, and even insurgent constitutionalism? At the same time there seems to be a tension between the constitution as a text of governance and text of rights. How do we critically uncover other histories and sites through which we can understand the careers of constitutionalism in South Asia? Finally, how does contemporary constitutional theory respond to the challenges posed by the emergence of the new global economic constitutionalism? *4. Theatres of Justice* Living as we do in an age saturated by hyper-science and hyper-media, we have a plurality of places in which legal norms are produced. The blurring of the lines between media, science and culture makes it imperative for us to explore the new and emerging sites of legal meaning. There is sometimes even a blurring of these spaces, as evidenced in various reality TV shows that mimic the structure of the courts. How for instance do ideas of expertise move from the laboratory to the court and back? How do images of legality produced in a studio serve as the basis of a new legal imagination? How are we to understand these multiple scenes of the law, in which the formal judicial process appears as one of the many competing actors in the theatres of justice? *INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMISSION* In keeping with the eclectic spirit of LASSnet, we welcome submissions that address concerns of the *LASSnet* broadly, including papers, panels, and presentations on the four sub-themes detailed above. *We welcome proposals for panels as well as for individual paper presentations.* *Panel proposals*: Panel coordinators should submit a panel description of 300 words as well as a proposed list of panelists (ideally no more than four per panel). The panel description should be accompanied by individual paper proposals for each panelist, following the instructions below. Coordinators may also choose to propose a chair or discussant for the panel as a whole. *Individual papers*: Paper abstracts (300 words) should be submitted to Siddharth Narrain and Sruti Chaganti at lassnet2010 at gmail.com. Abstracts may be in Word, WordPerfect, or RTF formats, following this order: author(s), affiliation, email address, title of abstract, body of abstract. Abstracts should be submitted no later than July 1, 2010. We will get back to you within eight weeks of receiving an abstract. If an abstract is accepted for the conference, a full draft paper should be submitted to the conference secretariat by November 15, 2010 and distributed to the discussant and fellow panel members no later than December 01, 2010. In the case of pre-formed panels, this will be the responsibility of the Panel Coordinator. The maximum duration of individual presentations within each panel will be 20 minutes. Further announcements about registration, funding and venue related details will be made available at www.lassnet.blogspot.com and (in due course) www.lassnet.org. Please contact Siddharth Narrain or Sruti Chaganti ( lassnet2010 at gmail.com) for additional information. * * *STEERING COMMITTEE FOR LASSnet 2010:* Lawrence Liang (lawrence at altlawforum.org), Alternative Law Forum (ALF) ( www.altlawforum.org) Siddharth Narrain (siddharth.narrain at gmail.com), ALF Sitharamam Kakarala (ram at cscs.res.in), Centre for the Study of Culture and Society (CSCS) (www.cscsarchive.org ) Sruti Chaganti (sruti at cscs.res.in), CSCS Maya Dodd (mayadodd at gmail.com), Foundation for Liberal and Management Education (FLAME), Pune (www.flame.edu.in) Pratiksha Baxi *[LASSnet anchor]* (Pratiksha.Baxi at gmail.com), Centre for the Study of Law and Governance (CSLG), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Shrimoyee Ghosh (shrimoyee at gmail.com), CSLG, JNU Stewart Motha (S.Motha at kent.ac.uk), Kent Law School, UK Arudra Burra (arudraburra at yahoo.co.in), Princeton University, US Brenna Bhandar (brenna.bhandar at gmail.com), Kent Law School, UK Anuj Bhuwania (anujbhuwania at gmail.com), Columbia University, US -- Law and Social Sciences Research Network, Anchored by the Centre for the Study of Law and Governance, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi lassnet at gmail.com http://lassnet.blogspot.com/ www.lassnet.org From rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com Tue Apr 13 21:05:06 2010 From: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com (Rakesh Iyer) Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 21:05:06 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE In-Reply-To: References: <000f01cad9fe$ef259a60$cd70cf20$@in> <001e01cadac6$77b1ef10$6715cd30$@in> <002f01cadaca$4f56ad90$ee0408b0$@in> <000e01cadaed$fd0889e0$f7199da0$@in> Message-ID: Well said Anupam. You are not answerable to me or anyone, but stating what you did in the last mail is important for the sake of discussions to get our point across, I feel. And Rajen jee, it was a shoe thrown by a journalist (even if a Sikh one) which forced the Congress to state that Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar would not contest elections. The media was then not active and has not covered it simply because in 1984 there was only one state channel, Doordarshan. Today those issues must be covered. And those issues to an extent have been covered by today's media. The fact is that if this same media had existed then and Rajiv Gandhi would have been forced to appear before a SIT, as someone said, Narendra Modi and his band of goons and cohorts would never have had the courage to perpetrate violence on the innocent people of Gujarat. Besides, I don't feel proud in killing and raping innocents, as I simply don't think that's an act of pride. But then when someone states that Modi should also believe in the same or asks him as to why doesn't he condemn it, he says it is an act to defame Gujarat. What about defaming India, which he did convincingly before the entire world, going by his argument? Anyways, image and image building is an exercise only for the politicians. I feel we should bother about the people whose rights have been trampled upon. Let's concentrate on that instead, be it Delhi or Bhagalpur, Bombay or Gujarat. Rakesh From chintangirishmodi at gmail.com Wed Apr 14 07:32:35 2010 From: chintangirishmodi at gmail.com (Chintan) Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 07:32:35 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] =?windows-1252?q?Faith=97Photographs_by_Fawzan_Husa?= =?windows-1252?q?in=2C_April_17-27=2C_Kolkata?= In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: >From *Bishan Samaddar* The Seagull Foundation for the Arts and Tasveer present FAITH Photographs by Fawzan Husain Artist’s Statement The genesis of this project happened when I was at the crossroad of turning 40. As the graying made its presence felt, friends and relatives urged me to start looking towards the religious path—time to undo my past deeds. Several suggestions would be offered: start praying, go on a pilgrimage, perform Haj and so on. These suggestions led me to discover the concept of Faith in different religions and regions. I traveled around and documented mankind’s association with Faith and discovered how each in their own way expressed their belief. While many a times it amazed me, some beliefs left me shocked and a few even touched me. I was a silent spectator, not making judgments but simply documenting. Today, forty is behind me, but I’m still at the crossroad. 17 to 27 April 2010 2 to 8 p.m. daily Venue: Seagull Arts and Media Resource Centre, 36C, S. P. Mukherjee Road [Near Bhowanipur Police Station, between Bijoli and Bharati Cinemas] More here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=117708524910916 From chintangirishmodi at gmail.com Wed Apr 14 08:20:31 2010 From: chintangirishmodi at gmail.com (Chintan) Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 08:20:31 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Delhi-based street theatre group Jana Natya Manch looking for funds In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Details here http://fundacause.posterous.com/help-build-a-theatre-space-in-delhi From pawan.durani at gmail.com Wed Apr 14 09:27:06 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 09:27:06 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Remembering Dr B.R.Ambedkar Message-ID: Today is Ambedkar Jayanti. Let us take time out to remember this great social reformer. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B._R._Ambedkar From c.anupam at gmail.com Wed Apr 14 11:46:00 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 11:46:00 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE In-Reply-To: References: <000f01cad9fe$ef259a60$cd70cf20$@in> <002f01cadaca$4f56ad90$ee0408b0$@in> <000e01cadaed$fd0889e0$f7199da0$@in> Message-ID: http://twocircles.net/2010apr13/bjp_and_congress_dock_communal_violence.html BJP and Congress in the Dock for Communal ViolenceBy Ram Puniyani Excerpts: "Whenever BJP is caught with blood on its hands or doing partiality or discrimination the first thing it does is to deflect the issue by citing other cases with some parallels. If one talks of rehabilitation for victims of communal violence, the rhetoric is what about Kashmiri Pundits? As if two wrongs make a right! The comparison of Gujarat carnage is immediately done with the anti Sikh pogrom of 1984. Of course there are lot of similarities between the anti Sikh pogrom and the anti Muslim Gujarat carnage, but there are many a differences also. By all accounts it seems the anti Sikh pogrom; equally tragic was a spontaneous one while Gujarat carnage in all probability was a preplanned one, using the train burning of Godhra as a pretext for the violence. The dead bodies of victims of train burning were deliberately paraded on the streets of Ahmedabad, under full glare of TV cameras, top level meetings were held instructing officers concerned to let the Hindus vent their anger and the rest is too well known to be recounted." thanks Anupam On Tue, Apr 13, 2010 at 9:05 PM, Rakesh Iyer wrote: > Well said Anupam. You are not answerable to me or anyone, but stating what > you did in the last mail is important for the sake of discussions to get our > point across, I feel. > > And Rajen jee, it was a shoe thrown by a journalist (even if a Sikh one) > which forced the Congress to state that Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar > would not contest elections. The media was then not active and has not > covered it simply because in 1984 there was only one state channel, > Doordarshan. Today those issues must be covered. And those issues to an > extent have been covered by today's media. The fact is that if this same > media had existed then and Rajiv Gandhi would have been forced to appear > before a SIT, as someone said, Narendra Modi and his band of goons and > cohorts would never have had the courage to perpetrate violence on the > innocent people of Gujarat. > > Besides, I don't feel proud in killing and raping innocents, as I simply > don't think that's an act of pride. But then when someone states that Modi > should also believe in the same or asks him as to why doesn't he condemn it, > he says it is an act to defame Gujarat. What about defaming India, which he > did convincingly before the entire world, going by his argument? > > Anyways, image and image building is an exercise only for the politicians. > I feel we should bother about the people whose rights have been trampled > upon. Let's concentrate on that instead, be it Delhi or Bhagalpur, Bombay > or Gujarat. > > Rakesh > From pawan.durani at gmail.com Wed Apr 14 12:00:06 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 12:00:06 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] CWG organisers spend Rs 29 lakh on snacks Message-ID: And the games havent begun yet http://ibnlive.in.com/news/cwg-organisers-spend-rs-29-lakh-on-snacks/113123-3.html?from=blaze New Delhi: The Commonwealth Games Organising Committee has some sort of a Midas touch: Everything it touches becomes more expensive. The cost of constructing the venues for the Games has already gone up 250 per cent, from Rs 1,000 crore to over 2,400 crore. And the final accounting has not been completed as yet. Information provided by the Organising Committee of the Commonwealth Games under the Right to Information Act now reveals that the committee is a willing participant in this cost escalation. The committee has spent an eye-popping Rs 29.29 lakh on snacks served at meetings to review ongoing projects. The committee headed by Suresh Kalmadi has so far convened 57 meetings and an expenditure of Rs 29.29 lakh was incurred on "snacks and other items" in connection with these meetings, the RTI reply states. This is part of the information supplied by the Committee to RTI applicant Abhishek Shukla. For example, a sum of Rs 6 lakh was spent on the first broadcasters' meet. This meeting was attended by about 100 participants. Another sum of Rs 1.75 lakh was spent by the organising committee on snacks and refreshments for a one-day meeting of the Executive Board. At first, junior officials of the Ministry rejected the application saying it had no information. But senior officials directed that the information be supplied to the applicant. The application was then transferred to the organising committee which sent the reply. The whole process took nearly five months even though the statute mandates a maximum period of one month. The Commonwealth Games are scheduled to be held in New Delhi between October 3-14 this year. From aliens at dataone.in Wed Apr 14 12:35:28 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 12:35:28 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE Message-ID: <002201cadba0$ddc843a0$9958cae0$@in> Dear Rajen, Well said media and so called secularists exaggerated the issues. While others riots swiftly forgot by media, human right activist, so called secularists. Yes, Rakesh rightly said that on those days of shikh and other riots, media was not there accept doordarshan. But remember one thing after 2002 riots, initially whenever discussion in the media taken place no one including media anchor mentioning burning coach and death of 56 innocent and shikh and other riots, but only criticizing 2002 after math riots. When BJP and others counter argument repeatedly pointed out about other riots also they started mentioning and started criticizing event like burning coach and other riots after about 3/4 years. Same way, here in reader list also, they started mentioning these riots also after objection from people like us. You can refer earlier discussion may be before more than 1 year, you will find this. Of course, that's good and appreciable that by that way they have changed their stand a little bit! And rightly said that German delegation has no right to comment on such matter. In this context it's difficult to understand the need for such a powerful official German delegation to pass a judgment on the state and reiterate that Modi continues to be persona non-grata in the European Union and they want trials against him to be completed soon. They want that the court matter to be end soon and give clean chit to Modi, there is immense pressure from European union countries want to clear the way to give visa to Modi. Since, many organization of countries of European union wants to invite Modi. In the Indian history, any CM except Modi did not able to attract such international attention. This is not because of 2002 riot happened during his tenure, but this is because of his governance ability. Thanks Bipin From: Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi [mailto:rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com] Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 7:49 PM To: Rakesh Iyer Cc: Bipin Trivedi; sarai-list Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE Rakesh, it is the media which shows repeat telecast of visuals from gujarath riots, not burning of S6 coach or the death of 56 innocents,it is the anchors who have been bestowed with Padmashri awards, conducting talk shows at every election times of the riots of Gujarath, but has any one shown any of the media men or women showing the person they blame irresponsibly for "not controlling" the riots any shreds of evidence for such bragging by these prosecutors and judges rolled in to one.? Has any one seen the media men and women discussing about the men and women who led much bigger genocide in Delhi in 1984 right from the front led by HKL Bhagath, Kamalnath, Sajan Kumar tak,Jagadeesh tytler, to prove their loyalty to the ruler of their sin"cere good work for the party.? Did the premier investigative agency, CBI has ever produced any evidence which stands the court scrutiny against the powerful and rich or any of the politicians.? has any men and women anchors of media ever taken up the good work of CBI if done at all of lowest rate of convictions in any crime, that too some scapegoat , like the servant of the rich and powerful.?CBI has the notorious record of being the tool of the power which governs at the centre, so please, remember, unlike Germany which did the mistake of not knowing the diffrence between duly elected leader and the nominated CM has commented, you can have the liberty at your own risk.! Regards, Rajen. On Tue, Apr 13, 2010 at 10:35 AM, Rakesh Iyer wrote: It seems Modi has got further additions to his list of those who want to brag about the 'image of Gujarat'. Anyways, the very same Modi didn't realize that post-Godhra pogrom also tarnished the image of Gujarat. Rakesh On Tue, Apr 13, 2010 at 10:32 AM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: Thanks Dear Rajen for your consent and views. From: Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi [mailto:rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com] Sent: Monday, April 12, 2010 7:32 PM To: Bipin Trivedi Cc: sarai-list Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE Bipin, you have hit where it really sticks out, media men and women seem to have strange hate for Narendra Modi and very affectionate love for Sonia, in the process, the more the hate is spread, the voters in Gujarath are giving thumbs up to Modi, and for sure, they know best, as they have seen the governance rendered by the Nehru, his minions later, India the india and her Rajiv and now Sonia and her minions.! regards, Rajen. On Mon, Apr 12, 2010 at 10:43 AM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: Forwarding herewith reply received from Indira Hirway against my objection for her article in the Hindu. From: Indira Hirway [mailto:indira_hirway at yahoo.com] Sent: Monday, April 12, 2010 10:01 AM To: Bipin Trivedi Subject: Re: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE Dear Mr. Bipin Trivedi, I was away and therefore seen your mail only today. It is an interesting mail! I do not know you, but it will be nice to talk. Can we meet or talk? My mobile is . I am located in Ahmedabad. Best wishes, Indira Hirway --- On Sat, 3/20/10, Bipin Trivedi wrote: From: Bipin Trivedi Subject: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE To: bleditor at thehindu.co.in Cc: ndira.hirway at cfda.ac.in, Indira_hirway at yahoo.com Date: Saturday, March 20, 2010, 4:51 PM The Editor Hindu Business Line I refer to article by Dr. Indira Hirway in Hindu Business Line on Gujarat economy sustains growth; human development index falls Feb. 25, 2010. You are mentioning report of the period 1993 to 2005 in 2010 and highlighting the issue. Do you have current figure or figure upto March 2009 of the same or even upto March 2008? How can you highlight 4 years old news? Gujarat has much changed thereafter. Please be updated and publish accordingly. Gujarat is on very much development path even in the HDI parameters also. Please search latest figure and publish accordingly and stop tarnishing Gujarat image just because Narendra Modi will not get credit. I am not belonging to any political party and not fan of Narendra Modi but I am fan of development, whoever does it. Actually you are indirectly helping Narendra Modi popularity in Gujarati people by repeating attempts of tarnishing Gujarat image. Thanks Bipin Trivedi _________________________________________ 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/> -- Rajen. _________________________________________ 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/> -- Rajen. From rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com Wed Apr 14 14:38:18 2010 From: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com (Rakesh Iyer) Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 14:38:18 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE In-Reply-To: <002201cadba0$ddc843a0$9958cae0$@in> References: <002201cadba0$ddc843a0$9958cae0$@in> Message-ID: Dear Bipin You are talking about Godhra. First of all, Godhra is in Gujarat, and in 2002 when that incident took place, Gujarat had a BJP government in the state whose primary responsibility it was to protect those who lost their lives in the unfortunate incident. Secondly, during that time, the Indian Govt. was the BJP-led NDA govt., and the Railways Minister was Nitish Kumar, the current Chief Minister of Bihar. It was his and his ministry's responsibility to ensure that those travelling in any train, including this one, were protected. Both failed, and the consequences were disastrous. Let us go further ahead and use the arguments Gujarat police have used. The Gujarat police initially declared that this was an ISI-led conspiracy to use local elements and instigate them to carry out this heinous act. Any such act should have been caught by the intelligence machinery and effective measures taken to catch the culprits and counter this effort. The fact that both central intelligence and state intelligence failed to do so, is a failure of governments both at the centre and the state, both of which are BJP or BJP-led. So again, the blame goes on the BJP and their governments. What is also shameful is that a whole pogrom occupied the matters of a state for so much time which took place because supposedly ISI had a role in burning of the train. So basically, if the ISI in Pakistan conducts an act of killing Hindus here, there will be riots. What a shame indeed for the Indian society and for the Indian state that all that the ISI has to do is conduct such an act and then wait for a pogrom to take place! It was of course another matter that till date they have not been able to prove how this was an ISI conspiracy to destabilize India. The Gujarat police has also been conveniently changing stands on the Godhra case. First, they said the train was burnt from outside. When it was stated by forensic experts that this can't be done and also cited the proof of the same (being that if the train was burnt from outside, the tracks would also have been burnt somewhat), the new theory formulated was that the vestibule was cut and people went in and poured petrol inside. Nobody thought it fit to realize that in the stone-throwing spree from outside, with the doors closed, firstly people inside the bogie would have protested and pushed out those who were pouring kerosene or petrol on the people. Secondly, all sleeper coaches in such trains are connected and so people could have escaped through these to other coaches. And most importantly, some people did manage to escape through the door, though they did get injured due to stone-throwing. And yes, while cloth rags were thrown inside the bogies, no passenger eye-witness claimed any petrol or kerosene being thrown on them or others. The Gujarat police arrested even a blind person as part of the conspiracy. And all of these were charged under POTA. Never mind that there was not an iota of evidence to prove that these people were terrorists or were part of a conspiracy! This is about Godhra. Till today, we don't know how this act of burning took place. We don't know who are the perpetrators. Horror of horrors, we don't know who all actually lost their lives on that day, since the identities of some of those who died are still not known (never mind that the RSS-VHP-BJP-Bajrang Dal combine states that they are karsewaks, without any evidence to back their claim). And we don't know why unlike in normal cases, the Railway Ministry didn't institute a commission of inquiry to investigate the event within 48 hours (this work being done by the Nanavati-Shah commission). When the police fails, a whole set of people are not able to get justice. And a whole set of innocents then find themselves being implicated in false cases. But then some people live in the irony of pride of Gujarat. Rakesh P.S: It's hilarious for you to claim that we have started noting other riots or pogroms. I don't think anyone with any sense of humanity can ever condone a riot or a pogrom. Just because I didn't mention it or someone never mentioned it doesn't mean they support it. First ask them before stating such things. For people like you who believe in tit-for-tat, two wrongs make a right. Since Congress organized 1984 pogrom and got away with it, BJP according to you also has a right to conduct 2002 pogrom and get away with it. Since Congress according to you practises corruption, BJP also has a right to indulge in corruption. And since Congress has a right to indulge in appeasement of Muslims, BJP has a right to indulge in Hindu appeasement as well. It would be good for you to understand that both are wrong, and because you have done a wrong act doesn't mean I too have a right to commit that wrong act. @ Pawan I wonder what kind of person are you, who claims on one hand to have suffered at the hands of fundamentalists in Kashmir and also the government, (forced out of Kashmir, your home), and supporting a mass-murderer like Modi who has a completely skewed notion of development and was fiddling like Nero while Gujarat burnt. I thought victims of tragedies of a similar kind understand each other. But this notion of yours now makes me think twice about that assertion. From pawan.durani at gmail.com Wed Apr 14 14:56:33 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 14:56:33 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE In-Reply-To: References: <002201cadba0$ddc843a0$9958cae0$@in> Message-ID: @ Rakesh Ji :Students should learn not to mix up two project reports. Similarly the inference you have derived seem to be from two reports which you have very conveniently mixed up. It is very selfish, unethical and libel on your part to call Mahatma Modhi as a mass murderer . Regards Pawan On Wed, Apr 14, 2010 at 2:38 PM, Rakesh Iyer wrote: > Dear Bipin > > You are talking about Godhra. First of all, Godhra is in Gujarat, and in > 2002 when that incident took place, Gujarat had a BJP government in the > state whose primary responsibility it was to protect those who lost their > lives in the unfortunate incident. > > Secondly, during that time, the Indian Govt. was the BJP-led NDA govt., and > the Railways Minister was Nitish Kumar, the current Chief Minister of Bihar. > It was his and his ministry's responsibility to ensure that those travelling > in any train, including this one, were protected. > > Both failed, and the consequences were disastrous. > > Let us go further ahead and use the arguments Gujarat police have used. > > The Gujarat police initially declared that this was an ISI-led conspiracy to > use local elements and instigate them to carry out this heinous act. Any > such act should have been caught by the intelligence machinery and effective > measures taken to catch the culprits and counter this effort. The fact that > both central intelligence and state intelligence failed to do so, is a > failure of governments both at the centre and the state, both of which are > BJP or BJP-led. So again, the blame goes on the BJP and their governments. > > What is also shameful is that a whole pogrom occupied the matters of a state > for so much time which took place because supposedly ISI had a role in > burning of the train. So basically, if the ISI in Pakistan conducts an act > of killing Hindus here, there will be riots. What a shame indeed for the > Indian society and for the Indian state that all that the ISI has to do is > conduct such an act and then wait for a pogrom to take place! > > It was of course another matter that till date they have not been able to > prove how this was an ISI conspiracy to destabilize India. > > The Gujarat police has also been conveniently changing stands on the Godhra > case. First, they said the train was burnt from outside. When it was stated > by forensic experts that this can't be done and also cited the proof of the > same (being that if the train was burnt from outside, the tracks would also > have been burnt somewhat), the new theory formulated was that the vestibule > was cut and people went in and poured petrol inside. Nobody thought it fit > to realize that in the stone-throwing spree from outside, with the doors > closed, firstly people inside the bogie would have protested and pushed out > those who were pouring kerosene or petrol on the people. Secondly, all > sleeper coaches in such trains are connected and so people could have > escaped through these to other coaches. And most importantly, some people > did manage to escape through the door, though they did get injured due to > stone-throwing. And yes, while cloth rags were thrown inside the bogies, no > passenger eye-witness claimed any petrol or kerosene being thrown on them or > others. > > The Gujarat police arrested even a blind person as part of the conspiracy. > And all of these were charged under POTA. Never mind that there was not an > iota of evidence to prove that these people were terrorists or were part of > a conspiracy! > > This is about Godhra. Till today, we don't know how this act of burning took > place. We don't know who are the perpetrators. Horror of horrors, we don't > know who all actually lost their lives on that day, since the identities of > some of those who died are still not known (never mind that the > RSS-VHP-BJP-Bajrang Dal combine states that they are karsewaks, without any > evidence to back their claim). And we don't know why unlike in normal cases, > the Railway Ministry didn't institute a commission of inquiry to investigate > the event within 48 hours (this work being done by the Nanavati-Shah > commission). > > When the police fails, a whole set of people are not able to get justice. > And a whole set of innocents then find themselves being implicated in false > cases. > > But then some people live in the irony of pride of Gujarat. > > Rakesh > > P.S: > > It's hilarious for you to claim that we have started noting other riots or > pogroms. I don't think anyone with any sense of humanity can ever condone a > riot or a pogrom. Just because I didn't mention it or someone never > mentioned it doesn't mean they support it. First ask them before stating > such things. > > For people like you who believe in tit-for-tat, two wrongs make a right. > Since Congress organized 1984 pogrom and got away with it, BJP according to > you also has a right to conduct 2002 pogrom and get away with it. Since > Congress according to you practises corruption, BJP also has a right to > indulge in corruption. And since Congress has a right to indulge in > appeasement of Muslims, BJP has a right to indulge in Hindu appeasement as > well. > > It would be good for you to understand that both are wrong, and because you > have done a wrong act doesn't mean I too have a right to commit that wrong > act. > > @ Pawan > > I wonder what kind of person are you, who claims on one hand to have > suffered at the hands of fundamentalists in Kashmir and also the government, > (forced out of Kashmir, your home), and supporting a mass-murderer like Modi > who has a completely skewed notion of development and was fiddling like Nero > while Gujarat burnt. > > I thought victims of tragedies of a similar kind understand each other. But > this notion of yours now makes me think twice about that assertion. > _________________________________________ > 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 rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com Wed Apr 14 15:04:08 2010 From: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com (Rakesh Iyer) Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 15:04:08 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE In-Reply-To: References: <002201cadba0$ddc843a0$9958cae0$@in> Message-ID: Dear Pawan With regard to your accusation, there are two parts: 1) If it's with reference to Gujarat that I have mixed up reports, then please that's not true. There are multiple accounts of subversion of justice in the Godhra case itself. But if the reference is to comparison between the two situations in Kashmir and Gujarat, yes there are differences, but there are also similarities. The Muslims (and some Hindus) had to live in camps just like Kashmiri Pandits after being forced out of Kashmir. And since the kind of victimization is similar (with regard to what one feels on being rooted out of one's own home and also seeing his/her dear ones killed in front of him/her), I thought you would feel for such acts. It's strange that this is termed mixing of two acts. The intention is not to mix the act but make you feel based on your own experience that such acts should not be supported. 2) Modi is indeed the Mahatma of communalization of politics. But I don't understand what is unethical in criticizing Modi for not protecting the lives of innocents. Or may be you too believe that Muslims and Christians are the enemies of India and should be wiped out, like Modi, the RSS, the BJP and of course, the great Savarkar-Golwalkar duo. Rakesh From pawan.durani at gmail.com Wed Apr 14 15:12:18 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 15:12:18 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE In-Reply-To: References: <002201cadba0$ddc843a0$9958cae0$@in> Message-ID: Source : http://www.vskgujarat.com/godhraandaftermath/godhracarnage.htm Terrorism in Godhra victimising Hindus is not new. It dates back to 1927. Various incidents which are noted in the records of Govt. show that Muslim terrorists have been responsible for acts of terrorism some of which took place in the years 1927, 1946, 48, 65, 80, 90, 92, 2002. People in Gujarat know well about all these acts of violence. In 1980 a similar attack on Hindus was organised in which 5 Hindus including two Hindu Children aged 5 and 7 were burnt alive. A Gurudwara was also set on fire. 40 Hindu shops were burnt down. Similar ghastly incidents of killings are on record. In a ghastly incident, which has shocked the collective, conscience of the entire nation, at least 58 people (inclusive of 25 women and 14 children) were burnt alive and many others were injured when the Ahmedabad- bound Sabarmati Express was stoned and set on fire by a mob near Godhra on Wednesday i.e. 27th February, 2002 morning. The victims were mostly VHP volunteers returning from Ayodhya with their families after participating in a religious ceremony for the construction of the Ram Mandir. The dead included 25 women and 14 children, most of whom were in the S- 6 coach which was completely charred as the mob put petrol cans to deadly use. About 36 persons were rushed to Godhra Civil Hospital with burn injuries. Survivors said that the train was first pelted with stones and petrol bombs were hurled at around 7.30 am, couple of hundred meters away from Godhra, as it left the railway station. The train was stopped near Singal Falia, a notorious area of Godhra, as someone apparently pulled the chain. A mob rushed towards the two coaches S6 and S7 pelting stones initially. Once the windows were broken they threw petrol bombs inside. Later, said survivors, S6 coach was doused with petrol and diesel from outside and set on fire even as the passengers looked on haplessly, screaming for help. About 30 persons were charred to death and many more collapsed while making their way out of the coach, their lungs filled with smoke. Actually the count was difficult because most of the bodies were in a heap, totally burnt. Smoke was billowing out of the half burnt bodies till about noon. Godhra was once again made the target for this inhuman heinous burning of live individuals. Perhaps even after an exhaustive search no parallel to this incident could be found anywhere in the world. There are several reasons to believe that this was a pre-planned conspiracy as could be seen from the following facts :- 1. of a particular religion were asked to get down at the previous station of Dahod. 2. patients of a particular community were discharged from the civil hospital of Godhra one day before 27th Not a single case from a particular community was registered on 27th Feb. 3. a single student or a teacher of a particular community was present in the schools of Godhra on 27th Feb. 4. clearly shows that not only it was a pre-planned attack but many others were aware that something is likely to happen on that day. 5. five people are likely to have foreign connections. It is suspected that this attack was a part of ISI design. 6. L. K. Advani, Shri George Fernandes, Narendra Modi and the BJP president, have indicated that ISI might have masterminded this attack. 7. chief minister of Gujarat, Shri Chhabildas Mehta has warned that such elements should not be allowed to succeed in the land of Gujarat. 8. Herald and Gujarat Samachar, in their editions dated 4th March, had also indicated that ISI is behind this attack. Reaction in the State : There was very strong reaction of this tragedy in the entire state of Gujarat. As the news began spreading through the TV channels, even small villages in the entire state were shocked and violence began. The most frightening reports came from the villages of Pandorwada-Lambadiya in panchmahal district. The residential colonies were gutted down, people were killed and burnt alive. At least 40 villages were placed under curfew. Even the city like Rajkot, which always remained peaceful, was kept under curfew. This time, the reaction in rural areas was simply unprecedented. Reaction of Political Leaders : Immediately after the news of Godhra massacre reached Gandhinagar, Health Minister of Gujarat Govt. Ashok Bhatt and the minister-in-charge for Panchmahal district, Shri Bhupendra Lakhawala reached Godhra. Even Shri Narendra Modi reached there by the Helicopter. After taking the note of the intensity of the tragedy and its likely reaction he warned that strict measures would be taken against those who would take the law in their own hands, gave shoot-at-sight orders and also demanded extra forces and army from the central government. The union defence minister, Shri George Fernandes reached Gujarat on 1st March and toured entire riot affected area. On the same afternoon army was deployed in the affected area. Home Minister Shri L. K. Advani travelled extensively through the riot affected parts of Godhra, Ahmedabad and Bhavnagar. He supported the efforts of Gujarat. Government to re-establish law and order and announced that nobody would be allowed to take law in his hands. Gujarat Government announced the assistance of Rs. 200,000 each for those died in Godhra and Rs. 100,000 each for those who died elsewhere. As usual the reaction of Congress party was on predicted line. Neither Sonia Gandhi, nor any state Congress Leader deplored Godhra incident but they simply criticized the reaction of Gujarat to this tragedy. Congress had also boycotted the all-party meeting convened by the Chief Minister to discuss the current situation in Gujarat and in turn tried to show that the Congress party was interested in the welfare of only one community. Shri Amarsingh Chowdhary accused that the riots in Gujarat are being carried out with the backing of the state government (Jai Hind 5th March, 2002). But after realizing the strong reaction of Hindu society towards Godhra incident, he also had to accept that it was a well-planned conspiracy. While the entire Hindu society was experiencing the pain of Godhra tragedy, anti-Hindu secularists were busy in getting political mileage from the entire events. According to the Deccan Herald (5th March, 2002), Shri Jyoti Basu has asked for the dismissal of state government and former Prime Minister, Shri H. K. Devegauda demanded to announce entire riot affected area as “Disturbed area”. Even Shri Surjeet (CPM), Shri Mulayamsingh Yadav, Shri Amarsingh and Shri A. B. Bardhan also demanded dismissal of Narendra Modi government. History of Muslim Terrorism in Godhra from 1927 to 2002 Godhra is main centre of Panchmahal District, which is considered to be communally very sensitive. Details of communal riots/atrocities by Muslims are appended below. 1927-28 Murder of Shri P. M. Shah, a leading local representative of Hindus. 1946 Mr. Sadva Hazi & Mr. Chudighar, pro Pakistani Muslim leaders were responsible for attack on a Parsi Solapuri fozdar during communal riots. After partition, Mr. Chudighar left for Pakistan. 1948 Mr. Sadva Hazi conspired an attack on District collector Shri Pimputkar in, 1948 but his bodyguard saved him at the cost of his own life. After that Mr. Sadva Hazi also left for Pakistan in 1948. On 24-3-48 one Hindu was stabbed to death near a mosque in Jahurpur area. Around 2000 houses of Hindus were burnt besides Hindu Temples. District collector Shri Pimputtkar could save the remaining areas belonging to Hindus by imposing curfew, which lasted for six months. 1965 Shops belonging to Hindus were set ablaze near Police Chowki – No. 7 by throwing incendiary material from near-by two Muslim Houses viz. Bidani & Bhopa. It could be possible because of Congress MLA belonging to minority. PSI of this Police Chowki which was near by Railway Station was also attacked by Muslim unsocial elements. 1980 A similar attack was made on Hindus on 29-10-80, which started from the Bus Station of Godhra. This attack was planned by Muslim miscreants; who were involved in anti social activities near Station Road area. Five Hindus including two children of 5 and 7 year age were burnt alive. A Gurudwara was also set on fire, in Shikari Chal of this area. Forty shops belonging to Hindus were also set on fire in station area. Due to these communal riots, Godhra was put under curfew for a year, which severely affected the Business and Industries. 1990 Four Hindu Teachers were murdered by Muslim miscreants in Saifia Madresa in Vhorvada area of Godhra on 20-11-’90. One Hindu Tailor was also stabbed to death in this area. All this was done by Muslim antisocial elements at the instance of the congress MLA of the area. 1992 More than 100 houses belonging to Hindus were set on fire near Railway Station in the year 1992 to snatch this area from Hindus. All this was done by Muslim terrorists. This area, now a days, is lying vacant as most of the Hindu families have shifted elsewhere. 2002 Three bogies of Ahmedabad bound Sabarmati express were set on fire on 27-02-02 by Muslim miscreants. Municipal members, railway officers & employees belonging to minority community, tea stall owners, auto rickshaw drivers and Muslim antisocial elements residing nearby, had a plan to set on fire the entire train but could not do so because the train was late for four hours and they could not take the advantage of darkness of night. Following are the points for serious consideration in this incident. (1) This train was attacked near an open land belonging to Mr. Sikandar Pathan wherefrom weapons were also seized. (2) P.S.I. Shri Sharma was attacked with naked sword on the Railway Station in 1980 by Aminabibi and her sons, who were operating gambling clubs in Godhra. Mr. Jaspalsingh, the then Police Commissioner of Vadodara was also attacked with knife on the Railway Platform by antisocial elements operating Tea Stall on platform. (3) These antisocial Muslim elements have also attacked and injured ticket checkers about two months back. P.S.I. arrested them but the Railway Police Officer who is a Muslim, got them released. However, after a strong protest they were rearrested. This had resulted in fear of their life in Railway employees. (4) After this brutal attack on the train, no effective rescue efforts were taken by Railway Police Officers for quite long time. Out of 30 Railway Security guards present on station, only 3 with sticks, had gone to the place of attack. It is now to be considered why they had helped this way in a preplanned attack. (5) The man behind this Muslim terrorism is Pakistani Citizen Mr. Mohammed Badanga who migrated from Pakistan in 1965. He was granted Indian Citizenship at the behest of Mr. Pilu Modi the then M. P.. Mr. Badanga had promoted the ISI sponsored Terrorism which resulted in attack on the Sabarmati Express on 27-02-2002. This clearly goes to establish that the Hindu Psyche had reached its flash point because of the history of atrocities; hence the spontaneous reaction as witnessed by Gujarat. This could certainly not be attributed to organised-planned-efforts of any Hindu Organisation. History of the Hindus in Gujarat reveal that only when the Hindu sentiments are hurt, the out burst remains spontaneous, natural and vigorous. Otherwise, as could be seen during natural calamities like the earthquake, draught etc., both the communities have worked hand-in-hand without any problem, leave aside enmity. The government report on the extent of damage caused to the life and property is very well elucidated below. Details of Damage caused to the life & Property. As on 7th March 2002, a brief account of the damage (other than the initial Godhra incident) in the state is as follows. * 607 deaths out of which 99 were due to police firing. They include 270 deaths in Ahmedabad. * 820 injured out of which 321 were in Ahmedabad. * 2459 houses, 1082 shops, 1084 larry gallas burnt. * 691 shops ransacked/burnt. * 12 buses & 936 other vehicles were damaged/burnt. Damage caused in the heart of Ahmedabad The Chandra Vilas Hotel, (A hotel 102 years old) C. Somabhai Tea, Maharanidas Vallabhdas (a shop 75 years old), Kishore Trading Co., Desai Pen, Master Watch Co., Jayant Pen House, Khadi Gramodyog Mandir and many more shops of repute were burnt. Many shops dealing in timber, such as Tiku Traders, Poonam Traders, Godown of Apline Co., Durga Timber Mart – situated on Jagannathji Road were burnt to ashes. The godown and office of Sundek Laminates, near Vishala Hotel and many shops of Hindus got destroyed in the flames of communalism. Government action to check the agitation in the state * In the present case, the curfew was clamped within four hours in Godhra on the same day. Compared to this, there was delay in ordering curfew in the earlier incidents. The grievance for such delay was reported before the Enquiry Commission. * The complaint about inaction from the Police authorities and the local administration were made before the Inquiry Commission. In the present case in Gujarat, the Law and Order Enforcing Authority has taken a proactive stand to curb the violence effectively. Police Authorities have fired more than 3900 rounds; they have used more than 6500 rounds of tear gas and arrested more than 2800 people. One should also take a note of the fact that 90 people have been killed in police firing which shows that police showed no lenient approach towards elements spreading violence, arson and looting. It is also very pertinent to note that the geographical areas under grip of such unto word incident were much larger in 2002, compared to the earlier incidents of 1969 and 1985 From c.anupam at gmail.com Wed Apr 14 15:41:05 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 15:41:05 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE In-Reply-To: References: <002201cadba0$ddc843a0$9958cae0$@in> Message-ID: how do you justify the death of 22 members of nasib bano's family from delol, whose missing complaint got converted in 302 after eight years? how do you justify bilkis bano's rape? how do you justify a dargah which was demolished before municipal elections in vadodara in 2007 to create a communal atmosphere? how do you justify the police firing on october 2008 in fatehpura locality of Vadodara in which one person was killed and eight others were injured with all the bullets aimed above the belt? how do you justify satish mishra's wife pictures hanging in the VHP offices of Gujarat branded as a kar sevak? i bet you dont have answers to all of this. you think you have taken the burden to save hindu religion, others are traitors of hindu religion especially those who speak against injustice by gujarat government, according to you and your website. you are trying to cite historical examples of rioting but you still do not have any idea as to how after the burning of the train, police remained inactive and let the rioting spread which your RSS sponsored website documents really well. On Wed, Apr 14, 2010 at 3:12 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > Source : http://www.vskgujarat.com/godhraandaftermath/godhracarnage.htm > > Terrorism in Godhra victimising Hindus is not new. It dates back to > 1927. Various incidents which are noted in the records of Govt. show > that Muslim terrorists have been responsible for acts of terrorism > some of which took place in the years 1927, 1946, 48, 65, 80, 90, 92, > 2002. People in Gujarat know well about all these acts of violence. > > In 1980 a similar attack on Hindus was organised in which 5 Hindus > including two Hindu Children aged 5 and 7 were burnt alive. A > Gurudwara was also set on fire. 40 Hindu shops were burnt down. > Similar ghastly incidents of killings are on record. > > In a ghastly incident, which has shocked the collective, conscience of > the entire nation, at least 58 people (inclusive of 25 women and 14 > children) were burnt alive and many others were injured when the > Ahmedabad- bound Sabarmati Express was stoned and set on fire by a mob > near Godhra on Wednesday i.e. 27th February, 2002 morning. The victims > were mostly VHP volunteers returning from Ayodhya with their families > after participating in a religious ceremony for the construction of > the Ram Mandir. > > The dead included 25 women and 14 children, most of whom were in the > S- 6 coach which was completely charred as the mob put petrol cans to > deadly use. About 36 persons were rushed to Godhra Civil Hospital with > burn injuries. Survivors said that the train was first pelted with > stones and petrol bombs were hurled at around 7.30 am, couple of > hundred meters away from Godhra, as it left the railway station. > > The train was stopped near Singal Falia, a notorious area of Godhra, > as someone apparently pulled the chain. A mob rushed towards the two > coaches S6 and S7 pelting stones initially. Once the windows were > broken they threw petrol bombs inside. Later, said survivors, S6 coach > was doused with petrol and diesel from outside and set on fire even as > the passengers looked on haplessly, screaming for help. About 30 > persons were charred to death and many more collapsed while making > their way out of the coach, their lungs filled with smoke. Actually > the count was difficult because most of the bodies were in a heap, > totally burnt. Smoke was billowing out of the half burnt bodies till > about noon. Godhra was once again made the target for this inhuman > heinous burning of live individuals. Perhaps even after an exhaustive > search no parallel to this incident could be found anywhere in the > world. > > There are several reasons to believe that this was a pre-planned > conspiracy as could be seen from the following facts :- > > 1. of a particular religion were asked to get down at the previous > station of Dahod. > > 2. patients of a particular community were discharged from the civil > hospital of Godhra one day before 27th Not a single case from a > particular community was registered on 27th Feb. > > 3. a single student or a teacher of a particular community was present > in the schools of Godhra on 27th Feb. > > 4. clearly shows that not only it was a pre-planned attack but many > others were aware that something is likely to happen on that day. > > 5. five people are likely to have foreign connections. It is suspected > that this attack was a part of ISI design. > > 6. L. K. Advani, Shri George Fernandes, Narendra Modi and the BJP > president, have indicated that ISI might have masterminded this > attack. > > 7. chief minister of Gujarat, Shri Chhabildas Mehta has warned that > such elements should not be allowed to succeed in the land of Gujarat. > > 8. Herald and Gujarat Samachar, in their editions dated 4th March, had > also indicated that ISI is behind this attack. > > Reaction in the State : > > There was very strong reaction of this tragedy in the entire state of > Gujarat. As the news began spreading through the TV channels, even > small villages in the entire state were shocked and violence began. > The most frightening reports came from the villages of > Pandorwada-Lambadiya in panchmahal district. The residential colonies > were gutted down, people were killed and burnt alive. At least 40 > villages were placed under curfew. Even the city like Rajkot, which > always remained peaceful, was kept under curfew. This time, the > reaction in rural areas was simply unprecedented. > > Reaction of Political Leaders : > > Immediately after the news of Godhra massacre reached Gandhinagar, > Health Minister of Gujarat Govt. Ashok Bhatt and the > minister-in-charge for Panchmahal district, Shri Bhupendra Lakhawala > reached Godhra. Even Shri Narendra Modi reached there by the > Helicopter. After taking the note of the intensity of the tragedy and > its likely reaction he warned that strict measures would be taken > against those who would take the law in their own hands, gave > shoot-at-sight orders and also demanded extra forces and army from the > central government. The union defence minister, Shri George Fernandes > reached Gujarat on 1st March and toured entire riot affected area. On > the same afternoon army was deployed in the affected area. Home > Minister Shri L. K. Advani travelled extensively through the riot > affected parts of Godhra, Ahmedabad and Bhavnagar. He supported the > efforts of Gujarat. Government to re-establish law and order and > announced that nobody would be allowed to take law in his hands. > Gujarat Government announced the assistance of Rs. 200,000 each for > those died in Godhra and Rs. 100,000 each for those who died > elsewhere. As usual the reaction of Congress party was on predicted > line. Neither Sonia Gandhi, nor any state Congress Leader deplored > Godhra incident but they simply criticized the reaction of Gujarat to > this tragedy. Congress had also boycotted the all-party meeting > convened by the Chief Minister to discuss the current situation in > Gujarat and in turn tried to show that the Congress party was > interested in the welfare of only one community. Shri Amarsingh > Chowdhary accused that the riots in Gujarat are being carried out with > the backing of the state government (Jai Hind 5th March, 2002). But > after realizing the strong reaction of Hindu society towards Godhra > incident, he also had to accept that it was a well-planned conspiracy. > While the entire Hindu society was experiencing the pain of Godhra > tragedy, anti-Hindu secularists were busy in getting political mileage > from the entire events. According to the Deccan Herald (5th March, > 2002), Shri Jyoti Basu has asked for the dismissal of state government > and former Prime Minister, Shri H. K. Devegauda demanded to announce > entire riot affected area as “Disturbed area”. Even Shri Surjeet > (CPM), Shri Mulayamsingh Yadav, Shri Amarsingh and Shri A. B. Bardhan > also demanded dismissal of Narendra Modi government. > > History of Muslim Terrorism in Godhra from 1927 to 2002 > > Godhra is main centre of Panchmahal District, which is considered to > be communally very sensitive. Details of communal riots/atrocities by > Muslims are appended below. > > 1927-28 Murder of Shri P. M. Shah, a leading local representative of > Hindus. > > 1946 Mr. Sadva Hazi & Mr. Chudighar, pro Pakistani Muslim leaders were > responsible for attack on a Parsi Solapuri fozdar during communal > riots. After partition, Mr. Chudighar left for Pakistan. > > 1948 Mr. Sadva Hazi conspired an attack on District collector Shri > Pimputkar in, 1948 but his bodyguard saved him at the cost of his own > life. After that Mr. Sadva Hazi also left for Pakistan in 1948. > > On 24-3-48 one Hindu was stabbed to death near a mosque in Jahurpur > area. Around 2000 houses of Hindus were burnt besides Hindu Temples. > District collector Shri Pimputtkar could save the remaining areas > belonging to Hindus by imposing curfew, which lasted for six months. > > 1965 Shops belonging to Hindus were set ablaze near Police Chowki – > No. 7 by throwing incendiary material from near-by two Muslim Houses > viz. Bidani & Bhopa. It could be possible because of Congress MLA > belonging to minority. PSI of this Police Chowki which was near by > Railway Station was also attacked by Muslim unsocial elements. > > 1980 A similar attack was made on Hindus on 29-10-80, which started > from the Bus Station of Godhra. This attack was planned by Muslim > miscreants; who were involved in anti social activities near Station > Road area. > > Five Hindus including two children of 5 and 7 year age were burnt > alive. A Gurudwara was also set on fire, in Shikari Chal of this area. > Forty shops belonging to Hindus were also set on fire in station area. > Due to these communal riots, Godhra was put under curfew for a year, > which severely affected the Business and Industries. > > 1990 Four Hindu Teachers were murdered by Muslim miscreants in Saifia > Madresa in Vhorvada area of Godhra on 20-11-’90. One Hindu Tailor was > also stabbed to death in this area. All this was done by Muslim > antisocial elements at the instance of the congress MLA of the area. > > 1992 More than 100 houses belonging to Hindus were set on fire near > Railway Station in the year 1992 to snatch this area from Hindus. All > this was done by Muslim terrorists. This area, now a days, is lying > vacant as most of the Hindu families have shifted elsewhere. > > 2002 Three bogies of Ahmedabad bound Sabarmati express were set on > fire on 27-02-02 by Muslim miscreants. Municipal members, railway > officers & employees belonging to minority community, tea stall > owners, auto rickshaw drivers and Muslim antisocial elements residing > nearby, had a plan to set on fire the entire train but could not do so > because the train was late for four hours and they could not take the > advantage of darkness of night. Following are the points for serious > consideration in this incident. > > (1) This train was attacked near an open land belonging to Mr. > Sikandar Pathan wherefrom weapons were also seized. > > (2) P.S.I. Shri Sharma was attacked with naked sword on the Railway > Station in 1980 by Aminabibi and her sons, who were operating gambling > clubs in Godhra. Mr. Jaspalsingh, the then Police Commissioner of > Vadodara was also attacked with knife on the Railway Platform by > antisocial elements operating Tea Stall on platform. > > (3) These antisocial Muslim elements have also attacked and injured > ticket checkers about two months back. P.S.I. arrested them but the > Railway Police Officer who is a Muslim, got them released. However, > after a strong protest they were rearrested. This had resulted in fear > of their life in Railway employees. > > (4) After this brutal attack on the train, no effective rescue efforts > were taken by Railway Police Officers for quite long time. Out of 30 > Railway Security guards present on station, only 3 with sticks, had > gone to the place of attack. It is now to be considered why they had > helped this way in a preplanned attack. > > (5) The man behind this Muslim terrorism is Pakistani Citizen Mr. > Mohammed Badanga who migrated from Pakistan in 1965. He was granted > Indian Citizenship at the behest of Mr. Pilu Modi the then M. P.. Mr. > Badanga had promoted the ISI sponsored Terrorism which resulted in > attack on the Sabarmati Express on 27-02-2002. > > This clearly goes to establish that the Hindu Psyche had reached its > flash point because of the history of atrocities; hence the > spontaneous reaction as witnessed by Gujarat. This could certainly not > be attributed to organised-planned-efforts of any Hindu Organisation. > > History of the Hindus in Gujarat reveal that only when the Hindu > sentiments are hurt, the out burst remains spontaneous, natural and > vigorous. Otherwise, as could be seen during natural calamities like > the earthquake, draught etc., both the communities have worked > hand-in-hand without any problem, leave aside enmity. > > The government report on the extent of damage caused to the life and > property is very well elucidated below. > > Details of Damage caused to the life & Property. > > As on 7th March 2002, a brief account of the damage (other than the > initial Godhra incident) in the state is as follows. > > * 607 deaths out of which 99 were due to police firing. They include > 270 deaths in Ahmedabad. > > * 820 injured out of which 321 were in Ahmedabad. > > * 2459 houses, 1082 shops, 1084 larry gallas burnt. > > * 691 shops ransacked/burnt. > > * 12 buses & 936 other vehicles were damaged/burnt. > > Damage caused in the heart of Ahmedabad > > The Chandra Vilas Hotel, (A hotel 102 years old) C. Somabhai Tea, > Maharanidas Vallabhdas (a shop 75 years old), Kishore Trading Co., > Desai Pen, Master Watch Co., Jayant Pen House, Khadi Gramodyog Mandir > and many more shops of repute were burnt. Many shops dealing in > timber, such as Tiku Traders, Poonam Traders, Godown of Apline Co., > Durga Timber Mart – situated on Jagannathji Road were burnt to ashes. > > The godown and office of Sundek Laminates, near Vishala Hotel and many > shops of Hindus got destroyed in the flames of communalism. > > Government action to check the agitation in the state > > * In the present case, the curfew was clamped within four hours in > Godhra on the same day. Compared to this, there was delay in ordering > curfew in the earlier incidents. The grievance for such delay was > reported before the Enquiry Commission. > > * The complaint about inaction from the Police authorities and the > local administration were made before the Inquiry Commission. In the > present case in Gujarat, the Law and Order Enforcing Authority has > taken a proactive stand to curb the violence effectively. Police > Authorities have fired more than 3900 rounds; they have used more than > 6500 rounds of tear gas and arrested more than 2800 people. One should > also take a note of the fact that 90 people have been killed in police > firing which shows that police showed no lenient approach towards > elements spreading violence, arson and looting. It is also very > pertinent to note that the geographical areas under grip of such unto > word incident were much larger in 2002, compared to the earlier > incidents of 1969 and 1985 > _________________________________________ > 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 rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com Wed Apr 14 15:52:13 2010 From: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com (Rakesh Iyer) Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 15:52:13 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE In-Reply-To: References: <002201cadba0$ddc843a0$9958cae0$@in> Message-ID: Dear Pawan I have read these mails and let me state my views here: 1) Actions here have been used to prove that Muslim terrorism has been perpetrated in Gujarat. This is ridiculous. Just because perpetrators unleashed violence on hapless minorities in Gujarat after 2002, I won't call it as Hindu terrorism. For me, it's state-sponsored terrorism. To associated the word 'Hindu' with terrorism for such acts is unpardonable and should be condemned by all sane people. 2) If unlawful acts have been committed at any point of time, be it during or not during riots, they must be condemned. The writer has mentioned many things. Can he also mention what action was taken in all of these cases, and if not, what has the BJP govt. done in these cases in order to ensure whether justice was served or not. After all, the BJP is a govt of the 'Hindus', as these elements claim, right? May I know what this supposedly Hindu party did in these cases to secure justice for their brethren? And I feel ashamed if what has been reported as incidents of terror are true, for I don't feel any act of violence can be justified, even if these were during or not during riots. 3) Some facts have been put up regarding Godhra in this blog: *1. of a particular religion were asked to get down at the previous station of Dahod. *Can some one please state here who are these people of a particular religion who got down at Dahod? And who saw them getting down? How did this blog writer come to know about this information? * 2. patients of a particular community were discharged from the civil hospital of Godhra one day before 27th Not a single case from a particular community was registered on 27th Feb. *Where did this information come from? What is the source of this information? * 3. a single student or a teacher of a particular community was present in the schools of Godhra on 27th Feb. *What is the source of this information?* 4. clearly shows that not only it was a pre-planned attack but many others were aware that something is likely to happen on that day. *How come the blog writer has stated that it was a pre-planned attack and others were aware about it? Does he state this based on the above three points? And if yes, how come he came to know about the three points? Is this a part of his/her personal investigation, or just arbitrary accusations? * 5. five people are likely to have foreign connections. It is suspected that this attack was a part of ISI design. * Which five people are being talked about? And where did he get the news about ISI being suspected behind the incident?* 6. L. K. Advani, Shri George Fernandes, Narendra Modi and the BJP president, have indicated that ISI might have masterminded this attack. *Advani and the rest told this even before any preliminary investigation had been carried out into the incident. And till today, not an iota of evidence has been presented by the police either before the judiciary or any commission of inquiry or even before the media to prove that this is an ISI-led attack. Without proof, I can also say that 26/11 was conducted by RAW. Would that be true? * 8. Herald and Gujarat Samachar, in their editions dated 4th March, had also indicated that ISI is behind this attack.* Newspapers highlight many things and don't put other things as well. Gujarati-language newspapers were accused by many of giving news with a biased anti-Muslim tinge to them. My own grandfather who lives in Jamnagar (for more than 40 years now) stated that the news items regarding the post-Godhra violence always had some anti-Muslim tinge to them, along with editorial articles. And this was true even for Gujarat Samachar, which was till then largely considered a 'secular' paper. 4) Since you wish to talk about post-Godhra violence, let me state them as well: i) The tomb of Wali Gujarati in Ahmedabad was burnt. It was on a public road. What harm had the tomb done to be burnt? And this was not an isolated incident. More on what the rioters did on monuments which had to be protected as they are archives of our culture and history in this article on Rediff. http://www.rediff.com/news/2006/mar/06gujarat.htm ii) During the entire pogrom, there was organized looting and killing on a mass scale. Shops were being looted by people who were travelling around in cars to house their 'stolen material'. Car-showrooms were smashed and burnt. Masjids and dargahs were burnt. Politicians were leading mobs and directing them as well as talking on mobiles to know about death counts. Moreover, trucks were called in to transport dead bodies and scatter them around to lower death count in many places. Bodies which were disposed of during those days were in a despicable condition and it was difficult to bury them, as one video I saw on the Gujarat riots filmed by a Hindu showed. Petrol and even LPG cylinders were used on a massive scale to burn people alive to death. There is evidence after evidence after evidence of all this. Also we know that the police didn't register cases in many incidents or clubbed cases to ensure lesser penalty for those caught. The main actors were also not named in the FIR's and efforts were made to ensure that cases were dropped in return for allowing people to come back to villages they lived in. Modi himself didn't attend any of the relief camps Muslims and even some of the Hindus had to run to after the violence took place, until Vajpayee came there. iii) Ehsan Jaffery was hacked to death. Till today his body has not been found. Many lost their lives in the massacre related to this. During this incident, police had just left his home 5 minutes before, when the mob came. And the killing was a spree for all to loot and rape women and hack the men and later the women and children to death. Did they go and burn the S-6 coach at Godhra? It is also shameful Pawan ji, that you are championing the cause of a person who presided over the violence which even forced the Supreme Court to compare him to a Nero who fiddled while Gujarat (Nero's Rome) burnt. How proud are people on this forum to celebrate a man who presided over the rape and killing of so many! I wonder if they would be proud if their own wives and mothers were raped by a mob led by a politician who is revered by others in this forum or elsewhere in the society. Rakesh From aliens at dataone.in Wed Apr 14 16:07:04 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 16:07:04 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE In-Reply-To: References: <002201cadba0$ddc843a0$9958cae0$@in> Message-ID: <000d01cadbbe$6d15e0e0$4741a2a0$@in> Dear Rakesh, Why you repeating all these, which you have mentioned many times and yet the investigation going on by both commission and SC. The point here is only this issue every one want to highlight while other riots swiftly forgotten that was actually point I have mentioned in my mail in which you replied all this. You are proving me right again that only this issue every one want to highlight and exaggerate. From: Rakesh Iyer [mailto:rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 2:38 PM To: Bipin Trivedi Cc: sarai-list Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE Dear Bipin You are talking about Godhra. First of all, Godhra is in Gujarat, and in 2002 when that incident took place, Gujarat had a BJP government in the state whose primary responsibility it was to protect those who lost their lives in the unfortunate incident. Secondly, during that time, the Indian Govt. was the BJP-led NDA govt., and the Railways Minister was Nitish Kumar, the current Chief Minister of Bihar. It was his and his ministry's responsibility to ensure that those travelling in any train, including this one, were protected. Both failed, and the consequences were disastrous. Let us go further ahead and use the arguments Gujarat police have used. The Gujarat police initially declared that this was an ISI-led conspiracy to use local elements and instigate them to carry out this heinous act. Any such act should have been caught by the intelligence machinery and effective measures taken to catch the culprits and counter this effort. The fact that both central intelligence and state intelligence failed to do so, is a failure of governments both at the centre and the state, both of which are BJP or BJP-led. So again, the blame goes on the BJP and their governments. What is also shameful is that a whole pogrom occupied the matters of a state for so much time which took place because supposedly ISI had a role in burning of the train. So basically, if the ISI in Pakistan conducts an act of killing Hindus here, there will be riots. What a shame indeed for the Indian society and for the Indian state that all that the ISI has to do is conduct such an act and then wait for a pogrom to take place! It was of course another matter that till date they have not been able to prove how this was an ISI conspiracy to destabilize India. The Gujarat police has also been conveniently changing stands on the Godhra case. First, they said the train was burnt from outside. When it was stated by forensic experts that this can't be done and also cited the proof of the same (being that if the train was burnt from outside, the tracks would also have been burnt somewhat), the new theory formulated was that the vestibule was cut and people went in and poured petrol inside. Nobody thought it fit to realize that in the stone-throwing spree from outside, with the doors closed, firstly people inside the bogie would have protested and pushed out those who were pouring kerosene or petrol on the people. Secondly, all sleeper coaches in such trains are connected and so people could have escaped through these to other coaches. And most importantly, some people did manage to escape through the door, though they did get injured due to stone-throwing. And yes, while cloth rags were thrown inside the bogies, no passenger eye-witness claimed any petrol or kerosene being thrown on them or others. The Gujarat police arrested even a blind person as part of the conspiracy. And all of these were charged under POTA. Never mind that there was not an iota of evidence to prove that these people were terrorists or were part of a conspiracy! This is about Godhra. Till today, we don't know how this act of burning took place. We don't know who are the perpetrators. Horror of horrors, we don't know who all actually lost their lives on that day, since the identities of some of those who died are still not known (never mind that the RSS-VHP-BJP-Bajrang Dal combine states that they are karsewaks, without any evidence to back their claim). And we don't know why unlike in normal cases, the Railway Ministry didn't institute a commission of inquiry to investigate the event within 48 hours (this work being done by the Nanavati-Shah commission). When the police fails, a whole set of people are not able to get justice. And a whole set of innocents then find themselves being implicated in false cases. But then some people live in the irony of pride of Gujarat. Rakesh P.S: It's hilarious for you to claim that we have started noting other riots or pogroms. I don't think anyone with any sense of humanity can ever condone a riot or a pogrom. Just because I didn't mention it or someone never mentioned it doesn't mean they support it. First ask them before stating such things. For people like you who believe in tit-for-tat, two wrongs make a right. Since Congress organized 1984 pogrom and got away with it, BJP according to you also has a right to conduct 2002 pogrom and get away with it. Since Congress according to you practises corruption, BJP also has a right to indulge in corruption. And since Congress has a right to indulge in appeasement of Muslims, BJP has a right to indulge in Hindu appeasement as well. It would be good for you to understand that both are wrong, and because you have done a wrong act doesn't mean I too have a right to commit that wrong act. @ Pawan I wonder what kind of person are you, who claims on one hand to have suffered at the hands of fundamentalists in Kashmir and also the government, (forced out of Kashmir, your home), and supporting a mass-murderer like Modi who has a completely skewed notion of development and was fiddling like Nero while Gujarat burnt. I thought victims of tragedies of a similar kind understand each other. But this notion of yours now makes me think twice about that assertion. From pawan.durani at gmail.com Wed Apr 14 16:07:25 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 16:07:25 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE In-Reply-To: References: <002201cadba0$ddc843a0$9958cae0$@in> Message-ID: Source : http://deshgujarat.com/2010/03/30/now-see-the-truthmodis-stand-during-godhra-was-thisvideo/ Amidst all mud throwing by Congress and leftists, foreign funded NGOs and media, this video given above shows reality of Narendra Modi’s stand during Godhra riots of year 2002. This video reveals how baseless and completely false are the allegations made by section of media, NGOs and politicians of the country against Narendra Modi for last eight years in connection with Godhra riots. This video was telecast on Doordarshan channel a day after the Muslims burnt 54 Hindu pilgrims returning back from Ayodhya. In this video Mr. Modi requests the people of Gujarat to maintain law and order and peace in the state. The video has subtitles in English. It is good that Modi presented himself before SIT, because now he will come out clean, as he was and he is. The untruth bombarded for crores of times again and again never becomes truth. They shouted untruth for thousands of time that Modi was called by SIT on 21 March, but it didn’t become truth. They shouted thousands of times that Modi was not honoring law because he didn’t appear on 21 March before SIT, but it didn’t become truth, the date was not 21st, they had to admit. They shouted that Modi called SIT investigator at his bungalow for interrogation citing security issue, but it didn’t become truth, Modi himself went to SIT office, the world watched it. They shouted and cried over Chief Justice sharing dias with Modi, but the Chief Justice shared. They shouted over Zimbabve’s former Justice Ibrahim sharing dais with Modi, but Justice Ibrahim not only shared the dais but also praised Modi in his speech in very same program. They shouted over Amitabh Bachchan’s consent to become Brand Ambassador of Gujarat Tourism and criticized it in worst possible manner, but Amitabh did not succumb to their cry, And they are shouting day and night for last eight years that Modi is involved in Godhra riots, but this untruth will not become truth, because it is a sheer lie and glorified untruth. Modi’s stand during Godhra riot is up and clear in the video above. If he wanted more riots, he could avoid telecasting this appeal. After all, this was not mandatory for him at that time. He was going against his own people’s anger to relay this appeal. The transcripts of this video is available in Gujarati and Hindi in PDF format From pawan.durani at gmail.com Wed Apr 14 16:11:41 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 16:11:41 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Naxalites overreached In-Reply-To: References: <7BB75BD2-5666-4337-944F-7137280D296D@sarai.net> Message-ID: Source : http://diwan-e-aam.centreright.in/ Naxalism and the Peter-Pan Mentality There is a compelling scene in Salles’ Motorcycle Diaries when the young Ernesto visit the old Incan ruins of Machu Pichu and undergoes a silent, albeit violent, intellectual turmoil, wondering about the invasion of a beautiful civilization by the polluted urban decay of Lima. Soon his friend, Alberto, chips in and shares his dream of an utopian future in which the entire South America has been swept by a peaceful revolution. But Ernesto is unenthusiastic and casually cuts the ecstatic Alberto by a terse, powerful reply, “A revolution without guns? It will never work”. To a young teenager active on testosterone, this scene would signify the quintessential Che Guevara: a romantic idealist fighting for the just causes of the deprived. One can expect the teenager would one day grow up and realize the large-scale socio-economic and political turmoil that would be unleashed if such a ‘revolution with guns’ should come to fruition. But alas, one cannot hope to teach sound rationalism to someone who has altogether refused to grow up. This Peter-Pan generation would continue to sport the Che-emblazoned t-shirts and attend candle-lit marches in opposition to the war in Afghanistan or Iraq, branding them, without any geo-political knowledge whatsoever, as acts of colonialism and imperialism; or sit at the dusky coffee houses in Calcutta or Delhi and chant the familiar rhetoric against the Establishment crackdown on India’s still-primitive equivalent of the perpetrators of the 26th of July Movement in Cuba. It was not surprising, therefore, to hear these intellectuals accuse the State of brutality, while exonerating the Naxals, particularly in the aftermath of the recent massacre of 76 CRPF men in the Dantewada region of Chhattisgarh. What they always fail to realize is that no left-wing armed uprising was ever concerned about the deprived and the dislocated, from Chairman Mao’s Cultural Revolution to Pol Pot’s dream of establishing an utopian agrarian society in Cambodia, resulting in mass murder and bloodbath, or for that matter in Guevara’s Cuba or Bolivia. As suggested by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, that doyen of all modern Russian writers, communism “can only properly implement its ‘ideals’ only by destroying the core and foundation of a nation’s life”. Therefore, it would be immature to suggest that Chinese communism is of a better quality than the Russian breed. Since, communism at its very heart is a rotten ideology, it just does not matter which breed is followed as “they were all leavened with blood” and “consolidated its power by mass killings”. It has always been, to borrow Charu Majumdar’s elegant phrase, a tool to usurp state power and establish their hegemony. And no hegemony can be complete if it is not supported by individuals who think and reason. Hence, the overriding need to scramble for allies who would, in their naiveté, buttress this revolution with intellectual fodder, and cloak the sub-conscious power-lust inherent in a left-wing armed uprising in a drapery of dialectics. But can that mean the reverence of those thousands of people, who gather every year in Santa Clara, Cuba, to observe the death anniversary of Che, wrong? It most significantly can. Their reverence is wrong because they are all inadvertent victims of mass consciousness, which itself is selectively permeable to history; gleaning everything that is glossy and shutting out all that is ugly and hideous. It is this selective consciousness of the masses that has, time and again, relegated the horrors of communism to the dusty archives of universities, while accepting the flimsy veneer of romanticism under whose garb the beheadings are perpetuated and freedom of speech suppressed. As thoughts enlarge, this veneer is slowly lifted and what one finds is not the promised egalitarian world but unsurpassable brutality. It was this disenchantment that Andre Gide was talking about in his remarkable Return from the U.S.S.R. As someone who flirted with communism in his formative years, Gide could not reconcile his disillusionment after his return from the Bolshevik Shangri-La. “Are these really the people who made the revolution”, Gide wonders, as he is stuck by the bleakness of the model houses, and the Soviet Union’s delegitimization of personality, all in an attempt to create equality. But this equality is itself fatally flawed, translatable only in symbols and seldom materially; wrought about by a revolution that persuaded people “that they are as well off as they can be until a better time comes; to persuade them that elsewhere people are worse off.” This dichotomy, thus created, only helps the regime to tighten its hands on people’s liberties even further in order to perpetuate this illusion of haves and haves-not; hence, an embargo on communication and dissemination of information, which, if left unchecked, would only bust the dream bubble. Unlike other ideologies, communism is itself not self-sustaining, hence, the dream bubble collapses sooner than later. This gives rise to other counter-revolutionary movements with “that same revolutionary spirit, that ferment which first broke through the half-rotten dam of the old Tsarist world.” These counter-revolutionary movements in turn creates an inherent insecurity inside the regime which seeks to safeguard its existence by fomenting revolution elsewhere, hence, the real basis of Trotsky’s theory of Permanent Revolution. Only when the communist governments in other parts of Europe began to fail that the Soviet Union under Stalin began to follow the policy of Socialism in One Country, i.e. strengthening the Soviet Union internally, and that too as a matter of necessity. As the operation against the Naxals reach a decisive phase, it is imperative to clear a few cobwebs. The main myth that is in circulation is that the Naxals derive their moral support from the tribals and the peasants. The harsh irony is that these homegrown idle, albeit lethal, dreamers derive their nourishment not from the deprived but from the educated middle-class intelligentsia, the very champions of justice and human rights. And interestingly, they fight against injustice by condemning the protectors and praising the perpetrators as “Gandhi with guns”. Indeed, much like that graceful epithet, it seems their very priorities have tumbled upside down. In the aftermath of the Dantewada massacre, it would be a fitting memorial to the martyrs if the State responds with a bigger resolve to quash these self-styled Robin Hoods, forever. - Arnav Das Sharma From c.anupam at gmail.com Wed Apr 14 16:12:42 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 16:12:42 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE In-Reply-To: References: <002201cadba0$ddc843a0$9958cae0$@in> Message-ID: but then he also started a gujarat asmita yatra where he spoke about the riots as a conspiracy to defame gujarat inciting many. i suggest you have a look at final solution, a documentary that travels along with this rath yatra to all the cities. doordarshan telecasting such a message by modi is unheard of and deshgujarat is BJP owned portal. come again Pawan with something more conclusive. On Wed, Apr 14, 2010 at 4:07 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > Source : > http://deshgujarat.com/2010/03/30/now-see-the-truthmodis-stand-during-godhra-was-thisvideo/ > > Amidst all mud throwing by Congress and leftists, foreign funded NGOs > and media, this video given above shows reality of Narendra Modi’s > stand during Godhra riots of year 2002. This video reveals how > baseless and completely false are the allegations made by section of > media, NGOs and politicians of the country against Narendra Modi for > last eight years in connection with Godhra riots. > > This video was telecast on Doordarshan channel a day after the Muslims > burnt 54 Hindu pilgrims returning back from Ayodhya. > > In this video Mr. Modi requests the people of Gujarat to maintain law > and order and peace in the state. The video has subtitles in English. > > It is good that Modi presented himself before SIT, because now he will > come out clean, as he was and he is. > > The untruth bombarded for crores of times again and again never > becomes truth. They shouted untruth for thousands of time that Modi > was called by SIT on 21 March, but it didn’t become truth. They > shouted thousands of times that Modi was not honoring law because he > didn’t appear on 21 March before SIT, but it didn’t become truth, the > date was not 21st, they had to admit. They shouted that Modi called > SIT investigator at his bungalow for interrogation citing security > issue, but it didn’t become truth, Modi himself went to SIT office, > the world watched it. They shouted and cried over Chief Justice > sharing dias with Modi, but the Chief Justice shared. They shouted > over Zimbabve’s former Justice Ibrahim sharing dais with Modi, but > Justice Ibrahim not only shared the dais but also praised Modi in his > speech in very same program. They shouted over Amitabh Bachchan’s > consent to become Brand Ambassador of Gujarat Tourism and criticized > it in worst possible manner, but Amitabh did not succumb to their cry, > And they are shouting day and night for last eight years that Modi is > involved in Godhra riots, but this untruth will not become truth, > because it is a sheer lie and glorified untruth. > > Modi’s stand during Godhra riot is up and clear in the video above. If > he wanted more riots, he could avoid telecasting this appeal. After > all, this was not mandatory for him at that time. He was going against > his own people’s anger to relay this appeal. > > The transcripts of this video is available in Gujarati and Hindi in PDF > format > _________________________________________ > 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 c.anupam at gmail.com Wed Apr 14 16:12:42 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 16:12:42 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE In-Reply-To: References: <002201cadba0$ddc843a0$9958cae0$@in> Message-ID: but then he also started a gujarat asmita yatra where he spoke about the riots as a conspiracy to defame gujarat inciting many. i suggest you have a look at final solution, a documentary that travels along with this rath yatra to all the cities. doordarshan telecasting such a message by modi is unheard of and deshgujarat is BJP owned portal. come again Pawan with something more conclusive. On Wed, Apr 14, 2010 at 4:07 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > Source : > http://deshgujarat.com/2010/03/30/now-see-the-truthmodis-stand-during-godhra-was-thisvideo/ > > Amidst all mud throwing by Congress and leftists, foreign funded NGOs > and media, this video given above shows reality of Narendra Modi’s > stand during Godhra riots of year 2002. This video reveals how > baseless and completely false are the allegations made by section of > media, NGOs and politicians of the country against Narendra Modi for > last eight years in connection with Godhra riots. > > This video was telecast on Doordarshan channel a day after the Muslims > burnt 54 Hindu pilgrims returning back from Ayodhya. > > In this video Mr. Modi requests the people of Gujarat to maintain law > and order and peace in the state. The video has subtitles in English. > > It is good that Modi presented himself before SIT, because now he will > come out clean, as he was and he is. > > The untruth bombarded for crores of times again and again never > becomes truth. They shouted untruth for thousands of time that Modi > was called by SIT on 21 March, but it didn’t become truth. They > shouted thousands of times that Modi was not honoring law because he > didn’t appear on 21 March before SIT, but it didn’t become truth, the > date was not 21st, they had to admit. They shouted that Modi called > SIT investigator at his bungalow for interrogation citing security > issue, but it didn’t become truth, Modi himself went to SIT office, > the world watched it. They shouted and cried over Chief Justice > sharing dias with Modi, but the Chief Justice shared. They shouted > over Zimbabve’s former Justice Ibrahim sharing dais with Modi, but > Justice Ibrahim not only shared the dais but also praised Modi in his > speech in very same program. They shouted over Amitabh Bachchan’s > consent to become Brand Ambassador of Gujarat Tourism and criticized > it in worst possible manner, but Amitabh did not succumb to their cry, > And they are shouting day and night for last eight years that Modi is > involved in Godhra riots, but this untruth will not become truth, > because it is a sheer lie and glorified untruth. > > Modi’s stand during Godhra riot is up and clear in the video above. If > he wanted more riots, he could avoid telecasting this appeal. After > all, this was not mandatory for him at that time. He was going against > his own people’s anger to relay this appeal. > > The transcripts of this video is available in Gujarati and Hindi in PDF > format > _________________________________________ > 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 aliens at dataone.in Wed Apr 14 16:23:58 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 16:23:58 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE In-Reply-To: References: <002201cadba0$ddc843a0$9958cae0$@in> Message-ID: <001501cadbc0$c9326f90$5b974eb0$@in> Thanks Dear Pawan for posting this link -----Original Message----- From: Pawan Durani [mailto:pawan.durani at gmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 4:07 PM To: Rakesh Iyer Cc: Bipin Trivedi; sarai-list Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE Source : http://deshgujarat.com/2010/03/30/now-see-the-truthmodis-stand-during-godhra -was-thisvideo/ Amidst all mud throwing by Congress and leftists, foreign funded NGOs and media, this video given above shows reality of Narendra Modi's stand during Godhra riots of year 2002. This video reveals how baseless and completely false are the allegations made by section of media, NGOs and politicians of the country against Narendra Modi for last eight years in connection with Godhra riots. This video was telecast on Doordarshan channel a day after the Muslims burnt 54 Hindu pilgrims returning back from Ayodhya. In this video Mr. Modi requests the people of Gujarat to maintain law and order and peace in the state. The video has subtitles in English. It is good that Modi presented himself before SIT, because now he will come out clean, as he was and he is. The untruth bombarded for crores of times again and again never becomes truth. They shouted untruth for thousands of time that Modi was called by SIT on 21 March, but it didn't become truth. They shouted thousands of times that Modi was not honoring law because he didn't appear on 21 March before SIT, but it didn't become truth, the date was not 21st, they had to admit. They shouted that Modi called SIT investigator at his bungalow for interrogation citing security issue, but it didn't become truth, Modi himself went to SIT office, the world watched it. They shouted and cried over Chief Justice sharing dias with Modi, but the Chief Justice shared. They shouted over Zimbabve's former Justice Ibrahim sharing dais with Modi, but Justice Ibrahim not only shared the dais but also praised Modi in his speech in very same program. They shouted over Amitabh Bachchan's consent to become Brand Ambassador of Gujarat Tourism and criticized it in worst possible manner, but Amitabh did not succumb to their cry, And they are shouting day and night for last eight years that Modi is involved in Godhra riots, but this untruth will not become truth, because it is a sheer lie and glorified untruth. Modi's stand during Godhra riot is up and clear in the video above. If he wanted more riots, he could avoid telecasting this appeal. After all, this was not mandatory for him at that time. He was going against his own people's anger to relay this appeal. The transcripts of this video is available in Gujarati and Hindi in PDF format From rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com Wed Apr 14 16:25:19 2010 From: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com (Rakesh Iyer) Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 16:25:19 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE In-Reply-To: <000d01cadbbe$6d15e0e0$4741a2a0$@in> References: <002201cadba0$ddc843a0$9958cae0$@in> <000d01cadbbe$6d15e0e0$4741a2a0$@in> Message-ID: Dear Bipin I post these mails in the hope that you would try to be rational and understand that your faith in Modi is misguided. As for exaggerating things, I had written mails on Right to Food and NREGA as well. Then nobody was around here to argue for such things or suggest better concrete measures. Even you have only such issues to argue upon. Then even you and those who support your views had nothing to comment. And I won't blame you, as I used to earlier. When people agree on certain issues, there is nothing to argue about. People agree that a NREGA is important or that a Right to Food is important, and therefore we don't argue. But you have conveniently forgotten facts only to prove yourself right. I don't say that Modi has done all things wrong, but this is and will remain a major blot on his governance and his ideas. And I don't think he understands development as well. Rakesh @ Pawan ji: Even Rajiv Gandhi had sent the army after 3 days to quell the 1984 riots. That didn't stop the violence, because almost all the violence took place in those 3 days. Same was the case here in Gujarat under Modi. And as for the appeal, the appeal was followed, as Anupam pointed out later, by a Gujarat Gaurav Rath Yatra, which was his election campaign. Modi was belting out statements like 'Hum paanch humare pachees' during his campaign, in clear violation of all norms of society. He would have done better to know that as per the only report done on this, more Hindus had been practising polygamy in India than Muslims. This report based on a survey conducted in 1974 found out that 1 crore Hindus and 12 lakh Muslims had indulged in polygamy. (all figures for men). After that no figures have been obtained. So without figures, Modi has no right to blame Muslims for having more wives than Hindus, based on his useless perception-based theory. Anupam said it right, go and watch the documentary: Final Solution. In one of his speeches, Modi states that if Godhra would not have happened, not even one stone would have been thrown. The rest is well understood. Rakesh On Wed, Apr 14, 2010 at 4:07 PM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > Dear Rakesh, > > Why you repeating all these, which you have mentioned many times and yet > the investigation going on by both commission and SC. The point here is only > this issue every one want to highlight while other riots swiftly forgotten > that was actually point I have mentioned in my mail in which you replied all > this. > > You are proving me right again that only this issue every one want to > highlight and exaggerate. > > > > > > *From:* Rakesh Iyer [mailto:rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com] > *Sent:* Wednesday, April 14, 2010 2:38 PM > > *To:* Bipin Trivedi > *Cc:* sarai-list > *Subject:* Re: [Reader-list] FW: FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE > > > > Dear Bipin > > You are talking about Godhra. First of all, Godhra is in Gujarat, and in > 2002 when that incident took place, Gujarat had a BJP government in the > state whose primary responsibility it was to protect those who lost their > lives in the unfortunate incident. > > Secondly, during that time, the Indian Govt. was the BJP-led NDA govt., and > the Railways Minister was Nitish Kumar, the current Chief Minister of Bihar. > It was his and his ministry's responsibility to ensure that those travelling > in any train, including this one, were protected. > > Both failed, and the consequences were disastrous. > > Let us go further ahead and use the arguments Gujarat police have used. > > The Gujarat police initially declared that this was an ISI-led conspiracy > to use local elements and instigate them to carry out this heinous act. Any > such act should have been caught by the intelligence machinery and effective > measures taken to catch the culprits and counter this effort. The fact that > both central intelligence and state intelligence failed to do so, is a > failure of governments both at the centre and the state, both of which are > BJP or BJP-led. So again, the blame goes on the BJP and their governments. > > What is also shameful is that a whole pogrom occupied the matters of a > state for so much time which took place because supposedly ISI had a role in > burning of the train. So basically, if the ISI in Pakistan conducts an act > of killing Hindus here, there will be riots. What a shame indeed for the > Indian society and for the Indian state that all that the ISI has to do is > conduct such an act and then wait for a pogrom to take place! > > It was of course another matter that till date they have not been able to > prove how this was an ISI conspiracy to destabilize India. > > The Gujarat police has also been conveniently changing stands on the Godhra > case. First, they said the train was burnt from outside. When it was stated > by forensic experts that this can't be done and also cited the proof of the > same (being that if the train was burnt from outside, the tracks would also > have been burnt somewhat), the new theory formulated was that the vestibule > was cut and people went in and poured petrol inside. Nobody thought it fit > to realize that in the stone-throwing spree from outside, with the doors > closed, firstly people inside the bogie would have protested and pushed out > those who were pouring kerosene or petrol on the people. Secondly, all > sleeper coaches in such trains are connected and so people could have > escaped through these to other coaches. And most importantly, some people > did manage to escape through the door, though they did get injured due to > stone-throwing. And yes, while cloth rags were thrown inside the bogies, no > passenger eye-witness claimed any petrol or kerosene being thrown on them or > others. > > The Gujarat police arrested even a blind person as part of the conspiracy. > And all of these were charged under POTA. Never mind that there was not an > iota of evidence to prove that these people were terrorists or were part of > a conspiracy! > > This is about Godhra. Till today, we don't know how this act of burning > took place. We don't know who are the perpetrators. Horror of horrors, we > don't know who all actually lost their lives on that day, since the > identities of some of those who died are still not known (never mind that > the RSS-VHP-BJP-Bajrang Dal combine states that they are karsewaks, without > any evidence to back their claim). And we don't know why unlike in normal > cases, the Railway Ministry didn't institute a commission of inquiry to > investigate the event within 48 hours (this work being done by the > Nanavati-Shah commission). > > When the police fails, a whole set of people are not able to get justice. > And a whole set of innocents then find themselves being implicated in false > cases. > > But then some people live in the irony of pride of Gujarat. > > Rakesh > > P.S: > > It's hilarious for you to claim that we have started noting other riots or > pogroms. I don't think anyone with any sense of humanity can ever condone a > riot or a pogrom. Just because I didn't mention it or someone never > mentioned it doesn't mean they support it. First ask them before stating > such things. > > For people like you who believe in tit-for-tat, two wrongs make a right. > Since Congress organized 1984 pogrom and got away with it, BJP according to > you also has a right to conduct 2002 pogrom and get away with it. Since > Congress according to you practises corruption, BJP also has a right to > indulge in corruption. And since Congress has a right to indulge in > appeasement of Muslims, BJP has a right to indulge in Hindu appeasement as > well. > > It would be good for you to understand that both are wrong, and because you > have done a wrong act doesn't mean I too have a right to commit that wrong > act. > > @ Pawan > > I wonder what kind of person are you, who claims on one hand to have > suffered at the hands of fundamentalists in Kashmir and also the government, > (forced out of Kashmir, your home), and supporting a mass-murderer like Modi > who has a completely skewed notion of development and was fiddling like Nero > while Gujarat burnt. > > I thought victims of tragedies of a similar kind understand each other. But > this notion of yours now makes me think twice about that assertion. > > > > > > > From aliens at dataone.in Wed Apr 14 16:56:12 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 16:56:12 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE In-Reply-To: References: <002201cadba0$ddc843a0$9958cae0$@in> <000d01cadbbe$6d15e0e0$4741a2a0$@in> Message-ID: <001901cadbc5$49bca320$dd35e960$@in> I have applauding Modi for his efficient Governance ability. Its riot matter we were talking and only Gujarat riot, not other riot everyone want to highlight. Other than riot, issue altogether different. Don't mix up riot and other governing matters for discussion. For useless scheme like NREGA I have already mentioned my views. From: Rakesh Iyer [mailto:rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 4:25 PM To: Bipin Trivedi Cc: sarai-list Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE Dear Bipin I post these mails in the hope that you would try to be rational and understand that your faith in Modi is misguided. As for exaggerating things, I had written mails on Right to Food and NREGA as well. Then nobody was around here to argue for such things or suggest better concrete measures. Even you have only such issues to argue upon. Then even you and those who support your views had nothing to comment. And I won't blame you, as I used to earlier. When people agree on certain issues, there is nothing to argue about. People agree that a NREGA is important or that a Right to Food is important, and therefore we don't argue. But you have conveniently forgotten facts only to prove yourself right. I don't say that Modi has done all things wrong, but this is and will remain a major blot on his governance and his ideas. And I don't think he understands development as well. Rakesh @ Pawan ji: Even Rajiv Gandhi had sent the army after 3 days to quell the 1984 riots. That didn't stop the violence, because almost all the violence took place in those 3 days. Same was the case here in Gujarat under Modi. And as for the appeal, the appeal was followed, as Anupam pointed out later, by a Gujarat Gaurav Rath Yatra, which was his election campaign. Modi was belting out statements like 'Hum paanch humare pachees' during his campaign, in clear violation of all norms of society. He would have done better to know that as per the only report done on this, more Hindus had been practising polygamy in India than Muslims. This report based on a survey conducted in 1974 found out that 1 crore Hindus and 12 lakh Muslims had indulged in polygamy. (all figures for men). After that no figures have been obtained. So without figures, Modi has no right to blame Muslims for having more wives than Hindus, based on his useless perception-based theory. Anupam said it right, go and watch the documentary: Final Solution. In one of his speeches, Modi states that if Godhra would not have happened, not even one stone would have been thrown. The rest is well understood. Rakesh On Wed, Apr 14, 2010 at 4:07 PM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: Dear Rakesh, Why you repeating all these, which you have mentioned many times and yet the investigation going on by both commission and SC. The point here is only this issue every one want to highlight while other riots swiftly forgotten that was actually point I have mentioned in my mail in which you replied all this. You are proving me right again that only this issue every one want to highlight and exaggerate. From: Rakesh Iyer [mailto:rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 2:38 PM To: Bipin Trivedi Cc: sarai-list Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE Dear Bipin You are talking about Godhra. First of all, Godhra is in Gujarat, and in 2002 when that incident took place, Gujarat had a BJP government in the state whose primary responsibility it was to protect those who lost their lives in the unfortunate incident. Secondly, during that time, the Indian Govt. was the BJP-led NDA govt., and the Railways Minister was Nitish Kumar, the current Chief Minister of Bihar. It was his and his ministry's responsibility to ensure that those travelling in any train, including this one, were protected. Both failed, and the consequences were disastrous. Let us go further ahead and use the arguments Gujarat police have used. The Gujarat police initially declared that this was an ISI-led conspiracy to use local elements and instigate them to carry out this heinous act. Any such act should have been caught by the intelligence machinery and effective measures taken to catch the culprits and counter this effort. The fact that both central intelligence and state intelligence failed to do so, is a failure of governments both at the centre and the state, both of which are BJP or BJP-led. So again, the blame goes on the BJP and their governments. What is also shameful is that a whole pogrom occupied the matters of a state for so much time which took place because supposedly ISI had a role in burning of the train. So basically, if the ISI in Pakistan conducts an act of killing Hindus here, there will be riots. What a shame indeed for the Indian society and for the Indian state that all that the ISI has to do is conduct such an act and then wait for a pogrom to take place! It was of course another matter that till date they have not been able to prove how this was an ISI conspiracy to destabilize India. The Gujarat police has also been conveniently changing stands on the Godhra case. First, they said the train was burnt from outside. When it was stated by forensic experts that this can't be done and also cited the proof of the same (being that if the train was burnt from outside, the tracks would also have been burnt somewhat), the new theory formulated was that the vestibule was cut and people went in and poured petrol inside. Nobody thought it fit to realize that in the stone-throwing spree from outside, with the doors closed, firstly people inside the bogie would have protested and pushed out those who were pouring kerosene or petrol on the people. Secondly, all sleeper coaches in such trains are connected and so people could have escaped through these to other coaches. And most importantly, some people did manage to escape through the door, though they did get injured due to stone-throwing. And yes, while cloth rags were thrown inside the bogies, no passenger eye-witness claimed any petrol or kerosene being thrown on them or others. The Gujarat police arrested even a blind person as part of the conspiracy. And all of these were charged under POTA. Never mind that there was not an iota of evidence to prove that these people were terrorists or were part of a conspiracy! This is about Godhra. Till today, we don't know how this act of burning took place. We don't know who are the perpetrators. Horror of horrors, we don't know who all actually lost their lives on that day, since the identities of some of those who died are still not known (never mind that the RSS-VHP-BJP-Bajrang Dal combine states that they are karsewaks, without any evidence to back their claim). And we don't know why unlike in normal cases, the Railway Ministry didn't institute a commission of inquiry to investigate the event within 48 hours (this work being done by the Nanavati-Shah commission). When the police fails, a whole set of people are not able to get justice. And a whole set of innocents then find themselves being implicated in false cases. But then some people live in the irony of pride of Gujarat. Rakesh P.S: It's hilarious for you to claim that we have started noting other riots or pogroms. I don't think anyone with any sense of humanity can ever condone a riot or a pogrom. Just because I didn't mention it or someone never mentioned it doesn't mean they support it. First ask them before stating such things. For people like you who believe in tit-for-tat, two wrongs make a right. Since Congress organized 1984 pogrom and got away with it, BJP according to you also has a right to conduct 2002 pogrom and get away with it. Since Congress according to you practises corruption, BJP also has a right to indulge in corruption. And since Congress has a right to indulge in appeasement of Muslims, BJP has a right to indulge in Hindu appeasement as well. It would be good for you to understand that both are wrong, and because you have done a wrong act doesn't mean I too have a right to commit that wrong act. @ Pawan I wonder what kind of person are you, who claims on one hand to have suffered at the hands of fundamentalists in Kashmir and also the government, (forced out of Kashmir, your home), and supporting a mass-murderer like Modi who has a completely skewed notion of development and was fiddling like Nero while Gujarat burnt. I thought victims of tragedies of a similar kind understand each other. But this notion of yours now makes me think twice about that assertion. From rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com Wed Apr 14 16:59:46 2010 From: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com (Rakesh Iyer) Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 16:59:46 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE In-Reply-To: <001901cadbc5$49bca320$dd35e960$@in> References: <002201cadba0$ddc843a0$9958cae0$@in> <000d01cadbbe$6d15e0e0$4741a2a0$@in> <001901cadbc5$49bca320$dd35e960$@in> Message-ID: Dear Bipin I now remember that view. That is a hopeless view and a narrow way of looking at NREGA. If you want to talk about Sikh riots, we can have a separate list as well. You can discuss about it. But I guess there would hardly be anything, since both of us agree that Congress is culpable for those. Infact, for me that is a pogrom like 2002 Gujarat or 1989 Bhagalpur. Still on any of the issues we can discuss, if you like. Just a request that put such things on a separate list. Rakesh From pawan.durani at gmail.com Wed Apr 14 17:07:23 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 17:07:23 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE In-Reply-To: <001901cadbc5$49bca320$dd35e960$@in> References: <002201cadba0$ddc843a0$9958cae0$@in> <000d01cadbbe$6d15e0e0$4741a2a0$@in> <001901cadbc5$49bca320$dd35e960$@in> Message-ID: Dear Bipin Bhai , You have failed to understand of how certain people have very conveniently diverted the issue away from Dantewada and naxalism by focusing on Gujarat discussion . Unfortunately , you became a willing companion. Pawan On Wed, Apr 14, 2010 at 4:56 PM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > I have applauding Modi for his efficient Governance ability. Its riot matter > we were talking and only Gujarat riot, not other riot everyone want to > highlight. > > > > Other than riot, issue altogether different. Don't mix up riot and other > governing matters for discussion. For useless scheme like NREGA I have > already mentioned my views. > > > > > > From: Rakesh Iyer [mailto:rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com] > Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 4:25 PM > To: Bipin Trivedi > Cc: sarai-list > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE > > > > Dear Bipin > > I post these mails in the hope that you would try to be rational and > understand that your faith in Modi is misguided. > > As for exaggerating things, I had written mails on Right to Food and NREGA > as well. Then nobody was around here to argue for such things or suggest > better concrete measures. Even you have only such issues to argue upon. Then > even you and those who support your views had nothing to comment. > > And I won't blame you, as I used to earlier. When people agree on certain > issues, there is nothing to argue about. People agree that a NREGA is > important or that a Right to Food is important, and therefore we don't > argue. > > But you have conveniently forgotten facts only to prove yourself right. I > don't say that Modi has done all things wrong, but this is and will remain a > major blot on his governance and his ideas. And I don't think he understands > development as well. > > Rakesh > > @ Pawan ji: Even Rajiv Gandhi had sent the army after 3 days to quell the > 1984 riots. That didn't stop the violence, because almost all the violence > took place in those 3 days. Same was the case here in Gujarat under Modi. > And as for the appeal, the appeal was followed, as Anupam pointed out later, > by a Gujarat Gaurav Rath Yatra, which was his election campaign. > > Modi was belting out statements like 'Hum paanch humare pachees' during his > campaign, in clear violation of all norms of society. He would have done > better to know that as per the only report done on this, more Hindus had > been practising polygamy in India than Muslims. This report based on a > survey conducted in 1974 found out that 1 crore Hindus and 12 lakh Muslims > had indulged in polygamy. (all figures for men). > > After that no figures have been obtained. So without figures, Modi has no > right to blame Muslims for having more wives than Hindus, based on his > useless perception-based theory. > > Anupam said it right, go and watch the documentary: Final Solution. In one > of his speeches, Modi states that if Godhra would not have happened, not > even one stone would have been thrown. The rest is well understood. > > Rakesh > > > > On Wed, Apr 14, 2010 at 4:07 PM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > > Dear Rakesh, > > Why you repeating all these, which you have mentioned many times and yet the > investigation going on by both commission and SC. The point here is only > this issue every one want to highlight while other riots swiftly forgotten > that was actually point I have mentioned in my mail in which you replied all > this. > > You are proving me right again that only this issue every one want to > highlight and exaggerate. > > > > > > From: Rakesh Iyer [mailto:rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com] > Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 2:38 PM > > > To: Bipin Trivedi > Cc: sarai-list > > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE > > > > Dear Bipin > > You are talking about Godhra. First of all, Godhra is in Gujarat, and in > 2002 when that incident took place, Gujarat had a BJP government in the > state whose primary responsibility it was to protect those who lost their > lives in the unfortunate incident. > > Secondly, during that time, the Indian Govt. was the BJP-led NDA govt., and > the Railways Minister was Nitish Kumar, the current Chief Minister of Bihar. > It was his and his ministry's responsibility to ensure that those travelling > in any train, including this one, were protected. > > Both failed, and the consequences were disastrous. > > Let us go further ahead and use the arguments Gujarat police have used. > > The Gujarat police initially declared that this was an ISI-led conspiracy to > use local elements and instigate them to carry out this heinous act. Any > such act should have been caught by the intelligence machinery and effective > measures taken to catch the culprits and counter this effort. The fact that > both central intelligence and state intelligence failed to do so, is a > failure of governments both at the centre and the state, both of which are > BJP or BJP-led. So again, the blame goes on the BJP and their governments. > > What is also shameful is that a whole pogrom occupied the matters of a state > for so much time which took place because supposedly ISI had a role in > burning of the train. So basically, if the ISI in Pakistan conducts an act > of killing Hindus here, there will be riots. What a shame indeed for the > Indian society and for the Indian state that all that the ISI has to do is > conduct such an act and then wait for a pogrom to take place! > > It was of course another matter that till date they have not been able to > prove how this was an ISI conspiracy to destabilize India. > > The Gujarat police has also been conveniently changing stands on the Godhra > case. First, they said the train was burnt from outside. When it was stated > by forensic experts that this can't be done and also cited the proof of the > same (being that if the train was burnt from outside, the tracks would also > have been burnt somewhat), the new theory formulated was that the vestibule > was cut and people went in and poured petrol inside. Nobody thought it fit > to realize that in the stone-throwing spree from outside, with the doors > closed, firstly people inside the bogie would have protested and pushed out > those who were pouring kerosene or petrol on the people. Secondly, all > sleeper coaches in such trains are connected and so people could have > escaped through these to other coaches. And most importantly, some people > did manage to escape through the door, though they did get injured due to > stone-throwing. And yes, while cloth rags were thrown inside the bogies, no > passenger eye-witness claimed any petrol or kerosene being thrown on them or > others. > > The Gujarat police arrested even a blind person as part of the conspiracy. > And all of these were charged under POTA. Never mind that there was not an > iota of evidence to prove that these people were terrorists or were part of > a conspiracy! > > This is about Godhra. Till today, we don't know how this act of burning took > place. We don't know who are the perpetrators. Horror of horrors, we don't > know who all actually lost their lives on that day, since the identities of > some of those who died are still not known (never mind that the > RSS-VHP-BJP-Bajrang Dal combine states that they are karsewaks, without any > evidence to back their claim). And we don't know why unlike in normal cases, > the Railway Ministry didn't institute a commission of inquiry to investigate > the event within 48 hours (this work being done by the Nanavati-Shah > commission). > > When the police fails, a whole set of people are not able to get justice. > And a whole set of innocents then find themselves being implicated in false > cases. > > But then some people live in the irony of pride of Gujarat. > > Rakesh > > P.S: > > It's hilarious for you to claim that we have started noting other riots or > pogroms. I don't think anyone with any sense of humanity can ever condone a > riot or a pogrom. Just because I didn't mention it or someone never > mentioned it doesn't mean they support it. First ask them before stating > such things. > > For people like you who believe in tit-for-tat, two wrongs make a right. > Since Congress organized 1984 pogrom and got away with it, BJP according to > you also has a right to conduct 2002 pogrom and get away with it. Since > Congress according to you practises corruption, BJP also has a right to > indulge in corruption. And since Congress has a right to indulge in > appeasement of Muslims, BJP has a right to indulge in Hindu appeasement as > well. > > It would be good for you to understand that both are wrong, and because you > have done a wrong act doesn't mean I too have a right to commit that wrong > act. > > @ Pawan > > I wonder what kind of person are you, who claims on one hand to have > suffered at the hands of fundamentalists in Kashmir and also the government, > (forced out of Kashmir, your home), and supporting a mass-murderer like Modi > who has a completely skewed notion of development and was fiddling like Nero > while Gujarat burnt. > > I thought victims of tragedies of a similar kind understand each other. But > this notion of yours now makes me think twice about that assertion. > > > > > > > > > _________________________________________ > 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 rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com Wed Apr 14 17:08:34 2010 From: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com (Rakesh Iyer) Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 17:08:34 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE In-Reply-To: References: <002201cadba0$ddc843a0$9958cae0$@in> <000d01cadbbe$6d15e0e0$4741a2a0$@in> <001901cadbc5$49bca320$dd35e960$@in> Message-ID: Dear Pawan Please read the subject of the mail once again. Rakesh On Wed, Apr 14, 2010 at 5:07 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > Dear Bipin Bhai , > > You have failed to understand of how certain people have very > conveniently diverted the issue away from Dantewada and naxalism by > focusing on Gujarat discussion . > > Unfortunately , you became a willing companion. > > Pawan > > On Wed, Apr 14, 2010 at 4:56 PM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > > I have applauding Modi for his efficient Governance ability. Its riot > matter > > we were talking and only Gujarat riot, not other riot everyone want to > > highlight. > > > > > > > > Other than riot, issue altogether different. Don't mix up riot and other > > governing matters for discussion. For useless scheme like NREGA I have > > already mentioned my views. > > > > > > > > > > > > From: Rakesh Iyer [mailto:rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com] > > Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 4:25 PM > > To: Bipin Trivedi > > Cc: sarai-list > > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE > > > > > > > > Dear Bipin > > > > I post these mails in the hope that you would try to be rational and > > understand that your faith in Modi is misguided. > > > > As for exaggerating things, I had written mails on Right to Food and > NREGA > > as well. Then nobody was around here to argue for such things or suggest > > better concrete measures. Even you have only such issues to argue upon. > Then > > even you and those who support your views had nothing to comment. > > > > And I won't blame you, as I used to earlier. When people agree on certain > > issues, there is nothing to argue about. People agree that a NREGA is > > important or that a Right to Food is important, and therefore we don't > > argue. > > > > But you have conveniently forgotten facts only to prove yourself right. I > > don't say that Modi has done all things wrong, but this is and will > remain a > > major blot on his governance and his ideas. And I don't think he > understands > > development as well. > > > > Rakesh > > > > @ Pawan ji: Even Rajiv Gandhi had sent the army after 3 days to quell the > > 1984 riots. That didn't stop the violence, because almost all the > violence > > took place in those 3 days. Same was the case here in Gujarat under Modi. > > And as for the appeal, the appeal was followed, as Anupam pointed out > later, > > by a Gujarat Gaurav Rath Yatra, which was his election campaign. > > > > Modi was belting out statements like 'Hum paanch humare pachees' during > his > > campaign, in clear violation of all norms of society. He would have done > > better to know that as per the only report done on this, more Hindus had > > been practising polygamy in India than Muslims. This report based on a > > survey conducted in 1974 found out that 1 crore Hindus and 12 lakh > Muslims > > had indulged in polygamy. (all figures for men). > > > > After that no figures have been obtained. So without figures, Modi has no > > right to blame Muslims for having more wives than Hindus, based on his > > useless perception-based theory. > > > > Anupam said it right, go and watch the documentary: Final Solution. In > one > > of his speeches, Modi states that if Godhra would not have happened, not > > even one stone would have been thrown. The rest is well understood. > > > > Rakesh > > > > > > > > On Wed, Apr 14, 2010 at 4:07 PM, Bipin Trivedi > wrote: > > > > Dear Rakesh, > > > > Why you repeating all these, which you have mentioned many times and yet > the > > investigation going on by both commission and SC. The point here is only > > this issue every one want to highlight while other riots swiftly > forgotten > > that was actually point I have mentioned in my mail in which you replied > all > > this. > > > > You are proving me right again that only this issue every one want to > > highlight and exaggerate. > > > > > > > > > > > > From: Rakesh Iyer [mailto:rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com] > > Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 2:38 PM > > > > > > To: Bipin Trivedi > > Cc: sarai-list > > > > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE > > > > > > > > Dear Bipin > > > > You are talking about Godhra. First of all, Godhra is in Gujarat, and in > > 2002 when that incident took place, Gujarat had a BJP government in the > > state whose primary responsibility it was to protect those who lost their > > lives in the unfortunate incident. > > > > Secondly, during that time, the Indian Govt. was the BJP-led NDA govt., > and > > the Railways Minister was Nitish Kumar, the current Chief Minister of > Bihar. > > It was his and his ministry's responsibility to ensure that those > travelling > > in any train, including this one, were protected. > > > > Both failed, and the consequences were disastrous. > > > > Let us go further ahead and use the arguments Gujarat police have used. > > > > The Gujarat police initially declared that this was an ISI-led conspiracy > to > > use local elements and instigate them to carry out this heinous act. Any > > such act should have been caught by the intelligence machinery and > effective > > measures taken to catch the culprits and counter this effort. The fact > that > > both central intelligence and state intelligence failed to do so, is a > > failure of governments both at the centre and the state, both of which > are > > BJP or BJP-led. So again, the blame goes on the BJP and their > governments. > > > > What is also shameful is that a whole pogrom occupied the matters of a > state > > for so much time which took place because supposedly ISI had a role in > > burning of the train. So basically, if the ISI in Pakistan conducts an > act > > of killing Hindus here, there will be riots. What a shame indeed for the > > Indian society and for the Indian state that all that the ISI has to do > is > > conduct such an act and then wait for a pogrom to take place! > > > > It was of course another matter that till date they have not been able to > > prove how this was an ISI conspiracy to destabilize India. > > > > The Gujarat police has also been conveniently changing stands on the > Godhra > > case. First, they said the train was burnt from outside. When it was > stated > > by forensic experts that this can't be done and also cited the proof of > the > > same (being that if the train was burnt from outside, the tracks would > also > > have been burnt somewhat), the new theory formulated was that the > vestibule > > was cut and people went in and poured petrol inside. Nobody thought it > fit > > to realize that in the stone-throwing spree from outside, with the doors > > closed, firstly people inside the bogie would have protested and pushed > out > > those who were pouring kerosene or petrol on the people. Secondly, all > > sleeper coaches in such trains are connected and so people could have > > escaped through these to other coaches. And most importantly, some people > > did manage to escape through the door, though they did get injured due to > > stone-throwing. And yes, while cloth rags were thrown inside the bogies, > no > > passenger eye-witness claimed any petrol or kerosene being thrown on them > or > > others. > > > > The Gujarat police arrested even a blind person as part of the > conspiracy. > > And all of these were charged under POTA. Never mind that there was not > an > > iota of evidence to prove that these people were terrorists or were part > of > > a conspiracy! > > > > This is about Godhra. Till today, we don't know how this act of burning > took > > place. We don't know who are the perpetrators. Horror of horrors, we > don't > > know who all actually lost their lives on that day, since the identities > of > > some of those who died are still not known (never mind that the > > RSS-VHP-BJP-Bajrang Dal combine states that they are karsewaks, without > any > > evidence to back their claim). And we don't know why unlike in normal > cases, > > the Railway Ministry didn't institute a commission of inquiry to > investigate > > the event within 48 hours (this work being done by the Nanavati-Shah > > commission). > > > > When the police fails, a whole set of people are not able to get justice. > > And a whole set of innocents then find themselves being implicated in > false > > cases. > > > > But then some people live in the irony of pride of Gujarat. > > > > Rakesh > > > > P.S: > > > > It's hilarious for you to claim that we have started noting other riots > or > > pogroms. I don't think anyone with any sense of humanity can ever condone > a > > riot or a pogrom. Just because I didn't mention it or someone never > > mentioned it doesn't mean they support it. First ask them before stating > > such things. > > > > For people like you who believe in tit-for-tat, two wrongs make a right. > > Since Congress organized 1984 pogrom and got away with it, BJP according > to > > you also has a right to conduct 2002 pogrom and get away with it. Since > > Congress according to you practises corruption, BJP also has a right to > > indulge in corruption. And since Congress has a right to indulge in > > appeasement of Muslims, BJP has a right to indulge in Hindu appeasement > as > > well. > > > > It would be good for you to understand that both are wrong, and because > you > > have done a wrong act doesn't mean I too have a right to commit that > wrong > > act. > > > > @ Pawan > > > > I wonder what kind of person are you, who claims on one hand to have > > suffered at the hands of fundamentalists in Kashmir and also the > government, > > (forced out of Kashmir, your home), and supporting a mass-murderer like > Modi > > who has a completely skewed notion of development and was fiddling like > Nero > > while Gujarat burnt. > > > > I thought victims of tragedies of a similar kind understand each other. > But > > this notion of yours now makes me think twice about that assertion. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _________________________________________ > > 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 aliens at dataone.in Wed Apr 14 17:14:39 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 17:14:39 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE In-Reply-To: References: <002201cadba0$ddc843a0$9958cae0$@in> <000d01cadbbe$6d15e0e0$4741a2a0$@in> <001901cadbc5$49bca320$dd35e960$@in> Message-ID: <002401cadbc7$de069a70$9a13cf50$@in> May be you are right, but this issue started again by posting reply I got from Indira Hirway to me and appreciated by few readers! -----Original Message----- From: Pawan Durani [mailto:pawan.durani at gmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 5:07 PM To: Bipin Trivedi Cc: sarai-list Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE Dear Bipin Bhai , You have failed to understand of how certain people have very conveniently diverted the issue away from Dantewada and naxalism by focusing on Gujarat discussion . Unfortunately , you became a willing companion. Pawan On Wed, Apr 14, 2010 at 4:56 PM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > I have applauding Modi for his efficient Governance ability. Its riot matter > we were talking and only Gujarat riot, not other riot everyone want to > highlight. > > > > Other than riot, issue altogether different. Don't mix up riot and other > governing matters for discussion. For useless scheme like NREGA I have > already mentioned my views. > > > > > > From: Rakesh Iyer [mailto:rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com] > Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 4:25 PM > To: Bipin Trivedi > Cc: sarai-list > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE > > > > Dear Bipin > > I post these mails in the hope that you would try to be rational and > understand that your faith in Modi is misguided. > > As for exaggerating things, I had written mails on Right to Food and NREGA > as well. Then nobody was around here to argue for such things or suggest > better concrete measures. Even you have only such issues to argue upon. Then > even you and those who support your views had nothing to comment. > > And I won't blame you, as I used to earlier. When people agree on certain > issues, there is nothing to argue about. People agree that a NREGA is > important or that a Right to Food is important, and therefore we don't > argue. > > But you have conveniently forgotten facts only to prove yourself right. I > don't say that Modi has done all things wrong, but this is and will remain a > major blot on his governance and his ideas. And I don't think he understands > development as well. > > Rakesh > > @ Pawan ji: Even Rajiv Gandhi had sent the army after 3 days to quell the > 1984 riots. That didn't stop the violence, because almost all the violence > took place in those 3 days. Same was the case here in Gujarat under Modi. > And as for the appeal, the appeal was followed, as Anupam pointed out later, > by a Gujarat Gaurav Rath Yatra, which was his election campaign. > > Modi was belting out statements like 'Hum paanch humare pachees' during his > campaign, in clear violation of all norms of society. He would have done > better to know that as per the only report done on this, more Hindus had > been practising polygamy in India than Muslims. This report based on a > survey conducted in 1974 found out that 1 crore Hindus and 12 lakh Muslims > had indulged in polygamy. (all figures for men). > > After that no figures have been obtained. So without figures, Modi has no > right to blame Muslims for having more wives than Hindus, based on his > useless perception-based theory. > > Anupam said it right, go and watch the documentary: Final Solution. In one > of his speeches, Modi states that if Godhra would not have happened, not > even one stone would have been thrown. The rest is well understood. > > Rakesh > > > > On Wed, Apr 14, 2010 at 4:07 PM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > > Dear Rakesh, > > Why you repeating all these, which you have mentioned many times and yet the > investigation going on by both commission and SC. The point here is only > this issue every one want to highlight while other riots swiftly forgotten > that was actually point I have mentioned in my mail in which you replied all > this. > > You are proving me right again that only this issue every one want to > highlight and exaggerate. > > > > > > From: Rakesh Iyer [mailto:rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com] > Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 2:38 PM > > > To: Bipin Trivedi > Cc: sarai-list > > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE > > > > Dear Bipin > > You are talking about Godhra. First of all, Godhra is in Gujarat, and in > 2002 when that incident took place, Gujarat had a BJP government in the > state whose primary responsibility it was to protect those who lost their > lives in the unfortunate incident. > > Secondly, during that time, the Indian Govt. was the BJP-led NDA govt., and > the Railways Minister was Nitish Kumar, the current Chief Minister of Bihar. > It was his and his ministry's responsibility to ensure that those travelling > in any train, including this one, were protected. > > Both failed, and the consequences were disastrous. > > Let us go further ahead and use the arguments Gujarat police have used. > > The Gujarat police initially declared that this was an ISI-led conspiracy to > use local elements and instigate them to carry out this heinous act. Any > such act should have been caught by the intelligence machinery and effective > measures taken to catch the culprits and counter this effort. The fact that > both central intelligence and state intelligence failed to do so, is a > failure of governments both at the centre and the state, both of which are > BJP or BJP-led. So again, the blame goes on the BJP and their governments. > > What is also shameful is that a whole pogrom occupied the matters of a state > for so much time which took place because supposedly ISI had a role in > burning of the train. So basically, if the ISI in Pakistan conducts an act > of killing Hindus here, there will be riots. What a shame indeed for the > Indian society and for the Indian state that all that the ISI has to do is > conduct such an act and then wait for a pogrom to take place! > > It was of course another matter that till date they have not been able to > prove how this was an ISI conspiracy to destabilize India. > > The Gujarat police has also been conveniently changing stands on the Godhra > case. First, they said the train was burnt from outside. When it was stated > by forensic experts that this can't be done and also cited the proof of the > same (being that if the train was burnt from outside, the tracks would also > have been burnt somewhat), the new theory formulated was that the vestibule > was cut and people went in and poured petrol inside. Nobody thought it fit > to realize that in the stone-throwing spree from outside, with the doors > closed, firstly people inside the bogie would have protested and pushed out > those who were pouring kerosene or petrol on the people. Secondly, all > sleeper coaches in such trains are connected and so people could have > escaped through these to other coaches. And most importantly, some people > did manage to escape through the door, though they did get injured due to > stone-throwing. And yes, while cloth rags were thrown inside the bogies, no > passenger eye-witness claimed any petrol or kerosene being thrown on them or > others. > > The Gujarat police arrested even a blind person as part of the conspiracy. > And all of these were charged under POTA. Never mind that there was not an > iota of evidence to prove that these people were terrorists or were part of > a conspiracy! > > This is about Godhra. Till today, we don't know how this act of burning took > place. We don't know who are the perpetrators. Horror of horrors, we don't > know who all actually lost their lives on that day, since the identities of > some of those who died are still not known (never mind that the > RSS-VHP-BJP-Bajrang Dal combine states that they are karsewaks, without any > evidence to back their claim). And we don't know why unlike in normal cases, > the Railway Ministry didn't institute a commission of inquiry to investigate > the event within 48 hours (this work being done by the Nanavati-Shah > commission). > > When the police fails, a whole set of people are not able to get justice. > And a whole set of innocents then find themselves being implicated in false > cases. > > But then some people live in the irony of pride of Gujarat. > > Rakesh > > P.S: > > It's hilarious for you to claim that we have started noting other riots or > pogroms. I don't think anyone with any sense of humanity can ever condone a > riot or a pogrom. Just because I didn't mention it or someone never > mentioned it doesn't mean they support it. First ask them before stating > such things. > > For people like you who believe in tit-for-tat, two wrongs make a right. > Since Congress organized 1984 pogrom and got away with it, BJP according to > you also has a right to conduct 2002 pogrom and get away with it. Since > Congress according to you practises corruption, BJP also has a right to > indulge in corruption. And since Congress has a right to indulge in > appeasement of Muslims, BJP has a right to indulge in Hindu appeasement as > well. > > It would be good for you to understand that both are wrong, and because you > have done a wrong act doesn't mean I too have a right to commit that wrong > act. > > @ Pawan > > I wonder what kind of person are you, who claims on one hand to have > suffered at the hands of fundamentalists in Kashmir and also the government, > (forced out of Kashmir, your home), and supporting a mass-murderer like Modi > who has a completely skewed notion of development and was fiddling like Nero > while Gujarat burnt. > > I thought victims of tragedies of a similar kind understand each other. But > this notion of yours now makes me think twice about that assertion. > > > > > > > > > _________________________________________ > 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 aliens at dataone.in Wed Apr 14 17:17:45 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 17:17:45 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] NAREGA In-Reply-To: References: <002201cadba0$ddc843a0$9958cae0$@in> <000d01cadbbe$6d15e0e0$4741a2a0$@in> <001901cadbc5$49bca320$dd35e960$@in> Message-ID: <002501cadbc8$4cda7d90$e68f78b0$@in> Dynasty or congress is only after their vote bank only since independence and not at all worry for real poor people or development. By hook or crook, they want to implement pro-poor schemes like NAREGA without looking into its long term implications on people's own self development, efficiency, economic conditions. Such huge amount used in schemes of which 60/70% money will be wasted, while the same if used for all types of infrastructure development would have much more long term benefit even on poor. It is better to invest this money for huge power plant and give power at subsidized rate even it makes loss than also it is beneficial instead of these popular schemes which shows lollipop to poor without any long term benefit. The problem is that poor cannot have vision to think long term benefit and congress taking such advantage only since independence, so the poor remains poor only. I am sure such scheme will not uplift them and one has to rethink after huge spending. However, after several years or perhaps a decade, realization will be there after wasting huge money on the schemes like NAREGA. From: Rakesh Iyer [mailto:rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 5:00 PM To: Bipin Trivedi Cc: sarai-list Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE Dear Bipin I now remember that view. That is a hopeless view and a narrow way of looking at NREGA. If you want to talk about Sikh riots, we can have a separate list as well. You can discuss about it. But I guess there would hardly be anything, since both of us agree that Congress is culpable for those. Infact, for me that is a pogrom like 2002 Gujarat or 1989 Bhagalpur. Still on any of the issues we can discuss, if you like. Just a request that put such things on a separate list. Rakesh From rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com Wed Apr 14 17:50:41 2010 From: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com (Rakesh Iyer) Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 17:50:41 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] NAREGA In-Reply-To: <002501cadbc8$4cda7d90$e68f78b0$@in> References: <002201cadba0$ddc843a0$9958cae0$@in> <000d01cadbbe$6d15e0e0$4741a2a0$@in> <001901cadbc5$49bca320$dd35e960$@in> <002501cadbc8$4cda7d90$e68f78b0$@in> Message-ID: Dear Bipin Now that you have mentioned NREGA, let me state why it is actually needed. And by the way, as per a constitutional amendment, it has now been changed to MGREGA (Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act). My response: 1) The passage of NREGA or MGREGA was not a gift of Sonia Gandhi which she had conceived on her own. Civil society organizations had been fighting and struggling over a long period of time to introduce this act. Many people across the country undertook struggles and all kinds of yatras to put pressure on the govt. and get their act passed. And leading them were people who were not involved with any political party, but belonging to civil society and important organizations like the PUCL, the MKSS and others. To project NREGA as an initiative of the Gandhi dynasty is to discredit all those who fought on the road for ensuring that this act was introduced in Parliament. It's a discredit to all those Indian citizens who are demanding their right to livelihood and are not able to live properly as they lack even the basic amenities of life. 2) The act obligates the Indian state to provide 100 days of employment to any person in rural areas who has asked for it, or give an unemployment allowance if it has not been able to provide employment to the person as demanded. Now you are stating that this act is useless. I would say not. Here is the reason. Many people in rural areas are employed either as agricultural laborers, or are seen migrating off to urban areas in search of work. Most of these laborers are uneducated and unskilled, and hence they will not get work in the formal or organized sector. They will get work in the unorganized sector, which is mostly under contractors working on some project involving construction. Or they gain employment in other areas. But most of them are found to work for pretty low wages. This was proved by Arjun Sengupta committee report which was constituted to deliberate upon a social security scheme for workers in the unorganized sector. They found that 77% of the population (2004-2005) was living on less than Rs. 20 per day, which is ridiculous and speaks of the inequality entrenched in our society. Most of these people were living in worse off conditions (mainly slums without water or sanitation provisions for them). They had no social safety nets (either education or health) to fall back upon. They had no land in the rural areas as well which could act as an asset for them under times of distress. They had no protection under labor laws as well since they don't come under the organized sector. And they with little wages found it tough to live in urban conditions with higher prices for same style of life as in rural areas. The biggest problems were with not only their lack of education, but also that their children couldn't be educated since they didn't have one place of residence. They had to move to their villages when agricultural work was available and then go back to cities when it wasn't. The agricultural wages paid were quite low, and since agricultural reforms haven't been undertaken in most states (including the famous Gujarat which is worshipped by some members in this forum, and the only exceptions being West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura where the Left has been dominant), these people were barely able to carry on their lives there. A social dimension related to this is that most of these people who were poor and working as agricultural laborers belonged to the backward castes as also the SC's, the ST's and also the Muslims. Moreover, they had to also face discrimination in the society, and this economic hardship put them in a more precarious situation. The best example to this impoverishment in rural areas can be seen in hunger deaths in the states of India, which the state govts. deny but these continue to take place, particularly in north India. There was no protection possible in any form of labor they undertook to earn, either at time of accidents or in the form of insurance. The NREGA or MGREGA is therefore the Right to Employment. Now every person can live in his/her rural background and get work or unemployment allowance to earn a decent standard of living. Now they can send their children off to school in the hope that their children can come up in life and become stronger economically so that they won't have to depend on NREGA or MGREGA. They will be no longe dying of the lack of food, which they can now buy as they have money in their hands. But the NREGA is not only ensuring that a basic human right, the right of livelihood with dignity can be secured. It is also sound economics. How? Simple. If the MGREGA were to be implemented well, then people can earn money. It's not that this money will only be spent on food, though a substantial portion will be spent on food. It will and can be spent on other things as well. Here lies a market for those wanting to produce goods for these people, like say small sachets of shampoos or toothbrushs and small dant-manjans. You can sell it. And they have the capacity to buy it. The end result is an expansion of markets. Sending of children can help in two ways. One, it gets the society educated and hence raises the ability of children to lead lives they can value (which is what development should be about, not about making power plants and dams which displace people arbitrarily just because they are poor. Why not construct power plants at Ambani's and Tata's homes? Will they agree?) Secondly these children can hope to get a better job tomorrow and earn more economically, which means they can buy more goods. In other words, a huge expansion of the market economics, and again it helps the economy as it boosts demand and hence more goods can be produced. You raise an important issue finally, that of corruption. Corruption is there in all departments of the government. There are only two ways to solve it: i) One way is to completely dissolve all government and administration. Then there will be no corruption, and there will be no MGREGA. But ironically we do need the government, even the capitalists. Under capitalism, government has to perform the role of enforcing certain rights like the Right to Property and also ensuring the rule of law so that companies are able to conduct their activities with full assurance of security. Otherwise they have to be closed down. Should we completely forsake all governance and leave it to people to govern themselves? No. The whole country and whole world will be in chaos. That's not what we want. We can accept anarchy (lack of order-enforcing authority) but no govt. means sooner or later we will be in chaos. (Disorder and violence and hungama all around). ii) Try to bring in steps which introduce transparency in the govt. so that corruption can be reduced. That is what we should try in our approach. But unfortunately that is not what you hint at or look at. So what do you want Bipin ji: Should we decide not to ever have a government, since corruption is inevitable wherever there is government? Is that necessary to wipe out corruption? Or should we try and bring about transparency measures which will remove and root out corruption and therefore ensure that this act is actually functioning on the ground? Let me state that the latter should be our concern. And if you want to know the answer why, it is very simple. On this forum, I have repeatedly used Aashish's words (my friend and a member of this forum), and he said it beautifully, that a democracy can only function, when those who have power can care for those who lack power. In other words, we are educated, and we should be concerned about those who are not and are unempowered. We should help them by bringing such acts because these are the social safety nets for the poor which can help them. And moreover, it's not our dole or charity to them, it's their right to work so that they can earn enough and get the basic necessities of their life. It's their basic human right, as per the Universal Declaration of Human rights, stated in the UN charter, to which we are a signatory as a nation-state. Mind you, MGREGA has disadvantages. It can only help those who can provide labor. The disabled can't work, and MGREGA can't help them. Similarly, Rs. 100 may be too low as a wage at a time of high inflation when PDS doesn't work well in villages for food distribution and the market has not reached the villages. But the solution is not dismantling NREGA. It is in expansion and orienting it with transparency measures to ensure it works,. Otherwise, governments and police machinery in India doesn't work by and large..And that way Bipin ji, we should remove all government and police machinery in India so that we can stop wasting of public funds and remove all corruption from society. Rakesh From rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com Wed Apr 14 19:46:59 2010 From: rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com (Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi) Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 19:46:59 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE In-Reply-To: References: <002201cadba0$ddc843a0$9958cae0$@in> <000d01cadbbe$6d15e0e0$4741a2a0$@in> <001901cadbc5$49bca320$dd35e960$@in> Message-ID: Well said, Pawan, it is a praveen swami a communist party of west Bengal, card holder, who defended the cadres of west bengal CPM who looted, raped in Nandigram and singur, later when the locals joined with CPM (ml) or what is now known as naxalism and list comes to discuss the naxalism, attention is taken towards modi and gujarath riots.! And as to Rakesh, it is not possible for me to argue, and not worth also as he likes to write, see and act what he likes,( like me,) and we agree to disagree.!May be with experience he will understand as I do now, how the Indian National Congress is no more in existence, it started waning in 1939, and became little crescent and a star with a cross in 1948 when Nehru took over, later Indira and her son married a Sonia, to make it a party of crusades against the pagan of india, be it kashmiri pandits or any other denomination, thanks to the greed of individuals in different walks of life.! Regards, rajen On Wed, Apr 14, 2010 at 5:07 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > Dear Bipin Bhai , > > You have failed to understand of how certain people have very > conveniently diverted the issue away from Dantewada and naxalism by > focusing on Gujarat discussion . > > Unfortunately , you became a willing companion. > > Pawan > > On Wed, Apr 14, 2010 at 4:56 PM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > > I have applauding Modi for his efficient Governance ability. Its riot > matter > > we were talking and only Gujarat riot, not other riot everyone want to > > highlight. > > > > > > > > Other than riot, issue altogether different. Don't mix up riot and other > > governing matters for discussion. For useless scheme like NREGA I have > > already mentioned my views. > > > > > > > > > > > > From: Rakesh Iyer [mailto:rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com] > > Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 4:25 PM > > To: Bipin Trivedi > > Cc: sarai-list > > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE > > > > > > > > Dear Bipin > > > > I post these mails in the hope that you would try to be rational and > > understand that your faith in Modi is misguided. > > > > As for exaggerating things, I had written mails on Right to Food and > NREGA > > as well. Then nobody was around here to argue for such things or suggest > > better concrete measures. Even you have only such issues to argue upon. > Then > > even you and those who support your views had nothing to comment. > > > > And I won't blame you, as I used to earlier. When people agree on certain > > issues, there is nothing to argue about. People agree that a NREGA is > > important or that a Right to Food is important, and therefore we don't > > argue. > > > > But you have conveniently forgotten facts only to prove yourself right. I > > don't say that Modi has done all things wrong, but this is and will > remain a > > major blot on his governance and his ideas. And I don't think he > understands > > development as well. > > > > Rakesh > > > > @ Pawan ji: Even Rajiv Gandhi had sent the army after 3 days to quell the > > 1984 riots. That didn't stop the violence, because almost all the > violence > > took place in those 3 days. Same was the case here in Gujarat under Modi. > > And as for the appeal, the appeal was followed, as Anupam pointed out > later, > > by a Gujarat Gaurav Rath Yatra, which was his election campaign. > > > > Modi was belting out statements like 'Hum paanch humare pachees' during > his > > campaign, in clear violation of all norms of society. He would have done > > better to know that as per the only report done on this, more Hindus had > > been practising polygamy in India than Muslims. This report based on a > > survey conducted in 1974 found out that 1 crore Hindus and 12 lakh > Muslims > > had indulged in polygamy. (all figures for men). > > > > After that no figures have been obtained. So without figures, Modi has no > > right to blame Muslims for having more wives than Hindus, based on his > > useless perception-based theory. > > > > Anupam said it right, go and watch the documentary: Final Solution. In > one > > of his speeches, Modi states that if Godhra would not have happened, not > > even one stone would have been thrown. The rest is well understood. > > > > Rakesh > > > > > > > > On Wed, Apr 14, 2010 at 4:07 PM, Bipin Trivedi > wrote: > > > > Dear Rakesh, > > > > Why you repeating all these, which you have mentioned many times and yet > the > > investigation going on by both commission and SC. The point here is only > > this issue every one want to highlight while other riots swiftly > forgotten > > that was actually point I have mentioned in my mail in which you replied > all > > this. > > > > You are proving me right again that only this issue every one want to > > highlight and exaggerate. > > > > > > > > > > > > From: Rakesh Iyer [mailto:rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com] > > Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 2:38 PM > > > > > > To: Bipin Trivedi > > Cc: sarai-list > > > > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE > > > > > > > > Dear Bipin > > > > You are talking about Godhra. First of all, Godhra is in Gujarat, and in > > 2002 when that incident took place, Gujarat had a BJP government in the > > state whose primary responsibility it was to protect those who lost their > > lives in the unfortunate incident. > > > > Secondly, during that time, the Indian Govt. was the BJP-led NDA govt., > and > > the Railways Minister was Nitish Kumar, the current Chief Minister of > Bihar. > > It was his and his ministry's responsibility to ensure that those > travelling > > in any train, including this one, were protected. > > > > Both failed, and the consequences were disastrous. > > > > Let us go further ahead and use the arguments Gujarat police have used. > > > > The Gujarat police initially declared that this was an ISI-led conspiracy > to > > use local elements and instigate them to carry out this heinous act. Any > > such act should have been caught by the intelligence machinery and > effective > > measures taken to catch the culprits and counter this effort. The fact > that > > both central intelligence and state intelligence failed to do so, is a > > failure of governments both at the centre and the state, both of which > are > > BJP or BJP-led. So again, the blame goes on the BJP and their > governments. > > > > What is also shameful is that a whole pogrom occupied the matters of a > state > > for so much time which took place because supposedly ISI had a role in > > burning of the train. So basically, if the ISI in Pakistan conducts an > act > > of killing Hindus here, there will be riots. What a shame indeed for the > > Indian society and for the Indian state that all that the ISI has to do > is > > conduct such an act and then wait for a pogrom to take place! > > > > It was of course another matter that till date they have not been able to > > prove how this was an ISI conspiracy to destabilize India. > > > > The Gujarat police has also been conveniently changing stands on the > Godhra > > case. First, they said the train was burnt from outside. When it was > stated > > by forensic experts that this can't be done and also cited the proof of > the > > same (being that if the train was burnt from outside, the tracks would > also > > have been burnt somewhat), the new theory formulated was that the > vestibule > > was cut and people went in and poured petrol inside. Nobody thought it > fit > > to realize that in the stone-throwing spree from outside, with the doors > > closed, firstly people inside the bogie would have protested and pushed > out > > those who were pouring kerosene or petrol on the people. Secondly, all > > sleeper coaches in such trains are connected and so people could have > > escaped through these to other coaches. And most importantly, some people > > did manage to escape through the door, though they did get injured due to > > stone-throwing. And yes, while cloth rags were thrown inside the bogies, > no > > passenger eye-witness claimed any petrol or kerosene being thrown on them > or > > others. > > > > The Gujarat police arrested even a blind person as part of the > conspiracy. > > And all of these were charged under POTA. Never mind that there was not > an > > iota of evidence to prove that these people were terrorists or were part > of > > a conspiracy! > > > > This is about Godhra. Till today, we don't know how this act of burning > took > > place. We don't know who are the perpetrators. Horror of horrors, we > don't > > know who all actually lost their lives on that day, since the identities > of > > some of those who died are still not known (never mind that the > > RSS-VHP-BJP-Bajrang Dal combine states that they are karsewaks, without > any > > evidence to back their claim). And we don't know why unlike in normal > cases, > > the Railway Ministry didn't institute a commission of inquiry to > investigate > > the event within 48 hours (this work being done by the Nanavati-Shah > > commission). > > > > When the police fails, a whole set of people are not able to get justice. > > And a whole set of innocents then find themselves being implicated in > false > > cases. > > > > But then some people live in the irony of pride of Gujarat. > > > > Rakesh > > > > P.S: > > > > It's hilarious for you to claim that we have started noting other riots > or > > pogroms. I don't think anyone with any sense of humanity can ever condone > a > > riot or a pogrom. Just because I didn't mention it or someone never > > mentioned it doesn't mean they support it. First ask them before stating > > such things. > > > > For people like you who believe in tit-for-tat, two wrongs make a right. > > Since Congress organized 1984 pogrom and got away with it, BJP according > to > > you also has a right to conduct 2002 pogrom and get away with it. Since > > Congress according to you practises corruption, BJP also has a right to > > indulge in corruption. And since Congress has a right to indulge in > > appeasement of Muslims, BJP has a right to indulge in Hindu appeasement > as > > well. > > > > It would be good for you to understand that both are wrong, and because > you > > have done a wrong act doesn't mean I too have a right to commit that > wrong > > act. > > > > @ Pawan > > > > I wonder what kind of person are you, who claims on one hand to have > > suffered at the hands of fundamentalists in Kashmir and also the > government, > > (forced out of Kashmir, your home), and supporting a mass-murderer like > Modi > > who has a completely skewed notion of development and was fiddling like > Nero > > while Gujarat burnt. > > > > I thought victims of tragedies of a similar kind understand each other. > But > > this notion of yours now makes me think twice about that assertion. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _________________________________________ > > 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/> > -- Rajen. From rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com Wed Apr 14 19:52:03 2010 From: rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com (Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi) Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 19:52:03 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Remembering Dr B.R.Ambedkar In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Did you miss the speech of Rahul ji, who has grand plans of TEN rath yathras for dalits and the poor........................Rakesh will have good time to cover this wrong for the one wrong of Advani......! rgards, rajen On Wed, Apr 14, 2010 at 9:27 AM, Pawan Durani wrote: > Today is Ambedkar Jayanti. Let us take time out to remember this great > social reformer. > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B._R._Ambedkar > _________________________________________ > 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/> -- Rajen. From rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com Wed Apr 14 20:15:38 2010 From: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com (Rakesh Iyer) Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 20:15:38 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE In-Reply-To: References: <002201cadba0$ddc843a0$9958cae0$@in> <000d01cadbbe$6d15e0e0$4741a2a0$@in> <001901cadbc5$49bca320$dd35e960$@in> Message-ID: Dear Rajen If you think that I am a Congress supporter, nothing can be far from the truth. But yes, I do like the values which the Congress while it was fighting the struggle for independence, be it the idea of socialism or democracy. The Congress, as Ramachandra Guha once remakred, represents the symptomatic decline of politics in India. Also, I do agree that Nehru practised Muslim appeasement. But he did so not out of being an appeaser, but because he didn't want Muslims in India to feel threatened. The Congress under him was still democratic and the state units could take decisions which Nehru would not like but had to adhere to. It's his daughter Indira Gandhi who destroyed not only the Congress but Indian politics. If political parties today are turning into dynasty-breeding grounds, the credit goes to Indira Gandhi. If Indian police, judiciary and administration are extremely politicized today, it's because of Indira Gandhi. If today corruption is one of the major problems of Indian polity, it's thanks to Indira Gandhi. If today communalization of politics has taken place (to the extent where the major opposition party to the Congress is the BJP), one should thank Indira Gandhi for it. If there was one politician who made it easier for politicians after her to indulge in extra-constitutional measures and use armed intervention with no regard for human rights, it was Indira Gandhi, through her Operation Bluestar. If there was one person who gave rise to the concept of state-sponsored terrorism in South Asia (namely : LTTE) it was Indira Gandhi (and RAW). If Lal Bahadur Shaastri had not mysteriously died, the political history of India would have been a lot different. Rakesh From rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com Wed Apr 14 20:21:10 2010 From: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com (Rakesh Iyer) Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 20:21:10 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Remembering Dr B.R.Ambedkar In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Dear Rajen I am not a Congress supporter or a Rahul Gandhi supporter. But then you people hardly have the time or the brains to ask that. And you are not alone in this. As for rath yatras, they don't serve any other agenda other than political mobilizations. Whether voting for such parties will help Dalits or not is their guess, or if the party wins, their experience. Experience only shows that such hopes are wrong to put in any political party, be it Congress or the BJP. But Advani rightly proved through his yatra that BJP rightly stands for Bharat Jalao Party, as the objective was political mobilization through organizing riots and polarizing societies, which Advani successfully achieved, thanks to the Congress also. Rakesh From c.anupam at gmail.com Wed Apr 14 20:21:48 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 20:21:48 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE In-Reply-To: References: <002201cadba0$ddc843a0$9958cae0$@in> <000d01cadbbe$6d15e0e0$4741a2a0$@in> <001901cadbc5$49bca320$dd35e960$@in> Message-ID: tarnish my image, put it up on your wall, burn it down, for what doesnt appear, will remain as a secret. On Wed, Apr 14, 2010 at 8:15 PM, Rakesh Iyer wrote: > Dear Rajen > > If you think that I am a Congress supporter, nothing can be far from the > truth. But yes, I do like the values which the Congress while it was > fighting the struggle for independence, be it the idea of socialism or > democracy. The Congress, as Ramachandra Guha once remakred, represents the > symptomatic decline of politics in India. > > Also, I do agree that Nehru practised Muslim appeasement. But he did so not > out of being an appeaser, but because he didn't want Muslims in India to > feel threatened. The Congress under him was still democratic and the state > units could take decisions which Nehru would not like but had to adhere to. > It's his daughter Indira Gandhi who destroyed not only the Congress but > Indian politics. > > If political parties today are turning into dynasty-breeding grounds, the > credit goes to Indira Gandhi. If Indian police, judiciary and > administration > are extremely politicized today, it's because of Indira Gandhi. If today > corruption is one of the major problems of Indian polity, it's thanks to > Indira Gandhi. If today communalization of politics has taken place (to the > extent where the major opposition party to the Congress is the BJP), one > should thank Indira Gandhi for it. If there was one politician who made it > easier for politicians after her to indulge in extra-constitutional > measures > and use armed intervention with no regard for human rights, it was Indira > Gandhi, through her Operation Bluestar. If there was one person who gave > rise to the concept of state-sponsored terrorism in South Asia (namely : > LTTE) it was Indira Gandhi (and RAW). > > If Lal Bahadur Shaastri had not mysteriously died, the political history of > India would have been a lot different. > > Rakesh > _________________________________________ > 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 ysaeed7 at yahoo.com Wed Apr 14 22:08:33 2010 From: ysaeed7 at yahoo.com (Yousuf) Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 09:38:33 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] "Imaginings": South Asia in 2020 Message-ID: <167695.31389.qm@web51405.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Imaginings: South Asia in 2020 By SouthAsian thesouthasianidea.wordpress.com Please participate in this initiative ‘Imaginings’ constitutes our most ambitious initiative to date. With this initiative we invite our readers to participate in imagining our national and regional futures ten years from now. What do we think our country, a neighboring country in the region, or the region as a whole would be like in 2020? And why? Readers can submit as many essays as they wish but each essay should deal with one country only (any country in South Asia, not necessarily the writer’s own) or with South Asia as a region. The essay could cover any or all of a number of dimensions – politics, economics, culture, etc. At the heart of the essay would be the identification of the major forces and trends that would yield the future that the writer chooses to describe. What gave rise to these trends, why would they dominate, and what might cause to change their direction or intensity? The credibility of the prediction would rest on the depth of this analysis. We have chosen a fairly short end point (2020) both to keep us from being too speculative and to provide the opportunity to track how our predictions begin to bear out within a short time horizon. We hope to repeat the exercise in 2015 in order to reflect back on the developments to date and assess where we were right and wrong and to update our predictions in the light of our findings. Hopefully, there will be a lot of learning involved in this exercise of retrospective evaluation. Depending on the response, we hope to publish the most relevant and perceptive essays in the form of an edited book. We are deliberately targeting this as the work of ordinary citizens and not of scholars because the voice of ordinary citizens rarely finds an outlet conducive to dialogue and debate. We look forward to your contributions. Any suggestions to shape the initiative further would be very welcome. http://thesouthasianidea.wordpress.com/2010/04/13/imaginings-south-asia-in-2020/ From chintangirishmodi at gmail.com Thu Apr 15 09:18:37 2010 From: chintangirishmodi at gmail.com (Chintan) Date: Thu, 15 Apr 2010 09:18:37 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Night the Toys Came Alive Message-ID: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Shilo shiv Suleman Date: Wed, Apr 14, 2010 at 9:56 PM Subject: Fwd: The Night the Toys Came Alive - press release To: chintangirishmodi at gmail.com Hey Chintan, Sorry this took a while. please please do send to everyone you know :) ---------- The Srishti Toy Lab is a year long project exploring entrepreneurship and sustainability through the medium of toy design. The lab is made up of students drawn from various departments at the Srishti School of Art, Design, and Technology, led by Anders Sandell, an Finnish designer in residence at Srishti. Through the lab students have explored designs that engage children's creativity, imagination and learning. The lab merges User-experience design with principles of Sustainability to innovate not only in terms of how toys are designed, but also in how they are manufactured and marketed. The toys designed by the lab range from new takes on traditional toys to concepts that explore how technology can be meaningfully incorporated in children's media. All the toys have been designed in cooperation with children in and around Bangalore. Join the Srishti Toy Lab on April 16 and 17th at the *1 Shanthi Road Gallery * for their exhibit The Night the Toys Came Alive. The exhibit will feature new toys designs by students in the lab, as well a limited set of toys that will be sold on a first come for serve basis. We especially encourage children to with their parents for Saturdayafternoon for toy making workshops and readings from some of the mixed media we’ve created. See you there! The Toymakers Timings: Friday 16th, 6.00 P.M onwards Saturday, 17th 1.00 P.m onwards Location: 1 Shanthi Road, Shanthi Nagar. Music by Yashas Shetty Exhibit Install by the Green Chakras -- http://bonifisheii.blogspot.com/ From chintangirishmodi at gmail.com Thu Apr 15 11:19:28 2010 From: chintangirishmodi at gmail.com (Chintan) Date: Thu, 15 Apr 2010 11:19:28 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Vacancy: Amana Editor and Program Coordinator In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Altaf Makhiawala *C**ALL FOR APPLICATIONS* *JOB TITLE* * * Amana Editor and Program Coordinator *JOB AND PROGRAM DESCRIPTION* * * The Asian Muslim Action Network (AMAN) is currently seeking an editor and program coordinator for the Amana Media Initiative. Amana means trust, stemming from ‘aman’, the Arabic word for peace. The Amana Media Initiative is a broad, media-based project that encourages greater understanding by covering Muslim communities, organizations and their positive initiatives within and around Asia. Amana publishes a biweekly online newsletter called the Amana News Online, which is written for all audiences, regardless of background. Amana also publishes the quarterly Amana Magazine in five different languages that are distributed across Asia. On the Amana website, people can read and subscribe to Amana News Online, enter into discussion and remain updated of news and events in the region. Amana is dedicated to promoting independent news coverage of issues pertaining to interfaith and secular partnerships, regional development initiatives, human rights and peace. *JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:* l Gather news content and provide news services l Produce biweekly News Online mailing, quarterly Amana Magazine, and manage the AMANA website l Promote Amana both internally and externally l Prepare and submit funding proposals and manage the budget l Publish a comprehensive a reference guide for reporting on Asian Islamic issues l Organise, develop and deliver media skills training l Assess potential to broadcast news through radio and television networks l Continue development of information resources, including knowledge database l Coordinate translation and distribution of Amana Magazine and other news content in cooperation with country coordinators in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan and Thailand *QUALIFICATIONS:* l Degree in either Journalism, International Relations, Political Science, History, Cultural Studies, Islamic Studies, Communications or other relevant tertiary qualification l Excellent oral and written communication skills; fluency in written and spoken English required l Strong interpersonal skills l Professional work experience in a media, journalism (print or electronic) and/or peace focused organisation l Ability to work effectively in a multicultural environment *DESIRABLES:* l Experience working in a diverse network and/or international non-government organisation (NGO) l Experience in organising and/or delivering training l Ability to be flexible and adaptable l Knowledge or experience in writing, editing, design and layout for print and online publications (Adobe InDesign and Photoshop software) l Knowledge of website management software highly desirable. l Thai language proficiency Salary commensurate with experience. *HOW TO APPLY:* Interested applicants should send a cover letter, CV and brief (1-2 page) writing sample to the Amana Editor at *amana at arf-asia.org*. Please respond by *APRIL 27, 2010**.* *ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION:* The Asian Muslim Action Network (AMAN) is an international network organization promoting a socially engaged, peace oriented civil society that upholds universal humane and spiritual values. AMAN works to build understanding and solidarity among Muslims and other faith communities in Asia. With members from Jordan to East Timor, AMAN brings together individuals, groups and associations of Muslims in Asia under a progressive approach to Islam. By empowering Muslim people through institutional capacity building, human resource development and interfaith dialogues, AMAN works to create a culture of peace on the local, national and international levels. AMAN also collaborates with other faith-based and secular groups in its many areas of work. AMAN's main activities include: - School of Peace Studies and Conflict Transformation - Interfaith dialogue, peace forums and promoting peace processes - Research fellowship on Islam in Southeast Asia for young scholars - Women's commission and women’s leadership program - Amana Media Initiative - AMAN Watch: human rights watchdog and engaging Muslim lawyers for legal aid services -- From sudeep.ks at gmail.com Thu Apr 15 12:27:55 2010 From: sudeep.ks at gmail.com (Sudeep K S) Date: Thu, 15 Apr 2010 12:27:55 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Why Weren't We Told..? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Why Weren't We Told? http://blog.insightyv.com/?p=1278 ...what isn't told about Dr Ambedkar? He is not just 'the person who wrote our constitution'. Many mediocres get celebrated in this country but Ambedkar's intellectual contributions remain in the dark for most of us. A belated birthday wishes to him, let us read more of him. -Sudeep From aliens at dataone.in Thu Apr 15 15:16:41 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Thu, 15 Apr 2010 15:16:41 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] NAREGA In-Reply-To: References: <002201cadba0$ddc843a0$9958cae0$@in> <000d01cadbbe$6d15e0e0$4741a2a0$@in> <001901cadbc5$49bca320$dd35e960$@in> <002501cadbc8$4cda7d90$e68f78b0$@in> Message-ID: <000001cadc80$8dbbf330$a933d990$@in> I request all the members to read my views on NAREGA or MGREGA. I have tried to make very brief so you cannot have to spare your much time. I also request to express your views. Dear Rakesh, Thanks at least you agreed that MGREGA is not a gift of Sonia or UPA, since in earlier discussion you gave credit to Sonia. But, UPA/she implemented it that is what their main election campaign and poor people comes in it. Politician particularly congress never thought on long term benefit since independent, though their few intellectual knows/warned about it negativity, but they have ignore and implemented it. Now, you rightly gave credit to others who fought for it since many years and same persons approached to NDA also to implement it, but NDA looking to long vision and benefit choose to initiate and invest in infrastructure. They were knowing that infrastructure development is long process and will get its fruit after long period and there is no short term benefit and probably might affect in the next election though they gone for root based development. THIS IS REAL VISIONARY STEP, NDA ADOPTED WITHOUT LOOKING INTO VOTE BANK POLITICS. By adopting countrywide infrastructure development, employment will be there to local people only in the form of labor for more than 100 days (which is limit for MGREGA), since they are un-educated. Since the infrastructure development will be with the partnership of private companies or contractual basis, the corruption level will be very low compared to huge wastage in MGREGA about 60/70%. We can have corruption discussion sometime later. Disadvantages of this scheme: (1) In this scheme, you will noticed after few years that govt. officials and politician becomes more richer and poor remain poor only. In few years or decade, if poor will not improve their standard of living, who will be responsible and I am sure this will going to happen. (2) ANOTHER MAIN DISADVANTAGE is non-availability of labor in AGRICULTURE since they will divert to this MGREGA scheme. One of the reason for reduce in crop production is this also and it will reduce further this year also leads to increment in the food prices and inflation. Think over it positively. (3) By such scheme you are making people lazy. They get assurance to get work from govt. and did not try their own will to do something, which affects people self improvement, efficiency which is most necessary to grow and develop healthily. Any nation cannot grow healthily, unless it utilize their resources including skilled/unskilled man power in very efficient and disciplined manner. Please note that all the schemes/subsidies adopted by the govt. will do not have any impact unless and until people improve themselves. Since independence, many schemes/subsidies were adopted, which did not uplift poor much. You are talking about agriculture reforms not adopted by Gujarat. Please note that Gujarat agriculture growth is 14% and farmers here are much happier than anywhere else. To make something like agriculture reforms by way of laws is not only criteria for agriculture progress. As you mentioned WB, Tripura, Kerala adopted such reforms what is the progress there in agriculture. WB and Tripura are in worst situation. I don't say Narendra Modi achieved everything or what he is doing everything is right. Lots of thing yet to be do in many criteria. Thanks Bipin From: Rakesh Iyer [mailto:rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 5:51 PM To: Bipin Trivedi Cc: sarai-list Subject: Re: NAREGA Dear Bipin Now that you have mentioned NREGA, let me state why it is actually needed. And by the way, as per a constitutional amendment, it has now been changed to MGREGA (Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act). My response: 1) The passage of NREGA or MGREGA was not a gift of Sonia Gandhi which she had conceived on her own. Civil society organizations had been fighting and struggling over a long period of time to introduce this act. Many people across the country undertook struggles and all kinds of yatras to put pressure on the govt. and get their act passed. And leading them were people who were not involved with any political party, but belonging to civil society and important organizations like the PUCL, the MKSS and others. To project NREGA as an initiative of the Gandhi dynasty is to discredit all those who fought on the road for ensuring that this act was introduced in Parliament. It's a discredit to all those Indian citizens who are demanding their right to livelihood and are not able to live properly as they lack even the basic amenities of life. 2) The act obligates the Indian state to provide 100 days of employment to any person in rural areas who has asked for it, or give an unemployment allowance if it has not been able to provide employment to the person as demanded. Now you are stating that this act is useless. I would say not. Here is the reason. Many people in rural areas are employed either as agricultural laborers, or are seen migrating off to urban areas in search of work. Most of these laborers are uneducated and unskilled, and hence they will not get work in the formal or organized sector. They will get work in the unorganized sector, which is mostly under contractors working on some project involving construction. Or they gain employment in other areas. But most of them are found to work for pretty low wages. This was proved by Arjun Sengupta committee report which was constituted to deliberate upon a social security scheme for workers in the unorganized sector. They found that 77% of the population (2004-2005) was living on less than Rs. 20 per day, which is ridiculous and speaks of the inequality entrenched in our society. Most of these people were living in worse off conditions (mainly slums without water or sanitation provisions for them). They had no social safety nets (either education or health) to fall back upon. They had no land in the rural areas as well which could act as an asset for them under times of distress. They had no protection under labor laws as well since they don't come under the organized sector. And they with little wages found it tough to live in urban conditions with higher prices for same style of life as in rural areas. The biggest problems were with not only their lack of education, but also that their children couldn't be educated since they didn't have one place of residence. They had to move to their villages when agricultural work was available and then go back to cities when it wasn't. The agricultural wages paid were quite low, and since agricultural reforms haven't been undertaken in most states (including the famous Gujarat which is worshipped by some members in this forum, and the only exceptions being West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura where the Left has been dominant), these people were barely able to carry on their lives there. A social dimension related to this is that most of these people who were poor and working as agricultural laborers belonged to the backward castes as also the SC's, the ST's and also the Muslims. Moreover, they had to also face discrimination in the society, and this economic hardship put them in a more precarious situation. The best example to this impoverishment in rural areas can be seen in hunger deaths in the states of India, which the state govts. deny but these continue to take place, particularly in north India. There was no protection possible in any form of labor they undertook to earn, either at time of accidents or in the form of insurance. The NREGA or MGREGA is therefore the Right to Employment. Now every person can live in his/her rural background and get work or unemployment allowance to earn a decent standard of living. Now they can send their children off to school in the hope that their children can come up in life and become stronger economically so that they won't have to depend on NREGA or MGREGA. They will be no longe dying of the lack of food, which they can now buy as they have money in their hands. But the NREGA is not only ensuring that a basic human right, the right of livelihood with dignity can be secured. It is also sound economics. How? Simple. If the MGREGA were to be implemented well, then people can earn money. It's not that this money will only be spent on food, though a substantial portion will be spent on food. It will and can be spent on other things as well. Here lies a market for those wanting to produce goods for these people, like say small sachets of shampoos or toothbrushs and small dant-manjans. You can sell it. And they have the capacity to buy it. The end result is an expansion of markets. Sending of children can help in two ways. One, it gets the society educated and hence raises the ability of children to lead lives they can value (which is what development should be about, not about making power plants and dams which displace people arbitrarily just because they are poor. Why not construct power plants at Ambani's and Tata's homes? Will they agree?) Secondly these children can hope to get a better job tomorrow and earn more economically, which means they can buy more goods. In other words, a huge expansion of the market economics, and again it helps the economy as it boosts demand and hence more goods can be produced. You raise an important issue finally, that of corruption. Corruption is there in all departments of the government. There are only two ways to solve it: i) One way is to completely dissolve all government and administration. Then there will be no corruption, and there will be no MGREGA. But ironically we do need the government, even the capitalists. Under capitalism, government has to perform the role of enforcing certain rights like the Right to Property and also ensuring the rule of law so that companies are able to conduct their activities with full assurance of security. Otherwise they have to be closed down. Should we completely forsake all governance and leave it to people to govern themselves? No. The whole country and whole world will be in chaos. That's not what we want. We can accept anarchy (lack of order-enforcing authority) but no govt. means sooner or later we will be in chaos. (Disorder and violence and hungama all around). ii) Try to bring in steps which introduce transparency in the govt. so that corruption can be reduced. That is what we should try in our approach. But unfortunately that is not what you hint at or look at. So what do you want Bipin ji: Should we decide not to ever have a government, since corruption is inevitable wherever there is government? Is that necessary to wipe out corruption? Or should we try and bring about transparency measures which will remove and root out corruption and therefore ensure that this act is actually functioning on the ground? Let me state that the latter should be our concern. And if you want to know the answer why, it is very simple. On this forum, I have repeatedly used Aashish's words (my friend and a member of this forum), and he said it beautifully, that a democracy can only function, when those who have power can care for those who lack power. In other words, we are educated, and we should be concerned about those who are not and are unempowered. We should help them by bringing such acts because these are the social safety nets for the poor which can help them. And moreover, it's not our dole or charity to them, it's their right to work so that they can earn enough and get the basic necessities of their life. It's their basic human right, as per the Universal Declaration of Human rights, stated in the UN charter, to which we are a signatory as a nation-state. Mind you, MGREGA has disadvantages. It can only help those who can provide labor. The disabled can't work, and MGREGA can't help them. Similarly, Rs. 100 may be too low as a wage at a time of high inflation when PDS doesn't work well in villages for food distribution and the market has not reached the villages. But the solution is not dismantling NREGA. It is in expansion and orienting it with transparency measures to ensure it works,. Otherwise, governments and police machinery in India doesn't work by and large..And that way Bipin ji, we should remove all government and police machinery in India so that we can stop wasting of public funds and remove all corruption from society. Rakesh From iram at sarai.net Thu Apr 15 15:08:51 2010 From: iram at sarai.net (Iram Ghufran) Date: Thu, 15 Apr 2010 15:38:51 +0600 Subject: [Reader-list] Open Day: City as Studio: EXB 10.02 Message-ID: <4BC6DEAB.5060909@sarai.net> Dear all City as Studio: EXB 10.01 has gradually evolved into City as Studio: EXB 10.02. We are ready to receive an outside public now. Please join us on the first Open Day on Thursady, the 15th of April. Exhibition Details: Opening: April 15, 2010 Venue: Sarai CSDS, 29 Rajpur Road, Delhi (near the Civil Lines metro station) Time: 6 pm Artists: Shamsher Ali, Gaigongmei Gangmei, Goutam Ghosh, Iram Ghufran, Kriti Gupta, Alana Hunt, Amitabh Kumar, Niha Masih, Suraj Rai Realised by Iram Ghufran, Amitabh Kumar Produced at Sarai Media Lab, Sarai- CSDS, Delhi April 2010 Exhibition Timings: Monday to Friday from April 16 to May 10, 2010 Hoping to see you there. Warmly Iram ============ Details of works ============= I] Shamsher Ali, Suraj Rai Work title: SO THAT AFFECTION FOR THE CITY ENDURES (Ver 1.2) Material: Circuit boards (Mother boards, Switches, Computer Cards, Key Boards, LAN cards, RAMs, SMPS), CPU fans, wires, speakers, microphone, adapters, props, lights. Year: 2010 Brief statement on the work: It's almost impossible to remove parts from a functioning electronic system, though the possibilities of going on adding to the system to make it grow remain infinite. That's also how a city builds itself – through constant additions, replacements, replenishments. There is no point of origin, or centre, or unit through the repetition of which it has been built. Each part is a cosmos in itself, perfect, but the activation of each part happens through its alignment, and continuous realignment, with all the rest. A fragile built form of life gets accretively constituted. This is the city thinking. It is in a storm, and post-storm, together. It requires the force of our look so as to accelerate. II] Gaigongmei Gangmei, Kriti Gupta, Niha Masih Work title: THOUSANDS OF WORDS Material: Digital print on photo paper Date: 2009- 2010 Brief statement on the work: Etching a city through photographs becomes a part of the process of collecting memories. The city as a ferris wheel, constantly in motion, all lit up. The city as a work in progress, endlessly constructing and deconstructing itself. The city as a superstructure of concrete and love notes… Each photograph in itself is a word carrying many meanings. Putting together images in diverse patterns and sequences, is both challenging as well as exciting. It offers the space to create – add layers, subtract meaning and generate multiple ways of looking at the city. A photograph speaks a thousand words. When you put together hundreds of photographs, each speaking a thousand words, what happens? Engagement with images has limitless possibilities. We invite you to go beyond the visual limits as an audience. Look at the images, our stories, touch the photographs, stick notes on them, even take some away, but do leave some in return :) Additional photographs by: Carole Dieterich Coline Garre Ektaa Malik Shariq Naqvi Gaurav Parikishit Singhal III] Goutam Ghosh Work title: PINK MOUNTAIN Material: Face massage cream, vaseline petroleum jelly, transparent thread, black plastic sheet, transparent pipe, nylon cosmetic hair, soot, shaving foam, drip syringe and drainage pipe. Year: 2010 IV] Iram Ghufran, Amitabh Kumar Work title: PLUSH AS DUST Material: Dust, plastic zip locked packets, specimen tray Year: 2010 Brief statement on the work: Dust settles. Treating the entire city with an honest equanimity. It covers everything. Thin and thick layers of dust, tiny and large particles, fragile but stubborn, marking time, witness to the experiences of space. Dust carries with it stories and anecdotes, traces and patterns, rumours and reports. We have been scraping dust off objects and surfaces of built forms across the city. This act of gathering has created a practice of collecting, labeling, accumulating, cataloguing and mapping. Our collection of dust samples has only just begun, our questions to dust have yet to be articulated. The anatomy of dust carries the history of ourselves and the city we inhabit. Perhaps it will reveal its secrets to the dust collectors, perhaps not. V] Alana Hunt Work title: PAPER TXT MESSAGES FROM KASHMIR Material: paper Date: 2009-2010 Brief statement on the work: In December 2009 almost 1000 paper txt msgs were distributed throughout Kashmir, in response to the Indian government’s ban on pre-paid mobile phone services in the region citing reasons of security. Virtually overnight over 400,000 mobile phone users – people conducting business, college students, families, distanced lovers – were left without means of telecommunication. Through the tongue-in-cheek distribution of an “alternative communicative tool” dejected pre-paid subscribers were invited to write a “paper-txt-msg” to anyone real or imagined, about anything they would like to write in a text message but were suddenly unable to do so. The paper txt msgs moved between people’s hands in different ways and different places, with almost 150 eventually finding their way back to Delhi to form part of the current exhibition. Hopefully, this will develop into a small publication sometime down the track. From 2tahamehmood at googlemail.com Thu Apr 15 16:08:51 2010 From: 2tahamehmood at googlemail.com (Taha Mehmood) Date: Thu, 15 Apr 2010 11:38:51 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] A Portrait of the Artist as a Researcher Message-ID: Dear All, Reading Dieter Lesage brought back memories of many adda sessions I had with people some years back. I think a lot of people who subscribe to this list would perhaps find in the words of Lesage a reflection on a kind of self which gets molded in a particular environment. Excerpts- -You are an artist. You organize exhibitions, you invite people to present their work, you work with people on the presentation, you explain the curatorial concept of the exhibition in an announcement for the media. - You’re an artist and that means: you’re a dreamer, you’re a clown. That is what some people think. It’s a great excuse for not paying any attention to all the thoughts you have. So what happens is that you, as an artist, put ideas into projects that others will show in their museum -So you are a thinker. You develop reflections nobody really cares about. You take intellectual risks. You speculate about artistic problems, you critically kick ass. You’re a transcender. You cannot put all your research efforts into one kind of artistic problems. So you interdisciplinarize your reflection. Hope you would enjoy this piece as much as I did :-) Warm regards Taha http://summit.kein.org/node/233 A Portrait of the Artist as a Researcher by: Dieter Lesage: You’re an artist and that means: you’re a dreamer, you’re a clown. That is what some people think. It’s a great excuse for not paying any attention to all the thoughts you have. So what happens is that you, as an artist, put ideas into projects that others will show in their museum, in their Kunsthalle, in their exhibition space, in their gallery. So you are a thinker. You develop reflections nobody really cares about. You take intellectual risks. You speculate about artistic problems, you critically kick ass. You’re a transcender. You cannot put all your research efforts into one kind of artistic problems. So you interdisciplinarize your reflection. You link the reflections you make. You would say it differently. I know. You say you work within the framework of cultural studies. Within which all over the world you have many buddies. You are a video maker, but also a writer. You have a magazine, you’re an editor, but you also organize conferences. You make videos of interviews with intellectuals. You organize a conference when you present a journal, you insert video stills of interviews with intellectuals in your journal, you organize conferences and you’re the host. You’re part of this little think tank, you walk around at your conference, you talk to people and ask if they want to contribute to your reader, you’re an editor and co-editor, you’re a research coordinator and co-coordinator, you co-edit and coordinate all the time. You want your readers to attend your lectures, you want your conference participants to read your texts, you invite those who contribute to your reader to come to your conference, you make installations with interview videos. You meet people in order to interview them and you interview people in order to meet them. You distribute flyers announcing your conference in the bars near the skyscrapers where you meet people for an interview. You buy second-hand books on flee markets, you distribute flyers announcing your conference in the bar next to the Academy where you meet a DJ who’s distributing flyers too, and you talk to her about a project that one day you might work on together. You make photographs of the library you made from the books you bought at the flee market, you liberate your continent from its philosophical prejudices, you publish the photographs in a publication and you’re a speaker at a conference to which you invite people who wrote for your journal. You invite other speakers to speak after you, you are a master of ceremony and someone else is the speaker, you welcome the people who came to the conference, you introduce people to one another. You’re making art and you’re doing research, your research is practice-based and your practice is research-driven. You’re doing research on the concept of artistic research, you aren’t an artist yourself, they say, but yes you are. You make books that bear your name, you send your books to people who write, you quote their books and they quote you, you write about them and they about you. You are everywhere and you make people wonder where you are. You are abroad, you’re working on one of your laptops, you’re getting back to all your e-mail conversations, you’re updating people on your research projects, you’re doing research projects all the time. You buy flight tickets on the web, you call for a cab, you wear your excess baggage full of research documents from the cab to the plane. You work in different places. You move. You move from one workshop to another, from one conference to another. You take another cab, it takes hours to find your place in Lissabon. You prepare a publication and you negiotate with the layouter to have your text printed the way you want it. You distribute flyers announcing the presentation of the publication in a theater where you attend a performance, you distribute flyers announcing a performance for which you were the dramaturge at the presentation of the publication in a bookshop, you announce another presentation of the same publication in another bookshop, you thank people for being there, you introduce people you interviewed to one another, you invite them to come to the performance. You organize exhibitions, you invite people to present their work, you work with people on the presentation, you explain the curatorial concept of the exhibition in an announcement for the media. You publish in order not to perish and you perish for having published too much. You write new stuff and you rewrite old stuff. You watch the news. You’re doing research on the blues. You’re peer reviewing for journals and your journal is peer-reviewed. You’re an artist and that means it would be nice to get some understanding for the specific kind of research you’re involved in. You write for subsidies, you apply for research grants, and in every commission over and over again there are these academics who don’t understand a thing about artistic research. You organize dinner for people you introduce to one another, you discuss research plans over dinner. You ask people to contribute to your catalogue, you tell them how you work, you show them all. You explain them the basic facts of an artist’s life. That you are an artist and that it means: you’re a dreamer, you’re a clown. That is what some of these people think. It’s a great excuse for not paying attention to all the thoughts you have. So what happens is that you, as an artist, put ideas into projects that others will show in their museum, in their Kunsthalle, in their exhibition space, in their gallery. So you are a thinker. You develop reflections nobody really cares about. You take intellectual risks. You speculate about artistic problems, you critically kick ass. You’re a transcender. You cannot put all your research efforts into one kind of artistic problems. So you interdisciplinarize your reflection. You link the reflections you make. I would say it differently. You know. I say your work is characterized by transdisciplinarity. That it is impressive by its methodological variety. You remix the work of others, but you also remix your own work. You’re very profound but you have a vulgar side too that indulges in scatological remarks. Just kidding. You distribute texts to the visitors of your exhibitions. You consider exhibitions as an excuse for a publication — kidding again — you even consider an exhibition in itself as a publication, you consider every work of art as a publication. You curate an exhibition: it’s like editing a book. You co-curate an exhibition: it’s liking co-editing a book. You participate in a group exhibition: it’s like publishing an article. You participate as a member of a collective in a group exhibition: it’s like co-authoring an article. You make a solo exhibition, hey, it’s like publishing a monograph. You make a solo exhibition at Tate Modern: it’s like publishing a monograph at Oxford University Press. There’s got to be some method in this mess. So let’s be more specific. You participate in a group exhibition at Tate Modern: it’s like publishing an article in an A-journal. You participate as a member of a collective in a group exhibition at Tate Modern: it’s like publishing a co-authored article in an A-journal. You curate a group exhibition at Tate Modern: it’s like editing an issue of an A-journal. You co-curate a group exhibition at Tate Modern: it’s like co-editing an issue of an A-journal. You are a member of the advisory commission for a group exhibition at Tate Modern: it’s like being a peer reviewer of an A-journal. You are the director of Tate Modern: it’s like being the editor-in-chief of an A-journal. You have a solo exhibition at Tate Modern: it’s almost like presenting and defending a Ph.D. To be published at Oxford University Press. Still what a mess. What about the B? If you’ve got an A, you’ve got to have a B too. You participate in a group exhibition at Whitechapel: it’s like publishing an article in a B-journal. You participate as a member of a collective in a group exhibition at Whitechapel: it’s like publishing a co-authored article in a B-journal. You curate a group exhibition at Whitechapel: it’s like editing an issue of a B-journal. You co-curate a group exhibition at Whitechapel: it’s like co-editing an issue of a B-journal. You are a member of the advisory commission for a group exhibition at Whitechapel: it’s like being a peer reviewer of a B-journal. You are the director of Whitechapel: it’s like being the editor-in-chief of a B-journal. And I don’t mean to be negative about the B, you know what I’m saying? Coz’ there’s lots of them journals that aren’t even A, B or C, dig it? Then to have a solo exhibition at Whitechapel is almost like presenting and defending an M.F.A. To be published by Edinburgh University Press. It’s like a real fucking publication, man. It ain’t an A, it’s a B, but it counts. It counts a lot, if you compare it to an exhibition in the gallery of your niece. Coz’ that gallery doesn’t even have a C, if you know what I mean. It’s just a gallery, and it’s your niece, so she’s much too close to be a peer and all. That’s what becoming academic is all about. That you have those people who are called peers and who are totally objective and who know the shit and who can determine if your artwork and your artistic research meet all the scientific standards and all. And so you’d better thank God for peers who are objective and scientific and neutral and anonymous. And so you’d better thank God for the University who helps you to find peers who are objective and scientific and neutral and anonymous and competent. Coz’ the University academizes you, with the help of God Almighty. You’re stubborn but God is patient. So slowly you’re getting academized. The University academizes you and your Academy is being academized. So you’d better praise the Lord for all the good people at Research & Development. So thank you God for the R&D parties to which you are invited now, and who redeem you for all the years that you’ve been listening too much to sinful R&B. Now you go to parties with objective music, neutral drinks, and scientific conversations, in order to meet anonymous people. Now you’re part of this little think tank, this artistic platform, this network, this research group, so you walk around at the parties of R&D, and offer validated cocktails to the members of your peer group. But the party is just so fucking boring that you’re getting drunk. You’re getting provocative, you’re using unacademic language. You’re pointing at the president of the research commission. You’re shouting, you’re getting loud. You’re much too loud man. People are getting embarrassed. And while they’re looking away, sipping at their Bama on the Beach, you tell them with a grim smile on your face: I’m an artist and that means: I’m a dreamer, I’m a clown. That is what some of you guys think. It’s a great excuse for not paying any shitty attention to all the thoughts I have. So what happens is that I, as a fucking artist, put fucking ideas into fucking projects that others will show in their fucking museum, in their shitty Kunsthalle, in their sexhibition space, in their gutter gallery. So I am a thinker. I develop reflections none of you really cares about. I take intellectual risks. I speculate about artistic problems, I critically kick ass. I’m a transcender. I cannot put all my research efforts into one kind of artistic problems. So I interdisciplinarize my reflection. I link the reflections I make. You would say it differently. I know. You say I don’t have a method. You say I mix things up. While mixing is my method. Do I tell you how to construct a machine? No. So don’t tell me how to work as an artist. Coz’ you don’t have a clue. Don’t you tell me that I should publish, that I should publish more, that I should publish there, or publish then. I publish where I want, when I want and how I want. Don’t tell me that meaning only appears in text. Don’t tell me that without a written text on my work, my work doesn’t have any meaning. Words don’t have the monopoly of meaning, you know what I’m saying? Images can speak. So I give you images, and you give me that fucking doctorate. Coz’ my images develop hypotheses. My images ask questions. My images write history. My images interpret and reinterpret history. My images defend propositions. My images refute arguments. My images criticize misconceptions. My images are comments. My images are theses. My images speak as much as words can speak. And therefore to all those who speak in images, I say: rize! Rize against the image of the artist as a dreamer. Rize against the image of the artist as a clown. Rize against what some people think. And make them pay attention to all the thoughts you have. But continue to develop your thoughts your way. Beyond the Academy. From c.anupam at gmail.com Thu Apr 15 16:25:58 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Thu, 15 Apr 2010 16:25:58 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] NAREGA In-Reply-To: <000001cadc80$8dbbf330$a933d990$@in> References: <002201cadba0$ddc843a0$9958cae0$@in> <000d01cadbbe$6d15e0e0$4741a2a0$@in> <001901cadbc5$49bca320$dd35e960$@in> <002501cadbc8$4cda7d90$e68f78b0$@in> <000001cadc80$8dbbf330$a933d990$@in> Message-ID: Bipin, I doubt your sincerity in posting your views about NREGA. I have no idea about other states but the scheme here in Gujarat has flopped majorly because of the apathy of local administration. it turns out that local administration officials, in regions such as Dahod and Panchmahal, which has about 70 to 80 per cent of tribal population, did not pay the farmers for 18 months at a stretch. incidentally, in places such as Fatehpura taluka, where 1800 wells have been dug under NREGA, 600 just have water. the local NREGA officials, which is usually headed by the District Development Officer (in case of Gujarat) and District Rural Development Agency (under the state government) who were supposed to see the feasibility of digging by conducting soil tests and water table checks gave permission to dig up as many wells as the farmers wished for. after all, it is a payment guarantee scheme in which 50 percent is cost of labour and 50 percent would be the cost of material. since the start of the scheme about 3385 farmers from Fatehpura dug up 1800 wells in the semi arid quartzite soil where in some places people have to dig as 100 feet to get water. so deep because, there was a steady decline of the water table in this region and lack of substantial rainfall in the past two years. in december, 3385 farmers under NREGA workers' union filed a complaint to the Dahod district collector asking why there were no payments for the wells which were being dug. after the district developmental official lodged an enquiry into the matter it was found that the two local sarpanchs, one lokayukta, two taluka development officials, one bank manager (according to a police complaint filed at the Fatehpura Police Station) was involved in removing names of at least 1000 farmers from the rosters. in some villages, for example, Dungar, farmers had actually pawned their lands so that they can pay for the other workers. this proves that how popular is the scheme. Dahod district in Gujarat which is considered as one of most underdeveloped taluka in India according various reports, has 30,000 workers working for this scheme says the DDO of Dahod. Can i not infer it is because of the lack of support from Gujarat government as local administration officials are turning it upside down by not paying the NREGA workers? But i would not because the some of these officials especially in adivasi dominated regions take advantage of their innocence and rob them everyday. it has nothing to do central/state divide or NDA/UPA divide. You have not studied any of the organizations which are implementing this scheme in India. I recommend that you go through the scheme and understand its finer points then come back with your conclusions. thanks anupam On Thu, Apr 15, 2010 at 3:16 PM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > I request all the members to read my views on NAREGA or MGREGA. I have > tried > to make very brief so you cannot have to spare your much time. I also > request to express your views. > > > > Dear Rakesh, > > Thanks at least you agreed that MGREGA is not a gift of Sonia or UPA, since > in earlier discussion you gave credit to Sonia. But, UPA/she implemented it > that is what their main election campaign and poor people comes in it. > Politician particularly congress never thought on long term benefit since > independent, though their few intellectual knows/warned about it > negativity, > but they have ignore and implemented it. > > Now, you rightly gave credit to others who fought for it since many years > and same persons approached to NDA also to implement it, but NDA looking to > long vision and benefit choose to initiate and invest in infrastructure. > They were knowing that infrastructure development is long process and will > get its fruit after long period and there is no short term benefit and > probably might affect in the next election though they gone for root based > development. THIS IS REAL VISIONARY STEP, NDA ADOPTED WITHOUT LOOKING INTO > VOTE BANK POLITICS. > > By adopting countrywide infrastructure development, employment will be > there > to local people only in the form of labor for more than 100 days (which is > limit for MGREGA), since they are un-educated. Since the infrastructure > development will be with the partnership of private companies or > contractual > basis, the corruption level will be very low compared to huge wastage in > MGREGA about 60/70%. > > We can have corruption discussion sometime later. > > Disadvantages of this scheme: > > (1) In this scheme, you will noticed after few years that govt. officials > and politician becomes more richer and poor remain poor only. In few years > or decade, if poor will not improve their standard of living, who will be > responsible and I am sure this will going to happen. > > (2) ANOTHER MAIN DISADVANTAGE is non-availability of labor in AGRICULTURE > since they will divert to this MGREGA scheme. One of the reason for reduce > in crop production is this also and it will reduce further this year also > leads to increment in the food prices and inflation. Think over it > positively. > > (3) By such scheme you are making people lazy. They get assurance to get > work from govt. and did not try their own will to do something, which > affects people self improvement, efficiency which is most necessary to grow > and develop healthily. > > Any nation cannot grow healthily, unless it utilize their resources > including skilled/unskilled man power in very efficient and disciplined > manner. Please note that all the schemes/subsidies adopted by the govt. > will > do not have any impact unless and until people improve themselves. Since > independence, many schemes/subsidies were adopted, which did not uplift > poor > much. > > You are talking about agriculture reforms not adopted by Gujarat. Please > note that Gujarat agriculture growth is 14% and farmers here are much > happier than anywhere else. To make something like agriculture reforms by > way of laws is not only criteria for agriculture progress. As you mentioned > WB, Tripura, Kerala adopted such reforms what is the progress there in > agriculture. WB and Tripura are in worst situation. I don't say Narendra > Modi achieved everything or what he is doing everything is right. Lots of > thing yet to be do in many criteria. > > > > Thanks > > Bipin > > > > > > From: Rakesh Iyer [mailto:rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com] > Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 5:51 PM > To: Bipin Trivedi > Cc: sarai-list > Subject: Re: NAREGA > > > > Dear Bipin > > Now that you have mentioned NREGA, let me state why it is actually needed. > And by the way, as per a constitutional amendment, it has now been changed > to MGREGA (Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act). > > My response: > > 1) The passage of NREGA or MGREGA was not a gift of Sonia Gandhi which she > had conceived on her own. Civil society organizations had been fighting and > struggling over a long period of time to introduce this act. Many people > across the country undertook struggles and all kinds of yatras to put > pressure on the govt. and get their act passed. And leading them were > people > who were not involved with any political party, but belonging to civil > society and important organizations like the PUCL, the MKSS and others. > > To project NREGA as an initiative of the Gandhi dynasty is to discredit all > those who fought on the road for ensuring that this act was introduced in > Parliament. It's a discredit to all those Indian citizens who are demanding > their right to livelihood and are not able to live properly as they lack > even the basic amenities of life. > > 2) The act obligates the Indian state to provide 100 days of employment to > any person in rural areas who has asked for it, or give an unemployment > allowance if it has not been able to provide employment to the person as > demanded. Now you are stating that this act is useless. I would say not. > Here is the reason. > > Many people in rural areas are employed either as agricultural laborers, or > are seen migrating off to urban areas in search of work. Most of these > laborers are uneducated and unskilled, and hence they will not get work in > the formal or organized sector. They will get work in the unorganized > sector, which is mostly under contractors working on some project involving > construction. Or they gain employment in other areas. But most of them are > found to work for pretty low wages. This was proved by Arjun Sengupta > committee report which was constituted to deliberate upon a social security > scheme for workers in the unorganized sector. They found that 77% of the > population (2004-2005) was living on less than Rs. 20 per day, which is > ridiculous and speaks of the inequality entrenched in our society. > > Most of these people were living in worse off conditions (mainly slums > without water or sanitation provisions for them). They had no social safety > nets (either education or health) to fall back upon. They had no land in > the > rural areas as well which could act as an asset for them under times of > distress. They had no protection under labor laws as well since they don't > come under the organized sector. And they with little wages found it tough > to live in urban conditions with higher prices for same style of life as in > rural areas. > > The biggest problems were with not only their lack of education, but also > that their children couldn't be educated since they didn't have one place > of > residence. They had to move to their villages when agricultural work was > available and then go back to cities when it wasn't. The agricultural wages > paid were quite low, and since agricultural reforms haven't been undertaken > in most states (including the famous Gujarat which is worshipped by some > members in this forum, and the only exceptions being West Bengal, Kerala > and > Tripura where the Left has been dominant), these people were barely able to > carry on their lives there. > > A social dimension related to this is that most of these people who were > poor and working as agricultural laborers belonged to the backward castes > as > also the SC's, the ST's and also the Muslims. Moreover, they had to also > face discrimination in the society, and this economic hardship put them in > a > more precarious situation. > > The best example to this impoverishment in rural areas can be seen in > hunger > deaths in the states of India, which the state govts. deny but these > continue to take place, particularly in north India. > > There was no protection possible in any form of labor they undertook to > earn, either at time of accidents or in the form of insurance. > > The NREGA or MGREGA is therefore the Right to Employment. Now every person > can live in his/her rural background and get work or unemployment allowance > to earn a decent standard of living. Now they can send their children off > to > school in the hope that their children can come up in life and become > stronger economically so that they won't have to depend on NREGA or MGREGA. > They will be no longe dying of the lack of food, which they can now buy as > they have money in their hands. > > But the NREGA is not only ensuring that a basic human right, the right of > livelihood with dignity can be secured. It is also sound economics. How? > > Simple. If the MGREGA were to be implemented well, then people can earn > money. It's not that this money will only be spent on food, though a > substantial portion will be spent on food. It will and can be spent on > other > things as well. Here lies a market for those wanting to produce goods for > these people, like say small sachets of shampoos or toothbrushs and small > dant-manjans. You can sell it. And they have the capacity to buy it. The > end > result is an expansion of markets. > > Sending of children can help in two ways. One, it gets the society educated > and hence raises the ability of children to lead lives they can value > (which > is what development should be about, not about making power plants and dams > which displace people arbitrarily just because they are poor. Why not > construct power plants at Ambani's and Tata's homes? Will they agree?) > Secondly these children can hope to get a better job tomorrow and earn more > economically, which means they can buy more goods. In other words, a huge > expansion of the market economics, and again it helps the economy as it > boosts demand and hence more goods can be produced. > > You raise an important issue finally, that of corruption. Corruption is > there in all departments of the government. There are only two ways to > solve > it: > > i) One way is to completely dissolve all government and administration. > Then > there will be no corruption, and there will be no MGREGA. But ironically we > do need the government, even the capitalists. Under capitalism, government > has to perform the role of enforcing certain rights like the Right to > Property and also ensuring the rule of law so that companies are able to > conduct their activities with full assurance of security. Otherwise they > have to be closed down. > > Should we completely forsake all governance and leave it to people to > govern > themselves? No. The whole country and whole world will be in chaos. That's > not what we want. We can accept anarchy (lack of order-enforcing authority) > but no govt. means sooner or later we will be in chaos. (Disorder and > violence and hungama all around). > > ii) Try to bring in steps which introduce transparency in the govt. so that > corruption can be reduced. That is what we should try in our approach. But > unfortunately that is not what you hint at or look at. > > > So what do you want Bipin ji: > > Should we decide not to ever have a government, since corruption is > inevitable wherever there is government? Is that necessary to wipe out > corruption? > > Or should we try and bring about transparency measures which will remove > and > root out corruption and therefore ensure that this act is actually > functioning on the ground? > > Let me state that the latter should be our concern. And if you want to know > the answer why, it is very simple. On this forum, I have repeatedly used > Aashish's words (my friend and a member of this forum), and he said it > beautifully, that a democracy can only function, when those who have power > can care for those who lack power. In other words, we are educated, and we > should be concerned about those who are not and are unempowered. We should > help them by bringing such acts because these are the social safety nets > for > the poor which can help them. And moreover, it's not our dole or charity to > them, it's their right to work so that they can earn enough and get the > basic necessities of their life. It's their basic human right, as per the > Universal Declaration of Human rights, stated in the UN charter, to which > we > are a signatory as a nation-state. > > Mind you, MGREGA has disadvantages. It can only help those who can provide > labor. The disabled can't work, and MGREGA can't help them. Similarly, Rs. > 100 may be too low as a wage at a time of high inflation when PDS doesn't > work well in villages for food distribution and the market has not reached > the villages. But the solution is not dismantling NREGA. It is in expansion > and orienting it with transparency measures to ensure it works,. > > Otherwise, governments and police machinery in India doesn't work by and > large..And that way Bipin ji, we should remove all government and police > machinery in India so that we can stop wasting of public funds and remove > all corruption from society. > > Rakesh > > > > > > _________________________________________ > 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 aliens at dataone.in Thu Apr 15 16:52:33 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Thu, 15 Apr 2010 16:52:33 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] A Portrait of the Artist as a Researcher In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <000801cadc8d$f2363a20$d6a2ae60$@in> Yes Dear Taha thanks for it. But, you are quite nowadays unlike earlier where you were active participants in the discussions. Hope you are OK. Thanks Bipin -----Original Message----- From: reader-list-bounces at sarai.net [mailto:reader-list-bounces at sarai.net] On Behalf Of Taha Mehmood Sent: Thursday, April 15, 2010 4:09 PM To: Sarai Reader-list Subject: [Reader-list] A Portrait of the Artist as a Researcher Dear All, Reading Dieter Lesage brought back memories of many adda sessions I had with people some years back. I think a lot of people who subscribe to this list would perhaps find in the words of Lesage a reflection on a kind of self which gets molded in a particular environment. Excerpts- -You are an artist. You organize exhibitions, you invite people to present their work, you work with people on the presentation, you explain the curatorial concept of the exhibition in an announcement for the media. - You’re an artist and that means: you’re a dreamer, you’re a clown. That is what some people think. It’s a great excuse for not paying any attention to all the thoughts you have. So what happens is that you, as an artist, put ideas into projects that others will show in their museum -So you are a thinker. You develop reflections nobody really cares about. You take intellectual risks. You speculate about artistic problems, you critically kick ass. You’re a transcender. You cannot put all your research efforts into one kind of artistic problems. So you interdisciplinarize your reflection. Hope you would enjoy this piece as much as I did :-) Warm regards Taha http://summit.kein.org/node/233 A Portrait of the Artist as a Researcher by: Dieter Lesage: You’re an artist and that means: you’re a dreamer, you’re a clown. That is what some people think. It’s a great excuse for not paying any attention to all the thoughts you have. So what happens is that you, as an artist, put ideas into projects that others will show in their museum, in their Kunsthalle, in their exhibition space, in their gallery. So you are a thinker. You develop reflections nobody really cares about. You take intellectual risks. You speculate about artistic problems, you critically kick ass. You’re a transcender. You cannot put all your research efforts into one kind of artistic problems. So you interdisciplinarize your reflection. You link the reflections you make. You would say it differently. I know. You say you work within the framework of cultural studies. Within which all over the world you have many buddies. You are a video maker, but also a writer. You have a magazine, you’re an editor, but you also organize conferences. You make videos of interviews with intellectuals. You organize a conference when you present a journal, you insert video stills of interviews with intellectuals in your journal, you organize conferences and you’re the host. You’re part of this little think tank, you walk around at your conference, you talk to people and ask if they want to contribute to your reader, you’re an editor and co-editor, you’re a research coordinator and co-coordinator, you co-edit and coordinate all the time. You want your readers to attend your lectures, you want your conference participants to read your texts, you invite those who contribute to your reader to come to your conference, you make installations with interview videos. You meet people in order to interview them and you interview people in order to meet them. You distribute flyers announcing your conference in the bars near the skyscrapers where you meet people for an interview. You buy second-hand books on flee markets, you distribute flyers announcing your conference in the bar next to the Academy where you meet a DJ who’s distributing flyers too, and you talk to her about a project that one day you might work on together. You make photographs of the library you made from the books you bought at the flee market, you liberate your continent from its philosophical prejudices, you publish the photographs in a publication and you’re a speaker at a conference to which you invite people who wrote for your journal. You invite other speakers to speak after you, you are a master of ceremony and someone else is the speaker, you welcome the people who came to the conference, you introduce people to one another. You’re making art and you’re doing research, your research is practice-based and your practice is research-driven. You’re doing research on the concept of artistic research, you aren’t an artist yourself, they say, but yes you are. You make books that bear your name, you send your books to people who write, you quote their books and they quote you, you write about them and they about you. You are everywhere and you make people wonder where you are. You are abroad, you’re working on one of your laptops, you’re getting back to all your e-mail conversations, you’re updating people on your research projects, you’re doing research projects all the time. You buy flight tickets on the web, you call for a cab, you wear your excess baggage full of research documents from the cab to the plane. You work in different places. You move. You move from one workshop to another, from one conference to another. You take another cab, it takes hours to find your place in Lissabon. You prepare a publication and you negiotate with the layouter to have your text printed the way you want it. You distribute flyers announcing the presentation of the publication in a theater where you attend a performance, you distribute flyers announcing a performance for which you were the dramaturge at the presentation of the publication in a bookshop, you announce another presentation of the same publication in another bookshop, you thank people for being there, you introduce people you interviewed to one another, you invite them to come to the performance. You organize exhibitions, you invite people to present their work, you work with people on the presentation, you explain the curatorial concept of the exhibition in an announcement for the media. You publish in order not to perish and you perish for having published too much. You write new stuff and you rewrite old stuff. You watch the news. You’re doing research on the blues. You’re peer reviewing for journals and your journal is peer-reviewed. You’re an artist and that means it would be nice to get some understanding for the specific kind of research you’re involved in. You write for subsidies, you apply for research grants, and in every commission over and over again there are these academics who don’t understand a thing about artistic research. You organize dinner for people you introduce to one another, you discuss research plans over dinner. You ask people to contribute to your catalogue, you tell them how you work, you show them all. You explain them the basic facts of an artist’s life. That you are an artist and that it means: you’re a dreamer, you’re a clown. That is what some of these people think. It’s a great excuse for not paying attention to all the thoughts you have. So what happens is that you, as an artist, put ideas into projects that others will show in their museum, in their Kunsthalle, in their exhibition space, in their gallery. So you are a thinker. You develop reflections nobody really cares about. You take intellectual risks. You speculate about artistic problems, you critically kick ass. You’re a transcender. You cannot put all your research efforts into one kind of artistic problems. So you interdisciplinarize your reflection. You link the reflections you make. I would say it differently. You know. I say your work is characterized by transdisciplinarity. That it is impressive by its methodological variety. You remix the work of others, but you also remix your own work. You’re very profound but you have a vulgar side too that indulges in scatological remarks. Just kidding. You distribute texts to the visitors of your exhibitions. You consider exhibitions as an excuse for a publication — kidding again — you even consider an exhibition in itself as a publication, you consider every work of art as a publication. You curate an exhibition: it’s like editing a book. You co-curate an exhibition: it’s liking co-editing a book. You participate in a group exhibition: it’s like publishing an article. You participate as a member of a collective in a group exhibition: it’s like co-authoring an article. You make a solo exhibition, hey, it’s like publishing a monograph. You make a solo exhibition at Tate Modern: it’s like publishing a monograph at Oxford University Press. There’s got to be some method in this mess. So let’s be more specific. You participate in a group exhibition at Tate Modern: it’s like publishing an article in an A-journal. You participate as a member of a collective in a group exhibition at Tate Modern: it’s like publishing a co-authored article in an A-journal. You curate a group exhibition at Tate Modern: it’s like editing an issue of an A-journal. You co-curate a group exhibition at Tate Modern: it’s like co-editing an issue of an A-journal. You are a member of the advisory commission for a group exhibition at Tate Modern: it’s like being a peer reviewer of an A-journal. You are the director of Tate Modern: it’s like being the editor-in-chief of an A-journal. You have a solo exhibition at Tate Modern: it’s almost like presenting and defending a Ph.D. To be published at Oxford University Press. Still what a mess. What about the B? If you’ve got an A, you’ve got to have a B too. You participate in a group exhibition at Whitechapel: it’s like publishing an article in a B-journal. You participate as a member of a collective in a group exhibition at Whitechapel: it’s like publishing a co-authored article in a B-journal. You curate a group exhibition at Whitechapel: it’s like editing an issue of a B-journal. You co-curate a group exhibition at Whitechapel: it’s like co-editing an issue of a B-journal. You are a member of the advisory commission for a group exhibition at Whitechapel: it’s like being a peer reviewer of a B-journal. You are the director of Whitechapel: it’s like being the editor-in-chief of a B-journal. And I don’t mean to be negative about the B, you know what I’m saying? Coz’ there’s lots of them journals that aren’t even A, B or C, dig it? Then to have a solo exhibition at Whitechapel is almost like presenting and defending an M.F.A. To be published by Edinburgh University Press. It’s like a real fucking publication, man. It ain’t an A, it’s a B, but it counts. It counts a lot, if you compare it to an exhibition in the gallery of your niece. Coz’ that gallery doesn’t even have a C, if you know what I mean. It’s just a gallery, and it’s your niece, so she’s much too close to be a peer and all. That’s what becoming academic is all about. That you have those people who are called peers and who are totally objective and who know the shit and who can determine if your artwork and your artistic research meet all the scientific standards and all. And so you’d better thank God for peers who are objective and scientific and neutral and anonymous. And so you’d better thank God for the University who helps you to find peers who are objective and scientific and neutral and anonymous and competent. Coz’ the University academizes you, with the help of God Almighty. You’re stubborn but God is patient. So slowly you’re getting academized. The University academizes you and your Academy is being academized. So you’d better praise the Lord for all the good people at Research & Development. So thank you God for the R&D parties to which you are invited now, and who redeem you for all the years that you’ve been listening too much to sinful R&B. Now you go to parties with objective music, neutral drinks, and scientific conversations, in order to meet anonymous people. Now you’re part of this little think tank, this artistic platform, this network, this research group, so you walk around at the parties of R&D, and offer validated cocktails to the members of your peer group. But the party is just so fucking boring that you’re getting drunk. You’re getting provocative, you’re using unacademic language. You’re pointing at the president of the research commission. You’re shouting, you’re getting loud. You’re much too loud man. People are getting embarrassed. And while they’re looking away, sipping at their Bama on the Beach, you tell them with a grim smile on your face: I’m an artist and that means: I’m a dreamer, I’m a clown. That is what some of you guys think. It’s a great excuse for not paying any shitty attention to all the thoughts I have. So what happens is that I, as a fucking artist, put fucking ideas into fucking projects that others will show in their fucking museum, in their shitty Kunsthalle, in their sexhibition space, in their gutter gallery. So I am a thinker. I develop reflections none of you really cares about. I take intellectual risks. I speculate about artistic problems, I critically kick ass. I’m a transcender. I cannot put all my research efforts into one kind of artistic problems. So I interdisciplinarize my reflection. I link the reflections I make. You would say it differently. I know. You say I don’t have a method. You say I mix things up. While mixing is my method. Do I tell you how to construct a machine? No. So don’t tell me how to work as an artist. Coz’ you don’t have a clue. Don’t you tell me that I should publish, that I should publish more, that I should publish there, or publish then. I publish where I want, when I want and how I want. Don’t tell me that meaning only appears in text. Don’t tell me that without a written text on my work, my work doesn’t have any meaning. Words don’t have the monopoly of meaning, you know what I’m saying? Images can speak. So I give you images, and you give me that fucking doctorate. Coz’ my images develop hypotheses. My images ask questions. My images write history. My images interpret and reinterpret history. My images defend propositions. My images refute arguments. My images criticize misconceptions. My images are comments. My images are theses. My images speak as much as words can speak. And therefore to all those who speak in images, I say: rize! Rize against the image of the artist as a dreamer. Rize against the image of the artist as a clown. Rize against what some people think. And make them pay attention to all the thoughts you have. But continue to develop your thoughts your way. Beyond the Academy. _________________________________________ 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 kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Thu Apr 15 16:54:22 2010 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Thu, 15 Apr 2010 04:24:22 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] A Portrait of the Artist as a Researcher In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <396490.43442.qm@web57204.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Dear Taha   Thanks for sharing this.   Very enjoyable at one level. Full of pathos at another level.   Reads like poetry. I going to attempt a 'reading' in my group.    Why did you break it up into paragraphs? If you did.   Kshmendra  --- On Thu, 4/15/10, Taha Mehmood <2tahamehmood at googlemail.com> wrote: From: Taha Mehmood <2tahamehmood at googlemail.com> Subject: [Reader-list] A Portrait of the Artist as a Researcher To: "Sarai Reader-list" Date: Thursday, April 15, 2010, 4:08 PM Dear All, Reading Dieter Lesage brought back memories of many adda sessions I had with people some years back. I think a lot of people who subscribe to this list would perhaps find in the words of Lesage a reflection on a kind of self which gets molded in a particular environment. Excerpts- -You are an artist. You organize exhibitions, you invite people to present their work, you work with people on the presentation, you explain the curatorial concept of the exhibition in an announcement for the media. - You’re an artist and that means: you’re a dreamer, you’re a clown. That is what some people think. It’s a great excuse for not paying any attention to all the thoughts you have. So what happens is that you, as an artist, put ideas into projects that others will show in their museum -So you are a thinker. You develop reflections nobody really cares about. You take intellectual risks. You speculate about artistic problems, you critically kick ass. You’re a transcender. You cannot put all your research efforts into one kind of artistic problems. So you interdisciplinarize your reflection. Hope you would enjoy this piece as much as I did :-) Warm regards Taha http://summit.kein.org/node/233 A Portrait of the Artist as a Researcher by: Dieter Lesage: You’re an artist and that means: you’re a dreamer, you’re a clown. That is what some people think. It’s a great excuse for not paying any attention to all the thoughts you have. So what happens is that you, as an artist, put ideas into projects that others will show in their museum, in their Kunsthalle, in their exhibition space, in their gallery. So you are a thinker. You develop reflections nobody really cares about. You take intellectual risks. You speculate about artistic problems, you critically kick ass. You’re a transcender. You cannot put all your research efforts into one kind of artistic problems. So you interdisciplinarize your reflection. You link the reflections you make. You would say it differently. I know. You say you work within the framework of cultural studies. Within which all over the world you have many buddies. You are a video maker, but also a writer. You have a magazine, you’re an editor, but you also organize conferences. You make videos of interviews with intellectuals. You organize a conference when you present a journal, you insert video stills of interviews with intellectuals in your journal, you organize conferences and you’re the host. You’re part of this little think tank, you walk around at your conference, you talk to people and ask if they want to contribute to your reader, you’re an editor and co-editor, you’re a research coordinator and co-coordinator, you co-edit and coordinate all the time. You want your readers to attend your lectures, you want your conference participants to read your texts, you invite those who contribute to your reader to come to your conference, you make installations with interview videos. You meet people in order to interview them and you interview people in order to meet them. You distribute flyers announcing your conference in the bars near the skyscrapers where you meet people for an interview. You buy second-hand books on flee markets, you distribute flyers announcing your conference in the bar next to the Academy where you meet a DJ who’s distributing flyers too, and you talk to her about a project that one day you might work on together. You make photographs of the library you made from the books you bought at the flee market, you liberate your continent from its philosophical prejudices, you publish the photographs in a publication and you’re a speaker at a conference to which you invite people who wrote for your journal. You invite other speakers to speak after you, you are a master of ceremony and someone else is the speaker, you welcome the people who came to the conference, you introduce people to one another. You’re making art and you’re doing research, your research is practice-based and your practice is research-driven. You’re doing research on the concept of artistic research, you aren’t an artist yourself, they say, but yes you are. You make books that bear your name, you send your books to people who write, you quote their books and they quote you, you write about them and they about you. You are everywhere and you make people wonder where you are. You are abroad, you’re working on one of your laptops, you’re getting back to all your e-mail conversations, you’re updating people on your research projects, you’re doing research projects all the time. You buy flight tickets on the web, you call for a cab, you wear your excess baggage full of research documents from the cab to the plane. You work in different places. You move. You move from one workshop to another, from one conference to another. You take another cab, it takes hours to find your place in Lissabon. You prepare a publication and you negiotate with the layouter to have your text printed the way you want it. You distribute flyers announcing the presentation of the publication in a theater where you attend a performance, you distribute flyers announcing a performance for which you were the dramaturge at the presentation of the publication in a bookshop, you announce another presentation of the same publication in another bookshop, you thank people for being there, you introduce people you interviewed to one another, you invite them to come to the performance. You organize exhibitions, you invite people to present their work, you work with people on the presentation, you explain the curatorial concept of the exhibition in an announcement for the media. You publish in order not to perish and you perish for having published too much. You write new stuff and you rewrite old stuff. You watch the news. You’re doing research on the blues. You’re peer reviewing for journals and your journal is peer-reviewed. You’re an artist and that means it would be nice to get some understanding for the specific kind of research you’re involved in. You write for subsidies, you apply for research grants, and in every commission over and over again there are these academics who don’t understand a thing about artistic research. You organize dinner for people you introduce to one another, you discuss research plans over dinner. You ask people to contribute to your catalogue, you tell them how you work, you show them all. You explain them the basic facts of an artist’s life. That you are an artist and that it means: you’re a dreamer, you’re a clown. That is what some of these people think. It’s a great excuse for not paying attention to all the thoughts you have. So what happens is that you, as an artist, put ideas into projects that others will show in their museum, in their Kunsthalle, in their exhibition space, in their gallery. So you are a thinker. You develop reflections nobody really cares about. You take intellectual risks. You speculate about artistic problems, you critically kick ass. You’re a transcender. You cannot put all your research efforts into one kind of artistic problems. So you interdisciplinarize your reflection. You link the reflections you make. I would say it differently. You know. I say your work is characterized by transdisciplinarity. That it is impressive by its methodological variety. You remix the work of others, but you also remix your own work. You’re very profound but you have a vulgar side too that indulges in scatological remarks. Just kidding. You distribute texts to the visitors of your exhibitions. You consider exhibitions as an excuse for a publication — kidding again — you even consider an exhibition in itself as a publication, you consider every work of art as a publication. You curate an exhibition: it’s like editing a book. You co-curate an exhibition: it’s liking co-editing a book. You participate in a group exhibition: it’s like publishing an article. You participate as a member of a collective in a group exhibition: it’s like co-authoring an article. You make a solo exhibition, hey, it’s like publishing a monograph. You make a solo exhibition at Tate Modern: it’s like publishing a monograph at Oxford University Press. There’s got to be some method in this mess. So let’s be more specific. You participate in a group exhibition at Tate Modern: it’s like publishing an article in an A-journal. You participate as a member of a collective in a group exhibition at Tate Modern: it’s like publishing a co-authored article in an A-journal. You curate a group exhibition at Tate Modern: it’s like editing an issue of an A-journal. You co-curate a group exhibition at Tate Modern: it’s like co-editing an issue of an A-journal. You are a member of the advisory commission for a group exhibition at Tate Modern: it’s like being a peer reviewer of an A-journal. You are the director of Tate Modern: it’s like being the editor-in-chief of an A-journal. You have a solo exhibition at Tate Modern: it’s almost like presenting and defending a Ph.D. To be published at Oxford University Press. Still what a mess. What about the B? If you’ve got an A, you’ve got to have a B too. You participate in a group exhibition at Whitechapel: it’s like publishing an article in a B-journal. You participate as a member of a collective in a group exhibition at Whitechapel: it’s like publishing a co-authored article in a B-journal. You curate a group exhibition at Whitechapel: it’s like editing an issue of a B-journal. You co-curate a group exhibition at Whitechapel: it’s like co-editing an issue of a B-journal. You are a member of the advisory commission for a group exhibition at Whitechapel: it’s like being a peer reviewer of a B-journal. You are the director of Whitechapel: it’s like being the editor-in-chief of a B-journal. And I don’t mean to be negative about the B, you know what I’m saying? Coz’ there’s lots of them journals that aren’t even A, B or C, dig it? Then to have a solo exhibition at Whitechapel is almost like presenting and defending an M.F.A. To be published by Edinburgh University Press. It’s like a real fucking publication, man. It ain’t an A, it’s a B, but it counts. It counts a lot, if you compare it to an exhibition in the gallery of your niece. Coz’ that gallery doesn’t even have a C, if you know what I mean. It’s just a gallery, and it’s your niece, so she’s much too close to be a peer and all. That’s what becoming academic is all about. That you have those people who are called peers and who are totally objective and who know the shit and who can determine if your artwork and your artistic research meet all the scientific standards and all. And so you’d better thank God for peers who are objective and scientific and neutral and anonymous. And so you’d better thank God for the University who helps you to find peers who are objective and scientific and neutral and anonymous and competent. Coz’ the University academizes you, with the help of God Almighty. You’re stubborn but God is patient. So slowly you’re getting academized. The University academizes you and your Academy is being academized. So you’d better praise the Lord for all the good people at Research & Development. So thank you God for the R&D parties to which you are invited now, and who redeem you for all the years that you’ve been listening too much to sinful R&B. Now you go to parties with objective music, neutral drinks, and scientific conversations, in order to meet anonymous people. Now you’re part of this little think tank, this artistic platform, this network, this research group, so you walk around at the parties of R&D, and offer validated cocktails to the members of your peer group. But the party is just so fucking boring that you’re getting drunk. You’re getting provocative, you’re using unacademic language. You’re pointing at the president of the research commission. You’re shouting, you’re getting loud. You’re much too loud man. People are getting embarrassed. And while they’re looking away, sipping at their Bama on the Beach, you tell them with a grim smile on your face: I’m an artist and that means: I’m a dreamer, I’m a clown. That is what some of you guys think. It’s a great excuse for not paying any shitty attention to all the thoughts I have. So what happens is that I, as a fucking artist, put fucking ideas into fucking projects that others will show in their fucking museum, in their shitty Kunsthalle, in their sexhibition space, in their gutter gallery. So I am a thinker. I develop reflections none of you really cares about. I take intellectual risks. I speculate about artistic problems, I critically kick ass. I’m a transcender. I cannot put all my research efforts into one kind of artistic problems. So I interdisciplinarize my reflection. I link the reflections I make. You would say it differently. I know. You say I don’t have a method. You say I mix things up. While mixing is my method. Do I tell you how to construct a machine? No. So don’t tell me how to work as an artist. Coz’ you don’t have a clue. Don’t you tell me that I should publish, that I should publish more, that I should publish there, or publish then. I publish where I want, when I want and how I want. Don’t tell me that meaning only appears in text. Don’t tell me that without a written text on my work, my work doesn’t have any meaning. Words don’t have the monopoly of meaning, you know what I’m saying? Images can speak. So I give you images, and you give me that fucking doctorate. Coz’ my images develop hypotheses. My images ask questions. My images write history. My images interpret and reinterpret history. My images defend propositions. My images refute arguments. My images criticize misconceptions. My images are comments. My images are theses. My images speak as much as words can speak. And therefore to all those who speak in images, I say: rize! Rize against the image of the artist as a dreamer. Rize against the image of the artist as a clown. Rize against what some people think. And make them pay attention to all the thoughts you have. But continue to develop your thoughts your way. Beyond the Academy. _________________________________________ 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 kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Thu Apr 15 17:02:03 2010 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Thu, 15 Apr 2010 04:32:03 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] Plastic Bag By Ramin Bahrani (short film) Message-ID: <484504.20935.qm@web57206.mail.re3.yahoo.com> (This posting is prompted by Taha's posting of "A Portrait of the Artist as a Researcher")   KK     "Plastic Bag By Ramin Bahrani" http://futurestates.tv/episodes/plastic-bag     Synopsis This short film by American director Ramin Bahrani (Goodbye Solo) traces the epic, existential journey of a plastic bag (voiced by Werner Herzog) searching for its lost maker, the woman who took it home from the store and eventually discarded it. Along the way, it encounters strange creatures, experiences love in the sky, grieves the loss of its beloved maker, and tries to grasp its purpose in the world. In the end, the wayward plastic bag wafts its way to the ocean, into the tides, and out into the Pacific Ocean trash vortex — a promised nirvana where it will settle among its own kind and gradually let the memories of its maker slip away.   http://futurestates.tv/episodes/plastic-bag   From kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Thu Apr 15 17:19:03 2010 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Thu, 15 Apr 2010 04:49:03 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] "How Many Deaths Before Too Many Die" (the dantewada massacre by maoists) In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <542445.3696.qm@web57202.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Dear Rajendra   I am glad you liked the article and found merit in what Shoma Chaudhury says   Kshmendra  --- On Tue, 4/13/10, Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi wrote: From: Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi Subject: Re: [Reader-list] "How Many Deaths Before Too Many Die" (the dantewada massacre by maoists) To: "Kshmendra Kaul" Cc: "sarai list" Date: Tuesday, April 13, 2010, 7:35 PM Kshemendra, very thought provoking excerpts and the article truly reflects average indian citizens mind in thoughts, that the party entrusted with governance in democratic rule, irrespective of the colour of the flag does nothing to care or govern the citizens by rule of laws.! regards, rajen. On Tue, Apr 13, 2010 at 7:06 PM, Kshmendra Kaul wrote: (weblink for this article, earlier posted here by anupam chakravartty)   Excellent article by Shoma Chaudhury (SC). The most sensible one I have read on the Maoist issue.   Any good article must be read in full since it would (as this article does) explore many aspects of an issue especially when it is as complex as the Maoist one.   The excerpts given below are not meant to convey a summary of the article but only some of contents that I found interesting.   Kshmendra    EDITED/ PARAPHRASED EXCERPTS IN RANDOM ORDER:   - The truth is, as long as the poor suffer silently, Indian democracy chugs along, doing little. If people protest peacefully, no one cares: not the media, not the government. If they organise themselves in outrage, they are berated for being disruptive and crushed. If they have grown too powerful to be crushed, the State offers talks. - (SC)   - Few — positioned anywhere on the political spectrum — can deny that the Indian Constitution is a shining document and a real existential and political counter-challenge to the Maoists. Every deformity in the Indian polity today is a corruption of the Constitution. But as organising principles for society go, there can be very few documents in the world that are more sophisticated and far-seeing. - (SC)   -  Why doesn’t the Indian State follow the Constitution? Why doesn’t it act on its own Planning Commission Report on Naxal-affected areas which advocates a development-centric approach?  - (Lawyer KG Kannabiran, who was part of the Committee of Citizens that brokered the (failed) peace talks between Maoists and the YSR Reddy government in Andhra Pradesh)   - It’s like watching two locomotives hurtling towards each other. Bent upon colliding even when all the warning signals are clearly flashing. And you can do nothing to stop it. - (Binayak Sen, when asked what he thought of the Maoist crisis and the government’s response to it.)   - These 76 dead were just a punctuation: more jawans would be sent out, more jawans would be killed. The poor being set to kill the poor. If ever there was reason to rethink strategy, surely, here it was. - (SC)   - If you watched television studio debates that night or read many of the newspapers the next morning; Livid, one-sided conversations: ill-informed, deaf, uncurious. And, most damagingly, simple-minded. - (SC)     - Are you on the side of the savages? Are you condoning Maoist violence? Why are you raising questions about police atrocities and State neglect? How can you equate our violence with their violence? How can you lump the good guys with the bad guys? - (SC describing the Anti-Maoist voices)   - On the other side, less loud but equally intractable are voices hurling blanket abuse at the State. Ignoring the slow fruits of 60 years of democracy; ignoring the genuine moral challenges the Maoists present; ignoring the inevitable corruptions of armed rebellion; willing to overlook the dangerous imperfections of one political position to vanquish the other. - (SC on the Anti-State voices)   - None of the public positions trotted out by its most voluble stakeholders really tell the whole truth. Anger then is inevitable: it arises out of each side finding itself willfully and inadequately described. - (SC)   - Drowned by the fierce volume of media debates, those who hold a third position feel an added helplessness — the helplessness of being strapped bang centre in the path of rushing trains. Yet if there is anything that can make the collision screech to a halt, it is this position: this saving in-betweeness. Which makes it imperative to outline what the third position is. And turn up its volume. (SC)   - What sort of a society are we creating? What sort of a society have we become? How will this cycle of violence end? The Maoists might have a lot to answer for, but where will we find the answers to the imperfections in ourselves? We can exterminate them physically, but what are we going to do with the big, rebuking questions they have unleashed around us? - (SC)   - How can one neutralise Maoist influence in India? Deeper answers than merely killing them; more sustainable strategies. Strategies more introspective and selftransformative. - (SC)   - The State has crushed the Naxal movement thrice before — in Bengal, in Bihar, in Andhra Pradesh. Each time thousands of Indian citizens have been killed; each time the Maoists have resurrected themselves. This is the fourth big wave. Are we finally going to accept their challenge and address “root causes”, or are we going to content ourselves with killing tens of thousands of our poor every decade? - (SC)   - “I am completely unequivocal about this, violence cannot be the answer. This growing militarisation cannot be the way forward.” - (Binayak Sen)   - “I have lived in the jungles. I have been in jail. I have been tortured by the police. And I have seen the idealism and zeal with which the Maoists work in the jungles. But I no longer believe violence can be the path.” - (a former member of the People’s War Group and close aide of their towering leader Kondapalli Seetharamaiah)   - It a measure of the deep scorn and distrust on both sides that even a hint of talks arouses two viscerally cynical reactions: the State says it’s merely a ploy on the part of the Maoists to gain time and regroup; the Maoists says it’s merely a ploy on the part of the State to bring them over ground and smash their hideouts.  - (SC)   - How can a State committed to parliamentary democracy (no matter how flawed) broker peace with an armed group whose stated resolve is to overthrow it and seize State power by 2050? - (SC giving example of reluctance-argument for the State talking to the Maoists)   - On the other hand, equally, the Maoists might ask, why should we lay down arms and join Indian democracy? Has the Indian State ever demonstrated that it speaks to peaceful people’s movements? The only reason tribal welfare has even entered contemporary national discourse — even as mere lip service — is because of the power of the gun. - ( SC giving example of reluctance-argument for the Maoists talking to the State)   - If the tribals lay down arms, will the State keep its promises, or will it ride like a storm over them, seizing their lands and stealing their resources as it has done elsewhere? And why does the Indian State have such a dismal record of speaking to people’s movements espousing just demands? The Bhopal Gas victims have never taken to arms. For 25 years they have walked the 800 miles to Delhi again and again, camping in Jantar Mantar and asking for justice: have they got it? - (SC)   - Were the people of Nandigram and Singur made stakeholders in the projects that would displace them from their emerald land? Why was the draconian Land Acquisition Act and malafide SEZ Act not thought through in equitable ways, on the sheer basis of the State’s benevolent intention? Why was the State ramming its projects through? Why did it take violent people’s resistance for these Acts to go back to the drawing board? Why are workers in Delhi being uprooted from colonies they have lived in for 30 years and being pitchforked into far-flung wastelands where there are no schools, no health centres, no toilets, no roads, no public transport merely to beautify the city for 12 days of Commonwealth Games? Why do the people of Sohanbadra in UP have to walk miles through arsenic sludge and breathe fly ash from thermal plants? Why is it that almost every industrial project in India turns into a human rights violation — either in terms of land or labour or  environmental violation or human health? - (SC)   - We could choose the path of escalated violence that will lead to a bloody civil war in the heart of the country. Or we could step back and choose the long march to social transformations that will leach away the attraction the oppressed have for the Maoists. -(SC)    - “Ultimately nobody wins a war. You can only win in an ideological and social domain.” - (GN Saibaba, a Delhi University professor and an activist)   - What is this third position then? The first and primary relief of the third position is that it is not a monolithic one: it is no soundproof room blocking out all argument that challenges its notions. It recognises that India is a complex country to run. It recognises that Home Minister Chidambaram is partially right in saying a State cannot let 234 districts slip out of its hands and some targeted use of force is called for to re-dominate those areas. But in the same breath it recognises that military action alone is suicidal. “Compassionate governance” cannot be a verbal frill attached to a machine gun. It has to be the primary soldier, the captain of the guard. In the third position, courage lies in rethinking fundamental directions of our society. It lies in acknowledging that Maoists are not merely demonic outsiders but a complex grid of Indians driven in equal parts by ideology, desperation and new political awakening. -(SC)   - “It is ridiculous to attack everyone just because they have a view on the Maoist issue as anything more than just a ‘menace’. While there’s no alternative to a State defending itself to a challenge by insurgents, we have to ask ourselves why this insurgency is confined to 5th Schedule Areas (ie, tribal) areas. And as long as our ideas of development is restricted to gains for people like Vedanta and POSCO and Tata and Essar and the Mittals, and we allow them to exploit tribal resources, the tribals are bound to see this development not as desired but disruptive. The point is, we have to define the difference between ‘participatory development’ and ‘aggressive development’.” - (veteran Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar)   - Read the 73rd Amendment along with Article 243G and 243ZD of the Constitution, he urges. Let all states governments implement PESA — (Provisions of the Panchayat [Extension to Scheduled Areas] 1996) — on the ground. Invoke the provisions of the Forest Act to give full ownership of forest produce to tribals. And watch the miracles start to flow. - ( Mani Shankar Aiyar's inspiring list of simple measures, constitutional provisions and visionary legislations that can begin to effect change.)   - For middle-class audiences, PESA is probably the least known piece of legislation, yet it is sheer genius in its simplicity. It prescribes that no proposal of a Panchayat, no disbursal of funds, and no use of common property resources can be sanctioned without the permission of the Gram Sabha. Unlike the Panchayat which has elected members, the Gram Sabha includes every adult member of a village community. This consultative process is the most elemental step of a democracy and it effectively ensures that tribals can take full control of their lives, finances and functionaries — cutting out the corruptions of an alien bureaucracy. - (SC)   - “It is misleading to suggest all these areas have slipped out of government control. Even in Naxal-affected areas, only some thanas are under their control. The rest are all under State control. We should immediately implement full-fledged Panchayati Raj and PESA in these thanas. We can win this only if we construct a real and shining alternative to the Maoist-led government.” (Mani Shankar Aiyar)   - “If the Tatas and Ambanis can own vast tracts of land and the government deems private property as sacred, how is it that we think of community property as something that the government can take over? The tribals have owned these forests since time immemorial. This tradition was only disrupted when the British entered the forests of Dandakaranya. Can’t democratic India restore the the rights over this forest back to its own people? Finally, if middle-class Indians can have shares in corporate projects, why can’t tribals be made stakeholders in projects that ursurp their land?” - (Mani Shankar Aiyar)   - “There is a failure of governance, a real crisis of credibility among the lower level functionaries. The whole judicial system, for instance, relies on the patwari and thanedar. If they tamper with an FIR or land paper, how can the system work? We have to think of alternative forms of governance. We have 32 states — let there be 10,000 forms of local government in them. We have to take the traditions of each community and work within that to implement democratic ideals.” - (Rural Minister CP Joshi, who was handpicked by Rahul Gandhi and whose ministry report on ‘State Agrarian Relations’ spoke of Operation Green Hunt as the “biggest land grab in the history of India”),   - “When governance fails to reach people, such movements are bound to gain strength.” - (Rahul Gandhi at a press conference in Chhattisgarh, asked about the Maoist crisis)   - So before the memory of the 76 jawans fades, here’s the question again: what route is India going to take now? - (SC)   - Barely weeks after her husband’s gory murder at the hands of Maoists, she was pleading with the government not for revenge but a non-military approach to resolve the Maoist crisis. - ( widow of beheaded policeman, Francis Induwar )   - It is futile to remind them that they are our elected representatives and democracy demands we hold them more accountable than the Maoists; futile to remind them that we expect the State to have a greater morality than the outlaws they are combating. Futile to assert that our constitutional concern about the nature of the Indian State does not equate to support for the Maoists. Violence can only legitimise itself by painting broad pictures of Good and Evil, by painting itself the Avenger. - (SC)   - A cardinal rule of leadership that leaders often forget is the powerful symbolism of taking the unilaterally ethical stand. Not contingent on the good behaviour of others. (SC)   EDITED/ PARAPHRASED EXCERPTS IN RANDOM ORDER from: http://www.tehelka.com/story_main44.asp?filename=Ne170410how_many.asp   _________________________________________ 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: -- Rajen. From rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com Thu Apr 15 17:57:06 2010 From: rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com (Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi) Date: Thu, 15 Apr 2010 17:57:06 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Why Weren't We Told..? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Dear Sudeep, well articulated query, as far as a common man is concerned, Dr.Ambedkar is a statue to form slums, no law enforcers will come there, for an enterprenuer with skills but no funds, a small kiosk made of thatched sheets, means of earning on the footpath,to live with some respect and dignity, common man today has to invoke names such as Dr. Ambedkar, and none is wise enough to tell him, that he was the chairman of the committee which drafted the Constitution of this republic, biggest, most voluminous, but still, even he might not have envisoned the plight of common man of this day, with all provisions made to safeguard the interest of the citizen in free India.! Regards, Rajen On Thu, Apr 15, 2010 at 12:27 PM, Sudeep K S wrote: > Why Weren't We Told? > http://blog.insightyv.com/?p=1278 > > ...what isn't told about Dr Ambedkar? > > He is not just 'the person who wrote our constitution'. > > Many mediocres get celebrated in this country but Ambedkar's > intellectual contributions remain in the dark for most of us. > > A belated birthday wishes to him, let us read more of him. > > -Sudeep > _________________________________________ > 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/> -- Rajen. From rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com Thu Apr 15 18:19:26 2010 From: rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com (Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi) Date: Thu, 15 Apr 2010 18:19:26 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE In-Reply-To: References: <002201cadba0$ddc843a0$9958cae0$@in> <000d01cadbbe$6d15e0e0$4741a2a0$@in> <001901cadbc5$49bca320$dd35e960$@in> Message-ID: Rakesh, who am I to judge anyone or their likings or dislikes, but having seen the life for last sixty years, born in a family of individuals who gave everylife for freedom struggles, having lost material wealth for the values inculcated by mahatma, having worked in sevadal as volanteer, all my dreams crashed in 1976, in detention for "Talking" about the freedom of citizens, which made the experience richer, knowledge digestible, that, our constitution is bunch of papers and words, which can be used or misused by power seekers with amendments to remain in power.In 1977 it was a sense of being in heaven when the opposition unity saw the dictator out, but again it was short lived bliss, as "leaders' fought worse than street dogs, behaved like jokers in a big circus of governance, DmNT mORARJEE, rAJ NARAIN TAUGHT THE NATION, HOW A LEADER SHOULD NOT BE IN PUBLIC LIFE.! bY THEN, THE WORDS OF MAHATMA WERE REVERBERATING, THAT THE cONGRESS SHOULD BE DISSOLVED, LEADERS CAN FOR THEIR OUTFITS SUITABLE FOR THEM, (1948) and these did that, to subvert the democratic life on the caste, faith and religion and region, thanks to Nehru who devised the linguistic states of divide and rule legacy.! Today as I see the party and the other parties, it is very difficult to envisage any good governance as all are after power, none for common man, to seek power, material wealth is necessity, so corruption is in built in the system. But once in a while a whip of fresh air does come from many a political parties but not Congress.The Indian national Congress of Alan Hume is dead in 1948, 30th Jan.What we see now is a bunch of sycophants held by the glue of italy known also as sonia. Regards, rajen. On Wed, Apr 14, 2010 at 8:15 PM, Rakesh Iyer wrote: > Dear Rajen > > If you think that I am a Congress supporter, nothing can be far from the > truth. But yes, I do like the values which the Congress while it was > fighting the struggle for independence, be it the idea of socialism or > democracy. The Congress, as Ramachandra Guha once remakred, represents the > symptomatic decline of politics in India. > > Also, I do agree that Nehru practised Muslim appeasement. But he did so not > out of being an appeaser, but because he didn't want Muslims in India to > feel threatened. The Congress under him was still democratic and the state > units could take decisions which Nehru would not like but had to adhere to. > It's his daughter Indira Gandhi who destroyed not only the Congress but > Indian politics. > > If political parties today are turning into dynasty-breeding grounds, the > credit goes to Indira Gandhi. If Indian police, judiciary and administration > are extremely politicized today, it's because of Indira Gandhi. If today > corruption is one of the major problems of Indian polity, it's thanks to > Indira Gandhi. If today communalization of politics has taken place (to the > extent where the major opposition party to the Congress is the BJP), one > should thank Indira Gandhi for it. If there was one politician who made it > easier for politicians after her to indulge in extra-constitutional measures > and use armed intervention with no regard for human rights, it was Indira > Gandhi, through her Operation Bluestar. If there was one person who gave > rise to the concept of state-sponsored terrorism in South Asia (namely : > LTTE) it was Indira Gandhi (and RAW). > > If Lal Bahadur Shaastri had not mysteriously died, the political history of > India would have been a lot different. > > Rakesh > -- Rajen. From rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com Thu Apr 15 18:40:51 2010 From: rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com (Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi) Date: Thu, 15 Apr 2010 18:40:51 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Remembering Dr B.R.Ambedkar In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Well, Rakesh, you have your perceptions and I have mine, but the fact of the matter is after 1947, majority of indians were doormats for the ruling party, as the divide and rule was the manthra to rule, with individuals like VK Krishna menon, left in the Congress making the defence forces ill prepared for any eventuality,rioters being rewarded to be MLAs and MPs if they were from "minority" and guilty rioters went on to become powerful leaders,segment of society who were known as hindus were divided lots of minority, with their birth denominations, and at every incident of riot, others left it that caste to retaliate,which always ended in losing proposal, when compared to followers of other faiths of friday prayers or sunday masses.Advani made an effort to unify the divided lot using the faith, but failed to go ahead, when in power, lack of administrative experience saw advani fumble with Ayodhya, could have solved issue like a sardar patel, but power left him dozing on the chair,otherwise a simple title suit for property would not have become a volcano to erupt for elections to garner votes.Ram Shilanyas should have been fecilitated to get back the purchased land of 37 acres, which is now in judicial process and custody, which has nothing illegal about it, as it was purchased with public donations,and it should be apt to rethink of the Vivekananda shilanyas which was completed in more demanding , hostile conditions albeit of nature at Kanya Kumari. As to the present, well, I am optimist with long sight, expect young generation to understand history, forgive the past mistakes, live with peace and harmony, but not forget the history. regards, rajen. On Wed, Apr 14, 2010 at 8:21 PM, Rakesh Iyer wrote: > Dear Rajen > > I am not a Congress supporter or a Rahul Gandhi supporter. But then you > people hardly have the time or the brains to ask that. And you are not alone > in this. > > As for rath yatras, they don't serve any other agenda other than political > mobilizations. Whether voting for such parties will help Dalits or not is > their guess, or if the party wins, their experience. Experience only shows > that such hopes are wrong to put in any political party, be it Congress or > the BJP. > > But Advani rightly proved through his yatra that BJP rightly stands for > Bharat Jalao Party, as the objective was political mobilization through > organizing riots and polarizing societies, which Advani successfully > achieved, thanks to the Congress also. > > Rakesh > > > -- Rajen. From rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com Thu Apr 15 18:53:41 2010 From: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com (Rakesh Iyer) Date: Thu, 15 Apr 2010 18:53:41 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Remembering Dr B.R.Ambedkar In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Dear Rajen The entire Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid controversy is a classic example of how a bunch of people can completely derail the progress of a nation and divert its' attention to issues which are irrelevant for the vast majority of people, thereby leading to a complete wastage of energy and time on the issue. The masjid was never used for any prayers since a long time. Equally, the concept that a mandir should be built because the masjid had been built on the ruins of the mandir is shocking and dubious. If I were to tomorrow prove it conclusively that the Indian Parliament was constructed on the ruins of a masjid/mandir/church, would we demolish the Indian Parliament building and get that religious building constructed? If I were to prove that your house is now standing on a land where some religious building stood, would the govt. have a right to destroy your house to get that building back again at the same spot? I disagree with this contention. The entire Sangh Parivar only used their issue to enjoy electoral supremacy and this only started the chain of events which led to the 1993 bomb blasts. Just as Advani and company made fools of a section of Hindus, Tiger Memon and company made fools of a few Muslims. Both of them escaped from the consequences of what they did, Advani by virtue of nature of the Indian politics, and Tiger Memon by running away to Pakistan. The BJP and the Sangh Parivar are hypocrites in talking about nationalism, when all they do is weaken the nation through their own actions. Howsoever much I don't like Manmohan Singh (for his policies or lack of them), he was right in assessing Advani (and this is apt for the entire Sangh Parivar) as having the great ability to combine strength in speech with weakness in action. Rakesh From yasir.media at gmail.com Thu Apr 15 20:00:38 2010 From: yasir.media at gmail.com (=?UTF-8?B?eWFzaXIgftmK2Kcg2LPYsQ==?=) Date: Thu, 15 Apr 2010 19:30:38 +0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Fwd: war or peace on the indus // briscoe In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: *war or peace on the indus* http://thesouthasianidea.wordpress.com/2010/04/03/war-or-peace-on-the-indus/ From rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com Thu Apr 15 21:02:36 2010 From: rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com (Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi) Date: Thu, 15 Apr 2010 21:02:36 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Remembering Dr B.R.Ambedkar In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Rakesh, you are entitled to your views in free india, but they need not necessarily be right and correct, so did i say, that i agree to disagree with your views, your views are yours, as experience you get in your life, your own experience will tell you, how right or correct your views were with the time teaching the intellect to understand what is known, but not experienced, regards, rajen. On Thu, Apr 15, 2010 at 6:53 PM, Rakesh Iyer wrote: > Dear Rajen > > The entire Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid controversy is a classic example of > how a bunch of people can completely derail the progress of a nation and > divert its' attention to issues which are irrelevant for the vast majority > of people, thereby leading to a complete wastage of energy and time on the > issue. > > The masjid was never used for any prayers since a long time. Equally, the > concept that a mandir should be built because the masjid had been built on > the ruins of the mandir is shocking and dubious. If I were to tomorrow prove > it conclusively that the Indian Parliament was constructed on the ruins of a > masjid/mandir/church, would we demolish the Indian Parliament building and > get that religious building constructed? If I were to prove that your house > is now standing on a land where some religious building stood, would the > govt. have a right to destroy your house to get that building back again at > the same spot? > > I disagree with this contention. The entire Sangh Parivar only used their > issue to enjoy electoral supremacy and this only started the chain of events > which led to the 1993 bomb blasts. Just as Advani and company made fools of > a section of Hindus, Tiger Memon and company made fools of a few Muslims. > Both of them escaped from the consequences of what they did, Advani by > virtue of nature of the Indian politics, and Tiger Memon by running away to > Pakistan. > > The BJP and the Sangh Parivar are hypocrites in talking about nationalism, > when all they do is weaken the nation through their own actions. Howsoever > much I don't like Manmohan Singh (for his policies or lack of them), he was > right in assessing Advani (and this is apt for the entire Sangh Parivar) as > having the great ability to combine strength in speech with weakness in > action. > > Rakesh > -- Rajen. From pawan.durani at gmail.com Fri Apr 16 09:22:06 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2010 09:22:06 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] =?windows-1252?q?=91Quota_could_isolate_Muslims=92?= Message-ID: http://www.hindustantimes.com/rssfeed/mumbai/Quota-could-isolate-Muslims/Article1-531853.aspx *Afsha Khan , Hindustan Times* Many believe that a quota for Muslims in government housing projects may isolate the community. “In the last 20 years, Muslims have been separated from regular society because a small minority has done certain things which allowed them to be classified as terrorists. This allowed others to generalise and label the entire community. A housing quota will only isolate the community more,” said Zeenat Shaukat Ali, a professor of Islamic studies at St Xavier’s College. Instead of creating quotas, she added, politicians should create a platform for different communities to come together and understand each other. “A compulsion of any kind does not work. It’s a way of attempting to please vote banks — in this case, Muslims,” said actor Aamir Ali, who in 2007 filed a public interest litigation in the Bombay High Court alleging discrimination after a Lokhandwala Complex housing society refused to sell him a flat allegedly because he is Muslim. “Reservations in jobs, education and housing should go without bias only to those who are most deserving.” The court asked Ali to approach the state government with his grievance. “The whole business of creating quotas for minorities is political,” said B.V. Bhosale, associate professor in the Department of Sociology, University of Mumbai. “The Muslim community will benefit if this happens, but the state will have to make a budget allocation and look at income levels before giving houses away.” M. Ishaque (40), a Vikhroli resident, said a housing quota was not something the community demanded but it was welcome nonetheless. “If private housing societies have reservations against certain communities, that is their prerogative. But when it comes to government housing, it is important for everyone to have equal opportunity,” he said From kauladityaraj at gmail.com Fri Apr 16 10:39:38 2010 From: kauladityaraj at gmail.com (Aditya Raj Kaul) Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2010 10:39:38 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Dr. Kumar Harsh killed in accident Message-ID: Dr. Harsh was among those who led the anti-caste based reservations movement at AIIMS all through 2006. His death has come as a shock to all his fellow activists and friends from medical and journalist fraternity. *Kumar Harsh killed in accident * Staff Reporter NEW DELHI: Dr. Kumar Harsh, the face and spokesperson of the students' movement against the government move to reserve seats for Other Backward Classes in Central universities and other institutions of higher learning, has been killed in a road accident in Bali. The 34-year-old clinical oncologist sustained extensive injuries in the abdomen and brain and was rushed to a hospital in that city on Tuesday night. His family has reached Bali to bring the body back home. Dr. Harsh, who was also president of the Resident Doctors' Association at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi, had recently joined a private hospital in the city. “Everyone is shocked by the news. There is a deep sense of loss and we can only offer our support to his family at this time of need,'' said AIIMS Faculty Association president Dr. Manoj Singh. Courage “Dr. Harsh will forever be in our memories as a person who had the courage and conviction to fight for what is right. He was a good doctor and more importantly a sensitive human being,'' said Dr. Kaushal Sharma, a former colleague of Dr. Harsh at AIIMS. From aliens at dataone.in Fri Apr 16 10:52:37 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2010 10:52:37 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] =?utf-8?q?=E2=80=98Quota_could_isolate_Muslims?= =?utf-8?b?4oCZ?= In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <003201cadd24$e283f3a0$a78bdae0$@in> Dear Pawan, Master piece of posting, thanks. “In the last 20 years, Muslims have been separated from regular society because a small minority has done certain things which allowed them to be classified as terrorists. This allowed others to generalie and label the entire community. A housing quota will only isolate the community more,” said Zeenat Shaukat Ali “A compulsion of any kind does not work. It’s a way of attempting to please vote banks — in this case, Muslims,” said actor Aamir Ali. Though he was denied flat in Lokhandwala (posh locality in Andheri, Mumbai) being a minor then also he believes that this is vote bank tactics. I congratulate Zeenat Shaukat Ali and Aamir Ali both for giving such bold and true statement, though being from minor community. One need courage to make such statement but, I am afraid of fatwa against them. If congress learn lesson from this and stops appeasing minority just for vote bank will be better. However, educated/intellectual and even few poor minority personnel understand this congress tactics and come out of this is good sign and this is indication of full amalgamation with India. I am sure in the future they will understand that by adopting uniform civil code will also beneficial to them. If they adopt this, I am confident that there progress will be very rapid and fast and even ahead of other Indians. Thanks Bipin -----Original Message----- From: reader-list-bounces at sarai.net [mailto:reader-list-bounces at sarai.net] On Behalf Of Pawan Durani Sent: Friday, April 16, 2010 9:22 AM To: reader-list Subject: [Reader-list] ‘Quota could isolate Muslims’ http://www.hindustantimes.com/rssfeed/mumbai/Quota-could-isolate-Muslims/Article1-531853.aspx *Afsha Khan , Hindustan Times* Many believe that a quota for Muslims in government housing projects may isolate the community. “In the last 20 years, Muslims have been separated from regular society because a small minority has done certain things which allowed them to be classified as terrorists. This allowed others to generalise and label the entire community. A housing quota will only isolate the community more,” said Zeenat Shaukat Ali, a professor of Islamic studies at St Xavier’s College. Instead of creating quotas, she added, politicians should create a platform for different communities to come together and understand each other. “A compulsion of any kind does not work. It’s a way of attempting to please vote banks — in this case, Muslims,” said actor Aamir Ali, who in 2007 filed a public interest litigation in the Bombay High Court alleging discrimination after a Lokhandwala Complex housing society refused to sell him a flat allegedly because he is Muslim. “Reservations in jobs, education and housing should go without bias only to those who are most deserving.” The court asked Ali to approach the state government with his grievance. “The whole business of creating quotas for minorities is political,” said B.V. Bhosale, associate professor in the Department of Sociology, University of Mumbai. “The Muslim community will benefit if this happens, but the state will have to make a budget allocation and look at income levels before giving houses away.” M. Ishaque (40), a Vikhroli resident, said a housing quota was not something the community demanded but it was welcome nonetheless. “If private housing societies have reservations against certain communities, that is their prerogative. But when it comes to government housing, it is important for everyone to have equal opportunity,” he said _________________________________________ 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 aliens at dataone.in Fri Apr 16 11:00:09 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2010 11:00:09 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Dr. Kumar Harsh killed in accident In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <003301cadd25$e15f2d40$a41d87c0$@in> Death of Dr. Kumar Harsh is great shock, who was fighting for real truth since caste base reservation policy actually inching more towards casteism and making India backward and if not backward then also slowed down the real progress speed drastically. -----Original Message----- From: reader-list-bounces at sarai.net [mailto:reader-list-bounces at sarai.net] On Behalf Of Aditya Raj Kaul Sent: Friday, April 16, 2010 10:40 AM To: sarai list Subject: [Reader-list] Dr. Kumar Harsh killed in accident Dr. Harsh was among those who led the anti-caste based reservations movement at AIIMS all through 2006. His death has come as a shock to all his fellow activists and friends from medical and journalist fraternity. *Kumar Harsh killed in accident * Staff Reporter NEW DELHI: Dr. Kumar Harsh, the face and spokesperson of the students' movement against the government move to reserve seats for Other Backward Classes in Central universities and other institutions of higher learning, has been killed in a road accident in Bali. The 34-year-old clinical oncologist sustained extensive injuries in the abdomen and brain and was rushed to a hospital in that city on Tuesday night. His family has reached Bali to bring the body back home. Dr. Harsh, who was also president of the Resident Doctors' Association at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi, had recently joined a private hospital in the city. “Everyone is shocked by the news. There is a deep sense of loss and we can only offer our support to his family at this time of need,'' said AIIMS Faculty Association president Dr. Manoj Singh. Courage “Dr. Harsh will forever be in our memories as a person who had the courage and conviction to fight for what is right. He was a good doctor and more importantly a sensitive human being,'' said Dr. Kaushal Sharma, a former colleague of Dr. Harsh at AIIMS. _________________________________________ 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 aliens at dataone.in Fri Apr 16 12:25:14 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2010 12:25:14 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: NAREGA Message-ID: <001301cadd31$c8d88710$5a899530$@in> Forwarding mail received from Rekesh in reply to my mail but forgot put on sarai list simultaneously. -----Original Message----- From: Rakesh Iyer [mailto:rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com] Sent: Thursday, April 15, 2010 4:53 PM To: Bipin Trivedi Subject: Re: NAREGA Dear Bipin Note (for all including Bipin): This is an extremely long mail. If you lose patience while reading this, I apologize, but please read it if you can, as I try to explain my points properly. Let me answer each and every point of yours in detail: 1) I have not credited Sonia Gandhi for NREGA in the sense you have put. I would say that she is the only one in this government setup who had the understanding to think about it, probably with the view of winning elections. 2) You are stating that NDA was right in implementing infrastructure projects for the development of a country. I would not completely disagree with you. The Golden Quadrilateral scheme is one of the best schemes we could have ever conceived of, and one should not forget that it was the NDA which had thought of introducing such a scheme not only in roadways, but also in railways, which was shelved (though I couldn't find who had shelved it, the NDA or the UPA). You also state that UPA has not thought of long-term vision as it has gone for NREGA. Firstly, I am not against such infrastructure projects like Golden Quadrilateral, but infact wholeheartedly support them. Construction of highways is an utmost priority for us, so also construction of roads, be it in urban or rural areas. Moreover, we do need construction of good quality houses, and other kinds of infrastructure like railways and ports as well. The way you put your point across seems to me like you are claiming that the way is either MGREGA or highways. That's wrong. Both can go together simultaneously. The Golden Quadrilateral should simultaneously go on with MGREGA. We need both. The question then comes as per the point raised: why both? You have said that if infrastructure development takes place, then there will be a labour boom and therefore we don't need MGREGA. That unfortunately is belied. It is certainly true that an infrastructure boom will lead to demand for labor in India. However, most of the infrastructure boom will also employ large no. of machines which are required to ensure quality construction. Those works will not be undertaken by laborers simply because it requires substantial investment in laborers (in terms of both money and time) to ensure they get the required skills to conduct those operations, and secondly, many of these operations can't be done by laborers (like laborers can't do the work of heavy cranes and bulldozers). Therefore, the labor boom being talked about is not going to employ a huge chunk of people as being claimed, when compared with labor supply of India. And you won't get quality construction if you employ labor at the cost of machines. Secondly, the history of capitalism across the nations, not just in India, tells us that with increase in profits, capital becomes cheaper than labor. It's cheaper to invest more money rather than employ more labor. And therefore, with time, many companies come to the conclusion that it's better to invest in labor-saving machines rather than employ labor. Moreover, since companies prefer not to pay too much in wages to labor (unless absolutely necessary) and also fear labor unions (since they would like to pay as low wages as possible), there is less requirement for labor. The end result is that with increasing economic output, we will see lesser and lesser labor being employed. This can be seen in the employment pattern as well. Therefore, the requirement for such labor will go down over a period of time. And the labor which will be required will be specialized labor, whose no. as per requirement will also decrease with time. Hence, such unskilled workers will be left nowhere. Already this can be seen in the case of our IT and services sector, where an uneducated person can't do anything, whereas at least in industries, an uneducated person can still be doing manual labor work like in iron and steel industry for transportation. As demand for labor goes down, and supply is increasing due to increasing population, with majority increase among those who are poor and therefore uneducated and unskilled, we will see a fall in wages. (Demand-supply economics). Therefore, such people have to engage in labor for long hours with low wages. They don't get any protection through labor laws, and there are no safety nets to fall on in case there are accidents or any mishaps during working. They are not given any monetary compensation (companies are not legally liable) in case they suffer physically or mentally or both during accidents. And the contractors who employ them also don't pay them entire salary for the day but keep a part of it with them to ensure that the laborers don't run away to villages after the work is over and work can be done at cheap rates to ensure fatter profits for the contractors themselves. To force people to come out of rural areas so that they do manual labor at petty wages with no social security nets is against the basic human right to lead a life with dignity. This should be corrected, and if a MGREGA is needed to address this anomaly, so be it. The right path for industries and capitalists is not to protest the scheme but increase the wages as well as lobby with the govt. to introduce labor laws so that accordingly laborers can feel the need to work in these companies. 3) You have a completely irrational logic of parliamentary democracy. In a democracy, where the rule is to get a majority to be in power, all parties, be it the Congress, BJP, DMK, SP, BSP etc. have to win the trust of people. Since most of the parties today can't claim to be universally doing well for all people, they have to gain trust of certain sections of the society in order to win elections. And this they do so on an all-out basis. And by the way vote bank politics is practised by all political parties not only in India, but also by parties in other countries. In USA, the Republicans have a vote bank in the form of Christian fundamentalists and evangelists who voted against Obama in the 2008 elections for US president. The Democrats on the other hand always have the Blacks (African-Americans) voting for them. This is vote-bank politics. In Britain, the Labour party generally gets the votes of the migrants (those from outside England who have become citizens, like Indians and Pakistanis), while the Conservatives get the votes of those who feel such migration should be banned and migrants should be deported to their native countries. In India, similarly, Muslims don't vote for the BJP. And Congress tries to get certain sections of the society behind it. BJP on the other hand tries to ensure that all Hindus vote for it en-bloc so that it can win elections. The BSP asks Dalits and Brahmans to vote for it. So do the other political parties with their sphere of influences and castes. Vote-bank politics in India is wrong because it ensures that you don't have to work to win elections. You just have to be a member of a group or party or some set and that ensures you get some votes. I accept that wholeheartedly. But to say that vote-bank politics is only played by the Congress is a misperception. Everybody does it. Politics should be developmental, not vote-bank based in the sense it has been, because such politics is narrow and pits groups against groups and only leads to animosity amongst them. Once this animosity sets in amongst people, then it's extremely difficult to break this cycle and feeling. But it can be done, as the BSP showed it when they won in 2007 elections by bringing Brahmans over to their side. And everybody does it and has done it in the past. But to say that it's only in India or done by Congress which is wrong. But vote-bank politics is also not wrong necessarily, because if I don't know any of the candidates, I will trust the person who is from my group, be it caste, gender, religion or others since I don't know who is good and who is bad. So therefore, the right thing should be greater awareness of the candidates and also understanding of their positions and debates. Every election in India should be like the US parliamentary election with debates amongst all candidates on what they intend to do and questions asked of them to judge them. That will be a good way to go. 4) The MGREGA is being used to develop infrastructure in countryside indeed. Wells are being constructed, as also other ways of irrigation. Moreover, work is being done to construct roads, which are then supplemented by cement road construction with labor work providing better strength to the roads. They are also helping in plantation of trees and thus combating both climate change and environmental degradation, as announced by India at Copenhagen. Even constructing schools, providing services like Mid-day meal cooking or cleaning buildings, goes a long way in providing or maintaining infrastructure. And that should be appreciated. 5) If you don't believe that the standard of living of poor has improved, may be you should undertake a rural tour of Andhra Pradesh with P.Sainath. This famous journalist writes in the Hindu (the rural areas correspondent of the Hindu), and is generally spending on an average about 300 days in a year in rural areas of Andhra Pradesh and also rest of the country. He has himself seen accounts of how Telangana, one of the most backward regions of the country, has been benefited by NREGA, how people from Karimnagar, Adilabad and other backward districts in the region have stopped migrating to Mumbai and able to lead lives in their own village and work in nearby areas, and thereby being able to send their children to the school so that the children can enjoy the Mid-day meal as well as get some education. Do read him regularly. He is one person you can read in the Hindu, and I eagerly wait for his articles. The Hindu may be a Communist newspaper under N. Ram, but Sainath is one person who goes to rural areas to know the truth. And I don't think people commenting on this forum regularly go to rural areas at his frequency to know about them. Yes there is corruption, but as I said, think of implementing transparency measures rather than advising what the World Bank said: dismantle the govt. machinery. The poor of India have become more deprived of nutrition and other basic needs once the govt. has relegated its social responsibilities to the market. 6) This is an interesting point since it comes for discussion regularly. Firstly, those who can employ agricultural labor are actually the rich and middle farmers, since small farmers don't have the money to employ labor. Moreover, you don't have any statistics to back your claim that agricultural productivity has gone down since the implementation of NREGA. Infact, to suppress your point, let me state that in 2007 and 2008 (years in which NREGA was being implemented across the nation), the agricultural productivity was at record levels for cereals and pulses as well as other crops. It's only in 2009 that the agricultural productivity has gone down, and the govt. has claimed that drought is the major reason for this (both in terms of climate and lack of availability of water). If farmers are not able to employ labor, then other methods can be thought about. One way could be mechanisation of agriculture or even making agriculture cooperatives where farmers can pool resources to use machines to increase the production. This can be accompanies by sound techniques as well like intensification of growing crops (used in rice crop in Tamil Nadu). Instead, you seem to claim that some people should continue to work at petty wages per day so that the agricultural productivity of India can be high, even if it means that they are not able to enjoy 3 sound meals per day. I would disagree. What's the use of me working as an agricultural laborer and growing grains for others if I can't feed my own family properly? As for food prices and inflation, this is mainly because the retail prices are high compared to the wholesale prices. The farmers are not able to get the advantage of these high prices, and it's the middlemen who are responsible for such high prices. The correct step is to completely remove middlemen and instead set up agricultural cooperatives monitored by the govt which can buy from the farmers and directly sell food to the consumers. That will comprehensively bring down inflation. Simple. There is no role of agricultural labor reduction in all this. And what I say here is already there in Outlook and Tehelka magazine as well as other places. Plus this capitalist way of opening essential commodities to futures trading should be banned. That is something you may not agree with, but that's essential. 7) The scheme is meant to ensure that people are provided work by the govt. The people will only become lazy if the scheme doesn't provide work to people. The schemes for any village are decided upon by the Gram Sabha in a publicly organized meeting which has to be well attended and everybody must have information about the meeting. Moreover, the schemes are monitored and social audits can be undertaken by any organization, or any individual. Even you can undertake them. Going further ahead, you can use the RTI to get information about how the NREGA is functioning in any village of this country even if you don't belong to that village. You can ask about the material-labor component and construction works done as well as stages in which the works are going on, through usage of the RTI. If you have any proof of people becoming lazy, do put it. Till now, not a single instance of such a thing has been stated by anybody who has gone to a village to study the working of NREGA. I would be most surprised if I were to hear anybody finding one. 8) Your final point was about land reforms. Firstly, land reforms are not meant to improve agricultural productivity. They are meant to ensure that everyone has some land in his/her own name. The question may come: Why? Simple. Land is an asset, particularly for a rural family. One can fall back on this rural land resource in times of distress, by renting it or by using it to feed fodder to animals so that they can generate some milk or meat which could be sold or other ways. That's why land is an asset, and everybody wants land. Land reforms bring about equitable distribution of land so that families are able to have some land for themselves. West Bengal conducted the Operation Barga during Jyoti Basu's CM-ship to bring about partial land reforms. There were problems in implementation of land reforms and mismanagement and corruption were also seen, which is why they were partial finally and not as effective as required. Full land reforms would have also involved formation of cooperatives and bringing together land of all for increasing agricultural productivity. This was done in Communist China and it brought about huge increases in agricultural productivity there. Here in India it was avoided and didn't bring about significant changes. But Gujarat never brought about land reforms for equitable distribution of land. And that ironically led to higher productivity for a certain section of farmers who are rich and can afford irrigation facilities and use of scientific techniques, whereas for the rest it has brought nothing. Gujarat state governments have only concentrated on bringing about more growth in the economy rather than also think of redistributing the benefits of economic growth, and the result is this: a) Out of all the BJP-ruled states, Gujarat is the most prosperous and yet, it has the highest income-equality of all, since income distribution was never a priority for the governments there in general. (as per NFHS - 3, 2005-06) b) The under-five mortality rate of Gujarat is only marginally below Madhya Pradesh, while it is above Maharashtra. Also, there is larger health-inequality in Gujarat than other states which have lower prosperity. And this is primarily because some get rich and the benefits of this economic growth don't reach as they should for all sections of the society. c) Farmer suicides are taking place in Gujarat, and this is as per the Gujarat govt's own information. While the farmer suicides are of not the level of Vidarbha or Andhra Pradesh or even Kerala, they are increasing. Now please dont' crib that the data is for 2005-06. The National Family Health Survey is undertaken by the Health Ministry after certain intervals, and I can't ask the Central Govt. to undertake this survey again. I don't say that agricultural productivity should not be high. But yes, redistribution of income to the poor is something even Modi would not have the guts to oppose. That is what is required. On a further comprehensive article or mail on Gujarat, I would certainly do that after reading the necessary resources in the summer as I would be busy with exam. But yes, we can do it not only for Gujarat but for other states as well (and we should do it I feel). As for NREGA, I stated what I had to. Rakesh From kauladityaraj at gmail.com Fri Apr 16 12:59:51 2010 From: kauladityaraj at gmail.com (Aditya Raj Kaul) Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2010 12:59:51 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The War Nobody Can Ever Win Message-ID: The War Nobody Can Ever Win*BY **Rahul Pandita OPEN MAGAZINE Link* - http://www.openthemagazine.com/article/nation/the-war-nobody-can-ever-win Two things arrived last month in Pavarvel village in the Naxal-affected area of Gadchiroli, about 220 km from Nagpur. The first arrival was of a baby boy born to an Adivasi woman, Indu Bai. He died within an hour of his birth. The mother followed a day later. In Pavarvel and all other neighbouring villages, pregnancies are handled by elderly women. For everything else, there is Devi *puja*, since there is not even a primary health centre around. There is no electricity, but the villagers claim that a Gram Panchayat official comes every year to collect electricity tax. Water comes from a ramshackle bore-pump. The other arrival was that of a police party. It had not come to apprehend Naxalites who villagers say turn up at any hour every now and then, demand food, and slip back into the jungle. Pavarvel itself is in the thick of forest. There is hardly any road, and if you don’t have a local guide, it could take you weeks to figure out your location. In the forests, dense with Mahua and other trees, there are memorials erected by Naxalites in memory of their fallen comrades. So, yes, the police arrived and went straight to Bajirao Potawe’s house and beat him up. “With their boots and *lathis*,” he says. “They said bad things to my mother and sister, called me a bastard, and said how dare my family accuse them of rape,” he recounts. Then they made him run errands like fetching water to cook a meal of *dal* and rice they had brought along. Potawe himself hasn’t been able to eat such meals for a long time. In fact, he has been living with his wife without a marriage ceremony; it would’ve taken a feast for his fellow villagers, and for them to gift the couple some rice. There simply wasn’t enough. Rice is a luxury for Potawe and his neighbours. The rape which the police party referred to happened with a 13-year-old girl, the sister-in-law of Bajirao Potawe’s brother, Kaju Potawe. The girl, from the neighbouring village of Tudmel, had come to his sister’s house for treatment of an illness through Devi *puja*, and had stayed back, working as a labourer at a school construction site nearby. It was on the evening of 4 March 2009 that a party of Maharashtra Police’s C-60 Commando group—a special anti-Naxal force of policemen mostly from Adivasi regions—came to Pavarvel, led by their notorious commander Munna Thakur. Reports suggest that the group saw a man running with a tribal water-flask made of dried pumpkin. The police fired at him, but he got away. It was the misfortune of the Potawe family that the man ran off towards the forest behind their house. Within minutes, the police party entered their house and clobbered Kaju Potawe, who had just returned from the jungle with wild berries. “They kept asking about Naxal whereabouts. When I said I didn’t know, they hit me even more,” he says. It was then that the police party saw Kaju’s sister-in-law, the 13-year-old. “They dragged her by her hair and accused her of being a Naxal,” says Kaju. Later, they asked another villager Dayaram Jangi and his family, and also a school teacher they had put up, to vacate their house. The girl was forced into the house and held captive along with a few men of the village who the police suspected of being Naxals. The next morning, she was taken to a nearby field. Blindfolded, with her hands tied, she was raped several times. A fact-finding team that visited her after the incident was told by the girl that the police did ‘*badmaash kaam*’ with her. She told them that the first person who raped her was Munna Thakur. “He said I must have heard of his name as he pushed himself on me,” the girl told the fact-finding team. The girl added that she had fainted several times during her ordeal. At about 10 am, a helicopter landed in Pavarvel to take the girl and other suspects to Gadchiroli town. In a place where there’s not even a bullock cart to take an ill person to hospital, the state machinery spared a helicopter to ferry a 13-year-old girl accused of being a Naxal. Of course, no charge was proven against her. As a damage-control exercise, Munna Thakur was later transferred. Just how does the State expect the people of Pavarvel to inform them of Naxal whereabouts? That too, when this is not the only instance of police atrocities in this village? In 2006, 17-year-old Ramsay Jangi was picked up by C-60 commandos and beaten up severely. When his cousin Mathru Jangi went pleading that he was innocent, the police assured him that he will be freed after first-aid. That night, the villagers saw Munna Thakur. They heard him shouting at his men, instructing them to ‘finish off’ the work. A moment later, they heard gunshots, several of them. The police had shot Ramsay Jangi dead. The body was taken to Dhanora taluka. After ten days, the police came back and asked Ramsay’s father Manik Jhangi to come and collect his son’s body. But nobody went, fearing arrest. The police disposed of the body. Manik Jhangi has kept the empty cartridges of the bullets that killed his son. “My son’s body must have rotted,” he whispers. “No, they inject something inside the body to keep it fresh,” interjects a boy with some education. “But he is gone, gone forever,” Manik Jhangi sobs silently, his tears mixing with sweat. “We fear going into the jungle now because if the police finds us, they will kill us,” says a man. “Tell me, how are we supposed to survive?” *** I arrive in Gadchiroli after spending two weeks in Andhra Pradesh, mostly in the erstwhile Naxal bastion of North Telangana. This is the area that top Naxal leaders like Ganapathi and Kishenji come from. It is from this region that a number of bright young men and women—engineers, eye surgeons, PhD students—turned revolutionaries. Almost 30 years before that helicopter landed in Pavarvel, the first squad of Naxals came to Gadchiroli after crossing the Godavari river from Andhra Pradesh’s Adilabad district. It was led by a young Dalit boy Peddi Shankar, who worked in a coal mine before he turned Naxal. Shortly afterwards, he was shot dead in an encounter with the police on the banks of Pranhita, a sub-river of the Godavari. Within 2-3 years of his death, the Naxal movement spread like wildfire in this region. Naxals first targeted contractors involved in the *tendu* leaf (used in * beedi* making) and bamboo trade. These contractors would fleece poor Adivasis and pay them a pittance for a hard day’s labour. After the Naxal intervention, these contractors were forced to pay better. Naxals also went after government representatives like forest and police officials who would often harass and exploit Adivasis. The police tried to wrest control from Naxal hands, but it was too late. Gadchiroli was soon made part of Dandakaranya, the Naxal guerilla base. The police just couldn’t act against them, and it ended up alienating the local populace further through a sustained programme of repression. The scenario now is more or less the same. Unable to act against Naxals, the police end up killing boys like Ramsay Jangi. And infuriating villagers in places like Pavarvel. *** A day after the Dantewada attack, Gadchiroli is tense. In Armori, a town on the Nagpur-Gadchiroli road, I wait at a local activist’s house over a breakfast of puffed rice, jalebi and tea, while he tries to find me a resource person in an east Gadchiroli area. It is after several attempts that the activist gets through on the phone. The conversation lasts 2-3 minutes. “He is worried and says you shouldn’t come here,” the activist says. “Actually, the police is on the prowl. Anyone who goes into a village gets noticed, and after you are gone, they will harrass my friend,” he clarifies. But elsewhere, I need to take chances, he tells me. I take my chances, and that is how I get to Pavarvel. And in touch with a CRPF patrol party. *** The trees are bare, and the young soldiers of the CRPF long for some shade. In about eight weeks, the trees will be full of foliage. But before it can bring some comfort, it could take these men closer to death. From behind the thick foliage, Naxal guerillas could zero in unnoticed and do a Dantewada on them. The CRPF party has arrived in a deep forest zone of Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli region at about 5 am in the morning, carrying packed lunch and water filled in empty Fanta bottles. The water lasts only a few hours. There is nothing to do, except wait under the oppressive sun and ward off flies adamant on clinging to your skin. The eyelids droop in fatigue, but here that could mean death. It has just been a day since 76 of their colleagues died in Dantewada. “We are all scared,” says one, “Some want a change of job.” The morale of these men in uniform couldn’t be lower. Ever since the Dantewada incident, the phones haven’t stopped ringing. Anxious family members and relatives are calling every hour to check whether they are safe. The people who died in Dantewada were colleagues, batchmates, and in conflict zones like Kashmir, some of them even became soul mates. “I lost one of my batchmates in Dantewada,” says their officer, wiping sweat from his brow and from the ammunition magazine of his AK-47 assault rifle. “We are fighting a lost battle. We don’t know who our enemy is. Adivasis share nothing with us.” The officer talks about visiting several villages, tracking Naxals. He says most of them don’t understand a word of the language spoken by Adivasis. Those who do, get no clue from villagers. “We have even tried asking young children, but not a word comes out of their mouth. We have no intelligence at all,” he says. The group has walked in the morning as part of a road-opening party to ensure that this stretch is safe for their vehicles and men to move on. “Move on where?” he asks. “We are all waiting for evening so that we could retire to the camp,” the officer says. He takes a big gulp from his water bottle and it is over. “You think we are fighting for India?” he asks, and then replies himself. “*Jhaat ka baal...!*” he lets out a familiar expletive, “We are fighting to save our lives. Do you think this bullet-proof jacket will save us if a 70-kg explosive explodes beneath our feet?” As an officer, back in camp, he may get a fan, but none of his men would have that luxury. They will sleep in tents with no fans, braving vicious swarms of mosquitoes. “*Saala, yahan ka macchar bhi *Naxali *hai*,” quips a soldier. All of them laugh. There is the sound of a motorcycle on the nearby road. The laughter vanishes. Fingers go back to the trigger. The other hand feels for the walkie-talkie. Day or night doesn’t matter around here—there is no rest. The officer says he was on deputation with a special force in Delhi. “Every morning I would run 20 miles to keep myself fit so that I am not asked to leave the force and hence Delhi. But now I am here in these treacherous forests, counting every day the way prisoners do in jail,” he says. It is still many hours before the party can hope to retire for the night. “When you write this report, please write that wars are not fought from tents,” says the officer, shaking his sweaty hand to emphasise the point.“We don’t want our bodies to be injected with formalin, as they did with those who died in Dantewada, and then sent back home,” he says as I get back into the car. I roll down my car windows. The car engine grunts, but the officer’s voice reaches me above the noise. “Everything ends with formalin,” he says. From pawan.durani at gmail.com Fri Apr 16 13:50:09 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2010 13:50:09 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Big Bang Bangalore Under BJP Government Message-ID: http://ibnlive.in.com/blogs/3348/61741.html by B S Yedyurappa Now that the people of Bangalore have given a decisive mandate in favour of the BJP in the just completed prestigious BBMP polls. It is time to carry out the agenda for the overall development of Bangalore and rest of Karnataka. Yes, I have outlined my objectives for transforming Bangalore into a model global metro, befitting its stature as a vibrant IT/BT hub and India’s knowledge capital. There have been a plethora of grandiose schemes and promises by successive governments and different political parties, including making Singapore out of Bangalore, in the past. You know very well what happened. I don’t want to make any empty and tall promises. You have seen Bangalore two years back and its present status after the BJP came to power in Karnataka. And now, after being blessed with a clear majority for the ruling party in the country’s fastest growing metropolis, allow me to chart out my vision for the city’s development over the next five years. The tasks and challenges confronting Bangalore are manifold. Traffic congestion, inadequate public transport system, infrastructural bottlenecks, paucity of housing, drinking water and chronic shortage of power, fast depleting lakes and tanks, vanishing trees and green cover, parks and lung-space, woefully scarce parking facilities despite having the highest vehicular density, lack of sanitation, healthcare and a population bursting at the seams with unabated migration from rural areas and neighbouring states - the list is simply endless. And my government has been tackling these problems and needs implementing over 10,000 different developmental works in almost every part of the city during the last two years. Construction of fly-overs, underbridges, overbridges, grade separators, upgradation of public transport system, improvement and road widening works are going on at a brisk pace. Many more citizen-friendly initiatives and new projects, including augmentation of drinking water supply, are on the anvil. Bengaluru International Airport, which has been in the making for decades, finally got going under A B Vajpayee-led NDA rule. Metro Rail project, which has been languishing for a long time, got a fillip after the BJP came to power with huge outlays and constant monitoring. The first train under the Namma Metro will chug off by the year-end. Simultaneously, Mono Rail network is also expected to take off as a feeder service to areas not connected by Namma Metro. In addition, the city is sought to be inter-linked with existing rail lines at Mysore, Tumkur, K R Puram-Whitefield and Doddaballapur-Kolar for easy operation of local trains after electrification on the Mumbai model. Apart from roping in the private sector, the state government will be partnering with the Railways for speedy implementation. You are well aware of the drain on the State’s scarce resources due to the chronic power situation with the attendant problems of load-shedding and darkness. I don’t want to blame anybody on why Karnataka has been reduced to this pathetic condition from being a power surplus State. My Government has taken up several major power projects and is well on its way to adding over 5000 MW of power in the next 3 to 5 years. Bangalore will continue to get special attention with a dedicated 1400 MW gas based power plant at Bidadi, while the capacity of the Yelahanka diesel generating station is also being enhanced. These are the broad outlines and salient features of my vision to fulfill your dream of a better and people-friendly Bengaluru. At the end of the five year term of the BJP-ruled BBMP, I assure you that Bangalore will be well on its way of becoming a model global metro. I am sure you can compare Bangalore’s development five years from now to any period under any previous government and decide for yourself. The BJP’s tryst with Bangalore’s development will be long lasting. *Asare - Shelter for the Flood-affected* The unprecedented devastation caused by last year’s floods in as many as 14 districts of north Karnataka is undoubtedly one of the worst-ever in over a century. The floods left a trail of death, misery, suffering and destruction. That 229 people died and 7,882 livestock washed away in 4,292 villages and 6.55 lakh houses and crops in over 22 lakh hectares of land were lost involving an estimated loss of over Rs 18,568 crore is one aspect of the colossal human tragedy. But shifting of 301 (145 Fully and 156 Partially= 301) constantly flood-prone low lying villages and construction of better houses for 63,000 families is the bigger challenge. While construction of 18,500 houses in 75 villages with the help of donor agencies has been accomplished, a massive construction programme in another 55 villages, including 45 villages by the Housing Corporation and 5 villages by the Katta Foundation was taken up just last month. The Government is confident of completing construction of houses before the onset of monsoon in June-July even as preparation for infrastructure works like laying roads, providing drinking water and power supply as well school and primary healthcare facilities is being done. The Government is confident of providing shelter for all the people rendered homeless by the deluge. The State Government has already released Rs 1,878 crore including grants from the Centre and donations as well as contributions from individuals and companies. Central assistance to the tune of Rs 7,047.34 crore is still awaited. I have a real satisfaction that I have been doing well. I may not be the best, but, I am one of the performing Chief Ministers in India. Karnataka is one of the top most states and I want to rise the bar. From rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com Fri Apr 16 14:36:55 2010 From: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com (Rakesh Iyer) Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2010 14:36:55 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: NAREGA In-Reply-To: <001301cadd31$c8d88710$5a899530$@in> References: <001301cadd31$c8d88710$5a899530$@in> Message-ID: Dear Bipin Thanks a lot. Rakesh On Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 12:25 PM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > Forwarding mail received from Rekesh in reply to my mail but forgot put on > sarai list simultaneously. > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Rakesh Iyer [mailto:rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com] > Sent: Thursday, April 15, 2010 4:53 PM > To: Bipin Trivedi > Subject: Re: NAREGA > > Dear Bipin > > Note (for all including Bipin): This is an extremely long mail. If you lose > patience while reading this, I apologize, but please read it if you can, as > I try to explain my points properly. > > Let me answer each and every point of yours in detail: > > 1) I have not credited Sonia Gandhi for NREGA in the sense you have put. I > would say that she is the only one in this government setup who had the > understanding to think about it, probably with the view of winning > elections. > > 2) You are stating that NDA was right in implementing infrastructure > projects for the development of a country. I would not completely disagree > with you. The Golden Quadrilateral scheme is one of the best schemes we > could have ever conceived of, and one should not forget that it was the NDA > which had thought of introducing such a scheme not only in roadways, but > also in railways, which was shelved (though I couldn't find who had shelved > it, the NDA or the UPA). You also state that UPA has not thought of > long-term vision as it has gone for NREGA. > > Firstly, I am not against such infrastructure projects like Golden > Quadrilateral, but infact wholeheartedly support them. Construction of > highways is an utmost priority for us, so also construction of roads, be it > in urban or rural areas. Moreover, we do need construction of good quality > houses, and other kinds of infrastructure like railways and ports as well. > > The way you put your point across seems to me like you are claiming that > the > way is either MGREGA or highways. That's wrong. Both can go together > simultaneously. The Golden Quadrilateral should simultaneously go on with > MGREGA. We need both. The question then comes as per the point raised: why > both? > > You have said that if infrastructure development takes place, then there > will be a labour boom and therefore we don't need MGREGA. That > unfortunately > is belied. It is certainly true that an infrastructure boom will lead to > demand for labor in India. However, most of the infrastructure boom will > also employ large no. of machines which are required to ensure quality > construction. Those works will not be undertaken by laborers simply because > it requires substantial investment in laborers (in terms of both money and > time) to ensure they get the required skills to conduct those operations, > and secondly, many of these operations can't be done by laborers (like > laborers can't do the work of heavy cranes and bulldozers). Therefore, the > labor boom being talked about is not going to employ a huge chunk of people > as being claimed, when compared with labor supply of India. And you won't > get quality construction if you employ labor at the cost of machines. > > Secondly, the history of capitalism across the nations, not just in India, > tells us that with increase in profits, capital becomes cheaper than labor. > It's cheaper to invest more money rather than employ more labor. And > therefore, with time, many companies come to the conclusion that it's > better > to invest in labor-saving machines rather than employ labor. Moreover, > since > companies prefer not to pay too much in wages to labor (unless absolutely > necessary) and also fear labor unions (since they would like to pay as low > wages as possible), there is less requirement for labor. The end result is > that with increasing economic output, we will see lesser and lesser labor > being employed. This can be seen in the employment pattern as well. > > Therefore, the requirement for such labor will go down over a period of > time. And the labor which will be required will be specialized labor, whose > no. as per requirement will also decrease with time. Hence, such unskilled > workers will be left nowhere. Already this can be seen in the case of our > IT > and services sector, where an uneducated person can't do anything, whereas > at least in industries, an uneducated person can still be doing manual > labor > work like in iron and steel industry for transportation. > > As demand for labor goes down, and supply is increasing due to increasing > population, with majority increase among those who are poor and therefore > uneducated and unskilled, we will see a fall in wages. (Demand-supply > economics). Therefore, such people have to engage in labor for long hours > with low wages. They don't get any protection through labor laws, and there > are no safety nets to fall on in case there are accidents or any mishaps > during working. They are not given any monetary compensation (companies are > not legally liable) in case they suffer physically or mentally or both > during accidents. And the contractors who employ them also don't pay them > entire salary for the day but keep a part of it with them to ensure that > the > laborers don't run away to villages after the work is over and work can be > done at cheap rates to ensure fatter profits for the contractors > themselves. > > > To force people to come out of rural areas so that they do manual labor at > petty wages with no social security nets is against the basic human right > to > lead a life with dignity. This should be corrected, and if a MGREGA is > needed to address this anomaly, so be it. The right path for industries and > capitalists is not to protest the scheme but increase the wages as well as > lobby with the govt. to introduce labor laws so that accordingly laborers > can feel the need to work in these companies. > > 3) You have a completely irrational logic of parliamentary democracy. In a > democracy, where the rule is to get a majority to be in power, all parties, > be it the Congress, BJP, DMK, SP, BSP etc. have to win the trust of people. > Since most of the parties today can't claim to be universally doing well > for > all people, they have to gain trust of certain sections of the society in > order to win elections. And this they do so on an all-out basis. And by the > way vote bank politics is practised by all political parties not only in > India, but also by parties in other countries. > > In USA, the Republicans have a vote bank in the form of Christian > fundamentalists and evangelists who voted against Obama in the 2008 > elections for US president. The Democrats on the other hand always have the > Blacks (African-Americans) voting for them. This is vote-bank politics. > > In Britain, the Labour party generally gets the votes of the migrants > (those > from outside England who have become citizens, like Indians and > Pakistanis), > while the Conservatives get the votes of those who feel such migration > should be banned and migrants should be deported to their native countries. > > In India, similarly, Muslims don't vote for the BJP. And Congress tries to > get certain sections of the society behind it. BJP on the other hand tries > to ensure that all Hindus vote for it en-bloc so that it can win elections. > The BSP asks Dalits and Brahmans to vote for it. So do the other political > parties with their sphere of influences and castes. > > Vote-bank politics in India is wrong because it ensures that you don't have > to work to win elections. You just have to be a member of a group or party > or some set and that ensures you get some votes. I accept that > wholeheartedly. But to say that vote-bank politics is only played by the > Congress is a misperception. Everybody does it. > > Politics should be developmental, not vote-bank based in the sense it has > been, because such politics is narrow and pits groups against groups and > only leads to animosity amongst them. Once this animosity sets in amongst > people, then it's extremely difficult to break this cycle and feeling. But > it can be done, as the BSP showed it when they won in 2007 elections by > bringing Brahmans over to their side. And everybody does it and has done it > in the past. > > But to say that it's only in India or done by Congress which is wrong. > > But vote-bank politics is also not wrong necessarily, because if I don't > know any of the candidates, I will trust the person who is from my group, > be > it caste, gender, religion or others since I don't know who is good and who > is bad. So therefore, the right thing should be greater awareness of the > candidates and also understanding of their positions and debates. Every > election in India should be like the US parliamentary election with debates > amongst all candidates on what they intend to do and questions asked of > them > to judge them. That will be a good way to go. > > 4) The MGREGA is being used to develop infrastructure in countryside > indeed. > Wells are being constructed, as also other ways of irrigation. Moreover, > work is being done to construct roads, which are then supplemented by > cement > road construction with labor work providing better strength to the roads. > They are also helping in plantation of trees and thus combating both > climate > change and environmental degradation, as announced by India at Copenhagen. > > Even constructing schools, providing services like Mid-day meal cooking or > cleaning buildings, goes a long way in providing or maintaining > infrastructure. And that should be appreciated. > > 5) If you don't believe that the standard of living of poor has improved, > may be you should undertake a rural tour of Andhra Pradesh with P.Sainath. > This famous journalist writes in the Hindu (the rural areas correspondent > of > the Hindu), and is generally spending on an average about 300 days in a > year > in rural areas of Andhra Pradesh and also rest of the country. He has > himself seen accounts of how Telangana, one of the most backward regions of > the country, has been benefited by NREGA, how people from Karimnagar, > Adilabad and other backward districts in the region have stopped migrating > to Mumbai and able to lead lives in their own village and work in nearby > areas, and thereby being able to send their children to the school so that > the children can enjoy the Mid-day meal as well as get some education. > > Do read him regularly. He is one person you can read in the Hindu, and I > eagerly wait for his articles. The Hindu may be a Communist newspaper under > N. Ram, but Sainath is one person who goes to rural areas to know the > truth. > And I don't think people commenting on this forum regularly go to rural > areas at his frequency to know about them. > > Yes there is corruption, but as I said, think of implementing transparency > measures rather than advising what the World Bank said: dismantle the govt. > machinery. The poor of India have become more deprived of nutrition and > other basic needs once the govt. has relegated its social responsibilities > to the market. > > 6) This is an interesting point since it comes for discussion regularly. > Firstly, those who can employ agricultural labor are actually the rich and > middle farmers, since small farmers don't have the money to employ labor. > Moreover, you don't have any statistics to back your claim that > agricultural > productivity has gone down since the implementation of NREGA. Infact, to > suppress your point, let me state that in 2007 and 2008 (years in which > NREGA was being implemented across the nation), the agricultural > productivity was at record levels for cereals and pulses as well as other > crops. > > It's only in 2009 that the agricultural productivity has gone down, and the > govt. has claimed that drought is the major reason for this (both in terms > of climate and lack of availability of water). > > If farmers are not able to employ labor, then other methods can be thought > about. One way could be mechanisation of agriculture or even making > agriculture cooperatives where farmers can pool resources to use machines > to > increase the production. This can be accompanies by sound techniques as > well > like intensification of growing crops (used in rice crop in Tamil Nadu). > > Instead, you seem to claim that some people should continue to work at > petty > wages per day so that the agricultural productivity of India can be high, > even if it means that they are not able to enjoy 3 sound meals per day. I > would disagree. What's the use of me working as an agricultural laborer and > growing grains for others if I can't feed my own family properly? > > As for food prices and inflation, this is mainly because the retail prices > are high compared to the wholesale prices. The farmers are not able to get > the advantage of these high prices, and it's the middlemen who are > responsible for such high prices. The correct step is to completely remove > middlemen and instead set up agricultural cooperatives monitored by the > govt > which can buy from the farmers and directly sell food to the consumers. > That > will comprehensively bring down inflation. Simple. There is no role of > agricultural labor reduction in all this. > > And what I say here is already there in Outlook and Tehelka magazine as > well > as other places. > > Plus this capitalist way of opening essential commodities to futures > trading > should be banned. That is something you may not agree with, but that's > essential. > > 7) The scheme is meant to ensure that people are provided work by the govt. > The people will only become lazy if the scheme doesn't provide work to > people. The schemes for any village are decided upon by the Gram Sabha in a > publicly organized meeting which has to be well attended and everybody must > have information about the meeting. Moreover, the schemes are monitored and > social audits can be undertaken by any organization, or any individual. > Even > you can undertake them. > > Going further ahead, you can use the RTI to get information about how the > NREGA is functioning in any village of this country even if you don't > belong > to that village. You can ask about the material-labor component and > construction works done as well as stages in which the works are going on, > through usage of the RTI. > > If you have any proof of people becoming lazy, do put it. Till now, not a > single instance of such a thing has been stated by anybody who has gone to > a > village to study the working of NREGA. I would be most surprised if I were > to hear anybody finding one. > > > 8) Your final point was about land reforms. Firstly, land reforms are not > meant to improve agricultural productivity. They are meant to ensure that > everyone has some land in his/her own name. The question may come: Why? > > Simple. Land is an asset, particularly for a rural family. One can fall > back > on this rural land resource in times of distress, by renting it or by using > it to feed fodder to animals so that they can generate some milk or meat > which could be sold or other ways. That's why land is an asset, and > everybody wants land. > > Land reforms bring about equitable distribution of land so that families > are > able to have some land for themselves. West Bengal conducted the Operation > Barga during Jyoti Basu's CM-ship to bring about partial land reforms. > There > were problems in implementation of land reforms and mismanagement and > corruption were also seen, which is why they were partial finally and not > as > effective as required. Full land reforms would have also involved formation > of cooperatives and bringing together land of all for increasing > agricultural productivity. This was done in Communist China and it brought > about huge increases in agricultural productivity there. Here in India it > was avoided and didn't bring about significant changes. > > But Gujarat never brought about land reforms for equitable distribution of > land. And that ironically led to higher productivity for a certain section > of farmers who are rich and can afford irrigation facilities and use of > scientific techniques, whereas for the rest it has brought nothing. Gujarat > state governments have only concentrated on bringing about more growth in > the economy rather than also think of redistributing the benefits of > economic growth, and the result is this: > > a) Out of all the BJP-ruled states, Gujarat is the most prosperous and yet, > it has the highest income-equality of all, since income distribution was > never a priority for the governments there in general. (as per NFHS - 3, > 2005-06) > > b) The under-five mortality rate of Gujarat is only marginally below Madhya > Pradesh, while it is above Maharashtra. Also, there is larger > health-inequality in Gujarat than other states which have lower prosperity. > And this is primarily because some get rich and the benefits of this > economic growth don't reach as they should for all sections of the society. > > c) Farmer suicides are taking place in Gujarat, and this is as per the > Gujarat govt's own information. While the farmer suicides are of not the > level of Vidarbha or Andhra Pradesh or even Kerala, they are increasing. > > Now please dont' crib that the data is for 2005-06. The National Family > Health Survey is undertaken by the Health Ministry after certain intervals, > and I can't ask the Central Govt. to undertake this survey again. > > I don't say that agricultural productivity should not be high. But yes, > redistribution of income to the poor is something even Modi would not have > the guts to oppose. That is what is required. > > On a further comprehensive article or mail on Gujarat, I would certainly do > that after reading the necessary resources in the summer as I would be busy > with exam. But yes, we can do it not only for Gujarat but for other states > as well (and we should do it I feel). > > As for NREGA, I stated what I had to. > > Rakesh > > > _________________________________________ > 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 chintangirishmodi at gmail.com Fri Apr 16 15:20:38 2010 From: chintangirishmodi at gmail.com (Chintan) Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2010 15:20:38 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Opportunities with Chirag, a school in the Kumaun Hills In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: I have heard many good things about Chirag. and also interacted with Rajiv briefly. Do make time to read Rajiv's mail, and get in touch if you'd like to share your time, skills and ideas. To know more about the organisation, check these links www.chirag.org http://chirag.org/what-we-do/education/chirag-school To read a first-person account of Usha Mukunda's experience at Chirag, check http://blog.prathambooks.org/2010/04/library-in-mountains.html Chintan -- ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: V Rajiv Dear Chintan, Chirag School is located in the Kumaun Hills (Nainital district). It is an attempt by the Central, Himalayan Rural Action Group (CHIRAG). It aims to demonstrate in a rural setting that learning can be fun-filled and emanates out of exploration. We are looking for teachers who are interested in working with children in the primary level and are open to the ways children think and learn. Also, we have an education programme for teachers and parents as a part of school’s initiative. Since the access to resource material is limited and conditions of living are modest when compared to the urban standards, a lot depends on individuals' ability to be creative, adventurous and to work as a team. Areas: - Teaching of English (primary school) - Group teacher /class teacher - Curriculum and Material development in the preschool - Curriculum development in Science and Math (for primary school) - Nature studies Rajiv From aliens at dataone.in Fri Apr 16 16:56:27 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2010 16:56:27 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] IGNORE THE 'IDIOTS'. FIGHT THE WAR Message-ID: <001e01cadd57$aa4c49a0$fee4dce0$@in> http://www.dailypioneer.com/248225/Ignore-the- 'idiots'-fight-the-war.html Chandan Mitra The Goebbelsian propaganda of Maoist sympathisers posing as 'intellectuals' should not deter the state from launching an all-out offensive against the guerrillas I am not suggesting that Facebook users are necessarily representative of public opinion, but for whatever they count, the networking site reflects the urban professionals' mind to some extent. Therefore, I was heartened by the significant number of comments on the site asking why Arundhati Roy and her ilk are silent after the Dantewada massacre. Some even demanded that these breast-beating publicists come out in the open and condemn the Maoist marauders. I was tempted to respond to the outraged middle-class Facebookers that far from being shamed, this anti-India cabal is probably busy plotting an eloquent defence of the merchants of mass murder; so, expect a 5,000-word tear-jerking essay in a newsweekly soon suggesting that the CRPF jawans committed mass suicide or were killed by agents of the diabolical Indian state just to give a bad name to the Maoists. This line of argument would be perfectly understandable from people who had alleged that the December 13, 2001 attack on Parliament was an elaborate conspiracy by the Vajpayee Government to justify warmongering against 'peace-loving' Pakistan and even more 'innocent' terrorist outfits sponsored by Islamabad. Similarly, hasn't it been repeatedly claimed by some of them that the 58 kar sevaks who were burnt alive inside coaches of the Sabarmati Express in Godhra were actually possessed by pyromania and a burning (pun unintended) desire to go up in flames? So, it won't be surprising if we are told that a bloodthirsty Government gunned down its own security forces only to justify launching a genocidal military campaign against helpless tribals. In a brazenly Goebbelsian style of propaganda, these self-styled human rightswallahs and various wannabe Arundhati Roys have started using Maoist and tribal as synonyms. This is a deliberate attempt to portray all action by the state against Maoists as part of a plot to terrorise innocent tribal people into submission so that their lands can be grabbed for mining or setting up industries, their women can be happily raped and their children brutalised. That the overwhelming majority of tribals in all Naxal-affected States are actually fighting Maoist depredation and that the bulk of the security forces, especially policemen of the States concerned, are of tribal origin are facts consciously overlooked. The aim is to put the average urban Indian on a guilt trip and mount public pressure on the Government to slow down or even call off the armed confrontation with the Maoists. These conspiratorial bleeding heart 'intellectuals', most of whom have little knowledge of history or even Communist literature, obviously don't know the contempt in which Mao Zedong held their kind. As a senior columnist recalled last week, Mao called "intellectual" supporters of his revolution, "Useful idiots, but idiots all the same"! Fortunately, the breast-beaters' plot is not succeeding this time. Opinion is, in fact, running high against the desperadoes and from all accounts people want sterner action to eliminate the scourge of Left-wing adventurism, which none other than the father of the Russian Revolution, Vladimir Illych Lenin described as "infantile disorder". So, I have been telling my friends not to get too agitated by the offensive, anti-national utterances of these professional India-baiters. Over the years we have dealt with a whole range of lily-livered liberals who, if they had their way, would have gifted away the North-East, Punjab and Kashmir to India's neighbours and even now advocate restraint in dealing with jihadi terrorists, perhaps also the Taliban. India survived the onslaughts of its 'intellectual' Fifth Column and I am confident will do so yet again. Having said that I must also express my deep dismay at the manner in which the Government is conducting its anti-Naxal offensive. It is almost akin to the mindless way the US Army fought the Vietcong guerrillas in the late-1960s and, predictably, got routed. It does not seem to have penetrated the impermeable skulls of New Delhi's security establishment that we are facing an all-out guerrilla offensive, not conventional insurgency. The Dantewada tragedy demonstrates the alarming absence of the mindset required to take on heavily armed, highly trained and motivated Maoist insurgents who undoubtedly enjoy some degree of support from a section of the local populace, whether at gunpoint or otherwise. The French Leftist ideologue Regis Debray once wrote, "In other to combat the enemy you must first come to grips with it." In other words, it is very important to understand, internalise and anticipate the opponent's tactics in a guerrilla war. I would prescribe a crash course in the war manuals penned by Mao Tse-Tung and Che Guevara for all security force jawans when they are sent to combat zones. Nearly 70 years after Mao led a successful insurrection in China, his self-styled pupils in the jungles of India are employing classic Maoist tactics with considerable success. We don't seem to believe that these rudimentary and outdated mid-20th Century tactics can be easily countered with the experience of counter-insurgency operations since those days. In Dantewada, Naxals followed Mao's dictum: "When the enemy attacks, we retreat. When the enemy camps, we harass. When the enemy retreats, we attack." A cursory look at the sequence of events in Dantewada last Tuesday proves this. The CRPF got a tip-off that a Maoist training camp was in progress and decided to go in pursuit. (Maoists retreated). The CRPF did not camp on reaching destination, so the second part of the dictum got skipped. (Incidentally, at Sildah in West Bengal last month, 24 members of the security forces were killed in a sudden guerrilla attack on the police post - a clear instance of the dictum being followed there.) In Dantewada, as the jawans retreated, confident they had secured the territory and complacent that the guerrillas were on the run, they were attacked. This is not the first time that Naxals have meticulously followed Mao's well-publicised war manual. A pall of depression has gripped India's security establishment in the aftermath of the Dantewada massacre, affecting even the otherwise ebullient Home Minister P Chidambaram. I fear it will take several weeks for the security forces to get their act together again, allowing Maoists vital time to regroup, re-arm and re-strategise, apart from gaining the psychological upper hand. Mr Chidambaram is still our best bet as Home Minister and he must lead the counter-offensive. Clearly, there is inadequate coordination between the State police and Central security forces. This is a lacuna that has to be overcome without delay. I am no security expert, but my experience of covering insurgencies over two decades convinces me that you can't win the war against insurgents until the State police turns into a deadly combat force. They know the terrain, they have contacts even in Maoist-dominated villages, and if motivated they will fight to the finish to defend their families' honour. Instead of paratrooping Central forces (who need to be used sparingly in joint operations), the Centre needs to help and if necessary compel States to train, motivate and equip their police the way KPS Gill's Punjab Police fought the Khalistanis till they became history. From rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com Fri Apr 16 17:01:19 2010 From: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com (Rakesh Iyer) Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2010 17:01:19 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] IGNORE THE 'IDIOTS'. FIGHT THE WAR In-Reply-To: <001e01cadd57$aa4c49a0$fee4dce0$@in> References: <001e01cadd57$aa4c49a0$fee4dce0$@in> Message-ID: Dear Bipin I dont' have time right now to go through the entire article, but will certainly do so at some time. But Chandan Mitra is a known BJP sympathizer (if not a party member), and I don't expect him to do anything better than say what they have indulged in the past as well: violence. Rakesh On Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 4:56 PM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > http://www.dailypioneer.com/248225/Ignore-the- > > > > 'idiots'-fight-the-war.html > > > > Chandan Mitra > > The Goebbelsian propaganda of Maoist sympathisers posing as 'intellectuals' > should not deter the state from launching an all-out offensive against the > guerrillas > > I am not suggesting that Facebook users are necessarily representative of > public opinion, but for whatever they count, the networking site reflects > the urban professionals' mind to some extent. Therefore, I was heartened by > the significant number of comments on the site asking why Arundhati Roy and > her ilk are silent after the Dantewada massacre. Some even demanded that > these breast-beating publicists come out in the open and condemn the Maoist > marauders. I was tempted to respond to the outraged middle-class > Facebookers > that far from being shamed, this anti-India cabal is probably busy plotting > an eloquent defence of the merchants of mass murder; so, expect a > 5,000-word > tear-jerking essay in a newsweekly soon suggesting that the CRPF jawans > committed mass suicide or were killed by agents of the diabolical Indian > state just to give a bad name to the Maoists. > > This line of argument would be perfectly understandable from people who had > alleged that the December 13, 2001 attack on Parliament was an elaborate > conspiracy by the Vajpayee Government to justify warmongering against > 'peace-loving' Pakistan and even more 'innocent' terrorist outfits > sponsored > by Islamabad. Similarly, hasn't it been repeatedly claimed by some of them > that the 58 kar sevaks who were burnt alive inside coaches of the Sabarmati > Express in Godhra were actually possessed by pyromania and a burning (pun > unintended) desire to go up in flames? So, it won't be surprising if we are > told that a bloodthirsty Government gunned down its own security forces > only > to justify launching a genocidal military campaign against helpless > tribals. > > In a brazenly Goebbelsian style of propaganda, these self-styled human > rightswallahs and various wannabe Arundhati Roys have started using Maoist > and tribal as synonyms. This is a deliberate attempt to portray all action > by the state against Maoists as part of a plot to terrorise innocent tribal > people into submission so that their lands can be grabbed for mining or > setting up industries, their women can be happily raped and their children > brutalised. That the overwhelming majority of tribals in all Naxal-affected > States are actually fighting Maoist depredation and that the bulk of the > security forces, especially policemen of the States concerned, are of > tribal > origin are facts consciously overlooked. > > The aim is to put the average urban Indian on a guilt trip and mount public > pressure on the Government to slow down or even call off the armed > confrontation with the Maoists. These conspiratorial bleeding heart > 'intellectuals', most of whom have little knowledge of history or even > Communist literature, obviously don't know the contempt in which Mao Zedong > held their kind. As a senior columnist recalled last week, Mao called > "intellectual" supporters of his revolution, "Useful idiots, but idiots all > the same"! > > Fortunately, the breast-beaters' plot is not succeeding this time. Opinion > is, in fact, running high against the desperadoes and from all accounts > people want sterner action to eliminate the scourge of Left-wing > adventurism, which none other than the father of the Russian Revolution, > Vladimir Illych Lenin described as "infantile disorder". So, I have been > telling my friends not to get too agitated by the offensive, anti-national > utterances of these professional India-baiters. Over the years we have > dealt > with a whole range of lily-livered liberals who, if they had their way, > would have gifted away the North-East, Punjab and Kashmir to India's > neighbours and even now advocate restraint in dealing with jihadi > terrorists, perhaps also the Taliban. India survived the onslaughts of its > 'intellectual' Fifth Column and I am confident will do so yet again. > > Having said that I must also express my deep dismay at the manner in which > the Government is conducting its anti-Naxal offensive. It is almost akin to > the mindless way the US Army fought the Vietcong guerrillas in the > late-1960s and, predictably, got routed. It does not seem to have > penetrated > the impermeable skulls of New Delhi's security establishment that we are > facing an all-out guerrilla offensive, not conventional insurgency. The > Dantewada tragedy demonstrates the alarming absence of the mindset required > to take on heavily armed, highly trained and motivated Maoist insurgents > who > undoubtedly enjoy some degree of support from a section of the local > populace, whether at gunpoint or otherwise. > > The French Leftist ideologue Regis Debray once wrote, "In other to combat > the enemy you must first come to grips with it." In other words, it is very > important to understand, internalise and anticipate the opponent's tactics > in a guerrilla war. I would prescribe a crash course in the war manuals > penned by Mao Tse-Tung and Che Guevara for all security force jawans when > they are sent to combat zones. Nearly 70 years after Mao led a successful > insurrection in China, his self-styled pupils in the jungles of India are > employing classic Maoist tactics with considerable success. We don't seem > to > believe that these rudimentary and outdated mid-20th Century tactics can be > easily countered with the experience of counter-insurgency operations since > those days. > > In Dantewada, Naxals followed Mao's dictum: "When the enemy attacks, we > retreat. When the enemy camps, we harass. When the enemy retreats, we > attack." A cursory look at the sequence of events in Dantewada last Tuesday > proves this. The CRPF got a tip-off that a Maoist training camp was in > progress and decided to go in pursuit. (Maoists retreated). The CRPF did > not > camp on reaching destination, so the second part of the dictum got skipped. > (Incidentally, at Sildah in West Bengal last month, 24 members of the > security forces were killed in a sudden guerrilla attack on the police post > - a clear instance of the dictum being followed there.) In Dantewada, as > the > jawans retreated, confident they had secured the territory and complacent > that the guerrillas were on the run, they were attacked. This is not the > first time that Naxals have meticulously followed Mao's well-publicised war > manual. > > A pall of depression has gripped India's security establishment in the > aftermath of the Dantewada massacre, affecting even the otherwise ebullient > Home Minister P Chidambaram. I fear it will take several weeks for the > security forces to get their act together again, allowing Maoists vital > time > to regroup, re-arm and re-strategise, apart from gaining the psychological > upper hand. Mr Chidambaram is still our best bet as Home Minister and he > must lead the counter-offensive. > > Clearly, there is inadequate coordination between the State police and > Central security forces. This is a lacuna that has to be overcome without > delay. I am no security expert, but my experience of covering insurgencies > over two decades convinces me that you can't win the war against insurgents > until the State police turns into a deadly combat force. They know the > terrain, they have contacts even in Maoist-dominated villages, and if > motivated they will fight to the finish to defend their families' honour. > Instead of paratrooping Central forces (who need to be used sparingly in > joint operations), the Centre needs to help and if necessary compel States > to train, motivate and equip their police the way KPS Gill's Punjab Police > fought the Khalistanis till they became history. > > > > _________________________________________ > 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 c.anupam at gmail.com Fri Apr 16 17:12:39 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2010 17:12:39 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] IGNORE THE 'IDIOTS'. FIGHT THE WAR In-Reply-To: References: <001e01cadd57$aa4c49a0$fee4dce0$@in> Message-ID: For a change I watched TV and look what I found: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYW_-xAKD5s&feature=player_embedded The interviewer asks Arundhati Roy if she wants to go and settle abroad because India, according to roy, is a fake democracy as she says in the interview. On Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 5:01 PM, Rakesh Iyer wrote: > Dear Bipin > > I dont' have time right now to go through the entire article, but will > certainly do so at some time. But Chandan Mitra is a known BJP sympathizer > (if not a party member), and I don't expect him to do anything better than > say what they have indulged in the past as well: violence. > > Rakesh > > On Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 4:56 PM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > > > http://www.dailypioneer.com/248225/Ignore-the- > > < > http://www.dailypioneer.com/248225/Ignore-the-'idiots'-fight-the-war.html > < > http://www.dailypioneer.com/248225/Ignore-the-%27idiots%27-fight-the-war.html > > > > > > > 'idiots'-fight-the-war.html > > > > > > > > Chandan Mitra > > > > The Goebbelsian propaganda of Maoist sympathisers posing as > 'intellectuals' > > should not deter the state from launching an all-out offensive against > the > > guerrillas > > > > I am not suggesting that Facebook users are necessarily representative of > > public opinion, but for whatever they count, the networking site reflects > > the urban professionals' mind to some extent. Therefore, I was heartened > by > > the significant number of comments on the site asking why Arundhati Roy > and > > her ilk are silent after the Dantewada massacre. Some even demanded that > > these breast-beating publicists come out in the open and condemn the > Maoist > > marauders. I was tempted to respond to the outraged middle-class > > Facebookers > > that far from being shamed, this anti-India cabal is probably busy > plotting > > an eloquent defence of the merchants of mass murder; so, expect a > > 5,000-word > > tear-jerking essay in a newsweekly soon suggesting that the CRPF jawans > > committed mass suicide or were killed by agents of the diabolical Indian > > state just to give a bad name to the Maoists. > > > > This line of argument would be perfectly understandable from people who > had > > alleged that the December 13, 2001 attack on Parliament was an elaborate > > conspiracy by the Vajpayee Government to justify warmongering against > > 'peace-loving' Pakistan and even more 'innocent' terrorist outfits > > sponsored > > by Islamabad. Similarly, hasn't it been repeatedly claimed by some of > them > > that the 58 kar sevaks who were burnt alive inside coaches of the > Sabarmati > > Express in Godhra were actually possessed by pyromania and a burning (pun > > unintended) desire to go up in flames? So, it won't be surprising if we > are > > told that a bloodthirsty Government gunned down its own security forces > > only > > to justify launching a genocidal military campaign against helpless > > tribals. > > > > In a brazenly Goebbelsian style of propaganda, these self-styled human > > rightswallahs and various wannabe Arundhati Roys have started using > Maoist > > and tribal as synonyms. This is a deliberate attempt to portray all > action > > by the state against Maoists as part of a plot to terrorise innocent > tribal > > people into submission so that their lands can be grabbed for mining or > > setting up industries, their women can be happily raped and their > children > > brutalised. That the overwhelming majority of tribals in all > Naxal-affected > > States are actually fighting Maoist depredation and that the bulk of the > > security forces, especially policemen of the States concerned, are of > > tribal > > origin are facts consciously overlooked. > > > > The aim is to put the average urban Indian on a guilt trip and mount > public > > pressure on the Government to slow down or even call off the armed > > confrontation with the Maoists. These conspiratorial bleeding heart > > 'intellectuals', most of whom have little knowledge of history or even > > Communist literature, obviously don't know the contempt in which Mao > Zedong > > held their kind. As a senior columnist recalled last week, Mao called > > "intellectual" supporters of his revolution, "Useful idiots, but idiots > all > > the same"! > > > > Fortunately, the breast-beaters' plot is not succeeding this time. > Opinion > > is, in fact, running high against the desperadoes and from all accounts > > people want sterner action to eliminate the scourge of Left-wing > > adventurism, which none other than the father of the Russian Revolution, > > Vladimir Illych Lenin described as "infantile disorder". So, I have been > > telling my friends not to get too agitated by the offensive, > anti-national > > utterances of these professional India-baiters. Over the years we have > > dealt > > with a whole range of lily-livered liberals who, if they had their way, > > would have gifted away the North-East, Punjab and Kashmir to India's > > neighbours and even now advocate restraint in dealing with jihadi > > terrorists, perhaps also the Taliban. India survived the onslaughts of > its > > 'intellectual' Fifth Column and I am confident will do so yet again. > > > > Having said that I must also express my deep dismay at the manner in > which > > the Government is conducting its anti-Naxal offensive. It is almost akin > to > > the mindless way the US Army fought the Vietcong guerrillas in the > > late-1960s and, predictably, got routed. It does not seem to have > > penetrated > > the impermeable skulls of New Delhi's security establishment that we are > > facing an all-out guerrilla offensive, not conventional insurgency. The > > Dantewada tragedy demonstrates the alarming absence of the mindset > required > > to take on heavily armed, highly trained and motivated Maoist insurgents > > who > > undoubtedly enjoy some degree of support from a section of the local > > populace, whether at gunpoint or otherwise. > > > > The French Leftist ideologue Regis Debray once wrote, "In other to combat > > the enemy you must first come to grips with it." In other words, it is > very > > important to understand, internalise and anticipate the opponent's > tactics > > in a guerrilla war. I would prescribe a crash course in the war manuals > > penned by Mao Tse-Tung and Che Guevara for all security force jawans when > > they are sent to combat zones. Nearly 70 years after Mao led a successful > > insurrection in China, his self-styled pupils in the jungles of India are > > employing classic Maoist tactics with considerable success. We don't seem > > to > > believe that these rudimentary and outdated mid-20th Century tactics can > be > > easily countered with the experience of counter-insurgency operations > since > > those days. > > > > In Dantewada, Naxals followed Mao's dictum: "When the enemy attacks, we > > retreat. When the enemy camps, we harass. When the enemy retreats, we > > attack." A cursory look at the sequence of events in Dantewada last > Tuesday > > proves this. The CRPF got a tip-off that a Maoist training camp was in > > progress and decided to go in pursuit. (Maoists retreated). The CRPF did > > not > > camp on reaching destination, so the second part of the dictum got > skipped. > > (Incidentally, at Sildah in West Bengal last month, 24 members of the > > security forces were killed in a sudden guerrilla attack on the police > post > > - a clear instance of the dictum being followed there.) In Dantewada, as > > the > > jawans retreated, confident they had secured the territory and complacent > > that the guerrillas were on the run, they were attacked. This is not the > > first time that Naxals have meticulously followed Mao's well-publicised > war > > manual. > > > > A pall of depression has gripped India's security establishment in the > > aftermath of the Dantewada massacre, affecting even the otherwise > ebullient > > Home Minister P Chidambaram. I fear it will take several weeks for the > > security forces to get their act together again, allowing Maoists vital > > time > > to regroup, re-arm and re-strategise, apart from gaining the > psychological > > upper hand. Mr Chidambaram is still our best bet as Home Minister and he > > must lead the counter-offensive. > > > > Clearly, there is inadequate coordination between the State police and > > Central security forces. This is a lacuna that has to be overcome without > > delay. I am no security expert, but my experience of covering > insurgencies > > over two decades convinces me that you can't win the war against > insurgents > > until the State police turns into a deadly combat force. They know the > > terrain, they have contacts even in Maoist-dominated villages, and if > > motivated they will fight to the finish to defend their families' honour. > > Instead of paratrooping Central forces (who need to be used sparingly in > > joint operations), the Centre needs to help and if necessary compel > States > > to train, motivate and equip their police the way KPS Gill's Punjab > Police > > fought the Khalistanis till they became history. > > > > > > > > _________________________________________ > > 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 aliens at dataone.in Fri Apr 16 17:23:05 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2010 17:23:05 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Maoists can be quelled only by full blown war Message-ID: <002901cadd5b$67fee180$37fca480$@in> http://www.dailypioneer.com/248228/Maoists-can-be-quelled-only-by-full-blown -war.html Maoists can be quelled only by full blown war Meenakshi Rao The national outrage and concern kicked up by the well-engineered massacre of 76 CRPF men by Maoists last week is already dying down even as Home Minister P C Chidambaram has taken full responsibility for the incident and offered to resign. Taking full responsibility is rare in Indian Government and in that context PC's move is refreshing - but the full-blown Maoist menace that stares our battered nation needs much more than mere verbal refreshments and the way it has been growing over the last decade we are seemingly in a situation which will take generations to abate, if at all, it abates. The statistics that have flooded newspapers in the wake of the ghastly massacre in Chhattisgarh are enough to run a chill down the spine of even the most unbothered person. None less than a Home Ministry assessment says as many as 223 districts across 20 States in the country are Maoist-hit which is up from just 55 districts in 2003! Not just that, in this decade when the Government was dealing with Naxalism as lackadaisically as it has with, say, poverty and public health, the Maoists not only grew in number, influence and organization but also in daring, money and network. If it is true that Maoists raise around Rs 20 billion annually to fund their operations through extortions, kidnappings and loot, and the Home Minister insists that all such nefarious fund-raisers are only domestic with no source of foreign income, then it is a failure much bigger than being projected. Though there is a cacophony of opinion on how to deal with this menace - which by all accounts has outnumbered even J&K terrorism incidents and killings on an annual basis - there is near unanimity on one front - that the Maoist itch has grown into a full blown inland terror network only because successive Governments have preferred to look the other way. Opinion also is that the need of the hour is a co-ordinated and cohesive strategy which involves everything from a State-Centre team-up, sharing of Intelligence, taking the menace more seriously than it is being taken as of now, proper training for the men involved in these operations, adequate funding and a three-pronged offensive - political, developmental and negotiated. Not really. The first and foremost need is for the Government to generate some coherence in its anti-Maoist strategy. Second, and more importantly, it needs a sustained and very stiff political will to deal with this menace which is eulogized by many within the system as a "people's war." Chidambaram's words of outrage over the recent slaying and the Government's public mutterings are only appeasement quickies meant to last till public anger dies down. The Maoists feed on such temps in official strategy. The growing Red corridor is just one indication of this. The increased number of killings, arms loot and ambushes is the other. As compared to 156 killings in 1996, 1,134 were put to death by Maoists in 2009, which by any standards is a huge jump in casualty, especially when one views it in the context of the more publicized J&K terror statistics - 133 people killed by militants in J&K in 2009. Now compare this with the 2010 figure till March 29 which puts Maoists killings at 132 as opposed to only 30 by J&K militants and you will know how difficult the terrain is. The worst part of this issue is that a sizeable population of intellectuals that has the power to derail Government will supports this so-called people's war. Even Chief Ministers like Shibu Soren and Nitish Kumar have spoken for the Maoists, urging the Government to drop the hit-them strategy for a healing touch. This may have been okay to consider a decade back but today's Naxalite is no longer just a victim of the State up in arms but a well-oiled spare part in a nefarious design to destabilize the Indian democracy. True, the roots of this menace lie in full-scale victimisation of the common man by the administration but as the situation stands today, there is an urgent need to first cut the branches and then get to the root of the problem. This basically means that a full-scale war against these armed men needs to be launched at the Central level with ears and eyes closed to murmurs of opposition. As KPS Gill has always advocated, and it seems to stand to logic, there can be no negotiation with men up against the nation, men with arms, men with blood on their hands. But to be so cold-blooded in public perception, the Government would need a massive overhaul of its own mindset and go into the battle with no niggling doubts. But do such things happen in the Indian democracy where saving your seat of power and money is the foremost priority? Not at all. A classic example of the Government not having the will to do things is the case of sandalwood smuggling king Veerappan. Crores were spent and hundreds of our cops and securitymen killed in tracking him down for over more than four decades. If the entire might of the Indian Government did not have what it takes to track down one criminal in one stretch of a forest, do you think it has any muscle to end a full blown Maoist network currently overwhelming 20 States of the Indian Union? Only honesty of intention and hardcore political will can clean up the mess now. That, and sensitivity for our security personnel, would be the first welcome steps. About time we stop using our ill-trained, ill-equipped para-forces as prey to Maoists. Call in the Army, even if it is overburdened with J&K and the North-East. From pawan.durani at gmail.com Fri Apr 16 18:23:16 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2010 18:23:16 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] =?windows-1252?q?Are_Hindus_=91others=92=3F?= Message-ID: Iftedah he Sickular Ishq mein ..Sari raat jaage ....Allah jaane Kya Hoga Aage .... http://www.dailypioneer.com/249530/Are-Hindus-‘others’.html *Are Hindus ‘others’?* *Abhishek Anshu | New Delhi* *GGSIPU admission form raises eyebrows* In an apparent error of omission on the part of authorities, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU) has asked all applicants to mention their religion in the admission form by marking the appropriate option, but failed to provide that of ‘Hindu’ even though all minority faiths are listed specifically. Those belonging to the Hindu religion are, therefore, left with no choice but to indicate their faith by ticking the ‘Others’ column on the list. While such a format has sparked widespread confusion and panic among students and applicants, IP University Vice-Chancellor Prof DK Bandyo-padhyay has said by way of clarification that the “column contains minority religions and Hindu falls in the category of ‘Others’”. “This is nothing unusual as it is known to all that Hindus are the majority. The ‘religion’ column has minorities in it and the Hindu students should fill out the ‘Others’ option given in the religion column of the form,” said Bandyopadhyay. The V-C added that in the form, SC/ST/OBC and ‘Others’ are separate options. “In the form, we have the options of Minorities, SC/ST/OBC and ‘Others’. Hindus, being the majority, should fill up ‘Others’,” he said. All explanations notwithstanding, students are still perplexed about how to fill the admission forms and some of them are even in a state of panic. “I filled up the application form but when I got to the religion column, I got confused as ‘Hindu’ was nowhere on the page. I have filled forms of various universities but this is for the first time I have seen something like this,” Aarushi, an applicant, said. She added she had to reread the admission brochure to confirm there were no printing errors. “I was scared there was a printing error. After going through the brochure, I learnt that the option was simply not mentioned,” she said. IP University was hit by controversy recently when over 1,000 fake admission forms were submitted by applicants. From c.anupam at gmail.com Fri Apr 16 18:28:35 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2010 18:28:35 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] =?windows-1252?q?Are_Hindus_=91others=92=3F?= In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Really ridiculous. on one hand, you want send mails after mails demanding punishment for Sajjan Kumar and Tytler for killing sikhs, while you post ridiculous issue about religion with a subject line: "are hindu others". can you stop this divisive political agendas here? On Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 6:23 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > Iftedah he Sickular Ishq mein ..Sari raat jaage ....Allah jaane Kya Hoga > Aage .... > > > > http://www.dailypioneer.com/249530/Are-Hindus-‘others’.html< > http://www.dailypioneer.com/249530/Are-Hindus-%E2%80%98others%E2%80%99.html > > > > *Are Hindus ‘others’?* > > *Abhishek Anshu | New Delhi* > > *GGSIPU admission form raises eyebrows* > > In an apparent error of omission on the part of authorities, Guru Gobind > Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU) has asked all applicants to mention > their religion in the admission form by marking the appropriate option, but > failed to provide that of ‘Hindu’ even though all minority faiths are > listed > specifically. > > Those belonging to the Hindu religion are, therefore, left with no choice > but to indicate their faith by ticking the ‘Others’ column on the list. > > While such a format has sparked widespread confusion and panic among > students and applicants, IP University Vice-Chancellor Prof DK > Bandyo-padhyay has said by way of clarification that the “column contains > minority religions and Hindu falls in the category of ‘Others’”. > > “This is nothing unusual as it is known to all that Hindus are the > majority. > The ‘religion’ column has minorities in it and the Hindu students should > fill out the ‘Others’ option given in the religion column of the form,” > said > Bandyopadhyay. > > The V-C added that in the form, SC/ST/OBC and ‘Others’ are separate > options. > “In the form, we have the options of Minorities, SC/ST/OBC and ‘Others’. > Hindus, being the majority, should fill up ‘Others’,” he said. All > explanations notwithstanding, students are still perplexed about how to > fill > the admission forms and some of them are even in a state of panic. > > “I filled up the application form but when I got to the religion column, I > got confused as ‘Hindu’ was nowhere on the page. I have filled forms of > various universities but this is for the first time I have seen something > like this,” Aarushi, an applicant, said. > > She added she had to reread the admission brochure to confirm there were no > printing errors. “I was scared there was a printing error. After going > through the brochure, I learnt that the option was simply not mentioned,” > she said. IP University was hit by controversy recently when over 1,000 > fake > admission forms were submitted by applicants. > _________________________________________ > 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 Apr 16 19:02:23 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2010 19:02:23 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] =?windows-1252?q?Are_Hindus_=91others=92=3F?= In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: I share a subject line as it is from a respectable newspaper. And the fact about the subject can be ascertained not shouted down. On Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 6:28 PM, anupam chakravartty wrote: > Really ridiculous. on one hand, you want send mails after mails demanding > punishment for Sajjan Kumar and Tytler for killing sikhs, while you post > ridiculous issue about religion with a subject line: "are hindu others". can > you stop this divisive political agendas here? > > > On Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 6:23 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > >> Iftedah he Sicokular Ishq mein ..Sari raat jaage ....Allah jaane Kya Hoga >> Aage .... >> >> >> >> http://www.dailypioneer.com/249530/Are-Hindus-‘others’.html< >> http://www.dailypioneer.com/249530/Are-Hindus-%E2%80%98others%E2%80%99.html >> > >> >> >> *Are Hindus ‘others’?* >> >> *Abhishek Anshu | New Delhi* >> >> *GGSIPU admission form raises eyebrows* >> >> In an apparent error of omission on the part of authorities, Guru Gobind >> Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU) has asked all applicants to mention >> their religion in the admission form by marking the appropriate option, >> but >> failed to provide that of ‘Hindu’ even though all minority faiths are >> listed >> specifically. >> >> Those belonging to the Hindu religion are, therefore, left with no choice >> but to indicate their faith by ticking the ‘Others’ column on the list. >> >> While such a format has sparked widespread confusion and panic among >> students and applicants, IP University Vice-Chancellor Prof DK >> Bandyo-padhyay has said by way of clarification that the “column contains >> minority religions and Hindu falls in the category of ‘Others’”. >> >> “This is nothing unusual as it is known to all that Hindus are the >> majority. >> The ‘religion’ column has minorities in it and the Hindu students should >> fill out the ‘Others’ option given in the religion column of the form,” >> said >> Bandyopadhyay. >> >> The V-C added that in the form, SC/ST/OBC and ‘Others’ are separate >> options. >> “In the form, we have the options of Minorities, SC/ST/OBC and ‘Others’. >> Hindus, being the majority, should fill up ‘Others’,” he said. All >> explanations notwithstanding, students are still perplexed about how to >> fill >> the admission forms and some of them are even in a state of panic. >> >> “I filled up the application form but when I got to the religion column, I >> got confused as ‘Hindu’ was nowhere on the page. I have filled forms of >> various universities but this is for the first time I have seen something >> like this,” Aarushi, an applicant, said. >> >> She added she had to reread the admission brochure to confirm there were >> no >> printing errors. “I was scared there was a printing error. After going >> through the brochure, I learnt that the option was simply not mentioned,” >> she said. IP University was hit by controversy recently when over 1,000 >> fake >> admission forms were submitted by applicants. >> _________________________________________ >> 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 c.anupam at gmail.com Fri Apr 16 19:30:15 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2010 19:30:15 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] =?windows-1252?q?Are_Hindus_=91others=92=3F?= In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: On what basis have you written this line at the start of the article: "Iftedah he Sicokular Ishq mein ..Sari raat jaage ....Allah jaane Kya Hoga" is this your view. then i stated my view as well also. On Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 7:02 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > I share a subject line as it is from a respectable newspaper. > > And the fact about the subject can be ascertained not shouted down. > > > > On Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 6:28 PM, anupam chakravartty >wrote: > > > Really ridiculous. on one hand, you want send mails after mails demanding > > punishment for Sajjan Kumar and Tytler for killing sikhs, while you post > > ridiculous issue about religion with a subject line: "are hindu others". > can > > you stop this divisive political agendas here? > > > > > > On Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 6:23 PM, Pawan Durani >wrote: > > > >> Iftedah he Sicokular Ishq mein ..Sari raat jaage ....Allah jaane Kya > Hoga > >> Aage .... > >> > >> > >> > >> http://www.dailypioneer.com/249530/Are-Hindus-‘others’.html< > >> > http://www.dailypioneer.com/249530/Are-Hindus-%E2%80%98others%E2%80%99.html > >> > > >> > >> > >> *Are Hindus ‘others’?* > >> > >> *Abhishek Anshu | New Delhi* > >> > >> *GGSIPU admission form raises eyebrows* > >> > >> In an apparent error of omission on the part of authorities, Guru Gobind > >> Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU) has asked all applicants to > mention > >> their religion in the admission form by marking the appropriate option, > >> but > >> failed to provide that of ‘Hindu’ even though all minority faiths are > >> listed > >> specifically. > >> > >> Those belonging to the Hindu religion are, therefore, left with no > choice > >> but to indicate their faith by ticking the ‘Others’ column on the list. > >> > >> While such a format has sparked widespread confusion and panic among > >> students and applicants, IP University Vice-Chancellor Prof DK > >> Bandyo-padhyay has said by way of clarification that the “column > contains > >> minority religions and Hindu falls in the category of ‘Others’”. > >> > >> “This is nothing unusual as it is known to all that Hindus are the > >> majority. > >> The ‘religion’ column has minorities in it and the Hindu students should > >> fill out the ‘Others’ option given in the religion column of the form,” > >> said > >> Bandyopadhyay. > >> > >> The V-C added that in the form, SC/ST/OBC and ‘Others’ are separate > >> options. > >> “In the form, we have the options of Minorities, SC/ST/OBC and ‘Others’. > >> Hindus, being the majority, should fill up ‘Others’,” he said. All > >> explanations notwithstanding, students are still perplexed about how to > >> fill > >> the admission forms and some of them are even in a state of panic. > >> > >> “I filled up the application form but when I got to the religion column, > I > >> got confused as ‘Hindu’ was nowhere on the page. I have filled forms of > >> various universities but this is for the first time I have seen > something > >> like this,” Aarushi, an applicant, said. > >> > >> She added she had to reread the admission brochure to confirm there were > >> no > >> printing errors. “I was scared there was a printing error. After going > >> through the brochure, I learnt that the option was simply not > mentioned,” > >> she said. IP University was hit by controversy recently when over 1,000 > >> fake > >> admission forms were submitted by applicants. > >> _________________________________________ > >> 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 rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com Fri Apr 16 19:53:29 2010 From: rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com (Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi) Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2010 19:53:29 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] =?windows-1252?q?Are_Hindus_=91others=92=3F?= In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Well, Pawan, there is no ambiguity as far as hindu is concerned, as being hindu is being humane, and it is a way of life, with known , recorded history of over 5000 years, if compared to any other ways of life of followers of any faith, particularly Abrahamic, starting from Judaism, to christianity to islam, all have atmost, the recorded history of about 2400 years.! Even as a society, hindu and followers of hindu way of life are a divided lot thanks to the invasions, not aggressions that you can talk about, as hindu way of life and the kingdoms never aggressed by violence, but established their rule of kingdom by letting loose a horse, decorated with insignia of kingdom, and the ritual was known as Ashwamedha, the kings recognised this, chose to be under the rule of the stronger kingdom, by agreeing the rule of that kingdom, and the king, then known as Chakravarthy,but with influx of other followers of different faiths, gradual conversion in society started to be close to rulers, thus the hindu way of life accepted other faiths, the ways of life, adopted the good of those faiths, thus life of all became peaceful and harmonious, but later the democratic rule where the rulers started the society on language, region, religion and faith, those who did not have faith, atheists had a rallying point in Karl marx. Secular did not mean any thing more than respect to all faiths, to the followers of all faith, in governnce, but in practice it became a tool to divide the hindu segment in to castes, dominent castes labelling themselves as Other Backward castes, who were in fact the rulers and ruling class in the kingdoms.! Thus democracy only made further divisions of HINDU segment of the society, weak, weaker than the most minor followers of any other faith.! Regards, Rajen. On Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 7:02 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > I share a subject line as it is from a respectable newspaper. > > And the fact about the subject can be ascertained not shouted down. > > > > On Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 6:28 PM, anupam chakravartty >wrote: > > > Really ridiculous. on one hand, you want send mails after mails demanding > > punishment for Sajjan Kumar and Tytler for killing sikhs, while you post > > ridiculous issue about religion with a subject line: "are hindu others". > can > > you stop this divisive political agendas here? > > > > > > On Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 6:23 PM, Pawan Durani >wrote: > > > >> Iftedah he Sicokular Ishq mein ..Sari raat jaage ....Allah jaane Kya > Hoga > >> Aage .... > >> > >> > >> > >> http://www.dailypioneer.com/249530/Are-Hindus-‘others’.html< > >> > http://www.dailypioneer.com/249530/Are-Hindus-%E2%80%98others%E2%80%99.html > >> > > >> > >> > >> *Are Hindus ‘others’?* > >> > >> *Abhishek Anshu | New Delhi* > >> > >> *GGSIPU admission form raises eyebrows* > >> > >> In an apparent error of omission on the part of authorities, Guru Gobind > >> Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU) has asked all applicants to > mention > >> their religion in the admission form by marking the appropriate option, > >> but > >> failed to provide that of ‘Hindu’ even though all minority faiths are > >> listed > >> specifically. > >> > >> Those belonging to the Hindu religion are, therefore, left with no > choice > >> but to indicate their faith by ticking the ‘Others’ column on the list. > >> > >> While such a format has sparked widespread confusion and panic among > >> students and applicants, IP University Vice-Chancellor Prof DK > >> Bandyo-padhyay has said by way of clarification that the “column > contains > >> minority religions and Hindu falls in the category of ‘Others’”. > >> > >> “This is nothing unusual as it is known to all that Hindus are the > >> majority. > >> The ‘religion’ column has minorities in it and the Hindu students should > >> fill out the ‘Others’ option given in the religion column of the form,” > >> said > >> Bandyopadhyay. > >> > >> The V-C added that in the form, SC/ST/OBC and ‘Others’ are separate > >> options. > >> “In the form, we have the options of Minorities, SC/ST/OBC and ‘Others’. > >> Hindus, being the majority, should fill up ‘Others’,” he said. All > >> explanations notwithstanding, students are still perplexed about how to > >> fill > >> the admission forms and some of them are even in a state of panic. > >> > >> “I filled up the application form but when I got to the religion column, > I > >> got confused as ‘Hindu’ was nowhere on the page. I have filled forms of > >> various universities but this is for the first time I have seen > something > >> like this,” Aarushi, an applicant, said. > >> > >> She added she had to reread the admission brochure to confirm there were > >> no > >> printing errors. “I was scared there was a printing error. After going > >> through the brochure, I learnt that the option was simply not > mentioned,” > >> she said. IP University was hit by controversy recently when over 1,000 > >> fake > >> admission forms were submitted by applicants. > >> _________________________________________ > >> 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/> > -- Rajen. From c.anupam at gmail.com Fri Apr 16 20:45:50 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2010 20:45:50 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] =?windows-1252?q?Are_Hindus_=91others=92=3F?= In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Rajen, Do you have manuscript, any inscription, any book from say 16th century or before referring to the word 'Hindu'? What is the basis of 5000 years claim? i think it is a blanket claim by a bunch of historians who have cheated their professions to embrace a religion or have a cushy position in their social sphere. Why are we over and over again trying unite people in the name of a single religion? Dont you see the inherent problems in doing so? You are reducing these vast and diverse religious practices represented by various schools of thought which differed not just in thought but in actions, in its ethics and clubbing them together in this uncomfortable mass called Hindu. It is deplorable because it is a profit making agenda of the Hindutva vadis which now wants to be the new colonisers of this ancient land mass. I want to be a part of a realistic past, so that the future is comfortable and intelligible too, not some doped out imagination of quacks who are turning this into a money making exercise by marginalising the practices of the indigenous communities. This marginalization has been done by replacing the adivasi deities and their nature-worships with the promise of some vague god (who probably rides on a spaceship) called Ram. Instead of talking about Adi Guru Shankara, the proponent of Advaita or Samkhya muni, Kapil, you are misguiding the readers with colourful examples of Ashwamedha rituals which is nothing but a way to conquer lands. For a collective imagination to develop, we do not need the support of the religion, i feel. a personal belief in whoever is your Savior is alright. there is no need to create national identity based on a religion. it has been done, it has failed miserably. But this is your democratic right to assert opinion and then you take it forward by telling other readers about your experience. I think you have never studied hindu religion but kept on telling everyone that it is a way of life. If it is a way of life, why do widows cannot remarry even now? How is it possible that honour killings happen now? why so many of these widows languish in Varanasi, with some priest promising them of moksha if they follow such and such ritual? Does your experience have these answers? LET MY RELIGION BE UNCATEGORISED. UNDEFINED. enough of damages in the name of religion. Anupam On Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 7:53 PM, Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi < rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com> wrote: > Well, Pawan, > there is no ambiguity as far as hindu is concerned, as being hindu is being > humane, and it is a way of life, with known , recorded history of over 5000 > years, if compared to any other ways of life of followers of any faith, > particularly Abrahamic, starting from Judaism, to christianity to islam, > all > have atmost, the recorded history of about 2400 years.! > Even as a society, hindu and followers of hindu way of life are a divided > lot thanks to the invasions, not aggressions that you can talk about, as > hindu way of life and the kingdoms never aggressed by violence, but > established their rule of kingdom by letting loose a horse, decorated with > insignia of kingdom, and the ritual was known as Ashwamedha, the kings > recognised this, chose to be under the rule of the stronger kingdom, by > agreeing the rule of that kingdom, and the king, then known as > Chakravarthy,but with influx of other followers of different faiths, > gradual > conversion in society started to be close to rulers, thus the hindu way of > life accepted other faiths, the ways of life, adopted the good of those > faiths, thus life of all became peaceful and harmonious, but later the > democratic rule where the rulers started the society on language, region, > religion and faith, those who did not have faith, atheists had a rallying > point in Karl marx. > Secular did not mean any thing more than respect to all faiths, to the > followers of all faith, in governnce, but in practice it became a tool to > divide the hindu segment in to castes, dominent castes labelling themselves > as Other Backward castes, who were in fact the rulers and ruling class in > the kingdoms.! > Thus democracy only made further divisions of HINDU segment of the society, > weak, weaker than the most minor followers of any other faith.! > Regards, > Rajen. > > On Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 7:02 PM, Pawan Durani >wrote: > > > I share a subject line as it is from a respectable newspaper. > > > > And the fact about the subject can be ascertained not shouted down. > > > > > > > > On Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 6:28 PM, anupam chakravartty > >wrote: > > > > > Really ridiculous. on one hand, you want send mails after mails > demanding > > > punishment for Sajjan Kumar and Tytler for killing sikhs, while you > post > > > ridiculous issue about religion with a subject line: "are hindu > others". > > can > > > you stop this divisive political agendas here? > > > > > > > > > On Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 6:23 PM, Pawan Durani > >wrote: > > > > > >> Iftedah he Sicokular Ishq mein ..Sari raat jaage ....Allah jaane Kya > > Hoga > > >> Aage .... > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> http://www.dailypioneer.com/249530/Are-Hindus-‘others’.html< > > >> > > > http://www.dailypioneer.com/249530/Are-Hindus-%E2%80%98others%E2%80%99.html > > >> > > > >> > > >> > > >> *Are Hindus ‘others’?* > > >> > > >> *Abhishek Anshu | New Delhi* > > >> > > >> *GGSIPU admission form raises eyebrows* > > >> > > >> In an apparent error of omission on the part of authorities, Guru > Gobind > > >> Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU) has asked all applicants to > > mention > > >> their religion in the admission form by marking the appropriate > option, > > >> but > > >> failed to provide that of ‘Hindu’ even though all minority faiths are > > >> listed > > >> specifically. > > >> > > >> Those belonging to the Hindu religion are, therefore, left with no > > choice > > >> but to indicate their faith by ticking the ‘Others’ column on the > list. > > >> > > >> While such a format has sparked widespread confusion and panic among > > >> students and applicants, IP University Vice-Chancellor Prof DK > > >> Bandyo-padhyay has said by way of clarification that the “column > > contains > > >> minority religions and Hindu falls in the category of ‘Others’”. > > >> > > >> “This is nothing unusual as it is known to all that Hindus are the > > >> majority. > > >> The ‘religion’ column has minorities in it and the Hindu students > should > > >> fill out the ‘Others’ option given in the religion column of the > form,” > > >> said > > >> Bandyopadhyay. > > >> > > >> The V-C added that in the form, SC/ST/OBC and ‘Others’ are separate > > >> options. > > >> “In the form, we have the options of Minorities, SC/ST/OBC and > ‘Others’. > > >> Hindus, being the majority, should fill up ‘Others’,” he said. All > > >> explanations notwithstanding, students are still perplexed about how > to > > >> fill > > >> the admission forms and some of them are even in a state of panic. > > >> > > >> “I filled up the application form but when I got to the religion > column, > > I > > >> got confused as ‘Hindu’ was nowhere on the page. I have filled forms > of > > >> various universities but this is for the first time I have seen > > something > > >> like this,” Aarushi, an applicant, said. > > >> > > >> She added she had to reread the admission brochure to confirm there > were > > >> no > > >> printing errors. “I was scared there was a printing error. After going > > >> through the brochure, I learnt that the option was simply not > > mentioned,” > > >> she said. IP University was hit by controversy recently when over > 1,000 > > >> fake > > >> admission forms were submitted by applicants. > > >> _________________________________________ > > >> 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/> > > > > > > -- > Rajen. > _________________________________________ > 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 anansi1 at earthlink.net Sat Apr 17 02:29:10 2010 From: anansi1 at earthlink.net (Paul D. Miller) Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2010 16:59:10 -0400 (GMT-04:00) Subject: [Reader-list] Racial Politics: Confederate History Month, USA Message-ID: <4491433.1271451550455.JavaMail.root@elwamui-cypress.atl.sa.earthlink.net> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederate_History_Month The African World Confederate History Month...yeah, you heard me right... By Bill Fletcher, Jr., BlackCommentator.com Editorial Board Black Commentator April 15, 2010 http://www.blackcommentator.com/371/371_aw_confederate_history_month.php Virginia Governor Robert McDonnell just had to do it: renewing a strange symbol entitled "Confederate History Month." Once again, we are reminded that the US Civil War never really ended and that certainly the Reconstruction period that followed the Civil War did not simply end, but was truly defeated. What is always amazing with Confederate flags, uniforms, money, and, once again, Confederate History Month, is the celebration of an insurrection against the US Constitution by those who like to speak about "American values." The Confederacy was a treasonous regime, pure and simple. What is more striking is the manner in which the political Right, which celebrates the Confederate past, walks around the question of slavery to the extent of actually suggesting that slavery was only one of a number of causes of the South's secession and the subsequent Civil War. Yes, the Civil War involved a number of issues including the matter of "free trade" which the British, French and the Confederacy supported, while the North opposed it. The matter of slavery, however, was central to the conflict, a point that became evident in the aftermath of John Brown's courageous raid on Harper's Ferry (where he was seeking arms to start a slave uprising). In any case, I am a big boy so, I can get over this. If we are going to have a Confederate History Month I insist that we also have a "Tory History Month." After all, at least one third of the colonists in the thirteen colonies supported Britain at the time of the War of Independence. They fought courageously for their beliefs. They suffered from various forms of terrorism, such as being tarred and feathered. And, after the 1783 settlement of the War, thousands were driven out of the USA, or left voluntarily, forsaking their lands. So, why not commemorate these brave champions of their beliefs? There are many people who believe that when there are protests over Confederate symbols that this represents a political lack of seriousness. One could not be more mistaken. The Confederacy, and all that it symbolized, is antithetical to the notion of democracy. Not only was the Confederacy the home of slavery, but it was-no coincidence- an extremely repressive nation- state. It was not a different sort of democracy; it was not a democracy. The Confederate symbols are regularly brought out by the political Right to lend a narrative to those who wish to advance reactionary causes. It is a way of laying claim to an alternative history of the USA, one that asserts that slavery was a necessary `evil' in order to build the USA, and one that asserts that a national government should be restricted in its authority to military and police matters. When the Right wishes to reaffirm its opposition to any sort of politics that approaches redistributionism, it calls upon the symbols of the Confederacy. Defeating the Right, and ultimately crushing right-wing populism, means that we must take on the symbols of the Confederacy. Each symbol of the Confederacy is not only an insult to African Americans, but a reminder that there is a revenge-seeking right-wing political movement that, like herpes, lies within the system only to emerge at times of crisis. If McDonnell wants to renew Confederate History Month then let's make sure that central to the curriculum for the month is W. E. B. Dubois' Black Reconstruction in America, 1860-1880. Let the games begin. [BlackCommentator.com Editorial Board member, Bill Fletcher, Jr., is a Senior Scholar with the Institute for Policy Studies, the immediate past president of TransAfrica Forum and co-author of, Solidarity Divided: The Crisis in Organized Labor and a New Path toward Social Justice (University of California Press), which examines the crisis of organized labor in the USA.] From peter.ksmtf at gmail.com Sat Apr 17 08:55:33 2010 From: peter.ksmtf at gmail.com (T Peter) Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2010 20:25:33 -0700 Subject: [Reader-list] Children oppose move to close down schools Message-ID: Children oppose move to close down schools Date:17/04/2010 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2010/04/17/stories/2010041762440300.htm Special Correspondent Thiruvananthapuram: On Friday, the Secretariat gates witnessed an agitation of a different kind. The shrill shouts of scores of schoolchildren rent the air. Children from the coastal belt of the city staged a dharna in protest against the alleged government move to close down schools in the coastal areas. The agitation was organised by Theeradesa Balavedi, the children's wing of the Kerala Swathantra Matsya Thozhilali Federation (KSMTF). KSMTF president T. Peter, who inaugurated the stir, urged the government to improve basic facilities in the coastal schools. The children raised slogans demanding fisheries residential schools for girls in all coastal districts in the State. They called upon the government to drop the move to close down schools. KSMTF district secretary Anto Elias, Balavedi activists Drisya Varghese, Renju Robin, Anna Merlin, Vijin Francis and Karuna Fernandez and KSMTF leaders Pushparani Leen, Merina Thomas and Jeremy Roy also addressed the dharna. The children also presented a street play titled ‘Pallikoodam'. http://www.keralafishworkers.org From pawan.durani at gmail.com Sat Apr 17 09:36:29 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Sat, 17 Apr 2010 09:36:29 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] =?windows-1252?q?Are_Hindus_=91others=92=3F?= In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: It is amazing that a country which has a Hindu Majority , some institutions seem to have categorized Hindu religion among 'Others' Pawan On Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 7:30 PM, anupam chakravartty wrote: > On what basis have you written this line at the start of the article: > "Iftedah he Sicokular Ishq mein ..Sari raat jaage ....Allah jaane Kya Hoga" > is this your view. then i stated my view as well also. > > > On Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 7:02 PM, Pawan Durani >wrote: > > > I share a subject line as it is from a respectable newspaper. > > > > And the fact about the subject can be ascertained not shouted down. > > > > > > > > On Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 6:28 PM, anupam chakravartty > >wrote: > > > > > Really ridiculous. on one hand, you want send mails after mails > demanding > > > punishment for Sajjan Kumar and Tytler for killing sikhs, while you > post > > > ridiculous issue about religion with a subject line: "are hindu > others". > > can > > > you stop this divisive political agendas here? > > > > > > > > > On Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 6:23 PM, Pawan Durani > >wrote: > > > > > >> Iftedah he Sicokular Ishq mein ..Sari raat jaage ....Allah jaane Kya > > Hoga > > >> Aage .... > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> http://www.dailypioneer.com/249530/Are-Hindus-‘others’.html< > > >> > > > http://www.dailypioneer.com/249530/Are-Hindus-%E2%80%98others%E2%80%99.html > > >> > > > >> > > >> > > >> *Are Hindus ‘others’?* > > >> > > >> *Abhishek Anshu | New Delhi* > > >> > > >> *GGSIPU admission form raises eyebrows* > > >> > > >> In an apparent error of omission on the part of authorities, Guru > Gobind > > >> Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU) has asked all applicants to > > mention > > >> their religion in the admission form by marking the appropriate > option, > > >> but > > >> failed to provide that of ‘Hindu’ even though all minority faiths are > > >> listed > > >> specifically. > > >> > > >> Those belonging to the Hindu religion are, therefore, left with no > > choice > > >> but to indicate their faith by ticking the ‘Others’ column on the > list. > > >> > > >> While such a format has sparked widespread confusion and panic among > > >> students and applicants, IP University Vice-Chancellor Prof DK > > >> Bandyo-padhyay has said by way of clarification that the “column > > contains > > >> minority religions and Hindu falls in the category of ‘Others’”. > > >> > > >> “This is nothing unusual as it is known to all that Hindus are the > > >> majority. > > >> The ‘religion’ column has minorities in it and the Hindu students > should > > >> fill out the ‘Others’ option given in the religion column of the > form,” > > >> said > > >> Bandyopadhyay. > > >> > > >> The V-C added that in the form, SC/ST/OBC and ‘Others’ are separate > > >> options. > > >> “In the form, we have the options of Minorities, SC/ST/OBC and > ‘Others’. > > >> Hindus, being the majority, should fill up ‘Others’,” he said. All > > >> explanations notwithstanding, students are still perplexed about how > to > > >> fill > > >> the admission forms and some of them are even in a state of panic. > > >> > > >> “I filled up the application form but when I got to the religion > column, > > I > > >> got confused as ‘Hindu’ was nowhere on the page. I have filled forms > of > > >> various universities but this is for the first time I have seen > > something > > >> like this,” Aarushi, an applicant, said. > > >> > > >> She added she had to reread the admission brochure to confirm there > were > > >> no > > >> printing errors. “I was scared there was a printing error. After going > > >> through the brochure, I learnt that the option was simply not > > mentioned,” > > >> she said. IP University was hit by controversy recently when over > 1,000 > > >> fake > > >> admission forms were submitted by applicants. > > >> _________________________________________ > > >> 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 aliens at dataone.in Sat Apr 17 12:30:59 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Sat, 17 Apr 2010 12:30:59 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR Message-ID: <000601caddfb$cf416660$6dc43320$@in> I believe that it is wrong to say that Naxal or Maoist are trying to protect right of poor/tribal. As in case of terrorist or supporter of terrorist (sleeper or active cell) are misguided by some terrorists group/wasted interest, same way naxal/maoist are acting with misguidance. Many argues that we should built infrastructure like school, hospitals, roads, industries and other amenities in naxal affected districts to provide essential amenities and employment. But, actual situation in all such district is very strange and different. Naxal/maoist army cadre has built a wall like (may be not physical wall in some areas) periphery and cornered that area where army or even police cannot go there easily, so to built all above infrastructure and provide facilities to their local people is remote possibilities. In the case, how can there up-liftment is possible? Is anyone who favors them have thought this much extremities adopted by naxals/maoist. Government did tried to solve by conversation and requested to allow govt. machinery for developing infrastructure, but they boldly denied. If we want to make some infrastructural work to provide facilities to people their then one has to remove such boundary and freed the area even with the help of army then also. In the news and media air attack news was published. This is also myth, there was no plan for air attack, but with the help air-force, aerial surveillance or map view is necessary, so that army or police can go ahead to capture that area and freed from maoist. Also, please note that most of the poor/tribal are not supporting them by heart but they support forcefully with gun on their head. So, looking to above reason it seems that they made business to create terror and playing in the hand of some wasted interest may be from outside India. So, it is necessary to freed such naxal affected area from their terror by any means. So if anyone says that naxal/maoist helping local people or tribal is baseless. Thanks Bipin From pawan.durani at gmail.com Sat Apr 17 12:43:43 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Sat, 17 Apr 2010 12:43:43 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] National Shame Message-ID: What happened to our teachings in Upanishads where it is written Matru devo bhava, Pitru devo bhava, Acharya devo bhava, Atithi devo bhava". Means One should worship Mother, Father, Teacher and Guests as God. ...What happened to our "Atithi Devo Bhavah". This act is a National Shame. http://www.hindustantimes.com/Japanese-tourist-gangraped-in-Bodh-Gaya/H1-Article1-532395.aspx A 25-year-old Japanese tourist was gangraped by five unidentified men at Bodh Gaya in Bihar, police said on Saturday. The five pulled the woman out of an auto-rickshaw, carried her to the Gaya railway station before committing the crime at an isolated place on Friday night, Superintendent of Police, Sushil Khopade said. The victim lodged an FIR with the Amawa police station this morning, he said. The Japanese woman is a resident of Itabolutachi in Tokyo and is currently on a tour of various Buddhist pilgrim towns in India. Two persons have been detained for interrogation, Khopade said, adding that raids are on in the area to arrest the criminals. From shuddha at sarai.net Fri Apr 16 23:56:10 2010 From: shuddha at sarai.net (Shuddhabrata Sengupta) Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2010 23:56:10 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Police raid Williamsburg anarchist media collective Message-ID: <462C098D-C8D6-4F46-8428-FA133D557A04@sarai.net> A report that appeared in Nettime, that might be of interest to readers on this list > > http://committeetoprotectbloggers.org/2010/04/14/police-raid- > anarchist-media-collective-3-days-before-nyc-film-festival/ > > Police raid anarchist media collective 3 days before NYC film festival > > The Fourth Annual Anarchist Film Festival in being held on Friday > April > 16th, 2010 in New York City. This year?s festival is being held to > honor > the life and work of Brad Will, a film-maker and movement activist > allegedly assassinated by the Mexican government in Oaxaca on > October 27th, > 2006, as he was filming a popular uprising. > > On April 13th, according to a statement put out by members of the > Independent Anarchist Media (I AM) Collective: > > ?in Brooklyn NY, the NYPD entered without a warrant 13 Thames Art > Space, a > Bushwick based art and performance space where members of the > Independent > Anarchist Media (I AM) Collective have been organizing the Fourth > Annual > NYC Anarchist Film Festival in honor of Brad Will. > > Two plainclothes detectives entered first, followed quickly by a > Lieutenant > and vans full of blue shirt officers. After corralling everyone > present in > the back room, they searched the space and detained two members of the > collective. > > The I AM collective was preparing for the NYC Anarchist Film > Festival, a > showcase of resistance movements and insurrectionary events from > around the > world presented from an anarchist and anti-authoritarian perspective. > > Our response to the raid: regardless of these attacks, the film > festival > will happen as planned on Friday April 16, 2010 at Judson Memorial > Church. > The voice of decentralized creative communities will not be > silenced by > police repression. They cannot raid us, because we are everywhere. > > Video of the police raid was posted on the Internet. Federal agents > were > also reported to be present at the raid. > > > # distributed via : no commercial use without permission > # is a moderated mailing list for net criticism, > # collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets > # more info: http://mail.kein.org/mailman/listinfo/nettime-l > # archive: http://www.nettime.org contact: nettime at kein.org Shuddhabrata Sengupta The Sarai Programme at CSDS Raqs Media Collective shuddha at sarai.net www.sarai.net www.raqsmediacollective.net From rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com Sat Apr 17 13:37:15 2010 From: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com (Rakesh Iyer) Date: Sat, 17 Apr 2010 13:37:15 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Reg: Way to tackle Naxalism Message-ID: Dear all It's ironic that Nitish Kumar, a well-revered name on this forum among some members, has better ideas on how to tackle Naxalism than those who revere him but ask for using force. Rakesh Article: http://outlookindia.com/article.aspx?265091 maoists: bihar *The State At The Doorstep* *Development is all. In Jehanabad district, the Nitish government’s efforts pushes the Maoists to the margins.* Smit a Gupta *Red Letter Day* - Estimates of Maoist-affected districts vary. Home minister P. Chidambaram puts the figure at 223 districts in 20 states. A South Asia terrorism portal says 195 districts are affected. - The total area covered by Maoism is around 40,000 sq km with a combined population of over 25 lakh. - Some of the most seriously affected districts include Dantewada (Chhattisgarh), Malkangiri (Orissa) and West Midnapore (West Bengal). *Can there be development in the time of Naxalism? Leaders like Digvijay Singh of the Congress and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar are of the view that the political executive must not play the role of the police and should instead address the problems of the people and ensure that they are not denied justice nor in any way exploited. The Bihar CM has been pumping resources for public works, education and health in the Naxal-hit Jehanabad district of the state. Outlook travelled through the district to make an independent assessment. Our reporters also visited two other districts—Lalgarh in West Bengal and Malkangiri in Orissa—two other Maoist hotspots. One stark contrast, in both places there’s little in the name of development or governance on the ground.* ***** Under an unforgiving sun, old-timers in the village of Sikaria, a half-hour drive from Jehanabad town, talk about a time when they were scared to sleep at night. A time when this Kurmi-dominated village was a nerve-centre of left-wing extremism, and the threat of retaliatory assaults by Bhumihar landlords from the surrounding areas always hung in the air. Indeed, as recently as in November 2005, Maoists mounted a daring attack on the jail in Jehanabad town, escaping with 375 of their jailed colleagues. But today, it’s hard to believe those stories as you watch teenaged girls from neighbouring areas cycle in for sewing classes. The Bihar government’s ‘Aapki Sarkar, Aapke Dwar’ programme has provided every possible facility in the village—from a public health centre to a Madhya Bihar Gramin Bank to a computer centre and facilities to provide subsidised farm inputs as well as purchase of farm produce, even a veterinary centre. It has even made Sikaria an attractive destination for private enterprise. Last month, Anil Kumar Singh, a schoolteacher, decided to sink all his savings and start an English medium private school here even though there’s a government school not too far away. And in keeping with the new mood, the school has been named Ahimsa Vidyalaya by its proud owner. Indeed, Sikaria has become symbolic of the changes sweeping through what were once “the killing fields of central Bihar”. The bloody clashes that left hundreds dead in the districts of Jehanabad, Gaya, Arwal, Nawada and Aurangabad now seem a thing of a distant past. How did all this happen? There are, of course, several reasons, but a major one is that when the JD(U)-BJP combine came to power in 2005—after 15 years of RJD rule—Nitish, CM at last, decided to turn his attention to governance, to dovetail development with restoring law and order in the state. Senior civil servant H.C. Sirohi, who was home secretary then, recalls, “I was sitting talking to the CM late into the night at the state guesthouse, shortly after he was sworn in. It was almost 2 am. I asked him, “What have you promised the people?” He said I have promised them nothing except that I will bring governance to their doorstep. And that was how the idea for the ‘Aapki Sarkar, Aapke Dwar’ programme was born.” On January 5, ’06, he set out for Sikaria in Jehanabad to launch it. Indeed, development has become key to the Bihar government’s policy of tackling Maoist violence, which has now virtually disappeared from central Bihar. All extreme left-wing activity has been pushed to the borders, to the districts edging the hilly, forested tracts of Jharkhand in the south and Nepal in the north. In this year’s budget, deputy CM and finance minister Sushil Kumar Modi says money has been set aside to saturate 67 panchayats in 24 blocks of the seven districts most affected by Maoist activity with development work. “We are also creating a network of roads in central Bihar. We have set aside Rs 258 crore to lay 593 km of roads,” he says. But even with all this, the Bihar government is acutely aware that development by itself cannot counter Maoist violence. Bihar DGP Neelmani told *Outlook*, “We are under no illusions...the armed Maoist squads have to be neutralised.” A special State Task Force like Andhra’s Greyhounds has been created for the purpose. The key word for the state police now is “selective action”, to ensure that rights violations are minimal. That said, the key word for the state police now is “selective action” to ensure that rights violations are minimised. “We try and act only when we have specific inputs about armed assemblage. We have succeeded in arresting top leaders through selective action. We can’t alienate the civil society as only they can provide us with intelligence,” says additional DGP P.K. Thakur. In 2009, 34 top Maoist leaders, including area commanders, were arrested. Another 18 had been nabbed till April 12 this year. Anti-Maoist operations have also become more humane and arrested Maoists are now treated as political prisoners. “Earlier,” says Modi, “they would be tortured, legs chained in ‘danda bedi’, so that they couldn’t run. We ended this in 2005, sending out a very positive message.” Of course, these aren’t the only reasons for the Maoist decline in central Bihar. In the RJD years (1990-05), then CM Laloo Prasad Yadav had turned a blind eye to what was happening, leaving the Bhumihar-led Ranvir Sena to battle the Maoists. The first signs of improvement came during the last years of Laloo’s successor, Rabri Devi, but this was partly because after Bihar’s division, Maoists saw Jharkhand as a more fertile ground for their activities, monetarily and logistically. The sea change came after the JD(U)-BJP came to power. The police and administration were given a free hand in arrests and action—against both the Ranvir Sena as well as the Maoists. Long-pending trials relating to the various massacres were also speeded up. The caste factor also came into play: many members of the erstwhile People’s War which dissolved and became part of the united CPI (Maoist) in Bihar in ’04 were Kurmis. With a Kurmi CM now, there was another route to justice. Indeed, the fact that Sikaria was chosen as the starting point for the ‘Aapki sarkar...’ programme was deliberate, says a resident: “It’s essentially a Kurmi village, and it sent out a message to the entire community.” Simultaneously, since the Bhumihars had also backed the JD(U)-BJP combine, they too decided to put the Ranvir Sena in cold storage. Still, despite the positive trends, things are far from picture perfect. It’s said that the Maoists are merely “inactive” for the moment. In Imamganj in Arwal district, a local businessman speaks in hushed whispers about them waiting in the aisles, hoping Nitish will lose the next polls. A “retired” Maoist area commander who came out of jail a year ago confirms that his comrades are just biding their time. How is it, we ask, that the Maoists are not blocking the development? “Of course, they are,” he says, “they are charging huge levies from contractors engaged in public works.” DGP Neelmani admits it’s extremely difficult to cut off the money supply to the Maoists. And it cuts both ways. “If we can’t give protection to those from whom they are extorting money, we can’t punish them also. We can’t protect every businessman.” But it isn’t just the Maoists who are extracting their pound of flesh. Across Jehanabad and Arwal districts, locals say while the free hand to the administration to tackle law and order has brought peace to the area, it’s also increased corruption. “More money is being spent on development so there’s more room for corruption,” a local teacher says, adding, “it shows in the quality of some of the development works too.” Indeed, the irony is that while a village like Sikaria is booming today, the eight-kilometre stretch from the village to Karauna is patchy and potholed. The challenge before Nitish Kumar now is: he’s brought peace but can he end the corruption, make his governance drive more meaningful? From kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Sat Apr 17 14:50:44 2010 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Sat, 17 Apr 2010 02:20:44 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR In-Reply-To: <000601caddfb$cf416660$6dc43320$@in> Message-ID: <458799.31425.qm@web57205.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Dear Bipin   You wrote : "Naxal/maoist army cadre has built a wall like (may be not physical wall in some areas) periphery and cornered that area where army or even police cannot go there easily, so to built all above infrastructure and provide facilities to their local people is remote possibilities."   I agree. That is an appropiate description of the situation.   What needs thinking is:   1. Did this "wall" exist when India becamje independent in 1947? No, it did not. So what was it that allowed the Maoists/Naxals to build that "wall"? Who ceded that space to them? Who allowed their violent-extremist ideology to be propagated? Why were people attracted to it? Why did it become an 'alternative' for people to adopt instead of subscribing to the Constitution of India?       This is not a matter of the last 5 or 10 or 15 or 20 years, but a culmination of indifferent and/or corrupted governance since 1947.   2. If you think the above is a resonable argument then please consider that breaking down or bulldozing that "wall" might by itself alone not be a solution. If the "root causes" are not addressed then it will be only a matter of time that another "wall" comes up, and another, and another.   3. Wouldnt you agree that what needs to be done is to ensure that no one lays the foundations for more such "walls"?       Wouldnt you agree that the route for that is to make available competent governance, opportunities and an environment of justice?   4. Yes that will be an arduous task since the "walls" are strong but that is an impediment of our own making since we allowed the "walls" to come up in the first place through neglect and we have to suffer that disadvantage. It is a punishment for our own sins.   Kshmendra       --- On Sat, 4/17/10, Bipin Trivedi wrote: From: Bipin Trivedi Subject: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR To: "sarai-list" Date: Saturday, April 17, 2010, 12:30 PM I believe that it is wrong to say that Naxal or Maoist are trying to protect right of poor/tribal. As in case of terrorist or supporter of terrorist (sleeper or active cell) are misguided by some terrorists group/wasted interest, same way naxal/maoist are acting with misguidance. Many argues that we should built infrastructure like school, hospitals, roads, industries and other amenities in naxal affected districts to provide essential amenities and employment. But, actual situation in all such district is very strange and different. Naxal/maoist army cadre has built a wall like (may be not physical wall in some areas) periphery and cornered that area where army or even police cannot go there easily, so to built all above infrastructure and provide facilities to their local people is remote possibilities. In the case, how can there up-liftment is possible? Is anyone who favors them have thought this much extremities adopted by naxals/maoist. Government did tried to solve by conversation and requested to allow govt. machinery for developing infrastructure, but they boldly denied. If we want to make some infrastructural work to provide facilities to people their then one has to remove such boundary and freed the area even with the help of army then also. In the news and media air attack news was published. This is also myth, there was no plan for air attack, but with the help air-force, aerial surveillance or map view is necessary, so that army or police can go ahead to capture that area and freed from maoist. Also, please note that most of the poor/tribal are not supporting them by heart but they support forcefully with gun on their head. So, looking to above reason it seems that they made business to create terror and playing in the hand of some wasted interest may be from outside India. So, it is necessary to freed such naxal affected area from their terror by any means. So if anyone says that naxal/maoist helping local people or tribal is baseless. Thanks Bipin _________________________________________ 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 aliens at dataone.in Sat Apr 17 15:59:19 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Sat, 17 Apr 2010 15:59:19 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR In-Reply-To: <458799.31425.qm@web57205.mail.re3.yahoo.com> References: <000601caddfb$cf416660$6dc43320$@in> <458799.31425.qm@web57205.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <001e01cade18$d716af90$85440eb0$@in> Dear Kshmendra, You are right. It is respected state govt. negligence since years that allowed to "build" wall and vote-bank politics made this wall thicker and thicker and so we are suffering the sins. Just like negligence by WB govt. allowing infiltrations of Bangladeshis to increase their vote bank in the name of minor appeasement and their sins are suffering whole India, since Bangladeshis spread almost all over India. Whatever, happened in the past, but it is time to rectify mistakes and govt. making/wants to make some sincere efforts but few rationalists like Aundhati Roy and few vote seeker politicians comes in between. Even maoist made this as their business now and don't want to come out by conversation, so they even did not allow infrastructure in their area or destroys if made. So, it is time for govt. to take some hard action though it is painful step. Thanks Bipin From: Kshmendra Kaul [mailto:kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com] Sent: Saturday, April 17, 2010 2:51 PM To: sarai-list; Bipin Trivedi Subject: Re: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR Dear Bipin You wrote : "Naxal/maoist army cadre has built a wall like (may be not physical wall in some areas) periphery and cornered that area where army or even police cannot go there easily, so to built all above infrastructure and provide facilities to their local people is remote possibilities." I agree. That is an appropiate description of the situation. What needs thinking is: 1. Did this "wall" exist when India becamje independent in 1947? No, it did not. So what was it that allowed the Maoists/Naxals to build that "wall"? Who ceded that space to them? Who allowed their violent-extremist ideology to be propagated? Why were people attracted to it? Why did it become an 'alternative' for people to adopt instead of subscribing to the Constitution of India? This is not a matter of the last 5 or 10 or 15 or 20 years, but a culmination of indifferent and/or corrupted governance since 1947. 2. If you think the above is a resonable argument then please consider that breaking down or bulldozing that "wall" might by itself alone not be a solution. If the "root causes" are not addressed then it will be only a matter of time that another "wall" comes up, and another, and another. 3. Wouldnt you agree that what needs to be done is to ensure that no one lays the foundations for more such "walls"? Wouldnt you agree that the route for that is to make available competent governance, opportunities and an environment of justice? 4. Yes that will be an arduous task since the "walls" are strong but that is an impediment of our own making since we allowed the "walls" to come up in the first place through neglect and we have to suffer that disadvantage. It is a punishment for our own sins. Kshmendra --- On Sat, 4/17/10, Bipin Trivedi wrote: From: Bipin Trivedi Subject: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR To: "sarai-list" Date: Saturday, April 17, 2010, 12:30 PM I believe that it is wrong to say that Naxal or Maoist are trying to protect right of poor/tribal. As in case of terrorist or supporter of terrorist (sleeper or active cell) are misguided by some terrorists group/wasted interest, same way naxal/maoist are acting with misguidance. Many argues that we should built infrastructure like school, hospitals, roads, industries and other amenities in naxal affected districts to provide essential amenities and employment. But, actual situation in all such district is very strange and different. Naxal/maoist army cadre has built a wall like (may be not physical wall in some areas) periphery and cornered that area where army or even police cannot go there easily, so to built all above infrastructure and provide facilities to their local people is remote possibilities. In the case, how can there up-liftment is possible? Is anyone who favors them have thought this much extremities adopted by naxals/maoist. Government did tried to solve by conversation and requested to allow govt. machinery for developing infrastructure, but they boldly denied. If we want to make some infrastructural work to provide facilities to people their then one has to remove such boundary and freed the area even with the help of army then also. In the news and media air attack news was published. This is also myth, there was no plan for air attack, but with the help air-force, aerial surveillance or map view is necessary, so that army or police can go ahead to capture that area and freed from maoist. Also, please note that most of the poor/tribal are not supporting them by heart but they support forcefully with gun on their head. So, looking to above reason it seems that they made business to create terror and playing in the hand of some wasted interest may be from outside India. So, it is necessary to freed such naxal affected area from their terror by any means. So if anyone says that naxal/maoist helping local people or tribal is baseless. Thanks Bipin _________________________________________ 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 Sat Apr 17 16:08:58 2010 From: shuddha at sarai.net (Shuddhabrata Sengupta) Date: Sat, 17 Apr 2010 16:08:58 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR In-Reply-To: <001e01cade18$d716af90$85440eb0$@in> References: <000601caddfb$cf416660$6dc43320$@in> <458799.31425.qm@web57205.mail.re3.yahoo.com> <001e01cade18$d716af90$85440eb0$@in> Message-ID: <6F550FA0-EF07-4F5E-9CFA-DD741F843ECC@sarai.net> Dear All, A wall was certainly built. It was a wall built out of the paper of Forestry Acts and Memoranda of Understanding with Mining Companies. They paved the way for many other kinds of walls. These paper walls, much more powerful than any wall of bricks or mortar, made people homeless in their own space. It was written on the paper walls that the dweller in the forest was an intruder. One day, she picked up firewood from the ground, the next day she did the same, one day she was a forager, the next day she was a thief. The words on the walls separated those two days from each other. Then came the sentries, and the high priests of the words that were written on the paper walls. Forest guards came, then paramilitaries came, then came police and armed thugs to protect the paper wall. To man the watchtowers. To tell the forest dwellers that they must stay outside the wall, for their own good. Then came the TV channels and the patriots and the NGOs and the experts. They all admired the wall. No one said the wall needed to come down. Some tried to improve the handwriting on the paper. Some argued about the font size and italicization. Others said the papers needed to be copied and distributed. The inhabitants of the forest looked around for a method to rebuild their homes that had been broken by the words on the paper walls. Some of them tried to fight words with words. Some petitioned. Some of them tried to lay seige to the consciences of others. None of this worked. Some words were heard, understood, others were dismissed, not listened to. The paper wall grew stronger, deeper, thicker. Their words grew louder. The forest spoke. The forest sang. The forest warned. The forest cried. The forest whispered. The forest screamed. But the wall did not listen. And those who built the wall laughed out loud, thinking that paper was cement. That ink was stone. That their word was law. This meant that they (the people of the forest) had to take down some of the watchtowers. This meant that when words failed, they found their way to guns. It seemed that when the guns spoke, the people manning the watchtowers listened. And so, when the guns came to them, the forest dwellers did not say no to the guns. They no longer had the words with which they could afford to say 'no, we do not need the guns'. Perhaps, if those who had built the wall, had listened, the guns that came to the people in the forest would have found no use. If you hold a gun, you stand in the line of fire. No one wants to be in the line of fire for no good reason. Right now.The wall needs to be taken down for any conversation to begin again. Tear the paper that carries the MoUs, and maybe there can be some talking. So take the wall down. And the guns may fall silent. Words may begin again. Or try and keep the wall, and invite the war to spread its cloak of silence. You don't need more development in the forests, perhaps you need less. At least less of the kind that is written up in the MoUs. If the war crosses the forest and comes to the fields, if the war comes to the cities, it will be because the paper walls multiplied. Then those who wrote the words that made the paper walls rise will answer for the war. After all, they did not have to build the paper walls in the first place. They could have chosen to listen, when there was still time to listen. They might then say that they were sorry, but people may have forgotten the meaning of forgiveness by then. Guns have a way of making people forget how to speak and to listen. If the words you write on the paper walls you build bring guns into the conversation, then many other words will eventually die. Try and listen for a change. Don't always think that your word is law.There may still be time. best Shuddha On 17-Apr-10, at 3:59 PM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > Dear Kshmendra, > > > > You are right. It is respected state govt. negligence since years that > allowed to "build" wall and vote-bank politics made this wall > thicker and > thicker and so we are suffering the sins. Just like negligence by > WB govt. > allowing infiltrations of Bangladeshis to increase their vote bank > in the > name of minor appeasement and their sins are suffering whole India, > since > Bangladeshis spread almost all over India. > > > > Whatever, happened in the past, but it is time to rectify mistakes > and govt. > making/wants to make some sincere efforts but few rationalists like > Aundhati > Roy and few vote seeker politicians comes in between. Even maoist > made this > as their business now and don't want to come out by conversation, > so they > even did not allow infrastructure in their area or destroys if > made. So, it > is time for govt. to take some hard action though it is painful step. > > > > Thanks > > Bipin > > > > > > From: Kshmendra Kaul [mailto:kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com] > Sent: Saturday, April 17, 2010 2:51 PM > To: sarai-list; Bipin Trivedi > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR > > > > > Dear Bipin > > > > You wrote : "Naxal/maoist army cadre has built a wall like (may be not > physical wall in some areas) periphery and cornered that area where > army or > even police cannot go there easily, so to built all above > infrastructure and > provide facilities to their local people is remote > possibilities." > > > > I agree. That is an appropiate description of the situation. > > > > What needs thinking is: > > > > 1. Did this "wall" exist when India becamje independent in 1947? > No, it did > not. So what was it that allowed the Maoists/Naxals to build that > "wall"? > Who ceded that space to them? Who allowed their violent-extremist > ideology > to be propagated? Why were people attracted to it? Why did it > become an > 'alternative' for people to adopt instead of subscribing to the > Constitution > of India? > > > > This is not a matter of the last 5 or 10 or 15 or 20 years, but a > culmination of indifferent and/or corrupted governance since 1947. > > > > 2. If you think the above is a resonable argument then please > consider that > breaking down or bulldozing that "wall" might by itself alone not be a > solution. If the "root causes" are not addressed then it will be > only a > matter of time that another "wall" comes up, and another, and another. > > > > 3. Wouldnt you agree that what needs to be done is to ensure that > no one > lays the foundations for more such "walls"? > > > > Wouldnt you agree that the route for that is to make available > competent > governance, opportunities and an environment of justice? > > > > 4. Yes that will be an arduous task since the "walls" are strong > but that is > an impediment of our own making since we allowed the "walls" to > come up in > the first place through neglect and we have to suffer that > disadvantage. It > is a punishment for our own sins. > > > > Kshmendra > > > > --- On Sat, 4/17/10, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > > > From: Bipin Trivedi > Subject: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR > To: "sarai-list" > Date: Saturday, April 17, 2010, 12:30 PM > > I believe that it is wrong to say that Naxal or Maoist are trying > to protect > right of poor/tribal. As in case of terrorist or supporter of > terrorist > (sleeper or active cell) are misguided by some terrorists group/wasted > interest, same way naxal/maoist are acting with misguidance. > > Many argues that we should built infrastructure like school, > hospitals, > roads, industries and other amenities in naxal affected districts > to provide > essential amenities and employment. But, actual situation in all such > district is very strange and different. Naxal/maoist army cadre has > built a > wall like (may be not physical wall in some areas) periphery and > cornered > that area where army or even police cannot go there easily, so to > built all > above infrastructure and provide facilities to their local people > is remote > possibilities. In the case, how can there up-liftment is possible? > Is anyone > who favors them have thought this much extremities adopted by > naxals/maoist. > Government did tried to solve by conversation and requested to > allow govt. > machinery for developing infrastructure, but they boldly denied. If > we want > to make some infrastructural work to provide facilities to people > their then > one has to remove such boundary and freed the area even with the > help of > army then also. > > In the news and media air attack news was published. This is also > myth, > there was no plan for air attack, but with the help air-force, aerial > surveillance or map view is necessary, so that army or police can > go ahead > to capture that area and freed from maoist. Also, please note that > most of > the poor/tribal are not supporting them by heart but they support > forcefully > with gun on their head. > > So, looking to above reason it seems that they made business to create > terror and playing in the hand of some wasted interest may be from > outside > India. So, it is necessary to freed such naxal affected area from > their > terror by any means. So if anyone says that naxal/maoist helping local > people or tribal is baseless. > > Thanks > > Bipin > > > > _________________________________________ > 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 > 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/> Shuddhabrata Sengupta The Sarai Programme at CSDS Raqs Media Collective shuddha at sarai.net www.sarai.net www.raqsmediacollective.net From pawan.durani at gmail.com Sat Apr 17 16:20:00 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Sat, 17 Apr 2010 16:20:00 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR In-Reply-To: <6F550FA0-EF07-4F5E-9CFA-DD741F843ECC@sarai.net> References: <000601caddfb$cf416660$6dc43320$@in> <458799.31425.qm@web57205.mail.re3.yahoo.com> <001e01cade18$d716af90$85440eb0$@in> <6F550FA0-EF07-4F5E-9CFA-DD741F843ECC@sarai.net> Message-ID: Does this still justify the violence of Naxalites. Havent the Naxalites been objecting to roads ...schools....etc ? On Sat, Apr 17, 2010 at 4:08 PM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: > Dear All, > > A wall was certainly built. It was a wall built out of the paper of > Forestry Acts and Memoranda of Understanding with Mining Companies. > They paved the way for many other kinds of walls. These paper walls, > much more powerful than any wall of bricks or mortar, made people > homeless in their own space. It was written on the paper walls that > the dweller in the forest was an intruder. One day, she picked up > firewood from the ground, the next day she did the same, one day she > was a forager, the next day she was a thief. The words on the walls > separated those two days from each other. > > Then came the sentries, and the high priests of the words that were > written on the paper walls. Forest guards came, then paramilitaries > came, then came police and armed thugs to protect the paper wall. To > man the watchtowers. To tell the forest dwellers that they must stay > outside the wall, for their own good. Then came the TV channels and > the patriots and the NGOs and the experts. They all admired the wall. > No one said the wall needed to come down. Some tried to improve the > handwriting on the paper. Some argued about the font size and > italicization. Others said the papers needed to be copied and > distributed. > > The inhabitants of the forest looked around for a method to rebuild > their homes that had been broken by the words on the paper walls. > Some of them tried to fight words with words. Some petitioned. Some > of them tried to lay seige to the consciences of others. None of this > worked. Some words were heard, understood, others were dismissed, not > listened to. > > The paper wall grew stronger, deeper, thicker. Their words grew > louder. The forest spoke. The forest sang. The forest warned. The > forest cried. The forest whispered. The forest screamed. But the wall > did not listen. And those who built the wall laughed out loud, > thinking that paper was cement. That ink was stone. That their word > was law. > > This meant that they (the people of the forest) had to take down some > of the watchtowers. This meant that when words failed, they found > their way to guns. It seemed that when the guns spoke, the people > manning the watchtowers listened. And so, when the guns came to them, > the forest dwellers did not say no to the guns. They no longer had > the words with which they could afford to say 'no, we do not need the > guns'. Perhaps, if those who had built the wall, had listened, the > guns that came to the people in the forest would have found no use. > If you hold a gun, you stand in the line of fire. No one wants to be > in the line of fire for no good reason. Right now.The wall needs to > be taken down for any conversation to begin again. > > Tear the paper that carries the MoUs, and maybe there can be some > talking. So take the wall down. And the guns may fall silent. Words > may begin again.  Or try and keep the wall, and invite the war to > spread its cloak of silence. You don't need more development in the > forests, perhaps you need less. At least less of the kind that is > written up in the MoUs. > > If the war crosses the forest and comes to the fields, if the war > comes to the cities, it will be because the paper walls multiplied. > Then those who wrote the words that made the paper walls rise will > answer for the war. After all, they did not have to build the paper > walls in the first place. They could have chosen to listen, when > there was still time to listen. They might then say that they were > sorry, but people may have forgotten the meaning of forgiveness by > then. Guns have a way of making people forget how to speak and to > listen. If the words you write on the paper walls you build bring > guns into the conversation, then many other words will eventually die. > > Try and listen for a change. Don't always think that your word is > law.There may still be time. > > best > > Shuddha > > On 17-Apr-10, at 3:59 PM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > >> Dear Kshmendra, >> >> >> >> You are right. It is respected state govt. negligence since years that >> allowed to "build" wall and vote-bank politics made this wall >> thicker and >> thicker and so we are suffering the sins. Just like negligence by >> WB govt. >> allowing infiltrations of Bangladeshis to increase their vote bank >> in the >> name of minor appeasement and their sins are suffering whole India, >> since >> Bangladeshis spread almost all over India. >> >> >> >> Whatever, happened in the past, but it is time to rectify mistakes >> and govt. >> making/wants to make some sincere efforts but few rationalists like >> Aundhati >> Roy and few vote seeker politicians comes in between. Even maoist >> made this >> as their business now and don't want to come out by conversation, >> so they >> even did not allow infrastructure in their area or destroys if >> made. So, it >> is time for govt. to take some hard action though it is painful step. >> >> >> >> Thanks >> >> Bipin >> >> >> >> >> >> From: Kshmendra Kaul [mailto:kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com] >> Sent: Saturday, April 17, 2010 2:51 PM >> To: sarai-list; Bipin Trivedi >> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR >> >> >> >> >> Dear Bipin >> >> >> >> You wrote : "Naxal/maoist army cadre has built a wall like (may be not >> physical wall in some areas) periphery and cornered that area where >> army or >> even police cannot go there easily, so to built all above >> infrastructure and >> provide facilities to their local people is remote >> possibilities." >> >> >> >> I agree. That is an appropiate description of the situation. >> >> >> >> What needs thinking is: >> >> >> >> 1. Did this "wall" exist when India becamje independent in 1947? >> No, it did >> not. So what was it that allowed the Maoists/Naxals to build that >> "wall"? >> Who ceded that space to them? Who allowed their violent-extremist >> ideology >> to be propagated? Why were people attracted to it? Why did it >> become an >> 'alternative' for people to adopt instead of subscribing to the >> Constitution >> of India? >> >> >> >>     This is not a matter of the last 5 or 10 or 15 or 20 years, but a >> culmination of indifferent and/or corrupted governance since 1947. >> >> >> >> 2. If you think the above is a resonable argument then please >> consider that >> breaking down or bulldozing that "wall" might by itself alone not be a >> solution. If the "root causes" are not addressed then it will be >> only a >> matter of time that another "wall" comes up, and another, and another. >> >> >> >> 3. Wouldnt you agree that what needs to be done is to ensure that >> no one >> lays the foundations for more such "walls"? >> >> >> >>     Wouldnt you agree that the route for that is to make available >> competent >> governance, opportunities and an environment of justice? >> >> >> >> 4. Yes that will be an arduous task since the "walls" are strong >> but that is >> an impediment of our own making since we allowed the "walls" to >> come up in >> the first place through neglect and we have to suffer that >> disadvantage. It >> is a punishment for our own sins. >> >> >> >> Kshmendra >> >> >> >> --- On Sat, 4/17/10, Bipin Trivedi wrote: >> >> >> From: Bipin Trivedi >> Subject: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR >> To: "sarai-list" >> Date: Saturday, April 17, 2010, 12:30 PM >> >> I believe that it is wrong to say that Naxal or Maoist are trying >> to protect >> right of poor/tribal. As in case of terrorist or supporter of >> terrorist >> (sleeper or active cell) are misguided by some terrorists group/wasted >> interest, same way naxal/maoist are acting with misguidance. >> >> Many argues that we should built infrastructure like school, >> hospitals, >> roads, industries and other amenities in naxal affected districts >> to provide >> essential amenities and employment. But, actual situation in all such >> district is very strange and different. Naxal/maoist army cadre has >> built a >> wall like (may be not physical wall in some areas) periphery and >> cornered >> that area where army or even police cannot go there easily, so to >> built all >> above infrastructure and provide facilities to their local people >> is remote >> possibilities. In the case, how can there up-liftment is possible? >> Is anyone >> who favors them have thought this much extremities adopted by >> naxals/maoist. >> Government did tried to solve by conversation and requested to >> allow govt. >> machinery for developing infrastructure, but they boldly denied. If >> we want >> to make some infrastructural work to provide facilities to people >> their then >> one has to remove such boundary and freed the area even with the >> help of >> army then also. >> >> In the news and media air attack news was published. This is also >> myth, >> there was no plan for air attack, but with the help air-force, aerial >> surveillance or map view is necessary, so that army or police can >> go ahead >> to capture that area and freed from maoist. Also, please note that >> most of >> the poor/tribal are not supporting them by heart but they support >> forcefully >> with gun on their head. >> >> So, looking to above reason it seems that they made business to create >> terror and playing in the hand of some wasted interest may be from >> outside >> India. So, it is necessary to freed such naxal affected area from >> their >> terror by any means. So if anyone says that naxal/maoist helping local >> people or tribal is baseless. >> >> Thanks >> >> Bipin >> >> >> >> _________________________________________ >> 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 >> > 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/> > > Shuddhabrata Sengupta > The Sarai Programme at CSDS > Raqs Media Collective > shuddha at sarai.net > www.sarai.net > www.raqsmediacollective.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 chandni_parekh at yahoo.com Sat Apr 17 16:25:10 2010 From: chandni_parekh at yahoo.com (Chandni Parekh) Date: Sat, 17 Apr 2010 03:55:10 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] Visiting education-related initiatives in Bombay Message-ID: <122447.36818.qm@web54404.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Mail Christine for the attachment. >From Christine christine at ifm-sei.org April 16, 2010 Dear Sir or Madam, IFM-SEI, a socialist international educational movement, is organising a seminar in Mumbai from 2-9 May in the framework of our global project 'Peers without Frontiers'. The project focusses on peer education for youth involvement for the achievement of the MDGs. It brings together 37 young people from 17 different countries who will develop local educational activities to help achieving one or more of the MDGs. The seminar in Mumbai will be the first meeting of this group of peer educators. While being in Mumbai we would like to visit a project which is also working on the MDGs and which tries to create better living conditions in Mumbai. The population in the city faces so many challenges and I am sure that there are many projects doing great work in order to improve the situation. The project visit should show the participants the different challenges a community can face and different ways to overcome these problems. I would like to kindly ask you if you know of any activities in Mumbai which could be visited or if you could recommend us an organisation which we could contact. The project visit is supposed to take place in the afternoon of Tuesday 4th May. I would be very thankful for your help and support! I hope to hear from you soon. With kind regards, Christine Sudbrock PS: I attached the project summary for your information. Christine Sudbrock Project Officer International Falcon Movement - Socialist Education International rue du Trone 98, 1050 Brussels, Belgium Tel: +32 2 215 7927 m: +32 495 192 148 skype:tinetine454 From c.anupam at gmail.com Sat Apr 17 16:30:09 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Sat, 17 Apr 2010 16:30:09 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] National Shame In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Let's see what Dr B.R. Ambedkar had to say about Upanishads: http://www.ambedkar.org/ambcd/17.Philosophy%20of%20Hinduism.htm#q7 The philosophy of the Upanishads can be stated in very few words. It has been well summarised by Huxley[f29] when he says that the Upanishad philosophy agreed:— "In supposing the existence of a permanent reality, or `substance', beneath the shifting series of phenomena, whether of matter or of mind. The substance of the cosmos was `Brahma', that of the individual man `Atman';and the latter was separated from the former only, if I may so speak, by its phenomenal envelope, by the casing of sensations, thoughts and desires, pleasures and pains, which make up the illusive phantasmagoria of life. This the ignorant, take for reality; their `Atman' therefore remains eternally imprisoned in delusions, bound by the fetters of desire and scourged by the whip of misery. Of what use is this philosophy of the Upanishadas? The philosophy of the Upanishadas meant withdrawal from the struggle for existence by resort to asceticism and a destruction of desire by self-mortification. As a way of life it was condemned by Huxley[f30] in scathing terms :— "No more thorough mortification of the flesh has ever been attempted than that achieved by the Indian ascetic anchorite; no later monarchism has so nearly succeeded in reducing the human mind to that condition of impassive quasi-somnambulism, which, but for its acknowledged holiness, might run the risk of being confounded with idiocy." But the condemnation of the philosophy of the Upanishads is nothing as compared to the denunciation of the same by Lala Hardyal[f31] :— "The Upanishads claim to expound `that, by knowing which everything is known '. This quest for ' the absolute ' is the basis of all the spurious metaphysics of India. The treatises are full of absurd conceits, quaint fancies, and chaotic speculations. And we have not learned that they are worthless. We keep moving in the old rut; we edit and re-edit the old books instead of translating the classics of European social thought. What could Europe be if Frederic Harrison, Brieux, Bebel, Anatole France, Herve, Haekel, Giddings, and Marshall should employ their time in composing treatises on Duns, Scotus and Thomas Aquinas, and discussing the merits of the laws of the Pentateuch and the poetry of Beowulf? Indian pundits and graduates seem to suffer from a kind of mania for what is effete and antiquated. Thus an institution, established by progressive men, aims at leading our youths through Sanskrit grammar to the Vadasvia the Six Darshanas! What a false move in the quest for wisdom ! It is as if a caravan should travel across the desert to the shores of the Dead Sea in search of fresh water! Young men of India, look not for wisdom in the musty parchments of your metaphysical treatises. There is nothing but an endless round of verbal jugglary there. Read Rousseau and Voltaire, Plato and Aristotle, Haeckel and Spencer, Marx and Tolstoi, Ruskin and Comte, and other European thinkers, if you wish to understand life and its problems." But denunciations apart, did the Upanishad philosophy have any influence on Hinduism as a social and political system? There is no doubt that it turned out to be most ineffective and inconsequential piece of speculation with no effect on the moral and social order of the Hindus. It may not be out of place to inquire into the reasons for this unfortunate result. One reason is obvious. The philosophy of Upanishad remained incomplete and therefore did not yield the fruit, which it ought to have done. This will be quite clear if one asks what is the keynote of the Upanishads. In the words of Prof. Max Muller[f32] the keynote of the Upanishads is `Know thy Self". The `Know thy Self of the Upanishads, means, know thy true Self, that which underlies thin ego and find it and know it in the highest, the eternal self, the One without a Second, which underlies the whole world." That Atman and Brahman were one was the truth, the great truth which the Upanishads said they had discovered and they asked man to know this truth. Now the reasons why the philosophy of Upanishads, became ineffective are many. I will discuss them elsewhere. At this place I will mention only one. The philosophers of Upanishads did not realise that to know truth was not enough. One must learn to love truth. The difference between philosophy and religion may be put in two ways. Philosophy is concerned with knowing truth. Religion is concerned with the love of truth. Philosophy is static. Religion is dynamic. These differences are merely two aspects of one and the same thing. Philosophy is static because it is concerned only with knowing truth. Religion is dynamic because it is concerned with love of truth. As has been well said by Max Plowman[f33] :— ". . . .Unless religion is dynamic and begets in us the emotion of love for something, then it is better to be without any thing that we can call religion; for religion is perception of truth and if our perception of truth is not accompanied by our love for it then it were better not seen at all; The Devil himself is one who has seen the truth only to hate it. Tennyson said "We must love the highest when we see it". It does not follow. Seen in pure objectivity the highest repels by its difference and distance; what we fear it, and what we fear we come to hate. . . . ." This is the fate of all transcendental philosophies. They have no influence on the way of life. As Blake said "Religion is politics and politics is Brotherhood. Philosophy must become Religion that is it must become a Working Ethic. It must not remain mere metaphysics. As Mr. Plowman says— "If religion were a Metaphysic and nothing else, one thing is certain, it would never be the concern of the simple and humble men. "To keep it wholly in the realm of Metaphysic is to make non-sense of it. For belief in religion as in something not directly and vitally effective of politics is ultimately belief that is strictly speaking idiotic; because in the effective sense such a belief makes no difference, and in the world of time and space what 'makes no difference' does not exist." It is for these very reasons that the philosophy of the Upanishads proved so ineffective. It is therefore incontrovertible that notwithstanding the Hindu Code of Ethics, notwithstanding the philosophy of the Upanishads not a little not a jot did abate from the philosophy of Hinduism as propounded by Manu. They were ineffective and powerless to erase the infamy preached by Manu in the name of religion. Notwithstanding their existence one can still say "Hinduism! Thy name is inequality!"* * ********************************************************************** ** ** Inequality is the soul of Hinduism. The morality of Hinduism is only social. It is unmoral and inhuman to say the least. What is unmoral and inhuman easily becomes immoral, inhuman and infamous. This is what Hinduism has become. Those who doubt this or deny this proposition should examine the social composition of the Hindu Society and ponder over the condition of some of the elements in it. Take the following cases. First as to the Primitive Tribes. In what state of civilisation are they ? The history of human civilisation includes the entire period of human progress from Savagery to Barbarism and from Barbarism to Civilisation. Thetransition from one to other has been marked by some discovery or intention in some department of knowledge of Art resulting in advancing the onward march of man. The development of articulate speech was the first thing which, from the point of view of human progress, divided man from the brute. It marks the first stage of savagery. The Middle period of the state of savagery began with the knowledge of the manufacture and use of fire. This wonderful discovery enabled man to extend his habit almost indefinitely. He could leave his forest home, go to different and colder climates, and increase his food supply by including flesh and fish. The next discovery was the Bow and Arrow. This was the greatest achievement of primitive man and marks the highest state of savage man. It was indeed a wonderful implement. The possessor of this device could bring down the fleetest animal and could defend himself against the most predatory. The transition from Savagery to Barbarism was marked by the discovery of pottery. Hitherto man had no utensils that could withstand the action of fire. Without utensils man could not store nor could he cook. Undoubtedly pottery was a great civilising influence. The Middle State of Barbarism began when man learned to domesticate wild animals. Man learned that captive animals could be of service to him. Man now became a herdsman, no longer dependent for food upon the precarious chase of wild animals. Milk procurable at all seasons made a highly important addition to his dietary. With the aid of horse and camel he traversed wide areas hitherto impassable. The captive animals became aids to commerce, which resulted in the dissemination of commodities as well as of ideas. The next discovery was of the Art of smelting iron. This marks the highest stage of advancement of barbaric man. With this discovery man became a "tool-making animal" who with his tool could fashion wood and stone and build houses and bridges. This marks the close of the advancement made by barbaric man. The dividing line which marks off Barbaric people from Civilised people, in the fullest sense of the word Civilisation, is the art of making ideas tangible by means of graphic signs— which is called the art of writing. With this man conquered time as he had with the earlier inventions conquered space. He could now record his deeds and his thoughts. Henceforth, his knowledge, his poetical dreams, his moral aspirations might be recorded in such form as to be read not merely by his contemporaries but by successive generations of remote posterity. For man his history became safe and secure. This was the steepest assent and the climbing of it marks the beginnings of civilisation. Stopping here for the moment let us ask in what state of civilisation are the Primitive Tribes. The name Primitive Tribes[f34] is expressive of the present state of people who are called by that name. They live in small-scattered huts in forests. They live on wild fruits, nuts and roots. Fishing and hunting are also resorted to for the purpose of securing food. Agriculture plays a very small part in their social economy. Food supplies being extremely precarious, they lead a life of semi-starvation from which there is no escape. As to clothes they economise them to a vanishing point. They move almost in a state of complete nakedness. There is a tribe, which is known as “Bonda Porajas” which, means "Naked Porajas". Of these people it is said that the women wear a very narrow strip which serves as a petticoat almost identical with what is worn by the Momjak Nagas in Assam, the ends hardly meeting at the top on the left thigh. These petticoats are woven at home out of the fibre of a forest tree. Girls wear a fillet of beads and of palmyra leaf and an enormous quantity of beads and neck ornaments extremely like those worn by many Komjak women. Otherwise the women wear nothing. The women shave their heads entirely. . . . . Of these Chenchus, a tribe residing near Farhabad in the Nizam's Dominions it is said that "their houses are conical, rather slight in structure made of bamboo sloping to the central point and covered with a thin layer of thatch..... They have very little, indeed, in the way of material effects, the scanty clothes they wear, consisting of a *langoti*and a cloth in the case of men, and a short bodice and a petticoat in the case of women, being practically all, besides a few cooking pots and a basket or two which perhaps sometimes contains grain. They keep cattle and goats and in this particular village do a little cultivation, elsewhere subsisting on honey and forest produce which they sell". Regarding the Morias, another Primitive tribe, it is stated the men generally wear a single cloth round the waist with a slap coming down in the front. They also have a necklace of beads and when they dance put on cock's plumes and peacock's feathers in their turbans. Many girls are profusely tattooed, especially on their faces, and some of them on their legs as well. The type of tattooing is said to be according to the taste of the individual and it is done with thorns and needles. In their hair many of them stick the feathers of jungle cocks and their heads are also adorned with combs of wood and tin and brass. These Primitive Tribes have no hesitation about eating anything, even worms and insects, and, in fact, there is very little meat that they will not eat, whether the animal has died a natural death or has been killed four days or more before by a tiger. The next groups of the people he will come across are the Criminal Tribes. The Criminal Tribes live not in Forests as the Primitive Tribes do but in the plains in close proximity to, and often in the midst of civilised life. Hollis in his "Criminal Tribes of the United Provinces" gives an account of their activities. They live entirely by crime. A few may be ostensibly engaged in agriculture, but this is only to cover up their real activities. Their nefarious practices find largest scope in dacoity or robbery by violence, but being a community organised for crime, nothing comes amiss to them. On deciding to commit a dacoity in any particular locality spies are sent out to select a suitable victim, study the general habits of the villagers, and the distance from any effective aid, and enumerate the number of men and firearms. The raid usually takes place at midnight. Acting on the information given by the spies, men are posted at various points in the village and by firing off their guns attract attention from the main gang which attacks the particular house or houses previously appointed. The gang usually consists of 30 to 40 men. It is essential to emphasis the great part played by crime in the general life of these peoples. A boy is initiated into crime as soon as he is able to walk and talk. No doubt the motive is practical, to a great extent, in so far as it is always better to risk a child in petty theft, who, if he is caught, would probably be cuffed, while an adult would immediately be arrested. An important part is also played by women, who, although they do not participate in the actual raids, have many heavy responsibilities. Besides being clever in disposing off stolen property the women of the Criminal Tribes are experts in shop lifting. At one time the Criminal Tribes included such well-organised Confederacies of Professional Criminals as the Pindharies and the Thugs. The Pindharies were a predatory body of armed gangsters. Their organisation was an open military organisation of freebooters who could muster 20000 fine horse and even more. They were under the command of brigand chiefs. Chituone of the most powerful commanders had under his single command 10000 horse, including 5000 good cavalry, besides infantry and guns. The Pindharies had no military projects for employing their loose bands of irregular soldiery, which developed into bodies of professional plunderers.The Pindharies aimed at no con quests. Their object was to secure booty and cash for themselves. General loot and rapine was their occupation. They recognised no rulers. They were subjects of none. They rendered loyalty to none. They respected none, and plundered all, high and low, rich and poor, without fear or compunction. The Thugs[f35] were a well organised body of professional assassins, who, in gangs of from 10 to 100 wandered in various guises throughout India, worked themselves into the confidence of wayfarers of the wealthier class, and, when a favourable opportunity occurred, strangled them by throwing a handkerchief or noose round their necks, and then plundered and buried them. All this was done according to certain ancient and rigidly prescribed forms and after the performance of special religious rites, in which was the consecration of the package, and the sacrifice of sugar. They were staunch worshippers of Kali, the Hindu Goddess of destruction. Assassination for gain was with them a religious duty, and was considered a holy and honourable profession. They had, in fact, no idea of doing wrong, and their moral feelings did not come into play. The will of the Goddess, by whose command and in whose honour they followed there calling, was revealed to them through a very complicated system of omens. In obedience to these they often travelled even the distance of hundred miles in company with, or in the wake of, their intended victims before a safe opportunity had presented itself for executing their design; and when the deed was done, rites were performed in honour of that tutelary deity, and a goodly portion of the spoil was set apart for her. The Thugs had also a jargon of their own, as well as certain signs by which its members recognised each other in the remotest part of India. Even those who from age or infirmities could no longer take an active part in the operations used to aid the cause as watchmen, spies or dressers of food. It was owing to their thorough organisation, the secrecy and security with which they went to work, but chiefly to the religious garb in which they shrouded their murders, that they could continue for centuries to practise their craft. The extraordinary fact was that Thugee was regarded as a regular profession by Indian Rulers of the day, both Hindu and Mahomedans. The Thugs paid taxes to the state and the state left them unmolested. It was not until the British became rulers of the country that an attempt was made to suppress the Thugs. By 1835, 382 Thugs were hanged and 986 were transported or imprisoned for life. Even as late as 1879 the number of registered Thugs was 344 and the Thugee and the Dacoity department of the Government of India continued to exist until 1904 when its place was taken by the Central Criminal Intelligence Department. While it is not possible for the criminal tribes to live by organized bodies of criminals, crime continues to be their main occupation. Besides these two classes there is a third class which comprises a body of people who are known as Untouchables. Below the Untouchables there are others who are known as unapproachable. Untouchables are those who cause pollution only if they touch. The Unapproachable are those who cause pollution if they come within a certain distance. It is said of the Nayadis—a people, who fall into the category of the Unapproachable, "that they are the lowest caste among the Hindus—the dog-eaters. They are the most persistent in their clamour for charity, and will follow at a respectful distance, for miles together any person walking, driving or boating. If any thing is given to them, it must be laid down, and after the person offering it has proceeded a sufficient distance, the recipient comes timidly forward, and removes it. "Of the same people Mr. Thurston says, "The subject (i.e. the Nayadis) whom I examined and measured at Shoranus, though living only about three miles off, had, by reason of the pollution which they traditionally carry with them to avoid walking over the long bridge which spans the river, and follow a circuitous route of many miles". Below the Unapproachable are the Unseeables. In the Tinnevelley District of the Madras Presidency there is a class of unseeables called Purada Vannans. Of them it is said, "that they are not allowed to come out during day time because their sight is enough to cause pollution. These unfortunate people are `compelled' to follow the nocturnal habits, leaving their dens after dark and scuttling home at the false dawn like the badger, the hyena, the avordvark." Consider the total population of these classes. The Primitive Tribes form a total of 25 million souls. The Criminal Tribes number 41/2 millions and the Untouchables number 50 millions. This makes a grand total of 791/2 millions. Now ask how these people could have remained in the state of moral, material, social and spiritual degradation surrounded as they have been by Hinduism. Hindus say that their civilisation is older than any civilisation, that Hinduism as a religion is superior to any other religion. If this is so how is that Hinduism failed to elevate these people, bring them enlightenment and hope; how is it that it failed even to reclaim them ; how is it that it stood with folded hands when millions and millions were taking to life to shame and crime? What is the answer to this? The only answer is that Hinduism is overwhelmed with the fear of pollution. It has not got the power to purify. It has not the impulse to serve and that is because by its very nature it is inhuman and unmoral. It is a misnomer to call it religion. Its philosophy is opposed to very thing for which religion stands. ENDS On Sat, Apr 17, 2010 at 12:43 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > What happened to our teachings in Upanishads where it is written > Matru devo bhava, Pitru devo bhava, Acharya devo bhava, Atithi devo > bhava". Means One should worship Mother, Father, Teacher and Guests as > God. ...What happened to our "Atithi Devo Bhavah". This act is a > National Shame. > > > > http://www.hindustantimes.com/Japanese-tourist-gangraped-in-Bodh-Gaya/H1-Article1-532395.aspx > > A 25-year-old Japanese tourist was gangraped by five unidentified men > at Bodh Gaya in Bihar, police said on Saturday. > > The five pulled the woman out of an auto-rickshaw, carried her to the > Gaya railway station before committing the crime at an isolated place > on Friday night, Superintendent of Police, Sushil Khopade said. > > The victim lodged an FIR with the Amawa police station this morning, he > said. > > The Japanese woman is a resident of Itabolutachi in Tokyo and is > currently on a tour of various Buddhist pilgrim towns in India. > Two persons have been detained for interrogation, Khopade said, adding > that raids are on in the area to arrest the criminals. > _________________________________________ > 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 Sat Apr 17 16:23:16 2010 From: shuddha at sarai.net (Shuddhabrata Sengupta) Date: Sat, 17 Apr 2010 16:23:16 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR In-Reply-To: References: <000601caddfb$cf416660$6dc43320$@in> <458799.31425.qm@web57205.mail.re3.yahoo.com> <001e01cade18$d716af90$85440eb0$@in> <6F550FA0-EF07-4F5E-9CFA-DD741F843ECC@sarai.net> Message-ID: <01A19B86-D4FF-4676-8550-A4A2278D9D43@sarai.net> Do the roads and the schools justify the violence of the memoranda of (mis)understanding ? How many apologies for schools does it take to justify the presence of a CRPF battalion stationed to protect the interests of a mining company in a forest that should not be laid waste to the lust of Capital? best, Shuddha On 17-Apr-10, at 4:20 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > Does this still justify the violence of Naxalites. Havent the > Naxalites been objecting to roads ...schools....etc ? > > On Sat, Apr 17, 2010 at 4:08 PM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta > wrote: >> Dear All, >> >> A wall was certainly built. It was a wall built out of the paper of >> Forestry Acts and Memoranda of Understanding with Mining Companies. >> They paved the way for many other kinds of walls. These paper walls, >> much more powerful than any wall of bricks or mortar, made people >> homeless in their own space. It was written on the paper walls that >> the dweller in the forest was an intruder. One day, she picked up >> firewood from the ground, the next day she did the same, one day she >> was a forager, the next day she was a thief. The words on the walls >> separated those two days from each other. >> >> Then came the sentries, and the high priests of the words that were >> written on the paper walls. Forest guards came, then paramilitaries >> came, then came police and armed thugs to protect the paper wall. To >> man the watchtowers. To tell the forest dwellers that they must stay >> outside the wall, for their own good. Then came the TV channels and >> the patriots and the NGOs and the experts. They all admired the wall. >> No one said the wall needed to come down. Some tried to improve the >> handwriting on the paper. Some argued about the font size and >> italicization. Others said the papers needed to be copied and >> distributed. >> >> The inhabitants of the forest looked around for a method to rebuild >> their homes that had been broken by the words on the paper walls. >> Some of them tried to fight words with words. Some petitioned. Some >> of them tried to lay seige to the consciences of others. None of this >> worked. Some words were heard, understood, others were dismissed, not >> listened to. >> >> The paper wall grew stronger, deeper, thicker. Their words grew >> louder. The forest spoke. The forest sang. The forest warned. The >> forest cried. The forest whispered. The forest screamed. But the wall >> did not listen. And those who built the wall laughed out loud, >> thinking that paper was cement. That ink was stone. That their word >> was law. >> >> This meant that they (the people of the forest) had to take down some >> of the watchtowers. This meant that when words failed, they found >> their way to guns. It seemed that when the guns spoke, the people >> manning the watchtowers listened. And so, when the guns came to them, >> the forest dwellers did not say no to the guns. They no longer had >> the words with which they could afford to say 'no, we do not need the >> guns'. Perhaps, if those who had built the wall, had listened, the >> guns that came to the people in the forest would have found no use. >> If you hold a gun, you stand in the line of fire. No one wants to be >> in the line of fire for no good reason. Right now.The wall needs to >> be taken down for any conversation to begin again. >> >> Tear the paper that carries the MoUs, and maybe there can be some >> talking. So take the wall down. And the guns may fall silent. Words >> may begin again. Or try and keep the wall, and invite the war to >> spread its cloak of silence. You don't need more development in the >> forests, perhaps you need less. At least less of the kind that is >> written up in the MoUs. >> >> If the war crosses the forest and comes to the fields, if the war >> comes to the cities, it will be because the paper walls multiplied. >> Then those who wrote the words that made the paper walls rise will >> answer for the war. After all, they did not have to build the paper >> walls in the first place. They could have chosen to listen, when >> there was still time to listen. They might then say that they were >> sorry, but people may have forgotten the meaning of forgiveness by >> then. Guns have a way of making people forget how to speak and to >> listen. If the words you write on the paper walls you build bring >> guns into the conversation, then many other words will eventually >> die. >> >> Try and listen for a change. Don't always think that your word is >> law.There may still be time. >> >> best >> >> Shuddha >> >> On 17-Apr-10, at 3:59 PM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: >> >>> Dear Kshmendra, >>> >>> >>> >>> You are right. It is respected state govt. negligence since years >>> that >>> allowed to "build" wall and vote-bank politics made this wall >>> thicker and >>> thicker and so we are suffering the sins. Just like negligence by >>> WB govt. >>> allowing infiltrations of Bangladeshis to increase their vote bank >>> in the >>> name of minor appeasement and their sins are suffering whole India, >>> since >>> Bangladeshis spread almost all over India. >>> >>> >>> >>> Whatever, happened in the past, but it is time to rectify mistakes >>> and govt. >>> making/wants to make some sincere efforts but few rationalists like >>> Aundhati >>> Roy and few vote seeker politicians comes in between. Even maoist >>> made this >>> as their business now and don't want to come out by conversation, >>> so they >>> even did not allow infrastructure in their area or destroys if >>> made. So, it >>> is time for govt. to take some hard action though it is painful >>> step. >>> >>> >>> >>> Thanks >>> >>> Bipin >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> From: Kshmendra Kaul [mailto:kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com] >>> Sent: Saturday, April 17, 2010 2:51 PM >>> To: sarai-list; Bipin Trivedi >>> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> Dear Bipin >>> >>> >>> >>> You wrote : "Naxal/maoist army cadre has built a wall like (may >>> be not >>> physical wall in some areas) periphery and cornered that area where >>> army or >>> even police cannot go there easily, so to built all above >>> infrastructure and >>> provide facilities to their local people is remote >>> possibilities." >>> >>> >>> >>> I agree. That is an appropiate description of the situation. >>> >>> >>> >>> What needs thinking is: >>> >>> >>> >>> 1. Did this "wall" exist when India becamje independent in 1947? >>> No, it did >>> not. So what was it that allowed the Maoists/Naxals to build that >>> "wall"? >>> Who ceded that space to them? Who allowed their violent-extremist >>> ideology >>> to be propagated? Why were people attracted to it? Why did it >>> become an >>> 'alternative' for people to adopt instead of subscribing to the >>> Constitution >>> of India? >>> >>> >>> >>> This is not a matter of the last 5 or 10 or 15 or 20 years, >>> but a >>> culmination of indifferent and/or corrupted governance since 1947. >>> >>> >>> >>> 2. If you think the above is a resonable argument then please >>> consider that >>> breaking down or bulldozing that "wall" might by itself alone not >>> be a >>> solution. If the "root causes" are not addressed then it will be >>> only a >>> matter of time that another "wall" comes up, and another, and >>> another. >>> >>> >>> >>> 3. Wouldnt you agree that what needs to be done is to ensure that >>> no one >>> lays the foundations for more such "walls"? >>> >>> >>> >>> Wouldnt you agree that the route for that is to make available >>> competent >>> governance, opportunities and an environment of justice? >>> >>> >>> >>> 4. Yes that will be an arduous task since the "walls" are strong >>> but that is >>> an impediment of our own making since we allowed the "walls" to >>> come up in >>> the first place through neglect and we have to suffer that >>> disadvantage. It >>> is a punishment for our own sins. >>> >>> >>> >>> Kshmendra >>> >>> >>> >>> --- On Sat, 4/17/10, Bipin Trivedi wrote: >>> >>> >>> From: Bipin Trivedi >>> Subject: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR >>> To: "sarai-list" >>> Date: Saturday, April 17, 2010, 12:30 PM >>> >>> I believe that it is wrong to say that Naxal or Maoist are trying >>> to protect >>> right of poor/tribal. As in case of terrorist or supporter of >>> terrorist >>> (sleeper or active cell) are misguided by some terrorists group/ >>> wasted >>> interest, same way naxal/maoist are acting with misguidance. >>> >>> Many argues that we should built infrastructure like school, >>> hospitals, >>> roads, industries and other amenities in naxal affected districts >>> to provide >>> essential amenities and employment. But, actual situation in all >>> such >>> district is very strange and different. Naxal/maoist army cadre has >>> built a >>> wall like (may be not physical wall in some areas) periphery and >>> cornered >>> that area where army or even police cannot go there easily, so to >>> built all >>> above infrastructure and provide facilities to their local people >>> is remote >>> possibilities. In the case, how can there up-liftment is possible? >>> Is anyone >>> who favors them have thought this much extremities adopted by >>> naxals/maoist. >>> Government did tried to solve by conversation and requested to >>> allow govt. >>> machinery for developing infrastructure, but they boldly denied. If >>> we want >>> to make some infrastructural work to provide facilities to people >>> their then >>> one has to remove such boundary and freed the area even with the >>> help of >>> army then also. >>> >>> In the news and media air attack news was published. This is also >>> myth, >>> there was no plan for air attack, but with the help air-force, >>> aerial >>> surveillance or map view is necessary, so that army or police can >>> go ahead >>> to capture that area and freed from maoist. Also, please note that >>> most of >>> the poor/tribal are not supporting them by heart but they support >>> forcefully >>> with gun on their head. >>> >>> So, looking to above reason it seems that they made business to >>> create >>> terror and playing in the hand of some wasted interest may be from >>> outside >>> India. So, it is necessary to freed such naxal affected area from >>> their >>> terror by any means. So if anyone says that naxal/maoist helping >>> local >>> people or tribal is baseless. >>> >>> Thanks >>> >>> Bipin >>> >>> >>> >>> _________________________________________ >>> 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 >>> >> 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/> >> >> Shuddhabrata Sengupta >> The Sarai Programme at CSDS >> Raqs Media Collective >> shuddha at sarai.net >> www.sarai.net >> www.raqsmediacollective.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/> > _________________________________________ > 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/> Shuddhabrata Sengupta The Sarai Programme at CSDS Raqs Media Collective shuddha at sarai.net www.sarai.net www.raqsmediacollective.net From kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Sat Apr 17 16:56:31 2010 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Sat, 17 Apr 2010 04:26:31 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] =?utf-8?b?QXJlIEhpbmR1cyDigJhvdGhlcnPigJk/?= In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <546900.86399.qm@web57208.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Dear Rajen   I do not intend to enter this discussion but would like to share the following with you, which you might find interesting.   1. The Toda is a tribe in the Nilgiri range. You must have heard of them.       The Toda worship the Buffalo. No other man or animal.       The Toda believe that their Heritage is connected to the Pandava. From all of the various personages in the Dharmik (Hindu) traditions, the Toda have reverence only for the Pandava. But they do not worship the Pandava.        In the Toda Heritage 'fraternal polyandry' was practised. Meaning one woman married all the brothers from another family. Just like Draupadi married all the Pandava brothers.        It would be wrong to draw any conclusions from these bits of information but isnt it interesting?   2. In the Heritage of Kashmiri Pandits (KPs), there was no place for the Ramayana and the persons connected with it. Any Ram or Hanuman Mandir (of which there are a couple or so) was established in Kashmir only by the Hindus of the plains. The festivals like Divaali and Dusshera, as linked with the Ramayana are not in the traditions of the KPs.      In the (far back) Heritage of KPs, there does not appear to have been much place for the Mahabharata either. Though Janamsaatmi (not Ashtami) took root at some stage as a festival, there are no Heritage Krishna Temples.     The ruling deities of Kashmir are various aspects (symbolic representations) of Shakhti (Devi) and the Heritage traditions link these with Bhairava (as guards). The Bhairava Tantra in fact is the Heritage for KPs and at the root of what is generally know as Kashmir Shaivism, which as you would know is significantly different as a philosophy from many other recognitions of  Shaivism.     Isnt it interesting how varied have been the practices encompassed in what is today known as Hinduism.?     Kshmendra   --- On Fri, 4/16/10, Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi wrote: From: Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Are Hindus ‘others’? To: "Pawan Durani" Cc: "sarai list" Date: Friday, April 16, 2010, 7:53 PM Well, Pawan, there is no ambiguity as far as hindu is concerned, as being hindu is being humane, and it is a way of life, with known , recorded history of over 5000 years, if compared to any other ways of life of followers of any faith, particularly Abrahamic, starting from Judaism, to christianity to islam, all have atmost, the recorded history of about 2400 years.! Even as a society, hindu and followers of hindu way of life are a divided lot thanks to the invasions, not aggressions that you can talk about, as hindu way of life and the kingdoms never aggressed by violence, but established their rule of kingdom by letting loose a horse, decorated with insignia of kingdom, and the ritual was known as Ashwamedha, the kings recognised this, chose to be under the rule of the stronger kingdom, by agreeing the rule of that kingdom, and the king, then known as Chakravarthy,but with influx of other followers of different faiths, gradual conversion in society started to be close to rulers, thus the hindu way of life accepted other faiths, the ways of life, adopted the good of those faiths, thus life of all became peaceful and harmonious, but later the democratic rule where the rulers started the society on language, region, religion and faith, those who did not have faith, atheists had a rallying point in Karl marx. Secular did not mean any thing more than respect to all faiths, to the followers of all faith, in governnce, but in practice it became a tool to divide the hindu segment in to castes, dominent castes labelling themselves as Other Backward castes, who were in fact the rulers and ruling class in the kingdoms.! Thus democracy only made further divisions of HINDU segment of the society, weak, weaker than the most minor followers of any other faith.! Regards, Rajen. On Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 7:02 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > I share a subject line as it is from a respectable newspaper. > > And the fact about the subject can be ascertained not shouted down. > > > > On Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 6:28 PM, anupam chakravartty >wrote: > > > Really ridiculous. on one hand, you want send mails after mails demanding > > punishment for Sajjan Kumar and Tytler for killing sikhs, while you post > > ridiculous issue about religion with a subject line: "are hindu others". > can > > you stop this divisive political agendas here? > > > > > > On Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 6:23 PM, Pawan Durani >wrote: > > > >> Iftedah he Sicokular Ishq mein ..Sari raat jaage ....Allah jaane Kya > Hoga >  >> Aage .... > >> > >> > >> > >> http://www.dailypioneer.com/249530/Are-Hindus-‘others’.html< > >> > http://www.dailypioneer.com/249530/Are-Hindus-%E2%80%98others%E2%80%99.html > >> > > >> > >> > >> *Are Hindus ‘others’?* > >> > >> *Abhishek Anshu | New Delhi* > >> > >> *GGSIPU admission form raises eyebrows* > >> > >> In an apparent error of omission on the part of authorities, Guru Gobind > >> Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU) has asked all applicants to > mention > >> their religion in the admission form by marking the appropriate option, > >> but > >> failed to provide that of ‘Hindu’ even though all minority faiths are > >> listed > >> specifically. > >> > >> Those belonging to the Hindu religion are, therefore, left with no > choice > >> but to indicate their faith by ticking the ‘Others’ column on the list. > >> > >> While such a format has sparked widespread confusion and panic among > >> students and applicants, IP University Vice-Chancellor Prof DK > >> Bandyo-padhyay has said by way of clarification that the “column > contains > >> minority religions and Hindu falls in the category of ‘Others’”. > >> > >> “This is nothing unusual as it is known to all that Hindus are the > >> majority. > >> The ‘religion’ column has minorities in it and the Hindu students should > >> fill out the ‘Others’ option given in the religion column of the form,” > >> said > >> Bandyopadhyay. > >> > >> The V-C added that in the form, SC/ST/OBC and ‘Others’ are separate > >> options. > >> “In the form, we have the options of Minorities, SC/ST/OBC and ‘Others’. > >> Hindus, being the majority, should fill up ‘Others’,” he said. All > >> explanations notwithstanding, students are still perplexed about how to > >> fill > >> the admission forms and some of them are even in a state of panic. > >> > >> “I filled up the application form but when I got to the religion column, > I > >> got confused as ‘Hindu’ was nowhere on the page. I have filled forms of > >> various universities but this is for the first time I have seen > something > >> like this,” Aarushi, an applicant, said. > >> > >> She added she had to reread the admission brochure to confirm there were > >> no > >> printing errors. “I was scared there was a printing error. After going > >> through the brochure, I learnt that the option was simply not > mentioned,” > >> she said. IP University was hit by controversy recently when over 1,000 > >> fake > >> admission forms were submitted by applicants. > >> _________________________________________ > >> 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/> > -- Rajen. _________________________________________ 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 Apr 17 17:23:46 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Sat, 17 Apr 2010 17:23:46 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] National Shame In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: And I thought I had shared a news about a tourist being raped in India. The pathetic insensitivity shown and ending up in Hindu bashing again is simply deplorable. I used a slogan which is also the official slogan of Govt Of India in "Incredible India" campaign ,to highlight an alleged rape of a tourist. But then , world consists of strange unwanted things as well.....like the mail below Regards pawan On Sat, Apr 17, 2010 at 4:30 PM, anupam chakravartty wrote: > Let's see what Dr B.R. Ambedkar had to say about Upanishads: > > http://www.ambedkar.org/ambcd/17.Philosophy%20of%20Hinduism.htm#q7 > > The philosophy of the Upanishads can be stated in very few words. It has > been well summarised by Huxley[f29]  when he says that the Upanishad > philosophy agreed:— > > "In supposing the existence of a permanent reality, or `substance', beneath > the shifting series of phenomena, whether of matter or of mind. The > substance of the cosmos was `Brahma', that of the individual man `Atman'; > and the latter was separated from the former only, if I may so speak, by its > phenomenal envelope, by the casing of sensations, thoughts and desires, > pleasures and pains, which make up the illusive phantasmagoria of life. This > the ignorant, take for reality; their `Atman' therefore remains eternally > imprisoned in delusions, bound by the fetters of desire and scourged by the > whip of misery. > > Of what use is this philosophy of the Upanishadas? The philosophy of the > Upanishadas meant withdrawal from the struggle for existence by resort to > asceticism and a destruction of desire by self-mortification. As a way of > life it was condemned by Huxley[f30]  in scathing terms :— > > "No more thorough mortification of the flesh has ever been attempted than > that achieved by the Indian ascetic anchorite; no later monarchism has so > nearly succeeded in reducing the human mind to that condition of impassive > quasi-somnambulism, which, but for its acknowledged holiness, might run the > risk of being confounded with idiocy." > > But the condemnation of the philosophy of the Upanishads is nothing as > compared to the denunciation of the same by Lala Hardyal[f31]  :— > > "The Upanishads claim to expound `that, by knowing which everything is known > '. This quest for ' the absolute ' is the basis of all the spurious > metaphysics of India. The treatises are full of absurd conceits, quaint > fancies, and chaotic speculations. And we have not learned that they are > worthless. We keep moving in the old rut; we edit and re-edit the old books > instead of translating the classics of European social thought. What could > Europe be if Frederic Harrison, Brieux, Bebel, Anatole France, Herve, > Haekel, Giddings, and Marshall should employ their time in composing > treatises on Duns, Scotus and Thomas Aquinas, and discussing the merits of > the laws of the Pentateuch and the poetry of Beowulf? Indian pundits and > graduates seem to suffer from a kind of mania for what is effete and > antiquated. Thus an institution, established by progressive men, aims at > leading our youths through Sanskrit grammar to the Vadasvia the Six > Darshanas! What a false move in the quest for wisdom ! It is as if a caravan > should travel across the desert to the shores of the Dead Sea in search of > fresh water! Young men of India, look not for wisdom in the musty parchments > of your metaphysical treatises. There is nothing but an endless round of > verbal jugglary there. Read Rousseau and Voltaire, Plato and Aristotle, > Haeckel and Spencer, Marx and Tolstoi, Ruskin and Comte, and other European > thinkers, if you wish to understand life and its problems." But > denunciations apart, did the Upanishad philosophy have any influence on > Hinduism as a social and political system? There is no doubt that it turned > out to be most ineffective and inconsequential piece of speculation with no > effect on the moral and social order of the Hindus. > > It may not be out of place to inquire into the reasons for this unfortunate > result. One reason is obvious. The philosophy of Upanishad remained > incomplete and therefore did not yield the fruit, which it ought to have > done. This will be quite clear if one asks what is the keynote of the > Upanishads. In the words of Prof. Max Muller[f32]  the keynote of the > Upanishads is `Know thy Self". The `Know thy Self of the Upanishads, means, > know thy true Self, that which underlies thin ego and find it and know it in > the highest, the eternal self, the One without a Second, which underlies the > whole world." > > That Atman and Brahman were one was the truth, the great truth which the > Upanishads said they had discovered and they asked man to know this truth. > Now the reasons why the philosophy of Upanishads, became ineffective are > many. I will discuss them elsewhere. At this place I will mention only one. > The philosophers of Upanishads did not realise that to know truth was not > enough. One must learn to love truth. The difference between philosophy and > religion may be put in two ways. Philosophy is concerned with knowing truth. > Religion is concerned with the love of truth. Philosophy is static. Religion > is dynamic. These differences are merely two aspects of one and the same > thing. Philosophy is static because it is concerned only with knowing truth. > Religion is dynamic because it is concerned with love of truth. As has been > well said by Max Plowman[f33]  :— > > ". . . .Unless religion is dynamic and begets in us the emotion of love for > something, then it is better to be without any thing that we can call > religion; for religion is perception of truth and if our perception of truth > is not accompanied by our love for it then it were better not seen at all; > The Devil himself is one who has seen the truth only to hate it. Tennyson > said "We must love the highest when we see it". It does not follow. Seen in > pure objectivity the highest repels by its difference and distance; what we > fear it, and what we fear we come to hate. . . . ." > > This is the fate of all transcendental philosophies. They have no influence > on the way of life. As Blake said "Religion is politics and politics is > Brotherhood. Philosophy must become Religion that is it must become a > Working Ethic. It must not remain mere metaphysics. As Mr. Plowman says— > > "If religion were a Metaphysic and nothing else, one thing is certain, it > would never be the concern of the simple and humble men. > > "To keep it wholly in the realm of Metaphysic is to make non-sense of it. > For belief in religion as in something not directly and vitally effective of > politics is ultimately belief that is strictly speaking idiotic; because in > the effective sense such a belief makes no difference, and in the world of > time and space what 'makes no difference' does not exist." > > It is for these very reasons that the philosophy of the Upanishads proved so > ineffective. > > It is therefore incontrovertible that notwithstanding the Hindu Code of > Ethics, notwithstanding the philosophy of the Upanishads not a little not a > jot did abate from the philosophy of Hinduism as propounded by Manu. They > were ineffective and powerless to erase the infamy preached by Manu in the > name of religion. Notwithstanding their existence one can still say > "Hinduism! Thy name is inequality!" > > ********************************************************************** > > Inequality is the soul of Hinduism. The morality of Hinduism is only social. > It is unmoral and inhuman to say the least. What is unmoral and inhuman > easily becomes immoral, inhuman and infamous. This is what Hinduism has > become. Those who doubt this or deny this proposition should examine the > social composition of the Hindu Society and ponder over the condition of > some of the elements in it. Take the following cases. > > First as to the Primitive Tribes. In what state of civilisation are they ? > > The history of human civilisation includes the entire period of human > progress from Savagery to Barbarism and from Barbarism to Civilisation. The > transition from one to other has been marked by some discovery or intention > in some department of knowledge of Art resulting in advancing the onward > march of man. > > The development of articulate speech was the first thing which, from the > point of view of human progress, divided man from the brute. It marks the > first stage of savagery. The Middle period of the state of savagery began > with the knowledge of the manufacture and use of fire. This wonderful > discovery enabled man to extend his habit almost indefinitely. He could > leave his forest home, go to different and colder climates, and increase his > food supply by including flesh and fish. The next discovery was the Bow and > Arrow. This was the greatest achievement of primitive man and marks the > highest state of savage man. It was indeed a wonderful implement. The > possessor of this device could bring down the fleetest animal and could > defend himself against the most predatory. > > The transition from Savagery to Barbarism was marked by the discovery of > pottery. Hitherto man had no utensils that could withstand the action of > fire. Without utensils man could not store nor could he cook. Undoubtedly > pottery was a great civilising influence. > > The Middle State of Barbarism began when man learned to domesticate wild > animals. Man learned that captive animals could be of service to him. Man > now became a herdsman, no longer dependent for food upon the precarious > chase of wild animals. Milk procurable at all seasons made a highly > important addition to his dietary. With the aid of horse and camel he > traversed wide areas hitherto impassable. The captive animals became aids to > commerce, which resulted in the dissemination of commodities as well as of > ideas. > > The next discovery was of the Art of smelting iron. This marks the highest > stage of advancement of barbaric man. With this discovery man became a > "tool-making animal" who with his tool could fashion wood and stone and > build houses and bridges. This marks the close of the advancement made by > barbaric man. The dividing line which marks off Barbaric people from > Civilised people, in the fullest sense of the word Civilisation, is the art > of making ideas tangible by means of graphic signs— which is called the art > of writing. With this man conquered time as he had with the earlier > inventions conquered space. He could now record his deeds and his thoughts. > Henceforth, his knowledge, his poetical dreams, his moral aspirations might > be recorded in such form as to be read not merely by his contemporaries but > by successive generations of remote posterity. For man his history became > safe and secure. This was the steepest assent and the climbing of it marks > the beginnings of civilisation. Stopping here for the moment let us ask in > what state of civilisation are the Primitive Tribes. > > The name Primitive Tribes[f34]  is expressive of the present state of people > who are called by that name. They live in small-scattered huts in forests. > They live on wild fruits, nuts and roots. Fishing and hunting are also > resorted to for the purpose of securing food. Agriculture plays a very small > part in their social economy. Food supplies being extremely precarious, they > lead a life of semi-starvation from which there is no escape. As to clothes > they economise them to a vanishing point. They move almost in a state of > complete nakedness. There is a tribe, which is known as “Bonda Porajas” > which, means "Naked Porajas". Of these people it is said that the women wear > a very narrow strip which serves as a petticoat almost identical with what > is worn by the Momjak Nagas in Assam, the ends hardly meeting at the top on > the left thigh. These petticoats are woven at home out of the fibre of a > forest tree. Girls wear a fillet of beads and of palmyra leaf and an > enormous quantity of beads and neck ornaments extremely like those worn by > many Komjak women. Otherwise the women wear nothing. The women shave their > heads entirely. . . . . Of these Chenchus, a tribe residing near Farhabad in > the Nizam's Dominions it is said that "their houses are conical, rather > slight in structure made of bamboo sloping to the central point and covered > with a thin layer of thatch..... They have very little, indeed, in the way > of material effects, the scanty clothes they wear, consisting of a langoti > and a cloth in the case of men, and a short bodice and a petticoat in the > case of women, being practically all, besides a few cooking pots and a > basket or two which perhaps sometimes contains grain. They keep cattle and > goats and in this particular village do a little cultivation, elsewhere > subsisting on honey and forest produce which they sell". Regarding the > Morias, another Primitive tribe, it is stated the men generally wear a > single cloth round the waist with a slap coming down in the front. They also > have a necklace of beads and when they dance put on cock's plumes and > peacock's feathers in their turbans. Many girls are profusely tattooed, > especially on their faces, and some of them on their legs as well. The type > of tattooing is said to be according to the taste of the individual and it > is done with thorns and needles. In their hair many of them stick the > feathers of jungle cocks and their heads are also adorned with combs of wood > and tin and brass. > > These Primitive Tribes have no hesitation about eating anything, even worms > and insects, and, in fact, there is very little meat that they will not eat, > whether the animal has died a natural death or has been killed four days or > more before by a tiger. > > The next groups of the people he will come across are the Criminal > Tribes. > > The Criminal Tribes live not in Forests as the Primitive Tribes do but in > the plains in close proximity to, and often in the midst of civilised life. > Hollis in his "Criminal Tribes of the United Provinces" gives an account of > their activities. They live entirely by crime. A few may be ostensibly > engaged in agriculture, but this is only to cover up their real activities. > Their nefarious practices find largest scope in dacoity or robbery by > violence, but being a community organised for crime, nothing comes amiss to > them. On deciding to commit a dacoity in any particular locality spies are > sent out to select a suitable victim, study the general habits of the > villagers, and the distance from any effective aid, and enumerate the number > of men and firearms. The raid usually takes place at midnight. Acting on the > information given by the spies, men are posted at various points in the > village and by firing off their guns attract attention from the main gang > which attacks the particular house or houses previously appointed. The gang > usually consists of 30 to 40 men. > > It is essential to emphasis the great part played by crime in the general > life of these peoples. A boy is initiated into crime as soon as he is able > to walk and talk. No doubt the motive is practical, to a great extent, in so > far as it is always better to risk a child in petty theft, who, if he is > caught, would probably be cuffed, while an adult would immediately be > arrested. An important part is also played by women, who, although they do > not participate in the actual raids, have many heavy responsibilities. > Besides being clever in disposing off stolen property the women of the > Criminal Tribes are experts in shop lifting. > > At one time the Criminal Tribes included such well-organised Confederacies > of Professional Criminals as the Pindharies and the Thugs. > > The Pindharies were a predatory body of armed gangsters. Their organisation > was an open military organisation of freebooters who could muster 20000 fine > horse and even more. They were under the command of brigand chiefs. Chitu > one of the most powerful commanders had under his single command 10000 > horse, including 5000 good cavalry, besides infantry and guns. The > Pindharies had no military projects for employing their loose bands of > irregular soldiery, which developed into bodies of professional plunderers. > The Pindharies aimed at no conquests. Their object was to secure booty and > cash for themselves. General loot and rapine was their occupation. They > recognised no rulers. They were subjects of none. They rendered loyalty to > none. They respected none, and plundered all, high and low, rich and poor, > without fear or compunction. > > The Thugs[f35]  were a well organised body of professional assassins, who, > in gangs of from 10 to 100 wandered in various guises throughout India, > worked themselves into the confidence of wayfarers of the wealthier class, > and, when a favourable opportunity occurred, strangled them by throwing a > handkerchief or noose round their necks, and then plundered and buried them. > All this was done according to certain ancient and rigidly prescribed forms > and after the performance of special religious rites, in which was the > consecration of the package, and the sacrifice of sugar. They were staunch > worshippers of Kali, the Hindu Goddess of destruction. Assassination for > gain was with them a religious duty, and was considered a holy and > honourable profession. They had, in fact, no idea of doing wrong, and their > moral feelings did not come into play. The will of the Goddess, by whose > command and in whose honour they followed there calling, was revealed to > them through a very complicated system of omens. > > In obedience to these they often travelled even the distance of hundred > miles in company with, or in the wake of, their intended victims before a > safe opportunity had presented itself for executing their design; and when > the deed was done, rites were performed in honour of that tutelary deity, > and a goodly portion of the spoil was set apart for her. The Thugs had also > a jargon of their own, as well as certain signs by which its members > recognised each other in the remotest part of India. Even those who from age > or infirmities could no longer take an active part in the operations used to > aid the cause as watchmen, spies or dressers of food. It was owing to their > thorough organisation, the secrecy and security with which they went to > work, but chiefly to the religious garb in which they shrouded their > murders, that they could continue for centuries to practise their craft. The > extraordinary fact was that Thugee was regarded as a regular profession by > Indian Rulers of the day, both Hindu and Mahomedans. The Thugs paid taxes to > the state and the state left them unmolested. > > It was not until the British became rulers of the country that an attempt > was made to suppress the Thugs. By 1835, 382 Thugs were hanged and 986 were > transported or imprisoned for life. Even as late as 1879 the number of > registered Thugs was 344 and the Thugee and the Dacoity department of the > Government of India continued to exist until 1904 when its place was taken > by the Central Criminal Intelligence Department. While it is not possible > for the criminal tribes to live by organized bodies of criminals, crime > continues to be their main occupation. > > Besides these two classes there is a third class which comprises a body of > people who are known as Untouchables. > > Below the Untouchables there are others who are known as unapproachable. > Untouchables are those who cause pollution only if they touch. The > Unapproachable are those who cause pollution if they come within a certain > distance. It is said of the Nayadis—a people, who fall into the category of > the Unapproachable, "that they are the lowest caste among the Hindus—the > dog-eaters. > > They are the most persistent in their clamour for charity, and will follow > at a respectful distance, for miles together any person walking, driving or > boating. If any thing is given to them, it must be laid down, and after the > person offering it has proceeded a sufficient distance, the recipient comes > timidly forward, and removes it. "Of the same people Mr. Thurston says, "The > subject (i.e. the Nayadis) whom I examined and measured at Shoranus, though > living only about three miles off, had, by reason of the pollution which > they traditionally carry with them to avoid walking over the long bridge > which spans the river, and follow a circuitous route of many miles". Below > the Unapproachable are the Unseeables. In the Tinnevelley District of the > Madras Presidency there is a class of unseeables called Purada Vannans. Of > them it is said, "that they are not allowed to come out during day time > because their sight is enough to cause pollution. These unfortunate people > are `compelled' to follow the nocturnal habits, leaving their dens after > dark and scuttling home at the false dawn like the badger, the hyena, the > avordvark." > > Consider the total population of these classes. The Primitive Tribes form a > total of 25 million souls. The Criminal Tribes number 41/2 millions and the > Untouchables number 50 millions. This makes a grand total of 791/2 millions. > Now ask how these people could have remained in the state of moral, > material, social and spiritual degradation surrounded as they have been by > Hinduism. Hindus say that their civilisation is older than any civilisation, > that Hinduism as a religion is superior to any other religion. If this is so > how is that Hinduism failed to elevate these people, bring them > enlightenment and hope; how is it that it failed even to reclaim them ; how > is it that it stood with folded hands when millions and millions were taking > to life to shame and crime? What is the answer to this? The only answer is > that Hinduism is overwhelmed with the fear of pollution. It has not got the > power to purify. It has not the impulse to serve and that is because by its > very nature it is inhuman and unmoral. It is a misnomer to call it religion. > Its philosophy is opposed to very thing for which religion stands. > > ENDS > > On Sat, Apr 17, 2010 at 12:43 PM, Pawan Durani > wrote: >> >> What happened to our teachings in Upanishads  where it is written >> Matru devo bhava, Pitru devo bhava, Acharya devo bhava, Atithi devo >> bhava". Means One should worship Mother, Father, Teacher and Guests as >> God. ...What happened to our "Atithi Devo Bhavah". This act is a >> National Shame. >> >> >> >> http://www.hindustantimes.com/Japanese-tourist-gangraped-in-Bodh-Gaya/H1-Article1-532395.aspx >> >> A 25-year-old Japanese tourist was gangraped by five unidentified men >> at Bodh Gaya in Bihar, police said on Saturday. >> >> The five pulled the woman out of an auto-rickshaw, carried her to the >> Gaya railway station before committing the crime at an isolated place >> on Friday night, Superintendent of Police, Sushil Khopade said. >> >> The victim lodged an FIR with the Amawa police station this morning, he >> said. >> >> The Japanese woman is a resident of Itabolutachi in Tokyo and is >> currently on a tour of various Buddhist pilgrim towns in India. >> Two persons have been detained for interrogation, Khopade said, adding >> that raids are on in the area to arrest the criminals. >> _________________________________________ >> 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 c.anupam at gmail.com Sat Apr 17 17:27:31 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Sat, 17 Apr 2010 17:27:31 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] National Shame In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: thanks for saying that Dr B R Ambedkar's ideas of Upanishads are strange and unwanted. that explains your respect to such leaders. good day On Sat, Apr 17, 2010 at 5:23 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > And I thought I had shared a news about a tourist being raped in > India. The pathetic insensitivity shown and ending up in Hindu bashing > again is simply deplorable. I used a slogan which is also the official > slogan of Govt Of India in "Incredible India" campaign ,to highlight > an alleged rape of a tourist. > > But then , world consists of strange unwanted things as well.....like > the mail below > > Regards > > pawan > > On Sat, Apr 17, 2010 at 4:30 PM, anupam chakravartty > wrote: > > Let's see what Dr B.R. Ambedkar had to say about Upanishads: > > > > http://www.ambedkar.org/ambcd/17.Philosophy%20of%20Hinduism.htm#q7 > > > > The philosophy of the Upanishads can be stated in very few words. It has > > been well summarised by Huxley[f29] when he says that the Upanishad > > philosophy agreed:— > > > > "In supposing the existence of a permanent reality, or `substance', > beneath > > the shifting series of phenomena, whether of matter or of mind. The > > substance of the cosmos was `Brahma', that of the individual man `Atman'; > > and the latter was separated from the former only, if I may so speak, by > its > > phenomenal envelope, by the casing of sensations, thoughts and desires, > > pleasures and pains, which make up the illusive phantasmagoria of life. > This > > the ignorant, take for reality; their `Atman' therefore remains eternally > > imprisoned in delusions, bound by the fetters of desire and scourged by > the > > whip of misery. > > > > Of what use is this philosophy of the Upanishadas? The philosophy of the > > Upanishadas meant withdrawal from the struggle for existence by resort to > > asceticism and a destruction of desire by self-mortification. As a way of > > life it was condemned by Huxley[f30] in scathing terms :— > > > > "No more thorough mortification of the flesh has ever been attempted than > > that achieved by the Indian ascetic anchorite; no later monarchism has so > > nearly succeeded in reducing the human mind to that condition of > impassive > > quasi-somnambulism, which, but for its acknowledged holiness, might run > the > > risk of being confounded with idiocy." > > > > But the condemnation of the philosophy of the Upanishads is nothing as > > compared to the denunciation of the same by Lala Hardyal[f31] :— > > > > "The Upanishads claim to expound `that, by knowing which everything is > known > > '. This quest for ' the absolute ' is the basis of all the spurious > > metaphysics of India. The treatises are full of absurd conceits, quaint > > fancies, and chaotic speculations. And we have not learned that they are > > worthless. We keep moving in the old rut; we edit and re-edit the old > books > > instead of translating the classics of European social thought. What > could > > Europe be if Frederic Harrison, Brieux, Bebel, Anatole France, Herve, > > Haekel, Giddings, and Marshall should employ their time in composing > > treatises on Duns, Scotus and Thomas Aquinas, and discussing the merits > of > > the laws of the Pentateuch and the poetry of Beowulf? Indian pundits and > > graduates seem to suffer from a kind of mania for what is effete and > > antiquated. Thus an institution, established by progressive men, aims at > > leading our youths through Sanskrit grammar to the Vadasvia the Six > > Darshanas! What a false move in the quest for wisdom ! It is as if a > caravan > > should travel across the desert to the shores of the Dead Sea in search > of > > fresh water! Young men of India, look not for wisdom in the musty > parchments > > of your metaphysical treatises. There is nothing but an endless round of > > verbal jugglary there. Read Rousseau and Voltaire, Plato and Aristotle, > > Haeckel and Spencer, Marx and Tolstoi, Ruskin and Comte, and other > European > > thinkers, if you wish to understand life and its problems." But > > denunciations apart, did the Upanishad philosophy have any influence on > > Hinduism as a social and political system? There is no doubt that it > turned > > out to be most ineffective and inconsequential piece of speculation with > no > > effect on the moral and social order of the Hindus. > > > > It may not be out of place to inquire into the reasons for this > unfortunate > > result. One reason is obvious. The philosophy of Upanishad remained > > incomplete and therefore did not yield the fruit, which it ought to have > > done. This will be quite clear if one asks what is the keynote of the > > Upanishads. In the words of Prof. Max Muller[f32] the keynote of the > > Upanishads is `Know thy Self". The `Know thy Self of the Upanishads, > means, > > know thy true Self, that which underlies thin ego and find it and know it > in > > the highest, the eternal self, the One without a Second, which underlies > the > > whole world." > > > > That Atman and Brahman were one was the truth, the great truth which the > > Upanishads said they had discovered and they asked man to know this > truth. > > Now the reasons why the philosophy of Upanishads, became ineffective are > > many. I will discuss them elsewhere. At this place I will mention only > one. > > The philosophers of Upanishads did not realise that to know truth was not > > enough. One must learn to love truth. The difference between philosophy > and > > religion may be put in two ways. Philosophy is concerned with knowing > truth. > > Religion is concerned with the love of truth. Philosophy is static. > Religion > > is dynamic. These differences are merely two aspects of one and the same > > thing. Philosophy is static because it is concerned only with knowing > truth. > > Religion is dynamic because it is concerned with love of truth. As has > been > > well said by Max Plowman[f33] :— > > > > ". . . .Unless religion is dynamic and begets in us the emotion of love > for > > something, then it is better to be without any thing that we can call > > religion; for religion is perception of truth and if our perception of > truth > > is not accompanied by our love for it then it were better not seen at > all; > > The Devil himself is one who has seen the truth only to hate it. Tennyson > > said "We must love the highest when we see it". It does not follow. Seen > in > > pure objectivity the highest repels by its difference and distance; what > we > > fear it, and what we fear we come to hate. . . . ." > > > > This is the fate of all transcendental philosophies. They have no > influence > > on the way of life. As Blake said "Religion is politics and politics is > > Brotherhood. Philosophy must become Religion that is it must become a > > Working Ethic. It must not remain mere metaphysics. As Mr. Plowman says— > > > > "If religion were a Metaphysic and nothing else, one thing is certain, it > > would never be the concern of the simple and humble men. > > > > "To keep it wholly in the realm of Metaphysic is to make non-sense of it. > > For belief in religion as in something not directly and vitally effective > of > > politics is ultimately belief that is strictly speaking idiotic; because > in > > the effective sense such a belief makes no difference, and in the world > of > > time and space what 'makes no difference' does not exist." > > > > It is for these very reasons that the philosophy of the Upanishads proved > so > > ineffective. > > > > It is therefore incontrovertible that notwithstanding the Hindu Code of > > Ethics, notwithstanding the philosophy of the Upanishads not a little not > a > > jot did abate from the philosophy of Hinduism as propounded by Manu. They > > were ineffective and powerless to erase the infamy preached by Manu in > the > > name of religion. Notwithstanding their existence one can still say > > "Hinduism! Thy name is inequality!" > > > > ********************************************************************** > > > > Inequality is the soul of Hinduism. The morality of Hinduism is only > social. > > It is unmoral and inhuman to say the least. What is unmoral and inhuman > > easily becomes immoral, inhuman and infamous. This is what Hinduism has > > become. Those who doubt this or deny this proposition should examine the > > social composition of the Hindu Society and ponder over the condition of > > some of the elements in it. Take the following cases. > > > > First as to the Primitive Tribes. In what state of civilisation are they > ? > > > > The history of human civilisation includes the entire period of human > > progress from Savagery to Barbarism and from Barbarism to Civilisation. > The > > transition from one to other has been marked by some discovery or > intention > > in some department of knowledge of Art resulting in advancing the onward > > march of man. > > > > The development of articulate speech was the first thing which, from the > > point of view of human progress, divided man from the brute. It marks the > > first stage of savagery. The Middle period of the state of savagery began > > with the knowledge of the manufacture and use of fire. This wonderful > > discovery enabled man to extend his habit almost indefinitely. He could > > leave his forest home, go to different and colder climates, and increase > his > > food supply by including flesh and fish. The next discovery was the Bow > and > > Arrow. This was the greatest achievement of primitive man and marks the > > highest state of savage man. It was indeed a wonderful implement. The > > possessor of this device could bring down the fleetest animal and could > > defend himself against the most predatory. > > > > The transition from Savagery to Barbarism was marked by the discovery of > > pottery. Hitherto man had no utensils that could withstand the action of > > fire. Without utensils man could not store nor could he cook. Undoubtedly > > pottery was a great civilising influence. > > > > The Middle State of Barbarism began when man learned to domesticate wild > > animals. Man learned that captive animals could be of service to him. Man > > now became a herdsman, no longer dependent for food upon the precarious > > chase of wild animals. Milk procurable at all seasons made a highly > > important addition to his dietary. With the aid of horse and camel he > > traversed wide areas hitherto impassable. The captive animals became aids > to > > commerce, which resulted in the dissemination of commodities as well as > of > > ideas. > > > > The next discovery was of the Art of smelting iron. This marks the > highest > > stage of advancement of barbaric man. With this discovery man became a > > "tool-making animal" who with his tool could fashion wood and stone and > > build houses and bridges. This marks the close of the advancement made by > > barbaric man. The dividing line which marks off Barbaric people from > > Civilised people, in the fullest sense of the word Civilisation, is the > art > > of making ideas tangible by means of graphic signs— which is called the > art > > of writing. With this man conquered time as he had with the earlier > > inventions conquered space. He could now record his deeds and his > thoughts. > > Henceforth, his knowledge, his poetical dreams, his moral aspirations > might > > be recorded in such form as to be read not merely by his contemporaries > but > > by successive generations of remote posterity. For man his history became > > safe and secure. This was the steepest assent and the climbing of it > marks > > the beginnings of civilisation. Stopping here for the moment let us ask > in > > what state of civilisation are the Primitive Tribes. > > > > The name Primitive Tribes[f34] is expressive of the present state of > people > > who are called by that name. They live in small-scattered huts in > forests. > > They live on wild fruits, nuts and roots. Fishing and hunting are also > > resorted to for the purpose of securing food. Agriculture plays a very > small > > part in their social economy. Food supplies being extremely precarious, > they > > lead a life of semi-starvation from which there is no escape. As to > clothes > > they economise them to a vanishing point. They move almost in a state of > > complete nakedness. There is a tribe, which is known as “Bonda Porajas” > > which, means "Naked Porajas". Of these people it is said that the women > wear > > a very narrow strip which serves as a petticoat almost identical with > what > > is worn by the Momjak Nagas in Assam, the ends hardly meeting at the top > on > > the left thigh. These petticoats are woven at home out of the fibre of a > > forest tree. Girls wear a fillet of beads and of palmyra leaf and an > > enormous quantity of beads and neck ornaments extremely like those worn > by > > many Komjak women. Otherwise the women wear nothing. The women shave > their > > heads entirely. . . . . Of these Chenchus, a tribe residing near Farhabad > in > > the Nizam's Dominions it is said that "their houses are conical, rather > > slight in structure made of bamboo sloping to the central point and > covered > > with a thin layer of thatch..... They have very little, indeed, in the > way > > of material effects, the scanty clothes they wear, consisting of a > langoti > > and a cloth in the case of men, and a short bodice and a petticoat in the > > case of women, being practically all, besides a few cooking pots and a > > basket or two which perhaps sometimes contains grain. They keep cattle > and > > goats and in this particular village do a little cultivation, elsewhere > > subsisting on honey and forest produce which they sell". Regarding the > > Morias, another Primitive tribe, it is stated the men generally wear a > > single cloth round the waist with a slap coming down in the front. They > also > > have a necklace of beads and when they dance put on cock's plumes and > > peacock's feathers in their turbans. Many girls are profusely tattooed, > > especially on their faces, and some of them on their legs as well. The > type > > of tattooing is said to be according to the taste of the individual and > it > > is done with thorns and needles. In their hair many of them stick the > > feathers of jungle cocks and their heads are also adorned with combs of > wood > > and tin and brass. > > > > These Primitive Tribes have no hesitation about eating anything, even > worms > > and insects, and, in fact, there is very little meat that they will not > eat, > > whether the animal has died a natural death or has been killed four days > or > > more before by a tiger. > > > > The next groups of the people he will come across are the Criminal > > Tribes. > > > > The Criminal Tribes live not in Forests as the Primitive Tribes do but in > > the plains in close proximity to, and often in the midst of civilised > life. > > Hollis in his "Criminal Tribes of the United Provinces" gives an account > of > > their activities. They live entirely by crime. A few may be ostensibly > > engaged in agriculture, but this is only to cover up their real > activities. > > Their nefarious practices find largest scope in dacoity or robbery by > > violence, but being a community organised for crime, nothing comes amiss > to > > them. On deciding to commit a dacoity in any particular locality spies > are > > sent out to select a suitable victim, study the general habits of the > > villagers, and the distance from any effective aid, and enumerate the > number > > of men and firearms. The raid usually takes place at midnight. Acting on > the > > information given by the spies, men are posted at various points in the > > village and by firing off their guns attract attention from the main gang > > which attacks the particular house or houses previously appointed. The > gang > > usually consists of 30 to 40 men. > > > > It is essential to emphasis the great part played by crime in the general > > life of these peoples. A boy is initiated into crime as soon as he is > able > > to walk and talk. No doubt the motive is practical, to a great extent, in > so > > far as it is always better to risk a child in petty theft, who, if he is > > caught, would probably be cuffed, while an adult would immediately be > > arrested. An important part is also played by women, who, although they > do > > not participate in the actual raids, have many heavy responsibilities. > > Besides being clever in disposing off stolen property the women of the > > Criminal Tribes are experts in shop lifting. > > > > At one time the Criminal Tribes included such well-organised > Confederacies > > of Professional Criminals as the Pindharies and the Thugs. > > > > The Pindharies were a predatory body of armed gangsters. Their > organisation > > was an open military organisation of freebooters who could muster 20000 > fine > > horse and even more. They were under the command of brigand chiefs. Chitu > > one of the most powerful commanders had under his single command 10000 > > horse, including 5000 good cavalry, besides infantry and guns. The > > Pindharies had no military projects for employing their loose bands of > > irregular soldiery, which developed into bodies of professional > plunderers. > > The Pindharies aimed at no conquests. Their object was to secure booty > and > > cash for themselves. General loot and rapine was their occupation. They > > recognised no rulers. They were subjects of none. They rendered loyalty > to > > none. They respected none, and plundered all, high and low, rich and > poor, > > without fear or compunction. > > > > The Thugs[f35] were a well organised body of professional assassins, > who, > > in gangs of from 10 to 100 wandered in various guises throughout India, > > worked themselves into the confidence of wayfarers of the wealthier > class, > > and, when a favourable opportunity occurred, strangled them by throwing a > > handkerchief or noose round their necks, and then plundered and buried > them. > > All this was done according to certain ancient and rigidly prescribed > forms > > and after the performance of special religious rites, in which was the > > consecration of the package, and the sacrifice of sugar. They were > staunch > > worshippers of Kali, the Hindu Goddess of destruction. Assassination for > > gain was with them a religious duty, and was considered a holy and > > honourable profession. They had, in fact, no idea of doing wrong, and > their > > moral feelings did not come into play. The will of the Goddess, by whose > > command and in whose honour they followed there calling, was revealed to > > them through a very complicated system of omens. > > > > In obedience to these they often travelled even the distance of hundred > > miles in company with, or in the wake of, their intended victims before a > > safe opportunity had presented itself for executing their design; and > when > > the deed was done, rites were performed in honour of that tutelary deity, > > and a goodly portion of the spoil was set apart for her. The Thugs had > also > > a jargon of their own, as well as certain signs by which its members > > recognised each other in the remotest part of India. Even those who from > age > > or infirmities could no longer take an active part in the operations used > to > > aid the cause as watchmen, spies or dressers of food. It was owing to > their > > thorough organisation, the secrecy and security with which they went to > > work, but chiefly to the religious garb in which they shrouded their > > murders, that they could continue for centuries to practise their craft. > The > > extraordinary fact was that Thugee was regarded as a regular profession > by > > Indian Rulers of the day, both Hindu and Mahomedans. The Thugs paid taxes > to > > the state and the state left them unmolested. > > > > It was not until the British became rulers of the country that an attempt > > was made to suppress the Thugs. By 1835, 382 Thugs were hanged and 986 > were > > transported or imprisoned for life. Even as late as 1879 the number of > > registered Thugs was 344 and the Thugee and the Dacoity department of the > > Government of India continued to exist until 1904 when its place was > taken > > by the Central Criminal Intelligence Department. While it is not possible > > for the criminal tribes to live by organized bodies of criminals, crime > > continues to be their main occupation. > > > > Besides these two classes there is a third class which comprises a body > of > > people who are known as Untouchables. > > > > Below the Untouchables there are others who are known as unapproachable. > > Untouchables are those who cause pollution only if they touch. The > > Unapproachable are those who cause pollution if they come within a > certain > > distance. It is said of the Nayadis—a people, who fall into the category > of > > the Unapproachable, "that they are the lowest caste among the Hindus—the > > dog-eaters. > > > > They are the most persistent in their clamour for charity, and will > follow > > at a respectful distance, for miles together any person walking, driving > or > > boating. If any thing is given to them, it must be laid down, and after > the > > person offering it has proceeded a sufficient distance, the recipient > comes > > timidly forward, and removes it. "Of the same people Mr. Thurston says, > "The > > subject (i.e. the Nayadis) whom I examined and measured at Shoranus, > though > > living only about three miles off, had, by reason of the pollution which > > they traditionally carry with them to avoid walking over the long bridge > > which spans the river, and follow a circuitous route of many miles". > Below > > the Unapproachable are the Unseeables. In the Tinnevelley District of the > > Madras Presidency there is a class of unseeables called Purada Vannans. > Of > > them it is said, "that they are not allowed to come out during day time > > because their sight is enough to cause pollution. These unfortunate > people > > are `compelled' to follow the nocturnal habits, leaving their dens after > > dark and scuttling home at the false dawn like the badger, the hyena, the > > avordvark." > > > > Consider the total population of these classes. The Primitive Tribes form > a > > total of 25 million souls. The Criminal Tribes number 41/2 millions and > the > > Untouchables number 50 millions. This makes a grand total of 791/2 > millions. > > Now ask how these people could have remained in the state of moral, > > material, social and spiritual degradation surrounded as they have been > by > > Hinduism. Hindus say that their civilisation is older than any > civilisation, > > that Hinduism as a religion is superior to any other religion. If this is > so > > how is that Hinduism failed to elevate these people, bring them > > enlightenment and hope; how is it that it failed even to reclaim them ; > how > > is it that it stood with folded hands when millions and millions were > taking > > to life to shame and crime? What is the answer to this? The only answer > is > > that Hinduism is overwhelmed with the fear of pollution. It has not got > the > > power to purify. It has not the impulse to serve and that is because by > its > > very nature it is inhuman and unmoral. It is a misnomer to call it > religion. > > Its philosophy is opposed to very thing for which religion stands. > > > > ENDS > > > > On Sat, Apr 17, 2010 at 12:43 PM, Pawan Durani > > wrote: > >> > >> What happened to our teachings in Upanishads where it is written > >> Matru devo bhava, Pitru devo bhava, Acharya devo bhava, Atithi devo > >> bhava". Means One should worship Mother, Father, Teacher and Guests as > >> God. ...What happened to our "Atithi Devo Bhavah". This act is a > >> National Shame. > >> > >> > >> > >> > http://www.hindustantimes.com/Japanese-tourist-gangraped-in-Bodh-Gaya/H1-Article1-532395.aspx > >> > >> A 25-year-old Japanese tourist was gangraped by five unidentified men > >> at Bodh Gaya in Bihar, police said on Saturday. > >> > >> The five pulled the woman out of an auto-rickshaw, carried her to the > >> Gaya railway station before committing the crime at an isolated place > >> on Friday night, Superintendent of Police, Sushil Khopade said. > >> > >> The victim lodged an FIR with the Amawa police station this morning, he > >> said. > >> > >> The Japanese woman is a resident of Itabolutachi in Tokyo and is > >> currently on a tour of various Buddhist pilgrim towns in India. > >> Two persons have been detained for interrogation, Khopade said, adding > >> that raids are on in the area to arrest the criminals. > >> _________________________________________ > >> 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 Sat Apr 17 17:30:17 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Sat, 17 Apr 2010 17:30:17 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR In-Reply-To: <01A19B86-D4FF-4676-8550-A4A2278D9D43@sarai.net> References: <000601caddfb$cf416660$6dc43320$@in> <458799.31425.qm@web57205.mail.re3.yahoo.com> <001e01cade18$d716af90$85440eb0$@in> <6F550FA0-EF07-4F5E-9CFA-DD741F843ECC@sarai.net> <01A19B86-D4FF-4676-8550-A4A2278D9D43@sarai.net> Message-ID: I completely agree that there has to be development , education , job opportunities for the neglected lot and there is no doubt that they have been neglected. Not only these people , the whole of North east to a great extent till some time was never thought to be important as if it did not exist for India. Even today a procession in Kashmir makes it to headlines of India while as many killings in NE doesnt make it to inside page of a newspaper. But that does not take away the thought that law of land should not prevail. Regards Pawan On Sat, Apr 17, 2010 at 4:23 PM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: > Do the roads and the schools justify the violence of the memoranda of > (mis)understanding ? > How many apologies for schools does it take to justify the presence of a > CRPF battalion stationed to protect the interests of a mining company in a > forest that should not be laid waste to the lust of Capital? > best, > Shuddha > > On 17-Apr-10, at 4:20 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > > Does this still justify the violence of Naxalites. Havent the > Naxalites been objecting to roads ...schools....etc ? > On Sat, Apr 17, 2010 at 4:08 PM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta > wrote: > > Dear All, > A wall was certainly built. It was a wall built out of the paper of > Forestry Acts and Memoranda of Understanding with Mining Companies. > They paved the way for many other kinds of walls. These paper walls, > much more powerful than any wall of bricks or mortar, made people > homeless in their own space. It was written on the paper walls that > the dweller in the forest was an intruder. One day, she picked up > firewood from the ground, the next day she did the same, one day she > was a forager, the next day she was a thief. The words on the walls > separated those two days from each other. > Then came the sentries, and the high priests of the words that were > written on the paper walls. Forest guards came, then paramilitaries > came, then came police and armed thugs to protect the paper wall. To > man the watchtowers. To tell the forest dwellers that they must stay > outside the wall, for their own good. Then came the TV channels and > the patriots and the NGOs and the experts. They all admired the wall. > No one said the wall needed to come down. Some tried to improve the > handwriting on the paper. Some argued about the font size and > italicization. Others said the papers needed to be copied and > distributed. > The inhabitants of the forest looked around for a method to rebuild > their homes that had been broken by the words on the paper walls. > Some of them tried to fight words with words. Some petitioned. Some > of them tried to lay seige to the consciences of others. None of this > worked. Some words were heard, understood, others were dismissed, not > listened to. > The paper wall grew stronger, deeper, thicker. Their words grew > louder. The forest spoke. The forest sang. The forest warned. The > forest cried. The forest whispered. The forest screamed. But the wall > did not listen. And those who built the wall laughed out loud, > thinking that paper was cement. That ink was stone. That their word > was law. > This meant that they (the people of the forest) had to take down some > of the watchtowers. This meant that when words failed, they found > their way to guns. It seemed that when the guns spoke, the people > manning the watchtowers listened. And so, when the guns came to them, > the forest dwellers did not say no to the guns. They no longer had > the words with which they could afford to say 'no, we do not need the > guns'. Perhaps, if those who had built the wall, had listened, the > guns that came to the people in the forest would have found no use. > If you hold a gun, you stand in the line of fire. No one wants to be > in the line of fire for no good reason. Right now.The wall needs to > be taken down for any conversation to begin again. > Tear the paper that carries the MoUs, and maybe there can be some > talking. So take the wall down. And the guns may fall silent. Words > may begin again.  Or try and keep the wall, and invite the war to > spread its cloak of silence. You don't need more development in the > forests, perhaps you need less. At least less of the kind that is > written up in the MoUs. > If the war crosses the forest and comes to the fields, if the war > comes to the cities, it will be because the paper walls multiplied. > Then those who wrote the words that made the paper walls rise will > answer for the war. After all, they did not have to build the paper > walls in the first place. They could have chosen to listen, when > there was still time to listen. They might then say that they were > sorry, but people may have forgotten the meaning of forgiveness by > then. Guns have a way of making people forget how to speak and to > listen. If the words you write on the paper walls you build bring > guns into the conversation, then many other words will eventually die. > Try and listen for a change. Don't always think that your word is > law.There may still be time. > best > Shuddha > On 17-Apr-10, at 3:59 PM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > > Dear Kshmendra, > > > You are right. It is respected state govt. negligence since years that > allowed to "build" wall and vote-bank politics made this wall > thicker and > thicker and so we are suffering the sins. Just like negligence by > WB govt. > allowing infiltrations of Bangladeshis to increase their vote bank > in the > name of minor appeasement and their sins are suffering whole India, > since > Bangladeshis spread almost all over India. > > > Whatever, happened in the past, but it is time to rectify mistakes > and govt. > making/wants to make some sincere efforts but few rationalists like > Aundhati > Roy and few vote seeker politicians comes in between. Even maoist > made this > as their business now and don't want to come out by conversation, > so they > even did not allow infrastructure in their area or destroys if > made. So, it > is time for govt. to take some hard action though it is painful step. > > > Thanks > Bipin > > > > > From: Kshmendra Kaul [mailto:kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com] > Sent: Saturday, April 17, 2010 2:51 PM > To: sarai-list; Bipin Trivedi > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR > > > > Dear Bipin > > > You wrote : "Naxal/maoist army cadre has built a wall like (may be not > physical wall in some areas) periphery and cornered that area where > army or > even police cannot go there easily, so to built all above > infrastructure and > provide facilities to their local people is remote > possibilities." > > > I agree. That is an appropiate description of the situation. > > > What needs thinking is: > > > 1. Did this "wall" exist when India becamje independent in 1947? > No, it did > not. So what was it that allowed the Maoists/Naxals to build that > "wall"? > Who ceded that space to them? Who allowed their violent-extremist > ideology > to be propagated? Why were people attracted to it? Why did it > become an > 'alternative' for people to adopt instead of subscribing to the > Constitution > of India? > > >     This is not a matter of the last 5 or 10 or 15 or 20 years, but a > culmination of indifferent and/or corrupted governance since 1947. > > > 2. If you think the above is a resonable argument then please > consider that > breaking down or bulldozing that "wall" might by itself alone not be a > solution. If the "root causes" are not addressed then it will be > only a > matter of time that another "wall" comes up, and another, and another. > > > 3. Wouldnt you agree that what needs to be done is to ensure that > no one > lays the foundations for more such "walls"? > > >     Wouldnt you agree that the route for that is to make available > competent > governance, opportunities and an environment of justice? > > > 4. Yes that will be an arduous task since the "walls" are strong > but that is > an impediment of our own making since we allowed the "walls" to > come up in > the first place through neglect and we have to suffer that > disadvantage. It > is a punishment for our own sins. > > > Kshmendra > > > --- On Sat, 4/17/10, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > > From: Bipin Trivedi > Subject: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR > To: "sarai-list" > Date: Saturday, April 17, 2010, 12:30 PM > I believe that it is wrong to say that Naxal or Maoist are trying > to protect > right of poor/tribal. As in case of terrorist or supporter of > terrorist > (sleeper or active cell) are misguided by some terrorists group/wasted > interest, same way naxal/maoist are acting with misguidance. > Many argues that we should built infrastructure like school, > hospitals, > roads, industries and other amenities in naxal affected districts > to provide > essential amenities and employment. But, actual situation in all such > district is very strange and different. Naxal/maoist army cadre has > built a > wall like (may be not physical wall in some areas) periphery and > cornered > that area where army or even police cannot go there easily, so to > built all > above infrastructure and provide facilities to their local people > is remote > possibilities. In the case, how can there up-liftment is possible? > Is anyone > who favors them have thought this much extremities adopted by > naxals/maoist. > Government did tried to solve by conversation and requested to > allow govt. > machinery for developing infrastructure, but they boldly denied. If > we want > to make some infrastructural work to provide facilities to people > their then > one has to remove such boundary and freed the area even with the > help of > army then also. > In the news and media air attack news was published. This is also > myth, > there was no plan for air attack, but with the help air-force, aerial > surveillance or map view is necessary, so that army or police can > go ahead > to capture that area and freed from maoist. Also, please note that > most of > the poor/tribal are not supporting them by heart but they support > forcefully > with gun on their head. > So, looking to above reason it seems that they made business to create > terror and playing in the hand of some wasted interest may be from > outside > India. So, it is necessary to freed such naxal affected area from > their > terror by any means. So if anyone says that naxal/maoist helping local > people or tribal is baseless. > Thanks > Bipin > > > _________________________________________ > 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 > 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/> > > Shuddhabrata Sengupta > The Sarai Programme at CSDS > Raqs Media Collective > shuddha at sarai.net > www.sarai.net > www.raqsmediacollective.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/> > > _________________________________________ > 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/> > > Shuddhabrata Sengupta > The Sarai Programme at CSDS > Raqs Media Collective > shuddha at sarai.net > www.sarai.net > www.raqsmediacollective.net > > From pawan.durani at gmail.com Sat Apr 17 17:32:38 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Sat, 17 Apr 2010 17:32:38 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] National Shame In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: I respect Baba Saheb a lot . I have got some connections with Baba Sahebs mission. However , you have missed the line. We are not discussing the Upanishads. The issue is about a rape of a tourist whom we should have treated equivalent to how we treat our God . Believe you missed the point ... or did you ? Pawan On Sat, Apr 17, 2010 at 5:27 PM, anupam chakravartty wrote: > thanks for saying that Dr B R Ambedkar's ideas of Upanishads are strange and > unwanted. that explains your respect to such leaders. > > good day > > On Sat, Apr 17, 2010 at 5:23 PM, Pawan Durani > wrote: >> >> And I thought I had shared a news about a tourist being raped in >> India. The pathetic insensitivity shown and ending up in Hindu bashing >> again is simply deplorable. I used a slogan which is also the official >> slogan of Govt Of India in "Incredible India" campaign ,to highlight >> an alleged rape of a tourist. >> >> But then , world consists of strange unwanted things as well.....like >> the mail below >> >> Regards >> >> pawan >> >> On Sat, Apr 17, 2010 at 4:30 PM, anupam chakravartty >> wrote: >> > Let's see what Dr B.R. Ambedkar had to say about Upanishads: >> > >> > http://www.ambedkar.org/ambcd/17.Philosophy%20of%20Hinduism.htm#q7 >> > >> > The philosophy of the Upanishads can be stated in very few words. It has >> > been well summarised by Huxley[f29]  when he says that the Upanishad >> > philosophy agreed:— >> > >> > "In supposing the existence of a permanent reality, or `substance', >> > beneath >> > the shifting series of phenomena, whether of matter or of mind. The >> > substance of the cosmos was `Brahma', that of the individual man >> > `Atman'; >> > and the latter was separated from the former only, if I may so speak, by >> > its >> > phenomenal envelope, by the casing of sensations, thoughts and desires, >> > pleasures and pains, which make up the illusive phantasmagoria of life. >> > This >> > the ignorant, take for reality; their `Atman' therefore remains >> > eternally >> > imprisoned in delusions, bound by the fetters of desire and scourged by >> > the >> > whip of misery. >> > >> > Of what use is this philosophy of the Upanishadas? The philosophy of the >> > Upanishadas meant withdrawal from the struggle for existence by resort >> > to >> > asceticism and a destruction of desire by self-mortification. As a way >> > of >> > life it was condemned by Huxley[f30]  in scathing terms :— >> > >> > "No more thorough mortification of the flesh has ever been attempted >> > than >> > that achieved by the Indian ascetic anchorite; no later monarchism has >> > so >> > nearly succeeded in reducing the human mind to that condition of >> > impassive >> > quasi-somnambulism, which, but for its acknowledged holiness, might run >> > the >> > risk of being confounded with idiocy." >> > >> > But the condemnation of the philosophy of the Upanishads is nothing as >> > compared to the denunciation of the same by Lala Hardyal[f31]  :— >> > >> > "The Upanishads claim to expound `that, by knowing which everything is >> > known >> > '. This quest for ' the absolute ' is the basis of all the spurious >> > metaphysics of India. The treatises are full of absurd conceits, quaint >> > fancies, and chaotic speculations. And we have not learned that they are >> > worthless. We keep moving in the old rut; we edit and re-edit the old >> > books >> > instead of translating the classics of European social thought. What >> > could >> > Europe be if Frederic Harrison, Brieux, Bebel, Anatole France, Herve, >> > Haekel, Giddings, and Marshall should employ their time in composing >> > treatises on Duns, Scotus and Thomas Aquinas, and discussing the merits >> > of >> > the laws of the Pentateuch and the poetry of Beowulf? Indian pundits and >> > graduates seem to suffer from a kind of mania for what is effete and >> > antiquated. Thus an institution, established by progressive men, aims at >> > leading our youths through Sanskrit grammar to the Vadasvia the Six >> > Darshanas! What a false move in the quest for wisdom ! It is as if a >> > caravan >> > should travel across the desert to the shores of the Dead Sea in search >> > of >> > fresh water! Young men of India, look not for wisdom in the musty >> > parchments >> > of your metaphysical treatises. There is nothing but an endless round of >> > verbal jugglary there. Read Rousseau and Voltaire, Plato and Aristotle, >> > Haeckel and Spencer, Marx and Tolstoi, Ruskin and Comte, and other >> > European >> > thinkers, if you wish to understand life and its problems." But >> > denunciations apart, did the Upanishad philosophy have any influence on >> > Hinduism as a social and political system? There is no doubt that it >> > turned >> > out to be most ineffective and inconsequential piece of speculation with >> > no >> > effect on the moral and social order of the Hindus. >> > >> > It may not be out of place to inquire into the reasons for this >> > unfortunate >> > result. One reason is obvious. The philosophy of Upanishad remained >> > incomplete and therefore did not yield the fruit, which it ought to have >> > done. This will be quite clear if one asks what is the keynote of the >> > Upanishads. In the words of Prof. Max Muller[f32]  the keynote of the >> > Upanishads is `Know thy Self". The `Know thy Self of the Upanishads, >> > means, >> > know thy true Self, that which underlies thin ego and find it and know >> > it in >> > the highest, the eternal self, the One without a Second, which underlies >> > the >> > whole world." >> > >> > That Atman and Brahman were one was the truth, the great truth which the >> > Upanishads said they had discovered and they asked man to know this >> > truth. >> > Now the reasons why the philosophy of Upanishads, became ineffective are >> > many. I will discuss them elsewhere. At this place I will mention only >> > one. >> > The philosophers of Upanishads did not realise that to know truth was >> > not >> > enough. One must learn to love truth. The difference between philosophy >> > and >> > religion may be put in two ways. Philosophy is concerned with knowing >> > truth. >> > Religion is concerned with the love of truth. Philosophy is static. >> > Religion >> > is dynamic. These differences are merely two aspects of one and the same >> > thing. Philosophy is static because it is concerned only with knowing >> > truth. >> > Religion is dynamic because it is concerned with love of truth. As has >> > been >> > well said by Max Plowman[f33]  :— >> > >> > ". . . .Unless religion is dynamic and begets in us the emotion of love >> > for >> > something, then it is better to be without any thing that we can call >> > religion; for religion is perception of truth and if our perception of >> > truth >> > is not accompanied by our love for it then it were better not seen at >> > all; >> > The Devil himself is one who has seen the truth only to hate it. >> > Tennyson >> > said "We must love the highest when we see it". It does not follow. Seen >> > in >> > pure objectivity the highest repels by its difference and distance; what >> > we >> > fear it, and what we fear we come to hate. . . . ." >> > >> > This is the fate of all transcendental philosophies. They have no >> > influence >> > on the way of life. As Blake said "Religion is politics and politics is >> > Brotherhood. Philosophy must become Religion that is it must become a >> > Working Ethic. It must not remain mere metaphysics. As Mr. Plowman says— >> > >> > "If religion were a Metaphysic and nothing else, one thing is certain, >> > it >> > would never be the concern of the simple and humble men. >> > >> > "To keep it wholly in the realm of Metaphysic is to make non-sense of >> > it. >> > For belief in religion as in something not directly and vitally >> > effective of >> > politics is ultimately belief that is strictly speaking idiotic; because >> > in >> > the effective sense such a belief makes no difference, and in the world >> > of >> > time and space what 'makes no difference' does not exist." >> > >> > It is for these very reasons that the philosophy of the Upanishads >> > proved so >> > ineffective. >> > >> > It is therefore incontrovertible that notwithstanding the Hindu Code of >> > Ethics, notwithstanding the philosophy of the Upanishads not a little >> > not a >> > jot did abate from the philosophy of Hinduism as propounded by Manu. >> > They >> > were ineffective and powerless to erase the infamy preached by Manu in >> > the >> > name of religion. Notwithstanding their existence one can still say >> > "Hinduism! Thy name is inequality!" >> > >> > ********************************************************************** >> > >> > Inequality is the soul of Hinduism. The morality of Hinduism is only >> > social. >> > It is unmoral and inhuman to say the least. What is unmoral and inhuman >> > easily becomes immoral, inhuman and infamous. This is what Hinduism has >> > become. Those who doubt this or deny this proposition should examine the >> > social composition of the Hindu Society and ponder over the condition of >> > some of the elements in it. Take the following cases. >> > >> > First as to the Primitive Tribes. In what state of civilisation are they >> > ? >> > >> > The history of human civilisation includes the entire period of human >> > progress from Savagery to Barbarism and from Barbarism to Civilisation. >> > The >> > transition from one to other has been marked by some discovery or >> > intention >> > in some department of knowledge of Art resulting in advancing the onward >> > march of man. >> > >> > The development of articulate speech was the first thing which, from the >> > point of view of human progress, divided man from the brute. It marks >> > the >> > first stage of savagery. The Middle period of the state of savagery >> > began >> > with the knowledge of the manufacture and use of fire. This wonderful >> > discovery enabled man to extend his habit almost indefinitely. He could >> > leave his forest home, go to different and colder climates, and increase >> > his >> > food supply by including flesh and fish. The next discovery was the Bow >> > and >> > Arrow. This was the greatest achievement of primitive man and marks the >> > highest state of savage man. It was indeed a wonderful implement. The >> > possessor of this device could bring down the fleetest animal and could >> > defend himself against the most predatory. >> > >> > The transition from Savagery to Barbarism was marked by the discovery of >> > pottery. Hitherto man had no utensils that could withstand the action of >> > fire. Without utensils man could not store nor could he cook. >> > Undoubtedly >> > pottery was a great civilising influence. >> > >> > The Middle State of Barbarism began when man learned to domesticate wild >> > animals. Man learned that captive animals could be of service to him. >> > Man >> > now became a herdsman, no longer dependent for food upon the precarious >> > chase of wild animals. Milk procurable at all seasons made a highly >> > important addition to his dietary. With the aid of horse and camel he >> > traversed wide areas hitherto impassable. The captive animals became >> > aids to >> > commerce, which resulted in the dissemination of commodities as well as >> > of >> > ideas. >> > >> > The next discovery was of the Art of smelting iron. This marks the >> > highest >> > stage of advancement of barbaric man. With this discovery man became a >> > "tool-making animal" who with his tool could fashion wood and stone and >> > build houses and bridges. This marks the close of the advancement made >> > by >> > barbaric man. The dividing line which marks off Barbaric people from >> > Civilised people, in the fullest sense of the word Civilisation, is the >> > art >> > of making ideas tangible by means of graphic signs— which is called the >> > art >> > of writing. With this man conquered time as he had with the earlier >> > inventions conquered space. He could now record his deeds and his >> > thoughts. >> > Henceforth, his knowledge, his poetical dreams, his moral aspirations >> > might >> > be recorded in such form as to be read not merely by his contemporaries >> > but >> > by successive generations of remote posterity. For man his history >> > became >> > safe and secure. This was the steepest assent and the climbing of it >> > marks >> > the beginnings of civilisation. Stopping here for the moment let us ask >> > in >> > what state of civilisation are the Primitive Tribes. >> > >> > The name Primitive Tribes[f34]  is expressive of the present state of >> > people >> > who are called by that name. They live in small-scattered huts in >> > forests. >> > They live on wild fruits, nuts and roots. Fishing and hunting are also >> > resorted to for the purpose of securing food. Agriculture plays a very >> > small >> > part in their social economy. Food supplies being extremely precarious, >> > they >> > lead a life of semi-starvation from which there is no escape. As to >> > clothes >> > they economise them to a vanishing point. They move almost in a state of >> > complete nakedness. There is a tribe, which is known as “Bonda Porajas” >> > which, means "Naked Porajas". Of these people it is said that the women >> > wear >> > a very narrow strip which serves as a petticoat almost identical with >> > what >> > is worn by the Momjak Nagas in Assam, the ends hardly meeting at the top >> > on >> > the left thigh. These petticoats are woven at home out of the fibre of a >> > forest tree. Girls wear a fillet of beads and of palmyra leaf and an >> > enormous quantity of beads and neck ornaments extremely like those worn >> > by >> > many Komjak women. Otherwise the women wear nothing. The women shave >> > their >> > heads entirely. . . . . Of these Chenchus, a tribe residing near >> > Farhabad in >> > the Nizam's Dominions it is said that "their houses are conical, rather >> > slight in structure made of bamboo sloping to the central point and >> > covered >> > with a thin layer of thatch..... They have very little, indeed, in the >> > way >> > of material effects, the scanty clothes they wear, consisting of a >> > langoti >> > and a cloth in the case of men, and a short bodice and a petticoat in >> > the >> > case of women, being practically all, besides a few cooking pots and a >> > basket or two which perhaps sometimes contains grain. They keep cattle >> > and >> > goats and in this particular village do a little cultivation, elsewhere >> > subsisting on honey and forest produce which they sell". Regarding the >> > Morias, another Primitive tribe, it is stated the men generally wear a >> > single cloth round the waist with a slap coming down in the front. They >> > also >> > have a necklace of beads and when they dance put on cock's plumes and >> > peacock's feathers in their turbans. Many girls are profusely tattooed, >> > especially on their faces, and some of them on their legs as well. The >> > type >> > of tattooing is said to be according to the taste of the individual and >> > it >> > is done with thorns and needles. In their hair many of them stick the >> > feathers of jungle cocks and their heads are also adorned with combs of >> > wood >> > and tin and brass. >> > >> > These Primitive Tribes have no hesitation about eating anything, even >> > worms >> > and insects, and, in fact, there is very little meat that they will not >> > eat, >> > whether the animal has died a natural death or has been killed four days >> > or >> > more before by a tiger. >> > >> > The next groups of the people he will come across are the Criminal >> > Tribes. >> > >> > The Criminal Tribes live not in Forests as the Primitive Tribes do but >> > in >> > the plains in close proximity to, and often in the midst of civilised >> > life. >> > Hollis in his "Criminal Tribes of the United Provinces" gives an account >> > of >> > their activities. They live entirely by crime. A few may be ostensibly >> > engaged in agriculture, but this is only to cover up their real >> > activities. >> > Their nefarious practices find largest scope in dacoity or robbery by >> > violence, but being a community organised for crime, nothing comes amiss >> > to >> > them. On deciding to commit a dacoity in any particular locality spies >> > are >> > sent out to select a suitable victim, study the general habits of the >> > villagers, and the distance from any effective aid, and enumerate the >> > number >> > of men and firearms. The raid usually takes place at midnight. Acting on >> > the >> > information given by the spies, men are posted at various points in the >> > village and by firing off their guns attract attention from the main >> > gang >> > which attacks the particular house or houses previously appointed. The >> > gang >> > usually consists of 30 to 40 men. >> > >> > It is essential to emphasis the great part played by crime in the >> > general >> > life of these peoples. A boy is initiated into crime as soon as he is >> > able >> > to walk and talk. No doubt the motive is practical, to a great extent, >> > in so >> > far as it is always better to risk a child in petty theft, who, if he is >> > caught, would probably be cuffed, while an adult would immediately be >> > arrested. An important part is also played by women, who, although they >> > do >> > not participate in the actual raids, have many heavy responsibilities. >> > Besides being clever in disposing off stolen property the women of the >> > Criminal Tribes are experts in shop lifting. >> > >> > At one time the Criminal Tribes included such well-organised >> > Confederacies >> > of Professional Criminals as the Pindharies and the Thugs. >> > >> > The Pindharies were a predatory body of armed gangsters. Their >> > organisation >> > was an open military organisation of freebooters who could muster 20000 >> > fine >> > horse and even more. They were under the command of brigand chiefs. >> > Chitu >> > one of the most powerful commanders had under his single command 10000 >> > horse, including 5000 good cavalry, besides infantry and guns. The >> > Pindharies had no military projects for employing their loose bands of >> > irregular soldiery, which developed into bodies of professional >> > plunderers. >> > The Pindharies aimed at no conquests. Their object was to secure booty >> > and >> > cash for themselves. General loot and rapine was their occupation. They >> > recognised no rulers. They were subjects of none. They rendered loyalty >> > to >> > none. They respected none, and plundered all, high and low, rich and >> > poor, >> > without fear or compunction. >> > >> > The Thugs[f35]  were a well organised body of professional assassins, >> > who, >> > in gangs of from 10 to 100 wandered in various guises throughout India, >> > worked themselves into the confidence of wayfarers of the wealthier >> > class, >> > and, when a favourable opportunity occurred, strangled them by throwing >> > a >> > handkerchief or noose round their necks, and then plundered and buried >> > them. >> > All this was done according to certain ancient and rigidly prescribed >> > forms >> > and after the performance of special religious rites, in which was the >> > consecration of the package, and the sacrifice of sugar. They were >> > staunch >> > worshippers of Kali, the Hindu Goddess of destruction. Assassination for >> > gain was with them a religious duty, and was considered a holy and >> > honourable profession. They had, in fact, no idea of doing wrong, and >> > their >> > moral feelings did not come into play. The will of the Goddess, by whose >> > command and in whose honour they followed there calling, was revealed to >> > them through a very complicated system of omens. >> > >> > In obedience to these they often travelled even the distance of hundred >> > miles in company with, or in the wake of, their intended victims before >> > a >> > safe opportunity had presented itself for executing their design; and >> > when >> > the deed was done, rites were performed in honour of that tutelary >> > deity, >> > and a goodly portion of the spoil was set apart for her. The Thugs had >> > also >> > a jargon of their own, as well as certain signs by which its members >> > recognised each other in the remotest part of India. Even those who from >> > age >> > or infirmities could no longer take an active part in the operations >> > used to >> > aid the cause as watchmen, spies or dressers of food. It was owing to >> > their >> > thorough organisation, the secrecy and security with which they went to >> > work, but chiefly to the religious garb in which they shrouded their >> > murders, that they could continue for centuries to practise their craft. >> > The >> > extraordinary fact was that Thugee was regarded as a regular profession >> > by >> > Indian Rulers of the day, both Hindu and Mahomedans. The Thugs paid >> > taxes to >> > the state and the state left them unmolested. >> > >> > It was not until the British became rulers of the country that an >> > attempt >> > was made to suppress the Thugs. By 1835, 382 Thugs were hanged and 986 >> > were >> > transported or imprisoned for life. Even as late as 1879 the number of >> > registered Thugs was 344 and the Thugee and the Dacoity department of >> > the >> > Government of India continued to exist until 1904 when its place was >> > taken >> > by the Central Criminal Intelligence Department. While it is not >> > possible >> > for the criminal tribes to live by organized bodies of criminals, crime >> > continues to be their main occupation. >> > >> > Besides these two classes there is a third class which comprises a body >> > of >> > people who are known as Untouchables. >> > >> > Below the Untouchables there are others who are known as unapproachable. >> > Untouchables are those who cause pollution only if they touch. The >> > Unapproachable are those who cause pollution if they come within a >> > certain >> > distance. It is said of the Nayadis—a people, who fall into the category >> > of >> > the Unapproachable, "that they are the lowest caste among the Hindus—the >> > dog-eaters. >> > >> > They are the most persistent in their clamour for charity, and will >> > follow >> > at a respectful distance, for miles together any person walking, driving >> > or >> > boating. If any thing is given to them, it must be laid down, and after >> > the >> > person offering it has proceeded a sufficient distance, the recipient >> > comes >> > timidly forward, and removes it. "Of the same people Mr. Thurston says, >> > "The >> > subject (i.e. the Nayadis) whom I examined and measured at Shoranus, >> > though >> > living only about three miles off, had, by reason of the pollution which >> > they traditionally carry with them to avoid walking over the long bridge >> > which spans the river, and follow a circuitous route of many miles". >> > Below >> > the Unapproachable are the Unseeables. In the Tinnevelley District of >> > the >> > Madras Presidency there is a class of unseeables called Purada Vannans. >> > Of >> > them it is said, "that they are not allowed to come out during day time >> > because their sight is enough to cause pollution. These unfortunate >> > people >> > are `compelled' to follow the nocturnal habits, leaving their dens after >> > dark and scuttling home at the false dawn like the badger, the hyena, >> > the >> > avordvark." >> > >> > Consider the total population of these classes. The Primitive Tribes >> > form a >> > total of 25 million souls. The Criminal Tribes number 41/2 millions and >> > the >> > Untouchables number 50 millions. This makes a grand total of 791/2 >> > millions. >> > Now ask how these people could have remained in the state of moral, >> > material, social and spiritual degradation surrounded as they have been >> > by >> > Hinduism. Hindus say that their civilisation is older than any >> > civilisation, >> > that Hinduism as a religion is superior to any other religion. If this >> > is so >> > how is that Hinduism failed to elevate these people, bring them >> > enlightenment and hope; how is it that it failed even to reclaim them ; >> > how >> > is it that it stood with folded hands when millions and millions were >> > taking >> > to life to shame and crime? What is the answer to this? The only answer >> > is >> > that Hinduism is overwhelmed with the fear of pollution. It has not got >> > the >> > power to purify. It has not the impulse to serve and that is because by >> > its >> > very nature it is inhuman and unmoral. It is a misnomer to call it >> > religion. >> > Its philosophy is opposed to very thing for which religion stands. >> > >> > ENDS >> > >> > On Sat, Apr 17, 2010 at 12:43 PM, Pawan Durani >> > wrote: >> >> >> >> What happened to our teachings in Upanishads  where it is written >> >> Matru devo bhava, Pitru devo bhava, Acharya devo bhava, Atithi devo >> >> bhava". Means One should worship Mother, Father, Teacher and Guests as >> >> God. ...What happened to our "Atithi Devo Bhavah". This act is a >> >> National Shame. >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> http://www.hindustantimes.com/Japanese-tourist-gangraped-in-Bodh-Gaya/H1-Article1-532395.aspx >> >> >> >> A 25-year-old Japanese tourist was gangraped by five unidentified men >> >> at Bodh Gaya in Bihar, police said on Saturday. >> >> >> >> The five pulled the woman out of an auto-rickshaw, carried her to the >> >> Gaya railway station before committing the crime at an isolated place >> >> on Friday night, Superintendent of Police, Sushil Khopade said. >> >> >> >> The victim lodged an FIR with the Amawa police station this morning, he >> >> said. >> >> >> >> The Japanese woman is a resident of Itabolutachi in Tokyo and is >> >> currently on a tour of various Buddhist pilgrim towns in India. >> >> Two persons have been detained for interrogation, Khopade said, adding >> >> that raids are on in the area to arrest the criminals. >> >> _________________________________________ >> >> 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 kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Sat Apr 17 17:33:06 2010 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Sat, 17 Apr 2010 05:03:06 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR In-Reply-To: <001e01cade18$d716af90$85440eb0$@in> Message-ID: <495311.94379.qm@web57206.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Dear Bipin   I am glad that you think that some of the points I put forward are meaningful.   Dont worry about the likes of Arundhati Roy. Treat her as being a part of the wall.   I am surprised you call her a 'rationalist'. She is a romantic fool. She gets some coverage in Media and impacts the thinking of some minds only because 'rebellion' is a tasteful flavour for some people and also feeds sensationalism. When asked to contribute meaningfully (mediating) towards finding solutions for the problems she vents about, she shies away.    Arundhati Roy is  parasite who thrives on situations of misery. That is her bread and butter. If I did not find her shallow in her understanding and presentations, I would have called it her 'intellectual' bread and butter.    We have to look for such ways, means and attitudes to carefully handle problems like the Maoism/Naxalism that will lead to the "walls" self-destructing and crumbling. That alone will render the likes of Arundhati Roy as inconsequential.   What you and I seems to continue to disagee on is on my opinion that "hard action" alone, by itself, will not address the 'root causes' and will therefore not eradicate Maoism/Naxalism.   Kshmendra --- On Sat, 4/17/10, Bipin Trivedi wrote: From: Bipin Trivedi Subject: RE: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR To: "'Kshmendra Kaul'" Cc: "sarai-list" Date: Saturday, April 17, 2010, 3:59 PM Dear Kshmendra,   You are right. It is respected state govt. negligence since years that allowed to “build” wall and vote-bank politics made this wall thicker and thicker and so we are suffering the sins. Just like negligence by WB govt. allowing infiltrations of Bangladeshis to increase their vote bank in the name of minor appeasement and their sins are suffering whole India, since Bangladeshis spread almost all over India.   Whatever, happened in the past, but it is time to rectify mistakes and govt. making/wants to make some sincere efforts but few rationalists like Aundhati Roy and few vote seeker politicians comes in between. Even maoist made this as their business now and don’t want to come out by conversation, so they even did not allow infrastructure in their area or destroys if made. So, it is time for govt. to take some hard action though it is painful step.   Thanks Bipin     From: Kshmendra Kaul [mailto:kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com] Sent: Saturday, April 17, 2010 2:51 PM To: sarai-list; Bipin Trivedi Subject: Re: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR   Dear Bipin   You wrote : "Naxal/maoist army cadre has built a wall like (may be not physical wall in some areas) periphery and cornered that area where army or even police cannot go there easily, so to built all above infrastructure and provide facilities to their local people is remote possibilities."   I agree. That is an appropiate description of the situation.   What needs thinking is:   1. Did this "wall" exist when India becamje independent in 1947? No, it did not. So what was it that allowed the Maoists/Naxals to build that "wall"? Who ceded that space to them? Who allowed their violent-extremist ideology to be propagated? Why were people attracted to it? Why did it become an 'alternative' for people to adopt instead of subscribing to the Constitution of India?       This is not a matter of the last 5 or 10 or 15 or 20 years, but a culmination of indifferent and/or corrupted governance since 1947.   2. If you think the above is a resonable argument then please consider that breaking down or bulldozing that "wall" might by itself alone not be a solution. If the "root causes" are not addressed then it will be only a matter of time that another "wall" comes up, and another, and another.   3. Wouldnt you agree that what needs to be done is to ensure that no one lays the foundations for more such "walls"?       Wouldnt you agree that the route for that is to make available competent governance, opportunities and an environment of justice?   4. Yes that will be an arduous task since the "walls" are strong but that is an impediment of our own making since we allowed the "walls" to come up in the first place through neglect and we have to suffer that disadvantage. It is a punishment for our own sins.   Kshmendra       --- On Sat, 4/17/10, Bipin Trivedi wrote: From: Bipin Trivedi Subject: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR To: "sarai-list" Date: Saturday, April 17, 2010, 12:30 PM I believe that it is wrong to say that Naxal or Maoist are trying to protect right of poor/tribal. As in case of terrorist or supporter of terrorist (sleeper or active cell) are misguided by some terrorists group/wasted interest, same way naxal/maoist are acting with misguidance. Many argues that we should built infrastructure like school, hospitals, roads, industries and other amenities in naxal affected districts to provide essential amenities and employment. But, actual situation in all such district is very strange and different. Naxal/maoist army cadre has built a wall like (may be not physical wall in some areas) periphery and cornered that area where army or even police cannot go there easily, so to built all above infrastructure and provide facilities to their local people is remote possibilities. In the case, how can there up-liftment is possible? Is anyone who favors them have thought this much extremities adopted by naxals/maoist. Government did tried to solve by conversation and requested to allow govt. machinery for developing infrastructure, but they boldly denied. If we want to make some infrastructural work to provide facilities to people their then one has to remove such boundary and freed the area even with the help of army then also. In the news and media air attack news was published. This is also myth, there was no plan for air attack, but with the help air-force, aerial surveillance or map view is necessary, so that army or police can go ahead to capture that area and freed from maoist. Also, please note that most of the poor/tribal are not supporting them by heart but they support forcefully with gun on their head. So, looking to above reason it seems that they made business to create terror and playing in the hand of some wasted interest may be from outside India. So, it is necessary to freed such naxal affected area from their terror by any means. So if anyone says that naxal/maoist helping local people or tribal is baseless. Thanks Bipin _________________________________________ 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 aliens at dataone.in Sat Apr 17 17:37:19 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Sat, 17 Apr 2010 17:37:19 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR In-Reply-To: <6F550FA0-EF07-4F5E-9CFA-DD741F843ECC@sarai.net> References: <000601caddfb$cf416660$6dc43320$@in> <458799.31425.qm@web57205.mail.re3.yahoo.com> <001e01cade18$d716af90$85440eb0$@in> <6F550FA0-EF07-4F5E-9CFA-DD741F843ECC@sarai.net> Message-ID: <000001cade26$8941e100$9bc5a300$@in> Dear Shuddha, You are describing the painful paper wall made by the system/govt. with pain and we read your pretty long mail with patience and pain. But, I am talking about the physical/virtual wall made by maoist in their area today which comes in between their development. If they want to stick with their walls, boundaries and do not want to come out from their fence, tradition. They wants MOU's to be cancelled than in that case people like Human right activists, NGO's, Arundhati Roy, vote seeker politician must stop cry out for their backwardness or up-liftment, since that's their willing situation to remain as it is. They should leftover in the forest for roaming and eating forests resources as per their choice. They should be kept out of all surveys like education, malnutrition, BPL list and all relevant HDI parameters. Thanks Bipin From: Shuddhabrata Sengupta [mailto:shuddha at sarai.net] Sent: Saturday, April 17, 2010 4:09 PM To: Bipin Trivedi Cc: 'Kshmendra Kaul'; sarai-list Subject: Re: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR Dear All, A wall was certainly built. It was a wall built out of the paper of Forestry Acts and Memoranda of Understanding with Mining Companies. They paved the way for many other kinds of walls. These paper walls, much more powerful than any wall of bricks or mortar, made people homeless in their own space. It was written on the paper walls that the dweller in the forest was an intruder. One day, she picked up firewood from the ground, the next day she did the same, one day she was a forager, the next day she was a thief. The words on the walls separated those two days from each other. Then came the sentries, and the high priests of the words that were written on the paper walls. Forest guards came, then paramilitaries came, then came police and armed thugs to protect the paper wall. To man the watchtowers. To tell the forest dwellers that they must stay outside the wall, for their own good. Then came the TV channels and the patriots and the NGOs and the experts. They all admired the wall. No one said the wall needed to come down. Some tried to improve the handwriting on the paper. Some argued about the font size and italicization. Others said the papers needed to be copied and distributed. The inhabitants of the forest looked around for a method to rebuild their homes that had been broken by the words on the paper walls. Some of them tried to fight words with words. Some petitioned. Some of them tried to lay seige to the consciences of others. None of this worked. Some words were heard, understood, others were dismissed, not listened to. The paper wall grew stronger, deeper, thicker. Their words grew louder. The forest spoke. The forest sang. The forest warned. The forest cried. The forest whispered. The forest screamed. But the wall did not listen. And those who built the wall laughed out loud, thinking that paper was cement. That ink was stone. That their word was law. This meant that they (the people of the forest) had to take down some of the watchtowers. This meant that when words failed, they found their way to guns. It seemed that when the guns spoke, the people manning the watchtowers listened. And so, when the guns came to them, the forest dwellers did not say no to the guns. They no longer had the words with which they could afford to say 'no, we do not need the guns'. Perhaps, if those who had built the wall, had listened, the guns that came to the people in the forest would have found no use. If you hold a gun, you stand in the line of fire. No one wants to be in the line of fire for no good reason. Right now.The wall needs to be taken down for any conversation to begin again. Tear the paper that carries the MoUs, and maybe there can be some talking. So take the wall down. And the guns may fall silent. Words may begin again. Or try and keep the wall, and invite the war to spread its cloak of silence. You don't need more development in the forests, perhaps you need less. At least less of the kind that is written up in the MoUs. If the war crosses the forest and comes to the fields, if the war comes to the cities, it will be because the paper walls multiplied. Then those who wrote the words that made the paper walls rise will answer for the war. After all, they did not have to build the paper walls in the first place. They could have chosen to listen, when there was still time to listen. They might then say that they were sorry, but people may have forgotten the meaning of forgiveness by then. Guns have a way of making people forget how to speak and to listen. If the words you write on the paper walls you build bring guns into the conversation, then many other words will eventually die. Try and listen for a change. Don't always think that your word is law.There may still be time. best Shuddha On 17-Apr-10, at 3:59 PM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: Dear Kshmendra, You are right. It is respected state govt. negligence since years that allowed to "build" wall and vote-bank politics made this wall thicker and thicker and so we are suffering the sins. Just like negligence by WB govt. allowing infiltrations of Bangladeshis to increase their vote bank in the name of minor appeasement and their sins are suffering whole India, since Bangladeshis spread almost all over India. Whatever, happened in the past, but it is time to rectify mistakes and govt. making/wants to make some sincere efforts but few rationalists like Aundhati Roy and few vote seeker politicians comes in between. Even maoist made this as their business now and don't want to come out by conversation, so they even did not allow infrastructure in their area or destroys if made. So, it is time for govt. to take some hard action though it is painful step. Thanks Bipin From: Kshmendra Kaul [mailto:kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com] Sent: Saturday, April 17, 2010 2:51 PM To: sarai-list; Bipin Trivedi Subject: Re: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR Dear Bipin You wrote : "Naxal/maoist army cadre has built a wall like (may be not physical wall in some areas) periphery and cornered that area where army or even police cannot go there easily, so to built all above infrastructure and provide facilities to their local people is remote possibilities." I agree. That is an appropiate description of the situation. What needs thinking is: 1. Did this "wall" exist when India becamje independent in 1947? No, it did not. So what was it that allowed the Maoists/Naxals to build that "wall"? Who ceded that space to them? Who allowed their violent-extremist ideology to be propagated? Why were people attracted to it? Why did it become an 'alternative' for people to adopt instead of subscribing to the Constitution of India? This is not a matter of the last 5 or 10 or 15 or 20 years, but a culmination of indifferent and/or corrupted governance since 1947. 2. If you think the above is a resonable argument then please consider that breaking down or bulldozing that "wall" might by itself alone not be a solution. If the "root causes" are not addressed then it will be only a matter of time that another "wall" comes up, and another, and another. 3. Wouldnt you agree that what needs to be done is to ensure that no one lays the foundations for more such "walls"? Wouldnt you agree that the route for that is to make available competent governance, opportunities and an environment of justice? 4. Yes that will be an arduous task since the "walls" are strong but that is an impediment of our own making since we allowed the "walls" to come up in the first place through neglect and we have to suffer that disadvantage. It is a punishment for our own sins. Kshmendra --- On Sat, 4/17/10, Bipin Trivedi wrote: From: Bipin Trivedi Subject: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR To: "sarai-list" Date: Saturday, April 17, 2010, 12:30 PM I believe that it is wrong to say that Naxal or Maoist are trying to protect right of poor/tribal. As in case of terrorist or supporter of terrorist (sleeper or active cell) are misguided by some terrorists group/wasted interest, same way naxal/maoist are acting with misguidance. Many argues that we should built infrastructure like school, hospitals, roads, industries and other amenities in naxal affected districts to provide essential amenities and employment. But, actual situation in all such district is very strange and different. Naxal/maoist army cadre has built a wall like (may be not physical wall in some areas) periphery and cornered that area where army or even police cannot go there easily, so to built all above infrastructure and provide facilities to their local people is remote possibilities. In the case, how can there up-liftment is possible? Is anyone who favors them have thought this much extremities adopted by naxals/maoist. Government did tried to solve by conversation and requested to allow govt. machinery for developing infrastructure, but they boldly denied. If we want to make some infrastructural work to provide facilities to people their then one has to remove such boundary and freed the area even with the help of army then also. In the news and media air attack news was published. This is also myth, there was no plan for air attack, but with the help air-force, aerial surveillance or map view is necessary, so that army or police can go ahead to capture that area and freed from maoist. Also, please note that most of the poor/tribal are not supporting them by heart but they support forcefully with gun on their head. So, looking to above reason it seems that they made business to create terror and playing in the hand of some wasted interest may be from outside India. So, it is necessary to freed such naxal affected area from their terror by any means. So if anyone says that naxal/maoist helping local people or tribal is baseless. Thanks Bipin _________________________________________ 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/> Shuddhabrata Sengupta The Sarai Programme at CSDS Raqs Media Collective shuddha at sarai.net www.sarai.net www.raqsmediacollective.net From aliens at dataone.in Sat Apr 17 17:56:46 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Sat, 17 Apr 2010 17:56:46 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] National Shame In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <001401cade29$3f809fe0$be81dfa0$@in> Yes Pwan "Atithi Devo Bhava" means guests should be treated angel like and must be honored and welcome. No Upanishad requires to understand this and it is matter of common sense. -----Original Message----- From: reader-list-bounces at sarai.net [mailto:reader-list-bounces at sarai.net] On Behalf Of Pawan Durani Sent: Saturday, April 17, 2010 5:24 PM To: reader-list Subject: Re: [Reader-list] National Shame And I thought I had shared a news about a tourist being raped in India. The pathetic insensitivity shown and ending up in Hindu bashing again is simply deplorable. I used a slogan which is also the official slogan of Govt Of India in "Incredible India" campaign ,to highlight an alleged rape of a tourist. But then , world consists of strange unwanted things as well.....like the mail below Regards pawan From shuddha at sarai.net Sat Apr 17 17:33:49 2010 From: shuddha at sarai.net (Shuddhabrata Sengupta) Date: Sat, 17 Apr 2010 17:33:49 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR In-Reply-To: References: <000601caddfb$cf416660$6dc43320$@in> <458799.31425.qm@web57205.mail.re3.yahoo.com> <001e01cade18$d716af90$85440eb0$@in> <6F550FA0-EF07-4F5E-9CFA-DD741F843ECC@sarai.net> <01A19B86-D4FF-4676-8550-A4A2278D9D43@sarai.net> Message-ID: Pawan, The law of the land says that the forest dwellers are intruders in the forest who should be moved by force. The law of the land states that the commons of the forests are commodities that can be sold by their propreiter, the state to the highest or to the lowest bidder. When MoUs between the state and the mining corporations are signed, they become the law of the land, and these laws of the land insist that any efforts to resist the rape of the forests by mining interests be met with 'legal' violence. The law of the land is designed to protect the interests of capital. The 'law of the land' in a class society, inevitably reflects the interest of the classes that rule. In this case, the interests of the classes that rule will spell the end of the forests, and of ways of life that do not want to be made the objects of Capitalist development. My hope is that the 'law of the land' is made not to prevail. So that Dandakaranya does not become the hell that is, say, Bellary. On 17-Apr-10, at 5:30 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > I completely agree that there has to be development , education , job > opportunities for the neglected lot and there is no doubt that they > have been neglected. > > Not only these people , the whole of North east to a great extent till > some time was never thought to be important as if it did not exist for > India. Even today a procession in Kashmir makes it to headlines of > India while as many killings in NE doesnt make it to inside page of a > newspaper. > > But that does not take away the thought that law of land should not > prevail. > > Regards > > Pawan > > > > On Sat, Apr 17, 2010 at 4:23 PM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta > wrote: >> Do the roads and the schools justify the violence of the memoranda of >> (mis)understanding ? >> How many apologies for schools does it take to justify the >> presence of a >> CRPF battalion stationed to protect the interests of a mining >> company in a >> forest that should not be laid waste to the lust of Capital? >> best, >> Shuddha >> >> On 17-Apr-10, at 4:20 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: >> >> Does this still justify the violence of Naxalites. Havent the >> Naxalites been objecting to roads ...schools....etc ? >> On Sat, Apr 17, 2010 at 4:08 PM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta >> wrote: >> >> Dear All, >> A wall was certainly built. It was a wall built out of the paper of >> Forestry Acts and Memoranda of Understanding with Mining Companies. >> They paved the way for many other kinds of walls. These paper walls, >> much more powerful than any wall of bricks or mortar, made people >> homeless in their own space. It was written on the paper walls that >> the dweller in the forest was an intruder. One day, she picked up >> firewood from the ground, the next day she did the same, one day she >> was a forager, the next day she was a thief. The words on the walls >> separated those two days from each other. >> Then came the sentries, and the high priests of the words that were >> written on the paper walls. Forest guards came, then paramilitaries >> came, then came police and armed thugs to protect the paper wall. To >> man the watchtowers. To tell the forest dwellers that they must stay >> outside the wall, for their own good. Then came the TV channels and >> the patriots and the NGOs and the experts. They all admired the wall. >> No one said the wall needed to come down. Some tried to improve the >> handwriting on the paper. Some argued about the font size and >> italicization. Others said the papers needed to be copied and >> distributed. >> The inhabitants of the forest looked around for a method to rebuild >> their homes that had been broken by the words on the paper walls. >> Some of them tried to fight words with words. Some petitioned. Some >> of them tried to lay seige to the consciences of others. None of this >> worked. Some words were heard, understood, others were dismissed, not >> listened to. >> The paper wall grew stronger, deeper, thicker. Their words grew >> louder. The forest spoke. The forest sang. The forest warned. The >> forest cried. The forest whispered. The forest screamed. But the wall >> did not listen. And those who built the wall laughed out loud, >> thinking that paper was cement. That ink was stone. That their word >> was law. >> This meant that they (the people of the forest) had to take down some >> of the watchtowers. This meant that when words failed, they found >> their way to guns. It seemed that when the guns spoke, the people >> manning the watchtowers listened. And so, when the guns came to them, >> the forest dwellers did not say no to the guns. They no longer had >> the words with which they could afford to say 'no, we do not need the >> guns'. Perhaps, if those who had built the wall, had listened, the >> guns that came to the people in the forest would have found no use. >> If you hold a gun, you stand in the line of fire. No one wants to be >> in the line of fire for no good reason. Right now.The wall needs to >> be taken down for any conversation to begin again. >> Tear the paper that carries the MoUs, and maybe there can be some >> talking. So take the wall down. And the guns may fall silent. Words >> may begin again. Or try and keep the wall, and invite the war to >> spread its cloak of silence. You don't need more development in the >> forests, perhaps you need less. At least less of the kind that is >> written up in the MoUs. >> If the war crosses the forest and comes to the fields, if the war >> comes to the cities, it will be because the paper walls multiplied. >> Then those who wrote the words that made the paper walls rise will >> answer for the war. After all, they did not have to build the paper >> walls in the first place. They could have chosen to listen, when >> there was still time to listen. They might then say that they were >> sorry, but people may have forgotten the meaning of forgiveness by >> then. Guns have a way of making people forget how to speak and to >> listen. If the words you write on the paper walls you build bring >> guns into the conversation, then many other words will eventually >> die. >> Try and listen for a change. Don't always think that your word is >> law.There may still be time. >> best >> Shuddha >> On 17-Apr-10, at 3:59 PM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: >> >> Dear Kshmendra, >> >> >> You are right. It is respected state govt. negligence since years >> that >> allowed to "build" wall and vote-bank politics made this wall >> thicker and >> thicker and so we are suffering the sins. Just like negligence by >> WB govt. >> allowing infiltrations of Bangladeshis to increase their vote bank >> in the >> name of minor appeasement and their sins are suffering whole India, >> since >> Bangladeshis spread almost all over India. >> >> >> Whatever, happened in the past, but it is time to rectify mistakes >> and govt. >> making/wants to make some sincere efforts but few rationalists like >> Aundhati >> Roy and few vote seeker politicians comes in between. Even maoist >> made this >> as their business now and don't want to come out by conversation, >> so they >> even did not allow infrastructure in their area or destroys if >> made. So, it >> is time for govt. to take some hard action though it is painful step. >> >> >> Thanks >> Bipin >> >> >> >> >> From: Kshmendra Kaul [mailto:kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com] >> Sent: Saturday, April 17, 2010 2:51 PM >> To: sarai-list; Bipin Trivedi >> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR >> >> >> >> Dear Bipin >> >> >> You wrote : "Naxal/maoist army cadre has built a wall like (may be >> not >> physical wall in some areas) periphery and cornered that area where >> army or >> even police cannot go there easily, so to built all above >> infrastructure and >> provide facilities to their local people is remote >> possibilities." >> >> >> I agree. That is an appropiate description of the situation. >> >> >> What needs thinking is: >> >> >> 1. Did this "wall" exist when India becamje independent in 1947? >> No, it did >> not. So what was it that allowed the Maoists/Naxals to build that >> "wall"? >> Who ceded that space to them? Who allowed their violent-extremist >> ideology >> to be propagated? Why were people attracted to it? Why did it >> become an >> 'alternative' for people to adopt instead of subscribing to the >> Constitution >> of India? >> >> >> This is not a matter of the last 5 or 10 or 15 or 20 years, but a >> culmination of indifferent and/or corrupted governance since 1947. >> >> >> 2. If you think the above is a resonable argument then please >> consider that >> breaking down or bulldozing that "wall" might by itself alone not >> be a >> solution. If the "root causes" are not addressed then it will be >> only a >> matter of time that another "wall" comes up, and another, and >> another. >> >> >> 3. Wouldnt you agree that what needs to be done is to ensure that >> no one >> lays the foundations for more such "walls"? >> >> >> Wouldnt you agree that the route for that is to make available >> competent >> governance, opportunities and an environment of justice? >> >> >> 4. Yes that will be an arduous task since the "walls" are strong >> but that is >> an impediment of our own making since we allowed the "walls" to >> come up in >> the first place through neglect and we have to suffer that >> disadvantage. It >> is a punishment for our own sins. >> >> >> Kshmendra >> >> >> --- On Sat, 4/17/10, Bipin Trivedi wrote: >> >> From: Bipin Trivedi >> Subject: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR >> To: "sarai-list" >> Date: Saturday, April 17, 2010, 12:30 PM >> I believe that it is wrong to say that Naxal or Maoist are trying >> to protect >> right of poor/tribal. As in case of terrorist or supporter of >> terrorist >> (sleeper or active cell) are misguided by some terrorists group/ >> wasted >> interest, same way naxal/maoist are acting with misguidance. >> Many argues that we should built infrastructure like school, >> hospitals, >> roads, industries and other amenities in naxal affected districts >> to provide >> essential amenities and employment. But, actual situation in all such >> district is very strange and different. Naxal/maoist army cadre has >> built a >> wall like (may be not physical wall in some areas) periphery and >> cornered >> that area where army or even police cannot go there easily, so to >> built all >> above infrastructure and provide facilities to their local people >> is remote >> possibilities. In the case, how can there up-liftment is possible? >> Is anyone >> who favors them have thought this much extremities adopted by >> naxals/maoist. >> Government did tried to solve by conversation and requested to >> allow govt. >> machinery for developing infrastructure, but they boldly denied. If >> we want >> to make some infrastructural work to provide facilities to people >> their then >> one has to remove such boundary and freed the area even with the >> help of >> army then also. >> In the news and media air attack news was published. This is also >> myth, >> there was no plan for air attack, but with the help air-force, aerial >> surveillance or map view is necessary, so that army or police can >> go ahead >> to capture that area and freed from maoist. Also, please note that >> most of >> the poor/tribal are not supporting them by heart but they support >> forcefully >> with gun on their head. >> So, looking to above reason it seems that they made business to >> create >> terror and playing in the hand of some wasted interest may be from >> outside >> India. So, it is necessary to freed such naxal affected area from >> their >> terror by any means. So if anyone says that naxal/maoist helping >> local >> people or tribal is baseless. >> Thanks >> Bipin >> >> >> _________________________________________ >> 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 >> > 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/> >> >> Shuddhabrata Sengupta >> The Sarai Programme at CSDS >> Raqs Media Collective >> shuddha at sarai.net >> www.sarai.net >> www.raqsmediacollective.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/> >> >> _________________________________________ >> 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/> >> >> Shuddhabrata Sengupta >> The Sarai Programme at CSDS >> Raqs Media Collective >> shuddha at sarai.net >> www.sarai.net >> www.raqsmediacollective.net >> >> Shuddhabrata Sengupta The Sarai Programme at CSDS Raqs Media Collective shuddha at sarai.net www.sarai.net www.raqsmediacollective.net From aliens at dataone.in Sat Apr 17 18:06:37 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Sat, 17 Apr 2010 18:06:37 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR In-Reply-To: <495311.94379.qm@web57206.mail.re3.yahoo.com> References: <001e01cade18$d716af90$85440eb0$@in> <495311.94379.qm@web57206.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <001b01cade2a$9f7ef210$de7cd630$@in> Rationalist Arundhati Roy in the sense for this maoist topic only, else it is different story altogether. My mail will come to open up her shortly for maoist topic. From: Kshmendra Kaul [mailto:kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com] Sent: Saturday, April 17, 2010 5:33 PM To: Bipin Trivedi Cc: sarai-list Subject: RE: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR Dear Bipin I am glad that you think that some of the points I put forward are meaningful. Dont worry about the likes of Arundhati Roy. Treat her as being a part of the wall. I am surprised you call her a 'rationalist'. She is a romantic fool. She gets some coverage in Media and impacts the thinking of some minds only because 'rebellion' is a tasteful flavour for some people and also feeds sensationalism. When asked to contribute meaningfully (mediating) towards finding solutions for the problems she vents about, she shies away. Arundhati Roy is parasite who thrives on situations of misery. That is her bread and butter. If I did not find her shallow in her understanding and presentations, I would have called it her 'intellectual' bread and butter. We have to look for such ways, means and attitudes to carefully handle problems like the Maoism/Naxalism that will lead to the "walls" self-destructing and crumbling. That alone will render the likes of Arundhati Roy as inconsequential. What you and I seems to continue to disagee on is on my opinion that "hard action" alone, by itself, will not address the 'root causes' and will therefore not eradicate Maoism/Naxalism. Kshmendra --- On Sat, 4/17/10, Bipin Trivedi wrote: From: Bipin Trivedi Subject: RE: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR To: "'Kshmendra Kaul'" Cc: "sarai-list" Date: Saturday, April 17, 2010, 3:59 PM Dear Kshmendra, You are right. It is respected state govt. negligence since years that allowed to “build” wall and vote-bank politics made this wall thicker and thicker and so we are suffering the sins. Just like negligence by WB govt. allowing infiltrations of Bangladeshis to increase their vote bank in the name of minor appeasement and their sins are suffering whole India, since Bangladeshis spread almost all over India. Whatever, happened in the past, but it is time to rectify mistakes and govt. making/wants to make some sincere efforts but few rationalists like Aundhati Roy and few vote seeker politicians comes in between. Even maoist made this as their business now and don’t want to come out by conversation, so they even did not allow infrastructure in their area or destroys if made. So, it is time for govt. to take some hard action though it is painful step. Thanks Bipin From: Kshmendra Kaul [mailto:kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com] Sent: Saturday, April 17, 2010 2:51 PM To: sarai-list; Bipin Trivedi Subject: Re: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR Dear Bipin You wrote : "Naxal/maoist army cadre has built a wall like (may be not physical wall in some areas) periphery and cornered that area where army or even police cannot go there easily, so to built all above infrastructure and provide facilities to their local people is remote possibilities." I agree. That is an appropiate description of the situation. What needs thinking is: 1. Did this "wall" exist when India becamje independent in 1947? No, it did not. So what was it that allowed the Maoists/Naxals to build that "wall"? Who ceded that space to them? Who allowed their violent-extremist ideology to be propagated? Why were people attracted to it? Why did it become an 'alternative' for people to adopt instead of subscribing to the Constitution of India? This is not a matter of the last 5 or 10 or 15 or 20 years, but a culmination of indifferent and/or corrupted governance since 1947. 2. If you think the above is a resonable argument then please consider that breaking down or bulldozing that "wall" might by itself alone not be a solution. If the "root causes" are not addressed then it will be only a matter of time that another "wall" comes up, and another, and another. 3. Wouldnt you agree that what needs to be done is to ensure that no one lays the foundations for more such "walls"? Wouldnt you agree that the route for that is to make available competent governance, opportunities and an environment of justice? 4. Yes that will be an arduous task since the "walls" are strong but that is an impediment of our own making since we allowed the "walls" to come up in the first place through neglect and we have to suffer that disadvantage. It is a punishment for our own sins. Kshmendra --- On Sat, 4/17/10, Bipin Trivedi wrote: From: Bipin Trivedi Subject: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR To: "sarai-list" Date: Saturday, April 17, 2010, 12:30 PM I believe that it is wrong to say that Naxal or Maoist are trying to protect right of poor/tribal. As in case of terrorist or supporter of terrorist (sleeper or active cell) are misguided by some terrorists group/wasted interest, same way naxal/maoist are acting with misguidance. Many argues that we should built infrastructure like school, hospitals, roads, industries and other amenities in naxal affected districts to provide essential amenities and employment. But, actual situation in all such district is very strange and different. Naxal/maoist army cadre has built a wall like (may be not physical wall in some areas) periphery and cornered that area where army or even police cannot go there easily, so to built all above infrastructure and provide facilities to their local people is remote possibilities. In the case, how can there up-liftment is possible? Is anyone who favors them have thought this much extremities adopted by naxals/maoist. Government did tried to solve by conversation and requested to allow govt. machinery for developing infrastructure, but they boldly denied. If we want to make some infrastructural work to provide facilities to people their then one has to remove such boundary and freed the area even with the help of army then also. In the news and media air attack news was published. This is also myth, there was no plan for air attack, but with the help air-force, aerial surveillance or map view is necessary, so that army or police can go ahead to capture that area and freed from maoist. Also, please note that most of the poor/tribal are not supporting them by heart but they support forcefully with gun on their head. So, looking to above reason it seems that they made business to create terror and playing in the hand of some wasted interest may be from outside India. So, it is necessary to freed such naxal affected area from their terror by any means. So if anyone says that naxal/maoist helping local people or tribal is baseless. Thanks Bipin _________________________________________ 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 Apr 17 18:40:07 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Sat, 17 Apr 2010 18:40:07 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR In-Reply-To: References: <000601caddfb$cf416660$6dc43320$@in> <458799.31425.qm@web57205.mail.re3.yahoo.com> <001e01cade18$d716af90$85440eb0$@in> <6F550FA0-EF07-4F5E-9CFA-DD741F843ECC@sarai.net> <01A19B86-D4FF-4676-8550-A4A2278D9D43@sarai.net> Message-ID: Shuddhabrata, Does all this stop at the cost of development ? Mining is not a new invention and dates back many centuries as well. Personally , it does pain me as well .Everytime i travel to Jaipur , just before Jaipur on right hand side a hill is actually cut as if with a knife and i hate that ugly look. Residents of Faridabad too suffer due to illegal mining happening around Arravali range. I wish to just know if the armed resistance is justified ? Why does this covert justification happen ? I am surprised that the only example you provided was of Bellary , probably because of your bias towards BJP. I do not mind that . However mining is not limited to Bellary but is spread across at least 12 states in india , at-least....from Goa to Orissa and what not. Pawan On Sat, Apr 17, 2010 at 5:33 PM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: > Pawan, > The law of the land says that the forest dwellers are intruders in the > forest who should be moved by force. The law of the land states that the > commons of the forests are commodities that can be sold by their propreiter, > the state to the highest or to the lowest bidder. When MoUs between the > state and the mining corporations are signed, they become the law of the > land, and these laws of the land insist that any efforts to resist the rape > of the forests by mining interests be met with 'legal' violence. The law of > the land is designed to protect the interests of capital. > The 'law of the land' in a class society, inevitably reflects the interest > of the classes that rule. In this case, the interests of the classes that > rule will spell the end of the forests, and of ways of life that do not want > to be made the objects of Capitalist development. > My hope is that the 'law of the land' is made not to prevail. So that > Dandakaranya does not become the hell that is, say, Bellary. > > > > > > On 17-Apr-10, at 5:30 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > > I completely agree that there has to be development , education , job > opportunities for the neglected lot and there is no doubt that they > have been neglected. > Not only these people , the whole of North east to a great extent till > some time was never thought to be important as if it did not exist for > India. Even today a procession in Kashmir makes it to headlines of > India while as many killings in NE doesnt make it to inside page of a > newspaper. > But that does not take away the thought that law of land should not prevail. > Regards > Pawan > > > On Sat, Apr 17, 2010 at 4:23 PM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta > wrote: > > Do the roads and the schools justify the violence of the memoranda of > (mis)understanding ? > How many apologies for schools does it take to justify the presence of a > CRPF battalion stationed to protect the interests of a mining company in a > forest that should not be laid waste to the lust of Capital? > best, > Shuddha > On 17-Apr-10, at 4:20 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > Does this still justify the violence of Naxalites. Havent the > Naxalites been objecting to roads ...schools....etc ? > On Sat, Apr 17, 2010 at 4:08 PM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta > wrote: > Dear All, > A wall was certainly built. It was a wall built out of the paper of > Forestry Acts and Memoranda of Understanding with Mining Companies. > They paved the way for many other kinds of walls. These paper walls, > much more powerful than any wall of bricks or mortar, made people > homeless in their own space. It was written on the paper walls that > the dweller in the forest was an intruder. One day, she picked up > firewood from the ground, the next day she did the same, one day she > was a forager, the next day she was a thief. The words on the walls > separated those two days from each other. > Then came the sentries, and the high priests of the words that were > written on the paper walls. Forest guards came, then paramilitaries > came, then came police and armed thugs to protect the paper wall. To > man the watchtowers. To tell the forest dwellers that they must stay > outside the wall, for their own good. Then came the TV channels and > the patriots and the NGOs and the experts. They all admired the wall. > No one said the wall needed to come down. Some tried to improve the > handwriting on the paper. Some argued about the font size and > italicization. Others said the papers needed to be copied and > distributed. > The inhabitants of the forest looked around for a method to rebuild > their homes that had been broken by the words on the paper walls. > Some of them tried to fight words with words. Some petitioned. Some > of them tried to lay seige to the consciences of others. None of this > worked. Some words were heard, understood, others were dismissed, not > listened to. > The paper wall grew stronger, deeper, thicker. Their words grew > louder. The forest spoke. The forest sang. The forest warned. The > forest cried. The forest whispered. The forest screamed. But the wall > did not listen. And those who built the wall laughed out loud, > thinking that paper was cement. That ink was stone. That their word > was law. > This meant that they (the people of the forest) had to take down some > of the watchtowers. This meant that when words failed, they found > their way to guns. It seemed that when the guns spoke, the people > manning the watchtowers listened. And so, when the guns came to them, > the forest dwellers did not say no to the guns. They no longer had > the words with which they could afford to say 'no, we do not need the > guns'. Perhaps, if those who had built the wall, had listened, the > guns that came to the people in the forest would have found no use. > If you hold a gun, you stand in the line of fire. No one wants to be > in the line of fire for no good reason. Right now.The wall needs to > be taken down for any conversation to begin again. > Tear the paper that carries the MoUs, and maybe there can be some > talking. So take the wall down. And the guns may fall silent. Words > may begin again.  Or try and keep the wall, and invite the war to > spread its cloak of silence. You don't need more development in the > forests, perhaps you need less. At least less of the kind that is > written up in the MoUs. > If the war crosses the forest and comes to the fields, if the war > comes to the cities, it will be because the paper walls multiplied. > Then those who wrote the words that made the paper walls rise will > answer for the war. After all, they did not have to build the paper > walls in the first place. They could have chosen to listen, when > there was still time to listen. They might then say that they were > sorry, but people may have forgotten the meaning of forgiveness by > then. Guns have a way of making people forget how to speak and to > listen. If the words you write on the paper walls you build bring > guns into the conversation, then many other words will eventually die. > Try and listen for a change. Don't always think that your word is > law.There may still be time. > best > Shuddha > On 17-Apr-10, at 3:59 PM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > Dear Kshmendra, > > You are right. It is respected state govt. negligence since years that > allowed to "build" wall and vote-bank politics made this wall > thicker and > thicker and so we are suffering the sins. Just like negligence by > WB govt. > allowing infiltrations of Bangladeshis to increase their vote bank > in the > name of minor appeasement and their sins are suffering whole India, > since > Bangladeshis spread almost all over India. > > Whatever, happened in the past, but it is time to rectify mistakes > and govt. > making/wants to make some sincere efforts but few rationalists like > Aundhati > Roy and few vote seeker politicians comes in between. Even maoist > made this > as their business now and don't want to come out by conversation, > so they > even did not allow infrastructure in their area or destroys if > made. So, it > is time for govt. to take some hard action though it is painful step. > > Thanks > Bipin > > > > From: Kshmendra Kaul [mailto:kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com] > Sent: Saturday, April 17, 2010 2:51 PM > To: sarai-list; Bipin Trivedi > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR > > > Dear Bipin > > You wrote : "Naxal/maoist army cadre has built a wall like (may be not > physical wall in some areas) periphery and cornered that area where > army or > even police cannot go there easily, so to built all above > infrastructure and > provide facilities to their local people is remote > possibilities." > > I agree. That is an appropiate description of the situation. > > What needs thinking is: > > 1. Did this "wall" exist when India becamje independent in 1947? > No, it did > not. So what was it that allowed the Maoists/Naxals to build that > "wall"? > Who ceded that space to them? Who allowed their violent-extremist > ideology > to be propagated? Why were people attracted to it? Why did it > become an > 'alternative' for people to adopt instead of subscribing to the > Constitution > of India? > >     This is not a matter of the last 5 or 10 or 15 or 20 years, but a > culmination of indifferent and/or corrupted governance since 1947. > > 2. If you think the above is a resonable argument then please > consider that > breaking down or bulldozing that "wall" might by itself alone not be a > solution. If the "root causes" are not addressed then it will be > only a > matter of time that another "wall" comes up, and another, and another. > > 3. Wouldnt you agree that what needs to be done is to ensure that > no one > lays the foundations for more such "walls"? > >     Wouldnt you agree that the route for that is to make available > competent > governance, opportunities and an environment of justice? > > 4. Yes that will be an arduous task since the "walls" are strong > but that is > an impediment of our own making since we allowed the "walls" to > come up in > the first place through neglect and we have to suffer that > disadvantage. It > is a punishment for our own sins. > > Kshmendra > > --- On Sat, 4/17/10, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > From: Bipin Trivedi > Subject: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR > To: "sarai-list" > Date: Saturday, April 17, 2010, 12:30 PM > I believe that it is wrong to say that Naxal or Maoist are trying > to protect > right of poor/tribal. As in case of terrorist or supporter of > terrorist > (sleeper or active cell) are misguided by some terrorists group/wasted > interest, same way naxal/maoist are acting with misguidance. > Many argues that we should built infrastructure like school, > hospitals, > roads, industries and other amenities in naxal affected districts > to provide > essential amenities and employment. But, actual situation in all such > district is very strange and different. Naxal/maoist army cadre has > built a > wall like (may be not physical wall in some areas) periphery and > cornered > that area where army or even police cannot go there easily, so to > built all > above infrastructure and provide facilities to their local people > is remote > possibilities. In the case, how can there up-liftment is possible? > Is anyone > who favors them have thought this much extremities adopted by > naxals/maoist. > Government did tried to solve by conversation and requested to > allow govt. > machinery for developing infrastructure, but they boldly denied. If > we want > to make some infrastructural work to provide facilities to people > their then > one has to remove such boundary and freed the area even with the > help of > army then also. > In the news and media air attack news was published. This is also > myth, > there was no plan for air attack, but with the help air-force, aerial > surveillance or map view is necessary, so that army or police can > go ahead > to capture that area and freed from maoist. Also, please note that > most of > the poor/tribal are not supporting them by heart but they support > forcefully > with gun on their head. > So, looking to above reason it seems that they made business to create > terror and playing in the hand of some wasted interest may be from > outside > India. So, it is necessary to freed such naxal affected area from > their > terror by any means. So if anyone says that naxal/maoist helping local > people or tribal is baseless. > Thanks > Bipin > > _________________________________________ > 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 > 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/> > Shuddhabrata Sengupta > The Sarai Programme at CSDS > Raqs Media Collective > shuddha at sarai.net > www.sarai.net > www.raqsmediacollective.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/> > _________________________________________ > 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/> > Shuddhabrata Sengupta > The Sarai Programme at CSDS > Raqs Media Collective > shuddha at sarai.net > www.sarai.net > www.raqsmediacollective.net > > > Shuddhabrata Sengupta > The Sarai Programme at CSDS > Raqs Media Collective > shuddha at sarai.net > www.sarai.net > www.raqsmediacollective.net > > From shuddha at sarai.net Sat Apr 17 18:02:44 2010 From: shuddha at sarai.net (Shuddhabrata Sengupta) Date: Sat, 17 Apr 2010 18:02:44 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR In-Reply-To: <000001cade26$8941e100$9bc5a300$@in> References: <000601caddfb$cf416660$6dc43320$@in> <458799.31425.qm@web57205.mail.re3.yahoo.com> <001e01cade18$d716af90$85440eb0$@in> <6F550FA0-EF07-4F5E-9CFA-DD741F843ECC@sarai.net> <000001cade26$8941e100$9bc5a300$@in> Message-ID: If you take the paper wall down, the physical walls, whether they are made by those who are fighting in the Maoist camp, or those who are running Salwa Judum camps, or those who are laying concertina wires for the CRPF wont find the ground to stand on. It is not the Human Rights Activists alone that are asking for the MoUs to be cancelled. Tens of thousands of people have taken up arms because they want the MoUs to be cancelled. Clearly, if they are willing to risk their lives in order that what you call 'development' does not enter their lives, then, maybe, you can create the conditions in which they can lay down their weapons, simply by ensuring that what you call 'development' does not in fact, end up in the forests. And yes, i do think a large section of the population does not necessarily want to be surveyed. Power flows as much from the barrel of a gun as it does from the numbers on a survey. And people often know that the survey is the first step towards surveillance, and control. best, Shuddha On 17-Apr-10, at 5:37 PM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > Dear Shuddha, > You are describing the painful paper wall made by the system/govt. > with pain and we read your pretty long mail with patience and pain. > But, I am talking about the physical/virtual wall made by maoist in > their area today which comes in between their development. If they > want to stick with their walls, boundaries and do not want to come > out from their fence, tradition. They wants MOU’s to be cancelled > than in that case people like Human right activists, NGO’s, > Arundhati Roy, vote seeker politician must stop cry out for their > backwardness or up-liftment, since that’s their willing situation > to remain as it is. They should leftover in the forest for roaming > and eating forests resources as per their choice. They should be > kept out of all surveys like education, malnutrition, BPL list and > all relevant HDI parameters. > Thanks > Bipin > > > From: Shuddhabrata Sengupta [mailto:shuddha at sarai.net] > Sent: Saturday, April 17, 2010 4:09 PM > To: Bipin Trivedi > Cc: 'Kshmendra Kaul'; sarai-list > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR > > Dear All, > > A wall was certainly built. It was a wall built out of the paper of > Forestry Acts and Memoranda of Understanding with Mining Companies. > They paved the way for many other kinds of walls. These paper > walls, much more powerful than any wall of bricks or mortar, made > people homeless in their own space. It was written on the paper > walls that the dweller in the forest was an intruder. One day, she > picked up firewood from the ground, the next day she did the same, > one day she was a forager, the next day she was a thief. The words > on the walls separated those two days from each other. > > Then came the sentries, and the high priests of the words that were > written on the paper walls. Forest guards came, then paramilitaries > came, then came police and armed thugs to protect the paper wall. > To man the watchtowers. To tell the forest dwellers that they must > stay outside the wall, for their own good. Then came the TV > channels and the patriots and the NGOs and the experts. They all > admired the wall. No one said the wall needed to come down. Some > tried to improve the handwriting on the paper. Some argued about > the font size and italicization. Others said the papers needed to > be copied and distributed. > > The inhabitants of the forest looked around for a method to rebuild > their homes that had been broken by the words on the paper walls. > Some of them tried to fight words with words. Some petitioned. Some > of them tried to lay seige to the consciences of others. None of > this worked. Some words were heard, understood, others were > dismissed, not listened to. > > The paper wall grew stronger, deeper, thicker. Their words grew > louder. The forest spoke. The forest sang. The forest warned. The > forest cried. The forest whispered. The forest screamed. But the > wall did not listen. And those who built the wall laughed out loud, > thinking that paper was cement. That ink was stone. That their word > was law. > > This meant that they (the people of the forest) had to take down > some of the watchtowers. This meant that when words failed, they > found their way to guns. It seemed that when the guns spoke, the > people manning the watchtowers listened. And so, when the guns came > to them, the forest dwellers did not say no to the guns. They no > longer had the words with which they could afford to say 'no, we do > not need the guns'. Perhaps, if those who had built the wall, had > listened, the guns that came to the people in the forest would have > found no use. If you hold a gun, you stand in the line of fire. No > one wants to be in the line of fire for no good reason. Right > now.The wall needs to be taken down for any conversation to begin > again. > > Tear the paper that carries the MoUs, and maybe there can be some > talking. So take the wall down. And the guns may fall silent. Words > may begin again. Or try and keep the wall, and invite the war to > spread its cloak of silence. You don't need more development in the > forests, perhaps you need less. At least less of the kind that is > written up in the MoUs. > > If the war crosses the forest and comes to the fields, if the war > comes to the cities, it will be because the paper walls multiplied. > Then those who wrote the words that made the paper walls rise will > answer for the war. After all, they did not have to build the paper > walls in the first place. They could have chosen to listen, when > there was still time to listen. They might then say that they were > sorry, but people may have forgotten the meaning of forgiveness by > then. Guns have a way of making people forget how to speak and to > listen. If the words you write on the paper walls you build bring > guns into the conversation, then many other words will eventually die. > > Try and listen for a change. Don't always think that your word is > law.There may still be time. > > best > > Shuddha > > On 17-Apr-10, at 3:59 PM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > > > Dear Kshmendra, > > > > You are right. It is respected state govt. negligence since years that > allowed to "build" wall and vote-bank politics made this wall > thicker and > thicker and so we are suffering the sins. Just like negligence by > WB govt. > allowing infiltrations of Bangladeshis to increase their vote bank > in the > name of minor appeasement and their sins are suffering whole India, > since > Bangladeshis spread almost all over India. > > > > Whatever, happened in the past, but it is time to rectify mistakes > and govt. > making/wants to make some sincere efforts but few rationalists like > Aundhati > Roy and few vote seeker politicians comes in between. Even maoist > made this > as their business now and don't want to come out by conversation, > so they > even did not allow infrastructure in their area or destroys if > made. So, it > is time for govt. to take some hard action though it is painful step. > > > > Thanks > > Bipin > > > > > > From: Kshmendra Kaul [mailto:kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com] > Sent: Saturday, April 17, 2010 2:51 PM > To: sarai-list; Bipin Trivedi > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR > > > > > Dear Bipin > > > > You wrote : "Naxal/maoist army cadre has built a wall like (may be not > physical wall in some areas) periphery and cornered that area where > army or > even police cannot go there easily, so to built all above > infrastructure and > provide facilities to their local people is remote > possibilities." > > > > I agree. That is an appropiate description of the situation. > > > > What needs thinking is: > > > > 1. Did this "wall" exist when India becamje independent in 1947? > No, it did > not. So what was it that allowed the Maoists/Naxals to build that > "wall"? > Who ceded that space to them? Who allowed their violent-extremist > ideology > to be propagated? Why were people attracted to it? Why did it > become an > 'alternative' for people to adopt instead of subscribing to the > Constitution > of India? > > > > This is not a matter of the last 5 or 10 or 15 or 20 years, but a > culmination of indifferent and/or corrupted governance since 1947. > > > > 2. If you think the above is a resonable argument then please > consider that > breaking down or bulldozing that "wall" might by itself alone not be a > solution. If the "root causes" are not addressed then it will be > only a > matter of time that another "wall" comes up, and another, and another. > > > > 3. Wouldnt you agree that what needs to be done is to ensure that > no one > lays the foundations for more such "walls"? > > > > Wouldnt you agree that the route for that is to make available > competent > governance, opportunities and an environment of justice? > > > > 4. Yes that will be an arduous task since the "walls" are strong > but that is > an impediment of our own making since we allowed the "walls" to > come up in > the first place through neglect and we have to suffer that > disadvantage. It > is a punishment for our own sins. > > > > Kshmendra > > > > --- On Sat, 4/17/10, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > > > From: Bipin Trivedi > Subject: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR > To: "sarai-list" > Date: Saturday, April 17, 2010, 12:30 PM > > I believe that it is wrong to say that Naxal or Maoist are trying > to protect > right of poor/tribal. As in case of terrorist or supporter of > terrorist > (sleeper or active cell) are misguided by some terrorists group/wasted > interest, same way naxal/maoist are acting with misguidance. > > Many argues that we should built infrastructure like school, > hospitals, > roads, industries and other amenities in naxal affected districts > to provide > essential amenities and employment. But, actual situation in all such > district is very strange and different. Naxal/maoist army cadre has > built a > wall like (may be not physical wall in some areas) periphery and > cornered > that area where army or even police cannot go there easily, so to > built all > above infrastructure and provide facilities to their local people > is remote > possibilities. In the case, how can there up-liftment is possible? > Is anyone > who favors them have thought this much extremities adopted by > naxals/maoist. > Government did tried to solve by conversation and requested to > allow govt. > machinery for developing infrastructure, but they boldly denied. If > we want > to make some infrastructural work to provide facilities to people > their then > one has to remove such boundary and freed the area even with the > help of > army then also. > > In the news and media air attack news was published. This is also > myth, > there was no plan for air attack, but with the help air-force, aerial > surveillance or map view is necessary, so that army or police can > go ahead > to capture that area and freed from maoist. Also, please note that > most of > the poor/tribal are not supporting them by heart but they support > forcefully > with gun on their head. > > So, looking to above reason it seems that they made business to create > terror and playing in the hand of some wasted interest may be from > outside > India. So, it is necessary to freed such naxal affected area from > their > terror by any means. So if anyone says that naxal/maoist helping local > people or tribal is baseless. > > Thanks > > Bipin > > > > _________________________________________ > 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 > 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/> > > Shuddhabrata Sengupta > The Sarai Programme at CSDS > Raqs Media Collective > shuddha at sarai.net > www.sarai.net > www.raqsmediacollective.net > > Shuddhabrata Sengupta The Sarai Programme at CSDS Raqs Media Collective shuddha at sarai.net www.sarai.net www.raqsmediacollective.net From shuddha at sarai.net Sat Apr 17 18:50:37 2010 From: shuddha at sarai.net (Shuddhabrata Sengupta) Date: Sat, 17 Apr 2010 18:50:37 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR In-Reply-To: References: <000601caddfb$cf416660$6dc43320$@in> <458799.31425.qm@web57205.mail.re3.yahoo.com> <001e01cade18$d716af90$85440eb0$@in> <6F550FA0-EF07-4F5E-9CFA-DD741F843ECC@sarai.net> <01A19B86-D4FF-4676-8550-A4A2278D9D43@sarai.net> Message-ID: <82B69CFD-8994-4077-8768-76CE5BA2E9E6@sarai.net> There are kinds and kinds of mining. Bastar, for instance, has a long history of mining and smelting iron, at sustainable levels. That is where the 'Dokra' wrought iron sculpture which Bastar is famous for comes from. But these forms of sustainable mining, controlled and managed by communities at their own levels, is not what happens when giant mining corporations enter the picture. The point I am making is that if this were a democracy, then, communities would be in a position to decide for themselves what kind of technological intervention, at what cost, in what way, they are prepared to face, in their environment. The inhabitants of the Dandakaranya region have so far refused to accept what mining corporations can give them. So either you can make them acquiesce by force, in which case you must be prepared for the fact that they will resist, using armed force, or any means necessary. Or, you can let people decide for themselves what they want done with their environment. I have no hesitation in saying that whether it is Bellary in BJP ruled Karnataka, or Nandigram in CPI(M) ruled West Bengal, or land grabs in Congress-NCP ruled Maharashtra, BJD ruled Orissa, or in BSP ruled UP, wherever people face the violence of corporations backed by the armed might of the state, they are bound to resist in some form or the other. it is tragic when they do not find a language with which to resist. Tragic not just for them, but for all of us, and for the earth. In some cases, where non-violence works, their resistance may be non- violent, in others, such as in Dandakaranya, where the state acts with unbound and unmitigated violence, violence may be the only option left to people to resist. These people are prepared to die, not because they are die hard fanatics, but because they have their backs to the wall. IN their own way, they are fighting for survival, and when it comes to a fight for survival, then, i think, it is precious and specious to dictate to them what means they must use to resist their own deaths. I am not saying that this is a very happy situation. But, if you want it to be better, THEN, you have to demand a withdrawal of the armed occuption of the forest zones by ALL parties, beginning with the withdrawal of the armed might of the Indian state, which began the cycle of violence in the forests when it set up the paper walls. On 17-Apr-10, at 6:40 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > Shuddhabrata, > > Does all this stop at the cost of development ? Mining is not a new > invention and dates back many centuries as well. > > Personally , it does pain me as well .Everytime i travel to Jaipur , > just before Jaipur on right hand side a hill is actually cut as if > with a knife and i hate that ugly look. > > Residents of Faridabad too suffer due to illegal mining happening > around Arravali range. > > I wish to just know if the armed resistance is justified ? Why does > this covert justification happen ? > > I am surprised that the only example you provided was of Bellary , > probably because of your bias towards BJP. I do not mind that . > > However mining is not limited to Bellary but is spread across at least > 12 states in india , at-least....from Goa to Orissa and what not. > > Pawan > > On Sat, Apr 17, 2010 at 5:33 PM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta > wrote: >> Pawan, >> The law of the land says that the forest dwellers are intruders in >> the >> forest who should be moved by force. The law of the land states >> that the >> commons of the forests are commodities that can be sold by their >> propreiter, >> the state to the highest or to the lowest bidder. When MoUs >> between the >> state and the mining corporations are signed, they become the law >> of the >> land, and these laws of the land insist that any efforts to resist >> the rape >> of the forests by mining interests be met with 'legal' violence. >> The law of >> the land is designed to protect the interests of capital. >> The 'law of the land' in a class society, inevitably reflects the >> interest >> of the classes that rule. In this case, the interests of the >> classes that >> rule will spell the end of the forests, and of ways of life that >> do not want >> to be made the objects of Capitalist development. >> My hope is that the 'law of the land' is made not to prevail. So that >> Dandakaranya does not become the hell that is, say, Bellary. >> >> >> >> >> >> On 17-Apr-10, at 5:30 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: >> >> I completely agree that there has to be development , education , job >> opportunities for the neglected lot and there is no doubt that they >> have been neglected. >> Not only these people , the whole of North east to a great extent >> till >> some time was never thought to be important as if it did not exist >> for >> India. Even today a procession in Kashmir makes it to headlines of >> India while as many killings in NE doesnt make it to inside page of a >> newspaper. >> But that does not take away the thought that law of land should >> not prevail. >> Regards >> Pawan >> >> >> On Sat, Apr 17, 2010 at 4:23 PM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta >> wrote: >> >> Do the roads and the schools justify the violence of the memoranda of >> (mis)understanding ? >> How many apologies for schools does it take to justify the >> presence of a >> CRPF battalion stationed to protect the interests of a mining >> company in a >> forest that should not be laid waste to the lust of Capital? >> best, >> Shuddha >> On 17-Apr-10, at 4:20 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: >> Does this still justify the violence of Naxalites. Havent the >> Naxalites been objecting to roads ...schools....etc ? >> On Sat, Apr 17, 2010 at 4:08 PM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta >> wrote: >> Dear All, >> A wall was certainly built. It was a wall built out of the paper of >> Forestry Acts and Memoranda of Understanding with Mining Companies. >> They paved the way for many other kinds of walls. These paper walls, >> much more powerful than any wall of bricks or mortar, made people >> homeless in their own space. It was written on the paper walls that >> the dweller in the forest was an intruder. One day, she picked up >> firewood from the ground, the next day she did the same, one day she >> was a forager, the next day she was a thief. The words on the walls >> separated those two days from each other. >> Then came the sentries, and the high priests of the words that were >> written on the paper walls. Forest guards came, then paramilitaries >> came, then came police and armed thugs to protect the paper wall. To >> man the watchtowers. To tell the forest dwellers that they must stay >> outside the wall, for their own good. Then came the TV channels and >> the patriots and the NGOs and the experts. They all admired the wall. >> No one said the wall needed to come down. Some tried to improve the >> handwriting on the paper. Some argued about the font size and >> italicization. Others said the papers needed to be copied and >> distributed. >> The inhabitants of the forest looked around for a method to rebuild >> their homes that had been broken by the words on the paper walls. >> Some of them tried to fight words with words. Some petitioned. Some >> of them tried to lay seige to the consciences of others. None of this >> worked. Some words were heard, understood, others were dismissed, not >> listened to. >> The paper wall grew stronger, deeper, thicker. Their words grew >> louder. The forest spoke. The forest sang. The forest warned. The >> forest cried. The forest whispered. The forest screamed. But the wall >> did not listen. And those who built the wall laughed out loud, >> thinking that paper was cement. That ink was stone. That their word >> was law. >> This meant that they (the people of the forest) had to take down some >> of the watchtowers. This meant that when words failed, they found >> their way to guns. It seemed that when the guns spoke, the people >> manning the watchtowers listened. And so, when the guns came to them, >> the forest dwellers did not say no to the guns. They no longer had >> the words with which they could afford to say 'no, we do not need the >> guns'. Perhaps, if those who had built the wall, had listened, the >> guns that came to the people in the forest would have found no use. >> If you hold a gun, you stand in the line of fire. No one wants to be >> in the line of fire for no good reason. Right now.The wall needs to >> be taken down for any conversation to begin again. >> Tear the paper that carries the MoUs, and maybe there can be some >> talking. So take the wall down. And the guns may fall silent. Words >> may begin again. Or try and keep the wall, and invite the war to >> spread its cloak of silence. You don't need more development in the >> forests, perhaps you need less. At least less of the kind that is >> written up in the MoUs. >> If the war crosses the forest and comes to the fields, if the war >> comes to the cities, it will be because the paper walls multiplied. >> Then those who wrote the words that made the paper walls rise will >> answer for the war. After all, they did not have to build the paper >> walls in the first place. They could have chosen to listen, when >> there was still time to listen. They might then say that they were >> sorry, but people may have forgotten the meaning of forgiveness by >> then. Guns have a way of making people forget how to speak and to >> listen. If the words you write on the paper walls you build bring >> guns into the conversation, then many other words will eventually >> die. >> Try and listen for a change. Don't always think that your word is >> law.There may still be time. >> best >> Shuddha >> On 17-Apr-10, at 3:59 PM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: >> Dear Kshmendra, >> >> You are right. It is respected state govt. negligence since years >> that >> allowed to "build" wall and vote-bank politics made this wall >> thicker and >> thicker and so we are suffering the sins. Just like negligence by >> WB govt. >> allowing infiltrations of Bangladeshis to increase their vote bank >> in the >> name of minor appeasement and their sins are suffering whole India, >> since >> Bangladeshis spread almost all over India. >> >> Whatever, happened in the past, but it is time to rectify mistakes >> and govt. >> making/wants to make some sincere efforts but few rationalists like >> Aundhati >> Roy and few vote seeker politicians comes in between. Even maoist >> made this >> as their business now and don't want to come out by conversation, >> so they >> even did not allow infrastructure in their area or destroys if >> made. So, it >> is time for govt. to take some hard action though it is painful step. >> >> Thanks >> Bipin >> >> >> >> From: Kshmendra Kaul [mailto:kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com] >> Sent: Saturday, April 17, 2010 2:51 PM >> To: sarai-list; Bipin Trivedi >> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR >> >> >> Dear Bipin >> >> You wrote : "Naxal/maoist army cadre has built a wall like (may be >> not >> physical wall in some areas) periphery and cornered that area where >> army or >> even police cannot go there easily, so to built all above >> infrastructure and >> provide facilities to their local people is remote >> possibilities." >> >> I agree. That is an appropiate description of the situation. >> >> What needs thinking is: >> >> 1. Did this "wall" exist when India becamje independent in 1947? >> No, it did >> not. So what was it that allowed the Maoists/Naxals to build that >> "wall"? >> Who ceded that space to them? Who allowed their violent-extremist >> ideology >> to be propagated? Why were people attracted to it? Why did it >> become an >> 'alternative' for people to adopt instead of subscribing to the >> Constitution >> of India? >> >> This is not a matter of the last 5 or 10 or 15 or 20 years, but a >> culmination of indifferent and/or corrupted governance since 1947. >> >> 2. If you think the above is a resonable argument then please >> consider that >> breaking down or bulldozing that "wall" might by itself alone not >> be a >> solution. If the "root causes" are not addressed then it will be >> only a >> matter of time that another "wall" comes up, and another, and >> another. >> >> 3. Wouldnt you agree that what needs to be done is to ensure that >> no one >> lays the foundations for more such "walls"? >> >> Wouldnt you agree that the route for that is to make available >> competent >> governance, opportunities and an environment of justice? >> >> 4. Yes that will be an arduous task since the "walls" are strong >> but that is >> an impediment of our own making since we allowed the "walls" to >> come up in >> the first place through neglect and we have to suffer that >> disadvantage. It >> is a punishment for our own sins. >> >> Kshmendra >> >> --- On Sat, 4/17/10, Bipin Trivedi wrote: >> From: Bipin Trivedi >> Subject: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR >> To: "sarai-list" >> Date: Saturday, April 17, 2010, 12:30 PM >> I believe that it is wrong to say that Naxal or Maoist are trying >> to protect >> right of poor/tribal. As in case of terrorist or supporter of >> terrorist >> (sleeper or active cell) are misguided by some terrorists group/ >> wasted >> interest, same way naxal/maoist are acting with misguidance. >> Many argues that we should built infrastructure like school, >> hospitals, >> roads, industries and other amenities in naxal affected districts >> to provide >> essential amenities and employment. But, actual situation in all such >> district is very strange and different. Naxal/maoist army cadre has >> built a >> wall like (may be not physical wall in some areas) periphery and >> cornered >> that area where army or even police cannot go there easily, so to >> built all >> above infrastructure and provide facilities to their local people >> is remote >> possibilities. In the case, how can there up-liftment is possible? >> Is anyone >> who favors them have thought this much extremities adopted by >> naxals/maoist. >> Government did tried to solve by conversation and requested to >> allow govt. >> machinery for developing infrastructure, but they boldly denied. If >> we want >> to make some infrastructural work to provide facilities to people >> their then >> one has to remove such boundary and freed the area even with the >> help of >> army then also. >> In the news and media air attack news was published. This is also >> myth, >> there was no plan for air attack, but with the help air-force, aerial >> surveillance or map view is necessary, so that army or police can >> go ahead >> to capture that area and freed from maoist. Also, please note that >> most of >> the poor/tribal are not supporting them by heart but they support >> forcefully >> with gun on their head. >> So, looking to above reason it seems that they made business to >> create >> terror and playing in the hand of some wasted interest may be from >> outside >> India. So, it is necessary to freed such naxal affected area from >> their >> terror by any means. So if anyone says that naxal/maoist helping >> local >> people or tribal is baseless. >> Thanks >> Bipin >> >> _________________________________________ >> 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 >> > 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/> >> Shuddhabrata Sengupta >> The Sarai Programme at CSDS >> Raqs Media Collective >> shuddha at sarai.net >> www.sarai.net >> www.raqsmediacollective.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/> >> _________________________________________ >> 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/> >> Shuddhabrata Sengupta >> The Sarai Programme at CSDS >> Raqs Media Collective >> shuddha at sarai.net >> www.sarai.net >> www.raqsmediacollective.net >> >> >> Shuddhabrata Sengupta >> The Sarai Programme at CSDS >> Raqs Media Collective >> shuddha at sarai.net >> www.sarai.net >> www.raqsmediacollective.net >> >> Shuddhabrata Sengupta The Sarai Programme at CSDS Raqs Media Collective shuddha at sarai.net www.sarai.net www.raqsmediacollective.net From shuddha at sarai.net Sat Apr 17 22:28:24 2010 From: shuddha at sarai.net (Shuddhabrata Sengupta) Date: Sat, 17 Apr 2010 22:28:24 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Paper Walls in Chattisgarh Message-ID: <408354B4-2B39-420A-B3A1-3E3F653969BA@sarai.net> Dear all, Since there has been some discussion already about the situation in Chattisgarh, particularly in the Bastar / Dandakaranya region. I thought that it might be interesting to share with you a perspective from Chattisgarh, that is, incidentally, not Maoist, but associated with other currents linked to the industrial working class movements in the region. This essay is taken from www.sanhati.com. I would like all those who are worried about 'walls' and the restoration of the 'law of the land' in the area to read this essay with care. I hope that they will find in it reason to think a little more carefully. best Shuddha -------------------- Gravest Displacement, Bravest Resistance http://sanhati.com/excerpted/1545/ June 1, 2009 By Sudha Bharadwaj. Columnist, Sanhati The rule of law does not do away with the unequal distribution of wealth and power but reinforces that inequality with the authority of law. It allocates wealth and poverty in such complicated and indirect ways as to leave the victim bewildered. - Howard Zinn Dedicated to the memory of Tapasi Malik,, Dula Mandal, Lakhiram Tuddu, Satyabhama Whose names we know, And the hundreds of adivasis of Bastar Whose names will remain unknown till we claim them. Why this essay? I don’t live in Bastar, and I am not an adivasi. But I have been active in the working class movement of Chhattisgarh for the past 22 years, a movement which became legendary under the charismatic leadership of Comrade Shankar Guha Niyogi. And I strongly feel that understanding what is happening in Bastar today is of the greatest significance not only to us in Chhattisgarh, but to all those who want to understand imperialist onslaught and corporate land grab, particularly in the resource-rich adivasi areas; for all of us involved nationwide in the anti-displacement movement which is day on day becoming a fierce life-and-death struggle against all odds; and in fact for all of us in the peoples’ movements who are faced with the abysmally criminal failure of democratic institutions and shrinking democratic spaces on the one hand, and growing repression on the other. Justice Krishna Iyer, in a speech delivered in the memory of Com. Niyogi said that “he tried boldly and bravely to bring the Constitution to life for lakhs of miners and contract labourers”. Com Niyogi was murdered on 28th September 1991 within a fortnight of his petitioning the highest authority of this land – the President of India. The industrialists convicted for his murder by the Sessions Court of Durg were acquitted by the High Court and Supreme Court. The thousands of workers of Bhilai, for whose cause he laid down his life, are still out of work, their cases pending in the High Court. The last essay he wrote, with an uncharacteristic urgency, was “Rajeev Gandhi Ki Hatya Kyon?” (”Why was Rajiv Gandhi murdered?”) in which he forcefully argued that Rajiv Gandhi, though himself of the “liberalization” paradigm, was considered to be moving too slowly and was eliminated to allow “those who wanted the dollar to move in fast” to have their way. Com. Niyogi predicted that unless there was a widespread debate and churning among the patriotic and democratic sections of the people, our country would become the “grazing ground of the multinationals”, for now “only those persons will occupy the seats of power, whom the multinationals favour”. At that time, in May 1991, his article seemed to many, to be exaggerated or the usual leftist conspiracy theory. Now we know, it was prophetic. This essay is part of that debate. In the numerous industrial areas across Chhattisgarh today, the very blood of young contract labourers is being sucked as they labour for 12-14 hours, for far less than minimum wages, without weekly holidays, and without safety or medical facility to generate the enormous wealth of “Chhattisgarh Shining!” Unionizing them today doesn’t only mean facing the goondas of the industrialists, risking the loss of precarious jobs, sustaining an uncompromising struggle against great odds, and developing a mature and bold leadership that can withstand both carrot and stick - though this is a tall enough order. It also means struggling against the serious imperialist onslaught against the people of Chhattisgarh. An onslaught where gigantic corporations like Holcim and Lafarge are gobbling up the cement sector, they have already acquired ACC, Ambuja, and Raymond Cements. Taking advantage of rich limestone deposits, they are manufacturing the cheapest cement in the world, earning superprofits and planning to set up new capacities. Between them and the big cement manufacturers like Aditya Birla they have formed the “Chhattisgarh Cement Manufacturers Association” a cartel that has its office at a stones throw from Chief Minister Raman Singh’s residence – a proximity symbolic of their stranglehold influence over the state administration. These companies are blatantly violating well established Indian labour standards which prohibit the use of contract labour in cement manufacture, and mandate that contract labour be paid at par with regular workers, i.e at the rate of the Cement Wage Board. (Holcim, for instance, has appealed against an Award obtained by our union to regularize 573 contract workers whose contracts have been held to be sham and bogus.)They are refusing to abide by the State Rehabilitation Policy which prescribes permanent jobs for those displaced by their plants, and they are in fact creating an explosive situation in the rural areas by employing outsiders in preference to the affected peasants. Under the leadership of the Pragatisheel Cement Shramik Sangh and the Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha (Mazdoor Karyakarta Committee) – workers, peasants and particularly women – have been militantly struggling and have had some success in enforcing minimum wages and getting some affected peasants employed in these factories. But we still need to forge a unity of all cement workers in Chhattisgarh, across union lines, to wage a serious struggle demanding that multinationals implement the law of the land. On the other hand, the local small and medium steel industry of Chhattisgarh is facing a severe crisis and hundreds of units – mini steel plants, sponge iron units, rolling mills - are closing down, thousands of workers are facing the threat of retrenchment. This crisis is another facet of the imperialist onslaught. The best quality iron ore of Chhattisgarh is literally flowing out as slurry, day after day, to be shipped out to Japan at a mere Rs. 400 a tonne. The State government is only too keen to sign MOUs with the big corporate houses – Tata, Essar, Mittal, Jindal…. and to practically gift away the best deposits of iron ore as captive mines at a measly royalty of less than Rs. 50 a tonne. But the local industry is having to purchase iron ore at open market rates, which had touched upto Rs. 5800 per tonne recently. Along with our union the Jan Adharit Engineering Mazdoor Union, the CMM has been continuously protesting against these pro-imperialist policies in order to save local industry and jobs, and exhorting the local industrialists not to be “penny wise and pound foolish” in trying to make up the lakhs of losses on raw material costs by squeezing a few thousands out of the workers legal wages. Increasingly it is becoming more clear to us that the factories are not the only battleground against imperialist and monopoly capital, the hardest struggles are in the countryside where these companies are zeroing in on mineral resources, and are engaged in a land grab on an unbelievable scale. Whether for coal blocks in Raigarh, or a power plant in Premnagar, cement plants in Tilda, or a large industrial area in Rajnandgaon, bauxite mining in Sarguja and Jashpur, sponge iron plants in Raipur or diamond mining in Devbhog, peasants everywhere – particularly adivasis and dalits - are facing and resisting displacement – weakly compromising at some places, facing repression determinedly at others. 41 and now 65 more villages near Raipur are to be displaced for a glittering new capital region of Corporate Chhattisgarh; 9 villages for an army camp for a revamped High Court premises close to Bilaspur; 7 villages for an air force base in Rajnandgaon. Not to mention the displacement for the Tiger Reserve, Elephant Reserve, Wild life Sanctuaries etc. in Bilaspur, Jashpur and Dhamtari districts… The list is endless. CMM has also been active in the anti-displacement movement – in opposing the demolition of urban bastis, particularly in the industrial areas where the lowly paid contract workers live; in organising the already displaced peasants around industrial establishments to demand jobs and compensation; and in playing a prominent role along with the Sanyukta Kisan Morcha in stalling the acquisition of 7 villages at Rajnandgaon for a Special Industrial Zone. It has expressed solidarity with the Raigarh Bachao Sangharsh Samiti which has been fighting the total domination of the Jindal group and its `private army’ notorious for its land grabbing, brokering of material inputs for local small industry, rampant exploitation of workers and the pollution of the air, soil and water of Raigarh district. A peasant woman Satyabhama lost her life, ironically on the 26th of January, when being force-fed to break the indefinite fast she had undertaken to save the waters of the Kelo river from pollution by Jindal (In yet another example of the obscene hypocrisies that we now take for granted, the Jindal Steel and Power Limited recently received the “Srishti Green Cube Award 2007 for Good Green Governance” from Sheela Dikshit, the Chief Minister of Delhi!) The CMM has been an active participant in the anti-displacement front Visthapan Virodhi Jan Vikas Andolan, which was launched at Ranchi on 23rd March 2007, and which has been attempting to unite the people’s resistance to displacement countrywide. The struggle to bring into the public domain the MOUs of Tata and Essar in Bastar and Dantewada; the fake gramsabhas in Lohandiguda and Dhurli blocks conducted at gunpoint to obtain consent for land acquisition, and presided over by the Salwa Judum supremo and District Investment Promotion Board Chairman Mahendra Karma; the arrests of vocal villagers including when they were on their way to keep a scheduled appointment with the Governor; the slapping of cases under the National Security Act on activists of the Adivasi Mahasabha; the FIRs that were finally lodged, after repeated complaints, against sundry dalals of Tata for the “fake compensations” given to the wrong persons and even in the name of the dead; these are events about which I and the CMM have had personal knowledge, and about which we have continuously raised our voice. CMM had organized torchlight processions in several industrial centres protesting against the arrest of Manish Kunjam and other leaders of the Adivasi Mahasabha on the eve of the alternative gram sabhas organized in Lohandiguda and Bhansi to protest land acquisition. But I could only grasp the enormity of the information blackout – the silence, half truths and sheer lies – call it the “wall of silence”, that exists between Bastar and the rest of Chhattisgarh, when as an active member of the Chhattisgarh PUCL, I joined several fact finding teams to investigate into fake encounters. When we found out that the shiksha karmis and student killed in Gollapalli allegedly in “Naxalite cross fire” had actually been murdered by the police and SAF even after they had repeatedly asserted their identity; when the “dreaded Naxalites encountered” in Nayapara turned out to be adivasis who had returned to their ancestoral village in search of work; when the theory of “accidental firing because of hidden Naxalites” in the Cherpal Salwa Judum camp was boldly rubbished by the villagers in the camp who were furious at the killing of a woman and a small baby by a trigger happy CRPF jawan. In the media we repeatedly saw a total silence about ordinary people on the one hand, and cymbal-clashing war-cries against Maoists, always pictured as AK-47 toting with sinisterly covered faces, on the other. Each time we uncovered the truth, which, mind you, was absolutely self-evident to the local people, and tried to cross the “wall”, it was buried again under a heap of papers – false statements, enquiries, and the inevitable conclusions justifying the atrocities. In short, back to square one. This is another attempt to scale that wall. “Rich Lands of Poor People”: Scenario of Chhattisgarh Chandra Bhushan, a researcher on mineral policy writes: “India announced a new National Mineral Policy (for non-coal and non- fuel minerals) in early April, after two-and-a-half years of wrangling between mineral-rich states and the central government, between steel-makers, iron ore miners and exporters. The objective of this policy, NMP-2008, is clear: it will promote privately-owned, large-scale, mechanized mines—if they happen to be controlled by multinationals, still better…. NMP-2008 ignores the fact that mining in India is not only about minerals and a simple ‘dig and sell’ proposition, it is about tribals and backward castes and their land and livelihood alienation. It is about poverty, backwardness and Naxalism. It is also about deforestation and biodiversity impact, water security and pollution.” Ravi Tiwari, General Secretary of the Chhattisgarh Cement Manufacturers’ Association accidently blurts out the truth when he states in an article dated 25/9/2007 in the “Jansatta”. “This State is as rich under its soil, as those who dwell on it are economically impoverished.” He tells us that Chhattisgarh has more than 28 precious mineral resources including limestone, dolomite, coal, iron ore, diamond, gold, quartzite, tin ore, tin metal, granite, corrundum, marble, beryl, bauxite, uranium, alexandrite, copper, silica, fluorite and garnet. In September 2008, a road blockade by hundreds of villagers of the “Jameen Bachao Sangharsh Samiti” stalled a proposal for handing over an area of 105 square kilometers situated in 30 villages of Kunkuri Tehsil of district Jashpur to the Jindal Power and Steel Limited “to prospect for gold, diamond, platinum group of minerals, precious and semiprecious gemstones”. The way companies are zeroing on mineral resources can be seen in the cement sector. There are about 8225 million tones of limestone in Chhattisgarh, predominantly in the Raipur, Durg, Janjgir, Bilaspur, Rajnandgaon, Kawardha and Bastar districts, a large proportion of which is cement grade. Today more than 6% of the country’s cement is produced here by 7 large and 4 small cement plants with a total capacity of nearly 10.5 million tones. In the past decade the plant of the public sector Cement Corporation of India at Mandhar has closed down. While the well known brands of ACC and Ambuja have been taken over by the Swiss multinational Holcim, indeed 12.5% of Holcim’s sales are now from its 24 Indian plants. Lafarge has also taken over two cement plants. The Raman Singh government in its last term has signed MOUs with 11 companies, for setting up new plants as well as expanding old ones. If these new capacities are achieved, it would more than triple the cement production to about 36 million tones. Seven percent of the country’s bauxite, about 198 million tones, is available in the Sarguja, Jashpur, Kawardha, Kanker and Bastar districts. It is being mined at present in Sarguja by the now privatized Balco (Sterlite) company in Chhattisgarh and the Hindalco company of Uttar Pradesh. More than 200 adivasi families have lost their lands to Hindalco so far and the process is still continuing. Although there is theoretically a lease agreement, which states that the company would restore the land to its original condition as far as is practicable, but in reality no rent whatsoever is paid, and in the name of employment one person from the affected family works as lowly paid contract labour. Discontent is rife among these landless adivasi miners. It is pertinent that Dheeraj Jaiswal, a notorious SPO in erstwhile SP Kalluri’s retinue charged of many fake encounters and rapes in the name of fighting Naxals, doubles up as a goonda for Hindalco to keep its labour in order. Bauxite is processed into aluminium, an important input in the aviation and defence industry. There is a global bottleneck in this mineral, hence the corporate hawks are very much on the lookout for potential deposits. Sixteen percent of the country’s coal, a whopping 39,545 million tones is to be found in the Raigarh, Sarguja, Koriya and Korba districts of northern Chhattisgarh. On 5th January 2007, the adivasis of Village Khamariya, Tehsil Tamnar were subjected to vicious and brutal lathicharge when in a public hearing ostensibly arranged by the district administration, but clearly dominated by the Jindal company, they raised objections to giving up their lands to the Jindal Coal Mines. The public hearings for environmental clearances for three more power projects including AES Chhattisgarh Power (a joint venture with the American energy giant) were recently stalled by villagers protesting that they had not been notified and they apprehended widespread pollution. The Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Ltd (IFFCO) had to withdraw its proposal of setting up a 1000 mw coal-based thermal power plant in Premnagar in Sarguja district in March after strong protests. The villagers organized in the “Gram Sabha Parishad” had attacked IFFCO officials conducting “secret surveys” and had protested the diversion of the Atem river for the plant. When the company persisted and got their leader arrested, over 1,000 people marched to the police station to get him released. The new site subsequently chosen by IFFCO, 10km away, also came into serious controversy recently, when villagers who had passed a resolution against the project, found that their Sarpanch was being whisked away secretly to a meeting in a police jeep, disguised as a policeman! All this would have been amusing, had it not been so dead serious. The very first notification issued by the BJP govt. of Chhattisgarh after its recent electoral victory was of the splitting up of the Chhattisgarh State Electricity Board into 5 separate companies, a move which had been consistently resisted by the workers’ and engineers’ associations. This move is being seen clearly as a hidden privatization, for which foreign, particularly American, companies are also reported to be in the running. Chhattisgarh produces the cheapest electricity in the country and private players after taking over the CSEB would use cut-throat competition to push other State Electricity Boards out of the running. It would also mean neglect of rural electrification which entails greater distribution costs. The workers of CSEB, particularly the independent “Vidyut Karmachari Janta Union” are on strike, and ESMA has been invoked against them. Even for the proposed power plant of the CSEB at Bhaiyathan in Sarguja, a private developer Indiabulls Power Generation Ltd would be the main player, the CSEB basically providing the fig-leaf with a 26% stake, since the coal blocks have been allotted in its name. Even otherwise, in the coal sector, the presence of the coal mafia is so overpowering that an MLA of Dhanbad has alleged that “SECL could earn only Rs 800 crore profit in the fiscal year 2006-07, whereas it (the earning) could have been more than Rs 30,000 crore if the government could have reduced the pilferage.” In particular it is an open secret that in Chhattisgarh the Aryan Coal Beneficiaries (also associated with the daily newspaper Haribhoomi) has a monopoly over the washery business and therefore makes a lot of money at SECL’s expense. With the changes in mining policy permitting foreign companies, the Arrow company has started drilling the first of thirteen wells at the Tatapani-Ramkola blocks approximately 90 km south of Ambikapur in district Sarguja. The well is being drilled by the Australian drilling company South West Pinnacle Drilling and coal is expected to be touched at a depth of 500-900m. Remember Dilip Singh Judeo, “Raja” of Jashpur and BJP leader of the aggressive re-conversion movement against the Christian community, being caught taking bribes on camera from a company representative before the last assembly elections? What is rarely revealed is that the company was the Australian mining giant – Broken Hill Properties. One-fifth of the country’s iron ore – about 2336 million tones averaging 68% purity is found in the Dantewada, Kanker, Rajnandgaon, Bastar and Durg districts. The Bhilai Steel Plant is one of the world’s most efficient steel plants, yet it is being deliberately tripped up by private players particularly Jindal Steel & Power. The scramble for the best deposits have started between the public sector NMDC and the Tata and Essar groups, with litigation pending in the Delhi High Court. But this is not all. It is claimed that Tata has acquired Corus. And that Essar Steel is to buy the American steel firm Esmark. Last year, Essar bought Minnesota Steel for an undisclosed sum, only days after it also agreed to acquire Canadian firm Algoma Steel for $1.6bn. The elite of India choose to regard these events as a coming of age of India Inc. and a mark of our becoming a global superpower. The Esmark chief executive James Bouchard, is more forthright and says “Esmark needed a strategic partner as raw material and transport costs rose”. In other words, Essar and Tata are going to be the Indian face of the big foreign mining companies who are facing a raw material crunch today. All these acquisitions have been financed by hefty loans from FFIs, which are going to be a stone around the necks of these companies in the present financial crisis. On 17th May 2008, about 5,000 tribals from 25 villages took out a two- day ‘padyatra’ under the banner of ‘Adivasi Mahasabha’ from Bhansi, where the proposed steel plant of Essar is to come up, to Faraspal of district Dantewada, to protest mining of iron ore from the Bailadila mountains. They claimed that the government has granted mining leases to 96 industrial houses besides Tata and Essar in the Bailadila area and demanded that the mountains, 40 km long and 10km wide, which contained iron ore deposits to the tune of 300 crore tonnes should not be given on lease to private companies for mining as it could pose a threat to the existence of the mountains as also the culture of local tribals. As regards the earnings of the state, Praveen Patel of the Tribal Welfare Society reveals some startling details: “There is nothing to take pride in the news that Chhattisgarh has earned Rs.7 billion in mineral royalty on coal, bauxite and iron ores during the first nine months of the current fiscal 2007-08. The government states that over 2 lakh tonnes of iron ore has been excavated in first nine months but what about the rate of Royalty earned in iron ore only? Why that figures are not shared with the public. Let me throw some idea to lift the veil. As per my information, the average royalty of iron ore which the state has collected is about Rs. 27/- per metric tonne only where as the current international rates of iron ore are in the range of above US $ 210. It would have been better, if the government would have stated bluntly that they are allowing the daylight robbery of the iron ore, parallel of which is not seen anywhere else in the world.” The Bastar region is one of the richest in mineral resources – not only in iron ore, but also perhaps a host of other unexplored minerals including limestone, bauxite, and even diamond and uranium. In 2005 it was not only with Tata and Essar and Texas Power Generation that confidential MOUs were signed allotting iron ore deposits, coal blocks, water reservoirs and hectares and hectares of land, but scores of companies were given prospecting and mining licenses. Unfortunately for the powers that be, however, there happened to be lakhs of adivasis – neglected, exploited and oppressed by the “mainstream” - literally sitting on top of these most precious assets, and even more unfortunately for them, since the early 80’s the Naxal movement had dug deep roots there. The estimate of the then Director General of Police DGP Rathore was that there were about 50,000 “Sangham” or members of the peasant committees and frontal organizations (women and youth organizations) of the Maoists in the year 2005. And so started the “Salwa Judum” a massive and brutal ground clearing operation which was to affect about 3.5 lakhs of adivasis in 644 villages, the most widespread displacement anywhere in the country. “Draining out the water and killing the fish” was the expression used by Mahendra Karma. Shuddhabrata Sengupta The Sarai Programme at CSDS shuddha at sarai.net www.sarai.net www.raqsmediacollective.net From aliens at dataone.in Sun Apr 18 10:48:31 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Sun, 18 Apr 2010 10:48:31 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] SAGARIKA GHOSE INTERVIEWED ARUNDHATI ROY Message-ID: <004c01cadeb6$96474df0$c2d5e9d0$@in> ARUNDHATI ROY'S SINCERITY AND INTELLECTUALITY EXPOSED IN SAGARIKA GHOSE INTERVIEW BELLOW http://ibnlive.in.com/news/maoists-being-forced-into-violence-arundhati/1132 85-37.html?from=search Sagarika Ghose: You wrote your article 'Walking with the comrades' in The Outlook before Dantewada happened. In the aftermath of the Dantewada, do you still stand by the tone of sympathy that you had with the Maoists cause in that essay? Arundhati Roy: Well, this is a odd way to frame before and after Dantewada happened because actually you know this cycle of violence has been building on and on. This is not the first time that a large number of security personnel have been killed by the Maoists. I have written about it and the other attacks that took place between the years 2005-2007. The way I look at is often you know people make it sound that oh on this side of people, who are celebrating the killing of CRPF jawans and that side of the people who are asking for the Maoists to be wiped out. This is not the case. I think that you got to look at the every death as a terrible tragedy. In a system, in a war that's been pushed on the people and that unfortunately is becoming a war of the rich against the poor. In which rich put forward the poorest of the poor to fight the poor. CRPF are terrible victims but they are not just victims of the Maoists. They are victims of a system of structural violence that is taking place, that sort to be drowned in this empty condemnation industry that goes on which is entirely meaningless because most of the time people who condemn them have really no sympathy for them. They are just using them as pawns. Sagarika Ghose: Who then will break the cycle of violence? The state argues that the reason why the state has to cleanse the area or sanitize the area is because whenever it initiates development works on bridges or starts school; those are blown up by the Maoists. Is it that the cycle of violence according to you can only be broken by the states and if the state pulls back is that what you believe? Arundhati Roy: There is some simple sort of litmus test for that, is it the case that there are hospitals, schools, low malnutrition and lot of development in poor areas where there aren't any Maoists? That's not the case. The fact is even if you look at the studies that have been done by doctors in a place like Bilashpur. What Vinayak Sen describes as nutritional aids is happening. When you go into the schools, you see that they are used as barracks. They are built as barracks so as to say that Maoists blow up schools and they are against development is a bit ridiculous. Sagarika Ghose: But you condemn state violence and the charge against you is that you don't condemn Naxals violence and also you don't condemn Maoists violence. In fact you rationalise it and even romaticising violence? That is a charge made against you and in fact if I can read from your essay where you have written that, "I feel I want to say something about the futility of violence but what should I suggest they do? Go to court, a rally, and a hunger strike that sounds ridiculous; which party they should vote for, which democratic institution they should approach? You seem to be saying that non-violence is futile? Arundhati Roy: This is a strange charge on someone who is writing about non-violence and non-violence movement fro 10 years now. But what I saw when I went into the forests was this - that non-violence resistance though it has actually not worked; not in the 'Narmada Bachao Andolan' and not even in many other non-violence movements and not even in the militant movements. It has worked in some parts of the movement. But inside the forests it's a different story because non-violence and in particularly, Gandhian non-violence in some ways needs an audience. It's a theater that needs an audience. But inside the forests there is no audience when a thousand police come and surround the forest village in the middle of the night, what are they to do? How are the hungry to go on a hunger strike? How are the people with no money to boycott taxes or foreign goods or do consumer boycotts? They have nothing. I do see the violence inside that forest as a 'counter violence'. As a 'violence of resistance' and I do feel terrible about the fact that there is this increasing cycle of violence that the more weapons the government arms the police with those weapons end up with the Maoist PLGA. It's a terrible thing to do to any society. I don't think that there is any romance in it. However I'm not against romance. I do feel it's incredible that these poor people are standing up against this mighty state that is sending thousands and thousands of Para-military. I mean, what they are doing in those forests against those people with AK-47 and grenades. Sagarika Ghose: But Maoists have AK-47 too? They have pressure bombs too? Arundhati Roy: They snatched it from cops. Sagarika Ghose: Should people like you for not been raising their voices against the cycle of violence or should you actually been trying to find out rationalization for it because your been called as 'apologists for Maoists'. BJP has called you the "sophisticated face of naxalism'. If you don't raise your voice against their violence and simply say it as a morally acceptable, as a morally legitimate counter to the state then are you not actually failing as member of a civil society? Arundhati Roy: No, I'm not. Because I think it suits the status-quo to have everybody saying.this is terrible and all. So just let's just keep on without taking it into account the terrible structural violence that actually is creating a 'genocidal situation' in those tribal areas. If you look at the levels of malnutrition, if you look at the levels of absolute desperation there; any responsible person has to say that the violence will stop when you stop pushing those people. When you have a whole community of tribal; which by the way, is a population larger than the population of the most countries, is actually on the brink of survival, fighting for its own annihilation. I can't equate their reactions, their resistance to the violence of the state. I think it's immoral to equate the two. Sagarika Ghose: Let's bring you to the other point in your essay, where you are particularly harsh on Gandhi. You said party founder Charu Majumder has kept the dream of revolution real and present in India. Imagine a society without that dream, for that alone we can't judge him too harshly. Especially not while we swaddle ourselves with Gandhi's pious humbug about the superiority of non-violent way and its notion of trusteeship. You also say do you know what to do if we come under fire..Do you think Gandhi is a figure to be mocked? Arundhati Roy: I think there are something about Gandhi, which do deserved to be mocked and I think there are something about him which deserve a great deal of respect. Particularly, his (Gandhi's) ideas of consumption, minimalist and sustainable living. However, let me read what he said in his thing of trusteeship. This is a quote of his notion of trusteeship, "the rich man will be left in possession of his wealth of which he will use what he reasonably requires for his personal needs and will act as a trustee for the remainder to be used for the good of the society". I think that is one statement which can be mocked. I have no problem mocking it. Sagarika Ghose: In a lecture in US in March at the Left forum you said 'India is a fake democracy' that ties in with your justification or your quasi-justification of violence to some extent. Do you feel that because Indian democracy is 'fake' there is no hope that Indian democracy can holds out to the Maoists? Arundhati Roy: No, certainly I feel that India is a oligarchy where it does work as a democracy for the middle classes and the upper classes. Sagarika Ghose: But it's a fake democracy? Arundhati Roy: Yeah, because it doesn't work for the mass of the people it's a fake democracy. So you have institution which has been hollowed out, you have institution to which poor have no access and when you look at the institution of the democracy, look at the elections, at the court, at the media and you look at the judiciary. You have a very dangerous system building. If you increasingly excluding a vast section of the poorer people in this country and that's why I say it fake. It works for some and it doesn't work for others depending on where you want to place your feet; your politics is defined. If you stand in Greater Kailash; sure it's a great and vibrant democracy but if you stand in Dantewada- it is no democracy at all. You have a Chief Minister who basically said that those who don't come out of the forests and live in Salwa Judum camps are terrorists. So looking after your chickens and tending to your fields is a terrorist act? Is that democracy? Sagarika Ghose: If you have to come up with a solution to this. What would your solution be? What would be your way to break the deadlock? Arundhati Roy: Well there are two things. First on a philosophical level I would say that I don't believe that the imagination that has brought to the planet to this crisis is going to come up with an alternative. So the least we can do is to stop and enlighten those who we think of as keepers of our past but could be people who have the wisdom for the future. But on "Operation Green hunt", I would like to say three things, I think government should come clean on all these MoUs, infrastructures projects; declare them and tell us what they are and freeze them for now. Insist that all the villagers that have been pushed out, we are talking of hundreds and thousands of people be rehabilitated. Guns need to be pulled back. Sagarika Ghose: Every country uses mineral resources to grow. Growth is something our country needs. The present dispensation in Maoists, earlier they used to deal with Posco; the rate of compensation was 30 Lakh per year that they used to pay to the Maoists. Now its no deals all bets are off. Are you advocating that all projects from all those areas should wind up and go? Arundhati Roy: You see what's happening now with that the privatization of the mining industry that there is a very sort of false understanding that mining is going to push up growth. It will push it up in strange way which has nothing to do with the real development. But if you look at the royalties that the government gets e.g for iron ores Rs 27 for 5,000 tonnes profit for the private company. We are paying without ecology of other people's economy. So it's a myth of this thing called growth. Sagarika Ghose: Are you willing to mediate between the Maoists and the government because they have put your name as well as Kabir Suman to mediate. But you declined. What are you afraid of? Why don't you go ahead and mediate? Arundhati Roy: I'm afraid of myself. These are not my skills. I don't trust myself. If you are a basket ballplayer you can't be a swimmer. So I think there are people who would do a good job but I don't think I'm one of them. But I think one question we have to ask is whom do we mean when we say Maoist? Who does the 'Operation Green Hunt' want to target? Because for this there has been a discrete separation been made that here are the Maoists and here are the tribal. On the other hand some people say Maoists represent the tribal. Neither of which is true. The fact is that the about 99 per cent Maoists are tribal. But all tribal are not Maoists, still numbers turn into tens and thousands of people who would officially call themselves Maoists. Among them 90,000 women belong to women organisation. 10,000 belong to the cultural organisation. So are they all going to be wiped out? Sagarika Ghose: What is your message to Home Minister P Chidambaram? What kind of message would you like to give him? Do you think he is fighting this war for ego? b>Arundhati Roy: I think he is fighting for hue brisk and fighting with an imagination that is chained to the corporate companies that he wants served to Enron to Vedanta, to all the companies that he has represented. I'm not necessarily accusing him of being corrupt but I'm accusing him of having an imagination that is driving this country into a very serious situation and it's going to effect all of us. Sagarika Ghose: Are you worried about the case that has been filed against you? There has been a complaint filed against you under Chhaatisgarh Special Powers Act (CSPA) and police are investigating on that for lending your support to the Maoists after your article. Are you worried about the state prosecution? Arundhati Roy: Obviously I would be a goon not to be worried. But I won't be the first one they have gone after. I think what they are trying to do is to sell out a warning to the people because I feel they want to intensify this war. I think we are going to see drone attacks on the poorest people of this country. Moreover they want to cordon off the theater of war and trying to warn people who might have a different view from that of the government not to go in the air. Sagarika Ghose: Why do you think your writings are as controversial as they are. Why does India love to hate Arundhati Roy? Why does there are so much hate mail directed at you? Why do people think you say things that people don't agree with? Why are you the writer that India loves to hate? Arundhati Roy: I think it is very presumptuous of you to represent India. I feel the opposite. Like somebody, who is embraced wherever I go whether it is to Orissa or Narmada; it is just the people with the voice, the people with a huge stake in the things I'm writing about where that stake is threatened - that hate me. But if I did feel that whole of India hated me; I have been doing something terribly wrong. As a political writer I be crazy to carry on what I'm doing? The fact I I feel very deeply loved, that's the real issue. Sagarika Ghose: But do you think there is a problem. Do you think the government, the media, the kind of dominant culture is targeting intellectuals, is targeting people like human right activists? Is this dangerous? Arundhati Roy: Of course this is very dangerous. I read one article that says Dantewada comes to Delhi in the charge against Kobad Ghandy. People union for democratic rights..all institutions are being called front organizations. There is this manic barricade like accusation to any one who has a different view that they are Maoists. Hundreds of people who are not known have been picked up and jailed. There is whole bandwidth of people's movement from the non-violent ones outside the forests to the arms struggle inside the forests which have actually held of this corporate assault, which I have to say has not happened in anywhere else in the world. Sagarika Ghose: Let me just ask you what a viewer wrote to me, " when I see a 16-year-old with a gun, I would feel scared and mourn that. Why would Arundhati Roy when look at a 16-year-old look with a gun celebrated and say she is so beautiful, she has a lovely smile"? Arundhati Roy: Because if I saw a 16-year-old being raped by a CRPF man and watching her village being burnt and watching her parents being killed and submit to it. I would mourn that. When I see one standing up and say I 'm going to fight this. I would feel terrible. I think it's a terrible thing to come to that. But it's better than having her accept her annihilation. Sagarika Ghose: Let me read out some of the criticisms that have been made against you fellow thinkers and activists, who said " she equates their cynical quest for power with genuine demands, rights and concern of the people who live in the forests. She give new meaning to the binary logic something which she ridiculed George W Bush for. She is at the moment a victim of Stockholm Syndrome. And another par lance is that she would be described as an embedded journalist". How do you react to this criticism? Arundhati Roy: I think embedded is not in itself a bad thing, it depends on who your are embedded with, whether you are embedded with the media or with the corporate? Or are you embedded with the side that sees itself in resisting this. Here I don't refer to the Maoists. Who are the Maoists? Of course the Maoists ideologues are that it is there aim to overthrow the Indian state when people who form there fighting forces don't know what the Indian state is? But surely there is a coincidence of aims and the moment; both are using each others. I want to say that Maoists are not the only people who are trying to overthrow the Indian state; whereas Indian state has been thrown already by the 'Hindutva' project and by the corporate project. Sagarika Ghose: So you believe that Constitution has ceased to exist? Arundhati Roy: I believe it's been deeply weakened. Sagarika Ghose: Do you think of ever giving up India and living up in somewhere else? Arundhati Roy: Absolutely not. For me that's the challenge, that's the beauty, that's the wonder because the people in this country are staging the India's most difficult struggle anywhere in the world. I feel so proud. I really salute them on what's going on here. As I belong to here even if CSPA wants to put me into jail and I'm not going to live in Switzerland. Sagarika Ghose: Thank you Arundhati Roy. Arundhati Roy: Thanks. From aliens at dataone.in Sun Apr 18 10:52:56 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Sun, 18 Apr 2010 10:52:56 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR In-Reply-To: References: <000601caddfb$cf416660$6dc43320$@in> <458799.31425.qm@web57205.mail.re3.yahoo.com> <001e01cade18$d716af90$85440eb0$@in> <6F550FA0-EF07-4F5E-9CFA-DD741F843ECC@sarai.net> <000001cade26$8941e100$9bc5a300$@in> Message-ID: <005101cadeb7$344e2b40$9cea81c0$@in> Dear Shuddha, As you say large section of the population does not want to surveyed, that's your belief but are they ready to keep them out of survey? As per knowledge/report most of them (may be not all of them), NGO's, human right activists probable demand for them government help, aid, jobs, BPL benefits but do not want to give their resources. One way traffic? Is it justifiable? I think from your content, you and may be some others believe that we should not use forest resources, mines etc. is it? Your reply waited. Thanks Bipin From rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com Sun Apr 18 10:56:55 2010 From: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com (Rakesh Iyer) Date: Sun, 18 Apr 2010 10:56:55 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] SAGARIKA GHOSE INTERVIEWED ARUNDHATI ROY In-Reply-To: <004c01cadeb6$96474df0$c2d5e9d0$@in> References: <004c01cadeb6$96474df0$c2d5e9d0$@in> Message-ID: Dear Bipin How many journalists have dared to go to the jungles of Dantewada where the Naxalites reside and tell their story as to why the tribals are now increasingly joining the Naxals? Arundhati Roy has been one of the very few to do so. And I have seen this interview. She is against the state, but I feel in this interview at least, she has been less a Maoist sympathizer than a critic of state-led development paradigm. The reason why there is violence is simple. That's how our governments tend to take notice. Look at the Narmada Bachao Andolan. What happened? Nothing. Why? Because they didnt' resort to violence. If they would have done so, the politicians would have been forced to stop the Sardar Sarovar dam project and think about the tribals. But since this has not been done, nobody bothers and the rights of tribals are trampled upon as if tribals were insects, not human beings. Look at the Gujjar-reservation issue. The Gujjars were agitating peacefully, yet nobody bothered even to explain to them why reservation was not being done to them. It's only when they unleashed violence that suddenly the entire nation saw them and decided to solve the issue. The fact is that in this country, unless you don't organize violence, nobody hears you or even bothers about you. Indians have a great tendency of working only at the last minute, when the fire reaches the ass. Till it has burnt your legs, nobody cares. Change this tendency and fight it, and automatically things will move for the better. This means ensuring that NREGA, Forest Rights Bill are properly implemented, the Right to Food is enacted soon in its' comprehensive form and implemented well, and most importantly, development as sought by the tribals is given to them, not introducing mining which is unsustainable as being done in Bellary. Don't turn Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand into another Bellary. Rakesh From nagraj.adve at gmail.com Sun Apr 18 11:58:45 2010 From: nagraj.adve at gmail.com (Nagraj Adve) Date: Sun, 18 Apr 2010 11:58:45 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] SAGARIKA GHOSE INTERVIEWED ARUNDHATI ROY In-Reply-To: References: <004c01cadeb6$96474df0$c2d5e9d0$@in> Message-ID: I don't necessarily agree with all of what Arundhati wrote in Outlook, not do I hold a brief for the Maoist movement, but for someone to say that Arundhati's sincerity and intellectuality (whatever that latter means) have been exposed is just ridiculous. And in the guise of being sharp and critical, the interviewer came up with shallow, unthought out statements like "Growth is something the country needs". Really? I in fact thought Arundhati said something very important when she said, "I would say that I don't believe that the imagination that has brought to the planet to this crisis is going to come up with an alternative." And re your response Rakesh, I see your point, but a clean divide between violent and non-violent movements probably needs more stratification. Between struggles that are militant but not violent, those in which violence becomes a part, those in which armed tactics and squads are retained for purely defensive purposes, and lastly those in which armed struggle is more central aimed at the takeover of state power. Obviously, the Maoist movement falls in the fourth category, and in my view, will not work. The problem begins when movements begin to generalise from what works in their area. In practice, different strategies work in different contexts and for different issues. The Maoists have little to offer for urban areas. Though they have had some history of work in a few urban areas, they have nothing unique to offer that makes them different from other formations there, and have in fact I believe withdrawn from urban areas after the merger of PW and MCC. I think it will be more useful for us to think about a multiplicity of movements in different areas, employing different strategies and as part of a broad democratisation of society which at least minimizes the ravages of industrial capitalism. Naga On 18 April 2010 10:56, Rakesh Iyer wrote: > Dear Bipin > > How many journalists have dared to go to the jungles of Dantewada where the > Naxalites reside and tell their story as to why the tribals are now > increasingly joining the Naxals? Arundhati Roy has been one of the very few > to do so. > > And I have seen this interview. She is against the state, but I feel in this > interview at least, she has been less a Maoist sympathizer than a critic of > state-led development paradigm. > > The reason why there is violence is simple. That's how our governments tend > to take notice. Look at the Narmada Bachao Andolan. What happened? Nothing. > Why? Because they didnt' resort to violence. If they would have done so, the > politicians would have been forced to stop the Sardar Sarovar dam project > and think about the tribals. But since this has not been done, nobody > bothers and the rights of tribals are trampled upon as if tribals were > insects, not human beings. > > Look at the Gujjar-reservation issue. The Gujjars were agitating peacefully, > yet nobody bothered even to explain to them why reservation was not being > done to them. It's only when they unleashed violence that suddenly the > entire nation saw them and decided to solve the issue. > > The fact is that in this country, unless you don't organize violence, nobody > hears you or even bothers about you. Indians have a great tendency of > working only at the last minute, when the fire reaches the ass. Till it has > burnt your legs, nobody cares. > > Change this tendency and fight it, and automatically things will move for > the better. This means ensuring that NREGA, Forest Rights Bill are properly > implemented, the Right to Food is enacted soon in its' comprehensive form > and implemented well, and most importantly, development as sought by the > tribals is given to them, not introducing mining which is unsustainable as > being done in Bellary. Don't turn Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand into another > Bellary. > > Rakesh > _________________________________________ > 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 nagraj.adve at gmail.com Sun Apr 18 12:15:02 2010 From: nagraj.adve at gmail.com (Nagraj Adve) Date: Sun, 18 Apr 2010 12:15:02 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR In-Reply-To: <82B69CFD-8994-4077-8768-76CE5BA2E9E6@sarai.net> References: <000601caddfb$cf416660$6dc43320$@in> <458799.31425.qm@web57205.mail.re3.yahoo.com> <001e01cade18$d716af90$85440eb0$@in> <6F550FA0-EF07-4F5E-9CFA-DD741F843ECC@sarai.net> <01A19B86-D4FF-4676-8550-A4A2278D9D43@sarai.net> <82B69CFD-8994-4077-8768-76CE5BA2E9E6@sarai.net> Message-ID: I completely concur with what Shuddha wrote and put so well, but Pawan your point about mining in the Aravallis and what you see near Jaipur is a very important one. It is the ugly underbelly of 'growth', something Sagarika Ghosh so hollowly queried about in that interview with Arundhati. As long as growth and elite consumption are allowed to carry on - and they are an inherent part of capitalism -, the ravages to land and the commons will happen, whether it is in Bellary or in the Aravallis. And the issue is not about the BJP or Congress or sections within the CPM, they all share the worldview of growth and industrialism being a good thing. Else we would not have the odd event of BJP speaking up for Chidambaram around Greenhunt, something I can't recall having happened before in my limited memory. It's clearly time to question these categories of 'growth' and 'development'. Let's just abandon them completely. If nothing else, they are too loaded. We all tend to look at these issues in a fragmented way, and at one small part of it, and that does not really get us anywhere. Naga On 17 April 2010 18:50, Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: > There are kinds and kinds of mining. > > Bastar, for instance, has a long history of mining and smelting iron, > at sustainable levels. That is where the 'Dokra' wrought iron > sculpture which Bastar is famous for comes from. But these forms of > sustainable mining, controlled and managed by communities at their > own levels, is not what happens when giant mining corporations enter > the picture. > > The point I am making is that if this were a democracy, then, > communities would be in a position to decide for themselves what kind > of technological intervention, at what cost, in what way, they are > prepared to face, in their environment. The inhabitants of the > Dandakaranya region have so far refused to accept what mining > corporations can give them. So either you can make them acquiesce by > force, in which case you must be prepared for the fact that they will > resist, using armed force, or any means necessary. Or, you can let > people decide for themselves what they want done with their environment. > > I have no hesitation in saying that whether it is Bellary in BJP > ruled Karnataka, or Nandigram in CPI(M) ruled West Bengal, or land > grabs in Congress-NCP ruled Maharashtra,  BJD ruled Orissa, or in BSP > ruled UP, wherever people face the violence of corporations backed by > the armed might of the state, they are bound to resist in some form > or the other. it is tragic when they do not find a language with > which to resist. Tragic not just for them, but for all of us, and for > the earth. > > In some cases, where non-violence works, their resistance may be non- > violent, in others, such as in Dandakaranya, where the state acts > with unbound and unmitigated violence, violence may be the only > option left to people to resist. These people are prepared to die, > not because they are die hard fanatics, but because they have their > backs to the wall. IN their own way, they are fighting for survival, > and when it comes to a fight for survival, then, i think, it is > precious and specious to dictate to them what means they must use to > resist their own deaths. > > I am not saying that this is a very happy situation. But, if you want > it to be better, THEN, you have to demand a withdrawal of the armed > occuption of the forest zones by ALL parties, beginning with the > withdrawal of the armed might of the Indian state, which began the > cycle of violence in the forests when it set up the paper walls. > > > > > > > > > > On 17-Apr-10, at 6:40 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > >> Shuddhabrata, >> >> Does all this stop at the cost of development ? Mining is not a new >> invention and dates back many centuries as well. >> >> Personally , it does pain me as well .Everytime i travel to Jaipur , >> just before Jaipur on right hand side a hill is actually cut as if >> with a knife and i hate that ugly look. >> >> Residents of Faridabad too suffer due to illegal mining happening >> around Arravali range. >> >> I wish to just know if the armed resistance is justified ? Why does > this covert justification happen ? >> >> I am surprised that the only example you provided was of Bellary , >> probably because of your bias towards BJP. I do not mind that . >> >> However mining is not limited to Bellary but is spread across at least >> 12 states in india , at-least....from Goa to Orissa and what not. >> >> Pawan >> >> On Sat, Apr 17, 2010 at 5:33 PM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta >> wrote: >>> Pawan, >>> The law of the land says that the forest dwellers are intruders in >>> the >>> forest who should be moved by force. The law of the land states >>> that the >>> commons of the forests are commodities that can be sold by their >>> propreiter, >>> the state to the highest or to the lowest bidder. When MoUs >>> between the >>> state and the mining corporations are signed, they become the law >>> of the >>> land, and these laws of the land insist that any efforts to resist >>> the rape >>> of the forests by mining interests be met with 'legal' violence. >>> The law of >>> the land is designed to protect the interests of capital. >>> The 'law of the land' in a class society, inevitably reflects the >>> interest >>> of the classes that rule. In this case, the interests of the >>> classes that >>> rule will spell the end of the forests, and of ways of life that >>> do not want >>> to be made the objects of Capitalist development. >>> My hope is that the 'law of the land' is made not to prevail. So that >>> Dandakaranya does not become the hell that is, say, Bellary. >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> On 17-Apr-10, at 5:30 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: >>> >>> I completely agree that there has to be development , education , job >>> opportunities for the neglected lot and there is no doubt that they >>> have been neglected. >>> Not only these people , the whole of North east to a great extent >>> till >>> some time was never thought to be important as if it did not exist >>> for >>> India. Even today a procession in Kashmir makes it to headlines of >>> India while as many killings in NE doesnt make it to inside page of a >>> newspaper. >>> But that does not take away the thought that law of land should >>> not prevail. >>> Regards >>> Pawan >>> >>> >>> On Sat, Apr 17, 2010 at 4:23 PM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta >>> wrote: >>> >>> Do the roads and the schools justify the violence of the memoranda of >>> (mis)understanding ? >>> How many apologies for schools does it take to justify the >>> presence of a >>> CRPF battalion stationed to protect the interests of a mining >>> company in a >>> forest that should not be laid waste to the lust of Capital? >>> best, >>> Shuddha >>> On 17-Apr-10, at 4:20 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: >>> Does this still justify the violence of Naxalites. Havent the >>> Naxalites been objecting to roads ...schools....etc ? >>> On Sat, Apr 17, 2010 at 4:08 PM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta >>> wrote: >>> Dear All, >>> A wall was certainly built. It was a wall built out of the paper of >>> Forestry Acts and Memoranda of Understanding with Mining Companies. >>> They paved the way for many other kinds of walls. These paper walls, >>> much more powerful than any wall of bricks or mortar, made people >>> homeless in their own space. It was written on the paper walls that >>> the dweller in the forest was an intruder. One day, she picked up >>> firewood from the ground, the next day she did the same, one day she >>> was a forager, the next day she was a thief. The words on the walls >>> separated those two days from each other. >>> Then came the sentries, and the high priests of the words that were >>> written on the paper walls. Forest guards came, then paramilitaries >>> came, then came police and armed thugs to protect the paper wall. To >>> man the watchtowers. To tell the forest dwellers that they must stay >>> outside the wall, for their own good. Then came the TV channels and >>> the patriots and the NGOs and the experts. They all admired the wall. >>> No one said the wall needed to come down. Some tried to improve the >>> handwriting on the paper. Some argued about the font size and >>> italicization. Others said the papers needed to be copied and >>> distributed. >>> The inhabitants of the forest looked around for a method to rebuild >>> their homes that had been broken by the words on the paper walls. >>> Some of them tried to fight words with words. Some petitioned. Some >>> of them tried to lay seige to the consciences of others. None of this >>> worked. Some words were heard, understood, others were dismissed, not >>> listened to. >>> The paper wall grew stronger, deeper, thicker. Their words grew >>> louder. The forest spoke. The forest sang. The forest warned. The >>> forest cried. The forest whispered. The forest screamed. But the wall >>> did not listen. And those who built the wall laughed out loud, >>> thinking that paper was cement. That ink was stone. That their word >>> was law. >>> This meant that they (the people of the forest) had to take down some >>> of the watchtowers. This meant that when words failed, they found >>> their way to guns. It seemed that when the guns spoke, the people >>> manning the watchtowers listened. And so, when the guns came to them, >>> the forest dwellers did not say no to the guns. They no longer had >>> the words with which they could afford to say 'no, we do not need the >>> guns'. Perhaps, if those who had built the wall, had listened, the >>> guns that came to the people in the forest would have found no use. >>> If you hold a gun, you stand in the line of fire. No one wants to be >>> in the line of fire for no good reason. Right now.The wall needs to >>> be taken down for any conversation to begin again. >>> Tear the paper that carries the MoUs, and maybe there can be some >>> talking. So take the wall down. And the guns may fall silent. Words >>> may begin again.  Or try and keep the wall, and invite the war to >>> spread its cloak of silence. You don't need more development in the >>> forests, perhaps you need less. At least less of the kind that is >>> written up in the MoUs. >>> If the war crosses the forest and comes to the fields, if the war >>> comes to the cities, it will be because the paper walls multiplied. >>> Then those who wrote the words that made the paper walls rise will >>> answer for the war. After all, they did not have to build the paper >>> walls in the first place. They could have chosen to listen, when >>> there was still time to listen. They might then say that they were >>> sorry, but people may have forgotten the meaning of forgiveness by >>> then. Guns have a way of making people forget how to speak and to >>> listen. If the words you write on the paper walls you build bring >>> guns into the conversation, then many other words will eventually >>> die. >>> Try and listen for a change. Don't always think that your word is >>> law.There may still be time. >>> best >>> Shuddha >>> On 17-Apr-10, at 3:59 PM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: >>> Dear Kshmendra, >>> >>> You are right. It is respected state govt. negligence since years >>> that >>> allowed to "build" wall and vote-bank politics made this wall >>> thicker and >>> thicker and so we are suffering the sins. Just like negligence by >>> WB govt. >>> allowing infiltrations of Bangladeshis to increase their vote bank >>> in the >>> name of minor appeasement and their sins are suffering whole India, >>> since >>> Bangladeshis spread almost all over India. >>> >>> Whatever, happened in the past, but it is time to rectify mistakes >>> and govt. >>> making/wants to make some sincere efforts but few rationalists like >>> Aundhati >>> Roy and few vote seeker politicians comes in between. Even maoist >>> made this >>> as their business now and don't want to come out by conversation, >>> so they >>> even did not allow infrastructure in their area or destroys if >>> made. So, it >>> is time for govt. to take some hard action though it is painful step. >>> >>> Thanks >>> Bipin >>> >>> >>> >>> From: Kshmendra Kaul [mailto:kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com] >>> Sent: Saturday, April 17, 2010 2:51 PM >>> To: sarai-list; Bipin Trivedi >>> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR >>> >>> >>> Dear Bipin >>> >>> You wrote : "Naxal/maoist army cadre has built a wall like (may be >>> not >>> physical wall in some areas) periphery and cornered that area where >>> army or >>> even police cannot go there easily, so to built all above >>> infrastructure and >>> provide facilities to their local people is remote >>> possibilities." >>> >>> I agree. That is an appropiate description of the situation. >>> >>> What needs thinking is: >>> >>> 1. Did this "wall" exist when India becamje independent in 1947? >>> No, it did >>> not. So what was it that allowed the Maoists/Naxals to build that >>> "wall"? >>> Who ceded that space to them? Who allowed their violent-extremist >>> ideology >>> to be propagated? Why were people attracted to it? Why did it >>> become an >>> 'alternative' for people to adopt instead of subscribing to the >>> Constitution >>> of India? >>> >>>     This is not a matter of the last 5 or 10 or 15 or 20 years, but a >>> culmination of indifferent and/or corrupted governance since 1947. >>> >>> 2. If you think the above is a resonable argument then please >>> consider that >>> breaking down or bulldozing that "wall" might by itself alone not >>> be a >>> solution. If the "root causes" are not addressed then it will be >>> only a >>> matter of time that another "wall" comes up, and another, and >>> another. >>> >>> 3. Wouldnt you agree that what needs to be done is to ensure that >>> no one >>> lays the foundations for more such "walls"? >>> >>>     Wouldnt you agree that the route for that is to make available >>> competent >>> governance, opportunities and an environment of justice? >>> >>> 4. Yes that will be an arduous task since the "walls" are strong >>> but that is >>> an impediment of our own making since we allowed the "walls" to >>> come up in >>> the first place through neglect and we have to suffer that >>> disadvantage. It >>> is a punishment for our own sins. >>> >>> Kshmendra >>> >>> --- On Sat, 4/17/10, Bipin Trivedi wrote: >>> From: Bipin Trivedi >>> Subject: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR >>> To: "sarai-list" >>> Date: Saturday, April 17, 2010, 12:30 PM >>> I believe that it is wrong to say that Naxal or Maoist are trying >>> to protect >>> right of poor/tribal. As in case of terrorist or supporter of >>> terrorist >>> (sleeper or active cell) are misguided by some terrorists group/ >>> wasted >>> interest, same way naxal/maoist are acting with misguidance. >>> Many argues that we should built infrastructure like school, >>> hospitals, >>> roads, industries and other amenities in naxal affected districts >>> to provide >>> essential amenities and employment. But, actual situation in all such >>> district is very strange and different. Naxal/maoist army cadre has >>> built a >>> wall like (may be not physical wall in some areas) periphery and >>> cornered >>> that area where army or even police cannot go there easily, so to >>> built all >>> above infrastructure and provide facilities to their local people >>> is remote >>> possibilities. In the case, how can there up-liftment is possible? >>> Is anyone >>> who favors them have thought this much extremities adopted by >>> naxals/maoist. >>> Government did tried to solve by conversation and requested to >>> allow govt. >>> machinery for developing infrastructure, but they boldly denied. If >>> we want >>> to make some infrastructural work to provide facilities to people >>> their then >>> one has to remove such boundary and freed the area even with the >>> help of >>> army then also. >>> In the news and media air attack news was published. This is also >>> myth, >>> there was no plan for air attack, but with the help air-force, aerial >>> surveillance or map view is necessary, so that army or police can >>> go ahead >>> to capture that area and freed from maoist. Also, please note that >>> most of >>> the poor/tribal are not supporting them by heart but they support >>> forcefully >>> with gun on their head. >>> So, looking to above reason it seems that they made business to >>> create >>> terror and playing in the hand of some wasted interest may be from >>> outside >>> India. So, it is necessary to freed such naxal affected area from >>> their >>> terror by any means. So if anyone says that naxal/maoist helping >>> local >>> people or tribal is baseless. >>> Thanks >>> Bipin >>> >>> _________________________________________ >>> 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 >>> >> 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/> >>> Shuddhabrata Sengupta >>> The Sarai Programme at CSDS >>> Raqs Media Collective >>> shuddha at sarai.net >>> www.sarai.net >>> www.raqsmediacollective.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/> >>> _________________________________________ >>> 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/> >>> Shuddhabrata Sengupta >>> The Sarai Programme at CSDS >>> Raqs Media Collective >>> shuddha at sarai.net >>> www.sarai.net >>> www.raqsmediacollective.net >>> >>> >>> Shuddhabrata Sengupta >>> The Sarai Programme at CSDS >>> Raqs Media Collective >>> shuddha at sarai.net >>> www.sarai.net >>> www.raqsmediacollective.net >>> >>> > > Shuddhabrata Sengupta > The Sarai Programme at CSDS > Raqs Media Collective > shuddha at sarai.net > www.sarai.net > www.raqsmediacollective.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 aliens at dataone.in Sun Apr 18 12:23:14 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Sun, 18 Apr 2010 12:23:14 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR In-Reply-To: References: <000601caddfb$cf416660$6dc43320$@in> <458799.31425.qm@web57205.mail.re3.yahoo.com> <001e01cade18$d716af90$85440eb0$@in> <6F550FA0-EF07-4F5E-9CFA-DD741F843ECC@sarai.net> <01A19B86-D4FF-4676-8550-A4A2278D9D43@sarai.net> <82B69CFD-8994-4077-8768-76CE5BA2E9E6@sarai.net> Message-ID: <005f01cadec3$d1d7f2e0$7587d8a0$@in> Dear Nagraj, I think from your content, you and may be some others believe that we should not use forest resources, mines etc. and restrict ourselves, is it? Your reply waited. Thanks Bipin From aliens at dataone.in Sun Apr 18 12:30:40 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Sun, 18 Apr 2010 12:30:40 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] ARUNDHATI ROY'S SINCERITY AND INTELLECTUALITY EXPOSED IN SAGARIKA GHOSE INTERVIEW Message-ID: <006001cadec4$dbe75e50$93b61af0$@in> Dear All, When Sagarika Ghose asked that whenever state initiates development works on bridges or starts school; those are blown up by the Maoists. What a ridiculous answer Arundhati gives," Is it the case that there are hospitals, schools, low malnutrition and lot of development in poor areas where there aren't any Maoists?" and further she says, "When you go into the schools, you see that they are used as barracks. They are built as barracks so as to say that Maoists blow up schools and they are against development is bit ridiculous". But Madam that has happened many times, what about that? Government building basic infrastructure for their benefit and up-liftment, but maoist destroys it and Aundhati favors it. What a thought. But Maoists have AK-47 too? They have pressure bombs too? She says: They snatched it from cops. By snatching, they get very marginal quantity, but from where the huge quantity of arms come. She is fooling a small kids by giving such ridiculous answer. She believes that India is a fake democracy. Who told to stay here and if this country don't suits you, you are at liberty to go. One thing you forget that you are openly exploding your so called pro-maoist thought in Indian democracy only. Strangely when asked for alternative solution, she replies that she don't believe that imagination has brought the planet with no alternative solution. Other way she suggest that rehabilitation of the tribal will hopefully emerging solution. She is just hopeful, though she is counted as most nearer to them as the report says, she roamed in naxal affected areas many times, writes a full assay on it. But, she is just hopeful of solution. She wants 'operation green hunt' which is for infrastructural projects to be freeze, but such projects beneficial to local people only. When she is not hopeful of solution and could not suggest anything about it, she should co-operate the government who sincerely wants to do something for local people. Such attitude of her create doubts about her sincerity! She is not favoring mining industries allotted to private co. since iron ore mine owner pays Rs. 27 to govt. while they keep Rs. 5000 with them. I suggest her that run mine for few months and will come to know how it can be run, what expenses occur. Rs. 5000 does not go fully in the pocket of mine owner but they are bearing running expenses like wages, electric charges, land lease charges etc. Please note that mining industry provides huge employment their and their produce is key raw material for other industries in India. When asked the question that most of people hate your views and writing and believe your thought impractical. She replies, If whole of India hate me I have to believe I am wrong. Then why you waiting for, understand this and come back from your wrong belief now. This proves that she is just after negative and chip publicity, that's all !!! I think she is unaware or rather knowingly unaware that govt. tried earlier for rehabilitation, but they don't want to come out from their forest land. Even some of them don't want to change and remain to live as per their tradition. What can one do in the case. Even government want Aundhati to be mediator between the government and maoist, but she denies. This is also creates doubt on her sincerity. What I think, She wants just mere publicity out of this and wants to create a show that she worried of tribal! By that way, she wants to increase sale of her books and reader audience. Thanks Bipin From c.anupam at gmail.com Sun Apr 18 12:46:18 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Sun, 18 Apr 2010 12:46:18 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] How many mines do you own Bipin? Message-ID: Bipin, You have twisting and turning information for yourself but now you have been posting it on a reader's forum is equally disturbing. School buildings being turned into barracks is not a sign of development in any part of the world. Something must be so rotten in the development schemes that schools had to be turned into barracks for the armed personnel to stay. It seems for you, barracks are the coolest things to come up in the neighbourhood. Mind you, you are not in Dantewada or you havent been there ever, so all this talk is bogus and unfounded. This is not to defend Arundhati Roy or her arguments. But I thought you are aware of this situation where in security forces not just in Dantewada but in several schools of Jammu and Kashmir and North East turned schools into barracks. Are schools meant for that? Why are barbed wires constructed in front of these schools while building it? what is this insecurity? Do you have any kind of data as to how many schools have been destroyed before they were turned into barracks? If you dont, what are you arguing here for? what should a school look like a barrack? how many mines do you own Bipin? anupam - On Sun, Apr 18, 2010 at 12:30 PM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > Dear All, > > When Sagarika Ghose asked that whenever state initiates development works > on > bridges or starts school; those are blown up by the Maoists. What a > ridiculous answer Arundhati gives," Is it the case that there are > hospitals, > schools, low malnutrition and lot of development in poor areas where there > aren't any Maoists?" and further she says, "When you go into the schools, > you see that they are used as barracks. They are built as barracks so as to > say that Maoists blow up schools and they are against development is bit > ridiculous". But Madam that has happened many times, what about that? > Government building basic infrastructure for their benefit and up-liftment, > but maoist destroys it and Aundhati favors it. What a thought. > > But Maoists have AK-47 too? They have pressure bombs too? She says: They > snatched it from cops. By snatching, they get very marginal quantity, but > from where the huge quantity of arms come. She is fooling a small kids by > giving such ridiculous answer. > > She believes that India is a fake democracy. Who told to stay here and if > this country don't suits you, you are at liberty to go. One thing you > forget > that you are openly exploding your so called pro-maoist thought in Indian > democracy only. > > Strangely when asked for alternative solution, she replies that she don't > believe that imagination has brought the planet with no alternative > solution. Other way she suggest that rehabilitation of the tribal will > hopefully emerging solution. She is just hopeful, though she is counted as > most nearer to them as the report says, she roamed in naxal affected areas > many times, writes a full assay on it. But, she is just hopeful of > solution. > She wants 'operation green hunt' which is for infrastructural projects to > be > freeze, but such projects beneficial to local people only. When she is not > hopeful of solution and could not suggest anything about it, she should > co-operate the government who sincerely wants to do something for local > people. Such attitude of her create doubts about her sincerity! > > She is not favoring mining industries allotted to private co. since iron > ore > mine owner pays Rs. 27 to govt. while they keep Rs. 5000 with them. I > suggest her that run mine for few months and will come to know how it can > be > run, what expenses occur. Rs. 5000 does not go fully in the pocket of mine > owner but they are bearing running expenses like wages, electric charges, > land lease charges etc. Please note that mining industry provides huge > employment their and their produce is key raw material for other industries > in India. > > When asked the question that most of people hate your views and writing and > believe your thought impractical. She replies, If whole of India hate me I > have to believe I am wrong. Then why you waiting for, understand this and > come back from your wrong belief now. This proves that she is just after > negative and chip publicity, that's all !!! > > I think she is unaware or rather knowingly unaware that govt. tried earlier > for rehabilitation, but they don't want to come out from their forest land. > Even some of them don't want to change and remain to live as per their > tradition. What can one do in the case. > > Even government want Aundhati to be mediator between the government and > maoist, but she denies. This is also creates doubt on her sincerity. What I > think, She wants just mere publicity out of this and wants to create a show > that she worried of tribal! By that way, she wants to increase sale of her > books and reader audience. > > Thanks > > Bipin > > > > _________________________________________ > 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 rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com Sun Apr 18 13:02:13 2010 From: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com (Rakesh Iyer) Date: Sun, 18 Apr 2010 13:02:13 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] ARUNDHATI ROY'S SINCERITY AND INTELLECTUALITY EXPOSED IN SAGARIKA GHOSE INTERVIEW In-Reply-To: <006001cadec4$dbe75e50$93b61af0$@in> References: <006001cadec4$dbe75e50$93b61af0$@in> Message-ID: Dear Bipin Let me state a few clarifications and views on what you have written in your mail: 1) Everybody seems to state that Maoists are blowing up schools and bridges. Firstly, as far as schools are concerned, Maoists have been blowing up schools after the government started using these schools as barracks. Before this was done, not a single school building can be reported to have been blown up. Stop using the schools as barracks, and automatically this blowing up will stop. Moreover, the schools in question are not being used for educating children but for housing soldiers. How does that benefit the local people? Is that development? Which fool on this forum would like to call this development? And can't the CRPF have its' own barracks rather than residing in schools and panchayat buildings? 2) Everybody here seems to say that AK-47's are used by Naxals. It's strange then that the Maoists simply snatch away the police armoury which is absolutely ineffective compared to AK-47's. To the best of my knowledge, not a single AK-47 has been used by Naxals in their ambushes or encounters with police or armed forces. If it's there, pleaes bring it to our notice, and here I mean a live incident, not a debate or discussion by some policy maker. 3) You should read the essay carefully instead of blabbering in anger. In the interview, Arundhati Roy states that India is a working democracy when it comes to the rich and the upper middle classes, but when it comes to the tribals, it's a fake democracy. Remember, conducting elections is not democracy, for democracy means hearing all kinds of views and giving people the respect they deserve. Have the tribals even once been asked on what they want to do, or what is their perception of development? No. The tribals should leave their land and just go and settle themselves and leave their lands on which they lived for us, so that we can mine them and get resources and continue with the process of economic growth. This is crap theory and should be thrown away in the dustbin. Development is meant for all people, not for Gods or for people like you alone. First go and understand the meaning of what constitutes development, rather than blabbering the term everywhere and anywhere in that essay. And this message is for all those who keep shouting development on this forum without even understanding what it's meaning is. And if you want a source, go and read Amartya Sen's 'Development As Freedom'. 4) Indeed there is no hope in the current democratic framework, the way it works, for any solution which can be beneficial for the tribals, or the local inhabitants, to emerge. This is because you are only interested in the mines and minerals for your own development. You are hardly bothered about the tribals and what happens to them. And this you doesn't include Bipin alone, it includes lakhs and lakhs of those whose sole concern is growth in life at the cost of others. You are only bothered with growth, even if it comes at the cost of environment (as Gujarat is the prime example of this), or at the cost of the poor (as Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh through their MOU's testify). None of the information about a single MOU signed by the govt. and the companies is available either to the local inhabitants or to us. Is it a crime to ask for this information to be made public? 5) It's not Arundhati Roy but the Planning Commission has asked for the rate of iron ore or other mines to be increased per tonne (I mean the royalty), including for coal. Your arguments are petty nonsense compared to the Planning Commission arguments which have repeatedly stated that this price needs to be increased to ensure that only sustainable mining has been undertaken. The prices are low only because of political interference to allow illegal mining and profiteering, as is seen in the case of Bellary. What expertise do you have in the field of mining, may I know that? 6) The mining industry provides employment in the form of informal sector to many people who are paid pittance as wages and dont' have any social security net to fall back upon. They will actually benefit if the industry is regularized, social security nets are introduced for them, NREGA is extended to the entire country, and most importantly, the Right to food and Right to health are made universal and effective for all citizens. But then, you being a worshipper of market and capitalism and development for yourself (as opposed to development for the entire human race) would not understand the significance. May be you can try living like a poor for one year. That may tell you how it's useful. 7) The whole of India doesn't hate her. A large section of the people don't even know about her since they are not that well educated. As for you and cohorts who hate her, you just constitute a miniscule percentage of the population. If you have the confidence to believe that a majority of India hates her, at least petition the govt. and the SC to conduct a referendum for the same. 8) The biggest myth you and your cohorts have is the idea that tribals want to remain backward. Neither do the tribals want to remain backward, nor from what I have read of Arundhati, does she want them to remain backward. The tribals want the Forest Rights Bill to be implemented properly so that their rights on the forest property can be secured. They want to secure their livelihoods and forest products as they have been living with them for centuries. They want their culture to be protected and passed over across centuries rather than learning languages like Hindi and English at the cost of their cultures, dialects and languages. But they also want education. They want employment opportunities through NREGA. They want the Right to food so that they are not forced to remain impoverished and suffer from chronic under-nutrition which is debilitating in itself. They want the Right to health so that they can access health facilities at the cheapest rates and thereby able to save themselves from diseases. They want development. They want roads as well. But they want rights on their land. And they don't want their land and livelihoods to be sacrificed at the altar of India's development. So if you want development, go and sacrifice your own house and own land and tell India's govt to build over it. And ask your Modi, your Ambani and TATA to gift their land as well so that we can have development process on their land as well in the form of some other industry. Let me see if they are willing to do so or not. Yes, the tone of this mail is out of anger, but it's as much out of frustration at those in the forum who have not an iota of understanding the problem. Continuous rabble rousing is done and any person who has the opposite views is simply questioned or ridiculed. Those who ask question of mining must know that mining must be sustainable and should accompany all kinds of safety measures and equipment as well, plus it shouldn't harm the environment. But instead, they dont' care. For them, India should become a superpower, so that it can behave like America and bomb other countries or nuke them when and where it feels to. I am not ashamed that you people can't understand the views, but I am ashamed of the fact that India has so much inequality today that the rich are not even able to understand what it means to be poor, and are simply suggesting arbitrary solutions. Even I don't understand, but the others like me with their atrocious ideas are only going to lead to further disasters. And it is appalling to see you Bipin in particular just going about with your completely arbitrary ideas of development. And this is why I would like, even before a discussion on Naxalism, a request to all members to please debate and discuss this question: What is development? May be it's time members of this forum get their arbitrary and useless ideas clarified and corrected for once and for all. Rakesh From pheeta.ram at gmail.com Sun Apr 18 15:18:14 2010 From: pheeta.ram at gmail.com (Pheeta Ram) Date: Sun, 18 Apr 2010 15:18:14 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] SAGARIKA GHOSE INTERVIEWED ARUNDHATI ROY In-Reply-To: References: <004c01cadeb6$96474df0$c2d5e9d0$@in> Message-ID: The interview has, very interestingly, revealed how DUMB these media people can be. Its Sagarika Ghose who has been exposed instead. She asks such dumb questions; it made me laugh at both Sagarika and the TV channel she represents. No doubt, the media have been sold out to the corporates. There's another guy, much admired in the 'interview circles', more i think for his impeccable English than for his interviewing skills, called Karan Thapar. The video is available on Youtube. Just look at the way he embar-asses himself. For a change mute the video and concentrate on his demeanour: anxiety is writ large over his face, he is too much aware of his hollowness. Frankly speaking, Arundhati Roy has dealt a tight nice slap on many people's faces with her essay in Outlook. I don't need to name them, their cheeks are still burning. It won't be easier to appropriate Arundhati anymore. Alas, she is standing alone, though evermore stronger, among these celebrity writers! On Sun, Apr 18, 2010 at 11:58 AM, Nagraj Adve wrote: > I don't necessarily agree with all of what Arundhati wrote in Outlook, > not do I hold a brief for the Maoist movement, but for someone to say > that Arundhati's sincerity and intellectuality (whatever that latter > means) have been exposed is just ridiculous. And in the guise of being > sharp and critical, the interviewer came up with shallow, unthought > out statements like "Growth is something the country needs". Really? > I in fact thought Arundhati said something very important when she > said, "I would say that I don't believe that the imagination that has > brought to the planet to this crisis is going to come up with an > alternative." > > And re your response Rakesh, I see your point, but a clean divide > between violent and non-violent movements probably needs more > stratification. Between struggles that are militant but not violent, > those in which violence becomes a part, those in which armed tactics > and squads are retained for purely defensive purposes, and lastly > those in which armed struggle is more central aimed at the takeover of > state power. Obviously, the Maoist movement falls in the fourth > category, and in my view, will not work. The problem begins when > movements begin to generalise from what works in their area. In > practice, different strategies work in different contexts and for > different issues. The Maoists have little to offer for urban areas. > Though they have had some history of work in a few urban areas, they > have nothing unique to offer that makes them different from other > formations there, and have in fact I believe withdrawn from urban > areas after the merger of PW and MCC. I think it will be more useful > for us to think about a multiplicity of movements in different areas, > employing different strategies and as part of a broad democratisation > of society which at least minimizes the ravages of industrial > capitalism. > Naga > > > > On 18 April 2010 10:56, Rakesh Iyer wrote: > > Dear Bipin > > > > How many journalists have dared to go to the jungles of Dantewada where > the > > Naxalites reside and tell their story as to why the tribals are now > > increasingly joining the Naxals? Arundhati Roy has been one of the very > few > > to do so. > > > > And I have seen this interview. She is against the state, but I feel in > this > > interview at least, she has been less a Maoist sympathizer than a critic > of > > state-led development paradigm. > > > > The reason why there is violence is simple. That's how our governments > tend > > to take notice. Look at the Narmada Bachao Andolan. What happened? > Nothing. > > Why? Because they didnt' resort to violence. If they would have done so, > the > > politicians would have been forced to stop the Sardar Sarovar dam project > > and think about the tribals. But since this has not been done, nobody > > bothers and the rights of tribals are trampled upon as if tribals were > > insects, not human beings. > > > > Look at the Gujjar-reservation issue. The Gujjars were agitating > peacefully, > > yet nobody bothered even to explain to them why reservation was not being > > done to them. It's only when they unleashed violence that suddenly the > > entire nation saw them and decided to solve the issue. > > > > The fact is that in this country, unless you don't organize violence, > nobody > > hears you or even bothers about you. Indians have a great tendency of > > working only at the last minute, when the fire reaches the ass. Till it > has > > burnt your legs, nobody cares. > > > > Change this tendency and fight it, and automatically things will move for > > the better. This means ensuring that NREGA, Forest Rights Bill are > properly > > implemented, the Right to Food is enacted soon in its' comprehensive form > > and implemented well, and most importantly, development as sought by the > > tribals is given to them, not introducing mining which is unsustainable > as > > being done in Bellary. Don't turn Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand into another > > Bellary. > > > > Rakesh > > _________________________________________ > > 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 kaksanjay at gmail.com Sun Apr 18 15:35:01 2010 From: kaksanjay at gmail.com (Sanjay Kak) Date: Sun, 18 Apr 2010 15:35:01 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] =?windows-1252?q?=93This_Awakening_of_Masses_is_Tot?= =?windows-1252?q?ally_Political=94?= Message-ID: For those who may have missed it, here's a very instructive piece from the sanhati website. I'm taking the liberty of retaining the comment made by the friend who forwarded it... Best Sanjay Kak ------ "This is indeed a remarkable interview. KMSS is one of the largest people's movement of India in recent times and has remained largely non violent. Akhil is the only visible face, and this is possibly one of the pieces that captures their theory and practice. He also talks about Maoists, Gandhian ideology, political parties, parliamentary democracy, middle class dreams, Indian left, NAPM, Medha Patkar and of course BIG dams...." ------ http://sanhati.com/excerpted/2274/ Krishi Mukti Sangram Samiti, Assam: A brief note and an interview with Akhil Gogoi April 18, 2010 By Debarshi Das, Sanhati Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti, in many ways, is an anomaly in Assam. This is a land which finds national attention only in times of blasts, floods, massacres. KMSS breaks the media orientalism and manages to make news. KMSS launches agitations on patently non-exotic issues such as Public Distribution System thefts, construction of big dams in fragile seismic territories, non-implementation of National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, Rights to Information Act etc. Aside from these issues, the other feature which sets KMSS apart in the political landscape of the state is its non-alignment. KMSS is not close to any political party. And more importantly it does not swear by any tribal, linguistic, religious group. This is something of a miracle in a region almost balkanised by identity politics. This surprise package is putting the powers that be in jeopardy. They are used to dealing with sundry armed outfits which fight holy wars in the name of blood kinship ties, and are routinely silenced through distribution of State handouts to the leadership. In order to pigeonhole this unwieldy customer the state intelligence has theorised KMSS has links with the biggest internal threat of the country, namely the Maoists! On March 30 2010 thousands of ordinary unarmed people marched to the district deputy commissioner’s office in the remote, eastern district of Dhemaji. Mega dams numbering as many as 168 are being constructed in Arunachal Pradesh flouting environmental clearance norms. Dhemaji is the place where the Brahmaputra enters Assam from Arunachal. Farmers fear that the dams are going to lay waste their source of livelihood. The Bogibeel bridge over the river had allegedly devastated one-fourth paddy cropping area of the district. There are apprehensions that earthquakes, which are pretty regular here, by breaking the dams may send a apocalyptic flood down the Assam valley. Indeed a house committee appointed by the Assam assembly had submitted an interim report to halt construction of the dams until the final report comes out. But the decree of Capital overrides the will of the people. Then there are issues of mal-implementation of NREGS and PDS which the KMSS wanted to draw the attention of the administration to. It was raining incessantly that noon. Thousands waited patiently to hand over their memorandum to the DC. The DC did not oblige to step out. The crowd became restive. Perimeter gate was smashed. The police was sent. Lathicharge, tear gas, rubber bullets, blank firing followed. Scores were injured and hospitalised, including a few onlookers. The district secretary of KMSS has been arrested and is still in custody. There has been a arrest warrant issued for Akhil Gogoi, the general secretary of KMSS. Of the aftermath of this incident, there was an uproar and walkout in the state assembly the next day. In towns of the province, farmers have demonstrated against the police action. KMSS plans to organise more demonstrations against big dams, for implementation of NREGS, PDS. The question is, who is listening? We attach the memorandum the KMSS sent to the chief minister after the incident and the appeal from the NAPM to the chief minister. ----------------------------- “This Awakening of Masses is Totally Political” - An interview of Akhil Gogoi which appeared in the Assamese daily Dainik Janambhumi in two parts on April 6 and 7, 2010. Interviewer: Tridib Neelim Dutta. Translated by Debarshi Das, Sanhati. Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti is one of the most powerful organisations of present day Assam. Through granting pattas to landless peasants and using Right to Information Act it has exposed several loots of funds by the administrative personnel. Thereby it has acquired the role of a principal opposition to the government. We met the general secretary of the KMSS, Akhil Gogoi, to know the past, present and future of the organisation. While building a peasants organisation what kinds of roadblocks did you face and how much have you been successful in overcoming them? We started out with the struggle of distrbution of land rights to forest dwellers. On June 9, 2004 we were on a dharna in Golaghat on the rights of forest dwellers. The police beat us up severely. Then for the first time the government announced that forest dwellers would be given land rights. On April 8, 2005 a proposal was passed in the assembly to give lands in Doiang. While we were on a march from Guwahati to Doiang in March, 2005 the government announced that forest dwellers would be granted patta. Subsequently the movement picked up and on July 10, 2008 the chief minister sat down for a meeting with us. After this it was because of our goading that the Forest Act got implemented to an extent. In Kamrup and Dhemaji districts some lands were distributed. In a part of Doiang patta distribution has started. These works tend to be sluggish because our politicians and bureaucrats are concerned more with serving the entrenched interests. It was because of our protest that the water policy law was amended five times. Even the present draft is not to our liking. In spite of the pressure from the Asian Development Bank and the centre, it is due to our intervention that the state water policy has not been implemented. The chief aim of the policy is to hand over water to private companies and exact water use tax from people. You have received support from all over the state. But how far is the movement political? We believe this awakening of the people is totally political. The movement you are witnessing is a consolidated and organised expression of the political aspiration and thought of the people of Assam. The people are dissatisfied, trouble ridden. Take the case of Dhemaji. Bogibeel bridge was to be constructed there, for which boulders in the riverbed of rivers coming down from Arunachal Pradesh were carted away. As a result the river sand came down and drowned the farm lands. Bogibeel bridge construction, excavating boulders from river bed, making way for big capital – all these are political decisions. These decisions are oppressing the people. They don’t have any platform to resolve such problems. No nationalist organisations, no leftist parties, no opposition parties [are there]. We have gone to the people, we have tried to understand their disgruntled state. We have tried to politically project their anger. But the ruling classes which are incapable of people’s welfare and who have lost their wherewithal to the big capital are getting more autocratic by the day and are attacking the very people who have elected them to the office. On the other hand, schemes which were designed to tackle people’s dissatisfaction such as NREGA, PDS have become a farce. At this juncture, the movement which has been built by the people is completely political. The peasant workers who are at the forefront are politically educated and are men shining with the dream of a new society. Do you think that the people will be with you after they are subjected to police repression? The people are not with us. We are with the people. As long as there are problems, there will be the struggle. And as long as there are programmes to take the struggle of people forward, people’s struggle will advance. When we back stab them, people will leave us. What is the source of political inspiration among the people? All over the world masses have been facing challenges of the extreme form of capitalism and extreme state apparatus. But there is a counter tendency as well. Notice the support the US president Obama has been receiving from the people. They were compelled to support Obama for the practical solution of their day to day problems. In doing so they overcame racism. In return Obama had to support the health insurance scheme. The source of the political inspiration is the aspiration to freedom from the extreme form of imperialism, from backbreaking exploitation of capitalism, from the day to day deprivations. You have declared that you would form the government in Assam by 2016. Can it be inferred that the programmes of your movement have tended towards the capture of political power? This is not true. Our primary aim is to raise political consciousness of the people of Assam. But by political consciousness most of the people mean consciousness of parliamentary democracy. We are talking of elevating democratic consciousness. In democracy the main means of ensuring participation of greatest number of people and to eradicate poverty is mass movement. In the present political and economic structure if Akhil Gogoi or any other leader of KMSS fights elections that would not solve the problems. Neither can these be solved by forming a government. There are two reasons for this: (a) constitutional and (b) recent international economic policies. The constitution has given the rights over minerals and main sources of income to the centre. Deliberations over a federal state structure [in India] has also veered towards greater centralisation. Therefore no fundamental change in Assam is possible through capturing power in Dispur. On the other hand, international capital has throttled the states. This is clear if you look at the current budget document of the state. In section 4.5 chief minister Tarun Gogoi talks of the different reform programmes he has initiated after coming to power. If through the help of RTI, one reads the various deals of his, one finds that the current financial system is presently fully dependent on the international institutions. No department can create new posts. Posts must be scrapped in every department. Public Sector Units must be closed. On the other hand, only police recruitment is open in this budget. What is your political ideology? We believe in people’s ideology. Religion was the philosophy of medieval ages. Nationalism is the philosophy of the bourgeoisie and the middle class. On the other hand, Marxism is the philosophy of the people. But we believe in modern Marxism, where nationalism will be given emphasis. The Marxism which is practiced in India has either fallen to revisionism or to anarchism. We are trying to march ahead with a creative ideology borrowing heavily from our tradition, folklore, people’s culture and progressivism. Do you believe in parliamentary democracy? Do the members of KMSS vote? Although our members do cast vote, they are not satisfied with it. We try to realise the limitations of the parliamentary system. Our endeavour will be to transform this system creatively. Mahatma Gandhi was the lone Indian who advocated taking up a different economic system in India. But his thoughts were limited by bourgeois philosophy. We seek to influence this tradition through people’s philosophy. Gandhi’s Gram Swaraj was imaginary, an utopia. Within capitalist system real village self-rule is not possible. That is why we need people’s philosophy. But you often talk of Gandhian socialism. We have a weakness for Gandhi. In the history of leadership in Indian politics there has been no greater leader than Gandhi. But the historical limitation of his philosophy is unsuitable in the aggressive capitalism of the present day. Alternative to capitalism is not soft capitalism, but socialism which is a form of egalitarianism. Hence while being deferential towards Gandhian socialism we believe in Marxism. There have been allegations of your contacts with the Maoists. Aside from armed struggle,, there is not much difference between you regarding other social programme. How do you assess the Maoists? Are you sympathetic to them? Indian Maoists have raised the questions of the tribal and poor people. But the idea of social transformation that they have seems to be a short cut. As far as our understanding goes, Maoists put less emphasis on people’s movement whereas mass movement is the fulcrum of our tactic. Without political assertion, political development and mental transformation through mass movement even if power is captured through armed actions it would not lead to true emancipation of people. We abhor irresponsible, anarchist, gun-centric politics. We aim to establish a non-violent, humane society. In the process of achieving it, there might be application of violence depending on the nature of the enemy. But it can only be in the form as was advocated by Jyotiprasad Agarwala. According to him, all struggles strive for non-violence. But the struggle would change its face according to the nature of the adversary. If the enemy is Mahishasur, the struggle would take the form of Durga. But even then the ideal remains Krisha, who was non-violent. According to the contingency we need to be Krishnarjun. But we have to retain the non-violence essence of our tradition even then. We believe in this philosophy of Jyotiprasad. We do not seek to be guided by Maoist tradition, but by the tradition of Krishna-Jyoti. The global imperialist war has reached such a pinnacle that a fight which takes along only the hill and marginal people, tribal people and the proletariat cannot be successful. Participation of the middle class in the worldwide revolution has become a serious philosophical question. Imminent collapse of the Maoist movement has become clear as they have not paid adequate attention to such issues. How has been the support of the Assamese middle class for you? This is an important question at the present juncture. We believe that the Assamese middle class is passing through a intensely transformative phase. The culture of physical labour which could be found earlier in the rural middle class is disappearing. The new generation is clamouring for income sources which are superficial and not connected to manual labour. The government has introduced mechanisation in farming which has taken farmers away from labour and tradition. This is the reason why our middle class is more dependent, more averse to labour and is moving towards big capital. But only a tiny part of the middle class has been successful in this endeavour. Most of them are dejected and retrogressive in the face of assault by the big capital. An alternative economic programme with a political programme is required to attract them. They would not come forward unless people’s movement crosses a critical phase. Gramsci’s idea of hegemony is relevant here. The middle class gets scared by the militant movement initially. But when it sees this [militant movement] is getting victorious and is able to secure relief from the State the middle class gradually comes forth and participates. We expect the Assamese middle class would be part of the people’s struggle after overcoming its historical limitations. You criticise the ruling class, but what is your take on the opposition? Our opposition parties cannot see beyond middle class dreams. Most of the opposition leaders are middlemen, contractors or businessmen. Because of this class base they have been unable to reach the common people. We have seen lack of both progressive ideology and wise leadership which is needed to overcome this hurdle. But in spite of all limitations they have opposed big river dams, big capital. So, theoretically it’s possible to have a consolidated front of struggle with them. But practically they are averse to struggle. Disconnected from labour, the middle class leadership becomes fearful at the prospect of militant farmers’ movement. But they need peasants, they need people. They want to use people, not to radicalise them. Unless able and dynamic leaders come up, the opposition will not have a good prospect. They have not been able to build up struggle based on the biggest problems faced by the common people. As Marxists how do you evaluate the diffferent leftist parties of Assam? The CPI has supported big river dams. Is there a possibility of a conflict with them? The leftist parties which have supported big dams are trying to drive the last nail into their coffin. The Assam movement had isolated the left parties from the Assamese national life. By supporting big dams they are seeking to make themselves irrelevant forever. A part of the youth leadership of the left parties does oppose big dams from their heart. However the geriatric leadership of their party tries to obliterate such consciousness. Until the young leaders establish their position within the party and a change of leadership is effectuated, future of leftists is bleak. Actually the parliamentary left parties of Assam are limited by their middle class mentality. We feel they should remove the word ‘communist’ from their name. The present leadership is burdened with middle class, highly-educated, elites. Urban, labour-averse people dreaming of revolution will never be able to bring about a leftist movement. Leftist historian Eric Hobsbawm commenting on the West Bengal CPI(M) in the New Left Review says that implementing an industrial policy which grabs lands of farmers was a historical mistake. You have demanded that the states should have full right over their resources so that they get empowered. In this context what are your views on investment by big capital, special economic zone creation? We are strongly opposed to the imperialist loot. Today capitalism has taken the form of neo-colonialism. Special economic zones are a vivid illustration of this. Medha Patkar has called them a country within a country. All patriotic people should oppose SEZ-like large scale projects, big river dams and the aggressive plans of the big capital. Actually we should all be prepared to fight a second phase of the war of independence. Do you have any programme regarding conflicts between ethic groups and right of self-determination? The Congress government of Assam has played with the aspirations of the tribal people. The autonomous councils are in a sorry state courtesy the greedy, corrupt leaders of Congress party. The middle class leadership which has emerged from the tribal people has proved to be weaker and greedier than the Assamese nationalist leadership. All of the leadership in autonomous councils are ready to pay illegal commissions to the government. We feel that only after the dominance of the present group of tribal leadership is eroded, a progressive leadership from tribal communities can emerge. The fate which befell the Assam movement is awaiting the self-determination movement of tribal communities too. They are the most oppressed of all people of Assam. But the leadership, without exception, has not put sincere effort to alleviate their real problems. Since your peasant movement has presently taken the form of a national movement, what are your views on other national issues such as education in Assamese medium, declining population of Assamese speaking people, illegal immigration? These are extremely important questions for us. Our main task is to transform the peasant movement into national movement. Lenin said, as the majority of the population is farmers and workers their problems are the true national problems. To this day we have not been able to transform our movement into national movement. But we have started to encounter all the national questions. We have prepared a special programme for solving the foreigner problem. We have decided to work for a national but progressive education policy. The State is repressing the people through economic, social tools as well as Armed Forces Special Powers Act. Assam is no exception to this. We have not seen any programme of yours in this regard. Do you think such issues are unimportant for peasant movement? We not only oppose inhuman and suppressive laws like the armed forces special powers act, we abhor them. The government should repeal such acts so that there is no conflict with the people. However even if the government does not withdraw them the people will surely win its own rights. Besides you no other leader in KMSS is particularly visible. Does it not affect the organisation in terms of spatial and temporal influence? Leaders emerge out of requirements. How far the peak of a mountain rises depends on how broad is its base. As more and more people join us, leaders will grow numerically and qualitatively. You notice me because of the nature of constitutional responsibility of our organisation. But it is the cadres who actually make our organisation dynamic. Since constitutionally I am the spokesperson you notice me. Tomorrow as the division of duties changes, you will find a new leader. You are a constituent oganisation of National Alliance of People’s Movement which has social workers such as Mekha Patkar, Arundhati Roy, Sandeep Pandey. Is every such organisation of NAPM under the control of a governing body? Do you need any permission for launching a movemental programme? NAPM is merely a network where each organisation has its autonomy. But on collective themes, policies and problems, all of them speak out jointly. Many of your workers are heard to be salaried. A protest forum needs plenty of funds. Could you tell us how and from where you collect the funds? In a mass organisation the source of fund does to a large extent determine the nature of it. The main source of our fund is the people. We collect an annual fee of five rupees from our members. Last year we admitted about five hundred thousand members. This year we expect it to double. The second source of the fund is productive activity. We generate plenty of revenue through cooperative fishery. This year in Tengani we cultivated mustard in 150 bigha fallow land collectively and generated revenue. Some more we did by fishery in 170 bigha land. The third source of our fund is collection of levy from earning people. Fourth source is voluntary contribution. But we have a constitutional restriction that we do not accept a large contribution from a single individual. The main method for contribution collection is through mass collection. Fifth source is contribution from sympathetic trade unions. We can claim that we have not deviated from the principle of pro-people funding. We do not want to tarnish the nature of our movement. Therefore we naturally do not take recourse to the easy ways of fund collection. There are self-imposed restrictions on us for accepting contribution from rural development, public distribution system and other such departments. We are promise-bound not to bow down before politicians, bureaucrats and big capital. Are you going to take up any new programme shortly? The principal leaders of NAPM including Medha Patkar are going to visit Assam in the first part of May. They are going to take up a protest-programme against State repression and big river dams. Let us wish that your struggle assists in the establishment of pro-people, non-anarchic, federal, real democracy in India. We thank you. -- Himanshu Thakkar South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers & People, c/o 86-D, AD block, Shalimar Bagh, Delhi, India himanshuthakkar at iitbombay.org, ht.sandrp at gmail.com www.sandrp.in From peter.ksmtf at gmail.com Sun Apr 18 16:17:43 2010 From: peter.ksmtf at gmail.com (T Peter) Date: Sun, 18 Apr 2010 03:47:43 -0700 Subject: [Reader-list] =?windows-1252?q?Kerala_Inland_fishery_bill_-_Semin?= =?windows-1252?q?ar_=96_KSMTF?= Message-ID: Sub: - Kerala Inland fishery bill - Seminar – KSMTF The fisheries production in the inland capture fishery sector is on the decline due to man made causes such as construction of dams and barrages, pollution of inland water bodies, excessive use of water bodies for tourism etc. Thereby the livelihoods of inland fishermen of the state is severally affected and are heavily marginalised.Government of Kerala has now come forward to address these problems by introducing “Kerala Inland Fishery Bill (2010) in the legislative assembly. The bill has now been sent to subject committee for scrutiny and is expected to be reintroduced in the next assembly session for detailed discussions. In this context Kerala Swathanthra Matsya Thozhilali Federation (KSMTF) organised a Seminar on the proposed Kerala Inland Fisheries to understand and assess the various provisions of the bill in addressing problems of the inland resources and aspirations of the inland fishermen of the State. The Seminar was conducted at ASHIR BHAVAN, ERNAKULAM on 9th April 2010. Over 90 persons attended the Seminar. The participants included inland fishermen and fishermen organization leaders from the districts of Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha and Ernakulam. The programme was inaugurated by Shri.S.SHARMA, Hon’ble Minister for Fisheries, Kerala. He stressed that the Govt. is committed to safeguard the interests of fishermen by protecting their livelihood needs. Hon’ble Minister said that the inland fish production of the State would be augmented to 2 lakh tones per year from the current level of production of 75000 tones. Hon’ble Minister also informed that public hearing on the proposed bill will be conducted during the month of May at four centers.10th May - Kannur ,17th May – Vaikom, 24th May – Kollam, 30th May - Trivandrum Shri.T.Peter, State President of KSMTF in his presidential address pointed out that the current policies of GOI are not in favour of the interests of the traditional fishing community. He also pointed out that KSMTF and NFF (National Fish Workers Forum) are committed to take up the various issues of the fishing community to the appropriate levels. He also suggested that the recommendations of the seminar can be presented in the proposed public hearings to be conducted by subject committee. The seminar was moderated by Shri.Julian Teelar, Executive, FISHMARC. Shri.D.Sanjeeva Ghosh, Addl.Director of Fisheries (Rtd) presented a paper on “Kerala Inland Fishery Bill and Inland Fisheries Sector of the State”.Shri.S.Raveendran Nair, Joint Director of Fisheries (Rtd) presentedthe paper on “Kerala Inland Fishery Bill and Inland Fishermen of the State”.Following persons participated in the panel discussion and expressed their views on the proposed bill.Shri.P.P.John, General Secretary, KSMTF, Shri.P.V.Wilson, DistrictPresident, KSMTF, Ernakulam, Shri.C.Francis, District President,KSMTF, Pathanamthitta, Shri.P.C.Ben, President, KSMTF, Alappuzha (Inland), Shri.Anto Elias, Secretary, KSMTF, Trivandrum, Smt.T.K Devi, Ezhupunna, Shri.K.Babu Ottamassery, President, KSMTF, Alappuzha, Shri.N.J.Antony, Secretary, KSMTF, Ernakulam, Shri.Jackson Pollayil, Secretary, KSMTF, Alappuzha, Shri.T.A.Paul, State Secretary, KSMTF. After detailed discussions the following recommendations were made. 1) KSMTF welcomes the effort of the state Govt. to bring a new legislation to manage and regulate the Inland Fishery Section of Kerala. But the provisions included in the bill are either inadequate or unacceptable. 2) Inland fishermen of the State are totally ignored in the bill. The objectives of the bill should be expanded to include the protection of livelihood security of the inland fishermen. The section on definition should include to define inland fishermen and provision may be added for the identification and registration of inland fishermen, 3) Excessive emphasis is seen given for the development of aquaculture and related activities. In the context the inland fishermen are much more marginalized due to shrinkage of fishing areas, provision may be included for the protection/declaration of fishing areas of the inland fishermen. 4) The principles of inland fisheries management is not clearly indicated in the bill. 5) The fishing rights of the fishing areas (even with reservoirs) should be vested with the inland fishermen. 6) There is indication that the filtration fields would be declared as aquaculture areas which would result denial of traditional rights enjoyed hither to by the fishermen. 7) The inland water bodies possessed by local bodies are kept out of the the proposed bill. The regulation/restriction envisaged in the bill should be made applicable to these water bodies also. But the provisions on enforcement and management of such water bodies can be entrusted to the local bodies. 8) It is envisaged that fish sanctuaries would be started one each in the marine districts. This is purely unscientific. The identification and management of such areas should be done with fishermen participatory approach. Also inland fishermen should be compensated for their employment loss. 9) The registration and licensing of fishing implements/gears should be exclusively reserved for the inland fishermen. 10) The recommendation/suggestions of the various expert committees/ task forces are to be included in the bill. 11) The punishments proposed in the bill are unacceptable. The punishments should be proportional to the offences. 12) KSMTF should demand to redraft the bill to make it more fishermen friendly. Regional Seminar at Kozhikode Sub:- Draft legislations on the management of Indian Fisheries and Protection of Indian Coast - Regional Seminars – KSMTF & MFFS Kerala Swathantra Malsyathozhilali Federation (KSMTF) has decided to conduct regional workshops to discuss the current policy initiatives of GOI on two issues. (i) Marine Fisheries (Regulation and Management) Act 2009 – Draft bill. (ii) Proposal to improve CRZ notification of 1991. The southern regional workshop was conducted at Veli, Trivandrum on March 2010. KSMTF & MFFS organized the Northern regional workshop at Nalanda Auditorium, Kozhikode on 31st March 2010.40 Fishermen representatives attended the workshop. The participants were from the district of Malappuram, Kozhikode and Cannur. Shri.V.Vivekandan, Advisor, SIFFS presented both the issues. The first issue was discussed in length and the other in short. T.Peter, S. Raveendran Nair, T.K.Sidhiq, Rajan and Julian Teelar also presented their views. KSMTF Malabar regional president P.T.Muhamad Koya presided the seminar. Twelve persons participated in the panel discussion. After detailed discussion the following deliberations were made. (i) The district units of KSMTF fully accept the NFF position on both the issues. (ii) There is urgent need to strengthen the activities of KSMTF at the Northern districts. (iii) The protest of KSMTF may be demonstrated before Head Post Office Kozhikode on 22nd April 2010 demanding to withdraw the present draft bill on Marine Fisheries circulated by MOA and to redraft the bill adding new provision consistent with good fisheries conservation and management practices and strengthening some of its socio-ecological elements. (iv) KSMTF should take initiative to hold field level discussions with fishermen and fishermen organization representations on the recent fisheries issues. http://www.keralafishworkers.org From naziaerum at gmail.com Sun Apr 18 16:38:41 2010 From: naziaerum at gmail.com (nazia erum) Date: Sun, 18 Apr 2010 04:08:41 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] Nazia Erum wants to stay in touch on LinkedIn Message-ID: <1956606656.4425653.1271588921484.JavaMail.app@ech3-cdn11.prod> LinkedIn ------------ I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn. - Nazia Erum nazia erum Manager Communications at FXB India Suraksha India Confirm that you know nazia erum https://www.linkedin.com/e/isd/1232873837/tRX3xH2f/ ------ (c) 2010, LinkedIn Corporation From c.anupam at gmail.com Sun Apr 18 16:46:13 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Sun, 18 Apr 2010 16:46:13 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] SAGARIKA GHOSE INTERVIEWED ARUNDHATI ROY In-Reply-To: References: <004c01cadeb6$96474df0$c2d5e9d0$@in> Message-ID: From: http://sanhati.com/articles/2265/ Soon after hearing the heart breaking news from Dantewara of Chhatisgarh, where 76 CRPF personals were killed in the Maoists attack on April 6, 2010, the India’s Home Minister P Chidambaram gave his resignation saying, “I have no hesitation in saying the buck stops at my desk. I accept fully responsibility for what happened in Dantewara”. Of course he is right; apparently because he is the person who had sent the CRPF personals for preparing the investment roadmap by killing the Maoists as they are the biggest threat to the investment climate that’s what our economist Prime Minister Manmohan Sigh had said earlier. A brilliant corporate lawyer turned Home Minister P Chidambaram’s odd face had also appeared in the media, shedding tears for the CRPF personals who laid down their lives in Dantewada. But how could the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had accepted Chidambaram’s resignation when his assigned job for preparation of the investment climate has not yet accomplished? As usual, the corporate media did not hesitate in coining Chidambaram as hero of the day merely for submitting his resignation not for his deeds for the nation. But is he? Is it not true that he shed the crocodile tears merely to mobilize the middle class sentiments in the favour of his war against the Adivasis in corporate interest? Perhaps, the ARMY Chief General V K Singh has unmasked the corporate Home Minister saying that there appeared to be “internal deficiencies” in the training of the personals lost their lives in the attack. Though Chidambaram has rejected it by saying it “incorrect and baseless” but question is how the ARMY chief who is responsible for the security of the nation can talk on the baseless matter? Does Chidambaram know better than the ARMY chief about the security related matters? Of course, he can not be challenged on the matters of the corporate but every one can doubt on his ability on the security matters if he challenges the ARMY chief. Secondly, the matter of the law and order is the state subject but there were no support extended to the CRPF personals by the local police during the anti-Naxal operation in Dantewara. Thirdly, there is no electricity, good telephone service and other facilities available in the CRPF camp of Dantewara. Ironically, the CRPF personals had no vegetables for last three months. They were having chapattis with mangos available nearby the CRPF camp. In fact, the CRPF camp was established in Dantewara without availability of the required infrastructure, support and facilities. This is how our brave security personals are being treated and our ruling elites shed the crocodile tears when they lose their lives and we also walk with them. Is it not true that the CRPF personals were left to die in an unknown utterly dangerous place without any help of the local police and the villagers? Who is responsible for the loss of 76 brave lives? Paradoxically, the opposition party the BJP has backed Chidambaram saying ‘it is not the time for a Senapati (commander) to step down. His resignation at this stage would be meaning a victory for Naxalites’. A question comes into one’s mind is whether the BJP would have behaved in the same manner with Chidambaram if the Jehadi terrorists would have done the same damage to our security forces? If the 26/11 can end Shivraj Patil’s career as Home Minister then why should Chidambaram stay back? However, the Left parties especially the CPI (M) has shocked the most as now Bhudhadev Bhattacharjee has also agreed to work together with Chidambaram and of course, his party is very keen to establish corporate corridor in the so-called red corridor. The people are amazed to see the rights left and centre alliance on the issue of cleansing the Maoists. It is apparent because all these parties are working hard for converting the so-called red corridor into the corporate corridor. Now the corporate houses have also become the election investors therefore our political parties are committed for the corporate interest rather than the people’s interest. Obviously, they are the main actors who run the biggest democracy of the world, where the marginalized have only a day once in a five years to rejoice the democracy and rest of the days they have to face the brutality. Indeed, the untrained CRPF personals were deliberately put into danger with the expectation, if they are killed by the Maoists that would be the best opportunity for mobilizing the middle class sentiments for using the Army to get the Adivasis land clear for the corporate sharks in the name of cleansing the Maoists. Precisely, because we have tendency to call each and every security person as brave even the person loses his life due to illness is also called ‘martyr’ in the language of ruling elites. Of course, one must have respect for those brave security personals lay their lives for the national but one should not allow the politics to play in each and every matter. We should also find out whether our security forces are united as we are in a delusion of unity in diversity. According to the prominent Indian writer Arundhati Roy, Indians were never united. Of course, she is right. Even our security forces are never united. One can clearly see that how our security house is divided. Can one imagine for the unity when there is a regular practice of untouchability in the military camps? The caste based kitchens still exit in the military camps. One can find separate kitchen for Adivasis, Bhumihars, Yadav, Rajpur, Pandit and list goes on. Similarly, the caste based forces still exit. Are we still united? Did our Home Ministers, Defense Ministers or the Parliament ever think of cleansing these dirties before they cleanse the Maoists? Only the ruling elites shed their crocodile tears, whenever the damage was done to the security forces by the non state actors. Our CRPF personals were made to pay the heavy price for the corporate interest in the name of the national security and Chidambaram’s resignation is just a drama to shield his failure, bury the mistreatment of the CRPF personals and also to emotionally mobilize the middle class sentiment for the corporate interest. Indeed, the buck stops at Chidambaram’s desk for what has happened in Dantewara and will continue to stop but will he ever be punished for what he has done to the security forces? The expected answer would be ‘no’ therefore we should expect only the crocodile tears from him and the other ruling elites as well? *Gladson Dungdung is a Human Rights Activist and Writer from Jharkhand.* On Sun, Apr 18, 2010 at 3:18 PM, Pheeta Ram wrote: > The interview has, very interestingly, revealed how DUMB these media people > can be. Its Sagarika Ghose > who has been exposed instead. She asks such dumb questions; it made me > laugh > at both Sagarika and the > TV channel she represents. No doubt, the media have been sold out to the > corporates. There's another guy, much > admired in the 'interview circles', more i think for his impeccable English > than for his interviewing skills, called Karan Thapar. > The video is available on Youtube. Just look at the way he embar-asses > himself. For a change mute the video and concentrate > on his demeanour: anxiety is writ large over his face, he is too much aware > of his hollowness. Frankly speaking, Arundhati Roy has dealt a tight nice > slap on many people's faces with her essay in Outlook. I don't need to name > them, their cheeks are still burning. It won't be easier to appropriate > Arundhati anymore. Alas, she is standing alone, though evermore stronger, > among these celebrity writers! > > On Sun, Apr 18, 2010 at 11:58 AM, Nagraj Adve > wrote: > > > I don't necessarily agree with all of what Arundhati wrote in Outlook, > > not do I hold a brief for the Maoist movement, but for someone to say > > that Arundhati's sincerity and intellectuality (whatever that latter > > means) have been exposed is just ridiculous. And in the guise of being > > sharp and critical, the interviewer came up with shallow, unthought > > out statements like "Growth is something the country needs". Really? > > I in fact thought Arundhati said something very important when she > > said, "I would say that I don't believe that the imagination that has > > brought to the planet to this crisis is going to come up with an > > alternative." > > > > And re your response Rakesh, I see your point, but a clean divide > > between violent and non-violent movements probably needs more > > stratification. Between struggles that are militant but not violent, > > those in which violence becomes a part, those in which armed tactics > > and squads are retained for purely defensive purposes, and lastly > > those in which armed struggle is more central aimed at the takeover of > > state power. Obviously, the Maoist movement falls in the fourth > > category, and in my view, will not work. The problem begins when > > movements begin to generalise from what works in their area. In > > practice, different strategies work in different contexts and for > > different issues. The Maoists have little to offer for urban areas. > > Though they have had some history of work in a few urban areas, they > > have nothing unique to offer that makes them different from other > > formations there, and have in fact I believe withdrawn from urban > > areas after the merger of PW and MCC. I think it will be more useful > > for us to think about a multiplicity of movements in different areas, > > employing different strategies and as part of a broad democratisation > > of society which at least minimizes the ravages of industrial > > capitalism. > > Naga > > > > > > > > On 18 April 2010 10:56, Rakesh Iyer wrote: > > > Dear Bipin > > > > > > How many journalists have dared to go to the jungles of Dantewada where > > the > > > Naxalites reside and tell their story as to why the tribals are now > > > increasingly joining the Naxals? Arundhati Roy has been one of the very > > few > > > to do so. > > > > > > And I have seen this interview. She is against the state, but I feel in > > this > > > interview at least, she has been less a Maoist sympathizer than a > critic > > of > > > state-led development paradigm. > > > > > > The reason why there is violence is simple. That's how our governments > > tend > > > to take notice. Look at the Narmada Bachao Andolan. What happened? > > Nothing. > > > Why? Because they didnt' resort to violence. If they would have done > so, > > the > > > politicians would have been forced to stop the Sardar Sarovar dam > project > > > and think about the tribals. But since this has not been done, nobody > > > bothers and the rights of tribals are trampled upon as if tribals were > > > insects, not human beings. > > > > > > Look at the Gujjar-reservation issue. The Gujjars were agitating > > peacefully, > > > yet nobody bothered even to explain to them why reservation was not > being > > > done to them. It's only when they unleashed violence that suddenly the > > > entire nation saw them and decided to solve the issue. > > > > > > The fact is that in this country, unless you don't organize violence, > > nobody > > > hears you or even bothers about you. Indians have a great tendency of > > > working only at the last minute, when the fire reaches the ass. Till it > > has > > > burnt your legs, nobody cares. > > > > > > Change this tendency and fight it, and automatically things will move > for > > > the better. This means ensuring that NREGA, Forest Rights Bill are > > properly > > > implemented, the Right to Food is enacted soon in its' comprehensive > form > > > and implemented well, and most importantly, development as sought by > the > > > tribals is given to them, not introducing mining which is unsustainable > > as > > > being done in Bellary. Don't turn Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand into > another > > > Bellary. > > > > > > Rakesh > > > _________________________________________ > > > 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 rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com Sun Apr 18 17:00:55 2010 From: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com (Rakesh Iyer) Date: Sun, 18 Apr 2010 17:00:55 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] SAGARIKA GHOSE INTERVIEWED ARUNDHATI ROY In-Reply-To: References: <004c01cadeb6$96474df0$c2d5e9d0$@in> Message-ID: Dear Anupam Thanks for the article. For some members of the forum though, this may be an article by a Naxal sympathizer, except that they don't realize that theirs is the way through which a terrorist is born. For after all, even a terrorist is motivated by one simple question: 'What did I or my brother or my fellow men do to deserve this (violence)?' Hence they make it a fight for their survival, and we get nowhere. And a terrorist is also a human being (with sinister intentions formed over a course of time), not an alien from Mars. I am still waiting by the way for these members to spell out what is development as per their view. They keep parroting this word whenever Naxalism issue springs up on this forum. Rakesh On Sun, Apr 18, 2010 at 4:46 PM, anupam chakravartty wrote: > From: http://sanhati.com/articles/2265/ > > Soon after hearing the heart breaking news from Dantewara of Chhatisgarh, > where 76 CRPF personals were killed in the Maoists attack on April 6, 2010, > the India’s Home Minister P Chidambaram gave his resignation saying, “I > have > no hesitation in saying the buck stops at my desk. I accept fully > responsibility for what happened in Dantewara”. Of course he is right; > apparently because he is the person who had sent the CRPF personals for > preparing the investment roadmap by killing the Maoists as they are the > biggest threat to the investment climate that’s what our economist Prime > Minister Manmohan Sigh had said earlier. > > A brilliant corporate lawyer turned Home Minister P Chidambaram’s odd face > had also appeared in the media, shedding tears for the CRPF personals who > laid down their lives in Dantewada. But how could the Prime Minister > Manmohan Singh had accepted Chidambaram’s resignation when his assigned job > for preparation of the investment climate has not yet accomplished? As > usual, the corporate media did not hesitate in coining Chidambaram as hero > of the day merely for submitting his resignation not for his deeds for the > nation. But is he? Is it not true that he shed the crocodile tears merely > to > mobilize the middle class sentiments in the favour of his war against the > Adivasis in corporate interest? > > Perhaps, the ARMY Chief General V K Singh has unmasked the corporate Home > Minister saying that there appeared to be “internal deficiencies” in the > training of the personals lost their lives in the attack. Though > Chidambaram > has rejected it by saying it “incorrect and baseless” but question is how > the ARMY chief who is responsible for the security of the nation can talk > on > the baseless matter? Does Chidambaram know better than the ARMY chief about > the security related matters? Of course, he can not be challenged on the > matters of the corporate but every one can doubt on his ability on the > security matters if he challenges the ARMY chief. > > Secondly, the matter of the law and order is the state subject but there > were no support extended to the CRPF personals by the local police during > the anti-Naxal operation in Dantewara. Thirdly, there is no electricity, > good telephone service and other facilities available in the CRPF camp of > Dantewara. Ironically, the CRPF personals had no vegetables for last three > months. They were having chapattis with mangos available nearby the CRPF > camp. In fact, the CRPF camp was established in Dantewara without > availability of the required infrastructure, support and facilities. This > is > how our brave security personals are being treated and our ruling elites > shed the crocodile tears when they lose their lives and we also walk with > them. Is it not true that the CRPF personals were left to die in an unknown > utterly dangerous place without any help of the local police and the > villagers? Who is responsible for the loss of 76 brave lives? > > Paradoxically, the opposition party the BJP has backed Chidambaram saying > ‘it is not the time for a Senapati (commander) to step down. His > resignation > at this stage would be meaning a victory for Naxalites’. A question comes > into one’s mind is whether the BJP would have behaved in the same manner > with Chidambaram if the Jehadi terrorists would have done the same damage > to > our security forces? If the 26/11 can end Shivraj Patil’s career as Home > Minister then why should Chidambaram stay back? > > However, the Left parties especially the CPI (M) has shocked the most as > now > Bhudhadev Bhattacharjee has also agreed to work together with Chidambaram > and of course, his party is very keen to establish corporate corridor in > the > so-called red corridor. The people are amazed to see the rights left and > centre alliance on the issue of cleansing the Maoists. It is apparent > because all these parties are working hard for converting the so-called red > corridor into the corporate corridor. Now the corporate houses have also > become the election investors therefore our political parties are committed > for the corporate interest rather than the people’s interest. Obviously, > they are the main actors who run the biggest democracy of the world, where > the marginalized have only a day once in a five years to rejoice the > democracy and rest of the days they have to face the brutality. > > Indeed, the untrained CRPF personals were deliberately put into danger with > the expectation, if they are killed by the Maoists that would be the best > opportunity for mobilizing the middle class sentiments for using the Army > to > get the Adivasis land clear for the corporate sharks in the name of > cleansing the Maoists. Precisely, because we have tendency to call each and > every security person as brave even the person loses his life due to > illness > is also called ‘martyr’ in the language of ruling elites. Of course, one > must have respect for those brave security personals lay their lives for > the > national but one should not allow the politics to play in each and every > matter. > > We should also find out whether our security forces are united as we are in > a delusion of unity in diversity. According to the prominent Indian writer > Arundhati Roy, Indians were never united. Of course, she is right. Even our > security forces are never united. One can clearly see that how our security > house is divided. Can one imagine for the unity when there is a regular > practice of untouchability in the military camps? The caste based kitchens > still exit in the military camps. One can find separate kitchen for > Adivasis, Bhumihars, Yadav, Rajpur, Pandit and list goes on. Similarly, the > caste based forces still exit. Are we still united? Did our Home Ministers, > Defense Ministers or the Parliament ever think of cleansing these dirties > before they cleanse the Maoists? Only the ruling elites shed their > crocodile > tears, whenever the damage was done to the security forces by the non state > actors. > > Our CRPF personals were made to pay the heavy price for the corporate > interest in the name of the national security and Chidambaram’s resignation > is just a drama to shield his failure, bury the mistreatment of the CRPF > personals and also to emotionally mobilize the middle class sentiment for > the corporate interest. Indeed, the buck stops at Chidambaram’s desk for > what has happened in Dantewara and will continue to stop but will he ever > be > punished for what he has done to the security forces? The expected answer > would be ‘no’ therefore we should expect only the crocodile tears from him > and the other ruling elites as well? > > *Gladson Dungdung is a Human Rights Activist and Writer from Jharkhand.* > > > > > On Sun, Apr 18, 2010 at 3:18 PM, Pheeta Ram wrote: > > > The interview has, very interestingly, revealed how DUMB these media > people > > can be. Its Sagarika Ghose > > who has been exposed instead. She asks such dumb questions; it made me > > laugh > > at both Sagarika and the > > TV channel she represents. No doubt, the media have been sold out to the > > corporates. There's another guy, much > > admired in the 'interview circles', more i think for his impeccable > English > > than for his interviewing skills, called Karan Thapar. > > The video is available on Youtube. Just look at the way he embar-asses > > himself. For a change mute the video and concentrate > > on his demeanour: anxiety is writ large over his face, he is too much > aware > > of his hollowness. Frankly speaking, Arundhati Roy has dealt a tight nice > > slap on many people's faces with her essay in Outlook. I don't need to > name > > them, their cheeks are still burning. It won't be easier to appropriate > > Arundhati anymore. Alas, she is standing alone, though evermore stronger, > > among these celebrity writers! > > > > On Sun, Apr 18, 2010 at 11:58 AM, Nagraj Adve > > wrote: > > > > > I don't necessarily agree with all of what Arundhati wrote in Outlook, > > > not do I hold a brief for the Maoist movement, but for someone to say > > > that Arundhati's sincerity and intellectuality (whatever that latter > > > means) have been exposed is just ridiculous. And in the guise of being > > > sharp and critical, the interviewer came up with shallow, unthought > > > out statements like "Growth is something the country needs". Really? > > > I in fact thought Arundhati said something very important when she > > > said, "I would say that I don't believe that the imagination that has > > > brought to the planet to this crisis is going to come up with an > > > alternative." > > > > > > And re your response Rakesh, I see your point, but a clean divide > > > between violent and non-violent movements probably needs more > > > stratification. Between struggles that are militant but not violent, > > > those in which violence becomes a part, those in which armed tactics > > > and squads are retained for purely defensive purposes, and lastly > > > those in which armed struggle is more central aimed at the takeover of > > > state power. Obviously, the Maoist movement falls in the fourth > > > category, and in my view, will not work. The problem begins when > > > movements begin to generalise from what works in their area. In > > > practice, different strategies work in different contexts and for > > > different issues. The Maoists have little to offer for urban areas. > > > Though they have had some history of work in a few urban areas, they > > > have nothing unique to offer that makes them different from other > > > formations there, and have in fact I believe withdrawn from urban > > > areas after the merger of PW and MCC. I think it will be more useful > > > for us to think about a multiplicity of movements in different areas, > > > employing different strategies and as part of a broad democratisation > > > of society which at least minimizes the ravages of industrial > > > capitalism. > > > Naga > > > > > > > > > > > > On 18 April 2010 10:56, Rakesh Iyer wrote: > > > > Dear Bipin > > > > > > > > How many journalists have dared to go to the jungles of Dantewada > where > > > the > > > > Naxalites reside and tell their story as to why the tribals are now > > > > increasingly joining the Naxals? Arundhati Roy has been one of the > very > > > few > > > > to do so. > > > > > > > > And I have seen this interview. She is against the state, but I feel > in > > > this > > > > interview at least, she has been less a Maoist sympathizer than a > > critic > > > of > > > > state-led development paradigm. > > > > > > > > The reason why there is violence is simple. That's how our > governments > > > tend > > > > to take notice. Look at the Narmada Bachao Andolan. What happened? > > > Nothing. > > > > Why? Because they didnt' resort to violence. If they would have done > > so, > > > the > > > > politicians would have been forced to stop the Sardar Sarovar dam > > project > > > > and think about the tribals. But since this has not been done, nobody > > > > bothers and the rights of tribals are trampled upon as if tribals > were > > > > insects, not human beings. > > > > > > > > Look at the Gujjar-reservation issue. The Gujjars were agitating > > > peacefully, > > > > yet nobody bothered even to explain to them why reservation was not > > being > > > > done to them. It's only when they unleashed violence that suddenly > the > > > > entire nation saw them and decided to solve the issue. > > > > > > > > The fact is that in this country, unless you don't organize violence, > > > nobody > > > > hears you or even bothers about you. Indians have a great tendency of > > > > working only at the last minute, when the fire reaches the ass. Till > it > > > has > > > > burnt your legs, nobody cares. > > > > > > > > Change this tendency and fight it, and automatically things will move > > for > > > > the better. This means ensuring that NREGA, Forest Rights Bill are > > > properly > > > > implemented, the Right to Food is enacted soon in its' comprehensive > > form > > > > and implemented well, and most importantly, development as sought by > > the > > > > tribals is given to them, not introducing mining which is > unsustainable > > > as > > > > being done in Bellary. Don't turn Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand into > > another > > > > Bellary. > > > > > > > > Rakesh > > > > _________________________________________ > > > > 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/> > > > _________________________________________ > 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 c.anupam at gmail.com Sun Apr 18 17:02:44 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Sun, 18 Apr 2010 17:02:44 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Building stone scarecrows Message-ID: *http://www.tehelka.com/story_main44.asp?filename=Ne240410building_stone.asp * * * *Building Stone Scarecrows* *NONVIOLENT RIGHTS ACTIVISTS IN GUJARAT ARE BEING BRANDED MAOISTS AND JAILED, REPORTS **PARVAIZ BUKHARI* [image: image] *‘Hinduisation’* The entire Dangs district is now dotted with Hanuman temples *PHOTOS:* TARUN SEHRAWAT DANGS IS the smallest and perhaps the most scenic Adivasi district of Gujarat. As you soak in the beauty and breathe the fresh air, Ashish Pawar, a young Adivasi activist acting as a guide, struggles to explain why his “god”, activist Avinash Kulkarni, who has been branded a Maoist by police, was arrested. Fearing a similar fate for himself, he adds, “I don’t even understand what Naxalism or Maoism means.” In south Gujarat, police arrested at least nine “Maoists” in February and March claiming they received information from the Orissa government that Naxals were preparing for a violent movement in the state. But so far, Gujarat Police have not produced any evidence — except alleged confessions by those arrested — that they were involved in any armed, violent or anti- State activity. Before this, police have not registered any Maoist activity in the region since 1998. In what appears to be a two-pronged strategy, activists like Kulkarni who are working with tribals to ensure they get ownership of their forest land are dubbed Maoist and arrested. At the same time, tribals are themselves being divided along Hindu vs tribal lines and turned into Hindutva acolytes. The recent arrests come at a time when the Adivasis of Dangs thought they had learned to deal with the “tyranny” of forest authorities through legal instruments like the Forest Rights Act (FRA). Among those arrested is prominent Gandhian and forest rights activist Avinash Kulkarni, 55, whom the tribals deeply respect. Kulkarni was arrested from the house of fellow Adivasi activist Bharat Pawar on March 26 in the administrative headquarters of Dangs. An MPhil in political science, Kulkarni has been charged with “waging war against state” besides organising and participating in “unlawful” assembly of people in Dangs and Surat. His associates say Kulkarni has been arrested to “create a possibility of dividing” the Adivasi Maha Sabha (AMS), a conglomerate of 40 tribal rights groups comprising some 30,000 tribals who are involved in a robust movement in Gujarat’s tribal areas seeking the implementation of the FRA. *[image: image]‘A Hindu ethos is being imposed on the tribals — whose civilisational culture is far different from that of Hindus’* *UTTAM PARMAR* TRIBAL RIGHTS ACTIVIST *[image: image]‘Avinashbhai taught us new methods to approach the government for our legal rights. Now we fear we will also be caught’is far different from that of Hindus’* *ASHISH PAWAR *CLOSE AIDE OF KULKARNI *[image: image]‘For the Narendra Modi government, the Forest Rights Act is like a gun in the hands of the tribals’* *ROHIT PRAJAPATI *VADODARA-BASED ACTIVIST The arrest of Kulkarni, Bharat and Sulat Pawar has created such an atmosphere of fear in Dangs that it threatens to halt the peaceful tribal forest rights movement spearheaded by AMS in south Gujarat. AMS members say they will carry on working for the tribal rights of *“jal, zameen *and jungle (water, land and forest)” under the constitutional provisions of the FRA. But police visits to their houses have left them frightened. “Earlier, people would agitate against the forest authorities. Avinashbhai taught us new legal methods to approach the government for our legal rights,” says Ashish, 27, who has worked with Kulkarni in Dangs since 2005, when the FRA was enacted. “Now we are scared that we will also be caught.” Ashish says that after the arrests, his father, Gulab Bhai, a tribal elder, was told by the Dangs DSP that he should not organise any protests or assemble people. Tribals in the area say police visited several villages in the Dangs to deliver similar messages. Those connected with social and democratic movements in the south Gujarat tribal belt are enraged by the arrests of the activists. “For Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s government, the FRA is like a gun in the hands of the tribals,” says Rohit Prajapati, a prominent Vadodara-based activist and AMS member. There is a widespread impression among south Gujarat civil society members that if the FRA is implemented properly it will create serious problems for Modi because of “commitments” he has given to the paper, tourism and mining industries in Dangs and other tribal areas of the state. “Some forest areas will need to be leased to industry,” says Prajapati. “Even the judiciary go along when national interest is invoked.” A GROWING sense that “Naxalism” is being invented by the state to “scuttle” the tribal rights movement and “neutralise” the AMS is spreading in Gujarat’s tribal belt. On April 4, hundreds of tribals from Kim, Ulpad and Mangrol Adivasi tehsils assembled in Surat to protest the “arrests in the name of Naxalism”. There are reasons to believe that the Naxal label has proved very useful for Gujarat and that the state government is going slow in implementing the FRA. In Dangs, not a single *“patta”* — legal papers for ownership of cultivation land in the forest area — has been handed over to any tribal claimant so far. “The Gujarat government does not like social justice movements. The arrests are aimed at stopping the legal tribal rights movements,” says Uttam Parmar, a Gandhian tribal rights activist who has been involved in justice movements for years. LOCALS ARE BEING DIVIDED ALONG HINDU VS TRIBAL LINES AND TURNED INTO HINDUTVA ACOLYTES EVEN AS ACTIVISTS ARE BEING ARRESTED PARMAR ALSO points to the second line of the Gujarat strategy: that the Modi government has been actively encouraging — with official support — the “Hinduisation” of tribal culture. “A Hindu ethos is being imposed on the tribals — whose civilisational culture is far different from that of Hindu culture,” Parmar adds. In 2007, the state government allowed the illegal felling of 600 trees on the Chamak Dongar hill and built on it a temple for Shabri, a devotee of Ram. A small pond in Subir village was renamed ‘Pampa Sarovar’, the place where Ram supposedly met Shabri. The site was later used by the VHP and RSS to establish a fifth Kumbh Mela (Shabri Kumbh). “An imaginary history is being created to strip Adivasis of their identity and rights to the forest,” Parmar says. Today, the entire Dangs’ hillocks are dotted with Hanuman temples. The Dangis say the BJP, the RSS and the VHP have no history of speaking up for Adivasis and have instead created friction between them and Christian missionaries working in the area. “They [the government] did not even ask us before dismantling symbols of our deities here,” says Pawar, “The government is simultaneously creating a communal emergency in the state.” [image: image] *Swamped* Unlike Hindus, the Dang Adivasis have traditionally worshipped nature and animals Officials of the Rajpipla Social Service Society (RSSS), a legal aid NGO and part of AMS in the tribal belt, are dismayed by the arrest of Kulkarni and his associates. Kulkarni has worked with the RSSS for more than a decade and was preparing for a Peoples’ Tribunal for Forest Rights in the coming months. The organisation, parts of whose work has been funded by the Union Ministry of Rural Development, claims it has provided legal assistance to tribals in at least two lakh court cases over the last two decades. “AMS can vouch that Avinash and Bharat [Pawar] are not involved in violent or illegal activity,” says Xavier Manjooran, a senior RSSS office bearer and AMS activist. “The Gujarat government was sorry that they didn’t have Naxals or Maoists.” Kulkarni’s lawyer, Kirit Panwala, says there is nothing illegal about his current activities. “[Kulkarni] may get harassed because of his past,” Panwala says. Manjooran adds that when Avinash came from Maharashtra to work among the Dang tribals in 2002, he revealed that he was once a member of CPI-ML Janashakti but had quit the party. The party is not banned. But according to Surat police sources, Kulkarni has “confessed” that he is still a member and participated in two recent party meetings in Surat. ‘THE GOVERNMENT DID NOT EVEN ASK US BEFORE DISMANTLING SYMBOLS OF OUR DEITIES HERE. IT IS CREATING A COMMUNAL EMERGENCY,’ SAYS PARMAR “The government has the right to deal with any violent movement in Gujarat. But it is important that the government action does not jeopardise the lives of people and activists who are working for the rights of Adivasis,” Panwala says. But Gujarat police suspect Kulkarni is involved in organising a Maoist rebellion in the south of the state. Although officially police are tight-lipped about details of what has come to light after interrogating six alleged Maoists arrested outside Dangs, officials privately say that Niranjan Mahapatra, arrested one week before Kulkarni, has identified him as being involved in Maoist activity in Gujarat. Kulkarni now faces charges of sedition. The work that Kulkarni and his associates have been involved with in Dangs for two decades points to a possible solution to the Naxal or Maoist problem that has captured the country’s attention. Arresting the likes of him may amount to taking away Adivasis’ legal means to secure their rights as prescribed in the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution and the FRA. Could Gujarat police be shooting the messenger? From c.anupam at gmail.com Sun Apr 18 17:21:12 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Sun, 18 Apr 2010 17:21:12 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Himanshu Kumar speaks Message-ID: *From http://sanhati.com/excerpted/2273/ * * * *On March 9 2010, activist Himanshu Kumar gave a talk in Kolkata at a public meeting organised by Ekhon Bisanbad, speaking about his experiences in Dantewada over 18 years, and about the ongoing “Operation Green Hunt” being conducted to ostensibly root out left wing extremists. The following is his speech, transcribed and edited by Sanhati members Ishita Das and Suvarup Saha.* Hi , I am Himanshu. I have been living to Dantewada since the past 18 years. For the last 3 months I have been out of Dantewada. I went there with my wife in 1992. When we got our independence, Gandhiji had said that if we really want an India to progress in the future, considering that in a democracy the powerful lobbies can control all resources and prosperity, we need to foster growth in every village, for only then can there be an equal distribution of wealth or resources. Our youth should go and live in villages and help achieve that development, or else this nation will end up being ruled by hooligans. My wife and I went to Dantewada trying to follow his guideline. My father had worked with Gandhiji before, he had set fire to the station in Muzzaffarpur (which is where we are from) in 1942 and absconded. He had then corresponded with Gandhiji and who invited him over to Sevagram, where he lived till 1946. He had also participated in the Bhoo Daan movement led by Vinobha Bhave. So working for the true development of the country runs in the family. That was inspiration enough for us to go and live with the adivasis. What we found there, talking to the adivasis, bewildered us. The adivasis were in dire straits. They didn’t know what country it was that they were a part of. Didn’t know its name or of its existence. It looked to us that the British occupation had never reached them, they had continued to live in their own world right through the period of colonization of our country. Then we had got our independence, set up our government and unilaterally declared that the adivasis were now Indians to be governed by people who were as ignorant about them as the adivasis were about the government. The only way our government actually reached them, was as police. To take away their land. I remember now, there is a village called Dhulli, where Essar wants to install a steel plant. We have a law in the Bakhtar area, which is a scheduled area, where in case there is any work to be done by outsiders to the village - you need to occupy a piece of land or anything - the adivasi gram-sabha makes the decision. But the gram-sabha turned out to be CRPF patrolling in front of every house. Villagers couldn’t even go to bring water for their children. If they ventured out, they were caught by their necks and brought to the school in the center of the village. This was overseen by a collector, SP and the MLA from Congress Mr. Mahendra Karma. The adivasis were expected to come through one door, leave their thumb print on a paper that dispossesses them of their own land and exit through another. Now, if I were an adivasi and was in the same situation, it would seem to me that the only reasons for losing my land and my resources were because the “government” agents were not on my side and that they had guns. So the only way to oppose them and save my resources, would be to have guns of my own. If we had brought the constitution to the adivasis and taught them to respect the law, in a lawful manner, they could have respected them both. But they weren’t taught that, they were taught the power of the guns. When my wife and I were in there, we saw that the ration shops had no rations, there were no teachers in the schools and no transportation. We started to interact with the ladies of the village to tell them that the constitution provides for all of that for them. But if they asked for any of that, they were Naxalites. If we wanted progress, even then we were called Naxalites. When the Chattisgarh state was formed, the government wanted to use the land for mining and they got many MoUs. Then as an afterthought they remembered there were many Naxalites in the area. One of my friends had gone to a CII meeting. The businessman there were saying that while we have a license to do work, the Naxalites are not letting us progress. An MoU was signed between the government and a very big iron company. Within a day they started Salwa Judum. In Salwa Judum the government said that the villagers were supporting the Naxalites. The adivasis were told to leave their homes and live in the camps around the police station, in order to cure the evil of Naxalites. These adivasis are not used to living in confinement, they live in the open forests. Many government officials would go to them, carrying guns, to persuade people to leave. People who didn’t want to go to the camps were coerced using guns. Guns were given to a gang of hooligans who would fire at fleeing adivasis. Many girls were raped. Little children were killed. People who ran away were labeled Naxalites. Their homes were burned . The poor adivasis tried to come back and rebuild their houses but they were burned again and again. When that happened we went against the government. Our ashram was promptly demolished. Our workers were arrested. Seven hundred villages were burnt, about three- four lakh population. 50,000 were taken to the camp, 50000 fled to AP and Orissa or Maharashtra, 3 lakhs fled to the forest where they are still under attack. Our representative, Nandini Sundar went to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ordered the government to rebuild all the villages. Not a single village was rehabilitated by the government. The Supreme Court ordered the government to give compensation to the adivasis, not a single adivasi has received any compensation. Finally the SC asked NHRC to send a team to Dantewada. This team had a hundred policemen. There is a village called Nendra which had been burned four times. The adivasis from there went to give affidavits to the NHRC, there were four girls missing from that village and ten people had been killed. When these adivasis were trying to go back, they were held up in a Salwa Judum camp for a whole day. They were beaten all day and forced to place their thumbprints on papers stating that they had been forced to give the affidavits, and that they had nothing to say against Salwa judum. The village was burnt yet again four days later. We told the NHRC team about the atrocities the adivasis were facing, because they had dared to come give their affidavits against Salwa Judum; they refused to be of any help, saying that their job here was only to take the affidavits. When I saw the state of the burned down village, I felt their deep sorrow and that became my empowerment. It is true that we are Gandhivadis, who are non-violent by nature. But I thought that attachment to that tenet was not as important as rebuilding the hopes and lives of villages full of innocent people, who are also citizens of this democratic country, but are not being treated as such. I decided that we will help rebuild their village. If the government says that anyone who is not with Salwa Judum is a Naxalite then that is fine. Then we started living in Nendra. When we addressed the villagers in a gathering, telling them that we were going to live there and do whatever we could to help them re-establish their homes, one villager in the gathering got up and said that they could rebuild their homes themselves, the only thing they asked from us was to make sure that once they did start living in those homes and farming, no one would come and kill them. To an open letter to the Chief Minister I wrote that even now, the only thing these adivasis want from us, is to spare their lives. Nothing more. When asked if there was anything more we could do, one old man got up and said my daughter was kidnapped two yrs ago by Salwa Judum and the police, she is still being held in the houses of one of the leaders of Salwa Judum, can I bring her back home? In the same letter to the CM, I asked, is his heart or mind also not bound to our great Nation as our anthem says it is for all Indians? *Jana Gana Mana Adhinayak Jaya he*? Are all these people in their tattered clothes and burned homes not one of “We, the people of India”? Our number one priority was to bring back the daughter of the old man. What scared me was she was taken not by the dacoits, but government officials on government duty. For a minute I thought, can my daughter also be taken forcefully by law officials? But then the constitution of India gave me some consolation, as I knew and understood the constitution and my rights and its power, perhaps no one could take my daughter in the same way. Since the officials know that the adivasis don’t know the law, they do as they please with no respect for humanity or people’s lives. While two girls had been killed with no trace of their bodies, two girls were still alive in the Salwa Judum camp. We were able to bring the girls back to the village, back to her father. The next day a tree trunk lay on the road, blocking the way into the village. When we saw that we went around asking why, the villagers had uncharacteristically resorted to something symbolically linked to Naxalites. In turns out that one of the girl’s father had cut the tree to prevent the police to come back to the village and take her again. A lot of these mis-happenings there are linked to innocuous reasons. Kopa Kunjam is our associate from the adivasi groups who has helped rebuild thirty villages, like Nendra. He is a young adivasi who is not with the Salwa Julum or in the other camp. He is absolutely neutral. He works for the adivasis. Then one day we were sitting in a village, a young girl came towards us, hiding something from us. When we asked her what it was, she showed us a wooden pistol. She was carrying it to scare the Salwa Judum’s SPOs police officers when they attacked her. Girls that carry wooden pistols to preserve their virtue are being called Naxalites by the government, which is actually supposed to be protecting them. I met Mr. Gopal Pinde, griha sachiv. He gave me his mobile number and told me to call him whenever there was an indication of a problem caused by the police officers. Four adivasi girls had been gang–raped by the officials of Salwa Judum. We tried to file a report in the police station, but of course how can they take a complaint against their own people. Even the SP refused to take down an FIR. After a lot of dilly-dallying by the courts in accepting the complaints of the girls, official warrants were taken out against responsible police officers or Salwa Judum leaders. But the official report said that the police officers were absconding and there was no way of ever catching them. This, when the very same officials hold meetings along with the aforementioned SP, trying to instigate the villagers against me. December 19th, 2009, the incriminated officials went to the village and forced the four victims to give their thumb impressions on papers. As soon as we came to know of that incident, I SMSed the Home Minister Mr. P Chidambaram and the Chief Secretary to tell them that these girls were rape victims with ongoing court cases against the officers who are apparently absconding, but were clearly able to force their victims and complainants in the village to get their thumb impressions, without being seen or caught by the police. Next day, the same girls were taken to jail and imprisoned for four days. One of them was not even allowed to wear her saree. None of them were fed. They were forced to leave thumb impressions on many more documents. On the fifth day they were left (or rather tossed) in the village with the threat that if they were to ever meet me again their village would be burned down. On Dec 25th, some of us went to the village and I SMSed the same people about what had transpired. No official steps were taken. I got only one reply from the Chief Secretary of Chhattisgarh, saying, “We have verified. Stop this ugly motivated campaign against the state.” Just two days ago, Gopal Krishna has said that the Naxalites want to take over the Indian government by 2050, to that my response is, had I been the father of those girls, I couldn’t wait till then, I would want my right to justice today. (applause) The government, the democracy that can’t protect my daughter’s from getting repeatedly humiliated and punished for no fault of theirs, I would not want any part in that democracy. For me, a democratic India has no meaning, if there isn’t a democratic Dantewada. There is religion and there is blasphemy and then there is false-religion. False religion is worse than blasphemy. If the government says that it is trying to salvage democracy by acting in this way, I want to know why “democracy” doesn’t exist for the adivasis. When we were there in the villages, all we wanted was democracy. Universal respect for the law. What these adiviasis got was discrimination by the law, which allowed the Tatas to build a plant there, with no regard to their welfare. I talked to the DCP there, you want the end of Naxalism here, but you saw that because of the plant there people are forced to give their land away. People are being cheated off their land or simply coerced to give it up. You are here to hold up law, you should be telling the CM to follow the law in the transfer of property. Or else you would arrest him. The day the police raise their guns for the poor and the victimized, there will be no need for Naxalism. Mr. Chidambaram told me that he doesn’t want to talk to the Naxalites. I said fine, talk to the people of the villages. For the past fifteen years, no one has come to Dantewada. No one has heard about the crimes being committed there, that the poor villager has no defense against. While he tried to relegate the responsibility to the state government, I reminded him of the atrocities committed against the numerous girls and the innocent lives being taken. The fact that the Chief Minister had accepted bribes of four thousand crores and forgetting his real job, started to overlook all the crimes of the industrialists. Under the assault of his corrupt government, villagers were being cheated out their lives and livelihood. Unrest of such a high order in any part of the country would affect the whole country and would soon become directly his problem. He said that he would come. But then he signaled Raman Singh and all our associates started getting arrested and the victims who could have told their stories were all picked up. I was surrounded by the police all the time. I wanted to go around the villages informing them of the upcoming visit from the home minister, who they could tell their problems to. To prevent us from doing just that, trees were cut and roads blocked. The collector forbade me, in writing, from leading any kind of peaceful procession or “shanti-poorna padayatra”. Today, no acitivist can go to any tribal village. No reporter can go to any such village. Why? What are you doing in those villages that needs to be hidden away? This has happened many times in history. We all know of the old tales when the gods defeated the dark devils, originally living in this land. The dark devils described seem a lot like the adivasis of today, who are in danger of being robbed off their land. In this day we need minerals for progress and wherever the adivasis live there are minerals. So now the adivasis are the enemies of progress. Just like killing Muslims is justified by calling them traitors, we find excuses to condone the atrocities committed against the adivasis. The only way we know of solving a problem is to kill the enemy. Though all over history we have seen that killing anything has never solved the problem or ended anything. Modi thought that the Muslims were an enemy for all Hindus and decided to commit genocide against all Muslims. Which didn’t really solve the problem but actually increase communalism. Mr. Chidambaram now thinks that all the adivasis are Naxalites and they should also be killed. When the first five–year plan was made, the planners said that we can forget about 20% of the people. We can’t provide them with food, clothes or homes or education. In the 90s, the figure rose to 40% who don’t benefit from the economic development, if there is any. Now the figure has risen to 60%. My question is, when the figure rises to 80%, what are we going to do with all those people? Are we going to kill them all too? We will just let them die, out of hunger and deprivation. In the fight of 20% rich and the 80% poor, the poor are likely to lose. Gandhiji had forecasted that this type of economic planning could only lead to conflict. In our time, the biggest problem is because of social conflict. As the fight for resources gets more skewed, more problems and insecurity will arise. Insecurity for the rich is because of the poor, they think that they will be killed by the poor. Today the main fight is for the minerals under the ground. Who do these minerals belong to? Do they not belong to the next generation as well? Why do we need to take them all out now? Because that is what is being done to a certain extent. As an example,there is a company that mines iron, which is imported to Japan at the cost of four hundred rupees per ton, whereas an Indian industrialist would have to buy it for six thousand rupees per ton. Japan, is running out of space to store things and is dumping a lot of it into the ocean. If we don’t estimate how much mining, for how many people at what cost, correctly, there is bound to be conflict. Inequality always gives rise to conflict, it is not just the Naxalites that create violence. It is something we call structural conflict. For us, everything is good, we eat twice a day, our children go to school. We are respected. All’s well with the world. Then where is the problem? When we think about it, really think about it, all the natural resources of this planet, sunlight, water, should be equally distributed among everyone. But in reality that doesn’t happen. We create our superiority by instilling the feeling of inferiority in others. What started with the caste system thousands of years ago, ostracizing all the people of low caste from respectable society is now being carried on by status due to education or which side of town you were born in. The higher castes and the educated or rich claim more than their fair share of all resources, leaving very little for the poor. All these ways of keeping the disparity alive make sense to us - the beneficiaries of the skewed distribution of resources. We want it to stay that way so that we keep getting our meals without having to work in the fields. After all, we are good, civilized people and “they” are low caste people who don’t work hard enough. But for the poor man, who lives in Lalgarh or Beriyaghat, this is violence. He works all day and yet doesn’t have enough to eat, while you have never been in a field. His houses are being burned down, his wife is being raped, so that the disparity stays as it is. The government and the police work for the rich to maintain this structural violence, which is deeply rooted in the Vedic system and the value system. But one day this will all be challenged and this value system will and get broken. As Gandhiji had said that if the poor don’t revolt, we should tell them to stop accepting this inhumane treatment and declare war against it. If they don’t then the they will get decimated because of the twenty percent minority is all set, armed with the media, the police and the army to kill the rest of the eighty percent just to maintain status quo. However, they find ways to camouflage it by stating that all the adivasis are causing unrest. They are beheading government police officers in their villages. Ask me, what beheading is, a thirteen year old was beheaded in Dantewada just three months ago. When people ask me why we never discuss the beheading of the police officer in Dantewada, I want to know why the thirteen year old child was beheaded, by none other than the CRPF. The force right under the command of Mr. Chidambaram. Why does he not ever say anything about that? He has never confirmed this, so shall we take it that it was done under his command? If the police commits crimes then we are told that until the court proves them guilty they can’t be called criminals. Whereas, when an adivasi is said to have something, he is immediately labeled guilty of the act, without even getting a trial. *“Main kahaa se pesh karta ek bhi sachcha gawah, jurm bhi tha aapka kardar bhi aap hi the”* One of my friends is a reporter, she asked me that, if like you say this is “structural” violence, then why is it not happening everywhere? Why is it not there in UP, or Bombay or Delhi? I told her that there are three types of poor. Some of them, who are making a living because of the rich, like your maid or the person that irons your clothes. They are happy that some people are rich so they can also make a living. The second type are those, that think it is their fault that they are poor. They may think it is either their fate or their low caste or their illiteracy or because they live in a village, that makes them poor. They don’t blame the rich for their lot. The third are the type that you affected because you wanted to be rich. They didn’t want anything from you and had been living happily in the forests, until you decided to take their peace and their livelihood away from them without any heed of their welfare. Now, they want revenge. The real problem, for the rich, will arise if all these poor come together and take on the minority of rich people. Workers association and rickshaw pullers association have invited me to talk. All three types of the poor are beginning to understand that they are poor because of the structural violence. The independence of the country didn’t come just for the rich, it belongs to you more than it belongs to the rich. Until it reaches everyone, we are not going to sit still. We will make every sacrifice that has to be made to bring it to the door of every poor villager. Our fight for true freedom will continue right up until then. Some people may ask, what about the violence going on now? Well, I have seen violence from real close. 700 villages were burned in Bastar. A little adivasi girl had died from drowning in one of the villages. So the police were informed. Many of them came in a car and for their pleasure was brought good food - chicken and alcohol. The little girl’s dead body was lying on the ground , right next to these policemen as they ate and drank merrily. What kind of message is that? When seven hundred villages were burned during Salva Judum, the number of Naxalites had more than doubled. When they had burned the village, they had burned the schools, aangan badis, ration shops villagers were not allowed to go to the bazaar to buy food. In the hope that they would be forced to go move to the camp, to avoid starvation. Leaving their land. So a woman who lives close to a bazaar, which she cannot go to because if she does, she is likely to get recognized. Then, she could be raped or forced to go to the camp or possibly killed. What she does is, walks to a bazaar eighty kilometers away. Takes her four days per week, just to bring back rice. We asked her why she wouldn’t just buy the ration for a whole month. She said, that we don’t have money, we only have mahua, which we barter for food. We carry as much as we can on our head and then bring back whatever we can in exchange for that. How can you expect non-violence in such a condition? Right now, any adivasi living there, feels that the Naxalites are their protectors and the government and its police their enemy. A young girl came to me one day and told me that she had been taken to the Bastar police station and raped repeatedly for two days by the police and if I could help her gain justice. I wrote to the SP, who didn’t reply. We went to the Supreme Court which asked the state government what had been done about the issue. Then, the SP replied that the accused Salwa Judum leaders had denied any such act. They said that the girl was trying to ruin the reputation of the good people of Salva Judum, by accusing them of rape. Hence the state government says that the Salwa Judum leaders had been falsely charged. I am not sad that the state government or the SP said this. What makes me sad is that the Supreme Court believed them. After episodes like that, it seems that even the doors of the courts of this country are closed for these adivasis. They have no one to turn to, the police were already against them, as was the administration. Who can they go to in the hope of help ? They are only left with the option of turning towards the Naxalites. This shouldn’t have happened. They should have had the government on their side, felt a part of a democracy. But that didn’t happen. They feel that the Naxalites are their own. We could change the situation. I asked Mr. Chidambaram to visit the villages, to address the adivasis as the country’s home minister and to listen to their grievances. If it had been Sardar Patel, he would have gone. But he is too arrogant to meet the people. He just wants their land and he sends his police force to get it. The police force which rapes the women and burns the houses of the adivasis. Mr. Chidambaram thinks that he can get what he wants without any repercussions. He wants peace, even then. This false democracy is not going to last, it doesn’t need Naxalites to fall on its face. We are the last people trying to save it. We are trying to tell you that if a war is fought against eighty percent of the people of the nation, that is not going to be acceptable to the people. Democracy is not just the observation of parades at India gate, the speeches, the Parliament, Members of Parliament or the Supreme Court. If people don’t get justice, there is no way of fighting poverty, no one listens to the people’s problems, then democracy based just on the structural farces cannot last. We need the real values of democracy to be implemented. Unlike what our Prime Minister said, Naxalites are not our greatest threat to internal security. The government itself is. If democracy is not applied to the grass root level, then there is no alternative to large-scale unrest. I even met Mr. Rahul Gandhi. Today he is very powerful. I asked him to come to Dantewada. He asked me meet someone else. No one wants to meet the tribes. If some politician wants to go there, he will not be allowed to go. No activist can live there, leaving no avenues open for the adivasis to express their problems or their frustration. The outcome of all this suppressed angst can only be violent. A few days ago the new Operation Green Hunt was started. Sixteen adivasis were killed early one morning by the CRPF, in Bompar. A two year old boy’s – Suresh’s fingers were cut. The boy’s mother was first knifed in her head, she was raped after she died. His eight year old sister was stabbed to death. His father was also killed. A seventy year old man who couldn’t run was also killed. A seventy-year old woman’s breasts were chopped off before she was killed. We took some of the afflicted people to Delhi. We filed a case in the Supreme Court. When all these people came to Dantewada to talk to Chidambaram, they were detained by the police. They are still in jail. This nation’s democracy is silent, as is the Supreme Court and the media. While Suresh and a woman who was shot in the leg are being held in the jail. I say, don’t let us help the villagers, don’t give justice to anyone, kill everyone you can. Then we hope that the broken pieces of this fake democracy can fall on your head. From c.anupam at gmail.com Sun Apr 18 17:31:33 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Sun, 18 Apr 2010 17:31:33 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] SAGARIKA GHOSE INTERVIEWED ARUNDHATI ROY In-Reply-To: References: <004c01cadeb6$96474df0$c2d5e9d0$@in> Message-ID: No you got me wrong again Rakesh. It has nothing to do with opposing our own ideas. just voices from ground zero, where things are being changed. where people are affected or otherwise. not in a news format, but two or three lines about what's going on. i am sure other readers would also agree to this. you could very well put in comments during the debate. it is just a suggestion. not expecting anyone to follow it. thanks anupam On Sun, Apr 18, 2010 at 5:25 PM, Rakesh Iyer wrote: > Dear Anupam > > I guess you are indeed right. We must promote those voices as opposed to > ours. I have spoken too much probably. > > Will do the same as I believe in it. > > Rakesh > > > On Sun, Apr 18, 2010 at 5:11 PM, anupam chakravartty wrote: > >> Rakesh, >> >> The question of naxal sympathiser doesnt even arise here. The person, who >> writes from Jharkhand, close to the theater where operation greenhunt is >> taking place, has addressed the debate between Indian army cheif and the >> home minister about using muscle power to quell this revolt. >> >> while, writing or discussing such issues i want to keep the comments and >> views of the people who are witnessing this from the ground zero. any amount >> of words written about what is development, what is naxalism, from our >> comfortable and distant position will never render the real picture. >> >> i would be making an effort through this platform to bring the voices >> which are from these areas instead of putting forth my ideas from now on. >> >> i have seen list members including myself using this "My views on such and >> such..." well everybody has an opinion, but what matters is that in this >> process the real victims are not given that chance to speak. let there be >> more writings from people who are witnessing this conflict. >> >> anupam >> >> On Sun, Apr 18, 2010 at 5:00 PM, Rakesh Iyer wrote: >> >>> Dear Anupam >>> >>> Thanks for the article. >>> >>> For some members of the forum though, this may be an article by a Naxal >>> sympathizer, except that they don't realize that theirs is the way through >>> which a terrorist is born. For after all, even a terrorist is motivated by >>> one simple question: >>> >>> 'What did I or my brother or my fellow men do to deserve this >>> (violence)?' >>> >>> Hence they make it a fight for their survival, and we get nowhere. And a >>> terrorist is also a human being (with sinister intentions formed over a >>> course of time), not an alien from Mars. >>> >>> I am still waiting by the way for these members to spell out what is >>> development as per their view. They keep parroting this word whenever >>> Naxalism issue springs up on this forum. >>> >>> Rakesh >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> On Sun, Apr 18, 2010 at 4:46 PM, anupam chakravartty >> > wrote: >>> >>>> From: http://sanhati.com/articles/2265/ >>>> >>>> Soon after hearing the heart breaking news from Dantewara of >>>> Chhatisgarh, >>>> where 76 CRPF personals were killed in the Maoists attack on April 6, >>>> 2010, >>>> the India’s Home Minister P Chidambaram gave his resignation saying, “I >>>> have >>>> no hesitation in saying the buck stops at my desk. I accept fully >>>> responsibility for what happened in Dantewara”. Of course he is right; >>>> apparently because he is the person who had sent the CRPF personals for >>>> preparing the investment roadmap by killing the Maoists as they are the >>>> biggest threat to the investment climate that’s what our economist Prime >>>> Minister Manmohan Sigh had said earlier. >>>> >>>> A brilliant corporate lawyer turned Home Minister P Chidambaram’s odd >>>> face >>>> had also appeared in the media, shedding tears for the CRPF personals >>>> who >>>> laid down their lives in Dantewada. But how could the Prime Minister >>>> Manmohan Singh had accepted Chidambaram’s resignation when his assigned >>>> job >>>> for preparation of the investment climate has not yet accomplished? As >>>> usual, the corporate media did not hesitate in coining Chidambaram as >>>> hero >>>> of the day merely for submitting his resignation not for his deeds for >>>> the >>>> nation. But is he? Is it not true that he shed the crocodile tears >>>> merely to >>>> mobilize the middle class sentiments in the favour of his war against >>>> the >>>> Adivasis in corporate interest? >>>> >>>> Perhaps, the ARMY Chief General V K Singh has unmasked the corporate >>>> Home >>>> Minister saying that there appeared to be “internal deficiencies” in the >>>> training of the personals lost their lives in the attack. Though >>>> Chidambaram >>>> has rejected it by saying it “incorrect and baseless” but question is >>>> how >>>> the ARMY chief who is responsible for the security of the nation can >>>> talk on >>>> the baseless matter? Does Chidambaram know better than the ARMY chief >>>> about >>>> the security related matters? Of course, he can not be challenged on the >>>> matters of the corporate but every one can doubt on his ability on the >>>> security matters if he challenges the ARMY chief. >>>> >>>> Secondly, the matter of the law and order is the state subject but there >>>> were no support extended to the CRPF personals by the local police >>>> during >>>> the anti-Naxal operation in Dantewara. Thirdly, there is no electricity, >>>> good telephone service and other facilities available in the CRPF camp >>>> of >>>> Dantewara. Ironically, the CRPF personals had no vegetables for last >>>> three >>>> months. They were having chapattis with mangos available nearby the CRPF >>>> camp. In fact, the CRPF camp was established in Dantewara without >>>> availability of the required infrastructure, support and facilities. >>>> This is >>>> how our brave security personals are being treated and our ruling elites >>>> shed the crocodile tears when they lose their lives and we also walk >>>> with >>>> them. Is it not true that the CRPF personals were left to die in an >>>> unknown >>>> utterly dangerous place without any help of the local police and the >>>> villagers? Who is responsible for the loss of 76 brave lives? >>>> >>>> Paradoxically, the opposition party the BJP has backed Chidambaram >>>> saying >>>> ‘it is not the time for a Senapati (commander) to step down. His >>>> resignation >>>> at this stage would be meaning a victory for Naxalites’. A question >>>> comes >>>> into one’s mind is whether the BJP would have behaved in the same manner >>>> with Chidambaram if the Jehadi terrorists would have done the same >>>> damage to >>>> our security forces? If the 26/11 can end Shivraj Patil’s career as Home >>>> Minister then why should Chidambaram stay back? >>>> >>>> However, the Left parties especially the CPI (M) has shocked the most as >>>> now >>>> Bhudhadev Bhattacharjee has also agreed to work together with >>>> Chidambaram >>>> and of course, his party is very keen to establish corporate corridor in >>>> the >>>> so-called red corridor. The people are amazed to see the rights left and >>>> centre alliance on the issue of cleansing the Maoists. It is apparent >>>> because all these parties are working hard for converting the so-called >>>> red >>>> corridor into the corporate corridor. Now the corporate houses have also >>>> become the election investors therefore our political parties are >>>> committed >>>> for the corporate interest rather than the people’s interest. Obviously, >>>> they are the main actors who run the biggest democracy of the world, >>>> where >>>> the marginalized have only a day once in a five years to rejoice the >>>> democracy and rest of the days they have to face the brutality. >>>> >>>> Indeed, the untrained CRPF personals were deliberately put into danger >>>> with >>>> the expectation, if they are killed by the Maoists that would be the >>>> best >>>> opportunity for mobilizing the middle class sentiments for using the >>>> Army to >>>> get the Adivasis land clear for the corporate sharks in the name of >>>> cleansing the Maoists. Precisely, because we have tendency to call each >>>> and >>>> every security person as brave even the person loses his life due to >>>> illness >>>> is also called ‘martyr’ in the language of ruling elites. Of course, one >>>> must have respect for those brave security personals lay their lives for >>>> the >>>> national but one should not allow the politics to play in each and every >>>> matter. >>>> >>>> We should also find out whether our security forces are united as we are >>>> in >>>> a delusion of unity in diversity. According to the prominent Indian >>>> writer >>>> Arundhati Roy, Indians were never united. Of course, she is right. Even >>>> our >>>> security forces are never united. One can clearly see that how our >>>> security >>>> house is divided. Can one imagine for the unity when there is a regular >>>> practice of untouchability in the military camps? The caste based >>>> kitchens >>>> still exit in the military camps. One can find separate kitchen for >>>> Adivasis, Bhumihars, Yadav, Rajpur, Pandit and list goes on. Similarly, >>>> the >>>> caste based forces still exit. Are we still united? Did our Home >>>> Ministers, >>>> Defense Ministers or the Parliament ever think of cleansing these >>>> dirties >>>> before they cleanse the Maoists? Only the ruling elites shed their >>>> crocodile >>>> tears, whenever the damage was done to the security forces by the non >>>> state >>>> actors. >>>> >>>> Our CRPF personals were made to pay the heavy price for the corporate >>>> interest in the name of the national security and Chidambaram’s >>>> resignation >>>> is just a drama to shield his failure, bury the mistreatment of the CRPF >>>> personals and also to emotionally mobilize the middle class sentiment >>>> for >>>> the corporate interest. Indeed, the buck stops at Chidambaram’s desk for >>>> what has happened in Dantewara and will continue to stop but will he >>>> ever be >>>> punished for what he has done to the security forces? The expected >>>> answer >>>> would be ‘no’ therefore we should expect only the crocodile tears from >>>> him >>>> and the other ruling elites as well? >>>> >>>> *Gladson Dungdung is a Human Rights Activist and Writer from Jharkhand.* >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> On Sun, Apr 18, 2010 at 3:18 PM, Pheeta Ram >>>> wrote: >>>> >>>> > The interview has, very interestingly, revealed how DUMB these media >>>> people >>>> > can be. Its Sagarika Ghose >>>> > who has been exposed instead. She asks such dumb questions; it made me >>>> > laugh >>>> > at both Sagarika and the >>>> > TV channel she represents. No doubt, the media have been sold out to >>>> the >>>> > corporates. There's another guy, much >>>> > admired in the 'interview circles', more i think for his impeccable >>>> English >>>> > than for his interviewing skills, called Karan Thapar. >>>> > The video is available on Youtube. Just look at the way he embar-asses >>>> > himself. For a change mute the video and concentrate >>>> > on his demeanour: anxiety is writ large over his face, he is too much >>>> aware >>>> > of his hollowness. Frankly speaking, Arundhati Roy has dealt a tight >>>> nice >>>> > slap on many people's faces with her essay in Outlook. I don't need to >>>> name >>>> > them, their cheeks are still burning. It won't be easier to >>>> appropriate >>>> > Arundhati anymore. Alas, she is standing alone, though evermore >>>> stronger, >>>> > among these celebrity writers! >>>> > >>>> > On Sun, Apr 18, 2010 at 11:58 AM, Nagraj Adve >>>> > wrote: >>>> > >>>> > > I don't necessarily agree with all of what Arundhati wrote in >>>> Outlook, >>>> > > not do I hold a brief for the Maoist movement, but for someone to >>>> say >>>> > > that Arundhati's sincerity and intellectuality (whatever that latter >>>> > > means) have been exposed is just ridiculous. And in the guise of >>>> being >>>> > > sharp and critical, the interviewer came up with shallow, unthought >>>> > > out statements like "Growth is something the country needs". Really? >>>> > > I in fact thought Arundhati said something very important when she >>>> > > said, "I would say that I don't believe that the imagination that >>>> has >>>> > > brought to the planet to this crisis is going to come up with an >>>> > > alternative." >>>> > > >>>> > > And re your response Rakesh, I see your point, but a clean divide >>>> > > between violent and non-violent movements probably needs more >>>> > > stratification. Between struggles that are militant but not violent, >>>> > > those in which violence becomes a part, those in which armed tactics >>>> > > and squads are retained for purely defensive purposes, and lastly >>>> > > those in which armed struggle is more central aimed at the takeover >>>> of >>>> > > state power. Obviously, the Maoist movement falls in the fourth >>>> > > category, and in my view, will not work. The problem begins when >>>> > > movements begin to generalise from what works in their area. In >>>> > > practice, different strategies work in different contexts and for >>>> > > different issues. The Maoists have little to offer for urban areas. >>>> > > Though they have had some history of work in a few urban areas, they >>>> > > have nothing unique to offer that makes them different from other >>>> > > formations there, and have in fact I believe withdrawn from urban >>>> > > areas after the merger of PW and MCC. I think it will be more useful >>>> > > for us to think about a multiplicity of movements in different >>>> areas, >>>> > > employing different strategies and as part of a broad >>>> democratisation >>>> > > of society which at least minimizes the ravages of industrial >>>> > > capitalism. >>>> > > Naga >>>> > > >>>> > > >>>> > > >>>> > > On 18 April 2010 10:56, Rakesh Iyer wrote: >>>> > > > Dear Bipin >>>> > > > >>>> > > > How many journalists have dared to go to the jungles of Dantewada >>>> where >>>> > > the >>>> > > > Naxalites reside and tell their story as to why the tribals are >>>> now >>>> > > > increasingly joining the Naxals? Arundhati Roy has been one of the >>>> very >>>> > > few >>>> > > > to do so. >>>> > > > >>>> > > > And I have seen this interview. She is against the state, but I >>>> feel in >>>> > > this >>>> > > > interview at least, she has been less a Maoist sympathizer than a >>>> > critic >>>> > > of >>>> > > > state-led development paradigm. >>>> > > > >>>> > > > The reason why there is violence is simple. That's how our >>>> governments >>>> > > tend >>>> > > > to take notice. Look at the Narmada Bachao Andolan. What happened? >>>> > > Nothing. >>>> > > > Why? Because they didnt' resort to violence. If they would have >>>> done >>>> > so, >>>> > > the >>>> > > > politicians would have been forced to stop the Sardar Sarovar dam >>>> > project >>>> > > > and think about the tribals. But since this has not been done, >>>> nobody >>>> > > > bothers and the rights of tribals are trampled upon as if tribals >>>> were >>>> > > > insects, not human beings. >>>> > > > >>>> > > > Look at the Gujjar-reservation issue. The Gujjars were agitating >>>> > > peacefully, >>>> > > > yet nobody bothered even to explain to them why reservation was >>>> not >>>> > being >>>> > > > done to them. It's only when they unleashed violence that suddenly >>>> the >>>> > > > entire nation saw them and decided to solve the issue. >>>> > > > >>>> > > > The fact is that in this country, unless you don't organize >>>> violence, >>>> > > nobody >>>> > > > hears you or even bothers about you. Indians have a great tendency >>>> of >>>> > > > working only at the last minute, when the fire reaches the ass. >>>> Till it >>>> > > has >>>> > > > burnt your legs, nobody cares. >>>> > > > >>>> > > > Change this tendency and fight it, and automatically things will >>>> move >>>> > for >>>> > > > the better. This means ensuring that NREGA, Forest Rights Bill are >>>> > > properly >>>> > > > implemented, the Right to Food is enacted soon in its' >>>> comprehensive >>>> > form >>>> > > > and implemented well, and most importantly, development as sought >>>> by >>>> > the >>>> > > > tribals is given to them, not introducing mining which is >>>> unsustainable >>>> > > as >>>> > > > being done in Bellary. Don't turn Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand into >>>> > another >>>> > > > Bellary. >>>> > > > >>>> > > > Rakesh >>>> > > > _________________________________________ >>>> > > > 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/> >>>> > >>>> _________________________________________ >>>> 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 chandni_parekh at yahoo.com Sun Apr 18 18:42:08 2010 From: chandni_parekh at yahoo.com (Chandni Parekh) Date: Sun, 18 Apr 2010 06:12:08 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] An artist is seeking help to document pottery in Northeast India. Message-ID: <424094.52546.qm@web54409.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Excerpts from http://z.pe/5b2w - >From Rashi A trip to North East: learning and documenting the potters of the region! Objective * Cover major pottery centres/ tribes in 7 states. * Document the process through film and photography, clay making, firing, salient features, etc of each community. * Study the impacts of globalisation and environmental change on the survival of the craft. I'm looking for NGO support for existing pottery centres , people knowledgeable of the handicrafts, any funding opportunities and people to stay with in major cities. I am getting accompanied by a friend who works with textiles and we will be visiting some of those centres as well. We take off to Guwhatti by the 24th April by train and travel to the different states over a period of 2 months and head out to Calcutta and potters communities in West Bengal. We are open to comapions on the trip, with or without an agenda. From nagraj.adve at gmail.com Sun Apr 18 19:41:04 2010 From: nagraj.adve at gmail.com (Nagraj Adve) Date: Sun, 18 Apr 2010 19:41:04 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR In-Reply-To: <005f01cadec3$d1d7f2e0$7587d8a0$@in> References: <000601caddfb$cf416660$6dc43320$@in> <6F550FA0-EF07-4F5E-9CFA-DD741F843ECC@sarai.net> <01A19B86-D4FF-4676-8550-A4A2278D9D43@sarai.net> <82B69CFD-8994-4077-8768-76CE5BA2E9E6@sarai.net> <005f01cadec3$d1d7f2e0$7587d8a0$@in> Message-ID: Bipin, In September last year, there was a very interesting note in the journal Nature. It looked at nine indicators of what it called 'planetary boundaries' - loss of biodiversity, oceanic acidification, climate change, land use changes, the nitrogen cycle, ozone depletion, freshwater availability, atmospheric aerosols, chemical pollution. On three of these, it claimed that planetary boundaries have already been crossed: climate change, loss of biodiversity and the nitrogen cycle. But what was interesting is that they tried to quantify these indicators and in a table showed at what levels it was at the time of the start of the industrial revolution, what a safe level ought to be, and where we have reached now. To me, it was startling how much worse we are in all nine of these indicators since the Indus Rev. The point of my long para is that the ecological crises that are staring us in the face and which we refuse to acknowledge have systemic causes. That, more than individual consumption, is the key. That also makes it a much more vexed question. Yet, to answer your question, in a word, yes, we should restrict ourselves. By which I mean the rich and the better off in general. (After all, one can scarcely ask the poor to restrict their consumption, it is already generally below acceptable levels.) I would like to believe that individuals restricting consumption would work but unfortunately there is little evidence of it as yet on a large scale. Yet, I also believe cutting individual consumption by the better off has a place, if for nothing else, so we practise what we preach. Without seeking to pat myself on the back, this desire to cut down high end consumption has made avoid flying ever since I got into global warming issues 4 years ago. It's not easy because both my brothers live in the US. I walk and bus rather than auto, not easy in these temperatures. Cutting down consumption is boring and can easily end up making one a pompous git, worse, talking about cutting down consumption usually puts off people, though I hope it makes some folks think about how they lead their lives. Fact is, in our consumption, we are complicit in what is happening to adivasis and other underclasses. I can't oppose Vedanta and at the same time continue to order food out regularly or do stuff that comes in aluminium foil. One can't oppose the war in Iraq and have 2 cars. The other obvious part about systemic causes of crises is that violence is completely part and parcel of what is called 'development'. It is hardly accidental that Greenhunt is happening now. I don't want this mail to carry on too long but in a nutshell, yes we need to cut down our own consumption while never losing sight of the centrality of industrial capitalism as the chief villian of the piece. Otherwise we might flounder in inanities like some of Sagarika Ghosh's questions. There is a need to deeply question received categories like 'growth' and 'development' while at the same time recognizing that zero growth is essentially not possible under capitalism. Naga On 18 April 2010 12:23, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > Dear Nagraj, > > I think from your content, you and may be some others believe that we should > not use forest resources, mines  etc. and restrict ourselves, is it? Your > reply waited. > > Thanks > > Bipin > > From pheeta.ram at gmail.com Sun Apr 18 21:33:24 2010 From: pheeta.ram at gmail.com (Pheeta Ram) Date: Sun, 18 Apr 2010 21:33:24 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Himanshu Kumar speaks In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Thanks Anupam for putting this very important transcription of Himanshu's speech on the mailing list. IN BOLD : "What we found there, talking to the adivasis, bewildered us. The adivasis were in dire straits. They didn’t know what country it was that they were a part of. Didn’t know its name or of its existence. It looked to us that the British occupation had never reached them, they had continued to live in their own world right through the period of colonization of our country. Then we had got our independence, set up our government and unilaterally declared that the adivasis were now Indians to be governed by people who were as ignorant about them as the adivasis were about the government." On Sun, Apr 18, 2010 at 5:21 PM, anupam chakravartty wrote: > *From http://sanhati.com/excerpted/2273/ > * > > * > * > > *On March 9 2010, activist Himanshu Kumar gave a talk in Kolkata at a > public > meeting organised by Ekhon Bisanbad, speaking about his experiences in > Dantewada over 18 years, and about the ongoing “Operation Green Hunt” being > conducted to ostensibly root out left wing extremists. The following is his > speech, transcribed and edited by Sanhati members Ishita Das and Suvarup > Saha.* > > Hi , I am Himanshu. I have been living to Dantewada since the past 18 > years. > For the last 3 months I have been out of Dantewada. > > I went there with my wife in 1992. When we got our independence, Gandhiji > had said that if we really want an India to progress in the future, > considering that in a democracy the powerful lobbies can control all > resources and prosperity, we need to foster growth in every village, for > only then can there be an equal distribution of wealth or resources. Our > youth should go and live in villages and help achieve that development, or > else this nation will end up being ruled by hooligans. > > My wife and I went to Dantewada trying to follow his guideline. My father > had worked with Gandhiji before, he had set fire to the station in > Muzzaffarpur (which is where we are from) in 1942 and absconded. He had > then > corresponded with Gandhiji and who invited him over to Sevagram, where he > lived till 1946. He had also participated in the Bhoo Daan movement led by > Vinobha Bhave. So working for the true development of the country runs in > the family. That was inspiration enough for us to go and live with the > adivasis. > > What we found there, talking to the adivasis, bewildered us. The adivasis > were in dire straits. They didn’t know what country it was that they were a > part of. Didn’t know its name or of its existence. It looked to us that the > British occupation had never reached them, they had continued to live in > their own world right through the period of colonization of our country. > Then we had got our independence, set up our government and unilaterally > declared that the adivasis were now Indians to be governed by people who > were as ignorant about them as the adivasis were about the government. > > The only way our government actually reached them, was as police. To take > away their land. I remember now, there is a village called Dhulli, where > Essar wants to install a steel plant. We have a law in the Bakhtar area, > which is a scheduled area, where in case there is any work to be done by > outsiders to the village - you need to occupy a piece of land or anything - > the adivasi gram-sabha makes the decision. But the gram-sabha turned out to > be CRPF patrolling in front of every house. Villagers couldn’t even go to > bring water for their children. If they ventured out, they were caught by > their necks and brought to the school in the center of the village. This > was > overseen by a collector, SP and the MLA from Congress Mr. Mahendra Karma. > The adivasis were expected to come through one door, leave their thumb > print > on a paper that dispossesses them of their own land and exit through > another. > > Now, if I were an adivasi and was in the same situation, it would seem to > me > that the only reasons for losing my land and my resources were because the > “government” agents were not on my side and that they had guns. So the only > way to oppose them and save my resources, would be to have guns of my own. > > If we had brought the constitution to the adivasis and taught them to > respect the law, in a lawful manner, they could have respected them both. > But they weren’t taught that, they were taught the power of the guns. > > When my wife and I were in there, we saw that the ration shops had no > rations, there were no teachers in the schools and no transportation. We > started to interact with the ladies of the village to tell them that the > constitution provides for all of that for them. But if they asked for any > of > that, they were Naxalites. If we wanted progress, even then we were called > Naxalites. > > When the Chattisgarh state was formed, the government wanted to use the > land > for mining and they got many MoUs. Then as an afterthought they remembered > there were many Naxalites in the area. One of my friends had gone to a CII > meeting. The businessman there were saying that while we have a license to > do work, the Naxalites are not letting us progress. > > An MoU was signed between the government and a very big iron company. > Within > a day they started Salwa Judum. In Salwa Judum the government said that the > villagers were supporting the Naxalites. The adivasis were told to leave > their homes and live in the camps around the police station, in order to > cure the evil of Naxalites. These adivasis are not used to living in > confinement, they live in the open forests. > > Many government officials would go to them, carrying guns, to persuade > people to leave. People who didn’t want to go to the camps were coerced > using guns. Guns were given to a gang of hooligans who would fire at > fleeing > adivasis. Many girls were raped. Little children were killed. People who > ran > away were labeled Naxalites. Their homes were burned . The poor adivasis > tried to come back and rebuild their houses but they were burned again and > again. > > When that happened we went against the government. Our ashram was promptly > demolished. Our workers were arrested. Seven hundred villages were burnt, > about three- four lakh population. 50,000 were taken to the camp, 50000 > fled > to AP and Orissa or Maharashtra, 3 lakhs fled to the forest where they are > still under attack. Our representative, Nandini Sundar went to the Supreme > Court. The Supreme Court ordered the government to rebuild all the > villages. > Not a single village was rehabilitated by the government. The Supreme Court > ordered the government to give compensation to the adivasis, not a single > adivasi has received any compensation. > > Finally the SC asked NHRC to send a team to Dantewada. This team had a > hundred policemen. There is a village called Nendra which had been burned > four times. The adivasis from there went to give affidavits to the NHRC, > there were four girls missing from that village and ten people had been > killed. When these adivasis were trying to go back, they were held up in a > Salwa Judum camp for a whole day. They were beaten all day and forced to > place their thumbprints on papers stating that they had been forced to give > the affidavits, and that they had nothing to say against Salwa judum. The > village was burnt yet again four days later. > > We told the NHRC team about the atrocities the adivasis were facing, > because > they had dared to come give their affidavits against Salwa Judum; they > refused to be of any help, saying that their job here was only to take the > affidavits. > > When I saw the state of the burned down village, I felt their deep sorrow > and that became my empowerment. It is true that we are Gandhivadis, who are > non-violent by nature. But I thought that attachment to that tenet was not > as important as rebuilding the hopes and lives of villages full of innocent > people, who are also citizens of this democratic country, but are not being > treated as such. I decided that we will help rebuild their village. If the > government says that anyone who is not with Salwa Judum is a Naxalite then > that is fine. > > Then we started living in Nendra. When we addressed the villagers in a > gathering, telling them that we were going to live there and do whatever we > could to help them re-establish their homes, one villager in the gathering > got up and said that they could rebuild their homes themselves, the only > thing they asked from us was to make sure that once they did start living > in > those homes and farming, no one would come and kill them. To an open letter > to the Chief Minister I wrote that even now, the only thing these adivasis > want from us, is to spare their lives. Nothing more. When asked if there > was > anything more we could do, one old man got up and said my daughter was > kidnapped two yrs ago by Salwa Judum and the police, she is still being > held > in the houses of one of the leaders of Salwa Judum, can I bring her back > home? > > In the same letter to the CM, I asked, is his heart or mind also not bound > to our great Nation as our anthem says it is for all Indians? *Jana Gana > Mana Adhinayak Jaya he*? Are all these people in their tattered clothes and > burned homes not one of “We, the people of India”? > > Our number one priority was to bring back the daughter of the old man. What > scared me was she was taken not by the dacoits, but government officials on > government duty. For a minute I thought, can my daughter also be taken > forcefully by law officials? But then the constitution of India gave me > some > consolation, as I knew and understood the constitution and my rights and > its > power, perhaps no one could take my daughter in the same way. Since the > officials know that the adivasis don’t know the law, they do as they please > with no respect for humanity or people’s lives. > > While two girls had been killed with no trace of their bodies, two girls > were still alive in the Salwa Judum camp. We were able to bring the girls > back to the village, back to her father. The next day a tree trunk lay on > the road, blocking the way into the village. When we saw that we went > around > asking why, the villagers had uncharacteristically resorted to something > symbolically linked to Naxalites. In turns out that one of the girl’s > father > had cut the tree to prevent the police to come back to the village and take > her again. > > A lot of these mis-happenings there are linked to innocuous reasons. Kopa > Kunjam is our associate from the adivasi groups who has helped rebuild > thirty villages, like Nendra. He is a young adivasi who is not with the > Salwa Julum or in the other camp. He is absolutely neutral. He works for > the > adivasis. > > Then one day we were sitting in a village, a young girl came towards us, > hiding something from us. When we asked her what it was, she showed us a > wooden pistol. She was carrying it to scare the Salwa Judum’s SPOs police > officers when they attacked her. Girls that carry wooden pistols to > preserve > their virtue are being called Naxalites by the government, which is > actually > supposed to be protecting them. > > I met Mr. Gopal Pinde, griha sachiv. He gave me his mobile number and told > me to call him whenever there was an indication of a problem caused by the > police officers. Four adivasi girls had been gang–raped by the officials of > Salwa Judum. We tried to file a report in the police station, but of course > how can they take a complaint against their own people. Even the SP refused > to take down an FIR. After a lot of dilly-dallying by the courts in > accepting the complaints of the girls, official warrants were taken out > against responsible police officers or Salwa Judum leaders. But the > official > report said that the police officers were absconding and there was no way > of > ever catching them. This, when the very same officials hold meetings along > with the aforementioned SP, trying to instigate the villagers against me. > > December 19th, 2009, the incriminated officials went to the village and > forced the four victims to give their thumb impressions on papers. As soon > as we came to know of that incident, I SMSed the Home Minister Mr. P > Chidambaram and the Chief Secretary to tell them that these girls were rape > victims with ongoing court cases against the officers who are apparently > absconding, but were clearly able to force their victims and complainants > in > the village to get their thumb impressions, without being seen or caught by > the police. Next day, the same girls were taken to jail and imprisoned for > four days. One of them was not even allowed to wear her saree. None of them > were fed. They were forced to leave thumb impressions on many more > documents. On the fifth day they were left (or rather tossed) in the > village > with the threat that if they were to ever meet me again their village would > be burned down. > > On Dec 25th, some of us went to the village and I SMSed the same people > about what had transpired. No official steps were taken. I got only one > reply from the Chief Secretary of Chhattisgarh, saying, “We have verified. > Stop this ugly motivated campaign against the state.” > > Just two days ago, Gopal Krishna has said that the Naxalites want to take > over the Indian government by 2050, to that my response is, had I been the > father of those girls, I couldn’t wait till then, I would want my right to > justice today. (applause) > > The government, the democracy that can’t protect my daughter’s from getting > repeatedly humiliated and punished for no fault of theirs, I would not want > any part in that democracy. For me, a democratic India has no meaning, if > there isn’t a democratic Dantewada. > > There is religion and there is blasphemy and then there is false-religion. > False religion is worse than blasphemy. If the government says that it is > trying to salvage democracy by acting in this way, I want to know why > “democracy” doesn’t exist for the adivasis. When we were there in the > villages, all we wanted was democracy. Universal respect for the law. > > What these adiviasis got was discrimination by the law, which allowed the > Tatas to build a plant there, with no regard to their welfare. I talked to > the DCP there, you want the end of Naxalism here, but you saw that because > of the plant there people are forced to give their land away. People are > being cheated off their land or simply coerced to give it up. You are here > to hold up law, you should be telling the CM to follow the law in the > transfer of property. Or else you would arrest him. The day the police > raise > their guns for the poor and the victimized, there will be no need for > Naxalism. > > Mr. Chidambaram told me that he doesn’t want to talk to the Naxalites. I > said fine, talk to the people of the villages. For the past fifteen years, > no one has come to Dantewada. No one has heard about the crimes being > committed there, that the poor villager has no defense against. While he > tried to relegate the responsibility to the state government, I reminded > him > of the atrocities committed against the numerous girls and the innocent > lives being taken. The fact that the Chief Minister had accepted bribes of > four thousand crores and forgetting his real job, started to overlook all > the crimes of the industrialists. Under the assault of his corrupt > government, villagers were being cheated out their lives and livelihood. > Unrest of such a high order in any part of the country would affect the > whole country and would soon become directly his problem. He said that he > would come. But then he signaled Raman Singh and all our associates started > getting arrested and the victims who could have told their stories were all > picked up. I was surrounded by the police all the time. I wanted to go > around the villages informing them of the upcoming visit from the home > minister, who they could tell their problems to. To prevent us from doing > just that, trees were cut and roads blocked. The collector forbade me, in > writing, from leading any kind of peaceful procession or “shanti-poorna > padayatra”. > > Today, no acitivist can go to any tribal village. No reporter can go to any > such village. Why? What are you doing in those villages that needs to be > hidden away? This has happened many times in history. We all know of the > old > tales when the gods defeated the dark devils, originally living in this > land. The dark devils described seem a lot like the adivasis of today, who > are in danger of being robbed off their land. In this day we need minerals > for progress and wherever the adivasis live there are minerals. So now the > adivasis are the enemies of progress. Just like killing Muslims is > justified > by calling them traitors, we find excuses to condone the atrocities > committed against the adivasis. The only way we know of solving a problem > is > to kill the enemy. Though all over history we have seen that killing > anything has never solved the problem or ended anything. Modi thought that > the Muslims were an enemy for all Hindus and decided to commit genocide > against all Muslims. Which didn’t really solve the problem but actually > increase communalism. Mr. Chidambaram now thinks that all the adivasis are > Naxalites and they should also be killed. > > When the first five–year plan was made, the planners said that we can > forget > about 20% of the people. We can’t provide them with food, clothes or homes > or education. In the 90s, the figure rose to 40% who don’t benefit from the > economic development, if there is any. Now the figure has risen to 60%. > > My question is, when the figure rises to 80%, what are we going to do with > all those people? Are we going to kill them all too? We will just let them > die, out of hunger and deprivation. In the fight of 20% rich and the 80% > poor, the poor are likely to lose. Gandhiji had forecasted that this type > of > economic planning could only lead to conflict. In our time, the biggest > problem is because of social conflict. As the fight for resources gets more > skewed, more problems and insecurity will arise. Insecurity for the rich is > because of the poor, they think that they will be killed by the poor. > > Today the main fight is for the minerals under the ground. Who do these > minerals belong to? Do they not belong to the next generation as well? Why > do we need to take them all out now? Because that is what is being done to > a > certain extent. As an example,there is a company that mines iron, which is > imported to Japan at the cost of four hundred rupees per ton, whereas an > Indian industrialist would have to buy it for six thousand rupees per ton. > Japan, is running out of space to store things and is dumping a lot of it > into the ocean. If we don’t estimate how much mining, for how many people > at > what cost, correctly, there is bound to be conflict. Inequality always > gives > rise to conflict, it is not just the Naxalites that create violence. It is > something we call structural conflict. > > For us, everything is good, we eat twice a day, our children go to school. > We are respected. All’s well with the world. Then where is the problem? > When > we think about it, really think about it, all the natural resources of this > planet, sunlight, water, should be equally distributed among everyone. But > in reality that doesn’t happen. We create our superiority by instilling the > feeling of inferiority in others. What started with the caste system > thousands of years ago, ostracizing all the people of low caste from > respectable society is now being carried on by status due to education or > which side of town you were born in. The higher castes and the educated or > rich claim more than their fair share of all resources, leaving very little > for the poor. All these ways of keeping the disparity alive make sense to > us > - the beneficiaries of the skewed distribution of resources. We want it to > stay that way so that we keep getting our meals without having to work in > the fields. After all, we are good, civilized people and “they” are low > caste people who don’t work hard enough. > > But for the poor man, who lives in Lalgarh or Beriyaghat, this is violence. > He works all day and yet doesn’t have enough to eat, while you have never > been in a field. His houses are being burned down, his wife is being raped, > so that the disparity stays as it is. The government and the police work > for > the rich to maintain this structural violence, which is deeply rooted in > the > Vedic system and the value system. > > But one day this will all be challenged and this value system will and get > broken. As Gandhiji had said that if the poor don’t revolt, we should tell > them to stop accepting this inhumane treatment and declare war against it. > If they don’t then the they will get decimated because of the twenty > percent > minority is all set, armed with the media, the police and the army to kill > the rest of the eighty percent just to maintain status quo. However, they > find ways to camouflage it by stating that all the adivasis are causing > unrest. They are beheading government police officers in their villages. > > Ask me, what beheading is, a thirteen year old was beheaded in Dantewada > just three months ago. When people ask me why we never discuss the > beheading > of the police officer in Dantewada, I want to know why the thirteen year > old > child was beheaded, by none other than the CRPF. The force right under the > command of Mr. Chidambaram. Why does he not ever say anything about that? > He > has never confirmed this, so shall we take it that it was done under his > command? If the police commits crimes then we are told that until the court > proves them guilty they can’t be called criminals. Whereas, when an adivasi > is said to have something, he is immediately labeled guilty of the act, > without even getting a trial. > > *“Main kahaa se pesh karta ek bhi sachcha gawah, jurm bhi tha aapka kardar > bhi aap hi the”* > > One of my friends is a reporter, she asked me that, if like you say this is > “structural” violence, then why is it not happening everywhere? Why is it > not there in UP, or Bombay or Delhi? I told her that there are three types > of poor. Some of them, who are making a living because of the rich, like > your maid or the person that irons your clothes. They are happy that some > people are rich so they can also make a living. The second type are those, > that think it is their fault that they are poor. They may think it is > either > their fate or their low caste or their illiteracy or because they live in a > village, that makes them poor. They don’t blame the rich for their lot. The > third are the type that you affected because you wanted to be rich. They > didn’t want anything from you and had been living happily in the forests, > until you decided to take their peace and their livelihood away from them > without any heed of their welfare. Now, they want revenge. The real > problem, > for the rich, will arise if all these poor come together and take on the > minority of rich people. > > Workers association and rickshaw pullers association have invited me to > talk. All three types of the poor are beginning to understand that they are > poor because of the structural violence. The independence of the country > didn’t come just for the rich, it belongs to you more than it belongs to > the > rich. Until it reaches everyone, we are not going to sit still. We will > make > every sacrifice that has to be made to bring it to the door of every poor > villager. Our fight for true freedom will continue right up until then. > > Some people may ask, what about the violence going on now? Well, I have > seen > violence from real close. 700 villages were burned in Bastar. A little > adivasi girl had died from drowning in one of the villages. So the police > were informed. Many of them came in a car and for their pleasure was > brought > good food - chicken and alcohol. The little girl’s dead body was lying on > the ground , right next to these policemen as they ate and drank merrily. > What kind of message is that? > > When seven hundred villages were burned during Salva Judum, the number of > Naxalites had more than doubled. When they had burned the village, they had > burned the schools, aangan badis, ration shops villagers were not allowed > to > go to the bazaar to buy food. In the hope that they would be forced to go > move to the camp, to avoid starvation. Leaving their land. So a woman who > lives close to a bazaar, which she cannot go to because if she does, she is > likely to get recognized. Then, she could be raped or forced to go to the > camp or possibly killed. What she does is, walks to a bazaar eighty > kilometers away. Takes her four days per week, just to bring back rice. We > asked her why she wouldn’t just buy the ration for a whole month. She said, > that we don’t have money, we only have mahua, which we barter for food. We > carry as much as we can on our head and then bring back whatever we can in > exchange for that. > > How can you expect non-violence in such a condition? Right now, any adivasi > living there, feels that the Naxalites are their protectors and the > government and its police their enemy. > > A young girl came to me one day and told me that she had been taken to the > Bastar police station and raped repeatedly for two days by the police and > if > I could help her gain justice. I wrote to the SP, who didn’t reply. We went > to the Supreme Court which asked the state government what had been done > about the issue. Then, the SP replied that the accused Salwa Judum leaders > had denied any such act. They said that the girl was trying to ruin the > reputation of the good people of Salva Judum, by accusing them of rape. > Hence the state government says that the Salwa Judum leaders had been > falsely charged. I am not sad that the state government or the SP said > this. > What makes me sad is that the Supreme Court believed them. > > After episodes like that, it seems that even the doors of the courts of > this > country are closed for these adivasis. They have no one to turn to, the > police were already against them, as was the administration. Who can they > go > to in the hope of help ? They are only left with the option of turning > towards the Naxalites. This shouldn’t have happened. They should have had > the government on their side, felt a part of a democracy. But that didn’t > happen. They feel that the Naxalites are their own. We could change the > situation. I asked Mr. Chidambaram to visit the villages, to address the > adivasis as the country’s home minister and to listen to their grievances. > If it had been Sardar Patel, he would have gone. But he is too arrogant to > meet the people. He just wants their land and he sends his police force to > get it. The police force which rapes the women and burns the houses of the > adivasis. Mr. Chidambaram thinks that he can get what he wants without any > repercussions. He wants peace, even then. > > This false democracy is not going to last, it doesn’t need Naxalites to > fall > on its face. We are the last people trying to save it. We are trying to > tell > you that if a war is fought against eighty percent of the people of the > nation, that is not going to be acceptable to the people. Democracy is not > just the observation of parades at India gate, the speeches, the > Parliament, > Members of Parliament or the Supreme Court. If people don’t get justice, > there is no way of fighting poverty, no one listens to the people’s > problems, then democracy based just on the structural farces cannot last. > We > need the real values of democracy to be implemented. Unlike what our Prime > Minister said, Naxalites are not our greatest threat to internal security. > The government itself is. > > If democracy is not applied to the grass root level, then there is no > alternative to large-scale unrest. I even met Mr. Rahul Gandhi. Today he is > very powerful. I asked him to come to Dantewada. He asked me meet someone > else. No one wants to meet the tribes. If some politician wants to go > there, > he will not be allowed to go. No activist can live there, leaving no > avenues > open for the adivasis to express their problems or their frustration. The > outcome of all this suppressed angst can only be violent. > > A few days ago the new Operation Green Hunt was started. Sixteen adivasis > were killed early one morning by the CRPF, in Bompar. A two year old boy’s > – > Suresh’s fingers were cut. The boy’s mother was first knifed in her head, > she was raped after she died. His eight year old sister was stabbed to > death. His father was also killed. A seventy year old man who couldn’t run > was also killed. A seventy-year old woman’s breasts were chopped off before > she was killed. We took some of the afflicted people to Delhi. We filed a > case in the Supreme Court. When all these people came to Dantewada to talk > to Chidambaram, they were detained by the police. They are still in jail. > This nation’s democracy is silent, as is the Supreme Court and the media. > While Suresh and a woman who was shot in the leg are being held in the > jail. > > > I say, don’t let us help the villagers, don’t give justice to anyone, kill > everyone you can. Then we hope that the broken pieces of this fake > democracy > can fall on your head. > _________________________________________ > 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 Sun Apr 18 11:00:02 2010 From: shuddha at sarai.net (Shuddhabrata Sengupta) Date: Sun, 18 Apr 2010 11:00:02 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR In-Reply-To: <005101cadeb7$344e2b40$9cea81c0$@in> References: <000601caddfb$cf416660$6dc43320$@in> <458799.31425.qm@web57205.mail.re3.yahoo.com> <001e01cade18$d716af90$85440eb0$@in> <6F550FA0-EF07-4F5E-9CFA-DD741F843ECC@sarai.net> <000001cade26$8941e100$9bc5a300$@in> <005101cadeb7$344e2b40$9cea81c0$@in> Message-ID: Yes, you are right, I do not believe that the forests should be opened up to mining. Mining for large capitalist corporations or state run enterprises unleashes havoc, and extracts materials that we can well do without. For example - the vast majority of the aluminium that is made out of bauxite mined in the world is used by a parasitic defence industry that answers no human needs. The little aluminium that is necessary for non defence related uses can be easily processed from existing resources, you do not need new mines. So here you have a situation which goes like this - in order to sustain capitalism you need a large war machine - which answers no human needs, contributes only to misery - in order to feed the needs of that war machine - you need mining of the kind that is being resisted. take the mines away, and you will contribute to a lessening of human misery Or else, you can see the entire forest region of Central India converted to the hell that is Bellary. Where the Reddy Brothers are able to manipulate politics, threaten journalists, run MPs in Delhi and subsidize a vast empire of greed. On 18-Apr-10, at 10:52 AM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > Dear Shuddha, > As you say large section of the population does not want to > surveyed, that’s your belief but are they ready to keep them out of > survey? As per knowledge/report most of them (may be not all of > them), NGO’s, human right activists probable demand for them > government help, aid, jobs, BPL benefits but do not want to give > their resources. One way traffic? Is it justifiable? > I think from your content, you and may be some others believe that > we should not use forest resources, mines etc. is it? Your reply > waited. > Thanks > Bipin > Shuddhabrata Sengupta The Sarai Programme at CSDS Raqs Media Collective shuddha at sarai.net www.sarai.net www.raqsmediacollective.net From pawan.durani at gmail.com Mon Apr 19 09:34:52 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 09:34:52 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The rebirth of the Indian Mujahideen - PRAVEEN SWAMI Message-ID: http://beta.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/article402892.ece Saturday's bombings in Bangalore are a grim reminder that the jihadist movement is far from spent. Less than an hour before police surrounded the Indian Mujahideen bomb-factory hidden away on the fringes of the Bhadra forests in Chikmagalur, Mohammad Zarar Siddi Bawa had slipped away on a bus bound for Mangalore — the first step in a journey that would take him to the safety of a Lashkar-e-Taiba safehouse in Karachi. Inside the house, officers involved in the October, 2008, raid found evidence of Bawa's work: laboratory equipment used to test and prepare chemicals, precision tools, and five complete improvised explosive devices. Even as investigators across India set about filing paperwork declaring Bawa a fugitive, few believed they would ever be able to lay eyes on him again. But in February, a closed-circuit television camera placed over the cashier's counter at the Germany Bakery in Pune recorded evidence that Bawa had returned to India — just minutes before an improvised explosive device ripped through the popular restaurant killing seventeen people, and injuring at least sixty. Dressed in a loose-fitting blue shirt, a rucksack slung over his back, the fair, slight young man with a wispy beard has been identified by police sources in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka as “Yasin Bhatkal” — the man who made the bombs which ripped apart ten Indian towns and cities between 2005 and 2008. Witnesses at the restaurant also identified Bawa from photographs, noting that he was wearing trousers rolled up above his ankles — a style favoured by some neo-fundamentalists. Bawa is emerging as the key suspect in Saturday's bombings outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore — a grim reminder that the jihadist offensive that began after the 2002 communal violence in India is very far from spent. The obscure jihadist Little is known about just what led Bawa to join the jihadist movement. Educated at Bhatkal's well-respected Anjuman Hami-e-Muslimeen school, 32-year-old Bawa left for Pune as a teenager. He was later introduced to other members of the Indian Mujahideen as an engineer, but police in Pune have found no documentation suggesting he ever studied in the city. Instead, Bawa spent much of his time with a childhood friend living in Pune, Unani medicine practitioner-turned-Islamist proselytiser Iqbal Ismail Shahbandri. Like his brother Riyaz Ismail Shahbandri — now the Indian Mujahideen's top military commander — Ismail Shahbandri had become an ideological mentor to many young Islamists in Pune and Mumbai, many of them highly-educated professionals. The Shahbandari brothers' parents, like many members of the Bhatkal elite, had relocated to Mumbai in search of new economic opportunities. Ismail Shahbandri, their father, set up leather-tanning factory in Mumbai's Kurla area in the mid-1970s. Riyaz Shahbandri went on to obtain a civil engineering degree from Mumbai's Saboo Siddiqui Engineering College and, in 2002, was married to Nasuha Ismail, the daughter of an electronics store owner in Bhatkal's Dubai Market. Shafiq Ahmad, Nasuha's brother, had drawn Riyaz Shahbandri into the Students Islamic Movement of India. He first met his Indian Mujahideen co-founders Abdul Subhan Qureshi and Sadiq Israr Sheikh, in the months before his marriage. Later, Riyaz Shahbandri made contact with ganglord-turned-jihadist Amir Raza Khan. In the wake of the communal violence that ripped Gujarat apart in 2002, the men set about funnelling recruits to Lashkar camps in Pakistan. Early in the summer of 2004, investigators say, the core members of the network that was later to call itself the Indian Mujahideen met at Bhatkal's beachfront to discuss their plans. Iqbal Shahbandri and Bhatkal-based cleric Shabbir Gangoli are alleged to have held ideological classes; the group also took time out to practice shooting with airguns. Bawa had overall charge of arrangements — a task that illustrated his status as the Bhatkal brothers' most trusted lieutenant. Bhatkal, police investigators say, became the centre of the Indian Mujahideen's operations. From their safehouses in Vitthalamakki and Hakkalamane, bombs were despatched to operational cells dispersed across the country, feeding the most sustained jihadist offensive India has ever seen. Communal war Like so many of his peers in the Indian Mujahideen, Bawa emerged from a fraught communal landscape. Bhatkal's Nawayath Muslims, made prosperous by hundreds of years of trade across the Indian Ocean, emerged as the region's dominant land-owning community. Early in the twentieth century, inspired by call of Aligarh reformer Syed Ahmed Khan, Bhatkal notables led a campaign to bring modern education for the community. The Anjuman Hami-e-Muslimeen school where Bawa studied was one product of their efforts, which eventually spawned highly-regarded institutions that now cater to over several thousand students. Organisations like the Anjuman helped the Navayath Muslims capitalise on the new opportunities for work and business with opened up in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia during the 1970s. But this wealth, in turn, engendered resentments which laid the ground for an communal conflict. In the years after the Emergency, the Jana Sangh and its affiliates began to capitalise on resentments Bhatkal's Hindus felt about the prosperity and political power of the Navayaths. The campaign paid off in 1983, when the Hindu right-wing succeeded in dethroning legislator S.M. Yahya, who had served as a state minister between 1972 and 1982. Both communities entered into a competitive communal confrontation, which involved the ostentatious display of piety and power. The Tablighi Jamaat, a neo-fundamentalist organisation which calls on followers to live life in a style claimed to be modelled on that of the Prophet Mohammad, drew a growing mass of followers. Hindutva groups like the Karavalli Hindu Samiti, too, staged ever-larger religious displays to demonstrate their clout. Early in 1993, Bhatkal was hit by communal riots which claimed seventeen lives and left dozens injured. The violence, which began after Hindutva groups claimed stones had been thrown at a Ram Navami procession, and lasted nine months. Later, in April 1996, two Muslims were murdered in retaliation for the assassination of Bharatiya Janata Party legislator U. Chittaranjan — a crime that investigators now say may have been linked to the Bhatkal brothers. More violence broke out in 2004, after the assassination of BJP leader Thimmappa Naik. Iqbal Shahbandri and his recruits were, in key senses, rebels against a traditional political order that appeared to have failed to defend Muslim rights and interests. Inside the Indian Mujahideen safehouses raided in October, 2008, police found no evidence that traditional theological literature or the writings of the Tablighi Jamaat had influenced the group. Instead, they found pro-Taliban videos and speeches by Zakir Naik — a popular but controversial Mumbai-based televangelist who has, among other things, defends Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin-Laden. “If he is fighting the enemies of Islam”, Naik said in one speech, “I am for him. If he is terrorising America the terrorist—the biggest terrorist — I am with him.” “Every Muslim” Naik concluded, “should be a terrorist. The thing is, if he is terrorising a terrorist, he is following Islam”. Naik has never been found to be involved in violence, but his words have fired the imagination of a diverse jihadists — among them, Glasgow suicide-bomber Kafeel Ahmed, 2006 Mumbai train-bombing accused Feroze Deshmukh, and New York taxi driver Najibullah Zazi, who faces trial for planning to attack the city's Grand Central Railway Station. Language like this spoke to concerns of the young people who were drawn to separate jihadist cells that began to spring up across India after the 2002 violence, mirroring the growth of the Indian Mujahideen. SIMI leader Safdar Nagori set up a group that included the Bangalore information-technology professionals Peedical Abdul Shibli and Yahya Kamakutty; in Kerala Tadiyantavide Nasir, Abdul Sattar, and Abdul Jabbar set up a separate organisation that is alleged to have bombed Bangalore in 2008 Storms of hate Well-entrenched in the political system, Bhatkal's Muslim leadership has been hostile to radical Islamism. Efforts by Islamist political groups to establish a presence there have, for the most part, been unsuccessful. But authorities acknowledge Bhatkal, like much of the Dakshina Kannada region, remains communally fraught. Small-scale confrontations are routine. Earlier this month, the Karavalli Hindu Samiti even staged demonstrations in support of the Sanatana Sanstha, the Hindutva group police in Goa say was responsible for terrorist bombings carried out last year. Pakistan's intelligence services and transnational jihadist groups like the Lashkar nurtured and fed India's jihadist movement — but its birth was the outcome of an ugly communal contestation that remains unresolved. Even as India's police and intelligence services work to dismantle the jihadist project, politicians need to find means to still the storms of hate which sustain it. From kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Mon Apr 19 14:03:22 2010 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 01:33:22 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] =?utf-8?q?=E2=80=9CThis_Awakening_of_Masses_is_Tota?= =?utf-8?q?lly_Political=E2=80=9D?= In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <728879.58721.qm@web57203.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Dear Sanjay   Thank you for posting this excellently informative and thought provoking piece.   Such a relief in the midst of the flurry of connected but idiotically one-dimensional opinions and articles posted in this List in the last few days.   Kshmendra  --- On Sun, 4/18/10, Sanjay Kak wrote: From: Sanjay Kak Subject: [Reader-list] “This Awakening of Masses is Totally Political” To: "Sarai Reader List" Date: Sunday, April 18, 2010, 3:35 PM For those who may have missed it, here's a very instructive piece from the sanhati website. I'm taking the liberty of retaining the comment made by the friend who forwarded it... Best Sanjay Kak ------ "This is indeed a remarkable interview. KMSS is one of the largest people's movement of India in recent times and has remained largely non violent. Akhil is the only visible face, and this is possibly one of the pieces that captures their theory and practice. He also talks about Maoists, Gandhian ideology, political parties, parliamentary democracy, middle class dreams, Indian left, NAPM, Medha Patkar and of course BIG dams...." ------ http://sanhati.com/excerpted/2274/ Krishi Mukti Sangram Samiti, Assam: A brief note and an interview with Akhil Gogoi April 18, 2010 By Debarshi Das, Sanhati Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti, in many ways, is an anomaly in Assam. This is a land which finds national attention only in times of blasts, floods, massacres. KMSS breaks the media orientalism and manages to make news. KMSS launches agitations on patently non-exotic issues such as Public Distribution System thefts, construction of big dams in fragile seismic territories, non-implementation of National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, Rights to Information Act etc. Aside from these issues, the other feature which sets KMSS apart in the political landscape of the state is its non-alignment. KMSS is not close to any political party. And more importantly it does not swear by any tribal, linguistic, religious group. This is something of a miracle in a region almost balkanised by identity politics. This surprise package is putting the powers that be in jeopardy. They are used to dealing with sundry armed outfits which fight holy wars in the name of blood kinship ties, and are routinely silenced through distribution of State handouts to the leadership. In order to pigeonhole this unwieldy customer the state intelligence has theorised KMSS has links with the biggest internal threat of the country, namely the Maoists! On March 30 2010 thousands of ordinary unarmed people marched to the district deputy commissioner’s office in the remote, eastern district of Dhemaji. Mega dams numbering as many as 168 are being constructed in Arunachal Pradesh flouting environmental clearance norms. Dhemaji is the place where the Brahmaputra enters Assam from Arunachal. Farmers fear that the dams are going to lay waste their source of livelihood. The Bogibeel bridge over the river had allegedly devastated one-fourth paddy cropping area of the district. There are apprehensions that earthquakes, which are pretty regular here, by breaking the dams may send a apocalyptic flood down the Assam valley. Indeed a house committee appointed by the Assam assembly had submitted an interim report to halt construction of the dams until the final report comes out. But the decree of Capital overrides the will of the people. Then there are issues of mal-implementation of NREGS and PDS which the KMSS wanted to draw the attention of the administration to. It was raining incessantly that noon. Thousands waited patiently to hand over their memorandum to the DC. The DC did not oblige to step out. The crowd became restive. Perimeter gate was smashed. The police was sent. Lathicharge, tear gas, rubber bullets, blank firing followed. Scores were injured and hospitalised, including a few onlookers. The district secretary of KMSS has been arrested and is still in custody. There has been a arrest warrant issued for Akhil Gogoi, the general secretary of KMSS. Of the aftermath of this incident, there was an uproar and walkout in the state assembly the next day. In towns of the province, farmers have demonstrated against the police action. KMSS plans to organise more demonstrations against big dams, for implementation of NREGS, PDS. The question is, who is listening? We attach the memorandum the KMSS sent to the chief minister after the incident and the appeal from the NAPM to the chief minister. ----------------------------- “This Awakening of Masses is Totally Political” - An interview of Akhil Gogoi which appeared in the Assamese daily Dainik Janambhumi in two parts on April 6 and 7, 2010. Interviewer: Tridib Neelim Dutta. Translated by Debarshi Das, Sanhati. Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti is one of the most powerful organisations of present day Assam. Through granting pattas to landless peasants and using Right to Information Act it has exposed several loots of funds by the administrative personnel. Thereby it has acquired the role of a principal opposition to the government. We met the general secretary of the KMSS, Akhil Gogoi, to know the past, present and future of the organisation. While building a peasants organisation what kinds of roadblocks did you face and how much have you been successful in overcoming them? We started out with the struggle of distrbution of land rights to forest dwellers. On June 9, 2004 we were on a dharna in Golaghat on the rights of forest dwellers. The police beat us up severely. Then for the first time the government announced that forest dwellers would be given land rights. On April 8, 2005 a proposal was passed in the assembly to give lands in Doiang. While we were on a march from Guwahati to Doiang in March, 2005 the government announced that forest dwellers would be granted patta. Subsequently the movement picked up and on July 10, 2008 the chief minister sat down for a meeting with us. After this it was because of our goading that the Forest Act got implemented to an extent. In Kamrup and Dhemaji districts some lands were distributed. In a part of Doiang patta distribution has started. These works tend to be sluggish because our politicians and bureaucrats are concerned more with serving the entrenched interests. It was because of our protest that the water policy law was amended five times. Even the present draft is not to our liking. In spite of the pressure from the Asian Development Bank and the centre, it is due to our intervention that the state water policy has not been implemented. The chief aim of the policy is to hand over water to private companies and exact water use tax from people. You have received support from all over the state. But how far is the movement political? We believe this awakening of the people is totally political. The movement you are witnessing is a consolidated and organised expression of the political aspiration and thought of the people of Assam. The people are dissatisfied, trouble ridden. Take the case of Dhemaji. Bogibeel bridge was to be constructed there, for which boulders in the riverbed of rivers coming down from Arunachal Pradesh were carted away. As a result the river sand came down and drowned the farm lands. Bogibeel bridge construction, excavating boulders from river bed, making way for big capital – all these are political decisions. These decisions are oppressing the people. They don’t have any platform to resolve such problems. No nationalist organisations, no leftist parties, no opposition parties [are there]. We have gone to the people, we have tried to understand their disgruntled state. We have tried to politically project their anger. But the ruling classes which are incapable of people’s welfare and who have lost their wherewithal to the big capital are getting more autocratic by the day and are attacking the very people who have elected them to the office. On the other hand, schemes which were designed to tackle people’s dissatisfaction such as NREGA, PDS have become a farce. At this juncture, the movement which has been built by the people is completely political. The peasant workers who are at the forefront are politically educated and are men shining with the dream of a new society. Do you think that the people will be with you after they are subjected to police repression? The people are not with us. We are with the people. As long as there are problems, there will be the struggle. And as long as there are programmes to take the struggle of people forward, people’s struggle will advance. When we back stab them, people will leave us. What is the source of political inspiration among the people? All over the world masses have been facing challenges of the extreme form of capitalism and extreme state apparatus. But there is a counter tendency as well. Notice the support the US president Obama has been receiving from the people. They were compelled to support Obama for the practical solution of their day to day problems. In doing so they overcame racism. In return Obama had to support the health insurance scheme. The source of the political inspiration is the aspiration to freedom from the extreme form of imperialism, from backbreaking exploitation of capitalism, from the day to day deprivations. You have declared that you would form the government in Assam by 2016. Can it be inferred that the programmes of your movement have tended towards the capture of political power? This is not true. Our primary aim is to raise political consciousness of the people of Assam. But by political consciousness most of the people mean consciousness of parliamentary democracy. We are talking of elevating democratic consciousness. In democracy the main means of ensuring participation of greatest number of people and to eradicate poverty is mass movement. In the present political and economic structure if Akhil Gogoi or any other leader of KMSS fights elections that would not solve the problems. Neither can these be solved by forming a government. There are two reasons for this: (a) constitutional and (b) recent international economic policies. The constitution has given the rights over minerals and main sources of income to the centre. Deliberations over a federal state structure [in India] has also veered towards greater centralisation. Therefore no fundamental change in Assam is possible through capturing power in Dispur. On the other hand, international capital has throttled the states. This is clear if you look at the current budget document of the state. In section 4.5 chief minister Tarun Gogoi talks of the different reform programmes he has initiated after coming to power. If through the help of RTI, one reads the various deals of his, one finds that the current financial system is presently fully dependent on the international institutions. No department can create new posts. Posts must be scrapped in every department. Public Sector Units must be closed. On the other hand, only police recruitment is open in this budget. What is your political ideology? We believe in people’s ideology. Religion was the philosophy of medieval ages. Nationalism is the philosophy of the bourgeoisie and the middle class. On the other hand, Marxism is the philosophy of the people. But we believe in modern Marxism, where nationalism will be given emphasis. The Marxism which is practiced in India has either fallen to revisionism or to anarchism. We are trying to march ahead with a creative ideology borrowing heavily from our tradition, folklore, people’s culture and progressivism. Do you believe in parliamentary democracy? Do the members of KMSS vote? Although our members do cast vote, they are not satisfied with it. We try to realise the limitations of the parliamentary system. Our endeavour will be to transform this system creatively. Mahatma Gandhi was the lone Indian who advocated taking up a different economic system in India. But his thoughts were limited by bourgeois philosophy. We seek to influence this tradition through people’s philosophy. Gandhi’s Gram Swaraj was imaginary, an utopia. Within capitalist system real village self-rule is not possible. That is why we need people’s philosophy. But you often talk of Gandhian socialism. We have a weakness for Gandhi. In the history of leadership in Indian politics there has been no greater leader than Gandhi. But the historical limitation of his philosophy is unsuitable in the aggressive capitalism of the present day. Alternative to capitalism is not soft capitalism, but socialism which is a form of egalitarianism. Hence while being deferential towards Gandhian socialism we believe in Marxism. There have been allegations of your contacts with the Maoists. Aside from armed struggle,, there is not much difference between you regarding other social programme. How do you assess the Maoists? Are you sympathetic to them? Indian Maoists have raised the questions of the tribal and poor people. But the idea of social transformation that they have seems to be a short cut. As far as our understanding goes, Maoists put less emphasis on people’s movement whereas mass movement is the fulcrum of our tactic. Without political assertion, political development and mental transformation through mass movement even if power is captured through armed actions it would not lead to true emancipation of people. We abhor irresponsible, anarchist, gun-centric politics. We aim to establish a non-violent, humane society. In the process of achieving it, there might be application of violence depending on the nature of the enemy. But it can only be in the form as was advocated by Jyotiprasad Agarwala. According to him, all struggles strive for non-violence. But the struggle would change its face according to the nature of the adversary. If the enemy is Mahishasur, the struggle would take the form of Durga. But even then the ideal remains Krisha, who was non-violent. According to the contingency we need to be Krishnarjun. But we have to retain the non-violence essence of our tradition even then. We believe in this philosophy of Jyotiprasad. We do not seek to be guided by Maoist tradition, but by the tradition of Krishna-Jyoti. The global imperialist war has reached such a pinnacle that a fight which takes along only the hill and marginal people, tribal people and the proletariat cannot be successful. Participation of the middle class in the worldwide revolution has become a serious philosophical question. Imminent collapse of the Maoist movement has become clear as they have not paid adequate attention to such issues. How has been the support of the Assamese middle class for you? This is an important question at the present juncture. We believe that the Assamese middle class is passing through a intensely transformative phase. The culture of physical labour which could be found earlier in the rural middle class is disappearing. The new generation is clamouring for income sources which are superficial and not connected to manual labour. The government has introduced mechanisation in farming which has taken farmers away from labour and tradition. This is the reason why our middle class is more dependent, more averse to labour and is moving towards big capital. But only a tiny part of the middle class has been successful in this endeavour. Most of them are dejected and retrogressive in the face of assault by the big capital. An alternative economic programme with a political programme is required to attract them. They would not come forward unless people’s movement crosses a critical phase. Gramsci’s idea of hegemony is relevant here. The middle class gets scared by the militant movement initially. But when it sees this [militant movement] is getting victorious and is able to secure relief from the State the middle class gradually comes forth and participates. We expect the Assamese middle class would be part of the people’s struggle after overcoming its historical limitations. You criticise the ruling class, but what is your take on the opposition? Our opposition parties cannot see beyond middle class dreams. Most of the opposition leaders are middlemen, contractors or businessmen. Because of this class base they have been unable to reach the common people. We have seen lack of both progressive ideology and wise leadership which is needed to overcome this hurdle. But in spite of all limitations they have opposed big river dams, big capital. So, theoretically it’s possible to have a consolidated front of struggle with them. But practically they are averse to struggle. Disconnected from labour, the middle class leadership becomes fearful at the prospect of militant farmers’ movement. But they need peasants, they need people. They want to use people, not to radicalise them. Unless able and dynamic leaders come up, the opposition will not have a good prospect. They have not been able to build up struggle based on the biggest problems faced by the common people. As Marxists how do you evaluate the diffferent leftist parties of Assam? The CPI has supported big river dams. Is there a possibility of a conflict with them? The leftist parties which have supported big dams are trying to drive the last nail into their coffin. The Assam movement had isolated the left parties from the Assamese national life. By supporting big dams they are seeking to make themselves irrelevant forever. A part of the youth leadership of the left parties does oppose big dams from their heart. However the geriatric leadership of their party tries to obliterate such consciousness. Until the young leaders establish their position within the party and a change of leadership is effectuated, future of leftists is bleak. Actually the parliamentary left parties of Assam are limited by their middle class mentality. We feel they should remove the word ‘communist’ from their name. The present leadership is burdened with middle class, highly-educated, elites. Urban, labour-averse people dreaming of revolution will never be able to bring about a leftist movement. Leftist historian Eric Hobsbawm commenting on the West Bengal CPI(M) in the New Left Review says that implementing an industrial policy which grabs lands of farmers was a historical mistake. You have demanded that the states should have full right over their resources so that they get empowered. In this context what are your views on investment by big capital, special economic zone creation? We are strongly opposed to the imperialist loot. Today capitalism has taken the form of neo-colonialism. Special economic zones are a vivid illustration of this. Medha Patkar has called them a country within a country. All patriotic people should oppose SEZ-like large scale projects, big river dams and the aggressive plans of the big capital. Actually we should all be prepared to fight a second phase of the war of independence. Do you have any programme regarding conflicts between ethic groups and right of self-determination? The Congress government of Assam has played with the aspirations of the tribal people. The autonomous councils are in a sorry state courtesy the greedy, corrupt leaders of Congress party. The middle class leadership which has emerged from the tribal people has proved to be weaker and greedier than the Assamese nationalist leadership. All of the leadership in autonomous councils are ready to pay illegal commissions to the government. We feel that only after the dominance of the present group of tribal leadership is eroded, a progressive leadership from tribal communities can emerge. The fate which befell the Assam movement is awaiting the self-determination movement of tribal communities too. They are the most oppressed of all people of Assam. But the leadership, without exception, has not put sincere effort to alleviate their real problems. Since your peasant movement has presently taken the form of a national movement, what are your views on other national issues such as education in Assamese medium, declining population of Assamese speaking people, illegal immigration? These are extremely important questions for us. Our main task is to transform the peasant movement into national movement. Lenin said, as the majority of the population is farmers and workers their problems are the true national problems. To this day we have not been able to transform our movement into national movement. But we have started to encounter all the national questions. We have prepared a special programme for solving the foreigner problem. We have decided to work for a national but progressive education policy. The State is repressing the people through economic, social tools as well as Armed Forces Special Powers Act. Assam is no exception to this. We have not seen any programme of yours in this regard. Do you think such issues are unimportant for peasant movement? We not only oppose inhuman and suppressive laws like the armed forces special powers act, we abhor them. The government should repeal such acts so that there is no conflict with the people. However even if the government does not withdraw them the people will surely win its own rights. Besides you no other leader in KMSS is particularly visible. Does it not affect the organisation in terms of spatial and temporal influence? Leaders emerge out of requirements. How far the peak of a mountain rises depends on how broad is its base. As more and more people join us, leaders will grow numerically and qualitatively. You notice me because of the nature of constitutional responsibility of our organisation. But it is the cadres who actually make our organisation dynamic. Since constitutionally I am the spokesperson you notice me. Tomorrow as the division of duties changes, you will find a new leader. You are a constituent oganisation of National Alliance of People’s Movement which has social workers such as Mekha Patkar, Arundhati Roy, Sandeep Pandey. Is every such organisation of NAPM under the control of a governing body? Do you need any permission for launching a movemental programme? NAPM is merely a network where each organisation has its autonomy. But on collective themes, policies and problems, all of them speak out jointly. Many of your workers are heard to be salaried. A protest forum needs plenty of funds. Could you tell us how and from where you collect the funds? In a mass organisation the source of fund does to a large extent determine the nature of it. The main source of our fund is the people. We collect an annual fee of five rupees from our members. Last year we admitted about five hundred thousand members. This year we expect it to double. The second source of the fund is productive activity. We generate plenty of revenue through cooperative fishery. This year in Tengani we cultivated mustard in 150 bigha fallow land collectively and generated revenue. Some more we did by fishery in 170 bigha land. The third source of our fund is collection of levy from earning people. Fourth source is voluntary contribution. But we have a constitutional restriction that we do not accept a large contribution from a single individual. The main method for contribution collection is through mass collection. Fifth source is contribution from sympathetic trade unions. We can claim that we have not deviated from the principle of pro-people funding. We do not want to tarnish the nature of our movement. Therefore we naturally do not take recourse to the easy ways of fund collection. There are self-imposed restrictions on us for accepting contribution from rural development, public distribution system and other such departments. We are promise-bound not to bow down before politicians, bureaucrats and big capital. Are you going to take up any new programme shortly? The principal leaders of NAPM including Medha Patkar are going to visit Assam in the first part of May. They are going to take up a protest-programme against State repression and big river dams. Let us wish that your struggle assists in the establishment of pro-people, non-anarchic, federal, real democracy in India. We thank you. -- Himanshu Thakkar South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers & People, c/o 86-D, AD block, Shalimar Bagh, Delhi, India himanshuthakkar at iitbombay.org, ht.sandrp at gmail.com www.sandrp.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: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From pawan.durani at gmail.com Mon Apr 19 14:16:46 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 14:16:46 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Ekal Vidyalaya - A people's movement Message-ID: Came across this noble mission ; the work seems amazing . More and more concepts like these are needed to help the tribals and the rural people where education hasn't reached yet. ***************************************************************************************************************************************************** http://ekalindia.org/ Vision To banish illiteracy from the face of tribal India by providing free, non-formal education through a People-Movement. Mission Literate India While it is making giant advances in software, space, and nuclear power, India is paradoxically still struggling with questions of basic literacy for a large segment of its population. Upon independence, India's literacy rate was a staggering 11 percent. Since then, we have made tremendous advances in educating our people. Still, more than six decades after independence, 65.4% India is still illiterate. Even worse off is the position of tribal India, which has a literacy rate below 30 percent. The Ekal Vidyalaya movement aims to help eradicate illiteracy from rural and tribal India by 2011. To date, Ekal Vidyalaya is a movement of over 26,719 teachers, 5,000 (Approximately) voluntary workers, 22 field organizations (scattered in 22 Indian states), and 8 support agencies as on January 2009. With this tremendous human force, the Ekal Vidyalaya movement strives to create a network of non-formal schools that will educate and empower children in rural and tribal India. The Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation is a charitable trust that initiates, supports, and runs non-formal one-teacher schools (popularly known as Ekal Vidyalayas) all over the country. With the participation of numerous non-profit trusts and organizations, this program has now become the greatest non-governmental education movement in the country. The Paradox While Indians have succeeded in flexing their intellectual prowess and in establishing entrepreneurship throughout the world, over a third of India's population is illiterate. Tribal villagers who live in remote areas away from major cities are the worst affected. Often unreachable by road and untouched by electricity, the tribal population is often neglected by agencies of development. The Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation, therefore, has focused its primary education programs on tribals and other underprivileged communities in rural India. Beyond Literacy Ekal Vidyalaya goes beyond mere literacy. Apart from its goal of achieving the national standards of Minimum Level of Learning (MLL) for its students, Ekal Vidyalaya also seeks to empower the village community for its own self-development. Ekal Vidyalaya solicits complete involvement of the local community and aims at making the school self-reliant in a period of five to seven years. The donors, supporters and workers of Ekal Vidyalaya are motivated by a commitment to educate our illiterate brothers and sisters. Their unflinching dedication to serve their motherland is the key to our success. History Although the Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation was registered as charitable trust in 1999, the concept has been in practice and refined over decades. Foundation Laid by Vivekananda In 1986, inspired by the efforts of the early Vivekananda workers, a group of young educationists began work with the primitive tribes in the dense forests of Jharkhand. Notable amongst them were Late Dr. Rakesh Popli (a USA-returned nuclear scientist) and his wife Rama Popli (a child education expert). They refined the concept of the 'one-teacher school' amongst the tribes of Gumla (125 km away from Ranchi (Jharkhand), Chhatisgarh. Two years later, Shri Madan Lalji Agarwal established similar schools in 60 villages near Dhanbad. Impact of the Jharkhand experiment By 1995-1996 there were 1200 schools being run in Jharkhand. Jharkhand's experiment with the one-teacher,en emiment industrialist one-school non formal education concept was extraordinary. Overall literacy rates in Jharkand doubled; the literacy rate soared from approximately 30 to 60 percent, with youth literacy surpassing those numbers. Furthermore, during the same time frame, health workers noticed a sharp decline in diseases caused by non-hygienic practices, witchcraft, and alcoholism. Inspired by the success of the Jharkand experiment, organizations around the country adopted the concept. Many organizations including Vanvasi Kalyan Kendra and Friends of Tribal Society (FTS) have been the frontrunners in propagating this cause and have brought education to the doorsteps of many forgotten children. Spreading of the Movement In last decade, organizations from all over the country have joined the Ekal Vidyalaya movement. The Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of India serves as the umbrella organization for various NGOs that run one-teacher schools in their respective areas. In the year 2000-2001, EVFI became established in New Delhi. From December of 2001, a CEO was appointed to look after the trust's activities. In January of 2001, the EVFI international fundraising arm was begun. One month later, the FCRA granted this arm the right to receive foreign contributions. The Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of India and America are working earnestly, hand-in-hand, to help raise the funds necessary to build 100,000 non-formal schools across the tribal belt by the year 2011. The Concept: A People's Movement Participation at All Levels At every level, the Ekal Vidyalaya movement seeks the participation of local people. Ekal Vidyalaya involves the village folk in the creation of the school, the selection of the teacher, and the adaptation of the curriculum and schedule. Ekal also recruits local people to coordinate training and other project-related issues at every level - the subcluster (10 school unit), cluster (30 school unit), subarea (90 school unit) and area (270 school unit). The involvement at every level is based on a commitment to education and an eagerness to help advance their own community. The sense of community drives the movement even at the national and global level. We urge you to join the movement because this is your India - this is your community. Villagers' Own School The village plays a significant role in the Ekal Vidyalaya process. First, villagers are surveyed to gauge their interest in non-formal education. Where there is sufficient interest, villagers are encouraged to form a committee to oversee the school. The committee nominates two potential teachers. With Ekal Vidyalaya Team and the selected teacher, the village committee helps determine the location and timings. The committee is also responsible for generating interest in the educational process and in addressing any issues that may arise during the school year. Second, villagers contribute to the Ekal Vidyalaya in kind. From the beginning, Ekal Vidyalaya encourages village involvement and prepares them to be wholly self-sufficient in 5 to 7 years. (See self-reliance chart) Though initially, the villager's financial contributions are often meager, their contribution has a tremendous effect on their involvement and on the long-term sustainability of the Ekal Vidyalaya. The Best Guarantee The best guarantee of Ekal Vidyalaya's success is the involvement and participation of the villagers. Before it selects a village, Empowered Committee ensures that the village has sufficient interest in the process. The Ekal Vidyalaya belongs to the village; thus, village involvement is important to the Ekal Vidyalaya's development. In addition, a group of dedicated full-time workers help maintain the schools' regularity and consistency in the level of education. Furthermore, prominent urban families serve as 'caretaker families.' They regularly visit the schools and interact with the villagers. Community involvement and participation thus proves to guarantee in Ekal Vidyalaya's success. Why An Ekal School On the Children's Terms For many rural and tribal children, a formal education is unattractive because: (a) they must travel great distances to attend school; (b) school hours interfere with the children's family responsibilities; (c) the children do not have the funds for uniforms and books; (d) neither the teachers nor the curriculum give due consideration to their needs and life experience. Though the government has implemented many schemes to educate rural and tribal children, their literacy rate remains staggeringly low. In contrast, Ekal Vidyalaya has designed a non-formal education program customized to meet the needs of rural and tribal children. First, the children are taught in their native language (and then in either the state or national language). Second, Ekal Vidyalaya classes are scheduled to meet the needs of the village children and are often adapted depending on the season and harvest schedule. Third, the school curriculum is tailored to teach the children basic literacy and life skills to help them develop self-confidence and succeed in rural occupations or pursue a higher education if they choose. One of the strengths of Ekal Vidyalaya's non-formal education program is that it can be run on the children's terms. The Ekal Vidyalaya takes into consideration their schedule, their experience, their needs, their dreams. These children are the future. . . that is why it is important to take education to their doorstep and ignite their minds. Friendly Teacher, Local Curriculum Conventional subjects such as history, geography, science, and literature have little value in the lives of many rural and tribal children. They struggle to make ends meet in an agrarian economy. Often, they speak a local dialect far removed from the state or national language. To kindle an interest in education and to give due deference to their local customs and traditions, Ekal Vidyalaya commences with instruction in the local dialect. In addition, the Ekal Vidyalaya teacher is a friendly face familiar with the village children, traditions and customs. The teacher generally plays the role of an elder brother or sister. He or she plays, sings, educates, and empowers his or her children through non-formal education. The influx of new ideas filtered through familiar channels helps make learning dynamic and fun. Emphasis on Quality For Ekal Vidyalaya, education is more than book learning. Education is the assimilation of life-building, man-making, character-building ideas. To instill those principles requires skills and dedication. Ekal Vidyalaya takes great care in selecting and training its teachers to provide the best quality education possible. Ekal Vidyalaya recruits teachers from local villages based on nominations from the village committee. Teachers must have the leadership inclination and be generally as knowledgeable as at least an eighth grader and a service mentality. Ekal Vidyalaya interviews each candidate to evaluate his or her interest and dedication to the community. Once selected, Ekal Vidyalaya indoctrinates the teachers with Ekal's unique holistic approach to education. Teachers undergo vigorous training to qualify them to run Ekal Vidyalaya schools. (See Teacher's Preparation). Also, supervisors and trainers regularly visit the schools to help enhance the quality of teaching. Lastly, supervised annual exams provide further reassurance that the school meets quality standards. The Concept: Swami Vivekananda on EV Education Culture Poor masses Resources India Life Mission A. Education Q. 1- What is non-formal education? Well then, my plans are, therefore, to reach these masses of India. Suppose you start schools all over India for the poor, still you cannot educate them. How can you? The boy of four years would better go to the plough or to work, than to your school. He cannot go to your school. It is impossible. Self - preservation is the first instinct. But if the mountain does not go to Mohammed, then Mohammed can come to the mountain. Why should not education go from door to door, say I. If a ploughman's boy cannot come to education, why not meet him at the plough, at the factory, just wherever he is? Go along with him, like his shadow. But there are these hundreds and thousands of monks, educating the people on the spiritual plane; why not let these men do the same work on the intellectual plane? Why should they not talk to the masses a little about history -- about many things? The ears are the best educators. The best principles in our lives were those which we heard from our mothers through our ears. Books came much later. Book - learning is nothing. Through the ears we get the best formative principles. Then, as they get more and more interested, they may come to your books too. First, let it roll on and on -- that is my idea. ( volume 8 page 88 & 89...my life and my mission) Q. 2- What is the relevance of non-formal schools? The great difficulty in the way of educating the poor is this. Supposing even your Highness opens a free school in every village, still it would do no good, for the poor India is such, that the poor boys would rather go to help their fathers in the fields, or otherwise try to make a living, than come to the school. Now if the mountain does not come to Mohammed, Mohammed must go to the mountain. If the poor boy cannot come to education, education must go to him. Volume 4 [ Page : 363] OUR DUTY TO THE MASSES Q. 3- What should be the syllabus of Ekal Vidyalaya? Those of you who have read Herbert Spencer remember what he calls the "monastery system" of education that was tried in Europe and which in some parts proved a success; that is, there is one schoolmaster, whom the village keeps. These primary schools are very rudimentary, because our methods are so simple. Each boy brings a little mat; and his paper, to begin with, is palm leaves. Palm leaves first, paper is too costly. Each boy spreads his little mat and sits upon it, brings out his inkstand and his books and begins to write. A little arithmetic, some Sanskrit grammar, a little of language and accounts -- these are taught in the primary school volume 8 (page : women of India ) Q. 4- What is the role of a teacher in Ekal Vidyalaya? My idea of education is personal contact with the teacher -- gurugriha - vasa. Without the personal life of a teacher there would be no education. Take your Universities. What have they done during the fifty years of their existence? They have not produced one original man. They are merely an examining body Volume 5 [ Page : 224 ] THE MISSIONARY WORK OF THE FIRST HINDU SANNYASIN TO THE WEST AND HIS PLAN OF REGENERATION OF INDIA Q. 5- What should be the format of education to these poor people? Suppose some disinterested Sannyasins, bent on doing good to others, go from village to village, disseminating education and seeking in various ways to better the condition of all down to the Chandala, through oral teaching, and by means of maps, cameras, globes, and such other accessories - can't that bring forth good in time? All these plans I cannot write out in this short letter. The long and the short of it is - if the mountain does not come to Mohammed, Mohammed must go to the mountain. The poor are too poor to come to schools and Pathashalas, and they will gain nothing by reading poetry and all that sort of thing. We, as a nation, have lost our individuality, and that is the cause of all mischief in India. We have to give back to the nation its lost individuality and raise the masses. The Hindu, the Mohammedan, the Christian, all have trampled them underfoot. Again the force to raise them must come from inside, that is, from the orthodox Hindus. In every country the evils exist not with, but against, religion. Religion therefore is not to blame, but men. Volume 6 [ Page : 255 ] LETTERS Q. 6- What do you mean by empowerment through education? Education, education, and education alone! Travelling through many cities of Europe and observing in them the comforts and education of even the poor people, there was brought to my mind the state of our own poor people, and I used to shed tears. What made the difference? Education was the answer I got. Through education comes faith in one's own Self, and through faith in one's own Self the inherent Brahman is waking up in them, while the Brahman in us is gradually becoming dormant. Volume 4 [ Page : 482 ] THE EDUCATION THAT INDIA NEEDS Q. 7- What is the defect of present education system? I studied hard for twelve years and became a graduate of Calcutta University; now I can scarcely make $5.00 a month in my country. Would you believe it? It is actually a fact. So these educational institutions of foreigners are simply to get a lot of useful, practical slaves for a little money -- to turn out a host of clerks, postmasters, telegraph operators, and so on. (volume 8 women of India) From delhi.yunus at gmail.com Mon Apr 19 14:23:42 2010 From: delhi.yunus at gmail.com (Syed Yunus) Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 14:23:42 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] =?windows-1252?q?Are_Hindus_=91others=92=3F?= In-Reply-To: <546900.86399.qm@web57208.mail.re3.yahoo.com> References: <546900.86399.qm@web57208.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Dear Kshmendra Kaul, Thank you for sharing this piece of information. Can you also throw some light or remove the veil of shadow about the origin of KP's. regards, Yunus On Sat, Apr 17, 2010 at 4:56 PM, Kshmendra Kaul wrote: > Dear Rajen > > I do not intend to enter this discussion but would like to share the > following with you, which you might find interesting. > > 1. The Toda is a tribe in the Nilgiri range. You must have heard of them. > > The Toda worship the Buffalo. No other man or animal. > > The Toda believe that their Heritage is connected to the Pandava. From > all of the various personages in the Dharmik (Hindu) traditions, the > Toda have reverence only for the Pandava. But they do not worship the > Pandava. > > In the Toda Heritage 'fraternal polyandry' was practised. Meaning one > woman married all the brothers from another family. Just like Draupadi > married all the Pandava brothers. > > It would be wrong to draw any conclusions from these bits of > information but isnt it interesting? > > 2. In the Heritage of Kashmiri Pandits (KPs), there was no place for the > Ramayana and the persons connected with it. Any Ram or Hanuman Mandir (of > which there are a couple or so) was established in Kashmir only by the > Hindus of the plains. The festivals like Divaali and Dusshera, as linked > with the Ramayana are not in the traditions of the KPs. > > In the (far back) Heritage of KPs, there does not appear to have been > much place for the Mahabharata either. Though Janamsaatmi (not Ashtami) took > root at some stage as a festival, there are no Heritage Krishna Temples. > > The ruling deities of Kashmir are various aspects (symbolic > representations) of Shakhti (Devi) and the Heritage traditions link these > with Bhairava (as guards). The Bhairava Tantra in fact is the Heritage for > KPs and at the root of what is generally know as Kashmir Shaivism, which as > you would know is significantly different as a philosophy from many other > recognitions of Shaivism. > > Isnt it interesting how varied have been the practices encompassed in > what is today known as Hinduism.? > > > Kshmendra > > > --- On Fri, 4/16/10, Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi < > rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com> wrote: > > > From: Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Are Hindus ‘others’? > To: "Pawan Durani" > Cc: "sarai list" > Date: Friday, April 16, 2010, 7:53 PM > > > Well, Pawan, > there is no ambiguity as far as hindu is concerned, as being hindu is being > humane, and it is a way of life, with known , recorded history of over 5000 > years, if compared to any other ways of life of followers of any faith, > particularly Abrahamic, starting from Judaism, to christianity to islam, > all > have atmost, the recorded history of about 2400 years.! > Even as a society, hindu and followers of hindu way of life are a divided > lot thanks to the invasions, not aggressions that you can talk about, as > hindu way of life and the kingdoms never aggressed by violence, but > established their rule of kingdom by letting loose a horse, decorated with > insignia of kingdom, and the ritual was known as Ashwamedha, the kings > recognised this, chose to be under the rule of the stronger kingdom, by > agreeing the rule of that kingdom, and the king, then known as > Chakravarthy,but with influx of other followers of different faiths, > gradual > conversion in society started to be close to rulers, thus the hindu way of > life accepted other faiths, the ways of life, adopted the good of those > faiths, thus life of all became peaceful and harmonious, but later the > democratic rule where the rulers started the society on language, region, > religion and faith, those who did not have faith, atheists had a rallying > point in Karl marx. > Secular did not mean any thing more than respect to all faiths, to the > followers of all faith, in governnce, but in practice it became a tool to > divide the hindu segment in to castes, dominent castes labelling themselves > as Other Backward castes, who were in fact the rulers and ruling class in > the kingdoms.! > Thus democracy only made further divisions of HINDU segment of the society, > weak, weaker than the most minor followers of any other faith.! > Regards, > Rajen. > > On Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 7:02 PM, Pawan Durani >wrote: > > > I share a subject line as it is from a respectable newspaper. > > > > And the fact about the subject can be ascertained not shouted down. > > > > > > > > On Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 6:28 PM, anupam chakravartty > >wrote: > > > > > Really ridiculous. on one hand, you want send mails after mails > demanding > > > punishment for Sajjan Kumar and Tytler for killing sikhs, while you > post > > > ridiculous issue about religion with a subject line: "are hindu > others". > > can > > > you stop this divisive political agendas here? > > > > > > > > > On Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 6:23 PM, Pawan Durani > >wrote: > > > > > >> Iftedah he Sicokular Ishq mein ..Sari raat jaage ....Allah jaane Kya > > Hoga > > >> Aage .... > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> http://www.dailypioneer.com/249530/Are-Hindus-‘others’.html< > > >> > > > http://www.dailypioneer.com/249530/Are-Hindus-%E2%80%98others%E2%80%99.html > > >> > > > >> > > >> > > >> *Are Hindus ‘others’?* > > >> > > >> *Abhishek Anshu | New Delhi* > > >> > > >> *GGSIPU admission form raises eyebrows* > > >> > > >> In an apparent error of omission on the part of authorities, Guru > Gobind > > >> Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU) has asked all applicants to > > mention > > >> their religion in the admission form by marking the appropriate > option, > > >> but > > >> failed to provide that of ‘Hindu’ even though all minority faiths are > > >> listed > > >> specifically. > > >> > > >> Those belonging to the Hindu religion are, therefore, left with no > > choice > > >> but to indicate their faith by ticking the ‘Others’ column on the > list. > > >> > > >> While such a format has sparked widespread confusion and panic among > > >> students and applicants, IP University Vice-Chancellor Prof DK > > >> Bandyo-padhyay has said by way of clarification that the “column > > contains > > >> minority religions and Hindu falls in the category of ‘Others’”. > > >> > > >> “This is nothing unusual as it is known to all that Hindus are the > > >> majority. > > >> The ‘religion’ column has minorities in it and the Hindu students > should > > >> fill out the ‘Others’ option given in the religion column of the > form,” > > >> said > > >> Bandyopadhyay. > > >> > > >> The V-C added that in the form, SC/ST/OBC and ‘Others’ are separate > > >> options. > > >> “In the form, we have the options of Minorities, SC/ST/OBC and > ‘Others’. > > >> Hindus, being the majority, should fill up ‘Others’,” he said. All > > >> explanations notwithstanding, students are still perplexed about how > to > > >> fill > > >> the admission forms and some of them are even in a state of panic. > > >> > > >> “I filled up the application form but when I got to the religion > column, > > I > > >> got confused as ‘Hindu’ was nowhere on the page. I have filled forms > of > > >> various universities but this is for the first time I have seen > > something > > >> like this,” Aarushi, an applicant, said. > > >> > > >> She added she had to reread the admission brochure to confirm there > were > > >> no > > >> printing errors. “I was scared there was a printing error. After going > > >> through the brochure, I learnt that the option was simply not > > mentioned,” > > >> she said. IP University was hit by controversy recently when over > 1,000 > > >> fake > > >> admission forms were submitted by applicants. > > >> _________________________________________ > > >> 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: > > > > > > -- > Rajen. > _________________________________________ > 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: -- Change is the only constant in life ! From kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Mon Apr 19 14:28:58 2010 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 01:58:58 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] Ekal Vidyalaya - A people's movement In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <763289.48676.qm@web57201.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Dear Pawan   Howsoever sincere, well thought out and brilliant the effort might be, if it is rooted in stressing upon the precepts of or inspiration from just one religion then it is doomed to not gaining universal acceptance but instead creating suspicions and resentment.   Education should have nothing to do with religion, whicever religion it might be.   Kshmendra --- On Mon, 4/19/10, Pawan Durani wrote: From: Pawan Durani Subject: [Reader-list] Ekal Vidyalaya - A people's movement To: "reader-list" Date: Monday, April 19, 2010, 2:16 PM Came across this noble mission ; the work seems amazing . More and more concepts like these are needed to help the tribals and the rural people where education hasn't reached yet. ***************************************************************************************************************************************************** http://ekalindia.org/ Vision To banish illiteracy from the face of tribal India by providing free, non-formal education through a People-Movement. Mission Literate India While it is making giant advances in software, space, and nuclear power, India is paradoxically still struggling with questions of basic literacy for a large segment of its population. Upon independence, India's literacy rate was a staggering 11 percent. Since then, we have made tremendous advances in educating our people. Still, more than six decades after independence, 65.4% India is still illiterate. Even worse off is the position of tribal India, which has a literacy rate below 30 percent. The Ekal Vidyalaya movement aims to help eradicate illiteracy from rural and tribal India by 2011. To date, Ekal Vidyalaya is a movement of over 26,719 teachers, 5,000 (Approximately) voluntary workers, 22 field organizations (scattered in 22 Indian states), and 8 support agencies as on January 2009. With this tremendous human force, the Ekal Vidyalaya movement strives to create a network of non-formal schools that will educate and empower children in rural and tribal India. The Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation is a charitable trust that initiates, supports, and runs non-formal one-teacher schools (popularly known as Ekal Vidyalayas) all over the country. With the participation of numerous non-profit trusts and organizations, this program has now become the greatest non-governmental education movement in the country. The Paradox While Indians have succeeded in flexing their intellectual prowess and in establishing entrepreneurship throughout the world, over a third of India's population is illiterate. Tribal villagers who live in remote areas away from major cities are the worst affected. Often unreachable by road and untouched by electricity, the tribal population is often neglected by agencies of development. The Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation, therefore, has focused its primary education programs on tribals and other underprivileged communities in rural India. Beyond Literacy Ekal Vidyalaya goes beyond mere literacy. Apart from its goal of achieving the national standards of Minimum Level of Learning (MLL) for its students, Ekal Vidyalaya also seeks to empower the village community for its own self-development. Ekal Vidyalaya solicits complete involvement of the local community and aims at making the school self-reliant in a period of five to seven years. The donors, supporters and workers of Ekal Vidyalaya are motivated by a commitment to educate our illiterate brothers and sisters. Their unflinching dedication to serve their motherland is the key to our success. History Although the Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation was registered as charitable trust in 1999, the concept has been in practice and refined over decades. Foundation Laid by Vivekananda In 1986, inspired by the efforts of the early Vivekananda workers, a group of young educationists began work with the primitive tribes in the dense forests of Jharkhand. Notable amongst them were Late Dr. Rakesh Popli (a USA-returned nuclear scientist) and his wife Rama Popli (a child education expert). They refined the concept of the 'one-teacher school' amongst the tribes of Gumla (125 km away from Ranchi (Jharkhand), Chhatisgarh. Two years later, Shri Madan Lalji Agarwal established similar schools in 60 villages near Dhanbad. Impact of the Jharkhand experiment By 1995-1996 there were 1200 schools being run in Jharkhand. Jharkhand's experiment with the one-teacher,en emiment industrialist one-school non formal education concept was extraordinary. Overall literacy rates in Jharkand doubled; the literacy rate soared from approximately 30 to 60 percent, with youth literacy surpassing those numbers. Furthermore, during the same time frame, health workers noticed a sharp decline in diseases caused by non-hygienic practices, witchcraft, and alcoholism. Inspired by the success of the Jharkand experiment, organizations around the country adopted the concept. Many organizations including Vanvasi Kalyan Kendra and Friends of Tribal Society (FTS) have been the frontrunners in propagating this cause and have brought education to the doorsteps of many forgotten children. Spreading of the Movement In last decade, organizations from all over the country have joined the Ekal Vidyalaya movement. The Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of India serves as the umbrella organization for various NGOs that run one-teacher schools in their respective areas. In the year 2000-2001, EVFI became established in New Delhi. From December of 2001, a CEO was appointed to look after the trust's activities. In January of 2001, the EVFI international fundraising arm was begun. One month later, the FCRA granted this arm the right to receive foreign contributions. The Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of India and America are working earnestly, hand-in-hand, to help raise the funds necessary to build 100,000 non-formal schools across the tribal belt by the year 2011. The Concept: A People's Movement Participation at All Levels At every level, the Ekal Vidyalaya movement seeks the participation of local people. Ekal Vidyalaya involves the village folk in the creation of the school, the selection of the teacher, and the adaptation of the curriculum and schedule. Ekal also recruits local people to coordinate training and other project-related issues at every level - the subcluster (10 school unit), cluster (30 school unit), subarea (90 school unit) and area (270 school unit). The involvement at every level is based on a commitment to education and an eagerness to help advance their own community. The sense of community drives the movement even at the national and global level. We urge you to join the movement because this is your India - this is your community. Villagers' Own School The village plays a significant role in the Ekal Vidyalaya process. First, villagers are surveyed to gauge their interest in non-formal education. Where there is sufficient interest, villagers are encouraged to form a committee to oversee the school. The committee nominates two potential teachers. With Ekal Vidyalaya Team and the selected teacher, the village committee helps determine the location and timings. The committee is also responsible for generating interest in the educational process and in addressing any issues that may arise during the school year. Second, villagers contribute to the Ekal Vidyalaya in kind. From the beginning, Ekal Vidyalaya encourages village involvement and prepares them to be wholly self-sufficient in 5 to 7 years. (See self-reliance chart) Though initially, the villager's financial contributions are often meager, their contribution has a tremendous effect on their involvement and on the long-term sustainability of the Ekal Vidyalaya. The Best Guarantee The best guarantee of Ekal Vidyalaya's success is the involvement and participation of the villagers. Before it selects a village, Empowered Committee ensures that the village has sufficient interest in the process. The Ekal Vidyalaya belongs to the village; thus, village involvement is important to the Ekal Vidyalaya's development. In addition, a group of dedicated full-time workers help maintain the schools' regularity and consistency in the level of education. Furthermore, prominent urban families serve as 'caretaker families.' They regularly visit the schools and interact with the villagers. Community involvement and participation thus proves to guarantee in Ekal Vidyalaya's success. Why An Ekal School On the Children's Terms For many rural and tribal children, a formal education is unattractive because: (a) they must travel great distances to attend school; (b) school hours interfere with the children's family responsibilities; (c) the children do not have the funds for uniforms and books; (d) neither the teachers nor the curriculum give due consideration to their needs and life experience. Though the government has implemented many schemes to educate rural and tribal children, their literacy rate remains staggeringly low. In contrast, Ekal Vidyalaya has designed a non-formal education program customized to meet the needs of rural and tribal children. First, the children are taught in their native language (and then in either the state or national language). Second, Ekal Vidyalaya classes are scheduled to meet the needs of the village children and are often adapted depending on the season and harvest schedule. Third, the school curriculum is tailored to teach the children basic literacy and life skills to help them develop self-confidence and succeed in rural occupations or pursue a higher education if they choose. One of the strengths of Ekal Vidyalaya's non-formal education program is that it can be run on the children's terms. The Ekal Vidyalaya takes into consideration their schedule, their experience, their needs, their dreams. These children are the future. . . that is why it is important to take education to their doorstep and ignite their minds. Friendly Teacher, Local Curriculum Conventional subjects such as history, geography, science, and literature have little value in the lives of many rural and tribal children. They struggle to make ends meet in an agrarian economy. Often, they speak a local dialect far removed from the state or national language. To kindle an interest in education and to give due deference to their local customs and traditions, Ekal Vidyalaya commences with instruction in the local dialect. In addition, the Ekal Vidyalaya teacher is a friendly face familiar with the village children, traditions and customs. The teacher generally plays the role of an elder brother or sister. He or she plays, sings, educates, and empowers his or her children through non-formal education. The influx of new ideas filtered through familiar channels helps make learning dynamic and fun. Emphasis on Quality For Ekal Vidyalaya, education is more than book learning. Education is the assimilation of life-building, man-making, character-building ideas. To instill those principles requires skills and dedication. Ekal Vidyalaya takes great care in selecting and training its teachers to provide the best quality education possible. Ekal Vidyalaya recruits teachers from local villages based on nominations from the village committee. Teachers must have the leadership inclination and be generally as knowledgeable as at least an eighth grader and a service mentality. Ekal Vidyalaya interviews each candidate to evaluate his or her interest and dedication to the community. Once selected, Ekal Vidyalaya indoctrinates the teachers with Ekal's unique holistic approach to education. Teachers undergo vigorous training to qualify them to run Ekal Vidyalaya schools. (See Teacher's Preparation). Also, supervisors and trainers regularly visit the schools to help enhance the quality of teaching. Lastly, supervised annual exams provide further reassurance that the school meets quality standards. The Concept: Swami Vivekananda on EV Education Culture Poor masses Resources India Life Mission A. Education Q. 1- What is non-formal education? Well then, my plans are, therefore, to reach these masses of India. Suppose you start schools all over India for the poor, still you cannot educate them. How can you? The boy of four years would better go to the plough or to work, than to your school. He cannot go to your school. It is impossible. Self - preservation is the first instinct. But if the mountain does not go to Mohammed, then Mohammed can come to the mountain. Why should not education go from door to door, say I. If a ploughman's boy cannot come to education, why not meet him at the plough, at the factory, just wherever he is? Go along with him, like his shadow. But there are these hundreds and thousands of monks, educating the people on the spiritual plane; why not let these men do the same work on the intellectual plane? Why should they not talk to the masses a little about history -- about many things? The ears are the best educators. The best principles in our lives were those which we heard from our mothers through our ears. Books came much later. Book - learning is nothing. Through the ears we get the best formative principles. Then, as they get more and more interested, they may come to your books too. First, let it roll on and on -- that is my idea. ( volume 8 page 88 & 89...my life and my mission) Q. 2- What is the relevance of non-formal schools? The great difficulty in the way of educating the poor is this. Supposing even your Highness opens a free school in every village, still it would do no good, for the poor India is such, that the poor boys would rather go to help their fathers in the fields, or otherwise try to make a living, than come to the school. Now if the mountain does not come to Mohammed, Mohammed must go to the mountain. If the poor boy cannot come to education, education must go to him. Volume 4 [ Page : 363] OUR DUTY TO THE MASSES Q. 3- What should be the syllabus of Ekal Vidyalaya? Those of you who have read Herbert Spencer remember what he calls the "monastery system" of education that was tried in Europe and which in some parts proved a success; that is, there is one schoolmaster, whom the village keeps. These primary schools are very rudimentary, because our methods are so simple. Each boy brings a little mat; and his paper, to begin with, is palm leaves. Palm leaves first, paper is too costly. Each boy spreads his little mat and sits upon it, brings out his inkstand and his books and begins to write. A little arithmetic, some Sanskrit grammar, a little of language and accounts -- these are taught in the primary school volume 8 (page : women of India ) Q. 4- What is the role of a teacher in Ekal Vidyalaya? My idea of education is personal contact with the teacher -- gurugriha - vasa. Without the personal life of a teacher there would be no education. Take your Universities. What have they done during the fifty years of their existence? They have not produced one original man. They are merely an examining body Volume 5 [ Page : 224 ] THE MISSIONARY WORK OF THE FIRST HINDU SANNYASIN TO THE WEST AND HIS PLAN OF REGENERATION OF INDIA Q. 5- What should be the format of education to these poor people? Suppose some disinterested Sannyasins, bent on doing good to others, go from village to village, disseminating education and seeking in various ways to better the condition of all down to the Chandala, through oral teaching, and by means of maps, cameras, globes, and such other accessories - can't that bring forth good in time? All these plans I cannot write out in this short letter. The long and the short of it is - if the mountain does not come to Mohammed, Mohammed must go to the mountain. The poor are too poor to come to schools and Pathashalas, and they will gain nothing by reading poetry and all that sort of thing. We, as a nation, have lost our individuality, and that is the cause of all mischief in India. We have to give back to the nation its lost individuality and raise the masses. The Hindu, the Mohammedan, the Christian, all have trampled them underfoot. Again the force to raise them must come from inside, that is, from the orthodox Hindus. In every country the evils exist not with, but against, religion. Religion therefore is not to blame, but men. Volume 6 [ Page : 255 ] LETTERS Q. 6- What do you mean by empowerment through education? Education, education, and education alone! Travelling through many cities of Europe and observing in them the comforts and education of even the poor people, there was brought to my mind the state of our own poor people, and I used to shed tears. What made the difference? Education was the answer I got. Through education comes faith in one's own Self, and through faith in one's own Self the inherent Brahman is waking up in them, while the Brahman in us is gradually becoming dormant. Volume 4 [ Page : 482 ] THE EDUCATION THAT INDIA NEEDS Q. 7- What is the defect of present education system? I studied hard for twelve years and became a graduate of Calcutta University; now I can scarcely make $5.00 a month in my country. Would you believe it? It is actually a fact. So these educational institutions of foreigners are simply to get a lot of useful, practical slaves for a little money -- to turn out a host of clerks, postmasters, telegraph operators, and so on. (volume 8 women of India) _________________________________________ 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 Mon Apr 19 14:30:05 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 14:30:05 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Ekal Vidyalaya - A people's movement In-Reply-To: <763289.48676.qm@web57201.mail.re3.yahoo.com> References: <763289.48676.qm@web57201.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Does it ? Pls share ... On Mon, Apr 19, 2010 at 2:28 PM, Kshmendra Kaul wrote: > Dear Pawan > > Howsoever sincere, well thought out and brilliant the effort might be, if > it is rooted in stressing upon the precepts of or inspiration from just one > religion then it is doomed to not gaining universal acceptance but instead > creating suspicions and resentment. > > Education should have nothing to do with religion, whicever religion it > might be. > > Kshmendra > > --- On *Mon, 4/19/10, Pawan Durani * wrote: > > > From: Pawan Durani > Subject: [Reader-list] Ekal Vidyalaya - A people's movement > To: "reader-list" > Date: Monday, April 19, 2010, 2:16 PM > > Came across this noble mission ; the work seems amazing . More and > more concepts like these are needed to help the tribals and the rural > people where education hasn't reached yet. > > > ***************************************************************************************************************************************************** > http://ekalindia.org/ > > Vision > > To banish illiteracy from the face of tribal India by providing free, > non-formal education through a People-Movement. > > > Mission > > Literate India > While it is making giant advances in software, space, and nuclear > power, India is paradoxically still struggling with questions of basic > literacy for a large segment of its population. Upon independence, > India's literacy rate was a staggering 11 percent. Since then, we have > made tremendous advances in educating our people. Still, more than six > decades after independence, 65.4% India is still illiterate. Even > worse off is the position of tribal India, which has a literacy rate > below 30 percent. > > The Ekal Vidyalaya movement aims to help eradicate illiteracy from > rural and tribal India by 2011. To date, Ekal Vidyalaya is a movement > of over 26,719 teachers, 5,000 (Approximately) voluntary workers, 22 > field organizations (scattered in 22 Indian states), and 8 support > agencies as on January 2009. With this tremendous human force, the > Ekal Vidyalaya movement strives to create a network of non-formal > schools that will educate and empower children in rural and tribal > India. > > The Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation is a charitable trust that initiates, > supports, and runs non-formal one-teacher schools (popularly known as > Ekal Vidyalayas) all over the country. With the participation of > numerous non-profit trusts and organizations, this program has now > become the greatest non-governmental education movement in the > country. > > The Paradox > While Indians have succeeded in flexing their intellectual prowess and > in establishing entrepreneurship throughout the world, over a third of > India's population is illiterate. Tribal villagers who live in remote > areas away from major cities are the worst affected. Often unreachable > by road and untouched by electricity, the tribal population is often > neglected by agencies of development. The Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation, > therefore, has focused its primary education programs on tribals and > other underprivileged communities in rural India. > > Beyond Literacy > Ekal Vidyalaya goes beyond mere literacy. Apart from its goal of > achieving the national standards of Minimum Level of Learning (MLL) > for its students, Ekal Vidyalaya also seeks to empower the village > community for its own self-development. Ekal Vidyalaya solicits > complete involvement of the local community and aims at making the > school self-reliant in a period of five to seven years. > > The donors, supporters and workers of Ekal Vidyalaya are motivated by > a commitment to educate our illiterate brothers and sisters. Their > unflinching dedication to serve their motherland is the key to our > success. > > History > > Although the Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation was registered as charitable > trust in 1999, the concept has been in practice and refined over > decades. > > Foundation Laid by Vivekananda > In 1986, inspired by the efforts of the early Vivekananda workers, a > group of young educationists began work with the primitive tribes in > the dense forests of Jharkhand. Notable amongst them were Late Dr. > Rakesh Popli (a USA-returned nuclear scientist) and his wife Rama > Popli (a child education expert). They refined the concept of the > 'one-teacher school' amongst the tribes of Gumla (125 km away from > Ranchi (Jharkhand), Chhatisgarh. Two years later, Shri Madan Lalji > Agarwal established similar schools in 60 villages near Dhanbad. > > Impact of the Jharkhand experiment > By 1995-1996 there were 1200 schools being run in Jharkhand. > Jharkhand's experiment with the one-teacher,en emiment industrialist > one-school non formal education concept was extraordinary. Overall > literacy rates in Jharkand doubled; the literacy rate soared from > approximately 30 to 60 percent, with youth literacy surpassing those > numbers. Furthermore, during the same time frame, health workers > noticed a sharp decline in diseases caused by non-hygienic practices, > witchcraft, and alcoholism. Inspired by the success of the Jharkand > experiment, organizations around the country adopted the concept. Many > organizations including Vanvasi Kalyan Kendra and Friends of Tribal > Society (FTS) have been the frontrunners in propagating this cause and > have brought education to the doorsteps of many forgotten children. > > Spreading of the Movement > In last decade, organizations from all over the country have joined > the Ekal Vidyalaya movement. The Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of India > serves as the umbrella organization for various NGOs that run > one-teacher schools in their respective areas. > > In the year 2000-2001, EVFI became established in New Delhi. From > December of 2001, a CEO was appointed to look after the trust's > activities. In January of 2001, the EVFI international fundraising arm > was begun. One month later, the FCRA granted this arm the right to > receive foreign contributions. > > The Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of India and America are working > earnestly, hand-in-hand, to help raise the funds necessary to build > 100,000 non-formal schools across the tribal belt by the year 2011. > > The Concept: A People's Movement > > Participation at All Levels > At every level, the Ekal Vidyalaya movement seeks the participation of > local people. Ekal Vidyalaya involves the village folk in the creation > of the school, the selection of the teacher, and the adaptation of the > curriculum and schedule. Ekal also recruits local people to coordinate > training and other project-related issues at every level - the > subcluster (10 school unit), cluster (30 school unit), subarea (90 > school unit) and area (270 school unit). The involvement at every > level is based on a commitment to education and an eagerness to help > advance their own community. The sense of community drives the > movement even at the national and global level. We urge you to join > the movement because this is your India - this is your community. > > Villagers' Own School > The village plays a significant role in the Ekal Vidyalaya process. > First, villagers are surveyed to gauge their interest in non-formal > education. Where there is sufficient interest, villagers are > encouraged to form a committee to oversee the school. The committee > nominates two potential teachers. With Ekal Vidyalaya Team and the > selected teacher, the village committee helps determine the location > and timings. The committee is also responsible for generating interest > in the educational process and in addressing any issues that may arise > during the school year. > > Second, villagers contribute to the Ekal Vidyalaya in kind. From the > beginning, Ekal Vidyalaya encourages village involvement and prepares > them to be wholly self-sufficient in 5 to 7 years. (See self-reliance > chart) Though initially, the villager's financial contributions are > often meager, their contribution has a tremendous effect on their > involvement and on the long-term sustainability of the Ekal Vidyalaya. > > The Best Guarantee > The best guarantee of Ekal Vidyalaya's success is the involvement and > participation of the villagers. Before it selects a village, Empowered > Committee ensures that the village has sufficient interest in the > process. The Ekal Vidyalaya belongs to the village; thus, village > involvement is important to the Ekal Vidyalaya's development. In > addition, a group of dedicated full-time workers help maintain the > schools' regularity and consistency in the level of education. > Furthermore, prominent urban families serve as 'caretaker families.' > They regularly visit the schools and interact with the villagers. > Community involvement and participation thus proves to guarantee in > Ekal Vidyalaya's success. > > Why An Ekal School > > On the Children's Terms > For many rural and tribal children, a formal education is unattractive > because: (a) they must travel great distances to attend school; (b) > school hours interfere with the children's family responsibilities; > (c) the children do not have the funds for uniforms and books; (d) > neither the teachers nor the curriculum give due consideration to > their needs and life experience. Though the government has implemented > many schemes to educate rural and tribal children, their literacy rate > remains staggeringly low. > > In contrast, Ekal Vidyalaya has designed a non-formal education > program customized to meet the needs of rural and tribal children. > First, the children are taught in their native language (and then in > either the state or national language). Second, Ekal Vidyalaya classes > are scheduled to meet the needs of the village children and are often > adapted depending on the season and harvest schedule. Third, the > school curriculum is tailored to teach the children basic literacy and > life skills to help them develop self-confidence and succeed in rural > occupations or pursue a higher education if they choose. > > One of the strengths of Ekal Vidyalaya's non-formal education program > is that it can be run on the children's terms. The Ekal Vidyalaya > takes into consideration their schedule, their experience, their > needs, their dreams. These children are the future. . . that is why it > is important to take education to their doorstep and ignite their > minds. > > Friendly Teacher, Local Curriculum > Conventional subjects such as history, geography, science, and > literature have little value in the lives of many rural and tribal > children. They struggle to make ends meet in an agrarian economy. > Often, they speak a local dialect far removed from the state or > national language. To kindle an interest in education and to give due > deference to their local customs and traditions, Ekal Vidyalaya > commences with instruction in the local dialect. In addition, the Ekal > Vidyalaya teacher is a friendly face familiar with the village > children, traditions and customs. The teacher generally plays the role > of an elder brother or sister. He or she plays, sings, educates, and > empowers his or her children through non-formal education. The influx > of new ideas filtered through familiar channels helps make learning > dynamic and fun. > > Emphasis on Quality > For Ekal Vidyalaya, education is more than book learning. Education is > the assimilation of life-building, man-making, character-building > ideas. To instill those principles requires skills and dedication. > Ekal Vidyalaya takes great care in selecting and training its teachers > to provide the best quality education possible. > > Ekal Vidyalaya recruits teachers from local villages based on > nominations from the village committee. Teachers must have the > leadership inclination and be generally as knowledgeable as at least > an eighth grader and a service mentality. Ekal Vidyalaya interviews > each candidate to evaluate his or her interest and dedication to the > community. Once selected, Ekal Vidyalaya indoctrinates the teachers > with Ekal's unique holistic approach to education. Teachers undergo > vigorous training to qualify them to run Ekal Vidyalaya schools. (See > Teacher's Preparation). Also, supervisors and trainers regularly visit > the schools to help enhance the quality of teaching. Lastly, > supervised annual exams provide further reassurance that the school > meets quality standards. > > The Concept: Swami Vivekananda on EV > > > Education > > Culture > > Poor masses > > Resources > > India > > Life Mission > A. Education > > Q. 1- What is non-formal education? > > Well then, my plans are, therefore, to reach these masses of India. > Suppose you start schools all over India for the poor, still you > cannot educate them. How can you? The boy of four years would better > go to the plough or to work, than to your school. He cannot go to your > school. It is impossible. Self - preservation is the first instinct. > But if the mountain does not go to Mohammed, then Mohammed can come to > the mountain. Why should not education go from door to door, say I. If > a ploughman's boy cannot come to education, why not meet him at the > plough, at the factory, just wherever he is? Go along with him, like > his shadow. But there are these hundreds and thousands of monks, > educating the people on the spiritual plane; why not let these men do > the same work on the intellectual plane? Why should they not talk to > the masses a little about history -- about many things? The ears are > the best educators. The best principles in our lives were those which > we heard from our mothers through our ears. Books came much later. > Book - learning is nothing. Through the ears we get the best formative > principles. Then, as they get more and more interested, they may come > to your books too. First, let it roll on and on -- that is my idea. ( > volume 8 page 88 & 89...my life and my mission) > > Q. 2- What is the relevance of non-formal schools? > > The great difficulty in the way of educating the poor is this. > Supposing even your Highness opens a free school in every village, > still it would do no good, for the poor India is such, that the poor > boys would rather go to help their fathers in the fields, or otherwise > try to make a living, than come to the school. Now if the mountain > does not come to Mohammed, Mohammed must go to the mountain. If the > poor boy cannot come to education, education must go to him. Volume 4 > [ Page : 363] OUR DUTY TO THE MASSES > > Q. 3- What should be the syllabus of Ekal Vidyalaya? > > Those of you who have read Herbert Spencer remember what he calls the > "monastery system" of education that was tried in Europe and which in > some parts proved a success; that is, there is one schoolmaster, whom > the village keeps. These primary schools are very rudimentary, because > our methods are so simple. Each boy brings a little mat; and his > paper, to begin with, is palm leaves. Palm leaves first, paper is too > costly. Each boy spreads his little mat and sits upon it, brings out > his inkstand and his books and begins to write. A little arithmetic, > some Sanskrit grammar, a little of language and accounts -- these are > taught in the primary school volume 8 (page : women of India ) > > Q. 4- What is the role of a teacher in Ekal Vidyalaya? > > My idea of education is personal contact with the teacher -- gurugriha > - vasa. Without the personal life of a teacher there would be no > education. Take your Universities. What have they done during the > fifty years of their existence? They have not produced one original > man. They are merely an examining body Volume 5 [ Page : 224 ] THE > MISSIONARY WORK OF THE FIRST HINDU SANNYASIN TO THE WEST AND HIS PLAN > OF REGENERATION OF INDIA > > Q. 5- What should be the format of education to these poor people? > > Suppose some disinterested Sannyasins, bent on doing good to others, > go from village to village, disseminating education and seeking in > various ways to better the condition of all down to the Chandala, > through oral teaching, and by means of maps, cameras, globes, and such > other accessories - can't that bring forth good in time? All these > plans I cannot write out in this short letter. The long and the short > of it is - if the mountain does not come to Mohammed, Mohammed must go > to the mountain. The poor are too poor to come to schools and > Pathashalas, and they will gain nothing by reading poetry and all that > sort of thing. We, as a nation, have lost our individuality, and that > is the cause of all mischief in India. We have to give back to the > nation its lost individuality and raise the masses. The Hindu, the > Mohammedan, the Christian, all have trampled them underfoot. Again the > force to raise them must come from inside, that is, from the orthodox > Hindus. In every country the evils exist not with, but against, > religion. Religion therefore is not to blame, but men. Volume 6 [ Page > : 255 ] LETTERS > > Q. 6- What do you mean by empowerment through education? > > Education, education, and education alone! Travelling through many > cities of Europe and observing in them the comforts and education of > even the poor people, there was brought to my mind the state of our > own poor people, and I used to shed tears. What made the difference? > Education was the answer I got. Through education comes faith in one's > own Self, and through faith in one's own Self the inherent Brahman is > waking up in them, while the Brahman in us is gradually becoming > dormant. Volume 4 [ Page : 482 ] THE EDUCATION THAT INDIA NEEDS > > Q. 7- What is the defect of present education system? > > I studied hard for twelve years and became a graduate of Calcutta > University; now I can scarcely make $5.00 a month in my country. Would > you believe it? It is actually a fact. So these educational > institutions of foreigners are simply to get a lot of useful, > practical slaves for a little money -- to turn out a host of clerks, > postmasters, telegraph operators, and so on. (volume 8 women of India) > _________________________________________ > 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/> > > > From kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Mon Apr 19 14:41:10 2010 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 02:11:10 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] Ekal Vidyalaya - A people's movement In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <712506.12029.qm@web57208.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Dear Pawan   I did not understand your question.   Does it, what?   Does what, what?   K --- On Mon, 4/19/10, Pawan Durani wrote: From: Pawan Durani Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Ekal Vidyalaya - A people's movement To: "Kshmendra Kaul" Cc: "reader-list" Date: Monday, April 19, 2010, 2:30 PM Does it ? Pls share ... On Mon, Apr 19, 2010 at 2:28 PM, Kshmendra Kaul wrote: Dear Pawan   Howsoever sincere, well thought out and brilliant the effort might be, if it is rooted in stressing upon the precepts of or inspiration from just one religion then it is doomed to not gaining universal acceptance but instead creating suspicions and resentment.   Education should have nothing to do with religion, whicever religion it might be.   Kshmendra --- On Mon, 4/19/10, Pawan Durani wrote: From: Pawan Durani Subject: [Reader-list] Ekal Vidyalaya - A people's movement To: "reader-list" Date: Monday, April 19, 2010, 2:16 PM Came across this noble mission ; the work seems amazing . More and more concepts like these are needed to help the tribals and the rural people where education hasn't reached yet. ***************************************************************************************************************************************************** http://ekalindia.org/ Vision To banish illiteracy from the face of tribal India by providing free, non-formal education through a People-Movement. Mission Literate India While it is making giant advances in software, space, and nuclear power, India is paradoxically still struggling with questions of basic literacy for a large segment of its population. Upon independence, India's literacy rate was a staggering 11 percent. Since then, we have made tremendous advances in educating our people. Still, more than six decades after independence, 65.4% India is still illiterate. Even worse off is the position of tribal India, which has a literacy rate below 30 percent. The Ekal Vidyalaya movement aims to help eradicate illiteracy from rural and tribal India by 2011. To date, Ekal Vidyalaya is a movement of over 26,719 teachers, 5,000 (Approximately) voluntary workers, 22 field organizations (scattered in 22 Indian states), and 8 support agencies as on January 2009. With this tremendous human force, the Ekal Vidyalaya movement strives to create a network of non-formal schools that will educate and empower children in rural and tribal India. The Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation is a charitable trust that initiates, supports, and runs non-formal one-teacher schools (popularly known as Ekal Vidyalayas) all over the country. With the participation of numerous non-profit trusts and organizations, this program has now become the greatest non-governmental education movement in the country. The Paradox While Indians have succeeded in flexing their intellectual prowess and in establishing entrepreneurship throughout the world, over a third of India's population is illiterate. Tribal villagers who live in remote areas away from major cities are the worst affected. Often unreachable by road and untouched by electricity, the tribal population is often neglected by agencies of development. The Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation, therefore, has focused its primary education programs on tribals and other underprivileged communities in rural India. Beyond Literacy Ekal Vidyalaya goes beyond mere literacy. Apart from its goal of achieving the national standards of Minimum Level of Learning (MLL) for its students, Ekal Vidyalaya also seeks to empower the village community for its own self-development. Ekal Vidyalaya solicits complete involvement of the local community and aims at making the school self-reliant in a period of five to seven years. The donors, supporters and workers of Ekal Vidyalaya are motivated by a commitment to educate our illiterate brothers and sisters. Their unflinching dedication to serve their motherland is the key to our success. History Although the Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation was registered as charitable trust in 1999, the concept has been in practice and refined over decades. Foundation Laid by Vivekananda In 1986, inspired by the efforts of the early Vivekananda workers, a group of young educationists began work with the primitive tribes in the dense forests of Jharkhand. Notable amongst them were Late Dr. Rakesh Popli (a USA-returned nuclear scientist) and his wife Rama Popli (a child education expert). They refined the concept of the 'one-teacher school' amongst the tribes of Gumla (125 km away from Ranchi (Jharkhand), Chhatisgarh. Two years later, Shri Madan Lalji Agarwal established similar schools in 60 villages near Dhanbad. Impact of the Jharkhand experiment By 1995-1996 there were 1200 schools being run in Jharkhand. Jharkhand's experiment with the one-teacher,en emiment industrialist one-school non formal education concept was extraordinary. Overall literacy rates in Jharkand doubled; the literacy rate soared from approximately 30 to 60 percent, with youth literacy surpassing those numbers. Furthermore, during the same time frame, health workers noticed a sharp decline in diseases caused by non-hygienic practices, witchcraft, and alcoholism. Inspired by the success of the Jharkand experiment, organizations around the country adopted the concept. Many organizations including Vanvasi Kalyan Kendra and Friends of Tribal Society (FTS) have been the frontrunners in propagating this cause and have brought education to the doorsteps of many forgotten children. Spreading of the Movement In last decade, organizations from all over the country have joined the Ekal Vidyalaya movement. The Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of India serves as the umbrella organization for various NGOs that run one-teacher schools in their respective areas. In the year 2000-2001, EVFI became established in New Delhi. From December of 2001, a CEO was appointed to look after the trust's activities. In January of 2001, the EVFI international fundraising arm was begun. One month later, the FCRA granted this arm the right to receive foreign contributions. The Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of India and America are working earnestly, hand-in-hand, to help raise the funds necessary to build 100,000 non-formal schools across the tribal belt by the year 2011. The Concept: A People's Movement Participation at All Levels At every level, the Ekal Vidyalaya movement seeks the participation of local people. Ekal Vidyalaya involves the village folk in the creation of the school, the selection of the teacher, and the adaptation of the curriculum and schedule. Ekal also recruits local people to coordinate training and other project-related issues at every level - the subcluster (10 school unit), cluster (30 school unit), subarea (90 school unit) and area (270 school unit). The involvement at every level is based on a commitment to education and an eagerness to help advance their own community. The sense of community drives the movement even at the national and global level. We urge you to join the movement because this is your India - this is your community. Villagers' Own School The village plays a significant role in the Ekal Vidyalaya process. First, villagers are surveyed to gauge their interest in non-formal education. Where there is sufficient interest, villagers are encouraged to form a committee to oversee the school. The committee nominates two potential teachers. With Ekal Vidyalaya Team and the selected teacher, the village committee helps determine the location and timings. The committee is also responsible for generating interest in the educational process and in addressing any issues that may arise during the school year. Second, villagers contribute to the Ekal Vidyalaya in kind. From the beginning, Ekal Vidyalaya encourages village involvement and prepares them to be wholly self-sufficient in 5 to 7 years. (See self-reliance chart) Though initially, the villager's financial contributions are often meager, their contribution has a tremendous effect on their involvement and on the long-term sustainability of the Ekal Vidyalaya. The Best Guarantee The best guarantee of Ekal Vidyalaya's success is the involvement and participation of the villagers. Before it selects a village, Empowered Committee ensures that the village has sufficient interest in the process. The Ekal Vidyalaya belongs to the village; thus, village involvement is important to the Ekal Vidyalaya's development. In addition, a group of dedicated full-time workers help maintain the schools' regularity and consistency in the level of education. Furthermore, prominent urban families serve as 'caretaker families.' They regularly visit the schools and interact with the villagers. Community involvement and participation thus proves to guarantee in Ekal Vidyalaya's success. Why An Ekal School On the Children's Terms For many rural and tribal children, a formal education is unattractive because: (a) they must travel great distances to attend school; (b) school hours interfere with the children's family responsibilities; (c) the children do not have the funds for uniforms and books; (d) neither the teachers nor the curriculum give due consideration to their needs and life experience. Though the government has implemented many schemes to educate rural and tribal children, their literacy rate remains staggeringly low. In contrast, Ekal Vidyalaya has designed a non-formal education program customized to meet the needs of rural and tribal children. First, the children are taught in their native language (and then in either the state or national language). Second, Ekal Vidyalaya classes are scheduled to meet the needs of the village children and are often adapted depending on the season and harvest schedule. Third, the school curriculum is tailored to teach the children basic literacy and life skills to help them develop self-confidence and succeed in rural occupations or pursue a higher education if they choose. One of the strengths of Ekal Vidyalaya's non-formal education program is that it can be run on the children's terms. The Ekal Vidyalaya takes into consideration their schedule, their experience, their needs, their dreams. These children are the future. . . that is why it is important to take education to their doorstep and ignite their minds. Friendly Teacher, Local Curriculum Conventional subjects such as history, geography, science, and literature have little value in the lives of many rural and tribal children. They struggle to make ends meet in an agrarian economy. Often, they speak a local dialect far removed from the state or national language. To kindle an interest in education and to give due deference to their local customs and traditions, Ekal Vidyalaya commences with instruction in the local dialect. In addition, the Ekal Vidyalaya teacher is a friendly face familiar with the village children, traditions and customs. The teacher generally plays the role of an elder brother or sister. He or she plays, sings, educates, and empowers his or her children through non-formal education. The influx of new ideas filtered through familiar channels helps make learning dynamic and fun. Emphasis on Quality For Ekal Vidyalaya, education is more than book learning. Education is the assimilation of life-building, man-making, character-building ideas. To instill those principles requires skills and dedication. Ekal Vidyalaya takes great care in selecting and training its teachers to provide the best quality education possible. Ekal Vidyalaya recruits teachers from local villages based on nominations from the village committee. Teachers must have the leadership inclination and be generally as knowledgeable as at least an eighth grader and a service mentality. Ekal Vidyalaya interviews each candidate to evaluate his or her interest and dedication to the community. Once selected, Ekal Vidyalaya indoctrinates the teachers with Ekal's unique holistic approach to education. Teachers undergo vigorous training to qualify them to run Ekal Vidyalaya schools. (See Teacher's Preparation). Also, supervisors and trainers regularly visit the schools to help enhance the quality of teaching. Lastly, supervised annual exams provide further reassurance that the school meets quality standards. The Concept: Swami Vivekananda on EV Education Culture Poor masses Resources India Life Mission A. Education Q. 1- What is non-formal education? Well then, my plans are, therefore, to reach these masses of India. Suppose you start schools all over India for the poor, still you cannot educate them. How can you? The boy of four years would better go to the plough or to work, than to your school. He cannot go to your school. It is impossible. Self - preservation is the first instinct. But if the mountain does not go to Mohammed, then Mohammed can come to the mountain. Why should not education go from door to door, say I. If a ploughman's boy cannot come to education, why not meet him at the plough, at the factory, just wherever he is? Go along with him, like his shadow. But there are these hundreds and thousands of monks, educating the people on the spiritual plane; why not let these men do the same work on the intellectual plane? Why should they not talk to the masses a little about history -- about many things? The ears are the best educators. The best principles in our lives were those which we heard from our mothers through our ears. Books came much later. Book - learning is nothing. Through the ears we get the best formative principles. Then, as they get more and more interested, they may come to your books too. First, let it roll on and on -- that is my idea. ( volume 8 page 88 & 89...my life and my mission) Q. 2- What is the relevance of non-formal schools? The great difficulty in the way of educating the poor is this. Supposing even your Highness opens a free school in every village, still it would do no good, for the poor India is such, that the poor boys would rather go to help their fathers in the fields, or otherwise try to make a living, than come to the school. Now if the mountain does not come to Mohammed, Mohammed must go to the mountain. If the poor boy cannot come to education, education must go to him. Volume 4 [ Page : 363] OUR DUTY TO THE MASSES Q. 3- What should be the syllabus of Ekal Vidyalaya? Those of you who have read Herbert Spencer remember what he calls the "monastery system" of education that was tried in Europe and which in some parts proved a success; that is, there is one schoolmaster, whom the village keeps. These primary schools are very rudimentary, because our methods are so simple. Each boy brings a little mat; and his paper, to begin with, is palm leaves. Palm leaves first, paper is too costly. Each boy spreads his little mat and sits upon it, brings out his inkstand and his books and begins to write. A little arithmetic, some Sanskrit grammar, a little of language and accounts -- these are taught in the primary school volume 8 (page : women of India ) Q. 4- What is the role of a teacher in Ekal Vidyalaya? My idea of education is personal contact with the teacher -- gurugriha - vasa. Without the personal life of a teacher there would be no education. Take your Universities. What have they done during the fifty years of their existence? They have not produced one original man. They are merely an examining body Volume 5 [ Page : 224 ] THE MISSIONARY WORK OF THE FIRST HINDU SANNYASIN TO THE WEST AND HIS PLAN OF REGENERATION OF INDIA Q. 5- What should be the format of education to these poor people? Suppose some disinterested Sannyasins, bent on doing good to others, go from village to village, disseminating education and seeking in various ways to better the condition of all down to the Chandala, through oral teaching, and by means of maps, cameras, globes, and such other accessories - can't that bring forth good in time? All these plans I cannot write out in this short letter. The long and the short of it is - if the mountain does not come to Mohammed, Mohammed must go to the mountain. The poor are too poor to come to schools and Pathashalas, and they will gain nothing by reading poetry and all that sort of thing. We, as a nation, have lost our individuality, and that is the cause of all mischief in India. We have to give back to the nation its lost individuality and raise the masses. The Hindu, the Mohammedan, the Christian, all have trampled them underfoot. Again the force to raise them must come from inside, that is, from the orthodox Hindus. In every country the evils exist not with, but against, religion. Religion therefore is not to blame, but men. Volume 6 [ Page : 255 ] LETTERS Q. 6- What do you mean by empowerment through education? Education, education, and education alone! Travelling through many cities of Europe and observing in them the comforts and education of even the poor people, there was brought to my mind the state of our own poor people, and I used to shed tears. What made the difference? Education was the answer I got. Through education comes faith in one's own Self, and through faith in one's own Self the inherent Brahman is waking up in them, while the Brahman in us is gradually becoming dormant. Volume 4 [ Page : 482 ] THE EDUCATION THAT INDIA NEEDS Q. 7- What is the defect of present education system? I studied hard for twelve years and became a graduate of Calcutta University; now I can scarcely make $5.00 a month in my country. Would you believe it? It is actually a fact. So these educational institutions of foreigners are simply to get a lot of useful, practical slaves for a little money -- to turn out a host of clerks, postmasters, telegraph operators, and so on. (volume 8 women of India) _________________________________________ 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 kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Mon Apr 19 14:44:55 2010 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 02:14:55 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] =?utf-8?b?QXJlIEhpbmR1cyDigJhvdGhlcnPigJk/?= In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <113655.16835.qm@web57202.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Dear Syed Yunus   What is the "veil of shadow" about the origin of KPs?   If I see the veil then I can perhaps try and part that veil, if competent to do it.   Kshmendra --- On Mon, 4/19/10, Syed Yunus wrote: From: Syed Yunus Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Are Hindus ‘others’? To: "Kshmendra Kaul" Cc: "Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi" , "sarai list" Date: Monday, April 19, 2010, 2:23 PM Dear Kshmendra Kaul,   Thank you for sharing this piece of information. Can you also throw some light or remove the veil of shadow about the origin of KP's. regards,   Yunus On Sat, Apr 17, 2010 at 4:56 PM, Kshmendra Kaul wrote: Dear Rajen   I do not intend to enter this discussion but would like to share the following with you, which you might find interesting.   1. The Toda is a tribe in the Nilgiri range. You must have heard of them.       The Toda worship the Buffalo. No other man or animal.       The Toda believe that their Heritage is connected to the Pandava. From all of the various personages in the Dharmik (Hindu) traditions, the Toda have reverence only for the Pandava. But they do not worship the Pandava.        In the Toda Heritage 'fraternal polyandry' was practised. Meaning one woman married all the brothers from another family. Just like Draupadi married all the Pandava brothers.        It would be wrong to draw any conclusions from these bits of information but isnt it interesting?   2. In the Heritage of Kashmiri Pandits (KPs), there was no place for the Ramayana and the persons connected with it. Any Ram or Hanuman Mandir (of which there are a couple or so) was established in Kashmir only by the Hindus of the plains. The festivals like Divaali and Dusshera, as linked with the Ramayana are not in the traditions of the KPs.      In the (far back) Heritage of KPs, there does not appear to have been much place for the Mahabharata either. Though Janamsaatmi (not Ashtami) took root at some stage as a festival, there are no Heritage Krishna Temples.     The ruling deities of Kashmir are various aspects (symbolic representations) of Shakhti (Devi) and the Heritage traditions link these with Bhairava (as guards). The Bhairava Tantra in fact is the Heritage for KPs and at the root of what is generally know as Kashmir Shaivism, which as you would know is significantly different as a philosophy from many other recognitions of  Shaivism.     Isnt it interesting how varied have been the practices encompassed in what is today known as Hinduism.?     Kshmendra   --- On Fri, 4/16/10, Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi wrote: From: Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Are Hindus ‘others’? To: "Pawan Durani" Cc: "sarai list" Date: Friday, April 16, 2010, 7:53 PM Well, Pawan, there is no ambiguity as far as hindu is concerned, as being hindu is being humane, and it is a way of life, with known , recorded history of over 5000 years, if compared to any other ways of life of followers of any faith, particularly Abrahamic, starting from Judaism, to christianity to islam, all have atmost, the recorded history of about 2400 years.! Even as a society, hindu and followers of hindu way of life are a divided lot thanks to the invasions, not aggressions that you can talk about, as hindu way of life and the kingdoms never aggressed by violence, but established their rule of kingdom by letting loose a horse, decorated with insignia of kingdom, and the ritual was known as Ashwamedha, the kings recognised this, chose to be under the rule of the stronger kingdom, by agreeing the rule of that kingdom, and the king, then known as Chakravarthy,but with influx of other followers of different faiths, gradual conversion in society started to be close to rulers, thus the hindu way of life accepted other faiths, the ways of life, adopted the good of those faiths, thus life of all became peaceful and harmonious, but later the democratic rule where the rulers started the society on language, region, religion and faith, those who did not have faith, atheists had a rallying point in Karl marx. Secular did not mean any thing more than respect to all faiths, to the followers of all faith, in governnce, but in practice it became a tool to divide the hindu segment in to castes, dominent castes labelling themselves as Other Backward castes, who were in fact the rulers and ruling class in the kingdoms.! Thus democracy only made further divisions of HINDU segment of the society, weak, weaker than the most minor followers of any other faith.! Regards, Rajen. On Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 7:02 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > I share a subject line as it is from a respectable newspaper. > > And the fact about the subject can be ascertained not shouted down. > > > > On Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 6:28 PM, anupam chakravartty >wrote: > > > Really ridiculous. on one hand, you want send mails after mails demanding > > punishment for Sajjan Kumar and Tytler for killing sikhs, while you post > > ridiculous issue about religion with a subject line: "are hindu others". > can > > you stop this divisive political agendas here? > > > > > > On Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 6:23 PM, Pawan Durani >wrote: > > > >> Iftedah he Sicokular Ishq mein ..Sari raat jaage ....Allah jaane Kya > Hoga >  >> Aage .... > >> > >> > >> > >> http://www.dailypioneer.com/249530/Are-Hindus-‘others’.html< > >> > http://www.dailypioneer.com/249530/Are-Hindus-%E2%80%98others%E2%80%99.html > >> > > >> > >> > >> *Are Hindus ‘others’?* > >> > >> *Abhishek Anshu | New Delhi* > >> > >> *GGSIPU admission form raises eyebrows* > >> > >> In an apparent error of omission on the part of authorities, Guru Gobind > >> Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU) has asked all applicants to > mention > >> their religion in the admission form by marking the appropriate option, > >> but > >> failed to provide that of ‘Hindu’ even though all minority faiths are > >> listed > >> specifically. > >> > >> Those belonging to the Hindu religion are, therefore, left with no > choice > >> but to indicate their faith by ticking the ‘Others’ column on the list. > >> > >> While such a format has sparked widespread confusion and panic among > >> students and applicants, IP University Vice-Chancellor Prof DK > >> Bandyo-padhyay has said by way of clarification that the “column > contains > >> minority religions and Hindu falls in the category of ‘Others’”. > >> > >> “This is nothing unusual as it is known to all that Hindus are the > >> majority. > >> The ‘religion’ column has minorities in it and the Hindu students should > >> fill out the ‘Others’ option given in the religion column of the form,” > >> said > >> Bandyopadhyay. > >> > >> The V-C added that in the form, SC/ST/OBC and ‘Others’ are separate > >> options. > >> “In the form, we have the options of Minorities, SC/ST/OBC and ‘Others’. > >> Hindus, being the majority, should fill up ‘Others’,” he said. All > >> explanations notwithstanding, students are still perplexed about how to > >> fill > >> the admission forms and some of them are even in a state of panic. > >> > >> “I filled up the application form but when I got to the religion column, > I > >> got confused as ‘Hindu’ was nowhere on the page. I have filled forms of > >> various universities but this is for the first time I have seen > something > >> like this,” Aarushi, an applicant, said. > >> > >> She added she had to reread the admission brochure to confirm there were > >> no > >> printing errors. “I was scared there was a printing error. After going > >> through the brochure, I learnt that the option was simply not > mentioned,” > >> she said. IP University was hit by controversy recently when over 1,000 > >> fake > >> admission forms were submitted by applicants. > >> _________________________________________ > >> 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: > -- Rajen. _________________________________________ 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: -- Change is the only constant in life ! From javedmasoo at gmail.com Mon Apr 19 15:25:44 2010 From: javedmasoo at gmail.com (Javed) Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 15:25:44 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The rebirth of the Indian Mujahideen - PRAVEEN SWAMI In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Dear Pawan If you remember, some weeks ago, everyone on this list agreed that whatever Praveen Swami says is not to be trusted. So, kindly do not forward any of Swami's write-ups here. Thanks Javed On Mon, Apr 19, 2010 at 9:34 AM, Pawan Durani wrote: > http://beta.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/article402892.ece > > Saturday's bombings in Bangalore are a grim reminder that the jihadist > movement is far from spent. > > Less than an hour before police surrounded the Indian Mujahideen > bomb-factory hidden away on the fringes of the Bhadra forests in > Chikmagalur, Mohammad Zarar Siddi Bawa had slipped away on a bus bound > for Mangalore — the first step in a journey that would take him to the > safety of a Lashkar-e-Taiba safehouse in Karachi. > > Inside the house, officers involved in the October, 2008, raid found > evidence of Bawa's work: laboratory equipment used to test and prepare > chemicals, precision tools, and five complete improvised explosive > devices. Even as investigators across India set about filing paperwork > declaring Bawa a fugitive, few believed they would ever be able to lay > eyes on him again. > > But in February, a closed-circuit television camera placed over the > cashier's counter at the Germany Bakery in Pune recorded evidence that > Bawa had returned to India — just minutes before an improvised > explosive device ripped through the popular restaurant killing > seventeen people, and injuring at least sixty. > > Dressed in a loose-fitting blue shirt, a rucksack slung over his back, > the fair, slight young man with a wispy beard has been identified by > police sources in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka as “Yasin > Bhatkal” — the man who made the bombs which ripped apart ten Indian > towns and cities between 2005 and 2008. Witnesses at the restaurant > also identified Bawa from photographs, noting that he was wearing > trousers rolled up above his ankles — a style favoured by some > neo-fundamentalists. > > Bawa is emerging as the key suspect in Saturday's bombings outside the > M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore — a grim reminder that the > jihadist offensive that began after the 2002 communal violence in > India is very far from spent. > > The obscure jihadist > > Little is known about just what led Bawa to join the jihadist > movement. Educated at Bhatkal's well-respected Anjuman > Hami-e-Muslimeen school, 32-year-old Bawa left for Pune as a teenager. > He was later introduced to other members of the Indian Mujahideen as > an engineer, but police in Pune have found no documentation suggesting > he ever studied in the city. > > Instead, Bawa spent much of his time with a childhood friend living in > Pune, Unani medicine practitioner-turned-Islamist proselytiser Iqbal > Ismail Shahbandri. Like his brother Riyaz Ismail Shahbandri — now the > Indian Mujahideen's top military commander — Ismail Shahbandri had > become an ideological mentor to many young Islamists in Pune and > Mumbai, many of them highly-educated professionals. > > The Shahbandari brothers' parents, like many members of the Bhatkal > elite, had relocated to Mumbai in search of new economic > opportunities. Ismail Shahbandri, their father, set up leather-tanning > factory in Mumbai's Kurla area in the mid-1970s. Riyaz Shahbandri went > on to obtain a civil engineering degree from Mumbai's Saboo Siddiqui > Engineering College and, in 2002, was married to Nasuha Ismail, the > daughter of an electronics store owner in Bhatkal's Dubai Market. > > Shafiq Ahmad, Nasuha's brother, had drawn Riyaz Shahbandri into the > Students Islamic Movement of India. He first met his Indian Mujahideen > co-founders Abdul Subhan Qureshi and Sadiq Israr Sheikh, in the months > before his marriage. Later, Riyaz Shahbandri made contact with > ganglord-turned-jihadist Amir Raza Khan. In the wake of the communal > violence that ripped Gujarat apart in 2002, the men set about > funnelling recruits to Lashkar camps in Pakistan. > > Early in the summer of 2004, investigators say, the core members of > the network that was later to call itself the Indian Mujahideen met at > Bhatkal's beachfront to discuss their plans. Iqbal Shahbandri and > Bhatkal-based cleric Shabbir Gangoli are alleged to have held > ideological classes; the group also took time out to practice shooting > with airguns. Bawa had overall charge of arrangements — a task that > illustrated his status as the Bhatkal brothers' most trusted > lieutenant. > > Bhatkal, police investigators say, became the centre of the Indian > Mujahideen's operations. From their safehouses in Vitthalamakki and > Hakkalamane, bombs were despatched to operational cells dispersed > across the country, feeding the most sustained jihadist offensive > India has ever seen. > > Communal war > > Like so many of his peers in the Indian Mujahideen, Bawa emerged from > a fraught communal landscape. Bhatkal's Nawayath Muslims, made > prosperous by hundreds of years of trade across the Indian Ocean, > emerged as the region's dominant land-owning community. Early in the > twentieth century, inspired by call of Aligarh reformer Syed Ahmed > Khan, Bhatkal notables led a campaign to bring modern education for > the community. The Anjuman Hami-e-Muslimeen school where Bawa studied > was one product of their efforts, which eventually spawned > highly-regarded institutions that now cater to over several thousand > students. > > Organisations like the Anjuman helped the Navayath Muslims capitalise > on the new opportunities for work and business with opened up in the > United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia during the 1970s. But this > wealth, in turn, engendered resentments which laid the ground for an > communal conflict. In the years after the Emergency, the Jana Sangh > and its affiliates began to capitalise on resentments Bhatkal's Hindus > felt about the prosperity and political power of the Navayaths. The > campaign paid off in 1983, when the Hindu right-wing succeeded in > dethroning legislator S.M. Yahya, who had served as a state minister > between 1972 and 1982. > > Both communities entered into a competitive communal confrontation, > which involved the ostentatious display of piety and power. The > Tablighi Jamaat, a neo-fundamentalist organisation which calls on > followers to live life in a style claimed to be modelled on that of > the Prophet Mohammad, drew a growing mass of followers. Hindutva > groups like the Karavalli Hindu Samiti, too, staged ever-larger > religious displays to demonstrate their clout. > > Early in 1993, Bhatkal was hit by communal riots which claimed > seventeen lives and left dozens injured. The violence, which began > after Hindutva groups claimed stones had been thrown at a Ram Navami > procession, and lasted nine months. Later, in April 1996, two Muslims > were murdered in retaliation for the assassination of Bharatiya Janata > Party legislator U. Chittaranjan — a crime that investigators now say > may have been linked to the Bhatkal brothers. More violence broke out > in 2004, after the assassination of BJP leader Thimmappa Naik. > > Iqbal Shahbandri and his recruits were, in key senses, rebels against > a traditional political order that appeared to have failed to defend > Muslim rights and interests. Inside the Indian Mujahideen safehouses > raided in October, 2008, police found no evidence that traditional > theological literature or the writings of the Tablighi Jamaat had > influenced the group. Instead, they found pro-Taliban videos and > speeches by Zakir Naik — a popular but controversial Mumbai-based > televangelist who has, among other things, defends Al-Qaeda chief > Osama bin-Laden. > > “If he is fighting the enemies of Islam”, Naik said in one speech, “I > am for him. If he is terrorising America the terrorist—the biggest > terrorist — I am with him.” “Every Muslim” Naik concluded, “should be > a terrorist. The thing is, if he is terrorising a terrorist, he is > following Islam”. Naik has never been found to be involved in > violence, but his words have fired the imagination of a diverse > jihadists — among them, Glasgow suicide-bomber Kafeel Ahmed, 2006 > Mumbai train-bombing accused Feroze Deshmukh, and New York taxi driver > Najibullah Zazi, who faces trial for planning to attack the city's > Grand Central Railway Station. > > Language like this spoke to concerns of the young people who were > drawn to separate jihadist cells that began to spring up across India > after the 2002 violence, mirroring the growth of the Indian > Mujahideen. SIMI leader Safdar Nagori set up a group that included the > Bangalore information-technology professionals Peedical Abdul Shibli > and Yahya Kamakutty; in Kerala Tadiyantavide Nasir, Abdul Sattar, and > Abdul Jabbar set up a separate organisation that is alleged to have > bombed Bangalore in 2008 > > Storms of hate > > Well-entrenched in the political system, Bhatkal's Muslim leadership > has been hostile to radical Islamism. Efforts by Islamist political > groups to establish a presence there have, for the most part, been > unsuccessful. But authorities acknowledge Bhatkal, like much of the > Dakshina Kannada region, remains communally fraught. Small-scale > confrontations are routine. Earlier this month, the Karavalli Hindu > Samiti even staged demonstrations in support of the Sanatana Sanstha, > the Hindutva group police in Goa say was responsible for terrorist > bombings carried out last year. > > Pakistan's intelligence services and transnational jihadist groups > like the Lashkar nurtured and fed India's jihadist movement — but its > birth was the outcome of an ugly communal contestation that remains > unresolved. Even as India's police and intelligence services work to > dismantle the jihadist project, politicians need to find means to > still the storms of hate which sustain 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 pawan.durani at gmail.com Mon Apr 19 15:26:49 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 15:26:49 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The rebirth of the Indian Mujahideen - PRAVEEN SWAMI In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Everyone ? Who all consists of everyone ? Pls enlighten On Mon, Apr 19, 2010 at 3:25 PM, Javed wrote: > Dear Pawan > If you remember, some weeks ago, everyone on this list agreed that > whatever Praveen Swami says is not to be trusted. So, kindly do not > forward any of Swami's write-ups here. > > Thanks > > Javed > > > On Mon, Apr 19, 2010 at 9:34 AM, Pawan Durani wrote: >> http://beta.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/article402892.ece >> >> Saturday's bombings in Bangalore are a grim reminder that the jihadist >> movement is far from spent. >> >> Less than an hour before police surrounded the Indian Mujahideen >> bomb-factory hidden away on the fringes of the Bhadra forests in >> Chikmagalur, Mohammad Zarar Siddi Bawa had slipped away on a bus bound >> for Mangalore — the first step in a journey that would take him to the >> safety of a Lashkar-e-Taiba safehouse in Karachi. >> >> Inside the house, officers involved in the October, 2008, raid found >> evidence of Bawa's work: laboratory equipment used to test and prepare >> chemicals, precision tools, and five complete improvised explosive >> devices. Even as investigators across India set about filing paperwork >> declaring Bawa a fugitive, few believed they would ever be able to lay >> eyes on him again. >> >> But in February, a closed-circuit television camera placed over the >> cashier's counter at the Germany Bakery in Pune recorded evidence that >> Bawa had returned to India — just minutes before an improvised >> explosive device ripped through the popular restaurant killing >> seventeen people, and injuring at least sixty. >> >> Dressed in a loose-fitting blue shirt, a rucksack slung over his back, >> the fair, slight young man with a wispy beard has been identified by >> police sources in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka as “Yasin >> Bhatkal” — the man who made the bombs which ripped apart ten Indian >> towns and cities between 2005 and 2008. Witnesses at the restaurant >> also identified Bawa from photographs, noting that he was wearing >> trousers rolled up above his ankles — a style favoured by some >> neo-fundamentalists. >> >> Bawa is emerging as the key suspect in Saturday's bombings outside the >> M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore — a grim reminder that the >> jihadist offensive that began after the 2002 communal violence in >> India is very far from spent. >> >> The obscure jihadist >> >> Little is known about just what led Bawa to join the jihadist >> movement. Educated at Bhatkal's well-respected Anjuman >> Hami-e-Muslimeen school, 32-year-old Bawa left for Pune as a teenager. >> He was later introduced to other members of the Indian Mujahideen as >> an engineer, but police in Pune have found no documentation suggesting >> he ever studied in the city. >> >> Instead, Bawa spent much of his time with a childhood friend living in >> Pune, Unani medicine practitioner-turned-Islamist proselytiser Iqbal >> Ismail Shahbandri. Like his brother Riyaz Ismail Shahbandri — now the >> Indian Mujahideen's top military commander — Ismail Shahbandri had >> become an ideological mentor to many young Islamists in Pune and >> Mumbai, many of them highly-educated professionals. >> >> The Shahbandari brothers' parents, like many members of the Bhatkal >> elite, had relocated to Mumbai in search of new economic >> opportunities. Ismail Shahbandri, their father, set up leather-tanning >> factory in Mumbai's Kurla area in the mid-1970s. Riyaz Shahbandri went >> on to obtain a civil engineering degree from Mumbai's Saboo Siddiqui >> Engineering College and, in 2002, was married to Nasuha Ismail, the >> daughter of an electronics store owner in Bhatkal's Dubai Market. >> >> Shafiq Ahmad, Nasuha's brother, had drawn Riyaz Shahbandri into the >> Students Islamic Movement of India. He first met his Indian Mujahideen >> co-founders Abdul Subhan Qureshi and Sadiq Israr Sheikh, in the months >> before his marriage. Later, Riyaz Shahbandri made contact with >> ganglord-turned-jihadist Amir Raza Khan. In the wake of the communal >> violence that ripped Gujarat apart in 2002, the men set about >> funnelling recruits to Lashkar camps in Pakistan. >> >> Early in the summer of 2004, investigators say, the core members of >> the network that was later to call itself the Indian Mujahideen met at >> Bhatkal's beachfront to discuss their plans. Iqbal Shahbandri and >> Bhatkal-based cleric Shabbir Gangoli are alleged to have held >> ideological classes; the group also took time out to practice shooting >> with airguns. Bawa had overall charge of arrangements — a task that >> illustrated his status as the Bhatkal brothers' most trusted >> lieutenant. >> >> Bhatkal, police investigators say, became the centre of the Indian >> Mujahideen's operations. From their safehouses in Vitthalamakki and >> Hakkalamane, bombs were despatched to operational cells dispersed >> across the country, feeding the most sustained jihadist offensive >> India has ever seen. >> >> Communal war >> >> Like so many of his peers in the Indian Mujahideen, Bawa emerged from >> a fraught communal landscape. Bhatkal's Nawayath Muslims, made >> prosperous by hundreds of years of trade across the Indian Ocean, >> emerged as the region's dominant land-owning community. Early in the >> twentieth century, inspired by call of Aligarh reformer Syed Ahmed >> Khan, Bhatkal notables led a campaign to bring modern education for >> the community. The Anjuman Hami-e-Muslimeen school where Bawa studied >> was one product of their efforts, which eventually spawned >> highly-regarded institutions that now cater to over several thousand >> students. >> >> Organisations like the Anjuman helped the Navayath Muslims capitalise >> on the new opportunities for work and business with opened up in the >> United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia during the 1970s. But this >> wealth, in turn, engendered resentments which laid the ground for an >> communal conflict. In the years after the Emergency, the Jana Sangh >> and its affiliates began to capitalise on resentments Bhatkal's Hindus >> felt about the prosperity and political power of the Navayaths. The >> campaign paid off in 1983, when the Hindu right-wing succeeded in >> dethroning legislator S.M. Yahya, who had served as a state minister >> between 1972 and 1982. >> >> Both communities entered into a competitive communal confrontation, >> which involved the ostentatious display of piety and power. The >> Tablighi Jamaat, a neo-fundamentalist organisation which calls on >> followers to live life in a style claimed to be modelled on that of >> the Prophet Mohammad, drew a growing mass of followers. Hindutva >> groups like the Karavalli Hindu Samiti, too, staged ever-larger >> religious displays to demonstrate their clout. >> >> Early in 1993, Bhatkal was hit by communal riots which claimed >> seventeen lives and left dozens injured. The violence, which began >> after Hindutva groups claimed stones had been thrown at a Ram Navami >> procession, and lasted nine months. Later, in April 1996, two Muslims >> were murdered in retaliation for the assassination of Bharatiya Janata >> Party legislator U. Chittaranjan — a crime that investigators now say >> may have been linked to the Bhatkal brothers. More violence broke out >> in 2004, after the assassination of BJP leader Thimmappa Naik. >> >> Iqbal Shahbandri and his recruits were, in key senses, rebels against >> a traditional political order that appeared to have failed to defend >> Muslim rights and interests. Inside the Indian Mujahideen safehouses >> raided in October, 2008, police found no evidence that traditional >> theological literature or the writings of the Tablighi Jamaat had >> influenced the group. Instead, they found pro-Taliban videos and >> speeches by Zakir Naik — a popular but controversial Mumbai-based >> televangelist who has, among other things, defends Al-Qaeda chief >> Osama bin-Laden. >> >> “If he is fighting the enemies of Islam”, Naik said in one speech, “I >> am for him. If he is terrorising America the terrorist—the biggest >> terrorist — I am with him.” “Every Muslim” Naik concluded, “should be >> a terrorist. The thing is, if he is terrorising a terrorist, he is >> following Islam”. Naik has never been found to be involved in >> violence, but his words have fired the imagination of a diverse >> jihadists — among them, Glasgow suicide-bomber Kafeel Ahmed, 2006 >> Mumbai train-bombing accused Feroze Deshmukh, and New York taxi driver >> Najibullah Zazi, who faces trial for planning to attack the city's >> Grand Central Railway Station. >> >> Language like this spoke to concerns of the young people who were >> drawn to separate jihadist cells that began to spring up across India >> after the 2002 violence, mirroring the growth of the Indian >> Mujahideen. SIMI leader Safdar Nagori set up a group that included the >> Bangalore information-technology professionals Peedical Abdul Shibli >> and Yahya Kamakutty; in Kerala Tadiyantavide Nasir, Abdul Sattar, and >> Abdul Jabbar set up a separate organisation that is alleged to have >> bombed Bangalore in 2008 >> >> Storms of hate >> >> Well-entrenched in the political system, Bhatkal's Muslim leadership >> has been hostile to radical Islamism. Efforts by Islamist political >> groups to establish a presence there have, for the most part, been >> unsuccessful. But authorities acknowledge Bhatkal, like much of the >> Dakshina Kannada region, remains communally fraught. Small-scale >> confrontations are routine. Earlier this month, the Karavalli Hindu >> Samiti even staged demonstrations in support of the Sanatana Sanstha, >> the Hindutva group police in Goa say was responsible for terrorist >> bombings carried out last year. >> >> Pakistan's intelligence services and transnational jihadist groups >> like the Lashkar nurtured and fed India's jihadist movement — but its >> birth was the outcome of an ugly communal contestation that remains >> unresolved. Even as India's police and intelligence services work to >> dismantle the jihadist project, politicians need to find means to >> still the storms of hate which sustain 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 kaksanjay at gmail.com Mon Apr 19 15:57:32 2010 From: kaksanjay at gmail.com (Sanjay Kak) Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 15:57:32 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Ekal Vidyalaya - A people's movement In-Reply-To: <712506.12029.qm@web57208.mail.re3.yahoo.com> References: <712506.12029.qm@web57208.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Apropos the "noble mission" of organisations such as Ekal Vidyalaya, here's an interesting quote from a 2002 article by A K Sen: http://www.alliancesouthasia.org/index.cfm?sectionID=24&objectID=268 "When confronted with the Sangh antecedents of Sewa Bharati, Prakash quickly retracted from his earlier position to say, "I am aware of the RSS-VHP affiliations of some organisations we fund." He then went on dismiss such links as a non-issue. But Sewa Bharati isn't the only RSS-linked recipient of the IDRF's munificence.For instance, the IDRF lists a sister organisation called the Ekal Vidyalaya. Incidentally, the Ekal Vidyalaya was started by the VHP under the aegis of the Bharat Kalyan Pratishthan (BKP), and has now been taken over by the Sri Vivekananda Rural Development Society (SVRDS). The IDRF funds both the BKP and the SVRDS." Best Sanjay Kak On Mon, Apr 19, 2010 at 2:41 PM, Kshmendra Kaul wrote: > > Dear Pawan > > I did not understand your question. > > Does it, what? > > Does what, what? > > K > > --- On Mon, 4/19/10, Pawan Durani wrote: > > > From: Pawan Durani > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Ekal Vidyalaya - A people's movement > To: "Kshmendra Kaul" > Cc: "reader-list" > Date: Monday, April 19, 2010, 2:30 PM > > > Does it ? Pls share ... > > > On Mon, Apr 19, 2010 at 2:28 PM, Kshmendra Kaul wrote: > > > > > > > Dear Pawan > > Howsoever sincere, well thought out and brilliant the effort might be, if it is rooted in stressing upon the precepts of or inspiration from just one religion then it is doomed to not gaining universal acceptance but instead creating suspicions and resentment. > > Education should have nothing to do with religion, whicever religion it might be. > > Kshmendra > > --- On Mon, 4/19/10, Pawan Durani wrote: > > > From: Pawan Durani > Subject: [Reader-list] Ekal Vidyalaya - A people's movement > To: "reader-list" > Date: Monday, April 19, 2010, 2:16 PM > > > > > > Came across this noble mission ; the work seems amazing . More and > more concepts like these are needed to help the tribals and the rural > people where education hasn't reached yet. > > ***************************************************************************************************************************************************** > http://ekalindia.org/ > > Vision > > To banish illiteracy from the face of tribal India by providing free, > non-formal education through a People-Movement. > > > Mission > > Literate India > While it is making giant advances in software, space, and nuclear > power, India is paradoxically still struggling with questions of basic > literacy for a large segment of its population. Upon independence, > India's literacy rate was a staggering 11 percent. Since then, we have > made tremendous advances in educating our people. Still, more than six > decades after independence, 65.4% India is still illiterate. Even > worse off is the position of tribal India, which has a literacy rate > below 30 percent. From nc-agricowi at netcologne.de Mon Apr 19 16:18:47 2010 From: nc-agricowi at netcologne.de (nmf2010) Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 12:48:47 +0200 Subject: [Reader-list] =?iso-8859-1?q?Program_-_week_17_-_NewMediaFest=272?= =?iso-8859-1?q?010?= Message-ID: <20100419124847.F37C53AF.FA146270@192.168.0.2> NewMediaFest'2010 ______________________________________ program- week 17 - 19-25 April 2010 http://2010.newmediafest.org/?p=755 ______________________________________ 1. Feature of the week 17 http://2010.newmediafest.org/?p=762 VideoChannel - German Video Art II featuring Philip Matousek, Anna Porzelt, Amorea Cosmalion Ascan Breuer, Jonas Ungar, Nilgün Serbest & Tobias Kurtz, Sibylle Trickes, Susanne Wiegner, Maya Schweizer, Amit Epstein, Anna Hirschmann, Johanna Reich, Dina Boswank, Roland Fuhrmann, Sarah Adetola 2. Feature of the Month April 2010 http://2010.newmediafest.org/?p=733 -->VideoChannel Cologne - - Memory & Identity- 10 experimental videos from the USA curated by Alysse Stepanian (Santa Fe/USA) including Lana Z. Caplan, Brian DeLevie, Ron Diorio, Michael Greathouse, Soyeon Jung , Laleh Mehran, Joe Merrell, David Montgomery, Christine Schiavo, Brooks Williams 3. Celebrate! - netart features 2010 10 Years - JavaMuseum - Forum for Internet Technology in Contemporary Art This week--> Tomas Rawski (Argentina) All details on the week program --> http://2010.newmediafest.org/?p=755 ---------------------------------------------- NewMediaFest'2010 10 Years [NewMediaArtProjectNetwork]:||cologne global heritage of digital culture 1 January - 31 December 2010 http://2010.newmediafest.org director and chief curator: Wilfried Agricola de Cologne 2010 [at] newmediafest.org ---------------------------------------------- From rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com Mon Apr 19 16:19:33 2010 From: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com (Rakesh Iyer) Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 16:19:33 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Reg: Another blot in the so-called fight to Naxalism Message-ID: Hi Just as Naxals are ready to sacrifice the tribals in the name of bringing an impossible revolution in India and the Jehadis are ready to sacrifice common Muslims as pawns in the name of establishing an Islamic Caliphate, the Indian state is also willing to sacrifice the poor and lower middle class people becoming policemen and joining the security forces in the name of establishing the authority of the Indian state, without either understanding the issue or even their flawed strategy to counter it. There are other sacrifices also being made, like the Sangh Parivar and Christian missionary organizations sacrificing the beliefs of the tribals and the Dalits and misusing the caste system and/or religious propaganda for proselytization and/or re-prosetylization (conversion or reconversion) of people, where the people are simply treated as pawns to serve any agenda. This should be thoroughly attacked and parties indulging in this should be exposed. Do go through this article in today's Hindu. Rakesh Article link: http://www.hindu.com/2010/04/19/stories/2010041961431600.htm Article : *Victims of Maoist violence demand their due * Bindu Shajan Perappadan * Kin of slain Orissa policemen say they are yet to get compensation and pension benefits* NEW DELHI: Demanding to know why widows and orphans of policemen injured and slain during Maoist attacks in Orissa are being treated callously, a handful of their family members gathered at the Press Club here on Sunday to highlight their woes and draw the attention of the Central government to the apathy of the State government. Injured in attack Woman Constable Pratima Rout was injured in a Maoists attack at Nayagarh police station in 2008 and claims that she has been subjected to ill-treatment, cheating and mental torture by her own department since then. “I was shot four times before I fell unconscious and was hospitalised in a critical condition. After a month and 18 days, the department informed me that I won't get any more financial assistance and that I would have to pay my medical expenses. I applied for a loan from the Police Welfare Fund and received Rs. 20,000; soon afterwards I received a phone call from the department stating that I must pay back Rs. 40,000. I had to meet the Director-General of Orissa Police who waived the loan and also assigned me an office job,'' she said. “However, the government is yet to pay me compensation. I am demanding the dues the State government owes me. I also want to know why serving police persons are being put through this kind of mental and economic hardship. What is the point in being a protector of law when my government cannot protect my own rights as a human being,'' said Ms. Rout. A police Sub-Inspector in Orissa, Ajit Bardhan, was posted in Maoist-infested Sundargarh district where he was overpowered and abducted while on patrol duty. He was found dead a day later. The incident happened on July 16 last year and ever since the slain officer's father Jayakrishna Bardhan has been going from one office to another for his son's Provident Fund and family pension. “Ajit has left behind a young wife and a daughter. I have to ensure that they are well looked after. It is humiliating that the family of a police officer who died for his country is being treated in such a shabby manner. After this, why would parents send their young sons to join the police force where there is no security of life and, worse, no dignity after death,'' said Mr. Bardhan. Prabhati Mishra, wife of late Reserve Inspector Sarat Chandra Mishra, shares a similar story. “My husband started a free school for tribals. But after his death, government procedures have become a big hurdle in running the school. Forget the promises of land or a job, I am yet to receive gratuity and family pension despite having met the State Chief Minister. Our families wage a battle every day to stay alive after our husbands and brothers died fighting to protect the country. Shouldn't the State government treat us with more respect?'' she said. From kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Mon Apr 19 16:49:20 2010 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 04:19:20 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] Fwd: war or peace on the indus // briscoe In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <272346.14311.qm@web57207.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Dear Yasir   The wicked temptation is to dismiss Briscoe as "Pakistan ka tattoo" or "ISI Agent" but that would be trivialising what is a serious issue between India and Pakistan.   The following is my thinking-aloud on Briscoe's article.   (((((( It has led to the concluding remark by me:   To "move beyond the past", especially a bitter past is the right thing to do, but it would be foolish of India to ease Pakistan's worries when the 'past' inimical actions and propagations of Pakistan against India continue in the "present'  and show no signs of abating in the near 'future'. )))))))   John Briscoe is very precise in his understanding and as a neutral voice, is concerned about Pakistan ("the great vulnerability and legitimate concern of Pakistan) as the 'lower riparian' land which might be at the mercy of the India described by him as the "regional hegemon".   Briscoe's very fair comment is "there is no objective conflict of interests between the countries over the waters of the Indus Basin,". He is referring to the water-sharing regimes under the 1960 Indus Water Treaty between Pakistan and India.   Briscoe rightly pinpoints the problem being in "quantity of water reaching Pakistan" and interference in "the natural timing of those flows." that can and has arisen from the nature of execution of India's rights under the Treaty to "tap the considerable hydropower potential of the Chenab and Jhelum before the rivers enter Pakistan"   Briscoe lists out the technical aspects of what have-been/can-be the source of the problem.   India's major problem under the Treaty, as Briscvoe states, comes from  "physical restrictions meant that gates for flushing silt out of the dams could not be built, thus ensuring that any dam in India would rapidly fill with the silt pouring off the young Himalayas."   Pakistan's problem is well summarised (in connection with India's right to build dams) in this comment from Briscoe " If, God forbid, India so chose, it could use this cumulative live storage to impose major reductions on water availability in Pakistan during the critical planting season."    While India's problem was redressed by adjucation in the Bagliar Dam case it left Pakistan more "vulnerable".   So Briscoe calls out for:   - "some courageous and open-minded Indians – in government or out – who will stand up and explain to the public why this is not just an issue for Pakistan, but why it is an existential issue for Pakistan."   - " leadership from the Government of India."   - "invitation to Pakistan to explore ways in which the principles of the Indus Waters Treaty could be respected, while providing a win for Pakistan (assurance on their flows) and a win for India (reducing the chronic legal uncertainty which vexes every Indian project on the Chenab or Jhelum). With good will there are multiple ways in which the treaty could be maintained but reinterpreted so that both countries could win"   Very laudable of Briscoe.   Where Briscoe falters in his understanding of the nature of complexities in the relations between India and Pakistan is in his advice " Indus waters should be de-linked from both historic grievances and from the other Kashmir-related issues."   Briscoe says " it is a sign of statesmanship, not weakness, to acknowledge the past and then move beyond it."   "Leadership" and "Statesmanship" are all very well but should not be employed in the absence of reciprocity.   "Let me sit with you to solve your problems while you continue top create problems for me" is neither statesmanlike nor sensible leadership.   To "move beyond the past", especially a bitter past is the right thing to do, but it would be foolish of India to ease Pakistan's worries when the 'past' inmical actions and propagations of Pakistan against India continue in the "present'  and show no signs of abating in the near 'future'.   Kshmendra   War or Peace on the Indus? By SouthAsian By John Briscoe Anyone foolish enough to write on war or peace in the Indus needs to first banish a set of immediate suspicions. I am neither Indian nor Pakistani. I am a South African who has worked on water issues in the subcontinent for 35 years and who has lived in Bangladesh (in the 1970s) and Delhi (in the 2000s). In 2006 I published, with fine Indian colleagues, an Oxford University Press book titled India’s Water Economy: Facing a Turbulent Future and, with fine Pakistani colleagues, one titled Pakistan’s Water Economy: Running Dry.   I was the Senior Water Advisor for the World Bank who dealt with the appointment of the Neutral Expert on the Baglihar case. My last assignment at the World Bank (relevant, as described later) was as Country Director for Brazil. I am now a mere university professor, and speak in the name of no one but myself.   I have deep affection for the people of both India and Pakistan, and am dismayed by what I see as a looming train wreck on the Indus, with disastrous consequences for both countries. I will outline why there is no objective conflict of interests between the countries over the waters of the Indus Basin, make some observations of the need for a change in public discourse, and suggest how the drivers of the train can put on the brakes before it is too late.   Is there an inherent conflict between India and Pakistan? The simple answer is no. The Indus Waters Treaty allocates the water of the three western rivers to Pakistan, but allows India to tap the considerable hydropower potential of the Chenab and Jhelum before the rivers enter Pakistan.   The qualification is that this use of hydropower is not to affect either the quantity of water reaching Pakistan or to interfere with the natural timing of those flows. Since hydropower does not consume water, the only issue is timing. And timing is a very big issue, because agriculture in the Pakistani plains depends not only on how much water comes, but that it comes in critical periods during the planting season. The reality is that India could tap virtually all of the available power without negatively affecting the timing of flows to which Pakistan is entitled.   Is the Indus Treaty a stable basis for cooperation? If Pakistan and India had normal, trustful relations, there would be a mutually-verified monitoring process which would assure that there is no change in the flows going into Pakistan. (In an even more ideal world, India could increase low-flows during the critical planting season, with significant benefit to Pakistani farmers and with very small impacts on power generation in India.) Because the relationship was not normal when the treaty was negotiated, Pakistan would agree only if limitations on India’s capacity to manipulate the timing of flows was hardwired into the treaty. This was done by limiting the amount of “live storage” (the storage that matters for changing the timing of flows) in each and every hydropower dam that India would construct on the two rivers.   While this made sense given knowledge in 1960, over time it became clear that this restriction gave rise to a major problem. The physical restrictions meant that gates for flushing silt out of the dams could not be built, thus ensuring that any dam in India would rapidly fill with the silt pouring off the young Himalayas.   This was a critical issue at stake in the Baglihar case. Pakistan (reasonably) said that the gates being installed were in violation of the specifications of the treaty. India (equally reasonably) argued that it would be wrong to build a dam knowing it would soon fill with silt. The finding of the Neutral Expert was essentially a reinterpretation of the Treaty, saying that the physical limitations no longer made sense. While the finding was reasonable in the case of Baglihar, it left Pakistan without the mechanism – limited live storage – which was its only (albeit weak) protection against upstream manipulation of flows in India. This vulnerability was driven home when India chose to fill Baglihar exactly at the time when it would impose maximum harm on farmers in downstream Pakistan.   If Baglihar was the only dam being built by India on the Chenab and Jhelum, this would be a limited problem. But following Baglihar is a veritable caravan of Indian projects – Kishanganga, Sawalkot, Pakuldul, Bursar, Dal Huste, Gyspa… The cumulative live storage will be large, giving India an unquestioned capacity to have major impact on the timing of flows into Pakistan. (Using Baglihar as a reference, simple back-of-the-envelope calculations suggest that once it has constructed all of the planned hydropower plants on the Chenab, India will have an ability to effect major damage on Pakistan. First, there is the one-time effect of filling the new dams. If done during the wet season this would have little effect on Pakistan. But if done during the critical low-flow period, there would be a large one-time effect (as was the case when India filled Baglihar). Second, there is the permanent threat which would be a consequence of substantial cumulative live storage which could store about one month’s worth of low-season flow on the Chenab. If, God forbid, India so chose, it could use this cumulative live storage to impose major reductions on water availability in Pakistan during the critical planting season.   Views on “the water problem” from both sides of the border and the role of the press Living in Delhi and working in both India and Pakistan, I was struck by a paradox. One country was a vigorous democracy, the other a military regime. But whereas an important part of the Pakistani press regularly reported India’s views on the water issue in an objective way, the Indian press never did the same. I never saw a report which gave Indian readers a factual description of the enormous vulnerability of Pakistan, of the way in which India had socked it to Pakistan when filling Baglihar. How could this be, I asked? Because, a journalist colleague in Delhi told me, “when it comes to Kashmir – and the Indus Treaty is considered an integral part of Kashmir — the ministry of external affairs instructs newspapers on what they can and cannot say, and often tells them explicitly what it is they are to say.”   This apparently remains the case. In the context of the recent talks between India and Pakistan I read, in Boston, the electronic reports on the disagreement about “the water issue” in The Times of India, The Hindustan Times, The Hindu, The Indian Express and The Economic Times. Taken together, these reports make astounding reading. Not only was the message the same in each case (“no real issue, just Pakistani shenanigans”), but the arguments were the same, the numbers were the same and the phrases were the same. And in all cases the source was “analysts” and “experts” — in not one case was the reader informed that this was reporting an official position of the Government of India.   Equally depressing is my repeated experience – most recently at a major international meeting of strategic security institutions in Delhi – that even the most liberal and enlightened of Indian analysts (many of whom are friends who I greatly respect) seem constitutionally incapable of seeing the great vulnerability and legitimate concern of Pakistan (which is obvious and objective to an outsider).   A way forward This is a very uneven playing field. The regional hegemon is the upper riparian and has all the cards in its hands. This asymmetry means that it is India that is driving the train, and that change must start in India. In my view, four things need to be done.   First, there must be some courageous and open-minded Indians – in government or out – who will stand up and explain to the public why this is not just an issue for Pakistan, but why it is an existential issue for Pakistan.   Second, there must be leadership from the Government of India. Here I am struck by the stark difference between the behaviour of India and that of its fellow BRIC – Brazil, the regional hegemon in Latin America.   Brazil and Paraguay have a binding agreement on their rights and responsibilities on the massive Itaipu Binacional Hydropower Project. The proceeds, which are of enormous importance to small Paraguay, played a politicised, polemical anti-Brazilian part in the recent presidential election in Paraguay. Similarly, Brazil’s and Bolivia’s binding agreement on gas also became part of an anti-Brazil presidential campaign theme.   The public and press in Brazil bayed for blood and insisted that Bolivia and Paraguay be made to pay. So what did President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva do? “Look,” he said to his irate countrymen, “these are poor countries, and these are huge issues for them. They are our brothers. Yes, we are in our legal rights to be harsh with them, but we are going to show understanding and generosity, and so I am unilaterally doubling (in the case of Paraguay) and tripling (in the case of Bolivia) the payments we make to them. Brazil is a big country and a relatively rich one, so this will do a lot for them and won’t harm us much.” India could, and should, in my view, similarly make the effort to see it from its neighbour’s point of view, and should show the generosity of spirit which is an integral part of being a truly great power and good neighbour.   Third, this should translate into an invitation to Pakistan to explore ways in which the principles of the Indus Waters Treaty could be respected, while providing a win for Pakistan (assurance on their flows) and a win for India (reducing the chronic legal uncertainty which vexes every Indian project on the Chenab or Jhelum). With good will there are multiple ways in which the treaty could be maintained but reinterpreted so that both countries could win.   Fourth, discussions on the Indus waters should be de-linked from both historic grievances and from the other Kashmir-related issues. Again, it is a sign of statesmanship, not weakness, to acknowledge the past and then move beyond it. This is personal for me, as someone of Irish origin. Conor Cruise O’Brien once remarked, “Santayana said that those who did not learn their history would be condemned to repeat it; in the case of Ireland we have learned our history so well that we are condemned to repeat it, again and again.”   And finally, as a South African I am acutely aware that Nelson Mandela, after 27 years in prison, chose not to settle scores but to look forward and construct a better future, for all the people of his country and mine. Who will be the Indian Mandela who will do this – for the benefit of Pakistanis and Indians – on the Indus?   John Briscoe is the Gordon McKay Professor of Environmental Engineering, Harvard University. This op-ed is reproduced with permission of the author who wrote it for Aman ki Asha, the joint peace initiative of the Jang Group of Pakistan and the Times of India. It was originally published in Jang (March 31) and The News (April 3) as part of Aman ki Asha’s ongoing campaign on information about water issues. Link for The News:  http://thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=232342   --- On Thu, 4/15/10, yasir ~يا سر wrote: From: yasir ~يا سر Subject: [Reader-list] Fwd: war or peace on the indus // briscoe To: "Sarai Reader-list" Date: Thursday, April 15, 2010, 8:00 PM *war or peace on the indus* http://thesouthasianidea.wordpress.com/2010/04/03/war-or-peace-on-the-indus/ _________________________________________ 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 kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Mon Apr 19 17:30:32 2010 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 05:00:32 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] "Secret face of the real Pakistan" Message-ID: <844699.71440.qm@web57203.mail.re3.yahoo.com> This for the (perhaps well meaning) Indians who are hopelessly ill-informed about Pakistan. That "section of Indian society is keen to build bridges of love, peace and friendship with a neighbour".    The author of the article rightly advises them  to "take stock of the ground reality" and that "It is necessary to “know thy neighbour” and to “know yourself”.  "   The Pakistani newspaper referred to in the article, "The Nation" (in English), alongwith it's sister publication "Nawa i Waqt" (in Urdu) are mainstream Media in Pakistan and not some insignificant gutter publications.   Kshmendra   PS. I could not locate the name of the author on the webpage. Elsewhere it is mentioned that the article is by Abhijit Bhattacharyya.     "Secret face of the real Pakistan" 13 April 2010   “Civil society” constitutes the most important public opinion maker in a multi-dimensional society like India. Hence when a section of Indian society is keen to build bridges of love, peace and friendship with a neighbour, it is time to take stock of the ground reality. It is necessary to “know thy neighbour” and to “know yourself”. Let us begin with one of the largest English dailies The Nation, published simultaneously from Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad. Editor-in-chief, The Nation and chairman of the Nazria Pakistan Trust (NPT), Majid Nizami, stated as recently as on 10 March, 2010 that “freedom is the greatest blessing of the Almighty, Who may save us from dominance of Hindus, as our sworn enemy is bent upon destroying Pakistan. However, if it did not refrain from committing aggression against us, then Pakistan is destined to defeat India because our horses in the form of atomic bombs and missiles are far better than Indian donkeys.” Nizami revealed to a captive audience that “if one wants to have an idea of what would have been our condition had Pakistan not come into existence, he should visit India to apprise himself about untold pathetic living conditions of the Muslims there at this point of time.” Nizami thundered that “the day was not far off when we would once again conquer India” and that “Pakistan had to play a key role in liberating enslaved minorities from the clutches of Hindu majority” in South Asia. The potential of India emerging big is unacceptable to the Pakistani ruling class. Or else, how does one justify the unsubstantiated  public statement by the Chief Justice Khwaja Muhammad Sharif of Lahore High Court that the “Hindus of Pakistan are funding terror activities in Pakistan!” The hate-India attitide does not end with the vituperative and venomous excesses of the national press and Islamabad’s judiciary. It is put into practice with all sincerity and dedication by the de-facto ruling class, the army. Reportedly, “the Pakistani army is sexually assaulting minority women and using them as sex slaves, alleges the European Organisation of Pakistani Minorities (EOPM), an NGO working for the rights of minorities in Pakistan. In a prayer-cum-demonstration held at the United Nations, it said the Pakistani army is taking minority women away from their families, raping them and using them as sex slaves.” Reference was made to the case of “Zarina Marri, 23-year-old school teacher from Quetta, being used as a sex slave by the Pakistani army”, alleged EOPM. It was categorically maintained that “the attacks on minorities in Pakistan were increasing” and that “the religious minorities constitute much more than five per cent – as claimed in Pakistani census – of Pakistan’s 160 million people.” The idea is to “intentionally keep the minority population low to deny them greater representation.” All in all, “Christians, Sikhs, Hindus and other minorities are constant targets of attack in Pakistan.” Understandably, therefore, Pakistan last year ranked as the “world’s top country for major increases in threats to minorities since 2007.” The story of the unfinished task of Pakistani establishment does not end with a newspaper group, the High Court and the Army. It is only that now the civilised world outside Islamabad is trying to come to terms with the cocktail of rabid communalism, terrorism and fundamentalism for the sake of expanding its political power base through the state-sponsored religious order’s (should one say “disorder”) foot soldiers like the ghazis, fidayeens, lashkars and mujahideens. The flip side of this long-term diabolical plot, however, is the present masked attempt to “cultivate” the “evil society” of the non-Islamic, (“Hindu”) enemy state of India. Hence the attempt to build a bridge through the Jang group of newspaper’s English daily News. Curiously, however, the Government of India’s ban on this publication 47 years ago is still on. Thus a Government of India notification dated 19 January, 1963 stipulated “The Central Government hereby prohibits the bringing by sea or land into India of any issue of the Urdu newspaper entitled Daily Jang, Karachi, edited, printed and published by Mir Khalil-ul-Rahman from Javed Press, Mcleod Road, or any extract from, or reprint of, or any translation of, or other document reproducing any matter contained in any issue of the newspaper”. In another notification dated 30 January, 1963, the Government of India once again “prohibited” the Daily Jang, Rawalpindi, edited by Mir-Jamil-ul-Rahman. Curiously, the ban has not been lifted to this day. However, ban or no ban, Pakistan can find its way to the “interior” of the “Hindu India” and get away scot-free for its acts of omission and commission through its media, its biased anti-minority higher judiciary and the army of Islamabad which the Pakistanis consider it to be the army of Islam! One pities the psychic disorder of the Pakistani ruling class which is not its own creation. It has been in the genes of the “ruling class” of South Asia through the ages. One can get an idea of the Pakistani psyche in general and read the mind of Muslims in particular from the following speech of a liberal Muslim leader (Mr R.M.Sayani) in his presidential address at the 12th Indian National Congress held in Calcutta in 1896: “Before the advent of British in India, the Mussulmans were the rulers of the country. The Mussulmans had, therefore, all the advantages appertaining to the ruling class. The sovereign and the chiefs were their co-religionists, and so were the great landlords and the great. The court language was their own. Every place of trust and responsibility or carrying influence and high emoluments was by birth theirs. The Hindus holders of position were the tenants-at-will of the Mussulmans. The Hindus stood in awe of them. Enjoyment and influence and all the good things of the world were theirs. By a stroke of misfortune, the Mussulmans had to abdicate their position and descend to the level of their Hindu fellow-countrymen. The Hindus who had before stood in awe of their Mussulman masters were thus raised a step by the fall of their said masters, and with their former awe dropped their courtesy also. “But the Mussulmans were not in a mood to learn anything that required hard work and application, especially as they had to work harder than their former subjects, the Hindus. Moreover, they resented competing with the Hindus, whom they had till recently regarded as their inferiors. The Hindus, from a subservient state, came into the lands, offices and other worldly advantages of their former masters. Their exultation knew no bounds, and they trod upon the heels of their former masters. The Mussaulmans would have nothing to do with anything in which they might have to come into contact with the Hindus. The fall of their former greatness rankled in their hearts.” Having successfully regained the status of the “Muslim ruling class of Pakistan”, in 1947 which they had “lost to the British in 1857”, the Pakistanis just cannot forget that their predecessors (even if not necessarily bound by blood) were the minority ruling class over a vast majority of non-Muslim people which, at its peak, stretched from the Hindukush to Chittagong and Kashmir to Cauvery. Hence, “once a ruler, always a ruler” is the attitude. And that is the problem. The Pakistanis, thus, given a chance, would like to get as much and as many of their co-religionists as possible under a single religious umbrella to spread the mantra of its rule over India. Unfortunately, some Indians of “civil society” have decided to look the other way to avoid the issue thereby abdicating their duty and responsibility to protect and preserve freedom. That is the “wonder that is India”! (The writer is an alumnus of the National Defence College of India and a member of International Institute for Strategic Studies, London)   http://www.thestatesman.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=325207&catid=39   From kaksanjay at gmail.com Mon Apr 19 17:35:04 2010 From: kaksanjay at gmail.com (Sanjay Kak) Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 17:35:04 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] "Chidambaram's Dominoes Are Beginning To Fall" Message-ID: Succinct. Let's hope he's right! Apologies for cross-posting etc. Best Sanjay Kak --------------------------- Chidambaram's Dominoes Are Beginning To Fall By Trevor Selvam http://www.countercurrents.org/selvam170410.htm 17 April, 2010 The dominoes are knocking over each other at such a rapid pace that India should not be surprised if Naxalites and Maoists find curious backers in the highest echelons of the State. Not because people up there are particularly endeared to Naxalite strategy and tactics, but some of them are reconsidering their options and have realized that in this insane rush towards ramrodding India into a neo-liberal Valhalla, a large majority of the citizens of India are being ripped apart, torn asunder and shoved into the gutters, sewers, swamps and bogs of this nation. Something is going wrong and if a course correction is not made now, things are going down the tubes to hell in a hand basket. The collateral damage has been so obvious that no less than the Central Government’s own offices have declared the attempts at displacing the “poorest of the poor” (the PM’s own words), and the forced evacuation and hamletization of aboriginal people, as the “biggest land grab since Columbus. ” Whoever drafted that phrase or statement is an extraordinarily thoughtful and historically wary person. Because she or he knew what was around the bend. And it has come about faster than the powers ever imagined. It was supposed to have been done surreptitiously, quietly and with the fanfare and dog and pony show associated with 9% growth drowning out the screams of the displaced. It did not pan out that way. Indians, be they analysts, economists, bureaucrats, historians, scientists, advocates, IAS officers and even retired senior commanders in the services are not unconscious and ahistorical babblers. After all Indians bore the brunt of the British Empire for two hundred years. The process of colonization is such that it leaves behind a genealogy of awareness, of remembrance, the ability to connect the dots and not be taken for a ride. Indians pass on the lessons of their parents’ generation to their next in line. To put it bluntly, Indians are not fools. They do not take kindly to the incessant repetition of official speak. Just as Iraqis and Afghanis aren’t either. Indians know that occupation, whether it is by goras or by their proxies are never tolerated quietly. The sons and daughters and the grandchildren of freedom fighters, of Gandhian activists, of Sarvodaya activists, followers of Vinoba Bhave, of the Congress Socialists, of the followers of “Nehruvian socialism”, of the followers of JP Narayan, of those the British chose to call “terrorists” and old-style retired Communists from the Tebhaga and Telengana period, know where “the buck stops.” They may not be supporters of the Maoists, but they know that this time around, something is going terribly wrong and this mad race to “modernize” India has only one group of takers—those who salivate over the glam and glitter of Ratan Tata, Narendra Modi, the Ambanis, the Jindals, the Mallyas and their main backers, Chidambaram, Ahluwalia, Kamal Nath and a handful of others. The dominoes are beginning to fall. And despite the clear cut statement by the PM’s office that all statements on the Maoist issue will only come from the Home Minister’s office, within twenty four hours, Mr. Digvijay Singh spoke up, and he is no small fish. “He (Mr Chidambaram) is treating it purely as a law and order problem without taking into consideration the issues that affect the tribals," Digvijay Singh, wrote in the Economic Times. Further on he went on to say, “We can't solve this problem by ignoring the hopes and aspirations of the people living in these areas... In a civilised society and a vibrant democracy, ultimately it is the people who matter," he added. Mr. Mani Shankar Aiyar, the former Minister of Petroleum and Panchayati Raj had at one time this to say about Chidambaram. “His deposition over four sessions in the witness-box has shown him up to have been a most incompetent minister of state for internal security (1986-89) and most negligent as minister in charge of the investigation into Rajiv Gandhi's assassination from May 24, 1995, till his defection to the TMC on April Fool's Day, 1996. ” And in an add-on to Digvijay Singh’s recent article in the Economic Times, Aiyar said, "Digvijay is not one hundred per cent right, he is not even one thousand per cent right, he is one lakh per cent right." At an MSN India site, the following is stated. “ And at a conference on The Dynamics of Rural Transformation, organised by Planning Commission member Mihir Shah, Aiyar presented a paper which said "the consistent failure of the state governments concerned, and the total lack of conscientiousness on the part of the Centre in urging the states concerned to conscientiously implement, in letter and spirit, the provisions of PESA -- Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act -- have contributed more than any other single factor to the aggravation of the situation in forest areas. This has facilitated the mushrooming of insurgency directed against the state in the heart of India." In the article in The Economic Times on Wednesday, Digvijay Singh further accused Chidambaram, of "intellectual arrogance". There are many in the Congress, including those who are close to Mrs. Sonia Gandhi and her son, who have maintained a significant distance from the genocidal verbiage of “wiping out, sanitizing and cleansing” that has come from the entourage of Mr. Chidambaram, his Police and Paramilitary as well as the loyal mainstream media. In the final analysis, there is nothing sanctified about “law and order” and they know it. Because lawlessness has been a defining character of governance in the Indian countryside. The chips are going to fall, one by one. It is only a matter of time, before Indians from all walks of life will speak up. It does not have to be the tireless voices of the Roys, the Navlakhas, Sundars, Bhusans, Himanshu Kumars only. And it will not be the voices of Justice PB Sawant and Suresh, Professor Yash Pal, Drs. Giri, Bhargava and Subramanium who officiated in the Indian Peoples Tribunal either. Soon other journals and magazines will join Tehelka, Outlook, Mainstream, Open magazines and occasionally The Hindu and even 24 Ghanta (the Kolkata TV channel), as well. Because, there is a tradition in India of quietly re-visiting the past and not simply concocting a present. There is a tradition of thoughtfulness and a renaissance mentality that gently warns against the rabid promotion of the “us and them” dichotomy. There is a tradition in India of being alert to upstarts who want to steal the show. Actors, actresses, scientists, sports personalities will also speak up. News channels, despite the corporate sponsorship they enjoy, will eventually break their bondage and slip in the truth from the hills and rivers of Dandakaranya. There is a limit to how much an entire nation can be duped into this proto-fascist frenzy. Shades of George Bush, post-911! It lasted for a while and Ms. Susan Sonntag, Gore Vidal and a host of others were similarly brutally abused for questioning the rabid war-mongering and xenophobia that followed. So will it happen in India. Even in the Bombay movie tradition, there is a long list of Sahnis, Kapoors, Azmis, Abbas, the heirs in Bengal of Bijon Bhattacharya and Shombhu Mitra and the musical tradition of Salil Choudhury, Sahir Ludhianvi, Majrooh Sultanpuri and others all over the country will come out and have their voices be heard. This is a fork in the road. And if you take the wrong end of the fork, there is no retreat. Hidden agendas will not work in this India. Whether you are a Maoist supporter or not, the facts are clear that the Maoists are NOT on the wrong side of history. You cannot juggle the reality by endlessly discussing the dichotomy of law and order versus development. This is a falsification of the debate. To thump your chest and bemoan the plight of “ our Jawans” as the CPI(Marxist) and the BJP recently did in Parliament, smacks of the same anti-intellectual tradition that followed 911 in the US. The Maoists have, as per their own interpretations, clearly figured out what is going disastrously wrong and they have chosen to highlight this. Their fight has been a fight of resistance, albeit violent. And while the Maoists did not choose violence as their first step ( the counter-Maoists can continue to whine away about the Maoists constitutional edict to seize power by armed struggle etc, highlighting the aspect of power seizure as if it is an overnight coup d’état and not a long drawn out struggle for structural change) they have no choice but to defend their gains. For a long time, the fathers and mothers of liberalization sold the story to the media and who in turn parroted it out, day in and out that India needed to “liberalize.” Behind that well chosen misnomer, the Indian state sold a bill of goods to India’s proto-gullible middle class that questioning this “liberalization” would amount to un-patriotic activity. And the bloggers, twitterers, facebookers went all out to spread the same gospel. Well, that balance is now being tipped. Scores of blogs and sites have now hit out hard against this one sided misrepresentation. If India was the same nation, it was some fifteen years ago, it would not attract much attention, either internally or externally. The times have changed. Today, what happens in Dantewada is written about in Washington DC, in San Francisco, in Moscow, in Amsterdam, London, Singapore, Paris and Johannesburg within hours. Call it what you will, there are representatives of the new media, stationed everywhere, picking up on each other’s pronouncements and belting out stories instantaneously. And some of these stories do not bode well for the folks who quietly promoted the camp of the suave and cocky Mr. P. Chidambaram. Because word has gotten around that within the ruling corridors that there is considerable double taking or to put it somewhat euphemistically some soul searching going on. Mr. Chidambaram had some vague notions that one day he would be an applicant for the position of the PM of this country. Dynasty or not, the Gandhi family knows that Chidambaram is a chip of the old block. For those of you who remember, this is the progeny of the Old Congress Syndicate. The ruling class of India are not a monolithic block and they continue to have their own skirmishes and cock-fights like Morarji Desai and Sanjiva Reddy on one side and the VV Giris, Indira-clan on the other side. Let us not forget that out of the Indian electorate of 714 million, 153,482,356 voted for the Congress party (21% of the electorate) and Manmohan Singh had to run in Assam and Chidambaram required a recount to get their seats. Within the UPA, there are plenty of forces who are not going to put up with the high-handedness of the Chidambaram coterie. Somewhere amongst the denizens in India’s ruling corridors there are families, groupings, influences that have a long lineage going back to India’s struggle to free itself from Britain. In that lineage, non-alignment did well. Playing one superpower against the other. Despite the hidebound theories of the ruling classes’ propensities, the fact is that after all is said and done, the ruling class is not united. On the one hand there are the outright compradors and on the other side are the compromisers who desperately wish for a new superpower. There has always been an Indian state of mind, which eventually shakes itself out of its torpor and calls a spade a spade. The people of India and I mean those who do not read blogs and do not know who George Dick Obama could be, vote with their fists, when they are kicked around too much. Mrs. Indira Gandhi found that out. The BJP realized that in no time. Karat and Yechury smarted under the same blows and Buddhadev Bhattacharya is going to find it out pretty soon. Even though voter turn out in India is still hardly anything to be proud of, when Indians do vote they vote with their minds. From javedmasoo at gmail.com Mon Apr 19 17:40:16 2010 From: javedmasoo at gmail.com (Javed) Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 17:40:16 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The rebirth of the Indian Mujahideen - PRAVEEN SWAMI In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Everyone means those who agreed (that Praveen's writing are not trustworthy) and those who didn't object to that fact. On Mon, Apr 19, 2010 at 3:26 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > Everyone ? Who all consists of everyone ? Pls enlighten > > On Mon, Apr 19, 2010 at 3:25 PM, Javed wrote: >> Dear Pawan >> If you remember, some weeks ago, everyone on this list agreed that >> whatever Praveen Swami says is not to be trusted. So, kindly do not >> forward any of Swami's write-ups here. >> >> Thanks >> >> Javed >> >> >> On Mon, Apr 19, 2010 at 9:34 AM, Pawan Durani wrote: >>> http://beta.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/article402892.ece >>> >>> Saturday's bombings in Bangalore are a grim reminder that the jihadist >>> movement is far from spent. >>> >>> Less than an hour before police surrounded the Indian Mujahideen >>> bomb-factory hidden away on the fringes of the Bhadra forests in >>> Chikmagalur, Mohammad Zarar Siddi Bawa had slipped away on a bus bound >>> for Mangalore — the first step in a journey that would take him to the >>> safety of a Lashkar-e-Taiba safehouse in Karachi. >>> >>> Inside the house, officers involved in the October, 2008, raid found >>> evidence of Bawa's work: laboratory equipment used to test and prepare >>> chemicals, precision tools, and five complete improvised explosive >>> devices. Even as investigators across India set about filing paperwork >>> declaring Bawa a fugitive, few believed they would ever be able to lay >>> eyes on him again. >>> >>> But in February, a closed-circuit television camera placed over the >>> cashier's counter at the Germany Bakery in Pune recorded evidence that >>> Bawa had returned to India — just minutes before an improvised >>> explosive device ripped through the popular restaurant killing >>> seventeen people, and injuring at least sixty. >>> >>> Dressed in a loose-fitting blue shirt, a rucksack slung over his back, >>> the fair, slight young man with a wispy beard has been identified by >>> police sources in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka as “Yasin >>> Bhatkal” — the man who made the bombs which ripped apart ten Indian >>> towns and cities between 2005 and 2008. Witnesses at the restaurant >>> also identified Bawa from photographs, noting that he was wearing >>> trousers rolled up above his ankles — a style favoured by some >>> neo-fundamentalists. >>> >>> Bawa is emerging as the key suspect in Saturday's bombings outside the >>> M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore — a grim reminder that the >>> jihadist offensive that began after the 2002 communal violence in >>> India is very far from spent. >>> >>> The obscure jihadist >>> >>> Little is known about just what led Bawa to join the jihadist >>> movement. Educated at Bhatkal's well-respected Anjuman >>> Hami-e-Muslimeen school, 32-year-old Bawa left for Pune as a teenager. >>> He was later introduced to other members of the Indian Mujahideen as >>> an engineer, but police in Pune have found no documentation suggesting >>> he ever studied in the city. >>> >>> Instead, Bawa spent much of his time with a childhood friend living in >>> Pune, Unani medicine practitioner-turned-Islamist proselytiser Iqbal >>> Ismail Shahbandri. Like his brother Riyaz Ismail Shahbandri — now the >>> Indian Mujahideen's top military commander — Ismail Shahbandri had >>> become an ideological mentor to many young Islamists in Pune and >>> Mumbai, many of them highly-educated professionals. >>> >>> The Shahbandari brothers' parents, like many members of the Bhatkal >>> elite, had relocated to Mumbai in search of new economic >>> opportunities. Ismail Shahbandri, their father, set up leather-tanning >>> factory in Mumbai's Kurla area in the mid-1970s. Riyaz Shahbandri went >>> on to obtain a civil engineering degree from Mumbai's Saboo Siddiqui >>> Engineering College and, in 2002, was married to Nasuha Ismail, the >>> daughter of an electronics store owner in Bhatkal's Dubai Market. >>> >>> Shafiq Ahmad, Nasuha's brother, had drawn Riyaz Shahbandri into the >>> Students Islamic Movement of India. He first met his Indian Mujahideen >>> co-founders Abdul Subhan Qureshi and Sadiq Israr Sheikh, in the months >>> before his marriage. Later, Riyaz Shahbandri made contact with >>> ganglord-turned-jihadist Amir Raza Khan. In the wake of the communal >>> violence that ripped Gujarat apart in 2002, the men set about >>> funnelling recruits to Lashkar camps in Pakistan. >>> >>> Early in the summer of 2004, investigators say, the core members of >>> the network that was later to call itself the Indian Mujahideen met at >>> Bhatkal's beachfront to discuss their plans. Iqbal Shahbandri and >>> Bhatkal-based cleric Shabbir Gangoli are alleged to have held >>> ideological classes; the group also took time out to practice shooting >>> with airguns. Bawa had overall charge of arrangements — a task that >>> illustrated his status as the Bhatkal brothers' most trusted >>> lieutenant. >>> >>> Bhatkal, police investigators say, became the centre of the Indian >>> Mujahideen's operations. From their safehouses in Vitthalamakki and >>> Hakkalamane, bombs were despatched to operational cells dispersed >>> across the country, feeding the most sustained jihadist offensive >>> India has ever seen. >>> >>> Communal war >>> >>> Like so many of his peers in the Indian Mujahideen, Bawa emerged from >>> a fraught communal landscape. Bhatkal's Nawayath Muslims, made >>> prosperous by hundreds of years of trade across the Indian Ocean, >>> emerged as the region's dominant land-owning community. Early in the >>> twentieth century, inspired by call of Aligarh reformer Syed Ahmed >>> Khan, Bhatkal notables led a campaign to bring modern education for >>> the community. The Anjuman Hami-e-Muslimeen school where Bawa studied >>> was one product of their efforts, which eventually spawned >>> highly-regarded institutions that now cater to over several thousand >>> students. >>> >>> Organisations like the Anjuman helped the Navayath Muslims capitalise >>> on the new opportunities for work and business with opened up in the >>> United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia during the 1970s. But this >>> wealth, in turn, engendered resentments which laid the ground for an >>> communal conflict. In the years after the Emergency, the Jana Sangh >>> and its affiliates began to capitalise on resentments Bhatkal's Hindus >>> felt about the prosperity and political power of the Navayaths. The >>> campaign paid off in 1983, when the Hindu right-wing succeeded in >>> dethroning legislator S.M. Yahya, who had served as a state minister >>> between 1972 and 1982. >>> >>> Both communities entered into a competitive communal confrontation, >>> which involved the ostentatious display of piety and power. The >>> Tablighi Jamaat, a neo-fundamentalist organisation which calls on >>> followers to live life in a style claimed to be modelled on that of >>> the Prophet Mohammad, drew a growing mass of followers. Hindutva >>> groups like the Karavalli Hindu Samiti, too, staged ever-larger >>> religious displays to demonstrate their clout. >>> >>> Early in 1993, Bhatkal was hit by communal riots which claimed >>> seventeen lives and left dozens injured. The violence, which began >>> after Hindutva groups claimed stones had been thrown at a Ram Navami >>> procession, and lasted nine months. Later, in April 1996, two Muslims >>> were murdered in retaliation for the assassination of Bharatiya Janata >>> Party legislator U. Chittaranjan — a crime that investigators now say >>> may have been linked to the Bhatkal brothers. More violence broke out >>> in 2004, after the assassination of BJP leader Thimmappa Naik. >>> >>> Iqbal Shahbandri and his recruits were, in key senses, rebels against >>> a traditional political order that appeared to have failed to defend >>> Muslim rights and interests. Inside the Indian Mujahideen safehouses >>> raided in October, 2008, police found no evidence that traditional >>> theological literature or the writings of the Tablighi Jamaat had >>> influenced the group. Instead, they found pro-Taliban videos and >>> speeches by Zakir Naik — a popular but controversial Mumbai-based >>> televangelist who has, among other things, defends Al-Qaeda chief >>> Osama bin-Laden. >>> >>> “If he is fighting the enemies of Islam”, Naik said in one speech, “I >>> am for him. If he is terrorising America the terrorist—the biggest >>> terrorist — I am with him.” “Every Muslim” Naik concluded, “should be >>> a terrorist. The thing is, if he is terrorising a terrorist, he is >>> following Islam”. Naik has never been found to be involved in >>> violence, but his words have fired the imagination of a diverse >>> jihadists — among them, Glasgow suicide-bomber Kafeel Ahmed, 2006 >>> Mumbai train-bombing accused Feroze Deshmukh, and New York taxi driver >>> Najibullah Zazi, who faces trial for planning to attack the city's >>> Grand Central Railway Station. >>> >>> Language like this spoke to concerns of the young people who were >>> drawn to separate jihadist cells that began to spring up across India >>> after the 2002 violence, mirroring the growth of the Indian >>> Mujahideen. SIMI leader Safdar Nagori set up a group that included the >>> Bangalore information-technology professionals Peedical Abdul Shibli >>> and Yahya Kamakutty; in Kerala Tadiyantavide Nasir, Abdul Sattar, and >>> Abdul Jabbar set up a separate organisation that is alleged to have >>> bombed Bangalore in 2008 >>> >>> Storms of hate >>> >>> Well-entrenched in the political system, Bhatkal's Muslim leadership >>> has been hostile to radical Islamism. Efforts by Islamist political >>> groups to establish a presence there have, for the most part, been >>> unsuccessful. But authorities acknowledge Bhatkal, like much of the >>> Dakshina Kannada region, remains communally fraught. Small-scale >>> confrontations are routine. Earlier this month, the Karavalli Hindu >>> Samiti even staged demonstrations in support of the Sanatana Sanstha, >>> the Hindutva group police in Goa say was responsible for terrorist >>> bombings carried out last year. >>> >>> Pakistan's intelligence services and transnational jihadist groups >>> like the Lashkar nurtured and fed India's jihadist movement — but its >>> birth was the outcome of an ugly communal contestation that remains >>> unresolved. Even as India's police and intelligence services work to >>> dismantle the jihadist project, politicians need to find means to >>> still the storms of hate which sustain 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 yasir.media at gmail.com Mon Apr 19 17:43:16 2010 From: yasir.media at gmail.com (=?UTF-8?B?eWFzaXIgftmK2Kcg2LPYsQ==?=) Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 17:13:16 +0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Fwd: war or peace on the indus // briscoe In-Reply-To: <272346.14311.qm@web57207.mail.re3.yahoo.com> References: <272346.14311.qm@web57207.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Dear Kshemendra I am clueless as to how to answer you. except to say that one should -these people should- have more respect for rivers. best yasir On Mon, Apr 19, 2010 at 4:19 PM, Kshmendra Kaul wrote: > Dear Yasir > > The wicked temptation is to dismiss Briscoe as "Pakistan ka tattoo" or "ISI > Agent" but that would be trivialising what is a serious issue between India > and Pakistan. > > The following is my thinking-aloud on Briscoe's article. > > (((((( It has led to the concluding remark by me: > > To "move beyond the past", especially a bitter past is the right thing to > do, but it would be foolish of India to ease Pakistan's worries when the > 'past' inimical actions and propagations of Pakistan against India continue > in the "present' and show no signs of abating in the near 'future'. ))))))) > > John Briscoe is very precise in his understanding and as a neutral voice, > is concerned about Pakistan ("the great vulnerability and legitimate concern > of Pakistan) as the 'lower riparian' land which might be at the mercy of the > India described by him as the "regional hegemon". > > Briscoe's very fair comment is "there is no objective conflict of interests > between the countries over the waters of the Indus Basin,". He is referring > to the water-sharing regimes under the 1960 Indus Water Treaty between > Pakistan and India. > > Briscoe rightly pinpoints the problem being in "quantity of water reaching > Pakistan" and interference in "the natural timing of those flows." that can > and has arisen from the nature of execution of India's rights under the > Treaty to "tap the considerable hydropower potential of the Chenab and > Jhelum before the rivers enter Pakistan" > > Briscoe lists out the technical aspects of what have-been/can-be the source > of the problem. > > India's major problem under the Treaty, as Briscvoe states, comes > from "physical restrictions meant that gates for flushing silt out of the > dams could not be built, thus ensuring that any dam in India would rapidly > fill with the silt pouring off the young Himalayas." > > Pakistan's problem is well summarised (in connection with India's right to > build dams) in this comment from Briscoe " If, God forbid, India so chose, > it could use this cumulative live storage to impose major reductions on > water availability in Pakistan during the critical planting season." > > While India's problem was redressed by adjucation in the Bagliar Dam case > it left Pakistan more "vulnerable". > > So Briscoe calls out for: > > - "some courageous and open-minded Indians – in government or out – who > will stand up and explain to the public why this is not just an issue for > Pakistan, but why it is an existential issue for Pakistan." > > - " leadership from the Government of India." > > - "invitation to Pakistan to explore ways in which the principles of the > Indus Waters Treaty could be respected, while providing a win for Pakistan > (assurance on their flows) and a win for India (reducing the chronic legal > uncertainty which vexes every Indian project on the Chenab or Jhelum). With > good will there are multiple ways in which the treaty could be maintained > but reinterpreted so that both countries could win" > > Very laudable of Briscoe. > > Where Briscoe falters in his understanding of the nature of complexities in > the relations between India and Pakistan is in his advice " Indus waters > should be de-linked from both historic grievances and from the other > Kashmir-related issues." > > Briscoe says " it is a sign of statesmanship, not weakness, to acknowledge > the past and then move beyond it." > > "Leadership" and "Statesmanship" are all very well but should not be > employed in the absence of reciprocity. > > "Let me sit with you to solve your problems while you continue top create > problems for me" is neither statesmanlike nor sensible leadership. > > To "move beyond the past", especially a bitter past is the right thing to > do, but it would be foolish of India to ease Pakistan's worries when the > 'past' inmical actions and propagations of Pakistan against India continue > in the "present' and show no signs of abating in the near 'future'. > > Kshmendra > > War or Peace on the Indus? > By SouthAsian > *By John Briscoe* > Anyone foolish enough to write on war or peace in the Indus needs to first > banish a set of immediate suspicions. I am neither Indian nor Pakistani. I > am a South African who has worked on water issues in the subcontinent for 35 > years and who has lived in Bangladesh (in the 1970s) and Delhi (in the > 2000s). In 2006 I published, with fine Indian colleagues, an Oxford > University Press book titled India’s Water Economy: Facing a Turbulent > Future and, with fine Pakistani colleagues, one titled Pakistan’s Water > Economy: Running Dry. > > I was the Senior Water Advisor for the World Bank who dealt with the > appointment of the Neutral Expert on the Baglihar case. My last assignment > at the World Bank (relevant, as described later) was as Country Director for > Brazil. I am now a mere university professor, and speak in the name of no > one but myself. > > I have deep affection for the people of both India and Pakistan, and am > dismayed by what I see as a looming train wreck on the Indus, with > disastrous consequences for both countries. I will outline why there is no > objective conflict of interests between the countries over the waters of the > Indus Basin, make some observations of the need for a change in public > discourse, and suggest how the drivers of the train can put on the brakes > before it is too late. > > *Is there an inherent conflict between India and Pakistan?* > The simple answer is no. The Indus Waters Treaty allocates the water of the > three western rivers to Pakistan, but allows India to tap the considerable > hydropower potential of the Chenab and Jhelum before the rivers enter > Pakistan. > > The qualification is that this use of hydropower is not to affect either > the quantity of water reaching Pakistan or to interfere with the natural > timing of those flows. Since hydropower does not consume water, the only > issue is timing. And timing is a very big issue, because agriculture in the > Pakistani plains depends not only on how much water comes, but that it comes > in critical periods during the planting season. The reality is that India > could tap virtually all of the available power without negatively affecting > the timing of flows to which Pakistan is entitled. > > *Is the Indus Treaty a stable basis for cooperation?* > If Pakistan and India had normal, trustful relations, there would be a > mutually-verified monitoring process which would assure that there is no > change in the flows going into Pakistan. (In an even more ideal world, India > could increase low-flows during the critical planting season, with > significant benefit to Pakistani farmers and with very small impacts on > power generation in India.) Because the relationship was not normal when the > treaty was negotiated, Pakistan would agree only if limitations on India’s > capacity to manipulate the timing of flows was hardwired into the treaty. > This was done by limiting the amount of “live storage” (the storage that > matters for changing the timing of flows) in each and every hydropower dam > that India would construct on the two rivers. > > While this made sense given knowledge in 1960, over time it became clear > that this restriction gave rise to a major problem. The physical > restrictions meant that gates for flushing silt out of the dams could not be > built, thus ensuring that any dam in India would rapidly fill with the silt > pouring off the young Himalayas. > > This was a critical issue at stake in the Baglihar case. Pakistan > (reasonably) said that the gates being installed were in violation of the > specifications of the treaty. India (equally reasonably) argued that it > would be wrong to build a dam knowing it would soon fill with silt. The > finding of the Neutral Expert was essentially a reinterpretation of the > Treaty, saying that the physical limitations no longer made sense. While the > finding was reasonable in the case of Baglihar, it left Pakistan without the > mechanism – limited live storage – which was its only (albeit weak) > protection against upstream manipulation of flows in India. This > vulnerability was driven home when India chose to fill Baglihar exactly at > the time when it would impose maximum harm on farmers in downstream > Pakistan. > > If Baglihar was the only dam being built by India on the Chenab and Jhelum, > this would be a limited problem. But following Baglihar is a veritable > caravan of Indian projects – Kishanganga, Sawalkot, Pakuldul, Bursar, Dal > Huste, Gyspa… The cumulative live storage will be large, giving India an > unquestioned capacity to have major impact on the timing of flows into > Pakistan. (Using Baglihar as a reference, simple back-of-the-envelope > calculations suggest that once it has constructed all of the planned > hydropower plants on the Chenab, India will have an ability to effect major > damage on Pakistan. First, there is the one-time effect of filling the new > dams. If done during the wet season this would have little effect on > Pakistan. But if done during the critical low-flow period, there would be a > large one-time effect (as was the case when India filled Baglihar). Second, > there is the permanent threat which would be a consequence of substantial > cumulative live storage which could store about one month’s worth of > low-season flow on the Chenab. If, God forbid, India so chose, it could use > this cumulative live storage to impose major reductions on water > availability in Pakistan during the critical planting season. > > *Views on “the water problem” from both sides of the border and the role > of the press* > Living in Delhi and working in both India and Pakistan, I was struck by a > paradox. One country was a vigorous democracy, the other a military regime. > But whereas an important part of the Pakistani press regularly reported > India’s views on the water issue in an objective way, the Indian press never > did the same. I never saw a report which gave Indian readers a factual > description of the enormous vulnerability of Pakistan, of the way in which > India had socked it to Pakistan when filling Baglihar. How could this be, I > asked? Because, a journalist colleague in Delhi told me, “when it comes to > Kashmir – and the Indus Treaty is considered an integral part of Kashmir — > the ministry of external affairs instructs newspapers on what they can and > cannot say, and often tells them explicitly what it is they are to say.” > > This apparently remains the case. In the context of the recent talks > between India and Pakistan I read, in Boston, the electronic reports on the > disagreement about “the water issue” in The Times of India, > The Hindustan Times, > The Hindu , The > Indian Expressand The > Economic Times. > Taken together, these reports make astounding reading. Not only was the > message the same in each case (“no real issue, just Pakistani shenanigans”), > but the arguments were the same, the numbers were the same and the phrases > were the same. And in all cases the source was “analysts” and “experts” — in > not one case was the reader informed that this was reporting an official > position of the Government of India. > > Equally depressing is my repeated experience – most recently at a major > international meeting of strategic security institutions in Delhi – that > even the most liberal and enlightened of Indian analysts (many of whom are > friends who I greatly respect) seem constitutionally incapable of seeing the > great vulnerability and legitimate concern of Pakistan (which is obvious and > objective to an outsider). > > *A way forward* > This is a very uneven playing field. The regional hegemon is the upper > riparian and has all the cards in its hands. This asymmetry means that it is > India that is driving the train, and that change must start in India. In my > view, four things need to be done. > > First, there must be some courageous and open-minded Indians – in > government or out – who will stand up and explain to the public why this is > not just an issue for Pakistan, but why it is an existential issue for > Pakistan. > > Second, there must be leadership from the Government of India. Here I am > struck by the stark difference between the behaviour of India and that of > its fellow BRIC – Brazil, the regional hegemon in Latin America. > > Brazil and Paraguay have a binding agreement on their rights and > responsibilities on the massive Itaipu Binacional Hydropower Project. The > proceeds, which are of enormous importance to small Paraguay, played a > politicised, polemical anti-Brazilian part in the recent presidential > election in Paraguay. Similarly, Brazil’s and Bolivia’s binding agreement on > gas also became part of an anti-Brazil presidential campaign theme. > > The public and press in Brazil bayed for blood and insisted that Bolivia > and Paraguay be made to pay. So what did President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva > do? “Look,” he said to his irate countrymen, “these are poor countries, and > these are huge issues for them. They are our brothers. Yes, we are in our > legal rights to be harsh with them, but we are going to show understanding > and generosity, and so I am unilaterally doubling (in the case of Paraguay) > and tripling (in the case of Bolivia) the payments we make to them. Brazil > is a big country and a relatively rich one, so this will do a lot for them > and won’t harm us much.” India could, and should, in my view, similarly make > the effort to see it from its neighbour’s point of view, and should show the > generosity of spirit which is an integral part of being a truly great power > and good neighbour. > > Third, this should translate into an invitation to Pakistan to explore ways > in which the principles of the Indus Waters Treaty could be respected, while > providing a win for Pakistan (assurance on their flows) and a win for India > (reducing the chronic legal uncertainty which vexes every Indian project on > the Chenab or Jhelum). With good will there are multiple ways in which the > treaty could be maintained but reinterpreted so that both countries could > win. > > Fourth, discussions on the Indus waters should be de-linked from both > historic grievances and from the other Kashmir-related issues. Again, it is > a sign of statesmanship, not weakness, to acknowledge the past and then move > beyond it. This is personal for me, as someone of Irish origin. Conor Cruise > O’Brien once remarked, “Santayana said that those who did not learn their > history would be condemned to repeat it; in the case of Ireland we have > learned our history so well that we are condemned to repeat it, again and > again.” > > And finally, as a South African I am acutely aware that Nelson Mandela, > after 27 years in prison, chose not to settle scores but to look forward and > construct a better future, for all the people of his country and mine. Who > will be the Indian Mandela who will do this – for the benefit of Pakistanis > and Indians – on the Indus? > > *John Briscoe is the Gordon McKay Professor of Environmental Engineering, > Harvard University. This op-ed is reproduced with permission of the author > who wrote it for Aman ki Asha, the joint peace initiative of the Jang > Group of Pakistan and the Times of India. It was originally published in > Jang (March 31) and The News (April 3) as part of Aman ki Asha’s ongoing > campaign on information about water issues.* > * > > Link for The News: > http://thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=232342* > > --- On *Thu, 4/15/10, yasir ~يا سر * wrote: > > > From: yasir ~يا سر > Subject: [Reader-list] Fwd: war or peace on the indus // briscoe > To: "Sarai Reader-list" > Date: Thursday, April 15, 2010, 8:00 PM > > *war or peace on the indus* > > > http://thesouthasianidea.wordpress.com/2010/04/03/war-or-peace-on-the-indus/ > _________________________________________ > 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/> > > > From rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com Mon Apr 19 17:51:18 2010 From: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com (Rakesh Iyer) Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 17:51:18 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] "Secret face of the real Pakistan" In-Reply-To: <844699.71440.qm@web57203.mail.re3.yahoo.com> References: <844699.71440.qm@web57203.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Dear Kshamendra I would have only a few things to say to this article posted by you. 1) It's extremely important to understand that in any nation, there are human beings who are different from each other. And these would be different in their views and thoughts as well. And they may not necessarily believe in what the government believes in. This is important to understand for any nation, be it Pakistan, India, China (yes, even China) or any other nation. There are voices in Pakistan which seek peace with India, similarly as there are voices in India which seek peace with Pakistan. And there are voices in Pakistan which seek war with India (ala Hafeez Sayeed of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa) as there are voices in India which seek war with Pakistan. There are voices in both nations also which seek indifference from each other. And there would be voices which would be confused in dealing with each other. There would be others who haven't heard about the issue at all, or may not be concerned about it. To state that Pakistan or India is a monolith is wrong. The writer seems to have thought that the entire civil society believes in peace with Pakistan, but that unfortunately, is not the case. Even if it were so, the civil society doesn't constitute the entire population of India, and thus one can't say India as a whole wants peace with Pakistan. But then again, that also doesn't mean India wants war with Pakistan, since the same people also have not demanded a war. There are people on this forum who may think of a war with Pakistan (covert or non-covert), just as those who may think of peace with them. And so would be the case in Pakistan. So for every High Court chief justice stating that India is an enemy, there would be an Asma Jehangir who would think India is a potential friend. 2) As far as the acts of Pakistani state and certain section of citizens in that nation are concerned, yes they are effecting us. But I think we can hardly do anything as such with them. And I am speaking the truth. The unfortunate problem is that Indian politicians don't have the guts to state so before the Indian public, which has to realize this through bomb blasts. What the Indian govt. can do is reform the police in terms of its working and ethics, and depoliticize it. The Indian govt. can also ensure better coordination and working of the intelligence machinery and can thus achieve better results by strengthening it as well as improving its functioning. Critically, it would have to make Muslims a key part in this fight against terror (not the George Bush way, but the Indian way). And justice must be delivered in cases where Muslims have suffered, and not just for reducing causes of terror. But what we can do stops here and begs us to think. We can't ask for sanctions against Pakistan, for nobody will support us. And sanctions will only affect the people, not the army or the terror groups who act against us. Plus sanctions will only increase the legitimacy of anti-India groups in Pakistan. Equally, neither can we bombard the terror groups for we then risk a war with Pakistan. And the UN can't do anything. Then what can be done? Two things. And here we have to realize it. The nexus of the Pakistan army and terror must be exposed. It is already exposed in the media even in the US. Now it must be exposed to the world citizens as a whole. The effects of this can be quite large. The Pakistan Army and their actions which have supported terrorism must be brought among the public at large and pressure must be applied by all people across the world to force Pakistan to take action against these groups. It's tough for us, but it is one of the two most important steps in the fight against terror. This can also force countries to stop militarily aiding Pakistan, particularly the US and other European countries, as well as to an extent, China. This should be our first major step. It's a diplomatic offensive, but not so much against a nation, as against those groups in Pakistan which seek to destroy the lives of innocents in our country, as also the lives of citizens in Pakistan itself, by teaching them useless things and inciting them to commit violence. The second is something only the citizens of Pakistan can do, not us. A civil movement which fights against terror groups and secures back the power through democratic and legitimate means is the other way to dismantle the terror infrastructure built on that side of the border. That is the only ultimate solution. This can't be achieved by just people around the world, but only by Pakistani citizens. It's when they come out and fight and speak out against the terror groups that this can be tackled and dealt with on a final basis. Rakesh From aliens at dataone.in Mon Apr 19 18:24:18 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 18:24:18 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR In-Reply-To: References: <000601caddfb$cf416660$6dc43320$@in> <458799.31425.qm@web57205.mail.re3.yahoo.com> <001e01cade18$d716af90$85440eb0$@in> <6F550FA0-EF07-4F5E-9CFA-DD741F843ECC@sarai.net> <000001cade26$8941e100$9bc5a300$@in> <005101cadeb7$344e2b40$9cea81c0$@in> Message-ID: <003501cadfbf$6d067dd0$47137970$@in> Dear Shuddha and Nagraj, Thanks for your reply about my question and express your concern for uses or rather excess use of forest resources, mines. There is a famous quote in Sanskrit, "Ati Sarvatra Varjyate" means excess is condemnable everywhere, be it food, study, play and for today computer, mobile. Perhaps, man nature is greedy creates the problem. That is why our ancestors put certain norms to follow and clubbed it with religion. But, even they have not thought that all the religions will be misused by our future generation. God or rather nature made this natural resources not for show or to keep it un-utilize, but for use of human being only to use it in disciplined manner and when it is going to utilize for years and years the impact of global warming, climate change, pollution bound to their. Do you think that nature, when so smart to make all these things, did not aware about this ill affects? We are nothing against nature, he/she is very smart and keeping all these side effects in mind, made its own natural repairing system. So, don't bother much about it. Human being grown from there ancestor to today's cultured society. So, development is in human blood. Growing is natural law. Newly born baby grows and become young to old similarly man also like to grow. My some friends are against capitalism. But, capitalism means to generate wealth. So, the population is growing one has to generate wealth to cope up. With your belief if we restrict mines use than first we have to control our population growth. This is key criteria to restrict our use of key mine produce. But, it's altogether different story when someone talks about population control. Anyway apart from philosophy, Shuddha mines are not producing only bauxite/alluminium but lots of products like iron, coal, lime stone, grit, marble, granites, gold, silver and many other things. We stick to basic materials like iron and cement. At each and every step, you will require these two, without that present world cannot exist. Even you are communicating with this forum required basic mining materials since for this you are at your home/office using chair/table, electronic amenities etc. where you don't need these products? Here those arguing against maoist or pro-maoist, all are concern for poor/tribal and one must look for their welfare. Keeping these in mind or may be government realize this lately, Parliament cleared the Forest Rights Act (FRA) and became law in 2006, which enables a tribal to reclaim their land. Within 3 years of time, Andhra Pradesh granted land to 53% of all tribal/poor applicants, Tripura 51.45%, Orissa 37.35%, WB 35%, Chhatisgarh 33.3%. this shows that states are keen to solve tribal issues and resolve their discontent. One should appreciate this that within 3 years, how efficiently this has implicated. I appreciate like Arundhati and others who fights for tribal rights for whatever reason must show their keenness and must act as mediator between tribal and government to resolve this problem. They should also try to convince tribal/poor for small family to remain happy. They can be best teacher for maoist and must try to convince to surrender their arm and in the case government will surely offer them alternative mode of earning. Thanks Bipin From taraprakash at gmail.com Mon Apr 19 19:15:44 2010 From: taraprakash at gmail.com (TaraPrakash) Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 09:45:44 -0400 Subject: [Reader-list] The rebirth of the Indian Mujahideen - PRAVEENSWAMI References: Message-ID: <5000168D3F66412183421F8D46E30C70@tara> Swami writes for one of the most reliable newspapers of India. If I am not wrong, newspapers, at least the ones like Hindu, do not just publish stuff. There is some editorial control. Swami may not be the most credible correspondent, he is thousand times more credible than Amrish Misra whose stuff you forwarded to the list. I was trying to find a less severe term than hypocrisy when you don't want Swami's articles on this list, but I couldn't find. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Javed" To: "Pawan Durani" Cc: "reader-list" Sent: Monday, April 19, 2010 5:55 AM Subject: Re: [Reader-list] The rebirth of the Indian Mujahideen - PRAVEENSWAMI > Dear Pawan > If you remember, some weeks ago, everyone on this list agreed that > whatever Praveen Swami says is not to be trusted. So, kindly do not > forward any of Swami's write-ups here. > > Thanks > > Javed > > > On Mon, Apr 19, 2010 at 9:34 AM, Pawan Durani > wrote: >> http://beta.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/article402892.ece >> >> Saturday's bombings in Bangalore are a grim reminder that the jihadist >> movement is far from spent. >> >> Less than an hour before police surrounded the Indian Mujahideen >> bomb-factory hidden away on the fringes of the Bhadra forests in >> Chikmagalur, Mohammad Zarar Siddi Bawa had slipped away on a bus bound >> for Mangalore — the first step in a journey that would take him to the >> safety of a Lashkar-e-Taiba safehouse in Karachi. >> >> Inside the house, officers involved in the October, 2008, raid found >> evidence of Bawa's work: laboratory equipment used to test and prepare >> chemicals, precision tools, and five complete improvised explosive >> devices. Even as investigators across India set about filing paperwork >> declaring Bawa a fugitive, few believed they would ever be able to lay >> eyes on him again. >> >> But in February, a closed-circuit television camera placed over the >> cashier's counter at the Germany Bakery in Pune recorded evidence that >> Bawa had returned to India — just minutes before an improvised >> explosive device ripped through the popular restaurant killing >> seventeen people, and injuring at least sixty. >> >> Dressed in a loose-fitting blue shirt, a rucksack slung over his back, >> the fair, slight young man with a wispy beard has been identified by >> police sources in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka as “Yasin >> Bhatkal” — the man who made the bombs which ripped apart ten Indian >> towns and cities between 2005 and 2008. Witnesses at the restaurant >> also identified Bawa from photographs, noting that he was wearing >> trousers rolled up above his ankles — a style favoured by some >> neo-fundamentalists. >> >> Bawa is emerging as the key suspect in Saturday's bombings outside the >> M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore — a grim reminder that the >> jihadist offensive that began after the 2002 communal violence in >> India is very far from spent. >> >> The obscure jihadist >> >> Little is known about just what led Bawa to join the jihadist >> movement. Educated at Bhatkal's well-respected Anjuman >> Hami-e-Muslimeen school, 32-year-old Bawa left for Pune as a teenager. >> He was later introduced to other members of the Indian Mujahideen as >> an engineer, but police in Pune have found no documentation suggesting >> he ever studied in the city. >> >> Instead, Bawa spent much of his time with a childhood friend living in >> Pune, Unani medicine practitioner-turned-Islamist proselytiser Iqbal >> Ismail Shahbandri. Like his brother Riyaz Ismail Shahbandri — now the >> Indian Mujahideen's top military commander — Ismail Shahbandri had >> become an ideological mentor to many young Islamists in Pune and >> Mumbai, many of them highly-educated professionals. >> >> The Shahbandari brothers' parents, like many members of the Bhatkal >> elite, had relocated to Mumbai in search of new economic >> opportunities. Ismail Shahbandri, their father, set up leather-tanning >> factory in Mumbai's Kurla area in the mid-1970s. Riyaz Shahbandri went >> on to obtain a civil engineering degree from Mumbai's Saboo Siddiqui >> Engineering College and, in 2002, was married to Nasuha Ismail, the >> daughter of an electronics store owner in Bhatkal's Dubai Market. >> >> Shafiq Ahmad, Nasuha's brother, had drawn Riyaz Shahbandri into the >> Students Islamic Movement of India. He first met his Indian Mujahideen >> co-founders Abdul Subhan Qureshi and Sadiq Israr Sheikh, in the months >> before his marriage. Later, Riyaz Shahbandri made contact with >> ganglord-turned-jihadist Amir Raza Khan. In the wake of the communal >> violence that ripped Gujarat apart in 2002, the men set about >> funnelling recruits to Lashkar camps in Pakistan. >> >> Early in the summer of 2004, investigators say, the core members of >> the network that was later to call itself the Indian Mujahideen met at >> Bhatkal's beachfront to discuss their plans. Iqbal Shahbandri and >> Bhatkal-based cleric Shabbir Gangoli are alleged to have held >> ideological classes; the group also took time out to practice shooting >> with airguns. Bawa had overall charge of arrangements — a task that >> illustrated his status as the Bhatkal brothers' most trusted >> lieutenant. >> >> Bhatkal, police investigators say, became the centre of the Indian >> Mujahideen's operations. From their safehouses in Vitthalamakki and >> Hakkalamane, bombs were despatched to operational cells dispersed >> across the country, feeding the most sustained jihadist offensive >> India has ever seen. >> >> Communal war >> >> Like so many of his peers in the Indian Mujahideen, Bawa emerged from >> a fraught communal landscape. Bhatkal's Nawayath Muslims, made >> prosperous by hundreds of years of trade across the Indian Ocean, >> emerged as the region's dominant land-owning community. Early in the >> twentieth century, inspired by call of Aligarh reformer Syed Ahmed >> Khan, Bhatkal notables led a campaign to bring modern education for >> the community. The Anjuman Hami-e-Muslimeen school where Bawa studied >> was one product of their efforts, which eventually spawned >> highly-regarded institutions that now cater to over several thousand >> students. >> >> Organisations like the Anjuman helped the Navayath Muslims capitalise >> on the new opportunities for work and business with opened up in the >> United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia during the 1970s. But this >> wealth, in turn, engendered resentments which laid the ground for an >> communal conflict. In the years after the Emergency, the Jana Sangh >> and its affiliates began to capitalise on resentments Bhatkal's Hindus >> felt about the prosperity and political power of the Navayaths. The >> campaign paid off in 1983, when the Hindu right-wing succeeded in >> dethroning legislator S.M. Yahya, who had served as a state minister >> between 1972 and 1982. >> >> Both communities entered into a competitive communal confrontation, >> which involved the ostentatious display of piety and power. The >> Tablighi Jamaat, a neo-fundamentalist organisation which calls on >> followers to live life in a style claimed to be modelled on that of >> the Prophet Mohammad, drew a growing mass of followers. Hindutva >> groups like the Karavalli Hindu Samiti, too, staged ever-larger >> religious displays to demonstrate their clout. >> >> Early in 1993, Bhatkal was hit by communal riots which claimed >> seventeen lives and left dozens injured. The violence, which began >> after Hindutva groups claimed stones had been thrown at a Ram Navami >> procession, and lasted nine months. Later, in April 1996, two Muslims >> were murdered in retaliation for the assassination of Bharatiya Janata >> Party legislator U. Chittaranjan — a crime that investigators now say >> may have been linked to the Bhatkal brothers. More violence broke out >> in 2004, after the assassination of BJP leader Thimmappa Naik. >> >> Iqbal Shahbandri and his recruits were, in key senses, rebels against >> a traditional political order that appeared to have failed to defend >> Muslim rights and interests. Inside the Indian Mujahideen safehouses >> raided in October, 2008, police found no evidence that traditional >> theological literature or the writings of the Tablighi Jamaat had >> influenced the group. Instead, they found pro-Taliban videos and >> speeches by Zakir Naik — a popular but controversial Mumbai-based >> televangelist who has, among other things, defends Al-Qaeda chief >> Osama bin-Laden. >> >> “If he is fighting the enemies of Islam”, Naik said in one speech, “I >> am for him. If he is terrorising America the terrorist—the biggest >> terrorist — I am with him.” “Every Muslim” Naik concluded, “should be >> a terrorist. The thing is, if he is terrorising a terrorist, he is >> following Islam”. Naik has never been found to be involved in >> violence, but his words have fired the imagination of a diverse >> jihadists — among them, Glasgow suicide-bomber Kafeel Ahmed, 2006 >> Mumbai train-bombing accused Feroze Deshmukh, and New York taxi driver >> Najibullah Zazi, who faces trial for planning to attack the city's >> Grand Central Railway Station. >> >> Language like this spoke to concerns of the young people who were >> drawn to separate jihadist cells that began to spring up across India >> after the 2002 violence, mirroring the growth of the Indian >> Mujahideen. SIMI leader Safdar Nagori set up a group that included the >> Bangalore information-technology professionals Peedical Abdul Shibli >> and Yahya Kamakutty; in Kerala Tadiyantavide Nasir, Abdul Sattar, and >> Abdul Jabbar set up a separate organisation that is alleged to have >> bombed Bangalore in 2008 >> >> Storms of hate >> >> Well-entrenched in the political system, Bhatkal's Muslim leadership >> has been hostile to radical Islamism. Efforts by Islamist political >> groups to establish a presence there have, for the most part, been >> unsuccessful. But authorities acknowledge Bhatkal, like much of the >> Dakshina Kannada region, remains communally fraught. Small-scale >> confrontations are routine. Earlier this month, the Karavalli Hindu >> Samiti even staged demonstrations in support of the Sanatana Sanstha, >> the Hindutva group police in Goa say was responsible for terrorist >> bombings carried out last year. >> >> Pakistan's intelligence services and transnational jihadist groups >> like the Lashkar nurtured and fed India's jihadist movement — but its >> birth was the outcome of an ugly communal contestation that remains >> unresolved. Even as India's police and intelligence services work to >> dismantle the jihadist project, politicians need to find means to >> still the storms of hate which sustain 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/> From aliens at dataone.in Mon Apr 19 19:32:24 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 19:32:24 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] NAXAL BRUTAL TERROR Message-ID: <004301cadfc8$fcf37f70$f6da7e50$@in> Dear Shuddha and Nagraj, Thanks for your reply about my question and express your concern for uses or rather excess use of forest resources, mines. There is a famous quote in Sanskrit, "Ati Sarvatra Varjyate" means excess is condemnable everywhere, be it food, study, play and for today computer, mobile. Perhaps, man nature is greedy creates the problem. That is why our ancestors put certain norms to follow and clubbed it with religion. But, even they have not thought that all the religions will be misused by our future generation. God or rather nature made this natural resources not for show or to keep it un-utilize, but for use of human being only to use it in disciplined manner and when it is going to utilize for years and years the impact of global warming, climate change, pollution bound to their. Do you think that nature, when so smart to make all these things, did not aware about this ill affects? We are nothing against nature, he/she is very smart and keeping all these side effects in mind, made its own natural repairing system. So, don't bother much about it. Human being grown from there ancestor to today's cultured society. So, development is in human blood. Growing is natural law. Newly born baby grows and become young to old similarly man also like to grow. My some friends are against capitalism. But, capitalism means to generate wealth. So, the population is growing one has to generate wealth to cope up. With your belief if we restrict mines use than first we have to control our population growth. This is key criteria to restrict our use of key mine produce. But, it's altogether different story when someone talks about population control. Anyway apart from philosophy, Shuddha mines are not producing only bauxite/alluminium but lots of products like iron, coal, lime stone, grit, marble, granites, gold, silver and many other things. We stick to basic materials like iron and cement. At each and every step, you will require these two, without that present world cannot exist. Even you are communicating with this forum required basic mining materials since for this you are at your home/office using chair/table, electronic amenities etc. where you don't need these products? Here those arguing against maoist or pro-maoist, all are concern for poor/tribal and one must look for their welfare. Keeping these in mind or may be government realize this lately, Parliament cleared the Forest Rights Act (FRA) and became law in 2006, which enables a tribal to reclaim their land. Within 3 years of time, Andhra Pradesh granted land to 53% of all tribal/poor applicants, Tripura 51.45%, Orissa 37.35%, WB 35%, Chhatisgarh 33.3%. this shows that states are keen to solve tribal issues and resolve their discontent. One should appreciate this that within 3 years, how efficiently this has implicated. I appreciate like Arundhati and others who fights for tribal rights for whatever reason must show their keenness and must act as mediator between tribal and government to resolve this problem. They should also try to convince tribal/poor for small family to remain happy. They can be best teacher for maoist and must try to convince to surrender their arm and in the case government will surely offer them alternative mode of earning. Thanks Bipin From javedmasoo at gmail.com Mon Apr 19 21:34:45 2010 From: javedmasoo at gmail.com (Javed) Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 21:34:45 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The rebirth of the Indian Mujahideen - PRAVEENSWAMI In-Reply-To: <5000168D3F66412183421F8D46E30C70@tara> References: <5000168D3F66412183421F8D46E30C70@tara> Message-ID: Dear Tara You are free to use the word hypocrisy for me, but unfortunately Praveen Swami's writings are such that they can be used any which way - hence he is the one who inspires hypocracy. I would like you to go back to some posts from 2 months ago about Praveen Swami (where he theorized about the Hindutva's hand in Pune blast), where even Shuddha and Bipin agreed that Swami's writings are not to be taken seriously: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/2010-February/023839.html So, if he gives details about "Islamic terrorism" (which he does very often) we seem to believe him blindly. But when he talks about Hindutva terror (very rarely), we chose not to believe him. I don't know what to call that if not hypocrisy. Javed On Mon, Apr 19, 2010 at 7:15 PM, TaraPrakash wrote: > Swami writes for one of the most reliable newspapers of India. If I am not > wrong, newspapers, at least the ones like Hindu, do not just publish stuff. > There is some editorial control. Swami may not be the most credible > correspondent, he is thousand times more credible than Amrish Misra whose > stuff you forwarded to the list. I was trying to find a less severe term > than hypocrisy when you don't want Swami's articles on this list, but I > couldn't find. > > > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Javed" > To: "Pawan Durani" > Cc: "reader-list" > Sent: Monday, April 19, 2010 5:55 AM > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] The rebirth of the Indian Mujahideen - > PRAVEENSWAMI > > >> Dear Pawan >> If you remember, some weeks ago, everyone on this list agreed that >> whatever Praveen Swami says is not to be trusted. So, kindly do not >> forward any of Swami's write-ups here. >> >> Thanks >> >> Javed >> >> >> On Mon, Apr 19, 2010 at 9:34 AM, Pawan Durani >> wrote: >>> >>> http://beta.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/article402892.ece >>> >>> Saturday's bombings in Bangalore are a grim reminder that the jihadist >>> movement is far from spent. >>> >>> Less than an hour before police surrounded the Indian Mujahideen >>> bomb-factory hidden away on the fringes of the Bhadra forests in >>> Chikmagalur, Mohammad Zarar Siddi Bawa had slipped away on a bus bound >>> for Mangalore — the first step in a journey that would take him to the >>> safety of a Lashkar-e-Taiba safehouse in Karachi. >>> >>> Inside the house, officers involved in the October, 2008, raid found >>> evidence of Bawa's work: laboratory equipment used to test and prepare >>> chemicals, precision tools, and five complete improvised explosive >>> devices. Even as investigators across India set about filing paperwork >>> declaring Bawa a fugitive, few believed they would ever be able to lay >>> eyes on him again. >>> >>> But in February, a closed-circuit television camera placed over the >>> cashier's counter at the Germany Bakery in Pune recorded evidence that >>> Bawa had returned to India — just minutes before an improvised >>> explosive device ripped through the popular restaurant killing >>> seventeen people, and injuring at least sixty. >>> >>> Dressed in a loose-fitting blue shirt, a rucksack slung over his back, >>> the fair, slight young man with a wispy beard has been identified by >>> police sources in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka as “Yasin >>> Bhatkal” — the man who made the bombs which ripped apart ten Indian >>> towns and cities between 2005 and 2008. Witnesses at the restaurant >>> also identified Bawa from photographs, noting that he was wearing >>> trousers rolled up above his ankles — a style favoured by some >>> neo-fundamentalists. >>> >>> Bawa is emerging as the key suspect in Saturday's bombings outside the >>> M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore — a grim reminder that the >>> jihadist offensive that began after the 2002 communal violence in >>> India is very far from spent. >>> >>> The obscure jihadist >>> >>> Little is known about just what led Bawa to join the jihadist >>> movement. Educated at Bhatkal's well-respected Anjuman >>> Hami-e-Muslimeen school, 32-year-old Bawa left for Pune as a teenager. >>> He was later introduced to other members of the Indian Mujahideen as >>> an engineer, but police in Pune have found no documentation suggesting >>> he ever studied in the city. >>> >>> Instead, Bawa spent much of his time with a childhood friend living in >>> Pune, Unani medicine practitioner-turned-Islamist proselytiser Iqbal >>> Ismail Shahbandri. Like his brother Riyaz Ismail Shahbandri — now the >>> Indian Mujahideen's top military commander — Ismail Shahbandri had >>> become an ideological mentor to many young Islamists in Pune and >>> Mumbai, many of them highly-educated professionals. >>> >>> The Shahbandari brothers' parents, like many members of the Bhatkal >>> elite, had relocated to Mumbai in search of new economic >>> opportunities. Ismail Shahbandri, their father, set up leather-tanning >>> factory in Mumbai's Kurla area in the mid-1970s. Riyaz Shahbandri went >>> on to obtain a civil engineering degree from Mumbai's Saboo Siddiqui >>> Engineering College and, in 2002, was married to Nasuha Ismail, the >>> daughter of an electronics store owner in Bhatkal's Dubai Market. >>> >>> Shafiq Ahmad, Nasuha's brother, had drawn Riyaz Shahbandri into the >>> Students Islamic Movement of India. He first met his Indian Mujahideen >>> co-founders Abdul Subhan Qureshi and Sadiq Israr Sheikh, in the months >>> before his marriage. Later, Riyaz Shahbandri made contact with >>> ganglord-turned-jihadist Amir Raza Khan. In the wake of the communal >>> violence that ripped Gujarat apart in 2002, the men set about >>> funnelling recruits to Lashkar camps in Pakistan. >>> >>> Early in the summer of 2004, investigators say, the core members of >>> the network that was later to call itself the Indian Mujahideen met at >>> Bhatkal's beachfront to discuss their plans. Iqbal Shahbandri and >>> Bhatkal-based cleric Shabbir Gangoli are alleged to have held >>> ideological classes; the group also took time out to practice shooting >>> with airguns. Bawa had overall charge of arrangements — a task that >>> illustrated his status as the Bhatkal brothers' most trusted >>> lieutenant. >>> >>> Bhatkal, police investigators say, became the centre of the Indian >>> Mujahideen's operations. From their safehouses in Vitthalamakki and >>> Hakkalamane, bombs were despatched to operational cells dispersed >>> across the country, feeding the most sustained jihadist offensive >>> India has ever seen. >>> >>> Communal war >>> >>> Like so many of his peers in the Indian Mujahideen, Bawa emerged from >>> a fraught communal landscape. Bhatkal's Nawayath Muslims, made >>> prosperous by hundreds of years of trade across the Indian Ocean, >>> emerged as the region's dominant land-owning community. Early in the >>> twentieth century, inspired by call of Aligarh reformer Syed Ahmed >>> Khan, Bhatkal notables led a campaign to bring modern education for >>> the community. The Anjuman Hami-e-Muslimeen school where Bawa studied >>> was one product of their efforts, which eventually spawned >>> highly-regarded institutions that now cater to over several thousand >>> students. >>> >>> Organisations like the Anjuman helped the Navayath Muslims capitalise >>> on the new opportunities for work and business with opened up in the >>> United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia during the 1970s. But this >>> wealth, in turn, engendered resentments which laid the ground for an >>> communal conflict. In the years after the Emergency, the Jana Sangh >>> and its affiliates began to capitalise on resentments Bhatkal's Hindus >>> felt about the prosperity and political power of the Navayaths. The >>> campaign paid off in 1983, when the Hindu right-wing succeeded in >>> dethroning legislator S.M. Yahya, who had served as a state minister >>> between 1972 and 1982. >>> >>> Both communities entered into a competitive communal confrontation, >>> which involved the ostentatious display of piety and power. The >>> Tablighi Jamaat, a neo-fundamentalist organisation which calls on >>> followers to live life in a style claimed to be modelled on that of >>> the Prophet Mohammad, drew a growing mass of followers. Hindutva >>> groups like the Karavalli Hindu Samiti, too, staged ever-larger >>> religious displays to demonstrate their clout. >>> >>> Early in 1993, Bhatkal was hit by communal riots which claimed >>> seventeen lives and left dozens injured. The violence, which began >>> after Hindutva groups claimed stones had been thrown at a Ram Navami >>> procession, and lasted nine months. Later, in April 1996, two Muslims >>> were murdered in retaliation for the assassination of Bharatiya Janata >>> Party legislator U. Chittaranjan — a crime that investigators now say >>> may have been linked to the Bhatkal brothers. More violence broke out >>> in 2004, after the assassination of BJP leader Thimmappa Naik. >>> >>> Iqbal Shahbandri and his recruits were, in key senses, rebels against >>> a traditional political order that appeared to have failed to defend >>> Muslim rights and interests. Inside the Indian Mujahideen safehouses >>> raided in October, 2008, police found no evidence that traditional >>> theological literature or the writings of the Tablighi Jamaat had >>> influenced the group. Instead, they found pro-Taliban videos and >>> speeches by Zakir Naik — a popular but controversial Mumbai-based >>> televangelist who has, among other things, defends Al-Qaeda chief >>> Osama bin-Laden. >>> >>> “If he is fighting the enemies of Islam”, Naik said in one speech, “I >>> am for him. If he is terrorising America the terrorist—the biggest >>> terrorist — I am with him.” “Every Muslim” Naik concluded, “should be >>> a terrorist. The thing is, if he is terrorising a terrorist, he is >>> following Islam”. Naik has never been found to be involved in >>> violence, but his words have fired the imagination of a diverse >>> jihadists — among them, Glasgow suicide-bomber Kafeel Ahmed, 2006 >>> Mumbai train-bombing accused Feroze Deshmukh, and New York taxi driver >>> Najibullah Zazi, who faces trial for planning to attack the city's >>> Grand Central Railway Station. >>> >>> Language like this spoke to concerns of the young people who were >>> drawn to separate jihadist cells that began to spring up across India >>> after the 2002 violence, mirroring the growth of the Indian >>> Mujahideen. SIMI leader Safdar Nagori set up a group that included the >>> Bangalore information-technology professionals Peedical Abdul Shibli >>> and Yahya Kamakutty; in Kerala Tadiyantavide Nasir, Abdul Sattar, and >>> Abdul Jabbar set up a separate organisation that is alleged to have >>> bombed Bangalore in 2008 >>> >>> Storms of hate >>> >>> Well-entrenched in the political system, Bhatkal's Muslim leadership >>> has been hostile to radical Islamism. Efforts by Islamist political >>> groups to establish a presence there have, for the most part, been >>> unsuccessful. But authorities acknowledge Bhatkal, like much of the >>> Dakshina Kannada region, remains communally fraught. Small-scale >>> confrontations are routine. Earlier this month, the Karavalli Hindu >>> Samiti even staged demonstrations in support of the Sanatana Sanstha, >>> the Hindutva group police in Goa say was responsible for terrorist >>> bombings carried out last year. >>> >>> Pakistan's intelligence services and transnational jihadist groups >>> like the Lashkar nurtured and fed India's jihadist movement — but its >>> birth was the outcome of an ugly communal contestation that remains >>> unresolved. Even as India's police and intelligence services work to >>> dismantle the jihadist project, politicians need to find means to >>> still the storms of hate which sustain 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/> > > From taraprakash at gmail.com Mon Apr 19 22:00:03 2010 From: taraprakash at gmail.com (TaraPrakash) Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 12:30:03 -0400 Subject: [Reader-list] The rebirth of the Indian Mujahideen - PRAVEENSWAMI References: <5000168D3F66412183421F8D46E30C70@tara> Message-ID: He may be right or wrong when he writes about Jihadi terrorism, he may be right or wrong when he writes about hindutva terrorism, what we will have to remember is that he writes for a reputed newspaper. One cannot endorse Swami if one likes what he says, and deplore him for saying things one does not agree with. I don't know who all you include in your all-inclusive "we", it obviously does not include me. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Javed" To: "TaraPrakash" Cc: "Pawan Durani" ; "reader-list" Sent: Monday, April 19, 2010 12:04 PM Subject: Re: [Reader-list] The rebirth of the Indian Mujahideen - PRAVEENSWAMI Dear Tara You are free to use the word hypocrisy for me, but unfortunately Praveen Swami's writings are such that they can be used any which way - hence he is the one who inspires hypocracy. I would like you to go back to some posts from 2 months ago about Praveen Swami (where he theorized about the Hindutva's hand in Pune blast), where even Shuddha and Bipin agreed that Swami's writings are not to be taken seriously: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/2010-February/023839.html So, if he gives details about "Islamic terrorism" (which he does very often) we seem to believe him blindly. But when he talks about Hindutva terror (very rarely), we chose not to believe him. I don't know what to call that if not hypocrisy. Javed On Mon, Apr 19, 2010 at 7:15 PM, TaraPrakash wrote: > Swami writes for one of the most reliable newspapers of India. If I am not > wrong, newspapers, at least the ones like Hindu, do not just publish > stuff. > There is some editorial control. Swami may not be the most credible > correspondent, he is thousand times more credible than Amrish Misra whose > stuff you forwarded to the list. I was trying to find a less severe term > than hypocrisy when you don't want Swami's articles on this list, but I > couldn't find. > > > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Javed" > To: "Pawan Durani" > Cc: "reader-list" > Sent: Monday, April 19, 2010 5:55 AM > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] The rebirth of the Indian Mujahideen - > PRAVEENSWAMI > > >> Dear Pawan >> If you remember, some weeks ago, everyone on this list agreed that >> whatever Praveen Swami says is not to be trusted. So, kindly do not >> forward any of Swami's write-ups here. >> >> Thanks >> >> Javed >> >> >> On Mon, Apr 19, 2010 at 9:34 AM, Pawan Durani >> wrote: >>> >>> http://beta.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/article402892.ece >>> >>> Saturday's bombings in Bangalore are a grim reminder that the jihadist >>> movement is far from spent. >>> >>> Less than an hour before police surrounded the Indian Mujahideen >>> bomb-factory hidden away on the fringes of the Bhadra forests in >>> Chikmagalur, Mohammad Zarar Siddi Bawa had slipped away on a bus bound >>> for Mangalore — the first step in a journey that would take him to the >>> safety of a Lashkar-e-Taiba safehouse in Karachi. >>> >>> Inside the house, officers involved in the October, 2008, raid found >>> evidence of Bawa's work: laboratory equipment used to test and prepare >>> chemicals, precision tools, and five complete improvised explosive >>> devices. Even as investigators across India set about filing paperwork >>> declaring Bawa a fugitive, few believed they would ever be able to lay >>> eyes on him again. >>> >>> But in February, a closed-circuit television camera placed over the >>> cashier's counter at the Germany Bakery in Pune recorded evidence that >>> Bawa had returned to India — just minutes before an improvised >>> explosive device ripped through the popular restaurant killing >>> seventeen people, and injuring at least sixty. >>> >>> Dressed in a loose-fitting blue shirt, a rucksack slung over his back, >>> the fair, slight young man with a wispy beard has been identified by >>> police sources in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka as “Yasin >>> Bhatkal” — the man who made the bombs which ripped apart ten Indian >>> towns and cities between 2005 and 2008. Witnesses at the restaurant >>> also identified Bawa from photographs, noting that he was wearing >>> trousers rolled up above his ankles — a style favoured by some >>> neo-fundamentalists. >>> >>> Bawa is emerging as the key suspect in Saturday's bombings outside the >>> M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore — a grim reminder that the >>> jihadist offensive that began after the 2002 communal violence in >>> India is very far from spent. >>> >>> The obscure jihadist >>> >>> Little is known about just what led Bawa to join the jihadist >>> movement. Educated at Bhatkal's well-respected Anjuman >>> Hami-e-Muslimeen school, 32-year-old Bawa left for Pune as a teenager. >>> He was later introduced to other members of the Indian Mujahideen as >>> an engineer, but police in Pune have found no documentation suggesting >>> he ever studied in the city. >>> >>> Instead, Bawa spent much of his time with a childhood friend living in >>> Pune, Unani medicine practitioner-turned-Islamist proselytiser Iqbal >>> Ismail Shahbandri. Like his brother Riyaz Ismail Shahbandri — now the >>> Indian Mujahideen's top military commander — Ismail Shahbandri had >>> become an ideological mentor to many young Islamists in Pune and >>> Mumbai, many of them highly-educated professionals. >>> >>> The Shahbandari brothers' parents, like many members of the Bhatkal >>> elite, had relocated to Mumbai in search of new economic >>> opportunities. Ismail Shahbandri, their father, set up leather-tanning >>> factory in Mumbai's Kurla area in the mid-1970s. Riyaz Shahbandri went >>> on to obtain a civil engineering degree from Mumbai's Saboo Siddiqui >>> Engineering College and, in 2002, was married to Nasuha Ismail, the >>> daughter of an electronics store owner in Bhatkal's Dubai Market. >>> >>> Shafiq Ahmad, Nasuha's brother, had drawn Riyaz Shahbandri into the >>> Students Islamic Movement of India. He first met his Indian Mujahideen >>> co-founders Abdul Subhan Qureshi and Sadiq Israr Sheikh, in the months >>> before his marriage. Later, Riyaz Shahbandri made contact with >>> ganglord-turned-jihadist Amir Raza Khan. In the wake of the communal >>> violence that ripped Gujarat apart in 2002, the men set about >>> funnelling recruits to Lashkar camps in Pakistan. >>> >>> Early in the summer of 2004, investigators say, the core members of >>> the network that was later to call itself the Indian Mujahideen met at >>> Bhatkal's beachfront to discuss their plans. Iqbal Shahbandri and >>> Bhatkal-based cleric Shabbir Gangoli are alleged to have held >>> ideological classes; the group also took time out to practice shooting >>> with airguns. Bawa had overall charge of arrangements — a task that >>> illustrated his status as the Bhatkal brothers' most trusted >>> lieutenant. >>> >>> Bhatkal, police investigators say, became the centre of the Indian >>> Mujahideen's operations. From their safehouses in Vitthalamakki and >>> Hakkalamane, bombs were despatched to operational cells dispersed >>> across the country, feeding the most sustained jihadist offensive >>> India has ever seen. >>> >>> Communal war >>> >>> Like so many of his peers in the Indian Mujahideen, Bawa emerged from >>> a fraught communal landscape. Bhatkal's Nawayath Muslims, made >>> prosperous by hundreds of years of trade across the Indian Ocean, >>> emerged as the region's dominant land-owning community. Early in the >>> twentieth century, inspired by call of Aligarh reformer Syed Ahmed >>> Khan, Bhatkal notables led a campaign to bring modern education for >>> the community. The Anjuman Hami-e-Muslimeen school where Bawa studied >>> was one product of their efforts, which eventually spawned >>> highly-regarded institutions that now cater to over several thousand >>> students. >>> >>> Organisations like the Anjuman helped the Navayath Muslims capitalise >>> on the new opportunities for work and business with opened up in the >>> United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia during the 1970s. But this >>> wealth, in turn, engendered resentments which laid the ground for an >>> communal conflict. In the years after the Emergency, the Jana Sangh >>> and its affiliates began to capitalise on resentments Bhatkal's Hindus >>> felt about the prosperity and political power of the Navayaths. The >>> campaign paid off in 1983, when the Hindu right-wing succeeded in >>> dethroning legislator S.M. Yahya, who had served as a state minister >>> between 1972 and 1982. >>> >>> Both communities entered into a competitive communal confrontation, >>> which involved the ostentatious display of piety and power. The >>> Tablighi Jamaat, a neo-fundamentalist organisation which calls on >>> followers to live life in a style claimed to be modelled on that of >>> the Prophet Mohammad, drew a growing mass of followers. Hindutva >>> groups like the Karavalli Hindu Samiti, too, staged ever-larger >>> religious displays to demonstrate their clout. >>> >>> Early in 1993, Bhatkal was hit by communal riots which claimed >>> seventeen lives and left dozens injured. The violence, which began >>> after Hindutva groups claimed stones had been thrown at a Ram Navami >>> procession, and lasted nine months. Later, in April 1996, two Muslims >>> were murdered in retaliation for the assassination of Bharatiya Janata >>> Party legislator U. Chittaranjan — a crime that investigators now say >>> may have been linked to the Bhatkal brothers. More violence broke out >>> in 2004, after the assassination of BJP leader Thimmappa Naik. >>> >>> Iqbal Shahbandri and his recruits were, in key senses, rebels against >>> a traditional political order that appeared to have failed to defend >>> Muslim rights and interests. Inside the Indian Mujahideen safehouses >>> raided in October, 2008, police found no evidence that traditional >>> theological literature or the writings of the Tablighi Jamaat had >>> influenced the group. Instead, they found pro-Taliban videos and >>> speeches by Zakir Naik — a popular but controversial Mumbai-based >>> televangelist who has, among other things, defends Al-Qaeda chief >>> Osama bin-Laden. >>> >>> “If he is fighting the enemies of Islam”, Naik said in one speech, “I >>> am for him. If he is terrorising America the terrorist—the biggest >>> terrorist — I am with him.” “Every Muslim” Naik concluded, “should be >>> a terrorist. The thing is, if he is terrorising a terrorist, he is >>> following Islam”. Naik has never been found to be involved in >>> violence, but his words have fired the imagination of a diverse >>> jihadists — among them, Glasgow suicide-bomber Kafeel Ahmed, 2006 >>> Mumbai train-bombing accused Feroze Deshmukh, and New York taxi driver >>> Najibullah Zazi, who faces trial for planning to attack the city's >>> Grand Central Railway Station. >>> >>> Language like this spoke to concerns of the young people who were >>> drawn to separate jihadist cells that began to spring up across India >>> after the 2002 violence, mirroring the growth of the Indian >>> Mujahideen. SIMI leader Safdar Nagori set up a group that included the >>> Bangalore information-technology professionals Peedical Abdul Shibli >>> and Yahya Kamakutty; in Kerala Tadiyantavide Nasir, Abdul Sattar, and >>> Abdul Jabbar set up a separate organisation that is alleged to have >>> bombed Bangalore in 2008 >>> >>> Storms of hate >>> >>> Well-entrenched in the political system, Bhatkal's Muslim leadership >>> has been hostile to radical Islamism. Efforts by Islamist political >>> groups to establish a presence there have, for the most part, been >>> unsuccessful. But authorities acknowledge Bhatkal, like much of the >>> Dakshina Kannada region, remains communally fraught. Small-scale >>> confrontations are routine. Earlier this month, the Karavalli Hindu >>> Samiti even staged demonstrations in support of the Sanatana Sanstha, >>> the Hindutva group police in Goa say was responsible for terrorist >>> bombings carried out last year. >>> >>> Pakistan's intelligence services and transnational jihadist groups >>> like the Lashkar nurtured and fed India's jihadist movement — but its >>> birth was the outcome of an ugly communal contestation that remains >>> unresolved. Even as India's police and intelligence services work to >>> dismantle the jihadist project, politicians need to find means to >>> still the storms of hate which sustain 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/> > > From rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com Mon Apr 19 22:34:48 2010 From: rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com (Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi) Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 22:34:48 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The rebirth of the Indian Mujahideen - PRAVEEN SWAMI In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Javed, to say "trusting" is different from reading and trying to understand, as far as Praveen Swami is concerned, it is persons like him who occassionally , inadvertently, give out information, it is for the readers intellect to assimilate, understand and analyse, or rather take the grains and throw out the chaff. At times, we have seen the posts of many other ids, who in their enthusiasm to defend violence, forget they are particles of the state, to make the state, but behave as if they are the state within the stste, but moot point is trying to understand the views, and naxal supporters are when they justify violence are the enemies of the democratic rule, using the backseat driver position to bring in their leaders by subverting the rule of laws, bringing in their rule of politburo.Citizens who use freedom of expression to usher in dictatorship of politburo are the enemies of democracy as naxals have only one goal, to upstage the democratic rule with armed struggle and bring in the 'leaders" to power and rule. So, it is better to seek the information, as information is knowledge, knowledge is power if used for the society and the nation, regards, rajen. On Mon, Apr 19, 2010 at 3:25 PM, Javed wrote: > Dear Pawan > If you remember, some weeks ago, everyone on this list agreed that > whatever Praveen Swami says is not to be trusted. So, kindly do not > forward any of Swami's write-ups here. > > Thanks > > Javed > > > On Mon, Apr 19, 2010 at 9:34 AM, Pawan Durani > wrote: > > http://beta.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/article402892.ece > > > > Saturday's bombings in Bangalore are a grim reminder that the jihadist > > movement is far from spent. > > > > Less than an hour before police surrounded the Indian Mujahideen > > bomb-factory hidden away on the fringes of the Bhadra forests in > > Chikmagalur, Mohammad Zarar Siddi Bawa had slipped away on a bus bound > > for Mangalore — the first step in a journey that would take him to the > > safety of a Lashkar-e-Taiba safehouse in Karachi. > > > > Inside the house, officers involved in the October, 2008, raid found > > evidence of Bawa's work: laboratory equipment used to test and prepare > > chemicals, precision tools, and five complete improvised explosive > > devices. Even as investigators across India set about filing paperwork > > declaring Bawa a fugitive, few believed they would ever be able to lay > > eyes on him again. > > > > But in February, a closed-circuit television camera placed over the > > cashier's counter at the Germany Bakery in Pune recorded evidence that > > Bawa had returned to India — just minutes before an improvised > > explosive device ripped through the popular restaurant killing > > seventeen people, and injuring at least sixty. > > > > Dressed in a loose-fitting blue shirt, a rucksack slung over his back, > > the fair, slight young man with a wispy beard has been identified by > > police sources in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka as “Yasin > > Bhatkal” — the man who made the bombs which ripped apart ten Indian > > towns and cities between 2005 and 2008. Witnesses at the restaurant > > also identified Bawa from photographs, noting that he was wearing > > trousers rolled up above his ankles — a style favoured by some > > neo-fundamentalists. > > > > Bawa is emerging as the key suspect in Saturday's bombings outside the > > M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore — a grim reminder that the > > jihadist offensive that began after the 2002 communal violence in > > India is very far from spent. > > > > The obscure jihadist > > > > Little is known about just what led Bawa to join the jihadist > > movement. Educated at Bhatkal's well-respected Anjuman > > Hami-e-Muslimeen school, 32-year-old Bawa left for Pune as a teenager. > > He was later introduced to other members of the Indian Mujahideen as > > an engineer, but police in Pune have found no documentation suggesting > > he ever studied in the city. > > > > Instead, Bawa spent much of his time with a childhood friend living in > > Pune, Unani medicine practitioner-turned-Islamist proselytiser Iqbal > > Ismail Shahbandri. Like his brother Riyaz Ismail Shahbandri — now the > > Indian Mujahideen's top military commander — Ismail Shahbandri had > > become an ideological mentor to many young Islamists in Pune and > > Mumbai, many of them highly-educated professionals. > > > > The Shahbandari brothers' parents, like many members of the Bhatkal > > elite, had relocated to Mumbai in search of new economic > > opportunities. Ismail Shahbandri, their father, set up leather-tanning > > factory in Mumbai's Kurla area in the mid-1970s. Riyaz Shahbandri went > > on to obtain a civil engineering degree from Mumbai's Saboo Siddiqui > > Engineering College and, in 2002, was married to Nasuha Ismail, the > > daughter of an electronics store owner in Bhatkal's Dubai Market. > > > > Shafiq Ahmad, Nasuha's brother, had drawn Riyaz Shahbandri into the > > Students Islamic Movement of India. He first met his Indian Mujahideen > > co-founders Abdul Subhan Qureshi and Sadiq Israr Sheikh, in the months > > before his marriage. Later, Riyaz Shahbandri made contact with > > ganglord-turned-jihadist Amir Raza Khan. In the wake of the communal > > violence that ripped Gujarat apart in 2002, the men set about > > funnelling recruits to Lashkar camps in Pakistan. > > > > Early in the summer of 2004, investigators say, the core members of > > the network that was later to call itself the Indian Mujahideen met at > > Bhatkal's beachfront to discuss their plans. Iqbal Shahbandri and > > Bhatkal-based cleric Shabbir Gangoli are alleged to have held > > ideological classes; the group also took time out to practice shooting > > with airguns. Bawa had overall charge of arrangements — a task that > > illustrated his status as the Bhatkal brothers' most trusted > > lieutenant. > > > > Bhatkal, police investigators say, became the centre of the Indian > > Mujahideen's operations. From their safehouses in Vitthalamakki and > > Hakkalamane, bombs were despatched to operational cells dispersed > > across the country, feeding the most sustained jihadist offensive > > India has ever seen. > > > > Communal war > > > > Like so many of his peers in the Indian Mujahideen, Bawa emerged from > > a fraught communal landscape. Bhatkal's Nawayath Muslims, made > > prosperous by hundreds of years of trade across the Indian Ocean, > > emerged as the region's dominant land-owning community. Early in the > > twentieth century, inspired by call of Aligarh reformer Syed Ahmed > > Khan, Bhatkal notables led a campaign to bring modern education for > > the community. The Anjuman Hami-e-Muslimeen school where Bawa studied > > was one product of their efforts, which eventually spawned > > highly-regarded institutions that now cater to over several thousand > > students. > > > > Organisations like the Anjuman helped the Navayath Muslims capitalise > > on the new opportunities for work and business with opened up in the > > United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia during the 1970s. But this > > wealth, in turn, engendered resentments which laid the ground for an > > communal conflict. In the years after the Emergency, the Jana Sangh > > and its affiliates began to capitalise on resentments Bhatkal's Hindus > > felt about the prosperity and political power of the Navayaths. The > > campaign paid off in 1983, when the Hindu right-wing succeeded in > > dethroning legislator S.M. Yahya, who had served as a state minister > > between 1972 and 1982. > > > > Both communities entered into a competitive communal confrontation, > > which involved the ostentatious display of piety and power. The > > Tablighi Jamaat, a neo-fundamentalist organisation which calls on > > followers to live life in a style claimed to be modelled on that of > > the Prophet Mohammad, drew a growing mass of followers. Hindutva > > groups like the Karavalli Hindu Samiti, too, staged ever-larger > > religious displays to demonstrate their clout. > > > > Early in 1993, Bhatkal was hit by communal riots which claimed > > seventeen lives and left dozens injured. The violence, which began > > after Hindutva groups claimed stones had been thrown at a Ram Navami > > procession, and lasted nine months. Later, in April 1996, two Muslims > > were murdered in retaliation for the assassination of Bharatiya Janata > > Party legislator U. Chittaranjan — a crime that investigators now say > > may have been linked to the Bhatkal brothers. More violence broke out > > in 2004, after the assassination of BJP leader Thimmappa Naik. > > > > Iqbal Shahbandri and his recruits were, in key senses, rebels against > > a traditional political order that appeared to have failed to defend > > Muslim rights and interests. Inside the Indian Mujahideen safehouses > > raided in October, 2008, police found no evidence that traditional > > theological literature or the writings of the Tablighi Jamaat had > > influenced the group. Instead, they found pro-Taliban videos and > > speeches by Zakir Naik — a popular but controversial Mumbai-based > > televangelist who has, among other things, defends Al-Qaeda chief > > Osama bin-Laden. > > > > “If he is fighting the enemies of Islam”, Naik said in one speech, “I > > am for him. If he is terrorising America the terrorist—the biggest > > terrorist — I am with him.” “Every Muslim” Naik concluded, “should be > > a terrorist. The thing is, if he is terrorising a terrorist, he is > > following Islam”. Naik has never been found to be involved in > > violence, but his words have fired the imagination of a diverse > > jihadists — among them, Glasgow suicide-bomber Kafeel Ahmed, 2006 > > Mumbai train-bombing accused Feroze Deshmukh, and New York taxi driver > > Najibullah Zazi, who faces trial for planning to attack the city's > > Grand Central Railway Station. > > > > Language like this spoke to concerns of the young people who were > > drawn to separate jihadist cells that began to spring up across India > > after the 2002 violence, mirroring the growth of the Indian > > Mujahideen. SIMI leader Safdar Nagori set up a group that included the > > Bangalore information-technology professionals Peedical Abdul Shibli > > and Yahya Kamakutty; in Kerala Tadiyantavide Nasir, Abdul Sattar, and > > Abdul Jabbar set up a separate organisation that is alleged to have > > bombed Bangalore in 2008 > > > > Storms of hate > > > > Well-entrenched in the political system, Bhatkal's Muslim leadership > > has been hostile to radical Islamism. Efforts by Islamist political > > groups to establish a presence there have, for the most part, been > > unsuccessful. But authorities acknowledge Bhatkal, like much of the > > Dakshina Kannada region, remains communally fraught. Small-scale > > confrontations are routine. Earlier this month, the Karavalli Hindu > > Samiti even staged demonstrations in support of the Sanatana Sanstha, > > the Hindutva group police in Goa say was responsible for terrorist > > bombings carried out last year. > > > > Pakistan's intelligence services and transnational jihadist groups > > like the Lashkar nurtured and fed India's jihadist movement — but its > > birth was the outcome of an ugly communal contestation that remains > > unresolved. Even as India's police and intelligence services work to > > dismantle the jihadist project, politicians need to find means to > > still the storms of hate which sustain 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/> > -- Rajen. From kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Mon Apr 19 22:43:32 2010 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 10:13:32 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] The rebirth of the Indian Mujahideen - PRAVEEN SWAMI In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <737320.23930.qm@web57204.mail.re3.yahoo.com> "everyone on this list agreed"   everyone????   this list?????   Dear Javed   I am sure you were joking. Certainly you would not lie so blatantly.   That apart, it would be ridiculous for such a thing to happen.   Kshmendra      --- On Mon, 4/19/10, Javed wrote: From: Javed Subject: Re: [Reader-list] The rebirth of the Indian Mujahideen - PRAVEEN SWAMI To: "Pawan Durani" Cc: "reader-list" Date: Monday, April 19, 2010, 3:25 PM Dear Pawan If you remember, some weeks ago, everyone on this list agreed that whatever Praveen Swami says is not to be trusted. So, kindly do not forward any of Swami's write-ups here. Thanks Javed On Mon, Apr 19, 2010 at 9:34 AM, Pawan Durani wrote: > http://beta.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/article402892.ece > > Saturday's bombings in Bangalore are a grim reminder that the jihadist > movement is far from spent. > > Less than an hour before police surrounded the Indian Mujahideen > bomb-factory hidden away on the fringes of the Bhadra forests in > Chikmagalur, Mohammad Zarar Siddi Bawa had slipped away on a bus bound > for Mangalore — the first step in a journey that would take him to the > safety of a Lashkar-e-Taiba safehouse in Karachi. > > Inside the house, officers involved in the October, 2008, raid found > evidence of Bawa's work: laboratory equipment used to test and prepare > chemicals, precision tools, and five complete improvised explosive > devices. Even as investigators across India set about filing paperwork > declaring Bawa a fugitive, few believed they would ever be able to lay > eyes on him again. > > But in February, a closed-circuit television camera placed over the > cashier's counter at the Germany Bakery in Pune recorded evidence that > Bawa had returned to India — just minutes before an improvised > explosive device ripped through the popular restaurant killing > seventeen people, and injuring at least sixty. > > Dressed in a loose-fitting blue shirt, a rucksack slung over his back, > the fair, slight young man with a wispy beard has been identified by > police sources in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka as “Yasin > Bhatkal” — the man who made the bombs which ripped apart ten Indian > towns and cities between 2005 and 2008. Witnesses at the restaurant > also identified Bawa from photographs, noting that he was wearing > trousers rolled up above his ankles — a style favoured by some > neo-fundamentalists. > > Bawa is emerging as the key suspect in Saturday's bombings outside the > M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore — a grim reminder that the > jihadist offensive that began after the 2002 communal violence in > India is very far from spent. > > The obscure jihadist > > Little is known about just what led Bawa to join the jihadist > movement. Educated at Bhatkal's well-respected Anjuman > Hami-e-Muslimeen school, 32-year-old Bawa left for Pune as a teenager. > He was later introduced to other members of the Indian Mujahideen as > an engineer, but police in Pune have found no documentation suggesting > he ever studied in the city. > > Instead, Bawa spent much of his time with a childhood friend living in > Pune, Unani medicine practitioner-turned-Islamist proselytiser Iqbal > Ismail Shahbandri. Like his brother Riyaz Ismail Shahbandri — now the > Indian Mujahideen's top military commander — Ismail Shahbandri had > become an ideological mentor to many young Islamists in Pune and > Mumbai, many of them highly-educated professionals. > > The Shahbandari brothers' parents, like many members of the Bhatkal > elite, had relocated to Mumbai in search of new economic > opportunities. Ismail Shahbandri, their father, set up leather-tanning > factory in Mumbai's Kurla area in the mid-1970s. Riyaz Shahbandri went > on to obtain a civil engineering degree from Mumbai's Saboo Siddiqui > Engineering College and, in 2002, was married to Nasuha Ismail, the > daughter of an electronics store owner in Bhatkal's Dubai Market. > > Shafiq Ahmad, Nasuha's brother, had drawn Riyaz Shahbandri into the > Students Islamic Movement of India. He first met his Indian Mujahideen > co-founders Abdul Subhan Qureshi and Sadiq Israr Sheikh, in the months > before his marriage. Later, Riyaz Shahbandri made contact with > ganglord-turned-jihadist Amir Raza Khan. In the wake of the communal > violence that ripped Gujarat apart in 2002, the men set about > funnelling recruits to Lashkar camps in Pakistan. > > Early in the summer of 2004, investigators say, the core members of > the network that was later to call itself the Indian Mujahideen met at > Bhatkal's beachfront to discuss their plans. Iqbal Shahbandri and > Bhatkal-based cleric Shabbir Gangoli are alleged to have held > ideological classes; the group also took time out to practice shooting > with airguns. Bawa had overall charge of arrangements — a task that > illustrated his status as the Bhatkal brothers' most trusted > lieutenant. > > Bhatkal, police investigators say, became the centre of the Indian > Mujahideen's operations. From their safehouses in Vitthalamakki and > Hakkalamane, bombs were despatched to operational cells dispersed > across the country, feeding the most sustained jihadist offensive > India has ever seen. > > Communal war > > Like so many of his peers in the Indian Mujahideen, Bawa emerged from > a fraught communal landscape. Bhatkal's Nawayath Muslims, made > prosperous by hundreds of years of trade across the Indian Ocean, > emerged as the region's dominant land-owning community. Early in the > twentieth century, inspired by call of Aligarh reformer Syed Ahmed > Khan, Bhatkal notables led a campaign to bring modern education for > the community. The Anjuman Hami-e-Muslimeen school where Bawa studied > was one product of their efforts, which eventually spawned > highly-regarded institutions that now cater to over several thousand > students. > > Organisations like the Anjuman helped the Navayath Muslims capitalise > on the new opportunities for work and business with opened up in the > United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia during the 1970s. But this > wealth, in turn, engendered resentments which laid the ground for an > communal conflict. In the years after the Emergency, the Jana Sangh > and its affiliates began to capitalise on resentments Bhatkal's Hindus > felt about the prosperity and political power of the Navayaths. The > campaign paid off in 1983, when the Hindu right-wing succeeded in > dethroning legislator S.M. Yahya, who had served as a state minister > between 1972 and 1982. > > Both communities entered into a competitive communal confrontation, > which involved the ostentatious display of piety and power. The > Tablighi Jamaat, a neo-fundamentalist organisation which calls on > followers to live life in a style claimed to be modelled on that of > the Prophet Mohammad, drew a growing mass of followers. Hindutva > groups like the Karavalli Hindu Samiti, too, staged ever-larger > religious displays to demonstrate their clout. > > Early in 1993, Bhatkal was hit by communal riots which claimed > seventeen lives and left dozens injured. The violence, which began > after Hindutva groups claimed stones had been thrown at a Ram Navami > procession, and lasted nine months. Later, in April 1996, two Muslims > were murdered in retaliation for the assassination of Bharatiya Janata > Party legislator U. Chittaranjan — a crime that investigators now say > may have been linked to the Bhatkal brothers. More violence broke out > in 2004, after the assassination of BJP leader Thimmappa Naik. > > Iqbal Shahbandri and his recruits were, in key senses, rebels against > a traditional political order that appeared to have failed to defend > Muslim rights and interests. Inside the Indian Mujahideen safehouses > raided in October, 2008, police found no evidence that traditional > theological literature or the writings of the Tablighi Jamaat had > influenced the group. Instead, they found pro-Taliban videos and > speeches by Zakir Naik — a popular but controversial Mumbai-based > televangelist who has, among other things, defends Al-Qaeda chief > Osama bin-Laden. > > “If he is fighting the enemies of Islam”, Naik said in one speech, “I > am for him. If he is terrorising America the terrorist—the biggest > terrorist — I am with him.” “Every Muslim” Naik concluded, “should be > a terrorist. The thing is, if he is terrorising a terrorist, he is > following Islam”. Naik has never been found to be involved in > violence, but his words have fired the imagination of a diverse > jihadists — among them, Glasgow suicide-bomber Kafeel Ahmed, 2006 > Mumbai train-bombing accused Feroze Deshmukh, and New York taxi driver > Najibullah Zazi, who faces trial for planning to attack the city's > Grand Central Railway Station. > > Language like this spoke to concerns of the young people who were > drawn to separate jihadist cells that began to spring up across India > after the 2002 violence, mirroring the growth of the Indian > Mujahideen. SIMI leader Safdar Nagori set up a group that included the > Bangalore information-technology professionals Peedical Abdul Shibli > and Yahya Kamakutty; in Kerala Tadiyantavide Nasir, Abdul Sattar, and > Abdul Jabbar set up a separate organisation that is alleged to have > bombed Bangalore in 2008 > > Storms of hate > > Well-entrenched in the political system, Bhatkal's Muslim leadership > has been hostile to radical Islamism. Efforts by Islamist political > groups to establish a presence there have, for the most part, been > unsuccessful. But authorities acknowledge Bhatkal, like much of the > Dakshina Kannada region, remains communally fraught. Small-scale > confrontations are routine. Earlier this month, the Karavalli Hindu > Samiti even staged demonstrations in support of the Sanatana Sanstha, > the Hindutva group police in Goa say was responsible for terrorist > bombings carried out last year. > > Pakistan's intelligence services and transnational jihadist groups > like the Lashkar nurtured and fed India's jihadist movement — but its > birth was the outcome of an ugly communal contestation that remains > unresolved. Even as India's police and intelligence services work to > dismantle the jihadist project, politicians need to find means to > still the storms of hate which sustain 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/> From dbhatt4 at emory.edu Tue Apr 20 05:01:29 2010 From: dbhatt4 at emory.edu (Debjani Bhattacharyya) Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 19:31:29 -0400 Subject: [Reader-list] Ph.D in History at Emory University In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <20100419193129.422148yg743gufv5@webmail.service.emory.edu> * * _EMORY UNIVERSITY _ Department of History Atlanta, GA 30322 USA Emory University has a very competitive doctoral program in South Asian/colonial and postcolonial history. The program is small (we admit only a few students each year), with a great deal of faculty/graduate student contact. In less than three years we have built up a cohort of a dozen graduate students in various disciplinary areas – History, Anthropology, Literature and Religion, for example. Students entering Emory University in South Asian history will work closely with Professors Gyanendra Pandey, Ruby Lal and V. Narayana Rao. Professor Narayana Rao is an authority on early modern and modern cultural history, and questions relating to literature and translation, with a special interest in peninsular India. Professor Lal is a specialist on the Mughal (early modern) and early colonial period of India history, with a particular focus on gender, Islam and questions of domestic life in the making of the modern. Professor Pandey’s work focuses on issues of caste, class and nationalist struggles in colonial and postcolonial times, the history of marginalized populations, and questions of violence, memory and history. The History Ph.D. program provides students with rigorous training in their fields of specialization while encouraging comparative study. All entering students take “Introduction to Advanced Historical Study,” a course designed to introduce students to the influential paradigms that animate and shape historical research and writing today. In addition, all students in the Asian History stream are required to take a seminar on “Modern Asian Historiography: colonialism, postcolonialism and the making of the modern”. Students also have a wide range of course opportunities for study outside of the field since Emory University is fortunate to have clusters of scholars working on a wide range of topics including race and ethnicity, gender, law, political culture, religion, as well as colonial and postcolonial studies. Graduate students form the core of our important inter-disciplinary workshop in colonial and postcolonial studies, which takes the form of a weekly or fortnightly seminar with pre-circulated papers, and also hosts an annual graduate student-organized workshop (with participants from universities around the US). Other departments – including the Graduate Institute of Liberal Arts, Anthropology, Women’s Studies, African American Studies, Religion and Law – also run research seminars that are of interest to students from other disciplines. The History Department is able to offer graduate students fellowships of tuition plus living stipends of around $16,000 (for nine months), renewable for five years. All fellowships carry commitments to work in teaching and research assistance after the first year. In addition, applicants compete with other students for Emory University’s prestigious Woodruff and Arts and Sciences Fellowships, which provide a higher stipend. Further information on the department, fellowships and research awards, and on the admission process, is available URL http://www.emory.edu/HISTORY/graduate/index.html The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and the History Department provide pre- and post-prospectus research funds on a competitive basis along with conference funds for students presenting papers. Our students are already developing a good record in winning American Institute of Indian Studies, Fulbright and Social Science Research Council fellowships to support their scholarship. Please feel free to contact us with any questions you might have. We would also be happy to put you in touch with some of our current graduate students if you would like. From aliens at dataone.in Tue Apr 20 10:12:00 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2010 10:12:00 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The rebirth of the Indian Mujahideen - PRAVEENSWAMI In-Reply-To: References: <5000168D3F66412183421F8D46E30C70@tara> Message-ID: <005001cae043$d1e002b0$75a00810$@in> Dear Javed, There are so many writer's whose blog/writings are not to take seriously not only Praveen Swami. I have never said he is not to take seriously, I have just said he is no authority. His writings are both sides Hindu or Muslim. I remember one his article describing Azamgarh as terror center and doubt for Pune blasts where Hindu involved. His write ups are both way. However, I am repeating my writing sent on mail dt. 19/2/10 as under. Still investigation going on (for Pune blasts) and there is no necessary to create doubts unless you have solid proof. If he speaks for Islamic terrorism in general as well as Hindu terrorism in general is always welcome. Similarly, if he created doubt on malegoan blast that Islamic group is involved were also investigation going on would have been opposed if I have noticed. Thanks Bipin From 2tahamehmood at googlemail.com Tue Apr 20 10:29:08 2010 From: 2tahamehmood at googlemail.com (Taha Mehmood) Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2010 05:59:08 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] "Chidambaram's Dominoes Are Beginning To Fall" In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Succinct. > Let's hope he's right! > Aameen! t From c.anupam at gmail.com Tue Apr 20 10:53:19 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2010 10:53:19 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The rebirth of the Indian Mujahideen - PRAVEENSWAMI In-Reply-To: <005001cae043$d1e002b0$75a00810$@in> References: <5000168D3F66412183421F8D46E30C70@tara> <005001cae043$d1e002b0$75a00810$@in> Message-ID: Betting racket behind IPL blasts? India Today: "Karnataka home minister V.S. Acharya on Monday blamed the "IPL betting racket" for the twin blasts near M. Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore on Saturday. Reason: the betting mafia wanted the IPL semi-final matches to be held in Mumbai, he said." http://www.deccanherald.com/content/64847/needle-suspicion-betting-racket.html http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/93651/India/IPL+betting+mafia+behind+twin+blasts:+K%27taka+HM.html http://buzz.samachar.com/news/police-probing-if-ipl-betting-lobby-behind-bangalore-blasts/ http://news.oneindia.in/2010/04/19/bangaloreblast-home-ministry-expresses-unhappiness.html On Tue, Apr 20, 2010 at 10:12 AM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > Dear Javed, > > There are so many writer's whose blog/writings are not to take seriously > not > only Praveen Swami. I have never said he is not to take seriously, I have > just said he is no authority. His writings are both sides Hindu or Muslim. > I > remember one his article describing Azamgarh as terror center and doubt for > Pune blasts where Hindu involved. His write ups are both way. However, I am > repeating my writing sent on mail dt. 19/2/10 as under. > > Still investigation going on (for Pune blasts) and there is no necessary to > create doubts unless you have solid proof. If he speaks for Islamic > terrorism in general as well as Hindu terrorism in general is always > welcome. Similarly, if he created doubt on malegoan blast that Islamic > group > is involved were also investigation going on would have been opposed if I > have noticed. > > Thanks > Bipin > > > _________________________________________ > 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 kaksanjay at gmail.com Tue Apr 20 11:46:25 2010 From: kaksanjay at gmail.com (Sanjay Kak) Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2010 11:46:25 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Census to skip Naxal-ruled villages Message-ID: In recent weeks the BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad has frequently sought to remind us of the popular mandate that his party (and its economic policies) received in the Chattisgarh Assembly elections held less than 6 months ago. They had a voter-turnout of more than 70% in the Maoist dominated districts, he gloated, the people were with his party ... A bit of a puzzle that is. Maoists call for a boycott of the Elections in Dantewada, but we still have a voter-turnout of 70%... There is no such opposition to the Census, but the Govt autonomously declares its inability to even ennumerate its citizens. Or was the Assembly election managed in the same effecient way as they are in J&K? And what will happen to Nandan Nilekani's plan to tag all of us Indian citizens? Just a thought. Best Sanjay Kak ---------------- Census to skip Naxal-ruled villages http://www.indianexpress.com/news/census-to-skip-naxalruled-villages/607964/0 Amitabh Sinha There will be no census exercise in several hundred villages in Chhattisgarh which have been rendered out of bounds for government officials by Naxalite groups. District administrations of Jagdalpur, Dantewada, Bijapur, Narayanpur and Kanker, all part of undivided Bastar which was once one of the largest districts in the country, have informed senior officials in Raipur that it will be difficult for them to carry out the census exercise — counting of people, collection of biometric data for preparation of the National Population Register — in many areas in view of the Naxal threat. “We have requested that 108 villages in Dantewada be exempted from census because our officials are being prevented by Naxalites from reaching these areas. Our request has been accepted,” Reena Kangale, District Magistrate of Dantewada told The Sunday Express. Kangale said local officials had identified 255 villages which posed a challenge to enumerators because of the inaccessible terrain and presence of Naxalites. In 147 of these, however, the enumerators were able to complete the numbering of houses, an exercise that precedes the actual counting of people. “We are assuming that since the officials were allowed to number the houses, they would be able to carry out the census as well. But in 108 villages, even house numbering has not been possible,” she said. Significantly, these 108 villages do not include the area near the Chintalnar forest where Naxalites had killed 76 securitymen earlier this month. Those areas were not counted amongst the worst affected in the district before that incident and were within reach of government officials. Kangale’s counterparts in the other districts have not asked for exemption for the troubled areas but only identified the number of villages where there were “practical difficulties” in completing the census exercise. The district administration of Kanker has listed 300 such villages while Jagdalpur has identified 194. Similarly, 117 villages in Bijapur and 22 villages in Narayanpur fall in the same category. “There will be full effort to reach to every village and every person. But there is no denying the fact that there are some problem areas. The administration in Raipur has been informed while we continue efforts to complete the census in a comprehensive manner,” said R Prasanna, District Magistrate of Bijapur. Lying in heavily forested areas, these villages do not have very large populations. The 22 villages in Narayanpur, for example, had only 1,723 people according to the 2001 census. So, leaving out these villages is unlikely to distort the census figures in a significant manner. But what is important in this year’s census is the simultaneous compilation of the National Population Register, or NPR. Unlike the census data, which only contains a count of the people and some aggregate characteristics of broad groupings within the population, the NPR will identify every person individually and also store biometric information like photographs, fingerprints and iris scan. The NPR data will be later fed into the scheme for allotting a unique identification number to every individual in the country. The NPR and UID number are aimed at better targeting of government services — like the public distribution system or the rural employment guarantee scheme — to the people, especially those belonging to the socially and economically weaker sections. “Local officials have been told to spread awareness about the benefits of census and make people interested in participating in it,” said Renu Pillai, Director Census, Chhattisgarh. The local administrations are also looking at alternative ways of carrying out the census exercise. “If some villages are indeed inaccessible, we are examining whether it would be feasible for us to count and identify people from these villages when they come to nearby markets or government fair price shops,” said Lakhan Singh Ken, District Magistrate of Narayanpur. In Delhi, Registrar General and Census Commissioner C Chandramouli said such challenges were nothing new to this exercise. “In a country so vast and such diverse as India, carrying out a census is a job laced with difficulties. This time it is the Naxal-affected areas. There have been other areas earlier where census could not be done in a comprehensive manner,” he said, citing the case of Assam that was left out in 1981 and Jammu and Kashmir where census could not be held in 1991. Chandramouli said as of now he was not aware of any areas in Chhattisgarh that were being left out of the census exercise. “May be the district administrations have expressed their apprehensions about certain areas but the mandate is to include everyone in this. Only on completion of the exercise next year will we come to know which areas could not be counted.” From kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Tue Apr 20 14:06:31 2010 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2010 01:36:31 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] "Unsung Hero: Vipul Thaker" ( by Arnav Anjaria ) Message-ID: <583387.9205.qm@web57201.mail.re3.yahoo.com> This article has been picked up from the "Better India" website. Anyone seeking further details should contact the author.   Kshmendra     "Unsung Hero: Vipul Thaker"   (This article has been written by Arnav Anjaria. He is a third year student of Integrated Masters in Political Science at the University of Hyderabad. He can be contacted at arnav.anjaria at gmail.com)   This article is dedicated to one of the many unsung heroes bringing about a change. His name is Vipul Thaker, a simple man with simple dreams. Without going into his background, let me start from one of his birthdays. It was on that day when he decided he wanted to do something different. He decided to educate a Rabari (a tribe in Gujarat) child.   A makeshift classroom was created on the terrace of his two bedroom house. As days passed by, Vipul went on to explore the talent in the slum surrounding his housing society. A few more students joined his class and subsequently the classroom was shifted to a light post on a nearby road. His class had no roof and was hence exposed to the harsh elements of the weather. The classes went on nevertheless. Every evening at around 09.00 pm the class would commence.   Within one year Vipul had around twenty children who worked in the day time and regularly attended his evening classes.   Looking at the progress of this informal school, the parents who belonged to the Rabari community came to his aid. They gifted Vipul with an empty hut to which the classes now moved. Of all the problems that Vipul faced, one was that of gender discrimination. The girls were not allowed to study. After much persuasion from Vipul, the parents were convinced and the girls walked in for the very first time. Within a month their strength doubled.   This school wasn’t Vipul’s full time profession. He had a day job. He did receive some voluntary contribution from a few NRIs. After a point, he decided to admit his students in to a municipal school. Additionally, the evening classes were regularly conducted to ensure students did not miss out in case they didn’t go to school in the day.   Vipul had a dream to nurture – he wanted every child to get education on par with what their more privileged peers got. He negotiated with the private school principals, head masters, teachers and finally led to the introduction of a scholarship scheme. And so today out of forty students, around twenty five of them have been admitted to a school with better amenities for the students.   In the last few years, some of his students have shown their skills at the state level in the field of dramatic and graphic arts. Today he can proudly say that these children have something to look forward to. They have a future too. Vipul considers the renowned Gujarati educationist Gijubhai Badheka as his source of inspiration. He believes that Gandhian ideals too have been a prominent force behind his willingness to contribute selflessly.   The important thing, dear readers, is that this man and many more like him are actually striving to provide an identity to these children. They are providing a platform through which these children can express their ideas and needs.   Vipul and thousands of such grassroots revolutionaries are working towards bringing a constructive change in the society and we salute them for their relentless work in making a better India.   http://www.thebetterindia.com/1349/unsung-hero-vipul-thaker/   From 2tahamehmood at googlemail.com Tue Apr 20 14:16:44 2010 From: 2tahamehmood at googlemail.com (Taha Mehmood) Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2010 09:46:44 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] Census, Sex aur Dhoka Message-ID: Dear All, As a rejoinder to Sanjay's mail. I would like to share with you my article which was recently published in countercurrents journal. It seems that GOI is perhaps not entirely capable of conducting a mere exercise of meeting all the citizens of india and compiling their identification marks on pieces of paper forget about digitizing and organizing mammoth databases. Must we, the citizens of India, not take this as an opportunity to think earnestly and seriously think, talk and agitate about an apparent wastage of public money in the name of biometric collection? Must we not talk about these few plutocrats within the GOI who seem to be hell bent on redistributing public money in a seemingly irresponsible manner? Warm regards Taha http://www.countercurrents.org/mehmood070410.htm Census, Sex aur Dhoka Census is the official enumeration of people. Sex is an act of penetration. Dhoka is deception. It seems with the launch of the 15th Census by the Office of the Registrar General of India on April the 1st 2010, the Indian State is poised to make its most audacious attempt to penetrate its body politic. It remains to be seen how this exercise will turn out. Will the union of personal identities of a billion plus individuals with the State be an enduring marriage? Or will it be a short lived love affair. Will it be a dhoka, a trick, when dandies dole out a promise of marriage, for a quick in-out job and have fun. Just like so many previous attempts to give all legible Indians a legible mark of identification in the name of a voter card, a PAN card, a ration card, a driving license, a passport and a birth certificate have failed. Central to this year's Census is the idea of attaching the biometric aspects of one’s personal identity with a unique number. At present, the discourse on personal identity in India seems to be ambiguous. Various groups of people are projecting their point of view to either demonstrate the inherent advantages of using technologies of identification or to point out its inherent flaws. Those that are advocating a mass commercial use of such a technology, seems to point towards the utility of this technology to contain or solve a crime. The underlying assumption appears to suggest that any technology of personal identification will help record deviant behaviour such as, an act of moral turpitude or a violation of one's life or property. Thus a ready made surveillance apparatus could easily assist an owner to ascertain the identity of a person who has done wrong. Crime could be linked to a fingerprint, fingerprint to a database and database to a verifiable set of spatio-social co-ordinates. But could we determine the time or place where a crime would be committed? Or for that matter could we apprehend every person in an act of committing a crime? Yes, of course we may, but perhaps only in the imagination of somebody like Steven Spielberg. In his film the Minority Report, Spielberg, demonstrates a fantastic way in which pre-cognition software could be put to good use by apprehending those who are in an act of committing a crime. It’s a different story altogether that pre-crime unit is depicted as a failure towards the end of the film. As of now technology of identification cannot sort out the good guys from the bad guys. Therefore it turns everybody into a suspect. This is deeply troubling for privacy lobby folks. However some commentators suggest even the notion of privacy is difficult to define in the Indian context. But things are different from an economic perspective. These are good times for identification industry. Big moolah is just beginning to enter the market. A smart card which is also a technology of identification is the real money spinner. With the introduction of seemingly irrefutable ideas like Unique Identity, the government of India is all set to emerge as a serious player in the identification game. All Private vendors, private chip manufacturing, private market research and private database management firms who are aligning with the Government are going in for a biggest kill that the market has seen in recent years. Compared to just the cost of national identity card which is estimated at 1, 50,000 crore rupees, a 1,800 crore market of so called surveillance and security architecture with its state of the art cameras, motion sensors, razor wire fencing and so on, seem like mere kitschy pieces of jewellery which is being doled out for public consumption. And the market for a national identity card is just a small fraction of the entire spectrum of emerging smart card industry in India. If Fingerprinting and numbering are central to a smart card based technology then profiling is key to any CCTV based system. These three technologies of identification have come a long way in the last two hundred years. Sometimes it makes sense to revisit their point of origin. More than a century ago Sir William James Herschel, a British Civil servant, based in Hoogly near present day Kolkatta stumbled upon a method of obtaining fingerprints for the purpose of identification. Since then fingerprints were used to identify criminals. Around 1830’s in the plains of central India, William Sleeman, an officer of then Indian Police was trying to figure out a way to suppress thuggee. Thugs were a group of conmen who used to murder travellers and loot their belongings. Sleeman adopted a novel method of identifying thugs. Initially captured thugs were given protection if they turned approver of the state. Thugs who had turned approvers were interviewed extensively. From the interview transcripts possible behavioural profiles of thugs were generated. Sleeman then hired hundreds of people and trained them in the art of spotting a thug. Once a thug was captured through profiling, a unique number was attached to his name. The number was linked to a bundle of registers where data related to genealogy, pseudo names, and method of thuggee, caste and personal deity was entered. In this manner Sleeman was able to generate knowledge and take corrective action against the deadly practice of thuggee. In the Indian context fingerprints originated to track and convict criminals. Numbering and profiling to contain a cold blooded murderous cult which claimed more than 50,000 lives by some accounts. Till a few years back these technologies of identification were used for the purpose of keeping troublemakers in check. Why is it then, that many people in India seems to be excited about using these technologies of identification to track, tag and measure common citizens? Why is it becoming okay for everybody to be turned into a suspect identity? From pawan.durani at gmail.com Tue Apr 20 14:45:17 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2010 14:45:17 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Halal comedy? You might as well ask for halal bacon Message-ID: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/apr/12/comedy-pakistan-religion-sex-halal The organiser said not to talk about religion, sex or the president. But when you tell a comedian not to do something … In all the countries that I have travelled to to perform standup comedy – the United States being a regular destination – I have never been held up or interrogated at customs. Or I hadn't, until I arrived in Pakistan last week. I spent six hours at Lahore customs, as I did not have a visa in my British passport to enter the country. The people who organised my gig had mistakenly assumed that because my parents were born in Pakistan and I too am brown, they would automatically let me in. The customs officer asked: "Are you Pakistani?" Yes. "Where were you born?" England. "That makes you a foreigner." I get called a foreigner in my parents' country of birth, and I get called a foreigner in my own country of birth. He looked through my passport, which is filled with US visas. He said: "Are you a spy?" No, I'm a standup comedian. "What's that?" I tell jokes. "And will you be doing that in this country?" Yes. "Oh, is this the entertainment for the Taliban?" he asked, quite seriously. No, I replied. He said: "What I should do is deport you, but if you give me $100, I'll see what I can do." I paid it. I got in. My first performance took place at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (Lums). The audience was made up mainly of lecturers and students, and as I arrived I was told: "Don't worry about performing – we've stepped up security because people knew you were coming." The fact that there needed to be security at all to tell jokes indicated danger. Pakistan is a sexually repressed country, and that is the root of many of its problems. The last time I performed in Lahore I was told: "You can talk about anything you like – religion, politics, drugs, you can swear and curse, just don't mention 'The Sex'." Any sexual words or connotations were banned – because in Pakistan there is no mention of sex on television, radio, or in public. In Lahore this time I am told by armed security personnel before going on stage: "Be careful, it's best you only do halal comedy." Halal comedy? There is no such thing. That's like saying, I only eat halal bacon. I had some requests from members of the audience who came to my dressing room before the show to ask me specifically to do jokes about sex and religion. Which is what I had intended to do, anyway. After the gig I had to have two armed bodyguards outside my bedroom while I slept. (That's no use: I need uniformed men in my bed, not outside it.) I then went to perform two hours away in Karachi. The audience consisted of young people, old people, women in burqas and groups of men – all sitting on the floor together. The doors were locked as soon as all the audience were in, and once again armed security guards stood outside. On arrival I was told by the organiser: "The Pakistani Taliban are infiltrating down to the outskirts of Karachi now, so be careful with what you say. It's best not to talk about religion, or sex, and don't mention the word "gay"." Why? "Because gay doesn't exist in Pakistan," she explained. Pakistan believes it has freedom of speech, but the only freedom you have is to comply with the speech they want to hear. She continued: "There is a law against making any jokes about President Zardari. You cannot make any jokes about him in public and you are not allowed to text any jokes to your friends about him, otherwise you will be put in prison." When you tell a comedian not to do something, well. I made a joke about President Zardari. The audience loved it. They laughed like they had never laughed before. The people in authority in Pakistan are telling the public what they can and cannot say, how to behave and what to wear – and this is totally incongruous with what the people really want. All the things the audience laughed at are the things they are most repressed about. Jokes about sex, religion and politics got the most laughter. After the show I was invited to a party. I walked in, to be offered a joint of marijuana, followed by a joint of opium, followed by vodka and then a discussion on porn. I was asked: "What's your favourite porn film?" I have never watched porn. I tried to lie but I couldn't think of a porn movie, so I told the truth: I've never watched porn. This was met with "You've never watched porn? Let us show you some!" A collection of 600 films was pulled out from behind the bookcase. I was then offered a male Russian hooker for the night. There it is – the hypocrisy of a sexually repressed, censored society: I can't say "gay" on stage, but after the show, opium and prostitutes are on offer. From kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Tue Apr 20 16:07:07 2010 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2010 03:37:07 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] Extramarital sex 'causes more earthquakes' Message-ID: <208566.21512.qm@web57205.mail.re3.yahoo.com> " Extramarital sex 'causes more earthquakes', Iranian cleric claims"   (Women who dress “inappropriately” incite extramarital sex that in turn cause more earthquakes, a senior Iranian hard-line cleric has claimed.)   By Andrew Hough 19 Apr 2010   Attractive women who snub traditional Islamic clothing to instead wear fashionable clothes and apply heavy make-up, caused youths in the country to “go astray” and have affairs, Ayatollah Kazem Sedighi said.   The hard-line cleric said as a result the country, bounded by several fault lines, experienced more “calamities” such as earthquakes, the reformist Aftab-e Yazd newspaper reported him saying.   Iran is prone to frequent quakes, many of which have been devastating for the country.   "Many women who dress inappropriately ... cause youths to go astray, taint their chastity and incite extramarital sex in society, which increases earthquakes," he told worshippers at a Tehran prayer service late last week.   "Calamities are the result of people's deeds.   “We have no way but conform to Islam to ward off dangers."   The Islamic dress code is mandatory in Iran, which has been under clerical rule for more than three decades.   Every post-pubescent woman regardless of her religion or nationality must cover her hair and bodily contours in public.   Offenders face punishment and fine.   But this has not stopped urban women from appearing in the streets wearing tight coats and flimsy headscarves and layers of skilfully applied make-up.   Experts have warned that a strong quake in Tehran, the Iranian capital, could kill hundreds of thousands of people.   Tehran province has nearly 14 million inhabitants, eight million of whom live in the city, which sits on several fault lines.   Earlier this month, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the country’s president, warned at least five million Tehran residents that they should flee Iran's capital because it is threatened by earthquakes.   Mr Ahmadinejad said that more than two thirds of Iran's 74-million-strong population lived in urban areas.   "We cannot predict when an earthquake will happen. But if anything happens to Tehran province's 13.8 million residents, how can we manage that?" he asked.   The worst in recent times hit the southern city of Bam in December 2003, killing more than 31,000 people – about a quarter of the population – and destroying its ancient mud-built citadel.   Earlier this year the hardline cleric led rallies from Iranian government supporters who denounced opposition students who burned photos of the country's supreme leader during protests in December.   "The issue has reached a point where the picture of Imam Khomeini is insulted," he said.   "They questioned things that are sacred."   He mocked opposition activists who "thought the revolution had been defeated".   http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/7606145/Extramarital-sex-causes-more-earthquakes-Iranian-cleric-claims.html   From shuddha at sarai.net Tue Apr 20 16:04:13 2010 From: shuddha at sarai.net (Shuddhabrata Sengupta) Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2010 16:04:13 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Extramarital sex 'causes more earthquakes' In-Reply-To: <208566.21512.qm@web57205.mail.re3.yahoo.com> References: <208566.21512.qm@web57205.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <4A092C7D-206F-4ABF-AA6E-E9A8916EFC47@sarai.net> Now I know why pious men tremble so much ! On 20-Apr-10, at 4:07 PM, Kshmendra Kaul wrote: > " Extramarital sex 'causes more earthquakes', Iranian cleric claims" > > (Women who dress “inappropriately” incite extramarital sex that in > turn cause more earthquakes, a senior Iranian hard-line cleric has > claimed.) > > By Andrew Hough > 19 Apr 2010 > > Attractive women who snub traditional Islamic clothing to instead > wear fashionable clothes and apply heavy make-up, caused youths in > the country to “go astray” and have affairs, Ayatollah Kazem > Sedighi said. > > The hard-line cleric said as a result the country, bounded by > several fault lines, experienced more “calamities” such as > earthquakes, the reformist Aftab-e Yazd newspaper reported him saying. > > Iran is prone to frequent quakes, many of which have been > devastating for the country. > > "Many women who dress inappropriately ... cause youths to go > astray, taint their chastity and incite extramarital sex in > society, which increases earthquakes," he told worshippers at a > Tehran prayer service late last week. > > "Calamities are the result of people's deeds. > > “We have no way but conform to Islam to ward off dangers." > > The Islamic dress code is mandatory in Iran, which has been under > clerical rule for more than three decades. > > Every post-pubescent woman regardless of her religion or > nationality must cover her hair and bodily contours in public. > > Offenders face punishment and fine. > > But this has not stopped urban women from appearing in the streets > wearing tight coats and flimsy headscarves and layers of skilfully > applied make-up. > > Experts have warned that a strong quake in Tehran, the Iranian > capital, could kill hundreds of thousands of people. > > Tehran province has nearly 14 million inhabitants, eight million of > whom live in the city, which sits on several fault lines. > > Earlier this month, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the country’s president, > warned at least five million Tehran residents that they should flee > Iran's capital because it is threatened by earthquakes. > > Mr Ahmadinejad said that more than two thirds of Iran's 74-million- > strong population lived in urban areas. > > "We cannot predict when an earthquake will happen. But if anything > happens to Tehran province's 13.8 million residents, how can we > manage that?" he asked. > > The worst in recent times hit the southern city of Bam in December > 2003, killing more than 31,000 people – about a quarter of the > population – and destroying its ancient mud-built citadel. > > Earlier this year the hardline cleric led rallies from Iranian > government supporters who denounced opposition students who burned > photos of the country's supreme leader during protests in December. > > "The issue has reached a point where the picture of Imam Khomeini > is insulted," he said. > > "They questioned things that are sacred." > > He mocked opposition activists who "thought the revolution had been > defeated". > > http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/7606145/ > Extramarital-sex-causes-more-earthquakes-Iranian-cleric-claims.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: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> Shuddhabrata Sengupta The Sarai Programme at CSDS Raqs Media Collective shuddha at sarai.net www.sarai.net www.raqsmediacollective.net From kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Tue Apr 20 19:15:53 2010 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2010 06:45:53 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] Extramarital sex 'causes more earthquakes' In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <483511.88445.qm@web57208.mail.re3.yahoo.com> @ Monica - List gone crazy again. Mails indicating one 'sender' whereas actual mail is from someone else. Shuddhya's reply to my post has got archived before my post+    Dear Rajendra   I dont think anyone has 'rejected' your posts. I am quite sure that 'reject' is not an option being used by the Moderators.   This List does off and on have technical glitches.   I sometimes receive posts a few days after they have been sent/archived. I might receive 'later' posts earlier than 'earlier' ones.   Please be patient. Not just you but everyone faces such proiiblems off and on.   Kshmendra --- On Tue, 4/20/10, Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi wrote: From: Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Extramarital sex 'causes more earthquakes' To: "Shuddhabrata Sengupta" Cc: "Kshmendra Kaul" , "sarai list" Date: Tuesday, April 20, 2010, 7:02 PM Shuddha, you are the one who mailed about freedom of expression, now is it not abuse of your intellect to reject my posts to the list., i wonder........... On Tue, Apr 20, 2010 at 4:04 PM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: Now I know why pious men tremble so much ! On 20-Apr-10, at 4:07 PM, Kshmendra Kaul wrote: > " Extramarital sex 'causes more earthquakes', Iranian cleric claims" > > (Women who dress “inappropriately” incite extramarital sex that in > turn cause more earthquakes, a senior Iranian hard-line cleric has > claimed.) > > By Andrew Hough > 19 Apr 2010 > > Attractive women who snub traditional Islamic clothing to instead > wear fashionable clothes and apply heavy make-up, caused youths in > the country to “go astray” and have affairs, Ayatollah Kazem > Sedighi said. > > The hard-line cleric said as a result the country, bounded by > several fault lines, experienced more “calamities” such as > earthquakes, the reformist Aftab-e Yazd newspaper reported him saying. > > Iran is prone to frequent quakes, many of which have been > devastating for the country. > > "Many women who dress inappropriately ... cause youths to go > astray, taint their chastity and incite extramarital sex in > society, which increases earthquakes," he told worshippers at a > Tehran prayer service late last week. > > "Calamities are the result of people's deeds. > > “We have no way but conform to Islam to ward off dangers." > > The Islamic dress code is mandatory in Iran, which has been under > clerical rule for more than three decades. > > Every post-pubescent woman regardless of her religion or > nationality must cover her hair and bodily contours in public. > > Offenders face punishment and fine. > > But this has not stopped urban women from appearing in the streets > wearing tight coats and flimsy headscarves and layers of skilfully > applied make-up. > > Experts have warned that a strong quake in Tehran, the Iranian > capital, could kill hundreds of thousands of people. > > Tehran province has nearly 14 million inhabitants, eight million of > whom live in the city, which sits on several fault lines. > > Earlier this month, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the country’s president, > warned at least five million Tehran residents that they should flee > Iran's capital because it is threatened by earthquakes. > > Mr Ahmadinejad said that more than two thirds of Iran's 74-million- > strong population lived in urban areas. > > "We cannot predict when an earthquake will happen. But if anything > happens to Tehran province's 13.8 million residents, how can we > manage that?" he asked. > > The worst in recent times hit the southern city of Bam in December > 2003, killing more than 31,000 people – about a quarter of the > population – and destroying its ancient mud-built citadel. > > Earlier this year the hardline cleric led rallies from Iranian > government supporters who denounced opposition students who burned > photos of the country's supreme leader during protests in December. > > "The issue has reached a point where the picture of Imam Khomeini > is insulted," he said. > > "They questioned things that are sacred." > > He mocked opposition activists who "thought the revolution had been > defeated". > > http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/7606145/ > Extramarital-sex-causes-more-earthquakes-Iranian-cleric-claims.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: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> Shuddhabrata Sengupta The Sarai Programme at CSDS Raqs Media Collective shuddha at sarai.net www.sarai.net www.raqsmediacollective.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/> -- Rajen. From shuddha at sarai.net Tue Apr 20 19:16:18 2010 From: shuddha at sarai.net (Shuddhabrata Sengupta) Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2010 19:16:18 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Extramarital sex 'causes more earthquakes' In-Reply-To: <483511.88445.qm@web57208.mail.re3.yahoo.com> References: <483511.88445.qm@web57208.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <17D57A52-1DAE-40C1-8022-089BCCE157E3@sarai.net> Its not me. I am not the one blocking messages. But, it could be data loss caused by an electrical surge in a server farm, caused by freak electromagnetic currents, caused by an electrostatic tweak caused by ash spreading in the atmosphere caused by a volcanic eruption triggered by earthquakes caused by accellerated subterranean drilling caused by a floundering world economy caused by a recession caused by capitalism. Who knows On 20-Apr-10, at 7:15 PM, Kshmendra Kaul wrote: > @ Monica - List gone crazy again. Mails indicating one 'sender' > whereas actual mail is from someone else. Shuddhya's reply to my > post has got archived before my post+ > > Dear Rajendra > > I dont think anyone has 'rejected' your posts. I am quite sure that > 'reject' is not an option being used by the Moderators. > > This List does off and on have technical glitches. > > I sometimes receive posts a few days after they have been sent/ > archived. I might receive 'later' posts earlier than 'earlier' ones. > > Please be patient. Not just you but everyone faces such proiiblems > off and on. > > Kshmendra > > --- On Tue, 4/20/10, Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi > wrote: > > From: Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Extramarital sex 'causes more earthquakes' > To: "Shuddhabrata Sengupta" > Cc: "Kshmendra Kaul" , "sarai list" > > Date: Tuesday, April 20, 2010, 7:02 PM > > Shuddha, you are the one who mailed about freedom of expression, > now is it not abuse of your intellect to reject my posts to the > list., i wonder........... > > On Tue, Apr 20, 2010 at 4:04 PM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta > wrote: > Now I know why pious men tremble so much ! > > > On 20-Apr-10, at 4:07 PM, Kshmendra Kaul wrote: > > > " Extramarital sex 'causes more earthquakes', Iranian cleric claims" > > > > (Women who dress “inappropriately” incite extramarital sex that in > > turn cause more earthquakes, a senior Iranian hard-line cleric has > > claimed.) > > > > By Andrew Hough > > 19 Apr 2010 > > > > Attractive women who snub traditional Islamic clothing to instead > > wear fashionable clothes and apply heavy make-up, caused youths in > > the country to “go astray” and have affairs, Ayatollah Kazem > > Sedighi said. > > > > The hard-line cleric said as a result the country, bounded by > > several fault lines, experienced more “calamities” such as > > earthquakes, the reformist Aftab-e Yazd newspaper reported him > saying. > > > > Iran is prone to frequent quakes, many of which have been > > devastating for the country. > > > > "Many women who dress inappropriately ... cause youths to go > > astray, taint their chastity and incite extramarital sex in > > society, which increases earthquakes," he told worshippers at a > > Tehran prayer service late last week. > > > > "Calamities are the result of people's deeds. > > > > “We have no way but conform to Islam to ward off dangers." > > > > The Islamic dress code is mandatory in Iran, which has been under > > clerical rule for more than three decades. > > > > Every post-pubescent woman regardless of her religion or > > nationality must cover her hair and bodily contours in public. > > > > Offenders face punishment and fine. > > > > But this has not stopped urban women from appearing in the streets > > wearing tight coats and flimsy headscarves and layers of skilfully > > applied make-up. > > > > Experts have warned that a strong quake in Tehran, the Iranian > > capital, could kill hundreds of thousands of people. > > > > Tehran province has nearly 14 million inhabitants, eight million of > > whom live in the city, which sits on several fault lines. > > > > Earlier this month, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the country’s president, > > warned at least five million Tehran residents that they should flee > > Iran's capital because it is threatened by earthquakes. > > > > Mr Ahmadinejad said that more than two thirds of Iran's 74-million- > > strong population lived in urban areas. > > > > "We cannot predict when an earthquake will happen. But if anything > > happens to Tehran province's 13.8 million residents, how can we > > manage that?" he asked. > > > > The worst in recent times hit the southern city of Bam in December > > 2003, killing more than 31,000 people – about a quarter of the > > population – and destroying its ancient mud-built citadel. > > > > Earlier this year the hardline cleric led rallies from Iranian > > government supporters who denounced opposition students who burned > > photos of the country's supreme leader during protests in December. > > > > "The issue has reached a point where the picture of Imam Khomeini > > is insulted," he said. > > > > "They questioned things that are sacred." > > > > He mocked opposition activists who "thought the revolution had been > > defeated". > > > > http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/7606145/ > > Extramarital-sex-causes-more-earthquakes-Iranian-cleric-claims.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: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > Shuddhabrata Sengupta > The Sarai Programme at CSDS > Raqs Media Collective > shuddha at sarai.net > www.sarai.net > www.raqsmediacollective.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/> > > > > -- > Rajen. > > Shuddhabrata Sengupta The Sarai Programme at CSDS Raqs Media Collective shuddha at sarai.net www.sarai.net www.raqsmediacollective.net From c.anupam at gmail.com Tue Apr 20 20:57:07 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2010 20:57:07 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] "Unsung Hero: Vipul Thaker" ( by Arnav Anjaria ) In-Reply-To: <583387.9205.qm@web57201.mail.re3.yahoo.com> References: <583387.9205.qm@web57201.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Thanks for sharing this Kshmendra! On Tue, Apr 20, 2010 at 2:06 PM, Kshmendra Kaul wrote: > This article has been picked up from the "Better India" website. Anyone > seeking further details should contact the author. > > Kshmendra > > > "Unsung Hero: Vipul Thaker" > > (This article has been written by Arnav Anjaria. He is a third year student > of Integrated Masters in Political Science at the University of Hyderabad. > He can be contacted at arnav.anjaria at gmail.com) > > This article is dedicated to one of the many unsung heroes bringing about a > change. His name is Vipul Thaker, a simple man with simple dreams. Without > going into his background, let me start from one of his birthdays. It was on > that day when he decided he wanted to do something different. He decided to > educate a Rabari (a tribe in Gujarat) child. > > A makeshift classroom was created on the terrace of his two bedroom house. > As days passed by, Vipul went on to explore the talent in the slum > surrounding his housing society. A few more students joined his class and > subsequently the classroom was shifted to a light post on a nearby road. His > class had no roof and was hence exposed to the harsh elements of the > weather. The classes went on nevertheless. Every evening at around 09.00 pm > the class would commence. > > Within one year Vipul had around twenty children who worked in the day time > and regularly attended his evening classes. > > Looking at the progress of this informal school, the parents who belonged > to the Rabari community came to his aid. They gifted Vipul with an empty hut > to which the classes now moved. Of all the problems that Vipul faced, one > was that of gender discrimination. The girls were not allowed to study. > After much persuasion from Vipul, the parents were convinced and the girls > walked in for the very first time. Within a month their strength doubled. > > This school wasn’t Vipul’s full time profession. He had a day job. He did > receive some voluntary contribution from a few NRIs. After a point, he > decided to admit his students in to a municipal school. Additionally, the > evening classes were regularly conducted to ensure students did not miss out > in case they didn’t go to school in the day. > > Vipul had a dream to nurture – he wanted every child to get education on > par with what their more privileged peers got. He negotiated with the > private school principals, head masters, teachers and finally led to the > introduction of a scholarship scheme. And so today out of forty students, > around twenty five of them have been admitted to a school with better > amenities for the students. > > In the last few years, some of his students have shown their skills at the > state level in the field of dramatic and graphic arts. Today he can proudly > say that these children have something to look forward to. They have a > future too. Vipul considers the renowned Gujarati educationist Gijubhai > Badheka as his source of inspiration. He believes that Gandhian ideals too > have been a prominent force behind his willingness to contribute selflessly. > > The important thing, dear readers, is that this man and many more like him > are actually striving to provide an identity to these children. They are > providing a platform through which these children can express their ideas > and needs. > > Vipul and thousands of such grassroots revolutionaries are working towards > bringing a constructive change in the society and we salute them for their > relentless work in making a better India. > > http://www.thebetterindia.com/1349/unsung-hero-vipul-thaker/ > > > > > _________________________________________ > 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 babuubab at gmail.com Tue Apr 20 21:01:39 2010 From: babuubab at gmail.com (SUNDARA BABU) Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2010 21:01:39 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Untouchable Ambedkar In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Raghavan Prakash rprakash33 at gmail.com Mainstream Vol. XLVIII, No 17, April 17, 2010 Untouchable Ambedkar—the Saga of his Discrimination in America Monday 19 April 2010, by A K Biswas http://www.mainstreamweekly.net/article1990.html The 119th birth anniversary of Dr Babasaheb Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar has been observed on April 14 this year. On this occasion we offer our sincere homage to that towering personality by publishing the following article and a piece that N.C. wrote on him in 1990 when the Bharat Ratna was posthumously conferred on Dr Ambedkar. Paradoxically the curse of untouchability continues to chase Dr Babasaheb Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar even half-a-century after his death and the bane is not history yet. The Dalit faces it almost at every step within or outside India, though we love to imagine and preach on that basis quite otherwise. And Ambedkar has been subjected to discrimination in the Alma Mater where about a century ago he had had his higher education. Enrolled in 1913 as a student of the prestigious Columbia University of New York, USA, he obtained his MA and Ph.D degrees there. The University in 2004 had initiated a proposal to create an Ambedkar Chair for Studies, Research and Analysis of Indian Political Economics. The University, where the brilliant and meritorious student spent his formative years, wanted to finance the project out of its own resources, considering the indelible imprint the social revolutionary left on the nation’s socio-cultural and political life. Needless to note that when he went to the University he faced no hostility based on descent. This ipso facto underlines that the class or coterie that has taken position now, then did not exist or lay their foothold to pollute its pristine environment. Alas! the footprints of untouchability have now become a hallmark in the temple of learning. Ambedkar Chair Fall to Caste Hatred In a thought-provoking article in The New York Times, Joseph Berger had exposed a sensational but well-guarded secrecy how the Columbia University was compelled to abort the project for the Ambedkar Chair in the teeth of opposition by some faculty members. It is clarified at the first opportunity that the opponents of the Ambedkar Chair were not Americans per se. The members who offered resistance to nip the scheme in the bud were Indians—one and all. And they were, according the said article in the powerful daily, the “upper-caste Indians”. We may hazard a guess without apprehension of contradiction, if not opposition, that they were educated and intellectually equipped Hindu upper castes to revile Ambedkar in the prestigious overseas temple of higher leaning. Prof E. Valentine Daniel of the Anthropology Department was the architect of the project. According to Joseph Berger, Mr Daniel, former Director of Columbia’s South Asian Institute, told of the resistance he faced among upper-caste Indians on an academic committee when he wanted to name an endowed Chair in Indian Political Economics after a noted untouchable, Dr B.R. Ambedkar, a Columbia graduate who helped draft the Indian Constitution, which decades ago abolished the caste system.1 The man who scripted the very Article of the Constitution of India abolishing untouchability was himself targeted for brazen discrimination at the altar of his own Alma Meter. It was here that he had acquired and honed his skills for an odyssey against the social vices enshrined in the Hindu scriptures and immortalised by their meticulous practices. Nobody could raise fingers alleging that Ambedkar lacked merit, efficiency or competence or diligence, a theme song usually sang against the Dalits. He, on the other hand, outshines many of the overrated contemporary icons in erudition, statesmanship, patriotism, or administrative abilities. He was a brilliant researcher, writer, historian and, above all, an untiring crusader against injustice all his life. He brought the concept of social justice in the public domain and discourse by incorporating it in the Preamble to the Indian Constitution. The Constitution enshrines the following Article dismantling untouchability: Untouchability is abolished and its practice in any form is forbidden. The enforcement of any disability arising out of untouchability shall be an offence punishable according to law. The provisions of the Indian Constitution or laws thereunder do not apply to crimes committed by Indians in the USA. Even in India, we know the treatment the Dalit receives and the challenges he faces in all walks of life every day. Crimes against him are legion and insensitivity in the polity abysmal. The above constitutional provision adores the statute book only as an useless piece of ornament which does not embarrass his countrymen. It is factually a dead letter now. A mere 2.5 per cent of the cases of atrocities committed against the SCs and STs end in convictions. The roles of agencies assigned with investigation, prosecution and trial are well demonstrated in this state of affairs, involving the dignity, life and properties of the target groups. Speaking dispassionately, the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1989 today, designed to safeguard the target groups from myriad atrocities, oppressions and exploitations, is of no use to them. One may recall, in this background, how Mulayam Singh Yadav, as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, once made a shocking public declaration that he would not enforce the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act during his tenure. That an Act passed by the nation’s Parliament could be shelved by a State in such a supercilious manner on its Chief Minister’s discretion is anti-national. It was a challenge to the highest legislature of India. And no voice of sanity was ever raised against such an arrogant declaration from any corner! The Dalit opinion even on core issues affecting their vital interests rarely finds space in the media. Nobody would ever remember if and when an annual report of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes or National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, both constitutional watchdogs, was discussed in Parliament. Since decades the National Commissions have hitherto submitted their reports to the President of India year after year but their labours of love have been gathering dust in a corner of the labyrinthine corridors of power. The measure of parliamentary as well as official neglect towards India’s Scheduled Castes and Tribes is starkly reflected in its totality. The discrimination targeting Ambedkar by the Indian members in the Academic Committee at the aforementioned prestigious Columbia University poses a perplexing predicament. They being Indians, the Indian Government, with the best of intentions, if at all, could not raise an alarm or bogey of racist attack against the Ambedkar-baiters. Nor would the Indian authorities have the inclination to take up the issue even now with the Obama Administration urging appropriate actions against those Indian-American academics for violation of the civil rights of the USA and to honour Amedkar in the way the South Asian Institute had planned. The countrymen did not know if the vast establishment maintained by the Indian Government at taxpayers’ money in New York and Washington or elsewhere ever cared to intervene in the matter and invite the attention of the home authorities for guidance/advice. Since the article portraying the Indian social mindset in the powerful New York Times has fallen on the deaf ears and blind eyes of the authorities, both in the USA and India, we have no way but to conclude that they are least bothered if Ambedkar is disgraced, desecrated, discrimi-nated against or humiliated there in the USA despite the record of his spectacular services to the nation. The issue has implications far wider and too deeper than meets the eye. The same New York Times underscored the depth of hatred against the Indian Dalits enveloping the length and breadth of the USA. Joseph Berger further writes: E. Valentine Daniel, a Professor of Anthropology at Columbia University, says some Indian executives will not hire untouchables, now usually called Dalits, or downtrodden, no matter their qualifications. “It’s even more than a glass ceiling, it’s a tin roof,” he said.2 The Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), the apex body of the captains of industries in India, we may recall, went on overdrive against a proposal of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment that the Government of India would like to initiate measures favouring reservation of jobs for SCs and STs in the private sector. This is warranted by the fact that the government, both at the Centre and in the States, have ceased to recruit manpower in any significant manner. So the Indian executives on US soil and their country cousins are equally contemptuous of the Dalit and the tribal. In fact they are on the same page when the question of recruitment of the Dalit and tribal candidates is taken up. The American Indians are alarming not so much for the Indian Dalits or tribals as for the Americans of African origin and descent. Sociologists do not form their opinions nor draw conclusions based on a solitary instance. Observation of instance after instance, repetition of similar events, besides adequate experiment and experience, lead social scientists to believe and thereafter form an empirical opinion on any issue. Given the circumstances, the Dalits have to contend with the same degree and dimension of prejudice in the USA as they encounter in their motherland back in India. The Dalit there is under a tight grip, if “tin roof” as against “glass ceiling” conveys any meaning. Enduring intense caste hatred has gone into the genetic code of the Dalit as also the tribal communities in India. A Shiv Sena type movement by the African Americans against the Indian Americans of the kind noted by the Professor of Anthropology may not be altogether a ridiculous idea. Only time will say. ¨ Indians can scarcely grasp the dimension of contributions the Columbia University has made to human knowledge and civilisation. The oldest educational institution of the New York State, founded in 1754 as King’s College by the royal charter of King George II of England, the Columbia University is the sixth oldest in the United States of America. The University most justifiably prides itself with more winners of Nobel Prizes than any other university across the globe. It administers and annually grants the Pulitzer Prizes. Notable alumni and affiliates of the university include four Presidents of the United States of America, nine Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States, 79 Nobel Prize winners and 96 Pulitzer Prize winners. US President and a Nobel Laureate for Peace [2009], Obama is one of the shining alumni of the Columbia University. A look at the American record of Nobel Prizes since its inception (in 1901) may be revealing in this context. Till 2004 AD, some 179 Americans have won the Nobel Prizes, of which 79 were grabbed by the alumni and associates of Columbia. In other words, 44 per cent of the American record of Nobel Prizes were achieved by the alumni and affiliates of Columbia. Ambedkar had made an observation based on his galling personal experience that merit is not appreciated in India. He was, however, very quick to add that Brahmans appreciate the merit of a Brahman, Kayasths of a Kayasth and so on. On the same analogy we can as well say that in India, honour is not an universal cause célèbre if bestowed on a Dalit. The honour to Ambedkar in the Columbia University, his unidentified detractors felt, did not glorify India or Indians. Their senses and faculties for appreciation are jaundiced by morbidity: They saw Ambedkar’s caste; they did not see, much less acknowledge, his towering achievements and accomplishments coupled with crowning scholarship. The tragedy is that this happened in the USA, the land that saw the rise of Barak Obama, a half-African-half-American. The inaugural speech by Obama on January 20, 2009 as the President of the United States of America, loaded with significance, implication and potential, reverberated from one end of the world to the other. The transcendental rise of this humble man on the global horizon in so short a span of political life, is without any parallel and has made him a cynosure of all eyes and ears across the continents. The enunciation of his inclusive policy was strikingly different and distinctive from that of his predecessors. To the troubled world, vitiated by mindless terrorism and visited by despicable horrors of deaths and destruction, his unambiguous and bold declaration sends out a powerful message of hope and confidence: We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus and nonbelievers. We are shaped by every language and culture drawn from every end of this Earth. The voice of sanity has the potential for breaking the barriers of borders, faiths and ideological hues. The catholicity of his vision touched chords in every heart of the global village. Indians in general, and Hindus across the globe in particular, were deeply stirred up to an ecstasy. No American President hitherto opened up the heart of that proud, nay, insensitive —and often perceived as arrogant—nation exposing its depth and eagerness for adoption and assimilation of all in the style and fashion Obama did on the day of his inauguration. His words for the Hindus of America were translated into action soon by organising the first ever Deepawali celebrations (2009), a festival of lights, in the White House. By this solitary action, President Obama has endeared himself to the world of millions of Hindus and practically converted them into his fans, friends and admirers. He has ingratiated himself to them without exception. But the President should be aware of the dark side of the Hindus. The worrying, though conclusive, evidences of their venom are already on record. If they enjoy free and unrestrained hand with claws and nails to deal with the way they have been doing with the Indian Dalits on US soil, even people who are stone-blind could see and would be convinced that the same calamitous fate or misfortunes would befall the African Americans too, if not others. In any case, we know the Indians generally refer to them pejoratively as the kalua, bloody niggers! This is no longer a secret. We may recall here the impressions and attitudinal hostility the Bengali Americans nurse against Obama. When his candidature for the presidency was announced in 2008 after his victory in the primaries, an American despatch for a Bengali weekly reported it.3 Loosely translated, the Bengali weekly says that the second generation of Bengali immigrants in America might be enamoured of Obama’s education in the Harvard University, his record of unblemished community services since student days, his erudition and oratory as the presiden-tial candidate, programme of action etc., but their parents or elders do not share the same degree of sentiment, enthusiasm or infatuation about Barak Obama. They are, on the contrary, clearly unhappy at the thought of a Black guy at all entering the White House as the US President. The Brown people, in fact, are no less resentful than the Whites against a Black occupying the highest office in the US. Once Obama got elected, many Bengalis genuinely apprehended that the Blacks would have a field day. Out and out lazy and thoroughly shirker, the kaluas are a dead-weight on the American people and society. They are like the working classes wedded to rabid trade unionism under the indulgent Communist Party of India ruling the roost in West Bengal since 1977. Those people are fully responsible for derailing the State into chaos, conflict, confusion and stagnation. For America too, if Obama got elected as the President, the writing of the wall is quite clear. Many Bengalis were deeply worried that he would be under acute community influence and/or pressure despite his brilliance. One Bengali American went to the extent of exclaiming: Thirtyfive years ago, I had left India for the USA with a fond dream of working with White-skinned people [sahibs]. Lo and behold! now I am destined to serve under a bloody nigger. The outburst is a clear and unambiguous reflection of the mindset of the educated Bengalis who had adopted America as their home several decades ago but have not changed a bit from their retrograde moorings. Paeans for President Obama by Indians are Opportunistic The Indians have already joined the global village in singing paeans sonorously for the 44th President of Kenyan-American origin. However, such a change of attitude is utterly opportunistic and prudence dictates that it should be viewed with the suspicion it merits. Beneath their skin lies deep layers of hatred for the people of African descent.4 The Hindu perception and attitude, marked by age-old precepts and rituals, concepts of privileges, prejudices and graded inequality, inflexible sense of exclusiveness and gnawing discrimination, have become a veritable graveyard for a vast humanity on its own home—India. Wherever the Hindus migrated under the sun, they did not leave their old baggage behind. They have carted old baggage with their culture and heritage, which are like round pegs in square holes. They fail to appreciate how their ancient baggage is stinking beyond tolerance and has been causing nausea for humanity. America would better take note of the prospect of unbridled growth of a Hindu America because its dimension would be horrifying. A struggle to curb the menace of caste and resultant evils, leading to poisoning the nerves and arteries in the UK with huge Hindu and Dalit immigrants, has already begun. An Equality Bill is on the anvil there. Atrocities in hundreds and thousands of cases on Dalits and tribals across the country evoke no interest of the media or even to the intelligentsia at large in India. They scarcely turn their eyes to them for redress and/or creating public knowledge. The American Congress as well as the European Parliament has noted the nature of atrocities and exploitation Dalits and tribals are destined to suffer. The US Congress’ long and elaborate resolution of 1st session (H. Con. Res 139 of July 24, 2007) states inter alia: ‘Untouchables’, now known as the Dalits, and the people of the forest tribes of India, called Tribals, who together number approximately 200,000,000 people, are the primary victims of caste discrimination in India; [.......] discrimination against the Dalits and Tribals has existed for more than 2000 years and has included educational discrimination, economic disenfranchisement, physical abuse, discrimination in medical care, religious discrimination, and violence targeting Dalit and Tribal women; [........] despite the fact that many Dalits do not report crimes for fear of reprisals by the dominant castes, national police statistics, averaged over the past five years by the National Commission on Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, show that 13 Dalits are murdered every week, five Dalits’ homes or possessions are burnt every week, six Dalits are kidnapped or abducted every week, three Dalit women are raped every day, 11 Dalits are beaten every day and a crime is committed against a Dalit every 18 minutes; [........] many Dalit girls are forced to become temple prostitutes who are then unable to marry and may be auctioned to urban brothels, and many women trafficked in India are Dalit women..... low-caste unborn females are targeted for abortions.... A British member of Indian origin in the European Parliament had condemned its resolution drawn on US lines, though the incidence of atrocities against Dalits and tribals is common knowledge all over the globe. Few Indians know these resolutions and fewer in authority and influence have shown interest in addressing the issues cited therein. So, it is certain, the Dalits and tribals have to wait yet for long for an era free of atrocities and contempt their forefathers endured. References 1. Joseph Berger, The New York Times, October 24, 2004 in an article, “Family Ties and Entanglements of Caste”. 2. Ibid. 3. Alolika Mukherjee, American despatch in Weekly Bartaman (Bengali), Kolkata, July 29, 2008, p. 29. 4. The Nobel laureate Nelson Mandela, who, after serving sentence for decades in jail, fought elections successfully. His African National Congress (ANC), however, did not get support of the people of Indian origin residing there. The latter preferred, by and large, the continuation of a regime under the White supremacists globally accused of apartheid. This fact, however, has not been highlighted by the Indian media. The author is a former Vice-Chancellor, B.R. Ambedkar University, Muzaffarpur, Bihar. He can be contacted at e-mail: atul.biswas at gmail.com From lalitambardar at hotmail.com Tue Apr 20 21:00:39 2010 From: lalitambardar at hotmail.com (Lalit Ambardar) Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2010 15:30:39 +0000 Subject: [Reader-list] The rebirth of the Indian Mujahideen - PRAVEEN SWAMI In-Reply-To: References: , , , Message-ID: One need not necessarily be a fan of PS to express outrage over attempts to purge him from this forum. Never thought that it was mandatory to respond to every ‘progressive’ or even ‘not so progressive’ thought posted on this forum. My concurrence on any issue if assumed on that pretext stands withdrawn. Also, this anti PS campaign is akin to the modus operandi that was adopted as part of the well executed process of ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Hindu Pandits in the valley in 1989-90. Many of them were selectively declared as ‘Mukhbar’ – informer or agent (of India) & killed brutally to create fear psychosis in the community. Regards all LA --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 17:40:16 +0530 > From: javedmasoo at gmail.com > To: pawan.durani at gmail.com > CC: reader-list at sarai.net > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] The rebirth of the Indian Mujahideen - PRAVEEN SWAMI > > Everyone means those who agreed (that Praveen's writing are not > trustworthy) and those who didn't object to that fact. > > > > On Mon, Apr 19, 2010 at 3:26 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > > Everyone ? Who all consists of everyone ? Pls enlighten > > > > On Mon, Apr 19, 2010 at 3:25 PM, Javed wrote: > >> Dear Pawan > >> If you remember, some weeks ago, everyone on this list agreed that > >> whatever Praveen Swami says is not to be trusted. So, kindly do not > >> forward any of Swami's write-ups here. > >> > >> Thanks > >> > >> Javed > >> > >> > >> On Mon, Apr 19, 2010 at 9:34 AM, Pawan Durani wrote: > >>> http://beta.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/article402892.ece > >>> > >>> Saturday's bombings in Bangalore are a grim reminder that the jihadist > >>> movement is far from spent. > >>> > >>> Less than an hour before police surrounded the Indian Mujahideen > >>> bomb-factory hidden away on the fringes of the Bhadra forests in > >>> Chikmagalur, Mohammad Zarar Siddi Bawa had slipped away on a bus bound > >>> for Mangalore — the first step in a journey that would take him to the > >>> safety of a Lashkar-e-Taiba safehouse in Karachi. > >>> > >>> Inside the house, officers involved in the October, 2008, raid found > >>> evidence of Bawa's work: laboratory equipment used to test and prepare > >>> chemicals, precision tools, and five complete improvised explosive > >>> devices. Even as investigators across India set about filing paperwork > >>> declaring Bawa a fugitive, few believed they would ever be able to lay > >>> eyes on him again. > >>> > >>> But in February, a closed-circuit television camera placed over the > >>> cashier's counter at the Germany Bakery in Pune recorded evidence that > >>> Bawa had returned to India — just minutes before an improvised > >>> explosive device ripped through the popular restaurant killing > >>> seventeen people, and injuring at least sixty. > >>> > >>> Dressed in a loose-fitting blue shirt, a rucksack slung over his back, > >>> the fair, slight young man with a wispy beard has been identified by > >>> police sources in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka as “Yasin > >>> Bhatkal” — the man who made the bombs which ripped apart ten Indian > >>> towns and cities between 2005 and 2008. Witnesses at the restaurant > >>> also identified Bawa from photographs, noting that he was wearing > >>> trousers rolled up above his ankles — a style favoured by some > >>> neo-fundamentalists. > >>> > >>> Bawa is emerging as the key suspect in Saturday's bombings outside the > >>> M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore — a grim reminder that the > >>> jihadist offensive that began after the 2002 communal violence in > >>> India is very far from spent. > >>> > >>> The obscure jihadist > >>> > >>> Little is known about just what led Bawa to join the jihadist > >>> movement. Educated at Bhatkal's well-respected Anjuman > >>> Hami-e-Muslimeen school, 32-year-old Bawa left for Pune as a teenager. > >>> He was later introduced to other members of the Indian Mujahideen as > >>> an engineer, but police in Pune have found no documentation suggesting > >>> he ever studied in the city. > >>> > >>> Instead, Bawa spent much of his time with a childhood friend living in > >>> Pune, Unani medicine practitioner-turned-Islamist proselytiser Iqbal > >>> Ismail Shahbandri. Like his brother Riyaz Ismail Shahbandri — now the > >>> Indian Mujahideen's top military commander — Ismail Shahbandri had > >>> become an ideological mentor to many young Islamists in Pune and > >>> Mumbai, many of them highly-educated professionals. > >>> > >>> The Shahbandari brothers' parents, like many members of the Bhatkal > >>> elite, had relocated to Mumbai in search of new economic > >>> opportunities. Ismail Shahbandri, their father, set up leather-tanning > >>> factory in Mumbai's Kurla area in the mid-1970s. Riyaz Shahbandri went > >>> on to obtain a civil engineering degree from Mumbai's Saboo Siddiqui > >>> Engineering College and, in 2002, was married to Nasuha Ismail, the > >>> daughter of an electronics store owner in Bhatkal's Dubai Market. > >>> > >>> Shafiq Ahmad, Nasuha's brother, had drawn Riyaz Shahbandri into the > >>> Students Islamic Movement of India. He first met his Indian Mujahideen > >>> co-founders Abdul Subhan Qureshi and Sadiq Israr Sheikh, in the months > >>> before his marriage. Later, Riyaz Shahbandri made contact with > >>> ganglord-turned-jihadist Amir Raza Khan. In the wake of the communal > >>> violence that ripped Gujarat apart in 2002, the men set about > >>> funnelling recruits to Lashkar camps in Pakistan. > >>> > >>> Early in the summer of 2004, investigators say, the core members of > >>> the network that was later to call itself the Indian Mujahideen met at > >>> Bhatkal's beachfront to discuss their plans. Iqbal Shahbandri and > >>> Bhatkal-based cleric Shabbir Gangoli are alleged to have held > >>> ideological classes; the group also took time out to practice shooting > >>> with airguns. Bawa had overall charge of arrangements — a task that > >>> illustrated his status as the Bhatkal brothers' most trusted > >>> lieutenant. > >>> > >>> Bhatkal, police investigators say, became the centre of the Indian > >>> Mujahideen's operations. From their safehouses in Vitthalamakki and > >>> Hakkalamane, bombs were despatched to operational cells dispersed > >>> across the country, feeding the most sustained jihadist offensive > >>> India has ever seen. > >>> > >>> Communal war > >>> > >>> Like so many of his peers in the Indian Mujahideen, Bawa emerged from > >>> a fraught communal landscape. Bhatkal's Nawayath Muslims, made > >>> prosperous by hundreds of years of trade across the Indian Ocean, > >>> emerged as the region's dominant land-owning community. Early in the > >>> twentieth century, inspired by call of Aligarh reformer Syed Ahmed > >>> Khan, Bhatkal notables led a campaign to bring modern education for > >>> the community. The Anjuman Hami-e-Muslimeen school where Bawa studied > >>> was one product of their efforts, which eventually spawned > >>> highly-regarded institutions that now cater to over several thousand > >>> students. > >>> > >>> Organisations like the Anjuman helped the Navayath Muslims capitalise > >>> on the new opportunities for work and business with opened up in the > >>> United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia during the 1970s. But this > >>> wealth, in turn, engendered resentments which laid the ground for an > >>> communal conflict. In the years after the Emergency, the Jana Sangh > >>> and its affiliates began to capitalise on resentments Bhatkal's Hindus > >>> felt about the prosperity and political power of the Navayaths. The > >>> campaign paid off in 1983, when the Hindu right-wing succeeded in > >>> dethroning legislator S.M. Yahya, who had served as a state minister > >>> between 1972 and 1982. > >>> > >>> Both communities entered into a competitive communal confrontation, > >>> which involved the ostentatious display of piety and power. The > >>> Tablighi Jamaat, a neo-fundamentalist organisation which calls on > >>> followers to live life in a style claimed to be modelled on that of > >>> the Prophet Mohammad, drew a growing mass of followers. Hindutva > >>> groups like the Karavalli Hindu Samiti, too, staged ever-larger > >>> religious displays to demonstrate their clout. > >>> > >>> Early in 1993, Bhatkal was hit by communal riots which claimed > >>> seventeen lives and left dozens injured. The violence, which began > >>> after Hindutva groups claimed stones had been thrown at a Ram Navami > >>> procession, and lasted nine months. Later, in April 1996, two Muslims > >>> were murdered in retaliation for the assassination of Bharatiya Janata > >>> Party legislator U. Chittaranjan — a crime that investigators now say > >>> may have been linked to the Bhatkal brothers. More violence broke out > >>> in 2004, after the assassination of BJP leader Thimmappa Naik. > >>> > >>> Iqbal Shahbandri and his recruits were, in key senses, rebels against > >>> a traditional political order that appeared to have failed to defend > >>> Muslim rights and interests. Inside the Indian Mujahideen safehouses > >>> raided in October, 2008, police found no evidence that traditional > >>> theological literature or the writings of the Tablighi Jamaat had > >>> influenced the group. Instead, they found pro-Taliban videos and > >>> speeches by Zakir Naik — a popular but controversial Mumbai-based > >>> televangelist who has, among other things, defends Al-Qaeda chief > >>> Osama bin-Laden. > >>> > >>> “If he is fighting the enemies of Islam”, Naik said in one speech, “I > >>> am for him. If he is terrorising America the terrorist—the biggest > >>> terrorist — I am with him.” “Every Muslim” Naik concluded, “should be > >>> a terrorist. The thing is, if he is terrorising a terrorist, he is > >>> following Islam”. Naik has never been found to be involved in > >>> violence, but his words have fired the imagination of a diverse > >>> jihadists — among them, Glasgow suicide-bomber Kafeel Ahmed, 2006 > >>> Mumbai train-bombing accused Feroze Deshmukh, and New York taxi driver > >>> Najibullah Zazi, who faces trial for planning to attack the city's > >>> Grand Central Railway Station. > >>> > >>> Language like this spoke to concerns of the young people who were > >>> drawn to separate jihadist cells that began to spring up across India > >>> after the 2002 violence, mirroring the growth of the Indian > >>> Mujahideen. SIMI leader Safdar Nagori set up a group that included the > >>> Bangalore information-technology professionals Peedical Abdul Shibli > >>> and Yahya Kamakutty; in Kerala Tadiyantavide Nasir, Abdul Sattar, and > >>> Abdul Jabbar set up a separate organisation that is alleged to have > >>> bombed Bangalore in 2008 > >>> > >>> Storms of hate > >>> > >>> Well-entrenched in the political system, Bhatkal's Muslim leadership > >>> has been hostile to radical Islamism. Efforts by Islamist political > >>> groups to establish a presence there have, for the most part, been > >>> unsuccessful. But authorities acknowledge Bhatkal, like much of the > >>> Dakshina Kannada region, remains communally fraught. Small-scale > >>> confrontations are routine. Earlier this month, the Karavalli Hindu > >>> Samiti even staged demonstrations in support of the Sanatana Sanstha, > >>> the Hindutva group police in Goa say was responsible for terrorist > >>> bombings carried out last year. > >>> > >>> Pakistan's intelligence services and transnational jihadist groups > >>> like the Lashkar nurtured and fed India's jihadist movement — but its > >>> birth was the outcome of an ugly communal contestation that remains > >>> unresolved. Even as India's police and intelligence services work to > >>> dismantle the jihadist project, politicians need to find means to > >>> still the storms of hate which sustain 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/> _________________________________________________________________ Climate, controversies and the changing signatures of nature http://green.in.msn.com/ From babuubab at gmail.com Tue Apr 20 21:06:00 2010 From: babuubab at gmail.com (SUNDARA BABU) Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2010 21:06:00 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] =?windows-1252?q?Public_Meeting_Indian_State=92s_Wa?= =?windows-1252?q?r_on_People?= Message-ID: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: C.R Bijoy bijoy.cr at gmail.com ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Sudipto Muhuri [Attachment(s)] Public Meeting Indian State’s War on People and the Assault on Democratic Voices 3PM-8PM, 24TH APRIL 2010 Gandhi Peace Foundation, Deen Dayal Upadhyay MARG, ITO, DELHI SPEAKERS Randhir Singh Justice Rajender Sachar PK Vijayan Madan Kashyap Sumit Chakravorty Varavara Rao Neelabh B D Sharma S A R Geelani Aparna Darshanpal Arunddhati Roy Ravinder Goel Karen Gabriel N Venuh Kalpana Mehta Kabir Suman G N Saibaba Mrigank Ish Mishra Kavita Krishana Shivmangal Sidhandhkar Rajkishore And others Organized by Forum Against War on People The following Organisations and Individuals are part of this Forum: All India Students Association (AISA), Campaign for Peace & Democracy Manipur (CPDM), Committee Against Violence On Women (CAVOW), Committee for the Release of Political Prisoners (CRPP), Correspondence, CPI (ML) (Liberation), CPI (ML) (New Democracy), CPI (ML) (New Proletarian), Delhi General Mazdoor Front (DGMF), Delhi University Campaign Against War on People, Democratic Students’ Union (DSU), International Association of People’s Lawyers India, Jatisoshan Virodhi Samithi, JNU Forum Against War on People, Kashipur Solidarity Group, KRALOS, Krantikari Lok Adhikar Sanghatan (KLAS), Krantikari Yuva Sanghathan (KYS), Left Democratic Teacher's Front (LDTF), Mazdoor Ekta Manch (MEM), Mazdoor Kranti Parishad (MKP), Mehanatkash Mazdoor Morcha (MMM), Naga People’s Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR), Naga Students Union Delhi (NSUD), Nari Mukti Sangh (NMS), Navjawan Bharat Sabha (NBS), People's Front (PF), People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), PFD, Popular Front of India, Progressive Democratic Front of India (PDFI), Radical Notes, Revolutionary Democratic Front (RDF), Individuals: Arundhati Roy, BD Sharma, Neshat Quaiser, Prashant Bhushan, Randhir Singh, Tripta Wahi, Vijay Singh. For further contact: stopwaroncitizens at gmail.com, Visit the site: icawpi.org Attachment(s) from Pinaki 1 of 1 File(s) Public_Meeting_on_24_April_in_Delhi.pdf __._,_.___ From vishal.rawlley at gmail.com Tue Apr 20 21:34:21 2010 From: vishal.rawlley at gmail.com (Vishal Rawlley) Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2010 21:34:21 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] hauz-i-shamsi.in Message-ID: Would like to share my ongoing art project at a site in Mehrauli, Delhi. You are invited to visit the site in person or visit it on webcam via skype. For more details please visit: www.hauz-i-shamsi.in Feedback is very welcome. -vishal rawlley From waliarifi3 at gmail.com Wed Apr 21 11:52:55 2010 From: waliarifi3 at gmail.com (Wali Arifi) Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2010 11:52:55 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] "A Hindu army officer and an Indian patriot..." Message-ID: http://www.newint.org/features/special/2010/04/01/kashmir-conflict/ A soldier’s story In the crossfire of daily violence between militants and state forces, the picturesque northern Indian state of Kashmir has known no peace for decades. In this revealing first-person account, Gopal Mitra, a former Indian army Major, offers hard-won insights into how the violence could be ended. He spoke to Jeremy Seabrook. ---------------- Major Gopal Mitra had realized that India’s militarization of Kashmir was no long-term solution before he was blown up in Kupwara in 2000. An informer had guided his unit to a booby-trapped militant hide-out. During the ensuing gun-battle, 17 kilos of RDX explosive went up. Airlifted to hospital in Srinagar, Gopal needed 150 stitches to his face and body. He lost his eyes and had to undergo facial reconstruction. In and out of hospital for two years, he had time to reflect, both on his injuries and what he was doing in Kashmir. Now in his late thirties, he is without rancour or bitterness. He works for an international disability charity, and says the loss of his eyes has been compensated by the insights gained. ‘As a soldier, you have to believe that terrorism is bad for your country. But when you see it close up, you realize there is a reason for resistance – usually a result of some earlier failing by the State. When violence starts – in the North East or in Kashmir – it begins as a way of redressing grievances. But over time, the just objective is overtaken, and conflict soon generates its own reasons for continuing. When public opinion is met by oppression, there is bound to be violence. In Kashmir, when the State installs puppet governments with no mandate to act on behalf of the people, how can they accept it? ‘Kashmir is seen as a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan, a cause for international concern. This doesn’t address the issue of how conflict is sustained on the ground. The whole society is drawn into prolonging war. The search for justice is overwhelmed by other priorities, including the self-interest of those who gain some advantage from it. There are four parties to the conflict – militants, civil administration, army and local population. All operate and live in the area. The best houses in any village, although far beyond their legitimate means, are always occupied by Government officials. Social structures, accountability, civil administration have all broken down. Transparency International says that after Bihar, Kashmir is the most corrupt state in India. It receives huge funds from central government. ‘The whole economy is distorted because basic social norms have collapsed. Most stolen cars in India are traded in Kashmir. ‘Many militants believe passionately in their cause and take up arms. This also creates commercial pressures: arms-suppliers who have an interest in continuing conflict. After the snowmelt in April-May till November, militants cross the passes. They get high rates and bonuses for killing members of the security forces. The security forces have all the militants’ radio-intercepts: it is known they inflate the numbers killed when reporting to their bosses, because this increases their bonuses. ‘There is no adequate rehabilitation package for militants. There is no thought-out strategy to absorb them back into society. ‘It is in the nature of prolonged armed operations to alienate people, no matter how disciplined the army. You search houses, knock on doors in the middle of the night; people are under siege. Some find serving as informers to the army a viable way of making a living. This is how the neutrality of civilians is compromised, both by the army and the militants. It polarizes people. The army has an incentive to perpetuate the crisis, because this vindicates its reason for existence and ensures resources are allocated to the area. ‘I love my country, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think it can become a better place’ ‘The initial objectives take second place to conflict for its own sake. The idea that an Indo-Pak solution is the only answer places it in a different sphere from the violence on the ground. Simple one-dimensional solutions don’t work. Societies, easy to divide, are harder to re-unite. In Kashmir, if I had a grievance against you, I’d have fought it out with you. But now I’ll get two militants to attack you. Personal vendettas feed into the wider conflict; private animosities get involved, the whole community is distorted. ‘When you see daily violence, you ask yourself: “Is this what we are fighting for?” Before I was injured, I knew armed operations would not lead to a solution. But the support system in the army is very robust. It helps you not to feel troubled, to concentrate on your duty. The camaraderie is strong, and the common danger a consolidating force. ‘North Kashmir was known as a ‘hot zone’. We were involved in search and destroy missions. Militants from Pakistan were servicing bases in the forest, stocks of ammunition and guns in camps hidden underground. We flushed out and captured arms and personnel. I was leading my company when I was injured. I remember only floating in and out of consciousness. The speed of evacuation saved my life. ‘Initially I felt anger and uncertainty. The doctor said: “Look, Gopal, I’ll have to take out your eye – if I don’t your brain may become infected.” My destiny, which I thought I had taken into my hands, took another turn. In hospital I met my wife. Her father had also been in the army, and he, too, had been blinded. She was doing a Social Work MA and it was through her I came to development work. We were married in 2003. ‘I never hated Kashmir, and afterwards had nothing against the militant who deprived me of sight. He was also doing his job. My wife and I took our honeymoon in Kashmir. We went as civilians on a houseboat. The people we met had no idea I was ex-army. We talked to them. They all hated violence. I wanted to remember the beauty of Kashmir. Personally, I do not care whether Kashmir is part of India or Pakistan. The referendum on Kashmir which never took place after Independence [in 1947] can only happen when people are in a position to make reasoned choices. Kashmir has been so tainted that such a choice is not possible. People need a period of normal life. A generation of children have been traumatized; growing in the shadow of violence, their childhood play is a mimicry of adult wars. ‘For any solution, the grievances that hardened into incentives to persist in conflict need to be unravelled. After the loss of 80,000 lives, the Government says: “We have shed blood in Kashmir, and therefore nothing can change.” I say: “I lost my blood, but I don’t care that much.” Public opinion is manipulated by political parties. I can speak with a certain authority, because I actually fought, unlike intransigent armchair politicians. If I say India should take a less hard line, this is because I have seen the damage hard lines can do. ‘I love my country, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think it can become a better place. If they don’t do things right, thousands more will die. Kashmir remains one of the most militarized places on earth. It is often said that ethnicity creates violence; but I think violence creates ethnicity – people who have lived in amity for centuries are moved by injustice, and the divisiveness of that injustice focuses on ethnicity or religion. ‘If violence has declined at present, this is not because India is doing the right thing. The militants turned their attention to Kashmir in 1989, when the Russians withdrew from Afghanistan. Today, the militants have more urgent priorities, again in Afghanistan and the Pakistan border. Because the Indian state failed to grant autonomy to Kashmir, the social contract between people and State was breached. It is easy to explain why the conflict started, but that doesn’t account for the way it assumed a life of its own, and its prolongation over so many years. ‘There is no overnight solution. But there is a window of opportunity, now the pressure has lessened on Kashmir by the removal of militants to other parts of Asia. There is a chance for everyday life to be restored, where people will not have their door hammered in at two in the morning, or stopped at four roadblocks on the way to the market. Indian soldiers will not have instructions during elections to coerce 70 per cent of people to vote, just to ‘prove’ they support the democratic process. ‘It is painful to say this as a Hindu army officer and an Indian patriot, but truth is truth. I see an opportunity in Kashmir right now, especially since Pakistan is troubled by its own internal conflict. If we don’t seize it, India will be the loser.’ From oishiksircar at gmail.com Wed Apr 21 13:23:08 2010 From: oishiksircar at gmail.com (OISHIK SIRCAR) Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2010 13:23:08 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Invitation: Cinema City event_29th April 6.30pm at MMB Message-ID: Dear Friends,** We are happy to announce a certificate course on *City Narratives in Literature and Cinema* to be commenced on 9th July-12th October, 2010. The course is an exploration of plural ways that cities intersect and define the narration, production and commerce of cinema and simultaneously how cinematic representations figure / re-figure urban identities. It is part of a larger endeavour titled Cinema City: Bombay / Mumbai, an inter-disciplinary research art and archive project. For more information on the course please visit www.cinemacitycourse.com(under construction) * * *We would like to invite you to a pre-launch programme of this course on Thursday 29th April, 6.30pm at Max Mueller Bhavan, Kala Ghoda.* * * *Programme*: 6.30pm: Tea 6.45pm: Screening of the short film *Sin** City* by Srikant Agawane (15 min) 7.00pm: Brief introduction to the project *Cinema** City*** 7.10pm*: Framer Framed*: *Filmmaking practices*. Paromita Vohra converses with Saeed Aktar Mirza. 7.40pm: *‘Unreal City’: Poetic narratives and the cities. *Readings from the works of Arun Kolatkar, Dilip Chitre, Namdev Dasal and Arundhati Subramanium. Moderated by Abhay Sardesai and Mitra Parikh. 8.10pm:* Mapping Bodies in the city: *Architect Rohan Shivkumar talks to visual artist Sudhir Patwardhan. * * *Please do come and inform the other fellow city enthusiasts.* * ** * Madhusree Dutta Marla Stukenberg Mitra Parikh Majlis Max Mueller Bhavan-Goethe Institute SNDT Women's University -- www.majlisbombay.org -- www.majlisbombay.org -- OISHIK SIRCAR oishiksircar at gmail.com oishik.sircar at utoronto.ca From patrice at xs4all.nl Wed Apr 21 14:12:25 2010 From: patrice at xs4all.nl (Patrice Riemens) Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2010 10:42:25 +0200 Subject: [Reader-list] fwd: Soter d'Souza: Liberation or Colonisation? (Goa and Chatisgarh/ Jharkhand) Message-ID: <81ab747f6e8cdc3bff9c0e9155488448.squirrel@webmail.xs4all.nl> (reposted from Goanet) Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2010 08:10:19 +0530 From: "soter" To: Subject: [Goanet] Liberation or Colonisation? (This was a letter posted to 'Herald' on 16 /4/2010 and reposted with minor changes on 20/4/2010. But seems that the Truth is being kept under wraps.) The disclosure of facts by Arundhati Roy seems to have tickled many like SND Poojary from Miramar (Herald, 16/4/10). We can understand this patriotic Indian's concern about the disrespect to freedom fighters. After all liberated Goa has been made accessible to migrants, devastation and plunder. Now they want the forests of Chatisgarh and Jharkhand to be liberated for plunder. We do not need to go into the forests to understand the plight of the tribals. All we need to see is what is happening to Goa. How people opposing devastating projects are labeled anti-nationals, anti-development, anarchists and so on. The local people's livelihood, culture, language, environment can go to hell. Is eliminating thousands of fellow citizens in the name of religion, caste, unity and integrity of the country to be classified as patriotic? Or, is it only the prerogative of a select few to question the Constitution of India and define as to who are Indian and who are not? The truth always hurts and if Arundhati Roy has to pay for stating it, then it is nothing surprising. Year after year the Good Friday celebrations remind us about the naked fact of oppression and suppression of the 'Truth'. Even to this day we have the Pontius Pilates and the crowds instigated by the scribes and pharisees to shout "Crucify her!" But every crucifiction of truth is confronted with a 'Ressurection'. -Soter D'Souza From patrice at xs4all.nl Wed Apr 21 14:35:37 2010 From: patrice at xs4all.nl (Patrice Riemens) Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2010 11:05:37 +0200 Subject: [Reader-list] [Fwd: Open Letter to Barack Obama from Indian health groups] Message-ID: <32e16fc5b1d6c79b79016f55979e030a.squirrel@webmail.xs4all.nl> (bwo Toni Prug) http://lists.essential.org/pipermail/ip-health/2010-April/014857.html IP battles, India Vs CorporateUSA - might be interesting for one of the Indian lists you're on, like http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/commons-law/ it's a fascinating read! toni --------------------------------------------------------------------- [Ip-health] Open Letter to Barack Obama from Indian health groups Judit Rius Sanjuan judit.rius at keionline.org Sun Apr 18 02:14:01 2010 We have been asked to distribute this Open Letter to Barack Obama from Indian health groups, expresssing the concern over USPTO's attack on Public health safeguards of Indian Patent Law OPEN LETTER TO THE US PRESIDENT FROM INDIAN HEALTH GROUPS 13 April 2010 Dear Mr. President, We, the undersigned public interest, health and patients groups in India, write to express our support for the principle of universal healthcare for all persons. We believe that every human being regardless of class, sex, religion, citizenship, insurance or any other status has a right to the highest attainable standard of health. Given your stated commitment and recognition of universal healthcare for US citizens, we are surprised and confused by the actions of the United States Patents and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the US embassy in India whose commitments appear to be to advocate against India=92s own attempts to safeguard public health and ensure universal access to healthcare. India's patent law public health safeguards A key factor influencing the fulfilment of the right to health is the price of medicines. Artificial monopolies created by patents on medicines contribute significantly to obscene prices that keep medicines beyond the reach of the majority of Indians. As a member of the WTO, India had to comply fully with its obligations under the TRIPS Agreement to provide patent protection on medicines in 2005. It has done so in 2005. The Indian parliament, mindful of its obligations under the Indian Constitution and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), balanced its obligations under TRIPS by including in India=92s Patent law several public health safeguards including a prohibition on evergreening =96 a tactic employed by pharmaceutical companies of extending patent monopolies by making minor changes to existing medicines. It also used several TRIPS flexibilities to ensure access to medicines in India and across the developing world. However, instead of respecting India=92s sovereign right to determine how best to balance its competing obligations, we find that the US government is actively advocating against the public health safeguards in India=92s patent law and even pushing TRIPS-plus measures like data exclusivity and patent linkages in India. Generic competition and global access to medicines The revolution in access to HIV treatment around the world started with an offer from an Indian generic company in 2001 of providing first line HIV medicines at $350 as opposed to the prices being offered by patent holders of $10,000 per patient per year. Today, generic competition has resulted in first line HIV medicines being provided around the world for less than $90 per patient per year. The offer of safe, effective and affordable generics combined with large scale political commitment and funding from the international community including the Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to allow the historic scale up of HIV treatment across the world. Indeed the necessity for safe, effective and affordable generics is evidenced most clearly by PEPFAR. As noted in PEPFAR=92s 5th annual report, a 2007 survey showed that 73% of ARVs delivered by PEPFAR and 93% delivered through PEPFAR=92s Supply Chain Management System (scms) project were generic formulations. PEPFAR partners saved an estimated $64 million =96 a 46% reduction in the cost of drugs =96 by buying generic versions instead of innovator drugs. UNICEF, the International Drug Agency, the Global Fund for HIV, TB and Malaria, the Clinton Foundation and Doctors Without Borders (MSF) as well as the governments of developing and least developed countries, all rely heavily on Indian generics to be able to provide the maximum number of patients with treatment and medicines for several diseases and conditions including HIV, heart disease, cancer, mental illness, vaccines, etc. Several patients in these countries also rely on Indian generics that they individually import from India where their governments are unable or unwilling to provide them access to medicines and treatment. Approximately, 50% of the essential medicines that UNICEF distributes in developing countries come from India and 75-80% of all medicines distributed by the International Dispensary Association (IDA) are manufactured in India. We would also like to point out that 67 % of medicines exports from India go to developing countries. India=92s ability to continue supplying safe, effective and affordable generics to its own citizens and to most of the developing and least developed world depends on the continued and balanced use of TRIPS flexibilities. It is may be worth noting that during this period when Indian generics have sustained the lives of millions across the world, the US based multinational pharmaceutical industry has been none the worse for it as evidenced by their ever increasing profits. USPTO-Pfizer meetings in India Despite all this, we find that that the US embassy along with the USPTO has tied up with multinational pharmaceutical company Pfizer in holding meetings across the country pushing a TRIPS-plus agenda. The meetings also raise ethical concerns with a regulatory body like the USPTO tying up with a company that it is supposed to regulate. The meetings being held by the USPTO and Pfizer appear to be designed to circumvent the 2007 New Trade Policy Template which includes removing demands for patent linkages and recognising the full extent of the flexibilities re-affirmed by the Doha Declaration. It is precisely these flexibilities that are under attack at the USPTO- Pfizer meetings. Apart from pushing for TRIPS-plus provisions like data exclusivity and patent linkages in India, the USPTO has also been actively speaking against Section 3(d), the provision in India=92s patent law prohibiting evergreening. We also take this opportunity to point out that the USPTO presentations at these meetings are, at best, deliberately misleading on international, US and Indian law and policy. This includes misleading statements on Article 39.3 of TRIPS, on the impact of the US Supreme Court=92s KSR judgment, the role of the WHO on matters related to IPR and public health as well as a number of misrepresentations on Indian law and policy. We enclose notes from the Delhi USPTO-Pfizer meeting for your reference. Pfizer The choice of Pfizer as a partner for the USPTO meeting is telling. In Asia, Pfizer is well known for its tactics in the Philippines to delay generic entry of medicines. Most notable was their litigation against the use of the Bolar exemption by the Philippines FDA followed by its litigation to enforce patent linkages. More recently, Pfizer has been embroiled in bribery allegations in the Philippines; a matter the US Departments of Justice and Commerce are now being asked to consider under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. In the US, Pfizer has just settled numerous complaints related to unethical drug promotion with a massive fine of $US 2.3 billion. USPTO Regrets! When public interest groups and the media responded to the unethical lobbying practices of the USPTO-Pfizer duo in India, Mr. Peter Pappas, the Chief Communications Officer of USPTO posted an official statement in the blog of Knowledge Ecology International (KEI) as a response to one of the blog postings. In which, Mr. Pappas stated =93... a single program late last year in India where a mistake was made and Pfizer was invited to co-sponsor a public discussion program. The USPTO has since taken corrective action so that this will not happen again. Contrary to what you suggest, however, it is not the USPTO's policy or practice to involve private sector rights holders as co-sponsors of our events. We regret that this occurred with respect to the Indian forum, but that was the exception and not the rule.=94 Though, USPTO officially regretted associating with Pfizer, we feel that it has the moral duty to send regret letters to all the invitees and participants of the event. A note on a website is not sufficient in this regard. It has to be noted that scores of public interest and patient groups as well as media persons were invited and grossly misinformed by the USPTO-Pfizer duo. In this regard, we also seek apology from US Embassy in India and First Secretary for Intellectual Property for associating with Pfizer as against the official Policy or practices of the USPTO. We also urge you launch a formal investigation into the links between the USPTO in India and Pfizer and to take necessary action against the officials concerned for misinforming the Indian media and the general public about its own Patent laws and public health safe guards and officials who teamed up with Pfizer to engage in unethical lobbying practices with various stake holders in the field of access to medicines in India. What of the WHO resolution on Global Strategy on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property Rights? In May 2009, the United States along with all the members of the WHO put the final touches on the Global Strategy on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property Rights (the =93Global Strategy=94). The Global Strategy, signed in May 2008 recognises that the patent system has not delivered on medicines for neglected diseases which affect the developing and least developed world the most. It also recognises that the use of TRIPS flexibilities can facilitate access to pharmaceutical products for developing countries. This is precisely what India is doing and what the US should be supporting. However, instead of the US government promoting new thinking on IPR, innovation and access, we find that financial and technical resources of the USPTO/US embassy are being ploughed back into their old strategy of promoting TRIPS-plus measures and undermining the use of TRIPS-flexibilities in India based on widely discredited arguments that these will assist India in achieving access to medicines. We cannot stress enough the impact of these actions being at the cost not only of Indian citizens but of millions across the developing and least developed world. This level of aggressiveness being displayed by the USPTO and the US embassy on matters related to intellectual property rights is something we have not witnessed in the eight years of the previous administration. The actions of the USPTO and US embassy actions in India are a direct threat to India=92s continued ability to be the =93pharmacy of the developing world.=94 We ask that the US immediately cease their activities in India in promoting ever increasing intellectual property protection and TRIPS- plus measures and in lobbying against the use of TRIPS-flexibilities by the Indian Parliament. We also ask that: =95 The US should disengage from any activities that hamper the utilisation of TRIPS flexibilities in developing and least developed countries; =95 The US should not use any diplomatic/economic/financial tools such as super 301 to enforce TRIPS-plus agenda in developing and least developed countries; and =95 The US should not attack the domestic policy space of the developing and least developed countries which is available under various treaties, to further the business interests of its pharmaceutical companies. The stakes are high for us; we are fighting for our lives and health and we are keen to see where the new US administration will place itself in this battle. Sincerely, National Working Group on Patent Law (NWGPL) All India Drug Action Network (AIDAN) Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (JSA) Centre for Trade and Development (Centad) Drug Action Forum, Karnataka (DAF-K) Delhi Science Forum (DSF) Delhi Network of Positive People (DNP+) International Treatment Preparedness Coalition =96 India (ITPC =96 India) Knowledge Commons Initiative for Health Equity & Society (IHES) Diverse Women for Diversity All India Peoples Science Network (AIPSN) Action Aid India Centre for Education and Communication=92 (CEC) Sama-Resource Group for Women and Health Centre for Health and Social Justice (CHSJ) Cc: US Embassy in India From kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Wed Apr 21 15:48:55 2010 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2010 03:18:55 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] fwd: Soter d'Souza: Liberation or Colonisation? (Goa and Chatisgarh/ Jharkhand) In-Reply-To: <81ab747f6e8cdc3bff9c0e9155488448.squirrel@webmail.xs4all.nl> Message-ID: <409984.14956.qm@web57203.mail.re3.yahoo.com> ArunDOTTY Roy must be an 'avataar' of Jesus Christ.   No!!!! Cant be.   Unless, it being Kaliyug, she is a corrupted 'avataar'. The reigning deity of Babel.   --- On Wed, 4/21/10, Patrice Riemens wrote: From: Patrice Riemens Subject: [Reader-list] fwd: Soter d'Souza: Liberation or Colonisation? (Goa and Chatisgarh/ Jharkhand) To: reader-list at sarai.net Date: Wednesday, April 21, 2010, 2:12 PM (reposted from Goanet) Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2010 08:10:19 +0530 From: "soter" To: Subject: [Goanet] Liberation or Colonisation? (This was a letter posted to 'Herald' on 16 /4/2010 and reposted with minor changes on 20/4/2010. But seems that the Truth is being kept under wraps.) The disclosure of facts by Arundhati Roy seems to have tickled many like SND Poojary from Miramar (Herald, 16/4/10). We can understand this patriotic Indian's concern about the disrespect to freedom fighters. After all liberated Goa has been made accessible to migrants, devastation and plunder. Now they want the forests of Chatisgarh and Jharkhand to be liberated for plunder. We do not need to go into the forests to understand the plight of the tribals. All we need to see is what is happening to Goa. How people opposing devastating projects are labeled anti-nationals, anti-development, anarchists and so on. The local people's livelihood, culture, language, environment can go to hell. Is eliminating thousands of fellow citizens in the name of religion, caste, unity and integrity of the country to be classified as patriotic? Or, is it only the prerogative of a select few to question the Constitution of India and define as to who are Indian and who are not? The truth always hurts and if Arundhati Roy has to pay for stating it, then it is nothing surprising. Year after year the Good Friday celebrations remind us about the naked fact of oppression and suppression of the 'Truth'. Even to this day we have the Pontius Pilates and the crowds instigated by the scribes and pharisees to shout "Crucify her!" But every crucifiction of truth is confronted with a 'Ressurection'. -Soter D'Souza _________________________________________ 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 aliens at dataone.in Wed Apr 21 16:31:31 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2010 16:31:31 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: Gujarat Governor returns bill on voting Message-ID: <000801cae142$01f84760$05e8d620$@in> From: Rightstandup [mailto:rightstandup at gmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, April 21, 2010 1:20 PM To: aliens at dataone.in Subject: Gujarat Governor returns bill on voting Hildaraja's Blog Gujarat Governor returns bill on voting April 20, 2010 The Gujarat Governor Dr Kamla has returned unsigned the Gujarat Local Authorities Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2009 which had sought to make voting in all self governing bodies compulsory. This on the basis of three objections: 1-Compulsory voting is a violation of Article 19 of the Constitution which gives the citizens freedom of speech and expression. 2-The second one which relates to a punishment to those who do not turn up to vote is also related to the first in that it violates the Right to Freedom of Speech and Expression. 3-The third one points out that this compulsory voting was a failure in different parts of the world. With due respect to the Governor Dr Kamla let me exercise my freedom of speech and expression to question the validity of her objections. Freedom of Speech and Expression is given under the Constitution but of what use will this be if the people do not participate in the operation of the Constitution; namely in making democracy valid and vibrant especially at the local levels? Does the Right to Freedom of Speech and Expression mean non- expresssion non participation and non- articulation in that vital sphere of governance? If voting is a right then it has an obligation-to cast that precious vote. This is a very negative way of reading into Art 19-Freedom of Speech and Expression in operation means not voting-in operation means an indifference to the whole process of electing people's representatives. What is the use of a Constitution which cannot make people constitutionally aware of their Rights in a positive way-namely t When it came to the business of Hussain then one found this Right very much articulated and Hussain was defended on his right to the Freedom of Speech and Expression-even if meant committing jihad through his brush. Does Freedom of Speech and Expression mean indifference and non-involvement in the affairs which deal with one's daily business of life? If one does not express this in the form of voting then how does one express approval/disapproval of functioning of the government at the local level? If one does not care to express through voting who should represent one in governance then what is democracy? Why then have a whole process of electing representatives when people are totally indifferent to this and now this indifference legitimated as a Right! Be it positive or negative Freedom of Expression in this specific case is expression through voting and does not by any stretch of imagination mean indifference. Why only To put in more succinctly it is taken for granted that the Constitution sleeps or at least is inactive and non-operational until and unless it is awakened. It suits most of the politicians that it sleeps. For example the oaths taken by all the Constitutional heads- governors, judges and the Ministers on the solemn promise that they would function without fear or favor. But this is not so in reality. Starting from the highest in the Judiciary-we have judges who instead of upholding justice was busy grabbing land, and refusing even to vacate the chair. We have the Prime Minister who looks on indifferently even when one of his cabinet ministers was absconding; he tells the Parliament that he is not aware of the whereabouts of the man . Now after years of the case against Sibu Soren just two days prior to the culmination of the long drawn case and the pronouncement of the verdict -the judge resigns. This would mean that the ne How are these related to Governor Dr Kamla's sending back the Act passed by the Gujarat Assembly? Constitutional heads, taking of oaths in the name of the Constitution and Constitutional Rights are all inter related. Well the constitution also envisages the role of Governors. The institution itself is a legacy of the British Raj. It has to go by and large by what the CM and his council of ministers and the Assembly passes because the Governor is not the representative of the people and is not accountable to the people- The CM and his ministers are. So when Governor Dr Kamla points at the Constitution I am wondering how constitutional correct is she in citing the Art.of Freedom of Speech and Expression to send back an Act which the representatives of the people have passed? So like the oaths made by all the constitutional functionaries from the top to the bottom do we want a Constitution which in substance means nothing-whi Democracy is based on numbers. It is the rule of the people for the people and by the people. But it has come to become the rule of a few by a few for all the people-Participation in democracy is the hall mark of making it vibrant-nay even valid. It is towards this that Narendra Modi's government was working towards. As for the second reason which is also linked to the Art. of Freedom of Expression and Speech to hold out a punishment to the people who do not make democracy valid and get involved in the governance at the local level seem to be sensible and does not negate Art 19.Carrot and stick is the method. Rights and obligations go together. But in India we have taken the easy way. This is precisely why our Public sectors are sick while the private sectors are minting money. The government is unable to pull up the babus who through their indifference, and don't care attitude create such heavy losses. Even the government is a big defaulter in this respect. A small instruction to all ministers and officers to use only the Air India when on official work the GOI has failed to issue-result the AI is in red. Don't punish, don't reprimand, don't streamline, let things go on-take it easy after all it is people's money and hence not accountable for. The same can be said of the CBI and the SIT. These are statutory bodies which the government uses as agencies of harassment against the political opponents or when it wants to take cover for All this and more calls for making the Constitution valid and vibrant.People need to become aware of their obligations not only Rights. How can the very Constitution which is the foundation of our democracy become valid if people are indifferent to casting their votes? Can democracy be democracy if a large section of the population not vote? To make is clear let me give an example-In any one ward/constituency (of say 1000 people) if only 45 percent(450) casts their votes and this get divided between the 10 contestants one with even just a 45 votes wins. He/She represents the 1000 voters and we call it democracy. Is this a valid democracy? One must not make a mockery of democracy.Somehow we have done that.It is to stop such a mockery that Narendra Modi's government came up with a Local Authorities Laws(Amendment) Act to make voting compulsory. Let democracy become more meaningful, at least at the local levels. It could be tried out and later amended to make it more viable. Instead the Governor sending it back and pointing at the failure of other countries as one of the reasons is not very encouraging for upholding of democracy in this country. As pointed out earlier the big question is- do we have a democracy? No country in the world claims to have a democracy as we do. Failures in other countries on compulsory voting are no indications that in Gujarat it will fail. Why not put it on trial? Other countries have rejected the Electronic Voting Machine.Will our Governor Dr Kamla on the same basis make a case to the CEC to discontinue the EVMs? One can enumerate any number of reasons and cite examples to substantiate just one point; that anything good and new coming from Narendra Modi's government must be rejected by the Centre and the Governor is an appointee of the Centre. This is the hard truth. I am using my right to the Freedom of Speech and Expression positively-without fear or favor-to state a truth. Even a law passed against the organized criminal activities in Maharastra was found valid and was approved by the President. But when a similar law was passed by Gujarat government there was opposition-by the Home Minister and a whole lot of Modi bashers were picking holes in it. The UPA2 advised the President against giving assent to it. The President sent it back. So here again democracy becomes valid in f There are two yardsticks in this country which is a violation of the Constitution. When the Governor falls back on the Constitutional Right of the Freedom of Speech and Expression and state that Local Authorities Act is a violation of the Constitution I am stunned to speechlessness because of the contradiction. Equality is a Right in the Constitution but why has the GOI segmented people on religious basis for benefits? Is that not a violation of the Constitution so blatant and using people's money towards operating it? Can any citizen be discriminated on the basis of religion? Yet the GOI has a whole ministry to uphold and finance this violation of the constitution. Does it mean that the Government under Manmohan Singh can violate the Constitution with immunity? It all points at one single motive-block all that Modi proposes. It is a fact that Raj Bhavans in many States are becoming anti-constitutional in functioning.We in Gujarat are proud that the Raj Bhavan in Gujarat has not and will not fall into that category. Because Gujarat stands heads and shoulders above all States in India in its development and in its stewardship in administration inspite of the anti-Modism prevailing in some quarters, a concomitant of vote bank politics. We fervently hope that Dr Kamla our Governor would strengthen the vibrant Gujarat's upward mobility built so judiciously and with such hardships-thanks to the untiring efforts of Narendra Modi the duly elected popular Chief Minister of our State. Dr Mrs Hilda Raja, Vadodara You may leave your comments here From kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Wed Apr 21 17:04:21 2010 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2010 04:34:21 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] Internet censorship and surveillance Message-ID: <749603.61207.qm@web57203.mail.re3.yahoo.com> For those interested in this type of information.   For those who believe that Governments need governing by citizens. Sounds impressive. I have no idea what it means even if I coined it, if I did.   1. http://www.google.com/governmentrequests/   2. http://www.chillingeffects.org/   3. http://opennet.net/   Kshmendra From geetaseshu at gmail.com Wed Apr 21 18:33:39 2010 From: geetaseshu at gmail.com (geeta seshu) Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2010 18:33:39 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Internet censorship and surveillance In-Reply-To: <749603.61207.qm@web57203.mail.re3.yahoo.com> References: <749603.61207.qm@web57203.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Closer home, do check out The Free Speech Hub, a project of The Hoot that I'm coordinating: http://www.thehoot.org/web/freetracker/indexfree.php we launched this month so a major part of it is still a work in progress (and will be, given the nature of this work)...but do send feedback too... regards, Geeta Seshu On Wed, Apr 21, 2010 at 5:04 PM, Kshmendra Kaul wrote: > For those interested in this type of information. > > For those who believe that Governments need governing by citizens. Sounds > impressive. I have no idea what it means even if I coined it, if I did. > > 1. http://www.google.com/governmentrequests/ > > 2. http://www.chillingeffects.org/ > > 3. http://opennet.net/ > > Kshmendra > > > > _________________________________________ > 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 kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Wed Apr 21 18:56:13 2010 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2010 06:26:13 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] "The State vs The Activist" Message-ID: <345394.216.qm@web57207.mail.re3.yahoo.com> "The State vs The Activist" By Tanveer Ahmed   15 April, 2010   Countercurrents.org   A little over a month ago on the 4th of March, Shafqat Ali Inqalabi filed a petition in Pakistan’s apex court questioning the legitimacy of the State Executive’s “Empowerment” and “Self-Governance” Order for Gilgit-Baltistan (formerly referred to as “Northern Areas”), on September the 9th last year.   Hailing from Panial in district Ghizar, Mr. Inqalabi is a civil engineer by profession and a passionate activist for the people of his homeland “Balawaristan” by conviction. Shafqat ‘walks the walk’ just as well as he ‘talks the talk’. It was only at the beginning of this year that he obtained a construction contract. In the spirit of a genuine activist, as soon as he received payment for the work done: his instincts immediately directed him to use whatever civil recourse he could adopt to challenge Pakistan’s “illegal” hegemony and oft-repeated unilateral tactic, of depriving the people of the erstwhile and possible future State of Jammu and Kashmir’s northern-most territory, of meaningful public representation.   Hence the petition.   This initiative has not been digested well by Pakistan’s clandestine agencies. It matters little that Mr. Inqalabi has invoked his basic right under Article 184(3) of Pakistan’s constitution, which relates to the enforcement of fundamental rights. It probably matters even less that the executive order otherwise referred to as a “package” encroaches upon the domain of independence of people of that area, indicating a brazen paternalistic attitude on the part of Pakistan’s executive organ of the State.   Consistent with this tradition, Pakistan’s ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) and IB (Intelligence Bureau) have constantly hounded Shafqat Ali Inqalabi - directly and indirectly - over the phone, since the petition. Their objective has been to intimidate him into withdrawing his case from the Supreme Court. This prompted Shafqat to hold an urgent impromptu press conference in Muzaffarabad (Pakistani-administered Kashmir) on the 26th of March, to air his concerns with the media. It so transpired that he received a phone call from one of these clandestine agencies in the midst of the press conference. Being a man who has developed a knack of thinking on his feet, Mr. Inqalabi immediately put the phone on loudspeaker mode so that the media could sample a taste of the harassment he was undergoing.   He is hereby making an appeal to the international community to stand up for the values that they hold so dear, none more so than the sanctity of life. Shafqat is appealing for empathy from those members of the human race who understand the importance of freedom of expression, conscience, association and destiny. That no community should be pulverised into subordinating themselves to the narrow, regressive and selfish interest of another: whether by carrot or stick.   It may be appropriate at this juncture, to attempt a brief geo-strategic and historical narrative behind the motivation of a sole activist daring to take a state head on. Irrespective of nomenclature, be it it’s traditional name of Bolor, the northern province of the pre-1947 Dogra State of Jammu and Kashmir, the Northern Areas of Pakistan, Balawaristan (one name amongst various others that signify the possible option of being totally independent from Kashmir as well as from Pakistan and India) or the package-induced Gilgit-Baltistan. This region, upon focus and careful study could be considered amongst the most strategic of regions in the world. Not only does it sit between four nuclear powers viz. India, Pakistan, Russia and China; it is home to Asia’s highest mountain ranges namely the Himalayas, Hindu Kush and the Karakoram. Furthermore, after the polar regions, it has the largest reservoirs of fresh water in the world. It’s stupendous quantity of glaciers melt and feed into the numerous rivers which dance down south via Indian and Pakistani-administered Kashmir to give life and fertility to the thirsty plains of Indian and Pakistani Punjab. It possesses a frightfully large amount of untapped resources of uranium, minerals, stones and metal: much sought after by the protagonists of progress in the modern age.   The British empire considered part of it a crucial buffer zone to check Russian encroachment in the region, hence their lease agreement with the Dogras in 1935. This sixty-year lease agreement was effectively nullified by partition of the Indian Sub-continent in mid-August 1947. It reverted back to Dogra rule until a local uprising on the 1st of November of the same year ousted the Dogra’s representative Brigadier Ghansara Singh. By the 16th of November, Pakistan had cajoled and later coerced local liberators into the ‘can of worms’ that emerged as the ‘Kashmir issue’. Hereafter, began a series of vague manoeuvres to uphold Pakistan’s legitimacy of presence (sic) on the territory in international fora: combined with guile and suppression of the people of this hapless region. Consequently, approximately 1.8 million people scattered over a wide expanse of 72,496 km² are in constitutional limbo, existing as an unrepresented nation amongst the comity of nations for reasons insurmountable to date.   An effective activist is a well-informed one. Shafqat Ali Inqalabi is not only a diligent student of history, he has painstakingly and pro-actively highlighted the plight of his people, as and whenever the opportunity arose. The pinnacle of his efforts thus far is probably the impression that he made on Baroness Emma Nicholson prior to her EU Kashmir Report in 2007: overshadowing and possibly forestalling any impression that Pakistan’s military dictator at the time, Parvez Musharraf could have made on her vis a vis his “out of the box” thinking on Kashmir. On the 25th of April 2007, the European Parliament’s Final Report on Kashmir stated, “Gilgit Baltistan enjoys no status or even the semblance of democratic representation…The Northern Area Council set up some time ago, with the boast that it is functioning like a ‘Provincial Assembly’ screens, in reality, a total absence of constitutional identity or civil rights”.   To many a conscientious resident of this region, a set of themes have characterised Pakistan’s control over them. Those most notable that spring to mind are as follows:   1) Genuine representatives have always been marginalised by the Pakistani establishment in favour of servile yes men.   2) All agreements or discussions on their political framework and destiny have never consulted or included any individual from the region, let alone taken public will into account i.e The Karachi Agreement of 28th April 1949, UNCIP Resolutions, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s directly elected council in 1974, the Legal Framework Order (LFO) of 1994, Musharraf’s re-hashing of the latter in 2007 or the currently in focus ‘package’ of 2009.   3) Periodic uprisings and nationalist sentiment have been ruthlessly quashed by the non-local military cum civilian bureaucratic rule, most notably at the beginning of 1971. At times, they have fomented sectarian strife to deflect people from real issues, Gilgit 1988 is a case in point.   4) All three organs of governance remain firmly in Pakistan’s control despite the country’s Supreme Court judgement of 1999 (SCMR 1379) which envisaged an independent judiciary and right to self-rule for the people of the region.   5) Constant lies and misrepresentation by Pakistan, for example it’s contention that the “Northern Areas” were not a part of the State of Jammu and Kashmir pre-1947. A fabrication cited in a debate by their Ambassador in Belgium at the European Parliament in 2007.   6) Pakistan has levied and collected taxes without legal justification and accountability. In return, there is no university, medical, engineering or other technical college in the region.   7) Members of Pakistan’s armed forces including ISI, IB and MI have been exempt from prosecution for alleged human rights violations.   8) Pakistan’s executive in the shape of Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas (KANA) in Islamabad has in the past and still superimposes all ostensible governance in the region. The local Assembly does not possess the right to legislate on it’s natural resources, including water and minerals.   In light of the above, bold and savvy activists armed with the tools of modern communication technology can - it may be argued - commit themselves to correcting the wrongs of history. Striving for a rules-based system created in consultation with the collective will of the people and brought about through peaceful mobilisation of the masses, is no longer a pipe dream. It’s a foreseeable reality increasingly made foreseeable by the interaction of society, politics and technology.   If the State wins this duel, it could mean victory for an expansionist agenda. It could prolong the suppression of freedom of movement and free market trade. Many suspect that over time it could cement a change in the legal and constitutional status of the region, de-linking it from the disputed region of Kashmir and solidifying it as a fifth province of Pakistan. A country that has yet to give proportionate due rights and autonomy to the existing four provinces in it’s Islamic republic. Hence, Mr. Inqalabi’s plea to Pakistan’s Supreme Court to declare the “Empowerment” and “Self-Governance” Order for Gilgit-Baltistan of September 2009 as ultra vires (Latin for ‘beyond one’s legal power or authority) and to at the very least give Gilgit-Baltistan (Balawaristan) an AJK (Azad Jammu and Kashmir) like constitution, till a final decision on the territory was arrived at.   Shafqat Ali Inqalabi has most of the requisite tools for change in his repertoire but his life is in grave danger, a fair duel this most certainly is not. Pakistan’s archaic structure of governance - propped up by it’s ‘spooks’ - has some way to go before it understands the futility of drowning genuine public aspirations, armed by modern means of communication.   Meanwhile, others of his region in particular and the global audience in general should express solidarity with his just cause. It’s a cause that those of us who enjoy living in progressive democracies should understand. That there were people like Shafqat in history who made it happen for you. Help him and others in the region make it happen here too.   The writer is a journalist, consultant and activist e.sahaafi at gmail.com www.maloomaat.net From rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com Wed Apr 21 21:48:48 2010 From: rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com (Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi) Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2010 21:48:48 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: Gujarat Governor returns bill on voting In-Reply-To: <000801cae142$01f84760$05e8d620$@in> References: <000801cae142$01f84760$05e8d620$@in> Message-ID: Bipin, this list does not like the ids like mine, is censored and mails posted are monitored by the moderator, and then rejected, for my expressions do not seem to find favour as my thoughts are neither leftist, nor rightist, but as I percieve them, hence now onwards, i will be only reading, not responding.To be seen in the list, one has to be either ridiculing the faiths, praise the naxalites terror, and any other thoughts are censored.! regards, rajen. On Wed, Apr 21, 2010 at 4:31 PM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > > > > > From: Rightstandup [mailto:rightstandup at gmail.com] > Sent: Wednesday, April 21, 2010 1:20 PM > To: aliens at dataone.in > Subject: Gujarat Governor returns bill on voting > > > > > Hildaraja's Blog > > > Gujarat Governor returns bill on voting > > > > April 20, 2010 > > > > > The Gujarat Governor Dr Kamla has returned unsigned the Gujarat Local > Authorities Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2009 which had sought to make voting in > all self governing bodies compulsory. This on the basis of three objections: > > 1-Compulsory voting is a violation of Article 19 of the Constitution which > gives the citizens freedom of speech and expression. > 2-The second one which relates to a punishment to those who do not turn up > to vote is also related to the first in that it violates the Right to > Freedom of Speech and Expression. > 3-The third one points out that this compulsory voting was a failure in > different parts of the world. > > With due respect to the Governor Dr Kamla let me exercise my freedom of > speech and expression to question the validity of her objections. Freedom of > Speech and Expression is given under the Constitution but of what use will > this be if the people do not participate in the operation of the > Constitution; namely in making democracy valid and vibrant especially at the > local levels? Does the Right to Freedom of Speech and Expression mean non- > expresssion non participation and non- articulation in that vital sphere of > governance? If voting is a right then it has an obligation-to cast that > precious vote. This is a very negative way of reading into Art 19-Freedom of > Speech and Expression in operation means not voting-in operation means an > indifference to the whole process of electing people's representatives. What > is the use of a Constitution which cannot make people constitutionally aware > of their Rights in a positive way-namely t > When it came to the business of Hussain then one found this Right very much > articulated and Hussain was defended on his right to the Freedom of Speech > and Expression-even if meant committing jihad through his brush. Does > Freedom of Speech and Expression mean indifference and non-involvement in > the affairs which deal with one's daily business of life? If one does not > express this in the form of voting then how does one express > approval/disapproval of functioning of the government at the local level? If > one does not care to express through voting who should represent one in > governance then what is democracy? Why then have a whole process of electing > representatives when people are totally indifferent to this and now this > indifference legitimated as a Right! Be it positive or negative Freedom of > Expression in this specific case is expression through voting and does not > by any stretch of imagination mean indifference. Why only > To put in more succinctly it is taken for granted that the Constitution > sleeps or at least is inactive and non-operational until and unless it is > awakened. It suits most of the politicians that it sleeps. For example the > oaths taken by all the Constitutional heads- governors, judges and the > Ministers on the solemn promise that they would function without fear or > favor. But this is not so in reality. Starting from the highest in the > Judiciary-we have judges who instead of upholding justice was busy grabbing > land, and refusing even to vacate the chair. We have the Prime Minister who > looks on indifferently even when one of his cabinet ministers was > absconding; he tells the Parliament that he is not aware of the whereabouts > of the man . Now after years of the case against Sibu Soren just two days > prior to the culmination of the long drawn case and the pronouncement of the > verdict -the judge resigns. This would mean that the ne > How are these related to Governor Dr Kamla's sending back the Act passed by > the Gujarat Assembly? Constitutional heads, taking of oaths in the name of > the Constitution and Constitutional Rights are all inter related. Well the > constitution also envisages the role of Governors. The institution itself is > a legacy of the British Raj. It has to go by and large by what the CM and > his council of ministers and the Assembly passes because the Governor is not > the representative of the people and is not accountable to the people- The > CM and his ministers are. So when Governor Dr Kamla points at the > Constitution I am wondering how constitutional correct is she in citing the > Art.of Freedom of Speech and Expression to send back an Act which the > representatives of the people have passed? So like the oaths made by all the > constitutional functionaries from the top to the bottom do we want a > Constitution which in substance means nothing-whi > Democracy is based on numbers. It is the rule of the people for the people > and by the people. But it has come to become the rule of a few by a few for > all the people-Participation in democracy is the hall mark of making it > vibrant-nay even valid. It is towards this that Narendra Modi's government > was working towards. > > As for the second reason which is also linked to the Art. of Freedom of > Expression and Speech to hold out a punishment to the people who do not make > democracy valid and get involved in the governance at the local level seem > to be sensible and does not negate Art 19.Carrot and stick is the method. > Rights and obligations go together. But in India we have taken the easy way. > This is precisely why our Public sectors are sick while the private sectors > are minting money. The government is unable to pull up the babus who through > their indifference, and don't care attitude create such heavy losses. Even > the government is a big defaulter in this respect. A small instruction to > all ministers and officers to use only the Air India when on official work > the GOI has failed to issue-result the AI is in red. Don't punish, don't > reprimand, don't streamline, let things go on-take it easy after all it is > people's money and hence not accountable for. The same can be said of the > CBI and the SIT. These are statutory bodies which the government uses as > agencies of harassment against the political opponents or when it wants to > take cover for > All this and more calls for making the Constitution valid and > vibrant.People need to become aware of their obligations not only Rights. > How can the very Constitution which is the foundation of our democracy > become valid if people are indifferent to casting their votes? Can democracy > be democracy if a large section of the population not vote? To make is clear > let me give an example-In any one ward/constituency (of say 1000 people) if > only 45 percent(450) casts their votes and this get divided between the 10 > contestants one with even just a 45 votes wins. He/She represents the 1000 > voters and we call it democracy. Is this a valid democracy? > > One must not make a mockery of democracy.Somehow we have done that.It is to > stop such a mockery that Narendra Modi's government came up with a Local > Authorities Laws(Amendment) Act to make voting compulsory. Let democracy > become more meaningful, at least at the local levels. It could be tried out > and later amended to make it more viable. Instead the Governor sending it > back and pointing at the failure of other countries as one of the reasons is > not very encouraging for upholding of democracy in this country. As pointed > out earlier the big question is- do we have a democracy? No country in the > world claims to have a democracy as we do. Failures in other countries on > compulsory voting are no indications that in Gujarat it will fail. Why not > put it on trial? > > Other countries have rejected the Electronic Voting Machine.Will our > Governor Dr Kamla on the same basis make a case to the CEC to discontinue > the EVMs? One can enumerate any number of reasons and cite examples to > substantiate just one point; that anything good and new coming from Narendra > Modi's government must be rejected by the Centre and the Governor is an > appointee of the Centre. This is the hard truth. I am using my right to the > Freedom of Speech and Expression positively-without fear or favor-to state a > truth. Even a law passed against the organized criminal activities in > Maharastra was found valid and was approved by the President. But when a > similar law was passed by Gujarat government there was opposition-by the > Home Minister and a whole lot of Modi bashers were picking holes in it. The > UPA2 advised the President against giving assent to it. The President sent > it back. So here again democracy becomes valid in f > There are two yardsticks in this country which is a violation of the > Constitution. When the Governor falls back on the Constitutional Right of > the Freedom of Speech and Expression and state that Local Authorities Act is > a violation of the Constitution I am stunned to speechlessness because of > the contradiction. Equality is a Right in the Constitution but why has the > GOI segmented people on religious basis for benefits? Is that not a > violation of the Constitution so blatant and using people's money towards > operating it? Can any citizen be discriminated on the basis of religion? Yet > the GOI has a whole ministry to uphold and finance this violation of the > constitution. Does it mean that the Government under Manmohan Singh can > violate the Constitution with immunity? It all points at one single > motive-block all that Modi proposes. > > It is a fact that Raj Bhavans in many States are becoming > anti-constitutional in functioning.We in Gujarat are proud that the Raj > Bhavan in Gujarat has not and will not fall into that category. Because > Gujarat stands heads and shoulders above all States in India in its > development and in its stewardship in administration inspite of the > anti-Modism prevailing in some quarters, a concomitant of vote bank > politics. We fervently hope that Dr Kamla our Governor would strengthen the > vibrant Gujarat's upward mobility built so judiciously and with such > hardships-thanks to the untiring efforts of Narendra Modi the duly elected > popular Chief Minister of our State. > > > > Dr Mrs Hilda Raja, > Vadodara > > > You may leave your comments < > http://hildaraja.wordpress.com/2010/04/20/gujarat-governor-returns-bill-on-voting/> > here > > > > > > _________________________________________ > 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/> -- Rajen. From rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com Wed Apr 21 22:09:36 2010 From: rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com (Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi) Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2010 22:09:36 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The rebirth of the Indian Mujahideen - PRAVEEN SWAMI In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Lalith, those who preach of freedom of expression, are now have made me a Mukhbar.The posts are returned by post fix program of the site., as per the return message i get.! On Tue, Apr 20, 2010 at 9:00 PM, Lalit Ambardar wrote: > > One need not necessarily > be a fan of PS to express outrage over attempts to purge him from this > forum. > > > > Never thought that it > was mandatory to respond to every ‘progressive’ or even ‘not so > progressive’ > thought posted on this forum. My concurrence on any issue if assumed on > that > pretext stands withdrawn. > > > > Also, this anti PS > campaign is akin to the modus operandi that was adopted as part of the well > executed > process of ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Hindu Pandits in the valley in > 1989-90. > Many of them were selectively declared as ‘Mukhbar’ – informer or agent (of > India) & killed brutally to create > fear psychosis in the community. > > > > Regards all > > LA > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 17:40:16 +0530 > > From: javedmasoo at gmail.com > > To: pawan.durani at gmail.com > > CC: reader-list at sarai.net > > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] The rebirth of the Indian Mujahideen - PRAVEEN > SWAMI > > > > Everyone means those who agreed (that Praveen's writing are not > > trustworthy) and those who didn't object to that fact. > > > > > > > > On Mon, Apr 19, 2010 at 3:26 PM, Pawan Durani > wrote: > > > Everyone ? Who all consists of everyone ? Pls enlighten > > > > > > On Mon, Apr 19, 2010 at 3:25 PM, Javed wrote: > > >> Dear Pawan > > >> If you remember, some weeks ago, everyone on this list agreed that > > >> whatever Praveen Swami says is not to be trusted. So, kindly do not > > >> forward any of Swami's write-ups here. > > >> > > >> Thanks > > >> > > >> Javed > > >> > > >> > > >> On Mon, Apr 19, 2010 at 9:34 AM, Pawan Durani > wrote: > > >>> http://beta.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/article402892.ece > > >>> > > >>> Saturday's bombings in Bangalore are a grim reminder that the > jihadist > > >>> movement is far from spent. > > >>> > > >>> Less than an hour before police surrounded the Indian Mujahideen > > >>> bomb-factory hidden away on the fringes of the Bhadra forests in > > >>> Chikmagalur, Mohammad Zarar Siddi Bawa had slipped away on a bus > bound > > >>> for Mangalore — the first step in a journey that would take him to > the > > >>> safety of a Lashkar-e-Taiba safehouse in Karachi. > > >>> > > >>> Inside the house, officers involved in the October, 2008, raid found > > >>> evidence of Bawa's work: laboratory equipment used to test and > prepare > > >>> chemicals, precision tools, and five complete improvised explosive > > >>> devices. Even as investigators across India set about filing > paperwork > > >>> declaring Bawa a fugitive, few believed they would ever be able to > lay > > >>> eyes on him again. > > >>> > > >>> But in February, a closed-circuit television camera placed over the > > >>> cashier's counter at the Germany Bakery in Pune recorded evidence > that > > >>> Bawa had returned to India — just minutes before an improvised > > >>> explosive device ripped through the popular restaurant killing > > >>> seventeen people, and injuring at least sixty. > > >>> > > >>> Dressed in a loose-fitting blue shirt, a rucksack slung over his > back, > > >>> the fair, slight young man with a wispy beard has been identified by > > >>> police sources in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka as “Yasin > > >>> Bhatkal” — the man who made the bombs which ripped apart ten Indian > > >>> towns and cities between 2005 and 2008. Witnesses at the restaurant > > >>> also identified Bawa from photographs, noting that he was wearing > > >>> trousers rolled up above his ankles — a style favoured by some > > >>> neo-fundamentalists. > > >>> > > >>> Bawa is emerging as the key suspect in Saturday's bombings outside > the > > >>> M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore — a grim reminder that the > > >>> jihadist offensive that began after the 2002 communal violence in > > >>> India is very far from spent. > > >>> > > >>> The obscure jihadist > > >>> > > >>> Little is known about just what led Bawa to join the jihadist > > >>> movement. Educated at Bhatkal's well-respected Anjuman > > >>> Hami-e-Muslimeen school, 32-year-old Bawa left for Pune as a > teenager. > > >>> He was later introduced to other members of the Indian Mujahideen as > > >>> an engineer, but police in Pune have found no documentation > suggesting > > >>> he ever studied in the city. > > >>> > > >>> Instead, Bawa spent much of his time with a childhood friend living > in > > >>> Pune, Unani medicine practitioner-turned-Islamist proselytiser Iqbal > > >>> Ismail Shahbandri. Like his brother Riyaz Ismail Shahbandri — now the > > >>> Indian Mujahideen's top military commander — Ismail Shahbandri had > > >>> become an ideological mentor to many young Islamists in Pune and > > >>> Mumbai, many of them highly-educated professionals. > > >>> > > >>> The Shahbandari brothers' parents, like many members of the Bhatkal > > >>> elite, had relocated to Mumbai in search of new economic > > >>> opportunities. Ismail Shahbandri, their father, set up > leather-tanning > > >>> factory in Mumbai's Kurla area in the mid-1970s. Riyaz Shahbandri > went > > >>> on to obtain a civil engineering degree from Mumbai's Saboo Siddiqui > > >>> Engineering College and, in 2002, was married to Nasuha Ismail, the > > >>> daughter of an electronics store owner in Bhatkal's Dubai Market. > > >>> > > >>> Shafiq Ahmad, Nasuha's brother, had drawn Riyaz Shahbandri into the > > >>> Students Islamic Movement of India. He first met his Indian > Mujahideen > > >>> co-founders Abdul Subhan Qureshi and Sadiq Israr Sheikh, in the > months > > >>> before his marriage. Later, Riyaz Shahbandri made contact with > > >>> ganglord-turned-jihadist Amir Raza Khan. In the wake of the communal > > >>> violence that ripped Gujarat apart in 2002, the men set about > > >>> funnelling recruits to Lashkar camps in Pakistan. > > >>> > > >>> Early in the summer of 2004, investigators say, the core members of > > >>> the network that was later to call itself the Indian Mujahideen met > at > > >>> Bhatkal's beachfront to discuss their plans. Iqbal Shahbandri and > > >>> Bhatkal-based cleric Shabbir Gangoli are alleged to have held > > >>> ideological classes; the group also took time out to practice > shooting > > >>> with airguns. Bawa had overall charge of arrangements — a task that > > >>> illustrated his status as the Bhatkal brothers' most trusted > > >>> lieutenant. > > >>> > > >>> Bhatkal, police investigators say, became the centre of the Indian > > >>> Mujahideen's operations. From their safehouses in Vitthalamakki and > > >>> Hakkalamane, bombs were despatched to operational cells dispersed > > >>> across the country, feeding the most sustained jihadist offensive > > >>> India has ever seen. > > >>> > > >>> Communal war > > >>> > > >>> Like so many of his peers in the Indian Mujahideen, Bawa emerged from > > >>> a fraught communal landscape. Bhatkal's Nawayath Muslims, made > > >>> prosperous by hundreds of years of trade across the Indian Ocean, > > >>> emerged as the region's dominant land-owning community. Early in the > > >>> twentieth century, inspired by call of Aligarh reformer Syed Ahmed > > >>> Khan, Bhatkal notables led a campaign to bring modern education for > > >>> the community. The Anjuman Hami-e-Muslimeen school where Bawa studied > > >>> was one product of their efforts, which eventually spawned > > >>> highly-regarded institutions that now cater to over several thousand > > >>> students. > > >>> > > >>> Organisations like the Anjuman helped the Navayath Muslims capitalise > > >>> on the new opportunities for work and business with opened up in the > > >>> United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia during the 1970s. But this > > >>> wealth, in turn, engendered resentments which laid the ground for an > > >>> communal conflict. In the years after the Emergency, the Jana Sangh > > >>> and its affiliates began to capitalise on resentments Bhatkal's > Hindus > > >>> felt about the prosperity and political power of the Navayaths. The > > >>> campaign paid off in 1983, when the Hindu right-wing succeeded in > > >>> dethroning legislator S.M. Yahya, who had served as a state minister > > >>> between 1972 and 1982. > > >>> > > >>> Both communities entered into a competitive communal confrontation, > > >>> which involved the ostentatious display of piety and power. The > > >>> Tablighi Jamaat, a neo-fundamentalist organisation which calls on > > >>> followers to live life in a style claimed to be modelled on that of > > >>> the Prophet Mohammad, drew a growing mass of followers. Hindutva > > >>> groups like the Karavalli Hindu Samiti, too, staged ever-larger > > >>> religious displays to demonstrate their clout. > > >>> > > >>> Early in 1993, Bhatkal was hit by communal riots which claimed > > >>> seventeen lives and left dozens injured. The violence, which began > > >>> after Hindutva groups claimed stones had been thrown at a Ram Navami > > >>> procession, and lasted nine months. Later, in April 1996, two Muslims > > >>> were murdered in retaliation for the assassination of Bharatiya > Janata > > >>> Party legislator U. Chittaranjan — a crime that investigators now say > > >>> may have been linked to the Bhatkal brothers. More violence broke out > > >>> in 2004, after the assassination of BJP leader Thimmappa Naik. > > >>> > > >>> Iqbal Shahbandri and his recruits were, in key senses, rebels against > > >>> a traditional political order that appeared to have failed to defend > > >>> Muslim rights and interests. Inside the Indian Mujahideen safehouses > > >>> raided in October, 2008, police found no evidence that traditional > > >>> theological literature or the writings of the Tablighi Jamaat had > > >>> influenced the group. Instead, they found pro-Taliban videos and > > >>> speeches by Zakir Naik — a popular but controversial Mumbai-based > > >>> televangelist who has, among other things, defends Al-Qaeda chief > > >>> Osama bin-Laden. > > >>> > > >>> “If he is fighting the enemies of Islam”, Naik said in one speech, “I > > >>> am for him. If he is terrorising America the terrorist—the biggest > > >>> terrorist — I am with him.” “Every Muslim” Naik concluded, “should be > > >>> a terrorist. The thing is, if he is terrorising a terrorist, he is > > >>> following Islam”. Naik has never been found to be involved in > > >>> violence, but his words have fired the imagination of a diverse > > >>> jihadists — among them, Glasgow suicide-bomber Kafeel Ahmed, 2006 > > >>> Mumbai train-bombing accused Feroze Deshmukh, and New York taxi > driver > > >>> Najibullah Zazi, who faces trial for planning to attack the city's > > >>> Grand Central Railway Station. > > >>> > > >>> Language like this spoke to concerns of the young people who were > > >>> drawn to separate jihadist cells that began to spring up across India > > >>> after the 2002 violence, mirroring the growth of the Indian > > >>> Mujahideen. SIMI leader Safdar Nagori set up a group that included > the > > >>> Bangalore information-technology professionals Peedical Abdul Shibli > > >>> and Yahya Kamakutty; in Kerala Tadiyantavide Nasir, Abdul Sattar, and > > >>> Abdul Jabbar set up a separate organisation that is alleged to have > > >>> bombed Bangalore in 2008 > > >>> > > >>> Storms of hate > > >>> > > >>> Well-entrenched in the political system, Bhatkal's Muslim leadership > > >>> has been hostile to radical Islamism. Efforts by Islamist political > > >>> groups to establish a presence there have, for the most part, been > > >>> unsuccessful. But authorities acknowledge Bhatkal, like much of the > > >>> Dakshina Kannada region, remains communally fraught. Small-scale > > >>> confrontations are routine. Earlier this month, the Karavalli Hindu > > >>> Samiti even staged demonstrations in support of the Sanatana Sanstha, > > >>> the Hindutva group police in Goa say was responsible for terrorist > > >>> bombings carried out last year. > > >>> > > >>> Pakistan's intelligence services and transnational jihadist groups > > >>> like the Lashkar nurtured and fed India's jihadist movement — but its > > >>> birth was the outcome of an ugly communal contestation that remains > > >>> unresolved. Even as India's police and intelligence services work to > > >>> dismantle the jihadist project, politicians need to find means to > > >>> still the storms of hate which sustain 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: > > >> > > > > > _________________________________________ > > 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: > > _________________________________________________________________ > Climate, controversies and the changing signatures of nature > http://green.in.msn.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: -- Rajen. From rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com Wed Apr 21 22:11:43 2010 From: rajen786uppinangady at gmail.com (Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi) Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2010 22:11:43 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] "Unsung Hero: Vipul Thaker" ( by Arnav Anjaria ) In-Reply-To: References: <583387.9205.qm@web57201.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Thanks, Kshemendra, good thoughts. regards, rajen On Tue, Apr 20, 2010 at 8:57 PM, anupam chakravartty wrote: > Thanks for sharing this Kshmendra! > > On Tue, Apr 20, 2010 at 2:06 PM, Kshmendra Kaul >wrote: > > > This article has been picked up from the "Better India" website. Anyone > > seeking further details should contact the author. > > > > Kshmendra > > > > > > "Unsung Hero: Vipul Thaker" > > > > (This article has been written by Arnav Anjaria. He is a third year > student > > of Integrated Masters in Political Science at the University of > Hyderabad. > > He can be contacted at arnav.anjaria at gmail.com) > > > > This article is dedicated to one of the many unsung heroes bringing about > a > > change. His name is Vipul Thaker, a simple man with simple dreams. > Without > > going into his background, let me start from one of his birthdays. It was > on > > that day when he decided he wanted to do something different. He decided > to > > educate a Rabari (a tribe in Gujarat) child. > > > > A makeshift classroom was created on the terrace of his two bedroom > house. > > As days passed by, Vipul went on to explore the talent in the slum > > surrounding his housing society. A few more students joined his class and > > subsequently the classroom was shifted to a light post on a nearby road. > His > > class had no roof and was hence exposed to the harsh elements of the > > weather. The classes went on nevertheless. Every evening at around 09.00 > pm > > the class would commence. > > > > Within one year Vipul had around twenty children who worked in the day > time > > and regularly attended his evening classes. > > > > Looking at the progress of this informal school, the parents who belonged > > to the Rabari community came to his aid. They gifted Vipul with an empty > hut > > to which the classes now moved. Of all the problems that Vipul faced, one > > was that of gender discrimination. The girls were not allowed to study. > > After much persuasion from Vipul, the parents were convinced and the > girls > > walked in for the very first time. Within a month their strength doubled. > > > > This school wasn’t Vipul’s full time profession. He had a day job. He did > > receive some voluntary contribution from a few NRIs. After a point, he > > decided to admit his students in to a municipal school. Additionally, the > > evening classes were regularly conducted to ensure students did not miss > out > > in case they didn’t go to school in the day. > > > > Vipul had a dream to nurture – he wanted every child to get education on > > par with what their more privileged peers got. He negotiated with the > > private school principals, head masters, teachers and finally led to the > > introduction of a scholarship scheme. And so today out of forty students, > > around twenty five of them have been admitted to a school with better > > amenities for the students. > > > > In the last few years, some of his students have shown their skills at > the > > state level in the field of dramatic and graphic arts. Today he can > proudly > > say that these children have something to look forward to. They have a > > future too. Vipul considers the renowned Gujarati educationist Gijubhai > > Badheka as his source of inspiration. He believes that Gandhian ideals > too > > have been a prominent force behind his willingness to contribute > selflessly. > > > > The important thing, dear readers, is that this man and many more like > him > > are actually striving to provide an identity to these children. They are > > providing a platform through which these children can express their ideas > > and needs. > > > > Vipul and thousands of such grassroots revolutionaries are working > towards > > bringing a constructive change in the society and we salute them for > their > > relentless work in making a better India. > > > > http://www.thebetterindia.com/1349/unsung-hero-vipul-thaker/ > > > > > > > > > > _________________________________________ > > 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: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> -- Rajen. From anansi1 at earthlink.net Thu Apr 22 03:45:17 2010 From: anansi1 at earthlink.net (Paul D. Miller) Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2010 18:15:17 -0400 (GMT-04:00) Subject: [Reader-list] Earth Day: a Festival celebrating music of the Amazon Message-ID: <21003057.1271888117055.JavaMail.root@elwamui-cypress.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Dear colleagues - I'd like to invite you to participate in an online project that is being spearheaded by a great digital media collective called Critical Beats, with a group of artists and activists based throughout the Amazon basin. You can check out the basic parameters of this remix contest at: http://criticalbeatsfortheclimate.bandcamp.com/album/earth-day-remix-contest and a basic description below. Essentially, the Critical Beats project is focused on fostering dialog between different communities. The collective is a bridge between different cultures, geographies, and modes of music creativity. Critical Beats for Earth Day: Details: Interweaving the voice of the Amazon with the current musical inspirations from artists around the world in a united effort to preserve our most critical environmental resources. Critical Beats is a 100%, volunteer run, non-profit that is using music to inspire rainforest preservation. It brings Amazonian musicians together with famous producers from around the world for the purpose of collaborative music making. The results weave together ancient sounds, rhythms, stories, and prayers alongside modern beats and electronic wizardry, producing an inspiring cross-cultural call to environmental action. All of the proceeds go to organizations and projects already working in the Amazon with well-established relationships and processes in place to combat deforestation, species loss, and the displacement of indigenous tribes from their native lands. This way you can enjoy listening, dancing, and knowing that all the while you are contributing to a brighter world. DJ Spooky and Critical Beats invite you to participate in an Earth Day 2010 remix contest, using tracks from Critical Beats' library of Amazonian recordings. The winning track will be promoted and performed live by DJ Spooky in 3 DAYS! Submit tracks to jeremy at criticalbeats.org by 9am April 22nd. DJ Spooky wants to perform your Critical Beats remix this Earth Day at the New Earth Festival in Athens, GA., while also promoting it to his entire fan base. He will be selecting the winning track over the next few days so don't delay. All tracks must include samples from CB's library of Amazonian recordings. If you've already submitted a track we'll include it in the contest. If you've started working on a track finish it up and submit it to jeremy at criticalbeats.org ASAP. From akmalik45 at yahoo.com Thu Apr 22 06:01:19 2010 From: akmalik45 at yahoo.com (A.K. Malik) Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2010 17:31:19 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] FW: Gujarat Governor returns bill on voting In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <470774.91749.qm@web112118.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Hi Rajendra, Well sometimes it does seem simlarly to me but since they can't stop the reply to the person you are responding to, a counter reply appears before your cc to sarai-list.So that serves the purpose. Regards, (A.K.MALIK) --- On Wed, 4/21/10, Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi wrote: > From: Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: Gujarat Governor returns bill on voting > To: "Bipin Trivedi" > Cc: "sarai-list" > Date: Wednesday, April 21, 2010, 9:48 PM > Bipin, this list does not like the > ids like mine, is censored and mails > posted are monitored by the moderator, and then rejected, > for my expressions > do not seem to find favour as my thoughts are neither > leftist, nor rightist, > but as I percieve them, hence now onwards, i will be only > reading, not > responding.To be seen in the list, one has to be either > ridiculing the > faiths, praise the naxalites terror, and any other thoughts > are censored.! > regards, rajen. > > On Wed, Apr 21, 2010 at 4:31 PM, Bipin Trivedi > wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > From: Rightstandup [mailto:rightstandup at gmail.com] > > Sent: Wednesday, April 21, 2010 1:20 PM > > To: aliens at dataone.in > > Subject: Gujarat Governor returns bill on voting > > > > > > > > > >  > Hildaraja's Blog > > > > > > Gujarat Governor returns bill on voting > > > > > > > > April 20, 2010 > > > > > > > > > > The Gujarat Governor Dr Kamla has returned unsigned > the Gujarat Local > > Authorities Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2009 which had > sought to make voting in > > all self governing bodies compulsory. This on the > basis of three objections: > > > > 1-Compulsory voting is a violation of Article 19 of > the Constitution which > > gives the citizens freedom of speech and expression. > > 2-The second one which relates to a punishment to > those who do not turn up > > to vote is also related to the first in that it > violates the Right to > > Freedom of Speech and Expression. > > 3-The third one points out that this compulsory voting > was a failure in > > different parts of the world. > > > > With due respect to the Governor Dr Kamla let me > exercise my freedom of > > speech and expression to question the validity of her > objections. Freedom of > > Speech and Expression is given under the Constitution > but of what use will > > this be if the people do not participate in the > operation of the > > Constitution; namely in making democracy valid and > vibrant especially at the > > local levels? Does the Right to Freedom of Speech and > Expression mean non- > > expresssion non participation and non- articulation in > that vital sphere of > > governance? If voting is a right then it has an > obligation-to cast that > > precious vote. This is a very negative way of reading > into Art 19-Freedom of > > Speech and Expression in operation means not voting-in > operation means an > > indifference to the whole process of electing people's > representatives. What > > is the use of a Constitution which cannot make people > constitutionally aware > > of their Rights in a positive way-namely t > > When it came to the business of Hussain then one found > this Right very much > > articulated and Hussain was defended on his right to > the Freedom of Speech > > and Expression-even if meant committing jihad through > his brush. Does > > Freedom of Speech and Expression mean indifference and > non-involvement in > > the affairs which deal with one's daily business of > life? If one does not > > express this in the form of voting then how does one > express > > approval/disapproval of functioning of the government > at the local level? If > > one does not care to express through voting who should > represent one in > > governance then what is democracy? Why then have a > whole process of electing > > representatives when people are totally indifferent to > this and now this > > indifference legitimated as a Right! Be it positive or > negative Freedom of > > Expression in this specific case is expression through > voting and does not > > by any stretch of imagination mean indifference. Why > only > > To put in more succinctly it is taken for granted that > the Constitution > > sleeps or at least is inactive and non-operational > until and unless it is > > awakened. It suits most of the politicians that it > sleeps. For example the > > oaths taken by all the Constitutional heads- > governors, judges and the > > Ministers on the solemn promise that they would > function without fear or > > favor. But this is not so in reality. Starting from > the highest in the > > Judiciary-we have judges who instead of upholding > justice was busy grabbing > > land, and refusing even to vacate the chair. We have > the Prime Minister who > > looks on indifferently even when one of his cabinet > ministers was > > absconding; he tells the Parliament that he is not > aware of the whereabouts > > of the man . Now after years of the case against Sibu > Soren just two days > > prior to the culmination of the long drawn case and > the pronouncement of the > > verdict -the judge resigns. This would mean that the > ne > > How are these related to Governor Dr Kamla's sending > back the Act passed by > > the Gujarat Assembly? Constitutional heads, taking of > oaths in the name of > > the Constitution and Constitutional Rights are all > inter related. Well the > > constitution also envisages the role of Governors. The > institution itself is > > a legacy of the British Raj. It has to go by and large > by what the CM and > > his council of ministers and the Assembly passes > because the Governor is not > > the representative of the people and is not > accountable to the people- The > > CM and his ministers are. So when Governor Dr Kamla > points at the > > Constitution I am wondering how constitutional correct > is she in citing the > > Art.of Freedom of Speech and Expression to send back > an Act which the > > representatives of the people have passed? So like the > oaths made by all the > > constitutional functionaries from the top to the > bottom do we want a > > Constitution which in substance means nothing-whi > > Democracy is based on numbers. It is the rule of the > people for the people > > and by the people. But it has come to become the rule > of a few by a few for > > all the people-Participation in democracy is the hall > mark of making it > > vibrant-nay even valid. It is towards this that > Narendra Modi's government > > was working towards. > > > > As for the second reason which is also linked to the > Art. of Freedom of > > Expression and Speech to hold out a punishment to the > people who do not make > > democracy valid and get involved in the governance at > the local level seem > > to be sensible and does not negate Art 19.Carrot and > stick is the method. > > Rights and obligations go together. But in India we > have taken the easy way. > > This is precisely why our Public sectors are sick > while the private sectors > > are minting money. The government is unable to pull up > the babus who through > > their indifference, and don't care attitude create > such heavy losses. Even > > the government is a big defaulter in this respect. A > small instruction to > > all ministers and officers to use only the Air India > when on official work > > the GOI has failed to issue-result the AI is in red. > Don't punish, don't > > reprimand, don't streamline, let things go on-take it > easy after all it is > > people's money and hence not accountable for. The same > can be said of the > > CBI and the SIT. These are statutory bodies which the > government uses as > > agencies of harassment against the political opponents > or when it wants to > > take cover for > > All this and more calls for making the Constitution > valid and > > vibrant.People need to become aware of their > obligations not only Rights. > > How can the very Constitution which is the foundation > of our democracy > > become valid if people are indifferent to casting > their votes? Can democracy > > be democracy if a large section of the population not > vote? To make is clear > > let me give an example-In any one ward/constituency > (of say 1000 people) if > > only 45 percent(450) casts their votes and this get > divided between the 10 > > contestants one with even just a 45 votes wins. He/She > represents the 1000 > > voters and we call it democracy. Is this a valid > democracy? > > > > One must not make a mockery of democracy.Somehow we > have done that.It is to > > stop such a mockery that Narendra Modi's government > came up with a Local > > Authorities Laws(Amendment) Act to make voting > compulsory. Let democracy > > become more meaningful, at least at the local levels. > It could be tried out > > and later amended to make it more viable. Instead the > Governor sending it > > back and pointing at the failure of other countries as > one of the reasons is > > not very encouraging for upholding of democracy in > this country. As pointed > > out earlier the big question is- do we have a > democracy? No country in the > > world claims to have a democracy as we do. Failures in > other countries on > > compulsory voting are no indications that in Gujarat > it will fail. Why not > > put it on trial? > > > > Other countries have rejected the Electronic Voting > Machine.Will our > > Governor Dr Kamla on the same basis make a case to the > CEC to discontinue > > the EVMs? One can enumerate any number of reasons and > cite examples to > > substantiate just one point; that anything good and > new coming from Narendra > > Modi's government must be rejected by the Centre and > the Governor is an > > appointee of the Centre. This is the hard truth. I am > using my right to the > > Freedom of Speech and Expression positively-without > fear or favor-to state a > > truth. Even a law passed against the organized > criminal activities in > > Maharastra was found valid and was approved by the > President. But when a > > similar law was passed by Gujarat government there was > opposition-by the > > Home Minister and a whole lot of Modi bashers were > picking holes in it. The > > UPA2 advised the President against giving assent to > it. The President sent > > it back. So here again democracy becomes valid in f > > There are two yardsticks in this country which is a > violation of the > > Constitution. When the Governor falls back on the > Constitutional Right of > > the Freedom of Speech and Expression and state that > Local Authorities Act is > > a violation of the Constitution I am stunned to > speechlessness because of > > the contradiction. Equality is a Right in the > Constitution but why has the > > GOI segmented people on religious basis for benefits? > Is that not a > > violation of the Constitution so blatant and using > people's money towards > > operating it? Can any citizen be discriminated on the > basis of religion? Yet > > the GOI has a whole ministry to uphold and finance > this violation of the > > constitution. Does it mean that the Government under > Manmohan Singh can > > violate the Constitution with immunity? It all points > at one single > > motive-block all that Modi proposes. > > > > It is a fact that Raj Bhavans in many States are > becoming > > anti-constitutional in functioning.We in Gujarat are > proud that the Raj > > Bhavan in Gujarat has not and will not fall into that > category. Because > > Gujarat stands heads and shoulders above all States in > India in its > > development and in its stewardship in administration > inspite of the > > anti-Modism prevailing in some quarters, a concomitant > of vote bank > > politics. We fervently hope that Dr Kamla our Governor > would strengthen the > > vibrant Gujarat's upward mobility built so judiciously > and with such > > hardships-thanks to the untiring efforts of Narendra > Modi the duly elected > > popular Chief Minister of our State. > > > > > > > > Dr Mrs Hilda Raja, > > Vadodara > > > > > > You may leave your comments  < > > http://hildaraja.wordpress.com/2010/04/20/gujarat-governor-returns-bill-on-voting/> > > here > > > > > > > > > > > > _________________________________________ > > 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/> > > > > > -- > Rajen. > _________________________________________ > 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 chintangirishmodi at gmail.com Thu Apr 22 10:10:42 2010 From: chintangirishmodi at gmail.com (Chintan) Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2010 10:10:42 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Stars of Tilonia Message-ID: Excerpts from http://www.teacherplus.org/profile/the-stars-of-tilonia "Maangi bai knows hardly any English, but has taught herself to use the English keyboard. A cardboard chart by her side shows the correspondences between the Devanagari (Hindi) alphabet and the English characters. A visitor from England who happened to learn about this wondered why Maangi bai doesn’t use a Hindi keyboard. Maangi bai simply said, “This is what we have got, and we are happy with this.” The visitor was amazed, and she muttered, “I am useless. You are incredible.” Maangi bai also trains women from poor African countries to use the computer. The African women know a bit of English; Maangi bai speaks only Hindi and Marwari, but she has taught herself to use the computer. Here too one discerns a wonderful synergy. The African women pick up computer skills; Maangi bai picks up a bit of English. When spoken language seems a hurdle, Maangi bai simply uses her finger to point out where the cursor should be moved using the mouse." "Barefoot College is full of such amazing stories. There is Raghav Mahto, a 23-year-old from Vaishali in Bihar, who used to fiddle with wires and microphones while putting up shamianas for wedding functions, and learnt to make a radio. He now runs a community radio station at Barefoot College. Women with no formal qualifications work as ‘barefoot dentists’ here. They not only share tips about dental hygiene with children, but also clean tartar and carry out tooth extraction for adults living on campus and visiting from outside. A doctor providing allopathy and homoeopathy medicines, and a pathology laboratory run by barefoot technicians are among the other services available here. Men who have no degree or diploma in media and communication studies have learnt on the job and become ‘barefoot photographers’, ‘barefoot filmmakers’, and ‘barefoot communicators’. The last of the three is a term used to designate a group of puppeteers on campus who spend their time making puppets, playing music, and creating skits to generate awareness and facilitate discussion around local issues by travelling to night schools and presenting shows on other important occasions." "Our last stop for the day was a night school at Thal village, the most memorable experience of my visit to Barefoot College. This is one of around 150 night schools run by Barefoot College in the numerous villages of Rajasthan. It starts at 6 pm and ends at 9 pm. Most of the children who come here are girls, since boys do get the chance to go to day schools. Rameshwarji asks the children to tell me what they do during the day. Some spend their day grazing goats, sheep or cows. Others have to chase away peacocks that threaten to disturb their crop. Yet others, especially girls, stay home to take care of younger siblings. It was amazing to see their energy and enthusiasm at the end of the day. The night holds a special meaning in their lives. It is when the solar lanterns in their little room spread light on the wall, and the ground they sit on. A time for them to sit with children their own age, when laughter passes around quite playfully, unstressed by the chores that tomorrow will bring. I am reminded of the stars that welcomed me into Tilonia. I can see them again in these eyes." Read the entire article here: http://www.teacherplus.org/profile/the-stars-of-tilonia From jeebesh at sarai.net Thu Apr 22 12:53:14 2010 From: jeebesh at sarai.net (Jeebesh) Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2010 12:53:14 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Da'rryl Durr on the death penalty Message-ID: <9064DF07-CEC5-4349-9BB7-D40F9C91D4EA@sarai.net> > To see this story with its related links on the guardian.co.uk site, go to http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/apr/20/darryl-durr-death-penalty > > Da'rryl Durr on the death penalty > > In a telephone call from death row, Da'rryl Durr describes capital punishment as 'murder by the state' > > Erwin James > Wednesday April 21 2010 > The Guardian > > > http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/apr/20/darryl-durr-death-penalty > > > "We don't say a prisoner was executed, we say he was murdered by the state," says Da'rryl Durr, speaking from Ohio State Penitentiary in Youngstown. He was there on formal deathwatch until Monday, when he was transferred to the state's maximum-security facility in Lucasville to await his execution. > > Durr, 46, had been placed on Ohio's death row on 10 January 1989, for the murder of 16-year-old Angel Vincent. When I spoke to him on the telephone last Saturday evening, he had less than 72 hours to his time of execution. > > Vincent was discovered missing from her home in Elyria, Ohio, when her parents returned from a night out on 31 January 1988. Just 20 minutes earlier her mother, Norma Jean O'Nan, had spoken to her on the telephone; Vincent told her that a friend, Deborah Mullins, was in the house with her. Mullins, she said, was waiting for her boyfriend, Da'rryl Durr, to arrive. > > Several days later, Vincent's mother confronted Mullins about her daughter's whereabouts. Mullins suggested she had probably "run away". Three months later, on 30 April, Vincent's decomposing remains were discovered by some boys playing in a local park, though they were not immediately identified. > > After examining the remains, the deputy coroner concluded that the remains were those of a young girl who had died as a result of "homicidal violence". The extent of her decomposition made it impossible to ascertain if there had been any ligature marks, scrapes or skin tears, but the deputy coroner declined to rule out strangulation, citing the flexibility of the internal cartilaginous structures of the victim's neck. Due to the severe infestation of bacteria present on the remains, testing for the presence of spermatozoa was also inconclusive, rendering it impossible to confirm whether or not Vincent had been raped. > > Durr was charged with her murder five months later. Following his arrest for two unrelated rapes ? to which he pled guilty on the advice of his lawyers, but then later denied ? Mullins went to the Cleveland police and told them Durr had murdered Vincent. X-rays on the body in the park then confirmed the remains to be those of Vincent. Durr stood trial and, although there was no physical evidence to connect him to the crime, he was, on the sole testimony of Mullins, found guilty of aggravated murder, rape, robbery and kidnapping. He was sentenced to death and placed on Ohio State Penitentiary's death row. > > There appear to have been some racial overtones in the case against Durr. He is African American. Angel Vincent and Deborah Mullins are white, as is Durr's former common-law wife Janice. At a later review of the original trial's verdict and sentence, Durr's attorney William Lazarow attempted to have the original trial judge, William McAllister, taken off the review due to remarks he was alleged to have made in chambers while the jury were considering their verdict. Durr's trial lawyer Jerry Milano signed a sworn affadavit in which he stated that McAllister said he "wanted to see [Durr's] nigger ass in the chair for messing with white women". The judge denied making any such comments, but Milano stands by his statement. The request to have McAllister removed was denied. A policeman in the case also told Durr's stepfather that he didn't like him because he looked "like Martin Luther King". > > Despite several appeals and hearings, Durr remained on death row. Yet he appears to have used his time in prison in as constructive a manner as the limitations of his existence would allow. He taught himself law, then volunteered to advise and assist other prisoners in legal and civil matters, helping imprisoned fathers to establish and preserve their parental rights. He staged a hunger strike in his early years of imprisonment, to get the cells on death row cleaned and painted, and has made numerous donations to a children's charity that raised funds through the selling of craftwork. Durr also embraced religion and encourages others to lead a spiritually healthy life. > > I ask Durr how the other prisoners "on the row" react when an execution has taken place. "There is a grieving process. Some guys fast," he says, "others give away money. Some go into a self-imposed solitary confinement, not wanting to talk to anybody. They won't talk to guards, won't talk to other prisoners. They get traumatised. > > "These are people that we live around ? you get to know each other's families, their life stories. You learn how damaged people are when they come to prison ? but you also see how guys change and make growth in their lives while you have known them. By the time the state murders that man, you wonder: what was it all worth?" > > Durr's voice is measured and dignified, which I find remarkable for a man within hours of being strapped to a gurney and given a lethal injection. He knows I am a journalist, but expresses no bitterness or anger. I ask if he thinks he has grown in prison. Is he the same man he was 22 years ago? > > "Of course not," he says, assuredly. "Change is inevitable. But growth is optional. I have studied law, religion, history and people. But I try to communicate with people on a level that I might be able to make a change, not only in my life but in their lives." > > He tells me it has been important not to stagnate on death row. "If there is a difference that you can make in the life of another person, you want to make that difference. After I have spoken to you, I want to feel that I have taken something from our conversation and it has made me a better person ? and I want to leave you the same way." > > After 22 years of confinement, I find his calm reasoning impressive. "If there is something that enriched you from our conversation that you can share," he says, "then please let people know there is humanity even in these places." > > I have read of his claims of innocence, but now, speaking to him, knowing what he faces, I am embarrassed to ask if it's true. Yet I feel I should, to give him a chance to say it out loud. I take a deep breath and ask him outright. "Yes, absolutely," he says without hesitation. Clearly I am speaking to an intelligent, empathetic, rounded human being. The idea of his life being wilfully extinguished fills me with dread. "You should know that it is really not about any issues you have," he says. "If you have bad judges, it doesn't matter if you are innocent or guilty." > > Durr then tells me about a fellow death-row prisoner, who maintained his innocence for 15 years. The state refused to DNA-test a piece of evidence: blood on a tennis shoe that he said was his, and not the victim's, as argued by the court that convicted him. Finally, the test was allowed and he was proved right. Yet no court would allow his appeal. If the then governor of Ohio had not granted the prisoner clemency, he would be dead. Instead, his sentence was commuted to life without parole. "This is what happens in the state of Ohio," Durr says. > > Last year, Durr asked for DNA-testing on biological material belonging to Vincent. This was allowed and the test came back negative. Officials then refused a second test, saying the first test only came back negative because the evidence was old and had been mishandled. The second test related to Vincent's necklace. Though records show it has never been out of police custody, that too is said to have been mishandled ? the DNA test was denied. > > In a last-minute attempt to stay his execution, Durr's lawyers submitted the argument that he was allergic to the anaesthetic used in the administration of the lethal injection. They needed more time, they said, to investigate his medical records. "My lawyers have filed with the judges," Durr says, "but it's the same three judges who threw out my earlier claims. You can expect that they will deny me again." > > How does he feel towards Vincent's family? "I would hope, if they think I did this and harmed their family, that they could forgive me. I understand their pain, their loss, having suffered the same thing myself ? and I'm sorry, I really am. I maintain my innocence, but that doesn't negate the pain they feel and I'm sorry for their pain. I really am." > > I ask how his society, the people of Ohio, feel generally about the treatment of people in his position. "I think they support the process as they are led to believe it operates. People are given a candy- coated version of what a prisoner's life is like. But the average citizen will never experience it. If more people actually knew what one year, two years, three years of prison life was actually like, I think more people would be appalled. They would press politicians and other people in society to make effective changes in prison conditions, so we wouldn't have the reoffending rate that we have, or the intra-prison violence. > > "In America, they spend more money incarcerating people than they do on educating people. You're talking almost $2m to murder someone on death row. If they took that money and gave you 30 years to life or 20 years to life, they could use the rest of the money and educate five people who want to go to college." > > Finally, I ask Durr why the state insists on killing people; what they think it achieves. (There have been 37 executions in Lucasville since 1999 ? with one a month scheduled for the next 11 months.) But it is too late for him to answer. Our time is up. "I'm sorry," he says, "this will probably be our last call." > > Except it wasn't. Durr was transferred to Lucasville on Monday, after all his appeals were turned down. The same day, the governor of Ohio, Ted Strickland, refused his appeal for clemency, and on Monday night the supreme court rejected his lawyers' application for a stay. > > But this morning, I was allowed to make a final, brief call to Durr, two and a half hours before he was due to be killed. This time when he picks up the phone, his voice is deep and sombre. "Hey," he says, "how's your spirit this morning?" > > I tell him I was thinking about him, and it isn't good. I ask if there is anything else he would like to say. > > "Yes," he says. "Please give my love to everybody that supported me and tried to help me. And when you write about me, do me a favour and please ? are you familiar with St Paul's treatise on love?" I tell him I am. "Tell them that's what I believe: in faith, hope and love ? and that the greatest of these is love." > > Da'rryl Durr was killed by lethal injection [http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/darryl-durrs-allergy-claim-fails-delay-execution/story?id=10420538 " title="ABC News: Death Row Allergy Claim Fails to Delay Darryl Durr's Execution] today, right on schedule. > > > If you have any questions about this email, please contact the guardian.co.uk user help desk: userhelp at guardian.co.uk. > > > guardian.co.uk Copyright (c) Guardian News and Media Limited. 2010 > Registered in England and Wales No. 908396 > Registered office: Number 1 Scott Place, Manchester M3 3GG > Please consider the environment before printing this email. > ------------------------------------------------------------------ > Visit guardian.co.uk - newspaper website of the year > www.guardian.co.uk www.observer.co.uk > > To save up to 33% when you subscribe to the Guardian and the Observer visit > http://www.guardian.co.uk/subscriber > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- From kiccovich at yahoo.com Thu Apr 22 12:59:04 2010 From: kiccovich at yahoo.com (francesca recchia) Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2010 00:29:04 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] HAPPY EARTH DAY Message-ID: <33842.97600.qm@web113206.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Dear all I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy Earth Day! This is a great chance to stop for a minute and think in what way each one of us can contribute to make a difference through small gestures. Eyjafjallajokull these days has also been pretty good in (quite literally) bringing us "down to earth" Have a beautiful day! francesca recchia kiccovich at yahoo.com it +39 338 166 3648 iq +964 (0) 750 7085 681 http://www.veleno.tv/bollettini/ From kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Thu Apr 22 14:04:28 2010 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2010 01:34:28 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] The Stars of Tilonia In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <752703.24691.qm@web57201.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Dear Chintan   Thanks. Such excellently pleasing information.   May I also remark that you are one of the few people on this List who consistently focusses on positivities of the human spirit overcoming disadvantages, not succumbing to them but innovatively overcoming them and creating productive opportunities and systems.   Thanks again.   Kshmendra    --- On Thu, 4/22/10, Chintan wrote: From: Chintan Subject: [Reader-list] The Stars of Tilonia To: "sarai list" Date: Thursday, April 22, 2010, 10:10 AM Excerpts from http://www.teacherplus.org/profile/the-stars-of-tilonia "Maangi bai knows hardly any English, but has taught herself to use the English keyboard. A cardboard chart by her side shows the correspondences between the Devanagari (Hindi) alphabet and the English characters. A visitor from England who happened to learn about this wondered why Maangi bai doesn’t use a Hindi keyboard. Maangi bai simply said, “This is what we have got, and we are happy with this.” The visitor was amazed, and she muttered, “I am useless. You are incredible.” Maangi bai also trains women from poor African countries to use the computer. The African women know a bit of English; Maangi bai speaks only Hindi and Marwari, but she has taught herself to use the computer. Here too one discerns a wonderful synergy. The African women pick up computer skills; Maangi bai picks up a bit of English. When spoken language seems a hurdle, Maangi bai simply uses her finger to point out where the cursor should be moved using the mouse." "Barefoot College is full of such amazing stories. There is Raghav Mahto, a 23-year-old from Vaishali in Bihar, who used to fiddle with wires and microphones while putting up shamianas for wedding functions, and learnt to make a radio. He now runs a community radio station at Barefoot College. Women with no formal qualifications work as ‘barefoot dentists’ here. They not only share tips about dental hygiene with children, but also clean tartar and carry out tooth extraction for adults living on campus and visiting from outside. A doctor providing allopathy and homoeopathy medicines, and a pathology laboratory run by barefoot technicians are among the other services available here. Men who have no degree or diploma in media and communication studies have learnt on the job and become ‘barefoot photographers’, ‘barefoot filmmakers’, and ‘barefoot communicators’. The last of the three is a term used to designate a group of puppeteers on campus who spend their time making puppets, playing music, and creating skits to generate awareness and facilitate discussion around local issues by travelling to night schools and presenting shows on other important occasions." "Our last stop for the day was a night school at Thal village, the most memorable experience of my visit to Barefoot College. This is one of around 150 night schools run by Barefoot College in the numerous villages of Rajasthan. It starts at 6 pm and ends at 9 pm. Most of the children who come here are girls, since boys do get the chance to go to day schools. Rameshwarji asks the children to tell me what they do during the day. Some spend their day grazing goats, sheep or cows. Others have to chase away peacocks that threaten to disturb their crop. Yet others, especially girls, stay home to take care of younger siblings. It was amazing to see their energy and enthusiasm at the end of the day. The night holds a special meaning in their lives. It is when the solar lanterns in their little room spread light on the wall, and the ground they sit on. A time for them to sit with children their own age, when laughter passes around quite playfully, unstressed by the chores that tomorrow will bring. I am reminded of the stars that welcomed me into Tilonia. I can see them again in these eyes." Read the entire article here: http://www.teacherplus.org/profile/the-stars-of-tilonia _________________________________________ 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 chintangirishmodi at gmail.com Thu Apr 22 14:13:09 2010 From: chintangirishmodi at gmail.com (Chintan) Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2010 14:13:09 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Stars of Tilonia In-Reply-To: <752703.24691.qm@web57201.mail.re3.yahoo.com> References: <752703.24691.qm@web57201.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Hi Kshmendra Thanks for that warm and thoughtful note. Do try to visit the Barefoot College sometime, if you haven't yet. It's an amazing experience. Chintan On Thu, Apr 22, 2010 at 2:04 PM, Kshmendra Kaul wrote: > Dear Chintan > > Thanks. Such excellently pleasing information. > > May I also remark that you are one of the few people on this List who > consistently focusses on positivities of the human spirit overcoming > disadvantages, not succumbing to them but innovatively overcoming them and > creating productive opportunities and systems. > > Thanks again. > > Kshmendra > > --- On *Thu, 4/22/10, Chintan * wrote: > > > From: Chintan > Subject: [Reader-list] The Stars of Tilonia > To: "sarai list" > Date: Thursday, April 22, 2010, 10:10 AM > > Excerpts from http://www.teacherplus.org/profile/the-stars-of-tilonia > > "Maangi bai knows hardly any English, but has taught herself to use the > English keyboard. A cardboard chart by her side shows the correspondences > between the Devanagari (Hindi) alphabet and the English characters. A > visitor from England who happened to learn about this wondered why Maangi > bai doesn’t use a Hindi keyboard. Maangi bai simply said, “This is what we > have got, and we are happy with this.” The visitor was amazed, and she > muttered, “I am useless. You are incredible.” Maangi bai also trains women > from poor African countries to use the computer. The African women know a > bit of English; Maangi bai speaks only Hindi and Marwari, but she has > taught > herself to use the computer. Here too one discerns a wonderful synergy. The > African women pick up computer skills; Maangi bai picks up a bit of > English. > When spoken language seems a hurdle, Maangi bai simply uses her finger to > point out where the cursor should be moved using the mouse." > > > "Barefoot College is full of such amazing stories. There is Raghav Mahto, a > 23-year-old from Vaishali in Bihar, who used to fiddle with wires and > microphones while putting up shamianas for wedding functions, and learnt to > make a radio. He now runs a community radio station at Barefoot College. > > Women with no formal qualifications work as ‘barefoot dentists’ here. They > not only share tips about dental hygiene with children, but also clean > tartar and carry out tooth extraction for adults living on campus and > visiting from outside. A doctor providing allopathy and homoeopathy > medicines, and a pathology laboratory run by barefoot technicians are among > the other services available here. > > Men who have no degree or diploma in media and communication studies have > learnt on the job and become ‘barefoot photographers’, ‘barefoot > filmmakers’, and ‘barefoot communicators’. The last of the three is a term > used to designate a group of puppeteers on campus who spend their time > making puppets, playing music, and creating skits to generate awareness and > facilitate discussion around local issues by travelling to night schools > and > presenting shows on other important occasions." > > "Our last stop for the day was a night school at Thal village, the most > memorable experience of my visit to Barefoot College. This is one of around > 150 night schools run by Barefoot College in the numerous villages of > Rajasthan. It starts at 6 pm and ends at 9 pm. Most of the children who > come > here are girls, since boys do get the chance to go to day schools. > Rameshwarji asks the children to tell me what they do during the day. Some > spend their day grazing goats, sheep or cows. Others have to chase away > peacocks that threaten to disturb their crop. Yet others, especially girls, > stay home to take care of younger siblings. It was amazing to see their > energy and enthusiasm at the end of the day. The night holds a special > meaning in their lives. It is when the solar lanterns in their little room > spread light on the wall, and the ground they sit on. A time for them to > sit > with children their own age, when laughter passes around quite playfully, > unstressed by the chores that tomorrow will bring. I am reminded of the > stars that welcomed me into Tilonia. I can see them again in these eyes." > > Read the entire article here: > http://www.teacherplus.org/profile/the-stars-of-tilonia > _________________________________________ > 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/> > > > From aliens at dataone.in Thu Apr 22 16:19:07 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2010 16:19:07 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: Gujarat Governor returns bill on voting In-Reply-To: <000801cae142$01f84760$05e8d620$@in> References: <000801cae142$01f84760$05e8d620$@in> Message-ID: <002201cae209$708d4550$51a7cff0$@in> Gujarat governor has did un-democratic move by sending back the compulsory voting bill of Gujarat assembly. Governor is said to be highest constitutional post of the states in our democratic India. Governor must act to strengthen the democracy, but our Governors are puppet of central government and never acts with their soul or mind. At present our democracy is one way democracy. People want freedom of speech/act in all the aspects but in return they don't want to be accountable further to strengthen our democracy. This bill is a step toward to strengthen our democracy. Someone argue that why should we vote to this cheater politician. But, I want to say that we have allowed making politician cheater by voting merely 40/50% on average since independent. Congress played vote bank politics only since independence and if compulsory voting law would be there initially, congress vote bank tactics would have been averted and real democracy would be there and in that case our country would have been in different path today. Thanks Bipin From rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com Thu Apr 22 18:06:40 2010 From: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com (Rakesh Iyer) Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2010 18:06:40 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: Gujarat Governor returns bill on voting In-Reply-To: <002201cae209$708d4550$51a7cff0$@in> References: <000801cae142$01f84760$05e8d620$@in> <002201cae209$708d4550$51a7cff0$@in> Message-ID: Dear Bipin My response (and it would be lengthy, please pardon me for that): 1) First of all, it's not undemocratic as you have claimed for the Gujarat Governor to send the bill back to the Assembly. The Indian Constitution gives a Governor the right to send any bill back to the Assembly if she/he feel so, but they should specify their objections to the bill. The bill has been sent back for reconsideration. Further, the Indian Constitution stipulates that if the assembly again passes the bill, the Governor has to sign the bill back within some time (I am not sure but I think it's 15 days or so). Secondly, once this is done, the bill has to go for assent to the President, where the Home Ministry approves it and then the President notifies the bill, which is when any bill becomes an act. The Governor could have very well sat on the bill and done nothing. In that case, no Chief Minister, not even Modi, could have done anything to get the bill signed from the Governor, and that would have been undemocratic. But this is not undemocratic. The bill has been sent for reconsideration based on certain views of the Governor, and the Assembly can rightly reject those views if it feels so as a whole. 2) The law which seeks compulsory voting is actually anti-democratic. It is a right certainly for the people to vote, but their duty is not to necessarily go out there and vote. The duty is a larger set of claims as I see it. Firstly, the right to vote is given to people so that they can express their views on who should rule them. The duty which is inherent in the right to vote is not that people should vote. It is in having a rational reason for why to vote (or why not to vote) and vote in favor of whom. This means that if I choose not to vote, I must have a reason as to why I have not voted. I need not mention that reason before others (freedom of speech and expression), but I must answer myself why I have not voted. If I have voted, I must have an answer for that too, as also for the question that why I voted for a particular candidate, or why did I express the option of not voting. These are questions one should answer for oneself, and that too based on reason and rationality. If that is lacking, that should be criticized. Instead of that it's wrong to criticize not voting simply. Even if I am forced to vote as per the act in question, whom should I vote for? What do I get by not voting for any candidate as one of the rules state? I have to mention my name and moreover, that name is public and not secret. Moreover, if I don't believe in the Indian democratic system or feel it has failed and failed most miserably (say I am a tribal who thinks so), then why should I be forced to vote? When I think it's futile, and if it has indeed proved futile inspite of my voting, what's the use of voting anyway? 3) The 40-50% voting is seen for Lok Sabha elections. Assembly elections in India generally see a higher voter turnout of around 60-70%, while for panchayat elections across the country, the voting percentages are quite high, around 80-90%. Those who doubt it can check the figures on the Election Commission site. The question will obviously arise: why low voting for Lok Sabha election? The answer is simple. Most of the people living in India, hardly get to see the Lok Sabha Member of Parliament. May be in cities, but hardly in villages. It is the panchayat, the gram sabha, and the local block officials who are the most important, in villages, or the councillors in cities. May be the MLA is important, but the Lok Sabha MP is hardly seen. The Indian bureaucracy doesn't exist, and therefore it's important that for the people to be able to secure basic services (from BPL cards to ensuring PDS shops remaining open to getting access to govt. schemes), they should get a favorable rule for this, a rule which can improve the functioning of the system and ensure required goods and services for them. Since that is in the panchayats, and the local governments, they feel they have a greater stake in the local governments and not say the national government. This is extremely ironic when we consider the fact that it's the central government which has the highest power in terms of decision making and finances, followed by the state and then the local governments. But the people face the local government officials daily (the councillors or the panchayat) so they feel easy officials can ensure greater development work in their constituency. We should be happy that for a central government, people vote in nos. of around 40-50%, which is still quite good considering the size of our electorate. It can be better, yes, and I believe it should be, importantly because the central government has larger power than it should have. But that doesn't ask for forced voting. That won't solve the problem. What will is education and further understanding of the situation. Therefore, for me, yes I would like the voting percentage to increase, not because I believe voting is duty of all, but because the central government has a larger impact on the people than they think it has, and therefore they too should be able to influence it and get better representatives for themselves if possible. Who knows, such education can also ensure the end of hopeless coalition governments (like NDA and UPA), and also force political parties to become more democratic! Rakesh From c.anupam at gmail.com Thu Apr 22 18:18:17 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2010 18:18:17 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: Gujarat Governor returns bill on voting In-Reply-To: References: <000801cae142$01f84760$05e8d620$@in> <002201cae209$708d4550$51a7cff0$@in> Message-ID: Rakesh and others, The bill has been questioned not because it might encourage forced voting or any of the presumptions that critics have cited previously but the contradictions lie within the system of elections in Gujarat. I think Bipin, despite vociferously defending Gujarat, has not been able to say anything on the system of Samras. I am reproducing an article published in this regard: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/narendra-modis-samras-scheme-has-chinks-galore/449446/2 Published on April 21, 2009 *NGO study shows majority of panchayats under the scheme have not internalised its essence* Is Narendra Modi’s much-hyped Samras (Consensus) Scheme, which was intended to harmonise and smoothen the democratic process at the village level, negating its own raison d’etre for manipulative politics? An NGO study of the scheme hints at that. The Samras Scheme provides for the unanimous selection of a sarpanch of a village panchayat instead of electing one. The idea behind the scheme is to do away with conflict and disagreement of any nature in the villages. The state government asserts that the scheme removes enmity in a village. An analytical study of the scheme by a network of NGOs like Marag and Mahila Swaraj Abhiyan (MSA), which have been working in the field since the inception of the scheme in 2006, has revealed some of the major pitfalls of the scheme. The study was conducted in about 200 Samras villages across 12 districts (Dahod, Panchmahals, Anand, Surendranagar, Sabarkantha, Kutch, Surat, Amreli, Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Patan and Bhavnagar). Under the scheme, a Samras village with a population above 5,000 receives an incentive of Rs 1 lakh, while villages with a population between 5,000 and 15,000 receive Rs 1.5 lakh as incentive money. A village that appoints a woman draws an incentive of Rs 7 lakh. Moreover, a village that goes the Samras way for the second time receives an additional 25 per cent over the incentive money. The study included 40 all-women panchayats (22 in Ahmedabad, 15 in Baroda and 3 in Kutch), while 95 percent of the women chosen in Samras never went to the first meeting after taking charge and were not aware of the incentive. Nearly 84 per cent of the marginalised group (Dalits and adivasis) do not believe that elections cause confrontations or competition. This is against the logic of the scheme. No less than 32.3 per cent members of the marginalised group said that they wanted to stand for elections, but could not due to Samras. The place where the decision of the Samras was taken was pointed out to be the temple by 15.8 per cent and the sarpanch’s home by 97 per cent of members of the panchayat body. While 75.8 per cent of the marginalised group was aware of the decision being taken at the temple, only 8.5 percent knew about meetings held at the sarpanch’s house. Thirty three percent of the panchayat body members and 32.3 per cent of the marginalised group members said that the Samras Scheme was adopted for financial benefit. Nearly12.4 per cent of the panchayat body and 4.2 per cent of the marginalised group believe that the reason was due to no elections in many years. Interestingly, none of the panchayat members said that the reason was to contain power within a certain community; 14 per cent of marginalised group believe so. Only 13.4 per cent panchayat body and 20 per cent of the marginalised group believe that Samras is held to avoid disputes, while 20 per cent of panchayat body members are clueless about the reason. When contacted on Monday, Principal Secretary (Panchayat and Rural Development) Varesh Sinha told Newsline, “I have not seen the survey report so I cannot comment on it.” ENDS Isnt it ironical that Gujarat government which ran this scheme across the state was implementing a structure where the elections were deemed redundant? -Anupam On Thu, Apr 22, 2010 at 6:06 PM, Rakesh Iyer wrote: > Dear Bipin > > My response (and it would be lengthy, please pardon me for that): > > 1) First of all, it's not undemocratic as you have claimed for the Gujarat > Governor to send the bill back to the Assembly. The Indian Constitution > gives a Governor the right to send any bill back to the Assembly if she/he > feel so, but they should specify their objections to the bill. The bill has > been sent back for reconsideration. > > Further, the Indian Constitution stipulates that if the assembly again > passes the bill, the Governor has to sign the bill back within some time (I > am not sure but I think it's 15 days or so). Secondly, once this is done, > the bill has to go for assent to the President, where the Home Ministry > approves it and then the President notifies the bill, which is when any > bill > becomes an act. > > The Governor could have very well sat on the bill and done nothing. In that > case, no Chief Minister, not even Modi, could have done anything to get the > bill signed from the Governor, and that would have been undemocratic. But > this is not undemocratic. The bill has been sent for reconsideration based > on certain views of the Governor, and the Assembly can rightly reject those > views if it feels so as a whole. > > 2) The law which seeks compulsory voting is actually anti-democratic. It is > a right certainly for the people to vote, but their duty is not to > necessarily go out there and vote. The duty is a larger set of claims as I > see it. Firstly, the right to vote is given to people so that they can > express their views on who should rule them. > > The duty which is inherent in the right to vote is not that people should > vote. It is in having a rational reason for why to vote (or why not to > vote) > and vote in favor of whom. This means that if I choose not to vote, I must > have a reason as to why I have not voted. I need not mention that reason > before others (freedom of speech and expression), but I must answer myself > why I have not voted. If I have voted, I must have an answer for that too, > as also for the question that why I voted for a particular candidate, or > why > did I express the option of not voting. These are questions one should > answer for oneself, and that too based on reason and rationality. If that > is > lacking, that should be criticized. Instead of that it's wrong to criticize > not voting simply. > > Even if I am forced to vote as per the act in question, whom should I vote > for? What do I get by not voting for any candidate as one of the rules > state? I have to mention my name and moreover, that name is public and not > secret. Moreover, if I don't believe in the Indian democratic system or > feel > it has failed and failed most miserably (say I am a tribal who thinks so), > then why should I be forced to vote? When I think it's futile, and if it > has > indeed proved futile inspite of my voting, what's the use of voting anyway? > > 3) The 40-50% voting is seen for Lok Sabha elections. Assembly elections in > India generally see a higher voter turnout of around 60-70%, while for > panchayat elections across the country, the voting percentages are quite > high, around 80-90%. Those who doubt it can check the figures on the > Election Commission site. > > The question will obviously arise: why low voting for Lok Sabha election? > The answer is simple. Most of the people living in India, hardly get to see > the Lok Sabha Member of Parliament. May be in cities, but hardly in > villages. It is the panchayat, the gram sabha, and the local block > officials > who are the most important, in villages, or the councillors in cities. May > be the MLA is important, but the Lok Sabha MP is hardly seen. The Indian > bureaucracy doesn't exist, and therefore it's important that for the people > to be able to secure basic services (from BPL cards to ensuring PDS shops > remaining open to getting access to govt. schemes), they should get a > favorable rule for this, a rule which can improve the functioning of the > system and ensure required goods and services for them. Since that is in > the > panchayats, and the local governments, they feel they have a greater stake > in the local governments and not say the national government. > > This is extremely ironic when we consider the fact that it's the central > government which has the highest power in terms of decision making and > finances, followed by the state and then the local governments. But the > people face the local government officials daily (the councillors or the > panchayat) so they feel easy officials can ensure greater development work > in their constituency. > > We should be happy that for a central government, people vote in nos. of > around 40-50%, which is still quite good considering the size of our > electorate. It can be better, yes, and I believe it should be, importantly > because the central government has larger power than it should have. But > that doesn't ask for forced voting. That won't solve the problem. What will > is education and further understanding of the situation. > > Therefore, for me, yes I would like the voting percentage to increase, not > because I believe voting is duty of all, but because the central government > has a larger impact on the people than they think it has, and therefore > they > too should be able to influence it and get better representatives for > themselves if possible. Who knows, such education can also ensure the end > of > hopeless coalition governments (like NDA and UPA), and also force political > parties to become more democratic! > > Rakesh > _________________________________________ > 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 Thu Apr 22 18:31:07 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2010 18:31:07 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Romanticising violence - Tazeen Javed Message-ID: An Op-Ed by my favorite Pakistani Blogger ....Tazeen . http://tribune.com.pk/story/8182/romanticising-violence/ By Tazeen Javed April 22, 2010 Ever since Arundhati Roy published her long article recently in favour of what the Indian government calls Maoist rebels, the Indian media and blogosphere has quite unanimously denounced Roy, labelling her naive admiration for the Maoists a proclivity towards “left-wing utopianism”. Roy enraged a lot of Indians when she called very violent Maoists ‘Gandhians with arms’ adherents of the philosophy of non violence consider this sacrilegious. Just like Arundhati Roy, Pakistan has Imran Khan who supports the Taliban and is critical of army operations in Swat and Fata. Like Roy, Khan also believes that it is the circumstances that have turned peace-loving tribals into warring security threats. If you hear their arguments, they are almost identical. They both question the legitimacy of a state to declare war against its own citizens, they both think the state policies are responsible for the creation of the Taliban and Maoists in their respective countries, and they both think that rebels are essentially good people. The modus operandi of the Taliban and the Maoists are similar. Both are brutal and only believe in their own version of justice. Both conduct show trials and execute whomever they deem guilty. Both use explosive devices against government officials, police, army and common people. Both try to control the supply lines in their respective areas. Both recruit under-age boys, at times by force, and brainwash them into carrying out operations. The situation in both the insurgency inflicted areas is similar. People on both sides of the border have legitimate grievances – 62 years into independence, their rights like access to water and sewerage have been neglected by successive governments. The parallels don’t just end here. If President Zaradri calls the Taliban the ‘biggest security threat’ then Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called the Maoist threat the ‘gravest national security crisis’ India faces. The Taliban in Pakistan and Maoists in India are lucky to find supporters in Khan and Roy. If Imran Khan is a firebrand speaker who can get college kids to support his cause, then Roy’s reputation as a prize winning writer and activist lends credo to the Maoist cause. If he speaks at left- wing forums in England and regales them with tales of government atrocities against the Taliban, Roy portrays a romantic image of the Maoists fighting the big bad government and capitalism. Imran Khan won the world cup for Pakistan in 1992 and Arundhati Roy won her Booker prize in 1997. They may truly believe in the cause of the Maoists and the Taliban or perhaps they always root for the underdog, but one must keep in mind that it can also be a case of keeping the adulation of people alive through taking up causes against the government. Even though we live in times when non-state actors are considered responsible for most of the chaos and terrorism, being anti state is still considered cool. If you hear the arguments presented by Roy and Khan, everything is either black or white but in politics and more so in power politics, things are almost always grey. The state has failed to address the issues of its people but even then, only the state has the legitimacy to change it. Romanticising violence may win Arundhati Roy and Imran Khan popularity, but it can never provide a long lasting solution for peace. From shahzulf at yahoo.com Thu Apr 22 18:47:24 2010 From: shahzulf at yahoo.com (Zulfiqar Shah) Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2010 06:17:24 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] The Institute for Social Movements, Pakistan established Message-ID: <527881.17706.qm@web38807.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Dear All:   Greetings from Hyderabad, Pakistan!   After a process of consultation with and between various civil society organizations and individuals, The Institute for Social Movements, Pakistan (ISM PAK) has been established at Hyderabad Sindh, Pakistan.    The ISM PAK will be an initiative and attempt to cater, support and strengthen the existing and potential social movements around rights and related issues, peace and economic self reliance of the masses.        The niche to establish ISM PAK lays in the socio-economic,  political realities and development landscape of the country in which we think that unless rights agenda led by people’s movements and the issues contributing to the collectivism and integrated development initiatives based on the basic values of liberties and liberations of individuals and of collectives in the social, economic and cultural realms is not made a core strategy of the civil society initiatives in the country, it will become a distant trait to create favorable environment for socially, economically and culturally liberated and empowered man, women, children, youth, religious and ethnic minorities and vulnerable classes.            Primarily, five civil society organizations based in various districts of Sindh have signed MoU between each other and with ISM PAK to further the cause of strengthening social movements around rights, peace and economic self reliance and creating integratedness and synergy in their initiatives, hence, have become founding affiliated organizations of the ISM PAK. These organizations include Participatory Village Development Program (PVDP), Sami Foundation, Naujawan Sindh Samaji Sangat, Dharti Development Society and Young Samaji Tanzeem.     The districts, in which the ISM PAK has initially started its grounding initiatives includes Tharparkar, Umerkot, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Tando Allahyar, Badin, Jamshoro, Dadu, Naushehro Feroz and Shikarpur.   We hope the institute will contribute for the development of the marginalized.     Sincerely,         Zulfiqar Shah     _______________________________________ Executive Director The Institute for Social Movements, Pakistan B 9, Naseem Nagar Phase IV, Qasimabad, Hyderabad 71000, Sindh, Pakistan Phone: +92 22 2654905 Fax: +92 22 2654605 Cell: +92 321 308 702 4 / +92 333 464 888 1 Email: zulfiqar at ismpak.org l  shahzulf at yahoo.com www.ismpak.org _______________________________________ From kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Thu Apr 22 19:31:49 2010 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2010 07:01:49 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] FW: Gujarat Governor returns bill on voting In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <767414.51393.qm@web57208.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Dear Rakesh   Your PT 1 is on Governor's Assent for a Bill. Some errors in details but the principle is generally correct.   There is one glaring error though. The Governor cannot indefinitely withhold assent. He/She can only return the Bill for reconsideration on suggested amendments. If still passed by the Houses, the Governor has no option but to sign.   Where Powers of the High Court are affected, the Governor can send it to the President etc etc   Your PT 3 has interesting opinions on the reasons for varying poll percentages in Lok Sabha, Assembly and Panchayat Elections.   It is your PT 2 that intrigues me. I find your arguments against making voting compulsory as somewhat misplaced and misdirected.   If derivation of Laws from the Constitution and application through the Executive is of critical importance to every citizen (and it surely is) and if the Political-Processes are essential for that, then it would only be sensible and progressive to encourage and in fact secure the participation of every citizen in that process. Citizens must be pro-actively and fully involved in having their say, in who it is going to be, that will be entrusted with Governance.   That making voting compulsory will be an infringement of Rights or is "Anti-Democratic" would be a strange statement to make.   Your stated reasons for why a person would not want to vote are defeatist.   If the 'system' is not delivering for me then is it better for me to continue to get screwed by the 'system' by my non-participation and ceding controls to others or is it better for me to get involved in the 'system' and try and send as representatives in the Legislatures such people who will address my critical needs.   I am ignoring here the Anarchist attitude of seeking to destroy everything and presuming some good will come out of that. Though, even in such attitudes (as also in Maoism/Naxalism) there is no getting away from Governance, howsoever varied might be the nature of proposed system of peoples' representation.   Of course if you think that the Anarchist route is the only one left for people (whether in the current Maoist/Naxal influence areas or elsewhere) then I would be wasting your and my time in speaking to you.    You have already referred to the 49-O Rule (not vote in favour of any candidate). If the proposed Electoral Reform in this connection goes through, it would be excellent. That is amending 49-O to NEGATIVE VOTE. If the "Negative Votes" are in majority then the Election is to be re-held.   With "Compulsory Voting" and "Negative Voting" together, it would be an excellent way of getting (to some extent) such people into the Legislatures who have the Trust & Confidence of the people reposed in them.   (I am ignoring here the impediments caused by the current idiotic First-Past-The-Post system. That is another story)   There could be no disagreement that whatever option is used by a citizen, it should remain confidential and connecting an option to an individual should be indecipherable .   Please understand that Democracy in India is in it's infancy. It would be unreasonable to expect that 63 years would put firmly in place a fully credible and functional Peoples' Representation System especially with India's background of (reduced but continuing) feudal structures and barriers-to-mobility because of (since-long) entrenched prejudices/discriminations/disinterests.   I do not want to argue over this but wanted to state my opinion just as you did. But I shall read your comments (if any) with great interest   Kshmendra --- On Thu, 4/22/10, Rakesh Iyer wrote: From: Rakesh Iyer Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: Gujarat Governor returns bill on voting To: "Bipin Trivedi" Cc: "sarai-list" Date: Thursday, April 22, 2010, 6:06 PM Dear Bipin My response (and it would be lengthy, please pardon me for that): 1) First of all, it's not undemocratic as you have claimed for the Gujarat Governor to send the bill back to the Assembly. The Indian Constitution gives a Governor the right to send any bill back to the Assembly if she/he feel so, but they should specify their objections to the bill. The bill has been sent back for reconsideration. Further, the Indian Constitution stipulates that if the assembly again passes the bill, the Governor has to sign the bill back within some time (I am not sure but I think it's 15 days or so). Secondly, once this is done, the bill has to go for assent to the President, where the Home Ministry approves it and then the President notifies the bill, which is when any bill becomes an act. The Governor could have very well sat on the bill and done nothing. In that case, no Chief Minister, not even Modi, could have done anything to get the bill signed from the Governor, and that would have been undemocratic. But this is not undemocratic. The bill has been sent for reconsideration based on certain views of the Governor, and the Assembly can rightly reject those views if it feels so as a whole. 2) The law which seeks compulsory voting is actually anti-democratic. It is a right certainly for the people to vote, but their duty is not to necessarily go out there and vote. The duty is a larger set of claims as I see it. Firstly, the right to vote is given to people so that they can express their views on who should rule them. The duty which is inherent in the right to vote is not that people should vote. It is in having a rational reason for why to vote (or why not to vote) and vote in favor of whom. This means that if I choose not to vote, I must have a reason as to why I have not voted. I need not mention that reason before others (freedom of speech and expression), but I must answer myself why I have not voted. If I have voted, I must have an answer for that too, as also for the question that why I voted for a particular candidate, or why did I express the option of not voting. These are questions one should answer for oneself, and that too based on reason and rationality. If that is lacking, that should be criticized. Instead of that it's wrong to criticize not voting simply. Even if I am forced to vote as per the act in question, whom should I vote for? What do I get by not voting for any candidate as one of the rules state? I have to mention my name and moreover, that name is public and not secret. Moreover, if I don't believe in the Indian democratic system or feel it has failed and failed most miserably (say I am a tribal who thinks so), then why should I be forced to vote? When I think it's futile, and if it has indeed proved futile inspite of my voting, what's the use of voting anyway? 3) The 40-50% voting is seen for Lok Sabha elections. Assembly elections in India generally see a higher voter turnout of around 60-70%, while for panchayat elections across the country, the voting percentages are quite high, around 80-90%. Those who doubt it can check the figures on the Election Commission site. The question will obviously arise: why low voting for Lok Sabha election? The answer is simple. Most of the people living in India, hardly get to see the Lok Sabha Member of Parliament. May be in cities, but hardly in villages. It is the panchayat, the gram sabha, and the local block officials who are the most important, in villages, or the councillors in cities. May be the MLA is important, but the Lok Sabha MP is hardly seen. The Indian bureaucracy doesn't exist, and therefore it's important that for the people to be able to secure basic services (from BPL cards to ensuring PDS shops remaining open to getting access to govt. schemes), they should get a favorable rule for this, a rule which can improve the functioning of the system and ensure required goods and services for them. Since that is in the panchayats, and the local governments, they feel they have a greater stake in the local governments and not say the national government. This is extremely ironic when we consider the fact that it's the central government which has the highest power in terms of decision making and finances, followed by the state and then the local governments. But the people face the local government officials daily (the councillors or the panchayat) so they feel easy officials can ensure greater development work in their constituency. We should be happy that for a central government, people vote in nos. of around 40-50%, which is still quite good considering the size of our electorate. It can be better, yes, and I believe it should be, importantly because the central government has larger power than it should have. But that doesn't ask for forced voting. That won't solve the problem. What will is education and further understanding of the situation. Therefore, for me, yes I would like the voting percentage to increase, not because I believe voting is duty of all, but because the central government has a larger impact on the people than they think it has, and therefore they too should be able to influence it and get better representatives for themselves if possible. Who knows, such education can also ensure the end of hopeless coalition governments (like NDA and UPA), and also force political parties to become more democratic! Rakesh _________________________________________ 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 rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com Thu Apr 22 19:54:04 2010 From: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com (Rakesh Iyer) Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2010 19:54:04 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: Gujarat Governor returns bill on voting In-Reply-To: <767414.51393.qm@web57208.mail.re3.yahoo.com> References: <767414.51393.qm@web57208.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Dear Kshamendra I would restrict this mail to two things: point 1 and point 2 Point 1: The Governor can indeed sit on a bill indefinitely without doing anything, as can the President. In my own state, Madhya Pradesh, on a bill which on becoming an act would have curtailed the powers of the Governor in choosing the Chancellors of the Barkatallah and other universities (created by the state governments of Madhya Pradesh), Bhai Mahavir, during his tenure as the Governor, kept sitting on the bill without either returning it to the assembly stating his objections or signing it if he had none. Giani Zail Singh also did the same regarding the Postal Bill passed by the Parliament. (The content of postal bill was undemocratic as it tried to curb the freedom of speech and impose censorship in post). This is also undemocratic. It would have been fine if Giani Zail Singh had returned the bill and if being sent to him again, resigned from the post of President stating that the bill is undemocratic and against his conscience to sign. That would have enhanced his stature and also been a slap on the government's face. But he sat on the bill. But this is only when the bill is sent the first time. When the bill is sent the second time after having been reconsidered, the Governor or the President has to sign it, come what may. But in the case of a bill passed by the state assembly, it has to go to the President and get his/her assent. That may also be a place of sitting on it, as the GCOCA (Gujarat Control of Organized Crime Act) has not yet been notified and yet remains a bill only. (Admittedly as the Home Ministry has not yet notified the draconian law, like another one MCOCA which is unfortunately ratified). Point 2: My point is simple. The right of the person doesn't entail necessarily a duty towards the state. The problem it will entail is something nobody tries to realize here. There is only one basic argument, and it's this: Is voting a right, or a duty? According to me it's a right. It's not a duty, towards the state. It's not a duty we are doing to politicians. At best, it could be a duty to ourselves. But again, who am I to question why someone is voting and somebody else isn't? My problem is this that if a person doesn't vote, you are imposing your opinion that he/she should vote on that person. Each person must have the right or freedom to decide whether he/she wants to vote or not. Of course, the decision to vote or not vote should depend on reason and rationality, but that decision must lie ultimately with that person. Therefore, by stating that voting is a duty, you are taking away my right to not express my view (by not voting) and that is wrong, and against the very principles of Indian Constitution which provide the freedom of speech and expression to me, as well as the right to vote as well. What I see in this bill is an act to suppress the rights of people by imposing your views on them. That is wrong and I would oppose it any day. If you have any objections, you must discuss and debate with them rather than taking away their right to choose whether they should vote or not vote. Rakesh From pawan.durani at gmail.com Thu Apr 22 20:09:10 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2010 20:09:10 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] United Jihad Council puts conditions for return of Kashmiri Pandits to valley Message-ID: Source : http://bit.ly/8Xy9fv -Sehrai, Qayoom can be Geelani’s successors -KPs must support movement before return SYED BASHARAT SRINAGAR, Apr 21: United Jehad Council (UJC) an amalgam of militant outfits active in Kashmir has expressed its willingness to enter into dialogue provided India shuns its “rigid” stand on Kashmir issue and accepts Kashmir as disputed. This has been stated by Syed Sallah-u-Din, UJC Supreme Commander in a tele-interview to a local news agency here today. In his interview, the UJC supreme commander has said that Kashmir movement is justified by the United Nation’s resolutions. Referring to the statement of senior separatist leader and Hurriyat (M) executive member, Prof Abdul Ghani Bhat’s statement, describing UN resolutions on Kashmir as irrelevant, Sallah-u-Din has said that if the people of Kashmir including its leadership have decided to surrender their right to self determination, then they will, themselves put an end to their freedom struggle. He has observed that in days to come, the world community will have to accept the right to self determination of Kashmiris, provided the people in Kashmir remain firm in their freedom struggle. Sallah-u-Din has however, suggested that if United Nation’s resolution are not workable for the solution of Kashmir issue, the same can be settled through tripartite dialogue which should include India, Pakistan and Kashmiri people. Sallah-u-Din who is also the chief of Hizbul Mujahideen militant outfit has maintained that militancy will continue to have its relevance till Kashmir is not settled through peaceful, legal, democratic and diplomatic means. He has cautioned the security forces to refrain from human rights violations in Kashmir. He warned that alienation against India can turn into a regional catastrophe. He has also regretted Pervez Musharraf former president of Pakistan’s unilateral flexibility shown vis-�-vis Kashmir issue. “Musharraf’s flexible approach has immensely harmed the Kashmir movement. And the damage he has caused can never be compensated,” Sallah-u-Din has said. Asked about the reasons behind the decrease in militant activities, the UJC chief has said that they were fighting a guerilla war in Kashmir based on ‘hit and run principle’. He said that guerilla war is not a one time fight and the same is fought in piece meals. “Sustaining this guerilla war for 20 to 21 years is also an achievement of the Kashmir movement,” he has remarked. Lauding the role of senior separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani in Kashmir’s freedom movement, the UJC chief has said that given the poor health conditions of Geelani it was inevitable to find the successor of Geelani. He has also nominated Jamat-e-Islami senior member and general secretary Tehreek-e-Hurriyat Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai as the undisputed stake holder for the chairmanship. Sehrai, according to Sallah-u-Din, has played a very vital role in the Kashmir movement and has remained steadfast in his resolve which was not broken by his frequent detentions. However, he has added that outside Hurriyat forum senior advocate and High Court Bar Association Mian Abdul Qayoom can also replace Geelani. He also hailed the Qayoom for his role in the Kashmir movement. Putting conditions for the return of Kashmiri Pandits, Sallah-u-Din has said that being a part of Kashmir they will have to restore the trust deficit which according to him was created by Pandits when they migrated on the dictation of the then governor Jagmohan. “The Kashmiri Pandits will have to make it clear that they will support the freedom movement,” he has added. He has held India responsible for the bloodshed in Kashmir saying that the country’s 60-year-occupation in Kashmir has no justification. Sallah-u-Din, who is also chief of the Hizbul Mujahideen militant outfit, has said that India has backtracked from its promises made on the floor of Unites Nation’s assembly. He has also reaffirmed that the solution of Kashmir issue lies in the United Nation’s resolutions. The UJC chief has termed the Kashmir movement a genuine struggle which cannot be affected by political happenings around the world. He has appreciating the diplomatic support to Kashmir movement extended by Pakistan while urging upon its government to support the movement militarily. Criticising the separatist elements who according to him, have bypassed the United Nation’s resolutions on Kashmir, Sallah-u-Din has said that those who deem UNO resolutions on Kashmir irrelevant should understand that their rejection of UN resolutions itself cast aspersions on the credibility of the world body. He has asked Mirwaiz Umar Farooq as why he entered into dialogue with the government of India and after seven years, why he was compelled to regret on India’s sincerity towards the resolution of Kashmir issue. Sallah-u-Din has observed that Kashmir’s armed struggle is people’s movement and it was not started with the support of Pakistan. He has agreed that Pakistan is under severe pressure after 9/11 attack in USA but according to him, the pressure on Pakistan in no way has affected the Kashmir movement. The Hizb chief has observed that after 9/11 attack Kashmir issue resonated in the United Nation’s general assembly. The OIC he has said passed a resolution which stressed on the speedy disposal of the Kashmir issue and condemned the human rights violations perpetrated by the Indian security forces in Kashmir. “Besides OIC, clear indications were given to India by the European Union and the USA to resolve Kashmir issue without any further delay,” Sallah-u-Din has said, while lauding the role of China whose official stand on Kashmir is, “a significant achievement of Kashmir movement.” The Hizbul Mujahideen chief has maintained that the militancy will continue to have its relevance till the Kashmir is not settled through, peaceful, legal, democratic and diplomatic means. He has cautioned the security forces to refrain from human rights violations in Kashmir, otherwise, according to him; the alienation against India can turn into a regional catastrophe. Asked about the reasons behind the decrease in militant activities, the UJC chief has said that they were fighting a guerilla war in Kashmir based on ‘hit and run principle’. He said that guerilla war is not a one time fight and the same is fought in piece meals. “Sustaining this guerilla war for 20 to 21 years is also an achievement of the Kashmir movement,” he has remarked. He has also criticised the statements of successive Indian army chiefs in which they have counted the number of militants not more than 800. “As has been claimed by the Indian army chiefs that these militants will eliminated in a few months, I ask them why they have failed to do so,” Sallah-u-Din has asked. “In freedom movements, 40 to 50 years with one lakh sacrifices does not matter much. Even India got liberated after its 150 years of freedom movement. The Kashmir issue has now become a focal point of world attention. India should shun its rigidity otherwise the entire region will be engulfed by the nuclear disaster,” he has asserted. Asking Hurriyat leadership to unite, Sallah-u-Din has said that the constitution made in 1993 provides a basis for the unity among the divided Hurriyat leadership. Sallah-u-Din has also rejected the rehabilitation and return of youth policy of the state government. Commenting on the controversial book of Dr Shafi Sharaiti, the UJC chief has said that the section of book written on Jamat-e-Islami’s role in Kashmir movement by its author is not acceptable. [Kashmir Times] From saheliwomen at gmail.com Thu Apr 22 21:28:46 2010 From: saheliwomen at gmail.com (Saheli Women) Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2010 21:28:46 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Please endorse>> Statement on the Khap Maha Panchayat In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Dear all, Please see below statement about the recent Khap Maha Panchayat. If you would like to endorse this statement, please send us a mail by Sunday 25th April 2010. We are planning to send it to the Chief Ministers of Delhi, Haryana, UP and Rajasthan. In Solidarity, Janaki and Deepti for Saheli saheliwomen at gmail.com * * *Love, Honour and Killer Khaps* We read with shock and outrage about the Khap Maha Panchayat held in Kurukshetra on the 13th of April 2010 at which over 4000 khap panchayat members from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi vowed to fight for the seven people convicted recently in a “honour-killing” case. They valorised those who killed Babli (19) and Manoj (23) and argued that those who murdered them “honoured traditional values” which must be upheld. The khaps decided to collect money from all Khap members to provide support to the convicted and vowed to mobilise public opinion against the court order. They also decided to give 1 lakh Rupees to the families of those convicted. Such barbaric acts and support of these acts must be condemned. No caste or community has the license to kill under any pretext, nor to glorify such murders. In June 2007, Babli and Manoj from Karoran village near Kaithal in Haryana were killed. The ‘sin’ for which they were fatally punished was that they married each other against the wishes of Babli’s family. Babli’s family’s disapproval was linked to both of them belonging to the same ‘gotra’ (lineage). This led the panchayat to declare the marriage as ‘void’ and a witch-hunt for the two was ordered. Within a month of their marriage, they were tracked down and brutally murdered by Babli’s family members to uphold the verdict of the khap panchayat. Babli was poisoned and Manoj was strangled. Their bodies were thrown into a canal. As in most cases of so called ‘honour’ killings, in this case too the killers were family members; Babli’s brother, two of her cousins, two uncles and a distant relative. The couple had clearly feared the violent reaction from the community, because when they eloped and got married they had sought protection from the High Court in Chandigarh which in turn had directed the Haryana Police to provide them with security. The policeman who was deployed to provide them security is suspected of revealing their whereabouts to Babli's family! He is currently facing departmental action. Manoj’s mother, Chanderpati, refused to take this lying down and decided to fight to get justice. She filed a complaint with the police and also approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court for justice. Chanderpati lives a very difficult life because she has been ostracised by the villagers. They do not speak to her, do not sell her any groceries and blame her for wanting to seek justice. This is believed to be one of the first instance in Haryana where an affected family has gone to court against such a killing. As a result of this case, a court in Karnal (Haryana) held 7 people guilty and pronounced its Judgement in April 2010. Those sentenced to death were all family members of Babli. The head of the panchayat in Haryana's Kaithal district, which ruled against the couple's marriage, has been given life imprisonment and a driver found to have helped abduct the couple was given a seven-year prison term. This verdict was pronounced by Additional District and Sessions Judge Vani Gopal Sharma, who herself unfortunately is facing threats for this judgement and has been provided a security cover by the Karnal Police. She continues to face the Khaps’ ire and has recently requested a transfer. This was not the first time that Haryana's Khap panchayats have come in the way of lovers. In many cases diktats have been made against young couples who are believed to have crossed community and caste rules and familial authority. In many cases the real threat appears to have been ‘choice’ marriage itself. (Although, in some cases marriages arranged by the parents of a couple have similarly faced Khap-terror because it was found out later that the couple were of the same *gotra*). These pronouncements have often led to many young lives being brutally snuffed out. While we hail the judgement made in the District and Sessions Court as a step in the right direction to bring not only the killers but also the khap panchayats to task, we do not support the death penalty. It is important that steps are taken to curtail the powers of these self-styled panchayats which function contrary to rights laid down in the Constitution and act as a law unto themselves. It is also extremely important to strengthen people’s faith in the police and judiciary so they can complain against such diktats that deny the right to life and liberty and the right to choice marriages. There are no official statistics on the number of ‘honour’ killings in India, but media reports are full of such cases where young couples are driven to suicide or killed by family members for marrying outside caste, community, or within the village and *gotra*. It is extremely important to recognise these so–called ‘honour’ killings as a crime and find ways to prevent these killings. Not only has the Khap mahapanchayat held on the 13th of April, 2010 glorified the killers, but they have also given a loud and clear message to the government that caste and family ‘honour’ is above the law. They also demanded that the Hindu Marriage Act be amended to ban marriages within the same *gotra* for the sake of ‘restoring social norms’. *We demand:* - That further action is taken against the Khap leaders who made statements at the Khap Mahapanchayat that amount to the glorification of murder and the valourisation of the killers. - That the State Governments and Courts take *suo motu* cognizance of various media reports and institute an enquiry into incidents of ‘honour’ killings in Northern India. - That state governments take strict action to protect the rights of citizens to choose their own partners. - Strong action be taken against all those who have threatened Sessions Judge Vani Gopal Sharma to ensure that the members of the judiciary are not intimidated in this manner. - That action is taken against all those policemen who did not perform their duty, leading to the killing of Babli and Manoj. The ugly nexus between Khap leaders, the police, and local politicians should be exposed to ensure that fundamental rights laid down in our Constitution are upheld. Signatures: 1. Saheli, New Delhi 2. -- Saheli Women's Resource Centre Above Unit 105-108 Defence Colony Flyover Market New Delhi 100 024 From rashneek at gmail.com Fri Apr 23 09:04:14 2010 From: rashneek at gmail.com (rashneek kher) Date: Fri, 23 Apr 2010 09:04:14 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] United Jihad Council puts conditions for return of Kashmiri Pandits to valley In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Dear Pawan, What else would you expect from them? They showered Bitta Karate with sweets when he was released from prison.The showering of sweets and a hero's welcome to man who is known to have urinated on his victims(some 25 odd I beleive) shows what state the separtist leadership is in. So why send such posts to this forum when we know that Parveen Swami and you lie all the time and are not to be trusted. Rashneek On Thu, Apr 22, 2010 at 8:09 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > Source : http://bit.ly/8Xy9fv > > -Sehrai, Qayoom can be Geelani’s successors > -KPs must support movement before return > > > SYED BASHARAT > > SRINAGAR, Apr 21: United Jehad Council (UJC) an amalgam of militant > outfits active in Kashmir has expressed its willingness to enter into > dialogue provided India shuns its “rigid” stand on Kashmir issue and > accepts Kashmir as disputed. > > This has been stated by Syed Sallah-u-Din, UJC Supreme Commander in a > tele-interview to a local news agency here today. > > In his interview, the UJC supreme commander has said that Kashmir > movement is justified by the United Nation’s resolutions. > > Referring to the statement of senior separatist leader and Hurriyat > (M) executive member, Prof Abdul Ghani Bhat’s statement, describing UN > resolutions on Kashmir as irrelevant, Sallah-u-Din has said that if > the people of Kashmir including its leadership have decided to > surrender their right to self determination, then they will, > themselves put an end to their freedom struggle. > > He has observed that in days to come, the world community will have to > accept the right to self determination of Kashmiris, provided the > people in Kashmir remain firm in their freedom struggle. > > Sallah-u-Din has however, suggested that if United Nation’s resolution > are not workable for the solution of Kashmir issue, the same can be > settled through tripartite dialogue which should include India, > Pakistan and Kashmiri people. > > Sallah-u-Din who is also the chief of Hizbul Mujahideen militant > outfit has maintained that militancy will continue to have its > relevance till Kashmir is not settled through peaceful, legal, > democratic and diplomatic means. He has cautioned the security forces > to refrain from human rights violations in Kashmir. He warned that > alienation against India can turn into a regional catastrophe. > > He has also regretted Pervez Musharraf former president of Pakistan’s > unilateral flexibility shown vis-�-vis Kashmir issue. “Musharraf’s > flexible approach has immensely harmed the Kashmir movement. And the > damage he has caused can never be compensated,” Sallah-u-Din has said. > > Asked about the reasons behind the decrease in militant activities, > the UJC chief has said that they were fighting a guerilla war in > Kashmir based on ‘hit and run principle’. He said that guerilla war is > not a one time fight and the same is fought in piece meals. > “Sustaining this guerilla war for 20 to 21 years is also an > achievement of the Kashmir movement,” he has remarked. > > Lauding the role of senior separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani in > Kashmir’s freedom movement, the UJC chief has said that given the poor > health conditions of Geelani it was inevitable to find the successor > of Geelani. He has also nominated Jamat-e-Islami senior member and > general secretary Tehreek-e-Hurriyat Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai as the > undisputed stake holder for the chairmanship. > > Sehrai, according to Sallah-u-Din, has played a very vital role in the > Kashmir movement and has remained steadfast in his resolve which was > not broken by his frequent detentions. > > However, he has added that outside Hurriyat forum senior advocate and > High Court Bar Association Mian Abdul Qayoom can also replace Geelani. > He also hailed the Qayoom for his role in the Kashmir movement. > > Putting conditions for the return of Kashmiri Pandits, Sallah-u-Din > has said that being a part of Kashmir they will have to restore the > trust deficit which according to him was created by Pandits when they > migrated on the dictation of the then governor Jagmohan. > > “The Kashmiri Pandits will have to make it clear that they will > support the freedom movement,” he has added. > > He has held India responsible for the bloodshed in Kashmir saying that > the country’s 60-year-occupation in Kashmir has no justification. > Sallah-u-Din, who is also chief of the Hizbul Mujahideen militant > outfit, has said that India has backtracked from its promises made on > the floor of Unites Nation’s assembly. He has also reaffirmed that the > solution of Kashmir issue lies in the United Nation’s resolutions. > The UJC chief has termed the Kashmir movement a genuine struggle which > cannot be affected by political happenings around the world. He has > appreciating the diplomatic support to Kashmir movement extended by > Pakistan while urging upon its government to support the movement > militarily. > > Criticising the separatist elements who according to him, have > bypassed the United Nation’s resolutions on Kashmir, Sallah-u-Din has > said that those who deem UNO resolutions on Kashmir irrelevant should > understand that their rejection of UN resolutions itself cast > aspersions on the credibility of the world body. > > He has asked Mirwaiz Umar Farooq as why he entered into dialogue with > the government of India and after seven years, why he was compelled to > regret on India’s sincerity towards the resolution of Kashmir issue. > > Sallah-u-Din has observed that Kashmir’s armed struggle is people’s > movement and it was not started with the support of Pakistan. He has > agreed that Pakistan is under severe pressure after 9/11 attack in USA > but according to him, the pressure on Pakistan in no way has affected > the Kashmir movement. > > The Hizb chief has observed that after 9/11 attack Kashmir issue > resonated in the United Nation’s general assembly. The OIC he has said > passed a resolution which stressed on the speedy disposal of the > Kashmir issue and condemned the human rights violations perpetrated by > the Indian security forces in Kashmir. > > “Besides OIC, clear indications were given to India by the European > Union and the USA to resolve Kashmir issue without any further delay,” > Sallah-u-Din has said, while lauding the role of China whose official > stand on Kashmir is, “a significant achievement of Kashmir movement.” > > The Hizbul Mujahideen chief has maintained that the militancy will > continue to have its relevance till the Kashmir is not settled > through, peaceful, legal, democratic and diplomatic means. He has > cautioned the security forces to refrain from human rights violations > in Kashmir, otherwise, according to him; the alienation against India > can turn into a regional catastrophe. > > Asked about the reasons behind the decrease in militant activities, > the UJC chief has said that they were fighting a guerilla war in > Kashmir based on ‘hit and run principle’. He said that guerilla war is > not a one time fight and the same is fought in piece meals. > “Sustaining this guerilla war for 20 to 21 years is also an > achievement of the Kashmir movement,” he has remarked. > > He has also criticised the statements of successive Indian army > chiefs in which they have counted the number of militants not more > than 800. “As has been claimed by the Indian army chiefs that these > militants will eliminated in a few months, I ask them why they have > failed to do so,” Sallah-u-Din has asked. > > “In freedom movements, 40 to 50 years with one lakh sacrifices does > not matter much. Even India got liberated after its 150 years of > freedom movement. The Kashmir issue has now become a focal point of > world attention. India should shun its rigidity otherwise the entire > region will be engulfed by the nuclear disaster,” he has asserted. > Asking Hurriyat leadership to unite, Sallah-u-Din has said that the > constitution made in 1993 provides a basis for the unity among the > divided Hurriyat leadership. > > Sallah-u-Din has also rejected the rehabilitation and return of youth > policy of the state government. Commenting on the controversial book > of Dr Shafi Sharaiti, the UJC chief has said that the section of book > written on Jamat-e-Islami’s role in Kashmir movement by its author is > not acceptable. > > [Kashmir Times] > _________________________________________ > 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.kashmiris-in-exile.blogspot.com http://www.nietzschereborn.blogspot.com From aliens at dataone.in Fri Apr 23 11:59:51 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Fri, 23 Apr 2010 11:59:51 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: Gujarat Governor returns bill on voting In-Reply-To: References: <000801cae142$01f84760$05e8d620$@in> <002201cae209$708d4550$51a7cff0$@in> Message-ID: <007001cae2ae$61a32870$24e97950$@in> Dear Rakesh, Your mail is always pretty long, not to the point. Most of the explanation is aware by all which you can avoid. My point of un-democratic way means to elaborate that governors acting as puppet of central rule. As per law, they have full right to sent it back once, but if acted with their own instinct rather than political bosses' guidance than only it is consider as democratic. Actually governor post as such is useless and should be removed. This is different issue. Don't misunderstand this view point for Gujarat only, I am writing this in general. The problem arises here when no one understands the broader prospects of duty. In spite of progress, India leg behind in efficiency, discipline, humanity because of their failure to perform duty honestly and sincerely. Apart from their job duty, one must show alertness towards their duty for family, society, village/town/city, state, nation and by that way contribute to strengthen the democracy. One side you said that it is right certainly for people to vote, but not considering it as duty! To franchise vote is one kind of job or duty only all citizen should perform. When the employee working in the office and perform his duty, it is his right to get remuneration for his job/duty or those who want right to get remuneration must perform their job/duty. Same way, citizen has right to enjoy the fruit of democracy and right to franchise their vote must perform their duty to go to polling booth and fulfill it. Else, if he fails in his duty his franchise right can be taken back or restrict their right or punishable. Same as if someone does not work, loses his right of remuneration or punishable or loses his job. On one side you agree that voting percentage should increase, but don't want to make any effort towards it. It is not true that education can increase voting percentage. If you can make survey, you will find non-voters are mainly educated only. Who are not voting since independence or not voted for majority of time for whatever reason has no right to argue that Indian democracy has failed, since they did not participated in democratic process. when you want freedom of speech/act, must show accountability in return by way of performing franchise right or duty, else you must give up your freedom. At least thanks for agreeing point that central government has larger power than it should have. Central government holding powers is also hindrance in the progress and they must decentralize their power and states should make more autonomous and for that reason also governor post is useless. Governors are modern kingdom, they are doing nothing, but enjoying the expensive facilities of kingdom and wasting precious tax payers' money. Thanks Bipin From chandni_parekh at yahoo.com Fri Apr 23 14:53:16 2010 From: chandni_parekh at yahoo.com (Chandni Parekh) Date: Fri, 23 Apr 2010 02:23:16 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] Inviting Submissions for a Site for Indian Feminists - www.ultraviolet.in Message-ID: <484725.92021.qm@web54410.mail.re2.yahoo.com> ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Dilnavaz Here's the UV blurb. Please circulate widely! Thanks, C! By the way, our editor is currently stuck en route to India because of the volcanic eruptions, so her response may take a while. Ultra Violet (http://ultraviolet.in) writers can come from anywhere and be anything (man, woman, transgendered, god, myth, animal). As long as you’re saying something interesting and useful for feminists in India, we’d be happy to post it as a guest contribution. Currently, you can contribute: * personal essays * non-fiction essays * reviews of feminist art, books, movies, plays etc * reviews of mainstream art, books, movies, plays etc from a feminist POV * commentary on media * interviews with eminent feminists The above types of submissions will be edited for coherence and grammar, if necessary. We’re also open to featuring original feminist art under these heads: * poetry * short fiction (under 2000 words) * drawings and paintings (scanned) * photographs Art works will not be edited, and therefore, we’ll have to be more choosy. We’ll publish only a limited number of such contributions each quarter and they will need to meet certain minimum requirements in terms of quality. Whatever the form, the content must be relevant to the lives of women. It must be from a feminist standpoint or related to feminist thought. (Anti-feminist thought doesn’t count, sorry.) In some cases, we may ask you to elaborate a little bit on its feminist aspects. All posts are subject(ed) to editorial approval. Previously published works are welcome as long as you hold the copyright. At this point, Ultra Violet has no funds and no earnings. All the writing, editing, design and coding is done on a voluntary basis. So unfortunately, we will not be able to pay you. Send pitches or submissions to editor[at]ultraviolet.in From svinita at gmail.com Fri Apr 23 16:07:35 2010 From: svinita at gmail.com (Vinita S) Date: Fri, 23 Apr 2010 16:07:35 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Fwd: YUVA DHARA-Nehru Youth Internship 2010 Please circulate widely In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Please circulate widely YUVA DHARA Nehru Youth Internship 2010 Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Teen Murti Bhawan *WHAT * Calling young people between *17 to 25yrs of age* to *volunteer* in a *6 week internship in one of the best academic institutions in the country.* *Have fun this* *summer while you* - *Learn *history, heritage, art culture and nature** - *Gain exposure to different people and new ideas * - *Develop leadership skills * - *Gain practical work experience* - *Interact with children* - *Meet experts * - *Build your skills * - *Discover yourself* All participants will get a *certificate* and a modest stipend at the end of the Internship. *WHEN* 12th May to 22nd June, Monday to Friday *WHERE* Nehru Memorial Museum and Library- Teen Murti Bhawan *HOW* For more information call +91 9899520282 or email us at childrenscentrenmml at gmail.com. Last Date for applications: *30th April 2010*** * * Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Teen Murti Bhawan Teen Murti Marg New Delhi From renee75 at gmail.com Fri Apr 23 16:13:02 2010 From: renee75 at gmail.com (Renee Lulam) Date: Fri, 23 Apr 2010 03:43:02 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] Invitation to connect on LinkedIn Message-ID: <1876120265.2346959.1272019382608.JavaMail.app@ech3-cdn10.prod> LinkedIn ------------Renee Lulam requested to add you as a connection on LinkedIn: ------------------------------------------ Anuradha, I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn. - Renee Accept invitation from Renee Lulam http://www.linkedin.com/e/u-6BBwpbUgB_dFU59yC_yGTbG_b_X5ohl2/blk/I1987343994_2/1BpC5vrmRLoRZcjkkZt5YCpnlOt3RApnhMpmdzgmhxrSNBszYOnPgVejcQcPsUej59bT92qzpmu318bP8Ncz4UdzoQcz4LrCBxbOYWrSlI/EML_comm_afe/ View invitation from Renee Lulam http://www.linkedin.com/e/u-6BBwpbUgB_dFU59yC_yGTbG_b_X5ohl2/blk/I1987343994_2/39vd3AVcPgPdPwVckALqnpPbOYWrSlI/svi/ ------------------------------------------ DID YOU KNOW your LinkedIn profile helps you control your public image when people search for you? Setting your profile as public means your LinkedIn profile will come up when people enter your name in leading search engines. Take control of your image! http://www.linkedin.com/e/ewp/inv-22/ ------ (c) 2010, LinkedIn Corporation From lalitambardar at hotmail.com Fri Apr 23 17:36:16 2010 From: lalitambardar at hotmail.com (Lalit Ambardar) Date: Fri, 23 Apr 2010 12:06:16 +0000 Subject: [Reader-list] United Jihad Council puts conditions for return of Kashmiri Pandits to valley In-Reply-To: References: , Message-ID: Nothing new from the proponents of ‘Azadi- bara- e-Islam’ (freedom through Islam) in Kashmir. But should this matter to their compulsive sympathisers on this forum….???.... Shedding crocodile tears over the plight of Kashmiri Hindu Pandits at a seminar by Madhu Kishwar ay Teen Murti in New Delhi in Dec. last, Muzafar Beg rhetorically expressed anguish over Bitta Karate moving free even when he had killed 42-43 Kashmiri Pandits. He conveniently forgot that this man was accorded public reception in Srinagar during his tenure as the Deputy CM of J&K. Regards all LA --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Date: Fri, 23 Apr 2010 09:04:14 +0530 > From: rashneek at gmail.com > To: pawan.durani at gmail.com > CC: reader-list at sarai.net > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] United Jihad Council puts conditions for return of Kashmiri Pandits to valley > > Dear Pawan, > > What else would you expect from them? > They showered Bitta Karate with sweets when he was released from prison.The > showering of sweets and a hero's welcome to man who is known to have > urinated on his victims(some 25 odd I beleive) shows what state the > separtist leadership is in. > So why send such posts to this forum when we know that Parveen Swami and you > lie all the time and are not to be trusted. > > Rashneek > > On Thu, Apr 22, 2010 at 8:09 PM, Pawan Durani wrote: > > > Source : http://bit.ly/8Xy9fv > > > > -Sehrai, Qayoom can be Geelani’s successors > > -KPs must support movement before return > > > > > > SYED BASHARAT > > > > SRINAGAR, Apr 21: United Jehad Council (UJC) an amalgam of militant > > outfits active in Kashmir has expressed its willingness to enter into > > dialogue provided India shuns its “rigid” stand on Kashmir issue and > > accepts Kashmir as disputed. > > > > This has been stated by Syed Sallah-u-Din, UJC Supreme Commander in a > > tele-interview to a local news agency here today. > > > > In his interview, the UJC supreme commander has said that Kashmir > > movement is justified by the United Nation’s resolutions. > > > > Referring to the statement of senior separatist leader and Hurriyat > > (M) executive member, Prof Abdul Ghani Bhat’s statement, describing UN > > resolutions on Kashmir as irrelevant, Sallah-u-Din has said that if > > the people of Kashmir including its leadership have decided to > > surrender their right to self determination, then they will, > > themselves put an end to their freedom struggle. > > > > He has observed that in days to come, the world community will have to > > accept the right to self determination of Kashmiris, provided the > > people in Kashmir remain firm in their freedom struggle. > > > > Sallah-u-Din has however, suggested that if United Nation’s resolution > > are not workable for the solution of Kashmir issue, the same can be > > settled through tripartite dialogue which should include India, > > Pakistan and Kashmiri people. > > > > Sallah-u-Din who is also the chief of Hizbul Mujahideen militant > > outfit has maintained that militancy will continue to have its > > relevance till Kashmir is not settled through peaceful, legal, > > democratic and diplomatic means. He has cautioned the security forces > > to refrain from human rights violations in Kashmir. He warned that > > alienation against India can turn into a regional catastrophe. > > > > He has also regretted Pervez Musharraf former president of Pakistan’s > > unilateral flexibility shown vis-�-vis Kashmir issue. “Musharraf’s > > flexible approach has immensely harmed the Kashmir movement. And the > > damage he has caused can never be compensated,” Sallah-u-Din has said. > > > > Asked about the reasons behind the decrease in militant activities, > > the UJC chief has said that they were fighting a guerilla war in > > Kashmir based on ‘hit and run principle’. He said that guerilla war is > > not a one time fight and the same is fought in piece meals. > > “Sustaining this guerilla war for 20 to 21 years is also an > > achievement of the Kashmir movement,” he has remarked. > > > > Lauding the role of senior separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani in > > Kashmir’s freedom movement, the UJC chief has said that given the poor > > health conditions of Geelani it was inevitable to find the successor > > of Geelani. He has also nominated Jamat-e-Islami senior member and > > general secretary Tehreek-e-Hurriyat Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai as the > > undisputed stake holder for the chairmanship. > > > > Sehrai, according to Sallah-u-Din, has played a very vital role in the > > Kashmir movement and has remained steadfast in his resolve which was > > not broken by his frequent detentions. > > > > However, he has added that outside Hurriyat forum senior advocate and > > High Court Bar Association Mian Abdul Qayoom can also replace Geelani. > > He also hailed the Qayoom for his role in the Kashmir movement. > > > > Putting conditions for the return of Kashmiri Pandits, Sallah-u-Din > > has said that being a part of Kashmir they will have to restore the > > trust deficit which according to him was created by Pandits when they > > migrated on the dictation of the then governor Jagmohan. > > > > “The Kashmiri Pandits will have to make it clear that they will > > support the freedom movement,” he has added. > > > > He has held India responsible for the bloodshed in Kashmir saying that > > the country’s 60-year-occupation in Kashmir has no justification. > > Sallah-u-Din, who is also chief of the Hizbul Mujahideen militant > > outfit, has said that India has backtracked from its promises made on > > the floor of Unites Nation’s assembly. He has also reaffirmed that the > > solution of Kashmir issue lies in the United Nation’s resolutions. > > The UJC chief has termed the Kashmir movement a genuine struggle which > > cannot be affected by political happenings around the world. He has > > appreciating the diplomatic support to Kashmir movement extended by > > Pakistan while urging upon its government to support the movement > > militarily. > > > > Criticising the separatist elements who according to him, have > > bypassed the United Nation’s resolutions on Kashmir, Sallah-u-Din has > > said that those who deem UNO resolutions on Kashmir irrelevant should > > understand that their rejection of UN resolutions itself cast > > aspersions on the credibility of the world body. > > > > He has asked Mirwaiz Umar Farooq as why he entered into dialogue with > > the government of India and after seven years, why he was compelled to > > regret on India’s sincerity towards the resolution of Kashmir issue. > > > > Sallah-u-Din has observed that Kashmir’s armed struggle is people’s > > movement and it was not started with the support of Pakistan. He has > > agreed that Pakistan is under severe pressure after 9/11 attack in USA > > but according to him, the pressure on Pakistan in no way has affected > > the Kashmir movement. > > > > The Hizb chief has observed that after 9/11 attack Kashmir issue > > resonated in the United Nation’s general assembly. The OIC he has said > > passed a resolution which stressed on the speedy disposal of the > > Kashmir issue and condemned the human rights violations perpetrated by > > the Indian security forces in Kashmir. > > > > “Besides OIC, clear indications were given to India by the European > > Union and the USA to resolve Kashmir issue without any further delay,” > > Sallah-u-Din has said, while lauding the role of China whose official > > stand on Kashmir is, “a significant achievement of Kashmir movement.” > > > > The Hizbul Mujahideen chief has maintained that the militancy will > > continue to have its relevance till the Kashmir is not settled > > through, peaceful, legal, democratic and diplomatic means. He has > > cautioned the security forces to refrain from human rights violations > > in Kashmir, otherwise, according to him; the alienation against India > > can turn into a regional catastrophe. > > > > Asked about the reasons behind the decrease in militant activities, > > the UJC chief has said that they were fighting a guerilla war in > > Kashmir based on ‘hit and run principle’. He said that guerilla war is > > not a one time fight and the same is fought in piece meals. > > “Sustaining this guerilla war for 20 to 21 years is also an > > achievement of the Kashmir movement,” he has remarked. > > > > He has also criticised the statements of successive Indian army > > chiefs in which they have counted the number of militants not more > > than 800. “As has been claimed by the Indian army chiefs that these > > militants will eliminated in a few months, I ask them why they have > > failed to do so,” Sallah-u-Din has asked. > > > > “In freedom movements, 40 to 50 years with one lakh sacrifices does > > not matter much. Even India got liberated after its 150 years of > > freedom movement. The Kashmir issue has now become a focal point of > > world attention. India should shun its rigidity otherwise the entire > > region will be engulfed by the nuclear disaster,” he has asserted. > > Asking Hurriyat leadership to unite, Sallah-u-Din has said that the > > constitution made in 1993 provides a basis for the unity among the > > divided Hurriyat leadership. > > > > Sallah-u-Din has also rejected the rehabilitation and return of youth > > policy of the state government. Commenting on the controversial book > > of Dr Shafi Sharaiti, the UJC chief has said that the section of book > > written on Jamat-e-Islami’s role in Kashmir movement by its author is > > not acceptable. > > > > [Kashmir Times] > > _________________________________________ > > 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.kashmiris-in-exile.blogspot.com > http://www.nietzschereborn.blogspot.com > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the subject header. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> _________________________________________________________________ Bollywood This Decade http://entertainment.in.msn.com/bollywoodthisdecade/ From akmalik45 at yahoo.com Fri Apr 23 21:16:04 2010 From: akmalik45 at yahoo.com (A.K. Malik) Date: Fri, 23 Apr 2010 08:46:04 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] FW: Gujarat Governor returns bill on voting In-Reply-To: <007001cae2ae$61a32870$24e97950$@in> Message-ID: <988593.89898.qm@web112111.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> HI Bipin, Can you name a single Governor in the last decade who has not been a puppet of the Central leadership especially when being ruled by the opposition party in the States? Gone are old days when a Governor would resign on a principled issue. You need not explain your view on Gujarat, if you write a single positive thing about it there would at least be TEN viewpoints condemning your action and if it happens to be a Modi positive thing God bless you, you would be tired of reading the views condemning him.Now a days it is being modern only if you are positive on a particular community and do bashing for your own religion.Any comments on any wrongdoing should normally be acceptable whatever religion/community it be.But it is not so. The Centre would never do anything which gives credit to Modi and the Governor knows he loses his job if he concurs with the State Govt headed by Modi on any such issues. With warm regards, (A.K.MALIK) --- On Fri, 4/23/10, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > From: Bipin Trivedi > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FW: Gujarat Governor returns bill on voting > To: "'Rakesh Iyer'" > Cc: "sarai-list" > Date: Friday, April 23, 2010, 11:59 AM > Dear Rakesh, > > > > Your mail is always pretty long, not to the point. Most of > the explanation > is aware by all which you can avoid. > > > > My point of un-democratic way means to elaborate that > governors acting as > puppet of central rule. As per law, they have full right to > sent it back > once, but if acted with their own instinct rather than > political bosses' > guidance than only it is consider as democratic. Actually > governor post as > such is useless and should be removed. This is different > issue. Don't > misunderstand this view point for Gujarat only, I am > writing this in > general. > > > > The problem arises here when no one understands the broader > prospects of > duty. In spite of progress, India leg behind in efficiency, > discipline, > humanity because of their failure to perform duty honestly > and sincerely. > Apart from their job duty, one must show alertness towards > their duty for > family, society, village/town/city, state, nation and by > that way contribute > to strengthen the democracy. One side you said that it is > right certainly > for people to vote, but not considering it as duty! To > franchise vote is one > kind of job or duty only all citizen should perform. When > the employee > working in the office and perform his duty, it is his right > to get > remuneration for his job/duty or those who want right to > get remuneration > must perform their job/duty. Same way, citizen has right to > enjoy the fruit > of democracy and right to franchise their vote must perform > their duty to go > to polling booth and fulfill it. Else, if he fails in his > duty his franchise > right can be taken back or restrict their right or > punishable. Same as if > someone does not work, loses his right of remuneration or > punishable or > loses his job. On one side you agree that voting percentage > should increase, > but don't want to make any effort towards it. It is not > true that education > can increase voting percentage. If you can make survey, you > will find > non-voters are mainly educated only. > > > > Who are not voting since independence or not voted for > majority of time for > whatever reason has no right to argue  that Indian > democracy has failed, > since they did not participated in democratic process. when > you want freedom > of speech/act, must show accountability in return by way of > performing > franchise right or duty, else you must give up your > freedom. > > > > At least thanks for agreeing point that central government > has larger power > than it should have. Central government holding powers is > also hindrance in > the progress and they must decentralize their power and > states should make > more autonomous and for that reason also governor post is > useless. Governors > are modern kingdom, they are doing nothing, but enjoying > the expensive > facilities of kingdom and wasting precious tax payers' > money. > > > > Thanks > > Bipin > > > > _________________________________________ > 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 lalitambardar at hotmail.com Fri Apr 23 21:40:51 2010 From: lalitambardar at hotmail.com (Lalit Ambardar) Date: Fri, 23 Apr 2010 16:10:51 +0000 Subject: [Reader-list] "A Hindu army officer and an Indian patriot..." In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: A poorly attempted juxtaposition of random thoughts with a mischievous intent to justify the equally malicious title. It is no revelation that foreign jihadists are fighting along with the local proponents of Azadi- bara – e-Islam (freedom through Islam) in Kashmir. ………‘If violence has declined at present, this is not because India is doing the right thing. The militants turned their attention to Kashmir in 1989, when the Russians withdrew from Afghanistan. Today, the militants have more urgent priorities, again in Afghanistan and the Pakistan border. Because the Indian state failed to grant autonomy to Kashmir,…… …..now the pressure has lessened on Kashmir by the removal of militants to other parts of Asia…….. Ayaz Amir also admitted though for different reason (to justify strong action by Pakistani army against the pan Islamists in Af-Pak region) in his article ‘A Make-or- break Moment’ Khalij Times/Oct 23, 2009- …….. The stakes being so high, there is no choice but to win, and win decisively. Of course it is not going to be easy. South Waziristan’s fighters, including the foreign elements, are amongst the most battle-hardened on the planet. They have been fighting for decades—in Afghanistan, disputed Kashmir, now FATA….. ……….3-5,000 Hezbollah fighters defeated the Israeli army in Lebanon in 2006. At the height of the Kashmir uprising (starting from 1989) there could not have been more than 5-10,000 guerrilla fighters in the Valley. But they tied down close to half a million Indian troops, the bulk of which remain in Kashmir…… (full article at Click here to read the article ) Regards all LA --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2010 11:52:55 +0530 > From: waliarifi3 at gmail.com > To: reader-list at sarai.net > Subject: [Reader-list] "A Hindu army officer and an Indian patriot..." > > http://www.newint.org/features/special/2010/04/01/kashmir-conflict/ > > A soldier’s story > > In the crossfire of daily violence between militants and state forces, > the picturesque northern Indian state of Kashmir has known no peace > for decades. In this revealing first-person account, Gopal Mitra, a > former Indian army Major, offers hard-won insights into how the > violence could be ended. He spoke to Jeremy Seabrook. > > ---------------- > > Major Gopal Mitra had realized that India’s militarization of Kashmir > was no long-term solution before he was blown up in Kupwara in 2000. > An informer had guided his unit to a booby-trapped militant hide-out. > During the ensuing gun-battle, 17 kilos of RDX explosive went up. > Airlifted to hospital in Srinagar, Gopal needed 150 stitches to his > face and body. He lost his eyes and had to undergo facial > reconstruction. > > In and out of hospital for two years, he had time to reflect, both on > his injuries and what he was doing in Kashmir. Now in his late > thirties, he is without rancour or bitterness. He works for an > international disability charity, and says the loss of his eyes has > been compensated by the insights gained. > > ‘As a soldier, you have to believe that terrorism is bad for your > country. But when you see it close up, you realize there is a reason > for resistance – usually a result of some earlier failing by the > State. When violence starts – in the North East or in Kashmir – it > begins as a way of redressing grievances. But over time, the just > objective is overtaken, and conflict soon generates its own reasons > for continuing. When public opinion is met by oppression, there is > bound to be violence. In Kashmir, when the State installs puppet > governments with no mandate to act on behalf of the people, how can > they accept it? > > ‘Kashmir is seen as a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan, a > cause for international concern. This doesn’t address the issue of how > conflict is sustained on the ground. The whole society is drawn into > prolonging war. The search for justice is overwhelmed by other > priorities, including the self-interest of those who gain some > advantage from it. There are four parties to the conflict – militants, > civil administration, army and local population. All operate and live > in the area. The best houses in any village, although far beyond their > legitimate means, are always occupied by Government officials. Social > structures, accountability, civil administration have all broken down. > Transparency International says that after Bihar, Kashmir is the most > corrupt state in India. It receives huge funds from central > government. > > ‘The whole economy is distorted because basic social norms have > collapsed. Most stolen cars in India are traded in Kashmir. > > ‘Many militants believe passionately in their cause and take up arms. > This also creates commercial pressures: arms-suppliers who have an > interest in continuing conflict. After the snowmelt in April-May till > November, militants cross the passes. They get high rates and bonuses > for killing members of the security forces. The security forces have > all the militants’ radio-intercepts: it is known they inflate the > numbers killed when reporting to their bosses, because this increases > their bonuses. > > ‘There is no adequate rehabilitation package for militants. There is > no thought-out strategy to absorb them back into society. > > ‘It is in the nature of prolonged armed operations to alienate people, > no matter how disciplined the army. You search houses, knock on doors > in the middle of the night; people are under siege. Some find serving > as informers to the army a viable way of making a living. This is how > the neutrality of civilians is compromised, both by the army and the > militants. It polarizes people. The army has an incentive to > perpetuate the crisis, because this vindicates its reason for > existence and ensures resources are allocated to the area. > > ‘I love my country, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think it can become > a better place’ > > ‘The initial objectives take second place to conflict for its own > sake. The idea that an Indo-Pak solution is the only answer places it > in a different sphere from the violence on the ground. Simple > one-dimensional solutions don’t work. Societies, easy to divide, are > harder to re-unite. In Kashmir, if I had a grievance against you, I’d > have fought it out with you. But now I’ll get two militants to attack > you. Personal vendettas feed into the wider conflict; private > animosities get involved, the whole community is distorted. > > ‘When you see daily violence, you ask yourself: “Is this what we are > fighting for?” Before I was injured, I knew armed operations would not > lead to a solution. But the support system in the army is very robust. > It helps you not to feel troubled, to concentrate on your duty. The > camaraderie is strong, and the common danger a consolidating force. > > ‘North Kashmir was known as a ‘hot zone’. We were involved in search > and destroy missions. Militants from Pakistan were servicing bases in > the forest, stocks of ammunition and guns in camps hidden underground. > We flushed out and captured arms and personnel. I was leading my > company when I was injured. I remember only floating in and out of > consciousness. The speed of evacuation saved my life. > > ‘Initially I felt anger and uncertainty. The doctor said: “Look, > Gopal, I’ll have to take out your eye – if I don’t your brain may > become infected.” My destiny, which I thought I had taken into my > hands, took another turn. In hospital I met my wife. Her father had > also been in the army, and he, too, had been blinded. She was doing a > Social Work MA and it was through her I came to development work. We > were married in 2003. > > ‘I never hated Kashmir, and afterwards had nothing against the > militant who deprived me of sight. He was also doing his job. My wife > and I took our honeymoon in Kashmir. We went as civilians on a > houseboat. The people we met had no idea I was ex-army. We talked to > them. They all hated violence. I wanted to remember the beauty of > Kashmir. Personally, I do not care whether Kashmir is part of India or > Pakistan. The referendum on Kashmir which never took place after > Independence [in 1947] can only happen when people are in a position > to make reasoned choices. Kashmir has been so tainted that such a > choice is not possible. People need a period of normal life. A > generation of children have been traumatized; growing in the shadow of > violence, their childhood play is a mimicry of adult wars. > > ‘For any solution, the grievances that hardened into incentives to > persist in conflict need to be unravelled. After the loss of 80,000 > lives, the Government says: “We have shed blood in Kashmir, and > therefore nothing can change.” I say: “I lost my blood, but I don’t > care that much.” Public opinion is manipulated by political parties. I > can speak with a certain authority, because I actually fought, unlike > intransigent armchair politicians. If I say India should take a less > hard line, this is because I have seen the damage hard lines can do. > > ‘I love my country, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think it can become > a better place. If they don’t do things right, thousands more will > die. Kashmir remains one of the most militarized places on earth. It > is often said that ethnicity creates violence; but I think violence > creates ethnicity – people who have lived in amity for centuries are > moved by injustice, and the divisiveness of that injustice focuses on > ethnicity or religion. > > ‘If violence has declined at present, this is not because India is > doing the right thing. The militants turned their attention to Kashmir > in 1989, when the Russians withdrew from Afghanistan. Today, the > militants have more urgent priorities, again in Afghanistan and the > Pakistan border. Because the Indian state failed to grant autonomy to > Kashmir, the social contract between people and State was breached. It > is easy to explain why the conflict started, but that doesn’t account > for the way it assumed a life of its own, and its prolongation over so > many years. > > ‘There is no overnight solution. But there is a window of opportunity, > now the pressure has lessened on Kashmir by the removal of militants > to other parts of Asia. There is a chance for everyday life to be > restored, where people will not have their door hammered in at two in > the morning, or stopped at four roadblocks on the way to the market. > Indian soldiers will not have instructions during elections to coerce > 70 per cent of people to vote, just to ‘prove’ they support the > democratic process. > > ‘It is painful to say this as a Hindu army officer and an Indian > patriot, but truth is truth. I see an opportunity in Kashmir right > now, especially since Pakistan is troubled by its own internal > conflict. If we don’t seize it, India will be the loser.’ > _________________________________________ > 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/> _________________________________________________________________ South Cinema This Decade http://entertainment.in.msn.com/southcinemathisdecade/ From c.anupam at gmail.com Sat Apr 24 10:42:35 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Sat, 24 Apr 2010 10:42:35 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] "A Hindu army officer and an Indian patriot..." In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Kashmir-pact-was-just-a-signature-away/articleshow/5850851.cms Excerpts: "He (Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, who was Pervez Musharraf’s foreign minister from 2002 to 2007) said the two sides had agreed to full demilitarisation of both Jammu & Kashmir as well as Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, which Islamabad refers to as Azad Kashmir. In addition, a package of loose autonomy that stopped short of the ‘azadi’ and self-governance aspirations, had been agreed on and was to be introduced on both sides of the disputed frontier. "We agreed on a point between complete independence and autonomy," he said. On Fri, Apr 23, 2010 at 9:40 PM, Lalit Ambardar wrote: > > A poorly attempted juxtaposition of random thoughts with a mischievous > intent to justify the equally malicious title. > > It is no revelation that foreign jihadists are fighting along with the > local proponents of Azadi- bara – e-Islam (freedom through Islam) in > Kashmir. > > ………‘If violence has declined at present, this is not because India is > doing the right thing. The militants turned their attention to Kashmir > in 1989, when the Russians withdrew from Afghanistan. Today, the > militants have more urgent priorities, again in Afghanistan and the > Pakistan border. Because the Indian state failed to grant autonomy to > Kashmir,…… > …..now the pressure has lessened on Kashmir by the removal of militants > to other parts of Asia…….. > > Ayaz Amir also admitted though for different reason (to justify strong > action by Pakistani army against the pan Islamists in Af-Pak region) in his > article ‘A Make-or- break Moment’ Khalij Times/Oct 23, 2009- > > …….. The stakes being so high, there is no choice but to win, and win > decisively. Of course it is not going to be easy. South Waziristan’s > fighters, including the foreign elements, are amongst the most > battle-hardened on the planet. They have been fighting for decades—in > Afghanistan, disputed Kashmir, now FATA….. > ……….3-5,000 Hezbollah fighters defeated the Israeli army in Lebanon in > 2006. At the height of the Kashmir uprising (starting from 1989) there could > not have been more than 5-10,000 guerrilla fighters in the Valley. But they > tied down close to half a million Indian troops, the bulk of which remain in > Kashmir…… > (full article at Click here to read the article ) > > > Regards all > LA > > --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > > Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2010 11:52:55 +0530 > > From: waliarifi3 at gmail.com > > To: reader-list at sarai.net > > Subject: [Reader-list] "A Hindu army officer and an Indian patriot..." > > > > http://www.newint.org/features/special/2010/04/01/kashmir-conflict/ > > > > A soldier’s story > > > > In the crossfire of daily violence between militants and state forces, > > the picturesque northern Indian state of Kashmir has known no peace > > for decades. In this revealing first-person account, Gopal Mitra, a > > former Indian army Major, offers hard-won insights into how the > > violence could be ended. He spoke to Jeremy Seabrook. > > > > ---------------- > > > > Major Gopal Mitra had realized that India’s militarization of Kashmir > > was no long-term solution before he was blown up in Kupwara in 2000. > > An informer had guided his unit to a booby-trapped militant hide-out. > > During the ensuing gun-battle, 17 kilos of RDX explosive went up. > > Airlifted to hospital in Srinagar, Gopal needed 150 stitches to his > > face and body. He lost his eyes and had to undergo facial > > reconstruction. > > > > In and out of hospital for two years, he had time to reflect, both on > > his injuries and what he was doing in Kashmir. Now in his late > > thirties, he is without rancour or bitterness. He works for an > > international disability charity, and says the loss of his eyes has > > been compensated by the insights gained. > > > > ‘As a soldier, you have to believe that terrorism is bad for your > > country. But when you see it close up, you realize there is a reason > > for resistance – usually a result of some earlier failing by the > > State. When violence starts – in the North East or in Kashmir – it > > begins as a way of redressing grievances. But over time, the just > > objective is overtaken, and conflict soon generates its own reasons > > for continuing. When public opinion is met by oppression, there is > > bound to be violence. In Kashmir, when the State installs puppet > > governments with no mandate to act on behalf of the people, how can > > they accept it? > > > > ‘Kashmir is seen as a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan, a > > cause for international concern. This doesn’t address the issue of how > > conflict is sustained on the ground. The whole society is drawn into > > prolonging war. The search for justice is overwhelmed by other > > priorities, including the self-interest of those who gain some > > advantage from it. There are four parties to the conflict – militants, > > civil administration, army and local population. All operate and live > > in the area. The best houses in any village, although far beyond their > > legitimate means, are always occupied by Government officials. Social > > structures, accountability, civil administration have all broken down. > > Transparency International says that after Bihar, Kashmir is the most > > corrupt state in India. It receives huge funds from central > > government. > > > > ‘The whole economy is distorted because basic social norms have > > collapsed. Most stolen cars in India are traded in Kashmir. > > > > ‘Many militants believe passionately in their cause and take up arms. > > This also creates commercial pressures: arms-suppliers who have an > > interest in continuing conflict. After the snowmelt in April-May till > > November, militants cross the passes. They get high rates and bonuses > > for killing members of the security forces. The security forces have > > all the militants’ radio-intercepts: it is known they inflate the > > numbers killed when reporting to their bosses, because this increases > > their bonuses. > > > > ‘There is no adequate rehabilitation package for militants. There is > > no thought-out strategy to absorb them back into society. > > > > ‘It is in the nature of prolonged armed operations to alienate people, > > no matter how disciplined the army. You search houses, knock on doors > > in the middle of the night; people are under siege. Some find serving > > as informers to the army a viable way of making a living. This is how > > the neutrality of civilians is compromised, both by the army and the > > militants. It polarizes people. The army has an incentive to > > perpetuate the crisis, because this vindicates its reason for > > existence and ensures resources are allocated to the area. > > > > ‘I love my country, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think it can become > > a better place’ > > > > ‘The initial objectives take second place to conflict for its own > > sake. The idea that an Indo-Pak solution is the only answer places it > > in a different sphere from the violence on the ground. Simple > > one-dimensional solutions don’t work. Societies, easy to divide, are > > harder to re-unite. In Kashmir, if I had a grievance against you, I’d > > have fought it out with you. But now I’ll get two militants to attack > > you. Personal vendettas feed into the wider conflict; private > > animosities get involved, the whole community is distorted. > > > > ‘When you see daily violence, you ask yourself: “Is this what we are > > fighting for?” Before I was injured, I knew armed operations would not > > lead to a solution. But the support system in the army is very robust. > > It helps you not to feel troubled, to concentrate on your duty. The > > camaraderie is strong, and the common danger a consolidating force. > > > > ‘North Kashmir was known as a ‘hot zone’. We were involved in search > > and destroy missions. Militants from Pakistan were servicing bases in > > the forest, stocks of ammunition and guns in camps hidden underground. > > We flushed out and captured arms and personnel. I was leading my > > company when I was injured. I remember only floating in and out of > > consciousness. The speed of evacuation saved my life. > > > > ‘Initially I felt anger and uncertainty. The doctor said: “Look, > > Gopal, I’ll have to take out your eye – if I don’t your brain may > > become infected.” My destiny, which I thought I had taken into my > > hands, took another turn. In hospital I met my wife. Her father had > > also been in the army, and he, too, had been blinded. She was doing a > > Social Work MA and it was through her I came to development work. We > > were married in 2003. > > > > ‘I never hated Kashmir, and afterwards had nothing against the > > militant who deprived me of sight. He was also doing his job. My wife > > and I took our honeymoon in Kashmir. We went as civilians on a > > houseboat. The people we met had no idea I was ex-army. We talked to > > them. They all hated violence. I wanted to remember the beauty of > > Kashmir. Personally, I do not care whether Kashmir is part of India or > > Pakistan. The referendum on Kashmir which never took place after > > Independence [in 1947] can only happen when people are in a position > > to make reasoned choices. Kashmir has been so tainted that such a > > choice is not possible. People need a period of normal life. A > > generation of children have been traumatized; growing in the shadow of > > violence, their childhood play is a mimicry of adult wars. > > > > ‘For any solution, the grievances that hardened into incentives to > > persist in conflict need to be unravelled. After the loss of 80,000 > > lives, the Government says: “We have shed blood in Kashmir, and > > therefore nothing can change.” I say: “I lost my blood, but I don’t > > care that much.” Public opinion is manipulated by political parties. I > > can speak with a certain authority, because I actually fought, unlike > > intransigent armchair politicians. If I say India should take a less > > hard line, this is because I have seen the damage hard lines can do. > > > > ‘I love my country, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think it can become > > a better place. If they don’t do things right, thousands more will > > die. Kashmir remains one of the most militarized places on earth. It > > is often said that ethnicity creates violence; but I think violence > > creates ethnicity – people who have lived in amity for centuries are > > moved by injustice, and the divisiveness of that injustice focuses on > > ethnicity or religion. > > > > ‘If violence has declined at present, this is not because India is > > doing the right thing. The militants turned their attention to Kashmir > > in 1989, when the Russians withdrew from Afghanistan. Today, the > > militants have more urgent priorities, again in Afghanistan and the > > Pakistan border. Because the Indian state failed to grant autonomy to > > Kashmir, the social contract between people and State was breached. It > > is easy to explain why the conflict started, but that doesn’t account > > for the way it assumed a life of its own, and its prolongation over so > > many years. > > > > ‘There is no overnight solution. But there is a window of opportunity, > > now the pressure has lessened on Kashmir by the removal of militants > > to other parts of Asia. There is a chance for everyday life to be > > restored, where people will not have their door hammered in at two in > > the morning, or stopped at four roadblocks on the way to the market. > > Indian soldiers will not have instructions during elections to coerce > > 70 per cent of people to vote, just to ‘prove’ they support the > > democratic process. > > > > ‘It is painful to say this as a Hindu army officer and an Indian > > patriot, but truth is truth. I see an opportunity in Kashmir right > > now, especially since Pakistan is troubled by its own internal > > conflict. If we don’t seize it, India will be the loser.’ > > _________________________________________ > > 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: > > _________________________________________________________________ > South Cinema This Decade > http://entertainment.in.msn.com/southcinemathisdecade/ > _________________________________________ > 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 aliens at dataone.in Sat Apr 24 12:05:24 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Sat, 24 Apr 2010 12:05:24 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: Gujarat Governor returns bill on voting In-Reply-To: <988593.89898.qm@web112111.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> References: <007001cae2ae$61a32870$24e97950$@in> <988593.89898.qm@web112111.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <000001cae378$54145600$fc3d0200$@in> Thanks Dear Malik for your reply and views. But, it is bit surprising that important discussion going on for voting right and democracy, but most of the reader not sharing their views. Irrespective of political interest, this is very important issue to discuss. From c.anupam at gmail.com Sat Apr 24 12:13:57 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Sat, 24 Apr 2010 12:13:57 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: Gujarat Governor returns bill on voting In-Reply-To: <000001cae378$54145600$fc3d0200$@in> References: <007001cae2ae$61a32870$24e97950$@in> <988593.89898.qm@web112111.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> <000001cae378$54145600$fc3d0200$@in> Message-ID: How about replying a mail sent about Samras? What is your view Samras Bipin? On Sat, Apr 24, 2010 at 12:05 PM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > Thanks Dear Malik for your reply and views. > > But, it is bit surprising that important discussion going on for voting > right and democracy, but most of the reader not sharing their views. > Irrespective of political interest, this is very important issue to > discuss. > > > _________________________________________ > 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 chintangirishmodi at gmail.com Sat Apr 24 12:24:35 2010 From: chintangirishmodi at gmail.com (Chintan) Date: Sat, 24 Apr 2010 12:24:35 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Article: 'Living on love and fresh air' In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: >From Down to Earth Living on love and fresh air By Aparna Pallavi *A family that has little use for cash * The morning I went to meet her Anusuyabai Meshram did something she does not usually do—milk one of her cows. It was a special day: the Meshrams were having guests. “We do not need milk on a daily basis,” she explained cheerfully as she served us tea, “Because we drink our tea black.” There are many other things that Anusuyabai, 44, and her 47-year-old husband Pandurang Meshram do not need: electricity, piped water, security, a weather-proof house, regular social contact, and for the most part, even money. For the past eight years, this couple has been living by choice on their seven acre (2.8 hectare) ancestral farm outside village Wasriphode in Maharashra’s Yavatmal district without these facilities. Their joy in living a simple life shows on their faces. “We live like this because we like to,” Pandurang said. “Two years ago our only daughter, Manisha, was married. Now we are free of parental responsibilities,” he added. Before moving to Wasriphode, Pandurang had worked as a mechanic and driver and also in a fishery for a few years, but the couple was never happy. “We were always anxious about something or the other, especially money and rising prices. Finally we decided to move away here and grow our own food so that we could live without worries,” he said. Over the past eight years, the Meshrams have evolved a lifestyle that requires minimal money. They plant cotton on three of their seven acres, and food crops—jowar millets, a variety of legumes, vegetables, oilseeds and spices on the rest. The cotton—an indigenious variety—earns them around Rs 40,000 annually, which is enough to buy wheat, rice, the occasional set of clothing and a few necessities; perform their duties on social occasions like weddings in the family, and save a little. “We do not need money to spend on addictions like tobacco or alcohol, or on visits to doctors,” Anusuyabai said. For transport they have a bicycle, which, they claim is enough, because apart from a monthly pilgrimage to Mahur about 75 km away, they never need to travel more than 25-30 km. They get enough fuelwood from the trees on their land. They harvest food items according to their requirements, leaving the rest on the field for whoever needs them. The couple says that they have never run short of food, and hardly ever harvest more than half of the crops they grow. [image: animal] *Our animals don't let us feel lonely, Pandurang said*“This year we had an excellent okra crop,” Pandurang said, pointing to a plant still standing amid a festoon of dried pods, “Each plant yielded more than 100 pods. I gathered baskets of them and heaped them on the roadside for whoever wanted them.” Has he never considered selling his excess produce for money? “Yes, but *loche wadteel* (it will only create complications),” he replied without missing a beat. This sentence appears to be a refrain with the couple. Why don’t they get an electric connection that they can very well afford? Why don’t they add to their income by selling the milk from their nine cows? Why don’t they avail of government subsidies? Why don’t they put their money in a bank? The answer is the same always. It took some coaxing to get Pandurang to explain the nature of the complications: “See, if we get electricity, we will have to earn extra to pay bills, and will be frustrated over power cuts. If we sell our extra produce, I will have to spend more time in the market than with my land and animals. Subsidy means bribing officials.” So why do they bother to grow more than they need? “So we have something to give,” he said with touching humility, “Villagers regularly take vegetables and lentils from our farm. Everyone trusts us and we trust everyone.” Love and trust. That appears to be the dominant philosophy of the couple. Dogs, cats and cattle live in harmony on the farm, and injured wild animals find their way there too. “I have seen a peacock, a deer and a hare in their farm at different times,” says Sucheta Ingole of Dharamitra, a non-profit which works in the area of organic farming. “It is because of these animals that we don’t get lonely,” explained Anusuyabai, “We have them for love, not for making money.” But what about the investment involved in growing those extra crops and keeping the livestock? “What investment?” asked Pandurang. This brings us to one of the most important achievements of the Meshrams: zero-budget farming. The Meshrams have switched completely to organic farming. They preserve indigenous seeds (and give freely to whoever needs them) of a wide variety of crops they grow. Mulching and contour bunding have enriched the land and reduced the need for irrigation, and have no need for pest control. All other farming techniques have been simplified to a point where the need for labour is minimal. “We do all the work and in any case our farm does not require more than three hours of work a day,” Anusuya-bai said. “Initially, we taught them techniques for making vermicompost, vermiwash, organic pesticide. But after a year or two, they simply took to tying their animals under some neem trees on the farm. The falling leaves, animal dung, urine and fodder waste accumulating under the trees combined into the best fertilizer-cum-pest repellant you ever saw. I have never heard of crop failure or a pest attack on their farm,” Ingole said. The same simplicity characterizes their financial transactions. The Meshrams keep their money with a trusted money-lender, refusing to bank, but most of their savings are spent in helping relatives. [image: seed] *Indigeneous seeds, the secret of good harvests*For the last two years they have been planning to rebuild their mud-and-tile house, which is sagging, but never got around to doing it because they gave away their money to relatives who were in need. “It does not matter,” said a cheerful, sunburnt Ansuyabai, “We are used to living in the open with our animals. We will build the house when people repay us.” They do keep a nest-egg for an emergency though, but neither of them knows exactly how much they have. “I have everything written down,” says Pandurang, who has an education up to the fourth grade, with a careless wave of his hand, “And anyway, the man is trustworthy.” The Meshrams have inspired Tarak Kate, agricultural scientist and founder of Dharamitra. A year ago Kate, 60, retired from the non-profit and started living on his own one hectare. The Meshrams have no doubts nor fear about sustaining their unique self-sufficient lifestyle till the end of their lives. “When you love the land, it yields in abundance. When you love trees and animals, they love you in return. What else do you need to live?” What else, indeed. From aliens at dataone.in Sat Apr 24 12:33:36 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Sat, 24 Apr 2010 12:33:36 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: Gujarat Governor returns bill on voting In-Reply-To: <767414.51393.qm@web57208.mail.re3.yahoo.com> References: <767414.51393.qm@web57208.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <000101cae37c$432330b0$c9699210$@in> Dear Kshemendra and All, Thanks for your views and agreeing for compulsory voting. But, with proposal of negative voting and if it is applied, it will have majority every time and re-election process will go on indefinitely. Have anyone thought on this? Logically it seems good and intellectual argument and may be seems viable, but totally impractical. However, compulsory voting law would be there since independence and at that time simultaneously negative voting procedure also adopted would have been succeeded practically possible even today also. Since, in that case India would be in different path and public opinion of negative voting would be minimized. Thanks Bipin From c.anupam at gmail.com Sat Apr 24 12:59:24 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Sat, 24 Apr 2010 12:59:24 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: Gujarat Governor returns bill on voting In-Reply-To: <000101cae37c$432330b0$c9699210$@in> References: <767414.51393.qm@web57208.mail.re3.yahoo.com> <000101cae37c$432330b0$c9699210$@in> Message-ID: Whether negative voting should be discussed whenever the issue of the compulsory voting arises is a completely different issue. the opposition to compulsory voting is not because there is something called negative voting. the debate is still about compulsory voting and what was being exactly put on the record for the amendment. Bipin, What are your views on Samras? You have been accusing people on this fora for tarnishing gujarat's image. So where is your opinion on Samras? i suggest we discuss negative voting in a seperate thread. thanks anupam On Sat, Apr 24, 2010 at 12:33 PM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > Dear Kshemendra and All, > > Thanks for your views and agreeing for compulsory voting. But, with > proposal > of negative voting and if it is applied, it will have majority every time > and re-election process will go on indefinitely. Have anyone thought on > this? > > Logically it seems good and intellectual argument and may be seems viable, > but totally impractical. However, compulsory voting law would be there > since > independence and at that time simultaneously negative voting procedure also > adopted would have been succeeded practically possible even today also. > Since, in that case India would be in different path and public opinion of > negative voting would be minimized. > > Thanks > > Bipin > > > > _________________________________________ > 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 chintangirishmodi at gmail.com Sat Apr 24 13:23:35 2010 From: chintangirishmodi at gmail.com (Chintan) Date: Sat, 24 Apr 2010 13:23:35 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] For 'book activists' and community libraries In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Shuddha The book is now available for download. http://www.scribd.com/doc/30384773/Shall-I-Give-You-a-Good-Book On Thu, Mar 25, 2010 at 10:31 AM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: > Dear Chintan, > > Thank you for this wonderful and inspiring post. > > best > > Shuddha > > On 25-Mar-10, at 10:23 AM, Chintan wrote: > > From http://blog.prathambooks.org/2010/03/shall-i-give-you-good-book.html > > On my recent trip to Varanasi, I discovered an unassuming little treasure > called क्या मैं तुम्हें एक अच्छी किताब दूं? शौकिया पुस्तक कर्मियों के लिए > एक > किताब (translated as Shall I Give You a Good Book? A Book for Amateur Book > Activists), that was published way back in 2003. > > > As I savoured page after page, there was absolute admiration for the > sincerity and sheer commitment on the part of the authors -- Usha Rao, T. > Vijayendra, and Shailaja Kalle. As the preface will tell you, none of them > are native speakers of Hindi, and have not studied the language beyond high > school. While they apologise for the inaccuracies that might have crept > into > their use of the language, they also express a conviction that the > earnestness of their intent will more than compensate. > > > They have put together an excellent resource for people who want to start > community libraries in villages and small towns, or hold book exhibitions > to > create awareness about the vast amount of reading material that is > available, or even run small bookshops. > > > The book starts off as a letter written by Usha to her friends Damayanti > and > Shyama, and spans the whole gamut of practical details involved in such an > enterprise; from initiating contact with publishers, to filing > correspondence, keeping accounts, selecting and ordering books, classifying > books based on age group and genre, generating interest in reading, and > sustaining a culture of reading. In addition to this, the book also offers > you publisher contact information and lists of books classified under > various categories. > > > It is a low-budget publication, in keeping with the constituency it sets > out > to serve. The book may not be printed on fancy and colourful paper, but the > anecdotes and sketches liven it up. Priced at a modest Rs. 25, it is a > collaborative venture by eight publishers from various parts of the > country. > I am reproducing here the address of each, so that you can pick up your > copy > from the one that you find most convenient. > > > Manchi Pustakam, 12-13-452 Street No. 1, Tarnaka, Secunderabad, Andhra > Pradesh 500017. Tel. 040-27015295/6 > > http://manchipustakam.in/contact.asp > > > Bal Sahitya Bhandar, Chaurai, Post Barginagar, Dist. Jabalpur 482056. > Madhya > Pradesh > > > Rupantar, A 26, Surya Apartments, Katora Taalaab, Raipur 492001, > Chhattisgarh. Tel. 0771-2424669 > > > > Shishu Milap, 1, Shrihari Apartments, Behind Express Hotel, Alkapuri, > Vadodara 390007. Gujarat. Tel. 0265-2342539 > > > Sahitya Chayan, 91, L. I. G., Hastal, Uttamnagar, New Delhi 110059. Tel. > 011-25633254 > > > Bal Sahiti, Voluntary Health Association of Punjab, S. C. F., 18/1, Sector > 10-D, Chandigarh 160011. Tel. 0172-543557 > > > Roshnai Prakashan, 212 C.L./A., Ashok Mitra Road, Near Circus Maidan, > Kanchrapada, North 24 Parganas, West Bengal. > > > Jeevan Mangalya, Near Telephone Exchange, Kausani, Dist. Almora 263639, > Uttarakhand. > > > PS: Many thanks to Hema-ji for introducing me to this wonderful book > _________________________________________ > 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/> > > > Shuddhabrata Sengupta > The Sarai Programme at CSDS > Raqs Media Collective > shuddha at sarai.net > www.sarai.net > www.raqsmediacollective.net > > > From geetaseshu at gmail.com Sat Apr 24 13:26:35 2010 From: geetaseshu at gmail.com (geeta seshu) Date: Sat, 24 Apr 2010 13:26:35 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] For 'book activists' and community libraries In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: hi chintan, tried downloading it...but drew a blank.. can you check the link, pls? geeta On Sat, Apr 24, 2010 at 1:23 PM, Chintan wrote: > Shuddha > > The book is now available for download. > > http://www.scribd.com/doc/30384773/Shall-I-Give-You-a-Good-Book > > > > On Thu, Mar 25, 2010 at 10:31 AM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta > wrote: > > > Dear Chintan, > > > > Thank you for this wonderful and inspiring post. > > > > best > > > > Shuddha > > > > On 25-Mar-10, at 10:23 AM, Chintan wrote: > > > > From > http://blog.prathambooks.org/2010/03/shall-i-give-you-good-book.html > > > > On my recent trip to Varanasi, I discovered an unassuming little treasure > > called क्या मैं तुम्हें एक अच्छी किताब दूं? शौकिया पुस्तक कर्मियों के लिए > > एक > > किताब (translated as Shall I Give You a Good Book? A Book for Amateur > Book > > Activists), that was published way back in 2003. > > > > > > As I savoured page after page, there was absolute admiration for the > > sincerity and sheer commitment on the part of the authors -- Usha Rao, T. > > Vijayendra, and Shailaja Kalle. As the preface will tell you, none of > them > > are native speakers of Hindi, and have not studied the language beyond > high > > school. While they apologise for the inaccuracies that might have crept > > into > > their use of the language, they also express a conviction that the > > earnestness of their intent will more than compensate. > > > > > > They have put together an excellent resource for people who want to start > > community libraries in villages and small towns, or hold book exhibitions > > to > > create awareness about the vast amount of reading material that is > > available, or even run small bookshops. > > > > > > The book starts off as a letter written by Usha to her friends Damayanti > > and > > Shyama, and spans the whole gamut of practical details involved in such > an > > enterprise; from initiating contact with publishers, to filing > > correspondence, keeping accounts, selecting and ordering books, > classifying > > books based on age group and genre, generating interest in reading, and > > sustaining a culture of reading. In addition to this, the book also > offers > > you publisher contact information and lists of books classified under > > various categories. > > > > > > It is a low-budget publication, in keeping with the constituency it sets > > out > > to serve. The book may not be printed on fancy and colourful paper, but > the > > anecdotes and sketches liven it up. Priced at a modest Rs. 25, it is a > > collaborative venture by eight publishers from various parts of the > > country. > > I am reproducing here the address of each, so that you can pick up your > > copy > > from the one that you find most convenient. > > > > > > Manchi Pustakam, 12-13-452 Street No. 1, Tarnaka, Secunderabad, Andhra > > Pradesh 500017. Tel. 040-27015295/6 > > > > http://manchipustakam.in/contact.asp > > > > > > Bal Sahitya Bhandar, Chaurai, Post Barginagar, Dist. Jabalpur 482056. > > Madhya > > Pradesh > > > > > > Rupantar, A 26, Surya Apartments, Katora Taalaab, Raipur 492001, > > Chhattisgarh. Tel. 0771-2424669 > > > > > > > > Shishu Milap, 1, Shrihari Apartments, Behind Express Hotel, Alkapuri, > > Vadodara 390007. Gujarat. Tel. 0265-2342539 > > > > > > Sahitya Chayan, 91, L. I. G., Hastal, Uttamnagar, New Delhi 110059. Tel. > > 011-25633254 > > > > > > Bal Sahiti, Voluntary Health Association of Punjab, S. C. F., 18/1, > Sector > > 10-D, Chandigarh 160011. Tel. 0172-543557 > > > > > > Roshnai Prakashan, 212 C.L./A., Ashok Mitra Road, Near Circus Maidan, > > Kanchrapada, North 24 Parganas, West Bengal. > > > > > > Jeevan Mangalya, Near Telephone Exchange, Kausani, Dist. Almora 263639, > > Uttarakhand. > > > > > > PS: Many thanks to Hema-ji for introducing me to this wonderful book > > _________________________________________ > > 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/> > > > > > > Shuddhabrata Sengupta > > The Sarai Programme at CSDS > > Raqs Media Collective > > shuddha at sarai.net > > www.sarai.net > > www.raqsmediacollective.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 kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Sat Apr 24 13:33:09 2010 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Sat, 24 Apr 2010 01:03:09 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] Pakistan - Hindu Girl Forced to Convert to Islam, Marry Message-ID: <788960.51195.qm@web57208.mail.re3.yahoo.com> The priest in charge of Darul-Uloom Madrassa in Khanpur, Maulana Abdul Hafeez reportedly told the parents that Gajri (15 year old) had "embraced Islam and was not allowed to meet her parents".     "Hindu Girl Forced to Convert to Islam, Marry in Pak"   Rezaul H Laskar/Islamabad | Apr 23, 2010   A Hindu girl from Punjab province was kidnapped and forced to convert to Islam and is currently being held in a madrassa, leading Pakistani rights activist Ansar Burney said today. Burney said his rights organisation, the Ansar Burney Trust International, had learnt that 15-year-old Gajri, the daughter of Mengha Ram, was abducted by a Muslim neighbour from her home at Katchi Mandi, Liaquatpur, in Rahim Yar Khan district on December 21, 2009. Gajri's parents later found out that she was being held captive in a madrassa or seminary in southern Punjab and that she had been married and converted to Islam, Burney said. The local administration is "refusing to respond to the abduction" of the girl, who is not being allowed to leave the madrassa or to speak to her parents, he told PTI. Burney, a former human rights minister, condemned the forceful conversion of the Hindu girl and demanded her immediate release. "Pakistan is a state party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which oblige authorities to protect religious minorities under international law," he said. According to Ansar Burney Trust, on 21 December 2009 Gajri disappeared from the home of her Hindu parents in in southern Punjab. On December 26 last year, the local police station in Gajri’s hometown received a letter with an affidavit from madrassa that said she had "embraced Islam and had married her neighbour Mohammad Salim", Burney said. The letter did not enclose a marriage certificate, he said. Police did not immediately inform Gajri's parents about the letter even though they had tried to file a First Information Report after she had gone missing. The parents were discouraged from doing so by police, Burney said. Mengha Ram and his wife then contacted the vice president of the National Peace Committee for Interfaith Harmony, Ramesh Jay Pal. With his help, the parents met the priest in charge of Darul-Uloom Madrassa in Khanpur, Maulana Abdul Hafeez. Hafeez reportedly told the parents that Gajri had "embraced Islam and was not allowed to meet her parents".   http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?680158   From chintangirishmodi at gmail.com Sat Apr 24 13:42:30 2010 From: chintangirishmodi at gmail.com (Chintan) Date: Sat, 24 Apr 2010 13:42:30 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] For 'book activists' and community libraries In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Checked the link. Works on my computer. Give it a little while. Else check this http://www.litent.com/pratham.pdf On Sat, Apr 24, 2010 at 1:26 PM, geeta seshu wrote: > hi chintan, tried downloading it...but drew a blank.. > > can you check the link, pls? > > geeta > > On Sat, Apr 24, 2010 at 1:23 PM, Chintan wrote: > >> Shuddha >> >> The book is now available for download. >> >> http://www.scribd.com/doc/30384773/Shall-I-Give-You-a-Good-Book >> >> >> >> On Thu, Mar 25, 2010 at 10:31 AM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta >> wrote: >> >> > Dear Chintan, >> > >> > Thank you for this wonderful and inspiring post. >> > >> > best >> > >> > Shuddha >> > >> > On 25-Mar-10, at 10:23 AM, Chintan wrote: >> > >> > From >> http://blog.prathambooks.org/2010/03/shall-i-give-you-good-book.html >> > >> > On my recent trip to Varanasi, I discovered an unassuming little >> treasure >> > called क्या मैं तुम्हें एक अच्छी किताब दूं? शौकिया पुस्तक कर्मियों के >> लिए >> > एक >> > किताब (translated as Shall I Give You a Good Book? A Book for Amateur >> Book >> > Activists), that was published way back in 2003. >> > >> > >> > As I savoured page after page, there was absolute admiration for the >> > sincerity and sheer commitment on the part of the authors -- Usha Rao, >> T. >> > Vijayendra, and Shailaja Kalle. As the preface will tell you, none of >> them >> > are native speakers of Hindi, and have not studied the language beyond >> high >> > school. While they apologise for the inaccuracies that might have crept >> > into >> > their use of the language, they also express a conviction that the >> > earnestness of their intent will more than compensate. >> > >> > >> > They have put together an excellent resource for people who want to >> start >> > community libraries in villages and small towns, or hold book >> exhibitions >> > to >> > create awareness about the vast amount of reading material that is >> > available, or even run small bookshops. >> > >> > >> > The book starts off as a letter written by Usha to her friends Damayanti >> > and >> > Shyama, and spans the whole gamut of practical details involved in such >> an >> > enterprise; from initiating contact with publishers, to filing >> > correspondence, keeping accounts, selecting and ordering books, >> classifying >> > books based on age group and genre, generating interest in reading, and >> > sustaining a culture of reading. In addition to this, the book also >> offers >> > you publisher contact information and lists of books classified under >> > various categories. >> > >> > >> > It is a low-budget publication, in keeping with the constituency it sets >> > out >> > to serve. The book may not be printed on fancy and colourful paper, but >> the >> > anecdotes and sketches liven it up. Priced at a modest Rs. 25, it is a >> > collaborative venture by eight publishers from various parts of the >> > country. >> > I am reproducing here the address of each, so that you can pick up your >> > copy >> > from the one that you find most convenient. >> > >> > >> > Manchi Pustakam, 12-13-452 Street No. 1, Tarnaka, Secunderabad, Andhra >> > Pradesh 500017. Tel. 040-27015295/6 >> > >> > http://manchipustakam.in/contact.asp >> > >> > >> > Bal Sahitya Bhandar, Chaurai, Post Barginagar, Dist. Jabalpur 482056. >> > Madhya >> > Pradesh >> > >> > >> > Rupantar, A 26, Surya Apartments, Katora Taalaab, Raipur 492001, >> > Chhattisgarh. Tel. 0771-2424669 >> > >> > >> > >> > Shishu Milap, 1, Shrihari Apartments, Behind Express Hotel, Alkapuri, >> > Vadodara 390007. Gujarat. Tel. 0265-2342539 >> > >> > >> > Sahitya Chayan, 91, L. I. G., Hastal, Uttamnagar, New Delhi 110059. Tel. >> > 011-25633254 >> > >> > >> > Bal Sahiti, Voluntary Health Association of Punjab, S. C. F., 18/1, >> Sector >> > 10-D, Chandigarh 160011. Tel. 0172-543557 >> > >> > >> > Roshnai Prakashan, 212 C.L./A., Ashok Mitra Road, Near Circus Maidan, >> > Kanchrapada, North 24 Parganas, West Bengal. >> > >> > >> > Jeevan Mangalya, Near Telephone Exchange, Kausani, Dist. Almora 263639, >> > Uttarakhand. >> > >> > >> > PS: Many thanks to Hema-ji for introducing me to this wonderful book >> > _________________________________________ >> > 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/> >> > >> > >> > Shuddhabrata Sengupta >> > The Sarai Programme at CSDS >> > Raqs Media Collective >> > shuddha at sarai.net >> > www.sarai.net >> > www.raqsmediacollective.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 kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Sat Apr 24 15:45:13 2010 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Sat, 24 Apr 2010 03:15:13 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] Article: 'Living on love and fresh air' In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <22684.9816.qm@web57202.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Dear Chintan   Thanks. Fascinating.   Some thinking-aloud from me and what highlited itself for me:   - (Writer Aparna Pallavi does not bring in religion into this evolvement of life-view by  Anusuyabai and Pandurang Meshram. Either she did not ask them or they did not mention it or she chose (very sensibly) not to corrupt the narrative by wedding it to a religion.)   - "Love and trust. That appears to be the dominant philosophy of the couple."   - "When you love the land, it yields in abundance. When you love trees and animals, they love you in return. What else do you need to live?"   - "Zero-budget farming. The Meshrams have switched completely to organic farming. They preserve indigenous seeds (and give freely to whoever needs them) of a wide variety of crops they grow. Mulching and contour bunding have enriched the land and reduced the need for irrigation, and have no need for pest control. All other farming techniques have been simplified to a point where the need for labour is minimal."   - “Initially, we taught them techniques for making vermicompost, vermiwash, organic pesticide. But after a year or two, they simply took to tying their animals under some neem trees on the farm. The falling leaves, animal dung, urine and fodder waste accumulating under the trees combined into the best fertilizer-cum-pest repellant you ever saw. I have never heard of crop failure or a pest attack on their farm,” (quoting Sucheta Ingole of non-profit Dharmitra)   - "The same simplicity characterizes their financial transactions. The Meshrams keep their money with a trusted money-lender, refusing to bank, but most of their savings are spent in helping relatives."   - "And anyway, the man is trustworthy." ( Can you beat that? Trusting the local money-lender?)    - "So why do they bother to grow more than they need? “So we have something to give,” he said with touching humility, “Villagers regularly take vegetables and lentils from our farm. Everyone trusts us and we trust everyone.” "   - "Love and trust. That appears to be the dominant philosophy of the couple."   Thanks again Chintan   Kshmendra --- On Sat, 4/24/10, Chintan wrote: From: Chintan Subject: [Reader-list] Article: 'Living on love and fresh air' To: "sarai list" Date: Saturday, April 24, 2010, 12:24 PM >From Down to Earth Living on love and fresh air By Aparna Pallavi *A family that has little use for cash * The morning I went to meet her Anusuyabai Meshram did something she does not usually do—milk one of her cows. It was a special day: the Meshrams were having guests. “We do not need milk on a daily basis,” she explained cheerfully as she served us tea, “Because we drink our tea black.” There are many other things that Anusuyabai, 44, and her 47-year-old husband Pandurang Meshram do not need: electricity, piped water, security, a weather-proof house, regular social contact, and for the most part, even money. For the past eight years, this couple has been living by choice on their seven acre (2.8 hectare) ancestral farm outside village Wasriphode in Maharashra’s Yavatmal district without these facilities. Their joy in living a simple life shows on their faces. “We live like this because we like to,” Pandurang said. “Two years ago our only daughter, Manisha, was married. Now we are free of parental responsibilities,” he added. Before moving to Wasriphode, Pandurang had worked as a mechanic and driver and also in a fishery for a few years, but the couple was never happy. “We were always anxious about something or the other, especially money and rising prices. Finally we decided to move away here and grow our own food so that we could live without worries,” he said. Over the past eight years, the Meshrams have evolved a lifestyle that requires minimal money. They plant cotton on three of their seven acres, and food crops—jowar millets, a variety of legumes, vegetables, oilseeds and spices on the rest. The cotton—an indigenious variety—earns them around Rs 40,000 annually, which is enough to buy wheat, rice, the occasional set of clothing and a few necessities; perform their duties on social occasions like weddings in the family, and save a little. “We do not need money to spend on addictions like tobacco or alcohol, or on visits to doctors,” Anusuyabai said. For transport they have a bicycle, which, they claim is enough, because apart from a monthly pilgrimage to Mahur about 75 km away, they never need to travel more than 25-30 km. They get enough fuelwood from the trees on their land. They harvest food items according to their requirements, leaving the rest on the field for whoever needs them. The couple says that they have never run short of food, and hardly ever harvest more than half of the crops they grow. [image: animal] *Our animals don't let us feel lonely, Pandurang said*“This year we had an excellent okra crop,” Pandurang said, pointing to a plant still standing amid a festoon of dried pods, “Each plant yielded more than 100 pods. I gathered baskets of them and heaped them on the roadside for whoever wanted them.” Has he never considered selling his excess produce for money? “Yes, but *loche wadteel* (it will only create complications),” he replied without missing a beat. This sentence appears to be a refrain with the couple. Why don’t they get an electric connection that they can very well afford? Why don’t they add to their income by selling the milk from their nine cows? Why don’t they avail of government subsidies? Why don’t they put their money in a bank? The answer is the same always. It took some coaxing to get Pandurang to explain the nature of the complications: “See, if we get electricity, we will have to earn extra to pay bills, and will be frustrated over power cuts. If we sell our extra produce, I will have to spend more time in the market than with my land and animals. Subsidy means bribing officials.” So why do they bother to grow more than they need? “So we have something to give,” he said with touching humility, “Villagers regularly take vegetables and lentils from our farm. Everyone trusts us and we trust everyone.” Love and trust. That appears to be the dominant philosophy of the couple. Dogs, cats and cattle live in harmony on the farm, and injured wild animals find their way there too. “I have seen a peacock, a deer and a hare in their farm at different times,” says Sucheta Ingole of Dharamitra, a non-profit which works in the area of organic farming. “It is because of these animals that we don’t get lonely,” explained Anusuyabai, “We have them for love, not for making money.” But what about the investment involved in growing those extra crops and keeping the livestock? “What investment?” asked Pandurang. This brings us to one of the most important achievements of the Meshrams: zero-budget farming. The Meshrams have switched completely to organic farming. They preserve indigenous seeds (and give freely to whoever needs them) of a wide variety of crops they grow. Mulching and contour bunding have enriched the land and reduced the need for irrigation, and have no need for pest control. All other farming techniques have been simplified to a point where the need for labour is minimal. “We do all the work and in any case our farm does not require more than three hours of work a day,” Anusuya-bai said. “Initially, we taught them techniques for making vermicompost, vermiwash, organic pesticide. But after a year or two, they simply took to tying their animals under some neem trees on the farm. The falling leaves, animal dung, urine and fodder waste accumulating under the trees combined into the best fertilizer-cum-pest repellant you ever saw. I have never heard of crop failure or a pest attack on their farm,” Ingole said. The same simplicity characterizes their financial transactions. The Meshrams keep their money with a trusted money-lender, refusing to bank, but most of their savings are spent in helping relatives. [image: seed] *Indigeneous seeds, the secret of good harvests*For the last two years they have been planning to rebuild their mud-and-tile house, which is sagging, but never got around to doing it because they gave away their money to relatives who were in need. “It does not matter,” said a cheerful, sunburnt Ansuyabai, “We are used to living in the open with our animals. We will build the house when people repay us.” They do keep a nest-egg for an emergency though, but neither of them knows exactly how much they have. “I have everything written down,” says Pandurang, who has an education up to the fourth grade, with a careless wave of his hand, “And anyway, the man is trustworthy.” The Meshrams have inspired Tarak Kate, agricultural scientist and founder of Dharamitra. A year ago Kate, 60, retired from the non-profit and started living on his own one hectare. The Meshrams have no doubts nor fear about sustaining their unique self-sufficient lifestyle till the end of their lives. “When you love the land, it yields in abundance. When you love trees and animals, they love you in return. What else do you need to live?” What else, indeed. _________________________________________ 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 Apr 24 16:59:33 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Sat, 24 Apr 2010 16:59:33 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] "A Hindu army officer and an Indian patriot..." In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: No one in India , not even the Prime Minister of India , has an authority to make a decision on Kashmir which may be contrary to the resolution passed in Indian parliament. This should be kept in mind , leaving apart what politicians do for public consumption. Pawan On Sat, Apr 24, 2010 at 10:42 AM, anupam chakravartty wrote: > http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Kashmir-pact-was-just-a-signature-away/articleshow/5850851.cms > > Excerpts: > > "He (Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, who was Pervez Musharraf’s foreign minister > from 2002 to 2007) said the two sides had agreed to full demilitarisation of > both Jammu & Kashmir as well as Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, which Islamabad > refers to as Azad Kashmir. In addition, a package of loose autonomy that > stopped short of the ‘azadi’ and self-governance aspirations, had been > agreed on and was to be introduced on both sides of the disputed frontier. > "We agreed on a point between complete independence and autonomy," he said. > > > > > On Fri, Apr 23, 2010 at 9:40 PM, Lalit Ambardar > wrote: > >> >> A poorly attempted juxtaposition of random thoughts with a mischievous >> intent to justify the equally malicious title. >> >> It is no revelation that foreign jihadists are fighting along with the >> local proponents of Azadi- bara – e-Islam (freedom through Islam) in >> Kashmir. >> >> ………‘If violence has declined at present, this is not because India is >>  doing the right thing. The militants turned their attention to Kashmir >>  in 1989, when the Russians withdrew from Afghanistan. Today, the >>  militants have more urgent priorities, again in Afghanistan and the >>  Pakistan border. Because the Indian state failed to grant autonomy to >>  Kashmir,…… >>  …..now the pressure has lessened on Kashmir by the removal of militants >>  to other parts of Asia…….. >> >> Ayaz Amir also admitted though for different reason (to justify strong >> action by Pakistani army against the pan Islamists in Af-Pak region) in his >> article ‘A Make-or- break Moment’ Khalij Times/Oct 23, 2009- >> >> …….. The stakes being so high, there is no choice but to win, and win >> decisively. Of course it is not going to be easy. South Waziristan’s >> fighters, including the foreign elements, are amongst the most >> battle-hardened on the planet. They have been fighting for decades—in >> Afghanistan, disputed Kashmir, now FATA….. >> ……….3-5,000 Hezbollah fighters defeated the Israeli army in Lebanon in >> 2006. At the height of the Kashmir uprising (starting from 1989) there could >> not have been more than 5-10,000 guerrilla fighters in the Valley. But they >> tied down close to half a million Indian troops, the bulk of which remain in >> Kashmir…… >> (full article at Click here to read the article ) >> >> >> Regards all >> LA >> >> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >> >> >> > Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2010 11:52:55 +0530 >> > From: waliarifi3 at gmail.com >> > To: reader-list at sarai.net >> > Subject: [Reader-list] "A Hindu army officer and an Indian patriot..." >> > >> > http://www.newint.org/features/special/2010/04/01/kashmir-conflict/ >> > >> > A soldier’s story >> > >> > In the crossfire of daily violence between militants and state forces, >> > the picturesque northern Indian state of Kashmir has known no peace >> > for decades. In this revealing first-person account, Gopal Mitra, a >> > former Indian army Major, offers hard-won insights into how the >> > violence could be ended. He spoke to Jeremy Seabrook. >> > >> > ---------------- >> > >> > Major Gopal Mitra had realized that India’s militarization of Kashmir >> > was no long-term solution before he was blown up in Kupwara in 2000. >> > An informer had guided his unit to a booby-trapped militant hide-out. >> > During the ensuing gun-battle, 17 kilos of RDX explosive went up. >> > Airlifted to hospital in Srinagar, Gopal needed 150 stitches to his >> > face and body. He lost his eyes and had to undergo facial >> > reconstruction. >> > >> > In and out of hospital for two years, he had time to reflect, both on >> > his injuries and what he was doing in Kashmir. Now in his late >> > thirties, he is without rancour or bitterness. He works for an >> > international disability charity, and says the loss of his eyes has >> > been compensated by the insights gained. >> > >> > ‘As a soldier, you have to believe that terrorism is bad for your >> > country. But when you see it close up, you realize there is a reason >> > for resistance – usually a result of some earlier failing by the >> > State. When violence starts – in the North East or in Kashmir – it >> > begins as a way of redressing grievances. But over time, the just >> > objective is overtaken, and conflict soon generates its own reasons >> > for continuing. When public opinion is met by oppression, there is >> > bound to be violence. In Kashmir, when the State installs puppet >> > governments with no mandate to act on behalf of the people, how can >> > they accept it? >> > >> > ‘Kashmir is seen as a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan, a >> > cause for international concern. This doesn’t address the issue of how >> > conflict is sustained on the ground. The whole society is drawn into >> > prolonging war. The search for justice is overwhelmed by other >> > priorities, including the self-interest of those who gain some >> > advantage from it. There are four parties to the conflict – militants, >> > civil administration, army and local population. All operate and live >> > in the area. The best houses in any village, although far beyond their >> > legitimate means, are always occupied by Government officials. Social >> > structures, accountability, civil administration have all broken down. >> > Transparency International says that after Bihar, Kashmir is the most >> > corrupt state in India. It receives huge funds from central >> > government. >> > >> > ‘The whole economy is distorted because basic social norms have >> > collapsed. Most stolen cars in India are traded in Kashmir. >> > >> > ‘Many militants believe passionately in their cause and take up arms. >> > This also creates commercial pressures: arms-suppliers who have an >> > interest in continuing conflict. After the snowmelt in April-May till >> > November, militants cross the passes. They get high rates and bonuses >> > for killing members of the security forces. The security forces have >> > all the militants’ radio-intercepts: it is known they inflate the >> > numbers killed when reporting to their bosses, because this increases >> > their bonuses. >> > >> > ‘There is no adequate rehabilitation package for militants. There is >> > no thought-out strategy to absorb them back into society. >> > >> > ‘It is in the nature of prolonged armed operations to alienate people, >> > no matter how disciplined the army. You search houses, knock on doors >> > in the middle of the night; people are under siege. Some find serving >> > as informers to the army a viable way of making a living. This is how >> > the neutrality of civilians is compromised, both by the army and the >> > militants. It polarizes people. The army has an incentive to >> > perpetuate the crisis, because this vindicates its reason for >> > existence and ensures resources are allocated to the area. >> > >> > ‘I love my country, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think it can become >> > a better place’ >> > >> > ‘The initial objectives take second place to conflict for its own >> > sake. The idea that an Indo-Pak solution is the only answer places it >> > in a different sphere from the violence on the ground. Simple >> > one-dimensional solutions don’t work. Societies, easy to divide, are >> > harder to re-unite. In Kashmir, if I had a grievance against you, I’d >> > have fought it out with you. But now I’ll get two militants to attack >> > you. Personal vendettas feed into the wider conflict; private >> > animosities get involved, the whole community is distorted. >> > >> > ‘When you see daily violence, you ask yourself: “Is this what we are >> > fighting for?” Before I was injured, I knew armed operations would not >> > lead to a solution. But the support system in the army is very robust. >> > It helps you not to feel troubled, to concentrate on your duty. The >> > camaraderie is strong, and the common danger a consolidating force. >> > >> > ‘North Kashmir was known as a ‘hot zone’. We were involved in search >> > and destroy missions. Militants from Pakistan were servicing bases in >> > the forest, stocks of ammunition and guns in camps hidden underground. >> > We flushed out and captured arms and personnel. I was leading my >> > company when I was injured. I remember only floating in and out of >> > consciousness. The speed of evacuation saved my life. >> > >> > ‘Initially I felt anger and uncertainty. The doctor said: “Look, >> > Gopal, I’ll have to take out your eye – if I don’t your brain may >> > become infected.” My destiny, which I thought I had taken into my >> > hands, took another turn. In hospital I met my wife. Her father had >> > also been in the army, and he, too, had been blinded. She was doing a >> > Social Work MA and it was through her I came to development work. We >> > were married in 2003. >> > >> > ‘I never hated Kashmir, and afterwards had nothing against the >> > militant who deprived me of sight. He was also doing his job. My wife >> > and I took our honeymoon in Kashmir. We went as civilians on a >> > houseboat. The people we met had no idea I was ex-army. We talked to >> > them. They all hated violence. I wanted to remember the beauty of >> > Kashmir. Personally, I do not care whether Kashmir is part of India or >> > Pakistan. The referendum on Kashmir which never took place after >> > Independence [in 1947] can only happen when people are in a position >> > to make reasoned choices. Kashmir has been so tainted that such a >> > choice is not possible. People need a period of normal life. A >> > generation of children have been traumatized; growing in the shadow of >> > violence, their childhood play is a mimicry of adult wars. >> > >> > ‘For any solution, the grievances that hardened into incentives to >> > persist in conflict need to be unravelled. After the loss of 80,000 >> > lives, the Government says: “We have shed blood in Kashmir, and >> > therefore nothing can change.” I say: “I lost my blood, but I don’t >> > care that much.” Public opinion is manipulated by political parties. I >> > can speak with a certain authority, because I actually fought, unlike >> > intransigent armchair politicians. If I say India should take a less >> > hard line, this is because I have seen the damage hard lines can do. >> > >> > ‘I love my country, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think it can become >> > a better place. If they don’t do things right, thousands more will >> > die. Kashmir remains one of the most militarized places on earth. It >> > is often said that ethnicity creates violence; but I think violence >> > creates ethnicity – people who have lived in amity for centuries are >> > moved by injustice, and the divisiveness of that injustice focuses on >> > ethnicity or religion. >> > >> > ‘If violence has declined at present, this is not because India is >> > doing the right thing. The militants turned their attention to Kashmir >> > in 1989, when the Russians withdrew from Afghanistan. Today, the >> > militants have more urgent priorities, again in Afghanistan and the >> > Pakistan border. Because the Indian state failed to grant autonomy to >> > Kashmir, the social contract between people and State was breached. It >> > is easy to explain why the conflict started, but that doesn’t account >> > for the way it assumed a life of its own, and its prolongation over so >> > many years. >> > >> > ‘There is no overnight solution. But there is a window of opportunity, >> > now the pressure has lessened on Kashmir by the removal of militants >> > to other parts of Asia. There is a chance for everyday life to be >> > restored, where people will not have their door hammered in at two in >> > the morning, or stopped at four roadblocks on the way to the market. >> > Indian soldiers will not have instructions during elections to coerce >> > 70 per cent of people to vote, just to ‘prove’ they support the >> > democratic process. >> > >> > ‘It is painful to say this as a Hindu army officer and an Indian >> > patriot, but truth is truth. I see an opportunity in Kashmir right >> > now, especially since Pakistan is troubled by its own internal >> > conflict. If we don’t seize it, India will be the loser.’ >> > _________________________________________ >> > 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: >> >> _________________________________________________________________ >> South Cinema This Decade >> http://entertainment.in.msn.com/southcinemathisdecade/ >> _________________________________________ >> 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: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From pawan.durani at gmail.com Sat Apr 24 17:01:40 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Sat, 24 Apr 2010 17:01:40 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Pakistan - Hindu Girl Forced to Convert to Islam, Marry In-Reply-To: <788960.51195.qm@web57208.mail.re3.yahoo.com> References: <788960.51195.qm@web57208.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Message-ID: This is not new ...the attitude of fanatics has been same since the time of Ghanavis and Ghouris On Sat, Apr 24, 2010 at 1:33 PM, Kshmendra Kaul wrote: > The priest in charge of Darul-Uloom Madrassa in Khanpur, Maulana Abdul Hafeez reportedly told the parents that Gajri (15 year old) had "embraced Islam and was not allowed to meet her parents". > > > "Hindu Girl Forced to Convert to Islam, Marry in Pak" > > Rezaul H Laskar/Islamabad | Apr 23, 2010 > > A Hindu girl from Punjab province was kidnapped and forced to convert to Islam and is currently being held in a madrassa, leading Pakistani rights activist Ansar Burney said today. > > Burney said his rights organisation, the Ansar Burney Trust International, had learnt that 15-year-old Gajri, the daughter of Mengha Ram, was abducted by a Muslim neighbour from her home at Katchi Mandi, Liaquatpur, in Rahim Yar Khan district on December 21, 2009. > > Gajri's parents later found out that she was being held captive in a madrassa or seminary in southern Punjab and that she had been married and converted to Islam, Burney said. > > The local administration is "refusing to respond to the abduction" of the girl, who is not being allowed to leave the madrassa or to speak to her parents, he told PTI. > > Burney, a former human rights minister, condemned the forceful conversion of the Hindu girl and demanded her immediate release. > > "Pakistan is a state party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which oblige authorities to protect religious minorities under international law," he said. > > According to Ansar Burney Trust, on 21 December 2009 Gajri disappeared from the home of her Hindu parents in in southern Punjab. > > On December 26 last year, the local police station in Gajri’s hometown received a letter with an affidavit from madrassa that said she had "embraced Islam and had married her neighbour Mohammad Salim", Burney said. > > The letter did not enclose a marriage certificate, he said. > > Police did not immediately inform Gajri's parents about the letter even though they had tried to file a First Information Report after she had gone missing. > > The parents were discouraged from doing so by police, Burney said. > > Mengha Ram and his wife then contacted the vice president of the National Peace Committee for Interfaith Harmony, Ramesh Jay Pal. > > With his help, the parents met the priest in charge of Darul-Uloom Madrassa in Khanpur, Maulana Abdul Hafeez. > > Hafeez reportedly told the parents that Gajri had "embraced Islam and was not allowed to meet her parents". > > > http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?680158 > > > > > _________________________________________ > 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 lalitambardar at hotmail.com Sat Apr 24 17:03:57 2010 From: lalitambardar at hotmail.com (Lalit Ambardar) Date: Sat, 24 Apr 2010 11:33:57 +0000 Subject: [Reader-list] "A Hindu army officer and an Indian patriot..." In-Reply-To: References: , , , Message-ID: Any compromise aimed at dilution of Indian sovereignty in Kashmir will only endorse M A Jinah’s ‘two nation theory’ that lead to the partition of the subcontinent & will be seen as India’s surrender to the pan Islamism driven secessionist terror. Let us not forget the bloody aftermath of the partition. Scars of partition are yet to heal & those proposing another 'partition' to appease the perfidious Kashmiri Muslim separatists can not afford to overlook the possibility of jeopardising the fragile inter communal situation in the country. India can not afford to revisit 1947. Let better sense prevail. Rgds all LA----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Date: Sat, 24 Apr 2010 16:59:33 +0530 > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] "A Hindu army officer and an Indian patriot..." > From: pawan.durani at gmail.com > To: c.anupam at gmail.com > CC: lalitambardar at hotmail.com; reader-list at sarai.net > > No one in India , not even the Prime Minister of India , has an > authority to make a decision on Kashmir which may be contrary to the > resolution passed in Indian parliament. > > This should be kept in mind , leaving apart what politicians do for > public consumption. > > Pawan > > On Sat, Apr 24, 2010 at 10:42 AM, anupam chakravartty > wrote: > > http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Kashmir-pact-was-just-a-signature-away/articleshow/5850851.cms > > > > Excerpts: > > > > "He (Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, who was Pervez Musharraf’s foreign minister > > from 2002 to 2007) said the two sides had agreed to full demilitarisation of > > both Jammu & Kashmir as well as Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, which Islamabad > > refers to as Azad Kashmir. In addition, a package of loose autonomy that > > stopped short of the ‘azadi’ and self-governance aspirations, had been > > agreed on and was to be introduced on both sides of the disputed frontier. > > "We agreed on a point between complete independence and autonomy," he said. > > > > > > > > > > On Fri, Apr 23, 2010 at 9:40 PM, Lalit Ambardar > > wrote: > > > >> > >> A poorly attempted juxtaposition of random thoughts with a mischievous > >> intent to justify the equally malicious title. > >> > >> It is no revelation that foreign jihadists are fighting along with the > >> local proponents of Azadi- bara – e-Islam (freedom through Islam) in > >> Kashmir. > >> > >> ………‘If violence has declined at present, this is not because India is > >> doing the right thing. The militants turned their attention to Kashmir > >> in 1989, when the Russians withdrew from Afghanistan. Today, the > >> militants have more urgent priorities, again in Afghanistan and the > >> Pakistan border. Because the Indian state failed to grant autonomy to > >> Kashmir,…… > >> …..now the pressure has lessened on Kashmir by the removal of militants > >> to other parts of Asia…….. > >> > >> Ayaz Amir also admitted though for different reason (to justify strong > >> action by Pakistani army against the pan Islamists in Af-Pak region) in his > >> article ‘A Make-or- break Moment’ Khalij Times/Oct 23, 2009- > >> > >> …….. The stakes being so high, there is no choice but to win, and win > >> decisively. Of course it is not going to be easy. South Waziristan’s > >> fighters, including the foreign elements, are amongst the most > >> battle-hardened on the planet. They have been fighting for decades—in > >> Afghanistan, disputed Kashmir, now FATA….. > >> ……….3-5,000 Hezbollah fighters defeated the Israeli army in Lebanon in > >> 2006. At the height of the Kashmir uprising (starting from 1989) there could > >> not have been more than 5-10,000 guerrilla fighters in the Valley. But they > >> tied down close to half a million Indian troops, the bulk of which remain in > >> Kashmir…… > >> (full article at Click here to read the article ) > >> > >> > >> Regards all > >> LA > >> > >> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > >> > >> > >> > Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2010 11:52:55 +0530 > >> > From: waliarifi3 at gmail.com > >> > To: reader-list at sarai.net > >> > Subject: [Reader-list] "A Hindu army officer and an Indian patriot..." > >> > > >> > http://www.newint.org/features/special/2010/04/01/kashmir-conflict/ > >> > > >> > A soldier’s story > >> > > >> > In the crossfire of daily violence between militants and state forces, > >> > the picturesque northern Indian state of Kashmir has known no peace > >> > for decades. In this revealing first-person account, Gopal Mitra, a > >> > former Indian army Major, offers hard-won insights into how the > >> > violence could be ended. He spoke to Jeremy Seabrook. > >> > > >> > ---------------- > >> > > >> > Major Gopal Mitra had realized that India’s militarization of Kashmir > >> > was no long-term solution before he was blown up in Kupwara in 2000. > >> > An informer had guided his unit to a booby-trapped militant hide-out. > >> > During the ensuing gun-battle, 17 kilos of RDX explosive went up. > >> > Airlifted to hospital in Srinagar, Gopal needed 150 stitches to his > >> > face and body. He lost his eyes and had to undergo facial > >> > reconstruction. > >> > > >> > In and out of hospital for two years, he had time to reflect, both on > >> > his injuries and what he was doing in Kashmir. Now in his late > >> > thirties, he is without rancour or bitterness. He works for an > >> > international disability charity, and says the loss of his eyes has > >> > been compensated by the insights gained. > >> > > >> > ‘As a soldier, you have to believe that terrorism is bad for your > >> > country. But when you see it close up, you realize there is a reason > >> > for resistance – usually a result of some earlier failing by the > >> > State. When violence starts – in the North East or in Kashmir – it > >> > begins as a way of redressing grievances. But over time, the just > >> > objective is overtaken, and conflict soon generates its own reasons > >> > for continuing. When public opinion is met by oppression, there is > >> > bound to be violence. In Kashmir, when the State installs puppet > >> > governments with no mandate to act on behalf of the people, how can > >> > they accept it? > >> > > >> > ‘Kashmir is seen as a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan, a > >> > cause for international concern. This doesn’t address the issue of how > >> > conflict is sustained on the ground. The whole society is drawn into > >> > prolonging war. The search for justice is overwhelmed by other > >> > priorities, including the self-interest of those who gain some > >> > advantage from it. There are four parties to the conflict – militants, > >> > civil administration, army and local population. All operate and live > >> > in the area. The best houses in any village, although far beyond their > >> > legitimate means, are always occupied by Government officials. Social > >> > structures, accountability, civil administration have all broken down. > >> > Transparency International says that after Bihar, Kashmir is the most > >> > corrupt state in India. It receives huge funds from central > >> > government. > >> > > >> > ‘The whole economy is distorted because basic social norms have > >> > collapsed. Most stolen cars in India are traded in Kashmir. > >> > > >> > ‘Many militants believe passionately in their cause and take up arms. > >> > This also creates commercial pressures: arms-suppliers who have an > >> > interest in continuing conflict. After the snowmelt in April-May till > >> > November, militants cross the passes. They get high rates and bonuses > >> > for killing members of the security forces. The security forces have > >> > all the militants’ radio-intercepts: it is known they inflate the > >> > numbers killed when reporting to their bosses, because this increases > >> > their bonuses. > >> > > >> > ‘There is no adequate rehabilitation package for militants. There is > >> > no thought-out strategy to absorb them back into society. > >> > > >> > ‘It is in the nature of prolonged armed operations to alienate people, > >> > no matter how disciplined the army. You search houses, knock on doors > >> > in the middle of the night; people are under siege. Some find serving > >> > as informers to the army a viable way of making a living. This is how > >> > the neutrality of civilians is compromised, both by the army and the > >> > militants. It polarizes people. The army has an incentive to > >> > perpetuate the crisis, because this vindicates its reason for > >> > existence and ensures resources are allocated to the area. > >> > > >> > ‘I love my country, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think it can become > >> > a better place’ > >> > > >> > ‘The initial objectives take second place to conflict for its own > >> > sake. The idea that an Indo-Pak solution is the only answer places it > >> > in a different sphere from the violence on the ground. Simple > >> > one-dimensional solutions don’t work. Societies, easy to divide, are > >> > harder to re-unite. In Kashmir, if I had a grievance against you, I’d > >> > have fought it out with you. But now I’ll get two militants to attack > >> > you. Personal vendettas feed into the wider conflict; private > >> > animosities get involved, the whole community is distorted. > >> > > >> > ‘When you see daily violence, you ask yourself: “Is this what we are > >> > fighting for?” Before I was injured, I knew armed operations would not > >> > lead to a solution. But the support system in the army is very robust. > >> > It helps you not to feel troubled, to concentrate on your duty. The > >> > camaraderie is strong, and the common danger a consolidating force. > >> > > >> > ‘North Kashmir was known as a ‘hot zone’. We were involved in search > >> > and destroy missions. Militants from Pakistan were servicing bases in > >> > the forest, stocks of ammunition and guns in camps hidden underground. > >> > We flushed out and captured arms and personnel. I was leading my > >> > company when I was injured. I remember only floating in and out of > >> > consciousness. The speed of evacuation saved my life. > >> > > >> > ‘Initially I felt anger and uncertainty. The doctor said: “Look, > >> > Gopal, I’ll have to take out your eye – if I don’t your brain may > >> > become infected.” My destiny, which I thought I had taken into my > >> > hands, took another turn. In hospital I met my wife. Her father had > >> > also been in the army, and he, too, had been blinded. She was doing a > >> > Social Work MA and it was through her I came to development work. We > >> > were married in 2003. > >> > > >> > ‘I never hated Kashmir, and afterwards had nothing against the > >> > militant who deprived me of sight. He was also doing his job. My wife > >> > and I took our honeymoon in Kashmir. We went as civilians on a > >> > houseboat. The people we met had no idea I was ex-army. We talked to > >> > them. They all hated violence. I wanted to remember the beauty of > >> > Kashmir. Personally, I do not care whether Kashmir is part of India or > >> > Pakistan. The referendum on Kashmir which never took place after > >> > Independence [in 1947] can only happen when people are in a position > >> > to make reasoned choices. Kashmir has been so tainted that such a > >> > choice is not possible. People need a period of normal life. A > >> > generation of children have been traumatized; growing in the shadow of > >> > violence, their childhood play is a mimicry of adult wars. > >> > > >> > ‘For any solution, the grievances that hardened into incentives to > >> > persist in conflict need to be unravelled. After the loss of 80,000 > >> > lives, the Government says: “We have shed blood in Kashmir, and > >> > therefore nothing can change.” I say: “I lost my blood, but I don’t > >> > care that much.” Public opinion is manipulated by political parties. I > >> > can speak with a certain authority, because I actually fought, unlike > >> > intransigent armchair politicians. If I say India should take a less > >> > hard line, this is because I have seen the damage hard lines can do. > >> > > >> > ‘I love my country, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think it can become > >> > a better place. If they don’t do things right, thousands more will > >> > die. Kashmir remains one of the most militarized places on earth. It > >> > is often said that ethnicity creates violence; but I think violence > >> > creates ethnicity – people who have lived in amity for centuries are > >> > moved by injustice, and the divisiveness of that injustice focuses on > >> > ethnicity or religion. > >> > > >> > ‘If violence has declined at present, this is not because India is > >> > doing the right thing. The militants turned their attention to Kashmir > >> > in 1989, when the Russians withdrew from Afghanistan. Today, the > >> > militants have more urgent priorities, again in Afghanistan and the > >> > Pakistan border. Because the Indian state failed to grant autonomy to > >> > Kashmir, the social contract between people and State was breached. It > >> > is easy to explain why the conflict started, but that doesn’t account > >> > for the way it assumed a life of its own, and its prolongation over so > >> > many years. > >> > > >> > ‘There is no overnight solution. But there is a window of opportunity, > >> > now the pressure has lessened on Kashmir by the removal of militants > >> > to other parts of Asia. There is a chance for everyday life to be > >> > restored, where people will not have their door hammered in at two in > >> > the morning, or stopped at four roadblocks on the way to the market. > >> > Indian soldiers will not have instructions during elections to coerce > >> > 70 per cent of people to vote, just to ‘prove’ they support the > >> > democratic process. > >> > > >> > ‘It is painful to say this as a Hindu army officer and an Indian > >> > patriot, but truth is truth. I see an opportunity in Kashmir right > >> > now, especially since Pakistan is troubled by its own internal > >> > conflict. If we don’t seize it, India will be the loser.’ > >> > _________________________________________ > >> > 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: > >> > >> _________________________________________________________________ > >> South Cinema This Decade > >> http://entertainment.in.msn.com/southcinemathisdecade/ > >> _________________________________________ > >> 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: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> _________________________________________________________________ The amazing world in sharp snaps http://news.in.msn.com/gallery/archive.aspx From c.anupam at gmail.com Sat Apr 24 17:52:35 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Sat, 24 Apr 2010 17:52:35 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] "A Hindu army officer and an Indian patriot..." In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Better sense is what if I may ask you sir? Is better sense better than hundreds of thousands of people killed every year, a bloodied battleground in the most inhospitable part of the world sucking away tax payer's money everyday for its maintenance? Second, I am not from the generation which saw all these historical blunders being committed by a bunch of leaders. But what I see here everyday is an outcome of such ugly decisions where national ego precedes peoples' aspiration, leading to a bloodied conflict. Is it all worth it? Say i denounce this fractured history and start believing what i am seeing everyday -- which is the case with most of the Indians now. The plight of the Kashmiri Pandits is something which needs to be addressed. But everytime, by labeling this identitarian and very localised conflict to a "pan Islamism driven secessionist terror", arent we siding with the extremists which were waiting to make an issue out of it through numerous bombs? Somehow from these kind of arguments, i feel there is no difference between the extremist thought and action and those who are opposing it. The question of national integrity cannot be higher than its subjects' that is peoples' aspirations. It has been realised by various eruptions that have taken place in the country in various forms. But India has a softer side as well, which is of mitigation and diplomacy, which people remember more than the partition or wars it has fought. It is not correct on your part to make such sweeping statements on part of the people always pushing unity and integration into witness boxes. unity and integration of a nation not something forced, just like respect for a teacher or an elder is not something that is to be forced. On Sat, Apr 24, 2010 at 5:03 PM, Lalit Ambardar wrote: > Any compromise aimed at dilution of Indian sovereignty in Kashmir will > only endorse M A Jinah’s ‘two nation theory’ that lead to the partition of > the subcontinent & will be seen as India’s surrender to the pan Islamism > driven secessionist terror. > > > > Let us not forget the bloody aftermath of the partition. Scars of partition > are yet to heal & those proposing another 'partition' to appease the > perfidious Kashmiri Muslim separatists can not afford to overlook the > possibility of jeopardising the fragile inter communal situation in the > country. > > India can not afford to revisit 1947. > > Let better sense prevail. > > Rgds all > > LA > > > ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > > Date: Sat, 24 Apr 2010 16:59:33 +0530 > > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] "A Hindu army officer and an Indian > patriot..." > > From: pawan.durani at gmail.com > > To: c.anupam at gmail.com > > CC: lalitambardar at hotmail.com; reader-list at sarai.net > > > > > No one in India , not even the Prime Minister of India , has an > > authority to make a decision on Kashmir which may be contrary to the > > resolution passed in Indian parliament. > > > > This should be kept in mind , leaving apart what politicians do for > > public consumption. > > > > Pawan > > > > On Sat, Apr 24, 2010 at 10:42 AM, anupam chakravartty > > wrote: > > > > http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Kashmir-pact-was-just-a-signature-away/articleshow/5850851.cms > > > > > > Excerpts: > > > > > > "He (Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, who was Pervez Musharraf’s foreign > minister > > > from 2002 to 2007) said the two sides had agreed to full > demilitarisation of > > > both Jammu & Kashmir as well as Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, which > Islamabad > > > refers to as Azad Kashmir. In addition, a package of loose autonomy > that > > > stopped short of the ‘azadi’ and self-governance aspirations, had been > > > agreed on and was to be introduced on both sides of the disputed > frontier. > > > "We agreed on a point between complete independence and autonomy," he > said. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On Fri, Apr 23, 2010 at 9:40 PM, Lalit Ambardar > > > wrote: > > > > > >> > > >> A poorly attempted juxtaposition of random thoughts with a mischievous > > >> intent to justify the equally malicious title. > > >> > > >> It is no revelation that foreign jihadists are fighting along with the > > >> local proponents of Azadi- bara – e-Islam (freedom through Islam) in > > >> Kashmir. > > >> > > >> ………‘If violence has declined at present, this is not because India is > > >> doing the right thing. The militants turned their attention to > Kashmir > > >> in 1989, when the Russians withdrew from Afghanistan. Today, the > > >> militants have more urgent priorities, again in Afghanistan and the > > >> Pakistan border. Because the Indian state failed to grant autonomy to > > >> Kashmir,…… > > >> …..now the pressure has lessened on Kashmir by the removal of > militants > > >> to other parts of Asia…….. > > >> > > >> Ayaz Amir also admitted though for different reason (to justify strong > > >> action by Pakistani army against the pan Islamists in Af-Pak region) > in his > > >> article ‘A Make-or- break Moment’ Khalij Times/Oct 23, 2009- > > >> > > >> …….. The stakes being so high, there is no choice but to win, and win > > >> decisively. Of course it is not going to be easy. South Waziristan’s > > >> fighters, including the foreign elements, are amongst the most > > >> battle-hardened on the planet. They have been fighting for decades—in > > >> Afghanistan, disputed Kashmir, now FATA….. > > >> ……….3-5,000 Hezbollah fighters defeated the Israeli army in Lebanon in > > >> 2006. At the height of the Kashmir uprising (starting from 1989) there > could > > >> not have been more than 5-10,000 guerrilla fighters in the Valley. But > they > > >> tied down close to half a million Indian troops, the bulk of which > remain in > > >> Kashmir…… > > >> (full article at Click here to read the article ) > > >> > > >> > > >> Regards all > > >> LA > > >> > > >> > --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > >> > > >> > > >> > Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2010 11:52:55 +0530 > > >> > From: waliarifi3 at gmail.com > > >> > To: reader-list at sarai.net > > >> > Subject: [Reader-list] "A Hindu army officer and an Indian > patriot..." > > >> > > > >> > http://www.newint.org/features/special/2010/04/01/kashmir-conflict/ > > >> > > > >> > A soldier’s story > > >> > > > >> > In the crossfire of daily violence between militants and state > forces, > > >> > the picturesque northern Indian state of Kashmir has known no peace > > >> > for decades. In this revealing first-person account, Gopal Mitra, a > > >> > former Indian army Major, offers hard-won insights into how the > > >> > violence could be ended. He spoke to Jeremy Seabrook. > > >> > > > >> > ---------------- > > >> > > > >> > Major Gopal Mitra had realized that India’s militarization of > Kashmir > > >> > was no long-term solution before he was blown up in Kupwara in 2000. > > >> > An informer had guided his unit to a booby-trapped militant > hide-out. > > >> > During the ensuing gun-battle, 17 kilos of RDX explosive went up. > > >> > Airlifted to hospital in Srinagar, Gopal needed 150 stitches to his > > >> > face and body. He lost his eyes and had to undergo facial > > >> > reconstruction. > > >> > > > >> > In and out of hospital for two years, he had time to reflect, both > on > > >> > his injuries and what he was doing in Kashmir. Now in his late > > >> > thirties, he is without rancour or bitterness. He works for an > > >> > international disability charity, and says the loss of his eyes has > > >> > been compensated by the insights gained. > > >> > > > >> > ‘As a soldier, you have to believe that terrorism is bad for your > > >> > country. But when you see it close up, you realize there is a reason > > >> > for resistance – usually a result of some earlier failing by the > > >> > State. When violence starts – in the North East or in Kashmir – it > > >> > begins as a way of redressing grievances. But over time, the just > > >> > objective is overtaken, and conflict soon generates its own reasons > > >> > for continuing. When public opinion is met by oppression, there is > > >> > bound to be violence. In Kashmir, when the State installs puppet > > >> > governments with no mandate to act on behalf of the people, how can > > >> > they accept it? > > >> > > > >> > ‘Kashmir is seen as a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan, a > > >> > cause for international concern. This doesn’t address the issue of > how > > >> > conflict is sustained on the ground. The whole society is drawn into > > >> > prolonging war. The search for justice is overwhelmed by other > > >> > priorities, including the self-interest of those who gain some > > >> > advantage from it. There are four parties to the conflict – > militants, > > >> > civil administration, army and local population. All operate and > live > > >> > in the area. The best houses in any village, although far beyond > their > > >> > legitimate means, are always occupied by Government officials. > Social > > >> > structures, accountability, civil administration have all broken > down. > > >> > Transparency International says that after Bihar, Kashmir is the > most > > >> > corrupt state in India. It receives huge funds from central > > >> > government. > > >> > > > >> > ‘The whole economy is distorted because basic social norms have > > >> > collapsed. Most stolen cars in India are traded in Kashmir. > > >> > > > >> > ‘Many militants believe passionately in their cause and take up > arms. > > >> > This also creates commercial pressures: arms-suppliers who have an > > >> > interest in continuing conflict. After the snowmelt in April-May > till > > >> > November, militants cross the passes. They get high rates and > bonuses > > >> > for killing members of the security forces. The security forces have > > >> > all the militants’ radio-intercepts: it is known they inflate the > > >> > numbers killed when reporting to their bosses, because this > increases > > >> > their bonuses. > > >> > > > >> > ‘There is no adequate rehabilitation package for militants. There is > > >> > no thought-out strategy to absorb them back into society. > > >> > > > >> > ‘It is in the nature of prolonged armed operations to alienate > people, > > >> > no matter how disciplined the army. You search houses, knock on > doors > > >> > in the middle of the night; people are under siege. Some find > serving > > >> > as informers to the army a viable way of making a living. This is > how > > >> > the neutrality of civilians is compromised, both by the army and the > > >> > militants. It polarizes people. The army has an incentive to > > >> > perpetuate the crisis, because this vindicates its reason for > > >> > existence and ensures resources are allocated to the area. > > >> > > > >> > ‘I love my country, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think it can > become > > >> > a better place’ > > >> > > > >> > ‘The initial objectives take second place to conflict for its own > > >> > sake. The idea that an Indo-Pak solution is the only answer places > it > > >> > in a different sphere from the violence on the ground. Simple > > >> > one-dimensional solutions don’t work. Societies, easy to divide, are > > >> > harder to re-unite. In Kashmir, if I had a grievance against you, > I’d > > >> > have fought it out with you. But now I’ll get two militants to > attack > > >> > you. Personal vendettas feed into the wider conflict; private > > >> > animosities get involved, the whole community is distorted. > > >> > > > >> > ‘When you see daily violence, you ask yourself: “Is this what we are > > >> > fighting for?” Before I was injured, I knew armed operations would > not > > >> > lead to a solution. But the support system in the army is very > robust. > > >> > It helps you not to feel troubled, to concentrate on your duty. The > > >> > camaraderie is strong, and the common danger a consolidating force. > > >> > > > >> > ‘North Kashmir was known as a ‘hot zone’. We were involved in search > > >> > and destroy missions. Militants from Pakistan were servicing bases > in > > >> > the forest, stocks of ammunition and guns in camps hidden > underground. > > >> > We flushed out and captured arms and personnel. I was leading my > > >> > company when I was injured. I remember only floating in and out of > > >> > consciousness. The speed of evacuation saved my life. > > >> > > > >> > ‘Initially I felt anger and uncertainty. The doctor said: “Look, > > >> > Gopal, I’ll have to take out your eye – if I don’t your brain may > > >> > become infected.” My destiny, which I thought I had taken into my > > >> > hands, took another turn. In hospital I met my wife. Her father had > > >> > also been in the army, and he, too, had been blinded. She was doing > a > > >> > Social Work MA and it was through her I came to development work. We > > >> > were married in 2003. > > >> > > > >> > ‘I never hated Kashmir, and afterwards had nothing against the > > >> > militant who deprived me of sight. He was also doing his job. My > wife > > >> > and I took our honeymoon in Kashmir. We went as civilians on a > > >> > houseboat. The people we met had no idea I was ex-army. We talked to > > >> > them. They all hated violence. I wanted to remember the beauty of > > >> > Kashmir. Personally, I do not care whether Kashmir is part of India > or > > >> > Pakistan. The referendum on Kashmir which never took place after > > >> > Independence [in 1947] can only happen when people are in a position > > >> > to make reasoned choices. Kashmir has been so tainted that such a > > >> > choice is not possible. People need a period of normal life. A > > >> > generation of children have been traumatized; growing in the shadow > of > > >> > violence, their childhood play is a mimicry of adult wars. > > >> > > > >> > ‘For any solution, the grievances that hardened into incentives to > > >> > persist in conflict need to be unravelled. After the loss of 80,000 > > >> > lives, the Government says: “We have shed blood in Kashmir, and > > >> > therefore nothing can change.” I say: “I lost my blood, but I don’t > > >> > care that much.” Public opinion is manipulated by political parties. > I > > >> > can speak with a certain authority, because I actually fought, > unlike > > >> > intransigent armchair politicians. If I say India should take a less > > >> > hard line, this is because I have seen the damage hard lines can do. > > >> > > > >> > ‘I love my country, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think it can > become > > >> > a better place. If they don’t do things right, thousands more will > > >> > die. Kashmir remains one of the most militarized places on earth. It > > >> > is often said that ethnicity creates violence; but I think violence > > >> > creates ethnicity – people who have lived in amity for centuries are > > >> > moved by injustice, and the divisiveness of that injustice focuses > on > > >> > ethnicity or religion. > > >> > > > >> > ‘If violence has declined at present, this is not because India is > > >> > doing the right thing. The militants turned their attention to > Kashmir > > >> > in 1989, when the Russians withdrew from Afghanistan. Today, the > > >> > militants have more urgent priorities, again in Afghanistan and the > > >> > Pakistan border. Because the Indian state failed to grant autonomy > to > > >> > Kashmir, the social contract between people and State was breached. > It > > >> > is easy to explain why the conflict started, but that doesn’t > account > > >> > for the way it assumed a life of its own, and its prolongation over > so > > >> > many years. > > >> > > > >> > ‘There is no overnight solution. But there is a window of > opportunity, > > >> > now the pressure has lessened on Kashmir by the removal of militants > > >> > to other parts of Asia. There is a chance for everyday life to be > > >> > restored, where people will not have their door hammered in at two > in > > >> > the morning, or stopped at four roadblocks on the way to the market. > > >> > Indian soldiers will not have instructions during elections to > coerce > > >> > 70 per cent of people to vote, just to ‘prove’ they support the > > >> > democratic process. > > >> > > > >> > ‘It is painful to say this as a Hindu army officer and an Indian > > >> > patriot, but truth is truth. I see an opportunity in Kashmir right > > >> > now, especially since Pakistan is troubled by its own internal > > >> > conflict. If we don’t seize it, India will be the loser.’ > > >> > _________________________________________ > > >> > 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: > > >> > > >> _________________________________________________________________ > > >> South Cinema This Decade > > >> http://entertainment.in.msn.com/southcinemathisdecade/ > > >> _________________________________________ > > >> 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: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > ------------------------------ > Catch the changing security environment Get it now. > From pawan.durani at gmail.com Sun Apr 25 00:05:57 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Sun, 25 Apr 2010 00:05:57 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] "A Hindu army officer and an Indian patriot..." In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Those who are ignorant fools and who have not been subjugated to the realities of a situation are the only one who pass sermons .... Neither Kashmiri Pandits nor any nationalists need sermons from anyone.... neither do we need false assurance and sympathies... Those who side with separatists and have a hollow knowledge of Kashmir issue sit on same side of Talibans . pawan On Sat, Apr 24, 2010 at 5:52 PM, anupam chakravartty wrote: > Better sense is what if I may ask you sir? Is better sense better than > hundreds of thousands of people killed every year, a bloodied battleground > in the most inhospitable part of the world sucking away tax payer's money > everyday for its maintenance? > > Second, I am not from the generation which saw all these historical blunders > being committed by a bunch of leaders. But what I see here everyday is an > outcome of such ugly decisions where national ego precedes peoples' > aspiration, leading to a bloodied conflict. Is it all worth it? Say i > denounce this fractured history and start believing what i am seeing > everyday -- which is the case with most of the Indians now. > > The plight of the Kashmiri Pandits is something which needs to be addressed. > But everytime, by labeling this identitarian and very localised conflict to > a "pan Islamism driven secessionist terror", arent we siding with the > extremists which were waiting to make an issue out of it through numerous > bombs? Somehow from these kind of arguments, i feel there is no difference > between the extremist thought and action and those who are opposing it. > > The question of national integrity cannot be higher than its subjects' that > is peoples' aspirations. It has been realised by various eruptions that have > taken place in the country in various forms. But India has a softer side as > well, which is of mitigation and diplomacy, which people remember more than > the partition or wars it has fought. It is not correct on your part to make > such sweeping statements on part of the people always pushing unity and > integration into witness boxes. unity and integration of a nation not > something forced, just like respect for a teacher or an elder is not > something that is to be forced. > > > > On Sat, Apr 24, 2010 at 5:03 PM, Lalit Ambardar > wrote: > >>  Any compromise aimed at dilution of Indian sovereignty in Kashmir will >> only endorse M A Jinah’s ‘two nation theory’ that lead to the partition of >> the subcontinent & will be seen as India’s surrender to the pan Islamism >> driven secessionist terror. >> >> >> >> Let us not forget the bloody aftermath of the partition. Scars of partition >> are yet to heal & those proposing another 'partition' to appease the >> perfidious Kashmiri Muslim separatists can not afford to overlook the >> possibility of jeopardising the fragile inter communal situation in the >> country. >> >> India can not afford to revisit 1947. >> >> Let better sense prevail. >> >> Rgds all >> >> LA >> >> >> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >> >> >> > Date: Sat, 24 Apr 2010 16:59:33 +0530 >> > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] "A Hindu army officer and an Indian >> patriot..." >> > From: pawan.durani at gmail.com >> > To: c.anupam at gmail.com >> > CC: lalitambardar at hotmail.com; reader-list at sarai.net >> >> > >> > No one in India , not even the Prime Minister of India , has an >> > authority to make a decision on Kashmir which may be contrary to the >> > resolution passed in Indian parliament. >> > >> > This should be kept in mind , leaving apart what politicians do for >> > public consumption. >> > >> > Pawan >> > >> > On Sat, Apr 24, 2010 at 10:42 AM, anupam chakravartty >> > wrote: >> > > >> http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Kashmir-pact-was-just-a-signature-away/articleshow/5850851.cms >> > > >> > > Excerpts: >> > > >> > > "He (Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, who was Pervez Musharraf’s foreign >> minister >> > > from 2002 to 2007) said the two sides had agreed to full >> demilitarisation of >> > > both Jammu & Kashmir as well as Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, which >> Islamabad >> > > refers to as Azad Kashmir. In addition, a package of loose autonomy >> that >> > > stopped short of the ‘azadi’ and self-governance aspirations, had been >> > > agreed on and was to be introduced on both sides of the disputed >> frontier. >> > > "We agreed on a point between complete independence and autonomy," he >> said. >> > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> > > On Fri, Apr 23, 2010 at 9:40 PM, Lalit Ambardar >> > > wrote: >> > > >> > >> >> > >> A poorly attempted juxtaposition of random thoughts with a mischievous >> > >> intent to justify the equally malicious title. >> > >> >> > >> It is no revelation that foreign jihadists are fighting along with the >> > >> local proponents of Azadi- bara – e-Islam (freedom through Islam) in >> > >> Kashmir. >> > >> >> > >> ………‘If violence has declined at present, this is not because India is >> > >>  doing the right thing. The militants turned their attention to >> Kashmir >> > >>  in 1989, when the Russians withdrew from Afghanistan. Today, the >> > >>  militants have more urgent priorities, again in Afghanistan and the >> > >>  Pakistan border. Because the Indian state failed to grant autonomy to >> > >>  Kashmir,…… >> > >>  …..now the pressure has lessened on Kashmir by the removal of >> militants >> > >>  to other parts of Asia…….. >> > >> >> > >> Ayaz Amir also admitted though for different reason (to justify strong >> > >> action by Pakistani army against the pan Islamists in Af-Pak region) >> in his >> > >> article ‘A Make-or- break Moment’ Khalij Times/Oct 23, 2009- >> > >> >> > >> …….. The stakes being so high, there is no choice but to win, and win >> > >> decisively. Of course it is not going to be easy. South Waziristan’s >> > >> fighters, including the foreign elements, are amongst the most >> > >> battle-hardened on the planet. They have been fighting for decades—in >> > >> Afghanistan, disputed Kashmir, now FATA….. >> > >> ……….3-5,000 Hezbollah fighters defeated the Israeli army in Lebanon in >> > >> 2006. At the height of the Kashmir uprising (starting from 1989) there >> could >> > >> not have been more than 5-10,000 guerrilla fighters in the Valley. But >> they >> > >> tied down close to half a million Indian troops, the bulk of which >> remain in >> > >> Kashmir…… >> > >> (full article at Click here to read the article ) >> > >> >> > >> >> > >> Regards all >> > >> LA >> > >> >> > >> >> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >> > >> >> > >> >> > >> > Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2010 11:52:55 +0530 >> > >> > From: waliarifi3 at gmail.com >> > >> > To: reader-list at sarai.net >> > >> > Subject: [Reader-list] "A Hindu army officer and an Indian >> patriot..." >> > >> > >> > >> > http://www.newint.org/features/special/2010/04/01/kashmir-conflict/ >> > >> > >> > >> > A soldier’s story >> > >> > >> > >> > In the crossfire of daily violence between militants and state >> forces, >> > >> > the picturesque northern Indian state of Kashmir has known no peace >> > >> > for decades. In this revealing first-person account, Gopal Mitra, a >> > >> > former Indian army Major, offers hard-won insights into how the >> > >> > violence could be ended. He spoke to Jeremy Seabrook. >> > >> > >> > >> > ---------------- >> > >> > >> > >> > Major Gopal Mitra had realized that India’s militarization of >> Kashmir >> > >> > was no long-term solution before he was blown up in Kupwara in 2000. >> > >> > An informer had guided his unit to a booby-trapped militant >> hide-out. >> > >> > During the ensuing gun-battle, 17 kilos of RDX explosive went up. >> > >> > Airlifted to hospital in Srinagar, Gopal needed 150 stitches to his >> > >> > face and body. He lost his eyes and had to undergo facial >> > >> > reconstruction. >> > >> > >> > >> > In and out of hospital for two years, he had time to reflect, both >> on >> > >> > his injuries and what he was doing in Kashmir. Now in his late >> > >> > thirties, he is without rancour or bitterness. He works for an >> > >> > international disability charity, and says the loss of his eyes has >> > >> > been compensated by the insights gained. >> > >> > >> > >> > ‘As a soldier, you have to believe that terrorism is bad for your >> > >> > country. But when you see it close up, you realize there is a reason >> > >> > for resistance – usually a result of some earlier failing by the >> > >> > State. When violence starts – in the North East or in Kashmir – it >> > >> > begins as a way of redressing grievances. But over time, the just >> > >> > objective is overtaken, and conflict soon generates its own reasons >> > >> > for continuing. When public opinion is met by oppression, there is >> > >> > bound to be violence. In Kashmir, when the State installs puppet >> > >> > governments with no mandate to act on behalf of the people, how can >> > >> > they accept it? >> > >> > >> > >> > ‘Kashmir is seen as a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan, a >> > >> > cause for international concern. This doesn’t address the issue of >> how >> > >> > conflict is sustained on the ground. The whole society is drawn into >> > >> > prolonging war. The search for justice is overwhelmed by other >> > >> > priorities, including the self-interest of those who gain some >> > >> > advantage from it. There are four parties to the conflict – >> militants, >> > >> > civil administration, army and local population. All operate and >> live >> > >> > in the area. The best houses in any village, although far beyond >> their >> > >> > legitimate means, are always occupied by Government officials. >> Social >> > >> > structures, accountability, civil administration have all broken >> down. >> > >> > Transparency International says that after Bihar, Kashmir is the >> most >> > >> > corrupt state in India. It receives huge funds from central >> > >> > government. >> > >> > >> > >> > ‘The whole economy is distorted because basic social norms have >> > >> > collapsed. Most stolen cars in India are traded in Kashmir. >> > >> > >> > >> > ‘Many militants believe passionately in their cause and take up >> arms. >> > >> > This also creates commercial pressures: arms-suppliers who have an >> > >> > interest in continuing conflict. After the snowmelt in April-May >> till >> > >> > November, militants cross the passes. They get high rates and >> bonuses >> > >> > for killing members of the security forces. The security forces have >> > >> > all the militants’ radio-intercepts: it is known they inflate the >> > >> > numbers killed when reporting to their bosses, because this >> increases >> > >> > their bonuses. >> > >> > >> > >> > ‘There is no adequate rehabilitation package for militants. There is >> > >> > no thought-out strategy to absorb them back into society. >> > >> > >> > >> > ‘It is in the nature of prolonged armed operations to alienate >> people, >> > >> > no matter how disciplined the army. You search houses, knock on >> doors >> > >> > in the middle of the night; people are under siege. Some find >> serving >> > >> > as informers to the army a viable way of making a living. This is >> how >> > >> > the neutrality of civilians is compromised, both by the army and the >> > >> > militants. It polarizes people. The army has an incentive to >> > >> > perpetuate the crisis, because this vindicates its reason for >> > >> > existence and ensures resources are allocated to the area. >> > >> > >> > >> > ‘I love my country, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think it can >> become >> > >> > a better place’ >> > >> > >> > >> > ‘The initial objectives take second place to conflict for its own >> > >> > sake. The idea that an Indo-Pak solution is the only answer places >> it >> > >> > in a different sphere from the violence on the ground. Simple >> > >> > one-dimensional solutions don’t work. Societies, easy to divide, are >> > >> > harder to re-unite. In Kashmir, if I had a grievance against you, >> I’d >> > >> > have fought it out with you. But now I’ll get two militants to >> attack >> > >> > you. Personal vendettas feed into the wider conflict; private >> > >> > animosities get involved, the whole community is distorted. >> > >> > >> > >> > ‘When you see daily violence, you ask yourself: “Is this what we are >> > >> > fighting for?” Before I was injured, I knew armed operations would >> not >> > >> > lead to a solution. But the support system in the army is very >> robust. >> > >> > It helps you not to feel troubled, to concentrate on your duty. The >> > >> > camaraderie is strong, and the common danger a consolidating force. >> > >> > >> > >> > ‘North Kashmir was known as a ‘hot zone’. We were involved in search >> > >> > and destroy missions. Militants from Pakistan were servicing bases >> in >> > >> > the forest, stocks of ammunition and guns in camps hidden >> underground. >> > >> > We flushed out and captured arms and personnel. I was leading my >> > >> > company when I was injured. I remember only floating in and out of >> > >> > consciousness. The speed of evacuation saved my life. >> > >> > >> > >> > ‘Initially I felt anger and uncertainty. The doctor said: “Look, >> > >> > Gopal, I’ll have to take out your eye – if I don’t your brain may >> > >> > become infected.” My destiny, which I thought I had taken into my >> > >> > hands, took another turn. In hospital I met my wife. Her father had >> > >> > also been in the army, and he, too, had been blinded. She was doing >> a >> > >> > Social Work MA and it was through her I came to development work. We >> > >> > were married in 2003. >> > >> > >> > >> > ‘I never hated Kashmir, and afterwards had nothing against the >> > >> > militant who deprived me of sight. He was also doing his job. My >> wife >> > >> > and I took our honeymoon in Kashmir. We went as civilians on a >> > >> > houseboat. The people we met had no idea I was ex-army. We talked to >> > >> > them. They all hated violence. I wanted to remember the beauty of >> > >> > Kashmir. Personally, I do not care whether Kashmir is part of India >> or >> > >> > Pakistan. The referendum on Kashmir which never took place after >> > >> > Independence [in 1947] can only happen when people are in a position >> > >> > to make reasoned choices. Kashmir has been so tainted that such a >> > >> > choice is not possible. People need a period of normal life. A >> > >> > generation of children have been traumatized; growing in the shadow >> of >> > >> > violence, their childhood play is a mimicry of adult wars. >> > >> > >> > >> > ‘For any solution, the grievances that hardened into incentives to >> > >> > persist in conflict need to be unravelled. After the loss of 80,000 >> > >> > lives, the Government says: “We have shed blood in Kashmir, and >> > >> > therefore nothing can change.” I say: “I lost my blood, but I don’t >> > >> > care that much.” Public opinion is manipulated by political parties. >> I >> > >> > can speak with a certain authority, because I actually fought, >> unlike >> > >> > intransigent armchair politicians. If I say India should take a less >> > >> > hard line, this is because I have seen the damage hard lines can do. >> > >> > >> > >> > ‘I love my country, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think it can >> become >> > >> > a better place. If they don’t do things right, thousands more will >> > >> > die. Kashmir remains one of the most militarized places on earth. It >> > >> > is often said that ethnicity creates violence; but I think violence >> > >> > creates ethnicity – people who have lived in amity for centuries are >> > >> > moved by injustice, and the divisiveness of that injustice focuses >> on >> > >> > ethnicity or religion. >> > >> > >> > >> > ‘If violence has declined at present, this is not because India is >> > >> > doing the right thing. The militants turned their attention to >> Kashmir >> > >> > in 1989, when the Russians withdrew from Afghanistan. Today, the >> > >> > militants have more urgent priorities, again in Afghanistan and the >> > >> > Pakistan border. Because the Indian state failed to grant autonomy >> to >> > >> > Kashmir, the social contract between people and State was breached. >> It >> > >> > is easy to explain why the conflict started, but that doesn’t >> account >> > >> > for the way it assumed a life of its own, and its prolongation over >> so >> > >> > many years. >> > >> > >> > >> > ‘There is no overnight solution. But there is a window of >> opportunity, >> > >> > now the pressure has lessened on Kashmir by the removal of militants >> > >> > to other parts of Asia. There is a chance for everyday life to be >> > >> > restored, where people will not have their door hammered in at two >> in >> > >> > the morning, or stopped at four roadblocks on the way to the market. >> > >> > Indian soldiers will not have instructions during elections to >> coerce >> > >> > 70 per cent of people to vote, just to ‘prove’ they support the >> > >> > democratic process. >> > >> > >> > >> > ‘It is painful to say this as a Hindu army officer and an Indian >> > >> > patriot, but truth is truth. I see an opportunity in Kashmir right >> > >> > now, especially since Pakistan is troubled by its own internal >> > >> > conflict. If we don’t seize it, India will be the loser.’ >> > >> > _________________________________________ >> > >> > 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: >> > >> >> > >> _________________________________________________________________ >> > >> South Cinema This Decade >> > >> http://entertainment.in.msn.com/southcinemathisdecade/ >> > >> _________________________________________ >> > >> 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: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> >> >> ------------------------------ >> Catch the changing security environment Get it 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 chintangirishmodi at gmail.com Sun Apr 25 09:02:55 2010 From: chintangirishmodi at gmail.com (Chintan) Date: Sun, 25 Apr 2010 09:02:55 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Article: 'Living on love and fresh air' In-Reply-To: <22684.9816.qm@web57202.mail.re3.yahoo.com> References: <22684.9816.qm@web57202.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Hi Kshmendra Glad you found that thought-provoking. Check this one too. *Mali's Gift Economy* by Beverly Bell http://www.yesmagazine.org/economies/malis-gift-economy?utm_source=27jul09&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=15_Mali Excerpts: Coumba says, “If you ask any number of people how they live, what they eat, where they get what they wear, you would quickly notice that most of it has been given by someone.” *dama* is a time-honored, well-honed means of keeping away hunger, prolonged illness, and early death. It provides the social safety net which the state—egged on by the World Bank and IMF—has neglected: a working health system, social security for the elders, education, and child care. In addition to trying to prevent anyone from being too poor, yet another purpose of *dama* is to prevent most everyone from becoming too rich. While in the U.S. there often exists social reinforcement to accumulate as much as possible, with wealth and the wealthy frequently being revered, in Mali the cultural norm is to give away as much of your accumulation as possible, with generosity and the generous being most respected. The social pressure to give acts as a disincentive to hoard, or what we call save. Coumba offers, “Being rich here means that the person has abandoned his or her values, that he or she is not giving enough to the needs around. People really start worrying about what has happened to that person.” On Sat, Apr 24, 2010 at 3:45 PM, Kshmendra Kaul wrote: > Dear Chintan > > Thanks. Fascinating. > > Some thinking-aloud from me and what highlited itself for me: > > - (Writer Aparna Pallavi does not bring in religion into this evolvement of > life-view by Anusuyabai and Pandurang Meshram. Either she did not ask them > or they did not mention it or she chose (very sensibly) not to corrupt the > narrative by wedding it to a religion.) > > - "Love and trust. That appears to be the dominant philosophy of the > couple." > > - "When you love the land, it yields in abundance. When you love trees and > animals, they love you in return. What else do you need to live?" > > - "Zero-budget farming. The Meshrams have switched completely to organic > farming. They preserve indigenous seeds (and give freely to whoever needs > them) of a wide variety of crops they grow. Mulching and contour bunding > have enriched the land and reduced the need for irrigation, and have no need > for pest control. All other farming techniques have been simplified to a > point where the need for labour is minimal." > > - “Initially, we taught them techniques for making vermicompost, vermiwash, > organic pesticide. But after a year or two, they simply took to tying their > animals under some neem trees on the farm. The falling leaves, animal dung, > urine and fodder waste accumulating under the trees combined into the best > fertilizer-cum-pest repellant you ever saw. I have never heard of crop > failure or a pest attack on their farm,” (quoting Sucheta Ingole of > non-profit Dharmitra) > > - "The same simplicity characterizes their financial transactions. The > Meshrams keep their money with a trusted money-lender, refusing to bank, but > most of their savings are spent in helping relatives." > > - "And anyway, the man is trustworthy." ( Can you beat that? Trusting the > local money-lender?) > > - "So why do they bother to grow more than they need? “So we have something > to give,” he said with touching humility, “Villagers regularly take > vegetables and lentils from our farm. Everyone trusts us and we trust > everyone.” " > > - "Love and trust. That appears to be the dominant philosophy of the > couple." > > Thanks again Chintan > > Kshmendra > > > --- On *Sat, 4/24/10, Chintan * wrote: > > > From: Chintan > Subject: [Reader-list] Article: 'Living on love and fresh air' > To: "sarai list" > Date: Saturday, April 24, 2010, 12:24 PM > > From Down to Earth< > http://www.downtoearth.org.in/full6.asp?foldername=20090331&filename=news&sid=35&page=1&sec_id=50 > > > > Living on love and fresh air > > By Aparna Pallavi > > *A family that has little use for cash * > > The morning I went to meet her Anusuyabai Meshram did something she does > not > usually do—milk one of her cows. It was a special day: the Meshrams were > having guests. “We do not need milk on a daily basis,” she explained > cheerfully as she served us tea, “Because we drink our tea black.” > > There are many other things that Anusuyabai, 44, and her 47-year-old > husband > Pandurang Meshram do not need: electricity, piped water, security, a > weather-proof house, regular social contact, and for the most part, even > money. > > For the past eight years, this couple has been living by choice on their > seven acre (2.8 hectare) ancestral farm outside village Wasriphode in > Maharashra’s Yavatmal district without these facilities. Their joy in > living > a simple life shows on their faces. “We live like this because we like to,” > Pandurang said. “Two years ago our only daughter, Manisha, was married. Now > we are free of parental responsibilities,” he added. > > Before moving to Wasriphode, Pandurang had worked as a mechanic and driver > and also in a fishery for a few years, but the couple was never happy. “We > were always anxious about something or the other, especially money and > rising prices. Finally we decided to move away here and grow our own food > so > that we could live without worries,” he said. > > Over the past eight years, the Meshrams have evolved a lifestyle that > requires minimal money. They plant cotton on three of their seven acres, > and > food crops—jowar millets, a variety of legumes, vegetables, oilseeds and > spices on the rest. > > The cotton—an indigenious variety—earns them around Rs 40,000 annually, > which is enough to buy wheat, rice, the occasional set of clothing and a > few > necessities; perform their duties on social occasions like weddings in the > family, and save a little. > > “We do not need money to spend on addictions like tobacco or alcohol, or on > visits to doctors,” Anusuyabai said. > > For transport they have a bicycle, which, they claim is enough, because > apart from a monthly pilgrimage to Mahur about 75 km away, they never need > to travel more than 25-30 km. They get enough fuelwood from the trees on > their land. They harvest food items according to their requirements, > leaving > the rest on the field for whoever needs them. The couple says that they > have > never run short of food, and hardly ever harvest more than half of the > crops > they grow. > > [image: animal] *Our animals don't let us feel lonely, Pandurang said*“This > year we had an excellent okra crop,” Pandurang said, pointing to a plant > still standing amid a festoon of dried pods, “Each plant yielded more than > 100 pods. I gathered baskets of them and heaped them on the roadside for > whoever wanted them.” > > Has he never considered selling his excess produce for money? “Yes, but > *loche > wadteel* (it will only create complications),” he replied without missing a > beat. This sentence appears to be a refrain with the couple. Why don’t they > get an electric connection that they can very well afford? Why don’t they > add to their income by selling the milk from their nine cows? Why don’t > they > avail of government subsidies? Why don’t they put their money in a bank? > The > answer is the same always. > > It took some coaxing to get Pandurang to explain the nature of the > complications: “See, if we get electricity, we will have to earn extra to > pay bills, and will be frustrated over power cuts. If we sell our extra > produce, I will have to spend more time in the market than with my land and > animals. Subsidy means bribing officials.” > > So why do they bother to grow more than they need? “So we have something to > give,” he said with touching humility, “Villagers regularly take vegetables > and lentils from our farm. Everyone trusts us and we trust everyone.” > > Love and trust. That appears to be the dominant philosophy of the couple. > > Dogs, cats and cattle live in harmony on the farm, and injured wild animals > find their way there too. “I have seen a peacock, a deer and a hare in > their > farm at different times,” says Sucheta Ingole of Dharamitra, a non-profit > which works in the area of organic farming. > > “It is because of these animals that we don’t get lonely,” explained > Anusuyabai, “We have them for love, not for making money.” > > But what about the investment involved in growing those extra crops and > keeping the livestock? “What investment?” asked Pandurang. > > This brings us to one of the most important achievements of the Meshrams: > zero-budget farming. The Meshrams have switched completely to organic > farming. They preserve indigenous seeds (and give freely to whoever needs > them) of a wide variety of crops they grow. Mulching and contour bunding > have enriched the land and reduced the need for irrigation, and have no > need > for pest control. All other farming techniques have been simplified to a > point where the need for labour is minimal. > > “We do all the work and in any case our farm does not require more than > three hours of work a day,” Anusuya-bai said. > > “Initially, we taught them techniques for making vermicompost, vermiwash, > organic pesticide. But after a year or two, they simply took to tying their > animals under some neem trees on the farm. The falling leaves, animal dung, > urine and fodder waste accumulating under the trees combined into the best > fertilizer-cum-pest repellant you ever saw. I have never heard of crop > failure or a pest attack on their farm,” Ingole said. > > The same simplicity characterizes their financial transactions. The > Meshrams > keep their money with a trusted money-lender, refusing to bank, but most of > their savings are spent in helping relatives. > > [image: seed] *Indigeneous seeds, the secret of good harvests*For the last > two years they have been planning to rebuild their mud-and-tile house, > which > is sagging, but never got around to doing it because they gave away their > money to relatives who were in need. “It does not matter,” said a cheerful, > sunburnt Ansuyabai, “We are used to living in the open with our animals. We > will build the house when people repay us.” > > They do keep a nest-egg for an emergency though, but neither of them knows > exactly how much they have. “I have everything written down,” says > Pandurang, who has an education up to the fourth grade, with a careless > wave > of his hand, “And anyway, the man is trustworthy.” > > The Meshrams have inspired Tarak Kate, agricultural scientist and founder > of > Dharamitra. A year ago Kate, 60, retired from the non-profit and started > living on his own one hectare. > > The Meshrams have no doubts nor fear about sustaining their unique > self-sufficient lifestyle till the end of their lives. “When you love the > land, it yields in abundance. When you love trees and animals, they love > you > in return. What else do you need to live?” > > What else, indeed. > _________________________________________ > 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/> > > > From akmalik45 at yahoo.com Sun Apr 25 15:01:03 2010 From: akmalik45 at yahoo.com (A.K. Malik) Date: Sun, 25 Apr 2010 02:31:03 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] "A Hindu army officer and an Indian patriot..." In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <994621.30868.qm@web112120.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Dear Mr Durani, It is not unusual to have discussions at Senior levels in bilateral talks and arrive at some amicable decision and take requisite steps to get the decision implemented either thr' Govt decision or thr' an Act of Parliament.If some action is taken contrary to the law of the land,anyone can have recourse thr' courts of law in the country. However until something is contemplated you can't get the relief. With kind regards, (A.K.MALIK) --- On Sat, 4/24/10, Pawan Durani wrote: > From: Pawan Durani > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] "A Hindu army officer and an Indian patriot..." > To: "anupam chakravartty" > Cc: "sarai list" > Date: Saturday, April 24, 2010, 4:59 PM > No one in India , not even the Prime > Minister of India , has an > authority to make a decision on Kashmir which may be > contrary to the > resolution passed in Indian parliament. > > This should be kept in mind , leaving apart what > politicians do for > public consumption. > > Pawan > > On Sat, Apr 24, 2010 at 10:42 AM, anupam chakravartty > > wrote: > > http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Kashmir-pact-was-just-a-signature-away/articleshow/5850851.cms > > > > Excerpts: > > > > "He (Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, who was Pervez > Musharraf’s foreign minister > > from 2002 to 2007) said the two sides had agreed to > full demilitarisation of > > both Jammu & Kashmir as well as Pakistan-occupied > Kashmir, which Islamabad > > refers to as Azad Kashmir. In addition, a package of > loose autonomy that > > stopped short of the ‘azadi’ and self-governance > aspirations, had been > > agreed on and was to be introduced on both sides of > the disputed frontier. > > "We agreed on a point between complete independence > and autonomy," he said. > > > > > > > > > > On Fri, Apr 23, 2010 at 9:40 PM, Lalit Ambardar > > wrote: > > > >> > >> A poorly attempted juxtaposition of random > thoughts with a mischievous > >> intent to justify the equally malicious title. > >> > >> It is no revelation that foreign jihadists are > fighting along with the > >> local proponents of Azadi- bara – e-Islam > (freedom through Islam) in > >> Kashmir. > >> > >> ………‘If violence has declined at present, > this is not because India is > >>  doing the right thing. The militants turned > their attention to Kashmir > >>  in 1989, when the Russians withdrew from > Afghanistan. Today, the > >>  militants have more urgent priorities, again in > Afghanistan and the > >>  Pakistan border. Because the Indian state failed > to grant autonomy to > >>  Kashmir,…… > >>  …..now the pressure has lessened on Kashmir by > the removal of militants > >>  to other parts of Asia…….. > >> > >> Ayaz Amir also admitted though for different > reason (to justify strong > >> action by Pakistani army against the pan Islamists > in Af-Pak region) in his > >> article ‘A Make-or- break Moment’ Khalij > Times/Oct 23, 2009- > >> > >> …….. The stakes being so high, there is no > choice but to win, and win > >> decisively. Of course it is not going to be easy. > South Waziristan’s > >> fighters, including the foreign elements, are > amongst the most > >> battle-hardened on the planet. They have been > fighting for decades—in > >> Afghanistan, disputed Kashmir, now FATA….. > >> ……….3-5,000 Hezbollah fighters defeated the > Israeli army in Lebanon in > >> 2006. At the height of the Kashmir uprising > (starting from 1989) there could > >> not have been more than 5-10,000 guerrilla > fighters in the Valley. But they > >> tied down close to half a million Indian troops, > the bulk of which remain in > >> Kashmir…… > >> (full article at Click here to read the article ) > >> > >> > >> Regards all > >> LA > >> > >> > --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > >> > >> > >> > Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2010 11:52:55 +0530 > >> > From: waliarifi3 at gmail.com > >> > To: reader-list at sarai.net > >> > Subject: [Reader-list] "A Hindu army officer > and an Indian patriot..." > >> > > >> > http://www.newint.org/features/special/2010/04/01/kashmir-conflict/ > >> > > >> > A soldier’s story > >> > > >> > In the crossfire of daily violence between > militants and state forces, > >> > the picturesque northern Indian state of > Kashmir has known no peace > >> > for decades. In this revealing first-person > account, Gopal Mitra, a > >> > former Indian army Major, offers hard-won > insights into how the > >> > violence could be ended. He spoke to Jeremy > Seabrook. > >> > > >> > ---------------- > >> > > >> > Major Gopal Mitra had realized that India’s > militarization of Kashmir > >> > was no long-term solution before he was blown > up in Kupwara in 2000. > >> > An informer had guided his unit to a > booby-trapped militant hide-out. > >> > During the ensuing gun-battle, 17 kilos of > RDX explosive went up. > >> > Airlifted to hospital in Srinagar, Gopal > needed 150 stitches to his > >> > face and body. He lost his eyes and had to > undergo facial > >> > reconstruction. > >> > > >> > In and out of hospital for two years, he had > time to reflect, both on > >> > his injuries and what he was doing in > Kashmir. Now in his late > >> > thirties, he is without rancour or > bitterness. He works for an > >> > international disability charity, and says > the loss of his eyes has > >> > been compensated by the insights gained. > >> > > >> > ‘As a soldier, you have to believe that > terrorism is bad for your > >> > country. But when you see it close up, you > realize there is a reason > >> > for resistance – usually a result of some > earlier failing by the > >> > State. When violence starts – in the North > East or in Kashmir – it > >> > begins as a way of redressing grievances. But > over time, the just > >> > objective is overtaken, and conflict soon > generates its own reasons > >> > for continuing. When public opinion is met by > oppression, there is > >> > bound to be violence. In Kashmir, when the > State installs puppet > >> > governments with no mandate to act on behalf > of the people, how can > >> > they accept it? > >> > > >> > ‘Kashmir is seen as a bilateral issue > between India and Pakistan, a > >> > cause for international concern. This > doesn’t address the issue of how > >> > conflict is sustained on the ground. The > whole society is drawn into > >> > prolonging war. The search for justice is > overwhelmed by other > >> > priorities, including the self-interest of > those who gain some > >> > advantage from it. There are four parties to > the conflict – militants, > >> > civil administration, army and local > population. All operate and live > >> > in the area. The best houses in any village, > although far beyond their > >> > legitimate means, are always occupied by > Government officials. Social > >> > structures, accountability, civil > administration have all broken down. > >> > Transparency International says that after > Bihar, Kashmir is the most > >> > corrupt state in India. It receives huge > funds from central > >> > government. > >> > > >> > ‘The whole economy is distorted because > basic social norms have > >> > collapsed. Most stolen cars in India are > traded in Kashmir. > >> > > >> > ‘Many militants believe passionately in > their cause and take up arms. > >> > This also creates commercial pressures: > arms-suppliers who have an > >> > interest in continuing conflict. After the > snowmelt in April-May till > >> > November, militants cross the passes. They > get high rates and bonuses > >> > for killing members of the security forces. > The security forces have > >> > all the militants’ radio-intercepts: it is > known they inflate the > >> > numbers killed when reporting to their > bosses, because this increases > >> > their bonuses. > >> > > >> > ‘There is no adequate rehabilitation > package for militants. There is > >> > no thought-out strategy to absorb them back > into society. > >> > > >> > ‘It is in the nature of prolonged armed > operations to alienate people, > >> > no matter how disciplined the army. You > search houses, knock on doors > >> > in the middle of the night; people are under > siege. Some find serving > >> > as informers to the army a viable way of > making a living. This is how > >> > the neutrality of civilians is compromised, > both by the army and the > >> > militants. It polarizes people. The army has > an incentive to > >> > perpetuate the crisis, because this > vindicates its reason for > >> > existence and ensures resources are allocated > to the area. > >> > > >> > ‘I love my country, but that doesn’t mean > I don’t think it can become > >> > a better place’ > >> > > >> > ‘The initial objectives take second place > to conflict for its own > >> > sake. The idea that an Indo-Pak solution is > the only answer places it > >> > in a different sphere from the violence on > the ground. Simple > >> > one-dimensional solutions don’t work. > Societies, easy to divide, are > >> > harder to re-unite. In Kashmir, if I had a > grievance against you, I’d > >> > have fought it out with you. But now I’ll > get two militants to attack > >> > you. Personal vendettas feed into the wider > conflict; private > >> > animosities get involved, the whole community > is distorted. > >> > > >> > ‘When you see daily violence, you ask > yourself: “Is this what we are > >> > fighting for?” Before I was injured, I knew > armed operations would not > >> > lead to a solution. But the support system in > the army is very robust. > >> > It helps you not to feel troubled, to > concentrate on your duty. The > >> > camaraderie is strong, and the common danger > a consolidating force. > >> > > >> > ‘North Kashmir was known as a ‘hot > zone’. We were involved in search > >> > and destroy missions. Militants from Pakistan > were servicing bases in > >> > the forest, stocks of ammunition and guns in > camps hidden underground. > >> > We flushed out and captured arms and > personnel. I was leading my > >> > company when I was injured. I remember only > floating in and out of > >> > consciousness. The speed of evacuation saved > my life. > >> > > >> > ‘Initially I felt anger and uncertainty. > The doctor said: “Look, > >> > Gopal, I’ll have to take out your eye – > if I don’t your brain may > >> > become infected.” My destiny, which I > thought I had taken into my > >> > hands, took another turn. In hospital I met > my wife. Her father had > >> > also been in the army, and he, too, had been > blinded. She was doing a > >> > Social Work MA and it was through her I came > to development work. We > >> > were married in 2003. > >> > > >> > ‘I never hated Kashmir, and afterwards had > nothing against the > >> > militant who deprived me of sight. He was > also doing his job. My wife > >> > and I took our honeymoon in Kashmir. We went > as civilians on a > >> > houseboat. The people we met had no idea I > was ex-army. We talked to > >> > them. They all hated violence. I wanted to > remember the beauty of > >> > Kashmir. Personally, I do not care whether > Kashmir is part of India or > >> > Pakistan. The referendum on Kashmir which > never took place after > >> > Independence [in 1947] can only happen when > people are in a position > >> > to make reasoned choices. Kashmir has been so > tainted that such a > >> > choice is not possible. People need a period > of normal life. A > >> > generation of children have been traumatized; > growing in the shadow of > >> > violence, their childhood play is a mimicry > of adult wars. > >> > > >> > ‘For any solution, the grievances that > hardened into incentives to > >> > persist in conflict need to be unravelled. > After the loss of 80,000 > >> > lives, the Government says: “We have shed > blood in Kashmir, and > >> > therefore nothing can change.” I say: “I > lost my blood, but I don’t > >> > care that much.” Public opinion is > manipulated by political parties. I > >> > can speak with a certain authority, because I > actually fought, unlike > >> > intransigent armchair politicians. If I say > India should take a less > >> > hard line, this is because I have seen the > damage hard lines can do. > >> > > >> > ‘I love my country, but that doesn’t mean > I don’t think it can become > >> > a better place. If they don’t do things > right, thousands more will > >> > die. Kashmir remains one of the most > militarized places on earth. It > >> > is often said that ethnicity creates > violence; but I think violence > >> > creates ethnicity – people who have lived > in amity for centuries are > >> > moved by injustice, and the divisiveness of > that injustice focuses on > >> > ethnicity or religion. > >> > > >> > ‘If violence has declined at present, this > is not because India is > >> > doing the right thing. The militants turned > their attention to Kashmir > >> > in 1989, when the Russians withdrew from > Afghanistan. Today, the > >> > militants have more urgent priorities, again > in Afghanistan and the > >> > Pakistan border. Because the Indian state > failed to grant autonomy to > >> > Kashmir, the social contract between people > and State was breached. It > >> > is easy to explain why the conflict started, > but that doesn’t account > >> > for the way it assumed a life of its own, and > its prolongation over so > >> > many years. > >> > > >> > ‘There is no overnight solution. But there > is a window of opportunity, > >> > now the pressure has lessened on Kashmir by > the removal of militants > >> > to other parts of Asia. There is a chance for > everyday life to be > >> > restored, where people will not have their > door hammered in at two in > >> > the morning, or stopped at four roadblocks on > the way to the market. > >> > Indian soldiers will not have instructions > during elections to coerce > >> > 70 per cent of people to vote, just to > ‘prove’ they support the > >> > democratic process. > >> > > >> > ‘It is painful to say this as a Hindu army > officer and an Indian > >> > patriot, but truth is truth. I see an > opportunity in Kashmir right > >> > now, especially since Pakistan is troubled by > its own internal > >> > conflict. If we don’t seize it, India will > be the loser.’ > >> > _________________________________________ > >> > 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: > >> > >> > _________________________________________________________________ > >> South Cinema This Decade > >> http://entertainment.in.msn.com/southcinemathisdecade/ > >> _________________________________________ > >> 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: <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 shuddha at sarai.net Sun Apr 25 14:10:08 2010 From: shuddha at sarai.net (Shuddhabrata Sengupta) Date: Sun, 25 Apr 2010 14:10:08 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Not So Fabulous Fables by JTSA Message-ID: <06854D26-0B38-42A3-99B9-B72A1C76F3E7@sarai.net> Dear All, This one (a text by the Jamia Teachers Solidarity Association) goes out to all the members of the Praveen Swami Fan Club on this list. Food, I hope, for thought, for all concerned. regards Shuddha Praveen Swami’s not so fabulous fables Jamia Teachers’ Solidarity Association 26th April 2010 If there is one infallible indicator of what the top Indian Intelligence agencies are thinking or cooking up, it is this: Praveen Swami’s articles. Each time the security establishment wishes to push a certain angle to this bomb blast or that, Swami’s articles appear magically, faithfully reflecting the Intelligence reports. After the Batla House ‘encounter’, he launched a tirade against all those who were questioning the police account of the shootout labeling them all ‘Alices in wonderland’. He went so far as to identify ‘precisely’ how Inspector Sharma was shot by claiming that "abdomen wound was inflicted with [Atif] Amin's weapon and the shoulder hit, by Mohammad Sajid". And no sir, Swami’s conclusion was not based on post mortem reports of the killed, fire arm examination report or ballistic report but on this innocent fact: “the investigators believe that…” He certainly brings in a whole new meaning to ‘investigative journalism’. Swami however felt no need to pen an article when the postmortem reports of Atif and Sajid revealed that they had been shot from close range and that neither of them sustained gunshot wounds in the frontal region of the body—an impossibility in the case of a genuine encounter. Was it because the police and the Home Ministry chose to remain quite after the revelations—hoping that the storm would quietly blow over.? Flip Flops on German Bakery Blasts And meanwhile there was the German Bakery blast in Pune. Writing less than a week after the blasts, Swami hinted at the possible involvement of the Hindutva groups, namely Abhinav Bharat (“Hindutva Terror Probe Haunts Pune Investigation”, 19th February 2010). Indeed, this was mood in the ATS (though this was no deterrent to the large scale illegal detention and brutal interrogation often at private premises, of scores of Muslim youth in Pune.) Even the following week, the Home Department officials were not ruling out the possibility of the involvement of the Right wing Hindutva groups. But that was February. By March, political impatience at the probe taking such a turn was palpable. Responding to a riled Shiv Sena in the legislative assembly, the Maharashtra Home Minister, R.R. Patil thundered: “I will inquire if Raghuvanshi really indicated to the media about involvement of Hindu organisations in the Pune blast and if he did, action will be taken (against him)." As if on cue, two days later, Rakesh Maria was installed as the new ATS chief. This was of course only after a few months when Vinita Kamte, widow of the slain ATS officer Ashok Kamte, made serious allegations casting aspersions on Maria’s role in responding to the then ATS chief Hemant Karkare’s call for reinforcements during 26/11. CCTV Footage: Since its start, the probe had little to go on by way of leads except for the CCTV footage. While the Pune police commissioned experts to draw sketches of the suspects based on this footage, ATS dismissed this exercise as “anything but useful”, as their source, the CCTV footage, was itself grainy. (Siasat, April 12). Where does Swami stand on this? He wrote in his 19th February piece: “All that investigators have by way of suspects are three men recorded holding brief meetings before the blast by a poor-quality closed-circuit television camera. From the videotape, it is unclear if the men had anything to do with the attack.” Exactly a month later, Swami conveniently develops an amnesia about Abhinav Bharat and even about the poor quality of CCTV footage. What was earlier ‘unclear” and hazy has in one month segued into solid shape: in the form of top Indian Mujahideen (IM) operative Mohammad Zarar Siddi Bawa ie., Yasin Bhatkal. Suddenly imparted with enlightenment, Swami writes dramatically of how a closed circuit television camera ... “recorded evidence that Bawa had returned to India—just minutes before an improvised explosive device ripped through the popular restaurant killing seventeen people and injuring at least sixty.” The poor quality (by Swami’s own admission) and useless (by the ATS’s admission) visual evidence has morphed into precious footage of Bhatkal, “the fair, slight young man with a wispy beard” … “dressed in a loose-fitting blue shirt, a rucksack slung over his back.” Clearly, Swami’s changing perceptions about the CCTV footage is in accord with the shifting attitude of the ATS itself. The ATS began by keeping the option of probing Abhinav Bharat open; developed cold feet, preferred to lapse into the usual Lashkar-IM litany, ‘rediscovered’ hitherto worthless footage and resurrected the IM. In an unequivocal reference to the manner in which innocent Muslim youths were arrested earlier by the ATS in its pre-Karkare days, a senior officer of the Pune Police admitted that “There have been some arrests in the Pune blast incident just as in the case of the 2006 Malegaon explosions. But we would never know whether those arrested were actually the men who triggered the blasts.” (Siasat, April 12, 2010). Rumours that the probe might be handed over the National Investigative Agency must have also pressured the Maharashtra ATS to show ‘results’—and viola, within two weeks of taking over, Maria submitted a preliminary report to the state government identifying the hand of Bhatkal and IM in the blasts. This was of course promptly and proudly relayed by R.R. Patil to the legislative assembly (surely to the relief also of the Shiv Sena legislators). Is it a coincidence that the Pune Police Commissioner has been transferred, ostensibly for the rising crime graph a couple of days ago? It seems improbable that the running battle between the Pune police and the ATS—whose current chief Maria had thrown a tantrum following Vinita Kamte’s accusation, demanding the support of the state Home Ministry—had no role to play in this. The Bangalore Blasts: When two crude bombs went off outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium ahead of the match between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore on 17th April, the Karnataka Home Minister V.S. Acharya announced that the state Police were investigating the alleged involvement of the cricket betting lobby. He forcefully denied any link with the earlier blasts in the city in 2008. But Yasin Bhatkal seems to have preoccupied Swami’s mind on 19th April for he evokes him again in connection with the stadium blasts (“Stadium Blasts herald new IM offensive”). Citing the ever cooperative ‘investigators, he says that the ‘similarity in design’ and the manner in which some bombs failed to explode are a sure indicator of the IM hand. Beyond this, he has nothing to link Bangalore bombs to Bhatkal. But good stories can always compensate for lack of facts. His piece, “To Bangalore with Hate” on 21st April (which has charming subtitles such as Jihad at ginger Plantation”), is no less crude then the two bombs at the stadium. Swami here details the biographies of SIMI activists in South India, making the link, ever so cleverly, between SIMI—and yes, IM—and the stadium blasts, without providing any evidence of their actual linkage. Life stories of these men are proof enough, he assumes. It is quite clear that Mr. Swami has provided a (sometimes entertaining) dramatized version of the charge sheets files by the various police departments across the country. While it may make for a good script, we do hope that Mr. Swami understand what charge sheets are: a list of charges or allegations, which the police has still the burden to prove in a court of law--not irrefutable or established truth. Perhaps, Mr Swami fancies himself a literary genius who believes in narratives acquiring their own lives. In which case, he has manufactured a large corpus of mediocre short stories. Released by JTSA (www.teacherssolidarity.org) Shuddhabrata Sengupta The Sarai Programme at CSDS Raqs Media Collective shuddha at sarai.net www.sarai.net www.raqsmediacollective.net From pawan.durani at gmail.com Sun Apr 25 15:50:45 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Sun, 25 Apr 2010 15:50:45 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Sleaze shrouds Shopian Molvi Message-ID: Stopped from leading Friday prayers http://dailykashmirimages.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=21111:sleaze-shrouds-shopian-molvi&catid=1:news&Itemid=2 Shopian: In a bizarre development, Molvi Tariq, who used to head the Friday prayers at Nai Masjid Shopian, was not allowed to do so today following allegations that he had impregnated a domestic help. Molvi Tariq, who spearheaded agitation against the alleged rape and murder of two Shopian women before the formation of Majlis, was this Friday not allowed to lead the prayers. Some people alleged that Tariq impregnated his domestic help, a girl from Bona Mohalla, who had to go for abortion. “Actually the girl was a domestic help with Tariq’s mother who was not putting up with her son due to some dispute. “Sometime back, the mother shifted to Tariq’s place and Tariq insisted that the girl (name withheld) continues to help his mother. “He even assured girl’s family that ‘her all needs would be taken care of and he would also help to get he married,” sources said. However, after sometime, it was shockingly known to the family of the girl that Molvi Tariq had developed illicit relationship with her and that she had conceived. The family, sources said, rushed to Anantnag and got her abortion done somewhere there illegally. It is interesting to note that Tariq was affiliated with Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, led by Syed Ali Geelani and led the earlier protests in Shopian in that capacity. However, sources added, he has been expelled from the party following the disclosure. Sources said that following the girl’s abortion, the family approached a local respectable (name withheld) and narrated the who story to him. Following the disclosure, posters appeared all over the town not to allow Molvi Tariq to head Friday prayers and thus he was not allowed, sources said. Sources said that elders were busy discussing the issue till late Friday evening, however, it couldn’t be confirmed what decisions were made. From pawan.durani at gmail.com Sun Apr 25 15:52:44 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Sun, 25 Apr 2010 15:52:44 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] To Bangalore, with hate - Praveen Swami Message-ID: http://www.hindu.com/2010/04/22/stories/2010042252241000.htm To Bangalore, with hate Praveen Swami Police hunting for the perpetrators of last week's attacks on the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore are revisiting the 2008 serial bombings in the city. “HAPPY Vishu, Malayalees and Pravasees,” reads the cheerful red banner running across the web page set up by an enthusiastic resident of Pallikera in Kerala. Photos offer a glimpse of the small town's charms: men with gym-honed biceps, the Bekal fort, and, improbably, photos of two western tourists hugging the billboard of a local celebrity. Fifteen years ago, a young man named Sarfaraz Nawaz left Pallikera on a journey that would lead, step by step, to the serial bombings in Bangalore in June, 2008. From his story, and that of his associates in south India's Islamist networks, investigators have pieced together a fascinating account of how multiple jihadist cells formed across the region; linked to each other only loosely through leaders, who in turn were connected to Islamist groups in the Gulf and the Lashkar-e-Taiba's commanders in Pakistan. But the story also demonstrates disturbing gaps in intelligence; gaps that allowed jihadists to mobilise and recruit members, and prepare for attacks. Following last week's bombings at the M. Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore, the police in Karnataka have renewed the search for over a dozen individuals linked to Nawaz's networks who eluded arrest after the June 2008 serial bombings in India's information-technology capital. Born in 1977, the quiet, scholarly Nawaz joined the Students Islamic Movement of India in 1995. In 1996, he left home to study at the famous Dar-ul-Uloom Nadwat-ul-Ullema seminary in Lucknow. But he found its clerical austerity stifling, and returned to Kochi to study at Accel Computers. Fluent in Malayalam, English, Hindi, Urdu and Arabic, Nawaz began writing regularly in the SIMI-linked Kerala magazine Nerariv and the pro-National Development Front newspaper Thejus. By March 2000, Nawaz had become SIMI's office secretary in New Delhi. His friends included Safdar Nagori, the imprisoned head of SIMI's jihadist faction; fugitive Indian Mujahideen commander Abdul Subhan Qureshi; and Saqib Nachan, charged with a bombing on a Mumbai train that left eleven dead. In 2001, Nawaz took a job with computer-services firm Future Outlooks at Ibra in Oman. Later, he joined the Ibn Sina Medical Institute in Dubai — a facility run by a former president of SIMI's Kerala chapter, Dr. Abdul Ghafoor — as its public relations officer. Abdul Aziz, another former SIMI member from Malappuram in Kerala, helped Nawaz get a job at the al-Mihad centre in 2006. In July 2006, he shifted to the al-Noor Education Trust in Muscat. Muscat was the hub from which the 2008 Bangalore bombings were planned and financed. In the summer of 2007, Bangalore Police investigators say, Nawaz met Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Mohammad Rehan in Muscat. Introduced by common friends, the two men discussed armed retaliation against anti-Muslim violence in India. Nawaz refused his offer to train in Pakistan but agreed to recruit Kerala residents to the Lashkar's cause. Jihad at the ginger plantation The police do not know precisely what led Nawaz to work with the Lashkar but the fraught communal climate probably was a factor. In 2002, a drunken New Year's fight in the beach village of Marad sparked off violence that lasted a year, claiming thirteen lives. Hundreds of Muslim families fled the area. Nawaz was not in India at the time but he turned to a man who was. Tadiyantavide Nasir joined the far-right Islamic Sevak Sangh in 1991, at just fifteen years of age. Police records document his chaotic, violent life: a murder charge, of which he was acquitted; an abortive attempt to assassinate the former Kerala Chief Minister, E.K. Nayanar; the burning of a Tamil Nadu bus to protest the arrest of ISS leader Abdul Nasser Maudany on terrorism charges; and a bombing outside the Kozhikode Press Club to highlight his cause. Nasir was not a SIMI member but knew many of its members well. From 2005, Nasir began to tap Nawaz for funds to set up a jihad training camp on a remote ginger plantation near Hasatota in Karnataka's Kodagu district. In 2007, the police say, he met key SIMI operative Qureshi — who, using the code-name Tauqir, liaised between the Indian Mujahideen's regional cells. Later, Nasir's cell supplied ammonium nitrate and integrated-circuit timers to the Indian Mujahideen's Mangalore-based commander Riyaz Ismail Shahbandri. Shahbandri's lieutenant Mohammad Zarar Siddi Bawa is the key suspect in the 2010 German Bakery bombing at Pune. In 2007, Nawaz met Nasir in Kerala and discussed plans for an attack on Bangalore. By 2008, investigators say, the Lashkar's Rehan offered some $2,500 to finance the operation. Islamists living in the Gulf, notably fugitive terror commander CAM Bashir, raised additional funds. That March, Nawaz travelled home to Kerala. He also travelled to Bangalore, to look at possible targets. Nasir's group later tested two bombs near Kozhikode. On July 23, 2008, Nasir and his group arrived in Bangalore in a hired Scorpio jeep, loaded with fourteen improvised explosive devices. Nine went off two days later, killing two people, injuring twenty. Later that year, Nasir sent five cadre to Jammu and Kashmir, to train with a Lashkar commander in the Lolab valley near Kupwara. Nawaz had set up the training opportunity but police and Army personnel soon detected the strangers. Abdul Faiz and Mohammad Fayyaz from Kannur, Muhammad Yasir from Kochi, and Abdul Rahim from Malappuram were shot dead. Abdul Jabbar, the fifth volunteer, is under trial. Bus tickets found on the body of one of the jihadists helped unravel the operation. Nasir fled to Bangladesh, aided by Lashkar operatives based out of Dhaka. It was not until last year that the Research and Analysis Wing located Nawaz in Oman, setting off a transnational manhunt that led to the arrest of Nasir and the Lashkar's Karachi-origin resident commander in Dhaka, Mubashir Shahid. SIMI's jihadist faction had hoped the infrastructure set up by Nawaz and Nasir would help a separate cell that it had given birth to in Bangalore a decade ago. In 2000, a young SIMI ikhwan (full time worker) Peedical Abdul Shibli had moved to Bangalore to work at IT giant Tata Elexi. Recruited by the Islamist group in 1997 while he was a student in Thiruvananthapuram, Shibli was among Nawaz's key activists. Shibli soon set up Sarani, a hostel for north Kerala migrants to Bangalore, offering them an Islamic environment. It ran in Bangalore's Vivek Nagar area, before moving to larger premises in Eejipura and then Bismillah Nagar. Kerala SIMI ideologues would often lecture residents here. Few Sarani residents, though, were stereotypical fanatics. Shibli's key recruit, Wipro-General Electric employee Yahya Kamakutty, for example, travelled to the U.S. at least thrice in 2000-2001 alone. In 2001, following its public declarations of support for Al-Qaeda, SIMI was proscribed; but Sarani continued to run. SIMI chief Safdar Nagori visited the hostel in 2002 for three days, as did several other senior ideologues, unmonitored by local intelligence services. By early 2006, Shibli was working full-time for SIMI's now-covert jihadists. In April 2006, SIMI held a secret meeting in Bangalore. Later, at a meeting held in Ujjain from July 4-7 2006, SIMI committed itself to an Islamist jihad against the Indian state. In April 2007, SIMI held a training camp at Castle Rock near Hubli, under the cover of hosting an outdoors event for Sarani residents. Another camp was held in Bijapur in June 2007, followed by a meeting at Dharwar in August. Police failure Recruits received bomb-making and firearms instruction from Subhan at camps held near Indore in September and November, 2007. Instruction in assembling fuel bombs was provided in December 2007 at a camp held outside Ernakulam. Of the forty-odd individuals the police believe attended these camps, over half were Bangalore residents. The police arrested several, including Shibly, Kamakutty, Husain and Raziuddin Nasir, who planned to bomb western tourists in Goa in the winter of 2008 but over half are still missing. Many believe Bangalore's police simply did not take the threat seriously enough. No effort was made to install even basic defensive measures like closed-circuit cameras around the Chinnaswamy stadium. But there is a larger failure, too. For all the technological investments in intelligence made since the November 2008 carnage in Mumbai, the attacks in Pune and Bangalore have made clear that the police are yet to penetrate the jihadist cells responsible for the terror offensive from 2005 onwards — a failure that bodes ill for the future. From kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Sun Apr 25 16:40:14 2010 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Sun, 25 Apr 2010 04:10:14 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] Article: 'Living on love and fresh air' In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <843256.83564.qm@web57208.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Dear Chintan   Thanks. Had heard about it but thanks to you got to read it up.   Saw it someplace described as elements of Anarchist-Communism. It would be fascinating to know where the roots lie.   Here are some links, of which you might already be aware. Just in case .........   1. "Dama: A Vibrant Gift Economy in Mali" http://www.charityfocus.org/blog/view.php?id=2051   2. "Mali: Gift Economy" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ELNsQdSMOc   3. "The Gift Economy" (website)     "SHIFTING THE PARADIGM TOWARDS A WOMAN BASED GIFT ECONOMY" http://www.gift-economy.com/index.html   Kshmendra --- On Sun, 4/25/10, Chintan wrote: From: Chintan Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Article: 'Living on love and fresh air' To: "Kshmendra Kaul" Cc: "sarai list" Date: Sunday, April 25, 2010, 9:02 AM Hi  Kshmendra Glad you found that thought-provoking. Check this one too. Mali's Gift Economy   by Beverly Bell   http://www.yesmagazine.org/economies/malis-gift-economy?utm_source=27jul09&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=15_Mali   Excerpts:   Coumba says, “If you ask any number of people how they live, what they eat, where they get what they wear, you would quickly notice that most of it has been given by someone.” dama is a time-honored, well-honed means of keeping away hunger, prolonged illness, and early death. It provides the social safety net which the state—egged on by the World Bank and IMF—has neglected: a working health system, social security for the elders, education, and child care. In addition to trying to prevent anyone from being too poor, yet another purpose of dama is to prevent most everyone from becoming too rich. While in the U.S. there often exists social reinforcement to accumulate as much as possible, with wealth and the wealthy frequently being revered, in Mali the cultural norm is to give away as much of your accumulation as possible, with generosity and the generous being most respected. The social pressure to give acts as a disincentive to hoard, or what we call save. Coumba offers, “Being rich here means that the person has abandoned his or her values, that he or she is not giving enough to the needs around. People really start worrying about what has happened to that person.” On Sat, Apr 24, 2010 at 3:45 PM, Kshmendra Kaul wrote: Dear Chintan   Thanks. Fascinating.   Some thinking-aloud from me and what highlited itself for me:   - (Writer Aparna Pallavi does not bring in religion into this evolvement of life-view by  Anusuyabai and Pandurang Meshram. Either she did not ask them or they did not mention it or she chose (very sensibly) not to corrupt the narrative by wedding it to a religion.)   - "Love and trust. That appears to be the dominant philosophy of the couple."   - "When you love the land, it yields in abundance. When you love trees and animals, they love you in return. What else do you need to live?"   - "Zero-budget farming. The Meshrams have switched completely to organic farming. They preserve indigenous seeds (and give freely to whoever needs them) of a wide variety of crops they grow. Mulching and contour bunding have enriched the land and reduced the need for irrigation, and have no need for pest control. All other farming techniques have been simplified to a point where the need for labour is minimal."   - “Initially, we taught them techniques for making vermicompost, vermiwash, organic pesticide. But after a year or two, they simply took to tying their animals under some neem trees on the farm. The falling leaves, animal dung, urine and fodder waste accumulating under the trees combined into the best fertilizer-cum-pest repellant you ever saw. I have never heard of crop failure or a pest attack on their farm,” (quoting Sucheta Ingole of non-profit Dharmitra)   - "The same simplicity characterizes their financial transactions. The Meshrams keep their money with a trusted money-lender, refusing to bank, but most of their savings are spent in helping relatives."   - "And anyway, the man is trustworthy." ( Can you beat that? Trusting the local money-lender?)    - "So why do they bother to grow more than they need? “So we have something to give,” he said with touching humility, “Villagers regularly take vegetables and lentils from our farm. Everyone trusts us and we trust everyone.” "   - "Love and trust. That appears to be the dominant philosophy of the couple."   Thanks again Chintan   Kshmendra --- On Sat, 4/24/10, Chintan wrote: From: Chintan Subject: [Reader-list] Article: 'Living on love and fresh air' To: "sarai list" Date: Saturday, April 24, 2010, 12:24 PM >From Down to Earth Living on love and fresh air By Aparna Pallavi *A family that has little use for cash * The morning I went to meet her Anusuyabai Meshram did something she does not usually do—milk one of her cows. It was a special day: the Meshrams were having guests. “We do not need milk on a daily basis,” she explained cheerfully as she served us tea, “Because we drink our tea black.” There are many other things that Anusuyabai, 44, and her 47-year-old husband Pandurang Meshram do not need: electricity, piped water, security, a weather-proof house, regular social contact, and for the most part, even money. For the past eight years, this couple has been living by choice on their seven acre (2.8 hectare) ancestral farm outside village Wasriphode in Maharashra’s Yavatmal district without these facilities. Their joy in living a simple life shows on their faces. “We live like this because we like to,” Pandurang said. “Two years ago our only daughter, Manisha, was married. Now we are free of parental responsibilities,” he added. Before moving to Wasriphode, Pandurang had worked as a mechanic and driver and also in a fishery for a few years, but the couple was never happy. “We were always anxious about something or the other, especially money and rising prices. Finally we decided to move away here and grow our own food so that we could live without worries,” he said. Over the past eight years, the Meshrams have evolved a lifestyle that requires minimal money. They plant cotton on three of their seven acres, and food crops—jowar millets, a variety of legumes, vegetables, oilseeds and spices on the rest. The cotton—an indigenious variety—earns them around Rs 40,000 annually, which is enough to buy wheat, rice, the occasional set of clothing and a few necessities; perform their duties on social occasions like weddings in the family, and save a little. “We do not need money to spend on addictions like tobacco or alcohol, or on visits to doctors,” Anusuyabai said. For transport they have a bicycle, which, they claim is enough, because apart from a monthly pilgrimage to Mahur about 75 km away, they never need to travel more than 25-30 km. They get enough fuelwood from the trees on their land. They harvest food items according to their requirements, leaving the rest on the field for whoever needs them. The couple says that they have never run short of food, and hardly ever harvest more than half of the crops they grow. [image: animal] *Our animals don't let us feel lonely, Pandurang said*“This year we had an excellent okra crop,” Pandurang said, pointing to a plant still standing amid a festoon of dried pods, “Each plant yielded more than 100 pods. I gathered baskets of them and heaped them on the roadside for whoever wanted them.” Has he never considered selling his excess produce for money? “Yes, but *loche wadteel* (it will only create complications),” he replied without missing a beat. This sentence appears to be a refrain with the couple. Why don’t they get an electric connection that they can very well afford? Why don’t they add to their income by selling the milk from their nine cows? Why don’t they avail of government subsidies? Why don’t they put their money in a bank? The answer is the same always. It took some coaxing to get Pandurang to explain the nature of the complications: “See, if we get electricity, we will have to earn extra to pay bills, and will be frustrated over power cuts. If we sell our extra produce, I will have to spend more time in the market than with my land and animals. Subsidy means bribing officials.” So why do they bother to grow more than they need? “So we have something to give,” he said with touching humility, “Villagers regularly take vegetables and lentils from our farm. Everyone trusts us and we trust everyone.” Love and trust. That appears to be the dominant philosophy of the couple. Dogs, cats and cattle live in harmony on the farm, and injured wild animals find their way there too. “I have seen a peacock, a deer and a hare in their farm at different times,” says Sucheta Ingole of Dharamitra, a non-profit which works in the area of organic farming. “It is because of these animals that we don’t get lonely,” explained Anusuyabai, “We have them for love, not for making money.” But what about the investment involved in growing those extra crops and keeping the livestock? “What investment?” asked Pandurang. This brings us to one of the most important achievements of the Meshrams: zero-budget farming. The Meshrams have switched completely to organic farming. They preserve indigenous seeds (and give freely to whoever needs them) of a wide variety of crops they grow. Mulching and contour bunding have enriched the land and reduced the need for irrigation, and have no need for pest control. All other farming techniques have been simplified to a point where the need for labour is minimal. “We do all the work and in any case our farm does not require more than three hours of work a day,” Anusuya-bai said. “Initially, we taught them techniques for making vermicompost, vermiwash, organic pesticide. But after a year or two, they simply took to tying their animals under some neem trees on the farm. The falling leaves, animal dung, urine and fodder waste accumulating under the trees combined into the best fertilizer-cum-pest repellant you ever saw. I have never heard of crop failure or a pest attack on their farm,” Ingole said. The same simplicity characterizes their financial transactions. The Meshrams keep their money with a trusted money-lender, refusing to bank, but most of their savings are spent in helping relatives. [image: seed] *Indigeneous seeds, the secret of good harvests*For the last two years they have been planning to rebuild their mud-and-tile house, which is sagging, but never got around to doing it because they gave away their money to relatives who were in need. “It does not matter,” said a cheerful, sunburnt Ansuyabai, “We are used to living in the open with our animals. We will build the house when people repay us.” They do keep a nest-egg for an emergency though, but neither of them knows exactly how much they have. “I have everything written down,” says Pandurang, who has an education up to the fourth grade, with a careless wave of his hand, “And anyway, the man is trustworthy.” The Meshrams have inspired Tarak Kate, agricultural scientist and founder of Dharamitra. A year ago Kate, 60, retired from the non-profit and started living on his own one hectare. The Meshrams have no doubts nor fear about sustaining their unique self-sufficient lifestyle till the end of their lives. “When you love the land, it yields in abundance. When you love trees and animals, they love you in return. What else do you need to live?” What else, indeed. _________________________________________ 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 Sun Apr 25 17:10:31 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Sun, 25 Apr 2010 17:10:31 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] France's Model Muslim Message-ID: http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,690303,00.html#ref=nlint What happens when a Muslim cleric embraces the values of the West? In France, President Sarkozy is using the teachings of one imam for his own purposes. Hassen Chalghoumi, who has backed calls for a burqa ban, now faces threats from his own community. Hassen Chalghoumi is the best-known imam in France and easily the most controversial, even though he preaches peace instead of hate. Police cars are stationed in front of his mosque during Friday prayers, and he has two bodyguards with him at all times when he goes out in public. Sometimes, when it all becomes too much for him, he takes his wife and their five children and goes away for a week or two, in the hope that all the excitement over him and the ideas he preaches will calm down again. But the tactic hasn't worked so far, because the whole thing flares up again as soon as he returns home. Chalghoumi has led a hectic life in recent weeks. There are 5 million Muslims in France, although there could even be as many as 8 million, no one knows for sure. Some have been there for a long time while others are recent immigrants. Within this population, there are believed to be 1,400 women who wear either the large full-body veil, the burqa, in black or blue, or the niqab, the full veil that covers the face apart from the eyes, although that number could also be as low as 400. In any case, Chalghoumi dared to publicly condemn the wearing of the full veil, and he welcomed the idea of outlawing it -- something that may have been ill-advised. Chalghoumi's is a man who doesn't reveal much about himself, while others seem to think that they know everything about him. What is indisputable is that he was born in Tunis in 1972, immigrated to France in 1996 and became a French citizen in 2000, or perhaps it wasn't until two years later. Sometimes Chalghoumi contradicts himself, or he doesn't remember the details correctly, or he is quoted out of context. It isn't easy to figure him out, but it is easy to like him. He is a gentle person, a man with the grace of a professional dancer. Journey Into a Different World The imam lives in Drancy, a northern suburb of Paris with a population of 66,000, one of France's poorest municipalities. Although it's only a half-hour drive from downtown Paris to Drancy, it is a journey into a completely different world. The beauty of Paris ends on the Boulevard périphérique, the beltway surrounding the French capital. The drive soon passes through a completely different world of industrial estates, wasteland and cemeteries, past abandoned factories and railroad tracks covered with weeds. The first impression in Drancy is of the long lines forming in front of soup kitchens at midday. It is from here that Chalghoumi has gradually become a figure of interest to the entire nation. The media, the government and even the president at the Elysée Palace first became aware of him when, in May 2006, he began saying pretty radical things. But that wasn't because he was preaching against the status quo, the republic and its values. Instead, Chalghoumi was saying things that could have been copied from right out of the French constitution, sentences that were in conformity with the system and advocated peace. At the time, he publicly acknowledged the horrors of the Holocaust, he reached out to France's Jews, and he spoke of reconciliation and rapprochement -- things that were unheard of for a Muslim cleric at the time. Chalghoumi soon came to be known as the "imam of peace." Meanwhile, there was growing unrest within his own congregation. The tires of Chalghoumi's car were slashed, and strangers ransacked his apartment. The imam of peace was sowing disagreement and reaping violence -- in all likelihood from within his own community. He had already completed his religious training when, in 1996, he arrived at Charles de Gaulle Airport in nearby Roissy, an immigrant like so many who had come before him and who would follow. At first, he lived in Bobigny, in the Seine-Saint-Denis district, which has some 100 mosques. There was plenty of work for someone like Chalghoumi, who had studied the Koran for four years at schools in Syria and Pakistan, and had already made the pilgrimage to Mecca. Until 2002, he worked half the day as an imam in Bobigny and the other half earning money as a FedEx warehouse worker in the turmoil of Charles de Gaulle Airport. This is where the contradictory versions of his life begin. 'Unusually Radical Positions' At the time, French intelligence classified him as an Islamist to the core, "who took unusually radical positions." Informers told the authorities that Chalghoumi was calling on the faithful to engage in jihad and, during Friday prayers, was announcing that anyone who died in jihad would undoubtedly reach paradise. As if to prove these conclusions, Chalghoumi's access card for Roissy Airport was confiscated "for security reasons" in August 2003. But this can mean a lot or nothing at all. It was the time of the nascent Iraq war, not long after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, a time when many of those who prayed to Allah were considered vaguely suspicious. Many Paris airport workers lost their access cards at the time, simply because they were Muslims, because their beards were too long or because their passports contained Syrian stamps or visas for Algeria. Chalghoumi doesn't wear a beard, only a goatee. He denies the accusations that relate to his past, and he says that he was confused with other imams who delivered the hate sermons in Bobigny. He insists that he never called upon people to engage in jihad, and if he did, it was only in the way the concept was preached by the Prophet Muhammad: that every devout Muslim is called upon "to engage in perpetual jihad with himself." And what about Roissy and his airport access card? "They took it away from me because I had traveled to Mecca several times," says Chalghoumi, "but believe me: I have never had any problems with the police since my arrival in France." Never? "Never." A Gift from Drancy's Mayor The meeting with Chalghoumi takes place on a cool working day at the mosque in Drancy. The mosque, built in 2008, stands on the edge of a large shopping mall called Avenir, the French word for "future." When the faithful bow toward Mecca, there is a Carrefour hypermarket behind them, the shopping center's large parking lot on one side and a railroad embankment in front. On Fridays, there are such large numbers of worshippers at the mosque, upwards of 1,500 people, wearing every conceivable North African traditional costume, that the prayer room becomes too small to contain the congregation. Volunteers place carpets on the ground outside for the countless faithful, who then worship under the open sky. Inside the mosque, the floor in the large prayer room is covered with red wall-to-wall carpeting. Without the bookshelves in some of the corners and the mihrab, the prayer niche with its cheap arabesques, the space could just as well be a gymnasium or the lobby of a German administrative district office. The building was a gift of sorts, from the new mayor of Drancy. He is a man of the "new center," who accomplished the feat of driving the Communists out of town hall after they had been in power for more than 40 years, a pragmatist who flatly ignored France's ironclad principle of the separation of church and state when he had the €1.8 million ($2.39 million) mosque built for the many Muslims in his city. It was also for the imam of peace, who had said that he wanted to shine a light on "sinister Islam." Chalghoumi meets with visitors in his small office on the upper floor of the mosque, a room furnished with a desk and upholstered furniture, its walls adorned with small rugs covered with surahs in gold lettering. His staff serves sweetened tea. Chalghoumi, a man with sad-looking eyes and wearing a white fez, shakes our hands and says: "I don't have much time. Would you like to take a picture? If so, we should do that right away." Hardly waiting for an answer, he stands up, bounces out of the office and walks down to the prayer room. He knows what photographers want. Images are important to him -- images of himself. They can't be taken out of context as easily as words. And Chalghoumi is aware of his photogenic effect. He always appears in photos as a modest and unthreatening man, a good Muslim, the imam France has been waiting for. 'Imam of the Jews' Chalghoumi has been in the news a lot lately, appearing on the front pages of Le Parisien and Aujourd'hui en France, the country's largest newspapers. There have been photos in Figaro and full-page portraits in Le Monde, Libération and the magazines. Chalghoumi also appears frequently on television, either as a subject on the evening news or as a guest on Grand Journal, a talk show on the Canal Plus channel that normally features cabinet ministers, Olympic medalists and Hollywood actors. Chalghoumi has become a star in his own right, a star of the republic: a good Muslim, one to be shown to the world and not one who constantly accuses and demands and challenges everything. His current fame peaked at the end of January, when he said in a newspaper interview that he approved of a burqa ban. He and his small congregation have had no peace since then. Within days of the interview, 20, 30 or perhaps even 40 people loudly interrupted a sermon in Drancy and jostled for the microphone so that they could talk about the "imam of the Jews," as they called him, and about an "imam who speaks in our name and betrays us," and they demanded Chalghoumi's resignation. From chintangirishmodi at gmail.com Sun Apr 25 20:37:16 2010 From: chintangirishmodi at gmail.com (Chintan) Date: Sun, 25 Apr 2010 20:37:16 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Article: 'Living on love and fresh air' In-Reply-To: <843256.83564.qm@web57208.mail.re3.yahoo.com> References: <843256.83564.qm@web57208.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Thanks, Kshmendra, for all those links. Have seen the Charity Focus link earlier. You might be interested in these: http://www.signposts.co.in http://www.sevacafe.org/ On Sun, Apr 25, 2010 at 4:40 PM, Kshmendra Kaul wrote: > Dear Chintan > > Thanks. Had heard about it but thanks to you got to read it up. > > Saw it someplace described as elements of Anarchist-Communism. It would be > fascinating to know where the roots lie. > > Here are some links, of which you might already be aware. Just in case > ......... > > 1. "Dama: A Vibrant Gift Economy in Mali" > http://www.charityfocus.org/blog/view.php?id=2051 > > 2. "Mali: Gift Economy" > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ELNsQdSMOc > > 3. "The Gift Economy" (website) > "SHIFTING THE PARADIGM TOWARDS A WOMAN BASED GIFT ECONOMY" > http://www.gift-economy.com/index.html > > Kshmendra > > > --- On *Sun, 4/25/10, Chintan * wrote: > > > From: Chintan > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Article: 'Living on love and fresh air' > To: "Kshmendra Kaul" > Cc: "sarai list" > Date: Sunday, April 25, 2010, 9:02 AM > > > Hi Kshmendra > > Glad you found that thought-provoking. > > Check this one too. > > *Mali's Gift Economy* > > by Beverly Bell > > > http://www.yesmagazine.org/economies/malis-gift-economy?utm_source=27jul09&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=15_Mali > > Excerpts: > > Coumba says, “If you ask any number of people how they live, what they eat, > where they get what they wear, you would quickly notice that most of it has > been given by someone.” *dama* is a time-honored, well-honed means of > keeping away hunger, prolonged illness, and early death. It provides the > social safety net which the state—egged on by the World Bank and IMF—has > neglected: a working health system, social security for the elders, > education, and child care. > In addition to trying to prevent anyone from being too poor, yet another > purpose of *dama* is to prevent most everyone from becoming too rich. > While in the U.S. there often exists social reinforcement to accumulate as > much as possible, with wealth and the wealthy frequently being revered, in > Mali the cultural norm is to give away as much of your accumulation as > possible, with generosity and the generous being most respected. The social > pressure to give acts as a disincentive to hoard, or what we call save. > Coumba offers, “Being rich here means that the person has abandoned his or > her values, that he or she is not giving enough to the needs around. People > really start worrying about what has happened to that person.” > > > On Sat, Apr 24, 2010 at 3:45 PM, Kshmendra Kaul > > wrote: > >> Dear Chintan >> >> Thanks. Fascinating. >> >> Some thinking-aloud from me and what highlited itself for me: >> >> - (Writer Aparna Pallavi does not bring in religion into this evolvement >> of life-view by Anusuyabai and Pandurang Meshram. Either she did not ask >> them or they did not mention it or she chose (very sensibly) not to corrupt >> the narrative by wedding it to a religion.) >> >> - "Love and trust. That appears to be the dominant philosophy of the >> couple." >> >> - "When you love the land, it yields in abundance. When you love trees and >> animals, they love you in return. What else do you need to live?" >> >> - "Zero-budget farming. The Meshrams have switched completely to organic >> farming. They preserve indigenous seeds (and give freely to whoever needs >> them) of a wide variety of crops they grow. Mulching and contour bunding >> have enriched the land and reduced the need for irrigation, and have no need >> for pest control. All other farming techniques have been simplified to a >> point where the need for labour is minimal." >> >> - “Initially, we taught them techniques for making vermicompost, >> vermiwash, organic pesticide. But after a year or two, they simply took to >> tying their animals under some neem trees on the farm. The falling leaves, >> animal dung, urine and fodder waste accumulating under the trees combined >> into the best fertilizer-cum-pest repellant you ever saw. I have never heard >> of crop failure or a pest attack on their farm,” (quoting Sucheta Ingole of >> non-profit Dharmitra) >> >> - "The same simplicity characterizes their financial transactions. The >> Meshrams keep their money with a trusted money-lender, refusing to bank, but >> most of their savings are spent in helping relatives." >> >> - "And anyway, the man is trustworthy." ( Can you beat that? Trusting the >> local money-lender?) >> >> - "So why do they bother to grow more than they need? “So we have >> something to give,” he said with touching humility, “Villagers regularly >> take vegetables and lentils from our farm. Everyone trusts us and we trust >> everyone.” " >> >> - "Love and trust. That appears to be the dominant philosophy of the >> couple." >> >> Thanks again Chintan >> >> Kshmendra >> >> >> --- On *Sat, 4/24/10, Chintan >> >* wrote: >> >> >> From: Chintan >> > >> Subject: [Reader-list] Article: 'Living on love and fresh air' >> To: "sarai list" >> > >> Date: Saturday, April 24, 2010, 12:24 PM >> >> From Down to Earth< >> http://www.downtoearth.org.in/full6.asp?foldername=20090331&filename=news&sid=35&page=1&sec_id=50 >> > >> >> Living on love and fresh air >> >> By Aparna Pallavi >> >> *A family that has little use for cash * >> >> The morning I went to meet her Anusuyabai Meshram did something she does >> not >> usually do—milk one of her cows. It was a special day: the Meshrams were >> having guests. “We do not need milk on a daily basis,” she explained >> cheerfully as she served us tea, “Because we drink our tea black.” >> >> There are many other things that Anusuyabai, 44, and her 47-year-old >> husband >> Pandurang Meshram do not need: electricity, piped water, security, a >> weather-proof house, regular social contact, and for the most part, even >> money. >> >> For the past eight years, this couple has been living by choice on their >> seven acre (2.8 hectare) ancestral farm outside village Wasriphode in >> Maharashra’s Yavatmal district without these facilities. Their joy in >> living >> a simple life shows on their faces. “We live like this because we like >> to,” >> Pandurang said. “Two years ago our only daughter, Manisha, was married. >> Now >> we are free of parental responsibilities,” he added. >> >> Before moving to Wasriphode, Pandurang had worked as a mechanic and driver >> and also in a fishery for a few years, but the couple was never happy. “We >> were always anxious about something or the other, especially money and >> rising prices. Finally we decided to move away here and grow our own food >> so >> that we could live without worries,” he said. >> >> Over the past eight years, the Meshrams have evolved a lifestyle that >> requires minimal money. They plant cotton on three of their seven acres, >> and >> food crops—jowar millets, a variety of legumes, vegetables, oilseeds and >> spices on the rest. >> >> The cotton—an indigenious variety—earns them around Rs 40,000 annually, >> which is enough to buy wheat, rice, the occasional set of clothing and a >> few >> necessities; perform their duties on social occasions like weddings in the >> family, and save a little. >> >> “We do not need money to spend on addictions like tobacco or alcohol, or >> on >> visits to doctors,” Anusuyabai said. >> >> For transport they have a bicycle, which, they claim is enough, because >> apart from a monthly pilgrimage to Mahur about 75 km away, they never need >> to travel more than 25-30 km. They get enough fuelwood from the trees on >> their land. They harvest food items according to their requirements, >> leaving >> the rest on the field for whoever needs them. The couple says that they >> have >> never run short of food, and hardly ever harvest more than half of the >> crops >> they grow. >> >> [image: animal] *Our animals don't let us feel lonely, Pandurang >> said*“This >> year we had an excellent okra crop,” Pandurang said, pointing to a plant >> still standing amid a festoon of dried pods, “Each plant yielded more than >> 100 pods. I gathered baskets of them and heaped them on the roadside for >> whoever wanted them.” >> >> Has he never considered selling his excess produce for money? “Yes, but >> *loche >> wadteel* (it will only create complications),” he replied without missing >> a >> beat. This sentence appears to be a refrain with the couple. Why don’t >> they >> get an electric connection that they can very well afford? Why don’t they >> add to their income by selling the milk from their nine cows? Why don’t >> they >> avail of government subsidies? Why don’t they put their money in a bank? >> The >> answer is the same always. >> >> It took some coaxing to get Pandurang to explain the nature of the >> complications: “See, if we get electricity, we will have to earn extra to >> pay bills, and will be frustrated over power cuts. If we sell our extra >> produce, I will have to spend more time in the market than with my land >> and >> animals. Subsidy means bribing officials.” >> >> So why do they bother to grow more than they need? “So we have something >> to >> give,” he said with touching humility, “Villagers regularly take >> vegetables >> and lentils from our farm. Everyone trusts us and we trust everyone.” >> >> Love and trust. That appears to be the dominant philosophy of the couple. >> >> Dogs, cats and cattle live in harmony on the farm, and injured wild >> animals >> find their way there too. “I have seen a peacock, a deer and a hare in >> their >> farm at different times,” says Sucheta Ingole of Dharamitra, a non-profit >> which works in the area of organic farming. >> >> “It is because of these animals that we don’t get lonely,” explained >> Anusuyabai, “We have them for love, not for making money.” >> >> But what about the investment involved in growing those extra crops and >> keeping the livestock? “What investment?” asked Pandurang. >> >> This brings us to one of the most important achievements of the Meshrams: >> zero-budget farming. The Meshrams have switched completely to organic >> farming. They preserve indigenous seeds (and give freely to whoever needs >> them) of a wide variety of crops they grow. Mulching and contour bunding >> have enriched the land and reduced the need for irrigation, and have no >> need >> for pest control. All other farming techniques have been simplified to a >> point where the need for labour is minimal. >> >> “We do all the work and in any case our farm does not require more than >> three hours of work a day,” Anusuya-bai said. >> >> “Initially, we taught them techniques for making vermicompost, vermiwash, >> organic pesticide. But after a year or two, they simply took to tying >> their >> animals under some neem trees on the farm. The falling leaves, animal >> dung, >> urine and fodder waste accumulating under the trees combined into the best >> fertilizer-cum-pest repellant you ever saw. I have never heard of crop >> failure or a pest attack on their farm,” Ingole said. >> >> The same simplicity characterizes their financial transactions. The >> Meshrams >> keep their money with a trusted money-lender, refusing to bank, but most >> of >> their savings are spent in helping relatives. >> >> [image: seed] *Indigeneous seeds, the secret of good harvests*For the last >> two years they have been planning to rebuild their mud-and-tile house, >> which >> is sagging, but never got around to doing it because they gave away their >> money to relatives who were in need. “It does not matter,” said a >> cheerful, >> sunburnt Ansuyabai, “We are used to living in the open with our animals. >> We >> will build the house when people repay us.” >> >> They do keep a nest-egg for an emergency though, but neither of them knows >> exactly how much they have. “I have everything written down,” says >> Pandurang, who has an education up to the fourth grade, with a careless >> wave >> of his hand, “And anyway, the man is trustworthy.” >> >> The Meshrams have inspired Tarak Kate, agricultural scientist and founder >> of >> Dharamitra. A year ago Kate, 60, retired from the non-profit and started >> living on his own one hectare. >> >> The Meshrams have no doubts nor fear about sustaining their unique >> self-sufficient lifestyle till the end of their lives. “When you love the >> land, it yields in abundance. When you love trees and animals, they love >> you >> in return. What else do you need to live?” >> >> What else, indeed. >> _________________________________________ >> 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/> >> >> >> > > From lalitambardar at hotmail.com Sun Apr 25 23:42:53 2010 From: lalitambardar at hotmail.com (Lalit Ambardar) Date: Sun, 25 Apr 2010 18:12:53 +0000 Subject: [Reader-list] "A Hindu army officer and an Indian patriot..." In-Reply-To: References: , , , , , Message-ID: Indian borders in most parts are inhospitable. Therefore, tax payer’s money does not go into defending Kashmir alone. Even if you were to offer Kashmir on a platter your border only moves a bit closer to where ever you are & tax payer’s money will still go into maintaining & defending that border. And then if you think everything there after will be hunky- dory, no you are mistaken. Pan Islamists have a declared target on their agenda i.e. to hoist their flag on Red Fort in Delhi (Pakistan was granted in a jiffy & it did not stop at that). Kashmir is a test for the survival of secular Indian state & the argument that it is not worth spending tax payer’s money in defending its integrity is a stale one. In order to be able to generate resources & to be able to pay & collect taxes you have to have a state & you will always need to defend that state. By the way never heard any body complaining about tax payer’s money being spent in far away Afghanistan in even worst conditions. And whose aspirations are we talking about? Of the patriarch of ‘azadi- bara- e- Islam' (freedom through Islam) Gillani or Moolvi Farooq (who is supposed to be a preacher but doubles as a separatist) who do not see an eye to eye with each other? Or is it the aspirations of the terror outfit JKLF that has splintered into numerous factions each pursuing its own agenda? Or is it the aspirations of United Jihad Council Chief who directs jihad in Kashmir from Pakistan & who unabashedly puts a condition on the return of the aboriginal Kashmiri Hindu Pandits back to their hearths & homes in the land of their ancestors? Or is it the aspirations of double speak Muftis or Abdullahas? You need to know that most of these perfidious separatists have at one time or the other been in the so called main stream politics & swore by Indian constitution when it suited them. What about the aspirations of a vast number of Sunni Muslims who do not subscribe to wahabi extremist thought; or Shias; or Gujjars & Bakarwals; or Kashmiri Hindu Pandits; or Buddhists & Muslims of Ladakh; or Muslims & Hindus of Jammu? Did you ever hear even whispers of secession from Jammu or Ladakh? Kashmiri Muslim separatists at the behest of their masters abroad tried their best to spread their tentacles in Jammu & Ladakh but failed. And what aspirations are you talking about? It is a shame that the self appointed liberal mindset does not react to the brazenness with which a condition to join anti India Jihad in Kashmir is put on the Kashmiri Hindu Pandits’ return to their homeland. Don’t forget Kashmiri Hindu Pandits were subjected to ethnic cleansing in the valley because they professed a different faith & that they were seen symbolising Indian presence in the valley. And you have the audacity to describe these aspirations as democratic. There must be something wrong dear. Please clear your perceptions. Aspirations of Kashmiri masses are no different from those in rest of India & these could be best judged only in the absence of the fear of the foreign sponsored ‘gun’ & religious ‘black mail’. Pan Islamic extremism has only brought miseries to common Kashmiri masses & it is sad that you side with the sponsors. When talking about past experiences, remember no one spoke about wasting of tax payer’s money in crushing terrorism in Punjab-Khalistanis shed no less blood. And look, today Punjab & Punjabis flourish. Last but not the least how else would you like to describe the movement for ‘azdi- bara- e- Islam (freedom through Islam) that draws inspiration from the likes of terror master minds like Hafiz Asad & Maulana Massod Azhar? Kashmiri separatist movement is an intrinsic part of the pan Islamic terrorism that emanates from Af-Pak threatening the whole world today. Rgds all LA --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 24 Apr 2010 17:52:35 +0530 Subject: Re: [Reader-list] "A Hindu army officer and an Indian patriot..." From: c.anupam at gmail.com To: lalitambardar at hotmail.com; reader-list at sarai.net Better sense is what if I may ask you sir? Is better sense better than hundreds of thousands of people killed every year, a bloodied battleground in the most inhospitable part of the world sucking away tax payer's money everyday for its maintenance? Second, I am not from the generation which saw all these historical blunders being committed by a bunch of leaders. But what I see here everyday is an outcome of such ugly decisions where national ego precedes peoples' aspiration, leading to a bloodied conflict. Is it all worth it? Say i denounce this fractured history and start believing what i am seeing everyday -- which is the case with most of the Indians now. The plight of the Kashmiri Pandits is something which needs to be addressed. But everytime, by labeling this identitarian and very localised conflict to a "pan Islamism driven secessionist terror", arent we siding with the extremists which were waiting to make an issue out of it through numerous bombs? Somehow from these kind of arguments, i feel there is no difference between the extremist thought and action and those who are opposing it. The question of national integrity cannot be higher than its subjects' that is peoples' aspirations. It has been realised by various eruptions that have taken place in the country in various forms. But India has a softer side as well, which is of mitigation and diplomacy, which people remember more than the partition or wars it has fought. It is not correct on your part to make such sweeping statements on part of the people always pushing unity and integration into witness boxes. unity and integration of a nation not something forced, just like respect for a teacher or an elder is not something that is to be forced. On Sat, Apr 24, 2010 at 5:03 PM, Lalit Ambardar wrote: Any compromise aimed at dilution of Indian sovereignty in Kashmir will only endorse M A Jinah’s ‘two nation theory’ that lead to the partition of the subcontinent & will be seen as India’s surrender to the pan Islamism driven secessionist terror. Let us not forget the bloody aftermath of the partition. Scars of partition are yet to heal & those proposing another 'partition' to appease the perfidious Kashmiri Muslim separatists can not afford to overlook the possibility of jeopardising the fragile inter communal situation in the country. India can not afford to revisit 1947. Let better sense prevail. Rgds all LA ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Date: Sat, 24 Apr 2010 16:59:33 +0530 > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] "A Hindu army officer and an Indian patriot..." > From: pawan.durani at gmail.com > To: c.anupam at gmail.com > CC: lalitambardar at hotmail.com; reader-list at sarai.net > > No one in India , not even the Prime Minister of India , has an > authority to make a decision on Kashmir which may be contrary to the > resolution passed in Indian parliament. > > This should be kept in mind , leaving apart what politicians do for > public consumption. > > Pawan > > On Sat, Apr 24, 2010 at 10:42 AM, anupam chakravartty > wrote: > > http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Kashmir-pact-was-just-a-signature-away/articleshow/5850851.cms > > > > Excerpts: > > > > "He (Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, who was Pervez Musharraf’s foreign minister > > from 2002 to 2007) said the two sides had agreed to full demilitarisation of > > both Jammu & Kashmir as well as Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, which Islamabad > > refers to as Azad Kashmir. In addition, a package of loose autonomy that > > stopped short of the ‘azadi’ and self-governance aspirations, had been > > agreed on and was to be introduced on both sides of the disputed frontier. > > "We agreed on a point between complete independence and autonomy," he said. > > > > > > > > > > On Fri, Apr 23, 2010 at 9:40 PM, Lalit Ambardar > > wrote: > > > >> > >> A poorly attempted juxtaposition of random thoughts with a mischievous > >> intent to justify the equally malicious title. > >> > >> It is no revelation that foreign jihadists are fighting along with the > >> local proponents of Azadi- bara – e-Islam (freedom through Islam) in > >> Kashmir. > >> > >> ………‘If violence has declined at present, this is not because India is > >> doing the right thing. The militants turned their attention to Kashmir > >> in 1989, when the Russians withdrew from Afghanistan. Today, the > >> militants have more urgent priorities, again in Afghanistan and the > >> Pakistan border. Because the Indian state failed to grant autonomy to > >> Kashmir,…… > >> …..now the pressure has lessened on Kashmir by the removal of militants > >> to other parts of Asia…….. > >> > >> Ayaz Amir also admitted though for different reason (to justify strong > >> action by Pakistani army against the pan Islamists in Af-Pak region) in his > >> article ‘A Make-or- break Moment’ Khalij Times/Oct 23, 2009- > >> > >> …….. The stakes being so high, there is no choice but to win, and win > >> decisively. Of course it is not going to be easy. South Waziristan’s > >> fighters, including the foreign elements, are amongst the most > >> battle-hardened on the planet. They have been fighting for decades—in > >> Afghanistan, disputed Kashmir, now FATA….. > >> ……….3-5,000 Hezbollah fighters defeated the Israeli army in Lebanon in > >> 2006. At the height of the Kashmir uprising (starting from 1989) there could > >> not have been more than 5-10,000 guerrilla fighters in the Valley. But they > >> tied down close to half a million Indian troops, the bulk of which remain in > >> Kashmir…… > >> (full article at Click here to read the article ) > >> > >> > >> Regards all > >> LA > >> > >> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > >> > >> > >> > Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2010 11:52:55 +0530 > >> > From: waliarifi3 at gmail.com > >> > To: reader-list at sarai.net > >> > Subject: [Reader-list] "A Hindu army officer and an Indian patriot..." > >> > > >> > http://www.newint.org/features/special/2010/04/01/kashmir-conflict/ > >> > > >> > A soldier’s story > >> > > >> > In the crossfire of daily violence between militants and state forces, > >> > the picturesque northern Indian state of Kashmir has known no peace > >> > for decades. In this revealing first-person account, Gopal Mitra, a > >> > former Indian army Major, offers hard-won insights into how the > >> > violence could be ended. He spoke to Jeremy Seabrook. > >> > > >> > ---------------- > >> > > >> > Major Gopal Mitra had realized that India’s militarization of Kashmir > >> > was no long-term solution before he was blown up in Kupwara in 2000. > >> > An informer had guided his unit to a booby-trapped militant hide-out. > >> > During the ensuing gun-battle, 17 kilos of RDX explosive went up. > >> > Airlifted to hospital in Srinagar, Gopal needed 150 stitches to his > >> > face and body. He lost his eyes and had to undergo facial > >> > reconstruction. > >> > > >> > In and out of hospital for two years, he had time to reflect, both on > >> > his injuries and what he was doing in Kashmir. Now in his late > >> > thirties, he is without rancour or bitterness. He works for an > >> > international disability charity, and says the loss of his eyes has > >> > been compensated by the insights gained. > >> > > >> > ‘As a soldier, you have to believe that terrorism is bad for your > >> > country. But when you see it close up, you realize there is a reason > >> > for resistance – usually a result of some earlier failing by the > >> > State. When violence starts – in the North East or in Kashmir – it > >> > begins as a way of redressing grievances. But over time, the just > >> > objective is overtaken, and conflict soon generates its own reasons > >> > for continuing. When public opinion is met by oppression, there is > >> > bound to be violence. In Kashmir, when the State installs puppet > >> > governments with no mandate to act on behalf of the people, how can > >> > they accept it? > >> > > >> > ‘Kashmir is seen as a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan, a > >> > cause for international concern. This doesn’t address the issue of how > >> > conflict is sustained on the ground. The whole society is drawn into > >> > prolonging war. The search for justice is overwhelmed by other > >> > priorities, including the self-interest of those who gain some > >> > advantage from it. There are four parties to the conflict – militants, > >> > civil administration, army and local population. All operate and live > >> > in the area. The best houses in any village, although far beyond their > >> > legitimate means, are always occupied by Government officials. Social > >> > structures, accountability, civil administration have all broken down. > >> > Transparency International says that after Bihar, Kashmir is the most > >> > corrupt state in India. It receives huge funds from central > >> > government. > >> > > >> > ‘The whole economy is distorted because basic social norms have > >> > collapsed. Most stolen cars in India are traded in Kashmir. > >> > > >> > ‘Many militants believe passionately in their cause and take up arms. > >> > This also creates commercial pressures: arms-suppliers who have an > >> > interest in continuing conflict. After the snowmelt in April-May till > >> > November, militants cross the passes. They get high rates and bonuses > >> > for killing members of the security forces. The security forces have > >> > all the militants’ radio-intercepts: it is known they inflate the > >> > numbers killed when reporting to their bosses, because this increases > >> > their bonuses. > >> > > >> > ‘There is no adequate rehabilitation package for militants. There is > >> > no thought-out strategy to absorb them back into society. > >> > > >> > ‘It is in the nature of prolonged armed operations to alienate people, > >> > no matter how disciplined the army. You search houses, knock on doors > >> > in the middle of the night; people are under siege. Some find serving > >> > as informers to the army a viable way of making a living. This is how > >> > the neutrality of civilians is compromised, both by the army and the > >> > militants. It polarizes people. The army has an incentive to > >> > perpetuate the crisis, because this vindicates its reason for > >> > existence and ensures resources are allocated to the area. > >> > > >> > ‘I love my country, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think it can become > >> > a better place’ > >> > > >> > ‘The initial objectives take second place to conflict for its own > >> > sake. The idea that an Indo-Pak solution is the only answer places it > >> > in a different sphere from the violence on the ground. Simple > >> > one-dimensional solutions don’t work. Societies, easy to divide, are > >> > harder to re-unite. In Kashmir, if I had a grievance against you, I’d > >> > have fought it out with you. But now I’ll get two militants to attack > >> > you. Personal vendettas feed into the wider conflict; private > >> > animosities get involved, the whole community is distorted. > >> > > >> > ‘When you see daily violence, you ask yourself: “Is this what we are > >> > fighting for?” Before I was injured, I knew armed operations would not > >> > lead to a solution. But the support system in the army is very robust. > >> > It helps you not to feel troubled, to concentrate on your duty. The > >> > camaraderie is strong, and the common danger a consolidating force. > >> > > >> > ‘North Kashmir was known as a ‘hot zone’. We were involved in search > >> > and destroy missions. Militants from Pakistan were servicing bases in > >> > the forest, stocks of ammunition and guns in camps hidden underground. > >> > We flushed out and captured arms and personnel. I was leading my > >> > company when I was injured. I remember only floating in and out of > >> > consciousness. The speed of evacuation saved my life. > >> > > >> > ‘Initially I felt anger and uncertainty. The doctor said: “Look, > >> > Gopal, I’ll have to take out your eye – if I don’t your brain may > >> > become infected.” My destiny, which I thought I had taken into my > >> > hands, took another turn. In hospital I met my wife. Her father had > >> > also been in the army, and he, too, had been blinded. She was doing a > >> > Social Work MA and it was through her I came to development work. We > >> > were married in 2003. > >> > > >> > ‘I never hated Kashmir, and afterwards had nothing against the > >> > militant who deprived me of sight. He was also doing his job. My wife > >> > and I took our honeymoon in Kashmir. We went as civilians on a > >> > houseboat. The people we met had no idea I was ex-army. We talked to > >> > them. They all hated violence. I wanted to remember the beauty of > >> > Kashmir. Personally, I do not care whether Kashmir is part of India or > >> > Pakistan. The referendum on Kashmir which never took place after > >> > Independence [in 1947] can only happen when people are in a position > >> > to make reasoned choices. Kashmir has been so tainted that such a > >> > choice is not possible. People need a period of normal life. A > >> > generation of children have been traumatized; growing in the shadow of > >> > violence, their childhood play is a mimicry of adult wars. > >> > > >> > ‘For any solution, the grievances that hardened into incentives to > >> > persist in conflict need to be unravelled. After the loss of 80,000 > >> > lives, the Government says: “We have shed blood in Kashmir, and > >> > therefore nothing can change.” I say: “I lost my blood, but I don’t > >> > care that much.” Public opinion is manipulated by political parties. I > >> > can speak with a certain authority, because I actually fought, unlike > >> > intransigent armchair politicians. If I say India should take a less > >> > hard line, this is because I have seen the damage hard lines can do. > >> > > >> > ‘I love my country, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think it can become > >> > a better place. If they don’t do things right, thousands more will > >> > die. Kashmir remains one of the most militarized places on earth. It > >> > is often said that ethnicity creates violence; but I think violence > >> > creates ethnicity – people who have lived in amity for centuries are > >> > moved by injustice, and the divisiveness of that injustice focuses on > >> > ethnicity or religion. > >> > > >> > ‘If violence has declined at present, this is not because India is > >> > doing the right thing. The militants turned their attention to Kashmir > >> > in 1989, when the Russians withdrew from Afghanistan. Today, the > >> > militants have more urgent priorities, again in Afghanistan and the > >> > Pakistan border. Because the Indian state failed to grant autonomy to > >> > Kashmir, the social contract between people and State was breached. It > >> > is easy to explain why the conflict started, but that doesn’t account > >> > for the way it assumed a life of its own, and its prolongation over so > >> > many years. > >> > > >> > ‘There is no overnight solution. But there is a window of opportunity, > >> > now the pressure has lessened on Kashmir by the removal of militants > >> > to other parts of Asia. There is a chance for everyday life to be > >> > restored, where people will not have their door hammered in at two in > >> > the morning, or stopped at four roadblocks on the way to the market. > >> > Indian soldiers will not have instructions during elections to coerce > >> > 70 per cent of people to vote, just to ‘prove’ they support the > >> > democratic process. > >> > > >> > ‘It is painful to say this as a Hindu army officer and an Indian > >> > patriot, but truth is truth. I see an opportunity in Kashmir right > >> > now, especially since Pakistan is troubled by its own internal > >> > conflict. If we don’t seize it, India will be the loser.’ > >> > _________________________________________ > >> > 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: > >> > >> _________________________________________________________________ > >> South Cinema This Decade > >> http://entertainment.in.msn.com/southcinemathisdecade/ > >> _________________________________________ > >> 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: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> Catch the changing security environment Get it now. _________________________________________________________________ Catch the latest in the world of fashion http://lifestyle.in.msn.com/ From anjakovacs at gmail.com Mon Apr 26 00:23:15 2010 From: anjakovacs at gmail.com (Anja Kovacs) Date: Mon, 26 Apr 2010 00:23:15 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Invite: A Conversation on and Exploration of Maps for Making Change Message-ID: Dear all, I thought the below might be of interest to some of you who are based in Bangalore. Do feel free to share widely. With apologies for any cross-posting. Best wishes, Anja *The Centre for Internet and Society, in collaboration with Tactical Tech, would like to invite you to* A Conversation on *Maps for Making Change * *Using Geographical Mapping Techniques to Support Struggles for Social Justice in India* *Venue: Centre for Internet and Society, No. 194, 2nd 'C' Cross, Domlur 2nd Stage,** Bangalore 560 071, phone: 080 - 25350955* *28 April 2010, from 4pm onwards* *When a migrant labourer draws a map of India, what does it look like? Can maps prove a correlation between corporate investment and Operation Green Hunt in Chhattisgarh? * For the past five months, twenty five activists, researchers, artists and techies have explored together, as part of the Maps for Making Change project, the potential of geographical mapping techniques to support struggles for social justice in India. As Maps for Making Change comes to an end, they would like to share with you their journey, their thoughts and their work, and to enter into a conversation with a much wider group of people about the potential and challenges of mapping for social justice now that new technologies can in theory be mobilised to fight for social justice by anyone with an interest in maps, but in practice remain confined to the hands of a privileged few. *Join us:* *from 4 pm onwards*, for an exhibition that allows you to explore the work of Maps for Making Change participants through installations, websites, conversations, information, video, ... and maps. *from 5 pm to 5.30 pm*, for refreshments. *from 5.30 pm onwards*, for a panel discusion which our panelists will kick off by sharing some of their own reflections and comments on mapping for social justice, to open up the conversation to a much broader discussion with all those present in the audience. Panelists: Reuben Jacob, Inclusive Planet Shakun Mohini, Vimochana Shubhranshu Choudhary, Knight International Journalism Fellow and Community Media Activist *For more information, please contact Anja Kovacs, Centre for Internet and Society: 98 11 74 72 12, anja at cis-india.org . Or check out the Maps for Making Change wiki: maps4change.cis-india.org.* *Looking forward to seeing you at CIS on 28 April!* From chintangirishmodi at gmail.com Mon Apr 26 11:36:58 2010 From: chintangirishmodi at gmail.com (Chintan) Date: Mon, 26 Apr 2010 11:36:58 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Vodafone... get blind pedestrians back on track! Message-ID: Details here: http://www.dvlop.nl/saveWayfinder/main/home.php From anivar at movingrepublic.org Mon Apr 26 11:41:12 2010 From: anivar at movingrepublic.org (Anivar Aravind) Date: Mon, 26 Apr 2010 01:11:12 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] 27th April 5pm:Blr: Public Meeting on "Peoples' Movements today - Tasks and Challenges ahead" Message-ID: Peoples' Solidarity Concerns Bangalore We are happy to inform you that many representatives of peoples' movements from various struggles such as anti- SEZ, anti-mining, anti- water privatization, anti-Posco, Fish workers struggles, adivasi struggles are arriving in Bangalore for a political convention. We felt that this would be a good occasion for the like-minded people of Bangalore to meet and discuss with at least some of them on the some of the grave issues around all of us. It is also important to think about how we react to many of these struggles around us. We at People’s Solidarity Concerns therefore invite you to attend a Public Meeting to hear these leaders on the topic "Peoples' Movements today - Tasks and Challenges ahead". Please do come and let us discuss the possibilities and alternatives for the future. Date: 27th of April 2010 Time: 5pm Venue: Bangalore University Senate Hall, (City Campus) Near K R Circle, Bangalore. Speakers: Prashant Paikrey – Spokes person of Posco Prathirodh Sangram Samithi (PPSS), he is a trade unionist and with the CPI in Orissa.. Dayamani Barla - Adivasi Mulvasi Astitva Raksha Manch in Jharkhand is spearheading the anti-mining struggles and has sucessfully stopped ArcelorMital from mining. Adivasi journalist and voice of the peoples struggles, Magalene Peter - is a firebrand activist leading the fishworkers struggles in Kerala and heads the KSMTF Chittaranjan Singh- Human Rights activist, a renowned human rights activist of PUCL. based in Uttar Pradesh, he has been active in the peoples movement against Coca Cola company. Guman Singh-convenor of Himalaya Niti Abhiyan in Himachal Pradesh a coordination of over 40 peoples struggles against dams, hydropower projects, displacement and ecological plunder by the State and corporations. Vidya Dinkar -Karavali Karnataka Janaabhivriddhi Vedike (KKJV), a forum of farmers, social activists, individuals and groups; is a firebrand activist in Mangalore mobilising against the MSEZ as well as the fascist Hindutva attacks. You are cordially invited by: Peoples' Solidarity Concerns- Bangalore Contact Jagadish: 9448394365 From nc-agricowi at netcologne.de Mon Apr 26 15:13:29 2010 From: nc-agricowi at netcologne.de (nmf2010) Date: Mon, 26 Apr 2010 11:43:29 +0200 Subject: [Reader-list] =?iso-8859-1?q?Program_-_week_18_-_NewMediaFest=272?= =?iso-8859-1?q?010?= Message-ID: <20100426114330.9E4223FE.49D22FFB@192.168.0.2> NewMediaFest'2010 ____________________________________________ program- week 18 - 26 April - 02 May 2010 http://2010.newmediafest.org/?p=771 ____________________________________________ 1. Feature of the week 18 http://2010.newmediafest.org/?p=773 W:MoRiA Women: Memory of Repression in Argentina curatorial environment by Agricola de Cologne & Raquel Partnoy The project is referring to the thirty thousands of persons who disappeared during the military dictatorships of the 20th century in Argentina, a war of the military against the own population,a genocide, which is also called - Argentine holocaust-, containing a number of authentic testimonies, a portrait of the Jewish family Partnoy which emigrated in the beginning of the 20th century from Europe to Argentina, a documentary which gives an idea how family structures were systematically destroyed while the military were ruling, further a number of young Argentine female New Media artists who deal with this traumatic memory manifested in their net based art works, curated by Agricola de Cologne, by name Irene Coremberg, Marina Zerbarini, Anahi Caceres and her Arte UNa network and Andamio Contiguo, an artists collaborative. 2. Feature of the Month April 2010 http://2010.newmediafest.org/?p=733 -->VideoChannel Cologne - -Memory & Identity- 10 experimental videos from the USA curated by Alysse Stepanian (Santa Fe/USA) including Lana Z. Caplan, Brian DeLevie, Ron Diorio, Michael Greathouse, Soyeon Jung , Laleh Mehran, Joe Merrell, David Montgomery, Christine Schiavo, Brooks Williams 3. JIP - JavaMuseum Interview Project- a series of interviews with artists and experts in the fields of netart, electronic and digital art - listed on this permanent URL --> http://jip.javamuseum.org/jipblog/?p=111 ->this week: : Irene Coremberg(Argentina), Tamar Schori (Israel) Fieldes & McPherson (UK) All details on the week program --> http://2010.newmediafest.org/?p=771 ---------------------------------------------- NewMediaFest'2010 10 Years [NewMediaArtProjectNetwork]:||cologne global heritage of digital culture 1 January - 31 December 2010 http://2010.newmediafest.org director and chief curator: Wilfried Agricola de Cologne 2010 [at] newmediafest.org ---------------------------------------------------- From tasveerghar at gmail.com Mon Apr 26 20:38:31 2010 From: tasveerghar at gmail.com (Tasveer Ghar) Date: Mon, 26 Apr 2010 11:08:31 -0400 Subject: [Reader-list] Call for Proposals: short fellowship from the Cluster of Excellence, Heidelberg, Germany Message-ID: CALL for PROPOSAL 2010 Short-term Fellowships of the Cluster of Excellence – Asia and Europe in a Global Context: Shifting Asymmetries in Cultural Flows, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany On the theme: "Circulation of Popular Images and Media in Muslim Religious Spheres" “The Cluster of Excellence, Asia and Europe in a Global Context” invites proposals for short term fellowships from scholars, researchers and practitioners of popular arts and culture for multi-disciplinary and multi-media projects of research and documentation on theme of popular visual cultures and practices in and around Muslim shrines and public spaces, with an emphasis on the transcultural flows as emerging in the globalised contemporary popular arts and media. The proposals have to keep in mind (1) the research agenda of the Cluster of Excellence – Asia and Europe in Global Context, attached here or available at the website (www.asia-europe.uni-heidelberg.de en/about-us/mission.html), and (2) the brief given below about the specific theme of this short fellowship. Please remember: the last date for the receiving of proposals by email is 31st June 2010 (12 midnight India time). Theme: Circulation of Popular Images and Media in Muslim Religious Spaces: Muslim public spheres in India/South Asia exhibit a wide array of image practices such as calendar and poster art, devotional framed pictures, portrait photography with artificial backdrops, illustrated covers of religious chapbooks and magazines, besides innovative wall murals and printed notices, all of them incorporating popular icons of Mecca, Medina, local Sufi shrines, saints, Shia symbols, and Arabic calligraphy. Besides these, one also finds religious narratives in popular recorded media such as audiocassettes, video CDs/DVDs, and now the cell-phone software. Much of this popular visuality and ephemera circulate around institutions such as Sufi shrines or mosques in south Asia, although these may not be limited to only one shrine area or a city. One may also find inter regional connections between shrines of different towns and villages through the passage of these media to wider areas. Although much of these mass duplicated images and media may have their origins in the traditional religious performative practices of the pre-modern era, the impact of new technology and media, especially derived from outside their local spaces, has altered the way religious devotion is practiced today. One could highlight this with an example about the mobility and transformation of Muslim shrines, saint portraits and relics through images and media on the Indian subcontinent (although by no means do we wish to limit the regional focus to India but explore transnational and transcultural flows!). Usually a Sufi shrine holds the original grave or relic of a specific saint that cannot be replicated anywhere else (unlike a Hindu deity whose idol or replica shrine can be recreated in other locations too). Thus the visit to a particular Sufi shrine has its unique value for a pilgrim for its originality. But the mass duplicated images of the same can easily be made and have been in circulation for a long time, making a shrine or relic mobile beyond its original location. There are evidences of hand drawn illustrations of Sufi shrines and saint portraits being made available before the onset of print in India. The printing industry, especially of colour posters and other types of images made the mass produced images of Sufi shrines even more accessible and popular. The photography has added newer dimension to this visual culture where an odd photo of a saint is used again and again to make drawings and even idols, such as in the case Sai Baba of Shirdi. Through this multi disciplinary project involving several researchers, we wish to go a few steps further from the nexus of photography, painting, and printed posters, to study the newer practices of the use of “original” images for the creation of new mediated material such as collage posters, videos, animation and even Internet-based presentations that seek newer generation of devotees and their popular piety. A typical example of this would be the production of popular devotional videos about Sufi shrines that are basically music videos with a performer/Qawwal singing a new song seeking the saint’s blessing, dramatically videographed in a studio or staged settings, interspersed with the vérité shots of the actual shrine – the two of which can sometimes be very different in style and quality. There can be several such examples from the contemporary popular culture of Muslims in India. Thus, we invite you to be a part of a larger project by contributing with your specific research about a shrine, institution or public space that is witnessing the production of popular images and media and getting altered through transcultural impact. As the end result of this round of fellowships, we plan to hold an event in Delhi (c. spring 2011) where you would be invited to present your work in the form of a lecture, exhibit or a video show. Who is eligible to apply? This fellowship is meant for individuals or groups who have access to a unique collection of popular art material available in private or public spaces. Currently we offer this fellowship to individuals or groups based in India only. In exceptional cases, we may consider projects from outside India, but the subject of research/documentation would have to be Indian and the artwork needs to be sent to New Delhi, India. Also, the grant money can only to be issued for a bank account in India. There is no bar of age or educational qualification, as long as you are capable of conducting the entire research/documentation on your own, and can possibly provide a context to your work in the form of a text report or essay in English or Hindi. What would a fellow be expected to do? You are free to carry on your research/documentation in any manner that suits your subject. However, we would encourage projects that stress on trans-culturality and use unconventional methods of research and presentations, such as using images, videos, maps, and innovative media that can be combined to create a larger networking. The Cluster may present some advice or guidelines on how you could go about conducting your fellowship. The period of six months available for the fellowship work includes the making/organizing of your arts collection, writing a report/essay about it, presenting your work in a workshop at Delhi in the spring of 2010, and make your findings available for a publication of the Cluster either on the web or through print. Although you are not required to physically visit any of our offices during the research period (except for the final workshop in Delhi), you must constantly keep in touch with us via email by reporting the progress or status of your work. The final submission of your resulting materials and report must be made on or before 31st December 2010. You could either send the artworks to us (at your cost) for digitization, or digitize it yourself using the guidelines suggested by us. Currently, Cluster does not provide the facility for the physical storage of the specimens. Cluster will also not provide the facility to “restore” the artworks. You shall be responsible for acquiring any copyright permission (and related documents) if required for the artwork. What does the Cluster fellowship provide you? Although you can send us a detailed estimate of what your documentation would cost, Cluster can provide a maximum of 1,000 Euros (or its equivalent in the local currency) to each approved project. This amount includes all costs such as research, travel, acquiring of artwork, sending of the material to Cluster, writing of the essay, fees to be paid to any third party, and so on. In case you wish to do the digitization/scanning of images yourself, no extra funds would be available for that. The fellowship amount would be paid to you in two installments: (1) at the time of the signing of agreement: 50%, (2) after the approval of your final submitted material: 50%. For those in India, taxes as levied by the government of India would be applicable to the fellowship payment. You should also have a PAN number and a bank account in India in order to receive the fellowship payment. For candidates outside India, other tax rules or restrictions may apply depending on the local regulations. What the fellowship will not support? We would not support any infrastructural costs such as setting up of an office, buying of equipment, daily meals, or per diem costs, etc. The fellowship will also not support the making of new artworks by an artist. Cluster is not in a position to purchase the art work from the collector. In exceptional cases, if a fellow requires a larger sum of money to buy a unique collection of art, Cluster would have the right to own that material. We are currently NOT looking for the strictly traditional art forms such as folk arts, classical arts, or art with archaeological importance, unless any of these reflect the change or transformation brought about by modernity, urbanization, the interventions of mass-mediated technologies, and so on. In fact, your objective of the research need not be strictly the documentation or collection of a certain art form. It could even involve contextualizing certain trends of popular aesthetics, such as “politics or economics of popular art”, or “aesthetics of election campaign” and so on. However, Cluster will not support a highly subjective/creative presentation or interpretation of popular culture devoid of any empirical analysis. What should your proposal contain? Although we encourage you to write your proposal in any manner that enables you to clearly state your objectives, some of the following should be provided: Working title of the project Short introduction (one paragraph)Background/(cluster and other) Objectives/relevance (1-2 pages) Detailed Activities/Timeline planned Requirements/estimated cost/budget What has earlier been done on this artwork/subject? Provide a short survey of the available material (maybe a bibliography). How is your project unique? What makes you the best person to do this project? A summary of the proposal (max 300 words) A brief résumé You may also provide the following with the proposal: Sample of art work (photos, prints, video, text etc.) maximum 3 specimens (preferably, in the form of an email attachment - you may even direct us to an Internet site where such art specimens are displayed). Names and addresses of two people in the field who know you, and will be willing to write brief letters of reference if required. Kindly send your proposal and all the materials by email to the following addresses. The attachments in the email should not exceed 2 MB. If you wish to send more/larger attachments, kindly send them in separate emails, giving similar subject lines, and giving a list of all attachments in one/first email. bhakt at asia-europe.uni-heidelberg.de, tasveerghar at gmail.com Deadline for receiving the proposals: 31st JUNE 2010 Before sending the final detailed proposal, you could also send us a small (one-page) synopsis of what you wish to do – to get an idea of whether it truly fits into the agenda of the Cluster. http://tasveergharindia.net/cmsdesk/pages/fellowship.html http://www.tasveerghar.net From kaksanjay at gmail.com Mon Apr 26 22:19:18 2010 From: kaksanjay at gmail.com (Sanjay Kak) Date: Mon, 26 Apr 2010 22:19:18 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] "Ghosh: Do not undermine the Palestinian struggle for freedom!" Message-ID: At the risk of cross-posting... For those who have been following the issue of Amitava Ghosh receiving the Dan David prize. This from the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic & Cultural Boycott of Israel. best Sanjay Kak PACBI | 25 April 2010 Ghosh: Do not undermine the Palestinian struggle for freedom! Occupied Ramallah, 25 April 2010 The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) was extremely disappointed by the recent statement you issued in response to pleas from individuals and groups around the world urging you not to associate your name with Israel’s efforts to white-wash its crimes. Your acceptance of the Dan David Prize comes at a time when the international movement to boycott Israel is gaining ground in response to Israel’s flagrant violation of Palestinian human and political rights; we appeal to you to reflect upon the implication of your acceptance of this prize. You titled your statement 'It is not awarded by the state of Israel’, yet the prize is administered by a university that is funded by the state and, more crucially, is a leading academic partner of the state in developing weapons and justifying war crimes. The prize ceremony is presided over by the Israeli President, Shimon Peres, the architect of Israel's nuclear weapons program, whose record boasts a series of war crimes and grave violations of human rights. Only to cite one: on April 18, the Israeli army shelled the UN shelter in Qana, killing 102 civilians, mainly women, children and the elderly. Many more were injured. Human Rights Watch, the UN and Amnesty International subsequently established that Israel's attack on the UN base was deliberate, disproving Israeli propaganda to the contrary. Shimon Peres said at the time, "In my opinion, everything was done according to clear logic and in a responsible way. I am at peace." The Qana massacre led to Shimon Peres being denied the job he coveted at the time: that of UN Secretary-General. You will be receiving this prize from the head of a state that has for more than six decades imposed a colonial and apartheid regime on the people of Palestine and has for the last 43 years militarily occupied the West Bank, including east Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. Despite the “peace process” which began 17 years ago, Israel routinely violates the Palestinians’ most fundamental human rights with impunity. Israel extra-judicially kills Palestinian leaders and activists; keeps over 8,000 Palestinians imprisoned, including numerous members of parliament. As we write, Israel continues to build illegal Jewish-only colonies on occupied Palestinian land and an apartheid infrastructure of roads, blockades and the Apartheid Wall, declared illegal by the International Court of Justice at the Hague in 2004. Israel denies millions of Palestinian refugees their internationally recognized right to return to their lands, as stipulated in UN resolutions. Moreover, Israel maintains a system of racial discrimination against its own Palestinian citizens that largely conforms to the definition of apartheid in the UN Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid and that is reminiscent of key elements of apartheid South Africa. In the latest Israeli war of aggression on the occupied Gaza Strip, Palestinian civilians were massacred by Israel’s indiscriminate bombing, condemned by UN experts and leading human rights organizations, particular in the Goldstone report, as war crimes. This assault left over 1,440 Palestinians dead, predominantly civilians, of whom 431 were children, and injured another 5380. [1] Since much of your work considers how human beings survived dislocations and colonialism, you may be interested to know that Tel Aviv University (TAU) has conspicuously refused to recognize and commemorate the Palestinian village of Sheikh Muwannis and its ethnically cleansed population on whose land the university was partially built. Despite sustained activists’ campaigning, TAU has so far rejected even mounting a plaque referencing and commemorating the village and its history, and has failed to acknowledge the moral debt for injustices caused to the indigenous Palestinian people during the establishment of the state of Israel. [2] Last year’s comprehensive report by the Palestine Society at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) presents strong evidence of intensive, purposive and open institutional cooperation of TAU with the Israeli military establishment. TAU Professor Avraham Katzir observed: One of the things which helps the State of Israel […] is the fact that each one of us is both an Israeli citizen and working in these fields […] I’m an academic at university and I’ve also done my [military] service, and I was also at [state arms manufacturer] RAFAEL for some years. All of those things come together; we’re helping one another – something which doesn’t happen [elsewhere]; I’ve been in the US and Europe, and there is a disconnect between the workshops and the army; they hate the army! [With us], I think that we succeed by virtue of the fact that we help one another so much. [3] Additionally, studies by the Alternative Information Center (2009), Adalah (2003), and Human Rights Watch (2001), among others, corroborate and document accusations that Israeli educational institutions, including TAU, pursue discriminatory racial policies that are meant to prevent Palestinians in Israel from enrolling. [4] These policies make it yet more difficult for Palestinian citizens of Israel to obtain faculty positions. Any encounter at an Israeli university thus nearly always excludes or marginalizes Palestinian voices. You note in your statement that you object to boycotts and embargoes when they concern matters of culture and learning. Aside from the crucial fact that the Palestinian call for an academic and cultural boycott of Israel targets institutions, not individuals, [5] why should cultural and learning institutions be exempt from boycotts if they are implicated in the atrocities as any other sector? Culture and learning were not exempt in the South African case. The Palestinian civil society campaign for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), which is a strategy endorsed by an overwhelming majority of Palestinian unions, NGOs, cultural organizations, among others, as a legitimate non-violent and effective means of struggle against Israel’s oppression, has been largely inspired by the South African struggle against apartheid. When you reject our call for the academic and cultural boycott of Israel, you undermine our struggle for freedom and ignore the voices of almost all prominent Palestinian artists, writers and other cultural workers [6] and the many international intellectuals who have joined our boycott [7]. If you have any doubts that the situation of Palestinians is similar to that of black South African’s under apartheid, we urge you to read the words of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who in a recent letter to Berkeley students wrote: “I have been to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and I have witnessed the racially segregated roads and housing that reminded me so much of the conditions we experienced in South Africa under the racist system of Apartheid. I have witnessed the humiliation of Palestinian men, women, and children made to wait hours at Israeli military checkpoints routinely when trying to make the most basic of trips to visit relatives or attend school or college, and this humiliation is familiar to me and the many black South Africans who were corralled and regularly insulted by the security forces of the Apartheid government. In South Africa, we could not have achieved our freedom and just peace without the help of people around the world, who through the use of non-violent means, such as boycotts and divestment, encouraged their governments and other corporate actors to reverse decades-long support for the Apartheid regime.” [8] As was the case in South Africa, where international solidarity played a crucial role in bringing down apartheid by boycotting the economic, educational and cultural institutions of the apartheid regime, we sincerely hope you will not accept any prizes offered by complicit Israeli institutions, until Israel fulfils its obligations under international law and fully recognizes the Palestinian people’s right to live in full equality and freedom in their homeland. We call upon you not just to be 'appalled’ by Israel’s actions, but to show real solidarity with us in our struggle for freedom by refusing to associate your name with Israel’s atrocities. PACBI www.PACBI.org pacbi at pacbi.org [1] http://www.ochaopt.org/gazacrisis/index.php?section=3 [2] Tel Aviv University is asked to acknowledge its past and to commemorate the Palestinian village on which grounds the university was built, www.zochrot.org/index.php?id=143 [3] SOAS Palestine Society Report: "Tel Aviv University part and parcel of the Israeli Occupation," http://www.electronicintifada.net/downloads/pdf/090708-soas-palestine-society.pdf [4] Tel Aviv University’s Age Restrictions Discriminate against Arab Students in Admission to its Medical School, www.adalah.org/newsletter/eng/jan08/4.php ; Reference Material in Support of Palestinian and International Academic Boycott Campaigns (2006) compiled by the Alternative Information Center, www.alternativenews.org; Adalah Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel. Education rights—Palestinian citizens of Israel, (2003), Shafa’amr, Israel; Human Rights Watch. Second Class: Discrimination Against Palestinian Arab Children in Israel’s Schools (2001), www.hrw.org/reports/2001/israel2/ [5] See the PACBI Call for Boycott at: http://www.pacbi.org/etemplate.php?id=869 and the Guidelines for the International Cultural Boycott of Israel at: http://www.pacbi.org/etemplate.php?id=1047 [6] http://www.pacbi.org/etemplate.php?id=315 [7] http://www.pacbi.org/etemplate.php?id=415&key=filmmakers [8] * http://www.huffingtonpost.com/desmond-tutu/divesting-from-injustice_b_534994.html * Posted on 25-04-2010 From pheeta.ram at gmail.com Tue Apr 27 01:13:42 2010 From: pheeta.ram at gmail.com (Pheeta Ram) Date: Tue, 27 Apr 2010 01:13:42 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] "Ghosh: Do not undermine the Palestinian struggle for freedom!" In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Those of you who are interested can follow the issue and interesting debate on Kafila too. Link: http://kafila.org/2010/04/20/boycott-of-israel-would-serve-any-useful-tactical-purpose-amitav-ghosh/ Pheeta On Mon, Apr 26, 2010 at 10:19 PM, Sanjay Kak wrote: > At the risk of cross-posting... > For those who have been following the issue of Amitava Ghosh receiving the > Dan David prize. > This from the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic & Cultural Boycott of > Israel. > best > Sanjay Kak > > > PACBI | 25 April 2010 > > Ghosh: Do not undermine the Palestinian struggle for freedom! > > Occupied Ramallah, 25 April 2010 > > The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel > (PACBI) was extremely disappointed by the recent statement you issued in > response to pleas from individuals and groups around the world urging you > not to associate your name with Israel’s efforts to white-wash its crimes. > Your acceptance of the Dan David Prize comes at a time when the > international movement to boycott Israel is gaining ground in response to > Israel’s flagrant violation of Palestinian human and political rights; we > appeal to you to reflect upon the implication of your acceptance of this > prize. > > You titled your statement 'It is not awarded by the state of Israel’, yet > the prize is administered by a university that is funded by the state and, > more crucially, is a leading academic partner of the state in developing > weapons and justifying war crimes. The prize ceremony is presided over by > the Israeli President, Shimon Peres, the architect of Israel's nuclear > weapons program, whose record boasts a series of war crimes and grave > violations of human rights. Only to cite one: on April 18, the Israeli army > shelled the UN shelter in Qana, killing 102 civilians, mainly women, > children and the elderly. Many more were injured. Human Rights Watch, the > UN > and Amnesty International subsequently established that Israel's attack on > the UN base was deliberate, disproving Israeli propaganda to the contrary. > Shimon Peres said at the time, "In my opinion, everything was done > according > to clear logic and in a responsible way. I am at peace." The Qana massacre > led to Shimon Peres being denied the job he coveted at the time: that of UN > Secretary-General. > > You will be receiving this prize from the head of a state that has for more > than six decades imposed a colonial and apartheid regime on the people of > Palestine and has for the last 43 years militarily occupied the West Bank, > including east Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. Despite the “peace process” > which began 17 years ago, Israel routinely violates the Palestinians’ most > fundamental human rights with impunity. Israel extra-judicially kills > Palestinian leaders and activists; keeps over 8,000 Palestinians > imprisoned, > including numerous members of parliament. As we write, Israel continues to > build illegal Jewish-only colonies on occupied Palestinian land and an > apartheid infrastructure of roads, blockades and the Apartheid Wall, > declared illegal by the International Court of Justice at the Hague in > 2004. > Israel denies millions of Palestinian refugees their internationally > recognized right to return to their lands, as stipulated in UN resolutions. > Moreover, Israel maintains a system of racial discrimination against its > own > Palestinian citizens that largely conforms to the definition of apartheid > in > the UN Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of > Apartheid and that is reminiscent of key elements of apartheid South > Africa. > In the latest Israeli war of aggression on the occupied Gaza Strip, > Palestinian civilians were massacred by Israel’s indiscriminate bombing, > condemned by UN experts and leading human rights organizations, particular > in the Goldstone report, as war crimes. This assault left over 1,440 > Palestinians dead, predominantly civilians, of whom 431 were children, and > injured another 5380. [1] > > Since much of your work considers how human beings survived dislocations > and > colonialism, you may be interested to know that Tel Aviv University (TAU) > has conspicuously refused to recognize and commemorate the Palestinian > village of Sheikh Muwannis and its ethnically cleansed population on whose > land the university was partially built. Despite sustained activists’ > campaigning, TAU has so far rejected even mounting a plaque referencing and > commemorating the village and its history, and has failed to acknowledge > the > moral debt for injustices caused to the indigenous Palestinian people > during > the establishment of the state of Israel. [2] > > Last year’s comprehensive report by the Palestine Society at the School of > Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) presents strong evidence of intensive, > purposive and open institutional cooperation of TAU with the Israeli > military establishment. TAU Professor Avraham Katzir observed: > > One of the things which helps the State of Israel […] is the fact that each > one of us is both an Israeli citizen and working in these fields […] I’m an > academic at university and I’ve also done my [military] service, and I was > also at [state arms manufacturer] RAFAEL for some years. All of those > things > come together; we’re helping one another – something which doesn’t happen > [elsewhere]; I’ve been in the US and Europe, and there is a disconnect > between the workshops and the army; they hate the army! [With us], I think > that we succeed by virtue of the fact that we help one another so much. [3] > > > Additionally, studies by the Alternative Information Center (2009), Adalah > (2003), and Human Rights Watch (2001), among others, corroborate and > document accusations that Israeli educational institutions, including TAU, > pursue discriminatory racial policies that are meant to prevent > Palestinians > in Israel from enrolling. [4] These policies make it yet more difficult for > Palestinian citizens of Israel to obtain faculty positions. Any encounter > at > an Israeli university thus nearly always excludes or marginalizes > Palestinian voices. > > You note in your statement that you object to boycotts and embargoes when > they concern matters of culture and learning. Aside from the crucial fact > that the Palestinian call for an academic and cultural boycott of Israel > targets institutions, not individuals, [5] why should cultural and learning > institutions be exempt from boycotts if they are implicated in the > atrocities as any other sector? Culture and learning were not exempt in the > South African case. The Palestinian civil society campaign for Boycott, > Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), which is a strategy endorsed by an > overwhelming majority of Palestinian unions, NGOs, cultural organizations, > among others, as a legitimate non-violent and effective means of struggle > against Israel’s oppression, has been largely inspired by the South African > struggle against apartheid. When you reject our call for the academic and > cultural boycott of Israel, you undermine our struggle for freedom and > ignore the voices of almost all prominent Palestinian artists, writers and > other cultural workers [6] and the many international intellectuals who > have > joined our boycott [7]. > > If you have any doubts that the situation of Palestinians is similar to > that > of black South African’s under apartheid, we urge you to read the words of > Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who in a recent letter to Berkeley students wrote: > > “I have been to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and I have witnessed > the > racially segregated roads and housing that reminded me so much of the > conditions we experienced in South Africa under the racist system of > Apartheid. I have witnessed the humiliation of Palestinian men, women, and > children made to wait hours at Israeli military checkpoints routinely when > trying to make the most basic of trips to visit relatives or attend school > or college, and this humiliation is familiar to me and the many black South > Africans who were corralled and regularly insulted by the security forces > of > the Apartheid government. In South Africa, we could not have achieved our > freedom and just peace without the help of people around the world, who > through the use of non-violent means, such as boycotts and divestment, > encouraged their governments and other corporate actors to reverse > decades-long support for the Apartheid regime.” [8] > > As was the case in South Africa, where international solidarity played a > crucial role in bringing down apartheid by boycotting the economic, > educational and cultural institutions of the apartheid regime, we sincerely > hope you will not accept any prizes offered by complicit Israeli > institutions, until Israel fulfils its obligations under international law > and fully recognizes the Palestinian people’s right to live in full > equality > and freedom in their homeland. > > We call upon you not just to be 'appalled’ by Israel’s actions, but to show > real solidarity with us in our struggle for freedom by refusing to > associate > your name with Israel’s atrocities. > > > > PACBI > > www.PACBI.org > > pacbi at pacbi.org > > > > [1] http://www.ochaopt.org/gazacrisis/index.php?section=3 > > [2] Tel Aviv University is asked to acknowledge its past and to commemorate > the Palestinian village on which grounds the university was built, > www.zochrot.org/index.php?id=143 > > [3] SOAS Palestine Society Report: "Tel Aviv University part and parcel of > the Israeli Occupation," > > http://www.electronicintifada.net/downloads/pdf/090708-soas-palestine-society.pdf > > [4] Tel Aviv University’s Age Restrictions Discriminate against Arab > Students in Admission to its Medical School, > www.adalah.org/newsletter/eng/jan08/4.php ; > Reference Material in Support of Palestinian and International Academic > Boycott Campaigns (2006) compiled by the Alternative Information Center, > www.alternativenews.org; > > Adalah Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel. Education > rights—Palestinian citizens of Israel, (2003), Shafa’amr, Israel; > Human Rights Watch. Second Class: Discrimination Against Palestinian Arab > Children in Israel’s Schools (2001), www.hrw.org/reports/2001/israel2/ > > [5] See the PACBI Call for Boycott at: > http://www.pacbi.org/etemplate.php?id=869 and the Guidelines for the > International Cultural Boycott of Israel at: > http://www.pacbi.org/etemplate.php?id=1047 > > [6] http://www.pacbi.org/etemplate.php?id=315< > http://www.pacbi.org/etemplate.php?id=315&key=filmmakers> > > [7] http://www.pacbi.org/etemplate.php?id=415&key=filmmakers > [8] * > > http://www.huffingtonpost.com/desmond-tutu/divesting-from-injustice_b_534994.html > *< > http://www.huffingtonpost.com/desmond-tutu/divesting-from-injustice_b_534994.html > > > > Posted on 25-04-2010 > _________________________________________ > 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 pheeta.ram at gmail.com Tue Apr 27 01:28:55 2010 From: pheeta.ram at gmail.com (Pheeta Ram) Date: Tue, 27 Apr 2010 01:28:55 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] "Ghosh: Do not undermine the Palestinian struggle for freedom!" In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Here is the LINK to Atwood's reply: http://74.125.153.132/search?q=cache:http://usacbi.wordpress.com/2010/04/20/margaret-atwoods-response-re-dan-david-prize/ On Tue, Apr 27, 2010 at 1:13 AM, Pheeta Ram wrote: > Those of you who are interested can follow the issue and interesting debate > on Kafila too. > Link: > http://kafila.org/2010/04/20/boycott-of-israel-would-serve-any-useful-tactical-purpose-amitav-ghosh/ > > > > Pheeta > > > On Mon, Apr 26, 2010 at 10:19 PM, Sanjay Kak wrote: > >> At the risk of cross-posting... >> For those who have been following the issue of Amitava Ghosh receiving the >> Dan David prize. >> This from the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic & Cultural Boycott of >> Israel. >> best >> Sanjay Kak >> >> >> PACBI | 25 April 2010 >> >> Ghosh: Do not undermine the Palestinian struggle for freedom! >> >> Occupied Ramallah, 25 April 2010 >> >> The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel >> (PACBI) was extremely disappointed by the recent statement you issued in >> response to pleas from individuals and groups around the world urging you >> not to associate your name with Israel’s efforts to white-wash its crimes. >> Your acceptance of the Dan David Prize comes at a time when the >> international movement to boycott Israel is gaining ground in response to >> Israel’s flagrant violation of Palestinian human and political rights; we >> appeal to you to reflect upon the implication of your acceptance of this >> prize. >> >> You titled your statement 'It is not awarded by the state of Israel’, yet >> the prize is administered by a university that is funded by the state and, >> more crucially, is a leading academic partner of the state in developing >> weapons and justifying war crimes. The prize ceremony is presided over by >> the Israeli President, Shimon Peres, the architect of Israel's nuclear >> weapons program, whose record boasts a series of war crimes and grave >> violations of human rights. Only to cite one: on April 18, the Israeli >> army >> shelled the UN shelter in Qana, killing 102 civilians, mainly women, >> children and the elderly. Many more were injured. Human Rights Watch, the >> UN >> and Amnesty International subsequently established that Israel's attack on >> the UN base was deliberate, disproving Israeli propaganda to the contrary. >> Shimon Peres said at the time, "In my opinion, everything was done >> according >> to clear logic and in a responsible way. I am at peace." The Qana massacre >> led to Shimon Peres being denied the job he coveted at the time: that of >> UN >> Secretary-General. >> >> You will be receiving this prize from the head of a state that has for >> more >> than six decades imposed a colonial and apartheid regime on the people of >> Palestine and has for the last 43 years militarily occupied the West Bank, >> including east Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. Despite the “peace process” >> which began 17 years ago, Israel routinely violates the Palestinians’ most >> fundamental human rights with impunity. Israel extra-judicially kills >> Palestinian leaders and activists; keeps over 8,000 Palestinians >> imprisoned, >> including numerous members of parliament. As we write, Israel continues to >> build illegal Jewish-only colonies on occupied Palestinian land and an >> apartheid infrastructure of roads, blockades and the Apartheid Wall, >> declared illegal by the International Court of Justice at the Hague in >> 2004. >> Israel denies millions of Palestinian refugees their internationally >> recognized right to return to their lands, as stipulated in UN >> resolutions. >> Moreover, Israel maintains a system of racial discrimination against its >> own >> Palestinian citizens that largely conforms to the definition of apartheid >> in >> the UN Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of >> Apartheid and that is reminiscent of key elements of apartheid South >> Africa. >> In the latest Israeli war of aggression on the occupied Gaza Strip, >> Palestinian civilians were massacred by Israel’s indiscriminate bombing, >> condemned by UN experts and leading human rights organizations, particular >> in the Goldstone report, as war crimes. This assault left over 1,440 >> Palestinians dead, predominantly civilians, of whom 431 were children, and >> injured another 5380. [1] >> >> Since much of your work considers how human beings survived dislocations >> and >> colonialism, you may be interested to know that Tel Aviv University (TAU) >> has conspicuously refused to recognize and commemorate the Palestinian >> village of Sheikh Muwannis and its ethnically cleansed population on whose >> land the university was partially built. Despite sustained activists’ >> campaigning, TAU has so far rejected even mounting a plaque referencing >> and >> commemorating the village and its history, and has failed to acknowledge >> the >> moral debt for injustices caused to the indigenous Palestinian people >> during >> the establishment of the state of Israel. [2] >> >> Last year’s comprehensive report by the Palestine Society at the School of >> Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) presents strong evidence of intensive, >> purposive and open institutional cooperation of TAU with the Israeli >> military establishment. TAU Professor Avraham Katzir observed: >> >> One of the things which helps the State of Israel […] is the fact that >> each >> one of us is both an Israeli citizen and working in these fields […] I’m >> an >> academic at university and I’ve also done my [military] service, and I was >> also at [state arms manufacturer] RAFAEL for some years. All of those >> things >> come together; we’re helping one another – something which doesn’t happen >> [elsewhere]; I’ve been in the US and Europe, and there is a disconnect >> between the workshops and the army; they hate the army! [With us], I think >> that we succeed by virtue of the fact that we help one another so much. >> [3] >> >> >> Additionally, studies by the Alternative Information Center (2009), Adalah >> (2003), and Human Rights Watch (2001), among others, corroborate and >> document accusations that Israeli educational institutions, including TAU, >> pursue discriminatory racial policies that are meant to prevent >> Palestinians >> in Israel from enrolling. [4] These policies make it yet more difficult >> for >> Palestinian citizens of Israel to obtain faculty positions. Any encounter >> at >> an Israeli university thus nearly always excludes or marginalizes >> Palestinian voices. >> >> You note in your statement that you object to boycotts and embargoes when >> they concern matters of culture and learning. Aside from the crucial fact >> that the Palestinian call for an academic and cultural boycott of Israel >> targets institutions, not individuals, [5] why should cultural and >> learning >> institutions be exempt from boycotts if they are implicated in the >> atrocities as any other sector? Culture and learning were not exempt in >> the >> South African case. The Palestinian civil society campaign for Boycott, >> Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), which is a strategy endorsed by an >> overwhelming majority of Palestinian unions, NGOs, cultural organizations, >> among others, as a legitimate non-violent and effective means of struggle >> against Israel’s oppression, has been largely inspired by the South >> African >> struggle against apartheid. When you reject our call for the academic and >> cultural boycott of Israel, you undermine our struggle for freedom and >> ignore the voices of almost all prominent Palestinian artists, writers and >> other cultural workers [6] and the many international intellectuals who >> have >> joined our boycott [7]. >> >> If you have any doubts that the situation of Palestinians is similar to >> that >> of black South African’s under apartheid, we urge you to read the words of >> Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who in a recent letter to Berkeley students >> wrote: >> >> “I have been to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and I have witnessed >> the >> racially segregated roads and housing that reminded me so much of the >> conditions we experienced in South Africa under the racist system of >> Apartheid. I have witnessed the humiliation of Palestinian men, women, and >> children made to wait hours at Israeli military checkpoints routinely when >> trying to make the most basic of trips to visit relatives or attend school >> or college, and this humiliation is familiar to me and the many black >> South >> Africans who were corralled and regularly insulted by the security forces >> of >> the Apartheid government. In South Africa, we could not have achieved our >> freedom and just peace without the help of people around the world, who >> through the use of non-violent means, such as boycotts and divestment, >> encouraged their governments and other corporate actors to reverse >> decades-long support for the Apartheid regime.” [8] >> >> As was the case in South Africa, where international solidarity played a >> crucial role in bringing down apartheid by boycotting the economic, >> educational and cultural institutions of the apartheid regime, we >> sincerely >> hope you will not accept any prizes offered by complicit Israeli >> institutions, until Israel fulfils its obligations under international law >> and fully recognizes the Palestinian people’s right to live in full >> equality >> and freedom in their homeland. >> >> We call upon you not just to be 'appalled’ by Israel’s actions, but to >> show >> real solidarity with us in our struggle for freedom by refusing to >> associate >> your name with Israel’s atrocities. >> >> >> >> PACBI >> >> www.PACBI.org >> >> pacbi at pacbi.org >> >> >> >> [1] http://www.ochaopt.org/gazacrisis/index.php?section=3 >> >> [2] Tel Aviv University is asked to acknowledge its past and to >> commemorate >> the Palestinian village on which grounds the university was built, >> www.zochrot.org/index.php?id=143 >> >> [3] SOAS Palestine Society Report: "Tel Aviv University part and parcel of >> the Israeli Occupation," >> >> http://www.electronicintifada.net/downloads/pdf/090708-soas-palestine-society.pdf >> >> [4] Tel Aviv University’s Age Restrictions Discriminate against Arab >> Students in Admission to its Medical School, >> www.adalah.org/newsletter/eng/jan08/4.php ; >> Reference Material in Support of Palestinian and International Academic >> Boycott Campaigns (2006) compiled by the Alternative Information Center, >> www.alternativenews.org; >> >> Adalah Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel. Education >> rights—Palestinian citizens of Israel, (2003), Shafa’amr, Israel; >> Human Rights Watch. Second Class: Discrimination Against Palestinian Arab >> Children in Israel’s Schools (2001), www.hrw.org/reports/2001/israel2/ >> >> [5] See the PACBI Call for Boycott at: >> http://www.pacbi.org/etemplate.php?id=869 and the Guidelines for the >> International Cultural Boycott of Israel at: >> http://www.pacbi.org/etemplate.php?id=1047 >> >> [6] http://www.pacbi.org/etemplate.php?id=315< >> http://www.pacbi.org/etemplate.php?id=315&key=filmmakers> >> >> [7] http://www.pacbi.org/etemplate.php?id=415&key=filmmakers >> [8] * >> >> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/desmond-tutu/divesting-from-injustice_b_534994.html >> *< >> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/desmond-tutu/divesting-from-injustice_b_534994.html >> > >> >> Posted on 25-04-2010 >> _________________________________________ >> 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 chandni_parekh at yahoo.com Tue Apr 27 14:51:28 2010 From: chandni_parekh at yahoo.com (Chandni Parekh) Date: Tue, 27 Apr 2010 02:21:28 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] Podcast interview with Anand Patwardhan Message-ID: <174076.78320.qm@web54401.mail.re2.yahoo.com> ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: jamuna shukla Date: Tue, Apr 27, 2010 Subject: My podcast interview with Anand Patwardhan To: Dear All, I recently recorded a podcast interview with Anand Patwardhan, whose documentaries, for the past thirty years have highlighted political and controversial issues in India. He has waged decade long battles with the censor board in his bid to get his documentaries to be aired on National Television. Raam Ke Naam, Father, son and the holy war and War and Peace are some of his well known documentaries amongst others. In this interview Anand talks about his documentaries and what activism means to him apart from some invaluable insights on patriotism and matriarchy.... http://www.theindicast.com/the-point-blank-show/episode-list/7900660-point-blank-with-anand-patwardhan Do listen and feel free to write back... Thank you, Jamuna From joyce at indiaifa.org Tue Apr 27 15:43:26 2010 From: joyce at indiaifa.org (Joyce) Date: Tue, 27 Apr 2010 15:43:26 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Call for proposals 2010: Arts Research and Documentation Message-ID: <002101cae5f2$496c2170$dc446450$@org> We are happy to announce that IFA's Arts Research and Documentation programme is now accepting proposals for 2010. For more information you can refer to the attached document or check our website: http://www.indiaifa.org/article.asp?id=422 &viewType=online I hope you are doing well. Warm Regards Anuja Ghosalkar Programme Executive Arts Research and Documentation India Foundation for the Arts Bangalore From aliens at dataone.in Tue Apr 27 18:15:42 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Tue, 27 Apr 2010 18:15:42 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] LET INDIA JUDGE MODI Message-ID: <000101cae607$8cb6cbf0$a62463d0$@in> It's been eight years since the event. The Supreme Court of India is conducting trials and supervising the cases against Modi. Modi has been reinstalled twice as the chief minister of Gujarat by thumping victories in two fair elections. In this context it's difficult to understand the need for such a powerful official delegation to pass a judgment on the state and reiterate that Modi continues to be persona non-grata in the European Union and they want trials against him to be completed soon. The whole idea of denying a US visa to Modi has also been rendered pointless by the fact that he has become more popular in the US than any other Gujarati chief minister! The Gujaratis and Indians in the US are coming in hordes to meet him! Even non-hardliner Gujaratis, who don't sympathise with Modi, clearly feel that the executive head of their state has been slighted. The standard sentiment doing the rounds in Gujarati drawing rooms for the past few years sees the denial of a US visa to Modi as a little more than targeting an individual for his crimes. "Have they stopped the Chinese, who did the Tiananmen Square crackdown, from coming to the US? Pakistan's role in global terrorism is known. Is a single Pak military officer or politician denied a visa to the US? If Modi is not a bigger criminal than either of the two, why is he denied a visa?" THE DENIAL OF A VISA MAKES THE ISSUE TRANSCED INDIVIDUALCHATISEMENT AND BECOMEA COLLECTIVE INSULT FOR A STATE, FOR A PEOPLE. Read the whole article bellow. http://www.dnaindia.com/blogs/post.php?postid=260 No thanks, we don't need German help on Modi Narendra Modi, Gujarat and 2002 riots provoke a myriad reactions the world over and at home. No wonder a delegation of German MPs that visited Ahmedabad on April 7 and 8 ended up stirring a hornets' nest when they chose to speak about Modi. It's perfectly okay in a democracy to loathe Modi for what happened in Gujarat in 2002 during his reign. He can be also prosecuted for all the wrongs he committed. He can be voted out of power by the very people who elected him. But even though the English press is much maligned and abused by Modi as pseudo-secular and he misses no opportunity to bring it to heel, the German criticism has not gone down well with many individuals and civil society. The strong feeling is that there is no need for outsiders to reprimand any state or the country. India can cope with this issue on its own. So, Frau Ute Granold, the senior German parliamentarian who was heading the delegation, much as we would love to welcome you again and again and host you for dinner, your observations on Gujarat have not gone down well. As a developing nation we are keen on building a lasting bond with Germany and encouraging a bigger economic and cultural tie-up. We also admire Chancellor Angela Merkel and her leadership qualities that the entire European Union looks up to. But it certainly doesn't go well with our Indian sensibilities to see a delegation of German MPs and the foreign policy advisor to the chairman of the ruling Christian Democratic Union (CDU) Party and director of the German human rights organisation MISSIO coming on a two-day visit of Gujarat to study the human rights situation and impact on the society after the 2002 communal riots. It's been eight years since the event. The Supreme Court of India is conducting trials and supervising the cases against Modi. Modi has been reinstalled twice as the chief minister of Gujarat by thumping victories in two fair elections. In this context it's difficult to understand the need for such a powerful official delegation to pass a judgment on the state and reiterate that Modi continues to be persona non-grata in the European Union and they want trials against him to be completed soon. If the report they wanted to prepare was for internal consumption of the German government or political parties, probably the delegation should have met parties with opposing views for a more mature perspective and avoided a public statement. After all, Modi is not an incidental chief minister but voted to power by millions, not once but twice. The whole idea of denying a US visa to Modi has also been rendered pointless by the fact that he has become more popular in the US than any other Gujarati chief minister! The Gujaratis and Indians in the US are coming in hordes to meet him! Even non-hardliner Gujaratis, who don't sympathise with Modi, clearly feel that the executive head of their state has beenslighted. The standard sentiment doing the rounds in Gujarati drawing rooms for the past few years sees the denial of a US visa to Modi as a little more than targeting an individual for his crimes. "Have they stopped the Chinese, who did the Tiananmen Square crackdown, from coming to the US? Pakistan's role in global terrorism is known. Is a single Pak military officer or politician denied a visa to the US? If Modi is not a bigger criminal than either of the two, why is he denied a visa?" The denial of a visa makes the issue transcend individual chastisement and become a collective insult for a state, for a people. This piece is not to defend Modi or oppose global initiatives on human rights, as many would love to interpret it. Such initiatives are welcome and have been a great deterrent in preventing a recurrence of events like '2002' that would be regrettable for the collective conscience of the nation. The media has been unequivocal in criticising him for 2002 and his heavy-handedness towards his critics. Sometimes it does this even at great personal and professional risks, which will remain untold to the nation. But there is a need to draw a line between fighting your own battles and seeking external support for the same. Earlier this week the nation was equally shocked when a US court issued a notice for union commerce minister Kamal Nath during his US visit for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Delhi. It left a big question-mark on why after a quarter of a century, a US court had to summon Nath. From tasveerghar at gmail.com Wed Apr 28 01:52:17 2010 From: tasveerghar at gmail.com (Tasveer Ghar) Date: Tue, 27 Apr 2010 15:22:17 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Fwd: Call for Proposals: short fellowship from the Cluster... (a correction) Message-ID: Dear all Apologies for two errors that crept in the previous message: (1) The deadline for proposal submission is 30th June 2010 (not 31st) (2) One of the email IDs to send the proposals is bakht at asia-europe.uni-heidelberg.de (and not "bhakt") Thanks Tasveer Ghar team ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Tasveer Ghar Date: Mon, Apr 26, 2010 at 10:08 AM Subject: Call for Proposals: short fellowship from the Cluster of Excellence, Heidelberg, Germany To: Sarai reader list CALL for PROPOSAL 2010 Short-term Fellowships of the Cluster of Excellence – Asia and Europe in a Global Context: Shifting Asymmetries in Cultural Flows, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany On the theme: "Circulation of Popular Images and Media in Muslim Religious Spheres" “The Cluster of Excellence, Asia and Europe in a Global Context” invites proposals for short term fellowships from scholars, researchers and practitioners of popular arts and culture for multi-disciplinary and multi-media projects of research and documentation on theme of popular visual cultures and practices in and around Muslim shrines and public spaces, with an emphasis on the transcultural flows as emerging in the globalised contemporary popular arts and media. The proposals have to keep in mind (1) the research agenda of the Cluster of Excellence – Asia and Europe in Global Context, attached here or available at the website (www.asia-europe.uni-heidelberg.de en/about-us/mission.html), and (2) the brief given below about the specific theme of this short fellowship. Please remember: the last date for the receiving of proposals by email is 31st June 2010 (12 midnight India time). Theme: Circulation of Popular Images and Media in Muslim Religious Spaces: Muslim public spheres in India/South Asia exhibit a wide array of image practices such as calendar and poster art, devotional framed pictures, portrait photography with artificial backdrops, illustrated covers of religious chapbooks and magazines, besides innovative wall murals and printed notices, all of them incorporating popular icons of Mecca, Medina, local Sufi shrines, saints, Shia symbols, and Arabic calligraphy. Besides these, one also finds religious narratives in popular recorded media such as audiocassettes, video CDs/DVDs, and now the cell-phone software. Much of this popular visuality and ephemera circulate around institutions such as Sufi shrines or mosques in south Asia, although these may not be limited to only one shrine area or a city. One may also find inter regional connections between shrines of different towns and villages through the passage of these media to wider areas. Although much of these mass duplicated images and media may have their origins in the traditional religious performative practices of the pre-modern era, the impact of new technology and media, especially derived from outside their local spaces, has altered the way religious devotion is practiced today. One could highlight this with an example about the mobility and transformation of Muslim shrines, saint portraits and relics through images and media on the Indian subcontinent (although by no means do we wish to limit the regional focus to India but explore transnational and transcultural flows!). Usually a Sufi shrine holds the original grave or relic of a specific saint that cannot be replicated anywhere else (unlike a Hindu deity whose idol or replica shrine can be recreated in other locations too). Thus the visit to a particular Sufi shrine has its unique value for a pilgrim for its originality. But the mass duplicated images of the same can easily be made and have been in circulation for a long time, making a shrine or relic mobile beyond its original location. There are evidences of hand drawn illustrations of Sufi shrines and saint portraits being made available before the onset of print in India. The printing industry, especially of colour posters and other types of images made the mass produced images of Sufi shrines even more accessible and popular. The photography has added newer dimension to this visual culture where an odd photo of a saint is used again and again to make drawings and even idols, such as in the case Sai Baba of Shirdi. Through this multi disciplinary project involving several researchers, we wish to go a few steps further from the nexus of photography, painting, and printed posters, to study the newer practices of the use of “original” images for the creation of new mediated material such as collage posters, videos, animation and even Internet-based presentations that seek newer generation of devotees and their popular piety. A typical example of this would be the production of popular devotional videos about Sufi shrines that are basically music videos with a performer/Qawwal singing a new song seeking the saint’s blessing, dramatically videographed in a studio or staged settings, interspersed with the vérité shots of the actual shrine – the two of which can sometimes be very different in style and quality. There can be several such examples from the contemporary popular culture of Muslims in India. Thus, we invite you to be a part of a larger project by contributing with your specific research about a shrine, institution or public space that is witnessing the production of popular images and media and getting altered through transcultural impact. As the end result of this round of fellowships, we plan to hold an event in Delhi (c. spring 2011) where you would be invited to present your work in the form of a lecture, exhibit or a video show. Who is eligible to apply? This fellowship is meant for individuals or groups who have access to a unique collection of popular art material available in private or public spaces. Currently we offer this fellowship to individuals or groups based in India only. In exceptional cases, we may consider projects from outside India, but the subject of research/documentation would have to be Indian and the artwork needs to be sent to New Delhi, India. Also, the grant money can only to be issued for a bank account in India. There is no bar of age or educational qualification, as long as you are capable of conducting the entire research/documentation on your own, and can possibly provide a context to your work in the form of a text report or essay in English or Hindi. What would a fellow be expected to do? You are free to carry on your research/documentation in any manner that suits your subject. However, we would encourage projects that stress on trans-culturality and use unconventional methods of research and presentations, such as using images, videos, maps, and innovative media that can be combined to create a larger networking. The Cluster may present some advice or guidelines on how you could go about conducting your fellowship. The period of six months available for the fellowship work includes the making/organizing of your arts collection, writing a report/essay about it, presenting your work in a workshop at Delhi in the spring of 2010, and make your findings available for a publication of the Cluster either on the web or through print. Although you are not required to physically visit any of our offices during the research period (except for the final workshop in Delhi), you must constantly keep in touch with us via email by reporting the progress or status of your work. The final submission of your resulting materials and report must be made on or before 31st December 2010. You could either send the artworks to us (at your cost) for digitization, or digitize it yourself using the guidelines suggested by us. Currently, Cluster does not provide the facility for the physical storage of the specimens. Cluster will also not provide the facility to “restore” the artworks. You shall be responsible for acquiring any copyright permission (and related documents) if required for the artwork. What does the Cluster fellowship provide you? Although you can send us a detailed estimate of what your documentation would cost, Cluster can provide a maximum of 1,000 Euros (or its equivalent in the local currency) to each approved project. This amount includes all costs such as research, travel, acquiring of artwork, sending of the material to Cluster, writing of the essay, fees to be paid to any third party, and so on. In case you wish to do the digitization/scanning of images yourself, no extra funds would be available for that. The fellowship amount would be paid to you in two installments: (1) at the time of the signing of agreement: 50%, (2) after the approval of your final submitted material: 50%. For those in India, taxes as levied by the government of India would be applicable to the fellowship payment. You should also have a PAN number and a bank account in India in order to receive the fellowship payment. For candidates outside India, other tax rules or restrictions may apply depending on the local regulations. What the fellowship will not support? We would not support any infrastructural costs such as setting up of an office, buying of equipment, daily meals, or per diem costs, etc. The fellowship will also not support the making of new artworks by an artist. Cluster is not in a position to purchase the art work from the collector. In exceptional cases, if a fellow requires a larger sum of money to buy a unique collection of art, Cluster would have the right to own that material. We are currently NOT looking for the strictly traditional art forms such as folk arts, classical arts, or art with archaeological importance, unless any of these reflect the change or transformation brought about by modernity, urbanization, the interventions of mass-mediated technologies, and so on. In fact, your objective of the research need not be strictly the documentation or collection of a certain art form. It could even involve contextualizing certain trends of popular aesthetics, such as “politics or economics of popular art”, or “aesthetics of election campaign” and so on.  However, Cluster will not support a highly subjective/creative presentation or interpretation of popular culture devoid of any empirical analysis. What should your proposal contain? Although we encourage you to write your proposal in any manner that enables you to clearly state your objectives, some of the following should be provided: Working title of the project Short introduction (one paragraph)Background/(cluster and other) Objectives/relevance (1-2 pages) Detailed Activities/Timeline planned Requirements/estimated cost/budget What has earlier been done on this artwork/subject? Provide a short survey of the available material (maybe a bibliography). How is your project unique? What makes you the best person to do this project? A summary of the proposal (max 300 words) A brief résumé You may also provide the following with the proposal: Sample of art work (photos, prints, video, text etc.) maximum 3 specimens (preferably, in the form of an email attachment - you may even direct us to an Internet site where such art specimens are displayed). Names and addresses of two people in the field who know you, and will be willing to write brief letters of reference if required. Kindly send your proposal and all the materials by email to the following addresses. The attachments in the email should not exceed 2 MB. If you wish to send more/larger attachments, kindly send them in separate emails, giving similar subject lines, and giving a list of all attachments in one/first email. bhakt at asia-europe.uni-heidelberg.de,  tasveerghar at gmail.com Deadline for receiving the proposals: 31st JUNE 2010 Before sending the final detailed proposal, you could also send us a small (one-page) synopsis of what you wish to do – to get an idea of whether it truly fits into the agenda of the Cluster. http://tasveergharindia.net/cmsdesk/pages/fellowship.html http://www.tasveerghar.net -- http://www.tasveerghar.net From chintangirishmodi at gmail.com Wed Apr 28 11:29:54 2010 From: chintangirishmodi at gmail.com (Chintan) Date: Wed, 28 Apr 2010 11:29:54 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Weaving workshop for children aged 4-7, May 1, Nizamuddin In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: pooteacher Date: Wed, Apr 28, 2010 at 9:46 AM Subject: [alt-ed-india] delhites homeschoolers....don't miss it! Analia Restropo, a professional weaver will conduct a one hour weaving workshop for children in the age group of 4 to 7 years Studio (Nizamuddin west). This will be her last session for sometime as she is moving back to Italy, Though we really hope to see her back at the studio this year! Analia will be guiding boys and girls on the discovery of their own creativity through weaving techniques with a number of unusual materials.Children will be creating a hand weaved craft using only their hands (as opposed to the traditional loom) to transform materials through weaving techniques into objects in a fantastic and creative way. Weaving is a process of interlacing stripes of paper or cloth, strands of yarn, wood sticks, plastic straws, or any simple material that you can find at home to create an object which can be complemented by artistic techniques as painting, papier mache and many others. Analia, is a professional weaver and textile designer, has been teaching modern and traditional weaving techniques in Italy, and currently she is developing a unique collection of handbags, furnishing accessories and jewellery, entirely handmade from either knitted, crocheted, woven or simply plaited, twisted or knotted neoprene yarn, pvc and other types of industrial plastic materials used extensively in the plumbing, car and motorcycle industries. Please do let us know by email if you would like to join in ( rabani at readingcaterpillar.com , romananavroop at gmail.com ) Venue: F-24, Second Floor, Nizamuddin West Date: 1st may 2010 Time: 10 to 11 am Session fee: Rs. 300 per child. __._,_.___ From kauladityaraj at gmail.com Wed Apr 28 17:06:27 2010 From: kauladityaraj at gmail.com (Aditya Raj Kaul) Date: Wed, 28 Apr 2010 17:06:27 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] New Delhi Premier - "Children of the Pyre" by Rajesh Jala In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Friends, *I request everyone to attend the Delhi Premier of the National Award winning documentary "Children of the Pyre" by our very own Rajesh Jala - at Siri Fort Auditorium-2 on 29th April 2010, 6:30pm.* "Children of the Pyre" has been one of the most successful Indian documentaries made recently. It has won awards for Best Documentary at various festivals including Montreal, Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, USA and Sao Paulo besides winning a special jury award at the national film awards of India. The film has been in the competition at Pusan, Leipzig, Munich, Warsaw and Mumbai (MIFF). The humble *Rajesh Jala* talks to *Ameya Bahulekar* and *Pratik Singla* in Mumbai, where his film was in competition for the Golden Conch. *Link* - http://dearcinema.com/article/miff-%E2%80%9910-diary-conversation-director-children-pyre thanks -- Aditya Raj Kaul India Editor The Indian, Australia Website: http://theindian.net.au/ Cell - +91-9873297834 Blog: http://activistsdiary.blogspot.com/ ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: rajesh jala Date: Tue, Apr 27, 2010 at 9:52 PM Subject: children... delhi premier Friends, *"Children of The Pyre"* will be screened at Siri Fort auditorium - 2 at 6:30 pm on Thursday, 29th April. Please find some time to attend the screening. Kind regards, Rajesh S. Jala http://www.rajeshsjala.com/ From chandni_parekh at yahoo.com Wed Apr 28 21:10:21 2010 From: chandni_parekh at yahoo.com (Chandni Parekh) Date: Wed, 28 Apr 2010 08:40:21 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] Looking for a job with a think tank or an NGO Message-ID: <585049.8466.qm@web54406.mail.re2.yahoo.com> --------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Rimi Date: 27 April 2010 Hello Chandni, I am graduating this coming summer with a masters in Economic Anthropology. I'm looking for employment in India. All my research and training is in the field of development in the developing world (I specialise in relational qualitative analysis of socioeconomic institutions and developing the most effective modus operandi from that), and now I'm looking to work with NGOs/think tanks which work in the same field, in a research or administrative position. Chandni, I'll be doing a book project in Calcutta for a year or so, but I'm free to move before that or even during, if a tempting enough job opens up elsewhere. Also, I'm as keen on think tanks (Centres for Communications and Development, for example, or Centre for Policy Research) as I am on NGOs, so if you're connected to them as well, keep me in mind :-) Best wishes, Rimi -- Department of Anthropology Brandeis University MS 006 415 South Street, Waltham, MA 02454 9110 From rahul_capri at yahoo.com Wed Apr 28 22:31:39 2010 From: rahul_capri at yahoo.com (Rahul Asthana) Date: Wed, 28 Apr 2010 10:01:39 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] Economist story on "criminal tribes" Message-ID: <474617.5153.qm@web53604.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Very soon they might also have to be  "crushed by iron fist". http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15955530 INSIDE his hovel of branches and rags, a grizzled pauper called Badshah Kale keeps a precious object. It is a note, scrawled by a policeman and framed by Mr Kale, proclaiming that he “is not a thief”. For members of his Pardhi tribe, who are among some 60m Indians considered criminal by tradition, this is treasure. Squatting beside Mr Kale, on a turd-strewn wasteland outside Ashti, a village in India’s western state of Maharashtra, Pardhi men and women describe what it is like to be branded criminal at birth. A woman says her husband is hauled in every week or two by the police, against whom the Pardhis have ring-fenced their wretched colony with thorny branches. He has thrice been tried for robbery but was never convicted. Sporting a bright pink turban, another Pardhi says six of his seven sons have been imprisoned numerous times. All, predictably enough, claim to be law-abiding—though, giggling, Mr Kale’s wife admits to hawking copper trinkets as gold. “Even if we try to live like normal people,” she says, “the [Hindu] upper-castes will never accept us.” This stigma goes back over a century. Mostly itinerant—some blue-eyed Pardhis look like they might come from the far north-west—India’s “criminal tribes” have always lived on society’s edge. Yet their plight was made worse by a series of 19th-century changes, including rapid deforestation, which stopped them from hunting, and the imposition of a tax on salt, which many had traded. No doubt this drove many to crime—which encouraged India’s British rulers to a harsh conclusion. Imbued with a bureaucratic aversion to nomadism and a Victorian relish for the Hindu caste system, they adjudged many Indian tribesmen, Pardhis included, to be preordained crooks. According to an 1880 report of the Bombay Presidency, an area dominated by the modern states of Maharashtra and Gujarat, members of a Pardhi sub-tribe are “always ragged and dirty, walking with a sneaking gait”. To fix these vagabonds, the Raj introduced the 1871 Criminal Tribes Act, under which members of around 150 tribes were forced to register with the police, forbidden to move around freely and, in many cases, herded into barbed-wire camps. The law was scrapped soon after India won independence, and the criminal tribes were formally “de-notified” in 1952. Some have prospered: in Rajasthan, the Meenas dominate a preferential-treatment scheme to allocate government jobs to tribal people, which has let them become part of India’s elite civil services. Yet the fortunes of many de-notified tribes (DNTs) have scarcely improved. The Pardhis, of whom there are more than 200,000 in Maharashtra, are especially wretched. They are mostly jobless and landless, and they are often informally barred from villages. Thousands live destitute in Mumbai, Maharashtra’s capital. In response, the state government has made two of the three local Pardhi sub-tribes eligible for positive-discrimination measures. Yet few Pardhis have the documentation or education needed to take advantage of this. Around 80% are illiterate, even if more than half of Pardhi children may now be in school. Among 60-odd Pardhis squatting outside Ashti, only one has a formal job, as a school janitor. He credits his success to passing himself off as a dalit, one of Hinduism’s former “untouchables”. To examine the plight of India’s estimated 100m-odd DNTs and other nomadic people, the central government appointed a commission which reported back in 2008. Its recommendations, to which the government has not responded, included taking steps to extend positive-discrimination measures to those tribals—perhaps a fifth of the total—who lack them. It also urged state governments, which control policing in India, to scrap draconian laws used by the police to lock up repeat offenders. These are often used against DNT members, enforcing a cycle of poverty and discrimination that keeps many in crime. Pardhi poachers, for example, are one of the biggest threats to India’s dwindling population of tigers, which they have eradicated from several national parks. According to Ashti’s police chief, S.S. Gaikawad, a quarter of local thefts are carried out by Pardhis. His deputy reckons half of Pardhi men are criminal. Mr Gaikawad attributes high rates of criminality to poverty, but believes culture also plays a part: “The more criminal cases against a Pardhi man, the higher his status, and therefore the better his marriage prospects are.” In a country where over a quarter of parliamentarians face criminal charges, this is not as surprising as it might seem. Yet Rajendra Kale, a Pardhi activist in the nearby town of Ahmednagar, says it is exaggerated. He reckons no more than 10% of Pardhi men break the law. To help his poor community, Mr Kale, who says he was twice wrongly imprisoned for theft as an eight-year-old, demands a reform that the government cannot easily provide: “Pardhis must be accepted into the village.” This is happening, he says, but slowly. He points to some bloodied figures, a Pardhi man and two women, waiting on the pavement nearby. The man, Faillu Bhosle, said they had been attacked by high-caste Marathas while they were cultivating common grazing-land. They had come to town seeking treatment for Mr Bhosle’s father, who lost an eye in the attack, and to report the incident to the police. The policemen of their own village, who have arrested Mr Bhosle four times, refused to record their complaint. From aliens at dataone.in Thu Apr 29 09:26:19 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Thu, 29 Apr 2010 09:26:19 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: LETTER to PRIME MINISTER from the EDITOR of TIMES of INDIA Message-ID: <001a01cae74f$ed028b40$c707a1c0$@in> LETTER TO PRIME-MINISTER FROM THE EDITOR OF TIMES OF INDIA  Dear Mr. Prime Minister I am a typical mouse from Mumbai. In the local train compartment which has capacity of 100 persons, I travel with 500 more mouse. Mouse can at least squeak, but we don't even do that. Today I heard your speech in which you said 'NOBODY WOULD BE SPARED'. I would like to remind you that fourteen years have passed since serial bomb blast in Mumbai took place. Dawood was the main conspirator. Till today he is not caught.  All our Bollywood actors, our builders, our Gutka king meet him but your Government can not catch him.  Reason is simple; all your ministers are hand in glove with him. If any attempt is made to catch him everybody will be exposed. Your statement 'NOBODY WOULD BE SPARED' is nothing but a cruel joke on the unfortunate people of India . Enough is enough. As such after seeing terrorist attack carried out by about a dozen young boys I realize that if the same thing continues, days are not away when terrorist will attack by air, destroy our nuclear reactor and there will be one more Hiroshima . We the people are left with only one mantra. Womb to Bomb to Tomb. You promised Mumbaikar Shanghai. What you have given us is Jalianwala Bagh. Today only your home minister resigned. What took you so long to kick out this joker? Only reason was that he was loyal to Gandhi family. Loyalty to Gandhi family is more important than blood of innocent people, isn't it? I am born and bought up in Mumbai. Have lived here for last fifty eight years. Believe me corruption in Maharashtra is worse than that in Bihar . Look at all the politicians, Sharad Pawar, Chagan Bhujbal, Narayan Rane, Bal Thackray , Gopinath Munde, Raj Thackray, Vilasrao Deshmukh all are rolling in money.  Vilasrao Deshmukh is one of the worst Chief Ministers I have seen. His only business is to increase the FSI every other day, make money and send it to Delhi so Congress can fight d next election. Now the clown has found new way and will increase FSI for fisherman so they can build concrete house right on sea shore. Next time terrorists can comfortably live in these houses , enjoy the beauty of sea and then attack the Mumbai at their will. Recently I had to purchase a house in Mumbai. I met about two dozen builders. Everybody wanted about 30% in black. A common person like me knows this and with all your intelligent agency & CBI you and your finance minister are not aware of it. Where does all the black money go? To the underworld isn't it? Our politicians take help of these goondas to vacate people by force. I myself was victim of it. If you have time please come to me, I will tell you everything. If this has been land of fools, idiots then I would not have ever cared to write you this letter. Just see the tragedy, on one side we are reaching d moon, people are so intelligent and on other side you politicians have converted nectar into deadly poison.  I am everything Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Schedule caste, OBC, Muslim OBC, Christian Schedule caste, Creamy Schedule caste only what I am not is INDIAN.  You politicians have raped every part of mother India by your policy of divide and rule. Take example of former president Abdul Kalam. Such an intelligent person, such a fine human being. You politicians didn't even spare him. Your party along with opposition joined the hands, because politicians feel they are supreme and there is no place for a good person. Dear Mr Prime Minister you are one of the most intelligent persons, most learned person. Just wake up, be a real SARDAR. First and foremost expose all selfish politicians.  Ask Swiss bank to give names of all Indian account holders. Give reins of CBI to independent agency. Let them find d wolves among us. There will be political upheaval but that will be better than dance of death which we are witnessing every day. Just give us d ambience where we can work honestly and without fear. Let there be rule of law. Everything else will be taken care of. Choice is yours Mr. Prime Minister. Do you want to be lead by one person or you want to lead the nation of 100 Crore people?   Prakash B. Bajaj  Editor Mumbai-Times of India  Chandralok - Flat No: A/104  97 Nepean Sea Road   Mumbai 400 036  Phone  98210-71194  98210-71194       PS: I think finally there is a MAN amongst the Mice. We salute you Mr. Bajaj for throwing 'Prakash' on the state of affairs in our beloved country and enlightening us. JAI HIND! JAI HIND! JAI HIND! From chintangirishmodi at gmail.com Thu Apr 29 11:17:42 2010 From: chintangirishmodi at gmail.com (Chintan) Date: Thu, 29 Apr 2010 11:17:42 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Teaching has its rewards Message-ID: >From http://www.go-nxg.com/?p=7596 *Teaching is a good career option for those with a passion for creating favourable environments for learning and growing.* * * If you want to be a teacher, there’s nothing wrong with you. Trust me. When I was doing a B.A., people politely pretended to think of it as a B.E. While I was pursuing an M.A., they thought I was kidding, and insisted that I surely meant M.B.A. And now when I am enrolled for an M.Phil., that too in English Language Education, I get asked about what I really want to do. The ‘for a living’ is left unsaid, but prominently emphasised through non-verbal means. Of course, they are all well meaning people, concerned about the security of my future life, ardently hoping that I won’t turn out to be an utter waste. That I see little reason to worry is another matter. *Varied options* If you are really interested in teaching, it would be encouraging to know that a host of options are available to you. For starters, there is Teach for India, aiming to induct committed young people into teaching and school reform. Teach for India offers fellowships to college graduates and young professionals, who are placed in low-income schools to teach for two years. All fellows go through a rigorous training programme prior to their placement, and receive support during the course of their work. Apart from this, there are numerous NGOs, alternative schools, and youth organisations in India constantly on the lookout for people who can teach specific subjects or impart skills to children. It is true that you will probably not end up making a lot of money, but there are other rewards. A friend who made a switch from journalism to teaching two years ago is incredibly happy about her decision. She finds a great deal of creative challenge in the work she is doing, and would not trade this for anything else. She gets to be classroom teacher, syllabus designer, event manager, and much else. Another friend works with dyslexic children, and is ecstatic about how she learns so much each day — about patience, caring, taking responsibility, and simply being happy. Yet another friend is a Teach for India fellow. She finds delight in every little achievement of the children she is mentoring, and is always finding ways of nurturing their talents. *Educator* While I do enjoy teaching, and I must admit here that I have done very little of it, I am increasingly beginning to see myself more as ‘educator’ than as ‘teacher’. It is important to clarify that the former is not superior in any way to the latter. The term ‘educator’ draws attention to a whole range of allied roles significant in their own right — librarian, curriculum developer, textbook writer, workshop facilitator, school consultant, etc.Education is an amazing field to be working in. It calls out to those who have a passion for creating favourable environments for learning and growing. If you find this to be your calling, much love to you. And don’t worry about the money. Your creativity will figure out ways of sustaining you. From nc-agricowi at netcologne.de Thu Apr 29 13:52:19 2010 From: nc-agricowi at netcologne.de (artNET) Date: Thu, 29 Apr 2010 10:22:19 +0200 Subject: [Reader-list] =?iso-8859-1?q?netEX_-_calls_=26_deadlines_--=3E_MA?= =?iso-8859-1?q?Y__2010?= Message-ID: <20100429102220.123EB5DB.3FDEFD4C@192.168.0.2> netEX: calls & deadlines -->MAY 2010 ------------------------------------- NewMediafest'2010 10 Years [NewMediaArtProjectNetwork]:||cologne ------------------------------------- newsletter contents a) . news b) calls & deadlines --> 03 Calls: 2010 deadlines internal 16 Calls: MAY 2010 deadlines external 11 Calls: ongoing external/internal ------------------------------------------------ a) news NewMediaFest'2010 10 Years [NewMediaArtProjectNetwork]:||cologne global heritage of digital culture 1 January -31 December 2010 http://2010.newmedaifest.org includes in MAY following venues --> CologneOFF V - Cologne International Videoart Festival - at 1) AllArtNow International New Media Art Festival Damascus/Syria http://www.allartnow.com- 25-30 May 2010 2) Fonlad - Digital Art Festival 15-28 May Coimbra/PT - http://www.fonlad.net 3) One Shot - International Shortfilm Festival Yerewan/Armenia 17-24 May 2010 4) Athens Video Art Festival 7-9 May 2010 - http://www.athensvideoartfestival.gr ------------------------------------------------ b) Calls & deadlines ---> ------------------------------------------------ MAY 2010: deadlines internal ------------------------------------------------ NewMediaFest'2010 has currently 3 calls running CologneOFF VI - Cologne International Videoart Festival extended deadline 4 May 2010 Call for film & videoart http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=1907 NewMediaFest'2010 VideoChannel - deadline 31 May 2010 Family Affair II - Father // Brothers and Sisters http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=447 NewMediaFest'2010 *ongoing deadline 1 September 2009 - 1 September 2010 Java Museum - Forum for internet Technology in Contemporary Art will be celebrating in 2010 its 10th anniversary and is looking for Internet based art from the years 2000-2010 details, regulations and entry form can be found on http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=1428 ------------------------------------------------ MAY 2010 deadlines: external ------------------------------------------------ 31 May 18th Contravisioon Int. Film Festival Berlin http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=2281 31 May Fundata Artists Film Festival 2010 - Halifx/UK http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=2128 30 May Digital Art Festival Sofia 2010 - Experimental films http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=2220 30 May 11thGas Natural International Exhibition - La Coruna/Spain http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=2232 25 May Yogyakarta Media Art Festival 2010 - Indonesia http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=2253 24 May Visions in the Nunnery 2010 London/UK http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=2148 21 May Gaza International Video art Festival 2010 http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=2278 15 May Videoart Screening Night Pesaro/Italy http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=2241 15 May MusicVideoArt 5 - Mons-en-Baroeul (France) http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=1937 15 May EXIS 2010 - Experimental Film & Video Festival Seoul/South Korea http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=2132 14 May DIY Kenya Commission http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=2271 1 May Busho - Budapest Short Film Festival 2010 http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=2008 1 May Los Angeles Film Forum 2010 Festival http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=2125 1 May Patras International Festival of Film & Culture (Greece) http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=2181 1 May The UnifiedField Video Performance Yogyakarta/indonesia http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=2198 1 May Spark Festival of Electronic Music and Arts 2010 Minneapolis/USA http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=2275 ----------------------------------------------- Ongoing calls: external/internal ----------------------------------------------- ---> SFC - Shoah Film Collection by VideoChannel & A Virtual Memorial Foundation ---> Selfshadows 2.= - net based project by Javier Bedrina -->Videos for Bivouac Projects Sumter/USA -->OUTCASTING - web based screenings -->Films and video screenings Sioux City (USA) -->Laisle screenings Rio de Janeiro/Brazil -->Videos for Helsinki based video gallery - 00130 Gallery -->Web based works for 00130 Gallery Helsinki/Finland -->Project: Repetition as a Model for Progression by Marianne Holm Hansen -->US webjournal Atomic Unicorn seeks netart and video art for coming editions -->TAGallery and more deadlines on http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?page_id=4 ----------------------------------------------- NetEX - networked experience http://netex.nmartproject.net # 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 is a free information service powered by [NewMediaArtProjectNetwork]:||cologne http://www.nmartproject.net - the experimental platform for art and new media from Cologne/Germany # info & contact: info (at) nmartproject.net From kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Thu Apr 29 14:37:26 2010 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Thu, 29 Apr 2010 02:07:26 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] FW: LETTER to PRIME MINISTER from the EDITOR of TIMES of INDIA In-Reply-To: <001a01cae74f$ed028b40$c707a1c0$@in> Message-ID: <14687.52173.qm@web57204.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Dear Bipin   Just a glance through the letter reveals many grammatical errors and it is so poorly written that it would be astounding if an Editor of Times Of India had written it.   This letter has been in circulation since Dec 2008 and on ""12/12/2008 the Times of India has declared on page 3, that they plan to initiate action against Mr. Prakash Bajaj ... Because according to TOI this gentleman has misrepresentated himself as The Editor of The Times of India.""""   The letter found itself hugely circulated since it does express the thoughts and sentiments of many people in India.   Kshmendra   --- On Thu, 4/29/10, Bipin Trivedi wrote: From: Bipin Trivedi Subject: [Reader-list] FW: LETTER to PRIME MINISTER from the EDITOR of TIMES of INDIA To: "sarai-list" Date: Thursday, April 29, 2010, 9:26 AM LETTER TO PRIME-MINISTER FROM THE EDITOR OF TIMES OF INDIA  Dear Mr. Prime Minister I am a typical mouse from Mumbai. In the local train compartment which has capacity of 100 persons, I travel with 500 more mouse. Mouse can at least squeak, but we don't even do that. Today I heard your speech in which you said 'NOBODY WOULD BE SPARED'. I would like to remind you that fourteen years have passed since serial bomb blast in Mumbai took place. Dawood was the main conspirator. Till today he is not caught.  All our Bollywood actors, our builders, our Gutka king meet him but your Government can not catch him.  Reason is simple; all your ministers are hand in glove with him. If any attempt is made to catch him everybody will be exposed. Your statement 'NOBODY WOULD BE SPARED' is nothing but a cruel joke on the unfortunate people of India . Enough is enough. As such after seeing terrorist attack carried out by about a dozen young boys I realize that if the same thing continues, days are not away when terrorist will attack by air, destroy our nuclear reactor and there will be one more Hiroshima . We the people are left with only one mantra. Womb to Bomb to Tomb. You promised Mumbaikar Shanghai. What you have given us is Jalianwala Bagh. Today only your home minister resigned. What took you so long to kick out this joker? Only reason was that he was loyal to Gandhi family. Loyalty to Gandhi family is more important than blood of innocent people, isn't it? I am born and bought up in Mumbai. Have lived here for last fifty eight years. Believe me corruption in Maharashtra is worse than that in Bihar . Look at all the politicians, Sharad Pawar, Chagan Bhujbal, Narayan Rane, Bal Thackray , Gopinath Munde, Raj Thackray, Vilasrao Deshmukh all are rolling in money.  Vilasrao Deshmukh is one of the worst Chief Ministers I have seen. His only business is to increase the FSI every other day, make money and send it to Delhi so Congress can fight d next election. Now the clown has found new way and will increase FSI for fisherman so they can build concrete house right on sea shore. Next time terrorists can comfortably live in these houses , enjoy the beauty of sea and then attack the Mumbai at their will. Recently I had to purchase a house in Mumbai. I met about two dozen builders. Everybody wanted about 30% in black. A common person like me knows this and with all your intelligent agency & CBI you and your finance minister are not aware of it. Where does all the black money go? To the underworld isn't it? Our politicians take help of these goondas to vacate people by force. I myself was victim of it. If you have time please come to me, I will tell you everything. If this has been land of fools, idiots then I would not have ever cared to write you this letter. Just see the tragedy, on one side we are reaching d moon, people are so intelligent and on other side you politicians have converted nectar into deadly poison.  I am everything Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Schedule caste, OBC, Muslim OBC, Christian Schedule caste, Creamy Schedule caste only what I am not is INDIAN.  You politicians have raped every part of mother India by your policy of divide and rule. Take example of former president Abdul Kalam. Such an intelligent person, such a fine human being. You politicians didn't even spare him. Your party along with opposition joined the hands, because politicians feel they are supreme and there is no place for a good person. Dear Mr Prime Minister you are one of the most intelligent persons, most learned person. Just wake up, be a real SARDAR. First and foremost expose all selfish politicians.  Ask Swiss bank to give names of all Indian account holders. Give reins of CBI to independent agency. Let them find d wolves among us. There will be political upheaval but that will be better than dance of death which we are witnessing every day. Just give us d ambience where we can work honestly and without fear. Let there be rule of law. Everything else will be taken care of. Choice is yours Mr. Prime Minister. Do you want to be lead by one person or you want to lead the nation of 100 Crore people?   Prakash B. Bajaj  Editor Mumbai-Times of India  Chandralok - Flat No: A/104  97 Nepean Sea Road   Mumbai 400 036  Phone  98210-71194  98210-71194       PS: I think finally there is a MAN amongst the Mice. We salute you Mr. Bajaj for throwing 'Prakash' on the state of affairs in our beloved country and enlightening us. JAI HIND! JAI HIND! JAI HIND! _________________________________________ 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 akmalik45 at yahoo.com Thu Apr 29 15:33:06 2010 From: akmalik45 at yahoo.com (A.K. Malik) Date: Thu, 29 Apr 2010 03:03:06 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] Teaching has its rewards In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <976452.51654.qm@web112102.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Hi Chintan, Even today teaching for women is considered a very good job as they can easily take care of their kids, families and other household requirements as usually the school times are from early morning to afternoons only. While for men,whatever the people may say, it is usually either a forced option or a second grade choice barring a few who volunteer on their own free volition.In Punjabi families while a female teacher can get decent matrimonial responses, for males it is not so.Though the point is debateable this is what I have observed for several years.In social gatherings also a male teacher doesn't get the requisite social status. 2. While the teachers are not highly paid, the educators,at times are getting lot of money in terms of consultancies etc. and considered somewhat above the teachers in terms of social status. In any case now a days the choice is that of the individuals and it can't be forced upon by elders. Regards, (A.K.MALIK) --- On Thu, 4/29/10, Chintan wrote: > From: Chintan > Subject: [Reader-list] Teaching has its rewards > To: "sarai list" , learningnet-india at yahoogroups.com > Date: Thursday, April 29, 2010, 11:17 AM > From http://www.go-nxg.com/?p=7596 > > *Teaching is a good career option for those with a passion > for creating > favourable environments for learning and growing.* * > * > If you want to be a teacher, there’s nothing wrong with > you. Trust me. When > I was doing a B.A., people politely pretended to think of > it as a B.E. While > I was pursuing an M.A., they thought I was kidding, and > insisted that I > surely meant M.B.A. And now when I am enrolled for an > M.Phil., that too in > English Language Education, I get asked about what I really > want to do. The > ‘for a living’ is left unsaid, but prominently > emphasised through non-verbal > means. Of course, they are all well meaning people, > concerned about the > security of my future life, ardently hoping that I won’t > turn out to be an > utter waste. That I see little reason to worry is another > matter. > > *Varied options* > > If you are really interested in teaching, it would be > encouraging to know > that a host of options are available to you. For starters, > there is Teach > for India, aiming to induct committed young people into > teaching and school > reform. Teach for India offers fellowships to college > graduates and young > professionals, who are placed in low-income schools to > teach for two years. > All fellows go through a rigorous training programme prior > to their > placement, and receive support during the course of their > work. Apart from > this, there are numerous NGOs, alternative schools, and > youth organisations > in India constantly on the lookout for people who can teach > specific > subjects or impart skills to children. > > It is true that you will probably not end up making a lot > of money, but > there are other rewards. A friend who made a switch from > journalism to > teaching two years ago is incredibly happy about her > decision. She finds a > great deal of creative challenge in the work she is doing, > and would not > trade this for anything else. She gets to be classroom > teacher, syllabus > designer, event manager, and much else. Another friend > works with dyslexic > children, and is ecstatic about how she learns so much each > day — about > patience, caring, taking responsibility, and simply being > happy. Yet another > friend is a Teach for India fellow. She finds delight in > every little > achievement of the children she is mentoring, and is always > finding ways of > nurturing their talents. > > *Educator* > > While I do enjoy teaching, and I must admit here that I > have done very > little of it, I am increasingly beginning to see myself > more as ‘educator’ > than as ‘teacher’. It is important to clarify that the > former is not > superior in any way to the latter. The term ‘educator’ > draws attention to a > whole range of allied roles significant in their own right > — librarian, > curriculum developer, textbook writer, workshop > facilitator, school > consultant, etc.Education is an amazing field to be working > in. It calls out > to those who have a passion for creating favourable > environments for > learning and growing. If you find this to be your calling, > much love to you. > And don’t worry about the money. Your creativity will > figure out ways of > sustaining you. > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the > city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net > with subscribe in the subject header. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From aliens at dataone.in Thu Apr 29 16:27:55 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Thu, 29 Apr 2010 16:27:55 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FW: LETTER to PRIME MINISTER from the EDITOR of TIMES of INDIA In-Reply-To: <14687.52173.qm@web57204.mail.re3.yahoo.com> References: <001a01cae74f$ed028b40$c707a1c0$@in> <14687.52173.qm@web57204.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <000f01cae78a$d34ef270$79ecd750$@in> Dear Kshemendra, ya you are right, I have also noticed the same thing but still it is worth very nearer to true. Thanks Bipin From pawan.durani at gmail.com Thu Apr 29 16:47:50 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Thu, 29 Apr 2010 16:47:50 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Not So Fabulous Fables by JTSA In-Reply-To: <06854D26-0B38-42A3-99B9-B72A1C76F3E7@sarai.net> References: <06854D26-0B38-42A3-99B9-B72A1C76F3E7@sarai.net> Message-ID: Dear All , A must all read. And for those who lack vision, a little food for them in return. Pawan http://www.anniezaidi.com/2010/04/little-more-truth-now-were-talking.html A little more truth, now we're talking about truth Dear Editor, (Countercurrents.org) I have just had a book out – a collection of essays based on reportage and travel over the last few years. I wrote it in the hope that through these stories of reporting from the field, other people too could share in my understanding of me, my times and my country. There has been a great outpouring of goodwill and support from family, friends and colleagues. I have been exhausted and happy, particularly when I see that the average person is actually willing to engage with some of the more serious issues I've put in the essays. But today, I am also forced to worry: What would happen if everything I wrote was disbelieved, or challenged by others who didn't want to agree with me? Additionally, what would happen if a group of people who disliked me or my politics was to try to discredit my reportage by issuing public statements about me? Earlier this week, I was forwarded an email with what appears to be a statement issued by the Jamia Teacher's Solidarity Association (though I cannot find it on their own website, it does appear on Countercurrents, a website that I have a fair amount of respect for. The piece (dated April 25, 2010) accuses journalist Praveen Swami of being a liar. To my knowledge, this is the first time a pressure group has formed that publicly singles out a journalist on a given beat for such strident criticism, and in absolute isolation from his/her organisation and other journalists who cover the same region/beat. I was concerned, partly because it seemed like an attempt at constructing outrage against one individual, isolating him from his field of work and thereby discrediting even the editorial leadership of the newspaper he works for by indirectly insinuating that the editors don't know what they're doing. Before I go any further, I would like to declare some basic facts. Mr Swami was bureau chief at a time when I was working for Frontline, and I just have a book out in which he features in the acknowledgments. He was a good boss and very un-boss-like in that he treated me as an intellectual equal (unlike certain other older male journalists whom I shall not name here) and was always up for a good debate, always listening with an open mind to what I had to say. He is still a friend. However, this is not about loyalty or a defense of friendship. This is about journalistic integrity and the rights of reporters to report the truth as far as they can access it. The correct thing to do, if you suspect a journalist is not quite doing his job, is to write to the editor of the paper. The Hindu is one of those rare papers that has a readers' editor. It is surprising that the teachers' association did not send in their note to the editor there. Or that they did not put it up as a press statement on their own website, addressed to the The Hindu editor. It would have given Mr Swami a fair chance to defend himself. It seems wrong to me to accuse someone without giving them a chance to have their say. You, being an editor who stands for truth - even truth that is not immediately apparent and which is often ignored or willfully suppressed - probably understand this sentiment. Though I must also say that if I had been an editor of a website that carried the aforementioned note by the JTSA, I would have expected the allegations to be a little more rigorously researched and properly phrased, or I might have found myself slapped with a libel suit. However, I have done your job for you. Like a good journalist, I wrote to Mr Swami asking for a clarification, with specific reference to the examples of the 'lies' the note referenced. He has answered with a point by point rebuttal of the JTSA's allegations (see below). Having read it, it appears that the note you have published betrays a certain terminological inexactitude on the part of the writers, not to mention wide swathes of intellectual laziness (which is strange, considering these are professional intellectuals). But we can always conduct debates with intellectual rigour at another date. For now, I am hoping that you will be fair, and publish Mr Swami’s rebuttal for the sake of editorial integrity. Regards Annie Zaidi April 28, 2010 Dear Annie: Thank you for your letter. I’m glad that, unlike many people I know, you’ve actually sought my opinion on the allegations that the Jamia Teachers’ Solidarity Association has levelled at me. Some people seem to have been perfectly content to circulate the allegations without any effort at verification. Since the JTSA’s allegations have not been addressed, to the best of my knowledge, to my Editors at The Hindu, I’ve had no opportunity to respond to what I believe are scurrilous allegations. However, I do hope you will not be upset if I take the liberty of circulating my reply to you to a few people who may be interested in what I have to say. The principal JTSA claim, if my understanding is correct, is that I’ve invented a suspect for the Bangalore and Pune bombings, undermining my own earlier position—as they see it—that Hindutva groups had carried out the attacks. Separately, the JTSA also makes two, somewhat mutually-contradictory claims: first that I blindly broadcast the views of India’s intelligence services, and secondly, that I make up stories. The first of these two charges is, by its nature, difficult to prove or disprove: after all, if someone has persuaded themselves that I am an agent of India’s intelligence services, my denials are hardly likely to persuade them otherwise. It seems common-sense to me that the issue is not who I get my information from—which I am professionally bound, as you know, not to disclose—but how accurate that information is. This brings me to the second claim—i.e., that I have invented or misrepresented facts. This allegation is a serious one, but can be tested. Below, I’ve put my responses to their claims in the order in which they appear. Please make up your own mind. JTSA[1] My Response While the Pune police commissioned experts to draw sketches of the suspects based on this footage, ATS dismissed this exercise as “anything but useful”, as their source, the CCTV footage, was itself grainy. (Siasat, April 12). Where does Swami stand on this? He wrote in his 19th February piece: “All that investigators have by way of suspects are three men recorded holding brief meetings before the blast by a poor-quality closed-circuit television camera. From the videotape, it is unclear if the men had anything to do with the attack.” Exactly a month later, Swami conveniently develops an amnesia about Abhinav Bharat and even about the poor quality of CCTV footage. What was earlier ‘unclear” and hazy has in one month segued into solid shape: in the form of top Indian Mujahideen (IM) operative Mohammad Zarar Siddi Bawa ie., Yasin Bhatkal…. The JTSA is right: I did indeed write about grainy video footage obtained from a camera installed in a hotel opposite the German Bakery (I’ve dealt with the Abhinav Bharat issue they’ve raised below, to avoid confusing issues). What I didn’t know when I wrote the story was of the existence of footage from the second CCTV camera, installed above the cash counter in the German Bakery. Please note, though, that the existence of this footage was known to journalists other than me long before the Maharashtra Police Anti-Terrorism Squad disclosed its existence. Mid-Day, to cite just one of several examples that can easily be unearthed from the internet, had an account of its existence as early as February 17, 2010.[2] The article made clear that the police had instructed witnesses not to talk about the footage: “Pravin Panth, cashier at the bakery, said, ‘I have seen the footage, but I cannot reveal the inputs. I have been advised to refrain from revealing details to the media as this may harm investigations’.” Please also note that Yasin Bhatkal’s possible role in the bombings was dwelt on at this stage of the investigation by other journalists.[3] Clearly, Swami’s changing perceptions about the CCTV footage is in accord with the shifting attitude of the ATS itself. I wish my supposedly-formidable contacts in the intelligence services and elsewhere had told me about the cash-counter footage. That they didn’t should lead to some obvious inferences; the implications are too clear to need fleshing out here. As the JTSA points out, the Maharashtra Police Anti-Terrorism Squad did indeed claim that it had identified Yasin Bhatkal, from footage harvested from the cash-counter camera. This was widely reported in early April, before I wrote.[4] I was, I have to say, sceptical—hence, I worked to access the footage, and see for myself if the man in the tape did indeed resemble Yasin Bhatkal. I was reasonably satisfied by what I found. In any case, if investigators changed their views when new evidence came to light, why is that a problem? Swami’s articles appear magically, faithfully reflecting the Intelligence reports. After the Batla House ‘encounter’, he launched a tirade against all those who were questioning the police account of the shootout labeling them all ‘Alices in wonderland’. He went so far as to identify ‘precisely’ how Inspector Sharma was shot by claiming that “abdomen wound was inflicted with [Atif] Amin's weapon and the shoulder hit, by Mohammad Sajid”…. And no sir, Swami’s conclusion was not based on post mortem reports of the killed, fire arm examination report or ballistic report but on this innocent fact: “the investigators believe that…” The National Human Rights Commission studied the same evidence I did—and more which was not available when I wrote. It says: “…swabs which were taken from the right hands of Mohd Atif Ameen and Modh Sajid by the doctors at the time of post mortem in AIIMS were sent in sealed bottles to CFSL for dermal nitrate tests in the laboratory. The same were found to contain gun shot residue. This conclusively establishes that Mohd Atif Ameen and Mohd Sajid had both used fire arms at the time of incident”.[5] Unless it believes that the NHRC is an intelligence agency, the allegation made by the JTSA is untrue. Swami however felt no need to pen an article when the postmortem reports of Atif and Sajid revealed that they had been shot from close range and that neither of them sustained gunshot wounds in the frontal region of the body—an impossibility in the case of a genuine encounter. I didn’t. I still don’t. Having studied the available evidence, the NHRC concluded: “In such circumstances, the action taken by the police party in which Mohd. Atif Ameen and Mohd. Sajid received fatal injuries and died is fully protected by law”.[6] Parenthetically, I note that members of the Facebook group I believe the 2008 Batla House encounter was FAKE insist that “not only the JTSA report, but also NHRC (a statutory body of GOI) says that the encounter is fake”.[7] Either these people have not read the NHRC report—or are lying. When two crude bombs went off outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium ahead of the match between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore on 17th April, the Karnataka Home Minister V.S. Acharya announced that the state Police were investigating the alleged involvement of the cricket betting lobby. He forcefully denied any link with the earlier blasts in the city in 2008. But Yasin Bhatkal seems to have preoccupied Swami’s mind on 19th April for he evokes him again in connection with the stadium blasts (“Stadium Blasts herald new IM offensive”). Citing the ever cooperative ‘investigators’, he says that the ‘similarity in design’ and the manner in which some bombs failed to explode are a sure indicator of the IM hand Leaving aside the minor irony here—the JTSA’s great faith in an embarrassed BJP politician—there are two facts that need to be recorded. In pursuit of the government’s “betting mafia” story, the Karnataka Police arrested five Uttar Pradesh suspects. Those suspects were cleared of any involvement in the attacks by the Uttar Pradesh Police.[8] Second, I clearly identified that suspicions directed at Mohammad Zarar Siddi Bawa, a.k.a. Yasin Bhatkal, were based on what investigators were telling me. Similarity in bomb design is quite evidently reasonable ground for suspicion—though it is not of course proof. Since I have no independent expertise in bomb forensics, the information was clearly attributed to investigators. Its up to readers whether they want to believe them or not. Swami here details the biographies of SIMI activists in South India, making the link, ever so cleverly, between SIMI—and yes, IM—and the stadium blasts, without providing any evidence of their actual linkage. I’m a little uncertain here about precisely what the allegation is here—but think the JTSA has some problem with my suggesting that SIMI and the Indian Mujahideen are linked to terrorism. I’m in good company, I think, in this belief. Javed Anand had a must-read article on the issue some time back.[9] Yoginder Sikand had some good background earlier.[10] If you’re willing to fork out a few bucks for more detail, do read C. Christine Fair on the subject.[11] This is just a tiny part of a mass of literature—not including charge-sheets, trial records and so on—on the subject. You don’t need access to the Intelligence Services to access it—just a few hours in a good library Like so many people driven by blind faith, the JTSA’s members don’t seem willing to be persuaded by fact. Increasingly, the positions of its supporters seem driven by bizarre conspiracy theories. For instance, Omair Anas, one of the leading lights of the “Shut Up Praveen Swami” group[12] (which includes among its members an odd array of Islamists linked to the Jamaat-e-Islami’s student wing as well as members of that flag-bearer of Delhi’s regrettably unsubstantial radical-chic, Sarai), has this post up on his Facebook wall: Omair Anas Who carried out 9/11 attack? Israel ! Israel! know how http://pakalert.wordpress.com/2009/12/01/israel-did-911-all-the-proof-in-the-world/ Sun at 23:55 · Share Israel did 9/11, ALL THE PROOF IN THE WORLD!![13] I have two points to make in conclusion: First, a number of Islamist groups, as well as some of Maoist supporters, have been engaging in a wilful misrepresentation of my work—misrepresentation that, your letter leads me to believe, may be succeeding simply because the audiences for this campaign do not seem to take the trouble of reading what I have written. For example, a Google Groups thread claims that I have been advocating targeted killing of “insurgent leaders (and cadres)! Understandably, away from the battlefields. Dragged out of homes or on the city streets? A la Mossad!?”[14] Please see for yourself if I actually said anything of the kind. I did indeed point to a successful campaign targeting “the leadership and cadre of Khalistan terrorists”. I trust no sensible person would have objections to the targeting of these murderous criminals. I concluded that “Learning from its own success stories, India needs to fight insurgencies in smarter, leaner ways. Like Andhra Pradesh, States must invest in training facilities that meet their particular needs; expand intelligence capabilities; and use technology effectively. Instead of focussing on simply expanding the size of Central forces, the Union government must understand the need for them to be properly trained and equipped”. [15] Second, it seems to me a little sad that my critics have chosen to use personal slurs and innuendo, instead of engaging in a debate on facts—a debate I think is important and healthy. It is all the more dismaying when people you would expect to value civil debate engage in these kinds of tactics. I find these tactics despicable. I’m happy to be challenged on points of fact and interpretation. I believe that informed criticism is good for public debate and good journalism. Sadly, I don’t think the JTSA statement has helped either cause. Warm regards Praveen [1] Jamia Teachers’ Solidarity Association, ‘Praveen Swami’s Not So Fabulous Fables’ (CounterCurrents.org: http://www.countercurrents.org/jtsa250410.htm) [2] Bipin Kumar Singh and Kaumudi Gujjar, ‘Footage gave important leads: cops’ (MidDay: http://www.mid-day.com/news/2010/feb/170210-german-bakery-blast-cctv-footage-vital-clues.htm), February17, 2010. [3][3] Johnson TA, ‘Yasin Bhatkal is IM bombmaker, now in Karachi: Probe team’ (The Indian Express: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/yasin-bhatkal-is-im-bombmaker-now-in-karachi-probe-team/582699/), February 22, 2010. [4] ‘IM leader Yasin Bhatkal mastermind of Pune blasts, claims ATS’, (Daily News and Analysis: http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_im-leader-yasin-bhatkal-mastermind-of-pune-blasts-claims-ats_1368789), April 8, 2010. [5] ‘Shri Kamran Siddique Gen.Secretary, Real Cause, New Delhi: 2811/30/8/08-09-FE’ (National Human Rights Commission: New Delhi, July 20, 2009). Online at nhrc.nic.in/Batla.doc. Page 21 [6] Shri Kamran Siddique Gen.Secretary, Real Cause, New Delhi: 2811/30/8/08-09-FE’ (National Human Rights Commission: New Delhi, July 20, 2009). Online at nhrc.nic.in/Batla.doc. Page 25 [7] http://ko-kr.facebook.com/BatlaHouse [8] Aakash Singh, ‘Suspects arrested for Chinnaswamy blast case are thieves from UP’ (MyNews.in: http://www.mynews.in/News/Suspects_arrested_for_Chinnaswamy_blast_case_are_thieves_from_UP_N49091.html), April 22, 2010 [9] Javed Anand ‘Suspect SIMI? Of course’, (The Indian Express: http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/349496/), August 16, 2008 [10] Yoginder Sikand, ‘The SIMI story’, (Countercurrents.org: http://www.countercurrents.org/comm-sikand150706.htm), July 15, 2006. [11] C. Christine Fair, ‘Students Islamic Movement of India and the Indian Mujahideen: An Assessment’, Asian Policy Vol 9 (Washington DC: National Bureau of Asian Research), January 2010. [12]http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=115282715164932&ref=search&sid=100000903926148.964712540..1 [13] http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1383468305#!/profile.php?id=1383468305&v=wall [14]http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth/browse_thread/thread/d9c6220d869a0cc5/f48d96c7a196bad5?lnk=raot&pli=1 [15] Praveen Swami, ‘For a review of counter-insurgency doctrine’, (The Hindu: http://beta.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/article395529.ece), April 13, 2010. On Sun, Apr 25, 2010 at 2:10 PM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: > > Dear All, > > This one (a text by the Jamia Teachers Solidarity Association) goes > out to all the members of the Praveen Swami Fan Club on this list. > Food, I hope, for thought, for all concerned. > > regards > > Shuddha > > Praveen Swami’s not so fabulous fables > Jamia Teachers’ Solidarity Association > > 26th April 2010 > > > If there is one infallible indicator of what the top Indian > Intelligence agencies are thinking or cooking up, it is this: Praveen > Swami’s articles. Each time the security establishment wishes to push > a certain angle to this bomb blast or that, Swami’s articles appear > magically, faithfully reflecting the Intelligence reports. After the > Batla House ‘encounter’, he launched a tirade against all those who > were questioning the police account of the shootout labeling them all > ‘Alices in wonderland’.  He went so far as to identify ‘precisely’ > how Inspector Sharma was shot by claiming that "abdomen wound was > inflicted with [Atif] Amin's weapon and the shoulder hit, by Mohammad > Sajid". > > And no sir, Swami’s conclusion was not based on post mortem reports > of the killed, fire arm examination report or ballistic report but on > this innocent fact: “the investigators believe that…”  He certainly > brings in a whole new meaning to ‘investigative journalism’. Swami > however felt no need to pen an article when the postmortem reports of > Atif and Sajid revealed that they had been shot from close range and > that neither of them sustained gunshot wounds in the frontal region > of the body—an impossibility in the case of a genuine encounter. Was > it because the police and the Home Ministry chose to remain quite > after the revelations—hoping that the storm would quietly blow over.? > > Flip Flops on German Bakery Blasts > And meanwhile there was the German Bakery blast in Pune. Writing less > than a week after the blasts, Swami hinted at the possible > involvement of the Hindutva groups, namely Abhinav Bharat (“Hindutva > Terror Probe Haunts Pune Investigation”, 19th February 2010). Indeed, > this was mood in the ATS (though this was no deterrent to the large > scale illegal detention and brutal interrogation often at private > premises, of scores of Muslim youth in Pune.) Even the following > week, the Home Department officials were not ruling out the > possibility of the involvement of the Right wing Hindutva groups. But > that was February. By March, political impatience at the probe taking > such a turn was palpable. Responding to a riled Shiv Sena in the > legislative assembly, the Maharashtra Home Minister, R.R. Patil > thundered: “I will inquire if Raghuvanshi really indicated to the > media about involvement of Hindu organisations in the Pune blast and > if he did, action will be taken (against him)." As if on cue, two > days later, Rakesh Maria was installed as the new ATS chief. This was > of course only after a few months when Vinita Kamte, widow of the > slain ATS officer Ashok Kamte, made serious allegations casting > aspersions on Maria’s role in responding to the then ATS chief Hemant > Karkare’s call for reinforcements during 26/11. > > CCTV Footage: > Since its start, the probe had little to go on by way of leads except > for the CCTV footage. While the Pune police commissioned experts to > draw sketches of the suspects based on this footage, ATS dismissed > this exercise as “anything but useful”, as their source, the CCTV > footage, was itself grainy. (Siasat, April 12). Where does Swami > stand on this? He wrote in his 19th February piece: “All that > investigators have by way of suspects are three men recorded holding > brief meetings before the blast by a poor-quality closed-circuit > television camera. From the videotape, it is unclear if the men had > anything to do with the attack.” > Exactly a month later, Swami conveniently develops an amnesia about > Abhinav Bharat and even about the poor quality of CCTV footage. What > was earlier ‘unclear” and hazy has in one month segued into solid > shape: in the form of top Indian Mujahideen (IM) operative Mohammad > Zarar Siddi Bawa ie., Yasin Bhatkal. Suddenly imparted with > enlightenment, Swami writes dramatically of how a closed circuit > television camera ... “recorded evidence that Bawa had returned to > India—just minutes before an improvised explosive device ripped > through the popular restaurant killing seventeen people and injuring > at least sixty.” The poor quality (by Swami’s own admission) and > useless (by the ATS’s admission) visual evidence has morphed into > precious footage of Bhatkal, “the fair, slight young man with a wispy > beard” … “dressed in a loose-fitting blue shirt, a rucksack slung > over his back.” > > Clearly, Swami’s changing perceptions about the CCTV footage is in > accord with the shifting attitude of the ATS itself. The ATS began by > keeping the option of probing Abhinav Bharat open; developed cold > feet, preferred to lapse into the usual Lashkar-IM litany, > ‘rediscovered’ hitherto worthless footage and resurrected the IM. In > an unequivocal reference to the manner in which innocent Muslim > youths were arrested earlier by the ATS in its pre-Karkare days, a > senior officer of the Pune Police admitted that  “There have been > some arrests in the Pune blast incident just as in the case of the > 2006 Malegaon explosions. But we would never know whether those > arrested were actually the men who triggered the blasts.” (Siasat, > April 12, 2010). Rumours that the probe might be handed over the > National Investigative Agency must have also pressured the > Maharashtra ATS to show ‘results’—and viola, within two weeks of > taking over, Maria submitted a preliminary report to the state > government identifying the hand of Bhatkal and IM in the blasts. This > was of course promptly and proudly relayed by R.R. Patil to the > legislative assembly (surely to the relief also of the Shiv Sena > legislators). Is it a coincidence that the Pune Police Commissioner > has been transferred, ostensibly for the rising crime graph a couple > of days ago? It seems improbable that the running battle between the > Pune police and the ATS—whose current chief Maria had thrown a > tantrum following Vinita Kamte’s accusation, demanding the support of > the state Home Ministry—had no role to play in this. > > The Bangalore Blasts: > When two crude bombs went off outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium > ahead of the match between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers > Bangalore on 17th April, the Karnataka Home Minister V.S. Acharya > announced that the state Police were investigating the alleged > involvement of the cricket betting lobby. He forcefully denied any > link with the earlier blasts in the city in 2008. > > But Yasin Bhatkal seems to have preoccupied Swami’s mind on 19th > April for he evokes him again in connection with the stadium blasts > (“Stadium Blasts herald new IM offensive”). Citing the ever > cooperative ‘investigators, he says that the ‘similarity in design’ > and the manner in which some bombs failed to explode are a sure > indicator of the IM hand. Beyond this, he has nothing to link > Bangalore bombs to Bhatkal. But good stories can always compensate > for lack of facts. His piece, “To Bangalore with Hate” on 21st April > (which has charming subtitles such as Jihad at ginger Plantation”), > is no less crude then the two bombs at the stadium. Swami here > details the biographies of SIMI activists in South India, making the > link, ever so cleverly, between SIMI—and yes, IM—and the stadium > blasts, without providing any evidence of their actual linkage. Life > stories of these men are proof enough, he assumes. > > It is quite clear that Mr. Swami has provided a (sometimes > entertaining) dramatized version of the charge sheets files by the > various police departments across the country. While it may make for > a good script, we do hope that Mr. Swami understand what charge > sheets are: a list of charges or allegations, which the police has > still the burden to prove in a court of law--not irrefutable or > established truth. Perhaps, Mr Swami fancies himself a literary > genius who believes in narratives acquiring their own lives. In which > case, he has manufactured a large corpus of mediocre short stories. > > Released by JTSA (www.teacherssolidarity.org) > > > Shuddhabrata Sengupta > The Sarai Programme at CSDS > Raqs Media Collective > shuddha at sarai.net > www.sarai.net > www.raqsmediacollective.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 kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Thu Apr 29 19:20:45 2010 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Thu, 29 Apr 2010 06:50:45 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] "India's EVMs are Vulnerable to Fraud" Message-ID: <754626.15863.qm@web57203.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Might be of interest to some   K   http://indiaevm.org/   From yasir.media at gmail.com Thu Apr 29 23:06:03 2010 From: yasir.media at gmail.com (=?UTF-8?B?eWFzaXIgftmK2Kcg2LPYsQ==?=) Date: Thu, 29 Apr 2010 22:36:03 +0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Yousuf & Manmohan Message-ID: Historic walk of two prime ministers *Gilani’s ancestors helped build Golden Temple * http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=28551 From kauladityaraj at gmail.com Thu Apr 29 23:38:31 2010 From: kauladityaraj at gmail.com (Aditya Raj Kaul) Date: Thu, 29 Apr 2010 23:38:31 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] JTSA allegations: my reply to a letter from Annie Zaidi In-Reply-To: <0EF33715-60BA-413F-B86E-10A2EC1EE367@gmail.com> References: <0EF33715-60BA-413F-B86E-10A2EC1EE367@gmail.com> Message-ID: fyi ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Praveen Swami Date: Wed, Apr 28, 2010 at 8:09 PM Subject: JTSA allegations: my reply to a letter from Annie Zaidi To: Annie Zaidi Dear Annie: Thank you for your letter. I’m glad that, unlike many people I know, you’ve actually sought my opinion on the allegations that the Jamia Teachers’ Solidarity Association has levelled at me. Some people seem to have been perfectly content to circulate the allegations without any effort at verification. Since the JTSA’s allegations have not been addressed, to the best of my knowledge, to my Editors at *The Hindu*, I’ve had no opportunity to respond to what I believe are scurrilous allegations. However, I do hope you will not be upset if I take the liberty of circulating my reply to you to a few other people who I believe may be interested in what I have to say. The principal JTSA claim, if my understanding is correct, is that I’ve invented a suspect for the Bangalore and Pune bombings, undermining my own earlier position—as they see it—that Hindutva groups had carried out the attacks. Separately, the JTSA also makes two, somewhat mutually-contradictory claims: first that I blindly broadcast the views of India’s intelligence services, and secondly, that I make up stories. The first of these two charges is, by its nature, difficult to prove or disprove: after all, if someone has persuaded themselves that I am an agent of India’s intelligence services, my denials are hardly likely to persuade them otherwise. It seems common-sense to me that the issue is not *who* I get my information from—which I am professionally bound, as you know, not to disclose—but how * accurate* that information is. This brings me to the second claim—i.e., that I have invented or misrepresented facts. This allegation is a serious one, but *can* be tested. Below, I’ve put my responses to their claims in the order in which they appear. Please make up your own mind. JTSA[1] My Response *While the Pune police commissioned experts to draw sketches of the suspects based on this footage, ATS dismissed this exercise as “anything but useful”, as their source, the CCTV footage, was itself grainy. (Siasat, April 12). Where does Swami stand on this? He wrote in his 19th February piece: “All that investigators have by way of suspects are three men recorded holding brief meetings before the blast by a poor-quality closed-circuit television camera. From the videotape, it is unclear if the men had anything to do with the attack.” Exactly a month later, Swami conveniently develops an amnesia about Abhinav Bharat and even about the poor quality of CCTV footage. What was earlier ‘unclear” and hazy has in one month segued into solid shape: in the form of top Indian Mujahideen (IM) operative Mohammad Zarar Siddi Bawa ie., Yasin Bhatkal…. * The JTSA is right: I did indeed write about grainy video footage obtained from a camera installed in a hotel opposite the German Bakery (I’ve dealt with the Abhinav Bharat issue they’ve raised below, to avoid confusing issues). What I didn’t know when I wrote the story was of the existence of footage from the second CCTV camera, installed above the cash counter in the German Bakery. Please note, though, that the existence of this footage was known to journalists other than me long before the Maharashtra Police Anti-Terrorism Squad disclosed its existence. Mid-Day, to cite just one of several examples that can easily be unearthed from the internet, had an account of its existence as early as February 17, 2010.[2] The article made clear that the police had instructed witnesses not to talk about the footage: “Pravin Panth, cashier at the bakery, said, ‘I have seen the footage, but I cannot reveal the inputs. I have been advised to refrain from revealing details to the media as this may harm investigations’.” Please also note that Yasin Bhatkal’s possible role in the bombings was dwelt on at this stage of the investigation by other journalists.[3] *Clearly, Swami’s changing perceptions about the CCTV footage is in accord with the shifting attitude of the ATS itself.* I wish my supposedly-formidable contacts in the intelligence services and elsewhere had told me about the cash-counter footage. That they didn’t should lead to some obvious inferences, which I think are too obvious to need fleshing out here. As the JTSA points out, the Maharashtra Police Anti-Terrorism Squad did indeed claim that it had identified Yasin Bhatkal, from footage harvested from the cash-counter camera. This was widely reported in early April, *before* I wrote.[4] I was, I have to say, sceptical—hence, I worked to access the footage, and see for myself if the man in the tape did indeed resemble Yasin Bhatkal. I was reasonably satisfied by what I found. In any case, if investigators changed their views when new evidence came to light, why is that a problem? * * *Swami’s articles appear magically, faithfully reflecting the Intelligence reports. After the Batla House ‘encounter’, he launched a tirade against all those who were questioning the police account of the shootout labeling them all ‘Alices in wonderland’. He went so far as to identify ‘precisely’ how Inspector Sharma was shot by claiming that “abdomen wound was inflicted with [Atif] Amin's weapon and the shoulder hit, by Mohammad Sajid”…. And no sir, Swami’s conclusion was not based on post mortem reports of the killed, fire arm examination report or ballistic report but on this innocent fact: “the investigators believe that…”* * * The National Human Rights Commission studied the same evidence I did—and more which was not available when I wrote. It says: “…swabs which were taken from the right hands of Mohd Atif Ameen and Modh Sajid by the doctors at the time of post mortem in AIIMS were sent in sealed bottles to CFSL for dermal nitrate tests in the laboratory. The same were found to contain gun shot residue. This conclusively establishes that Mohd Atif Ameen and MohdSajid had both used fire arms at the time of incident”. [5] Unless it believes that the NHRC is an intelligence agency, the allegation made by the JTSA is untrue. *Swami however felt no need to pen an article when the postmortem reports of Atif and Sajid revealed that they had been shot from close range and that neither of them sustained gunshot wounds in the frontal region of the body—an impossibility in the case of a genuine encounter.* I didn’t. I still don’t. Having studied the available evidence, the NHRC concluded: “In such circumstances, the action taken by the police party in which Mohd. Atif Ameen and Mohd. Sajid received fatal injuries and died is fully protected by law”.[6] Parenthetically, I note that members of the Facebook group *I believe the 2008 Batla House encounter was FAKE* insist that “not only the JTSA report, but also NHRC (a statutory body of GOI) says that the encounter is fake”.[7] Either these people have not read the NHRC report—or are lying. *When two crude bombs went off outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium ahead of the match between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore on 17th April, the Karnataka Home Minister V.S. Acharya announced that the state Police were investigating the alleged involvement of the cricket betting lobby. He forcefully denied any link with the earlier blasts in the city in 2008.* *But Yasin Bhatkal seems to have preoccupied Swami’s mind on 19th April for he evokes him again in connection with the stadium blasts (“Stadium Blasts herald new IM offensive”). Citing the ever cooperative ‘investigators’, he says that the ‘similarity in design’ and the manner in which some bombs failed to explode are a sure indicator of the IM hand* Leaving aside the minor irony here—the JTSA’s great faith in an embarrassed BJP politician—there are two facts that need to be recorded. In pursuit of the government’s “betting mafia” story, the Karnataka Police arrested five Uttar Pradesh suspects. Those suspects were cleared of any involvement in the attacks by the Uttar Pradesh Police.[8] Second, I clearly identified that suspicions directed at Mohammad Zarar Siddi Bawa, a.k.a. Yasin Bhatkal, were based on what investigators were telling me. Similarity in bomb design is quite evidently reasonable ground for suspicion—though it is not of course proof. Since I have no independent expertise in bomb forensics, the information was clearly attributed to investigators. Its up to readers whether they want to believe them or not. * * *Swami here details the biographies of SIMI activists in South India, making the link, ever so cleverly, between SIMI—and yes, IM—and the stadium blasts, without providing any evidence of their actual linkage. * I’m a little uncertain here about precisely what the allegation is here—but think the JTSA has some problem with my suggesting that SIMI and the Indian Mujahideen are linked to terrorism. I’m in good company, I think, in this belief. Javed Anand had a must-read article on the issue some time back.[9]Yoginder Sikand had some good background earlier. [10] If you’re willing to fork out a few bucks for more detail, do read C. Christine Fair on the subject.[11] This is just a tiny part of a mass of literature—not including charge-sheets, trial records and so on—on the subject. You don’t need access to the Intelligence Services to access it—just a few hours in a good library Like so many people driven by blind faith, the JTSA’s members don’t seem willing to be persuaded by fact. Increasingly, the positions of its supporters seem driven by bizarre conspiracy theories. For instance, Omair Anas, one of the leading lights of the “Shut Up Praveen Swami” group[12](which includes among its members an odd array of Islamists linked to the Jamaat-e-Islami’s student wing as well as members of that flag-bearer of Delhi’s regrettably unsubstantial radical-chic, Sarai), has this post up on his Facebook wall: * * *Omair** Anas *Who carried out 9/11 attack? Israel ! Israel! know how http://pakalert.wordpress.com/2009/12/01/israel-did-911-all-the-proof-in-the-world/ Sun at 23:55 · Share *Israel did 9/11, ALL THE PROOF IN THE WORLD!!*[13] I have two points to make in conclusion: *First, *a number of Islamist groups, as well as some of Maoist supporters, have been engaging in a wilful misrepresentation of my work—misrepresentation that, your letter leads me to believe, may be succeeding simply because the audiences for this campaign do not seem to take the trouble of reading what I have written. For example, a Google Groups thread claims that I have been advocating targeted killing of “insurgent leaders (and cadres)! Understandably, away from the battlefields. Dragged out of homes or on the city streets? A la Mossad!?”[14]* *Please see for yourself if I actually said anything of the kind. I did indeed point to a successful campaign targeting “the leadership and cadre of Khalistan terrorists”. I trust no sensible person would have objections to the targeting of these murderous criminals. I concluded that “Learning from its own success stories, India needs to fight insurgencies in smarter, leaner ways. Like Andhra Pradesh, States must invest in training facilities that meet their particular needs; expand intelligence capabilities; and use technology effectively. Instead of focussing on simply expanding the size of Central forces, the Union government must understand the need for them to be properly trained and equipped”. [15]** *Second,* it seems to me a little sad that my critics have chosen to use personal slurs and innuendo, instead of engaging in a debate on facts—a debate I think is important and healthy. It is all the more dismaying when people you would expect to value civil debate engage in these kinds of tactics. I find these tactics despicable. I’m happy to be challenged on points of fact and interpretation. I’ve no doubt that my work will contain mistakes, and believe that informed criticism is good for public debate and good journalism. Sadly, I don’t think the JTSA statement has helped either cause. Warm regards, Praveen ------------------------------ [1] Jamia Teachers’ Solidarity Association, ‘Praveen Swami’s Not So Fabulous Fables’ (CounterCurrents.org: http://www.countercurrents.org/jtsa250410.htm) [2] Bipin Kumar Singh and Kaumudi Gujjar, ‘Footage gave important leads: cops’ (MidDay: http://www.mid-day.com/news/2010/feb/170210-german-bakery-blast-cctv-footage-vital-clues.htm), February17, 2010. [3][3] Johnson TA, ‘Yasin Bhatkal is IM bombmaker, now in Karachi: Probe team’ (*The Indian Express: * http://www.indianexpress.com/news/yasin-bhatkal-is-im-bombmaker-now-in-karachi-probe-team/582699/), February 22, 2010. [4] ‘IM leader Yasin Bhatkal mastermind of Pune blasts, claims ATS’, (Daily News and Analysis: http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_im-leader-yasin-bhatkal-mastermind-of-pune-blasts-claims-ats_1368789), April 8, 2010. [5] ‘Shri Kamran Siddique Gen.Secretary, Real Cause, New Delhi: 2811/30/8/08-09-FE’ (National Human Rights Commission: New Delhi, July 20, 2009). Online at nhrc.nic.in/Batla.doc. Page 21 [6] Shri Kamran Siddique Gen.Secretary, Real Cause, New Delhi: 2811/30/8/08-09-FE’ (National Human Rights Commission: New Delhi, July 20, 2009). Online at nhrc.nic.in/Batla.doc. Page 25 [7] http://ko-kr.facebook.com/BatlaHouse [8] Aakash Singh, ‘Suspects arrested for Chinnaswamy blast case are thieves from UP’ (MyNews.in: http://www.mynews.in/News/Suspects_arrested_for_Chinnaswamy_blast_case_are_thieves_from_UP_N49091.html), April 22, 2010 [9] Javed Anand ‘Suspect SIMI? Of course’, (*The Indian Express: * http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/349496/), August 16, 2008 [10] Yoginder Sikand, ‘The SIMI story’, (Countercurrents.org: http://www.countercurrents.org/comm-sikand150706.htm), July 15, 2006. [11] C. Christine Fair, ‘Students Islamic Movement of India and the Indian Mujahideen: An Assessment’, *Asian Policy Vol 9 *(Washington DC: National Bureau of Asian Research), January 2010. [12] http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=115282715164932&ref=search&sid=100000903926148.964712540..1 [13] http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1383468305#!/profile.php?id=1383468305&v=wall [14] http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth/browse_thread/thread/d9c6220d869a0cc5/f48d96c7a196bad5?lnk=raot&pli=1 ** [15] Praveen Swami, ‘For a review of counter-insurgency doctrine’, (*The Hindu*: http://beta.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/article395529.ece), April 13, 2010. Praveen Swami Phone | +91 (11) 23926463 Fax | +91 (11) 23739101 u The Hindu | My Recent Articles | Find Me on Google Talk | Send Me Large Files u -- Aditya Raj Kaul India Editor The Indian, Australia Cell - +91-9873297834 Blog: http://activistsdiary.blogspot.com/ From pawan.durani at gmail.com Fri Apr 30 09:27:15 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Fri, 30 Apr 2010 09:27:15 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Maoists using students for overground work in Delhi: Police Message-ID: "No reward for guessing which "Prominent University" is being referred. http://news.rediff.com/report/2010/apr/30/maoists-using-students-for-overground-work.htm Maoists using students for overground work in Delhi: Police Maoists were using 'sympathetic' students for 'overground' party work in the New Delhi [ Images ] where they were also organising displaced labourers under its umbrella, police sources said on Thursday. Sources claimed Gopal Mishra and his wife Anu, who were arrested early this week, were into 'talent hunting' and had used the services of some 'Left-leaning' students to propagate Maoist ideology in the capital. Investigators are looking for a post-graduate student of a prominent university for his alleged links with Maoists. However, they refused to identify the student. Police had earlier claimed Mishra, a trade union leader, was the Delhi chief of proscribed Communist Party of India-Maoist who was looking after party operations in New Delhi. He was running 'Mehnathkush Mazdoor Morcha', a little known trade union. Mishra, who worked among workers in Noida Sector-IV industrial area and north-east Delhi, was also said to be running a Hindi weekly. Sources claimed their main targets were unorganised labourers and they had managed to recruit around 25 people to the fold. However, it was not clear whether they were given party membership or were just sympathisers. Police had seized a laptop and 10 CDs from the couple, which experts are examining. Mishra and his wife were also posing as proof readers in an editing firm, sources said. Mishra used to conduct meetings of leaders of the party near his house in Ramnagar in east Delhi, the sources said, adding they were verifying the names of those who attended such meetings. Investigators are conducting searches in several places of the capital. Mishra's wife Anu allegedly used to attend party meetings and record minutes. Documents were also seized from their rented accommodation, sources said. A post-graduate in psychology, Mishra was an active member of CPI-Maoist and was tasked with bringing unorganised labourers under a trade union, sources said. Police sources had earlier said during investigations into the Maoist network in the capital it came to light that the extremists were infiltrating into trade unions here. They had an active trade union in Okhla Industrial area. The Maoists were also targeting displaced labourers and bringing them into their fold, they said. From pawan.durani at gmail.com Fri Apr 30 10:15:50 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Fri, 30 Apr 2010 10:15:50 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The life and death of Sendero Luminoso - PRAVEEN SWAMI Message-ID: Source : http://www.hindu.com/2010/04/30/stories/2010043062751300.htm “When the shooting began”, wrote the Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa, “he thought it was thunder, another storm approaching. But he saw the sheer terror in the eyes of the creatures closest to him, and he saw how they went mad, running into each other, falling, getting into each others' way, blinded and stupefied by panic, unable to decide whether they should flee to open country or return to the caves and he saw the first ones whimper and fall, bleeding, their haunches opened, their bones splintered, their muzzles eyes ears torn apart by bullets.” Graceful vicuña, prized for their wool, lay dead all around. “In their world strategy”, the young guerrilla who had led the killing explained to their caretaker Pedro Tinoco, “this is the role they've assigned us: Peruvians raise vicuñas. So their scientists can study them, so their tourists can take pictures of them. As far as they're concerned, you're worth less than these animals.” Four decades ago, Peru's Sendero Luminoso, or “the Shining Path”, launched an insurgency almost unparalleled in its savagery — the inspiration for Mr. Llosa's masterpiece, Death in the Andes. Before it was eventually crushed by a brutal military campaign, seventy thousand lives were lost; half, Peru's Comisión de la Verdad y Reconciliación (Truth and Reconciliation Commission) estimates, at the hands of the Maoists and a third to government bullets. Sendero began to fall apart after the 1992 arrest of its leader Manuel Rubén Abimael Guzmán Reynoso, but small numbers of insurgents continue to operate in Peru's jungles. The story of the Maoist group's life and death — and fears of its possible rebirth — hold lessons for India. Peru first saw an insurgent movement in 1965, inspired by the uprising in Cuba. Less than six months on, they suffered a crushing defeat. The country's military, which deposed President Fernando Belaúnde Terry in 1968, learned some lessons from the experience and instituted land reforms. During the tumult that preceded the 1965 uprising, Peru's communist party — the Partido Comunista del Peru, or PCP —split. In January 1964, a faction led by Saturnino Paredes set up the PCP- Bandera Roja, or “Red Flag”. In 1970, Guzmán led a split within the PCP- Bandera Roja. From the small provincial University of Huamanga, where Guzmán taught philosophy, the Frente Estudiantil Revolucionario por el Sendero Luminoso de Mariátegui (Revolutionary Student Front for the Shining Path of Mariátegui) slowly spread out. Sendero launched military operations a decade later, targeting the police with considerable success. In the summer of 1982, groups of guerrillas launched simultaneous attacks on police stations at Vilcashuaman and Luricocha, over a hundred kilometres apart. The police were forced to withdraw from rural areas of Ayacucho, leaving Sendero in de-facto control of the countryside. Maoist courts began to settle disputes and enforce justice — often in a brutal fashion. Like India, the Maoist ascendency was founded on the state's anaemic presence in the heartlands. The police, in particular, were poorly trained, under-resourced and had little usable intelligence. Many analysts believe the underlying objective of Sendero's strategy during this period was to precipitate a military coup against the Belaúnde regime, which held power between 1980 and 1985. Sendero hoped to precipitate a crisis which would compel the military to depose Belaúnde — leading to increased repression and an upsurge in peasant and proletarian militancy. Belaúnde was obliged to declare an emergency in some of Ayacucho's provinces in October 1981. Hundreds of federal police were pumped into the area, but with little success. Later that year, troops were finally flown in to the central sierra — setting off a decade-long war of attrition. A Defeat Destined In a 1982 party document, Desarrollamos la guerra de guerrillas, Sendero claimed the Peruvian state was “bureaucratic and landlord, dominated by a dictatorship of feudal landowners and the big bourgeoisie under the control of imperialism”. Much of Sendero's conception of Peruvian society drew on Mao Zedong's 1926 Analysis of the Classes in Chinese Society and Left-wing author Jose Carlos Mariátegui's popular Seven Interpretative Essays on Peruvian Reality published two years later. Mao's simply-written tracts were profoundly attractive to a new generation of Maoist leaders emerging from Peru's desperately poor highlands: first-generation university students from artisan, peasant and petty-bourgeois backgrounds who were seeking an explanation for the backwardness and poverty of their people. Peru's complex hierarchy of race — with white Peruvians at the top and native Andean people at the bottom — coloured their Marxism. Slogans like necesitamos un gobierno de Indios (we need a government of Indians) or hay que matar a los blancos y destruir las ciudades que siempre nos han explotado (we have to kill the whites and destroy the towns, that have always exploited us) were just as popular as the work of Ernesto Guevara. But, as the Cambridge University scholar Lewis Taylor noted in a perceptive 1983 essay, Sendero's characterisation of Peru as a rural, pre-industrial society dominated by feudal landlords was “hopelessly mistaken”. “Feudal landlords”, Mr. Taylor noted, “play no role in today's Peru, while large-scale landlordism, feudal or otherwise, as an economic force was decimated by a thorough-going agrarian reform between 1969 and 1976”. Post-reform Peruvian society, he argued, “was characterised by an expansion in the ranks of medium-scale farmers and comparatively well-to-do kulaks, who co-exist alongside vast numbers of semi-proletarianised minifundists [small farmers] and landless labourers, ‘feudal' landlords being conspicuous by their absence”. Even in the backward Ayacucho zone where Sendero flourished, Mr. Taylor pointed out, “the only people who even remotely merit the title of large-scale landowners are in no way feudal, being involved in that most capitalistic of businesses, the cocaine trade. Neither has nearby Hauncavelica been a zone of great landlord influence, being a predominantly mining region”. Put simply, Sendero sought to bring about a peasant revolution in a country that had ceased to be a peasant society. In 1980, agriculture contributed just 10 per cent of the Gross National Product and 20 per cent of the country's exports; some 70 per cent of Peru's citizens lived in its cities. Peru's Maoists often adopted tactics that alienated their core constituency. In August 1982, Sendero destroyed the University of Huamanga's agricultural experimentation farm and slaughtered livestock that had been painstakingly acclimatised to the region's harsh environment. Workers at the farm were told it was an example of “imperialist domination”, since it was part-funded by western aid. Electricity generation and transmission systems were frequently destroyed, telephone networks disrupted and shops and schools burned down. Factories run by major multinationals such as Bayer and Nestlé were also targeted. In one bizarre operation, television stations relaying the finals of the 1982 football World Cup were destroyed — an action Sendero claimed it took because the sport was exercising a narcotic effect on the population. Many groups of the Left had long understood that Sendero was headed towards a dead end. Between 1977 and 1980, Peru's working class mounted successful struggles for better working conditions and brought about a widening of democratic space. Key communist factions participated in the June 1980 general elections that Sendero had chosen as an occasion to launch its armed struggle. Even Peru's peasants increasingly turned against Sendero. In 1983, the organisation felt obliged to massacre 69 children, women and men in the village of Lucanamarca in the face of assaults by rural militia set up to support the military. By 1992, when a Sendero car-bomb killed 24 and injured 200 in Lima, the organisation had lost much of its popular base. President Alberto Fujimori, who had staged a coup that April and dissolved Congress, was able to unleash the army and private death squads against the group, capitalising on the outrage. Regrouping Despite Sendero's death, there are well-founded concerns that conditions exist for the organisation to take root again. Ever since 1999 there have been credible reports that the group has tapped the cocaine trade in the valleys of the Apurimac and Ene rivers — a jungle region close to its birthplace. Sendero guerrillas have succeeded in mounting a series of murderous raids against Peru's security forces despite their numerical weakness. In next-door Colombia, the Maoist Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) has also used narcotics revenue to recruit new cadre and build resources. Peru is not India; but the key narrative elements of Sendero's story will be depressingly familiar to anyone who has followed the rise of Maoist power in recent years. Both the government and the Maoists need to reflect on the horrors that seem, with increasing inevitability, to lie ahead. From sonia.jabbar at gmail.com Fri Apr 30 12:00:03 2010 From: sonia.jabbar at gmail.com (S. Jabbar) Date: Fri, 30 Apr 2010 12:00:03 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] 140,000 troops in FATA Message-ID: FRONT-PAGE ŒPakistan has moved 100,000 troops from eastern border¹ By Our Correspondent Friday, 30 Apr, 2010 | 01:38 AM PST | WASHINGTON: Pakistan has deployed 140,000 troops in Fata, moving at least 100,000 soldiers from the Indian border to back up its Œunprecedented¹ crackdown on militants along the Afghan border, says a Pentagon report. In its mandatory report to the US Congress on the situation in the Pakistan-Afghan region, the Pentagon notes that the deployment is the biggest in the country¹s history on the western border. ³This unprecedented deployment and thinning of the lines against India indicates that Islamabad has acknowledged its domestic insurgent threat.² The Pentagon also acknowledges that Pakistani military operations in the tribal regions have had an impact across the border, placing a ³high degree of pressure on enemy forces and reduced insurgent safe haven² in eastern Afghanistan. The Pentagon informs Congress that recent arrests by Pakistan of Afghan Taliban leaders, including the group¹s No. 2, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, have ³increased insurgent leaders¹ concern over the security of their safe havens² and created ³financial and logistical² problems for them. This assessment contrasts sharply with the Afghan claim ‹ backed by India ‹ that the arrests have weakened Kabul¹s efforts to seek a negotiated settlement with the Taliban leadership. The report quotes a senior US defence official as saying that the arrests in Pakistan produced ³a lot of concerned chatter² among Taliban sympathisers in Afghanistan, but there¹s no indication of ³a leadership crisis in the Taliban². The Pentagon notes that so far the crackdown in Pakistan is focused almost exclusively on internal threats and that¹s why it¹s not having any ³significant impact on the Afghan insurgency in the short term². But the crackdown ³offers opportunities in coming months to have a greater impact on the conflict in Afghanistan depending on how PAKMIL (Pakistani military) operations evolve,² the report adds. ³Pakistan has suffered attacks from terrorists in response to its successful operations. These attacks include mass casualty events in Mingora, South Waziristan agency close to clearing operations as well as in Lahore, far away from the fighting. ³While these attacks do not appear to have shaken Pakistan¹s commitment, they do demonstrate, for the time being, insurgent ability to continue attacks despite successful Pakistani operations,² the report warns. http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/ front-page/pakistan-has-moved-100,000-troops-from-indian-border-pentagon-040 Copyright © 2010 - Dawn Media Group From 2tahamehmood at googlemail.com Fri Apr 30 13:31:42 2010 From: 2tahamehmood at googlemail.com (Taha Mehmood) Date: Fri, 30 Apr 2010 09:01:42 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] Data on deaths Message-ID: Dear All, I was thinking about the notion of Hypnos and thanatos for some time. Hypnos and thanatos are ofcourse the personification of sleep and death. I was wondering why is it that members of our media, our bureaucracy, our political class and our intelligentsia choose to 'sleep' over some causes of death and not on others? I started looking at some of the publicly available data on causes of death in India. Some very interesting statistics came up. Please have a look. The data below pertains to ( one year period) i.e. 2007. This data is published by the National Crime Records Bureau in 2008. It can be accessed at: http://ncrb.nic.in/ADSI2008/snapshots.pdf Cause of Death: 1. Suicide 14 Suicides took place every hour. ♦ More than one lakh persons (1,25,017) in the country lost their lives by committing suicide during the year 2008. ♦ It is observed that social and economic causes have led most of the males to commit suicides whereas emotional and personal causes have mainly driven females to end their lives. Bengaluru (2,396), Chennai (1,309), Mumbai (1,111) and Delhi (1,107) – the four cities together have reported 45.3% of the total suicides reported from 35 mega cities. 2. Accidental Deaths Total 3,42,309 accidental deaths in the country during the year 2008. ♦ A total of 6,32,102 cases of ‘Un-Natural Accidents’ caused 3,18,316 deaths and rendered 4,98,124 people injured during 2008. 3. 'Terrorism' The data pertains to 1994-2010 (sixteen year period) and can be accessed at: http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/database/indiafatalities.htm 58178 Warm regards Taha From kauladityaraj at gmail.com Fri Apr 30 13:35:46 2010 From: kauladityaraj at gmail.com (Aditya Raj Kaul) Date: Fri, 30 Apr 2010 13:35:46 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Stone-pelting by Separatists kill yet another innocent in Kashmir Message-ID: *J&K:Another innocent dies in stone pelting* 30 Apr 2010, 1222 hrs IST A civilian has been killed in a stone pelting incident in the Batmaloo area of Srinagar on Friday (April 30). Shafiq Ahmed Shiekh, a government employee and resident of Srinagar, has been identified as the person who was killed after stone pelters attacked the minibus he was travelling in. He succumbed to his injuries after being hit in the head. Speaking exclusively to TIMES NOW , Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said, "it's time for the separatists to come forward and publicly condemn the incident." Meanwhile, People's Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti, said her party condemns all sorts of violence in the Valley. When asked if they would rake up this issue in the Assembly, she refused to divulge any details adding, "We have just received the news. However, we condemn these attacks on innocent civilians." From pawan.durani at gmail.com Fri Apr 30 14:27:04 2010 From: pawan.durani at gmail.com (Pawan Durani) Date: Fri, 30 Apr 2010 14:27:04 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits: culpable silence by human rights organizations Message-ID: http://www.groundreport.com/Business/Ethnic-cleansing-of-Kashmiri-Pandits-culpable-sile_1/2922654 By Dipin Damodharan This is the story of an ethnic group, Kashmiri Pandits, who are becoming refuges in their own land. We heard about human rights violation confronted the Jews from Adolf Hitler, human rights violation in Palestine, human rights violation by the Lord Resistance Army of Uganda, violations in many countries like Sri Lanka, Iran, Brazil, China… When a communal riot was broke out in Gujarat (India) in 2002, as an upshot of the killing of 59 Hindu Saints in Sabarmati Express (Godhra train carnage), many Muslims had also lost their life. All human rights organization across the globe made use of this incident to affront India in front of the world. But they never speak on the Genocide, the ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits from the Kashmir valley; they have a culpable silence on the human rights violations executing by the Islamic terrorists trained by Pakistan. Over four lakh Kashmiri Pandits, constituting 99% of the total population of Hindus, living in Muslim best part area of the Kashmir Valley. Since the end of 1989 they were grudgingly pushed out of the Valley by Islamic terrorists, trained in Pakistan, they have been forced to live the life of exiles in their own country, outside their homeland, by unleashing an organized campaign of terror, murder, burgle and arson. Genocide of Kashmiri Pandits has reached its zenith with Muslim terrorism succeeding in cleansing the valley of this ancient ethno-religious Kashmiri Pandits community. With the completion of 21st year of their forced exile, this peace loving, culturally affluent community with a history of more than 5000 years is fighting a harsh battle to save itself from becoming extinct as a distinct race and culture. The exodus took place on January 19th of I989. On that day the loudspeakers of mosques in Kashmir blasted out a message as a threat: Pandits leave the valley, leaving behind your women. We want Pakistan, without Kashmiri Pandits. Despite of some organizations, the entire country then was like silent spectators of this event. The massacres of Pandits were brutal, barbaric and inhuman. Killing of Hindus in Jammu and Kashmir by terrorists evidently portrays fanatical sadism. All victims have been subjected to extreme torture and terror. Torture deaths have been brought about by such inhuman practices as strangulation by using steel wires, hanging, branding with hot irons, burning alive, lynching, bleeding to death. Besides these, terrorists have frequently indulged in barbaric acts like performing death dances after killing their target. Many a time, dead bodies were not even allowed to be properly cremated. Is this acts cannot be considered as violation of human rights? The so-called cultural celebrity Arundati Roy had spend several days with Maoist terrorists recently, why she is even not ready to think a while for this Kashmiri Pandits ? Every one forgets the fact that terrorism in Kashmir is an ideological struggle with specified political commitments which are fundamentalist and communal in character. Terrorist violence is aimed at achieving the disentanglement of the state of Jammu and Kashmir from India and its annexation to Pakistan. It is the continuation of the Islamic fundamentalist struggle for the homeland of Pakistan which claims Jammu and Kashmir State on account of its Muslim majority character. To achieve this aim, the terrorists are continuously destroying the educational, cultural and religious institutions of Kashmiri Pandits. Killing of Hindus in Jammu and Kashmir by terrorists clearly depicts extreme sadism. But the great tragedy is that the Government of India and the Jammu Kashmir State Government have utterly failed to protect the Kashmiri Pandits against Islamic terrorism. Ethnic cleansing of Pandits from Kashmir valley is the crucial failure of Indian state to uphold its commitments to people of India as enshrined in Indian constitution which provides right to live with dignity and honour to every citizen irrespective of caste, creed, religion or colour. International Human Rights Organizations like Amnesty International, Asia Watch and others have yet to take proper cognizance of the genocide perpetrated on Kashmiri Pandits. Even the representatives of the United nations or other organizations have so far failed to visit the camps in Jammu, Delhi and other parts of India, where thousands of families are putting up for several years. The international community views the violence in Kashmir as a Freedom struggle. But remember, terrorist violence in the valley is not a Freedom Struggle at all. Terrorist violence cannot be justified on the ground of its political and ideological motivations or value basis. Cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits from Kashmir is a clear testimony of this fact. There is no freedom which impinges upon freedom. There can be no equality which leads to inequality. Sania-Shoaib marriage extravaganza is a breaking news for the Indian media; Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has been crucified by the media accusing him as the perpetrator of Gujarat riots, but this ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Hindus never being news for Indian media… Gradual extinction of a civilized community with an ancient culture is yet to shake the conscience of the world. I request my fellow human beings to take up this issue and bring it to the fore of international arena. Dipin Damodharan is a working Journalist based in Kerala (Sub editor with Jeevan TV). Author of several articles related to national cause in different media. Regular columnist for online news portals www.oneindia.in, From aliens at dataone.in Fri Apr 30 16:16:25 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Fri, 30 Apr 2010 16:16:25 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Stone-pelting by Separatists kill yet another innocent in Kashmir In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <000001cae852$621d4c50$2657e4f0$@in> Poor Mehbooba, how can she reply clear answer. Since she is head of separatists there! From kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com Fri Apr 30 16:35:22 2010 From: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com (Kshmendra Kaul) Date: Fri, 30 Apr 2010 04:05:22 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] Not So Fabulous Fables by JTSA In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <813756.12433.qm@web57205.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Pawan   Have 'we' not told you that 'we' have agreed that there should be nothing written by Praveen Swami posted on this List? That includes mails concerning Praveen Swami other than those that will revile him.   Pawan, Do you have any idea about Jamia? Do you have any idea about the Teachers in Jamia? Do you have any idea about the Solidarities in Jamia? Do you have any idea about the Associations in Jamia?   How dare you post anything critical about that brilliant statement by the Jamia Teachers' Solidarity Association (JTSA)?   You have been warned Pawan   Kshmendra   --- On Thu, 4/29/10, Pawan Durani wrote: From: Pawan Durani Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Not So Fabulous Fables by JTSA To: "Shuddhabrata Sengupta" Cc: "sarai list" Date: Thursday, April 29, 2010, 4:47 PM Dear All , A must all read. And for those who lack vision, a little food for them in return. Pawan http://www.anniezaidi.com/2010/04/little-more-truth-now-were-talking.html A little more truth, now we're talking about truth Dear Editor, (Countercurrents.org) I have just had a book out – a collection of essays based on reportage and travel over the last few years. I wrote it in the hope that through these stories of reporting from the field, other people too could share in my understanding of me, my times and my country. There has been a great outpouring of goodwill and support from family, friends and colleagues. I have been exhausted and happy, particularly when I see that the average person is actually willing to engage with some of the more serious issues I've put in the essays. But today, I am also forced to worry: What would happen if everything I wrote was disbelieved, or challenged by others who didn't want to agree with me? Additionally, what would happen if a group of people who disliked me or my politics was to try to discredit my reportage by issuing public statements about me? Earlier this week, I was forwarded an email with what appears to be a statement issued by the Jamia Teacher's Solidarity Association (though I cannot find it on their own website, it does appear on Countercurrents, a website that I have a fair amount of respect for. The piece (dated April 25, 2010) accuses journalist Praveen Swami of being a liar. To my knowledge, this is the first time a pressure group has formed that publicly singles out a journalist on a given beat for such strident criticism, and in absolute isolation from his/her organisation and other journalists who cover the same region/beat. I was concerned, partly because it seemed like an attempt at constructing outrage against one individual, isolating him from his field of work and thereby discrediting even the editorial leadership of the newspaper he works for by indirectly insinuating that the editors don't know what they're doing. Before I go any further, I would like to declare some basic facts. Mr Swami was bureau chief at a time when I was working for Frontline, and I just have a book out in which he features in the acknowledgments. He was a good boss and very un-boss-like in that he treated me as an intellectual equal (unlike certain other older male journalists whom I shall not name here) and was always up for a good debate, always listening with an open mind to what I had to say. He is still a friend. However, this is not about loyalty or a defense of friendship. This is about journalistic integrity and the rights of reporters to report the truth as far as they can access it. The correct thing to do, if you suspect a journalist is not quite doing his job, is to write to the editor of the paper. The Hindu is one of those rare papers that has a readers' editor. It is surprising that the teachers' association did not send in their note to the editor there. Or that they did not put it up as a press statement on their own website, addressed to the The Hindu editor. It would have given Mr Swami a fair chance to defend himself. It seems wrong to me to accuse someone without giving them a chance to have their say. You, being an editor who stands for truth - even truth that is not immediately apparent and which is often ignored or willfully suppressed - probably understand this sentiment. Though I must also say that if I had been an editor of a website that carried the aforementioned note by the JTSA, I would have expected the allegations to be a little more rigorously researched and properly phrased, or I might have found myself slapped with a libel suit. However, I have done your job for you. Like a good journalist, I wrote to Mr Swami asking for a clarification, with specific reference to the examples of the 'lies' the note referenced. He has answered with a point by point rebuttal of the JTSA's allegations (see below). Having read it, it appears that the note you have published betrays a certain terminological inexactitude on the part of the writers, not to mention wide swathes of intellectual laziness (which is strange, considering these are professional intellectuals). But we can always conduct debates with intellectual rigour at another date. For now, I am hoping that you will be fair, and publish Mr Swami’s rebuttal for the sake of editorial integrity. Regards Annie Zaidi April 28, 2010 Dear Annie: Thank you for your letter.  I’m glad that, unlike many people I know, you’ve actually sought my opinion on the allegations that the Jamia Teachers’ Solidarity Association has levelled at me.  Some people seem to have been perfectly content to circulate the allegations without any effort at verification.  Since the JTSA’s allegations have not been addressed, to the best of my knowledge, to my Editors at The Hindu, I’ve had no opportunity to respond to what I believe are scurrilous allegations. However, I do hope you will not be upset if I take the liberty of circulating my reply to you to a few people who may be interested in what I have to say. The principal JTSA claim, if my understanding is correct, is that I’ve invented a suspect for the Bangalore and Pune bombings, undermining my own earlier position—as they see it—that Hindutva groups had carried out the attacks. Separately, the JTSA also makes two, somewhat mutually-contradictory claims: first that I blindly broadcast the views of India’s intelligence services, and secondly, that I make up stories.  The first of these two charges is, by its nature, difficult to prove or disprove: after all, if someone has persuaded themselves that I am an agent of India’s intelligence services, my denials are hardly likely to persuade them otherwise. It seems common-sense to me that the issue is not who I get my information from—which I am professionally bound, as you know, not to disclose—but how accurate that information is.  This brings me to the second claim—i.e., that I have invented or misrepresented facts.  This allegation is a serious one, but can be tested.  Below, I’ve put my responses to their claims in the order in which they appear.  Please make up your own mind. JTSA[1] My Response While the Pune police commissioned experts to draw sketches of the suspects based on this footage, ATS dismissed this exercise as “anything but useful”, as their source, the CCTV footage, was itself grainy. (Siasat, April 12). Where does Swami stand on this? He wrote in his 19th February piece: “All that investigators have by way of suspects are three men recorded holding brief meetings before the blast by a poor-quality closed-circuit television camera. From the videotape, it is unclear if the men had anything to do with the attack.” Exactly a month later, Swami conveniently develops an amnesia about Abhinav Bharat and even about the poor quality of CCTV footage. What was earlier ‘unclear” and hazy has in one month segued into solid shape: in the form of top Indian Mujahideen (IM) operative Mohammad Zarar Siddi Bawa ie., Yasin Bhatkal…. The  JTSA is right: I did indeed write about grainy video footage obtained from a camera installed in a hotel opposite the German Bakery (I’ve dealt with the Abhinav Bharat issue they’ve raised below, to avoid confusing issues).  What I didn’t know when I wrote the story was of the existence of footage from the second CCTV camera, installed above the cash counter in the German Bakery.  Please note, though, that the existence of this footage was known to journalists other than me long before the Maharashtra Police Anti-Terrorism Squad disclosed its existence.  Mid-Day, to cite just one of several examples that can easily be unearthed from the internet, had an account of its existence as early as February 17, 2010.[2]  The article made clear that the police had instructed witnesses not to talk about the footage: “Pravin Panth, cashier at the bakery, said, ‘I have seen the footage, but I cannot reveal the inputs. I have been advised to refrain from revealing details to the media as this may harm investigations’.” Please also note that Yasin Bhatkal’s possible role in the bombings was dwelt on at this stage of the investigation by other journalists.[3] Clearly, Swami’s changing perceptions about the CCTV footage is in accord with the shifting attitude of the ATS itself. I wish my supposedly-formidable contacts in the intelligence services and elsewhere had told me about the cash-counter footage.  That they didn’t should lead to some obvious inferences; the implications are too clear to need fleshing out here.  As the JTSA points out, the Maharashtra Police Anti-Terrorism Squad did indeed claim that it had identified Yasin Bhatkal, from footage harvested from the cash-counter camera.  This was widely reported in early April, before I wrote.[4] I was, I have to say, sceptical—hence, I worked to access the footage, and see for myself if the man in the tape did indeed resemble Yasin Bhatkal.  I was reasonably satisfied by what I found.  In any case, if investigators changed their views when new evidence came to light, why is that a problem? Swami’s articles appear magically, faithfully reflecting the Intelligence reports. After the Batla House ‘encounter’, he launched a tirade against all those who were questioning the police account of the shootout labeling them all ‘Alices in wonderland’. He went so far as to identify ‘precisely’ how Inspector Sharma was shot by claiming that “abdomen wound was inflicted with [Atif] Amin's weapon and the shoulder hit, by Mohammad Sajid”…. And no sir, Swami’s conclusion was not based on post mortem reports of the killed, fire arm examination report or ballistic report but on this innocent fact: “the investigators believe that…” The National Human Rights Commission studied the same evidence I did—and more which was not available when I wrote.  It says:  “…swabs which were taken from the right hands of Mohd Atif Ameen and Modh Sajid by the doctors at the time of post mortem in AIIMS were sent in sealed bottles to CFSL for dermal nitrate tests in the laboratory. The same were found to contain gun shot residue. This conclusively establishes that Mohd Atif Ameen and Mohd Sajid had both used fire arms at the time of incident”.[5]  Unless it believes that the NHRC is an intelligence agency, the allegation made by the JTSA is untrue. Swami however felt no need to pen an article when the postmortem reports of Atif and Sajid revealed that they had been shot from close range and that neither of them sustained gunshot wounds in the frontal region of the body—an impossibility in the case of a genuine encounter. I didn’t.  I still don’t.   Having studied the available evidence, the NHRC concluded: “In such circumstances, the action taken by the police party in which Mohd. Atif Ameen and Mohd. Sajid received fatal injuries and died is fully protected by law”.[6] Parenthetically, I note that members of the Facebook group I believe the 2008 Batla House encounter was FAKE  insist that “not only the JTSA report, but also NHRC (a statutory body of GOI) says that the encounter is fake”.[7] Either these people have not read the NHRC report—or are lying. When two crude bombs went off outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium ahead of the match between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore on 17th April, the Karnataka Home Minister V.S. Acharya announced that the state Police were investigating the alleged involvement of the cricket betting lobby. He forcefully denied any link with the earlier blasts in the city in 2008. But Yasin Bhatkal seems to have preoccupied Swami’s mind on 19th April for he evokes him again in connection with the stadium blasts (“Stadium Blasts herald new IM offensive”). Citing the ever cooperative ‘investigators’, he says that the ‘similarity in design’ and the manner in which some bombs failed to explode are a sure indicator of the IM hand Leaving aside the minor irony here—the JTSA’s great faith in an embarrassed BJP politician—there are two facts that need to be recorded.  In pursuit of the government’s “betting mafia” story, the Karnataka Police arrested five Uttar Pradesh suspects.  Those suspects were cleared of any involvement in the attacks by the Uttar Pradesh Police.[8]  Second, I clearly identified that suspicions directed at Mohammad Zarar Siddi Bawa, a.k.a. Yasin Bhatkal, were based on what investigators were telling me.  Similarity in bomb design is quite evidently reasonable ground for suspicion—though it is not of course proof.  Since I have no independent expertise in bomb forensics, the information was clearly attributed to investigators.  Its up to readers whether they want to believe them or not. Swami here details the biographies of SIMI activists in South India, making the link, ever so cleverly, between SIMI—and yes, IM—and the stadium blasts, without providing any evidence of their actual linkage. I’m a little uncertain here about precisely what the allegation is here—but think the JTSA has some problem with my suggesting that SIMI and the Indian Mujahideen are linked to terrorism.  I’m in good company, I think, in this belief.  Javed Anand had a must-read article on the issue some time back.[9] Yoginder Sikand had some good background earlier.[10]  If you’re willing to fork out a few bucks for more detail, do read C.  Christine Fair on the subject.[11]  This is just a tiny part of a mass of literature—not including charge-sheets, trial records and so on—on the subject.  You don’t need access to the Intelligence Services to access it—just a few hours in a good library Like so many people driven by blind faith, the JTSA’s members don’t seem willing to be persuaded by fact.  Increasingly, the positions of its supporters seem driven by bizarre conspiracy theories.   For instance, Omair Anas, one of the leading lights of the “Shut Up Praveen Swami” group[12] (which includes among its members an odd array of Islamists linked to the Jamaat-e-Islami’s student wing as well as members of that flag-bearer of Delhi’s regrettably unsubstantial radical-chic, Sarai), has this post up on his Facebook wall: Omair Anas Who carried out 9/11 attack? Israel ! Israel! know how http://pakalert.wordpress.com/2009/12/01/israel-did-911-all-the-proof-in-the-world/ Sun at 23:55 · Share Israel did 9/11, ALL THE PROOF IN THE WORLD!![13] I have two points to make in conclusion: First, a number of Islamist groups, as well as some of Maoist supporters, have been engaging in a wilful misrepresentation of my work—misrepresentation that, your letter leads me to believe, may be succeeding simply because the audiences for this campaign do not seem to take the trouble of reading what I have written.  For example, a Google Groups thread claims that I have been advocating targeted killing of “insurgent leaders (and cadres)! Understandably, away from the battlefields. Dragged out of homes or on the city streets? A la Mossad!?”[14]  Please see for yourself if I actually said anything of the kind. I did indeed point to a successful campaign targeting “the leadership and cadre of Khalistan terrorists”.  I trust no sensible person would have objections to the targeting of these murderous criminals.  I concluded that “Learning from its own success stories, India needs to fight insurgencies in smarter, leaner ways. Like Andhra Pradesh, States must invest in training facilities that meet their particular needs; expand intelligence capabilities; and use technology effectively. Instead of focussing on simply expanding the size of Central forces, the Union government must understand the need for them to be properly trained and equipped”.  [15] Second, it seems to me a little sad that my critics have chosen to use personal slurs and innuendo, instead of engaging in a debate on facts—a debate I think is important and healthy.  It is all the more dismaying when people you would expect to value civil debate engage in these kinds of tactics.  I find these tactics despicable. I’m happy to be challenged on points of fact and interpretation. I believe that informed criticism is good for public debate and good journalism. Sadly, I don’t think the JTSA statement has helped either cause. Warm regards Praveen [1] Jamia Teachers’ Solidarity Association, ‘Praveen Swami’s Not So Fabulous Fables’ (CounterCurrents.org: http://www.countercurrents.org/jtsa250410.htm) [2] Bipin Kumar Singh and Kaumudi Gujjar, ‘Footage gave important leads: cops’ (MidDay: http://www.mid-day.com/news/2010/feb/170210-german-bakery-blast-cctv-footage-vital-clues.htm), February17, 2010. [3][3] Johnson TA, ‘Yasin Bhatkal is IM bombmaker, now in Karachi: Probe team’ (The Indian Express: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/yasin-bhatkal-is-im-bombmaker-now-in-karachi-probe-team/582699/), February 22, 2010. [4]  ‘IM leader Yasin Bhatkal mastermind of Pune blasts, claims ATS’, (Daily News and Analysis: http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_im-leader-yasin-bhatkal-mastermind-of-pune-blasts-claims-ats_1368789), April 8, 2010. [5] ‘Shri Kamran Siddique Gen.Secretary, Real Cause, New Delhi: 2811/30/8/08-09-FE’ (National Human Rights Commission: New Delhi, July 20, 2009). Online at nhrc.nic.in/Batla.doc.  Page 21 [6] Shri Kamran Siddique Gen.Secretary, Real Cause, New Delhi: 2811/30/8/08-09-FE’ (National Human Rights Commission: New Delhi, July 20, 2009). Online at nhrc.nic.in/Batla.doc.  Page 25 [7] http://ko-kr.facebook.com/BatlaHouse [8] Aakash Singh, ‘Suspects arrested for Chinnaswamy blast case are thieves from UP’ (MyNews.in: http://www.mynews.in/News/Suspects_arrested_for_Chinnaswamy_blast_case_are_thieves_from_UP_N49091.html), April 22, 2010 [9] Javed Anand ‘Suspect SIMI? Of course’, (The Indian Express: http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/349496/), August 16, 2008 [10] Yoginder Sikand, ‘The SIMI story’, (Countercurrents.org: http://www.countercurrents.org/comm-sikand150706.htm), July 15, 2006. [11] C. Christine Fair, ‘Students Islamic Movement of India and the Indian Mujahideen: An Assessment’, Asian Policy Vol 9 (Washington DC: National Bureau of Asian Research), January 2010. [12]http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=115282715164932&ref=search&sid=100000903926148.964712540..1 [13] http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1383468305#!/profile.php?id=1383468305&v=wall [14]http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth/browse_thread/thread/d9c6220d869a0cc5/f48d96c7a196bad5?lnk=raot&pli=1 [15] Praveen Swami, ‘For a review of counter-insurgency doctrine’, (The Hindu: http://beta.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/article395529.ece), April 13, 2010. On Sun, Apr 25, 2010 at 2:10 PM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: > > Dear All, > > This one (a text by the Jamia Teachers Solidarity Association) goes > out to all the members of the Praveen Swami Fan Club on this list. > Food, I hope, for thought, for all concerned. > > regards > > Shuddha > > Praveen Swami’s not so fabulous fables > Jamia Teachers’ Solidarity Association > > 26th April 2010 > > > If there is one infallible indicator of what the top Indian > Intelligence agencies are thinking or cooking up, it is this: Praveen > Swami’s articles. Each time the security establishment wishes to push > a certain angle to this bomb blast or that, Swami’s articles appear > magically, faithfully reflecting the Intelligence reports. After the > Batla House ‘encounter’, he launched a tirade against all those who > were questioning the police account of the shootout labeling them all > ‘Alices in wonderland’.  He went so far as to identify ‘precisely’ > how Inspector Sharma was shot by claiming that "abdomen wound was > inflicted with [Atif] Amin's weapon and the shoulder hit, by Mohammad > Sajid". > > And no sir, Swami’s conclusion was not based on post mortem reports > of the killed, fire arm examination report or ballistic report but on > this innocent fact: “the investigators believe that…”  He certainly > brings in a whole new meaning to ‘investigative journalism’. Swami > however felt no need to pen an article when the postmortem reports of > Atif and Sajid revealed that they had been shot from close range and > that neither of them sustained gunshot wounds in the frontal region > of the body—an impossibility in the case of a genuine encounter. Was > it because the police and the Home Ministry chose to remain quite > after the revelations—hoping that the storm would quietly blow over.? > > Flip Flops on German Bakery Blasts > And meanwhile there was the German Bakery blast in Pune. Writing less > than a week after the blasts, Swami hinted at the possible > involvement of the Hindutva groups, namely Abhinav Bharat (“Hindutva > Terror Probe Haunts Pune Investigation”, 19th February 2010). Indeed, > this was mood in the ATS (though this was no deterrent to the large > scale illegal detention and brutal interrogation often at private > premises, of scores of Muslim youth in Pune.) Even the following > week, the Home Department officials were not ruling out the > possibility of the involvement of the Right wing Hindutva groups. But > that was February. By March, political impatience at the probe taking > such a turn was palpable. Responding to a riled Shiv Sena in the > legislative assembly, the Maharashtra Home Minister, R.R. Patil > thundered: “I will inquire if Raghuvanshi really indicated to the > media about involvement of Hindu organisations in the Pune blast and > if he did, action will be taken (against him)." As if on cue, two > days later, Rakesh Maria was installed as the new ATS chief. This was > of course only after a few months when Vinita Kamte, widow of the > slain ATS officer Ashok Kamte, made serious allegations casting > aspersions on Maria’s role in responding to the then ATS chief Hemant > Karkare’s call for reinforcements during 26/11. > > CCTV Footage: > Since its start, the probe had little to go on by way of leads except > for the CCTV footage. While the Pune police commissioned experts to > draw sketches of the suspects based on this footage, ATS dismissed > this exercise as “anything but useful”, as their source, the CCTV > footage, was itself grainy. (Siasat, April 12). Where does Swami > stand on this? He wrote in his 19th February piece: “All that > investigators have by way of suspects are three men recorded holding > brief meetings before the blast by a poor-quality closed-circuit > television camera. From the videotape, it is unclear if the men had > anything to do with the attack.” > Exactly a month later, Swami conveniently develops an amnesia about > Abhinav Bharat and even about the poor quality of CCTV footage. What > was earlier ‘unclear” and hazy has in one month segued into solid > shape: in the form of top Indian Mujahideen (IM) operative Mohammad > Zarar Siddi Bawa ie., Yasin Bhatkal. Suddenly imparted with > enlightenment, Swami writes dramatically of how a closed circuit > television camera ... “recorded evidence that Bawa had returned to > India—just minutes before an improvised explosive device ripped > through the popular restaurant killing seventeen people and injuring > at least sixty.” The poor quality (by Swami’s own admission) and > useless (by the ATS’s admission) visual evidence has morphed into > precious footage of Bhatkal, “the fair, slight young man with a wispy > beard” … “dressed in a loose-fitting blue shirt, a rucksack slung > over his back.” > > Clearly, Swami’s changing perceptions about the CCTV footage is in > accord with the shifting attitude of the ATS itself. The ATS began by > keeping the option of probing Abhinav Bharat open; developed cold > feet, preferred to lapse into the usual Lashkar-IM litany, > ‘rediscovered’ hitherto worthless footage and resurrected the IM. In > an unequivocal reference to the manner in which innocent Muslim > youths were arrested earlier by the ATS in its pre-Karkare days, a > senior officer of the Pune Police admitted that  “There have been > some arrests in the Pune blast incident just as in the case of the > 2006 Malegaon explosions. But we would never know whether those > arrested were actually the men who triggered the blasts.” (Siasat, > April 12, 2010). Rumours that the probe might be handed over the > National Investigative Agency must have also pressured the > Maharashtra ATS to show ‘results’—and viola, within two weeks of > taking over, Maria submitted a preliminary report to the state > government identifying the hand of Bhatkal and IM in the blasts. This > was of course promptly and proudly relayed by R.R. Patil to the > legislative assembly (surely to the relief also of the Shiv Sena > legislators). Is it a coincidence that the Pune Police Commissioner > has been transferred, ostensibly for the rising crime graph a couple > of days ago? It seems improbable that the running battle between the > Pune police and the ATS—whose current chief Maria had thrown a > tantrum following Vinita Kamte’s accusation, demanding the support of > the state Home Ministry—had no role to play in this. > > The Bangalore Blasts: > When two crude bombs went off outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium > ahead of the match between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers > Bangalore on 17th April, the Karnataka Home Minister V.S. Acharya > announced that the state Police were investigating the alleged > involvement of the cricket betting lobby. He forcefully denied any > link with the earlier blasts in the city in 2008. > > But Yasin Bhatkal seems to have preoccupied Swami’s mind on 19th > April for he evokes him again in connection with the stadium blasts > (“Stadium Blasts herald new IM offensive”). Citing the ever > cooperative ‘investigators, he says that the ‘similarity in design’ > and the manner in which some bombs failed to explode are a sure > indicator of the IM hand. Beyond this, he has nothing to link > Bangalore bombs to Bhatkal. But good stories can always compensate > for lack of facts. His piece, “To Bangalore with Hate” on 21st April > (which has charming subtitles such as Jihad at ginger Plantation”), > is no less crude then the two bombs at the stadium. Swami here > details the biographies of SIMI activists in South India, making the > link, ever so cleverly, between SIMI—and yes, IM—and the stadium > blasts, without providing any evidence of their actual linkage. Life > stories of these men are proof enough, he assumes. > > It is quite clear that Mr. Swami has provided a (sometimes > entertaining) dramatized version of the charge sheets files by the > various police departments across the country. While it may make for > a good script, we do hope that Mr. Swami understand what charge > sheets are: a list of charges or allegations, which the police has > still the burden to prove in a court of law--not irrefutable or > established truth. Perhaps, Mr Swami fancies himself a literary > genius who believes in narratives acquiring their own lives. In which > case, he has manufactured a large corpus of mediocre short stories. > > Released by JTSA (www.teacherssolidarity.org) > > > Shuddhabrata Sengupta > The Sarai Programme at CSDS > Raqs Media Collective > shuddha at sarai.net > www.sarai.net > www.raqsmediacollective.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/> _________________________________________ 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 justjunaid at gmail.com Fri Apr 30 17:14:47 2010 From: justjunaid at gmail.com (Junaid) Date: Fri, 30 Apr 2010 07:44:47 -0400 Subject: [Reader-list] stonepelting sisters Message-ID: The (real) tiger ladies: Saidpora’s seven sisters The youngest of their siblings has been booked under PSA for stone-pelting. The Sheikh family says the teenager was just a bus conductor earning a livelihood. Dilnaz Boga http://kashmirmonitor.org/details.aspx?ID=732 Srinagar: Losing a sibling can have a devastating effect on the family. But that didn’t stop 13-year-old Mushtaq Ahmad Sheikh’s seven sisters from coming out on the streets of Srinagar and stopping traffic. In a society that is grappling with the paralysing effects of militarisation, and where women’s issues take a backseat, these seven sisters and their mother have taken matters into their hands to spread awareness about the injustice that their teenage family member is undergoing in Udhampur jail. Tucked away in their house in the narrow by-lanes of Nowhatta, the Sheikh family resides in a small room that can barely accommodate two people. Unable to hide their poverty and despair, Mushtaq’s father Gulam Mohi-ud-din Sheikh breaks down talking about his only son. “I earn 600 rupees a month, and he used to earn between Rs 100 and Rs 150 a day. Somehow we managed to run the house. How can he go stone-pelting when he is busy working all day and bring us money every evening,” he asks, baffled. The teenager has been booked under the draconian Public Safety Act (PSA) and six other Sections of the RPC. His FIR no at the Nowhatta police station is 27/2010. A charge under PSA entails imprisonment for up to two years without a trial. On paper, the law states that the detention for minors should be corrective, not punitive. But in practice, in Kashmir it is exactly the opposite, complained a human rights lawyer. Lawyers in the state have consistently challenged specific PSA cases in the courts securing quashing orders, but the State has blatantly disregarded the court orders denying bail to the accused. Said Kausar, Mushtaq’s second sister who is married: “This is not the first time they (police) picked him up. They have been picking him up and releasing him practically every other week since the Amarnath unrest.” Sitting in the small room where Mushtaq was picked up from at 6.30 am on April 21, 2010, it is hard not to notice a dozen plastic bags suspended from the ceiling for want of space. Abject poverty has not been able to dampen the family’s drive to fight for the jailed teenager. Every day, the seven sisters, along with their mother, take to the city streets chanting slogans to free their brother, stopping motorists and making their plight known. They also throw stones at the vehicles carrying CRPF soldiers that pass by. “It was my mother’s idea to protest, said Shafiqa, Mushtaq’s 16-year-old sister. “We don’t do any damage when we protest. That is not our intention. Others won’t come out to protest with us for him as we are poor. If a rich boy is picked up, everyone will go and protest for him. They don’t even realise our pain. But still we won’t bow our heads. What can we do? We are surrounded by mukhbirs (informers),” she said. Out of the 12 boys picked up by the police when Mushtaq was arrested, 11 were released, said another sister Arooj. “Why wasn’t my brother let go? Why was he slapped with PSA? The whole world was pelting stones during the Shrine controversy. Why are they are not behind bars?” she asked. The police report, a copy of which is in possession of the Kashmir Monitor, states that Mushtaq was leading a mob of stone-pelters near Islamia College of Science and Commerce in Hawal. “I am not the only one amazed at the grit and anger which the girls of the family betray,” their father Mohi-ud-din admitted. “My wife is from a village. She doesn’t even know where Lal Chowk is. But now we have no choice but to protest. My boy is so quiet. He shivers when he witnesses a fight. He did not even tell us that he got beat up in the lock-up.” Shahzada Banu (35), Mushtaq’s mother laments about her husband’s plight, and her son’s innocence. “He has sustained bullet injuries during a roadside attack. He used to work as a labourer but had to give it up as he suffers from hernia. Mushtaq realized this and used to work diligently. Even people used to tell us that he was good at work,” she said. “They used to see him in Soura. How can he go stone-pelting if he’s at work?” The family is in the dark about the legal proceedings of this case. They are unaware even of their legal representative’s name. Legal experts maintain that PSA (1978) was amended in 1990 which made it possible for the state machinery to keep detainees in the jails of India, outside the state – making it even more difficult for defendants to fight their legal battles with the state. From chandni_parekh at yahoo.com Fri Apr 30 20:51:57 2010 From: chandni_parekh at yahoo.com (Chandni Parekh) Date: Fri, 30 Apr 2010 08:21:57 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Reader-list] Film Screenings in May Message-ID: <730128.83787.qm@web54410.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Chandni Parekh sent a message to the members of Vikalp at Prithvi group on Facebook. --- Hello all, Here are some of the films that will be screened by various groups in May 2010: Children's Film Festival, April 10-May 29, Bombay Abhivyakti 2010: Film Festival, April 30-May 2, Patna Habitat Film Festival 2010, May 2-9, Delhi Satyajit Ray Film Festival, May 2-16, Bombay 'We Care Film Fest 2010', May 3, Delhi 'Yours Truly John' by Sarath Chandran, May 5, Chennai 'The Bitter Drink' and 'To Die for Land – The Ultimate Sacrifice' by Sarath Chandran, May 8, Delhi For details, visit the Discussion Board. Also, in case you didn't know, 'Summertime at Prithvi' is on at Prithvi Theatre, among other places in Bombay. It's one of the biggest and most exciting children's events taking place in the city every year. Learn more about it on http://prithvitheatre.org. And join us for Vikalp at Prithvi's Summertime Special screening of 'Chhutkan ki Mahabharat' by Sankalp Meshram - a phantasmagoric story of a ten-year-old boy whose dreams suddenly start coming true... The screening is on Monday, May 31 at 7 pm at Prithvi House. Details later. - Chandni http://www.facebook.com/group. php?gid=46819848804