From atreyid at gmail.com Wed Dec 1 08:37:18 2010 From: atreyid at gmail.com (Atreyi Dasgupta) Date: Tue, 30 Nov 2010 21:07:18 -0600 Subject: [Reader-list] On Repeated Defamatory Postings on this List In-Reply-To: <32FA96ED-E2C9-419B-9765-2A7D101FCFEE@sarai.net> References: <32FA96ED-E2C9-419B-9765-2A7D101FCFEE@sarai.net> Message-ID: Dear Suddha, Would it be okay to circulate this mail or the part containing Arundhati/Pradip's response? I have tried several times to write to the mail list, with no success. Hence, I am copying this to you personally. - Atreyi On Mon, Nov 29, 2010 at 6:15 PM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: > Dear All, > > This is the third time since the 17th of November that Aditya Raj Kaul has > dished out unverified untruths on this list regarding the alleged matter of > Arundhati Roy having grabbed tribal land. While one could ignore it the > first time, even the second time, I think when it comes to the third time, > it needs to be taken cognizance of seriously. We all need to reflect on > this, and think about how we can get beyond this. > > Aditya Raj Kaul's statements to this effect are carried in his response to > Ana Valdes to the Reader List - Re: [Reader-list] the latest stupidity of > arundhati roy - comparing her utterances on kashmir with those of nehru > Date:9 November 2010 11:51:07 PM GMT+05:30 > The posting can be seen online at - > http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/2010-November/027581.html > > Additiionally, he has once again abused this list to utter again in this > posting the utter falsity (echoing the Pioneer Newspaper) that Arundhati Roy > articulated a slogan saying Kashmir wanted freedom (Azaadi) from 'Bhookha > Nanga Hindustan' ('Hungry, Naked India) when in fact she had categorically > criticized this slogan. This will be borne out by any examination of any > recordings of what was said on the 21st of October by Ms. Roy at the LTG > Auditorium in Delhi. As will the baselessness of the charge of sedition > brought by some vested interests against Arundhati Roy and others, including > myself. > > I have myself posted a clarification to this effect (whether or not Ms. Roy > endorsed the 'Bhookha, Nanga Hindustan' slogan on the list, (see - > http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/2010-October/027043.html ) in > response to a previous posting made by Aditya Raj Kaul, and I find it > shocking that despite this, he should choose to repeat this lie, here, yet > again. This has also been pointed out in a posting made shortly recently s, > by Baruk Feddabonn at - > http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/2010-November/027582.html > > I am also referring here to the canard forwarded by Aditya Raj Kaul, > emanating recently from media entities like the Pioneer Newspaper, that > Arundhati Roy, or her husband Pradip Krishen, have 'illegally occupied > tribal land' in Pachmarhi in the state of Madhya Pradesh. > > The origins of this story lie in the late nineties, when vested interests > in the real estate and hotel business began harassing Pradip Krishen in > Pachmarhi in the late 90s for his work as a campaigner on environmental > issues . The matter was reported then in India Today, and in the Indian > Express (which seem, in general, to have been different entities then, > from what they are now). The links are below, and can be easily accessed > online by anybody. I am offering these links for consideration so that there > is some perspective on this episode, and so that we can begin to see clearly > how this untruth is being manufactured, by newspapers and media concerns > like The Pioneer, and on this list by the likes of Aditya Raj Kaul. > > ---------------------- > First, the India Today Report from 1999. > > 1. God of Small Towns > N.K. SIngh, India Today, July 12, 1999 > http://www.india-today.com/itoday/12071999/mp.html > > You can read the whole story by following the link, but for those who do > not have patience to do so, here is a substantial excerpt : > > "...The SADA (The Pachmarhi Special Area Development Authority) notice > smacks of Kafkaesque dispensation of justice. If land-use at Bariaam was > frozen by a legislation dating back to 1973, how could Krishen and two > others -- both of them government officials -- who purchased the land get > the transfer registered in 1992 at a land-records office of the state > government? Besides, Krishen claims that hundreds of houses built in the > areas under SADA have gone unnoticed. > Roy and Krishen feel that the state offensive against them was caused by > their opposition to the TCPO's Draft Development Plan for Pachmarhi > published in September last year which, they allege, was a "sell-out" to the > hotel lobby. The state Government subsequently appointed Krishen a member of > the committee to hear public objections to the Draft Plan. He submitted a > number of objections, including one by his wife that condemned the plan's > authors for conspiring to "convert Pachmarhi into the Las Vegas of Madhya > Pradesh". Says Roy: "This infuriated both the hoteliers' lobby as well as > its acolytes in the Planning Department. The notice to Pradip (Krishen) of > March 12 is a direct outcome of their animosity and vested interests." > > The report continues - > > " ...The alleged violation of the law in Bariaam, even if technical, by the > landowners pales into insignificance when compared with illegal developments > on the other side of the Bariaam Lake. Many senior government officials have > purchased land in areas falling within the Pachmarhi wildlife sanctuary. "It > is highly damaging to the environment of the area," says Subharanjan Sen, > director of the Satpura National Park. A Jabalpur businessman, Ashish > Agrawal, even started construction on the site last month by clearing a > patch of jungle "for agricultural activities". > Last month Agrawal's half-built construction was demolished by the > Hoshangabad district administration after Satyanand Mishra, principal > secretary of the Housing and Environment Department, visited the site > following the controversy over the notice served on Krishen. Obviously there > were red faces in Bhopal after protests by an internationally famous > literary figure, and the state Government needed to absolve itself of the > charge of selectively punishing wrong-doers. Acting upon Mishra's subsequent > report, the state Government is planning to crack down on all encroachers. > At Bariaam, notices have been served -- though belatedly -- on the Krishens' > neighbours, who include novelist Vikram Seth's sister Aradhana Seth. > Roy has said that "whatever our faults, land grabbing and acquisitiveness > are not among them". Their house, like Roy's novel, is a finely crafted > token of aesthetic values. Perhaps their trouble began when they sought to > preserve the environment by opposing the commercialisation of Pachmarhi. But > Roy shouldn't lose heart because her battle with the local authorities may > witness the genesis of her next novel..." > > And here is the Indian Express story, four years after 1999 > > 2. MP govt spares rod for minister, spoils Pachmarhi > Hartosh Singh Bal, Indian Express, August 20, 2003 > http://www.india-today.com/itoday/12071999/mp.html > > Here, is an extract from the Indian Express story > > "Conservator of Forest and Park Director B.D. Sankhwar says he does not > blame people like Pradip Kishen and Aradhana Seth for the illegal > constructions. ‘‘In most cases, I don’t blame the individuals concerned. > They obtained the necessary revenue documents, including registries and > mutations." > > ------------------- > > Recently, after eight years, since this sordid episode last saw the light > of day, The Pioneer (see - > http://www.dailypioneer.com/297320/Arundhati-Roy--Pradip-Krishen-grab-tribal-land-in-MP.html) > has brought up, once again, the sludge that the above two stories (indian > Express and India Today) successfully countered, in 1999 and 2003. > > No doubt this was done as part of the concerted campaign to harass Ms. Roy > and those close to her. In one specific instance, no effort was taken to > publish accurate counter-points, even when they were offered, after being > solicited, as will be evident further below. Aditya Raj Kaul's posting of > this material on this list needs to be seen in this same murky light. > > A major news channel, in a query sent to Ms. Roy on the 19th of November, > 2010 (see below) detailed the charges that they had made in a story prepared > for broadcast on their channel, and asked her for a response. > > Ms Roy, responded to this query on the same day, by forwarding a mail to > them containing a reply from Pradip Krishen. As far as I know, no media > platform has chosen to make Mr. Krishen's response to this slander public so > far. Perhaps because it totally takes the wind out of the sails of the > allegations. In the interests of clarification on this matter, and to ensure > that this list is not repeatedly abused by these attempts at slander. I am > reproducing below, Mr. Krishen's (and Ms. Roy's) response. > > -------------- > > 1. Arundhati Roy's Response to the queries about alleged grabbing of Tribal > Land > > > Dear ______, > Clearly while the rest of the world is riveted to what some of your notable > colleagues in the media have been up to with the 2G business, you have > something different on your mind! I hope you are having fun with this story > about my "adivasi land grab". Thanks for taking the trouble to check the > facts, all of which are not only false but also defamatory. I am attaching > Pradip's response which he has already sent to you. Better luck next time! > > All best > Arundhati > > 2. Pradip Krishen's response (forwarded in the body of the above email) > > This is in response to a message that Arundhati Roy forwarded to me just > now: > > I'm afraid you have got your facts VERY wrong. > > Here are the main facts pertaining to the points you mention: > > I bought the land in question, approx 1,300 sq meters of land in 1992. The > land in question was not Adivasi land. The previous owners were Shareef > Ahmed, Shabra Begum and 11 others, all residents of Pachmarhi. A sale deed > was executed in the Sub-registrar's office in Piparia, and the land was > demarcated by the Patwari. I built my house the following year. > > It is true that Vijay Singh accused me and 2 others of encroaching on his > land in 2003. The land in question was measured by the Tehsil officers after > the complaint was filed, and it was found that no encroachment had in fact > taken place, and Vijay Singh signed a statement retracting his complaint. > The Case was closed as will be borne out in the Tehsil records > > The third point about the Forest Deptt is as follows: I was served with a > notice in 1999, 6 years after I registered the purchase of my land, to say > that no sale or transfer of land was permitted in the area because the > entire area was notified as an intended Sanctuary in 1977. > I replied that I had bought the land by due legal process and that if no > sale was permitted then the Revenue authorities should not have registered > the sale. Besides, since 1977, thousands of sales had taken place within the > notified area, and why was I being singled out? > This case is now in the High Court of MP. > > Further to all these facts regarding the land in Pachmarhi, I want you to > know that Arundhati has absolutely nothing to do with my Pachmarhi land. We > were not married when I bought the land in 1992, and she is not registered > as the owner. She has not visited the house for over 12 years. I'm afraid > that the Press is trying to drag her name in only to try and defame her > unecessarily. > > Pradip Krishen > > 3. The Media Channel's query to Arundhati Roy > > On Fri, Nov 19, 2010 at 3:07 PM, The media channel wrote to Ms. Roy : > > Re: Request for a Byte/Statement > > Ma'am, > > We are forwarding you one of the story on which we would like to have a > reaction of you in form of a sound byte or perhaps a statement. > > > Details: > > STD: Writer-activist Arundhati Roy is embroiled in fresh controversy over > encroachment in Panchmarhi, a hill resort in Madhya Pradesh… The Shivraj > Singh government is contemplating action against Arundhati`s husband for > building his house in protected wildlife area…. The Times Now investigation > finds out that though the State government has booked the case for violating > the forest act, it is also a case of encroaching upon a poor tribals land. > > V/O1: This is the bungalow owned by Arundhatis husband, filmmaker Pradeep > Krishan in Bariaam village of Panchmari, a hill resort in Madhya Pradesh… > now at the centre of controversy… The controversy erupted in 2003 after the > local Pipariya Sub Divisional Magistrate, SDM had served notice to Roys > husband and three others including Aradhana Seth, sister of writer Vikram > Seth, for violating wild life act 1972 section 18 (1). The Forest Act of > 1972 bans the sale of land in notified forest areas. Section 18 of the law > bars buying and selling of notified forest land... This village falls within > the Special Area Development Authoritys jurisdiction SADA. The SADA had also > served a order of stop building order on Roys husband.. The notice says that > under section 16 of of the State Town and country planning act, 1973 the > land use of Panchmarhi and its neighbouring areas had been frozen… > Arundhatis husband had then moved to the State High court against the SDM > notice.. However the MP High Court in March 2010, has asked Arundhatis > husband, Pradeep Kishan, to appear before a sub-divisional magistrate… > > BITE ONE: HOSHANGABAD COMMISSIONER MANOJ SHRIVASTAV (transcript does not > detail what is said in this byte) > > V/O2: But your channel in Barriaam village finds out that Arundhati also > invites the charge for encroaching on tribal land… In fact, the whole > controversy came in picture in 2003 after a local Gond tribal Vijay Singh > filed a complaint with the SDM, against Roys husband and others for > encroaching on his land… In his affidavit, Vijay had accused them of > constructing this cemented road to their bungalows without bothering to > obtain permission or pay adequate compensation… Vijay passed away last > year…Now his wife says that there is no justice in this case and Arundhati > has not paid any compensation for encroaching on her land. > > BITE TWO: SUKHWATI WIFE OF VIJAY SINGH ranscript does not detail what > is said in this byte) > > V/O3: The land record officer - Patwari confirms that in 2003 after the > tribal Vijays complaint he had measured the land and found that Arundhatis > husband had encroached upon the tribals land. > > BITE THREE: LAND RECORD OFFICER JITENDRA SINGH (transcript does not detail > what is said in this byte) > > PTC: The big question is how Arundhati Roy managed to get land in this > protected wild life sanctuary while throwing a all the rules to the air. > Even a bigger question would be how will Arundhati, who is better know for > her fight for downtrodden class, justify encroaching upon the land of > poorest of the poor tribals… > > (Query ends here) > > A Brief Glossary: STD stands for Studio, V/O for Voice Over, PTC for 'Piece > to Camera', a 'Byte' is a term used to describe the airing of an excerpted > statement made by an interviewee - all these are standard terms used while > scripting and planning a television news story, or in transcripts of > television news stories. > > ----------------------------- > > I hope that all this sheds some light on the matter. I apologize for the > length and elaboration of this mail, but I think these facts needs to be > placed on record, so as to ensure that this list does not become the dumping > ground of the garbage of lies and rumours. > > Finally, I think we need to think seriously about what means this list > might need to take to safeguard its integrity from this kind of repeated > defamatory mischief and malicious slander. > > best > > Shuddha > > > Shuddhabrata Sengupta > > > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > subscribe in the subject header. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> -- 44 million women missing in China, 37 million in India, and a total of more than 100 million worldwide. -Amartya Sen, 1992 From kauladityaraj at gmail.com Wed Dec 1 09:54:12 2010 From: kauladityaraj at gmail.com (Aditya Raj Kaul) Date: Wed, 1 Dec 2010 09:54:12 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] =?windows-1252?q?Arundhati=92s_Pachmarhi_house_decl?= =?windows-1252?q?ared_illegal?= Message-ID: Arundhati’s Pachmarhi house declared illegal***Milind Ghatwai ** Indian Express Link - http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Arundhati-s-Pachmarhi-house-declared-illegal/718384 * Writer-activist Arundhati Roy on Tuesday lost a crucial battle to save her bungalow in Pachmarhi, the picturesque hill station in Madhya Pradesh. A sub-divisional magistrate held that the plot on which the bungalow was built in the 1990s is a notified forest area, where sale or purchase of property is banned. SDM (Piparia) B Kirangopal told The Indian Express that Section 18 of the Forest Act allows only hereditary passage of ownership. The writer’s filmmaker husband Pradeep Kishan had purchased the plot in Bariam in the early 1990s, from a villager. The couple visits the bungalow once in a while. Aradhana Seth, sister of author Vikram Seth, was among three other owners who were also given notices by the deputy tehsildar, saying the properties were illegal. The four had challenged the order in the Madhya Pradesh High Court, saying that the bungalows stood on revenue land and not forest land. The high court recently asked the petitioners to go through a proper channel, which meant they had to file an appeal before the SDM (Piparia). -- Aditya Raj Kaul India Editor The Indian, Australia Blog: http://activistsdiary.blogspot.com/ From kauladityaraj at gmail.com Wed Dec 1 10:03:44 2010 From: kauladityaraj at gmail.com (Aditya Raj Kaul) Date: Wed, 1 Dec 2010 10:03:44 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FIR and this list In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: I've filed no case against anybody. Stop spreading rumors. Talking of fiction-writer Arundhati Roy and her gang mates who participated at the Delhi seminar, there is a fit case against them on various grounds. Not just sedition. Let the Court take care of rest. On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 5:53 PM, anupam chakravartty wrote: > Having business relationship with Kashmiris, personally Samvit, is not what > I look forward to. There is no need for me to think of it as a real estate > property unlike you all advocating Panun Kashmir in the same vein. If you > consider yourself as a Kashmiri, then I guess you should have been able to > speak against the fortress erected by armed forces, the mis-governance by > subsequent Indian governments, the gross human rights violations. > Sub-nationalism, anti nationalism feeds on these things.You explore this > problem as an anti-India issue, when you have the option of speaking up > against violations by the successive governments while at the same time, > supporting the steps taken to resolve this crisis. Look what you offered > just now as a counter: Panun Kashmir. > > anupam > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 5:41 PM, Samvit wrote: > > > Oh yes Anupam, you forgot about the Goshtabas that she was feasting on > > after she spoke at the Aazadi seminar. In KAshmir it is called > > Goshtaba diplomacy. Arundhati knows nothing about Kashmir or > > Kashmiries. She is a fly by night operator and has no business in the > > Valley. She and people like you try to use your verbal jugglery to > > promote an anti India agenda. The fact is that Article 370 does not > > allow people like you to have any business with us Kashmiries. It is > > our land and that is what it stays. We will make Panun Kashmir out of > > it even thought it may take hundreds of years. If there is anyone on > > this forum who needs to zip up it is Arundhati's cronies who are on > > the payroll of many organizations. Also, I removed the garb of > > Arundhati being a pro-poor because she wears western bourgeoisie > > outfits and goes to expensive gyms. And when she has to address the > > media she will wear a khadi/cotton sari. You twisted these words to > > say that I indulged in a "perverted imagination". You are a classic > > case of Sawan ke andhe ko sab hara hi hara nazar aata hai. (Hindi). > > One who goes blind in spring, sees only greenery all around!!! > > -SR > > > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:54 PM, anupam chakravartty > > > wrote: > > > Defensive? I used the word "shame". Unlike yours, My hands are tied in > my > > > efforts to understand the complexity of issues in this country. Sadly, > > when > > > a writer addresses this issues, and expresses her views, she is > vilified > > to > > > the extant that she becomes the subject of your perverted imagination, > > > Samvit. Her house, where she dwells becomes the object of your > scrutiny. > > BUT > > > NOT KASHMIR. BUT NOT AFSPA. So why should states from North East, the > > state > > > of Kashmir demand secession from the Indian state? I dont have to look > at > > > historical examples. Your attitudes, Aditya Raj Kaul's attitude speaks > > > volumes. This is your two paisa bit that you do to counter someone's > > > statements. it is SHAME, Samvit. Please do not give me the example of > the > > > democratic set up of this country. > > > > > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:38 PM, Samvit wrote: > > >> > > >> I know neither Aditya or nor anyone else on this forum but I am > > >> surprised that if Aditya has registered a complaint why should people > > >> get so defensive. We have a democratic setup and he has every right to > > >> go to the court. Similarly, Arundhati and others have every right to > > >> defend themselves. The Indian judicial system is a multi-tier process > > >> just for the sake that justice should be done. Why is such a fuss > > >> being made about it. This is a simple process. We must respect the law > > >> of the land and if we don't we should be ready to face the > > >> consqueunces. We all make our choices and have to live by them. > > >> -SR > > >> > > >> > > >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:31 PM, anupam chakravartty < > > c.anupam at gmail.com> > > >> wrote: > > >> > It shameful that Aditya Raj Kaul, who is hell bent on producing > false > > >> > reports on any issue he feels like has also named one of the list > > >> > members in > > >> > the complaint, out of his desperation and his understanding of the > > >> > Kashmir > > >> > issue. > > >> > > > >> > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:24 PM, Ana Valdés > > wrote: > > >> > > > >> >> Sorry but I want now to unsubscribe from these list. If memberrs of > > >> >> this > > >> >> list has done that they have shown a flagrant disrespect tor the > > rights > > >> >> of > > >> >> a > > >> >> writer to speak freely and to to express its opinions. > > >> >> A person using the Sate recourses, police and judges to do that, > has > > no > > >> >> right to belong to this list, but since I am not the moderator I > > choose > > >> >> ,myself to go and to leave you all with such despicable > > interlocutors. > > >> >> Ana > > >> >> > > >> >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 8:40 AM, Jeebesh > wrote: > > >> >> > > >> >> > dear All, > > >> >> > > > >> >> > > > >> >> > > > >> >> > > >> >> > > > http://www.mid-day.com/news/2010/nov/301110-News-Delhi-FIR-Kashmiri-separatist-leader-Syed-Ali-Geelani-Arundhati-Roy-sedition.htm > > >> >> > > > >> >> > Members of this list are behind the private complaint that has > > pushed > > >> >> > the > > >> >> > courts to get an FIR lodged. > > >> >> > > > >> >> > There are member of this list who are named in the FIR. > > >> >> > > > >> >> > So, dear list members, the online and offline flows entangles > each > > >> >> > other. > > >> >> > Lets think hard. > > >> >> > > > >> >> > warmly > > >> >> > jeebesh > > >> >> > > > >> >> > > > >> >> > _________________________________________ > > >> >> > 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/> > > >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> -- > > >> >> http://anavaldes.wordpress.com > > >> >> http://passagenwerk.wordpress.com > > >> >> http://caravia.stumbleupon.com > > >> >> http://www.crusading.se > > >> >> Gondolgatan 2 l tr > > >> >> 12832 Skarpnäck > > >> >> Sweden > > >> >> tel +468-943288 > > >> >> mobil 4670-3213370 > > >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> "When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth > > with > > >> >> your > > >> >> eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you will > > always > > >> >> long > > >> >> to return. > > >> >> — Leonardo da Vinci > > >> >> _________________________________________ > > >> >> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > > >> >> Critiques & Collaborations > > >> >> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > > >> >> 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/> > -- Aditya Raj Kaul India Editor The Indian, Australia Blog: http://activistsdiary.blogspot.com/ From aarti.sethi at gmail.com Wed Dec 1 10:40:21 2010 From: aarti.sethi at gmail.com (Aarti Sethi) Date: Wed, 1 Dec 2010 00:10:21 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] FIR and this list In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Dear Aditya, Spreading rumours is your forte. We would never presume to usurp your distinguished position as the prime spreader of defamatory slander and lies. So don't worry. warm regards Aarti On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 11:33 PM, Aditya Raj Kaul wrote: > I've filed no case against anybody. Stop spreading rumors. > > Talking of fiction-writer Arundhati Roy and her gang mates who participated > at the Delhi seminar, there is a fit case against them on various grounds. > Not just sedition. Let the Court take care of rest. > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 5:53 PM, anupam chakravartty >wrote: > > > Having business relationship with Kashmiris, personally Samvit, is not > what > > I look forward to. There is no need for me to think of it as a real > estate > > property unlike you all advocating Panun Kashmir in the same vein. If you > > consider yourself as a Kashmiri, then I guess you should have been able > to > > speak against the fortress erected by armed forces, the mis-governance by > > subsequent Indian governments, the gross human rights violations. > > Sub-nationalism, anti nationalism feeds on these things.You explore this > > problem as an anti-India issue, when you have the option of speaking up > > against violations by the successive governments while at the same time, > > supporting the steps taken to resolve this crisis. Look what you offered > > just now as a counter: Panun Kashmir. > > > > anupam > > > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 5:41 PM, Samvit wrote: > > > > > Oh yes Anupam, you forgot about the Goshtabas that she was feasting on > > > after she spoke at the Aazadi seminar. In KAshmir it is called > > > Goshtaba diplomacy. Arundhati knows nothing about Kashmir or > > > Kashmiries. She is a fly by night operator and has no business in the > > > Valley. She and people like you try to use your verbal jugglery to > > > promote an anti India agenda. The fact is that Article 370 does not > > > allow people like you to have any business with us Kashmiries. It is > > > our land and that is what it stays. We will make Panun Kashmir out of > > > it even thought it may take hundreds of years. If there is anyone on > > > this forum who needs to zip up it is Arundhati's cronies who are on > > > the payroll of many organizations. Also, I removed the garb of > > > Arundhati being a pro-poor because she wears western bourgeoisie > > > outfits and goes to expensive gyms. And when she has to address the > > > media she will wear a khadi/cotton sari. You twisted these words to > > > say that I indulged in a "perverted imagination". You are a classic > > > case of Sawan ke andhe ko sab hara hi hara nazar aata hai. (Hindi). > > > One who goes blind in spring, sees only greenery all around!!! > > > -SR > > > > > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:54 PM, anupam chakravartty < > c.anupam at gmail.com > > > > > > wrote: > > > > Defensive? I used the word "shame". Unlike yours, My hands are tied > in > > my > > > > efforts to understand the complexity of issues in this country. > Sadly, > > > when > > > > a writer addresses this issues, and expresses her views, she is > > vilified > > > to > > > > the extant that she becomes the subject of your perverted > imagination, > > > > Samvit. Her house, where she dwells becomes the object of your > > scrutiny. > > > BUT > > > > NOT KASHMIR. BUT NOT AFSPA. So why should states from North East, the > > > state > > > > of Kashmir demand secession from the Indian state? I dont have to > look > > at > > > > historical examples. Your attitudes, Aditya Raj Kaul's attitude > speaks > > > > volumes. This is your two paisa bit that you do to counter someone's > > > > statements. it is SHAME, Samvit. Please do not give me the example of > > the > > > > democratic set up of this country. > > > > > > > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:38 PM, Samvit wrote: > > > >> > > > >> I know neither Aditya or nor anyone else on this forum but I am > > > >> surprised that if Aditya has registered a complaint why should > people > > > >> get so defensive. We have a democratic setup and he has every right > to > > > >> go to the court. Similarly, Arundhati and others have every right to > > > >> defend themselves. The Indian judicial system is a multi-tier > process > > > >> just for the sake that justice should be done. Why is such a fuss > > > >> being made about it. This is a simple process. We must respect the > law > > > >> of the land and if we don't we should be ready to face the > > > >> consqueunces. We all make our choices and have to live by them. > > > >> -SR > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:31 PM, anupam chakravartty < > > > c.anupam at gmail.com> > > > >> wrote: > > > >> > It shameful that Aditya Raj Kaul, who is hell bent on producing > > false > > > >> > reports on any issue he feels like has also named one of the list > > > >> > members in > > > >> > the complaint, out of his desperation and his understanding of the > > > >> > Kashmir > > > >> > issue. > > > >> > > > > >> > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:24 PM, Ana Valdés > > > wrote: > > > >> > > > > >> >> Sorry but I want now to unsubscribe from these list. If memberrs > of > > > >> >> this > > > >> >> list has done that they have shown a flagrant disrespect tor the > > > rights > > > >> >> of > > > >> >> a > > > >> >> writer to speak freely and to to express its opinions. > > > >> >> A person using the Sate recourses, police and judges to do that, > > has > > > no > > > >> >> right to belong to this list, but since I am not the moderator I > > > choose > > > >> >> ,myself to go and to leave you all with such despicable > > > interlocutors. > > > >> >> Ana > > > >> >> > > > >> >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 8:40 AM, Jeebesh > > wrote: > > > >> >> > > > >> >> > dear All, > > > >> >> > > > > >> >> > > > > >> >> > > > > >> >> > > > >> >> > > > > > > http://www.mid-day.com/news/2010/nov/301110-News-Delhi-FIR-Kashmiri-separatist-leader-Syed-Ali-Geelani-Arundhati-Roy-sedition.htm > > > >> >> > > > > >> >> > Members of this list are behind the private complaint that has > > > pushed > > > >> >> > the > > > >> >> > courts to get an FIR lodged. > > > >> >> > > > > >> >> > There are member of this list who are named in the FIR. > > > >> >> > > > > >> >> > So, dear list members, the online and offline flows entangles > > each > > > >> >> > other. > > > >> >> > Lets think hard. > > > >> >> > > > > >> >> > warmly > > > >> >> > jeebesh > > > >> >> > > > > >> >> > > > > >> >> > _________________________________________ > > > >> >> > 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/> > > > >> >> > > > >> >> > > > >> >> > > > >> >> > > > >> >> -- > > > >> >> http://anavaldes.wordpress.com > > > >> >> http://passagenwerk.wordpress.com > > > >> >> http://caravia.stumbleupon.com > > > >> >> http://www.crusading.se > > > >> >> Gondolgatan 2 l tr > > > >> >> 12832 Skarpnäck > > > >> >> Sweden > > > >> >> tel +468-943288 > > > >> >> mobil 4670-3213370 > > > >> >> > > > >> >> > > > >> >> "When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the > earth > > > with > > > >> >> your > > > >> >> eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you will > > > always > > > >> >> long > > > >> >> to return. > > > >> >> — Leonardo da Vinci > > > >> >> _________________________________________ > > > >> >> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > > > >> >> Critiques & Collaborations > > > >> >> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.netwith > > > >> >> subscribe in the subject header. > > > >> >> To unsubscribe: > > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > > >> >> List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > >> >> > > > >> > _________________________________________ > > > >> > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > > > >> > Critiques & Collaborations > > > >> > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > > > >> > 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/> > > > > > > -- > Aditya Raj Kaul > > India Editor > The Indian, Australia > > Blog: http://activistsdiary.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/> > From kauladityaraj at gmail.com Wed Dec 1 10:49:52 2010 From: kauladityaraj at gmail.com (Aditya Raj Kaul) Date: Wed, 1 Dec 2010 10:49:52 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FIR and this list In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Aaarti, you can continue to imagine whatever you want.. just that by that imagination you may never be able to change a hypocrite Arundhati Roy and her men on this forum. Court order is a setback to her paid mob on this forum and otherwise. On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 10:40 AM, Aarti Sethi wrote: > Dear Aditya, > > Spreading rumours is your forte. We would never presume to usurp your > distinguished position as the prime spreader of defamatory slander and lies. > So don't worry. > > warm regards > Aarti > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 11:33 PM, Aditya Raj Kaul > wrote: > >> I've filed no case against anybody. Stop spreading rumors. >> >> Talking of fiction-writer Arundhati Roy and her gang mates who >> participated >> at the Delhi seminar, there is a fit case against them on various grounds. >> Not just sedition. Let the Court take care of rest. >> >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 5:53 PM, anupam chakravartty > >wrote: >> >> > Having business relationship with Kashmiris, personally Samvit, is not >> what >> > I look forward to. There is no need for me to think of it as a real >> estate >> > property unlike you all advocating Panun Kashmir in the same vein. If >> you >> > consider yourself as a Kashmiri, then I guess you should have been able >> to >> > speak against the fortress erected by armed forces, the mis-governance >> by >> > subsequent Indian governments, the gross human rights violations. >> > Sub-nationalism, anti nationalism feeds on these things.You explore this >> > problem as an anti-India issue, when you have the option of speaking up >> > against violations by the successive governments while at the same time, >> > supporting the steps taken to resolve this crisis. Look what you offered >> > just now as a counter: Panun Kashmir. >> > >> > anupam >> > >> > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 5:41 PM, Samvit wrote: >> > >> > > Oh yes Anupam, you forgot about the Goshtabas that she was feasting on >> > > after she spoke at the Aazadi seminar. In KAshmir it is called >> > > Goshtaba diplomacy. Arundhati knows nothing about Kashmir or >> > > Kashmiries. She is a fly by night operator and has no business in the >> > > Valley. She and people like you try to use your verbal jugglery to >> > > promote an anti India agenda. The fact is that Article 370 does not >> > > allow people like you to have any business with us Kashmiries. It is >> > > our land and that is what it stays. We will make Panun Kashmir out of >> > > it even thought it may take hundreds of years. If there is anyone on >> > > this forum who needs to zip up it is Arundhati's cronies who are on >> > > the payroll of many organizations. Also, I removed the garb of >> > > Arundhati being a pro-poor because she wears western bourgeoisie >> > > outfits and goes to expensive gyms. And when she has to address the >> > > media she will wear a khadi/cotton sari. You twisted these words to >> > > say that I indulged in a "perverted imagination". You are a classic >> > > case of Sawan ke andhe ko sab hara hi hara nazar aata hai. (Hindi). >> > > One who goes blind in spring, sees only greenery all around!!! >> > > -SR >> > > >> > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:54 PM, anupam chakravartty < >> c.anupam at gmail.com >> > > >> > > wrote: >> > > > Defensive? I used the word "shame". Unlike yours, My hands are tied >> in >> > my >> > > > efforts to understand the complexity of issues in this country. >> Sadly, >> > > when >> > > > a writer addresses this issues, and expresses her views, she is >> > vilified >> > > to >> > > > the extant that she becomes the subject of your perverted >> imagination, >> > > > Samvit. Her house, where she dwells becomes the object of your >> > scrutiny. >> > > BUT >> > > > NOT KASHMIR. BUT NOT AFSPA. So why should states from North East, >> the >> > > state >> > > > of Kashmir demand secession from the Indian state? I dont have to >> look >> > at >> > > > historical examples. Your attitudes, Aditya Raj Kaul's attitude >> speaks >> > > > volumes. This is your two paisa bit that you do to counter someone's >> > > > statements. it is SHAME, Samvit. Please do not give me the example >> of >> > the >> > > > democratic set up of this country. >> > > > >> > > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:38 PM, Samvit wrote: >> > > >> >> > > >> I know neither Aditya or nor anyone else on this forum but I am >> > > >> surprised that if Aditya has registered a complaint why should >> people >> > > >> get so defensive. We have a democratic setup and he has every right >> to >> > > >> go to the court. Similarly, Arundhati and others have every right >> to >> > > >> defend themselves. The Indian judicial system is a multi-tier >> process >> > > >> just for the sake that justice should be done. Why is such a fuss >> > > >> being made about it. This is a simple process. We must respect the >> law >> > > >> of the land and if we don't we should be ready to face the >> > > >> consqueunces. We all make our choices and have to live by them. >> > > >> -SR >> > > >> >> > > >> >> > > >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:31 PM, anupam chakravartty < >> > > c.anupam at gmail.com> >> > > >> wrote: >> > > >> > It shameful that Aditya Raj Kaul, who is hell bent on producing >> > false >> > > >> > reports on any issue he feels like has also named one of the list >> > > >> > members in >> > > >> > the complaint, out of his desperation and his understanding of >> the >> > > >> > Kashmir >> > > >> > issue. >> > > >> > >> > > >> > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:24 PM, Ana Valdés >> > > wrote: >> > > >> > >> > > >> >> Sorry but I want now to unsubscribe from these list. If memberrs >> of >> > > >> >> this >> > > >> >> list has done that they have shown a flagrant disrespect tor the >> > > rights >> > > >> >> of >> > > >> >> a >> > > >> >> writer to speak freely and to to express its opinions. >> > > >> >> A person using the Sate recourses, police and judges to do that, >> > has >> > > no >> > > >> >> right to belong to this list, but since I am not the moderator I >> > > choose >> > > >> >> ,myself to go and to leave you all with such despicable >> > > interlocutors. >> > > >> >> Ana >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 8:40 AM, Jeebesh >> > wrote: >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> > dear All, >> > > >> >> > >> > > >> >> > >> > > >> >> > >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> > >> http://www.mid-day.com/news/2010/nov/301110-News-Delhi-FIR-Kashmiri-separatist-leader-Syed-Ali-Geelani-Arundhati-Roy-sedition.htm >> > > >> >> > >> > > >> >> > Members of this list are behind the private complaint that has >> > > pushed >> > > >> >> > the >> > > >> >> > courts to get an FIR lodged. >> > > >> >> > >> > > >> >> > There are member of this list who are named in the FIR. >> > > >> >> > >> > > >> >> > So, dear list members, the online and offline flows entangles >> > each >> > > >> >> > other. >> > > >> >> > Lets think hard. >> > > >> >> > >> > > >> >> > warmly >> > > >> >> > jeebesh >> > > >> >> > >> > > >> >> > >> > > >> >> > _________________________________________ >> > > >> >> > 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/> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> -- >> > > >> >> http://anavaldes.wordpress.com >> > > >> >> http://passagenwerk.wordpress.com >> > > >> >> http://caravia.stumbleupon.com >> > > >> >> http://www.crusading.se >> > > >> >> Gondolgatan 2 l tr >> > > >> >> 12832 Skarpnäck >> > > >> >> Sweden >> > > >> >> tel +468-943288 >> > > >> >> mobil 4670-3213370 >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> "When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the >> earth >> > > with >> > > >> >> your >> > > >> >> eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you will >> > > always >> > > >> >> long >> > > >> >> to return. >> > > >> >> — Leonardo da Vinci >> > > >> >> _________________________________________ >> > > >> >> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >> > > >> >> Critiques & Collaborations >> > > >> >> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.netwith >> > > >> >> subscribe in the subject header. >> > > >> >> To unsubscribe: >> > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >> > > >> >> List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/ >> > >> > > >> >> >> > > >> > _________________________________________ >> > > >> > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >> > > >> > Critiques & Collaborations >> > > >> > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.netwith >> > > >> > subscribe in the subject header. >> > > >> > To unsubscribe: >> https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >> > > >> > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> >> > > > >> > > > >> > > >> > _________________________________________ >> > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >> > Critiques & Collaborations >> > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with >> > subscribe in the subject header. >> > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >> > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> >> > >> >> >> >> -- >> Aditya Raj Kaul >> >> India Editor >> The Indian, Australia >> >> >> Blog: http://activistsdiary.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/> >> > > -- Aditya Raj Kaul India Editor The Indian, Australia Blog: http://activistsdiary.blogspot.com/ From kamalhak at gmail.com Wed Dec 1 11:03:53 2010 From: kamalhak at gmail.com (kamalhak at gmail.com) Date: Wed, 1 Dec 2010 05:33:53 +0000 Subject: [Reader-list] FIR and this list In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <825869805-1291181498-cardhu_decombobulator_blackberry.rim.net-1180475479-@b11.c1.bise7.blackberry> Wow, Voltaire must be turning in his grave. After all he may be feeling foolish to have proclaimed, ' I may not necessarily agree with you but I will defend your right to speak till death.' Condemn Aditya for holding a view contrary to some of the members on the list. What a demonstration of freedom to express? Eulogize Ms Roy even if she peddles trash in the name of liberal discourse. What a method of supporting a farce? Glorify your point of view and assume a high moral position while attempting to scuttle an alternate view point. What an expression of democratic discourse? Have a great day. Kamal Hak Sent from BlackBerry® on Airtel -----Original Message----- From: Aarti Sethi Sender: reader-list-bounces at sarai.net Date: Wed, 1 Dec 2010 00:10:21 To: Aditya Raj Kaul; Sarai Reader-list Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FIR and this list Dear Aditya, Spreading rumours is your forte. We would never presume to usurp your distinguished position as the prime spreader of defamatory slander and lies. So don't worry. warm regards Aarti On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 11:33 PM, Aditya Raj Kaul wrote: > I've filed no case against anybody. Stop spreading rumors. > > Talking of fiction-writer Arundhati Roy and her gang mates who participated > at the Delhi seminar, there is a fit case against them on various grounds. > Not just sedition. Let the Court take care of rest. > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 5:53 PM, anupam chakravartty >wrote: > > > Having business relationship with Kashmiris, personally Samvit, is not > what > > I look forward to. There is no need for me to think of it as a real > estate > > property unlike you all advocating Panun Kashmir in the same vein. If you > > consider yourself as a Kashmiri, then I guess you should have been able > to > > speak against the fortress erected by armed forces, the mis-governance by > > subsequent Indian governments, the gross human rights violations. > > Sub-nationalism, anti nationalism feeds on these things.You explore this > > problem as an anti-India issue, when you have the option of speaking up > > against violations by the successive governments while at the same time, > > supporting the steps taken to resolve this crisis. Look what you offered > > just now as a counter: Panun Kashmir. > > > > anupam > > > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 5:41 PM, Samvit wrote: > > > > > Oh yes Anupam, you forgot about the Goshtabas that she was feasting on > > > after she spoke at the Aazadi seminar. In KAshmir it is called > > > Goshtaba diplomacy. Arundhati knows nothing about Kashmir or > > > Kashmiries. She is a fly by night operator and has no business in the > > > Valley. She and people like you try to use your verbal jugglery to > > > promote an anti India agenda. The fact is that Article 370 does not > > > allow people like you to have any business with us Kashmiries. It is > > > our land and that is what it stays. We will make Panun Kashmir out of > > > it even thought it may take hundreds of years. If there is anyone on > > > this forum who needs to zip up it is Arundhati's cronies who are on > > > the payroll of many organizations. Also, I removed the garb of > > > Arundhati being a pro-poor because she wears western bourgeoisie > > > outfits and goes to expensive gyms. And when she has to address the > > > media she will wear a khadi/cotton sari. You twisted these words to > > > say that I indulged in a "perverted imagination". You are a classic > > > case of Sawan ke andhe ko sab hara hi hara nazar aata hai. (Hindi). > > > One who goes blind in spring, sees only greenery all around!!! > > > -SR > > > > > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:54 PM, anupam chakravartty < > c.anupam at gmail.com > > > > > > wrote: > > > > Defensive? I used the word "shame". Unlike yours, My hands are tied > in > > my > > > > efforts to understand the complexity of issues in this country. > Sadly, > > > when > > > > a writer addresses this issues, and expresses her views, she is > > vilified > > > to > > > > the extant that she becomes the subject of your perverted > imagination, > > > > Samvit. Her house, where she dwells becomes the object of your > > scrutiny. > > > BUT > > > > NOT KASHMIR. BUT NOT AFSPA. So why should states from North East, the > > > state > > > > of Kashmir demand secession from the Indian state? I dont have to > look > > at > > > > historical examples. Your attitudes, Aditya Raj Kaul's attitude > speaks > > > > volumes. This is your two paisa bit that you do to counter someone's > > > > statements. it is SHAME, Samvit. Please do not give me the example of > > the > > > > democratic set up of this country. > > > > > > > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:38 PM, Samvit wrote: > > > >> > > > >> I know neither Aditya or nor anyone else on this forum but I am > > > >> surprised that if Aditya has registered a complaint why should > people > > > >> get so defensive. We have a democratic setup and he has every right > to > > > >> go to the court. Similarly, Arundhati and others have every right to > > > >> defend themselves. The Indian judicial system is a multi-tier > process > > > >> just for the sake that justice should be done. Why is such a fuss > > > >> being made about it. This is a simple process. We must respect the > law > > > >> of the land and if we don't we should be ready to face the > > > >> consqueunces. We all make our choices and have to live by them. > > > >> -SR > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:31 PM, anupam chakravartty < > > > c.anupam at gmail.com> > > > >> wrote: > > > >> > It shameful that Aditya Raj Kaul, who is hell bent on producing > > false > > > >> > reports on any issue he feels like has also named one of the list > > > >> > members in > > > >> > the complaint, out of his desperation and his understanding of the > > > >> > Kashmir > > > >> > issue. > > > >> > > > > >> > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:24 PM, Ana Valdés > > > wrote: > > > >> > > > > >> >> Sorry but I want now to unsubscribe from these list. If memberrs > of > > > >> >> this > > > >> >> list has done that they have shown a flagrant disrespect tor the > > > rights > > > >> >> of > > > >> >> a > > > >> >> writer to speak freely and to to express its opinions. > > > >> >> A person using the Sate recourses, police and judges to do that, > > has > > > no > > > >> >> right to belong to this list, but since I am not the moderator I > > > choose > > > >> >> ,myself to go and to leave you all with such despicable > > > interlocutors. > > > >> >> Ana > > > >> >> > > > >> >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 8:40 AM, Jeebesh > > wrote: > > > >> >> > > > >> >> > dear All, > > > >> >> > > > > >> >> > > > > >> >> > > > > >> >> > > > >> >> > > > > > > http://www.mid-day.com/news/2010/nov/301110-News-Delhi-FIR-Kashmiri-separatist-leader-Syed-Ali-Geelani-Arundhati-Roy-sedition.htm > > > >> >> > > > > >> >> > Members of this list are behind the private complaint that has > > > pushed > > > >> >> > the > > > >> >> > courts to get an FIR lodged. > > > >> >> > > > > >> >> > There are member of this list who are named in the FIR. > > > >> >> > > > > >> >> > So, dear list members, the online and offline flows entangles > > each > > > >> >> > other. > > > >> >> > Lets think hard. > > > >> >> > > > > >> >> > warmly > > > >> >> > jeebesh > > > >> >> > > > > >> >> > > > > >> >> > _________________________________________ > > > >> >> > 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/> > > > >> >> > > > >> >> > > > >> >> > > > >> >> > > > >> >> -- > > > >> >> http://anavaldes.wordpress.com > > > >> >> http://passagenwerk.wordpress.com > > > >> >> http://caravia.stumbleupon.com > > > >> >> http://www.crusading.se > > > >> >> Gondolgatan 2 l tr > > > >> >> 12832 Skarpnäck > > > >> >> Sweden > > > >> >> tel +468-943288 > > > >> >> mobil 4670-3213370 > > > >> >> > > > >> >> > > > >> >> "When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the > earth > > > with > > > >> >> your > > > >> >> eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you will > > > always > > > >> >> long > > > >> >> to return. > > > >> >> — Leonardo da Vinci > > > >> >> _________________________________________ > > > >> >> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > > > >> >> Critiques & Collaborations > > > >> >> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.netwith > > > >> >> subscribe in the subject header. > > > >> >> To unsubscribe: > > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > > >> >> List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > >> >> > > > >> > _________________________________________ > > > >> > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > > > >> > Critiques & Collaborations > > > >> > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > > > >> > 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/> > > > > > > -- > Aditya Raj Kaul > > India Editor > The Indian, Australia > > Blog: http://activistsdiary.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/> > _________________________________________ reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. Critiques & Collaborations To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with 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 Dec 1 11:02:54 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Wed, 1 Dec 2010 11:02:54 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FIR and this list In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: aditya, Seeking court order is the easiest thing in this country. how do you substantiate "paid mob"? where is your proof? who has paid them? anupam On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 10:49 AM, Aditya Raj Kaul wrote: > Aaarti, you can continue to imagine whatever you want.. just that by that > imagination you may never be able to change a hypocrite Arundhati Roy and > her men on this forum. Court order is a setback to her paid mob on this > forum and otherwise. > > On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 10:40 AM, Aarti Sethi > wrote: > > > Dear Aditya, > > > > Spreading rumours is your forte. We would never presume to usurp your > > distinguished position as the prime spreader of defamatory slander and > lies. > > So don't worry. > > > > warm regards > > Aarti > > > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 11:33 PM, Aditya Raj Kaul < > kauladityaraj at gmail.com > > > wrote: > > > >> I've filed no case against anybody. Stop spreading rumors. > >> > >> Talking of fiction-writer Arundhati Roy and her gang mates who > >> participated > >> at the Delhi seminar, there is a fit case against them on various > grounds. > >> Not just sedition. Let the Court take care of rest. > >> > >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 5:53 PM, anupam chakravartty < > c.anupam at gmail.com > >> >wrote: > >> > >> > Having business relationship with Kashmiris, personally Samvit, is not > >> what > >> > I look forward to. There is no need for me to think of it as a real > >> estate > >> > property unlike you all advocating Panun Kashmir in the same vein. If > >> you > >> > consider yourself as a Kashmiri, then I guess you should have been > able > >> to > >> > speak against the fortress erected by armed forces, the mis-governance > >> by > >> > subsequent Indian governments, the gross human rights violations. > >> > Sub-nationalism, anti nationalism feeds on these things.You explore > this > >> > problem as an anti-India issue, when you have the option of speaking > up > >> > against violations by the successive governments while at the same > time, > >> > supporting the steps taken to resolve this crisis. Look what you > offered > >> > just now as a counter: Panun Kashmir. > >> > > >> > anupam > >> > > >> > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 5:41 PM, Samvit wrote: > >> > > >> > > Oh yes Anupam, you forgot about the Goshtabas that she was feasting > on > >> > > after she spoke at the Aazadi seminar. In KAshmir it is called > >> > > Goshtaba diplomacy. Arundhati knows nothing about Kashmir or > >> > > Kashmiries. She is a fly by night operator and has no business in > the > >> > > Valley. She and people like you try to use your verbal jugglery to > >> > > promote an anti India agenda. The fact is that Article 370 does not > >> > > allow people like you to have any business with us Kashmiries. It is > >> > > our land and that is what it stays. We will make Panun Kashmir out > of > >> > > it even thought it may take hundreds of years. If there is anyone on > >> > > this forum who needs to zip up it is Arundhati's cronies who are on > >> > > the payroll of many organizations. Also, I removed the garb of > >> > > Arundhati being a pro-poor because she wears western bourgeoisie > >> > > outfits and goes to expensive gyms. And when she has to address the > >> > > media she will wear a khadi/cotton sari. You twisted these words to > >> > > say that I indulged in a "perverted imagination". You are a classic > >> > > case of Sawan ke andhe ko sab hara hi hara nazar aata hai. (Hindi). > >> > > One who goes blind in spring, sees only greenery all around!!! > >> > > -SR > >> > > > >> > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:54 PM, anupam chakravartty < > >> c.anupam at gmail.com > >> > > > >> > > wrote: > >> > > > Defensive? I used the word "shame". Unlike yours, My hands are > tied > >> in > >> > my > >> > > > efforts to understand the complexity of issues in this country. > >> Sadly, > >> > > when > >> > > > a writer addresses this issues, and expresses her views, she is > >> > vilified > >> > > to > >> > > > the extant that she becomes the subject of your perverted > >> imagination, > >> > > > Samvit. Her house, where she dwells becomes the object of your > >> > scrutiny. > >> > > BUT > >> > > > NOT KASHMIR. BUT NOT AFSPA. So why should states from North East, > >> the > >> > > state > >> > > > of Kashmir demand secession from the Indian state? I dont have to > >> look > >> > at > >> > > > historical examples. Your attitudes, Aditya Raj Kaul's attitude > >> speaks > >> > > > volumes. This is your two paisa bit that you do to counter > someone's > >> > > > statements. it is SHAME, Samvit. Please do not give me the example > >> of > >> > the > >> > > > democratic set up of this country. > >> > > > > >> > > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:38 PM, Samvit > wrote: > >> > > >> > >> > > >> I know neither Aditya or nor anyone else on this forum but I am > >> > > >> surprised that if Aditya has registered a complaint why should > >> people > >> > > >> get so defensive. We have a democratic setup and he has every > right > >> to > >> > > >> go to the court. Similarly, Arundhati and others have every right > >> to > >> > > >> defend themselves. The Indian judicial system is a multi-tier > >> process > >> > > >> just for the sake that justice should be done. Why is such a fuss > >> > > >> being made about it. This is a simple process. We must respect > the > >> law > >> > > >> of the land and if we don't we should be ready to face the > >> > > >> consqueunces. We all make our choices and have to live by them. > >> > > >> -SR > >> > > >> > >> > > >> > >> > > >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:31 PM, anupam chakravartty < > >> > > c.anupam at gmail.com> > >> > > >> wrote: > >> > > >> > It shameful that Aditya Raj Kaul, who is hell bent on producing > >> > false > >> > > >> > reports on any issue he feels like has also named one of the > list > >> > > >> > members in > >> > > >> > the complaint, out of his desperation and his understanding of > >> the > >> > > >> > Kashmir > >> > > >> > issue. > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:24 PM, Ana Valdés < > agora158 at gmail.com> > >> > > wrote: > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> >> Sorry but I want now to unsubscribe from these list. If > memberrs > >> of > >> > > >> >> this > >> > > >> >> list has done that they have shown a flagrant disrespect tor > the > >> > > rights > >> > > >> >> of > >> > > >> >> a > >> > > >> >> writer to speak freely and to to express its opinions. > >> > > >> >> A person using the Sate recourses, police and judges to do > that, > >> > has > >> > > no > >> > > >> >> right to belong to this list, but since I am not the moderator > I > >> > > choose > >> > > >> >> ,myself to go and to leave you all with such despicable > >> > > interlocutors. > >> > > >> >> Ana > >> > > >> >> > >> > > >> >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 8:40 AM, Jeebesh > >> > wrote: > >> > > >> >> > >> > > >> >> > dear All, > >> > > >> >> > > >> > > >> >> > > >> > > >> >> > > >> > > >> >> > >> > > >> >> > >> > > > >> > > >> > http://www.mid-day.com/news/2010/nov/301110-News-Delhi-FIR-Kashmiri-separatist-leader-Syed-Ali-Geelani-Arundhati-Roy-sedition.htm > >> > > >> >> > > >> > > >> >> > Members of this list are behind the private complaint that > has > >> > > pushed > >> > > >> >> > the > >> > > >> >> > courts to get an FIR lodged. > >> > > >> >> > > >> > > >> >> > There are member of this list who are named in the FIR. > >> > > >> >> > > >> > > >> >> > So, dear list members, the online and offline flows > entangles > >> > each > >> > > >> >> > other. > >> > > >> >> > Lets think hard. > >> > > >> >> > > >> > > >> >> > warmly > >> > > >> >> > jeebesh > >> > > >> >> > > >> > > >> >> > > >> > > >> >> > _________________________________________ > >> > > >> >> > 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/> > >> > > >> >> > >> > > >> >> > >> > > >> >> > >> > > >> >> > >> > > >> >> -- > >> > > >> >> http://anavaldes.wordpress.com > >> > > >> >> http://passagenwerk.wordpress.com > >> > > >> >> http://caravia.stumbleupon.com > >> > > >> >> http://www.crusading.se > >> > > >> >> Gondolgatan 2 l tr > >> > > >> >> 12832 Skarpnäck > >> > > >> >> Sweden > >> > > >> >> tel +468-943288 > >> > > >> >> mobil 4670-3213370 > >> > > >> >> > >> > > >> >> > >> > > >> >> "When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the > >> earth > >> > > with > >> > > >> >> your > >> > > >> >> eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you > will > >> > > always > >> > > >> >> long > >> > > >> >> to return. > >> > > >> >> — Leonardo da Vinci > >> > > >> >> _________________________________________ > >> > > >> >> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > >> > > >> >> Critiques & Collaborations > >> > > >> >> To subscribe: send an email to > reader-list-request at sarai.netwith > >> > > >> >> subscribe in the subject header. > >> > > >> >> To unsubscribe: > >> > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > >> > > >> >> List archive: < > https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/ > >> > > >> > > >> >> > >> > > >> > _________________________________________ > >> > > >> > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > >> > > >> > Critiques & Collaborations > >> > > >> > To subscribe: send an email to > reader-list-request at sarai.netwith > >> > > >> > subscribe in the subject header. > >> > > >> > To unsubscribe: > >> https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > >> > > >> > List archive: < > https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > >> > > > > >> > > > > >> > > > >> > _________________________________________ > >> > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > >> > Critiques & Collaborations > >> > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > >> > subscribe in the subject header. > >> > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > >> > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > >> > > >> > >> > >> > >> -- > >> Aditya Raj Kaul > >> > >> India Editor > >> The Indian, Australia > >> > >> > >> Blog: http://activistsdiary.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/> > >> > > > > > > > -- > Aditya Raj Kaul > > India Editor > The Indian, Australia > > Blog: http://activistsdiary.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/> > From kauladityaraj at gmail.com Wed Dec 1 11:17:19 2010 From: kauladityaraj at gmail.com (Aditya Raj Kaul) Date: Wed, 1 Dec 2010 11:17:19 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FIR and this list In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Maybe, you shouldn't boost so much about your ignorance Aarti. Read the Court order in detail before commenting 'anything' that comes to your mind to save a lady working tirelessly to loot Maoists and Kashmiris. An FIR is always lodged after brief investigation and when there is cognizable offense visible. In this case, the Court served notice to Police on not doing proper investigation. Later, it had to direct them to file FIR as it was an open and shut case with all evidence at hand added with eyewitness account. On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 11:02 AM, anupam chakravartty wrote: > aditya, > Seeking court order is the easiest thing in this country. how do you > substantiate "paid mob"? where is your proof? who has paid them? > > anupam > > On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 10:49 AM, Aditya Raj Kaul wrote: > >> Aaarti, you can continue to imagine whatever you want.. just that by that >> imagination you may never be able to change a hypocrite Arundhati Roy and >> her men on this forum. Court order is a setback to her paid mob on this >> forum and otherwise. >> >> On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 10:40 AM, Aarti Sethi >> wrote: >> >> > Dear Aditya, >> > >> > Spreading rumours is your forte. We would never presume to usurp your >> > distinguished position as the prime spreader of defamatory slander and >> lies. >> > So don't worry. >> > >> > warm regards >> > Aarti >> > >> > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 11:33 PM, Aditya Raj Kaul < >> kauladityaraj at gmail.com >> > > wrote: >> > >> >> I've filed no case against anybody. Stop spreading rumors. >> >> >> >> Talking of fiction-writer Arundhati Roy and her gang mates who >> >> participated >> >> at the Delhi seminar, there is a fit case against them on various >> grounds. >> >> Not just sedition. Let the Court take care of rest. >> >> >> >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 5:53 PM, anupam chakravartty < >> c.anupam at gmail.com >> >> >wrote: >> >> >> >> > Having business relationship with Kashmiris, personally Samvit, is >> not >> >> what >> >> > I look forward to. There is no need for me to think of it as a real >> >> estate >> >> > property unlike you all advocating Panun Kashmir in the same vein. If >> >> you >> >> > consider yourself as a Kashmiri, then I guess you should have been >> able >> >> to >> >> > speak against the fortress erected by armed forces, the >> mis-governance >> >> by >> >> > subsequent Indian governments, the gross human rights violations. >> >> > Sub-nationalism, anti nationalism feeds on these things.You explore >> this >> >> > problem as an anti-India issue, when you have the option of speaking >> up >> >> > against violations by the successive governments while at the same >> time, >> >> > supporting the steps taken to resolve this crisis. Look what you >> offered >> >> > just now as a counter: Panun Kashmir. >> >> > >> >> > anupam >> >> > >> >> > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 5:41 PM, Samvit wrote: >> >> > >> >> > > Oh yes Anupam, you forgot about the Goshtabas that she was feasting >> on >> >> > > after she spoke at the Aazadi seminar. In KAshmir it is called >> >> > > Goshtaba diplomacy. Arundhati knows nothing about Kashmir or >> >> > > Kashmiries. She is a fly by night operator and has no business in >> the >> >> > > Valley. She and people like you try to use your verbal jugglery to >> >> > > promote an anti India agenda. The fact is that Article 370 does not >> >> > > allow people like you to have any business with us Kashmiries. It >> is >> >> > > our land and that is what it stays. We will make Panun Kashmir out >> of >> >> > > it even thought it may take hundreds of years. If there is anyone >> on >> >> > > this forum who needs to zip up it is Arundhati's cronies who are on >> >> > > the payroll of many organizations. Also, I removed the garb of >> >> > > Arundhati being a pro-poor because she wears western bourgeoisie >> >> > > outfits and goes to expensive gyms. And when she has to address >> the >> >> > > media she will wear a khadi/cotton sari. You twisted these words to >> >> > > say that I indulged in a "perverted imagination". You are a classic >> >> > > case of Sawan ke andhe ko sab hara hi hara nazar aata hai. (Hindi). >> >> > > One who goes blind in spring, sees only greenery all around!!! >> >> > > -SR >> >> > > >> >> > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:54 PM, anupam chakravartty < >> >> c.anupam at gmail.com >> >> > > >> >> > > wrote: >> >> > > > Defensive? I used the word "shame". Unlike yours, My hands are >> tied >> >> in >> >> > my >> >> > > > efforts to understand the complexity of issues in this country. >> >> Sadly, >> >> > > when >> >> > > > a writer addresses this issues, and expresses her views, she is >> >> > vilified >> >> > > to >> >> > > > the extant that she becomes the subject of your perverted >> >> imagination, >> >> > > > Samvit. Her house, where she dwells becomes the object of your >> >> > scrutiny. >> >> > > BUT >> >> > > > NOT KASHMIR. BUT NOT AFSPA. So why should states from North East, >> >> the >> >> > > state >> >> > > > of Kashmir demand secession from the Indian state? I dont have to >> >> look >> >> > at >> >> > > > historical examples. Your attitudes, Aditya Raj Kaul's attitude >> >> speaks >> >> > > > volumes. This is your two paisa bit that you do to counter >> someone's >> >> > > > statements. it is SHAME, Samvit. Please do not give me the >> example >> >> of >> >> > the >> >> > > > democratic set up of this country. >> >> > > > >> >> > > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:38 PM, Samvit >> wrote: >> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> I know neither Aditya or nor anyone else on this forum but I am >> >> > > >> surprised that if Aditya has registered a complaint why should >> >> people >> >> > > >> get so defensive. We have a democratic setup and he has every >> right >> >> to >> >> > > >> go to the court. Similarly, Arundhati and others have every >> right >> >> to >> >> > > >> defend themselves. The Indian judicial system is a multi-tier >> >> process >> >> > > >> just for the sake that justice should be done. Why is such a >> fuss >> >> > > >> being made about it. This is a simple process. We must respect >> the >> >> law >> >> > > >> of the land and if we don't we should be ready to face the >> >> > > >> consqueunces. We all make our choices and have to live by them. >> >> > > >> -SR >> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:31 PM, anupam chakravartty < >> >> > > c.anupam at gmail.com> >> >> > > >> wrote: >> >> > > >> > It shameful that Aditya Raj Kaul, who is hell bent on >> producing >> >> > false >> >> > > >> > reports on any issue he feels like has also named one of the >> list >> >> > > >> > members in >> >> > > >> > the complaint, out of his desperation and his understanding of >> >> the >> >> > > >> > Kashmir >> >> > > >> > issue. >> >> > > >> > >> >> > > >> > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:24 PM, Ana Valdés < >> agora158 at gmail.com> >> >> > > wrote: >> >> > > >> > >> >> > > >> >> Sorry but I want now to unsubscribe from these list. If >> memberrs >> >> of >> >> > > >> >> this >> >> > > >> >> list has done that they have shown a flagrant disrespect tor >> the >> >> > > rights >> >> > > >> >> of >> >> > > >> >> a >> >> > > >> >> writer to speak freely and to to express its opinions. >> >> > > >> >> A person using the Sate recourses, police and judges to do >> that, >> >> > has >> >> > > no >> >> > > >> >> right to belong to this list, but since I am not the >> moderator I >> >> > > choose >> >> > > >> >> ,myself to go and to leave you all with such despicable >> >> > > interlocutors. >> >> > > >> >> Ana >> >> > > >> >> >> >> > > >> >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 8:40 AM, Jeebesh >> >> > wrote: >> >> > > >> >> >> >> > > >> >> > dear All, >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> > > >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> http://www.mid-day.com/news/2010/nov/301110-News-Delhi-FIR-Kashmiri-separatist-leader-Syed-Ali-Geelani-Arundhati-Roy-sedition.htm >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> > > >> >> > Members of this list are behind the private complaint that >> has >> >> > > pushed >> >> > > >> >> > the >> >> > > >> >> > courts to get an FIR lodged. >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> > > >> >> > There are member of this list who are named in the FIR. >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> > > >> >> > So, dear list members, the online and offline flows >> entangles >> >> > each >> >> > > >> >> > other. >> >> > > >> >> > Lets think hard. >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> > > >> >> > warmly >> >> > > >> >> > jeebesh >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> > > >> >> > _________________________________________ >> >> > > >> >> > 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/> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> > > >> >> -- >> >> > > >> >> http://anavaldes.wordpress.com >> >> > > >> >> http://passagenwerk.wordpress.com >> >> > > >> >> http://caravia.stumbleupon.com >> >> > > >> >> http://www.crusading.se >> >> > > >> >> Gondolgatan 2 l tr >> >> > > >> >> 12832 Skarpnäck >> >> > > >> >> Sweden >> >> > > >> >> tel +468-943288 >> >> > > >> >> mobil 4670-3213370 >> >> > > >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> > > >> >> "When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the >> >> earth >> >> > > with >> >> > > >> >> your >> >> > > >> >> eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you >> will >> >> > > always >> >> > > >> >> long >> >> > > >> >> to return. >> >> > > >> >> — Leonardo da Vinci >> >> > > >> >> _________________________________________ >> >> > > >> >> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >> >> > > >> >> Critiques & Collaborations >> >> > > >> >> To subscribe: send an email to >> reader-list-request at sarai.netwith >> >> > > >> >> subscribe in the subject header. >> >> > > >> >> To unsubscribe: >> >> > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >> >> > > >> >> List archive: < >> https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/ >> >> > >> >> > > >> >> >> >> > > >> > _________________________________________ >> >> > > >> > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >> >> > > >> > Critiques & Collaborations >> >> > > >> > To subscribe: send an email to >> reader-list-request at sarai.netwith >> >> > > >> > subscribe in the subject header. >> >> > > >> > To unsubscribe: >> >> https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >> >> > > >> > List archive: < >> https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> >> >> > > > >> >> > > > >> >> > > >> >> > _________________________________________ >> >> > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >> >> > Critiques & Collaborations >> >> > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with >> >> > subscribe in the subject header. >> >> > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >> >> > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> >> >> > >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> -- >> >> Aditya Raj Kaul >> >> >> >> India Editor >> >> The Indian, Australia >> >> >> >> >> >> Blog: http://activistsdiary.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/> >> >> >> > >> > >> >> >> -- >> Aditya Raj Kaul >> >> India Editor >> The Indian, Australia >> >> Blog: http://activistsdiary.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/> >> > > -- Aditya Raj Kaul India Editor The Indian, Australia Blog: http://activistsdiary.blogspot.com/ From samvitr at gmail.com Wed Dec 1 11:17:44 2010 From: samvitr at gmail.com (Samvit) Date: Wed, 1 Dec 2010 11:17:44 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FIR and this list In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Anupam, you seems to have a fetish of questioning people who do not agree with you. People who do not agree with the law of the land are surrealistic pessimists who dream of utopia while they smoke hash in their JNU dungeons. India has suffered a lot because of such policies and people. Anyone who has filed a case against a paid maoist (read Arundhati) has just followed the law of the land. Come out of your slumber and smell the coffee (start with the Bolivian coffee since the leftist guerrillas are surviuving only because they can milk the Bolivian coffee growers out there)..... tch, tch.... -SR On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 11:02 AM, anupam chakravartty wrote: > aditya, > Seeking court order is the easiest thing in this country. how do you > substantiate "paid mob"? where is your proof? who has paid them? > > anupam > > On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 10:49 AM, Aditya Raj Kaul wrote: > >> Aaarti, you can continue to imagine whatever you want.. just that by that >> imagination you may never be able to change a hypocrite Arundhati Roy and >> her men on this forum. Court order is a setback to her paid mob on this >> forum and otherwise. >> >> On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 10:40 AM, Aarti Sethi >> wrote: >> >> > Dear Aditya, >> > >> > Spreading rumours is your forte. We would never presume to usurp your >> > distinguished position as the prime spreader of defamatory slander and >> lies. >> > So don't worry. >> > >> > warm regards >> > Aarti >> > >> > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 11:33 PM, Aditya Raj Kaul < >> kauladityaraj at gmail.com >> > > wrote: >> > >> >> I've filed no case against anybody. Stop spreading rumors. >> >> >> >> Talking of fiction-writer Arundhati Roy and her gang mates who >> >> participated >> >> at the Delhi seminar, there is a fit case against them on various >> grounds. >> >> Not just sedition. Let the Court take care of rest. >> >> >> >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 5:53 PM, anupam chakravartty < >> c.anupam at gmail.com >> >> >wrote: >> >> >> >> > Having business relationship with Kashmiris, personally Samvit, is not >> >> what >> >> > I look forward to. There is no need for me to think of it as a real >> >> estate >> >> > property unlike you all advocating Panun Kashmir in the same vein. If >> >> you >> >> > consider yourself as a Kashmiri, then I guess you should have been >> able >> >> to >> >> > speak against the fortress erected by armed forces, the mis-governance >> >> by >> >> > subsequent Indian governments, the gross human rights violations. >> >> > Sub-nationalism, anti nationalism feeds on these things.You explore >> this >> >> > problem as an anti-India issue, when you have the option of speaking >> up >> >> > against violations by the successive governments while at the same >> time, >> >> > supporting the steps taken to resolve this crisis. Look what you >> offered >> >> > just now as a counter: Panun Kashmir. >> >> > >> >> > anupam >> >> > >> >> > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 5:41 PM, Samvit wrote: >> >> > >> >> > > Oh yes Anupam, you forgot about the Goshtabas that she was feasting >> on >> >> > > after she spoke at the Aazadi seminar. In KAshmir it is called >> >> > > Goshtaba diplomacy. Arundhati knows nothing about Kashmir or >> >> > > Kashmiries. She is a fly by night operator and has no business in >> the >> >> > > Valley. She and people like you try to use your verbal jugglery to >> >> > > promote an anti India agenda. The fact is that Article 370 does not >> >> > > allow people like you to have any business with us Kashmiries. It is >> >> > > our land and that is what it stays. We will make Panun Kashmir out >> of >> >> > > it even thought it may take hundreds of years. If there is anyone on >> >> > > this forum who needs to zip up it is Arundhati's cronies who are on >> >> > > the payroll of many organizations. Also, I removed the garb of >> >> > > Arundhati being a pro-poor because she wears western bourgeoisie >> >> > > outfits and  goes to expensive gyms. And when she has to address the >> >> > > media she will wear a khadi/cotton sari. You twisted these words to >> >> > > say that I indulged in a "perverted imagination". You are a classic >> >> > > case of Sawan ke andhe ko sab hara hi hara nazar aata hai. (Hindi). >> >> > > One who goes blind in spring, sees only greenery all around!!! >> >> > > -SR >> >> > > >> >> > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:54 PM, anupam chakravartty < >> >> c.anupam at gmail.com >> >> > > >> >> > > wrote: >> >> > > > Defensive? I used the word "shame". Unlike yours, My hands are >> tied >> >> in >> >> > my >> >> > > > efforts to understand the complexity of issues in this country. >> >> Sadly, >> >> > > when >> >> > > > a writer addresses this issues, and expresses her views, she is >> >> > vilified >> >> > > to >> >> > > > the extant that she becomes the subject of your perverted >> >> imagination, >> >> > > > Samvit. Her house, where she dwells becomes the object of your >> >> > scrutiny. >> >> > > BUT >> >> > > > NOT KASHMIR. BUT NOT AFSPA. So why should states from North East, >> >> the >> >> > > state >> >> > > > of Kashmir demand secession from the Indian state? I dont have to >> >> look >> >> > at >> >> > > > historical examples. Your attitudes, Aditya Raj Kaul's attitude >> >> speaks >> >> > > > volumes. This is your two paisa bit that you do to counter >> someone's >> >> > > > statements. it is SHAME, Samvit. Please do not give me the example >> >> of >> >> > the >> >> > > > democratic set up of this country. >> >> > > > >> >> > > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:38 PM, Samvit >> wrote: >> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> I know neither Aditya or nor anyone else on this forum but I am >> >> > > >> surprised that if Aditya has registered a complaint why should >> >> people >> >> > > >> get so defensive. We have a democratic setup and he has every >> right >> >> to >> >> > > >> go to the court. Similarly, Arundhati and others have every right >> >> to >> >> > > >> defend themselves. The Indian judicial system is a multi-tier >> >> process >> >> > > >> just for the sake that justice should be done. Why is such a fuss >> >> > > >> being made about it. This is a simple process. We must respect >> the >> >> law >> >> > > >> of the land and if we don't we should be ready to face the >> >> > > >> consqueunces. We all make our choices and have to live by them. >> >> > > >> -SR >> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:31 PM, anupam chakravartty < >> >> > > c.anupam at gmail.com> >> >> > > >> wrote: >> >> > > >> > It shameful that Aditya Raj Kaul, who is hell bent on producing >> >> > false >> >> > > >> > reports on any issue he feels like has also named one of the >> list >> >> > > >> > members in >> >> > > >> > the complaint, out of his desperation and his understanding of >> >> the >> >> > > >> > Kashmir >> >> > > >> > issue. >> >> > > >> > >> >> > > >> > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:24 PM, Ana Valdés < >> agora158 at gmail.com> >> >> > > wrote: >> >> > > >> > >> >> > > >> >> Sorry but I want now to unsubscribe from these list. If >> memberrs >> >> of >> >> > > >> >> this >> >> > > >> >> list has done that they have shown a flagrant disrespect tor >> the >> >> > > rights >> >> > > >> >> of >> >> > > >> >> a >> >> > > >> >> writer to speak freely and to to express its opinions. >> >> > > >> >> A person using the Sate recourses, police and judges to do >> that, >> >> > has >> >> > > no >> >> > > >> >> right to belong to this list, but since I am not the moderator >> I >> >> > > choose >> >> > > >> >> ,myself to go and to leave you all with such despicable >> >> > > interlocutors. >> >> > > >> >> Ana >> >> > > >> >> >> >> > > >> >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 8:40 AM, Jeebesh >> >> > wrote: >> >> > > >> >> >> >> > > >> >> > dear All, >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> > > >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> http://www.mid-day.com/news/2010/nov/301110-News-Delhi-FIR-Kashmiri-separatist-leader-Syed-Ali-Geelani-Arundhati-Roy-sedition.htm >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> > > >> >> > Members of this list are behind the private complaint that >> has >> >> > > pushed >> >> > > >> >> > the >> >> > > >> >> > courts to get an FIR lodged. >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> > > >> >> > There are member of this list who are named in the FIR. >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> > > >> >> > So, dear list members, the online and offline flows >> entangles >> >> > each >> >> > > >> >> > other. >> >> > > >> >> > Lets think hard. >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> > > >> >> > warmly >> >> > > >> >> > jeebesh >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> > > >> >> > _________________________________________ >> >> > > >> >> > 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/> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> > > >> >> -- >> >> > > >> >> http://anavaldes.wordpress.com >> >> > > >> >> http://passagenwerk.wordpress.com >> >> > > >> >> http://caravia.stumbleupon.com >> >> > > >> >> http://www.crusading.se >> >> > > >> >> Gondolgatan 2 l tr >> >> > > >> >> 12832 Skarpnäck >> >> > > >> >> Sweden >> >> > > >> >> tel +468-943288 >> >> > > >> >> mobil 4670-3213370 >> >> > > >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> > > >> >> "When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the >> >> earth >> >> > > with >> >> > > >> >> your >> >> > > >> >> eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you >> will >> >> > > always >> >> > > >> >> long >> >> > > >> >> to return. >> >> > > >> >> — Leonardo da Vinci >> >> > > >> >> _________________________________________ >> >> > > >> >> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >> >> > > >> >> Critiques & Collaborations >> >> > > >> >> To subscribe: send an email to >> reader-list-request at sarai.netwith >> >> > > >> >> subscribe in the subject header. >> >> > > >> >> To unsubscribe: >> >> > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >> >> > > >> >> List archive: < >> https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/ >> >> > >> >> > > >> >> >> >> > > >> > _________________________________________ >> >> > > >> > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >> >> > > >> > Critiques & Collaborations >> >> > > >> > To subscribe: send an email to >> reader-list-request at sarai.netwith >> >> > > >> > subscribe in the subject header. >> >> > > >> > To unsubscribe: >> >> https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >> >> > > >> > List archive: < >> https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> >> >> > > > >> >> > > > >> >> > > >> >> > _________________________________________ >> >> > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >> >> > Critiques & Collaborations >> >> > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with >> >> > subscribe in the subject header. >> >> > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >> >> > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> >> >> > >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> -- >> >> Aditya Raj Kaul >> >> >> >> India Editor >> >> The Indian, Australia >> >> >> >> >> >> Blog: http://activistsdiary.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/> >> >> >> > >> > >> >> >> -- >> Aditya Raj Kaul >> >> India Editor >> The Indian, Australia >> >> Blog: http://activistsdiary.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/> >> > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with 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 samvitr at gmail.com Wed Dec 1 11:18:58 2010 From: samvitr at gmail.com (Samvit) Date: Wed, 1 Dec 2010 11:18:58 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] =?windows-1252?q?Arundhati=92s_Pachmarhi_house_decl?= =?windows-1252?q?ared_illegal?= In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: A crook who wanted to be a saint!!!! Thanks for sharing this, Aditya. On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 9:54 AM, Aditya Raj Kaul wrote: > Arundhati’s Pachmarhi house declared illegal***Milind > Ghatwai > ** > Indian Express > > Link - > http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Arundhati-s-Pachmarhi-house-declared-illegal/718384 > * > > Writer-activist Arundhati Roy on Tuesday lost a crucial battle to save her > bungalow in Pachmarhi, the picturesque hill station in Madhya Pradesh. > > A sub-divisional magistrate held that the plot on which the bungalow was > built in the 1990s is a notified forest area, where sale or purchase of > property is banned. > > SDM (Piparia) B Kirangopal told The Indian Express that Section 18 of the > Forest Act allows only hereditary passage of ownership. > > The writer’s filmmaker husband Pradeep Kishan had purchased the plot in > Bariam in the early 1990s, from a villager. The couple visits the bungalow > once in a while. > > Aradhana Seth, sister of author Vikram Seth, was among three other owners > who were also given notices by the deputy tehsildar, saying the properties > were illegal. > > The four had challenged the order in the Madhya Pradesh High Court, saying > that the bungalows stood on revenue land and not forest land. The high court > recently asked the petitioners to go through a proper channel, which meant > they had to file an appeal before the SDM (Piparia). > > -- > Aditya Raj Kaul > > India Editor > The Indian, Australia > > Blog: http://activistsdiary.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/> From kauladityaraj at gmail.com Wed Dec 1 11:21:03 2010 From: kauladityaraj at gmail.com (Aditya Raj Kaul) Date: Wed, 1 Dec 2010 11:21:03 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FIR and this list In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: My dearest Anupam.. I'll substantiate in the court of law if called as a witness. Do you relate so much with the term 'pain mob'? Just curious. Much love On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 11:02 AM, anupam chakravartty wrote: > aditya, > Seeking court order is the easiest thing in this country. how do you > substantiate "paid mob"? where is your proof? who has paid them? > > anupam > > On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 10:49 AM, Aditya Raj Kaul wrote: > >> Aaarti, you can continue to imagine whatever you want.. just that by that >> imagination you may never be able to change a hypocrite Arundhati Roy and >> her men on this forum. Court order is a setback to her paid mob on this >> forum and otherwise. >> >> On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 10:40 AM, Aarti Sethi >> wrote: >> >> > Dear Aditya, >> > >> > Spreading rumours is your forte. We would never presume to usurp your >> > distinguished position as the prime spreader of defamatory slander and >> lies. >> > So don't worry. >> > >> > warm regards >> > Aarti >> > >> > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 11:33 PM, Aditya Raj Kaul < >> kauladityaraj at gmail.com >> > > wrote: >> > >> >> I've filed no case against anybody. Stop spreading rumors. >> >> >> >> Talking of fiction-writer Arundhati Roy and her gang mates who >> >> participated >> >> at the Delhi seminar, there is a fit case against them on various >> grounds. >> >> Not just sedition. Let the Court take care of rest. >> >> >> >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 5:53 PM, anupam chakravartty < >> c.anupam at gmail.com >> >> >wrote: >> >> >> >> > Having business relationship with Kashmiris, personally Samvit, is >> not >> >> what >> >> > I look forward to. There is no need for me to think of it as a real >> >> estate >> >> > property unlike you all advocating Panun Kashmir in the same vein. If >> >> you >> >> > consider yourself as a Kashmiri, then I guess you should have been >> able >> >> to >> >> > speak against the fortress erected by armed forces, the >> mis-governance >> >> by >> >> > subsequent Indian governments, the gross human rights violations. >> >> > Sub-nationalism, anti nationalism feeds on these things.You explore >> this >> >> > problem as an anti-India issue, when you have the option of speaking >> up >> >> > against violations by the successive governments while at the same >> time, >> >> > supporting the steps taken to resolve this crisis. Look what you >> offered >> >> > just now as a counter: Panun Kashmir. >> >> > >> >> > anupam >> >> > >> >> > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 5:41 PM, Samvit wrote: >> >> > >> >> > > Oh yes Anupam, you forgot about the Goshtabas that she was feasting >> on >> >> > > after she spoke at the Aazadi seminar. In KAshmir it is called >> >> > > Goshtaba diplomacy. Arundhati knows nothing about Kashmir or >> >> > > Kashmiries. She is a fly by night operator and has no business in >> the >> >> > > Valley. She and people like you try to use your verbal jugglery to >> >> > > promote an anti India agenda. The fact is that Article 370 does not >> >> > > allow people like you to have any business with us Kashmiries. It >> is >> >> > > our land and that is what it stays. We will make Panun Kashmir out >> of >> >> > > it even thought it may take hundreds of years. If there is anyone >> on >> >> > > this forum who needs to zip up it is Arundhati's cronies who are on >> >> > > the payroll of many organizations. Also, I removed the garb of >> >> > > Arundhati being a pro-poor because she wears western bourgeoisie >> >> > > outfits and goes to expensive gyms. And when she has to address >> the >> >> > > media she will wear a khadi/cotton sari. You twisted these words to >> >> > > say that I indulged in a "perverted imagination". You are a classic >> >> > > case of Sawan ke andhe ko sab hara hi hara nazar aata hai. (Hindi). >> >> > > One who goes blind in spring, sees only greenery all around!!! >> >> > > -SR >> >> > > >> >> > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:54 PM, anupam chakravartty < >> >> c.anupam at gmail.com >> >> > > >> >> > > wrote: >> >> > > > Defensive? I used the word "shame". Unlike yours, My hands are >> tied >> >> in >> >> > my >> >> > > > efforts to understand the complexity of issues in this country. >> >> Sadly, >> >> > > when >> >> > > > a writer addresses this issues, and expresses her views, she is >> >> > vilified >> >> > > to >> >> > > > the extant that she becomes the subject of your perverted >> >> imagination, >> >> > > > Samvit. Her house, where she dwells becomes the object of your >> >> > scrutiny. >> >> > > BUT >> >> > > > NOT KASHMIR. BUT NOT AFSPA. So why should states from North East, >> >> the >> >> > > state >> >> > > > of Kashmir demand secession from the Indian state? I dont have to >> >> look >> >> > at >> >> > > > historical examples. Your attitudes, Aditya Raj Kaul's attitude >> >> speaks >> >> > > > volumes. This is your two paisa bit that you do to counter >> someone's >> >> > > > statements. it is SHAME, Samvit. Please do not give me the >> example >> >> of >> >> > the >> >> > > > democratic set up of this country. >> >> > > > >> >> > > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:38 PM, Samvit >> wrote: >> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> I know neither Aditya or nor anyone else on this forum but I am >> >> > > >> surprised that if Aditya has registered a complaint why should >> >> people >> >> > > >> get so defensive. We have a democratic setup and he has every >> right >> >> to >> >> > > >> go to the court. Similarly, Arundhati and others have every >> right >> >> to >> >> > > >> defend themselves. The Indian judicial system is a multi-tier >> >> process >> >> > > >> just for the sake that justice should be done. Why is such a >> fuss >> >> > > >> being made about it. This is a simple process. We must respect >> the >> >> law >> >> > > >> of the land and if we don't we should be ready to face the >> >> > > >> consqueunces. We all make our choices and have to live by them. >> >> > > >> -SR >> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:31 PM, anupam chakravartty < >> >> > > c.anupam at gmail.com> >> >> > > >> wrote: >> >> > > >> > It shameful that Aditya Raj Kaul, who is hell bent on >> producing >> >> > false >> >> > > >> > reports on any issue he feels like has also named one of the >> list >> >> > > >> > members in >> >> > > >> > the complaint, out of his desperation and his understanding of >> >> the >> >> > > >> > Kashmir >> >> > > >> > issue. >> >> > > >> > >> >> > > >> > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:24 PM, Ana Valdés < >> agora158 at gmail.com> >> >> > > wrote: >> >> > > >> > >> >> > > >> >> Sorry but I want now to unsubscribe from these list. If >> memberrs >> >> of >> >> > > >> >> this >> >> > > >> >> list has done that they have shown a flagrant disrespect tor >> the >> >> > > rights >> >> > > >> >> of >> >> > > >> >> a >> >> > > >> >> writer to speak freely and to to express its opinions. >> >> > > >> >> A person using the Sate recourses, police and judges to do >> that, >> >> > has >> >> > > no >> >> > > >> >> right to belong to this list, but since I am not the >> moderator I >> >> > > choose >> >> > > >> >> ,myself to go and to leave you all with such despicable >> >> > > interlocutors. >> >> > > >> >> Ana >> >> > > >> >> >> >> > > >> >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 8:40 AM, Jeebesh >> >> > wrote: >> >> > > >> >> >> >> > > >> >> > dear All, >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> > > >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> http://www.mid-day.com/news/2010/nov/301110-News-Delhi-FIR-Kashmiri-separatist-leader-Syed-Ali-Geelani-Arundhati-Roy-sedition.htm >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> > > >> >> > Members of this list are behind the private complaint that >> has >> >> > > pushed >> >> > > >> >> > the >> >> > > >> >> > courts to get an FIR lodged. >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> > > >> >> > There are member of this list who are named in the FIR. >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> > > >> >> > So, dear list members, the online and offline flows >> entangles >> >> > each >> >> > > >> >> > other. >> >> > > >> >> > Lets think hard. >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> > > >> >> > warmly >> >> > > >> >> > jeebesh >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> > > >> >> > _________________________________________ >> >> > > >> >> > 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/> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> > > >> >> -- >> >> > > >> >> http://anavaldes.wordpress.com >> >> > > >> >> http://passagenwerk.wordpress.com >> >> > > >> >> http://caravia.stumbleupon.com >> >> > > >> >> http://www.crusading.se >> >> > > >> >> Gondolgatan 2 l tr >> >> > > >> >> 12832 Skarpnäck >> >> > > >> >> Sweden >> >> > > >> >> tel +468-943288 >> >> > > >> >> mobil 4670-3213370 >> >> > > >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> > > >> >> "When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the >> >> earth >> >> > > with >> >> > > >> >> your >> >> > > >> >> eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you >> will >> >> > > always >> >> > > >> >> long >> >> > > >> >> to return. >> >> > > >> >> — Leonardo da Vinci >> >> > > >> >> _________________________________________ >> >> > > >> >> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >> >> > > >> >> Critiques & Collaborations >> >> > > >> >> To subscribe: send an email to >> reader-list-request at sarai.netwith >> >> > > >> >> subscribe in the subject header. >> >> > > >> >> To unsubscribe: >> >> > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >> >> > > >> >> List archive: < >> https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/ >> >> > >> >> > > >> >> >> >> > > >> > _________________________________________ >> >> > > >> > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >> >> > > >> > Critiques & Collaborations >> >> > > >> > To subscribe: send an email to >> reader-list-request at sarai.netwith >> >> > > >> > subscribe in the subject header. >> >> > > >> > To unsubscribe: >> >> https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >> >> > > >> > List archive: < >> https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> >> >> > > > >> >> > > > >> >> > > >> >> > _________________________________________ >> >> > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >> >> > Critiques & Collaborations >> >> > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with >> >> > subscribe in the subject header. >> >> > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >> >> > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> >> >> > >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> -- >> >> Aditya Raj Kaul >> >> >> >> India Editor >> >> The Indian, Australia >> >> >> >> >> >> Blog: http://activistsdiary.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/> >> >> >> > >> > >> >> >> -- >> Aditya Raj Kaul >> >> India Editor >> The Indian, Australia >> >> Blog: http://activistsdiary.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/> >> > > -- Aditya Raj Kaul India Editor The Indian, Australia Blog: http://activistsdiary.blogspot.com/ From c.anupam at gmail.com Wed Dec 1 11:25:00 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Wed, 1 Dec 2010 11:25:00 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FIR and this list In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: My dearest Aditya Then keep your statements to the court of law. Else just pray and hope that people who term as ignorant do not file a contempt of court against you. Good day! Anupam On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 11:21 AM, Aditya Raj Kaul wrote: > My dearest Anupam.. I'll substantiate in the court of law if called as a > witness. Do you relate so much with the term 'pain mob'? Just curious. > > Much love > > On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 11:02 AM, anupam chakravartty >wrote: > > > aditya, > > Seeking court order is the easiest thing in this country. how do you > > substantiate "paid mob"? where is your proof? who has paid them? > > > > anupam > > > > On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 10:49 AM, Aditya Raj Kaul < > kauladityaraj at gmail.com>wrote: > > > >> Aaarti, you can continue to imagine whatever you want.. just that by > that > >> imagination you may never be able to change a hypocrite Arundhati Roy > and > >> her men on this forum. Court order is a setback to her paid mob on this > >> forum and otherwise. > >> > >> On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 10:40 AM, Aarti Sethi > >> wrote: > >> > >> > Dear Aditya, > >> > > >> > Spreading rumours is your forte. We would never presume to usurp your > >> > distinguished position as the prime spreader of defamatory slander and > >> lies. > >> > So don't worry. > >> > > >> > warm regards > >> > Aarti > >> > > >> > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 11:33 PM, Aditya Raj Kaul < > >> kauladityaraj at gmail.com > >> > > wrote: > >> > > >> >> I've filed no case against anybody. Stop spreading rumors. > >> >> > >> >> Talking of fiction-writer Arundhati Roy and her gang mates who > >> >> participated > >> >> at the Delhi seminar, there is a fit case against them on various > >> grounds. > >> >> Not just sedition. Let the Court take care of rest. > >> >> > >> >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 5:53 PM, anupam chakravartty < > >> c.anupam at gmail.com > >> >> >wrote: > >> >> > >> >> > Having business relationship with Kashmiris, personally Samvit, is > >> not > >> >> what > >> >> > I look forward to. There is no need for me to think of it as a real > >> >> estate > >> >> > property unlike you all advocating Panun Kashmir in the same vein. > If > >> >> you > >> >> > consider yourself as a Kashmiri, then I guess you should have been > >> able > >> >> to > >> >> > speak against the fortress erected by armed forces, the > >> mis-governance > >> >> by > >> >> > subsequent Indian governments, the gross human rights violations. > >> >> > Sub-nationalism, anti nationalism feeds on these things.You explore > >> this > >> >> > problem as an anti-India issue, when you have the option of > speaking > >> up > >> >> > against violations by the successive governments while at the same > >> time, > >> >> > supporting the steps taken to resolve this crisis. Look what you > >> offered > >> >> > just now as a counter: Panun Kashmir. > >> >> > > >> >> > anupam > >> >> > > >> >> > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 5:41 PM, Samvit wrote: > >> >> > > >> >> > > Oh yes Anupam, you forgot about the Goshtabas that she was > feasting > >> on > >> >> > > after she spoke at the Aazadi seminar. In KAshmir it is called > >> >> > > Goshtaba diplomacy. Arundhati knows nothing about Kashmir or > >> >> > > Kashmiries. She is a fly by night operator and has no business in > >> the > >> >> > > Valley. She and people like you try to use your verbal jugglery > to > >> >> > > promote an anti India agenda. The fact is that Article 370 does > not > >> >> > > allow people like you to have any business with us Kashmiries. It > >> is > >> >> > > our land and that is what it stays. We will make Panun Kashmir > out > >> of > >> >> > > it even thought it may take hundreds of years. If there is anyone > >> on > >> >> > > this forum who needs to zip up it is Arundhati's cronies who are > on > >> >> > > the payroll of many organizations. Also, I removed the garb of > >> >> > > Arundhati being a pro-poor because she wears western bourgeoisie > >> >> > > outfits and goes to expensive gyms. And when she has to address > >> the > >> >> > > media she will wear a khadi/cotton sari. You twisted these words > to > >> >> > > say that I indulged in a "perverted imagination". You are a > classic > >> >> > > case of Sawan ke andhe ko sab hara hi hara nazar aata hai. > (Hindi). > >> >> > > One who goes blind in spring, sees only greenery all around!!! > >> >> > > -SR > >> >> > > > >> >> > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:54 PM, anupam chakravartty < > >> >> c.anupam at gmail.com > >> >> > > > >> >> > > wrote: > >> >> > > > Defensive? I used the word "shame". Unlike yours, My hands are > >> tied > >> >> in > >> >> > my > >> >> > > > efforts to understand the complexity of issues in this country. > >> >> Sadly, > >> >> > > when > >> >> > > > a writer addresses this issues, and expresses her views, she is > >> >> > vilified > >> >> > > to > >> >> > > > the extant that she becomes the subject of your perverted > >> >> imagination, > >> >> > > > Samvit. Her house, where she dwells becomes the object of your > >> >> > scrutiny. > >> >> > > BUT > >> >> > > > NOT KASHMIR. BUT NOT AFSPA. So why should states from North > East, > >> >> the > >> >> > > state > >> >> > > > of Kashmir demand secession from the Indian state? I dont have > to > >> >> look > >> >> > at > >> >> > > > historical examples. Your attitudes, Aditya Raj Kaul's attitude > >> >> speaks > >> >> > > > volumes. This is your two paisa bit that you do to counter > >> someone's > >> >> > > > statements. it is SHAME, Samvit. Please do not give me the > >> example > >> >> of > >> >> > the > >> >> > > > democratic set up of this country. > >> >> > > > > >> >> > > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:38 PM, Samvit > >> wrote: > >> >> > > >> > >> >> > > >> I know neither Aditya or nor anyone else on this forum but I > am > >> >> > > >> surprised that if Aditya has registered a complaint why should > >> >> people > >> >> > > >> get so defensive. We have a democratic setup and he has every > >> right > >> >> to > >> >> > > >> go to the court. Similarly, Arundhati and others have every > >> right > >> >> to > >> >> > > >> defend themselves. The Indian judicial system is a multi-tier > >> >> process > >> >> > > >> just for the sake that justice should be done. Why is such a > >> fuss > >> >> > > >> being made about it. This is a simple process. We must respect > >> the > >> >> law > >> >> > > >> of the land and if we don't we should be ready to face the > >> >> > > >> consqueunces. We all make our choices and have to live by > them. > >> >> > > >> -SR > >> >> > > >> > >> >> > > >> > >> >> > > >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:31 PM, anupam chakravartty < > >> >> > > c.anupam at gmail.com> > >> >> > > >> wrote: > >> >> > > >> > It shameful that Aditya Raj Kaul, who is hell bent on > >> producing > >> >> > false > >> >> > > >> > reports on any issue he feels like has also named one of the > >> list > >> >> > > >> > members in > >> >> > > >> > the complaint, out of his desperation and his understanding > of > >> >> the > >> >> > > >> > Kashmir > >> >> > > >> > issue. > >> >> > > >> > > >> >> > > >> > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:24 PM, Ana Valdés < > >> agora158 at gmail.com> > >> >> > > wrote: > >> >> > > >> > > >> >> > > >> >> Sorry but I want now to unsubscribe from these list. If > >> memberrs > >> >> of > >> >> > > >> >> this > >> >> > > >> >> list has done that they have shown a flagrant disrespect > tor > >> the > >> >> > > rights > >> >> > > >> >> of > >> >> > > >> >> a > >> >> > > >> >> writer to speak freely and to to express its opinions. > >> >> > > >> >> A person using the Sate recourses, police and judges to do > >> that, > >> >> > has > >> >> > > no > >> >> > > >> >> right to belong to this list, but since I am not the > >> moderator I > >> >> > > choose > >> >> > > >> >> ,myself to go and to leave you all with such despicable > >> >> > > interlocutors. > >> >> > > >> >> Ana > >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> > > >> >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 8:40 AM, Jeebesh < > jeebesh at sarai.net> > >> >> > wrote: > >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> > > >> >> > dear All, > >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> > > > >> >> > > >> >> > >> > http://www.mid-day.com/news/2010/nov/301110-News-Delhi-FIR-Kashmiri-separatist-leader-Syed-Ali-Geelani-Arundhati-Roy-sedition.htm > >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> > Members of this list are behind the private complaint > that > >> has > >> >> > > pushed > >> >> > > >> >> > the > >> >> > > >> >> > courts to get an FIR lodged. > >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> > There are member of this list who are named in the FIR. > >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> > So, dear list members, the online and offline flows > >> entangles > >> >> > each > >> >> > > >> >> > other. > >> >> > > >> >> > Lets think hard. > >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> > warmly > >> >> > > >> >> > jeebesh > >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> > _________________________________________ > >> >> > > >> >> > 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/> > >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> > > >> >> -- > >> >> > > >> >> http://anavaldes.wordpress.com > >> >> > > >> >> http://passagenwerk.wordpress.com > >> >> > > >> >> http://caravia.stumbleupon.com > >> >> > > >> >> http://www.crusading.se > >> >> > > >> >> Gondolgatan 2 l tr > >> >> > > >> >> 12832 Skarpnäck > >> >> > > >> >> Sweden > >> >> > > >> >> tel +468-943288 > >> >> > > >> >> mobil 4670-3213370 > >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> > > >> >> "When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk > the > >> >> earth > >> >> > > with > >> >> > > >> >> your > >> >> > > >> >> eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you > >> will > >> >> > > always > >> >> > > >> >> long > >> >> > > >> >> to return. > >> >> > > >> >> — Leonardo da Vinci > >> >> > > >> >> _________________________________________ > >> >> > > >> >> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > >> >> > > >> >> Critiques & Collaborations > >> >> > > >> >> To subscribe: send an email to > >> reader-list-request at sarai.netwith > >> >> > > >> >> subscribe in the subject header. > >> >> > > >> >> To unsubscribe: > >> >> > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > >> >> > > >> >> List archive: < > >> https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/ > >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> > > >> > _________________________________________ > >> >> > > >> > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > >> >> > > >> > Critiques & Collaborations > >> >> > > >> > To subscribe: send an email to > >> reader-list-request at sarai.netwith > >> >> > > >> > subscribe in the subject header. > >> >> > > >> > To unsubscribe: > >> >> https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > >> >> > > >> > List archive: < > >> https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > >> >> > > > > >> >> > > > > >> >> > > > >> >> > _________________________________________ > >> >> > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > >> >> > Critiques & Collaborations > >> >> > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > >> >> > subscribe in the subject header. > >> >> > To unsubscribe: > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > >> >> > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> > >> >> > >> >> -- > >> >> Aditya Raj Kaul > >> >> > >> >> India Editor > >> >> The Indian, Australia > >> >> > >> >> > >> >> Blog: http://activistsdiary.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/> > >> >> > >> > > >> > > >> > >> > >> -- > >> Aditya Raj Kaul > >> > >> India Editor > >> The Indian, Australia > >> > >> Blog: http://activistsdiary.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/> > >> > > > > > > > -- > Aditya Raj Kaul > > India Editor > The Indian, Australia > > Blog: http://activistsdiary.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/> > From kauladityaraj at gmail.com Wed Dec 1 11:27:40 2010 From: kauladityaraj at gmail.com (Aditya Raj Kaul) Date: Wed, 1 Dec 2010 11:27:40 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FIR and this list In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Anupam Ji, Do you have a lawyer friend? Study what 'contempt of court' really means. Before writing usual rhetoric here. We are used to it now. On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 11:25 AM, anupam chakravartty wrote: > My dearest Aditya > > Then keep your statements to the court of law. Else just pray and hope that > people who term as ignorant do not file a contempt of court against you. > Good day! > > Anupam > > > On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 11:21 AM, Aditya Raj Kaul wrote: > >> My dearest Anupam.. I'll substantiate in the court of law if called as a >> witness. Do you relate so much with the term 'pain mob'? Just curious. >> >> Much love >> >> On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 11:02 AM, anupam chakravartty > >wrote: >> >> > aditya, >> > Seeking court order is the easiest thing in this country. how do you >> > substantiate "paid mob"? where is your proof? who has paid them? >> > >> > anupam >> > >> > On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 10:49 AM, Aditya Raj Kaul < >> kauladityaraj at gmail.com>wrote: >> > >> >> Aaarti, you can continue to imagine whatever you want.. just that by >> that >> >> imagination you may never be able to change a hypocrite Arundhati Roy >> and >> >> her men on this forum. Court order is a setback to her paid mob on this >> >> forum and otherwise. >> >> >> >> On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 10:40 AM, Aarti Sethi >> >> wrote: >> >> >> >> > Dear Aditya, >> >> > >> >> > Spreading rumours is your forte. We would never presume to usurp your >> >> > distinguished position as the prime spreader of defamatory slander >> and >> >> lies. >> >> > So don't worry. >> >> > >> >> > warm regards >> >> > Aarti >> >> > >> >> > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 11:33 PM, Aditya Raj Kaul < >> >> kauladityaraj at gmail.com >> >> > > wrote: >> >> > >> >> >> I've filed no case against anybody. Stop spreading rumors. >> >> >> >> >> >> Talking of fiction-writer Arundhati Roy and her gang mates who >> >> >> participated >> >> >> at the Delhi seminar, there is a fit case against them on various >> >> grounds. >> >> >> Not just sedition. Let the Court take care of rest. >> >> >> >> >> >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 5:53 PM, anupam chakravartty < >> >> c.anupam at gmail.com >> >> >> >wrote: >> >> >> >> >> >> > Having business relationship with Kashmiris, personally Samvit, is >> >> not >> >> >> what >> >> >> > I look forward to. There is no need for me to think of it as a >> real >> >> >> estate >> >> >> > property unlike you all advocating Panun Kashmir in the same vein. >> If >> >> >> you >> >> >> > consider yourself as a Kashmiri, then I guess you should have been >> >> able >> >> >> to >> >> >> > speak against the fortress erected by armed forces, the >> >> mis-governance >> >> >> by >> >> >> > subsequent Indian governments, the gross human rights violations. >> >> >> > Sub-nationalism, anti nationalism feeds on these things.You >> explore >> >> this >> >> >> > problem as an anti-India issue, when you have the option of >> speaking >> >> up >> >> >> > against violations by the successive governments while at the same >> >> time, >> >> >> > supporting the steps taken to resolve this crisis. Look what you >> >> offered >> >> >> > just now as a counter: Panun Kashmir. >> >> >> > >> >> >> > anupam >> >> >> > >> >> >> > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 5:41 PM, Samvit >> wrote: >> >> >> > >> >> >> > > Oh yes Anupam, you forgot about the Goshtabas that she was >> feasting >> >> on >> >> >> > > after she spoke at the Aazadi seminar. In KAshmir it is called >> >> >> > > Goshtaba diplomacy. Arundhati knows nothing about Kashmir or >> >> >> > > Kashmiries. She is a fly by night operator and has no business >> in >> >> the >> >> >> > > Valley. She and people like you try to use your verbal jugglery >> to >> >> >> > > promote an anti India agenda. The fact is that Article 370 does >> not >> >> >> > > allow people like you to have any business with us Kashmiries. >> It >> >> is >> >> >> > > our land and that is what it stays. We will make Panun Kashmir >> out >> >> of >> >> >> > > it even thought it may take hundreds of years. If there is >> anyone >> >> on >> >> >> > > this forum who needs to zip up it is Arundhati's cronies who are >> on >> >> >> > > the payroll of many organizations. Also, I removed the garb of >> >> >> > > Arundhati being a pro-poor because she wears western bourgeoisie >> >> >> > > outfits and goes to expensive gyms. And when she has to address >> >> the >> >> >> > > media she will wear a khadi/cotton sari. You twisted these words >> to >> >> >> > > say that I indulged in a "perverted imagination". You are a >> classic >> >> >> > > case of Sawan ke andhe ko sab hara hi hara nazar aata hai. >> (Hindi). >> >> >> > > One who goes blind in spring, sees only greenery all around!!! >> >> >> > > -SR >> >> >> > > >> >> >> > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:54 PM, anupam chakravartty < >> >> >> c.anupam at gmail.com >> >> >> > > >> >> >> > > wrote: >> >> >> > > > Defensive? I used the word "shame". Unlike yours, My hands are >> >> tied >> >> >> in >> >> >> > my >> >> >> > > > efforts to understand the complexity of issues in this >> country. >> >> >> Sadly, >> >> >> > > when >> >> >> > > > a writer addresses this issues, and expresses her views, she >> is >> >> >> > vilified >> >> >> > > to >> >> >> > > > the extant that she becomes the subject of your perverted >> >> >> imagination, >> >> >> > > > Samvit. Her house, where she dwells becomes the object of your >> >> >> > scrutiny. >> >> >> > > BUT >> >> >> > > > NOT KASHMIR. BUT NOT AFSPA. So why should states from North >> East, >> >> >> the >> >> >> > > state >> >> >> > > > of Kashmir demand secession from the Indian state? I dont have >> to >> >> >> look >> >> >> > at >> >> >> > > > historical examples. Your attitudes, Aditya Raj Kaul's >> attitude >> >> >> speaks >> >> >> > > > volumes. This is your two paisa bit that you do to counter >> >> someone's >> >> >> > > > statements. it is SHAME, Samvit. Please do not give me the >> >> example >> >> >> of >> >> >> > the >> >> >> > > > democratic set up of this country. >> >> >> > > > >> >> >> > > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:38 PM, Samvit >> >> wrote: >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> > > >> I know neither Aditya or nor anyone else on this forum but I >> am >> >> >> > > >> surprised that if Aditya has registered a complaint why >> should >> >> >> people >> >> >> > > >> get so defensive. We have a democratic setup and he has every >> >> right >> >> >> to >> >> >> > > >> go to the court. Similarly, Arundhati and others have every >> >> right >> >> >> to >> >> >> > > >> defend themselves. The Indian judicial system is a multi-tier >> >> >> process >> >> >> > > >> just for the sake that justice should be done. Why is such a >> >> fuss >> >> >> > > >> being made about it. This is a simple process. We must >> respect >> >> the >> >> >> law >> >> >> > > >> of the land and if we don't we should be ready to face the >> >> >> > > >> consqueunces. We all make our choices and have to live by >> them. >> >> >> > > >> -SR >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> > > >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:31 PM, anupam chakravartty < >> >> >> > > c.anupam at gmail.com> >> >> >> > > >> wrote: >> >> >> > > >> > It shameful that Aditya Raj Kaul, who is hell bent on >> >> producing >> >> >> > false >> >> >> > > >> > reports on any issue he feels like has also named one of >> the >> >> list >> >> >> > > >> > members in >> >> >> > > >> > the complaint, out of his desperation and his understanding >> of >> >> >> the >> >> >> > > >> > Kashmir >> >> >> > > >> > issue. >> >> >> > > >> > >> >> >> > > >> > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:24 PM, Ana Valdés < >> >> agora158 at gmail.com> >> >> >> > > wrote: >> >> >> > > >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> Sorry but I want now to unsubscribe from these list. If >> >> memberrs >> >> >> of >> >> >> > > >> >> this >> >> >> > > >> >> list has done that they have shown a flagrant disrespect >> tor >> >> the >> >> >> > > rights >> >> >> > > >> >> of >> >> >> > > >> >> a >> >> >> > > >> >> writer to speak freely and to to express its opinions. >> >> >> > > >> >> A person using the Sate recourses, police and judges to do >> >> that, >> >> >> > has >> >> >> > > no >> >> >> > > >> >> right to belong to this list, but since I am not the >> >> moderator I >> >> >> > > choose >> >> >> > > >> >> ,myself to go and to leave you all with such despicable >> >> >> > > interlocutors. >> >> >> > > >> >> Ana >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> >> > > >> >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 8:40 AM, Jeebesh < >> jeebesh at sarai.net> >> >> >> > wrote: >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> >> > > >> >> > dear All, >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> > >> >> >> >> >> >> http://www.mid-day.com/news/2010/nov/301110-News-Delhi-FIR-Kashmiri-separatist-leader-Syed-Ali-Geelani-Arundhati-Roy-sedition.htm >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> > Members of this list are behind the private complaint >> that >> >> has >> >> >> > > pushed >> >> >> > > >> >> > the >> >> >> > > >> >> > courts to get an FIR lodged. >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> > There are member of this list who are named in the FIR. >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> > So, dear list members, the online and offline flows >> >> entangles >> >> >> > each >> >> >> > > >> >> > other. >> >> >> > > >> >> > Lets think hard. >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> > warmly >> >> >> > > >> >> > jeebesh >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> > _________________________________________ >> >> >> > > >> >> > 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/> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> >> > > >> >> -- >> >> >> > > >> >> http://anavaldes.wordpress.com >> >> >> > > >> >> http://passagenwerk.wordpress.com >> >> >> > > >> >> http://caravia.stumbleupon.com >> >> >> > > >> >> http://www.crusading.se >> >> >> > > >> >> Gondolgatan 2 l tr >> >> >> > > >> >> 12832 Skarpnäck >> >> >> > > >> >> Sweden >> >> >> > > >> >> tel +468-943288 >> >> >> > > >> >> mobil 4670-3213370 >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> >> > > >> >> "When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk >> the >> >> >> earth >> >> >> > > with >> >> >> > > >> >> your >> >> >> > > >> >> eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you >> >> will >> >> >> > > always >> >> >> > > >> >> long >> >> >> > > >> >> to return. >> >> >> > > >> >> — Leonardo da Vinci >> >> >> > > >> >> _________________________________________ >> >> >> > > >> >> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the >> city. >> >> >> > > >> >> Critiques & Collaborations >> >> >> > > >> >> To subscribe: send an email to >> >> reader-list-request at sarai.netwith >> >> >> > > >> >> subscribe in the subject header. >> >> >> > > >> >> To unsubscribe: >> >> >> > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >> >> >> > > >> >> List archive: < >> >> https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/ >> >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> >> > > >> > _________________________________________ >> >> >> > > >> > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >> >> >> > > >> > Critiques & Collaborations >> >> >> > > >> > To subscribe: send an email to >> >> reader-list-request at sarai.netwith >> >> >> > > >> > subscribe in the subject header. >> >> >> > > >> > To unsubscribe: >> >> >> https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >> >> >> > > >> > List archive: < >> >> https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> >> >> >> > > > >> >> >> > > > >> >> >> > > >> >> >> > _________________________________________ >> >> >> > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >> >> >> > Critiques & Collaborations >> >> >> > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with >> >> >> > subscribe in the subject header. >> >> >> > To unsubscribe: >> https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >> >> >> > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> >> >> >> > >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> -- >> >> >> Aditya Raj Kaul >> >> >> >> >> >> India Editor >> >> >> The Indian, Australia >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> Blog: http://activistsdiary.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/> >> >> >> >> >> > >> >> > >> >> >> >> >> >> -- >> >> Aditya Raj Kaul >> >> >> >> India Editor >> >> The Indian, Australia >> >> >> >> Blog: http://activistsdiary.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/> >> >> >> > >> > >> >> >> -- >> Aditya Raj Kaul >> >> India Editor >> The Indian, Australia >> >> Blog: http://activistsdiary.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/> >> > > -- Aditya Raj Kaul India Editor The Indian, Australia Blog: http://activistsdiary.blogspot.com/ From c.anupam at gmail.com Wed Dec 1 11:29:09 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Wed, 1 Dec 2010 11:29:09 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FIR and this list In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Samvit, My ideals might be utopian. But what about your idea of a nation state sir. You havent been able to answer a single question that emerged out of this debate. Why are you mindlessly traversing through JNU/Bolivia/leftist guerilla? If the only set of people who speak for those who have been harassed, who fall prey to perversion of nation, are leftist guerillas, then i am with them. Call the police now. Anupam On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 11:25 AM, anupam chakravartty wrote: > My dearest Aditya > > Then keep your statements to the court of law. Else just pray and hope that > people who term as ignorant do not file a contempt of court against you. > Good day! > > Anupam > > > On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 11:21 AM, Aditya Raj Kaul wrote: > >> My dearest Anupam.. I'll substantiate in the court of law if called as a >> witness. Do you relate so much with the term 'pain mob'? Just curious. >> >> Much love >> >> On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 11:02 AM, anupam chakravartty > >wrote: >> >> > aditya, >> > Seeking court order is the easiest thing in this country. how do you >> > substantiate "paid mob"? where is your proof? who has paid them? >> > >> > anupam >> > >> > On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 10:49 AM, Aditya Raj Kaul < >> kauladityaraj at gmail.com>wrote: >> > >> >> Aaarti, you can continue to imagine whatever you want.. just that by >> that >> >> imagination you may never be able to change a hypocrite Arundhati Roy >> and >> >> her men on this forum. Court order is a setback to her paid mob on this >> >> forum and otherwise. >> >> >> >> On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 10:40 AM, Aarti Sethi >> >> wrote: >> >> >> >> > Dear Aditya, >> >> > >> >> > Spreading rumours is your forte. We would never presume to usurp your >> >> > distinguished position as the prime spreader of defamatory slander >> and >> >> lies. >> >> > So don't worry. >> >> > >> >> > warm regards >> >> > Aarti >> >> > >> >> > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 11:33 PM, Aditya Raj Kaul < >> >> kauladityaraj at gmail.com >> >> > > wrote: >> >> > >> >> >> I've filed no case against anybody. Stop spreading rumors. >> >> >> >> >> >> Talking of fiction-writer Arundhati Roy and her gang mates who >> >> >> participated >> >> >> at the Delhi seminar, there is a fit case against them on various >> >> grounds. >> >> >> Not just sedition. Let the Court take care of rest. >> >> >> >> >> >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 5:53 PM, anupam chakravartty < >> >> c.anupam at gmail.com >> >> >> >wrote: >> >> >> >> >> >> > Having business relationship with Kashmiris, personally Samvit, is >> >> not >> >> >> what >> >> >> > I look forward to. There is no need for me to think of it as a >> real >> >> >> estate >> >> >> > property unlike you all advocating Panun Kashmir in the same vein. >> If >> >> >> you >> >> >> > consider yourself as a Kashmiri, then I guess you should have been >> >> able >> >> >> to >> >> >> > speak against the fortress erected by armed forces, the >> >> mis-governance >> >> >> by >> >> >> > subsequent Indian governments, the gross human rights violations. >> >> >> > Sub-nationalism, anti nationalism feeds on these things.You >> explore >> >> this >> >> >> > problem as an anti-India issue, when you have the option of >> speaking >> >> up >> >> >> > against violations by the successive governments while at the same >> >> time, >> >> >> > supporting the steps taken to resolve this crisis. Look what you >> >> offered >> >> >> > just now as a counter: Panun Kashmir. >> >> >> > >> >> >> > anupam >> >> >> > >> >> >> > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 5:41 PM, Samvit >> wrote: >> >> >> > >> >> >> > > Oh yes Anupam, you forgot about the Goshtabas that she was >> feasting >> >> on >> >> >> > > after she spoke at the Aazadi seminar. In KAshmir it is called >> >> >> > > Goshtaba diplomacy. Arundhati knows nothing about Kashmir or >> >> >> > > Kashmiries. She is a fly by night operator and has no business >> in >> >> the >> >> >> > > Valley. She and people like you try to use your verbal jugglery >> to >> >> >> > > promote an anti India agenda. The fact is that Article 370 does >> not >> >> >> > > allow people like you to have any business with us Kashmiries. >> It >> >> is >> >> >> > > our land and that is what it stays. We will make Panun Kashmir >> out >> >> of >> >> >> > > it even thought it may take hundreds of years. If there is >> anyone >> >> on >> >> >> > > this forum who needs to zip up it is Arundhati's cronies who are >> on >> >> >> > > the payroll of many organizations. Also, I removed the garb of >> >> >> > > Arundhati being a pro-poor because she wears western bourgeoisie >> >> >> > > outfits and goes to expensive gyms. And when she has to address >> >> the >> >> >> > > media she will wear a khadi/cotton sari. You twisted these words >> to >> >> >> > > say that I indulged in a "perverted imagination". You are a >> classic >> >> >> > > case of Sawan ke andhe ko sab hara hi hara nazar aata hai. >> (Hindi). >> >> >> > > One who goes blind in spring, sees only greenery all around!!! >> >> >> > > -SR >> >> >> > > >> >> >> > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:54 PM, anupam chakravartty < >> >> >> c.anupam at gmail.com >> >> >> > > >> >> >> > > wrote: >> >> >> > > > Defensive? I used the word "shame". Unlike yours, My hands are >> >> tied >> >> >> in >> >> >> > my >> >> >> > > > efforts to understand the complexity of issues in this >> country. >> >> >> Sadly, >> >> >> > > when >> >> >> > > > a writer addresses this issues, and expresses her views, she >> is >> >> >> > vilified >> >> >> > > to >> >> >> > > > the extant that she becomes the subject of your perverted >> >> >> imagination, >> >> >> > > > Samvit. Her house, where she dwells becomes the object of your >> >> >> > scrutiny. >> >> >> > > BUT >> >> >> > > > NOT KASHMIR. BUT NOT AFSPA. So why should states from North >> East, >> >> >> the >> >> >> > > state >> >> >> > > > of Kashmir demand secession from the Indian state? I dont have >> to >> >> >> look >> >> >> > at >> >> >> > > > historical examples. Your attitudes, Aditya Raj Kaul's >> attitude >> >> >> speaks >> >> >> > > > volumes. This is your two paisa bit that you do to counter >> >> someone's >> >> >> > > > statements. it is SHAME, Samvit. Please do not give me the >> >> example >> >> >> of >> >> >> > the >> >> >> > > > democratic set up of this country. >> >> >> > > > >> >> >> > > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:38 PM, Samvit >> >> wrote: >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> > > >> I know neither Aditya or nor anyone else on this forum but I >> am >> >> >> > > >> surprised that if Aditya has registered a complaint why >> should >> >> >> people >> >> >> > > >> get so defensive. We have a democratic setup and he has every >> >> right >> >> >> to >> >> >> > > >> go to the court. Similarly, Arundhati and others have every >> >> right >> >> >> to >> >> >> > > >> defend themselves. The Indian judicial system is a multi-tier >> >> >> process >> >> >> > > >> just for the sake that justice should be done. Why is such a >> >> fuss >> >> >> > > >> being made about it. This is a simple process. We must >> respect >> >> the >> >> >> law >> >> >> > > >> of the land and if we don't we should be ready to face the >> >> >> > > >> consqueunces. We all make our choices and have to live by >> them. >> >> >> > > >> -SR >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> > > >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:31 PM, anupam chakravartty < >> >> >> > > c.anupam at gmail.com> >> >> >> > > >> wrote: >> >> >> > > >> > It shameful that Aditya Raj Kaul, who is hell bent on >> >> producing >> >> >> > false >> >> >> > > >> > reports on any issue he feels like has also named one of >> the >> >> list >> >> >> > > >> > members in >> >> >> > > >> > the complaint, out of his desperation and his understanding >> of >> >> >> the >> >> >> > > >> > Kashmir >> >> >> > > >> > issue. >> >> >> > > >> > >> >> >> > > >> > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:24 PM, Ana Valdés < >> >> agora158 at gmail.com> >> >> >> > > wrote: >> >> >> > > >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> Sorry but I want now to unsubscribe from these list. If >> >> memberrs >> >> >> of >> >> >> > > >> >> this >> >> >> > > >> >> list has done that they have shown a flagrant disrespect >> tor >> >> the >> >> >> > > rights >> >> >> > > >> >> of >> >> >> > > >> >> a >> >> >> > > >> >> writer to speak freely and to to express its opinions. >> >> >> > > >> >> A person using the Sate recourses, police and judges to do >> >> that, >> >> >> > has >> >> >> > > no >> >> >> > > >> >> right to belong to this list, but since I am not the >> >> moderator I >> >> >> > > choose >> >> >> > > >> >> ,myself to go and to leave you all with such despicable >> >> >> > > interlocutors. >> >> >> > > >> >> Ana >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> >> > > >> >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 8:40 AM, Jeebesh < >> jeebesh at sarai.net> >> >> >> > wrote: >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> >> > > >> >> > dear All, >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> > >> >> >> >> >> >> http://www.mid-day.com/news/2010/nov/301110-News-Delhi-FIR-Kashmiri-separatist-leader-Syed-Ali-Geelani-Arundhati-Roy-sedition.htm >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> > Members of this list are behind the private complaint >> that >> >> has >> >> >> > > pushed >> >> >> > > >> >> > the >> >> >> > > >> >> > courts to get an FIR lodged. >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> > There are member of this list who are named in the FIR. >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> > So, dear list members, the online and offline flows >> >> entangles >> >> >> > each >> >> >> > > >> >> > other. >> >> >> > > >> >> > Lets think hard. >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> > warmly >> >> >> > > >> >> > jeebesh >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> > _________________________________________ >> >> >> > > >> >> > 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/> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> >> > > >> >> -- >> >> >> > > >> >> http://anavaldes.wordpress.com >> >> >> > > >> >> http://passagenwerk.wordpress.com >> >> >> > > >> >> http://caravia.stumbleupon.com >> >> >> > > >> >> http://www.crusading.se >> >> >> > > >> >> Gondolgatan 2 l tr >> >> >> > > >> >> 12832 Skarpnäck >> >> >> > > >> >> Sweden >> >> >> > > >> >> tel +468-943288 >> >> >> > > >> >> mobil 4670-3213370 >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> >> > > >> >> "When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk >> the >> >> >> earth >> >> >> > > with >> >> >> > > >> >> your >> >> >> > > >> >> eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you >> >> will >> >> >> > > always >> >> >> > > >> >> long >> >> >> > > >> >> to return. >> >> >> > > >> >> — Leonardo da Vinci >> >> >> > > >> >> _________________________________________ >> >> >> > > >> >> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the >> city. >> >> >> > > >> >> Critiques & Collaborations >> >> >> > > >> >> To subscribe: send an email to >> >> reader-list-request at sarai.netwith >> >> >> > > >> >> subscribe in the subject header. >> >> >> > > >> >> To unsubscribe: >> >> >> > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >> >> >> > > >> >> List archive: < >> >> https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/ >> >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> >> > > >> > _________________________________________ >> >> >> > > >> > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >> >> >> > > >> > Critiques & Collaborations >> >> >> > > >> > To subscribe: send an email to >> >> reader-list-request at sarai.netwith >> >> >> > > >> > subscribe in the subject header. >> >> >> > > >> > To unsubscribe: >> >> >> https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >> >> >> > > >> > List archive: < >> >> https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> >> >> >> > > > >> >> >> > > > >> >> >> > > >> >> >> > _________________________________________ >> >> >> > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >> >> >> > Critiques & Collaborations >> >> >> > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with >> >> >> > subscribe in the subject header. >> >> >> > To unsubscribe: >> https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >> >> >> > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> >> >> >> > >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> -- >> >> >> Aditya Raj Kaul >> >> >> >> >> >> India Editor >> >> >> The Indian, Australia >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> Blog: http://activistsdiary.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/> >> >> >> >> >> > >> >> > >> >> >> >> >> >> -- >> >> Aditya Raj Kaul >> >> >> >> India Editor >> >> The Indian, Australia >> >> >> >> Blog: http://activistsdiary.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/> >> >> >> > >> > >> >> >> -- >> Aditya Raj Kaul >> >> India Editor >> The Indian, Australia >> >> Blog: http://activistsdiary.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/> >> > > From c.anupam at gmail.com Wed Dec 1 11:32:08 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Wed, 1 Dec 2010 11:32:08 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FIR and this list In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Aditya ji, I dont have to go to any lawyer friend. Neither do i want to adopt your ways making allegations against people without proof. Anupam On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 11:27 AM, Aditya Raj Kaul wrote: > Anupam Ji, > > Do you have a lawyer friend? Study what 'contempt of court' really means. > Before writing usual rhetoric here. We are used to it now. > > On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 11:25 AM, anupam chakravartty >wrote: > > > My dearest Aditya > > > > Then keep your statements to the court of law. Else just pray and hope > that > > people who term as ignorant do not file a contempt of court against you. > > Good day! > > > > Anupam > > > > > > On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 11:21 AM, Aditya Raj Kaul < > kauladityaraj at gmail.com>wrote: > > > >> My dearest Anupam.. I'll substantiate in the court of law if called as a > >> witness. Do you relate so much with the term 'pain mob'? Just curious. > >> > >> Much love > >> > >> On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 11:02 AM, anupam chakravartty < > c.anupam at gmail.com > >> >wrote: > >> > >> > aditya, > >> > Seeking court order is the easiest thing in this country. how do you > >> > substantiate "paid mob"? where is your proof? who has paid them? > >> > > >> > anupam > >> > > >> > On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 10:49 AM, Aditya Raj Kaul < > >> kauladityaraj at gmail.com>wrote: > >> > > >> >> Aaarti, you can continue to imagine whatever you want.. just that by > >> that > >> >> imagination you may never be able to change a hypocrite Arundhati Roy > >> and > >> >> her men on this forum. Court order is a setback to her paid mob on > this > >> >> forum and otherwise. > >> >> > >> >> On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 10:40 AM, Aarti Sethi > >> >> wrote: > >> >> > >> >> > Dear Aditya, > >> >> > > >> >> > Spreading rumours is your forte. We would never presume to usurp > your > >> >> > distinguished position as the prime spreader of defamatory slander > >> and > >> >> lies. > >> >> > So don't worry. > >> >> > > >> >> > warm regards > >> >> > Aarti > >> >> > > >> >> > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 11:33 PM, Aditya Raj Kaul < > >> >> kauladityaraj at gmail.com > >> >> > > wrote: > >> >> > > >> >> >> I've filed no case against anybody. Stop spreading rumors. > >> >> >> > >> >> >> Talking of fiction-writer Arundhati Roy and her gang mates who > >> >> >> participated > >> >> >> at the Delhi seminar, there is a fit case against them on various > >> >> grounds. > >> >> >> Not just sedition. Let the Court take care of rest. > >> >> >> > >> >> >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 5:53 PM, anupam chakravartty < > >> >> c.anupam at gmail.com > >> >> >> >wrote: > >> >> >> > >> >> >> > Having business relationship with Kashmiris, personally Samvit, > is > >> >> not > >> >> >> what > >> >> >> > I look forward to. There is no need for me to think of it as a > >> real > >> >> >> estate > >> >> >> > property unlike you all advocating Panun Kashmir in the same > vein. > >> If > >> >> >> you > >> >> >> > consider yourself as a Kashmiri, then I guess you should have > been > >> >> able > >> >> >> to > >> >> >> > speak against the fortress erected by armed forces, the > >> >> mis-governance > >> >> >> by > >> >> >> > subsequent Indian governments, the gross human rights > violations. > >> >> >> > Sub-nationalism, anti nationalism feeds on these things.You > >> explore > >> >> this > >> >> >> > problem as an anti-India issue, when you have the option of > >> speaking > >> >> up > >> >> >> > against violations by the successive governments while at the > same > >> >> time, > >> >> >> > supporting the steps taken to resolve this crisis. Look what you > >> >> offered > >> >> >> > just now as a counter: Panun Kashmir. > >> >> >> > > >> >> >> > anupam > >> >> >> > > >> >> >> > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 5:41 PM, Samvit > >> wrote: > >> >> >> > > >> >> >> > > Oh yes Anupam, you forgot about the Goshtabas that she was > >> feasting > >> >> on > >> >> >> > > after she spoke at the Aazadi seminar. In KAshmir it is called > >> >> >> > > Goshtaba diplomacy. Arundhati knows nothing about Kashmir or > >> >> >> > > Kashmiries. She is a fly by night operator and has no business > >> in > >> >> the > >> >> >> > > Valley. She and people like you try to use your verbal > jugglery > >> to > >> >> >> > > promote an anti India agenda. The fact is that Article 370 > does > >> not > >> >> >> > > allow people like you to have any business with us Kashmiries. > >> It > >> >> is > >> >> >> > > our land and that is what it stays. We will make Panun Kashmir > >> out > >> >> of > >> >> >> > > it even thought it may take hundreds of years. If there is > >> anyone > >> >> on > >> >> >> > > this forum who needs to zip up it is Arundhati's cronies who > are > >> on > >> >> >> > > the payroll of many organizations. Also, I removed the garb of > >> >> >> > > Arundhati being a pro-poor because she wears western > bourgeoisie > >> >> >> > > outfits and goes to expensive gyms. And when she has to > address > >> >> the > >> >> >> > > media she will wear a khadi/cotton sari. You twisted these > words > >> to > >> >> >> > > say that I indulged in a "perverted imagination". You are a > >> classic > >> >> >> > > case of Sawan ke andhe ko sab hara hi hara nazar aata hai. > >> (Hindi). > >> >> >> > > One who goes blind in spring, sees only greenery all around!!! > >> >> >> > > -SR > >> >> >> > > > >> >> >> > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:54 PM, anupam chakravartty < > >> >> >> c.anupam at gmail.com > >> >> >> > > > >> >> >> > > wrote: > >> >> >> > > > Defensive? I used the word "shame". Unlike yours, My hands > are > >> >> tied > >> >> >> in > >> >> >> > my > >> >> >> > > > efforts to understand the complexity of issues in this > >> country. > >> >> >> Sadly, > >> >> >> > > when > >> >> >> > > > a writer addresses this issues, and expresses her views, she > >> is > >> >> >> > vilified > >> >> >> > > to > >> >> >> > > > the extant that she becomes the subject of your perverted > >> >> >> imagination, > >> >> >> > > > Samvit. Her house, where she dwells becomes the object of > your > >> >> >> > scrutiny. > >> >> >> > > BUT > >> >> >> > > > NOT KASHMIR. BUT NOT AFSPA. So why should states from North > >> East, > >> >> >> the > >> >> >> > > state > >> >> >> > > > of Kashmir demand secession from the Indian state? I dont > have > >> to > >> >> >> look > >> >> >> > at > >> >> >> > > > historical examples. Your attitudes, Aditya Raj Kaul's > >> attitude > >> >> >> speaks > >> >> >> > > > volumes. This is your two paisa bit that you do to counter > >> >> someone's > >> >> >> > > > statements. it is SHAME, Samvit. Please do not give me the > >> >> example > >> >> >> of > >> >> >> > the > >> >> >> > > > democratic set up of this country. > >> >> >> > > > > >> >> >> > > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:38 PM, Samvit > >> >> wrote: > >> >> >> > > >> > >> >> >> > > >> I know neither Aditya or nor anyone else on this forum but > I > >> am > >> >> >> > > >> surprised that if Aditya has registered a complaint why > >> should > >> >> >> people > >> >> >> > > >> get so defensive. We have a democratic setup and he has > every > >> >> right > >> >> >> to > >> >> >> > > >> go to the court. Similarly, Arundhati and others have every > >> >> right > >> >> >> to > >> >> >> > > >> defend themselves. The Indian judicial system is a > multi-tier > >> >> >> process > >> >> >> > > >> just for the sake that justice should be done. Why is such > a > >> >> fuss > >> >> >> > > >> being made about it. This is a simple process. We must > >> respect > >> >> the > >> >> >> law > >> >> >> > > >> of the land and if we don't we should be ready to face the > >> >> >> > > >> consqueunces. We all make our choices and have to live by > >> them. > >> >> >> > > >> -SR > >> >> >> > > >> > >> >> >> > > >> > >> >> >> > > >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:31 PM, anupam chakravartty < > >> >> >> > > c.anupam at gmail.com> > >> >> >> > > >> wrote: > >> >> >> > > >> > It shameful that Aditya Raj Kaul, who is hell bent on > >> >> producing > >> >> >> > false > >> >> >> > > >> > reports on any issue he feels like has also named one of > >> the > >> >> list > >> >> >> > > >> > members in > >> >> >> > > >> > the complaint, out of his desperation and his > understanding > >> of > >> >> >> the > >> >> >> > > >> > Kashmir > >> >> >> > > >> > issue. > >> >> >> > > >> > > >> >> >> > > >> > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:24 PM, Ana Valdés < > >> >> agora158 at gmail.com> > >> >> >> > > wrote: > >> >> >> > > >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> Sorry but I want now to unsubscribe from these list. If > >> >> memberrs > >> >> >> of > >> >> >> > > >> >> this > >> >> >> > > >> >> list has done that they have shown a flagrant disrespect > >> tor > >> >> the > >> >> >> > > rights > >> >> >> > > >> >> of > >> >> >> > > >> >> a > >> >> >> > > >> >> writer to speak freely and to to express its opinions. > >> >> >> > > >> >> A person using the Sate recourses, police and judges to > do > >> >> that, > >> >> >> > has > >> >> >> > > no > >> >> >> > > >> >> right to belong to this list, but since I am not the > >> >> moderator I > >> >> >> > > choose > >> >> >> > > >> >> ,myself to go and to leave you all with such despicable > >> >> >> > > interlocutors. > >> >> >> > > >> >> Ana > >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 8:40 AM, Jeebesh < > >> jeebesh at sarai.net> > >> >> >> > wrote: > >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> > dear All, > >> >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > > >> >> >> > > >> >> >> > >> >> > >> > http://www.mid-day.com/news/2010/nov/301110-News-Delhi-FIR-Kashmiri-separatist-leader-Syed-Ali-Geelani-Arundhati-Roy-sedition.htm > >> >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> > Members of this list are behind the private complaint > >> that > >> >> has > >> >> >> > > pushed > >> >> >> > > >> >> > the > >> >> >> > > >> >> > courts to get an FIR lodged. > >> >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> > There are member of this list who are named in the > FIR. > >> >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> > So, dear list members, the online and offline flows > >> >> entangles > >> >> >> > each > >> >> >> > > >> >> > other. > >> >> >> > > >> >> > Lets think hard. > >> >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> > warmly > >> >> >> > > >> >> > jeebesh > >> >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> > _________________________________________ > >> >> >> > > >> >> > 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/> > >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> -- > >> >> >> > > >> >> http://anavaldes.wordpress.com > >> >> >> > > >> >> http://passagenwerk.wordpress.com > >> >> >> > > >> >> http://caravia.stumbleupon.com > >> >> >> > > >> >> http://www.crusading.se > >> >> >> > > >> >> Gondolgatan 2 l tr > >> >> >> > > >> >> 12832 Skarpnäck > >> >> >> > > >> >> Sweden > >> >> >> > > >> >> tel +468-943288 > >> >> >> > > >> >> mobil 4670-3213370 > >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> "When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk > >> the > >> >> >> earth > >> >> >> > > with > >> >> >> > > >> >> your > >> >> >> > > >> >> eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there > you > >> >> will > >> >> >> > > always > >> >> >> > > >> >> long > >> >> >> > > >> >> to return. > >> >> >> > > >> >> — Leonardo da Vinci > >> >> >> > > >> >> _________________________________________ > >> >> >> > > >> >> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the > >> city. > >> >> >> > > >> >> Critiques & Collaborations > >> >> >> > > >> >> To subscribe: send an email to > >> >> reader-list-request at sarai.netwith > >> >> >> > > >> >> subscribe in the subject header. > >> >> >> > > >> >> To unsubscribe: > >> >> >> > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > >> >> >> > > >> >> List archive: < > >> >> https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/ > >> >> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> > _________________________________________ > >> >> >> > > >> > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the > city. > >> >> >> > > >> > Critiques & Collaborations > >> >> >> > > >> > To subscribe: send an email to > >> >> reader-list-request at sarai.netwith > >> >> >> > > >> > subscribe in the subject header. > >> >> >> > > >> > To unsubscribe: > >> >> >> https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > >> >> >> > > >> > List archive: < > >> >> https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > >> >> >> > > > > >> >> >> > > > > >> >> >> > > > >> >> >> > _________________________________________ > >> >> >> > 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/ > > > >> >> >> > > >> >> >> > >> >> >> > >> >> >> > >> >> >> -- > >> >> >> Aditya Raj Kaul > >> >> >> > >> >> >> India Editor > >> >> >> The Indian, Australia > >> >> >> > >> >> >> > >> >> >> Blog: http://activistsdiary.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/> > >> >> >> > >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> > >> >> -- > >> >> Aditya Raj Kaul > >> >> > >> >> India Editor > >> >> The Indian, Australia > >> >> > >> >> Blog: http://activistsdiary.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/> > >> >> > >> > > >> > > >> > >> > >> -- > >> Aditya Raj Kaul > >> > >> India Editor > >> The Indian, Australia > >> > >> Blog: http://activistsdiary.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/> > >> > > > > > > > -- > Aditya Raj Kaul > > India Editor > The Indian, Australia > > Blog: http://activistsdiary.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/> > From rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com Wed Dec 1 11:40:00 2010 From: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com (Rakesh Iyer) Date: Wed, 1 Dec 2010 11:40:00 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FIR and this list In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: If only were there some sane rationality in the entire debate (as opposed to personal mudslinging), we could have done better. The entire debate has completely changed, and not for the first time. Instead of arguing whether the ideas of Arundhati are right or wrong, now we have come up to what Indian politicians indulge in (as their favorite game of course). Not for nothing do I keep hearing: Only when we improve ourselves, can we expect our politicians to improve. Arundhati may be right or wrong, but it is utterly shameful that groups have to resort to violence and even going to court to restrain someone from speaking. It is even more shameful that if we don't like a speech, we don't treat the other person as just a piece of shit and carry on with our work, undeterred. It's here, there and everywhere. If the Congress does not like anything spoken against Sonia Gandhi, it creates violence. The ABVP is doing it, and so is RIK and BJP and their related organizations. I can understand RIK not liking it, but throwing stones and imposing cases is absolutely muzzling the right to free speech of a person. Yes, freedom of speech has its own limits. But those limits must be self-imposed. If Muslims don't like Togadia's speech, they are free to ignore it or even protest against it in a peaceful way. The same should be true for RIK in this case also. And if you feel Arundhati is anti-Indian, protest against her in a peaceful way. This is total rubbish. Never mind that a case against Arundhati will only give Pakistan a stick to beat India with whenever India claims it's a democracy. This also exposes the double dealing of India trying to be proud at the world stage of being a democracy, while actually trying to muzzle all voices possible. Rakesh From samvitr at gmail.com Wed Dec 1 11:40:27 2010 From: samvitr at gmail.com (Samvit) Date: Wed, 1 Dec 2010 11:40:27 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FIR and this list In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Anupam, Panun kashmir will be a place where all people irrespective of their faith, caste, sexual orientation/preference will live in peace and harmony. Everyone will have the right to preach/practice their belief. There will be no place for voilence in PK. I hope that answers your question. If there is anything else do let me know and I will try my best to clarify any doubt. Thanks, -Samvit On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 11:29 AM, anupam chakravartty wrote: > Samvit, > > My ideals might be utopian. But what about your idea of a nation state sir. > You havent been able to answer a single question that emerged out of this > debate. Why are you mindlessly traversing through JNU/Bolivia/leftist > guerilla? If the only set of people who speak for those who have been > harassed, who fall prey to perversion of nation, are leftist guerillas, > then > i am with them. Call the police now. > > Anupam > > On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 11:25 AM, anupam chakravartty >wrote: > > > My dearest Aditya > > > > Then keep your statements to the court of law. Else just pray and hope > that > > people who term as ignorant do not file a contempt of court against you. > > Good day! > > > > Anupam > > > > > > On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 11:21 AM, Aditya Raj Kaul < > kauladityaraj at gmail.com>wrote: > > > >> My dearest Anupam.. I'll substantiate in the court of law if called as a > >> witness. Do you relate so much with the term 'pain mob'? Just curious. > >> > >> Much love > >> > >> On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 11:02 AM, anupam chakravartty < > c.anupam at gmail.com > >> >wrote: > >> > >> > aditya, > >> > Seeking court order is the easiest thing in this country. how do you > >> > substantiate "paid mob"? where is your proof? who has paid them? > >> > > >> > anupam > >> > > >> > On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 10:49 AM, Aditya Raj Kaul < > >> kauladityaraj at gmail.com>wrote: > >> > > >> >> Aaarti, you can continue to imagine whatever you want.. just that by > >> that > >> >> imagination you may never be able to change a hypocrite Arundhati Roy > >> and > >> >> her men on this forum. Court order is a setback to her paid mob on > this > >> >> forum and otherwise. > >> >> > >> >> On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 10:40 AM, Aarti Sethi > >> >> wrote: > >> >> > >> >> > Dear Aditya, > >> >> > > >> >> > Spreading rumours is your forte. We would never presume to usurp > your > >> >> > distinguished position as the prime spreader of defamatory slander > >> and > >> >> lies. > >> >> > So don't worry. > >> >> > > >> >> > warm regards > >> >> > Aarti > >> >> > > >> >> > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 11:33 PM, Aditya Raj Kaul < > >> >> kauladityaraj at gmail.com > >> >> > > wrote: > >> >> > > >> >> >> I've filed no case against anybody. Stop spreading rumors. > >> >> >> > >> >> >> Talking of fiction-writer Arundhati Roy and her gang mates who > >> >> >> participated > >> >> >> at the Delhi seminar, there is a fit case against them on various > >> >> grounds. > >> >> >> Not just sedition. Let the Court take care of rest. > >> >> >> > >> >> >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 5:53 PM, anupam chakravartty < > >> >> c.anupam at gmail.com > >> >> >> >wrote: > >> >> >> > >> >> >> > Having business relationship with Kashmiris, personally Samvit, > is > >> >> not > >> >> >> what > >> >> >> > I look forward to. There is no need for me to think of it as a > >> real > >> >> >> estate > >> >> >> > property unlike you all advocating Panun Kashmir in the same > vein. > >> If > >> >> >> you > >> >> >> > consider yourself as a Kashmiri, then I guess you should have > been > >> >> able > >> >> >> to > >> >> >> > speak against the fortress erected by armed forces, the > >> >> mis-governance > >> >> >> by > >> >> >> > subsequent Indian governments, the gross human rights > violations. > >> >> >> > Sub-nationalism, anti nationalism feeds on these things.You > >> explore > >> >> this > >> >> >> > problem as an anti-India issue, when you have the option of > >> speaking > >> >> up > >> >> >> > against violations by the successive governments while at the > same > >> >> time, > >> >> >> > supporting the steps taken to resolve this crisis. Look what you > >> >> offered > >> >> >> > just now as a counter: Panun Kashmir. > >> >> >> > > >> >> >> > anupam > >> >> >> > > >> >> >> > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 5:41 PM, Samvit > >> wrote: > >> >> >> > > >> >> >> > > Oh yes Anupam, you forgot about the Goshtabas that she was > >> feasting > >> >> on > >> >> >> > > after she spoke at the Aazadi seminar. In KAshmir it is called > >> >> >> > > Goshtaba diplomacy. Arundhati knows nothing about Kashmir or > >> >> >> > > Kashmiries. She is a fly by night operator and has no business > >> in > >> >> the > >> >> >> > > Valley. She and people like you try to use your verbal > jugglery > >> to > >> >> >> > > promote an anti India agenda. The fact is that Article 370 > does > >> not > >> >> >> > > allow people like you to have any business with us Kashmiries. > >> It > >> >> is > >> >> >> > > our land and that is what it stays. We will make Panun Kashmir > >> out > >> >> of > >> >> >> > > it even thought it may take hundreds of years. If there is > >> anyone > >> >> on > >> >> >> > > this forum who needs to zip up it is Arundhati's cronies who > are > >> on > >> >> >> > > the payroll of many organizations. Also, I removed the garb of > >> >> >> > > Arundhati being a pro-poor because she wears western > bourgeoisie > >> >> >> > > outfits and goes to expensive gyms. And when she has to > address > >> >> the > >> >> >> > > media she will wear a khadi/cotton sari. You twisted these > words > >> to > >> >> >> > > say that I indulged in a "perverted imagination". You are a > >> classic > >> >> >> > > case of Sawan ke andhe ko sab hara hi hara nazar aata hai. > >> (Hindi). > >> >> >> > > One who goes blind in spring, sees only greenery all around!!! > >> >> >> > > -SR > >> >> >> > > > >> >> >> > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:54 PM, anupam chakravartty < > >> >> >> c.anupam at gmail.com > >> >> >> > > > >> >> >> > > wrote: > >> >> >> > > > Defensive? I used the word "shame". Unlike yours, My hands > are > >> >> tied > >> >> >> in > >> >> >> > my > >> >> >> > > > efforts to understand the complexity of issues in this > >> country. > >> >> >> Sadly, > >> >> >> > > when > >> >> >> > > > a writer addresses this issues, and expresses her views, she > >> is > >> >> >> > vilified > >> >> >> > > to > >> >> >> > > > the extant that she becomes the subject of your perverted > >> >> >> imagination, > >> >> >> > > > Samvit. Her house, where she dwells becomes the object of > your > >> >> >> > scrutiny. > >> >> >> > > BUT > >> >> >> > > > NOT KASHMIR. BUT NOT AFSPA. So why should states from North > >> East, > >> >> >> the > >> >> >> > > state > >> >> >> > > > of Kashmir demand secession from the Indian state? I dont > have > >> to > >> >> >> look > >> >> >> > at > >> >> >> > > > historical examples. Your attitudes, Aditya Raj Kaul's > >> attitude > >> >> >> speaks > >> >> >> > > > volumes. This is your two paisa bit that you do to counter > >> >> someone's > >> >> >> > > > statements. it is SHAME, Samvit. Please do not give me the > >> >> example > >> >> >> of > >> >> >> > the > >> >> >> > > > democratic set up of this country. > >> >> >> > > > > >> >> >> > > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:38 PM, Samvit > >> >> wrote: > >> >> >> > > >> > >> >> >> > > >> I know neither Aditya or nor anyone else on this forum but > I > >> am > >> >> >> > > >> surprised that if Aditya has registered a complaint why > >> should > >> >> >> people > >> >> >> > > >> get so defensive. We have a democratic setup and he has > every > >> >> right > >> >> >> to > >> >> >> > > >> go to the court. Similarly, Arundhati and others have every > >> >> right > >> >> >> to > >> >> >> > > >> defend themselves. The Indian judicial system is a > multi-tier > >> >> >> process > >> >> >> > > >> just for the sake that justice should be done. Why is such > a > >> >> fuss > >> >> >> > > >> being made about it. This is a simple process. We must > >> respect > >> >> the > >> >> >> law > >> >> >> > > >> of the land and if we don't we should be ready to face the > >> >> >> > > >> consqueunces. We all make our choices and have to live by > >> them. > >> >> >> > > >> -SR > >> >> >> > > >> > >> >> >> > > >> > >> >> >> > > >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:31 PM, anupam chakravartty < > >> >> >> > > c.anupam at gmail.com> > >> >> >> > > >> wrote: > >> >> >> > > >> > It shameful that Aditya Raj Kaul, who is hell bent on > >> >> producing > >> >> >> > false > >> >> >> > > >> > reports on any issue he feels like has also named one of > >> the > >> >> list > >> >> >> > > >> > members in > >> >> >> > > >> > the complaint, out of his desperation and his > understanding > >> of > >> >> >> the > >> >> >> > > >> > Kashmir > >> >> >> > > >> > issue. > >> >> >> > > >> > > >> >> >> > > >> > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:24 PM, Ana Valdés < > >> >> agora158 at gmail.com> > >> >> >> > > wrote: > >> >> >> > > >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> Sorry but I want now to unsubscribe from these list. If > >> >> memberrs > >> >> >> of > >> >> >> > > >> >> this > >> >> >> > > >> >> list has done that they have shown a flagrant disrespect > >> tor > >> >> the > >> >> >> > > rights > >> >> >> > > >> >> of > >> >> >> > > >> >> a > >> >> >> > > >> >> writer to speak freely and to to express its opinions. > >> >> >> > > >> >> A person using the Sate recourses, police and judges to > do > >> >> that, > >> >> >> > has > >> >> >> > > no > >> >> >> > > >> >> right to belong to this list, but since I am not the > >> >> moderator I > >> >> >> > > choose > >> >> >> > > >> >> ,myself to go and to leave you all with such despicable > >> >> >> > > interlocutors. > >> >> >> > > >> >> Ana > >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 8:40 AM, Jeebesh < > >> jeebesh at sarai.net> > >> >> >> > wrote: > >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> > dear All, > >> >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > > >> >> >> > > >> >> >> > >> >> > >> > http://www.mid-day.com/news/2010/nov/301110-News-Delhi-FIR-Kashmiri-separatist-leader-Syed-Ali-Geelani-Arundhati-Roy-sedition.htm > >> >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> > Members of this list are behind the private complaint > >> that > >> >> has > >> >> >> > > pushed > >> >> >> > > >> >> > the > >> >> >> > > >> >> > courts to get an FIR lodged. > >> >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> > There are member of this list who are named in the > FIR. > >> >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> > So, dear list members, the online and offline flows > >> >> entangles > >> >> >> > each > >> >> >> > > >> >> > other. > >> >> >> > > >> >> > Lets think hard. > >> >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> > warmly > >> >> >> > > >> >> > jeebesh > >> >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> > _________________________________________ > >> >> >> > > >> >> > 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/> > >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> -- > >> >> >> > > >> >> http://anavaldes.wordpress.com > >> >> >> > > >> >> http://passagenwerk.wordpress.com > >> >> >> > > >> >> http://caravia.stumbleupon.com > >> >> >> > > >> >> http://www.crusading.se > >> >> >> > > >> >> Gondolgatan 2 l tr > >> >> >> > > >> >> 12832 Skarpnäck > >> >> >> > > >> >> Sweden > >> >> >> > > >> >> tel +468-943288 > >> >> >> > > >> >> mobil 4670-3213370 > >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> "When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk > >> the > >> >> >> earth > >> >> >> > > with > >> >> >> > > >> >> your > >> >> >> > > >> >> eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there > you > >> >> will > >> >> >> > > always > >> >> >> > > >> >> long > >> >> >> > > >> >> to return. > >> >> >> > > >> >> — Leonardo da Vinci > >> >> >> > > >> >> _________________________________________ > >> >> >> > > >> >> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the > >> city. > >> >> >> > > >> >> Critiques & Collaborations > >> >> >> > > >> >> To subscribe: send an email to > >> >> reader-list-request at sarai.netwith > >> >> >> > > >> >> subscribe in the subject header. > >> >> >> > > >> >> To unsubscribe: > >> >> >> > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > >> >> >> > > >> >> List archive: < > >> >> https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/ > >> >> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> > _________________________________________ > >> >> >> > > >> > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the > city. > >> >> >> > > >> > Critiques & Collaborations > >> >> >> > > >> > To subscribe: send an email to > >> >> reader-list-request at sarai.netwith > >> >> >> > > >> > subscribe in the subject header. > >> >> >> > > >> > To unsubscribe: > >> >> >> https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > >> >> >> > > >> > List archive: < > >> >> https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > >> >> >> > > > > >> >> >> > > > > >> >> >> > > > >> >> >> > _________________________________________ > >> >> >> > 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/ > > > >> >> >> > > >> >> >> > >> >> >> > >> >> >> > >> >> >> -- > >> >> >> Aditya Raj Kaul > >> >> >> > >> >> >> India Editor > >> >> >> The Indian, Australia > >> >> >> > >> >> >> > >> >> >> Blog: http://activistsdiary.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/> > >> >> >> > >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> > >> >> -- > >> >> Aditya Raj Kaul > >> >> > >> >> India Editor > >> >> The Indian, Australia > >> >> > >> >> Blog: http://activistsdiary.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/> > >> >> > >> > > >> > > >> > >> > >> -- > >> Aditya Raj Kaul > >> > >> India Editor > >> The Indian, Australia > >> > >> Blog: http://activistsdiary.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/> > >> > > > > > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > 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 kamalhak at gmail.com Wed Dec 1 12:04:09 2010 From: kamalhak at gmail.com (kamalhak at gmail.com) Date: Wed, 1 Dec 2010 06:34:09 +0000 Subject: [Reader-list] FIR and this list In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <1728013522-1291185118-cardhu_decombobulator_blackberry.rim.net-1762864953-@b11.c1.bise7.blackberry> Dear Samvit, I think you overlooked to mention Panun Kashmir will also be a geographical territory fully integrated with India. And this is the position that creates problems for our vociferous friends on the list. Regards, Kamal Hak Sent from BlackBerry® on Airtel -----Original Message----- From: Samvit Sender: reader-list-bounces at sarai.net Date: Wed, 1 Dec 2010 11:40:27 To: anupam chakravartty Cc: sarai list Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FIR and this list Anupam, Panun kashmir will be a place where all people irrespective of their faith, caste, sexual orientation/preference will live in peace and harmony. Everyone will have the right to preach/practice their belief. There will be no place for voilence in PK. I hope that answers your question. If there is anything else do let me know and I will try my best to clarify any doubt. Thanks, -Samvit On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 11:29 AM, anupam chakravartty wrote: > Samvit, > > My ideals might be utopian. But what about your idea of a nation state sir. > You havent been able to answer a single question that emerged out of this > debate. Why are you mindlessly traversing through JNU/Bolivia/leftist > guerilla? If the only set of people who speak for those who have been > harassed, who fall prey to perversion of nation, are leftist guerillas, > then > i am with them. Call the police now. > > Anupam > > On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 11:25 AM, anupam chakravartty >wrote: > > > My dearest Aditya > > > > Then keep your statements to the court of law. Else just pray and hope > that > > people who term as ignorant do not file a contempt of court against you. > > Good day! > > > > Anupam > > > > > > On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 11:21 AM, Aditya Raj Kaul < > kauladityaraj at gmail.com>wrote: > > > >> My dearest Anupam.. I'll substantiate in the court of law if called as a > >> witness. Do you relate so much with the term 'pain mob'? Just curious. > >> > >> Much love > >> > >> On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 11:02 AM, anupam chakravartty < > c.anupam at gmail.com > >> >wrote: > >> > >> > aditya, > >> > Seeking court order is the easiest thing in this country. how do you > >> > substantiate "paid mob"? where is your proof? who has paid them? > >> > > >> > anupam > >> > > >> > On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 10:49 AM, Aditya Raj Kaul < > >> kauladityaraj at gmail.com>wrote: > >> > > >> >> Aaarti, you can continue to imagine whatever you want.. just that by > >> that > >> >> imagination you may never be able to change a hypocrite Arundhati Roy > >> and > >> >> her men on this forum. Court order is a setback to her paid mob on > this > >> >> forum and otherwise. > >> >> > >> >> On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 10:40 AM, Aarti Sethi > >> >> wrote: > >> >> > >> >> > Dear Aditya, > >> >> > > >> >> > Spreading rumours is your forte. We would never presume to usurp > your > >> >> > distinguished position as the prime spreader of defamatory slander > >> and > >> >> lies. > >> >> > So don't worry. > >> >> > > >> >> > warm regards > >> >> > Aarti > >> >> > > >> >> > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 11:33 PM, Aditya Raj Kaul < > >> >> kauladityaraj at gmail.com > >> >> > > wrote: > >> >> > > >> >> >> I've filed no case against anybody. Stop spreading rumors. > >> >> >> > >> >> >> Talking of fiction-writer Arundhati Roy and her gang mates who > >> >> >> participated > >> >> >> at the Delhi seminar, there is a fit case against them on various > >> >> grounds. > >> >> >> Not just sedition. Let the Court take care of rest. > >> >> >> > >> >> >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 5:53 PM, anupam chakravartty < > >> >> c.anupam at gmail.com > >> >> >> >wrote: > >> >> >> > >> >> >> > Having business relationship with Kashmiris, personally Samvit, > is > >> >> not > >> >> >> what > >> >> >> > I look forward to. There is no need for me to think of it as a > >> real > >> >> >> estate > >> >> >> > property unlike you all advocating Panun Kashmir in the same > vein. > >> If > >> >> >> you > >> >> >> > consider yourself as a Kashmiri, then I guess you should have > been > >> >> able > >> >> >> to > >> >> >> > speak against the fortress erected by armed forces, the > >> >> mis-governance > >> >> >> by > >> >> >> > subsequent Indian governments, the gross human rights > violations. > >> >> >> > Sub-nationalism, anti nationalism feeds on these things.You > >> explore > >> >> this > >> >> >> > problem as an anti-India issue, when you have the option of > >> speaking > >> >> up > >> >> >> > against violations by the successive governments while at the > same > >> >> time, > >> >> >> > supporting the steps taken to resolve this crisis. Look what you > >> >> offered > >> >> >> > just now as a counter: Panun Kashmir. > >> >> >> > > >> >> >> > anupam > >> >> >> > > >> >> >> > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 5:41 PM, Samvit > >> wrote: > >> >> >> > > >> >> >> > > Oh yes Anupam, you forgot about the Goshtabas that she was > >> feasting > >> >> on > >> >> >> > > after she spoke at the Aazadi seminar. In KAshmir it is called > >> >> >> > > Goshtaba diplomacy. Arundhati knows nothing about Kashmir or > >> >> >> > > Kashmiries. She is a fly by night operator and has no business > >> in > >> >> the > >> >> >> > > Valley. She and people like you try to use your verbal > jugglery > >> to > >> >> >> > > promote an anti India agenda. The fact is that Article 370 > does > >> not > >> >> >> > > allow people like you to have any business with us Kashmiries. > >> It > >> >> is > >> >> >> > > our land and that is what it stays. We will make Panun Kashmir > >> out > >> >> of > >> >> >> > > it even thought it may take hundreds of years. If there is > >> anyone > >> >> on > >> >> >> > > this forum who needs to zip up it is Arundhati's cronies who > are > >> on > >> >> >> > > the payroll of many organizations. Also, I removed the garb of > >> >> >> > > Arundhati being a pro-poor because she wears western > bourgeoisie > >> >> >> > > outfits and goes to expensive gyms. And when she has to > address > >> >> the > >> >> >> > > media she will wear a khadi/cotton sari. You twisted these > words > >> to > >> >> >> > > say that I indulged in a "perverted imagination". You are a > >> classic > >> >> >> > > case of Sawan ke andhe ko sab hara hi hara nazar aata hai. > >> (Hindi). > >> >> >> > > One who goes blind in spring, sees only greenery all around!!! > >> >> >> > > -SR > >> >> >> > > > >> >> >> > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:54 PM, anupam chakravartty < > >> >> >> c.anupam at gmail.com > >> >> >> > > > >> >> >> > > wrote: > >> >> >> > > > Defensive? I used the word "shame". Unlike yours, My hands > are > >> >> tied > >> >> >> in > >> >> >> > my > >> >> >> > > > efforts to understand the complexity of issues in this > >> country. > >> >> >> Sadly, > >> >> >> > > when > >> >> >> > > > a writer addresses this issues, and expresses her views, she > >> is > >> >> >> > vilified > >> >> >> > > to > >> >> >> > > > the extant that she becomes the subject of your perverted > >> >> >> imagination, > >> >> >> > > > Samvit. Her house, where she dwells becomes the object of > your > >> >> >> > scrutiny. > >> >> >> > > BUT > >> >> >> > > > NOT KASHMIR. BUT NOT AFSPA. So why should states from North > >> East, > >> >> >> the > >> >> >> > > state > >> >> >> > > > of Kashmir demand secession from the Indian state? I dont > have > >> to > >> >> >> look > >> >> >> > at > >> >> >> > > > historical examples. Your attitudes, Aditya Raj Kaul's > >> attitude > >> >> >> speaks > >> >> >> > > > volumes. This is your two paisa bit that you do to counter > >> >> someone's > >> >> >> > > > statements. it is SHAME, Samvit. Please do not give me the > >> >> example > >> >> >> of > >> >> >> > the > >> >> >> > > > democratic set up of this country. > >> >> >> > > > > >> >> >> > > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:38 PM, Samvit > >> >> wrote: > >> >> >> > > >> > >> >> >> > > >> I know neither Aditya or nor anyone else on this forum but > I > >> am > >> >> >> > > >> surprised that if Aditya has registered a complaint why > >> should > >> >> >> people > >> >> >> > > >> get so defensive. We have a democratic setup and he has > every > >> >> right > >> >> >> to > >> >> >> > > >> go to the court. Similarly, Arundhati and others have every > >> >> right > >> >> >> to > >> >> >> > > >> defend themselves. The Indian judicial system is a > multi-tier > >> >> >> process > >> >> >> > > >> just for the sake that justice should be done. Why is such > a > >> >> fuss > >> >> >> > > >> being made about it. This is a simple process. We must > >> respect > >> >> the > >> >> >> law > >> >> >> > > >> of the land and if we don't we should be ready to face the > >> >> >> > > >> consqueunces. We all make our choices and have to live by > >> them. > >> >> >> > > >> -SR > >> >> >> > > >> > >> >> >> > > >> > >> >> >> > > >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:31 PM, anupam chakravartty < > >> >> >> > > c.anupam at gmail.com> > >> >> >> > > >> wrote: > >> >> >> > > >> > It shameful that Aditya Raj Kaul, who is hell bent on > >> >> producing > >> >> >> > false > >> >> >> > > >> > reports on any issue he feels like has also named one of > >> the > >> >> list > >> >> >> > > >> > members in > >> >> >> > > >> > the complaint, out of his desperation and his > understanding > >> of > >> >> >> the > >> >> >> > > >> > Kashmir > >> >> >> > > >> > issue. > >> >> >> > > >> > > >> >> >> > > >> > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:24 PM, Ana Valdés < > >> >> agora158 at gmail.com> > >> >> >> > > wrote: > >> >> >> > > >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> Sorry but I want now to unsubscribe from these list. If > >> >> memberrs > >> >> >> of > >> >> >> > > >> >> this > >> >> >> > > >> >> list has done that they have shown a flagrant disrespect > >> tor > >> >> the > >> >> >> > > rights > >> >> >> > > >> >> of > >> >> >> > > >> >> a > >> >> >> > > >> >> writer to speak freely and to to express its opinions. > >> >> >> > > >> >> A person using the Sate recourses, police and judges to > do > >> >> that, > >> >> >> > has > >> >> >> > > no > >> >> >> > > >> >> right to belong to this list, but since I am not the > >> >> moderator I > >> >> >> > > choose > >> >> >> > > >> >> ,myself to go and to leave you all with such despicable > >> >> >> > > interlocutors. > >> >> >> > > >> >> Ana > >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 8:40 AM, Jeebesh < > >> jeebesh at sarai.net> > >> >> >> > wrote: > >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> > dear All, > >> >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > > >> >> >> > > >> >> >> > >> >> > >> > http://www.mid-day.com/news/2010/nov/301110-News-Delhi-FIR-Kashmiri-separatist-leader-Syed-Ali-Geelani-Arundhati-Roy-sedition.htm > >> >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> > Members of this list are behind the private complaint > >> that > >> >> has > >> >> >> > > pushed > >> >> >> > > >> >> > the > >> >> >> > > >> >> > courts to get an FIR lodged. > >> >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> > There are member of this list who are named in the > FIR. > >> >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> > So, dear list members, the online and offline flows > >> >> entangles > >> >> >> > each > >> >> >> > > >> >> > other. > >> >> >> > > >> >> > Lets think hard. > >> >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> > warmly > >> >> >> > > >> >> > jeebesh > >> >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> > _________________________________________ > >> >> >> > > >> >> > 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/> > >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> -- > >> >> >> > > >> >> http://anavaldes.wordpress.com > >> >> >> > > >> >> http://passagenwerk.wordpress.com > >> >> >> > > >> >> http://caravia.stumbleupon.com > >> >> >> > > >> >> http://www.crusading.se > >> >> >> > > >> >> Gondolgatan 2 l tr > >> >> >> > > >> >> 12832 Skarpnäck > >> >> >> > > >> >> Sweden > >> >> >> > > >> >> tel +468-943288 > >> >> >> > > >> >> mobil 4670-3213370 > >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> >> "When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk > >> the > >> >> >> earth > >> >> >> > > with > >> >> >> > > >> >> your > >> >> >> > > >> >> eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there > you > >> >> will > >> >> >> > > always > >> >> >> > > >> >> long > >> >> >> > > >> >> to return. > >> >> >> > > >> >> — Leonardo da Vinci > >> >> >> > > >> >> _________________________________________ > >> >> >> > > >> >> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the > >> city. > >> >> >> > > >> >> Critiques & Collaborations > >> >> >> > > >> >> To subscribe: send an email to > >> >> reader-list-request at sarai.netwith > >> >> >> > > >> >> subscribe in the subject header. > >> >> >> > > >> >> To unsubscribe: > >> >> >> > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > >> >> >> > > >> >> List archive: < > >> >> https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/ > >> >> >> > > >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> > > >> > _________________________________________ > >> >> >> > > >> > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the > city. > >> >> >> > > >> > Critiques & Collaborations > >> >> >> > > >> > To subscribe: send an email to > >> >> reader-list-request at sarai.netwith > >> >> >> > > >> > subscribe in the subject header. > >> >> >> > > >> > To unsubscribe: > >> >> >> https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > >> >> >> > > >> > List archive: < > >> >> https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > >> >> >> > > > > >> >> >> > > > > >> >> >> > > > >> >> >> > _________________________________________ > >> >> >> > 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/ > > > >> >> >> > > >> >> >> > >> >> >> > >> >> >> > >> >> >> -- > >> >> >> Aditya Raj Kaul > >> >> >> > >> >> >> India Editor > >> >> >> The Indian, Australia > >> >> >> > >> >> >> > >> >> >> Blog: http://activistsdiary.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/> > >> >> >> > >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> > >> >> -- > >> >> Aditya Raj Kaul > >> >> > >> >> India Editor > >> >> The Indian, Australia > >> >> > >> >> Blog: http://activistsdiary.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/> > >> >> > >> > > >> > > >> > >> > >> -- > >> Aditya Raj Kaul > >> > >> India Editor > >> The Indian, Australia > >> > >> Blog: http://activistsdiary.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/> > >> > > > > > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > 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 Dec 1 12:42:37 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Wed, 1 Dec 2010 12:42:37 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FIR and this list In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Samvit, I want to thank you for stating what you have stated about PK. I appreciate the directness of your words. However, you still have not said anything about your previous statements: "Oh yes Anupam, you forgot about the Goshtabas that she was feasting on after she spoke at the Aazadi seminar. In KAshmir it is called Goshtaba diplomacy." How is Goshtaba diplomacy connected to what you have said just now for Panun Kashmir? "She is a fly by night operator and has no business in the Valley. She and people like you try to use your verbal jugglery to promote an anti India agenda." How have you decided in the above statement that people like me are promoting anti India agenda? What were your grounds, to be precise? So far, you have associated me with JNU and smoking hashish, bolivian leftist guerillas. (apologies if i am missing out on something else. You know what, i feel really kicked when you associate me with these things because I am just a regular guy with an irregular job. And yes I engage in debauchery when I am drunk just like millions in this country. Please do not think only JNU students are capable of that.) I believe in an oppressive state, any one who is speaking about masses, making some observations about the general state of rot in any country of this world are labelled as activists. that is where intelligence fails and categorization happens, even before the issue is addressed. "Also, I removed the garb of Arundhati being a pro-poor because she wears western bourgeoisie outfits and goes to expensive gyms." As far as I can recollect, you used the word 'skimpy' in an earlier reply which is why I called you a pervert. Yes, such observations on people are perverse. Also, DOES OUR GOVERNMENT LISTEN TO THE POOR? When did Arundhati Roy or any of her supporters say that "hey we are poor" and then they were caught on a tape with tonnes of money. for all you know, these people are paying taxes for every single book they are selling. it was shameful for MP government, which is worst when it comes to the implementation of Forest Rights Act, to have overtly pursued Roy's husband's house. You know what message comes when I read about such actions by democratically elected governments, that there is no space for people to speak or express their angst. it is better, if they pick up guns, explode a few bombs. only then they hear that we are slowly dying a death as a country. these writers and their supporters who you attack with your observations, are demanding the rights of people who have been forced to be poor, while Ratan Tata in an interview says Obama administration that India has emerged. emerged from where? an industrialist making such a statement is unfortunately becomes the headline for a newspaper but a writer using all her prowess to explore the psyches those who decided to explode the bombs to attract attention (may be tired of shouting and screaming for years) is vilified. what are these strange times? And you accuse me of being utopian. poverty being a condition that persists because those alternatives through which the poor may have used their potential to earn their livelihood was not given to them. that way, all the politicians from all hues who launch pro poor scheme should be default go to jails when a scam in any of these schemes break out. howcome its you Samvit who sees that someone who is writing, exploring such social stigmas cannot do what they like in their personal lives. it is not as if such writers or social workers are violating your personal rights. is Arundhati Roy or her supporters encroaching your house or your comfort? or are you generally, in that soap opera bahu style jealous of them because they are speaking up for the poor of this country and not you? What would be the connection to her being anti India, wearing 'western outfits' to gymnasium, what you have just stated about Panun Kashmir, and what I had asked you: your idea of a nation? lastly, "you seems to have a fetish of questioning people who do not agree with you" Why should not i question? in agreement, there is understanding. In disagreement, there is no understanding. so let me understand, where this is coming from. Anupam On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 11:40 AM, Samvit wrote: > Anupam, > Panun kashmir will be a place where all people irrespective of their faith, > caste, sexual orientation/preference will live in peace and harmony. > Everyone will have the right to preach/practice their belief. There will be > no place for voilence in PK. > I hope that answers your question. If there is anything else do let me know > and I will try my best to clarify any doubt. > > Thanks, > -Samvit > > On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 11:29 AM, anupam chakravartty wrote: > >> Samvit, >> >> My ideals might be utopian. But what about your idea of a nation state >> sir. >> You havent been able to answer a single question that emerged out of this >> debate. Why are you mindlessly traversing through JNU/Bolivia/leftist >> guerilla? If the only set of people who speak for those who have been >> harassed, who fall prey to perversion of nation, are leftist guerillas, >> then >> i am with them. Call the police now. >> >> Anupam >> >> On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 11:25 AM, anupam chakravartty > >wrote: >> >> > My dearest Aditya >> > >> > Then keep your statements to the court of law. Else just pray and hope >> that >> > people who term as ignorant do not file a contempt of court against you. >> > Good day! >> > >> > Anupam >> > >> > >> > On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 11:21 AM, Aditya Raj Kaul < >> kauladityaraj at gmail.com>wrote: >> > >> >> My dearest Anupam.. I'll substantiate in the court of law if called as >> a >> >> witness. Do you relate so much with the term 'pain mob'? Just curious. >> >> >> >> Much love >> >> >> >> On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 11:02 AM, anupam chakravartty < >> c.anupam at gmail.com >> >> >wrote: >> >> >> >> > aditya, >> >> > Seeking court order is the easiest thing in this country. how do you >> >> > substantiate "paid mob"? where is your proof? who has paid them? >> >> > >> >> > anupam >> >> > >> >> > On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 10:49 AM, Aditya Raj Kaul < >> >> kauladityaraj at gmail.com>wrote: >> >> > >> >> >> Aaarti, you can continue to imagine whatever you want.. just that by >> >> that >> >> >> imagination you may never be able to change a hypocrite Arundhati >> Roy >> >> and >> >> >> her men on this forum. Court order is a setback to her paid mob on >> this >> >> >> forum and otherwise. >> >> >> >> >> >> On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 10:40 AM, Aarti Sethi > > >> >> >> wrote: >> >> >> >> >> >> > Dear Aditya, >> >> >> > >> >> >> > Spreading rumours is your forte. We would never presume to usurp >> your >> >> >> > distinguished position as the prime spreader of defamatory slander >> >> and >> >> >> lies. >> >> >> > So don't worry. >> >> >> > >> >> >> > warm regards >> >> >> > Aarti >> >> >> > >> >> >> > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 11:33 PM, Aditya Raj Kaul < >> >> >> kauladityaraj at gmail.com >> >> >> > > wrote: >> >> >> > >> >> >> >> I've filed no case against anybody. Stop spreading rumors. >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> Talking of fiction-writer Arundhati Roy and her gang mates who >> >> >> >> participated >> >> >> >> at the Delhi seminar, there is a fit case against them on various >> >> >> grounds. >> >> >> >> Not just sedition. Let the Court take care of rest. >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 5:53 PM, anupam chakravartty < >> >> >> c.anupam at gmail.com >> >> >> >> >wrote: >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> > Having business relationship with Kashmiris, personally Samvit, >> is >> >> >> not >> >> >> >> what >> >> >> >> > I look forward to. There is no need for me to think of it as a >> >> real >> >> >> >> estate >> >> >> >> > property unlike you all advocating Panun Kashmir in the same >> vein. >> >> If >> >> >> >> you >> >> >> >> > consider yourself as a Kashmiri, then I guess you should have >> been >> >> >> able >> >> >> >> to >> >> >> >> > speak against the fortress erected by armed forces, the >> >> >> mis-governance >> >> >> >> by >> >> >> >> > subsequent Indian governments, the gross human rights >> violations. >> >> >> >> > Sub-nationalism, anti nationalism feeds on these things.You >> >> explore >> >> >> this >> >> >> >> > problem as an anti-India issue, when you have the option of >> >> speaking >> >> >> up >> >> >> >> > against violations by the successive governments while at the >> same >> >> >> time, >> >> >> >> > supporting the steps taken to resolve this crisis. Look what >> you >> >> >> offered >> >> >> >> > just now as a counter: Panun Kashmir. >> >> >> >> > >> >> >> >> > anupam >> >> >> >> > >> >> >> >> > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 5:41 PM, Samvit >> >> wrote: >> >> >> >> > >> >> >> >> > > Oh yes Anupam, you forgot about the Goshtabas that she was >> >> feasting >> >> >> on >> >> >> >> > > after she spoke at the Aazadi seminar. In KAshmir it is >> called >> >> >> >> > > Goshtaba diplomacy. Arundhati knows nothing about Kashmir or >> >> >> >> > > Kashmiries. She is a fly by night operator and has no >> business >> >> in >> >> >> the >> >> >> >> > > Valley. She and people like you try to use your verbal >> jugglery >> >> to >> >> >> >> > > promote an anti India agenda. The fact is that Article 370 >> does >> >> not >> >> >> >> > > allow people like you to have any business with us >> Kashmiries. >> >> It >> >> >> is >> >> >> >> > > our land and that is what it stays. We will make Panun >> Kashmir >> >> out >> >> >> of >> >> >> >> > > it even thought it may take hundreds of years. If there is >> >> anyone >> >> >> on >> >> >> >> > > this forum who needs to zip up it is Arundhati's cronies who >> are >> >> on >> >> >> >> > > the payroll of many organizations. Also, I removed the garb >> of >> >> >> >> > > Arundhati being a pro-poor because she wears western >> bourgeoisie >> >> >> >> > > outfits and goes to expensive gyms. And when she has to >> address >> >> >> the >> >> >> >> > > media she will wear a khadi/cotton sari. You twisted these >> words >> >> to >> >> >> >> > > say that I indulged in a "perverted imagination". You are a >> >> classic >> >> >> >> > > case of Sawan ke andhe ko sab hara hi hara nazar aata hai. >> >> (Hindi). >> >> >> >> > > One who goes blind in spring, sees only greenery all >> around!!! >> >> >> >> > > -SR >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:54 PM, anupam chakravartty < >> >> >> >> c.anupam at gmail.com >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> > > wrote: >> >> >> >> > > > Defensive? I used the word "shame". Unlike yours, My hands >> are >> >> >> tied >> >> >> >> in >> >> >> >> > my >> >> >> >> > > > efforts to understand the complexity of issues in this >> >> country. >> >> >> >> Sadly, >> >> >> >> > > when >> >> >> >> > > > a writer addresses this issues, and expresses her views, >> she >> >> is >> >> >> >> > vilified >> >> >> >> > > to >> >> >> >> > > > the extant that she becomes the subject of your perverted >> >> >> >> imagination, >> >> >> >> > > > Samvit. Her house, where she dwells becomes the object of >> your >> >> >> >> > scrutiny. >> >> >> >> > > BUT >> >> >> >> > > > NOT KASHMIR. BUT NOT AFSPA. So why should states from North >> >> East, >> >> >> >> the >> >> >> >> > > state >> >> >> >> > > > of Kashmir demand secession from the Indian state? I dont >> have >> >> to >> >> >> >> look >> >> >> >> > at >> >> >> >> > > > historical examples. Your attitudes, Aditya Raj Kaul's >> >> attitude >> >> >> >> speaks >> >> >> >> > > > volumes. This is your two paisa bit that you do to counter >> >> >> someone's >> >> >> >> > > > statements. it is SHAME, Samvit. Please do not give me the >> >> >> example >> >> >> >> of >> >> >> >> > the >> >> >> >> > > > democratic set up of this country. >> >> >> >> > > > >> >> >> >> > > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:38 PM, Samvit > > >> >> >> wrote: >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> >> > > >> I know neither Aditya or nor anyone else on this forum but >> I >> >> am >> >> >> >> > > >> surprised that if Aditya has registered a complaint why >> >> should >> >> >> >> people >> >> >> >> > > >> get so defensive. We have a democratic setup and he has >> every >> >> >> right >> >> >> >> to >> >> >> >> > > >> go to the court. Similarly, Arundhati and others have >> every >> >> >> right >> >> >> >> to >> >> >> >> > > >> defend themselves. The Indian judicial system is a >> multi-tier >> >> >> >> process >> >> >> >> > > >> just for the sake that justice should be done. Why is such >> a >> >> >> fuss >> >> >> >> > > >> being made about it. This is a simple process. We must >> >> respect >> >> >> the >> >> >> >> law >> >> >> >> > > >> of the land and if we don't we should be ready to face the >> >> >> >> > > >> consqueunces. We all make our choices and have to live by >> >> them. >> >> >> >> > > >> -SR >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> >> > > >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:31 PM, anupam chakravartty < >> >> >> >> > > c.anupam at gmail.com> >> >> >> >> > > >> wrote: >> >> >> >> > > >> > It shameful that Aditya Raj Kaul, who is hell bent on >> >> >> producing >> >> >> >> > false >> >> >> >> > > >> > reports on any issue he feels like has also named one of >> >> the >> >> >> list >> >> >> >> > > >> > members in >> >> >> >> > > >> > the complaint, out of his desperation and his >> understanding >> >> of >> >> >> >> the >> >> >> >> > > >> > Kashmir >> >> >> >> > > >> > issue. >> >> >> >> > > >> > >> >> >> >> > > >> > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:24 PM, Ana Valdés < >> >> >> agora158 at gmail.com> >> >> >> >> > > wrote: >> >> >> >> > > >> > >> >> >> >> > > >> >> Sorry but I want now to unsubscribe from these list. If >> >> >> memberrs >> >> >> >> of >> >> >> >> > > >> >> this >> >> >> >> > > >> >> list has done that they have shown a flagrant >> disrespect >> >> tor >> >> >> the >> >> >> >> > > rights >> >> >> >> > > >> >> of >> >> >> >> > > >> >> a >> >> >> >> > > >> >> writer to speak freely and to to express its opinions. >> >> >> >> > > >> >> A person using the Sate recourses, police and judges to >> do >> >> >> that, >> >> >> >> > has >> >> >> >> > > no >> >> >> >> > > >> >> right to belong to this list, but since I am not the >> >> >> moderator I >> >> >> >> > > choose >> >> >> >> > > >> >> ,myself to go and to leave you all with such despicable >> >> >> >> > > interlocutors. >> >> >> >> > > >> >> Ana >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> >> >> > > >> >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 8:40 AM, Jeebesh < >> >> jeebesh at sarai.net> >> >> >> >> > wrote: >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> >> >> > > >> >> > dear All, >> >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> > >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> http://www.mid-day.com/news/2010/nov/301110-News-Delhi-FIR-Kashmiri-separatist-leader-Syed-Ali-Geelani-Arundhati-Roy-sedition.htm >> >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> >> > > >> >> > Members of this list are behind the private complaint >> >> that >> >> >> has >> >> >> >> > > pushed >> >> >> >> > > >> >> > the >> >> >> >> > > >> >> > courts to get an FIR lodged. >> >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> >> > > >> >> > There are member of this list who are named in the >> FIR. >> >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> >> > > >> >> > So, dear list members, the online and offline flows >> >> >> entangles >> >> >> >> > each >> >> >> >> > > >> >> > other. >> >> >> >> > > >> >> > Lets think hard. >> >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> >> > > >> >> > warmly >> >> >> >> > > >> >> > jeebesh >> >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> >> >> > > >> >> > _________________________________________ >> >> >> >> > > >> >> > 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/> >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> >> >> > > >> >> -- >> >> >> >> > > >> >> http://anavaldes.wordpress.com >> >> >> >> > > >> >> http://passagenwerk.wordpress.com >> >> >> >> > > >> >> http://caravia.stumbleupon.com >> >> >> >> > > >> >> http://www.crusading.se >> >> >> >> > > >> >> Gondolgatan 2 l tr >> >> >> >> > > >> >> 12832 Skarpnäck >> >> >> >> > > >> >> Sweden >> >> >> >> > > >> >> tel +468-943288 >> >> >> >> > > >> >> mobil 4670-3213370 >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> >> >> > > >> >> "When once you have tasted flight, you will forever >> walk >> >> the >> >> >> >> earth >> >> >> >> > > with >> >> >> >> > > >> >> your >> >> >> >> > > >> >> eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there >> you >> >> >> will >> >> >> >> > > always >> >> >> >> > > >> >> long >> >> >> >> > > >> >> to return. >> >> >> >> > > >> >> — Leonardo da Vinci >> >> >> >> > > >> >> _________________________________________ >> >> >> >> > > >> >> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the >> >> city. >> >> >> >> > > >> >> Critiques & Collaborations >> >> >> >> > > >> >> To subscribe: send an email to >> >> >> reader-list-request at sarai.netwith >> >> >> >> > > >> >> subscribe in the subject header. >> >> >> >> > > >> >> To unsubscribe: >> >> >> >> > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >> >> >> >> > > >> >> List archive: < >> >> >> https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/ >> >> >> >> > >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> >> >> > > >> > _________________________________________ >> >> >> >> > > >> > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the >> city. >> >> >> >> > > >> > Critiques & Collaborations >> >> >> >> > > >> > To subscribe: send an email to >> >> >> reader-list-request at sarai.netwith >> >> >> >> > > >> > subscribe in the subject header. >> >> >> >> > > >> > To unsubscribe: >> >> >> >> https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >> >> >> >> > > >> > List archive: < >> >> >> https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> >> >> >> >> > > > >> >> >> >> > > > >> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> > _________________________________________ >> >> >> >> > 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/> >> >> >> >> > >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> -- >> >> >> >> Aditya Raj Kaul >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> India Editor >> >> >> >> The Indian, Australia >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> Blog: http://activistsdiary.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.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/> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> > >> >> >> > >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> -- >> >> >> Aditya Raj Kaul >> >> >> >> >> >> India Editor >> >> >> The Indian, Australia >> >> >> >> >> >> Blog: http://activistsdiary.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/> >> >> >> >> >> > >> >> > >> >> >> >> >> >> -- >> >> Aditya Raj Kaul >> >> >> >> India Editor >> >> The Indian, Australia >> >> >> >> Blog: http://activistsdiary.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/> >> >> >> > >> > >> _________________________________________ >> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >> Critiques & Collaborations >> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with >> 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 aalok.aima at yahoo.com Wed Dec 1 15:46:40 2010 From: aalok.aima at yahoo.com (Aalok Aima) Date: Wed, 1 Dec 2010 10:16:40 +0000 (GMT) Subject: [Reader-list] HC prevents eviction of Kashmiri Pandits from govt quarters Message-ID: <390157.22723.qm@web29512.mail.ird.yahoo.com> Kudos to B L Wali who argued this case on behalf of the petitioners.   An extremely important judgment from Delhi High Court that carries significant observations on the Internal Displacement of Kashmiri Pandits out of Kashmir. In my opinion it will be a landmark judgment unless the remarks of the Judge are completely negated and rubbished by the Supreme Court.   "   It (the Court) further observed that the case is “testimony to events that lead to unprecedented ethnic cleansing of a minority community from the Kashmir Valley on account of the state’s inability to protect them and their property from violence, who as a result, were rendered homeless.”   "   "   “Such turmoil was faced by the minority community in the state of Jammu and Kashmir after December 1989,” the court added.   "   "  “The petitioners may be compelled to return to the violent situation, from which they were forced to flee. Forcing the petitioners to return to the area where they were persecuted violates the principles of International Law...,” the court said.   "   "  “Instead of facilitating the resettlement and rehabilitation of the petitioners, who are internally displaced persons as per the declared policy, they have been arbitrarily exposed to the additional trauma of the threat of forcible evictions and the uncertainty of seeking the adjudication by pursuing the litigation.  "     ........ aalok aima   http://www.indianexpress.com/news/hc-prevents-eviction-of-kashmiri-pandits-from-govt-quarters/718460/0   HC prevents eviction of Kashmiri Pandits from govt quarters   Wed Dec 01 2010 New Delhi:   The High Court, on Tuesday, restrained the Central Government from evicting Kashmiri Pandits, who had fled the Valley following the outbreak of militancy, from their government quarters after their retirement and directed it to provide them with alternative residences in the Capital. Stating that the right to shelter is a fundamental right, Justice Gita Mittal said that the displaced members of the community cannot be forced to leave as they would be unable to go back to the Valley in the present scenario, where the government is unable to ensure their safety.   The High Court pulled up the government for threatening to forcibly evict the Kashmiri Pandits, and directed it to pay a cost of Rs 25,000 to each of the 24 petitioners. The order came on a bunch of petitions by 24 Central Government employees, all Kashmiri Pandits, who were working in the Valley but had to be transferred to the Capital as they were being targeted by militants.   “The petitioners may be compelled to return to the violent situation, from which they were forced to flee. Forcing the petitioners to return to the area where they were persecuted violates the principles of International Law...,” the court said.   Setting aside the order cancelling the allotment to the petitioners, the court said that the judgement would be applicable in all such cases where the state has been unable to ensure safety of its people.   “Instead of facilitating the resettlement and rehabilitation of the petitioners, who are internally displaced persons as per the declared policy, they have been arbitrarily exposed to the additional trauma of the threat of forcible evictions and the uncertainty of seeking the adjudication by pursuing the litigation. In these circumstances, the petitioners are entitled to exemplary costs from the respondents...,” the court said.   It further observed that the case is “testimony to events that lead to unprecedented ethnic cleansing of a minority community from the Kashmir Valley on account of the state’s inability to protect them and their property from violence, who as a result, were rendered homeless.”   “Such turmoil was faced by the minority community in the state of Jammu and Kashmir after December 1989,” the court added. From peter.ksmtf at gmail.com Wed Dec 1 15:51:45 2010 From: peter.ksmtf at gmail.com (T Peter) Date: Wed, 1 Dec 2010 15:51:45 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Fish workers oppose use of Chinese engines In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Fish workers oppose use of Chinese engines http://www.thehindu.com/2010/11/28/stories/2010112854700700.htm Special Correspondent Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Swatantra Matsya Thozhilali Federation (KSMTF) has said the import of powerful Chinese inboard engines for sea going vessels will lead to unsustainable exploitation of fish stocks. A press release quoting KSMTF State president T. Peter and secretary Anto Elias said the arrival of about 500 Chinese engines had led to a crisis in the fisheries sector, threatening to affect the livelihood of fish workers. “There are over 5,000 trawlers, 13,000 fishing boats fitted with outboard engines and 500 with inboard engines, in addition to 7,000 catamarans and 5,000 other types of fishing vessels operating from Kerala. It is estimated that the existing fleet itself is responsible for over exploitation of fish stocks. The import of Chinese inboard engines capable of generating 240 to 440 horsepower will worsen the situation,” they said. The federation said the engines were capable of trawling the sea from the bottom to the surface, at a speed of 2.5 to 4.5 nautical miles, while other boats trawl the bottom at a speed of less than 2.5 nautical miles. The high powered engines, it said, would enable the vessels to carry out mid-water trawling and pelagic (surface) trawling as well. The leaders said such saturation trawling would have disastrous consequences for traditional fish workers. The federation urged the Centre and State governments for strict regulations on the operation of boats equipped with imported high powered Chinese engines. From pheeta.ram at gmail.com Wed Dec 1 16:45:26 2010 From: pheeta.ram at gmail.com (Pheeta Ram) Date: Wed, 1 Dec 2010 16:45:26 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] PUT ARUNDHATI IN JAIL ON SEDITION CHARGES! HURRAH! Message-ID: "Hungaama hai kyun barpa?" [Why all this hullabaloo...?] LET ARUNDHATI BE PUT IN JAIL ON SEDITION CHARGES. As someone said," Uska dimaag thikaane [thikaana: a place of security and responsibility; a greater proximity to the rooted reality, a sharper edge] aa jaegaa!" A stint in jail shall definitely bring a sharper and weighty edge to her writing. She shall find her 'thikaana' for sure which we have been feeling a sure lack of in most of her work. Let us all eagerly wait for her much anticipated next classic after The God of Small Things: "THE PRISON NOTEBOOKS by Arundhati Roy". Till then i should finish my "Intimations of a Nobel Prize: A Curious Tale of a Dumb/Smart State." Some point later in time, Wikileaks would release another batch of US Embassy (INDIA) files (titled: Indian State: Nobel Conspiracies) which would reveal to us United States' novel conspiracy theories as to how the Indian State, under a super-classified strategy, implicated Arundhati Roy in false 'sedition' charges in order to win another Nobel Prize for an Indian national who paradoxically claimed to be a 'mobile republic.' Cheers All Pheeta Ram From parvaizbukhari at gmail.com Wed Dec 1 16:54:51 2010 From: parvaizbukhari at gmail.com (Parvaiz Bukhari) Date: Wed, 1 Dec 2010 16:54:51 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] PUT ARUNDHATI IN JAIL ON SEDITION CHARGES! HURRAH! In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Absent conscience replaced by bad sense of humor...could this be an Indian theory??? On 1 December 2010 16:45, Pheeta Ram wrote: > "Hungaama hai kyun barpa?" > [Why all this hullabaloo...?] > > LET ARUNDHATI BE PUT IN JAIL ON SEDITION CHARGES. > > As someone said," Uska dimaag thikaane [thikaana: a place of security and > responsibility; a greater proximity to the rooted reality, a sharper edge] > aa jaegaa!" > > A stint in jail shall definitely bring a sharper and weighty edge to her > writing. She shall find her 'thikaana' for sure which we have been feeling > a sure lack of in most of her work. > > Let us all eagerly wait for her much anticipated next classic after The God > of Small Things: "THE PRISON NOTEBOOKS by Arundhati Roy". > > Till then i should finish my "Intimations of a Nobel Prize: A Curious Tale > of a Dumb/Smart State." Some point later in time, Wikileaks would release > another batch of US Embassy (INDIA) files (titled: Indian State: Nobel > Conspiracies) which would reveal to us United States' novel conspiracy > theories as to how the Indian State, under a super-classified strategy, > implicated Arundhati Roy in false 'sedition' charges in order to win > another > Nobel Prize for an Indian national who paradoxically claimed to be a > 'mobile > republic.' > > Cheers All > > Pheeta Ram > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > 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 aalok.aima at yahoo.com Wed Dec 1 18:33:52 2010 From: aalok.aima at yahoo.com (Aalok Aima) Date: Wed, 1 Dec 2010 13:03:52 +0000 (GMT) Subject: [Reader-list] justice gita mittal (of 'ethnic cleansing of kashmiri pandits' judgement) Message-ID: <349489.67745.qm@web29501.mail.ird.yahoo.com> justice gita mittal delivered the judgement wherein she remarks:   " unprecedented ethnic cleansing of a minority community from the Kashmir Valley on account of the state’s inability to protect them and their property from violence, who as a result, were rendered homeless"   does justice gita mittal have an ideological bias that can be gleaned from earlier judgements/comments by her? is she some kind of a hindutvavaadi? an RSS stooge? a fascist?     THE NAZ FOUNDATION CASE http://www.iawj.org/what/seouldocs/10bmittal.pdf   in her note " Inclusiveness and the Indian Constitution" justice gita mittal examines the judgement by Chief Justice A.P. Shah & Justice (Dr.)S. Muralidhar of delhi high court and celebrates it with the comment:    "The path breaking judgment of the Delhi High Court has relied on ..... well settled principles in upholding the right to equality, non-discrimination, liberty, health of the homosexual community in India."     PASSPORTS OF CHILDREN OF Mohd. Ahmed Dossa ACCUSED IN 1993 MUMBAI BLAST CASE http://www.hindu.com/2008/06/02/stories/2008060253740400.htm   in a judgement in june 2008 justice gita mittal "directed the Centre to issue passports to three children of Mohd Ahmed Dossa, an alleged offender in 1993 Mumbai blast case and fugitive"   justice gita mittal remarked “the respondent (Centre) has failed to examine the matter on a case to case basis and has taken a general view that because the petitioners are children of an alleged offender and fugitive, they must be denied an unconditional passport"   "  “Such action and the restrictions are contrary to the principles of the law and the policy of the government,” said Justice Gita Mittal in a judgment and asked the Centre for issuance of passport to them at the earliest."   QUASHING THE BAN ON SIMI http://www.zeenews.com/news460449.html   on 5th Aug, 2008, the special tribunal under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 2006, headed by justice gita mittal quashed the ban on SIMI   "The single judge Tribunal has said that the material provided by the Home Ministry is not enough to extend the ban. Judge Geeta Mittal released a 267 page statement lifting the ban. "   ............. aalok aima From shuddha at sarai.net Wed Dec 1 18:52:29 2010 From: shuddha at sarai.net (Shuddhabrata Sengupta) Date: Wed, 1 Dec 2010 18:52:29 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] On Repeated Defamatory Postings on this List In-Reply-To: References: <32FA96ED-E2C9-419B-9765-2A7D101FCFEE@sarai.net> Message-ID: <89200F7B-40F2-4899-B2AC-8C741AF540F5@sarai.net> Dear Atreyi. Definitely. Pleass do. best Shuddha On 01-Dec-10, at 8:37 AM, Atreyi Dasgupta wrote: > Dear Suddha, > > Would it be okay to circulate this mail or the part containing > Arundhati/Pradip's response? > > I have tried several times to write to the mail list, with no > success. Hence, I am copying this to you personally. > > - Atreyi > > On Mon, Nov 29, 2010 at 6:15 PM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta > wrote: > Dear All, > > This is the third time since the 17th of November that Aditya Raj > Kaul has dished out unverified untruths on this list regarding the > alleged matter of Arundhati Roy having grabbed tribal land. While > one could ignore it the first time, even the second time, I think > when it comes to the third time, it needs to be taken cognizance of > seriously. We all need to reflect on this, and think about how we > can get beyond this. > > Aditya Raj Kaul's statements to this effect are carried in his > response to Ana Valdes to the Reader List - Re: [Reader-list] the > latest stupidity of arundhati roy - comparing her utterances on > kashmir with those of nehru Date:9 November 2010 11:51:07 PM GMT > +05:30 > The posting can be seen online at - > http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/2010-November/027581.html > > Additiionally, he has once again abused this list to utter again in > this posting the utter falsity (echoing the Pioneer Newspaper) that > Arundhati Roy articulated a slogan saying Kashmir wanted freedom > (Azaadi) from 'Bhookha Nanga Hindustan' ('Hungry, Naked India) when > in fact she had categorically criticized this slogan. This will be > borne out by any examination of any recordings of what was said on > the 21st of October by Ms. Roy at the LTG Auditorium in Delhi. As > will the baselessness of the charge of sedition brought by some > vested interests against Arundhati Roy and others, including myself. > > I have myself posted a clarification to this effect (whether or not > Ms. Roy endorsed the 'Bhookha, Nanga Hindustan' slogan on the list, > (see - http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/2010-October/ > 027043.html ) in response to a previous posting made by Aditya Raj > Kaul, and I find it shocking that despite this, he should choose to > repeat this lie, here, yet again. This has also been pointed out in > a posting made shortly recently s, by Baruk Feddabonn at - http:// > mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/2010-November/027582.html > > I am also referring here to the canard forwarded by Aditya Raj > Kaul, emanating recently from media entities like the Pioneer > Newspaper, that Arundhati Roy, or her husband Pradip Krishen, have > 'illegally occupied tribal land' in Pachmarhi in the state of > Madhya Pradesh. > > The origins of this story lie in the late nineties, when vested > interests in the real estate and hotel business began harassing > Pradip Krishen in Pachmarhi in the late 90s for his work as a > campaigner on environmental issues . The matter was reported then > in India Today, and in the Indian Express (which seem, in general, > to have been different entities then, from what they are now). The > links are below, and can be easily accessed online by anybody. I am > offering these links for consideration so that there is some > perspective on this episode, and so that we can begin to see > clearly how this untruth is being manufactured, by newspapers and > media concerns like The Pioneer, and on this list by the likes of > Aditya Raj Kaul. > > ---------------------- > First, the India Today Report from 1999. > > 1. God of Small Towns > N.K. SIngh, India Today, July 12, 1999 > http://www.india-today.com/itoday/12071999/mp.html > > You can read the whole story by following the link, but for those > who do not have patience to do so, here is a substantial excerpt : > > "...The SADA (The Pachmarhi Special Area Development Authority) > notice smacks of Kafkaesque dispensation of justice. If land-use at > Bariaam was frozen by a legislation dating back to 1973, how could > Krishen and two others -- both of them government officials -- who > purchased the land get the transfer registered in 1992 at a land- > records office of the state government? Besides, Krishen claims > that hundreds of houses built in the areas under SADA have gone > unnoticed. > Roy and Krishen feel that the state offensive against them was > caused by their opposition to the TCPO's Draft Development Plan for > Pachmarhi published in September last year which, they allege, was > a "sell-out" to the hotel lobby. The state Government subsequently > appointed Krishen a member of the committee to hear public > objections to the Draft Plan. He submitted a number of objections, > including one by his wife that condemned the plan's authors for > conspiring to "convert Pachmarhi into the Las Vegas of Madhya > Pradesh". Says Roy: "This infuriated both the hoteliers' lobby as > well as its acolytes in the Planning Department. The notice to > Pradip (Krishen) of March 12 is a direct outcome of their animosity > and vested interests." > > The report continues - > > " ...The alleged violation of the law in Bariaam, even if > technical, by the landowners pales into insignificance when > compared with illegal developments on the other side of the Bariaam > Lake. Many senior government officials have purchased land in areas > falling within the Pachmarhi wildlife sanctuary. "It is highly > damaging to the environment of the area," says Subharanjan Sen, > director of the Satpura National Park. A Jabalpur businessman, > Ashish Agrawal, even started construction on the site last month by > clearing a patch of jungle "for agricultural activities". > Last month Agrawal's half-built construction was demolished by the > Hoshangabad district administration after Satyanand Mishra, > principal secretary of the Housing and Environment Department, > visited the site following the controversy over the notice served > on Krishen. Obviously there were red faces in Bhopal after protests > by an internationally famous literary figure, and the state > Government needed to absolve itself of the charge of selectively > punishing wrong-doers. Acting upon Mishra's subsequent report, the > state Government is planning to crack down on all encroachers. At > Bariaam, notices have been served -- though belatedly -- on the > Krishens' neighbours, who include novelist Vikram Seth's sister > Aradhana Seth. > Roy has said that "whatever our faults, land grabbing and > acquisitiveness are not among them". Their house, like Roy's novel, > is a finely crafted token of aesthetic values. Perhaps their > trouble began when they sought to preserve the environment by > opposing the commercialisation of Pachmarhi. But Roy shouldn't lose > heart because her battle with the local authorities may witness the > genesis of her next novel..." > > And here is the Indian Express story, four years after 1999 > > 2. MP govt spares rod for minister, spoils Pachmarhi > Hartosh Singh Bal, Indian Express, August 20, 2003 > http://www.india-today.com/itoday/12071999/mp.html > > Here, is an extract from the Indian Express story > > "Conservator of Forest and Park Director B.D. Sankhwar says he does > not blame people like Pradip Kishen and Aradhana Seth for the > illegal constructions. ‘‘In most cases, I don’t blame the > individuals concerned. They obtained the necessary revenue > documents, including registries and mutations." > > ------------------- > > Recently, after eight years, since this sordid episode last saw the > light of day, The Pioneer (see - http://www.dailypioneer.com/297320/ > Arundhati-Roy--Pradip-Krishen-grab-tribal-land-in-MP.html) has > brought up, once again, the sludge that the above two stories > (indian Express and India Today) successfully countered, in 1999 > and 2003. > > No doubt this was done as part of the concerted campaign to harass > Ms. Roy and those close to her. In one specific instance, no effort > was taken to publish accurate counter-points, even when they were > offered, after being solicited, as will be evident further below. > Aditya Raj Kaul's posting of this material on this list needs to be > seen in this same murky light. > > A major news channel, in a query sent to Ms. Roy on the 19th of > November, 2010 (see below) detailed the charges that they had made > in a story prepared for broadcast on their channel, and asked her > for a response. > > Ms Roy, responded to this query on the same day, by forwarding a > mail to them containing a reply from Pradip Krishen. As far as I > know, no media platform has chosen to make Mr. Krishen's response > to this slander public so far. Perhaps because it totally takes the > wind out of the sails of the allegations. In the interests of > clarification on this matter, and to ensure that this list is not > repeatedly abused by these attempts at slander. I am reproducing > below, Mr. Krishen's (and Ms. Roy's) response. > > -------------- > > 1. Arundhati Roy's Response to the queries about alleged grabbing > of Tribal Land > > > Dear ______, > Clearly while the rest of the world is riveted to what some of your > notable colleagues in the media have been up to with the 2G > business, you have something different on your mind! I hope you are > having fun with this story about my "adivasi land grab". Thanks for > taking the trouble to check the facts, all of which are not only > false but also defamatory. I am attaching Pradip's response which > he has already sent to you. Better luck next time! > > All best > Arundhati > > 2. Pradip Krishen's response (forwarded in the body of the above > email) > > This is in response to a message that Arundhati Roy forwarded to me > just now: > > I'm afraid you have got your facts VERY wrong. > > Here are the main facts pertaining to the points you mention: > > I bought the land in question, approx 1,300 sq meters of land in > 1992. The land in question was not Adivasi land. The previous > owners were Shareef Ahmed, Shabra Begum and 11 others, all > residents of Pachmarhi. A sale deed was executed in the Sub- > registrar's office in Piparia, and the land was demarcated by the > Patwari. I built my house the following year. > > It is true that Vijay Singh accused me and 2 others of encroaching > on his land in 2003. The land in question was measured by the > Tehsil officers after the complaint was filed, and it was found > that no encroachment had in fact taken place, and Vijay Singh > signed a statement retracting his complaint. The Case was closed as > will be borne out in the Tehsil records > > The third point about the Forest Deptt is as follows: I was served > with a notice in 1999, 6 years after I registered the purchase of > my land, to say that no sale or transfer of land was permitted in > the area because the entire area was notified as an intended > Sanctuary in 1977. > I replied that I had bought the land by due legal process and that > if no sale was permitted then the Revenue authorities should not > have registered the sale. Besides, since 1977, thousands of sales > had taken place within the notified area, and why was I being > singled out? > This case is now in the High Court of MP. > > Further to all these facts regarding the land in Pachmarhi, I want > you to know that Arundhati has absolutely nothing to do with my > Pachmarhi land. We were not married when I bought the land in 1992, > and she is not registered as the owner. She has not visited the > house for over 12 years. I'm afraid that the Press is trying to > drag her name in only to try and defame her unecessarily. > > Pradip Krishen > > 3. The Media Channel's query to Arundhati Roy > > On Fri, Nov 19, 2010 at 3:07 PM, The media channel wrote to Ms. Roy : > > Re: Request for a Byte/Statement > > Ma'am, > > We are forwarding you one of the story on which we would like to > have a reaction of you in form of a sound byte or perhaps a statement. > > > Details: > > STD: Writer-activist Arundhati Roy is embroiled in fresh > controversy over encroachment in Panchmarhi, a hill resort in > Madhya Pradesh… The Shivraj Singh government is contemplating > action against Arundhati`s husband for building his house in > protected wildlife area…. The Times Now investigation finds out > that though the State government has booked the case for violating > the forest act, it is also a case of encroaching upon a poor > tribals land. > > V/O1: This is the bungalow owned by Arundhatis husband, filmmaker > Pradeep Krishan in Bariaam village of Panchmari, a hill resort in > Madhya Pradesh… now at the centre of controversy… The controversy > erupted in 2003 after the local Pipariya Sub Divisional Magistrate, > SDM had served notice to Roys husband and three others including > Aradhana Seth, sister of writer Vikram Seth, for violating wild > life act 1972 section 18 (1). The Forest Act of 1972 bans the sale > of land in notified forest areas. Section 18 of the law bars buying > and selling of notified forest land... This village falls within > the Special Area Development Authoritys jurisdiction SADA. The SADA > had also served a order of stop building order on Roys husband.. > The notice says that under section 16 of of the State Town and > country planning act, 1973 the land use of Panchmarhi and its > neighbouring areas had been frozen… Arundhatis husband had then > moved to the State High court against the SDM notice.. However the > MP High Court in March 2010, has asked Arundhatis husband, Pradeep > Kishan, to appear before a sub-divisional magistrate… > > BITE ONE: HOSHANGABAD COMMISSIONER MANOJ SHRIVASTAV (transcript > does not detail what is said in this byte) > > V/O2: But your channel in Barriaam village finds out that Arundhati > also invites the charge for encroaching on tribal land… In fact, > the whole controversy came in picture in 2003 after a local Gond > tribal Vijay Singh filed a complaint with the SDM, against Roys > husband and others for encroaching on his land… In his affidavit, > Vijay had accused them of constructing this cemented road to their > bungalows without bothering to obtain permission or pay adequate > compensation… Vijay passed away last year…Now his wife says that > there is no justice in this case and Arundhati has not paid any > compensation for encroaching on her land. > > BITE TWO: SUKHWATI WIFE OF VIJAY SINGH ranscript does not > detail what is said in this byte) > > V/O3: The land record officer - Patwari confirms that in 2003 > after the tribal Vijays complaint he had measured the land and > found that Arundhatis husband had encroached upon the tribals land. > > BITE THREE: LAND RECORD OFFICER JITENDRA SINGH (transcript does not > detail what is said in this byte) > > PTC: The big question is how Arundhati Roy managed to get land in > this protected wild life sanctuary while throwing a all the rules > to the air. Even a bigger question would be how will Arundhati, who > is better know for her fight for downtrodden class, justify > encroaching upon the land of poorest of the poor tribals… > > (Query ends here) > > A Brief Glossary: STD stands for Studio, V/O for Voice Over, PTC > for 'Piece to Camera', a 'Byte' is a term used to describe the > airing of an excerpted statement made by an interviewee - all these > are standard terms used while scripting and planning a television > news story, or in transcripts of television news stories. > > ----------------------------- > > I hope that all this sheds some light on the matter. I apologize > for the length and elaboration of this mail, but I think these > facts needs to be placed on record, so as to ensure that this list > does not become the dumping ground of the garbage of lies and rumours. > > Finally, I think we need to think seriously about what means this > list might need to take to safeguard its integrity from this kind > of repeated defamatory mischief and malicious slander. > > best > > Shuddha > > > Shuddhabrata Sengupta > > > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > subscribe in the subject header. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > > -- > 44 million women missing in China, 37 million in India, and a total > of more than 100 million worldwide. > -Amartya Sen, 1992 Shuddhabrata Sengupta The Sarai Programme at CSDS Raqs Media Collective shuddha at sarai.net www.sarai.net www.raqsmediacollective.net From indersalim at gmail.com Wed Dec 1 23:44:34 2010 From: indersalim at gmail.com (Inder Salim) Date: Wed, 1 Dec 2010 23:44:34 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] PUT ARUNDHATI IN JAIL ON SEDITION CHARGES! HURRAH! In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: "A stint in jail shall definitely bring a sharper and weighty edge to her > writing" interesting line by Pheeta ji going to prison is not actually a terrible thing to experience, particularly for political prisoners...... i have cherished memories from my fortnights stint at Sringar Jail during college days in 70s . The situation out there in reality is sometimes as grim as prison itself. and if one has power to transform that experience into more exhaustive understanding of what we are, how to act ....the of course this is not then on another planet. the other point, paradoxical , the writer's loss is audience's gains here, because i see interest in Roy increasing many folds in Kashmir and else where, which is actually good for young minds in Kashmir. who will be more critical in their thought.which is good for all, let us wait and watch, the case of this sedition charge, looks weak on legally, and will only crawl for years, if at all the right wing jingoistic group is keen enough to push it, but finally i see the case will almost disappear at the door of Supreme Court. But meanwhile i too count the benefits of this FIR. holding such meetings will be a problem which is their gain, sadly but i hope the intellectual base for right understanding of Kashmir issue increases too, in India and abroad love is On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 4:54 PM, Parvaiz Bukhari wrote: > Absent conscience replaced by bad sense of humor...could this be an Indian > theory??? > > On 1 December 2010 16:45, Pheeta Ram wrote: > >> "Hungaama hai kyun barpa?" >> [Why all this hullabaloo...?] >> >> LET ARUNDHATI BE PUT IN JAIL ON SEDITION CHARGES. >> >> As someone said," Uska dimaag thikaane [thikaana: a place of security and >> responsibility; a greater proximity to the rooted reality, a sharper edge] >> aa jaegaa!" >> >> A stint in jail shall definitely bring a sharper and weighty edge to her >> writing. She shall find her 'thikaana'  for sure which we have been feeling >> a sure lack of in most of her work. >> >> Let us all eagerly wait for her much anticipated next classic after The God >> of Small Things: "THE PRISON NOTEBOOKS by Arundhati Roy". >> >> Till then i should finish my "Intimations of a Nobel Prize: A Curious Tale >> of a Dumb/Smart State." Some point later in time, Wikileaks would release >> another batch of US Embassy (INDIA) files (titled: Indian State: Nobel >> Conspiracies) which would reveal to us United States' novel conspiracy >> theories as to how the Indian State, under a super-classified strategy, >> implicated Arundhati Roy in false 'sedition' charges in order to win >> another >> Nobel Prize for an Indian national who paradoxically claimed to be a >> 'mobile >> republic.' >> >> Cheers All >> >> Pheeta Ram >> _________________________________________ >> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >> Critiques & Collaborations >> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with >> 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/> -- http://indersalim.livejournal.com From agora158 at gmail.com Wed Dec 1 23:57:10 2010 From: agora158 at gmail.com (Ana Valdes) Date: Wed, 1 Dec 2010 19:27:10 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] PUT ARUNDHATI IN JAIL ON SEDITION CHARGES! HURRAH! In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <1A54034E-C1ED-43FA-BFF3-62F29A07AB2D@gmail.com> I am still apalled for the lack of sensibility and callouness of some people in this list, which I believed was an arena for important and vital discussions about Art and society. I has been four years in prison for political reasons and I can assure the prison didn't give my writing à sharper edge, but à pain for life. That someone in this list can wish à term in prison for à writer is beyond my imagination. Ana, working in the Pen club since many years to take out all writers from the prisons Skickat från min iPhone 1 dec 2010 kl. 19:14 skrev Inder Salim : > "A stint in jail shall definitely bring a sharper and weighty edge to her >> writing" > > interesting line by Pheeta ji > > going to prison is not actually a terrible thing to experience, > particularly for political prisoners...... i have cherished memories > from my fortnights stint at Sringar Jail during college days in 70s > > . The situation out there in reality is sometimes as grim as prison > itself. and if one has power to transform that experience into more > exhaustive understanding of what we are, how to act ....the of course > this is not then on another planet. > > the other point, paradoxical , the writer's loss is audience's gains > here, because i see interest in Roy increasing many folds in Kashmir > and else where, which is actually good for young minds in Kashmir. who > will be more critical in their thought.which is good for all, > > let us wait and watch, the case of this sedition charge, looks weak on > legally, and will only crawl for years, if at all the right wing > jingoistic group is keen enough to push it, but finally i see the case > will almost disappear at the door of Supreme Court. > > But meanwhile i too count the benefits of this FIR. > holding such meetings will be a problem which is their gain, sadly > but i hope the intellectual base for right understanding of Kashmir > issue increases too, in India and abroad > > love > is > > > On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 4:54 PM, Parvaiz Bukhari > wrote: >> Absent conscience replaced by bad sense of humor...could this be an Indian >> theory??? >> >> On 1 December 2010 16:45, Pheeta Ram wrote: >> >>> "Hungaama hai kyun barpa?" >>> [Why all this hullabaloo...?] >>> >>> LET ARUNDHATI BE PUT IN JAIL ON SEDITION CHARGES. >>> >>> As someone said," Uska dimaag thikaane [thikaana: a place of security and >>> responsibility; a greater proximity to the rooted reality, a sharper edge] >>> aa jaegaa!" >>> >>> A stint in jail shall definitely bring a sharper and weighty edge to her >>> writing. She shall find her 'thikaana' for sure which we have been feeling >>> a sure lack of in most of her work. >>> >>> Let us all eagerly wait for her much anticipated next classic after The God >>> of Small Things: "THE PRISON NOTEBOOKS by Arundhati Roy". >>> >>> Till then i should finish my "Intimations of a Nobel Prize: A Curious Tale >>> of a Dumb/Smart State." Some point later in time, Wikileaks would release >>> another batch of US Embassy (INDIA) files (titled: Indian State: Nobel >>> Conspiracies) which would reveal to us United States' novel conspiracy >>> theories as to how the Indian State, under a super-classified strategy, >>> implicated Arundhati Roy in false 'sedition' charges in order to win >>> another >>> Nobel Prize for an Indian national who paradoxically claimed to be a >>> 'mobile >>> republic.' >>> >>> Cheers All >>> >>> Pheeta Ram >>> _________________________________________ >>> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >>> Critiques & Collaborations >>> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with >>> 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/> > > > > -- > > http://indersalim.livejournal.com > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the subject header. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From indersalim at gmail.com Thu Dec 2 00:21:13 2010 From: indersalim at gmail.com (Inder Salim) Date: Thu, 2 Dec 2010 00:21:13 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] PUT ARUNDHATI IN JAIL ON SEDITION CHARGES! HURRAH! In-Reply-To: <1A54034E-C1ED-43FA-BFF3-62F29A07AB2D@gmail.com> References: <1A54034E-C1ED-43FA-BFF3-62F29A07AB2D@gmail.com> Message-ID: Dear Ana, thanks for ur comment. who would love to go to prison, none to my mind, but the debate the deeper perhaps, let us see how it looks going to school almost going like to a prison, i think more terrible than that. Then the entire system of society looks like Foucalut's Panopticon. That is that. When we see conflict zones, for me it is not depressing to live there even. There is hope, churn out some possibility of unpredictable to eject us out a little from these prison like societies, which dont look very peaceful on the surface. That is that again Here, we are directly talking about a conflict ( kashmir issue ) which is already so complex and hence a vital need to intensify the discourse on it, at all levels, which somehow has not happened in the valley itself. Roy is perhaps the first writer who intensified the debate around " Azadi" ( freedom ) in kashmir itself. She talked about rights for everybody in a new free kashmir , for homosexuals, for feminists movements, for minorities and others. To my mind, her very presence and a very charged and lucid address at LTG gave an edge to the seminar, reverberations of which one can feel in the media as well. The reaction was inevitable, given the position of the State of India which is caught in the crises of not giving an inch to the freedom seekers, and at the same time look more democratic. in the present Scenario, i feel more and more youths looking at the Kashmir issue very critically than they ever thought even, That is why i wrote, writer's loss is perhaps people's gain. the history is witness to that.... love is On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 11:57 PM, Ana Valdes wrote: > I am still apalled for the lack of sensibility and callouness of some people in this list, which I believed was an arena for important and vital discussions about Art and society. > I has been four years in prison for political reasons and I can assure the prison didn't give my writing à sharper edge, but à pain for life. > That someone in this list can wish à term in prison for à writer is beyond my imagination. > Ana, working in the Pen club since many years to take out all writers from the prisons > > Skickat från min iPhone > > 1 dec 2010 kl. 19:14 skrev Inder Salim : > >> "A stint in jail shall definitely bring a sharper and weighty edge to her >>> writing" >> >> interesting line by Pheeta ji >> >> going to prison is not actually a terrible thing to experience, >> particularly for political prisoners...... i have cherished memories >> from my fortnights stint at Sringar Jail during college days in 70s >> >> . The situation out there in reality is sometimes as grim as prison >> itself. and if one has power to transform that experience into more >> exhaustive understanding of what we are, how to act ....the of course >> this is not then on another planet. >> >> the other point, paradoxical , the writer's loss is audience's gains >> here, because i see  interest in Roy increasing many folds in Kashmir >> and else where, which is actually good for young minds in Kashmir. who >> will be more critical in their thought.which is good for all, >> >> let us wait and watch, the case of this sedition charge, looks weak on >> legally,  and will only crawl for years, if at all the right wing >> jingoistic group is keen enough to push it, but finally i see the case >> will almost disappear at the door of Supreme Court. >> >> But meanwhile i too count the benefits of this FIR. >> holding such meetings will be a problem which is their gain, sadly >> but i hope the intellectual base for right understanding of Kashmir >> issue increases too, in India and abroad >> >> love >> is >> >> >> On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 4:54 PM, Parvaiz Bukhari >> wrote: >>> Absent conscience replaced by bad sense of humor...could this be an Indian >>> theory??? >>> >>> On 1 December 2010 16:45, Pheeta Ram wrote: >>> >>>> "Hungaama hai kyun barpa?" >>>> [Why all this hullabaloo...?] >>>> >>>> LET ARUNDHATI BE PUT IN JAIL ON SEDITION CHARGES. >>>> >>>> As someone said," Uska dimaag thikaane [thikaana: a place of security and >>>> responsibility; a greater proximity to the rooted reality, a sharper edge] >>>> aa jaegaa!" >>>> >>>> A stint in jail shall definitely bring a sharper and weighty edge to her >>>> writing. She shall find her 'thikaana'  for sure which we have been feeling >>>> a sure lack of in most of her work. >>>> >>>> Let us all eagerly wait for her much anticipated next classic after The God >>>> of Small Things: "THE PRISON NOTEBOOKS by Arundhati Roy". >>>> >>>> Till then i should finish my "Intimations of a Nobel Prize: A Curious Tale >>>> of a Dumb/Smart State." Some point later in time, Wikileaks would release >>>> another batch of US Embassy (INDIA) files (titled: Indian State: Nobel >>>> Conspiracies) which would reveal to us United States' novel conspiracy >>>> theories as to how the Indian State, under a super-classified strategy, >>>> implicated Arundhati Roy in false 'sedition' charges in order to win >>>> another >>>> Nobel Prize for an Indian national who paradoxically claimed to be a >>>> 'mobile >>>> republic.' >>>> >>>> Cheers All >>>> >>>> Pheeta Ram >>>> _________________________________________ >>>> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >>>> Critiques & Collaborations >>>> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with >>>> 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/> >> >> >> >> -- >> >> http://indersalim.livejournal.com >> _________________________________________ >> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >> Critiques & Collaborations >> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the subject header. >> To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >> List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > -- http://indersalim.livejournal.com From indersalim at gmail.com Thu Dec 2 00:28:14 2010 From: indersalim at gmail.com (Inder Salim) Date: Thu, 2 Dec 2010 00:28:14 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] PUT ARUNDHATI IN JAIL ON SEDITION CHARGES! HURRAH! In-Reply-To: References: <1A54034E-C1ED-43FA-BFF3-62F29A07AB2D@gmail.com> Message-ID: some mistakes here or there, so re posted, plz ignore the previous On Thu, Dec 2, 2010 at 12:21 AM, Inder Salim wrote: > Dear Ana, > thanks for ur comment. > > who would love to go to prison, none to my mind, but the debate is a little > deeper perhaps, > let us see how going to school amounts almost going to a prison almost > i think more terrible than that. Then the entire system of society > looks like Foucalut's Panopticon. That is that. > > When we see conflict zones, for me it is not depressing to live there > even. There is hope, churns out some possibility of 'unpredictable' to > eject us out a little from these prison like societies, which > look very peaceful on the surface. That is that again > > Here, we are directly talking about a conflict ( kashmir issue ) which > is already so complex and hence a vital need to intensify the > discourse on it, at all levels, which somehow has not happened in the > valley itself. > > Roy is perhaps the first writer who intensified the debate around " > Azadi" ( freedom ) in kashmir itself. She talks about rights for > everybody in a new free kashmir , for homosexuals, for feminists > movements, for minorities and others. To my mind, her very presence >and her charged and lucid address at LTG gave an edge to the > seminar, reverberations of which one can feel in the media as well. > > The reaction was inevitable, given the position of the State of India > which is caught in the crises of not giving an inch to the freedom > seekers, and at the same time look more democratic. > > in the present Scenario, i feel more and more Kashmiri youths looking at the > Kashmir issue very critically than they ever thought even, That is why > i wrote, writer's loss is perhaps people's gain. the history is > witness to that, here and elsewhere > > love > is > > > > On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 11:57 PM, Ana Valdes wrote: >> I am still apalled for the lack of sensibility and callouness of some people in this list, which I believed was an arena for important and vital discussions about Art and society. >> I has been four years in prison for political reasons and I can assure the prison didn't give my writing à sharper edge, but à pain for life. >> That someone in this list can wish à term in prison for à writer is beyond my imagination. >> Ana, working in the Pen club since many years to take out all writers from the prisons >> >> Skickat från min iPhone >> >> 1 dec 2010 kl. 19:14 skrev Inder Salim : >> >>> "A stint in jail shall definitely bring a sharper and weighty edge to her >>>> writing" >>> >>> interesting line by Pheeta ji >>> >>> going to prison is not actually a terrible thing to experience, >>> particularly for political prisoners...... i have cherished memories >>> from my fortnights stint at Sringar Jail during college days in 70s >>> >>> . The situation out there in reality is sometimes as grim as prison >>> itself. and if one has power to transform that experience into more >>> exhaustive understanding of what we are, how to act ....the of course >>> this is not then on another planet. >>> >>> the other point, paradoxical , the writer's loss is audience's gains >>> here, because i see  interest in Roy increasing many folds in Kashmir >>> and else where, which is actually good for young minds in Kashmir. who >>> will be more critical in their thought.which is good for all, >>> >>> let us wait and watch, the case of this sedition charge, looks weak on >>> legally,  and will only crawl for years, if at all the right wing >>> jingoistic group is keen enough to push it, but finally i see the case >>> will almost disappear at the door of Supreme Court. >>> >>> But meanwhile i too count the benefits of this FIR. >>> holding such meetings will be a problem which is their gain, sadly >>> but i hope the intellectual base for right understanding of Kashmir >>> issue increases too, in India and abroad >>> >>> love >>> is >>> >>> >>> On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 4:54 PM, Parvaiz Bukhari >>> wrote: >>>> Absent conscience replaced by bad sense of humor...could this be an Indian >>>> theory??? >>>> >>>> On 1 December 2010 16:45, Pheeta Ram wrote: >>>> >>>>> "Hungaama hai kyun barpa?" >>>>> [Why all this hullabaloo...?] >>>>> >>>>> LET ARUNDHATI BE PUT IN JAIL ON SEDITION CHARGES. >>>>> >>>>> As someone said," Uska dimaag thikaane [thikaana: a place of security and >>>>> responsibility; a greater proximity to the rooted reality, a sharper edge] >>>>> aa jaegaa!" >>>>> >>>>> A stint in jail shall definitely bring a sharper and weighty edge to her >>>>> writing. She shall find her 'thikaana'  for sure which we have been feeling >>>>> a sure lack of in most of her work. >>>>> >>>>> Let us all eagerly wait for her much anticipated next classic after The God >>>>> of Small Things: "THE PRISON NOTEBOOKS by Arundhati Roy". >>>>> >>>>> Till then i should finish my "Intimations of a Nobel Prize: A Curious Tale >>>>> of a Dumb/Smart State." Some point later in time, Wikileaks would release >>>>> another batch of US Embassy (INDIA) files (titled: Indian State: Nobel >>>>> Conspiracies) which would reveal to us United States' novel conspiracy >>>>> theories as to how the Indian State, under a super-classified strategy, >>>>> implicated Arundhati Roy in false 'sedition' charges in order to win >>>>> another >>>>> Nobel Prize for an Indian national who paradoxically claimed to be a >>>>> 'mobile >>>>> republic.' >>>>> >>>>> Cheers All >>>>> >>>>> Pheeta Ram >>>>> _________________________________________ >>>>> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >>>>> Critiques & Collaborations >>>>> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with >>>>> 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/> >>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> >>> http://indersalim.livejournal.com >>> _________________________________________ >>> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >>> Critiques & Collaborations >>> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the subject header. >>> To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >>> List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> >> > > > > -- > > http://indersalim.livejournal.com > -- http://indersalim.livejournal.com From shivam at kafila.org Thu Dec 2 00:36:05 2010 From: shivam at kafila.org (shivam at kafila.org) Date: Thu, 2 Dec 2010 00:36:05 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] PUT ARUNDHATI IN JAIL ON SEDITION CHARGES! HURRAH! In-Reply-To: References: <1A54034E-C1ED-43FA-BFF3-62F29A07AB2D@gmail.com> Message-ID: While one feels angry and sad that Arundhati Roy, Shuddhabrata Sengupta will have to run the rounds of the courts (and the case for sure is weak given the case law on sedition), one must applaud Roy, Sengupta and others for taking the stance they did, for speaking what they believed in, not once but again and again over the years, despite knowing that some nut will one day try and do this. I think all of us who are not with these nuts should salute their courage. Having said that, I think in the coming days one will also have to thank these nuts for doing this - imagine the amount of publicity it will further give t their views, imagine the international uproar about free speech in India, imagine how this will make people the world over discuss the issue of Kashmir's demand for azadi even more. So, thank you! On 2 December 2010 00:28, Inder Salim wrote: > some  mistakes here or there, so re posted, plz ignore the previous > > > On Thu, Dec 2, 2010 at 12:21 AM, Inder Salim wrote: >> Dear Ana, >> thanks for ur comment. >> >> who would love to go to prison, none to my mind, but the debate is a little >> deeper perhaps, >> let us see how going to school amounts almost going to a prison almost > >> i think more terrible than that. Then the entire system of society >> looks like Foucalut's Panopticon. That is that. >> >> When we see conflict zones, for me it is not depressing to live there >> even. There is hope, churns out some possibility of 'unpredictable' to >> eject us out a little from these prison like societies, which >> look very peaceful on the surface. That is that again >> >> Here, we are directly talking about a conflict ( kashmir issue ) which >> is already so complex and hence a vital need to intensify the >> discourse on it, at all levels, which somehow has not happened in the >> valley itself. >> >> Roy is perhaps the first writer who intensified the debate around " >> Azadi" ( freedom ) in kashmir itself. She talks about rights for >> everybody in a new free kashmir , for homosexuals, for feminists >> movements, for minorities and others. To my mind, her very presence >>and her charged and lucid address at LTG gave an edge to the >> seminar, reverberations of which one can feel in the media as well. >> >> The reaction was inevitable, given the position of the State of India >> which is caught in the crises of not giving an inch to the freedom >> seekers, and at the same time look more democratic. >> >> in the present Scenario, i feel more and more Kashmiri  youths  looking at the >> Kashmir issue very critically than they ever thought even, That is why >> i wrote, writer's loss is perhaps people's gain. the history is >> witness to that, here and elsewhere >> >> love >> is >> >> >> >> On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 11:57 PM, Ana Valdes wrote: >>> I am still apalled for the lack of sensibility and callouness of some people in this list, which I believed was an arena for important and vital discussions about Art and society. >>> I has been four years in prison for political reasons and I can assure the prison didn't give my writing à sharper edge, but à pain for life. >>> That someone in this list can wish à term in prison for à writer is beyond my imagination. >>> Ana, working in the Pen club since many years to take out all writers from the prisons >>> >>> Skickat från min iPhone >>> >>> 1 dec 2010 kl. 19:14 skrev Inder Salim : >>> >>>> "A stint in jail shall definitely bring a sharper and weighty edge to her >>>>> writing" >>>> >>>> interesting line by Pheeta ji >>>> >>>> going to prison is not actually a terrible thing to experience, >>>> particularly for political prisoners...... i have cherished memories >>>> from my fortnights stint at Sringar Jail during college days in 70s >>>> >>>> . The situation out there in reality is sometimes as grim as prison >>>> itself. and if one has power to transform that experience into more >>>> exhaustive understanding of what we are, how to act ....the of course >>>> this is not then on another planet. >>>> >>>> the other point, paradoxical , the writer's loss is audience's gains >>>> here, because i see  interest in Roy increasing many folds in Kashmir >>>> and else where, which is actually good for young minds in Kashmir. who >>>> will be more critical in their thought.which is good for all, >>>> >>>> let us wait and watch, the case of this sedition charge, looks weak on >>>> legally,  and will only crawl for years, if at all the right wing >>>> jingoistic group is keen enough to push it, but finally i see the case >>>> will almost disappear at the door of Supreme Court. >>>> >>>> But meanwhile i too count the benefits of this FIR. >>>> holding such meetings will be a problem which is their gain, sadly >>>> but i hope the intellectual base for right understanding of Kashmir >>>> issue increases too, in India and abroad >>>> >>>> love >>>> is >>>> >>>> >>>> On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 4:54 PM, Parvaiz Bukhari >>>> wrote: >>>>> Absent conscience replaced by bad sense of humor...could this be an Indian >>>>> theory??? >>>>> >>>>> On 1 December 2010 16:45, Pheeta Ram wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> "Hungaama hai kyun barpa?" >>>>>> [Why all this hullabaloo...?] >>>>>> >>>>>> LET ARUNDHATI BE PUT IN JAIL ON SEDITION CHARGES. >>>>>> >>>>>> As someone said," Uska dimaag thikaane [thikaana: a place of security and >>>>>> responsibility; a greater proximity to the rooted reality, a sharper edge] >>>>>> aa jaegaa!" >>>>>> >>>>>> A stint in jail shall definitely bring a sharper and weighty edge to her >>>>>> writing. She shall find her 'thikaana'  for sure which we have been feeling >>>>>> a sure lack of in most of her work. >>>>>> >>>>>> Let us all eagerly wait for her much anticipated next classic after The God >>>>>> of Small Things: "THE PRISON NOTEBOOKS by Arundhati Roy". >>>>>> >>>>>> Till then i should finish my "Intimations of a Nobel Prize: A Curious Tale >>>>>> of a Dumb/Smart State." Some point later in time, Wikileaks would release >>>>>> another batch of US Embassy (INDIA) files (titled: Indian State: Nobel >>>>>> Conspiracies) which would reveal to us United States' novel conspiracy >>>>>> theories as to how the Indian State, under a super-classified strategy, >>>>>> implicated Arundhati Roy in false 'sedition' charges in order to win >>>>>> another >>>>>> Nobel Prize for an Indian national who paradoxically claimed to be a >>>>>> 'mobile >>>>>> republic.' >>>>>> >>>>>> Cheers All >>>>>> >>>>>> Pheeta Ram >>>>>> _________________________________________ >>>>>> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >>>>>> Critiques & Collaborations >>>>>> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with >>>>>> 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/> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> -- >>>> >>>> http://indersalim.livejournal.com >>>> _________________________________________ >>>> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >>>> Critiques & Collaborations >>>> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the subject header. >>>> To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >>>> List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> >>> >> >> >> >> -- >> >> http://indersalim.livejournal.com >> > > > > -- > > http://indersalim.livejournal.com > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the subject header. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> -- shivam at kafila.org | Delhi From delhi.yunus at gmail.com Thu Dec 2 00:51:31 2010 From: delhi.yunus at gmail.com (Syed Yunus) Date: Thu, 2 Dec 2010 00:51:31 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FIR and this list In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Thank you Rakesh for pointing this out. Whenever such trash of arguments happen on this list ( other than the ongoing debate) I consider it as a smoke screen to some other more important issues. generally these trash arguments evoke Pain, Guilt, Hatred and Anger in respective readers. Who then are not able to be objective and see clearly what could be most or more important to them. So if you consider information as flow of various colours then these *dark*colours are accentuated at times to hide, control or dilute any emerging pattern. regards, Yunus On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 11:40 AM, Rakesh Iyer wrote: > If only were there some sane rationality in the entire debate (as opposed > to > personal mudslinging), we could have done better. > > The entire debate has completely changed, and not for the first time. > Instead of arguing whether the ideas of Arundhati are right or wrong, now > we > have come up to what Indian politicians indulge in (as their favorite game > of course). Not for nothing do I keep hearing: Only when we improve > ourselves, can we expect our politicians to improve. > > Arundhati may be right or wrong, but it is utterly shameful that groups > have > to resort to violence and even going to court to restrain someone from > speaking. It is even more shameful that if we don't like a speech, we don't > treat the other person as just a piece of shit and carry on with our work, > undeterred. It's here, there and everywhere. > > If the Congress does not like anything spoken against Sonia Gandhi, it > creates violence. The ABVP is doing it, and so is RIK and BJP and their > related organizations. I can understand RIK not liking it, but throwing > stones and imposing cases is absolutely muzzling the right to free speech > of > a person. > > Yes, freedom of speech has its own limits. But those limits must be > self-imposed. If Muslims don't like Togadia's speech, they are free to > ignore it or even protest against it in a peaceful way. The same should be > true for RIK in this case also. And if you feel Arundhati is anti-Indian, > protest against her in a peaceful way. > > This is total rubbish. Never mind that a case against Arundhati will only > give Pakistan a stick to beat India with whenever India claims it's a > democracy. > > This also exposes the double dealing of India trying to be proud at the > world stage of being a democracy, while actually trying to muzzle all > voices > possible. > > 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/> > -- Change is the only constant in life ! From agora158 at gmail.com Thu Dec 2 01:02:40 2010 From: agora158 at gmail.com (Ana Valdes) Date: Wed, 1 Dec 2010 20:32:40 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] PUT ARUNDHATI IN JAIL ON SEDITION CHARGES! H In-Reply-To: References: <1A54034E-C1ED-43FA-BFF3-62F29A07AB2D@gmail.com> Message-ID: <98639EFB-50FA-405B-BA02-077C3310FDF6@gmail.com> Dear Inder, thanks for your sage words. When I am defending Roys right to speak I think I speak om behalf of all people, writers or not, who need and dream with the possibility to express themselves without fear to be imprisoned. Kashmir is unknown for me, I am defending here principal issues. Best Ana Skickat från min iPhone 1 dec 2010 kl. 19:51 skrev Inder Salim : > Dear Ana, > thanks for ur comment. > > who would love to go to prison, none to my mind, but the debate the > deeper perhaps, > let us see how it looks going to school almost going like to a prison, > i think more terrible than that. Then the entire system of society > looks like Foucalut's Panopticon. That is that. > > When we see conflict zones, for me it is not depressing to live there > even. There is hope, churn out some possibility of unpredictable to > eject us out a little from these prison like societies, which dont > look very peaceful on the surface. That is that again > > Here, we are directly talking about a conflict ( kashmir issue ) which > is already so complex and hence a vital need to intensify the > discourse on it, at all levels, which somehow has not happened in the > valley itself. > > Roy is perhaps the first writer who intensified the debate around " > Azadi" ( freedom ) in kashmir itself. She talked about rights for > everybody in a new free kashmir , for homosexuals, for feminists > movements, for minorities and others. To my mind, her very presence > and a very charged and lucid address at LTG gave an edge to the > seminar, reverberations of which one can feel in the media as well. > > The reaction was inevitable, given the position of the State of India > which is caught in the crises of not giving an inch to the freedom > seekers, and at the same time look more democratic. > > in the present Scenario, i feel more and more youths looking at the > Kashmir issue very critically than they ever thought even, That is why > i wrote, writer's loss is perhaps people's gain. the history is > witness to that.... > > love > is > > > > On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 11:57 PM, Ana Valdes wrote: >> I am still apalled for the lack of sensibility and callouness of some people in this list, which I believed was an arena for important and vital discussions about Art and society. >> I has been four years in prison for political reasons and I can assure the prison didn't give my writing à sharper edge, but à pain for life. >> That someone in this list can wish à term in prison for à writer is beyond my imagination. >> Ana, working in the Pen club since many years to take out all writers from the prisons >> >> Skickat från min iPhone >> >> 1 dec 2010 kl. 19:14 skrev Inder Salim : >> >>> "A stint in jail shall definitely bring a sharper and weighty edge to her >>>> writing" >>> >>> interesting line by Pheeta ji >>> >>> going to prison is not actually a terrible thing to experience, >>> particularly for political prisoners...... i have cherished memories >>> from my fortnights stint at Sringar Jail during college days in 70s >>> >>> . The situation out there in reality is sometimes as grim as prison >>> itself. and if one has power to transform that experience into more >>> exhaustive understanding of what we are, how to act ....the of course >>> this is not then on another planet. >>> >>> the other point, paradoxical , the writer's loss is audience's gains >>> here, because i see interest in Roy increasing many folds in Kashmir >>> and else where, which is actually good for young minds in Kashmir. who >>> will be more critical in their thought.which is good for all, >>> >>> let us wait and watch, the case of this sedition charge, looks weak on >>> legally, and will only crawl for years, if at all the right wing >>> jingoistic group is keen enough to push it, but finally i see the case >>> will almost disappear at the door of Supreme Court. >>> >>> But meanwhile i too count the benefits of this FIR. >>> holding such meetings will be a problem which is their gain, sadly >>> but i hope the intellectual base for right understanding of Kashmir >>> issue increases too, in India and abroad >>> >>> love >>> is >>> >>> >>> On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 4:54 PM, Parvaiz Bukhari >>> wrote: >>>> Absent conscience replaced by bad sense of humor...could this be an Indian >>>> theory??? >>>> >>>> On 1 December 2010 16:45, Pheeta Ram wrote: >>>> >>>>> "Hungaama hai kyun barpa?" >>>>> [Why all this hullabaloo...?] >>>>> >>>>> LET ARUNDHATI BE PUT IN JAIL ON SEDITION CHARGES. >>>>> >>>>> As someone said," Uska dimaag thikaane [thikaana: a place of security and >>>>> responsibility; a greater proximity to the rooted reality, a sharper edge] >>>>> aa jaegaa!" >>>>> >>>>> A stint in jail shall definitely bring a sharper and weighty edge to her >>>>> writing. She shall find her 'thikaana' for sure which we have been feeling >>>>> a sure lack of in most of her work. >>>>> >>>>> Let us all eagerly wait for her much anticipated next classic after The God >>>>> of Small Things: "THE PRISON NOTEBOOKS by Arundhati Roy". >>>>> >>>>> Till then i should finish my "Intimations of a Nobel Prize: A Curious Tale >>>>> of a Dumb/Smart State." Some point later in time, Wikileaks would release >>>>> another batch of US Embassy (INDIA) files (titled: Indian State: Nobel >>>>> Conspiracies) which would reveal to us United States' novel conspiracy >>>>> theories as to how the Indian State, under a super-classified strategy, >>>>> implicated Arundhati Roy in false 'sedition' charges in order to win >>>>> another >>>>> Nobel Prize for an Indian national who paradoxically claimed to be a >>>>> 'mobile >>>>> republic.' >>>>> >>>>> Cheers All >>>>> >>>>> Pheeta Ram >>>>> _________________________________________ >>>>> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >>>>> Critiques & Collaborations >>>>> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with >>>>> 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/> >>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> >>> http://indersalim.livejournal.com >>> _________________________________________ >>> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >>> Critiques & Collaborations >>> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the subject header. >>> To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >>> List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> >> > > > > -- > > http://indersalim.livejournal.com > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the subject header. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From indersalim at gmail.com Thu Dec 2 08:50:53 2010 From: indersalim at gmail.com (Inder Salim) Date: Thu, 2 Dec 2010 08:50:53 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] PUT ARUNDHATI IN JAIL ON SEDITION CHARGES! H In-Reply-To: <98639EFB-50FA-405B-BA02-077C3310FDF6@gmail.com> References: <1A54034E-C1ED-43FA-BFF3-62F29A07AB2D@gmail.com> <98639EFB-50FA-405B-BA02-077C3310FDF6@gmail.com> Message-ID: thanks dear Ana i was part of the Seminar ( in LTG in delhi ) which found Roy and others guilty of sedition with regard to Kashmir. I did some action in solidarity with Kashmir issue, and they could have easily booked me as well. I was reflecting Pheeta Ram's post about the Court's action against Roy and others.So layers begin to unfold, which is quite different in texture than those who want her PUNISHED for her word uttered. I am personally looking for more such brave hearts who dare to speak the truth and force the Govt to do something in Kashmir. There is a terrible 0.7 milion security personal there and more and 100 young person were killed for very petty reasons or no reason at all. Laws in Kashmir are such that no action can be initiated against the erring police man with finger on the trigger. Few years back i did a little action at India Gate ( Delhi ) against the death penalty, organized by Amnesty International. I was instantly picked with other 5 activists by the police for one day custody and released after we assured them not to do anything in that space again. Here, the Kashmir issue , which has attracted the attention of millions across the country has given a rod to the Right ( hindu ) winged party workers to spread lies about Roy's speech. How people take interest in what Roy actually said is almost blurred. that need some restoration, and i believe, the youth in Kashmir valley will be benefited a lot by reading her books. Paradoxically, yes, the present FIR against Roy and others will boost that, i guess. love is On Thu, Dec 2, 2010 at 1:02 AM, Ana Valdes wrote: > Dear Inder, thanks for your sage words. When I am defending Roys right to speak I think I speak om behalf of all people, writers or not, who need and dream with the possibility to express themselves without fear to be imprisoned. > Kashmir is unknown for me, I am defending here principal issues. > Best > Ana > > Skickat från min iPhone > > 1 dec 2010 kl. 19:51 skrev Inder Salim : > >> Dear Ana, >> thanks for ur comment. >> >> who would love to go to prison, none to my mind, but the debate the >> deeper perhaps, >> let us see how it looks going to school almost going like to a prison, >> i think more terrible than that. Then the entire system of society >> looks like Foucalut's Panopticon. That is that. >> >> When we see conflict zones, for me it is not depressing to live there >> even. There is hope, churn out some possibility of unpredictable to >> eject us out a little from these prison like societies, which dont >> look very peaceful on the surface. That is that again >> >> Here, we are directly talking about a conflict ( kashmir issue ) which >> is already so complex and hence a vital need to intensify the >> discourse on it, at all levels, which somehow has not happened in the >> valley itself. >> >> Roy is perhaps the first writer who intensified the debate around " >> Azadi" ( freedom ) in kashmir itself. She talked about rights for >> everybody in a new free kashmir , for homosexuals, for feminists >> movements, for minorities and others. To my mind, her very presence >> and a very charged and lucid address at LTG gave an edge to the >> seminar, reverberations of which one can feel in the media as well. >> >> The reaction was inevitable, given the position of the State of India >> which is caught in the crises of not giving an inch to the freedom >> seekers, and at the same time look more democratic. >> >> in the present Scenario, i feel more and more youths looking at the >> Kashmir issue very critically than they ever thought even, That is why >> i wrote, writer's loss is perhaps people's gain. the history is >> witness to that.... >> >> love >> is >> >> >> >> On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 11:57 PM, Ana Valdes wrote: >>> I am still apalled for the lack of sensibility and callouness of some people in this list, which I believed was an arena for important and vital discussions about Art and society. >>> I has been four years in prison for political reasons and I can assure the prison didn't give my writing à sharper edge, but à pain for life. >>> That someone in this list can wish à term in prison for à writer is beyond my imagination. >>> Ana, working in the Pen club since many years to take out all writers from the prisons >>> >>> Skickat från min iPhone >>> >>> 1 dec 2010 kl. 19:14 skrev Inder Salim : >>> >>>> "A stint in jail shall definitely bring a sharper and weighty edge to her >>>>> writing" >>>> >>>> interesting line by Pheeta ji >>>> >>>> going to prison is not actually a terrible thing to experience, >>>> particularly for political prisoners...... i have cherished memories >>>> from my fortnights stint at Sringar Jail during college days in 70s >>>> >>>> . The situation out there in reality is sometimes as grim as prison >>>> itself. and if one has power to transform that experience into more >>>> exhaustive understanding of what we are, how to act ....the of course >>>> this is not then on another planet. >>>> >>>> the other point, paradoxical , the writer's loss is audience's gains >>>> here, because i see  interest in Roy increasing many folds in Kashmir >>>> and else where, which is actually good for young minds in Kashmir. who >>>> will be more critical in their thought.which is good for all, >>>> >>>> let us wait and watch, the case of this sedition charge, looks weak on >>>> legally,  and will only crawl for years, if at all the right wing >>>> jingoistic group is keen enough to push it, but finally i see the case >>>> will almost disappear at the door of Supreme Court. >>>> >>>> But meanwhile i too count the benefits of this FIR. >>>> holding such meetings will be a problem which is their gain, sadly >>>> but i hope the intellectual base for right understanding of Kashmir >>>> issue increases too, in India and abroad >>>> >>>> love >>>> is >>>> >>>> >>>> On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 4:54 PM, Parvaiz Bukhari >>>> wrote: >>>>> Absent conscience replaced by bad sense of humor...could this be an Indian >>>>> theory??? >>>>> >>>>> On 1 December 2010 16:45, Pheeta Ram wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> "Hungaama hai kyun barpa?" >>>>>> [Why all this hullabaloo...?] >>>>>> >>>>>> LET ARUNDHATI BE PUT IN JAIL ON SEDITION CHARGES. >>>>>> >>>>>> As someone said," Uska dimaag thikaane [thikaana: a place of security and >>>>>> responsibility; a greater proximity to the rooted reality, a sharper edge] >>>>>> aa jaegaa!" >>>>>> >>>>>> A stint in jail shall definitely bring a sharper and weighty edge to her >>>>>> writing. She shall find her 'thikaana'  for sure which we have been feeling >>>>>> a sure lack of in most of her work. >>>>>> >>>>>> Let us all eagerly wait for her much anticipated next classic after The God >>>>>> of Small Things: "THE PRISON NOTEBOOKS by Arundhati Roy". >>>>>> >>>>>> Till then i should finish my "Intimations of a Nobel Prize: A Curious Tale >>>>>> of a Dumb/Smart State." Some point later in time, Wikileaks would release >>>>>> another batch of US Embassy (INDIA) files (titled: Indian State: Nobel >>>>>> Conspiracies) which would reveal to us United States' novel conspiracy >>>>>> theories as to how the Indian State, under a super-classified strategy, >>>>>> implicated Arundhati Roy in false 'sedition' charges in order to win >>>>>> another >>>>>> Nobel Prize for an Indian national who paradoxically claimed to be a >>>>>> 'mobile >>>>>> republic.' >>>>>> >>>>>> Cheers All >>>>>> >>>>>> Pheeta Ram >>>>>> _________________________________________ >>>>>> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >>>>>> Critiques & Collaborations >>>>>> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with >>>>>> 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/> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> -- >>>> >>>> http://indersalim.livejournal.com >>>> _________________________________________ >>>> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >>>> Critiques & Collaborations >>>> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the subject header. >>>> To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >>>> List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> >>> >> >> >> >> -- >> >> http://indersalim.livejournal.com >> _________________________________________ >> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >> Critiques & Collaborations >> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the subject header. >> To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >> List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > -- http://indersalim.livejournal.com From ravig64 at gmail.com Thu Dec 2 11:31:39 2010 From: ravig64 at gmail.com (Ravi Agarwal) Date: Thu, 2 Dec 2010 11:31:39 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Fwd: 2 days to go - Quotes from the earth 2010 (New Delhi) In-Reply-To: <20101202055818.458D34004D@mdreg-mst.qlc.co.in> References: <20101202055818.458D34004D@mdreg-mst.qlc.co.in> Message-ID: *I**nvitation* Toxics Link and India international Centre cordially invite you to the environment film festival [image: The environment film festival] *Quotes >From the Earth 2010 for* *Ecological Citizenship* *Earth| Water| Wildlife| Sustainability * *4th-5th Dec 2010, 9am to 9pm, IIC New Delhi* Quotes from the earth* *is a discursive platform to highlight the environmental challenges at the national and international level through films which happen to be one of the most powerful medium of communication. *The festival is a collaborative effort by Toxics Link and India International Centre, Delhi, organised biannually since 2004.* This being the fourth, the festival this year (4th-5th December, 2010) takes a leap of faith and acts as the fourth prong of the environmental debate and discussion. Focusing on different issues, regions, and struggles to give audience a better chance to understand and engage with broader picture of the current status of environmental issues. “Quotes from the Earth”, is the first of its kind in the Indian Capital which ensures to gather the pertinent and poignant in keeping with the existent environmental milieu. ** *Entry Free* Invitation is open to all, if you wish kindly circulate *Screening Schedule* [image: Shcedule for film festival] Please visit film festival page for more information or Contact us at 011-24328006, 24320711 or Write to us at info at toxicslink.org *Download festival brochure * *To safely unsubscribe or modify your subscription settings please click here * From aalok.aima at yahoo.com Thu Dec 2 13:45:45 2010 From: aalok.aima at yahoo.com (Aalok Aima) Date: Thu, 2 Dec 2010 08:15:45 +0000 (GMT) Subject: [Reader-list] A long way from home (on Women writers among Kashmiri Pandits) Message-ID: <862883.21936.qm@web29509.mail.ird.yahoo.com> " For Kashmiri Pandit families, exile is not a romantic concept but a real and painful reality. "   " Kashmiri Pandits have been forced by circumstances totally beyond their control to become refugees in their own country.  This has taken a heavy toll on the elders of the community. Younger people have more or less adjusted. "   "  Women writers of the Kashmiri Pandit community often reflect back to an earlier time when mutual respect and mutual understanding between the communities was the norm. But the work of writers such as Meera Kant, Chandrakanta, Sanjana Paul, Sunita Raina and Kshama Kaul are also steeped in a sense of loss, of bewilderment, and even of anger. "   “All these women have a different perspective on events from the Muslim women who continued to stay in the Valley. But there is one thing they all have in common: a sense of loss for peace, stability, for all those who have senselessly lost their lives in a valley that was once compared to Paradise.”     ............... aalok aima     http://www.bangaloremirror.com/article/36/20101201201012012012129368924475b/A-long-way-from-home.html   A long way from home   Women writers among Kashmiri Pandits reflect on a bygone era when mutual respect existed between communities   By Eunice De Souza Wednesday, December 01, 2010   The word “exile” is often used by people/writers who have gone abroad voluntarily, are well-settled, but then make the mandatory noises about missing their fish curry, and the “trauma” of having to speak/write in English when that is exactly what they have done all their lives. For Kashmiri Pandit families, exile is not a romantic concept but a real and painful reality.   Ranjana Kaul is a member of such a family. She teaches in a Delhi college. I met her at the Sahitya Akademi fest in October and was interested in what she had to say about Kashmir, about re-visiting sometimes to find a warm welcome but a welcome without any suggestion that they should return. “Ironically,” she says, “at its best moments, Kashmiri identity, both Hindu and Muslim has been characterised by its Sufi tolerance and its acceptance of each other’s religion, beliefs and culture. Kashmiri Pandits have been forced by circumstances totally beyond their control to become refugees in their own country.  This has taken a heavy toll on the elders of the community. Younger people have more or less adjusted. “Women writers of the Kashmiri Pandit community often reflect back to an earlier time when mutual respect and mutual understanding between the communities was the norm. But the work of writers such as Meera Kant, Chandrakanta, Sanjana Paul, Sunita Raina and Kshama Kaul are also steeped in a sense of loss, of bewilderment, and even of anger. Chandrakanta’s magnum opus, Katha Satisar (The Story of Kashmir), follows the fortunes of the Kashmiri Pandit community in the valley from the beginning of the century to the moment of exodus from the valley. It is a record of those rituals, routines of daily life, human interactions which were an accepted and unchallenged part of their lives for centuries, only to be completely and irrevocably lost because of displacement.” “Meera Kant’s story Offerings of Memories depicts the gradual shedding of cultural moorings as Kakni, the old grandmother decides to give up wearing the pheran, the dress of the older Hindu women, once the family moves to Jammu. The pathetic eagerness with which she calls out to an old acquaintance who is passing by, their childish glee at sharing past scandals, and their attempt to recapture the threads of their past lives reflect the loss of familiar rhythms of life. Kakni’s grand-daughter and her mother also try to maintain some traditions, so Shakti goes to the roof of the house to leave offerings of fish and rice to the “grehdevta,” the God of the house.” “All these traditions,” Ranjana Kaul says poignantly, “will soon exist only in the memories of a gradually dispersing, gradually disappearing community which has no voice because it is too insignificant to matter in the political scheme of things.” “Both Chandrakanta and Meena who write in Hindi, do not write only about Kashmir, and their work is critically acclaimed.  Sudha Koul writes in English. Her The Tiger Ladies is a truly beautiful evocation of a way of life, of social interactions which cannot exist any more. There are people writing in Kashmiri as well (Vimala Raina writes Sufi poems), but the language of their choice reflects the growing divide between the communities. Hindus use the Devanagari script, Muslims use ‘nastalik,’ a Persian-Arabic script similar to Urdu.” “All these women have a different perspective on events from the Muslim women who continued to stay in the Valley. But there is one thing they all have in common: a sense of loss for peace, stability, for all those who have senselessly lost their lives in a valley that was once compared to Paradise.” From geetaseshu at gmail.com Thu Dec 2 19:05:26 2010 From: geetaseshu at gmail.com (geeta seshu) Date: Thu, 2 Dec 2010 19:05:26 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FYI Message-ID: http://www.thehoot.org/web/freetracker/indexfree.php The sedition case against Roy and Geelani: a case of the reluctant prosecution The decision of a Delhi metropolitan magistrate to police to file an FIR charging sedition against the writer and the Kashmiri separatist leader, exposes our law-enforcers intolerance for dissent, says RAKESH SHUKLA Posted Thursday, Dec 02, 2010 From chandni_parekh at yahoo.com Thu Dec 2 20:49:15 2010 From: chandni_parekh at yahoo.com (Chandni Parekh) Date: Thu, 2 Dec 2010 07:19:15 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] Film Screenings in December Message-ID: <741903.32997.qm@web54403.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Chandni Parekh sent a message to the members of Vikalp at Prithvi group on facebook. Hey all, We had a very good screening of five films three days ago. Thank you to those who attended and sat in the packed room! I didn't have time or internet access, hence the two-day delay in posting about alternative film screenings for the month of December. Anyway, here we go: 'Panthibhojanam' by Sreebala K. Menon and 'Scribbles on Akka' by Madhusree Dutta, Dec 3, Chennai 'To our Loves' by Maurice Pialat (French), Dec 3 & 12, Delhi 'Goya En Burdeos' by Carlos Saura (Spanish), Dec 4, Delhi ‘Quotes from the Earth: The Environment Film Festival, 2010’, Dec 4-5, Delhi Children's Film Festival, Dec 4-5, Delhi Festival of Feature Films, Dec 5-12, Delhi 'Frida, Naturaleza Viva' by Paul Leduc (Russian), Dec 6, Delhi 'The Emigre - Everything Is Different' by István Dárday and Györgyi Szalai, Dec 7, Delhi 12th Madurai International Documentary and Short Film Festival 2010, Dec 7-11 'Caravaggio' by Angelo Longoni (Italian), Dec 8, Delhi 'Schiller' by Martin Weinhart (German), Dec 9, Delhi Short Films presented by Shamiana, Dec 10, Ahmedabad 'Belle de Jour' by Luis Buñuel (French), Dec 10 & 12, Delhi Short Films presented by Shamiana, Dec 11, Delhi Short Films presented by Shamiana, Dec 16, Bombay 'Cold Showers' by Antony Cordier (French), Dec 17, Delhi Konark Film Festival 2010, Dec 18-24, Orissa Vikalp at Prithvi Screening of 'Beating the Bomb' by Meera Patel and Wolfgang Matt, Mon, Dec 27, 7 pm, Prithvi House, Juhu, Bombay Screening details can be found on the Discussion Board of the facebook group. - Chandni For Vikalp at Prithvi From adityarajbaul at gmail.com Fri Dec 3 01:14:55 2010 From: adityarajbaul at gmail.com (Aditya Raj Baul) Date: Fri, 3 Dec 2010 01:14:55 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Surely, Kashmiri Pandits must oppose this judgement? Message-ID: I am surprised why Kashmiri Pandits are not opposing Justice Gita Mittal's judgement (see PTI report below) as the judgement reads: "Forcing the petitioners to return to the area > where they were persecuted violates the principles of International Law > forbidding the expulsion of a refuse into an area where such person might be > again subjected to persecution,"" Surely, it must be anti-national, nay seditious, to invoke International Law regarding any aspect of Kashmir, as according to the Kashmiri Pandits the Kashmir issue is India's internal matter and not an international dispute. Or do you want to have your cake and eat it too? ARB > *HC asks Centre not to evict KPs* > > *NEW DELHI, Nov 30: *The Delhi High Court today restrained the Centre from > evicting Kashmiri Pandits, who fled the Valley following outbreak of > militancy, from Government quarters here after their retirement and directed > it to provide them alternative residence in the capital. > > Justice Gita Mittal said that right to shelter is a fundamental right and > the displaced members of the community cannot be forced to evict as in the > present situation they cannot go back to the Valley because of Government’s > failure to ensure their safety there. > > The High Court pulled up the Government for threatening to forcibly evict > the Kashmiri Pandits and directed it to pay a cost of Rs 25,000 to each of > the petitioners. > > The court passed the order on a bunch of petitions filed by 24 Central > Government employees, all Kashmiri Pandits who were working in Kashmir > Valley but were transferred to the capital as the community was targeted by > militants from 1989. > > The petitioners sought a direction to restrain the Centre from evicting them > from Government quarters. > > "The petitioners may be compelled to return to the violent situation where > from they were forced to flee. Forcing the petitioners to return to the area > where they were persecuted violates the principles of International Law > forbidding the expulsion of a refuse into an area where such person might be > again subjected to persecution," the court said. > > "The order cancelling the allotment of the petitioners, the order of > eviction are hereby set aside and quashed," the court said adding "till such > time the Government is able to provide alternative accommodation, the > petitioners shall be allowed to retain the alloted accommodation". > > The court said that the judgement would be applicable in all such cases > where the state has been unable to ensure safety and security of people in > case they return to the place of their residence. > > The High Court observed, "Instead of facilitating the resettlement and > rehabilitation of the petitioners who are internally displaced persons as > per the declared policy, they have arbitrarily been exposed to the > additional trauma of the threat of forcible evictions and the uncertainty of > seeking the adjudication by pursuing the litigation. > > "In these circumstances, the petitioners are entitled to exemplary costs > from the respondents in as much as the threat of forcible eviction by the > process resorted to by the respondents impacts the fundamental rights of the > petitioners," the court said. > > "The right to shelter of every person has been recognised as an essential > concomitant of right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution. It would > clearly be covered under the definition of a human rights under Protection > of Human Rights Act," the court said. > > It said the case is "testimony to events which lead to unprecedented ethnic > cleansing of a minority community from the Kashmir valley on account of > inability of the State to protect them and their property from violence, who > as a result, were rendered homeless. > > "Such turmoil was faced by the minority community in the State of Jammu and > Kashmir after December 1989," the court said. (PTI) From aarti.sethi at gmail.com Fri Dec 3 10:13:50 2010 From: aarti.sethi at gmail.com (Aarti Sethi) Date: Thu, 2 Dec 2010 23:43:50 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Kitne Aadmi The? : We are all seditious now Message-ID: cross-posted from www.kafila.org Kitne Aadmi The?: We are all seditious now Nivedita Menon Here is a very short, utterly incomplete, hastily compiled list of people charged under Section 124 A in the last two years alone. Our very own *Shuddhabrata Sengupta *figures in this roll of honour. (Incidentally, *KK Shahina*, who has guest postedwith us, faces charges from the Karnataka Police under IPC 506 for intimidating witnesses. Her expose in Tehelkashowed how the police case against Abdul Nasar Madani, head of the People’s Democratic Front (PDP), accused in 2008 Bengaluru blasts, was fragile and based on non-existent and false testimonies.) There would be hundreds more, not named here, charged with sedition for “criticizing” the government, for exposing corruption and police nexus with mafias, or for expressing views that run counter to official wisdom on the “integrity” of India. As if “integrity” is something pre-existing and eternal rather than something that has to be produced at every point. The existence of a nation is a daily plebiscite, said even historian Ernst Renan, a staunch supporter of the nation form. Not so Rabindranath Tagore, who was highly suspicious of the “fetish of nationalism”. He called the Nation nothing but the “the organization of politics and commerce” and warned that when this Nation “becomes all-powerful at the cost of the harmony of the higher social life, then it is an evil day for humanity.” (In his lectures on nationalism, published by Rupa and Co. 1994) Said Gandhi to a Naga delegation that met him in 1947: “I believe that you all belong to one country, to India. But if you say you won’t, no-one can force you…I will go to Naga hills and say that you will shoot me before you shoot a single Naga.” Good for the Indian Nation that they did shoot him. I have said it beforeand I will say it again – the charge of sedition has no place in a democracy, it is anti-constitutional, anti-democratic and must be repealed as soon as possible. Look at this list and the reasons for which they have been charged with sedition! If it wasn’t enraging me so much, I would find it hilarious. *2010* *Dr E Rati Rao* *a senior scientist, long-standing activist of the women’s rights movement, Vice-President of PUCL-Karnataka and Vice President of the All India Progressive Women’s Association (AIPWA) has recently been charged with sedition by the police of Karnataka.* *The FIR against Dr. Rati Rao accuses her of publishing a PUCL bulletin that is “favoring naxals and Muslims and is propagating that the police are killing innocent people in the name of encounter”; that “calls upon dalits, women, minorities, farmers and adivasis to build organizations in order to fight for their rights”; that “accuses the Sangh Parivar in Karavali (coastal Karnataka) of indulging in false propaganda and fueling communal disharmony” and “calls upon the secular forces to raise their voice against such spread of communal hate”; and “by raising such issues incite and spread intolerance, disbelief, discontent amongst the public”; that “in the name of doing good to the dalits, women, minorities, & adivasis the said bulletin is spreading false information against the casteist & communal Government…It is propagating intolerance, disbelief, and discontent amongst the Government officials.”* *Laxman Choudhury*, *a stringer for the daily Sambad when the local police said they found Maoist leaflets in his possession, this year. He was in jail for ten weeks.* Other journalists in Orissa charged with sedition: *OTV reporters Khusiram Sunani and Kirti Chandra Sahu * *Samaj correspondent Jagannath Bastia * *Aarombh reporters Sriharsha Mishra and Kiran Mishra * *Piyush Sethia * *was charged for sedition, and arrested in Salem, Tamil Nadu. He is an activist, who was trying to circulate a pamphlet, in his capacity as a representative of a much-wider Campaign for Justice and Peace at a Republic Day function in Salem this year.* *Arundhati Roy* *Shuddhabrata Sengupta* *Varavara Rao* *Syed Ali Shah Geelani* *SAR Geelani* *Sheikh Showkat Hussain* *Sujato Bhadra (I just learnt he is included in this list) **For supporting the Azadi demand of the Kashmiri people at a meeting in Delhi* *Gujjar community leader Kirori Singh Bainsla* * charged with sedition and conspiring against the state by the Rajasthan government for leading an agitation demanding ST status for Gujjars.* (Can there be anything more non-seditious than demanding recognition in a schedule of the constitution?!) *Surinder Singh Barnala * *Bheem Singh Saddowala * *Kuldeep Singh Namol * *Sukhmandeep Singh Toor* *Banjara Kulwant Singh Dhandiwal * *For distributing pamphlets containing a text version of one of Bhindranwale’s speeches. All speeches, interviews and many letters of Sant Bhindranwale are already published in a combined volume, titled “Singh Garaj” complied by S. Narain Singh, Editor of Awaz-e-Khalsa, and are published by Gurmat Pustak Bhandar, Amritsar. These speeches are even translated and published in English too. Many editions of these books have been published so far.* *2009* *MDMK General Secretary V. Gopalasawmy (Vaiko)* *was charged by the Chennai City police, who registered a sedition case against him for his speech warning that India would not remain one country, if the war against the LTTE in Sri Lanka was not stopped.* *2008* *Lenin Kumar*, *editor of the quarterly magazine Nishan, after a special booklet on the Kandhamal riots entitled ‘Dharmanare Khandamalre Raktonadhi’ (The rivers of blood in Kandhamal) was published in the magazine.* *Times of India resident editor Bharat Desai * *Reporter Prashant Dayal * *Photojournalist Gautam Mehta **for articles that criticised the Ahmedabad Police Commissioner.* *Dr Binayak Sen*,* medical doctor and social activist working among the poorest of the poor in Chhatishgarh, detained on charges of sedition and in jail for two years*. *2006* *Manoj Shinde*, *the editor of a Gujarati eveninger is facing sedition charges for using “abusive words” against CM Narendra Modi in an editorial on Monday while alleging administrative failure in tackling the flood situation in Surat.* From vandana.pant at yahoo.com Thu Dec 2 12:35:38 2010 From: vandana.pant at yahoo.com (Vandana Pant) Date: Wed, 1 Dec 2010 23:05:38 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] A Perspective on the LGBT movement Message-ID: <156129.96147.qm@web110014.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Hi, sorry for the mass mailing but I wanted to share the speech below with you. I have tremendous respect for Urvashi Vaid's work and perspective. Some very key points being made here...(once you're beyond the thank you's) Vandana A version of the prepared remarks below was given at the Annual Award Dinner of SAGE (Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders) in New York City on October 25, 2010. The Ken Dawson Advocacy Award was presented to me by Virginia Apuzzo. Thank you. I was 21 years old when I first heard Ginny Apuzzo speak. It was 1979, and it probably was in Boston. From the minute I heard her speak, I was smitten. Women did not claim their political power, their space in the mainstream world as out lesbians, their intellect or their humor as boldly as Ginny did (and still does). She said things persuasively and with eloquence, she was tough and strong, and yet completely warm and accessible. Over the past three decades, I have learned so much from you, Ginny; it is a real honor to have you here to make this presentation. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you also to SAGE’s Board, and to Michael Adams and the staff, for this generous recognition. I am thrilled to be here with Edie Windsor, who is amazing and inspiring. And I am deeply touched to receive an award named after Ken Dawson, another early leader in the LGBT movement who I was lucky enough to work with and to learn from. Ken was a kind and gentle man. I don’t think I ever saw him raise his voice or be really snarky about someone, which in the movement context in New York in the 1980’s was quite remarkable! I’m also delighted to receive a SAGE award one year after my partner in life of 23 years, Kate Clinton, got one! There was definitely something good I did in my previous life that led me to meet Kate in this one – and yes, she is as wonderful at home, as she is as a writer and a comic. Thank you, Kate, for your love and constant creative inspiration. Any recognition I receive in key measure belongs to you as well. I also want to recognize and thank my sister, Rachna Vaid for being here. She is here with my niece Kaveri Vaid and nephew Shantanu Vaid and their respective partners Isaac Leamer and Leah Weisberg. And I want to thank my beloved friends Susan Allee and Karen Krahulik. I have been blessed with the support of my queer family and family of origin throughout my life and I’m glad so many of you are here tonight. People in this room, and indeed our entire LGBT liberation and women’s liberation movement, once prioritized and fought fiercely to create the space for very different ideas of manhood and womanhood, of gender and sexuality. It was not just a fight to allow space for transgender people, although I believe that was and remains a critical part of our effort. Rather, our vision of gender and sexual liberation was to see it as a part of the democratic freedom to which we believed each person should have access. We fought for freedom in the way that Walt Whitman wrote of it, the freedom to live whole lives, to treat each other as comrades, equals, friends. We “celebrated ourselves” and built institutions to affirm and value aspects of our gender and identities that were dehumanized, denied and shamed by the mainstream. We fought for choice – for self-determination and for independence from state and religious dictates about how we should live our lives. And we built a global social movement to counter the idea that we were abnormal and unnatural, criminal and sinful, unworthy of human rights and dignity, unable to make family or form commitment. We made HUGE progress. It is remarkable how far we have come. Yet, along the way, we have made a number of compromises that warrant our consideration. We separated ourselves from feminism to the impoverishment of the LGBT liberation movement. The Patriarchy – a dated 1970’s word that remains relevant — remains strong and thriving: look at the condition of women and men. Women still earn 30% less than men in the US, are still under-represented at all political and economic tables of power; women in the US and around the world still experience enormous incidence of violence and brutality; and femaleness is still denigrated and hated in many parts of the world. And let us also be clear that the Patriarchy chains and contains men as ferociously as it does women. Men are shamed, humiliated and violated in a million degrading ways to conform to a shallow form of humanity known as traditional masculinity. Every culture enforces destructive ideas of manhood on men, wrapped up in notions of tradition and religion – from the Promise Keepers to the Taliban. We have “progressed” from creating an LGBT politics centered on our own dreams and experiences of otherness in the 1970’s and 1980’s, to a politics that is all about our desire for sameness and our longing to belong in the 1990’s and the present decade. The focus of our movement changed from making ourselves comfortable with the non-traditional notions of sexuality and gender, of power and equality, of justice and freedom that we embodied, to making 51% percent majorities comfortable with us. We began to try to fit in to the heterosexist world, instead of committing to expanding justice and freedom for all. We endorsed D’Amato and other anti-choice zealots. Instead of showing the straight world how we can help it heal itself from the damage of sexual abuse, lies, sexual shame, deadening and roles — we insist to that world that we are no different from it in any way, that no fundamental change will be required if we are allowed into existing structures of family, economy and governance. The social service organizations in our communities provide a window into the truth that LGBT people are not all wealthy, nor all working in Fortune 500 corporations. Yet, we have gone from being a movement deeply concerned with the internal inequalities in our own communities, inequities that privilege some and prevent others from realizing full freedom, to being a movement that is almost entirely represented at the national level by people who argue that when “we” win marriage and military admission, when “we” win ENDA, “we” will have won. Absent from our discourse is a consideration of how disparities around income and economic condition form new dividing lines between those who are able to experience the formal “rights” we have won and those who still live without any semblance of equality. What is the experience of homophobia of the LGBT person who has no health insurance, or who cannot choose their health care provider, or who cannot send their kids to private schools, or who cannot supplement their SSI with private dollars for the home health care aide? We neglected to build relationships of depth and meaning with our allies in communities of color. We have under-resourced the parts of our communities that are people of color, indeed only 2 of the heads of more than forty national organizations are POC. We’ve compromised so much that in the name of a gay and lesbian movement, we have groups inviting misogynists and racists like Anne Coulter to “pro-marriage” fundraisers, we have come so far that some of our own people in the name of LGBT rights target champions of human rights like Barney Frank and Nancy Pelosi, while endorsing idiots like John McCain and Meg Whitman. We have come so far that we, who once fought against the unfair characterization of LGBT people as criminal and illegal, are part of a community in which some would abandon defending that same principle when it comes to immigrants. As one of the people in this room who fought very, very, hard in a wide range of social movements to bring ideas of justice and equality, of human rights and human needs to this point, and as someone, like many of you, who intends to keep on fighting, I must tell you that these deviations from principle, these silences, these moments in which core values of justice are sacrificed for pragmatism or opportunism do not sit well with me. I am not a member of any LGBT movement that narrows its focus away from ending sexism, racism, and economic injustice. There is nothing inevitable nor unavoidable about a reactionary turn in politics – fascism often comes about quite legally and with the consent of majorities. I hope that the LGBT movement, with our friends and families, organizes firmly against the Right-wing in all of its forms. I hope that we organize from the perspective that we stand against traditions of all kinds, that we never forget that we have been outsiders to family, government and the economy and that the price of admission to the world should not be erasure of our experiences of exclusion, not be the erasure of our difference, much less the abandonment of our imagination and aspiration for a truly different social order. As Walt Whitman wrote in the Calamus poems (34) in Leaves of Grass: I dreamed in a dream, I saw a city invincible to the attacks Of the whole of the rest of the earth, I dreamed that was the new City of Friends, Nothing was greater there than the quality of robust love – it led the rest, It was seen every hour in the actions of the men of that city, And in all their looks and words. The success of the LGBT liberation movement lies in our never losing sight of our freedom to dream different solutions to the dilemmas facing our world. It lies in our radical compassion, our robust love and the effective deployment of our power to build a new and more egalitarian City of Friends. Thank you. From kmvenuannur at gmail.com Sat Dec 4 09:50:14 2010 From: kmvenuannur at gmail.com (Venugopalan K M) Date: Sat, 4 Dec 2010 09:50:14 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] "Withdraw false case against Shahina K K, Support Press Freedom" Message-ID: Dear Friends, I have just read and signed the online petition: "Withdraw false case against Shahina K K, Support Press Freedom" hosted on the web by PetitionOnline.com, the free online petition service, at: http://www.PetitionOnline.com/shahkk12/ I personally agree with what this petition says, and I think you might agree, too. If you can spare a moment, please take a look, and consider signing yourself. Best wishes, K M Venugopalan -- You cannot build anything on the foundations of caste. You cannot build up a nation, you cannot build up a morality. Anything that you will build on the foundations of caste will crack and will never be a whole. -AMBEDKAR http://venukm.blogspot.com http://www.shelfari.com/kmvenuannur http://kmvenuannur.livejournal.com From navayana at gmail.com Sat Dec 4 11:24:18 2010 From: navayana at gmail.com (Navayana Publishing) Date: Sat, 4 Dec 2010 11:24:18 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Waking is Another Dream: Poems on the Genocide in Eelam, 8 Dec 2010 Message-ID: Navayana invites you to an evening of poetry, 6 p.m. onwards, on 8 Dec 2010 at The Attic Cheran and Ravikumar will read from their work Anamika , Mangalesh Dabral and K. Satchidanandan will speak Venue: The Attic, 36 Regal Building, Connaught Place, New Delhi 110 001 To reach The Attic: http://www.theatticdelhi.org/locate.html Waking is Another Dream Poems on the Genocide in Eelam Cheran, Jayapalan, Yesurasa, Latha, Ravikumar Ed. Ravikumar. Trans. Meena Kandasamy and Ravi Shanker Rs 180 | 6.5 in x 8.5 in | Paperback | 9788189059378 *There is no one to tell stories.* What happened between 8 and 18 May 2009 in Eelam? Did no one write diaries? Did no one have cameras? Were there no poets there? Not a single artist? Whatever happened on that last day? What is the poetry that can emerge from a ‘wounded landmass’ where ‘no bird is able to fly’, where people ‘ate death’? *Nobody answered our questions.* *To ask one of the dead, at least,* *I went to the mortuary.* *My corpse lay there,* *the ribcage ripped apart* *and in place of the heart* *there was a grinding stone.* Five frontline Tamil poets—Cheran, Jayapalan, Yesurasa, Latha, Ravikumar—lament the loss of their land, their language and thousands of people. They chronicle *the people who have learnt* *to pose for hours* *clutching with ease* *the barbed wire* *without getting pricked.* Translated into English for the first time, these poems introspect on why waking is another dream in Sri Lanka. -- www.navayana.org Navayana 155, Second Floor Shahpur Jat New Delhi 110049 Landline: +91-11-26494795 Mobile: +91-9971433117 From dhatr1i at yahoo.com Sat Dec 4 11:56:28 2010 From: dhatr1i at yahoo.com (we wi) Date: Fri, 3 Dec 2010 22:26:28 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] FIR and this list In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <905526.91803.qm@web45516.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> Hello Samvit, There are 2 types of jaundice one is white and the other is green.  This is the most practical/suitable proverb "one who affected with green jaundice sees only greenery " >>Sawan ke andhe ko sab hara hi hara nazar aata hai. (Hindi). >>One who goes blind in spring, sees only greenery all around!!! Where as the one you quoted sound poetic because of 2 reason 1. There is no seasonal blind and the 2nd a blind can't view the surroundings at all. Regards, --- On Tue, 11/30/10, Samvit wrote: From: Samvit Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FIR and this list To: "anupam chakravartty" Cc: "sarai list" Date: Tuesday, November 30, 2010, 5:41 PM Oh yes Anupam, you forgot about the Goshtabas that she was feasting on after she spoke at the Aazadi seminar. In KAshmir it is called Goshtaba diplomacy. Arundhati knows nothing about Kashmir or Kashmiries. She is a fly by night operator and has no business in the Valley. She and people like you try to use your verbal jugglery to promote an anti India agenda. The fact is that Article 370 does not allow people like you to have any business with us Kashmiries. It is our land and that is what it stays. We will make Panun Kashmir out of it even thought it may take hundreds of years. If there is anyone on this forum who needs to zip up it is Arundhati's cronies who are on the payroll of many organizations. Also, I removed the garb of Arundhati being a pro-poor because she wears western bourgeoisie outfits and  goes to expensive gyms. And when she has to address the media she will wear a khadi/cotton sari. You twisted these words to say that I indulged in a "perverted imagination". You are a classic case of Sawan ke andhe ko sab hara hi hara nazar aata hai. (Hindi). One who goes blind in spring, sees only greenery all around!!! -SR On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:54 PM, anupam chakravartty wrote: > Defensive? I used the word "shame". Unlike yours, My hands are tied in my > efforts to understand the complexity of issues in this country. Sadly, when > a writer addresses this issues, and expresses her views, she is vilified to > the extant that she becomes the subject of your perverted imagination, > Samvit. Her house, where she dwells becomes the object of your scrutiny. BUT > NOT KASHMIR. BUT NOT AFSPA. So why should states from North East, the state > of Kashmir demand secession from the Indian state? I dont have to look at > historical examples. Your attitudes, Aditya Raj Kaul's attitude speaks > volumes. This is your two paisa bit that you do to counter someone's > statements. it is SHAME, Samvit. Please do not give me the example of the > democratic set up of this country. > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:38 PM, Samvit wrote: >> >> I know neither Aditya or nor anyone else on this forum but I am >> surprised that if Aditya has registered a complaint why should people >> get so defensive. We have a democratic setup and he has every right to >> go to the court. Similarly, Arundhati and others have every right to >> defend themselves. The Indian judicial system is a multi-tier process >> just for the sake that justice should be done. Why is such a fuss >> being made about it. This is a simple process. We must respect the law >> of the land and if we don't we should be ready to face the >> consqueunces. We all make our choices and have to live by them. >> -SR >> >> >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:31 PM, anupam chakravartty >> wrote: >> > It shameful that Aditya Raj Kaul, who is hell bent on producing false >> > reports on any issue he feels like has also named one of the list >> > members in >> > the complaint, out of his desperation and his understanding of the >> > Kashmir >> > issue. >> > >> > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:24 PM, Ana Valdés wrote: >> > >> >> Sorry but I want now to unsubscribe from these list. If memberrs of >> >> this >> >> list has done that they have shown a flagrant disrespect tor the rights >> >> of >> >> a >> >> writer to speak freely and to to express its opinions. >> >> A person using the Sate recourses, police and judges to do that, has no >> >> right to belong to this list, but since I am not the moderator I choose >> >> ,myself to go and to leave you all with such despicable interlocutors. >> >> Ana >> >> >> >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 8:40 AM, Jeebesh wrote: >> >> >> >> > dear All, >> >> > >> >> > >> >> > >> >> >> >> http://www.mid-day.com/news/2010/nov/301110-News-Delhi-FIR-Kashmiri-separatist-leader-Syed-Ali-Geelani-Arundhati-Roy-sedition.htm >> >> > >> >> > Members of this list are behind the private complaint that has pushed >> >> > the >> >> > courts to get an FIR lodged. >> >> > >> >> > There are member of this list who are named in the FIR. >> >> > >> >> > So, dear list members, the online and offline flows entangles each >> >> > other. >> >> > Lets think hard. >> >> > >> >> > warmly >> >> > jeebesh >> >> > >> >> > >> >> > _________________________________________ >> >> > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >> >> > Critiques & Collaborations >> >> > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with >> >> > subscribe in the subject header. >> >> > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >> >> > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> -- >> >> http://anavaldes.wordpress.com >> >> http://passagenwerk.wordpress.com >> >> http://caravia.stumbleupon.com >> >> http://www.crusading.se >> >> Gondolgatan 2 l tr >> >> 12832 Skarpnäck >> >> Sweden >> >> tel +468-943288 >> >> mobil 4670-3213370 >> >> >> >> >> >> "When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with >> >> your >> >> eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you will always >> >> long >> >> to return. >> >> — Leonardo da Vinci >> >> _________________________________________ >> >> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >> >> Critiques & Collaborations >> >> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with >> >> 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 dhatr1i at yahoo.com Sat Dec 4 13:36:48 2010 From: dhatr1i at yahoo.com (we wi) Date: Sat, 4 Dec 2010 00:06:48 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] FIR and this list In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <685000.90434.qm@web45510.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> Dear sen, I am unaware of the fact that how many know about sankalp(widely used in all kind of ceremony from birth to death all over the world by hindus in particular), but As per sankalpa Pravartamanasya adya brahmana dvitiya pararde sweta varaha kalpe VAIVASWATA manvantare KALI YUGE PRADHAMA PADE    JAMBUDWIPE BHARATAVARSHE BHARATAKHANDE MERU.........         EARTH IS NOT THE single landmass but it is the water filled with islands. Kukshaatu Saagaraah sarve, sapta dweepa Vasundhara is the old saying. The earth has seven great islands- Jambu, Plaksha, Shaalmali, Kusha, Kronch, Shaakh and Pushkar. Jambudweep is situated at the centre. Situated at the centre of Jambudweep is golden Sumeru Mountain (Himalayas). The landmass that is present between Himalayas and the ocean is known as Bharat the INDIA. Regards, Dhatri. --- On Tue, 11/30/10, Jhuma Sen wrote: From: Jhuma Sen Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FIR and this list To: "Samvit" Cc: "sarai list" Date: Tuesday, November 30, 2010, 5:52 PM Excuse my twisted imagination, but what has the choice of outfits got to do with professing a particular opinion/ talking about it? If we go by this logic, then in the ideal world, all politicians who talk about 'eradication of poverty' close to the elections, should campaign naked and starved. Since you define 'anti-India' so ably, it might be a good idea to define 'India' first. What is India in your imagination Samvit? On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:11 AM, Samvit wrote: > Oh yes Anupam, you forgot about the Goshtabas that she was feasting on > after she spoke at the Aazadi seminar. In KAshmir it is called > Goshtaba diplomacy. Arundhati knows nothing about Kashmir or > Kashmiries. She is a fly by night operator and has no business in the > Valley. She and people like you try to use your verbal jugglery to > promote an anti India agenda. The fact is that Article 370 does not > allow people like you to have any business with us Kashmiries. It is > our land and that is what it stays. We will make Panun Kashmir out of > it even thought it may take hundreds of years. If there is anyone on > this forum who needs to zip up it is Arundhati's cronies who are on > the payroll of many organizations. Also, I removed the garb of > Arundhati being a pro-poor because she wears western bourgeoisie > outfits and  goes to expensive gyms. And when she has to address the > media she will wear a khadi/cotton sari. You twisted these words to > say that I indulged in a "perverted imagination". You are a classic > case of Sawan ke andhe ko sab hara hi hara nazar aata hai. (Hindi). > One who goes blind in spring, sees only greenery all around!!! > -SR > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:54 PM, anupam chakravartty > wrote: > > Defensive? I used the word "shame". Unlike yours, My hands are tied in my > > efforts to understand the complexity of issues in this country. Sadly, > when > > a writer addresses this issues, and expresses her views, she is vilified > to > > the extant that she becomes the subject of your perverted imagination, > > Samvit. Her house, where she dwells becomes the object of your scrutiny. > BUT > > NOT KASHMIR. BUT NOT AFSPA. So why should states from North East, the > state > > of Kashmir demand secession from the Indian state? I dont have to look at > > historical examples. Your attitudes, Aditya Raj Kaul's attitude speaks > > volumes. This is your two paisa bit that you do to counter someone's > > statements. it is SHAME, Samvit. Please do not give me the example of the > > democratic set up of this country. > > > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:38 PM, Samvit wrote: > >> > >> I know neither Aditya or nor anyone else on this forum but I am > >> surprised that if Aditya has registered a complaint why should people > >> get so defensive. We have a democratic setup and he has every right to > >> go to the court. Similarly, Arundhati and others have every right to > >> defend themselves. The Indian judicial system is a multi-tier process > >> just for the sake that justice should be done. Why is such a fuss > >> being made about it. This is a simple process. We must respect the law > >> of the land and if we don't we should be ready to face the > >> consqueunces. We all make our choices and have to live by them. > >> -SR > >> > >> > >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:31 PM, anupam chakravartty < > c.anupam at gmail.com> > >> wrote: > >> > It shameful that Aditya Raj Kaul, who is hell bent on producing false > >> > reports on any issue he feels like has also named one of the list > >> > members in > >> > the complaint, out of his desperation and his understanding of the > >> > Kashmir > >> > issue. > >> > > >> > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 4:24 PM, Ana Valdés > wrote: > >> > > >> >> Sorry but I want now to unsubscribe from these list. If memberrs of > >> >> this > >> >> list has done that they have shown a flagrant disrespect tor the > rights > >> >> of > >> >> a > >> >> writer to speak freely and to to express its opinions. > >> >> A person using the Sate recourses, police and judges to do that, has > no > >> >> right to belong to this list, but since I am not the moderator I > choose > >> >> ,myself to go and to leave you all with such despicable > interlocutors. > >> >> Ana > >> >> > >> >> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 8:40 AM, Jeebesh wrote: > >> >> > >> >> > dear All, > >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> > http://www.mid-day.com/news/2010/nov/301110-News-Delhi-FIR-Kashmiri-separatist-leader-Syed-Ali-Geelani-Arundhati-Roy-sedition.htm > >> >> > > >> >> > Members of this list are behind the private complaint that has > pushed > >> >> > the > >> >> > courts to get an FIR lodged. > >> >> > > >> >> > There are member of this list who are named in the FIR. > >> >> > > >> >> > So, dear list members, the online and offline flows entangles each > >> >> > other. > >> >> > Lets think hard. > >> >> > > >> >> > warmly > >> >> > jeebesh > >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> > _________________________________________ > >> >> > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > >> >> > Critiques & Collaborations > >> >> > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > >> >> > subscribe in the subject header. > >> >> > To unsubscribe: > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > >> >> > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > >> >> > >> >> > >> >> > >> >> > >> >> -- > >> >> http://anavaldes.wordpress.com > >> >> http://passagenwerk.wordpress.com > >> >> http://caravia.stumbleupon.com > >> >> http://www.crusading.se > >> >> Gondolgatan 2 l tr > >> >> 12832 Skarpnäck > >> >> Sweden > >> >> tel +468-943288 > >> >> mobil 4670-3213370 > >> >> > >> >> > >> >> "When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth > with > >> >> your > >> >> eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you will > always > >> >> long > >> >> to return. > >> >> — Leonardo da Vinci > >> >> _________________________________________ > >> >> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > >> >> Critiques & Collaborations > >> >> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > >> >> 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 tapasrayx at gmail.com Sat Dec 4 17:03:51 2010 From: tapasrayx at gmail.com (Tapas Ray [Gmail]) Date: Sat, 4 Dec 2010 17:03:51 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FIR and this list In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Ana, Please consider this: for every such person there are at least ten others who have only contempt for their actions. If you leave, this majority is reduced and the small minority gets a chance to become the majority one day. Best, Tapas On 30 November 2010 16:24, Ana Valdés wrote: > Sorry but I want now to unsubscribe from these list. If memberrs of this > list has done that they have shown a flagrant disrespect tor the rights of a > writer to speak freely and to to express its opinions. > A person using the Sate recourses, police and judges to do that, has no > right to belong to this list, but since I am not the moderator I choose > ,myself to go and to leave you all with such despicable interlocutors. > Ana > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 8:40 AM, Jeebesh wrote: > >> dear All, >> >> >> http://www.mid-day.com/news/2010/nov/301110-News-Delhi-FIR-Kashmiri-separatist-leader-Syed-Ali-Geelani-Arundhati-Roy-sedition.htm >> >> Members of this list are behind the private complaint that has pushed the >> courts to get an FIR lodged. >> >> There are member of this list who are named in the FIR. >> >> So, dear list members, the online and offline flows entangles each other. >> Lets think hard. >> >> warmly >> jeebesh >> >> >> _________________________________________ >> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >> Critiques & Collaborations >> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with >> subscribe in the subject header. >> To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >> List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > > > -- > http://anavaldes.wordpress.com > http://passagenwerk.wordpress.com > http://caravia.stumbleupon.com > http://www.crusading.se > Gondolgatan 2 l tr > 12832 Skarpnäck > Sweden > tel +468-943288 > mobil 4670-3213370 > > > "When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your > eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you will always long > to return. > — Leonardo da Vinci > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with 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 agora158 at gmail.com Sat Dec 4 17:09:03 2010 From: agora158 at gmail.com (=?ISO-8859-1?Q?Ana_Vald=E9s?=) Date: Sat, 4 Dec 2010 12:39:03 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] FIR and this list In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Thank you, Tapas. Normally I am not a "quitter", dvs I stand for my opinions and try to elaborate my dissensions, the problem is when the tone of a conversation, virtual or in real life, goes sour, when people throw invectives and scourn instead for listening and exchanging. That's the things which make me lose my patience and my pleasure. Best Ana On Sat, Dec 4, 2010 at 12:33 PM, Tapas Ray [Gmail] wrote: > Ana, > > Please consider this: for every such person there are at least ten > others who have only contempt for their actions. If you leave, this > majority is reduced and the small minority gets a chance to become the > majority one day. > > Best, > > Tapas > > > On 30 November 2010 16:24, Ana Valdés wrote: > > Sorry but I want now to unsubscribe from these list. If memberrs of this > > list has done that they have shown a flagrant disrespect tor the rights > of a > > writer to speak freely and to to express its opinions. > > A person using the Sate recourses, police and judges to do that, has no > > right to belong to this list, but since I am not the moderator I choose > > ,myself to go and to leave you all with such despicable interlocutors. > > Ana > > > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 8:40 AM, Jeebesh wrote: > > > >> dear All, > >> > >> > >> > http://www.mid-day.com/news/2010/nov/301110-News-Delhi-FIR-Kashmiri-separatist-leader-Syed-Ali-Geelani-Arundhati-Roy-sedition.htm > >> > >> Members of this list are behind the private complaint that has pushed > the > >> courts to get an FIR lodged. > >> > >> There are member of this list who are named in the FIR. > >> > >> So, dear list members, the online and offline flows entangles each > other. > >> Lets think hard. > >> > >> warmly > >> jeebesh > >> > >> > >> _________________________________________ > >> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > >> Critiques & Collaborations > >> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > >> subscribe in the subject header. > >> To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > >> List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > > > > > > > > -- > > http://anavaldes.wordpress.com > > http://passagenwerk.wordpress.com > > http://caravia.stumbleupon.com > > http://www.crusading.se > > Gondolgatan 2 l tr > > 12832 Skarpnäck > > Sweden > > tel +468-943288 > > mobil 4670-3213370 > > > > > > "When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with > your > > eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you will always > long > > to return. > > — Leonardo da Vinci > > _________________________________________ > > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > > Critiques & Collaborations > > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > subscribe in the subject header. > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > -- http://anavaldes.wordpress.com http://passagenwerk.wordpress.com http://caravia.stumbleupon.com http://www.crusading.se Gondolgatan 2 l tr 12832 Skarpnäck Sweden tel +468-943288 mobil 4670-3213370 "When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you will always long to return. — Leonardo da Vinci From patrice at xs4all.nl Sat Dec 4 17:16:41 2010 From: patrice at xs4all.nl (Patrice Riemens) Date: Sat, 4 Dec 2010 12:46:41 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] FIR and this list In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <87d44982c8fca779b091d62e92d468cf.squirrel@webmail.xs4all.nl> Haer Hear! Cheers p+3D! (not quitters either!) > Thank you, Tapas. Normally I am not a "quitter", dvs I stand for my > opinions > and try to elaborate my dissensions, the problem is when the tone of a > conversation, virtual or in real life, goes sour, when people throw > invectives and scourn instead for listening and exchanging. > That's the things which make me lose my patience and my pleasure. > Best > Ana > > On Sat, Dec 4, 2010 at 12:33 PM, Tapas Ray [Gmail] > wrote: > >> Ana, >> >> Please consider this: for every such person there are at least ten >> others who have only contempt for their actions. If you leave, this >> majority is reduced and the small minority gets a chance to become the >> majority one day. >> >> Best, >> >> Tapas >> >> >> On 30 November 2010 16:24, Ana Valdés wrote: >> > Sorry but I want now to unsubscribe from these list. If memberrs of >> this >> > list has done that they have shown a flagrant disrespect tor the >> rights >> of a >> > writer to speak freely and to to express its opinions. >> > A person using the Sate recourses, police and judges to do that, has >> no >> > right to belong to this list, but since I am not the moderator I >> choose >> > ,myself to go and to leave you all with such despicable interlocutors. >> > Ana >> > >> > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 8:40 AM, Jeebesh wrote: >> > >> >> dear All, >> >> >> >> >> >> >> http://www.mid-day.com/news/2010/nov/301110-News-Delhi-FIR-Kashmiri-separatist-leader-Syed-Ali-Geelani-Arundhati-Roy-sedition.htm >> >> >> >> Members of this list are behind the private complaint that has pushed >> the >> >> courts to get an FIR lodged. >> >> >> >> There are member of this list who are named in the FIR. >> >> >> >> So, dear list members, the online and offline flows entangles each >> other. >> >> Lets think hard. >> >> >> >> warmly >> >> jeebesh >> >> >> >> >> >> _________________________________________ >> >> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >> >> Critiques & Collaborations >> >> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with >> >> subscribe in the subject header. >> >> To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >> >> List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > -- >> > http://anavaldes.wordpress.com >> > http://passagenwerk.wordpress.com >> > http://caravia.stumbleupon.com >> > http://www.crusading.se >> > Gondolgatan 2 l tr >> > 12832 Skarpnäck >> > Sweden >> > tel +468-943288 >> > mobil 4670-3213370 >> > >> > >> > "When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth >> with >> your >> > eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you will always >> long >> > to return. >> > — Leonardo da Vinci >> > _________________________________________ >> > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >> > Critiques & Collaborations >> > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with >> subscribe in the subject header. >> > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >> > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> >> > > > > -- > http://anavaldes.wordpress.com > http://passagenwerk.wordpress.com > http://caravia.stumbleupon.com > http://www.crusading.se > Gondolgatan 2 l tr > 12832 Skarpnäck > Sweden > tel +468-943288 > mobil 4670-3213370 > > > "When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with > your > eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you will always > long > to return. > — Leonardo da Vinci > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > subscribe in the subject header. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > From anu.mukh at gmail.com Sat Dec 4 17:47:40 2010 From: anu.mukh at gmail.com (anuradha mukherjee) Date: Sat, 4 Dec 2010 17:47:40 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FIR and this list In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Ana, leaving the list shold not be the answer to lumpens pretending to be intellects or even political activists. Most of them just aspire to be future A Rajas or Nira Radia and get a share in some scam pie, some tasty, rich pie. So it is a strategy with them to be obnoxios and scuttle discussions. Someone like Samvit does it by being obnoxiously misogynistic, others by calling names. I would not have a problem with anyone expressing their opinions, but when they cross the limit of respectful dissent, I think it is time for them to leave.Not you. Such kindergarten tactics like bullying may continue for many of these people, into the political sphere for some of them.It is just disappointing that people who have only begun to participate in political discourse are so unabashed about their ignorance, booing and thumbing their noses at others all the time. So if they speak, they are patriots, even when they talk violently. But if someone like A Roy speaks, she deserves an FIR. Anuradha On Sat, Dec 4, 2010 at 5:09 PM, Ana Valdés wrote: > Thank you, Tapas. Normally I am not a "quitter", dvs I stand for my > opinions > and try to elaborate my dissensions, the problem is when the tone of a > conversation, virtual or in real life, goes sour, when people throw > invectives and scourn instead for listening and exchanging. > That's the things which make me lose my patience and my pleasure. > Best > Ana > > On Sat, Dec 4, 2010 at 12:33 PM, Tapas Ray [Gmail] >wrote: > > > Ana, > > > > Please consider this: for every such person there are at least ten > > others who have only contempt for their actions. If you leave, this > > majority is reduced and the small minority gets a chance to become the > > majority one day. > > > > Best, > > > > Tapas > > > > > > On 30 November 2010 16:24, Ana Valdés wrote: > > > Sorry but I want now to unsubscribe from these list. If memberrs of > this > > > list has done that they have shown a flagrant disrespect tor the rights > > of a > > > writer to speak freely and to to express its opinions. > > > A person using the Sate recourses, police and judges to do that, has no > > > right to belong to this list, but since I am not the moderator I choose > > > ,myself to go and to leave you all with such despicable interlocutors. > > > Ana > > > > > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 8:40 AM, Jeebesh wrote: > > > > > >> dear All, > > >> > > >> > > >> > > > http://www.mid-day.com/news/2010/nov/301110-News-Delhi-FIR-Kashmiri-separatist-leader-Syed-Ali-Geelani-Arundhati-Roy-sedition.htm > > >> > > >> Members of this list are behind the private complaint that has pushed > > the > > >> courts to get an FIR lodged. > > >> > > >> There are member of this list who are named in the FIR. > > >> > > >> So, dear list members, the online and offline flows entangles each > > other. > > >> Lets think hard. > > >> > > >> warmly > > >> jeebesh > > >> > > >> > > >> _________________________________________ > > >> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > > >> Critiques & Collaborations > > >> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > > >> subscribe in the subject header. > > >> To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > >> List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > > http://anavaldes.wordpress.com > > > http://passagenwerk.wordpress.com > > > http://caravia.stumbleupon.com > > > http://www.crusading.se > > > Gondolgatan 2 l tr > > > 12832 Skarpnäck > > > Sweden > > > tel +468-943288 > > > mobil 4670-3213370 > > > > > > > > > "When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with > > your > > > eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you will always > > long > > > to return. > > > — Leonardo da Vinci > > > _________________________________________ > > > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > > > Critiques & Collaborations > > > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > > subscribe in the subject header. > > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > > > > -- > http://anavaldes.wordpress.com > http://passagenwerk.wordpress.com > http://caravia.stumbleupon.com > http://www.crusading.se > Gondolgatan 2 l tr > 12832 Skarpnäck > Sweden > tel +468-943288 > mobil 4670-3213370 > > > "When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with > your > eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you will always long > to return. > — Leonardo da Vinci > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > 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 naresh.rhythm at gmail.com Sat Dec 4 18:30:43 2010 From: naresh.rhythm at gmail.com (Naresh Kumar) Date: Sat, 4 Dec 2010 18:30:43 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Campaign for Constitutional Amendment to Include Equal Rights of Disabled In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Your signatures may not only prove beneficial for 70 to 80 million disabled population of India but also contribute to larger process of democratization. It's never late. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Vikas Gupta Date: Fri, 3 Dec 2010 21:36:00 +0530 Subject: Campaign for Constitutional Amendment to Include Equal Rights of Disab To: arkitectindia at yahoogroups.com Dear Friends, Greetings! What could be a better gift for activists and thinking, sensitive and politically aware minds on International Day of Persons with Disabilities than a campaign for constitutional amendment to include the rights of disabled in the Indian Constitution? With the encouraging support of many luminaries of law and disability rights, Sambhavana Organization has launched today an online signature campaign for constitutional amendment in its annual conference held at Gandhi Peace Foundation, New Delhi. Please become a part of this historic movement by signing this online petition at the link below. Consider this as a gift on this great occasion: International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Click on the link below to sign this petition: http://www.sambhavana.in/node/3 Initial signatories include Prof. Upendra Baxi, Eminent Law Teacher and Writer; Former Vice Chancellor, Delhi University, and University of South Gujarat. Mr. Colin Gonsalves, Senior Counsel (Supreme Court) and Founder Director-HRLN. Mr. Subhash Chandra Vashishth, Advocate; and Founder Member-the Advocacy Cell of All-India Confederation of Blind (AICB). Dr. Krishan Mahajan, Senior Counsel, (Supreme Court); Legal Adviser, Sambhavana Organization. Mr. Ashok Arora, Senior Counsel (Supreme Court). Mr. Pankaj Sinha, Advocate, HRLN. Ms. Amita Joseph, Director-Business and Community Foundation. For details, visit our website: www.sambhavana.in -- Vikas Gupta Assistant Professor, Department of History, Social Science Building, Arts Faculty, Delhi University, Delhi 110007. Residence: D II/1, University Flats, Maurice Nagar, Delhi 110007. Ph: 011-27662347 & 09818193875 Email: vikasedu at gmail.com -- Naresh Kumar Assistant Professor Department of History Kamala Nehru College (University of Delhi) From pheeta.ram at gmail.com Sat Dec 4 22:19:11 2010 From: pheeta.ram at gmail.com (Pheeta Ram) Date: Sat, 4 Dec 2010 22:19:11 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FIR and this list In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: I often wonder as to why it is that people who are really right (and not on the side of the Right), are on the side of Truth, are on the side of what is ethical (with capital T), i mean people who stand for the oppressed, their struggles or themselves have decided not to tolerate the tyrant and get rid of their chains, are always on the defensive, as if being offensive, being rude, being aggressive, being violent to the goons on the Right is corrupting and sinful. Does being defensive, being a party who is always at the receiving end of violence catapult one to a higher moral pedestal? And if that is so, should one then infer that the Evil shall always be on the ascendant, always be the party charging at the people, always be the aggressor, always be the ruler, always be the one to wield Power? When shall the good people decide to be really BAD to people who are really really Bad, are Evil, are doing everything that is UN-ETHICAL? Should people who are in the process of breaking their chains be apologetic about it, act in bad faith, as if being good, being on the side of what is ethically right means never to be in the commanding position, never to be in charge of the Power, never be the aggressor, never be violent, never be a TERROR-ist, never send shivers of TERROR through the spine of the Evil? I think its high time WE reclaim all these categories, these 'virtues' we ascribe to the Evil (intolerance, aggression, violence, terror! ) and re-engineer the mainframe of Power, wrest it from the Evil, re-organise the terms of engagement, reset the variables, redefine the constants of this non-linear mathematics of Power to our advantage, the advantage of Good, the Ethical. There is no other way! On Sat, Dec 4, 2010 at 5:47 PM, anuradha mukherjee wrote: > Ana, > leaving the list shold not be the answer to lumpens pretending to be > intellects or even political activists. Most of them just aspire to be > future A Rajas or Nira Radia and get a share in some scam pie, some tasty, > rich pie. So it is a strategy with them to be obnoxios and scuttle > discussions. Someone like Samvit does it by being obnoxiously misogynistic, > others by calling names. > I would not have a problem with anyone expressing their opinions, but when > they cross the limit of respectful dissent, I think it is time for them to > leave.Not you. Such kindergarten tactics like bullying may continue for > many > of these people, into the political sphere for some of them.It is just > disappointing that people who have only begun to participate in political > discourse are so unabashed about their ignorance, booing and thumbing their > noses at others all the time. So if they speak, they are patriots, even > when > they talk violently. But if someone like A Roy speaks, she deserves an FIR. > Anuradha > > On Sat, Dec 4, 2010 at 5:09 PM, Ana Valdés wrote: > > > Thank you, Tapas. Normally I am not a "quitter", dvs I stand for my > > opinions > > and try to elaborate my dissensions, the problem is when the tone of a > > conversation, virtual or in real life, goes sour, when people throw > > invectives and scourn instead for listening and exchanging. > > That's the things which make me lose my patience and my pleasure. > > Best > > Ana > > > > On Sat, Dec 4, 2010 at 12:33 PM, Tapas Ray [Gmail] > >wrote: > > > > > Ana, > > > > > > Please consider this: for every such person there are at least ten > > > others who have only contempt for their actions. If you leave, this > > > majority is reduced and the small minority gets a chance to become the > > > majority one day. > > > > > > Best, > > > > > > Tapas > > > > > > > > > On 30 November 2010 16:24, Ana Valdés wrote: > > > > Sorry but I want now to unsubscribe from these list. If memberrs of > > this > > > > list has done that they have shown a flagrant disrespect tor the > rights > > > of a > > > > writer to speak freely and to to express its opinions. > > > > A person using the Sate recourses, police and judges to do that, has > no > > > > right to belong to this list, but since I am not the moderator I > choose > > > > ,myself to go and to leave you all with such despicable > interlocutors. > > > > Ana > > > > > > > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 8:40 AM, Jeebesh wrote: > > > > > > > >> dear All, > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> > > > > > > http://www.mid-day.com/news/2010/nov/301110-News-Delhi-FIR-Kashmiri-separatist-leader-Syed-Ali-Geelani-Arundhati-Roy-sedition.htm > > > >> > > > >> Members of this list are behind the private complaint that has > pushed > > > the > > > >> courts to get an FIR lodged. > > > >> > > > >> There are member of this list who are named in the FIR. > > > >> > > > >> So, dear list members, the online and offline flows entangles each > > > other. > > > >> Lets think hard. > > > >> > > > >> warmly > > > >> jeebesh > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> _________________________________________ > > > >> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > > > >> Critiques & Collaborations > > > >> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > > > >> subscribe in the subject header. > > > >> To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > > >> List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > > > http://anavaldes.wordpress.com > > > > http://passagenwerk.wordpress.com > > > > http://caravia.stumbleupon.com > > > > http://www.crusading.se > > > > Gondolgatan 2 l tr > > > > 12832 Skarpnäck > > > > Sweden > > > > tel +468-943288 > > > > mobil 4670-3213370 > > > > > > > > > > > > "When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth > with > > > your > > > > eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you will > always > > > long > > > > to return. > > > > — Leonardo da Vinci > > > > _________________________________________ > > > > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > > > > Critiques & Collaborations > > > > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > > > subscribe in the subject header. > > > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > > > > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > http://anavaldes.wordpress.com > > http://passagenwerk.wordpress.com > > http://caravia.stumbleupon.com > > http://www.crusading.se > > Gondolgatan 2 l tr > > 12832 Skarpnäck > > Sweden > > tel +468-943288 > > mobil 4670-3213370 > > > > > > "When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with > > your > > eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you will always > long > > to return. > > — Leonardo da Vinci > > _________________________________________ > > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > > Critiques & Collaborations > > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > > 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 Dec 5 05:40:48 2010 From: shuddha at sarai.net (Shuddhabrata Sengupta) Date: Sun, 5 Dec 2010 05:40:48 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FIR and this list In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <912193F9-CA7B-4B43-9A12-BDA7F5A4021B@sarai.net> Dear Pheeta, I enjoy all your postings, and often find them provocative and conducive to the difficult task of thinking a difficult thought. I am responding to your posting, for the moment, not in the spirit of the immediate discussion, in recognition of the nudge you have given it towards a more fundamental direction. While, I am not one of those who think that those who are partisans for truth, or for freedom, or for the cause of a better, more compassionate world, need not always be modicums of politeness, and sometimes, frank speaking may be necessary, and one need not always be NICE to evil, I do not at the same time, think it is necessary to strain oneself to be intolerant, violent, or to enact terror. I say this because I think intolerance, violence and terror distort their agents, they introduce elements into the equation which derail a struggle for justice, make it impossible for those who are not powerful to participate in the fight for what it is right. I am not saying that I rule out all acts of violence. I think violence in self defence, may in the rare instance be ethically possible to contemplate, but by and large, violence changes the equation such that the perpetrator of violence changes himself or herself in ways that we dont have a true estimation of. I am not at all certain we should risk such radical changes in the way we are made as humans, even in order to make things right again. The little ambiguity that I do see possible to entertain in a discussion of violence is drained away when it comes to intolerance and terror. I do not believe that you need intolerance to defend yourself against intolerance. And I do not believe that you need terror to defend yourself against terror. By its very definition, intolerance, the inability to tolerate something can never be a good defence of tolerance. It will constantly need things to be 'intolerant' towards, and will even invent objects to be intolerant towards, when there are none. The same operates in the case of terror. Terror is terror only when it is not directed against a specific objective, only when it is random, utterly aleatory, as when a bomb placed in a dustbin in a market place goes off, killing, anyone, anyone who happened to be there, at that time. Terror can never combat terror, it can only beget more terror. Intolerance can never beget intolerance, it can only beget intolerance. Violence, very rarely, can stop violence. There is a difference between never and very rarely. But not that much, and that is why, very rarely, is indeed is something that I hope needs to be resorted to, very rarely. I think part of the problem of our confusion about what to do in the face of active evil (and I personally think we have seen active evil on this list too) arisese out of a failure to distinguish between different kinds of power. I propose a distinction between force, which is power in its capacity to act on things, and potency, or in latin, potentia, as the energy that acts through things, makes them move and grow. Most of the time, when we see the operations of power that are evil, we are staring force in the face. We think force can only be repelled by force. That is not true. Force can be combatted by potency. Which neutralizes force, which bends force, absorbs force, which melts force, which makes force slide away on impact I think the thing to do is to think of the actions that can confront intolerance, violence and terror in such a way as to neutralize them, absorb them, mbend them, melt them, make them slide away on impact. I am sure that terror and intolerance can never bend, absorb or melt or present a slippery surface to the 'force' of evil. Doing that does not require us to be BAD, as you put it, nor does it require us to be NICE. But I am certain that it requires us to be very, very, strong. Thanks for the opportunity to be doing this thinking, warm regards Shuddha On 04-Dec-10, at 10:19 PM, Pheeta Ram wrote: > I often wonder as to why it is that people who are really right > (and not on > the side of the Right), are on the side of Truth, are on the side > of what is > ethical (with capital T), i mean people who stand for the > oppressed, their > struggles or themselves have decided not to tolerate the tyrant and > get rid > of their chains, are always on the defensive, as if being > offensive, being > rude, being aggressive, being violent to the goons on the Right is > corrupting and sinful. Does being defensive, being a party who is > always at > the receiving end of violence catapult one to a higher moral > pedestal? And > if that is so, should one then infer that the Evil shall always be > on the > ascendant, always be the party charging at the people, always be the > aggressor, always be the ruler, always be the one to wield Power? > > When shall the good people decide to be really BAD to people who > are really > really Bad, are Evil, are doing everything that is UN-ETHICAL? > > Should people who are in the process of breaking their chains be > apologetic > about it, act in bad faith, as if being good, being on the side of > what is > ethically right means never to be in the commanding position, never > to be in > charge of the Power, never be the aggressor, never be violent, > never be a > TERROR-ist, never send shivers of TERROR through the spine of the > Evil? > > I think its high time WE reclaim all these categories, these > 'virtues' we > ascribe to the Evil (intolerance, aggression, violence, terror! ) and > re-engineer the mainframe of Power, wrest it from the Evil, re- > organise the > terms of engagement, reset the variables, redefine the constants of > this > non-linear mathematics of Power to our advantage, the advantage of > Good, the > Ethical. > > There is no other way! > > On Sat, Dec 4, 2010 at 5:47 PM, anuradha mukherjee > wrote: > >> Ana, >> leaving the list shold not be the answer to lumpens pretending to be >> intellects or even political activists. Most of them just aspire >> to be >> future A Rajas or Nira Radia and get a share in some scam pie, >> some tasty, >> rich pie. So it is a strategy with them to be obnoxios and scuttle >> discussions. Someone like Samvit does it by being obnoxiously >> misogynistic, >> others by calling names. >> I would not have a problem with anyone expressing their opinions, >> but when >> they cross the limit of respectful dissent, I think it is time for >> them to >> leave.Not you. Such kindergarten tactics like bullying may >> continue for >> many >> of these people, into the political sphere for some of them.It is >> just >> disappointing that people who have only begun to participate in >> political >> discourse are so unabashed about their ignorance, booing and >> thumbing their >> noses at others all the time. So if they speak, they are patriots, >> even >> when >> they talk violently. But if someone like A Roy speaks, she >> deserves an FIR. >> Anuradha >> >> On Sat, Dec 4, 2010 at 5:09 PM, Ana Valdés >> wrote: >> >>> Thank you, Tapas. Normally I am not a "quitter", dvs I stand for my >>> opinions >>> and try to elaborate my dissensions, the problem is when the tone >>> of a >>> conversation, virtual or in real life, goes sour, when people throw >>> invectives and scourn instead for listening and exchanging. >>> That's the things which make me lose my patience and my pleasure. >>> Best >>> Ana >>> >>> On Sat, Dec 4, 2010 at 12:33 PM, Tapas Ray [Gmail] >>> >>> wrote: >>> >>>> Ana, >>>> >>>> Please consider this: for every such person there are at least ten >>>> others who have only contempt for their actions. If you leave, this >>>> majority is reduced and the small minority gets a chance to >>>> become the >>>> majority one day. >>>> >>>> Best, >>>> >>>> Tapas >>>> >>>> >>>> On 30 November 2010 16:24, Ana Valdés wrote: >>>>> Sorry but I want now to unsubscribe from these list. If >>>>> memberrs of >>> this >>>>> list has done that they have shown a flagrant disrespect tor the >> rights >>>> of a >>>>> writer to speak freely and to to express its opinions. >>>>> A person using the Sate recourses, police and judges to do >>>>> that, has >> no >>>>> right to belong to this list, but since I am not the moderator I >> choose >>>>> ,myself to go and to leave you all with such despicable >> interlocutors. >>>>> Ana >>>>> >>>>> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 8:40 AM, Jeebesh >>>>> wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> dear All, >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>> >>> >> http://www.mid-day.com/news/2010/nov/301110-News-Delhi-FIR- >> Kashmiri-separatist-leader-Syed-Ali-Geelani-Arundhati-Roy- >> sedition.htm >>>>>> >>>>>> Members of this list are behind the private complaint that has >> pushed >>>> the >>>>>> courts to get an FIR lodged. >>>>>> >>>>>> There are member of this list who are named in the FIR. >>>>>> >>>>>> So, dear list members, the online and offline flows entangles >>>>>> each >>>> other. >>>>>> Lets think hard. >>>>>> >>>>>> warmly >>>>>> jeebesh >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> _________________________________________ >>>>>> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >>>>>> Critiques & Collaborations >>>>>> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with >>>>>> subscribe in the subject header. >>>>>> To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader- >>>>>> list >>>>>> List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> http://anavaldes.wordpress.com >>>>> http://passagenwerk.wordpress.com >>>>> http://caravia.stumbleupon.com >>>>> http://www.crusading.se >>>>> Gondolgatan 2 l tr >>>>> 12832 Skarpnäck >>>>> Sweden >>>>> tel +468-943288 >>>>> mobil 4670-3213370 >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> "When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth >> with >>>> your >>>>> eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you will >> always >>>> long >>>>> to return. >>>>> — Leonardo da Vinci >>>>> _________________________________________ >>>>> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >>>>> Critiques & Collaborations >>>>> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with >>>> subscribe in the subject header. >>>>> To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader- >>>>> list >>>>> List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> >>>> >>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> http://anavaldes.wordpress.com >>> http://passagenwerk.wordpress.com >>> http://caravia.stumbleupon.com >>> http://www.crusading.se >>> Gondolgatan 2 l tr >>> 12832 Skarpnäck >>> Sweden >>> tel +468-943288 >>> mobil 4670-3213370 >>> >>> >>> "When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the >>> earth with >>> your >>> eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you will >>> always >> long >>> to return. >>> — Leonardo da Vinci >>> _________________________________________ >>> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >>> Critiques & Collaborations >>> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with >>> 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/> Shuddhabrata Sengupta The Sarai Programme at CSDS Raqs Media Collective shuddha at sarai.net www.sarai.net www.raqsmediacollective.net From tapasrayx at gmail.com Sun Dec 5 09:12:57 2010 From: tapasrayx at gmail.com (Tapas Ray [Gmail]) Date: Sun, 5 Dec 2010 09:12:57 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FIR and this list In-Reply-To: <912193F9-CA7B-4B43-9A12-BDA7F5A4021B@sarai.net> References: <912193F9-CA7B-4B43-9A12-BDA7F5A4021B@sarai.net> Message-ID: Very well argued by Shuddha. You only need to look at history to appreciate what the logical conclusion of aggression towards evil can bring - revolutions have consumed their own children in France, the Soviet Union, China. Of course, this does not mean a totally non-aggressive approach is always feasible. What is needed is a carefully calibrated response. On a related issue, if Shuddha and others need legal assistance, I suggest each of us contribute a little bit to create a fund for this at Sarai, if only to underline the fact that we too stand for the values they have tried to defend. Apologies if this has been discussed already - I have not been able to read earlier posts on this thread. Tapas On 5 December 2010 05:40, Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: > Dear Pheeta, > I enjoy all your postings, and often find them provocative and conducive to > the difficult task of thinking a difficult thought. > I am responding to your posting, for the moment, not in the spirit of the > immediate discussion, in recognition of the nudge you have given it towards > a more fundamental direction. > While, I am not one of those who think that those who are partisans for > truth, or for freedom, or for the cause of a better, more compassionate > world, need not always be modicums of politeness, and sometimes, frank > speaking may be necessary, and one need not always be NICE to evil, I do not > at the same time, think it is necessary to strain oneself to be intolerant, > violent, or to enact terror. > I say this because I think intolerance, violence and terror distort their > agents, they introduce elements into the equation which derail a struggle > for justice, make it impossible for those who are not powerful to > participate in the fight for what it is right. I am not saying that I rule > out all acts of violence. I think violence in self defence, may in the rare > instance be ethically possible to contemplate, but by and large, violence > changes the equation such that the perpetrator of violence changes himself > or herself in ways that we dont have a true estimation of. I am not at all > certain we should risk such radical changes in the way we are made as > humans, even in order to make things right again. > The little ambiguity that I do see possible to entertain in a discussion of > violence is drained away when it comes to intolerance and terror. I do not > believe that you need intolerance to defend yourself against intolerance. > And I do not believe that you need terror to defend yourself against terror. > By its very definition, intolerance, the inability to tolerate something can > never be a good defence of tolerance. It will constantly need things to be > 'intolerant' towards, and will even invent objects to be intolerant towards, > when there are none. The same operates in the case of terror. Terror is > terror only when it is not directed against a specific objective, only when > it is random, utterly aleatory, as when a bomb placed in a dustbin in a > market place goes off, killing, anyone, anyone who happened to be there, at > that time. Terror can never combat terror, it can only beget more terror. > Intolerance can never beget intolerance, it can only beget intolerance. > Violence, very rarely, can stop violence. There is a difference between > never and very rarely. But not that much, and that is why, very rarely, is > indeed is something that I hope needs to be resorted to, very rarely. > I think part of the problem of our confusion about what to do in the face of > active evil (and I personally think we have seen active evil on this list > too) arisese out of a failure to distinguish between different kinds of > power. I propose a distinction between force, which is power in its capacity > to act on things, and potency, or in latin, potentia, as the energy that > acts through things, makes them move and grow. Most of the time, when we see > the operations of power that are evil, we are staring force in the face. We > think force can only be repelled by force. That is not true. Force can be > combatted by potency. Which neutralizes force, which bends force, absorbs > force, which melts force, which makes force slide away on impact > I think the thing to do is to think of the actions that can confront > intolerance, violence and terror in such a way as to neutralize them, absorb > them,  mbend them, melt them, make them slide away on impact. I am sure that > terror and intolerance can never bend, absorb or melt or present a slippery > surface to the 'force' of evil. > Doing that does not require us to be BAD, as you put it, nor does it require > us to be NICE. But I am certain that it requires us to be very, very, > strong. > Thanks for the opportunity to be doing this thinking, > warm regards > Shuddha > On 04-Dec-10, at 10:19 PM, Pheeta Ram wrote: > > I often wonder as to why it is that people who are really right (and not on > the side of the Right), are on the side of Truth, are on the side of what is > ethical (with capital T), i mean people who stand for the oppressed, their > struggles or themselves have decided not to tolerate the tyrant and get rid > of their chains, are always on the defensive, as if being offensive, being > rude, being aggressive, being violent to the goons on the Right is > corrupting and sinful. Does being defensive, being a party who is always at > the receiving end of violence catapult one to a higher moral pedestal? And > if that is so, should one then infer that the Evil shall always be on the > ascendant, always be the party charging at the people, always be the > aggressor, always be the ruler, always be the one to wield Power? > When shall the good people decide to be really BAD to people who are really > really Bad, are Evil, are doing everything that is UN-ETHICAL? > Should people who are in the process of breaking their chains be apologetic > about it, act in bad faith, as if being good, being on the side of what is > ethically right means never to be in the commanding position, never to be in > charge of the Power, never be the aggressor, never be violent, never be a > TERROR-ist, never send shivers of TERROR through the spine of the Evil? > I think its high time WE reclaim all these categories, these 'virtues' we > ascribe to the Evil (intolerance, aggression, violence, terror! ) and > re-engineer the mainframe of Power, wrest it from the Evil, re-organise the > terms of engagement, reset the variables, redefine the constants of this > non-linear mathematics of Power to our advantage, the advantage of Good, the > Ethical. > There is no other way! > On Sat, Dec 4, 2010 at 5:47 PM, anuradha mukherjee > wrote: > > Ana, > leaving the list shold not be the answer to lumpens pretending to be > intellects or even political activists. Most of them just aspire to be > future A Rajas or Nira Radia and get a share in some scam pie, some tasty, > rich pie. So it is a strategy with them to be obnoxios and scuttle > discussions. Someone like Samvit does it by being obnoxiously misogynistic, > others by calling names. > I would not have a problem with anyone expressing their opinions, but when > they cross the limit of respectful dissent, I think it is time for them to > leave.Not you. Such kindergarten tactics like bullying may continue for > many > of these people, into the political sphere for some of them.It is just > disappointing that people who have only begun to participate in political > discourse are so unabashed about their ignorance, booing and thumbing their > noses at others all the time. So if they speak, they are patriots, even > when > they talk violently. But if someone like A Roy speaks, she deserves an FIR. > Anuradha > On Sat, Dec 4, 2010 at 5:09 PM, Ana Valdés wrote: > > Thank you, Tapas. Normally I am not a "quitter", dvs I stand for my > opinions > and try to elaborate my dissensions, the problem is when the tone of a > conversation, virtual or in real life, goes sour, when people throw > invectives and scourn instead for listening and exchanging. > That's the things which make me lose my patience and my pleasure. > Best > Ana > On Sat, Dec 4, 2010 at 12:33 PM, Tapas Ray [Gmail] > wrote: > > Ana, > Please consider this: for every such person there are at least ten > others who have only contempt for their actions. If you leave, this > majority is reduced and the small minority gets a chance to become the > majority one day. > Best, > Tapas > > On 30 November 2010 16:24, Ana Valdés wrote: > > Sorry but I want now to unsubscribe from these list. If memberrs of > > this > > list has done that they have shown a flagrant disrespect tor the > > rights > > of a > > writer to speak freely and to to express its opinions. > A person using the Sate recourses, police and judges to do that, has > > no > > right to belong to this list, but since I am not the moderator I > > choose > > ,myself to go and to leave you all with such despicable > > interlocutors. > > Ana > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 8:40 AM, Jeebesh wrote: > > dear All, > > > > > http://www.mid-day.com/news/2010/nov/301110-News-Delhi-FIR-Kashmiri-separatist-leader-Syed-Ali-Geelani-Arundhati-Roy-sedition.htm > > Members of this list are behind the private complaint that has > > pushed > > the > > courts to get an FIR lodged. > There are member of this list who are named in the FIR. > So, dear list members, the online and offline flows entangles each > > other. > > Lets think hard. > warmly > jeebesh > > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > subscribe in the subject header. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > > -- > http://anavaldes.wordpress.com > http://passagenwerk.wordpress.com > http://caravia.stumbleupon.com > http://www.crusading.se > Gondolgatan 2 l tr > 12832 Skarpnäck > Sweden > tel +468-943288 > mobil 4670-3213370 > > "When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth > > with > > your > > eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you will > > always > > long > > to return. > — Leonardo da Vinci > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > > subscribe in the subject header. > > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > > > -- >  http://anavaldes.wordpress.com > http://passagenwerk.wordpress.com > http://caravia.stumbleupon.com > http://www.crusading.se > Gondolgatan 2 l tr > 12832 Skarpnäck > Sweden > tel +468-943288 > mobil 4670-3213370 > > "When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with > your > eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you will always > > long > > to return. > — Leonardo da Vinci > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > 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/> > > Shuddhabrata Sengupta > The Sarai Programme at CSDS > Raqs Media Collective > shuddha at sarai.net > www.sarai.net > www.raqsmediacollective.net > > From tapasrayx at gmail.com Sun Dec 5 10:04:24 2010 From: tapasrayx at gmail.com (Tapas Ray [Gmail]) Date: Sun, 5 Dec 2010 10:04:24 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FIR and this list In-Reply-To: References: <912193F9-CA7B-4B43-9A12-BDA7F5A4021B@sarai.net> Message-ID: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Judge-ignores-key-ruling-in-Roy-sedition-case-/articleshow/7045710.cms Judge ignores key ruling in Roy sedition case Manoj Mitta, TNN, Dec 5, 2010, NEW DELHI: While ordering a sedition case against writer Arundhati Roy, magistrate Navita Kumari quoted four judgments from the Supreme Court and one from the Delhi high court on the general procedure for dealing with a complaint of any cognizable offence. Yet, Kumari's 12-page order steered clear of one that most specifically applied to the case: the SC judgment laying down the law on sedition. The magistrate's failure to take into account the landmark judgment of 1962, in Kedar Nath Singh vs State of Bihar, sheds light on the circumstances in which the sedition case was registered last week despite home minister P Chidambaram's clarification that no such action could be taken against Roy in keeping with " the letter and spirit of the law". In a setback to free speech, Kumari ignored the Kedar Nath verdict although the substance of it had been brought to her notice by Delhi Police in their status report stating that the " essential ingredients" of sedition under Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code were "missing" in the speeches cited by complainant Sushil Pandit, an advertising professional who worked with BJP. Given that this colonial provision had been notoriously misused against freedom fighters like Tilak and Gandhi, a five-judge SC bench ruled in the Kedar Nath case that the spreading of disaffection, " however strongly worded" , would not any longer constitute sedition unless the accused had also incited violence. The apex court read this requirement of incitement into the sedition provision as it would otherwise be in derogation of the free speech guaranteed by the Constitution. Accordingly, while rejecting the complaint against Roy and others for speaking in favour of azadi at a meeting, the police pointed out that the offence of sedition was made out only when the speeches in question had a tendency to create public disorder or had in fact triggered a law and order problem. Since this " well settled proposition of law" cited by the police was binding on all the courts, the magistrate should have checked the CD of the speeches to see if any of the persons named in the complaint had incited violence. Yet, without arriving at any such finding, Kumari said: " After giving my thoughtful consideration to the submissions made and the material on record, I have come to the conclusion that the complaint clearly discloses commission of cognizable offences." From tasveerghar at gmail.com Sun Dec 5 10:39:56 2010 From: tasveerghar at gmail.com (Tasveer Ghar) Date: Sun, 5 Dec 2010 10:39:56 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Seminar: Religion and Popular Culture in the Indian Sub-Continent (Kolkata) Message-ID: For those in Kolkata: UGC sponsored Two Day National Level Interdisciplinary Seminar on Religion and Popular Culture in the Indian Sub-Continent Organised by the Departments of English, Philosophy and Political Science December 7 and 8, 2010 Venue : Centenary Hall, Kadambini Bhavan, Bethune College Convenor : Dr. Gopa Gupta, Head and Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy Co-Convenors: Dr. Sima Kundu, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science Shuchismita Mitra, Assistant Professor, Department of English Religion and faith have always been, and continue to be, vital aspects of the phenomenon we call popular culture. This is of special relevance in the Indian sub-continent, a region well-known for its popular religious cultures and forms. The aim of this seminar is to explore the pathways of these at once diverse and overlapping discourses and practices, focusing on their historical, political and ethical implications; their relation to mainstream and canonical components. The latter strategy is of crucial importance in a socio-political analysis of the complex body we identify as culture, since the relative positioning and shifts of cultural practices within any society throw critical light on the notion of culture itself - the way it is conceptualised in different contexts and at different moments, the politics behind such formulations, and the fissures submerged under a seemingly homogeneous term. The complex hierarchy of faiths and cultural practices in the Indian sub-continent simultaneously highlight and conceal the way identities have been engendered, and are constantly being (re) invented. We seek to investigate the multiple ethical and political histories of these negotiations, in particular, the bearing these have on the idea of a unitary identity, which, in its turn, is part of contemporary popular perception. The various syncretic traditions, the departures from official versions of religion and culture, the reasons and effects of such alienations, are germane to our project of studying identity-formation in this region. The increasing entanglement of aggressive religion and exclusivist politics in this area makes it imperative to be aware of the marginalisation of popular local forms. Whether rural or urban, in the form of oral or print literature, in the performing arts such as folk theatre and music, in popular media such as television or film, or in the visual arts, sub-continental ideologies are constantly being debated and impacted upon by religious ideologies. The influence of religion on culture and of culture on religion assume central importance in this context, and our purpose, in particular, is to bring out the ethical and political fallout of such power-knowledge transactions in this region. Seminar Schedule Day One December 7, 2010 10.00 A.M.-10.45 A.M. Registration 10.45 A.M. Welcome Address by Dr. Manjusha Sinha Bera, Officer-in-charge, Bethune College 11.00 A.M. Inauguration of Seminar and Exhibition 11.20 A.M. Keynote Address by Professor Gautam Bhadra, Rabindranath Tagore National Fellow 12.20 P.M.-12.30 P.M. TEA 12:30 P.M. Prof. J. L. Shaw, Senior Lecturer, Department of Philosophy, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand 01:30 P.M.-02.15 P.M. LUNCH 02:15 P.M. Prof. Prasanta Ray, Professor Emeritus, Departments of Political Science and Sociology, Presidency College, Kolkata. Religion and Popular Culture in the Metropolis 03.15 P.M.-03.30 P.M. TEA 03.30 P.M. Panel Discussion: In the Name of God Panel Coordinator: Dr. Rachana Chakraborty, Associate Professor, Department of History, Calcutta University. Panelists: Tajuddin Ahmed, Assistant Professor, Purulia College, The Road Less Travelled: Seeds of Islamic Feminism in Early 20th Century Indian English Fiction by Muslim Women. Abdullah al-Mamun, Research scholar, Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Kolkata, God Willing: The Politics of Islam in Bangladesh. Asmita Das, M. Phil. student, Dept. of Cultural Studies, English and Other Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad, Bollywood, Identity and Religion. 04.20 P.M. Exhibition Day Two December 8, 2010 10.30 A.M. Yousuf Saeed, independent researcher and film-maker, Director of Tasveer Ghar, a digital archive for documenting South Asia's Popular Culture. Depicting the Saintly Miraculous Powers in Muslim Poster Art of South Asia 11.30 A.M.-11.45 A.M. TEA 11.45 A.M. Dr. Madhuja Mukherjee, Associate Professor, Department of Film Studies, Jadavpur University Early Talkies and the Question of Bhakti: Gender, Love and Modes of Subversion 12.45 P.M.-01.30 P.M. LUNCH 01.30 P.M.-03.00 P.M. Paper presentations by scholars 03.00 P.M.-03.15 P.M. TEA 03.15 P.M. Lecture-demonstration by Kalika vocalist of Dohar, a group of folk musicians and cultural activists. Vote of Thanks http://www.tasveerghar.net From agora158 at gmail.com Sun Dec 5 18:29:58 2010 From: agora158 at gmail.com (=?ISO-8859-1?Q?Ana_Vald=E9s?=) Date: Sun, 5 Dec 2010 13:59:58 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] FIR and this list In-Reply-To: <912193F9-CA7B-4B43-9A12-BDA7F5A4021B@sarai.net> References: <912193F9-CA7B-4B43-9A12-BDA7F5A4021B@sarai.net> Message-ID: Dear friends, it's really stimulating and intellectual challenging to follow the discussion and rise the level to discuss our ground questions: evil and goodness. Hanah Arendt wrote and spoke about "the banality of evil", the everydays small signs of evilness dominating the life, Tanatos, should Freud say, our dark nature using it's weapons to rule and conquest our souls. Germany was not a nation suddenly turned evil, but it was the evilness of some people turning the balance towards the evil. You come from the very country which succeed to disrupt an empire and turn down a colonial ruling using no violence and Mahatma Ghandi is the example we all learned to use when appealing to no violence as powerful as violence. I have been in Palestine ten, twelve times, and everyone is asking "why we don't have a Ghandi in the Middle East?". For myself, a firm partisan of the armed struggle when I was young (that's the reason of my four years imprisonment in Uruguay), the process has been long but clear, today I take distance from every intent to conquest the power with weapons. Ana On Sun, Dec 5, 2010 at 1:10 AM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote: > Dear Pheeta, > > I enjoy all your postings, and often find them provocative and conducive to > the difficult task of thinking a difficult thought. > > I am responding to your posting, for the moment, not in the spirit of the > immediate discussion, in recognition of the nudge you have given it towards > a more fundamental direction. > > While, I am not one of those who think that those who are partisans for > truth, or for freedom, or for the cause of a better, more compassionate > world, need not always be modicums of politeness, and sometimes, frank > speaking may be necessary, and one need not always be NICE to evil, I do not > at the same time, think it is necessary to strain oneself to be intolerant, > violent, or to enact terror. > > I say this because I think intolerance, violence and terror distort their > agents, they introduce elements into the equation which derail a struggle > for justice, make it impossible for those who are not powerful to > participate in the fight for what it is right. I am not saying that I rule > out all acts of violence. I think violence in self defence, may in the rare > instance be ethically possible to contemplate, but by and large, violence > changes the equation such that the perpetrator of violence changes himself > or herself in ways that we dont have a true estimation of. I am not at all > certain we should risk such radical changes in the way we are made as > humans, even in order to make things right again. > > The little ambiguity that I do see possible to entertain in a discussion of > violence is drained away when it comes to intolerance and terror. I do not > believe that you need intolerance to defend yourself against intolerance. > And I do not believe that you need terror to defend yourself against terror. > By its very definition, intolerance, the inability to tolerate something can > never be a good defence of tolerance. It will constantly need things to be > 'intolerant' towards, and will even invent objects to be intolerant towards, > when there are none. The same operates in the case of terror. Terror is > terror only when it is not directed against a specific objective, only when > it is random, utterly aleatory, as when a bomb placed in a dustbin in a > market place goes off, killing, anyone, anyone who happened to be there, at > that time. Terror can never combat terror, it can only beget more terror. > Intolerance can never beget intolerance, it can only beget intolerance. > Violence, very rarely, can stop violence. There is a difference between > never and very rarely. But not that much, and that is why, very rarely, is > indeed is something that I hope needs to be resorted to, very rarely. > > I think part of the problem of our confusion about what to do in the face > of active evil (and I personally think we have seen active evil on this list > too) arisese out of a failure to distinguish between different kinds of > power. I propose a distinction between force, which is power in its capacity > to act on things, and potency, or in latin, potentia, as the energy that > acts through things, makes them move and grow. Most of the time, when we see > the operations of power that are evil, we are staring force in the face. We > think force can only be repelled by force. That is not true. Force can be > combatted by potency. Which neutralizes force, which bends force, absorbs > force, which melts force, which makes force slide away on impact > > I think the thing to do is to think of the actions that can confront > intolerance, violence and terror in such a way as to neutralize them, absorb > them, mbend them, melt them, make them slide away on impact. I am sure that > terror and intolerance can never bend, absorb or melt or present a slippery > surface to the 'force' of evil. > > Doing that does not require us to be BAD, as you put it, nor does it > require us to be NICE. But I am certain that it requires us to be very, > very, strong. > > Thanks for the opportunity to be doing this thinking, > > warm regards > > Shuddha > > > On 04-Dec-10, at 10:19 PM, Pheeta Ram wrote: > > I often wonder as to why it is that people who are really right (and not >> on >> the side of the Right), are on the side of Truth, are on the side of what >> is >> ethical (with capital T), i mean people who stand for the oppressed, their >> struggles or themselves have decided not to tolerate the tyrant and get >> rid >> of their chains, are always on the defensive, as if being offensive, being >> rude, being aggressive, being violent to the goons on the Right is >> corrupting and sinful. Does being defensive, being a party who is always >> at >> the receiving end of violence catapult one to a higher moral pedestal? And >> if that is so, should one then infer that the Evil shall always be on the >> ascendant, always be the party charging at the people, always be the >> aggressor, always be the ruler, always be the one to wield Power? >> >> When shall the good people decide to be really BAD to people who are >> really >> really Bad, are Evil, are doing everything that is UN-ETHICAL? >> >> Should people who are in the process of breaking their chains be >> apologetic >> about it, act in bad faith, as if being good, being on the side of what is >> ethically right means never to be in the commanding position, never to be >> in >> charge of the Power, never be the aggressor, never be violent, never be a >> TERROR-ist, never send shivers of TERROR through the spine of the Evil? >> >> I think its high time WE reclaim all these categories, these 'virtues' we >> ascribe to the Evil (intolerance, aggression, violence, terror! ) and >> re-engineer the mainframe of Power, wrest it from the Evil, re-organise >> the >> terms of engagement, reset the variables, redefine the constants of this >> non-linear mathematics of Power to our advantage, the advantage of Good, >> the >> Ethical. >> >> There is no other way! >> >> On Sat, Dec 4, 2010 at 5:47 PM, anuradha mukherjee > >wrote: >> >> Ana, >>> leaving the list shold not be the answer to lumpens pretending to be >>> intellects or even political activists. Most of them just aspire to be >>> future A Rajas or Nira Radia and get a share in some scam pie, some >>> tasty, >>> rich pie. So it is a strategy with them to be obnoxios and scuttle >>> discussions. Someone like Samvit does it by being obnoxiously >>> misogynistic, >>> others by calling names. >>> I would not have a problem with anyone expressing their opinions, but >>> when >>> they cross the limit of respectful dissent, I think it is time for them >>> to >>> leave.Not you. Such kindergarten tactics like bullying may continue for >>> many >>> of these people, into the political sphere for some of them.It is just >>> disappointing that people who have only begun to participate in political >>> discourse are so unabashed about their ignorance, booing and thumbing >>> their >>> noses at others all the time. So if they speak, they are patriots, even >>> when >>> they talk violently. But if someone like A Roy speaks, she deserves an >>> FIR. >>> Anuradha >>> >>> On Sat, Dec 4, 2010 at 5:09 PM, Ana Valdés wrote: >>> >>> Thank you, Tapas. Normally I am not a "quitter", dvs I stand for my >>>> opinions >>>> and try to elaborate my dissensions, the problem is when the tone of a >>>> conversation, virtual or in real life, goes sour, when people throw >>>> invectives and scourn instead for listening and exchanging. >>>> That's the things which make me lose my patience and my pleasure. >>>> Best >>>> Ana >>>> >>>> On Sat, Dec 4, 2010 at 12:33 PM, Tapas Ray [Gmail] >>> >>>>> wrote: >>>>> >>>> >>>> Ana, >>>>> >>>>> Please consider this: for every such person there are at least ten >>>>> others who have only contempt for their actions. If you leave, this >>>>> majority is reduced and the small minority gets a chance to become the >>>>> majority one day. >>>>> >>>>> Best, >>>>> >>>>> Tapas >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> On 30 November 2010 16:24, Ana Valdés wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> Sorry but I want now to unsubscribe from these list. If memberrs of >>>>>> >>>>> this >>>> >>>>> list has done that they have shown a flagrant disrespect tor the >>>>>> >>>>> rights >>> >>>> of a >>>>> >>>>>> writer to speak freely and to to express its opinions. >>>>>> A person using the Sate recourses, police and judges to do that, has >>>>>> >>>>> no >>> >>>> right to belong to this list, but since I am not the moderator I >>>>>> >>>>> choose >>> >>>> ,myself to go and to leave you all with such despicable >>>>>> >>>>> interlocutors. >>> >>>> Ana >>>>>> >>>>>> On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 8:40 AM, Jeebesh wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>> dear All, >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>> >>>> >>> http://www.mid-day.com/news/2010/nov/301110-News-Delhi-FIR-Kashmiri-separatist-leader-Syed-Ali-Geelani-Arundhati-Roy-sedition.htm >>> >>>> >>>>>>> Members of this list are behind the private complaint that has >>>>>>> >>>>>> pushed >>> >>>> the >>>>> >>>>>> courts to get an FIR lodged. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> There are member of this list who are named in the FIR. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> So, dear list members, the online and offline flows entangles each >>>>>>> >>>>>> other. >>>>> >>>>>> Lets think hard. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> warmly >>>>>>> jeebesh >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> _________________________________________ >>>>>>> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >>>>>>> Critiques & Collaborations >>>>>>> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with >>>>>>> subscribe in the subject header. >>>>>>> To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >>>>>>> List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> >>>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> -- >>>>>> http://anavaldes.wordpress.com >>>>>> http://passagenwerk.wordpress.com >>>>>> http://caravia.stumbleupon.com >>>>>> http://www.crusading.se >>>>>> Gondolgatan 2 l tr >>>>>> 12832 Skarpnäck >>>>>> Sweden >>>>>> tel +468-943288 >>>>>> mobil 4670-3213370 >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> "When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth >>>>>> >>>>> with >>> >>>> your >>>>> >>>>>> eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you will >>>>>> >>>>> always >>> >>>> long >>>>> >>>>>> to return. >>>>>> — Leonardo da Vinci >>>>>> _________________________________________ >>>>>> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >>>>>> Critiques & Collaborations >>>>>> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with >>>>>> >>>>> subscribe in the subject header. >>>>> >>>>>> To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list >>>>>> List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> >>>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> -- >>>> http://anavaldes.wordpress.com >>>> http://passagenwerk.wordpress.com >>>> http://caravia.stumbleupon.com >>>> http://www.crusading.se >>>> Gondolgatan 2 l tr >>>> 12832 Skarpnäck >>>> Sweden >>>> tel +468-943288 >>>> mobil 4670-3213370 >>>> >>>> >>>> "When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with >>>> your >>>> eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you will always >>>> >>> long >>> >>>> to return. >>>> — Leonardo da Vinci >>>> _________________________________________ >>>> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >>>> Critiques & Collaborations >>>> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with >>>> 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/> >> > > 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/> > -- http://anavaldes.wordpress.com http://passagenwerk.wordpress.com http://caravia.stumbleupon.com http://www.crusading.se Gondolgatan 2 l tr 12832 Skarpnäck Sweden tel +468-943288 mobil 4670-3213370 "When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you will always long to return. — Leonardo da Vinci From adityarajbaul at gmail.com Sun Dec 5 21:50:22 2010 From: adityarajbaul at gmail.com (Aditya Raj Baul) Date: Sun, 5 Dec 2010 21:50:22 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Drying bombs with heater, Swami blew up own ashram Message-ID: Drying bombs with heater, Swami blew up own ashram: Police by Deepu Sebastian Edmond Posted: Sun Dec 05 2010, 01:53 hrs Mewat (Haryana): http://www.indianexpress.com/news/drying-bombs-with-heater-swami-blew-up-own-ashram-police/720552/0 As succession rituals go, this one takes the cake. Police officials interrogating Swami Anand Mitranand (46), Acharya of Maharishi Dayanand Ashram in Mewat’s Bhadas, arrested for possessing two bombs which went off on September 22, say that Mitranand was given the bombs by his predecessor, the late Swami Amranand. “He told us that Amranand entrusted him with two bombs of a kilo each when he took charge in 1994. Amranand reportedly bought them after the temple was attacked in the aftermath of the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992,” said Virender Singh Yadav, Firozpur Jhirka’s Deputy Superintendent of Police. None was injured in the blast, which ripped through a part of the building in which the bombs were placed, even damaging the iron-sheeted gate 20 metres away. Mitranand, absconding since the night of the blast, was arrested last Wednesday from Mahendragarh district’s Jainpur village. Ahead of the Allahabad High Court verdict on Ayodhya — it was to be delivered on September 24 but was later deferred — brought the bombs back from a long sojourn. “Mitranand stored the bombs in a ten-feet-deep hole that was a well. He used to take them out at regular intervals to check whether they were usable,” said Yadav. The area population is predominantly Muslim. The ashram, built by the Arya Samaj, had come up after the temple that stood in the site was torn down by a mob post-Babri. “He feared that the ashram would be attacked post-verdict, and so took the bombs out. But they were damp. He tried drying them under an electric bulb, but that did not help. He then put them under a room-heater,” said Yadav. The bombs went off at 9.30 pm near the kitchen. “Mitranand was in the kitchen, and some students were studying in the verandah. It had started raining by then, so he took the students along and went to the adjacent building, where a cultural programme was on. Soon after, the bombs went off,” said Yashwant Singh, teacher in a neighbouring government school, who stays on rent at the ashram. Singh was not at the ashram at the time of the blast. The ashram also runs a gurukul and gaushala. “We had about 60 students from all over the country. But after the blast, more than half have gone back,” said Kamal, a teacher. The forensic report into the chemical composition of the bombs is awaited. “We also found empty bullet shells from the blast site. Mitranand was filling locally-produced gunpowder in them,” said Yadav. Police have recovered a rifle from Mitranand’s office. Mewat’s Superintendent of Police Yoginder Singh Nehra said the Swami had a valid licence for the weapon. DSP Yadav said the police had to track Mitranand. “It was a bad time, as tension was running high before the verdict. Inmates of the ashram insisted that Mitranand had gone missing a day before the bombs went off, and without reason. That led us to suspect him,” he said, adding that none other than Mitranand knew about the existence of the bombs. Mitranand has been remanded to police custody for six days. He has been charged under Indian Penal Code Sections 147, 148 (both related to rioting), 285 (negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter), 436 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house, etc), 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot) and Section 345 of the Explosives Act. From tapasrayx at gmail.com Sun Dec 5 22:35:16 2010 From: tapasrayx at gmail.com (Tapas Ray [Gmail]) Date: Sun, 5 Dec 2010 22:35:16 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FIR and this list In-Reply-To: References: <912193F9-CA7B-4B43-9A12-BDA7F5A4021B@sarai.net> Message-ID: Ana, Now that you have told us what you have done and experienced ... it's not hard to imagine the sacrifices you have made and the dangers you have faced ... I am absolutely thrilled that someone like you is on this list. It makes the Aditya Kauls of the world totally inconsequential. Tapas On 5 December 2010 18:29, Ana Valdés wrote: > Dear friends, it's really stimulating and intellectual challenging to follow > the discussion and rise the level to discuss our ground questions: evil and > goodness. Hanah Arendt wrote and spoke about "the banality of evil", the > everydays small signs of evilness dominating the life, Tanatos, should Freud > say, our dark nature using it's weapons to rule and conquest our souls. > Germany was not a nation suddenly turned evil, but it was the evilness of > some people turning the balance towards the evil. > You come from the very country which succeed to disrupt an empire and turn > down a colonial ruling using no violence and Mahatma Ghandi is the example > we all learned to use when appealing to no violence as powerful as violence. > I have been in Palestine ten, twelve times, and everyone is asking "why we > don't have a Ghandi in the Middle East?". > For myself, a firm partisan of the armed struggle when I was young (that's > the reason of my four years imprisonment in Uruguay), the process has been > long but clear, today I take distance from every intent to conquest the > power with weapons. > Ana > > From patrice at xs4all.nl Sun Dec 5 22:39:35 2010 From: patrice at xs4all.nl (Patrice Riemens) Date: Sun, 5 Dec 2010 18:09:35 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] FIR and this list In-Reply-To: References: <912193F9-CA7B-4B43-9A12-BDA7F5A4021B@sarai.net> Message-ID: Again, Ana, Tapas: Hear! Hear! Or shall we say: Shabash!!! Cheers indeed! patrizio & Diiiinooos! > Ana, > > Now that you have told us what you have done and experienced ... it's > not hard to imagine the sacrifices you have made and the dangers you > have faced ... I am absolutely thrilled that someone like you is on > this list. It makes the Aditya Kauls of the world totally > inconsequential. > > Tapas > > > On 5 December 2010 18:29, Ana Valdés wrote: >> Dear friends, it's really stimulating and intellectual challenging to >> follow >> the discussion and rise the level to discuss our ground questions: evil >> and >> goodness. Hanah Arendt wrote and spoke about "the banality of evil", the >> everydays small signs of evilness dominating the life, Tanatos, should >> Freud >> say, our dark nature using it's weapons to rule and conquest our souls. >> Germany was not a nation suddenly turned evil, but it was the evilness >> of >> some people turning the balance towards the evil. >> You come from the very country which succeed to disrupt an empire and >> turn >> down a colonial ruling using no violence and Mahatma Ghandi is the >> example >> we all learned to use when appealing to no violence as powerful as >> violence. >> I have been in Palestine ten, twelve times, and everyone is asking "why >> we >> don't have a Ghandi in the Middle East?". >> For myself, a firm partisan of the armed struggle when I was young >> (that's >> the reason of my four years imprisonment in Uruguay), the process has >> been >> long but clear, today I take distance from every intent to conquest the >> power with weapons. >> Ana >> >> > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > 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 kamalhak at gmail.com Sun Dec 5 23:12:35 2010 From: kamalhak at gmail.com (kamalhak at gmail.com) Date: Sun, 5 Dec 2010 17:42:35 +0000 Subject: [Reader-list] FIR and this list In-Reply-To: References: <912193F9-CA7B-4B43-9A12-BDA7F5A4021B@sarai.net> Message-ID: <356378369-1291570813-cardhu_decombobulator_blackberry.rim.net-850391144-@b11.c1.bise7.blackberry> In a debate dictated purely by the considerations emanating from personal prejudices and beliefs, one can never expect the conclusions to be based on objectivity. The forum which makes a virtue of free speech can't resist declaring Aditya raj Kaul a pariah because he dares to articulate an alternate view point. The list that castigates any differing opinion as rightist doesn't mind preaching its leftist philosophy religiously. The more you follow the list more you get convinced the twine shall never meet. Tapes of this world might bask in their self assumed world of righteousness but I believe most of us are not impressed. Have we ever heard of perpetuity of farce? Love. Kamal Hak Sent from BlackBerry® on Airtel -----Original Message----- From: "Patrice Riemens" Sender: reader-list-bounces at sarai.net Date: Sun, 5 Dec 2010 18:09:35 To: Tapas Ray [Gmail] Cc: reader-list list Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FIR and this list Again, Ana, Tapas: Hear! Hear! Or shall we say: Shabash!!! Cheers indeed! patrizio & Diiiinooos! > Ana, > > Now that you have told us what you have done and experienced ... it's > not hard to imagine the sacrifices you have made and the dangers you > have faced ... I am absolutely thrilled that someone like you is on > this list. It makes the Aditya Kauls of the world totally > inconsequential. > > Tapas > > > On 5 December 2010 18:29, Ana Valdés wrote: >> Dear friends, it's really stimulating and intellectual challenging to >> follow >> the discussion and rise the level to discuss our ground questions: evil >> and >> goodness. Hanah Arendt wrote and spoke about "the banality of evil", the >> everydays small signs of evilness dominating the life, Tanatos, should >> Freud >> say, our dark nature using it's weapons to rule and conquest our souls. >> Germany was not a nation suddenly turned evil, but it was the evilness >> of >> some people turning the balance towards the evil. >> You come from the very country which succeed to disrupt an empire and >> turn >> down a colonial ruling using no violence and Mahatma Ghandi is the >> example >> we all learned to use when appealing to no violence as powerful as >> violence. >> I have been in Palestine ten, twelve times, and everyone is asking "why >> we >> don't have a Ghandi in the Middle East?". >> For myself, a firm partisan of the armed struggle when I was young >> (that's >> the reason of my four years imprisonment in Uruguay), the process has >> been >> long but clear, today I take distance from every intent to conquest the >> power with weapons. >> Ana >> >> > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > 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 tapasrayx at gmail.com Sun Dec 5 23:28:28 2010 From: tapasrayx at gmail.com (Tapas Ray [Gmail]) Date: Sun, 5 Dec 2010 23:28:28 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FIR and this list In-Reply-To: <356378369-1291570813-cardhu_decombobulator_blackberry.rim.net-850391144-@b11.c1.bise7.blackberry> References: <912193F9-CA7B-4B43-9A12-BDA7F5A4021B@sarai.net> <356378369-1291570813-cardhu_decombobulator_blackberry.rim.net-850391144-@b11.c1.bise7.blackberry> Message-ID: I am totally devastated to learn that I have miserably failed to impress the loving kamalhak. but one minor question remains - why are those who have been bullying others taking advantage of the free speech policies of this list, and have extended their bullying to the "real world", not to be considered pariah by those who do not like their bullying? is kamalhak another name for aditya raj kaul or one of his co-bullies? On 5 December 2010 23:12, wrote: > In a debate dictated purely by the considerations emanating from personal prejudices and beliefs, one can never expect the conclusions to be based on objectivity. The forum which makes a virtue of free speech can't resist declaring Aditya raj Kaul a pariah because he dares to articulate an alternate view point. The list that castigates any differing opinion as rightist doesn't mind preaching its leftist philosophy  religiously. The more you follow the list more you get convinced the twine shall never meet. Tapes of this world might bask in their self assumed world of righteousness but I believe most of us are not impressed. Have we ever heard of perpetuity of farce? > > Love. > > Kamal Hak > Sent from BlackBerry® on Airtel > > -----Original Message----- > From: "Patrice Riemens" > Sender: reader-list-bounces at sarai.net > Date: Sun, 5 Dec 2010 18:09:35 > To: Tapas Ray [Gmail] > Cc: reader-list list > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FIR and this list > > Again, Ana, Tapas: > > Hear! Hear! Or shall we say: Shabash!!! > > Cheers indeed! > patrizio & Diiiinooos! > > > >> Ana, >> >> Now that you have told us what you have done and experienced ... it's >> not hard to imagine the sacrifices you have made and the dangers you >> have faced ... I am absolutely thrilled that someone like you is on >> this list. It makes the Aditya Kauls of the world totally >> inconsequential. >> >> Tapas >> >> >> On 5 December 2010 18:29, Ana Valdés wrote: >>> Dear friends, it's really stimulating and intellectual challenging to >>> follow >>> the discussion and rise the level to discuss our ground questions: evil >>> and >>> goodness. Hanah Arendt wrote and spoke about "the banality of evil", the >>> everydays small signs of evilness dominating the life, Tanatos, should >>> Freud >>> say, our dark nature using it's weapons to rule and conquest our souls. >>> Germany was not a nation suddenly turned evil, but it was the evilness >>> of >>> some people turning the balance towards the evil. >>> You come from the very country which succeed to disrupt an empire and >>> turn >>> down a colonial ruling using no violence and Mahatma Ghandi is the >>> example >>> we all learned to use when appealing to no violence as powerful as >>> violence. >>> I have been in Palestine ten, twelve times, and everyone is asking "why >>> we >>> don't have a Ghandi in the Middle East?". >>> For myself, a firm partisan of the armed struggle when I was young >>> (that's >>> the reason of my four years imprisonment in Uruguay), the process has >>> been >>> long but clear, today I take distance from every intent to conquest the >>> power with weapons. >>> Ana >>> >>> >> _________________________________________ >> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >> Critiques & Collaborations >> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with >> 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 kamalhak at gmail.com Mon Dec 6 10:23:16 2010 From: kamalhak at gmail.com (kamalhak at gmail.com) Date: Mon, 6 Dec 2010 04:53:16 +0000 Subject: [Reader-list] FIR and this list In-Reply-To: References: <912193F9-CA7B-4B43-9A12-BDA7F5A4021B@sarai.net><356378369-1291570813-cardhu_decombobulator_blackberry.rim.net-850391144-@b11.c1.bise7.blackberry> Message-ID: <235902260-1291611052-cardhu_decombobulator_blackberry.rim.net-1026662873-@b11.c1.bise7.blackberry> Ha Ha, Tapas. I am really flattered to be labeled as a 'bully'. I wish we were so. We would have, most probably, then not faced the ignominy of being hunted out of our ancestral homeland to live as refugees in our own country. And see the dichotomy in your and other self proclaimed moralists' position. While you lose no opportunity in supporting the perpetrators of worst crimes against humanity, you become totally blind to sufferings and aspirations of the victims. It is also strange any expression of angst and frustration of being neglected is termed as bullying. Wow. Kamal Hak Sent from BlackBerry® on Airtel -----Original Message----- From: "Tapas Ray [Gmail]" Date: Sun, 5 Dec 2010 23:28:28 To: kamalhak Cc: reader-list list Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FIR and this list I am totally devastated to learn that I have miserably failed to impress the loving kamalhak. but one minor question remains - why are those who have been bullying others taking advantage of the free speech policies of this list, and have extended their bullying to the "real world", not to be considered pariah by those who do not like their bullying? is kamalhak another name for aditya raj kaul or one of his co-bullies? On 5 December 2010 23:12, wrote: > In a debate dictated purely by the considerations emanating from personal prejudices and beliefs, one can never expect the conclusions to be based on objectivity. The forum which makes a virtue of free speech can't resist declaring Aditya raj Kaul a pariah because he dares to articulate an alternate view point. The list that castigates any differing opinion as rightist doesn't mind preaching its leftist philosophy  religiously. The more you follow the list more you get convinced the twine shall never meet. Tapes of this world might bask in their self assumed world of righteousness but I believe most of us are not impressed. Have we ever heard of perpetuity of farce? > > Love. > > Kamal Hak > Sent from BlackBerry® on Airtel > > -----Original Message----- > From: "Patrice Riemens" > Sender: reader-list-bounces at sarai.net > Date: Sun, 5 Dec 2010 18:09:35 > To: Tapas Ray [Gmail] > Cc: reader-list list > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] FIR and this list > > Again, Ana, Tapas: > > Hear! Hear! Or shall we say: Shabash!!! > > Cheers indeed! > patrizio & Diiiinooos! > > > >> Ana, >> >> Now that you have told us what you have done and experienced ... it's >> not hard to imagine the sacrifices you have made and the dangers you >> have faced ... I am absolutely thrilled that someone like you is on >> this list. It makes the Aditya Kauls of the world totally >> inconsequential. >> >> Tapas >> >> >> On 5 December 2010 18:29, Ana Valdés wrote: >>> Dear friends, it's really stimulating and intellectual challenging to >>> follow >>> the discussion and rise the level to discuss our ground questions: evil >>> and >>> goodness. Hanah Arendt wrote and spoke about "the banality of evil", the >>> everydays small signs of evilness dominating the life, Tanatos, should >>> Freud >>> say, our dark nature using it's weapons to rule and conquest our souls. >>> Germany was not a nation suddenly turned evil, but it was the evilness >>> of >>> some people turning the balance towards the evil. >>> You come from the very country which succeed to disrupt an empire and >>> turn >>> down a colonial ruling using no violence and Mahatma Ghandi is the >>> example >>> we all learned to use when appealing to no violence as powerful as >>> violence. >>> I have been in Palestine ten, twelve times, and everyone is asking "why >>> we >>> don't have a Ghandi in the Middle East?". >>> For myself, a firm partisan of the armed struggle when I was young >>> (that's >>> the reason of my four years imprisonment in Uruguay), the process has >>> been >>> long but clear, today I take distance from every intent to conquest the >>> power with weapons. >>> Ana >>> >>> >>_________________________________________ >> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >> Critiques & Collaborations >> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with >> 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 rohitrellan at aol.in Mon Dec 6 11:41:08 2010 From: rohitrellan at aol.in (rohitrellan at aol.in) Date: Mon, 06 Dec 2010 01:11:08 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Win Kodak digital frames by participating in Akanksha foundation's contest / Yatrik's Production of EVERYTHING PERSONAL Message-ID: <8CD63238221D1E9-226C-1AC26@webmail-m035.sysops.aol.com> The Akanksha Foundation (NGO) (http://www.facebook.com/the.akanksha.foundation) is a non-profit organization incepted 20 years ago and focuses on educating less privileged children to enable them to lead empowered lives. The Akanksha Foundation has tied up with Kodak for a photo contest called the 'Joy of going to school'. The objective of this initiative is to pictorially establish the importance for children to learn and the Right to Education. To participate: email pictures accompanied with a caption (max 100 words) to: kodakclicks at akanksha.org Last Date of submission: December 25th, 2010 Parameters for judging: ethics of the images, aesthetics, composition, the story, emotional appeal & images that grab the attention. Judges: Sooni Taraporvala (Photographer & Screen Writer) & Madhavan Pillai (Editor - Better Photography) Winners: Will be announced in the first week of January, 2011. 12 chosen pictures will be used in the Akanksha & Kodak co-branded calendars for 2011. 3 best entries will get a Kodak Digital frames worth Rs.11,000 each. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- Yatrik's Production of EVERYTHING PERSONAL India International Centre presents Yatrik's production of 'Everything Personal' A play by Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay Directed by Bhaskar Ghose Cast - Aarti Nayar, Isha Joshi, Sinia Dugal, Sonali Sharma, Sunit Tandon, Ramesh Thakur, Vishaal Sethia Shows: 6th Dec 2010, 1830 Hrs, India International Centre Auditorium 7th Dec 2010, 1830 Hrs, India International Centre Auditorium Entry strictly on first come first serve basis Location India International Centre Auditorium 40, Max Mueller Marg, New Delhi New Delhi, India Time Monday, December 6 · 6:30pm - 8:30pm From the-network at koeln.de Mon Dec 6 15:46:43 2010 From: the-network at koeln.de (VideoChannel) Date: Mon, 06 Dec 2010 11:16:43 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] =?iso-8859-1?q?Program_-_Week_50_on_NewMediaFest=27?= =?iso-8859-1?q?2010?= Message-ID: <20101206111643.DA9DD98E.EDBAFBCB@192.168.0.3> NewMediaFest'2010 -------------------------------------- program- week 50 ---> 6-12 December 2010 http://2010.newmediafest.org/?p=1192 -------------------------------------- 1. -------------------------------------- Feature of the Month December 2010 - 1 http://2010.newmediafest.org/?p=1181 artvideoKOELN, CologneOFF & VideoChannel proudly present "Mother" - Family Affair 1 - featuring videos by following artists Unnur Andrea Einarsdottir (Iceland) - Antonio Alvarado (Spain) Jessica Curry (UK) - Antti Savela (SWE) - Joshua & Zachary Sandler (USA) Grace Graupe-Pillard (USA) - Wilfried Agricola de Cologne (D) Grace Schwindt (UK) - Jeanette Louie (USA) - Caterina Davinio (IT) Marina Landia (Georgia) - Paolo Bonfiglio (IT) - Henry Gwiazda (USA) Anders Weberg (SWE) - Karen Trask (CA) - Nicole Pruckermayr (A) Elham Rokni (Israel) - Nicole Rademacher (A) - Richard Jochum (A) Shelagh Fenner (UK) - Sonja Vuk (CR) - Anahita Hekmat (Iran) Pekka Ruuska (FI) - Magsamen & Hillerbrand (USA) - Natasha Cordasic (AU) Magnus Irvin (UK) - Anna Bieluszko & Magdalena Jachimiak (PL) -------------------------------------- 2. -------------------------------------- Feature/Venue of the Week 50 http://2010.newmediafest.org/?p=1184 Delhi International Arts Festival 11-12 December 2010 - Alliance Francaise New Delhi "Edgelogue" is the title of a media art exhibition featuring this week the preview screening of the entire festival program of the 6th edition of Cologne International Videoart festival - CologneOFF VI - to be presented in the framework of the venue of the week Delhi International Arts Festival - http://www.diaf.in - date: 11-12 December 2010 location: Alliance Francaise New Delhi This extensive program is already pointing to the new festival context for 2011 - "CologneOFF 2011 - videoart in a global context" - and includes also video programs by these partners and friends 1. City Breath Festival Cape Town/RSA - curated by Kai Lossgott 2. Memory & Identity - videoart from Italy - curated by Giorgio Fedeli 3. Memory & Identity - videoart from USA - curated by Alysse Stepanian 4. Oslo Screen Festival - Norwegian selection - curated by Margarida Paiva 5. Portuguese Video Art - curated by Pedro Almeida & Sergio Gomes -------------------------------------- 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 chintan.backups at gmail.com Mon Dec 6 20:59:26 2010 From: chintan.backups at gmail.com (Chintan Girish Modi) Date: Mon, 6 Dec 2010 20:59:26 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Fragrance of Peace Message-ID: >From http://www.himalmag.com/Fragrance-of-Peace_dnw317.html Fragrance of Peace *Zubaan* has published a collection of Irom Sarmila's poems called Fragrance of Peace, which has been translated into English from Meiteilon (Manipuri). This was to be released in Imphal during the 10th anniversary of her hunger fast for the repeal of the AFSPA, but unfortunately permission to release the book was denied. All proceeds from the sale of this book will go towards supporting Sarmila's campaign. So please pick up as many copies of this as possible. Also please circulate this mail widely and tell as many people as possible. The book is priced at Rs 125 (plus Rs 25 postage). *Place your orders at * Zubaan, 128 B, 1st Floor Shahpurjat New Delhi - 110 049 *Tel: *+91-11-26494617, 26494618 *Tel: & Fax: *91-11-26494613 From chintan.backups at gmail.com Mon Dec 6 23:04:50 2010 From: chintan.backups at gmail.com (Chintan Girish Modi) Date: Mon, 6 Dec 2010 23:04:50 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] On designing school spaces Message-ID: >From http://www.teacherplus.org/cover-story/let%E2%80%99s-build-a-school Let's build a school They seem to merge into the landscape, almost growing out of it, the red earth and brick walls of Pupil Tree School in Bellary and the “random rubble” and mud mortar of Poorna School in Bangalore. Clearly, these are not spaces to “school” children but to open their minds to learning. Expansive courtyards, open plan classrooms ringed by large archways, and corridors that encourage running… these are not images that evoke the idea of school. “School should leave us with memories not just of people and events, but memories of the spaces,” says R L Kumar of the Centre for Vernacular Architecture, a part of the Centre for Informal Education and Development Studies, Bangalore. “You should be able to recall the texture of the walls, the quality of the space, a sense of the architecture.” School architecture in India, as in most of the “modern” world, is reminiscent of other spaces of surveillance and control, such as hospitals, army barracks, and even prisons. Their long corridors with rooms arranged in a row to facilitate patrolling, grey or white walls to reduce distraction, and angular spaces for regulated extracurricular activity, have a certain similarity. “School spaces make a tremendous impact on the child’s mind,” says Kumar. Like many other public buildings, he says, they are spaces of “supervized freedom”. The design of school buildings says a lot about how we view the process and intent of education, just as architecture itself, as Kumar says, “provides us with a ringside view of the politics of knowledge in our times.” The Centre for Vernacular Architecture instead experiments with space in different ways, with the idea that the space itself should be an instrument of achieving the goals of the institution. Using locally available materials and drawing in indigenous knowledge and techniques, they aim to create buildings that are “cost effective, ecologically sensible and culturally relevant.” The buildings therefore are well suited to local climate and sensitive to local aesthetic traditions. “We define local not in just a narrow geographical sense, but as moving away from the cycle of mass production, a characteristic of the global industrial economy,” explains Kumar. So this means using lime and mud and mortar instead of cement and steel, applying lines that draw from local cultural and artistic traditions. Kumar describes a current project, a school in Coimbatore that has a student population of 600 children, located on a 5-acre property. “The tendency with most institutions is, when you have a large space, just spread out and use it all,” he says. Here, in contrast, they are working on a design that resembles a medieval Indian town, buildings in a tight cluster with tight walls and bylanes that dissolve distinctions between administrative and academic spaces. “It’s sort of like the Chandni Chowk area of Delhi, or Charminar of Hyderabad,” says Kumar. “In these areas, there is no distinction between the commercial and residential areas.” Life goes on, in all its complexity, in the same spaces. The apparent congestion of the built up area is compensated for in this school with wide open surroundings and water bodies to provide relief. The imaginative construction of the school space should open up the educational imagination as well – or that is the hope. The Centre has worked with several alternative schools in the Karnataka and Tamil Nadu area, and with a few that are more based in the mainstream. Sometimes, changing the physical and material context can lead to a change in the spirit of the activity. Kumar admits that changing the thinking about what a school should look like sometimes literally has them “banging their heads against a brick wall,” “But,” he says, “we’re willing to wait.” There is always space for change. And school should be that space. From babuubab at gmail.com Mon Dec 6 23:54:23 2010 From: babuubab at gmail.com (SUNDARA BABU) Date: Mon, 6 Dec 2010 23:54:23 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] =?windows-1252?q?=93India_Human_Rights_Report_Quart?= =?windows-1252?q?erly=94_including_=93A_Special_Report_on_Arming_o?= =?windows-1252?q?f_the_Maoists=94?= Message-ID: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Suhas Chakma Dear all, Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) has the pleasure to invite you and your colleages to the release of “India Human Rights Report Quarterly” including “A Special Report on Arming of the Maoists”. Please find attached a flyer. Please also find the below the details of the book release programme: Venue: Conference Room III, India International Centre – ANNEXE, 40 Max Muller Marg, New Delhi 110003 Date: 9th December 2010 (Thursday) Time: 3 pm to 5 pm Please note the programme is at the ANNEXE of India International Centre. We shall be grateful for a line of confirmation. With kind regards, Yours sincerely Suhas Chakma Director ------------------------------------------------------------------------- India Human Rights Report Quarterly, July to September 2010 ACHR has been publishing its annual “India Human Rights Report” since 2005 providing State-wise information on human rights violations. However, in this age of information technology, an annual report largely remains academic. ACHR therefore decided to publish it as a quarterly journal. Issues covered in the current issue are: SPECIAL REPORT -India: Handing explosives to the Maoists - Mining and arming of the Maoists - Corporate and the Maoists nexus: A case study in Jharkhand COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS - The promises and perils of the Food Security Bill - Indian army’s role in Kashmir’s Intifada - Forced eviction from the Dampa Tiger Reserve in Mizoram: The report of the fact finding mission STATES ROUND UP (JULY-SEPTEMBER) - Andhra Pradesh - Arunachal Pradesh - Assam - Bihar - Chhattisgarh - Delhi - Gujarat - Haryana - Himachal Pradesh - Jammu and Kashmir - Jharkhand - Karnataka - Kerala - Madhya Pradesh - Maharashtra - Manipur - Meghalaya - Mizoram - Nagaland - Orissa - Punjab - Rajasthan - Tamil Nadu - Tripura - Uttar Pradesh - Uttarakhand - West Bengal NHRIs - Vox populi: NHRIs’ credentials suspect - The NCSC – what ails India’s NHRIs JUDGEMENTS - Security forces: vacate the schools in North East India - AFSPA cannot block investigation INDIA AT THE UN AND IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD - Report of the SR on the adverse effects of the toxic & dangerous products in India - Snippets From babuubab at gmail.com Tue Dec 7 00:05:06 2010 From: babuubab at gmail.com (SUNDARA BABU) Date: Tue, 7 Dec 2010 00:05:06 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Crimes Against Dalits in 2007 - 2008 In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Karthik Navayan Dear All National Crime Records Bureau recently put the 2008 report online. It documented almost 34,000 attacks, an increase from 2007 to 2008 of 12% in crimes against Dalits download the report from this link - http://ncrb.nic.in/cii2008/home.htm Karthik Navayan From jeebesh at sarai.net Tue Dec 7 16:57:30 2010 From: jeebesh at sarai.net (Jeebesh) Date: Tue, 7 Dec 2010 16:57:30 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] On Wikileaks Message-ID: <53310E87-2F6C-4A6C-BC65-F6178D20D9B5@sarai.net> Follow the growing aggression of lawmakers in US against wikileaks. (cross posted from nettime) http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/12/06/wikileaks/index.html The lawless Wild West attacks WikiLeaks Monday, Dec 6, 2010 12:07 ET Just look at what the U.S. Government and its friends are willing to do and capable of doing to someone who challenges or defies them -- all without any charges being filed or a shred of legal authority. They've blocked access to their assets, tried to remove them from the Internet, bullied most everyone out of doing any business with them, froze the funds marked for Assange's legal defense at exactly the time that they prepare a strange international arrest warrant to be executed, repeatedly threatened him with murder, had their Australian vassals openly threaten to revoke his passport, and declared them "Terrorists" even though -- unlike the authorities who are doing all of these things -- neither Assange nor WikiLeaks ever engaged in violence, advocated violence, or caused the slaughter of civilians. This is all grounded in the toxic mindset expressed yesterday on Meet the Press (without challenge, naturally) by GOP Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who said of Assange: "I think the man is a high-tech terrorist. He’s done an enormous damage to our country, and I think he needs to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. And if that becomes a problem, we need to change the law." As usual, when wielded by American authorities, the term "terrorist" means nothing more than: "those who impede or defy the will of the U.S. Government with any degree of efficacy." Anyone who does that is, by definition, a Terrorist. And note McConnell's typical, highly representative view that if someone he wants to punish isn't a criminal under the law, then you just "change the law" to make him one. But that sort of legal scheming isn't even necessary. The U.S. and its "friends" in the Western and business worlds are more than able and happy to severely punish anyone they want without the slightest basis in "law." That's what the lawless, Wild Western World is: political leaders punishing whomever they want without any limits, certainly without regard to bothersome concepts of "law." Anyone who doubts that should just look at what has been done to Wikileaks and Assange over the last week. In this series of events, there are indeed genuine and pernicious threats to basic freedom and security; they most assuredly aren't coming from WikiLeaks or Julian Assange. People often have a hard time believing that the terms "authoritarian" and "tyranny" apply to their own government, but that's because those who meekly stay in line and remain unthreatening are never targeted by such forces. The face of authoritarianism and tyranny reveals itself with how it responds to those who meaningfully dissent from and effectively challenge its authority: do they act within the law or solely through the use of unconstrained force? * * * * * Yahoo News!' Michael Calderone has a very good article documenting how major American media outlets -- as always -- snapped into line with the authorities they serve by ceasing to use the term "whistle-blower" to describe WikiLeaks. One encouraging development is the emergence of hundreds of "mirror- WikiLeaks" sites around the world which make abolishing WikiLeaks pointless; that's a good model for how to subvert Internet censorship efforts. Those interested in doing that can find instructions here. And here is a well-done site which asks: "Why is WikiLeaks a Good Thing?" UPDATE: Just to underscore the climate of lawless initmidation that has been created: before WikiLeaks was on many people's radars (i.e., before the Apache video release), I wrote about the war being waged on them by the Pentagon, interviewed Assange, and urged people to donate money to them. In response, numerous people asked -- both in comments and via email -- whether they would be in danger, could incur legal liability for providing material support to Terrorism or some other crime, if they donated to WikiLeaks. Those were American citizens expressing that fear over an organization which had never been remotely charged with any wrongdoing. Similarly, I met several weeks ago with an individual who once worked closely with WikiLeaks, but since stopped because he feared that his country -- which has a very broad extradition treaty with the U.S. -- would arrest him and turn him over to the Americans upon request. He knew he had violated no laws, but given that he's a foreigner, he feared -- justifiably -- that he could easily be held by the United States without charges, denied all sorts of basic rights under the Patriot Act, and otherwise be subject to a system of "justice" which recognizes few limits or liberties, especially when dealing with foreigners accused of aiding Terrorists. All the oppressive, lawless policies of the last decade -- lawless detention, Guantanamo, disappearing people to CIA black sites, rendition, the torture regime, denial of habeas corpus, drones, assassinations, private mercenary forces, etc. -- were designed, first and foremost, to instill exactly this fear, to deter any challenge. Many of these policies continue, and that climate of fear thus endures (see this comment from today as but one of many examples). As the treatment just thus far of WikiLeaks and Assange demonstrates, that reaction -- though paralyzing and counter-productive -- is not irrational. And one thing is for sure: there is nothing the U.S. Government could do -- no matter how lawless or heinous -- which (with rare exception) would provoke the objections of the American establishment media. UPDATE II: Those wishing to donate to WikiLeaks can still do so here, via Options 2 (online credit card) or 3 (wire to bank in Iceland). UPDATE III: One more, from CNET, roughly 30 minutes ago: As the article says, this is "a move that will dry up another source of funds for the embattled document-sharing Web site." Remember: this is all being done not only without any charges or convictions, but also any real prospect of charging them with a crime, because they did nothing illegal. From c.anupam at gmail.com Tue Dec 7 17:04:10 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Tue, 7 Dec 2010 17:04:10 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Media: Stenographer to Power Message-ID: Media: Stenographer to Power By: Sukumar Muralidharan PDF Print Vol XLV No.49 December 04, 2010 * For a news media that is often in pursuit of the lowest common denominator of audience taste, the Radia tapes offered a story that had sensation in abundant measure. Yet, save a handful of exceptions, the story has been consigned to a black hole of neglect. The news media has increasingly been seen as a stenographer to power and an instrument for harnessing every form of dissent to dominant structures. The Radia tapes show that it has been actually engaged in a more sordid enterprise than stenography – it has been an active and eager participant in the abuse of power. *For more: http://beta.epw.in/newsItem/comment/189054/ From anita.anitacherian at gmail.com Tue Dec 7 17:02:30 2010 From: anita.anitacherian at gmail.com (Anita Cherian) Date: Tue, 7 Dec 2010 17:02:30 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] On Wikileaks In-Reply-To: <53310E87-2F6C-4A6C-BC65-F6178D20D9B5@sarai.net> References: <53310E87-2F6C-4A6C-BC65-F6178D20D9B5@sarai.net> Message-ID: Assange has just been arrested, The Guardian is carrying live updates: http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/blog/2010/dec/07/wikileaks-us-embassy-cables-live-updates Cheers Anita On Tue, Dec 7, 2010 at 4:57 PM, Jeebesh wrote: > Follow the growing aggression of lawmakers in US against wikileaks. (cross > posted from nettime) > > > http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/12/06/wikileaks/index.html > > > The lawless Wild West attacks WikiLeaks > Monday, Dec 6, 2010 12:07 ET > > Just look at what the U.S. Government and its friends are willing to do and > capable of doing to someone who challenges or defies them -- all without > any charges being filed or a shred of legal authority. They've blocked > access to their assets, tried to remove them from the Internet, bullied > most everyone out of doing any business with them, froze the funds marked > for Assange's legal defense at exactly the time that they prepare a strange > international arrest warrant to be executed, repeatedly threatened him with > murder, had their Australian vassals openly threaten to revoke his > passport, and declared them "Terrorists" even though -- unlike the > authorities who are doing all of these things -- neither Assange nor > WikiLeaks ever engaged in violence, advocated violence, or caused the > slaughter of civilians. > > This is all grounded in the toxic mindset expressed yesterday on Meet the > Press (without challenge, naturally) by GOP Sen. Minority Leader Mitch > McConnell, who said of Assange: "I think the man is a high-tech terrorist. > He’s done an enormous damage to our country, and I think he needs to be > prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. And if that becomes a problem, > we need to change the law." As usual, when wielded by American > authorities, the term "terrorist" means nothing more than: "those who > impede or defy the will of the U.S. Government with any degree of > efficacy." Anyone who does that is, by definition, a Terrorist. And note > McConnell's typical, highly representative view that if someone he wants to > punish isn't a criminal under the law, then you just "change the law" to > make him one. > > But that sort of legal scheming isn't even necessary. The U.S. and its > "friends" in the Western and business worlds are more than able and happy > to severely punish anyone they want without the slightest basis in "law." > That's what the lawless, Wild Western World is: political leaders > punishing whomever they want without any limits, certainly without regard > to bothersome concepts of "law." Anyone who doubts that should just look > at what has been done to Wikileaks and Assange over the last week. In this > series of events, there are indeed genuine and pernicious threats to basic > freedom and security; they most assuredly aren't coming from WikiLeaks or > Julian Assange. > > People often have a hard time believing that the terms "authoritarian" and > "tyranny" apply to their own government, but that's because those who > meekly stay in line and remain unthreatening are never targeted by such > forces. The face of authoritarianism and tyranny reveals itself with how > it responds to those who meaningfully dissent from and effectively > challenge its authority: do they act within the law or solely through the > use of unconstrained force? > > * * * * * > > Yahoo News!' Michael Calderone has a very good article documenting how > major American media outlets -- as always -- snapped into line with the > authorities they serve by ceasing to use the term "whistle-blower" to > describe WikiLeaks. > > One encouraging development is the emergence of hundreds of "mirror- > WikiLeaks" sites around the world which make abolishing WikiLeaks > pointless; that's a good model for how to subvert Internet censorship > efforts. Those interested in doing that can find instructions here. > > And here is a well-done site which asks: "Why is WikiLeaks a Good Thing?" > > UPDATE: Just to underscore the climate of lawless initmidation that has > been created: before WikiLeaks was on many people's radars (i.e., before > the Apache video release), I wrote about the war being waged on them by the > Pentagon, interviewed Assange, and urged people to donate money to them. > In response, numerous people asked -- both in comments and via email -- > whether they would be in danger, could incur legal liability for providing > material support to Terrorism or some other crime, if they donated to > WikiLeaks. Those were American citizens expressing that fear over an > organization which had never been remotely charged with any wrongdoing. > > Similarly, I met several weeks ago with an individual who once worked > closely with WikiLeaks, but since stopped because he feared that his > country -- which has a very broad extradition treaty with the U.S. -- would > arrest him and turn him over to the Americans upon request. He knew he had > violated no laws, but given that he's a foreigner, he feared -- justifiably > -- that he could easily be held by the United States without charges,denied > all sorts of basic rights under the Patriot Act, and otherwise be > subject to a system of "justice" which recognizes few limits or liberties, > especially when dealing with foreigners accused of aiding Terrorists. > > All the oppressive, lawless policies of the last decade -- lawless > detention, Guantanamo, disappearing people to CIA black sites, rendition, > the torture regime, denial of habeas corpus, drones, assassinations, > private mercenary forces, etc. -- were designed, first and foremost, to > instill exactly this fear, to deter any challenge. Many of these policies > continue, and that climate of fear thus endures (see this comment from > today as but one of many examples). As the treatment just thus far of > WikiLeaks and Assange demonstrates, that reaction -- though paralyzing and > counter-productive -- is not irrational. And one thing is for sure: there > is nothing the U.S. Government could do -- no matter how lawless or heinous > -- which (with rare exception) would provoke the objections of the > Americanestablishment media. > > UPDATE II: Those wishing to donate to WikiLeaks can still do so here, via > Options 2 (online credit card) or 3 (wire to bank in Iceland). > > UPDATE III: One more, from CNET, roughly 30 minutes ago: > > As the article says, this is "a move that will dry up another source of > funds for the embattled document-sharing Web site." Remember: this is all > being done not only without any charges or convictions, but also any real > prospect of charging them with a crime, because they did nothing illegal. > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > 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 jeebesh at sarai.net Tue Dec 7 17:07:24 2010 From: jeebesh at sarai.net (Jeebesh) Date: Tue, 7 Dec 2010 17:07:24 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] British Police arrests Julian Assange Message-ID: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/08/world/europe/08assange.html?_r=1&emc=na LONDON — In the latest twist in the drama swirling around theWikiLeaks anti-secrecy group, British police officials said on Tuesday they had arrested Julian Assange, its beleaguered founder, on a warrant issued in Sweden in connection with alleged sex offenses. Mr. Assange, a 39-year-old Australian, was arrested by officers from Scotland Yard’s extradition unit when he went to a central London police station by prior agreement with the authorities, the police said. A court hearing was expected later. In a statement, the police said: “Officers from the Metropolitan Police extradition unit have this morning arrested Julian Assange on behalf of the Swedish authorities on suspicion of rape.” Mr. Assange denies the charges of sexual misconduct said to have been committed while he was in Sweden in August. It was not immediately clear if Mr. Assange would resist extradition to Sweden for questioning by prosecutors there. While it had been widely anticipated, the arrest opened an array of new questions about Mr. Assange’s future, even as the Justice Department in Washington said it was conducting what Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. called “a very serious, active, ongoing investigation that is criminal in nature” into the WikiLeaks matter. Over the past 10 days, WikiLeaks has been publishing documents from a trove of over 250,000 cables between the State Department in Washington and American diplomats abroad. Mr. Assange has threatened to release many more diplomatic cables if legal action is taken against him or his organization. “Over 100,000 people” were given the entire archive of 251,287 cables in encrypted form, Mr. Assange said on Friday in a question-and-answer session on the Web site of the British newspaper The Guardian. “If something happens to us, the key parts will be released automatically,” Mr. Assange said Mr. Assange’s threat of further disclosures poses a problem for the Obama administration as it explores ways to prosecute Mr. Assange or the group in relation to the archive of diplomatic cables it obtained, reportedly from a low-ranking Army intelligence analyst. The British police statement said Mr. Assange was “accused by the Swedish authorities of one count of unlawful coercion, two counts of sexual molestation and one count of rape, all alleged to have been committed in August 2010.” The arrest was made under a European arrest warrant “by appointment at a London police station at 09:30 today,” the statement said. The charges involve sexual encounters that two women say began as consensual but became nonconsensual after Mr. Assange was no longer using a condom. Mr. Assange has denied any wrongdoing and suggested that the charges were trumped up in retaliation for his WikiLeaks work, though there is no public evidence to suggest a connection. His arrest came challenges mounted to his operations, as computer server companies, Amazon.com and PayPal.com, have cut off commercial cooperation with WikiLeaks. On Monday, a Swiss bank froze an account held by Mr. Assange that had been used to collect donations for WikiLeaks. Marc Andrey, a spokesman for the bank, PostFinance, an arm of the Swiss postal service, said the account was closed because Mr. Assange “gave us false information when he opened the account,” asserting inaccurately that he lived in Switzerland. In the United States on Monday, moreover, “I authorized just last week a number of things to be done so that we can hopefully get to the bottom of this and hold people accountable,” he said at a news conference, declining to elaborate. His threat is not idle, because as of Monday night the group had released fewer than 1,000 of the quarter-million State Department cables it had obtained, reportedly from a low-ranking Army intelligence analyst. So far, the group has moved cautiously. The whole archive was made available to five news organizations, including The New York Times. But WikiLeaks has posted only a few dozen cables on its own in addition to matching those made public by the news publications. According to the State Department’s count, 1,325 cables, or fewer than 1 percent of the total, have been made public by all parties to date. There appears to be no way for American authorities to retrieve all copies of the cables archive. And legal experts say there are serious obstacles to any prosecution of Mr. Assange or his group. But the disclosure of the confidential communications between the State Department and 270 American embassies and consulates has infuriated administration officials and prompted calls from Congress to pursue charges. Mr. Holder repeated assertions by several Obama administration officials about the damage done by the cable disclosures, which began late last month. “The national security of the United States has been put at risk; the lives of people who work for the American people have been put at risk; the American people themselves have been put at risk by these actions that are, I believe, arrogant, misguided and ultimately not helpful in any way,” Mr. Holder said. Justice Department prosecutors have been struggling to find a way to indict Mr. Assange since July, when WikiLeaks made public documents on the war in Afghanistan. But while it is clearly illegal for a government official with a security clearance to give a classified document to WikiLeaks, it is far from clear that it is illegal for the organization to make it public. The Justice Department has considered trying to indict Mr. Assange under the Espionage Act, which has never been successfully used to prosecute a third-party recipient of a leak. Some lawmakers have suggested accusing WikiLeaks of receiving stolen government property, but experts said Monday that would also pose difficulties. Perhaps in a warning shot of sorts, WikiLeaks on Monday released a cable from early last year listing sites around the world — from hydroelectric dams in Canada to vaccine factories in Denmark — that are considered crucial to American national security. Nearly all the facilities listed in the document, including undersea cables, oil pipelines and power plants, could be identified by Internet searches. But the disclosure prompted headlines in Europe and a new denunciation from the State Department, which said in a statement that “releasing such information amounts to giving a targeting list to groups likeAl Qaeda.” Asked later about the cable, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the continuing disclosures posed “real concerns, and even potential damage to our friends and partners around the world.” “I won’t comment on any specific alleged cable, but I will underscore that this theft of U.S. government information and its publication without regard to the consequences is deeply distressing,” she said. In recent months, WikiLeaks gave the entire collection of cables to four European publications — Der Spiegel in Germany, El País in Spain, Le Monde in France and The Guardian. The Guardian shared the cable collection with The New York Times. Since Nov. 28, each publication has been publishing a series of articles about revelations in the cables, accompanied online by the texts of some of the documents. The publications have removed the names of some confidential sources of American diplomats, and WikiLeaks has generally posted the cables with the same redactions. But with the initial series of articles and cable postings nearing an end, the fate of the roughly 250,000 cables that have not been placed online is uncertain. The five publications have announced no plans to make public all the documents. WikiLeaks’s intentions remain unclear. From sadiyahalimakhan at gmail.com Tue Dec 7 17:15:08 2010 From: sadiyahalimakhan at gmail.com (Sadiya H) Date: Tue, 7 Dec 2010 17:15:08 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] On Wikileaks In-Reply-To: <53310E87-2F6C-4A6C-BC65-F6178D20D9B5@sarai.net> References: <53310E87-2F6C-4A6C-BC65-F6178D20D9B5@sarai.net> Message-ID: Assange arrested and that too on charges of sex crimes and rape. The couldn't get an easier way to nab him. http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-53401120101207 Sadia Halima On Tue, Dec 7, 2010 at 4:57 PM, Jeebesh wrote: > Follow the growing aggression of lawmakers in US against wikileaks. (cross > posted from nettime) > > > http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/12/06/wikileaks/index.html > > > The lawless Wild West attacks WikiLeaks > Monday, Dec 6, 2010 12:07 ET > > Just look at what the U.S. Government and its friends are willing to do and > capable of doing to someone who challenges or defies them -- all without > any charges being filed or a shred of legal authority. They've blocked > access to their assets, tried to remove them from the Internet, bullied > most everyone out of doing any business with them, froze the funds marked > for Assange's legal defense at exactly the time that they prepare a strange > international arrest warrant to be executed, repeatedly threatened him with > murder, had their Australian vassals openly threaten to revoke his > passport, and declared them "Terrorists" even though -- unlike the > authorities who are doing all of these things -- neither Assange nor > WikiLeaks ever engaged in violence, advocated violence, or caused the > slaughter of civilians. > > This is all grounded in the toxic mindset expressed yesterday on Meet the > Press (without challenge, naturally) by GOP Sen. Minority Leader Mitch > McConnell, who said of Assange: "I think the man is a high-tech terrorist. > He’s done an enormous damage to our country, and I think he needs to be > prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. And if that becomes a problem, > we need to change the law." As usual, when wielded by American > authorities, the term "terrorist" means nothing more than: "those who > impede or defy the will of the U.S. Government with any degree of > efficacy." Anyone who does that is, by definition, a Terrorist. And note > McConnell's typical, highly representative view that if someone he wants to > punish isn't a criminal under the law, then you just "change the law" to > make him one. > > But that sort of legal scheming isn't even necessary. The U.S. and its > "friends" in the Western and business worlds are more than able and happy > to severely punish anyone they want without the slightest basis in "law." > That's what the lawless, Wild Western World is: political leaders > punishing whomever they want without any limits, certainly without regard > to bothersome concepts of "law." Anyone who doubts that should just look > at what has been done to Wikileaks and Assange over the last week. In this > series of events, there are indeed genuine and pernicious threats to basic > freedom and security; they most assuredly aren't coming from WikiLeaks or > Julian Assange. > > People often have a hard time believing that the terms "authoritarian" and > "tyranny" apply to their own government, but that's because those who > meekly stay in line and remain unthreatening are never targeted by such > forces. The face of authoritarianism and tyranny reveals itself with how > it responds to those who meaningfully dissent from and effectively > challenge its authority: do they act within the law or solely through the > use of unconstrained force? > > * * * * * > > Yahoo News!' Michael Calderone has a very good article documenting how > major American media outlets -- as always -- snapped into line with the > authorities they serve by ceasing to use the term "whistle-blower" to > describe WikiLeaks. > > One encouraging development is the emergence of hundreds of "mirror- > WikiLeaks" sites around the world which make abolishing WikiLeaks > pointless; that's a good model for how to subvert Internet censorship > efforts. Those interested in doing that can find instructions here. > > And here is a well-done site which asks: "Why is WikiLeaks a Good Thing?" > > UPDATE: Just to underscore the climate of lawless initmidation that has > been created: before WikiLeaks was on many people's radars (i.e., before > the Apache video release), I wrote about the war being waged on them by the > Pentagon, interviewed Assange, and urged people to donate money to them. > In response, numerous people asked -- both in comments and via email -- > whether they would be in danger, could incur legal liability for providing > material support to Terrorism or some other crime, if they donated to > WikiLeaks. Those were American citizens expressing that fear over an > organization which had never been remotely charged with any wrongdoing. > > Similarly, I met several weeks ago with an individual who once worked > closely with WikiLeaks, but since stopped because he feared that his > country -- which has a very broad extradition treaty with the U.S. -- would > arrest him and turn him over to the Americans upon request. He knew he had > violated no laws, but given that he's a foreigner, he feared -- justifiably > -- that he could easily be held by the United States without charges,denied > all sorts of basic rights under the Patriot Act, and otherwise be > subject to a system of "justice" which recognizes few limits or liberties, > especially when dealing with foreigners accused of aiding Terrorists. > > All the oppressive, lawless policies of the last decade -- lawless > detention, Guantanamo, disappearing people to CIA black sites, rendition, > the torture regime, denial of habeas corpus, drones, assassinations, > private mercenary forces, etc. -- were designed, first and foremost, to > instill exactly this fear, to deter any challenge. Many of these policies > continue, and that climate of fear thus endures (see this comment from > today as but one of many examples). As the treatment just thus far of > WikiLeaks and Assange demonstrates, that reaction -- though paralyzing and > counter-productive -- is not irrational. And one thing is for sure: there > is nothing the U.S. Government could do -- no matter how lawless or heinous > -- which (with rare exception) would provoke the objections of the > Americanestablishment media. > > UPDATE II: Those wishing to donate to WikiLeaks can still do so here, via > Options 2 (online credit card) or 3 (wire to bank in Iceland). > > UPDATE III: One more, from CNET, roughly 30 minutes ago: > > As the article says, this is "a move that will dry up another source of > funds for the embattled document-sharing Web site." Remember: this is all > being done not only without any charges or convictions, but also any real > prospect of charging them with a crime, because they did nothing illegal. > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > 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 jeebesh at sarai.net Tue Dec 7 17:44:41 2010 From: jeebesh at sarai.net (Jeebesh) Date: Tue, 7 Dec 2010 17:44:41 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] "face the music" Message-ID: <311566DB-C6EE-4920-A62A-207B8591AFAC@sarai.net> dear all, "face the music" glee seems to animate some in the list, fired up by an FIR. here is an interesting account of the term. something to learn from it. warmly jeebesh http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/face-the-music.html Accept the unpleasant consequences of one's actions. Origin The phrase 'face the music' has an agreeable imagery. We feel that we can picture who was facing what and what music was playing at the time. Regrettably, the documentary records don't point to any clear source for the phrase and we are, as so often, at the mercy of plausible speculation. There was, of course, a definitive and unique origin for the expression 'face the music' and whoever coined it was quite certain of the circumstances and the music being referred to. Let's hope at least that one of the following suggestions is the correct one, even though there is no clear evidence to prove it. A commonly repeated assertion is that 'face the music' originated from the tradition of disgraced officers being 'drummed out' of their regiment. A second popular theory is that it was actors who 'faced the music', i.e. faced the orchestra pit, when they went on stage. A third theory, less likely but quite interesting none the less, was recounted with some confidence by a member of the choir at a choral concert I attended recently in Sheffield. It relates to the old UK practice of West Gallery singing. This was singing, literally from the west galleries of English churches, by the common peasantry who weren't allowed to sit in the higher status parts of the church. The theory was that the nobility were obliged to listen to the vernacular songs of the parishioners, often with lyrics that were critical of the ways of the gentry. It may help to pinpoint the origin to know that the phrase appears to be mid 19th American in origin. The earliest citation I can find for the phrase is from The New Hampshire Statesman & State Journal, August 1834: "Will the editor of the Courier explain this black affair. We want no equivocation - 'face the music' this time." ALmost all other early citations are American. Sadly, none of them give the slightest clue as to the source, or reason for, the music being faced. From babuubab at gmail.com Tue Dec 7 18:45:16 2010 From: babuubab at gmail.com (SUNDARA BABU) Date: Tue, 7 Dec 2010 18:45:16 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Why temperance will not work with the AFSPA In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Ravi Hemadri Why temperance will not work with the AFSPA There are only two ways to proceed with the controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, says Supreme Court lawyer *Rakesh Shukla*: retain it or scrap it. Tempering it with pleas to refrain from ‘excessive use of force’ etc will simply not work with an army trained to inflict maximum damage Withdrawal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) has become a key issue in discussions on resolving the Kashmir situation. Innumerable dharnas and protests in New Delhi and the northeast, including the nude protest by women in Manipur on July 15, 2004, in front of the Assam Rifles headquarters at Kangla Fort, Imphal, have focused on a repeal of AFSPA. The protest, with a banner reading ‘Indian Army Rape Us’, followed the brutal torture, rape and killing of 32-year-old Manorama on July 11, 2004. AFSPA has been in force for the past 60 years in the northeast, and, in the ’90s, was a comparatively new entrant to Kashmir. In line with the colonial policies followed by the government of independent India in tackling a wide range of social movements, the ancestry of AFSPA lies in the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Ordinance, 1942 brought in by the British to tackle the Quit India Movement. The Armed Forces (Assam and Manipur) Special Powers Act, 1958, conferring special powers on members of the armed forces, was initially brought into the state of Assam and the then union territory of Manipur, in 1958, to tackle the Naga insurgency. Subsequent amendments have seen the Act made applicable to Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram. Militancy in Punjab saw the enactment of the Armed Forces (Punjab and Chandigarh) Special Powers Act, 1983. According to the Statement of Objects and Reasons, giving the rationale for enacting the legislation, the Act was brought in with a view to enabling the police to deal with the extraordinary situation that had arisen in Punjab and Chandigarh as a result of terrorist activities by extremists and secessionist elements in the state. In a similar pattern, the peak of the armed phase of the movement in Kashmir saw the enactment of the Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special Powers Act, 1990 conferring special powers on the armed forces in disturbed areas of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. It is not commonly known that the AFSP Act would fit into a single foolscap page and has one substantive provision which is the core of the legislation. The section giving powers to the army to use force or fire to the extent of causing death, to arrest without warrant, enter and search a disturbed area is the controversial provision. Section 4 of the AFSPA reads as follows: *Section 4: Special power of the armed forces. Any commissioned officer, warrant officer, non-commissioned officer or any other person of equivalent rank in the armed forces may, in a disturbed area,* * (a) If he is of opinion that it is necessary so to do for the maintenance of public order, after giving such due warning as he may consider necessary, fire upon or otherwise use force, even to the causing of death, against any person who is acting in contravention of any law or order for the time being in force in the disturbed area prohibiting the assembly of five or more persons or the carrying of weapons or of things capable of being used as weapons or firearms, ammunition or explosive substances;* * (b) If he is of opinion that it is necessary so to do, destroy any arms dump, prepared or fortified position or shelter from which armed attacks are made or likely to be made or are attempted to be made, of any structure used as a training camp for armed volunteers or utilised as a hide-out by armed gangs or absconders wanted for any offence;* * (c) Arrest, without warrant, any person who has committed a cognisable offence or against whom a reasonable suspicion exists that he has committed or is about to commit a cognisable offence and may use such force as may be necessary to effect the arrest;* * (d) Enter and search, without warrant, any premises to make any such arrest as aforesaid or to recover any person believed to be wrongfully restrained or confined or any property reasonably suspected to be stolen property or any arms, ammunition or explosive substances believed to be unlawfully kept in such premises, and may for that purpose use such force as may be necessary, and seize any such property, arms ammunition or explosive substances;* * (e) Stop, search and seize any vehicle or vessel reasonably suspected to be carrying any person who is a proclaimed offender, or any person who has committed a non-cognisable offence, or against whom a reasonable suspicion exists that he has committed or is about to commit a non-cognisable offence, or any person who is carrying any arms, ammunition or explosive substance believed to be unlawfully held by him, and may, for that purpose, use such force as may be necessary to effect such stopage, search or seizure, as the case may be.* The spectacle of parliamentary committees and review committees headed by retired judges, like the Jeevan Reddy Committee, debating and pondering the legislation defies comprehension. After the killing of Manorama and the subsequent agitation for the repeal of AFSPA in 2004, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh formed a committee headed by retired Supreme Court judge Jeevan Reddy to review the law. The Jeevan Reddy Committee submitted a report in 2006 recommending the repeal of AFSPA, but the government has chosen not to officially make the report public. AFSPA is not a complicated law with numerous sections and provisos requiring deliberation. Perhaps the general perception that the government forms committees as a safety valve when things are at a boil is justified. The two options available are: either the section stays or it goes. The road of “dilution” of the provision and the Act was taken by the Supreme Court when it adjudicated upon the constitutional validity of AFSPA and pronounced judgment in 1997. The Naga Peoples’ Movement for Human Rights challenged the validity of the legislation in 1982. The Supreme Court chose to keep the case pending for 15 long years during which atrocities mounted and people living in the northeast were effectively deprived of their fundamental rights. In 1997, the court incorporated in the judgment, titled Naga Peoples’ Movement for Human Rights versus Union of India, certain do’s and don’ts which were part of instructions issued by the army and made them binding on the armed forces. These were in the nature of moral norms like “do not use excessive force,” “do not ill-treat anyone, in particular women and children,” and “do not torture”. In addition, the judgment directed that the armed forces use minimal force required, hand over arrested people at the nearest police station without delay, and conduct search and seize operations according to the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code. But it upheld AFSPA as constitutional and valid. The judgment of the Supreme Court seems to have made little difference to the ground realities. This is instructive and a pointer to certain dimensions that may help in forming a perspective on AFSPA. The Constitution of India does not contain any provision for martial law. Giving independent powers to the armed forces results in the army supplanting, rather than supplementing, civil power. The dangers of not confining the army to barracks and involving them in civil administration are clear from the course of events in Pakistan. AFSPA is the only law in the country that confers independent powers directly on the army to shoot to kill, to mortar-shell places, arrest and search civilian citizens in areas declared “disturbed” under the Act. Section 3 of the Act specifies that the armed forces are to be used to aid civil power. However, the impact of the use of phrases like “in aid of civil power” has to be looked at in the context of the chain-of-command psychology integral to the functioning of the army, which makes it unsuited to taking orders from “mere civilians”. The consensus among all democratic governments not to use the army against its own citizens has a sound basis in the evolution of forms of government. The ruthless training necessary to transform a man into a person who shoots to annihilate the perceived ‘enemy other’ has to be taken on board. Niceties like warning, using as little force as necessary, first firing in the air, then shooting below the waist, which are to be observed by the police in dealing with citizens have no place when nations wage war. The ability to use maximum force to cause the utmost damage and destroy the enemy at first strike is the *sine qua non* of a battle-ready army. Awareness of fundamental rights, application of mind, and the gradual escalation of the quantum of force to be used according to the needs of a changing situation are against the very objective and training of the army and will affect its battle-preparedness. The inevitable consequence of giving independent powers to the army being large-scale violations of human rights, our Constitution permits the army only to aid civil power. In the constitutional scheme of things, the armed forces come under defence and can communicate their views to the ministry. The consequences of increasing the use of the armed forces to tackle “internal disturbances” can be seen by recent statements to the media by Air Chief Marshal Naik, chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, that “If a soldier is to be potent and effective in a counter-insurgency theatre, he must have all the legal protection he can get”. This brings us to one of the areas of deepest resentment against the armed forces in “disturbed areas” where they have been deployed. In cases of offences committed against civilian citizens by members of the armed forces, the army has consistently resisted the jurisdiction of the ordinary criminal courts of the country. Similarly, the central government has refused to grant necessary sanction to prosecute, in the criminal courts, army personnel accused of heinous crimes like rape. The commission of rape can by no stretch of the imagination be included in acts done in the line of duty, requiring legal protection. The refusal of the army to submit to the jurisdiction, and the denial of permission by the central government to prosecute army personnel in the criminal courts remains true from the killing and rape of Manorama in 2004 to the killing this summer of three Kashmiri youth -- Mohammad Shafi, Shehzad Ahmed, and Riyaz Ahmed, all residents of Nadihal in Baramulla district -- who were lured into army custody with an offer of jobs and then killed in a fake encounter. According to the police investigation, Colonel D K Pathania and Major Upinder Singh of the 4th Rajput Regiment were the perpetrators of the killings. However, they have not been taken into custody or produced before a criminal court. It is the same story every time: for example, in the 2000 case in Pathribal, the Central Bureau of Investigation filed murder charges against five army officers -- Brig Ajay Saxena, Lt Col Brajendra Pratap Singh, Maj Saurabh Sinha, Maj Amit Saxena, and Subedar Idrees Khan -- for their role in abducting and killing five villagers in a staged armed encounter. Court proceedings in the case drag on; none of the accused have been taken into custody or brought before a judge. According to certain media accounts, some of the accused have continued to serve in the army and were even promoted. Similarly, in 2007, five alleged militants killed in a joint operation in Gandherbal by the police and the army, later proved to be civilians who had been abducted and murdered. Although charges were filed against the police officers involved, the army officers implicated were not handed over to the police for arrest and prosecution. Even in cases where the criminal court has seized jurisdiction, and chargesheets have been filed detailing evidence, the army insists on court martial as an alternative. The Army Act under which court martial proceedings are instituted is primarily for offences like disobedience in front of a superior officer and violations of good order and discipline. The perspective of justice from the point of view of the civilian victim/survivor has no place in court martial proceedings. In fact, the proceedings are conducted within army premises and presided over by army officers. The atmosphere is a far cry from a space where a civilian witness can depose free from fear. On April 3, 1995, the Nagaland government constituted a commission of inquiry headed by Justice D M Sen, retired judge of the Guwahati High Court, to look into incidents of shootings, arson and rape in Akhulato, Kohima and Mokhukchung, between December 1994 and March 1995. In the Kohima incident, on March 5, 1995, a tyre of a truck that was part of a convoy of 16 Rashtriya Rifles burst while passing through the capital of Nagaland. Rashtriya Rifles personnel mortar-shelled the town of Kohima, dragged people out of their houses, and killed them, claiming that the convoy had been attacked. The chilling findings of the Justice Sen Commission of Inquiry, that the paramilitary forces committed cold-blooded murder, arson and rape in the three incidents investigated, cannot be dismissed as baseless allegations by human rights groups. The consequences of the conferment of independent powers on the armed forces, the lack of redress for offences committed, the army’s chain-of-command philosophy, the training of a psyche tuned to killing the ‘enemy’ are factors that need to inform our thinking on the continuance of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act. *(Rakesh Shukla is a Supreme Court lawyer)* http://infochangeindia.org/201010288578/Human-Rights/Analysis/Why-temperance-will-not-work-with-the-AFSPA.html From anu.mukh at gmail.com Tue Dec 7 20:34:05 2010 From: anu.mukh at gmail.com (anuradha mukherjee) Date: Tue, 7 Dec 2010 20:34:05 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Call centre employee molested, beaten up Message-ID: I am a bit confused about this article. Is the woman affected in this case a Manipuri or from Mizoram? The strap and the intro says she is from Manipur and then somewhere down in copy it's mentioned she is from Mizoram. The reporter or the desk hand, who subbed this copy, appears a bit muddled. But says a lot about our knowledge of the Northeast and our attitude. It could be a genuine mistake, but not one that is surprising. Reporters are pressed for time when they file copies, but at least get the basics right. And who are these men of African origin? Are they Nigerian, or Kenyan? http://www.mid-day.com/news/2010/dec/061210-News-Delhi-Call-centre-employee-molested-Manipur.htm * Call centre employee molested, beaten up By: Atul Krishan* ** *The victim, who is from Manipur, has identified two African men in police records as the perpetrators. The accused are at large *A day after Delhi police arrested the fourth accused in the gang rape case of a BPO employee in the Capital, another woman from the northeast revealed to MiD DAY that two men of African origin tried to rape her in Saket on December 1. The victim, who is from Manipur and also works in a call centre, says the accused tried to abduct her near Select Citywalk mall in broad daylight. When she tried to raise an alarm they beat her up. However they set her free and fled the scene when the victim started shouting for help. Hearing her cries, two police personnel rushed to her rescue. A police source said that the Africans wanted to rape the victim and were trying to kidnap her. "They wanted to abduct the victim and were dragging her towards an isolated place. They slapped her when she tried to raise an alarm and threatened her not to make any sound. They called her a prostitute and wanted to rape her," he said. *The whole picture* The incident occurred five days ago. The victim has identified the accused from photographs in police records of foreign nationals in the city. But cops are clueless regarding their whereabouts. A senior police official confirmed the incident and said that a case has been lodged and investigation is on in full swing. He said that the accused have not been arrested because they might have fled abroad after the incident. The victim, Rupa (name changed) is a native of Hongbiban village in Mizoram, and has been working with a Noida-based call centre. She lives in south Delhi along with a friend. She had come to Saket to collect her debit card from HDFC bank. On her way back home she was attacked by the two men. *Cops save the day* "She said that she was walking towards Khidki Extension from Select Citywalk mall when two African guys started following her. They passed lewd comments at her and asked her for sex. She ignored them and kept moving. But one of the accused caught hold of her, calling her a prostitute, and started dragging her towards an isolated corner. He slapped her thrice when she tried to raise an alarm. The girl started shouting, hearing which two cops rushed to the scene. Seeing the cops running towards them, the accused fled from the spot," said a police source. A police official close to the investigation said that the victim was then taken in a PCR van by cops in search of the accused. Police thought that the two men might be roaming around in Saket, but they were not to be found. *'Am I a prostitute?'* Meanwhile, speaking to MiD DAY, the victim appeared angry and said that the city is no longer safe, especially for the northeast women. "Am I a prostitute? Is the word painted on my face? If not then people don't have A right to call me that. People could have accused me of being careless if I had been roaming around on the streets at night. But this happened in broad daylight," she said. "This is too much. People from the city avoid us. We too have a right to move around freely," she added. She said that if the cops hadn't come to her rescue, hearing her cries, anything could have happened. "When I asked them (the accused) why they were following me, they said that it was I who was following them," she said. From shuddha at sarai.net Wed Dec 8 01:24:31 2010 From: shuddha at sarai.net (shuddha at sarai.net) Date: Wed, 08 Dec 2010 01:24:31 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Mourning for Varanasi Message-ID: <624a738c93e230a3942098158aa3fb46@mail.sarai.net> Dear All, Several years ago, I spent some very intense few days in Varanasi with a friend, who used to study at the Banaras Hindu University. I had always loved the city, ever since I read about it in Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay's novel - Aparajito, and had seen the great film version of the novel by Satyajit Ray. Growing up, I always thought of Apu's adventures (Apu was the boy hero of Bibhutibhushan's novel and Satyajit Ray's film trilogy) on the ghats as my own, vicariously. I also knew Diana Eck's book, Banaras : City of Light, quite well. It was my first excursus into imagining the geography and life of a city by reading from a printed page. Varanasi will always remain an incredible example of the durability of all things human for me. I learnt a few important personal things, about ephemeral and enduring realities, sitting through a winter night, warmed by the fires of unending cremations, at the Manikarnika Ghat, several years ago in Varanasi. I am especially saddened to hear that terror struck Varanasi yet again with a bomb placed in a milk can by the river bank, and that too at a time when the ghats were full of worshippers. Killing (so far) tragically, an eighteen month old baby and injuring several others. An email from the shadowy entity calling itself the Indian Mujahideen reached several media outlets after the event and has claimed responsibility for the attack, apparently in order to avenge the destruction of the Babri Masjid, which took place eighteen years ago on the sixth of December. Regardless of whether or not the Indian Mujahideen is what it is thought to be - a terror group of home grown jihadis - and regardless of whether or not it perpetrated this attack - this incident of terrorism (like all others) is only worthy of condemnation in the harshest of terms. Terrorism is vile, thoughtless and has only evil consequences, no matter who plants the bomb and for what cause. it can never be a force for justice, anywhere. An eighteen month old baby's life is far more precious, and sacred, in my opinion, than the sanctity of any mosque, temple or church, and anything that claims that life in the name of a place of worship deserved to be condemned by everybody, regardless of whether or not they are believers or non-believers. I mourn for Varanasi, Banaras, Benaras, Kashi Shuddha Shuddhabrata Sengupta From rashneek at gmail.com Wed Dec 8 12:46:28 2010 From: rashneek at gmail.com (rashneek kher) Date: Wed, 8 Dec 2010 12:46:28 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Mourning for Varanasi In-Reply-To: <624a738c93e230a3942098158aa3fb46@mail.sarai.net> References: <624a738c93e230a3942098158aa3fb46@mail.sarai.net> Message-ID: thanks Shuddha for writing this.I mourn too for the death of the small girl and injuries to so many other people one of which is a dear friend who had come visiting to India.It makes me terribly sad that someone who wasnt even remotely connected got killed or injured. Incidentally the night before Maoists alledgedly slit throats of three "Police Informers" in Sundargarh district of Orissa.I mourn those deaths too. I was going through the email sent out alledgedly by the IM and am rather surprised how much they draw( ie if they are the ones who committed this ruthless act of terror and cowardice) from the ideologues who sit cosy in seminars and write from their plush houses. The men who might have planted this bomb are surely guilty but equally guilty are the people who are the masterminds and the ones who incite them or misappropriate verses from the Holy Book and invoke them to commit such acts or simply appeal to their sense of victimhood real or imagined,but are sadly never even touched by the authorities.So while the government may catch hold of the people who planted the bombs and even punish them we are only treating the symptom and the leaving the disease to fester. While at this I rejoice that we have thrown out of the "nastiest" and one of the most "noisy anatagonist" members of this forum.RIP Aditya Raj Kaul.After 20 years of being thrown out I again realised that whenever I have to shut out a voice that doesnt concur I must throw it out.Thats what Doctors do with cancer. *Kambakht Na murad Ladakpan ka yaar tha* I hope the other Aditya Raj now sheds the snake skin he was in.The original is gone,the shadow can come out. Sorry if I mixed too many things.Incidentally I came here to share this. http://www.dawn.com/2010/12/07/danish-playground-mosques-temples-build-religious-tolerance.html Best Regards Rashneek *Children skip across the roof of a mosque and play hide and seek in a Hindu temple: this unsual playground is designed to build tolerance as religious relations are cooling in Denmark.* Volunteers from various faiths in Fredericia helped to create the seaside playground, which opened in August in a town proud of its 18th-century role as a refuge for Europe’s persecuted. There is a green mosque with a golden dome, a red and white brick village church and a brightly coloured Hindu temple. “It is fun to see what a mosque looks like and a Hindu temple and to play with children from other religions,” says nine-year-old Caroline as she scrambles among the model buildings. And the playground is a great way for parents to introduce their children to other religions and cultures, says Hanne Ravn, in her 50s, who lives in a neighbouring village. “It is important for parents to talk to their children, to teach them to be tolerant and open to others, from a young age,” she says. Caroline has never been inside a real mosque. And there is little chance she will in Denmark anytime soon, since a project to build the country’s first mosque in Copenhagen has been delayed amid financial problems and rumours that it was being financed by Tehran. Islam is the second largest religion in Denmark, which counts more than 200,000 Muslims among its some 5.5 million inhabitants. But relations with the Muslim minority, who make up about 3.5 percent of the population, have become tense since Danish daily Jyllands Posten in 2005 first published 12 caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed that were considered blasphemous and insulting. The cartoons, including one depicting Mohammed wearing a turban shaped like a bomb with a lit fuse, sparked massive and in some cases deadly protests across the Muslim world, as well as boycotts of Danish companies, threats against Danish interests abroad and attempted attacks on both Jyllands-Posten and one of the cartoonists. Several Muslim countries have also demanded an official apology from the Danish government, which it has repeatedly rejected, stressing the importance of freedom of expression in the country. At the same time, the far-right Danish People’s Party – a key ally of the centre-right government – has significantly increased its anti-Muslim rhetoric, warning of the alleged “Islamisation” of Denmark and Europe. And a survey published in August showed that nearly 55 percent of Danes believe Islam is an obstacle to social harmony. In such an atmosphere, observers say the Fredericia playground project is an important one. “It is good to through tolerance seek to prevail over prejudice,” says Mehdi Mozaffari, a professor of Islam and Islamism at the Aarhus University. Other, smaller religious groups may not face the same stigmatisation as Islam, but due to their small followings in the Scandinavian country, most people still have little idea what they stand for. That is what is so good about the new Fredericia playground, according to Joydal Sritharan, a 12-year-old Dane of Sri Lankan origin and one of very few Hindus living in Denmark. “It allows us, through games, to learn more about other religions,” he says. Sritharan’s grand uncle Antoni, a Hindu patriarch visiting from the Netherlands, agrees. “It is a good thing to teach children other ways to get to know each other,” he says. A notable absence from the new playground is a synagogue, even though Fredericia was in the early 18th-century the first city to accept Jews in Denmark, where the the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Denmark is the official state religion. Denmark today counts some 7,000 Jews, and Caroline’s grandmother, retired teacher Bente Christensen, says it is peculiar they are not represented at the playground, especially considering the town’s history. “Fredericia had in the past the second largest Jewish community in Denmark after Copenhagen, and it was their refuge during the 1700s,” she says. But she is nevertheless “enchanted by this place which invites dialogue between religions and learning about tolerance.” Organisers of the project insist the lack of a synagogue in the playground was not intentional. All faiths were asked to participate, but due to their small number, the Jewish community “did not respond to our invitation,” explains Protestant pastor Karina Dahlmann. Fredericia mayor Thomas Banke is mindful of the religious disputes behind so many of the world’s conflicts. “This is why it is essential to teach children that religion must be used not for killing each other, but to talk to each other, play together, whatever our beliefs,” he tells AFP, adding he’s proud municipal funds contributed to the “bridge between religions” playground. The town of 50,000 people is today home to more than 100 nationalities, says the mayor, adding he hopes the pioneering playground “will be copied and will contribute to making the world a more tolerant place for the next generations.” [image: share save 120 16 Danish playground mosques, temples build religious tolerance] On Wed, Dec 8, 2010 at 1:24 AM, shuddha at sarai.net wrote: > Dear All, > > Several years ago, I spent some very intense few days in Varanasi with a > friend, who used to study at the Banaras Hindu University. I had always > loved > the city, ever since I read about it in Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay's novel > - > Aparajito, and had seen the great film version of the novel by Satyajit > Ray. > Growing up, I always thought of Apu's adventures (Apu was the boy hero of > Bibhutibhushan's novel and Satyajit Ray's film trilogy) on the ghats as my > own, > vicariously. I also knew Diana Eck's book, Banaras : City of Light, quite > well. > It was my first excursus into imagining the geography and life of a city by > reading from a printed page. Varanasi will always remain an incredible > example > of the durability of all things human for me. I learnt a few important > personal > things, about ephemeral and enduring realities, sitting through a winter > night, > warmed by the fires of unending cremations, at the Manikarnika Ghat, > several > years ago in Varanasi. > > I am especially saddened to hear that terror struck Varanasi yet again with > a > bomb placed in a milk can by the river bank, and that too at a time when > the > ghats were full of worshippers. Killing (so far) tragically, an eighteen > month > old baby and injuring several others. An email from the shadowy entity > calling > itself the Indian Mujahideen reached several media outlets after the event > and > has claimed responsibility for the attack, apparently in order to avenge > the > destruction of the Babri Masjid, which took place eighteen years ago on the > sixth of December. > > Regardless of whether or not the Indian Mujahideen is what it is thought to > be > - a terror group of home grown jihadis - and regardless of whether or not > it > perpetrated this attack - this incident of terrorism (like all others) is > only > worthy of condemnation in the harshest of terms. Terrorism is vile, > thoughtless > and has only evil consequences, no matter who plants the bomb and for what > cause. it can never be a force for justice, anywhere. > > An eighteen month old baby's life is far more precious, and sacred, in my > opinion, than the sanctity of any mosque, temple or church, and anything > that > claims that life in the name of a place of worship deserved to be condemned > by > everybody, regardless of whether or not they are believers or > non-believers. > > I mourn for Varanasi, Banaras, Benaras, Kashi > > Shuddha > > > Shuddhabrata Sengupta > > > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > 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 kamalhak at gmail.com Wed Dec 8 15:25:33 2010 From: kamalhak at gmail.com (kamalhak at gmail.com) Date: Wed, 8 Dec 2010 09:55:33 +0000 Subject: [Reader-list] Mourning for Varanasi In-Reply-To: <624a738c93e230a3942098158aa3fb46@mail.sarai.net> References: <624a738c93e230a3942098158aa3fb46@mail.sarai.net> Message-ID: <72087004-1291801987-cardhu_decombobulator_blackberry.rim.net-522717088-@b11.c1.bise7.blackberry> Shuddha, I join you in mourning for Varanasi. For me any act of terrorism irrespective of the perpetrators' identity deserves to be condemned unconditionally. Having been a victim of faith driven terrorism myself , I sympathize with all sufferers of this mindless dance of death. Having said this I doubt if mere condemnation or political rhetoric and the usual police cliche will ever lead to a serious effort required to eliminate this menace from the country. I believe the perpetrators of these dastardly crimes are mere indoctrinated carriers while their masters plan the diabolical moves firmly enconsed in the belief that the in any eventuality of accusations, civil society will lend them a moral support in the name of freedom of expression. They also feel emboldened to carry on with their machinations, confident in belief that any loud voice against them will immediately be suppressed as that of a 'bully.' I am also amused at the threats issued to the people who raise their voice against the Kashmiri separatists. I believe Kashmiri separatist leaders will be feeling embarrassed by being linked with the threat to a section of displaced Kashmiri Pandits. It doesn't suit their politics, which runs two contradictory streams between what runs through their minds and what flows in their hearts. In any case it would be interesting to see their response at the 'insinuation'. It be also interesting to see how their supporters in rest of the country react to the threats to Pandits. In the end I need to express we, probably, need to rise about accepted positions, biases and prejudices to dispassionately argue about the realities behind these acts of terrorism. Regards. Kamal Hak Sent from BlackBerry® on Airtel -----Original Message----- From: "shuddha at sarai.net" Sender: reader-list-bounces at sarai.net Date: Wed, 08 Dec 2010 01:24:31 To: Subject: [Reader-list] Mourning for Varanasi Dear All, Several years ago, I spent some very intense few days in Varanasi with a friend, who used to study at the Banaras Hindu University. I had always loved the city, ever since I read about it in Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay's novel - Aparajito, and had seen the great film version of the novel by Satyajit Ray. Growing up, I always thought of Apu's adventures (Apu was the boy hero of Bibhutibhushan's novel and Satyajit Ray's film trilogy) on the ghats as my own, vicariously. I also knew Diana Eck's book, Banaras : City of Light, quite well. It was my first excursus into imagining the geography and life of a city by reading from a printed page. Varanasi will always remain an incredible example of the durability of all things human for me. I learnt a few important personal things, about ephemeral and enduring realities, sitting through a winter night, warmed by the fires of unending cremations, at the Manikarnika Ghat, several years ago in Varanasi. I am especially saddened to hear that terror struck Varanasi yet again with a bomb placed in a milk can by the river bank, and that too at a time when the ghats were full of worshippers. Killing (so far) tragically, an eighteen month old baby and injuring several others. An email from the shadowy entity calling itself the Indian Mujahideen reached several media outlets after the event and has claimed responsibility for the attack, apparently in order to avenge the destruction of the Babri Masjid, which took place eighteen years ago on the sixth of December. Regardless of whether or not the Indian Mujahideen is what it is thought to be - a terror group of home grown jihadis - and regardless of whether or not it perpetrated this attack - this incident of terrorism (like all others) is only worthy of condemnation in the harshest of terms. Terrorism is vile, thoughtless and has only evil consequences, no matter who plants the bomb and for what cause. it can never be a force for justice, anywhere. An eighteen month old baby's life is far more precious, and sacred, in my opinion, than the sanctity of any mosque, temple or church, and anything that claims that life in the name of a place of worship deserved to be condemned by everybody, regardless of whether or not they are believers or non-believers. I mourn for Varanasi, Banaras, Benaras, Kashi Shuddha Shuddhabrata Sengupta _________________________________________ reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. Critiques & Collaborations To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with 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 the-network at koeln.de Wed Dec 8 15:29:55 2010 From: the-network at koeln.de (CologneOFF) Date: Wed, 08 Dec 2010 10:59:55 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] =?iso-8859-1?q?CologneOFF_on_Delhi_International_Ar?= =?iso-8859-1?q?ts_Festival?= Message-ID: <20101208105956.3E8BB7E3.22AC2774@192.168.0.3> CologneOFF 2011 & NewMediaFest'2010 meat eachother in New Delhi on Delhi International Arts Festival http://www.diaf.in Edgelogue - 11-12 December 2010 at Alliance Francaise New Delhi (India) ____________________ While "NewMediaFest'2010" is slowly coming to an end, "CologneOFF 2011 - videoart in a global context" is already prepared to start on 1 January 2011 "Edgelogue" - the title of the presentation by The Academy of Electronic Art New Delhi/India is arranging this historical meeting of two outstanding event structures on 11-12 December 2010 featuring the preview of CologneOFF VI, and its entire basic festival program to be launched in January 2011 offcially based on the selections of the international jury --> Margarida Paiva (Oslo Screen Festival Norway) Gioula Papadopoulou (Videoart Festival Miden Greece) Macu Moran (Video Art World, Spain) Giorgio Fedeli (Visual Container /taly) Jonas Nilsson/Eva Olsson (Art Screen Orebro/Sweden) Mohammed Allam (Medrar Video Festival/ Egypt) Tamas Gabeli (Budapest International Shortfilm Festival/Hungary) --> and a series of compilations of videoart from Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Italy, USA curated by Alysse Stepanian, Margarida Paiva Giorgio Fedeli, Kai Lossgott Pedro Almeida & Sergio Gomes Please download detailed info and the list of participating videos and artists --> http://downloads.nmartproject.net/Edgelogue_New-Delhi_CologneOFF2011.pdf and/or go to http://coff.newmediafest.org/blog/?p=566 --------------------------------------- CologneOFF 2011 - videoart in a global context 1 January 2011 - 31 December 2011 http://coff.newmediafest.org & NewMediaFest'2010 10 Years [NewMediaArtProjectNetwork]:||cologne global heritage of digital culture 1 January - 31 December 2010 http://2010.newmediafest.org both project contexts are curated and directed by Wilfried Agricola de Cologne (Cologne/Germany) contact --> info (at) coff.newmediafest.org ------------------------------------------ From aalok.aima at yahoo.com Wed Dec 8 19:03:43 2010 From: aalok.aima at yahoo.com (Aalok Aima) Date: Wed, 8 Dec 2010 13:33:43 +0000 (GMT) Subject: [Reader-list] an unfortunate death and two versions of what caused it (that is kashmir) Message-ID: <537678.50436.qm@web29510.mail.ird.yahoo.com> an unfortunate death and two versions of what caused it (that is kashmir)   VERSION 1 "   “He was severely thrashed by the cops. He was twice operated upon in SKIMS and finally he succumbed today,” said Irfan Ahmad, a relative of the youth.    Amid pro-freedom slogans, the body was later laid to rest in the martyrs’ graveyard.   "   VERSION 2 "   The SKIMS authorities said that the youth was admitted in the hospital on December 3 for Meningitis and was operated upon for that.         “His family members did not mention in their record that the youth was injured during stone pelting,” said an official of SKIMS on duty.     "   .............. aalok aima     http://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/2010/Dec/8/youth-s-death-sparks-protest-in-baramulla-54.asp   Youth’s death sparks protest in Baramulla ALTAF BABA   Baramulla, Dec 7: Normal life in north Kashmir’s Baramulla town came to a sudden halt Tuesday afternoon after announcements were made through loud speakers about the death of a local youth, Zahoor Ahmad Dar son of late Abdul Razak Dar of Islamia Park Old Town. The family of the youth said that Zahoor was injured in October when police caught hold of him at cement bridge during a shutdown in the town. “He was severely thrashed by the cops. He was twice operated upon in SKIMS and finally he succumbed today,” said Irfan Ahmad, a relative of the youth. As soon as Zahoor’s body was brought to the town, several youth gathered in main chowk and protested against his death. The angry youths pelted stones at vehicles and enforced a shutdown in the area. Amid pro-freedom slogans, the body was later laid to rest in the martyrs’ graveyard. However, police denied that the youth was injured in police action and claimed that there was no record of his injury. The SKIMS authorities said that the youth was admitted in the hospital on December 3 for Meningitis and was operated upon for that. “His family members did not mention in their record that the youth was injured during stone pelting,” said an official of SKIMS on duty. Baramulla police dispatched a team to the SKIMS to know weather the youth died of some injury. Meanwhile, youth resorted to stone pelting on police vehicle in Samboora, Pulwama. Later in the evening police thrashed two students who were returning from their exams. The students were identified as Mudasir Ahmad and Adil Dar.   From rohitrellan at aol.in Wed Dec 8 21:55:17 2010 From: rohitrellan at aol.in (rohitrellan at aol.in) Date: Wed, 08 Dec 2010 11:25:17 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] =?utf-8?q?Call_for_Films_LIDF_2011_=3A_The_London_I?= =?utf-8?q?nternational_Documentary_Festival=E2=84=A2?= Message-ID: <8CD650BA269146D-F88-B1E5@webmail-m078.sysops.aol.com> The open Call for Films is now open, and submissions have begun to arrive at a steady rate. This is perhaps the most exciting time of the year as unheralded gems appear from all over the globe. The open call has the great advantage of allowing us to see what trends and preoccupations there are amongst documentary filmmakers this year. It is a snapshot in time. Every year fresh, shared, themes appear across continents; some themes, sadly, remain the same year in year out reinforcing the sense that the work of mending in the world in never finished. But, of course, each film and each filmmaker affirms that the work continues. We look forward to watching all your films. You can submit via Withoutabox, or by using the LIDF Official Entry Form. All links are found below. Official Entry Form : http://www.lidf.co.uk/enter/ Frequently Asked Questions : http://www.lidf.co.uk/frequently-asked-questions/ Entry Regulations : http://www.lidf.co.uk/lidf2010/regulations/ From indersalim at gmail.com Wed Dec 8 23:18:32 2010 From: indersalim at gmail.com (Inder Salim) Date: Wed, 8 Dec 2010 23:18:32 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Mourning for Varanasi In-Reply-To: <72087004-1291801987-cardhu_decombobulator_blackberry.rim.net-522717088-@b11.c1.bise7.blackberry> References: <624a738c93e230a3942098158aa3fb46@mail.sarai.net> <72087004-1291801987-cardhu_decombobulator_blackberry.rim.net-522717088-@b11.c1.bise7.blackberry> Message-ID: Dear Kamalhak, "cliche will ever lead to a serious effort required to eliminate this menace from the country. " i am trying to reflect back to your reflection of " mourning for Varanasi " from the post, One automatically stands in solidarity with the mourning, whatever political situation.demands are there. No saner person on earth will justify the killing of a baby or an adult in the name of this or that. " Masters" are every where. The Maters who planned the demolished Babri Masjid are well known faces of this country, and no Law could ever nail them. Poor people were again caught unwittingly between police and Medieval Monument and got killed for their sentimentality and one can exonerate them also. I assume your question is about 'Masters' in general? Which sector is not run by masters? for example, the worst kind of masters are in financial sector, and they are most vicious.... Eradication of " menace from the country. " is unfortunately not limited to a country nowadays, we may realize also. If there is violence in any society it is likely to affect the other. In a globalized society, one may register the layered nature of "menace" at world level, which leaves no society unaffected. If there is chaos in America, it will sooner or later affect us. So, the actions of America in the past have created these monsters which are now trying to devour them and us at the same time. Binaries are fake in that sense, To say that Americans as decent in jeans and neck tie and is very sophisticate and peace loving will again give us wrong results about the garment which hides the so called evil. That nectar is hand in glove with the what looks very venomous to us. Sadly the situation out there is not in black and white, and so to simply it wont actually change much. The reality on the ground is often different what we try to derive by painting this as that.... with love is On Wed, Dec 8, 2010 at 3:25 PM, wrote: > Shuddha, > I join you in mourning for Varanasi. For me any act of terrorism irrespective of the perpetrators' identity deserves to be condemned unconditionally. Having been a victim of faith driven terrorism myself , I sympathize with all sufferers of this mindless dance of death. > > Having said this I doubt if mere condemnation or political rhetoric and the usual police cliche will ever lead to a serious effort required to eliminate this menace from the country.  I believe the perpetrators of these dastardly crimes are mere indoctrinated carriers while their masters plan the diabolical moves firmly enconsed in the belief that the in any eventuality of accusations, civil society will lend them a moral support in the name of freedom of expression. They also feel emboldened to carry on with their machinations, confident in belief that any loud voice against them will immediately be suppressed as that of a 'bully.' > I am also amused at the threats issued to the people who raise their voice against the Kashmiri separatists. I believe Kashmiri separatist leaders will be feeling embarrassed by being linked with the threat to a section of displaced Kashmiri Pandits. It doesn't suit their politics, which runs two contradictory streams between what runs through their minds and what flows in their hearts. In any case it would be interesting to see their response at the 'insinuation'. It be also interesting to see how their supporters in rest of the country react to the threats to Pandits. > > In the end I need to express we, probably, need to rise about accepted positions, biases and prejudices to dispassionately argue about the realities behind these acts of terrorism. > > Regards. > Kamal Hak > Sent from BlackBerry® on Airtel > > -----Original Message----- > From: "shuddha at sarai.net" > Sender: reader-list-bounces at sarai.net > Date: Wed, 08 Dec 2010 01:24:31 > To: > Subject: [Reader-list] Mourning for Varanasi > > Dear All, > > Several years ago, I spent some very intense few days in Varanasi with a > friend, who used to study at the Banaras Hindu University. I had always loved > the city, ever since I read about it in Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay's novel - > Aparajito, and had seen the great film version of the novel by Satyajit Ray. > Growing up, I always thought of Apu's adventures (Apu was the boy hero of > Bibhutibhushan's novel and Satyajit Ray's film trilogy) on the ghats as my own, > vicariously. I also knew Diana Eck's book, Banaras : City of Light, quite well. > It was my first excursus into imagining the geography and life of a city by > reading from a printed page. Varanasi will always remain an incredible example > of the durability of all things human for me. I learnt a few important personal > things, about ephemeral and enduring realities, sitting through a winter night, > warmed by the fires of unending cremations, at the Manikarnika Ghat, several > years ago in Varanasi. > > I am especially saddened to hear that terror struck Varanasi yet again with a > bomb placed in a milk can by the river bank, and that too at a time when the > ghats were full of worshippers. Killing (so far) tragically, an eighteen month > old baby and injuring several others. An email from the shadowy entity calling > itself the Indian Mujahideen  reached several media outlets after the event and > has claimed responsibility for the attack, apparently in order to avenge the > destruction of the Babri Masjid, which took place eighteen years ago on the > sixth of December. > > Regardless of whether or not the Indian Mujahideen is what it is thought to be > - a terror group of home grown jihadis - and regardless of whether or not it > perpetrated this attack - this incident of terrorism  (like all others) is only > worthy of condemnation in the harshest of terms. Terrorism is vile, thoughtless > and has only evil consequences, no matter who plants the bomb and for what > cause. it can never be a force for justice, anywhere. > > An eighteen month old baby's life is far more precious, and sacred, in my > opinion, than the sanctity of any mosque, temple or church, and anything that > claims that life in the name of a place of worship deserved to be condemned by > everybody, regardless of whether or not they are believers or non-believers. > > I mourn for Varanasi, Banaras, Benaras, Kashi > > Shuddha > > > Shuddhabrata Sengupta > > > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with 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/> -- http://indersalim.livejournal.com From shivam at kafila.org Thu Dec 9 00:09:06 2010 From: shivam at kafila.org (shivam at kafila.org) Date: Thu, 9 Dec 2010 00:09:06 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Sinister designs behind Muharram ban in Kashmir: Zafar Mehdi Message-ID: Sinister designs behind Muharram ban in Kashmir Guest post by ZAFAR MEHDI http://kafila.org/2010/12/08/shia-sunni-azadi-sinister-designs-behind-muharram-ban-in-kashmir-minorities Muharram, the month of epic action, has announced its arrival. Black banners symbolizing grief are fluttering around. A pall of gloom has descended. 1500 years later, the lessons of Karbala continue to be the beacon of inspiration for strugglers of truth and righteousness. Muharram, contrary to perception, is not an event, episode or chapter in history. It is a philosophy, a concept, a movement. As centuries roll by, the great uprising of Husain(as), the beloved grandson of Holy Prophet (saww), continues to drive believers to hurl defiance at the forces of evil. The final call Imam gave to humanity still lingers in the minds of millions of Muslims around the world. It teaches that notwithstanding the inadequacy of numbers, if you run down the gauntlet backed by the staunch faith in the Almighty, triumph will be yours. Muharram has been often derided by some hate-mongers as a harmful grief-centric ritual, a political war, and a ritual that lacks a contemporary significance. In contrast, these commemorations are held to help the followers of justice and truth re-organize their life around the pristine principles exemplified by Hussain(as). His supreme sacrifice promotes the enjoining of good for there is no better victory than defeating a tyrant. You must have heard how a child dies every five minutes in Darfur. You know about the cold-blooded attacks on religious congregations in Pakistan, about the shrieks of wailing mothers in Kashmir. You must also have come across gut-wrenching tales of prisoners lodged in the world’s jails. These are some of the contemporary struggles against injustice and tyranny unleashed on the weak and vulnerable the world over. The threat of injustice will always have a contemporary significance. This explains why Muslims annually commemorate the principles of Hussain as it helps strengthen the ability to stand up against injustice. For the next few weeks, mourning processions will be carried out and grand congregations will be held in every part of the world, to pay tribute to the Master of Challengers and his fellow martyrs. The situation in Pakistan remains tense, with shoot-at-sight orders being given for Muharram owing to “serious security reasons” in and around Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. But elsewhere, preparations are afoot. Large processions are taken out in London, New York, Toronto, Trinidad. It goes to the credit of the powers-that-be in these places that not only do they allow Muharram processions on busy roads, but ensure their safety as well. But back in Kashmir, it is the same old atrocious story since 1989. Peaceful Muharram processions are attacked by the police; processionists are brutally cane-charged, manhandled and whisked away in police gypsies. Our religious leaders are kept under house arrest, the streets are manned by the Kalashnikov-yielding monsters-in-khakhi. It will be the same this year. The peaceful processions on 8 and 10 Muharram have been banned in Kashmir since the outbreak of insurgency in 1989. Small mourning rallies and processions are allowed in select areas with sizeable Shia populations. The state authorities say that “emotional religious rituals” could be used by separatists to stoke the anti-India sentiments. Absolutely preposterous. It is like diallowing Guru Purab or Baisakhi in Punjab as Khalistanis might use it to stoke anti-India feelings. The government cannot deny the people their right to peacefully observe religious rituals just because a few senior Shia clerics happen to be heavyweight separatist leaders (Maulana Abbas Ansari is former chairman of Hurriyat Conference and Aga Hasan Mosavi, president of the J&K Anjuman Sharee Shiaan, is an executive member of the Hurriyat Conference. It indeed needs to be highlighted that Tehreek is not a Sunni thing only but Shias play equally catalytic role in it n perhaps thats why State fails to distinguish between Azadi and Azadari processions! The argument that these processions provoke Sunnis, who may get all riled up and attack Shias, is laughable. There have never been riots in Kashmir between any two communities, so how can the state justify banning Shia processions to prevent riots? I wonder why Ripley’s Believe It Or Not missed it. It is not secret how these processions have become inclusive over the years, with the participation of Sunnis and even Sikhs and Pandits. The Sunnis, in a demographic majority, have been extremely accommodating towards the Shia minority, and both communities have co-existed in harmony and amity for centuries. In turn, both Shias and Sunnis go out of their way in extending their support to rallies and processions taken out by non-Muslims. In the context of Kashmir, communal riots are out of question. The truth is that the state is hell-bent on creating fissures among Kashmiri Muslims on sectarian lines. By provoking Shias against Sunnis, and giving this Muharram ban a sectarian and separatist colour, they want to achieve their sinister targets. They hope that the disintegration of Muslims in Kashmir will be a fatal blow to the Tehreek, the movement and that is what these scheming rulers gun for. The assault on the processionsists, who bring out the processions in defiance of the ban to exercise their religious freedom, by the police is unprovoked and barbaric. Take this: “Eyewitnesses alleged that as they marched ahead, a CRPF man on guard outside the house of Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Hussain Beig took aim at the crowd with his rifle. Other policemen, however, put him at ease,” (Indian Express Feb 08 2006). Need I say more? Some Shia groups had challenged the ban in court, but as they say, “Mera qatil hi mera munsif nikla!” (My killer turned out to be my judge!) The Shias of Kashmir contest the draconian ban alleging blatant double standards. If the Amarnath yatra, Dushhera or Baisakhi processions don’t pose any “security threat”, why should Muharram processions, carried out in an equally peaceful manner, be subject to such brutality and barbarism? It won’t be exaggeration to say that we have not helped our cause either. Just recently representatives of all Shia organisations attended a high-level meeting chaired by the District Development Commission in Srinagar to “finalize arrangements for Muharram”. I wonder why didn’t these “representatives” raise the issue of the ban during the meeting. Why didn’t they boycott the meeting in the first place? It reminds me of how Muslims in Lucknow valiantly confronted the government to protest the ban on Muharram processions in city in Muharram 1997. Women had stormed District Magistrate office and protested there. Shia youth did matam (eulogy) at the Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly). It led to the arrest of Lucknow-based prominent Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawad under National Security Act (NSA) on June 28, 1997. He was sent to Lalitpur Jail while his family was incarcerated with the prisoners of TADA. Word spread like wildfire and soon protests and agitations were reported from the different parts of the country and even from New York, Syria, Pakistan, Iran and other countries. The situation went out of control and the then Mayawati government was left with no other option but to release the cleric and lift the ban on processions. Now is the time for all of us to stand up to this injustice and demand our rights. From chintan.backups at gmail.com Thu Dec 9 00:56:42 2010 From: chintan.backups at gmail.com (Chintan Girish Modi) Date: Thu, 9 Dec 2010 00:56:42 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The Overscheduled Child Message-ID: >From http://movies.nytimes.com/2010/09/10/movies/10race.html *The Overscheduled Child* By JEANNETTE CATSOULIS In “Race to Nowhere,” the first-time filmmaker Vicki Abeles tries to condense a Hydra-headed problem — America’s overstressed, overscheduled, overcompetitive school kids — into a single, clear narrative. The bad news is that she doesn’t entirely succeed; the good news is that she and her co-director, Jessica Congdon, admirably convey the complexity of the issue with considerably more compassion than prescription. Spurred by the medical and emotional problems of her own three children, Ms. Abeles embarked on a deeply personal inquiry into the insanely hectic lives of too many of our offspring. Rushing from class to sports practice, from community work to homework, and relying increasingly on stimulants and sleep deprivation, these kids seem more pressured than the average C.E.O. Documenting consequences that range from depression to eating disorders to suicide, the film’s medical professionals share Ms. Abeles’s alarm and her awareness that blame, if it exists, is systemic and with little current incentive to change. Packed with educators, parents, authors and articulate youngsters, “Race to Nowhere” reaches out to children hounded by a confluence of circumstances: parental fears of a disappearing middle class; an emphasis on unrealistic performance standards (the bell curve is not a fantasy); a teach-to-the-test curriculum that favors memorization over critical thinking; and the competitiveness of college entrance requirements. (Interestingly, the social pressures of adolescence are barely addressed.) “We all have to get off this treadmill together,” says the author and adolescent-medicine specialist Dr. Kenneth Ginsburg, and the film’s Web site (racetonowhere.com) is keen to assist. Like the makers of the excellent high-school-based MTV reality series, “If You Really Knew Me,” Ms. Abeles believes that benevolent intervention is an adult’s most powerful tool. “Race to Nowhere” is rated PG-13 (Parents strongly cautioned). Pills, plagiarism and parental bereavement. NOTE: For more on the film, check http://www.racetonowhere.com/ From chintan.backups at gmail.com Thu Dec 9 01:58:31 2010 From: chintan.backups at gmail.com (Chintan Girish Modi) Date: Thu, 9 Dec 2010 01:58:31 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Allowing space for surprises in the classroom Message-ID: From http://chintangirishmodi.wordpress.com/2010/12/08/allowing-space-for-surprises/ *Allowing space for surprises* By Chintan Girish Modi (I wrote this article for Vol. 14 No. 1 of Edu-Care, a journal published by Centre for Learning, Hyderabad) While facilitating a writing workshop with school students in the summer of 2009, I noticed a pattern of strange occurrences. Some of the pieces that were being turned in sounded nothing like their authors’ other work. Expressions such as ‘four-leaved clover’, ‘a poem as lovely as a tree’, and ‘jolly heaven above’ struck me as particularly odd, coming from my students. The words seemed borrowed, forced, even inauthentic. I could not get myself to be glad about any supposed gains in vocabulary, since I was sure something was not quite right. It took me a while to realize what was going on, and to name the problem—plagiarism! Thanks to Google, I discovered that my students had not simply ‘lifted’ a few words, but entire texts. Poems such as Joyce Kilmer’s ‘Trees’, Richard Edwards’ ‘Good Luck’, and Robert Louis Stevenson’s ‘The Vagabond’, among others, were being passed off as the students’ own work. There was no change in the actual wording of the texts. The poet’s name was merely replaced with the respective student’s name. I was furious. Here was I, thinking of myself as a well-intentioned teacher, designing a new writing programme completely devoted to topics that students wanted to write about. I was certain that students would love the opportunity to write about things that mattered to them, experiences that held personal significance beyond pleasing the teacher and scoring good marks. The brief was simple: we’d work towards putting together a community magazine; students could write about any topic under the sun, as long as they kept their audience in mind; they would get peer and teacher feedback on their work; all drafts could be revised and shaped into final versions; each student would keep a portfolio consisting of drafts, feedback, and final versions. All my certainties dissolved. My stance changed. From a caring and supportive facilitator, I became the image I loathed—the despicable authority figure. I felt wronged. I accused them of cheating. How could my students do this to me? Why were they taking advantage of my friendliness? Perhaps they didn’t deserve my affection after all. They weren’t serious about their work, so what was the point of investing so much of myself into what I envisioned for them. Huh! Nobody takes teachers seriously, especially young novices. A million such thoughts ran through my head. Months later, as I looked through the journal entries written during that teaching stint, something hit me. I had missed something that had been staring right into my face. I had decided to work with learner-chosen topics because I wanted students to rid themselves of their dependence on essays memorized from composition books. How naïve of me to imagine that students would break out of their established patterns overnight! In the absence of a composition book to memorize from, they had simply gone home, picked up their textbooks, and memorized poems from there. When they came back for the next workshop session, the memorized poem wrote itself out in class. While I had set out with wonder-eyed enthusiasm about the rich possibilities that lay in using learner-chosen topics, I had not anticipated the challenges this would pose to my students. The experience of another teacher, who tried encouraging student voice in academic writing in her own classroom, taught me that students resisted the new way of doing things because “they didn’t want to have to think that hard. They wanted me to tell them what to write. It was easier that way. And it was what they were used to.” (Gemmell 2008: 65). It also occurred to me that my simple brief might have been excruciatingly daunting for those 10-14 year olds. Their previous writing experiences in school and at home might have been completely different from this one. Writing for a real audience, giving and receiving feedback after carefully reading and thinking about their peers’ work, and putting their writing through a process that includes multiple drafts to be entered into a portfolio—all of this could have brought on tremendous pressure, though it was intended to help them become better, flexible, resourceful writers. >From another compassionate teacher-activist, bell hooks (1994), I learnt that changing one’s habits of being involves pain; we must respect that pain. In the willingness to depart from what one’s mind is accustomed to, there is a commitment to transformation. This deserves recognition. My certainties about what constitutes plagiarism also found themselves challenged after I read Pennycook (1996). I came upon question after difficult question; some raised by Pennycook, others that came rushing to my mind as I tried to struggle with his. Do notions of authorship vary across cultures and periods in history? Why are some acts of borrowing more legitimate than others? Quoting authorities on a subject is an accepted way of displaying scholarship, and researchers pride themselves on the number of pages their bibliographies run into. What about teachers whose lectures contain large chunks of material memorized from a particular book and delivered to unsuspecting students, without acknowledging the source? How must we respond to teachers who expect their students to reproduce answers from notes dictated in class, and penalize students for expressing their personal views? When a student copies from his classmate, why do we respond with moral outrage not meant for the one who parrots the teacher’s words? Around the same time, I encountered a wonderful article written by Lakdawalla (2010). She narrates an incident wherein “a fairly bright and well-behaved” student was found copying from a hidden notebook during an examination. She considered various options—1. scolding him, tearing his answer script, and throwing it in the bin 2. taking him to the Headmistress’ office and getting him punished 3. calling his parents to school, and complaining about his bad behaviour. Those are the usual options. Instead, Lakdawalla approached the situation with great maturity. She thought of the child as someone to ‘relate to’, and not ‘deal with’. No, she didn’t let him off the hook. She pointed out his mistake and asked him to mend his ways; at the same time, exercised enough care not to violate his dignity. I love the fact that Lakdawalla was able to look at the ‘act’ as separate from the ‘individual’. She responded to the particular incident and behaviour, instead of passing judgement on the child’s character and upbringing or humiliating him in front of other students—something teachers routinely do when they sense a threat to their authority. While my focus here has been on plagiarism, I intend to draw home a larger point—that of the classroom being a fairly unpredictable place, though we might try to domesticate it by introducing rituals of power and predictability. Being open to surprises, and responding to them creatively, is what we are called upon to do. It’s going to be tough, of course. But surprises are fun. *References* Gemmell, R. 2008. Encouraging Student Voice in Academic Writing. *English Journal* 98(2). 64-68. hooks, b. 1994. *Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom*. New York: Routledge. Lakdawalla, Z. N. 2010. We learn from mistakes. *Teacher Plus* http://www.teacherplus.org/notes-from-a-teachers-diary/we-learn-from-mistakes Pennycook, A. 1996. Borrowing others’ words: Text, ownership, memory and plagiarism. *TESOL Quarterly* 30(2), 201-230. – To read other articles published in Edu-Care, get in touch with Ramgopal Koneripalli at knramgopal at yahoo.com To know more about Centre for Learning, Hyderabad, check http://www.centreforlearning.org/ From kalakamra at gmail.com Thu Dec 9 21:46:38 2010 From: kalakamra at gmail.com (shaina a) Date: Thu, 9 Dec 2010 21:46:38 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] A Season of Footage and Films, Part I, Saturday, December 11th, 6:30 pm at CAMP In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: *A Season of Footage and Films*, in 8 parts. *CAMP* presents Saturday evening screenings through winter, exploring footage both within and outside the usual capsule of "the film". An experience that could be similar to watching films, or at other times harder to digest, slower to release, closer to acts of shooting, less censorious, and less fearful of finitude. Another life, another world of viewing and listening experiences is always possible, with footage. (All screenings at CAMP roof, starting at 6:30 pm) _______ Part 1. *Saturday, 11th December, 2010, 6:30 pm.* http://camputer.org/event.php?this=phantomindia Screenings: a) *L'Inde Fantôme *aka Phantom India, Episode 7: *Bombay, The Future India. * Louis Malle, 1969 50 minutes b) *In and Out of "the City"* Footage from the city: of things that enter and then leave it, via excursions out to sea, and double-lives, afternoon-naps, bike-rides, water-wells, and more. 50 minutes _______ What are films? Are they calculating commercial wrappers applied by financiers to moving images, or purified forms that directors and crew distill from grand ideas and many days of shooting? Surely a bit of both, a bit of both, and much more too. But among the many, often unacknowledged, things and forces that make up "the film", there is one thing that physically, undeniably, film is "made of". We usually call this material, footage. But of course, film is not just made of footage pieces, or frames of images. As if counting all the bricks or square feet in a home would tell us everything about it. Films have their own wholeness, beauty, aura. Footage on the other hand, is the ghost that flickers from *inside* every film, pointing to the autonomy of the images, threatening to overflow their "use" in the film. Flickering by at 24 (or 25) times a second is not "frames" (since that would be only a narrow technical definition), nor "truth" (since that would be a bit romantic), but footage. Footage is what exists, the moment a camera "films", and which remains a stubborn kernel at the heart of everything made from it. Louis Malle's 1969 film, L'Inde Fantôme, provides a visceral example of this. In 2010 this film flickers for us between one kind of recognition -of the directors voice and intent- and another- of landmarks, people or contexts from Bombay of the late 1960's- and a third- of the official response to the film. As the authorial narrative waxes and wanes, and as it becomes clear that intentions on various sides can expire, the footage remains. In every film, some footage remains, and we can glean things from it. And every footage is then part of possible, future, films. But there is other footage too, which has nothing to do with films. Which is not born within the idealism, auterism or commercialism of films. And which is not just a natural produce of so-called "digital natives", either. In other words, there are diverse forms, materials and effects, to be found in the spaces between film and video genres, their technologies, learned shooting habits and pure chance, that we would like to explore in some detail over these eight weeks, with the help of others who have thought through and produced in this way before. All this suggests that footage has the capacity to be a vital "currency" in relationships, arguments, pleasures and politics both within cinema and beyond it, not limited to the ways that, say, YouTube allows us to deal in it. __________ Looking forward to seeing you there. An outline of the next three Saturdays is below: Part 2. Two Footage Films. *Saturday, 18th December, 2010* Two compelling and different responses to the question, how to use a footage archive? Part 3. Talking Heads. *Saturday, 25th December, 2010* Delueze, Godard, Haraway, Navalkar, Roy, Zizek, and more. How interviews and speeches can be not like those on television. Part 4.* *Disket Document. *Saturday, 2nd January, 2011* A group of left-intellectuals arrive in the Nubra valley in Ladakh in 2001, for what they believe is a "Seminar on National Integration" only to find out they are actually speakers at a "Buddh Mahotsav" organised by the VHP. What happens next? A detailed video document from the sidelines of this event. Directions to CAMP Roof are here. More details announced on the Wednesday before each screening. For related projects and material, see http://camputer.org http://pad.ma For questions and responses email info(@)camputer.org To unsubscribe, simply send an email with the word "unsubscribe" as the subject to camp-request at lists.mailb.org From babuubab at gmail.com Thu Dec 9 22:30:42 2010 From: babuubab at gmail.com (SUNDARA BABU) Date: Thu, 9 Dec 2010 22:30:42 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] WikiLeaks: Stop the crackdown In-Reply-To: References: <0E.2E.25755.CC7010D4@avaaz-mta> Message-ID: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Ricken Patel - Avaaz.org Dear friends, The chilling intimidation campaign against WikiLeaks (when they have broken no laws) is *an attack on freedom of the press and democracy.* We urgently need a massive public outcry to *stop the crackdown -- let's get to 1 million voices* and take out full page ads in US newspapers this week! [image: Sign the petition] The *massive campaign of intimidation* against WikiLeaks is sending a chill through free press advocates everywhere. *Legal experts say WikiLeaks has likely broken no laws. Yet top US politicians have called it a terrorist group and commentators have urged assassination* of its staff. The organization has come under massive government and corporate attack, but WikiLeaks is only publishing information provided by a whistleblower. And *it has partnered with the world's leading newspapers (NYT, Guardian, Spiegel etc)* to carefully vet the information it publishes. *The massive extra-judicial intimidation of WikiLeaks is an attack on democracy.* We urgently need a public outcry for freedom of the press and expression. *Sign the petition to stop the crackdown and forward this email to everyone* -- let's get to 1 million voices and take out full page ads in US newspapers this week! http://www.avaaz.org/en/wikileaks_petition/?vl *WikiLeaks isn't acting alone* -- it's partnered with the top newspapers in the world (New York Times, The Guardian, Der Spiegel, etc) to carefully review 250,000 US diplomatic cables and remove any information that it is irresponsible to publish. *Only 800 cables have been published so far.* Past WikiLeaks publications have exposed government-backed torture, the murder of innocent civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan, and corporate corruption. The US government is currently pursuing all legal avenues to stop WikiLeaks from publishing more cables, but *the laws of democracies protect freedom of the press.* The US and other governments may not like the laws that protect our freedom of expression, but that's exactly why it's so important that we have them, and why only a democratic process can change them. *Reasonable people can disagree* on whether WikiLeaks and the leading newspapers it's partnered with are releasing more information than the public should see. Whether the releases undermine diplomatic confidentiality and whether that's a good thing. Whether WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has the personal character of a hero or a villain. *But none of this justifies a vicious campaign of intimidation to silence a legal media outlet * by governments and corporations. Click below to join the call to stop the crackdown: http://www.avaaz.org/en/wikileaks_petition/?vl Ever wonder why the media so rarely gives the full story of what happens behind the scenes? This is why - because when they do, governments can be vicious in their response. And when that happens, *it's up to the public to stand up for our democratic rights to a free press and freedom of expression. Never has there been a more vital time for us to do so.* With hope, Ricken, Emma, Alex, Alice, Maria Paz and the rest of the Avaaz team. SOURCES: Law experts say WikiLeaks in the clear (ABC) http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2010/s3086781.htm WikiLeaks are a bunch of terrorists, says leading U.S. congressman (Mail Online) http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1333879/WikiLeaks-terrorists-says-leading-US-congressman-Peter-King.html Cyber guerrillas can help US (Financial Times) http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d3dd7c40-ff15-11df-956b-00144feab49a.html#axzz17QvQ4Ht5 Amazon drops WikiLeaks under political pressure (Yahoo) http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101201/tc_afp/usdiplomacyinternetwikileakscongressamazon "WikiLeaks avenged by hacktivists" (PC World): http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/212701/operation_payback_wikileaks_avenged_by_hacktivists.html US Gov shows true control over Internet with WikiLeaks containment (Tippett.org) http://www.tippett.org/2010/12/us-gov-shows-true-control-over-internet-with-wikileaks-containment/ US embassy cables culprit should be executed, says Mike Huckabee (The Guardian) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/01/us-embassy-cables-executed-mike-huckabee WikiLeaks ditched by MasterCard, Visa. Who's next? (The Christian Science Monitor) http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/Horizons/2010/1207/WikiLeaks-ditched-by-MasterCard-Visa.-Who-s-next Assange's Interpol Warrant Is for Having Sex Without a Condom (The Slatest) http://slatest.slate.com/id/2276690/ -- SUNDARA BABU From shivam at kafila.org Fri Dec 10 01:15:52 2010 From: shivam at kafila.org (shivam at kafila.org) Date: Fri, 10 Dec 2010 01:15:52 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] =?windows-1252?q?What_ails_Kashmir=3F_The_Sunni_ide?= =?windows-1252?q?a_of_=91azadi=92?= In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Sinister designs behind Muharram ban in Kashmir: Zafar Mehdi Guest post by ZAFAR MEHDI http://kafila.org/2010/12/08/shia-sunni-azadi-sinister-designs-behind-muharram-ban-in-kashmir-minorities/ Muharram, the month of epic action, has announced its arrival. Black banners symbolizing grief are fluttering around. A pall of gloom has descended. 1500 years later, the lessons of Karbala continue to be the beacon of inspiration for strugglers of truth and righteousness. Muharram, contrary to perception, is not an event, episode or chapter in history. It is a philosophy, a concept, a movement. As centuries roll by, the great uprising of Husain(as), the beloved grandson of Holy Prophet (saww), continues to drive believers to hurl defiance at the forces of evil. The final call Imam gave to humanity still lingers in the minds of millions of Muslims around the world. It teaches that notwithstanding the inadequacy of numbers, if you run down the gauntlet backed by the staunch faith in the Almighty, triumph will be yours. Muharram has been often derided by some hate-mongers as a harmful grief-centric ritual, a political war, and a ritual that lacks a contemporary significance. In contrast, these commemorations are held to help the followers of justice and truth re-organize their life around the pristine principles exemplified by Hussain(as). His supreme sacrifice promotes the enjoining of good for there is no better victory than defeating a tyrant. You must have heard how a child dies every five minutes in Darfur. You know about the cold-blooded attacks on religious congregations in Pakistan, about the shrieks of wailing mothers in Kashmir. You must also have come across gut-wrenching tales of prisoners lodged in the world’s jails. These are some of the contemporary struggles against injustice and tyranny unleashed on the weak and vulnerable the world over. The threat of injustice will always have a contemporary significance. This explains why Muslims annually commemorate the principles of Hussain as it helps strengthen the ability to stand up against injustice. For the next few weeks, mourning processions will be carried out and grand congregations will be held in every part of the world, to pay tribute to the Master of Challengers and his fellow martyrs. The situation in Pakistan remains tense, with shoot-at-sight orders being given for Muharram owing to “serious security reasons” in and around Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. But elsewhere, preparations are afoot. Large processions are taken out in London, New York, Toronto, Trinidad. It goes to the credit of the powers-that-be in these places that not only do they allow Muharram processions on busy roads, but ensure their safety as well. But back in Kashmir, it is the same old atrocious story since 1989. Peaceful Muharram processions are attacked by the police; processionists are brutally cane-charged, manhandled and whisked away in police gypsies. Our religious leaders are kept under house arrest, the streets are manned by the Kalashnikov-yielding monsters-in-khakhi. It will be the same this year. The peaceful processions on 8 and 10 Muharram have been banned in Kashmir since the outbreak of insurgency in 1989. Small mourning rallies and processions are allowed in select areas with sizeable Shia populations. The state authorities say that “emotional religious rituals” could be used by separatists to stoke the anti-India sentiments. Absolutely preposterous. It is like diallowing Guru Purab or Baisakhi in Punjab as Khalistanis might use it to stoke anti-India feelings. The government cannot deny the people their right to peacefully observe religious rituals just because a few senior Shia clerics happen to be heavyweight separatist leaders (Maulana Abbas Ansari is former chairman of Hurriyat Conference and Aga Hasan Mosavi, president of the J&K Anjuman Sharee Shiaan, is an executive member of the Hurriyat Conference. It indeed needs to be highlighted that Tehreek is not a Sunni thing only but Shias play equally catalytic role in it n perhaps thats why State fails to distinguish between Azadi and Azadari processions! The argument that these processions provoke Sunnis, who may get all riled up and attack Shias, is laughable. There have never been riots in Kashmir between any two communities, so how can the state justify banning Shia processions to prevent riots? I wonder why Ripley’s Believe It Or Not missed it. It is not secret how these processions have become inclusive over the years, with the participation of Sunnis and even Sikhs and Pandits. The Sunnis, in a demographic majority, have been extremely accommodating towards the Shia minority, and both communities have co-existed in harmony and amity for centuries. In turn, both Shias and Sunnis go out of their way in extending their support to rallies and processions taken out by non-Muslims. In the context of Kashmir, communal riots are out of question. The truth is that the state is hell-bent on creating fissures among Kashmiri Muslims on sectarian lines. By provoking Shias against Sunnis, and giving this Muharram ban a sectarian and separatist colour, they want to achieve their sinister targets. They hope that the disintegration of Muslims in Kashmir will be a fatal blow to the Tehreek, the movement and that is what these scheming rulers gun for. The assault on the processionsists, who bring out the processions in defiance of the ban to exercise their religious freedom, by the police is unprovoked and barbaric. Take this: “Eyewitnesses alleged that as they marched ahead, a CRPF man on guard outside the house of Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Hussain Beig took aim at the crowd with his rifle. Other policemen, however, put him at ease,” (Indian Express Feb 08 2006). Need I say more? Some Shia groups had challenged the ban in court, but as they say, “Mera qatil hi mera munsif nikla!” (My killer turned out to be my judge!) The Shias of Kashmir contest the draconian ban alleging blatant double standards. If the Amarnath yatra, Dushhera or Baisakhi processions don’t pose any “security threat”, why should Muharram processions, carried out in an equally peaceful manner, be subject to such brutality and barbarism? It won’t be exaggeration to say that we have not helped our cause either. Just recently representatives of all Shia organisations attended a high-level meeting chaired by the District Development Commission in Srinagar to “finalize arrangements for Muharram”. I wonder why didn’t these “representatives” raise the issue of the ban during the meeting. Why didn’t they boycott the meeting in the first place? It reminds me of how Muslims in Lucknow valiantly confronted the government to protest the ban on Muharram processions in city in Muharram 1997. Women had stormed District Magistrate office and protested there. Shia youth did matam (eulogy) at the Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly). It led to the arrest of Lucknow-based prominent Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawad under National Security Act (NSA) on June 28, 1997. He was sent to Lalitpur Jail while his family was incarcerated with the prisoners of TADA. Word spread like wildfire and soon protests and agitations were reported from the different parts of the country and even from New York, Syria, Pakistan, Iran and other countries. The situation went out of control and the then Mayawati government was left with no other option but to release the cleric and lift the ban on processions. Now is the time for all of us to stand up to this injustice and demand our rights. On 30 August 2010 20:48, Aditya Raj Kaul wrote: > What ails Kashmir? The Sunni idea of ‘azadi’*Link* - > http://www.livemint.com/2010/08/06210254/What-ails-Kashmir-The-Sunni-i.html > > The discomfort Kashmiris feel is about which laws self-rule must be under, > and Hurriyat rejects a secular constitution > > We know what Hurriyat Conference wants: azadi, freedom. But freedom from > what? Freedom from Indian rule. Doesn’t an elected Kashmiri, Omar Abdullah, > rule from Srinagar? > > Yes, but Hurriyat rejects elections. Why? Because ballots have no > *azadi *option.But > why can’t the * azadi* demand be made by democratically elected leaders? > Because elections are rigged through the Indian Army. Why is the Indian Army > out in Srinagar and not in Surat? Because Kashmiris want *azadi. * > > Let’s try that again. > > What do Kashmiris want freedom from? India’s Constitution. > > What is offensive about India’s Constitution? It is not Islamic. This is the > issue, let us be clear. > > The violence in Srinagar isn’t for democratic self-rule because Kashmiris > have that. The discomfort Kashmiris feel is about which laws self-rule must > be under, and Hurriyat rejects a secular constitution. > > Hurriyat deceives the world by using a universal word, *azadi*, to push a > narrow, religious demand. Kashmiris have no confusion about what > *azadi*means: It means Shariah. Friday holidays, amputating thieves’ > hands, > abolishing interest, prohibiting alcohol (and kite-flying), stoning > adulterers, lynching apostates and all the rest of it that comprises the > ideal Sunni state. > > Not one Shia gang terrorizes India; terrorism on the subcontinent is a Sunni > monopoly. > > There is a token Shia among the Hurriyat’s bearded warriors, but it is > essentially a Sunni group pursuing Sunni Shariah. Its most important figure > is Umar Farooq. He’s called *mirwaiz*, meaning head of preachers (*waiz*), > but he inherited his title at 17 and actually is no Islamic scholar. He is > English-educated, but his base is Srinagar’s sullen neighbourhood of > Maisuma, at the front of the stone-pelting. His following is conservative > and, since he has little scholarship, he is unable to bend his constituents > to his view. > > Hurriyat’s modernists are led by Sopore’s 80-year-old Ali Geelani of > Jamaat-e-Islami. Jamaat was founded in 1941 by a brilliant man from > Maharashtra called Maududi, who invented the structure of the modern Islamic > state along the lines of a Communist one. Maududi opposed Jinnah’s tribal > raid in Kashmir, which led to the Line of Control, saying jihad could only > be prosecuted formally by a Muslim state, and not informally by militias. > This wisdom was discarded later, and Hizb al-Mujahideen, starring Syed > Salahuddin of cap and beard fame, is a Jamaat unit. Maududi was ecumenical, > meaning that he unified the four Sunni groups of thought. He always excluded > Shias, as heretics. > > The Kashmiri separatist movement is actually inseparable from Sunni > fundamentalism. Those on the Hurriyat’s fringes who say they are Gandhians, > like Yasin Malik, are carried along by the others in the group so long as > the immediate task of resisting India is in common. But the Hurriyat and its > aims are ultimately poisonous, even for Muslims. > > The Hurriyat Conference’s idea of freedom unfolds from a religious instinct, > not a secular sentiment. This instinct is sectarian, and all the > pro-*azadi*groups are Shia-killers. In promoting their hatred, the > groups plead for the > support of other Muslims by leaning on the name of the Prophet Muhammad. > > Hafiz is a title and means memorizer of the Quran. Mohammed Saeed’s Lashkar > Tayyaba means army of Tyeb (“the good”), one of the Prophet’s names. This is > incorrectly spelled and pronounced by our journalists as “Taiba” or “Toiba”, > but Muslims can place the name. Lashkar rejects all law from sources other > than the recorded sayings and actions of Muhammad. This is called being > Wahhabi, and Wahhabis detest the Shia. > > Jaish Muhammad (Muhammad’s army) was founded in a Karachi mosque, and it is > linked to the Shia-killing Sipah Sahaba (Army of Muhammad’s First Followers) > in Pakistan’s Seraiki-speaking southern Punjab. The group follows a narrow, > anti-Shia doctrine developed in Deoband. > > Decades of non-interference by the Pakistani state in the business of > Kashmiri separatism has led to a loss of internal sovereignty in Pakistan. > The state is no longer able to convince its citizens that it should act > against these groups. Though their own Shia are regularly butchered, a poll > shows that a quarter of Pakistanis think Lashkar Tayyaba does good work. We > think Indian Muslims are different from Pakistanis and less susceptible to > fanaticism. It is interesting that within Pakistan, the only group openly > and violently opposed to Taliban and terrorism are UP and Bihar migrants who > form Karachi’s secular Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) party. > > So what do the separatist groups want? It is wrong to see them as being only > terrorist groups. They operate in an intellectual framework, and there is a > higher idea that drives the violence. This is a perfect state with an > executive who is pious, male and Sunni. Such a state, where all is done > according to the book, will get God to shower his blessings on the citizens, > who will all be Sunnis. > > There are three types of Sunnis in Kashmir. Unionists, separatists, and > neutrals. Unionists, like Omar Abdullah, are secular and likely to be > repelled by separatism because they have seen the damage caused by political > Islam in Pakistan. They might not be in love with Indians, but they see the > beauty of the Indian Constitution. Neutrals, like Mehbooba Mufti, are > pragmatic and will accept the Indian Constitution when in power, though they > show defiance when out of it. This is fine, because they respond to a Muslim > constituency that is uncertain, but isn’t totally alienated. The longer > these two groups participate in democracy in Kashmir, the weaker the > separatists become. The current violence is a result of this. Given their > boycott of politics, the Hurriyat must rally its base by urging them to > violence and most of it happens in Maisuma and Sopore. The violence should > also clarify the problem in the minds of neutrals: If Kashmiri rule does not > solve the *azadi *problem, what will? > > India’s liberals are defensive when debating Kashmir because of our > unfulfilled promise on plebiscite. But they shouldn’t be. There is really no > option to secular democracy, whether one chooses it through a plebiscite or > whether it is imposed. It is a universal idea and there is no second form of > government in any culture or religion that works. The Islamic state is > utopian and it never arrives. Since it is driven by belief, however, the > search becomes quite desperate. > > India has a constitution; Pakistan has editions. These are the various > Pakistani constitutions: 1935 (secular), 1956 (federal), 1962 (dictatorial), > 1973 (parliamentary), 1979 (Islamic), 1999 (presidential), 2008 > (parliamentary). Why do they keep changing and searching? Muslims keep > trying to hammer in Islamic bits into a set of laws that is actually quite > complete. This is the Government of India Act of 1935, gifted to us by the > British. > > Kashmiris have it, and perhaps at some point they will learn to appreciate > its beauty. > > *Aakar Patel will take a break from his column to write a book. He will > return early next year.* > > > -- > Aditya Raj Kaul > > India Editor > The Indian, Australia > > Web: http://activistsdiary.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/> -- shivam at kafila.org | Delhi From babuubab at gmail.com Fri Dec 10 09:06:30 2010 From: babuubab at gmail.com (SUNDARA BABU) Date: Fri, 10 Dec 2010 09:06:30 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Workshops on Leadership and Negotiation for Kashmiri Youth Message-ID: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Read the two files on http://bit.ly/e1KgLC >From Gowhar Please find attached the application form for the Mercy Corps Youth RAFT (Relationship and Alliances for Transformation) project. Also find the details about the Project in a separate attached file. Free Workshops on Leadership and Negotiation for Kashmiri Youth From: Gowhar Bhat Please find attached the application form for the Mercy Corps Youth RAFT (Relationship and Alliances for Transformation) project. Also find the details about the Project in a separate attached file. Please fill the form and mail it back ASAP. We will be getting in touch with you after the shortlisting process is over. Regards. Gowhar Bhat Project Administrator, Youth RAFT, Mercy Corps (Kashmir). Ph. +91 9906 590730 - -- SUNDARA BABU N From javedmasoo at gmail.com Fri Dec 10 12:35:46 2010 From: javedmasoo at gmail.com (Javed) Date: Fri, 10 Dec 2010 12:35:46 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] "Hindutva far bigger threat than al-Qaeda" - wikileaks Message-ID: WikiLeaks reveals Indian involvement in Balochistan, Waziristan Thursday, 09 December 2010 04:49 Ahsan Waheed WikiLeaks reveals Indian involvement in Balochistan, WaziristanIndian Army generals in bed with Hindutva Brotherhood; extremism and incompetency highlights Indian Army top brass, Gen Kapoor a 'geek' while Gen Singh 'petulant braggadocio'; Concern over security of India's nuclear assets, more than 80% of Indian assets and missiles in Naxalite-infested areas; Hemant Karkare seeked security assurances from US diplomats; Hindutva organizations - Sangh Parivar and Shiv Sena - more dangerous than Taliban, Al-Qaeda, LeT combined; US should not hold military drills with India because of human rights violations in Occupied Kashmir; ISI not involved in any terrorist activity in India; A cable from US Embassy in Islamabad leaked by whistle-blower website WikiLeaks disclosed that there were enough evidences of Indian involvement in Waziristan and other tribal areas of Pakistan as well as Balochistan. The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Ahmed Shuja Pasha’s extension in services was termed as a good omen in one such cable and it was added that his further presence on the scene would enhance the agency’s abilities to combat anti-terror war. The cable confirmed the active presence of ISI in India but it refused to confirm any involvement of ISI in any terror incident across India and did confirm intelligence collection by its agents and operatives. An earlier cable ruled out any direct or indirect involvement of ISI in 26/11 under Pasha’s command while Mumbai’s dossier, based on prime accused Ajmal Kasab’s confessional statement was termed funny and “shockingly immature”. Leaked cable terms ex-Indian army chief 'a geek' WikiLeaks revealed that a cable sent from a US mission in India termed former Indian Army chief General Deepak Kapoor as an incompetent combat leader and rather a geek. His war doctrine, suggesting eliminating China and Pakistan in a simultaneous war front was termed as “much far from reality”. Another cable indicates that General Kapoor was dubbed as a general who was least bothered about security challenges to the country but was more concerned about making personal assets and strengthening his own cult in the army. The cable also suggested that a tug-of-war between Kapoor and the current Indian Army chief had divided the Indian Army into two groups. Gen Singh called an egotist, self-obsessed, petulant General Singh has also been described as “Pakistan, China centric”, with an added aggression towards China. The cable mentioned General Singh as an egotist, self-obsessed, petulant and idiosyncratic general, a braggadocio and a show-off, who has been disliked (and barely tolerated) by all his subordinates. Indian Army committed gross human rights violations in Occupied Kashmir An earlier cable described Indian Army involved in gross human rights violations in Indian-held Kashmir while some Lt Gen HS Panag, the then GOC-in-Chief of the Northern Command of the Indian Army, was equated with General Milosevic of Bosnia with regard to butchering Muslims through war crimes. The cable urged Washington to secretly divert UN attention towards the genocide of innocent civilians in held Kashmir at the hands of Indian Army and also suggested that US should avoid holding any joint drill with Indian Army until it stops inhuman activities in Kashmir. The cable termed one Lt Col AK Mathur as “devil’s advocate” at Srinagar. Hindutva Brotherhood far bigger threat than Taliban, al-Qaeda, LeT Another cable indicated involvement of top Indian Army leadership in engaging Hindu extremist militants to carry out certain terror operations to keep Indian Muslims on the back foot and to keep pressure on neighbouring Pakistan’s Army and intelligence agencies, particularly the Inter-Services Intelligence. Another cable confirmed that there was a nexus of top Indian Army officials and extremist Hindu outfits. This cable suggested that an Indian police officer, a counter-terror specialist with the name of Hemant Karkare, had exposed this nexus to some extent when he arrested a serving colonel of Indian army, Lt Colonel Purohit, for blazing a Pakistan bound train (Samjhota Express). The cable suggested that Hemant Karkare held a secret meeting with a senior US diplomat in New Delhi during the national day reception of a friendly country and briefed him about the gravity and the growing depth of the nexus between top Indian Army leadership and the militant Hindu fanatic groups. Karkare sought security for him and his family from the said American diplomat as he feared that the army and establishment would eliminate him as he intended to move further to expose the network. He had further briefed the said US diplomat that a former commander-in-chief of the Central Command of the Indian army, Lt Gen PN Hoon, was heading the militancy wing of the Hindu extremists and was getting full tactical, logistic and financial support from senior army officers. The day, Karkare was eliminated in a pre-planned ambush during the Mumbai attacks, a cable sent to the US read “we have lost an important link and a vital evidence”. Another cable sent to Washington termed Hindutva brotherhood in general and Shiv Sena in particular, as ticking time bombs with regard to militancy and terrorism. It was suggested that fundraisers like Hindu Students Council of America etc should be banned to raise funds as they were generating funds for the Hindu militant outfits under the garb of charity. Another file dubs Hindutva Brotherhood as a far bigger threat to regional and global peace than Taliban, al-Qaeda and LeT and the later three were declared as “peanuts” if equated with Hindutva Brotherhood and Sangh Parivaar and Washington was urged to take up the issue with New Delhi. Grave concern over India's nuclear assets and nuclear security Another cable expressed grave concern over the Indian government’s ability to handle Naxal insurgency movement as 80 per cent of Indian nuclear and missile facilities were present in the insurgency hit areas of India while the Indian security forces were totally helpless in ensuring the writ of the government in that particular area, known as the “Red Corridor of India”. Israeli general wanted to attack Iran, Syria nuclear facilities A cable sent from Israel described the then Israeli Military Intelligence chief, Major General Amos Yadlin as an aggressive general. He was quoted in the cable as a dire seeker of “annihilation” of Islamic Republic of Iran. In a meeting with an American diplomat, General Yadlin dubbed Iranian, Syrian and Hezbollah’s weapons as “tools of terrorism” and not war weapons. He also showed immense eagerness to attack Syrian nuclear facilities. General Yadlin also told American diplomat that timeframe of Iran nuclear weapons preparation and timeframe to attack Iran were to be totally different issues. He also differed with Americans over the ability of Iran to prepare nuclear weapons and instead said that Iran had sufficient enriched uranium to manufacture a single nuclear device and may soon have enough for making another bomb. Iran is busy setting up two new nuclear installations, Yadlin told the US diplomat adding that M-I has indications that work has began on the installations, but did not comment on the sources. Yadlin, who was later-on replaced by Brigadier General Aviv Kochav, also spoke of Iran as the greatest threat facing Israel, not only in the nuclear respect. “Iran is sending its long arms to aid anyone who is working against Israel,” Yadlin said. “Such assessments are undoubtedly weighing on Prime Minister Netanyahu’s mind as he considers the possible need for an Israeli pre-emptive strike on Iran,” the cable said. Mossad chief Meir Dagan very proudly told Americans that his special team had eliminated Hamas top military strategist Izzadin Sheikh Khalil through a terror plot. The cable informed Washington that in fact Dagan had established a number of “hit teams” through which he was getting engaged in non-intelligence operations and also used these hit men for certain personal vendettas as well. Dagan, in a meeting with US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, William Burns, proposed Americans a five point agenda to fix Iran. The focus of the agenda was to change the regime at Tehran and to launch an ethnic movement throughout Iran to destabilise the country before launching the final attack. Karzai patron-in-chief of Afghan drug mafia A cable from Kabul termed Afghan President as the “patron-in-chief” of the Afghan drug mafia. The cable, citing certain verified UNODC figures, stated that Karzai was living at the mercy of Afghan warlords who, with the passage of time, had transformed into drug lords. The cable stated that there was an annual drug trade of 3 trillion dollars from Pakistan while the Karzai administration was keeping mum over the same. Another cable stated that Indian involvement in Afghanistan was increasing considerably and all was going on with the consent and knowledge of President Karzai and his administration. The cable further reads that growing Indian influence and presence in Afghanistan was focused towards Pakistan and China, both simultaneously. Saudia Arabia planned anti-Hezbollah force Saudi Arabia proposed setting up an Arab force to fight Hezbollah militants in Lebanon with the help of the US, UN and Nato, according to a leaked document. In a meeting in May 2008 with a US diplomat in Iraq, David Satterfield, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said a “security response” was needed to the “military challenge” posed to Beirut by the Iran-backed militants. The Saudi prince feared a Hezbollah victory against the Lebanese government, led by then prime minister Fuad Siniora, would eventually lead to Iran’s takeover of the country. There was a need for an “Arab force” to create and maintain order in and around Beirut, he argued, saying the Lebanese army was “too fragile to bear more pressure,” according to the cable from the US embassy in Riyadh. Such a force would be aided by UNIFIL troops deployed in southern Lebanon, while the “US and Nato would need to provide movement and logistic support, as well as naval and air cover,” the cable added. Saudis killed Yemeni civilians in border war According to a leaked document, Saudi armed forces killed Yemeni civilians when fighting Shia rebels in a brief border war despite assurances that only rebel targets were hit. Saudi Arabia fought Yemeni rebels for several months in a border war that ended with a ceasefire in February. In public statements during the fighting, Saudi Arabia said that only rebel positions in the border area were attacked. But the leaked cables suggest civilians died. “Obviously some civilians died, though we wish that this did not happen,” the prince, who is also assistant defence minister, said in the meeting requested by the ambassador to relay US concerns about civilian casualties in the conflict. Prince Khaled confirmed that Saudi forces hit a building the United States believed to be a clinic but the Saudis thought it was being used as a base by rebels. He also said the Yemeni military had helped recommend rebel targets, the cable said.The Saudi military used “massively disproportionate force” in a campaign last year against guerrillas seen by the army as “embarrassingly long,” according to another leaked cable. “Day and night aerial bombardment and artillery shelling have been the main instruments of what is increasingly regarded within the Saudi military as an embarrassingly long campaign,” said the memo from the US embassy in Riyadh. The three-month operation against the lightly armed Huthi guerrillas on the border areas with Yemen was also seen as “poorly planned and executed” and “brought unexpectedly high Saudi casualties”. “Nonetheless, the conflict has been carefully spun as a heroic and successful struggle to protect Saudi sovereignty,” the memo added. Britain faced Libya threats over Lockerbie bomber Britain faced threats from Libya of dire consequences if the ailing Lockerbie bomber died in a Scottish prison. Threats included the cessation of all British commercial activity in Libya and demonstrations against British facilities, as well as suggestions Britons in the country could be put at risk, according to the cables. And despite London’s attempts to publicly distance itself from the decision to release Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet al-Megrahi — which was made by the devolved Scottish government — the cables show enormous British relief at the move. Libyan officials warned their British counterparts that “consequences for the UK-Libya bilateral relationship would be dire were al-Megrahi to die in Scottish prison,” read one dispatch from the US ambassador to Tripoli in January 2009. And if Washington publicly opposed the release, “the US Embassy and private Americans in Libya could face similar consequences,” read the cable from the ambassador, Gene A Cretz. Megrahi was the only person ever convicted over the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am Jumbo jet over Lockerbie, Scotland, which killed 270 people, most of them US nationals. He was released in August, 2009, on compassionate grounds after doctors diagnosed him with prostate cancer and gave him just three months to live, sparking outrage in the United States. More than a year later he remains alive in Tripoli, however, renewing anger in the US. One cable showed Britain’s then justice minister, Jack Straw, told US diplomats that although Megrahi might have up to five years to live, the Scottish government appeared inclined to release him. “Megrahi could have as long as five years to live,” said the correspondence, cited in Britain’s Guardian newspaper. Article Source: http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=2549&Cat=13 From sen.jhuma at gmail.com Fri Dec 10 12:39:14 2010 From: sen.jhuma at gmail.com (Jhuma Sen) Date: Thu, 9 Dec 2010 23:09:14 -0800 Subject: [Reader-list] "Hindutva far bigger threat than al-Qaeda" - wikileaks In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: This is possibly a fake news. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/09/pakistani-newspaper-fake-leaks-india On Thu, Dec 9, 2010 at 11:05 PM, Javed wrote: > WikiLeaks reveals Indian involvement in Balochistan, Waziristan > Thursday, 09 December 2010 04:49 Ahsan Waheed > > WikiLeaks reveals Indian involvement in Balochistan, WaziristanIndian > Army generals in bed with Hindutva Brotherhood; extremism and > incompetency highlights Indian Army top brass, Gen Kapoor a 'geek' > while Gen Singh 'petulant braggadocio'; Concern over security of > India's nuclear assets, more than 80% of Indian assets and missiles in > Naxalite-infested areas; Hemant Karkare seeked security assurances > from US diplomats; Hindutva organizations - Sangh Parivar and Shiv > Sena - more dangerous than Taliban, Al-Qaeda, LeT combined; US should > not hold military drills with India because of human rights violations > in Occupied Kashmir; ISI not involved in any terrorist activity in > India; > > A cable from US Embassy in Islamabad leaked by whistle-blower website > WikiLeaks disclosed that there were enough evidences of Indian > involvement in Waziristan and other tribal areas of Pakistan as well > as Balochistan. > > The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Ahmed Shuja Pasha’s > extension in services was termed as a good omen in one such cable and > it was added that his further presence on the scene would enhance the > agency’s abilities to combat anti-terror war. The cable confirmed the > active presence of ISI in India but it refused to confirm any > involvement of ISI in any terror incident across India and did confirm > intelligence collection by its agents and operatives. > > An earlier cable ruled out any direct or indirect involvement of ISI > in 26/11 under Pasha’s command while Mumbai’s dossier, based on prime > accused Ajmal Kasab’s confessional statement was termed funny and > “shockingly immature”. > > Leaked cable terms ex-Indian army chief 'a geek' > > WikiLeaks revealed that a cable sent from a US mission in India termed > former Indian Army chief General Deepak Kapoor as an incompetent > combat leader and rather a geek. > > His war doctrine, suggesting eliminating China and Pakistan in a > simultaneous war front was termed as “much far from reality”. Another > cable indicates that General Kapoor was dubbed as a general who was > least bothered about security challenges to the country but was more > concerned about making personal assets and strengthening his own cult > in the army. The cable also suggested that a tug-of-war between Kapoor > and the current Indian Army chief had divided the Indian Army into two > groups. > > Gen Singh called an egotist, self-obsessed, petulant > > General Singh has also been described as “Pakistan, China centric”, > with an added aggression towards China. The cable mentioned General > Singh as an egotist, self-obsessed, petulant and idiosyncratic > general, a braggadocio and a show-off, who has been disliked (and > barely tolerated) by all his subordinates. > > Indian Army committed gross human rights violations in Occupied Kashmir > > An earlier cable described Indian Army involved in gross human rights > violations in Indian-held Kashmir while some Lt Gen HS Panag, the then > GOC-in-Chief of the Northern Command of the Indian Army, was equated > with General Milosevic of Bosnia with regard to butchering Muslims > through war crimes. > > The cable urged Washington to secretly divert UN attention towards the > genocide of innocent civilians in held Kashmir at the hands of Indian > Army and also suggested that US should avoid holding any joint drill > with Indian Army until it stops inhuman activities in Kashmir. The > cable termed one Lt Col AK Mathur as “devil’s advocate” at Srinagar. > > Hindutva Brotherhood far bigger threat than Taliban, al-Qaeda, LeT > > Another cable indicated involvement of top Indian Army leadership in > engaging Hindu extremist militants to carry out certain terror > operations to keep Indian Muslims on the back foot and to keep > pressure on neighbouring Pakistan’s Army and intelligence agencies, > particularly the Inter-Services Intelligence. > > Another cable confirmed that there was a nexus of top Indian Army > officials and extremist Hindu outfits. This cable suggested that an > Indian police officer, a counter-terror specialist with the name of > Hemant Karkare, had exposed this nexus to some extent when he arrested > a serving colonel of Indian army, Lt Colonel Purohit, for blazing a > Pakistan bound train (Samjhota Express). > > The cable suggested that Hemant Karkare held a secret meeting with a > senior US diplomat in New Delhi during the national day reception of a > friendly country and briefed him about the gravity and the growing > depth of the nexus between top Indian Army leadership and the militant > Hindu fanatic groups. Karkare sought security for him and his family > from the said American diplomat as he feared that the army and > establishment would eliminate him as he intended to move further to > expose the network. He had further briefed the said US diplomat that a > former commander-in-chief of the Central Command of the Indian army, > Lt Gen PN Hoon, was heading the militancy wing of the Hindu extremists > and was getting full tactical, logistic and financial support from > senior army officers. The day, Karkare was eliminated in a pre-planned > ambush during the Mumbai attacks, a cable sent to the US read “we have > lost an important link and a vital evidence”. > > Another cable sent to Washington termed Hindutva brotherhood in > general and Shiv Sena in particular, as ticking time bombs with regard > to militancy and terrorism. It was suggested that fundraisers like > Hindu Students Council of America etc should be banned to raise funds > as they were generating funds for the Hindu militant outfits under the > garb of charity. Another file dubs Hindutva Brotherhood as a far > bigger threat to regional and global peace than Taliban, al-Qaeda and > LeT and the later three were declared as “peanuts” if equated with > Hindutva Brotherhood and Sangh Parivaar and Washington was urged to > take up the issue with New Delhi. > > Grave concern over India's nuclear assets and nuclear security > > Another cable expressed grave concern over the Indian government’s > ability to handle Naxal insurgency movement as 80 per cent of Indian > nuclear and missile facilities were present in the insurgency hit > areas of India while the Indian security forces were totally helpless > in ensuring the writ of the government in that particular area, known > as the “Red Corridor of India”. > > Israeli general wanted to attack Iran, Syria nuclear facilities > > A cable sent from Israel described the then Israeli Military > Intelligence chief, Major General Amos Yadlin as an aggressive > general. He was quoted in the cable as a dire seeker of “annihilation” > of Islamic Republic of Iran. In a meeting with an American diplomat, > General Yadlin dubbed Iranian, Syrian and Hezbollah’s weapons as > “tools of terrorism” and not war weapons. He also showed immense > eagerness to attack Syrian nuclear facilities. > > General Yadlin also told American diplomat that timeframe of Iran > nuclear weapons preparation and timeframe to attack Iran were to be > totally different issues. He also differed with Americans over the > ability of Iran to prepare nuclear weapons and instead said that Iran > had sufficient enriched uranium to manufacture a single nuclear device > and may soon have enough for making another bomb. > > Iran is busy setting up two new nuclear installations, Yadlin told the > US diplomat adding that M-I has indications that work has began on the > installations, but did not comment on the sources. Yadlin, who was > later-on replaced by Brigadier General Aviv Kochav, also spoke of Iran > as the greatest threat facing Israel, not only in the nuclear respect. > “Iran is sending its long arms to aid anyone who is working against > Israel,” Yadlin said. “Such assessments are undoubtedly weighing on > Prime Minister Netanyahu’s mind as he considers the possible need for > an Israeli pre-emptive strike on Iran,” the cable said. > > Mossad chief Meir Dagan very proudly told Americans that his special > team had eliminated Hamas top military strategist Izzadin Sheikh > Khalil through a terror plot. The cable informed Washington that in > fact Dagan had established a number of “hit teams” through which he > was getting engaged in non-intelligence operations and also used these > hit men for certain personal vendettas as well. > > Dagan, in a meeting with US Under Secretary of State for Political > Affairs, William Burns, proposed Americans a five point agenda to fix > Iran. The focus of the agenda was to change the regime at Tehran and > to launch an ethnic movement throughout Iran to destabilise the > country before launching the final attack. > > Karzai patron-in-chief of Afghan drug mafia > > A cable from Kabul termed Afghan President as the “patron-in-chief” of > the Afghan drug mafia. The cable, citing certain verified UNODC > figures, stated that Karzai was living at the mercy of Afghan warlords > who, with the passage of time, had transformed into drug lords. The > cable stated that there was an annual drug trade of 3 trillion dollars > from Pakistan while the Karzai administration was keeping mum over the > same. > > Another cable stated that Indian involvement in Afghanistan was > increasing considerably and all was going on with the consent and > knowledge of President Karzai and his administration. The cable > further reads that growing Indian influence and presence in > Afghanistan was focused towards Pakistan and China, both > simultaneously. > > Saudia Arabia planned anti-Hezbollah force > > Saudi Arabia proposed setting up an Arab force to fight Hezbollah > militants in Lebanon with the help of the US, UN and Nato, according > to a leaked document. In a meeting in May 2008 with a US diplomat in > Iraq, David Satterfield, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said a > “security response” was needed to the “military challenge” posed to > Beirut by the Iran-backed militants. > > The Saudi prince feared a Hezbollah victory against the Lebanese > government, led by then prime minister Fuad Siniora, would eventually > lead to Iran’s takeover of the country. > > There was a need for an “Arab force” to create and maintain order in > and around Beirut, he argued, saying the Lebanese army was “too > fragile to bear more pressure,” according to the cable from the US > embassy in Riyadh. > > Such a force would be aided by UNIFIL troops deployed in southern > Lebanon, while the “US and Nato would need to provide movement and > logistic support, as well as naval and air cover,” the cable added. > > Saudis killed Yemeni civilians in border war > > According to a leaked document, Saudi armed forces killed Yemeni > civilians when fighting Shia rebels in a brief border war despite > assurances that only rebel targets were hit. > > Saudi Arabia fought Yemeni rebels for several months in a border war > that ended with a ceasefire in February. > > In public statements during the fighting, Saudi Arabia said that only > rebel positions in the border area were attacked. But the leaked > cables suggest civilians died. > > “Obviously some civilians died, though we wish that this did not > happen,” the prince, who is also assistant defence minister, said in > the meeting requested by the ambassador to relay US concerns about > civilian casualties in the conflict. > > Prince Khaled confirmed that Saudi forces hit a building the United > States believed to be a clinic but the Saudis thought it was being > used as a base by rebels. He also said the Yemeni military had helped > recommend rebel targets, the cable said.The Saudi military used > “massively disproportionate force” in a campaign last year against > guerrillas seen by the army as “embarrassingly long,” according to > another leaked cable. > > “Day and night aerial bombardment and artillery shelling have been the > main instruments of what is increasingly regarded within the Saudi > military as an embarrassingly long campaign,” said the memo from the > US embassy in Riyadh. The three-month operation against the lightly > armed Huthi guerrillas on the border areas with Yemen was also seen as > “poorly planned and executed” and “brought unexpectedly high Saudi > casualties”. > > “Nonetheless, the conflict has been carefully spun as a heroic and > successful struggle to protect Saudi sovereignty,” the memo added. > > Britain faced Libya threats over Lockerbie bomber > > Britain faced threats from Libya of dire consequences if the ailing > Lockerbie bomber died in a Scottish prison. Threats included the > cessation of all British commercial activity in Libya and > demonstrations against British facilities, as well as suggestions > Britons in the country could be put at risk, according to the cables. > > And despite London’s attempts to publicly distance itself from the > decision to release Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet al-Megrahi — which was made > by the devolved Scottish government — the cables show enormous British > relief at the move. > > Libyan officials warned their British counterparts that “consequences > for the UK-Libya bilateral relationship would be dire were al-Megrahi > to die in Scottish prison,” read one dispatch from the US ambassador > to Tripoli in January 2009. > > And if Washington publicly opposed the release, “the US Embassy and > private Americans in Libya could face similar consequences,” read the > cable from the ambassador, Gene A Cretz. > > Megrahi was the only person ever convicted over the 1988 bombing of a > Pan Am Jumbo jet over Lockerbie, Scotland, which killed 270 people, > most of them US nationals. He was released in August, 2009, on > compassionate grounds after doctors diagnosed him with prostate cancer > and gave him just three months to live, sparking outrage in the United > States. More than a year later he remains alive in Tripoli, however, > renewing anger in the US. > > One cable showed Britain’s then justice minister, Jack Straw, told US > diplomats that although Megrahi might have up to five years to live, > the Scottish government appeared inclined to release him. “Megrahi > could have as long as five years to live,” said the correspondence, > cited in Britain’s Guardian newspaper. > > Article Source: > > http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=2549&Cat=13 > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > 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 javedmasoo at gmail.com Fri Dec 10 12:50:11 2010 From: javedmasoo at gmail.com (Javed) Date: Fri, 10 Dec 2010 12:50:11 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] "Hindutva far bigger threat than al-Qaeda" - wikileaks In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Dear Jhuma Yes the language does look a bit fake. But the Guardian story also says that "But the real cables do contain allegations of Indian support for Baloch separatists, largely sourced to British intelligence assessments." There are possibilities that the US govt. will try to prove many things mentioned in WikiLeaks fake or rumour - they can go to any extreme. J On Fri, Dec 10, 2010 at 12:39 PM, Jhuma Sen wrote: > This is possibly a fake > news. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/09/pakistani-newspaper-fake-leaks-india > > On Thu, Dec 9, 2010 at 11:05 PM, Javed wrote: >> >> WikiLeaks reveals Indian involvement in Balochistan, Waziristan >> Thursday, 09 December 2010 04:49 Ahsan Waheed >> >> WikiLeaks reveals Indian involvement in Balochistan, WaziristanIndian >> Army generals in bed with Hindutva Brotherhood; extremism and >> incompetency highlights Indian Army top brass, Gen Kapoor a 'geek' >> while Gen Singh 'petulant braggadocio'; Concern over security of >> India's nuclear assets, more than 80% of Indian assets and missiles in >> Naxalite-infested areas; Hemant Karkare seeked security assurances >> from US diplomats; Hindutva organizations - Sangh Parivar and Shiv >> Sena - more dangerous than Taliban, Al-Qaeda, LeT combined; US should >> not hold military drills with India because of human rights violations >> in Occupied Kashmir; ISI not involved in any terrorist activity in >> India; >> >> A cable from US Embassy in Islamabad leaked by whistle-blower website >> WikiLeaks disclosed that there were enough evidences of Indian >> involvement in Waziristan and other tribal areas of Pakistan as well >> as Balochistan. >> >> The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Ahmed Shuja Pasha’s >> extension in services was termed as a good omen in one such cable and >> it was added that his further presence on the scene would enhance the >> agency’s abilities to combat anti-terror war. The cable confirmed the >> active presence of ISI in India but it refused to confirm any >> involvement of ISI in any terror incident across India and did confirm >> intelligence collection by its agents and operatives. >> >> An earlier cable ruled out any direct or indirect involvement of ISI >> in 26/11 under Pasha’s command while Mumbai’s dossier, based on prime >> accused Ajmal Kasab’s confessional statement was termed funny and >> “shockingly immature”. >> >> Leaked cable terms ex-Indian army chief 'a geek' >> >> WikiLeaks revealed that a cable sent from a US mission in India termed >> former Indian Army chief General Deepak Kapoor as an incompetent >> combat leader and rather a geek. >> >> His war doctrine, suggesting eliminating China and Pakistan in a >> simultaneous war front was termed as “much far from reality”. Another >> cable indicates that General Kapoor was dubbed as a general who was >> least bothered about security challenges to the country but was more >> concerned about making personal assets and strengthening his own cult >> in the army. The cable also suggested that a tug-of-war between Kapoor >> and the current Indian Army chief had divided the Indian Army into two >> groups. >> >> Gen Singh called an egotist, self-obsessed, petulant >> >> General Singh has also been described as “Pakistan, China centric”, >> with an added aggression towards China. The cable mentioned General >> Singh as an egotist, self-obsessed, petulant and idiosyncratic >> general, a braggadocio and a show-off, who has been disliked (and >> barely tolerated) by all his subordinates. >> >> Indian Army committed gross human rights violations in Occupied Kashmir >> >> An earlier cable described Indian Army involved in gross human rights >> violations in Indian-held Kashmir while some Lt Gen HS Panag, the then >> GOC-in-Chief of the Northern Command of the Indian Army, was equated >> with General Milosevic of Bosnia with regard to butchering Muslims >> through war crimes. >> >> The cable urged Washington to secretly divert UN attention towards the >> genocide of innocent civilians in held Kashmir at the hands of Indian >> Army and also suggested that US should avoid holding any joint drill >> with Indian Army until it stops inhuman activities in Kashmir. The >> cable termed one Lt Col AK Mathur as “devil’s advocate” at Srinagar. >> >> Hindutva Brotherhood far bigger threat than Taliban, al-Qaeda, LeT >> >> Another cable indicated involvement of top Indian Army leadership in >> engaging Hindu extremist militants to carry out certain terror >> operations to keep Indian Muslims on the back foot and to keep >> pressure on neighbouring Pakistan’s Army and intelligence agencies, >> particularly the Inter-Services Intelligence. >> >> Another cable confirmed that there was a nexus of top Indian Army >> officials and extremist Hindu outfits. This cable suggested that an >> Indian police officer, a counter-terror specialist with the name of >> Hemant Karkare, had exposed this nexus to some extent when he arrested >> a serving colonel of Indian army, Lt Colonel Purohit, for blazing a >> Pakistan bound train (Samjhota Express). >> >> The cable suggested that Hemant Karkare held a secret meeting with a >> senior US diplomat in New Delhi during the national day reception of a >> friendly country and briefed him about the gravity and the growing >> depth of the nexus between top Indian Army leadership and the militant >> Hindu fanatic groups. Karkare sought security for him and his family >> from the said American diplomat as he feared that the army and >> establishment would eliminate him as he intended to move further to >> expose the network. He had further briefed the said US diplomat that a >> former commander-in-chief of the Central Command of the Indian army, >> Lt Gen PN Hoon, was heading the militancy wing of the Hindu extremists >> and was getting full tactical, logistic and financial support from >> senior army officers. The day, Karkare was eliminated in a pre-planned >> ambush during the Mumbai attacks, a cable sent to the US read “we have >> lost an important link and a vital evidence”. >> >> Another cable sent to Washington termed Hindutva brotherhood in >> general and Shiv Sena in particular, as ticking time bombs with regard >> to militancy and terrorism. It was suggested that fundraisers like >> Hindu Students Council of America etc should be banned to raise funds >> as they were generating funds for the Hindu militant outfits under the >> garb of charity. Another file dubs Hindutva Brotherhood as a far >> bigger threat to regional and global peace than Taliban, al-Qaeda and >> LeT and the later three were declared as “peanuts” if equated with >> Hindutva Brotherhood and Sangh Parivaar and Washington was urged to >> take up the issue with New Delhi. >> >> Grave concern over India's nuclear assets and nuclear security >> >> Another cable expressed grave concern over the Indian government’s >> ability to handle Naxal insurgency movement as 80 per cent of Indian >> nuclear and missile facilities were present in the insurgency hit >> areas of India while the Indian security forces were totally helpless >> in ensuring the writ of the government in that particular area, known >> as the “Red Corridor of India”. >> >> Israeli general wanted to attack Iran, Syria nuclear facilities >> >> A cable sent from Israel described the then Israeli Military >> Intelligence chief, Major General Amos Yadlin as an aggressive >> general. He was quoted in the cable as a dire seeker of “annihilation” >> of Islamic Republic of Iran. In a meeting with an American diplomat, >> General Yadlin dubbed Iranian, Syrian and Hezbollah’s weapons as >> “tools of terrorism” and not war weapons. He also showed immense >> eagerness to attack Syrian nuclear facilities. >> >> General Yadlin also told American diplomat that timeframe of Iran >> nuclear weapons preparation and timeframe to attack Iran were to be >> totally different issues. He also differed with Americans over the >> ability of Iran to prepare nuclear weapons and instead said that Iran >> had sufficient enriched uranium to manufacture a single nuclear device >> and may soon have enough for making another bomb. >> >> Iran is busy setting up two new nuclear installations, Yadlin told the >> US diplomat adding that M-I has indications that work has began on the >> installations, but did not comment on the sources. Yadlin, who was >> later-on replaced by Brigadier General Aviv Kochav, also spoke of Iran >> as the greatest threat facing Israel, not only in the nuclear respect. >> “Iran is sending its long arms to aid anyone who is working against >> Israel,” Yadlin said. “Such assessments are undoubtedly weighing on >> Prime Minister Netanyahu’s mind as he considers the possible need for >> an Israeli pre-emptive strike on Iran,” the cable said. >> >> Mossad chief Meir Dagan very proudly told Americans that his special >> team had eliminated Hamas top military strategist Izzadin Sheikh >> Khalil through a terror plot. The cable informed Washington that in >> fact Dagan had established a number of “hit teams” through which he >> was getting engaged in non-intelligence operations and also used these >> hit men for certain personal vendettas as well. >> >> Dagan, in a meeting with US Under Secretary of State for Political >> Affairs, William Burns, proposed Americans a five point agenda to fix >> Iran. The focus of the agenda was to change the regime at Tehran and >> to launch an ethnic movement throughout Iran to destabilise the >> country before launching the final attack. >> >> Karzai patron-in-chief of Afghan drug mafia >> >> A cable from Kabul termed Afghan President as the “patron-in-chief” of >> the Afghan drug mafia. The cable, citing certain verified UNODC >> figures, stated that Karzai was living at the mercy of Afghan warlords >> who, with the passage of time, had transformed into drug lords. The >> cable stated that there was an annual drug trade of 3 trillion dollars >> from Pakistan while the Karzai administration was keeping mum over the >> same. >> >> Another cable stated that Indian involvement in Afghanistan was >> increasing considerably and all was going on with the consent and >> knowledge of President Karzai and his administration. The cable >> further reads that growing Indian influence and presence in >> Afghanistan was focused towards Pakistan and China, both >> simultaneously. >> >> Saudia Arabia planned anti-Hezbollah force >> >> Saudi Arabia proposed setting up an Arab force to fight Hezbollah >> militants in Lebanon with the help of the US, UN and Nato, according >> to a leaked document. In a meeting in May 2008 with a US diplomat in >> Iraq, David Satterfield, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said a >> “security response” was needed to the “military challenge” posed to >> Beirut by the Iran-backed militants. >> >> The Saudi prince feared a Hezbollah victory against the Lebanese >> government, led by then prime minister Fuad Siniora, would eventually >> lead to Iran’s takeover of the country. >> >> There was a need for an “Arab force” to create and maintain order in >> and around Beirut, he argued, saying the Lebanese army was “too >> fragile to bear more pressure,” according to the cable from the US >> embassy in Riyadh. >> >> Such a force would be aided by UNIFIL troops deployed in southern >> Lebanon, while the “US and Nato would need to provide movement and >> logistic support, as well as naval and air cover,” the cable added. >> >> Saudis killed Yemeni civilians in border war >> >> According to a leaked document, Saudi armed forces killed Yemeni >> civilians when fighting Shia rebels in a brief border war despite >> assurances that only rebel targets were hit. >> >> Saudi Arabia fought Yemeni rebels for several months in a border war >> that ended with a ceasefire in February. >> >> In public statements during the fighting, Saudi Arabia said that only >> rebel positions in the border area were attacked. But the leaked >> cables suggest civilians died. >> >> “Obviously some civilians died, though we wish that this did not >> happen,” the prince, who is also assistant defence minister, said in >> the meeting requested by the ambassador to relay US concerns about >> civilian casualties in the conflict. >> >> Prince Khaled confirmed that Saudi forces hit a building the United >> States believed to be a clinic but the Saudis thought it was being >> used as a base by rebels. He also said the Yemeni military had helped >> recommend rebel targets, the cable said.The Saudi military used >> “massively disproportionate force” in a campaign last year against >> guerrillas seen by the army as “embarrassingly long,” according to >> another leaked cable. >> >> “Day and night aerial bombardment and artillery shelling have been the >> main instruments of what is increasingly regarded within the Saudi >> military as an embarrassingly long campaign,” said the memo from the >> US embassy in Riyadh. The three-month operation against the lightly >> armed Huthi guerrillas on the border areas with Yemen was also seen as >> “poorly planned and executed” and “brought unexpectedly high Saudi >> casualties”. >> >> “Nonetheless, the conflict has been carefully spun as a heroic and >> successful struggle to protect Saudi sovereignty,” the memo added. >> >> Britain faced Libya threats over Lockerbie bomber >> >> Britain faced threats from Libya of dire consequences if the ailing >> Lockerbie bomber died in a Scottish prison. Threats included the >> cessation of all British commercial activity in Libya and >> demonstrations against British facilities, as well as suggestions >> Britons in the country could be put at risk, according to the cables. >> >> And despite London’s attempts to publicly distance itself from the >> decision to release Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet al-Megrahi — which was made >> by the devolved Scottish government — the cables show enormous British >> relief at the move. >> >> Libyan officials warned their British counterparts that “consequences >> for the UK-Libya bilateral relationship would be dire were al-Megrahi >> to die in Scottish prison,” read one dispatch from the US ambassador >> to Tripoli in January 2009. >> >> And if Washington publicly opposed the release, “the US Embassy and >> private Americans in Libya could face similar consequences,” read the >> cable from the ambassador, Gene A Cretz. >> >> Megrahi was the only person ever convicted over the 1988 bombing of a >> Pan Am Jumbo jet over Lockerbie, Scotland, which killed 270 people, >> most of them US nationals. He was released in August, 2009, on >> compassionate grounds after doctors diagnosed him with prostate cancer >> and gave him just three months to live, sparking outrage in the United >> States. More than a year later he remains alive in Tripoli, however, >> renewing anger in the US. >> >> One cable showed Britain’s then justice minister, Jack Straw, told US >> diplomats that although Megrahi might have up to five years to live, >> the Scottish government appeared inclined to release him. “Megrahi >> could have as long as five years to live,” said the correspondence, >> cited in Britain’s Guardian newspaper. >> >> Article Source: >> >> http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=2549&Cat=13 >> _________________________________________ >> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >> Critiques & Collaborations >> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with >> 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 shwetatewari28 at gmail.com Fri Dec 10 13:04:12 2010 From: shwetatewari28 at gmail.com (shweta tewari) Date: Fri, 10 Dec 2010 13:04:12 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Words of Women at Habitat with Uma Chakravarti Message-ID: [image: invite_uma.jpg] From sadiyahalimakhan at gmail.com Fri Dec 10 13:29:55 2010 From: sadiyahalimakhan at gmail.com (Sadiya H) Date: Fri, 10 Dec 2010 13:29:55 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] "Hindutva far bigger threat than al-Qaeda" - wikileaks In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: These are fake wikileaks doing rounds in Pakistan. They have already been tapped and wikileaks is shutting off all mirror sites. Please verify the stories before putting them up because we all know we don't live in good times. Little miscommunication can cost us dearly. The news on fake leaks found have already been declared. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Pakistan-papers-apologise-after-running-anti-India-fake-WikiLeaks-cables/articleshow/7075670.cms http://blogs.outlookindia.com/default.aspx?ddm=10&pid=2401&eid=5 http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/12/09/pakistani_media_published_fake_wikileaks_scoops http://www.deccanchronicle.com/international/pakistan-papers-publish-fake-wikileaks-cables-against-india-683 http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thecutline/20101209/tc_yblog_thecutline/in-pakistan-media-publishes-fake-cables-protest-for-assange It would be great if those who got drawn with the flow, clear the air for others as well. Sadia Halima On Fri, Dec 10, 2010 at 12:35 PM, Javed wrote: > WikiLeaks reveals Indian involvement in Balochistan, Waziristan > Thursday, 09 December 2010 04:49 Ahsan Waheed > > WikiLeaks reveals Indian involvement in Balochistan, WaziristanIndian > Army generals in bed with Hindutva Brotherhood; extremism and > incompetency highlights Indian Army top brass, Gen Kapoor a 'geek' > while Gen Singh 'petulant braggadocio'; Concern over security of > India's nuclear assets, more than 80% of Indian assets and missiles in > Naxalite-infested areas; Hemant Karkare seeked security assurances > from US diplomats; Hindutva organizations - Sangh Parivar and Shiv > Sena - more dangerous than Taliban, Al-Qaeda, LeT combined; US should > not hold military drills with India because of human rights violations > in Occupied Kashmir; ISI not involved in any terrorist activity in > India; > > A cable from US Embassy in Islamabad leaked by whistle-blower website > WikiLeaks disclosed that there were enough evidences of Indian > involvement in Waziristan and other tribal areas of Pakistan as well > as Balochistan. > > The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Ahmed Shuja Pasha’s > extension in services was termed as a good omen in one such cable and > it was added that his further presence on the scene would enhance the > agency’s abilities to combat anti-terror war. The cable confirmed the > active presence of ISI in India but it refused to confirm any > involvement of ISI in any terror incident across India and did confirm > intelligence collection by its agents and operatives. > > An earlier cable ruled out any direct or indirect involvement of ISI > in 26/11 under Pasha’s command while Mumbai’s dossier, based on prime > accused Ajmal Kasab’s confessional statement was termed funny and > “shockingly immature”. > > Leaked cable terms ex-Indian army chief 'a geek' > > WikiLeaks revealed that a cable sent from a US mission in India termed > former Indian Army chief General Deepak Kapoor as an incompetent > combat leader and rather a geek. > > His war doctrine, suggesting eliminating China and Pakistan in a > simultaneous war front was termed as “much far from reality”. Another > cable indicates that General Kapoor was dubbed as a general who was > least bothered about security challenges to the country but was more > concerned about making personal assets and strengthening his own cult > in the army. The cable also suggested that a tug-of-war between Kapoor > and the current Indian Army chief had divided the Indian Army into two > groups. > > Gen Singh called an egotist, self-obsessed, petulant > > General Singh has also been described as “Pakistan, China centric”, > with an added aggression towards China. The cable mentioned General > Singh as an egotist, self-obsessed, petulant and idiosyncratic > general, a braggadocio and a show-off, who has been disliked (and > barely tolerated) by all his subordinates. > > Indian Army committed gross human rights violations in Occupied Kashmir > > An earlier cable described Indian Army involved in gross human rights > violations in Indian-held Kashmir while some Lt Gen HS Panag, the then > GOC-in-Chief of the Northern Command of the Indian Army, was equated > with General Milosevic of Bosnia with regard to butchering Muslims > through war crimes. > > The cable urged Washington to secretly divert UN attention towards the > genocide of innocent civilians in held Kashmir at the hands of Indian > Army and also suggested that US should avoid holding any joint drill > with Indian Army until it stops inhuman activities in Kashmir. The > cable termed one Lt Col AK Mathur as “devil’s advocate” at Srinagar. > > Hindutva Brotherhood far bigger threat than Taliban, al-Qaeda, LeT > > Another cable indicated involvement of top Indian Army leadership in > engaging Hindu extremist militants to carry out certain terror > operations to keep Indian Muslims on the back foot and to keep > pressure on neighbouring Pakistan’s Army and intelligence agencies, > particularly the Inter-Services Intelligence. > > Another cable confirmed that there was a nexus of top Indian Army > officials and extremist Hindu outfits. This cable suggested that an > Indian police officer, a counter-terror specialist with the name of > Hemant Karkare, had exposed this nexus to some extent when he arrested > a serving colonel of Indian army, Lt Colonel Purohit, for blazing a > Pakistan bound train (Samjhota Express). > > The cable suggested that Hemant Karkare held a secret meeting with a > senior US diplomat in New Delhi during the national day reception of a > friendly country and briefed him about the gravity and the growing > depth of the nexus between top Indian Army leadership and the militant > Hindu fanatic groups. Karkare sought security for him and his family > from the said American diplomat as he feared that the army and > establishment would eliminate him as he intended to move further to > expose the network. He had further briefed the said US diplomat that a > former commander-in-chief of the Central Command of the Indian army, > Lt Gen PN Hoon, was heading the militancy wing of the Hindu extremists > and was getting full tactical, logistic and financial support from > senior army officers. The day, Karkare was eliminated in a pre-planned > ambush during the Mumbai attacks, a cable sent to the US read “we have > lost an important link and a vital evidence”. > > Another cable sent to Washington termed Hindutva brotherhood in > general and Shiv Sena in particular, as ticking time bombs with regard > to militancy and terrorism. It was suggested that fundraisers like > Hindu Students Council of America etc should be banned to raise funds > as they were generating funds for the Hindu militant outfits under the > garb of charity. Another file dubs Hindutva Brotherhood as a far > bigger threat to regional and global peace than Taliban, al-Qaeda and > LeT and the later three were declared as “peanuts” if equated with > Hindutva Brotherhood and Sangh Parivaar and Washington was urged to > take up the issue with New Delhi. > > Grave concern over India's nuclear assets and nuclear security > > Another cable expressed grave concern over the Indian government’s > ability to handle Naxal insurgency movement as 80 per cent of Indian > nuclear and missile facilities were present in the insurgency hit > areas of India while the Indian security forces were totally helpless > in ensuring the writ of the government in that particular area, known > as the “Red Corridor of India”. > > Israeli general wanted to attack Iran, Syria nuclear facilities > > A cable sent from Israel described the then Israeli Military > Intelligence chief, Major General Amos Yadlin as an aggressive > general. He was quoted in the cable as a dire seeker of “annihilation” > of Islamic Republic of Iran. In a meeting with an American diplomat, > General Yadlin dubbed Iranian, Syrian and Hezbollah’s weapons as > “tools of terrorism” and not war weapons. He also showed immense > eagerness to attack Syrian nuclear facilities. > > General Yadlin also told American diplomat that timeframe of Iran > nuclear weapons preparation and timeframe to attack Iran were to be > totally different issues. He also differed with Americans over the > ability of Iran to prepare nuclear weapons and instead said that Iran > had sufficient enriched uranium to manufacture a single nuclear device > and may soon have enough for making another bomb. > > Iran is busy setting up two new nuclear installations, Yadlin told the > US diplomat adding that M-I has indications that work has began on the > installations, but did not comment on the sources. Yadlin, who was > later-on replaced by Brigadier General Aviv Kochav, also spoke of Iran > as the greatest threat facing Israel, not only in the nuclear respect. > “Iran is sending its long arms to aid anyone who is working against > Israel,” Yadlin said. “Such assessments are undoubtedly weighing on > Prime Minister Netanyahu’s mind as he considers the possible need for > an Israeli pre-emptive strike on Iran,” the cable said. > > Mossad chief Meir Dagan very proudly told Americans that his special > team had eliminated Hamas top military strategist Izzadin Sheikh > Khalil through a terror plot. The cable informed Washington that in > fact Dagan had established a number of “hit teams” through which he > was getting engaged in non-intelligence operations and also used these > hit men for certain personal vendettas as well. > > Dagan, in a meeting with US Under Secretary of State for Political > Affairs, William Burns, proposed Americans a five point agenda to fix > Iran. The focus of the agenda was to change the regime at Tehran and > to launch an ethnic movement throughout Iran to destabilise the > country before launching the final attack. > > Karzai patron-in-chief of Afghan drug mafia > > A cable from Kabul termed Afghan President as the “patron-in-chief” of > the Afghan drug mafia. The cable, citing certain verified UNODC > figures, stated that Karzai was living at the mercy of Afghan warlords > who, with the passage of time, had transformed into drug lords. The > cable stated that there was an annual drug trade of 3 trillion dollars > from Pakistan while the Karzai administration was keeping mum over the > same. > > Another cable stated that Indian involvement in Afghanistan was > increasing considerably and all was going on with the consent and > knowledge of President Karzai and his administration. The cable > further reads that growing Indian influence and presence in > Afghanistan was focused towards Pakistan and China, both > simultaneously. > > Saudia Arabia planned anti-Hezbollah force > > Saudi Arabia proposed setting up an Arab force to fight Hezbollah > militants in Lebanon with the help of the US, UN and Nato, according > to a leaked document. In a meeting in May 2008 with a US diplomat in > Iraq, David Satterfield, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said a > “security response” was needed to the “military challenge” posed to > Beirut by the Iran-backed militants. > > The Saudi prince feared a Hezbollah victory against the Lebanese > government, led by then prime minister Fuad Siniora, would eventually > lead to Iran’s takeover of the country. > > There was a need for an “Arab force” to create and maintain order in > and around Beirut, he argued, saying the Lebanese army was “too > fragile to bear more pressure,” according to the cable from the US > embassy in Riyadh. > > Such a force would be aided by UNIFIL troops deployed in southern > Lebanon, while the “US and Nato would need to provide movement and > logistic support, as well as naval and air cover,” the cable added. > > Saudis killed Yemeni civilians in border war > > According to a leaked document, Saudi armed forces killed Yemeni > civilians when fighting Shia rebels in a brief border war despite > assurances that only rebel targets were hit. > > Saudi Arabia fought Yemeni rebels for several months in a border war > that ended with a ceasefire in February. > > In public statements during the fighting, Saudi Arabia said that only > rebel positions in the border area were attacked. But the leaked > cables suggest civilians died. > > “Obviously some civilians died, though we wish that this did not > happen,” the prince, who is also assistant defence minister, said in > the meeting requested by the ambassador to relay US concerns about > civilian casualties in the conflict. > > Prince Khaled confirmed that Saudi forces hit a building the United > States believed to be a clinic but the Saudis thought it was being > used as a base by rebels. He also said the Yemeni military had helped > recommend rebel targets, the cable said.The Saudi military used > “massively disproportionate force” in a campaign last year against > guerrillas seen by the army as “embarrassingly long,” according to > another leaked cable. > > “Day and night aerial bombardment and artillery shelling have been the > main instruments of what is increasingly regarded within the Saudi > military as an embarrassingly long campaign,” said the memo from the > US embassy in Riyadh. The three-month operation against the lightly > armed Huthi guerrillas on the border areas with Yemen was also seen as > “poorly planned and executed” and “brought unexpectedly high Saudi > casualties”. > > “Nonetheless, the conflict has been carefully spun as a heroic and > successful struggle to protect Saudi sovereignty,” the memo added. > > Britain faced Libya threats over Lockerbie bomber > > Britain faced threats from Libya of dire consequences if the ailing > Lockerbie bomber died in a Scottish prison. Threats included the > cessation of all British commercial activity in Libya and > demonstrations against British facilities, as well as suggestions > Britons in the country could be put at risk, according to the cables. > > And despite London’s attempts to publicly distance itself from the > decision to release Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet al-Megrahi — which was made > by the devolved Scottish government — the cables show enormous British > relief at the move. > > Libyan officials warned their British counterparts that “consequences > for the UK-Libya bilateral relationship would be dire were al-Megrahi > to die in Scottish prison,” read one dispatch from the US ambassador > to Tripoli in January 2009. > > And if Washington publicly opposed the release, “the US Embassy and > private Americans in Libya could face similar consequences,” read the > cable from the ambassador, Gene A Cretz. > > Megrahi was the only person ever convicted over the 1988 bombing of a > Pan Am Jumbo jet over Lockerbie, Scotland, which killed 270 people, > most of them US nationals. He was released in August, 2009, on > compassionate grounds after doctors diagnosed him with prostate cancer > and gave him just three months to live, sparking outrage in the United > States. More than a year later he remains alive in Tripoli, however, > renewing anger in the US. > > One cable showed Britain’s then justice minister, Jack Straw, told US > diplomats that although Megrahi might have up to five years to live, > the Scottish government appeared inclined to release him. “Megrahi > could have as long as five years to live,” said the correspondence, > cited in Britain’s Guardian newspaper. > > Article Source: > > http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=2549&Cat=13 > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > 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 shwetatewari28 at gmail.com Fri Dec 10 13:30:39 2010 From: shwetatewari28 at gmail.com (shweta tewari) Date: Fri, 10 Dec 2010 13:30:39 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Words of Women @ Habitat with Uma Chakravarti Message-ID: Zubaan* *and* *India Habitat Centre present *Words of Women* *A Quiet Little Entry* - *a film by Uma Chakravarti* Based on *Fragments of a Life: A Family Archive* by Mythili Sivaraman Is there a history outside the framework of power? Can we retrieve ordinary women from the place they have been consigned to in histories obsessed with the successful stories of men? What does history look like from the point of view of the experiences of women? How can we reconstruct the lives of women who leave behind only fragments of themselves in ways that historians do not consider worthy ‘documents’? Duration: 44 minutes; Language: English *Time*: 7 pm, 14th December 2010 *Venue*: Casuarina, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi From rajkamalgoswami at gmail.com Fri Dec 10 14:15:23 2010 From: rajkamalgoswami at gmail.com (Rajkamal Goswami) Date: Fri, 10 Dec 2010 14:15:23 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] "Hindutva far bigger threat than al-Qaeda" - wikileaks In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Dear Javed, Thanks for sharing this piece of news. Thanks for exposing the lengths that a few players are willing to scale to malign India and Hinduism. Thanks for exposing your own collision with such players and such agenda. http://www.rediff.com/news/slide-show/slide-show-1-how-pak-media-used-wikileaks-for-india-bashing/20101210.htm Thanks indeed! Rajkamal On Fri, Dec 10, 2010 at 1:29 PM, Sadiya H wrote: > These are fake wikileaks doing rounds in Pakistan. They have already been > tapped and wikileaks is shutting off all mirror sites. > Please verify the stories before putting them up because we all know we > don't live in good times. Little miscommunication can cost us dearly. The > news on fake leaks found have already been declared. > > > http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Pakistan-papers-apologise-after-running-anti-India-fake-WikiLeaks-cables/articleshow/7075670.cms > > > http://blogs.outlookindia.com/default.aspx?ddm=10&pid=2401&eid=5 > > > http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/12/09/pakistani_media_published_fake_wikileaks_scoops > > > http://www.deccanchronicle.com/international/pakistan-papers-publish-fake-wikileaks-cables-against-india-683 > > > http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thecutline/20101209/tc_yblog_thecutline/in-pakistan-media-publishes-fake-cables-protest-for-assange > > > > It would be great if those who got drawn with the flow, clear the air for > others as well. > > Sadia Halima > > > On Fri, Dec 10, 2010 at 12:35 PM, Javed wrote: > > > WikiLeaks reveals Indian involvement in Balochistan, Waziristan > > Thursday, 09 December 2010 04:49 Ahsan Waheed > > > > WikiLeaks reveals Indian involvement in Balochistan, WaziristanIndian > > Army generals in bed with Hindutva Brotherhood; extremism and > > incompetency highlights Indian Army top brass, Gen Kapoor a 'geek' > > while Gen Singh 'petulant braggadocio'; Concern over security of > > India's nuclear assets, more than 80% of Indian assets and missiles in > > Naxalite-infested areas; Hemant Karkare seeked security assurances > > from US diplomats; Hindutva organizations - Sangh Parivar and Shiv > > Sena - more dangerous than Taliban, Al-Qaeda, LeT combined; US should > > not hold military drills with India because of human rights violations > > in Occupied Kashmir; ISI not involved in any terrorist activity in > > India; > > > > A cable from US Embassy in Islamabad leaked by whistle-blower website > > WikiLeaks disclosed that there were enough evidences of Indian > > involvement in Waziristan and other tribal areas of Pakistan as well > > as Balochistan. > > > > The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Ahmed Shuja Pasha’s > > extension in services was termed as a good omen in one such cable and > > it was added that his further presence on the scene would enhance the > > agency’s abilities to combat anti-terror war. The cable confirmed the > > active presence of ISI in India but it refused to confirm any > > involvement of ISI in any terror incident across India and did confirm > > intelligence collection by its agents and operatives. > > > > An earlier cable ruled out any direct or indirect involvement of ISI > > in 26/11 under Pasha’s command while Mumbai’s dossier, based on prime > > accused Ajmal Kasab’s confessional statement was termed funny and > > “shockingly immature”. > > > > Leaked cable terms ex-Indian army chief 'a geek' > > > > WikiLeaks revealed that a cable sent from a US mission in India termed > > former Indian Army chief General Deepak Kapoor as an incompetent > > combat leader and rather a geek. > > > > His war doctrine, suggesting eliminating China and Pakistan in a > > simultaneous war front was termed as “much far from reality”. Another > > cable indicates that General Kapoor was dubbed as a general who was > > least bothered about security challenges to the country but was more > > concerned about making personal assets and strengthening his own cult > > in the army. The cable also suggested that a tug-of-war between Kapoor > > and the current Indian Army chief had divided the Indian Army into two > > groups. > > > > Gen Singh called an egotist, self-obsessed, petulant > > > > General Singh has also been described as “Pakistan, China centric”, > > with an added aggression towards China. The cable mentioned General > > Singh as an egotist, self-obsessed, petulant and idiosyncratic > > general, a braggadocio and a show-off, who has been disliked (and > > barely tolerated) by all his subordinates. > > > > Indian Army committed gross human rights violations in Occupied Kashmir > > > > An earlier cable described Indian Army involved in gross human rights > > violations in Indian-held Kashmir while some Lt Gen HS Panag, the then > > GOC-in-Chief of the Northern Command of the Indian Army, was equated > > with General Milosevic of Bosnia with regard to butchering Muslims > > through war crimes. > > > > The cable urged Washington to secretly divert UN attention towards the > > genocide of innocent civilians in held Kashmir at the hands of Indian > > Army and also suggested that US should avoid holding any joint drill > > with Indian Army until it stops inhuman activities in Kashmir. The > > cable termed one Lt Col AK Mathur as “devil’s advocate” at Srinagar. > > > > Hindutva Brotherhood far bigger threat than Taliban, al-Qaeda, LeT > > > > Another cable indicated involvement of top Indian Army leadership in > > engaging Hindu extremist militants to carry out certain terror > > operations to keep Indian Muslims on the back foot and to keep > > pressure on neighbouring Pakistan’s Army and intelligence agencies, > > particularly the Inter-Services Intelligence. > > > > Another cable confirmed that there was a nexus of top Indian Army > > officials and extremist Hindu outfits. This cable suggested that an > > Indian police officer, a counter-terror specialist with the name of > > Hemant Karkare, had exposed this nexus to some extent when he arrested > > a serving colonel of Indian army, Lt Colonel Purohit, for blazing a > > Pakistan bound train (Samjhota Express). > > > > The cable suggested that Hemant Karkare held a secret meeting with a > > senior US diplomat in New Delhi during the national day reception of a > > friendly country and briefed him about the gravity and the growing > > depth of the nexus between top Indian Army leadership and the militant > > Hindu fanatic groups. Karkare sought security for him and his family > > from the said American diplomat as he feared that the army and > > establishment would eliminate him as he intended to move further to > > expose the network. He had further briefed the said US diplomat that a > > former commander-in-chief of the Central Command of the Indian army, > > Lt Gen PN Hoon, was heading the militancy wing of the Hindu extremists > > and was getting full tactical, logistic and financial support from > > senior army officers. The day, Karkare was eliminated in a pre-planned > > ambush during the Mumbai attacks, a cable sent to the US read “we have > > lost an important link and a vital evidence”. > > > > Another cable sent to Washington termed Hindutva brotherhood in > > general and Shiv Sena in particular, as ticking time bombs with regard > > to militancy and terrorism. It was suggested that fundraisers like > > Hindu Students Council of America etc should be banned to raise funds > > as they were generating funds for the Hindu militant outfits under the > > garb of charity. Another file dubs Hindutva Brotherhood as a far > > bigger threat to regional and global peace than Taliban, al-Qaeda and > > LeT and the later three were declared as “peanuts” if equated with > > Hindutva Brotherhood and Sangh Parivaar and Washington was urged to > > take up the issue with New Delhi. > > > > Grave concern over India's nuclear assets and nuclear security > > > > Another cable expressed grave concern over the Indian government’s > > ability to handle Naxal insurgency movement as 80 per cent of Indian > > nuclear and missile facilities were present in the insurgency hit > > areas of India while the Indian security forces were totally helpless > > in ensuring the writ of the government in that particular area, known > > as the “Red Corridor of India”. > > > > Israeli general wanted to attack Iran, Syria nuclear facilities > > > > A cable sent from Israel described the then Israeli Military > > Intelligence chief, Major General Amos Yadlin as an aggressive > > general. He was quoted in the cable as a dire seeker of “annihilation” > > of Islamic Republic of Iran. In a meeting with an American diplomat, > > General Yadlin dubbed Iranian, Syrian and Hezbollah’s weapons as > > “tools of terrorism” and not war weapons. He also showed immense > > eagerness to attack Syrian nuclear facilities. > > > > General Yadlin also told American diplomat that timeframe of Iran > > nuclear weapons preparation and timeframe to attack Iran were to be > > totally different issues. He also differed with Americans over the > > ability of Iran to prepare nuclear weapons and instead said that Iran > > had sufficient enriched uranium to manufacture a single nuclear device > > and may soon have enough for making another bomb. > > > > Iran is busy setting up two new nuclear installations, Yadlin told the > > US diplomat adding that M-I has indications that work has began on the > > installations, but did not comment on the sources. Yadlin, who was > > later-on replaced by Brigadier General Aviv Kochav, also spoke of Iran > > as the greatest threat facing Israel, not only in the nuclear respect. > > “Iran is sending its long arms to aid anyone who is working against > > Israel,” Yadlin said. “Such assessments are undoubtedly weighing on > > Prime Minister Netanyahu’s mind as he considers the possible need for > > an Israeli pre-emptive strike on Iran,” the cable said. > > > > Mossad chief Meir Dagan very proudly told Americans that his special > > team had eliminated Hamas top military strategist Izzadin Sheikh > > Khalil through a terror plot. The cable informed Washington that in > > fact Dagan had established a number of “hit teams” through which he > > was getting engaged in non-intelligence operations and also used these > > hit men for certain personal vendettas as well. > > > > Dagan, in a meeting with US Under Secretary of State for Political > > Affairs, William Burns, proposed Americans a five point agenda to fix > > Iran. The focus of the agenda was to change the regime at Tehran and > > to launch an ethnic movement throughout Iran to destabilise the > > country before launching the final attack. > > > > Karzai patron-in-chief of Afghan drug mafia > > > > A cable from Kabul termed Afghan President as the “patron-in-chief” of > > the Afghan drug mafia. The cable, citing certain verified UNODC > > figures, stated that Karzai was living at the mercy of Afghan warlords > > who, with the passage of time, had transformed into drug lords. The > > cable stated that there was an annual drug trade of 3 trillion dollars > > from Pakistan while the Karzai administration was keeping mum over the > > same. > > > > Another cable stated that Indian involvement in Afghanistan was > > increasing considerably and all was going on with the consent and > > knowledge of President Karzai and his administration. The cable > > further reads that growing Indian influence and presence in > > Afghanistan was focused towards Pakistan and China, both > > simultaneously. > > > > Saudia Arabia planned anti-Hezbollah force > > > > Saudi Arabia proposed setting up an Arab force to fight Hezbollah > > militants in Lebanon with the help of the US, UN and Nato, according > > to a leaked document. In a meeting in May 2008 with a US diplomat in > > Iraq, David Satterfield, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said a > > “security response” was needed to the “military challenge” posed to > > Beirut by the Iran-backed militants. > > > > The Saudi prince feared a Hezbollah victory against the Lebanese > > government, led by then prime minister Fuad Siniora, would eventually > > lead to Iran’s takeover of the country. > > > > There was a need for an “Arab force” to create and maintain order in > > and around Beirut, he argued, saying the Lebanese army was “too > > fragile to bear more pressure,” according to the cable from the US > > embassy in Riyadh. > > > > Such a force would be aided by UNIFIL troops deployed in southern > > Lebanon, while the “US and Nato would need to provide movement and > > logistic support, as well as naval and air cover,” the cable added. > > > > Saudis killed Yemeni civilians in border war > > > > According to a leaked document, Saudi armed forces killed Yemeni > > civilians when fighting Shia rebels in a brief border war despite > > assurances that only rebel targets were hit. > > > > Saudi Arabia fought Yemeni rebels for several months in a border war > > that ended with a ceasefire in February. > > > > In public statements during the fighting, Saudi Arabia said that only > > rebel positions in the border area were attacked. But the leaked > > cables suggest civilians died. > > > > “Obviously some civilians died, though we wish that this did not > > happen,” the prince, who is also assistant defence minister, said in > > the meeting requested by the ambassador to relay US concerns about > > civilian casualties in the conflict. > > > > Prince Khaled confirmed that Saudi forces hit a building the United > > States believed to be a clinic but the Saudis thought it was being > > used as a base by rebels. He also said the Yemeni military had helped > > recommend rebel targets, the cable said.The Saudi military used > > “massively disproportionate force” in a campaign last year against > > guerrillas seen by the army as “embarrassingly long,” according to > > another leaked cable. > > > > “Day and night aerial bombardment and artillery shelling have been the > > main instruments of what is increasingly regarded within the Saudi > > military as an embarrassingly long campaign,” said the memo from the > > US embassy in Riyadh. The three-month operation against the lightly > > armed Huthi guerrillas on the border areas with Yemen was also seen as > > “poorly planned and executed” and “brought unexpectedly high Saudi > > casualties”. > > > > “Nonetheless, the conflict has been carefully spun as a heroic and > > successful struggle to protect Saudi sovereignty,” the memo added. > > > > Britain faced Libya threats over Lockerbie bomber > > > > Britain faced threats from Libya of dire consequences if the ailing > > Lockerbie bomber died in a Scottish prison. Threats included the > > cessation of all British commercial activity in Libya and > > demonstrations against British facilities, as well as suggestions > > Britons in the country could be put at risk, according to the cables. > > > > And despite London’s attempts to publicly distance itself from the > > decision to release Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet al-Megrahi — which was made > > by the devolved Scottish government — the cables show enormous British > > relief at the move. > > > > Libyan officials warned their British counterparts that “consequences > > for the UK-Libya bilateral relationship would be dire were al-Megrahi > > to die in Scottish prison,” read one dispatch from the US ambassador > > to Tripoli in January 2009. > > > > And if Washington publicly opposed the release, “the US Embassy and > > private Americans in Libya could face similar consequences,” read the > > cable from the ambassador, Gene A Cretz. > > > > Megrahi was the only person ever convicted over the 1988 bombing of a > > Pan Am Jumbo jet over Lockerbie, Scotland, which killed 270 people, > > most of them US nationals. He was released in August, 2009, on > > compassionate grounds after doctors diagnosed him with prostate cancer > > and gave him just three months to live, sparking outrage in the United > > States. More than a year later he remains alive in Tripoli, however, > > renewing anger in the US. > > > > One cable showed Britain’s then justice minister, Jack Straw, told US > > diplomats that although Megrahi might have up to five years to live, > > the Scottish government appeared inclined to release him. “Megrahi > > could have as long as five years to live,” said the correspondence, > > cited in Britain’s Guardian newspaper. > > > > Article Source: > > > > http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=2549&Cat=13 > > _________________________________________ > > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > > Critiques & Collaborations > > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > > 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/> > -- Rajkamal From rajkamalgoswami at gmail.com Fri Dec 10 14:20:26 2010 From: rajkamalgoswami at gmail.com (Rajkamal Goswami) Date: Fri, 10 Dec 2010 14:20:26 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] "Hindutva far bigger threat than al-Qaeda" - wikileaks In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Dear all, Please read 'collusion' instead of mis-spelt 'collision' (highlighted) in the mail that I had earlier sent. So that ".......Thanks for exposing your own collision with such players and such agenda." will instead read ".......Thanks for exposing your own collusion with such players and such agenda." Thanks Rajkamal On Fri, Dec 10, 2010 at 2:15 PM, Rajkamal Goswami wrote: > Dear Javed, > > Thanks for sharing this piece of news. Thanks for exposing the lengths that > a few players are willing to scale to malign India and Hinduism. Thanks for > exposing your own collision with such players and such agenda. > > > http://www.rediff.com/news/slide-show/slide-show-1-how-pak-media-used-wikileaks-for-india-bashing/20101210.htm > > Thanks indeed! > Rajkamal > > > > On Fri, Dec 10, 2010 at 1:29 PM, Sadiya H wrote: > >> These are fake wikileaks doing rounds in Pakistan. They have already been >> tapped and wikileaks is shutting off all mirror sites. >> Please verify the stories before putting them up because we all know we >> don't live in good times. Little miscommunication can cost us dearly. The >> news on fake leaks found have already been declared. >> >> >> http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Pakistan-papers-apologise-after-running-anti-India-fake-WikiLeaks-cables/articleshow/7075670.cms >> >> >> http://blogs.outlookindia.com/default.aspx?ddm=10&pid=2401&eid=5 >> >> >> http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/12/09/pakistani_media_published_fake_wikileaks_scoops >> >> >> http://www.deccanchronicle.com/international/pakistan-papers-publish-fake-wikileaks-cables-against-india-683 >> >> >> http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thecutline/20101209/tc_yblog_thecutline/in-pakistan-media-publishes-fake-cables-protest-for-assange >> >> >> >> It would be great if those who got drawn with the flow, clear the air for >> others as well. >> >> Sadia Halima >> >> >> On Fri, Dec 10, 2010 at 12:35 PM, Javed wrote: >> >> > WikiLeaks reveals Indian involvement in Balochistan, Waziristan >> > Thursday, 09 December 2010 04:49 Ahsan Waheed >> > >> > WikiLeaks reveals Indian involvement in Balochistan, WaziristanIndian >> > Army generals in bed with Hindutva Brotherhood; extremism and >> > incompetency highlights Indian Army top brass, Gen Kapoor a 'geek' >> > while Gen Singh 'petulant braggadocio'; Concern over security of >> > India's nuclear assets, more than 80% of Indian assets and missiles in >> > Naxalite-infested areas; Hemant Karkare seeked security assurances >> > from US diplomats; Hindutva organizations - Sangh Parivar and Shiv >> > Sena - more dangerous than Taliban, Al-Qaeda, LeT combined; US should >> > not hold military drills with India because of human rights violations >> > in Occupied Kashmir; ISI not involved in any terrorist activity in >> > India; >> > >> > A cable from US Embassy in Islamabad leaked by whistle-blower website >> > WikiLeaks disclosed that there were enough evidences of Indian >> > involvement in Waziristan and other tribal areas of Pakistan as well >> > as Balochistan. >> > >> > The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Ahmed Shuja Pasha’s >> > extension in services was termed as a good omen in one such cable and >> > it was added that his further presence on the scene would enhance the >> > agency’s abilities to combat anti-terror war. The cable confirmed the >> > active presence of ISI in India but it refused to confirm any >> > involvement of ISI in any terror incident across India and did confirm >> > intelligence collection by its agents and operatives. >> > >> > An earlier cable ruled out any direct or indirect involvement of ISI >> > in 26/11 under Pasha’s command while Mumbai’s dossier, based on prime >> > accused Ajmal Kasab’s confessional statement was termed funny and >> > “shockingly immature”. >> > >> > Leaked cable terms ex-Indian army chief 'a geek' >> > >> > WikiLeaks revealed that a cable sent from a US mission in India termed >> > former Indian Army chief General Deepak Kapoor as an incompetent >> > combat leader and rather a geek. >> > >> > His war doctrine, suggesting eliminating China and Pakistan in a >> > simultaneous war front was termed as “much far from reality”. Another >> > cable indicates that General Kapoor was dubbed as a general who was >> > least bothered about security challenges to the country but was more >> > concerned about making personal assets and strengthening his own cult >> > in the army. The cable also suggested that a tug-of-war between Kapoor >> > and the current Indian Army chief had divided the Indian Army into two >> > groups. >> > >> > Gen Singh called an egotist, self-obsessed, petulant >> > >> > General Singh has also been described as “Pakistan, China centric”, >> > with an added aggression towards China. The cable mentioned General >> > Singh as an egotist, self-obsessed, petulant and idiosyncratic >> > general, a braggadocio and a show-off, who has been disliked (and >> > barely tolerated) by all his subordinates. >> > >> > Indian Army committed gross human rights violations in Occupied Kashmir >> > >> > An earlier cable described Indian Army involved in gross human rights >> > violations in Indian-held Kashmir while some Lt Gen HS Panag, the then >> > GOC-in-Chief of the Northern Command of the Indian Army, was equated >> > with General Milosevic of Bosnia with regard to butchering Muslims >> > through war crimes. >> > >> > The cable urged Washington to secretly divert UN attention towards the >> > genocide of innocent civilians in held Kashmir at the hands of Indian >> > Army and also suggested that US should avoid holding any joint drill >> > with Indian Army until it stops inhuman activities in Kashmir. The >> > cable termed one Lt Col AK Mathur as “devil’s advocate” at Srinagar. >> > >> > Hindutva Brotherhood far bigger threat than Taliban, al-Qaeda, LeT >> > >> > Another cable indicated involvement of top Indian Army leadership in >> > engaging Hindu extremist militants to carry out certain terror >> > operations to keep Indian Muslims on the back foot and to keep >> > pressure on neighbouring Pakistan’s Army and intelligence agencies, >> > particularly the Inter-Services Intelligence. >> > >> > Another cable confirmed that there was a nexus of top Indian Army >> > officials and extremist Hindu outfits. This cable suggested that an >> > Indian police officer, a counter-terror specialist with the name of >> > Hemant Karkare, had exposed this nexus to some extent when he arrested >> > a serving colonel of Indian army, Lt Colonel Purohit, for blazing a >> > Pakistan bound train (Samjhota Express). >> > >> > The cable suggested that Hemant Karkare held a secret meeting with a >> > senior US diplomat in New Delhi during the national day reception of a >> > friendly country and briefed him about the gravity and the growing >> > depth of the nexus between top Indian Army leadership and the militant >> > Hindu fanatic groups. Karkare sought security for him and his family >> > from the said American diplomat as he feared that the army and >> > establishment would eliminate him as he intended to move further to >> > expose the network. He had further briefed the said US diplomat that a >> > former commander-in-chief of the Central Command of the Indian army, >> > Lt Gen PN Hoon, was heading the militancy wing of the Hindu extremists >> > and was getting full tactical, logistic and financial support from >> > senior army officers. The day, Karkare was eliminated in a pre-planned >> > ambush during the Mumbai attacks, a cable sent to the US read “we have >> > lost an important link and a vital evidence”. >> > >> > Another cable sent to Washington termed Hindutva brotherhood in >> > general and Shiv Sena in particular, as ticking time bombs with regard >> > to militancy and terrorism. It was suggested that fundraisers like >> > Hindu Students Council of America etc should be banned to raise funds >> > as they were generating funds for the Hindu militant outfits under the >> > garb of charity. Another file dubs Hindutva Brotherhood as a far >> > bigger threat to regional and global peace than Taliban, al-Qaeda and >> > LeT and the later three were declared as “peanuts” if equated with >> > Hindutva Brotherhood and Sangh Parivaar and Washington was urged to >> > take up the issue with New Delhi. >> > >> > Grave concern over India's nuclear assets and nuclear security >> > >> > Another cable expressed grave concern over the Indian government’s >> > ability to handle Naxal insurgency movement as 80 per cent of Indian >> > nuclear and missile facilities were present in the insurgency hit >> > areas of India while the Indian security forces were totally helpless >> > in ensuring the writ of the government in that particular area, known >> > as the “Red Corridor of India”. >> > >> > Israeli general wanted to attack Iran, Syria nuclear facilities >> > >> > A cable sent from Israel described the then Israeli Military >> > Intelligence chief, Major General Amos Yadlin as an aggressive >> > general. He was quoted in the cable as a dire seeker of “annihilation” >> > of Islamic Republic of Iran. In a meeting with an American diplomat, >> > General Yadlin dubbed Iranian, Syrian and Hezbollah’s weapons as >> > “tools of terrorism” and not war weapons. He also showed immense >> > eagerness to attack Syrian nuclear facilities. >> > >> > General Yadlin also told American diplomat that timeframe of Iran >> > nuclear weapons preparation and timeframe to attack Iran were to be >> > totally different issues. He also differed with Americans over the >> > ability of Iran to prepare nuclear weapons and instead said that Iran >> > had sufficient enriched uranium to manufacture a single nuclear device >> > and may soon have enough for making another bomb. >> > >> > Iran is busy setting up two new nuclear installations, Yadlin told the >> > US diplomat adding that M-I has indications that work has began on the >> > installations, but did not comment on the sources. Yadlin, who was >> > later-on replaced by Brigadier General Aviv Kochav, also spoke of Iran >> > as the greatest threat facing Israel, not only in the nuclear respect. >> > “Iran is sending its long arms to aid anyone who is working against >> > Israel,” Yadlin said. “Such assessments are undoubtedly weighing on >> > Prime Minister Netanyahu’s mind as he considers the possible need for >> > an Israeli pre-emptive strike on Iran,” the cable said. >> > >> > Mossad chief Meir Dagan very proudly told Americans that his special >> > team had eliminated Hamas top military strategist Izzadin Sheikh >> > Khalil through a terror plot. The cable informed Washington that in >> > fact Dagan had established a number of “hit teams” through which he >> > was getting engaged in non-intelligence operations and also used these >> > hit men for certain personal vendettas as well. >> > >> > Dagan, in a meeting with US Under Secretary of State for Political >> > Affairs, William Burns, proposed Americans a five point agenda to fix >> > Iran. The focus of the agenda was to change the regime at Tehran and >> > to launch an ethnic movement throughout Iran to destabilise the >> > country before launching the final attack. >> > >> > Karzai patron-in-chief of Afghan drug mafia >> > >> > A cable from Kabul termed Afghan President as the “patron-in-chief” of >> > the Afghan drug mafia. The cable, citing certain verified UNODC >> > figures, stated that Karzai was living at the mercy of Afghan warlords >> > who, with the passage of time, had transformed into drug lords. The >> > cable stated that there was an annual drug trade of 3 trillion dollars >> > from Pakistan while the Karzai administration was keeping mum over the >> > same. >> > >> > Another cable stated that Indian involvement in Afghanistan was >> > increasing considerably and all was going on with the consent and >> > knowledge of President Karzai and his administration. The cable >> > further reads that growing Indian influence and presence in >> > Afghanistan was focused towards Pakistan and China, both >> > simultaneously. >> > >> > Saudia Arabia planned anti-Hezbollah force >> > >> > Saudi Arabia proposed setting up an Arab force to fight Hezbollah >> > militants in Lebanon with the help of the US, UN and Nato, according >> > to a leaked document. In a meeting in May 2008 with a US diplomat in >> > Iraq, David Satterfield, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said a >> > “security response” was needed to the “military challenge” posed to >> > Beirut by the Iran-backed militants. >> > >> > The Saudi prince feared a Hezbollah victory against the Lebanese >> > government, led by then prime minister Fuad Siniora, would eventually >> > lead to Iran’s takeover of the country. >> > >> > There was a need for an “Arab force” to create and maintain order in >> > and around Beirut, he argued, saying the Lebanese army was “too >> > fragile to bear more pressure,” according to the cable from the US >> > embassy in Riyadh. >> > >> > Such a force would be aided by UNIFIL troops deployed in southern >> > Lebanon, while the “US and Nato would need to provide movement and >> > logistic support, as well as naval and air cover,” the cable added. >> > >> > Saudis killed Yemeni civilians in border war >> > >> > According to a leaked document, Saudi armed forces killed Yemeni >> > civilians when fighting Shia rebels in a brief border war despite >> > assurances that only rebel targets were hit. >> > >> > Saudi Arabia fought Yemeni rebels for several months in a border war >> > that ended with a ceasefire in February. >> > >> > In public statements during the fighting, Saudi Arabia said that only >> > rebel positions in the border area were attacked. But the leaked >> > cables suggest civilians died. >> > >> > “Obviously some civilians died, though we wish that this did not >> > happen,” the prince, who is also assistant defence minister, said in >> > the meeting requested by the ambassador to relay US concerns about >> > civilian casualties in the conflict. >> > >> > Prince Khaled confirmed that Saudi forces hit a building the United >> > States believed to be a clinic but the Saudis thought it was being >> > used as a base by rebels. He also said the Yemeni military had helped >> > recommend rebel targets, the cable said.The Saudi military used >> > “massively disproportionate force” in a campaign last year against >> > guerrillas seen by the army as “embarrassingly long,” according to >> > another leaked cable. >> > >> > “Day and night aerial bombardment and artillery shelling have been the >> > main instruments of what is increasingly regarded within the Saudi >> > military as an embarrassingly long campaign,” said the memo from the >> > US embassy in Riyadh. The three-month operation against the lightly >> > armed Huthi guerrillas on the border areas with Yemen was also seen as >> > “poorly planned and executed” and “brought unexpectedly high Saudi >> > casualties”. >> > >> > “Nonetheless, the conflict has been carefully spun as a heroic and >> > successful struggle to protect Saudi sovereignty,” the memo added. >> > >> > Britain faced Libya threats over Lockerbie bomber >> > >> > Britain faced threats from Libya of dire consequences if the ailing >> > Lockerbie bomber died in a Scottish prison. Threats included the >> > cessation of all British commercial activity in Libya and >> > demonstrations against British facilities, as well as suggestions >> > Britons in the country could be put at risk, according to the cables. >> > >> > And despite London’s attempts to publicly distance itself from the >> > decision to release Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet al-Megrahi — which was made >> > by the devolved Scottish government — the cables show enormous British >> > relief at the move. >> > >> > Libyan officials warned their British counterparts that “consequences >> > for the UK-Libya bilateral relationship would be dire were al-Megrahi >> > to die in Scottish prison,” read one dispatch from the US ambassador >> > to Tripoli in January 2009. >> > >> > And if Washington publicly opposed the release, “the US Embassy and >> > private Americans in Libya could face similar consequences,” read the >> > cable from the ambassador, Gene A Cretz. >> > >> > Megrahi was the only person ever convicted over the 1988 bombing of a >> > Pan Am Jumbo jet over Lockerbie, Scotland, which killed 270 people, >> > most of them US nationals. He was released in August, 2009, on >> > compassionate grounds after doctors diagnosed him with prostate cancer >> > and gave him just three months to live, sparking outrage in the United >> > States. More than a year later he remains alive in Tripoli, however, >> > renewing anger in the US. >> > >> > One cable showed Britain’s then justice minister, Jack Straw, told US >> > diplomats that although Megrahi might have up to five years to live, >> > the Scottish government appeared inclined to release him. “Megrahi >> > could have as long as five years to live,” said the correspondence, >> > cited in Britain’s Guardian newspaper. >> > >> > Article Source: >> > >> > http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=2549&Cat=13 >> > _________________________________________ >> > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >> > Critiques & Collaborations >> > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with >> > 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/> >> > > > > -- > Rajkamal > > > -- Rajkamal From fcrtgtn at rediffmail.com Fri Dec 10 14:40:22 2010 From: fcrtgtn at rediffmail.com (Ravi chandiran) Date: 10 Dec 2010 09:10:22 -0000 Subject: [Reader-list] =?utf-8?q?=28no_subject=29?= Message-ID: <1291719995.S.13052.autosave.drafts.old.1291972222.49935@webmail.rediffmail.com> Dear friends Greetings from FACEI have already shared the information about the Global giving Open Challenge and FACE particay ipation in it.Now, Globalgiving has announced 10th december 2010 as a Bonus day and they assured an equal matching donation support (equal to the donations on the day up to 1000 $). your support to FACE is doubled by globalgiving.Therefore, i request you to acknowledge FACE and make a contribution to our organization FACE by visiting and donating through the following linkhttp://www.globalgiving.org/projects/help-1033-poorest-salt-worker-families-in-india/< From fcrtgtn at rediffmail.com Fri Dec 10 14:44:59 2010 From: fcrtgtn at rediffmail.com (fcrtgtn at rediffmail.com) Date: 10 Dec 2010 09:14:59 -0000 Subject: [Reader-list] =?utf-8?q?10th_December_is_the_day?= Message-ID: <1291719995.S.13052.autosave.drafts.old.1291972499.5185@webmail.rediffmail.com> Dear friends Greetings from FACEI have already shared the information about the Global giving Open Challenge and FACE particay ipation in it.Now, Globalgiving has announced 10th december 2010 as a Bonus day and they assured an equal matching donation support (equal to the donations on the day up to 1000 $). your support to FACE is doubled by globalgiving.Therefore, i request you to acknowledge FACE and make a contribution to our organization FACE by visiting and donating through the following linkhttp://www.globalgiving.org/projects/help-1033-poorest-salt-worker-families-in-india/Thanking you,Sincerely yours,Dr P V Ravichandiran,General secretary,FACE From javedmasoo at gmail.com Fri Dec 10 16:00:20 2010 From: javedmasoo at gmail.com (Javed) Date: Fri, 10 Dec 2010 16:00:20 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] "Hindutva far bigger threat than al-Qaeda" - wikileaks In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Dear Rajkamal If you take pains to correct the typos in your mail, then I could also reiterate that in my second mail I agreed that the news looks fake - I have no collision or collusion with anyone. But your mail does make us believe that according to you there is no reason "to malign India and Hinduism", and everything is perfectly fine here. While Pakistani media's act can be denounced, our own inherent bias for that country cannot be ignored either. In my second message, I quoted this sentence from the Guardian: "But the real cables do contain allegations of Indian support for Baloch separatists, largely sourced to British intelligence assessments." I am sure you will not find this fake. thanks Javed On Fri, Dec 10, 2010 at 2:20 PM, Rajkamal Goswami wrote: > Dear all, > Please read 'collusion' instead of mis-spelt 'collision' (highlighted) in > the mail that I had earlier sent. > So that ".......Thanks for exposing your own collision with such players and > such agenda." will instead read ".......Thanks for exposing your > own collusion with such players and such agenda." > Thanks > Rajkamal > > > > On Fri, Dec 10, 2010 at 2:15 PM, Rajkamal Goswami > wrote: >> >> Dear Javed, >> Thanks for sharing this piece of news. Thanks for exposing the lengths >> that a few players are willing to scale to malign India and Hinduism. Thanks >> for exposing your own collision with such players and such agenda. >> >> http://www.rediff.com/news/slide-show/slide-show-1-how-pak-media-used-wikileaks-for-india-bashing/20101210.htm >> Thanks indeed! >> Rajkamal >> >> >> On Fri, Dec 10, 2010 at 1:29 PM, Sadiya H >> wrote: >>> >>> These are fake wikileaks doing rounds in Pakistan. They have already been >>> tapped and wikileaks is shutting off all mirror sites. >>> Please verify the stories before putting them up because we all know we >>> don't live in good times. Little miscommunication can cost us dearly. The >>> news on fake leaks found have already been declared. >>> >>> >>> http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Pakistan-papers-apologise-after-running-anti-India-fake-WikiLeaks-cables/articleshow/7075670.cms >>> >>> >>> http://blogs.outlookindia.com/default.aspx?ddm=10&pid=2401&eid=5 >>> >>> >>> http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/12/09/pakistani_media_published_fake_wikileaks_scoops >>> >>> >>> http://www.deccanchronicle.com/international/pakistan-papers-publish-fake-wikileaks-cables-against-india-683 >>> >>> >>> http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thecutline/20101209/tc_yblog_thecutline/in-pakistan-media-publishes-fake-cables-protest-for-assange >>> >>> >>> >>> It would be great if those who got drawn with the flow, clear the air for >>> others as well. >>> >>> Sadia Halima >>> >>> >>> On Fri, Dec 10, 2010 at 12:35 PM, Javed wrote: >>> >>> > WikiLeaks reveals Indian involvement in Balochistan, Waziristan >>> > Thursday, 09 December 2010 04:49 Ahsan Waheed >>> > >>> > WikiLeaks reveals Indian involvement in Balochistan, WaziristanIndian >>> > Army generals in bed with Hindutva Brotherhood; extremism and >>> > incompetency highlights Indian Army top brass, Gen Kapoor a 'geek' >>> > while Gen Singh 'petulant braggadocio'; Concern over security of >>> > India's nuclear assets, more than 80% of Indian assets and missiles in >>> > Naxalite-infested areas; Hemant Karkare seeked security assurances >>> > from US diplomats; Hindutva organizations - Sangh Parivar and Shiv >>> > Sena - more dangerous than Taliban, Al-Qaeda, LeT combined; US should >>> > not hold military drills with India because of human rights violations >>> > in Occupied Kashmir; ISI not involved in any terrorist activity in >>> > India; >>> > >>> > A cable from US Embassy in Islamabad leaked by whistle-blower website >>> > WikiLeaks disclosed that there were enough evidences of Indian >>> > involvement in Waziristan and other tribal areas of Pakistan as well >>> > as Balochistan. >>> > >>> > The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Ahmed Shuja Pasha’s >>> > extension in services was termed as a good omen in one such cable and >>> > it was added that his further presence on the scene would enhance the >>> > agency’s abilities to combat anti-terror war. The cable confirmed the >>> > active presence of ISI in India but it refused to confirm any >>> > involvement of ISI in any terror incident across India and did confirm >>> > intelligence collection by its agents and operatives. >>> > >>> > An earlier cable ruled out any direct or indirect involvement of ISI >>> > in 26/11 under Pasha’s command while Mumbai’s dossier, based on prime >>> > accused Ajmal Kasab’s confessional statement was termed funny and >>> > “shockingly immature”. >>> > >>> > Leaked cable terms ex-Indian army chief 'a geek' >>> > >>> > WikiLeaks revealed that a cable sent from a US mission in India termed >>> > former Indian Army chief General Deepak Kapoor as an incompetent >>> > combat leader and rather a geek. >>> > >>> > His war doctrine, suggesting eliminating China and Pakistan in a >>> > simultaneous war front was termed as “much far from reality”. Another >>> > cable indicates that General Kapoor was dubbed as a general who was >>> > least bothered about security challenges to the country but was more >>> > concerned about making personal assets and strengthening his own cult >>> > in the army. The cable also suggested that a tug-of-war between Kapoor >>> > and the current Indian Army chief had divided the Indian Army into two >>> > groups. >>> > >>> > Gen Singh called an egotist, self-obsessed, petulant >>> > >>> > General Singh has also been described as “Pakistan, China centric”, >>> > with an added aggression towards China. The cable mentioned General >>> > Singh as an egotist, self-obsessed, petulant and idiosyncratic >>> > general, a braggadocio and a show-off, who has been disliked (and >>> > barely tolerated) by all his subordinates. >>> > >>> > Indian Army committed gross human rights violations in Occupied Kashmir >>> > >>> > An earlier cable described Indian Army involved in gross human rights >>> > violations in Indian-held Kashmir while some Lt Gen HS Panag, the then >>> > GOC-in-Chief of the Northern Command of the Indian Army, was equated >>> > with General Milosevic of Bosnia with regard to butchering Muslims >>> > through war crimes. >>> > >>> > The cable urged Washington to secretly divert UN attention towards the >>> > genocide of innocent civilians in held Kashmir at the hands of Indian >>> > Army and also suggested that US should avoid holding any joint drill >>> > with Indian Army until it stops inhuman activities in Kashmir. The >>> > cable termed one Lt Col AK Mathur as “devil’s advocate” at Srinagar. >>> > >>> > Hindutva Brotherhood far bigger threat than Taliban, al-Qaeda, LeT >>> > >>> > Another cable indicated involvement of top Indian Army leadership in >>> > engaging Hindu extremist militants to carry out certain terror >>> > operations to keep Indian Muslims on the back foot and to keep >>> > pressure on neighbouring Pakistan’s Army and intelligence agencies, >>> > particularly the Inter-Services Intelligence. >>> > >>> > Another cable confirmed that there was a nexus of top Indian Army >>> > officials and extremist Hindu outfits. This cable suggested that an >>> > Indian police officer, a counter-terror specialist with the name of >>> > Hemant Karkare, had exposed this nexus to some extent when he arrested >>> > a serving colonel of Indian army, Lt Colonel Purohit, for blazing a >>> > Pakistan bound train (Samjhota Express). >>> > >>> > The cable suggested that Hemant Karkare held a secret meeting with a >>> > senior US diplomat in New Delhi during the national day reception of a >>> > friendly country and briefed him about the gravity and the growing >>> > depth of the nexus between top Indian Army leadership and the militant >>> > Hindu fanatic groups. Karkare sought security for him and his family >>> > from the said American diplomat as he feared that the army and >>> > establishment would eliminate him as he intended to move further to >>> > expose the network. He had further briefed the said US diplomat that a >>> > former commander-in-chief of the Central Command of the Indian army, >>> > Lt Gen PN Hoon, was heading the militancy wing of the Hindu extremists >>> > and was getting full tactical, logistic and financial support from >>> > senior army officers. The day, Karkare was eliminated in a pre-planned >>> > ambush during the Mumbai attacks, a cable sent to the US read “we have >>> > lost an important link and a vital evidence”. >>> > >>> > Another cable sent to Washington termed Hindutva brotherhood in >>> > general and Shiv Sena in particular, as ticking time bombs with regard >>> > to militancy and terrorism. It was suggested that fundraisers like >>> > Hindu Students Council of America etc should be banned to raise funds >>> > as they were generating funds for the Hindu militant outfits under the >>> > garb of charity. Another file dubs Hindutva Brotherhood as a far >>> > bigger threat to regional and global peace than Taliban, al-Qaeda and >>> > LeT and the later three were declared as “peanuts” if equated with >>> > Hindutva Brotherhood and Sangh Parivaar and Washington was urged to >>> > take up the issue with New Delhi. >>> > >>> > Grave concern over India's nuclear assets and nuclear security >>> > >>> > Another cable expressed grave concern over the Indian government’s >>> > ability to handle Naxal insurgency movement as 80 per cent of Indian >>> > nuclear and missile facilities were present in the insurgency hit >>> > areas of India while the Indian security forces were totally helpless >>> > in ensuring the writ of the government in that particular area, known >>> > as the “Red Corridor of India”. >>> > >>> > Israeli general wanted to attack Iran, Syria nuclear facilities >>> > >>> > A cable sent from Israel described the then Israeli Military >>> > Intelligence chief, Major General Amos Yadlin as an aggressive >>> > general. He was quoted in the cable as a dire seeker of “annihilation” >>> > of Islamic Republic of Iran. In a meeting with an American diplomat, >>> > General Yadlin dubbed Iranian, Syrian and Hezbollah’s weapons as >>> > “tools of terrorism” and not war weapons. He also showed immense >>> > eagerness to attack Syrian nuclear facilities. >>> > >>> > General Yadlin also told American diplomat that timeframe of Iran >>> > nuclear weapons preparation and timeframe to attack Iran were to be >>> > totally different issues. He also differed with Americans over the >>> > ability of Iran to prepare nuclear weapons and instead said that Iran >>> > had sufficient enriched uranium to manufacture a single nuclear device >>> > and may soon have enough for making another bomb. >>> > >>> > Iran is busy setting up two new nuclear installations, Yadlin told the >>> > US diplomat adding that M-I has indications that work has began on the >>> > installations, but did not comment on the sources. Yadlin, who was >>> > later-on replaced by Brigadier General Aviv Kochav, also spoke of Iran >>> > as the greatest threat facing Israel, not only in the nuclear respect. >>> > “Iran is sending its long arms to aid anyone who is working against >>> > Israel,” Yadlin said. “Such assessments are undoubtedly weighing on >>> > Prime Minister Netanyahu’s mind as he considers the possible need for >>> > an Israeli pre-emptive strike on Iran,” the cable said. >>> > >>> > Mossad chief Meir Dagan very proudly told Americans that his special >>> > team had eliminated Hamas top military strategist Izzadin Sheikh >>> > Khalil through a terror plot. The cable informed Washington that in >>> > fact Dagan had established a number of “hit teams” through which he >>> > was getting engaged in non-intelligence operations and also used these >>> > hit men for certain personal vendettas as well. >>> > >>> > Dagan, in a meeting with US Under Secretary of State for Political >>> > Affairs, William Burns, proposed Americans a five point agenda to fix >>> > Iran. The focus of the agenda was to change the regime at Tehran and >>> > to launch an ethnic movement throughout Iran to destabilise the >>> > country before launching the final attack. >>> > >>> > Karzai patron-in-chief of Afghan drug mafia >>> > >>> > A cable from Kabul termed Afghan President as the “patron-in-chief” of >>> > the Afghan drug mafia. The cable, citing certain verified UNODC >>> > figures, stated that Karzai was living at the mercy of Afghan warlords >>> > who, with the passage of time, had transformed into drug lords. The >>> > cable stated that there was an annual drug trade of 3 trillion dollars >>> > from Pakistan while the Karzai administration was keeping mum over the >>> > same. >>> > >>> > Another cable stated that Indian involvement in Afghanistan was >>> > increasing considerably and all was going on with the consent and >>> > knowledge of President Karzai and his administration. The cable >>> > further reads that growing Indian influence and presence in >>> > Afghanistan was focused towards Pakistan and China, both >>> > simultaneously. >>> > >>> > Saudia Arabia planned anti-Hezbollah force >>> > >>> > Saudi Arabia proposed setting up an Arab force to fight Hezbollah >>> > militants in Lebanon with the help of the US, UN and Nato, according >>> > to a leaked document. In a meeting in May 2008 with a US diplomat in >>> > Iraq, David Satterfield, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said a >>> > “security response” was needed to the “military challenge” posed to >>> > Beirut by the Iran-backed militants. >>> > >>> > The Saudi prince feared a Hezbollah victory against the Lebanese >>> > government, led by then prime minister Fuad Siniora, would eventually >>> > lead to Iran’s takeover of the country. >>> > >>> > There was a need for an “Arab force” to create and maintain order in >>> > and around Beirut, he argued, saying the Lebanese army was “too >>> > fragile to bear more pressure,” according to the cable from the US >>> > embassy in Riyadh. >>> > >>> > Such a force would be aided by UNIFIL troops deployed in southern >>> > Lebanon, while the “US and Nato would need to provide movement and >>> > logistic support, as well as naval and air cover,” the cable added. >>> > >>> > Saudis killed Yemeni civilians in border war >>> > >>> > According to a leaked document, Saudi armed forces killed Yemeni >>> > civilians when fighting Shia rebels in a brief border war despite >>> > assurances that only rebel targets were hit. >>> > >>> > Saudi Arabia fought Yemeni rebels for several months in a border war >>> > that ended with a ceasefire in February. >>> > >>> > In public statements during the fighting, Saudi Arabia said that only >>> > rebel positions in the border area were attacked. But the leaked >>> > cables suggest civilians died. >>> > >>> > “Obviously some civilians died, though we wish that this did not >>> > happen,” the prince, who is also assistant defence minister, said in >>> > the meeting requested by the ambassador to relay US concerns about >>> > civilian casualties in the conflict. >>> > >>> > Prince Khaled confirmed that Saudi forces hit a building the United >>> > States believed to be a clinic but the Saudis thought it was being >>> > used as a base by rebels. He also said the Yemeni military had helped >>> > recommend rebel targets, the cable said.The Saudi military used >>> > “massively disproportionate force” in a campaign last year against >>> > guerrillas seen by the army as “embarrassingly long,” according to >>> > another leaked cable. >>> > >>> > “Day and night aerial bombardment and artillery shelling have been the >>> > main instruments of what is increasingly regarded within the Saudi >>> > military as an embarrassingly long campaign,” said the memo from the >>> > US embassy in Riyadh. The three-month operation against the lightly >>> > armed Huthi guerrillas on the border areas with Yemen was also seen as >>> > “poorly planned and executed” and “brought unexpectedly high Saudi >>> > casualties”. >>> > >>> > “Nonetheless, the conflict has been carefully spun as a heroic and >>> > successful struggle to protect Saudi sovereignty,” the memo added. >>> > >>> > Britain faced Libya threats over Lockerbie bomber >>> > >>> > Britain faced threats from Libya of dire consequences if the ailing >>> > Lockerbie bomber died in a Scottish prison. Threats included the >>> > cessation of all British commercial activity in Libya and >>> > demonstrations against British facilities, as well as suggestions >>> > Britons in the country could be put at risk, according to the cables. >>> > >>> > And despite London’s attempts to publicly distance itself from the >>> > decision to release Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet al-Megrahi — which was made >>> > by the devolved Scottish government — the cables show enormous British >>> > relief at the move. >>> > >>> > Libyan officials warned their British counterparts that “consequences >>> > for the UK-Libya bilateral relationship would be dire were al-Megrahi >>> > to die in Scottish prison,” read one dispatch from the US ambassador >>> > to Tripoli in January 2009. >>> > >>> > And if Washington publicly opposed the release, “the US Embassy and >>> > private Americans in Libya could face similar consequences,” read the >>> > cable from the ambassador, Gene A Cretz. >>> > >>> > Megrahi was the only person ever convicted over the 1988 bombing of a >>> > Pan Am Jumbo jet over Lockerbie, Scotland, which killed 270 people, >>> > most of them US nationals. He was released in August, 2009, on >>> > compassionate grounds after doctors diagnosed him with prostate cancer >>> > and gave him just three months to live, sparking outrage in the United >>> > States. More than a year later he remains alive in Tripoli, however, >>> > renewing anger in the US. >>> > >>> > One cable showed Britain’s then justice minister, Jack Straw, told US >>> > diplomats that although Megrahi might have up to five years to live, >>> > the Scottish government appeared inclined to release him. “Megrahi >>> > could have as long as five years to live,” said the correspondence, >>> > cited in Britain’s Guardian newspaper. >>> > >>> > Article Source: >>> > >>> > http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=2549&Cat=13 >>> > _________________________________________ >>> > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >>> > Critiques & Collaborations >>> > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with >>> > 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/> >> >> >> -- >> Rajkamal >> >> > > > > -- > Rajkamal > > > From theunderscoredhood at gmail.com Fri Dec 10 16:32:44 2010 From: theunderscoredhood at gmail.com (theunderscoredhood at gmail.com) Date: Fri, 10 Dec 2010 11:02:44 +0000 Subject: [Reader-list] Feminist Practices Workshop Message-ID: <0022152d64d13ca8ca04970c4b35@google.com> Attached: Feminist Practices Workshop.pdf Sent using Google Docs http://docs.google.com/ Hi all, This is an open collaborative working draft for an idea that has been on my mind for a while now.Please feel free to contribute and participate. Cheers, Raheema Begum. From theunderscoredhood at gmail.com Fri Dec 10 16:36:40 2010 From: theunderscoredhood at gmail.com (Raheema Begum) Date: Fri, 10 Dec 2010 16:36:40 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Feminist Practices Workshop In-Reply-To: <0022152d64d13ca8ca04970c4b35@google.com> References: <0022152d64d13ca8ca04970c4b35@google.com> Message-ID: This is the link to the document : https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=19irZu3GNslMNxoP_QEE_-OLbqR3hOhYve_SbMKqgTkA thanks and best. On Fri, Dec 10, 2010 at 4:32 PM, wrote: > Attached: Feminist Practices Workshop.pdf > Sent using Google Docs http://docs.google.com/ > > Hi all, > > This is an open collaborative working draft for an idea that has been on my > mind for a while now.Please feel free to contribute and participate. > > Cheers, > Raheema Begum. > > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > subscribe in the subject header. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > -- Kauntext, my Blog: http://raahi.wordpress.com labels: http://whosebody.wordpress.com One State Solution Blog:http://onestatesolution.wordpress.com --------------------------------------------------------------- From kalakamra at gmail.com Thu Dec 9 20:35:12 2010 From: kalakamra at gmail.com (shaina a) Date: Thu, 9 Dec 2010 20:35:12 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] A Season of Footage and Films, Part I, Saturday, December 11th, 6:30 pm at CAMP In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: *A Season of Footage and Films*, in 8 parts. *CAMP* presents Saturday evening screenings through winter, exploring footage both within and outside the usual capsule of "the film". An experience that could be similar to watching films, or at other times harder to digest, slower to release, closer to acts of shooting, less censorious, and less fearful of finitude. Another life, another world of viewing and listening experiences is always possible, with footage. (All screenings at CAMP roof, starting at 6:30 pm) _______ Part 1. *Saturday, 11th December, 2010, 6:30 pm.* Screenings: a) *L'Inde Fantôme *aka Phantom India, Episode 7: *Bombay, The Future India. * Louis Malle, 1969 50 minutes b) *In and Out of "the City"* Footage from the city: of things that enter and then leave it, via excursions out to sea, and double-lives, afternoon-naps, bike-rides, water-wells, and more. 50 minutes _______ What are films? Are they calculating commercial wrappers applied by financiers to moving images, or purified forms that directors and crew distill from grand ideas and many days of shooting? Surely a bit of both, a bit of both, and much more too. But among the many, often unacknowledged, things and forces that make up "the film", there is one thing that physically, undeniably, film is "made of". We usually call this material, footage. But of course, film is not just made of footage pieces, or frames of images. As if counting all the bricks or square feet in a home would tell us everything about it. Films have their own wholeness, beauty, aura. Footage on the other hand, is the ghost that flickers from *inside* every film, pointing to the autonomy of the images, threatening to overflow their "use" in the film. Flickering by at 24 (or 25) times a second is not "frames" (since that would be only a narrow technical definition), nor "truth" (since that would be a bit romantic), but footage. Footage is what exists, the moment a camera "films", and which remains a stubborn kernel at the heart of everything made from it. Louis Malle's 1969 TV film, L' Inde Fantôme, provides a visceral example of this. In 2010 this film flickers for us between one kind of recognition -of the directors voice and intent- and another- of landmarks, people or contexts from Bombay of the late 1960's- and a third- of the official response to the film. As the authorial narrative waxes and wanes, and as it becomes clear that intentions on various sides can expire, the footage remains. In every film, some footage remains, and we can glean things from it. And every footage is then part of possible, future, films. But there is other footage too, which has nothing to do with films. Which is not born within the idealism, auterism or commercialism of films. And which is not just a natural produce of so-called "digital natives", either. In other words, there are diverse forms, materials and effects, to be found in the spaces between film and video genres, their technologies, learned shooting habits and pure chance, that we would like to explore in some detail over these eight weeks, with the help of others who have thought through and produced in this way before. All this suggests that footage has the capacity to be a vital "currency" in relationships, arguments, pleasures and politics both within cinema and beyond it, not limited to the ways that, say, YouTube allows us to deal in it. __________ Looking forward to seeing you there. An outline of the next three Saturdays is below: Part 2. Two Footage Films. *Saturday, 18th December, 2010* Two compelling and different responses to the question, how to use a footage archive? Part 3. Talking Heads. *Saturday, 25th December, 2010* Delueze, Godard, Haraway, Navalkar, Roy, Zizek, and more. How interviews and speeches can be not like those on television. Part 4.* *Disket Document. *Saturday, 2nd January, 2011* A group of left-intellectuals arrive in the Nubra valley in Ladakh in 2001, for what they believe is a "Seminar on National Integration" only to find out they are actually speakers at a "Buddh Mahotsav" organised by the VHP. What happens next? A detailed video document from the sidelines of this event. Directions to CAMP Roof are here. More details announced on the Wednesday before each screening. For related projects and material, see http://camputer.org http://pad.ma For questions and responses email info(@)camputer.org To unsubscribe, simply send an email with the word "unsubscribe" as the subject to camp-request at lists.mailb.org From taraprakash at gmail.com Fri Dec 10 19:20:45 2010 From: taraprakash at gmail.com (TaraPrakash) Date: Fri, 10 Dec 2010 08:50:45 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] "Hindutva far bigger threat than al-Qaeda" -wikileaks References: Message-ID: <745F58193D104E63B1868FD168FF786E@tara> This definitely are fake leaks. BBC confirmed that they were released possibly by Pakistani army. Javed does a better job of defending fatvas and bringing in perspective of likes of Ajiz Barni. Here it was just an overzealot paranoiac trying to represent Pakistani discomfort after damaging? leaks were released about the greatest violaters of human rights. Sorry Javed they were simply fake. I will like to read Barni on leaks though. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jhuma Sen" To: "Javed" Cc: "sarai list" Sent: Friday, December 10, 2010 2:09 AM Subject: Re: [Reader-list] "Hindutva far bigger threat than al-Qaeda" -wikileaks > This is possibly a fake news. > http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/09/pakistani-newspaper-fake-leaks-india > > > On Thu, Dec 9, 2010 at 11:05 PM, Javed wrote: > >> WikiLeaks reveals Indian involvement in Balochistan, Waziristan >> Thursday, 09 December 2010 04:49 Ahsan Waheed >> >> WikiLeaks reveals Indian involvement in Balochistan, WaziristanIndian >> Army generals in bed with Hindutva Brotherhood; extremism and >> incompetency highlights Indian Army top brass, Gen Kapoor a 'geek' >> while Gen Singh 'petulant braggadocio'; Concern over security of >> India's nuclear assets, more than 80% of Indian assets and missiles in >> Naxalite-infested areas; Hemant Karkare seeked security assurances >> from US diplomats; Hindutva organizations - Sangh Parivar and Shiv >> Sena - more dangerous than Taliban, Al-Qaeda, LeT combined; US should >> not hold military drills with India because of human rights violations >> in Occupied Kashmir; ISI not involved in any terrorist activity in >> India; >> >> A cable from US Embassy in Islamabad leaked by whistle-blower website >> WikiLeaks disclosed that there were enough evidences of Indian >> involvement in Waziristan and other tribal areas of Pakistan as well >> as Balochistan. >> >> The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Ahmed Shuja Pasha’s >> extension in services was termed as a good omen in one such cable and >> it was added that his further presence on the scene would enhance the >> agency’s abilities to combat anti-terror war. The cable confirmed the >> active presence of ISI in India but it refused to confirm any >> involvement of ISI in any terror incident across India and did confirm >> intelligence collection by its agents and operatives. >> >> An earlier cable ruled out any direct or indirect involvement of ISI >> in 26/11 under Pasha’s command while Mumbai’s dossier, based on prime >> accused Ajmal Kasab’s confessional statement was termed funny and >> “shockingly immature”. >> >> Leaked cable terms ex-Indian army chief 'a geek' >> >> WikiLeaks revealed that a cable sent from a US mission in India termed >> former Indian Army chief General Deepak Kapoor as an incompetent >> combat leader and rather a geek. >> >> His war doctrine, suggesting eliminating China and Pakistan in a >> simultaneous war front was termed as “much far from reality”. Another >> cable indicates that General Kapoor was dubbed as a general who was >> least bothered about security challenges to the country but was more >> concerned about making personal assets and strengthening his own cult >> in the army. The cable also suggested that a tug-of-war between Kapoor >> and the current Indian Army chief had divided the Indian Army into two >> groups. >> >> Gen Singh called an egotist, self-obsessed, petulant >> >> General Singh has also been described as “Pakistan, China centric”, >> with an added aggression towards China. The cable mentioned General >> Singh as an egotist, self-obsessed, petulant and idiosyncratic >> general, a braggadocio and a show-off, who has been disliked (and >> barely tolerated) by all his subordinates. >> >> Indian Army committed gross human rights violations in Occupied Kashmir >> >> An earlier cable described Indian Army involved in gross human rights >> violations in Indian-held Kashmir while some Lt Gen HS Panag, the then >> GOC-in-Chief of the Northern Command of the Indian Army, was equated >> with General Milosevic of Bosnia with regard to butchering Muslims >> through war crimes. >> >> The cable urged Washington to secretly divert UN attention towards the >> genocide of innocent civilians in held Kashmir at the hands of Indian >> Army and also suggested that US should avoid holding any joint drill >> with Indian Army until it stops inhuman activities in Kashmir. The >> cable termed one Lt Col AK Mathur as “devil’s advocate” at Srinagar. >> >> Hindutva Brotherhood far bigger threat than Taliban, al-Qaeda, LeT >> >> Another cable indicated involvement of top Indian Army leadership in >> engaging Hindu extremist militants to carry out certain terror >> operations to keep Indian Muslims on the back foot and to keep >> pressure on neighbouring Pakistan’s Army and intelligence agencies, >> particularly the Inter-Services Intelligence. >> >> Another cable confirmed that there was a nexus of top Indian Army >> officials and extremist Hindu outfits. This cable suggested that an >> Indian police officer, a counter-terror specialist with the name of >> Hemant Karkare, had exposed this nexus to some extent when he arrested >> a serving colonel of Indian army, Lt Colonel Purohit, for blazing a >> Pakistan bound train (Samjhota Express). >> >> The cable suggested that Hemant Karkare held a secret meeting with a >> senior US diplomat in New Delhi during the national day reception of a >> friendly country and briefed him about the gravity and the growing >> depth of the nexus between top Indian Army leadership and the militant >> Hindu fanatic groups. Karkare sought security for him and his family >> from the said American diplomat as he feared that the army and >> establishment would eliminate him as he intended to move further to >> expose the network. He had further briefed the said US diplomat that a >> former commander-in-chief of the Central Command of the Indian army, >> Lt Gen PN Hoon, was heading the militancy wing of the Hindu extremists >> and was getting full tactical, logistic and financial support from >> senior army officers. The day, Karkare was eliminated in a pre-planned >> ambush during the Mumbai attacks, a cable sent to the US read “we have >> lost an important link and a vital evidence”. >> >> Another cable sent to Washington termed Hindutva brotherhood in >> general and Shiv Sena in particular, as ticking time bombs with regard >> to militancy and terrorism. It was suggested that fundraisers like >> Hindu Students Council of America etc should be banned to raise funds >> as they were generating funds for the Hindu militant outfits under the >> garb of charity. Another file dubs Hindutva Brotherhood as a far >> bigger threat to regional and global peace than Taliban, al-Qaeda and >> LeT and the later three were declared as “peanuts” if equated with >> Hindutva Brotherhood and Sangh Parivaar and Washington was urged to >> take up the issue with New Delhi. >> >> Grave concern over India's nuclear assets and nuclear security >> >> Another cable expressed grave concern over the Indian government’s >> ability to handle Naxal insurgency movement as 80 per cent of Indian >> nuclear and missile facilities were present in the insurgency hit >> areas of India while the Indian security forces were totally helpless >> in ensuring the writ of the government in that particular area, known >> as the “Red Corridor of India”. >> >> Israeli general wanted to attack Iran, Syria nuclear facilities >> >> A cable sent from Israel described the then Israeli Military >> Intelligence chief, Major General Amos Yadlin as an aggressive >> general. He was quoted in the cable as a dire seeker of “annihilation” >> of Islamic Republic of Iran. In a meeting with an American diplomat, >> General Yadlin dubbed Iranian, Syrian and Hezbollah’s weapons as >> “tools of terrorism” and not war weapons. He also showed immense >> eagerness to attack Syrian nuclear facilities. >> >> General Yadlin also told American diplomat that timeframe of Iran >> nuclear weapons preparation and timeframe to attack Iran were to be >> totally different issues. He also differed with Americans over the >> ability of Iran to prepare nuclear weapons and instead said that Iran >> had sufficient enriched uranium to manufacture a single nuclear device >> and may soon have enough for making another bomb. >> >> Iran is busy setting up two new nuclear installations, Yadlin told the >> US diplomat adding that M-I has indications that work has began on the >> installations, but did not comment on the sources. Yadlin, who was >> later-on replaced by Brigadier General Aviv Kochav, also spoke of Iran >> as the greatest threat facing Israel, not only in the nuclear respect. >> “Iran is sending its long arms to aid anyone who is working against >> Israel,” Yadlin said. “Such assessments are undoubtedly weighing on >> Prime Minister Netanyahu’s mind as he considers the possible need for >> an Israeli pre-emptive strike on Iran,” the cable said. >> >> Mossad chief Meir Dagan very proudly told Americans that his special >> team had eliminated Hamas top military strategist Izzadin Sheikh >> Khalil through a terror plot. The cable informed Washington that in >> fact Dagan had established a number of “hit teams” through which he >> was getting engaged in non-intelligence operations and also used these >> hit men for certain personal vendettas as well. >> >> Dagan, in a meeting with US Under Secretary of State for Political >> Affairs, William Burns, proposed Americans a five point agenda to fix >> Iran. The focus of the agenda was to change the regime at Tehran and >> to launch an ethnic movement throughout Iran to destabilise the >> country before launching the final attack. >> >> Karzai patron-in-chief of Afghan drug mafia >> >> A cable from Kabul termed Afghan President as the “patron-in-chief” of >> the Afghan drug mafia. The cable, citing certain verified UNODC >> figures, stated that Karzai was living at the mercy of Afghan warlords >> who, with the passage of time, had transformed into drug lords. The >> cable stated that there was an annual drug trade of 3 trillion dollars >> from Pakistan while the Karzai administration was keeping mum over the >> same. >> >> Another cable stated that Indian involvement in Afghanistan was >> increasing considerably and all was going on with the consent and >> knowledge of President Karzai and his administration. The cable >> further reads that growing Indian influence and presence in >> Afghanistan was focused towards Pakistan and China, both >> simultaneously. >> >> Saudia Arabia planned anti-Hezbollah force >> >> Saudi Arabia proposed setting up an Arab force to fight Hezbollah >> militants in Lebanon with the help of the US, UN and Nato, according >> to a leaked document. In a meeting in May 2008 with a US diplomat in >> Iraq, David Satterfield, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said a >> “security response” was needed to the “military challenge” posed to >> Beirut by the Iran-backed militants. >> >> The Saudi prince feared a Hezbollah victory against the Lebanese >> government, led by then prime minister Fuad Siniora, would eventually >> lead to Iran’s takeover of the country. >> >> There was a need for an “Arab force” to create and maintain order in >> and around Beirut, he argued, saying the Lebanese army was “too >> fragile to bear more pressure,” according to the cable from the US >> embassy in Riyadh. >> >> Such a force would be aided by UNIFIL troops deployed in southern >> Lebanon, while the “US and Nato would need to provide movement and >> logistic support, as well as naval and air cover,” the cable added. >> >> Saudis killed Yemeni civilians in border war >> >> According to a leaked document, Saudi armed forces killed Yemeni >> civilians when fighting Shia rebels in a brief border war despite >> assurances that only rebel targets were hit. >> >> Saudi Arabia fought Yemeni rebels for several months in a border war >> that ended with a ceasefire in February. >> >> In public statements during the fighting, Saudi Arabia said that only >> rebel positions in the border area were attacked. But the leaked >> cables suggest civilians died. >> >> “Obviously some civilians died, though we wish that this did not >> happen,” the prince, who is also assistant defence minister, said in >> the meeting requested by the ambassador to relay US concerns about >> civilian casualties in the conflict. >> >> Prince Khaled confirmed that Saudi forces hit a building the United >> States believed to be a clinic but the Saudis thought it was being >> used as a base by rebels. He also said the Yemeni military had helped >> recommend rebel targets, the cable said.The Saudi military used >> “massively disproportionate force” in a campaign last year against >> guerrillas seen by the army as “embarrassingly long,” according to >> another leaked cable. >> >> “Day and night aerial bombardment and artillery shelling have been the >> main instruments of what is increasingly regarded within the Saudi >> military as an embarrassingly long campaign,” said the memo from the >> US embassy in Riyadh. The three-month operation against the lightly >> armed Huthi guerrillas on the border areas with Yemen was also seen as >> “poorly planned and executed” and “brought unexpectedly high Saudi >> casualties”. >> >> “Nonetheless, the conflict has been carefully spun as a heroic and >> successful struggle to protect Saudi sovereignty,” the memo added. >> >> Britain faced Libya threats over Lockerbie bomber >> >> Britain faced threats from Libya of dire consequences if the ailing >> Lockerbie bomber died in a Scottish prison. Threats included the >> cessation of all British commercial activity in Libya and >> demonstrations against British facilities, as well as suggestions >> Britons in the country could be put at risk, according to the cables. >> >> And despite London’s attempts to publicly distance itself from the >> decision to release Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet al-Megrahi — which was made >> by the devolved Scottish government — the cables show enormous British >> relief at the move. >> >> Libyan officials warned their British counterparts that “consequences >> for the UK-Libya bilateral relationship would be dire were al-Megrahi >> to die in Scottish prison,” read one dispatch from the US ambassador >> to Tripoli in January 2009. >> >> And if Washington publicly opposed the release, “the US Embassy and >> private Americans in Libya could face similar consequences,” read the >> cable from the ambassador, Gene A Cretz. >> >> Megrahi was the only person ever convicted over the 1988 bombing of a >> Pan Am Jumbo jet over Lockerbie, Scotland, which killed 270 people, >> most of them US nationals. He was released in August, 2009, on >> compassionate grounds after doctors diagnosed him with prostate cancer >> and gave him just three months to live, sparking outrage in the United >> States. More than a year later he remains alive in Tripoli, however, >> renewing anger in the US. >> >> One cable showed Britain’s then justice minister, Jack Straw, told US >> diplomats that although Megrahi might have up to five years to live, >> the Scottish government appeared inclined to release him. “Megrahi >> could have as long as five years to live,” said the correspondence, >> cited in Britain’s Guardian newspaper. >> >> Article Source: >> >> http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=2549&Cat=13 >> _________________________________________ >> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >> Critiques & Collaborations >> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with >> 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 anu.mukh at gmail.com Fri Dec 10 19:43:02 2010 From: anu.mukh at gmail.com (anuradha mukherjee) Date: Fri, 10 Dec 2010 19:43:02 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] "Hindutva far bigger threat than al-Qaeda" -wikileaks In-Reply-To: <745F58193D104E63B1868FD168FF786E@tara> References: <745F58193D104E63B1868FD168FF786E@tara> Message-ID: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Pakistan-papers-apologise-after-running-anti-India-fake-WikiLeaks-cables/articleshow/7075670.cms On Fri, Dec 10, 2010 at 7:20 PM, TaraPrakash wrote: > This definitely are fake leaks. BBC confirmed that they were released > possibly by Pakistani army. Javed does a better job of defending fatvas and > bringing in perspective of likes of Ajiz Barni. Here it was just an > overzealot paranoiac trying to represent Pakistani discomfort after > damaging? leaks were released about the greatest violaters of human rights. > Sorry Javed they were simply fake. I will like to read Barni on leaks > though. > > > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jhuma Sen" > To: "Javed" > Cc: "sarai list" > Sent: Friday, December 10, 2010 2:09 AM > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] "Hindutva far bigger threat than al-Qaeda" > -wikileaks > > > > This is possibly a fake news. >> >> http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/09/pakistani-newspaper-fake-leaks-india >> >> >> On Thu, Dec 9, 2010 at 11:05 PM, Javed wrote: >> >> WikiLeaks reveals Indian involvement in Balochistan, Waziristan >>> Thursday, 09 December 2010 04:49 Ahsan Waheed >>> >>> WikiLeaks reveals Indian involvement in Balochistan, WaziristanIndian >>> Army generals in bed with Hindutva Brotherhood; extremism and >>> incompetency highlights Indian Army top brass, Gen Kapoor a 'geek' >>> while Gen Singh 'petulant braggadocio'; Concern over security of >>> India's nuclear assets, more than 80% of Indian assets and missiles in >>> Naxalite-infested areas; Hemant Karkare seeked security assurances >>> from US diplomats; Hindutva organizations - Sangh Parivar and Shiv >>> Sena - more dangerous than Taliban, Al-Qaeda, LeT combined; US should >>> not hold military drills with India because of human rights violations >>> in Occupied Kashmir; ISI not involved in any terrorist activity in >>> India; >>> >>> A cable from US Embassy in Islamabad leaked by whistle-blower website >>> WikiLeaks disclosed that there were enough evidences of Indian >>> involvement in Waziristan and other tribal areas of Pakistan as well >>> as Balochistan. >>> >>> The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Ahmed Shuja Pasha’s >>> extension in services was termed as a good omen in one such cable and >>> it was added that his further presence on the scene would enhance the >>> agency’s abilities to combat anti-terror war. The cable confirmed the >>> active presence of ISI in India but it refused to confirm any >>> involvement of ISI in any terror incident across India and did confirm >>> intelligence collection by its agents and operatives. >>> >>> An earlier cable ruled out any direct or indirect involvement of ISI >>> in 26/11 under Pasha’s command while Mumbai’s dossier, based on prime >>> accused Ajmal Kasab’s confessional statement was termed funny and >>> “shockingly immature”. >>> >>> Leaked cable terms ex-Indian army chief 'a geek' >>> >>> WikiLeaks revealed that a cable sent from a US mission in India termed >>> former Indian Army chief General Deepak Kapoor as an incompetent >>> combat leader and rather a geek. >>> >>> His war doctrine, suggesting eliminating China and Pakistan in a >>> simultaneous war front was termed as “much far from reality”. Another >>> cable indicates that General Kapoor was dubbed as a general who was >>> least bothered about security challenges to the country but was more >>> concerned about making personal assets and strengthening his own cult >>> in the army. The cable also suggested that a tug-of-war between Kapoor >>> and the current Indian Army chief had divided the Indian Army into two >>> groups. >>> >>> Gen Singh called an egotist, self-obsessed, petulant >>> >>> General Singh has also been described as “Pakistan, China centric”, >>> with an added aggression towards China. The cable mentioned General >>> Singh as an egotist, self-obsessed, petulant and idiosyncratic >>> general, a braggadocio and a show-off, who has been disliked (and >>> barely tolerated) by all his subordinates. >>> >>> Indian Army committed gross human rights violations in Occupied Kashmir >>> >>> An earlier cable described Indian Army involved in gross human rights >>> violations in Indian-held Kashmir while some Lt Gen HS Panag, the then >>> GOC-in-Chief of the Northern Command of the Indian Army, was equated >>> with General Milosevic of Bosnia with regard to butchering Muslims >>> through war crimes. >>> >>> The cable urged Washington to secretly divert UN attention towards the >>> genocide of innocent civilians in held Kashmir at the hands of Indian >>> Army and also suggested that US should avoid holding any joint drill >>> with Indian Army until it stops inhuman activities in Kashmir. The >>> cable termed one Lt Col AK Mathur as “devil’s advocate” at Srinagar. >>> >>> Hindutva Brotherhood far bigger threat than Taliban, al-Qaeda, LeT >>> >>> Another cable indicated involvement of top Indian Army leadership in >>> engaging Hindu extremist militants to carry out certain terror >>> operations to keep Indian Muslims on the back foot and to keep >>> pressure on neighbouring Pakistan’s Army and intelligence agencies, >>> particularly the Inter-Services Intelligence. >>> >>> Another cable confirmed that there was a nexus of top Indian Army >>> officials and extremist Hindu outfits. This cable suggested that an >>> Indian police officer, a counter-terror specialist with the name of >>> Hemant Karkare, had exposed this nexus to some extent when he arrested >>> a serving colonel of Indian army, Lt Colonel Purohit, for blazing a >>> Pakistan bound train (Samjhota Express). >>> >>> The cable suggested that Hemant Karkare held a secret meeting with a >>> senior US diplomat in New Delhi during the national day reception of a >>> friendly country and briefed him about the gravity and the growing >>> depth of the nexus between top Indian Army leadership and the militant >>> Hindu fanatic groups. Karkare sought security for him and his family >>> from the said American diplomat as he feared that the army and >>> establishment would eliminate him as he intended to move further to >>> expose the network. He had further briefed the said US diplomat that a >>> former commander-in-chief of the Central Command of the Indian army, >>> Lt Gen PN Hoon, was heading the militancy wing of the Hindu extremists >>> and was getting full tactical, logistic and financial support from >>> senior army officers. The day, Karkare was eliminated in a pre-planned >>> ambush during the Mumbai attacks, a cable sent to the US read “we have >>> lost an important link and a vital evidence”. >>> >>> Another cable sent to Washington termed Hindutva brotherhood in >>> general and Shiv Sena in particular, as ticking time bombs with regard >>> to militancy and terrorism. It was suggested that fundraisers like >>> Hindu Students Council of America etc should be banned to raise funds >>> as they were generating funds for the Hindu militant outfits under the >>> garb of charity. Another file dubs Hindutva Brotherhood as a far >>> bigger threat to regional and global peace than Taliban, al-Qaeda and >>> LeT and the later three were declared as “peanuts” if equated with >>> Hindutva Brotherhood and Sangh Parivaar and Washington was urged to >>> take up the issue with New Delhi. >>> >>> Grave concern over India's nuclear assets and nuclear security >>> >>> Another cable expressed grave concern over the Indian government’s >>> ability to handle Naxal insurgency movement as 80 per cent of Indian >>> nuclear and missile facilities were present in the insurgency hit >>> areas of India while the Indian security forces were totally helpless >>> in ensuring the writ of the government in that particular area, known >>> as the “Red Corridor of India”. >>> >>> Israeli general wanted to attack Iran, Syria nuclear facilities >>> >>> A cable sent from Israel described the then Israeli Military >>> Intelligence chief, Major General Amos Yadlin as an aggressive >>> general. He was quoted in the cable as a dire seeker of “annihilation” >>> of Islamic Republic of Iran. In a meeting with an American diplomat, >>> General Yadlin dubbed Iranian, Syrian and Hezbollah’s weapons as >>> “tools of terrorism” and not war weapons. He also showed immense >>> eagerness to attack Syrian nuclear facilities. >>> >>> General Yadlin also told American diplomat that timeframe of Iran >>> nuclear weapons preparation and timeframe to attack Iran were to be >>> totally different issues. He also differed with Americans over the >>> ability of Iran to prepare nuclear weapons and instead said that Iran >>> had sufficient enriched uranium to manufacture a single nuclear device >>> and may soon have enough for making another bomb. >>> >>> Iran is busy setting up two new nuclear installations, Yadlin told the >>> US diplomat adding that M-I has indications that work has began on the >>> installations, but did not comment on the sources. Yadlin, who was >>> later-on replaced by Brigadier General Aviv Kochav, also spoke of Iran >>> as the greatest threat facing Israel, not only in the nuclear respect. >>> “Iran is sending its long arms to aid anyone who is working against >>> Israel,” Yadlin said. “Such assessments are undoubtedly weighing on >>> Prime Minister Netanyahu’s mind as he considers the possible need for >>> an Israeli pre-emptive strike on Iran,” the cable said. >>> >>> Mossad chief Meir Dagan very proudly told Americans that his special >>> team had eliminated Hamas top military strategist Izzadin Sheikh >>> Khalil through a terror plot. The cable informed Washington that in >>> fact Dagan had established a number of “hit teams” through which he >>> was getting engaged in non-intelligence operations and also used these >>> hit men for certain personal vendettas as well. >>> >>> Dagan, in a meeting with US Under Secretary of State for Political >>> Affairs, William Burns, proposed Americans a five point agenda to fix >>> Iran. The focus of the agenda was to change the regime at Tehran and >>> to launch an ethnic movement throughout Iran to destabilise the >>> country before launching the final attack. >>> >>> Karzai patron-in-chief of Afghan drug mafia >>> >>> A cable from Kabul termed Afghan President as the “patron-in-chief” of >>> the Afghan drug mafia. The cable, citing certain verified UNODC >>> figures, stated that Karzai was living at the mercy of Afghan warlords >>> who, with the passage of time, had transformed into drug lords. The >>> cable stated that there was an annual drug trade of 3 trillion dollars >>> from Pakistan while the Karzai administration was keeping mum over the >>> same. >>> >>> Another cable stated that Indian involvement in Afghanistan was >>> increasing considerably and all was going on with the consent and >>> knowledge of President Karzai and his administration. The cable >>> further reads that growing Indian influence and presence in >>> Afghanistan was focused towards Pakistan and China, both >>> simultaneously. >>> >>> Saudia Arabia planned anti-Hezbollah force >>> >>> Saudi Arabia proposed setting up an Arab force to fight Hezbollah >>> militants in Lebanon with the help of the US, UN and Nato, according >>> to a leaked document. In a meeting in May 2008 with a US diplomat in >>> Iraq, David Satterfield, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said a >>> “security response” was needed to the “military challenge” posed to >>> Beirut by the Iran-backed militants. >>> >>> The Saudi prince feared a Hezbollah victory against the Lebanese >>> government, led by then prime minister Fuad Siniora, would eventually >>> lead to Iran’s takeover of the country. >>> >>> There was a need for an “Arab force” to create and maintain order in >>> and around Beirut, he argued, saying the Lebanese army was “too >>> fragile to bear more pressure,” according to the cable from the US >>> embassy in Riyadh. >>> >>> Such a force would be aided by UNIFIL troops deployed in southern >>> Lebanon, while the “US and Nato would need to provide movement and >>> logistic support, as well as naval and air cover,” the cable added. >>> >>> Saudis killed Yemeni civilians in border war >>> >>> According to a leaked document, Saudi armed forces killed Yemeni >>> civilians when fighting Shia rebels in a brief border war despite >>> assurances that only rebel targets were hit. >>> >>> Saudi Arabia fought Yemeni rebels for several months in a border war >>> that ended with a ceasefire in February. >>> >>> In public statements during the fighting, Saudi Arabia said that only >>> rebel positions in the border area were attacked. But the leaked >>> cables suggest civilians died. >>> >>> “Obviously some civilians died, though we wish that this did not >>> happen,” the prince, who is also assistant defence minister, said in >>> the meeting requested by the ambassador to relay US concerns about >>> civilian casualties in the conflict. >>> >>> Prince Khaled confirmed that Saudi forces hit a building the United >>> States believed to be a clinic but the Saudis thought it was being >>> used as a base by rebels. He also said the Yemeni military had helped >>> recommend rebel targets, the cable said.The Saudi military used >>> “massively disproportionate force” in a campaign last year against >>> guerrillas seen by the army as “embarrassingly long,” according to >>> another leaked cable. >>> >>> “Day and night aerial bombardment and artillery shelling have been the >>> main instruments of what is increasingly regarded within the Saudi >>> military as an embarrassingly long campaign,” said the memo from the >>> US embassy in Riyadh. The three-month operation against the lightly >>> armed Huthi guerrillas on the border areas with Yemen was also seen as >>> “poorly planned and executed” and “brought unexpectedly high Saudi >>> casualties”. >>> >>> “Nonetheless, the conflict has been carefully spun as a heroic and >>> successful struggle to protect Saudi sovereignty,” the memo added. >>> >>> Britain faced Libya threats over Lockerbie bomber >>> >>> Britain faced threats from Libya of dire consequences if the ailing >>> Lockerbie bomber died in a Scottish prison. Threats included the >>> cessation of all British commercial activity in Libya and >>> demonstrations against British facilities, as well as suggestions >>> Britons in the country could be put at risk, according to the cables. >>> >>> And despite London’s attempts to publicly distance itself from the >>> decision to release Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet al-Megrahi — which was made >>> by the devolved Scottish government — the cables show enormous British >>> relief at the move. >>> >>> Libyan officials warned their British counterparts that “consequences >>> for the UK-Libya bilateral relationship would be dire were al-Megrahi >>> to die in Scottish prison,” read one dispatch from the US ambassador >>> to Tripoli in January 2009. >>> >>> And if Washington publicly opposed the release, “the US Embassy and >>> private Americans in Libya could face similar consequences,” read the >>> cable from the ambassador, Gene A Cretz. >>> >>> Megrahi was the only person ever convicted over the 1988 bombing of a >>> Pan Am Jumbo jet over Lockerbie, Scotland, which killed 270 people, >>> most of them US nationals. He was released in August, 2009, on >>> compassionate grounds after doctors diagnosed him with prostate cancer >>> and gave him just three months to live, sparking outrage in the United >>> States. More than a year later he remains alive in Tripoli, however, >>> renewing anger in the US. >>> >>> One cable showed Britain’s then justice minister, Jack Straw, told US >>> diplomats that although Megrahi might have up to five years to live, >>> the Scottish government appeared inclined to release him. “Megrahi >>> could have as long as five years to live,” said the correspondence, >>> cited in Britain’s Guardian newspaper. >>> >>> Article Source: >>> >>> http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=2549&Cat=13 >>> _________________________________________ >>> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >>> Critiques & Collaborations >>> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with >>> 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 rohitrellan at aol.in Fri Dec 10 21:48:37 2010 From: rohitrellan at aol.in (rohitrellan at aol.in) Date: Fri, 10 Dec 2010 11:18:37 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Vikalp@Alliance: The Advocate, Dec 15 , Mumbai In-Reply-To: <791732.75266.qm@web94810.mail.in2.yahoo.com> References: <791732.75266.qm@web94810.mail.in2.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <8CD669D08E5D54E-233C-ECCF@webmail-d060.sysops.aol.com> VIKALP at ALLIANCE presents A Special Screening on December 15 to mark Universal Human Rights Month of THE ADVOCATE - A documentary by Deepa Dhanraj The screening will be followed by a discussion with the director and crew of the film. VENUE: Alliance Francaise, Theosophy Hall, New Marine Lines, Mumbai DATE: Wednesday, December 15 TIME: 6:30 pm The event is open to all. Please spread the word. ABOUT THE FILM THE ADVOCATE 130 min, English Director: Deepa Dhanraj Camera: Navroze Contractor Editor: Jabeen Merchant Sound recordist: Dileep Subramaniam Producer: Kalpana Kannabiran The name K.G. Kannabiran is synonymous with the founding of the human rights and civil liberties movement in India. THE ADVOCATE is partly biographical and partly a history of the times. Through first person recollections, anecdotes, archival clippings, television news footage and visuals of actual events, it tells a riveting story. The film speaks not only of one man's incredible life and work, but allows a rare glimpse into the history of an entire movement. Spanning the period from 1968 till 2005, the film also traces a series of landmark cases which define Mr. Kannabiran's career as a lawyer, exploring in the process how the Indian Constitution must be interpreted to uphold the rights of citizens. EXCERPTS FROM THE ADVOCATE: "Mr. Kannabiran, these naxalites who want to overthrow the government and the Constitution, why should they seek protection under the Constitution?" Then I told the judge, "Sir, when such matters come before this court, it is not their values which are on trial, but your values. Your Constitution is on trial. You write in the Constitution that people who don't believe in it are not entitled to protection. That's the end of it. So long as you say that notwithstanding their views they are entitled to rights and protection under the Constitution, it is your values which are always on trial." - K. G. Kannabiran "Indira Gandhi has declared a state of Emergency and I've just been arrested, so tell Kannabiran as soon as he comes home." Every night, around midnight, there would be calls from people you knew who had been arrested. And Kanna would take it very quietly, he would go the next day and he would be arguing. I asked him, "Every single person who has been arrested during the Emergency has rung up here, and you have gone and filed a habaeus corpus for them. When you are arrested, who should I approach?" He couldn't think of a name. People stopped wishing him, stopped talking to him. People were afraid of being seen talking to him. - Vasanth Kannabiran, feminist writer and activist For the past 35 years, wherever there have been revolutionary movements, when people were afraid to associate with naxalites, or even to mention them, in those circumstances, he continuously defended their politics. Not only that, he criticized their mistakes fearlessly. He always speaks his mind. If he gets emotional, he doesn't spare anyone. - Gadar, revolutionary poet and performer VENUE: Alliance Francaise, Theosophy Hall, New Marine Lines, Mumbai DATE: Wednesday, December 15 TIME: 6:30 pm The event is open to all. Please spread the word From chintan.backups at gmail.com Fri Dec 10 22:05:33 2010 From: chintan.backups at gmail.com (Chintan Girish Modi) Date: Fri, 10 Dec 2010 22:05:33 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Eklavya needs people to join their Science Education team Message-ID: If you're interested, pease mail Himanshu directly at srihim at gmail.com ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: jennifer thomas ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: कृति श्रीवास्तव ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Himanshu Date: 2010/12/10 'Eklavya' has been working in the field of education since 1982 when it was formed with the mandate of carrying on the work initiated by Kishore Bharati on an activity-based curriculum for middle-school Science. Since 2007, we have also been working on extending this approach to science teaching-learning in high school. The issues in School Science Education are many, but can be broadly classified into two major strands – what to teach and how to teach it. What to teach is often decided by a top-down approach wherein a perceived need for engineers / doctors / technologists / whatever is translated into the school science curriculum as more and more topics being included. Similarly, a simple answer to ‘how to teach it’ is the lecture method that is so universally adopted. But research in science education has shown that this way ends up with the children not only getting a very half-baked notion of scientific concepts, but also a skewed view of what Science itself is all about. The Science team in Eklavya is currently working on developing materials for high-school science. Since we have limited human resources, we are focusing on making modules for various topics – and not trying to develop a whole ‘curriculum’. These ‘modules’ are meant to be stand-alone material which can be used by teachers as resource material for teaching these topics, or by children with or without some adult guidance. The topics for these modules were selected after some intense discussion and reflect those concepts which the group felt formed the foundations of Science. In developing these materials, we have tried to balance the need to cover the material at the level expected of that age-group (high-school students) while at the same time conveying the magic of cutting edge research and the latest findings. The sequence is based on the findings from research in education that tell us how children learn and where they are likely to get confused. And at this level, the focus has shifted slightly from doing the appropriate activities to getting the children to think about the data collected (either from the students’ experiments or from experiments conducted by other people at other times) and leading them to the various scientific models that try to explain the various phenomena around us. Of course, the limited human resources to do all this work is worrying, and we would like lots more people to join us full-time or part-time. All we expect from anyone wanting to join us in this work is a thorough understanding of their subject and a willingness to grapple with the pedagogical issues – put in the time to read up on the research in science education and the issues in history, nature and philosophy of science. So, do contact us if you are interested in this kind of work, and pass this on to anyone else who might be interested. You can also check out our website to learn more about us and our work. From shuddha at sarai.net Fri Dec 10 15:08:50 2010 From: shuddha at sarai.net (Shuddhabrata Sengupta) Date: Fri, 10 Dec 2010 15:08:50 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] RIP Dashrath Patel References: Message-ID: <99FE6ABD-EC81-406F-A92C-2243291AA973@sarai.net> RIP Dashrath Patel - a moving tribute by Sadanand Menon best. Shuddha ------------------------------------------- DASHRATH PATEL – 1927-2010 VISUAL THINKER WHOM THE NATION FAILED By Sadanand Menon On the morning of December 1, Dashrath Patel sat on his chair by the window in his home, gripped his thick-nib bamboo pen, dipped it first into the black inkpot and then into the red, placed the tip on the open page of his notebook and let the play of light guide his wrist. There was a surge of flowing lines. He had whipped up a whirlwind. He kept his bamboo pen aside and gently picked up the long, sturdy pea-hen feather I had found for him, a few days earlier, in the campus of the Sarabhai Foundation in Ahmedabad. He had sliced the tip to a thin point and was using it as his quill. Once again he mixed the inks and let the feather give wings to his imagination. Three more pages of abstract forms flew out from within the infinite resource of fantasy he was blessed with. He could summon forms at will. A lifetime of filling pages and notebooks with a mind-boggling abundance of lines, and he still felt he was nowhere near to being satisfied. Literally hundreds of notebooks lovingly inscribed with this unceasing quest for form. When he was not doing anything else, Dashrath was drawing. His hands would quiver if he had to sign a cheque. But when he was drawing it was like a musician catching his shruti. The creator and his creation aligned on the same axis. It always reminded me of the story attributed to Harindranath Chattopadhyaya, one of Dashrath’s early mentors while he was a student at the Madras College of Art. A shaagird of Ustad Abdul Karim Khan, founder of the Kirana Gharana, Harinda was puzzled that every single morning Ustad devoted exclusively to practicing the ‘ni’ note. This was his daily ritual. One day Harinda asked him, “Ustad, you are known as the ‘samrat of nishad’; yet you spend so much time practicing only that every day?” Abdul Karim Khan put his tanpura aside and said, “Beta, zindagi bhar main is nishad ko maanjta raha hoon, maanjta raha hoon; par kambakht haath hi nahin lagti’. [All my life I’ve been polishing and polishing this nishad; but the damn thing still eludes me]. Dashrath’s daily journey with the line drawing too was his own search for the elusive. But that morning on December 1, after doing seven drawings, he quietly succumbed to the elusive and became part of the light that so fascinated him all his life. It was his last flirtation with light. A monumental creative spirit had departed. In the space of a fortnight, India had lost two unique, yet fraternal, souls. We had hardly recovered from the passing away, on November 14, of L.C. Jain, than his friend Dashrath too followed. Both lucid thinkers with original, non-pedantic, non-formal ideas on national culture and the need to harness the skills and capacities of ordinary people in creative social organization. Both brought clarity of thought to issues, often startling in their simplicity and effect. Both had walked out of doors originally opened by Gandhiji, but carried no bags or standard wares to sell. Visionaries in short, whom the nation largely betrayed. Ultimately, India failed both the economist-philosopher L.C. Jain and the designer-philosopher Dashrath Patel. L.C. was part of the limited brigade of economists who practiced economics ‘as if people mattered’. After a long innings working with traditional economic sectors like rural handicrafts and handlooms when, in the late 1980s, he was drafted into the Planning Commission, he suddenly realized the mammoth exercise in chicanery that the planning process had deteriorated into. Deputed to sit on the State Planning Board in Tamilnadu, I remember how his patience was tested once by the Board visibly being hijacked by industrial lobbies. He delivered a thundering rebuttal and before anyone could get him to endorse any proposal he ducked and spent some quality time with Chandralekha and me. L.C. has written: “Fifty years after independence, there is not a single village out of 350,000 villages which is self- governing. Is it surprising we still have 300 million people who are poverty-stricken and as many who are ignorant – deprived of literacy; and there are starvation deaths in villages alongside with buffer-stocks of 60 million tonnes?” Dashrath too was like one of those innocent, wide-eyed heroes of post- Independence Indian cinema, bursting wih idealism and faith in the capacity of the artist to transform his society. Gifted with a cornucopia of diverse skills and talents, he believed that the nascent industry of young India would be automatically on the look- out for an indigenous Indian design. Already a well known painter, ceramist and photographer, he aligned himself with the ‘national’ design project without a second thought, as the National Institute of Design was set up in 1961 and started its professional design practice and pedagogy in 1963. After two decades of training a generation of designers and design teachers and having interacted closely with Indian industry, Dashrath would be heard saying exasperatedly: “The Indian industrial class lacks both dignity and courage. They are just sons of merchants, conservative to the core. Their sole interest is gathering profit without investing in the future of the industry in product, process or human development.” It is the kind of scathing critique of the industrial class I have not heard even Marxist critics make. Dashrath’s politics, as his art, was intuitive and visual. He could ‘see’ that the Indian bourgeoisie had no interest in sinking any money into design which, for him, represented optimization of scarce resources. His story of how at NID they developed the first differential fan in the 1960s and took it to ‘Usha’, which turned it down, has not been publicly repeated often enough. For him, this betrayal by captains of industry was unpardonable. He was unsparing in his critique of the Indian capitalist’s lust for ‘joint-ventures’ in which they had ‘nothing to lose’. They just had to buy some discarded, obsolescent blueprint from the West, set up a sweat-shop and rake in the profits. He would describe the puffed-up ambitions of Indian industrialists as ‘dressing up a tractor in a dinner jacket’. In later years, Dashrath also developed a significant critique of ‘styling’ over ‘design’. He used to say that while, generally, in the design process the emphasis has to be on public 'need', its economic capacity, effective deliverance, infrastructural sustenance and flexible production methods, designers had failed to comprehend this. In a magazine interview earlier this year, he said, “Due to the open market strategy followed since 1991, India experienced the incredible effect of globalization and the design arena was further degraded. Fresh design graduates misplaced their priorities and emphasized merely 'product styling' and the 'look' – and this trend continues. Design is not for styling; it is to enhance the function". Many of his aphoristic sayings and constant concerns are poignantly captured in the hour-long documentary, ‘In the Realm of the Visual’, by Iffat Fatima made for the MCRC, Jamia-Milia, during Dashrath’s Fifty years ‘Retrospective Exhibition’ in Delhi, in 1998. He also used to chuckle loudly at the comical fall-out of globalization in our context. His favourite example was the new-in- the-market sedan cars. He used to say, “Most of these sedans are designed in the West as owner-driven vehicles. So the driver’s seat is the best designed, with ergonomic detailing and precision, and is the most comfortable part of the car. The back seat is for dumping the grocery and kids. But when this car comes to India and is sold for Rs.15 – 20 lakhs, the vanity of the owner does not permit him to drive it himself. So his poorly-paid driver sits in the most comfortable seat, while the millionaire himself sits in the dickey.” While Dashrath moved all his life from one creative discipline to the other with the excitement of a child finding a new toy, he also resisted slipping into sedentary celebrityhood. While at NID, one-by- one, he had executed some of the most prestigious national and international projects of the 1960s and ‘70s. Nehru Exhibition, Tokyo Fair, Osaka Fair, Montreal Fair, New York Fair, Gandhi Centenary Exhibition, Agri-Expo – he did it all. For each of them, with unhesitating back-up from NID founders Gautam and Gira Sarabhai, he worked with a new top-of-the-block consultant in design, photography, architecture, display techniques, graphics and stadium-scale exhibitions – enhancing his own learning in the process. He travelled the length and breadth of India three times during this period carrying his heavy camera bag slung from his shoulder, photographing each detail of daily life, custom, ritual and hand-made processes in every region. As he used to say gleefully, he returned to the same region, village and person every ten years and documented them afresh, studying and noting all the changes that had taken place in the interim. He was quick to spot the changes in the wares displayed in Indian village markets indicating the changes in economy and the entry of, first nylons and then plastics in rural and tribal lifestyles. With this vast data-bank of visual material, he was to literally ‘construct’ the image of India for exhibition purposes. It was an India illuminated with the little joys and hopes and festivities of thousands of its ordinary people. But one major negative experience in 1980 at NID made him leave the institution, on the heels of being conferred the first Padma Shri for Design and Design Education in India. It is interesting that the next decade saw him travel two entirely different trajectories. On the one hand, almost single-handedly, without the benefit of NID and without even a proper design studio, plagued by failing eyesight, he executed two of the most ambitious spectacles of the period – the inaugural ceremonies of the Festivals of India in France and later, in the USSR – both massive in scale and in the human resources they mobilized. The other was the dramatic switch he made to working within small, negligible economies, for need-based programmes with NGOs and activists, developing stunningly simple methods of communication through screen-printing and field-darkrooms. Egged on by the dynamic activist Vikasbhai, it was to lead him to set up camp at the Saghan Khshetra Vikas Samiti, the Gandhian integrated rural development project in Sewapuri, near Varanasi. It was a ten- year period when he virtually turned the place around, getting each of their workshops in textile, carpentry, leather and ceramics to turn out products no less sophisticated in form and finish than what was being made in NID. It instantly changed the profile of the subsistence economy of the region. He also set up a Rural Design School there for the children of artisans and anyone else willing to apprentice with him. This was perhaps, his most resounding critique of the Indian elite design project – that after twenty years at its helm, he chose to create not one more ‘national’ school or ‘urban’ design school, but that he chose to link the otherwise pompous idea of design in India to a sustainable economy of needs and resources. It was this ‘return’ to basics which prompted his friend L.C. Jain to comment, “If Gandhiji were alive today, he would have been proud”. Dashrath’s spontaneous austerity was as genuine as his immense delight in high-end gadgetry. Almost 75, he took to digital photography and to the Mac Notebook like a duck to water. He possessed, along with an old (and still working) Braun spool recorder, a state-of-the-art Sony digital recorder. He played with some of the most fascinating collection of pens and, till almost the last day, was happy speaking into a smart little digital voice recorder-cum-pendrive. And yet, he never moved away from his khadi shirt or kurta and, in the last decade of his life was always seen wearing a starched South-Indian handloom veshti – even when he drove his second-hand Mercedes. Madras/Chennai had a special place in his life and heart. For one, there was his lifelong friendship with the equally versatile and diversely creative Chandralekha, who had made Chennai her home, which yielded some feisty collaborations – ‘The World is my Family’ exhibition for the Gandhi Centenary Year; ‘Stree - Women of India’ exhibition for the Festival of India, USSR; the ‘Pudu-Paavu’ exhibition of South Indian sarees, were all projects executed with great elan. There were also the masterly concepts for the Bronze Gallery, Madras Museum and the Art & Science Pavilion for the ‘Discovery of India’ exhibition for the Nehru Centre, Mumbai, which did not get actualized. Together, they did some striking photo- essays, including published works on the vessels of India, ‘Hasta- Mudras’ and the recently released ‘Why the Sky is Blue’, a collection of photographs and sentences from Sir C.V. Raman’s famous lecture. Dashrath has documented all of Chandra’s dance work from ‘Navagraha’ through to ‘Sharira’, besides having created stage backdrops for ‘Lilavati’, ‘Yantra’ and ‘Mahakal’. But what he enjoyed doing most was ironing her exquisite collection of sarees or fixing taps and plug points in the house. Beyond this too, Dashrath has left his mark on the city. He was the first assistant to his teacher Devi Prasad Roy Choudhury in the execution of the two iconic sculptures along the Marina Beach – the ‘Triumph of Labour’ and the Gandhi statue. For these Dashrath created the plaster-of-Paris macquets in various shapes and sizes before the famous bronzes were eventually cast. Fifty years later, he was thrilled to be invited to create a sculpture at the junction along the IT corridor, near Tidel Park, on the theme of fire. The 35’ tall coloured plumes in reinforced concrete will remain his visible signature on the city. Just a few weeks earlier, Dashrath had celebrated his 83rd birthday with an evening’s outing for a round of ice creams. Since his cardiac surgery last October, he had lost his appetite and had dropped over 35 kilos. He had turned uncomfortably frail. But ice cream was a magic word to get his excitement level up. The other adrenalin was the smell of some ‘new’ work. The evening before he passed away, when I called him, he sounded very feeble and it was clear there was not much time. To perk him up, I told him about my new appointment on the Apex Committee of the National Museum. Immediately his voice stabilized and he said, “They have ruined the museums. Suggest some good ideas to them and I will join you. We will do that together”. This was quintessential Dashrath – mercurially in the present; and looking ahead. Whenever the ‘nation’ seemed to goof, he was there offering help, a handyman, a visual thinker, a man of his times. Suddenly, the dappled light seems profligate. ----------- Sadanand Menon learnt and worked with Dashrath Patel for 35 years. In 1998, he curated ‘In the Realm of the Visual’, Dashrath’s 50 years ‘Retrospective Exhibition’ in painting, ceramics, design and photography for the NGMA, Delhi. This was re-mounted in 1999 for NGMA, Mumbai. The Dashrath Patel Museum in Alibagh, off Mumbai, houses under one roof his collected works. Created with the help of his designer friend Pinakin Patel, it is open on weekends. Shuddhabrata Sengupta The Sarai Programme at CSDS Raqs Media Collective shuddha at sarai.net www.sarai.net www.raqsmediacollective.net From javedmasoo at gmail.com Sat Dec 11 11:32:47 2010 From: javedmasoo at gmail.com (Javed) Date: Sat, 11 Dec 2010 11:32:47 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] "Hindutva far bigger threat than al-Qaeda" -wikileaks In-Reply-To: <745F58193D104E63B1868FD168FF786E@tara> References: <745F58193D104E63B1868FD168FF786E@tara> Message-ID: Dear Taraprakash You definitely do no read all my posts (or not entirely) if you think I have been defending only fatwas and Aziz Barney. That's a very lopsided view of my posts. You didn't see my two earlier posts (on this subject) where I said these ARE fake Wikileaks. thanks for being biased. Javed On Fri, Dec 10, 2010 at 7:20 PM, TaraPrakash wrote: > This definitely are fake leaks. BBC confirmed that they were released > possibly by Pakistani army. Javed does a better job of defending fatvas and > bringing in perspective of likes of Ajiz Barni. Here it was just an > overzealot paranoiac trying to represent Pakistani discomfort after > damaging? leaks were released about the greatest violaters of human rights. > Sorry Javed they were simply fake. I will like to read Barni on leaks > though. > > > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jhuma Sen" > To: "Javed" > Cc: "sarai list" > Sent: Friday, December 10, 2010 2:09 AM > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] "Hindutva far bigger threat than al-Qaeda" > -wikileaks > > >> This is possibly a fake news. >> >> http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/09/pakistani-newspaper-fake-leaks-india >> >> >> On Thu, Dec 9, 2010 at 11:05 PM, Javed wrote: >> >>> WikiLeaks reveals Indian involvement in Balochistan, Waziristan >>> Thursday, 09 December 2010 04:49 Ahsan Waheed >>> >>> WikiLeaks reveals Indian involvement in Balochistan, WaziristanIndian >>> Army generals in bed with Hindutva Brotherhood; extremism and >>> incompetency highlights Indian Army top brass, Gen Kapoor a 'geek' >>> while Gen Singh 'petulant braggadocio'; Concern over security of >>> India's nuclear assets, more than 80% of Indian assets and missiles in >>> Naxalite-infested areas; Hemant Karkare seeked security assurances >>> from US diplomats; Hindutva organizations - Sangh Parivar and Shiv >>> Sena - more dangerous than Taliban, Al-Qaeda, LeT combined; US should >>> not hold military drills with India because of human rights violations >>> in Occupied Kashmir; ISI not involved in any terrorist activity in >>> India; >>> >>> A cable from US Embassy in Islamabad leaked by whistle-blower website >>> WikiLeaks disclosed that there were enough evidences of Indian >>> involvement in Waziristan and other tribal areas of Pakistan as well >>> as Balochistan. >>> >>> The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Ahmed Shuja Pasha’s >>> extension in services was termed as a good omen in one such cable and >>> it was added that his further presence on the scene would enhance the >>> agency’s abilities to combat anti-terror war. The cable confirmed the >>> active presence of ISI in India but it refused to confirm any >>> involvement of ISI in any terror incident across India and did confirm >>> intelligence collection by its agents and operatives. >>> >>> An earlier cable ruled out any direct or indirect involvement of ISI >>> in 26/11 under Pasha’s command while Mumbai’s dossier, based on prime >>> accused Ajmal Kasab’s confessional statement was termed funny and >>> “shockingly immature”. >>> >>> Leaked cable terms ex-Indian army chief 'a geek' >>> >>> WikiLeaks revealed that a cable sent from a US mission in India termed >>> former Indian Army chief General Deepak Kapoor as an incompetent >>> combat leader and rather a geek. >>> >>> His war doctrine, suggesting eliminating China and Pakistan in a >>> simultaneous war front was termed as “much far from reality”. Another >>> cable indicates that General Kapoor was dubbed as a general who was >>> least bothered about security challenges to the country but was more >>> concerned about making personal assets and strengthening his own cult >>> in the army. The cable also suggested that a tug-of-war between Kapoor >>> and the current Indian Army chief had divided the Indian Army into two >>> groups. >>> >>> Gen Singh called an egotist, self-obsessed, petulant >>> >>> General Singh has also been described as “Pakistan, China centric”, >>> with an added aggression towards China. The cable mentioned General >>> Singh as an egotist, self-obsessed, petulant and idiosyncratic >>> general, a braggadocio and a show-off, who has been disliked (and >>> barely tolerated) by all his subordinates. >>> >>> Indian Army committed gross human rights violations in Occupied Kashmir >>> >>> An earlier cable described Indian Army involved in gross human rights >>> violations in Indian-held Kashmir while some Lt Gen HS Panag, the then >>> GOC-in-Chief of the Northern Command of the Indian Army, was equated >>> with General Milosevic of Bosnia with regard to butchering Muslims >>> through war crimes. >>> >>> The cable urged Washington to secretly divert UN attention towards the >>> genocide of innocent civilians in held Kashmir at the hands of Indian >>> Army and also suggested that US should avoid holding any joint drill >>> with Indian Army until it stops inhuman activities in Kashmir. The >>> cable termed one Lt Col AK Mathur as “devil’s advocate” at Srinagar. >>> >>> Hindutva Brotherhood far bigger threat than Taliban, al-Qaeda, LeT >>> >>> Another cable indicated involvement of top Indian Army leadership in >>> engaging Hindu extremist militants to carry out certain terror >>> operations to keep Indian Muslims on the back foot and to keep >>> pressure on neighbouring Pakistan’s Army and intelligence agencies, >>> particularly the Inter-Services Intelligence. >>> >>> Another cable confirmed that there was a nexus of top Indian Army >>> officials and extremist Hindu outfits. This cable suggested that an >>> Indian police officer, a counter-terror specialist with the name of >>> Hemant Karkare, had exposed this nexus to some extent when he arrested >>> a serving colonel of Indian army, Lt Colonel Purohit, for blazing a >>> Pakistan bound train (Samjhota Express). >>> >>> The cable suggested that Hemant Karkare held a secret meeting with a >>> senior US diplomat in New Delhi during the national day reception of a >>> friendly country and briefed him about the gravity and the growing >>> depth of the nexus between top Indian Army leadership and the militant >>> Hindu fanatic groups. Karkare sought security for him and his family >>> from the said American diplomat as he feared that the army and >>> establishment would eliminate him as he intended to move further to >>> expose the network. He had further briefed the said US diplomat that a >>> former commander-in-chief of the Central Command of the Indian army, >>> Lt Gen PN Hoon, was heading the militancy wing of the Hindu extremists >>> and was getting full tactical, logistic and financial support from >>> senior army officers. The day, Karkare was eliminated in a pre-planned >>> ambush during the Mumbai attacks, a cable sent to the US read “we have >>> lost an important link and a vital evidence”. >>> >>> Another cable sent to Washington termed Hindutva brotherhood in >>> general and Shiv Sena in particular, as ticking time bombs with regard >>> to militancy and terrorism. It was suggested that fundraisers like >>> Hindu Students Council of America etc should be banned to raise funds >>> as they were generating funds for the Hindu militant outfits under the >>> garb of charity. Another file dubs Hindutva Brotherhood as a far >>> bigger threat to regional and global peace than Taliban, al-Qaeda and >>> LeT and the later three were declared as “peanuts” if equated with >>> Hindutva Brotherhood and Sangh Parivaar and Washington was urged to >>> take up the issue with New Delhi. >>> >>> Grave concern over India's nuclear assets and nuclear security >>> >>> Another cable expressed grave concern over the Indian government’s >>> ability to handle Naxal insurgency movement as 80 per cent of Indian >>> nuclear and missile facilities were present in the insurgency hit >>> areas of India while the Indian security forces were totally helpless >>> in ensuring the writ of the government in that particular area, known >>> as the “Red Corridor of India”. >>> >>> Israeli general wanted to attack Iran, Syria nuclear facilities >>> >>> A cable sent from Israel described the then Israeli Military >>> Intelligence chief, Major General Amos Yadlin as an aggressive >>> general. He was quoted in the cable as a dire seeker of “annihilation” >>> of Islamic Republic of Iran. In a meeting with an American diplomat, >>> General Yadlin dubbed Iranian, Syrian and Hezbollah’s weapons as >>> “tools of terrorism” and not war weapons. He also showed immense >>> eagerness to attack Syrian nuclear facilities. >>> >>> General Yadlin also told American diplomat that timeframe of Iran >>> nuclear weapons preparation and timeframe to attack Iran were to be >>> totally different issues. He also differed with Americans over the >>> ability of Iran to prepare nuclear weapons and instead said that Iran >>> had sufficient enriched uranium to manufacture a single nuclear device >>> and may soon have enough for making another bomb. >>> >>> Iran is busy setting up two new nuclear installations, Yadlin told the >>> US diplomat adding that M-I has indications that work has began on the >>> installations, but did not comment on the sources. Yadlin, who was >>> later-on replaced by Brigadier General Aviv Kochav, also spoke of Iran >>> as the greatest threat facing Israel, not only in the nuclear respect. >>> “Iran is sending its long arms to aid anyone who is working against >>> Israel,” Yadlin said. “Such assessments are undoubtedly weighing on >>> Prime Minister Netanyahu’s mind as he considers the possible need for >>> an Israeli pre-emptive strike on Iran,” the cable said. >>> >>> Mossad chief Meir Dagan very proudly told Americans that his special >>> team had eliminated Hamas top military strategist Izzadin Sheikh >>> Khalil through a terror plot. The cable informed Washington that in >>> fact Dagan had established a number of “hit teams” through which he >>> was getting engaged in non-intelligence operations and also used these >>> hit men for certain personal vendettas as well. >>> >>> Dagan, in a meeting with US Under Secretary of State for Political >>> Affairs, William Burns, proposed Americans a five point agenda to fix >>> Iran. The focus of the agenda was to change the regime at Tehran and >>> to launch an ethnic movement throughout Iran to destabilise the >>> country before launching the final attack. >>> >>> Karzai patron-in-chief of Afghan drug mafia >>> >>> A cable from Kabul termed Afghan President as the “patron-in-chief” of >>> the Afghan drug mafia. The cable, citing certain verified UNODC >>> figures, stated that Karzai was living at the mercy of Afghan warlords >>> who, with the passage of time, had transformed into drug lords. The >>> cable stated that there was an annual drug trade of 3 trillion dollars >>> from Pakistan while the Karzai administration was keeping mum over the >>> same. >>> >>> Another cable stated that Indian involvement in Afghanistan was >>> increasing considerably and all was going on with the consent and >>> knowledge of President Karzai and his administration. The cable >>> further reads that growing Indian influence and presence in >>> Afghanistan was focused towards Pakistan and China, both >>> simultaneously. >>> >>> Saudia Arabia planned anti-Hezbollah force >>> >>> Saudi Arabia proposed setting up an Arab force to fight Hezbollah >>> militants in Lebanon with the help of the US, UN and Nato, according >>> to a leaked document. In a meeting in May 2008 with a US diplomat in >>> Iraq, David Satterfield, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said a >>> “security response” was needed to the “military challenge” posed to >>> Beirut by the Iran-backed militants. >>> >>> The Saudi prince feared a Hezbollah victory against the Lebanese >>> government, led by then prime minister Fuad Siniora, would eventually >>> lead to Iran’s takeover of the country. >>> >>> There was a need for an “Arab force” to create and maintain order in >>> and around Beirut, he argued, saying the Lebanese army was “too >>> fragile to bear more pressure,” according to the cable from the US >>> embassy in Riyadh. >>> >>> Such a force would be aided by UNIFIL troops deployed in southern >>> Lebanon, while the “US and Nato would need to provide movement and >>> logistic support, as well as naval and air cover,” the cable added. >>> >>> Saudis killed Yemeni civilians in border war >>> >>> According to a leaked document, Saudi armed forces killed Yemeni >>> civilians when fighting Shia rebels in a brief border war despite >>> assurances that only rebel targets were hit. >>> >>> Saudi Arabia fought Yemeni rebels for several months in a border war >>> that ended with a ceasefire in February. >>> >>> In public statements during the fighting, Saudi Arabia said that only >>> rebel positions in the border area were attacked. But the leaked >>> cables suggest civilians died. >>> >>> “Obviously some civilians died, though we wish that this did not >>> happen,” the prince, who is also assistant defence minister, said in >>> the meeting requested by the ambassador to relay US concerns about >>> civilian casualties in the conflict. >>> >>> Prince Khaled confirmed that Saudi forces hit a building the United >>> States believed to be a clinic but the Saudis thought it was being >>> used as a base by rebels. He also said the Yemeni military had helped >>> recommend rebel targets, the cable said.The Saudi military used >>> “massively disproportionate force” in a campaign last year against >>> guerrillas seen by the army as “embarrassingly long,” according to >>> another leaked cable. >>> >>> “Day and night aerial bombardment and artillery shelling have been the >>> main instruments of what is increasingly regarded within the Saudi >>> military as an embarrassingly long campaign,” said the memo from the >>> US embassy in Riyadh. The three-month operation against the lightly >>> armed Huthi guerrillas on the border areas with Yemen was also seen as >>> “poorly planned and executed” and “brought unexpectedly high Saudi >>> casualties”. >>> >>> “Nonetheless, the conflict has been carefully spun as a heroic and >>> successful struggle to protect Saudi sovereignty,” the memo added. >>> >>> Britain faced Libya threats over Lockerbie bomber >>> >>> Britain faced threats from Libya of dire consequences if the ailing >>> Lockerbie bomber died in a Scottish prison. Threats included the >>> cessation of all British commercial activity in Libya and >>> demonstrations against British facilities, as well as suggestions >>> Britons in the country could be put at risk, according to the cables. >>> >>> And despite London’s attempts to publicly distance itself from the >>> decision to release Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet al-Megrahi — which was made >>> by the devolved Scottish government — the cables show enormous British >>> relief at the move. >>> >>> Libyan officials warned their British counterparts that “consequences >>> for the UK-Libya bilateral relationship would be dire were al-Megrahi >>> to die in Scottish prison,” read one dispatch from the US ambassador >>> to Tripoli in January 2009. >>> >>> And if Washington publicly opposed the release, “the US Embassy and >>> private Americans in Libya could face similar consequences,” read the >>> cable from the ambassador, Gene A Cretz. >>> >>> Megrahi was the only person ever convicted over the 1988 bombing of a >>> Pan Am Jumbo jet over Lockerbie, Scotland, which killed 270 people, >>> most of them US nationals. He was released in August, 2009, on >>> compassionate grounds after doctors diagnosed him with prostate cancer >>> and gave him just three months to live, sparking outrage in the United >>> States. More than a year later he remains alive in Tripoli, however, >>> renewing anger in the US. >>> >>> One cable showed Britain’s then justice minister, Jack Straw, told US >>> diplomats that although Megrahi might have up to five years to live, >>> the Scottish government appeared inclined to release him. “Megrahi >>> could have as long as five years to live,” said the correspondence, >>> cited in Britain’s Guardian newspaper. >>> >>> Article Source: >>> >>> http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=2549&Cat=13 >>> _________________________________________ >>> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >>> Critiques & Collaborations >>> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with >>> 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 javedmasoo at gmail.com Sat Dec 11 11:48:40 2010 From: javedmasoo at gmail.com (Javed) Date: Sat, 11 Dec 2010 11:48:40 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Digvijay's revelations on Karkare Message-ID: for those who want more of Aziz Burney kind of news.... ---- Two hours before 26/11 attacks, Hemant Karkare called me to say his life under threat: Digvijay Singh Seema Chishti In a startling revelation days after the second anniversary of the Mumbai terror attacks, Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh has said that two hours before the first terrorists struck that evening, chief of the Maharashtra ATS Hemant Karkare called him to say that his life was “blighted by constant threats” from those opposed to his probe into the Malegaon blast in which Hindu extremists were accused. Karkare was killed by the terrorists that evening. Days later, then Minorities Minister A R Antulay had to quit after he said that Karkare could have been a victim of “terrorism or terrorism plus something.” Speaking to The Indian Express today, Digvijay Singh said: “On November 26, 2008, at 7 pm, just about two hours before the attacks in Mumbai started, Hemant Karkare, the slain ATS chief rang me on my mobile and told me how his family and his life were blighted by constant threats from people annoyed by his investigations into the Malegaon blasts. “Woh pareshaan the (he was worried), and he told me he was trying to trace the calls, but was depressed and worried by threats and personal attacks made in their newspapers. Karkare also told me that he was hurt that in a paper, the mouthpiece of a Hindu right-wing organization, allegations were being made that my son was minting money in Dubai, when in reality he was only a school student in Mumbai.” Singh said he knew Karkare as his family was associated with Chhatarpur in Madhya Pradesh (Digvijay Singh’s home state too and where he was Chief Minister for 10 years). He said that Karkare’s father was posted as a railway officer before moving to Nagpur and they often talked. “I was so shocked and demoralized on being told of his death in the attacks in Mumbai late at night on November 26, that my initial reaction was, ‘Oh God, they have killed him.’ It was only later that I found out about other events taking place in the city on that dreadful day.” On December 6, Singh had shared these revelations with the audience at a function to launch RSS ki saazish — 26/11? (26/11, an RSS conspiracy?) authored by Aziz Burney, editor-in-chief of Urdu Sahara newspaper. Present at the function were Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha K Rahman Khan and three MLAs from Delhi, Shoaib Iqbal, Chaudhry Mateen and Asif Mohammed Khan. Also present were leading lights from the clergy Maulana Mahmood Madani from the Deobandi sect, Maulana Touqir Raza Khan from the Barelvi sect and Shia leader Kalbe Jawwad. The moderator was noted Akhtar-ul Wasey, director of the Zakir Husain Institute of Islamic Studies at Jamia Millia University. In his book, Burney writes: “It was on November 12 (this year) after I heard Digvijay Singh at Nagpur, powerfully denounce the theories of former Chief of the RSS, K Sudershan on the Congress president Sonia Gandhi and other things, which were an attempt to stop investigations into the alleged involvement of people linked to the RSS, that I was inspired to put all my pieces together on this subject and air this suspicion fully that in fact Karkare’s assassination was plotted by people associated with the RSS to stop him from unmasking the face of RSS-inspired terror...If Karkare had not been killed, he would have possibly unveiled the entire terror network and not just names of certain individuals, trying to turn India into a Hindu rashtra through violence.” Currently, Burney is part of the press team travelling with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Belgium and Germany, and said he would “elaborate when he gets back”. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/two-hours-before-26-11-attacks-hemant-karkare-called-me-to-say-his-life-under-threat-digvijay-singh/723183/0 From kmvenuannur at gmail.com Sat Dec 11 12:38:44 2010 From: kmvenuannur at gmail.com (Venugopalan K M) Date: Sat, 11 Dec 2010 12:38:44 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Naomi Wolf Writes To Interpol By Naomi Wolf 11 December, 2010 Message-ID: Naomi Wolf Writes To Interpol *By Naomi Wolf* 11 December, 2010 *Antiwar.com* Dear Interpol: As a longtime feminist activist, I have been overjoyed to discover your new commitment to engaging in global manhunts to arrest and prosecute men who behave like narcissistic jerks to women they are dating. I see that Julian Assange is accused of having consensual sex with two women, in one case using a condom that broke. I understand, from the alleged victims’ complaints to the media, that Assange is also accused of texting and tweeting in the taxi on the way to one of the women’s apartments while on a date, and, disgustingly enough, ‘reading stories about himself online’ in the cab. Both alleged victims are also upset that he began dating a second woman while still being in a relationship with the first. (Of course, as a feminist, I am also pleased that the alleged victims are using feminist-inspired rhetoric and law to assuage what appears to be personal injured feelings. That’s what our brave suffragette foremothers intended!). Thank you again, Interpol. I know you will now prioritize the global manhunt for 1.3 million guys I have heard similar complaints about personally in the US alone – there is an entire fraternity at the University of Texas you need to arrest immediately. I also have firsthand information that John Smith in Providence, Rhode Island, went to a stag party – with strippers! – that his girlfriend wanted him to skip, and that Mark Levinson in Corvallis, Oregon, did not notice that his girlfriend got a really cute new haircut – even though it was THREE INCHES SHORTER. Terrorists. Go get ‘em, Interpol! Yours gratefully, Naomi Wolf Naomi Wolf is the author of The End of America and Give Me Liberty. -- You cannot build anything on the foundations of caste. You cannot build up a nation, you cannot build up a morality. Anything that you will build on the foundations of caste will crack and will never be a whole. -AMBEDKAR http://venukm.blogspot.com http://www.shelfari.com/kmvenuannur http://kmvenuannur.livejournal.com From aliens at dataone.in Sat Dec 11 13:36:19 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Sat, 11 Dec 2010 13:36:19 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Digvijay's revelations on Karkare In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <000c01cb990a$4bbdbe40$e3393ac0$@in> When people like Digvijaysingh is there in India and congress party keeps mum on such statement, terrorist need not to worry. They have safe haven in India and with such attitude from so called responsible and oldest party of India, India can never fight with the terrorism. Sorry for misfortune of our country. God save us. Thanks Bipin Trivedi -----Original Message----- From: reader-list-bounces at sarai.net [mailto:reader-list-bounces at sarai.net] On Behalf Of Javed Sent: Saturday, December 11, 2010 11:49 AM To: sarai list Subject: [Reader-list] Digvijay's revelations on Karkare for those who want more of Aziz Burney kind of news.... ---- Two hours before 26/11 attacks, Hemant Karkare called me to say his life under threat: Digvijay Singh Seema Chishti In a startling revelation days after the second anniversary of the Mumbai terror attacks, Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh has said that two hours before the first terrorists struck that evening, chief of the Maharashtra ATS Hemant Karkare called him to say that his life was “blighted by constant threats” from those opposed to his probe into the Malegaon blast in which Hindu extremists were accused. Karkare was killed by the terrorists that evening. Days later, then Minorities Minister A R Antulay had to quit after he said that Karkare could have been a victim of “terrorism or terrorism plus something.” Speaking to The Indian Express today, Digvijay Singh said: “On November 26, 2008, at 7 pm, just about two hours before the attacks in Mumbai started, Hemant Karkare, the slain ATS chief rang me on my mobile and told me how his family and his life were blighted by constant threats from people annoyed by his investigations into the Malegaon blasts. “Woh pareshaan the (he was worried), and he told me he was trying to trace the calls, but was depressed and worried by threats and personal attacks made in their newspapers. Karkare also told me that he was hurt that in a paper, the mouthpiece of a Hindu right-wing organization, allegations were being made that my son was minting money in Dubai, when in reality he was only a school student in Mumbai.” Singh said he knew Karkare as his family was associated with Chhatarpur in Madhya Pradesh (Digvijay Singh’s home state too and where he was Chief Minister for 10 years). He said that Karkare’s father was posted as a railway officer before moving to Nagpur and they often talked. “I was so shocked and demoralized on being told of his death in the attacks in Mumbai late at night on November 26, that my initial reaction was, ‘Oh God, they have killed him.’ It was only later that I found out about other events taking place in the city on that dreadful day.” On December 6, Singh had shared these revelations with the audience at a function to launch RSS ki saazish — 26/11? (26/11, an RSS conspiracy?) authored by Aziz Burney, editor-in-chief of Urdu Sahara newspaper. Present at the function were Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha K Rahman Khan and three MLAs from Delhi, Shoaib Iqbal, Chaudhry Mateen and Asif Mohammed Khan. Also present were leading lights from the clergy Maulana Mahmood Madani from the Deobandi sect, Maulana Touqir Raza Khan from the Barelvi sect and Shia leader Kalbe Jawwad. The moderator was noted Akhtar-ul Wasey, director of the Zakir Husain Institute of Islamic Studies at Jamia Millia University. In his book, Burney writes: “It was on November 12 (this year) after I heard Digvijay Singh at Nagpur, powerfully denounce the theories of former Chief of the RSS, K Sudershan on the Congress president Sonia Gandhi and other things, which were an attempt to stop investigations into the alleged involvement of people linked to the RSS, that I was inspired to put all my pieces together on this subject and air this suspicion fully that in fact Karkare’s assassination was plotted by people associated with the RSS to stop him from unmasking the face of RSS-inspired terror...If Karkare had not been killed, he would have possibly unveiled the entire terror network and not just names of certain individuals, trying to turn India into a Hindu rashtra through violence.” Currently, Burney is part of the press team travelling with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Belgium and Germany, and said he would “elaborate when he gets back”. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/two-hours-before-26-11-attacks-hemant-karkare-called-me-to-say-his-life-under-threat-digvijay-singh/723183/0 _________________________________________ reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. Critiques & Collaborations To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the subject header. To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From anu.mukh at gmail.com Sat Dec 11 18:40:08 2010 From: anu.mukh at gmail.com (anuradha mukherjee) Date: Sat, 11 Dec 2010 18:40:08 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Naomi Wolf Writes To Interpol By Naomi Wolf 11 December, 2010 In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Great post! On Sat, Dec 11, 2010 at 12:38 PM, Venugopalan K M wrote: > Naomi Wolf Writes To Interpol > > *By Naomi Wolf* > > 11 December, 2010 > *Antiwar.com*< > http://www.antiwar.com/blog/2010/12/09/naomi-wolf-writes-to-interpol/> > > Dear Interpol: > > As a longtime feminist activist, I have been overjoyed to discover your new > commitment to engaging in global manhunts to arrest and prosecute men who > behave like narcissistic jerks to women they are dating. > > I see that Julian Assange is accused of having consensual sex with two > women, in one case using a condom that broke. I understand, from the > alleged > victims’ complaints to the media, that Assange is also accused of texting > and tweeting in the taxi on the way to one of the women’s apartments while > on a date, and, disgustingly enough, ‘reading stories about himself online’ > in the cab. > > Both alleged victims are also upset that he began dating a second woman > while still being in a relationship with the first. (Of course, as a > feminist, I am also pleased that the alleged victims are using > feminist-inspired rhetoric and law to assuage what appears to be personal > injured feelings. That’s what our brave suffragette foremothers intended!). > > Thank you again, Interpol. I know you will now prioritize the global > manhunt > for 1.3 million guys I have heard similar complaints about personally in > the > US alone – there is an entire fraternity at the University of Texas you > need > to arrest immediately. I also have firsthand information that John Smith in > Providence, Rhode Island, went to a stag party – with strippers! – that his > girlfriend wanted him to skip, and that Mark Levinson in Corvallis, Oregon, > did not notice that his girlfriend got a really cute new haircut – even > though it was THREE INCHES SHORTER. > > Terrorists. Go get ‘em, Interpol! > > Yours gratefully, > Naomi Wolf > > Naomi Wolf is the author of The End of America and Give Me Liberty. > > > > > -- > > > You cannot build anything on the foundations of caste. You cannot build up > a > nation, you cannot build up a morality. Anything that you will build on the > foundations of caste will crack and will never be a whole. > -AMBEDKAR > > > > http://venukm.blogspot.com > > http://www.shelfari.com/kmvenuannur > > http://kmvenuannur.livejournal.com > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > subscribe in the subject header. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From taraprakash at gmail.com Sat Dec 11 19:49:35 2010 From: taraprakash at gmail.com (TaraPrakash) Date: Sat, 11 Dec 2010 09:19:35 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] "Hindutva far bigger threat than al-Qaeda" -wikileaks References: <745F58193D104E63B1868FD168FF786E@tara> Message-ID: I didn't say you only defend fatvas and Barnis. I said you do a better job when you do that. Pakistani press did express regret for publishing fake leaks, you are still to do that. Forwarding fake news and making wrong statements is not new onthis list, not everyone regrets for doing that. but humility requires one to acknowledge the error. One scholar made a claim on this list that Iran has always backed India on Kashmir, I am yet to see any retraction from him as that claim was not correct. It sadly came from someone who checks his facts before making such claims. I am yet to see any forum where Iran supported India on Kashmir. Just to add to the fake leaks news, certain people in Pakistani army and government are demonizing the section of press that apologized or expressed regret for publishing those leaks. Their argument is that they will be considered fake only if someone from wikileaks says they are fake. The section of Pakistani state that was telling its people that Wikileaks is not credible is now trying to tell its people it is credible in context of India. So you can forward those leaks to other list with the same reasoning as some Pakistani officials are giving. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Javed" To: "TaraPrakash" Cc: "Jhuma Sen" ; "sarai list" Sent: Saturday, December 11, 2010 1:02 AM Subject: Re: [Reader-list] "Hindutva far bigger threat than al-Qaeda" -wikileaks Dear Taraprakash You definitely do no read all my posts (or not entirely) if you think I have been defending only fatwas and Aziz Barney. That's a very lopsided view of my posts. You didn't see my two earlier posts (on this subject) where I said these ARE fake Wikileaks. thanks for being biased. Javed On Fri, Dec 10, 2010 at 7:20 PM, TaraPrakash wrote: > This definitely are fake leaks. BBC confirmed that they were released > possibly by Pakistani army. Javed does a better job of defending fatvas > and > bringing in perspective of likes of Ajiz Barni. Here it was just an > overzealot paranoiac trying to represent Pakistani discomfort after > damaging? leaks were released about the greatest violaters of human > rights. > Sorry Javed they were simply fake. I will like to read Barni on leaks > though. > > > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jhuma Sen" > To: "Javed" > Cc: "sarai list" > Sent: Friday, December 10, 2010 2:09 AM > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] "Hindutva far bigger threat than al-Qaeda" > -wikileaks > > >> This is possibly a fake news. >> >> http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/09/pakistani-newspaper-fake-leaks-india >> >> >> On Thu, Dec 9, 2010 at 11:05 PM, Javed wrote: >> >>> WikiLeaks reveals Indian involvement in Balochistan, Waziristan >>> Thursday, 09 December 2010 04:49 Ahsan Waheed >>> >>> WikiLeaks reveals Indian involvement in Balochistan, WaziristanIndian >>> Army generals in bed with Hindutva Brotherhood; extremism and >>> incompetency highlights Indian Army top brass, Gen Kapoor a 'geek' >>> while Gen Singh 'petulant braggadocio'; Concern over security of >>> India's nuclear assets, more than 80% of Indian assets and missiles in >>> Naxalite-infested areas; Hemant Karkare seeked security assurances >>> from US diplomats; Hindutva organizations - Sangh Parivar and Shiv >>> Sena - more dangerous than Taliban, Al-Qaeda, LeT combined; US should >>> not hold military drills with India because of human rights violations >>> in Occupied Kashmir; ISI not involved in any terrorist activity in >>> India; >>> >>> A cable from US Embassy in Islamabad leaked by whistle-blower website >>> WikiLeaks disclosed that there were enough evidences of Indian >>> involvement in Waziristan and other tribal areas of Pakistan as well >>> as Balochistan. >>> >>> The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Ahmed Shuja Pasha’s >>> extension in services was termed as a good omen in one such cable and >>> it was added that his further presence on the scene would enhance the >>> agency’s abilities to combat anti-terror war. The cable confirmed the >>> active presence of ISI in India but it refused to confirm any >>> involvement of ISI in any terror incident across India and did confirm >>> intelligence collection by its agents and operatives. >>> >>> An earlier cable ruled out any direct or indirect involvement of ISI >>> in 26/11 under Pasha’s command while Mumbai’s dossier, based on prime >>> accused Ajmal Kasab’s confessional statement was termed funny and >>> “shockingly immature”. >>> >>> Leaked cable terms ex-Indian army chief 'a geek' >>> >>> WikiLeaks revealed that a cable sent from a US mission in India termed >>> former Indian Army chief General Deepak Kapoor as an incompetent >>> combat leader and rather a geek. >>> >>> His war doctrine, suggesting eliminating China and Pakistan in a >>> simultaneous war front was termed as “much far from reality”. Another >>> cable indicates that General Kapoor was dubbed as a general who was >>> least bothered about security challenges to the country but was more >>> concerned about making personal assets and strengthening his own cult >>> in the army. The cable also suggested that a tug-of-war between Kapoor >>> and the current Indian Army chief had divided the Indian Army into two >>> groups. >>> >>> Gen Singh called an egotist, self-obsessed, petulant >>> >>> General Singh has also been described as “Pakistan, China centric”, >>> with an added aggression towards China. The cable mentioned General >>> Singh as an egotist, self-obsessed, petulant and idiosyncratic >>> general, a braggadocio and a show-off, who has been disliked (and >>> barely tolerated) by all his subordinates. >>> >>> Indian Army committed gross human rights violations in Occupied Kashmir >>> >>> An earlier cable described Indian Army involved in gross human rights >>> violations in Indian-held Kashmir while some Lt Gen HS Panag, the then >>> GOC-in-Chief of the Northern Command of the Indian Army, was equated >>> with General Milosevic of Bosnia with regard to butchering Muslims >>> through war crimes. >>> >>> The cable urged Washington to secretly divert UN attention towards the >>> genocide of innocent civilians in held Kashmir at the hands of Indian >>> Army and also suggested that US should avoid holding any joint drill >>> with Indian Army until it stops inhuman activities in Kashmir. The >>> cable termed one Lt Col AK Mathur as “devil’s advocate” at Srinagar. >>> >>> Hindutva Brotherhood far bigger threat than Taliban, al-Qaeda, LeT >>> >>> Another cable indicated involvement of top Indian Army leadership in >>> engaging Hindu extremist militants to carry out certain terror >>> operations to keep Indian Muslims on the back foot and to keep >>> pressure on neighbouring Pakistan’s Army and intelligence agencies, >>> particularly the Inter-Services Intelligence. >>> >>> Another cable confirmed that there was a nexus of top Indian Army >>> officials and extremist Hindu outfits. This cable suggested that an >>> Indian police officer, a counter-terror specialist with the name of >>> Hemant Karkare, had exposed this nexus to some extent when he arrested >>> a serving colonel of Indian army, Lt Colonel Purohit, for blazing a >>> Pakistan bound train (Samjhota Express). >>> >>> The cable suggested that Hemant Karkare held a secret meeting with a >>> senior US diplomat in New Delhi during the national day reception of a >>> friendly country and briefed him about the gravity and the growing >>> depth of the nexus between top Indian Army leadership and the militant >>> Hindu fanatic groups. Karkare sought security for him and his family >>> from the said American diplomat as he feared that the army and >>> establishment would eliminate him as he intended to move further to >>> expose the network. He had further briefed the said US diplomat that a >>> former commander-in-chief of the Central Command of the Indian army, >>> Lt Gen PN Hoon, was heading the militancy wing of the Hindu extremists >>> and was getting full tactical, logistic and financial support from >>> senior army officers. The day, Karkare was eliminated in a pre-planned >>> ambush during the Mumbai attacks, a cable sent to the US read “we have >>> lost an important link and a vital evidence”. >>> >>> Another cable sent to Washington termed Hindutva brotherhood in >>> general and Shiv Sena in particular, as ticking time bombs with regard >>> to militancy and terrorism. It was suggested that fundraisers like >>> Hindu Students Council of America etc should be banned to raise funds >>> as they were generating funds for the Hindu militant outfits under the >>> garb of charity. Another file dubs Hindutva Brotherhood as a far >>> bigger threat to regional and global peace than Taliban, al-Qaeda and >>> LeT and the later three were declared as “peanuts” if equated with >>> Hindutva Brotherhood and Sangh Parivaar and Washington was urged to >>> take up the issue with New Delhi. >>> >>> Grave concern over India's nuclear assets and nuclear security >>> >>> Another cable expressed grave concern over the Indian government’s >>> ability to handle Naxal insurgency movement as 80 per cent of Indian >>> nuclear and missile facilities were present in the insurgency hit >>> areas of India while the Indian security forces were totally helpless >>> in ensuring the writ of the government in that particular area, known >>> as the “Red Corridor of India”. >>> >>> Israeli general wanted to attack Iran, Syria nuclear facilities >>> >>> A cable sent from Israel described the then Israeli Military >>> Intelligence chief, Major General Amos Yadlin as an aggressive >>> general. He was quoted in the cable as a dire seeker of “annihilation” >>> of Islamic Republic of Iran. In a meeting with an American diplomat, >>> General Yadlin dubbed Iranian, Syrian and Hezbollah’s weapons as >>> “tools of terrorism” and not war weapons. He also showed immense >>> eagerness to attack Syrian nuclear facilities. >>> >>> General Yadlin also told American diplomat that timeframe of Iran >>> nuclear weapons preparation and timeframe to attack Iran were to be >>> totally different issues. He also differed with Americans over the >>> ability of Iran to prepare nuclear weapons and instead said that Iran >>> had sufficient enriched uranium to manufacture a single nuclear device >>> and may soon have enough for making another bomb. >>> >>> Iran is busy setting up two new nuclear installations, Yadlin told the >>> US diplomat adding that M-I has indications that work has began on the >>> installations, but did not comment on the sources. Yadlin, who was >>> later-on replaced by Brigadier General Aviv Kochav, also spoke of Iran >>> as the greatest threat facing Israel, not only in the nuclear respect. >>> “Iran is sending its long arms to aid anyone who is working against >>> Israel,” Yadlin said. “Such assessments are undoubtedly weighing on >>> Prime Minister Netanyahu’s mind as he considers the possible need for >>> an Israeli pre-emptive strike on Iran,” the cable said. >>> >>> Mossad chief Meir Dagan very proudly told Americans that his special >>> team had eliminated Hamas top military strategist Izzadin Sheikh >>> Khalil through a terror plot. The cable informed Washington that in >>> fact Dagan had established a number of “hit teams” through which he >>> was getting engaged in non-intelligence operations and also used these >>> hit men for certain personal vendettas as well. >>> >>> Dagan, in a meeting with US Under Secretary of State for Political >>> Affairs, William Burns, proposed Americans a five point agenda to fix >>> Iran. The focus of the agenda was to change the regime at Tehran and >>> to launch an ethnic movement throughout Iran to destabilise the >>> country before launching the final attack. >>> >>> Karzai patron-in-chief of Afghan drug mafia >>> >>> A cable from Kabul termed Afghan President as the “patron-in-chief” of >>> the Afghan drug mafia. The cable, citing certain verified UNODC >>> figures, stated that Karzai was living at the mercy of Afghan warlords >>> who, with the passage of time, had transformed into drug lords. The >>> cable stated that there was an annual drug trade of 3 trillion dollars >>> from Pakistan while the Karzai administration was keeping mum over the >>> same. >>> >>> Another cable stated that Indian involvement in Afghanistan was >>> increasing considerably and all was going on with the consent and >>> knowledge of President Karzai and his administration. The cable >>> further reads that growing Indian influence and presence in >>> Afghanistan was focused towards Pakistan and China, both >>> simultaneously. >>> >>> Saudia Arabia planned anti-Hezbollah force >>> >>> Saudi Arabia proposed setting up an Arab force to fight Hezbollah >>> militants in Lebanon with the help of the US, UN and Nato, according >>> to a leaked document. In a meeting in May 2008 with a US diplomat in >>> Iraq, David Satterfield, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said a >>> “security response” was needed to the “military challenge” posed to >>> Beirut by the Iran-backed militants. >>> >>> The Saudi prince feared a Hezbollah victory against the Lebanese >>> government, led by then prime minister Fuad Siniora, would eventually >>> lead to Iran’s takeover of the country. >>> >>> There was a need for an “Arab force” to create and maintain order in >>> and around Beirut, he argued, saying the Lebanese army was “too >>> fragile to bear more pressure,” according to the cable from the US >>> embassy in Riyadh. >>> >>> Such a force would be aided by UNIFIL troops deployed in southern >>> Lebanon, while the “US and Nato would need to provide movement and >>> logistic support, as well as naval and air cover,” the cable added. >>> >>> Saudis killed Yemeni civilians in border war >>> >>> According to a leaked document, Saudi armed forces killed Yemeni >>> civilians when fighting Shia rebels in a brief border war despite >>> assurances that only rebel targets were hit. >>> >>> Saudi Arabia fought Yemeni rebels for several months in a border war >>> that ended with a ceasefire in February. >>> >>> In public statements during the fighting, Saudi Arabia said that only >>> rebel positions in the border area were attacked. But the leaked >>> cables suggest civilians died. >>> >>> “Obviously some civilians died, though we wish that this did not >>> happen,” the prince, who is also assistant defence minister, said in >>> the meeting requested by the ambassador to relay US concerns about >>> civilian casualties in the conflict. >>> >>> Prince Khaled confirmed that Saudi forces hit a building the United >>> States believed to be a clinic but the Saudis thought it was being >>> used as a base by rebels. He also said the Yemeni military had helped >>> recommend rebel targets, the cable said.The Saudi military used >>> “massively disproportionate force” in a campaign last year against >>> guerrillas seen by the army as “embarrassingly long,” according to >>> another leaked cable. >>> >>> “Day and night aerial bombardment and artillery shelling have been the >>> main instruments of what is increasingly regarded within the Saudi >>> military as an embarrassingly long campaign,” said the memo from the >>> US embassy in Riyadh. The three-month operation against the lightly >>> armed Huthi guerrillas on the border areas with Yemen was also seen as >>> “poorly planned and executed” and “brought unexpectedly high Saudi >>> casualties”. >>> >>> “Nonetheless, the conflict has been carefully spun as a heroic and >>> successful struggle to protect Saudi sovereignty,” the memo added. >>> >>> Britain faced Libya threats over Lockerbie bomber >>> >>> Britain faced threats from Libya of dire consequences if the ailing >>> Lockerbie bomber died in a Scottish prison. Threats included the >>> cessation of all British commercial activity in Libya and >>> demonstrations against British facilities, as well as suggestions >>> Britons in the country could be put at risk, according to the cables. >>> >>> And despite London’s attempts to publicly distance itself from the >>> decision to release Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet al-Megrahi — which was made >>> by the devolved Scottish government — the cables show enormous British >>> relief at the move. >>> >>> Libyan officials warned their British counterparts that “consequences >>> for the UK-Libya bilateral relationship would be dire were al-Megrahi >>> to die in Scottish prison,” read one dispatch from the US ambassador >>> to Tripoli in January 2009. >>> >>> And if Washington publicly opposed the release, “the US Embassy and >>> private Americans in Libya could face similar consequences,” read the >>> cable from the ambassador, Gene A Cretz. >>> >>> Megrahi was the only person ever convicted over the 1988 bombing of a >>> Pan Am Jumbo jet over Lockerbie, Scotland, which killed 270 people, >>> most of them US nationals. He was released in August, 2009, on >>> compassionate grounds after doctors diagnosed him with prostate cancer >>> and gave him just three months to live, sparking outrage in the United >>> States. More than a year later he remains alive in Tripoli, however, >>> renewing anger in the US. >>> >>> One cable showed Britain’s then justice minister, Jack Straw, told US >>> diplomats that although Megrahi might have up to five years to live, >>> the Scottish government appeared inclined to release him. “Megrahi >>> could have as long as five years to live,” said the correspondence, >>> cited in Britain’s Guardian newspaper. >>> >>> Article Source: >>> >>> http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=2549&Cat=13 >>> _________________________________________ >>> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >>> Critiques & Collaborations >>> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with >>> 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 subhachops at gmail.com Sat Dec 11 20:25:16 2010 From: subhachops at gmail.com (Subhash) Date: Sat, 11 Dec 2010 20:25:16 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Indian Mujahideen: poison fruit of saffron politics, jehadi mindset Message-ID: Indian Mujahideen: poison fruit of saffron politics, jehadi mindset By Amulya Ganguli, IANS, Two factors have complicated the terrorism problem in India. One is Pakistan's, or rather, the Pakistan Army's implacable hostility. This animus has acquired a nihilistic dimension with the involvement of suicide squads patronised by the army and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), which has been described as a rogue agency by none other than A.Q. Khan, "father" of the Pakistani nuclear programme. The other factor is the saffron brotherhood's sustained role in fostering anger among Muslims by its longstanding anti-minority philosophy, which led to the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992 and the Gujarat riots 10 years later. For years before the demolition, the Hindutva lobby led by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) had carried on a relentless campaign to portray Muslims and Christians as unpatriotic. Arguably, if the RSS and its political wing, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), had not been so persistent in their venomous anti-minority propaganda, the only form of terrorism which India would have had to face was the one sponsored by Pakistan. In that event, the Lashkar-e-Taiba would have been the main terrorist outfit endangering India. But the humiliation and anger bred by the saffron targeting of the Babri Masjid, and then again by the Gujarat riots, have undoubtedly played a part in the formation of the Indian Mujahideen (IM) by disaffected and alienated Muslims. The IM, therefore, can be said to be the poison fruit of saffron politics - the right-wing politics of Hindu nationalists. What is interesting is that the diminishing electoral returns from this kind of frenzied, fascistic policies have convinced even the BJP today that pluralism remains the best bet for success. As a result, the man who is suspected to be behind the Gujarat outbreak, Chief Minister Narendra Modi, has virtually turned over a new leaf since 2002 to focus on development. The same rejection of religious sectarianism in favour of development helped Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar rout his rivals in the recent elections in the state and emerge as a front-runner for leadership of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) because of his secular credentials. If the BJP leaders had realised this basic truth of the virtues of multiculturalism in the 1990s, then they might have desisted from playing such an incendiary pro-Hindu role. But now it is too late. The seeds of communal divisiveness have not only been planted but seem to have taken root among a small section of Muslims. The latter are also undoubtedly aided and abetted by Pakistan-based terror groups. Banned outfits like the IM and the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) could have been gradually weaned away from their destructive path if the BJP was forthright in its rejection of its policies of the 1990s, which were based on the stridently anti-minority philosophy of Savarkar and Golwalkar. But while the BJP is either unable or unwilling to break away completely from the past, the RSS and other rabid constituents of the Sangh Parivar like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bajrang Dal continue to be devoted followers of Savarkar's and Golwalkar's sectarian line. The recent Allahabad High Court judgment's virtual acceptance of the site of the Babri Masjid as the birthplace of Hindu deity Ram has been grist to their mill. To quote from an article in the RSS journal Organiser, "the temple-favouring verdict ... will never be acceptable to the Jilanis, Ansaris, Bukharis, Shahabuddins, who along with Babar's descendants will sooner or later reveal their true colours". What such a provocative stand means is that the IM and SIMI will always have enough inflammable material in their hands to persuade their gullible followers, however small in number, to pursue the jehadi path of indiscriminate violence aimed at setting off communal riots. It is another matter that an overwhelming majority of Hindus and Muslims have woken up to the realities of their mischievous plans and learnt to ignore such acts of provocation, as the calm reaction to the Dec 7 blast in Varanasi showed. Even the Mumbai mayhem of Nov 26, 2008, did not disturb communal peace. But the fact remains that the IM and SIMI cannot be wiped out, as the Khalistani outfits of the militant Sikhs have been, as long as the RSS and other members of the Parivar do not give up their cherished dream of converting India into a Hindu Rashtra (nation). To quote from Organiser again: "We shall engage ourselves in the godly mission of freeing the entire country...the entire Ramjanmabhoomi, the entire Mother India from the clutches of every shade of traitor". The misuse of religion for political purposes has been the bane of Indian politics. It led to the partition of 1947 because the Muslim League's poor performance in the 1937 elections convinced it that it could make no headway without concocting the slogan of "Islam in danger" in a Hindu India. Similarly, the BJP's reduction to a party with only two Lok Sabha seats in 1984 made it turn to the RSS-VHP line of "freeing" Mother India from the Jilanis, Ansaris and their co-religionists. The militancy of the IM and SIMI has been the result. (11.12.2010 - Amulya Ganguli is a political analyst. He can be reached at aganguli at mail.com) From kmvenuannur at gmail.com Sun Dec 12 08:10:14 2010 From: kmvenuannur at gmail.com (Venugopalan K M) Date: Sun, 12 Dec 2010 08:10:14 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Fwd: Are WikiLeaks Being Exploited by the Neighbouring States for Propaganda? (Story in Guardian.UK) In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: "..They read like the most extraordinary revelations. Citing the WikiLeakscables, major Pakistani newspapers this morning carried stories that purported to detail eye-popping American assessments of India's military and civilian leaders... "Enough evidence of Indian involvement in Waziristan, Balochistan," read the front-page story in the News; an almost identical story appeared in the Urdu-language Jang, Pakistan's bestselling daily.If accurate, the disclosures would confirm the worst fears of Pakistani nationalist hawks and threaten relations between Washington and New Delhi. But they are not accurate. An extensive search of the WikiLeaks database by the Guardian by date, name and keyword failed to locate any of the incendiary allegations. It suggests this is the first case of WikiLeaks being exploited for propaganda purposes.." http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/09/pakistani-newspaper-fake-leaks-india You cannot build anything on the foundations of caste. You cannot build up a nation, you cannot build up a morality. Anything that you will build on the foundations of caste will crack and will never be a whole. -AMBEDKAR http://venukm.blogspot.com http://www.shelfari.com/kmvenuannur http://kmvenuannur.livejournal.com From chintan.backups at gmail.com Sun Dec 12 10:02:19 2010 From: chintan.backups at gmail.com (Chintan Girish Modi) Date: Sun, 12 Dec 2010 10:02:19 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] When girls fear school -- By Kalpana Sharma Message-ID: From http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/columns/Kalpana_Sharma/article945706.ece When Girls Fear School By Kalpana Sharma Sometimes you hear a story, or see a person, and you cannot forget. Last month, I listened to a bespectacled middle-aged woman, dressed in a sari with a scarf tied around her head. She was speaking at a public hearing on “Gender, Equality and Education” in Hyderabad, organised by ASPBAE (Asia South Pacific Association for Basic and Adult Education) and Asmita, a resource centre for women. In a voice choked with emotion, she narrated the tragic story of her 14-year-old daughter, Renuka. Renuka was a student of AP Social Welfare Society Residential School at Shivareddypet in Ranga Reddy District of Andhra Pradesh. She was in Std V. According to her mother, she was keen to study even though she was older than the rest of the class. On February 21 this year, a girl screaming in her sleep set off panic in the dormitory. The teachers sleeping in the next room, who were in-charge of the hostel, beat the girls to stop them from screaming. Renuka apparently had a head injury and became unconscious. She was admitted to the government hospital and her family was informed. Incensed at what had happened, her brothers questioned the school staff and also spoke to the local press. When Renuka recovered, her parents brought her back to the school. But the principal and the staff refused to take her back saying she had brought a bad name to the school. The parents continued to make efforts to get her readmitted. But Renuka was so disheartened that she poured kerosene on herself and attempted suicide. With 75 per cent burns, there was little chance of survival. Her distraught mother wants to know what crime her daughter had committed to get such treatment. A case has been registered against the teachers but you wonder how many more cases of corporal punishment are forcing young girls out of school. Only half the women in India are literate. The government plans to change this drastically in the next two years and has launched Saakshar Bharat, a programme for adult literacy that will focus on women. It aims to raise overall literacy from 64 per cent to 80 per cent and reduce the gender gap between male and female literacy from the current 21 per cent to 10 per cent by 2012. Root of the problem But the problem of the low percentage of female literacy lies at the point when a girl, who wants to go to school, drops out. The reasons are often linked to poverty; parents prefer to keep daughters back and send sons to school as girls are more useful at home and at work. But increasingly, even when parents are ready to send their daughters to school, the girls cannot continue because of simple reasons that have nothing to do with the ‘software' of literacy. There are millions of girls like Renuka who want to learn, but not at the cost of being beaten. Or sexually abused. Several respondents at the public hearing spoke of sexual abuse, particularly in residential schools where tribal children are sent, as a reason for a high dropout rate among girls. This is an aspect of education that needs to be monitored, documented and dealt with. What parent would risk sending a daughter to a school where she is beaten or sexually abused? The ‘hardware' issue is a much more straightforward problem. Girls drop out of school, particularly when they hit puberty, because there are no toilets. If they exist, they are usually dysfunctional. Lalithamma from Thamballapalle Mandal in Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh gave a vivid picture of the absence of toilets and the impact on girls. Her organisation conducted a survey of 80 schools in the mandal. They found that 52 schools had no drinking water facilities and 57 schools had no toilets. Five schools had toilets but without doors or water. Girls were forced to use the open space behind the school. But as boys also accessed the same area, the girls could not go. Lalithamma said girls sipped water through the day to avoid going to the toilet. Her data from just five schools makes horrific reading: Thamballapalle High School: 172 girls, two toilets, no water. Kannemadugu High School: 58 girls, two toilets, no water. Renumakulapalle High School: 40 girls, one toilet, no water. Gopidinne High School: 60 girls, two toilets, both not working. Kosuvaripalle High School: 53 girls, one toilet, no water. Worst still, these girls return to a hostel at the end of the day where again the toilet facilities are inadequate. They fear going out in the dark and often skip the meal to avoid having to defecate. This is just a thumbnail sketch of the situation in one mandal in Andhra Pradesh. But it mirrors conditions in most parts of rural India. The situation is not that different in municipal and government schools in urban areas. Girls from such schools in Hyderabad also spoke of the absence of toilets. We want girls to go to school, get through primary school and persist in the higher classes. Yet how can they in such circumstances? So while the corporal punishment and sexual abuse are issues that need to be investigated closely and documented, a beginning can at least be made by ensuring that there are working toilets for girls in schools. It is such an obvious point that it hardly needs to be made. And yet numerous surveys on girls and education bring out this one need. Why is it not being given as much importance as curriculum, teaching standards, shortage of teachers etc? Email the writer: sharma.kalpana at yahoo.com From chintan.backups at gmail.com Sun Dec 12 10:08:48 2010 From: chintan.backups at gmail.com (Chintan Girish Modi) Date: Sun, 12 Dec 2010 10:08:48 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Gas cylinders in playground threaten life of school children Message-ID: >From http://www.dnaindia.com/academy/special_save-our-schools_1480078 Save our schools Published: Sunday, Dec 12, 2010, 8:14 IST By *Vidya Iyengar & A Veeramani* | Place: Bangalore | Agency: DNA The sound of children playing resonates outside the Chalavadi Palaya Anganwadi Kendra in Cottonpet. But step inside and the playfulness of the children is cut with a sense of dread. All around the playground lie over 100 gas cylinders, just sitting there…waiting. And if that ticking time-bomb is not enough to spark a frenzy of angst, then step into the classroom, or should we say, the darkened hole in the wall. Children rub shoulders with busy spiders, spinning their webs in the dank nooks and crannies of this ‘learning centre’, where the only art is the paint peeling from the walls, and portraits of damp spreading their miasma. “We have repeatedly informed the BBMP authorities about the pathetic condition of this place. After every visit they claim they will either repair the building, or demolish it and build a better structure, but nothing happens,” said Pushpalatha SN, an Anganwadi worker and teacher. But the blatant disrespect for the children’s safety and well-being does not end with horrific classrooms and deadly gas cylinders; the callousness extends to the toilets as well. The lack of water has rendered them unusable, which means children have to answer nature’s call in the playground opposite. “What can we do? We just send the boys and girls separately,” Pushpalatha said. C Renuka, the supervisor of the Anganwadi, states the gas cylinders were dumped on the premises by “some people next door”, who claim to have permission to do so. They say that since the cylinders are empty it is not a problem. But are they really? Does anybody know for sure? The BBMP, during one of their inspections, cast an eye over the many cylinders littering the premises and came up with a novel solution. “They told us to just keep an eye on the children while they play,” Renuka said. One guesses that makes it all fine then. But believe it or not, according to workers at Chalavadi Palaya Anganwadi Kendra, the school is in better condition than the one at Bakshi Garden. They took DNA’s reporters to the so-called nursery, which resembled a dumping ground. The room, where the children were supposed to experience life’s building blocks harboured no light, and sharp metallic objects glinted lethally all over the place. “When it rains, the place is a mess. We just send the children back home,” said Kusum Latha, an Anganwadi worker. Like the one at Cottonpet, the Bakshi Garden Anganwadi Kendra has no usable bathroom. “The children just use the streets for their toilet needs,” Kusum said. Zameer Ahmed Khan, the MLA from Chamrajpet constituency, said he visited the Anganwadi Kendras a week ago. “I have submitted a proposal to the BBMP commissioner to get the place renovated. If it does not get done, I will release my grant, in the next 15 to 20 days,” he said, adding, “over two weeks ago I gave notice to those who have kept gas cylinders there, and in the next one month, they will be removed. The bathrooms will be repaired soon. However I have not received any complaint on water problems,” he said. When *DNA *contacted the councillor of the area, GA Ashwathnarayan, he said he was unaware of the situation and that he would visit the place soon. So all that’s left to do is wait…and hope the children are safe. And if anything tragic happens, you now know whom to blame. From patrice at xs4all.nl Sun Dec 12 13:33:15 2010 From: patrice at xs4all.nl (Patrice Riemens) Date: Sun, 12 Dec 2010 09:03:15 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] Fwd: Are WikiLeaks Being Exploited by the Neighbouring States for Propaganda? (Story in Guardian.UK) In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: It is amazing to see how worldwide, 'Cablegate' is put to work _nationally_ to settle scores with the enemy within or next door. As one can paraphrase Clausewitz: "foreign war is the continuation of domestic politics by other means". Cheers, p+3D! > "..They read like the most extraordinary revelations. Citing the > WikiLeakscables, major > Pakistani > newspapers this morning > carried > stories that purported to detail eye-popping American assessments of > India's > military and civilian leaders... > > "Enough evidence of Indian involvement in Waziristan, Balochistan," read > the > front-page story in the > News; > an almost identical story appeared in the Urdu-language Jang, Pakistan's > bestselling daily.If accurate, the disclosures would confirm the worst > fears > of Pakistani nationalist hawks and threaten relations between Washington > and > New Delhi. But they are not accurate. > An extensive search of the WikiLeaks database by the Guardian by date, > name and keyword failed to locate any of the incendiary allegations. It > suggests this is the first case of WikiLeaks being exploited for > propaganda > purposes.." > > http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/09/pakistani-newspaper-fake-leaks-india > > > > > > You cannot build anything on the foundations of caste. You cannot build up > a > nation, you cannot build up a morality. Anything that you will build on > the > foundations of caste will crack and will never be a whole. > -AMBEDKAR > > > > http://venukm.blogspot.com > > http://www.shelfari.com/kmvenuannur > > http://kmvenuannur.livejournal.com > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > subscribe in the subject header. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > From ysaeed7 at yahoo.com Sun Dec 12 20:01:35 2010 From: ysaeed7 at yahoo.com (Yousuf) Date: Sun, 12 Dec 2010 06:31:35 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] big deal about WikiLeaks? Message-ID: <253757.79672.qm@web51408.mail.re2.yahoo.com> WikiLeaks offer "valuable insights" only if "you've been living under a rock all century" is particularly applicable to Pakistan. - blogger Peter Beinart From rashneek at gmail.com Mon Dec 13 09:05:10 2010 From: rashneek at gmail.com (rashneek kher) Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2010 09:05:10 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Interview with Aasiya Andrabi(by Murtaza Shibli) Message-ID: Dear All, This was sent to me by an ex member of Sarai-Alok Aima who also seems to have been unsubscribed from SARAI as does Kamal Hak. I am not questioning the decision of the moderators to unsubscribe them(ie if they have been unsubscribed or if it is a technical glitch again),after all the right to free speech can not be unbridbled and cannot be abused.All rights come with responsibilities as is the right to expression.I am glad that in a way the moderators thought it appropriate to show them the door or "face the music" as Jeebesh called it.Can I please know if they have been unsubscribed or is it a techinical glitch. Everyone irrespective of his religion,sex,ideology should face the music if he/she transgresses the spirit of the right. Could the moderators be so kind as to let me know the do's and dont's so that I too may not face the music. Dear Rashneek - Please forward this mail to Sarai Reader List since I have been unsubscribed from it. I asked Monica Nirula the reason for unsubscribing me but received no response. Thanks. .......... aalok aima http://www.kashmiraffairs.org/shibli%20interview%20aasiya%20andrabi.html *Q: What is your assessment of the current situation? *A: It is full of confusion. There are bundles and bundles of confusion in here and it is because of the role of Pakistan and the role of so-called Kashmiri leadership. *Q: What went wrong? *A: The Kashmiri struggle couldn’t remain indigenous. We became pawns in the hands of agencies whether ISI or others. The Kashmiri leadership shouldn’t have totally relied on Pakistan. And after 9/11 when America changed its policy towards the whole of the Muslim Ummah, Pakistan has come under tremendous pressure and it seems that they can’t with stand it. This has led to the same situation in Kashmir as was in 1971 after Pakistan lost its war with India. * **Q: So what is the problem? *A: The problem is with Pakistani agencies. They want people to be on their pay role and anyone who resists, they try their best to curtail their influence. I am a staunch Pakistani supporter but Pakistani media would never give me any coverage as I am not on their agency pay roll and I refuse to listen to their directions. *Q: So you think Pakistani agencies are the reason that Kashmiri leadership has failed? *A: Pakistani government has betrayed us a lot, not only today but in 1965 as well and long before also. *Q: If this is the case, then why are you supporting Pakistan? *A: The government is betraying us, but we support the ideology of Pakistan. Our leadership is to be blamed as well for falling into the trap. *Q: So what should the Kashmiri leadership do? Oppose India, oppose Pakistan or oppose both? *A: To oppose India is obvious as we have never been a part of India. As far as the Pakistani government and its policies are concerned, we have to oppose them and their policies and we should do it openly. We should show them that Kashmiris have a stand on this issue and that it is our problem. We should also let them know that Pakistan is no more our master and they can’t dictate us. They should know that we want to fulfil our dream of Pakistan which includes Kashmir in it as well that has been denied since 1947. *Q: Why should we go with Pakistan rather than be independent of sorts? *A: It is actually the ideology behind Pakistan that is why we want to go with Pakistan. *Q: As a Kashmiri I don’t want to be held hostage to some ideology framed by a bunch of people some decades ago. *A: It is not the ideology framed by imperialists or any other people. It is the ideology that there are two nations - Hindus and Muslims and I support that. *Q: That two nation theory was destroyed by the Pakistani leaders themselves with the creation of Bangladesh. *A: That doesn’t mean it is a rejected theory. It is what Allah says in the holy Quran. That is why I am a supporter of Pakistan, not because of the Pakistani government. I want to merge Kashmir with Pakistan. *Q: But what if people of Kashmir don’t want to be part of Pakistan? *A: As far as I know the Kashmiri people are Pakistanis by heart, but at this stage they have just been shocked by the attitude of the Pakistani government towards us and are angry. *Q: But this shock might turn into anger and they could refuse to be part of Pakistan anymore? *A: If they refuse to be part of Pakistan then there is a choice of independent Kashmir. *Q: Will you support Independent Kashmir if the Kashmiri people chose to be so? *A: Yes I will have to respect the wishes of the people and support it. But I don’t think that at this stage the majority of the Kashmiri people would like to be independent. My first choice would be to be part of Pakistan. But now that Pakistan has betrayed us, if there would be a choice between independent Kashmir and India, I will definitely support Independent Kashmir. *Q: If you say that Pakistan has betrayed us both previously and now aren’t they then our enemies? *A: Yes the Pakistani government is our enemy at this time but not the people of Pakistan. *Q: But it is the Pakistani people who make this government. We can’t distinguish between the two for our political relief. *A: One has to distinguish between the government and the people. In Kashmir we have a pro-Indian Congress government imposed on us as well, but we are not its supporters or we don’t consider ourselves Indian. Here people are all up against India. Pakistani people have always helped Kashmiris in whatever way they could and once we become part of Pakistan, they will always be there for us. *Q: There is a general sense of helplessness among the Kashmiri people at the moment. What is the reason and what do you think is the way out? *A: There is no doubt that people feel very helpless as they feel no body is coming forward to their rescue and no body is talking about Kashmir and the sufferings of Kashmiris. Pakistan’s negative role for the last couple of years has catalysed this feeling and multiplied the psychological sufferings of the Kashmiri people. Another reason is that the lack of leadership has compounded the suffering as well. Our leadership is corrupt and they are making money at the expense of Kashmiris’ sufferings. At the present only Syed Ali Geelani is voicing the sentiments of Kashmiri people and therefore people should support him. The only way out is for the Kashmiri people to come forward, otherwise they will be re-sold as happened at the time of Sheikh Abdullah. People have to resist the moves of some so called leaders to sell out the sacrifices of Kashmiri people. *Q: What is the worst thing about the behaviour of Kashmir leaders? *A: There are many, but one I find really disgusting; the Indian army is killing, torturing our youth and raping our women, but these so-called Kashmiri leaders are enjoying their security. *Q: You earlier said that Kashmiris are disheartened and sad that no one in the world is supporting or understanding us. But there was a time that Iran openly and fully supported the Kashmiri struggle. *A: Yes Iranians did support us and we are thankful to them for that. But unfortunately that support could not continue or materialise in the long term. The reason is that our leadership failed to win over friends as they did not reach out to the world. They did what they were told to do by the Pakistani agencies. Iran is a great nation with historic ties with Kashmir but as of now their Kashmir policy is diluted and they are silent at the sufferings of their brothers and sisters in Kashmir. *Q: I haven’t asked you about the ‘peace process’ going on between India and Pakistan. *A: I don’t think we have any objection if there is well meaning peace in the region or for that matter in the whole world. Peace is the best gift human beings can offer to fellow human beings. But what India and Pakistan are doing is depriving Kashmiris of their right to live with dignity in the name of peace which is not acceptable to us or for that matter any nation or group of people who are subjugated and want justice. Therefore, we reject this so-called peace process as it is nothing but the betrayal of both India and Pakistan of their commitments to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. *Q: What do you say about President Musharraf’s proposals on Kashmir**?** *A: I don’t even want to talk about him let alone his proposals. If you ask me the person I hate most on the face of this earth… it is General Musharraf. He is a real dictator. He has dictated the whole Pakistani nation for the last few years and now he wants to dictate the Kashmiris as well and impose his will upon us. *Q: Do you think President Musharraf will be able to influence Kashmiri leadership? *A: As far as one part of our leadership is concerned they definitely listen to his commands. *Q: And what is the reason for that? *A: Nothing more than their material interests. *Q: Are you saying that Pakistan is bribing them with money to subvert or buy their allegiance and ideology? *A: Money is one of the important factors in this game. That is why our leadership is in the hands of Pakistani agencies. I can understand there could be very many compulsions for Kashmiri leadership living in Kashmir or in Pakistan to toe the Pakistani line. But what about those Kashmiris living in the West and claiming to be representing Kashmiri people? They too are parroting the same words as uttered by General Musharraf. This is a tragedy that most of the Kashmiri leadership here and abroad are corrupt and receive money from Pakistani agencies to further their agenda. These people are not sincere and have no stake in Kashmir and the sufferings of its people. They are just there to make money and fame. They have no practical role in the Kashmir problem or its solution. They are enjoying their life and luxuries that came in the name of Kashmir. *Q: Can you elaborate a bit more on what you are calling corruption among the Kashmiri leadership? *A: The so-called Kashmiri leadership made money from both India and Pakistan and many times from both at the same time. Money came here for two purposes. One was to corrupt our leadership which, if they kept for themselves I wouldn’t mind. However, a massive chunk of money came for relief of the Kashmiri people, but they didn’t get that and the leaders kept that for themselves. When there was no money, our movement was going on very well, but since the money came we are on a constant decline. I was offered money by the ISI officials. They tried to corrupt me. However, I refused the money and told them that they are the people who have corrupted Kashmiris and Kashmiri leadership. Pakistan absolutely and deliberately corrupted Kashmiri leadership so that they can dance to their tunes. In 1998 I went to London and Dr Ayyub Thakur organised a meeting for me. I saw with my own eyes that women attending the function gave me money and their ornaments and asked me to take it for the Kashmiri victims. They told me that they have sent a lot of money to the Kashmiri victims. I was shocked and surprised to learn that. Money came in millions to Kashmir and I wonder where that money is? These leaders have no idea that they are profiting on the sufferings of the Kashmiri people. *[Aasiya became emotional, and voice choked and she started crying saying that she knows hundreds of families, orphans and widows who have nothing to eat or wear]. * These leaders, I don’t know how they go on foreign tours and wear religious garb, but they are profiting from the money that was for the relief of Kashmiri victims. How they dare to do this, I don’t know. *Q: Previously your organisation has worked with the London based Mercy Universal to implement relief programmes in Kashmir. What is the current situation? *A: I don’t know. Our contacts snapped in 2002 when the government falsely implicated us that we were funding militancy, though we were running training centers for widows and orphan girls. After that we have had no contact with Mercy Universal as we were banned and currently we don’t know if Mercy Universal is doing anything in Kashmir. *Q: In the recent by-elections, quite a remarkable number of people voted and this is for the first time during last 18 years. Don’t you think this as a failure of the pro-freedom movement? *A: This is true that voting was different from the past, but I don’t see it as any failure of the pro-movement sentiments. If you heard interviews of the people who voted, they all said that they voted for their roads and local administration which has nothing to do with the status of the Kashmir problem or its solution. * Q: As a women’s group what have you done for the suffering women of Kashmir? *A: Well it’s not a question of women, it is a question of the suffering of the whole people. We have very limited resources as we don’t get money from agencies or Hurriyat Conference. We are taking responsibilities for some orphans and their education. Many of our members are widows themselves with children. >From last year we have embarked on a plan to try to rehabilitate women involved in flesh trade due to their poverty, but then I was arrested. I know this is a big issue and we need to address it. These women need rehabilitation and are compelled by the circumstances. Those charities who claim to be working for the victims in Kashmir are to be blamed as they collect huge amount of money but do not send that to Kashmir. Some where down the line the money gets lost. *Q: We have so many widows, but we don’t have a tradition of remarrying them. Isn’t this a problem? *A: It is a very big problem. In 2000, I called upon all the Muslims of Kashmir for taking more than one wife and the media asked me whether I will allow my husband taking a second wife. I will support and insist that my husband shall go for a second marriage preferably a widow, if and when he is released from prison. I talked to my own party members to prepare their own husbands to prepare them for second marriage. But our culture and family system is such that we are not able to do that. I think I have failed in this despite putting my best energy to it. We have strange customs and notions of piety. Our society respects women who do not remarry which is rubbish, as women have their own social, physical and emotional needs which can’t be ignored. You ask me how hard it is to live without a man, as I have the bitterest experience. I have to endure a mountain of difficulties negotiating with life and small children while my husband is in prison and it is very very hard. There is another problem. If some widow marries another man, she has to leave her children for two reasons, first the new husband won’t take the children or if at all he is prepared, the former in-laws of the women are forcing her to abandon her children and they take them. The woman then chooses not to marry for she will other wise loose her children. This is such a tragic situation and primarily women suffer out of this. First she loses her husband and then the society does not support her. Remarriage is not an option for her as our society is far too underdeveloped as remarriage of women is not seen as positive or encouraged, and when some women are brave enough to remarry and start a new life, the new husband is not willing to take her children. Therefore the women who has braved and challenged the bad social practice and wanted to get remarried, she looses her children. Naturally, therefore, she chooses to stay with her children otherwise the children will have no roof over their head. Our organisation is looking after few such orphans who lost their fathers to the strife, either killed by the army or died in an encounter, but when their mothers were brave enough and remarried, they lost their mother as well, as the new husband wouldn’t take the children. I wanted to hire a house for these roaming orphan girls who are going from house to house. I want to hire a house and put some of these there. Even people here are afraid of giving money. We opened a bank account, but the government ceased that account as well, therefore, we are not allowed to operate. *Q: You had such an important role to play for the suffering Kashmiri women, but as you are involved in politics, the government is really tough on you. *A: I don’t believe that. In the beginning, *Dukhtaran-e-Millat* was not a political organisation. We came onto the scene challenging India’s imposed culture not Indian occupation. But we were hounded, arrested and stopped to carry out peaceful activities. Just a few years back, we were doing relief work - purely relief work. We were helping widows trying to rebuild their lives, feeding orphans and we never publicised it as not to link it with our political work so that no one can say that we are doing politics at the expense of the sufferings of widows and orphans. But still we were booked under terrorism. The Indians blamed our relief work saying that we were financing terrorism. Our organisation was banned under the Terrorism Act and I was arrested. Thus hundreds of widows and children we were supporting were left in the lurch. If feeding orphans and building shattered lives is terrorism, what can you expect from the Indian state? Where is the space, whether we were making a political statement or running a relief camp? India sees every Kashmiri as a challenge and they crush us indiscriminately. *Q: The recent scandal now known as the sex scandal has rocked the whole of Kashmir. What do you feel about it? *A: The whole Indian army and the local police are involved in this operation and it is part of India’s plan and strategy of counter-insurgency. India is corrupting our culture and Indian secret agencies are grooming young girls. Indian political leaders and the army and intelligence officers are paedophiles who are exploiting Kashmiri girls as young as 14 or 15 years old. Some of them are lured and others threatened that if they do not go with the army or intelligence or police officers, their family members will be killed. There is a very small proportion that is willing to be part of it, and they too have financial difficulties as they have lost their parents in the present strife. *Q: Many times you have classified the present Kashmiri armed struggle as jehad. But my perception is that in Kashmir innocent people were killed, kidnapped and tortured in the name of jehad. That is surely not jehad, that is ‘fasaad’ [anarchy]. *A: I don’t say that is *jehad*. What I said is that the movement against the Indian occupation is *jehad*. If someone kills, kidnaps or tortures people, burns houses, causing havoc; that is terrorism not *jehad*. *Q: What is your opinion about the armed struggle? Do you justify militancy now? *A: I have always justified armed resistance movement in Kashmir. India has left us with no option and there is no future for any politics in Kashmir. *Q: Why do you say that? *A: We have seen it since 1947. India has never heeded the political opinion of Kashmiris. They have always treated us with contempt and they still do. It is only because of the armed movement that India is still saying Kashmir is a problem. Otherwise, our so called leaders have thrown in the towel and they are making money with both hands from both India and Pakistan. *Q: Why can’t this movement be inclusive so that Kashmiri Pandits and others get involved as well? *A: That can’t be possible. Pandits are happy with India and they are getting huge economic incentives and why should they like to be part of Pakistan? *Q: But do you agree that Pandits or any others have the right to oppose the Kashmiri movement, and that they have a right to voice their opposition to the ideas of azaadi and differ from the majority of Kashmiri Muslims? *A: Of course they have every right to form their own political ideology or oppose ours. We should have the same right to oppose them. *Q: But let us assume that tomorrow Kashmir becomes part of Pakistan, what do you think the Pandits rights’ will be knowing that they opposed it in the first place? *A: Listen. They are part and parcel of our society. They will have the same rights as any other person. There are millions of Hindus in Pakistan and Pandits will have much better rights than what Indian Muslims are enjoying at the moment. -- Rashneek Kher http://www.kashmiris-in-exile.blogspot.com http://www.nietzschereborn.blogspot.com From kaksanjay at gmail.com Mon Dec 13 11:33:45 2010 From: kaksanjay at gmail.com (Sanjay Kak) Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2010 11:33:45 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Prescription for the Kasab Trial Message-ID: ‎"He should never have been tried by our civil courts. He should have been treated as a Prisoner of War, and Shot!!"... The subject of this prescription is Kasab. Is the exhortation a position taken by some right-wing storm-trooper? No, far from it. It's Harish Salve, described by the anchor as former Solicitor General, prominent lawyer... Should we be in panic? http://www.timesnow.tv/videoshow/4359819.cms From anuradhabanerji at gmail.com Mon Dec 13 11:36:31 2010 From: anuradhabanerji at gmail.com (Anuradha Banerji) Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2010 11:36:31 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Honest is, who honest does- Madhu Purnima Kishwar Message-ID: *Honest is, Who Honest Does* *Madhu** **Purnima** **Kishwar* Today, the Indian media--both print and television—is focusing on the recent corruption scandals involving the UPA Government with unusual zeal. However, I fail to understand why almost every commentator, every TV anchor, every editorial writer feels compelled to pay ritual obeisance to the “personal honesty and integrity” of Dr Manmohan Singh while dealing with the scandals emanating from his Cabinet colleagues. They do so even when there is clear evidence that the Prime Minister was well aware of various shady deals, as in the case of Telecom scam, and that he did nothing to stop the brazen economic crimes indulged in by his ministerial colleagues over the last 6 years. Corruption is not only about personally accepting monetary bribes and stacking them away in hidden bank accounts overseas, buying *benami*properties or accepting diamond sets for your wife. Corruption can come in insidious avatars, such as knowingly turning a blind eye to the misuse the entire machinery of governance to serve private ends of a few individuals, even to the point of endangering national security. For example, not a single person has been punished thus far for supplying sub standard bullet proof jackets to the police handling the 9/11 terrorist attack in Mumbai. Not surprisingly, we are right now witnessing yet another scam involving sub standard bullet proof vests. In recent weeks, some of our most respected columnists have been warning us that we should look at institutional reform rather than target individuals because it can lead to loss of faith in democratic institutions. But how do you retain faith in democratic institutions if powerful individuals use their office to systematically subvert the autonomy and credibility of institutions meant as watchdogs of democracy? The best of institutions take no time in becoming slavish instruments of partisan agendas if you plant subservient and heavily compromised individuals at their helm. Dr Manmohan Singh cannot escape responsibility for appointing people with dubious credentials to occupy key positions of power—starting with the appointment of Pratibha Patil as the President of India. This despite the fact that that Congress leaders of her own District protested vehemently against her appointment because of her and her close kin's direct involvement in criminal cases. Thereafter, all key institutions, including the Election Commission, the Central Vigilance Commission have been filled with people whose credentials have been questioned not just by the opposition but also the media and respected public figures. He has also provided key portfolios to people with a proven track record of brazen corruption. For example, IAS officer, Mr Lalli the CEO of Prasar Bharati that manages Doordarshan--India's national TV channel--has been guilty of countless corrupt deals and practices. Despite numerous agitations by the staff of Doordarshan to get him punished, he continues lording over the institution because he is supposed to have the PM's backing. This regime has also gone out of its way to protect those judges of the High Courts and Supreme Court who have such serious corruption charges against them as to merit impeachment and criminal trials. Justice Dinakaran of the Karnataka High Court was saved from the wrath of and boycott by the legal fraternity of Karnataka by being transferred to Sikkim High Court despite loud protests by people in Sikkim. Judges who are alleged to have shared in the loot of Provident Fund of class 1V employees in UP have not been subject to investigation, leave alone punishment. One of them retired after serving a full term in the Supreme Court. The kingpin of the scam who later provided evidence of the complicity of the judges died under mysterious circumstances in jail. Supreme Court Justice Sabharwal was likewise protected from prosecution even though the allegations against him during UPA’s first term were no less serious than that of Kalmadi. He is alleged to have ordered demolition of numerous commercial centres and complexes in Delhi in order to benefit his son’s investment in high end malls, causing havoc for lakhs of small and big commercial property owners of Delhi. The CWG scam is not just about misappropriation of funds through inflated bills and money being paid to bogus companies. It all started with the politician-contractor mafia being allowed to violate all environmental laws to convert Yamuna floodplains into prime real estate by building luxury apartments in the name of Games Village. This happened despite the High Court ban on all construction activity on the floodplains. It needed the influence of people far more powerful than Kalmadi to persuade the Supreme Court into over ruling the considered view of the High Court and ensuring that Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh looked the other way when all environmental laws were being brazenly flouted right under his nose to build high rise apartments and other commercial structures on the floodplains. The game plan behind building luxury apartments on the forbidden land became obvious from the fact that the builders had to be whip lashed into completing at least half the apartments before the Commonwealth Games. They were obviously given to understand that the CWG was merely a fig leaf for converting floodplains into prime real estate in the heart of Delhi. The choice of the company that built the Games Village, the names of its real owners, its unknown and known partners, and the list of its known and unknown beneficiaries will reveal a scam more insidious than the Adarsh Housing Scam of Mumbai which involved Congress Party CM and other politicians, top ranking officials of the armed forces and bureaucrats cornering luxury apartments in a prime location in a housing society set up in the name of Kargil widows. In this case too, the only visible action taken by the Prime Minister is to replace the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. No sign of any heads rolling as yet. Or take the example of the most politically sensitive state of Kashmir. Manmohan Singh allowed an anti Omar agitation to turn into an anti India agitation much against his own counsel, all because he dare not sack Omar Abdullah from the CM’s post even when the entire Valley rose in revolt against his high handed, corrupt and callous regime. Senior Congress leaders admit in private that Omar cannot be touched since he is a buddy of Rahul Gandhi. Dr Singh knows well that Omar’s continuation has given a new lease of life to the Pak inspired separatist and terrorist movement in Kashmir. People attribute his pliability to the fact that the prime minister was appointed and not elected. He has never won a Lok Sabha election. But that cannot be used as an excuse to justify overlooking such gross mismanagement and loot as well as the political drift one witnesses even in areas involving national security. In fact, his defeat in the one and only election he ever fought is related to his lack of personal integrity. He was defeated in the predominantly middle-class South Delhi constituency because *people in general and Sikhs in particular were enraged when Manmohan Singh denied the role of the Congress in the 1984 anti Sikh carnage* and instead attributed the 1984 massacre to the RSS. The RSS may well be guilty of many other communal riots but the credit for the 1984 massacre goes entirely to Congress politicians, including Rajiv Gandhi who even justified the killings saying: "when a big tree falls, the earth is bound to shake." The Congress Party also ensured that those who masterminded and executed the 1984 pogrom did not get punished. Similarly, in the case of Gujarat riots, the Prime Minister happily joined the chorus initiated by his boss pillorying Narendra Modi as "Maut ka Saudagar" even though it is well known that Congress party cadres merrily joined the riotous mobs unleashed by BJP--RSS combine in Ahmadabad and elsewhere. This failure to own responsibility for the conduct of his party men and passing the entire responsibility on to Modi is in large part responsible for the lack of credibility of Congress Party in Gujarat and the severe erosion of its political base in Gujarat. Likewise, getting a Rajya Sabha seat from Assam claiming he is a resident of the state when he has never had any such connection with Assam is a definite indicator of questionable political integrity. A PM who compromises national interest, as in Kashmir, just to indulge the personal fancy of the PM in waiting, a PM who looks the other way while his Cabinet colleagues brazenly loot public funds and get away with extorting thousands of crores by way of kickbacks, a PM who is widely perceived and lampooned as a “rubber stamp” does not merit being called “an honest man” or a “man of integrity” because integrity in his job demands putting national interest above partisan politics and personal loyalties. Integrity also involves taking full responsibility for all his acts of commission and omission which have earned UPA II the dubious distinction of being publicly named as the most corrupt and rudderless government in post independence India. -- -- Madhu Purnima Kishwar Founding Editor, Manushi Journal, Founder, Manushi Sangathan--Citizens First Forum Senior Fellow, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies. -- -- Anuradha Banerji, Research Scholar, Department of English, University of Hyderabad. Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh 500046 Ph: 9573705541 From rashneek at gmail.com Mon Dec 13 12:12:00 2010 From: rashneek at gmail.com (rashneek kher) Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2010 12:12:00 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Prescription for the Kasab Trial In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Today is the anniversary of the Parliament Attack.On this day let us all mourn for the people who were killed by terrorists. I hope we dont see such days again and dont have to say "ye kya karuv" Best Regards Rashneek On Mon, Dec 13, 2010 at 11:33 AM, Sanjay Kak wrote: > ‎"He should never have been tried by our civil courts. > He should have been treated as a Prisoner of War, and Shot!!"... > The subject of this prescription is Kasab. > Is the exhortation a position taken by some right-wing storm-trooper? > No, far from it. It's Harish Salve, described by the anchor as former > Solicitor General, prominent lawyer... > Should we be in panic? > > http://www.timesnow.tv/videoshow/4359819.cms > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > 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 c.anupam at gmail.com Mon Dec 13 16:01:47 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2010 16:01:47 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] From White House to ISI, prosecution casts wide net Message-ID: *http://www.hindu.com/2010/12/12/stories/2010121257731400.htm * *From White House to ISI, prosecution casts wide net * Aman Sethi "Raipur: “We have a chimpanzee in the White House,” said public prosecutor T.C. Pandiya, eliciting a rare smile from the presiding judge and lawyers gathered at the closing arguments of the trial of celebrated doctor and activist Binayak Sen, who has been charged with criminal conspiracy and waging war against the Indian state. To buttress the state's case against him, Mr. Pandiya was reading out emails recovered from Dr. Sen's computer, which was seized by the Chhattisgarh police. “This email has been written in code. It is significant because terrorists oppose the U.S. President,” the prosecutor said. In May 2007, the police arrested Dr. Sen and Kolkata-based businessman Piyush Guha and accused them of conspiring with Narayan Sanyal, a 74-year-old prisoner, who is alleged to be a senior leader in the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist). ‘Acted as courier' As per jail records, Dr. Sen visited Mr. Sanyal 33 times in the Raipur central jail. Dr. Sen has maintained that the visits were in his capacity as a physician and the general secretary of the People's Union for Civil Liberties. The prosecution contends that Dr. Sen acted as a courier for Mr. Sanyal. On the second day of the prosecution's arguments, Mr. Pandiya attempted to prove that Dr. Sen and his wife Ilina were part of an international terror network. “Ilina Sen has also written an email to one Fernandes from the ISI,” he said, “We do not know if this is the Pakistan's ISI [Inter-Services Intelligence], but there is some significance to this.” Mr. Pandiya also took exception to the use of the word “comrade” by Ms. Ilina Sen when writing to one ‘Comrade Kusumlata.' “Comrade is only used to refer to someone who is a Maoist,” he said. Ms. Ilina told this correspondent that the first email was sent to Walter Fernandes at the Indian Social Institute in Delhi and the second was intended for Kusum Lata Kedia, former director of the Gandhi Institute, Varanasi. ‘In frequent correspondence' The prosecution also brought attention to ‘article 37', a letter allegedly seized from Dr. Sen's home, that proves that Dr. Sen was in frequent correspondence with the Maoists. It has been brought to the court's attention that while all seizures have been countersigned by Dr. Sen, article 37 only carries the signature of the police raiding party. Mr. Pandiya dismissed such complaints on the grounds that the letter was relatively innocuous and had the police wanted to fabricate evidence, they could have come up with something more damning." From c.anupam at gmail.com Mon Dec 13 16:04:05 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2010 16:04:05 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] From White House to ISI, prosecution casts wide net In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Reports-of-ISI-link-Indian-Social-Institute-says-Sens-wife/articleshow/7088577.cms RAIPUR: The wife of civil rights activist Binayak Sen, who is facing charges of colluding with Naxals, today expressed shock over reports that the prosecution tried to link the couple to 'ISI' during arguments at a court here. She told TV news channel that the ISI mentioned in an e-mail sent by her which was reportedly referred to by the public prosecutor was Indian Social Institute, a reputed Delhi-based research and advocacy organisation. Sen, a People's Union of Civil Libertiesleader who was in jail for two years before being granted bail by the Supreme Court in May last year, has been accused by Chhattisgarh policeof acting as a courier for a jailed Naxal leader. According to media reports, during closing arguments of Sen's trial here, the public prosecutor tried to link him and his wife Elina to an international terror network. "Elina Sen has also written an e-mail to one Fernandes from the ISI. We do not know if this is the Pakistan's ISI, but there is some significance to this," he reportedly said. Expressing shock over the report, Elina said the ISI referred here is Indian Social Institute. "In fact, yesterday among the many things I did in Delhi(before coming to Raipur last night) was to visit the Indian Social Institute, which is what is referred to as ISI in the story," she said. If the prosecution is "resorting to this at this stage of the trial when not a shred of evidence has come against my husband, it really points to their desperation," she said. From c.anupam at gmail.com Mon Dec 13 16:07:01 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2010 16:07:01 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] More on the gaffe Message-ID: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Delhi-institute-mistaken-for-Pakistan-intelligence-agency/articleshow/7085781.cms RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh special prosecutor TC Pandya on Friday claimed that civil rights activist Dr Binayak Sen's wife Ilinawas in correspondence with the ISI — a huge gaffe. For, the ISI she had links with was the Indian Social Institute, not the Pakistani intelligence agency. Pandya was deposing in a local sessions court and said that Sen had dealings not just with local Maoist networks but also international terrorist groups as well. He claimed Sen had links with international terrorist organisations and in that connection named Yaseen Malikof the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front ( JKLF ) and Asgar Khan of Al Qaeda, among others. Then he delivered the punchline. He read out an email Ilina had purportedly written to "some Fernandes of the ISI". This said: "There is a chimpanzee in the White House ." Pandya smelt mischief in the missive: "This may be code language... this perhaps means terrorists are annoyed with the US... We do not know who this Fernandes is, but ISI, as we all know, means Pakistan." Later, outside the court, Sen clarified ISI stood for the Indian Social Institute. 'Fernandes' possibly referred to Walter Fernandes, former director of the Indian Social Institute, a social science research body set up by Jesuits in 1951 on New Delhi's Lodhi Road. Fernandes, now director of the North Eastern Social Research Institutein Guwahati told TOI: "Ilina and I are good friends and we frequently exchanged correspondence on development-induced displacement among tribals, which has been my subject for the last 20 years." He described the prosecution's attempt to interpret ISI (Indian Social Institute) as Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence and link it to Sen as "either ignorance or bad will". Sen is an award-winning doctor and national vice-president of the People's Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL). He was arrested in Bilaspur on May 14 2007, and charged with treason, conspiracy, waging war against the state, being a member of an illegal organization. The charges are drawn from the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (1967), the Chhattisgarh Special Public SecurityAct (2005), and the IPC. The chargesheet runs into more than 1,000 pages. The Chhattisgarh government's case against Sen is that he met jailed Maoist ideologue Narayan Sanyal 33 times in Raipur prison between May 26 and June 30 2007, carrying his letters and passing these on to Piyush Guha, a Kolkata businessman. Since May 2008, Sen is facing trial in a local court along with Sanyal and Guha. The trial has entered its final stages, with the SC asking the sessions court to wrap it up by January 2011. Presenting final arguments, the prosecution focused at length on Sen's alleged key role in the urban network of the CPI Maoist. It used as evidence documents it claims the police seized from his home, including two postcards written by alleged Maoist leaders in which Sen has been addressed as 'comrade'. "Comrade usi ko kahaa jaata hai jo Maowadi hai (only a Maoist is addressed as comrade)," Pandya claimed. The prosecution sought to summarise the evidence for the conspiracy. It tried to establish the close links between Sanyal and Sen, and the meetings between Sen and Guha. For the first link, it primarily relied on the testimony of Deepak Choubey, who said he rented out a house to Sanyal on Sen's recommendation. To prove the second link, it based its arguments on Guha's custodial confession as well as the testimony of cloth merchant Anil Singh, who claims to be present when Guha was arrested in Raipur on station road on May 6, 2007, with Sanyal's letters. Read more: Delhi institute mistaken for Pakistan intelligence agency - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Delhi-institute-mistaken-for-Pakistan-intelligence-agency/articleshow/7085781.cms#ixzz17zHNuDcd From the-network at koeln.de Mon Dec 13 16:31:20 2010 From: the-network at koeln.de (nmf2010) Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2010 12:01:20 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] =?iso-8859-1?q?Program_-_Week_51_on_NewMediaFest=27?= =?iso-8859-1?q?2010?= Message-ID: <20101213120120.64CD5D8.348C113D@192.168.0.3> NewMediaFest'2010 --------------------------------------- This festival project will be finalized on 31 December 2010 and wishes all its friends and partners all over the world already today "A Merry Christmas & a Peaceful Happy New Year!" Listen also to the Christmas Message on http://www.nmartproject.net --------------------------------------- Program- week 51 --> 13-19 December 2010 http://2010.newmediafest.org/?p=1214 --------------------------------------- 1. --------------------------------------- Feature of the Week 51 http://2010.newmediafest.org/?p=1212 JavaMuseum's netart journal "Celebrate!" - celebrating 10 years netart is proudly presenting this week 7 new exciting netart pieces by ---> Panayiotis Payiatis (Greece) Miriam Needoba (Canada) Roderick Coover (USA) Agam Andreas (NL) Conzalo Cueto (Chile) Stefan Baltensberger (CH) --------------------------------------- 2. --------------------------------------- Feature of the Month December 2010 http://2010.newmediafest.org/?p=1181 artvideoKOELN, CologneOFF & VideoChannel present Family Affair 1 - Mother featuring videos by following artists Unnur Andrea Einarsdottir (Iceland) - Antonio Alvarado (Spain) Jessica Curry (UK) - Antti Savela (SWE) - Joshua & Zachary Sandler (USA) Grace Graupe-Pillard (USA) - Wilfried Agricola de Cologne (D) Grace Schwindt (UK) - Jeanette Louie (USA) - Caterina Davinio (IT) Marina Landia (Georgia) - Paolo Bonfiglio (IT) - Henry Gwiazda (USA) Anders Weberg (SWE) - Karen Trask (CA) - Nicole Pruckermayr (A) Elham Rokni (Israel) - Nicole Rademacher (A) - Richard Jochum (A) Shelagh Fenner (UK) - Sonja Vuk (CR) - Anahita Hekmat (Iran) Pekka Ruuska (FI) - Magsamen & Hillerbrand (USA) - Natasha Cordasic (AU) Magnus Irvin (UK) - Anna Bieluszko & Magdalena Jachimiak (PL) --------------------------------------- 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 dnyan21 at yahoo.com Mon Dec 13 16:33:47 2010 From: dnyan21 at yahoo.com (Ashutosh Shyam Potdar) Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2010 03:03:47 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] Call for proposal- New Performance Programme at IFA Message-ID: <108350.94592.qm@web30706.mail.mud.yahoo.com>                                               Call for Proposal New Performance Programme   IFA’s New Performance programme supports reflective performance practices that extend beyond prevailing idioms and forms of performance and/or create new modes of presentation. Keeping this thrust area in mind, a performing arts group or an artist can seek support under the following categories. Pre-production: This programme supports performing artists to germinate and nurture fresh ideas and reflect on the immediate context of their practice. This may include researching towards a performance script and/or collaborative or improvisatory work towards creating a text or other resources and references for the proposed performance. Performance: Risk-taking and experimental performance practice that tackles unexplored themes or critically engages with changing contexts of performance will be supported. These productions could introduce fresh content, investigate unexplored but meaningful themes, or straddle different genres in the performing arts. These are only examples, however, and do not exhaust the possibilities offered by this programme. Dissemination: IFA grantees can apply for follow-up grants that will enable a wider public to critically engage with their IFA-supported work and larger issues it throws up. This may  include disseminating knowledge acquired and expertise gained with the grant in imaginative and innovative ways. Residencies: This programme views performance residencies as one of the ideal tools for questioning and reflecting on contemporary performance practices. Residencies help to nurture emerging performing artists, encourage collaboration between them, and support dialogue with a wider field of practice, among other things. We are particularly interested in supporting residencies hosted by emerging organisations in the early stages of institutional building.    APPLICATION Applications under this programme can be submitted for consideration at any time. You may write your proposal in any Indian language. You can expect to receive a reply from us within ten days, indicating whether your proposal is being considered for support. To apply, please send us a short note describing:  a) Your existing practice and your concerns and interests as a practitioner.  b) The nature of the work for which you are seeking funding and how it addresses this programme. Please also remember to include the following with your proposal: a)      Reviews and recordings (if available) and supporting material that gives us a sense of your work. b)      Your bio-data if you are applying as an individual artist. If you are applying on behalf of an institution, please include background information on the organisation as well as the memorandum of association/trust deed, annual reports, and audited statements of accounts for the past three years. c) Your address, telephone/fax numbers, and e-mail address. d) A work plan, specifying the duration of the project. e) A budget, which should not exceed Rs 1,50,000 for pre-production work, Rs 3,00,000 for developing a production, and Rs 6,00,000 for a residency. f)  Applicants should include two references supportive of the proposal from senior artists or other persons associated with their field. g)      Your proposal will be assessed with the help of external evaluators, and IFA’s decision on the grant will be final. h) You are welcome to approach us to discuss your ideas and develop your proposal and budget through dialogue and interaction with IFA staff. You may write to us or email a brief description of your project, or regarding any matter pertaining to this programme. Please ensure that we receive a draft proposal three months prior to your need for funds to support the project.   ELIGIBILITY You are eligible to apply if you are an Indian national, a registered non-profit Indian organisation, or have been resident in India for at least five years. Your collaborators, if any, should also fall into one of the above categories. Send your queries and proposals to ashutoshpotdar at indiaifa.org or write to: Programme Executive New Performance, India Foundation for the Arts, 'Apurva', Ground Floor, No 259, 4th Cross, Raj Mahal Vilas 2nd Stage, 2nd Block, Bangalore-560 094 Phone: 080-2341 4681 / 82    Translations of this circular are available in other Indian languages on request and can also be downloaded from http://www.indiaifa.org/ From akmalik45 at yahoo.com Mon Dec 13 17:47:22 2010 From: akmalik45 at yahoo.com (A.K. Malik) Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2010 04:17:22 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] Digvijay's revelations on Karkare In-Reply-To: <000c01cb990a$4bbdbe40$e3393ac0$@in> References: <000c01cb990a$4bbdbe40$e3393ac0$@in> Message-ID: <263240.30562.qm@web112106.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> HI Bipinji, The petty religious politics of such politicians is ruining our social system. I can only pray to God" Bhagwan in jaison ko sadbudi de." Regards, (A.K.MALIK) ----- Original Message ---- From: Bipin Trivedi To: Javed Cc: sarai-list Sent: Sat, December 11, 2010 1:36:19 PM Subject: [Reader-list] Digvijay's revelations on Karkare When people like Digvijaysingh is there in India and congress party keeps mum on such statement, terrorist need not to worry. They have safe haven in India and with such attitude from so called responsible and oldest party of India, India can never fight with the terrorism. Sorry for misfortune of our country. God save us. Thanks Bipin Trivedi -----Original Message----- From: reader-list-bounces at sarai.net [mailto:reader-list-bounces at sarai.net] On Behalf Of Javed Sent: Saturday, December 11, 2010 11:49 AM To: sarai list Subject: [Reader-list] Digvijay's revelations on Karkare for those who want more of Aziz Burney kind of news.... ---- Two hours before 26/11 attacks, Hemant Karkare called me to say his life under threat: Digvijay Singh Seema Chishti In a startling revelation days after the second anniversary of the Mumbai terror attacks, Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh has said that two hours before the first terrorists struck that evening, chief of the Maharashtra ATS Hemant Karkare called him to say that his life was “blighted by constant threats” from those opposed to his probe into the Malegaon blast in which Hindu extremists were accused. Karkare was killed by the terrorists that evening. Days later, then Minorities Minister A R Antulay had to quit after he said that Karkare could have been a victim of “terrorism or terrorism plus something.” Speaking to The Indian Express today, Digvijay Singh said: “On November 26, 2008, at 7 pm, just about two hours before the attacks in Mumbai started, Hemant Karkare, the slain ATS chief rang me on my mobile and told me how his family and his life were blighted by constant threats from people annoyed by his investigations into the Malegaon blasts. “Woh pareshaan the (he was worried), and he told me he was trying to trace the calls, but was depressed and worried by threats and personal attacks made in their newspapers. Karkare also told me that he was hurt that in a paper, the mouthpiece of a Hindu right-wing organization, allegations were being made that my son was minting money in Dubai, when in reality he was only a school student in Mumbai.” Singh said he knew Karkare as his family was associated with Chhatarpur in Madhya Pradesh (Digvijay Singh’s home state too and where he was Chief Minister for 10 years). He said that Karkare’s father was posted as a railway officer before moving to Nagpur and they often talked. “I was so shocked and demoralized on being told of his death in the attacks in Mumbai late at night on November 26, that my initial reaction was, ‘Oh God, they have killed him.’ It was only later that I found out about other events taking place in the city on that dreadful day.” On December 6, Singh had shared these revelations with the audience at a function to launch RSS ki saazish — 26/11? (26/11, an RSS conspiracy?) authored by Aziz Burney, editor-in-chief of Urdu Sahara newspaper. Present at the function were Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha K Rahman Khan and three MLAs from Delhi, Shoaib Iqbal, Chaudhry Mateen and Asif Mohammed Khan. Also present were leading lights from the clergy Maulana Mahmood Madani from the Deobandi sect, Maulana Touqir Raza Khan from the Barelvi sect and Shia leader Kalbe Jawwad. The moderator was noted Akhtar-ul Wasey, director of the Zakir Husain Institute of Islamic Studies at Jamia Millia University. In his book, Burney writes: “It was on November 12 (this year) after I heard Digvijay Singh at Nagpur, powerfully denounce the theories of former Chief of the RSS, K Sudershan on the Congress president Sonia Gandhi and other things, which were an attempt to stop investigations into the alleged involvement of people linked to the RSS, that I was inspired to put all my pieces together on this subject and air this suspicion fully that in fact Karkare’s assassination was plotted by people associated with the RSS to stop him from unmasking the face of RSS-inspired terror...If Karkare had not been killed, he would have possibly unveiled the entire terror network and not just names of certain individuals, trying to turn India into a Hindu rashtra through violence.” Currently, Burney is part of the press team travelling with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Belgium and Germany, and said he would “elaborate when he gets back”. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/two-hours-before-26-11-attacks-hemant-karkare-called-me-to-say-his-life-under-threat-digvijay-singh/723183/0 _________________________________________ reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. Critiques & Collaborations To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the subject header. To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> _________________________________________ reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. Critiques & Collaborations To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the subject header. To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> From indersalim at gmail.com Mon Dec 13 17:56:41 2010 From: indersalim at gmail.com (Inder Salim) Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2010 17:56:41 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Prescription for the Kasab Trial In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: we often see a strange changes in the " former" mainly big bosses . sometimes they behave very bravely, sometimes as worst as in the given case On Mon, Dec 13, 2010 at 12:12 PM, rashneek kher wrote: > Today is the anniversary of the Parliament Attack.On this day let us all > mourn for the people who were killed by terrorists. > I hope we dont see such days again and dont have to say "ye kya karuv" > > Best Regards > > Rashneek > > On Mon, Dec 13, 2010 at 11:33 AM, Sanjay Kak wrote: > >> ‎"He should never have been tried by our civil courts. >> He should have been treated as a Prisoner of War, and Shot!!"... >> The subject of this prescription is Kasab. >> Is the exhortation a position taken by some right-wing storm-trooper? >> No, far from it. It's Harish Salve, described by the anchor as former >> Solicitor General, prominent lawyer... >> Should we be in panic? >> >> http://www.timesnow.tv/videoshow/4359819.cms >> _________________________________________ >> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >> Critiques & Collaborations >> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with >> 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/> -- http://indersalim.livejournal.com From rohitrellan at aol.in Mon Dec 13 18:15:23 2010 From: rohitrellan at aol.in (rohitrellan at aol.in) Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2010 07:45:23 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] PSBT TO FUND UPTO 100 DOCUS - DEADLINE EXTENDED In-Reply-To: <8CD68DA11E4A78D-19E8-1B631@webmail-m010.sysops.aol.com> References: <024301cb9abe$604fd720$1101a8c0@psbt.local> <8CD68DA11E4A78D-19E8-1B631@webmail-m010.sysops.aol.com> Message-ID: <8CD68DABE99F35B-19E8-1B6F0@webmail-m010.sysops.aol.com> Dear Filmmaker,     Due to numerous requests, we have extended our deadline for proposals to 20th December 2010 and have tweaked our call for proposals. Those who have already submitted proposals do not have to submit a fresh one.     We are inviting proposals for independent documentary films of 26 and 52 minutes duration. There is no formal commissioning brief and proposals are invited on any theme representing the filmmaker's passions and interest. Films for the Public Diplomacy Division of the Ministry of External Affairs will need to focus on appropriate subjects and a treatment that will project India’s image abroad in subtle and nuanced ways. These will draw upon India’s civilisational heritage, its relevance to the modern world and the elements of contemporary India that make it a rapidly emerging world power.  We expect to commission:  1. Approx 52  films shot on HDV/ DVCAM of 26 min. and mastered on DVCAM, in partnership with Doordarshan.  Two final master copies in DVCPro will need to be provided for Doordarshan and the rest on DVCAM;  2. Approx. 35 films of 26 min or 52 min. shot on HDV/ DVCAM,  mastered on DVCAM, in partnership with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting;  3. 5-7 Films on HDV/ DVCAM in partnership with the Public Diplomacy Division of the Ministry for External Affairs, some of which would be in full HD. The latter will be by invitation to projects we consider having the potential to be screened overseas on television. We are open to co-productions under this Grant. Essentially, this will involve a sharing of rights between the co-investor/producer(s), PSBT and the filmmaker. Details can be worked out on a case to case basis upon approval of proposals in principle.  Filmmakers are invited to submit budgets for HDV/ DVCAM. Filmmakers will be provided a maximum of nine months to complete the Film.  Proposals from Filmmakers who are currently working on films for PSBT will only be considered if their films are complete at the time of the evaluation of proposals, in January 2011.    Out of its commitment to expand the constituency of independent documentary filmmakers in India, PSBT particularly encourages filmmakers who have not worked with us before to submit persuasive proposals that will convince our Trustees about their abilities and passion, both for filmmaking and the theme they wish to explore. We will strike a balance between filmmakers who have delivered quality work to us before and those who have never worked with us before, first-time and experienced filmmakers, those from different parts of India, etc.  Note: An important, interesting or significant subject does not inherently make for a great film. This usually depends on the ability of the filmmaker, the intellectual rigour and clarity with which the subject is approached, the creative treatment and the passion for the theme.  Our Trustees look primarily for these elements, along with a reasonable budget, etc.     For more visit - www.psbt.org or write to us at proposals at psbt.org     Contact: 011-41826115 (NOTE OUR NEW TELEPHONE NUMBER)    From rohitrellan at aol.in Mon Dec 13 18:15:54 2010 From: rohitrellan at aol.in (rohitrellan at aol.in) Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2010 07:45:54 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Call for proposal- New Performance Programme at IFA In-Reply-To: <8CD68DA853FBA43-19E8-1B6C2@webmail-m010.sysops.aol.com> References: <20101213110040.313DE8E804D@mdreg-mst.qlc.co.in> <8CD68DA853FBA43-19E8-1B6C2@webmail-m010.sysops.aol.com> Message-ID: <8CD68DAD09A60EB-19E8-1B701@webmail-m010.sysops.aol.com>  Call for Proposal  New Performance Programme       IFA’s New Performance programme supports reflective performance practices that extend beyond prevailing idioms and forms of performance and/or create new modes of presentation.  Keeping this thrust area in mind, a performing arts group or an artist can seek support under the following categories.  Pre-production: This programme supports performing artists to germinate and nurture fresh ideas and reflect on the immediate context of their practice. This may include researching towards a performance script and/or collaborative or improvisatory work towards creating a text or other resources and references for the proposed performance.  Performance: Risk-taking and experimental performance practice that tackles unexplored themes or critically engages with changing contexts of performance will be supported. These productions could introduce fresh content, investigate unexplored but meaningful themes, or straddle different genres in the performing arts. These are only examples, however, and do not exhaust the possibilities offered by this programme.  Dissemination: IFA grantees can apply for follow-up grants that will enable a wider public to critically engage with their IFA-supported work and larger issues it throws up. This may  include disseminating knowledge acquired and expertise gained with the grant in imaginative and innovative ways.  Residencies: This programme views performance residencies as one of the ideal tools for questioning and reflecting on contemporary performance practices. Residencies help to nurture emerging performing artists, encourage collaboration between them, and support dialogue with a wider field of practice, among other things. We are particularly interested in supporting residencies hosted by emerging organisations in the early stages of institutional building.      APPLICATION  Applications under this programme can be submitted for consideration at any time. You may write your proposal in any Indian language. You can expect to receive a reply from us within ten days, indicating whether your proposal is being considered for support.    To apply, please send us a short note describing:  a) Your existing practice and your concerns and interests as a practitioner.  b) The nature of the work for which you are seeking funding and how it addresses this programme.  Please also remember to include the following with your proposal:  a)      Reviews and recordings (if available) and supporting material that gives us a sense of your work.  b)      Your bio-data if you are applying as an individual artist. If you are applying on behalf of an institution, please include background information on the organisation as well as the memorandum of association/trust deed, annual reports, and audited statements of accounts for the past three years.  c) Your address, telephone/fax numbers, and e-mail address.  d) A work plan, specifying the duration of the project.  e) A budget, which should not exceed Rs 1,50,000 for pre-production work, Rs 3,00,000 for developing a production, and Rs 6,00,000 for a residency.  f)  Applicants should include two references supportive of the proposal from senior artists or other persons associated with their field.  g)      Your proposal will be assessed with the help of external evaluators, and IFA’s decision on  the grant will be final.  h) You are welcome to approach us to discuss your ideas and develop your proposal and budget through dialogue and interaction with IFA staff. You may write to us or email a brief description of your project, or regarding any matter pertaining to this programme. Please ensure that we receive a draft proposal three months prior to your need for funds to support the project.       ELIGIBILITY  You are eligible to apply if you are an Indian national, a registered non-profit Indian organisation, or have been resident in India for at least five years. Your collaborators, if any, should also fall into one of the above categories.  Send your queries and proposals to ashutoshpotdar at indiaifa.org or write to:    Programme Executive  New Performance, India Foundation for the Arts, 'Apurva', Ground Floor, No 259, 4th Cross, Raj Mahal Vilas 2nd Stage, 2nd Block, Bangalore-560 094  Phone: 080-2341 4681 / 82      Translations of this circular are available in other Indian languages on request and can also be downloaded from http://www.indiaifa.org/      From indersalim at gmail.com Mon Dec 13 18:29:18 2010 From: indersalim at gmail.com (Inder Salim) Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2010 18:29:18 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Interview with Aasiya Andrabi(by Murtaza Shibli) In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Thanks Dear Rashneek about some glitches of your friends on the list. Liberal admins have not 'unsubscribed' Aditya Raj kaul from the list for spreading misinformation time and again. ( read his bookha nanga hindustan comment which he turned upside down ) but i guess he was humbly requested to refrain... so this must be technical only, about the interview: it was wonderful to read how the interviewer got the best out of this only Woman leader from Kashmir. Not only she revealed her true mind, but she also pointed fingers on other leaders. A brave heart woman indeed. Her pro-Pakistan tilt is nothing new , which is based on two nation theory, but her criticism of Pakistani support is very new. " Yes the Pakistani government is our enemy at this time" she also feels the pro-independence mood in the valley is overwhelming, but somehow she has inherited the 47 legacy in her own way and derives her own infrences from it, which i guess would change after some time, may be it is chaning, slowly. . Not surprising if coming years would throw couple of new women leaders/activists in the valley,. That is that, as a woman activist she has indeed taken up this issue of 'widows' in the Kashmir. Well, her solution to the problem is medievalist, but she questions the society which is hesitant to accept her and her issues in a very dignified way. This is not about Muslim society only but all. I guess, only a radical feminist would declare her non-possessive nature of her relationship, indeed for the benefit of her suffering sisters. There must be some other changes in Kashmir, some new voices, some new adjustments within the world of women, who suffered very badly since 1990. heard any Male leaders ever talking about women's issues ? so she scores love is On Mon, Dec 13, 2010 at 9:05 AM, rashneek kher wrote: > Dear All, > > This was sent to me by an ex member of Sarai-Alok Aima who also seems to > have been unsubscribed from SARAI as does Kamal Hak. > I am not questioning the decision of the moderators to unsubscribe them(ie > if they have been unsubscribed or if it is a technical glitch again),after > all the right to free speech can not be unbridbled and cannot be abused.All > rights come with responsibilities as is the right to expression.I am glad > that in a way the moderators thought it appropriate to show them the door or > "face the music" as Jeebesh called it.Can I please know if they have been > unsubscribed or is it a techinical glitch. > Everyone irrespective of his religion,sex,ideology should face the music if > he/she transgresses the spirit of the right. > Could the moderators be so kind as to let me know the do's and dont's so > that I too may not face the music. > > >  Dear Rashneek - Please forward this mail to Sarai Reader List since I have > been unsubscribed from it. I asked Monica Nirula the reason for > unsubscribing me but received no response. Thanks. .......... aalok aima > > http://www.kashmiraffairs.org/shibli%20interview%20aasiya%20andrabi.html > > *Q: What is your assessment of the current situation? > *A: It is full of confusion. There are bundles and bundles of confusion in > here and it is because of the role of Pakistan and the role of so-called > Kashmiri leadership. > > *Q: What went wrong? > *A: The Kashmiri struggle couldn’t remain indigenous. We became pawns in the > hands of agencies whether ISI or others. The Kashmiri leadership shouldn’t > have totally relied on Pakistan. And after 9/11 when America changed its > policy towards the whole of the Muslim Ummah, Pakistan has come under > tremendous pressure and it seems that they can’t with stand it. This has led > to the same situation in Kashmir as was in 1971 after Pakistan lost its war > with India. > * > **Q: So what is the problem? > *A: The problem is with Pakistani agencies. They want people to be on their > pay role and anyone who resists, they try their best to curtail their > influence. I am a staunch Pakistani supporter but Pakistani media would > never give me any coverage as I am not on their agency pay roll and I refuse > to listen to their directions. > > *Q: So you think Pakistani agencies are the reason that Kashmiri leadership > has failed? > *A: Pakistani government has betrayed us a lot, not only today but in 1965 > as well and long before also. > > *Q: If this is the case, then why are you supporting Pakistan? > *A: The government is betraying us, but we support the ideology of Pakistan. > Our leadership is to be blamed as well for falling into the trap. > > *Q: So what should the Kashmiri leadership do? Oppose India, oppose Pakistan > or oppose both? > *A: To oppose India is obvious as we have never been a part of India. As far > as the Pakistani government and its policies are concerned, we have to > oppose them and their policies and we should do it openly. We should show > them that Kashmiris have a stand on this issue and that it is our problem. > We should also let them know that Pakistan is no more our master and they > can’t dictate us.  They should know that we want to fulfil our dream of > Pakistan which includes Kashmir in it as well that has been denied since > 1947. > > *Q: Why should we go with Pakistan rather than be independent of sorts? > *A: It is actually the ideology behind Pakistan that is why we want to go > with Pakistan. > > *Q: As a Kashmiri I don’t want to be held hostage to some ideology framed by > a bunch of people some decades ago. > *A: It is not the ideology framed by imperialists or any other people. It is > the ideology that there are two nations - Hindus and Muslims and I support > that. > > *Q: That two nation theory was destroyed by the Pakistani leaders themselves > with the creation of Bangladesh. > *A: That doesn’t mean it is a rejected theory. It is what Allah says in the > holy Quran. That is why I am a supporter of Pakistan, not because of the > Pakistani government. I want to merge Kashmir with Pakistan. > > *Q: But what if people of Kashmir don’t want to be part of Pakistan? > *A: As far as I know the Kashmiri people are Pakistanis by heart, but at > this stage they have just been shocked by the attitude of the Pakistani > government towards us and are angry. > > *Q: But this shock might turn into anger and they could refuse to be part of > Pakistan anymore? > *A: If they refuse to be part of Pakistan then there is a choice of > independent Kashmir. > > *Q: Will you support Independent Kashmir if the Kashmiri people chose to be > so? > *A: Yes I will have to respect the wishes of the people and support it. But > I don’t think that at this stage the majority of the Kashmiri people would > like to be independent. My first choice would be to be part of Pakistan. But > now that Pakistan has betrayed us, if there would be a choice between > independent Kashmir and India, I will definitely support Independent > Kashmir. > > *Q: If you say that Pakistan has betrayed us both previously and now aren’t > they then our enemies? > *A: Yes the Pakistani government is our enemy at this time but not the > people of Pakistan. > > *Q: But it is the Pakistani people who make this government. We can’t > distinguish between the two for our political relief. > *A: One has to distinguish between the government and the people. In Kashmir > we have a pro-Indian Congress government imposed on us as well, but we are > not its supporters or we don’t consider ourselves Indian. Here people are > all up against India. > > Pakistani people have always helped Kashmiris in whatever way they could and > once we become part of Pakistan, they will always be there for us. > > *Q: There is a general sense of helplessness among the Kashmiri people at > the moment. What is the reason and what do you think is the way out? > *A: There is no doubt that people feel very helpless as they feel no body is > coming forward to their rescue and no body is talking about Kashmir and the > sufferings of Kashmiris. Pakistan’s negative role for the last couple of > years has catalysed this feeling and multiplied the psychological sufferings > of the Kashmiri people. Another reason is that the lack of leadership has > compounded the suffering as well. > > Our leadership is corrupt and they are making money at the expense of > Kashmiris’ sufferings. At the present only Syed Ali Geelani is voicing the > sentiments of Kashmiri people and therefore people should support him. The > only way out is  for the Kashmiri people to come forward, otherwise they > will be re-sold as happened at the time of Sheikh Abdullah. People have to > resist the moves of some so called leaders to sell out the sacrifices of > Kashmiri people. > > *Q: What is the worst thing about the behaviour of Kashmir leaders? > *A: There are many, but one I find really disgusting; the Indian army is > killing, torturing our youth and raping our women, but these so-called > Kashmiri leaders are enjoying their security. > > *Q: You earlier said that Kashmiris are disheartened and sad that no one in > the world is supporting or understanding us. But there was a time that Iran > openly and fully supported the Kashmiri struggle. > *A: Yes Iranians did support us and we are thankful to them for that. But > unfortunately that support could not continue or materialise in the long > term. The reason is that our leadership failed to win over friends as they > did not reach out to the world. They did what they were told to do by the > Pakistani agencies. > > Iran is a great nation with historic ties with Kashmir but as of now their > Kashmir policy is diluted and they are silent at the sufferings of their > brothers and sisters in Kashmir. > > *Q: I haven’t asked you about the ‘peace process’ going on between India and > Pakistan. > *A: I don’t think we have any objection if there is well meaning peace in > the region or for that matter in the whole world. Peace is the best gift > human beings can offer to fellow human beings. But what India and Pakistan > are doing is depriving Kashmiris of their right to live with dignity in the > name of peace which is not acceptable to us or for that matter any nation or > group of people who are subjugated and want justice. > > Therefore, we reject this so-called peace process as it is nothing but the > betrayal of both India and Pakistan of their commitments to the people of > Jammu and Kashmir. > > *Q: What do you say about President Musharraf’s proposals on Kashmir**?** > *A: I don’t even want to talk about him let alone his proposals. If you ask > me the person I hate most on the face of this earth… it is General > Musharraf. He is a real dictator. He has dictated the whole Pakistani nation > for the last few years and now he wants to dictate the Kashmiris as well and > impose his will upon us. > > *Q: Do you think President Musharraf will be able to influence Kashmiri > leadership? > *A: As far as one part of our leadership is concerned they definitely listen > to his commands. > > *Q: And what is the reason for that? > *A: Nothing more than their material interests. > > *Q: Are you saying that Pakistan is bribing them with money to subvert or > buy their allegiance and ideology? > *A: Money is one of the important factors in this game. That is why our > leadership is in the hands of Pakistani agencies. I can understand there > could be very many compulsions for Kashmiri leadership living in Kashmir or > in Pakistan to toe the Pakistani line. But what about those Kashmiris living > in the West and claiming to be representing Kashmiri people? They too are > parroting the same words as uttered by General Musharraf. This is a tragedy > that most of the Kashmiri leadership here and abroad are corrupt and receive > money from Pakistani agencies to further their agenda. These people are not > sincere and have no stake in Kashmir and the sufferings of its people. They > are just there to make money and fame. They have no practical role in the > Kashmir problem or its solution. They are enjoying their life and luxuries > that came in the name of Kashmir. > > *Q: Can you elaborate a bit more on what you are calling corruption among > the Kashmiri leadership? > *A: The so-called Kashmiri leadership made money from both India and > Pakistan and many times from both at the same time. Money came here for two > purposes. One was to corrupt our leadership which, if they kept for > themselves I wouldn’t mind. However, a massive chunk of money came for > relief of the Kashmiri people, but they didn’t get that and the leaders kept > that for themselves. > > When there was no money, our movement was going on very well, but since the > money came we are on a constant decline. I was offered money by the ISI > officials. They tried to corrupt me. However, I refused the money and told > them that they are the people who have corrupted Kashmiris and Kashmiri > leadership. Pakistan absolutely and deliberately corrupted Kashmiri > leadership so that they can dance to their tunes. > > In 1998 I went to London and Dr Ayyub Thakur organised a meeting for me. I > saw with my own eyes that women attending the function gave me money and > their ornaments and asked me to take it for the Kashmiri victims. They told > me that they have sent a lot of money to the Kashmiri victims. I was shocked > and surprised to learn that.  Money came in millions to Kashmir and I wonder > where that money is? These leaders have no idea that they are profiting on > the sufferings of the Kashmiri people. *[Aasiya became emotional, and voice > choked and she started crying saying that she knows hundreds of families, > orphans and widows who have nothing to eat or wear]. > * > These leaders, I don’t know how they go on foreign tours and wear religious > garb, but they are profiting from the money that was for the relief of > Kashmiri victims. How they dare to do this, I don’t know. > > *Q: Previously your organisation has worked with the London based Mercy > Universal to implement relief programmes in Kashmir. What is the current > situation? > *A: I don’t know. Our contacts snapped in 2002 when the government falsely > implicated us that we were funding militancy, though we were running > training centers for widows and orphan girls. After that we have had no > contact with Mercy Universal as we were banned and currently we don’t know > if Mercy Universal is doing anything in Kashmir. > > *Q: In the recent by-elections, quite a remarkable number of people voted > and this is for the first time during last 18 years. Don’t you think this as > a failure of the pro-freedom movement? > *A: This is true that voting was different from the past, but I don’t see it > as any failure of the pro-movement sentiments. If you heard interviews of > the people who voted, they all said that they voted for their roads and > local administration which has nothing to do with the status of the Kashmir > problem or its solution. > * > Q: As a women’s group what have you done for the suffering women of Kashmir? > *A: Well it’s not a question of women, it is a question of the suffering of > the whole people. We have very limited resources as we don’t get money from > agencies or Hurriyat Conference. We are taking responsibilities for some > orphans and their education. Many of our members are widows themselves with > children. > > From last year we have embarked on a plan to try to rehabilitate women > involved in flesh trade due to their poverty, but then I was arrested. I > know this is a big issue and we need to address it. These women need > rehabilitation and are compelled by the circumstances. > > Those charities who claim to be working for the victims in Kashmir are to be > blamed as they collect huge amount of money but do not send that to Kashmir. > Some where down the line the money gets lost. > > *Q: We have so many widows, but we don’t have a tradition of remarrying > them. Isn’t this a problem? > *A: It is a very big problem. In 2000, I called upon all the Muslims of > Kashmir for taking more than one wife and the media asked me whether I will > allow my husband taking a second wife. I will support and insist that my > husband shall go for a second marriage preferably a widow, if and when he is > released from prison. > > I talked to my own party members to prepare their own husbands to prepare > them for second marriage. But our culture and family system is such that we > are not able to do that. I think I have failed in this despite putting my > best energy to it. We have strange customs and notions of piety. Our society > respects women who do not remarry which is rubbish, as women have their own > social, physical and emotional needs which can’t be ignored. You ask me how > hard it is to live without a man, as I have the bitterest experience. I have > to endure a mountain of difficulties negotiating with life and small > children while my husband is in prison and it is very very hard. > > There is another problem. If some widow marries another man, she has to > leave her children for two reasons, first the new husband won’t take the > children or if at all he is prepared, the former in-laws of the women are > forcing her to abandon her children and they take them. > > The woman then chooses not to marry for she will other wise loose her > children. This is such a tragic situation and primarily women suffer out of > this. First she loses her husband and then the society does not support her. > Remarriage is not an option for her as our society is far too underdeveloped > as remarriage of women is not seen as positive or encouraged, and when some > women are brave enough to remarry and start a new life, the new husband is > not willing to take her children. Therefore the women who has braved and > challenged the bad social practice and wanted to get remarried, she looses > her children. Naturally, therefore, she chooses to stay with her children > otherwise the children will have no roof over their head. Our organisation > is looking after few such orphans who lost their fathers to the strife, > either killed by the army or died in an encounter, but when their mothers > were brave enough and remarried, they lost their mother as well, as the new > husband wouldn’t take the children. > > I wanted to hire a house for these roaming orphan girls who are going from > house to house. I want to hire a house and put some of these there. Even > people here are afraid of giving money. We opened a bank account, but the > government ceased that account as well, therefore, we are not allowed to > operate. > > *Q: You had such an important role to play for the suffering Kashmiri women, > but as you are involved in politics, the government is really tough on you. > *A: I don’t believe that. In the beginning, *Dukhtaran-e-Millat* was not a > political organisation. We came onto the scene challenging India’s imposed > culture not Indian occupation. But we were hounded, arrested and stopped to > carry out peaceful activities. > > Just a few years back, we were doing relief work - purely relief work. We > were helping widows trying to rebuild their lives, feeding orphans and we > never publicised it as not to link it with our political work so that no one > can say that we are doing politics at the expense of the sufferings of > widows and orphans. But still we were booked under terrorism. The Indians > blamed our relief work saying that we were financing terrorism. Our > organisation was banned under the Terrorism Act and I was arrested. Thus > hundreds of widows and children we were supporting were left in the lurch. > > If feeding orphans and building shattered lives is terrorism, what can you > expect from the Indian state? Where is the space, whether we were making a > political statement or running a relief camp? India sees every Kashmiri as a > challenge and they crush us indiscriminately. > > *Q: The recent scandal now known as the sex scandal has rocked the whole of > Kashmir. What do you feel about it? > *A: The whole Indian army and the local police are involved in this > operation and it is part of India’s plan and strategy of counter-insurgency. > India is corrupting our culture and Indian secret agencies are grooming > young girls. Indian political leaders and the army and intelligence officers > are paedophiles who are exploiting Kashmiri girls as young as 14 or 15 years > old. Some of them are lured and others threatened that if they do not go > with the army or intelligence or police officers, their family members will > be killed. There is a very small proportion that is willing to be part of > it, and they too have financial difficulties as they have lost their parents > in the present strife. > > *Q: Many times you have classified the present Kashmiri armed struggle as > jehad. But my perception is that in Kashmir innocent people were killed, > kidnapped and tortured in the name of jehad. That is surely not jehad, that > is ‘fasaad’ [anarchy]. > *A: I don’t say that is *jehad*. What I said is that the movement against > the Indian occupation is *jehad*. If someone kills, kidnaps or tortures > people, burns houses, causing havoc; that is terrorism not *jehad*. > > *Q: What is your opinion about the armed struggle? Do you justify militancy > now? > *A: I have always justified armed resistance movement in Kashmir. India has > left us with no option and there is no future for any politics in Kashmir. > > *Q: Why do you say that? > *A: We have seen it since 1947. India has never heeded the political opinion > of Kashmiris. They have always treated us with contempt and they still do. > It is only because of the armed movement that India is still saying Kashmir > is a problem.  Otherwise, our so called leaders have thrown in the towel and > they are making money with both hands from both India and Pakistan. > > *Q: Why can’t this movement be inclusive so that Kashmiri Pandits and others > get involved as well? > *A: That can’t be possible. Pandits are happy with India and they are > getting huge economic incentives and why should they like to be part of > Pakistan? > > *Q: But do you agree that Pandits or any others have the right to oppose the > Kashmiri movement, and that they have a right to voice their opposition to > the ideas of azaadi and differ from the majority of Kashmiri Muslims? > *A: Of course they have every right to form their own political ideology or > oppose ours. We should have the same right to oppose them. > > *Q: But let us assume that tomorrow Kashmir becomes part of Pakistan, what > do you think the Pandits rights’ will be knowing that they opposed it in the > first place? > *A: Listen. They are part and parcel of our society. They will have the same > rights as any other person. There are millions of Hindus in Pakistan and > Pandits will have much better rights than what Indian Muslims are enjoying > at the moment. > > > > > -- > 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/> -- http://indersalim.livejournal.com From iram at sarai.net Mon Dec 13 22:08:07 2010 From: iram at sarai.net (Iram Ghufran) Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2010 22:38:07 +0600 Subject: [Reader-list] Fwd: OPEN CALL - Watermans 2012 New Media Exhibitions project Message-ID: <4D064BEF.1020502@sarai.net> Fwd: OPEN CALL - Watermans 2012 New Media Exhibitions project To coincide with the Olympics in London in 2012, Watermans is pleased to announce a unique opportunity to present a series of groundbreaking installations exploring interactivity and participation in New Media and Digital Art. Much New Media / Digital Art is increasingly aimed at interaction with the audience and artists are continuously exploring new ways of viewer participation. This year long project proposes to showcase the work of distinguished artists from all continents, including a British artist, with an interest in projects concerned with ways of participation, interactivity or collaboration and consider the use or importance of technologies in their work. With this we are hoping to initiate and enable a series of discussions around the meaning, possibilities and issues around human interaction and engagement in New Media art and bring in responses from artists, academics, students, art professionals and visitors in the UK and internationally. OPEN CALL: Artists and art collectives from all countries working with new media and digital technologies are invited to submit proposals of existing or new projects. Interested artists can propose to show more than one installation or projects and we will welcome applications from individuals, art collectives or collaborations between artists. We would like to invite artists to propose imaginative, ambitious and inspirational projects that will transform our understanding of art and the way it can be experienced. We will particularly focus on installations with an emphasis on participatory activity (interaction with the audience) in order to engage visitors in a creative, exploratory and inspirational journey prior to and during the Games. Please send your proposals including: ● work(s) description ● CV(s) and artist statement ● supporting material with description (jpgs, urls, videos etc) ● list of technical requirements, equipment, materials required for the proposed work(s) ● contact details Budget Each artist/art collective will receive a fixed fee of £3,500 to cover fees & project costs, installation and work transport. In addition, Watermans will cover travel and accommodation costs in London and will also provide technical assistance and exhibition promotion. The deadline for receiving proposals is 24th February 2011. Please send all application material to: Irini Papadimitriou Head of New Media Arts Development Watermans 40 High Street Brentford, London TW8 0DS UK email: irini at watermans.org.uk A judging panel will select the six projects which will be announced in March/April 2011. The exhibitions will run throughout 2012 (January - October) and the project will provide an opportunity for presenting a series of innovative and interactive digital/new media art installations never before staged in London. With this project we hope to engage and challenge artists and audiences in new and unexpected ways. In conjunction with the exhibitions, and in partnership with Goldsmiths, University of London, we are planning to run a series of seminars related to the exhibitions, a mentoring scheme for students as well as generate online activity with a website dedicated to the project and the use of social media such as blogs, feeds etc to engage wider audiences in the project and enable critical debate. Online visitors will be able to follow the development of each exhibition as well as the artists’ work from their studio on its way to the gallery in London. Information about the seminars and mentoring scheme will be announced soon. Direct line: +44 (0)20 8232 1012 Admin: +44 (0)20 8232 1020 www.watermans.org.uk From iram at sarai.net Mon Dec 13 22:05:07 2010 From: iram at sarai.net (Iram Ghufran) Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2010 22:35:07 +0600 Subject: [Reader-list] Fwd: OPEN CALL - Watermans 2012 New Media Exhibitions project Message-ID: <4D064B3B.1010107@sarai.net> Fwd: OPEN CALL - Watermans 2012 New Media Exhibitions project To coincide with the Olympics in London in 2012, Watermans is pleased to announce a unique opportunity to present a series of groundbreaking installations exploring interactivity and participation in New Media and Digital Art. Much New Media / Digital Art is increasingly aimed at interaction with the audience and artists are continuously exploring new ways of viewer participation. This year long project proposes to showcase the work of distinguished artists from all continents, including a British artist, with an interest in projects concerned with ways of participation, interactivity or collaboration and consider the use or importance of technologies in their work. With this we are hoping to initiate and enable a series of discussions around the meaning, possibilities and issues around human interaction and engagement in New Media art and bring in responses from artists, academics, students, art professionals and visitors in the UK and internationally. OPEN CALL: Artists and art collectives from all countries working with new media and digital technologies are invited to submit proposals of existing or new projects. Interested artists can propose to show more than one installation or projects and we will welcome applications from individuals, art collectives or collaborations between artists. We would like to invite artists to propose imaginative, ambitious and inspirational projects that will transform our understanding of art and the way it can be experienced. We will particularly focus on installations with an emphasis on participatory activity (interaction with the audience) in order to engage visitors in a creative, exploratory and inspirational journey prior to and during the Games. Please send your proposals including: ● work(s) description ● CV(s) and artist statement ● supporting material with description (jpgs, urls, videos etc) ● list of technical requirements, equipment, materials required for the proposed work(s) ● contact details Budget Each artist/art collective will receive a fixed fee of £3,500 to cover fees & project costs, installation and work transport. In addition, Watermans will cover travel and accommodation costs in London and will also provide technical assistance and exhibition promotion. The deadline for receiving proposals is 24th February 2011. Please send all application material to: Irini Papadimitriou Head of New Media Arts Development Watermans 40 High Street Brentford, London TW8 0DS UK email: irini at watermans.org.uk A judging panel will select the six projects which will be announced in March/April 2011. The exhibitions will run throughout 2012 (January - October) and the project will provide an opportunity for presenting a series of innovative and interactive digital/new media art installations never before staged in London. With this project we hope to engage and challenge artists and audiences in new and unexpected ways. In conjunction with the exhibitions, and in partnership with Goldsmiths, University of London, we are planning to run a series of seminars related to the exhibitions, a mentoring scheme for students as well as generate online activity with a website dedicated to the project and the use of social media such as blogs, feeds etc to engage wider audiences in the project and enable critical debate. Online visitors will be able to follow the development of each exhibition as well as the artists’ work from their studio on its way to the gallery in London. Information about the seminars and mentoring scheme will be announced soon. Direct line: +44 (0)20 8232 1012 Admin: +44 (0)20 8232 1020 www.watermans.org.uk From rohitism at gmail.com Tue Dec 14 07:53:02 2010 From: rohitism at gmail.com (Rohit Shetti) Date: Tue, 14 Dec 2010 07:53:02 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Nice read: A Nobel for Arundhati? Message-ID: Check this out...!! http://in.news.yahoo.com/nobel-arundhati-roy-media-dream-20101213-082816-203.html A Nobel for Arundhati Roy, A media dream By ANI | ANI – Mon, Dec 13 9:58 PM IST New Delhi, Dec.13 (ANI): What if Arundhati Roy was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for err "championing the cause of oppressed minorities in India, particularly Kashmiris and Maoists"? This pithy article by Rupa Subramanya in The Wall Street Journal http://on.wsj.com/hT4Geb should really set us thinking. Does it? Rupa writes in the hypothetical, but not implausible event, that if Ms. Roy gets "that" phone call from Oslo, what will be the reaction in India? How would you react? Would you take it as a symbol of the triumph of our democracy or a black mark on Indian national identity? Would you feel proud or outraged? Really, how would the Government of India react? The left liberals in the media and outside would be ecstatic and the right-wing Hindu nationalists would call it a conspiracy to tear the fabric of India. Outlook magazine would carry a special 42-page article on Roy and her various articles in the magazine. Open, the babe in the block, would feature exclusive phone taps of Maoists calling each other up in the jungles, congratulating each other. One adorable TV channel would burst out in anger from our screens and the other would run a one-hour exclusive interview with Ms Roy sitting on a footpath in Jantar Mantar protesting against the wanton killing of monkeys in Uttaranchal. Or something. Rupa even asks, "How would the government react?" Now, this is my favourite part. Here is how the foreign secretary or the spokesman for the ministry of external affairs or the national security advisor would react. "We are very pleased to hear about the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to the Indian author Arundhati Roy. She is an accomplished author and activist. India is a vibrant democracy where highest value is attached to freedom to express opinion and present views divergent from the mainstream. We extend our best wishes to the author. Shri Suresh Kalmadi will represent the Government of India at the awards ceremony." Meanwhile the Home Ministry spokesperson would give a sound bite to a TV channel, saying, "It is a mischievous move on the part of some nations to award a person who meets with separatists and terrorists who have links with anti-national forces like the ISI, of Pakistan. This person whose phone we are not tapping, if at all her phone is being tapped, is conversing on a regular basis with people who the Government of India is looking out for, you know anti-nationals. It's a shame. But then, we have nothing to say. Please ask the Ministry of External Affairs for a reaction." Rupa writes it's not just the political elites but many people at large, as expressed for instance in social media, who found her comments offensive, some suggesting that she was instigating communal tensions that threaten Indian national identity and the integrity of the state. It doesn't sound very different from the official Chinese reaction to Mr. Xiaobo, does it? Since political discourse is suppressed in China, it's hard to gauge the public sympathy for him versus the government's condemnation. Since this article has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, quite naturally English reporters will run to get sound bytes from the External Affairs Ministry to see their reaction about the Chinese parallel. The reaction will be somewhat like this. "This is a completely baseless, hypothetical question. India and China share a multi-sectoral partnership. We have one of the safest boundaries (it is not called border, don't ask why, nobody knows) and despite certain sections of the media playing up our differences, we are frank and candid in our discussions with China and working towards bettering our excellent, vibrant ties." This is the answer you will get if you ask the MEA about India-China border issue, India-China maritime issue, India-China Nobel Peace Prize issue, and India-China sporting ties. For two weeks running, we will be subjected to multi participant debates on how free are our writers. Endless hours of discussion on how M.F.Hussain's painting were vandalized, Salman Rushdie's book was banned, Khushwant Singh had to seek refuge in some embassy, Emergency and muzzling of the press. We will whip ourselves till we are blue in the face. Once that catharsis has been achieved, we will be ready to fete Roy. What will she wear for the ceremony? A Ritu Kumar creation? No, that wouldn't be quite correct because the designer drapes Miss India winners. Bhanu Athaiyya? No, the lady has done some over the top stuff lately. Roy will pick a hand woven saree from some out of work weaver in Orissa who actually runs a mobile phone repair workshop in his now defunct weaving room. TV channels will send their top correspondents to Oslo for the awards ceremony to see whether Roy stays in a super deluxe 300 euros a night room or in the home of some socialist writer who is a friend. It is a news story that will keep us busy for weeks. Till the next scam breaks that is. By Smita Prakash (ANI) From rohitrellan at aol.in Tue Dec 14 09:14:32 2010 From: rohitrellan at aol.in (rohitrellan at aol.in) Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2010 22:44:32 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Theme Photofestival 2011 :METROPOLIS - City Life in the Urban Age / Persephone Miel Fellowship :Fellowship for Crisis Reporting Message-ID: <8CD69585A524A0E-1C0C-4207@webmail-d043.sysops.aol.com> Theme Photofestival 2011 :METROPOLIS - City Life in the Urban Age "On May 23, 2007 the world celebrated the beginning of the urban millennium. It was on this date that, worldwide, for the first time in history more people lived in cities than in the countryside: 3.3 billion people, on 3 percent of the earth's surface. This development has far-reaching implications. Is a decent, humane life possible in a modern megalopolis that is bursting at its seams? And how can the countryside survive the economic, demographic, cultural and ecological clear-fell that urbanisation brings with it?" The main exhibition at Noorderlicht 2011, METROPOLIS, City Life in the Urban Age, deals with the role of the city as the nerve centre of modern global society. It is the second part of a diptych, a follow-up to the 2010 theme LAND, Country Life in the Urban Age, which looked at the shrinking role of the countryside worldwide. The city, as a phenomenon, has an almost schizophrenic character; its many personalities are constantly encountering one another. It is our intention that these multiple personalities will emerge in the structure of the exhibition, running the gamut from utopia to dystopia. Call for submissions Noorderlicht calls on photographers, curators and photo agencies to submit work for METROPOLIS, City Life in the Urban Age. We are looking for photo series that present a distinctive, even idiosyncratic vision on the character of the modern city. Economic, social or urban planning aspects can each play a role; the series may be literal or metaphorical. We are striving for a global picture; the group exhibition as a whole will be a journey through cities in all parts of the world. The precise sub-themes will be set out in a following stage of the project. We would list several possibilities as examples: Symphony: The city as the effervescent economic and social nerve centre of modern society, a place for progress, interaction and infinite possibilities; Mutability: Space that is the product of urban planning, with architectonic dreams of the good life for all the city's inhabitants; from old ideals of equality to modern technology and sustainability; Expansion: The urge for unbridled expansion in the name of progress, creating new chances but also pushing the old into oblivion; a place of migration, on the way to a better future, even if that means a life in the chaos of the slums; Seduction: Where massive economic differences exist and everyone is seduced by a mass media landscape to seek greater wealth, where millionaires live next to the homeless; Fear: Places where the individual can be swamped in a mass of strangers; where the demands of the rat race for success stand in the way of authentic living; where criminality lurks, security demands control and Big Brother is always watching; Home: Small societies, seeking a place of one’s own in the large, anonymous world around one, or the excessive separation from that wider world; the creation of suburbs where affluent urban life can again appear rural; the shift of the social environment from the real to the virtual world. Submissions can be sent to Noorderlicht between now and 31 March, 2011. Tips from colleagues are also very welcome. Do not however wait too long; the curatorial process begins as soon as work comes in. We are using a special email address for submissions: pandora at noorderlicht.com. Our ftp server is also open at all times. For further (technical) details on submitting your material please read these instructions carefully. Correspondence regarding the theme can be sent directly to the curator Wim Melis, at his email address: wim at noorderlicht.com. Contact Address Noorderlicht Photography Akerkhof 12 9711 JB Groningen The Netherlands Telephone +31 (0) 50 3182227 Email info at noorderlicht.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- Persephone Miel Fellowship :Fellowship for Crisis Reporting The Persephone Miel Fellowship for Crisis Reporting is intended to give non-native English speaking media professionals the opportunity to reach audiences beyond their home countries on critical under-reported issues. The fellowship, overseen by the Pulitzer Center in collaboration with Internews, is designed to help media professionals outside of the United States do the kind of reporting they've always wanted to do, and enable them to bring their work to a broader international audience. The fellowship will benefit those with limited access to other fellowships or international distribution of their work. See the announcement of the fellowship at the Internews ceremony in honor Persephone. http://pulitzercenter.org/blog/news/honoring-persephone-miel-launch-memorial-fellowship Terms of travel grant:The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting will provide a travel grant of $7500 for a reporting project on topics and regions of global importance, with an emphasis on issues that have gone unreported or under-reported in the mainstream American media. Specific grant terms are negotiated during the application process based on the scope of proposed work and intended outcomes. Payment of first half of the grant is disbursed prior to travel, upon receipt of required materials, and the second half on submission of principal work for publication/broadcast. The Center will also work with the fellowship recipients to distribute the work across multiple platforms in the US to reach the widest possible audience. Projects with multi-media components that combine print/photography and video are strongly encouraged. Eligibility:The Persephone Miel fellowships are open to all journalists, writers, photographers, radio producers or filmmakers; staff journalists as well as free-lancers who are non-native English speaking media professionals seeking to report from their home country. Selection:The fellowship recipient will be selected by the Pulitzer Center in consultation with Internews. Selection will be based on the strength of the proposed topic and the strength of the applicant's work as demonstrated in their work samples. We are looking for projects that explore systemic issues in the applicants' native countries and that provide an overarching thesis, rather than individual spot-reports from the field. Deadline: February 1, 2011 How to apply: Applications should be sent to: mielfellowship at pulitzercenter.org Applications must be received in English. Applications should include the following in the body of the e-mail: A description of the proposed project in 250 words or less A preliminary budget estimate, including a basic breakdown of costs. Travel grants cover hard costs associated with the reporting, please do not include stipends for the applicants. Fixer/translator/driver fees are acceptable Three links to samples of work in English if available online (if not available, please attach to the e-mail; video samples can be sent by mail to below address in DVD format) Three professional references. These can be either contact information, or letters of recommendation (can be attached or sent separately). As attachment: Curriculum vitae Applications may also include a more detailed description of project but this will be considered as optional supplement only. The most important part of the submission is the 250-word summary. From rashneek at gmail.com Tue Dec 14 13:46:01 2010 From: rashneek at gmail.com (rashneek kher) Date: Tue, 14 Dec 2010 13:46:01 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Interview with Aasiya Andrabi(by Murtaza Shibli) In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Dear Inder, I dont think I mentioned Aditya's name in my previous mail at all.As far as I know you arent the moderator,so I didnt expect an answer from you on expulsion of kamal Hak and Alok Aima.He did receive a one line mail in subject saying you have been unsubscribed.Now that you belive it must be technical...please try and find out if it is so. Anyways I support the decision of unsubscribing people who the moderator thinks are behaving not in accordance in whatever norms he/she may have in their mind.As I have mentioned in my mail,.I reiterate that freedom of speech comes with caveats and if anyone misuses the right then he should "face the music". I have nothing to add on to your observations on Asiya. Thankyou Rashneek On Mon, Dec 13, 2010 at 6:29 PM, Inder Salim wrote: > Thanks Dear Rashneek > > about some glitches of your friends on the list. > Liberal admins have not 'unsubscribed' Aditya Raj kaul from the list > for spreading misinformation time and again. ( read his bookha nanga > hindustan comment which he turned upside down ) but i guess he was > humbly requested to refrain... so this must be technical only, > > about the interview: > it was wonderful to read how the interviewer got the best out of this > only Woman leader from Kashmir. Not only she revealed her true mind, > but she also pointed fingers on other leaders. A brave heart woman > indeed. > > Her pro-Pakistan tilt is nothing new , which is based on two nation > theory, but her criticism of Pakistani support is very new. " Yes > the Pakistani government is our enemy at this time" > > she also feels the pro-independence mood in the valley is > overwhelming, but somehow she has inherited the 47 legacy in her own > way and derives her own infrences from it, which i guess would change > after some time, may be it is chaning, slowly. > . > Not surprising if coming years would throw couple of new women > leaders/activists in the valley,. > > That is that, as a woman activist she has indeed taken up this issue > of 'widows' in the Kashmir. Well, her solution to the problem is > medievalist, but she questions the society which is hesitant to accept > her and her issues in a very dignified way. This is not about Muslim > society only but all. > > I guess, only a radical feminist would declare her non-possessive > nature of her relationship, indeed for the benefit of her suffering > sisters. > > There must be some other changes in Kashmir, some new voices, some new > adjustments within the world of women, who suffered very badly since > 1990. > > heard any Male leaders ever talking about women's issues ? so she scores > > love > is > > > On Mon, Dec 13, 2010 at 9:05 AM, rashneek kher wrote: > > Dear All, > > > > This was sent to me by an ex member of Sarai-Alok Aima who also seems to > > have been unsubscribed from SARAI as does Kamal Hak. > > I am not questioning the decision of the moderators to unsubscribe > them(ie > > if they have been unsubscribed or if it is a technical glitch > again),after > > all the right to free speech can not be unbridbled and cannot be > abused.All > > rights come with responsibilities as is the right to expression.I am glad > > that in a way the moderators thought it appropriate to show them the door > or > > "face the music" as Jeebesh called it.Can I please know if they have been > > unsubscribed or is it a techinical glitch. > > Everyone irrespective of his religion,sex,ideology should face the music > if > > he/she transgresses the spirit of the right. > > Could the moderators be so kind as to let me know the do's and dont's so > > that I too may not face the music. > > > > > > Dear Rashneek - Please forward this mail to Sarai Reader List since I > have > > been unsubscribed from it. I asked Monica Nirula the reason for > > unsubscribing me but received no response. Thanks. .......... aalok aima > > > > http://www.kashmiraffairs.org/shibli%20interview%20aasiya%20andrabi.html > > > > *Q: What is your assessment of the current situation? > > *A: It is full of confusion. There are bundles and bundles of confusion > in > > here and it is because of the role of Pakistan and the role of so-called > > Kashmiri leadership. > > > > *Q: What went wrong? > > *A: The Kashmiri struggle couldn’t remain indigenous. We became pawns in > the > > hands of agencies whether ISI or others. The Kashmiri leadership > shouldn’t > > have totally relied on Pakistan. And after 9/11 when America changed its > > policy towards the whole of the Muslim Ummah, Pakistan has come under > > tremendous pressure and it seems that they can’t with stand it. This has > led > > to the same situation in Kashmir as was in 1971 after Pakistan lost its > war > > with India. > > * > > **Q: So what is the problem? > > *A: The problem is with Pakistani agencies. They want people to be on > their > > pay role and anyone who resists, they try their best to curtail their > > influence. I am a staunch Pakistani supporter but Pakistani media would > > never give me any coverage as I am not on their agency pay roll and I > refuse > > to listen to their directions. > > > > *Q: So you think Pakistani agencies are the reason that Kashmiri > leadership > > has failed? > > *A: Pakistani government has betrayed us a lot, not only today but in > 1965 > > as well and long before also. > > > > *Q: If this is the case, then why are you supporting Pakistan? > > *A: The government is betraying us, but we support the ideology of > Pakistan. > > Our leadership is to be blamed as well for falling into the trap. > > > > *Q: So what should the Kashmiri leadership do? Oppose India, oppose > Pakistan > > or oppose both? > > *A: To oppose India is obvious as we have never been a part of India. As > far > > as the Pakistani government and its policies are concerned, we have to > > oppose them and their policies and we should do it openly. We should show > > them that Kashmiris have a stand on this issue and that it is our > problem. > > We should also let them know that Pakistan is no more our master and they > > can’t dictate us. They should know that we want to fulfil our dream of > > Pakistan which includes Kashmir in it as well that has been denied since > > 1947. > > > > *Q: Why should we go with Pakistan rather than be independent of sorts? > > *A: It is actually the ideology behind Pakistan that is why we want to go > > with Pakistan. > > > > *Q: As a Kashmiri I don’t want to be held hostage to some ideology framed > by > > a bunch of people some decades ago. > > *A: It is not the ideology framed by imperialists or any other people. It > is > > the ideology that there are two nations - Hindus and Muslims and I > support > > that. > > > > *Q: That two nation theory was destroyed by the Pakistani leaders > themselves > > with the creation of Bangladesh. > > *A: That doesn’t mean it is a rejected theory. It is what Allah says in > the > > holy Quran. That is why I am a supporter of Pakistan, not because of the > > Pakistani government. I want to merge Kashmir with Pakistan. > > > > *Q: But what if people of Kashmir don’t want to be part of Pakistan? > > *A: As far as I know the Kashmiri people are Pakistanis by heart, but at > > this stage they have just been shocked by the attitude of the Pakistani > > government towards us and are angry. > > > > *Q: But this shock might turn into anger and they could refuse to be part > of > > Pakistan anymore? > > *A: If they refuse to be part of Pakistan then there is a choice of > > independent Kashmir. > > > > *Q: Will you support Independent Kashmir if the Kashmiri people chose to > be > > so? > > *A: Yes I will have to respect the wishes of the people and support it. > But > > I don’t think that at this stage the majority of the Kashmiri people > would > > like to be independent. My first choice would be to be part of Pakistan. > But > > now that Pakistan has betrayed us, if there would be a choice between > > independent Kashmir and India, I will definitely support Independent > > Kashmir. > > > > *Q: If you say that Pakistan has betrayed us both previously and now > aren’t > > they then our enemies? > > *A: Yes the Pakistani government is our enemy at this time but not the > > people of Pakistan. > > > > *Q: But it is the Pakistani people who make this government. We can’t > > distinguish between the two for our political relief. > > *A: One has to distinguish between the government and the people. In > Kashmir > > we have a pro-Indian Congress government imposed on us as well, but we > are > > not its supporters or we don’t consider ourselves Indian. Here people are > > all up against India. > > > > Pakistani people have always helped Kashmiris in whatever way they could > and > > once we become part of Pakistan, they will always be there for us. > > > > *Q: There is a general sense of helplessness among the Kashmiri people at > > the moment. What is the reason and what do you think is the way out? > > *A: There is no doubt that people feel very helpless as they feel no body > is > > coming forward to their rescue and no body is talking about Kashmir and > the > > sufferings of Kashmiris. Pakistan’s negative role for the last couple of > > years has catalysed this feeling and multiplied the psychological > sufferings > > of the Kashmiri people. Another reason is that the lack of leadership has > > compounded the suffering as well. > > > > Our leadership is corrupt and they are making money at the expense of > > Kashmiris’ sufferings. At the present only Syed Ali Geelani is voicing > the > > sentiments of Kashmiri people and therefore people should support him. > The > > only way out is for the Kashmiri people to come forward, otherwise they > > will be re-sold as happened at the time of Sheikh Abdullah. People have > to > > resist the moves of some so called leaders to sell out the sacrifices of > > Kashmiri people. > > > > *Q: What is the worst thing about the behaviour of Kashmir leaders? > > *A: There are many, but one I find really disgusting; the Indian army is > > killing, torturing our youth and raping our women, but these so-called > > Kashmiri leaders are enjoying their security. > > > > *Q: You earlier said that Kashmiris are disheartened and sad that no one > in > > the world is supporting or understanding us. But there was a time that > Iran > > openly and fully supported the Kashmiri struggle. > > *A: Yes Iranians did support us and we are thankful to them for that. But > > unfortunately that support could not continue or materialise in the long > > term. The reason is that our leadership failed to win over friends as > they > > did not reach out to the world. They did what they were told to do by the > > Pakistani agencies. > > > > Iran is a great nation with historic ties with Kashmir but as of now > their > > Kashmir policy is diluted and they are silent at the sufferings of their > > brothers and sisters in Kashmir. > > > > *Q: I haven’t asked you about the ‘peace process’ going on between India > and > > Pakistan. > > *A: I don’t think we have any objection if there is well meaning peace in > > the region or for that matter in the whole world. Peace is the best gift > > human beings can offer to fellow human beings. But what India and > Pakistan > > are doing is depriving Kashmiris of their right to live with dignity in > the > > name of peace which is not acceptable to us or for that matter any nation > or > > group of people who are subjugated and want justice. > > > > Therefore, we reject this so-called peace process as it is nothing but > the > > betrayal of both India and Pakistan of their commitments to the people of > > Jammu and Kashmir. > > > > *Q: What do you say about President Musharraf’s proposals on Kashmir**?** > > *A: I don’t even want to talk about him let alone his proposals. If you > ask > > me the person I hate most on the face of this earth… it is General > > Musharraf. He is a real dictator. He has dictated the whole Pakistani > nation > > for the last few years and now he wants to dictate the Kashmiris as well > and > > impose his will upon us. > > > > *Q: Do you think President Musharraf will be able to influence Kashmiri > > leadership? > > *A: As far as one part of our leadership is concerned they definitely > listen > > to his commands. > > > > *Q: And what is the reason for that? > > *A: Nothing more than their material interests. > > > > *Q: Are you saying that Pakistan is bribing them with money to subvert or > > buy their allegiance and ideology? > > *A: Money is one of the important factors in this game. That is why our > > leadership is in the hands of Pakistani agencies. I can understand there > > could be very many compulsions for Kashmiri leadership living in Kashmir > or > > in Pakistan to toe the Pakistani line. But what about those Kashmiris > living > > in the West and claiming to be representing Kashmiri people? They too are > > parroting the same words as uttered by General Musharraf. This is a > tragedy > > that most of the Kashmiri leadership here and abroad are corrupt and > receive > > money from Pakistani agencies to further their agenda. These people are > not > > sincere and have no stake in Kashmir and the sufferings of its people. > They > > are just there to make money and fame. They have no practical role in the > > Kashmir problem or its solution. They are enjoying their life and > luxuries > > that came in the name of Kashmir. > > > > *Q: Can you elaborate a bit more on what you are calling corruption among > > the Kashmiri leadership? > > *A: The so-called Kashmiri leadership made money from both India and > > Pakistan and many times from both at the same time. Money came here for > two > > purposes. One was to corrupt our leadership which, if they kept for > > themselves I wouldn’t mind. However, a massive chunk of money came for > > relief of the Kashmiri people, but they didn’t get that and the leaders > kept > > that for themselves. > > > > When there was no money, our movement was going on very well, but since > the > > money came we are on a constant decline. I was offered money by the ISI > > officials. They tried to corrupt me. However, I refused the money and > told > > them that they are the people who have corrupted Kashmiris and Kashmiri > > leadership. Pakistan absolutely and deliberately corrupted Kashmiri > > leadership so that they can dance to their tunes. > > > > In 1998 I went to London and Dr Ayyub Thakur organised a meeting for me. > I > > saw with my own eyes that women attending the function gave me money and > > their ornaments and asked me to take it for the Kashmiri victims. They > told > > me that they have sent a lot of money to the Kashmiri victims. I was > shocked > > and surprised to learn that. Money came in millions to Kashmir and I > wonder > > where that money is? These leaders have no idea that they are profiting > on > > the sufferings of the Kashmiri people. *[Aasiya became emotional, and > voice > > choked and she started crying saying that she knows hundreds of families, > > orphans and widows who have nothing to eat or wear]. > > * > > These leaders, I don’t know how they go on foreign tours and wear > religious > > garb, but they are profiting from the money that was for the relief of > > Kashmiri victims. How they dare to do this, I don’t know. > > > > *Q: Previously your organisation has worked with the London based Mercy > > Universal to implement relief programmes in Kashmir. What is the current > > situation? > > *A: I don’t know. Our contacts snapped in 2002 when the government > falsely > > implicated us that we were funding militancy, though we were running > > training centers for widows and orphan girls. After that we have had no > > contact with Mercy Universal as we were banned and currently we don’t > know > > if Mercy Universal is doing anything in Kashmir. > > > > *Q: In the recent by-elections, quite a remarkable number of people voted > > and this is for the first time during last 18 years. Don’t you think this > as > > a failure of the pro-freedom movement? > > *A: This is true that voting was different from the past, but I don’t see > it > > as any failure of the pro-movement sentiments. If you heard interviews of > > the people who voted, they all said that they voted for their roads and > > local administration which has nothing to do with the status of the > Kashmir > > problem or its solution. > > * > > Q: As a women’s group what have you done for the suffering women of > Kashmir? > > *A: Well it’s not a question of women, it is a question of the suffering > of > > the whole people. We have very limited resources as we don’t get money > from > > agencies or Hurriyat Conference. We are taking responsibilities for some > > orphans and their education. Many of our members are widows themselves > with > > children. > > > > From last year we have embarked on a plan to try to rehabilitate women > > involved in flesh trade due to their poverty, but then I was arrested. I > > know this is a big issue and we need to address it. These women need > > rehabilitation and are compelled by the circumstances. > > > > Those charities who claim to be working for the victims in Kashmir are to > be > > blamed as they collect huge amount of money but do not send that to > Kashmir. > > Some where down the line the money gets lost. > > > > *Q: We have so many widows, but we don’t have a tradition of remarrying > > them. Isn’t this a problem? > > *A: It is a very big problem. In 2000, I called upon all the Muslims of > > Kashmir for taking more than one wife and the media asked me whether I > will > > allow my husband taking a second wife. I will support and insist that my > > husband shall go for a second marriage preferably a widow, if and when he > is > > released from prison. > > > > I talked to my own party members to prepare their own husbands to prepare > > them for second marriage. But our culture and family system is such that > we > > are not able to do that. I think I have failed in this despite putting my > > best energy to it. We have strange customs and notions of piety. Our > society > > respects women who do not remarry which is rubbish, as women have their > own > > social, physical and emotional needs which can’t be ignored. You ask me > how > > hard it is to live without a man, as I have the bitterest experience. I > have > > to endure a mountain of difficulties negotiating with life and small > > children while my husband is in prison and it is very very hard. > > > > There is another problem. If some widow marries another man, she has to > > leave her children for two reasons, first the new husband won’t take the > > children or if at all he is prepared, the former in-laws of the women are > > forcing her to abandon her children and they take them. > > > > The woman then chooses not to marry for she will other wise loose her > > children. This is such a tragic situation and primarily women suffer out > of > > this. First she loses her husband and then the society does not support > her. > > Remarriage is not an option for her as our society is far too > underdeveloped > > as remarriage of women is not seen as positive or encouraged, and when > some > > women are brave enough to remarry and start a new life, the new husband > is > > not willing to take her children. Therefore the women who has braved and > > challenged the bad social practice and wanted to get remarried, she > looses > > her children. Naturally, therefore, she chooses to stay with her children > > otherwise the children will have no roof over their head. Our > organisation > > is looking after few such orphans who lost their fathers to the strife, > > either killed by the army or died in an encounter, but when their mothers > > were brave enough and remarried, they lost their mother as well, as the > new > > husband wouldn’t take the children. > > > > I wanted to hire a house for these roaming orphan girls who are going > from > > house to house. I want to hire a house and put some of these there. Even > > people here are afraid of giving money. We opened a bank account, but the > > government ceased that account as well, therefore, we are not allowed to > > operate. > > > > *Q: You had such an important role to play for the suffering Kashmiri > women, > > but as you are involved in politics, the government is really tough on > you. > > *A: I don’t believe that. In the beginning, *Dukhtaran-e-Millat* was not > a > > political organisation. We came onto the scene challenging India’s > imposed > > culture not Indian occupation. But we were hounded, arrested and stopped > to > > carry out peaceful activities. > > > > Just a few years back, we were doing relief work - purely relief work. We > > were helping widows trying to rebuild their lives, feeding orphans and we > > never publicised it as not to link it with our political work so that no > one > > can say that we are doing politics at the expense of the sufferings of > > widows and orphans. But still we were booked under terrorism. The Indians > > blamed our relief work saying that we were financing terrorism. Our > > organisation was banned under the Terrorism Act and I was arrested. Thus > > hundreds of widows and children we were supporting were left in the > lurch. > > > > If feeding orphans and building shattered lives is terrorism, what can > you > > expect from the Indian state? Where is the space, whether we were making > a > > political statement or running a relief camp? India sees every Kashmiri > as a > > challenge and they crush us indiscriminately. > > > > *Q: The recent scandal now known as the sex scandal has rocked the whole > of > > Kashmir. What do you feel about it? > > *A: The whole Indian army and the local police are involved in this > > operation and it is part of India’s plan and strategy of > counter-insurgency. > > India is corrupting our culture and Indian secret agencies are grooming > > young girls. Indian political leaders and the army and intelligence > officers > > are paedophiles who are exploiting Kashmiri girls as young as 14 or 15 > years > > old. Some of them are lured and others threatened that if they do not go > > with the army or intelligence or police officers, their family members > will > > be killed. There is a very small proportion that is willing to be part of > > it, and they too have financial difficulties as they have lost their > parents > > in the present strife. > > > > *Q: Many times you have classified the present Kashmiri armed struggle as > > jehad. But my perception is that in Kashmir innocent people were killed, > > kidnapped and tortured in the name of jehad. That is surely not jehad, > that > > is ‘fasaad’ [anarchy]. > > *A: I don’t say that is *jehad*. What I said is that the movement against > > the Indian occupation is *jehad*. If someone kills, kidnaps or tortures > > people, burns houses, causing havoc; that is terrorism not *jehad*. > > > > *Q: What is your opinion about the armed struggle? Do you justify > militancy > > now? > > *A: I have always justified armed resistance movement in Kashmir. India > has > > left us with no option and there is no future for any politics in > Kashmir. > > > > *Q: Why do you say that? > > *A: We have seen it since 1947. India has never heeded the political > opinion > > of Kashmiris. They have always treated us with contempt and they still > do. > > It is only because of the armed movement that India is still saying > Kashmir > > is a problem. Otherwise, our so called leaders have thrown in the towel > and > > they are making money with both hands from both India and Pakistan. > > > > *Q: Why can’t this movement be inclusive so that Kashmiri Pandits and > others > > get involved as well? > > *A: That can’t be possible. Pandits are happy with India and they are > > getting huge economic incentives and why should they like to be part of > > Pakistan? > > > > *Q: But do you agree that Pandits or any others have the right to oppose > the > > Kashmiri movement, and that they have a right to voice their opposition > to > > the ideas of azaadi and differ from the majority of Kashmiri Muslims? > > *A: Of course they have every right to form their own political ideology > or > > oppose ours. We should have the same right to oppose them. > > > > *Q: But let us assume that tomorrow Kashmir becomes part of Pakistan, > what > > do you think the Pandits rights’ will be knowing that they opposed it in > the > > first place? > > *A: Listen. They are part and parcel of our society. They will have the > same > > rights as any other person. There are millions of Hindus in Pakistan and > > Pandits will have much better rights than what Indian Muslims are > enjoying > > at the moment. > > > > > > > > > > -- > > 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/> > > > > -- > > http://indersalim.livejournal.com > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > subscribe in the subject header. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> -- Rashneek Kher http://www.kashmiris-in-exile.blogspot.com http://www.nietzschereborn.blogspot.com From poojashali at gmail.com Tue Dec 14 14:40:58 2010 From: poojashali at gmail.com (pooja shali) Date: Tue, 14 Dec 2010 14:40:58 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Arabs and Israelis, United by Flames. Message-ID: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/14/world/middleeast/14israel.html?hp EIN HOD, Israel — The flames encircled Ed Sernoff’s house in thisIsraeli artists’ village in the Carmel hills near the northern port city of Haifa, licking a corner of the stone structure and cracking a window but otherwise leaving it intact. A small child’s playhouse survived in the middle of the mostly charred garden, but the chalet-style home that Mr. Sernoff’s son had built next door was destroyed. >From the Israeli Arab village of Ayn Hawd on a nearby hilltop, Zakaria Abu al-Hija looked down at the rooftops of Ein Hod, the village his father and other relatives fled, or were driven from, during the Arab-Israeli war of 1948, whenIsrael was established, and to which the family was not allowed to return. Most of the original Arab residents of what is now Ein Hod became refugees, landing in refugee camps in the West Bank city of Jenin or in Jordan. Yet Mr. Abu al-Hija says that those who stayed and became Israeli citizens have good relations with their Jewish neighbors in the artists’ colony, and that the deadly wildfire that broke out nearly two weeks ago and raged for four days did not distinguish between Arab and Jew. “It hurts all of us that Ein Hod burned,” Mr. Abu al-Hija said, “no matter who is living there.” While more than a dozen homes in Ein Hod were badly damaged, Ayn Hawd was spared the inferno that killed 43 people — prison service cadets, police officers and an Israeli teenager who volunteered with the fire service — and ravaged one of Israel’s most beautiful forests. The blaze, fanned by strong but erratic winds, skipped certain trees, houses and villages, adding another layer of contradiction to the conflicting narratives in this part of the land. The inferno, the worst in Israel’s history, was finally brought under control with the help of an international aerial firefighting force, a rescue effort also laden with anomalies as Greek planes flew with Turkish ones, and Israeli firefighters faced the flames alongside crews sent in by the Palestinian Authority, including one from Jenin. Last Tuesday, two days after the fire had been extinguished, it poured rain, but in many places smoke still curled up, as if from deep under the ground. Many of the thousands of evacuees returned, if only to inspect the damage. Jews told how Arab villages had offered them shelter as the fire approached, while the Arabs in Ayn Hawd said they had received hundreds of phone calls and offers of help from Jews. Perched on the Carmel mountain ridge overlooking the Mediterranean, Ein Hod and Ayn Hawd encapsulate some of the paradoxes of modern Israel. During the fighting in 1948, the Zionist forces attacked and overran Ayn Hawd and other villages in the area as part of an operation to prevent Arab militias from sniping at traffic on the Tel Aviv-Haifa road. By the end of the hostilities, about 400 Arab villages across the country had been razed. But the Romanian painter Marcel Janco, a founder of the Dada movement who came toPalestine fleeing the Nazis, begged for the picturesque Ein Hod, then Ayn Hawd, to be saved. The artists’ colony was established in 1953 and now has a population of more than 500. About 700,000 Arabs fled, or were expelled, from their homes during the war and became refugees, while 150,000 stayed behind. Arab citizens of Israel make up 20 percent of the population. Among those who stayed were about 20 members of the Abu al-Hija family, including Zakaria’s father, Muhammad, who remained on their lands. Prevented from returning to their village homes, they set up a new Ayn Hawd nearby. At first they lived in tin shacks. Aisha, Muhammad’s widow, said they also used to sleep in caves. The first houses went up in the 1950s. Today, about 300 residents, all members of the same extended family, live in about 50 houses. Yet the Israeli authorities officially recognized Ayn Hawd as a legal village only in the 1990s, and it was hooked up to the national electric grid just two and a half years ago. Mr. Sernoff, a painter, said his children had grown up with children from Ayn Hawd. “They used to go and sleep over with the shepherds,” he recalled. Daniel Shefer, a professor of architecture at the Technion, the Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, and the elected chairman of Ein Hod, a cooperative, said that the residents were mostly very liberal and made a point of trying to keep up contacts with Ayn Hawd. Israeli Jews describe the houses of Ein Hod as “abandoned” Arab properties. But for Arabs, 1948 was the “nakba,” Arabic for “catastrophe,” and they consider the houses stolen. Mr. Shefer acknowledges a certain discomfort when every so often an article is written about the liberal artists living in Arab houses. “But that is life,” he said. Some historic parts of the village were ruined in the wildfire. The small stone house that used to be the home of Dov Feigin — a sculptor and one of the founders of the artists’ colony who died in 2000 — is now condemned. His grandson and grandson’s family had been living in the house. Outside the house, a large bronze lion, the work of a neighbor, survived the blaze. In Ayn Hawd, Mubarak Abu al-Hija, the leader of the village, said he was most pained by the loss of life. He said he identified with the people of Ein Hod whose properties were burned, adding, “I will do anything I can to help.” Zakaria Abu al-Hija said that he sometimes works in Ein Hod, gardening or painting houses, and that he also has friends there. The house that had been his father’s survived the fire, he said, though he claimed that everyone who has lived in it since has suffered, whether from illness, bankruptcy or divorce. Personally, he said, he was not asking to move back to Ein Hod, though he noted that he could not speak for others in the West Bank or beyond. All he wants, he said, is for Israel to pave proper roads in Ayn Hawd and to provide the new village with a health clinic. But he added, “Nobody knows what will happen from one day to the next, and nobody forgets their home.” From chintan.backups at gmail.com Tue Dec 14 18:03:53 2010 From: chintan.backups at gmail.com (Chintan Girish Modi) Date: Tue, 14 Dec 2010 18:03:53 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] A note from Manzil, a Delhi based NGO empowering children Message-ID: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Manzil Date: Tue, Dec 14, 2010 at 5:50 PM Dear Reader, My name is Ravi Gulati. I am a co-founder of Manzil, an NGO located in Khan Market, New Delhi. Manzil empowers children and youth from low- income families by providing resources and a platform to learn, teach and be creative. Through empowering, Manzil seeks to create an environment that seeds the next generation of sound Indian and global citizens. We have been doing this for the last 13 years, with little institutional funding, and minimal contributions from caring individuals. For more information about us, please see: www.manzil.in. Manzil needs your help… We work with about 150 students and run 45 classes a week from a small house in Khan Market where my family and I live as well, and two tiny quarters in Sujan Singh Park. Apart from classes in English, Maths & Computers, we have been giving equal importance to the opening of young minds, broadening of their horizons and the enhancement of their self-expression, confidence and creativity through the Arts, like Theatre, Dance and Music. Although this has been difficult logistically, through determination and perseverance, we have been at it for the last 13 years. However, to continue our journey any further, we need your help. Within the coming year, we will be moving out and, after 13 years, the house in Khan Market will not be available for this work. Consequently, we’ll be shifting all operations to Sujan Singh Park. Managing over 150 students and 45 classes per week from two small quarters will be difficult, as I am sure you can imagine. Unfortunately, due to space limitations at Sujan Singh Park, we will have to discontinue our theatre, dance and music classes. This is where you can help. If you have an enclosed place (about 200 square feet, preferred), or know of someone who has, in the vicinity of Khan Market, where our dedicated students can practice, please let us know if you’d like to put it to good, responsible use for the larger benefit of society, for only a small part of time per week. We will need the space for about 8 hours a week, though we are flexible. And whenever you need it back, we’ll be out, instantly (although it would be helpful if you can let us know a little in advance so we can make alternate arrangements much the same way as we are doing now. That said, we do understand that sometimes it is not possible to notify in advance and that would be fine too). I know that such things can’t be decided over long-distance, so if you have even the slightest possibility or inclination, I request you for a personal audience where we can speak of any concern or question that you might have. And, if you so prefer, I’d be thrilled to discuss what excites both you and us about this collaboration. I hope you have the possibility to help us in the matter; if it won’t be easy, I hope you will be inspired to go at least a little out of your way to make the impossible possible. Your collaboration in this important work of cultivating beautiful people would be much appreciated. Sincerely, Ravi Gulati From ravikant at sarai.net Wed Dec 15 12:06:17 2010 From: ravikant at sarai.net (ravikant) Date: Wed, 15 Dec 2010 12:06:17 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] More tragicomic developments in Delhi University. Message-ID: <4D0861E1.7030906@sarai.net> by Shobhit Mahajan, Dept of Phyisics, DU “When facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, Sir?” is what one of the greatest thinkers of the previous century, Lord John Maynard Keynes is reported to have retorted in response to criticism of changing his intellectual position. Unfortunately, in the University of Delhi, facts, even when they stare at your face, don’t seem to matter as far as policy and thinking about policy goes. The messianic zeal with which the previous administration went about trying to introduce the Semester system at the undergraduate level has been much talked about. What has also been evident is the widespread opposition to it from the teaching community. Indeed, despite the fond belief of the administration and dare I say much of civil society, the majority of the teachers were opposed to the hurried and ill thought out introduction of the system, not because they are lazy or don’t want to work-but because they are actually cognizant of the real issues involved in its implementation. The so-called benefits of the semester system- interdisciplinarity , modularity, closer interaction between those being evaluated and those evaluating were all shown to be non-existent in the scheme which has been introduced in a tearing hurry by the University. Despite all the opposition and the critiques of the system, the University went ahead and introduced the system-by means which certainly violated the spirit of procedural propriety and academic debate, if not the letter. Courses were hurriedly made ( in some cases by teachers who had not even been teaching for a year) and they were rammed through statutory bodies without any discussion or debate etc. All this is well known and commented upon. The semester was introduced in the Sciences and now we come to the end of the semester and it is time to evaluate. It is clear to everyone who cares to see, that the whole exercise has been farcical from the beginning. The teachers, left with little option struck work and so there are colleges where teaching has been disrupted with the result that syllabi, such as they are, have not been completed. The inherent friction in the administrative processes at the college level has also meant that a fair amount of time has been wasted in things like admissions etc. The appropriate response of an administration which cared to see these “facts” as Keynes pointed out, would have been to opt for a mid-course correction. Instead, if reports are to be believed, what is being done is so completely destructive of academic integrity that it boggles the mind. Apparently, the University authorities in their wisdom have decided that given the “problems” with the way the Semester system has been implemented, the students should not be tested in ways that the teachers might want to. In the Physics Department, after all the undergraduate question papers for the Semester examinations were ready, the committee overseeing the work was informed (verbally, of course) that the University authorities had taken some decisions which need to be implemented. And what were these decisions? All papers will have a uniform pattern, that is to say, all papers will have the same number of total questions, out of which some number (again uniform across subjects) will have to be attempted. This will be the SAME across all papers! If this was not bizarre enough, the committee was also instructed to make sure that the questions were framed in such a way that anyone who has prepared even one half of the syllabus can attempt the whole paper and come out with flying colors! The papers were of course suitably modified to conform to these instructions from the powers to be and no doubt, all the students taking the examination will do well. The university authorities will be happy that the semester system is a success; the students will be happy at being able to do well with a paper which hardly tests their knowledge of the subject. So where is the problem? The problem is what these actions mean for the long term academic health of the University. We have already seen the bizarre case of marks in a postgraduate course being inflated so that most of the students who had failed, were passed. This led to the comical case of students getting more marks than they had even attempted in the examination! The questions of academic autonomy of the teacher, or the intellectual propriety of such an action of course are not to be raised since then one would be termed “obstructionist”. The latest case of direct interference in the form and content of the examination is only an extension of the logic which seems to be governing the University administration in recent times. We know what is to be done; we will tell you what is to be done and how; it is not for you to question our wisdom on academic matters but just do it! Keynes had also quipped famously, that “in the long run, we are all dead”. Yes, in the long run we indeed would not be around to see what shape the University has taken as a result of the obduracy, ideological rigidity and zeal with which these fundamental issues are being addressed. Unfortunately, the students will bear the brunt of all this and the academic reputation of the institution, built over several decades would almost certainly have been frittered away. From babuubab at gmail.com Wed Dec 15 15:25:49 2010 From: babuubab at gmail.com (SUNDARA BABU) Date: Wed, 15 Dec 2010 15:25:49 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Proposal to put Indian residents under surveillance forever Message-ID: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Gopal Krishna * * *Proposal to put Indian residents under surveillance forever* * * *Besides UID Number Bill, several other related Bills on the horizon *** New Delhi/15/12/2010: The National Identification Authority of India Bill (NIAI), 2010 has been introduced in Parliament after the constitution of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and appointment of Nandan Nilekani as its Chairman in the rank and status of a Cabinet Minister. The Bill introduced in Rajya Sabha onDecember 3, 2010* *seeks to provide statutory status to the UIDAI which has been functioning without backing of law since January 2009. Prior to the introduction of the Bill on 29th September 2010, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh distributed Unique Identification Numbers (Aadhaar) among the villagers of Tembhali village in Nandurbar District of Maharashtra. “The Aadhaar number will ease these difficulties in identification, by providing a nationally valid and verifiable single source of identity proof. The UIDAI will ensure the uniqueness of the Aadhaar numbers through the use of biometric attributes (Finger Prints and Iris) which will be linked to the number,” according to the Press Brief for National launch of Unique Identification Numbers (Aadhaar) issued by UIDAI. It admitted that “India will be the first country (in the world) to implement a biometric-based unique ID system for its residents on a national scale.” Neither the Prime Minister nor the Planning Commission has taken cognisance of abandonment of such UID Number scheme in countries like the US, Australia and now in the UK. In the UK, their Home Secretary abandoned the project because it considered it `intrusive bullying’ by the state, and that the government intended to be the `servant’ of the people, and not their `master’. In the late 1990s, the Supreme Court of Philippines struck down the President’s Executive Order A.O 308 which instituted a biometric based national ID system calling it unconstitutional on two grounds – the overreach of the executive over the legislative powers of the congress and invasion of privacy. The same is applicable in India. The statement of concern issued by the eminent citizens including former judges, jurists, educationists stated, “UIDAI has been constituted on the basis of a GoI (Government of India) notification and there is a fundamental risk to civil liberties”. It is claimed that the UID Number will “substantially improve the efficiency of the delivery systems by ensuring that the leakages are reduced and the benefits reach the right people.” It also claims that “electronic transfers of benefits and entitlements can be enabled through Aadhaar-linked bank accounts of the beneficiaries.” It is noteworthy that even before the passage of the National Identification Authority of India Bill from the parliament, the authority has embarked upon: · taking biometric and demographic data of Indian residents · entering into MOUs with multiplicity of institutions including Banks, LIC, State governments to acts as Registrars, · setting a process by which a large amount of data about the individuals will be collected and aggregated on the files of these Registrars, · entering into contracts with corporations predominantly from the technology and biometric industry including those with close links with intelligence agencies in other countries: for instance, Accenture (which is working with US Homeland Security in their Smart Borders Project) and L1 Identity Solutions (whose main market, and recruitment ground, is the Central Intelligence Agency) . Their website reads: “American and foreign military services, defense and intelligence agencies rely on L-1 solutions and services to help determine ally from enemy”. The same US company was hired for “Implementation of Biometric Solution for UIDAI” from 30 July 2010 · another US company, Accenture Services Pvt. Ltd., has been hired for the “Implementation of Biometric Solution for UIDAI”. This company is “committed to helping the (US) Department of Homeland Security”. Its “solutions include developing prevention tactics, streamlining intelligence gathering and maximizing new technologies.” There is a convergence of all the residents and institutions underway through Project UID, a Silicon Valley initiative (dominated by Information Technology companies) passing off as “Planning Commission initiative” without consultation at district and panchayat level and within the political parties to create a central database of residents and generate a unique identification number (UID) for all such residents which is proposed to be “used as the basis for identifying and authenticating a person's entitlement to government services and benefits”. This initiative is being steered by the Department of Information Technology (as the Line Ministry) through National Informatics Centre Services Inc. (NICSI)/ National Informatics Centre (NIC), as the technical solution provider and a consultant for “linking of existing databases, as well as providing for future additions, by the user agencies.” This entails tracking and profiling residents electronically through some 53 departments of the Government of India, 35 State/UT Secretariats and 603 District collectorates. NIC was formed in 1975. While UIDAI has been misleading the citizens and the media about the UID Number scheme being voluntary, the ‘Legal Framework For Mandatory Electronic Delivery of Services’ of Union Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, refers to “UIDAI – UID based authentication for services” as an enabler, thus making it compulsory. This proposed NIAI Bill must be looked at along with other Bills in the offing such as Draft Land Titling Bill, 2010, Draft Paper on Privacy Bill, 2010, Draft DNA Profiling Act, 2007 and Public Information Infrastructure and Innovations (PIII) for a National Knowledge Network. Besides this National Intelligence Grid (Natgrid), meant to integrate existing 21 databases with Central and state government agencies and other organisations, and National Population Register (which is quite different from Census) will end up undertaking surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting of Indian residents. Sam Pitroda’s PIII reveals the plot emphasizing digital network to process all kinds of information at all levels saying, “For government, PII is very important to first identify all beneficiaries, essentially people. We also at the same time need to identify all our physical assets all over the country, like primary schools, railway stations, hospitals. Then we also need to tag all our programes-and government typically would have hundreds of programs for public delivery systems. Once you tag people, places, and programs, then it is easier to really organise information for delivering public services. Hopefully, with new focus on PIII, where we could essentially tag people, tag places, tag programs, we will be able to structure delivery systems to get lot better productivity, efficiency, reduced cost. The starting point for this nationwide network of fiber optics, wireless systems to connect 2, 50, 000 Panchayats all over the country especially in rural areas where ultimately information data gathering would begin. This is where beneficiaries are.” All this information will be in the hands of a few ‘trustworthy’ people inm the government and few select companies. Such a situation is fraught with both unintended and intended consequences impacting monetary and non-monetary aspects of citizens’ life. Notably, the Land Titling Bill makes a provision for “Unique property identification number”, linking UID Number with property. Admittedly, the Draft Privacy Bill states, “There is no data protection statute in the country.” On UID Number, the Draft Paper on Privacy Bill states, “Data privacy and the need to protect personal information is almost never a concern when data is stored in a decentralized manner. Data that is maintained in silos is largely useless outside that silo and consequently has a low likelihood of causing any damage. However, all this is likely to change with the implementation of the UID Project. One of the inevitable consequences of the UID Project will be that the UID Number will unify multiple databases. As more and more agencies of the government sign on to the UID Project, the UID Number will become the common thread that links all those databases together. Over time, private enterprise could also adopt the UID Number as an identifier for the purposes of the delivery of their services or even for enrolment as a customer.” Quite menacingly, the Draft Paper on Privacy Bill asserts, “Once this happens, the separation of data that currently exists between multiple databases will vanish.” This poses a threat to the identity of citizens and the idea of residents of the state as private persons will be forever abandoned. UIDAI started working in the month of August 2009 to deliver Unique Identification Numbers (Aadhaar) to every resident in the country and to establish a cost-effective, ubiquitous authentication infrastructure to easily verify these identities online and in real-time. The UIDAI has been set up unmindful of grave concerns expressed in the government’s own Draft Paper on Privacy Bill, and NIAI Bill appears to be meant to justify UIDAI’S acts of omission and commission. The NIAI Bill and its critique both in Hindi and English will be released shortly. Meanwhile, UIDAI has also hired a public relations agency with an objective to “Provide consistent flow of information across all mediums to create the right perception of UIDAI and Aadhaar throughout the country”; one such agency has created a stalemate in the Parliament. This is an attempt to convert a resident into a number, Indian population into a market and then citizens in to subjects. *For Details: *Gopal Krishna, Member, Citizens Forum for Civil Liberties, Mb: 9818089660, E-mail: krishna2777 at gmail.com -- SUNDARA BABU N From lalitambardar at hotmail.com Wed Dec 15 18:44:30 2010 From: lalitambardar at hotmail.com (Lalit Ambardar) Date: Wed, 15 Dec 2010 13:14:30 +0000 Subject: [Reader-list] Indian Mujahideen: poison fruit of saffron politics, jehadi mindset In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: If only the calender was stretched only a little a bit in to the not so distant past. Pan Islamism inspired terrorism erupted in Kashmir in 1989-90. Wonder "secularists'"/"liberals'" justification for ethnic cleansing of hapless minority Kashmiri Hindu Pandits in the land of their ancestors at the hands of Kashmiri jihadists? Rgds all LA ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Date: Sat, 11 Dec 2010 20:25:16 +0530 > From: subhachops at gmail.com > To: reader-list at sarai.net > Subject: [Reader-list] Indian Mujahideen: poison fruit of saffron politics, jehadi mindset > > Indian Mujahideen: poison fruit of saffron politics, jehadi mindset > By Amulya Ganguli, IANS, > > Two factors have complicated the terrorism problem in India. One is > Pakistan's, or rather, the Pakistan Army's implacable hostility. This > animus has acquired a nihilistic dimension with the involvement of > suicide squads patronised by the army and Inter-Services Intelligence > (ISI), which has been described as a rogue agency by none other than > A.Q. Khan, "father" of the Pakistani nuclear programme. > > The other factor is the saffron brotherhood's sustained role in > fostering anger among Muslims by its longstanding anti-minority > philosophy, which led to the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992 > and the Gujarat riots 10 years later. For years before the demolition, > the Hindutva lobby led by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) had > carried on a relentless campaign to portray Muslims and Christians as > unpatriotic. > > Arguably, if the RSS and its political wing, the Bharatiya Janata > Party (BJP), had not been so persistent in their venomous > anti-minority propaganda, the only form of terrorism which India would > have had to face was the one sponsored by Pakistan. In that event, the > Lashkar-e-Taiba would have been the main terrorist outfit endangering > India. > > But the humiliation and anger bred by the saffron targeting of the > Babri Masjid, and then again by the Gujarat riots, have undoubtedly > played a part in the formation of the Indian Mujahideen (IM) by > disaffected and alienated Muslims. The IM, therefore, can be said to > be the poison fruit of saffron politics - the right-wing politics of > Hindu nationalists. > > What is interesting is that the diminishing electoral returns from > this kind of frenzied, fascistic policies have convinced even the BJP > today that pluralism remains the best bet for success. As a result, > the man who is suspected to be behind the Gujarat outbreak, Chief > Minister Narendra Modi, has virtually turned over a new leaf since > 2002 to focus on development. > > The same rejection of religious sectarianism in favour of development > helped Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar rout his rivals in the recent > elections in the state and emerge as a front-runner for leadership of > the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) because of his secular > credentials. > > If the BJP leaders had realised this basic truth of the virtues of > multiculturalism in the 1990s, then they might have desisted from > playing such an incendiary pro-Hindu role. But now it is too late. The > seeds of communal divisiveness have not only been planted but seem to > have taken root among a small section of Muslims. The latter are also > undoubtedly aided and abetted by Pakistan-based terror groups. > > Banned outfits like the IM and the Students Islamic Movement of India > (SIMI) could have been gradually weaned away from their destructive > path if the BJP was forthright in its rejection of its policies of the > 1990s, which were based on the stridently anti-minority philosophy of > Savarkar and Golwalkar. But while the BJP is either unable or > unwilling to break away completely from the past, the RSS and other > rabid constituents of the Sangh Parivar like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad > (VHP) and the Bajrang Dal continue to be devoted followers of > Savarkar's and Golwalkar's sectarian line. > > The recent Allahabad High Court judgment's virtual acceptance of the > site of the Babri Masjid as the birthplace of Hindu deity Ram has been > grist to their mill. > > To quote from an article in the RSS journal Organiser, "the > temple-favouring verdict ... will never be acceptable to the Jilanis, > Ansaris, Bukharis, Shahabuddins, who along with Babar's descendants > will sooner or later reveal their true colours". > > What such a provocative stand means is that the IM and SIMI will > always have enough inflammable material in their hands to persuade > their gullible followers, however small in number, to pursue the > jehadi path of indiscriminate violence aimed at setting off communal > riots. > > It is another matter that an overwhelming majority of Hindus and > Muslims have woken up to the realities of their mischievous plans and > learnt to ignore such acts of provocation, as the calm reaction to the > Dec 7 blast in Varanasi showed. Even the Mumbai mayhem of Nov 26, > 2008, did not disturb communal peace. > > But the fact remains that the IM and SIMI cannot be wiped out, as the > Khalistani outfits of the militant Sikhs have been, as long as the RSS > and other members of the Parivar do not give up their cherished dream > of converting India into a Hindu Rashtra (nation). To quote from > Organiser again: "We shall engage ourselves in the godly mission of > freeing the entire country...the entire Ramjanmabhoomi, the entire > Mother India from the clutches of every shade of traitor". > > The misuse of religion for political purposes has been the bane of > Indian politics. It led to the partition of 1947 because the Muslim > League's poor performance in the 1937 elections convinced it that it > could make no headway without concocting the slogan of "Islam in > danger" in a Hindu India. Similarly, the BJP's reduction to a party > with only two Lok Sabha seats in 1984 made it turn to the RSS-VHP line > of "freeing" Mother India from the Jilanis, Ansaris and their > co-religionists. The militancy of the IM and SIMI has been the result. > > (11.12.2010 - Amulya Ganguli is a political analyst. He can be reached > at aganguli at mail.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 lalitambardar at hotmail.com Wed Dec 15 18:44:49 2010 From: lalitambardar at hotmail.com (Lalit Ambardar) Date: Wed, 15 Dec 2010 13:14:49 +0000 Subject: [Reader-list] Indian Mujahideen: poison fruit of saffron politics, jehadi mindset In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: If only the calender was stretched only a little a bit in to the not so distant past. Pan Islamism inspired terrorism erupted in Kashmir in 1989-90. Wonder "secularists'"/"liberals'" justification for ethnic cleansing of hapless minority Kashmiri Hindu Pandits in the land of their ancestors at the hands of Kashmiri jihadists? Rgds all LA ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Date: Sat, 11 Dec 2010 20:25:16 +0530 > From: subhachops at gmail.com > To: reader-list at sarai.net > Subject: [Reader-list] Indian Mujahideen: poison fruit of saffron politics, jehadi mindset > > Indian Mujahideen: poison fruit of saffron politics, jehadi mindset > By Amulya Ganguli, IANS, > > Two factors have complicated the terrorism problem in India. One is > Pakistan's, or rather, the Pakistan Army's implacable hostility. This > animus has acquired a nihilistic dimension with the involvement of > suicide squads patronised by the army and Inter-Services Intelligence > (ISI), which has been described as a rogue agency by none other than > A.Q. Khan, "father" of the Pakistani nuclear programme. > > The other factor is the saffron brotherhood's sustained role in > fostering anger among Muslims by its longstanding anti-minority > philosophy, which led to the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992 > and the Gujarat riots 10 years later. For years before the demolition, > the Hindutva lobby led by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) had > carried on a relentless campaign to portray Muslims and Christians as > unpatriotic. > > Arguably, if the RSS and its political wing, the Bharatiya Janata > Party (BJP), had not been so persistent in their venomous > anti-minority propaganda, the only form of terrorism which India would > have had to face was the one sponsored by Pakistan. In that event, the > Lashkar-e-Taiba would have been the main terrorist outfit endangering > India. > > But the humiliation and anger bred by the saffron targeting of the > Babri Masjid, and then again by the Gujarat riots, have undoubtedly > played a part in the formation of the Indian Mujahideen (IM) by > disaffected and alienated Muslims. The IM, therefore, can be said to > be the poison fruit of saffron politics - the right-wing politics of > Hindu nationalists. > > What is interesting is that the diminishing electoral returns from > this kind of frenzied, fascistic policies have convinced even the BJP > today that pluralism remains the best bet for success. As a result, > the man who is suspected to be behind the Gujarat outbreak, Chief > Minister Narendra Modi, has virtually turned over a new leaf since > 2002 to focus on development. > > The same rejection of religious sectarianism in favour of development > helped Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar rout his rivals in the recent > elections in the state and emerge as a front-runner for leadership of > the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) because of his secular > credentials. > > If the BJP leaders had realised this basic truth of the virtues of > multiculturalism in the 1990s, then they might have desisted from > playing such an incendiary pro-Hindu role. But now it is too late. The > seeds of communal divisiveness have not only been planted but seem to > have taken root among a small section of Muslims. The latter are also > undoubtedly aided and abetted by Pakistan-based terror groups. > > Banned outfits like the IM and the Students Islamic Movement of India > (SIMI) could have been gradually weaned away from their destructive > path if the BJP was forthright in its rejection of its policies of the > 1990s, which were based on the stridently anti-minority philosophy of > Savarkar and Golwalkar. But while the BJP is either unable or > unwilling to break away completely from the past, the RSS and other > rabid constituents of the Sangh Parivar like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad > (VHP) and the Bajrang Dal continue to be devoted followers of > Savarkar's and Golwalkar's sectarian line. > > The recent Allahabad High Court judgment's virtual acceptance of the > site of the Babri Masjid as the birthplace of Hindu deity Ram has been > grist to their mill. > > To quote from an article in the RSS journal Organiser, "the > temple-favouring verdict ... will never be acceptable to the Jilanis, > Ansaris, Bukharis, Shahabuddins, who along with Babar's descendants > will sooner or later reveal their true colours". > > What such a provocative stand means is that the IM and SIMI will > always have enough inflammable material in their hands to persuade > their gullible followers, however small in number, to pursue the > jehadi path of indiscriminate violence aimed at setting off communal > riots. > > It is another matter that an overwhelming majority of Hindus and > Muslims have woken up to the realities of their mischievous plans and > learnt to ignore such acts of provocation, as the calm reaction to the > Dec 7 blast in Varanasi showed. Even the Mumbai mayhem of Nov 26, > 2008, did not disturb communal peace. > > But the fact remains that the IM and SIMI cannot be wiped out, as the > Khalistani outfits of the militant Sikhs have been, as long as the RSS > and other members of the Parivar do not give up their cherished dream > of converting India into a Hindu Rashtra (nation). To quote from > Organiser again: "We shall engage ourselves in the godly mission of > freeing the entire country...the entire Ramjanmabhoomi, the entire > Mother India from the clutches of every shade of traitor". > > The misuse of religion for political purposes has been the bane of > Indian politics. It led to the partition of 1947 because the Muslim > League's poor performance in the 1937 elections convinced it that it > could make no headway without concocting the slogan of "Islam in > danger" in a Hindu India. Similarly, the BJP's reduction to a party > with only two Lok Sabha seats in 1984 made it turn to the RSS-VHP line > of "freeing" Mother India from the Jilanis, Ansaris and their > co-religionists. The militancy of the IM and SIMI has been the result. > > (11.12.2010 - Amulya Ganguli is a political analyst. He can be reached > at aganguli at mail.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 lalitambardar at hotmail.com Wed Dec 15 18:54:27 2010 From: lalitambardar at hotmail.com (Lalit Ambardar) Date: Wed, 15 Dec 2010 13:24:27 +0000 Subject: [Reader-list] Indian Mujahideen: poison fruit of saffron politics, jehadi mindset In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: If only the calender was stretched only a little a bit in to the not so distant past. Pan Islamism inspired terrorism erupted in Kashmir in 1989-90. Wonder "secularists'"/"liberals'" justification for ethnic cleansing of hapless minority Kashmiri Hindu Pandits in the land of their ancestors at the hands of Kashmiri jihadists ? Rgds all LA ps: It is not to undermine in any way the horrors of Godhra & its aftermath. If the perpetrators in Kashmir were not glorified & were instead tried for crimes against humanity, possibly Godhra & the bloody riots that followed could have been averted. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Date: Sat, 11 Dec 2010 20:25:16 +0530 > From: subhachops at gmail.com > To: reader-list at sarai.net > Subject: [Reader-list] Indian Mujahideen: poison fruit of saffron politics, jehadi mindset > > Indian Mujahideen: poison fruit of saffron politics, jehadi mindset > By Amulya Ganguli, IANS, > > Two factors have complicated the terrorism problem in India. One is > Pakistan's, or rather, the Pakistan Army's implacable hostility. This > animus has acquired a nihilistic dimension with the involvement of > suicide squads patronised by the army and Inter-Services Intelligence > (ISI), which has been described as a rogue agency by none other than > A.Q. Khan, "father" of the Pakistani nuclear programme. > > The other factor is the saffron brotherhood's sustained role in > fostering anger among Muslims by its longstanding anti-minority > philosophy, which led to the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992 > and the Gujarat riots 10 years later. For years before the demolition, > the Hindutva lobby led by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) had > carried on a relentless campaign to portray Muslims and Christians as > unpatriotic. > > Arguably, if the RSS and its political wing, the Bharatiya Janata > Party (BJP), had not been so persistent in their venomous > anti-minority propaganda, the only form of terrorism which India would > have had to face was the one sponsored by Pakistan. In that event, the > Lashkar-e-Taiba would have been the main terrorist outfit endangering > India. > > But the humiliation and anger bred by the saffron targeting of the > Babri Masjid, and then again by the Gujarat riots, have undoubtedly > played a part in the formation of the Indian Mujahideen (IM) by > disaffected and alienated Muslims. The IM, therefore, can be said to > be the poison fruit of saffron politics - the right-wing politics of > Hindu nationalists. > > What is interesting is that the diminishing electoral returns from > this kind of frenzied, fascistic policies have convinced even the BJP > today that pluralism remains the best bet for success. As a result, > the man who is suspected to be behind the Gujarat outbreak, Chief > Minister Narendra Modi, has virtually turned over a new leaf since > 2002 to focus on development. > > The same rejection of religious sectarianism in favour of development > helped Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar rout his rivals in the recent > elections in the state and emerge as a front-runner for leadership of > the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) because of his secular > credentials. > > If the BJP leaders had realised this basic truth of the virtues of > multiculturalism in the 1990s, then they might have desisted from > playing such an incendiary pro-Hindu role. But now it is too late. The > seeds of communal divisiveness have not only been planted but seem to > have taken root among a small section of Muslims. The latter are also > undoubtedly aided and abetted by Pakistan-based terror groups. > > Banned outfits like the IM and the Students Islamic Movement of India > (SIMI) could have been gradually weaned away from their destructive > path if the BJP was forthright in its rejection of its policies of the > 1990s, which were based on the stridently anti-minority philosophy of > Savarkar and Golwalkar. But while the BJP is either unable or > unwilling to break away completely from the past, the RSS and other > rabid constituents of the Sangh Parivar like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad > (VHP) and the Bajrang Dal continue to be devoted followers of > Savarkar's and Golwalkar's sectarian line. > > The recent Allahabad High Court judgment's virtual acceptance of the > site of the Babri Masjid as the birthplace of Hindu deity Ram has been > grist to their mill. > > To quote from an article in the RSS journal Organiser, "the > temple-favouring verdict ... will never be acceptable to the Jilanis, > Ansaris, Bukharis, Shahabuddins, who along with Babar's descendants > will sooner or later reveal their true colours". > > What such a provocative stand means is that the IM and SIMI will > always have enough inflammable material in their hands to persuade > their gullible followers, however small in number, to pursue the > jehadi path of indiscriminate violence aimed at setting off communal > riots. > > It is another matter that an overwhelming majority of Hindus and > Muslims have woken up to the realities of their mischievous plans and > learnt to ignore such acts of provocation, as the calm reaction to the > Dec 7 blast in Varanasi showed. Even the Mumbai mayhem of Nov 26, > 2008, did not disturb communal peace. > > But the fact remains that the IM and SIMI cannot be wiped out, as the > Khalistani outfits of the militant Sikhs have been, as long as the RSS > and other members of the Parivar do not give up their cherished dream > of converting India into a Hindu Rashtra (nation). To quote from > Organiser again: "We shall engage ourselves in the godly mission of > freeing the entire country...the entire Ramjanmabhoomi, the entire > Mother India from the clutches of every shade of traitor". > > The misuse of religion for political purposes has been the bane of > Indian politics. It led to the partition of 1947 because the Muslim > League's poor performance in the 1937 elections convinced it that it > could make no headway without concocting the slogan of "Islam in > danger" in a Hindu India. Similarly, the BJP's reduction to a party > with only two Lok Sabha seats in 1984 made it turn to the RSS-VHP line > of "freeing" Mother India from the Jilanis, Ansaris and their > co-religionists. The militancy of the IM and SIMI has been the result. > > (11.12.2010 - Amulya Ganguli is a political analyst. He can be reached > at aganguli at mail.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 babuubab at gmail.com Wed Dec 15 20:47:40 2010 From: babuubab at gmail.com (SUNDARA BABU) Date: Wed, 15 Dec 2010 20:47:40 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Three school going girls have been arrested under UAPA, Arms Act, Explosives Act and kept in jails in Khunti District of Jharkhand. In-Reply-To: <211277.94393.qm@web29611.mail.ird.yahoo.com> References: <211277.94393.qm@web29611.mail.ird.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Dear Friends, FYI ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Binod Kumar Sahu National Commission for Protection of Child Rights 5th Floor, Chanderlok Building, 36/Janpath, New Delhi-110 001 Ph: 011-23724023/27; Fax: 011-23724026 www.ncpcr.gov.in *Urgent* Letter No.- JH-12016/19683/2010-11/COMP Date: 14 /12/2010 To Shri Rakesh Kumar , I.A.S, District Collector Khunti Jharkhand Fax No-06528-221665** *Sub: Three school going girls have been arrested under UAPA, Arms Act, Explosives Act and kept in jails in Khunti District of Jharkhand.* Sir, I am directed to say that the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has been constituted under the provisions of the Commissions for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005 for protection of child rights and other related matters. One of the functions assigned to the Commission under Section 13 (1) (j) of CPCR Act is to inquire into complaints and suo motu cognizance in relation to deprivation and violation of child rights. The Commission has received a complaint from Smt. Indira Chakravarti and Rinchin on behalf of Women Against Sexual Violence and State Repression (WSS) regarding three girls of School near the district headquarters of Khunti District of Jharkhand who have been allegedly arrested on 30th October 2010 and sent to jail (copy enclosed). The girls were arrested from the site of an encounter between the Police and a Maoist squad. The girls have been charged under UAPA, Arms Act, and Explosives Act etc and kept in jails. Three of these girls were arrested being treated as adults without verification of their age and then produced in Court where they were remanded to judicial custody and sent to Khunti jail. The Commission has taken a very serious note of the violations of involved in the above mentioned case As per Section 10 of the Juvenile Justice (Care & Protection of Children) Act, 2000, such juveniles should have been placed in the charge of Special Juvenile Police Unit or Juvenile Welfare Officer police officer designated in concerned Police Station under Section 63 of JJ Act who in turn had to produce such juveniles before the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) having jurisdiction over the area without any loss of time but within a period of 24 hours of their apprehension (excluding journey period). Under Section 49 of the said Act, it is the JJB which is the competent authority to determine the age of a juvenile in conflict with law as per the procedure laid down under Rule 12 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Rules 2007. Such Juveniles, pending inquiry, should have been lodged in an observation home and not in a jail. However, the complaint speaks otherwise. In view of the above, the following actions need to be taken on priority basis in the above matter and a report, containing the facts and circumstances of the case as well as the remedial actions taken, is submitted to this Commission within seven days by fax/e-mail followed by post: (i) The Juveniles in question must be produced before the JJB having Jurisdiction within 24 hours (if the same has not yet been done); (ii) The age determination of the Juveniles may be completed immediately (if the same has not yet been done) as per Section 49 of the J.J. Act 2000 and Rule 12 of the Central J.J. Rules, 2007; (iii) The Juveniles may be sent to an Observation Home (if they have not yet been sent) and must not be allowed to be in the jail, pending inquiry by the concerned JJB: (iv) In the light of Article 20 of the Constitution of India and Section 13 of the JJ Act, 2000 the parents/guardian of the Juveniles must be informed about the grounds of their arrest and the place where they have been lodged, so as to facilitate their interfacing; (v) The Juveniles must be provided with adequate Legal Aid (if they have not yet been provided with) as per rule 14 of the Central J.J. Rules, 2000; (vi) It must be ensured that their education (if they were school going) do not get disrupted due to their confinement but continues unhindered. The loss of their education must be compensated in terms of the provision of text Books, note Book, test papers, sample questions, tuition, etc. by the joint effort of the Superintendent of the Observation Home, District Social Welfare Officer, District Education Officer and District Programme Coordinator under the overall supervision of the District Collector. This issues with the approval of the Chairperson, NCPCR. ** *Encl. –as above* Sd/- (*B.K. Sahu*) Registrar, NCPCR *Copy to for information & necessary action:* 1. Superintendent of Police, Khunti District, Jharkhand (Fax: 06528-221660). 2. Principal Magistrate, Juvenile Justice Board, Khunti, Ranchi, Jharkhand. 3. Shri Rajeev Arun Ekka, Secretary, Department of Social Welfare (SW) & Women and Child Development (WCD), Govt. of Jharkhand, Ranchi (Fax: 0651-2400758, Ph: 0651-2400757) * * Sd/- (*B.K. Sahu*) Registrar, NCPCR From monica at sarai.net Wed Dec 15 23:29:23 2010 From: monica at sarai.net (Monica Narula) Date: Wed, 15 Dec 2010 23:29:23 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Interesting question on assumptions Message-ID: <6EB66AA5-6868-444F-B671-9E98FF1A7AC5@sarai.net> http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/dec/15/nobel-winner-liu-xiaobo-chinese-dissident Do supporters of Nobel winner Liu Xiaobo really know what he stands for? The Chinese dissident has praised the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan – and said China should be fully westernised Monica Narula Raqs Media Collective Sarai-CSDS www.raqsmediacollective.net www.sarai.net From rohitrellan at aol.in Thu Dec 16 05:01:08 2010 From: rohitrellan at aol.in (rohitrellan at aol.in) Date: Wed, 15 Dec 2010 18:31:08 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Project Bandaloop's "Kickstarter" Campaign In-Reply-To: <20952713.55199.1292428811050.JavaMail.sfdc@na2-app4-2-sjl.ops.sfdc.net> References: <20952713.55199.1292428811050.JavaMail.sfdc@na2-app4-2-sjl.ops.sfdc.net> Message-ID: <8CD6AC748B109D3-974-1DD99@Webmail-d103.sysops.aol.com> Dear Friends, We are 41% on our way toward the fundraising goal of $10,000 on Kickstarter for our 2011 fall San Francisco home season production of "IdEgo". Project Bandaloop radically stands out as a dance company that makes dance accessible through free site-specific performances all over the world. In 2010 we performed for over 40,000 people for free bringing high quality performance directly to the audience. We value this ability and and want to bring it into our 2011 season despite the fact that we will be bearing the cost of production ourselves. To do this we need your help. If successful in our fundraising, we plan to offer this home season with minimal financial barriers and include free admission. If each person on our Project Bandaloop mailing list gave $5-15 we would be able to close our campaign! Can you help? If we don't meet our $10,000 goal by December 31, we will lose the $4100 already pledged. Please visit: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/search?term=project+bandaloop After you donate, feel free to post the Kickstarter link to your facebook page, or email on to your friends. View footage of Project Bandaloop: http://vimeo.com/17293680 Thanks for your time, Andrew Dailey President, Board of Directors From rohitrellan at aol.in Thu Dec 16 10:11:36 2010 From: rohitrellan at aol.in (rohitrellan at aol.in) Date: Wed, 15 Dec 2010 23:41:36 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] A Season of Footage and Films, Part II, Saturday, December 18th, 6:30 pm | CAMP In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <8CD6AF2A86275A2-7C4-4941@webmail-d063.sysops.aol.com> Two Footage Films, or how to make use of a footage archive. CAMP continues its winter season of screenings exploring footage both within and outside the usual capsule of "the film".  All screenings at CAMP roof, starting at 6:30 pm This Saturday, December 18th, 2010 1. Domestic Tourism II Maha Maamoun, 2009 60 minutes. 2. Workers Leaving the Factory Harun Farocki, 1995 36 minutes. Both of these films begin with a premise that sounds like a google search: to use scenes depicting a) the pyramids and b) workers leaving the factory. But Maha Mamoun's film, Domestic Tourism II produces effects far more politically and psychologically diverse that one would imagine by reading the premise alone. The "keyword" is neither the whole story, nor worthless, in our encounter with the surprising archive. Haroun Farocki's film "Workers Leaving The Factory" has been exhibited in different formats since 1995, including as a multi-monitor installation, 'Workers Leaving the Factory in Eleven Decades' (2006). Beginning with the iconic 1805 shot, "Workers Leaving the Lumiere Factory in Lyon", It brings together scenes that may be only incidental to a films narrative, but in another assemblage such as here, produce a different set of identifications. We will screen both the film and a selection of clips from the installation with some addendum from Hindi cinema. Meanwhile... Jan Gerber, Sebastian Lutgert (0x2620.org) and Ashok Sukumaran (CAMP), co-initiators of Pad.ma, initiate "Problems of Translation" a public discussion on the nature of translations between art and art's archive, technology and art history, software and painting, and digital and analog objects, at the Asia Art Archive, Thursday December 16, 2010.  http://camputer.org/event.php?id=122 Directions to CAMP Roof are here. More details announced on the Wednesday before each screening. For related projects and material, see http://camputer.org http://pad.ma For questions and responses email info(@)camputer.org From babuubab at gmail.com Thu Dec 16 10:40:06 2010 From: babuubab at gmail.com (SUNDARA BABU) Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2010 10:40:06 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Urban Rules of Untouchability In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Karthik Navayan wrote: > Urban rules of untouchability > [image: PDF] [image: > Print] [image: > E-mail] Wednesday, > 03 November 2010 > There is a polite silence around exclusion based on caste that happens > in the cities. We trace the unstated rules through which it operates > > > By nisary mahesh and Asha menon > > This is an exercise in mapping silence. In the cities, there is an unstated > code that keeps some people apart. It is not polite to voice it, because the > urbane believe themselves to be liberal and free of traditional biases. > > > However, untouchability — any form of exclusion based on caste — is > prevalent in the cities. We trace the rules through which it operates by > talking to people who are at the receiving end — the ‘untouchables’ of urban > India. > > *Rule 1* > > *A good place to start is the capital city. Here, your house broker will > mysteriously become too busy for you if you are a Dalit.* > > When Anoop Kumar was in his late twenties, he went house hunting with this > friend. “We went to Gautam Nagar through a broker. The assistant of the > broker showed me the place and we liked it. When we began negotiating for > the rent, the broker asked us our caste. I said I am a Dalit and immediately > there was a change of tone. The broker said that he needs to reconsider it, > that he will need to talk to the landlord, that they nearly fixed another > tenant. Later we found that it was the broker’s younger brother’s flat. We > fought with him over it, but we still did not get the house.” > > *Rule 2* > > *While looking for a house, be prepared for questions on your caste. > > * Anila Jagdish and her two friends were looking for a house in the heart > of Kochi, Kaloor. There were the usual questions posed to single women and > then, came the direct question: "What is your caste?". "I did think it was > odd, but we had to name our castes like the whole thing was not awkward or > nothing out of the ordinary." Anoop has been living in Delhi for the past > ten years and he now notices subtler ways in which landlords probe to find > out his caste. "They ask me my full name, assess my ability to speak English > and then the most familiar question would be about my eating habits — > vegeterian or non-vegetarian." Geeta Menon, of Bengaluru based Stree Jagruti > Samiti which works with unorganised workers, says, "Many non-Brahmin people > have spoken to us about difficulty in getting a house on revealing their > caste." > > *Rule 3* > > *Neighbourhoods can be very choosy. > > * In Kochi, land-holdings of Scheduled Castes are bought by real estate > companies. In these neighbourhoods, anyone who refuses to part with their > small land-holding are not welcome to stay as a 'sore sight'. Balan, who > belongs to the Pulaya community, was asked to vacate his plot by a real > estate tycoon who had purchased the surrounding plots for a mega project. > Balan refused and today, he is being harassed for that. "The drainage water > from the project is being pumped to my plot," he says. There is a legal > dispute, but Balan has little hope. "They can easily with their money > power." > > *Rule 4* > > *Common pathways are not open to all. > > * Several instances have been pointed out in Kochi where Scheduled Caste > people are forbidden from sharing pathways with upper castes. Umesan, a > member of Vela community residing in Ernakulam says how his family was > denied the use of a pathway through an upper-caste person's plot. "I had > acquired rights for use of the pathway, since my plot has no access to the > main road. But recently a person from an upper caste purchased the plot > through which the pathway runs and he blocked the way." The matter was taken > to court with the help of Dalit Service Society and the court ruled in > Umesan's favour. > > *Rule 5* > > *It is best not to assert your Dalit identity. > > * Anoop is a student of Jawaharlal Nehru University, an institute > generally known for its liberal politics. He joined the college for post > graduate studies in International Politics. During a session on reservation > policy in India, majority of the upper caste students said it was wrong. > "Angry at their stance, I stood up and shared my experience of being Dalit." > Shockingly, Anoop was punished for it. "The next two years, none of the > upper caste students spoke to me. If you speak about caste, you are > immediately seen as a cadre of Mayawati's party. It leads to hatred." In > Kochi, Girija talks about the threats she received and the harassment she > had to face from teachers at her law college for organising Dalit students > to avail government grants. "I was quite good at studies, but they > manipulated the internal assessment to punish me. I had to seek the help of > Dalit Federations for justice." > > *Rule 6* > > *There are separate benches for different castes, even in reputed > educational institutes. > > * On November 5, Bandi Anusha (student of a prestigous college in > Hyderabad) grew tired of being kept apart. Says her father. "She was made to > sit alone at the front bench after her friends came to know of her Scheduled > Caste status," he says. Anusha decided to put an end to it and she was > convinced that the only way out of this was to kill herself. Allegedly, she > announced her intention to her classmates and nobody stopped her. She > stepped out and messaged her father "bye dad im gng to die." > > *Rule 7* > > *City planning officials will have no qualms about exploiting the caste > divide in slums, often to the detriment of backward castes. > > * In Chennai's Nochikuppam, Perumal's was one of the many families that > sought relief after tsunami. But he, like the other Dalits in the fishing > hamlet, realised that they would not be given a house by the sea (within > city limits) since they were classified as "NF" (non-fishing) in government > records. Dalits like many other backward communities in the hamlet were > employed in activities that surround fishing — like cleaning the boats, > selling fish, mending nets etc. They infact formed a majority in the hamlet. > "To reduce the cost incurred to the government, the officials said that we > would get it in the outskirts," says Perumal. "And they told the ooru > (hamlet) leaders to campaign for that and not bother about us." The leaders > were easily convinced, since they themselves were vulnerable to eviction > from the city if they did not cooperate with the babudom. > > *Rule 8* > > *You may not be good enough to sit next to foreign clients or for a flight > ticket. > > * Rajen Dev came to Hyderabad to work for a prestigious IT firm. Over the > years, he has noticed that he is not being treated on par with his peers. > Sometimes it is the smaller things. "It is difficult for me to my flight > expenses cleared. I will need to follow the official procedure, while my > upper-caste colleagues get it cleared informally." Then, there is the client > visit during which Rajen is not encouraged to mingle with them. "They invite > me but never seat me next to them. It could be for want of command over > English language." But Rajen fears there are larger implications. "I've been > denied a promotion for the past four years though I've been the best > performer. I sat with my seniors to discuss a development plan if the > problem was with my work. But no one seemed interested." > > That an urban corporate would be discriminatory based on caste should not > come as a surprise. In 2007, S Madheswaran and Paul Attewell had written in > Caste Discrimination in the Indian Urban Labour Market (for Economic and > Political Weekly), based on evidence gathered from National Sample Survey, > that "Discrimination (against SC/ST employees) seems to be much more > resilient in the private than in the public sector…" > > *Rule 9* > > *The definition of 'merit' at work will not be inclusive. > > * "Merit in private sector is often defined in terms of what a person > scores in an English-based, written exam," says Venkat of Madras Institute > of Development Studies. Break it down and the skills required – proficiency > in English – are not often accessible to backward castes. In 2007, when > Surinder S Jodhka and Katherine Newman wrote a paper based on interviews > with 25 human resource managers in large firms in New Delhi and National > Capital region, they found that the cultural capital expected from employees > – like "worldly, sophisticated and well educated" – is not accessible to > members of SCs. Mr.R Prakash, Director, Institute for Dalit Development and > Studies, Kerala is also the Superintendent in the Department of Industries. > "There have been many instances in offices where people refuse to address > Dalits with respectable terms like 'sir'," he says. "Even the office boys > refer to Scheduled Caste officers as 'special quota', which means he has not > come to the position due to his merit. > > *Rule 10* > > *You can be under tremendous pressure to perform, to prove yourself worthy > of the 'benefits' given by the government. > > * When Amaravathi, a national- level Dalit woman boxer from Hyderabad, > consumed poison, her family members blamed her coach. "She used to tell us > that her coach would frequently scold her to achieve results or leave the > sports hostel (of Andhra Pradesh) since she was enjoying free amenities > there (referring to the facilities given to SC/St students)," they said. > > *Rule 11* > > *Domestic help cannot use the same toilets or same water filters. > > * "In some households, localities in Bengaluru, the women who clean the > house and the toilets are not allowed to use the toilets not drink water > from the filters," says Geeta. > > *Rule 12* > > *Even the Gods will discriminate > > * "Neither churches nor the temples have not taken any steps to include > the Scheduled Castes in their leaderships," points out Mr. P K > Santhoshkumar, Secretary, Dalit Service Society, Kochi. 'The Kerala Temples > Devaswom Bill' was passed in 2008, to include the Dalits in devaswoms. "But > not one has been included even as committee members nor have they come > forward, since they are not confident how they will be accepted in the > 'Nair' dominated temple devaswoms." > > *Rule 13* > > *Pooja rooms are a no-enter zone for domestic help. > > * In a posh locality in Chennai, a senior lawyer Veena was chided by her > neighbour. Reason? For letting her domestic help clean her pooja utensils. > "I calmly told her to wash them herself, if she has a problem with my > domestic help washing them," says Veena. The neighbour has not spoken to her > since then. It is common even in Bengaluru, says Geeta. "They are not > allowed into the pooja rooms or touch some vessels. Even after they wash the > clothes and vessels, water is sprinkled on the same." On a lighter note, she > adds, "Ironically, how pure is the corporation water that is sprinkled?" > > *Rule 15* > > *We are all friends till dinnertime. > > * Whenever lawyer Priyanka goes to her friend and Delhi-based senior > journalist Maya Fernandes' house, she does not stay for dinner. Says Maya, > "Priyanka is a Brahmin and she is not comfortable with having food in my > house because I cook nonvegetarian food. She usually calls up and asks me to > finish my dinner and wait up for her or leaves just before dinner. One day, > when she did come early and had to wait for someone else at my house, she > bought a packet of chips." It has definitely affected their relationship and > Maya is not sure, if she can ever be a good friend to Priyanka. > > *Rule 16* > > *Humour is often used to sugar-coat offensive statements and behaviour. > > * In a Kochi-based editing firm, Anila has to suffer another colleague's > playful attempts at dividing the staff into different caste groups. "She > counts the Nairs in the room by asking them to raise their hands. Then, she > pitches Nairs against non-Nairs in debates. It is all done as a joke, so how > do we argue? Most people join in so that they don't appear touchy or > oversensitive." One day, this colleague proudly announced in the office that > the Brahmin receptionist liked her the moment he saw her because of her fair > skin. Abraham Ninan remembers an incident that happened in one of the > leading IT firms in Chennai. He was there to take classes in effective > communication and on day one he could spot the class clown. "The minute I > asked him any question, the whole class would start giggling. I realised > that he spoke in halting English. According to them, he clearly did not > belong." He lacked in cultural capital. > > > > From niveditasubramaniam at gmail.com Thu Dec 16 12:06:47 2010 From: niveditasubramaniam at gmail.com (Niveditha) Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2010 12:06:47 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Help Needed: Rhymes for Children in Indian Languages Message-ID: Hello, I work for a children's book publisher.We're currently in the process of sourcing these for a book of songs and rhymes from around India. We believe that such a compilation will offer a creative and culturally rich alternative to the English nursery rhymes that are still being used in classrooms and books across the country. Looking especially for these languages:Rajastani, Kashmiri, Punjabi, Manipuri, Chattisgarhi, Urdu, Assamese, Himachali and Urdu. Those of you who know, do respond. Ideally, we'd like original script with translation. But if some of you can even write down small rhymes you know in your mother tongue (romanize it) and mail it, that would be great. Thanks! Niveditha -- I don't have a photograph, but you can have my footprints.They're upstairs in my socks. - Groucho Marx From chintan.backups at gmail.com Thu Dec 16 12:14:55 2010 From: chintan.backups at gmail.com (Chintan Girish Modi) Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2010 12:14:55 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Call for Submissions: Anthology on Children and War Message-ID: >From http://jlpowers.net/children-and-war/ Children and War *J.L. Powers* www.jlpowers.net, jlpowers at evaporites.com May 17, 2010 *Children and War* *(working title)* When American politicians mention the “hidden costs” of war, they are referring to inflation, higher taxes, and medical care for veterans of U.S. wars. Even when we invoke images of human suffering, children and teenagers are often the forgotten part of the story. Yet who can forget images of the Vietnam “baby lift,” when Amer-Asian children were flown out of Vietnam to the U.S. to be adopted by American families? Who can forget the horror of learning that Iranian children were being sent on suicide missions to clear landmines?[1]Who wasn’t captivated by stories of the “lost boys” of Sudan, who traveled thousands of miles alone through the desert, seeking shelter and safety? Children, like adults, lose their homes and families during war. They may travel for miles, alone or with others. They become refugees and victims of rape; they are recruited as soldiers; they suffer from PTSD, starvation, malnutrition, disease, and disability. In a recent report, UNICEF stated that from 1985-1995, over 2 million children had been killed in war; 4-5 million had been left disabled; over 12 million had become homeless; more than 1 million had been orphaned or separated from their parents; and over 10 million suffered psychological trauma.[2]Their experiences affect the next generation as well. This anthology, to be published by Cinco Puntos Press in 2012, will explore all angles of children’s and teenagers’ experiences in war. The core of the book will be personal essays, memoirs, journalistic accounts, and historical narratives, both previously published and original pieces. It may also include photos, artwork, posters, and other debris that depicts the effects of war on children and teens. Though the book will be primarily non-fiction, we may include some fiction, and we are willing to consider pieces about both current and past wars. “War” is defined liberally to include both “official,” declared wars as well as secret, unofficial wars, such as those carried out by governments on civilians in places like Chile, Argentina, and Zimbabwe. All submissions, queries, and suggestions should be sent to J.L. Powers at jlpowers at evaporites.com by June 1, 2011. Pieces of up to 6500 words are fine. If a piece has a higher word count, please email and ask me about it–exceptions can be made. All acceptances are conditional. The publisher exercises final editorial control over which pieces will be included. All contributors will receive payment. ------------------------------ [1]Steven Stalinsky, “Iran’s Top Strategist, In His Own Words,” *The Sun *(New York) 14 February 2007. http://www.nysun.com/foreign/irans-top-strategist-in-his-own-words/48638/ [2]UNICEF, “The State of the World’s Children 1996,” http://www.unicef.org/sowc96/1cinwar.htm. From rashneek at gmail.com Thu Dec 16 12:33:47 2010 From: rashneek at gmail.com (rashneek kher) Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2010 12:33:47 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Majboor passes away Message-ID: Dear Friends, It makes me terribly sad to inform you that one of the greatest Kashmiri poets Arjun Dev Majboor is no more.Majboor breathed his last yesterday night. He was essentially a Kashmiri poet and prose writer but has some credible works of translation to his credit notable among them Kalidas's Meghdootam(to Kashmiri) in verse form and Nilamata Purana(from Sanskrit to Urdu). His collection of poems include Kalaam-e-Majboor was published in the year 1955, followed by Dashahaar in 1983, Dazavuni Kosam in 1987, Padi Samyik in 1993 and Tyol in 1995. He also authored his most notable set of essays Tehqeeq. Arjun Dev Majboor has authored research papers on Lala Lakshman, a well known Kashmiri humorist-poet (1892-1962 AD) and compiled a book on his works titled ‘Kuliyat-e-Lala Lakhman’, published by J&K Academy in 1982. Majboor has also to his credit, a research article on Arinimal. He has published monograph on Krishen Razdan. In his sad demise,my mother tongue loses one of its great exponents. Majboor was born in 1924 in Zainpora in Pulwama district of Kashmir. In mourning -- Rashneek Kher http://www.kashmiris-in-exile.blogspot.com http://www.nietzschereborn.blogspot.com From the-network at koeln.de Thu Dec 16 12:43:19 2010 From: the-network at koeln.de (netEX) Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2010 08:13:19 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] =?iso-8859-1?q?Call=3A_CologneOFF_2011_-_videoart_i?= =?iso-8859-1?q?n_a_global_context?= Message-ID: <20101216081319.CCD0A0C3.B91833D4@192.168.0.3> Call for entries Deadline: 1 March 2011 -------------------------------------------- CologneOFF 2011 - videoart in a global context is a world wide unique festival project by - Cologne International Videoart Festival - starting on 1 January 2011 and lasting until 31 December 2011 simultaneously in physical & virtual space. It's goal is to show during one year at many venues around the globe the diversity of the creative potential of "art and moving images" transported via the global medium of "video". The videos can be submitted only online. Selected works will be featured on CologneOFF individually online and will become later in 2011 the 7th edition of CologneOFF - Cologne International Videoart Festival. More info about CologneOFF 2011 http://downloads.nmartproject.net/cologneOFF2011_eng.pdf CologneOFF 2011 is inviting creators in the field of "art and moving images" - this may be experimental forms of film and video art - to submit up to 3 works --> Please find the entry details and form on http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=2729 -------------------------------------------- CologneOFF - Cologne International Videoart Festival http://coff.newmediafest.org is powered by artvideoKOELN the curatorial initiative "art & moving images" http://video.mediaartcologne.org 2011 (at) coff.newmediafest.org -------------------------------------------- From rohitrellan at aol.in Thu Dec 16 15:35:27 2010 From: rohitrellan at aol.in (rohitrellan at aol.in) Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2010 05:05:27 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Paid film project opportunity In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <8CD6B1FE5DEA9E7-1DF0-ADF2@webmail-d057.sysops.aol.com> mDhil is a start up social enterprise using web and mobile technology to advance Indians access to basic, accurate health information. We are creating a series of videos to post on our web health portal www.mdhil.com  and would like to meet you and your team to discuss the possibility of working together.Our health content is geared towards the interests and needs of the indian consumer and our focus target group is the youth since they are the largest net users. the videos would be on various health topics, like sexual health, gender equality, disease management, smoking cessation etc each video would be from 1-4 min- if the topic need more time we are open to do a series The videos especially the sexual health content, would be targeted to English speaking young adults As we are a social enterprise we are cost conscious and would like to work on ultra low budgets While looking for inexpensive cost, we are sure we want a professional feel to these videos.The end product should be media-worthy, slick, fun, entertaining while being informative If you are interested in working with us on this please call/ mail me to set up a personal meeting in our office at the address below. Rupa Jakharia Mudoi mDhil Health Info Service Pvt Ltd Flat4B, Raintree Hall Apartments, #16, Rhenius Street, Opp Hockey Stadium, Richmond Town Nanjappa Circle, Bengaluru -25 mob:9611809731 mail: rupa at mdhil.com Thanks once again Best Rupa From babuubab at gmail.com Thu Dec 16 17:47:39 2010 From: babuubab at gmail.com (SUNDARA BABU) Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2010 17:47:39 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] The assault on Assange is an assault on liberty In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Tuesday 14 December 2010 The assault on Assange is an assault on liberty Wendy Kaminer Julian Assange is not Wikileaks; in other words, whether you regard him as a hero, villain, victim or egotistical malcontent, Wikileaks itself remains difficult to characterise. If it can be blamed for deterring diplomacy, derided for titillating us with diplomatic gossip, or dispensed with faint praise (by activist and writer Todd Gitlin) as the 'Facebook of whistleblowing', it can also be heralded for providing additional proof (if any were needed) of the gross hypocrisies and moral cowardice of the post-9/11 American security state. Consider these side-by-side articles in the New York Times, describing just a few leaked cables: In 2006 and 2007, US diplomats successfully pressured German officials not to honour arrest warrants against CIA operatives who kidnapped and tortured an innocent German citizen, Khaled el-Masri. Two years later, the US was pressuring China to stop persecuting its dissidents. This highly selective approach to human rights is as much a hallmark of the Obama administration as the Bush administration. Another leaked cable (described by Mother Jones) exposed the Obama administration's efforts to stop the Spanish government from prosecuting high-ranking architects of torture under President Bush. No accountability for torture has been a guiding principle for each of our post-9/11 presidents. When El-Masri sued the US for his illegal detention and torture, the government invoked a state secrets doctrine and won dismissal of his claims. It also offered a state secrets defence in a lawsuit filed by Maher Arar, a Canadian/Syrian citizen who was kidnapped and tortured for 10 months before being released without charges. The Canadian government apologised to Arar and awarded him $10million in damages; the US government, under Bush and Obama, immunised itself behind a screen of state secrets. So which is more villainous: Wikileaks for releasing secret cables or the Bush and Obama administrations for pleading 'state secrets' to avoid accountability for summarily torturing innocent men? Or is that not a relevant question? Has Wikileaks done more harm than the government it seeks to embarrass? It's difficult to quantify the threat allegedly posed to American and international security by Wikileaks, but the threats to free speech and a free press posed by reactions to its recent data dump are quickly becoming clear. That Julian Assange is an enemy of the state and Wikileaks an exercise in anarchism (at best) or terrorism, not journalism, are rare points of bi-partisan agreement in the hyper-partisan American scene (and Assange is reportedly the subject of a federal grand jury investigation). Democrats and Republicans alike have urged indicting Assange under the 1917 Espionage Act, which includes provisions criminalising disclosures of classified information. Whether or not this law would or should allow for prosecution of media outlets (other than Wikileaks) that have received and published classified cables (but were not responsible for the original leak) is a subject of debate. But independent senator and former Democratic vice-presidential candidate Joe Lieberman, for one, is undeterred by concerns about a free press: he denounced the New York Times for publishing some of the leaked cables, accusing it of 'at least an act of bad citizenship... whether they have committed a crime, I think that bears very intensive inquiry by the Justice Department'. But the New York Times and other major publications are not alone in their potential vulnerability to Espionage Act prosecutions: an expansive interpretation of the Act could make it a crime for you to download the leaked cables or 'post a link to Wikileaks on your Facebook page', Louis Klarevas observed at theatlantic.com. Of course, this doesn't mean that the Obama administration is about to indict anyone, much less everyone, who has downloaded and emailed copies of cables printed in the New York Times or elsewhere; but it does mean that federal prosecutors could conceivably claim the power to do so and use it to target people they're anxious to prosecute for other reasons. As Harvey Silverglate warns in his latest book, Three Felonies a Day, one great danger of a vague, expansive criminal code is that it enables prosecutors to focus on people whom they want to prosecute rather than focusing on crimes that merit prosecution. So it's worth noting that the Obama administration insists that the leaked documents remain classified, even though they're being published on the web. In a memo that managed to be both nonsensical and ominous, the administration warned unauthorised federal employees and contractors not to access any of the publicly available, yet classified documents. Officials at Boston University Law School and Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs passed on similar warnings to their respective students, out of concern that accessing leaked documents might harm their career prospects. (The dean at Columbia subsequently repudiated the suggestion that students should avoid exercising their rights to 'discuss and debate' public information.) You can only hope they have the nerve to do so. The technology that enabled Wikileaks also enables the surveillance of people who follow it or download the documents it leaks. If diplomats can no longer rely on the privacy of their communications, neither can the rest of us. I'm not suggesting that we should expect prosecutions of ordinary Wikileaks users, but I would not be at all surprised if young lawyers or international relations graduates seeking jobs in the government found themselves blacklisted for somehow 'associating' with Wikileaks. Historically, the treatment of alleged subversives or people found to have consorted with 'subversives', however fleetingly, is not reassuring, nor is the history of the 1917 Espionage Act. A century ago, it was used to prosecute Emma Goldman and Eugene Debs for criticising the US government during wartime and opposing the draft. Goldman was deported and Debs subjected to a 10-year prison sentence, upheld by the Supreme Court. Goldman was arrested shortly after delivering a speech at an anti-draft demonstration in which she attacked the power of the president 'to tell the people that they shall take their sons and husbands and brothers and lovers and shall conscript them in order to ship them across the seas for the conquest of militarism and the support of wealth and power in the United States'. Debs was convicted of obstructing the draft by announcing his opposition to the war and telling his audience, 'you need to know that you are fit for something better than slavery and cannon fodder'. These prosecutions and initial enactment of the Espionage Act, followed by the Sedition Act in 1991 (which included a ban on 'disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language' about the US government), occurred when the Supreme Court was just beginning to consider whether and when the First Amendment barred the government from criminalising speech. Gradually, the court acknowledged that the Bill of Rights imposed limits on state and federal power, but, thanks to early- and mid-twentieth-century red scares, people were successfully prosecuted under statutes prohibiting subversive advocacy through the 1950s. Not until 1969 did the court hold that mere advocacy was protected speech: in Brandenburg v Ohio, the court announced a relatively narrow definition of actionable incitement, as speech that's intended to incite imminent acts of violence and is likely to succeed. But this essential First Amendment freedom, slowly and painfully established in the twentieth century, did not long survive the twenty-first. This past year, in Holder v Humanitarian Law Project, the Supreme Court upheld a vague and arbitrary federal statute criminalising political advocacy when the executive branch declares, without evidence or due process, that it constitutes material support for terrorism. The prohibited speech at issue in Holder was advice about peaceful conflict resolution offered by a human rights group. If the Espionage Act is invoked against Wikileaks or if Congress amends the Act to ease and broaden its application in the digital age, today's Supreme Court seems unlikely to protest anymore than the Court of 1919 protested the conviction of Eugene Debs for telling men they were not cannon fodder. Civil liberties groups and some prominent bloggers have denounced the campaign to shut down information and debate by government officials and the private corporations that have stopped hosting Wikileaks. The private sector's willingness to partner with the state has been a particularly bitter dose of reality testing for some. 'Your free-speech rights are only as strong as the weakest intermediary', a lawyer at the Electronic Frontier Foundation told the New York Times. That has long been true. Offline, authors and journalists without the support of publishers have had little if any chance of effectively disseminating their work. But the romance of the internet was an imagined promise of freedom from corporate as well as state control. Hackers are rebelling, naturally; John Perry Barlow, co-founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, calls their guerrilla attacks in defence of Wikileaks 'kind of the shot heard round the world'. Perhaps; but this revolution seems less likely to end in a resounding defeat of the state. Right and left, America is giving up on liberty. That is one lesson, or reminder, offered by the Wikileaks debacle (a lesson that seems to have resonated more in the European than the mainstream American press). I have heard only one prominent elected official - quirky, libertarian congressman Ron Paul - question the rush to censor Wikileaks and indict Julian Assange. The silence of conservative politicians - putative advocates of small government - is not surprising. Right-wing protests of big government are essentially tax protests (unaccompanied by willingness to accept a reduction of benefits or services the protesters enjoy). The silence of liberal politicians is a bit more telling; it confirms that they've been effectively co-opted by Obama's continuation of the repressive Bush/Cheney war on terror, which liberals once assailed. Congressional liberals reared up in revolt this month against the president's ineptly negotiated agreement with Republicans to extend tax cuts for the super rich, but they have generally ignored the administration's reflexively repressive reaction to Wikileaks; so, it seems, have many of their constituents. Liberal Democrats have dared to speak out against the tax deal partly because a majority of the public (and probably a bigger majority of their liberal constituents) has opposed extending upper income-tax cuts. (The success of Republicans in forging the tax deal they sought is just one more example of minority rule, facilitated partly by the incompetence or cowardice of the president and the Democratic Senate majority.) But a fearful public has strongly supported whatever measures the government asserts are necessary to prevent terrorism - from the summary detainment and torture of terror suspects to virtual strip searches and highly intrusive frisking of air travellers. This may or may not be the government people deserve, but it is one that many of them have demanded. Wendy Kaminer is a lawyer, writer and free speech activist. Her latest book is Worst Instincts: Cowardice, Conformity, and the ACLU. (Buy this book from Amazon (UK).) From indersalim at gmail.com Thu Dec 16 18:06:05 2010 From: indersalim at gmail.com (Inder Salim) Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2010 18:06:05 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Majboor passes away In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Majbeeor saab, as we called him, was alive till last, very energetic person, keen about the details about his poetry, translations, essays, and a very friendly person. sad day for all those who love kashmiri language, and above all value a poet in any society On Thu, Dec 16, 2010 at 12:33 PM, rashneek kher wrote: > Dear Friends, > > It makes me terribly sad to inform you that one of the greatest Kashmiri > poets Arjun Dev Majboor is no more.Majboor breathed his last yesterday > night. > He was essentially a Kashmiri poet and prose writer but has some credible > works of translation to his credit notable among them Kalidas's > Meghdootam(to Kashmiri) in verse form and Nilamata Purana(from Sanskrit to > Urdu). > His collection of poems include Kalaam-e-Majboor was published in the year > 1955, followed by Dashahaar in 1983, Dazavuni Kosam in 1987, Padi Samyik in > 1993 and Tyol in 1995. He also authored his most notable set of essays > Tehqeeq. > Arjun Dev Majboor has authored research papers on Lala Lakshman, a well > known Kashmiri humorist-poet (1892-1962 AD) and compiled a book on his works > titled ‘Kuliyat-e-Lala Lakhman’, published by J&K Academy in 1982. Majboor > has also to his credit, a research article on Arinimal. He has published > monograph on Krishen Razdan. > In his sad demise,my mother tongue loses one of its great exponents. > Majboor was born in 1924 in Zainpora in Pulwama district of Kashmir. > > In mourning > > -- > 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/> -- http://indersalim.livejournal.com From anu.mukh at gmail.com Fri Dec 17 19:39:35 2010 From: anu.mukh at gmail.com (anuradha mukherjee) Date: Fri, 17 Dec 2010 19:39:35 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Bollywood on caste Message-ID: This has another interesting criticism of Arundhati Roy's "social mores". "Roy's hyper-sensitive Indian sexual mores dominated the larger debate on caste," reads the article. http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/dec/16/bollywood-india-caste-system How Bollywood is starting to deal with India's caste system Caste is a contentious issue in India, and one rarely commented on in Bollywood films. But political change is on the way, and Indian cinema will have to reflect that - - *Nirpal Dhaliwal* - guardian.co.uk , Thursday 16 December 2010 22.30 GMT - Article history Caste is a contentious issue in India, but not a predictable one. In 2008, I watched television footage of violent protests in Rajasthan, as rioters clashed with the police in battles that cost dozens of lives. Their outrage was driven by the government's refusal to categorise their caste as one of the lowest. They were fighting to be relegated to a lower social rank. India has the most comprehensive affirmative action programme in the world and downgrading would have qualified the protestors for valuable quota schemes in welfare, education and government jobs. As with so much in India, caste is an ancient institution that pervades everyday life, the mechanics of which remain a convoluted mystery. There was a buzz in 2007, when a *dalit* (the caste formerly known as "untouchables") was Bollywood 's first-ever lead character in Eklavya: The Royal Guard, but the character was played by Sanjay Dutt, a scion of one of India's leading film dynasties – his father Sunil was a brahmin and his mother Nargis a descendant of a "tawaif", an aristocratic courtesan. Despite there being more than 150 million dalits in India, not one has made a major dent in Bollywood. Still, Bollywood is one of the most campaigning and progressive forces in Indian society. Stars such as Amitabh Bachchan are outspoken in their opposition to casteism, and most major figures are associated with some humanitarian activism. Preity Zinta, for instance, sponsors an entire school of lower-caste girls. However, discussing caste is hampered by official taboos. One cannot refer to anyone as an "untouchable" in India, the term being analogous to "nigger" in the west. But while "nigger" can be employed in western cinema to make a social point, "untouchable" will be edited out by the censors there. Its not surprising that India's cinema has been so reluctant to tackle it. The first major attempt to deal with the subject was Achhut Kanya (Untouchable Maiden) in 1936. Like most films that have dealt with caste since, it framed the topic in a Romeo-and-Juliet tale of star-crossed lovers, undone by the gossip and intolerance of their families and surrounding community. The brutal realities of caste, its violence and sustaining context of superstition, ignorance and social neurosis have rarely been addressed head-on. The 2006 Bollywood movie Omkara, again borrowing from Shakespeare, remade Othello in the frontier regions of northern India, with a lower-caste political gangster substituted for the Moorish general. The theme remains that of a powerful outsider, paranoid about his status and manipulated because of it, rather than the banal cruelties and thoughtless traditions that blight everyday life across India. India's own political correctness also stifles the debate. In the mid-90s, the novelist Arundhati Roy vilified the makers of Bandit Queen, the most realistic and politically challenging film ever made about caste. The heroine was the real-life Phoolan Devi, whose gang-rape by the men of a higher-caste village turned her into a mass-murdering vigilante. Roy objected to Devi's sexual abuse being shown (albeit very inexplicitly) on screen while Devi was alive – despite the fact that Devi had given her express consent. Roy's hyper-sensitive Indian sexual mores dominated the larger debate on caste. "But gender and caste could not be separated," says Farrukh Dhondy, who wrote the film. "The fact is that Devi was raped because she was lower caste and those men thought they could get away with it. A woman's life in India is very much defined by caste." After 60 years of Indian democracy, lower castes have now established themselves as powerful voting blocs, leading to the rise of Mayawati, the first dalit woman to be elected to India's parliament and chief minister of its largest state, Uttar Pradesh – one of the most powerful figures in the country, able to make or break a government. Dhondy is currently working on a treatment for her biopic. "I want to show how she and her ancestry were treated and how, under democracy, she has galvanised the dalit vote to become such a political phenomenon," he says. "She is empowering them and radically transforming society." Caste will become an even bigger issue in India as the historically downtrodden consolidate themselves and take power from traditional elites. Even the habitual timidity of Bollywood will have to change as it is forced to address a subject it has previously kept to one side. From rohitrellan at aol.in Sat Dec 18 10:44:09 2010 From: rohitrellan at aol.in (rohitrellan at aol.in) Date: Sat, 18 Dec 2010 00:14:09 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Burka Bondage : Helena Waldmann and Ecotopia Dance Productions , New Delhi Message-ID: <8CD6C8989405F7B-12DC-D68C@webmail-d031.sysops.aol.com> Burka Bondage Helena Waldmann and Ecotopia Dance Productions Music/ Dance/ Theatre Sunday, 19.12.2010, 7.30 p.m. Abhimanch, National School of Drama, Bahawalpur House, Bhagwan Das Road Entry through passes available at Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan from Wednesday, December 1 onwards. Tel: +91 11 23329506 ext. 292 The powerful images in Return to Sender – Letters from Tentland in 2007 linger - vivid and intense. Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan presents Helena Waldmann once again, this time with Burka Bondage. Afghanistan, March 2001: after pointlessly firing guns and missiles for 26 days, the Taliban militia destroyed the world's two largest standing Buddha statues in the valley of Bamiyan, using three tons of explosives. They left behind only rubble and enormous gaps in the rock. Helena Waldmann discovered that the young Afghan actors she works with call themselves “Generation Rain”. A generation that even without the reign of the Taliban is disoriented and stuck in the rut of fundamentalist history. In Japan, a highly industrialised, rich country that couldn't be further from Afghanistan in many ways, Helena Waldmann experiences something similar: young people who have no faith in a self-chosen future, bound by the oppressive traditions of a rigidly structured and hierarchical society, call themselves “Lost Generation”, and take the destruction of the Buddhas in distant Afghanistan personally. Helena Waldmann has found a virtually iconic image for the parallels between both generations, for the fight for visibility and unleashing: Burka and bondage. The burka is an Afghan gown that covers people up. Bondage is a Japanese technique that shackles them. Helena Waldmann sets out on a search for the body without a face. With two female dancers who love extremes, a video animation artist and a genius on the drums. Helena Waldmann, born in 1962, is one of the most unusual artists in the field of theatre. She studied her craft with Heiner Müller, George Tabori and Gerhard Bohner, amongst others and graduated in Applied Theatre-Studies. Since 1991 she is working as theatre director and choreographer in Germany and abroad. For further information contact +91 11 2347 1112 Passes for this event can be collected from Goethe Institut/ Max Mueller Bhavan from 9.30 a.m. to 6 p.m. till 18th December 2010. The passes will be available on first-come first-served basis. From a.mani.cms at gmail.com Sat Dec 18 19:09:39 2010 From: a.mani.cms at gmail.com (A. Mani) Date: Sat, 18 Dec 2010 19:09:39 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] More semi-fascist Terror of TMC Message-ID: http://www.pragoti.org/node/4236 Best A. Mani -- A. Mani ASL, CLC,  AMS, CMS http://www.logicamani.co.cc From rohitrellan at aol.in Sun Dec 19 07:26:20 2010 From: rohitrellan at aol.in (rohitrellan at aol.in) Date: Sat, 18 Dec 2010 20:56:20 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] FLASHPOINT Human Rights Film Festival , Delhi( Jan 20-22, 2011) / Fourth International Film Festival on Cell Phone Cinema 2011/Drum Circle on Sunday the 19th December 2010 Message-ID: <8CD6D3710E26538-DB0-15038@Webmail-d118.sysops.aol.com> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Sridhar Rangayan, Festival Director Solaris Pictures, 28618239 / 98211 40940 flashpoint.hrff at gmail.com / sridhar.rangayan at gmail.com IGNITING CHANGE Film Festival in City gives a Wake up Call December 3, 2010 Mumbai Coinciding with the Human Rights Day, Mumbai city will play host to a hard hitting and thought provoking film festival on human rights issues. FLASHPOINT Human Rights Film Festival, that is being held from December 8th to 10th at the Alliance Francaise auditorium at Marine Lines brings together eight extraordinary films from around the world that deal with human rights issues Human Trafficking & Child prostitution; War Crimes; Religious Fundamentalism, Homophobia, Violence against Women, Death Penalty, Forced Disappearances, etc. “These movies will shock you and wake you up to the new realities that we all must understand and counter. The Flashpoint Human Rights film festival will hurl you into the hearts and the lives of those brave people who had the audacity to stand up alone against the tyranny of the oppressor”, says Mahesh Bhatt, filmmaker and rights activist, who will Inaugurate the Flashpoint film festival on December 8th at 11am. Well known theater person Dolly Thakore will also be a Guest of Honour at the opening ceremony. The eight films set in Algeria, Cambodia, China, Cuba, Iran, Italy, Nepal and the Gaza strip show how brave human rights defenders campaign for justice and human rights, often paying a very high price for their work. “These activists and/or their organizations play a crucial role in the worldwide protection and promotion of human rights”, says Taco Ruighaver, Director of Movies That Matter Film festival, Netherlands with whose support this festival has been organized. Apart from screening of films, there will be panel discussions on urgent and important topics like ‘human trafficking and inadequacy of the law’, ‘violence against women’ and ‘religious intolerance’ with eminent filmmakers Kalpana Lajmi, Bishakha Datta & Vinta Nanda; rights activists Priti Patkar & Flavia Agnes and advocates Maharukh Adenwala, PA Sebastian & Colin Gonsalves. “For me, it was a simple human response”, says Sridhar Rangayan, Festival Director, who also organized the hugely successful KASHISH Mumbai International Film Festival at PVR Juhu earlier this year, “I saw these films as a Jury member at the festival in Netherlands and I was so moved by the films, that I was determined to bring them to India to share with audiences here”. He hopes that the film festival and discussions will bring about a change in perceptions and mindsets and initiate action. “I want the festival to urge us to reflect, react, revolutionalize and act as a ‘flashpointers’ to usher in change.” This three day film festival being organized by Solaris Pictures, Mumbai, Magic Lantern Foundation, New Delhi and Movies That Matter, Netherlands. The festival will also screen in New Delhi from January 20-22nd , 2011. Gargi Sen, Festival Director, who will be organizing the Delhi screenings, says “The impulse to question, criticise and resist is varied but the films also fundamentally present the spirit of the change makers and their abilities to paint a future for mankind. I believe that engaging with these films will make us pause, think and take a re-look at our own lives and thereby create possibilities of change.” The festival organizers are expecting a good participation by the younger population, like students and youth groups, who have shown an interest in attending the festival. “If a change has to be made to end this human rights abuse, there has to be an outcry from the public, from every strata of society, from people of all walks of lives. The starting point of this could be very simple – just being informed and aware”, says Nandita Das, award winning actress, filmmaker and social activist in support of the festival, “A human rights film festival like FLASHPOINT makes us aware of the issues and if you are aware, you can possibly make a difference one day”. Details about films and schedule can be found at www.flashpointfilmfestival.com Phone: (022) 28618239 ; Email: flashpoint.hrff at gmail.com Support Messages from FLASHPOINTERS: http://tiny.cc/0l8s5 Review of films in Time Out by Nandini Ramnath : http://tiny.cc/2rxlu ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------- Fourth International Film Festival on Cell Phone Cinema 2011 Inspired by the success of the 3rd International Film Festival on Cell Phone Cinema, Asian Academy of Film & TV is now organizing the 4th International Film Festival on Cell Phone Cinema. The event to be held in 3rd week of January 2011 is open for participation from across the globe on 14th and 15th of Jan. What is Cell Phone Cinema? Cell Phone Cinema is an ode to the progeny of wireless telecommunication and a creative salute to the advancement of Graham Bell's innovation. The festival aims at extending the opportunity of creating and capturing images and videos through the simple use of our everyday pocket companion, the cell phone. It marks the advent of a new form of creative expression, that which is simple, basic and affordable and very convenient to use. The Competition: Task: Shooting a Film/music video / news/ still picture on MOBILE PHONE Registration Deadline: 8th January 2011 Length of the video: 3 minutes maximum Shooting Technique: Mobile Phone (cell phone) Registration Fee: None Purpose: To unleash the creative spark of the participants by using non traditional means of technology like the Cell Phone and create both motion and still imagery. The Task: Participants can shoot a Video (max. 3 minutes) or Still Picture using a mobile phone. Categories: The entries for the competition will revolve around the realm of : Fiction / Music Video Reality / Electronic News Gathering Still Image Prize Distribution: Total Prize – USD 3000 Rules of the Game: The competition is subject to certain restrictions, which are enlisted below: All entries to be created using a mobile phone. The entries should be original and not infringe on any copyright law. All work to be either uploaded on batchbuzz.com or the body of work can be sent on a CD at the festival office -- Marwah Studios , Fc-14/15, Film City , Sector 16 A ,Noida -201301 , UP India ). Decision of the Festival director will be final and binding to all the participants of cell phone cinema film festival. Announcement of Result: The film entries received from various countries will be judged by an international jury in New Delhi. The result for the 3 winner of the Cell Phone Cinema festival will be announced later . The list of the film entries, qualified for the finals, will be disclosed through the Internet. Jury: Prof Karl Bardosh - Master Prof. Tisch School of the Arts , NYU Ashok Tyagi Film Producer /Director Sandeep Marwah - President , Marwah Studios Gurbir Grewal - National Award Winner - Renowned Film Director Joao Ponces De Carvalho Film Director (PORTUGAL) Yennis Arnnis Film Maker (GREECE) Ludmilla Literature (RUSSIA) Terms of Use: 1. You agree that you shall not copy, duplicate, download, post, publish, modify, or otherwise distribute the material on this site for any commercial use, or for any purpose. 2. Content that is submitted to BatchBuzz.com or AAFT shall be owned exclusively and in perpetuity by BatchBuzz.com and AAFT. I. Such exclusive ownership means that BatchBuzz.com, AAFT, its parent, subsidiary, and/or affiliated companies have the unrestricted, perpetual, and exclusive right to use, reproduce, modify, translate, transmit, and distribute any and all materials and communications regarding and including submitted content. BatchBuzz.com and AAFT is under no obligation to give credit or pay any consideration to you for your content. II.BatchBuzz.com and AAFT do not assume responsibility or liability for any submitted content or for any claims, damages, or losses resulting from any use of the materials contained therein. For any queries please contact festival team at filmclub at aaft.com or log on to iftc.org.in ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------- Drum Circle on Sunday the 19th December 2010 , New Delhi Sunday, December 19 · 3:30pm - 5:30pm Location Deer Park,Enter From Hauz Khaz village side Created By Delhi Drum Circles, Yogesh Kumar Badobaria More Info )))) bhum bhum bu bhum (((( )))) bhum bhum bu bhum (((( Its happening again.... this sunday 19th DEC , Delhi Drum Circle jam :) looking forward to see more n more Kids on the block, they are most welcome to join us at any jamms.... see you all :) )))) bhum bhum bu bhum (((( From rohitrellan at aol.in Sun Dec 19 07:55:31 2010 From: rohitrellan at aol.in (rohitrellan at aol.in) Date: Sat, 18 Dec 2010 21:25:31 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] The Stepping Stone Film Festival , Bangalore Message-ID: <8CD6D3B2488F5A8-DB0-1525F@Webmail-d118.sysops.aol.com> The Stepping Stone Film Festival , SCREENING SCHEDULE – 2010 Venue: JAAGA Screening Room Address: No. 16/1, Rhenius Street, Off Richmond Road Opposite Hockey Stadium, Shanthinagar Bengaluru – 560025. INDIA 20 DECEMBER 2010 05:30 PM - The Vern – A One Hit Wonder Story (U S A), Director: joe McReynolds 07:30 PM - Summer Trip (Japan), Director: Hiroshi Toda 21 DECEMBER 2010 05:00 PM - Souvenirs (Germany), Director: Florianphilipp Gaull 06:15 PM - Buddhism Revolutions (Germany), Director: Torsten Lenz Shortlist – 2010 : http://wannabestudios.org/s2f2/archives/760 Mission and Objective MISSION AND OBJECTIVE The Stepping Stone Film Festival [S2F2] aims to be a showcase for emerging independent filmmaking talent from around the world. A strong focus on recognizing and rewarding outstanding narratives and excellent production values in low/no-budget films will aim to encourage aspiring filmmakers to take up the craft. An India-centric section, ‘India Calling’, will focus on feature films and shorts of Indian origin and in Indian languages, in order to give a much-need shot in the arm to independent filmmaking in India. Are films your thing? Then DO something about it.™ ABOUT THE FESTIVAL The S2F2 is a not-for-profit venture of Wannabe Studios, an online social network for independent filmmakers and aspirants from around the world, founded with a mission to make truly border-less collaboration possible in making commercially viable films without the big stars and the big budgets. The festival will be a seven-day-long event beginning on 06 December and ending on 13 December every year, to coincide with “Independent’s Day”, the anniversary of the founding of the Wannabe Studios online network. The grand finale will include a formal announcement of the winners in each category. Following the event, “The S2F2 Roadshow” will take the winning films around India in a series of screenings across multiple venues in multiple cities, to reach out to the maximum possible audience. All the best! We look forward to receiving your submission. For any queries or clarifications, please contact us at the following email address: steppingstone at wannabestudios dot org THE STEPPING STONE FILM FESTIVAL IS AN IMDB QUALIFYING FESTIVAL. If your film is accepted for consideration at the festival, it is automatically entitled to a film page on the world’s biggest movie database - imdb (The Internet Movie Database). Contact Details Address for Communication: The Stepping Stone Film Festival 6D/3 Nandi Gardens Phase One, J P Nagar 9th Phase, Bangalore – 560 062 INDIA Tel: +1 (310) 651 8042 [USA] +91 (80) 28436745 [INDIA] +91 8971475795 [INDIA] From aliens at dataone.in Sun Dec 19 13:36:22 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Sun, 19 Dec 2010 13:36:22 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] MODI OPERANDI Message-ID: <000c01cb9f53$a0e6e6e0$e2b4b4a0$@in> http://www.hindustantimes.com/Modi-operandi/Article1-638428.aspx Better intelligence and a purposeful Union home minister have contributed to India escaping a major terrorist assault since the horror of 26/11. Nevertheless, as the bombing of the Sheetla Ghat in Varanasi indicated, the threat is perennial. The Varanasi attack may have killed just one person — tragically, a one-year-old child — but was calculated to cause panic and trigger a stampede that may have claimed many more lives. It was a reminder that Indian Mujahideen (IM), the organisation behind the bombing, is alive and kicking. India's astonishingly poor record in terms of terrorist convictions remains a critical gap. Between the Parliament attack on December 13, 2001 and the trial of Ajmal Kasab for Mumbai 2008, there have been zero convictions for acts of terrorism in India. This is embarrassing for a country that is among the biggest victims of Islamist terror. In this context, the history of IM is instructive. An offshoot of the Students' Islamic Movement of India (Simi), IM first came into the public gaze in 2008, after the Ahmedabad bombings. Subsequently, the Gujarat police busted the IM network, made crucial arrests and linked key IM cells and operatives to a series of hitherto unsolved terror bombings in Delhi, Bangalore, Jaipur and other cities. If the past two years have been relatively calm, the steps taken by the Union government after 26/11 deserve credit. Even so, the Gujarat police also merits special mention for a crippling blow to the IM matrix, one from which it's still only beginning to recover. About 60 IM members — street troops, religious motivators, explosive technicians — were brought to trial in an Ahmedabad court. In February 2010, just as the case was gathering momentum, the accused filed a petition before the Supreme Court asking for their trial to be moved to another state, alleging they would not get justice in Gujarat. In an unorthodox decision, the apex court issued an ex parte order — without hearing the Gujarat government — and stayed the trial. That is where the matter rests. The trial of terrorists who bombed a series of Indian cities between 2005 and 2008 is still frozen, in a legal and political limbo. It's here that one needs to consider the congruence of political partisanship, civil society hyper-activism and terrorism. Nobody is suggesting that political parties or civil society activists are necessarily backing terror groups. Yet, by giving them ideas, by creating precedents and mechanisms for misuse, they are derailing the process of justice. The IM accused have deftly exploited the demonisation of Narendra Modi and Gujarat in sections of the media and among so-called activists who have made an industry of Modi phobia. Despite being accused of perjury and manufacture of documents, these activists have sought to convey the impression that justice can't be done in Gujarat, that Muslims who seek fair play (or need to prove their innocence) require to have their cases moved outside the state, to have these monitored by the Supreme Court and, when all else fails, go to the United Nations (UN). Unable to defeat Modi politically in Gujarat, the Congress has lent its shoulder to such dangerous practices. As long as they are affecting an individual politician, it is one thing. However, as is now apparent, the entire edifice of India's most robust challenge to IM has also been put at risk. It is worth asking where this excessive and mind-numbing focus on Modi is headed. Whether one likes his politics or doesn't, believes he is India's best chief minister or isn't, considers him a future prime minister or too much of a hot potato for BJP allies, the fact remains that he needs to be viewed through a conventional political prism and not one of a fevered imagination. Consider examples. One, it has been clear for a long time that there is no legal case against Modi for the 2002 violence and he is not guilty of acts of deliberate commission. With even the Supreme Court appointed Special Investigative Team (SIT) said to have to come to the same conclusion, Modi haters — who range from Mumbai-based celebrities to a retired police officer still settling bureaucratic scores — have begun to denounce the SIT and are approaching the UN Human Rights Commission. Two, the WikiLeaks cables reveal that western intelligence agencies believe the Lashkar-e-Tayyeba threat to Modi is clear and present and did not die out with the elimination of Ishrat Jehan and her accomplices. Jehan, a Mumbai student who fell into Lashkar's grip, was killed in an encounter with the Gujarat police in 2004. Modi's opponents insist she was innocent and the Laskhar plot a concoction. Perhaps now they will argue Modi wrote the WikiLeaks cables. How long can this continue? If any other Indian politician was found to be mentioned as a Lashkar target in the cables, it would have had the media engrossed. Not with Modi; it's almost as if he's fair game. As for the Union government, it wants to fight terrorists — but not terrorists whom the Gujarat police have found. It's so cynical; those 60 Indian Mujahideen men in Ahmedabad must be laughing. Ashok Malik is a Delhi-based political commentator. The views expressed by the author are personal. From rohitrellan at aol.in Mon Dec 20 08:26:08 2010 From: rohitrellan at aol.in (rohitrellan at aol.in) Date: Sun, 19 Dec 2010 21:56:08 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] UNDERSTANDING KASHMIR- THE MOVING IMAGES , Dec 20th, Mumbai In-Reply-To: <8CD6E083B7197B1-165C-1EF13@webmail-m059.sysops.aol.com> References: <8CD6E083B7197B1-165C-1EF13@webmail-m059.sysops.aol.com> Message-ID: <8CD6E0895E13AEF-165C-1EF7D@webmail-m059.sysops.aol.com> UNDERSTANDING KASHMIR- THE MOVING IMAGES    For the past several months the Kashmir valley has been in the grip of a spiraling violence. Protestors voicing their dissatisfaction with the authorities, unarmed except for stones have had the security forces open fire on them. No one has been spared, including women. About 110, mostly teenagers, have been killed in Kashmir since June 11 last. Fake encounters, disappearances, imprisonment without charges and killings with impunity of unarmed civilians voicing dissent and exercising their democratic rights have marked the lives of Kashmiris. Such utter violations of the human and constitutional rights of Kashmiris has been made possible by the imposition of draconian laws like the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and the Public Safety Act (PSA) on the Kashmir Valley.    Curfews and hartals have added mountains of misery to the lives of the people there resulting in loss of working days, loss of livelihoods, wages, and lives as they have prevented medicines and other essential supplies from reaching the sick and wounded, besides paralyzing the entire education system.    Kashmir Solidarity Group, Mumbai , is a group of people who are concerned about the human rights violations in Kashmir, and intends to create awareness among the youth and the people of this city about it.  This is our first initiative in the city to start a discussion and dialogue on the issue of Kashmir in various educational institutions . We would continue this activity every month in a college in 2011 as well.    Venue CHILDREN WELFARE CENTRE HIGH SCHOOL  YARI ROAD , VERSOVA ,ANDHERI WEST MUMBAI - 61  Bus routs nos.249 & 221 from Andheri west Railway Station , get down yari road last stop, ask for school which itself is a land mark in the area.  Time- 2.30pm- 6.30pm  PROGRAM SCHEDULE    FILM SCREENINGS AND DISCUSSION    1.Tell Them The Tree They Had Planted Has Now Grown.. By Ajay Raina- 58minutes    This film is a cinematic diary of a Kashmiri revisiting his home to witness the scars of a paradise lost.  Awards - Mumbai International Film Festival 2003, Golden Conch, - IDPA Documentary & Animated Films  Awards 2002, Second Best Documentary, - Radio and Advertizers Practitioners Award 2002, Best Documentary    2. Inshallah football, By Ashvin kumar and Giulia Achilli -82 minutes  A story about stone pelters, football and Kashmir.  India/2010/Urdu, Kashmiri, English dialouge with English subtitles /Colour/HDCam/82 mins Official selection in competition, Pusan International Film Festival & Dubai International Film Festival.    3.Yi As Akh Padshah Bai (There was a Queen…)  In Kashmiri , Urdu, Hindi and English with English subtitles.. By Kavita Pai and Hansa  The story of women and the peace initiatives in Kashmir. The film has been shot between 2005 and 2007 by an all-female crew. Won 4th JOHN ABRAHAM NATIONAL AWARD for 'Cinema of Resistance' in SIGNS 2009- the Indian festival for features and non-features, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India.    Panel discussion  Directors of the film Kavita Pai and Hansa and Senior Journalist Jatin Desai who recently visited Kashmir    Organised BY Kashmir Solidarity Group. Mumbai  email- withkashmir at ...    PL FWD TO ALL YOUR CONTACTS IN MUMBAI    Adv Kamayani Bali Mahabal  Mobile- 00919820749204  skype:lawyercumactivist    I carry a torch in one hand  And a bucket of water in the other:  With these things I am going to set fire to Heaven  And put out the flames of Hell  So that voyagers to God can rip the veils  And see the real goal........................................By Rabia (Rabi'a Al-'Adawiyya)  From c.anupam at gmail.com Mon Dec 20 09:43:55 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2010 09:43:55 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Poet made to pay for anti-Modi remark Message-ID: Allowing an anti-Narendra Modi remark to appear in an opinion piece carried in his poetry collection two years ago has brought the ire of higher-ups in Gujarat Urdu Sahitya Academy on Aqaal Shatir, a poet here. He has been asked to return the financial assistance that the Academy provided him for publishing the anthology. The Academy had provided Rs 10,000 to bring out his Urdu poetry book Abhi Zinda Hoon Main (I’m Still Alive). The Academy took exception to one sentence in the opinion piece written by Bhiwandi-based Raunaq Afroz and slapped a notice on Shatir asking to explain why he should not be asked to return the financial assistance, for “violating rules of acceptance”. More on : http://www.indianexpress.com/news/poet-made-to-pay-for-antimodi-remark/726964/ From chandni_parekh at yahoo.com Mon Dec 20 10:54:11 2010 From: chandni_parekh at yahoo.com (Chandni Parekh) Date: Sun, 19 Dec 2010 21:24:11 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] The Thomson Reuters Foundation Fellowship Programme for Journalists ((tag: Funds Offered)) Message-ID: <207933.17616.qm@web54408.mail.re2.yahoo.com> For details: http://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/fellowships/applying.html The Thomson Reuters Foundation Fellowship Programme offers fully funded Fellowships to well established mid-career journalists from throughout the world. Applicants must have a minimum of five years experience in any branch of journalism. Fellowships may be for three, six or nine months covering one or two terms or a full academic year respectively. Fellows at the RISJ on Thomson Reuters Foundation, Gerda-Henkel and Mona Megalli Fellowships will receive a monthly stipend from the RISJ for their living costs during their stay in Oxford, as well as covering travel costs within reason. Deadline: Feb 1, 2011 From javedmasoo at gmail.com Mon Dec 20 11:00:39 2010 From: javedmasoo at gmail.com (Javed) Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2010 11:00:39 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Fwd: Temples are being Demolished in India In-Reply-To: <32368.89127.qm@web82707.mail.mud.yahoo.com> References: <32368.89127.qm@web82707.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Message-ID: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: "R. Singh" Date: Sun, 19 Dec 2010 21:19:31 -0800 (PST) Subject: [peace initiative] Temples are being Demolished in India Temples are being demolished all over India. Please read the story. It's very sad. Please protest and write to every CM. >From Prof R. Singh Please circulate widely, and if possible, forward it with your comments to BJP Leaders and other concerned citizens Thanks ; KB ============================ Open Letter to BJP President and BJP’s CM of Karnataka Demolition of 5000 Temples by BJP Government in Karnataka Subject: (A) Stop destruction of temples under pretext of SC verdict; (B) Restore religious freedom by de-nationalizing temples and handing over their management to Hindu boards. Aadarniya Shri Nadkari ji, President, BJP, Hon’ble CM Yeddyurappa of Karnataka; and Respected Hindu Nationalists and Activists The Hindus and proponents of religious freedom throughout the world have been shocked and dismayed by the fact that the BJP run Karnataka Govt. without asking for a review or filing an appeal to challenge the questionable verdict of the Indian SC has decided to go forward and demolish some 5,000 temples in the state by 31st December 2010. (Attachment A) As the caretaker and custodian of these temples the Govt. was supposed to maintain and promote their interests; instead it has shamelessly chosen to become the instrument of their liquidation. These temples are alleged to have been built on public lands and the authorities without bothering to ascertain the opinion of the concerned electorate has not even cared to present a reasonable plan for their relocation. One hundred temples have already been destroyed. On the other hand not even a single mosque or church has been touched by the Govt. though hundreds of them stand on public lands. Additionally the Govt. has been diverting Temple’s funds and lands under its control for other than Hindu- religious purposes. With the current culture of growing financial and political corruption as evidenced by the 2G spectrum and Common Wealth games (CWG) scams and non- transparency in the governance of the Hindu Institutions under Endowments dept. there is a deep apprehension of their exploitation, abuse & misuse. Accordingly it would be highly desirable if the temples under the axe are allowed to function in lieu of the ones made dysfunctional or demolished and whose lands have been misused or misappropriated under unconstitutional official decrees. When officials divert huge sums of money for unconstitutional largesse - Hajj subsidies, building Hajj houses and Imams salaries at tax payer’s expense why can’t they allow the threatened temples function where they are or move them to alternate sites at Govt. expense? 1) It appears that there is a deliberate official effort to demolish Hindu religious infrastructure. It must be noted that The Karnataka state in the recent past has been squeezing the life out of Temples by siphoning off their revenue to promote adversarial religions– Inthe year 2002-2003, out of Rs 79 crores of temple revenues, Rs. 59.15 crores was given away to mosques, Madrasas, Hajj, etc., Rs. 12.75 crores was given to Christian institutions and a mere Rs. 7.1 crores were allocated to maintain over 248,000 temples. Such discrimination against Hindus and religious patronage for Muslims and Christians is highly questionable, illegal and provocative to a billion Hindus worldwide. During the five years of the report from 1997 to 2002 some 19,000 temples closed in Karnataka. Shocking Reverse Discrimination:How discriminatory and constitutionally unsound it is that on the one hand the Indian Govt. subsidizes the "Hajj" pilgrimage of the Muslims to the tune of Rs. 800 crores annually, provides Rs. 1000 crores per year for Imams salaries, and reservations in jobs and educational institutions are made on the basis of religious minority status, but on the other hand the Karnataka authorities are crusading to destroy the self- supporting foundations and structures of Hindu places of worship by financial strangulation and diverting funds to adversarial religions, thus effectively demolishing the Hindu religious infrastructure. 2) The Karnataka High Court upheld the obvious Constitutional mandate by striking down the Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowment Act, 1997 terming it unconstitutional.The verdict concluded that the legislation violated Articles 14, 25 and 26 of the Constitution which provided for right to equality, freedom of conscience and freedom of profession, practice and propagation of religion and also the freedom to manage the religious affairs. It is understood that the Committee appointed by the Govt. and headed by the former Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Shri Rama Jois, to review the Endowment legislation, has submitted its recommendations. But the Govt. has neglected to implement the High Court verdict and even kept the recommendation of the Rama Jois committee secret, to keep temples under its control (Ref 1, 2). 3) Further, Vital Functions of temples are denied under Govt. control:The temples are not just for rituals by purohits and objects of tourism as the endowments department would have us believe, but also the centers of community's socio-cultural and religious life, a place of learning with Acharya, for community sewa, dharma prachar and for character building. The exposition of the grandeur of Hinduism - its Vedas, Upanishads, Ramayana, Mahabharata, the Bhagwad Geeta - its glorious ancient culture, spirituality and values that the community would like to project and propagate - are not only being denied by state control, but the deliberate and irreversible Govt. actions in liquidating resources of endowments meant for sustenance in perpetuity could stop these for good. Professedly 'Secular' Karnataka penalizes Hinduism and patronizes Christianity at a great cost to the exchequer:By imposing Govt. control the state authorities are virtually demolishing Hindu religious infrastructure and thereby Hinduism itself. Yet they go out of the way to encourage evangelization - a case in point is Govt. providing facilities to Priest Benny Hinn, with an avowed aim of mass conversions, at the State government's Jakkur Airfield Training Ground on January 21-23, 2005 (Ref 1). 4) It is a matter of national shame that even after 60 years of independence, Hindus are denied human right to religious freedom:The Hindu world is baffled and indignant as to why it is denied the right to govern temples under autonomous Hindu Boards under the guidance of religious leaders, a practice prevalent and allowed to other religious formations. Indeed it may be the time for Nationalists to follow Lord Krishna's message in the Geeta for launching the "dharma raksha" and "dharma samsthapana" campaigns. 5) Hon’ble BJP President, CM of Karnataka and Respected Hindu Nationalists and Activists:May we request you to approach the Supreme Court for staying its order till the issue is examined afresh. It is more than possible that some of the temples may have been built before the partition of India, in which case the Parliament’s Act that the status of religious places will remain the same as on August 15, 1947 (or similar language to that effect) will be applicable and thus would be protected. Any lack of concern towards the resolution of such emotionally religious and sensitive issues by the BJP leadership which aspires to rule India can hardly earn the party an enthusiastic and sustainable support of the Hindu masses. The continuation of policies that shackle, humiliate and debilitate Hinduism under the BJP rule should be unthinkable unless it has embraced Rahul Gandhi’s anti-Hindu perverted philosophy. It should also be noted that some minority religionists, with foreign instigation, inspiration and funds are building mosques and churches by the thousands. We must also remind the BJP that denationalization of temples was one of the important points in its Agenda in 2009 elections, which seems to have been forgotten and not implemented in BJP ruled states, leading to the impression that its promises cannot be taken seriously. BJP’s talk of Hindutva and building of Shri Ram Temple in Ayodhya would remain unconvincing if non-contentious issues like protection and de-nationalization of temples are not taken seriously. Such a rational, legal and justifiable policy will obviously have influence upon many other states that have also illegally taken control of temples and are literally robbing the offerings and assets donated by the believers. Such a proactive action could lead to a favorable view of the BJP in future elections. In view of these objectives and above all the objective of “equal justice for all” we hope you will give top priority to the issue of stopping the Karnataka Govt. for committing an unpardonable blunder by employing official domain for destroying these 5,000 temples thereby shaking for good the very foundations of Hinduism in the state. Thanks for your time and consideration and hoping for a speedy action & response. Dr. Jagan Kaul Krishan Bhatnagar Hindu Jagran Forum (USA) December 19, 2010 References:1) Karnataka: Congrats CM Yeddyurappa: Please Liberate Hindu temples .....(June 11, 2008), www.bharatjagran.com 2) Karnataka - Hon'ble CM: Set up Hindu Advisory Councils for Temple Management ..... (July 02, 2007), www.bharatjagran.com ======================= Attachment A BJP Government in Karnataka to demolish 5000 temples ! 100 temples demolished till now December 15, 2010 Margashirsha Shukla Navami, KAliyug Varrsha 5112 Are the pro-Hindu organizations going to say something in protest or going to keep mum as usual ? Bangalore (Karnataka): Karnataka Government will be demolishing 5000 so-called unauthorized places of worship as a measure to implement the order issued by the Supreme Court. The temples to be demolished are 5000 including 1213 temples, 55 mosques, 17 churches and 4 Gurudwaras from Bangalore District. In South Canara District, there are 640 temples, 151 mosques, 32 churches and 10 Gurudwaras proposed to be demolished whereas in Bangalore city, there are 442 temples, 38 mosques and 95 churches and in Ramnagar District, there are 3 temples proposed to be demolished. In September 2009, the Supreme Court had issued an order to prepare a list of worship places built at public places which are to be demolished by 31st December 2010. The Government has demolished more than 100 temples till now. (The Supreme Court has so far passed many verdicts in the interest of the nation and people; but none of the verdicts has been so promptly implemented; an example of the same is death sentence given to Mohammad Afzal. Some of the verdicts passed by the Supreme Court like in Shahabano case, was changed so as not to hurt minorities; then why the Government is showing such promptness in demolishing temples? It is only because Hindus are not united that the Government suppresses their sentiments ! – Editor SP) Source: Daily Sanatan Prabhat http://www.hindujagruti.org/news/10921.html Read all such news here http://www.hindujagruti.org/news/category/save-temples/karnataka-temple-demolition From chandni_parekh at yahoo.com Mon Dec 20 11:27:59 2010 From: chandni_parekh at yahoo.com (Chandni Parekh) Date: Sun, 19 Dec 2010 21:57:59 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] Vikalp@Prithvi presents 'Beating the Bomb' | Dec 27, Bombay In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <21626.57750.qm@web54401.mail.re2.yahoo.com> E-group members can view the pretty poster (as always, by our friend and designer Nitesh Mohanty) on http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=168454013192008 Vikalp at Prithvi Presents BEATING THE BOMB Beatingthe Bomb is a feature length documentary that two London based activists, Meera Patel and Wolfgang Matt, began making three years ago and completed recently. The film is a grassroots effort that the film-makers describe as a labour of love, made with the aim of increasing awareness on issues grossly un(der) represented by the mainstream media. Despite being made on a micro budget with limited resources, the film maintains a high production value and this is evidenced by the fact that the film has recently been selected by 6 international festivals across the world (Austria, France, UK, USA, Turkey and Germany). The documentary frames the nuclear weapons issue within the wider context of global justice. The narrative follows the history of the British peace movement against the political backdrop of the atomic age (1941-present day). Nuclear weapons shaped the power structures that rose out of the rubble of the World War II and underpin them to this day. It is widely argued that the pressing issues of the day, from poverty to climate change cannot be tackled without addressing the underlying economic system. This film evidences the claim that the foundations of our economic system are 'straight power concepts'. The most straightforward of these concepts being the Bomb, both in its physical manifestation and also in the mindset it engenders and stems from. The film charts the efforts of individuals and organizations to rid Britain of its nuclear weapons system from past to present. It is not only a piece of revisionist history but also a tribute to the peace movement. Time and time again the peace campaigners challenge 'the myth of collective impotence' and stress the fact that it is wrong to think individuals can't make a difference; on the contrary, individuals, if determined, can in fact make a huge difference. The film is an attempt to mediate their conviction and thus inspire the viewer. The film-maker will join us for the screening and the Q&A session! On Monday, 27 December, 7 PM At Prithvi House, Opp Prithvi Theatre, Janki Kutir, Juhu Church Road, Mumbai Admission Free, On A First-Come-First-Seated Basis For any queries, email vikalp.prithvi at gmail.com Join the Vikalp at Prithvi group on Facebook! From shwetatewari28 at gmail.com Mon Dec 20 14:34:51 2010 From: shwetatewari28 at gmail.com (shweta tewari) Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2010 14:34:51 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Zubaan month at Bookwise Message-ID: Zubaan Celebrates 25 years of Feminist Publishing - Deepti Priya Mehrotra, Bhagat Oinam and Bimol Akoijam talk about Sarmila, her ten year-old-sturggle and other issues in Manipur and the Northeast - Readings from Irom Sarmila’s book of poems, Fragrance of Peace, by Rojesh Seram - Mono act by Rojio Usham - Music by Imphal Talkies, led by Akhu Join us for drinks and snacks at *Bookwise Bookstore*, 125a Shahpur Jat on Wednesday, 22nd December at 6.30 pm From the-network at koeln.de Mon Dec 20 16:35:08 2010 From: the-network at koeln.de (artNET) Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2010 12:05:08 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] =?iso-8859-1?q?NewMediaFest=272010_-_Christmas_Edit?= =?iso-8859-1?q?ion?= Message-ID: <20101220120508.5E9B2408.3FE4582D@192.168.0.3> NewMediaFest'2010 - Christmas edition --------------------------------------- program- week 52 ---> 20-26 December 2010 http://2010.newmediafest.org/?p=1221 --------------------------------------- 1. --------------------------------------- Feature of the Week 52 http://2010.newmediafest.org/?p=1218 JavaMuseum's netart journal "Celebrate!" - celebrating 10 years netart is proudly presenting this week 6 new exciting netart pieces by ---> Matias Giulani (Argentina, Ernesto Rios (Mexico) Aaron Oldenburg(USA, Matthieu Cherubini (CH) and the JavaMuseum Christmas Special - Perspectives 2003 ---> Annie Abrahams, David Crawford, Tsunamii.net Sachiko Hayashi, David Clark, Bruno Samper Jillian McDonald, Agence Topo, Gregory Chatonsky Thomson & Craighead, Gair Dunlop & Dan Norton, Babel Michael Szpakowski, Jody Zellen, and many more --------------------------------------- 2. --------------------------------------- Feature of the Month December 2010 http://2010.newmediafest.org/?p=1181 artvideoKOELN, CologneOFF & VideoChannel present Family Affair 1 -Mother featuring videos by following artists Unnur Andrea Einarsdottir (Iceland) - Antonio Alvarado (Spain) Jessica Curry (UK) - Antti Savela (SWE) - Joshua & Zachary Sandler (USA) Grace Graupe-Pillard (USA) - Wilfried Agricola de Cologne (D) Grace Schwindt (UK) - Jeanette Louie (USA) - Caterina Davinio (IT) Marina Landia (Georgia) - Paolo Bonfiglio (IT) - Henry Gwiazda (USA) Anders Weberg (SWE) - and many more --------------------------------------- 3. --------------------------------------- Christmas Special presented by CologneOFF- Cologne International Videoart Festival http://2010.newmediafest.org/?p=1221 -Here We Are!!- - CologneOFF IV experimental film and videoart by: Dario Bardic, David Jakubovic, Daniel Slåttnes Grace Schwindt, Giuseppe Girardi, Felipe Matilla Alonso, Ane Lan, Daniel Rodrigo, Carla Della Beffa, Sinasi Günes, Yu Cheng Yu, Shoko Toda, Christian Bermudez, Liu Wei, Jay Needham, Mihai Grecu, Nhieu Do Sheldon Brown, Michael Fortune - and many more --------------------------------------- 4. --------------------------------------- SoundLAB Christmas Edition - presents "SoundLAB II" http://2010.newmediafest.org/?p=1221 is featuring soundart by --> (((controller-band, Abinadi Meza, AGGTELEK Alexander Kharkovsky, Alfredo R. Castruita/Gildardo Cruz Rojas Arie v. Schutterhoef, B. Suter & R. Bauer, Benjamin B. Kinsley Caroline de Lannoy, Catherine Clover, Cezary Ostrowski Ch. & W. HENG, Colin Black, Darko Vuckovic, Eduardo P. Carlson Future Remix, gregory chatonsky and many more --------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- The entire Team of NewMediaFest'2010 and all associated partners wish all their friends all over the world a Merry Christmas and a Happy Peaceful New Year 2011. All details and links on http://2010.newmediafest.org/?p=1221 --------------------------------------- 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 drew at futureeverything.org Mon Dec 20 17:56:44 2010 From: drew at futureeverything.org (drew at futureeverything.org) Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2010 04:26:44 -0800 Subject: [Reader-list] FutureEverything 2011 Festival Update Message-ID: FutureEverything 2011 Global festival of art, music & ideas 11-15 May 2011 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Festival Passes Now On Sale | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Festival Passes are now available for FutureEverything 2011 - the globally celebrated, award winning festival which has "put Manchester at the forefront of smart-city thinking" (Guardian). Save 1/3rd on festival pass prices until 28th February 2011. http://2010.futureeverything.org/buytickets | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Future art of a smart city | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Experience the future art of a smart city, FutureEverything offers a unique glimpse of stunning new forms of artwork, visualisation and engagement possible in the age of open data and networked cities. 2011's art programme will engage all of the senses and bring the best in digitally inspired creativity to Manchester. http://2010.futureeverything.org/news/artintro2011 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Warpaint to play FutureEverything 2011 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | We're delighted to announce Warpaint are among the hotly tipped music acts confirmed for FutureEverything 2011. Four nights of unforgettable live music - FutureEverything's renowned music programme brings pioneering acts from across the world to the heart of Manchester. http://2010.futureeverything.org/news/musicintro2011 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | FutureEverything Conference | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Top-level debate and keynotes on the possibilities of the near-future, the power of globally-connected communities, and the impact of Open Data upon society, digital culture and art. 12-13 May 2011 sees the return of the internationally acclaimed FutureEverything Conference. http://2010.futureeverything.org/news/ideasintro2011 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Award Jury Now Shortlisting | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Submitted entries have been passed to the International Jury who will select the three outstanding projects that will fight it out for the 2011 prize. The Winner will be decided by an open vote by the FutureEverything Community in 2011. The Jury in 2011 is Bruce Sterling (US), Yukiko Shikata (JP) and Jeremy Myerson (UK). http://2010.futureeverything.org/news/awardjury2011 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Showcase Open Call - Now Open | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | The FutureEverything Showcase is a program of independently run art and music events across the city, presenting new and groundbreaking talent and giving the opportunity for more people to participate in the festival. Submit your event - Want to stage an event in FutureEverything 2011? http://2010.futureeverything.org/news/showcaseopencall2011 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Community Is King - Smart Cities | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | The Guardian recently profiled FutureEverything on the cover of its two IBM sponsored Smarter Cities supplements. The Guardian commissioned a text by FutureEverything's director Drew Hemment and highlighted the work been done by FutureEverything to position Manchester at "the forefront of smart-city thinking". http://guardian.co.uk/smarter-cities http://2010.futureeverything.org/news/smarter-cities | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | GloNet Film Released | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | GloNet at FutureEverything 2010 was a prototype for a new kind of globally networked event, shifting FutureEverything from a single city festival to one taking place simultaneously at venues around the globe. Innovation was at the heart of FutureEverything 2010 as five cities around the world connected live with the festival and conference. http://vimeo.com/17709873 http://futureeverything.org/ From babuubab at gmail.com Tue Dec 21 12:41:52 2010 From: babuubab at gmail.com (SUNDARA BABU) Date: Tue, 21 Dec 2010 12:41:52 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Use of torture to extract confession, anyone surprised? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Jyotilal Singh jyotilal.singh at ahrc.asia Dear Friends, Torture in India is a ‘tool’ for the security forces either to extract information or for confessions, according to the latest leak cable news. The report asserts that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was concerned about New Delhi's despicable tolerance of the issue and that the government practically did nothing to prevent torture and has consistently condoned it. Please find below the statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission *INDIA: Use of torture to extract confession, anyone surprised? *and feel free to circulate to your friends and others. With regards ~Jyotilal ---------- Forwarded message ---------- *FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE *AHRC-STM-264-2010 December 17, 2010 *A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission * *INDIA: Use of torture to extract confession, anyone surprised? * The latest news by the WikiLeaks claims that India has systematically used torture to extract confessions and has allowed its armed forces to resort to brutal human rights abuses like extrajudicial executions and disappearances to instil fear, and thus control the population in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The report asserts that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was concerned about New Delhi's despicable tolerance of the issue and that the government practically did nothing to prevent torture and has consistently condoned it. The lack of action by the government and the impossibility of the government soldiers to be investigated or punished for engaging in torture has contributed in no less terms towards the alarmingly high number of extrajudicial executions and disappearances in that state, the leaked wires claim. Torture, extrajudicial execution and disappearances are no news to Indians though. The diplomatic wires leaked by the WikiLeaks and the sudden news value it has attained in India and abroad is similar to someone expressing surprise after hearing that the earth's shape is very close to that of an oblate spheroid and not a perfect sphere. The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), AHRC's national partners, as well as other civil society groups in the country and aboard have been contenting for years, with sufficient proof, that the practice of torture and encounter killings - a euphemism for extrajudicial executions in India - is consistent and widespread in the country. During the past six decades, the practice of torture and the number of encounter killings have only increased steadily and it never showed a tendency to decrease. The AHRC has analysed this issue, and has been arguing that torture is used as a tool for social control in India. The AHRC has contented that similar is the state of affairs in other South Asian states like Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. In fact more than 80 percent of AHRC's human rights interventions on its engagement in South Asia is against torture, all of which is available at http://humanrights.asia The AHRC has consistently argued that the widespread use of torture in the region is the result of the failed domestic institutions, in particular, the police, prosecution and the judiciary and hence is the central deficit in realising human rights in the region. The AHRC has been drawing the attention of national governments as well as that of the international human rights community to this issue, and has been consistently urging the international community in particular, to work with the national governments and the civil society in the region to address this perennial issue, without which there can be no visible improvement to the protection, promotion and fulfilment of human rights in the region. Concerning India, the AHRC has reported, in the past six years, more than 500 cases with meticulously documented details, including names, dates, places and even affidavits of victims of torture. Each of these cases, reported through the Urgent Appeals programme of the AHRC, has been reported to the Government of India, the respective state governments and the United Nations' Special Rapporteur on Torture calling for an immediate intervention and necessary action. The AHRC has reported when the elected representatives and the law enforcement officers in the country have publically stated that they believe in torture as an effective and necessary tool for crime investigation. The national media has reported at least a dozen incidents in the past 36 months where uniformed police officers where documented torturing suspects in full public view. The AHRC has consistently argued with evidence, that today torture in India is not a mere tool for crime investigation, but it is more o ften used for extracting bribes, that it promotes corruption, is used for silencing political dissent and to instil fear in the population. The AHRC has argued with proof that torture is most often used against the poor and members of the minority communities. The Supreme Court of India, over the years and on several occasions, has held that the practice of torture is widespread in India and the Court has repeatedly ordered the government to take remedial actions to contain it. The National Human Rights Commission and the short-lived National Police Commission has recommended the Government of India that unless the police is trained and equipped to discharge their responsibilities, that meets the operative standards of a civilian service in a democratic state, the police will continue to use torture as a crude tool to meet their ends. Yet, the government of India has done nothing to address the issue so far. The farcical approach of the Government of India concerning this serious issue that has made disastrous dents upon the very notion of democracy in the country is evident from the 242-worded law that it passed in the lower house of the Indian Parliament - the Lok Sabha - this year and claimed it to be the law that would suffice the need of the time and will enable the country to ratify the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT) and is thereby equipped to end torture in India. The AHRC's analysis of the issue is now available in its most recent issue of Article 2, which is available here. In states like Chhattisgarh and Orissa, where the national government as well as the state administrations are engaged in countering modern India's product to the region - the Naxalites - resulting out of the despicable neglect of the needs of its rural population, the police as well as state sponsored private militia like the Salwa Judum, are engaged in widespread use of torture with impunity. Conditions in Manipur and Jammu and Kashmir is the several folds multiplied effect of the same nemesis, where the Indian armed forces, armoured with the statutory immunity provided by the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 is in operation. It defies commonsense and insults intellect to expect a government that has done practically nothing to prevent torture in rest of the country where it has to fight no armed insurgents, not to allow its armed units stationed in Manipur or Jammu and Kashmir to practice torture or murder civilians. Those who are from these states, including human rights defenders who have dared to speak against the government, have faced the wrath of the Indian administration. Internationally acclaimed human rights defender and lawyer, Mr. Parvez Imroz, from Jammu and Kashmir is yet to be allowed to travel outside India, since the government has denied him a passport. Human rights defenders in Manipur are afraid that they would be arrested, tortured and even murdered at the behest of the central government or the absolutely corrupt state administration, should they dare to speak about torture or about state-sponsored murders. Environmental activist and human rights defender, Mr. Jiten Yumnam, in Manipur was arrested last year and charged with a fabricated case registered under the non-bailable provisions of the draconian National Security Act, 1980 only because he has been vocal against corruption within the Manipur state administration. Jiten was arrested from Imphal airport, while he was preparing to travel to New Zealand to participate in an international human rights consultation. Yet, in response to the WikiLeaks news, the government of India has officially responded that torture in India is its internal affair. The government spokesperson has claimed that the government views the news as not serious enough to make a detailed response. Indeed this is expected. It is the same response of the government whenever it is questioned about yet another brutal form of human rights violation practiced in India, caste-based discrimination. What the government fails to admit is that discrimination has never been an internal affair of India, though India still has a caste-enslaved population estimated to constitute 20 percent of the country's population, unable to free from this brutal social and structural evil. Neither are torture or extrajudicial executions, issues remote and irrelevant, to remain as a miniscule family feud between Indians. These are crimes having universal jurisdiction, that today, the rest of the world consider these crimes as crimes against humanity. If the arguments advanced by the government of India are to be accepted, by condoning apartheid, India was interfering in South Africa's internal affairs and thereby breaching international law. India could also be held responsible for violating state sovereignty and international law for participating in the UN intervention in Rwanda. Lt. General Shiva Kumar, the third and the last Force Commander of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Rwanda could be then held for leading an international invasion of Rwanda. A government that condones caste based discrimination, or torture or extrajudicial executions disserve only contempt. Any government that obstructs the punishment and prevention calls for global humiliation. Its leaders can be prosecuted and punished if they travel to civilised jurisdictions. Or is it that the government of India believes that Indians are not human. Conversely, is it that the government of India that is inhuman? # # # *About AHRC: The Asian Human Rights Commission is a regional non-governmental organisation monitoring and lobbying human rights issues in Asia. The Hong Kong-based group was founded in 1984. * *International Human Rights Day 2010 - Download our pre-print PDF version of the annual reports here .* ----------------------------- Asian Human Rights Commission 19/F, Go-Up Commercial Building, 998 Canton Road, Kowloon, Hongkong S.A.R. Tel: +(852) - 2698-6339 Fax: +(852) - 2698-6367 URL: humanrights.asia twitter/youtube/facebook: humanrightsasia *Please consider the environment before printing this email.* From leonardo.electronic.almanac at gmail.com Tue Dec 21 14:26:48 2010 From: leonardo.electronic.almanac at gmail.com (Lanfranco Aceti) Date: Tue, 21 Dec 2010 09:56:48 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] LEA Rekindled 1 Message-ID: Dear All, Leonardo Electronic Almanac has inherited a large archive of papers, articles and information. This material was held in the archive as historical documentation and as part of the revamp of LEA we have decided to revisit this history and compare it with contemporary developments. LEA rekindled 1 is the first historical comparative issue of the Leonardo Electronic Almanac on the history and contemporary developments at the intersection of art, science and technology. For this first issue of LEA rekindled, our editorial intention is to re-open a dialogue with those who participated and contributed towards building the history of contemporary art interactions with science and technology as well as with the new generations of artists, critical commentators, scientists and technology experts. You can find out more information on: http://ow.ly/3pA9D We are asking to the community at large to consider LEA rekindled not only as an academic publication outlet but also as a repository for images and documentation (photographic, audio and video). If you have images from some of the art, science and technology events of the past 20 years that you would like to contribute for publication, please do get in touch with LEA staff by sending an email to: info at leoalmanac.org with the subject ‘LEA rekindled 1’. We look forward to the opportunity of working with you in re-contextualizing, publishing and archiving these images, artworks and documentation in stable formats. LEA is also delighted to announce that for the rekindled issues the Senior Editorial and Curatorial team is composed of: Lanfranco Aceti, Paul Brown, Beryl Graham, Craig Harris, Errki Huhtamo, Stephen Jones, Terrence Masson, Frieder Nake, Christiane Paul and Bruce Wands. Follow LEA on: The Newsletter: http://ow.ly/3pAgW Facebook: http://ow.ly/3pAjd Flickr: http://ow.ly/3pAKp Twitter: http://ow.ly/3pALO For more information contact: Ozden Sahin, ozden.sahin at leoalmanac.org Leonardo is a registered trademark of Leonardo/ISAST. From labor at buchsenhausen.at Tue Dec 21 14:39:59 2010 From: labor at buchsenhausen.at (=?ISO-8859-15?Q?K=FCnstlerhaus_B=FCchsenhausen?=) Date: Tue, 21 Dec 2010 10:09:59 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] =?iso-8859-15?q?INTERNATIONAL_FELLOWSHIP_PROGRAM_FO?= =?iso-8859-15?q?R_ART_AND_THEORY_AT_K=DCNSTLERHAUS_B=DCCHSENHAUSEN=3A_CAL?= =?iso-8859-15?q?L_FOR_APPLICATIONS_2011-12?= Message-ID: <4D106EE7.90500@buchsenhausen.at> INTERNATIONAL FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM FOR ART AND THEORY AT KÜNSTLERHAUS BÜCHSENHAUSEN CALL FOR APPLICATIONS 2011-12 Künstlerhaus Büchsenhausen invites visual and media artists, art critics, theorists, and curators to apply for a fellowship in 2011--2012. Candidates can apply for one semester (October 3, 2011 -- February 11, 2012 or February 14, 2012 - June 24, 2012). The fellowship can be split across two semesters. CLOSING DATE FOR SUBMISSIONS: JANUARY 31, 2011 (POSTMARK). With its "Fellowship Program for Art and Theory", Büchsenhausen promotes internationally relevant artistic production, research, and discussion in the region of Tyrol. The program is based on the idea of generating and maintaining a context for production and discussion, in which artists and theorists can connect and reflect on international art and societal discourses in relation to local topics and issues. At the same time, it affords the opportunity for an artistic laboratory of experimentation, where new artistic practices and strategies may be tried out. The program's aims are: * to promote and relay a critical, socially relevant production of knowledge in art and art theory; * to produce, through the fellowship projects, qualified discourses on art and society within the local and global contexts; * to enable the transfer of knowledge between the field of art and other publics outside the art context; * to facilitate the exchange between cultural producers in the visual arts and beyond (creating a network of experts). The program brings together the advantages of a residency with the possibilities of a postgraduate non-university lectureship, without offering a formalized educational program. In terms of content, the program addresses a worldwide public made up of professionals in the fields of contemporary art, architecture, art and media theory, and criticism. The fellows are selected by a jury of experts following an open call for applications. They come to Büchsenhausen for one or two semesters to work on realizing their submitted projects or research, and accompany this process with public events. For this purpose, Büchsenhausen offers a monthly stipend, a production budget, working spaces, free lodging, and artistic and technical advice. The conveyance and discussion of the fellow's own work occurs parallel to the development of the individual projects. The public events take place in series. The focus of these series of events is determined by the respective emphases of the various fellows' works. Within the framework of this discursive format, the fellows (or their guests) can present various points in their research, open up their works-in-progress to critical discussion, interact with experts who they invite, work through content with the public, and/or try out new ways of working. The fellowship year ends with a group exhibition curated by the director of the Fellowship Program. The entire call and further information about the application procedure can be found at http://buchsenhausen.at. For additional information, please contact: office at buchsenhausen.at, phone +43 512 278627, fax -11. -- Kunstlerhaus Buchsenhausen Weiherburggasse 13/12 6020 Innsbruck, Austria phone +43 512 278627 fax +43 512 278627-11 office at buchsenhausen.at http://buchsenhausen.at http://kuenstlerschaft.at member of www.innsbruckcontemporary.at www.baettle.net From javedmasoo at gmail.com Tue Dec 21 15:11:01 2010 From: javedmasoo at gmail.com (Javed) Date: Tue, 21 Dec 2010 15:11:01 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Mecca Masjid blast accused linked to Samjhauta blast Message-ID: Mecca Masjid blast accused also linked to Samjhauta train attack: NIA Rajinder Nagarkoti, TNN, Dec 21, 2010, 02.49pm IST PANCHKULA: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has claimed that Hyderabad's Mecca Masjid blast accused, Swami Asimanand was also involved in the February 2007 Samjhauta train blasts that killed 68 people, mostly Pakistanis. The agency procured a warrant from a court here to produce the suspect for further questioning in the case. Sources said that NIA, in its application submitted to the additional district and sessions court (a special court for Samjhauta blasts case), stated that it had sufficient evidence against the Swami. Accepting their plea, Judge Ritu Garg granted a production warrant till January 3. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had arrested 59-year-old Swami on November 19 from Haridwar in connection with the blast at the historic Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad on May 18, 2007. Nine persons were killed in the explosion. Sources said, during his interrogation by CBI sleuths, the Swami had reportedly admitted his involvement in Samjhauta Express blasts. Sixty-eight people were killed when bombs were set off in two coaches of cross-country Samjhauta Express around midnight on February 18, 2007 at Diwana near Panipat. Only 38 victims could be identified and most of them were Pakistani nationals on their return journey to Lahore. Investigation into the blasts had found that six firebombs along with timers, which were kept inside six suitcases, were purchased from an outlet in Indore. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Mecca-Masjid-blast-accused-also-linked-to-Samjhauta-train-attack-NIA/articleshow/7138809.cms From chandni_parekh at yahoo.com Tue Dec 21 15:21:58 2010 From: chandni_parekh at yahoo.com (Chandni Parekh) Date: Tue, 21 Dec 2010 01:51:58 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] NGOPost - Share your content with a wider audience Message-ID: <124473.59886.qm@web54407.mail.re2.yahoo.com> NGOPost is one of the few sites I actively contribute to. Do consider sharing your blog posts, etc. related to social issues on it... and also on the Karmayog e-group. A list of other e-groups is on http://chandni.posterous.com/a-list-of-some-e-groups-from-india ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Goli Date: 21 December 2010 12:18 Subject: Share your content/newsletter with a wider audience NGOPostis an online community for the development sector. @NGOPost, you can read stories, watch videos, connect with organisations and also submit/share your stories, requirements, newsletters and a lot more. It is a very active platform, where you can get a lot of suggestions/answers and feedback. We have been making improvements @NGOPost to ensure that users have a better user experience. So now we have made submitting stories even more easier. All you have to do is to send email to submit at ngopost.org. Once you send the email, your story will get published on to the site. You will get the notification at your email address when the story is published. Further, you can also attach images, documents, newsletters with the email and those will also get published on to the site. So, it is a great way to share your work, your reports, your newsletter to wider audiences. Once you submit the story, you will automatically also get subscribed to the story, i.e. you will get email notifications for any comments/updates to your story. This will help you easily connect with the users and community. Your story also goes out on twitter and in the Daily Digest newsletter which has about 12000+ subscribers. You can also subscribe to the Daily Digest to receive the stories and comments by email, by going to www.ngopost.org, and subscribing to the Daily Digest. So, come and share your thoughts, your work, your ideas with the vibrant community. You can also share events, volunteer requirements, & questions. Let us build on the knowledge of this sector and keep the spirit of sharing/collaborating going. For any comments/suggestions feel free to write at contact at ngopost.org -- NGOPost Team. From jeebesh at sarai.net Tue Dec 21 16:19:23 2010 From: jeebesh at sarai.net (Jeebesh) Date: Tue, 21 Dec 2010 16:19:23 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Wu Yongfang, the Hunger Artist Message-ID: <1FBC266A-E24B-4432-B7A4-2AA309EB9E09@sarai.net> dear all, this essay on a hunger artist in China. Very intriguing. Do read it. warmly jeebesh Hu Fang Wu Yongfang, the Hunger Artist http://www.e-flux.com/journal/view/141 "Michael Jackson had been preparing for his death for a very long time. Why do I say this? He had already experienced the death of his physical body once, twice, countless times. His physical body faded away long ago. It was transfigured into an image. He had been living inside his image for a long time. This final death was merely the realization of his eternal life. It is inevitable that the body will eventually disappear, but the image lives on forever. When his body finally died, I had a sudden realization." From ysaeed7 at yahoo.com Tue Dec 21 18:36:24 2010 From: ysaeed7 at yahoo.com (Yousuf) Date: Tue, 21 Dec 2010 05:06:24 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] Jafar Panahi given 6 Years in Jail, 20 Years of Silence Message-ID: <109989.90261.qm@web161208.mail.bf1.yahoo.com> Jafar Panahi Sentenced to 6 Years in Jail, 20 Years of Silence Shocking and terrible news from Tehran today. Farideh Gheirat, a lawyer representing several of the politicians, journalists and artists detained during the protests that immediately followed the disputed 2009 Iranian presidential election, has told the ISNA news agency (as reported by Reuters and the AFP) that Jafar Panahi has been sentenced to six years in jail and that his "social rights," including "making movies, writing scripts, foreign travel and giving interviews to domestic and foreign media, have been taken away for 20 years." "Panahi, an outspoken supporter of Iran's opposition green movement, was convicted of gathering, colluding and propaganda against the regime," reports Saeed Kamali Dehghan. "Hamid Dabashi, a professor of Iranian studies at Columbia university, told the Guardian the sentence showed Iran's leaders could not tolerate the arts. 'This is a catastrophe for Iran's cinema,' he said. 'Panahi is now exactly in the most creative phase of his life and by silencing him at this sensitive time, they are killing his art and talent. Iran is sending a clear message by this sentence that they don't have any tolerance and can't bear arts, philosophy or anything like that. This is a sentence against the whole culture of Iran. They want the artists to sit at their houses and stop creating art. This is a catastrophe for a whole nation." Gheirat has announced that she will appeal this decision, so we do have some hope that this incredibly harsh sentence will not stand. Panahi was one of several mourners who'd gathered near the grave of Neda Agha-Soltan in a Tehran cemetery who were arrested in July 2009. So, too, was filmmaker Muhammad Rasoulof, who has also been sentenced to six years today. When Panahi was released that summer, his passport was revoked and he was forbidden to leave the country. In March of this year, he was arrested again because, as the Iranian culture minister put it, he "was making a film against the regime and it was about the events that followed election." Throughout the ordeal, prominent filmmakers, film societies and festivals formally protested Panahi's detainment, and finally, in May, he was released on bail. The speech he delivered during his hearing in November has been widely cited and quoted, and you can read it in full at Current Conflicts. Here's just a bit: "You are putting me on trial for making a film that, at the time of our arrest, was only 30 percent shot. You must have heard that the famous creed, 'There is no god, except Allah,' turns into blasphemy if you only say the first part and omit the second part. In the same vein, how can you establish that a crime has been committed by looking at 30 percent of the rushes for a film that has not been edited yet?... I, Jafar Panahi, declare once again that I am an Iranian, I am staying in my country and I like to work in my own country. I love my country, I have paid a price for this love too, and I am willing to pay again if necessary. I have yet another declaration to add to the first one. As shown in my films, I declare that I believe in the right of 'the other' to be different, I believe in mutual understanding and respect, as well as in tolerance; the tolerance that forbid me from judgment and hatred. I don't hate anybody, not even my interrogators." Earlier this month, TIFF Cinematheque ran a retrospective of Panahi's work: "With five critically acclaimed and copiously awarded features to his name, Panahi is one of the major figures of the New Iranian cinema; once the protégé to Abbas Kiarostami, Panahi has forged a style and path all is own. His cohesive body of work owes much to Italian neo-realism, with his documentary style and preference for mostly non-professional actors, and a fierce belief in human and social rights." One of the films screened was The Accordian, a short that's Panahi's contribution to Then and Now: Beyond Borders and Differences, an omnibus film supported by the United Nations; the film premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September. Panahi: "The Accordion is the story of humankind’s materialistic need to survive in a pretentious religion. In it, a boy is prevented from playing for reasons of religious prohibition, which he accepts in order to survive. But the main character of the film is the girl or, perhaps, in my view, the symbol of the next generation." http://mubi.com/notebook/posts/2671 From sadiyahalimakhan at gmail.com Tue Dec 21 19:20:56 2010 From: sadiyahalimakhan at gmail.com (Sadiya H) Date: Tue, 21 Dec 2010 19:20:56 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Jafar Panahi given 6 Years in Jail, 20 Years of Silence In-Reply-To: <109989.90261.qm@web161208.mail.bf1.yahoo.com> References: <109989.90261.qm@web161208.mail.bf1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: This is disgraceful. Suppressing basic rights of expression is death of rights anywhere in the world. No culture, no country can thrive by suppressing its artists and Iran or let's say Persia has been long thriving country not because of its rulers or the identities imposed by them but because of the artists and poets and sufi saints who have carved the fundamentals of the country which has been more of a civilization. Sadia Halima On Tue, Dec 21, 2010 at 6:36 PM, Yousuf wrote: > Jafar Panahi Sentenced to 6 Years in Jail, 20 Years of Silence > > Shocking and terrible news from Tehran today. Farideh Gheirat, a lawyer > representing several of the politicians, journalists and artists detained > during the protests that immediately followed the disputed 2009 Iranian > presidential election, has told the ISNA news agency (as reported by Reuters > and the AFP) that Jafar Panahi has been sentenced to six years in jail and > that his "social rights," including "making movies, writing scripts, foreign > travel and giving interviews to domestic and foreign media, have been taken > away for 20 years." > > "Panahi, an outspoken supporter of Iran's opposition green movement, was > convicted of gathering, colluding and propaganda against the regime," > reports Saeed Kamali Dehghan. "Hamid Dabashi, a professor of Iranian studies > at Columbia university, told the Guardian the sentence showed Iran's leaders > could not tolerate the arts. 'This is a catastrophe for Iran's cinema,' he > said. 'Panahi is now exactly in the most creative phase of his life and by > silencing him at this sensitive time, they are killing his art and talent. > Iran is sending a clear message by this sentence that they don't have any > tolerance and can't bear arts, philosophy or anything like that. This is a > sentence against the whole culture of Iran. They want the artists to sit at > their houses and stop creating art. This is a catastrophe for a whole > nation." > > Gheirat has announced that she will appeal this decision, so we do have > some hope that this incredibly harsh sentence will not stand. Panahi was one > of several mourners who'd gathered near the grave of Neda Agha-Soltan in a > Tehran cemetery who were arrested in July 2009. So, too, was filmmaker > Muhammad Rasoulof, who has also been sentenced to six years today. When > Panahi was released that summer, his passport was revoked and he was > forbidden to leave the country. In March of this year, he was arrested again > because, as the Iranian culture minister put it, he "was making a film > against the regime and it was about the events that followed election." > Throughout the ordeal, prominent filmmakers, film societies and festivals > formally protested Panahi's detainment, and finally, in May, he was released > on bail. > > The speech he delivered during his hearing in November has been widely > cited and quoted, and you can read it in full at Current Conflicts. Here's > just a bit: "You are putting me on trial for making a film that, at the time > of our arrest, was only 30 percent shot. You must have heard that the famous > creed, 'There is no god, except Allah,' turns into blasphemy if you only say > the first part and omit the second part. In the same vein, how can you > establish that a crime has been committed by looking at 30 percent of the > rushes for a film that has not been edited yet?... I, Jafar Panahi, declare > once again that I am an Iranian, I am staying in my country and I like to > work in my own country. I love my country, I have paid a price for this love > too, and I am willing to pay again if necessary. I have yet another > declaration to add to the first one. As shown in my films, I declare that I > believe in the right of 'the other' to be different, I believe in mutual > understanding and respect, as well as in tolerance; the tolerance that > forbid me from judgment and hatred. I don't hate anybody, not even my > interrogators." > > Earlier this month, TIFF Cinematheque ran a retrospective of Panahi's work: > "With five critically acclaimed and copiously awarded features to his name, > Panahi is one of the major figures of the New Iranian cinema; once the > protégé to Abbas Kiarostami, Panahi has forged a style and path all is own. > His cohesive body of work owes much to Italian neo-realism, with his > documentary style and preference for mostly non-professional actors, and a > fierce belief in human and social rights." > > One of the films screened was The Accordian, a short that's Panahi's > contribution to Then and Now: Beyond Borders and Differences, an omnibus > film supported by the United Nations; the film premiered at the Venice Film > Festival in September. Panahi: "The Accordion is the story of humankind’s > materialistic need to survive in a pretentious religion. In it, a boy is > prevented from playing for reasons of religious prohibition, which he > accepts in order to survive. But the main character of the film is the girl > or, perhaps, in my view, the symbol of the next generation." > > http://mubi.com/notebook/posts/2671 > > > > > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to 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 rohitrellan at aol.in Tue Dec 21 21:31:27 2010 From: rohitrellan at aol.in (rohitrellan at aol.in) Date: Tue, 21 Dec 2010 11:01:27 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] =?utf-8?q?Launched_=26_live=2C_the_festival_=3A_?= =?utf-8?q?=E2=80=9CHumanity_Explored=E2=80=9D_by_=27Culture_unplugged=27_?= =?utf-8?q?/_Job_opportunity=3A_Online_Producer_=28India-based=29_at_G3ict?= =?utf-8?q?_/_SUPPORT_RADA?= Message-ID: <8CD6F3F754C51E7-17AC-7622@webmail-d099.sysops.aol.com> Launched & live, the festival : “Humanity Explored” by 'Culture unplugged' Dear Film-Maker, Hope you have been well. We wish to share our joy and inform you about the launch of the festival “Humanity Explored” - the festival where we gather and explore ‘interconnectedness’ or ‘oneness’ by remembering what fundamental emotions, needs and dreams unite us, and question/contemplate the divisive perception of ‘otherness’. At this festival, we celebrate our collective humane evolution by contemplating the contemporary cultures & societies, through cinema. Please feel free to invite & welcome the viewers, the fellow citizens, our brothers & sisters at : http://www.cultureunplugged.com With this launch, the festival “We Speak Here” has come to end. For deeper participation with the festivals and our efforts, we wish to inquire and invite you. If you wish, please visit, learn and register at : http://www.cultureunplugged.com/festival/rewards.php As you know, we have recently launched the ‘Contribution’ feature. Per our previous mail to you, If you have already set your account, please disregard the following request. But if you have yet to set it up please do so, to allow the audience to send their support to you. This will take only few minutes of your time. To understand the effort and how to set-up, please review the guide(http://cdn.cultureunplugged.com/User_Docs/Contribute_FAQ's.pdf). If there is any question or concern we have not addressed in this document, please let us know and we will be happy to help you. A note on the ‘Contribution’ feature : It can be accessed by the viewer from your film's as well as from your profile page. 100% of the contribution goes directly to you, the film maker. Culture Unplugged does not receive any part of this contribution. At present, the site offers online payments through PayPal only, but other online payment methods will be introduced soon. Culture Unplugged festival team truly thanks you and feels grateful for the kind engagement on this mission by all film-makers + organizations. Together, we support our individual talent and collective voice, facilitate further democratization of film/media dissemination, raise our collective/global consciousness and contribute to humanity, with these festivals. We are committed to improve our service and further the mission with your help, for which we truly value & welcome your thoughts and suggestions. Please share it with us anytime. We hope to hear from you. In service, With gratitude, Yogesh on behalf of, Culture Unplugged Festival Team www.cultureunplugged.com India | USA | Indonesia | New Zealand Promote films. Promote consciousness. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------- Job opportunity: Online Producer (India-based) at G3ict POSITION DESCRIPTION: ONLINE PRODUCER G3ict, the Global Initiative for Inclusive ICTs (www.g3ict.org), is a United Nations-led Advocacy Initiative dedicated to facilitating the implementation around the world of the Digital Accessibility Agenda defined by the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. G3ict has an immediate opening for an Online Producer (based in India) to manage all aspects of content development and distribution for the G3ict Web/Online related initiatives (G3ict websites, monthly online newsletter, and Web optimization). The candidate will report to the G3ict Director of External Relations. Responsibilities Include: • Collect, edit and arrange the text, video, audio, images and other materials to be included on the G3ict and toolkit websites and online newsletter • Produce and distribute the online newsletter on a monthly basis by the deadline and ensure updates to the newsletter database • Ensure periodic updates and new entries in each core section of the website, including blogs, document libraries, and image libraries, send reminders to bloggers • Assist with periodic testing for Web accessibility • Assist with Web marketing and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) efforts by creating periodic reports and analysis from Google Analytics, perform keyword search, etc. • Coordinate maintenance and improvements with website developers Qualifications/Skills: • Deadline and exceptionally detail-oriented • Technical and design knowledge • Excellent proven command of written English and editing • Familiarity with common web publishing technologies • Strong organizational skills • Familiarity with disability and accessibility issues a plus • Comfortable working independently, but also working in a small team-oriented setting and able to follow direction Requirements: • This position is a remote one, so candidate must have own computer, reliable broadband Internet connection and be available for weekly conference calls, preferably on Skype • Computer savvy • Preferred majors: communications, marketing, computer science Time Commitment and additional information: The above tasks will require 40 hours a week. Flexible work schedule according to deadlines, as needed. Initial orientation/training provided. The position offers a great editorial learning experience in disability rights and the cutting-edge field of digital accessibility. To apply: Send cover letter and résumé (please include "G3ict Online Producer" in the subject line) to Francesca Cesa Bianchi, G3ict Director of External Relations at fcesabianchi at g3ict.org ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------ SUPPORT RADA WHY SUPPORT RADA? Because we need your help. For over one hundred years RADA has nurtured and enriched the talents of extraordinary young people; people who have gone on to make major contributions to the cultural heritage of Britain and the world beyond. Our graduates have been at the forefront of theatre, film and television for over a century. As actors, writers, directors and technicians RADA graduates have consistently excelled, developing and maintaining the respect with which RADA is held by those inside the theatre and film industry and those without. Our training is synonymous with excellence and we work tirelessly to ensure that each generation of students continues to make a worthwhile contribution to the creative arts. But it comes at a cost: we need to raise half of the cost of our training from private sources. This amounts to a not inconsiderable £2 million each year. We raise these funds through a host of income generating activities including short courses, http://www.rada.ac.uk/courses-at-rada box office sales, http://www.rada.ac.uk/productions-and-events business enterprise, http://www.radaenterprises.org/rel/ donations from individuals http://www.rada.ac.uk/support-rada/individual-support and private companies, http://www.rada.ac.uk/support-rada/business-opportunities corporate sponsorship, trusts and foundations http://www.rada.ac.uk/support-rada/business-opportunities and legacies.http://www.rada.ac.uk/support-rada/individual-support If you would like to support RADA’s continuing contribution to the creative arts, this is where we need your help: Core training http://www.rada.ac.uk/courses-at-rada Student fees and living costs Special Projects including special projects http://www.rada.ac.uk/support-rada/special-projects and equipment http://www.rada.ac.uk/support-rada/annual-fund Education & Outreach work http://www.rada.ac.uk/education-and-outreach From rohitrellan at aol.in Wed Dec 22 08:46:06 2010 From: rohitrellan at aol.in (rohitrellan at aol.in) Date: Tue, 21 Dec 2010 22:16:06 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] The Economist - Film Project Message-ID: <8CD6F9DB4AAB0EE-900-5A01@webmail-d072.sysops.aol.com> Submission Information The Economist Film Project seeks compelling, thought-provoking, fact-based stories that give a broader context and explanation to the topic the film is exploring. Each film should have a point of view that inspires debate but clearly defines the nature and source of its argument. Films should have a complete, clear narrative arc with elements suited to attract a global audience. Topics and themes to be considered can include (but are not limited to) economics, the environment, society, health care, human rights, immigration, the arts, science & technology, war, religion, politics, government, media, justice, cultural shifts, etc. The Economist and PBS NewsHour will jointly approve selected films in their entirety in order to ensure that the films adhere to the project's editorial criteria, summarized below. In order to create the six to eight minutes of footage for each news segment, the filmmaker will be asked to work with PBS NewsHour producers to select content that complements the segment's narrative. The nature of each segment will vary by film, but could echo the full narrative arc of the film, feature several scenes linked together by narration, or highlight one self-contained part of the film. In any event, the segment is intended to leave viewers feeling that they know what the full-length film is about. The Economist will provide a $4,000 grant to filmmakers whose films are chosen to be featured on PBS NewsHour to support the editing process. All footage selected for airing will be subject to approval by The Economist and PBS NewsHour. Editorial Criteria The film does not necessarily need to give equal weight or time to both sides of an argument, but it should acknowledge countervailing views and provide fact-based context and explanation for its point of view. Sensationalist and overly polemical films will not be selected. Films must have been produced in the past five years. Those that cover current events will be favored, given the news-driven focus of both PBS NewsHour and The Economist, but films about historical issues within the topic areas mentioned above will be considered if they bring up new evidence or viewpoints, or contain appropriate ties to more recent events. Any films that are promotional in nature for a specific individual, company or organization will not be considered. Complete films, not trailers or edited segments, must be submitted so that we product can be judged as a whole. Profane language (as defined by FCC regulations here) will be edited as necessary to comply with those regulations.http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/obscene.html Films should be made to high standards of broadcast quality (see technical guidelines here).http://film.economist.com/submissions.php#technical A film made entirely using handheld devices like mobile phones, USB camcorders or DSLR cameras may be rejected if this results in low image quality, unless the filming method is a specifically stylistic choice. The final selection of all films will be made based upon the editorial criteria of The Economist and PBS NewsHour or any other criteria determined in their sole discretion, even if not specified above. Technical Information We are accepting both feature-length documentaries (40-90 minutes) and shorts (6-40 minutes). If a film is selected and it is longer than eight minutes, filmmakers will work with PBS NewsHour producers to create 6-8 minutes of footage for airing on PBS NewsHour. If you already have shorter versions of your film (but not a trailer), please submit those along with the full-length film for consideration. A PBS NewsHour producer will work with filmmakers whose films are selected to ensure technical requirements for airing on PBS NewsHour are met. Filmmakers whose films are selected will receive more detailed information once the selection is made, but at this point filmmakers should know that the footage selected to air on PBS NewsHour must be delivered to the NewsHour on HDV, XDCam, or uploaded full resolution to the NewsHour FTP, or YouSendIt using .mov or mpeg4. Films in English will be favored over foreign-language films. That said, films in other languages will be considered. PBS NewsHour prefers voice-overs to subtitles, as the NewsHour is also broadcast over radio. PBS NewsHour broadcasts in 1080i high-end HD and optimizes its content for digital display at 16:9 resolution. Material that is 4:3 safe works best for our viewing audience. Films submitted for consideration can be entered in three ways: 1.Viewable online at a 3rd party site like YouTube, Vimeo, FilmBox, etc � please send link to film at economist.com. Two (2) copies of a DVD mailed to: Electric Artists 42 Bond Street - 3rd Floor New York, NY 10012 Encoded files such as MPEG, MOV, AVE or WMV sent to film at economist.com or uploaded to a file-sharing service such as Dropbox or YouSendIt. PBS NewsHour requires complete transparency in funding of the project, so as part of the submission form filmmakers must provide the names of any current/potential underwriters/funders along with the amount of money each funder contributed. From rohitrellan at aol.in Wed Dec 22 09:54:44 2010 From: rohitrellan at aol.in (rohitrellan at aol.in) Date: Tue, 21 Dec 2010 23:24:44 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] I am this Land - A video Contest / INTER SCHOOL DRAMA FESTIVAL / 48 Go Green:An International Eco Film Competition Message-ID: <8CD6FA74B8B7169-900-63BF@webmail-d072.sysops.aol.com> About I AM THIS LAND I AM THIS LAND is a response to a year of divisive rhetoric; it is Breakthrough’s call for a more positive and open-minded future for our country. The new year provides the opportunity to celebrate our diversity and recommit to building a society that values dignity, equality and justice. Join us by making a video http://iamthisland.org/make-your-video/ that uses the phrase I AM THIS LAND, and share your hopes for diversity and acceptance in the U.S. You can also participate via Twitter! http://iamthisland.org/make-your-video/twitter/ Our President and CEO, Mallika Dutt, said it best: “It’s been a year of remarkably angry and divisive rhetoric, and I believe that many people in America are ready for a more positive attitude toward diversity, acceptance and equality.” To participate, contestants can submit their videos http://iamthisland.org/make-your-video/ and fans across the country will view, discuss and rate each submission. Finally, a panel of high profile independent judges will watch the Top 10 videos as voted by the public and 5 selected by Breakthrough and select the winners. Breakthrough will also select a winning Twitter post on diversity, written by someone following @Breakthrough that is tagged with #iamthisland.org. Videos will be judged for overall impact through messages, narrative, call to action and creativity, as will the Twitter posts. http://iamthisland.org/make-your-video/twitter/ I AM THIS LAND partners include Activision (makers of Guitar Hero and DJ Hero), Change.org, WITNESS, Parlour Magazine, Hollaback, Mobilize.org, HeadCount, Women’s Media Center, The Fbomb, See3, Therapy, Latina Lista, 20,000 Dialogues and Vivir Latino. The top winner receives a grand prize of $2500 and a Skype call with an Academy and Emmy-nominated filmmaker, Activision music games including Guitar Hero, Band Hero, DJ Hero. Additional prizes include DJ Hero, tickets to hit Broadway musical Mamma Mia and more. For full details, contest rules, and prizes, please visit www.iamthisland.org. For more information about Breakthrough, please visit www.breakthrough.tv ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------- INTER SCHOOL DRAMA FESTIVAL Ever since the popular British Council School Drama Festival has been taken over by partners it has opened huge possibilities for students who wish to take up theatre as higher studies in the UK. Currently, the festival run in collaboration with Central School of Speech and Drama (CSSD), UK, gets supported by a host of commercial sponsors such as Coal India, Selvel, The Park, Sixth Sense and others making it a "must-participate" event for all schools in and around West Bengal. This year, the festival was a smash hit from the word "go". Nearly 44 schools vied for the top six positions battling it out at the semi finals for over four days. Finally, it was a delight to see at least four new schools among the top 6 who put up their 20-minute extravaganza(s) before a 1,100 strong crowd. The partners contributed wholeheartedly to the project. While Coal India sponsored laptops for the winners, Selvel put up nine huge billboards in the city and The Park came in as hospitality partner sponsoring a press conference and a business lunch for media and partners. Sixth Sense helped organise the event. The media coverage has been phenomenal. Almost all leading newspapers such as Times of India, Telegraph, Hindustan Times, The Statesman, The Bengal Post and others have carried the news with pictures. The schools which put up their plays this year were Birla High for Boys, Army Public School, St Helens, Techno India Private School, Bidya Bharati and Sri Shikshayatan. The themes varied form climate change to cultural diversity and social tolerance. Noted film and theatre actors Kaushik Sen and Churni Ganguly readily agreed to be judges along with CSSD's Bruce Wooding, while noted film star Moon Moon Sen flew down from Chennai to give away prizes to the winners. Apart from the prizes, the winners also won weeklong theatre courses in CSSD London. School teachers also win a certficate course training in theatre by CSSD at their respective schools next year. Last year too, four students from Kolkata, India were awarded places on Central School of Speech & Drama's Youth Theatre for Actors programme. Bruce Wooding, Central’s Head of Professional and Community Development said, 'This festival offers a unique opportunity for Central to share ideas and knowledge with local educators. Theatre and drama can be used to enhance the learning experience of every student. Students will be exposed to "collaborative competition”, enabling them to realise their potential in areas such as strategic thinking, For more details on School Drama and its partners, contact Samarjit Guha, Head Programmes East India British Council , Samarjit.Guha at in.britishcouncil.org ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 48 Go Green:An International Eco Film Competition , http://www.48hourfilm.com/competitions/gogreen/ Registration begins Tuesday, December 28th. We think that 48HFP filmmakers, the boldest and most creative in the world, are the best people to draw attention to the environmental challenges the world faces. To that end, we have created a new 48HFP competition: the 48 Go Green! Just like the 48HFP, the 48 Go Green challenges you to make a narrative short film in only 48 hours, writing, shooting, and editing it. But, to mix things up, this challenge has some slightly different rules than the 48HFP. Environmental Themes. You will be randomly assigned a theme for your film which has to do with the environment. The themes are: animals, drinkable water, energy, forests, the next generation, the oceans, or the planet as a whole. No genre assignment. You get to pick your own genre--just notify us which one you picked when you turn in your film. Elements. We will still provide you with a character, prop, and a line of dialogue which must appear in your film. In-Person Competition We will have in-person kickoffs and dropoffs and premier screenings in these cities: Atlanta Boston DC Houston Los Angeles New York Portland (Oregon) San Francisco Only 30 teams per city will be accepted, so register early! On-Line Competition If you don't live near those cities, you will be invited to participate on-line. Filmmakers will receive their assignments via email. After making your film you will upload it to our Go Green website. Prizes The grand prize winner receives $5000! Second place recieves $2000, and third place receives $1000. Winners will screen at the Cannes Short Film Corner and at NABShow in Las Vegas. Three finalists will receive travel to Las Vegas. Registration Registration begins Tuesday, December 28th. The registration fees are: On-line competition - Early bird registration: 100 USD (before January 11) - Regular registration: 135 USD (between Jan. 12 and Feb. 1) - Late registration: 150 USD (after February 1) In-person competition - Early bird registration: 140 USD (before January 11) - Regular registration: 160 USD (between Jan. 12 and Feb. 1) - Late registration: 175 USD (after February 1) Brought to you by... The 48 Go Green is brought to you by the 48 Hour Film Project in association with the creators of the Athens 48 Go Green, Francesco Vitali and Christos Siametis; and award-winning filmmaker, author, and environmental activist Sebastian Copeland ( ,http://sebastiancopelandadventures.com/) director of Into the Cold. ( http://www.intothecold.org/) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ From rohitrellan at aol.in Wed Dec 22 10:08:13 2010 From: rohitrellan at aol.in (rohitrellan at aol.in) Date: Tue, 21 Dec 2010 23:38:13 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] INTERNATIONAL RADIO PLAYWRITING COMPETITION 2011 : The BBC wants your drama In-Reply-To: <8CD6FA888CEBEF9-900-64FB@webmail-d072.sysops.aol.com> References: <8CD6FA888CEBEF9-900-64FB@webmail-d072.sysops.aol.com> Message-ID: <8CD6FA92DCC9799-900-65A1@webmail-d072.sysops.aol.com> The BBC World Service launches the global search for two of the world's best new radioplays with the International Playwriting Competition. Two lucky writers will win the opportunity to have their plays broadcast on the World Service.    Search for new plays    On Saturday 16 October, BBC World Service, in partnership with the British Council, launches the 12th International Radio Playwriting Competition.    Writers around the world are invited to write a one-hour radio play on any subject. You have five months to write your play and the winning entries will be broadcast on BBC World Service in autumn 2011.    There are two first prizes: one for writers for whom English is a first language, the other for those with English as a second language.    Last year, for the first time, English as a second language entries overtook the first language entries. The competition is unique in that it is only open to writers outside the UK. The winners – last year's were from Ghana and USA – also receive a trip to London to see their play recorded.    This competition never fails to elicit an truly impressive response. Last year, more than 1100 entries were received.    Entries are welcome from published authors as well as from writers who are totally inexperienced. Former winners have gone on to write again for BBC World Service Drama, making the competition a potential launch-pad to a future career.    Marion Nancarrow, Executive Producer of BBC World Drama says, "It's a privilege to be involved in running this competition. It's unique in all the world in not just in actively seeking new work from outside the UK, but also for recognising the huge skill required to write a 60' play in a second language. The last competition saw second language scripts outnumber those we received in the English as a first language category. We'd love to see even more scripts - in both categories - to enable even more stories, from more parts of the world, to be heard."    And the winners get...    Once again, we have two first prizes: for the best play by a writer with English as their first language and for the best play by a writer with English as their second language.    These two winners will each receive £2500 and a trip to London to see their play being recorded for broadcast on BBC World Service in the World Drama slot.    £2500 sterling for the overall winning playwright of the best play written with English as a first language and a trip to London to see the play being recorded and to attend a prize-giving evening.  £2500 sterling for the overall winning playwright of the best play written with English as a second language and a trip to London to see the play being recorded and to attend a prizegiving evening.  A prize of a digital or short wave radio for the best radio play to be written from each of the following geographical areas: The Americas; Europe; Africa and the Middle East; South Asia; Russia and the Caucasus; Asia and Pacific.  BBC goodie bags for all writers whose plays reach the judges' final shortlist.      What it's all about    The biennial click International Radio Playwriting Competition is run by the BBC World Service and the British Council and is now in its twenty second year.    It is a competition for anyone resident outside Britain, to write a 60-minute radio drama for up to six characters.    There are two categories: one for writers with English as their first language and one for writers with English as their second language.    The two winners will come to London and see their play made into a full radio production, which will then be broadcast on the BBC World Service. They will also each receive a £2,500 prize and there are also prizes for the runners-up.    The play must be in English, unpublished and must not have been previously produced in any medium. Whether you're experienced, new, or somewhere in between, we want to hear from you.    Just check the Rules and How to Enter sections to find out more about sending us your play.    Script Format : http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/arts/2010/10/100802_playcomp_script.shtml    Competition rules : http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/arts/2010/09/100928_playcomp_rules.shtml    Writing for Radio : http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/arts/2010/10/100728_playcomp_writingtips.shtml    2009 Winners : http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/arts/2010/10/100728_playcomp_last_year_winners.shtml    World Drama : http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/arts/2009/03/000000_world_drama.shtml  From rashneek at gmail.com Wed Dec 22 11:49:34 2010 From: rashneek at gmail.com (rashneek kher) Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2010 11:49:34 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Condolence Meeting Message-ID: PRAZNATH requests your kind presence at the solemn occasion of the condolence meeting to be held for the great poet & eminent scholar Arjun Dev Majboor who departed for the heavenly abode on 15th of Dec,10 in exile. Venue: Lal Ded Centre, Pamposh Enclave,GK-1, New Delhi Time: 6PM Date: Friday, December 24,10. On behalf of Praznath Amal Magazine - 0973900479 Pooja Shali - 9811759042 -- Rashneek Kher http://www.kashmiris-in-exile.blogspot.com http://www.nietzschereborn.blogspot.com From chandni_parekh at yahoo.com Wed Dec 22 12:28:36 2010 From: chandni_parekh at yahoo.com (Chandni Parekh) Date: Tue, 21 Dec 2010 22:58:36 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] Documentary Film Festival in Bangalore, Jan 2-Feb 20 In-Reply-To: <20101222043728.206B38E8041@mdreg-mst.qlc.co.in> References: <20101222043728.206B38E8041@mdreg-mst.qlc.co.in> Message-ID: <222399.24220.qm@web54401.mail.re2.yahoo.com> >From Max National Gallery for Modern Art (NGMA) in collaboration with India Foundation for the Arts present IFA FILM FESTIVAL January 2- February 20, 2011 (All documentary films will have English subtitle) Venue: National Gallery for Modern Art (NGMA) Manikyavelu Mansion 49 Palace Road, Bengaluru 560 052 Contact: 080 2234 2338 January 2, 2011, Sunday, 3 pm BISHAR BLUES, 1 Hour 16 minutes By Amitabh Chakraborty Itis a 90-minute film based on the fakirs of Bengal, exploring their music and their deeply spiritual everyday life as a living practice of radical syncretism. In this film, Amitabh Chakroborty talks about music as an integral part of their mythology and that music enshrines and expresses the philosophy of Man. This film has won the National Award for Best Non-fiction Film, Best Editing and Best Audiography. January 8, 2011, Saturday, 3 pm THE OTHER SONG, 2 Hours By Saba Dewan In 1935, Rasoolan bai, the well known singer from Varanasi, recorded for the Gramaphone a thumri that she would never sing again- ‘Lagat job anwa ma chot, phool gendwa na maar’ (My breasts are wonded, don’t throw flowers at me). A variation of her more famous song - ‘Lagat Karejwa ma chot, phool gendwa na maar’ ( My heart is wounded, don’t throw flowers at me), the 1935 recording, never to be repeated, faded from public memory and eventually got lost. More than seventy years later the film travels through Varanasi, Lucknow and Muzzafarpur in search of the forgotten thumri.Through the story of this lost thumri sung by Rasoolan Bai, whose career as a performer overlapped with significant transitions in both the practice of music and public female sexualities, the film examines the major shifts in the history of the tradition. January 9, 2011, Sunday, 11:30 am MAYA BAZAR, 1 Hour By K M Madhusudhanan This is a film on Surabhi, a 120-year old travelling theatre company from Andhra Pradesh. Envisaged as a journey with the repertory company, the film, examines the everyday activities of these travelling actors and their families, rehearsals, exercises, the staging of the plays based on the epics and the puranas, the audience, sets, make-up and costume design. The film also explores the traces of Parsi theatre, silent cinema from the Phalke era and the paintings of Ravi Verma in the design of the theatre company’s sets and costumes. January 9, 2011, Sunday, 12:45 pm OUT OF THIN AIR, 50 minutes By Shabani Hassanwalia and Samreen Farooqui ‘Out of Thin Air’ is the story of one of the most surreal and hostile landscapes in the world. This is the story of Ladakh, not through the postcards that tourists often see, but through the subterranean, local film movement that has taken such strong root here in the last six years, that it has become a voice of the people. Today, taxi drivers, grocery store owners, cops and monks are producers, directors, camerapersons and actors of one of the youngest, and most dynamic, local film industries in the world. January 23, 2011, Sunday, 11:30 am CITY OF PHOTOS, 1 Hour By Nishtha Jain City Of Photos explores the little known ethos of neighborhood photo studios in Indian cities, discovering entire imaginary worlds in the smallest of spaces. Desires, memories and stories all so deeply linked to photographs all come together as a part of the personal journey into the city of photos. February 12, 2011, Saturday, 3pm NATAK JARI HAIN, 1 Hour 24 minutes By Lalit Vachani A film on the New-Delhi based theatre group, Jan Natya Manch (Janam), critically explores its history and contemporary practices. Combining archival footage and documentation of contemporary performances, the film especially focuses on the Nukkad Natak (street theatre), and its ability to create innovative contexts that facilitate significant involvement on the part of its audience. February 12, 2011, Saturday, 4:30 pm RASIKEN RE, 33 minutes By Pooja Kaul "Rasikan Re" ("O Lover of Life") is an urban story about the cautious attraction between a young girl, Madhu, and her 40-year-old neighbor Kedar. The film--inspired by the Ragamala, a tradition in Indian Moghul miniature painting that attempts to visualize music--explores a young woman's desire, the correlation between art, music and life, and the rhythm of urban India. Apart from the historical, aesthetic and socio-cultural contexts of the Ragamala tradition, the study will explore how the conventions of the Ragamala can themselves inform the stylistics of representing the tradition on film. February 13, 2011, Sunday, 11:30 am KITTE MIL VE MAHI, 1 Hour 15 minutes By Ajay Bhardwaj A deeply felt and moving film, Ajay Bharadwaj’s Kitte Mil Ve Mahi cuts to the quick and puts across a well reasoned and eloquent quest of the Dalits in Punjab to take on the legitimacy of the deeply exploitative and humiliating caste system. This sensitively crafted and provocative film provides a glimpse of the alternate cultural forms of the Punjabi Dalits that critique the oppression of the ‘upper’ castes and articulate a powerful vision of social justice. It focuses, in particular, on the popular Sufi traditions of the Punjabi Dalits. February 19, 2011, Saturday, 3 pm THE LISTENER’S TALE, 1 Hour 16 minutes By Arghya Basu This is a film exploring the cultural history of Tibetan Buddhism in Sikkim through the sacred dance theatre of Chham. The film examines this ritual dance as it shapes and is shaped by its religious and cultural contexts, as well as the mutations in its traditional meanings through modernity and education. The film seeks to be a witness to the contradictions and counter-forces that sustain this ancient art practice. The Filmmaker was awardedthe Pierre and Yolande Perrault Grant for young filmmakers by the Cinema du Reel, France for this film. February 20, 2011, Sunday, 11:30 am NEE ENGEY, 2 Hours 38 minutes By R V Ramani The film inquires into the performative and technical aspects of shadow puppetry while simultaneously striving to serve as a record of the life and times of the puppeteers. It also seeks to identify useful comparisons and areas of common interest between shadow puppetry and cinema. Ramani’s film identifies parallels and areas of common interest between shadow puppetry and cinema, while as an art form it is also in conflict with the forces of manipulation and crass commercialization of the medium. sub From javedmasoo at gmail.com Wed Dec 22 13:12:29 2010 From: javedmasoo at gmail.com (Javed) Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2010 13:12:29 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] What to do with a Quran written in Saddam's blood Message-ID: Very interesting are some visitor;s comments at the end: ------------------- A grisly legacy: What is to become of the Koran written in Saddam Hussein's blood? By Sara Nelson Iraq’s government is unsure what to do with Saddam’s ghoulish legacy – a Koran written using his blood. The 114-chapter book, which required 27 litres of his blood, has been under lock and key for almost eight years. The fate of the macabre project is now being considered as the country debates what should become of the dictator’s final relics. Enlarge Dilemma: The fate of a Koran written using 27 litres of Saddam Hussein's blood is uncertain. It is currently stored behind three vaulted doors in Iraq ‘What is in here is priceless, worth absolutely millions of dollars,’ Sheikh Ahmed al-Samarrai, head of Iraq’s Sunni Endowment fund, told The Guardian. Despite his opposition to the very existence of the document (he describes it as ‘haraam’ or forbidden), Sheikh Sammarrai has protected the blood-soaked pages since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. He said: ‘I knew this would be much sought after and we made the decision to protect it. But to see this now is not easy. Saddam with the Koran written in his own blood Brought to book: Saddam takes delivery of a copy of the Koran in 2000, in Baghdad. Iraqi newspapers reported that he ordered the holy book to be scribed in his own blood as thanks for his long political career 'There are three keys and none of them are held in the one place. I have one, the police chief in the area has another and there is a third in another part of Baghdad.’ 'This [book] is very destructive for the psyche of the Iraqi population. This is a clear reminder of the consequences of totalitarianism. I am for removing it' - Ahmed Chalabi, President of the Governing Council of Iraq 'We should keep this as a document for the brutality of Saddam, because he should not have done this' - Ali al-Moussawi, spokesman for the prime minister, Nour al-Maliki The Koran, which is currently stored behind three vaulted doors, was created over the course of two years as Saddam attended regular appointments with a nurse and an Islamic calligrapher. The tyrant took on the project after deciding to re-embrace his religion after his elder son Uday survived an assassination attempt. Abbas Shakir Joody al-Baghdadi was the calligrapher commissioned by Saddam himself. Understandably, al-Baghdadi is reluctant to be associated with the grisly work. Speaking from his new home in the U.S., he said: ‘I don’t like to talk about this now. It was a painful part of my life that I want to forget about.’ A towering statue of Saddam was pulled to the ground in 2003 in a symbolic act against his oppressive regime. Working together in the heart of Baghdad, U.S. marines helped crowds of Iraqi men bring down the imposing monument on the day the city's population celebrated its liberation. The scenes were reminiscent of the fall of the Berlin Wall, brought down by citizens of another oppressed city. But the fate of the blood Koran remains uncertain, as a debate within Iraq rages over whether everything from the brutal regime should be removed. Ahmed Chalabi, who is President of the Governing Council of Iraq, says anything connected to him must go. He said: ‘This is very destructive for the psyche of the Iraqi population. 'This is a clear reminder of the consequences of totalitarianism and idealising a person that embodies evil. 'They have brought nothing to Iraq. They are not worth celebrating. 'They have nothing aesthetic to offer. I am for removing them.’ Meanwhile, Ali al-Moussawi, a spokesman for the prime minister, Nour al-Maliki, said: 'We should keep this as a document for the brutality of Saddam, because he should not have done this. 'It says a lot about him. It should never be put in a museum though, because no Iraqi wants to see it. 'Maybe in the future it could be sent to a private museum, like memorabilia from the Hitler and Stalin regimes.' --- Anyone got a spare match????????? - jim, Wirral,UK, 21/12/2010 13:33 Burn the effin' thing. - kevin webb, accrington lancs, 21/12/2010 13:30 Put it on Ebay - Eddie John, Some place nice, 21/12/2010 13:11 The words are the words of Mohammed because there is no God....Burn it. - Atheist, UK, 21/12/2010 12:56 Pleaseeeeeeeee don't burn it...give to me instead !!!....... so that i can pay off my mortgage out of it proceeds........(struggling without a job for long time) - jj, birmingham, 21/12/2010 12:54 The western people were fed to their bones by the American government pro-zionist propaganda which was peddled by the media that Saddam was "evil". He was not. He was merely trying to defend the interest of Iraq. The fact is that the devil is America. - Nevermind, London, 21/12/2010 12:44 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1340271/A-grisly-legacy-What-Saddam-Hussein-s-Blood-Koran.html From c.anupam at gmail.com Wed Dec 22 13:20:24 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2010 13:20:24 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] What to do with a Quran written in Saddam's blood In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: The Grisly legacy might just be fake Javed. The piece says: "The fate of the macabre project is now being considered as the country debates what should become of the dictator’s final relics. Enlarge Dilemma: The fate of a Koran written using 27 litres of Saddam Hussein's blood is uncertain. It is currently stored behind three vaulted doors in Iraq." "On the average, an adult human male who weighs 70 kg. has a blood volume of about 5 liters, or a little more than 5 quarts." says my science text book. For your reference: http://hypertextbook.com/facts/1998/LanNaLee.shtml Thanks Anupam On Wed, Dec 22, 2010 at 1:12 PM, Javed wrote: > Very interesting are some visitor;s comments at the end: > ------------------- > A grisly legacy: What is to become of the Koran written in Saddam > Hussein's blood? > By Sara Nelson > > Iraq’s government is unsure what to do with Saddam’s ghoulish legacy – > a Koran written using his blood. > > The 114-chapter book, which required 27 litres of his blood, has been > under lock and key for almost eight years. > > The fate of the macabre project is now being considered as the country > debates what should become of the dictator’s final relics. > Enlarge Dilemma: The fate of a Koran written using 27 litres of > Saddam Hussein's blood is uncertain. It is currently stored behind > three vaulted doors in Iraq > > ‘What is in here is priceless, worth absolutely millions of dollars,’ > Sheikh Ahmed al-Samarrai, head of Iraq’s Sunni Endowment fund, told > The Guardian. > > Despite his opposition to the very existence of the document (he > describes it as ‘haraam’ or forbidden), Sheikh Sammarrai has protected > the blood-soaked pages since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. > > He said: ‘I knew this would be much sought after and we made the > decision to protect it. But to see this now is not easy. > Saddam with the Koran written in his own blood > > Brought to book: Saddam takes delivery of a copy of the Koran in 2000, > in Baghdad. Iraqi newspapers reported that he ordered the holy book to > be scribed in his own blood as thanks for his long political career > > 'There are three keys and none of them are held in the one place. I > have one, the police chief in the area has another and there is a > third in another part of Baghdad.’ > 'This [book] is very destructive for the psyche of the Iraqi > population. This is a clear reminder of the consequences of > totalitarianism. I am for removing it' - Ahmed Chalabi, President of > the Governing Council of Iraq > > 'We should keep this as a document for the brutality of Saddam, > because he should not have done this' - Ali al-Moussawi, spokesman for > the prime minister, Nour al-Maliki > > The Koran, which is currently stored behind three vaulted doors, was > created over the course of two years as Saddam attended regular > appointments with a nurse and an Islamic calligrapher. > > The tyrant took on the project after deciding to re-embrace his > religion after his elder son Uday survived an assassination attempt. > > Abbas Shakir Joody al-Baghdadi was the calligrapher commissioned by > Saddam himself. > > Understandably, al-Baghdadi is reluctant to be associated with the grisly > work. > > Speaking from his new home in the U.S., he said: ‘I don’t like to talk > about this now. It was a painful part of my life that I want to forget > about.’ > > A towering statue of Saddam was pulled to the ground in 2003 in a > symbolic act against his oppressive regime. > > Working together in the heart of Baghdad, U.S. marines helped crowds > of Iraqi men bring down the imposing monument on the day the city's > population celebrated its liberation. > > The scenes were reminiscent of the fall of the Berlin Wall, brought > down by citizens of another oppressed city. > > But the fate of the blood Koran remains uncertain, as a debate within > Iraq rages over whether everything from the brutal regime should be > removed. > > Ahmed Chalabi, who is President of the Governing Council of Iraq, says > anything connected to him must go. > > He said: ‘This is very destructive for the psyche of the Iraqi population. > > 'This is a clear reminder of the consequences of totalitarianism and > idealising a person that embodies evil. > > 'They have brought nothing to Iraq. They are not worth celebrating. > > 'They have nothing aesthetic to offer. I am for removing them.’ > > Meanwhile, Ali al-Moussawi, a spokesman for the prime minister, Nour > al-Maliki, said: 'We should keep this as a document for the brutality > of Saddam, because he should not have done this. > > 'It says a lot about him. It should never be put in a museum though, > because no Iraqi wants to see it. > > 'Maybe in the future it could be sent to a private museum, like > memorabilia from the Hitler and Stalin regimes.' > > --- > Anyone got a spare match????????? > > - jim, Wirral,UK, 21/12/2010 13:33 > > Burn the effin' thing. > > - kevin webb, accrington lancs, 21/12/2010 13:30 > > Put it on Ebay > > - Eddie John, Some place nice, 21/12/2010 13:11 > > The words are the words of Mohammed because there is no God....Burn it. > > - Atheist, UK, 21/12/2010 12:56 > > Pleaseeeeeeeee don't burn it...give to me instead !!!....... so that i > can pay off my mortgage out of it proceeds........(struggling without > a job for long time) > > - jj, birmingham, 21/12/2010 12:54 > > The western people were fed to their bones by the American government > pro-zionist propaganda which was peddled by the media that Saddam was > "evil". He was not. He was merely trying to defend the interest of > Iraq. The fact is that the devil is America. > > - Nevermind, London, 21/12/2010 12:44 > > > http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1340271/A-grisly-legacy-What-Saddam-Hussein-s-Blood-Koran.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/> From chintan.backups at gmail.com Wed Dec 22 16:41:32 2010 From: chintan.backups at gmail.com (Chintan Girish Modi) Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2010 16:41:32 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Looking for reports on NGOs working in primary education Message-ID: If you have any resources or queries for Gautam, please mail him at gaukhnh at gmail.com -- >From Gautam Patel December 21, 1:55pm Dear Chintan, I am working for the Government of Gujarat with a focus on social development. I graduated from Oxford University and then completed a Masters in Development Management from London School of Economics. I previously worked for the UK Government in education reform. Here in Gandhinagar, Gujarat my wife and I run a Home-Learning Centre for local children who attend Government Schools. We support creative learning to be constructed with meaning. We've found your 'People in Education' group very useful. Please kindly share any recent reports on NGOs in India working in primary education such as this January 2001 report: "The Role of NonGovernmental Organisation in Primary Education: A Study of Six NGOs in India, Shanti Jagannathan: http://elibrary.worldbank.org/docserver/download/2530.pdf?expires=1292916389&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=77EEEB060FE9019B3137F3E00A52949A Kind regards Gautam From indersalim at gmail.com Wed Dec 22 17:00:58 2010 From: indersalim at gmail.com (Inder Salim) Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2010 17:00:58 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Wu Yongfang, the Hunger Artist In-Reply-To: <1FBC266A-E24B-4432-B7A4-2AA309EB9E09@sarai.net> References: <1FBC266A-E24B-4432-B7A4-2AA309EB9E09@sarai.net> Message-ID: thanks dear it was indeed very good love is On Tue, Dec 21, 2010 at 4:19 PM, Jeebesh wrote: > dear all, > this essay on a hunger artist in China. Very intriguing. Do read it. > warmly > jeebesh > Hu Fang > Wu Yongfang, the Hunger Artist > > http://www.e-flux.com/journal/view/141 > > "Michael Jackson had been preparing for his death for a very long time. Why > do I say this? He had already experienced the death of his physical body > once, twice, countless times. His physical body faded away long ago. It was > transfigured into an image. He had been living inside his image for a long > time. This final death was merely the realization of his eternal life. It is > inevitable that the body will eventually disappear, but the image lives on > forever. When his body finally died, I had a sudden realization." > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe > in the subject header. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> -- http://indersalim.livejournal.com From javedmasoo at gmail.com Wed Dec 22 17:46:26 2010 From: javedmasoo at gmail.com (Javed) Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2010 17:46:26 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] What to do with a Quran written in Saddam's blood In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Anupam ji These days anything can be fake, including your science book, but it would be foolish to assume that Saddam was so superhuman that he produced 27 litres of blood IN ONE GO (and his calligraphist equaly virtuoso that he wrote down 114 pages in one sitting). Please read the report a bit deeper: "The Koran, which is currently stored behind three vaulted doors, was created over the course of two years as Saddam attended regular appointments with a nurse and an Islamic calligrapher." Even if he gave one litre of blood every month, he could give about 27 litres over 2 years. Nevertheless, it all seems rather grisely. It is the religious fervour that has to be "appreciated". Javed On 12/22/10, anupam chakravartty wrote: > The Grisly legacy might just be fake Javed. > > The piece says: "The fate of the macabre project is now being considered as > the country debates what should become of the dictator’s final relics. > Enlarge Dilemma: The fate of a Koran written using 27 litres of Saddam > Hussein's blood is uncertain. It is currently stored behind three vaulted > doors in Iraq." > > > "On the average, an adult human male who weighs 70 kg. has a blood volume of > about 5 liters, or a little more than 5 quarts." says my science text book. > For your reference: http://hypertextbook.com/facts/1998/LanNaLee.shtml > > Thanks Anupam > > On Wed, Dec 22, 2010 at 1:12 PM, Javed wrote: > >> Very interesting are some visitor;s comments at the end: >> ------------------- >> A grisly legacy: What is to become of the Koran written in Saddam >> Hussein's blood? >> By Sara Nelson >> >> Iraq’s government is unsure what to do with Saddam’s ghoulish legacy – >> a Koran written using his blood. >> >> The 114-chapter book, which required 27 litres of his blood, has been >> under lock and key for almost eight years. >> >> The fate of the macabre project is now being considered as the country >> debates what should become of the dictator’s final relics. >> Enlarge Dilemma: The fate of a Koran written using 27 litres of >> Saddam Hussein's blood is uncertain. It is currently stored behind >> three vaulted doors in Iraq >> >> ‘What is in here is priceless, worth absolutely millions of dollars,’ >> Sheikh Ahmed al-Samarrai, head of Iraq’s Sunni Endowment fund, told >> The Guardian. >> >> Despite his opposition to the very existence of the document (he >> describes it as ‘haraam’ or forbidden), Sheikh Sammarrai has protected >> the blood-soaked pages since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. >> >> He said: ‘I knew this would be much sought after and we made the >> decision to protect it. But to see this now is not easy. >> Saddam with the Koran written in his own blood >> >> Brought to book: Saddam takes delivery of a copy of the Koran in 2000, >> in Baghdad. Iraqi newspapers reported that he ordered the holy book to >> be scribed in his own blood as thanks for his long political career >> >> 'There are three keys and none of them are held in the one place. I >> have one, the police chief in the area has another and there is a >> third in another part of Baghdad.’ >> 'This [book] is very destructive for the psyche of the Iraqi >> population. This is a clear reminder of the consequences of >> totalitarianism. I am for removing it' - Ahmed Chalabi, President of >> the Governing Council of Iraq >> >> 'We should keep this as a document for the brutality of Saddam, >> because he should not have done this' - Ali al-Moussawi, spokesman for >> the prime minister, Nour al-Maliki >> >> The Koran, which is currently stored behind three vaulted doors, was >> created over the course of two years as Saddam attended regular >> appointments with a nurse and an Islamic calligrapher. >> >> The tyrant took on the project after deciding to re-embrace his >> religion after his elder son Uday survived an assassination attempt. >> >> Abbas Shakir Joody al-Baghdadi was the calligrapher commissioned by >> Saddam himself. >> >> Understandably, al-Baghdadi is reluctant to be associated with the grisly >> work. >> >> Speaking from his new home in the U.S., he said: ‘I don’t like to talk >> about this now. It was a painful part of my life that I want to forget >> about.’ >> >> A towering statue of Saddam was pulled to the ground in 2003 in a >> symbolic act against his oppressive regime. >> >> Working together in the heart of Baghdad, U.S. marines helped crowds >> of Iraqi men bring down the imposing monument on the day the city's >> population celebrated its liberation. >> >> The scenes were reminiscent of the fall of the Berlin Wall, brought >> down by citizens of another oppressed city. >> >> But the fate of the blood Koran remains uncertain, as a debate within >> Iraq rages over whether everything from the brutal regime should be >> removed. >> >> Ahmed Chalabi, who is President of the Governing Council of Iraq, says >> anything connected to him must go. >> >> He said: ‘This is very destructive for the psyche of the Iraqi population. >> >> 'This is a clear reminder of the consequences of totalitarianism and >> idealising a person that embodies evil. >> >> 'They have brought nothing to Iraq. They are not worth celebrating. >> >> 'They have nothing aesthetic to offer. I am for removing them.’ >> >> Meanwhile, Ali al-Moussawi, a spokesman for the prime minister, Nour >> al-Maliki, said: 'We should keep this as a document for the brutality >> of Saddam, because he should not have done this. >> >> 'It says a lot about him. It should never be put in a museum though, >> because no Iraqi wants to see it. >> >> 'Maybe in the future it could be sent to a private museum, like >> memorabilia from the Hitler and Stalin regimes.' >> >> --- >> Anyone got a spare match????????? >> >> - jim, Wirral,UK, 21/12/2010 13:33 >> >> Burn the effin' thing. >> >> - kevin webb, accrington lancs, 21/12/2010 13:30 >> >> Put it on Ebay >> >> - Eddie John, Some place nice, 21/12/2010 13:11 >> >> The words are the words of Mohammed because there is no God....Burn it. >> >> - Atheist, UK, 21/12/2010 12:56 >> >> Pleaseeeeeeeee don't burn it...give to me instead !!!....... so that i >> can pay off my mortgage out of it proceeds........(struggling without >> a job for long time) >> >> - jj, birmingham, 21/12/2010 12:54 >> >> The western people were fed to their bones by the American government >> pro-zionist propaganda which was peddled by the media that Saddam was >> "evil". He was not. He was merely trying to defend the interest of >> Iraq. The fact is that the devil is America. >> >> - Nevermind, London, 21/12/2010 12:44 >> >> >> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1340271/A-grisly-legacy-What-Saddam-Hussein-s-Blood-Koran.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/> > From indersalim at gmail.com Wed Dec 22 18:00:12 2010 From: indersalim at gmail.com (Inder Salim) Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2010 18:00:12 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] What to do with a Quran written in Saddam's blood In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: it was better for Saddam if he confessed in his own blood: the mass killings his writing Quran with his own blood is no more than simple red ink if blood then it is insult to the sacred of it, there is commerce behind the promotion of this Quran in Saddam blood. that ends the debate love is On Wed, Dec 22, 2010 at 5:46 PM, Javed wrote: > Anupam ji > These days anything can be fake, including your science book, but it > would be foolish to assume that Saddam was so superhuman that he > produced 27 litres of blood IN ONE GO (and his calligraphist equaly > virtuoso that he wrote down 114 pages in one sitting). Please read the > report a bit deeper: > > "The Koran, which is currently stored behind three vaulted doors, was > created over the course of two years as Saddam attended regular > appointments with a nurse and an Islamic calligrapher." > > Even if he gave one litre of blood every month, he could give about 27 > litres over 2 years. Nevertheless, it all seems rather grisely. It is > the religious fervour that has to be "appreciated". > > Javed > > On 12/22/10, anupam chakravartty wrote: >> The Grisly legacy might just be fake Javed. >> >> The piece says: "The fate of the macabre project is now being considered as >> the country debates what should become of the dictator’s final relics. >> Enlarge   Dilemma: The fate of a Koran written using 27 litres of Saddam >> Hussein's blood is uncertain. It is currently stored behind three vaulted >> doors in Iraq." >> >> >> "On the average, an adult human male who weighs 70 kg. has a blood volume of >> about 5 liters, or a little more than 5 quarts." says my science text book. >> For your reference: http://hypertextbook.com/facts/1998/LanNaLee.shtml >> >> Thanks Anupam >> >> On Wed, Dec 22, 2010 at 1:12 PM, Javed wrote: >> >>> Very interesting are some visitor;s comments at the end: >>> ------------------- >>> A grisly legacy: What is to become of the Koran written in Saddam >>> Hussein's blood? >>> By Sara Nelson >>> >>> Iraq’s government is unsure what to do with Saddam’s ghoulish legacy – >>> a Koran written using his blood. >>> >>> The 114-chapter book, which required 27 litres of his blood, has been >>> under lock and key for almost eight years. >>> >>> The fate of the macabre project is now being considered as the country >>> debates what should become of the dictator’s final relics. >>> Enlarge   Dilemma: The fate of a Koran written using 27 litres of >>> Saddam Hussein's blood is uncertain. It is currently stored behind >>> three vaulted doors in Iraq >>> >>> ‘What is in here is priceless, worth absolutely millions of dollars,’ >>> Sheikh Ahmed al-Samarrai, head of Iraq’s Sunni Endowment fund, told >>> The Guardian. >>> >>> Despite his opposition to the very existence of the document (he >>> describes it as ‘haraam’ or forbidden), Sheikh Sammarrai has protected >>> the blood-soaked pages since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. >>> >>> He said: ‘I knew this would be much sought after and we made the >>> decision to protect it. But to see this now is not easy. >>> Saddam with the Koran written in his own blood >>> >>> Brought to book: Saddam takes delivery of a copy of the Koran in 2000, >>> in Baghdad. Iraqi newspapers reported that he ordered the holy book to >>> be scribed in his own blood as thanks for his long political career >>> >>> 'There are three keys and none of them are held in the one place. I >>> have one, the police chief in the area has another and there is a >>> third in another part of Baghdad.’ >>> 'This [book] is very destructive for the psyche of the Iraqi >>> population. This is a clear reminder of the consequences of >>> totalitarianism. I am for removing it' - Ahmed Chalabi, President of >>> the Governing Council of Iraq >>> >>> 'We should keep this as a document for the brutality of Saddam, >>> because he should not have done this' - Ali al-Moussawi, spokesman for >>> the prime minister, Nour al-Maliki >>> >>> The Koran, which is currently stored behind three vaulted doors, was >>> created over the course of two years as Saddam attended regular >>> appointments with a nurse and an Islamic calligrapher. >>> >>> The tyrant took on the project after deciding to re-embrace his >>> religion after his elder son Uday survived an assassination attempt. >>> >>> Abbas Shakir Joody al-Baghdadi was the calligrapher commissioned by >>> Saddam himself. >>> >>> Understandably, al-Baghdadi is reluctant to be associated with the grisly >>> work. >>> >>> Speaking from his new home in the U.S., he said: ‘I don’t like to talk >>> about this now. It was a painful part of my life that I want to forget >>> about.’ >>> >>> A towering statue of Saddam was pulled to the ground in 2003 in a >>> symbolic act against his oppressive regime. >>> >>> Working together in the heart of Baghdad, U.S. marines helped crowds >>> of Iraqi men bring down the imposing monument on the day the city's >>> population celebrated its liberation. >>> >>> The scenes were reminiscent of the fall of the Berlin Wall, brought >>> down by citizens of another oppressed city. >>> >>> But the fate of the blood Koran remains uncertain, as a debate within >>> Iraq rages over whether everything from the brutal regime should be >>> removed. >>> >>> Ahmed Chalabi, who is President of the Governing Council of Iraq, says >>> anything connected to him must go. >>> >>> He said: ‘This is very destructive for the psyche of the Iraqi population. >>> >>> 'This is a clear reminder of the consequences of totalitarianism and >>> idealising a person that embodies evil. >>> >>> 'They have brought nothing to Iraq. They are not worth celebrating. >>> >>> 'They have nothing aesthetic to offer. I am for removing them.’ >>> >>> Meanwhile, Ali al-Moussawi, a spokesman for the prime minister, Nour >>> al-Maliki, said: 'We should keep this as a document for the brutality >>> of Saddam, because he should not have done this. >>> >>> 'It says a lot about him. It should never be put in a museum though, >>> because no Iraqi wants to see it. >>> >>> 'Maybe in the future it could be sent to a private museum, like >>> memorabilia from the Hitler and Stalin regimes.' >>> >>> --- >>> Anyone got a spare match????????? >>> >>> - jim, Wirral,UK, 21/12/2010 13:33 >>> >>> Burn the effin' thing. >>> >>> - kevin webb, accrington lancs, 21/12/2010 13:30 >>> >>> Put it on Ebay >>> >>> - Eddie John, Some place nice, 21/12/2010 13:11 >>> >>> The words are the words of Mohammed because there is no God....Burn it. >>> >>> - Atheist, UK, 21/12/2010 12:56 >>> >>> Pleaseeeeeeeee don't burn it...give to me instead !!!....... so that i >>> can pay off my mortgage out of it proceeds........(struggling without >>> a job for long time) >>> >>> - jj, birmingham, 21/12/2010 12:54 >>> >>> The western people were fed to their bones by the American government >>> pro-zionist propaganda which was peddled by the media that Saddam was >>> "evil". He was not. He was merely trying to defend the interest of >>> Iraq. The fact is that the devil is America. >>> >>> - Nevermind, London, 21/12/2010 12:44 >>> >>> >>> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1340271/A-grisly-legacy-What-Saddam-Hussein-s-Blood-Koran.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/> >> > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the subject header. > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> -- http://indersalim.livejournal.com From c.anupam at gmail.com Wed Dec 22 18:01:47 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2010 18:01:47 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] What to do with a Quran written in Saddam's blood In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Javed, Agreed that this was done over a period of two years. How would a calligrapher do his work with a substance that starts coagulating immediately when it comes in contact with the atmosphere? I do not mean to offend any sentiment here. If only you could throw some light. I am ignorant, as it has been deduced earlier. anupam On Wed, Dec 22, 2010 at 5:46 PM, Javed wrote: > Anupam ji > These days anything can be fake, including your science book, but it > would be foolish to assume that Saddam was so superhuman that he > produced 27 litres of blood IN ONE GO (and his calligraphist equaly > virtuoso that he wrote down 114 pages in one sitting). Please read the > report a bit deeper: > > "The Koran, which is currently stored behind three vaulted doors, was > created over the course of two years as Saddam attended regular > appointments with a nurse and an Islamic calligrapher." > > Even if he gave one litre of blood every month, he could give about 27 > litres over 2 years. Nevertheless, it all seems rather grisely. It is > the religious fervour that has to be "appreciated". > > Javed > > On 12/22/10, anupam chakravartty wrote: > > The Grisly legacy might just be fake Javed. > > > > The piece says: "The fate of the macabre project is now being considered > as > > the country debates what should become of the dictator’s final relics. > > Enlarge Dilemma: The fate of a Koran written using 27 litres of Saddam > > Hussein's blood is uncertain. It is currently stored behind three vaulted > > doors in Iraq." > > > > > > "On the average, an adult human male who weighs 70 kg. has a blood volume > of > > about 5 liters, or a little more than 5 quarts." says my science text > book. > > For your reference: http://hypertextbook.com/facts/1998/LanNaLee.shtml > > > > Thanks Anupam > > > > On Wed, Dec 22, 2010 at 1:12 PM, Javed wrote: > > > >> Very interesting are some visitor;s comments at the end: > >> ------------------- > >> A grisly legacy: What is to become of the Koran written in Saddam > >> Hussein's blood? > >> By Sara Nelson > >> > >> Iraq’s government is unsure what to do with Saddam’s ghoulish legacy – > >> a Koran written using his blood. > >> > >> The 114-chapter book, which required 27 litres of his blood, has been > >> under lock and key for almost eight years. > >> > >> The fate of the macabre project is now being considered as the country > >> debates what should become of the dictator’s final relics. > >> Enlarge Dilemma: The fate of a Koran written using 27 litres of > >> Saddam Hussein's blood is uncertain. It is currently stored behind > >> three vaulted doors in Iraq > >> > >> ‘What is in here is priceless, worth absolutely millions of dollars,’ > >> Sheikh Ahmed al-Samarrai, head of Iraq’s Sunni Endowment fund, told > >> The Guardian. > >> > >> Despite his opposition to the very existence of the document (he > >> describes it as ‘haraam’ or forbidden), Sheikh Sammarrai has protected > >> the blood-soaked pages since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. > >> > >> He said: ‘I knew this would be much sought after and we made the > >> decision to protect it. But to see this now is not easy. > >> Saddam with the Koran written in his own blood > >> > >> Brought to book: Saddam takes delivery of a copy of the Koran in 2000, > >> in Baghdad. Iraqi newspapers reported that he ordered the holy book to > >> be scribed in his own blood as thanks for his long political career > >> > >> 'There are three keys and none of them are held in the one place. I > >> have one, the police chief in the area has another and there is a > >> third in another part of Baghdad.’ > >> 'This [book] is very destructive for the psyche of the Iraqi > >> population. This is a clear reminder of the consequences of > >> totalitarianism. I am for removing it' - Ahmed Chalabi, President of > >> the Governing Council of Iraq > >> > >> 'We should keep this as a document for the brutality of Saddam, > >> because he should not have done this' - Ali al-Moussawi, spokesman for > >> the prime minister, Nour al-Maliki > >> > >> The Koran, which is currently stored behind three vaulted doors, was > >> created over the course of two years as Saddam attended regular > >> appointments with a nurse and an Islamic calligrapher. > >> > >> The tyrant took on the project after deciding to re-embrace his > >> religion after his elder son Uday survived an assassination attempt. > >> > >> Abbas Shakir Joody al-Baghdadi was the calligrapher commissioned by > >> Saddam himself. > >> > >> Understandably, al-Baghdadi is reluctant to be associated with the > grisly > >> work. > >> > >> Speaking from his new home in the U.S., he said: ‘I don’t like to talk > >> about this now. It was a painful part of my life that I want to forget > >> about.’ > >> > >> A towering statue of Saddam was pulled to the ground in 2003 in a > >> symbolic act against his oppressive regime. > >> > >> Working together in the heart of Baghdad, U.S. marines helped crowds > >> of Iraqi men bring down the imposing monument on the day the city's > >> population celebrated its liberation. > >> > >> The scenes were reminiscent of the fall of the Berlin Wall, brought > >> down by citizens of another oppressed city. > >> > >> But the fate of the blood Koran remains uncertain, as a debate within > >> Iraq rages over whether everything from the brutal regime should be > >> removed. > >> > >> Ahmed Chalabi, who is President of the Governing Council of Iraq, says > >> anything connected to him must go. > >> > >> He said: ‘This is very destructive for the psyche of the Iraqi > population. > >> > >> 'This is a clear reminder of the consequences of totalitarianism and > >> idealising a person that embodies evil. > >> > >> 'They have brought nothing to Iraq. They are not worth celebrating. > >> > >> 'They have nothing aesthetic to offer. I am for removing them.’ > >> > >> Meanwhile, Ali al-Moussawi, a spokesman for the prime minister, Nour > >> al-Maliki, said: 'We should keep this as a document for the brutality > >> of Saddam, because he should not have done this. > >> > >> 'It says a lot about him. It should never be put in a museum though, > >> because no Iraqi wants to see it. > >> > >> 'Maybe in the future it could be sent to a private museum, like > >> memorabilia from the Hitler and Stalin regimes.' > >> > >> --- > >> Anyone got a spare match????????? > >> > >> - jim, Wirral,UK, 21/12/2010 13:33 > >> > >> Burn the effin' thing. > >> > >> - kevin webb, accrington lancs, 21/12/2010 13:30 > >> > >> Put it on Ebay > >> > >> - Eddie John, Some place nice, 21/12/2010 13:11 > >> > >> The words are the words of Mohammed because there is no God....Burn it. > >> > >> - Atheist, UK, 21/12/2010 12:56 > >> > >> Pleaseeeeeeeee don't burn it...give to me instead !!!....... so that i > >> can pay off my mortgage out of it proceeds........(struggling without > >> a job for long time) > >> > >> - jj, birmingham, 21/12/2010 12:54 > >> > >> The western people were fed to their bones by the American government > >> pro-zionist propaganda which was peddled by the media that Saddam was > >> "evil". He was not. He was merely trying to defend the interest of > >> Iraq. The fact is that the devil is America. > >> > >> - Nevermind, London, 21/12/2010 12:44 > >> > >> > >> > http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1340271/A-grisly-legacy-What-Saddam-Hussein-s-Blood-Koran.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/> > > > From ysaeed7 at yahoo.com Wed Dec 22 18:24:59 2010 From: ysaeed7 at yahoo.com (Yousuf) Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2010 04:54:59 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] petition for filmmaker Jafar Panahi Message-ID: <564356.48391.qm@web161205.mail.bf1.yahoo.com> Dear freinds Please sign this online petition (plus other useful contacts below): http://www.petitiononline.com/FJP2310/petition.html Those in India (Delhi, Mumbai) wanting to lodge their protest with the Iranian establishment, can use the following addresses: Iran Culture Hosue 18, Tilak Marg, Opp. Supreme Court, New Delhi 110002 Phone: +91-11-23383232 Fax: +91-11-23387547 Email: ichdelhi at iranhouseindia.com Website: http://www.iran-embassy.org.in/ Embassy of Iran 5, Barakhamba Road, New Delhi Phone: +91-11-23329600 Email: info at iran-embassy.org.in The Culture House of Islamic Republic of Iran in Mumbai Director General : Mr. M. Mirzae Tel.: +91 - 22 - 23806634 +91 - 22 - 23825760 Fax.: +91 - 22 - 23869675 E-Mail: ichmumbai at gmail.com WEBSITE : http://mumbai.icro.ir Mail to the President of Iran: http://cp.president.ir/en/ Also see below the international campaign for Jafar: ----- Film stars urged to oppose Jafar Panahi imprisonment via online petition European film organisations ask film-makers and actors to register protest against jailing of Iranian director Iranian film director Jafar Panahi Iranian film director Jafar Panahi. Photograph: Stringer/Iran/Reuters Film-makers and actors from around the globe are expected to sign a petition calling for the release of the dissident Iranian director Jafar Panahi. An Iranian court yesterday sentenced the 50-year-old to six years in prison, his lawyer said, and banned him from directing or producing films for 20 years. Launched earlier today, the online petition claims that "Jafar is innocent and his only crime is wishing to continue to freely exercise his profession as a film-maker in Iran ... Through this sentence inflicted upon Jafar Panahi, it is manifestly all of Iranian cinema which is targeted." The petition was drawn up by a group of European film organisations, including the Cannes film festival and the magazine Cahiers du Cinema. It invites signatures from writers, film-makers and actors, "as well as every man and woman who loves freedom and for whom human rights are fundamental". Panahi, a critic of the Ahmadinejad regime who supported the protests that followed 2009's disputed Iranian elections, was convicted of "propaganda against the system". In his plea to the court, he said: "My imprisonment and that of those I work with symbolises the kidnapping by those in power of all artists in the country." Panahi will be jailed alongside another film-maker, Mohammad Rasoulof. Panahi won the Camera d'Or award at the 1995 Cannes film festival for The White Balloon and the Golden Lion prize at the 2000 Venice festival for The Circle. His other pictures include Offside and Crimson Gold. The director was initially arrested at his home in March, when he was accused of making an "anti-regime" documentary about the green uprising. His incarceration sparked protests from the likes of Martin Scorsese, Ang Lee and Steven Spielberg, while Juliette Binoche used the stage at last May's Cannes film festival to call for Panahi's release. From the-network at koeln.de Wed Dec 22 19:56:50 2010 From: the-network at koeln.de (artNET) Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2010 15:26:50 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] =?iso-8859-1?q?Call=3A_CologneOFF_2011_-_videoart_i?= =?iso-8859-1?q?n_a_global_context?= Message-ID: <20101222152650.E88A374E.1AFD08B@192.168.0.3> Call for entries Deadline: 1 March 2011 -------------------------------------------- CologneOFF 2011 - videoart in a global context is a world wide unique festival project by - Cologne International Videoart Festival - starting on 1 January 2011 and lasting until 31 December 2011 simultaneously in physical & virtual space. It's goal is to show during one year at many venues around the globe the diversity of the creative potential of "art and moving images" transported via the global medium of "video". The videos can be submitted only online. Selected works will be featured on CologneOFF individually online and will become later in 2011 the 7th edition of CologneOFF - Cologne International Videoart Festival. More info about CologneOFF 2011 http://downloads.nmartproject.net/cologneOFF2011_eng.pdf CologneOFF 2011 is inviting creators in the field of 2art and moving images" - this may be experimental forms of film and video art - to submit up to 3 works --> Please find the entry details and form on http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=2729 -------------------------------------------- CologneOFF - Cologne International Videoart Festival http://coff.newmediafest.org is powered by artvideoKOELN the curatorial initiative "art & moving images" http://video.mediaartcologne.org 2011 (at) coff.newmediafest.org -------------------------------------------- From aliens at dataone.in Wed Dec 22 22:27:39 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2010 22:27:39 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] "Follow Gujarat's lead in fighting climate change" Message-ID: <005f01cba1f9$58019b20$0804d160$@in> December 22, 2010 "Follow Gujarat's lead in fighting climate change" Former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and TERI Director-General R.K. Pachauri (left) release a book " Convenient Action: Gujarat Response to Challenges of Climate Change" written by Mr. Modi, in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. MANAS DASGUPTA, Ahmedabad The former President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, and the chairman of the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), R.K. Pachauri, on Tuesday recommended that climate change should become the centre of all developmental policies and actions, and advised other States to follow the lead given by Gujarat in this direction. Speaking at a function for the release of a book, Convenient Action: Gujarat's Response to Climate Change written by Chief Minister Narendra Modi, which details the steps taken in Gujarat to meet the challenge, Mr. Kalam said the problem of climate change could not be viewed in isolation, and that India must immediately adopted long-term programmes like the Integrated Water Connections and Energy Independent Mission and focus on renewable sources of energy to achieve the goals in the next two decades. Mr. Kalam said he was ‘inspired" by Mr. Modi's "beautiful book" and Gujarat's programme on linking rivers, which helped rejuvenate the Sabarmati river and solve many of health and other problems in Ahmedabad. Mr. Kalam said he had always believed that State-wise linking of rivers was a must, and had given detailed proposals to States like Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. He said this would not only solve perennial water problems, both for drinking and agricultural purposes, but also arrest the flooding of large areas every year and save over $500 million, which the government was forced to spend for short-term relief measures for the flood-affected. Appreciating Gujarat's agricultural growth — which he said was three times higher than the national average, despite it being a drought-prone State — Mr. Kalam said that the construction of a series of check-dams, village bunds and other water conservation methods had largely contributed to achieving the goal. Dr. Pachauri, who is also director-general of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), said the world had no time to waste and wait for cent-per-cent scientific proof that climate change was affecting the earth. "Our future generation is moving towards destruction every minute; climate change is a reality and what is happening around us already is enough to compel us for actions." Mr. Modi — who was acclaimed as only the second political leader in the world, after former U.S. Vice-President Al Gore, in writing a book on climate change — said that Indian scriptures written thousands of years ago had mentioned possible climate change and had given solutions, but not many people had the intention to follow the same. He said his inspiration came from Mr. Gore's book An Inconvenient Truth, which highlighted the resistance that people usually develop for any inconveniences caused by the problems arising out of climate change. From c.anupam at gmail.com Thu Dec 23 10:53:51 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Thu, 23 Dec 2010 10:53:51 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] "Follow Gujarat's lead in fighting climate change" In-Reply-To: <005f01cba1f9$58019b20$0804d160$@in> References: <005f01cba1f9$58019b20$0804d160$@in> Message-ID: http://www.dnaindia.com/opinion/editorial_narendra-modi-s-green-thoughts-may-not-clear-his-image_1484882 Excerpts: "His supporters are likely to see this as another feather in the cap of this unapologetic right-wing politician. But this is something that is likely to drive his critics — most of them from the other end of the political spectrum — into a paroxysm of anger. They are sure to see this saffron attempt to go green as a conspiracy against secularism." On Wed, Dec 22, 2010 at 10:27 PM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > > > December 22, 2010 > > "Follow Gujarat's lead in fighting climate change" > > > Former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi > and TERI Director-General > R.K. Pachauri (left) release a book " Convenient Action: Gujarat Response > to Challenges of Climate Change" > written by Mr. Modi, in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. > > > MANAS DASGUPTA, Ahmedabad > > The former President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, and the chairman of the > Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), R.K. Pachauri, on Tuesday > recommended that climate change should become the centre of all > developmental policies and actions, and advised other States to follow the > lead given by Gujarat in this direction. > > Speaking at a function for the release of a book, Convenient Action: > Gujarat's Response to Climate Change written by Chief Minister Narendra > Modi, which details the steps taken in Gujarat to meet the challenge, Mr. > Kalam said the problem of climate change could not be viewed in isolation, > and that India must immediately adopted long-term programmes like the > Integrated Water Connections and Energy Independent Mission and focus on > renewable sources of energy to achieve the goals in the next two decades. > > Mr. Kalam said he was ‘inspired" by Mr. Modi's "beautiful book" and > Gujarat's programme on linking rivers, which helped rejuvenate the Sabarmati > river and solve many of health and other problems in Ahmedabad. > > Mr. Kalam said he had always believed that State-wise linking of rivers was > a must, and had given detailed proposals to States like Andhra Pradesh and > Kerala. He said this would not only solve perennial water problems, both for > drinking and agricultural purposes, but also arrest the flooding of large > areas every year and save over $500 million, which the government was forced > to spend for short-term relief measures for the flood-affected. > > Appreciating Gujarat's agricultural growth — which he said was three times > higher than the national average, despite it being a drought-prone State — > Mr. Kalam said that the construction of a series of check-dams, village > bunds and other water conservation methods had largely contributed to > achieving the goal. > > Dr. Pachauri, who is also director-general of The Energy and Resources > Institute (TERI), said the world had no time to waste and wait for > cent-per-cent scientific proof that climate change was affecting the earth. > "Our future generation is moving towards destruction every minute; climate > change is a reality and what is happening around us already is enough to > compel us for actions." > > Mr. Modi — who was acclaimed as only the second political leader in the > world, after former U.S. Vice-President Al Gore, in writing a book on > climate change — said that Indian scriptures written thousands of years ago > had mentioned possible climate change and had given solutions, but not many > people had the intention to follow the same. He said his inspiration came > from Mr. Gore's book An Inconvenient Truth, which highlighted the resistance > that people usually develop for any inconveniences caused by the problems > arising out of climate change. > > > > > > > > > > > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > 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 Dec 23 11:35:02 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Thu, 23 Dec 2010 11:35:02 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] "Follow Gujarat's lead in fighting climate change" In-Reply-To: References: <005f01cba1f9$58019b20$0804d160$@in> Message-ID: Modi's idea of writing of a book on climate change reminds us of a famous dialogue from Hindi movie: Waqt unlike the comparisons being drawn with Al Gore. I also think of following reasons why Modi is writing a book. But is Gujarat Pollution Control Board listening to him. How is it possible that near Vatva Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP), a low cost housing project was allowed to be constructed within 1 kilometer radius? http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article396375.ece "According to a report released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Gujarat generates almost 29 per cent of the 62 lakh metric tonnes of hazardous waste generated every year. It is followed by Maharashtra (25 per cent) and Andhra Pradesh (9 per cent)." http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/content/effluent-treatment-facilities-across-golden-corridor-does-not-conform-gpcb-norms "Despite the “Polluter Pays” principle, even in the nineties the then developing common effluent treatment plants (CETPs) were highly supported by public money; 25% of the cost was state subsidy, 25% central subsidy, 30% loans from financial institute, and 20% directly paid by the industry. In essence half of the proposed solution to the pollution generated for private profit was funded by the general public. Moreover this happened at the same time that the state was withdrawing from its social responsibilities, such as education, health care and transportation. It seems paradoxical that the mounting laissez faire sentiment allowed the state to intervene on behalf of industries – which come to exist by virtue of concentrated resources and power – but not for the welfare of the common masses. Even after such huge investment many of the CETPs including Vapi, FETP - Ankleshwar, Panoli, Nandesari, Vatva, Odhav, Narol etc. are not able to meet the prescribed GPCB norms." Even though Modi administration was opposed to the transfer of Bhopal waste to the incinerator owned by Bharuch Enviro Infrastructure Limited (BEIL), it was BEIL officials who expressed inability to dispose the waste in Gujarat as 15,000 tonnes of toxic waste were backlogged. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/stalemate-over-bhopal-waste-disposal/433532/1 This happened after there were protests from various sections of the state including Congress which accused Modi administration for allowing the Bhopal waste to be incinerated in Gujarat: http://www.siasat.com/english/news/modi-govt-had-allowed-disposal-bhopal-waste-guj The title of the book: “Convenient Action-Gujarat's Response to Challenges of Climate Change”. Whose convenience??? when we have http://ibnlive.in.com/news/indias-failure-to-prevent-child-labour/137195-3.html On Thu, Dec 23, 2010 at 10:53 AM, anupam chakravartty wrote: > > http://www.dnaindia.com/opinion/editorial_narendra-modi-s-green-thoughts-may-not-clear-his-image_1484882 > > Excerpts: > > "His supporters are likely to see this as another feather in the cap of > this unapologetic right-wing politician. But this is something that is > likely to drive his critics — most of them from the other end of the > political spectrum — into a paroxysm of anger. They are sure to see this > saffron attempt to go green as a conspiracy against secularism." > > > On Wed, Dec 22, 2010 at 10:27 PM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > >> >> >> December 22, 2010 >> >> "Follow Gujarat's lead in fighting climate change" >> >> >> Former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi >> and TERI Director-General >> R.K. Pachauri (left) release a book " Convenient Action: Gujarat Response >> to Challenges of Climate Change" >> written by Mr. Modi, in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. >> >> >> MANAS DASGUPTA, Ahmedabad >> >> The former President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, and the chairman of the >> Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), R.K. Pachauri, on Tuesday >> recommended that climate change should become the centre of all >> developmental policies and actions, and advised other States to follow the >> lead given by Gujarat in this direction. >> >> Speaking at a function for the release of a book, Convenient Action: >> Gujarat's Response to Climate Change written by Chief Minister Narendra >> Modi, which details the steps taken in Gujarat to meet the challenge, Mr. >> Kalam said the problem of climate change could not be viewed in isolation, >> and that India must immediately adopted long-term programmes like the >> Integrated Water Connections and Energy Independent Mission and focus on >> renewable sources of energy to achieve the goals in the next two decades. >> >> Mr. Kalam said he was ‘inspired" by Mr. Modi's "beautiful book" and >> Gujarat's programme on linking rivers, which helped rejuvenate the Sabarmati >> river and solve many of health and other problems in Ahmedabad. >> >> Mr. Kalam said he had always believed that State-wise linking of rivers >> was a must, and had given detailed proposals to States like Andhra Pradesh >> and Kerala. He said this would not only solve perennial water problems, both >> for drinking and agricultural purposes, but also arrest the flooding of >> large areas every year and save over $500 million, which the government was >> forced to spend for short-term relief measures for the flood-affected. >> >> Appreciating Gujarat's agricultural growth — which he said was three times >> higher than the national average, despite it being a drought-prone State — >> Mr. Kalam said that the construction of a series of check-dams, village >> bunds and other water conservation methods had largely contributed to >> achieving the goal. >> >> Dr. Pachauri, who is also director-general of The Energy and Resources >> Institute (TERI), said the world had no time to waste and wait for >> cent-per-cent scientific proof that climate change was affecting the earth. >> "Our future generation is moving towards destruction every minute; climate >> change is a reality and what is happening around us already is enough to >> compel us for actions." >> >> Mr. Modi — who was acclaimed as only the second political leader in the >> world, after former U.S. Vice-President Al Gore, in writing a book on >> climate change — said that Indian scriptures written thousands of years ago >> had mentioned possible climate change and had given solutions, but not many >> people had the intention to follow the same. He said his inspiration came >> from Mr. Gore's book An Inconvenient Truth, which highlighted the resistance >> that people usually develop for any inconveniences caused by the problems >> arising out of climate change. >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> _________________________________________ >> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. >> Critiques & Collaborations >> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with >> 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 javedmasoo at gmail.com Thu Dec 23 16:29:25 2010 From: javedmasoo at gmail.com (Javed) Date: Thu, 23 Dec 2010 16:29:25 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] What to do with a Quran written in Saddam's blood In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Dear Anupam I find it weired defending a quran written in Saddam's blood of all the things. But if you insist, blood coagulates as early as any ink. But the blood can also be kept in fresh/liquid form using special containers. How do I care if this Quran in his blood is real or fake. But I know there are people among Muslims (or any religion) who can go to such extremes to express their faith. I am sure you are aware that many shias take out their blood in the most grisely methods during the Muharram to express their passion for the Karbala martyrs. So, I am won't be surprised if the Iraqi dictator did this - whether he is a shia or not. There is a history for such acts. As Salim would prefer, let us end this grisly debate here. J On Wed, Dec 22, 2010 at 6:01 PM, anupam chakravartty wrote: > Javed, > > Agreed that this was done over a period of two years. How would a > calligrapher do his work with a substance that starts coagulating > immediately when it comes in contact with the atmosphere? I do not mean to > offend any sentiment here. If only you could throw some light. I am > ignorant, as it has been deduced earlier. > > anupam > > > On Wed, Dec 22, 2010 at 5:46 PM, Javed wrote: >> >> Anupam ji >> These days anything can be fake, including your science book, but it >> would be foolish to assume that Saddam was so superhuman that he >> produced 27 litres of blood IN ONE GO (and his calligraphist equaly >> virtuoso that he wrote down 114 pages in one sitting). Please read the >> report a bit deeper: >> >> "The Koran, which is currently stored behind three vaulted doors, was >> created over the course of two years as Saddam attended regular >> appointments with a nurse and an Islamic calligrapher." >> >> Even if he gave one litre of blood every month, he could give about 27 >> litres over 2 years. Nevertheless, it all seems rather grisely. It is >> the religious fervour that has to be "appreciated". >> >> Javed >> >> On 12/22/10, anupam chakravartty wrote: >> > The Grisly legacy might just be fake Javed. >> > >> > The piece says: "The fate of the macabre project is now being considered >> > as >> > the country debates what should become of the dictator’s final relics. >> > Enlarge   Dilemma: The fate of a Koran written using 27 litres of Saddam >> > Hussein's blood is uncertain. It is currently stored behind three >> > vaulted >> > doors in Iraq." >> > >> > >> > "On the average, an adult human male who weighs 70 kg. has a blood >> > volume of >> > about 5 liters, or a little more than 5 quarts." says my science text >> > book. >> > For your reference: http://hypertextbook.com/facts/1998/LanNaLee.shtml >> > >> > Thanks Anupam >> > >> > On Wed, Dec 22, 2010 at 1:12 PM, Javed wrote: >> > >> >> Very interesting are some visitor;s comments at the end: >> >> ------------------- >> >> A grisly legacy: What is to become of the Koran written in Saddam >> >> Hussein's blood? >> >> By Sara Nelson >> >> >> >> Iraq’s government is unsure what to do with Saddam’s ghoulish legacy – >> >> a Koran written using his blood. >> >> >> >> The 114-chapter book, which required 27 litres of his blood, has been >> >> under lock and key for almost eight years. >> >> >> >> The fate of the macabre project is now being considered as the country >> >> debates what should become of the dictator’s final relics. >> >> Enlarge   Dilemma: The fate of a Koran written using 27 litres of >> >> Saddam Hussein's blood is uncertain. It is currently stored behind >> >> three vaulted doors in Iraq >> >> >> >> ‘What is in here is priceless, worth absolutely millions of dollars,’ >> >> Sheikh Ahmed al-Samarrai, head of Iraq’s Sunni Endowment fund, told >> >> The Guardian. >> >> >> >> Despite his opposition to the very existence of the document (he >> >> describes it as ‘haraam’ or forbidden), Sheikh Sammarrai has protected >> >> the blood-soaked pages since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. >> >> >> >> He said: ‘I knew this would be much sought after and we made the >> >> decision to protect it. But to see this now is not easy. >> >> Saddam with the Koran written in his own blood >> >> >> >> Brought to book: Saddam takes delivery of a copy of the Koran in 2000, >> >> in Baghdad. Iraqi newspapers reported that he ordered the holy book to >> >> be scribed in his own blood as thanks for his long political career >> >> >> >> 'There are three keys and none of them are held in the one place. I >> >> have one, the police chief in the area has another and there is a >> >> third in another part of Baghdad.’ >> >> 'This [book] is very destructive for the psyche of the Iraqi >> >> population. This is a clear reminder of the consequences of >> >> totalitarianism. I am for removing it' - Ahmed Chalabi, President of >> >> the Governing Council of Iraq >> >> >> >> 'We should keep this as a document for the brutality of Saddam, >> >> because he should not have done this' - Ali al-Moussawi, spokesman for >> >> the prime minister, Nour al-Maliki >> >> >> >> The Koran, which is currently stored behind three vaulted doors, was >> >> created over the course of two years as Saddam attended regular >> >> appointments with a nurse and an Islamic calligrapher. >> >> >> >> The tyrant took on the project after deciding to re-embrace his >> >> religion after his elder son Uday survived an assassination attempt. >> >> >> >> Abbas Shakir Joody al-Baghdadi was the calligrapher commissioned by >> >> Saddam himself. >> >> >> >> Understandably, al-Baghdadi is reluctant to be associated with the >> >> grisly >> >> work. >> >> >> >> Speaking from his new home in the U.S., he said: ‘I don’t like to talk >> >> about this now. It was a painful part of my life that I want to forget >> >> about.’ >> >> >> >> A towering statue of Saddam was pulled to the ground in 2003 in a >> >> symbolic act against his oppressive regime. >> >> >> >> Working together in the heart of Baghdad, U.S. marines helped crowds >> >> of Iraqi men bring down the imposing monument on the day the city's >> >> population celebrated its liberation. >> >> >> >> The scenes were reminiscent of the fall of the Berlin Wall, brought >> >> down by citizens of another oppressed city. >> >> >> >> But the fate of the blood Koran remains uncertain, as a debate within >> >> Iraq rages over whether everything from the brutal regime should be >> >> removed. >> >> >> >> Ahmed Chalabi, who is President of the Governing Council of Iraq, says >> >> anything connected to him must go. >> >> >> >> He said: ‘This is very destructive for the psyche of the Iraqi >> >> population. >> >> >> >> 'This is a clear reminder of the consequences of totalitarianism and >> >> idealising a person that embodies evil. >> >> >> >> 'They have brought nothing to Iraq. They are not worth celebrating. >> >> >> >> 'They have nothing aesthetic to offer. I am for removing them.’ >> >> >> >> Meanwhile, Ali al-Moussawi, a spokesman for the prime minister, Nour >> >> al-Maliki, said: 'We should keep this as a document for the brutality >> >> of Saddam, because he should not have done this. >> >> >> >> 'It says a lot about him. It should never be put in a museum though, >> >> because no Iraqi wants to see it. >> >> >> >> 'Maybe in the future it could be sent to a private museum, like >> >> memorabilia from the Hitler and Stalin regimes.' >> >> >> >> --- >> >> Anyone got a spare match????????? >> >> >> >> - jim, Wirral,UK, 21/12/2010 13:33 >> >> >> >> Burn the effin' thing. >> >> >> >> - kevin webb, accrington lancs, 21/12/2010 13:30 >> >> >> >> Put it on Ebay >> >> >> >> - Eddie John, Some place nice, 21/12/2010 13:11 >> >> >> >> The words are the words of Mohammed because there is no God....Burn it. >> >> >> >> - Atheist, UK, 21/12/2010 12:56 >> >> >> >> Pleaseeeeeeeee don't burn it...give to me instead !!!....... so that i >> >> can pay off my mortgage out of it proceeds........(struggling without >> >> a job for long time) >> >> >> >> - jj, birmingham, 21/12/2010 12:54 >> >> >> >> The western people were fed to their bones by the American government >> >> pro-zionist propaganda which was peddled by the media that Saddam was >> >> "evil". He was not. He was merely trying to defend the interest of >> >> Iraq. The fact is that the devil is America. >> >> >> >> - Nevermind, London, 21/12/2010 12:44 >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1340271/A-grisly-legacy-What-Saddam-Hussein-s-Blood-Koran.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/> >> > > > From rohitrellan at aol.in Thu Dec 23 17:15:42 2010 From: rohitrellan at aol.in (rohitrellan at aol.in) Date: Thu, 23 Dec 2010 06:45:42 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] 2011 FILM FESTIVAL SUBMISSIONS NOW OPEN! Message-ID: <8CD70AE101BC6F9-1858-8E0C@webmail-d017.sysops.aol.com> 2011 FILM FESTIVAL SUBMISSIONS NOW OPEN! SUBMISSIONS NOW OPEN Submit a film : https://www.withoutabox.com/login/9646 The Indo-American Arts Council is a 501 ©3 not-for-profit arts organization passionately dedicated to promoting, showcasing and building an awareness of artists of Indian origin in the performing arts, visual arts, literary arts and folk arts. For information please visit www.iaac.us OPEN CALL FOR ENTRIES • Select a Category of Entry . Feature Film (over 40 mins) (Film) Feature Films over 40 minutes run time. Short Film (under 40 mins) (Film) Short works of fiction under 40 minutes in length Documentary (over 40 mins) (Film) Documentary works over 40 minutes run time. Documentary (under 40 mins) (Film) Documentary works under 40 minutes in length. From jeebesh at sarai.net Thu Dec 23 18:07:48 2010 From: jeebesh at sarai.net (Jeebesh) Date: Thu, 23 Dec 2010 18:07:48 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Jafar Panahi Message-ID: <6B77E99A-D8B5-4396-BE9B-E2E18DA5CB61@sarai.net> http://www.petitiononline.com/FJP2310/petition.html Online Petition in support of the release of Filmmaker Jafar Panahi in Iran. for Jafar Panahi see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jafar_Panahi From c.anupam at gmail.com Thu Dec 23 18:36:41 2010 From: c.anupam at gmail.com (anupam chakravartty) Date: Thu, 23 Dec 2010 18:36:41 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] What to do with a Quran written in Saddam's blood In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Dear Javed The intention here was not to "debate" about a Quran. Since I am ignorant to such practices, I wanted to know more about it. thanks Anupam On Thu, Dec 23, 2010 at 4:29 PM, Javed wrote: > Dear Anupam > I find it weired defending a quran written in Saddam's blood of all > the things. But if you insist, blood coagulates as early as any ink. > But the blood can also be kept in fresh/liquid form using special > containers. How do I care if this Quran in his blood is real or fake. > But I know there are people among Muslims (or any religion) who can go > to such extremes to express their faith. I am sure you are aware that > many shias take out their blood in the most grisely methods during the > Muharram to express their passion for the Karbala martyrs. So, I am > won't be surprised if the Iraqi dictator did this - whether he is a > shia or not. There is a history for such acts. > As Salim would prefer, let us end this grisly debate here. > > J > > On Wed, Dec 22, 2010 at 6:01 PM, anupam chakravartty > wrote: > > Javed, > > > > Agreed that this was done over a period of two years. How would a > > calligrapher do his work with a substance that starts coagulating > > immediately when it comes in contact with the atmosphere? I do not mean > to > > offend any sentiment here. If only you could throw some light. I am > > ignorant, as it has been deduced earlier. > > > > anupam > > > > > > On Wed, Dec 22, 2010 at 5:46 PM, Javed wrote: > >> > >> Anupam ji > >> These days anything can be fake, including your science book, but it > >> would be foolish to assume that Saddam was so superhuman that he > >> produced 27 litres of blood IN ONE GO (and his calligraphist equaly > >> virtuoso that he wrote down 114 pages in one sitting). Please read the > >> report a bit deeper: > >> > >> "The Koran, which is currently stored behind three vaulted doors, was > >> created over the course of two years as Saddam attended regular > >> appointments with a nurse and an Islamic calligrapher." > >> > >> Even if he gave one litre of blood every month, he could give about 27 > >> litres over 2 years. Nevertheless, it all seems rather grisely. It is > >> the religious fervour that has to be "appreciated". > >> > >> Javed > >> > >> On 12/22/10, anupam chakravartty wrote: > >> > The Grisly legacy might just be fake Javed. > >> > > >> > The piece says: "The fate of the macabre project is now being > considered > >> > as > >> > the country debates what should become of the dictator’s final relics. > >> > Enlarge Dilemma: The fate of a Koran written using 27 litres of > Saddam > >> > Hussein's blood is uncertain. It is currently stored behind three > >> > vaulted > >> > doors in Iraq." > >> > > >> > > >> > "On the average, an adult human male who weighs 70 kg. has a blood > >> > volume of > >> > about 5 liters, or a little more than 5 quarts." says my science text > >> > book. > >> > For your reference: > http://hypertextbook.com/facts/1998/LanNaLee.shtml > >> > > >> > Thanks Anupam > >> > > >> > On Wed, Dec 22, 2010 at 1:12 PM, Javed wrote: > >> > > >> >> Very interesting are some visitor;s comments at the end: > >> >> ------------------- > >> >> A grisly legacy: What is to become of the Koran written in Saddam > >> >> Hussein's blood? > >> >> By Sara Nelson > >> >> > >> >> Iraq’s government is unsure what to do with Saddam’s ghoulish legacy > – > >> >> a Koran written using his blood. > >> >> > >> >> The 114-chapter book, which required 27 litres of his blood, has been > >> >> under lock and key for almost eight years. > >> >> > >> >> The fate of the macabre project is now being considered as the > country > >> >> debates what should become of the dictator’s final relics. > >> >> Enlarge Dilemma: The fate of a Koran written using 27 litres of > >> >> Saddam Hussein's blood is uncertain. It is currently stored behind > >> >> three vaulted doors in Iraq > >> >> > >> >> ‘What is in here is priceless, worth absolutely millions of dollars,’ > >> >> Sheikh Ahmed al-Samarrai, head of Iraq’s Sunni Endowment fund, told > >> >> The Guardian. > >> >> > >> >> Despite his opposition to the very existence of the document (he > >> >> describes it as ‘haraam’ or forbidden), Sheikh Sammarrai has > protected > >> >> the blood-soaked pages since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. > >> >> > >> >> He said: ‘I knew this would be much sought after and we made the > >> >> decision to protect it. But to see this now is not easy. > >> >> Saddam with the Koran written in his own blood > >> >> > >> >> Brought to book: Saddam takes delivery of a copy of the Koran in > 2000, > >> >> in Baghdad. Iraqi newspapers reported that he ordered the holy book > to > >> >> be scribed in his own blood as thanks for his long political career > >> >> > >> >> 'There are three keys and none of them are held in the one place. I > >> >> have one, the police chief in the area has another and there is a > >> >> third in another part of Baghdad.’ > >> >> 'This [book] is very destructive for the psyche of the Iraqi > >> >> population. This is a clear reminder of the consequences of > >> >> totalitarianism. I am for removing it' - Ahmed Chalabi, President of > >> >> the Governing Council of Iraq > >> >> > >> >> 'We should keep this as a document for the brutality of Saddam, > >> >> because he should not have done this' - Ali al-Moussawi, spokesman > for > >> >> the prime minister, Nour al-Maliki > >> >> > >> >> The Koran, which is currently stored behind three vaulted doors, was > >> >> created over the course of two years as Saddam attended regular > >> >> appointments with a nurse and an Islamic calligrapher. > >> >> > >> >> The tyrant took on the project after deciding to re-embrace his > >> >> religion after his elder son Uday survived an assassination attempt. > >> >> > >> >> Abbas Shakir Joody al-Baghdadi was the calligrapher commissioned by > >> >> Saddam himself. > >> >> > >> >> Understandably, al-Baghdadi is reluctant to be associated with the > >> >> grisly > >> >> work. > >> >> > >> >> Speaking from his new home in the U.S., he said: ‘I don’t like to > talk > >> >> about this now. It was a painful part of my life that I want to > forget > >> >> about.’ > >> >> > >> >> A towering statue of Saddam was pulled to the ground in 2003 in a > >> >> symbolic act against his oppressive regime. > >> >> > >> >> Working together in the heart of Baghdad, U.S. marines helped crowds > >> >> of Iraqi men bring down the imposing monument on the day the city's > >> >> population celebrated its liberation. > >> >> > >> >> The scenes were reminiscent of the fall of the Berlin Wall, brought > >> >> down by citizens of another oppressed city. > >> >> > >> >> But the fate of the blood Koran remains uncertain, as a debate within > >> >> Iraq rages over whether everything from the brutal regime should be > >> >> removed. > >> >> > >> >> Ahmed Chalabi, who is President of the Governing Council of Iraq, > says > >> >> anything connected to him must go. > >> >> > >> >> He said: ‘This is very destructive for the psyche of the Iraqi > >> >> population. > >> >> > >> >> 'This is a clear reminder of the consequences of totalitarianism and > >> >> idealising a person that embodies evil. > >> >> > >> >> 'They have brought nothing to Iraq. They are not worth celebrating. > >> >> > >> >> 'They have nothing aesthetic to offer. I am for removing them.’ > >> >> > >> >> Meanwhile, Ali al-Moussawi, a spokesman for the prime minister, Nour > >> >> al-Maliki, said: 'We should keep this as a document for the brutality > >> >> of Saddam, because he should not have done this. > >> >> > >> >> 'It says a lot about him. It should never be put in a museum though, > >> >> because no Iraqi wants to see it. > >> >> > >> >> 'Maybe in the future it could be sent to a private museum, like > >> >> memorabilia from the Hitler and Stalin regimes.' > >> >> > >> >> --- > >> >> Anyone got a spare match????????? > >> >> > >> >> - jim, Wirral,UK, 21/12/2010 13:33 > >> >> > >> >> Burn the effin' thing. > >> >> > >> >> - kevin webb, accrington lancs, 21/12/2010 13:30 > >> >> > >> >> Put it on Ebay > >> >> > >> >> - Eddie John, Some place nice, 21/12/2010 13:11 > >> >> > >> >> The words are the words of Mohammed because there is no God....Burn > it. > >> >> > >> >> - Atheist, UK, 21/12/2010 12:56 > >> >> > >> >> Pleaseeeeeeeee don't burn it...give to me instead !!!....... so that > i > >> >> can pay off my mortgage out of it proceeds........(struggling without > >> >> a job for long time) > >> >> > >> >> - jj, birmingham, 21/12/2010 12:54 > >> >> > >> >> The western people were fed to their bones by the American government > >> >> pro-zionist propaganda which was peddled by the media that Saddam was > >> >> "evil". He was not. He was merely trying to defend the interest of > >> >> Iraq. The fact is that the devil is America. > >> >> > >> >> - Nevermind, London, 21/12/2010 12:44 > >> >> > >> >> > >> >> > >> >> > http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1340271/A-grisly-legacy-What-Saddam-Hussein-s-Blood-Koran.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/> > >> > > > > > > From rohitrellan at aol.in Thu Dec 23 21:32:47 2010 From: rohitrellan at aol.in (rohitrellan at aol.in) Date: Thu, 23 Dec 2010 11:02:47 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Walk To Flower Markets Of Delhi In-Reply-To: <8CD70D1BACF4873-620-1DEDA@web-mmc-m10.sysops.aol.com> References: <8CD70D1BACF4873-620-1DEDA@web-mmc-m10.sysops.aol.com> Message-ID: <8CD70D1F927C604-620-1DF3B@web-mmc-m10.sysops.aol.com> ---------------------------------------------------------------  Walk To Flower Markets Of Delhi    Sunday 26th December 2010    7 am to 11 am    7 am: Collecting at meeting point    11 am: Walk finishes at ending point    Meeting Point: Connaught Place Metro Station (Baba Kharak Singh Marg Exit)    Ending Point: Mehrauli Flower Market    Mode of Commuting: Metro / Walk / Rickshaw    Description: The walk will take you to the three main flower markets of Delhi. The flower markets of Delhi are temples of beauty amidst the concrete jungle of the city, and an integral part of the city’s heritage and culture.    Sadly however, the Government of Delhi, in an extremely myopic vein is relocating these flower markets to one singular flower market in Ghazipur. We at The Genda Phool Project however are formulating a strategy of building public opinion against this proposal. We are working towards the possibilities of a campaign to save these markets on grounds of right to livelihood, issues of displacement, as well as issues of urban heritage and aesthetics, and those of people’s participation, involvement and consent in development initiatives.    Each of the three flower markets is beautiful in that they have a distinct and unique character, which will be lost once they are relocated in a strange “flower market building” on the outskirts of the city.    We will start our Phool Mandi walk with the market at Baba Kharak Singh Marg, opposite Hanuman Mandir. The mandi operates from 4 am to 9 am, and accomplishes business worth crores in this duration. The flash in the pan phenomenon – here now, gone in a second, is fascinating. This is India’s largest flower market, and specialises largely in cut flowers of all varieties and even some dry flowers and flower decoration equipments.    From New Delhi we move to Old Delhi, to explore the Genda Phool Mandi at Fatehpuri Masjid, Chandni Chowk. Again, only a morning mandi. Farmers and flower sellers are seen milling around, and again, by around 9 am the mandi vanishes, and the spice market of Khari Baoli, around which the mandi is located, emerges. This mandi only sells genda phool (marigold flower) in its loose form.    Finally, we will take you to another city of Delhi – Mehrauli. The Mehrauli flower market again largely specialises in Genda Phool (in loose and garland form) but also some cut flowers. This Mandi however, is open all day, unlike the other two which are temporary / morning ones.    Do join us for this one, it may be one of your last chances to see these lovely flower markets if the government has its way. But we are hoping it will not…    Itinerary    7 am – Collect at meeting point. Please be on time.    7.15 am – 8 am – Explore the flower market at Baba Kharak Singh Marg, Connaught Place.    8.30 am – 9.30 am – Fatehpuri Flower Market, Chandni Chowk. Indian veg. breakfast at participant’s cost.    10.30 – 11 am – Mehrauli Flower Market    11 am – Walk finishes at Mehrauli Flower Market    Registration Details    Contribution: Rs. 500/- per person. Breakfast and metro fares at participant’s cost.    To register and for details contact Himanshu Verma / 41764054 / himanshu at redearthindia.com    Notes:    Please carry the following: umbrella / hat, water.    Carry bags for buying flowers. Say no to plastic!    Dress Code:    Wear genda colours – orange, yellow, red & maroon.  From rohitrellan at aol.in Thu Dec 23 21:46:04 2010 From: rohitrellan at aol.in (rohitrellan at aol.in) Date: Thu, 23 Dec 2010 11:16:04 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Hill Hoppers Festival of Northeast Films- No. 3 - sunday 26th dec, colaba, Mumbai In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <8CD70D3D53469E1-620-1E24C@web-mmc-m10.sysops.aol.com> Hill Hoppers screening No.3 in Colaba Time : Sunday, December 26 · 11:00am - 10:00pm Location : Clark House, Ram Bahadur Thakur & Co., Ground Floor, Right Wing, 8, Wodehouse Road, (diagonally opposite Regal Cinema) More Info list of films and presentations ranjan palit- forever young (75min) blackrice art presentation- atamata (20min) vasudha joshi- songlines (45min) yirmiyan arthur- phalee (33min) naga headhunters- naga jedi (3min) meren imchen- aok & aie (4min) longbir ingti- loop (2min) akanito assumi- foozball (3min) chewang lepcha- pding pdong (3min) BREAK 30min kavita joshi- tales from the margins(23min) merajur rehman baruah- the nine months (77min) radhamohini prasad- machis ko sinka (11min) merren imchen- nokpokliba (9min) imsophangla ao- inside the bamboo kitchen(58min) ajesh shah- presentation of photography from the northeast (20min) aditi chitre- journey to nagaland (26min) sunzu bachaspatimayum- shingnaba(27min) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- About Black b l a c k r i c e : is a platform for projects that encourage collaborative art practice, addressing memories of burning fields, and the beauty of the hills, of the many north easts that live in north eastern India blackrice began with a series of conversations and interviews in the naga hills made by different people at different times in the last few years to understand the context for what seemed to be unconstitutional methods of violence employed by the state. testimonies beginning from the 50s tell of how when the indian army suspected any village of sheltering rebels, the army would go from village to village and burn down fields, rice granaries and the surrounding forests, either to smoke people out, or as punishment. this was also the time when they were 'grouping' all the villagers into concentration camps. people of 4-5 villages would be clubbed into one camp where they were interrogated, isolated, punished, and held captive. a couple of us made a friend there who told us about her invalid mother who now lives in calcutta. her mother was in one such camp. here she had to carry her young brother on her back for several days because there were too many people and not enough place. this bent her back permanently. when she was free she went to calcutta for treatment. but her back was never cured. those who managed to escape the grouping were basically hiding in forests. they could not light fires in the forests because the army was ever vigilant. often they would try to steal back into their destroyed villages to forage for food. here they found the granaries were burnt down and the rice charred black. this is where 'black rice' comes from. From rohitrellan at aol.in Fri Dec 24 07:25:03 2010 From: rohitrellan at aol.in (rohitrellan at aol.in) Date: Thu, 23 Dec 2010 20:55:03 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] A season of Films and Footage Part 3, Talking Heads. Sunday December 26, 630 pm | CAMP In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <8CD7124B74DBCD9-894-20B9E@webmail-m041.sysops.aol.com> TALKING HEADS Sunday 26th December 2010, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm  CAMP roof 301 Alif Apts, 34-A, Chuim VIllage, Khar, Mumbai, 400 052 CAMP continues its winter season of screenings exploring footage both within and outside the usual capsule of "the film". Commonly seen as the bane of documentary films, the "talking head" is reincarnated as a rare and revealing set of encounters, in forms such as: a solo, by a woman in her kitchen, and another in a dance bar, a couple, in a playful interview by jean-luc godard of woody allen, a trio, when two european film students drunkenly interview tsai ming liang, four men on a talk-show set, "the good, the bad and the ugly" and the presenter, on in-mumbai cable channel in 2001, "paanch bahuraniyan" (five daughters-in-law) in a feudal house in an urban village in delhi, a dozen young people and a dholki (drum) singing an old protest song indoors, a crowd that takes over a TV studio in Bucharest, in 1989. Also featuring, not in this order: deleuze, dhasal, haraway, ibrahim, navalkar, roy, talking heads, zizek and more. What threads tie them together? Perhaps no one, just as all the objects in one's house are not "related" in a simple way. Come and see more at: TALKING HEADS Sunday 26th December 2010, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm  CAMP roof 301 Alif Apts, 34-A, Chuim VIllage, Khar, Mumbai, 400 052 For directions: http://camputer.org/campstudio.html From javedmasoo at gmail.com Fri Dec 24 07:42:05 2010 From: javedmasoo at gmail.com (Javed) Date: Fri, 24 Dec 2010 07:42:05 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Anarchists claim responsibility for Rome bombs Message-ID: So far it was "...but all terrorists are Muslims". But where do you fit in the anarchists? Are all terrorists not anarchists? --- Anarchists claim responsibility for Rome bombs http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20101223/wl_nm/us_italy_explosion ROME (Reuters) – An Italian anarchist group claimed responsibility for parcel bombs on Thursday that wounded two people at the Swiss and Chilean embassies in Rome, a reminder of Europe's home-grown threats at a time of political instability. A Swiss man was seriously wounded and rushed to hospital. An employee at the Chilean embassy was less seriously hurt. A note was found stuck to his clothing, claiming responsibility for the attack on behalf of the FAI, or Informal Anarchist Federation. "We have decided to make our voice heard with words and with facts, we will destroy the system of dominance, long live the FAI, long-live Anarchy," said the note, written in Italian, which was released in the evening by the police. The incidents bore similarities to an episode in Greece last month in which far-left militants sent parcel bombs to foreign governments abroad and to embassies in Athens. The note was signed by the "Lambros Fountas revolutionary cell" of the FAI, named for a Greek anarchist killed in a clash with Athens police in March. It also made reference to anarchist movements in Chile, Mexico, Spain and Argentina. "Greece, Italy and Spain have seen the presence of anarcho-insurrectionalist groups that are tightly linked," Italy's Interior Minister Roberto Maroni said before the note was found. "They are very violent." The FAI is well known to Italian authorities. Intelligence services said in a report to parliament last year that it was "the main national terrorist threat of an anarchist-insurrectionalist type." In December 2009 the group claimed responsibility for a bomb that partially exploded in a tunnel under Milan's Bocconi University at 3 am, causing no casualties. No note was found at the Swiss embassy, but police said the packages that exploded were almost identical. The explosions came at a time of tension in Italy. Last week saw an anti-government student protest that descended into some of the worst street violence in Rome for many years. Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini condemned the incidents, which he said were a serious threat to diplomatic missions in Rome. He urged caution and warned against alarmist reactions. The attacks, like those in Greece, focused attention on Europe's domestic security threats at a time when authorities had otherwise been warning of the risk of attacks by al Qaeda. "It doesn't look like a typical jihadist thing. It looks more like the act of a leftist, fringe group," said Stephan Bierling, professor of International Politics at Regensburg University in Germany. Spending cuts caused by the financial crisis have led to demonstrations and strikes around Europe, and experts expect a rise in political violence by far-left groups. "Given the similarities with the recent parcel bombs in Greece following anti-austerity protests, this could be a copycat incident by domestic activists," said Samantha Wolreich, European risk analyst at advisory firm AKE. A Greek police official said they had so far not received a request for help from Italian police. He said Greek authorities had stepped up checks of parcels at airports across the country following the attacks in Italy. HEIGHTENED SECURITY FEARS Bomb disposal experts searched the Swiss embassy offices but staff remained in the building following the incident, which occurred at around midday (1100 GMT). Firefighters conducted checks of the Chilean embassy, in the same prosperous neighborhood, after the explosion of the package the size of a document. Other inspections were carried out at foreign missions across the Italian capital. A source in the Rome prosecutors' office said the package in the Chilean embassy had been sent from Italy, while the package in the Swiss embassy had been completely destroyed. "We are reviewing our security posture in Rome in light of incidents today," U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said in Washington. Chilean ambassador Oscar Godoy said there had been no indication that an attack was likely. "This is an absolutely irrational and brutal act of terrorism," he told reporters. The explosions follow the discovery of a rudimentary device in an empty underground train in Rome on Tuesday. However, police said that it lacked a detonator and tests showed it contained no explosive. (Additional reporting by Antonella Cinelli, Massimiliano Di Giorgio and Catherine Hornby in Rome, Sven Egenter in Zurich, Olzhas Auyezov in Kiev, William Maclean and Peter Apps in London, Ingrid Melander in Athens; Writing by James Mackenzie and Gavin Jones; Editing by Peter Graff) From subhachops at gmail.com Fri Dec 24 12:53:39 2010 From: subhachops at gmail.com (Subhash) Date: Fri, 24 Dec 2010 12:53:39 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Anarchists claim responsibility for Rome bombs In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: As a matter of fact, all anarchists and non-Islamic terrorists must have been cursing the Muslims for taking up all the limelight. There's no way their voice can be heard these days - even if they make some noise, it is considered an Islamic terror act. Pity.... On 12/24/10, Javed wrote: > So far it was "...but all terrorists are Muslims". But where do you > fit in the anarchists? Are all terrorists not anarchists? > > --- > Anarchists claim responsibility for Rome bombs > http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20101223/wl_nm/us_italy_explosion > > ROME (Reuters) – An Italian anarchist group claimed responsibility for > parcel bombs on Thursday that wounded two people at the Swiss and > Chilean embassies in Rome, a reminder of Europe's home-grown threats > at a time of political instability. > > A Swiss man was seriously wounded and rushed to hospital. An employee > at the Chilean embassy was less seriously hurt. A note was found stuck > to his clothing, claiming responsibility for the attack on behalf of > the FAI, or Informal Anarchist Federation. > > "We have decided to make our voice heard with words and with facts, we > will destroy the system of dominance, long live the FAI, long-live > Anarchy," said the note, written in Italian, which was released in the > evening by the police. > > The incidents bore similarities to an episode in Greece last month in > which far-left militants sent parcel bombs to foreign governments > abroad and to embassies in Athens. > > The note was signed by the "Lambros Fountas revolutionary cell" of the > FAI, named for a Greek anarchist killed in a clash with Athens police > in March. It also made reference to anarchist movements in Chile, > Mexico, Spain and Argentina. > > "Greece, Italy and Spain have seen the presence of > anarcho-insurrectionalist groups that are tightly linked," Italy's > Interior Minister Roberto Maroni said before the note was found. "They > are very violent." > > The FAI is well known to Italian authorities. Intelligence services > said in a report to parliament last year that it was "the main > national terrorist threat of an anarchist-insurrectionalist type." > > In December 2009 the group claimed responsibility for a bomb that > partially exploded in a tunnel under Milan's Bocconi University at 3 > am, causing no casualties. > > No note was found at the Swiss embassy, but police said the packages > that exploded were almost identical. > > The explosions came at a time of tension in Italy. Last week saw an > anti-government student protest that descended into some of the worst > street violence in Rome for many years. > > Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini condemned the incidents, > which he said were a serious threat to diplomatic missions in Rome. He > urged caution and warned against alarmist reactions. > > The attacks, like those in Greece, focused attention on Europe's > domestic security threats at a time when authorities had otherwise > been warning of the risk of attacks by al Qaeda. > > "It doesn't look like a typical jihadist thing. It looks more like the > act of a leftist, fringe group," said Stephan Bierling, professor of > International Politics at Regensburg University in Germany. > > Spending cuts caused by the financial crisis have led to > demonstrations and strikes around Europe, and experts expect a rise in > political violence by far-left groups. > > "Given the similarities with the recent parcel bombs in Greece > following anti-austerity protests, this could be a copycat incident by > domestic activists," said Samantha Wolreich, European risk analyst at > advisory firm AKE. > > A Greek police official said they had so far not received a request > for help from Italian police. He said Greek authorities had stepped up > checks of parcels at airports across the country following the attacks > in Italy. > > HEIGHTENED SECURITY FEARS > > Bomb disposal experts searched the Swiss embassy offices but staff > remained in the building following the incident, which occurred at > around midday (1100 GMT). > > Firefighters conducted checks of the Chilean embassy, in the same > prosperous neighborhood, after the explosion of the package the size > of a document. Other inspections were carried out at foreign missions > across the Italian capital. > > A source in the Rome prosecutors' office said the package in the > Chilean embassy had been sent from Italy, while the package in the > Swiss embassy had been completely destroyed. > > "We are reviewing our security posture in Rome in light of incidents > today," U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said in > Washington. > > Chilean ambassador Oscar Godoy said there had been no indication that > an attack was likely. > > "This is an absolutely irrational and brutal act of terrorism," he > told reporters. > > The explosions follow the discovery of a rudimentary device in an > empty underground train in Rome on Tuesday. However, police said that > it lacked a detonator and tests showed it contained no explosive. > > (Additional reporting by Antonella Cinelli, Massimiliano Di Giorgio > and Catherine Hornby in Rome, Sven Egenter in Zurich, Olzhas Auyezov > in Kiev, William Maclean and Peter Apps in London, Ingrid Melander in > Athens; Writing by James Mackenzie and Gavin Jones; Editing by Peter > Graff) > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with 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 kiccovich at yahoo.com Fri Dec 24 14:24:57 2010 From: kiccovich at yahoo.com (francesca recchia) Date: Fri, 24 Dec 2010 00:54:57 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] Anarchists claim responsibility for Rome bombs In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <482238.27224.qm@web113210.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Anarcho-insurrectionalist groups re-emerge around southern Europe every time political discomfort grows and it seems that no other alternative is available. They could almost be used as a detector of social malaise. Every act of urnest and violence is now tagged as terrorist - but I see no trace of terrorism in the insurrectionalist acts of anarchist groups. At least in Italy the histories and traditions of terrorist and anarchist groups are very different from one another. francesca francesca recchia kiccovich at yahoo.com it +39 338 166 3648 ________________________________ From: Subhash To: Javed Cc: sarai list Sent: Fri, 24 December, 2010 8:23:39 Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Anarchists claim responsibility for Rome bombs As a matter of fact, all anarchists and non-Islamic terrorists must have been cursing the Muslims for taking up all the limelight. There's no way their voice can be heard these days - even if they make some noise, it is considered an Islamic terror act. Pity.... On 12/24/10, Javed wrote: > So far it was "...but all terrorists are Muslims". But where do you > fit in the anarchists? Are all terrorists not anarchists? > > --- > Anarchists claim responsibility for Rome bombs > http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20101223/wl_nm/us_italy_explosion > > ROME (Reuters) – An Italian anarchist group claimed responsibility for > parcel bombs on Thursday that wounded two people at the Swiss and > Chilean embassies in Rome, a reminder of Europe's home-grown threats > at a time of political instability. > > A Swiss man was seriously wounded and rushed to hospital. An employee > at the Chilean embassy was less seriously hurt. A note was found stuck > to his clothing, claiming responsibility for the attack on behalf of > the FAI, or Informal Anarchist Federation. > > "We have decided to make our voice heard with words and with facts, we > will destroy the system of dominance, long live the FAI, long-live > Anarchy," said the note, written in Italian, which was released in the > evening by the police. > > The incidents bore similarities to an episode in Greece last month in > which far-left militants sent parcel bombs to foreign governments > abroad and to embassies in Athens. > > The note was signed by the "Lambros Fountas revolutionary cell" of the > FAI, named for a Greek anarchist killed in a clash with Athens police > in March. It also made reference to anarchist movements in Chile, > Mexico, Spain and Argentina. > > "Greece, Italy and Spain have seen the presence of > anarcho-insurrectionalist groups that are tightly linked," Italy's > Interior Minister Roberto Maroni said before the note was found. "They > are very violent." > > The FAI is well known to Italian authorities. Intelligence services > said in a report to parliament last year that it was "the main > national terrorist threat of an anarchist-insurrectionalist type." > > In December 2009 the group claimed responsibility for a bomb that > partially exploded in a tunnel under Milan's Bocconi University at 3 > am, causing no casualties. > > No note was found at the Swiss embassy, but police said the packages > that exploded were almost identical. > > The explosions came at a time of tension in Italy. Last week saw an > anti-government student protest that descended into some of the worst > street violence in Rome for many years. > > Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini condemned the incidents, > which he said were a serious threat to diplomatic missions in Rome. He > urged caution and warned against alarmist reactions. > > The attacks, like those in Greece, focused attention on Europe's > domestic security threats at a time when authorities had otherwise > been warning of the risk of attacks by al Qaeda. > > "It doesn't look like a typical jihadist thing. It looks more like the > act of a leftist, fringe group," said Stephan Bierling, professor of > International Politics at Regensburg University in Germany. > > Spending cuts caused by the financial crisis have led to > demonstrations and strikes around Europe, and experts expect a rise in > political violence by far-left groups. > > "Given the similarities with the recent parcel bombs in Greece > following anti-austerity protests, this could be a copycat incident by > domestic activists," said Samantha Wolreich, European risk analyst at > advisory firm AKE. > > A Greek police official said they had so far not received a request > for help from Italian police. He said Greek authorities had stepped up > checks of parcels at airports across the country following the attacks > in Italy. > > HEIGHTENED SECURITY FEARS > > Bomb disposal experts searched the Swiss embassy offices but staff > remained in the building following the incident, which occurred at > around midday (1100 GMT). > > Firefighters conducted checks of the Chilean embassy, in the same > prosperous neighborhood, after the explosion of the package the size > of a document. Other inspections were carried out at foreign missions > across the Italian capital. > > A source in the Rome prosecutors' office said the package in the > Chilean embassy had been sent from Italy, while the package in the > Swiss embassy had been completely destroyed. > > "We are reviewing our security posture in Rome in light of incidents > today," U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said in > Washington. > > Chilean ambassador Oscar Godoy said there had been no indication that > an attack was likely. > > "This is an absolutely irrational and brutal act of terrorism," he > told reporters. > > The explosions follow the discovery of a rudimentary device in an > empty underground train in Rome on Tuesday. However, police said that > it lacked a detonator and tests showed it contained no explosive. > > (Additional reporting by Antonella Cinelli, Massimiliano Di Giorgio > and Catherine Hornby in Rome, Sven Egenter in Zurich, Olzhas Auyezov > in Kiev, William Maclean and Peter Apps in London, Ingrid Melander in > Athens; Writing by James Mackenzie and Gavin Jones; Editing by Peter > Graff) > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with 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 Dec 24 15:49:01 2010 From: chandni_parekh at yahoo.com (Chandni Parekh) Date: Fri, 24 Dec 2010 02:19:01 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Reader-list] Join a Research Project at TISS on Ethnic and Religious Diversity Message-ID: <274497.84162.qm@web161402.mail.bf1.yahoo.com> >From Tanya >From an HT Article - TISS invites citizens to be part of research project... Pooja Domadia Those who are interested in conducting research, but do not have the necessary training will now have a platform to study the changing trends in the ethnic and religious diversity of the city. The Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS), Partners for Urban Knowledge Action and Research (PUKAR) and Max Planck Society have come together to form an urban observatory at TISS where research data will be collected. The project, titled Urban Aspirations, will focus on the changing trends in ethnic and religious diversity. Citizens can be a part of this project without any formal qualification. The only decisive factor will be the level of commitment shown by them. "We don't have any limitation for participation and anyone who has a keen interest and knowledge about their community can join us," said TISS director, S Parasuraman. Researchers will also use existing data collected by TISS to provide a complete picture. This data includes the history, recent trends and community representation in the city. The collected research will be converted into official research papers, which will be available for public use. "We will digitise the knowledge and research on our website for public use," said Parasuraman. Financial assistance in the initial period will be provided by Germany-based Max Planck Society, which conducts research on humanity and social sciences around the world. Funds from other external sources will be collected later on. PUKAR has been conducting a community-based participatory research for the last six years. They have involved people from the lower strata of society and taught them research methodologies that would be handy in this project. "We want to change the mentality that only scholars and academicians can conduct research. We have bare foot researchers who specialise in the knowledge of their own community, and they may or may not be educationally very qualified," said Anita Patil Deshmukh, executive director, PUKAR. From ignacio_nieto01 at yahoo.es Fri Dec 24 17:55:42 2010 From: ignacio_nieto01 at yahoo.es (Ignacio Nieto) Date: Fri, 24 Dec 2010 12:25:42 +0000 (GMT) Subject: [Reader-list] Anarchists claim responsibility for Rome bombs In-Reply-To: <482238.27224.qm@web113210.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <927420.32576.qm@web26102.mail.ukl.yahoo.com> Hi every one. Form Santiago Chile Why Chile?, Does the claims of the italian Anarchist cell ahve links with other grups? These year sevewral okupas houses were closed by the new rigth wing goverment Also anarchist were persecuted and put them in jajl. Bomb Case/Caso Bomba. On December 21 a italian anarchist was put it in Jail in Santiago Chile because she was making a grafitti, The italian connection http://latercera.com/contenido/680_268511_9.shtml --- El vie, 24/12/10, francesca recchia escribió: > De: francesca recchia > Asunto: Re: [Reader-list] Anarchists claim responsibility for Rome bombs > Para: "Subhash" , "Javed" > CC: "sarai list" > Fecha: viernes, 24 de diciembre, 2010 04:54 > Anarcho-insurrectionalist groups > re-emerge around southern Europe every time > political discomfort grows and it seems that no other > alternative is available. > They could almost be used as a detector of social malaise. > Every act of urnest and violence is now tagged as terrorist > - but I see no trace > of terrorism in the insurrectionalist acts of anarchist > groups. > At least in Italy the histories and traditions of terrorist > and anarchist groups > are very different from one another. > > francesca > francesca recchia > kiccovich at yahoo.com > it +39 338 166 3648 > > > > > > > ________________________________ > From: Subhash > To: Javed > Cc: sarai list > Sent: Fri, 24 December, 2010 8:23:39 > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Anarchists claim responsibility > for Rome bombs > > As a matter of fact, all anarchists and non-Islamic > terrorists must > have been cursing the Muslims for taking up all the > limelight. There's > no way their voice can be heard these days - even if they > make some > noise, it is considered an Islamic terror act. Pity.... > > > On 12/24/10, Javed > wrote: > > So far it was "...but all terrorists are Muslims". But > where do you > > fit in the anarchists? Are all terrorists not > anarchists? > > > > --- > > Anarchists claim responsibility for Rome bombs > > http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20101223/wl_nm/us_italy_explosion > > > > ROME (Reuters) – An Italian anarchist group claimed > responsibility for > > parcel bombs on Thursday that wounded two people at > the Swiss and > > Chilean embassies in Rome, a reminder of Europe's > home-grown threats > > at a time of political instability. > > > > A Swiss man was seriously wounded and rushed to > hospital. An employee > > at the Chilean embassy was less seriously hurt. A note > was found stuck > > to his clothing, claiming responsibility for the > attack on behalf of > > the FAI, or Informal Anarchist Federation. > > > > "We have decided to make our voice heard with words > and with facts, we > > will destroy the system of dominance, long live the > FAI, long-live > > Anarchy," said the note, written in Italian, which was > released in the > > evening by the police. > > > > The incidents bore similarities to an episode in > Greece last month in > > which far-left militants sent parcel bombs to foreign > governments > > abroad and to embassies in Athens. > > > > The note was signed by the "Lambros Fountas > revolutionary cell" of the > > FAI, named for a Greek anarchist killed in a clash > with Athens police > > in March. It also made reference to anarchist > movements in Chile, > > Mexico, Spain and Argentina. > > > > "Greece, Italy and Spain have seen the presence of > > anarcho-insurrectionalist groups that are tightly > linked," Italy's > > Interior Minister Roberto Maroni said before the note > was found. "They > > are very violent." > > > > The FAI is well known to Italian authorities. > Intelligence services > > said in a report to parliament last year that it was > "the main > > national terrorist threat of an > anarchist-insurrectionalist type." > > > > In December 2009 the group claimed responsibility for > a bomb that > > partially exploded in a tunnel under Milan's Bocconi > University at 3 > > am, causing no casualties. > > > > No note was found at the Swiss embassy, but police > said the packages > > that exploded were almost identical. > > > > The explosions came at a time of tension in Italy. > Last week saw an > > anti-government student protest that descended into > some of the worst > > street violence in Rome for many years. > > > > Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini condemned the > incidents, > > which he said were a serious threat to diplomatic > missions in Rome. He > > urged caution and warned against alarmist reactions. > > > > The attacks, like those in Greece, focused attention > on Europe's > > domestic security threats at a time when authorities > had otherwise > > been warning of the risk of attacks by al Qaeda. > > > > "It doesn't look like a typical jihadist thing. It > looks more like the > > act of a leftist, fringe group," said Stephan > Bierling, professor of > > International Politics at Regensburg University in > Germany. > > > > Spending cuts caused by the financial crisis have led > to > > demonstrations and strikes around Europe, and experts > expect a rise in > > political violence by far-left groups. > > > > "Given the similarities with the recent parcel bombs > in Greece > > following anti-austerity protests, this could be a > copycat incident by > > domestic activists," said Samantha Wolreich, European > risk analyst at > > advisory firm AKE. > > > > A Greek police official said they had so far not > received a request > > for help from Italian police. He said Greek > authorities had stepped up > > checks of parcels at airports across the country > following the attacks > > in Italy. > > > > HEIGHTENED SECURITY FEARS > > > > Bomb disposal experts searched the Swiss embassy > offices but staff > > remained in the building following the incident, which > occurred at > > around midday (1100 GMT). > > > > Firefighters conducted checks of the Chilean embassy, > in the same > > prosperous neighborhood, after the explosion of the > package the size > > of a document. Other inspections were carried out at > foreign missions > > across the Italian capital. > > > > A source in the Rome prosecutors' office said the > package in the > > Chilean embassy had been sent from Italy, while the > package in the > > Swiss embassy had been completely destroyed. > > > > "We are reviewing our security posture in Rome in > light of incidents > > today," U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley > said in > > Washington. > > > > Chilean ambassador Oscar Godoy said there had been no > indication that > > an attack was likely. > > > > "This is an absolutely irrational and brutal act of > terrorism," he > > told reporters. > > > > The explosions follow the discovery of a rudimentary > device in an > > empty underground train in Rome on Tuesday. However, > police said that > > it lacked a detonator and tests showed it contained no > explosive. > > > > (Additional reporting by Antonella Cinelli, > Massimiliano Di Giorgio > > and Catherine Hornby in Rome, Sven Egenter in Zurich, > Olzhas Auyezov > > in Kiev, William Maclean and Peter Apps in London, > Ingrid Melander in > > Athens; Writing by James Mackenzie and Gavin Jones; > Editing by Peter > > Graff) > > _________________________________________ > > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the > city. > > Critiques & Collaborations > > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net > with 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 a.mani.cms at gmail.com Sat Dec 25 04:48:28 2010 From: a.mani.cms at gmail.com (A. Mani) Date: Sat, 25 Dec 2010 04:48:28 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Cancum - summary Message-ID: "It would show that in fact all the disastrous formulations in the US-driven Copenhagen Accord have been carried through and formalised at Cancun, and will now inevitably form the basis for any new global climate agreement arrived at in Durban next year. Much has been made of the better atmospherics and greater transparency in Cancun compared to Copenhagen, and therefore the big difference between the two summits. But the clear continuity in content has prompted some radical critics to label the recent COP 16 Summit “Cancunhagen.” " http://pd.cpim.org/2010/1219_pd/12192010_12.html ___________________________________ http://socialistworker.org/2010/12/16/climate-capitalism-wins "For Bolivia's UN ambassador Pablo Solon, Cancún "does not represent a step forward, it is a step backwards," because the nonbinding commitments made to reduce emissions by around 15 percent by 2020 simply cannot stabilize temperature at the "level which is sustainable for human life and the life of the planet."" "On December 8, IEN spokesperson Tom Goldtooth was denied entry to the UN forum due to his high-profile role in non-violent protests. According to Goldtooth, Cancún's "betrayal" is "the consequence of an ongoing U.S. diplomatic offensive of backroom deals, arm-twisting and bribery that targeted nations in opposition to the Copenhagen Accord."" __________________________________________________________ Best A. Mani -- A. Mani ASL, CLC,  AMS, CMS http://www.logicamani.co.cc From rohitrellan at aol.in Sat Dec 25 07:56:46 2010 From: rohitrellan at aol.in (rohitrellan at aol.in) Date: Fri, 24 Dec 2010 21:26:46 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Nine Minutes of Fame - Student Edition In-Reply-To: References: <008b01cba0ef$63708ee0$6401a8c0@kiran> Message-ID: <8CD71F2501C0492-164C-1B741@webmail-m019.sysops.aol.com> Dear Friends,   Do you have kids who aspire to be writers or simply love writing and have an unpublished collection of poems ? Or a finished manuscript waiting to be shared with interested listeners ? Or maybe a story they feel would be better listened to, than read ?   Words.Rhythms.Images presents Nine Minutes of Fame ( STUDENT EDITION ) on 17th January, 2011 at Kunzum Travel Cafe ( Hauz Khas Village ).   The jury will select from amongst the entries the final 9 writers who will get 9 minutes to share their manuscript with the like-minded audience.   Registrations will be open till 5th January, 2011. Those interested can register themselves at CMYK Bookstore.   Registration fee - Rs.500.00.   Genres - novels, short stories, poetry, film scripts, plays and anything in between. The underlying objective of the event is to create a platform for good writing  that may not otherwise find an audience  beyond friends/family.   In case of poetry - 3 sample poems, in case of prose - a synopsis and 3 pages of prose, in case of film/play - a synopsis and one scene.   Look forward to all the amateur student writers.     Thanks & Regards     Sarita Prasad Communications Manager CMYK Bookstore 15-16, Mehar Chand Market Lodhi Road, New Delhi - 110003 011 24641881 From rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com Sat Dec 25 23:59:45 2010 From: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com (Rakesh Iyer) Date: Sat, 25 Dec 2010 23:59:45 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Reg: Interview of Jean Dreze on Jharkhand & NREGA Message-ID: Hello to all of you! With this article, I come back after a long time to post articles on the forum, which I hope can lead to constructive discussions on understanding of issues, rather than fighting amongst each other. Rakesh http://www.indiatogether.org/2010/nov/ivw-jeandreze.htm INTERVIEW: JEAN DREZE * Jharkhand's "government by fiction" * "The main hurdle to the development of Jharkhand is political: the state’s resources are under the control of this criminal nexus, and people have no say." Jivesh Singh interviews Jean Dreze on Jharkhand's 10th anniversary. *30 November 2010* - This month, Jharkhand celebrated the 10th year of its formation. The state was formed on 15 November 2000 from the southern part of Bihar. Jivesh Ranjan Singh of the Hindi daily *Prabhat Khabar* caught up with economist Jean Dreze on the occasion. Jean Dreze is an economist and is currently an honorary professor, department of economics, University of Allahabad. He is considered one of the main architects of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA). Over the past few years, he has been spending time in Jharkhand to monitor the implementation of the NREGA and conduct research. *Jivesh Singh:* Assess the ten years of formation of Jharkhand. *Jean Dreze:* The people of Jharkhand fought for a separate state in the hope that it would give them more control over their lives. It was supposed to be a form of liberation. But in fact, the formation of Jharkhand has given greater control to their oppressors. The formation of a separate state has consolidated the hold of corrupt politicians, industrialists and contractors. And even those who were at the forefront of the liberation movement have turned oppressors. This is a common pattern in the history of liberation movements. *JS:* What are the main hurdles in path of development of Jharkhand? *JD:* The main hurdle is political: the state’s resources are under the control of this criminal nexus, and people have no say. There is no democracy in any meaningful sense of the term. Therefore, people’s basic needs are not a political priority, whether it is education, or health, or nutrition, or protection from harassment and exploitation. Another consequence of mafia rule is the breakdown of governance. Jharkhand has developed a unique system of governance, which might be called “government by fiction”. That is, what happens on paper has little to do with the ground realities. The administrative machinery doesn’t work, and therefore, government officers take refuge in a pretence of action. For instance, orders are issued in full knowledge of the fact that they are going to be ignored. False reports are sent to the Central Government. Meaningless statistics are published. The implementation of NREGA is a prime example – the official figures and the ground realities are poles apart. The breakdown of public services is worse in Jharkhand than in most other Indian states. A few weeks ago, I visited the district hospital in Latehar, on a Saturday afternoon. Not a single member of staff was present. The patients had just been parked there, without any medicines, and left to their own devices. What is extraordinary is that people accept this without protesting. This speaks volumes about their disempowerment: it’s not that they don’t feel like protesting, but they know that if they step out of line, they expose themselves to harassment. *JS:* Do you think that economic liberalisation can help Jharkhand out of its current predicament? *JD:* This idea is based on the belief that market forces in Jharkhand are held up by excessive controls and government interference. But in fact, there are very few controls. Here again, we must separate the fiction from the reality. On paper, yes, there are plenty of controls. But they are largely fictitious. The reality is that there is no regulation worth the name - certainly not regulation of a constructive kind. In fact, Jharkhand is an interesting example of what happens in an economy where market principles have already been pushed way beyond their legitimate domain – an economy where almost anything can be bought and sold without restriction. It is supposed to be a highly regulated economy, with a large public sector, but in fact this is not the case. Everything has a price – licenses can be bought, degrees can be bought, bureaucrats can be bought, votes can be bought, the police can be bought, NGOs can be bought. There are regulations, of course, but they can be waived, if you are willing to pay. Similarly, the public sector in Jharkhand has already been “privatised”. It is almost entirely run by private contractors and middlemen. The result is a living hell – environmental destruction, subversion of democracy, rampant exploitation, massive inequality, breakdown of public services, and other ills associated with the private plunder of public resources. To think of “liberalization” as the answer, in this situation, is wishful thinking. On the contrary, what is required is a restoration of the constructive role of the state in the economy. *JS:* Is NREGA making an impact in rural Jharkhand? *JD:* It has an impact, no doubt, but the question is – does NREGA have the impact it should have? The answer is a resounding “no”. NREGA has an enormous potential in Jharkhand, almost entirely untapped. In fact, I wonder whether any other state in India has such a wonderful potential for NREGA. Jharkhand has an ideal topography for labour-intensive projects and a vast potential for productive works – ponds, wells, checkdams, rural roads, tree plantation, land leveling, among many others. The people of Jharkhand have excellent technical skills and a strong tradition of collective action, especially in tribal areas. In all these respects, Jharkhand is a paradise for NREGA. And all this can be done with Central Government money! The fact that the Jharkhand Government has done so little to make NREGA work speaks volumes about its contempt for working people. Here again, there is a basic failure of democracy. If political leaders were accountable to the people, they would try to make NREGA work. But in fact, they are hand in glove with the contractors and middlemen who are siphoned off NREGA funds. So the loot continues. *JS:* What are the biggest challenges before NREGA? *JD:* The biggest challenge is to ensure that the system is accountable to NREGA workers. The whole idea of NREGA is to give people enforceable entitlements – to make sure that they are able to claim employment as a matter of right, and that those who fail to do their duty under the law are punished. But in fact, this is not happening. All the accountability provisions of NREGA have been ignored: for instance, the provisions for unemployment allowance, for compensation in the event of delays in wage payments, and for penalties on officers who fail to do their duty. It is only in rare cases, where people have organized and made a lot of noise, that some of these accountability provisions have been used. Aside from this, of course, there are many other challenges: rooting out corruption, ensuring timely payment of wages, improving the quality of works, and so on. But most of these problems are rooted in the lack of accountability of the system. This is the paradox of NREGA: it is a pro-worker law implemented by an anti-worker system. *JS:* Does the NREGA, as a source of livelihood, have the potential to address malnutrition, considering the fact that implementation of the Act has been fraught with problems in several states? *JD:* The NREGA can certainly help, and it does. In a recent survey of 1,000 NREGA workers conducted in 10 districts of North India, 69 per cent of the respondents felt that the NREGA had “helped them to avoid hunger”. But even if the NREGA functioned really well, which is not the case, it would have a limited impact on the nutrition situation, for many reasons. Some people are unable to participate in NREGA work because of illness, disability, old age, and so on. Those who do participate earn a meagre income at best, even if they work for 100 days in the year. And most importantly, good nutrition is not a matter of income alone. This applies especially to child nutrition, which is the foundation of good nutrition for all. For all these reasons, we cannot rely on NREGA alone to eliminate undernutrition. *JS:* The relation between inequality and rebellion is indeed a close one. Do you relate Naxal problems in Jharkhand with it? *JD:* I am not convinced that inequality is the main reason for the resurgence of Naxal activity in Jharkhand. There is inequality everywhere in India, and no obvious correlation with Naxal activity. A more plausible reason is the high degree of exploitation and state repression – in this respect Jharkhand is ahead of many other Indian states. When people are constantly exploited by the forest guard, the police officer and even the BDO, and the Naxals offer to protect them, what do you expect them to do? *JS:* What do you have to say about regional media reporting of hunger and malnutrition issues? *JD:* Media reporting of hunger and malnutrition, at all levels, has a very important role to play in the realization of the right to food. Media support has been of great help in the right to food campaign, whether through high-profile coverage of Supreme Court orders at the national level, or local coverage of starvation deaths, or in many other ways. However, much more can be done. Small-town journalists tend to be part of the local elite, or at least aspire to be part of it. So they rarely confront the structures of power or side with the underprivileged. Committed journalists can make a big difference. *⊕* *Jivesh Singh* 30 Nov 2010 * Jivesh Singh is a journalist with Prabhat Khabar, where this report was originally published as part of a special issue to celebrate 10 years since the formation of Jharkhand as a separate state. * From rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com Sun Dec 26 00:05:48 2010 From: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com (Rakesh Iyer) Date: Sun, 26 Dec 2010 00:05:48 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Why we should not call Manmohan Singh as 'a man with integrity' Message-ID: The subject says it all, I guess. Link:http://www.indiatogether.org/2010/dec/opi-honest.htm OPINION * Honest is, as honest does * Integrity, in the job of the Prime Minister, demands putting national interest above partisan politics and personal loyalties. By that standard Manmohan Singh can't be called a "man of integirty", writes Madhu Purnima Kishwar. *14 December 2010* - Today, the Indian media - both print and television - is focusing on the recent corruption scandals involving the UPA Government with unusual zeal. However, I fail to understand why almost every commentator, every TV anchor, every editorial writer feels compelled to pay ritual obeisance to the "personal honesty and integrity" of Dr Manmohan Singh while dealing with the scandals emanating from his Cabinet colleagues. They do so even when there is clear evidence that the Prime Minister was well aware of various shady deals, as in the case of telecom scam, and that he did nothing to stop the brazen economic crimes indulged in by his ministerial colleagues over the last six years. Corruption is not only about personally accepting monetary bribes and stacking them away in hidden bank accounts overseas, buying benami properties or accepting diamond sets for your wife. Corruption can come in insidious avatars, such as knowingly turning a blind eye to the misuse the entire machinery of governance to serve private ends of a few individuals, even to the point of endangering national security. For example, not a single person has been punished thus far for supplying sub standard bullet proof jackets to the police handling the 9/11 terrorist attack in Mumbai. Not surprisingly, we are right now witnessing yet another scam involving sub standard bullet proof vests. In recent weeks, some of our most respected columnists have been warning us that we should look at institutional reform rather than target individuals because it can lead to loss of faith in democratic institutions. But how do you retain faith in democratic institutions if powerful individuals use their office to systematically subvert the autonomy and credibility of institutions meant as watchdogs of democracy? The best of institutions take no time in becoming slavish instruments of partisan agendas if you plant subservient and heavily compromised individuals at their helm. Dr Manmohan Singh cannot escape responsibility for appointing people with dubious credentials to occupy key positions of power - starting with the appointment of Pratibha Patil as the President of India. This despite the fact that that Congress leaders of her own district protested vehemently against her appointment because of her and her close kin's direct involvement in criminal cases. Thereafter, all key institutions, including the Election Commission, the Central Vigilance Commission have been filled with people whose credentials have been questioned not just by the opposition but also the media and respected public figures. He has also provided key portfolios to people with a proven track record of brazen corruption. For example, IAS officer, Mr Lalli the CEO of Prasar Bharati that manages Doordarshan has been guilty of countless corrupt deals and practices. Despite numerous agitations by the staff of Doordarshan to get him punished, he continues lording over the institution because he is supposed to have the PM's backing. This regime has also gone out of its way to protect those judges of the High Courts and Supreme Court who have such serious corruption charges against them as to merit impeachment and criminal trials. Justice Dinakaran of the Karnataka High Court was saved from the wrath of and boycott by the legal fraternity of Karnataka by being transferred to Sikkim High Court despite loud protests by people in Sikkim. Judges who are alleged to have shared in the loot of Provident Fund of class 1V employees in UP have not been subject to investigation, leave alone punishment. One of them retired after serving a full term in the Supreme Court. The kingpin of the scam who later provided evidence of the complicity of the judges died under mysterious circumstances in jail. Supreme Court Justice Sabharwal was likewise protected from prosecution even though the allegations against him during UPA's first term were no less serious than that of Kalmadi. He is alleged to have ordered demolition of numerous commercial centres and complexes in Delhi in order to benefit his son's investment in high end malls, causing havoc for lakhs of small and big commercial property owners of Delhi. The CWG scam is not just about misappropriation of funds through inflated bills and money being paid to bogus companies. It all started with the politician-contractor mafia being allowed to violate all environmental laws to convert Yamuna floodplains into prime real estate by building luxury apartments in the name of Games Village. This happened despite the High Court ban on all construction activity on the floodplains. It needed the influence of people far more powerful than Kalmadi to persuade the Supreme Court into over ruling the considered view of the High Court and ensuring that Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh looked the other way when all environmental laws were being brazenly flouted right under his nose to build high rise apartments and other commercial structures on the floodplains. The game plan behind building luxury apartments on the forbidden land became obvious from the fact that the builders had to be whip lashed into completing at least half the apartments before the Commonwealth Games. They were obviously given to understand that the CWG was merely a fig leaf for converting floodplains into prime real estate in the heart of Delhi. The choice of the company that built the Games Village, the names of its real owners, its unknown and known partners, and the list of its known and unknown beneficiaries will reveal a scam more insidious than the Adarsh Housing Scam of Mumbai which involved Congress Party CM and other politicians, top ranking officials of the armed forces and bureaucrats cornering luxury apartments in a prime location in a housing society set up in the name of Kargil widows. In this case too, the only visible action taken by the Prime Minister is to replace the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. No sign of any heads rolling as yet. Or take the example of the most politically sensitive state of Kashmir. Manmohan Singh allowed an anti-Omar agitation to turn into an anti India agitation much against his own counsel, all because he dare not sack Omar Abdullah from the CM's post even when the entire Valley rose in revolt against his high handed, corrupt and callous regime. Senior Congress leaders admit in private that Omar cannot be touched since he is a buddy of Rahul Gandhi. Dr Singh knows well that Omar's continuation has given a new lease of life to the Pakistan-inspired separatist and terrorist movement in Kashmir. People attribute his pliability to the fact that the prime minister was appointed and not elected. He has never won a Lok Sabha election. But that cannot be used as an excuse to justify overlooking such gross mismanagement and loot as well as the political drift one witnesses even in areas involving national security. In fact, his defeat in the one and only election he ever fought is related to his lack of personal integrity. He was defeated in the predominantly middle-class South Delhi constituency because people in general and Sikhs in particular were enraged when Manmohan Singh denied the role of the Congress in the 1984 anti Sikh carnage and instead attributed the 1984 massacre to the RSS. The RSS may well be guilty of many other communal riots but the credit for the 1984 massacre goes entirely to Congress politicians, including Rajiv Gandhi who even justified the killings saying: "when a big tree falls, the earth is bound to shake." The Congress Party also ensured that those who masterminded and executed the 1984 pogrom did not get punished. Similarly, in the case of Gujarat riots, the Prime Minister happily joined the chorus initiated by his boss pillorying Narendra Modi as *"Maut ka Saudagar"* even though it is well known that Congress party cadres merrily joined the riotous mobs unleashed by BJP--RSS combine in Ahmadabad and elsewhere. This failure to own responsibility for the conduct of his party men and passing the entire responsibility on to Modi is in large part responsible for the lack of credibility of Congress Party in Gujarat and the severe erosion of its political base in Gujarat. Likewise, getting a Rajya Sabha seat from Assam claiming he is a resident of the state when he has never had any such connection with Assam is a definite indicator of questionable political integrity. A PM who compromises national interest, as in Kashmir, just to indulge the personal fancy of the PM-in-waiting, a PM who looks the other way while his Cabinet colleagues brazenly loot public funds and get away with extorting thousands of crores by way of kickbacks, a PM who is widely perceived and lampooned as a "rubber stamp" does not merit being called "an honest man" or a "man of integrity"; in his job, integrity demands putting national interest above partisan politics and personal loyalties. Integrity also involves taking full responsibility for all his acts of commission and omission which have earned UPA II the dubious distinction of being publicly named as the most corrupt and rudderless government in post independence India. *⊕* *Madhu Purnima Kishwar* 14 Dec 2010 * Madhu Purnima Kishwar is Professor, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies and the founder of Manushi - a human rights / women's rights organisation. This article was first published in Manushi, and is republished with permission. * From nagraj.adve at gmail.com Sun Dec 26 01:40:19 2010 From: nagraj.adve at gmail.com (Nagraj Adve) Date: Sun, 26 Dec 2010 01:40:19 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] HRF statement on Binayak conviction Message-ID: Am forwarding HRF press release. Naga Press Release 24-12-2010 Hyderabad The Human Rights Forum (HRF) expresses shock and outrage at the sentencing to life of Dr Binayak Sen by the Raipur District and Sessions Court on Friday. Dr Sen is president of the Chattisgarh unit of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and the PUCL’s national vice-president. We recall that the farcical nature of the trial was widely reported over the past three years and the grave charges against Dr Sen were believed to be totally baseless. This judgement is entirely unjustified, unacceptable and is part of a viciously motivated campaign to silence democratic dissent. It is intended to intimidate and vilify those who advocate human rights and expose their violations. This judgement is brazen injustice. The HRF joins human rights activists across the country and all those who cherish democracy in condemning this travesty of justice. We demand that all charges against Binayak Sen be dropped and he be released. VS Krishna S Jeevan Kumar (HRF State general secretary) (HRF State president) From rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com Sun Dec 26 07:15:06 2010 From: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com (Rakesh Iyer) Date: Sun, 26 Dec 2010 07:15:06 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] HRF statement on Binayak conviction In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Nothing could have been more shameful than such a verdict. It's not enough that Binayak Sen be released and charges against him be dropped. What's required is to sentence the judge who gave such a sentence for a certain period in jail. That alone can ensure that judges don't give arbitrary verdicts based on irrational logic. Rakesh From rohitrellan at aol.in Sun Dec 26 07:49:10 2010 From: rohitrellan at aol.in (rohitrellan at aol.in) Date: Sat, 25 Dec 2010 21:19:10 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] Delhi remembers Mohd Rafi on his 86th Birth Anniversary In-Reply-To: <8CD72BA48D98FD3-A44-3C230@angweb-usm005.sysops.aol.com> References: <012001cba409$65bac130$0201a8c0@hpf7f1a563d5d3> <8CD72BA48D98FD3-A44-3C230@angweb-usm005.sysops.aol.com> Message-ID: <8CD72BA6A509282-A44-3C24C@angweb-usm005.sysops.aol.com> (New Delhi, Dec 25 Three decades have passed since the death of legendary singer Mohammed Rafi but his memories are still fresh in the mind of millions of his fans. On the eve of Rafi's 86th Birth Anniversary, a number of his fans and music lovers gathered yesterday in New Delhi to remember their favourite singer. The Function was organized by "Spectrum Music", a new Forum founded by SL Bhola to promote vintage music by organizing Functions in memories of playback singers and film music directors of yesteryears. This first Function was in memory of Mohd Rafi.    Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Guest of the evening Mr Amarjit Singh Kohli, Chairman, Yaadgar-E- Rafi Society and Sakha, who had started, in 1984, the tradition of organizing annual musical programmes in memory of Mohd Rafi, said that Rafi due to his versatility has the greatest fan following amongst young upcoming singers. He felt that it is possible to train young singers through a select-course of Rafi’s songs (classical, light, qwali, sad, happy, parody, ecstasy, agony, pop, rock-n-roll, high pitched, low-pitched, boisterous, soft, ghazel, bhajan, naten, romantic, melancholic & other shades covering every emotion and mood of human life). He appealed to music researchers and Faculties of Music of various Universities to design such a training course by establishing an Institute of Rafi Music.      Sh SL Bhola, founder of Spectrum Music invited people interested in promoting vintage music to lend him a helping hand. Sh Triloki Nath, Chairman, Rafi Foundation Memorial Society, said that the coming generations, will wonder and question their grandparents whether this amazing variety of songs were really sung by the same person.    Rafi was born on 24th December 1924 in village Kotla Sultan Singh of Amritsar District and died on 31st July, 1980 in Mumbai. He made his debut in Punjabi Film " Gul Baloch" in 1944 with the song "soniyi ni heeryi ni" set to music by Shyam Sunder. Rafi was so much enamoured of Kundan Lal Saigal that he participated as a chorus singer in Saigal's song "Roohi roohi roohi"(Shahjehan ,1946) & also sang one line of it in solo.    So indispensable was Rafi to Indian film music that music director OP Nayyar asked Rafi to sing the classical song "Man mora bawra" (film Ragini, 1958) in which singing star Kishore Kumar was the hero & the song was picturised on him. Rafi again playbacked for hero Kishore in film Shararat. The fact that even such a legendary singing star had to borrow Rafi's voice occasionally shows the extent of faith music directors had in Rafi.    In this first Function of Spectrum Music, young upcoming singers rendered Rafi's solo and duet songs under orchestration of Satish Popli's "Doremi Orchestra". The commentary on Rafi's life (in between the songs) was scripted and compered jointly by Triloki Nath and Mamta Vani.  For any further information contact:    SLBhola  SL Bhola, Founder, Spectrum Music,  C-4/31 Sector 15, Rohini, Delhi-110089  Phone: 011-2785-8827, Mob: 098918-74900, email:slbhola.2000 at gmail.com    -------------------------------------------------------------------------   -------------------------------------------------------------------------   -------------------------------------------    From a.mani.cms at gmail.com Sun Dec 26 08:21:52 2010 From: a.mani.cms at gmail.com (A. Mani) Date: Sun, 26 Dec 2010 08:21:52 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Why we should not call Manmohan Singh as 'a man with integrity' In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: On Sun, Dec 26, 2010 at 12:05 AM, Rakesh Iyer wrote: > The subject says it all, I guess. > > Link:http://www.indiatogether.org/2010/dec/opi-honest.htm The right wing media also writes for the big corporates. When they say things like that it means, kickbacks are handled by all of the cabinet ministers ... the PM does not handle them personally. Best A. Mani -- A. Mani ASL, CLC, AMS, CMS http://www.logicamani.co.cc > OPINION > * Honest is, as honest does * >  Integrity, in the job of the Prime Minister, demands putting national > interest above partisan politics and personal loyalties. By that standard > Manmohan Singh can't be called a "man of integirty", writes Madhu Purnima > Kishwar. > > *14 December 2010* - Today, the Indian media - both print and television - > is focusing on the recent corruption scandals involving the UPA Government > with unusual zeal. However, I fail to understand why almost every > commentator, every TV anchor, every editorial writer feels compelled to pay > ritual obeisance to the "personal honesty and integrity" of Dr Manmohan > Singh while dealing with the scandals emanating from his Cabinet colleagues. > They do so even when there is clear evidence that the Prime Minister was > well aware of various shady deals, as in the case of telecom scam, and that > he did nothing to stop the brazen economic crimes indulged in by his > ministerial colleagues over the last six years. > > Corruption is not only about personally accepting monetary bribes and > stacking them away in hidden bank accounts overseas, buying benami > properties or accepting diamond sets for your wife. Corruption can come in > insidious avatars, such as knowingly turning a blind eye to the misuse the > entire machinery of governance to serve private ends of a few individuals, > even to the point of endangering national security. For example, not a > single person has been punished thus far for supplying sub standard bullet > proof jackets to the police handling the 9/11 terrorist attack in Mumbai. > Not surprisingly, we are right now witnessing yet another scam involving sub > standard bullet proof vests. > > In recent weeks, some of our most respected columnists have been warning us > that we should look at institutional reform rather than target individuals > because it can lead to loss of faith in democratic institutions. But how do > you retain faith in democratic institutions if powerful individuals use > their office to systematically subvert the autonomy and credibility of > institutions meant as watchdogs of democracy? The best of institutions take > no time in becoming slavish instruments of partisan agendas if you plant > subservient and heavily compromised individuals at their helm. > > Dr Manmohan Singh cannot escape responsibility for appointing people with > dubious credentials to occupy key positions of power - starting with the > appointment of Pratibha Patil as the President of India. This despite the > fact that that Congress leaders of her own district protested vehemently > against her appointment because of her and her close kin's direct > involvement in criminal cases. Thereafter, all key institutions, including > the Election Commission, the Central Vigilance Commission have been filled > with people whose credentials have been questioned not just by the > opposition but also the media and respected public figures. > > He has also provided key portfolios to people with a proven track record of > brazen corruption. For example, IAS officer, Mr Lalli the CEO of Prasar > Bharati that manages Doordarshan has been guilty of countless corrupt deals > and practices. Despite numerous agitations by the staff of Doordarshan to > get him punished, he continues lording over the institution because he is > supposed to have the PM's backing. > > This regime has also gone out of its way to protect those judges of the High > Courts and Supreme Court who have such serious corruption charges against > them as to merit impeachment and criminal trials. Justice Dinakaran of the > Karnataka High Court was saved from the wrath of and boycott by the legal > fraternity of Karnataka by being transferred to Sikkim High Court despite > loud protests by people in Sikkim. Judges who are alleged to have shared in > the loot of Provident Fund of class 1V employees in UP have not been subject > to investigation, leave alone punishment. One of them retired after serving > a full term in the Supreme Court. The kingpin of the scam who later provided > evidence of the complicity of the judges died under mysterious circumstances > in jail. > > Supreme Court Justice Sabharwal was likewise protected from prosecution even > though the allegations against him during UPA's first term were no less > serious than that of Kalmadi. He is alleged to have ordered demolition of > numerous commercial centres and complexes in Delhi in order to benefit his > son's investment in high end malls, causing havoc for lakhs of small and big > commercial property owners of Delhi. > > The CWG scam is not just about misappropriation of funds through inflated > bills and money being paid to bogus companies. It all started with the > politician-contractor mafia being allowed to violate all environmental laws > to convert Yamuna floodplains into prime real estate by building luxury > apartments in the name of Games Village. This happened despite the High > Court ban on all construction activity on the floodplains. > > It needed the influence of people far more powerful than Kalmadi to persuade > the Supreme Court into over ruling the considered view of the High Court and > ensuring that Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh looked the other way when > all environmental laws were being brazenly flouted right under his nose to > build high rise apartments and other commercial structures on the > floodplains. The game plan behind building luxury apartments on the > forbidden land became obvious from the fact that the builders had to be whip > lashed into completing at least half the apartments before the Commonwealth > Games. They were obviously given to understand that the CWG was merely a fig > leaf for converting floodplains into prime real estate in the heart of > Delhi. > > The choice of the company that built the Games Village, the names of its > real owners, its unknown and known partners, and the list of its known and > unknown beneficiaries will reveal a scam more insidious than the Adarsh > Housing Scam of Mumbai which involved Congress Party CM and other > politicians, top ranking officials of the armed forces and bureaucrats > cornering luxury apartments in a prime location in a housing society set up > in the name of Kargil widows. In this case too, the only visible action > taken by the Prime Minister is to replace the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. > No sign of any heads rolling as yet. > > Or take the example of the most politically sensitive state of Kashmir. > Manmohan Singh allowed an anti-Omar agitation to turn into an anti India > agitation much against his own counsel, all because he dare not sack Omar > Abdullah from the CM's post even when the entire Valley rose in revolt > against his high handed, corrupt and callous regime. Senior Congress leaders > admit in private that Omar cannot be touched since he is a buddy of Rahul > Gandhi. Dr Singh knows well that Omar's continuation has given a new lease > of life to the Pakistan-inspired separatist and terrorist movement in > Kashmir. > > People attribute his pliability to the fact that the prime minister was > appointed and not elected. He has never won a Lok Sabha election. But that > cannot be used as an excuse to justify overlooking such gross mismanagement > and loot as well as the political drift one witnesses even in areas > involving national security. > > In fact, his defeat in the one and only election he ever fought is related > to his lack of personal integrity. He was defeated in the predominantly > middle-class South Delhi constituency because people in general and Sikhs in > particular were enraged when Manmohan Singh denied the role of the Congress > in the 1984 anti Sikh carnage and instead attributed the 1984 massacre to > the RSS. The RSS may well be guilty of many other communal riots but the > credit for the 1984 massacre goes entirely to Congress politicians, > including Rajiv Gandhi who even justified the killings saying: "when a big > tree falls, the earth is bound to shake." The Congress Party also ensured > that those who masterminded and executed the 1984 pogrom did not get > punished. > > Similarly, in the case of Gujarat riots, the Prime Minister happily joined > the chorus initiated by his boss pillorying Narendra Modi as *"Maut ka > Saudagar"* even though it is well known that Congress party cadres merrily > joined the riotous mobs unleashed by BJP--RSS combine in Ahmadabad and > elsewhere. This failure to own responsibility for the conduct of his party > men and passing the entire responsibility on to Modi is in large part > responsible for the lack of credibility of Congress Party in Gujarat and the > severe erosion of its political base in Gujarat. > > Likewise, getting a Rajya Sabha seat from Assam claiming he is a resident of > the state when he has never had any such connection with Assam is a definite > indicator of questionable political integrity. > > A PM who compromises national interest, as in Kashmir, just to indulge the > personal fancy of the PM-in-waiting, a PM who looks the other way while his > Cabinet colleagues brazenly loot public funds and get away with extorting > thousands of crores by way of kickbacks, a PM who is widely perceived and > lampooned as a "rubber stamp" does not merit being called "an honest man" or > a "man of integrity"; in his job, integrity demands putting national > interest above partisan politics and personal loyalties. Integrity also > involves taking full responsibility for all his acts of commission and > omission which have earned UPA II the dubious distinction of being publicly > named as the most corrupt and rudderless government in post independence > India. > *⊕* > >  *Madhu Purnima Kishwar* > > 14 Dec 2010 > >  * Madhu Purnima Kishwar is Professor, Centre for the Study of Developing > Societies and the founder of Manushi - a human rights / women's rights > organisation. This article was first published in Manushi, and is > republished with permission. * > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with 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 Dec 26 12:28:27 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Sun, 26 Dec 2010 12:28:27 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FAST GROWTH SLASHES POVERTY, WINS ELECTION Message-ID: <002601cba4ca$51a50770$f4ef1650$@in> http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Swaminomics/entry/fast-growth-slash es-poverty-wins-elections by Swaminathan Iyer Many say that fast GDP growth has benefited only a few rich businessmen. That's simply false. The latest data and research show that record GDP growth has benefited the masses and the poorest states. Poverty has fallen sharply and the poorest states have increased growth amazingly. That's one reason so many incumbent governments in poor states have been re-elected.   For decades, anti-incumbency dominated elections, and three-quarters of incumbent governments lost. But the trend has reversed in the last few years: suddenly three-quarters of incumbents are winning.   The Congress was re-elected in the 2009 parliamentary elections. Several chief ministers were re-elected too. Nitish Kumar in Bihar is the latest example . Earlier examples were Orissa, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.   What has changed? The BJP, the losing incumbent in 2004, claimed that India was shining. That was false. GDP growth in its five years (1999-04 ) averaged only 5.7% per year, no faster than in the preceding two decades. By contrast , growth during UPA rule (2004-09 ) zoomed to 8.5% per year.   The new Tendulkar formula for measuring poverty shows that poverty reduction during the BJP rule-and indeed since 1983 - was around 1% per year. Economist Surjit Bhalla cites the latest NSSO survey to show that in the next three years, from 2004-05 to 2007-08 , poverty reduction tripled to an astonishing 3.3% per year. Poverty fell as much in those three years of 9% GDP growth as in the preceding 11 years.   The BJP lost in 2004 because neither growth nor poverty reduction improved significantly. The UPA was re-elected in 2009 because both growth and poverty reduction improved hugely.   A new study by economists Arvind Panagariya and Poonam Gupta buttresses this conclusion . This assumes that voters in fast-growing states will vote for the ruling state party even in parliamentary elections . This sounds reasonable: 90% of villagers have never seen a central government official , and know only state government officials.   Although the national incumbent (Congress) won the 2009 parliamentary elections, it won just nine of 72 seats in the non-Congress states of Bihar, Orissa and Chhattisgarh. A look at the recently revised CSO data (see table) shows why. Economic growth skyrocketed between 2000-04 and 2004-09 from 4.5% to 12.4% in Bihar, from 4.8% to 10.2% in Orissa, and from 6.1% to 9.7% in Chhattisgarh . UP has doubled its rate from 3.3% to 6.7%, suggesting that Mayawati will be re-elected in 2012.   You can question the quality of state GDP data, yet the trend is unmistakable. Poor states have no incentive to artificially inflate growth rates-they would rather artificially understate growth to wangle more grants from New Delhi.   Examining state GDP growth between 2004-05 and 2008-09 , Panagariya and Gupta divide the major states into three growth categories-high , medium and low (relative to national growth). In high-growth states, a whopping 85% of candidates of the incumbent state party won in 2009. The winning rate dropped to 50% in medium-growth states and 30% in low-growth states. This indicates strongly that fast growth benefits and draws votes from the masses. Many other factors (alliances , caste, regional pride, inflation ) remain highly relevan.   But fast growth matters as never before. When slowgrowing states accelerate to 6% or more, incumbents start winning. Panagariya and Gupta conduct statistical tests to control for other factors that may determine outcomes. The overall pattern remains unchanged-fast growth benefits incumbents . This may be not just because of fast growth but reduced poverty and accelerated jobs too. These are inter-related-fast growth reaches the masses and hence reduces poverty and creates jobs. Government service delivery remains lousy, especially in health, so social indicators remain deplorable. Yet the latest research shows that the overall condition of the masses has improved . This is corroborated by the spread of cellphones to the masses-teledensity has skyrocketed to 70%.   Why have fast growth and mass improvement gone together? Not because some crumbs from fast growth were thrown to the poor. Rather, only when the vast majority of people improved their income did this add up to record growth and poverty reduction.   Growth was slow in 2000-04 in poor states, and this kept the national GDP growth down to 5.6% (see table). But GDP shot up to average 8.5% in the next five years. This was not because of economic reform, which mainly stalled in this period. Rather, chief ministers in poor states changed policies to take advantage of the growth potential created since 1991. So growth accelerated dramatically in large, poor states, and this gave India 9% growth. If they keep up this hugely improved performance, India will be transformed in a decade. From aliens at dataone.in Sun Dec 26 13:24:49 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Sun, 26 Dec 2010 13:24:49 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] PM IS HONOURABLE MAN, BUT IS THAT ENOUGH? Message-ID: <002d01cba4d2$2c742e10$855c8a30$@in> http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Mindboggling/entry/pm-is-an-honoura ble-man-but-is-that-enough BY SHALINI SINGH Two years ago, I buttonholed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at a meeting organised by the Indian Women's Press Corps, asking him how he reconciled his two roles: of being a distinguished scholar with an unblemished record and the head of a Cabinet in which allegations of venality have stuck on against his ministerial colleagues.   Without a moment of reflection, the Prime Minister replied: "There have been some charges of corruption but they have not been proved." And he turned his head away.   The telecom scam was then screaming headline news in every financial daily. The Times of India was furnishing hard evidence of how a select few were stuffing their pockets with money that rightfully belonged to the public. Editorials cried out for justice. Letters to the PM beseeching him to intervene piled up. But Manmohan Singh, and he is an honourable man, did nothing.   The telecom scam is not an isolated blot. There are many other blots: the Satyam scam, the IPL sleaze and then the CWG bust-up. On the political front, we have the Sharm el-Sheikh shame, rocketing inflation and the Kashmir flare-up.   The PM, being an honourable man, has been compelled to modify his clipped responses to control the damage from this sweeping canvas of spectacular failures. Since he can no more claim that his Cabinet is clean, he now says, “The guilty will be punished.”   That's a non sequitur. In all likelihood, it means nothing will be done. It reeks of paralysis at the highest level of government, something India can ill-afford. Is this because, as some in the precincts of power say, Singh no longer enjoys the trust of his party president? Or is it despite the fact that he faces no authority deficit?   Either way, it shows him up in extremely poor light. Indeed, there's no justification for his defeated silence on his squabbling Cabinet colleagues, corruption, price rise, Kashmir, the Maoist insurgency, and the CWG mess.   The people of India expect Singh to demonstrate moral outrage. But for that he must first gather moral courage. When Sonia Gandhi — despite being the head of the single largest party — chose to abdicate power in 2004 in favour of Singh, we believed she had done the right thing. Singh represented the most acceptable face of the Congress. Indeed, being an honourable man, he himself has remained above board. Newsweek recently described him as a most respected international statesman.   Which is why Singh's lack of moral fibre, now when it is most needed, is all the more galling. His trust quotient with the people at home is abysmally low. While Singh’s apologists say the pressures of coalition politics are cramping him, others contend that it's apparent he is unwilling to renounce the trappings of power. The honourable man is revealing his tragic flaw. He can still make history and be the extraordinary statesman by refusing to shield his corrupt colleagues and officials. He could quit his high office and lead by example.   India craves a clean and visionary leadership. Singh, with his weak approach to issues bedeviling his party and the people at large, has established that he is not that leader. The Prime Minister is an honourable man, and the course of honour, as opposed to the course of law, demands that he exits while his honour is still in tact. From geetaseshu at gmail.com Sun Dec 26 13:44:37 2010 From: geetaseshu at gmail.com (geeta seshu) Date: Sun, 26 Dec 2010 13:44:37 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] PM IS HONOURABLE MAN, BUT IS THAT ENOUGH? In-Reply-To: <002d01cba4d2$2c742e10$855c8a30$@in> References: <002d01cba4d2$2c742e10$855c8a30$@in> Message-ID: I've never understood how merely being soft-spoken makes a man honourable? Manmohan Singh is one of the prime architects of the so called liberalisation agenda, isn't he? From his World Bank days to the present, he really hasn't deviated from those goals, irrespective of the huge upheavals it has caused and the complete refusal to discuss or engage with dissent on these issues... what's honourable about that? On Sun, Dec 26, 2010 at 1:24 PM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > > > http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Mindboggling/entry/pm-is-an-honoura > ble-man-but-is-that-enough > > BY SHALINI SINGH > > > Two years ago, I buttonholed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at a meeting > organised by the Indian Women's Press Corps, asking him how he reconciled > his two roles: of being a distinguished scholar with an unblemished record > and the head of a Cabinet in which allegations of venality have stuck on > against his ministerial colleagues. > > Without a moment of reflection, the Prime Minister replied: "There have > been > some charges of corruption but they have not been proved." And he turned > his > head away. > > The telecom scam was then screaming headline news in every financial daily. > The Times of India was furnishing hard evidence of how a select few were > stuffing their pockets with money that rightfully belonged to the public. > Editorials cried out for justice. Letters to the PM beseeching him to > intervene piled up. But Manmohan Singh, and he is an honourable man, did > nothing. > > The telecom scam is not an isolated blot. There are many other blots: the > Satyam scam, the IPL sleaze and then the CWG bust-up. On the political > front, we have the Sharm el-Sheikh shame, rocketing inflation and the > Kashmir flare-up. > > The PM, being an honourable man, has been compelled to modify his clipped > responses to control the damage from this sweeping canvas of spectacular > failures. Since he can no more claim that his Cabinet is clean, he now > says, > “The guilty will be punished.” > > That's a non sequitur. In all likelihood, it means nothing will be done. It > reeks of paralysis at the highest level of government, something India can > ill-afford. Is this because, as some in the precincts of power say, Singh > no > longer enjoys the trust of his party president? Or is it despite the fact > that he faces no authority deficit? > > Either way, it shows him up in extremely poor light. Indeed, there's no > justification for his defeated silence on his squabbling Cabinet > colleagues, > corruption, price rise, Kashmir, the Maoist insurgency, and the CWG mess. > > The people of India expect Singh to demonstrate moral outrage. But for that > he must first gather moral courage. When Sonia Gandhi — despite being the > head of the single largest party — chose to abdicate power in 2004 in > favour > of Singh, we believed she had done the right thing. Singh represented the > most acceptable face of the Congress. Indeed, being an honourable man, he > himself has remained above board. Newsweek recently described him as a most > respected international statesman. > > Which is why Singh's lack of moral fibre, now when it is most needed, is > all > the more galling. His trust quotient with the people at home is abysmally > low. While Singh’s apologists say the pressures of coalition politics are > cramping him, others contend that it's apparent he is unwilling to renounce > the trappings of power. The honourable man is revealing his tragic flaw. He > can still make history and be the extraordinary statesman by refusing to > shield his corrupt colleagues and officials. He could quit his high office > and lead by example. > > India craves a clean and visionary leadership. Singh, with his weak > approach > to issues bedeviling his party and the people at large, has established > that > he is not that leader. The Prime Minister is an honourable man, and the > course of honour, as opposed to the course of law, demands that he exits > while his honour is still in tact. > > > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > 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 rohitrellan at aol.in Sun Dec 26 17:30:08 2010 From: rohitrellan at aol.in (rohitrellan at aol.in) Date: Sun, 26 Dec 2010 07:00:08 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] =?utf-8?q?Caferati_=40_Prithvi_Caf=C3=A9_DecemberOp?= =?utf-8?q?en_Mic_=2C_Bombay?= Message-ID: <8CD730B93B0719A-8E4-37445@webmail-m064.sysops.aol.com> Time Tuesday, December 28 · 7:00pm - 8:30pm Location Prithvi Theatre Cafe 20 Janki Kutir, Juhu Church Road, Juhu Bombay, India Entry Free * The rules: - Works performed can be in English, Hindi, Marathi and/or Urdu. - You must perform only your own writing. - You can perform one piece for a maximum of two minutes. - Only solo or duo performances; no groups please. Duos can only perform collaborative works authored by both performers. - Your name will be called once. If you don’t get to the microphone in 10 seconds, you lose your slot. - Your time starts the moment you come to the microphone - You can recite, declaim, shout, even sing (if you can hold a tune); you can sit, stand or lie down; you can dance, turn a cartwheel, play a musical instrument, or scratch your back while standing on your head, as long as you perform your words. - You get the use of a microphone, and two minutes. No other arrangements will be made for your performance. If you want to carry a prop, or a musical instrument, please do so. Note that any set-up time counts towards your two-minute limit. - A gong will be struck—loud!—at the end of the two-minute period and you must leave the microphone immediately. - Genres: No restriction. Poetry, scripts, stories, songs, it’s all good. - Prohibited: Foul language, explicit sexual imagery, slander, anything that flouts the laws of India. - Dress code: No nudity. Yes, you can use costumes and make-up if you like. * If you want a slot: - There will be up to 25 slots of up to 2 minutes each. - You must be physically present at the venue at least 30 minutes before start time to register. - Slots will be provided immediately, on a first-come first-served basis, and cannot be carried over to the next Open Mic. - You must show the text of what you plan to perform to the organisers present, and describe your performance. This is not about censorship; it is to guard against infringement of the rules. * Conditions: There are no formal prizes, just the opportunity to perform to an audience, and earn its acclaim. Oh yes, if we, and/or the audience likes your work, we'll buy you a beverage from the Cafe. You will not be reimbursed expenses, and will not be paid any fee or honorarium. You retain ownership of your work, but by submitting it, you give the Prithvi Theatre and Caferati the right to display your work, or photographs or recordings of your performance, at the Prithvi Theatre Cafe, and on their websites, should they so choose, with attribution to you, but with no payment. Should you wish to be excluded from being photographed or recorded, please inform the photographer / cameraperson before the performance. Any photographs or recordings will not be commercial in nature. Email: prithvitheatre at prithvitheatre.org editors at caferati.com From javedmasoo at gmail.com Sun Dec 26 17:42:56 2010 From: javedmasoo at gmail.com (Javed) Date: Sun, 26 Dec 2010 17:42:56 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] =?windows-1252?q?VHP_chief_=91warns=92_Sonia_Gandhi?= Message-ID: Does this mean that Hindutva terrorists were involved in the assasination Indira Gandhi too (after Mahatma Gandhi)? ------- VHP chief ‘warns’ Sonia Gandhi Published: Sunday, Dec 26, 2010, 0:25 IST Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) international president Ashok Singhal has threatened Congress president Sonia Gandhi that she will meet late prime minister Indira Gandhi’s fate if she tries to lock horns with hindutwadi leaders. Singhal was addressing a congregation in Aurangabad on Friday evening. During his half-hour speech, he did not elaborate what fate Sonia would meet. Referring to the Congress establishment, he said, “A foreigner had formed the Congress party and now it will be finished off by another foreigner.” He alleged that Sonia was specially sent to India under the cover of marriage to Rajiv Gandhi to convert Hindus to Christianity. He warned Sonia and Rahul Gandhi of a nationwide agitation if they do not refrain from hurting Hindu sentiments. RSS leader Indresh Kumar has been wrongly implicated in the Mecca Masjid blast case, he asserted. A major part of his speech was on the Ayodhya issue, demanding that the central government enact a law for building the Ram temple at Ayodhya. He also demanded that the 60-acre Ramjanambhoomi land acquired by late Narsimha Rao be handed over to Hindus for construction of the temple. http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_vhp-chief-warns-sonia-gandhi_1486197 From aliens at dataone.in Sun Dec 26 19:17:58 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Sun, 26 Dec 2010 19:17:58 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] FAST GROWTH SLASHES POVERTY, WINS ELECTION In-Reply-To: <002601cba4ca$51a50770$f4ef1650$@in> References: <002601cba4ca$51a50770$f4ef1650$@in> Message-ID: <000801cba503$81a01cb0$84e05610$@in> Yes, it is true that due to rapid growth of very poor states earlier help to zoom the GDP of India. All these 3 states Bihar, Orisaa, Chatisgarh are non-congress state. So, we cannot give any credit to UPA for higher GDP during last tenure 2004-09. Fact is that, during NDA rule real infrastructural development initiated and implemented, but one cannot get fruit of it immediately. But, unfortunately NDA loss when fruit of it started paying and wrongly UPA got credit of it. During 2004-09 actually few policy was reversed due to left pressure. It was unfortunate that NDA loss since poor people cannot understand this and come in the propaganda of pseudo-secularists which tarnish image of BJP or rather succeeded to create wrong image of BJP. Let us wait for current UPA tenure struggling heavily against massive various scams. Thanks Bipin Trivedi -----Original Message----- From: reader-list-bounces at sarai.net [mailto:reader-list-bounces at sarai.net] On Behalf Of Bipin Trivedi Sent: Sunday, December 26, 2010 12:28 PM To: sarai-list Subject: [Reader-list] FAST GROWTH SLASHES POVERTY, WINS ELECTION http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Swaminomics/entry/fast-growth-slash es-poverty-wins-elections by Swaminathan Iyer Many say that fast GDP growth has benefited only a few rich businessmen. That's simply false. The latest data and research show that record GDP growth has benefited the masses and the poorest states. Poverty has fallen sharply and the poorest states have increased growth amazingly. That's one reason so many incumbent governments in poor states have been re-elected. For decades, anti-incumbency dominated elections, and three-quarters of incumbent governments lost. But the trend has reversed in the last few years: suddenly three-quarters of incumbents are winning. The Congress was re-elected in the 2009 parliamentary elections. Several chief ministers were re-elected too. Nitish Kumar in Bihar is the latest example . Earlier examples were Orissa, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. What has changed? The BJP, the losing incumbent in 2004, claimed that India was shining. That was false. GDP growth in its five years (1999-04 ) averaged only 5.7% per year, no faster than in the preceding two decades. By contrast , growth during UPA rule (2004-09 ) zoomed to 8.5% per year. The new Tendulkar formula for measuring poverty shows that poverty reduction during the BJP rule-and indeed since 1983 - was around 1% per year. Economist Surjit Bhalla cites the latest NSSO survey to show that in the next three years, from 2004-05 to 2007-08 , poverty reduction tripled to an astonishing 3.3% per year. Poverty fell as much in those three years of 9% GDP growth as in the preceding 11 years. The BJP lost in 2004 because neither growth nor poverty reduction improved significantly. The UPA was re-elected in 2009 because both growth and poverty reduction improved hugely. A new study by economists Arvind Panagariya and Poonam Gupta buttresses this conclusion . This assumes that voters in fast-growing states will vote for the ruling state party even in parliamentary elections . This sounds reasonable: 90% of villagers have never seen a central government official , and know only state government officials. Although the national incumbent (Congress) won the 2009 parliamentary elections, it won just nine of 72 seats in the non-Congress states of Bihar, Orissa and Chhattisgarh. A look at the recently revised CSO data (see table) shows why. Economic growth skyrocketed between 2000-04 and 2004-09 from 4.5% to 12.4% in Bihar, from 4.8% to 10.2% in Orissa, and from 6.1% to 9.7% in Chhattisgarh . UP has doubled its rate from 3.3% to 6.7%, suggesting that Mayawati will be re-elected in 2012. You can question the quality of state GDP data, yet the trend is unmistakable. Poor states have no incentive to artificially inflate growth rates-they would rather artificially understate growth to wangle more grants from New Delhi. Examining state GDP growth between 2004-05 and 2008-09 , Panagariya and Gupta divide the major states into three growth categories-high , medium and low (relative to national growth). In high-growth states, a whopping 85% of candidates of the incumbent state party won in 2009. The winning rate dropped to 50% in medium-growth states and 30% in low-growth states. This indicates strongly that fast growth benefits and draws votes from the masses. Many other factors (alliances , caste, regional pride, inflation ) remain highly relevan. But fast growth matters as never before. When slowgrowing states accelerate to 6% or more, incumbents start winning. Panagariya and Gupta conduct statistical tests to control for other factors that may determine outcomes. The overall pattern remains unchanged-fast growth benefits incumbents . This may be not just because of fast growth but reduced poverty and accelerated jobs too. These are inter-related-fast growth reaches the masses and hence reduces poverty and creates jobs. Government service delivery remains lousy, especially in health, so social indicators remain deplorable. Yet the latest research shows that the overall condition of the masses has improved . This is corroborated by the spread of cellphones to the masses-teledensity has skyrocketed to 70%. Why have fast growth and mass improvement gone together? Not because some crumbs from fast growth were thrown to the poor. Rather, only when the vast majority of people improved their income did this add up to record growth and poverty reduction. Growth was slow in 2000-04 in poor states, and this kept the national GDP growth down to 5.6% (see table). But GDP shot up to average 8.5% in the next five years. This was not because of economic reform, which mainly stalled in this period. Rather, chief ministers in poor states changed policies to take advantage of the growth potential created since 1991. So growth accelerated dramatically in large, poor states, and this gave India 9% growth. If they keep up this hugely improved performance, India will be transformed in a decade. _________________________________________ reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. Critiques & Collaborations To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with 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 Dec 26 20:33:01 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Sun, 26 Dec 2010 20:33:01 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] PM IS HONOURABLE MAN, BUT IS THAT ENOUGH? In-Reply-To: References: <002d01cba4d2$2c742e10$855c8a30$@in> Message-ID: <000301cba50d$fda8ff20$f8fafd60$@in> CWG, 2G spectrum, scam after scam has shaken the UPA heavily. They themselves created such situation knowingly and PM also keeps mum knowingly, why? Kalmadi or Raja is hardly 3/5% beneficiary of this whole scam money. The major portion was gone to relevant political parties bosses like Karunanidhi, Sonia of course for party fund mainly. So, whenever PM tried to stop earlier for such deal/step, high command stopped him and allowed the things. Thanks Bipin Trivedi -----Original Message----- From: reader-list-bounces at sarai.net [mailto:reader-list-bounces at sarai.net] On Behalf Of geeta seshu Sent: Sunday, December 26, 2010 1:45 PM To: sarai-list Subject: Re: [Reader-list] PM IS HONOURABLE MAN, BUT IS THAT ENOUGH? I've never understood how merely being soft-spoken makes a man honourable? Manmohan Singh is one of the prime architects of the so called liberalisation agenda, isn't he? From his World Bank days to the present, he really hasn't deviated from those goals, irrespective of the huge upheavals it has caused and the complete refusal to discuss or engage with dissent on these issues... what's honourable about that? On Sun, Dec 26, 2010 at 1:24 PM, Bipin Trivedi wrote: > > > http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Mindboggling/entry/pm-is-an-honoura > ble-man-but-is-that-enough > > BY SHALINI SINGH > > > Two years ago, I buttonholed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at a meeting > organised by the Indian Women's Press Corps, asking him how he reconciled > his two roles: of being a distinguished scholar with an unblemished record > and the head of a Cabinet in which allegations of venality have stuck on > against his ministerial colleagues. > > Without a moment of reflection, the Prime Minister replied: "There have > been > some charges of corruption but they have not been proved." And he turned > his > head away. > > The telecom scam was then screaming headline news in every financial daily. > The Times of India was furnishing hard evidence of how a select few were > stuffing their pockets with money that rightfully belonged to the public. > Editorials cried out for justice. Letters to the PM beseeching him to > intervene piled up. But Manmohan Singh, and he is an honourable man, did > nothing. > > The telecom scam is not an isolated blot. There are many other blots: the > Satyam scam, the IPL sleaze and then the CWG bust-up. On the political > front, we have the Sharm el-Sheikh shame, rocketing inflation and the > Kashmir flare-up. > > The PM, being an honourable man, has been compelled to modify his clipped > responses to control the damage from this sweeping canvas of spectacular > failures. Since he can no more claim that his Cabinet is clean, he now > says, > “The guilty will be punished.” > > That's a non sequitur. In all likelihood, it means nothing will be done. It > reeks of paralysis at the highest level of government, something India can > ill-afford. Is this because, as some in the precincts of power say, Singh > no > longer enjoys the trust of his party president? Or is it despite the fact > that he faces no authority deficit? > > Either way, it shows him up in extremely poor light. Indeed, there's no > justification for his defeated silence on his squabbling Cabinet > colleagues, > corruption, price rise, Kashmir, the Maoist insurgency, and the CWG mess. > > The people of India expect Singh to demonstrate moral outrage. But for that > he must first gather moral courage. When Sonia Gandhi — despite being the > head of the single largest party — chose to abdicate power in 2004 in > favour > of Singh, we believed she had done the right thing. Singh represented the > most acceptable face of the Congress. Indeed, being an honourable man, he > himself has remained above board. Newsweek recently described him as a most > respected international statesman. > > Which is why Singh's lack of moral fibre, now when it is most needed, is > all > the more galling. His trust quotient with the people at home is abysmally > low. While Singh’s apologists say the pressures of coalition politics are > cramping him, others contend that it's apparent he is unwilling to renounce > the trappings of power. The honourable man is revealing his tragic flaw. He > can still make history and be the extraordinary statesman by refusing to > shield his corrupt colleagues and officials. He could quit his high office > and lead by example. > > India craves a clean and visionary leadership. Singh, with his weak > approach > to issues bedeviling his party and the people at large, has established > that > he is not that leader. The Prime Minister is an honourable man, and the > course of honour, as opposed to the course of law, demands that he exits > while his honour is still in tact. > > > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > 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 Dec 26 23:38:27 2010 From: shuddha at sarai.net (Shuddhabrata Sengupta) Date: Sun, 26 Dec 2010 23:38:27 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Critique of the Judgement against Dr. Binayak Sen by the 2nd Additional District and Sessions Judge, Raipur Message-ID: <54B8C83C-F5EC-4BA0-9A7D-85F2C3E5828D@sarai.net> Dear all, The judgement against Binayak Sen pronounced by the 2nd Additional District and Sessions Judge, Raipur defines a new low in the history of justice in India. There is a citizens protest against the judgement tomorrow afternoon at Jantar Mantar in Delhi at 2: 30 pm, those in Delhi, please join in large numbers, Please find below, a critique of the judgement written by Ilina Sen, Sudha Bhardwaj and Kavita Srivastava. Read and circulate widely. best Shuddha ------------------ This note (posted on kafila.org) critiquing the judgement that setences Binayak Sen for life has been written by ILINA SEN, SUDHA BHARADWAJ and KAVITA SRIVASTAVA Raipur, 26 December, 2010 As you are aware the Second Additional District and Sessions Judge of Raipur Sh. B. P. Verma convicted Binayak Sen, Pijush Guha and Narayan Sanyal for rigorous life imprisonment on the 24 December, 2010. A ninety two page judgement was delivered by Judge BP Verma on the 24 December, 2010. What follows is a quick analysis of the facts of the case and the judgement that has finally been delivered. Important Dates of the case The FIR was lodged on the 6th of May, 2007, when Pijush Guha’s arrest was shown. Dr. Sen was arrested on the 14th May, 2007 from Bilaspur and Narayan Sanyal was only made an accused in July 2007, who was already an under trial detained in the Bilaspur Jail in another case. The Charge sheet was filed in August, 2007. The charges were framed on 27th December, 2007 and subsequently the trial began. The trial lasted for two years where 97prosecution witnesses and 12 defence witnesses deposed. Many of the prosecution witnesses were policemen. Three judges presided over the two year trial. They were Judge Saluja, Judge Ganpat Rao and finally Judge B P Verma (a judge awaiting confirmation in the lower judiciary). The judgement would have taken longer had it not been for the Supreme Court, which on a bail application filed by Pijush Guha ordered in October, 2010 that the trial be completed in three months. The Analysis of the Judgement The Second Additional Sessions Judge, Raipur B.P. Verma has sentenced human rights defender Dr. Binayak Sen, Kolkata businessman Pijush Guha and Maoist ideologue Narayan Sanyal for rigorous life imprisonment and shorter prison terms, to run concurrently under Sections 124A read with Section 120B of the Indian Penal Code, Sections 8(1), 8(2), 8(3) and 8(5) of the Chhattisgarh Vishesh Jan Suraksha Adhiniyam, 2005 (Chhattisgarh Special Public Safety Act) and Section 39(2) of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, 1967. Narayan Sanyal has been additionally sentenced under Section 20 of the UAPA Act, 1967. Briefly put Section 124A read with Section 120B of IPC pertains to sedition and conspiracy for sedition; CSPSA, 2005 makes culpable membership of, association with, and furthering the interests, financially or otherwise, of organizations notified and banned under the Act as unlawful. UAPA, 1967 seeks to penalize membership of a terrorist gang or association, holding proceeds of terrorism, or support given to a terrorist organization. To hold the three accused guilty under the above mentioned laws, the judgment had to establish beyond reasonable doubt that the accused were either directly indulging in seditious activities as individuals or as members of an organization, or conspiring to abet and further seditious activities of individuals or organization. Also, the judgment was to establish beyond reasonable doubt that the accused were either members of organizations notified as unlawful under CSPSA or/ and UAPA, or conspiring to abet and further the activities of such unlawful organizations. Judge Verma’s verdict weaves a flawed legal narrative trying to establish the aforementioned links. Judge Verma’s narrative hinges on the following points: Narayan Sanyal is a member of the highest decision making body, Politburo, of CPI (Maoist) a seditious organization and notified as unlawful under the CSPSA and UAPA. As a basis for this, the judgment cites the content of certain journals purported to be organs of the CPI (Maoist) and certain cases lodged against him for Maoist activities in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand. The above- mentioned magazines have been reportedly seized from co-accused Pijush Guha who has contended that they were planted on him by the police. The judge has unquestioningly accepted the version of the police on the basis of the supposed testimony of the seizure witness Anil Singh, ignoring the objections of Pijush Guha and co-accused Binayak Sen to the effect that the seizure witness had claimed to overhear a conversation between Guha and the police in a situation where the police had Guha in their custody, and any statement made by Guha to the police in a custodial situation is inadmissible as evidence under the Indian Evidence Act, 1872. It should not be forgotten that the seizure witness Anil Singh did not accompany the police when they came to apprehend and search Guha, but was supposedly a passerby, who was stopped by the police when Guha was already in their custody. The judge has held Narayan Sanyal to be a member of CPI (Maoist) on the basis of cases against him in other states in which he has not yet been pronounced guilty. The central point around which the verdict’s narrative is woven is the arrest and seizure of certain articles, including the abovementioned journals and three letters supposedly written by Narayan Sanyal to his party comrades, handed over to Binayak Sen when he met Sanyal in jail, and then handed over by Sen to Pijush Guha who was supposed to pass it on to Sanyal’s party comrades. This supposedly establishes a chain binding the three in a conspiratorial relationship. According to this supposed conspiratorial chain, Narayan Sanyal is a leader of a seditious organization also notified as unlawful and as such banned; Binayak Sen conspires with Sanyal to pass on his letters to his party comrades through Guha, thus both Sen and Guha assist in the activities of a seditious and unlawful organization. In constructing this conspiratorial chain, the Judge has relied on forensic evidence testifying that the letters were indeed written by Sanyal, but for them being in possession of Pijush Guha, he has relied solely on the evidence of police officers and seizure witness Anil Singh whose versions have been contested by Guha but ignored by the Judge. Guha’s statement before the Magistrate which was recorded when he was produced on the 7th of May, 2007 says that he was arrested on 1.5.2007 from Mahindra Hotel, kept in illegal custody blindfolded for six days and finally produced before a Magistrate only on 7.5.2007. The Judge has ignored even Guha’s statement to this effect made before the Magistrate as soon as he was produced. Judge Verma has said in his verdict that Guha has failed to produce any evidence in favour of his statement, thereby putting the onus of proof on the accused and not the prosecution, which is bad in law. (Neither the CSPSA or UAPA (2004) puts the burden of proof on the accused. The Judge has also ignored the contradiction between the police affidavit filed before the Supreme Court while opposing the bail application of Binayak Sen and the police version presented in the charge sheet filed in the sessions court. In the Supreme Court the police said that Guha had been arrested from Mahindra Hotel (which Guha has alleged in his testimony) but in the sessions court the police have said that Guha was arrested from Station Road where the police supposedly seized the aforementioned incriminating articles in the presence of seizure witness Anil Singh. The police’s flimsy argument, that the discrepancy was because of a typographical error in the affidavit filed before the Supreme Court, has been fully accepted by Judge Verma. Actually, the police officer responsible should be tried for either filing a false affidavit in the Apex Court, or lying in the Sessions court under oath. Accepting Guha’s testimony would have rendered the seizure witness’s statement implausible on which the Judge has centrally relied for his narrative. This would have in turn resulted in a complete collapse of the case against all the accused, especially so against Guha and Binayak Sen, against whom there was no material evidence of either being a member of CPI (Maoist) or being in conspiratorial relationship with Narayan Sanyal, the principal Maoist character in Judge Verma’s narrative. Once the central conspiratorial point and incident has been constructed in the judicial narrative, conspiratorial linkages between the three accused and their common causes and actions before the incident also needed to be established. This has been attempted in Pijush Guha’s case by a reference to his frequent visits to Raipur and a case pending in district Purulia, West Bengal. Judge Verma has ignored the fact that Guha was made an accused in the Purulia case after 6.5.2007, the date on which he is said to have been arrested in Raipur. This fact strongly generates a suspicion of afterthought by the police of the two states acting in collusion. Judge Verma’s verdict also naturally ignores the fact that Pijush Guha’s frequent visits are explained by his being a tendu leaf trader trading in the areas of Chhattisgarh. Binayak Sen’s supposed conspiratorial relationship with Narayan Sanyal and his seditious Maoist causes is sought to be established by the following: 1. Testimony of the so called Landlord of Narayan Sanyal Deepak Choubey’ in his testimony stated that he accepted Narayan Sanyal as a tenant in his house on the recommendation of Binayak Sen some time before Sanyal’s arrest. The Judge has ignored the fact that Deepak Choubey did not own the house but acted on behalf of his brother in law. More crucially, the Judge set aside Sen’s objection that Choubey’s assertion came in response to a leading question by the Public Prosecutor. Judge Verma’s verdict makes no reference to Sen’s objections against this witness going beyond his statement under Section 161 of the Cr.P.C., and the fact that the witness admitted in cross examination that an earlier statement recorded by the police at the time when allegedly a Maoist leader was arrested from his house was not brought on record. This casts doubt as to the veracity of the statement made subsequently since the same could be manipulated so as to suit the Prosecution story. Judge Verma rejected Sen’s contention that Choubey’s statement was made under duress because the police threatened to implicate him in context of the said arrest. It also does not take into account the contradiction with the police’s own version that Narayan Sanyal was arrested from Bhadrachalam in Andhra Pradesh to which effect police officers of Andhra Pradesh have testified. 2. Binayak Sen’s thirty three meetings in eighteen months with jailed Narayan Sanyal. The judge without giving any reason has ignored Sen’s contention that he was merely performing his duty as a human rights activist and a physician in addressing the legal and health issues of an ailing undertrial prisoner on the request of the undertrial’s family. The Judge has not considered the documents exhibited by the defence showing that Sen had permission from the Senior Superintendent of Police for his jail visits. Instead, Judge Verma’s verdict makes a convoluted argument by holding that Sanyal’s sister-in-law’s (Bula Sanyal’s) phone calls to Binayak Sen in this regard proved a conspiratorial relationship between him and Narayan Sanyal, whereas Bula Sanyal is a housewife absolutely unconnected with any kind of Maoist/ unlawful activity. Since the prosecution failed to produce even a single jail official or any other eye witness testifying to any letter or message, oral or written, being passed by Narayan Sanyal to Binayak Sen in their jail meetings, the verdict makes much fuss about certain entries in jail registers referring to Sen being Sanyal’s relative, ignoring the defence contention that these entries were filled in by the jail officials, and not by either the visited or visitor, as apparent from the face of the record. On the contrary, all the applications Binayak Sen submitted to the jail officials, requesting a meeting with Sanyal, were written on the letterhead of his organization – PUCL (a Civil Liberties and Democratic Rights organization founded by leading Sarvodaya leader Jayprakash Narayan). These visits were duly permitted by the jail officials and transpired in their full view and hearing. 3. Binayak Sen’s relationship with the CPI (Maoists) 3.1 That Binayak Sen had a close relationship with CPI (Maoist) is sought to be established by the unsubstantiated testimonies of police officials claiming that Sen and his wife Ilina Sen had assisted alleged hard core Maoists Shankar Singh and Amita Srivastava. Sen has not disputed that Shankar was employed by Rupantar – an NGO founded by his wife Ilina. Nor has he disputed that he and Ilina knew Amita Srivastava whom the latter, on the recommendation of a friend, had helped find a job in a school. But the Judge has just accepted the police’s word, without any other testimony or material evidence whatsoever that Shankar and Amita were Maoists. 3.2 Judge Verma has also wrongly concluded, on the basis of hearsay by the police, that one Malati employed by Rupantar was the same person as Shantipriya, also using the alias Malati, a Maoist leader’s wife convicted for 10 years in a case tried in another court in Raipur. The judge has not even mentioned or verified the defence evidence put on record that the Malati employed by Rupantar was actually Malati Jadhav, whose address was provided by defence witness Prahlad Sahu. 3.3. Judge Verma’s narrative seems to have a particular fondness for police hearsay as he has blindly accepted, without any corroboration by another witness or any material evidence, wild allegations made by police officials Vijay Thakur and Sher Singh Bande, officer in charge of Konta and Chhuria police stations respectively that Binayak Sen, his wife Ilina Sen and other PUCL members and human rights activists attended the meetings of Maoists in their respective areas. These officials have gone well beyond their Section 161 statements introducing documents not earlier annexed with the charge sheet, and all defence objections in this regard were overruled by the Judge. 3.4 But a certain planted letter, exhibit A-37, takes the cake in Judge Verma’s narrative. This unsigned letter, supposedly written by the Central Committee of CPI (Maoist) to Binayak Sen, was claimed by the police to have been seized from Sen’s house when the police ran a search there. But this letter finds no mention in the seizure list, neither has it been signed by Sen nor the investigating officers nor the search witnesses as per proper procedural requirement. The said letter was also not part of the copy of the charge sheet received by Sen in the court. But the Judge has completely overlooked this obvious planting of evidence, accepting the ridiculous explanation provided by investigating officers BS Jagrit and BBS Rajput that the Article A-37 probably stuck to another article (chipak gaya tha) and hence could not get signed by either Sen or the investigating officer or search witnesses. It is no surprise that the judge has also ignored the very valid testimonies of defence witnesses Amit Bannerji and Mahesh Mahobe in this context. 3.5 The verdict lets the cat of its ideological bias out of the bag , however, when it accepts above the Supreme Court’s wise judicial pronouncements which were brought on record in the case by Sen, the testimony of a mere district collector KR Pisda in charge of Dantewada district that Salwa Judum was a peaceful and spontaneous protest movement of the tribals against the atrocities committed by the Maoists, and not a brutal and armed vigilante operation sponsored by the state. Later in his judgment Judge Verma insinuates that Binayak Sen’s principled opposition as a human rights defender to such a non-legal, repressive, brutal vigilante operation indulging in mayhem and violence put him in the Maoist camp against whom the Salwa Judum was targeted. Not taking into cognizance the evidence provided by the Defence The statement made by Binayak Sen, the evidence that he brought on record as to his work as a human rights activist, and the newspaper reports which were exhibited by the defence carrying statements of the then DGP Police threatening to take human rights activists to task, which reveal prima facie malice and motive have not been taken into consideration by the Judge, who appears to have considered and relied only upon that interpretation of the evidence that supported the prosecution case without a reasoned consideration of the lacunae and contradictions therein, the objections of the defence and the evidence adduced by Sen, or even the well settled legal principles on which the defence rested its arguments. Using the legal provision of sedition as a political instrument While weaving a narrative of sedition against Binayak Sen and other accused in the case, the Sessions court verdict violates a well laid judicial principle of the Supreme Court in matters of sedition. InKedarnath Singh Vs State of Bihar the Supreme Court has held that the provision of sedition in the Indian Penal Code must be interpreted in a manner consistent with the fundamental freedom of speech and expression guaranteed by the Indian Constitution. In this regard the Supreme Court held that the offence of sedition, which is defined as spreading disaffection against the state, should be considered as having been committed only if the said disaffection is a direct incitement to violence or will lead to serious public disorder. No speech or deed milder than this should be considered seditious. The Sessions court verdict in the case against Binayak Sen and others fails to establish that the words or deeds of the accused were a direct incitement to violence or would lead to serious public disorder. This would be the case even if it was established beyond doubt that Binayak Sen had passed on Narayan Sanyal’s letters to Pijush Guha, or Pijush Guha was likely to pass on these letters to other members of the CPI (Maoist), or that Narayan Sanyal was a politburo member of the CPI (Maoist). END ---------------- Shuddhabrata Sengupta From rohitrellan at aol.in Mon Dec 27 07:04:03 2010 From: rohitrellan at aol.in (rohitrellan at aol.in) Date: Sun, 26 Dec 2010 20:34:03 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] National School of Drama's 13th Bharat Rang Mahotsav Theatre Festival , January 7-22, 2011 , Delhi & Chennai In-Reply-To: <8CD737CE2C5AC93-A3C-3BA6A@webmail-m071.sysops.aol.com> References: <8CD737CE2C5AC93-A3C-3BA6A@webmail-m071.sysops.aol.com> Message-ID: <8CD737D478D9CBE-A3C-3BABD@webmail-m071.sysops.aol.com> Bharat Rang Mahotsav    Bharat Rang Mahotsav was established a decade ago by the National School of Drama to stimulate the growth and development of theatre across the country. Originally a national festival showcasing the work of the most creative theatre workers in India, it has evolved to international scope, hosting theatre companies from around the world, and is now the largest theatre festival of Asia.    The 13th Mahotsav will include several national and international performances, and various associated events in a wrap-around program.    Parallel Festival    Bharat Rang Mahotsav is accompanied by a shorter festival in a second city, with selections from the main repertoire, extending the scope of the Mahotsav and sharing its fare with theatre lovers outside Delhi. The second festival has to date been held in Bengaluru, Kolkata, Mumbai, Lucknow, and Bhopal. This year it travels to Chennai.      Festival Schedule : http://nsdtheatrefest.com/festival.php Parallel Festival Schedule : http://nsdtheatrefest.com/chennai.php   Chennai Festival    Bharat Rang Mahotsav is accompanied by a shorter festival in a second city, with selections from the main repertoire, extending the scope of the Mahotsav and sharing its fare with theatre lovers outside Delhi. The second festival has to date been held in Bengaluru, Kolkata, Mumbai, Lucknow, and Bhopal. This year it travels to Chennai.    ---------------------------------------------------  Allied Events    The synergetic wrap around programme around the 13th BRM includes:  Asia Pacific Drama Schools Festival  A 7-day festival of the Asia-Pacific Bureau of Drama Schools (APB) from 3rd Jan – 9th Jan 2011. The festival intends to create opportunities for all APB member schools to interact with each other in multiple ways - by way of sharing their philosophies in process, pedagogy and in practice during the 7-day long festival. It will include workshops, student shows, discussions and an exhibition.    Lecture-Demonstrations followed by Interactive Sessions –  9th Jan 2011  “Performance Language/Scenography/ Set Design”  Experts - Éric Vigner (France), Andrea Cusumano and Zuleikha Chaudhari  (India)  Conducted by Santanu Bose  11 am – 1:30, Antarmukh    11th Jan 2011  “Light Design”  Experts – Madoka Okada (Japan), Wendy Jehlen (USA), and Suresh  Bhardwaj (India)  Conducted by Amitesh Grover  11 am – 1:30, Antarmukh    17th Jan 2011  A talk by Kath Mainland, CEO of Edinburgh Fringe Festival.  11:30 am – 1:00 pm, ……    Photographic Exhibitions  The BRM this year will include 3 exhibitions:-  Exhibition of the APB Festival based on material from APB schools  An exhibition on “Actors’ curated by the Chairperson of the National School of Drama, Ms. Amal Allana  An exhibition on the ‘Footsbarn Company’ from France, Courtesy the French Cultural Centre, Embassy of France, New Delhi.    Special site-specific performance by avant-garde and experimental dancer Min Tanaka, accompanied by Ms. Aki Takahashi on the piano.    French Mime devised & performed by Laurent Decol    Special Solo Performances based on works by international writers on Afro-centric themes  Quality Street by Maya Rao Author (Based on a story by Nigerian writer  Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie)  Grey is Also a Colour by Navtej Johar (Inspired by British writer Doris Lessing’s  novel The Grass is Singing)  Life Is Sweet at Kumansenu by Hema Singh (Based on a story by Sierra Leonean  writer Abioseh Davidson Nicol, )    Garbage Project by Harish Khanna  A broad-based exploration of materiality, the project is an exploration of life in garbage by an actor, created in collaboration with other actors. Amongst other things it looks at the idea of garbage as waste, of the body as garbage or producer of garbage… in relation to the body of garbage. It will include four improvised performances based on images of lives in/and garbage from different parts of the country. Spread over four days the performances will be on the NSD campus.    Social Gaming by Amitesh Grover  A group of artists and players gather to engage in a set of social games and playful experiences in Delhi, and a group of players and artists gather in London. Each group is ‘present’ at the other event through a variety of digital connections: through Skype, email, SMS, Facebook, Flickr etc. Ultimately, the goal of this experimentation is to invite people to use game design to invent new kinds of digital collaboration, intimacy and connectedness.    Theatre Café  -------------------------------------------------------------------------   --------------------  Tickets    DENOMINATION:    Kamani and Shri Ram Centre - Rs.100/-, Rs.50/-, Rs.30/-  Abhimanch and LTG - Rs.100/- and Rs.50/-  Sammukh, Bahumukh - Rs.50/-  TIE Space, Abhikalp and Open Air - By Invitation.    AVAILABILITY:    Advance booking will start on 5th Jan 2011 at NSD Campus from 10.00am to 3.00 pm  Booking will be divided in three phases.  First phase booking starts on 5th for plays from 8th Jan-12th Jan 2011.  Second phase booking starts on 10th for plays from 13th Jan-17th Jan 2011.  Third phase booking starts on 16th for plays from 18th Jan-22nd Jan 2011.  Maximum four tickets per person per play for each phase at a time will be permitted.  Current booking will start at the respective theatres one hour before the show.  Invitations for TIE Space, Abhikalp and Open Air available at the Reception of National School of Drama from 10 am on the day of the perfortmance.  A small percentage of tickets of all denominations will be available at www.bookmyshow.com and also over the phone with Bookmyshow -  +91-11-39895050 . The online booking will close at midnight before the day of the show.  Children below 8 years not allowed.    OTHER RULES:    Food and drinks not allowed in the auditoriums  Handbags will be subjected to security check.  No vehicle will be allowed in side the Bahawalpur House campus during the festival period.  Parking of vehicle on Bhagwandas Lane or Bhagwandas Road, would be at owners risk.  Still photography and videography are strictly prohibited.  Program subject to change.    From ujwalasam at gmail.com Mon Dec 27 14:07:03 2010 From: ujwalasam at gmail.com (Ujwala Samarth) Date: Mon, 27 Dec 2010 14:07:03 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Binayak Sen case Message-ID: *Implications of the Binayak Sen judgement:* Vrinda Grover, human rights lawyer and activist, is in Pune and has kindly agreed to discuss the Binayak Sen judgement and its implications, with a small group at *Open Space, B 301 Kanchanjunga Building, Kanchan Lane,* Off Law College Rd, Pune - 4 on *December 29th at 5.30 pm.* (tel 25457371). Do join us and invite anyone else who may be interested in this session and in taking the campaign against this judgement further in Pune. We would appreciate a mail in confirmation of your participation, thanks. -- Ujwala Samarth (Programme Coordinator, Open Space) www.openspaceindia.org www.infochangeindia.org http://www.facebook.com/pages/Open-Space/116557125037041 B-301, Kanchanjunga Building, Kanchan Lane, Off Law College Rd,, Pune 411004 (020-25457371) From ram at maraa.in Mon Dec 27 14:27:19 2010 From: ram at maraa.in (Ram Bhat) Date: Mon, 27 Dec 2010 14:27:19 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Binayak Sen - Protest in Bangalore Message-ID: Dear All, In lieu of Dr. Binayak Sen being convicted by the sessions court of Chhattisgarh, a protest has been organized on the 29th of December at Town Hall, B'lore, beginning 4:30 PM. Would request those of you in Bangalore, to please attend in solidarity. Others, would be grateful if this could be circulated/shared widely. For more details, please contact Anand, admin at puclkarnataka dot org Best, Ram From the-network at koeln.de Mon Dec 27 15:52:32 2010 From: the-network at koeln.de (artNET) Date: Mon, 27 Dec 2010 11:22:32 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] =?iso-8859-1?q?NewMediaFest=272010_-_Final_Week?= Message-ID: <20101227112232.9F8CE3B2.78C0BE7F@192.168.0.3> NewMediaFest'2010 ------------------------------------- A final note--> 31 December 2010 The end of a festival project - the end of an era http://2010.newmediafest.org/?p=1240 ------------------------------------- Program - final week --> 27-31 December 2010 http://2010.newmediafest.org/?p=1231 ------------------------------------- 1. ------------------------------------- Feature of the Week 53 http://2010.newmediafest.org/?p=1226 JavaMuseum's netart journal "Celebrate!" - celebrating 10 years netart is now completed featuring in total 100 netart works including these last additions by ---> Volkslesen.tv (Germany, Andrei Thomaz / Martin Heuser (Brazil) Yota Morimoto (Japan, Aleksandar Janicijevic (Serbia/Canada) Vesna Srnic (Croatia), David Colagiovanni (USA) ------------------------------------- 2. ------------------------------------- Feature of the Month December 2010 http://2010.newmediafest.org/?p=1181 artvideoKOELN, CologneOFF & VideoChannel - proudly present Family Affair 1 -Mother featuring videos by following artists Unnur Andrea Einarsdottir (Iceland) - Antonio Alvarado (Spain) Jessica Curry (UK) - Antti Savela (SWE) - Joshua & Zachary Sandler (USA) Grace Graupe-Pillard (USA) - Anders Weberg (SWE) Grace Schwindt (UK) - Jeanette Louie (USA) - Caterina Davinio (IT) Marina Landia (Georgia) - Paolo Bonfiglio (IT) - Henry Gwiazda (USA) and many more ------------------------------------- 3. ------------------------------------- Final Feature - presented by CologneOFF- Cologne International Videoart Festival _Taboo? Taboo!_ - CologneOFF V _ experimental film and videoart featuring excellent works among others, by: Marianna and Daniel O'Reilly (UK), Casey McKee (USA), Masha Yozefpolsky (Israel), Jym Davis (USA), Marita Contreras (Peru), Erika Yeomans (USA), Frank Gatti (France), Heidi Kumao (USA), Les Riches Dounaniers (France), Alex Lora (Spain, Ascan Breuer (Germany), Alysse Stepanian (Iran), Boris Sribar (Serbia), Karlos Alastruey (Spain), Margarida Paiva (Portugal), Soumendra Padhi (India), Ioannis Roumeliotis (Greece), Ran Slavin (Israel, Ulf Kristiansen (Norway) and many more ------------------------------------- 4. ------------------------------------- The entire Team of NewMediaFest'2010 would like to thank all participants and partners - artists, curators, institutions and organisations - wishing them and all friends all over the world a Happy Peaceful New Year! See you soon again! ------------------------------------- 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 Dec 27 17:19:04 2010 From: rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com (Rakesh Iyer) Date: Mon, 27 Dec 2010 17:19:04 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Binayak Sen - Protest in Bangalore In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Congratulations to Raman Singh and the Indian judiciary as well as those who helped them, for joining Manmohan Singh in their efforts towards turning India into a paper democracy. After this, instead of calling ourselves the largest democracy, we should try to call ourselves the country with the largest magnitude of state-silencing and corruption. That can be a better description. Rakesh On Mon, Dec 27, 2010 at 2:27 PM, Ram Bhat wrote: > Dear All, > > In lieu of Dr. Binayak Sen being convicted by the sessions court of > Chhattisgarh, > > a protest has been organized on the 29th of December at Town Hall, B'lore, > beginning 4:30 PM. > > Would request those of you in Bangalore, to please attend in solidarity. > > Others, would be grateful if this could be circulated/shared widely. > > For more details, please contact Anand, admin at puclkarnataka dot org > > Best, > Ram > _________________________________________ > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. > Critiques & Collaborations > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > 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 Dec 27 21:58:15 2010 From: aliens at dataone.in (Bipin Trivedi) Date: Mon, 27 Dec 2010 21:58:15 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] WHY MANMOHAN SHOULD THINK OF QUITTING Message-ID: <002601cba5e3$10742f00$315c8d00$@in> http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/masala-noodles/entry/why-manmohan-s hould-think-of-quitting BY KINGSHUK NAG I am no fan of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) but when the bosses of the party demand  resignation of the Prime Minister on moral grounds for his failure to face a joint parliamentary probe into the 2G scam, I cannot but agree with them. In a government consisting of coalition partners each with its own standards of morality, Manmohan Singh stands as a beacon of honesty. He is the “kamal” that grows in the midst of “kichad” (the lotus that grows amid the mud). We have heard that many times. But there must be a limit to how long this argument can be used. Even if the loss of Rs 1,77,000 crore in the 2G spectrum allocation is a notional loss, the buck has to stop somewhere. It cannot stop at Raja, because Raja is no “raja”. He is a “mantra” in Manmohan Singh’s government. Singh cannot feign ignorance of all that was happening around him. He cannot argue that Raja was only a “mantri” in name.  Manmohan cannot say that in reality he was not Raja’s boss; Raja’s boss was actually Karunanidhi. And therefore it is only after a very very long time that Raja has been forced to resign and after an even longer time CBI raided his house.   We know that, but the question is why is Singh the Prime Minister if his ministers do not listen to him? In that case, it is better that he quits. Why? Because the nation wants a Prime Minister who calls the shots. The nation does not want a Prime Minister who in private fumes about the dishonesty around him but is helpless to take any action. By resigning, Singh will do a favour to himself and to the nation. By resigning he will not have to carry the burden of the actions of some of his corrupt ministers (some of whom — if the Radia tapes are to be believed — are Mr 15 Per Cents and are partners in private airlines). Also by resigning, he will bring sharp attention to  the issue of corruption, which is gnawing at the vitals of the nation.   In no other country would Manmohan Singh have become the Prime Minister. In a democracy like India, the job of the Prime Minister should be held by a professional politician whose job is to rule the country. But Singh is no politician. He started his life as a teacher of economics and went on to join the ranks of the government as an economic administrator. His rise was swift (reflecting that he was good at his job) and landed up as governor of the RBI (which  is again the job of an  economic adminstrator dealing with the monetary policy of the country). In 1991, when Narasimha Rao became Prime Minister he was looking for a professional economic administrator to reorient and liberalize economic policies. The aim was to bring the moribund economy out of morass.  The job of the finance minister was first offered to IG Patel, another first-rate economic administrator, who had also been RBI governor. But when he refused, the choice fell on Manmohan Singh. When Singh became finance minister, his boss expected him to handle the job as a professional economist and to allow him to be a member of Parliament got him elected to the Rajya Sabha from Assam. His five-year term as finance minister must have taught Manmohan Singh some political lessons and at the end of the government’s term in 1996, he continued to be in the Congress. Singh was 64 years old then. He continued to assist in economic manifesto making for the Congress party and was busy with work in the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation.   The manner in which Manmohan became Prime Minister in 2004 is well known. The Congress came to power at the head of the UPA coalition with a narrow margin. The NDA opposition gave out signals that it would rake up the issue of Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origin in a big way. As a result, in a masterstroke, Sonia raising the banner of sacrifice placed Manmohan on the “gaddi”. The move probably came as a surprise to him too. The candidature of the more qualified Pranab Mukherjee was ignored as he did not meet the “trust” requirement of 10 Janpath. Manmohan was the ideal candidate: he was good at his job, he was honest with no stigma of scams attached to his name and more importantly he had no political base and therefore could not try to undermine 10 Janpath. This was an important consideration because Narasimha Rao in his tenure had tried to become the boss of the Congress and erode the powers of the “first family” of the Congress. So Manmohan Singh became the Prime Minister of the country but in some ways — pardon my saying so — he was the Prime Minister to the “maharani”.   The pitiable condition that Manmohan Singh finds himself in today is a result of this arrangement of sharing power. The Prime Minister has today two bosses: the Congress president and the coalition partners of the government. Obviously Manmohan is subservient to the supreme leader of his party. Additionally the coalition partners also do not bother two figs for him. They would rather pay heed to Sonia. People like Raja have their own boss like Karunanidhi. So long as Karunanidhi is happy with him, Raja is happy; what Manmohan thinks of him does not bother him much.   Raja is not bothered about Manmohan Singh, but as a citizen of this country I am bothered about the fate of the Prime Minister. I, and surely many others like me, want an empowered Prime Minister who can rule the country with a free hand. Manmohan Singh is an honest man and is also competent. This is saying a lot in these times of Raja. But if he is not empowered, there is no use of his being the Prime Minister of the country in these extraordinary times when the faith of the people in their leaders is at its lowest ebb. And by the way, nobody can empower a Prime Minister. He himself has to do that. If he cannot, then he should get out voluntarily. For the sake of the nation. From santhosh.kanipayur at gmail.com Tue Dec 28 14:26:48 2010 From: santhosh.kanipayur at gmail.com (Santhosh Kumar) Date: Tue, 28 Dec 2010 14:26:48 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] ViBGYOR Workshop Invite Message-ID: *7-Day Short and Documentary Film Workshop for Young people* at the ViBGYOR International Film Festival, Jan*uary 10 -16, 2011* Venue: *Kerala Sangeeth Nataka Akademy Campus, Thrissur, Kerala* Focusing mainly on beginners to short/documentary films and social/political activism, ViBGYOR International Film Festival is offering a * Festival-cum-Workshop* to college students, aspiring young filmmakers, film critics, young film lovers, media activists and the members of social movements for the second time. First of its kind in India, started last year, this will be based more on content and interaction and not on technical hands-on input in filmmaking. The workshop will sensitize the participants to the power of media and to the socio-political concerns expressed through films. This will be a very good opportunity to meet experienced filmmakers, technicians and social/political activists and interact with them. The Workshop begins on January 10th noon and ends on January 16th noon. Last year, 38 young people from all over the country participated in the six days workshop, in which filmmakers Ruhi Hamid (UK), Andre Luis Olivera (Brazil), K P Sasi, Late C Saratchandran, P Baburaj and Amudhan R P met the participants and engaged them in dialogue on various aspects of filmmaking, marketing and funding. Media activists and academicians Sujata Babar, Dr. T Muralidharan and K C Santhosh Kumar were full time with the participants to animate and coordinate the workshop. ViBGYOR International Film Festival for Short and Documentary films at its *6th edition from January 12 -16, 2011 *in Thrissur, Kerala, will screen around 100 films from across the globe. The Festival will start on January 12th, with an International Conference/Panel Discussion on the Focus theme of the year, ‘*Political* F*ilm making and Media Activism in South Asia’*. There will be a number of mini conferences, workshops, activist meetings etc. as part of the festival, and many informal gatherings too, discussing social issues and filmmaking. Every day there will be Open Forum with thefilmmakers whose films are screened. (Ref. www.vibgyorfilm.org for details on Film Package) *We are inviting young people from all over India, in the 18-30 age groups to participate in this unique workshop.* * * *Programme*: · The workshop will start on January10 (Two days before the Festival), by 2pm and will continue till 16th. · There will be Introductory session, screenings and discussion, sessions on various areas of filmmaking on 10th and 11th of January. · From 12-16th, the participants will attend a) the South Asian Conference/Panel Discussion on Political Filmmaking and Media Activism b) Film Screenings and the Open Forum/Face-to-Face with Filmmakers c) Models of Media Activism workshop and d) Mini Conferences/Campaigns and e) `Resistance Music’ recitals. · Every day evening from 4.00-6.00 there will be a session exclusively for the workshop participants, where a panel of filmmakers and technicians will be available for interaction. *Other details*: a) Every participant will receive a `*Certificate of Participation’.* b) Rs. 1,000/- will be charged from all participants towards Workshop fee (including boarding and lodging for 7 days and 7 nights). c) We propose to offer `Fellowships for half the Workshop fee’ to a limited number of participants, who can’t afford to pay the full Workshop fee. The recipients will be selected on the basis of their previous involvement with filmmaking and/or in social issues/movements. Workshop Application form can be down loaded from www.vibgyorfilm.org. Please down load, fill it up and send it along with Rs.100/- registration fee to `ViBGYOR Film Festival Office, Kalliath Square, Palace Road, Thrissur, Kerala 680 020, Tel: 9447000830’ ASAP. (Photocopy Registration form, if need be). From chintan.backups at gmail.com Tue Dec 28 15:22:28 2010 From: chintan.backups at gmail.com (Chintan Girish Modi) Date: Tue, 28 Dec 2010 15:22:28 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Article on Children's Magazines in India Message-ID: >From http://www.timeoutdelhi.net/kids/kids_preview_details.asp?code=101 Mag Mag World Can children’s magazines compete with television, *Bijal Vachharajani* asks. In the 1980s, a generation of Indian children grew up reading the exploits of Detective Moochwala, and Gardhab Das. They were characters from Target, a magazine published by the India Today group. Although Target shut down in 1995, it continues to be remembered fondly by its readers. The magazine nurtured a talent pool of writers including Paro Anand, Subhadra Sen Gupta, Ranjit Lal and Deepa Agarwal. Established artists such as Atanu Roy, Jayanto and Neelabh Banerjee and Ajit Ninan have also worked there. “I swear that every seventh person I meet these days used to read Target and remembers names from it,” said Vatsala Kaul-Banerjee, who was on the magazine’s staff and is now editorial director for children’s and reference books at Hachette India. Over the last two decades, few magazines have been able to replicate Target’s popularity. Only a handful, including Chanda-mama, Champak and Magic Pot, continue to be published. In 2006, Infomedia and Disney launched Disney Adventures, a magazine that catered to children between the ages of eight and 12. Disney Adventures ranged over fashion, music, sports and wildlife and had a devoted fan following. But, the magazine was discontinued earlier this year. That hasn’t deterred ACK Media, the company which publishes Tinkle comics, to launch Brainwave, a science magazine for children. Edited by Vinayak Varma – who hasn’t studied beyond class ten – the magazine is a blend of science, technology, environment, conservation and design. “Each issue will contain a mix of articles, DIY, comics, contests, puzzles and speculative fiction,” Varma said. “Science often becomes inaccessible for a lot of people the moment they hit high school. Brainwave seeks to make science thrilling again, to reinvigorate your interest in it and to make a raving geek of you.” Last year, Hachette India launched two magazines for children – Hoot for pre-schoolers and Toot for tweenagers. Both are packed with short stories, fun activities, brainteasers, puzzles and colourful illustrations. Kaul-Banerjee, who is also the editor of the magazines, said that in just a year both Hoot and Toot have got over one lakh subscribers and the team gets almost 150 reader letters and emails every month. But don’t look for copies at your local bookstore. The magazines are only sold via direct marketing channels to schools at ` 99 which “helped save huge money that is required to increase retail visibility,” said Rohit Sharma, the head of marketing and strategy at Impulse Marketing, the agency which distributes the magazines. Sharma agrees that there’s a dearth of quality children magazines, especially in English. “The primary reason why a lot of children magazines fail is poor or no revenue from advertising,” he said. “High production or editorial cost and wafer-thin margins make the entire project unviable. A very small fraction of advertisers want to commit money to print advertising these days.” llustrator Atanu Roy, who has also worked for Target, doesn’t think it’s difficult to get print advertising for a children’s magazine. “It is just that no publisher takes it seriously,” said Roy. “Till we get together and break the stranglehold of the textbook and stop being condescending towards kids, we will not move at all,” he said. “Writing and illustrating for children is a specialised area and you’ve got to have a special rapport and empathy for kids to succeed.” Besides, magazines play a substantial role in encouraging reading habits in children, Kaul-Banerjee says. “Magazines can easily be read in capsules, if one so wants, and there are different kinds of things to do, and something for kids with different interests, so that really helps,” she said. “As parents, we should learn to judge the worth of something, especially a book or a magazine, and be ready to pay for it. We don’t think twice about ordering a pizza for ` 250 four or more times a month, but a book for ` 250... And a magazine for that much!” From chintan.backups at gmail.com Tue Dec 28 17:21:29 2010 From: chintan.backups at gmail.com (Chintan Girish Modi) Date: Tue, 28 Dec 2010 17:21:29 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Embracing paths, feminist and spiritual Message-ID: From http://chintangirishmodi.wordpress.com/2010/12/28/embracing-paths-feminist-and-spiritual/ “I adopted two seemingly disparate liberatory paths, feminism and spiritual practice, to survive and make sense of what I was going through; that I, who was neither consciously feminist nor spiritually inclined, became both; that this personal revolution couldn’t have happened any other way, for *me*, is something I’m just beginning to grasp,” writes Nighat Gandhi in her book *What I Am Today, I Won’t Remain Tomorrow *published by Yoda Press. The book is deeply powerful, sharing the author’s own transformational journey, intertwined with her sensitive portrayal of encounters with women survivors of abuse. It is easy for urban dwellers, especially well-intentioned ones, to make victims and martyrs out of the suffering of common folk, and glorify them for what it’s worth. However, Nighat treads carefully. She is acutely aware of the privileged position she enjoys in relation to the ‘subjects’ she attempts to represent. There is a sincerity about the questions she asks them, born perhaps of the desire to share their narratives as truthfully as possible, never degenerating into voyeuristic curiosity. What’s most beautiful is the constant self-examination on her part, never assuming that her own life is perfect while other lives are fraught with problems and fissures. Here is an interview with Nighat, who I had the opportunity to meet in Varanasi in April 2010, soon after spotting her other book *Ghalib at Dusk*at store near Assi Ghat. We found that we were both staying on the same campus at Rajghat Besant School; she as a writer-in-residence, I as a workshop participant. It’s amazing how our paths crossed, and how a friendship was born over walks and conversations. To read the interview, check http://chintangirishmodi.wordpress.com/2010/12/28/embracing-paths-feminist-and-spiritual/ From lirani at cs.stanford.edu Tue Dec 28 17:31:16 2010 From: lirani at cs.stanford.edu (Lilly Irani) Date: Tue, 28 Dec 2010 17:31:16 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] UnBox: A festival of action at the intersections In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Application deadlines for intensive travel-based workshops on safe water, clean energy, urban art, and rural livelihoods are due January 10th. ------ We invite you to *UnBox, a festival of action at the intersections* of different disciplines. The main event brings three days of* ideas, stories**, spectacles, and exchange* that will build momentum around design thinking and inter-disciplinary collaborations. This is a festival that will bring together designers, policy makers, entrepreneurs, activists, educators, artists, and others interested in social and cultural change. UnBox: A festival of action at the intersections > February 24-27, 2011 Alliance Francaise and Hauz Khas Village, New Delhi > UnBox blends work and play across contexts and mediums, bringing together workshops, debates, brainstorms, picnics, literary readings, and travel. Together, we'll rethink and stretch design practice through imagination, provocation, and stimulation. UnBox creates a space for practitioners to learn from one another and spark new forms of social and cultural change. Prior to the festival, selected UnBox Fellows will participate in an immersive, intense, and multi-disciplinary field trip. We seek fellows for sessions on organic food in India, Old Delhi through new media, urban sanitation, safe water, clean energy, and livelihoods in Kumaon. Apply by January 10, 2011 to participate in: > * intensive field trip workshops at http://unboxfestival.com/home/fellowship/ > * the conference at http://unboxfestival.com/home/conference/. Seats are limited to 100 people. > Check the website for the latest on public, conference, and fellowship events or learn more at www.unboxfestival.com. > Partners: * Quicksand, CoDesign * Basic Love of Things (BLOT), Blind Boys * MP Ranjan, a design thinker and independent academic from Ahmedabad * John Thackara, director of Doors of Perception and author of In The Bubble: Designing In A Complex World -- Lilly Irani University of California, Irvine http://www.ics.uci.edu/~lirani/ -- Lilly Irani University of California, Irvine http://www.ics.uci.edu/~lirani/ From rohitrellan at aol.in Thu Dec 30 10:12:00 2010 From: rohitrellan at aol.in (rohitrellan at aol.in) Date: Wed, 29 Dec 2010 23:42:00 -0500 Subject: [Reader-list] The Trailer Festival In-Reply-To: <20101229135013828AMUNIQUEID@COMPUTER> References: <20101229135013828AMUNIQUEID@COMPUTER> Message-ID: <8CD75F3082A6DAB-1538-49863@webmail-d071.sysops.aol.com> The next deadline for submissions is 31st December, 2010. After this the submission feel will go up from $35 to $40. The final deadline is August 2011. The first festival took place in 2010 and the audience was exclusively industry, including Fox, Disney, Paramount and PBS. The trailers are now in an Online Screening Room and so far we have received 73 requests from managers, producers and distributors for DVDs and scripts, with 3 deals being negotiated. Sales will continue for the next year. So if you want to access Hollywood, this is your chance! We accept trailers for scripts, short films, feature films and TV shows. We also accept the first act of scripts. The Trailer Team www.thetrailerfestival.com From the-network at koeln.de Thu Dec 30 15:26:36 2010 From: the-network at koeln.de (netEX) Date: Thu, 30 Dec 2010 10:56:36 +0100 Subject: [Reader-list] =?iso-8859-1?q?netEX=3A_calls_and_deadlines_-_Janua?= =?iso-8859-1?q?ry_2011?= Message-ID: <20101230105636.A41308A.ACA59EB7@192.168.0.3> netEX: calls & deadlines --> January 2011 ------------------------------------- ------------------------------------- newsletter contents *news *calls & deadlines --> 01 Call: 2011 deadlines internal 15 Calls: January 2011 deadlines external 11 Calls: ongoing external/internal ------------------------------------------------ News Happy New Year!! NewMediaFest'2010 http://2010.newmediafest.org the festival project running through 2010 will be finalized on 31 December 2010. Thanks to all visitors, artists, partners and collaborators who made this project context so successful. CologneOFF 2011 - videoart in a global context nomadic festival project 1 January - 31 December 2011 On 1 January 2011, the new festival project CologneOFF 2011 - videoart in a global context will be go online, but will be officially launched on Thursday, 6 January 2011, starting with the basic festival program CologneOFF VI - Let's Celebrate! The 1st physical venue in a long series of venues will be Rotterdam International Film Festival (IFFR) 26 January -6 February 2011. During 2011, CologneOFF 2011 will be travelling around the globe in many concern. CologneOFF 2011 - videoart in a global context http://coff.newmediafest.org ------------------------------------------------ Calls & deadlines ---> ------------------------------------------------ Deadlines internal ------------------------------------------------ Call for 2011 CologneOFF 2011 - videoart in a global context artists are invited to submit experimental film and videoart Deadline: 1 March 2011 http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=2729 ------------------------------------------------ January 2011 deadlines: external ------------------------------------------------ 31 January ARTErra Residencies - Tondela/Portugal http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=2877 31 January Fellowship Künstlerhaus Büchsenhausen Innsbruck/Austria http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=2930 31 January Cameracartell Hamburg is looking for film & videoart http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=2930 31 January Digital Checkpoints - FLEFF - The Fingerlake Film Festival http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=2830 31 January Neos Project Geneva - public art competition http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=2887 31 January Quad Cities: What is essential - experimental film festival http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=2889 31 January Reclaim the Mind http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=2723 31 January (for curators) Abraaj Capital Art Prize Dubai http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=2907 26 January Reinterpreting "Gothic" http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=2905 15 January Multimendia LAb Madird/Es http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=2851 15 January Director’s Lounge Berlin http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=2916 15 January Ex Oriente Film Workshop Prague http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=2891 15 January 57th Int. Shortfilm Fest Oberhausen/Germany http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=2749 14 January Camp Pixelache 2011 http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=2885 6 January Mash ups - Lake Forest/Illinois/USA http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=2871 5 January Film Fest Dresden http://www.nmartproject.net/netex/?p=2719 ----------------------------------------------- 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 javedmasoo at gmail.com Thu Dec 30 21:49:12 2010 From: javedmasoo at gmail.com (Javed) Date: Thu, 30 Dec 2010 21:49:12 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] Threat to Arrest Human Rights Activists and Journalists by Gujarat Police Message-ID: December 30 2010 Threat to Arrest Human Rights Activists and Journalists by Gujarat Police Alert There is some suggestion and strong possibilities that the Gujarat Police may try to stage an arrest of Teesta Setalvad, journists from Sahara, NDTV, CNN-IBN in a cooked up case. In a nutshell On Dec 27, 2005 (27th) victim survivors of the Pandharwada massacre (where officially 27 persons were massacred...actually figure is higher on 1.3.2002) who were frustrated after the studied refusal of the state authorities to hand back skeletal remains of their dead which were dumped illegally by the state’s police, began the digging themselves. The spot where they had been illegally dumped was off the Paanam river Lunawada in Godhra district. For months before they started digging they had approached the authorities to dig out their remains. There was no response. Frustrated, they started the digging they had informed some members of the electronic media and also Citizens for Justice and Peace(CJP). The CJP’s then coordinator Rais Khan (who is since not with the organisation following irregularities since January 2008) who contacted its Secretary in Mumbai. We clearly told them to wait at the spot till the authorities came, we informed the Collector and SP and contacted lawyers and moved the High Court of Gujarat the next day. The local police was informed by fax of the frustration of the victims. We, ie victims and CJP together moved the Guj HC the next day got our prayer for DNA sampling from Red HILL Hyderabad The DNA sampling proved that the victim survivors were right. Nine of the 22 skeletal remains were found to be of the relatives of the victims of the Pandharwada massacre. After the initial order in the Gujarat HC which was a breakthrough, year later the Gujarat HC dismissed the victims’ petition asking for transfer of investigation of the massacre to the CBI. Ironically we had pointed out that the panchnamas related to the crimes had nowhere mentioned the skeletal remains. The Supreme Court too unfortunately did not get any relief for the victims who will now be filing a curative petition. The state has tried to say that this was never an illegal dumbing but a proper burial on Forest land off an river. Legally speaking not only has the panchnama of the original crime of mass murder not list the skeletal remains disproving the version of the Gujarat state and police. Our argument was and is that Lunawada has a large Kabrastan hence if Guj Police could in fact not trace relatives, what was the need to so dump the remains rather than according them a dignified prayer cum burial in the Kabrastan? Why dump them in an obscure spot off the river rather than give them to community leaders for a dignified burial? Following in its tradition of victimising human rights defenders and victims, the local police lodged an FIR on Jan 1 2006 against victim survivors and Rais Khan of the CJP. CJP gave full legal aid to them and bail was granted and a stay against their arrest also granted by the Gujarat High Court. In the interim Rais Khan has today is no more with us, he was dismissed from service. He is today under the influence been won over by the accused in the Naroda Patiya case—former minister Maya Kodnani and VHP state general secretary Jaideep Patel. Inexplicably on November 24, 2010 the matter that had been stayed by the Gujarat High Court was listed and the stay vacated. Rais Khan surrendered and has in statement recorded under section 164 made false accusations against mediapersons and Teesta Setalvad. Section 295 A is one section being applied. The other is (laughably) 193 which "assisting accused of 2002 massacre!!!" http://epaper.timesofindia. com/Default/Scripting/ ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive& Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW& BaseHref=TOIA/2010/12/30& PageLabel=7&EntityId=Ar00700& ViewMode=HTML&GZ=T 30DEC2010 TOI AHMEDABAD Guj police at scribe’s house for probe Bhopal: A Gujarat police team on Wednesday was at the residence of journalist Rahul Singh to bring him to Gujarat for interrogation in connection with a story he had done in 2005 on graves of riot victims. Rahul Singh’s father N K Singh, who is the resident editor of a leading national daily here, said that some officials from the Gujarat police came to his house on Wednesday morning. Singh said that the police told him that they wanted to take Rahul to Gujarat for interrogation in connection with the story that he had done. He said that according to the police team, details of what would happen to Rahul would be decided only after he reaches Gujarat. Singh said the police team told him that they had come with summons for Rahul although they did not have any warrant for him. He said that the team told him that they would paste the summons on his house, but they did not do so. The story was done by correspondents of three news channels and all of them have been made co-accused in the case along with Teesta Setalvad. PTI From a.mani.cms at gmail.com Fri Dec 31 23:01:04 2010 From: a.mani.cms at gmail.com (A. Mani) Date: Fri, 31 Dec 2010 23:01:04 +0530 Subject: [Reader-list] media can legally lie Message-ID: http://www.relfe.com/media_can_legally_lie.html how does the Indian law read? Best A. Mani -- A. Mani ASL, CLC,  AMS, CMS http://www.logicamani.co.cc