[sacw] SACW Dispatch | 6 Aug. 00

[Harsh Kapoor]

South Asia Citizens Web Dispatch
6 August 2000
http://www.mnet.fr/aiindex

#1. Pakistani 'prophet' sentenced to death under the Blasphemy Law
#2. Pak-India Forum Discussion on Kashmir (Bombay, 9 August)
#3. India: Srikrishna Commission Meeting with CM, Monday 7 Aug. Bombay
#4. Mumbo Jumbo of Superstition & Blind Faith Rules India
#5. India: Struggle in the Narmada Valley - Satyagraha Update (July 2000)
#6. USA / South Asian Diaspora: Demo. to Protest Domestic Sevitude in NY

_____________________

#1.

BBC News Online: World: South Asia
Saturday, 5 August, 2000, 14:48 GMT 15:48 UK

PAKISTANI 'PROPHET' SENTENCED TO DEATH

By Zaffar Abbas in Karachi
A court in the Pakistan city of Lahore has sentenced to death a Muslim
spiritual leader on charges of blasphemy.

Sixty-year-old Mohammed Yusuf Ali was found guilty under the
controversial blasphemy law for misguiding Muslims by presenting himself
as a prophet of Islam.

He has a right to appeal in the High Court.

Mohammed Yusuf Ali has been at the centre of a religious controversy in
Pakistan for the last few years.

A former army officer, Mr Ali was a cult figure for his followers, who
thought he had unique spiritual powers.

But many Islamic groups described him as an imposter who they said was
working against the teachings of Islam.

He was arrested about three years ago after a private complaint.

'Irrefutable evidence'

During the trial that lasted for more than a year, Mr Ali consistently
denied the charges.

The judge however declared in his verdict that there was irrefutable
evidence that he had tried to present himself as a prophet of Islam and
under the country's blasphemy law, sentenced him to death.

He is perhaps the first Muslim in the country to have been given the
death sentence under the blasphemy law, which human rights groups say
has often been misused against the religious minorities.

Earlier this year, the military ruler, General Pervez Musharraf, changed
the legal procedure to discourage the misuse of the blasphemy law.

But following pressure from the Islamic group, he soon took back the
decision.

______

#2.

[Thanks to Shekhar Krishnan for forwarding this]
>From Dr Ritu Dewan, Dept of Economics, Bombay University
<ritudewan@h...>:

Dear Friends --

You are invited to a meet the press event organised by the
PAKISTAN-INDIA FORUM FOR PEACE & DEMOCRACY (Mumbai Chapter), to be
addressed by the Forum's President, Admiral L Ramdas, on the process
of dialogue in Kashmir and its possible outcomes. The programme will
also be attended by Mr Bashir Manzar, Editor, Kashmir Images, and
Consulting Editor, Kashmir Monitor.

Wednesday 9 August at 3.00 PM at the Conference Hall, Mumbai Press
Club, Azad Maidan

The same evening, Bashir Manzar will also address a meeting on the
dialogue process at 7.00 PM on Wednesday 9 August at Mumbai Sarvodaya
Mandal, Shant Ashram, Nana Chowk, Grant Road, Phone 3872061.

All are cordially invited to both events. Please direct any further
inquiries to Dr Ritu Dewan at the e-mail address above.

Regards,

PAKISTAN INDIA PEOPLES FORUM FOR PEACE AND DEMOCRACY
Mumbai
______

#3

[Thanks to Shekhar Krishnan for forwarding this]

INVITATION TO ATTEND THE PRESS CONFERENCE
FOLLOWING THE MEETING OF EMINENT CITIZENS AND CONCERNED GROUPS WITH
THE CHIEF MINISTER

A delegation of prominent citizens and representatives of different
social action groups is going to call upon the Chief Minister on 7th
August Monday at 2.00 PM, to press for the implementation of action
on the findings of the Justice Shrikrishna Commission Report. The
Shrikrishna Commission of Inquiry had submitted its report two years
ago. Recent developments have forced us to meet the Chief Minister
once again in this connection. While the Supreme Court observations
on July 21 have renewed our hopes, the dismissal of the case against
Mr Bal Thackeray under section 153A of the Cr. PC have given rise to
serious apprehensions. The apex court has ordered the Maharashtra
government to file an affidavit detailing what action it has taken on
the Report and also indicating its further plan of action. Many of
those indicted in the report are roaming free while some of them have
even been promoted by the Government. Meanwhile a large number of
relatives of victims have not any compensation whatsoever. We have
prepared a Memorandum demanding various steps from the Govt. around
these issues.

The prominent citizens who will participte in this are: J B D'Souza,
Alyque Padamsee, Teesta Setalvad, Arjun Dangle, Flavia Agnes, Anand
Patwardhan.

The groups whose representatives are going to be part of this
delegation are: Awaj-I-Niswan, Center for Study of Society and
Secularism, Committee for Rights for Housing, Communalism Combat,
EKTA (Committee for Communal Amity), Indian Centre for Human Rights
and Law, Majlis, Nirbhay Bano Andolan, Salokha, Union Research Group,
Voice of The Exploited (VOTE), United Trade Union Congress, CITU,
Blue Star Union, AITUC, Staff Academic Forum, Indian People's Media
Collective

Time: 2.00 PM

Place: Mantralaya Main Gate

A Press conference will be held Immediately following the meeting
with the Chief Minister, in the Mantralaya Press Room, Ground Floor

Contact: Asad Bin Saif, 6630085, 6149668; Prof Uday Mehta, 6491478;
Ram Puniyani, 5723522,
5725045

Honourable Vilasrao Deshmukh
Chief Minister, Government of Maharashtra
Mumbai

Dear Sir,

Two long years have passed since the tabling of the Justice
Srikrishna Commission Report of Inquiry into the 1992-93 riots in
Mumbai. In the meanwhile, not only did your party promise its
implementation in your election manifesto, you have personally, since
you came to power, assured two delegations that your Government will
act upon it soon.

However, there seems to have been little effort made in this
direction. Yet the crying anguish and pain of the relatives of the
riot victims demands that justice be delivered, however late. The
spurious plea of "opening up the old wounds" will just not wash. On
the contrary, the wounds inflicted by those events can never heal
until justice is done.

The democratic norms and values of our society suffer severe erosion
each time we permit the guilty to go unpunished. Popular faith in the
justice and fairness of the system gets seriously undermined. This
can in the long, and even in the medium, run have very serious
consequences for civilised society and polity. That is precisely why
even today the perpetrators of the European Holocaust are punished --
more than fifty years after the crimes took place, and an enquiry
commission is again instituted a decade and a half after the 1984
anti-Sikh riots in Delhi.

However, in the case of the Mumbai riots not only do the guilty
indicted by the Srikrishna Commission still remain untouched and
unpunished, many of the relatives of the victims wait in vain for the
compensation due to them.

Recent developments have forced us to meet you again in this
connection. While the Supreme Court observations on July 21 have
renewed our hopes, the recent dismissal of the case against Mr Bal
Thackeray under section 153A of the CrPC have given rise to serious
apprehensions. The apex court has directed your Government to file an
affidavit detailing what action you have taken on the Report, and
also to indicate your further plan of action. This is an unique
opportunity for your Government to prove your commitment to the
Report's implementation. But a pre-condition for this is a
categorical rejection by your government of the existing Action Taken
Report (ATR), which is nothing but a rebuttal of the Report's
findings by those indicted by it. This ATR cannot be allowed to
remain on record.

The dismissal of the Thackeray case has led people to believe that
Government's hands have been weakened even in implementing the
Commission's report. That is because of the popular perception that
acting upon the Report means arresting Thackeray. But this is just
not so. In fact, we are shocked to learn from the Home Department
that you plan to re-open only 112 cases, and act against only two
policemen. We urge you to read the Report and act upon its three main
recommendations:

1. Immediate compensation to the families of missing persons.
2. Legal action against the 31 indicted policemen. 3. Re-opening the
1358 closed A Summary cases.

We do urge you also to affirm to the apex court through this
affidavit your firm and categorical acceptance of the Report in toto
including all its findings and recommendations and submit a time
bound action plan for full and complete implementation.

With the hope that you will oblige and honour your own public
commitments to protect both your credibility and the responsibility
of this Government towards all its citizens, we remain

Yours sincerely,

Awaj-I-Niswan, Center for Study of Society and Secularism, Committee
for Rights for Housing, Communalism Combat, EKTA (Committee for
Communal Amity), Indian Centre for Human Rights and Law, Majlis,
Nirbhay Bano, Salokha, Union Research Group, Voice of The Exploited
(VOTE), United Trade
Union Congress, CITU, Blue Star Union, AITUC, Staff Academic Forum,
Indian People's Media Collective

______

#4.

Praful Bidwai Column
7 August 2000

MUMBO-JUMBO RULES INDIA:
BLIND FAITH IS MURDEROUS

By Praful Bidwai

Rare is the month in India when we do not read horrifying stories of
people driven by rank superstition and blind faith to commit
extraordinarily cruel and vile acts, including pledging their unborn
daughters to temples as devadasis, injuring themselves seriously through
self-flagellation, and even sacrificing tiny children to propitiate
supposedly vengeful deities. In line with this trend come two nauseating
recent reports--one from Nadia district of West Bengal, where four year-old
Anju was married off to a dog, and the other from Gonda, one of Uttar
Pradesh's most backward areas, where a 12 year-old girl was forced by her
own parents to marry 51 year-old Devnath Vajpayee, a kulin Brahmin.

At one level, the socio-economic profiles of the two villages couldn't
have been more divergent. Haringhata in Nadia has electricity and even
cable TV. It has presumably had Operation Barga-style land reform. It has
hosted many science fairs: it is the neighbourhood where the illustrious
physicist Satyendra Nath Bose was born, who attained fame way back in 1930s
through his outstanding joint work with Albert Einstein. Sirpurwa in Gonda,
on the other hand, scrapes the bottom of the underdevelopment barrel.
Landlordism--and landlessness--is rife there, as is grinding, wrenching
poverty. Mr Nanaji Deshmukh of the RSS, highly regarded in the sangh
parivar for his social work, runs a major rural development project here.

However, it is not the difference but the commonality between the two
situations that's overpowering. In Haringhata, Subal Karmakar followed the
family priest's advice that disease- and accident-prone Anju would only be
cured if married into the Sarameya (dog) gotra--literally. (Earlier, in the
same village, four year-old Tapas Murmu was sold for 10 paise to a richer
man in the belief that that would counter the "evil eye" and end his
family's long run of "bad luck".) Equally credulous was Nirmaladevi in
Sirpurwa that her daughter's nirvana from both poverty and caste-related
karma lies in marrying Vajpayee, old enough to be her grandfather. Common
to both are retrograde social customs, widespread deprivation (e.g. absence
of elementary healthcare and social security), discrimination against the
girl-child and, above all, the reign blind faith.

In the dark world of superstition, people cease to act as agents of their
destiny, as rational beings who can critically evaluate their life-chances
or their day-to-day options even in mundane matters. They don't make
decisions that they can take responsibility for. In this sense, blind faith
is degrading and dehumanising Superstition is a substitute for thinking. It
makes connection between cause and effect both invisible and unnecessary.
You can attribute ill-health to spirits you don't see and to stars whose
names you do not know (or which astrology calls stars, but you know not to
be stars, e.g. the moon).

Superstition is often also a spur to violent action: dictated by karma,
fear of the unknown, and customs rooted in hierarchy. Superstition makes
the surreal, the unusual, the incredible appear familiar and normal. Thus,
it seems perfectly "natural" to blame "evil spirits" for human or social
acts, and then to attack them. A poor woman, especially a widow, can be
branded a witch and harassed into parting with her land, even killed. Such
phenomena are not confined to "oriental", backward or feudal societies.
They have been prevalent everywhere, from the United States in the 17th
century, through 19th century Europe, to pockets in Asia where female
infanticide continues to be rampant as well as in enclaves of prosperity.

However, three features of the superstition phenomenon are special to
India. First, superstition here is intimately tied to social and gender
inequality via religious faith. Blind faith acts as superstition's
legitimiser. Fatalism is an important manifestation of this
religion-superstition interface mediated by karma. The bad "omen" or "evil
eye" associated with, say, a childless woman or widow can only be
rationalised by the concept of ashta-putra sowbhagya, or the idea of "full"
or proper womanhood being equated with a mother "blessed" with eight sons,
no less! Similarly, ideas of ritual purity (of the twice-born) or impurity
(of the "low" castes) acquire the power and currency they possess because
they are sanctioned in some way or other by the shastras, however
interpreted.

It is not for nothing that the Manu Smriti insists on particularly
outrageous or barbaric forms of punishment, e.g. pouring molten lead into
the ears, solely for Dalits and women. And it is no accident that the
killing of a Brahmin is described as Brahma-hatya, the worst category of
heinous crime. Superstition invariably tends to discriminate against the
underprivileged, the vulnerable, women and children. The exploitation
underlying it is never socially neutral, but benefits specific privileged
groups.

A second feature of superstition in India is that this society is
remarkably indulgent towards irrationalism, especially at the elite level.
Rahu kaalam, faith in snake-oil remedies, vaastu, and the "right"
combination of stars are freely allowed to interfere with public life. The
swearing-in of whole cabinets can be delayed to suit the appropriate
muhurtam determined by astrological predictions. Yagnas are officially
performed to ward off droughts or bring good omen. Rituals which have their
origins in religious practices and symbols exist in other societies too.
But their importance in India is disproportionate, gross and invasive of
public life. To this day, the police hesitate to prevent barbaric practices
like sati because they don't want to offend "tradition" and "time-honoured
customs" of "communities" and their "sentiments".

Such is the currency of blind faith that not many people are shocked that
the Vishwa Hindu Parishad has suddenly started opposing the Tehri dam--not
(as it should) on environmental grounds, or because it is located in a
dangerously seismic zone, but because some sadhus have decided say that
damming the Ganga will "kill" its capacity for spiritual self-purification
and make it un-holy!

And third, there is an inverse relationship between adherence to blind
faith and what passes off for education in India. Superficial forms of
"modernity" such as familiarity with the English language or employment in
"New Economy" sectors are perfectly compatible with being superstitious.
You can be a practising physicist and fully accept material causality, and
yet stop working during rahu kaalam--in blatant violation of causality. In
their personal life, our scientists tend to be even more superstitious than
the illiterate public. You can dotcom as successfully as you like, but you
won't give up insisting that entry into mosques or temples be confined to
"twice-born" men alone.

It is a matter of shame that people in Pune, with its early history of
social reform and women's education, have to agitate in this day and age
for equal rights for all to worship at the Kamarali Dargah or the
Shani-Shignapur temple. Women are explicitly barred from this shrine to
Shani, supposedly a bachelor god. The Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti has
repeatedly staged demonstrations to fight for entry into the shrine and the
temple.

Mumbo-jumbo rules in India--as much in the prosperous pockets of Mumbai or
Bangalore as in the remote villages of backward Bihar. Indeed, retreat from
reason and lapse into superstition is often rooted in fear of, and
inability to cope with, the complexities, insecurities and social turmoil
produced by processes of modernisation and industrialisation.

To argue against superstition and fatalism, against faith untempered by
reason, against mumbo-jumbo and snake-oil remedies, is neither to undermine
religion nor to assert atheism. On the contrary, the real insult to
religion comes from those who reduce religious faith to superstition alone.
Science cannot claim to know all that there is to know. But scientific
knowledge is objective, impersonal, potentially accessible to all, and
above all, falsifiable. Repeatability is an essential criterion of all
scientific experimentation. Science is not a closed system. Religious
belief is. It lacks an experimental approach to knowledge. Superstition is
downright unreasonable.

Today, however, our official education system is itself all set to
sanctify superstition. University Grants Commission chairman Hari Gautam,
handpicked by Mr Murli Manohar Joshi, has announced that our universities
will start giving out degrees in karmakand (life-cycle rituals) and "Vedic
astrology". His logic is that the world over, there is growing demand for
pundits and karmakand "experts"; "Vedic astrology is getting very popular
abroad".

This logic is preposterous. There is growing demand for all kinds of
things: e.g. violent entertainment and pornography. Universities are not
meant to cater to that. Their job is to promote rational understanding and
learning, to cultivate minds to delve into physical and social reality--not
to train technicians in mumbo-jumbo and "Vedic astrology". It is one thing
to be proud of ancient India's rational traditions, whether in mathematics,
logic or astronomy. It is another thing to lapse into superstition. If Dr
Gautam, a medical doctor with no history as an educationist, has his way,
canine-human weddings to the tune of Vedic chants will soon replace
convocations, even teaching and research at our universities. Nothing could
be more pernicious than such "education".--end--

______

#5.

(Recieved via Sanjay Sangvai, 5 August 2000)

SATYAGRAHA UPDATE
July 2000

Once again the people in the Narmada valley have launched the
Satyagraha against the controversial Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP) for
the right to life and safeguard their villages, land, forests and
river. They are challenging the unjust submergence and displacement
under the threat of the inevitability of the increased height of the
dam. True, the height of the dam stays at 88 meters, reached before
the monsoon of 1999. So stays the threat of the submergence and
efforts of displacement by hook or crook also continue. This year the
submergence would be more than that of the last year in case of the
normal monsoon.

---------------------------------------------------------
SATYAGRAHA 2000: A Battle for The Life and Rights
---------------------------------------------------------

The Satyagraha was inaugurated by Admiral Ramdas (former Chief of
Indian Navy) on July 15th, in the presence of nearly a thousand
men-women representatives from the far -off villages in the valley in
Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat along with the
representatives from the Rehabilitation and Resettlement sites,
colony, canal and sanctuary affected of Gujarat. Many supporters from
different parts of the country thronged at the function held at both
Jalsindhi and Domkhedi. The atmosphere was vibrant with slogans and
songs.

Among the prominent guests were, anti-nuke activist Smt.Lalita
Ramdas, Sukhedu Bhattachaya, NAPM West Bengal, Mohan Kumar,
environmentalist from Kerala, activists and representatives from
Gosikurd project (near Nagpur), supporters from Bangalore, Andhra
Pradesh, Bihar, U.K., Canada, the Netherlands, Australia and others.

"The struggle in the valley too is a war but much different from the
war at Kargil. This is a war against injustice and it is bound to win
against all odds", declared Admiral Ramdas, while inaugurating the
Satyagraha.

Among the two symbolic actions were the "Tree of Resolve" at
Domkhedi, made by nailing the plates with village names on a huge
Mahua tree near the Satyagraha hut, symbolising their assertion of
right to stay where they have been living for generations. While in
Jalsindhi on the northern banks, people immersed the effigy of the
"Demon of the Dam" in the Narmada, after the ceremonial start of
Satyagraha. [see photos on www.narmada.org]

With the main theme of Satyagraha se Nyayagraha tak (from the
insistence on truth to insistence on justice), the monsoon-long
Satyagraha also emphasises the Nav Nirman (Constructive work) with
experiments on alternative energy sources, health, tribal medicines,
village planning, resource mapping, education etc.

While airing their views on the ongoing critical phase of the
struggle, senior main activists like Dedlibai from Domkhedi said
"It's our land, forest, river and life. Not only Governments but even
foreign companies are trying to snatch this away. We have taken the
challenge to save human life, protect human rights. Our Rehmal has
sacrificed his life for us. We too are ready for that". Baba Muvariya
of Jalsindhi said that they own their lands since generations and at
any cost they will not leave it. He further said "the unity of the
affected people in three states is the foundation of Andolan. It is
again and again proved that the Government doesn't have land to
rehabilitate the people".

Medha Patkar made it clear that the Satyagraha has to be continued
due to the still hanging sword of the submergence and the
displacement with unjust means. She alleged that the governments are
out to displace people by hook or crook, by submitting false
affidavits, by bringing in the submergence when the people have not
moved out.

The activists and villagers rebuked the Gujarat politicians for
playing up on the false hopes of SSP waters in the drought areas and
asserted that the local, decentralised water harvesting and
decentralised planning along with the sustainable utilisation are the
only real, long-term solution for the water problem in Kutch,
Saurashtra and other drought prone areas of Gujarat - not the Sardar
Sarovar. Ironically, some of the supporters from Gujarat could not
arrive for the inauguration of Satyagraha due to heavy rains in the
state, which was reeling under severe drought barely a fortnight ago.

------------------------
During The Satyagraha
------------------------

With the sowing over after a good rain, more and more people have
started coming to the Satyagraha, both from different tribal villages
as well as Nimad, the plains of Madhya Pradesh. At an average hundred
people are at the Satyagraha, and in major events this swell up.
Satyagrahis and supporters from outside the valley too are coming.
The day starts with a secular prayer meeting, followed by
introduction of new Satyagrahis and planning for the day. Then
follows Shramdaan (physical work) mainly afforestation or in any of
the reconstruction (Nav Nirman) activities. In the afternoon session,
group discussion is held on a specific subject, led by different
people, from different areas. Evening prayer is followed by another
session, which usually goes on until late, with good discussions and
sharing. Cultural programs, which reflect the issues of the people,
are held once in a while.

---------------
Major Events
---------------

a. Youth Camp
____________

Around 40 youths participated in the week long camp held at
Jalsindhi. The participant youths were from different parts of
Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Bengal, Bombay and other
places. A few among the leaders were Mohan Kumar, Dr.Sugan Baranth,
senior Sarvodaya activist from Maharashtra, Dr. Ravi Kuchiminchi,
Scientist, apart from tribal / village representatives and activists.
The youths had exposure to the tribal culture and history,
alternative and sustainable ways of harnessing water and production
of power, tribal medicines and evolution, history and process of
people's movements across the boundaries.

b. March to Police camps:
____________________

On July 24th, Satyagrahis, including men and women from tribal
villages, marched to Domkhedi police camp. Earlier people welcomed
the announcement of the Maharashtra Government that they will not
erect police camps in the submerging villages this year. People made
it clear that they don't want the Government to "save"=ED them from the
rising waters, and if they are genuine, let them take a truthful
stand in the ongoing case and save them, which never happened.

Police erected their camp in a few hours time, on the land of
Dediabhai of Domkhedi, with out asking his permission. The rally also
raised the issue of the consent of the village and the kind of work
they are planning to do during the monsoon. Contrary to previous
years, this year they made it clear that it is not "relief" camps=ED
but police camps, implying that no assistance will be given to the
people, during the submergence. The officers in charge on the camp,
including the Sub-Inspector, dodged all direct questions and didn't
make clear their intentions. Senior village representatives
forcefully opposed the pressure tactics of the Government to vacate
their houses during the submergence. People also raised the issue of
sending false reports about them and activists to the Government
which often reflect in their affidavits to the Court. It is learned
that the administration has asked the police to take action against
people, framing false charges like "attempt to demolish the police
camps".

Another rally was taken out to Jalsindhi police camp on July 27th.
The rally was "welcomed"=ED by a fully drunken police official. The
officials at this camp too failed to answer any of the people's
questions about the rehabilitation plans of the Madhya Pradesh
Government, nor on the expected magnitude of submergence this year.
People demanded for an enquiry into the actions (and inactions) of
the officials at the camp. Eventually, the drunken policeman was
suspended on 29th. The camp was painted as "holiday resorts"=ED and
"police bars"=ED with charcoal.

c. Rally at Block Headquarters
________________________

On July 21st, a rally at Dhagaon, the block headquarters, was taken
out to raise the issues of corruption in ration shops, land rights
and money for wells. One may remember that last April, four main
activists had to observe fast even without water (Nirjal) to get
sanctioned the wells for the tribal villages, who face acute water
problem during summer. The wells were sanctioned due to the
courageous fight of the people but the money never reached the
villages. As a result of three hours of gherao of Tahsildar, the
required money reached the villages the next day! He promised that
all the corrupt keepers of ration shops will be suspended and stern
action will be taken against them. On land rights in Akrani tahsil,
the issues of leaving out many families in the survey, and the
Committee (appointed under the instructions of Supreme Court, in
1991) selecting the villages for survey adhocly were raised and the
Tahsildar could not give any satisfactory answers. The decision not
to survey the villages coming under submergence (not to give them
land rights and keep them as "encroachers" to deny all rehabilitation
benefits) was also questioned.

d. Issuing Notices:
_______________

Another major development in Domkhedi was issuing of notices to
certain people, including NBA, by the Maharashtra Government. The
notices dated July 23rd say that the water is rising dangerously and
they should move to safer places, because it can cause damage to
their houses. Through the notice, the Government is trying not to
take responsibility for the damage the submergence can cause. People
accepted the same "with protest". In reply to that, people responded
that they have a right to live in their lands since the Government
failed to show land for their rehabilitation, nor could they resettle
them. The notice say only about submergence of houses, "what about
the thousands of hectares of land?" they asked. The backwater level
mentioned in the notice is found wrong, thus underestimating the
effects of the submergence. A lot of families are not served the
notices (for eg. even in Domkhedi 58 families are left out). They
made it clear that only the Government will be responsible for the
loss of their houses, belongings, crops and even life.

e. Meetings in new villages
_____________________

Andolan has spread to new villages in Maharashtra, who are affected
by the catchment area treatment, compensatory afforestation and those
who face the wrath of the corrupt forest officials. The main issues
people discussed in these meetings are: land rights, afforestation by
the forest department on agricultural lands, the possibility of many
villages turning into islands (as it happened in Bargi dam),
non-declaration of villages as affected, who are getting affected by
the sanctuary, Hakka Pustika (record of people's rights over land,
water forest and forest produce), protection of forest, prohibition,
corruption etc. Representatives of these new villages are coming to
the Satyagraha and is actively participating in the actions.

---------------------------------------
Nav Nirman (Reconstruction)
---------------------------------

This year the Satyagraha is lit by electric bulbs!! And each
Satyagrahi is producing=ED electricity! This was made possible by a few
friends from Bombay and Baroda, who designed a pedal generator for
the Narmada Valley. If pedalled for 1 hour in a day, 2 bulbs can burn
for 3 hours.

Friends from Kerala have reached the valley with micro hydel turbine.
This will be experimented in the valley in this monsoon to produce
electricity.

This year, for the first time, the students of our Jeevanshalas will
learn alphabets in their language. A new Aksharmala (set of
alphabets) is prepared for the children to start learning in their
mother tongue. Other activities such as health, farming water
management are slowly picking up. More inputs and man-power is
required to carry this work ahead. An attempt is made to develop the
valley with out destruction.

---------------------------------------
Book Release of 'The River and Life'
---------------------------------------

On 22 July hundreds gathered around the Mahua tree in Domkhedi
Satyagraha for the world premiere release of Sanjay Sangvai's - River
and Life: People's Struggle in the Narmada Valley which is a book
length history of the Andolan, its issues and processes, just
published by Earth Care Books. Dadlya Karbhari, Bava Mahariya, and
Nattu Singh (from Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat)
respectively) released the book, while his mother Dr.Vijaya Sangvai
was also present. The function was followed by a reading session.

-----------------
Support actions
-----------------

1. In Pune, the students and organisations held an evening
demonstration on July 15th, near the statue of Senapati Bapat, in the
heart of city, with songs, placards and distributing pamphlets and
booklets about the Narmada struggle and people's demand. Senapati
Bapat was the leader of the first anti-dam struggle, against Mulsi
dam, in India in 1920s.

2. In Bangalore various groups including, environmental groups, trade
unions, democratic rights groups, women's groups, legal activist
groups, dalit groups and NGOs took out a rally to highlight the human
right violations and environmental destruction by Sardar Sarovar dam
and other similar projects in Karnataka. They include, NAPM -
Karnataka, Samvada, Vistar, Dalit Mahila Chaluvali, Vimochana,
Domestic Servants Union, National Law School, Raman Institute Of
Research, Students Christian Movement and others. The protest was
held under the banner of the Narmada Solidarity Forum, Bangalore.

-------------------------
GRA visit to Domkhedi
-------------------------

The Chairman of the Grievance Redressal Authority (GRA), Jst (Retd)
S.P.Kurdukar has orally informed (we are yet to get an official
intimation from his office) us that he will be visiting Domkhedi on
the 7th and 8th of August. The details are still awaited.

-------------
Water level
-------------

The water level at Jalsindhi and Domkhedi is 7 mts below the
Satyagraha huts. News of heavy rains upstream is being heard. A
likely rise of 4 mts of water is expected in the next 24 hours. Major
submergence is expected any time after the first week of August.

------------------
Programs Ahead
------------------

As you may already know, the Hiroshima day (Aug. 6th) will be
observed at Domkhedi as the 'Festival of Peace' with programs of the
Jeevanshala (tribal schools run by NBA) students and other children
from the valley.

Martyr's day (Aug. 9th) will be dedicated to the tribal martyr's, at
Jalsindhi. Representatives of different tribal organisations are
expected to come for this.

A workshop on the resource mapping will be held on Aug. 10th and 11th.

Independence Day (Aug. 15th) will be observed as a day to take
resolve towards a new freedom. Friends from many parts of the country
is expected to come for this, including senior Gandhian Siddharaj
Daddha, folk-lore singers Charul and Vinay and others.

It is suggested by a few friends to appeal to all our supporters and
friends to observe a Narmada Solidarity Week (from August 15th
onwards) with different programs on each day. The suggestions are
cycle rally, street corner meetings, skits, songs etc, solidarity
painting=ED by artists, discussions, letter campaign etc. Mr.Vijayan
from Delhi will be informing more about this in the coming days.

The NBA is preparing for a Public Hearing on the Sardar Sarovar Dam
and Displacement on August 22nd, in the presence of the prominent
persons in India. We will get back to you with more information about
it.

---------------------
Appeal For Friends
---------------------

Andolan has always gathered strength from the active participation,
critique and suggestions from outside supporters and friends. At this
crucial phase, we appeal you again to tell us what you feel, how
should we go ahead the strategies, the programs.

We also appeal you to encourage your friends to generously donate to
NBA. As you know, we receive only funds from within the country, and
with the imminent submergence, and the indifference of the
Government, our responsibility to provide basic relief in case of
extensive damage is high. Please draw cheques / drafts in favour of
Narmada Bachao Andolan and send it to Ms. Parvin Jehangir, 261
Jupiter Apts., 41, New Cuffe Parade, Mumbai 400 001.

Volunteers who can spend any time between one month and one year (and
even more!) are welcome. They can involve themselves with the
organisational work as well as the Nav Nirman of the valley.

-----------------
Supreme Court
-----------------

Meanwhile, it is learnt that no date has been fixed for the final
verdict on the public interest litigation filed against the SSP, by
the Andolan. The final hearing has been completed after about six
years, on May 9 this year. The suit filed by the Madhya Pradesh
Government, asking for a complete review of the project, is slated
for July 31st. The GRAs of three states have submitted their reports
to the Supreme Court, as per the directions. Copies of which have not
been given to us yet. The 3 state governments have filed their
affidavits on the status of rehabilitation. We are replying to those
by this month end.

We look forward for your comments, suggestions, ideas and above all,
your visit to Satyagraha.

In solidarity,
Joe Athialy Sukumar

For latest photographs on Satyagraha please visit:
www.narmada.org
http://aidindia.org/mainsite2/misc/satyagraha_2000.htm

_______

#6.

DISTRIBUTE WIDELY

PROTEST AGAINST DOMESTIC SERVITUDE

MONDAY AUGUST 7, 2000
4:00 - 5:00 pm
Outside Beth Israel Medical Hospital
330 East 17th St., New York, NY

Join Workers=92 Awaaz in support of Ms. Kaur, a domestic worker who was
exploited for 3 years working at the beck and call of the Chadha family.
Her former employer, Manjeet Chadha is an established medical doctor at
Beth Israel Hospital.

THE ABUSIVE CONDITIONS DESCRIBED BY MS. KAUR INCLUDE:

=A7 Working 16 hour days, 6 or 7 days a week with few breaks and no
overtime pay.
=A7 Being forced to wait until 11 pm to eat her meals, after she had
fed everyone else.
=A7 Being required to clean the grout between tiles in the large
kitchen, dining room and greenhouse, with a toothbrush.
=A7 Having to wake Manjeet Chadha up as early as 4:30 am on several
weekdays and to serve her tea in bed because Ms. Chadha refused to use an
alarm clock.
=A7 A daily task list of watering the yard at 4:30 am, serving bed t=
ea
at 5:00 am, washing and ironing the children=92s pajamas and 3 loads of
laundry, in addition to her long list housekeeping and cooking chores.
=A7 Serving and feeding each of the 4 family members freshly prepare=
d
food at separate times due to their refusal to use a microwave.
=A7 Having to cook for other families, in addition to the Chadha
household, without any additional pay.=20
=A7 Not receiving minimum wage and overtime wages.

Ms. Kaur was fired on the spot when she refused Manjeet Chadha=92s demand =
to
prepare food for another family=92s party of 25 guests. She was ordered to
leave the house immediately, even though it was the middle of the night.=20

Ms. Kaur has filed a federal lawsuit against the Chadha family, seeking a
total of $70,000 for unpaid wages, and compensatory damages. She is
represented by the National Employment Law Project and the NYU Immigrant
Rights Clinic.

WE DEMAND
=A7 A public apology from the Chadha family.
=A7 A pledge that the Chadhas will treat future domestic workers in
their household with respect.
=A7 Work days of no more than 10 hours/day, 6 days/week for domestic
workers in the household.

___________________________________________________

The Campaign Against Domestic Servitude is a campaign of Workers Awaaz, a
membership organization of South Asian workers. All our members are women,
and most are domestic workers.=20=20=20=20
| Telephone: 718-707-9432 | Email: workersawaaz@y...

______________________________________________
South Asia Citizens Web Dispatch (SACW) is an
informal, independent & non-profit citizens wire service
run by South Asia Citizens Web (http://www.mnet.fr/aiindex)
since 1996. Dispatch archive from 1998 can be accessed
by joining the ACT list run by SACW. To subscribe send
a message to <act-subscribe@egroups.com>
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII=
IIIII
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
[Disclaimer :
Opinions carried in the dispatches are not representative
of views of SACW compilers]