[sacw] SACW (11-12 July 01)

[Harsh Kapoor]

South Asia Citizens Wire
11-12 July 2001
http://www.mnet.fr/aiindex

[SACW extends its best wishes and solidarity to all participants of=20
the Pakistan-India People's Solidarity Conference being held on July=20
12 in New Delhi !!!]

----------------------------------------

[1.] Pakistan-India People's Solidarity Conference (New Delhi)
[2.]Sri Lanka: Checkpoint Rape
[3.] India: Attack on HIV/AIDS organisations Under Attack in Lucknow
[4.] India: Rainbow Publishers

-----------------------------------------

#1.

Pakistan-India People's Solidarity Conference on July 12.

Dear Friends,

As you are aware, a number of NGOs and citizens=92 groups in India and
Pakistan have over the past few years taken the initiative to promote
India-Pakistan rapprochement and closer people-to-people contacts. Most
of these groups consist of scholars, professionals, artistes,
journalists, scientists, and other members of the liberal intelligentsia.

In conjunction with the Vajpayee-Musharraf summit, several of these
groups decided to hold a Pakistan-India People's Solidarity Conference
on July 12. These include the Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and
Peace (a platform for some 200 organisations across India),
Pakistan-India People's Forum for Peace and Democracy, Women's
Initiative for Peace in South Asia, Centre for Dialogue and
Reconciliation and the Pakistan Peace Coalition. The Conference is being
held to strengthen the rationale for rapprochement and
peace, and promote greater cooperation and civil society interaction,
while welcoming the Musharraf-Vajpayee meeting. We expect roughly 150
participants, including about 40 from Pakistan.

Many of the participants are high-profile personalities who have been
involved in peace efforts for decades. Some can probably take credit for
creating the conditions that have enabled the official Summit. They
include Admiral L. Ramdas, Nirmala Deshpande, Kuldip Nayar, Rajmohan
Gandhi, from India and Asma Jehangir, IA Rahman and Karamat Ali from=20
Pakistan. The conference
has also been endorsed by numerous civil society groups from all over=20
South Asia.

We are expecting messages of support from Nobel Peace Prize winners like
the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela and Jose Ramos Horta, Nobel Laureate
Amartya Sen and Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy.

I have attached the draft of our joint declaration so you have some idea
of the conference's aims and objectives. This will be made public at the
end of the day's proceedings. Please let us know as soon as possible
whether your organisation will be participating and/or endorsing the
declaration. Please also circulate this message to colleagues at=20
other organisations

[...]
with warmest regards,

sonia jabbar

------------------------------------------------------------

The Pakistan-India People's Solidarity Conference / New Delhi, July 12, 200=
1
(Draft statement)

I. Preamble:

For over half a century now, the people of India and Pakistan have=20
borne the burden of hostilities between the two States. We, the=20
representatives of numerous civil society groups which have=20
endeavoured for years to reform relations between India and Pakistan,=20
welcome the Summit between General Pervez Musharraf and Prime=20
Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and urge that they seriously engage in=20
a sustained dialogue. The resources of the two countries must be=20
transferred from bombs to books, from submarines to schools, from=20
missiles to medicines, from frigates to food, from runways for=20
bombers to railroads for people. The two leaders must also pledge to=20
eliminate the terrifying nuclear menace that threatens the people of=20
the entire South Asia region.

***
II. The Pakistan-India People=92s Solidarity Conference has identified=20
and arrived at an agreement on three major areas of concern between=20
the two countries, which we feel need to be addressed at the Agra=20
Summit. These are as follows:

Nuclear Weapons
The nuclear weapons programmes of India and Pakistan have heightened=20
mutual tensions and placed the entire South Asian region in grave=20
danger. The two countries must move towards complete dismantlement of=20
their nuclear weapons and associated systems and return to the global=20
agenda for disarmament.

Democracy
We affirm that peace, democracy and justice are indivisible.=20
Hostilities between India and Pakistan have dangerously fuelled=20
religious fundamentalisms and national chauvinisms. The support=20
extended to these forces by the Indian and Pakistani States seriously=20
undermine democracy, the rights of the minorities and women, and=20
threaten intellectual freedom and free speech. We call for the=20
restoration of democracy in Pakistan. We also call for the=20
strengthening of democracy in all parts of India. These acts are=20
crucial for a lasting peace between the two countries. We call on the=20
two leaders to recognise that today=92s needs and tomorrow=92s great=20
possibilities are more important than yesterday=92s sad injuries, and=20
that old mindsets need to change with the times.

Kashmir
For fifty-four years the governments of India and Pakistan have not=20
only failed to resolve the Kashmir dispute, but have also been=20
responsible for grave Human Rights violations. Let all sides reflect=20
upon the tremendous suffering in Jammu and Kashmir caused by the=20
denial of political, social, economic and human rights by India and=20
Pakistan. The Agra Summit should focus attention on the plight of=20
the widows, the orphans, the bodily wounded, the psychologically=20
traumatised, the socially ostracised, and the physically=20
uprooted=97irrespective of religious, ethnic or political background.

The Kashmir issue is not only a territorial dispute between the two=20
States but involves the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Therefore, a=20
just and democratic resolution of the Kashmir dispute demands the=20
involvement of the people on both sides of the LoC in a non-sectarian=20
solution. A Kashmir solution can work only in the atmosphere of=20
Pakistan-India friendship, which this Summit must guarantee.

III. We call on the two governments to:

1. Withdraw all draconian laws in both countries that violate Human Rights=
.

2. Allow free movement of people between the two countries, and=20
remove travel and visa restrictions, including police reporting.

3. Withdraw the order for prior Government permission and clearance=20
to hold international meetings, conferences, seminars and workshops.

4. Lift restrictions on exchange of newspapers, magazines and journals, etc=
.

5. Normalise cultural and trade relations between the two countries.

6. Cease hostilities with immediate effect in Kashmir, initiate the=20
process of disengagement of armed forces, and terminate support to=20
armed groups, both State and non-State.

7. Commit to a Nuclear Freeze. This would entail no further nuclear=20
testing, no development, deployment and induction of nuclear weapons,=20
and no further efforts towards the setting up of Command and Control=20
systems.
8. Agree to a mutual reduction in the armed forces, and utilise the=20
freed resources for meeting the people=92s social and economic needs.=20
Both governments should also commit themselves to a time-bound=20
programme for the systematic reduction of military spending, both=20
direct and indirect.

________

2.

The Island (Colombo)
Wednesday 11 July 2001

Cat's Eye
Checkpoint Rape

Three reserve police constables were arrested recently on allegations of
raping a Tamil woman from Badulla who was employed in Colombo. A soldier is
also suspected of being involved in this heinous crime. The police officers
had first noted their victim while manning a checkpoint at the
Borella-Maradana border and had abused their authority to not only obtain
their victim's address but to also visit her lodgings the next day (at 3 in
the morning) and summarily take her away on the pretext that they wished to
question her further (according to a communique from the Home for Human
Rights, a male co-worker residing at the same lodgings had accompanied the
victim but had been sent away to 'fetch tea' when they reached the
checkpoint). The bold tactics these officers adopted highlights quite
terrifyingly how vulnerable Tamil citizens, and especially Tamil women
citizens, are in Sri Lanka.
This incident also reminds us once again of the brutal rape and murder of
schoolgirl Krishanthy Kumaraswamy, at the Chemmany checkpoint in Jaffna, in
September 1996. Her mother, brother and a neighbour who commenced a search
for her were also abducted and murdered. Cat's Eye has devoted several
columns to this tragic case over the years, reporting on the protests
launched by feminist and human rights groups, and commenting the hearing th=
at
took place and the death sentences that were handed down.

Koneswary

This incident also reminds us of the alleged rape and murder of
Murugesapillai Koneswary of Samandhurai division, Eastern Province, in May
1997. Mrs. Koneswary was constantly harassed at the Central Camp checkpoint
which is on the border of Amparai Batticaloa district. On the afternoon of
May 17 1997, Mrs. Koneswary was verbally assaulted and sexually harassed by
four police officers at this checkpoint and defended herself by shouting at
the officers and demanding that they leave her alone. At 11pm that same day=
,
an unknown number of armed men entered her home and by 11.30pm, she was dea=
d.
Reportedly, she died instantly when a hand grenade was exploded on her
abdomen.
It is understood that the grenade was used to destroy evidence of gang rape=
.
Cat's Eye, once again, was at the forefront of the subsequent protest
campaign that was launched to condemn this brutal act and to demand that th=
e
state curtail the abuses of power by its armed forces.
This incident also reminds us of the daily verbal and sexual harassment tha=
t
Tamil women go through at checkpoints all over the country. A yelled comman=
d,
a lewd comment, a sly touch are not things that are ever reported in our
newspapers, but they can nevertheless leave their imprint of fear, loathing
and anguish for the rest of one's life. Ten years ago, some of these women
who are thus abused may have screwed up their courage to reprimand the
security personnel or to lodge a complaint with a higher authority, but tod=
ay
they are too intimidated and terrified. As Tamils, they always teeter on th=
e
cusp of being labelled a 'Tiger' in retaliation, as women, they always
teeter on the cusp of being 'punished' with rape - remember Murugesapillai
Koneswary. Each time these women go through a checkpoint - and one has to d=
o
so more than five times a day at least - they die a little.
While Cat's Eye commends the state for arresting the perpetrators of this
most recent violence against a Tamil woman, we also wish to point out, as w=
e
have done so before? that such arrests only address the tip of the iceberg =
of
extensive human rights violations that are carried out by members of the
armed forces, the police and others empowered by the state to bear arms.
Militarization often becomes both the means of and justification for
broadening the arena of risk to women's physical and mental integrity, the
reasons for militarizing itself notwithstanding.
[...] .

________

3.

11 July 2001

Dear Friends,
Posted below is an account on the outrageous crackdown by the agents=20
of the Homophobic Indian state on citizens groups working on Aids=20
prevention & outreach with HIV positive people in Lucknow
Also attached are press reports which horrendously misreport these=20
organisations.

We should express our solidarity and support to people from NAZ=20
Foundation India. Their e-mail address is: <nazindia@b...>

In Solidarity
Harsh Kapoor
(South Asia Citizens Wire)
oooooooooooooooooooooo

-----Original Message-----
From: Aditya Bondyopadhyay [E-mail ID withheld for reasons of security]
Sent: 09 July 2001 12:03
Hi,

This is a long mail, but I urge every one of you to please read the=20
whole of it. Otherwise Neimoller may just stand equally vindicated=20
in liberal democratic India.

Here is me writing with a heavy heart from Lucknow. On friday last=20
2 persons were caught having sex in a parked vehicle in one of the=20
prominent cruising areas of Lucknow. They were not associated with=20
any of the MSM groups that are there in Lucknow. On arresting them=20
the police raided the park and arested some other persons from that=20
area. One of them was an outreach worker of Bharosa on outreach duty=20
there. When he was being arrested he mentioned that he worked with=20
Bharosa. The police then raided the office of Bharosa and sealed it.=20
They took all the condoms and the BCC materials that was there in=20
the office. the BCC materials they called pornography.

Therefater they also raided the office of Naz Foundation and=20
Friends India. From Naz they seized BCC materials and books from the=20
library on safer sex. they also seized a dildo that was used for=20
safer sex demonstration [proper condom use]. Incidentally the=20
police brought persons who called themselves to be of the media when=20
they came to raid the office. the local media went into a tizzy at=20
the sight of the dildo and termed it a sex toy. These NGOs which=20
have been operatiog for years now and at a lot of times in=20
collaborations with the governmental health agencies and state AIDS=20
Control Society were termed as sex clubs in the media reports. They=20
thereafter arrested the Director of NFI and 2 other office workers.=20
The sad fact is that a press release given out by Bharosa denying=20
all these allegations and clarifying its point has not been reported=20
by any of the papers except for the Pioneer which carried the=20
release in parts.

There was of course no information to support the fact that there=20
was any club being run by any of these NGOs, leave aside a sex club.=20
Bharosa and Friends India has support group meetings where community=20
building/mobilisation for HIV/AIDS work is the main focus of work.=20
Nazfoundation does not even do this. It only provides technical=20
support to MSM groups in South Asia and the NACO and other national=20
and iternational agencies are well aware of its work and have=20
collaborated with it on many occassions. Mr Prasada Rao himself=20
[chief of NACO] released the Situational Assessment in South Asia=20
report that was conducted by Naz.

The police have apparently tried to arrest the functionaries of=20
Friends India also, but have not succeeded thus far. This=20
information is to be substantiated for I have not been able to get=20
in touch with them myself in spite of my best efforts.

The police have claimed in the media that these NGOs are promoting=20
homosexuality which is against the indian culture and morals. The=20
arrested persons were produced before the remand magistrate=20
yesterday and then today before the Chief Judicial Magistrate. All=20
the arrested have been charged under 377 IPC and 120B IPC. they have=20
apparently conspired to commit the crime of sodomy. Incidentally=20
there is still no victim that I know of against whom this cosnpiracy=20
was commited. In fact in some media reports the police have been=20
candid that they want to stop the vice of homosexuality and the=20
perversion of the youth, so they are charging the arrested under=20
this law,for they find the law to be otherwise insufficient. The=20
bail application was moved today and I was present as one of the=20
lawyers representing. The police as usual forgot to bring the case=20
diary to the court, therefore the bail application could not be=20
heard and had to be adjourned. the next hearing is on the 11th [day=20
after 2morrow].

But the attitude that I witnessed of the prosecution and the police=20
in the court, I am convinced that they do not have even the=20
basic-est knowledge of what the policies of the country vis-a-vis=20
HIV/AIDS prevention amongst vulnerable groups is. They have just=20
seen homosexual in the case papers, and are convinced that this is=20
a very high publicity case, so they are doing their best to be ultra=20
dramatic on Indian morals and values. They just do not know that=20
advocacy, community mobilisation of vulnerable groups, and=20
information dissemination are the 3 crucial arms of the HIV=20
prevention policy of Naco. And they do not appreceate that all that=20
these NGOs have been doing is following this policy.

All other NGOs working on MSM are at risk. One report I read in the=20
morning [I read 20 of them cannot remember which it was] mentioned=20
Naz Delhi and and Pratyay calcutta as sex clubs which has links with=20
bharosa. They mentioned Humsafar as bringing out Dost gay magazine=20
and also mentioned Darpan. The Intelligence Bureau has interrogated=20
the arrested to find out about the activities in the rest of the=20
country of MSM groups. Anyways the addresses of all groups are with=20
them as they are published in the seized copies of Bombay Dost and=20
Pukaar. the internet lists are being monitored by the police and IB=20
and they are bound to read this message too.

ALL ARE BEING TARGETED. THE INTERNATIONAL POSTURING OF INDIA ON THE=20
IGLHRC VOTE IN UNGASS WAS FOR AN INTERNATIONAL AUDIENCE. I HOPE YOU=20
ALL UNDERSTAND THAT NO ONE IS SAFE AND THE MORAL POLICE OF THE STATE=20
IS REACHING OUT. HUMAN RIGHTS BE DAMMED FOR ALL THAT THEY CARE.=20
THEIR POSTURING WAS MERE HYPOCRISY AND OUR GOING GA GA WAS MAYBE=20
JUST A BIT PREMATURE.

I shall be in Lucknow for the next few days till I get to know what=20
exactly is happening and where the case is headed. I have spoken to=20
Lawyers Collective in delhi and they are willing to help. I am=20
meeting with the HR lawyers groups in Lucknow. They are very=20
supportive. [Can anyone send me the e-mail of Human rights Law=20
network,may be they can also be of help??]. I think it is time we=20
took the fight for rights to the next level and got 377 done away=20
with in a judicial action. maybe the Supreme Court is the place to=20
go to. I hope Lawyers collective and ALF in Banglore will extend=20
their full support, for this is not going to be easy.

In the meantime you and each one of you please do your bit. Give=20
exposure to the outrage as much as possible. and write to NHRC,=20
NACO, et all and start some kind of a campaign. Maybe pressures=20
should come from the ap-rainbow and amnesty and IGLHRC. Can any one=20
coorinate the support from them and bring pressure to bear on the=20
state agencies? Expose the thoughtlessness and the prejudice of the=20
police. The case shall keep me busy. But I am sure you guys would=20
come up with some strategy. The campaign in support of shaleens=20
complaint in NHRC gives me hope in your abilities.

So much of it for now. I shall try and keep you updated as often as=20
possible. Got to hurry now. Have not slept in the past 36 hours.=20
wish to catch 2 winks.

love

Aditya

=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
(news reports re above)

http://www.timesofindia.com/today/08mlkn14.htm
THE TIMES OF INDIA ONLINE LUCKNOW
SUNDAY 8TH JULY 2001

NGO charged with running gay club

The Times of India News Service
LUCKNOW: A non-government organisation (NGO) Naaz Foundation=20
International and its of-shoot Bharosa, being aided by the UP=20
government and international agencies, were charged of running a gay=20
club in Lucknow under the garb of imparting HIV and AIDS awareness=20
programmes.

The director and programme director of Naaz were arrested on charges=20
of propogating and indulging in unnatural sex.

Police sezied objectionable literature, sex toys, ointments, video=20
cassettes and photograhps from the office of Naaz, the parent unit=20
of Bharosa, situated in Gulzar colony on Rana Pratap Marg. The=20
offices of the two NGOs were sealed by the police. The arrests were=20
following the detention of one Shahid, a resident of Dalibagh from a=20
den running a `call-boy' racket at stand number 4 of Charbagh=20
Railway Station on Friday night. Shahid revealed that he was working=20
for an NGO called Bharosa which has its office situated at Pirpura=20
House near Ganna Sansathan.

Searching the details of the NGO on the internet as revealed by=20
Shahid, SP (East) Rajesh Pandey discovered that the webpage carried=20
a open message asking men seeking men (MSM) to get in touch with=20
Bharosa. The webpage also carried the statement that the=20
organisation was working for AIDS and HIV awareness programmes.=20
Police raided the office of Bharosa and were escorted to the office=20
of the parent organisation Naaz situated at Gulzar colony.

The up-to-date office had a library, bedroom, dressing room,=20
bathroom alongwith a small basement attached to it. The accomodation=20
was found equipped with the most mordern luxuries including air=20
conditioners, television sets and refridgerators. Bundles of=20
imported condoms, ointments, video casettes and pornographic=20
literature was also seized.

Documents relating to memberships of another gay club called Friends=20
being reportedly run by a retired army officer in Indiranagar were=20
also sezied. Talking to The Times of India the director of the=20
regional liason office of Naaz, Arif Jafar refuted charges of=20
running a guy club. He said that the literature seized was being=20
used to educate the illiterate about AIDS and its prevention and=20
propogate use of condoms. The programme director of Naaz, Parmeshwar=20
Nayar was also arrested. He revealed the executive director of=20
Naaz, D G Khan, was presently based in London and was expected to=20
return in July 25.

SSP B B Bakshi said that the two organisations, Naaz and Bharosa,=20
were running gay clubs in contrast to the Indian culture and ethics=20
under the garb of educating the masses about AIDS and HIV. He said=20
that it was a well organised racket which was collecting lakhs of=20
rupees in aid from Indian and international agencies but involved in=20
spreading gay culture in the city. The accused were charged under=20
section 377 of the IPC (indulging in unnatural sex).

HINDUSTAN TIMES
http://www.hindustantimes.com/nonfram/090701/detNAT12. asp

Lucknow police raid gay clubs, 10 arrested

HT Correspondent
Lucknow, July 8

THE POLICE on Saturday busted two gay clubs allegedly being run in=20
Lucknow in the guise of non-government organisations and arrested 10=20
people in connection with it.

The clubs were operating from a palatial building in Hazratganj.=20
The clubs allegedly carried out its activities under the cover of=20
counseling centres, Bharosa and Naz Foundation, engaged in HIV and=20
AIDS awareness programmes.

"And if their owners are to be believed, they have a thriving=20
membership of over 500 that includes many high profile people too,"=20
Senior Superintendent of Police B B Buxi said.

The police seized several pornographic magazines, literature and=20
video cassettes from the offices of these NGOs. The executive=20
director of these NGOs, D G Khan, is said to be based in London.

The arrests were made after police raided the club's office in the=20
city on Saturday. The SSP said the club was also involved in a male=20
sex workers' racket. These NGOs received lakhs of rupees in aid from=20
Indian and international agencies.

A case has been registered and further investigation is on, SSP said

________

4.

Introducing Rainbow Publishers

Rainbow is a relatively new venture in Indian publishing initiated by=20
a group of leading intellectuals, activists and public figures. It=20
intends to represent the most incisive writing on the increasingly=20
complex and challenging contemporary situation.
This venture has its roots in a political initiative taken more than=20
a decade ago at a Convention Against Communalism and the Threat to=20
Diversity held in Calcutta in 1986. The Convention brought together=20
activists and intellectuals from a wide spectrum of political=20
persuasions to address the increasing insecurities and the threat to=20
survival of various social groups and communities that constitute the=20
mosaic of India in the face of homogenising and authoritarian=20
tendencies. The Convention initiated a process of dialogue, which has=20
continued since, both across the cultural and social divides and=20
between diverse political tendencies-socialist, liberal, Gandhian,=20
nationalist, bourgeois and the radical left.
What is unique about this entire process is that it represents a=20
serious attempt to address the questions of pluralism alongside the=20
pursuit of equity and democratisation of the Indian polity and=20
similarly placed societies elsewhere.
The attempt in Rainbow is to contribute to sustaining and enhancing=20
this decade-long dialogue. We hope to extend our engagement to the=20
entire subcontinent, to the emerging new thinking elsewhere in Asia,=20
Africa, Latin America and the Islamic world, and into the search for=20
alternatives in both Europe and the former socialist world, each of=20
which faces serious crises of both survival and identity.
Rainbow is committed to make available to readers in South Asia,=20
publications in different languages on the manifold struggles for=20
social, cultural and ecological justice in the subcontinent.
We are currently focussing on the following themes:
o Globalisation and Structural Adjustment
o Militarisation and Nuclearisation
o Ecology/Environment
o Identity, Pluralism and the Threat to Diversity
o Rethinking Ideology
o Alternative Visions of the Future

Editorial Advisory Board: Board of Directors:
Imtiaz Ahmad Smitu Kothari
Samir Amin Sonal R. Mehta
Uma Chakraborty Dhruva Narayan
Paresh Chattopadhyay Vasanthi Raman
Bhagwan Das Ashim K. Roy
William Hinton Nimesh D. Sheth
Rajni Kothari
Manoranjan Mohanty
Nirmal Mukarji
Krishna Raj
Hari P Sharma
Rajendra Yadav

Some of Our Publications

Out of Nuclear Shadow
Edited by Smitu Kothari & Zia Mian=20
Outraged conscience, careful argument, poetry and political=20
analysis-gathered here is the diversity of voices, traditions, and=20
approaches that are weaving themselves into an anti-nuclear and peace=20
movement in India and Pakistan. In these essays, written before,=20
during, and after the May 1998 nuclear explosions, scholars and=20
activists from both countries attempt to understand and challenge the=20
nuclearisation of South Asia. The essays are an act of resistance=20
against governments that see nuclear weapons as a currency of power,=20
as symbols of prestige, as sources of security, as moments of glory=20
in an otherwise dismal contemporary history.
The collection includes Mahatma Gandhi's response to the atomic=20
bombing of Hiroshima, and recent writings by renowned scholars Eqbal=20
Ahmad, Rajni Kothari, Ashis Nandy, and Amartya Sen, as well as=20
Arundhati Roy and veteran anti-nuclear activists, academics and=20
journalists. The volume also contains the texts of many of the=20
historic public statements protesting the May 1998 nuclear tests that=20
helped mobilise public opposition to the bomb in South Asia. There is=20
a resource guide to books, films and websites on nuclear weapons, as=20
well as information on many organisations now working on this=20
issue.=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20
Smitu Kothari is co-editor of the Lokayan Bulletin. He is a member of=20
the Indian Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace, is President=20
of the International Group for Grassroots Initiatives and has been a=20
visiting professor at Cornell University and at Princeton University.
Zia Mian is a physicist from Pakistan at Princeton University's=20
Center for Energy and Environmental Studies and a visiting fellow at=20
the Sustainable Development Policy Institute, Islamabad.=20
Published in collaboration with Lokayan and Zed Books
2001 o 525 pp. o Demy 8vo
ISBN 81-86962-25-5 (Hb) o Rs. 500.00

Enduring Conundrum: India's Sex Ratio
Essays in Honour of Asok Mitra
Edited by Vina Mazumdar & N. Krishnaji

The book compiled in honour of Asok Mitra, contains six different=20
articles analysing the diverse trends that underline the enduring=20
conundrum of sex ratio in India. The contributors are the=20
acknowledged experts on the subject of their concern and some them=20
have been privileged to be associated with Prof. Mitra in his seminal=20
contribution to women's studies and in his search for policies for=20
gender equity. Seen in the immediate background of the 2001 Census,=20
the book acquires special significance as it draws upon the grim=20
lessons of 1961 Census; Mitra's critical analysis of the same=20
compelled the government to review Census data in the light of the=20
diverse inputs it offered for development policies. The book=20
advocates that the theme of sex ratio presents a sensitive indicator=20
that can break through unilinear theories of the changing status of=20
women or the state of society with its existing dominant paradigm of=20
development or globalisation.

2001 o 208 pp. o Royal
ISBN 81-86962-37-9 (Hb) o Rs. 325.00

Communalism in Indian Politics (Second Edition)
Rajni Kothari

This book is an attempt to provide an evolving analysis of the=20
confrontation between a democratic polity and the phenomenon of=20
communalism over the last two decades. It is a critique of the=20
communal upsurge in India, particularly focussing on the events=20
ranging from the attack on the Golden Temple and the anti-Sikh=20
killings of 1984 to the 'watershed' of December 6, 1992 when the=20
Babri Masjid was destroyed by literally thousands of the 'kar sevaks'=20
led by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Shiv Sena, and spurred on by=20
major leaders of RSS and the BJP.

2001 o 250 pp. (Approx.) o Demy 8vo
ISBN 81-862962-27-1 o Rs. 295.00 (Hb)
ISBN 81-86962-28-X o Rs. 145.00 (Pb)

Collective Villages in the Chinese Market
Govind Kelkar & Dev Nathan

In this study of post-Reform villages in China the authors have=20
examined in detail the functioning of collectives in a market system.=20
They have tried to find answers for commonly asked questions like how=20
do the collectives combine welfare provisions with the need for=20
efficiency; how they solve the 'free rider' problem, discussed in=20
relation to common property systems; etc.
Govind Kelkar has been a scholar of China. Over the 1990s she was=20
Coordinator of Gender and Development Studies at the Asian Institute=20
of Technology, Bangkok and is now a faculty member of the newly=20
formed International Women's University at Hamburg. Editor of the=20
journal Gender, Technology and Development, she is also co-author of=20
Gender and Tribe.
Dev Nathan, an economist by training, comes from the Left movement.=20
Over the nineties, he has worked on issues of rural development in=20
Asia. A frequent contributor to Economic and Political Weekly, he is=20
co-author of Gender and Tribe and Editor of From Tribe to Caste.
2001 o 104 pp. o Demy 8vo
ISBN 81-86962-29-8 (Pb) o Rs. 75.00

The First Published Anthology of Hindi Poets:
Thomas Duer Broughton's Selections from the Popular Poetry of Hindoos
Imre Bangha
In the first years of the nineteenth century a British army officer=20
called Thomas Duer Broughton became enchanted by the songs and poems=20
that his soldiers knew by heart. He started to get them noted down=20
and eventually his collection became the first published anthology of=20
Hindi poets. Broughton's anthology serves as a source to the cultural=20
interaction between the Indians and the British. His book also=20
indicates the extent to which a member of the British Indian elite=20
was able to appreciate Indian culture through mannerist Hindi poems.=20
Since in Europe the era of Romanticism was that of a widespread=20
interest in Oriental cultures and the time of the discovery of folk=20
art Broughton presented Braj poetry as 'popular' and 'rustic' and at=20
the same time considered it to be one of the greatest achievements of=20
universal literature. That is why he tried to bring it close to the=20
general English reader. Apart from Broughton's text, the book=20
contains reconstructed Hindi versions of the poems with their new=20
English translation as well as a critical introduction.
Imre Bangha studied Indology in Budapest and did his doctorate in=20
Hindi at Santiniketan. Currently he is working at the University of=20
Oxford as well as at De Montfort University in Leicester. He has also=20
authored a book on Anandghan (Ghananand) Saneh Ko Marag.

2000 o 185 pp. o Demy 8vo
ISBN 81-86962-35-2 (Hb) o Rs. 225.00

Alternative Economic Survey 1998-2000:
Two Years of Market Fundamentalism

The Alternative Economic Survey 1998-2000, seventh in the series,=20
presents a realistic account of the one-sided structural adjustment=20
policies based on a blind and uncritical faith in the God of Big=20
Things-the Market. It shows how the "market-friendly" policies=20
adopted by the BJP-led union government with unusual vehemence and=20
speed, are posing a big threat to the socio-economic fabric of the=20
country.
It has been prepared by the Alternative Survey Group, an informal=20
group of academics, journalists, activists and trade union leaders=20
from all over the country. Coming together in the wake of the=20
imposition of the Structural Adjustment Programme at the behest of=20
the World Bank and the IMF in 1991, the Group has, since then, been=20
engaged in an attempt to present to the people of the country a=20
realistic, people-centred picture of the state of the Indian economy.=20
Written for the average concerned reader, it also demystifies the=20
window dressing and disinformation attempted by the official Economic=20
Survey. A unique feature of the past few issues of the AES is a clear=20
emphasis on alternatives to the present system.

Published in Collaboration with Lokayan and Azadi Bachao Andolan
2000 o demy 4vo o 172pp.
ISBN 81-86962-31-X (Hb) o Rs. 395.00
ISBN 81-86962-32-8 (Pb) o Rs. 125.00

The Future of Maoism
Samir Amin

Samir Amin analyses the role and future of Maoism in China and the=20
implications of its success or failure for the entire Third World.=20
The postscript, written by him for the Indian edition, contains a=20
discussion about the challenges posed by the long transition from=20
world capitalism to world socialism'. It also contains a stimulating=20
foreword by Vaskar Nandy, a leading communist revolutionary of India=20
and an equally stimulating rejoinder to him by Samir Amin.

1998 o 188 pp. o Demy 8vo
ISBN 81-86962-02-6 o Rs. 100.00 (Pb)

Convention on the Rights of the Child:
The Alternate Report, India

A report prepared by a working group consisting of academics,=20
activists and NGOs in response to the Government of India's report to=20
the UN Sub-committee on the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It=20
candidly brings out the true state of India's children.

Published in collaboration with Butterflies
1998 o 64 pp. o Demy 4vo
ISBN 81-86962-08-5 o Rs. 100.00 (Pb)

Alternative Economic Survey 1991-1998:
Seven Years of Structural Adjustment
Alternative Survey Group

The Alternative Economic Survey 1991-1998, sixth in the series,=20
attempts to present an account of the fate that befell India and the=20
Indian masses during the seven years of implementation of the=20
so-called Structural Adjustment Programme, imposed on the country by=20
the ruling elites at the behest of the World Bank and the IMF. It=20
presents to the people of the country a realistic, people-centred=20
picture of the state of the Indian economy.

Published in Collaboration with Lokayan and Azadi Bachao Andolan
1999 o 240 pp. o Demy 4vo
ISBN 81-86962-18-2 o Rs. 395.00 (Hb)
ISBN 81-86962-19-0 o Rs. 110.00 (Pb)

Spectres of Capitalism: A Critique of Current Intellectual Fashions
Samir Amin

In this succinct theoretical text, written on the occasion of the=20
150th anniversary of Marx and Engels' classic tract, the Communist=20
Manifesto, Samir Amin examines the changing notion of crisis in=20
capitalism; misconceptions of free market model; the various=20
distortions of Marx's methodology; the decline of the 'Law of Value'=20
in economics; the philosophical roots of post-modernism; and, the=20
myth of 'pure economics'. In short, he cuts through the current=20
intellectual fashions that assume a capitalist triumph.
1999 o 132 pp. o Demy 8vo
ISBN 81-86962-16-6 o Rs. 150.00 (Hb)
ISBN 81-86962-17-4 o Rs. 75.00 (Pb)
Neighbours and Strangers
Don Miller
This book is a study in urban neighbourhood. It is about the=20
ambivalence of being neighbours--about neighbouring, about living=20
next to strangers. It is an attempt to understand the psychological=20
and emotional fabric weaving neighbours together--or rends them=20
apart--or pulls in both directions at once. Neighbours have killed=20
each other, and have rescued each other. This book is woven around=20
the personal testimonies of ordinary people living in New Delhi=20
during nineties, not long after the sacking of the Ayodhya mosque and=20
the killing of several thousand Muslims.
1999 o 184 pp. o Demy 8vo
ISBN 81-86962-20-4 o Rs. 225.00 (Hb)

Partition and After: Changing Profile of Indian Muslims
Imtiaz Ahmad
An examination of the trends and processes in the Muslim community,=20
focussing on the effects of Partition, economic change, education and=20
social reforms.
2001 o ISBN 81-86962-06-9 (Forthcoming)
India: From a Colony to a Dismembered Semi-colony
Suniti Kumar Ghosh
This book challenges the myths which pass as the history of the=20
Gandhian era in Indian politics-the period of Gandhi's ascendancy=20
from about 1918-19 to 1947. Relying on primary sources, it contends=20
that the Gandhian leadership, representing the classes which had been=20
traditional allies of imperialism, never aspired to India's freedom=20
outside the imperialist orbit. This leadership was clearly=20
responsible for India's continued integration into the=20
capitalist-imperialist system as a satellite within it and for her=20
dismemberment along religious lines, which was as artificial as=20
India's unity that had been imposed by the British sword.
2001 o ISBN 81-86962-10-7 (Forthcoming)
Islamic Ideologies and Social Realities:
Indian Muslim Women
Edited by Imtiaz Ahmad
Put together in the light of the Shahbano controversy which was=20
vitiated by a significant lack of understanding of the realities of=20
Muslim women's lives the book deals with those realities so that the=20
debate about them would be founded in empirical realities rather than=20
being carried out in terms of popular stereotypes or widely held=20
impressions that are liable to be both misleading and erroneous.
2001 o ISBN 81-86962-33-6 (Forthcoming)

For further information contact:

Rainbow Publishers Limited
Lokayan, 13, Alipur Road, Delhi-110 054, India
Tel.: 011-2724314/3951378/3969380 Telefax: +91-11-294 0154
email: rainbow_p@v...
19/222, Parishram Apartments, Satellite Road
Ahmedabad-380 015, Gujarat, India
Tel.: 079-6763886 email: sonalashim@h...
121/3, Purbachal, Kalitala Road
Calcutta-700 078, West Bengal, India
Tel.: 033-4152128 email: ranas@c...

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

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 at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/act/messages/ . To subscribe send a blank
message to: <act-subscribe@yahoogroups.com> / To unsubscribe send a blank
message to: <act-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com>
________________________________________
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in materials carried in the posts do not
necessarily reflect the views of SACW compilers.

[ All interested and concerned by the dangers of Nuclearisation of South
Asia are invited to join South Asians Against Nukes Mailing List. =3D> send=
a
blank e-mail message to : <saan-subscribe@l...> ]
--=20