[sacw] SACW #2 | 16 May 02

[Harsh Kapoor]

South Asia Citizens Wire Dispatch #2 | 16 May 2002
http://www.mnet.fr

[ This issue of SACW is dedicated to the memory of Kaifi Azmi the=20
progressive poet whose work captured the hearts and minds of many in=20
South Asia. Kaifi Azmi who died on the 10th of May in Bombay Kaifi=20
Azmi (1915 to 2002) had been a leading member of the Progressive=20
Writers Association. The President of India, K.R. Narayanan, paid=20
tribute, saying Azmi's commitment to secular values should be a=20
source of inspiration at a time when sectarian violence was still=20
going on. ]

__________________________

1. Pakistan: Press Release by Women's Action Forum (WAF) and the=20
Joint Action Committee Lahore on police brutality against members of=20
the Alliance for the Repeal of Discriminatory Laws
2. India: Gujarat toll 2,000: Citizens Tribunal
3. India: Mumbai's women take up cudgels for Gujarat women (Pamela Raghunat=
h)
4. Hindu Nationalists Are Enrolling, and Enlisting, India's Poor=20
(Somini Sengupta)
5.Indian diplomats are trying to intimidate journalists covering the=20
Gujarat events even as they substitute fictional accounts for facts.=20
( Praful Bidwai)
6. India: Gujarat Carnage - A Turning Point: Strategy for=20
'Pro-Active' Secularism (Gaurang Mehta)
7. India: March for Peace & Harmony - 27 May to 21 June, 2002,=20
Chitrakoot to Ayodhya
8. India: Unfeeling men, hypocritical voices (Javed Akhtar)
9. Trampling on India (A.G. Noorani)
10. India: The Gujarat Carnage (Amitav Ghosh)
11. India: The violence of sovereignty (Himadeep R. Muppidi)
12. India: Film screening of 'Gujarat: A Work In Progress' (Bombay,=20
16 May 2002)
13. Make Financial contributions / donations in the US towards relief=20
for victims of violence
14. Announcing Sri Lankan online magazine "Lines"
15. May issue of Himal: The shaming of India: Why and how Gujarat + much m=
ore

__________________________

#1.

Lahore
2nd May 2002
Press Release

The Women's Action Forum (WAF) and the Joint Action Committee Lahore=20
(JAC) condemn in the strongest terms possible the unprovoked police=20
brutality against members of the Alliance for the Repeal of=20
Discriminatory Laws in Islamabad on May 2nd 2002.

Members of the Alliance had gathered to demand the release of Zafran=20
Bibi who has been sentenced to stoning to death by a Sessions and=20
District Court in Kohat last month and to demand the repeal of the=20
infamous Hudood Ordinances under which she was sentenced. The case=20
once again highlights the inherent injustice of this law. Zafran Bibi=20
who says she was raped, was condemned to death on the basis of being=20
pregnant while the accused was let off for lack of evidence.

As the peaceful demonstration called by the Alliance was about to=20
disperse, suddenly and without any provocation whatsoever, the police=20
jumped onto some of the male demonstrators and proceeded to beat them=20
up. Then, when the women intervened to stop the violence, the police=20
turned on them and started to beat them as well. Over 20=20
demonstrators were then hauled off to the police station.

WAF and JAC remind the government that it is the right of all=20
citizens to express their opinions in a peaceful manner. Police=20
brutality is unacceptable under any circumstances. Police behaviour=20
on 2nd May underscores the intolerance of the current government and=20
is tantamount to a repression of people's rights.

WAF & JAC demand that the government take action against the=20
officials concerned and make a public apology.

Further, WAF and JAC endorse the demands made by the demonstrators=20
for the release of Zafran Bibi and a repeal of the Hudood Ordinances.

On behalf of

Womens Action Forum Joint Action Committee for Peace

____

#2.

Gujarat toll 2,000: Tribunal
Statesman News Service
GANDHINAGAR, May 14. - Preliminary findings of the Concerned Citizens=20
Tribunal indicate that the death toll in the ongoing violence in=20
Gujarat is "not less than 2,000'', which is double the official=20
figure.
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php3?id=3D9564&type=3DIndia&theme=3DA

_____

#3.

Gulf News
Dubai:Tuesday, May 14, 2002=09=20

Mumbai's women take up cudgels for Gujarat women
Mumbai |By Pamela Raghunath | 14-05-2002

Some 200 women culled from women's organisations and groups in Mumbai=20
brought the unprecedented violence against Muslim women in Gujarat to=20
the attention of Mumbaities with a one-day protest that drew=20
attention to the plight of Gujarati women, like nothing else since=20
the violence began.

The protests at the city centre at Hutatma Chowk, better known as=20
Flora Fountain in the heart of this commercial capital was replicated=20
countrywide in all the major cities in this country, all observing=20
May 13 as National Protest Day.

"The violence continues even now and that is why we have to come out=20
and appeal to people to generate public opinion against the Gujarat=20
government," Kiran Moghe, Secretary, All India Democratic Women's=20
Associa-tion told Gulf News.

Immediately after the worst violence had taken place, several women's=20
groups and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) had met the victims.

"If this was not done, the Gujarat government would have got away=20
with what had happened," she says.

Many people come and ask them why the same kind of attention was not=20
given to Kashmiri Pandits, she says. "Our hearts go out to all women=20
who suffer unjustly, whether Hindu women in Kashmir or for that=20
matter Palestinian women in Israel. It is a question of highlighting=20
their plight," she says.

Even as the women's groups condemn the violence, they are also=20
demanding the registration of First Information Reports since only a=20
few have been filed though the police have a big job to do.

"In spite of women being brutalised, raped and killed, police must=20
still take the testimony of witnesses to arrest the culprits.

Against the background of serious communal carnage or genocide, the=20
authorities cannot insist on medical records as in normal cases but=20
instead have time-bound courts to expend speedy justice for all cases=20
of sexual violence against women," she says.

These groups also want special attention to be given to orphans,=20
victims of sexual violence, widows and single women in the relief and=20
rehabilitation measures.

Shalini Mahajan of Forum Against Oppression of Women says that it is=20
time some kind of rehabilitation is thought for the victims=20
especially with the approach of monsoon.

"How can they go back to their homes that are charred to nothing and=20
especially when the culprits are roaming free and even when the camps=20
are attacked."

Her group has been visiting three districts of Vadodara, Panchmahal=20
and Dahod to gather information, assess the relief needs and to=20
coordinate with other NGOs.

A major task is to provide legal assistance, to help the victims file=20
FIRs and to study what can be done nationally and internationally to=20
punish the guilty.

Following pressure from the district collector or administrator to=20
close down the relief camps, "various public interest litigations=20
were filed so that the camps were not closed."

"We also want UN bodies to send special rapporteurs to look into=20
human rights violations on the basis of religious intolerance and=20
violence against women," Mahajan told Gulf News.

In a memorandum handed to the Governor of Maharashtra, Dr P.C.=20
Alexander, the women's groups told him, "We are filled with anger,=20
revulsion and shame at the revolting brutality in the name of=20
patriotism and religious and community rights. No systematic help has=20
been given to those women and girls who lived to tell their stories.=20
No justice is in sight for those who died or to those who still live."

The women have asked him to forward their demand for justice to the=20
President of India and to the government. Some of the groups include=20
Forum for Women's Health, Maharashtra Mahila Parishad, Sakhya,=20
Special Cell for Women and Children, YWCA, Stree Mukti Sanghatna and=20
others.=09=09=20=09=20

_____

#4.

The New York Times, May 13, 2002

Hindu Nationalists Are Enrolling, and Enlisting, India's Poor
By SOMINI SENGUPTA
MANDOLI, India - Just beyond the bustle of this nation's capital, in=20
a sprawling compound of grassy fields and peepal trees, is a=20
microcosm of some of India's most destitute: children from pockets of=20
poor, indigenous communities scattered far in the hinterlands. [...]
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/13/international/asia/13HIND.html

_____

#5.

May 24, 2002

Frontline Column: Beyond the Obvious

Getting delusional

by Praful Bidwai

Indian diplomats are trying to intimidate journalists covering the=20
Gujarat events even as they substitute fictional accounts for facts.

It is only very rarely that India=92s former foreign secretaries--that=20
highly articulate category of policy-shapers--agree on the=20
international implications of domestic developments. But Gujarat has=20
produced a new unanimity among diplomats as varied as S.K. Singh,=20
Muchkund Dubey and Salman Haidar. They have all taken a stand on the=20
Gujarat pogrom and its disastrous effect on India=92s standing in the=20
world, and even more important, on the Vajpayee government=92s paranoid=20
reaction to international expressions of concern. They are agreed=20
that the Ministry of External Affairs has seriously misread these=20
expressions and acted immaturely by =93trying to put a gloss on=20
[Gujarat=92s] dismal events.=94

Thus, writes Haidar, =93India has already suffered a severe loss of=20
prestige. This can only be restored by effective action on the=20
ground, and not by scolding envoys and ministers of foreign=20
countries.=94 Singh, who is hawkish and conservative in defending=20
=93national sovereignty=94, is even more forthright: =93India, as a major=20
humane power--a dubious description-PB--should sit up and take note=20
when in the international media one of our chief ministers is called=20
=91Narendra Milosevic Modi=92 and terms like genocide start being thrown=20
around. All of us Indians need to worry and agonise.=94

Singh says the international community is naturally unable to=20
=93square=94 Gujarat=92s communal carnage =93with the verdict of our own=20
Supreme Court =85 that secularism is an established feature of the=20
basic structure of India=92s Constitution.=94 Singh concludes: =93Our=20
diplomats must judge if by asking all foreigners to desist from=20
mentioning the Gujarat carnage to us, they serve the national=20
interest.=94

Dubey, who has a liberal position on many issues, barring India=92s=20
nuclear weapons, is clear that demarches by foreign missions=20
regarding Gujarat do not constitute =93interference in our internal=20
affairs=94. India is a signatory to numerous international conventions=20
which stand mauled in Gujarat. The sheer magnitude of the butchery,=20
and the collusion of the state, have deeply shocked people=20
everywhere. Besides, says Dubey, the =93philosophical basis=94 of the=20
European Union, involving as it does diluting sovereignty in favour=20
of larger principles such as human rights, makes it natural for the=20
EU to express strong feelings about the Gujarat events.

The MEA has resorted to incredible contortion, hair-splitting, and=20
dissimulation to ward off criticism, to deny its very existence, and=20
to repudiate legitimate concerns--without convincing facts, but with=20
assertions of national =93sovereignty=94. For days, it strenuously denied=20
that the EU issued a demarche to India on April 23 by summoning Dilip=20
Lahiri, India=92s ambassador to Spain, the current chair of the Union.=20
The MEA called the demarche =93mutual consultations=94. The EU showed=20
some sensitivity to the MEA=92s tendency to fly off the handle by=20
deciding to issue a demarche in Madrid rather than in New Delhi. In=20
fact, Spanish ambassador to India Alberto Escudero resisted=20
characterising the Madrid meeting and merely said that Lahiri was=20
=93acquainted=94 with the EU position on Gujarat.

The MEA has made much of the fact that the demarche was verbal, not=20
written. In reality, a demarche can be verbal or written; it is=20
nothing but a diplomatic communication by one state of its feelings=20
or sentiments, with or without soliciting a response from the other=20
state. However, the truth was soon out: it was confirmed that the EU=20
indeed issued a demarche.=20

On May 2, at the India-EU biannual summit, the EU once again=20
expressed its concern =93regarding violence, loss of life and property=20
and the requirement for urgent humanitarian relief=94 in Gujarat. But=20
so keen was the MEA not to use the word demarche, that its=20
spokesperson merely said the controversy caused by media reports on=20
the EU position was =93regrettable=94, but refused to either confirm or=20
deny whether the there was a =93demarche=94. She only said Gujarat was=20
discussed in =93an open and candid manner=94. The MEA statement said that=20
the EU recognises that its concerns =93had already been addressed=20
vigorously and effectively in the Indian media, public opinion and=20
civil society and by the Indian government and Parliament=94. This was=20
the MEA=92s way of saying =93we are internally doing all that=92s=20
necessary; don=92t bother us any more =85=94

The plain truth is, the government has been badly rattled by the=20
demarches and expressions of concern from the international=20
community--specifically the EU and numerous donor states, including=20
Britain, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and Finland, as=20
well as adverse press comments virtually throughout the world on=20
Vajpayee=92s appalling mishandling of the situation in Gujarat and his=20
shielding of Narendra Milosevic Modi.

One of the most scathing editorial comments appeared,=20
characteristically, in The Financial Times--which represents the=20
voice of the enlightened sections of international business--which=20
says the violence was =93backed by the state=94. It =93was not=20
spontaneous but a pre-planned policy involving State ministers to=20
purge Muslims and destroy their economy=94.

The editorial endorses the finding of independent investigations that=20
Godhra was no more than a =93pretext=94 for communal violence, =93which=20
was planned months before=94 and that =93free swords were being=20
distributed =85 days before the riots began.=94 The paper earlier=20
reported that some diplomats described the Gujarat events as=20
=93genocide=94, but the EU report stopped short of using that word. It=20
concludes: =93India=92s treatment of its minority population has become=20
a matter of international concern.=94

Equally upsetting to the MEA are reports that a number of foreign=20
nationals of Gujarati origin who have been seriously affected by the=20
violence are planning to criminally prosecute functionaries of the=20
Central and state governments.

The only redeeming feature, as some Indian officials see it, is the=20
United States=92 extraordinarily soft and =93understanding=94 attitude=20
regarding Gujarat They desperately hope that American help would=20
somehow pull Vajpayee out of the present mess. They note that State=20
Department spokesperson Philip Reeker on April 16 went out of his way=20
to treat the Vajpayee government with kid gloves. He said: =93This type=20
of violence doesn=92t benefit anybody,=94 and promptly added that the US=20
accepts Vajpayee=92s patently disingenuous =93clarification=94 about his=20
crassly communal remarks on April 12 in Goa as being taken =93out of=20
context=94.

In practice, the MEA has peevishly targeted not just foreign=20
diplomats, but even journalists. Take the case of Marina Forti, an=20
experienced South Asia hand, who works for the highly reputed Italian=20
newspaper, Il Manifesto. Forti recently spent some weeks in India and=20
Pakistan, including a visit to Kashmir, and filed a series of reports=20
on the violence in Gujarat and the anti-communal protests in various=20
parts of the country.

On April 24, she was summoned by Yogesh K Gupta, India=92s deputy chief=20
of mission in Rome and told =93[New] Delhi is very disturbed by the=20
articles you wrote=94. Says Forti: =93I couldn=92t believe what I was=20
hearing. The embassy had my articles translated =85 and sent to Delhi.=20
Mr Gupta got back a note, which I saw before him, with a list of=20
accusations =85 This is the first time ever that a top diplomat of a=20
democratic country has summoned me to say that my articles are not in=20
the line of his government.=94

Gupta took strong exception to Western journalists not using the=20
handouts sent out by Indian missions abroad, which claim there are=20
only =93isolated incidents=94 of violence in Gujarat and that =93calm and=20
communal harmony has been restored =85=94

Specifically, what did Gupta find objectionable? One passage included=20
a quote from the preliminary report of the National Human Rights=20
Commission, citing Justice Verma on the prevalence of insecurity in=20
Gujarat. Gupta apparently exploded: =93How dare you say this, do you=20
think you are the Indian Human Rights Commission?=94 Gupta accused=20
Forti of having only =93listened to only one side=94. (When she asked=20
=93what side=94, he said =93those massacred=94!)

Another =93objectionable=94 article included an interview with Yasin=20
Malik of the Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front, whom the Indian and=20
the foreign media quote regularly. Gupta called this =93outrageous=94 and=20
=93siding with terrorists=94. Another =93outrageous=94 remark was Forti=92s=
=20
statement that =93there won=92t be strategic security in the subcontinent=20
until there is peace in this border, and there won=92t be peace in=20
Kashmir without a negotiated solution involving the local population=94.

Gupta was also infuriated by Forti=92s reference to an award-winning=20
documentary film on uranium mining in Jadugoda, which exposes unsafe=20
practices and serious health damage among occupational workers. This=20
film was publicly screened at the India International Centre in the=20
Capital. Gupta saw this as =93unbalanced=94, =93provocative=94 and =93a cle=
ar=20
attempt to attack the nuclear policy of India=94! He also accused Forti=20
of having =93betrayed his trust=94.

It is ludicrous that Indian diplomats should be going to such=20
irrational lengths to intimidate and censor independent journalists=20
and assert archaic notions of sovereignty of the type embodied in the=20
Treaty of Westphalia of 1648. That Treaty gave the-then novel=20
nation-state the =93inherent=94 right to promote its interests in=20
whatever manner it chooses, without limitation or restriction.

However, our diplomats should know better. The world has spent the=20
best part of the past century in diluting, taming and =93civilising=94=20
the concept of national sovereignty. Right since the Geneva=20
Conventions (1925), the collective body of nation-states has placed=20
constraints upon the state=92s exercise of sovereignty--for instance,=20
by agreeing not to use biological weapons, and accepting codes for=20
the conduct of war and treatment of civilians, etc. It has evolved a=20
rich body of international humanitarian law.

This process gained momentum with the formation of the United=20
Nations, the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,=20
and the signing of numerous conventions and covenants over the=20
years--on civil and political rights, labour rights, the rights of=20
the child, women=92s rights, migrants=92 rights, etc. All these abridge=20
national sovereignty in the absolute sense.

Equally important are arms control and disarmament treaties like the=20
Partial Test Ban or Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the Chemical=20
Weapons Convention and the latest protocol on biological weapons=20
abolition. These too limit the extent to which nations may go in=20
defence of their interests.

The most important of such voluntary self-limitation efforts by=20
nations relate to human rights, which are a universal concern. This=20
universality is at the centre of the evolution of international=20
criminal jurisprudence after the Nuremberg and Tokyo tribunals.=20
Genocide and crimes against humanity are by their very nature a=20
global concern. The rationale of multilateral intervention and=20
preventive diplomacy against such horrors has never been in doubt. A=20
strong case can be made out even for unilateral intervention in=20
extreme emergencies--where the very existence of an ethnic group is=20
at risk.

The MEA, led by Jaswant Singh, is getting delusional. It reckons that=20
India=92s =93strategic partnership=94 with the US will come to its rescue,=
=20
just as US indulgence helped Pervez Musharraf conduct the farce=20
called =93referendum=94. New Delhi under the BJP=92s dispensation is indeed=
=20
beholden to Washington, thanks to the Vajpayee regime=92s zealous=20
pro-globalisation economic policy, its shameful silence on and=20
complicity in Ariel Sharon=92s vicious attacks on the Palestinian=20
people, and its acquiescence in Washington=92s assault on international=20
agreements on arms control, human rights, and the environment. India=20
kowtowed to Star Wars-style missile defence even before the US=92s=20
closest allies did.

India=92s =93strategic=94 intimacy explains why Washington=92s response to=
=20
the Gujarat pogrom has been so extraordinarily muted and polite.=20
Washington is mollycoddling a government which has launched a=20
murderous assault on India=92s secular-Constitutional order and=20
practised ethnic cleansing a la Slobodan Milosevic.

Should the US continue to indulge the Vajpayee government--and in=20
effect Modi--, it will have proved one thing: Unbalanced alliances=20
with that hyperpower, which has never learned to use its clout=20
prudently or subtly, rarely promote good causes such as human rights.=20
The Pakistani people have already paid an onerous price for=20
Washington=92s cosy relations with Musharraf. (The US has even refused=20
to comment on the bogus referendum). We too may end up doing that--at=20
the expense of the people of Gujarat, and by hacking away at the=20
foundations of secularism in this country.--end--

_____

#6.

GUJARAT CARNAGE - A TURNING POINT
Strategy for 'Pro-Active' Secularism

by Gaurang Mehta

http://www.mnet.fr/aiindex/GaurangMehta.html

_____

#7.

Dear Friends,

The preparations for the Padyatra are in full swing. The Padyatra=20
will take-off from Chitrakoot. It has been decided to keep the focus=20
of the inauguration programme on 'Gender and Communalism'. Various=20
women's groups and cultural groups are likely to participate. A big=20
public programme will be organized on 26th May, 2002, afternoon and=20
the padyatra will begin the next day morning after a small public=20
meeting. The yatra will reach Allahabad on 3rd June where a public=20
meeting will be held at Sadhana Sadan. On 8-9 June, 2002 a=20
Manav-Dharam Sammelan will be organized in Raja Talab, 15 km before=20
reaching Varanasi. Kishan Patnaik, Kudip Nayyar, Nirmala Deshpande,=20
Siddharaj Dhadda and Thakur Das Bang have confirmed to participate.=20
The yatra will reach Varanasi the next day where the Gandhian Studies=20
Centre of the Kashi Vidyapeeth will host the main meeting. On 13th=20
June the yatra will be in Jaunpur where Swami Agnivesh will address a=20
public meeting and finally the yatra will reach Ayodhay on 21st June,=20
2002. Medha Patkar will be there to address the final meeting. Anand=20
Patwardhan will also join the yatra towards its end. A combined NAPM,=20
CNDP, Sarva Sewa Sangha meeting will also be organized on 22nd and=20
23rd June to discuss the future of movement against communalization=20
of our society.
Please make plans to join the yatra wherever and for=20
whatever period you comfortably can. Cultural groups are specially=20
invited. We'll be carrying some literature with us for distribution=20
and sale. If any organization would like us to carry their literature=20
(preferably in Hindi) we'll be happy to do so.

Love, Sandeep

------------------
MARCH FOR PEACE & HARMONY
27 May to 21 June, 2002, Chitrakoot to Ayodhya

MANAV-DHARMA SAMMELAN
8-9 June, 2002, Raja Talab, Varanasi

We are going through very troubled times. Some=20
fundamentalist forces are trying to poison our minds. The outcome is=20
one of the worst communal carnages we have witnessed. We can only=20
hang our heads in shame in response to what has been happening in=20
Gujarat. We cannot recall any other occasion in our recent memory=20
when a society has mortgaged its collective wisdom to a hate based=20
violent ideology.

Some people forcibly want to construct a temple in Ayodhya. A temple=20
is meant for worshipping. Normally construction of a temple and=20
worshipping are considered very pious activities. Whether a temple=20
will get constructed in Ayodhya on the disputed land or not the=20
movement has plunged us into a communal fire. The manner in which=20
communal violence was executed in Gujarat it has also raised doubts=20
as to whether the entire temple movement was meant for this purpose.=20
Can it be called a religious movement at all? When an action of ours=20
becomes a cause of fear, terror and violence for others it cannot be=20
called a humane action.

The common God-believing people, be they of any=20
religion, want to live with peace and harmony. Nobody would like to=20
offend another person in the process of worshipping their God. The=20
Ayodhya temple movement is causing harm to the social fabric of this=20
country and is distorting the culture of co-existence of Indian=20
society. If innocent people are being killed due to the temple=20
movement then it is not at all a religious programme. It is naked=20
politics for power. The common people of this country do not approve=20
of this abuse of religion for political purpose. We are opposed to=20
all kinds of fundamentalist thinking be it related to any religion.

With a view to take the debate of what is religion=20
and what is not religion to the common people we are planning about a=20
month long padyatra. We believe that we can be misled for a short=20
while but ultimately we reject violence and aggressive behaviour. We=20
are peace loving people and normally practice the larger tolerance=20
value of religion.

Most of the people in their daily life believe in a=20
human centered religion. Irrespective of their beliefs we try to find=20
our God in fellow human beings. We experience true happiness only in=20
the service of fellow human beings. The one who gets trapped in=20
parochial thinking can never be happy. The categorization of human=20
beings on the lines of nations, religions, castes or gender will=20
always result in violence and agony because these are man made=20
categories, not natural.

The traditional religions which have a narrow=20
perspective have failed to give proper respect to women. They have=20
ignored the existence of women. How can we even conceive of a happy=20
and prosperous society while insulting half the population on earth.=20
What to talk of equality the traditional religions have exploited the=20
women. Even during the time of communal violence women are made the=20
soft targets. There is no place for such religions in a civilized=20
society.

We may say that we are governed by God but we never=20
give up in our efforts. Normally we reap as we harvest. And we act=20
according to our understanding. We always try to improve our=20
understanding based on our experiences. In fact, the only difference,=20
if at all any that exists, among human beings is their understanding.=20
Hence we are the observer, doer and it is we who experience.

On the way of padyatra a Manav-Dharma Sammelan will=20
be organized on 8th and 9th June in Raja Talab, 15 km before reaching=20
Varanasi. Well known social activists, who are actually serving the=20
vast humanity and religious leaders who can interpret religion=20
keeping in view the interest of all human beings living on earth will=20
be invited. We will have to reject the attempts by some organizations=20
to hijack religion and give it a fundamentalist tinge otherwise our=20
society is headed towards disintegration.

Contact: AALI office, 407 Dr. Baijnath Road, near Post Office, New=20
Hyderabad Colony, Lucknow, Phone: 782060, 782066, 347365, 342435,=20
Mobile: 9839018491, 9839073355, e-mail: ashain@s...,=20
aali@s...

MARCH FOR PEACE & HARMONY
27 MAY TO 21 JUNE, 2002, CHITRAKOOT TO AYODHYA

Date Place Contact Person

May 27 Chitrakoot Madhvi Kukreja,=20
Vanangana, Dwarikapuri Colony, Karwi, Chitrakoot,
Ph: (05198) 36985, 35036
June 1 Shankargarh Rampal Verma, Sankalp,=20
Khan Mazdoor Union, Shankargarh
June 3 Allahabad Ram Dheeraj, Azadi=20
Bachao Andolan, Gandhi Bhawan, Chaitham
Lines, Allahabad, Ph: (0532) 641872, 466838
June 6 Gopiganj Pranavanand Muni=20
(Dr. S.C. Verma), Deen Dukhi Sewa Ashram,
Sadar Mohalla, Gopiganj,
Ph: (05414) 30256
June 8,9 Raja Talab Nandlal Master, Lok Samiti,=20
Mehdiganj, Raja Talab, Varanasi,
Ph: (0542) 632433
June 10 Varanasi Ajit Singh, Guria,=20
S-8/395 Khajuri Colony, Varanasi,
Ph: (0542) 342253;
Ram Chandra Rahi, Sarva Sewa Sangha, Rajghat, Varansai,
Ph: (0542) 430957
June 13 Jaunpur Daulat Ram,=20
Bhartiya Jan Sewa Sanstha, Badlapur, Jaunpur,
Ph: (05453) 48580
June 18 Akbarpur R.B. Pal, Jan=20
Shikshan Kendra, Village Kutiyawan, Post Bewana,
Ambedkarnagar, Ph: (05271) 55031, 55037
June 19 Gosaiganj Bharat Bhushan, PANI,=20
Village Dhirendrapuri, Post Chachikpur,
Ambedkarnagar, Ph: (05271) 57340, 57240, (05278) 25175
June 21 Ayodhya Uttam Sharma, Vishwa=20
Ekta Parishad-c/o Gopal Mandir, Ramghat,
Ayodhya, Ph: (05278) 27847, (05248) 23817

_____

#8.

Unfeeling men, hypocritical voices
by Javed Akhtar
http://167.216.192.98/goodearth/offbeat16.shtml

_____

#9.
The Hindustan Times, Wednesday, May 15, 2002

Trampling on India
by A.G. Noorani
http://www.hindustantimes.com/nonfram/150502/detpla01.asp

_____

#10.

The Gujarat Carnage
by Amitav Ghosh (April 26, 2002)

The recent carnage in Gujarat is not just a fresh chapter in the=20
sub-continent's annals of horror: it may well prove to be the=20
prologue to horrors yet-undreamt-of. In the aftermath of the=20
slaughter it has become clear that the machinery of state and=20
possibly even the financial apparatus of the commercial world were=20
bent to the task of instigating and supporting mob violence. In other=20
words, two of the most important forces of order in society were=20
turned to exactly the opposite purpose: undermining peace and=20
promoting violence. This is a grim augury for the future, and it has=20
been made grimmer still by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's=20
speech in Goa. In endorsing the action of the Gujarat mobs and in=20
demonizing an entire community he has essentially abdicated the=20
Government of India's claim to sovereignty in administering justice.=20
This is an outrage; a clear and culpable dereliction of duty on the=20
part of the BJP-led government and the Prime Minister himself.

http://amitavghosh.com/articles/gujratcarnage.htm

_____

#11.

The Hindu, 11 May 2002

The violence of sovereignty
By Himadeep R. Muppidi
http://www.hinduonnet.com/2002/05/11/stories/2002051100331000.htm

_____

#12.

Film screening of 'Gujarat: A Work In Progress' followed by a=20
discussion with the film-maker:

On: 16th May 2002.
Venue: 1st Floor, Bombay Sarvoday Mandal, Shantashram, Nana Chowk, Grant
Road, (West). [Bombay]
Time: 6.00 p.m

About the Film: On February 27th 2002, 56 people were torched alive in th=
e
coaches of the Sabarmati Express. This film (a work in progress). This
film is a brief report of what followed. 68 talukas and 21 cities of Gujrat=
are
affected by this carnage but this video is limited to Ahemadabad city and
exposes the modus operandi of the genocidal attack.
Like the experimentation of fascism, this film too, is a work in progress=
.

Duration: 35 Minutes.
Directed by: Stalin K./Drishti Media Collective/ Citizen's Initiative, Gujr=
at.

_____

#13.

If you would like make financial contributions / donations in the US=20
towards relief for victims of violence in Gujarat. The following two=20
organisations in the US can be sent the monies.

SINGH Foundation
c/o Ramakrishnan
50 West 97th St. 15-T
New York, NY 10025
http://www.singhfoundation.org/

India Relief and Education Fund
P.O. Box 14360
Fremont, CA 94539
http://iref.homestead.com/

(Your contribution is eligible for tax relief under section 80G.)

____

#14.

We have launched a new online magazine "lines" at
www.lines-magazine.org. Lines engages with the
political spaces of Sri Lanka. We understand that
space not just as a question of elections and
parliamentary debate, but as conversations regarding
contested visions of peace, multiculturalism, economic
justice, feminisms, citizenship, sexual pluralism,
diasporic nationalism, and such. We seek to provide a
forum that inspires and challenges us to critically
scrutinize the terms of received debates and enables
alternative political imaginaries.

While Sri Lanka is the principle reference for the
conversations engaged with in lines, it is not the
sole concern. We actively seek articles that engage
with the kind of issues enumerated above in addressing
different territorial entities, from the occupied
territories of Palestine to the State of Gujarat in
India.

We invite you to email comments, suggestions and
criticisms regarding any aspect of "lines" to
<contact@l...>

with warm regards

Sincerely,
Ahilan Kadirgamar
S. Nanthikesan
Vasuki Nesiah
(Editors)

____

#15.

In the May Himal:

+ The shaming of India: Why and how Gujarat
+ Sindh and the Pakistani referendum
+ Sexual harassment and suicide in Bangladesh
+ Hussaini Brahmins: The Hindu-Muslim fusion in Punjab
+ Pakistan, Palestine and George W Bush
+ Editorial on Gujarat

ooo
+ Gujarat special +

+ Essay: "The social engineering of Gujarat," by Gujarati researcher=20
and activist Hemant Babu. The silence of a sizeable part of the=20
silent majority is not the speechless shock of numbed bystanders but=20
the conspiratorial silence of willing spectators. Gujarat burns today=20
because of strategic shifts in social identities.
+ Editorial: "The enemy within". South Asia has the right and duty to=20
condemn what has happened in Gujarat and to learn from the carnage.
+ Letter from Ahmedabad: "The contradictions of modern Gujarat." This=20
letter from Ahmedabad resident Anjal Prakash explores the recent=20
economic history that has led the state to this moment of carnage.
+ Opinion: "India's self-goal in Gujarat." It is the Hindu-right's=20
communal "laboratory experiments" in the state that have caused the=20
massacres of Muslims today's violence is not a failure of the=20
administration but rather its perverse success. Written by Inter=20
Press Services India bureau chief Ranjit Devraj.
+ Opinion: "Riot cheerleaders." The unprecedented participation of=20
women in support of the Hindutva mobs points to perverse=20
"liberation." An examination of gender politics and social=20
transformations by IIT-Bombay academic D Parthasarathy.
+ Opinion: "Dalits and Adivasis, cannon fodder for Hindutva?" Since=20
the anti-reservation riots of the 1980s, the hierarchical Hindu=20
leadership has reasserted its power over the lower castes, with=20
dangerous results for Gujarat's Muslim community. Caste politics=20
examined by Delhi-based writer and political analyst Praful Bidwai.
+ Commentary: "Paradigm shift." Gujarat's mayhem represents the worst=20
South Asian ethnic pogrom in decades.

All at www.himalmag.com

____

#16.

INDO-AMERICAN ARTS COUNCIL & WORLD POLICY INSTITUTE in association with SAJ=
A

Present

A STAGED READING from Shashi Tharoor's 'RIOT'
by
Shabana Azmi, Shashi Tharoor, Madhur Jaffrey, Tunku Varadarajan

Adapted & Directed by Michael Johnson Chase

followed by an Open Discussion on the current violence in Gujarat and the
Babri Masjid/Ram Janmabhoomi controversy

Venue: WPI, Swayduck Auditorium, 65 Fifth Ave., (bet 13th & 14th),
NYC.

Time: 6:30 =96 8:30 pm
Date: Tuesday May 21, 2002

Tickets:$10 at the door or mail a cheque to the Indo-American Arts
Council, 27 Holly Drive, New Rochelle, NY 10801.

Information: Please call 914 637 0833 or email aroon@m...

Sponsored by: Masi Marketing International Inc.
Radisson Hotel Eastside
Hudson Bar & Books
Air India

Program

Vocal rendition of Hindu bhajan/Muslim devotional : Isheeta Ganguly
Introduction: Mira Kamdar
Staged Reading: Shabana Azmi, Shashi Tharoor, Madhur Jaffrey, Tunku
Varadarajan
Open Discussion between Readers & Audience: moderated by Aroon Shivdasani.

--=20
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