[sacw] SACW | 1 Nov. 02

[Harsh Kapoor]

South Asia Citizens Wire | 1 November 2002

__________________________

#1. India: Remembering Sudesh Vaid [the well known Feminist] (Neeraj=20
Malik, Kumkum Sangari, Svati Joshi, Uma Chakravarti, Urvashi Butalia)
#2. India: Light lamps for peace on Sunday, November 3, in Bombay=20
(organised by Insaaniyat).
#3. Recent Riots in Maharashtra (Asghar Ali Engineer)
#4. India: Vajpayee=B9s last chance (Praful Bidwai)
#5. India: Calendar for 2003 on communalism
#6. Announcement : INSAF Bulletin [7] November 1, 2002=20
(International South Asia Forum)

__________________________

#1.

EPW
October 26, 2002
Commentary

Remembering Sudesh Vaid

Her death last year, from cancer, at the age of 61, was a deep=20
political loss that left a personal void and even ended a life-world=20
for many people. Each of us has our private and collective memories=20
of Sudesh, and sorting through the years of friendship,=A0political=20
sharing, the large memories and the small memories, is not an=20
exercise that can be easily undertaken or=A0ever=A0completed.

Neeraj Malik, Kumkum Sangari, Svati Joshi, Uma Chakravarti, Urvashi Butalia

Sudesh Vaid was a rare public intel-lectual who made a deliberate and=20
conscious choice to occupy a modest=A0place in life. In so doing Sudesh=20
enriched and enhanced that space so hugely that her death last year,=20
from cancer, at the age of 61, was a deep political loss that left a=20
personal void and even ended a life-world for many people.

Despite her immense contribution to different social and political=20
movements, and the recognition she received, despite a large=20
following and international fame, Sudesh wore her laurels lightly,=20
almost shrugging them off. She was surprised when people from all=20
over the country wrote to her or came to see her when they learnt of=20
her illness. If this innate and genuine humility prevented Sudesh=20
from memorialising herself, it also made her much larger than=20
herself. While attempting to put together this tribute to Sudesh, we,=20
her friends (affectionately and collectively nicknamed =8Cmurgis=B9),=20
have found it immensely difficult to compress her=A0rich and=20
multilayered life, the shaping contribution she made to democratic=20
movements and to each of our lives, into a few pages.

The space Sudesh occupied contained many overlapping worlds. The=20
years Sudesh spent in the US working for a PhD degree in English=20
literature were a formative time. These were the anti-Vietnam years,=20
when campus after campus rang with political dissent and student=20
demonstrations. The Marxism and the feminism that were to govern her=20
life in the years to come were consolidated in this moment. After her=20
return to India, she became a democratic rights activist and was one=20
of the founding members of the People=B9s Union of Democratic Rights=20
(PUDR), an organisation that has worked vigorously for the=20
preservation of the democratic rights of Indian peoples for over two=20
decades. From the mid-1970s Sudesh was also a central and in some=20
respects a pioneering figure in the women=B9s movement. She was a key=20
figure in the campaigns against dowry, rape, and sati as well as in=20
the drafting of the new rape bill, and was also involved in debates=20
on law and on sexuality. She was the first to bring the insights and=20
demands of the democratic rights movement to feminism and vice versa,=20
the first to forge practical, political and theoretical links between=20
the two. The PUDR report on custodial rape, =8CInside the Family=B9,=A0was=
=20
the first of its kind, and till today it remains an important=20
landmark in the women=B9s movement. Sudesh was the happiest when her=20
perspective found its way into writing in the form of PUDR reports=20
which, as a matter of principle, are accredited to the organisation=20
and not to individuals.

Her work as a political activist was supplemented and supported by=20
other academic and political writing (some in the pages of this=20
journal), and ranged from a book on 18th century British fiction, an=20
essay on the gendered concepts of evolution in 19th century England,=20
a study of the genesis and ideology of the National Federation of=20
Indian Women, an interview-based analysis of Partition violence, to=20
editing a course on Women and Law for the Indira Gandhi International=20
Open University. Sudesh carried her political understanding into=20
every aspect of her work. In 1981 she co-organised the first national=20
seminar on the relationship between women and culture in Indraprastha=20
College. The proceedings later turned into a co-edited book (Women=20
and Culture) published, fittingly, by the SNDT Women=B9s University in=20
Bombay. This venture in turn led to the commissioning of the essays=20
for the pathbreaking book, Recasting Women, jointly edited with=20
Kumkum Sangari. Recasting Women was a pioneering effort in more ways=20
than one. In making a conscious decision to ask men to write on=20
gender issues, the editors were making a political statement about=20
the potentials of Indian feminism: it could be an inclusive rather=20
than an exclusive political movement. Contrary to the then-prevalent=20
positions of American radical feminists, Sudesh and Kumkum believed=20
that women and men who worked rigorously in the =8Cmainstream=B9 social=20
sciences and humanities could be persuaded to use their knowledge in=20
a different way. Nonetheless Recasting did not remain only an=20
academic exercise, it was imagined as a text that would serve the=20
needs of MA students and be used as teaching material. Later, their=20
joint work on sati, provided equally new and important insights; it=20
led to their being involved in the drafting of a legal case against=20
the glorification of sati, while the essay itself was used not only=20
by academics but also by activists and submitted as evidence in=20
court. Both these pieces of work won Sudesh national and=20
international acclaim.

Sudesh Vaid was also a dearly loved and admired (and no doubt=20
sometimes feared) teacher and colleague. She taught for over 25 years=20
at Indraprastha College for Women in Delhi University and her=20
commitment to teaching was such that even during her illness she=20
continued to meet her students for classes at home as long as she=20
could do so. Neeraj remembers that it was Sudesh who initiated weekly=20
seminars and joint teaching sessions in the honours courses and she=20
was the one who took charge of the students of B and C streams whose=20
levels of proficiency in English were low. Helping these students to=20
overcome their difficulty with the language almost became a mission,=20
and she was often seen beaming with joy when they passed their=20
examinations. She organised special tea-parties for these students=20
every year, drawing all friends into animated discussions of possible=20
menus! Kumkum remembers Sudesh=B9s role in introducing class and gender=20
issues in the literature classroom, and her intense participation in=20
setting up and running first the IP College Women=B9s Cell, and later=20
the IP College Relief Committee comprising students and staff in 1984=20
who carried food and clothing to the relief camps for several months.

Each of us has our private and collective memories of Sudesh, and=20
sorting through these years of friendship, political sharing, the=20
large memories and the small memories, is not an exercise that can be=20
easily undertaken or ever completed. Neeraj remembers the many=20
campaigns in which they were together in college and outside of it.=20
=B3Our lives were so intertwined that it is difficult for me to=20
pinpoint a moment when Sudesh became part of my thinking=B2, she says.=20
=B3It seems to me that we have always been together in political work,=20
with Sudesh leading and I following=B2. For Kumkum, Sudesh was a dearly=20
loved friend and comrade with whom she worked on a number of issues,=20
organising seminars, travelling in Rajasthan, producing books and=20
essays, typing through the summer, and rushing across the city in=20
buses or autos late at night just to check out on an editorial change=20
or a political formulation. Uma Chakravarti remembers her first=20
meeting with Sudesh in the mid-sixties, and as they got to know each=20
other, Uma heard many stories about Sudesh being an unconventional=20
woman with a sense of fun and an unusual courage. On one occasion=20
when Sudesh was looking for the house of a friend and could not find=20
it, she persuaded a peanut seller to put her on his bicycle and take=20
her to the place rather than simply point her in the right direction!=20
Swati remembers meeting her in the seventies and being immediately=20
enveloped in her warmth and hospitality. For Urvashi, Sudesh provided=20
much-needed support in her research on Partition, and shared the=20
burden of listening to the grief-laden and anguished stories of=20
refugees.

Sudesh consciously chose to live a simple and uncluttered life. She=20
was a rare person who encompassed much more than just an individual=20
life. She built and sustained a whole web of relationships and wove=20
them effortlessly into her daily life. Her home at Indraprastha=20
College staff quarters, known as D-2, held together a crowd of=20
feminists, democratic rights activists, students, teachers and other=20
academics, all of whom came together in a practice that was not=20
compartmentalised or segregated, so that each one=B9s work and thinking=20
began to seep into, and enrich the other, singly and collectively.=20
The political, academic, professional, domestic and personal=20
intertwined and flowed together. It was a place where one could find=20
political purpose, excitement, stimulation as well as warmth and=20
care. Svati remembers it as being a home you could always go to and=20
be confident of being welcomed. =B3Whenever there was a domestic=20
problem or worry=B2, she says, =B3one simply went to D-2 and collapsed.=20
Sudesh would then take over and look after every single detail, from=20
cooking your favourite food to making the bed.=B2

Sudesh was, above all, a political person and valued both passionate=20
argument and the complexity and labour of building a political=20
perspective. For her the process of arriving at such an understanding=20
was research, sharing, and a collective learning. She would spend=20
weeks reading and researching areas relevant to either her teaching=20
or her political work (and as such could range from Renaissance=20
poetry to Freud to the illicit liquor trade in Himachal to the=20
history of Punjab in a single year) in libraries and archives, yet=20
once these were =8Cunderstood=B9 she would seldom feel impelled to write=20
and publish them. Rather in the time-honoured tradition of the oral=20
intellectual, they would be shared, often around that=20
familiar-to-all-friends dining table, over many cups of tea,=20
canteen-samosas and smoke. We valued these, often heated and=20
sometimes furiously embattled, discussions as much as Sudesh did, and=20
some of us =8Cgrew up=B9 on them. Through and beyond these discussions,=20
Sudesh managed to maintain an individual and caring relationship with=20
each person, as well as a collective equation with overlapping groups=20
made up of people with different preoccupations.

Every interaction, every discussion at D-2 grew out of an=20
involvement, a practice where ideas were constantly being hammered=20
out and tested repeatedly on an ever-changing ground, be it the=20
teacher=B9s movement or a PUDR fact-finding investigation on widowed=20
Partition refugees eking out a meagre livelihood in Delhi. We, along=20
with her other friends and political colleagues, respected and=20
honoured Sudesh for the quality of her political understanding as=20
well as the importance she gave to disseminating her learning, to the=20
open sharing of both her doubts and her convictions. This profoundly=20
democratic interaction involving an arduous process of argument,=20
disagreement and persuasion, this constant questioning, this=20
reluctance to settle into a formulaic politics, this willingness to=20
start from scratch on each issue rather than=A0rely on a banal=20
accumulation of individual =8Cwisdom=B9 or on an egotistical=20
self-aggrandising sense of =8Cachievement=B9, this unrelenting attempt to=20
place the political issue above the tangle of personalities or the=20
greed of professional investments, was perhaps related to a lived=20
feminism as much as to an egalitarian and enquiring Marxism, and it=20
marked her as unique. The more so since it was combined with a=20
political grit that enabled her, and her colleagues in PUDR, to=20
singlemindedly pursue a particular campaign or report. Sudesh carried=20
this style of work, a style of total immersion, into all her=20
involvements. Kumkum remembers that when they worked together on=20
sati, she was untiring in following the trail of widow-immolations=20
from one village in Rajasthan to the next. =B3Although she was older=20
than me=B2, says Kumkum, =B3she just never gave up and would be willing=20
to go back to things again and again to clarify an idea or confirm a=20
fact. For her there were no half measures, no giving up halfway.=B2

Sudesh was a person of immense integrity. Fiercely honest, she did=20
her best to minimise compromise and contradiction in her life. Her=20
open criticism sometimes won her opponents but it also made her free=20
from guile. She was, for example, deeply disappointed when a good=20
friend of hers, a lawyer, defended two rapists in a case of custodial=20
rape and she did not hesitate to tell him so. Her anger, however,=20
quickly dissipated when the friend apologised and admitted to having=20
made a mistake.

Indeed, for such a political person, Sudesh was never dismissive of=20
emotion. She did not fear the vulnerability that came with making=20
either her intellectual dilemmas or her personal needs transparent to=20
those around her. The last years of her life were marked by the loss=20
of dear ones and serious illnesses, the one following on the heels of=20
the other. She was hit particularly hard by the death of her=20
companion, C V Subbarao. She dealt with grief in paradoxical ways:=20
completing a degree in law, and launching herself on =8Cprojects=B9 which=20
comprised first collecting then giving away diverse objects ranging=20
from Rajasthani quilts to plants to dupattas. Her genuine pleasure in=20
sharing was not confined to knowledge and ideas but extended to all=20
her possessions. Nothing was to be hoarded, the political practice=20
and the personal life were linked in the deepest sense and at many=20
levels. Her friends still treasure the blossoming plants, the=20
dupattas, the kitchen gadgets, the remembered birthdays.

On her first encounter with cancer she won and maintained a certain=20
poise and even said, startlingly, that she had =8Cdomesticated=B9 cancer=20
for us. When the cancer struck a second time, Sudesh refused to go=20
through another round of arduous chemotherapy. Bombarded with pleas=20
from friends, she decided that if this was the love and caring that=20
she could depend on in her life, she owed it to her extended =8Cfamily=B9=20
and herself to fight the disease. Having once decided to do so, she=20
addressed herself to this battle as she did to everything else, with=20
gusto and determination. She raged against the injustice of this=20
fate, but she also fought it valiantly till the last continuing to=20
work for her beloved PUDR and the newly-set up Forum for Democracy in=20
Delhi University. A few weeks before the end, she returned from the=20
All India Institute of Medical Sciences and said that she had =8Cgood=20
news=B9, the doctor had ruled out brain cancer and told her it was bone=20
cancer =AD =B3At least=B2, she told us, =B3my brain won=B9t go=B2.

Just as in life Sudesh had many families, so also in death. Her=20
friends, comrades, colleagues, brothers, sisters, nephews and nieces=20
came together to mourn her. Her relatives, in keeping with Sudesh=B9s=20
wishes, generously allowed PUDR and her other friends to perform the=20
last rites, not with prayer and incense but with poems, songs,=20
slogans and tributes. And fittingly, she was draped in red cloth and=20
in purple cloth, and while her PUDR comrades held the bier aloft as=20
she left her home in Indraprastha College for the last time, it was=20
her old and young women friends and her niece who carried it to her=20
final destination. In this we maintained the tradition that=20
Sudesh=A0herself had established: it was she who had taught us how to=20
break the barriers=A0and hierarchies of age, erase the line between=20
precept and practice, and dissolve the borders between friendship and=20
kinship. Sudesh, our friend, sister, colleague, comrade, mentor,=20
guide, died as she had lived, with courage, dignity and=A0grace.

______

#2.

Hi

You must have received the announcement regarding the 'lamp-lighting'=20
event that Insaaniyat has organised for Sunday, November 3.

This is=A0a=A0personal reminder asking all of us=A0to come and light a=20
lamp=A0to not just show our solidarity for=A0the humanity and courage=20
of=A0those simple heroes who physically risked danger to save=A0the lives=20
of their neighbours in the midst of a terrible communal battle, but=20
also display our own quiet determination that we will not allow=A0our=20
own humanity=A0to be undermined or tainted=A0by=A0communal discrimination.=
=20
The gentle gesture of lighting lamps will symbolically reinforce that=20
determination.=A0And such=A0reassertions do help strengthen=A0the integrity=
=20
of India, and hold=A0our society together.

Please do inform and bring along=A0as many people as you can and show=20
that this is one more way to celebrate Diwali.

In solidarity

Anjum Rajabali

PS. Just in case you haven't received the announcement, it is carried below=
.

o o o

Insaaniyat invites you to honour the courage of those
who crossed the line to save their neighbours, heedless
of the communal passions raging around them.

On Sunday, 3 November, 2002, at 7 p.m. scores of
lamps will be lit for peace and the spirit of humanity,
dispelling some of the darkness of obscurantism and
hatred that have enveloped our times.

We shall gather at Marine Drive (near Ambassador
Hotel) at 7 p.m. Joining us will be film directors Govind
Nihalani, Prakash Jha, Mansoor Khan and Vinay Shukla,
Javed Anand and Teesta Setalvad of Communalism Combat,
writer Shobha De, poet-lyricist Javed Akhtar, designer Hemant
Trivedi, Kersi Katrak of The Republic and several others.

In a simultaneous endeavor, Insaaniyat members will
light lamps at IIT Market, Powai, while members of
the Humanity Forum, Bandra, will also light lamps
at Carter Road, Bandra at 7 p.m.

Join us to light a lamp for police officer M
Chudavat of Modasa Town who stood his ground alone
against a howling Hindu mob and so saved every
Muslim life in that town.

For the anonymous Muslim woman of Danilimda who
saved the lives of three Hindu reporters, regardless
of the danger to herself, her husband and her four
young daughters.

For Mumtaz of Juhapura, who sheltered a Buddhist
monk from a violent, stone-throwing mob.

For Sanjana and Sanjay Kedia, who carried dozens of
Muslims to safety, returning time and time again to
a riot-ridden area to save victims in their scooter
sidecar.

And for the activists of the Jan Sangharsh Manch who
ensured that not a single life was lost in the largely
Muslim locality of Salatnagar in Gomtipur, when 250
hutments were burned to the ground.

We shall light a lamp for them and hundreds like
them, everyday heroes who have stood their ground
for what they believe in, people whose names are not
recorded in history but who are the makers of history.
Their courage and humanity is the true culture and tradition
of our country and the only guarantee that our children will
have a future.

Join us with your family and friends at Marine Drive or
Bandra or IIT Market, Powai, as we reassert our faith in humanity.

_____

#3.

Recent Riots in Maharashtra

Asghar Ali Engineer

(Secular Perspective Nov. 1-15, 2002)

The Maharashtra has been witnessing riot after riot both major and=20
minor. Among major riots were in Malegaon in October 2001 and now in=20
Sholapur. Malegaon riot was not only a major riot but had shaken the=20
whole state. More than 13 persons were killed in that riot. In last=20
few days two riots in Sholapur and in Badlapur shook the state. In=20
Sholapur more than 9 persons were killed while in Badlapur there was=20
no loss of life but resulted in large destruction of property.

Several other riots also took place like in Jalgaon, Pune, Buldana=20
and other places. Ironically it is Shiv Sena which has been alleging=20
that more than 44 riots have taken place in Maharashtra under the=20
Vilasrao Deshmukh Government. It also alleged that properties worth=20
31 crore was lost in these riots. It is therefore, important to=20
examine who is responsible for these riots.

The riots in Sholapur are quite disturbing. Sholapur is no doubt=20
communally sensitive place. It had witnessed riots in early eighties.=20
But it was peaceful since that time. Sholapur is a major city in=20
Maharashtra and is well known for its textile industry. It is known=20
for its working class character. Most of its population consists of=20
working class. But like in other places in India there is severe=20
crisis in textile industry and people are suffering economically.

Muslims form a substantial part of the Sholapur population. There are=20
about 20 per cent Muslims in the population of 10 lakhs. These=20
Muslims, it is interesting to note, mostly belong to the lower castes=20
like Baghbans and others. There are also those who are in weaving=20
industry. There is also the bidi rolling industry which employs large=20
number of workers, mostly women. Then there are many low caste Hindus=20
from Andhra Pradesh most of whom also work in looms. Thus Sholapur=20
has unique character of its own.

Politically speaking it has been traditionally a Congress stronghold.=20
The Sharad Pawar Congress also has its influence. The Shiv Sena -BJP=20
does not have much influence in this industrial city. It is also=20
important to note that low caste Muslims like Baghbans are quite=20
assertive there. It is from this city that backward caste Muslim=20
movement arose and also the Muslim Marathi writers=B9 movement which=20
was led by Prof. F.H.Bennur, a retired professor of political science=20
in the local college. The Muslim Marathi writers movement has=20
acquired credibility of its own and holds its sessions regularly.

The rioting in Sholapur started on 11th October on Friday on the=20
question of insulting remarks against the Prophet of Islam by an=20
American Baptist priest Jerry Falwell. A protest rally was taken out=20
by the Muslims in Sholapur. The Muslims had also given call for=20
observing bandh on that day. The police fired in the air to disperse=20
the crowds as some Muslim boys tried to force Hindus who had not=20
closed their shops. When they refused these boys tried to forcefully=20
close their shops and trouble began.

The police responded by declaring curfew in Tilak chowk and other=20
affected areas. The protest march had started after the Friday=20
prayers and there was no leader worth the name to restrain the=20
protesters. The protestors also attacked the nearby Navratri Mandap.=20
The local mandal members retaliated and the riots broke out. Later=20
the house of former BJP MLA Narsingh Lengji was also attacked.=20
However, the MLA was not at home at the time of attack.

The violence then spread to various parts of the city and as usual it=20
is poorest and weakest sections of society who suffered.=20
Shashtrinagar is an area where poor people, rickshaw drivers, bidi=20
workers and others stay. And there are mostly qassab (butchers) in=20
the Tashqand Chowk area.

Once riots broke out areas like Tilak Chowk, Begumpeth Vijapurbees=20
and suburban areas of Neelamnagar, MIDC and Saharanagar were affected=20
and mostly Muslims suffered in these areas. In these areas shops,=20
factories and houses belonging to Minority community were set afire.=20
In many cases the rioters broke open the shops, looted the goods and=20
then set them to fire. Some 10 rickshaws were burnt near Begumpeth=20
rickshaw stand. The Gujrat sari shop belonging to Abdul Qadir Khatri=20
was looted and burnt and he sustained a loss of Rs. 10 lakhs and=20
other sari shop belonging to Abdur Rahim Khatri sustained a loss of=20
Rs.5 lakhs. In all 7 sari shops were set afire. Many factories were=20
also totally destroyed in this area.

The former BJP MLA=B9s house was set on fire in Sideshwarpeth by the=20
Muslim miscreants. Though Mr. Lengji, the former MLA was not at home=20
at the time his family members were there. They were saved by his=20
Muslim neighbour Ismail Wurud. This was a good gesture of humanity=20
and friendship on his part. The senior police inspector of the area=20
was suspended for negligence of duty.

The showroom of optics Dr.Abu Sufyan and his house were attacked near=20
employment exchange on next day (Saturday) in the morning and whole=20
establishment was destroyed. But Abu Sufyan and his doctor wife=20
Yasmin were persuaded by their Hindu neighbours to leave the place=20
and migrate to a safer area. That saved their lives.

It should also be mentioned here that the role played by Maulana=20
Shahabuddin Salafi was very laudable. He restrained the Muslim youth=20
in Saharnagar area and Asranagar area otherwise the Muslims would=20
have suffered far more damage. The Muslim youth were quite violent in=20
their behaviour. It was restraint and wisdom exercised by the Maulana=20
and also Police Commissioner Mr. More that saved the situation. The=20
Maulana also protected many Hindu lives in these areas.

Maulana Shahabuddin Salafi was very critical of the violent Muslim=20
youth. He felt they were not at all guided as to how to behave during=20
the bandh. These youth attacked the Durgadevi puja pandal and this=20
news spread like wild fire in the city and resulted in this disaster.=20
It was outrageous on their part to have attacked the pandal. The=20
Deputy Chief Minister Shri Chagan Bhujbal blamed the communal forces=20
for the planned manner in which they tried to wreak havoc in=20
Sholapur. He alleged that these forces wanted to repeat Gujrat in=20
Maharashtra but the riot was brought under control.

Badlapur village in Thane district went up in flames on 20th October.=20
It has population of about 10,000 of which Muslims are in majority.=20
This was the fourth riot in Thane district in last eight months.=20
Earlier three other places in Thane district Kalyan, Bhivandi and=20
Murbad saw communal violence. In this village most of the Muslims are=20
from Kokan area and are generally well to do. They have rice mills,=20
shops and other business establishments. The percentage of education=20
among Muslims in Badlapur is quite satisfactory.

Several shops and factories like saw mills belonging to minority=20
community were set ablaze by the Shiv Sena and BJP activists. The=20
clashes started between Hindu and Muslim youth on the question of=20
teasing a Muslim girl who had come to Badlapur for pursuing her=20
education. Though no one was killed in these riots 10 persons were=20
injured two of whom are said to be serious. All the injured have been=20
admitted in hospitals in Mumbai. The main loss was economic.

According to Minister of State for Home, Shri Kripashankar Singh, 40=20
persons have been arrested in connection with these communal=20
disturbances. Among those arrested are two Bhartiya Janta Party=20
Corporators (Badlapur is in Corporation area), Sharad Mhatre and=20
Sanjay Bhoir =AD and a former corporator Maood Kohari, an official=20
said. However, Mr. Singh refused to confirm. Mr. Singh said he was=20
unhappy with the police commissioner of Thane as number of communal=20
incidents have occurred in this district.

Inquiries on the spot revealed some rivalry between Shiv Sena and BJP=20
in this area and one of the reasons of this communal incident is the=20
race to capture more Hindu votes in the area. The incident of eve=20
teasing was mere spark. Communal situation was simmering in Badlapur=20
for some time, members of both the communities said. Bajrang Dal has=20
been quite active in this area for past eight months. The Muslims of=20
Badlapur said that they had voted for the BJP corporator Mr. Bhuir=20
and why should they be subjected to such violence.

Amravti district - Shendurjana Ghat in Vidarbha area of Maharashtra=20
also witnessed communal incidents at the time of immersion of Durga=20
images on 21st October. There was stoning on the procession when it=20
was passing through a mosque area. More than 90 persons were=20
arrested. The police had to resort to firing in the air to control=20
the mob. However, there was no loss of life.

Though number of riots (more than 44) have taken place in Maharashtra=20
during the PDA regime the entire blame cannot be pinned on the=20
government. The Hindutva forces are keen to capture power in the=20
state and are busy polarising Hindus and Muslims. In Jalgaon and=20
other places repeated attempts have been made to engineer communal=20
violence for this purpose. It is not basically fight between Hindus=20
and Muslims who want to live in peace. The VHP and Bajrang Dal,=20
motivated by their political agenda are spewing poison and provoking=20
violence. All these disturbances in Maharashtra should be seen in=20
this perspective. It seems that the present Government in Maharashtra=20
is trying to control communal violence but major and minor incidents=20
are taking place from time to time. Mr. Bal Thakckaray of Shiv Sena=20
tried to provoke Hindus through his utterances on his Dasehra eve=20
speech instigating the Hindu youth to form suicide squad. Such=20
utterances keep the communal situation on boil and an small incident=20
becomes spark for minor and or major communal riots. The Hindutva=20
forces are determined to keep India polarised on communal lines. At=20
the hands of these forces India is going the Pakistan way where the=20
jihadi groups keep Pakistan in a state of turmoil.

As these riots are occurring quite frequently in Maharashtra the=20
State Government has now decided to revive the Maharashtra Prevention=20
of Communal, ANTI-SOCIAL, AND OTHER Dangerous Activities Act. It was=20
allowed to lapse in eighties with enactment of NASA. But it is sought=20
to be revived in view of frequent communal incidents. The accused or=20
the potential offender can be detained for a period of six months=20
under this Act. There is no doubt if the Government acts promptly and=20
takes proper measures occurrence of such incidents can be prevented.=20
Riots take place only either with Government collusion or negligence.

*******************************
Centre for Study of Soceity and Secularism, Mumbai.

_____

#4.

The Hindustan Times
Friday, November 1, 2002
=A0
Vajpayee=B9s last chance
By Praful Bidwai
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/printedition/011102/detIDE01.shtml

______

#5.

calendars for the year 2003

communalism today is a vicious reality all over the world. after the=20
genocide in gujarat very few activists today doubt the emergence of=20
fascism in india. in reaction to such events, many anti-communal=20
groups have emerged all over the country. we have initiated the idea=20
of a calendar on communalism with the following objectives.

1. to widen the campaign against communalism
2. to strengthen the networking of anti-communal groups .

the choice of a calenar as a form of campaign is due to the fact=20
that such a campaign will stay in houses, offices or institutions for=20
a whole year. many groups have already been part of the campaign.

form of presentation: activists tend to use pain and anger more=20
often when they are disturbed about social issues. while these=20
expressions are very important, we feel that humour is a much more=20
powerful weapon. it has an inbuilt capacity to celebrate and to=20
accommodate more people. with this purpose, we have reproduced some=20
cartoons of k.p. sasi from the publications of vikas adhyayan kendra.=20
the calendar has 7 pages. groups can order copies of the calendar=20
with their names. minimum number of copies to order is 100, so that=20
the name of the organization/institution/forum can be printed.

organisers

this effort is organised by prakruti mudrana cheques/dd can be sent=20
on this name. the name of the organization/forum/movement ordering=20
the calendar can send their address and logo through email.

organisations who have already ordered:

the effort was initiated very recently. already many organisations=20
have expressed interest and orders have already been coming. those=20
who have already ordered for the calendar are:

1. papal tree, bangalore 100 nos
2. . sichrem, bangalore 100 nos
3. campus circle, trichur 100 nos
4. nottam, cochin 100 nos
5. vikas adhyayan kendra, mumbai 200nos
6. citizens initiative for peace, ahmedabad 5000nos
7. azghar ali engineer, mumbai 100nos
8. oxfam india, bangalore 1000nos
9. drtc, mumbai 200nos
10. insaaf, pondichery 100nos
11. tamilnadu=B9s women forum, chennai 100nos
12. pesticide action network asia pacific, malaysia 100nos

since there is not much time to involve all likely minded groups, we=20
request you to circulate this letter to all anti-communal groups=20
within your network.

for further details contact :

uvaraj m
prakruti mudrana
#51, 20th cross, 9th main, bsk ii stage
bangalore =AD 70. ph: 6713894
email: <mailto:uvaraj@v...>uvaraj@v...

______

#6.

The Latest issue of the INSAF Bulletin is now available to all, you=20
may request copies at the below address or from <aiindex@m...>

INSAF Bulletin [7] November 1, 2002
International South Asia Forum

Postal address: Box 272, Westmount Stn., QC, Canada H3Z 2T2 (Tel. 514 937-4=
714)
(e-mail; insaf@i... or visit our website http://www.insaf.net)

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

SACW is an informal, independent & non-profit citizens wire service run by
South Asia Citizens Web (http://www.mnet.fr/aiindex) since 1996.
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.
\\|//\\|//\\|//\\|//\\|//\\|//\\|//\\|//\\|//\\|//|//\\|//|//\\|//|//\\|//|
--=20