SACW | 31 May 03
Harsh Kapoor
aiindex@mnet.fr
Sat, 31 May 2003 03:36:29 +0100
South Asia Citizens Wire | 31 May, 2003
In Defence of the Indian Historian Romila Thapar
http://www.mnet.fr/aiindex/Alerts/IDRT300403.html
---------------
#1. [India - Bangladesh] Peace Song: Journey of Discovery and
=46riendship (Amrita Dutta)
#2. A shuffle to the right in India (Praful Bidwai)
#3. India: HISTORY RETOLD - Fascist future of the past (K.N. Panikkar)
#4. India - Communal killings in Kerala:
- The Marad massacre (V.R. Krishna Iyer)
- Kerala's communal challenge (R. Krishnakumar)
#5. India: Fresh in Home ministry, VHP's Swami walks tightrope on trishul
#6. India: Anhad workshop on Communalism (Delhi, June 4-7, 2003)
#7. IMC-USA Annual Convention in Santa Clara on June 28th
#8. 4th Bangladeshi Film Festival in London
#9. India Pakistan Arms Race and Militarisation Watch (IPARMW) # 120
31 May 2003
--------------
#1.
[May 30, 2003]
PEACE SONG: JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY AND FRIENDSHIP
On the 14th of May 2003, history was made. 34 women from different
parts of India crossed the border at Petrapol in West Bengal and
arrived into Bangladesh. They came with a mission =96 as missionaries of
peace to appeal to people on both sides of the border to uphold South
Asia's rich tradition of pluralism and tolerance. The team consisted of
journalists, artists, filmmakers, writers, academics, peace activists,
human right activists and women's rights activists. This visit had its
importance because it was made at a time when human civilisation is
standing at the brink of nuclear disasters, mindless violence,
militarisation of nation states and growing communalisation of
communities. The visit was also made to reiterate the women's movement
stand against "Bushful" unilateral decision making, which has destroyed
one of the world's oldest civilisations in recent times.
We made this peace journey by bus. The Peace Bus started its journey
from Calcutta in the early morning hours. By late morning we had
crossed the border and stepped into Benapole, in Bangladesh, where we
were subjected to rigorous passport and visa checks. Though we
understood the formalities, it was painful to see how pieces of stamped
paper and physical boundaries had created such huge barriers between
people who look so much alike and with whom we are sharing a common
history and culture. We were accorded a warm welcome at Benapole and in
keeping with the tradition were offered fresh coconut water and
flowers, after which we resumed our journey of discovery. The Peace Bus
passed through the breathtaking countryside of Jessore, Magura and
=46aridpur districts, roads lined with jackfruit trees in full bloom,
coconut palms, orchards, neat mud thatched houses and dainty villages.
Many eyes amongst us became misty in remembrance of childhoods spent in
these places, alienated now with the physical creation of borders.
There were many experiences and nostalgic memories to share and before
we knew it we entered the Rajbari district situated on the banks of the
Padma river. The Padma river, calm and serene, with the sun half way
through the western sky casting its brightest colours into the river
waters was a sight of grandeur, and seemed to beckon us to explore the
other part of Tagore's "shonar Bangla". We rode through the heart of
the river on a ferry from Daulatdia ghat to Gwalando ghat. Gwalando
ghat is the place from where trains used to run to Calcutta before the
partition of the sub-continent. From here, we drove through Manikganj
district and Dhaka district before we finally reached Dhaka city at
8:30 pm after a 13-hour journey.
The welcome that we received from our Bangladeshi sisters was an
emotional high point for us. The warmth of their greetings and the
delicious home-made coconut laddoos moved and churned something inside
us. Our experience strengthened our resolve to make this trip
successful. In line with the spirit of the visit, we did not board any
hotel but each one of us stayed all the six days with Bangladeshi
families, in their houses. And after these six days these homes have
become our second homes in Bangladesh.
On 15th of May we began the formal processes of knowing and
understanding Bangladesh. It couldn't have been a more auspicious day
to begin, for on that day, the birthdays of Lord Buddha and Prophet
Muhammad were being celebrated on both sides of the border. In the next
five days, through a packed schedule, we visited NGOs and their
projects, human right groups, human right activists, anti trafficking
networks, women=92s groups, trade union leaders, exhibition of paintings
and photograph by Bangladeshi artists which had been especially put up
for us, grassroots NGOs, department of Peace and Conflict and Gender
Studies of the Dhaka University and had a meeting with the press and
civil society. At every place that we went, we found commitment for
peace and concern for the growing communalisation of politics that
inculcates hatred for the "other". In a press briefing from both sides
of the border it was stated and reiterated that the governments of
Bangladesh and India must find rational solutions based on
international human rights standards to solve the border movements of
people rather than resorting to 'witch hunts' and forced 'push-back'
and 'push-in'. It was also emphasised that both governments must
rethink on reasons for allowing free movement of capital but severely
restricting movement of people.
We also met the minister for women and child welfare, the foreign
secretary, the home minister, representatives of the Awami League and
the Indian ambassador. Our meetings with them fortified our belief in
achieving peace through people to people contact by reviving and
building bonds of friendship and arriving at a shared understanding of
our problems and similarities. In both of our countries, common people
suffer from poverty, deprivation, marginalisation, unemployment, lack
of access to water resources, trade, migration, trafficking, gender
inequalities and communal killings. Despite the indices of economic
growth this is the reality of our countries. At the end, questions from
the grassroots that gave us food for thought and future action were =96
as to how one could bring about peace when right wing governments
existed on both sides, specially when communal forces in both countries
were talking the language of peace but actually dividing the people.
This beautiful journey of discovery, peace, justice and freedom was
planned and organised by WIPSA (Women's Initiative for Peace in South
Asia) in partnership with the local hosts. WIPSA was born at the time
of the Kargil war - in the summer of 1999 when war rhetoric was at its
highest pitch and naked aggression, untold suffering on both sides
unnerving with smoking guns, body bags and grieving mothers and wives.
During this time a few women came together with their grief and WIPSA
was born. The women organised a peace mission by bus to Pakistan which
was followed by a return visit soon after. Among the trustees of this
initiative are Nirmala Deshpande, V Mohini Giri, Syeda Saiyidain
Hameed, Kamla Bhasin, Meera Khanna and Padma Seth.
Peace is not merely the absence of war. Nor can peace be brought about
by nations warring with each other. India went to war with Pakistan
four years ago yet there is no peace between the two countries. The US
went to war with Iraq vouching for world peace after the war is over,
yet there is no peace in the world. There exists more hostility between
nations. India has never waged a war against Bangladesh but people of
the two countries are not exactly in peace with each other. There is
peace between two countries when there exists an atmosphere of mutual
trust and arising out of that there is cooperation for human and
economic growth. This can only be achieved if we can have understanding
and respect for each other's differences. This initiative has set out
to achieve peace between the people of India and Bangladesh through
people to people contact and is the beginning of a probably long drawn
process. The pages of history will not record it perhaps but it will be
entrenched in our memories forever from which will follow many more
such visits and bonding of many more hearts across the border. Through
this we envision will emerge our cherished dream of a just, equal and
violence free South Asia, the essence of which we hope to carry to the
rest of the world. As women, the whole world is ours and as women we
know no boundaries.
Amrita Dutta, Jagori
* Jagori is a Delhi based women's group and resource centre.
Jagori
C-54 Top Floor,
South Extension-Part-II,
New Delhi-110049 [India]
Website:www.jagori.org
______
#2.
The Hindustan Times, New Delhi, May 30, 2003
If you think the compulsions of democratic politics have 'toned down'
the BJP, think again
A shuffle to the right
By PRAFUL BIDWAI
The BJP has consolidated its hold on the Cabinet, and Hindutva its
hold on the BJP, as Vajpayee meekly yields ground to Advani and other
hardliners out to marginalise the NDA. Two analytical views are
possible of a socially conservative right-wing party like the BJP
which has its roots in ethnic-religious politics.
The first holds that the process of coalition-building and experience
of the rough-and-tumble of power politics, with its inevitable
compromises, tend to "normalise" such parties and pull them from the
far right to the centre of the political spectrum. They gradually
accept the "compulsions" of democratic politics and sober down. This
roughly corresponds to the evolution of some of Europe's Christian
Democrats.
The second view says that in the absence of powerful countervailing
forces, such parties tend to aggressively assert their distinctive
ethnic or communal identities, undermine or devour their own allies,
and shift the centre of gravity of national politics further to the
right.
The exigencies of power don't "normalise" or moderate them. Their
character is qualitatively different from Christian Democracy's. They
are more loyal to their non-parliamentary associates than their
parliamentary allies.
In the BJP's case, the second view has clearly proved right. After
the latest Cabinet reshuffle, it's time to acknowledge this. Let's
put it this way: the forces of Hindutva were lucky for the thirteenth
time in decisively influencing Cabinet reorganisation, in
marginalising the NDA, and consolidating their grip on the BJP.
Vajpayee had promised an "NDA-centric" reshuffle, with the certain
induction of Mamata Banerjee, likely inclusion of Farooq Abdullah,
replacement of the critically ill Murasoli Maran with another DMK
nominee, and shedding of multiple portfolios held by "over-burdened"
ministers.
But he executed a heavily BJP-dominated reshuffle, which saw Ajit
Singh quit, the DMK and MDMK reduced to irrelevance, the
"overburdened" ministers largely continuing with multiple portfolios,
and relations between the BJP and its allies souring.
Today, the BJP dominates all the important ministries barring Defence
(and, at one remove, Railways) and all the plum portfolios with big
cash-flows (Rural Development, with a Rs 14,000-crore budget, Civil
Aviation, Commerce, etc.).
As if that weren't enough, it has now inducted two Hindutva
hardliners into Vajpayee's ministry: Chinmayananda and Prahlad Patel.
Chinmayananda-who swore loyalty to Advani even before he was swore it
to the government and promised to be "guided" by him on the Ayodhya
dispute-is a founder-member of the Ramjanmabhoomi Mukti Yagya Samiti,
created in 1984 to spearhead the temple "movement". He sits on the
VHP's Margadarshak Mandal, attended the latest dharma sansad, and
shared an anti-Vajpayee sangh platform.
Patel is a kind of male version of Uma Bharati-except that he
reportedly faces charges under 77 sections of the Indian Penal Code.
His only other qualification for entering the Council of Ministers is
sponsorship of a Parliament resolution urging a national law to ban
cow slaughter.
These appointments are but symptoms of a much larger shift in the
balance-of-power inside the BJP favouring those who ideologically
advocate a hardline communal approach and organisationally control
the party. The Advani-Venkiah Naidu combine has proved remarkably
effective. It vetoed Abdullah's induction, and kept Mamata Banerjee
out of the Cabinet by trying to induct dissident MP Sudip
Bandhopadyay.
The duo also prevailed in letting three of the four "overburdened"
ministers keep multiple portfolios-such is the embarrassing richness
of talent, competence and "modern"-looking faces in the BJP.
The Cabinet's near-total saffronisation is itself part of a bigger
shift in the BJP's basic stance and strategy, especially since Naidu
became party president last year and declared that the BJP would
unabashedly walk with the NDA agenda in one hand, and its own jhanda
(saffron flag) in the other.
Naidu, under Advani's tutelage, has single-mindedly pushed the second
agenda at the expense of the first-with little resistance from the
"secular allies". The ground for this was laid by the allies' largely
supine reaction to Independent India's worst state-sponsored pogrom,
in Gujarat, and their inglorious retreat on a range of issues: from
education to cow slaughter, and from Iraq to telecom tariffs.
The Gujarat carnage was the turning point for the NDA, just as it was
for the nation. If the "secular allies" could swallow that historic
ignominy, they could be forced to take just about anything, trishul
deeksha included.
The BJP has perceptibly hardened its position on the temple issue.
Not only is its Uttar Pradesh president on an inflammatory jagran
yatra campaigning for the temple and more; the Centre itself has
taken a brazenly partisan position in the Liberhan Commission on the
Ayodhya dispute.
Contrary to its solemn promise to find a consensual solution
acceptable to both Hindus and Muslims, it now baselessly claims that
Ayodhya is Lord Rama's birthplace (sic) and that a temple was
demolished to build the Babri mosque-and therefore, that the Hindus
have a prior claim to the property.
Not content with this retrogression to the Middle Ages, the BJP is
set to dignify majoritarianism by banning cow slaughter, and to
placate the upper castes with job quotas that erase the critical
distinction between the historic, centuries-old, structured,
dharmashastra-legitimated, oppression of Dalits, and the contingent,
transitory forms of disadvantage that some otherwise privileged
savarnas might face.
It's tempting to see Vajpayee as a passive victim of all this. He
isn't a victim, but a participant-perpetrator-initiator: recall his
December 1998 call for a "national debate" on conversions, his
September 2000 "India-of-my-dreams" Staten Island speech, and his
December 2000 characterisation of the Ayodhya agitation as a
"nationalist" movement.
These paved the way for Staines' killing and various anti-conversion
Bills, a strong rightward shift on the temple issue, and a general
climate of majoritarian intolerance, intimidation and fear.
History will judge Vajpayee unkindly-unless he, miraculously, asserts
not just himself, but the principles of democratic pluralism and
political decency.-end-
______
#3.
=46rontline
Volume 20, Issue 11, May 24 - June 06, 2003
EDUCATION
HISTORY RETOLD
K.N. PANIKKAR
=46ascist future of the past.
THE history of India is being retold. And with the support of the
government. There is nothing extraordinary in either of them. For
history, like any other discipline, undergoes continuous revision.
That is when historians gain access to hitherto unused sources or
employ new analytical tools. The historian's work is also contingent
upon the infrastructure generated and controlled by the government,
particularly the archival and the archaeological. On many occasions,
research projects are undertaken with the financial support proffered
by the agencies of the government. Yet, the historian in independent
India has enjoyed enough intellectual freedom to pursue his work
without external interference. It is arguable that the advances made
by Indian historiography during the post-Independence period would
not have been possible without this independence. The situation has
rapidly changed during the last few years. The government is now a
key player in the writing of history, deciding and dictating what
constitutes authentic history and disseminating it through its
agencies such as the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) and
the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).
The past is a matter of interest to all governments as it often
serves as a source of legitimacy for their politics and as a
justification for the society and polity they seek to construct. The
involvement of succeeding governments in India in matters historical
can be traced to these reasons. Both Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira
Gandhi had taken keen interest in the writing of history; the latter
even embedded at the Red Fort in Delhi an official version of history
in a time capsule. Their engagement was integral to the nature of
their politics: the creation of a secular nation out of the diverse
religious communities into which the people were organisationally,
ideologically and emotionally divided. The attempt, therefore, was to
retrieve the past from the colonial distortions and thus construct a
nationalist history, which would reinforce the sense of commonness
that the anti-colonial struggle had proffered. More important, to
call attention to the fact that the secular character of the nation
is not a contemporary construction but a part and continuation of its
historical experience. Nehru had already laid the foundation for such
a view in The Discovery of India , which was subsequently elaborated
by many. [...].
http://www.flonnet.com/fl2011/stories/20030606001508100.htm
______
#4.
The Hindu
Saturday, May 31, 2003
The Marad massacre
By V.R. Krishna Iyer
The Marad massacre proves that minority Islamic communalism is as
militantly blood-thirsty as majority communalism... The voice of
secularism cannot be soft towards either.
http://www.hindu.com/stories/2003053100621000.htm
o o o
=46rontline, May 24 - June 06, 2003
Kerala's communal challenge
By R. KRISHNAKUMAR
The violent incidents in Marad in Kozhikode district, which resulted
in the death of nine people, have brought to the fore the threat
posed by fundamentalist forces to the largely secular Kerala society.
http://www.flonnet.com/fl2011/stories/20030606001904400.htm
______
#5.
The Indian Express
Wednesday, May 28, 2003
http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=3D24768
=46resh in Home, VHP's Swami walks tightrope on trishul
Express News Service
New Delhi, May 27: An unlikely Minister of State for Home, Swami
Chinmayanand Saraswati today justified the use of tridents for
religious purposes, but was cautious enough to add that that once it
crossed the limits, Constitutional provisions would have to take over.
Assuming office at North Block today, the spiritual guru and member
of the VHP's Marg Darshak Mandal - its apex advisory body mainly
comprising religious leaders - tried his best to make the right
noises.
''Tridents are embedded in religion. So long as it is within the
religious limits it is all right. But once it crosses the limit, we
shall do what the Constitution says,'' he said.
When asked on his relations with the VHP, the swami said: ''VHP is a
social and cultural organisation towards which my responsibility will
remain as before. But, maintaining the decorum of my ministry will be
paramount,'' he added. He also clarified that as long as he held the
office in North Block, other posts would remain on hold.
The swami took a dig at the RJD when asked to comment on the
distribution of tridents by the VHP. He said that while tridents are
part of a religion and swords are associated with a particular caste,
lathis do not enjoy any such status.
Having been on the forefront of the Ayodhya issue, he ducked a direct
reply on the matter. ''The Prime Minister understands it better. I
shall be guided by his views,'' he said. But, he couldn't resist the
one on Hindutva. Asked if his joining the Union Council of Ministers
would give a boost to Hindutva, he said ''If it does so, my joining
the government will be fruitful.''
Chinmayanand said that by joining the government he would get the
opportunity to work under Deputy Prime minister L.K. Advani, shoulder
esponsibilities of the Home Ministry, and meet the challenges to
internal security and fight proxy war. He spent about 20 minutes with
Advani after assuming office.
The swami, who represents Jaunpur Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar
Pradesh, is associated with several social, educational and religious
organisations and is an exponent of the Gita, Upanishad and Vedanta.
The organisations with which he is associated include Swami
Sukdevanand Charitable Trust, Dharam Ganga Foundation, World Congress
for Faith and Culture, Sant Pathik Sevanyas Swargashram (Rishikesh)
and Parmarth Ashram.
______
#6.
Date: Fri, 30 May 2003 11:22:13 +0100 (BST)
=46rom: Shabnam Hashmi <anhadinfo@yahoo.co.in>
Subject: ANHAD DELHI WORKSHOP
Dear Friends,
Anhad is organising a 4 day workshop for
activists in Delhi from June 4-7, 2003. The aim is to sensitise the
activists towards the issues related to communalism. It is conceived
as a residential workshop and there would be informal post-dinner
interaction, performances etc. There is no registration fee, however
we would appreciate donations/ contributions to Anhad .
In case you want to attend the workshop please inform us immediately
as it would help us in arranging for boarding and lodging of
participants as well as the resource material for the participants.
The workshop would be in Hindi.
The schedule of the workshop is pasted below.
For exact venue of the workshop contact us on June , 2, 2003 .
DELHI WORKSHOP
June 4-7, 2003
DAY 1 / 4.6.2003
8.30- 9.30 REGISTRATION
ANHAD INTRODUCTION- by Shabnam Hashmi CONFI=
RMED
9.30-11.00
Understanding the CONCEPTS of
=B7 Communalism ,Secularism / pseudo Secularism, Bharityata,
Nationalism, Hindutva/ hindu, Fascism, Terrorism, Democracy, Socialism
RESOURCE PERSON : MUKUL DUBE
11.00-11.30 Tea
11.30-1.00pm CITIZENS=92 RIGHTS
=B7 Constitutional values
=B7 Secularism as constitutional right
=B7 Fundamental rights and duties
RESOURCE PERSON: NITYA <mailto:RAMAKRISHNAN@vsnl.net>RAMAKRISHNAN
1.00PM-2.00PM LUNCH
Day 1
2.00-3.30PM GENDER =96 ISSUE, MOVEMENT &
INTERRELATION WITH COMMUNAL POLITICS
RESOURCE PERSON: NIVEDITA MENON
3.30-4.00 TEA
4.00-5.30 COMMUNALISATION OF HISTORY
RESOURCE PERSON: VISHWA MOHAN JHA
5.30- 6.00 TEA
6.00-7.00 SONGS : MOVEMENTS SONGS
7.00- 9.00 NASEEM BY SAEED MI=
RZA
9.00 DINNER
Day 2/ 5.6.2003
8.30- 9.30 SONGS
9.30-11.00 PRESENT
GLOBAL CONTEXT AND COMMUNALISM
RESORCE PERSON: ANIL CHOWDHRY
11.00-11.30 TEA
11.30-5.30
=46acts Vs Myths on
=B7 Appeasement of Minorities
=B7 Anti Nationalism of Minorities
=B7 Demography of the nation [population of the minorities]
=B7 Conversion and Christian Missionaries
=B7 Godhra =96 the facts and falsities
=B7 Kashmir =96 the facts and falsities
=B7 Ayodhya
RESOURCE PERSON: RAM PUNIYANI
5.30- 6.00 TEA
6.00-7.00 SONGS
7.00-9.00 ZULMATON KE DAUR
MAIN =96 16 MINUTES
JUNOON
KE BADHTE QADAM =96 32 MINUTES
FOLLOWED
BY DISCUSSION WITH GAUHAR RAZA
9.00 DINNER
Day 3/ 6.6.2003-FRIDAY
8.30- 9.30 SONGS
9.30-11.00 LESSONS FROM
GUJARAT- STATE AND CIVIL SOCIETY
RESOURCE PERSON: HARSH MANDER
11.00-11.30 TEA
11.30-1.0
LEGACY OF THE FREEDOM MOVEMENT
RESOURCE PERSON: S.IRFAN HABIB
1.00- 2.00 LUNCH
2.00- 3.30 COMMUNALISATION OF EDUCATION
RESOURCE PERSON: ANIL SADGOPAL
3.30- 4.00 TEA BREAK
4.00-5.30 COMMUNALISATION OF MEDIA
RESOURCE PERSON: AMIT SENGUPTA
5.30-6.30 SONGS
6.30-9.00 FILM: ZAKHM BY MAHESH BHATT
9.00 ONWARDS DINNER
Day 4/ 7.6.2003
8.30- 9.30 SONGS
9.30- 11.00 HISTORY AND IDEOLOGY OF THE SANGH PARIVAR
RESOURCE PERSON: DR GOYAL
11.00-11.30 TEA
11.30-1.00 COMMUNALISM, NATIONALIST
[CHAUVANISM] AND INDIA PAKISTAN HOSTILITY: THE CONNECTION
RESOURCE PERSON: PRAFUL BIDWAI-
1.00-2.00 LUNCH
2.00-3.30
Religiosity Vs Secularism
=B7 Religion and State
=B7 Religion and Democracy
RESOURCE PERSON: PROF. MUSHIR UL
HASAN-
3.30-5.30 FOLLOW UP ACTIONS TOWARDS SECULAR COMMUNITY BUIDLING
Possible secular actions & initiatives
Mode, language, idiom of communication/intervention
Cultural interventions
=46orms of active resistance
Plan of actions and commitments from the district
Anhad's future plan of actions and commitments
5.30-6.30 TEA
6.30 SONGS AND FAREWELL
_____
#7.
http://www.imc-usa.org/cgi-bin/PressRelease.cfm?PRID=3D53
Preparations in full swing for IMC-USA Annual Convention in Santa
Clara on June 28th
Media Advisory
May 30, 2003
Preparations in Full Swing for the June 28th Landmark Event.
=46irst IMC-USA Annual Convention in Santa Clara, California
Praful Bidwai, one of the most widely read Indian Columnists and Fr.
Cedric Prakash, a moral voice of the highest stature, will be among
the speakers coming from India to speak at the first annual
convention of the Indian Muslim Council-USA. Writer and activist
Arundathi Roy, one of the hottest speakers on the international scene
is also invited to speak at the event which is expected to become an
annual tradition for scholars, activists and all concerned about the
brutal siege of India's pluralist and democratic ethos by Hindutva
ultranationalists.
The day and a half event with the theme, "India After Gujarat -
Democracy or Religious Fanaticism", will also be addressed by Lise
McCain, Deputy Director, Center for Impact Research and author of
"Divine Enterprise: Gurus and the Hindu Nationalist Movement", Angana
Chaterji, Director of Research at the Center for South Asia Studies,
University of California Berkeley, Anant Krishna, a journalist and
human rights activist, and Imam Khalid Griggs, a civil rights leader.
Several other prominent leaders and representatives of Dalit, Sikh,
Hindu and Indian-Christian communities are also expected at the
convention.
In February of this year, IMC-USA, an advocacy organization working
to promote values of pluralism, tolerance and respect for human
rights, with a particular focus on the Indian Diaspora in the United
States, launched a series of public events nationwide to mark the
first anniversary of the anti-Muslim pogrom in the Indian State of
Gujarat. The campaign commenced with a Congressional staff briefing
on February 24th and a press conference on Capitol Hill and will end
with the IMC convention on June 29th at the Santa Clara Marriott.
=46ebruary 28th marked the day in 2002, when the Hindutva
ultranationalist forces that espouse a hate-based and divisive
ideology, and are modeled after Mussolini's Fascist and Hitler's Nazi
parties, unleashed a well planned pogrom on minorities in the Indian
state of Gujarat. The pogrom helped them win the elections in Gujarat
at a time when their political fortunes were in a decline. Hindutva
leaders are now calling for a repeat of this "successful experiment"
in other Indian states.
Indian human rights activists and International human rights
organizations have expressed alarm over this trend. They point to the
increasing attacks on Muslims, Christians and Dalits all over India.
Human rights groups are also concerned about news reports of the
infiltration of segments of the Indian population in the US by the
Hindutva-fascist forces and their attempts to gain influence in US
power centers such as Capitol Hill and the media.
The IMC convention seeks to bring together a diverse cross-section of
individuals and groups to discuss these issues. "The convention will
provide a forum for students of India-related issues and human rights
activists to enhance their knowledge, and will also offer a great
opportunity for networking,=94 said Syed Ali, one of the organizers.
Mirza Baig, an IMC board member, praised the efforts of the team of
convention volunteers and urged the delegates to pre-register (the
registration fee will increase after the deadline of June 21st).
=46or more information and to register, delegates and journalists are
requested to visit:
http://www.imc-usa.org/convention
Phone: (516) 567-0783
E-mail: program@imc-usa.org
_____
#8.
The Rainbow Film Society is pleased to announce the 4th Bangladeshi
=46ilm Festival which takes place from Sunday June 1st to Sunday June
8th 2003 at Genesis Cinema, Mile End, London E1.
The Festival will concentrate on looking at parallel cinema in
Bangladesh. The Festival will provide the rare opportunity to see the
best films from the Bangladeshi parallel cinema genre as well as
including short films, documentaries and films made by British born
Bangladeshis.
Venue : GENESIS Cinema, 93-95 Mile End Road, London E1. Nearest tube
: Stepney Green.
Ticket price : =A3 2.00 (Two pound each screening)
Contact : Box Office - +(0)20-7780 2000 Information +(0)20-392 2008
or +(0)7956-924 246.
Schedule:
Sunday, 1st June - 6.00 pm (Innauguration)-
Lal Salu (The tree without roots) by Tanvir Mokammel (Sub-title) 120 mins.
Monday, 2nd June -
3.00 pm - Free reserved screening for local community group and women
with children
6.00 pm - Fisherman of Bangladesh by Jamil Shafi (sub-title) 20 mins,
Through the other window by Sankar Majumdar (sub-title) 25 mins, Hope
and Indegenous on Kanak's Canvas by Khaled Mahmud Mithu (sub-title)
18 mins.
Tuesday, 3rd June -
3.00 pm. Free reserved screening for local community group and women
with children.
6.00 pm- Amrito Kotha (Before the destiny) by Zakir Hussain
(Sub-title) 52 mins , Folk Festival of Sonargaon by Shahiduzzaman
Badal (sub-title) 20 min. Direct-direct, Music video by Yasmin Kabir
(sub-title) 5 mins
Wednesday, 4th June -
3.00 pm. Free reserved screening for local community group and women
with children.
6.00 pm - Salma by AKM Zakaria (sub-title) 8 min. My wish by Reshmi
Ahmed (sub-title) 4 min. The painful cry by Reshmi Ahmed (sub-title)
7 min. Perception the other way by Fauzia Khan (sub-title) 58 min.
Thursday, 5th June -
3.00 pm- CHERAG by Koyes Choudhury (Story : SHAKUR MAJID)
6.00 pm - Ayee Jamuna (A tale of Jamuna River)(sub-title) by Tanvir
Mokammel 60 min.
=46riday, 6th June -
3.00 pm - Shila Lipi by Shamim Akhter 100 min
6.00 pm - Films made by British Bangladeshi
Saturday, 7th June -
3.00 pm - An Art quartet by Mahbub Alam Pallab 50 min. Self
_Expression (sub-title) 27 min.
6.00 pm - Dukhai by Morshedul Islam 128 min
Sunday, 8th June-
3.00 pm - Films made by the student of Rainbow Film Society
6.00 pm- (Closing ceremony) Ekatturer Jishu (Jesus 71) by Nasiruddin
Yusuf (Sub-title) 97 min
=46or further details, please contact :
Mr Mostafa Kamal
Director, Bangladesh Film Festival
Rainbow Film Society, Bethnal Green Training Centre, Hanbury Street. London
E1 4HZ. UK.
Tel : 00+44+(0)20-7392 2008 or Mobile 00+44+(0)7956-924 246
_____
#9.
India Pakistan Arms Race and Militarisation Watch (IPARMW) # 120
31 May 2003
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IPARMW/message/131
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