SACW | 10 Jan 2005
sacw
aiindex at mnet.fr
Sun Jan 9 18:15:11 CST 2005
South Asia Citizens Wire | 10 Jan., 2005
via: www.sacw.net
[INTERRUPTION NOTICE: Please note, there will be
no SACW dispatches between 11 - 16 January 2005]
[1] Nuclear weapons, the greatest hurdle to
India-Pakistan friendship (M.B. Naqvi)
[2] India: Electoral Setbacks for Trident
Politics - Communalism 2004 (Ram Puniyani)
[3] UK: Hindu Fascists death threats to Tsunami fundraiser (SASG)
+ Threat to disrupt Asian film festival (Hasan Suroor)
[4] India: Inter religious marriage under attack
in BJP ruled Madhya Pradesh (Rohit Bhan)
[5] Upcoming Event:
Film Screening: 'Litigating Disaster' and
'Bhopal: The Second Tragedy' (Chicago, 12 Jan
2005)
--------------
[1]
NUCLEAR WEAPONS, THE GREATEST HURDLE TO INDIA-PAKISTAN FRIENDSHIP
M.B. Naqvi
[Karachi January 7, 2005]
Over a year has elapsed after the much-publicised
Jan 6, 2004 accord between Indian PM AB Vajpayee
and Pakistan's Gen. Pervez Musharraf to resume
1997's structured, eight point Indo-Pakistan
dialogue for normalizing relations between their
countries. Second round of the Composite Dialogue
may be said to be limping along. Sad to say the
deadlock remains intact. Not one Confidence
Building Measures (CBMs) like
Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service or
Khokrapar-Munabao train link could be agreed
upon. Latest failure is of the experts meeting in
New Delhi on Baglihar Dam. The outlook is bleak.
Ordinarily, the leaders of both countries desire
peace; they have no reason to like wars that only
cause destruction. Reasons for repeated failures
in fence-mending need to be seen under four
heads: First, the legacies of history hang heavy
over the negotiators. It is not simply the last
57 years that have shaped the adversarial
perceptions in these countries. Independence came
through harrowing experiences of what remains the
world's largest ethnic cleansing. That itself was
a culmination of a hundred years of festering
communalism.
Secondly, some suspect that the desire to make up
is superficial. The two are going through the
motions of negotiating to strengthen peace and be
civilized neighbours largely at the behest of the
US. Consider the position of both countries. Both
are strategic partners of the hyper power. Both
are nuclear powers and a war between them can
escalate into a nuclear holocaust. That easily
possible war can upset the agenda of the US,
whose advice can not be ignored. While it is
possible to overrate the force of American
advice, the sophisticated pragmatists of
Islamabad and New Delhi are unlikely to underrate
it.
Thirdly, both countries are, after all, strategic
partners of the US. It is therefore legitimate to
assume they share ownership of American agenda in
Asia. To that extent, an Indo-Pakistan modus
operandi is their own need and not because the US
is advising them to normalize. Whatever benefit
or advantage Islamabad or South Block may expect
from partnership with the US can be jeopardized
by continued cold war between India and Pakistan.
Fourth, one asserts that the objective being
sought by these two, viz. normalization of ties,
is inadequate; it is not attractive enough to
overcome the legacy of the Hindu-Muslim deeply
coloured hatred which has the basic orientations
of Pakistan and India. To overcome this overhang
of history, something stronger is needed: a
people-to-people reconciliation at all levels.
Look at the French and Germans today after only
40 years of specific reconciliation effort: they
constitute the strong nucleus of the EU. Both are
incomparably richer thereby. And yet they had
fought three biggest wars: 1870, 1914 and 1939.
Their age-old enmity and disputes have been
forgotten.
A thoroughgoing rapprochement among peoples, from
grassroots up, of India and Pakistan is a
stirring vision; it can, given intelligent and
modernist leadership, change the encrusted
prejudices and adversarial perceptions fairly
quickly. What will dissolve the old inimical
perceptions is the effects of large-scale
people-to-people contacts and their joint
economic and cultural pursuits on as largest
possible scale. Their people have thousand and
one commonalities and once they start
cooperating, the whole chemistry of
Indo-Pakistani relationship can change with
incomes growth. It is laughably simple and easy.
No doubt, it seems a Herculian effort to those
who have grown up - and have prospered - during
long cold and hot wars.
One has no desire to minimize the difficulties
involved in the process of rapprochement between
such inveterate adversaries. After all, the
philosophies that inform these two states are
diametrically opposed to each other. India,
championed a formally inclusive secular and
democratic Indian nationalism while emphasis of
Pakistan Idea was on Muslims being distinct. Mr.
Jinnah tried vainly to inform Pakistan Movement
with secular liberalism. Jinnah is today idolised
but his legacy is not his liberal ideas but the
very opposite. Jinnah is murdered everyday in
Pakistan when he is portrayed as an Islamic
Saint; every dictator profusely venerates him but
goes on torpedoing democracy.
There are other difficulties. In pursuance of
hateful politics both countries became nuclear
powers. One is aware of the elaborate
justification of the Indian Bomb, in violation of
its traditional policies. The writer regards both
Bombs to be directly linked with subcontinent's
politics. It is American CIA inspired stories of
Islamic Bomb in early 1970s that seem to have
made Mrs. Indira Gandhi's annoyance through the
1974 PNE. As for Pakistan, it was frank; 1971's
decisive defeat rankled and the Bomb was designed
to offset India's superiority. Whether it does so
or not is irrelevant here.
The Pakistani Bomb has done great mischief. It
made Ziaul Haq and Mirza Aslam Beg, Army chiefs
in 1980s and early 1990s, arrogant; they said
even the putative Pakistani Bomb has made
Pakistan unassailable and they could do anything,
even carry on a proxy war in Kashmir. Later India
chose to become a nuclear power and proved its
prowess on May 11, 1998. Pakistanis countered it
with their own atomic explosions. A frightened
world's perception was that the only place where
a nuclear war can happen is the Subcontinent; the
US advised talks. After much worsening of the
situation during 2002, the two could see no
alternative to normalization. Vajpayee indicated
it in April 2003 and set the talkathon rolling in
January 2004.
Indo-Pakistani atomic weapons have greatly
strengthened the hardliners on both sides. The
hubris these weapons systems have created is the
greatest hurdle in the way of India-Pakistan
friendship. This huge hurdle is rivaled by
another: These weapons have destroyed the trust
between the two countries. Who can forget that
these are Doom's Day weapons? There is no defence
against them; all talk of missile defence systems
is just that. Which government or general can
trust an adversary that has nuclear tipped
missiles at the ready; so long as Pakistan and
India remain atomic powers, they will have to
stay on hair trigger alert. Neither Islamabad can
trust New Delhi nor vice versa. Even US good
offices cannot remove the bleakness of outlook.
One earnestly hopes this picture is overdrawn.
The purpose is to underline the situation's
gravity. Conscious decisions to reverse the trend
are possible, in theory. Would the possible
become actual? But this is predicated on great
many acts of faith about atomic weapons. Their
mischief cannot be undone by mere CBMs. Indeed,
CBMs can be extraordinarily treacherous red
herring; they implicitly assume the long-term
presence of atomic weapons; they seek merely to
reduce the risks of accidents, bad ways of
deploying, storage and transportation of these
weapons and hope to prevent unauthorized
launches. CBMs, while being useful, are likely to
create false optimism - and at the cost of making
nuclear weapons permanent. These weapons are a
difficult problem that is required to be solved.
The two leaderships should have realized that
Composite Dialogue is going nowhere nor can it
succeed because of current premises. Provided
they genuinely want peace, friendship and
cooperation among South Asian peoples and are
prepared for acts of faith in seeking true
reconciliation while ignoring vested interests,
it can be done. The intellectual effort involved
will certainly be taxing. Are there leaders ready
to pick up this gauntlet?
______
[2]
ELECTORAL SETBACKS FOR TRIDENT POLITICS
COMMUNALISM 2004
Ram Puniyani
Setback for one can be a respite for others. Nothing proved it more than
the general elections of 2004 (April-May). These elections had taken place
in the backdrop of BJP electoral wins in Gujarat, MP, Rajasthan and
Chattisgarh. BJP was upbeat and most of the pollsters gave the NDA
coalition a majority. While BJP itself claimed that it will be gaining
majority on its own and the 2/3rd majority for its coalition. As the
events unfolded, it employed a subtle combination of emotional issues with
the veneer of issues of the people. Its major plank was that it is during
BJP regime that Indias reputation in the world has gone up tremendously,
it is being looked at with respect by all the nations in the world, it has
put the country on the rails of progress and its electoral mascot Atal
Bihari Vajpayees has been a great and unmatched leader. It came up with a
Shining India campaign. This multi million rupee campaigns projected that
with BJP coming to power the problems of India are over and its people are
shining in the newfound rays of comforts. Through the newspapers ads and
TV ads the ordinary person was bombarded with the achievements of Atalji.
It sounded as if the countrys tide has really turned with this Government.
Its allies silently toed its line, endorsing BJPs policies.
Just before the country was to go to polls two significant events
happened. In the constituency of Mr. Vajpayee a Saree distribution program
was organized and in the attempt to get the cheap saree, in the melee,
which resulted thereby, over twenty-three women lost their lives. Shining
Indias dark side negated a good deal of BJP media blitzkrieg. At the same
time Supreme court transferred the Best Bakery case away from the BJP
ruled, RSS controlled, Hindu Rashtra of Gujarat to the neighboring
Maharashtra. The process of justice deliverance in BJP ruled Gujarat lay
exposed as this shattered its image beyond repair and its Chief Minister
Narendra Modi, stood naked in his barbaric worst. It seems the Shining
India campaign was looked at by the large section of people of India as an
insult to the rising toil in their lives. Along with this the Best bakery
case showed the concept of justice of Hindutva.
The expectations of BJP coming to power were so strong that the
weathercocks and those trying to be on the right side of powers that be
started clinging to the ship of BJP. Foremost amongst them were people
like Arif Mohammad Khan, who at one point of time shot to fame for
resigning on Shah Bano issue. Now the argument was cooked up, look
Congress is no better, it did that, and it did that while BJP is so
forthright, look at glorious Vajpayee. Interestingly Shahi Imam of Delhi
who has been on the receiving end of VHP propaganda most of the times
issued a fatwa to support the BJP in coming elections, and some other
prominent Muslim intellectuals also toed the line to support it.
Defying all the predictions of psephologists the people of India, threw
away the claims of BJP and its controller RSS into the dustbin and its
voting percentage and number of seats declined drastically. The NDA seats
declined to such an extent that even trying to buy of some small regional
party to grab power was not possible. BJP got the boot and change of guard
at the center took place to the relief of many.
The electoral results were another interesting phenomenon. Congress
emerged as the single largest party, and headed the UPA alliance. As the
head of Congress, Sonia Gandhi was the natural choice for the post of
Prime Minister. As it started becoming clear that she is likely to be the
next Prime minister, the sections amongst BJP started beating the breast
of Nationalism, self pride etc. Sushma Swaraj led this pack with the
threat that if Sonia becomes the Prime minister she will shave off her
head live the life of Bhikshuni (female monk) and will sleep on the floor
etc. Not to be left behind her rival for the top slot in the BJP
leadership Uma Bharati came up with her own set of threats and
Govindacharya floated an instant Self Pride Forum to oppose her becoming
the Prime minister. It was an ironical situation. Sonias disqualification
was not as per Indian Constitution. It was as per the rules being imposed
by the self-assigned custodians of Indian (Hindu) nationalism. Also a
valid citizen was being called as foreigner, also a person who was born
somewhere else and chose to be Indian was being threatened by those whose
ideology has neither contributed to making of the Indian state nor to its
freedom.
At this point a rumor mill was activated by the Sangh combine. The rumor
was spread as to how Indian army chiefs can reveal the secrets of Indian
defense to foreigner, i.e. Sonia Gandhi. This construction of this rumor
revealed that for RSS the Indian Constitution does not matter, for it
military is the top authority over the elected person. A person who chose
to be Indian was being challenged by small coterie of those who are
Indians by the accident of their birth. Anyway in one of the brilliant
political moves ever, Sonia decided to decline the post of Prime minister
and decided to continue as the party president. It was in a way the real
blow to the plans of BJP; it took away a potentially emotive issue a la
Ayodhya in earlier times. BJP is yet to recover from this deprivation of
the issue and is stumbling from one to the other, searching for one.
No doubt just the throwing away of BJP led coalition has been no guarantee
for defense of secularism and democracy, but it was becoming clear that if
BJP/RSS continue to call the shots, the process of communalization will be
greatly intensified. The removal of the BJP from the central power was
welcomed as it gave time to the concerned citizens to build up the
democratic and secular values. It is no solution to the rising tide of
communal tsunami was clear to the many of those striving for preservation
of democratic space. The electoral defeat could not be swallowed by BJP.
It was sure of forming the Govt. again, but as matters turned out it was
nowhere in the chessboard of politics. It adopted a negative attitude to
the parliamentary system and kept disrupting the parliament at each and
every available pretext.
Uma Bharati had been the real person in the news most of the time for
right or wrong reasons. Before being shunted out from the Chief minister
ship of MP she did convert Chief ministers residence into a cowshed. Also
she came up with cow-based economy, also converting some already existing
holy places into vegetarian zones, enhancing the spiritual status in the
process!
Having bitten the dust it had to face the Maharashtra Assembly elections,
in September. Maharashtra was being ruled by Congress-NCP combine and
there was a heavy anti-incumbency factor against the ruling coalition. It
gave a chance for return of BJP-Shiv Sena alliance. Keeping to its deeper
agenda it seriously took up the issue of Savarkar, tiranga (tricolor) and
the tomb of Afzal Khan. Mani Shanker Aiyar got the plaque of Savarkar
removed in Andmans and replaced it the one of Mahatma Gandhi. Seeing that
Savarkar has image' of a revolutionary in Mahatrashtra, Shiv Sena went
hammers and tongs on the issue. Uma Bharati by than had been issued
summons by Hubli court in the case of Idgah maidan. It was a place where
she trued to unfurl tricolor in order to create problem at local level.
She took this opportunity to resign her chief ministership and took out
tiranga yatra. It was ironical again that a leader whose parent
organization RSS never hoisted tricolor on its building till lately tried
to arouse people on the issue of tricolor hoisting on Idgah ground. It is
another matter that BJP itself had wanted to get rid of her for her weir
ways as CM. The issue of Afzal Khans tomb was brought up to replicate the
process of Ayodhya. People realized in this case the tomb was build by
none other than Shivaji himself. Overall all these failed to click and
BJP- Shiv Sena combine floundered on the electoral battle and its hope for
romping to power collapsed.
Lost in this wilderness, BJP started looking for issues, which can be used
to rouse emotions. Ayodhya has stopped paying dividends. Savarkar, Afzal
Khan, Bhojshala may not give the expected result. In the process of
hunting for the a attractive slogan it also came up with the once
forgotten, Integral Humanism, a word for status quo, a subtle defense of
the prevalent caste and gender hierarchy, to the fore. It remains there
unattended as one more issue came up its way in the course of time.
Somewhere along the Census commissioner committed a serious goof, one does
not know whether it was motivated or it reflected the professional caliber
of the people in chagre. While releasing the data of 2001 census, it
forgot to take into consideration the fact that in previous figures
Kashmir and earlier Assam were left out. So the present figures were
compared with the 1991 data, which did not have the data of Kashmir, so it
sounded as if the Muslim population is increasing and that the plot to
convert India into a Muslim nation is finally coming close to fruition. As
it turned out the rate of rise of Muslim population is on the decline,
though overall it remains higher than that of Hindu population. This time
around in the census figures Jains, Adivasis and Lingayats also did not
register as Hindus so its that much decline again was not as real. But it
did the trick of reinforcing the communal biases in the large section of
people. Meanwhile many a people realized that Muslim population in Kerala
and Southern states shows a lower rise than in the poorer Northern states.
Interpretation of demographics has to be done more with socio economic
parameters rather than the ones related to religious identity of
population.
Shankaracharyas arrest by Tamil Nadu Government of Jayalalitha, one of the
then allies of BJP, came as a big chance for BJP to wear its Hindutva on
its sleeves. Shakarcharya, who apparently is presiding over an empire of
Rs. 5000 crores, has been the major accused in murder of Shankar Raman, a
mutt official who opposed the pontiffs ways and also the mismanagement of
funds. It also came to surface that the pontiffs liaison with some women
has more to it than meets the spiritual eyes, also that his junior spends
nights watching the films of dubious nature and so on and so forth. The
sangh combine swooped over the arrest issue. Raising various questions.
One of them though close to idiocy cannot be ignored. Dr. Pravin Togadia
the most visible and verbally aggressive face of Hindutva said that it is
meant to appease the Muslims. Can this Govt. arrest Shahi Imam on the day
of Id (shankracharya was arrested on the night of Divali festival). In a
clever move undermining the nature and seriousness of the crime, the issue
was tried to focus around the manner of arrest. Ignoring the fact that
Jayalalitha has been BJP ally the all the criticism was directed on the
central government and finally on Sonia Gandhi.
Many a Muslim clerics came to the defense of the Seer. The chiefs of many
mutts issued the warnings, projecting the event as an insult to Hindu
religion. Protests were organized, but most of them drew a blank. Seems,
there is a large section of Hindus who know that what Shakracharya might
have been involved has nothing to do with religion, it is the world of
crime, plain and simple. While the seer is cooling his heels in the
prison, the BJP leadership seems to have lost one more issue, which could
have come handy for its political agenda. Seems law will take its own
course despite the Hindutva discourse of BJP.
The process of justice in Gujarat is turning out to be more painful than
the justice process after riots as such. One is aware that the fate of
inquiry commissions has not been so bright. That most of these have not
been implemented. But till now the recognition and a hope that justice
will be done had not been sniffed off so much as in the case of Gujarat.
Gujarat as such has turned into a sort of Hindu Rajya in one state. The
grass root and other mechanisms have been severely jolted. The process of
Ghettoisation has gone up at unprecedented scale. The interference of
Sangh combine at social and political level is immense. Any talk of
freedom and democracy is futile. The activists of human rights have
everything to fear in the state. The civic actions have become difficult.
Though in this phenomenon also there is a light of hope as many a
community actions are focusing on education and self-employment schemes.
As the intimidation of state machinery under Narendra Modi goes up, the
frustration of section of farmers is also going up.
The cases, which were transferred to Maharashtra, started taking a new
unexpected turn. In Best Bakery case the prime accused Zahira Sheikh
turned hostile once again, this time accusing the social activist, Teesta
Setalvad, who has been the pivot of the Best Bakery case. Tehelka sting
operation showed that money has changed hands and that is the reason for
Zahira turning against the social activist. While at one level one feels
like having sympathies with a twenty-year old Zahira, who has lost her
close relatives, at other one also feels dismayed that if culprits can buy
off the witnesses, what happens to the process of law. Talk is going on in
the society about having laws for protection of victims and also about
having laws to combat the communal violence. How the loopholes in the
existing laws can be plugged is a serious issue. Hopefully the UPA govt.
will be able to take steps in that direction.
International situation is supplementing the biases against Islam and
Muslims. World is witness to one of the worst aggression on the people of
Iraq, with over ten thousand Iraqis dead and many more maimed and
insulted. Abu Graib prison photographs may be the tip of proverbial
iceberg. The butchery in Falluja unleashed by US troops has not many
parallels in history. With this US administration emerges the biggest
violators of Human rights anywhere in the World. We do not have to look at
the dictatorial tyrants as the only violators of Human rights. US has left
them far behind in its savagery and cruelty. The process of bringing in of
democracy on the Islamic state is the language being used to cover the
designs on the oil wells. In the process the demonization of Islam and
Muslims is marching unabated, world over. This very much boosts the
similar process going on at home.
With electoral defeat also came the inner bickering amongst the second
rung leadership. The party with a difference has been having too many
internal squabbles to project a unified image. Uma Bharatis walk out from
the National executive of BJP said it all. She accused many of her
colleagues of various derogatory things, but has been taken back after the
suspension. Another star of BJP Tulsi (her screen name), Smirit Irani
demanded the ouster of Modi for his handling of situation in Gujarat. But
she was quick to eat back her words for the sake of political compulsions.
Despite all this inner core of BJP remins intact, well guarded by the
patriarch, RSS.
Today Sangh combine is caught in a strange dilemma. While it has lost its
power at the central government and central resources, at the level of the
grass root its march is going on unabated. During the period of BJP led
NDA it was flush with the NRI and central government funds to spread the
area of its operation. This area of operation goes on at the level of
cities as before so far and has picked up more so in the Adiviasi areas.
The electoral setback may hamper the speed of its spread but it is not
going to affect the core level work being carried by RSS and its progeny.
The cultural manipulation assisted by the global processes is on the rise.
While Gujarat is more or less a Hindu Rashtra, there are others in the
line, Rajasthan, MP, Orissa and Kerala to name the few. The
communalization of the mindset, which was on earlier as well, got
intensified due to the communalization of History books by BJP, is very
much there. While those textbooks have been withdrawn the social level
spread of communal ideas is very much there in most of the states. What of
others, even in a state like West Bengal where the CPM led coalition is
ruling, the average common sense is fairly communal. It may not have
witnessed riots, the govt. may be able to control the riots, but the
mindset which can give rise to riots in the future is very much there. And
this is the best scenario. One can imagine of the situation at other
places.
In the dark scenario there had been positive subjective elements earlier
also. Last three years is witnessing the rise of social and political
groups, which are taking up the issue of fighting against communalism more
seriously. There is a quantum jump in the efforts to combat communalism
during last few years. These efforts may be scattered at the moment but
they have all the promise of coming together as a creative forum and a
platform for defense of democratic values, secular ethos and human rights.
______
[3]
Date: Fri, 7 Jan 2005 18:31:29 -0500
From: South Asia Solidarity Group <sasg at southasiasolidarity.org>
Subject: Hindu Fascists death threats to Tsunami fundraiser
Dear Friends
As you may know there is a festival of documentary films on
India taking place next week in Whitechapel in East London to
raise money for the survivors of the Tsunami disaster.
The organisers have been facing death threats from pro-
Hindutva fascists linked to the Sangh Parivar organisations
in Britain who are objecting to the screening of secular and
anti-caste films including 'In the name of God (Ram ke Naam)'
and 'Gujarat: a laboratoryŠ' ( Some of the threats have been
posted at the RampART website at www.rampart.omxtra.net,
click on forum). These organisations are planning to attempt
to stop the festival taking place and we therefore would urge
you to show your support for the festival by attending,
particularly on the opening night Monday 10th Jan 7.30pm
onwards.
See below for the full programme
Movements in Motion: An Indian Film Festival
A week of documentary films and discussions
food, music, dance performances
from 10 - 15 January 2004
at the rampART Creative Centre and Social Space, East London
15-17 rampart street, whitechapel, E1 2LA
ENTRY FREE: DONATIONS WELCOME
1. Adivasi (Indigenous peoples) resistance/life - 10 January
2005, Monday (Doors open 7.30 p.m. for 8 pm screening)
- The bee, the bear, the kuruba -
This film provides insights into the Kurubas' way of life,
situating itself with the kurubas (a tribe) in South
Karnataka. An understanding of how 'development' projects
create conflicts amongst Adivasis.
- Suits and Savages - An
exploration of the World Bank/Global Environment Facility
funded ecodevelopment project carried out in the same region
in Karnataka. A closer look at what the Bank thought it was
doing and the resistance it met from the Kurubas.
- 5 years on - An update on the
situation shown in the previous film.
2. Casteism - 11 January 2005, Tuesday (Doors open 7.30 p.m.
for 8 pm screening)
- Lesser Humans - A look into
India's caste system through the lives of manual scavengers
in Gujarat.
- The die is caste - How violence
rooted in caste conflict has led to the emergence of Maoist
and Marxist-Leninist groups in the state of Bihar.
3. Women fight back - 12 January 2005, Wednesday (Doors open
7.30 p.m. for 8 pm screening)
- Burnt Not Defeated - Attacks
on women using acids like sulhuric and hydrochloric acid mean
only one thing for those who do survive ?Edebilitating
effects, physical and mental. Faced with increasing acid
attacks by husbands, neighbours, employers, colleaugues on
one hand and indifferent and apathetic Government structures
on the other, women in Karnataka decide to fight back.
- When Women Unite - In 1992,
women in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh revolt against government
supply of liquor to their villages. The resistance spreads
like wildfire. In four months, 800 village shops have been
stormed and shut by angry women. In 12 months, the movement
has spread across the state of Andhra Pradhesh. Three years
later, the government is compelled to declare state-wide
prohibition. It is an account of actual incidents put
together through the testimonies of activists, government
officials, liquor dons and the women in 22 villages of
Nellore district recreating the emotional intensity and the
tensions of the struggle.
4. The myth of India - 13 January 2005, Wednesday (Doors open
7.30 p.m. for 8 pm screening) - Beyond the construction of
India as a once-was colonized country, we hope to show that
India as it exists today is infact brutally colonial itself.
- Naga Story, the other
side of silence - The Nagas are a 3-million-strong indigenous
people who occupy the North-East frontier of the Indian
subcontinent. The Naga political struggle is one of the
oldest nationality movements in South Asia, continuing till
present times. The film provides an introduction to the
history of the Naga struggle, and documents the human rights
abuses suffered by the people in more than 50 years of the
existence of Independent India.
- Development at Gun
Point - Attempts to 'develop' the nation has inevitably
meant displacement of adivasis from their lands and a
consequent loss of their identity, livelihoods. Adivasis in
Kashipur, Orissa, faced with forced evictions and violence
from the state and the multinational companies, unite to
offer fierce resistance. An ongoing struggle, the adivasis
have successfully refused the company officials and the
police forces entry to their lands for the past decade. The
bauxite mining and alumina refinery project remains at the
initial survey stage.
5. Urban India - 14 January, Friday
(Doors open 7.30 p.m. for 8 pm screening)
- The Tales of Night
fairies - Five sexworkers - four women and one man - along
with the filmmaker/narrator embark on a journey of
storytelling. Tales of the Night Fairies explores the power
of collective organizing and resistance while reflecting upon
contemporary debates around sexwork. The simultaneously
expansive and labyrinthine city of Calcutta forms the
backdrop for the personal and musical journeys of
storytelling.
The film screening and discussion will be followed by Kathak
dance performances by Jasmine and group. Indian classical /
rap and fusion music follows.
6. Anti - Nuclear/Militarisation - 15 January, Saturday
(Doors open - 11.30 a.m. for 12 p.m. screening)
- War and Peace -
India gets another nuke bomb and celebrations and explosions
of patriotism and nationalist fervour sweep the country. The
film is a detail of the militarism wave with implications for
India and Pakistan as well as a look at Japan and US - two
countries with a shared nuke history.
- Buddha Weeps in
Jadugada - India's only uranium mining site is located in
Jadugada, an adivasi area in Jharkhand. Buddha weeps in
Jadugada attempts a description of the price being paid by
the people there to sustain India's nuclear dreams and in
turn their attempts to take on the Uranium Corporation India
Limited and the entire Indian nuclear establishment.
7. Fundamentalism - 15 January, Saturday
- In the name of God - IN THE NAME OF
GOD focuses on the campaign waged by the militant Vishwa
Hindu Parishad (VHP - Hindu fundamentalist group) to destroy
a 16th century mosque in Ayodhya said to have been built by
Babar, the first Mughal Emperor of India. The VHP claim the
mosque was built at the birthsite of the Hindu god Ram after
Babar razed an existing Ram temple. They are determined to
build a new temple to Ram on the same site. This
controversial issue has led to a series of religious riots
and finally culminated in the mosque's destruction in
December of 1992. The resulting religious violence
immediately spread throughout India and Pakistan leaving more
than 5,000 dead, and causing thousands of Indian Muslims to
flee their homes. Filmed prior to the mosque's demolition,
this film examines the motivations which would ultimately
lead to the drastic actions of the Hindu militants, as well
as the efforts of secular Indians - many of whom are Hindus -
to combat the religious intolerance and hatred that has
seized India in the name of God.
- Gujarat, A Laboratory of Hindu
Rashtra- Set in the fundamentalist violence unleashed in
Gujarat from February 2002 on, this film documents the lives
of people in about 14 villages in Anand District, Gujarat, in
which the homes and businesses of the Muslims were burnt
down, looted, and destroyed. In some of the villages such as
Dharmaj, Siswa, Mogri, the Muslims who had been living there
for decades have not been allowed to come back. Through
interviews with VHP (Hindu fundamentalist group) leaders as
well as with ordinary people in Gujarat, the film examines
the reasons why Gujarat was a fertile ground for fascism.
- Passengers - Months after the
carnage, people still struggle to find their lives again.
Indian classical / rap and fusion music performances follow
film screenings and discussions.
www.rampart.omxtra.net
o o o o
The Hindu
Jan 10, 2005
Threat to disrupt Asian film festival
By Hasan Suroor
LONDON, JAN. 9. Organisers of a documentary film
festival to be held in London next week to raise
funds for the tsunami victims have alleged
receiving threats from right-wing Hindu groups
which have objected to some of the films saying
that they represent only one viewpoint.
The incident comes two weeks after Sikh
protesters stormed a theatre in Birmingham
forcing it to abandon a play, "Behzti," which
depicted sexual abuse in a gurdwara.
A spokesperson for the organisers of the film
festival - a group of Asian and British youths -
told The Hindu they had been receiving abusive
calls and threats to disrupt the festival if it
was not cancelled.
"On Thursday, ten young men landed up at our
centre in east London and threatened us saying we
were projecting only one viewpoint and that there
was no such thing as Hindu fundamentalism. They
had a list of seven films to which they objected.
These included Anand Patwardhan's "In the Name of
God" on the demolition of the Babri Masjid and
Suma Jasson's film on the Gujarat violence," the
spokesperson said. She did not know if they
belonged to an organised group or were acting on
their own.
Ten films on controversies ranging from religious
fundamentalism and caste and gender issues to
"resistance" movements among tribals are to be
shown at a week-long festival which will also
discuss contemporary political themes. "We are an
independent multi-racial group and have no
agenda," the spokesperson said, emphasising that
it comprised youth from all communities.
The organisers said they were in touch with the
police and planned to go ahead with the
programme. On Saturday, they received support
from the South Asia Solidarity Group - an
umbrella organisation of Asian rights activists -
which called the alleged threats "appalling."
"These organisations are planning to attempt to
stop the festival taking place and we therefore
would urge you to show your support for the
festival by attending, particularly on the
opening night," it said in a statement.
______
[4]
Indian Express
January 08, 2005
Bhopal youth kept away from Hindu wife even after SDM order
Shariq converted to marry Anima in Nov; cops deny
they got orders to reunite the couple, say girl
wants to be with parents
by Rohit Bhan
BHOPAL, JANUARY 7: Documents tucked inside a
folder, Shariq leaves for another day with his
lawyer. For more than a month now, this Muslim
youth from Bhopal has been frantically trying to
get his Hindu wife back. His conversion to
Hinduism and even a magistrate's order have
failed to raze the wall created by religious
bigots, bringing the role of the police under a
scanner.
Shariq married Anima Rai Shrivastava on November
22 at the Arya Samaj temple in Mahavir Nagar,
after four years of courtship and stiff
resistance from parents. They had met when Shariq
joined a computer firm owned by Anima's brother,
in which she herself was the technical director.
In April, Shariq converted to Hinduism, and even
changed his name to Aditya Shrivastava.
But troubles began just four days after the
marriage - a police team intercepted Shariq near
a shopping complex. ''I was picked up by the
police and asked about the whereabouts of my
wife. I took the team to my flat, and after
questioning Anima, they said we will have to
accompany them to the police station for some
formality,'' recalls Shariq. He did not realise
that the nightmare had just begun.
While the youth was detained under charges of
disturbing peace, Anima was forcibly sent to her
Gwalior home. ''I obtained a bail next day and
started looking for Anima,'' says Shariq. On
December 1, he approached the Sub-Divisional
Magistrate (SDM) of Bhopal, Kamal Nagar, and a
search warrant was issued through the Aishbaug
police station. Three days later, the police
claimed they had visited Gwalior but had not
found the girl.
On December 13, another warrant was issued. And
this time, it was to be executed by the Gwalior
SP. Shariq himself visited Gwalior and asked to
be reunited with his wife. ''When I visited the
local police there, I was told the matter would
be resolved amicably. But nothing happened,''
Shariq says.
Finally, on January 3, the Gwalior police
presented Anima before the SDM. Interestingly,
apart from the Gwalior police, at least three
inspectors from other police stations were
present, though the case did not fall under their
jurisdiction. Some Bajrang Dal activists were
also spotted.
After two hours of questioning, Anima told the
SDM that she was happy with her husband and
wanted to go back to him. ''She is a gold
medallist in MCA and more than 18 years of age.
She gave the statement under oath. That is why I
issued the order directing the police to hand
over Anima to her husband,'' the SDM told Express.
But the trauma continued. After coming out of the
SDMs office, the local police allegedly dragged
Anima away in a waiting vehicle and detained
Shariq. ''I was assaulted and the policemen
claimed the girl wanted to go to her parents. The
Bajrang Dal activists, who had gathered at the
office, were putting pressure on the police,''
Shariq alleged.
Shariq was later taken to Koh-e-Fiza police
station and allowed to leave the next day. He,
however, refuses to give up. ''I filed another
application with the SDM yesterday giving details
of the happenings after the order was issued,''
says Shariq, who also plans to file a writ in the
high court.
The police, meanwhile, denies they got any orders
to reunite the couple. ''I am just aware of the
search warrant which was executed by us. We
presented the girl before the SDM on January 3
and have no idea what happened after that,'' says
Gwalior SP Jaydeep Prasad.
Koh-e-Fiza police station in-charge Rajkumar
Sharma claims his men had rushed to the SDM
office as a large number of Bajrang Dal activists
were present there. ''We were there to prevent
any law and order problem,'' he said, adding that
the girl wanted to return to her parents. The
girl's family refused to comment when contacted
over the phone.
______
[5]
FILM: 'Litigating Disaster' and 'Bhopal: The
Second Tragedy', January 12th, 7:30pm
December 3, 1984: an explosion occurred in a
chemical plant in BHOPAL, INDIA in which 20,000
people died and120,000 more are suffering.
Learn more about "the worst industrial disaster
in human history" at a film screening. The
University of Chicago Environmental Concerns
Organization (ECO), Amnesty International, and
SGFC present two films about the Bhopal gas
disaster, on the 20th year since the disaster.
Wednesday, January 12
7:30, Bartlett Lounge, University of Chicago
Free food from the Snail will be provided
The documentary Litigating Disaster (2004, 52
min.) explores how Union Carbide manipulated the
US and the Indian legal systems to avoid
defending its record in the Bhopal plant in
court. The film follows the case brought on
behalf of victims in front of the Federal
district court in New York; the case is now
proceeding to trial after two motions to dismiss.
Bhopal: The Second Tragedy (1994, 60 min.)
returns to the scene of the disaster and shows
how much of the suffering in Bhopal could have
been avoided.
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
Buzz on the perils of fundamentalist politics, on
matters of peace and democratisation in South
Asia. SACW is an independent & non-profit
citizens wire service run since 1998 by South
Asia Citizens Web: www.sacw.net/
SACW archive is available at: bridget.jatol.com/pipermail/sacw_insaf.net/
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South Asia Counter Information Project : snipurl.com/sacip
South Asians Against Nukes: www.s-asians-against-nukes.org
Communalism Watch: communalism.blogspot.com/
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necessarily reflect the views of SACW compilers.
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