On this Thanksgiving Day
I give thanks
FOR BEING ALIVE
for being able to breathe despite the air pollution,
for being able to survive despite the water pollution, pesticides and insecticides
FOR THOSE WHO HELPED ME SURVIVE
the doctors and nurses who pulled me through another operation
the friends and neighbours who rallied round me
the collaborators in all my schemes who keep me on my toes and leave me no time for self pity
FOR THE OPPORTUNITIES TO BE HUMAN
for challenges and problems
for moments of laughter
for periods of pleasure and moments of pain
for opportunities to make mistakes and learn from them
Happy Thanksgiving Day to you
wherever you are
CLICK HERE FOR THE STORY ABOUT THANKSGIVING
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Things I'm thankful for
Thanksgiving Day
Today is Thanksgiving Day
Here'a the story of Thanksgiving that you must read
THE PLYMOUTH THANKSGIVING STORY
When the Pilgrims crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 1620, they landed on the rocky shores of a territory that was inhabited by the Wampanoag (Wam pa NO ag) Indians. The Wampanoags were part of the Algonkian-speaking peoples, a large group that was part of the Woodland Culture area. These Indians lived in villages along the coast of what is now Massachusetts and Rhode Island. They lived in round-roofed houses called wigwams. These were made of poles covered with flat sheets of elm or birch bark. Wigwams differ in construction from tipis that were used by Indians of the Great Plains.
The Wampanoags moved several times during each year in order to get food. In the spring they would fish in the rivers for salmon and herring. In the planting season they moved to the forest to hunt deer and other animals. After the end of the hunting season people moved inland where there was greater protection from the weather. From December to April they lived on food that they stored during the earlier months.
The basic dress for men was the breech clout, a length of deerskin looped over a belt in back and in front. Women wore deerskin wrap-around skirts. Deerskin leggings and fur capes made from deer, beaver, otter, and bear skins gave protection during the colder seasons, and deerskin moccasins were worn on the feet. Both men and women usually braided their hair and a single feather was often worn in the back of the hair by men. They did not have the large feathered headdresses worn by people in the Plains Culture area.
There were two language groups of Indians in New England at this time. The Iroquois were neighbours to the Algonkian-speaking people. Leaders of the Algonquin and Iroquois people were called "sachems" (SAY chems). Each village had its own sachem and tribal council. Political power flowed upward from the people. Any individual, man or woman, could participate, but among the Algonquins more political power was held by men. Among the Iroquois, however, women held the deciding vote in the final selection of who would represent the group. Both men and women enforced the laws of the village and helped solve problems. The details of their democratic system were so impressive that about 150 years later Benjamin Franklin invited the Iroquois to Albany, New York, to explain their system to a delegation who then developed the "Albany Plan of Union." This document later served as a model for the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution of the United States.
These Indians of the Eastern Woodlands called the turtle, the deer and the fish their brothers. They respected the forest and everything in it as equals. Whenever a hunter made a kill, he was careful to leave behind some bones or meat as a spiritual offering, to help other animals survive. Not to do so would be considered greedy.
The Wampanoags also treated each other with respect. Any visitor to a Wampanoag home was provided with a share of whatever food the family had, even if the supply was low. This same courtesy was extended to the Pilgrims when they met.
We can only guess what the Wampanoags must have thought when they first saw the strange ships of the Pilgrims arriving on their shores. But their custom was to help visitors, and they treated the newcomers with courtesy. It was mainly because of their kindness that the Pilgrims survived at all. The wheat the Pilgrims had brought with them to plant would not grow in the rocky soil. They needed to learn new ways for a new world, and the man who came to help them was called "Tisquantum" (Tis SKWAN tum) or "Squanto" (SKWAN toe).
Squanto was originally from the village of Patuxet (Pa UK et) and a member of the Pokanokit Wampanoag nation. Patuxet once stood on the exact site where the Pilgrims built Plymouth. In 1605, fifteen years before the Pilgrims came, Squanto went to England with a friendly English explorer named John Weymouth. He had many adventures and learned to speak English. Squanto came back to New England with Captain Weymouth. Later Squanto was captured by a British slaver who raided the village and sold Squanto to the Spanish in the Caribbean Islands.
A Spanish Franciscan priest befriended Squanto and helped him to get to Spain and later on a ship to England. Squanto then found Captain Weymouth, who paid his way back to his homeland. In England Squanto met Samoset of the Wabanake (Wab NAH key) Tribe, who had also left his native home with an English explorer. They both returned together to Patuxet in 1620. When they arrived, the village was deserted and there were skeletons everywhere. Everyone in the village had died from an illness the English slavers had left behind. Squanto and Samoset went to stay with a neighbouring village of Wampanoags.
One year later, in the spring, Squanto and Samoset were hunting along the beach near Patuxet. They were startled to see people from England in their deserted village. For several days, they stayed nearby observing the newcomers. Finally they decided to approach them. Samoset walked into the village and said "welcome," Squanto soon joined him. The Pilgrims were very surprised to meet two Indians who spoke English.
The Pilgrims were not in good condition. They were living in dirt-covered shelters, there was a shortage of food, and nearly half of them had died during the winter. They obviously needed help and the two men were a welcome sight.
Squanto, who probably knew more English than any other Indian in North America at that time, decided to stay with the Pilgrims for the next few months and teach them how to survive in this new place. He brought them deer meat and beaver skins. He taught them how to cultivate corn and other new vegetables and how to build Indian-style houses.
He pointed out poisonous plants and showed how other plants could be used as medicine. He explained how to dig and cook clams, how to get sap from the maple trees, use fish for fertilizer, and dozens of other skills needed for their survival.
By the time fall arrived things were going much better for the Pilgrims, thanks to the help they had received. The corn they planted had grown well. There was enough food to last the winter. They were living comfortably in their Indian-style wigwams and had also managed to build one European-style building out of squared logs. This was their church. They were now in better health, and they knew more about surviving in this new land. The Pilgrims decided to have a thanksgiving feast to celebrate their good fortune.
They had observed thanksgiving feasts in November asreligious obligations in England for many years before coming to the New World.
When the Pilgrims crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 1620, they landed on the rocky shores of a territory that was inhabited by the Wampanoag (Wam pa NO ag) Indians. The Wampanoags were part of the Algonkian-speaking peoples, a large group that was part of the Woodland Culture area. These Indians lived in villages along the coast of what is now Massachusetts and Rhode Island. They lived in round-roofed houses called wigwams. These were made of poles covered with flat sheets of elm or birch bark. Wigwams differ in construction from tipis that were used by Indians of the Great Plains.
The Wampanoags moved several times during each year in order to get food. In the spring they would fish in the rivers for salmon and herring. In the planting season they moved to the forest to hunt deer and other animals. After the end of the hunting season people moved inland where there was greater protection from the weather. From December to April they lived on food that they stored during the earlier months.
The basic dress for men was the breech clout, a length of deerskin looped over a belt in back and in front. Women wore deerskin wrap-around skirts. Deerskin leggings and fur capes made from deer, beaver, otter, and bear skins gave protection during the colder seasons, and deerskin moccasins were worn on the feet. Both men and women usually braided their hair and a single feather was often worn in the back of the hair by men. They did not have the large feathered headdresses worn by people in the Plains Culture area.
There were two language groups of Indians in New England at this time. The Iroquois were neighbours to the Algonkian-speaking people. Leaders of the Algonquin and Iroquois people were called "sachems" (SAY chems). Each village had its own sachem and tribal council. Political power flowed upward from the people. Any individual, man or woman, could participate, but among the Algonquins more political power was held by men. Among the Iroquois, however, women held the deciding vote in the final selection of who would represent the group. Both men and women enforced the laws of the village and helped solve problems. The details of their democratic system were so impressive that about 150 years later Benjamin Franklin invited the Iroquois to Albany, New York, to explain their system to a delegation who then developed the "Albany Plan of Union." This document later served as a model for the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution of the United States.
These Indians of the Eastern Woodlands called the turtle, the deer and the fish their brothers. They respected the forest and everything in it as equals. Whenever a hunter made a kill, he was careful to leave behind some bones or meat as a spiritual offering, to help other animals survive. Not to do so would be considered greedy.
The Wampanoags also treated each other with respect. Any visitor to a Wampanoag home was provided with a share of whatever food the family had, even if the supply was low. This same courtesy was extended to the Pilgrims when they met.
We can only guess what the Wampanoags must have thought when they first saw the strange ships of the Pilgrims arriving on their shores. But their custom was to help visitors, and they treated the newcomers with courtesy. It was mainly because of their kindness that the Pilgrims survived at all. The wheat the Pilgrims had brought with them to plant would not grow in the rocky soil. They needed to learn new ways for a new world, and the man who came to help them was called "Tisquantum" (Tis SKWAN tum) or "Squanto" (SKWAN toe).
Squanto was originally from the village of Patuxet (Pa UK et) and a member of the Pokanokit Wampanoag nation. Patuxet once stood on the exact site where the Pilgrims built Plymouth. In 1605, fifteen years before the Pilgrims came, Squanto went to England with a friendly English explorer named John Weymouth. He had many adventures and learned to speak English. Squanto came back to New England with Captain Weymouth. Later Squanto was captured by a British slaver who raided the village and sold Squanto to the Spanish in the Caribbean Islands.
A Spanish Franciscan priest befriended Squanto and helped him to get to Spain and later on a ship to England. Squanto then found Captain Weymouth, who paid his way back to his homeland. In England Squanto met Samoset of the Wabanake (Wab NAH key) Tribe, who had also left his native home with an English explorer. They both returned together to Patuxet in 1620. When they arrived, the village was deserted and there were skeletons everywhere. Everyone in the village had died from an illness the English slavers had left behind. Squanto and Samoset went to stay with a neighbouring village of Wampanoags.
One year later, in the spring, Squanto and Samoset were hunting along the beach near Patuxet. They were startled to see people from England in their deserted village. For several days, they stayed nearby observing the newcomers. Finally they decided to approach them. Samoset walked into the village and said "welcome," Squanto soon joined him. The Pilgrims were very surprised to meet two Indians who spoke English.
The Pilgrims were not in good condition. They were living in dirt-covered shelters, there was a shortage of food, and nearly half of them had died during the winter. They obviously needed help and the two men were a welcome sight.
Squanto, who probably knew more English than any other Indian in North America at that time, decided to stay with the Pilgrims for the next few months and teach them how to survive in this new place. He brought them deer meat and beaver skins. He taught them how to cultivate corn and other new vegetables and how to build Indian-style houses.
He pointed out poisonous plants and showed how other plants could be used as medicine. He explained how to dig and cook clams, how to get sap from the maple trees, use fish for fertilizer, and dozens of other skills needed for their survival.
By the time fall arrived things were going much better for the Pilgrims, thanks to the help they had received. The corn they planted had grown well. There was enough food to last the winter. They were living comfortably in their Indian-style wigwams and had also managed to build one European-style building out of squared logs. This was their church. They were now in better health, and they knew more about surviving in this new land. The Pilgrims decided to have a thanksgiving feast to celebrate their good fortune.
They had observed thanksgiving feasts in November asreligious obligations in England for many years before coming to the New World.
The Algonkian tribes held six thanksgiving festivals during the year.
The beginning of the Algonkian year was marked by the Maple Dance which gave thanks to the Creator for the maple tree and its syrup. This ceremony occurred when the weather was warm enough for the sap to run in the maple trees, sometimes as early as February. Second was the planting feast, where the seeds were blessed. The strawberry festival was next, celebrating the first fruits of the season. Summer brought the green corn festival to give thanks for the ripening corn. In late fall, the harvest festival gave thanks for the food they had grown.Mid-winter was the last ceremony of the old year.
When the Indians sat down to the "first Thanksgiving" with the Pilgrims, it was really the fifth thanksgiving of the year for them!
Captain Miles Standish, the leader of the Pilgrims, invited Squanto, Samoset, Massasoit (the leader of the Wampanoags), and their immediate families to join them for a celebration, but they had no idea how big Indian families could be. As the Thanksgiving feast began, the Pilgrims were overwhelmed at the large turnout of ninety relatives that Squanto and Samoset brought with them.
Captain Miles Standish, the leader of the Pilgrims, invited Squanto, Samoset, Massasoit (the leader of the Wampanoags), and their immediate families to join them for a celebration, but they had no idea how big Indian families could be. As the Thanksgiving feast began, the Pilgrims were overwhelmed at the large turnout of ninety relatives that Squanto and Samoset brought with them.
The Pilgrims were not prepared to feed a gathering of people that large for three days. Seeing this, Massasoit gave orders to his men within the first hour of his arrival to go home and get more food. Thus it happened that the Indians supplied the majority of the food: Five deer, many wild turkeys, fish, beans, squash, corn soup, corn bread, and berries. Captain Standish sat at one end of a long table and the Clan Chief Massasoit sat at the other end. For the first time the Wampanoag people were sitting at a table to eat instead of on mats or furs spread on the ground. The Indian women sat together with the Indian men to eat. The Pilgrim women,however, stood quietly behind the table and waited until after their men had eaten, since that was their custom.
For three days the Wampanoags feasted with the Pilgrims. It was a special time of friendship between two very different groups of people. A peace and friendship agreement was made between Massasoit and Miles Standish giving the Pilgrims the clearing in the forest where the old Patuxet village once stood to build their new town of Plymouth.
It would be very good to say that this friendship lasted a long time; but, unfortunately, that was not to be.
For three days the Wampanoags feasted with the Pilgrims. It was a special time of friendship between two very different groups of people. A peace and friendship agreement was made between Massasoit and Miles Standish giving the Pilgrims the clearing in the forest where the old Patuxet village once stood to build their new town of Plymouth.
It would be very good to say that this friendship lasted a long time; but, unfortunately, that was not to be.
More English people came to America, and they were not inneed of help from the Indians as were the original Pilgrims. Many of the newcomers forgot the help the Indians had given them. Mistrust started to grow and the friendship weakened. The Pilgrims started telling their Indian neighbours that their Indian religion and Indian customs were wrong. The Pilgrims displayed an intolerance toward the Indian religion similar to the intolerance displayed toward the less popular religions in Europe. The relationship deteriorated and within a few years the children of the people who ate together at the first Thanksgiving were killing one another in what came to be called King Phillip's War.
It is sad to think that this happened, but it is important to understand all of the story and not just the happy part. Today the town of Plymouth Rock has a Thanksgiving ceremony each year in remembrance of the first Thanksgiving. There are still Wampanoag people living in Massachusetts. In 1970, they asked one of them to speak at the ceremony to mark the 350th anniversary of the Pilgrim's arrival. Here is part of what was said:
"Today is a time of celebrating for you -- a time of looking back to the first days of white people in America. But it is not a time of celebrating for me. It is with a heavy heart that I look back upon what happened to my People. When the Pilgrims arrived, we, the Wampanoags, welcomed them with open arms, little knowing that it was the beginning of the end. That before 50 years were to pass, the Wampanoag would no longer be a tribe. That we and other Indians living near the settlers would be killed by their guns or dead from diseases that we caught from them. Let us always remember, the Indian is and was just as human as the white people. Although our way of life is almost gone, we, the Wampanoags, still walk the lands of Massachusetts. What has happened cannot be changed. But today we work toward a better America, a more Indian America where people and nature once again are important."
It is sad to think that this happened, but it is important to understand all of the story and not just the happy part. Today the town of Plymouth Rock has a Thanksgiving ceremony each year in remembrance of the first Thanksgiving. There are still Wampanoag people living in Massachusetts. In 1970, they asked one of them to speak at the ceremony to mark the 350th anniversary of the Pilgrim's arrival. Here is part of what was said:
"Today is a time of celebrating for you -- a time of looking back to the first days of white people in America. But it is not a time of celebrating for me. It is with a heavy heart that I look back upon what happened to my People. When the Pilgrims arrived, we, the Wampanoags, welcomed them with open arms, little knowing that it was the beginning of the end. That before 50 years were to pass, the Wampanoag would no longer be a tribe. That we and other Indians living near the settlers would be killed by their guns or dead from diseases that we caught from them. Let us always remember, the Indian is and was just as human as the white people. Although our way of life is almost gone, we, the Wampanoags, still walk the lands of Massachusetts. What has happened cannot be changed. But today we work toward a better America, a more Indian America where people and nature once again are important."
Monday, November 24, 2008
Signs of the Times
The Signis annual regional meet held at Hazaribagh from November 20 to 23 for the Bijhan region could perhaps be counted as one of the most ill-conceived and ill-organised affairs I have attended in recent times.
The accommodation was bleak [to put it politely], the content of the sessions for the study days was below par. The responsibility for this three day waste of time and resources will, of course, rest with the President of the Bijhan region, who was unable to put together a meaningful three day event for communication professionals.
[pics: accomodation: for MEDIA professionals? Inauguration of business session: no banner, no identity..... Is Signis Bijhan so bereft of talent?]
The main problem with the current Signis Bijhan leadership is poor communication and lack of professionalism. They are basically clerics with little or no claim to being media persons except perhaps a degree or two obtained at a catholic run media centre [fashionably abroad] and have been put in charge [occasionally] of church run media centres and such. There are more priests and religious in the association than catholic laity, even though the organisation is supposed to be to empower catholic professionals and encourage them to contribute towards a more meaningful media environment, the clergy appear to hog the limelight, honswoggle the funds, and generally call the shots.
From what I observed at the recent Signis meet was that [1] the organisers did not plan for professionals but for one of their local village parishioners meets. How else would you explain the blatantly feudal allotment of accommodation: with the priests being allotted single accommodation with attached European toilet facilities and the other Signis members been thrown into dormitory accommodation – common bathrooms, no running hot water, not a table and a chair? How on earth were the delegates to function without a table or chair in their room? [Forget about the fact that as a professional one needs to have a power supply port for a laptop, a place to access the internet, and some basic amenities to be able to charge phone and camera batteries(!) ]
You see, the Catholic priests need privacy; catholic Professionals are not accorded the same dignity in the worldview of the current Bijhan president.
[2] The study days were not planned at all. A participant told me, “Media professionals were being taught about the media by children and their parents whose only idea about the media was the TV channels they watch! I observed that the ‘resource persons’ on the second day had really nothing new to say. Two school administrators – a priest and a nun – skirted issues [as a matter of personal opinion, the nun, had she been in a different city would have been prosecuted –and rightly so – for cruelty to young people].
[3] The Hazaribagh region is rich with resources and capable Catholic institutions which would have readily provided space and resources for the programme had the organisers but asked. Was there not a single affluent catholic in the whole of Hazaribagh who could have hosted a dinner and thus reduced the financial burden of the organisers? Was there not a single catholic institution that would have gladly provided support?
One would wish that members of the clergy, think about whether they actually have the time to contribute constructively to an organisation before indulging in power politics to gain executive seats. If you are an office bearer, you are supposed to see that your organisation prospers, and not think of your office as a means to go on trips and jaunts. If you can’t deliver the goods, kindly get off the train….
Friday, November 21, 2008
Another Day Older
Another Birthday.
What is it about?
Phone calls rudely awakening you at midnight
Because some well-meaning but misguided 'friend' wants to be the first to wish the 'birthday boy'
Learnt how to get around that... I just turn off all the phones after 9 pm.
Most of my friends know by now that I don't like to answer phones between 9 and 11 pm.
That's my personal 'quality time' with the boob tube.
SMS messages cluttering up your mobile phone
and edging out the really important stuff...
like the confirmation of the shipment of the special gift you bought yourself
Dozens of notes on those 'social networking sites'
many from people you have never met,
have never spoken to,
and haven't the foggiest idea of what they're all about!
I believe that a birthday is an intensely personal thing
and I am usually deeply embarrassed at public displays of affection especially from people whom I don't know that well.
But then, not much is left in the private sphere nowadays.
Sign up for a web-page or some such thing in cyberspace
and hey presto, everybody and his twisted sister knows the date on which you came out, screaming and protesting
and landed into this madhouse called planet earth.
The great things about a birthday
Being remembered by friends old and new
Reconnecting with others whom you have somehow lost touch with
Receiving surprises in the mail and at your doorstep
like that wonderful flower arrangement from ferns and petals sent by a past student
Its nice to have a day of your own where you can take stock of what you've achieved
in the past year of your existence...
Personally, I did not do badly the past year... but I surely could have done better
Thanks to all of you folks who were so kind to
drop me a line, a note, an e-mail or an sms
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Just food
As somebody who's proudly single, I often check out the supermarket shelves for stuff that is good to eat and that make my meals interesting. I also happen to be a 'foodie' and stirring up a wokful of meats and veggies is my speciality.
What pains me is how Patna has shrunk from a pretty cosmopolitan city to an insular, inward 
town. It's amazing what you can know about the nature of a place just by looking at what's on offer on supermarket shelves.
town. It's amazing what you can know about the nature of a place just by looking at what's on offer on supermarket shelves.Just a decade ago it was so easy to walk into Roshan Brothers for bacon, ham, and fresh sausages. Today what's on offer are a few mangy cans of stuff that are twice as costly and have half the taste. I have been reduced to importing a kilo or two of bacon from Khub Chand's in Delhi.
These spanking new 'supermarkets' hardly have any non-vegertarian processed food. When they started out they displayed a couple of shelves with processed sea-food: sardines, squid soup and the like, but now they've disappeared. It's difficult for one to locate a pack of chicken flavoured noodles, for heaven's sake!
Of course, we do have access to a better range of [processed] cheeses, and one can actually discover the odd jar of marmite, now and again.
Now Sikkim... there's tiny Gangtok with a vast range of interesting food- from Giouda cheese, to prawn chips to pork products!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
JOLLY GOOD SHOW
The All India Anglo Indian Association took up the challenge to revive the Patna English One-Act play competition which was started by the late Dr Anne Mukhopadhaya over three decades ago. Professors Shankar Dutt and Muniba Sami, Doctors John and Sita Mukhopadhaya are the ones behind this revival.
It’s a laudable effort to try to bring back the things that made
It amazes me how the English language is consistently butchered by the people who claim that she’s their mater lingua. The gaudily dressed woman announcer could have been forgiven for her choice of attire, but not for her sloppy pronunciation and awful grammar.
The show was slated to start at about three in the afternoon, but actually went under way about half an hour later, and when things finally got under way, the audience was subjected to a long harangue about the Anglo-Indian community, a stock speech by community leader Alfie de Rozario that seemed to go on and on and .... on. Somebody has got to tell these chaps that brevity is the order of the day. Any speech longer than three minutes, especially when the audience has been kept waiting for a performance, is very trying indeed.
And oh, the sound system -- it was a total disaster! The ever-present Sanjay Electricals was on hire for the sound and lights. He’s the most popular choice for performances and video-shoots in the city, and no doubt the organizers paid a pretty penny, but the sound was horrendous. The feedback whistles and hums were right out of a traveling bullock cart system on a particularly nasty election rally. I would have asked the chappie for a refund and slapped a fine on him to boot!
When the judges were busy toting up the marks, one would have expected some lively music or a performance from the members of the Danapur Branch of the Anglo-Indian association. Anglos are known for their music and dramatic talent. However what we got was another harangue on the community, this time in PowerPoint!
DEFENDING THE IDEA OF INDIA
POLITICAL RESOLUTION
29 October, 2008
The two day national convention - Countering Fascist Forces: Defending the Idea of India, 25-26 October 2008- was attended by over 750 activists' and intellectuals from 18 states (Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Delhi, Harayana, Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, Gujarat, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, J & K, Punjab, Maharashtra and Chattisgarh).
POLITICAL RESOLUTION PASSED AT THE CONVENTION
The urgency to intervene in defence of democracy, secularism and justice has never been more pressing than in the conditions prevailing in the country today.
The rise of communal fascism has emerged as a threat not only to its immediate victims but to the very long-term survival of India as a unified nation of diverse religious, linguistic and ethnic groups. The mysterious and condemnable acts of terrorism that have shaken different parts of the country have engendered a climate of fear, insecurity and fuelled the politics of communal division.
In recent months, vicious attacks have been mounted across India against religious minorities by Hindutva fascist organizations and communalism has even become the dominant tenor of public discourse. In Maharashtra the regional chauvinist forces of Bal and Raj Thackeray, both offsprings of the Hindutva politics of hate, has targeted north Indians in a bid to drive them out of the state.
The BJP, RSS and their allies in the Sangh Parivar have mounted a vicious campaign against the Christian community across India. Orissa and over 10 states have seen violent attacks on the Christian community, their institutions, religious places, property and businesses on the basis of fabricated stories and hate campaigns.
Throughout the country Muslim youth are being targeted, without any or little evidence, as responsible for the various bomb blasts taking place in the country. There is a concerted attempt by the Indian police, intelligence agencies and certain political parties to portray all members of the Muslim community as 'terrorists and extremists' - to be arbitrarily arrested, tortured and killed in fake encounters. Sections of the media instead of investigating the truth are blindly parroting these sensational and unsubstantiated claims.
Even more disturbingly the accused are being systematically denied their basic right to legal defence by some bar associations themselves which have threatened, expelled and even violently attacked lawyers brave enough to take up these cases. The Indian judiciary has failed to take suo moto cognizance of such attacks as being contempt of court.
All this while hard evidence available against Bajrang Dal, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and other Sangh outfits of their direct involvement in terror attacks is not only being ignored but actively pushed under the carpet by the Indian state. The Hindutva terrorist groups like the Bajrang Dal are openly claiming responsibility for this communal violence against Christians and are yet being allowed to go scot-free.
There is a growing feeling among religious minority communities that the Indian state and judiciary is biased against them and unwilling to provide impartial justice even in cases such as the demolition of the Babri Masjid. No action has been taken on the recommendations of the Srikrishna Commission report following the anti-Muslim pogrom in Mumbai of 1993. On the other hand some members of the judiciary are now willing to be puppets of communal forces, a dangerous trend set by the Nanavati Commission, which has exonerated the Narendra Modi government of responsibility for the Gujarat Genocide of 2002.
Instead of confronting these fascist forces the Indian state is cracking down hard on 'soft targets' like human rights and social activists. The fundamental rights of life, liberty, freedom of speech, religion and dissent guaranteed to all citizens by the Indian Constitution are being shred to pieces right in front of our eyes.
Entire swathes of the Indian North-East and Kashmir are covered by the draconian Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) that authorises even the lowest soldier to shoot and kill civilians on mere suspicion of their being 'militants'. In Chhattisgarh, large numbers of citizens continue to be detained using the highly restrictive Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act (CSPSA). Those defending the rights of the poor, Dalit, Adivasis and other marginalised people are being falsely branded as 'extremists' and 'anti-nationals'. The state sponsored, unconstitutional 'Salwa Judum' campaign, which has unleashed horrific violence on innocent tribal populations over the past four years in the name of countering Maoism, is being justified by none other than the National Human Rights Commission itself.
All this is happening even as the forces of imperialism led by the United States, under the pretext of the so-called Global War on Terror, are busy re-colonising entire nations from Iraq to Afghanistan and are now targeting Pakistan in the immediate neighbourhood of India. The global media is contributing to this politics of hatred by demonizing Muslims worldwide and frightening ordinary citizens into giving up their basic democratic rights everywhere.
Within the country, the pattern of elitist development has turned a vast majority of the population into second-class citizens, reinforcing with misguided policies the apartheid of the ancient and racist caste system. The ghost of the East India Company, buried long ago, is being resurrected in myriad forms and those who run the Indian state are willfully abetting the return of a neo-colonial order.
It is a state of affairs that calls upon all those who value Indian independence, democratic rights and social justice to come forward, take responsibility and resist the onslaught by fascist and imperialist forces on the foundations of our national values and existence. We also urge all anti-communal activists and secular political parties to forge alliance to defeat fascism and communalism. We, the delegates and participants of the National Convention on Countering Fascism: Defending the Idea of India in New Delhi held on 25-26 October 2008 resolve as follows to:
1) Call for the resignation of Shivraj Patil, Home Minister of India for his abject failure to prevent bomb attacks in major Indian cities; take action against Hindutva terrorists despite evidence provided to him by civil society groups; stop the Sangh Parivar's attacks on Christian populations in Orissa, Karnataka and other parts of India; and for using fake police encounters and false evidence against Muslim youth to save his political career;
2) Call for the dismissal of M.K.Narayanan, National Security Adviser for incompetence and all the intelligence lapses leading to rise in to both terrorist and communal violence;
3) Demand prosecution of all members of the Bharatiya Janata Party and ABVP who have links with Hindutva terrorist organisations, such as the ones implicated in the Malegaon bomb blasts.
4) Condemn the UPA government for falling prey to the Hindutva agenda while paying lip service to secularism.
5) Demand the setting up of a time-bound judicial inquiry into the Jamia Nagar 'encounter' headed by a sitting judge of the Supreme Court;
6) Review major cases of 'terrorist' attacks and immediately release those against whom there is no evidence of any kind; implementation of NHRC instruction regarding independent investigation into all deaths in police custody and in police encounters over the last 5 years;
7) Call for a ban on RSS, the Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad for terrorist, anti-national activities and seizure of their national and international assets; a White Paper on the terrorist activities of these organizations;
8) Demand the presentation of a White Paper on the scope of India's "war on terrorism" and the level of its cooperation and collaboration with the US-led war on terror;
9) Enact the Communal Violence Bill after thorough revision in consultation with citizen's bodies, human rights groups and anti-communal organisations across India;
10) Provide immediate relief and compensation to the victims of communal terrorism in Orissa and other states including reconstruction of destroyed private property and restoration of livelihood. Set up a permanent statutory body to deal with such issues in future.
11) Demand the formation of a strong statutory body like election commission (or extend the scope of the EC) to monitor pre-election conduct of political parties and their leaders which generally leads up to polarization of vote banks. Such a body should have a right to disqualify party and/or its functionaries or elected representatives in the legislature in the wake of a breach of conduct;
12) The immediate release of Human Rights Defenders, such as Dr Binayak Sen, who have been arrested for exposing police atrocities and state violence against innocent citizens.
13) Demand a White Paper on misuse of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act in Kashmir and the Indian North-East and the immediate withdrawal; search for a political rather than military solution to the Kashmir problem;
14) A national commission of inquiry into the misuse of special security laws by the police to arrest members of the minority community in false cases of terrorism
Convention Organised by:
Academy of Public Understanding of Science, All India Christian Council, All India Dalit Mahila Adhikar Manch, All India Quami Mahaz, All India Secular Forum, Alternatives, Aman Biradari, Aman Samudaya, ANHAD, Antarik Visthapit Hak Rakshak Samiti, Anweshi, Arya Samaj, ASHA Pariwar, Ashraya Adhikar Abhiyan, Asmita Collective, Awaz e- Niswana, Bandhua Mukti Morcha, Bhartiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, Bihar Social Institute, BUILD, Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reforms, Centre for Youth Development and Activities, Chattisgarh Jan Vigyan Vikas Sangthan, Centre for Information, Training, Research and Action, Commission for Religious Harmony, Committee for Protection of Democratic Rights , Countercurrents.org, Centre for Studies in Society and Secularism, Danish Publishers, Darpana Academy, Disha Social Organization , Ekta, Foundation for Educational Innovations in Asia, Global Gandhi Forum, GRAVIS, Holy Cross Convent, Human Rights Law Network, Indian
Social Institute, Indian Social Action Forum ,INSAF Bulletin, Institute for Minority Women, Institute for Social Democracy, Jadugoda, Janadhikar Samuh, Jananeethi, Janvikas, JUDAV, Lok Sangharsh Morcha, Lokshakti Abhiyan, Mahatma Gandhi Foundation, MASUM, Media Action Group, Medico Friend Circle, Minorities Council, Muslim Women's Forum, National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights, National Economic Forum for Muslims, Nazareth Mahila Samiti, NCHRO, Nishan, North East Support Centre & Helpline, Orissa Development Action Forum, Orissa Seek, Save & Development Society, Oxfam India, Popular Education & Action Centre ,People's Movement against Nuclear Energy, People's Research Society, People's Watch, PRASHANT, Religious Harmony Commission (CBCI), Roshan Vikas, Saheli, Sahrwaru, Sajhi Duniya, Sama, Samarpan, Sanchetana, Sandarbh, Sangat, Sarva Dharam Sansad, Shambhavi, South Asia Citizens Web, South Asians for Human Rights , SUTRA, Tamilnadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam, Udayan, Urja Ghar, Vikas Adhyan Kendra, Yuv Shakti
Entire swathes of the Indian North-East and Kashmir are covered by the draconian Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) that authorises even the lowest soldier to shoot and kill civilians on mere suspicion of their being 'militants'. In Chhattisgarh, large numbers of citizens continue to be detained using the highly restrictive Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act (CSPSA). Those defending the rights of the poor, Dalit, Adivasis and other marginalised people are being falsely branded as 'extremists' and 'anti-nationals'. The state sponsored, unconstitutional 'Salwa Judum' campaign, which has unleashed horrific violence on innocent tribal populations over the past four years in the name of countering Maoism, is being justified by none other than the National Human Rights Commission itself.
All this is happening even as the forces of imperialism led by the United States, under the pretext of the so-called Global War on Terror, are busy re-colonising entire nations from Iraq to Afghanistan and are now targeting Pakistan in the immediate neighbourhood of India. The global media is contributing to this politics of hatred by demonizing Muslims worldwide and frightening ordinary citizens into giving up their basic democratic rights everywhere.
Within the country, the pattern of elitist development has turned a vast majority of the population into second-class citizens, reinforcing with misguided policies the apartheid of the ancient and racist caste system. The ghost of the East India Company, buried long ago, is being resurrected in myriad forms and those who run the Indian state are willfully abetting the return of a neo-colonial order.
It is a state of affairs that calls upon all those who value Indian independence, democratic rights and social justice to come forward, take responsibility and resist the onslaught by fascist and imperialist forces on the foundations of our national values and existence. We also urge all anti-communal activists and secular political parties to forge alliance to defeat fascism and communalism. We, the delegates and participants of the National Convention on Countering Fascism: Defending the Idea of India in New Delhi held on 25-26 October 2008 resolve as follows to:
1) Call for the resignation of Shivraj Patil, Home Minister of India for his abject failure to prevent bomb attacks in major Indian cities; take action against Hindutva terrorists despite evidence provided to him by civil society groups; stop the Sangh Parivar's attacks on Christian populations in Orissa, Karnataka and other parts of India; and for using fake police encounters and false evidence against Muslim youth to save his political career;
2) Call for the dismissal of M.K.Narayanan, National Security Adviser for incompetence and all the intelligence lapses leading to rise in to both terrorist and communal violence;
3) Demand prosecution of all members of the Bharatiya Janata Party and ABVP who have links with Hindutva terrorist organisations, such as the ones implicated in the Malegaon bomb blasts.
4) Condemn the UPA government for falling prey to the Hindutva agenda while paying lip service to secularism.
5) Demand the setting up of a time-bound judicial inquiry into the Jamia Nagar 'encounter' headed by a sitting judge of the Supreme Court;
6) Review major cases of 'terrorist' attacks and immediately release those against whom there is no evidence of any kind; implementation of NHRC instruction regarding independent investigation into all deaths in police custody and in police encounters over the last 5 years;
7) Call for a ban on RSS, the Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad for terrorist, anti-national activities and seizure of their national and international assets; a White Paper on the terrorist activities of these organizations;
8) Demand the presentation of a White Paper on the scope of India's "war on terrorism" and the level of its cooperation and collaboration with the US-led war on terror;
9) Enact the Communal Violence Bill after thorough revision in consultation with citizen's bodies, human rights groups and anti-communal organisations across India;
10) Provide immediate relief and compensation to the victims of communal terrorism in Orissa and other states including reconstruction of destroyed private property and restoration of livelihood. Set up a permanent statutory body to deal with such issues in future.
11) Demand the formation of a strong statutory body like election commission (or extend the scope of the EC) to monitor pre-election conduct of political parties and their leaders which generally leads up to polarization of vote banks. Such a body should have a right to disqualify party and/or its functionaries or elected representatives in the legislature in the wake of a breach of conduct;
12) The immediate release of Human Rights Defenders, such as Dr Binayak Sen, who have been arrested for exposing police atrocities and state violence against innocent citizens.
13) Demand a White Paper on misuse of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act in Kashmir and the Indian North-East and the immediate withdrawal; search for a political rather than military solution to the Kashmir problem;
14) A national commission of inquiry into the misuse of special security laws by the police to arrest members of the minority community in false cases of terrorism
Convention Organised by:
Academy of Public Understanding of Science, All India Christian Council, All India Dalit Mahila Adhikar Manch, All India Quami Mahaz, All India Secular Forum, Alternatives, Aman Biradari, Aman Samudaya, ANHAD, Antarik Visthapit Hak Rakshak Samiti, Anweshi, Arya Samaj, ASHA Pariwar, Ashraya Adhikar Abhiyan, Asmita Collective, Awaz e- Niswana, Bandhua Mukti Morcha, Bhartiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, Bihar Social Institute, BUILD, Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reforms, Centre for Youth Development and Activities, Chattisgarh Jan Vigyan Vikas Sangthan, Centre for Information, Training, Research and Action, Commission for Religious Harmony, Committee for Protection of Democratic Rights , Countercurrents.org, Centre for Studies in Society and Secularism, Danish Publishers, Darpana Academy, Disha Social Organization , Ekta, Foundation for Educational Innovations in Asia, Global Gandhi Forum, GRAVIS, Holy Cross Convent, Human Rights Law Network, Indian
Social Institute, Indian Social Action Forum ,INSAF Bulletin, Institute for Minority Women, Institute for Social Democracy, Jadugoda, Janadhikar Samuh, Jananeethi, Janvikas, JUDAV, Lok Sangharsh Morcha, Lokshakti Abhiyan, Mahatma Gandhi Foundation, MASUM, Media Action Group, Medico Friend Circle, Minorities Council, Muslim Women's Forum, National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights, National Economic Forum for Muslims, Nazareth Mahila Samiti, NCHRO, Nishan, North East Support Centre & Helpline, Orissa Development Action Forum, Orissa Seek, Save & Development Society, Oxfam India, Popular Education & Action Centre ,People's Movement against Nuclear Energy, People's Research Society, People's Watch, PRASHANT, Religious Harmony Commission (CBCI), Roshan Vikas, Saheli, Sahrwaru, Sajhi Duniya, Sama, Samarpan, Sanchetana, Sandarbh, Sangat, Sarva Dharam Sansad, Shambhavi, South Asia Citizens Web, South Asians for Human Rights , SUTRA, Tamilnadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam, Udayan, Urja Ghar, Vikas Adhyan Kendra, Yuv Shakti
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Tiger of a Book
From this Man Booker Prize-winning debut novel:
Me, and thousands of others in this country like me, are half-baked, because weIf you have read this book, post a comment.....
were never allowed to complete our schooling. Open our skulls, look in with a
penlight, and you’ll find an odd museum of ideas: sentences of history or
mathematics remembered from school textbooks (no boy remembers his schooling
like one who was taken out of school, let me assure you), sentences about
politics read in a newspaper while waiting for someone to come to an office,
triangles and pyramids seen on the torn pages of the old geometry textbooks
which every tea shop in this country uses to wrap its snacks in, bits of All
India Radio news bulletins, things that drop into your mind, like lizards from
the ceiling, in the half hour before falling asleep—all these ideas, half formed
and half digested and half correct, mix up with other half-cooked ideas in your
head, and I guess these half-formed ideas bugger one another, and make more
half-formed ideas, and this is what you act on and live with.
Fatwa against Terrorism
It was another sign of how Muslim organisations in India appear to be taking the initiative as the country suffers from a string of bombings, often blamed on suspected Islamists, that has raised tensions between majority Hindus and minority Muslims.
The Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, one of India’s leading Islamic groups which has been active in the country since the start of the 20th century, endorsed on Nov 8 a fatwa against terrorism.
More than 6,000 clerics signed the edict, which follows a similar one issued earlier in the year by India’s top Islamic institution Darul Uloom Deoband. The fatwa follows a series of police crackdowns on Muslims after bomb blasts across Indian cities this year in which more than 200 people have died.
Muslim organisations are worried.
Previously Indian authorities had generally blamed Pakistan for most attacks, but evidence that these attacks were home grown has put India’s Muslim community under the eye of the police. Muslim leaders say innocent Muslim youths are being targeted by police.
So, there was no doubt that Muslim groups were reaching out to the rest of the country.
The Times of India quoted the weekend motion as saying that that “jihad is a constructive phenomenon and a fundamental right of human beings whereas terrorism is based on destruction”.
“It is required to define `jihad’ and `terrorism’ in the right perspective, which stand poles apart. Terrorism is the biggest crime as per Quran,” the resolution said.
“Here more than six thousand clerics from across the country have signed it to involve more people in spreading the message that there is no place for terrorism in Islam,” Jamiat’s senior leader and Rajya Sabha member Moulana Mahmood Madani told reporters.
It was interesting to see the response of the conference to news of the arrests of some right-wing Hindu militants and a military officer in connection with two recent blasts, originally blamed on Muslims.
Rather than make any political capital out of it, Madani said he disapproved the use of term ‘Hindu terrorist’ saying his organisation was opposed to linking terrorism with any religion.
“We are against linking terrorism to Hindus or Hinduism just as we are opposed to linking it to Muslims or Islam,” he said.
An act of political maturity, perhaps, that Indian politicians should learn from?
Monday, November 03, 2008
Patna is never parochial
IBN7: DEVIL'S ADVOCATE : SHOBHAA DE ON MUMBAI VS BOMBAY
Karan Thapar: When we looked at Mumbai from outside the city what we saw was this image of cosmopolitan avant garde modern India. What we thought was going to be our New York. Now Mumbai has become like the rest of India and in fact it is now more and more like Patna rather than New York.
PATNA HAS NEVER BEEN PAROCHIAL.
PATNA CANNOT BE COMPARED TO 'MUMBAI'
THIS OPEN LETTER TO KARAN THAPAR BY TV SINHA
ECHOES MY SENTIMENTS AND LAKHS OF PATNA LOVERS
WHO HAVE MADE THIS TOWN THEIR HOME-AWAY-FROM -HOME
In the interview, you ask Ms De "Mumbai ............is now more and more like Patna ?"
Who has given you the right to denigrate a city like this? Have you been to Patna recently? Have you looked at its crime statistics? Have you had any reports of regional hate?
Do try to recall. Did Patna have a communal riot in decades? This decade? In the nineties? In the eighties? Seventies?
Let me tell you, Patna has never had a communal riot.
Regional feelings?
Patna has a fairly large Bengali population which competes fiercely for the few jobs that are available. In fact, during the early British period, they had a virtual monopoly on the government jobs. But have you ever heard of a hate campaign against them? Marwaris control a large part of the trade in the city. Punjabis are in large number. The second holiest place of the Sikhs is at Patna: the birthplace of Guru Gobind Singhji. South Indians are a thriving community here, numbering about 30,000. Anglo Indians are another thriving community at Patna and nearby Danapur. Two seats [actually one seat- in the Assembly -FK] in the Bihar assembly is reserved for the Anglo Indian community. The author William Dalrymple has himself written to me that his family has strong Bhagalpur connections.
[And we have a large vibrant segment of Keralites and Tamilians and a very active south indian cultural society -FK]]
But for a few minor incidents of Sikh owned shops looted in the aftermath of Indira Gandhi's murder (mind you, no murders of Sikhs at Patna at that time), can you give a single incident of hate crime or campaign based on ethnicity? The closest you will come to a riotous situation in Patna is during the 1942 Quit India movement and the JP movement of 1970's: both for a national cause.
Then how on earth does it occur to you to put Patna as the worst example of provincialism? Is it media hype about Bihar and Biharis? Is it because the elite of India like you have been trained to always denigrate something to make you feel good? Is it plain ignorance? Or is it that since Bihar is poor, hence elites feel that they can get away by criticizing Bihar without a fear of reprisal or offending any section of your audience which has very few Biharis in any case?
(It is another matter that the response of Shobaa De ( I could almost feel her nose contracting in horror) is an even worse example of 'elitist' thinking, but then this letter is about you and the media, not other categories of elites)
For god's sake, this type of typecasting has led to a very explosive situation in the country. You people never tire of criticizing a Raj Thackeray.
Let me share a shocking statistic with you. Out of the new migrants in Mumbai, the percent of Biharis is between 2.3 and 3.5%. Yes I am talking of new migrants, not the percent of Biharis in the total population, which has to be lower since the number has increased from just 0.2% in the sixties to a 'High" 3.5%. This is based on studies conducted by two Mumbai based organizations: TISS and IPSS. (I would be happy to forward the publicly available extract of the study and the link if you find this statistic too difficult to digest). Now surely, you would also agree, this percent cannot be called excessive by any stretch of imagination if there is any truth in Mumbai being the commercial capital of India rather than just the administrative capital of Maharashtra?
Then pray what makes Raj Thackeray demonize Bihar and Biharis? If you think a little about it, you will perhaps agree with my theory that this is so because of the "image" of Bihar, created by powerful mediamen like you.
Let me add, your colleague, another Raj from Maharashtra, Rajdeep Sardesai, wrote an article on the ills of Maharashtra last year where he had no compunction in using 'biharisation' as synonymous to criminalization. Not just in the body of his article but in the headline itself. In fact, the whole article was based on Rajdeep's view that Bihar is a living hell on earth. Is it any surprise then that men like Raj Thackeray, desperate to carve a political space for himself, think first of Bihar when they are looking for a villain?
I am well aware of the bias of the Indian English press towards Bihar. I don't expect it to remember the sacrifice of Bihar and Biharis for the nation: the Champaran movement or the 1942 quit India movement or the agitation against dictatorship in mid seventies. I don't expect the media to highlight the extreme injustice done to Bihar due to freight equalization or inequitable distribution of development funds in each of the five years plans since independence. But this continued bias is now striking at the very root of India. This anti Bihari feeling is now creating a feeling of alienation in every town and village of Bihar. Politicians of Bihar, though accused of playing politics by the media, are trying their best to douse this flame which they had no role to create. If you folks believe in the idea of India, you have to play a role here.
Repeated biased coverage of Bihar in the Indian English press should have convinced me by now that it is futile to expect any semblance of evenness in the coverage.
But what to do, I am a Bihari. I cant give up on my Indianess. And giving up on hope is just not in my gene: whether the centre gives me an ill treatment or the nature tests my tenacity every year through floods, you would not hear a Bihari committing suicide. Hence I still approach you with hope, that things can change and will change.
Thanks
-- Thakur Vikas Sinha
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