South Asia Citizens Web

Using curricula to indoctrinate students is nothing new in Pakistan.

There is a political rush in Sri Lanka. The Budget Speech was made a month ahead of schedule, the Pope is to visit in January, and now Presidential Elections may be jammed in before or after that. Is this a moment of panic?

As you may know that this December will mark the 30th anniversary of the Bhopal gas disaster. On 10th November Bhopal survivors are coming down to Delhi and 5 of them will sit on an indefinite water-less fast at Jantar mantar on the issue of compensation. We are demanding additional compensation for all survivors of the disaster and correction of figures of death and extent of injury in the curative petition filed in the Supreme Court. More than half a million gas victims have been denied compensation on an arbitary deciison taken by Group of Minister on Bhopal in 2010. There is no scientific and legal basis to deny additional compensation to 93% of the victims.

Caste hierarchy is the major obstacle to the goal of social justice and it continues to be a major obstacle to social progress even today. There are many a theories, which have tried to understand its origin. The latest in the series is the attempt of RSS to show its genesis due to invasion of Muslim kings. Three books written by RSS ideologues argue that Islamic atrocities during medieval period resulted in emergence of untouchables and low castes. The books are "Hindu Charmakar Jati", "Hindu Khatik Jati" and "Hindu Valmiki Jati".

Don’t narrow your band width to a bitter and hate ridden version of Hinduism as appropriated by the RSS, Mahesh Bhatt, award winning film maker exhorts the young Indian film maker in this Special Interview with Teesta Setalvad on Communalism Combat and Hillele TV; and use the creative medium to express dissent.