[sacw] SACW | 21 Sept. 02

[Harsh Kapoor]

South Asia Citizens Wire | 21 September 2002

__________________________

#1. The Hindutva experiment (Tavleen Singh)
#2. Sentence of Gangrape To School Teacher: Protest Against This=20
Outrage (Brinda Karat)
#3. Mukhraran Bibi and Keshiya Devi who? - They are anonymous village=20
women who paid heavily for being the wrong gender (Syeda Hameed )
#4. A Valuable three-part essay by C.Rammanohar Reddy
#5. Comment on the PBS Documentary "The Soul of India" (Badruddin R. Gowani=
)
#6. To Bhaijaan , with shame (Satchit Balsari)
#7. Film screening of Saffron Warriors (September 27, New York)
#8. Book Announcement: "The Narmada Dammed: An Inquiry into the=20
Politics of Development"
by Dilip D'Souza

__________________________

#1.

http://www.cybernoon.com/
Afternoon Despatch & Courier, Bombay (Mumbai)
Editorial [20 September 2002]

On the Spot - Tavleen Singh

The Hindutva experiment
Despite their protest that the Sangh Parivar's role is a cultural=20
one, it is a fact that they have used Hindutva for political purposes

When I returned from Gujarat last week, sickened by the images of=20
Hindutva at work that I had seen and certain that the Sangh Parivar=20
had only a destructive role to play in our wounded land, I found two=20
letters in my mail that say more about what has gone wrong with the=20
Hindutva experiment than anything political pundits have come up=20
with. One was a routine missive from some Sangh Parivar publicity=20
outfit that sends me, on a weekly basis, articles that they hope will=20
teach me to view their cause with greater sympathy. And, the other=20
was from a man called Michel Danino who recently helped found an=20
organization called the International Forum for India's Heritage=20
(IFIH).

Parivar propaganda

This organization, just like the Sangh Parivar, seeks to make Indians=20
aware of the richness and beauty of their ancient culture but the=20
contrast between the methods being used is interesting. The contrast=20
between the two letters is already revealing. I opened the one from=20
the Vivek Hindu Parishad (or something) first and discovered in the=20
following order: a summary of the resolutions adopted by the=20
Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh at a meeting in June in Kurukshetra, an=20
article by Salman Rushdie on Islamic terrorism from the Washington=20
Post, an article on a church being turned into a mosque in Sudan, an=20
article by RSS spokesman, M.G. Vaidya on the need for Jammu to be a=20
separate state, and other articles on the links between Islam,=20
Pakistan and international terrorism.

I mention the package in detail because while in Gujarat=20
investigating why Hindus were so filled with hatred for Muslims one=20
of the reasons I was given by a Jesuit priest, called Father Jimmy,=20
was Sangh Parivar propaganda. "They have a cell that does nothing but=20
read every publication in the world, then they send out copies of the=20
articles all over the country and mostly these articles create=20
ill-feeling towards Muslims and Christians."

As a long-time recipient of the Parivar's weekly propaganda package I=20
can confirm that generally the articles leave you feeling that Islam=20
is the scourge of mankind. And, Muslims are beyond redemption hence=20
to be despised.

Imagine, for instance, the effect on the mind of some semi-literate=20
Hindu reading an article on Hindu women taking up arms to fight=20
Muslim militants in Kashmir. Imagine the effect of reading that=20
15-year-old Sunita Sharma says, "The Indian government should also=20
introduce arms training programmes for women in terrorist-infested=20
areas of Jammu region. After training, we too can be recruited in=20
VDCs. We have to train ourselves in meeting any threat from these=20
Islamic terrorists." If you cannot imagine it let me tell you that in=20
a Gujarati village I met a young man charged with killing women and=20
children and when I asked him if he was aware of how these killings=20
had damaged India's image he said, "If you think the country has any=20
image left go and see what's happening in Kashmir."

The point I am making is that the Sangh Parivar's service to the=20
cause of Hindutva has been mainly to spread hatred against Muslims so=20
that Hindus or at least the Hindu vote gets polarized instead of=20
being compartmentalized by caste. So, despite the RSS protesting that=20
its role is a cultural one they have used Hindutva mainly for=20
political purposes.

The IFIH, on the other hand, was set up with the specific idea of=20
examining why the great legacy of ancient Hindu civilization has been=20
so diminished that most modern Hindus pay it no attention. In a=20
letter to the Prime Minister and Human Resource Development minister,=20
Murli Manohar Joshi, this is what the IFIH said of its reason for=20
being. "We assert the birthright of every Indian man, woman and child=20
to have full access to this cultural heritage in complete freedom - a=20
freedom that our alienating education system today denies... in=20
today's India, a child goes through his or her whole schooling while=20
remaining largely unaware of the essential values that arose from=20
this land - values such as the divine potential in every human being,=20
self-knowledge and the spirit of inquiry, the oneness and=20
inter-connectedness of humankind, respect for pluralism and=20
synthesis."

The IFIH is, ironically, playing the role that our HRD Minister=20
should have been playing if he had the imagination and intelligence=20
to go beyond absurdities like denying that Brahmins in Vedic times=20
ate beef. The IFIH letter contained a copy of a survey they are=20
sending to school children across India through which they are trying=20
to find out how much they know about their heritage.

So, do they know that the numerals that the world calls Arabic are in=20
fact Indian? Do they know that the respect for learning is so=20
integral a part of Indian civilization that the fifth day of the=20
month of Kartika is celebrated as the 'Fifth Day of Knowledge' when=20
books are dusted and sprinkled with sandalwood? Do they know that=20
Erwin Schrodinger, one of the pioneers of the quantum theory, was=20
inspired by the Upanishads and mentioned in his autobiography that=20
the discovery of quantum mechanics was an attempt to give form to the=20
central ideas of Vedanta? There are other questions of this kind in=20
the 12-page survey which basically seeks to find out how much (or how=20
little) Indian children know about India so that ministers like Dr.=20
Joshi can finally understand the real meaning of Indianizing=20
education. He has made no effort so far to even acknowledge that a=20
system of education set up by our colonial masters cannot possibly be=20
allowed to continue in a country that seeks to decolonize its=20
identity. But, Dr. Joshi shows no signs of comprehension as can be=20
seen from the fact that he recently said there was no need for a new=20
educational policy because the one created by Rajiv Gandhi was good=20
enough.

Hateful fanatics

How ironic that a government led by our first Bharatiya Janata Party=20
prime minister should not even have noticed that one of the biggest=20
mistakes the Congress Party made was not to decolonize Indian=20
education.

How ironic that it should be a foreigner called Michel Danino who=20
should set up an organization to promote the constructive,=20
civilizational side of Hindutva while those who came to power in its=20
name should spread only hatred.

The Sangh Parivar has always been feared by those who believe that a=20
secular Indian state is vital to the survival of India. And, yet=20
another irony is that because of Gujarat and the defence of the=20
indefensible by senior BJP leaders the Sangh Parivar has provided=20
proof that it needs to be feared.

If instead of spreading hatred and meddling poisonously in political=20
and economic issues it had concentrated on doing what the IFIH is=20
trying to do Hindutva could arguably still have been the force it was=20
when the BJP was swept to power. Today, the BJP and the rest of the=20
Sangh Parivar stand exposed as a bunch of hate-filled and hateful=20
fanatics who might succeed in holding onto power in Gujarat but who=20
will almost certainly lose India. Sadly, despite the efforts of=20
organizations like the IFIH, what could also end up in the garbage=20
bin of history is the idea that Hindu civilization had something=20
unique to offer. How ironic that if it ends up there it will be=20
because of the Sangh Parivar.

_____

#2.

[20 Sep 2002 ]

SENTENCE OF GANGRAPE TO SCHOOL TEACHER: PROTEST AGAINST THIS OUTRAGE
Brinda Karat
If there was outrage and horror at the sentence meted out by the=20
Meerwala Jatoi council in Pakistan of revenge rape against a young=20
woman for the alleged offence of her younger brother at least it=20
could be said that those responsible were =8Cself proclaimed" councils.=20
But what of an elected sarpanch holding a constitutional post=20
delivering a sentence of gang rape and then continuing in that post,=20
protected by a conniving administration and Government?=A0
On July 30,2002, in the village of Sankarikala, Lanji tehsil of=20
Balaghat district in the State of Madhya Pradesh in a most shocking=20
incident that makes a mockery of the panchayat raj system, an elected=20
sarpanch Jiya Lal Patle, along with the secretary of the panchayats=20
Laxmi Lal Patle and the jan pad member Chetan Ratangdale, sentenced a=20
school teacher to " gang rape=B9 to "punish" her for her alleged=20
"sexual relationship=B9 with a male colleague. This outrageous incident=20
came to light only last week, when the Jabalpur High Court issued=20
notice to the authorities concerned.
On September 15, the All India Democratic Women=B9s Association=20
organized a big protest demonstration in Jabalpur, attended by=20
hundreds of women and men from neighbouring villages, at the Zonal=20
Commissioner=B9s office and handed over a memorandum to the Commissoner=20
M.M.Upadhyay that included the demands to arrest those concerned=20
under charges of conspiracy to rape and attempt to rape, immediate=20
dismissal of the sarpanch and others under the relevant provisions of=20
the Panchayat Act.He assured those present including office bearrs of=20
the organization,Brinda Karat, Sandhya Shaily and Anjana Kuraria that=20
he would act on the memorandum. On September 17th another=20
demonstration was held at the block level and a dharna is scheduled=20
to be held also in Bhopal.
Bhuvaneswari Devi is a 27 year old school teacher in a panchayat run=20
school in the village of Sankarikala, Lanji Tehsil, in the district=20
of Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh. She has been teaching in this school for=20
the last six years and is popular among the students. She is the only=20
woman teacher among the seven teachers in the school. Her crime is=20
that she is young, articulate and attractive and has maintained a=20
distance from the other teachers. Last year she had to publicly=20
upbraid one of the male teachers for his highly objectionable sexist=20
behaviour, lewd comments made in front of her and sexist jokes. She=20
suspects that he is also behind the incident.
The sarpanch claims that two children in her school informed him that=20
on July 24 they had seen her in a "compromising position" in the=20
teacher=B9s common room with another teacher. The male teacher, Shri=20
Joshi incidentally happens to be oldest and most senior teacher in=20
the school, nearing retirement. Bhuvaneshwari knew nothing of this=20
absurd charge. She took her classes as usual on the 24th and the=20
following days. It was only around the 28th when the sarpanch issued=20
a public notice through the beating of drums in the village that a=20
"special" meeting was to be called on July 30 about her "behaviour=B9=20
that she got to know about the charge. This was the second notice=20
issued since the first notice did not evoke any response from the=20
village.
On July 30th when she got to the school, she found filthy slogans=20
chalked on the village walls against her. Two drunken men, whom she=20
has named in her FIR, came to the school in the morning and insisted=20
that she go with them to the meeting. She complained to the=20
headmaster who got them removed from the premises. However, the=20
headmaster advised Bhuvaneshwari that since the school was under the=20
jurisdiction of the panchayat she should attend the meeting and that=20
he would accompany her.
When she reached the meeting there was a crowd of about 700 or so=20
people including children, teachers, parents and others mobilised by=20
the sarpanch. As soon as she arrived, there were catcalls, whistling,=20
and filthy slogans against her. The sarpanch called the children to=20
give their statements. The first child, just 9 years old could barely=20
speak and said that he had "seen the two sitting together.=B9 The=20
second child, about 11 years or so, made what can only be called a=20
tutored statement. Unthinkable for a child his age, he gave a most=20
detailed description of what he said he had purportedly seen. At=20
every sentence there were whistles and catcalls. In fact the room=20
where he described having seen them, is a common room, accessible to=20
everyone in the school. If the child is to be believed, in the short=20
tea break between classes, the two were having sexual intercourse=20
with the door open, with two of the windows open in full public view.=20
Bhuvaneshwari could hardly believe what was being said. She was=20
paralysed with humiliation and fear. Yet this brave woman stood her=20
ground. She refuted all the allegations and said that she spent time=20
with the said teacher during her tea breaks because he was the=20
oldest, "like my father" and she felt safe with him. She said that on=20
the 24th she was in the teachers room for the 10 minute tea break,=20
speaking with him, after which she took her classes as usual. He also=20
made a similar statement. The entire focus shifted not from the total=20
lack of jurisdiction of the sarpanch to hold such a meeting in the=20
first place, but to whether or not such an incident could have taken=20
place. All through the statements, men were shouting that a "woman=20
like her deserved to be raped.=B9 At the end of the meeting the=20
Sarpanch and others with him, declared her =8Cguilty" and sentenced her=20
to gang rape and even named the four men who were to carry out the=20
sentence. They were drunk and came towards her, molested her. Some in=20
the meeting protested. Meanwhile her husband who was in a=20
neighbouring village heard about the meeting and rushed there along=20
with others from his village and brought her out of the meeting.
In the first instance the police refused to register a report. The=20
Collector, one Dr. Rajesh Rajori who she complained to also refused=20
to act. Later an enquiry was conducted by one Chari, the SDPO. He=20
took statements from all those involved and came to the conclusion=20
that such an incident had occurred But he charged the sarpanch and=20
others only under sections related to the use of obscene language=20
against a woman and the accused were immediately granted bail. On the=20
other hand, Bhuvaneswari was punished on a recommendation of the=20
sarpanch and transferred to a remote school and so was the other=20
teacher Shri Joshi. In despair, she filed a petition before the=20
Jabalpur High Court Today, she is being threatened and pressurised to=20
withdraw her charges. The sarpanch=B9s supporters are sitting on a=20
so-called hunger strike to demand her dismissal. It is said in the=20
village that the ex-MLA, a BJP leader of the area is backing the=20
agitation and that the sarpanch and his men are BJP supporters.
Issues that arise:
1.The sarpanch and other elected members have no jurisdiction to hold=20
such a meeting. The holding of such a meeting with the express agenda=20
of discussing the "immoral behaviour of a teacher=B9 regardless of what=20
transpired at the meeting is itself totally violative of the=20
Panchayat Act. It is a clear case of misuse of a constitutional post=20
and attracts punitive action under the Panchayats Act.
2. The proceedings at the so-called meeting constitute crimes under=20
relevant sections of conspiracy to rape, attempt to rape,=20
molestation, defamation, use of obscene language against a woman.=20
Some of these are non-bailable offences. Therefore the arrest under=20
these charges of the sarpanch and his cohorts is essential.
3. On the basis of points 1 and 2, the sarpanch and his colleagues=20
should be removed from the elected posts under the relevant=20
provisions (Sec. 40) of the Panchayats Act.
4. Police personnel involved in protecting the accused should be=20
punished. The present Collector also has to be punished for=20
dereliction of duty.
5. Since the woman has been defamed, it is incumbent for the=20
administration including the Commissioner, to hold a meeting in the=20
village in defence of Bhuvaneshwari and to expose the crimes=20
committed by the Sarpanch and others.
6. Cancellation of the punishment transfer orders of Bhuvaneshwari=20
and Shri Joshi and reemployment in the same school.
7. Immediate security protection to Bhuvaneswari as demanded by her.
With the help of social workers /educationists information has to be=20
got from the children as to what prompted their statements?
The AIDWA[All India Democratic Women's Association] has also=20
information of another shocking case from a neighbouring village=20
where a young girl was forcibly thrown out of her house by the=20
panchayat accused of being pregnant. The child actually had a tumour=20
in her stomach that was later operated on. But the panchayat has=20
refused to let her back into the village. It is also reported that in=20
the last six months in the area there have been eight cases where=20
young women have been burnt to death. An AIDWA team will soon be=20
going to the area to find out more about these reports and to help=20
organize local resistance.
Bhuvaneswari=B9s experience also highlights problems faced by women=20
employed in villages as school teachers, health workers and so on=20
under the exclusive jurisdiction of the panchayats. In the name of=20
accountability to the community, they are vulnerable to all kinds of=20
harassment and pressures from the panchayats, including sexual=20
harassment. In the absence of radical measures like land reform to=20
change unequal social equations based on class, caste and gender=20
inequalities, panchayats become instruments to legitimise the most=20
retrograde practices. This is more so in areas where there is an=20
ascendancy of right wing politics. There is thus a question mark on=20
the view that the panchayat model in itself is intrinsically=20
democratic.

_____

#3.

Indian Express
Wednesday, July 31, 2002

INTERVENTION

Mukhraran Bibi and Keshiya Devi who?
They are anonymous village women who paid heavily for being the wrong gende=
r
Syeda Hameed

On July 13, 2002, two women in Sadaan village of Hazaribagh district=20
were gang raped and forced to swallow excrement. Their crime? The=20
allegation that they helped in the murder of an =8Cupper class man=B9.

The story, which appeared in Rashtriya Sahara, is datelined Ranchi,=20
July 14, 2002. The women are 50-year-old Keshiya Devi and her=20
daughter-in-law, Vasanti Devi. They were first shut in a room where=20
five villagers gang raped them. Then they were dragged out, their=20
faces smeared with dung and forced to walk naked through the village.=20
Finally, as the ultimate act of depravity, they were forced to eat=20
shit. The people of this miserable village were meting out their=20
loathsome justice on two hapless women. Hazaribagh is the=20
constituency of our newly-appointed foreign minister, Yashwant Sinha,=20
whose name appears everyday in connection with Sri Lanka, Pakistan=20
and other international fronts. He hears daily from his counterparts=20
in USA and UK but may one ask if he knows what is going on in his own=20
backyard?

Next door to us is the case of Mukhraran Bibi, an 18-year-old girl in=20
Multan, Pakistan, who was gang raped by the consensus of the village=20
elders. Her crime? That her brother had dared to fall in love with a=20
girl from a different caste. And the =8Cwise men=B9 thought what better=20
way of punishment than by using a woman=B9s body to settle scores?=20
While the entire village watched in silence, the hapless girl=B9s body=20
was used as a battleground for caste rivalries. Does the ruler of=20
Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf, so preoccupied with national and=20
international matters, even bother to notice what is happening in his=20
own backyard?

Mukhraran=B9s case had led to women in Lahore, Karachi, and other parts=20
of Pakistan, coming out on the streets. The police sheepishly=20
arrested a few people as a face-saving gesture. In Hazaribagh, the=20
police arrived and according to the media some women blocked their=20
way so the culprits escaped. Now this very police is dragging its=20
feet.

In writing this piece I am hoping that Keshiya Devi=B9s and Vasanti=20
Devi=B9s cases also create public fury and the right thinking women and=20
men of this country take to the streets.

These are two reported cases from India and Pakistan. But we know too=20
well that there are thousands of such cases in South Asia. This is=20
what happens to the poor of our country, men and women.

This incident should be flung at all those leaders who we have voted=20
to power and at all those religious sants, sadhus, mullas, muftis,=20
whose aim is to keep women on the straight and narrow path.

Its parallel in Pakistan should be flashed in red letters before the=20
self-proclaimed rulers, the clerics, the squabblers and schemers. A=20
howl of protest from men and women of South Asia should puncture the=20
ears of all these comprising the political and religious elite in=20
both countries.

What are India and Pakistan?

Two nations of poor, ragged, malnourished, oppressed women and men.=20
And yet two nations poised on the brink of destroying one another?=20
Not the ones who lead, not the ones who sit in boardrooms, not the=20
ones who attend international parleys. The Keshiyas and Mukhrarans=20
are victims of this elitist amnesia which blocks out the ugly reality=20
unless somehow it translates into votes. How many wake up calls like=20
Hazaribagh and Multan do we need before we realise that for 54 years=20
we have been fooled, cajoled and duped with non-issues? As Dylan=20
Thomas said, we South Asians should =8CRage, rage against the dying of=20
the light=B9.

The writer is a former Member, National Commission for Women

_____

#4.

A three-part essay by C.Rammanohar Reddy examines the condition of
Muslims in contemporary India.

Deprivation affects Muslims more
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/09/12/stories/2002091202461300.htm

The gap widened during the 1990s
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/09/13/stories/2002091302781300.htm

Facts on 'appeasement' [*]
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/09/14/stories/2002091407681000.htm

o o o

[ * Appeasement
is one of the stronger terms of abuse in the lexicon of Sangh=20
Hindutva. It is made specially powerful by its apparent sheen of=20
rationality, its seeming connection with reality. It is a vital part=20
of the mythologic base of the threadbare political ideology of the=20
Parivar.

In this article, published in the / Hindu/ on 14 September 2002, C.=20
Rammanohar Reddy cites data collected by the National Sample Survey=20
Organisation which show that Muslims in all states of India, in rural=20
as well as urban areas, are, in respect of every criterion looked at,=20
worse off than Hindus. Because the gap between the two has been=20
widening =8B not narrowing, as it would have done over time if=20
discrimination in favour of Muslims had had any effect =8B Reddy=20
concludes that the notion of appeasement belongs on the dung-heap.=20
The hoofs and trotters of Hindutva are shown to rest on nothing=20
substantial, though Reddy is polite about it.

Why make such an unholy din about something which is toothless, a=20
complete non-starter? This may be because, as Reddy says mildly,=20
=B3prejudices cannot countenance honest observation.=B2

Mukul Dube ]

_____

#4.

Date: Fri, 20 Sep 2002 01:45:45 -0700

"The Soul of India"
Badruddin R. Gowani

The Hindu fanatics in the United States were unnecessarily wasting=20
their breath and efforts in trying to stop the PBS (Public=20
Broadcasting Service) Television show, "The Soul of India", about the=20
recent massacres of Muslims in Gujarat, India. The show did not=20
contain anything of substance, which could either harm their good=20
reputation or could hurt their feelings. After the show, I am sure,=20
not only their tension and nervousness would have been relieved, but=20
they would have started writing a letter inviting James P. Ruben to=20
make another program which would further their cause.

Ruben, who is reporter Christiane Amanpour's husband, produced it.=20
(He is a former US State Department spokesperson and former Assistant=20
Secretary of State for Public Affairs in Bill Clinton's government.)=20
As someone who has worked with the US government and who is currently=20
filing reports for the US news media, he is quite familiar about who=20
to criticize and how to be "objective". He knew beforehand how=20
delicate the Hindu fundamentalists and their feelings are, and also=20
how important India is nowadays, and so avoided as much as possible=20
anything that would bring out the true fascist nature of the Hindu=20
bigots.

Sometimes it became quite difficult to figure out as to who the=20
victim is: the Muslims or the Hindu bigots?
The show did not mention the Forensic Department report which states=20
that the fire was set from the inside of the train compartment which=20
claimed the lives of 58 Hindus, instead of the fire set from the=20
outside by the Muslim mob as has been alleged.
Teesta Setalwad (co-editor of the "Communalism Combat" magazine),=20
Shabnam Hashmi (of the Sahmat or Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust), Harsh=20
Mander (the IAS officer who resigned over the Gujarat massacres),=20
Father Cedric C. Prakash (an active supporter for minorities=92=20
rights), Mallika Sarabhai (a classical dancer and an activist), and=20
so many others who have through their writings, lectures, and tours=20
exposed the gory crimes of the Hindu fundamentalists and the BJP=20
(Bhartiya Janata Party) led state government of Chief Minister=20
Narendra Modi. All these people were missing form the show.
Ruben did not take trouble - and did not give trouble - of asking=20
questions to any major leader of the Sangh Parivar or Sangh Family=20
(an umbrella organization of Hindu fundamentalist parties), such as=20
Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, Deputy Prime Minister (and the=20
man running the central government), Modi, Ashok Singhal (VHP) or any=20
leader of the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the main organization=20
which is running everybody, including Advani), thus avoiding any=20
discomfort to the Hindu leaders and also preventing any discomfort to=20
himself.
It did not have any of the inflammatory statements issued everyday by=20
dozens by the Hindu leaders.
There were no newspaper editors or journalists or TV reporters, many=20
of them did a commendable job of reporting the gory details.

Ruben teaches at the London School of Economics in London, England.=20
At least as a courtesy to his host country, he could have cited the=20
British High Commission's enquiry about the Gujarat pogrom =96 about=20
which the Indian government was not happy.

He showed two Hindu leaders who talked a great deal about Muslims=92=20
inability to live peacefully and in a brotherly fashion. One of them=20
reminded about the September 11, 2001, tragedy and how the Israelis=20
are coping with the Palestinian Muslims. (It's like a jingle bell to=20
many ears in the US.)
Those two were given enough time to vent out their feelings.

Ruben must have got this assignment through some connections.=20
Usually, the PBS produced "Frontline" programs are of high standard =96=20
though politically not very bold. It would have been better if it=20
were a "Frontline" program, and much better if it was a BBC (British=20
Broadcasting Corporation) or ITV (Independent Television, England)=20
program.

After a while, the show became an exercise as to whether the former=20
police chief of Punjab, G. S. Gill, who was called into Gujarat to=20
control the situation, would be able to prevent disturbances during=20
the Jaggannath Yatra to be led by Modi, with participation by leaders=20
of other Hindu outfits, such as Bajrang Dal (the Hindu monkey god=20
Hanuman's army) and VHP (Vishwa Hindu Parishad or World Hindu=20
Council) or not. Yes, Sardarji succeeded in his mission. Afterward,=20
he went back to the Hockey Federation of India in New Delhi=20
(literally) and Rubenbhai came back to the US =96 after about 42=20
minutes =96 to enlighten us with former US Senator James Mitchell's=20
wisdom about Islam, Irelands, Israel/Palestine, and the "important"=20
India/Pakistan. Like a commercial South Asian film, the show had a=20
happy ending, because the disturbances were prevented.

The credits at the end said that Mitchell's law firm represents India=20
in the US.

How much more objectivity can one expect?

_____

#5.

Date: Fri, 20 Sep 2002 01:55:18 -0400

To Bhaijaan , with shame.

At the outset, I would like to clarify that this apology by no measure is
meant to soothe your open wounds or undo the grave damage done or belittle =
the
colossal wrong we have done you and continue to do as I write.

But I apologize nevertheless for the blood on my hands.

I apologize for a society that under the guise of revenge, reveled in
plundering neighbors, and murdering friends.

I apologize for a society that stood around to watch the dignity of your wi=
fe
and sister be repeatedly ravaged and for a society that did not balk at thi=
s;

I apologize for a society that felt no remorse at burning your children, an=
d
cutting open the wombs of women to burn children yet unborn.

I apologize for a society that made your mother watch all this

I apologize for a people that rationalized its inhumanity effortlessly. I
apologize for being part of such a society.

I apologize for having elected a government that turned against the people =
it
had pledged to protect.

I apologize for a society that lauded its government when it did so.

I apologize for the police forces whose keeping I pay for, that held you do=
wn
while civil society plundered the loins of your home.

I apologize for a society whose men in municipal office had pledged to serv=
e
you, but marked out instead your homes, so none would be spared by chance.

I apologize for a government that watched your ruin nonchalantly, shrugging=
it
as the inevitable.

I apologize for electing a government that governed the systematic destruct=
ion
of the signs of your existence.

I apologize for a society that desecrated the shrine of one god in the name=
of
another.

I apologize for a society whose women teetotalers made Molotov cocktails an=
d
whose servants of God brandished swords stained with the blood of your
children.

I apologize for a society that circulated pamphlets instructing your ruin,
when there was nothing left to destroy.
I apologize for a society whose soul has blackened and conscience has died.

I apologize for doing nothing. I apologize for not protecting you. I apolog=
ize
for letting you die. I apologize for watching you die ensconced in my safe
home.

I apologize for having lost without having tried. I apologize for having lo=
st
faith in faith, and hope in hope. I apologize for having accepted defeat. I
apologize for a nation that betrayed you.

And though I weep with you I will never feel the sorrow you feel, and thoug=
h I
cry out with you, my rage will not match yours.

But the one thing I share with you, is my absolute sense of homelessness. F=
or
I have, just as you, no where to go. I have no home to return to, for that =
was
not the home I left. The society I had left behind died the same day you di=
d.
The people are unrecognizable, their deeds unfathomable. With your children=
,
went my childhood, with your home, went mine; without your footsteps, the
roads are eerie; without your mosques, my temples look sinister, and withou=
t
you, went my identity.

You lie today, in graves and among graves, and the entire city wears a haun=
ted
look. You lie in silence, but your silence is loud. Your ghosts will haunt =
the
demons who butchered you and those who stood by muted.

Your children will look at our bloodied hands with fear now, but rage
tomorrow. They will not suffer the indignation of their mother, like we did
today. I apologize for this society that robbed your children of their
innocence for they worshipped the wrong god.

I will not ask for forgiveness for I deserve none. I will not ask that you
look at me, for I can look not myself the eye. I come to you Bhai jan, to h=
ang
my head in shame.

-sat chit

This was written in May 2002, in Boston, by an Indian Hindu Gujarati studen=
t
who watched helplessly his home defiled forever.

Dr. Satchit Balsari, MBBS, MPH
Research Associate, Program on Humanitarian Crises
Harvard School of Public Health
651 Huntington Ave., 7th Floor
Boston, MA 02115

____

#7.

Please join us for a screening of the film * "Saffron Warriors" on Friday,
September 27, 2002.

The film will be followed by a discussion.

Screening Venue: 304 Barnard Hall, Barnard College
[3009 Broadway, New York, NY 10027]

Time: 6-8 p.m.

Details of the film, and its producer
Title: SAFFRON WARRIORS
Producers: Channel 4, UK
Associate Producer: Ruchira Gupta
Reporter: Burhan Wazir
Directed and Filmed: Elizabeth Jones
Length: 23 minutes

The documentary is on Nazi-style politics in Gujarat. Is was made two
months ago - nearly 4 months after the outbreak of systematic state-
sponsored violence against Muslims in this western state of India.It looks
at the rise of Hindu fundamentalism and its repurcussions on ordinary
people. It also examines the impcat of RSS on the future of Indian people
through the eyes of those trapped in refugee camps, business men and
middle class families.

Ruchira Gupta, its Associate Producer, is an Emmy-winning journalist.
She won an Emmy for 'outstanding investigative journalism' for her
documentary The Selling of Innocents on the trafficking of women and
children from Nepal to India. [...] She is a key witness at the=20
Liberhans Commission of
Inquiry, investigating the demolition of the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya, India
which led to large scale rioting against Muslims.

[* Originally telecast on Channel 4 (UK), Unreported World Saffron=20
Warriors, Saturday 27th July 2002, 7.30pm]

_____

#8.

"The Narmada Dammed: An Inquiry into the Politics of Development"
by Dilip D'Souza,
has just been published by (Penguin India).

For more information see:
http://www.penguinbooksindia.com/books/aspBookDetail.asp?ID=3D4995

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